Ah My Goddess Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ A Tale of Two Wallets ❯ The Trouble With Hibikis... ( Chapter 77 )

A Tale of Two Wallets

(An Altered Destiny)

Written by Jim Robert Bader

Proofread by Shiva Barnwell

"Okay then," a blonde haired girl was saying to herself with what sounded like conscious deliberation, "It's a left turn at the next corner, shouldn't be any problem, right?"

Ryonami turned around to study the girl, who was wearing a high school uniform that she did not immediately recognize. Curly locks of golden hair, brown eyes, and a look of intense concentration on her features. She seemed lost to Ryonami's careful scrutiny and estimation of such matters, and this was confirmed a moment later when the girl all but bumped into Hiroshi and Daisuke, who were walking in the opposite direction.

"Oh hey!" Hiroshi exclaimed as they each drew up a few centimeters from one another.

"Better watch where you're going, Miss," Daisuke added as politely as he could manage under the situation.

The blonde haired girl reacted in a way most unexpected, gripping both boys by their shirts and heaving them into the air to where they could each dangle at arms reach.

"Who did you say should watch out here?" she snarled.

"Ah…" Daisuke kicked his feet but could not find the ground beneath him, which prompted him to rethink his situation, not to mention that of his companion, "Never mind…I'm sure it's all a misunderstanding…"

"We didn't mean you any harm!" Hiroshi added with all the manly courage that could be expected in an average Furinkan high school student.

"You're wearing the colors of Furinkan High School," the blonde noted in passing, "Tell me where I can find your school and I'll let you both go and pretend I never saw you."

"Ah…huh?" Hiroshi blinked his eyes.

Daisuke pointed sideways, "It's right there…can't you see it?"

The blonde turned her head and saw the bronze placard not three feet from where she was standing and promptly dropped both boys on their respective kiesters, "Oh…well, why didn't you say so in the first place?"

"Hah?" Hiroshi was still having trouble grasping the concept.

"Eh…excuse me for asking this, Miss," Daisuke asked as non-offensively as he could managed, "But we didn't get your name…"

"That's right," the blonde said, "You didn't."

"Are you…looking for someone?" Hiroshi hazarded a wild guess, "Maybe someone who goes by the name of Ranma?"

The look the blonde turned on the two boys would have caused a snake to shed its skin and hide under a rock, and with a sudden clenching of her fists she growled, "You know where I can find him? He and I have…business to discuss together."

"Not another fiancée, I hope," Daisuke grumbled under his breath, only to get swatted by his companion.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY???" the blonde demanded, looking twice as scary as before, which was certainly going some.

"Excuse me," Ryonami spoke up, "But maybe I can be of service?"

The blonde turned a wary gaze her way, even as Hiroshi and Daisuke breathed sighs that sounded like prayers to the heavens. Ryonami felt qualms about involving herself in the matter, but her trained eye perceived an opportunity here, and it never hurt to gather information that could be advantageous to her senpai, especially if it meant another rival had just shown up with a bogus claim on her iinazuke.

Several things had been apparent to Ryonami almost from the beginning, not the least of which was the fact that the girl before her was very dangerous, obviously a trained martial artist and showing little compunction against using her skills on non-combatants. It also very obvious that the two boys were in for a beating if they did not immediately cooperate, and given the ease with which this stranger had thrown them around it was a fair bet that she was very strong and had a violent temper. Her problem locating the sign had also given Ryonami a hint as to just how dangerous she might be if provoked to anger.

"How?" the blonde asked in a way that displayed more intelligence than Ryonami's first estimation would have extrapolated.

"I'm a friend of the Saotomes and the Tendos," Ryonami revealed, "And if you're looking for Ranma, I'm afraid he's with the rest of his family seeing some friends off at the airport. They got out of classes early, so I wouldn't expect them back until much later."

"How much later?" the blonde haired girl immediately inquired.

"Perhaps around dinner time," Ryonami suggested, "I can show you where they live if you like, and I can even help you find it later."

"Once is enough," the blonde replied, turning away from the two boys as if dismissing them from her thoughts, "Show me where it is and I can always find it later."

"Ah…" Ryonami began to have second thoughts about misdirecting this girl or leading her on a wild goose chase as there was a gleam of intelligence in her eyes that suggested that it would be very bad for Ryonami to even think of crossing her in any significant manner. Even charging her for directions would, at best, be problematic.

On the other hand it would make sense to sound this girl out for information, which same could be relayed to her senpai at the first available opportunity. And after all, it wasn't as if Ranma could not handle himself against any challenger, no matter what their bloodline. Her senpai might even approve if Ryonami helped them to prepare for yet another one of Saotome Genma's blunders.

But still one thing Ryonami felt had to be made clear for her own peace of mind, and so she timidly ventured aloud, "Excuse me for asking this…but would your name by any chance be Hibiki?"

The blonde's eyes narrowed fractionally before she replied in a cunning tone of voice, "So…you've heard of me, eh? Very well, I am Hibiki Kennou, now let's get on with it, shall we? Time is money."

"Hibiki?" Hiroshi said in horrified realization.

"Kennou?" Daisuke added as the two exchanged glances and together chorused, "UH OH…!"

Nabiki's Journal Resumes:

Seeing the Amazon trio off to their plane was more than an act of civility on our parts. Although it clearly meant a tearful parting of ways for Shampoo, her cousin Perfume, and their mutual love interest, Lotion, it also meant the departure of Ambergris from Nerima, a fact for which more than one sigh could be heard in our party.

"You take care," Shampoo said with misty eyes at the blue haired girl who had been first in her heart and a torch that she had carried in her heart since long before either Ranma or I had known her.

"You too," the younger Lotion replied as they clasped arms together and smiled a smile that conveyed a rich expanse of emotions, "I have fun during visit…Lotion no went to leave, hope maybe come visit sometime when you have baby."

"Shampoo hope this too," my Amazon iinazuke responded before turning a confiding look towards Perfume, "You take care each other, yes?"

"You know Perfume will," the Enforcer replied simply, also clasping arms with her adopted cousin, "Have good strong baby when Perfume next see you, Perfume welcome new cousin as warrior of good family."

Ambergris next clasped arms with Shampoo, only between the two of them there seemed to be a different play of emotions, far too complex for even my immediate understanding.

"You know that I will do everything within my power to see that they are both safe and well cared for," the pink haired girl said with sincerity and conviction, her one exposed eye meeting Shampoo's gaze without the least hint of a challenge, "You will always be welcome to our House so long as I am alive. I, too, hope to see you once you have delivered your baby, and perhaps when you have named her you will inform us in a timely manner."

"Shampoo hope so too," my Amazon bride-to-be responded, "You take care you self, Whale Puke."

"Count on it, Hairball," Ambergris grinned and the two of them seemed to be sharing a private joke between one another.

"Is serious," Shampoo added in a sober tone of voice, "You no have easy path you want become Great Grandmother successor."

"I can handle the old biddies back home," Ambergris said in a cock-sure manner, "And I've had extensive conversations on the subject with Matriarch Cologne," she turned and regarded the Indigo haired Elder in question before adding, "I'll convey your message to the Council and see that your will is respected. If they seek to know your whereabouts, then I will tell them that the Matriarch is on a quest of discovery. That should content them for a few months at the very least."

"I will contact them in my own way and time of discretion," Cologne replied, "It's up to you if you want to impress them enough to believe that you are worthy to be my successor. Shampoo is right to say that you have a hard road to follow…"

"I will face it like any challenge in my life, Elder," Ambergris replied, "And I will prevail. But one thing remains unresolved for me…" she turned back to regard Shampoo, "We have yet to determine which of us is truly the better warrior, and I fear that question must go unresolved for the present."

"Shampoo ready face you any time," my Amazon wife replied confidently, "Any place."

"Then I will set the date for two years from now," Ambergris replied, "When we are both eighteen and can resolve the matter on the Challenge Log like Amazons proper. That will give you time enough to have your baby and recover your fighting trim, so I expect a good show, because you know that I will be in training."

"Shampoo give you as good as you give work out," Shampoo promised, "No think Shampoo go soft when you next see her."

"I'm counting on that," Ambergris replied, "Shampoo…you remain for me a symbol of all that I must attain if I am to be truly worthy of leading our people. You have already shown me what courage can be found in embracing your destiny, and perhaps I will be fortunate too if my ancestors smile on me and give me a noble wife and a strong husband, such as you have found. I am hopeful, based on my experiences here, that I might find such a one waiting for me in the near future…or perhaps one who is a little of both if I am truly lucky."

She glanced over at Ukyo, who blanched slightly in spite of the fact that she was currently in her true female form. The playful look the pink haired girl was giving her caused both Akane and Makoto's expressions to darken, and was I imagining that I heard the distant rumble of storm clouds?

"And of course," Ambergris turned her one-eyed stare upon Ryoga, "There certainly is no shortage of manly talent to be found here in Japan. I can't help wondering what you would look like wearing a dress, Ryoga-kun."

"Hah?" it was Ryoga's turn to blanche, and now Akane looked ready to burst a blood vessel while Ranma smirked at the expense of his slow-witted half-brother.

Apparently Ambergris saw this because she glanced at him and added coyly, "After all, I already have an example on hand in the form of Shampoo's husband."

"Hah?" Ranma reacted, this time earning a smirk from Ryoga.

"Two years then," Shampoo said very softly, "Shampoo be ready."

"We have a date then," Ambergris turned on her heel and said, "Come along you two love birds. We have a plane to catch, and this time we're not getting bumped from our seating."

As the three Amazons vanished down the boarding ramp leading to their plane I faintly wondered how it was that they could even get past the metal detectors without setting off every alarm in the place. One of these days I'm going to have to learn how they manage to conceal so much hardware on their bodies without appearing to look bulky. If I tried carrying half the junk I've seen them pull out of their pockets I don't doubt that I'd fall over just turning a corner.

As the trio made their fateful exit from our continuing daytime drama, I heard Hairbrush chance to say, "You know I actually envy them. I thought we would be returning ourselves by now…"

"It is not the right time," Lotion replied, "I have read the signs and they reveal that it would be a less than advantageous occasion for anyone from your House to return to China. The Matriarch knows this, and so for the present time you and your children must tarry in Japan until the tides read more favorable omens."

"I'm not so sure about that, Elder," Comb remarked, "Are you sure it isn't just politics that could be giving you these dark omens? I'm sure no one would raise a hand against either me or my husband, let alone our daughters…"

"Trust me on this for now," the old woman turned to regard us all, "There are forces none of you are aware of at work, and until I say otherwise, you must make a home for yourselves in Nerima."

"You could be right on that," I heard Siren mused as she stepped out from concealment of a pillar, "I frankly wouldn't put anything past the other council members if any one of those old biddies saw a chance to promote themselves to a higher rank within our village."

"How long have you been standing there?" Cologne asked with a wary expression.

"Long enough," the Archmage answered, "I have to pop back home for a bit, but I was planning to come by and pay regular visits. Now that you've finally seen the light and let it all hang out, I'm hoping I might be able to persuade you to give me a second chance…"

"After what happened with the first one?" Cologne asked with more than a hint of worry.

"Now don't be like that," Siren cooed as she walked up alongside Comb and gave her a particularly sultry expression, "We've both been around enough to be well past that awkward stage, and there's really no reason that we can't let bygones be bygones."

Cologne looked surprisingly nervous about that, and for a moment we all thought Siren was about to try something brazen in public.

"Heh," Ranma smirked to himself, "Don't expect sympathy from me on this, old woman."

"Unfortunately," Siren sighed as she turned away from her intended amorata, "I have to absent myself for a time to look after my apprentice. Frost is getting to be such a handful lately…she's at that awkward stage in her training, and it simply would not do to leave her unattended."

"Good thinking," Comb remarked, "Otherwise we might not have a village left standing."

"Frost still have problem talk to self?" Shampoo wondered.

"Oh, she's more beside herself over matters these days," the blonde Archmage said airily, "The unfortunate effect of a little encounter with Jusenkyo. Nothing to worry about though, she's adjusting quite well to her new condition. In fact she's almost mastered her spellbook to the point where she can destroy anything from the letter "A" to "K." I hope by next year that she'll be able to destroy anything else from the letter 'L' to 'R…'"

"Whole year?" Shampoo sniffed, "Too bad Mousse name begin with 'M'…"

"Is he still being a bother to you?" Siren asked, "You'd think by now he'd have gotten over you and found something else…" she paused and I saw a scary wicked gleam appear in her expression, "Of course he might be persuaded to find someone else, provided she was the right type of candidate…" the blonde turned a nasty glance towards the boarding ramp and smiled, "I wonder if he and Amber might be a compatible match for one another…"

"You are thinking of using the pearls for this?" Cologne asked with an owl-eyed expression.

"Well, can you think of a better use for them?" Siren turned a lascivious grin on Cologne and added, "I could. Well, your call…until later, Ciao!"

With that she stepped sideways and seemed to go flat for half of a second before a brief light flared up and she winked out of existence.

"Wow," Ranma broke the ensuing silence, "She's sure got your number."

"A good reason for me to have it changed," Cologne turned away, though I could tell from her expression that she was seriously worried.

"Aiyaa," Ling-Ling said aloud, "Great Grandmother no look happy Aunt Siren have bracelet."

"Is to worry," Lung-Lung nodded sagely.

Shampoo turned a bright smile to her sisters and said, "Shampoo glad you stay for now, is almost like being back in village have you around. What you think so far of Shampoo new village?"

"Is very strange place," Ling-Ling replied sincerely.

"Is sure we find strong boys date here?" her twin sister added.

"You've heard Grandmother," Silk noted, "When have you ever known her to be wrong when she uses that tone of voice? Besides, I'm sure there will be lots of boys here who would like to date you, and some of them at least have to be strong fighters."

"Phooey," Atsuko remarked, glaring at Comb as she added, "Who needs you around to crowd my action?"

"Now girls," Nodoka smiled, "Be nice."

"For them that was nice," instantly ventured Kodachi, "But in a way I am glad to see that you will be staying on for a while longer. It would feel a little too quiet around the dojo without you.""

"Besides," Kasumi added, "You've all been such a big help these days that it's not even a burden having so many people living under one roof. I'm sure that Father agrees that you can stay as long as you need to."

"Er, ah…um…" Daddy hesitated to voice his real opinions.

"Your generosity is considerable," Cologne remarked, "But my granddaughter and her husband will be staying with me at the Nekohaten for the present. I would make the same offer to Atsuko and her son, but…well…"

"Thanks," Atsuko replied, "But the dojo suits me just fine, and I'm sure Ryoga wouldn't want to be separated from his lady love right now, eh son?"

"Hah?" Ryoga's face turned an interesting shade of pink as he glanced at Akane.

"Still and all," Nodoka spoke up, "We have been imposing on your hospitality of late, Soun-san, and we Saotome do have a house of our own that we have been neglecting. Since the wedding is only a few weeks away, I think it's time that Ranma came home and received a proper training from me in how to become a good husband to your daughter…"

"SAY WHAT???" I blurted aloud, even louder than Ranma and Shampoo.

"Oh, I'm sure my son must seem very manly to the both of you," Nodoka assured us with a smile, "But practicing before the wedding isn't always such a wise thing, and I think a two week period of abstention should make you all the more eager to join together at the proper time. After all, a good marriage does involve a lot more than an active sex life."

"It does?" Ranma responded blandly.

I frowned a bit at this, only to find Silk speaking up before I could, "What a wonderful idea! Nabiki must be as nervous as a newborn colt about formalizing her union to young Master Saotome. Things have been so hectic of late that I doubt Shampoo has even had the time to teach her airen everything that might be expected from them to go into a happy union. Normally that burden should belong to her mother, but I would be happy to substitute for her and give her proper bride training, if Nabiki will let me."

"If I WHAT???" I reacted in a less than calm and composed manner.

"Of course Kasumi will be willing to help out, I'm sure," Silk included my older sister, "It's been so long since anyone has asked my advice on marital matters, and since my only child was born out of wedlock…"

"Er…" Daddy suddenly had a worried expression on his features.

"…I guess the only other ones here with any experience in being a bride would be Cologne, Comb, Grandmother and Nodoka," Silk continued in that pleasant way she has of not giving you time enough to respond to her suggestions, "And of course Kachu has been a bride for the better part of a month, and she seems to be doing quite nicely."

"Mother," our Amazon sister replied as she glanced down and her face colored brightly, though Tofu's hand on her shoulder seemed to reassure her more than slightly.

"Hey, what about me?" Atsuko folded her arms and looked at us crossly, "I managed to at least fake being in a marriage for fourteen years, which is long enough to bring up my son right and proper!"

"There's a big difference between pretending to have an illusory husband and actually having one who's flesh and blood," Comb replied rather crossly.

"I know that!" Atsuko responded, "I'm just saying it was good practice…"

"I still can't believe that Dad was just one of your illusions, Mother," Ryoga shook his head, "My memories of him are so real…"

"I played both roles, Ryo-chan," Atsuko said gently, "My real inspiration was Dad, only you've never really met him. Your grandfather was quite a guy, or I thought so until he got lost and broke up with my mother…"

"Not to mention your mom is an qualified psycho," Ranma added.

"Huh, you're telling me?" Atsuko huffed, "I grew up around her, remember?"

"Still," Uncle Genma adjusted his glasses as he coughed to draw attention to himself, "Your mother has a good point, Ranma. With only two weeks to prepare you ought to train yourself to handle being married."

"Hah," Yumi snorted from where she hung in the back row, "I'll bet he's known how to run away from his problems since the time he could walk. He doesn't need more lessons in that from you…"

"I was thinking more along the lines of a training mission," Genma insisted with a certain stiff resentment in his voice, "After all, Boy, you've been letting yourself get soft lately, you've even let other people do at least some of your fighting…"

"Hey!" Ranma insisted, "It's not like I make them!"

"None the less, Boy," Uncle Genma stressed the last work, "You're not living up to your full potential, which means I'm going to have to train you all over in the basics. If you want to learn any more special techniques, then you're going to have to demonstrate to me that you can handle the extra training."

Ranma made a dismissive noise and said, "Just try and keep up with me, Old Man, you'll see how ready I am."

"Good," Genma turned a sidelong look and added, "Why don't you come with us and train with your brother, Ryoga?"

"Sir?" Ryoga blinked his eyes as if not believing that he had heard properly.

"Ranma needs a sparring partner, and you're the one who can give him the best workout," Genma turned back towards Ranma, "And maybe one of the two of you can impress me enough that I might actually teach you something. Maybe the both of you can show me which one of you is the true heir to the Saotome Ryu."

"And excellent idea, husband," Nodoka smiled, "When do we get started?"

"We?" a worried look crossed Genma's face.

"Well of course," Nodoka said as she took him by the arm with a playful expression, "Do you think I'm going to let either one of you out of my sight after what happened the last time?"

"Hah?" Genma looked effectively cornered, and once again I had to upgrade my opinion of Nodoka as a smooth player who had a knack for keeping people off their balance.

"If she's going then so will I!" Atsuko insisted, "If Ryo-chan needs any encouragement, he can always count on me to back his play."

"Mom!" Ryoga responded like any boy his age who feels a bit too crowded by a parent.

"Then it's settled," Lotion announced, "Nabiki will alternate in her training with me and receive bride training from Silk and her sister. Shampoo, perhaps it would be well for you to move in with your parents for the time being…"

There was a cry of protest from both Shampoo and me at that suggestion, though I had not expected to be the one who would raise an objection on that point.

"It would be for the best, daughter," Comb remarked, "You have your own training to attend to, and you should spend more time with your sisters. Besides, there is an old Amazon saying you should keep in mind here…that absence makes the heart grow fonder…"

"I'm rather partial to the one that says that a man is not complete without a woman beside him," Hairbrush noted.

"And then he's finished," Uncle Genma concluded matter-of-factly.

"What was that, husband?" Nodoka asked.

"Ah, nothing dearest!" he promptly reassured her.

And that was how it was decided that Ranma and Shampoo would be moving out of my house and away from my life for a two week interval that was somehow supposed to bring the three of us closer together. I have to confess it's quite an adjustment for all concerned parties, not the least bit for me as I'm finding the emptiness of my bed more than a little bit depressing. I've gotten used to waking up with someone warm beside me, even if it's only Shampoo in her cursed form, at least I don't feel so alone in the night, like staring at the ceiling for hours is some new kind of meditation. You'd think that I could go back to the way I've been for well over the first seventeen years of my life, but I'm not the same person I was anymore. Sleeping alone just doesn't seem right any more, and not just because I miss the bedroom antics that made every night so lively.

If this is what a single night without either of my lovers being around me is like, then how in the name of the kami did Aunt Nodoka survive ten years without that fat fool of a husband?

I'd speak of the kami right now, but that would be jumping ahead in my story. First I should at least address what happened when we came home from the airport and found Ryonami waiting for us and looking extremely worried.

Right away I knew something was bothering her because Ryonami doesn't hide her emotions half so well as I do, and some instinct warned me that this wasn't about our private business interests. It being a school day, and she still wearing her uniform told me that she had not gone home to change, which is her usual habit, and she wasn't holding her ledger either, so that precluded this being about money. We weren't holding classes until tomorrow, so I didn't think this had anything to do with her private martial arts lessons, so right away I walk up to her where she's sitting on the steps to the dojo and ask her outright what's got her looking so anxious.

"Oh Senpai," she began as she sat up, looking from me to Ranma, "There was this girl looking for you iinazuke, and she says her name is Hibiki Kennou."

"Hibiki?" Ranma reacted with a look of surprise, then turned and called out, "Hey Ryoga! You know anybody by the name of Kennou?"

"Huh?" Ryoga left my sister's side and approached us, "No, now that you mention it, I've never heard that name before, why?"

"Because I think she might be a relative of yours," Ryonami replied, and quickly relayed the story of how she had met the girl outside the schoolyard.

"Hibiki Kennou?" I turned and saw Aunt Atsuko standing near, "That doesn't ring any bells with me either, not that it should be too surprising. Our clan doesn't often get together for family meetings…"

"Probably because they can't even find one another," Silk joined in on the conversation, "Are you certain the name is not just a coincidence?"

"I'm positive she is related to you guys," Ryonami replied, "She's very strong, a martial artist, and she seems to have a problem with directions. The only difference that I can tell is that she's very smart and almost handles herself like you, Senpai. She kept talking about how meeting up with Ranma was a matter of business."

"Business?" Ranma frowned, then turned about and cried, "OYAJI!!!"

"Not another suitor?" Shampoo frowned and smacked fist-to-palm to emphasize her displeasure, "How many girl Shampoo have discourage because of stupid panda?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," I replied, and collectively we all turned to Uncle Genma.

"What are you looking at me for?" the Panda-man in question reacted to our hostile looks in his direction, "I don't know anyone named Hibiki Kennou either!"

"You'd better not, Gemmi-Poo," Atsuko growled, "Or it won't be healthy!"

"You're sure that you don't remember anyone else by that name?" Silk asked her, and I was glad right then and there that Comb wasn't here to add her two yens worth into the matter.

"Positive," Atsuko frowned, "I think…unless…"

"Unless?" Kodachi inquired.

"Ah…" Atsuko was suddenly worried, "Ryo-chan…remember that you have a younger sister who's been…ah…missing for a few years…"

"Ryomi?" was suddenly very anxious, "You think this might be her?"

"It might," Atsuko frowned, "Only she didn't have blonde hair, she looked a lot more like you, but then again she got lost when she was only four, and keeping up with her has been such a bother…"

"You're sure she's even alive?" I asked, just to cover all the bases.

"I'd know if a kid of mine was deceased," Atsuko frowned, "We Oni have a sense about such things, just like I know my dad's still among the living, even if I haven't set eyes on him in over a decade…"

"Excuse me," Kasumi said, "Did you say your father is still around?"

"Sure thing," Atsuko replied, "Just because him and Momma don't get along any more doesn't mean he's dropped off the planet. If anything he keep getting himself into all kinds of adventures and sometimes rescues fair ladies who he even occasionally has romantic flings with. That's how I wound up having a niece who's a little bit older than you, Ryo-chan who's always out to sea (in more than one sense of the word) named Akiko…"

"You mean that there is more than one Hibiki wandering loose about Asia?" Kodachi mused, "Now that is a concept that I find rather disturbing."

"More than one Hibiki?" Silk exchanged looks with my father.

The Oni paused as if in delayed reaction to her own words, and then it dawned on her what she had just said and she reacted in atypical fashion, groaning, "Oh no…not another one? Dad wouldn't do that to me…would he?"

"He's a Hibiki," Genma replied, "I think that says it all rather nicely."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Atsuko glared at him with particular fierceness.

"Only that your father is no doubt a very virile man who would never think of dishonoring your mother," Genma hastily replied, adding in a more delicate tone, "Unless…he somehow forgot that he was married."

"Forgot he was married to Momma," Atsuko looked away as if considering this seriously, "Uh…yeah, that could be the case. Dad always was kind of absent-minded, never could keep track of more than one thing at a time…"

"That shows where you got it from," Ranma teased his brother, earning a customary, "Shut up, Ranma!" snarling reply for his efforts.

"You're saying your father could have forgotten all about his being married?" Akane asked indignantly, "And slept with another woman?"

"Hey, it's been known to happen," Atsuko shrugged her shoulders.

"Must be so," Genma frowned, "Or how else did you wind up with a younger child named Ryomi."

"Ahhh…" the Oni winced, "There's…kind of a funny story about that…"

"Save it for later," I said, "Now the question is…what is a Hibiki doing here, and why is she after Ranma?"

"Genetics?" Ranma replied with a shrug, "Seems to run in the family…"

"Shut up, Ranma," Akane growled, "This is probably all your fault. Either you did something to upset her or your father probably cheated her out of a meal."

"That would figure," Ryoga said, "Only Ranma could get engaged when he's about to get married."

"Shut up, Ryoga," Ranma growled in retaliation.

"Let Shampoo be one meet up with stupid girl if she show up here," our Amazon bride-to-be made a fist as if to stake out her claim, "Show her thing or two about challenge airen."

"Thanks, Shampoo, but I fight my own battles," Ranma reassured her, "If she's here to start trouble, then I'm the one to give it."

"Of course," Kodachi said "That all depends on whether or not she could find her way back to this place, after all she is a Hibiki."

"And what about me being a Hibiki?"

I really hate it when people do that, spring up out of no where and deliver dramatic lines from behind your back, which naturally causes us to all turn about and act like extras on one of those "gotcha" television game shows, the kind that specialize in catching ordinary people at a moment of vulnerability and astonishment. I really hate it when people surprise me like that, and lately it seems to be happening on a pretty routine basis.

The blonde haired girl I saw was about my age only maybe a little taller than me, and there was a kind of ruggedness about her that matched the dangerous gleam in her eye that I recognized as one of the street-wise. I could tell she was not someone who did a lot of smiling, and something about the manner of her stance suggested to me that crossing paths with her in a dark alley was definitely not a very good suggestion.

"That's her," Ryonami said as she ducked behind me, "She's the one I told you about…and it looks like she found her way here."

"I always find my way back to any place I've already been," the other girl replied, "It's just a matter of paying attention to your surroundings."

"You are a Hibiki?" Ranma asked.

"That's right," the blonde replied, tossing a pair of walnuts into the air before catching them in her fist and crushing them to powder, "Hibiki Kennou is my name, now which of you is Saotome Ranma?"

"Wait a minute," Ryoga stepped forward, "If you're a Hibiki then who is your father?"

"Huh?" I saw surprise cross the other girl's features, to be replaced almost instantly by a wary kind of hostility, "What's it to you?"

"You mean what's it to me," Atsuko stepped forward, "If you're a Hibiki, then welcome to the club, because so am I."

"You?" the blonde eyed Atsuko skeptically, and for a moment there was a silent, tense exchange of glares, but then the blonde said, "I don't know you, lady…I'm here for Saotome Ranma."

"And what's your business with Ranma?" Ryoga demanded.

"That's between me and him," the blonde focused on Ryoga and said, "Are you Ranma?"

"And what if I am?" Ryoga demanded.

The woman's hand flashed forward, and Ryoga snatched the sheaf of paper out of the air. The blonde then pivoted on her heel and said, "Meet me at the place and time specified, and don't be late, Saotome."

"You've got a lot of attitude for a punk kid," Atsuko said, "I like that."

The blonde halted in mid-step, turned a glance over her shoulder, then shrugged them and said, "Yeah, whatever…" and headed for the gateway.

"Ryoga," Ranma rounded on his brother, "Why the hell did you do that?"

"Stay out of it, Ranma," Ryoga said as he unfolded the paper, "If she's a Hibiki then it's my problem not yours."

"The hell it is!" Ranma stated, "That's my challenge letter!"

"It is a challenge letter," Akane said as she glanced at the unfolded paper in the lost boy's hands, "But why is she after Ranma?"

"I don't know," Ryoga said, "But I intend to find out."

"You?" Ranma scoffed, "You couldn't even find your way to that park in a month!"

"Then I'll go with a guide," Ryoga pursed his lips and whistled, "Shirokuro!"

The shadows flowed from out from under the dojo and suddenly the beast woman appeared who had helped us out back at the stronghold of the demonic lawyers. She bent one knee like a faithful retainer to a lord and said, "What is it you wish of me, Master?"

"I need your help to find my way to a challenge match," Ryoga handed her the paper, "Do you think you could find this?"

"With ease, Master," the beat woman said, and then her shape flowed like one of those computer morphed images and suddenly she was a dog who was black on one side and white on the other. She even wagged her tail and sniffed Ryoga's hand like the faithful mutt she resembled.

I sensed Shampoo tense beside me, and I realized this must be an instinctive reaction due to her cursed form. Ranma was not happy a out being preempted, but his mother spoke to mollify his resentment and urged a compromise so that Ranma could go to the fight as his brother's second.

This incident was far from the most extraordinary event of the day, however, for Lotion showed up later in the day while Ranma and his father were packing their belongings, and I was still trying to sort out my feelings on the whole matter. As usual the old woman already seemed to know all of the details about what had happened before I even spoke a word on the subject.

"So," she said matter-of factly as I stood watching my iinazuke prepare to leave my house for the first time in what seemed like ages, but was only a few months on the calendar by any independent estimation, "Another player has entered the scene, and a long lost Hibiki, no less."

"Yeah," I replied, not bothering to register the fact that as usual I had not seen the Lore Master's arrival, "Imagine that, only she claims not to recognize either Ryoga-kun or his mother."

"Perhaps that is because they have never met," Lotion noted simply, "Hibiki Razor has lived a very colorful existence, and while it was never his intent to be a derelict father, the fault does not entirely lay with him. No doubt young Kennou is a bit angry and resentful about feeling abandoned, and she takes it out on everyone around her…rather like another young girl of my acquaintance."

I winced a little at the casual way she had said this and replied, "Surely I wasn't that terrible to be around…"

"You were better at hiding your emotions than your younger sister," the old woman said, "But you were quite angry and bitter and willing to take it out on any available target."

"So something must have happened to her mother," I surmised, "And her father got lost, so she lives by her wits and supports herself any way she's able."

"With the strength of a Hibiki to back her, and none of the training," Lotion replied, "What fighting technique she knows has been acquired on the streets, and in this she is a qualified expert."

"So why is she after Ranma?" I asked, "Was it really another one of Uncle Genma's failed engagement schemes?"

"Perhaps you should ask her when the time is right," Lotion answered, "I think the answer to that one might surprise you, but I can say that it is for once no fault of the elder Saotome."

"Okay, I guess I can live with that for now," I sighed, feeling my depression grow more deeply.

"What is wrong, child?" the old woman regarded me sidelong, "Your future husband isn't moving out from you forever."

"No," I said, "But the next time that we're together…" I felt my mouth go dry and the butter flies returned to their roost in my stomach, or whatever it is you call a place that butterflies flock to.

"The next time that you and he share a bed will be on the day of your marriage, eh?" I could feel the old woman's smile deepen without even looking at her, "That is what you want to say, that somehow it will be more official, less casual and with deeper commitment."

"I even miss having Shampoo around," I said and thought briefly of the empty spot in our toolshed in which she normally kept that Monster bike of hers. Apparently Shampoo could not bear to be parted from it, but she was willing to absent herself from my bedroom, go figure.

"You will see them both soon enough," Lotion reassured me, "And each time you see them it will be a special moment, one that endears you to your beloveds, just as they will long for you with the same quiet intensity. You need not fear that they will stray from your heart in the time between now and when you stand before the altar."

"I'm not afraid of anything," I tried to sound casual, as if I really meant that, "I just feel…a little lonely…"

I felt her wizened old hand touch my arm and the brief contact felt good, and I tried to smile in spite of the odd spec in my eyes that was causing them to tear up a little.

"You are a very brave and intelligent woman," she said, "Have faith in yourself, and faith in your loved ones. They will come through for you, believe this and it will happen."

"I want to believe," I said very tightly, "But I'm too old for fairy tales, and I know every story doesn't necessarily have a happy ending."

"True," Lotion said, "But life does go on, one sunset following another, so as long as life goes on there is always a new day. Consider your father…his life all but ended when your mother passed beyond the pale, yet here he is like a man renewed by the faith of another woman who knew him even before your mother. Now there is hope again, and love within his heart, and his dreams are not entirely centered on the future of his offspring…he can actually take the time to think of his own needs without necessarily feeling selfish."

"I guess that's one way to put it," I said, "I know she wants to do well, and maybe I shouldn't be hating her for trying to replace my mother. After all…she almost did marry him twenty years back, and they've got a daughter to prove it, so if things had been different…she might very well have been my mother."

"You are growing up at last," Lotion smiled, "You are actually thinking about others with the same importance that you attend to your own needs, which is exactly as it should be. In time you will come to see that your interests are intrinsically linked with the needs of others."

"That's a hard one," I said, "Needing people. For a lot of years I told myself I didn't need anybody…but then I was always dependent on Kasumi, and in a way I looked up to Daddy as the head of the family…I just didn't respect him."

"You were the clever child who thought she could use her talents to help her family survive against long odds," Lotion explained, as usual reading me like I was a manga, "It was easy for you to pretend that you didn't care about your isolation, and as long as you held people at bay you didn't have to feel responsible for anybody. You could do as you like and never have to worry about the consequences."

"I guess that doesn't make me sound like a very nice person," I admitted.

"Perhaps," Lotion said, "But I wouldn't be too hard on the you that was, she only acted in the way that she thought was best for her and those around her. Now that you have grown as a woman you know that you share the responsibility of a member of this household…and soon you share responsibility for the care of your own home. You sister will not deny her own destiny, and in time she will move out and seek to further her education…with a good possibility that young Kuno-san will be that to support her."

"Geez," I winced, "There's a union I wouldn't have laid odds on. I want to do something to put a stop to things…but…I've never seen Kasumi so happy. Do I have the right to interfere? Kasumi's my older sister…and she seems to know what she's doing."

"Learning to trust other people to run their own affairs is a lot like learning to trust yourself," Lotion replied, "Your destiny is in your hands, and you have the power to help or heal through your thoughts and actions, so have some care of what you may do lest you have an effect that is not what you intended."

"You make it sound like we have the power of life and death in our hands," I remarked, "I'd rather leave stuff like that to the kami."

"Ah yes," Lotion nodded sagely, "You have voiced an opinion on this subject before, which is why I sought you out this fine evening. The sun will set very shortly, and while we yet have the light there is something I wish to show you."

"Oh?" I asked as I turned to regard her, "What is it this time? More sands on the beach, or is it the pearls before swine we're up to?"

"We have already covered those chapters," Lotion smiled, then waved at me with her staff, "Come this way, it will only take a moment."

I turned and looked over my shoulder, seeing Ranma standing by the door glancing in my direction. I begged the old woman allow me a moment then went up and held him in my arms as he hugged me back, resting his head on my shoulder.

"I…I don't wanna go," he said.

"I know," I replied, enjoying the smell of him as though I was afraid I wouldn't get another chance for some time, "I don't want you to go either."

"I'll be back," he looked me in the eyes when we parted enough to permit this, "Usual time and place?"

"I'll be waiting," I grinned up at him, "Don't be late for that…or else."

"Count on it," he said, then we parted ways as he walked out the door and I followed him as far as the gate, feeling the strain grow within me the further he moved out of my arms reach.

Lotion permitted me to linger there for a long moment then started forward through the gate and said, "Don't drag your heels, it would most impolite to keep your hostess waiting."

"Hostess?" I asked.

"We go to consult an authoritative expert on the subject of the kami," she revealed, "There are a few things about the nature and workings of the cosmos that you need to have explained for you, and once you see for yourself it will all become apparent."

"Okay, I'll bite," I said, hurrying to catch up with my mentor, "So, how far is this place we have to go?"

"Not far at all," she replied enigmatically, "Farther than the eye can see yet nearer than your touch…in fact, we are there already."

"Huh?" I asked, finding the streets that we were one were not the ones that I knew so well as my neighborhood. In fact there was a building on one side of the road that looked surprisingly a lot like an old Shinto shrine…in fact it WAS a Shinto shrine, and one I had never seen before in any part of Nerima.

"Behold the Morisato residence," my mentor informed me, "Here we will find the expert to whom I was referring."

"In a Shinto shrine?" I asked as I followed her lead and entered through the gates, glancing around and feeling as out of place there as I might feel in a Catholic monastery.

"Can you think of a better place to meet the kami?" she asked me, and I had to allow that this was a very good question.

We approached the main building at one side of the yard and came to a halt near the entrance. Lotion leaned on her staff and was quiet for a long moment, but then I caught motion from the other side of the door, and then out stepped a radiantly young woman who appeared only a few years older than I was, whole long mist-brown hair framed a face like an angel, and upon her forehead I took note of a curious marking.

"Konnichi wa," she bowed to us, "It has been quite some time. Won't you come inside? I've been preparing some tea and confections to mark your arrival."

"You are most kind," Lotion bowed in reply to her, then nudged me because I was staring rudely at this strange vision before me. I belatedly recalled my manners and bowed to the woman, but I could not fully take my eyes off of her, for I sensed a glowing radiance from within her, surrounding her like a faintly discernable halo.

And that was not the only thing I immediately noticed…much to my astonishment I realized that her voice was intimately familiar for me…for it was no less than the voice of Kasumi, my sister…!

Continued

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