Project A-Ko Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Vampire Hunter (Darkstalkers) Fan Fiction ❯ Nabiki 1/2 (A Very Scary Thought) ❯ It's all about Energy... ( Chapter 32 )

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.

"Consider what you know about the Martial Arts," Happosai said, "or what you think you know, then analyze what you did and tell me how I was able to defeat you."

Nabiki thought a moment then said, "When I attacked you were able to turn my own inertia against me…OW!"

"That's what they tell beginners who are just starting out in the arts," Happosai said as he tapped his pipe to clean it of ashes, then filled it with fresh tobacco, "I would expect a more advanced student to know more than what they hand out in brochures at dime-a-dozen martial arts classes. Think a moment, did you attack me with sufficient energy for me to pick you up and throw you the length of this dojo? Do you honestly think that a man of my size and years could pick up and throw a strapping young lad such as yourself? I should be flattered that you think so highly of my virility, but I'm afraid your answer does not lie with conventional physics."

"All right," Nabiki said, "So you've got more tricks up your sleeve than the average senior citizen, like maybe a healthy case of misdirection…OW!"

"Did that feel like an illusion?" Happosai asked as he replaced his pipe back in his mouth and took another few puffs, "Effects and causes, Nabiki-san, are just two parts of the same equation. You strike me as a bright enough boy that maybe you'll understand a lot more than either Genma or your father."

"I guess I don't have much choice but to figure this out," Nabiki replied, "But it would sure help if you'd come clean and tell me straight out what I'm missing."

"Doesn't work that way," Happosai replied, "You've got to see it for yourself. I could describe the process to you in detail and it would mean nothing without a point of reference. I'll make a little deal with you, though…I'll give you the clues, you try and put it all together."

"Fair enough," Nabiki replied, "What should I be looking for?"

"Energy," Happosai beamed, "It's all around you. It shapes you, molds you, makes you a part of everything, it flows through you to everything around you. The air you breathe, the ground you step upon, the fluids in your body, the fire in your spirit…they're all the same thing, just different expressions."

"All right," Nabiki said, "That's the basic concept of Ki energy. It's fluid and it's all around us…"

"No, no, no!" Happosai shook his head, "You're still missing the point! You think the world is made of Solids, Fluids, and Gasses…but they're really all one and the same thing! You keep thinking there's a separation!"

"Okay, I can go with that," Nabiki said, "Atoms and molecules are just packages of energy, the same stuff that makes photons and electrons, just expressed in different ways, different velocities and…" Nabiki suddenly tensed as if expecting to get rapped on the head once again with Happosai's pipe.

The old man just smiled and said, "Atomic theory's such a naïve concept. Tell me, are they still arguing that nonsense about Quantum Uncertainty Principle? I can remember this professor I knew back at Osaka University…"

"Sensei, please," Nabiki urged, "We don't have all day. We're meeting Cologne at five this afternoon…"

"That's not enough time to get you ready," Happosai snorted, "I'm trying to teach you the essential basis for all of the more complex arts, something that took me most of a lifetime. I doubt you're going to learn to even crawl in the space of two hours, let alone do katas."

"The theory should be enough for now," Nabiki said, then winced as she felt the pipe rap against her head yet again, "Ow! Quit that, Yoda! I get the message!"

"If you understood what I was telling you there wouldn't be a need to keep rapping on that thick skull of yours," Happosai chided, "Theories are for dreamers, not doers. What good is it to merely think an idea if you don't understand what it actually means to grasp the art on an intuitive level?"

"So what you're saying is that I can't rely on theory itself," Nabiki said as he rubbed his bruised noggin, "I have to experience this energy in its raw essence…"

"You're already experiencing it now, Child," Happosai said, "You draw on it every time you focus your battle aura. It's not just all around you--IT IS YOU! You are energy expressed in form. If you want to change the direction and flow of that energy, you simply change its expression. It's all a matter of will and mind. What makes a hand strong enough to shatter wood or stone? Kinetic force? No! It's believing that you can shatter them, that the energy within you is stronger than so-called inanimate matter."

"You mean mind over matter?" Nabiki asked, then flinched as Happosai tensed his grip upon his pipe, "All right! Will and Intelligence are what separate us from mere objects, right?"

"Most of us, perhaps," Happosai sniffed, "The key isn't belief or understanding or some silly theory about how the Universe is made up; it's knowing what's there that counts. You've got to see for yourself, to let go of preconceptions and even your thought, to learn to react on an elemental level without doubt or hesitation. You already do that for a lot of things you take for granted because you do them so often they become second nature. In order to learn to do new things you have to expand your awareness, let go of your expectations and just do the thing that comes into your mind. Do them with your heart and soul as well as your head. Now, having told you all of this do you feel ready to go out there and face Cologne by yourself?"

"No," Nabiki said, "Of course not, that'd be foolish."

Happosai beamed as if she had just said the smartest thing in the world, "It's a beginning, but if you can admit to that, then you're already on your way to learning how to beat her!"

"What, is this like a Zen Koan or--OW! Would you stop that!?" Nabiki winced.

"Let's try again," Happosai sighed, "Take a good look at this dojo. What do you see?"

Nabiki stared out into her family dojo, at once noticing everything at a glance, the space and dimensions of the dojo, the weapon racks and family shrine, the Iroha fundamentals that spelled out the principles of the Anything Goes school, the sliding rice doors and wooden frames and the floor, every physical object as neatly in place as though arranged by an interior decorator, and beyond that the gardens…

No, that was not it at all. She was describing objects and forms, mere reflections of light that informed her brain of their existence through electrochemical interaction. In reality she was not seeing them at all, merely receiving sensory information that formed an audio-visual pattern in her mind like a reflection of the room inside of a mirror. Mere sensualism was not a proper way to describe the harmony of the place, nor could it tell her of the dojos living essence. They were not quantifiable things, and as ineffably qualifiable as they were their value to her was not the same thing as their value to the Cosmos.

Look beyond the form, beyond the impression to the reality that underlay them. Happosai was reminding her that it was all just patterns of energy, some set into frames held in place by a careful balance of opposing forces, the yin and yang of existence. They existed independent of her awareness, and yet were far more than she was perceiving. She looked beyond their frame, looked deep into herself and finally began to see the complex network of energy matrices and force lines that filled the air like waves of heat or magnetism.

Very carefully she said, "I see…everything…the air is alive…I can feel it…I can feel it flowing within me…"

"If you can see that much, then you can tap into that energy as an external source for your Ki," Happosai remarked, "But the energy already inside you is nearly as infinite. If you can learn to tap into it, then you can harness the Dragon."

"The Dragon?" Nabiki repeated.

"The Dragon is the mightiest of all creatures," Happosai replied, "It can soar above the world or engulf it, it encircles everything and is so vast it consumes its own tail…"

"The Worm Oroboros?" Nabiki asked, remembering the title of an old novel, which was itself based upon an ancient legend concerning Serpents.

"That's one of its many names," Happosai smiled, "Energy that flows through Yin and Yang makes up everything in existence. We ourselves are the result of opposing virtues that balance us out between the extremes of hot and cold, hard and soft, past and future."

"Good and evil?" Nabiki asked.

"They've got nothing to do with that," Happosai scoffed, "Good is the balance between extremes that lets us live in harmony with nature. Evil upsets this balance and causes anarchy and destruction. Everyone has their own balance of light and dark, Nabiki-chan, and some are more balanced than others. If you learn to sense a man's harmony you can tell a friend from an enemy, a casual acquaintance from someone who is trying to kill you."

"Okay," Nabiki said, "So if the energy is neither good nor evil…"

"It can serve both equally," Happosai replied, "Energy is beyond human morality, being the essence of the Gods. Good and Bad are the degree to which this energy affects us. For example, someone with the intent of doing you harm upsets the balance if we have given no provocation. You can use that imbalance to your advantage, letting his hostile intent create an opening that you can exploit. The same holds true with gods and demons. All creatures have their own standards for behavior based on need or desire. If you conquer your own desires, then your needs will be that much easier to satisfy and your will can be an invincible weapon."

"And how does all of that apply to you?" Nabiki asked him, "Why did you cop a feel off my sister?"

"Oh, that," Happosai looked somewhat disconcerted, "A weakness of mine…everyone has some hole in their armor, some need they can't just meditate away. In my case I have this need for attention from the ladies. I'm an old man, and not many sweet young things would give me a second glance, but I have the same needs as any man! Can I help it if some women find me physically repulsive?"

Nabiki winced, seeing the old man's brief display of temper, which he quickly covered up as if realizing that he had exposed more of himself than he had intended. He quickly resumed the mantle of the studious Master and concluded his lecture by saying, "Whenever you see someone like Cologne or me perform a feat that seems to defy all reason, keep in mind that we're just moving energy around. It's not that difficult, all you need is a pattern and a focus."

"I think I'm beginning to see," Nabiki said, "When I attack you I'm setting myself up by extending my energy and will power into a thrust, and that's what you've been turning against me."

"Exactly!" Happosai congratulated, "You are a bright lad…er, girl…whatever. Yes, energy can be put to many uses if you learn to tap it by making your will the source of all your power. It can speed up and strengthen your movements, cause your limbs to become nearly indestructible weapons that can shatter stone or defy the so-called laws of physics. Ki is a powerful weapon in its own right, the ultimate energy to which there are no physical boundaries. It's shaped by the mind and emotions, it expresses the will. Learn to harness your Ki so that you can attack an enemy without leaving yourself exposed to counter-attack. In time you'll understand how to go beyond the supposed limits of time and space and do anything that your will can imagine."

"Thank you, Sensei," Nabiki bowed, "I'll study and meditate on what you've shown me. I may not master it all at once, but as you say it is a good beginning."

"Just so," Happosai said as he took another long puff on his pipe, eyeing the lad sitting before him, "What do you intend to do when you see Cologne this afternoon?"

"Try to see if she'll still listen to reason when I tell her my case," Nabiki replied.

"Don't grovel before her," Happosai said, "To her it's a sign of weakness. Cologne respects strength, and if you stand up to her she'll come around accepting that you have a right to a voice in your own future."

"Will it change her mind about me," Nabiki asked.

"No," Happosai replied, "But at least she'll be in a better mood when she pummels you senseless."

"What about all these fancy maneuvers I've been hearing about and seeing demonstrated?" Nabiki resumed, "The Amaguriken, the Bakusai Tenketsu…"

"Amazon techniques," Happosai considered, "All techniques just serve as a focus for allowing us to frame our will with strong imagination. The Amaguriken is fast, but it takes time to build up your power so that the blows carry enough force to make an impact even if you never touch your enemy. As for the Bakusai Tenketsu, that simply works on the principle that all physical objects have a Breaking Point that you can shatter with a touch. The technique is twofold: on the one hand teaching you to sense and strike that point, on the other hand it fortifies your physical body so that you can withstand the kinetic shock that use of the Bakusai maneuver inevitably creates. It's useless if the attacker can't touch you and has limited effect upon the human body. The Amaguriken can defeat the Bakusai by overwhelming the attacker while wearing down his defenses. Most Amazon techniques work that way, you see, by exploiting a perceived weakness to allow a weaker opponent to defeat a strong but imbalanced one. As long as you keep in mind that all warriors have at least one weak spot then you can use it to defeat them."

"Or help them to defeat themselves," Nabiki murmured as he considered this carefully, "You wouldn't happen to know what Cologne's is, would you?"

Happosai smiled back at him and said, "Actually she has several, but few of those would be of use to you. The strongest antagonists always have the largest faults, and in her case the worst fault of all is her pride, her belief that she is always in the right and that she alone understands what is best for the Amazon nation. It gets her into trouble with the other Elders from time to time, but she is not as iron clad a traditionalist as she would have most people believe. She has been known to bend the rules on occasion, as in my case when she taught me a few of her little secrets. Another great flaw is actually her greatest strength: she is a woman with needs. That, too, I have shamelessly used on her when it suited me in the past. The memory no doubt makes her a bit peevish," the old man smiled to himself as if savoring a memory from long ago.

"Is that it, then?" Nabiki asked, "Pride in being an Amazon, and a woman?"

"Cologne believes that women are inherently superior creatures," Happosai smiled, "In some ways I would agree with her, but not the way she intends. Women should keep home and make babies, not wage war like men. They should leave us to handle the brutal and unpleasant tasks in life and content themselves with the role they were designed for by nature."

"Aren't you the modern feminist," Nabiki snorted derisively.

"Yes, it is true, I am a fragile soul pining for the lost virtues of tradition," Happosai wiped a tear from his eyes and sighed, "Mind you, I'm not such an idiot that I'd turn my back on an Amazon. Female or not, those crazy women are trained to kill, and they're pretty darn good at it."

"So I've found out the hard way," Nabiki winced, recalling her fights with Shampoo and Perfume.

Happosai studied him critically before resuming, "Well, Genma must see something in you when you're in your true shape that made him believe you were worth teaching, and since you seem better able to grasp the fundamentals than either him or your father, I'd have to say you're probably at least the equal of any Amazon not an Elder, and probably a lot better. That must be why Cologne wants you enough to go to all this trouble. Usually Amazons don't waste their time on outsiders unless it's a matter of personal honor. Since Cologne's apprentices are not trying to kill you it's a safe bet that they find your male self a powerful inducement for marriage. All of that could work to your advantage, if you're sharp enough to take advantage of this. Play the odds and can get Cologne into the mood for peaceful negotiations, then maybe the old bag might actually listen. You'll still have to face her in combat before she'd even take you seriously, of course…"

"That's a given," Nabiki said, "But I still need a way to beat her, if she's as beatable as you seem to think she is."

Happosai thought a moment, started to say something, then thought better of it. Nabiki caught the hesitation and said, "What? You know something? Spit it out, old man, I'm desperate!"

"It just occurred to me," Happosai smiled, "Are you willing to marry her Great Granddaughter?"

"Ah," Nabiki winced, "I thought I was already married, and that's part of the problem."

"But have you acknowledged that you are, in fact, married to an Amazon?" Happosai clarified.

Nabiki chewed her lip, then said, "Not as such, but I haven't been able to disprove it either. The only thing I have going for me is ignorance. I didn't know what I was getting into…"

"Doesn't matter," Happosai looked hard at Nabiki, "Would you acknowledge this other girl for your wife? If you had no other choice about it, and Ranma weren't part of the picture, that is?"

"I…guess I do have an obligation to Shampoo," Nabiki admitted with some reluctance.

Happosai heaved a great sigh and tired again, "Would you accept this girl for your wife? It's such an easy question to answer, stop avoiding it and tell me!"

"All right," Nabiki snapped, then sobered as she searched her heart for a few seconds, then found the answer surprisingly easy to give, "If I didn't have Ranma or anyone else to worry about, I would take Shampoo for my wife. She's a wonderful person, and she's already shown her loyalty, and I can't bring myself to hurt her. I'm not sure if that's enough for a marriage, but…"

"All right," Happosai smiled, "Next question: If you accepted Shampoo into your life, would this automatically mean the end of your engagement to Ranma?"

"I don't know," Nabiki replied, "It wouldn't be legal in Japan, not unless I formally married her in my male form, and I'd have to create a false legal identity in order to sign my name to any papers in a way that the government might recognize. Other than this, I'd be officially unmarried and free to marry Ranma."

"Amazons have tricky sub-clauses and convenient technical exclusions and exceptions built on precedence that allow them to finagle through complicated situations such as this," Happosai smiled, "If you married Ranma in Japan and accepted Shampoo as your wife by Chinese Law, then Joketsuzoku would only acknowledge Ranma as your concubine and politely ignore a formal Japanese wedding. Amazons who bind themselves together have a right to at least one male concubine that they must share between them, which broaches the next question: Do you think Ranma himself would be agreeable to such an arrangement?"

"I don't know, Grandfather," Nabiki unconsciously used the formal title without the usual sarcasm, "I don't think he hates Shampoo, but they view each other as Rivals. Living together sharing me…well… that could get tricky."

"Do you think he'd at least consider it?" Happosai asked, "If so then that could settle at least one of your problems."

"All right," Nabiki said, "Suppose I could talk both of them into agreeing to such an arrangement. Cologne still wants to take me like a trophy wife for Shampoo back to Joketsuzoku."

"Yes," Happosai's eyes twinkled with meaning, "But where is Joketsuzoku?"

"The Qinghi province of China, of course," Nabiki replied.

"Oh?" Happosai grinned broadly, "Is it…?"

"What do you see, Ranchan?"

"Nothing," Ranma said as he turned the corner and looked into the main living room, then back over his shoulder, "No sign of the old man or Nabiki."

"Shampoo so relieved!" Shampoo sighed, "No want know if he as bad as legends say."

"You really think a little old guy like that is some kind of a demon?" Ukyo looked at her, puzzled at the clear dread in the otherwise fearless Amazon princess.

"Great Grandmother say he possessed of powerful demon," Shampoo explained, "Demon of Perversion. Mother tell Shampoo be good or Demon Happosai come steal her…" she mumbled something in Chinese and blushed furiously, which was surprising since she rarely showed any modesty before others.

Ranma found himself frowning, not understanding the word but clearly getting the meaning that it was something Shampoo dreaded losing, "Well, he'd better not try anything around me or Nabiki! Don't worry about him while I'm here, Shampoo…"

"What?" Shampoo suddenly glared at him, "You think Shampoo weak girl because she believe legends of tribe?"

"What?" Ranma blinked, "No! Of course I don't! I just mean that I'm not scared of any Demon, especially if they look like harmless old guys like that, no matter what my Dad or Uncle Tendo say about him."

"I dunno, Ranchan," Ukyo frowned, "Your Dad and Tendo-sama looked pretty worked up over something. This guy might be more than he looks like…"

"Besides," Shampoos said in more mollified tones, "He no bother boy, he only bother girls, or so say legends."

"Why only girls?" Ranma frowned, "I didn't know Demons were that selective."

"You obviously haven't watched enough Anime," Ukyo snorted.

"Boy no interest demon," Shampoo replied again, "Only girl…" she repeated the strange word in Chinese, and when she saw their blank looks she sighed and translated, "Things you wear under clothes… what is word?"

"Lingerie?" Ukyo blinked, "He steals Underwear?"

"What?" Ranma looked genuinely shocked, "That…pervert!"

Shampoo looked at him oddly, "You no think women things of value to Demons?"

"Uh, no, I mean…what guy in his right mind would worry about that?" Ranma looked flustered, "Well, he'd better not come after either of you or I'll show him a two-fisted exorcism!" he flexed a fist to emphasize the point.

They both looked at him in surprise, then Shampoo said, "You fight Demon for Shampoo? But… you no Airen…"

"It's what a man does if he wants to call himself a man," Ranma stated firmly, "What guy would sit around and do nothing while some old pervert in a gi goes around molesting girls?"

"Your father, for one," Ukyo pointed out.

"Ah…" Ranma faltered.

"You very strange boy," Shampoo said, then smiled, "But Shampoo think you nice. See why Airen like you, and Ucchan like you also."

"Ah…" Ukyo flinched, flashing a weak smile as she hastily turned around and said, "Well, if the coast is clear, I'd better head upstairs and change into some fresh clothes. Hope no one's using the bath at the moment, though I'll probably need to take a shower with what little time I have."

"Good idea," Ranma said, looking at himself in disgust, "I probably ought to change, too, but I'll use the bath downstairs and ask Kasumi to fetch me some fresh clothes from my room."

"Why no get for you self?" Shampoo asked, "Airen sister no you servant."

"Oh, it's not like that or anything, Shampoo-san," Ranma smiled, "It's just that…ever since I was little Kasumi's been taking care of me, I just kind of take it for granted. I guess I shouldn't, but in a lot of ways I think of her as if she were my big sister. Glad Tendo-Sama never tried to match the two of us together. That would have been…weird, to say the least. Weirder than me and Akane, anyway, who's more like my little sister."

"Just take your bath and I'll bring you fresh clothes, Ranchan," Ukyo smiled.

"Huh?" Ranma blinked, "But…"

"I've been around boys so long I know what guys like you need," Ukyo chuckled, "And I won't look at you when you're bathing, honest! I'll just drop them off while you're in the tub and leave. You'll hardly even know I was there."

"Ah…" Ranma doubted that seriously but was uncertain how to phrase his reluctance.

Shampoo just smirked and said, "Shampoo think Spatula girl no be trusted around boy. Need Shampoo see she keep word? You no worry, you no Shampoo Airen."

"Ah, thanks," Ranma said, then glanced at his watch and said, "Hey, look at the time! We'd better move if we're going to get ready."

"Hope Nab-chan's ready when I get down," Ukyo noted as she headed for the stairs, making a bee-line towards the bathroom, only to pause when she heard a strange sound coming from Akane's room. She frowned in puzzlement then decided it was none of her business.

Maybe the younger Tendo girl had finally lured the hapless Ryoga up into her room and was giving the poor boy a few lessons about women. Ukyo smiled as she found herself relishing the thought. Poor Ryoga-kun certainly needed a few such lessons…

The bathroom door was closed and the sign that hung over it was turned to the "occupied" side, which Ukyo found mildly annoying. She walked up to the door intending to knock and ask how long the person inside was intending to use it…

And heard another strange noise, even more curious than the first. Ukyo had been around enough to certainly identify it as a woman's voice gently moaning in ecstasy. Now what was going on here? She might have turned and left the person inside alone with their privacy, but she only had half an hour to get ready before she and the others would have to leave, and the alternative was either going dressed as she was to see her father and Cologne or going downstairs and intrude on Ranma's bath.

She smiled at the thought of that. If Shampoo had not just offered to chaperone, she might have considered the idea even more appealing. She had never done it with a boy before (or a girl either, but she was certainly no Hentai!) but she was certainly willing to give it a try, and left alone for even a few minutes with a naked Ranma was something that appealed to her greatly. Give her half a chance and she would be doing some moaning of her own.

Unfortunately she knew she really was not that ready, certainly not so that she would throw herself at Ranma and possibly make a fool of herself, not to mention bring dishonor to the Tendo House. She had been raised to be better than that, and this was no time to abandon her personal code just because the nicest boy she had ever met was downstairs bathing…

Down girl, she gently chided herself, then squared her shoulders and knocked on the door.

The moaning instantly ceased, and a few moments later a trembling voice said, "H-Hai?"

"Kasumi-san?" Ukyo's surprise was absolute. It had been the elder Tendo daughter making all that noise? She never would have imagined! But then again who knew what really went on behind the vapid smile Kasumi normally wore? There was no question that the girl had feelings, you could see it every time she looked at Nabiki in the form of Kaneda.

"Ah," Kasumi said with evident embarrassment, "Just a minute, Ukyo-san."

The sound of water displaced followed rapidly by a few other less clearly distinguishable noises, and then the door slid open as Kasumi half-appeared wearing one towel around her body, the other around her long brown hair. She looked somewhat uncertainly at Ukyo and asked, "May I help you, Ukyo-san?"

"I…" Ukyo got a grip on herself and replied, "I was just wondering how long you were going to be in there, Kasumi-san. I need to take a quick shower…"

"Oh, quite so," Kasumi hastily said, opening the door all the way to permit Ukyo to enter, "Oh my, was I in here that long? I had quite lost track of the time…"

"So I gathered," in spite of herself Ukyo could not help smirking as Kasumi closed the door again then went to retrieve her own discarded clothing, "Thinking about somebody special?"

Kasumi froze in the act of bending down, then looked up at Ukyo with nervousness and said, "Um, what makes you say that?"

Ukyo sniffed the air, detecting something mixed in with the steam that was decidedly feminine, "Oh, I don't know…maybe I'm prophetic, a gift of the Kami."

Kasumi flushed crimson over all visible parts of her body, "Ah…well…oh my…this is very awkward…"

Ukyo looked at her more soberly and said, "Kasumi-chan…I know you have a problem with a certain…guy we both know…but you don't have to act like you're alone on this. You're a very nice person, and I can't believe you're some sort of pervert just because you have feelings like the rest of us. Don't berate yourself for being only human."

Kasumi seemed to take that in very quietly for a moment, but then she surprised Ukyo by saying, "Ukyo-san…you've been disguised as a boy for many years, ne? Have you ever…wondered what it would be like to meet someone who you knew wasn't right for you…but you like anyway? Someone who was fun to be with and…who caused you to feel special?"

Ukyo took a moment before answering, "Um…yeah…I have known somebody like that. Her…name was Makoto, and we were very good friends for a while there, before she got transferred to another school. I met her again at Crossroads, and she'd certainly filled out…" she looked away, "But that was just a game we played, it wasn't serious. I'm not like that, I don't go for other women…"

"Not even Perfume-chan?" Kasumi asked, "I've watched you together just the other day, and she does seem to like you, and she's a very nice girl…"

"A very nice girl who goes around with double-bladed axes," Ukyo snorted.

Kasumi just shrugged and said, "Well, these days a nice girl can't be too careful. What about you and your Baker's Peel?"

Ukyo sobered, "Good point. Well, I don't know what I'm going to do about that girl, but I sure don't intend to marry her…"

"Even if that means hurting her feelings?" Kasumi asked, "Or possibly breaking her heart?" She looked away abruptly and said, "Well…it's not my concern, I'm sorry to have bothered you about it…"

"Hey, no problem," Ukyo smiled, "It's kind of nice to talk these things out with somebody who doesn't think I'm weird or anything like that…"

"Oh, but I would never…" Kasumi started to protest.

"I know," Ukyo said, "That's the point. You're too nice to hold any kind of judgement about somebody like me who keeps getting herself into really weird situations. Fact is I was offering to talk with you if you'd like to confide in me about this problem you have with Nabiki. She's my friend, and I'd like to be able to help you both out."

"Thank you, Ukyo-chan," Kasumi smiled, "But I've taken enough of your time right now, and you wanted to shower…" she paused, licking her lips as she studied Ukyo in an odd way before looking away and saying, "I need to get dressed. We're serving dinner in a little while, and those of us who are staying for dinner are expecting me to be there."

"Right," Ukyo said, wondering about that look she had just been given. Was it possible Kasumi had been checking her out? It certainly would not have been the first time Ukyo had drawn another girl's interest, but Kasumi was fully aware of her feminine status.

Did that mean that Kasumi…doubted her own sexuality? A very disturbing notion indeed, because Kasumi was the most feminine person Ukyo had ever yet encountered, and certainly no Hentai (this business with Nabiki/Kaneda not withstanding). Whatever the case, the Tendo girl got dressed in some haste and fled the bathroom while Ukyo waited patiently before undressing herself. She paused as she considered the bathwater, then sighed as she pulled the plug to drain it.

Better to spend the extra hot water than to take a bath that reeked of feminine juices! That was hardly the sort of perfume she intended to wear when she went to meet…Perfume. Irony notwithstanding, it would hardly be the best way to convince these Amazons that she really was not interested in other women…

Not even women who were as beautiful and modest as Kasumi?

Now where had that strange thought come from? Ukyo shook her head to clear it, then ran some fresh water and prepared to take a nice, hot shower…thinking idly to herself what a blessing it was that she could do this without having to worry about a Jusenkyo curse. (How did Keiko-san put with changing into a Vulture…or Perfume stand being a cat?) The luxury of something she had long taken for granted was telling as she soaped her body down with lather, thinking about how she should dress for the occasion and deciding at the last that she would not tape down her breasts this time.

It was long since time she embraced the fact that nature had designed her to be a woman, and far past time that she reminded others of it too. There was more than Perfume to think about here, there was also Ranma, who was treating her like a guy, too much so for her liking!

Humming to herself, Ukyo decided to ask Kasumi a little matter about wardrobe…

Continued

Comments/Criticism/The Heartbreak of Psoriasis: Shadowmane@msn.com