Project A-Ko Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Vampire Hunter (Darkstalkers) Fan Fiction ❯ Nabiki 1/2 (A Very Scary Thought) ❯ The Kamasenken... ( Chapter 105 )

Nabiki 1/2

(A Very Scary Thought)

Written by Jim Robert Bader

Proofread by Shiva Barnwell

Based Upon the Altered Destinies Storyline

Inspired by the works of such fans as

Wade Tritshler

Richard Lawson

James Jones

And Many Others

Standard Disclaimer: This is inspired by the work of Takahashi Rumiko and is not my original creation. All characters belong to her. This is only a fanfictional work, and is not intended to compromise the rights of the original owners, distributors and publishers of the Ranma series. I have no money to spare and would very much appreciate if no one tries to sue me.

"All right," Kodachi declared rather dramatically, "Begin!"

Ryoga nodded and at once bowed to the task while the others looked on and marveled, seeing the habitually Lost Boy become a frantic blur of motion as he gathered up the materials assembled by Kodachi and went to work using his Kosenken maneuver to assemble them at a speed that was inhuman. At the end of half an hour a completed house stood before them with roof in place and the walls already covered in stucco, leaving the onlookers to gasp in complete dumbfounded amazement.

"Enough!" Kodachi declared, "I'm exhausted just watching you work out, Ryoga-kun! A whole house assembled, and in only twenty-nine-point-three minutes!"

"Incredible," Tatewaki averred, "Had I not witnessed it with mine own eyes…"

"Most impressive," Natsume agreed, "Kurumi herself could not have moved more swiftly."

"The guy's got definite talent," Keiko nodded, "If the inside looks as good as the outside, then I guess we're gonna have to give him real credit."

"Ryoga-kun?" Akane called out, then frowned as she added, "Where could he have gone off to?"

"Maybe he is still inside," Kodachi suggested.

"Or taking a break." Kuno mused, "After a workout such as that, one could hardly blame him."

"Indeed," Natsume nodded, "Even his redoubtable stamina must surely be taxed by such a Herculean exertion…"

"Or…maybe not," Keiko glanced down, "You guys feel that rumble?"

Akane glanced down and said, "You're right…it feels like…"

All at once an area of ground burst upward, and through the gap Ryoga stuck out his head and drew deep breath before saying, "Finally! It was getting stuffy down there…"

"Ryoga-kun?" Akane knelt down, "What were you doing down there?"

"Oh…ah," Ryoga rubbed the back of his head as he looked sheepishly at Akane, "I just finished connecting the plumbing and attaching the drainage to the sewers so everything will work just right. Took me a while to find the electrical relays so I could get the lighting hooked up, along with the gas mains. I had to follow code, so it took me a minute to double-check everything…um…how did I do?"

Kodachi consulted her handheld chronometer and said, "Thirty-one-point-oh-four-three seconds…just a little over a half an hour."

"Oh," Ryoga said as he climbed out of the hole, "Well, I guess I'll have to work harder next time. This was just for practice, right?"

Bland looks replied to his entreaty, and then Keiko shook her head and said, "This confirms it…you definitely are not human!"

"Um…would half-human count?" Ryoga wondered, only to have a blank look of his own as Akane leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek, which came very near to causing the boy to pass out, and his dirt-smudged face was beet red for the next full minute.

"It is an incredible display all the same," Tatewaki averred, "And you say that this…what did you call it again? The Kosenken?"

"The Metal of a Thousand Fists," Natsume averred soberly, "Your hands became like tools of iron and you put together a house from the raw materials that Lady Kuno so generously provided. And now may we take it that yon domicile is presently fit for habitation?"

"Oh…yeah," Ryoga snapped out of his happy daze, "I built it exactly to the standards that my boss…the man who was employing me for a week…always insists on with his buildings. It took me five days to get everything just right and to learn how to always compare things with the way he says they ought to be. You can come inside and see for yourself if you have any doubts."

"I believe that we shall," Kodachi mused, "You are indeed a man of many talents, Hibiki-san, and small wonder that the fair Akane favors you with her affections."

"Guys," it was Akane's turn to look beet-red, only her eyes widened abruptly as Ryoga handed her a folded up envelope, prompting her to ask, "What's this?"

"Um…well…" Ryoga said sheepishly, "It's my first paycheck. I earned it for you, and…well…I suppose it's not much, but I thought you ought to have it, seeing as I don't know how to cash it myself, and you know a lot more about how to handle money than I do…"

"A paycheck?" Akane opened the envelope and pulled out a payroll slip attached to a voucher and then her eyes doubled in size as she read the numbers printed there and said, "They paid you this much for a week?"

"Hmm," Kodachi said as she glanced past Akane's shoulder, "Barely adequate for the sort of services you no doubt rendered, but then I suppose the actual amount is not what counts, it is the fact that you earned it as a labor of love for you fiancée."

"Interesting," Tatewaki smiled, "And what plan you to do with your hard-won largesse?"

"Uh…I don't know," Akane said, turning a look towards Ryoga that as much as said that her respect for him had more than doubled, "Do you know what this means? It means you can actually earn a living doing something constructive. Oh, Ryoga…I'm so proud of you."

"Really?" Ryoga sounded as though he were walking on clouds as he returned her smile of affection, "Uh…well…it could be the first of several…the Boss said he wanted me to think about coming to work for him full time…"

"I know what you can do with this one, then," Keiko grinned, "Use it to buy a wedding ring for Akane…Kei-chan and I can help you pick one out."

"W-W-Wedding ring?" both Akane and Ryoga said in chorus.

"What an excellent suggestion," Natsume nodded with approval, "A ring purchased with love lasts forever. I assume this means that you will soon be picking out a date on which to perform the nuptials, my sister?"

"Huh?" Akane blinked, then got an expression on her face that was almost the mirror image of a nervous Ryoga, "Oh…yeah…on my…"

Tatewaki got an odd look in his own expression, and he turned a glance towards the woman at his side as he thought a moment on the matter, then came to a sobering resolution.

"This…Kosenken," he ventured aloud, "It is but one part of a larger school collectively known as the Senken Ryu?"

"Um…yeah, more or less," Ryoga replied, "My…um…Mister Saotome…he taught us a system that he'd developed close to fifteen years ago that was only half-finished. We studied the Yamasenken, the Earth-based Ryu, and then Ranma mastered the Umisenken, the Water-based system…"

"And you created this with a few suggestions by the old panda?" Keiko nodded to the house they had witnessed come together as though by magic, "Wow…didn't know that old fool had it in him…"

"He's not an old fool," Ryoga frowned, "Um…Uncle Saotome…he created the Yamasenken and Umisenken while training under Happosai, but then he gave one of the two scrolls to a friend, and when he tried to use it he wound up destroying his own dojo. He…died…and…Saotome felt really bad about it, so he tried to bury his own system…"

"To atone for an accident with remorse?" Tatewaki raised eyebrows to this, "I had not thought he possessed of such a strong sense of integrity and honor. Truly, if what you say is true, then I have misjudged Uncle Genma far more than I had realized…"

"And yet he revealed this hidden art to you and Ranma so that you could train in a powerful new system," Kodachi mused, "Only in time you evolved your own version of the art, a system that allows you to use your hands as though they were made of metal."

"Wow!" Akane averred, "If the Kosenken's this good, then what are the other systems like?"

"They're…pretty effective," Ryoga scratched the back of his head and added, "I know a little of how the Umisenken works, but it…it's not suitable for me…I don't have the right mindset. I also know of the wood-based Morisenken that Kumon Ryu created, and maybe a little bit of the Honosenken, which Ranma used in a fight between the three of us…

"A Wood based and Fire-based school?" Keiko remarked, "And…how much does Ranma know?"

"He knows all of them," Ryoga revealed, "Yamasenken, Umisenken, Honosenken and maybe even my Kosenken and Ryu's Morisenken. Of course, Happosai then offered to reveal to him the Arashisenken, but I'm not sure if Ranma's finished creating that one yet…"

"Wait a minute," Akane frowned, "You mean there are six different kinds of Senken?"

"There are now," Ryoga shrugged, "We created four of them between us."

"Fascinating," Tatewaki mused, "In other words, Ranma by now must be a fantastically gifted and talented fighter…but will all of this advanced training truly avail him in a match against Nabiki?"

"I…don't really know," Ryoga sighed, "Guess it all depends on how much the Old Woman's been teaching her…but I know Ranma, he's going to do everything he can to put up a good fight."

"Yeah," Keiko replied, "But can he win?"

"That remains to be seen," Kodachi averred, "But I, for one, would not lay odds against Saotome…"

"I can't do it."

"What's that?" Happosai's ears perked up, "Do I hear resignation in your voice, my boy? You've come so far…surely you're not giving up already?"

"I ain't giving up," Ranma said, "I've been practicing on the Arashisenken, like you asked, and I think I've got it mostly all down…but…I just realized that I might have been wasting my time with all this training. Sure I got a powerful new technique…maybe strong enough that I could beat Nabiki, if I go all out…but…"

"But you don't want to go all out with her, is that it?" Happosai sighed, "Ranma…you've got everything it takes to come out on top, but it won't matter squat unless you can get over this damned reluctance you have to use everything you know against your iinazuke. No matter how much you care for her, you've got to know that she's pretty darned mad at you right now, and that means she won't be holding as much back when it comes to her end of the matter."

"I know," Ranma said, "And she ain't exactly fragile either, but…"

"But what?" Ryu asked, breaking his silence of the past hour, "You go up against that She-male with a half-assed attitude like that and she'll hand you your head. I only caught the tail end of a slap by her and my teeth were rattled. That Babe packs one hell of a wallop…"

"She ain't a She-male…or whatever the hell you want to call her," Ranma growled in warning, "And if you wanna find out how hard she can hit, you just talk like that in front of her and see where it gets you…"

"All right, all right," Ryu desisted, "I'm not out to pick any fights, I just can't stand to see you moping around like a whipped puppy, and just because your girlfriend's more of a man than you are."

"Er…about that," Kaoih asked, "Is it really true that she's Jusenkyo cursed to turn into a man whenever she gets wet? Because it's pretty hard for me to picture Nabiki as a guy…"

"You want to see for yourself, Sis?" Ranma sniffed, "Go ahead…but don't say I didn't warn you. When she's Kaneda she's even taller and huskier than me, and girls just can't seem to keep their hands off of her. She has to fight them off with a club, and you've already seen the type of girl she actually married."

Ryu shook his head in disbelief and said, "Are you really sure about this? I mean…you really want to get hitched to somebody like that? I mean…no offense, but it would freak me out if…"

"If I turned into a man?" Kaoih asked, "That was what you were going to say, right?"

"Huh?" Ryu blinked, "Ah…well…"

"You idiots!" Happosai snapped, "So what if she turns into a man part of the time? The part of her that's all woman more than makes up for it! You know what I'm saying, my boy? You want her even if she has a curse and sleeps with other women, right?"

"Ah…yeah," Ranma tried not to color, but he felt his cheeks flush more than a little.

"Then maybe you should have her fight you as a man," Sakura suggested, "Perhaps that would distract you from thinking of her as your fiancée."

"No good," Genma shook his head negatively, "As Kaneda, Nabiki's physical strength more than doubles, though she loses a bit of her speed and agility, but it's her female half that Ranma has to defeat if he's going to win her as his bride by Amazon traditions. That's really what this is all about, Boy…you've been feeling inferior to her since the day you first met, and the thought of fighting her all-out intimidates you more than you'd like to admit. That's why we need a different strategy if you are going to overcome that girl and teach her to respect you as both a man and a fiancé."

"Oh yeah?" Ranma asked, "And how am I gonna do that if I can't…bring myself to hit her?"

"Ranma," Happosai shook his head sadly, "Haven't you learned anything that I've been trying to get across to you? You don't have to hurt Nabiki in order to defeat her. There are lots of ways to overcome a woman without turning into a brute…in fact…I have something here that just might help you."

The little man produced a scroll and passed it along to Ranma, who was sitting in the center of an empty ring in the middle of the circus tent, while all around them they could hear the sounds of the rest of the circus being taken apart by Sakura's employees. Ranma unrolled the scroll and studied it, then frowned as he said, "This looks like…"

"The Moxibustion Scroll?" Genma asked, coming closer to examine the chart in question.

"Hardly," Happosai sniffed, "I found this in a teashop in China many years ago…I was saving it for a special occasion. Scroll down a little further, boy, and see what else that dusty old thing has to tell you."

Ranma did as instructed and found a second chart that seemed to relate to the first. As Kaoih, Sakura and Ryu approached to get a better look for themselves, there was a gasp from his half-sister who said, "Mom…that looks like…?"

"The Tree of Life," Sakura agreed, "Also known as the Qabalah."

"Kabala?" Ryu repeated, "What's that?"

"It's the central most pillar in Western Hermeticism," Sakura replied, "Only this one seems tailored to Eastern Taoist philosophy. Perhaps this is a synthesis created by someone who had contact with both Eastern and Western traditions…"

"Fascinating," Genma said, "But what does it mean?"

"It's simple," Kaoih replied, "It's a Magical and Alchemical formula for viewing the whole Universe as relating to a human body."

"Say WHAT?" Ranma reacted.

"That's right, Boy," Happosai smiled, "What you've got there is a priceless formula for turning the Senken into an entire new way of looking at life, but the reason I brought it out is because I think you can learn to use the pressure-point system it outlines there to good advantage. All you need is a bit of that imagination that you've been using with all your Senken training and you can defeat just about any foe who has a human body with a central nervous system."

"You mean…like combine Shiatsu attacks with the Senken?" Ranma thought a moment then said, "You know, Gramps…you could be onto something…"

"I think this scroll means a lot more than jut that for you, Little Brother," Kaoih revealed, "Just consider what you've accomplished, and in such a short time. You started out like the Fool Card and progressed to the Magician, and now you know four brand new combat styles based on the Elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water."

"Of course!" Sakura said cheerfully, "I should have seen it for myself. Kaoih-chan, you're a genius!"

"Aw Mom…" the younger acrobat/aerialist colored.

"So let me see if I get this straight," Ryu said, "Saotome here is now a Magician?"

"Well…the next best thing when it comes to martial arts," Kaoih smiled, "Of course you can be pretty awesome yourself when you get going, Ryu-chan, so there's no need for you to feel jealous…"

"Who's jealous?" the taller boy sniffed with a defiantly cross expression.

"Explain this to me," Ranma asked, "How does this 'Tree of Life' thing relate to a human body?"

"Adam Kadmon," Sakura replied, "The Great-Souled Man, otherwise known as the Godhead. It relates to Jewish Philosophy, about Man being created in the image of God and the Angels. At the top of the scale there is Kether, which is the Head, moving down to the left and right shoulders, which are Chokmah and Binah. The Solar Plexus is known as Tiphereth, which is the heart, or Sun-center of a person's being, and moving down the column to the genitals we have Yesod, the Moon, which represents the unconsciousness and sexual drives that lay beneath human reason."

"And the foot area is known as Malkuth," Kaoih supplied, "Which is the Earth, or the Kingdom beneath the Foundation. The other four Chakra, or Energy-Spheres, correlate to the left and right halves of the body. You have the right arm, which is Chesed, which relates to Jupiter, the sphere of Order and Control, or organizing principle of the elements. The left arm is Geburah, which relates to Mars and symbolizes the raw passionate energy of life as directed by a force of will…which can mean either War or Justice, depending on its usage. Netzach, which is Venus and relates to the right hip or kidney, is where the raw emotional energies of nature are centralized, and Hod balances it out on the left side, meaning Mercury, the Intellect or cooling state of rational being."

"The words actually are Hebrew and translate as: 'Crown, Wisdom, Understanding, Mercy, Justice, Beauty, Victory, Splendor, Foundation and Kingdom," Sakura revealed, "It's a philosophical and moral system evolved under the banner head of what is called Masonic or Hermetic traditions. It also, coincidentally enough, relates to the Tarot system evolved by ex-Cathers hiding out from the Catholic Inquisition. The Fool and the Magician cards are but two of the twenty-two paths that link the ten separate Chakra together."

"Okay," Ranma said, "But what does all of that mean?"

"Kether the Crown is Unity," Kaoih replied, "The Godhead made Manifest…it actually circulates as a ball of energy that forms a few centimeters above your head and represents your higher consciousness. The line of force that travels down your spine is the Central Pillar of this philosophy, the Equilibrium of forces. The left hand is the Pillar of Justice, the right hand is the Pillar of Mercy…as the saying goes, Mercy without Justice is Weakness, but Justice without Mercy is Severity…in other words you need both strength and tenderness in order to be a well-rounded person."

"Chokmah is Expansion or Knowledge," Sakura resumed, "Binah-or Saturn-is Constriction or Wisdom…the two balance each other out and make for a sage or scholar…a man who knows his left hand from his right."

"Right," Kaoih nodded, "But Tiphereth, the Sun or Beauty of Life, is the Energy sphere of the Pillar of Balance…it's the one that relates the most closely to what you've been studying with the Arashisenken. You feel with your heart, or Solar Plexus, that's the Chakra center you rely upon, the one that never fails you."

"Exactly," Sakura nodded with approval, "Whereas far too many people think with their loins…the Lunar Chakra of Yesod, which forms both Conception and Reflection in the lower sub-conscious. If you learn how to balance the Sun and the Moon, along with Saturn and Uranus, you become a more fully well developed and balanced individual…unlike those who do all their thinking with their loins, which is where we come to the subject of imbalance, the mark of an intemperate individual who is not in control of their own destiny."

"That's the whole point of this philosophy, don't you see?" Kaoih asked, "To learn how to be in charge of your own destiny…or to be the Charioteer who guides his path by the force of his own will. The reason this system relates the entire cosmos to a human body is because it is an attempt to relate the mind and the will to the greater consciousness of the universe…to unite Man with God and restore the inner balance."

"The Way of Return," Sakura quoted, "Where humanity is restored to a state of bliss that was known in Eden."

"The Way of Return, huh?" Ryu said thoughtfully, "And studying this is supposed to make you into a better person?"

"No philosophy or system can do that unless you do the hard work inside yourself, Ryu-chan," Kaoih revealed, "It's not like some magical wand where you just say, 'I Believe,' and it magically transforms you into a better person. You have to believe in yourself to see how the Qabalah relates to your own life…but it is worth a closer study."

"So in a way, it's just like training in the martial arts," Genma said in an unusually thoughtful tone of voice, "And, as the Master has stated, this Taoist version could actually serve to bolster the strength of the Senken."

"Yes, yes, yes," Happosai said testily, "All this stuff is fascinating and all that, but it's getting us away from the subject that you ought to be focusing on, Boy…and by that, I mean not thinking about some abstract Godly body that spans the entire cosmos, but focus on one particular Heavenly body that ought to be at the center of your attention, and I'm sure you know the one that I'm referring to…or else you're worse off than even I'm thinking."

"You mean…" Ranma hesitated, "Nabiki?"

"Bingo!" Happosai replied, "Go to the head of the class! That the only one that you need to be thinking about between here and tomorrow."

Ranma studied the chart again and seemed to be deep in thought, but then a voice caught his attention and made him look upright, "Can…I make a suggestion?"

"Eh?" Ranma found himself looking up into the sapphire blue eyes of Perfume, who was standing there shyly at the other side of the circus ring, "You?"

"Me," the Amazon Enforcer nodded, "I…want to help you out, Saotome…if you'll let me."

"You want to help?" Ryu asked in surprise, "But…are you with…?"

"I'm his fiancée too," Perfume said a bit defiantly, "And…it's kind of my fault that all of this happened, so…I want to make it up to you, Ranma. I think I know how I can help you defeat Nabiki."

"Oh really?" Kaoih asked as she stood up, "And we should just trust you? Aren't you the one who's engaged to that other girl…that Kuonji Ukyo?"

"Ukyo is my wife," Perfume replied, "But Ranma is her promised husband. That means something to an Amazon, so…I'm going to help you…if you'll let me."

"Interesting," Genma mused, "Perhaps you can help out, in fact…you may be just the thing Ranma needs to tilt the odds in his favor."

"Huh?" Ranma asked in mild surprise.

"Yowza!" Happosai cried in delight, "I knew you were an angel in disguise, Doll-face! Come to Poppa-!" he vaulted forward, only to run face-first into flat side of one of her broad axes.

"He never gives up," Perfume sighed as she watched the ancient pervert slide to the ground.

"Part of his charm, I guess," Sakura mused, "Your name is Perfume, right? What a lovely thing you are…and almost the same age as my Kaoih…"

"Whatever," Kaoih folded her arms, "Talk, lady…how exactly do you think it is that you can help my little brother?"

"It's simple," Perfume replied as she banished her axe, "Ranma needs to learn how to use pressure-sensitive moves on a female body…and I just happen to be female, in case you didn't notice."

"Ah…well…" Ryu's eyes traveled a bit too low for Kaoih's liking, and she slapped his arm to get him to raise his eyes above breast-level and with remarkable restraint he took the hint and adopted a sober expression.

Ranma straightened out and looked Perfume in the eyes, taking notice of the hesitation and uncertainty in her expression, as though she were pleading for his trust and understanding. In cautious tones of his own, however, he asked, "Oneechan does raise a good point, Perfume-san…why do you want to help me?"

"Because you're the key to the whole marriage, Saotome," the Enforcer replied, "And without you, Ukyo will never earn her half of the restaurant. And…besides…no matter how mad she is at you, Nabiki loves you very much, and her happiness is important to my cousin…"

"And?" Genma asked, "I sense you have one other reason, Girl."

"You're right," Perfume firmed up her expression, "I also want to help you as a lesson to my great-grandmother. She's been pushing Nabiki pretty hard to train her to fight at her utmost, and if you have even a slight chance of besting her in a fight…"

"So," Happosai mused as he recovered his wits, "You're on the outs with the Old Lady, huh? What did she do now? Try to pressure you to give her more grandkids?"

"No," Perfume replied, "Worse than that. SHE LIED TO ME!" her voice shook with the force of the unexpected outburst, "She's been lying to me for years…scheming and manipulating, leading me on, playing with my feelings…!"

"Whoah, whoah!" Ranma urged, "Slow down! I've been away for a couple of weeks…what's been going on while I've been in training that's got you so upset with the old woman?"

"That's just it," Perfume grit her teeth and said, "SHE'S NOT AN OLD WOMAN!"

"Huh?" Ranma blinked, "Uh…excuse me?"

"She thinks she's so clever," Perfume almost shook with rage, then glared at Happosai and said, "Tell him, Old Fool…tell him about the other night…and about my so-called adopted great-grandmother!"

"So…you know about that, eh?" Happosai remarked, "Well…can't say I find that too surprising, you being a Sentinel and all. It's true, Boy…I don't know how or why, but somehow Cologne's gained the ability to restore her long-lost youth. I could hardly believe it myself…but there she was, as young and beautiful as I remember in our long-ago youth…like not a day had passed since I first met her in China…"

"What?" Ranma said, "You've gotta be kidding. The old ghoul…a beauty?"

"I could hardly believe it myself at the time," Perfume replied, "In fact…I didn't know what to make of it until later…mainly because she tried to hide her scent by switching her body lotions. I don't know why it took me this long to figure it out, but somehow she's just been pretending to be an old and withered old prune…and yet it makes a kind of sense…after all…she's three hundred years old, but she's more powerful than any ten warriors in their thirties! And she had a daughter when she was well over two hundred…tell me how that could be if she was past menopause, huh? Tell me!"

"Menowhat?" Ranma reacted with a blank expression.

"Interesting," Sakura stroked her chin, "And all this time I just thought she maintained her youthful good looks through some form of Amazon magic. I wonder if the same thing applies to Comb…?"

"Comb?" Perfume blinked, "You know Shampoo's mother?"

"Well…I used to know her," Sakura smiled, "Twenty years ago, and now that you mention it, I did think that girl with the baby looked a lot like her…"

"What?" Ranma blinked, "You knew Shampoo's mother? But-OYAJI!!!"

"What?" Genma blinked, "NO! It's nothing like that! I'm not-at least I think I'm not…uh…the father…"

"Where have I heard that one before?" Kaoih asked with a suspicious expression.

"The father?" Perfume blinked, then comprehension dawned on her and she replied, "No, you can't be the father…I know Comb's husband, Hairbrush, and you are definitely not him." Perfume turned her focus back towards Ranma and grew serious again, "Listen, Saotome…years ago Shampoo and I befriended a girl in our village named Lotion the Younger, and three years ago Lotion and Shampoo had an affair…their first love, as a matter of fact. I…got jealous and started a fight with Shampoo…because I was in love with Lotion too…and because of this, great-grandmother…Cologne decided to separate us by sending Lotion off to train with the Healer in another village."

"Uh…right," Ranma said, "I have heard this story before, you know…"

"You didn't hear the whole story," Perfume insisted, "We told you that she was attacked along the way by a gang of toughs who wanted to get back at Shampoo for beating them up in practice. I hunted those girls down myself and brought them to justice, saw them stripped of their Warrior status with the ringleader thrown into exile, all because we thought Lotion had fallen from a bridge into a waterfall and met her death by drowning. Well…it turns out that we were wrong…she's alive…"

"Alive?" Ranma blinked.

"In fact," Perfume drew a tight breath, "She's coming here from China to attend the upcoming wedding. We got a letter from her last week that told us that she's on her way here along with an Amazon delegation."

"An Amazon delegation?" Ranma repeated.

"Three Elders and several Warriors are coming from our village to meet with great-grandmother on a matter of important Council, business," Perfume replied, "And Lotion is going to be with them…the girl we thought was lost to us forever…the girl I…loved…and still do…after a fashion…"

"After a fashion?" Kaoih arched her eyebrow, "Um…excuse me for butting in here…but aren't you, like…already married?"

"She says that she knows all about it," Perfume replied, "Her letter is full of bright and cheerful talk about renewing old ties, of wishing us well, of wanting to meet the girls we married, and…our husband. Don't get me wrong, I'm pleased to know that she's alive…though how she learned so much about us from China…I guess maybe Shampoo's been telling her mother and father, or something like that…"

"Wait…give me a moment here," Ranma urged, "The girl who you and Shampoo used to have a thing for is alive...and she's coming here to wish you guys well in your marriages?"

"Exactly," the Amazon nodded.

"But…I thought your great-grandmother…" Ranma started to say when Perfume raised a hand and gave him a sobering look.

"Great-grandmother KNEW about it all the time," the Enforcer declared, "She KNEW that Lotion was alive even when Shampoo and I were grieving for her! She let us believe for TWO YEARS that the girl we both loved was gone from our lives forever! Now do you see why I'm a little upset about that, Saotome? Well, DO YOU?"

"I think I do," Ranma nodded, "And you're right, the old woman shouldn't have done it."

Perfume seemed to lose the edge of her anger as she sighed, "So now you know why I have to do something to get back at her or I'm going to go crazy! I can't challenge her, I'm not good enough to beat her in a fight, and I'm sworn to obey the Matriarch of our tribe, so I can't go up against her directly. All I can do…is see to it that you get what you need to beat her chosen Champion and heir…that you have what it takes to face and defeat Nabiki!"

"But…what's Nabiki got to do with all this…other than being the old woman's student?" Ranma asked.

"Plenty," Perfume growled, "Because she knows all about what Cologne did to us, and yet she still insists on training with the old woman! Its not that I blame her…the Matriarch is the senior Elder of our tribe and the head of our clan, but still…"

"But still you think she should tell this grandmother of yours to go take a hike, is that it?" Kaoih asked.

"That would be my preferred line of choice, yes," Perfume grated, "But Nabiki's the senior wife in our group marriage, so she outranks me and I can't tell her what to do with herself."

"So…what's it that you're offering to do for Saotome here?" Ryu asked.

Perfume looked Ranma straight in the eyes and only acknowledged that question by saying, "You and I may not have always seen eye-to-eye, Ranma…but you've always been straight with me, and I respect you as a fighter. You're the one whom I'm bound to by my laws to acknowledge as a husband, and I think you're worthy of an Amazon marriage. The one thing you don't have, though, is experience with women. Well…I'm a woman, and your wife, so you can practice your arts with me, then use them against Nabiki."

"Use…?" Ranma blinked his eyes, "I-I can't do that! You're a person, not an object…"

"I'm a warrior, damn you," Perfume was actually shaking, as if the act was as hard for her as it clearly was for Ranma, "And I'll do anything it takes to make you stronger as a warrior…Husband."

"It may be for the best, Son," Genma noted, "I think you'd be wise to take her up on her offer."

"What is this?" Kaoih asked, "Are you offering to be his practice dummy, or…what?"

"I am a Sentinel," Perfume replied, "My nervous system is hypersensitive to stimuli…I react to pain and pleasure more readily than an ordinary woman. A soft caress to me can be as raw as sandpaper if it's not done right, so if Ranma wants to learn how to use these pressure-points so that they'll be effective against someone with normal conditioning, like Nabiki…"

"Pretty clever," Happosai nodded in approval, "Genma's right, for once…you may be just the thing we need to knock some sense into the Lad. Ranma, you do whatever she tells you and listen exactly to every thing this cutie says, and by this time tomorrow you'll be more than ready to tackle Nabiki."

"A good strategy," Sakura nodded, "Perhaps we should leave you two to sort things out between you."

"Yes, please," Perfume replied, "Leave me alone…with Ranma."

"Yeah?" Ryu asked, "Why is that?"

All at once Perfume's hands were filled by her double-bladed broad axes, and then she sent them soaring to both sides where they circled for a moment before returning to her hands like a pair of sharp-bladed Frisbees, whereupon she once more made them vanish.

"Because I'm asking nicely," Perfume said calmly.

"Right," Ryu nodded sagely, then "OW!" as Kaoih took him by the ear and started dragging him off towards the exit.

"HEY!" Happosai cried as he suddenly found himself gripped by his collar as Genma turned and joined Sakura, who was also moving towards the exit, "I WANTED TO WATCH!"

"Come along, Master," Genma urged, "We'll find you a nice bordello to raid in the red light district."

"TRAITOR, YOU-did you say Bordello?" Happosai brightened up, "Hey…does Furinkan have a red light district?"

"We'll never know if we don't find out, will we?" Sakura remarked, calling back over her shoulder, "Take your time…it will be a few hours before my crew starts taking down the big top, so I'll tell them to give you some privacy. Ciao!"

"Ciao?" Ranma repeated, unable to take his eyes off the brown haired Enforcer standing before him.

"She means me," Perfume replied, looking resolutely at Ranma before casually reaching up and undoing the wooden pegs of her Cheosong and peeling her top off, where she revealed the fact that she was not wearing a bra, let alone panties.

"Hah?" Ranma's eyes went down and up again as the Amazon slipped out of her clothing, "But…!"

"Shhh," Perfume said as she placed two fingers over his lips, "It's all right…you're not doing anything wrong. This is just training, remember? Think of me as your sparring partner…only this isn't about sparring."

"It's not?" Ranma rather audibly swallowed.

"It's about learning how to be with a woman," Perfume hesitantly smiled, "I owe this to you, Saotome…it was my fault for baiting you and setting this whole thing in motion…all because I was a little too proud about being a father."

Ranma gulped again, finding the beautiful (and VERY well-stacked) Chinese girl standing so near to him that he could almost feel the heat radiating from her (VERY lithe) body. There was nothing the least bit unfeminine about the Amazon Enforcer…in fact, she was a little TOO feminine for him to be standing so close to while remaining upright.

"Relax," she said soothingly, "It's all about training…right?"

"It's all about training," Ranma repeated, thinking privately to himself that if he started to believe that, then he ought to start looking up some swampland in Hokkaido…

Nabiki gave a savage cry and with a single punch demolished a boulder. Cologne nodded faintly with approval and said, "Very good, this time you managed to contain your anger. You only managed to convert it into gravel."

"I'll powder it the next time," Nabiki said between grit teeth, turning once again to Ryonami for confirmation, "And you're saying that Ryoga built a house in thirty minutes? What the heck kind of martial art system is that?"

"Ah…I don't know, Sempai," Ryonami replied, "But I do know that your sister was very impressed with her fiancé, and it was a pretty nice house…the plumbing worked and everything."

"Interesting," Cologne remarked, "Knowing Ryoga as we do, I would have expected everything to work backwards."

"Yeah, no fooling," Nabiki frowned, "So what is it, this secret technique Genma taught Ranma called the 'Thousand Fists Ryu?' And how exactly does he expect to use this thing to beat me?"

"You tell me," Cologne mused, "You saw how he dodged your attacks last night. Could it be that his speed and power have increased as a direct result of his training?"

"Yeah…I was figuring it was something like that," Nabiki frowned, "Funny thing is…Ranma was also able to pick my pocket…he's never done anything like that, even when I've left it out in the open."

"You leave money lying around Sempai?" Ryonami asked wide-eyed.

"Once or twice," Nabiki said, hastily adding, "It was an accident…I was in the furo and in a hurry to change genders. The fact is…Ranma's about as honest as any guy I know, and I won't stand for it if he's picking up bad habits like that from his father."

"Indeed?" Cologne mused, "And what will you do if you learn that Saotome has succumbed to his father's baleful influence?"

Nabiki turned to regard another large boulder standing a short distance away in the practice lot behind the Nekohanten, and with a single gesture she unleashed a blast of Chi that broke the thing apart into so much talcum powder. Ryonami nearly jumped out of her skin, but more from the sense of Nabiki's anger than the violence of her maneuver.

"Why…I'll just have to persuade him not to follow in Pops's footsteps. The old panda better not get in my way or I'll have his hide, with apologies to Aunt Nodoka."

Cologne hid another smile as she contemplated her apprentice, then in a smooth voice said, "Perhaps now you are ready for my speed-enhancing technique, Tempest Fugue."

"You mean Tempest Fugit, don't you?" Nabiki asked.

"I'm not referring to the Latin term for time flies," Cologne replied, "Tempest Fugue is more of an art where you learn to control your own momentum…and-when compared with learning the Shadowskills-should be comparably easy."

"Easy huh?" Nabiki smiled, "Well…I suppose I could give it a whirl and see how it works out."

"Another technique?" Ryonami asked dubiously, "I don't know about this, Sempai…aren't you taking things a little too far? I thought the idea was to beat Ranma and marry him, not pulverize him or beat him to a bloody pulp."

"Oh, I don't intend to carry things that far, Ryo-chan," Nabiki reassured, "Just far enough to teach Ranma a lesson about fooling around on me behind my back. I'll find a way to make it up to him…after I put this nonsense to rest once and for all. I'll train to deal with whatever new tricks Ranma's picked up from his father, and then…well…we'll see about what he's really been up to…"

Ryonami looked upon her beloved Sempai, the woman she most looked up to in the world, then at the calculating old woman who had been coaching her along to this point, and inwardly she trembled at the implications of these exchanges, thinking to herself that this could only spell trouble for the relationship of Saotome and Tendo, with radical implications for the future…

Continued

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