Project A-Ko Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Vampire Hunter (Darkstalkers) Fan Fiction ❯ Nabiki 1/2 (A Very Scary Thought) ❯ There's a New Girl in Town... ( Chapter 72 )

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.

"Oh my."

Derek looked up from his review of the latest report concerning Reality # 347296-C and said, "I beg your pardon?"

"Better check #593439 and see for yourself," Serena said with a slightly absent expression, "Believe it or not, things are starting up over there again, only worse than last time."

Derek arched an eyebrow at this and said, "That Lao character is due to be back in their neighborhood, isn't she? That would certainly stir up some..."

"Not that trouble," Serena chided, "Like I said, you'd better have a look at this for yourself."

Intrigued by his companion's enigmatic comment, Derek called up the reality in question, then studied it in silence for several moments before murmuring aloud, "Oh my…I do see what you mean…"

Nabiki was aware of the shadow that fell over her, and without moving her head slowly tracked her gaze upward. As it turned out, her view encountered a rather interesting pair of legs showing from beneath a knee-length skirt that did not bear the Furinkan colors. She continued tracking her gaze by tilting her head back a little until she at last came to a full view of the woman herself, one glance at which was enough to tell her that this lady was trouble.

Trouble also spelled with a business price tag.

Nabiki turned her face fully to regard a rather tall and slender girl who seemed about her age, or slightly younger. Fine features with high cheekbones prominent in an angular face that looked faintly aristocratic. Long silvery hair…tinged slightly blue around the edges hanging down almost to the hem length of her skirt, and a pair of rather intelligent blue eyes that were regarding her with a faintly amused expression.

"Something I can do for you?" she asked of this apparent stranger.

"Perhaps," the woman replied in highly cultured tones that went with the general impression of someone who had excellent breeding, "They tell me that you're the one to come to if you have anything you want on this campus. I was wondering if I might interest you in a little business proposition."

Nabiki set her texts to one side and gave the woman a more thorough study, "You're a student at Furinkan?"

"Recently transferred," she replied with a faintly amused glance down at herself, "As you can tell, I haven't even had time yet to get a proper outfit tailored to your school colors. I tried to speak with someone in authority about that but then some maniac with a pineapple tree growing out of his head tried to give me a haircut…"

"That would be our principal," Nabiki noted with a hint of sympathy in her smirk.

The other girl raised a snowy eyebrow before remarking, "Your principal? An interesting place you have here…"

"Tell me about it."

The girl nodded towards Nabiki's Chinese-style outfit, "I notice that you don't appear to be wearing a typical uniform either."

"I'm a special case," Nabiki smiled as she rose fluidly to her feet and found that this girl was just as tall as herself, maybe even an inch taller, "Tendo Nabiki, Senior Class, B Group. And yourself?"

"Call me Beatrice," the girl's lip twitched slightly as though the name had some slight discomfort for her, and Nabiki concluded from that hint that it was a pseudonym, but the girl's next words disabused her of that notion, "It's the name given to me by my late mother, but everyone I know just calls me Beiko."

"Beiko?" Nabiki repeated.

"Yes," the girl's smile had a sardonic look that Nabiki had worn so often herself that it almost made her feel an instant of kinship, "Actually a play on my first two initials, Beatrice Kane. My last name is Daitokuji…"

Nabiki gasped in recognition, "You're the daughter of Hitome Daitokuji? Head of Daitokuji enterprises?"

"The same," Beatrice said casually with an airy smile, "But at the present, I'm trying to put that part of my past behind me."

"Oh?" Nabiki blinked, "Why so?"

"It's a long and complicated story," Beatrice sighed, "I don't get along very well with my father these days, not since he tried to cheat me out of the royalties for the patents on some of my inventions. I'm sure that you're really not too interested in the details…"

"All right," Nabiki recovered herself from the realization that the girl before her must have had a net worth to rival that of Japan's National Budget, then said, "I just recognized your school uniform… Graviton High, right?"

"The same," Beatrice replied, "Is that a problem?"

"Not for me," Nabiki said with a faint smile of whimsy as she added, "Could have been worse…it might have been Tomobiki."

"Or Quagmire?" Beatrice replied, and both girls shared a knowing grin at the horrible prospects that would have entailed from their mutual perspective.

"All right," Nabiki smiled in genuine earnest, warming up to the other girl, "So what can I do for you, Daitokuji-san?"

"Ah," Beatrice raised a long, elegant and well-manicured finger and smiled, "Before I tell you, can I have your solemn word that you won't be upset with me or anything? I'd really hate to begin my first day getting on anyone's bad side. I did enough of that at my last campus."

"Why would I be upset?" Nabiki asked with some suspicion.

"Because this matter is really not of my intention," Beatrice replied with an apologetic expression, "You see…it really is all the fault of my father, another reason we're not much on speaking terms these days."

"Sounds familiar," Nabiki murmured with ever-growing suspicion, "What did he do?"

"Engaged me without my consent to a boy I have never even met," Beatrice said with a cross expression, "I believe I have heard mention that this boy already has two other iinazuke, and that you happen to be one of them."

"R-Ranma?" Nabiki paled, then suddenly felt the anger swell from deep inside her, "Genma…"

"I'm not too privy on the details," Beatrice inclined her head to one side and gave a more than sympathetic look towards Nabiki, "And I rather thought the boy in question might not have had much of a clue about this arrangement. I understand that there is precedence…"

"You could put it that way," Nabiki crossed her arms over her chest and said, "Ranma has more than enough on his plate, thank you. I take it you don't want to press your claim?"

"Certainly not," Beatrice sniffed, "You and that other girl are more than welcome to the fellow, although I am told he is rather good looking. I'm afraid these days I'm just not interested in pursuing any kind of relationship…I got into enough trouble over that last semester to last me a lifetime. Unfortunately, my father seems set and determined to put it into his will that I either comply with his choice or get cut off from my inheritance. I thought perhaps we might arrange for some suitable way to conclude this matter without anyone being hurt, then we can convince my father to let the matter drop altogether."

"Fine by me," Nabiki replied, "You'll excuse me if I stop by my home first so I can kill my uncle?"

"Take your time," Beatrice said with a knowing smirk, "There was a time when I would have done much the same thing to my father, before I started seeing my analyst. These days I try to handle my affairs calmly and rationally rather than resorting to my old methods…"

She stopped talking so abruptly that Nabiki wondered why, then noticed the other girl's change of expression, and that her eyes were focused elsewhere. Out of habit Nabiki traced the angle of her stare and saw the figure of a redheaded girl wearing Furinkan colors walking away in the company of her younger sister, Akane.

"Aiko."

Nabiki whirled to catch the haunted look in the eyes of her new acquaintance and found that Beatrice was staring at the redhead with a complex mixture of raw emotions that was surprising on the formerly calm and well-composed young lady. She saw Beatrice take a step forward, then hesitated, seemed to debate a point, then took a deep breath and called out, "Aiko!"

The call got an immediate reaction from the redhead, who stopped in mid-stride to look back at Beatrice with a clear recognition in her expression. For five long seconds nothing else in the world seemed to move for these two, then at last the redhead jerked her head away and stared resolutely forward, increasing her pace slightly to catch up with her erstwhile companions, one of whom turned out to be a much puzzled Akane.

"Aiko…" Beatrice whispered with a faint hint of pain in her features. It took a second for the girl to master herself before she sighed and said, "Never mind…it's not important."

"You two know each other?" Nabiki asked rhetorically.

"You could say that," Beatrice drew another deep breath, "Old news, I'm afraid. Nothing you need to be concerned about. Now, about your fiancée.."

"Ranma has class right now," Nabiki replied, "He'll be free next period, and then we can resolve this matter."

"Don't you have class next period?" Beatrice asked curiously.

"Special study time," Nabiki replied, "I'm on my own, officially working on a class project."

"Oh?" Beatrice raised a pale eyebrow to that, "May I ask the nature of your project?"

"Special Economic Theory as applied to International Trade Relations," Nabiki replied, "It's going to be my term paper thesis."

"You are an Economics major?" Beatrice surmised, "Then perhaps we may share several of the same classes. Business Management is one of my current interests, though not my real specialty, I'm afraid."

"Are you also a senior?" Nabiki asked her with increasing interest.

"No," Beatrice replied, "But I'm something of a prodigy and I'm often enrolled in classes a few grades ahead of my actual age. No doubt I could impress you with a recital of my degrees and accomplishments, but it really isn't all that important. I've missed so many classes of late that I'm actually behind my peers at Graviton…"

"Oh?" Nabiki asked, "Why is that?"

The new girl heaved a long sigh and said, "Let's just say I took a long trip abroad that proved to be longer than I'd originally intended and leave it at that. I'm back now and I have so much lost time to make up for…" almost against her will her eyes traveled in the direction of where the redhead had vanished.

"Well then," Nabiki replied with a slight smile, "Perhaps we can meet up again later and sort things out about Ranma. I'll look forward to seeing you in class."

"Likewise I'm certain," Beatrice replied, then turned to leave as she said a pleasant, "It's been a very fortuitous meeting."

Nabiki waited until the silver haired girl was out of sight before she said, "Ryo-chan?"

Her attaché, aide-de-camp and all-around girl Friday popped up from where she had been eavesdropping from concealment and said, "Yes, Sempai?"

"Find out anything you can about her…and that other girl," Nabiki instructed, "I have a sneaking hunch that they are going to be interesting to have around."

"Yes, Sempai," the brown haired Ryonami agreed with that tacit understatement, "I'll make some inquiries at Graviton. Shall I have Gosunkugi-kun do a Net search?"

Nabiki noted the way her friend spoke the name of their resident Techno-mouse and wizard-in-training as she smiled, "Do whatever you have to, but I want to know everything you can find on this Beatrice Daitokuji and Aiko Managi, and I want that information as soon as it can be produced, understood?"

"Hai," Ryonami acknowledged, "It will be as you ask, Sempai."

Nabiki nodded to herself as she studied the space where Beatrice had been standing, her expression thoughtful, murmuring aloud, "I don't quite know why, but I have this feeling that our troubles will be starting up again, and if that's so, then I want to be ready to meet it head on. It would be a nice change of pace to be prepared for once."

"Almost unheard of, Sempai," Ryonami agreed with an echoing sense that new storm clouds were brewing on their horizons…

There is a conceptual frame where reality and fantasy collide at the crossroads between worlds and dimensions, and in such a place there is a terminal point at the gateway of heaven…or rather at one form of heaven among many. Its reality is quite beyond the comprehension of mortal perceptions, but to the naked eye it resembles a fairly ordinary airport terminal. A bit brighter and better lit than any terminal on Earth, of course, but organized just like any other place where human traffic is regulated to a manageable flow.

It was at the checkpoint desk in one such terminal that a certain Goddess Second Class was presently stationed to inspect and stamp the passports of traveling gods, angels, and other spiritual beings coming and going to and from the Japanese equivalent of heaven. She was bored to tears by the work, of course, and it was a far sight less important than her regular duties, but Community Service is the same the Multiverse over.

"I hate my life," Urd murmured sullenly as she leaned her head against her hands, waiting for the next Celestial Shipload of new arrivals to come through, privately adding that her Kami-sama father had a lousy sense of humor sticking her with a job like this to work off her three month sentence.

She straightened up and put on a patently false smile of cheer as she greeted the first of the celestial beings to approach her transfer point, a very tall fellow wearing distinctively Celtic clothing and standing next to an attractive Valkyrie from Asgard as though the two were on a romantic cruise and thought to tour the orient like a couple of lovesick teenagers, even though they were probably a good couple thousand years old a piece.

"Welcome to Nippon Heaven, your divinities," Urd said with a cheerfulness that she did not actually feel, "May I see your passports?"

"Sure thing, cute stuff," the Celtic god replied, then frowned a little as he said, "Urd? Is that you? I don't believe it!"

"Urd?" the Valkyrie turned an astonished look her way, "What are you doing here like this?"

"Froslinde?" Urd blinked back, "I might ask you the same thing! And Lugh the Long-handed," she nodded to the tall man with a genuine smile this time, "Don't tell me you two are an item? It's been…what? Five centuries at least since I've seen either one of you two crazy kids?"

"At least," the man said cheerfully, "But what about you? I thought your job was to run the Cosmic Computers here! Don't tell us you've been demoted again?"

"Well," said nervously, "You know how it is, we were loading up the new Yggdrasil 98 software and…well…a few bugs got into the system and…I sort of got blamed when the whole thing crashed big time…"

"Tough break," Lugh nodded, "We had something like that happen to us in the Blessed Lands when Dad fired up his new hard drive. I won't bother you with the details, but we had Gremlin problems for six weeks. That's why most of us decided to take a little vacation until the whole thing gets cleaned up, and Fross here was due some time off from Valhalla…"

"Hey!" a fellow looking rather like an ancient Spartan warrior complained from several paces back in the line, "Move it along you guys! This is supposed to be a line, not a fresco! Socialize on your own eon."

Urd made a very cross scowl at that, then cupped her hands behind her back and wiggled her fingers, causing a ray of divine energy to shoot out into a tiny temporal anomaly, reappearing several seconds in the past to give the fellow a very sudden hotfoot. He yelped and jumped out of line, which gave Urd the perfect excuse to say, "Stay in line or go to the rear, sir."

She waved a hand and a pair of attendant angels appeared wearing security uniforms as they accosted the fellow and hauled him back to the rear of the line while Urd assumed the innocence of a halo over her head.

"Same old Urd," Froslinde chuckled, "Just like in the good old times when you were such a party animal. I can remember when you and Thor…"

"I think we'd better get going," Lugh said more considerately as he noted the hostile glares of the divinities in the line behind them, though none dared voice a complaint after the last example, "Maybe we'll get a chance to look you up while we're in this frame, Urd. The old haunts haven't been the same without you."

"Sure," Urd smiled lopsidedly as she took their passports and stamped them with gold stars, then watched the two go off holding hands as her expression became more wistful, "Anytime you feel like it, big fellow…"

She turned to meet the next guy in line and almost fell over in surprise. This fellow was trying very hard to avoid drawing her attention to himself, but it was rather hard to miss his girth and the bulging muscles of his frame, which were clearly visible with the sleeveless shirt that he was wearing.

"Hercules?" she gasped in recognition.

"Ah," the man looked suddenly quite nervous, "You must be mistaken, Ma'am, I'm just passing through these parts…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Urd waved the point away, "And you're really Kevin Sorbo in disguise. Give me a break, Herk, it hasn't been that long since I last blew by Olympus. How's it going, and what the heck are you doing in my frame?"

The burly giant sighed, "Well, if you must know I'm doing a favor for my old man…"

"Zeus sent you?" Urd said in surprise, "What, did my Dad forget to return something like last time?"

"Ah…not exactly," he replied, "Kind of more like something that got lost a long, long time ago but seems to have cropped back up again, and I've got to return it to where it belongs."

"Is it Animal, Vegetable or Giant?" Urd inquired, giving the Theban-born Greek a fond lookover, "Powers, but it's been such a long time since those good old days. You still hanging out with that Amazon?"

"Hippolyta?" Hercules blanched, "No way! That crazy chick and I've been splitsville for centuries…"

"That's not what I've heard," Urd snickered, "Rumor has it you two were pretty hot and heavy for a while there. In fact, there's even talk that you had a kid by her, a real chip of the old Marble pectorals," she added with a grin as she caught the guilty start in the broad-shouldered man's expression.

"What about it?" he said somewhat defensively, "Like I said, it's been centuries, and I'm a married man these days, in case you haven't heard about that."

"Yeah, what about that?" Urd asked, leaning forward with a sultry, sexy smile, "How are you and Hebe getting along? Does she still hammer you whenever she thinks you're eyeing some other woman?"

"Naw, Hebe and I are just friends these days," Hercules replied, "I'm back with my first wife, Dianira…"

"Oho?" Urd smiled, "That's even better! She could sure whip up some of the best baklava I ever tasted. Of course, she seemed to resent me whenever I was around for some strange reason…"

"Only the way you used to glom onto me every chance you got," Hercules grumbled.

"Hey!" somebody in the line behind the big man-god finally got up enough courage to protest, "Sometime this millennium, all right?"

Urd gave the fellow a cross look, but this time when she waved her arms she caused time to freeze for everybody but herself and Hercules before turning her head to call out over her shoulder, "Somebody take over for me here, will you? My shift's almost done, and I'm entitled to a break with an old buddy!"

A heavenly figure materialized in the space beside her and said, "Actually you still have another hour on this shift, but I'll take over for you. I don't mind, really."

"Thanks, Aki-chan," Urd smiled, "You're a real lifesaver. I'll owe you for this later."

She vaulted over her desk as the other woman took her place, causing Hercules to take a step back in dismay as he said, "Just what do you think you're doing?"

"Relax, Muscles," Urd said brightly, "I'm now your officially designated tour guide."

"Tour guide?" Hercules said incredulously, "Now wait a minute…!"

"You need somebody to watch after that cute butt of yours while you're in this province," Urd poked him in the chest as she continued to grin, "Face it, Herk, you've got a reputation for causing major property damage both in and out of the Mortal world, so you need to have somebody on hand who can bail you out of any trouble you get into."

"You?" Hercules's tone betrayed his incredulity at the concept, but Urd ignored the implied slight and continued.

"When was the last time you visited Japan, huh?" she reasoned, "You know enough about the language and culture to stay out of trouble?"

"Well…" Hercules began, "Language is never a problem for us Gods, you know…"

"I don't mean if you can figure out the subtitles," Urd snorted, "Japanese comes with a number of contextual rules that don't figure into a regular Tongues spell. You want to wind up with a repeat of what happened that time you visited China?"

Hercules blanched and with great reluctance admitted, "Well…not really…"

"Fine," Urd grinned as she glommed onto his arm and all but dragged him from the terminal towards the transport station, "Then it's settled. Trust me, Herk, I won't steer you wrong, and I've spent a lot more time among Mortals this time out so I'm more than qualified to be your cultural guide as well as nuance translator. Just stick with me and I'll show you a time that you'll be remembering for all eternity."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Hercules said weakly, then to himself softly whispered, "Dianira's going to kill me when she hears about this…"

For the past several weeks, Akane Tendo had been moping about feeling sorry for herself while counting the days until she could be reunited with her absent friends, Keiko and Kodachi. The time was nearing when they were due to make their return to Nerima and the closer that time came to being the present, the more anxious Akane was about the whole matter.

Ever since saying their good-byes as they departed with the infamous Pirate Queen known as Madam Lao some months back, Akane's life had suddenly become quite empty and lacking in purpose. It wasn't just that she missed having her two best friends around, with all that their company entailed, it was the sense that a large part of her life was on hold, and until she saw them safely again and could say the things she'd been storing up for the past three months or her life just would not be whole. She needed to know that they were all right and still the same two people that she remembered…as if anyone could remain the same around that perverted Tiger woman…

Akane sighed as she stared down at her desk without really seeing it at all, telling herself that she was missing her friends a lot more than just the things they used to do together, and then her body reacted in a certain way and Akane knew that she was lying. The truth was that she very much missed that extra physical component of their relationship that she had surpassingly become so used to experiencing when either Keiko, Kodachi or a combination of the two and she were alone together. Ryoga did what he could to cheer her up, but her iinazuke was notoriously reluctant to make any sort of moves with her and while his chivalry was part of the reason she liked and respected him so much, the truth was that she was growing more and more frustrated, especially with his tendency to wander off, sometimes for days without warning!

She needed that intimacy that she used to know around her two missing companions, that caress in a certain way that told her beyond words that there was someone else in the whole who cared for her, and who would let her care back, and compared to that intimacy her platonic relationship with Ryoga was anything but satisfying…

That had been the state of her thoughts when her homeroom teacher had announced that there would be a new student in their class, a transfer from another high school in one of the other provinces near to Tokyo, from Graviton High of all places. The mention of that school had barely registered with Akane as she looked up from her sullen doldrums and caught her first glimpse of the new student.

What she saw was a full head of blazing red hair, and at once she thought of Keiko Arigami. This caused her to sit up more alertly as she studied this stranger with new interest, seeing at once major differences between her and the pig-tailed kickboxer. This girl had large brown eyes instead of the blue that were Kei-chan's. They were also looking at everyone in the class with a mixture of nervousness and longing.

Akane stared openly at the girl then belatedly heard the teacher call her by the curious name of Aiko Managi. The girl was obviously not of oriental parentage, having extremely western features, yet her thoroughly Japanese name implied that she had been born a native. On the whole, she was a curious combination of paradoxical qualities, and for some reason that appealed to Akane.

Of course, what she did not expect was when their teacher, Miss Hinako, called her name and said, "Tendo Akane, would you be Managi-san's special friend for today and show her around Furinkan until she knows how to find her own way? It would be greatly appreciated."

To say that Akane was surprised would have been a mild understatement, but one very seldom said no to Miss Hinako. Akane glanced to the side to receive encouraging nods from Ukyo and Ranma, then turned back to see the new girl looking shyly at her with brown eyes and a slightly pensive expression.

And that was how she got to know the strange foreign-looking girl named Aiko Managi. To her surprise, she found the girl very outgoing and friendly, if a bit on the Tomboy side even by Akane's admittedly biased standards. The former Graviton student had explained that her transfer had been arranged at the behest of her parents after some troubles she had gone through at her old school. She was eager to make friends and the two of them had hit it off from the start, so Akane found the task of showing her around Furinkan was much more enjoyable than she would have imagined.

Ranma and Ukyo had tagged along for part of the way but soon wandered off to tend to their own concerns, leaving Aiko to comment about those two and the way they carried on around one another.

"What do you expect?" Akane said with a smirk, "Ukyo is Ranma's iinazuke…well, at least one of them anyway..."

"One of them?" Aiko said with lifted eyebrows.

"Yeah, it's kind of a long story," Akane replied, "Let me introduce you to my sister. She's free next period and I know where she likes to hang out between classes."

So it was that she and the new redhead on campus found themselves approaching the shady tree that Nabiki used during study periods. To Akane's surprise they found Nabiki talking to another strange girl that she had never seen on the school grounds before, a surprise that was compounded when she heard the amiable Aiko suddenly hiss, "What is SHE doing here?"

"Who?" Akane asked, taken aback by the angry emotions of the other girl and the venomous stare Aiko fixed in her direction.

"Beiko," Aiko growled as she started to turn away, only to hear her name called out by the other girl.

"Aiko!"

Akane looked from the silver haired girl to Aiko again, seeing her new friend tense before turning a look back towards the one she called Beiko. Then Aiko turned away again and started walking fast, forcing Akane to work at keeping up with the girl, who in addition to being taller had a lot more energy to her step than would be normally suspected.

"What's up?" Akane asked as she caught up with the redhead, "You know that other girl?"

"Oh yeah," Aiko snorted without turning around, "I know her all right. Beiko and me went to Graviton together, in fact you might even say we were rather famous about it."

"You two used to be friends?" Akane asked, suspecting a personal history between these two that went beyond conventional schoolgirl relationships.

To her considerable astonishment she heard her new friend say gruffly, "No, not friends. We were never friends. I don't want to talk about it. Can we go somewhere else now, please?"

"Uh…sure," Akane said reluctantly, glancing back at the other girl still speaking with Nabiki and sensing a kind of sadness in her general bearing. She looked back at the redhead and said, "Can I see your school schedule?"

Aiko reached her hand to one of the curious black arm bracers she was wearing and puled out a folded slip of paper, passing it along to Akane, who unfolded and read the slip before remarking, "Gym class? Hey, that's great! That means we share another class together. Come on, I'll show you where our gym is. Oh, ah…mind you there are boys there who'll probably whistle at you since you're the new girl. You don't mind that, do you?"

"Why should I mind what a bunch of hormone-crazed adolescent jerks do?" Aiko shrugged, "My last school was girls only, but we had our share of admirers from the boys school next door to us and I didn't mind it much back then."

"Right," Akane smiled, really beginning to like this girl on an instinctual level, as though they were kindred spirits, "I think you'll do just fine. There used to be one boy who bothered me a lot in gym class, but he's been out of school for most of this semester…medical problem, he's been getting special treatment."

"Too bad," Aiko sniffed, "Guess I won't miss him much then. So, how good are you in class?'

"Oh…pretty good," Akane fell into step at the other girl's side, "I hold my own with the other girls, and I've even studied some Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics…"

"Really?" Aiko asked, "Are you good at that too?"

"I've been trained by one of the best," Akane said proudly, only the boast brought back a sudden memory that caused her an even more sudden pang of regret, threatening to spoil her first good mood in many a long week so she added, "How about you?"

"I'm a pretty good Gymnast," Aiko revealed, "I was taught by my mother, and she IS the best around at that sort of thing, Martial Arts or competition."

"Cool," Akane grinned, "Maybe you can teach me a few good moves. C'mon, if we hurry we'll beat the other girls to the lockers. You can even borrow one of my spare Leotards…I think it'll stretch enough to fit you."

"Thanks," Aiko smiled, "You're a real nice person, Akane, doing something like this for a stranger."

"No problem at all," Akane chuckled, "We Tendos have a habit of looking after lost strays…it's kind of like a tradition…"

"Come along, child," Cologne urged Perfume as the two of them were shopping through the market districts of the Furinkan business district, "Don't drag your feet because you want to see your Airen. We have a lot of purchases to make and school will not be over for many hours."

"I'm tried of this Great Grandmother," Perfume complained with an edge of frustration in her voice, "Why are you making me carry so many packages? You know we could have most of this stuff delivered to the restaurant…"

"Of course we could," Cologne replied, "But you need to practice building up your arm strength so that minor aches do not disable you. Keep balancing those packages and then we will work some more on your fortitude…"

"What's wrong with my fortitude?" Perfume asked in exasperation, glancing with her eyes at the packages balanced on either arm and the palms of her hands before screwing her eyes up to the other set of packages precariously set upon her head. The people that they passed were giving her very strange looks that she found altogether understandable. She was beginning to suspect the old woman was testing the limits of her obedience as well, or had not even gotten started on the matter of Perfume's patience.

"Nothing, if you go by ordinary standards," Cologne said tersely, "But you are an Amazon Warrior, as good as any I that ever trained at your tender age. You have a loving wife who depends on you and will do so even more greatly in the coming months, thanks to your little excursion during our south seas adventure."

In spite of her discomfort at having to walk with so many boxes and bags adorning her person in such an awkward manner, Perfume could not help smiling at the remembrance of the event that had most singularly matured her relationship to Kuonji Ukyo and confirmed that her Airen was bound to her beyond measure, even if the idea sometimes left her feeling a little breathless.

"Okay," Perfume replied, "So you're saying this is all for my good? That it's my fault you think I need this special training?"

"Have you learned nothing from me in all these years, child?" Cologne sniffed, "To be the best you must go beyond yourself, beyond the limits that you were born with, to become the perfect instrument of mind and will so that you may carry the burden for both yourself and your Airen. Since the two of you are starting a family, it is only fitting that you apply yourself now before your energies are totally diverted into more domestic concerns…"

"Fine, I get the point, Great Grandmother," Perfume said at last to head off the coming tirade, "I know you've always done what you think is for the best, and I have appreciated the special attention you have shown to me over the years since I was adopted into your family, but you know that I'm not ever going to be a full Warrior Champion like cousin Shampoo. Just because she's entering her eighth month of pregnancy and is too fat to continue train…"

"I suggest you refrain from using the word 'fat' when describing your cousin," Cologne said dryly, "She will not always be pregnant, and once she is back in fighting form there is little doubt in my mind that she will be coming after you for regular sparring matches to regain her previous edge."

"I thought Nabiki would be handling that part," Perfume said dryly, enjoying the sour glare the older woman gave her at turning the admonition into veiled innuendo, "All right, so I'm training for the both of us as well, is that it? And once she's well enough to train I'll pass onto her the special techniques you've been teaching me lately."

"Exactly, child," Cologne subsided, then turned her head as she saw a particular market stall and said, "Wait here. I will be back shortly after I obtain a few medicinal ingredients."

Perfume turned her head slightly to read the sign over the market, surprised to discover it was in Chinese Script instead of Japanese Kanji. She had improved so much in her language skills of late that few people these days even noticed her accent, and she was even getting used to reading everything in this foreign language that was sacred to her Airen, so finding the Mandarin was a bit disconcerting. She had not been aware that this particular Apothecary shop had been here during her previous visits to this portion of the city…

Her hyperalert senses warned her a moment before she became fully aware of the body that was about to collide with hers and Perfume instinctively pivoted on one foot, turning herself sideways just in the nick of time to avoid a collision.

"Oh!" a voice said in her ear as she pirouetted around to come face-to-face with a dark haired girl with large, luminous purple eyes smiling at her with an all too friendly expression at only six inches away from her face, "So sorry, didn't mean to upset you. Those are some very nice reflexes, by the way."

"Thank you," Perfume replied, fighting the pull of gravity on one foot as she sought to keep from dropping a single package.

"You must be very good," the girl looked her up and down without backing away from her too-close proximity, seeming to enjoy Perfume's uncomfortable proximity, "Not many people could do that. I guess the old woman's instructions have had pretty good results, miss…?"

"Kuonji," Perfume replied, "Kuonji Perfume."

"My name is Kishijoten," the other woman replied, "But you can call me Kishi, Miss Kuonji. I'm a very big fan of yours…in point of fact, you might even say you've been of special interest to me."

Perfume blinked her eyes, trying to recover from the startling fact that the woman already seemed to have known her. Something clicked with her senses and she said, "Who are you really?"

"I've already told you," the other woman smiled, "We'll be seeing a lot more of each other in time, I assure you. At the moment, however, I've come to give you a special warning concerning your friends, and--more specifically--your beloved Airen."

"Warning?" Perfume fought the urge to leap back and assume a fighting stance as it would have meant spilling her packages in every which direction.

"The danger doesn't come from me," the other woman assured her, "I am merely the messenger this time. It seems that there are forces at work here the likes of which it would take me much too long to describe…"

"YOU!" the sudden harsh voice of Cologne shot through the air as the old woman all but materialized at Perfume's side, staff raised in a defensive gesture of warding, "What business have you with my great granddaughter?"

"Nothing you need to be concerned about just yet, Elder of Joketsuzoku," the other woman assured with a knowing smile, "I was just telling Perfume-chan here that it would be a very good idea if she gets over to Furinkan High School as fast as could be humanly managed, if not a bit sooner. There are forces at work that could pose a danger to her loved ones."

"A warning?" Cologne said narrowly, "Or is this a threat?"

The other woman's laughter had a musical quality before she looked indulgently down at Cologne and said, "Don't take that tone with me, young lady. You should know well enough that my kind never threatens, we only act when caprice or enlightened self-interest is at stake. The danger is only minor at the present, but it will increase geometrically in time, and then you both will be most regretful that you did not heed my warnings. Until we meet again, citizens of the Middle Kingdom."

Perfume was shocked to find her senses overwhelmed by a sudden fog that clouded her vision, and then it passed away a second later with the woman named Kishijoten no longer to be seen, not even at the limits of her perception. She sniffed the air for any trace of the woman's perfume, then belatedly recalled that the woman had smelled of lilacs and incense without the distinctive perspiration given off by a normal human body.

"Who was that, Great Grandmother?" she gasped, looking down at the peculiarly intense glare of the Amazon Elder, who was staring fixedly at where the other girl had vanished.

"Trouble," Cologne replied, "But at the moment, her identity is less important than the message she has given. I think it would be best to suspend your training for the rest of the day. Go find the others and see that they are not in any trouble. I will have someone else take care of our purchases."

"Yes, Great Grandmother," Perfume said with a mixture of relief and anxiety as she shrugged her arms to let the boxes fall in a neat pile before them, then turned and vaulted away as she performed limbering motions with her arms to get the kinks out of her tired muscles.

Threats were something one did not take lightly in a place such as Nerima, and any threat to Kuonji Ukyo was a threat to Perfume's very soul and would be dealt with accordingly by the chief Enforcer of the Amazons. No one under heaven or upon the earth was allowed to harm so much as a single hair on the head of her beloved Okonomiyaki chef, and that sentiment extended as well to the odd family unit to which they had both become attached.

Perfume did not know who this Kishijoten was, but she could tell that Cologne regarded her with a measure of wary respect bordering on outright dread. It was hard to believe that anyone could put such fear into the heart of the greatest of all the Elders of Joketsuzoku, but this Kishi person obviously had, which meant that she was someone to take very seriously indeed. There was, however, one aspect of the whole strange encounter that really and truly disturbed her.

Kishijoten had referred to Cologne as 'young lady'. And Cologne had not troubled to deny it…

Continued

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