Ah My Goddess Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ A Tale of Two Wallets ❯ Wicked Kasumi ( Chapter 33 )

A Tale of Two Wallets

(An Altered Destiny)

Written by Jim Robert Bader

Proofread by Shiva Barnwell

Kasumi smiled in relish as she saw the familiar sign of Doctor Tofu's clinic. The Oni within her was smiling, and since smiling came so naturally to her it just felt natural to smile as well, even though she was deeply worried that the thing within her was making her behave in a way that was simply not proper for a lady. She wanted to protest but found the Demon quite insistent, and since she had always been a very polite hostess-even in the privacy of her own thoughts-it seemed very rude to raise any sort of objections.

Besides, all it had done so far was make her say aloud some things that sounded naughty but did seem rather accurate on points. After all, her father did rely upon her a little too much to take care of the house, and neither of her younger sisters was all that willing to contribute their fair share to the workload. She had long been aware of Nabiki's tendency towards underhanded behavior, and now with this potential three-way marriage that she had lined up…why, that was also rather improper, even though Kasumi rather liked her prospective sister-in-law, Shampoo. She had also chided Ranma for his sex-changing habits, but that was hardly fair since the boy's gender switching was not exactly voluntary. If anything she rather liked the feisty redhead that Ranma turned into. Such and free and lively spirit was just the thing that Nabiki needed in her life to draw her out of her emotional shell. Kasumi had long wanted to do that herself, but could never quite find the proper way to reach the inner self of Nabiki, much though they shared a deep affection for one another as sisters.

If anything she was much closer to Nabiki than Akane, who was forever causing Kasumi to fret and worry with her tomboyish antics. Kasumi often prayed to their late mother that Akane be forgiven for her "high spiritedness," her tendency to use violence to solve almost any situation, and her stunning lack of competence at all things domestic. Kasumi felt it reflected badly on herself as a homemaker that she had not been able to fully replace their mother, and had it not been for her outside interests she might have found the chore of being at the calm center of all activity rather more than she could handle.

One of those outside interests was Doctor Tofu.

In truth she had always looked up to the Doctor as a kind and caring family physician, one who always had a gentle word to share, a kind thought and an understanding phrase. In recent years he had begun to manifest more and more eccentric behavior, but she simply found his antics amusing and thought her visits with him were so refreshing, just the thing she needed to lighten her mood on an average day. Tofu was always so considerate with her, and he helped encourage her interests in studying about medicine, Chinese poetry and literature, and other calming subjects.

Lately she had begun to wonder if she might be interested in him in a different sense than simple friendship. She was never quite able to tell what was on his mind, mainly because he could turn into such a clown without proper warning. As delighted as she always was with his attempts to cheer her up, she was starting to develop interests that were more proper to a young woman of her age. After all, she was almost twenty years old and had yet to find a boyfriend. There was never anyone interesting enough to date in high school, and all the boys had seemed too shy to ask her.

Now was her chance to find out just how serious she could be in her efforts to find herself a husband.

Of course that was simply what was going through the back part of her mind, the part that was not currently in control of the driving. The Oni had much darker intentions than herself, and Kasumi fairly blushed upon discovering the rather graphic nature of its interest. Such a thing was hardly proper in any sense for a young girl who respected her family and the institution of marriage (and besides, some of the mental pictures the Oni was forming looked awfully uncomfortable, and quite a few Kasumi thought were not within the realm of human ability).

This gave her a vaguely disturbed feeling of uncertainty as she approached Tofu's clinic. She wasn't certain what she was going to do or say, but the Oni suffered no such hesitation and was quite eager to get stared!

Just as she was about to open the door, though, it suddenly opened outward right into her face! It had been pushed outward by a large oak cabinet that was currently strapped to the back of a very old woman (who was still a budding teenager when compared to the likes of Cologne or Lotion).

"A fine son you've turned out to be!" that old woman called out over her shoulder, "No respect for your poor old mother, who is only trying to find a good match for her only offspring!"

"But mother!" Tofu called out as he followed in the old woman's wake, "I'm still not ready to get married. Besides…I…uh…kind of…sort of…have someone already in mind…"

"Oh yeah?" the old woman executed the difficult feat of turning around with the cabinet still strapped to her back, and in doing so allowed the clinic doors to swing closed, exposing a very stunned looking Kasumi, "Well, what's her name? Does she really exist, or is she just a figment of your imagination?"

"She exists," Tofu insisted, "In fact she comes to visit me quite…often…?" he did a very slow double-take as he caught movement from his peripheral vision and belatedly recognized the woman standing off to his left within easy arm's length, "K-K-K-Kasumi?"

"Ow," Kasumi felt along the bridge of her nose, grateful that she was not the type to bruise easy, then she suddenly realized that she was thinking clearly again and said, "Oh my! It must have left me!"

"Hmmm?" the old woman immediately took notice of the way her son's glasses were starting to fog up and smiled. As quick as a shake of a cat's tail she shucked off her heavy burden and was immediately behind Kasumi before the young girl even knew what she was about. Kasumi's eyes widened a bit as she felt the old woman's hands about her hips, then a second later the old woman announced, "Excellent hip development, my dear! You can be Bridal Candidate Number Two! I should have known that my son could find a good match even in this city!"

"Mother…" Tofu was starting to protest when something floated down over him, and the next thing he knew he was smiling with a very wolfish expression as his voice deepened to a sensual growl, "I couldn't agree with you more! Would you excuse me? I need to speak with her alone."

Kasumi was just about to ask what the old woman had meant by calling her a Bridal Candidate, and why was she considered number two in that respect? She was just starting to wonder whom number one might be when Tofu reached out a hand and roughly grabbed her by the wrist. The next thing she knew she was being whisked away into the clinic with the doors slamming loudly behind them.

"Oh my!" his mother said with instant delight, "My son is so forward and manly! Father would be so proud if he could see this! Go to it son! Give me lots and lots of grandkids!"

"Is that how it usually gets done in Japan these days?" another voice remarked, "I've been away longer than I thought if that is the case."

"Oh?" Tofu's mother turned around, noticing the much older looking woman beside her, "Pardon me, are you one of my son's patients?"

"Not exactly," Lotion replied, "But you may consider me an outside consultant, just paying my respects to Tofu-sensei. Do you think that they might be in there for a while?"

"I sure hope so!" Tofu's mother grinned broadly.

"I see," Lotion nodded, "Well, I do hope the girl can keep him occupied long enough. I have some friends who are also coming to visit, and the last thing that we would need to have happen is for these two to leave this establishment."

"Good thinking," Tofu's mother began to strap the cabinet onto her back again and hefted the heavy burden as she staggered off to one side, "I'll go make sure to block the side exit. I don't want Tofu going anywhere until he's gone and done his duty!"

Lotion patiently watched the younger "old woman" hobble off then shook her head and sighed, "You meet the strangest people in this district…"

Nabiki's Journal Resumes:

Shampoo and Ranma offered to come with me, but Lotion was insistent that they remain behind, saying that I was the only one who could safely accompany her as we went to confront the demon that I thought was possessing my sister.

Of course once we got through the clinic doors and followed the trail of overturned furniture we found Tofu and Kasumi inside the main clinic, only things were not exactly the way I had imagined that they would be. Kasumi was backed up into a corner holding an IV-stand like it was a staff and using it to hold Tofu at a distance. One look at the Doctor's crazed expression was enough to tell the story that the Oni had left my sister's body and found a new host. I have to admit this idea gave me the chills, as I'd long known how much repressed desire for my sister Tofu-sensei had, the kind of unvoiced obsession that quite frequently drove him to mad, eccentric behavior.

Hey, it's almost a legend in Nerima. Everyone knows that the one time you don't want to visit Doctor Tofu is ten seconds after he's caught sight of Kasumi. The man is absolutely nuts about her, and because he never could work up the courage to say or do anything my clueless sister remains utterly clueless. Of course on this occasion his normal reservations were not an issue, and that was deeply troubling as the man is an accomplished martial artist who knows more about pressure techniques than anyone not born an Amazon. I knew in an instant that we were in for a great deal of trouble…!

"I don't like this."

"There is nothing novel in that," Cologne remarked to the anxious Kachu, "But an Elder has given you a direct command and you will not violate your instructions."

"But I am a Hunter of the Dark," Kachu insisted, "I should be the one to confront the demon and bring it to bay. Who is this frail person whom Loremaster Lotion wanted at her side in my place? Her fighting skills were too pitiful to be those of a warrior…"

"Hey!" Ranma protested, "Don't talk that way about Nabiki!"

"For your information, that was your younger half-sister," Cologne replied, "Tendo Nabiki, and she is presently Elder Lotion's new apprentice, in addition to being Shampoo's consort."

"She is what?" Kachu reacted, "She is Shampoo's airen?"

<"Don't act to surprised, Kachu,"> Shampoo replied in their native tongue, <"Much has changed since our paths have last crossed. I have not had time to properly introduce you to both of my airen.">

<"Just remember to include me in those formal introductions, little one,"> Comb reminded.

"Much as I hate to agree with the walking bad attitude," Ukyo said, "Are you sure Nabiki is up to handling this Oni? I had that thing inside me a few minutes ago, and let me tell you, it's not a picnic!"

"You're right," Akane said, "I don't care if Nabiki has picked up some fancy Amazon tricks, I don't see how she can help rescue Kasumi from that Oni!"

"I'm more worried about this Doctor friend of hers," Silk remarked, "What do you suppose she might be doing with him all alone inside that clinic?"

Akane and Kodachi both got singularly round-eyed at that simple question, but it was Soun himself who nearly hit the panic button, "I've got to get in there…my little baby!"

Kachu blinked her eyes then murmured, <"Are you certain that he is truly my father?>"

<"Beyond question, child,"> Silk replied, <"But I suggest we keep to Japanese for the present. It is very rude to exclude these people from our conversation.">

"What did they say?" Akane looked from one Amazon to the other.

"Her mother was just telling her it's not polite to talk behind our backs," Ryoga shrugged, "I was going to say that myself if she hadn't."

Ryoga was not immediately conscious of the fact that all eyes were slowly turning in his direction until Ranma said aloud, "You mean you understood her?"

Ryoga looked puzzled at that, but shrugged again and said, "I know a little Chinese. You can't help but pick up stuff like that when you spend as much time on the road as I do."

"Well then," Cologne said as if to change the subject, "I understand that you all are concerned, but we must trust Elder Lotion to do her part to successfully concluded…" she paused and her ancient eyes narrowed in their focus towards Akane, "Where is Kuno-san? I thought she was standing right beside you."

"Huh?" Ranma asked started to glance around, "Hey, that's right…she was standing right here with us a moment ago…"

"You don't suppose she went in there, do you?" Ukyo asked.

"What would she do that for?" Akane asked, then frowned as she added, "Unless…"

"Maybe she likes your sister," Silk suggested, "They did seem to be good friends when Comb and I were talking to her earlier."

"Does she think she can help?" Ryoga shook his head, "That girl is crazy!"

"Maybe so," Comb replied, "But you've got to admire her courage, risking her life and sanity for a friend like that."

"You don't know Kodachi very well, lady," Ranma replied, "She's not got that much sanity to risk, and if anything does happen I'll feel sorrier for that demon…"

Nabiki's Journal Resumes:

Our appearance in his office did not go unnoticed by Tofu, who turned a gleeful smile our way and said, "More people who want to play? This is going to be fun! And here I thought I was just going to entertain Kasumi, but I get to play with you as we, Nabiki. How nice…"

"Stand ready," Lotion warned me, "Don't let him come too close. The Oni is powerful, and it has much repressed emotion to feed upon within the doctor."

"What do you want me to do?" I asked nervously, knowing for a fact that I definitely did not like the way Tofu was undressing me with his eyes, and in front of my sister!

"I will tell you when the time is right," Lotion informed me, "Just stand ready to assist your sister."

"Nabiki, don't come any closer!" I heard Kasumi warn me in very stressed out tones that were unlike her usual calm, relaxed self, "He's not right in the head…in fact, I don't think that he's really Tofu sensei."

"Oh, I am real enough," the horny (and I mean that in more than one sense) Tofu leered, "In fact, I'm feeling better than I have in a long time! Oh yeah! Come to poppa, baby!"

Tofu started to rear up as if he were about to rush in and overpower Kasumi, which was something I simply could not allow, no matter what instructions I'd been given. I knew without having to glance to the side that there was a basin on my left, so I quickly snatched it up and in one quick motion sent it flying at Doctor Tofu. My aim was pretty good and I caught him good along the side of his head, just over his right ear, not hard enough to seriously hurt him but hard enough to hurt a little.

He staggered and went down, causing Kasumi to gasp as she watched him collapse, but much to my surprise Lotion turned and snapped at me, "Didn't I tell you not to act until I told you to? Now you've gone and released the Oni to seek out yet another host, and guess who is available for that task this time?"

I was just beginning to register what the old woman was saying when I saw the Oni rise up from the dazed Tofu and begin to float in my general direction.

There was no room to duck or avoid the thing as it passed on into me, and then I felt a tingling as it must have entered my body, like a chill that caused me to shiver uncontrollably. I felt the wrongness of the thing immediately overwhelm my senses and cause me to want to gag in reflex even as I felt my limbs begin to move on their own, and the muscles of my face contorted with a smile that was especially feral.

My thoughts were even more immediately affected as I felt the Oni's malevolent intelligence start to comb through my mind, seeking to pry out all my hidden thoughts and secrets. That was the point where I began to recoil from the shock of possession and try to fight back, resisting the urge to turn over to the demon those parts of myself that I'd never shared with anyone. It was not an even struggle by any means, and I could feel myself lose ground like I was locked in a judo match with an imperfect grasp of my opponent.

That was when the memories started to flood into my head, old and deeply buried thoughts of times long ago that I'd tried my best to keep inside me. I remembered Momma's voice, her scent, her touch, the way she would pick me up and hold me. I remembered fights with Akane in which we'd both wind up with bruises until Momma came to break things up. I remembered schemes and scams that I'd play on both of my sisters, taking advantage of their gullibility to gain an edge in family negotiations. I also remembered hearing the doctors talk about my mother's condition when they did not know I was still awake, and the trips to the hospital where Momma seemed to worsen daily. I remembered Daddy telling us that our mother had gone away and that we should be brave for her, and the tears that were flowing from his eyes in an endless torrent. I remember crying myself to sleep that night until Kasumi came into my room and offered me her comfort (I think we both needed it very badly then, but even this early on Kasumi had taken up the role of maternal caregiver, so it really was my benefit that she was thinking of at the time). It was easy to love Kasumi then because in many respects she was exactly like our mother.

I remember growing up and priding myself on my cleverness and ability to manipulate others. I remembered the schemes, the scams, the plots and clever maneuvers that I used to take advantage of those less savvy or ruthless than myself, all the while shielding my emotions from the harsh glare of public disclosure while telling myself that I was doing it for the good of my family. In actuality all that I was doing was building a wall between myself and everyone else around me...

And then I remembered the day when I first met Ranma…when I knew in an instant that nothing would ever be the same for me again, that something that had been missing from my life was found and would make me feel whole again the closer I came to understanding my iinazuke. The loneliness that I had not even been aware that I was feeling became transformed into something more like a need or co-dependence as I found my life being turned upside-down and inside-out by the sense of novelty that Ranma brought with him. In next to no time at all he had become a part of my life, a part I did not want to have to do without, as much as my involvement with him compromised my former sense of independence.

But the Oni glossed over these more pleasant reflections and sought out the darker side of my relationship with Ranma. I saw it starkly there reflected in my memories, how I resented him for taking away from me all semblance of order and structure in my thoughts. I was curbing my natural inclinations to exploit our relationship to my best advantage in order to fashion myself more into the image of the type of girl that I thought he would find easier to cope with. The embarrassment that I had felt at his initial disapproval of my money-making schemes came back to me full force, as did a rebellious impulse that questioned why I should give up such lucrative practices as selling photos and planting rumors to further the interest of my fellow students in my fiancé in both of his alternate identities. I had been behaving more responsibly around him, and that just was not like the real me. I wasn't born to be a "nice" girl like Kasumi. I like being at ease with those practices that I had built up over time to earn myself a little well-deserved "seed-money," to treat myself to nice things for a change instead of devoting almost everything to supporting my family and keeping our house financially solvent.

But then that thought kicked in a different impulse and I recalled exactly why Kasumi had entrusted me to take care of the family finances. She had taken up the running of our house in all the important ways when our mother no longer was able, and once Momma was gone…she was all there was to hold the family together. It was not long after this happened that I came upon Kasumi struggling to work out a budget for our meager resources, and I felt sorry for her because I knew there wasn't much money left for us after making the payments for the hospital bills that didn't ultimately save Momma. I told her that Daddy needed her for something then waited until she was out of the room before I went up and started to look at all the notes and bills that she had left spread out on the table. I was pretty good at math, so I decided to see if I could help her out a little.

To my surprise, as much as anybody's, I found the numbers easy to work with, and I already knew some handy tricks that I could use to squeeze out a little more loose cash from our budget. Kasumi came back and found me sitting in her place with a pencil in my hand and all the bills stacked up in neat order as I was working out the balance from the plus and minus table in her ledger. Instead of scolding me, Kasumi looked my figures over and was so impressed that she asked me to help her out like that in the future, and from that day onto the present I was the one who always took care of money. I plan out our budgets and set limits on how much we can afford to spend on food, rent, utilities and repair bills. In recent times the costs of at least three of those four categories has gone up staggeringly, forcing me to become even more creative!

And that was another sore spot that the Oni could exploit. I was plainly resentful about being relied upon like a bank to finance the other members of our voracious household. First it was Akane with her overwhelming need to smash things on a daily basis, not to mention the cost of all her visits to Doctor Tofu! Considering that Daddy stopped teaching in the dojo after Momma died, it's amazing that I could afford to supply Akane with so much wood and masonry for her to demolish, even considering what a good deal I worked out with a local construction supplier to sell his excess materials at discount rates. Then there was all the finagling I've had to do over the years to make sure that nobody comes after us financially for my sister's destructive rampages. A good thing most of the boys who used to attack her every morning were too macho to admit that they had been beaten up by a "mere" slip of a girl, otherwise we'd have been hip-deep in liability claims and legal troubles!

And that's not even counting how much our cost of living has escalated since Ranma moved in with his human vacuum cleaner of a father! If it wasn't for Uncle Saotome's job with Tofu-sensei or the fact that Ranma volunteered to take up Daddy's old profession of taking in students for our dojo I'd really have resented him and his father as a couple of freeloaders! Because they are earning outside income, I've been willing to overlook a lot. Cutting back on the number of scams and betting pools I usually run has dried up the flow of finances from my old avenues of income, but I've managed to help out in the dojo and that's served to keep us out of the poorhouse.

Only why was I being forced to sacrifice so much? I'd given everything I had to this family, and what did it get me? A sister who resented me because she was too stupid to figure out that her pet pig was really her boyfriend! I very rarely had enough money set aside to treat myself to anything nice, and many of the clothes that I own are hand-me-downs from Kasumi! I'm entitled to have nice things, too, like she had when she was my age! So what if most of those knick-knacks were gifts from admiring friends? So what if I wasn't as popular growing up as she is, or even Akane for that matter!

I was starting to lose myself into this thought when I heard a voice cut through my haze and ask, "Nabiki…can you hear me?"

I opened my eyes, not even aware that I had closed them until that second. How much time had passed while all these thoughts were floating through my head? I thought the Oni would have taken over me by now and started to make me behave like it wanted me to. Instead I felt as if my mind were bifurcated into two distinctly separate halves with one part trying to impose itself upon the rest of me. I could feel the ugliness of what this half represented, and it started to disgust me more than I can put into words.

"Nabiki," it was Kasumi speaking to me in as calm and level a voice as I had ever heard her use, "You must resist whatever that thing is that's trying to affect you. You can't let it take you over, like it tried to do with me."

"No," Lotion said firmly, "Do not fight it, simply do not yield yourself up to it. Fighting the Oni only makes it stronger, but if you do not give it a purchase it cannot touch your being. Become one like water and allow it to flow out of you instead."

"Shut up, old woman!" I heard my own lips snarl without my having willed them into motion, "You won't thwart me this time! I have this one in my grasp, and such an evil heart she has, so full of easy temptations and repressed desires…"

"Shut up!" this time I knew it was me who snarled those words back at the demon inside me, "I'm not your slave, you can't tell me what to do!"

"But who else can free your evil essence to let it come out and play for a little while?" I heard myself say back, only now I also heard it in my mind like an echo of the Oni's thoughts, so dark and twisted with a hunger to explore the limits of the darkness that existed within me, "Don't tell me that you would rather be this Amazon's obedient servant?"

"That's got nothing to do with it!" I shouted back, mentally feeling the presence in my mind as I discovered reflexively that it had soft, squishy edges that I could mentally grapple with, "I don't want you in my mind, I don't need you in my thoughts, and I won't do anything you say, so get out of me right now before I get really nasty!"

"What can you do, fool?" the Oni taunted back, "I'm now a part of you, and you can never hope to beat me. I thrive on the desire for that which you so richly yearn! Give up to me and I will teach you how to obtain them! I can even help you have your way with both the girl and your Ranma!"

"I don't want your help!" I shouted, only now I thought I had a purchase on the thing, but it was like mentally trying to grapple with a squid. It was all over me with so many writhing limbs trying to force me into submission. I wasn't about to back down to the thing right then, so I dug in my metaphorical heels and fought back with even greater effort.

As absorbed as I was into this fray, I did not miss Lotion's sigh, or her exasperated voice as she said, "Why do they never listen? I said don't fight it, child! He is using your own desires against you. Become like water and allow those desires to flow out of you. That is how you can defeat this Oni!"

I blinked my eyes. Become like water? That sounded like one of Daddy's old lessons, only somebody else had told it to me once a long time ago, a woman's voice, so calm and gentle. Almost without thinking about it I slipped back into those memories and found myself relaxing, growing calm as my desires seemed to melt away and be replaced by a warm haze that felt like inner sunshine. I remembered a day that was so perfect long ago, when my family had been together and my sisters and I were just ordinary children. I felt the warmth of the sun on my face as I looked up into the face of my mother and felt the love wash over me as if that timeless moment could go on forever…

And then a curious thing happened, the Oni seemed to flail away at me and grow small before my senses. I felt it slip out of me like smoke from a chimney and opened my eyes to see the little blob drifting out towards the hallway as if fleeing in terror from something against which it had no purchase.

I felt a kind of elation at discovering that I had somehow forced the Oni to leave me, and I was just coming to grips with that when somebody came rushing up the hallway from the opposite direction, and before I had a chance to call out a warning I saw Kodachi encounter the Oni, which flowed into her at once as if seeking a refuge.

Kodachi's eyes went very wide, becoming blank for a half-second before a pair of horns began to appear upon her forehead, and then she began to smile as it regarded us with malevolent intentions.

"Oh my!" I heard Kasumi gasp, "What do we do now? It has poor Kodachi!"

"Pray for the Oni, I suspect," Lotion replied with perfect calm, and sure enough the next few seconds were to prove her prescient.

Kodachi's expression went from leering to cross-eyed, and then all at once she doubled over and clutched at her head as an unearthly noise escaped from her lips. Kodachi huddled down onto the floor in a fetal position and began to moan, rocking back and forth like a little girl while the Oni wailed again, then shot up out of her as if repelled by a magnet.

"Some things are not wholesome to look upon, even for an Oni," Lotion remarked as the creature drifted down the corridor, "It thought to gain strength from the Kuno woman's repressed desires, and instead it encountered her own inner demons."

"You knew that would happen?" I asked, then I blinked my own eyes as Kasumi was on the floor at Kodachi's side trying to offer her some solace. I heard Tofu moan as he made his own recovery about that point and probably the first thing he saw was Kasumi with Kodachi, because I heard him asking in a plaintive tone of voice, "Did I miss something?"

"We must follow the creature," Lotion said to me, "While it is still weakened it can be captured."

"Right," I said, having no great desire to corner the thing again after my own experience, yet strangely less afraid of it than I was before since I'd already discovered that there was something in me that gave me power over that Oni.

We hurried down the corridor and I flung the door open in my haste as the thought belatedly occurred to me that the Oni might try to possess someone else before we could catch it. The list of possible candidates was not good, and I wasn't eager to find out what sort of repressed desires it could find in any one of them, especially Akane, my father, or even Ranma!

As it turns out we came outside just in time to see the thing hovering over their heads as everyone regarded the thing with wary expressions. I saw Kachu raise her pole arm and start to make a warding motion, while the two priests were holding up prayer strips and looking ready to use them. Cologne was hovering back a bit while Akane and Ryoga remained close at her side while the other two Amazons were positioned at the side of Daddy and Uncle Saotome. I saw Ranma tense with her hands raised as if to strike out at the Oni with Ukyo covering her, which basically left all sides covered and all avenues of escape closed off, unless the thing were to venture skyward.

Of course there was one figure who wasn't standing quite as much at alert, and the Oni spotted her at once and made a beeline in her direction. I started to call out a warning-too late once again-only to see it vanish into Shampoo's purple brow, and all at once the Chinese girl was sporting a set of horns, which somehow looked cute on her even as her expression went from nervous to sultry.

"Get back!" Lotion called out, "The Oni is inside her!"

Shampoo leered as she slyly glanced to one side, seeing the expressions of Cologne, Akane, Ryoga and her mother on her right flank. She turned another sly look towards Ukyo and Ranma, then all at once she leaped into the air as Kachu lunged towards her, using the blunt end of her pole arm to try and club her fellow Amazon. Shampoo tumbled in mid-air and somehow contrived to land with both feet to the back of Kachu's skull, tumbling her forward and adding to her upward momentum. It was plain that she meant to escape, but as fast as she was Cologne proved to be a whole lot faster!

"Oh no you don't!" the Elder declared as she met Shampoo in mid-flight and exchanged a series of rapid blows with her that ended-almost inevitably-with Shampoo tumbling back down to the ground for a very rude landing. Fortunately for her Ranma was fast enough to catch her before she struck the ground, breaking Shampoo's fall but almost inevitably providing the Oni with a fresh new host to leap into.

"Aiyaa," I heard Shampoo exclaim in a daze, only to yelp in dismay as Ranma let her fall back onto her fanny. Ranma turned to the others with a huge grin, cracking her knuckles with a hearty exclamation of, "Now this is more LIKE it!"

"Son!" I heard Daddy say as he tried to confront Ranma, while Uncle Genma started to maneuver around behind Ranma for an obvious sneak attack, "Don't let it do to you what it did to my little girl…"

"Shut up, old man!" Ranma snarled, and before I could see her move she sent Daddy flying backwards, then vaulted into a backward kick that knocked the panda that was her father sprawling, "You guys are way too slow to cut into my action!"

"We've got to do something!" Akane cried, "We can't let her escape!"

"Leave it to me!" Ryoga actually smiled as he cracked his knuckles, advancing on Ranma as he remarked, "This is for your own good, Ranma, even if you do have a lot worse coming!"

"Yeah right," Ranma smirked at him, "Like I'm scared of the poor widdle piggy! You're never gonna get the better of me, blockhead!"

"Oh yeah?" Ryoga replied, coming to stand only a short distance away as he held up one hand and watched Ranma fall back into a defensive crouch, "Well, that's what you think! BAKUSEI TENKETSU!"

Ryoga said this as he fell down to his knees and thrust one finger at the asphalt directly ahead of him. Apparently the Oni inside Ranma had not been swift enough to access his memories of the recent training mission because it was slow to react and thus Ranma was knocked flying by the explosion.

"Not too shabby, Boy," Cologne observed as Ranma fell back stunned some ten meters away.

"Thanks," Ryoga grinned, "Only he never even saw it coming!"

"Heheheh," I heard Akane say, and with a sense of growing dread I turned to see her face suddenly bearing the telltale horns and leer of the ravenous Oni, "Care to try that with me, Ryoga-kun?"

"Hah?" Ryoga's triumphant smirk became horrified dismay, which matched the cumulative reactions of the others.

"What's going on out here?" I heard Doctor Tofu say as he appeared at my side, "What happened to the street? Did a gas main burst or something?"

"Doctor Tofu," Akane turned her leer in his direction, "This is great!" and with that she made a powerful leap worthy of Ranma herself and was suddenly in front of me, shoving me to one side as if I wasn't worthy of consideration, "Hi there, can we talk?"

I landed in a heap to one side of the clinic but fortunately that landing was padded by some grass, so I was conscious enough to look up in time to see Kachu pushing herself off the ground, a snarl on her face as she fixed a hostile glare in Akane's direction. The next thing I see she's got her pole arm in her hands again and is rushing forward as if to impale my little sister.

Whether she actually meant harm to Akane or not is difficult to tell, but Tofu saw the charge and reacted before anyone else. I'd always known that he practiced martial arts, albeit to a less intense level than Ranma, and so it should not have surprised me when he swept Akane out of the way and stepped forward to meet the charging Kachu. He easily deflected Kachu's weapon with one hand then stepped around her and in one fluid motion allowed her to pass him by. I saw his hand shoot out and almost caress her backside, and then Kachu went limp and fell face-first into the double-doors of the clinic. I saw her slide down it in slow motion like some exaggerated cartoon character, yet all I could think of at the time was how well it suited her to get taken down in such an off-handed manner.

Of course my attention was riveted upon Akane, who was looking up at her rescuer and murmuring in a dazed voice, "Doctor Tofu…you saved me…"

That was all she had time to say before a silver flute rapped her between the shoulder blades, causing her to stiffen. The Oni rose up from Akane as my sister remained standing where she was, drifted through the air for a bit, only to be sliced in mid-air by a flashing sword blade.

"Now!" I heard Shampoo's mother call out, "What are you priests waiting for? I've weakened it, now you can capture it, you Bakas!"

"Oh, right," Cherry said, making a ward gesture while clutching at some prayer beads. The other priest complied with the same gesture and the two began to chant in chorus, causing the demon to emit an inhuman noise as an invisible cage sprang up around it.

Something landed on my lap and I looked up to see Lotion smiling down at me as she said, "Here, you may do the honors."

I looked down at the plain wooden box in my lap and said, "Okay…but what do I do?"

"Just repeat the words as I say them to you," Lotion urged while I got to my feet and held the box out towards the Oni, "In the name of Kami, I command you to return!"

Not bothering to question the fact that I was hardly the most likely person for any Kami to listen to, I held out the box and said, "In the name of the Kami, I command you to return!"

That was all it took before a tremendous rush kicked up in my hands, and then it was all that I could do to hold the box steady as I felt a sucking sensation vibrate my arms. Before I could question what was happening it was over and done with and the box was sealed, entrapping the demon. I felt my knees begin to buckle but was steadied a second later from both sides, and it was only after another moment of consideration that I realized that I was being flanked by both Shampoo and Ranma.

I had hoped that the matter was concluded at that point, but one more act was yet to be played in our little drama in that a voice drew our attention to the side of the clinic, and there was a little old lady whom I happened to recognize from a previous encounter as Doctor Tofu's mother. She was wanting to know what all the racket we were making was about, but once she saw Tofu she demanded to know why he wasn't back inside the clinic working hard on giving her the grandchildren that she had been praying for to the spirit of his late father. She saw Kachu begin to recover about that point and naturally mistook her for Kasumi, which is probably why the next thing out of her mouth flattened the rest of us so dramatically, "Oh, you wore her out already? Well then, maybe we ought to work on building up her stamina a little."

"Excuse me?" Silk regarded the older woman with obvious confusion, which was shared by the rest of us about that point.

"I'm talking about my son's bridal candidate," Mrs. Tofu said with a nod towards a bewildered Kachu, "You don't expect him to marry just any ordinary girl, do you? The woman he weds must have good character and be able to provide him with many strong and healthy babies."

"Babies?" Kachu blinked her eyes and shook her head, "Marry? What are you talking about?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Lotion asked her in a sly tone of amusement, "She's referring to your new airen, the kindly Doctor Tofu."

"WHAT?" Akane, Kachu, Tofu and our father chorused together while I tried my best to assume what I think was a fairly neutral expression.

"Hey, that's right!" Ranma grinned at my side, "You beat her pretty easily, Doctor Tofu. She never even saw it coming!"

"Aiyaa!" Shampoo agreed, "Look very much to Shampoo that you lose out to nice doctor."

"But that can't be!" Kachu cried out, "I've not lost to anyone, let alone an Outsider male. And besides…I'm not of Warrior status! The law doesn't apply to me…"

"But you are an Amazon," Cologne replied, "And the law still holds that you must marry the unwed male who is clearly a superior fighter."

"But…!" Kachu started to sputter.

"Uh-uh, dear," Silk smiled, "No use trying to worm your way out of it. We all witnessed the Doctor's stunning victory over you. Will you at least concede that he has proved himself your better?"

"Never!" Kachu cried, snatching up her discarded weapon and declaring, "I challenge you to prove to me that you are as good as they say! I won't be taken by surprise like that again!"

"Huh?" Tofu backed away with his hands raised in warding, "Now wait a minute…can't we talk this over?"

Kachu lunged for Doctor Tofu, who naturally twisted his body and side-stepped the attack, then as if he were repeating a kata in slow motion I saw his hand reach out and seemingly slide against her back as Kachu's lunge carried her beyond him. Once again I saw her knees give out as she staggered to the sidewalk and collapsed like a nerveless puppet.

"Well," I mused, "I guess that makes it official."

"How soon do we hold the wedding?" Comb asked with a smirk.

"Wedding?" I heard Daddy's telltale tone go up an octave, and sure enough the waterworks started up at once as he bawled out, "My little girl is getting married!"

"Good grief," I heard Akane exclaim, sentiments I pretty much shared, though in all honesty I was not as put out about Tofu's prospective engagement as she was. There was something almost inevitable about the way this event brought a close to the whole business with the Oni.

Well, to make a long story short those priests took the box off to return to its place at the shrine that had originally housed it. Everyone made a full recovery from our mutual ordeal, only some of us seem to have come out of the experience with more questions than answers. I, for one, felt pretty chagrined about the things that Oni had exposed when it ransacked my memories, and I'm betting the others have similar issues about their encounters with their dark sides.

In looking back it now seems pretty obvious to me that Lotion set me up to have my own encounter with the demon. No doubt she meant it to be under more controlled circumstances than actually happened because of my reckless impulse to rescue my sister. This must have been the test that she was referring to earlier in the day, a point when I confronted my own inner demons, or something. I can't say I'm not resentful about being used like that to convey whatever sort of message she was trying to send me, but I guess deep down that I'm glad that I took that Oni away from Kasumi. I can't imagine what sort of things a creature like that must have been uncovering in her memories. I guess every one of us really does have their own dark side.

Of course the issues raised by that Oni are still troubling to me, such as the realization of just how much I've come out of my shell since first meeting Ranma. I had a look at what I was before and…well…it wasn't all that pretty. I've used people in the past and discarded them when their usefulness to me was ended, exploited and manipulated people while preying on their weaknesses for my own selfish gain. I'm not saying everything I did was wrong or that I regret the necessity of having to use foul means to earn a fair living, but I don't think I really want to go back to being like that even if Ranma somehow mysteriously vanished out of my life and took Shampoo with him.

Speaking of Shampoo, it was something else when we all gathered back at the house and Ranma was able to resume his proper gender to make formal introductions. Kasumi decided to remain with Kodachi and walked the Black Rose home, obviously sharing issues between them that still make me feel uneasy. Silk offered to play hostess in Kasumi's absence…another something that makes me feel distinctly uneasy. It takes no special gift in being able to read people to see that she and Daddy were getting along a little too well for my liking, and I'm wondering what that portends for the future?

Shampoo's mother looked Ranma and me over like we were a pair of thoroughbred horses before deciding that we might-MIGHT, mind you-be worthy of her daughter. She and Shampoo seemed to be awkwardly feeling their way around one another, but then I'm given to understand that they've never been exactly that close as mother and daughter. They're polite enough to each other, and Shampoo did give her mother an affectionate hug when Comb gave her blessings to her intentions to marry, but there seems to be a distance between the two purple haired Amazons, and a kind of sadness in the way that Comb regards her daughter.

Of course Shampoo's mom seems to have a different set of priorities when it comes to Daddy and Uncle Genma. She's pretty downright sarcastic at times, but I noticed that she was studying Uncle Genma for a long time once he was back in human form before she finally pronounced, "Still bald as ever and twice as nearsighted." Somehow coming from her it did not sound all that particularly nasty.

Akane went to her room after eating a quick dinner, and my impression is that she is no more comfortable with having the Amazons here than I am. Silk looks too much like our momma to get the open arms greeting, and the idea that she may be pursuing a relationship with Daddy is enough to put pale to any normal considerations of playing the polite hostess. Still and all, I have to admit that Silk plays a pretty mean flute when she gave us a performance right after serving us dinner.

As for Kachu, well…our newfound sister is looking like she's still coming out of her daze at discovering that she is now engaged to Doctor Tofu. (Strangely enough the news of this did not seem to bother Kasumi as much as it obviously did Akane) She sat around looking at nothing while Elder Cologne gave her a few terse instructions in Chinese on how to properly greet her "husband" when next she sees him. I can only imagine what Tofu is going through himself at this moment, considering the giddy glee of his mother at the prospect of her son finally getting married!

I don't know where Ukyo or Ryoga vanished off to once we got back to our house. I think she might have said something about checking out that restaurant of hers, but just as likely she's going to call her dad and give him a progress report on her "search" for her missing iinazuke, Ranma.

And Ranma? Well…he's currently sitting outside looking up at the moon, and in another moment I'm going out there to join him. I think I caught sight of Shampoo cuddled up on his lap in her neko form, and for once I'm not feeling the least bit jealous. We have to have a serious talk about the events of this day, but I'm no longer running away from my feelings towards him. That's the one good thing that came out of my encounter with the Oni…I now have a pretty good grasp of the inner demons that are lurking inside me, and it's long since time that I make peace with a few of them.

The only question I have about this point is what exactly I'm going to say to him under the moonlight? This romance stuff is such hard work, and I never know exactly what to say to convey the right impression. There are so many differences between me and Ranma, stuff we still have to work out, a whole lot of unsettled issues, and I really need to know from him if he's as committed as I am to making this all work out right.

I guess I'm just delaying here while I write all of this out. I'd better go see him now before he decides to return to his room or something. I'm not so sure that I'm ready to trust Shampoo around him that much as I'm pretty sure that she'd like nothing better than to join him in the bedsheets, and no way am I letting her do that without me being present to chaperone them.

Assuming, of course, that Shampoo can trust me getting that close along with Ranma-oh my! And I thought I'd only have these kind of thoughts when I was being inspired by the Oni! Guess there are more dangerous things in this world than lecherous demons, horny teenaged girls like me being somewhere near the top of the short list.

I just hope tomorrow is a lot quieter than this day has turned out to be. I'd like a few days to sort everything out before we have another attack of weirdness…

Somewhere in the Hills of Japan a bolt of lightning fell, splitting a boulder in twain and shattering a protective line of ward-seals. As the rumble died away a pair of glowing eyes appeared, followed by a soft chuckle as a diminutive shape tasted freedom for the first time in a decade.

As the denizens of Nerima were about to discover, there were indeed things in the world far worse than a humble Oni lurking in the background and about to enter the lives of Ranma and Nabiki…

Continued

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