Project A-Ko Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Vampire Hunter (Darkstalkers) Fan Fiction ❯ Nabiki 1/2 (A Very Scary Thought) ❯ Ranma versus Nabiki... ( Chapter 106 )

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.

"Well, looks like a pretty good turn-out," remarked Cammy White as she surveyed the rows of bleachers that had been assembled around the open, sunken lot on the edge of the Furinkan Financial district, "Who knew they'd be putting on this kind of a show for a martial arts tournament."

"Considering who is going to be sparring today, that is hardly surprising," Chun-Li observed, "We know that Tendo Nabiki and Saotome Ranma rank near to our level in abilities, and I think even Ryu would be impressed by the progress made by these young people since last we fought together."

"According to my daughter," Akiko mused, "We may be in for even more of a show than I think you two realize, darlings," she sniffed in further amusement as she saw the way her two female companions were nervously glancing in her direction, "They have been undertaking special training in some pretty advanced arts, and I dare say even you might be impressed with what you see today, husband."

Guile just grunted a non-committal answer, unwilling to contradict his recently wed bride so soon after coming home from their Honeymoon together. He kept his sunshades over his eyes to conceal the way he was scanning the crowds and picking up all sorts of oddly familiar faces. Apparently everyone who knew either Ranma or Nabiki was here to see them in a match together, and whether this was to wish them well or to cheer them in the act of beating the hell out of one another could not be easily discerned. All he knew was that it would have to be one hell of a show to impress this many people.

And little did even he suspect but that the list of guests included some people with very unusual profiles…

"Well," Beatrice remarked as she and Alison arrived to the makeshift stadium-arena, "Quite a turnout I see here, and it looks as if we're both in time to catch the festivities."

"Would've gotten here sooner," the redhead at her side replied, "If I hadn't spent part of the morning puking my guts out. I thought you said there weren't gonna be any side-effects from this thing you put in my belly?"

"Obviously there will be a small adjustment period before the Symbiote begins to integrate itself into your physiology," Beatrice replied, "And by then I'm sure things will settle down enough so that we can enjoy the more pleasant aspects of our pregnancy, Aiko-chan."

"OUR pregnancy?" Alison arched her tone and glanced crossly at her silver-haired companion.

"Well, we are in this together," Beatrice reminded her, "And while you may be doing most of the heavy labor, I will be there with you all the way to support you as your time of need draws nearer."

"Yeah, right," Alison said skeptically before turning back to survey the crowd lining the bleachers, "Lot of people here, and what's with the guys in the clown suits and the one on stilts?"

"No doubt they are here to entertain the audience while the combatants warm themselves up and prepare to get underway," Beatrice theorized, "On the whole things do seem remarkable well organized, which is what one would only expect of a match arranged by Nabiki."

"Looks like a regular circus to me," Alison remarked, "All this for a fight between two people who ought to be making out instead of trying to hurt one another?"

"I know, my love," Beatrice replied, "Go figure…"

"Hey," Natsumi said to Miyuki as she brought her partner some tea and pretzels, "Quite a show they're putting on here. You'd think this was an idol singing match or a car-show from this much attention, huh?"

"It certainly is a rather unusually large turnout," Miyuki agreed as she accepted the concessions, "Doesn't seem to likely that a simple martial arts match could get this much attention."

"Yeah, well, don't forget we know these crazy kids," Natsumi blew on her coffee as the undercover cop leaned against her partner's car where it was parked along the curb overlooking the makeshift arena, "They're two of the best high school age brawlers all around, so I hope you brought your binoculars, because I expect to see a lot of good moves being exchanged. Just don't hope they don't rough each other up too much…fights like this should be saved for after the wedding."

"Yes," Miyuki said, "It concerns me too that Nabiki and Ranma should be having such difficulties that they feel compelled to settle them on this extreme a level…Oh! Say, is that Saki over there?"

"Saki?" Natsumi blinked as she turned her eyes to see a certain pink-haired girl in a school uniform heading for the bleachers, "Hey, you're right, it's her! Hey Saki!"

Asamiya Saki looked around until she saw the two undercover policewomen, whereupon she winced and decided to head over towards them, growling as she did, "Do you mind? I'm supposed to be undercover. Hanging around with you two clowns could break my cover."

"We just wanted to say hello to you," Miyuki smiled, "I assume you heard about the match the same way we did?"

"You mean care of Ryonami Express?" Saki shook her head in dismay, "How does she do that? I've changed my address since the last time I saw Nabiki, which was at the hospital with her wife having a baby, yet somehow she managed to get a hold of the unlisted phone number of my new apartment…"

"It's a mystery all right," Natsumi smiled, "Of course, how someone with your hair color expects to keep a low profile as a Sukeban Deka, I have no idea…"

"Kiss my ass," Saki politely retorted, "This from a girl who once carried a motor scooter on her back up a stairwell just to chase down some punk? Besides, you'd be amazed at how many pink-haired high school girls there are in Japan. In fact, at this one school I knew a girl who dressed kind of like a boy and fancied herself a prince…"

"Oh my," Miyuki remarked, reaching for her binoculars and pulling them out, then scanning towards a remote area overlooking the empty pit yard, "I do believe…yes! It's Doctor Steinberg! I thought I recognized him at a glance…"

"Huh?" both Natsumi and Saki swiveled their heads to take in the sight of a burly man clad in leathers leaning up against a colossal motorcycle, a man who-at first glance-seemed a lot farther away than he actually was until one adjusted for the size differential, at which point recognition was all but unavoidable, prompting Natsumi to almost swallow the gum that she was chewing.

"That's him all right," Saki confirmed, "Not many eight-foot-tall bikers I know who match that profile…"

"What's he doing here?" Natsumi all but whispered.

"I don't really know," Miyuki said pleasantly, "But I rather imagine that he's here to watch the fight, same as the rest of us."

"Maybe he's looking to pick up a few spare parts when it's over?" Saki speculated in characteristic gallows humor…

"You know," said the voice of Shelly to her nominal rider, "Standing out like this is bound to attract some unwanted attention. Are you sure you didn't want to opt for the limmo?"

"Who says I want to keep a low profile?" asked Frank, "You know why I'm here. Fang-face was spotted in the area, and I thinking he might be sending out one of his ghouls to spot out the local talent."

"Subtlety is hardly Dimitri's style," Shelley noted, "And you could have assigned this to one of the others, preferably one who can blend in with a crowd."

"Not many of us fit that description," Frank replied as he adjusted his dark sun glasses, "Besides…I've had this…sense that something was wrong in the area…and over the last two hundred years I've kind of gotten into the habit of trusting my hunches."

"You think Dimitri might try to absorb the abilities of one of these youngsters?"

"Been known to happen," Frank rumbled, "The guy lives to cause misery and suffering, but he likes nothing better than a good scrap, and if he can find a meal who can put up enough of a fight, then you can bet he'll show up eventually. I've got Talbain sniffing on his trail and he's definitely picked up Zombie spore leading to this area. Not that I expect an attack in the daytime, of course, but it never hurts to be too careful."

"Too careful doesn't even apply to you," Shelley mused, "And besides, what is it that makes these two kids so special that they'd warrant the attention of the renegade Prince of the Vampires?"

"Other than the fact that one of them is a Temporal Nexus, and the other is his Jusenkyo-cursed girlfriend?" Frank replied, "Nothing much, other than the fact that they both rank as Class Alpha fighters, and I'm betting that their power ratings have gone up a bit since a month ago at the hospital…" he paused, turning his head slightly and took notice of a figure hovering nearby in the shadows, then mused to himself, "Well, well…looks like Dimitri ain't the only one stalking prey. You can come out now, Kitty…I know that's you hiding in the bushes."

The figure emerged, stalking on all fours with a low, ominous rumble, a powerful sleek form bristling with svelte and sinuous muscle, her tiger stripes enough to alarm any ordinary mortal who might find themselves within reach of those dish-sized clawed paws and those razor-sharp teeth, all the better for her to bite with.

But then that form changed and shifted, diminishing in size and mass as the figure reared upward and stood erectly in the form of a blue haired, oddly dressed woman. She approached the large man cautiously and said, "I knew you'd spot me sooner or later…Airen…so-like you-I decided not to bother with the stealthy act. Nihao and all that…"

"Ciao to you, Kitty," Frank grunted, "So…what brings you back to these parts? I thought I told you to stay well clear of the Tendos…"

"You've told me a lot of things over the years, Husband," Lao remarked as she came to stand beside him, "But you can't deny me the courtesy of being concerned with the affairs of my own family. After all, Nabiki is my niece by marriage…"

"Didn't think you were the overly sentimental type when it came to family," Frank noted, "You once told me you would never let things like that interfere with your sense of business…"

"That was before certain…recent developments came to my attention," Lao replied, "I'm sure that you already know that there is a lot more at stake here than simply deciding which of these two youths will prove to be the superior fighter."

"I've got some ideas about that," Frank admitted, "But what are you here for?"

"It may surprise you to hear this, Frank…but I do actually care about the family that I left behind in China," Lao said, "No matter how badly they treated me, they are still family, and Shampoo is hardly to blame for my exile. Neither is Perfume for that matter, and I never held any particular grudge against either her or Nabiki, even if the latter did pique my interest. The one I do, however, hold a grudge with, is my great-grandmother, Cologne, the Elder Matriarch of the Nyanchiczu…and just the other day, from the safe vantage of my vessel, I chanced to learn something rather surprising about her that changes a great deal of my opinion."

"Like…how so?" Frank wondered.

"Well," the lady pirate mused, "For one thing, she's a lot…livelier than I had imagined…and the degree of her deceptions regarding others astounds even me, and I had thought that I had witnessed the literal depths of human depravity in my travels. It turns out that she's been harboring a secret for the past three hundred years that-should it become common knowledge-would lead to a most unpleasant mess among our people, along with the almost certain elevation of a new Matriarch."

"In other words," Shelly chimed in, "The old Bag of Bones is in hot water."

"Don't tell me you plan on blackmailing her?" Frank frowned.

"Do I look to you like that kind of an idiot?" Lao retorted, "I would never dream of betraying those secrets that I have learned to anyone…at least not prematurely. If I had wanted to do that, then I would have informed the Triumvirate of the High Council and their envoys when I escorted them here to Japan under a flag of clan truce. No, it will be up to them to make their own inquiries and discoveries…I am merely an exile and could not possibly have any interest in these proceedings."

For the first time in the afternoon, Frank allowed concern to show on his craggy features, "The Triumvirate of the High Council? You mean…?"

"Them," Lao nodded towards a certain group that was filing through the crowd, moving towards the lower end of the bleachers, a delegation composed of nearly a dozen figures, all women, the one leading the pact being old and gnarled like a weathered tree stump, the grey haired figure beside her only somewhat less old by contrast, while beside them stood a statuesque blonde-haired beauty who drew more than her share of wolf whistles.

"Siren?" Frank said the word as more of a gasp than an exclamation, "SHE'S with the High Council now???"

"Hardly," Lao smiled, "She would never dream of giving up her independence to that extent…but she did accept this commission on behalf of the Amazon Council to come here and make certain…inquiries regarding the Matriarch and her activities. You could hardly call that surprising, after all…she and Cologne go waaay back, almost to the very beginning."

"Hooboy," Frank rumbled in immediate concern, much of which was suddenly directed towards Cologne, who surely had to have seen that something extraordinary like this was forthcoming…

Indeed, Cologne was just managing to stifle a low-voiced curse against her ancestors as she turned and caught sight of the Amazon delegation. At first, her attention had gone to their obvious leader, Be-Dea, her longtime rival on the council and the one person among the Amazons who might have gladly seen their matriarch put out to pasture. The second woman in the delegation briefly registered on her conscious awareness as her former disciple turned Lore Master, Lo-Xion, but then her eyes became riveted by the sight of the statuesque blonde beauty at their lead and she found herself cringing somewhat, as if caught and exposed in her disguise by one of the very few people who knew what she actually looked like without the power of her illusions.

"Nihao," Be-Dea said by way of formal greeting, coming to stand a respectful distance away from Cologne, who was standing by herself in the open field with Perfume near at hand in the position of a dutiful Enforcer.

"Nihao," Cologne replied gravely, "I trust that there is sufficient reason for why you have come all this way to visit me. I was not informed of any emergencies, nor did I receive an official summons."

"That is because certain recent developments have come to our attention regarding you, Matriarch," Be Dea began with all the warmth of serpent sensing the moment to strike, "And we believe that you at least deserved the courtesy of our hearing your side of these affairs before matters proceeded any further."

"Then you have come a long way just to ask a question," Cologne replied, "What has concerned the Council so much that you would be roused to travel so far beyond our borders?"

As she asked this question, however, Cologne already had some idea what was afoot. Be-Dea had learned the truth about Cologne's deception regarding the Lotion matter, as clearly could be attested by the fact that the young blue-haired girl in question was standing there at the side of another whom Cologne had hoped never to see again, a tall pink-haired girl who was regarding her flatly with a single eye exposed from beneath her long silk tresses. The rest of the delegation were relatively unimportant…warriors all who held a prominent standing among the various tribes of the Amazons, but the sight of Elder Lotion's great-granddaughter and the redoubtable Ambergris was all that Cologne needed to know in order to determine that this was not going to be a pleasant social gathering of well-wishers.

"We think you already know our business," Be Dea said shrewdly, "As reports of the death of a promising young Healer in our tribes has proven to be somewhat…premature."

"And you question my reasons for keeping silent on this matter?" Cologne replied, "Then you already know that Elder Lotion was fully cognizant and aware of the continuing existence of her great grandchild?"

"Of course she knew," Be Dea said testily, "She's a Lore Master, but she also made us aware of the fact that you personally instructed her to keep silent on the matter."

Cologne sensed a certain tenseness in Perfume, who was clenching her fists at her side in an effort to maintain a stoical disposition, but before matters could proceed any further the cavalry-after a fashion-came up to join them, helping to defuse the matter slightly.

"Hey," said Ukyo as she, Shampoo, and the rest of their young "Posse" approached at the speed of a friendly walk, "What's going on here? Is this a tribal gathering or something, and can anyone join in?"

"Ucchan," Perfume released some of her tension, having nearly lost her composure upon hearing her worst suspicions confirmed regarding Cologne and her duplicity, but then her attention shifted again as one member of the Amazon delegation approached her direction.

"Perfume," she said with a hesitant smile, "It…is so very good to see you again…my friend…"

Perfume could not help swallowing, even braced as she was for the dazzling charm of the blue haired Lotion-whose beauty had only grown more pronounced over time-as she gave that hesitant, almost shy smile that the Enforcer could so well remember. For a moment that golden-eyed beauty transfixed Perfume, but then she was brought sharply back to earth by the sound of Ukyo politely clearing her throat and saying, "Care to introduce us…Sugar?"

Perfume gulped as she fought to regain some coherence to her thinking, then she managed to stammer out a terse, "Ah…Ukyo…Airen…this is…Lo-Xion…the Younger…not to be confused with Elder Lotion, who is standing right over there…"

"Charmed," Ukyo said as she sized up the other girl in the same way that a wolf might size up a stray lamb, only with far less pleasant intentions.

To her surprise, however, the blue haired girl looked down then approached Ukyo and placed a hand over her abdomen, saying, "This is the child you carry? The Child of Perfume? Oh…how honored you must feel! Perfume, my friend…you have such a lovely wife, why did you never tell me?"

"Huh?" Ukyo asked, momentarily thrown off-stride by the girl's exuberant nature.

"Forgive her," said another voice as Ukyo looked up to see a one-eyed girl with pink hair regarding her frankly, "She tends to be like that at lot. My own wife has a certain…charm about her that most people find irresistible, present company included."

"Your…wife?" Perfume repeated.

"By Freemarriage," the pink haired girl replied, "Not Amazon law, though if it came down to a match between us…well…it would hardly be sporting."

"YOU?" Shampoo said the word with surprising harshness, her regard of the pink haired girl being anything but cordial and friendly.

"Me," the latter replied, "Nihao to you, Shampoo…you seem to be doing very well for yourself. I am…pleased."

"Shampoo?" the blue haired girl darted around the somewhat non-plussed Ukyo and at once came to stand before the purple-haired Amazon, immediately taking in the sight of the baby in Shampoo's arms as she cooed, "Oh, how beautiful! She looks so much like you! Oh, Shampoo, I'm so happy for you! Where is your co-wife? I must pay her my compliments for bestowing upon you such a happy and fruitful marriage."

Shampoo looked as pale as though she had just seen a ghost, but then her eyes began to tear as she hesitantly said, "L-Lotion? Is…is truly you?"

"The last I checked," the blue haired girl said brightly, her smile as dazzling as it was magic.

"This is the girl you used to be in love with, Shampoo?" asked Akane.

"Oh my," remarked Kasumi, "What lovely eyes…and you say that she's a medical student?"

"And I take it you're the one that Perfume likes to call 'Whale Puke?'" Keiko asked of the pink haired warrior.

"Whale Puke?" Kurumi asked, "What kind of a name is that?"

"One my enemies and rivals like to call me," the girl in question replied, "I take it as a sign of their affection, though my full name is Ambergris…but I prefer to shorten it to Amber."

"Can't say I find that too surprising," said Mousse, "Long time no see…Amber."

"The same to you, Cousin," Amber replied back.

"Mousse?" Be-Dea suddenly spoke up, "Mou-Tsu…what business have you here in these proceedings?"

"Now Elder," the blonde haired Siren spoke up, "Is that any way to speak to my kinsman? Especially in the company of his recently wed wife and Amazon kindred by marriage? Please, by all means, be more respectful."

"WIFE?" Kurumi squeaked, then she and Mousse exchanged troubled looks before each hastily began to make disclaimers.

Be-Dea halted matters with a wave of her hand, then said gravely, "These affairs can wait until another time. We are here upon important business of the council. Now…Matriarch…where may we find this outsider girl whom you have adopted and made the heir of your household?"

"I'm right over here," said yet another voice, drawing their collective attention towards a patch of ground not previously occupied, and when all heads turned her way she added, "Somebody looking for Tendo Nabiki?"

"Sister?" Natsume cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh my," said Kodachi in obvious approval.

"Thou hast taken the words from my very breath, sweet sister," Tatewaki agreed in equally approving summation.

Natsume might have felt some irritation towards her boyfriend for gazing in such an **inappropriate** way at another woman, especially her kinswoman, but at the moment even she was having trouble finding words as she stared at the outfit her cousin-slash-sister was wearing, sensing the potency of Nabiki's aura and marveling at the effect they were creating together.

"Oh my," said Kasumi, eyeing her sister with something more than approval.

"You are Tendo Nabiki?" the girl called Amber asked with a speculative expression.

"Nobody else, unless they're violating my trademark," Nabiki flashed a smile as she posed herself in her new martial arts raiment, a sleeveless green embroidered cheosang that Shampoo herself had stitched together for just such an occasion, "How do I look? Fashionably late or just dressed to kill?"

"Airen," Shampoo said with great delight, then reached out to take the hand of her blue-haired companion and said, "This is Lotion, Shampoo friend from long, long ago, in another life."

"So…" it was Nabiki's turn to focus her gaze as she sized up the blue haired girl with great attention to detail, "You are Lotion the Younger, eh? And you," she swiveled her eyes towards the pink haired girl and paused before saying, "You call yourself…Amber?"

"It's preferable to Whale Puke," Amber replied, also sizing up Nabiki with a look of intense speculation.

"So," a new voice spoke up, and Nabiki suddenly found herself looking down into the face of a wizened old woman (though admittedly far less wizened looking than Cologne herself), "You are Tendo Nabiki…well met indeed."

"Uh…yeah, charmed and all that," Nabiki wondered why she had this odd feeling around this particular Amazon as she made an inquiring, "Elder…?"

"Lo-Xion…the Elder," she replied, "The other Lotion is my great-granddaughter."

"Um…right," Nabiki said, then clapped her hands together and said, "All right, everybody…let's get this show on the road! I see everybody's here…everybody who's anybody in these parts anyway. So…where is my sparring partner? Where is…"

"Right here."

It was Nabiki's turn to look about with surprise, seeing Ranma standing several paces away from their assembly, also dressed in something more formal looking than his usual outfit, the tunic consisting of an ornately embroidered dragon emblem that glistened with gold and silver threads, making him a somewhat dazzling sight as the suns rays reflected off of him. He also seemed to have had his hair trimmed, styled and neatly groomed in a surprisingly mature manner, making him appear twice as impressive.

Ranma stared at Nabiki, ignoring the crowds and excess family members as he tried to take stock of certain things that did not quite jibe right with his memories of his iinazuke. For one thing, he had expected her to look a little…taller…that fact that he was now taller than her surprised even him considerably as he was not yet used to seeing a height difference between them. Nabiki had always seemed somehow taller from the way she carried herself, but now he could see that he was slowly outpacing her in that department, at least in her female form. Kaneda, after all, had always been much taller.

Perfume, who had been expecting Ranma to put in such a dramatic appearance, could not help admiring the steps that the boy had taken in order to impress Nabiki. She forced herself to look away from the dazzling sight and instead took note of the way that her fellow fiancées were reacting to this vision, and-quite predictably-Ukyo was the first to gasp, "R-Ranchan?"

"Aiyaa," Shampoo averred, round-eyed.

"R-Ranma?" Nabiki murmured.

There were also some vaguely amusing responses, such as Amber saying aloud, "That is Shampoo's new husband?" a sentiment clearly shared by many of her fellow Amazons, who were making such comments in Mandarin as would normally bring a frown from both Ukyo and Nabiki.

"Oh my," Lotion the Younger expressed in tones that were surprisingly echoed by an equally surprised sounded Kasumi.

Even Akane sounded impressed at the sight of her prospective brother-in-law and murmured aloud an understated, "Whoah…"

"Interesting," said Lotion the Elder.

"That isn't the word I would use," said Siren mused, and accompanied her comment with a favorable wolf-whistle.

"Shall we get things started?" said Genma, who also appeared from seeming nowhere.

"Who are you?" Be Dea asked.

"Saotome Genma," the burly man replied, "Ranma's father…also known as Genma the Destroyer."

That brought murmured responses and surprised comments from those who were in earshot, and even Cologne seemed taken aback by that statement.

"You are the Destroyer?" Be-Dea asked, "The one we have even heard about in China?"

"The same," Genma replied, sounding none too proud as he affirmed that statement.

"Well then," said Sakura as she approached the ensemble with microphone in hand, "Is everybody here? Are the preliminaries settled? Can we then get on with the match? After all, you have quite a crowd gathered here to see what all the fuss is about, and it would be a shame to disappoint the paying customers."

There was a general murmur of comment from the crowd, which brought a faint smile to Nabiki, who saw Ryonami working these people over, along with her assistants and factors, guaranteeing an added level of excitement with the betting pools that were undoubtedly in circulation. There were also the members of the various dojo classes sitting in attendance in a reserved row of the bleachers along with the three Martial Arts masters who had so recently given the dojo a good rating, allowing their students to compete in the upcoming tournament that would further establish the legitimacy of the Anything Goes dojo.

Her father was presently sitting with those Masters, who were clearly enjoying the position of honor assigned to them while munching on a few circumspectly gathered snacks and concessions. The lead of the three, Itabashi Himura, was leaning over and speaking to Soun, and though Nabiki was too far away to hear what was said, or even to read their lips, she could pretty well imagine what the content was from the way her father was nodding in agreement…

"This looks to be a very interesting encounter, Tendo-san," Himura was saying, "I'm glad you informed us about this match…it should be a fascinating encounter between the two strongest students of your dojo."

"I can assure you that they will do their best to fulfill your expectations," Soun agreed, "They both have been training hard in some pretty advanced techniques, and I dare say you may never have witnessed a match quite like this before…"

"I should think so," Rumigo Takare averred, "After all, the two of them are allegedly lovers, and engaged to be wed in a promise to unite your two Houses."

"Yes," Natsura Ikari agreed, "Isn't it more traditional for a husband and wife to save their fighting for when after they get married?"

"Well…" Soun tried to think how best to answer this when he saw that the Amazon delegation was retiring from the field, along with some of the Posse, though Tatewaki paused to spare a moment to make his apologies to Natsume, then went over to offer his support to his friend, Ranma.

"Saotome," Tatewaki said, "Very good to see you…I must compliment you on your tailoring. You look like a true gentleman…"

"Think so?" Ranma smiled "Didn't think I could carry it off, did you?"

"Frankly no," Tatewaki smiled, "But I won't hold it against you."

"Good to see you here anyhow, Pal," Ranma nodded, turning to regard the others who had joined him on his end of the field, "Hey, Ryoga…gonna root for me or Nabiki?"

"You know I don't like this whole business about you fighting her, Ranma," his recently revealed half-brother replied, "You know you could well wind up hurting any chance of a relationship between you by doing this."

"Yeah," Ranma nodded, "It's a risk, but I gotta take it. Nabiki will never respect me the same way unless I show her that I'm a whole lot better than she thinks I am."

"And fighting's gonna do that?" Ryu asked, "You could get your ass kicked out here and then we'll have to call you girly man for losing to a woman."

"Who are you to upbraid him, Churl?" Tatewaki growled, but Ranma raised a hand to stay him.

"Easy pal," Ranma said, "He may be a jerk, but he's a pretty fair training partner."

"Ranma," Nodoka spoke up as she stood to the side admiring her son's handsome profile, "Do your best if you must, but don't be too hard on Nabiki. She means well, even if she has been a bit…high-spirited of late."

"Yeah, I know, Mom," Ranma said, "It could happen that things get a little intense out here, and Nabiki might still win, but I don't think it's too likely. She's good…probably the best there is, but she doesn't know about the Senken, so I got the element of surprise working for me. Besides…I got me an angle."

"Yes, we know," Kaoih sighed, "Just one thing before you go out there and face her, Little Brother…keep in mind that you're the Magician, but she's the High Priestess, also known as the female Pope. She's a little bit ahead of you on the spiritual pathway, so overcoming her is an important step to your own spiritual evolution."

"Indeed?" Tatewaki remarked with lifted eyebrow, "Curious…you are a practitioner of divination?"

"Learned it from the knee of my mother," Kaoih nodded, keeping her focus squarely upon Ranma, "Here's the deal…you are on a path of spiritual enlightenment climbing the Tree of Life from its roots to its upper branches, but at any time out here you can call down the image of the Great Souled Man and invoke the power of the Tree itself to strengthen and guide you. There are two things you have to know about the road you're on, Little Brother…there is the path of the Sword, and the path of the Serpent."

"Sword and the Serpent?" Ranma asked, "What is that?"

"The Serpent is the Chi or Spirit that coils like a snake within you," Kaoih replied, "It represents your spiritual essence and potential. The Sword is the Mind and Will, it is the weapon edge of that selfsame power, the DC to the AC current, or positive and negative polarities that are flowing throughout you at every single moment you are alive. The head of the serpent is Kether, the tail is Malkuth, and the power flows from the head to the feet and back again. The same with the sword…it can be thrust upward or downward, depending on the direction of your will, though ideally the power flows both ways evenly. It's a matter of polarity…as Above, so Below, the higher and lower nature operating as a perfect reflection of one another. Just think of yourself as a Serpent coiling and ready to strike…or a Dragon, if you will, and the sword is your will, to be directed where you wish to aim it."

"Interesting," Tatewaki remarked, "Your analogy sounds strangely like my own art of Nampo. The vital centers in the body must be energized to flow without resistance or interference…the will flows smoothly from the harmony of the mind and the will…"

"Coupled with the emotions," Kaoih nodded, "And that's the most important thing to keep in mind, Little Brother…the emotions! You have to want this fight, you have to feel victory flowing through you, and you have to enjoy it. If you're not fully committed to the battle, then you might as well quit now because if your heart isn't in it…"

"I got you," Ranma said, "I'll keep all of that in mind, Sis. And thanks."

"Anytime," she winked at him before turning away, "Little Bother. I just hope what you learned with that Perfume girl does the trick against Nabiki."

"Eh?" Tatewaki turned to look questioningly at Ranma.

"What a clever girl she is," Nodoka mused, "And so much like her mother…"

"Break a leg, Saotome," Ryu sniffed as he, too, turned away, "Or maybe I should do it for you…you could use the excuse to bow out."

"Thanks," Ranma said, "I appreciate the sentiments."

"Perfume?" Ryoga looked puzzled as he turned his own glance at Ranma.

"No time to explain guys," Ranma said, "You better get going before Natsume and Akane get on your case, and there's no reason why all three of us have to have Tendo girls out to kick our asses."

"Well spoken and true," Tatewaki replied, "Yet Natsume knows that I would never desert a friend in his hour of need, or if she doesn't, then she is not the woman whom I have come to know her to be."

"Wish I could say Akane was that understanding, but…well…" Ryoga shrugged, "Take care of yourself out there, it could get a little intense if Nabiki's as irritated with you as she seemed the other night."

"Yeah, tell me about it," Ranma said, then waited until his friends had left and returned to the bleachers, then he stood and faced Nabiki, who confronted him across the distance of all of five meters.

"Now then," Sakura announced into her microphone, which was relayed over a hastily erected PA system, "You both know what is at stake here, and the terms under which this fight is to be conducted. So…just to make sure everyone knows your names and who to root for, allow me to get this show started…"

As the Ringmistress went about her well-polished showman act by announcing their names and the schools that they represented, Ranma met Nabiki's stare as the two remained standing in the field, ignoring the rest as circus people mingled with Ryonami and her cohorts, exhorting the crowds and whipping up viewer enthusiasm to a near-fever pitch.

To his surprise he saw Nabiki smile at him in that sardonic manner that was uniquely hers, and in an almost friendly voice she said, "Hey, Saotome…looking good."

"Thanks," he said, "Could say the same about you…but…you always look good to me."

"Oh yeah?" Nabiki arched an eyebrow, "Then mind telling me what this is all about?"

"You mean you don't know?" Ranma countered.

"Would I ask if I did?" Nabiki asked.

"You always told me that it sometimes helps to know the answer before you ask the question," he gently reminded.

That got her to arch the other eyebrow, and then she said, "Are you getting smart on me all of a sudden? That almost sounded…"

"Intelligent?" Ranma smiled, "I've been taking lessons."

"Yeah…sounds like it," Nabiki's eyes narrowed, "What has Kaoih been teaching you anyway? Sounds almost like some of that Kabala mumbo Jumbo that her mother's always going on about."

"Maybe you should try listening to that mumbo jumbo then," Ranma smiled, "You might actually learn something."

Nabiki reacted in surprise at the teasing humor in his remark, but mainly because it was exactly the sort of thing that she would usually say to him, which-for her-was more than a little disconcerting.

"You have been taking lessons," she mused, "Better be careful or I may have to start calling you a Wizard."

"That's more respect from you than I'm used to having," Ranma said, deciding to get right to the heart of the matter.

"Respect?" now Nabiki was dumbfounded, "I've always respected you! When have I ever-"

"Taken me as serious as you do Shampoo and the baby?" Ranma asked.

"Ah…" she faltered.

"Mind you, I don't blame you a bit for that, Nabiki," Ranma said, "In fact, I'm damned proud of you for the way you've been handling things, but…you didn't think to include me in a lot of stuff that you and Shampoo do together. I started to feel like I just wasn't as important to you as she is, and that ain't right."

"But…I'd never…" Nabiki protested.

"I blame myself for it, of course," Ranma said, "Pop was right…and so was the Old Man. I've been holding back, afraid to get too close to you, afraid to tell you what I really think, so…is it any surprise I started to fade into the background? I never told you what I was going through, so it's my fault that you didn't see what was going on. But now…now I've gotta make it up to you by showing you that I ain't just some kind of useless attachment. I'm gonna show you that I really am your equal."

"My…equal?" Nabiki frowned, "Getting awfully swelled headed there. All right…I admit I made a lot of mistakes, and it's my fault that I didn't…notice how things were going down between us…but I've had a lot on my mind, and you know I'd never willingly…"

"Save that thought for now," Ranma urged, nodding to Sakura, who had just finished her introduction and was now declaring the match officially about to begin.

"ARE YOU TWO READY TO RUMBLE?" the Ringmistress said with a nod in their direction.

"I'm ready," Ranma said resolutely.

"Ah…ready," Nabiki said, frowning slightly as she growled, "If you really want to go through with this…"

"I do," Ranma replied with a smile, "Which is what you'll be saying after I win."

"You…what?" Nabiki exclaimed, as if unable to believe the cockiness behind that statement.

"Shake hands and retire to your corners," Sakura instructed.

"Do as she says, Boy," Genma urged, "Girl."

Ranma and Nabiki moved forward, holding eye contact all the while, then touched fists together in the manner of two fighters before leaping back and assuming their fighting crouches.

"I'll go easy on you, Ranma," Nabiki said, "But that doesn't mean that this isn't going to hurt."

"Don't worry about me," Ranma replied, hunching his shoulders and lowering his head as if to hood his gaze as he stooped his posture, "You won't be hurting…not in another minute."

"What-?" Nabiki started to ask what he meant by that when she saw something incredible happen…as if the air around Ranma started to congeal around him, and he became harder to see through the ensuing fogbank.

All at once he vanished, and before she could ask where he had gone she found herself toppling forward as invisible hands played about her body, tapping and caressing areas before working on her backside. All at once she was sprawled in the dirt, momentarily stunned as weird sensations momentarily overwhelmed her nervous system, producing other sensations that were surprisingly pleasurable yet entirely disconcerting.

Ryu winced sympathetically, having clear memories of a different sort of sensation that he had experienced twice in his own duel with Saotome. The Posse itself was stunned at the sight of their leader going down so abruptly with the crowd itself holding its collective gasp as if wondering if the fight were over this soon, or what they might expect to see in the offing.

Ranma reappeared beside Nabiki and said, "That was the Saotome School Umisenken maneuver, White Snake Reliable Fist Remodified, part of what I call my Kamasenken…did you like it?"

"Gah…" Nabiki said as she twitched on the ground, momentarily unable to regain control over her own body, "Wh-What did you do to me…?"

"It hit your major pleasure centers, of course," Ranma said, "Don't worry…it'll fade in another minute."

"Aiyaa," Shampoo softly exclaimed.

"How the heck did Ranchan learn to do that to Nabiki?" Ukyo wondered, not seeing the way Perfume seemed to be taking an "innocent" notice of some passing cloud formations.

"He didn't hit her…did he?" Akane asked.

"No," Cologne answered, "But it would seem that young Ranma has overcome his reluctance in other matters relating to the female body."

"What an effective technique," mused the Amazon named Amber, "And surprisingly difficult to counter, no?"

"Indeed," mused Lotion the Elder, "The boy does possess some interesting talents…"

Nabiki hit the ground with a fist and pushed herself back to her feet, growling slightly, "I sure hope you didn't expect that to put me out of the fight, Saotome, 'cause Round Two is about to begin!"

"I know," Ranma replied, "This is an unlimited match, no holds barred and no time out. It only ends when one of us says so, or can't continue fighting. Points don't count, so feel free to belt me if you think I was too out of line with that maneuver."

"You're asking for it, Ranma-kun," Nabiki said as she got back to her feet, trying hard not to grin foolishly as the last lingering traces of pleasurable sensation coursed through her body, "That was a pretty cheap shot…I never even saw it coming."

"You weren't supposed to," he replied, falling into an easy crouch and saying, "Whenever you feel ready."

Nabiki braced herself and charged, preparing to deliver a Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken maneuver, but to her surprise, Ranma stood his ground and waited for her to begin unleashing her lightning-fast punches, only instead he brought his arms up to block her fists, and then he moved them apart, forcing her arms to part wide and giving him the opening he needed as he launched into a an upward razor kick, his feet moving at speeds comparable to the Amaguriken.

"SAOTOME SCHOOL SPECIAL MANEUVER-YAMASENKEN!" Ranma cried as he completed his rolling leap and landed on his feet, having executed a perfect flip as he added the words, "FIERCE TIGER OPENING GATES BLOW REMODIFIED!"

"GAH!" Nabiki staggered backwards, reeling in stunned disbelief as the places that he had kicked went on fire with renewed force and entirely pleasurable sensations.

"Hey," Ryu frowned, "Now he's borrowing my maneuvers…"

"You mean you could do that without actually hurting a girl?" Kaoih asked in a speculative manner.

"Ah…well…" Ryu hesitated, thrown off guard by the teasing hint of her tone as she smiled at him in a seductive manner.

Nabiki could not believe what was happening to her as she fought once again for self-control, but then she fell into a defensive crouch and growled, "What the heck do you think you're doing?"

"Winning," Ranma replied, "Or would you rather I just hit you?"

"Are you trying to make a farce out of this whole thing?" Nabiki asked as she fought off the twitches and spasms of her nervous system, "You're not taking me serious using these cheap little…"

"Funny how that works, huh?" Ranma said, "Now you've got some idea what it feels like."

"You…" Nabiki straightened out and broadened her stance, then proceeded to perform a number of complicated maneuvers that got Ranma's eyebrows to rise, recognizing these maneuvers as belonging to the Fist of the Northstar and designed to concentrate and focus the Chakra centers of the human body.

"Oboy," he said, falling back into a renewed defensive posture.

"Those tricks won't work on me now," Nabiki growled, "I've momentarily blocked off those nerve clusters you've been playing around with. Now you're going to have to face me Man-to-Woman and stop screwing around with my body!"

"Sure you wanna do it like this?" Ranma asked, "I'm trying to go easy on you…I don't want to hurt you."

"Oh, you won't hurt me, Ranma," Nabiki rumbled, "But if you don't get serious about this fight, then you're gonna be hurting in another minute!"

"I don't think so," Ranma said confidently, "You're good, but you're not good enough to go up against my Senken."

"We'll see about that!" Nabiki cried, leaping forward, only to find Ranma was no longer standing where he had been a moment before. Unfazed by this she moved in a spinning motion and almost nailed Ranma by guesswork, approximating her spinning kick at the place where he most likely would be standing.

Ranma knew at once that he could not hold back with his fiancée, and much as it pained him to have to get serious with Nabiki, he did not want to lose to her either, so he reacted to her next spinning kick by grabbing her outstretched leg and twisting to the side as she shot her other leg in his direction. Taking firm hold of both legs in either hand, he slammed her down by applying leverage and leaping into the air over her head, planting a hand on her back to insure that she did another dirt-splash.

"MORISENKEN MANEUVER-TRIPPING THE TRAP AND PITFALL MANEUVER!"

"All right, that's it," Ryu growled, "I'm definitely suing…"

"WHY YOU!" Nabiki snarled as she caught her weight with both hands and twisted her body, lashing out blindly at where she thought Ranma would be and nearly catching him with her foot, but in the process using so much force that she caused the very ground underneath them to churn up and explode, literally erupting from the shockwave as Nabiki channeled her energies and employed her Shadowskills training.

"Oh no," Cologne murmured in dread, then raised her voice and cried, "EVERYONE, BRACE FOR THE SHOCKWAVE!"

"Huh?" came the collective gasps of those around her, only to discover what she meant a moment later.

"Whoah!" Keiko said as the ground began to rumble under their feet, nearly throwing some people out of their seats, "She's pissed now!"

"What is this?" Akane asked, "An earthquake?"

"Worse," Kodachi replied, "An enraged Nabiki!"

Nabiki straightened up and looked around, then growled, "Where are you hiding, Saotome? Show yourself now or else…!"

"Try looking up."

"What?" Nabiki raised the level of her vision and saw Ranma hovering there a short distance away, hanging upside down in a cross-legged position.

"Wasn't that a bit of an overreaction?" Ranma asked, "And what are you getting so angry for? Don't you want to have a little fun in this match?"

"Fun?" Nabiki asked, "You call this having fun?"

"Sure," Ranma said, "Don't you?"

Nabiki hesitated then asked, "How are you doing that? Are you…"

"The Arashisenken," Ranma replied, "A Saotome art that I just created yesterday. It's pretty effective just as long as I don't let myself be distracted."

"Distracted?" Nabiki blinked her eyes, then smiled, "Oh yeah? Like this?"

She turned her body and unbuttoned her Cheosong to expose her chest in such a way that only Ranma could see what she was showing off and not the crowds of people. To her surprise, Ranma stared at her well-curved bosoms without developing a nosebleed, then in an almost clinical voice he said, "Not too bad…but Perfume's are bigger."

"WHAT???" Nabiki reacted, then shot a glance towards the bleachers.

"Eeep," Perfume winced, finding herself the target of wrath in that icy gaze from the senior fiancée in their group engagement.

"What's she staring at?" Ukyo wondered, being too far away to overhear these exchanges.

"Hey, there's no reason to be upset," Ranma said, "You've got a nice body…but don't forget, I've seen it before."

"WHY YOU!" Nabiki hastily buttoned up her shirt then launched a new attack with a leap that carried her up to Ranma's level, but in doing so she played into her fiancé's hands as Ranma flowed to the counter attack and unleashed a new movement of the Arashisenken.

"CLOUDS ENCIRCLE IN FOG AND OVERWHELM!" he cried as he twisted his body and wrapped his arms around Nabiki, then cried, "IN THE POCKET ROUND HUG REMODIFIED!"

"Mixing Air with Earth school, Boy?" Genma shook his head where he stood off to the sidelines, "Total opposites…I hope you remember the rule about reversing polarities…"

All at once, Ranma and Nabiki began spinning around like a top, and a vortex of air formed around them, ending abruptly as the two came crashing down to earth with Ranma deliberately shielding Nabiki with his own body.

"I guess he did forget," Sakura mused, "Well…sort of…"

Nabiki broke free from Ranma's embrace and got to her feet, even as Ranma rolled to his feet and squared off to face her.

"These tricks of yours are starting to get annoying, Saotome," Nabiki said, "I don't know what the Old Man taught you…"

"He taught me a lot of things," Ranma said, "But parts of this I created for myself, and you know why? Because it was the only way that I knew to catch up with you. You've been so far ahead of me ever since we first met that I was afraid that I was going to lose you altogether."

"You…" Nabiki hesitated, "What?"

"You don't know what it's been like for me these last few months," Ranma continued, "Being so close to you, but feeling like you're so far away. It was starting to feel like you'd be leaving me forever, so I had to do something to even up the odds a little."

"Ranma…" Nabiki said, "Have I really been making you feel that bad?"

"You mean so much to me, I just had to train hard in order to get your attention," Ranma said, "I trained like this so you'd think of me as being just as capable as you are, not a side-kick, not a liability, not a weaker martial artist but instead a full equal. Do you understand why that is? Why, I'd do just about anything to get across to you how much you mean to me, even if I have to impress you by using the full Senken."

"You don't have to impress me by fighting against me, Ranchan," Nabiki all but pleaded.

"I wish I could believe that," Ranma said, "But even now…I don't think you really believe that I could take you if I had to. I don't want to hurt you, believe me I don't, but if you still doubt the effectiveness of the training I've been undergoing the last two weeks…"

"Hey, I've been training pretty hard too," Nabiki flared, "Do you think I want to see you hurt, Ranchan? I'm holding back a lot more than you realize…"

"So am I," Ranma said, "But maybe it's time we stop holding back…maybe if we go all out and really push ourselves, that will prove which one of us is worthy of being the true heir to the dojo."

"And what if I don't want to fight you?" Nabiki asked, "What then?"

"Well, you could always surrender," Ranma smiled, "After all, you're too cute to be a real martial artist. Maybe you should try taking up modeling or acting?"

"What?" Nabiki flared, "Oooohhh, you're gonna pay for that one, Mister…"

"Any time that you're ready and feeling lucky," Ranma smiled, then folded in on himself and hunched down, blurring his outline again as he reverted to the Umisenken.

"That trick again?" Nabiki growled, "You'd better forget it! WINDSTORM ATTACK!!!"

She spun around with her foot dragging dirt that she kicked all around herself to create a miniature dust cloud, which same caught Ranma by surprise as his shadow was revealed in outline against the dirt, leaving him exposed to the kick that Nabiki aimed his way, which caught him by surprise and sent him tumbling backwards.

"Oops," Kaoih winced, "He walked right into that one…"

Ranma recovered with surprising speed, tumbling back to his feet, where he squared off to face Nabiki, who was racing towards him. All at once, Ranma made a rapid move with his hands and cried, "DEMON DEEP SEA CHASM!" and a wall of air rose up to strike Nabiki while a trench-like barrier was gouged out of the soil in a horseshoe pattern around Ranma.

Nabiki countered by firing off a Chi-attack with a kick, which Ranma dodged with ease, the force of the blast sailing beyond him to strike at the ground many meters away, kicking up a cloud of dirt as though a cannonball had been shot at a sharp angle. Both Ranma and Nabiki leaped into the air at that point as Nabiki brought her whole body around in an attack that was devastating, but which Ranma dodged by some miraculous feat of agility that left the crowd amazed and astounded, only to twist into a ball again as he altered his trajectory and fell atop Nabiki, driving her into the earth as they hit the ground with Ranma crying out, "DROP STONE ON INTRUDER!"

"Well," Ryu grudgingly conceded, "At least that one is different…"

Nabiki proved herself no slouch in the agility department as she caught her weight with both hands, again sending a shockwave radiating out in all directions, which same caused people to murmur at the way the ground shook. As Ranma's feet touched down on the earth, Nabiki wrapped herself around him and applied a full-nelson to immobilize both arms and legs, her feet squeezing his body between powerful thighs that could crush a stone to powder.

"NOW WHO'S GONNA SAY UNCLE?" Nabiki snarled into his ear, her blood up and with it her full battle fury.

"Oh my," Miss Hinako remarked, "She's putting out quite a battle aura this time around…I do hope Saotome can counter this maneuver."

"I do hope she takes it easy on poor Ranma," Nodoka remarked, for once finding herself on the same side as the age-variable Hinako.

"What's the matter, Ranchan?" Nabiki said, "Run out of tricks? Do you still find me cute now…huh? What's…what's going on? Why is it getting so warm all of a…?"

All at once, the area immediately around them flared up like a wall of fire that encircled them with such sudden force that Nabiki gasped and momentarily lost her grip upon Ranma. All at once he broke free and pushed up from the ground as the flames became a hot wind that rose and surrounded them, picking them both up off of the ground in a swirling vortex highly reminiscent of the Hiryu Shoten Ha.

"HONOSENKEN MANEUVER, CIRACCO FLAME VORTEX!" Ranma cried, startling Nabiki as the flames congealed around his outstretched hand, said hand and arm seeming to be engulfed in a blaze and yet was not harmed by them, not even the hem of his sleeve being singed in passing.

"Ranma…what…?" Nabiki started to gasp when she found that the very air around her was too hot to breathe in, so she reflexively halted herself and covered up her nostrils.

"Sorry," he said, "I'll tone it down a bit, don't want you getting flame broiled. CONTAIN AND ABSORB REVERSE HEAT RYU!"

The flames vanished as quickly as they had been summoned, allowing them both to drop to the earth. As they started to confront one another, Nabiki said, "Ranma…what…?"

"Like I said," Ranma replied, "Training and practice. Come on…let's see how good you really are, and how good I've gotten."

Nabiki frowned then once again assumed a fighting stance, "Don't know what this Senken stuff is, and you seem to be pretty good at it, but all I've seen so far are tricks and funny maneuvers."

"Guess that proves you don't know everything," Ranma smiled, "Shame on you…you usually have things figured out by now. Don't you know what the Senken really is or how it works?"

Nabiki's frown deepened as she thought that one over then said, "No…not really…"

"Good," Ranma smiled, and all at once his form blurred and he seemed to go invisible once again, but Nabiki found the space around her congealing as a swirl of stone and earth rose up to surround her, blocking out her vision in all directions.

The crowd gasped as Nabiki literally disappeared under a mound that engulfed her body, resolving itself into a stone wall that took shape within mere seconds, hard-packed and chi-fused to render it quite solid.

"Done," Ranma stood back and admired his own handiwork, "Kosenken special maneuver, Raised Foundations Mortar and Containment…uh oh…"

There was a trembling sensation in the air all around him, and then the pillar that he had build up around Nabiki began to crack, chip and fracture before bursting out altogether. Nabiki emerged from the resulting rubble, mad as the proverbial wet hen and looking ready to beat Ranma into the ground like a tent peg.

"You are sooooo dead, Saotome!" she glared acidly.

"That idiot," Ryoga complained, "Doesn't he know that when you raise a foundation you have to reinforce it to prevent sagging and cracking?" He paused when he saw the odd looks being turned his way even by Akane and said, "What?"

"Uh…look…" Ranma hastily backed away, "Would it help if I explain a little bit about what the Senken is and what it does…?"

"No," Nabiki replied, and promptly launched another attack, forcing Ranma on the defensive as he sought to counter the rapid-fire punches and kicks that she hurled his way, suddenly vanishing again and reappearing several meters away, whereupon he fell down to the ground and began scampering sideways out of her line of vision as Nabiki turned her body to attempt to track his movements, always careful to remain in her blindside as he used the Honosenken maneuver of a fire moving elusively through the foundations of a building.

"So that's the way it is, huh?" Nabiki said, and all at once her outline blurred, and suddenly she was standing directly over Ranma with one leg raised high for a downward axe-kick aimed directly for his backside.

"You can call this one the Big-Stomp!" Nabiki snarled as her foot descended.

All at once Ranma rolled over onto his back and cried, "SUPPORT FALL TO EARTH POSTURE!"

"WHA-!" Nabiki cried as she found her supporting leg had been knocked out from underneath her, causing her to reverse her downward axe-kick into a full-body plummet, only to find a pair of hands raised up to prevent her fall…hands aimed precisely to catch her by her frontal padding, which brought a round-eyed "OOF!" from an astonished Nabiki.

All at once Nabiki found herself laying on top of Ranma, who appeared to be just as surprised as she was at the placing of his hands as he eased her down over his body.

"Um…" Ranma glanced down then said, "Would you believe I…um…"

"Feeling them for consistency?" Nabiki frowned, her face only one inch from his, "Or do they measure up when compared to Perfume-chan?"

"Um…" Ranma made an effort to move his hands and actually fondle those breasts from beneath the silken fabric of Nabiki's shirt, "Well…they do feel pretty…substantial…"

He had to quickly move his head to one side as her fist sank several inches into the ground beneath where it had been resting.

"HEY!" Ranma protested, "I was paying you a compliment!"

"What Ranma doing to Airen?" Shampoo asked in confusion.

"Those hands better not be doing what I think they're going…or else," Ukyo growled.

"Don't be jealous," Kodachi urged, "I'm sure Ranma would just as glad be doing that to you."

"What do…you think so?" Ukyo's tone changed in mid intonation.

"Way to go Saotome," Keiko grinned, "This is way lots better than I thought it'd be…but when did Ranma get so gutsy?"

"I wonder," Cologne murmured, giving her other great-granddaughter a look of suspicion.

Perfume sincerely hoped that her face was not as red as it was feeling at the moment, thinking back to the day before when she had encouraged Ranma to explore her own breasts…and how surprisingly sensitive his hands had been in cupping and fondling her, learning to feel their weight and texture before studying how the nerves flowed around her nipples, and just thinking about it made them tingle a bit beneath her shirt. It was the first time in her life that she had ever allowed herself to feel excitement over being handled in such a way by a member of the male sex…

Ranma scrambled to his feet and backed away again, making warding motions with is hands as he said, "Nabiki-now wait a minute…let's talk this out…there's no reason why you should be angry…"

"Angry?" Nabiki snarled, "Why would I be angry about you handling me like some overripe tomatoes? I just want to shake your throat!"

Ranma readied himself to dodge another attack, only this time Nabiki vanished again and appeared almost instantly in the space directly behind him. Ranma sensed that she was about to strike him from behind and reacted without thinking, operating on pure adrenaline and instinct as he spun and kicked backwards, catching Nabiki by surprise as she had not been expecting such a maneuver.

His foot came rocketing at her too fast for her to avoid, but by turning her head sideways at the last second she prevented it from colliding with her nose and instead caught her under the chin and knocked her backwards, more stunned and surprised than actually hurt by the impact.

"What-?" Ranma gasped, shocked and stunned at his own action, "Oh no-Nabiki! I didn't mean…"

Nabiki felt her lip and found a trickle of blood flowing there, then spat some of it out and said, "Way to go, Saotome…looks like you've finally lost your reluctance to hit a woman."

"But I didn't mean to do it!" he protested.

"Too bad," Nabiki said, and like a shot her fist came rocketing at him, knocking him flying as the force of the blow was so great it took a minute for the pain to register at the point of impact. He landed on the ground and went tumbling to a halt, his head ringing like a gong though not so loud that he could miss her calling out to him, "I MEANT TO DO THAT!"

"Oh yeah," Ranma said as he felt his jaw, "She's really pissed now…"

He managed to flip out of the way as he sensed her descending with a double-stamp kick that would most likely have taken the fight out of him, and yet once he was in the air something else very strange seemed to happen. It seemed as if his own inertia slowed to a crawl then halted altogether, leaving him hanging in the air in mid-motion, trapped within a fraction of a second as he saw Nabiki turn to face him, smiling all the while, her eyes alight with concentration as though she were somehow responsible for his current lack of momentum.

"Like this one, Ranma-kun?" she asked, her voice oddly blurred as if not quite in sync with her lip movements, "The Old Woman taught it to me…it's called Temporal Fugue…do you like it?"

He tried to reply but it seemed to him as though his mouth was moving much too slow to form the words he wanted to utter. All at once, movement returned to him and he started to complete his tumble, gravity doing the rest though his equilibrium was off, causing him to land hard on his backside.

"Here's another aspect of Temporal Fugue," Nabiki said, her voice restored to normalcy, and all at once there were three of her surrounding Ranma, one on opposite sides in a ring as he sought to regain his footing, unable to discern which Nabiki was the one who would prove to be the real assailant.

All at once the three Nabikis struck towards the center, but rather than dodge, Ranma called upon a Honosenken move and vanished from the spot, fleeing the scene in what appeared to be multiple directions.

"Say what?" Nabiki asked.

"He must've gone invisible again," one of the other Nabikis replied.

"Now where could he have gotten off to?" the third one mused when all three Nabikis merged and became one again, leaving a single Nabiki to cry, "WHERE ARE YOU, SAOTOME?"

"Right here beside you," a voice responded in her ear.

"What?" Nabiki turned around, but there was no sign of Ranma anywhere, she turned once again and reacted with a start as she felt a breath of wind blow against her ear, tried to lash out to her side but found only air greeted her hand-thrust.

"You've got to calm down if you want to find me," Ranma's elusive voice remarked, "This is the Arashisenken Air Flows Through a House maneuver…you can't find me because I'm not really there…not where you're looking at any rate…"

"What the heck is this Senken you keep going on about?" Nabiki demanded, "Why can't you just face me like a man and stop moving around like a Kami-blasted insect!"

"You want to face me?" Ranma said, "Then here I am, Nabiki…turn and face me."

Nabiki whirled around and found Ranma standing there a few meters away, his expression as sober as the day was long. Nabiki assumed another fighting crouch and said, "You're not going to run away from me this time, are you?"

"I'm not running away," Ranma said resolutely, "I'm never running away from you again, Nabiki. You want me…come and get me."

"You asked for it!" Nabiki snarled, and leaped to the attack, this time throwing all her power into a kick that forced Ranma to dodge and block, moving to one side as he shot a number of punches her way, crying out, "ARROW REPELS THROUGH SLOTS-!"

"NOT THIS TIME!" she cried as she executed a nearly impossible spin in the air and came lashing out with her other foot to catch Ranma on the shoulder and tumble him earthward.

"That girl is amazing," Be-Dea admitted, "So much control of her power…and at such a young age…"

"No wonder Shampoo fell to her so easily," Siren mused, "And yet that boy is nothing to sneeze at either. You must be awfully proud to have him for your second Airen, Perfume darling."

"He's…quite a fellow, its true, Grandmother," Perfume admitted.

"THAT'S your GRANDMOTHER?" Ukyo reacted in disbelief, thinking to herself that the blonde beauty hardly seemed that much older than Kasumi!

"On her mother's side," Siren winked back, "But you know the old saying, Daughter-in-law, age before beauty…"

Ranma tried to roll with his landing and sought to recover, but before he could he found Nabiki landing on top of him, driving both knees into his stomach. As he tried to suck wind back into his sails he found himself being hauled off up to eye-level as Nabiki shook him like a rag doll and snarled, "I'M MAGIC, MISTER! You try going up against me with less than your best and you'll be eating dirt from here until doomsday! Fight me like it means something, or so help me, I'll beat you senseless!"

(She means it), Ranma thought to himself in some surprise, (I've finally pushed her to the edge, and now she's in full Battle Rage-lucky me!)

Aloud what he said was, "Are we…having fun yet?"

"F-Fun?" Nabiki stammered, blinked her eyes and said, "Fun?"

"Don't you get it yet?" Ranma smiled, and without warning he reached out and his hands began to strike all around her, causing Nabiki to let him go as she staggered partially backward, then started to shake as she cried, "WHAT DID YOU-?"

"Surprise," Ranma straightened out, "That nerve block you used just wore off, which means you've lost your immunity to me working on your pleasure centers…and that means you can't fight back against this!"

Ranma moved forward again, and all at once Nabiki staggered back as she found herself unable to resist the urge to hysterically giggle, those hands finding and teasing her in every sensitive place on the outside of her body, which forced her to stagger backwards.

"S-S-STOP IT!!" she cried between fits of uncontrollable laughter, "STOP DOING THAT, SAOTOME-!"

"Truly this is a most unusual form of attack," remarked Itabashi.

"It's a new one on me, I'll admit," Takare agreed.

"So far this fight has been long on strange but a far cry from dull," Natsura as the three martial arts masters sat pondering the implications of this most unusual battle of the sexes.

"Nabiki," Soun murmured to himself, "What are you doing?"

"Do you want I should go out there and try to pacify them, Soun-chan?" Hinako offered.

It was a testimony to the degree of his concern for the two heirs of the Anything Goes school that Soun actually considered the offer, but decided to reserve it for a last resort of preference.

"Ranma," Nodoka murmured, "Fight well…you're so close to achieving the victory you've been after…"

Nabiki lashed out with a hand and batted Ranma away, buying herself much-needed relief from the profuse giggling and hysterics that she had been forced into by Ranma's tickling onslaught.

"OOOHHH…you are SOOO going to get it, Mister!" she growled, or attempted to as her voice was a little off and there were tears in her eyes from so much laughter.

"Did I get my point across yet?" Ranma asked as he sprung back from her counter-attack, "Are you having fun now? C'mon! Smile, laugh! Loosen up! This isn't a duel to the death, you know, we ain't fighting because we hate each other."

"Then what are we fighting for anyway?" Nabiki demanded.

"We're fighting for the fun of it…can't you get it?" Ranma asked, then surprised Nabiki by launching another attack, this time coming on with a powerhouse blow, only to be swatted aside like a gnat for his troubles.

"Fun!" Nabiki cried, "You keep saying I should be having fun! Everybody keeps telling me that! But battle isn't about fun! It's serious business!"

"That's only if you think it's all about winning," Ranma replied as he once again recovered his bearings, "But it ain't! It's how you play the game, not how you win it!"

"Win it?" Nabiki paused, "How could I possibly win anything if…"

"Yes?" he asked.

"If you…if you aren't a part of the deal?" Nabiki wavered.

"You see?" Ranma asked, "Ain't so hard admitting that you like me, now is it? And I like you a lot…but I won't hold back no more…this time it's for real between us Tendo."

"What?" Nabiki asked, "Are you serious?"

"As night and day," Ranma smiled, "I beat you, you and me become man and wife, just like the Old Man says. You're Amazon by adoption, so if I'm gonna claim you proper as my iinazuke…"

"Why you arrogant…conceited…" Nabiki faltered and found herself smiling, "Oh so? You think you have to beat me to be my husband? Guess again, Ranma…if I beat you, the Old Woman says I can assert my claim and declare you my Airen, so it works both ways, get it?"

"Huh?" Ranma blinked, "Um…well…I guess that means…if either one of us wins…we both win, how about that?"

"Yeah?" Nabiki blinked again, "Ah…yeah…I guess we do…I never thought of it that way…"

"So you see?" Ranma grinned boyishly, "Don't matter which of us comes out on top, either way it's still the same, I get you, you get me, and it's all a done package."

Nabiki found herself sharing that grin, "LIKE HELL it doesn't matter who wins! I'm the one who's going to wind up on top of this, Ranma! You can be on the bottom!"

"Care to bet on that?" he smiled, "After all, I'm the one who's been keeping you guessing."

"Not any more!" Nabiki cried, and leaped to the attack again, her body moving fluidly like a well-coordinated machine, forcing Ranma to block and counter-attack as waves of force poured out around them and the two of them fought once again with the full concentration of their minds, spirits and beings.

"Whoah," Guile adjusted his sunglasses and stared at the ongoing fight, "Guess this just went into extra innings."

"I don't get it," Cammy admitted, "Every time it looks like they're about to call a halt to the fight they wind up attacking each other…are they fighting or dating?"

"Amazon dating, I believe," Akiko mused, "They're trying to decide which of them will be the dominant Airen."

"And what happens if it's a draw?" Chun-Li asked, "From what I can see those two are pretty evenly matched, though maybe the edge is a bit with Nabiki."

"I wouldn't worry too much," Akiko smiled, "Love will find a way…it usually does."

Guile lifted an eyebrow at that, but for the sake of domestic tranquility (or what passed for it in their household) refrained from excess commentary.

"Oh my," Beatrice remarked aloud over the din of battle, "Our two friends do seem to be getting a bit rough with one another…"

"Yeah," Alison agreed, "You'd almost think this was one of our spats. Hey, Beiko…"

"Yes my love?" Alison replied.

"You used to be engaged to the guy," Alison frowned noticeably, "What odds do you give Ranma for actually taking on Nabiki?"

"That would be telling," Beatrice smiled enigmatically, "But I would say that we are in for a very interesting show at the rate things are escalating…"

"Wow," Saki blinked her eyes, "What's gotten into Nabiki? Those are some pretty high level moves she's using…"

"I don't get it," Natsume scratched her head, "Is she trying to beat him or kill him? I mean…do these guys love or hate each other?"

"It does seem to be getting a bit out of hand," Miyuki admitted, "They've gone well beyond the limitations of any ordinary martial arts duel…they seem to be operating on some whole new level…oh my! Did you feel that? It felt like another tremor…"

"Not good," Frank growled, "Those kids are tossing around some pretty heavy-duty maneuvers…and now they're using Shadowskills? At this rate they could endanger the audience. Too damned freaking many people around for my liking..."

"They paid for a show," Lao mused, "Looks to me like they're about to get it. Those Elemental styles that Saotome were using were certainly interesting, but now he's fighting on Nabiki's level, and I seriously doubt he can beat her with that system."

"Could be," Frank averred, "We'll know in another minute…"

Ranma found himself once more picked up and sent hurtling a great distance as he moved a bit too slow to avoid a razor kick, and then his instincts warned him to roll to the side as a Chi-bolt struck the ground near to where he had landed. He sprang back to his feet and executed a number of rolling maneuvers, all while keeping out of reach of Nabiki as she sought to chase him down, going all out to nail him without holding anything back, fully aware that he was not holding back either.

Ranma got tired of dodging and decided to counter-attack, summoning his Chi and firing off a blast that caused her to dodge back and to the side, thus throwing off her momentum. Ranma seized that moment to draw in more power for another blast, only this time he called upon the power of his Honosenken, projecting a wall of force as the power of the Moko Takabishi formed a bubble of Chi in the air around him, creating the Ultimate Bubble Burst Attack so that Nabiki's attempts to nail him were harmlessly absorbed and reflected.

"Eh?" Nabiki paused as she saw the air around Ranma shimmer and distort in a most unexpected manner, causing her to wonder what he was up to…a curiosity that lasted just long enough for Ranma to call up his second Ultimate Maneuver, which he lacked the air to say or else he would have called out the name for it: Contain and Repel Ultimate Heat Burst Honosenken Backdraft!

All at once the air around him burst out into a column of fire, creating a swirling maelstrom that forced Nabiki to flinch away rather than risk having her eyelashes be singed, to say nothing of the rest of her. Ranma controlled his fire burst and caused it to rise into the air in a swirling mass of heat and fury, then he rose up into the air to join these flames, untouched by their heat as he used them for lift, rising high above the tarmac.

"Oh no you don't!" Nabiki snarled as she extended an arm and moved it rapidly in a counter-clockwise manner, calming herself down so that she projected a cooling Chi-current at the blaze, and through this directed the column away from Ranma as she cried out, "HIRYU SHOTEN HA REMODIFIED-DRAGON BURST OF FURY!"

"Eh?" Ranma gasped as he felt a massive wave of Chi collide with his Honosenken fire-burst, and all at once the two of them canceled out, but not before providing a funnel through which Nabiki came hurtling towards him as though shot out of a cannon. Her first connected with his chin as he frantically tried to dodge away from her, and then the two of them were plummeting earthward, trading blocks and kicks as they descended.

Ranma touched down and started to turn to face his opponent, only to be caught by another dragon-stamp kick that knocked him sprawling. With incredible agility he got his hands down in time to catch the ground and turn his fall into a handspring, recovering his bearings as the two took a moment to pause and regard each other, both breathing hard and nearly taxed to their limits.

And in spite of it all, Nabiki found that she was grinning like an idiot. Ranma smiled back at her as the both of them spared the moment to take stock of one another, sucking in air and only now barely registering their numerous cuts and bruises, to say nothing of the considerable rips put into their clothing.

(I don't believe this), Nabiki paused with dull amazement, (This is FUN! This is incredibly fun! I'm actually enjoying this fight! I can't believe I'm having this much fun trading blows with Ranma…and he's giving me back as good as he's getting!)

(She's finally getting it), Ranma exulted, (I can see it in her eyes…she's as much into this now as I am! This is no longer a fight, it's a dance…a pretty high-powered dance at that, and my head's still ringing from that last kick she gave me, but we're actually hitting each other pretty hard, and we're pushing each other near to our limits!)

He decided to test her resolve by calling up the remainder of his power. He spread his feet wide and felt the ki flow up into him from the ground, imagining his body as a house and feeling the warmth of the sun beating down, felt it gathering up inside of him, filling his body with life-giving energy that renewed his vitality and banished his exhaustion.

(Oho), Nabiki mused, (So that's the way it is, eh? Well…two can play at that, Saotome!) and with that she spread her own legs wide, raised her hands into the air and began to summon the power of her Chi, drawing on the force lines that she felt flowing all around her.

(She's gonna try the same thing), Ranma realized, pouring it on as he felt the elemental energies of the sun filling his being. He redoubled his efforts, summoning the energies of the Earth and Air around him, the Water and the Fire that burned within the shifting tattoos along his arm, concentrating on the image of his body as a Pillar of Light, the pattern of the Taoist Kabala forming in his mind as he felt the serpent coil within him, converting his Chi from a mere snake into a full dragon.

All at once Nabiki's voice rang out, "I AM INVINCIBLE!"

Realizing what she was about to do, Ranma raised his own voice and called out, "I AM INVINCIBLE!"

"I AM TENDO NABIKI OF THE TENDO ANYTHING GOES RYU!" she cried out in defiance.

"I AM SAOTOME RANMA OF THE SAOTOME ANYTHING GOES RYU!" he echoed.

"NO ONE CAN MATCH MY SHADOWSKILLS!"

"NO ONE CAN MATCH MY SHADOWSKILLS!"

"THOSE WHO STAND BEFORE ME…"

"THOSE WHO STAND BEFORE ME…"

And then in chorus they cried, "…WILL FALL BEFORE MY POWER, FOR MY WILL IS INFINITE AND CAN NEVER BE DEFEATED!"

Those watching the battle marveled at the sight that was before them, for it seemed as if two columns of light surrounded the youths, Nabiki forming a crimson-pink aura that rapidly shifted to the violet end of the spectrum, while Ranma's started out as blue and then also became purple, the two swirling gatherings of Chi causing the ground around them to shift and vibrate.

"Oh hell," Frank murmured, "BRACE FOR IMPACT!"

"It's going to happen," Lao conceded.

All at once Ranma and Nabiki launched themselves into the air, going airborne in nearly identical attacks that became classic Flying Dragon leaps that seemed to defy the pull of the ground as their two outstretched legs connected, causing sparks to erupt in a full scale detonation!

The resulting explosion caused the entire area to be bathed in a light that caused many to flinch away while the explosive noise of a sonic shockwave shook the area with incredible force, and for a moment the blast eclipsed the sun's own radiance, driving out all other awareness.

An infinity of time seemed to pass when at last the blinding force of that kick at long last receded into the background. People blinked and rubbed their eyes to clear them while others rubbed their ears in a vain attempt at stopping their ringing, and all around people sat stunned in their places as if unable to accept what they had just witnessed, the three martial arts masters being no less thunderstruck than any others.

Then at long last…at least hesitantly, one person began clapping their hands, followed by another and another until the whole stadium erupted in spontaneous cheering and applauding.

"Oh my," Kasumi asked, "Is it over?"

"I think so," Cologne mused, "But who is the victor?"

At the epicenter where the blast touched ground a large crater had been gouged out of the earth, and within this lay two stunned and half-senseless youths who were themselves still reeling from the forces that they had unleashed in their battle. Ranma decided that remaining still where he lay was probably a very good thing, but after a half a minute of inactivity, Nabiki began to rouse herself and stir from her own resting place, managing to roll onto her hands and knees, though standing up-at least for the moment-did not appear to be a very good option.

"Wow…" she said as she surveyed their handiwork, "Did we do all that?"

"Guess so," Ranma replied, "Sure felt like it."

Nabiki turned a grin his way and said, "Good fight…best I've ever had. I never knew you could push things so hard, Ranma-kun. You really surprise me."

"Thanks," Ranma said, still remaining where he was, "Don't take this the wrong way, though…but…I think maybe we should wait to have a rematch…"

"Yeah," Nabiki sniffed, "No fooling. You have got to teach me that Senken stuff…that last attack was sheer dynamite…"

"Thanks," Ranma said, "But if you want the truth…I was ad-libbing."

"Makes two of us," Nabiki smiled as she crawled over to his side, then smiled, "Guess I won the match…by a whisker. No harm in trying, right?"

"Oh yeah," Ranma smiled, "Did I get your attention?"

"Loud and clear," she nodded.

"Then it was worth it," Ranma grinned, "I'll get you the next time around…with a little more practice."

"Dream on," Nabiki snorted, then turned her head and said, "Something I can do for you, Gramps?"

"Just admiring you kids making out together," Happosai said pleasantly, "Of course you know that Ranma is the actual victor."

"What?" Nabiki flared, "Says who?"

"Says me," Happosai replied, "Lad could have had you a dozen ways from Sunday, but he was holding back at the beginning because he didn't want to mess you up too much. That gave you the chance to take stock of his Senken and work out a counter to it."

"Is that a fact?" Nabiki snorted.

"You see?" Happosai smiled, "You can't even let go, now that you've been defeated. You fault Ranma for having excessive pride, but you're worse than he is. At least Ranma figured out the raw deal about what fighting is really all about…you had to learn that from his example, and it wouldn't have happened without a nudge in the right direction."

The little man stretched out a finger and tapped Nabiki on the shoulder. All at once Nabiki felt a wave of agony pass through her body and she rolled over onto her side clutching her arm as she became simultaneously aware of nearly all of her many bruises.

"Nabiki!" Ranma sat upright, his concern for her overcoming his own worries.

"You see?" Happosai pointed out, "And that wasn't even a vital nerve cluster. You're one large bruise all over, girl, and though you may try to hide the fact with bravado, the truth is that you're in worse shape than he is. Ain't that right…Old Woman?"

Cologne frowned as she stood on the edge of the crater, along with all the rest of their party of family members and close personal well-wishers. Sakura approached the two combatants with microphone in hand and hesitantly asked, "Is the fight over? Should we declare it a draw or…?"

"N-No," Nabiki said between clenched teeth, "R-Ranma won it…"

"Huh?" Ranma blinked as he looked down.

"It's true," Be-Dea declared, "The boy has lawfully defeated the girl and is now her rightful husband."

"Signed, sealed and witnessed by we Elders no less," Siren grinned, "And a very good match, too…they're bound to produce some very…interesting children."

"In a manner of speaking," Elder Lotion mused with an enigmatic expression.

"Airen…!" Shampoo called out as she came rushing into the pit, having handed her baby to a much-surprised Kasumi, "Is you all right?"

"That's…a matter of opinion," Nabiki winced as the pain slowly subsided.

"Ranchan…how are you feeling?" Ukyo asked.

"Stiff," Ranma said, "I hurt all over, but I think I'll live…"

"Good for you, Saotome," Perfume smiled and nodded, "Guess that means we're now official."

"I guess," Ranma said, turning back to Nabiki, "Think you can stand? I could carry you if you…"

"I'll stand," Nabiki said as she started to sit upright, adding in low tones, "But I'll take a rain check on that offer, like…when it's time for you to carry me past the threshold."

"Uh…oh yeah," Ranma colored once again, "You're definitely on for that…"

"Well then," Sakura spoke up once again, "Now that that is settled, perhaps we should be calling on the services of a good priest, then get you some much-needed medical attention…"

"A priest?" Ranma said, "We don't need an exorcism…"

"Dummy," Akane sniffed, "She means to get the two of you married."

"Married?" Nabiki blinked, exchanging looks with Ranma before adding, "Oh…"

"At least it's somebody else this time who get to suffer," Mousse noted with a slight hint of condescension, only to wince as Kurumi's elbow made contact with one of his kidneys.

"Well, you are now married," said Amber with a sly expression, "At least as far as Amazon law would have it."

"And that means you no longer have to hold back around her, Saotome," Keiko mused, "Your promise to your mother no longer stands in the way of you two having some good old-fashioned sex together."

"S-S-Sex?" the two newlyweds said in stunned chorus.

Perfume was silently remarking that Ranma still had a ways to go before he lost all of his shyness around women, but at least Nabiki would be the one to first take his virginity away from him, which was how it had always been meant to be, followed in close order by Ukyo, Shampoo and…well…herself (she colored a bit as she thought that). She was going to offer up her congratulations and condolences, then make a hasty escape before her other Airen thought to question how far she had actually gotten with their new husband, but as she began to search for an exit, a faint whiff of something on the breeze caused her nostrils to flare…

A smell of decay and corruption…of something both unnatural and…evil…

She turned her head and saw a figure standing with the crowd…a figure that her sharp-eyed vision made out to be a man-like shape, only looking unnaturally pale and unhealthy beneath his coat and sunglasses…and as she watched she saw flies circling around him, some landing on his face, which produced no visible reaction…

"Uh oh," Frank set down his binoculars, "A ghoul…just like I figured…"

"One of Dimitri's spies most likely," Shelley confirmed, "He must have sent him to serve as his eyes and ears during the daylight hours. That means he saw the whole fight, and odds are he'll be impressed with the results."

"Dimitri?" Lao raised a pale blue eyebrow, "As in Dimitri Maximoff? You think he might come after Nabiki?"

"There's a definite chance of it," Frank replied, "In which case…I'd better make a few preparations."

"You do that, husband," Lao nodded, "As for me, I think it's about time I return to my ship and people. You know how disorganized they tend to get without me."

"Just mind that you don't get into too much trouble this time," Frank warned, "Don't make me regret giving you my parole. I know you think what you're doing is all fun and games, but…"

"You have a better suggestion?" Lao asked, "You know I'm bound by a curse to the POJ, and without me it will become an even greater menace than I could ever be on my own. I'm touched that you are still concerned with the state of my soul, Airen, but you are not the master of my conscience…not even you can take that burden from me, and I seriously doubt that you would even desire to stand in my place."

"Just don't do too much damage," Frank said, "That's all I ask. Things are tense enough as it is across the Sea of China, and if you start another international incident…"

"I wasn't the one who started things" Lao insisted, "And they shouldn't have challenged my right of passage into Taiwan."

"What about your great-grandmother and that Chinese Amazon delegation?" Shelley asked.

"Oh, I'll be keeping an eye on things…from a reasonable distance," Lao replied, "Things are going to get very interesting for Cologne in the next few days, then I'll come back and give my countrywomen safe transport back onto the mainland. In the meantime…good hunting for evil vampires."

With that her form shifted and she became a tiger once again, loping off on her way with a four-footed gait what would eat up the kilometers in a matter of mere minutes.

"I'll never get used to the way she does that," Frank shook his head somberly and turned his attention back towards the field and Nabiki, who was being helped along by Ranma, who rested a part of her weight across his shoulder. Very softly he murmured, "There's gonna be trouble in paradise before too long, but I'm hoping those two have found a way to iron out their differences."

"Most marriages do…if they turn out to be successful," Shelley replied.

"Oh, like you'd know all about it," Frank replied, then paused as he thought a moment before saying, "Sorry about that…it was reflex."

"No problem for me," Shelley replied, "There's lot of advantages that come with being artificial."

"You're telling me that?" the large man countered, but in truth his mind was on a certain short-haired and pig-tailed girl, who remained blissfully ignorant of the forces arraying in the background against her…not least of which was a Vampire named Dimitri…

Continued

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