Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Urusei Yatsura Fan Fiction / Sister Princess Fan Fiction ❯ Lonely Souls ❯ The Fifth Part - The Morning After ( Chapter 11 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

"How could you, Ranma . . .?"

Ranma's eyes went wide on seeing Akane float before her in a sea of burning energy. This Akane, draped in the Densetsu no Doogi, possessed a burning slash mark cleaving her face and body right to her groin. The Doogi's buckle was shattered. "Akane . . .!" she gasped.

"I thought . . . " the apparition moaned. "You loved me . . . "

Ranma cried out in shock as Akane literally fell apart before her eyes. She then shrieked on feeling hands grasp her shoulders. She kicked herself away from whoever was behind her, spinning around to see a headless girl's body wearing an okonomiyaki-ka's uniform. "U-chan!"

"Ran-chan . . . " Ukyou's head floated by. "Why . . .?"

Ranma squeezed her eyes shut. "U-chan . . . "

"Humph! Pathetic!"

Her eyes flew open as she spun right, nausea surging up her throat on seeing the darkened figure standing a couple metres away. Despite her being in total shadow, the body shape and hairstyle spoke volumes. "Wh-who . . .?"

"Just pathetic." The newcomer came out of shadow, revealing Ranma's face pierced by cat-slit eyes. "Isn't it?" She glanced at the decapitated Ukyou. "Even in death, all they can do is whine and complain that you didn't kowtow to them like you did when they were still alive!" She sneered. "Honestly, what did we ever do in our life to deserve this shit, eh?"

Ranma peered at her doppelgänger. As Ukyou's body bumped against her, she took it, and then reached for her head in some vain hope of reattaching them. "Oh, please! Don't bother!" the other Ranma snarled. "She doesn't deserve help from us. None of them do. None of them EVER did!"

She waved around them. Ranma looked before a fresh bout of nausea surged through her. There floated Shampoo, the top of her head ripped away. Over here was Mousse, a big hole where his forehead should be. Near him was Nabiki, a jagged wound in her chest. A decapitated Kunou Tatewaki. Kodachi with a sword wound under her breast, her throat ripped out. Souun chopped in half. And a sea of shattered body parts and globs of human blood, a hand holding a fifty-yen coin floating nearby. Ninomiya Hinako, Ranma concluded.

What was left of her . . .

"Why . . .?"

"Why?" Neko-Ranma snorted. "Why not? They would've done that to us one way or another if we didn't kowtow to them! You know that as much as I do! Those spineless bastards got what they deserved!"

Ranma spun on her doppelgänger. "WE HAVE NO RIGHT TO DO THIS!" she shrilled, pointing to the drifting corpses. "NONE! Yeah, they were idiots, but they sure as hell didn't deserve something like THIS . . .!"

"Oh, spare me, please!" Neko-Ranma spat out. "Have any of these fools ever done what we've done?! No! Have they fought immortals, dragon half-breeds, monsters and a fucking OCEAN of martial artists?! No! Have they endured insult after insult because of what Jusenkyou did to us?! NO!" She pointed to the corpses. "All they've ever done, all EVERYONE WE'VE MET has ever done to us, is spit on us, use us, laugh at us, insult us and HATE us! Well, FINE!" She made a dismissive wave, and then she thumbed herself. "If that's the way they want to keep treating us, then let's show them what we can REALLY to do to them, to ALL of them, in return!"

Ranma shuddered. "I won't let you . . . " she hissed.

"Oh?!" Her double smirked. "What're you doing to do? Destroy me? You can't! I'm PART of you! If you destroy me, you doom yourself! And not just yourself . . . " She pointed behind Ranma. "But him, too!"

Ranma turned to see a ghostly image float behind her. "Ataru . . . "

"Right," Neko-Ranma drawled. "We're bound to him, remember? If we die, he dies. What's more important to us now, Ranma? Our Other? Or them?" She contemptuously indicated the corpses floating nearby.

Ranma fell silent. "Don't worry about what happened last night, Ranma." Neko-Ranma then snorted. "Thanks to you learning how to manipulate those null-time bubbles in Sanctuary, you saved their sorry asses." A ho-hum look crossed her face. "Then again, does it matter? We're going to be leaving these fools behind. And if they have a problem with that, well . . . " She shrugged, turning away from Ranma. "It's nice to know that we can kill them all if we really feel it necessary. Ne?"

As Neko-Ranma faded from view, Ranma screamed out, "NO . . .!"

** ** **

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO . . .!"

Ranma gasped as she felt strong arms embrace her. She turned, sinking into Ataru's hug. "There, there . . . " he whispered before kissing her, his hand ruffling her hair. "It's okay. It's okay. It's just a nightmare . . . "

"N-n-n-nightmare . . .?" she sputtered before a pained moan escaped her.

Ataru remained still as she wept, his eyes narrow as fingers kneaded and stroked her vibrant crimson locks. The door to his bedroom opened, revealing a worried Sakuya. "Onii-sama, is . . .?" She stopped on seeing Ranma crying.

"Nightmare," he wordlessly mouthed.

Sakuya nodded. As the door closed, Ataru allowed Ranma to sink into her futon, his hands keeping her close. Her moans continued for what seems an eternity before a train of sniffles heralded a restoration of self-control. "Th-thanks . . . " she then muttered under her breath.

He stared at her. "You okay?"

"Should I be . . .?" She bit her lip, and then reached up to stroke his cheek above his beard. "That guyver-thing you turned into . . .?"

"Same general idea as what you can become now," he confirmed. "And initially created under surprisingly similar circumstances. For me, it was Onee-chan being forced into my mind when I was six. For you, it was . . . "

"The Neko-ken training when I was ten." She rubbed her forehead. "Could that've happened because of the bond between us? I . . . "

He shrugged, reaching up to rub the side of her cheek. "Maybe."

"I killed them, Ataru . . . "

He shook his head. "No, you didn't."

"But that thing said . . . "

"You used the null-time bubbles, remember?"

"But still . . . "

"No!" He placed a firm finger on her lips before leaning down to kiss her forehead. "They're still alive, Ranma. No one died."

She squeezed her eyes shut. "You know that's a lie!"

"I'm not a theologian, Ranma," he reminded her as he shifted himself onto his back, allowing her to lean on his arm. "Don't worry about things that can't be changed. All you'll do is working yourself into a nervous breakdown."

"I can't forget that, Ataru."

"I know."

Silence fell as they lay together. "Was it the same for you?" Ranma then asked. "When the Cyborg first came out?"

He scowled. "Fortunately, no. You might say that I had the very distinct pleasure . . . " -- she could sense the sarcasm in his voice on saying that word -- "Of watching three billion people die when that happened."

They stared at each other. Ranma drew her arms around Ataru.

No more words needed to be said.

**** **** ****

Lonely Souls

By Fred Herriot

pyeknu@hotmail.com OR fherriot@yahoo.com

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Based on Urusei Yatsura and Ranma 1/2, created by Takahashi Rumiko; and Sister Princess, created by Tenhiro Naoto and Kimino Sakurako.

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Set in the universe of the fan-fiction series Urusei Yatsura - The Senior Year, created by Mike Smith and Fred Herriot

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NOTE: The writer's notes are in a separate text file.

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THE FIFTH PART - THE MORNING AFTER

To quote the old Cat Stevens song, morning had broken over Tokyo and her many surrounding municipalities. For some, however, this day would be radically different than any in recent memory. Events on the front lawn of a high school in Nerima would have earth-shattering repercussions for most of its participants for years to come, perhaps even the rest of their lives.

Case in point: The Tendou doojou.

Kasumi shuddered as the rays of the morning sun penetrated her bedroom window and curtains. Grunting, she shifted into a sitting position to rub the sleep from her eyes. Pausing as her senses reached out to detect the current state of the house's wa, the eldest daughter blinked on sensing that both her siblings were awake. Odd. Akane was often an early riser, but she rarely if EVER got up at THIS time of the morning. Nabiki, even with her moving to recapture her martial arts skills over the last week, still preferred to get as much beauty sleep as she could. A glance in the direction of her father's bedroom a floor below revealed Souun to still be asleep, no doubt emotionally exhausted from last night's shocking and traumatizing events. A glance towards the guest rooms revealed Happoosai currently in his own room, also asleep -- not to mention a yawning emptiness from the space that, until last night, served as quarters for Saotome Genma. Genma . . .

Kasumi shuddered as the climax of events at Fuurinkan High replayed in her mind's eyes. A furious Ranma unleashing something she called the "Modified Soulsword/Fire Scythe of Death" on Genma. A cascade of ki slammed into the Saotome patriarch, it possessing the energy necessary to sever his normal body from the cursed form Jusenkyou forced on him months ago. The riot police stormed onto the grounds soon after, prepared to lay the long arm of the law on the Saotome patriarch. Genma tried to flee, but Ranma used a "psychic kusarigama" to propel her father into Justice's embrace. Genma then tried to use a ki blast to scatter the police before making his escape -- and he was shot down by a local officer defending his brother policemen. On his falling, an unexpected side-effect of the Fire Scythe disintegrated Genma's body in a burst of fire, leaving nothing behind of the Saotome patriarch save memories.

Shifting the covers away, Kasumi swung her feet into slippers. Standing, she reached for her housecoat. Once dressed, she made her way to Nabiki's bedroom. A gentle knock was responded by, "C'mon in, Onee-chan!"

Kasumi peeked inside to see Nabiki in her nightclothes, she seated at her work desk, her legs tucked in underneath her. On her desk were several sheets of heavy art paper, plus several plain and coloured pencils. Seeing that, Kasumi fought down an urge to smile. Before their mother's passing, Nabiki frequently demonstrated her skill with coloured pencils, a skill that seemed to have vanished over the years as the middle daughter threw her agile mind into ensuring a roof remained over their heads. "Have you been up for long?" Kasumi asked as she stepped inside, moving to take a look at Nabiki's work.

The middle daughter quickly sensed what gained her sibling's interest. "Been dozing on and off since we came back from the school." She picked up one sheet, holding it up for Kasumi. "Take a look at Ranma-kun's LATEST trick."

Kasumi took the sheet -- and nearly dropped it on seeing what had been drawn there. "A winged . . . catgirl?!" She stared at Nabiki. "I didn't know you were into THIS sort of fantasy . . . " she said, moving to be flippant.

The look Nabiki gave her in response told the eldest Tendou daughter this was NO joking matter. "Droll, Onee-chan. Real droll."

Kasumi blinked before staring at the picture. Turning it to gaze on those fierce features from a new angle, she frowned. "This is unlike any feline I've ever seen," she noted before staring at Nabiki. "An alien feline?"

"Possibly, especially given what Ataru-kun turns into." Nabiki reached under one of her pictures of Neko-Ranma to draw another sheet of paper, holding it up to allow Kasumi a view of the Cyborg. "What do you think of THIS?!"

Kasumi blanched, a hand flying right to her mouth. "Oh, dear . . . "

"Yeah." Nabiki placed that picture down, sitting back in her chair. "A lot's changed with Ranma-kun, Onee-chan," she then warned.

"So it seems," Kasumi agreed before she placed the picture of Neko-Ranma onto the desk. "What happened last night?" she then asked.

Nabiki sighed. "Like I told you after we came back home. We all get together at the school. Genma shows up trying to slice Ranma-kun down with his mom's katana. Hinako-sensei tries to stop it and nearly gets skewered. Ranma-kun takes the hit and BANG!" She made an exploding motion with her hands. "We all wind up in this big, white NOTHING! By the time I managed to get to some place where I can see what's going on in the real world, Genma's bound against a tree, Ranma-kun's a catgirl, Ataru-kun's doing his Terminator impression and . . . " A deep breath. "Shortly after that, you and Toofuu-sensei are on the scene. You know what happened next."

Kasumi slowly nodded. "How did this all come about?"

"Only person that'd know the whole story is most likely Negako."

"Negako-san?"

Nabiki nodded. "Yep. Onee-chan, last night, Ranma-kun was able to use a SOULSWORD! That's the deadliest basic manoeuvre in Saikoo Jinseijitsu-ryuu. One touch of the blade edge, you're dead. One touch of the flat, your brain becomes instant fried nattou . . . "

"Ranma-kun is capable of learning martial arts forms VERY quickly . . . "

"Onee-chan, I KNOW!" Nabiki cut her off. "But how is it he LEARNED all this?! Negako's been HERE in Nerima while Ranma-kun's been off with Ataru-kun and his family! And I don't think Ataru-kun could've taught him that!"

Silence fell over the room as the elder Tendou daughter considered that. She then crossed her arms. "What do you plan to do now?"

"Get some answers from Negako about what's been going on with Ataru-kun since Lum got kicked off the planet," Nabiki replied. "Onee-chan, there's something about this part of Ranma-kun you have to know." She pointed to the pictures. "This part of Ranma-kun is clearly female in personality. What's worse, 'she' is VERY attracted to Ataru-kun. If there's any hope, ANY hope at all remaining for Akane-chan to patch up things with Ranma-kun, we have to find out what's going on between him and Ataru-kun."

Kasumi nodded.

* * *

Unseen by her siblings, Akane was standing in the hallway between hers and Nabiki's rooms. The door to the middle Tendou daughter's bedroom was ajar enough to have allowed her to overhear a LOT of what Nabiki and Kasumi had said over the last couple of minutes. Unfortunately, given her long habit of assuming many wrong things about Ranma . . .

That monster that possessed Ranma . . . it's attracted to MOROBOSHI?! she exclaimed as she quietly shuffled back into her bedroom, closing the door behind her. Walking over to her own work desk, she sat, leaning on her elbows as she tried to make sense of what she just heard. Or is it just that guyver-thing Moroboshi turns into . . .?! Her forehead furrowed before her eyes went wide. Wait a minute! How is it Moroboshi turns into that thing in the first place?! Was it something Negako-san did . . .?!

A hollow sleeve tapped her. Akane gasped, spinning around to see the Densetsu no Doogi floating by her chair, it tilted in a display of concern. A sign went up. [YOU OKAY, AKANE?!] It twirled around. [WHAT'S WRONG?]

Akane gazed on the magic fighting uniform. She then grimaced as the altercation between herself and Ranma in the wake of Genma's death replayed. "Do not EVER again presume you have the right to fight ANYONE because of me, Tendou-san," the redhead said after giving Akane a dose of the Psychic Laser Beam, one of the basic ki attacks of Saikoo Jinseijitsu-ryuu. Ranma then followed that with a warning that if such happened again, she would see to it that Akane's career in the martial arts would come to an end.

Akane shuddered as a swell of anger thundered up from her heart. Then her body lost strength as a cloud of regret put a damper on that. Hugging herself, she fought back tears as the sheer scale of what had been lost over the last few weeks came back to her. The blunder she made with the Nanniichuan casket at the wedding and how the after-effects of THAT spiralled out of control over the following weeks, exploding finally in the fight between the fiancées over Souun, Genma and Nodoka's last attempt to force a marriage between Ranma and Akane. An explosion that had sent Ranma away for four weeks. And when he returned, he announced that he would be leaving the Tendous. When that happened, Akane would be forced onto a level playing field with Ukyou and Shampoo when it came to vying for Ranma. Even more, Ranma warned that if his would-be lovers screwed up, their claims on him would be rejected regardless of what honour demanded or the cost such might unleash on the fiancées.

Then, in the immediate wake that awful terrorist attack on Tomobiki High School last week, the Tendous and the Saotomes learned that Ranma had befriended MOROBOSHI ATARU of all people! The so-called "Cancer of Tomobiki" -- a man whose levels of lechery rivalled Happoosai's despite his late "wife" Lum's attempts at taming him -- who had mysteriously vanished from his hometown the very day of the failed wedding at the Tendou doojou, had just come back from a long training trip. A trip that ultimately helped Ataru become a world-class martial artist in his own right, a lingering "gift" of his being the last host of a sentient non-corporeal life form created by the Moroboshi Clan with the help of Master Hosan Hirosuke eight hundred years ago. A sentient non-corporeal life form that currently lived as Moroboshi Negako, Grandmaster of the Moroboshi-Hana Saikoo Jinseijitsu Ninjutsu-ryuu, the only real friend of Happoosai, Ataru's adopted elder sister . . . and Ranma's new sensei, thanks to Negako soon discovering Genma's greatest blunder concerning his son and heir.

A blunder Akane learned of the HARD way the day after things literally exploded in Tomobiki, when an automatic outburst of anger thanks to Ranma's showing up her dearth of cooking skills resulted in a shattered arm. AND effectively destroyed what respect Ranma might have held for her, not to mention ending what relationship they had. Negako's discovery also, atop driving a permanent wedge between Ranma and his father, destroyed Genma's marriage, which brought up the spectre of Ranma renouncing the Saotome name to wipe the slate clean when it came to matters of honour. THAT spectre had ultimately driven Akane into getting the Densetsu no Doogi back in hopes of giving her one last chance at bringing Ranma back into her home.

But Ranma had, to everyone's shock and disbelief, stayed a step ahead of the game this time. Last night, as he moved to destroy the Saotome doojou sign to bring a final end to Genma's and Souun's dreams, Ranma revealed that he had somehow been given the legal right to form an AUTONOMOUS branch of the Saotome Clan, free of any obligations being Genma's and/or Nodoka's child might force on him. Saotome Ranma, the would-be husband of Tendou Akane, Kuonji Ukyou, Nu Shanpú, Kunou Kodachi and who knew how many other people -- was legally no more. Thus, with Genma's death shortly afterward, the Saotome School of Musabetsu Kakutou-ryuu was wiped out forever.

Ranma, Negako told everyone after the transformed martial artist had left the school grounds with Ataru, was presently a student of Saikoo Jinseijitsu-ryuu thanks to a private agreement between herself and Happoosai reached days before. On hearing that, Souun launched an immediate protest, one instantly shot down by Happoosai. Declaring the Saotome-ryuu dead with Genma, he then seized the Tendou doojou sign and shattered it. "When you decide to wake up to reality, Souun, THEN I'll consider giving you a new license," the aged grandmaster of Musabetsu Kakutou-ryuu snarled before leaving the school grounds with Negako and Cologne. "Until then, the Tendou-ryuu is no more."

Poor Souun had to be dragged home, comatose over the fact that EVERYTHING he and Genma had tried to create had been destroyed so easily and so SWIFTLY. Genma dead, Souun's doojou wiped out, Ranma living with the Moroboshis . . .

The Moroboshis.

Akane shuddered as she remembered what Kasumi and Nabiki had just said concerning Ranma's and Ataru's other-selves. She then glanced at the Doogi. "Gomen, Dou-chan." She placed a hand on its shoulder. "Right now, I'm going to have to do some things on my own."

[CAN I HELP?!] the sentient battle uniform signed.

Akane shook her head. "No. Ranma doesn't like you, remember?" Seeing the Doogi tilt its blazer in a mimicked nod, she then sighed. "Atop that, who knows WHAT sort of feelings that cat-monster might actually have concerning all of us. Right now . . . " Her jaw tightened. "I have to find some way to convince Ranma to come home. If there is something connecting him to Moroboshi that allows that cat-monster to take control of him, separating Ranma from Moroboshi might get rid of that thing . . . "

[YOU CAN'T FIGHT THOSE MONSTERS, AKANE,] the Doogi then frantically signed. [EVEN WITH MY HELP, YOU'D LOSE. BADLY.]

"Hai, true." She grimaced, fighting down a burst of anger at admitting the fact that Saotome Ranma -- much less Moroboshi Ataru! -- was worlds better than Tendou Akane in the martial arts. "But one way or another, Dou-chan, I'm bringing Ranma back home!" she then vowed.

A pause as the Doogi considered Akane's words. It then signed, [IF YOU NEED ME, I'LL BE RIGHT HERE FOR YOU, AKANE.]

She beamed. "Thanks, Dou-chan."

* * *

In a secluded part of Tomobiki, someone rose. Stretching, Fujinami Ryuunosuke rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Glancing around the room she just spent the previous night in, a shiver quaked her as a sense of unfamiliarity seized her for a moment. Memory then clicked in as she saw Mister Big Screen, and then her eyes turned right and down to gaze on the peacefully dozing woman beside her. "Ran . . . " she whispered.

Leaning down, she kissed the alien teen's cheek before sliding herself back under the covers. She took a moment to glance briefly on the nightstand. The chronometer sitting there had been adjusted to read local time. Seeing how early it was, Ryuunosuke closed her eyes. A couple more hours' sleep would do her some good, especially since she had no school to worry about. Given last week's shattering events, officials decided to keep Tomobiki High closed for another day before allowing the new school term to start.

"Good morning, Ryuu-chan."

Ryuunosuke's eyes opened, a smile crossing her face on seeing Ran gazing warmly at her. "'Morning." She leaned over to kiss the alien teen's lips before leaning back. "Didya sleep okay last night, Ran-chan?" she then asked.

"Hai." Ran's eyes then glowed. "Hmmm. Lum-chan and Shinobu-chan are still asleep in the guest room. Guess they needed it."

"What happened last night, anyway?"

Ran shook her head. "I'm not too sure. Lum-chan tried to reach out telepathically to Darling, but someone got in the way."

Ryuunosuke considered that, and then she shook her head. "It ain't gonna happen between them, Ran-chan. Is there some way to help Lum let him go?"

"I don't know," Ran admitted. "Right now, we can't worry about that."

"Why?" the tomboy asked before catching herself. "Right, I forgot!" She snapped her fingers. "The Men in Black're gonna be here later today to help you and Lum settle in." She nodded. "You want me to stick around, Ran-chan?"

"No. Jay and Kay get a little nervous when outsiders try to learn how the SCAA does business." Ran then chuckled, an inviting smile crossing her face. "Still, it shouldn't take us that long. Are you busy today?"

Ryuunosuke considered the invitation to a date lying unspoken in her bed mate's words. While she would not have really wanted to date a girl while her father was still alive -- except if (as what happened in Ryuunosuke's only previous date with Ran) the chance was there she could try to learn new things about being a girl -- Ryuunosuke couldn't deny that Ran really cared for her. Besides, if things happened, they happened. Much that it surprised her, she felt calm about this. "Not really." She shrugged. "Got somethin' in mind?"

"Oh, shopping, a long dinner, a movie . . . " Ran reached over to draw Ryuunosuke closer to her. "After that'll be up to us, I guess."

They kissed. "We're kinda moving fast, aren't we?" Ryuunosuke mused.

Ran frowned. "Who cares about how fast we go?"

The tomboy considered that before shrugging. "True."

* * *

"There! All done!"

"Rinrin-chan, what are you doing up so early?"

Rinrin chuckled on seeing Shirayuki heading to the kitchen. "Oh, 'morning, Shirayuki-chan. Just doing some graphics work."

"What graphics?" The chef walked over to gaze on the screen of Rinrin's laptop. Recognizing what was being displayed, Shirayuki stared quizzically at the teen inventor. "Rinrin-chan, are you redesigning Nii-sama's room?"

Rinrin eagerly nodded. "Expanding it so Aniki and Aneki can live together. We can take the space from the divider between Aniki's and Karen-chan's room to the main doors. Let the room grow out five metres, which'd take up everything under the canopy, plus a bit. The storeroom doesn't need a window, so we can close it off. Toss in a kitchenette and make the other new space the main bedroom. They can use the old room as a living room. We can shift the closet so they can use the old closet space for a study area, too," she explained, indicating the changes she made.

"Sugoi desu no!" The chef whistled. "That'll be so nice!"

"You best add an upstairs atrium, Rinrin-chan."

Both turned as Chikage stepped up. "What do you mean?" Rinrin asked.

"Add a bedroom on the second floor level outside the girl's furo." The sorceress pointed to the area she was concerned with. "Slip in a ladder to the kitchenette. Design it so it doesn't obliterate more of Aria-chan's window view than necessary. If you want, stagger it to hang over the main doors. We don't need the extra window on the stairwell leading to the second floor, ne?"

Rinrin considered that before nodding. "Yeah, I can do that. But why would Aniki and Aneki need an extra bedroom, Chikage-chan? I doubt they're going to worry about having kids until long after they get married."

A knowing chuckle escaped Chikage. "You'll be surprised, Rinrin-chan."

She headed to the furo room for a morning soak. "There are days Hime thinks she'll NEVER understand Chikage-chan!" Shirayuki moaned.

Rinrin sighed. "You said it."

* * *

The lovely twenty-something in slacks and polo shirt stifled a yawn as she stepped aboard the Shinkan-sen. It was the first run of the day between Morioka and Tokyo. Glancing around, Feiya -- to those who knew her beyond the bounds of the Hotel Kiraboshi, she was Arima Fumiko -- tried not to smile too much as she took her seat by a window. Travelling at odd times of the day to avoid the crowds was an acquired art form in Japan. It is one Feiya/Fumiko had to master quickly. One need not look past her tapered ears, presently hidden under thick bangs of raven-black hair, to truly understand why.

The doors whooshed shut. The train glided away from Fukushima station on its trip south into the Kantou plain. Barring unforeseen problems, it would arrive in Tokyo in less than two hours. Once in the capital, it would be a quick transfer to the Marunouchi subway line to Nakano-Sakaue, another transfer to the Toei Ooedo line which would take her to Nerima, and then yet another transfer onto the Seibu Ikebukuro line for Tomobiki. Tomobiki . . .

Fumiko's brown eyes closed as her mind shifted back in time a year . . .

** ** **

"THAT CAN'T BE TRUE!"

Ishi took a deep breath before facing the younger woman. "It is." The doctor, senior physician to the Church's observers in the Holy City, nodded. "The blood tests do not lie, especially in cases such as yourself, Feiya. You are . . . " He paused before hoarsely whispering the last word, "Avalonian."

Feiya stared at him, her body quaking slightly as the word echoed again and again and again in her mind. Avalonian? HER?! But . . .!

"How . . .?"

Was that her voice?

Ishi sighed. "It is a recent development, admittedly. Those of the Faithful on the Homeworld who lose a child due to some unforeseen accident often view the bioroid factory on Phentax Twelve as the perfect way to get their child 'back.' It's not illegal, though the . . . " -- his lips twisted into a scowl bleeding contempt -- " . . . potential outcome of such 'adoptions' have yet to really sink in with the ruling councils."

"What does that mean for me?"

The fear in her voice was noticeable. Feiya knew the rules, just as much as Ishi. NO Avalonian was to leave Niphentaxian sovereign territory, especially under her own free will. The leaders of the Church of Lum considered themselves very blessed to have the bioroid factory under their control. If news of its existence managed to become commonplace across the Galactic Federation, who knew WHAT could happen next. To ensure such did NOT happen, any Avalonian caught in places like Earth was to disappear. Literally.

"You are one of the Faithful, Feiya. A blind man could understand that without being told. To . . . " He looked out the window of his office, located close to the Aisuru home. "Do something like THAT to one of the Faithful is wrong. But still . . . " He shrugged.

"Sensei . . . " Feiya's eyes softened.

Ishi closed his eyes before he nodded. "There is a way."

** ** **

Fumiko twitched slightly on sensing a hand glide up one of her thighs. Chikan, her mind automatically declared as her hand grabbed the twerp's wrist. Then, with a sharp snap-twist of her fingers, she sent him face-first into the seat ahead of him. The twerp in question, a middle-aged salaryman, grunted painfully as he felt the bones in his wrist shift into unnatural positions. Fumiko let go, and then grabbed she his hair to yank him back so she could glare intently into his eyes. "Get lost," she hissed.

She contemptuously shoved him into the aisle with a well-placed foot. He collapsed onto his butt. Then, staring warily at the strange, raven-haired woman in the window seat for a moment, he staggered off. Fumiko paid him no further attention as she watched the countryside pass by.

"Another one," she whispered, her voice drowned out by the train. "Another one like me. How the hell did that happen? How . . .?"

* * *

"Oh, Panda-san, you didn't need to do this!"

[PLEASE, I INSIST!] The sign went up before it twirled. [BEING YOUR GUEST IS MUCH MORE PLEASING TO ME THAN STAYING IN A ZOO!]

Sitting around a low coffee table, Ninomiya Hinako, Ono Toofuu, Cologne and Moroboshi Negako gazed on the beast as he sat between the teacher and the doctor. Toofuu and the Nujiézú elder chuckled. When she had awoke twenty minutes before, the metamorphic teacher discovered that her new guest had spent some time cleaning up her apartment. "He's more human than most humans!" Cologne declared, gazing in amusement at Toofuu.

"A pity we can't apply a Nanniichuan curse to him." Toofuu sighed before gazing on the entity that, in one sense of the term, had died well over two millennia ago to ultimately create the Jusenkyou pool known as Shonmaoniichuan. "If you want, I'll be happy to keep you in my employ as my grounds-keeper."

[I ACCEPT YOUR GENEROUS OFFER WITH THANKS, SENSEI,] the panda raised a sign. [BUT PLEASE DON'T EXPECT ME TO ANSWER PHONES.]

"We should think of a name for you," Hinako proposed, she currently an adult thanks to a special ki-boost from Negako. "I don't think you want to be called 'Panda-san' or any silly or 'cute' name like they apply to your brothers and sisters in zoos. What do you think?"

The panda crossed his arms in contemplation. Watching him, the others were quick to notice how much Genma had actually come to influence this being in the year and more since the Saotome patriarch fell into that particular spring. Finally, a sign went up. [I WOULDN'T MIND THAT.] It twirled around. [I LEAVE THAT DECISION TO YOU SINCE I DIDN'T HAVE A NAME IN MY PAST LIFE.] Another twirl. [BUT PLEASE, I BEG OF YOU ALL, DON'T CALL ME 'GENMA.'] Yet another twirl. [I WISH NOT TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH THAT MAN ANYMORE!]

"We'll spend time thinking about that," Toofuu assured the panda before turning to Hinako. "So school's cancelled today because of the window damage."

"Not to mention cleaning the debris from that tree Saotome-kun destroyed when he used the Fire Scythe." Hinako gazed on Negako. "It surprised me that your uncle's company was quick to offer to pay for repairs, Negako-san."

"It is of no concern," Negako admitted. "What happened last night was instigated by our family due to our desire to help Ranma. It would be only proper to see the matter resolved to the benefit of as many as possible."

"Good." Toofuu nodded, a knowing look crossing his face. "So what of Ranma-kun, Negako-san? What DID happen last night? When I stepped onto the school grounds before Genma was shot, I couldn't ignore what I sensed."

"What did you sense?" Hinako wondered.

"Death."

Silence fell. A clawed finger tapped the table. Eyes locked on the panda as he raised a sign. [SENSEI, YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW!]

"You know what happened?!" Hinako asked.

"He does."

As the others looked on her, Negako's face turned icily neutral. "What I am about to speak of, I would desire none of you repeat outside this room," she instructed. "What happened last night concerning Ranma's 'neko-self,' Ataru's Cyborg persona and Genma must be answered with emotional support, from you AND from those around her. She does NOT deserve condemnation for murder."

Toofuu and Hinako paled. Cologne grimly nodded.

* * *

"School's cancelled?"

"Yeah." Nabiki replaced the telephone receiver into its cradle; her homeroom teacher had just called. "The damage to all the windows, plus that wrecked tree, has to get cleaned up before they'd allow classes to continue."

She sat by the table. Kasumi nodded. "I think Kunou-san and his friends will be disappointed they won't be able to play with Akane-chan today."

"Much that I care." Akane sneered, and then something came to her. "Hey! Why don't I go to school and wait for the Horde? When they don't show up, I declare Kunou's challenge null-and-void, then avoid them in the future!"

Kasumi blinked, and then she grinned. "It's a wonder why you never thought of doing something like that before, Akane-chan."

Akane stared at her plate. "Yeah, it is, isn't it?" she noted, and then a nod twitched her head. "What the hell! I WILL do it! I'll get the girls in the class to come down so I can have witnesses to what I say, and then go from there. That should knock the wind out of Kunou's sails!"

"I'll call to make sure the Blue Blunder doesn't show up and spoil it," Nabiki then volunteered before heading to her bedroom.

Souun stepped in. Gazing on him, Kasumi and Akane winced on seeing the look on his face. "Do you want some tea, Father?" Kasumi asked as he sat.

He stared nowhere in particular for a moment. Then, realizing his child just asked him something, he nodded. "Yes, please."

Kasumi headed to the kitchen. Akane turned back to her breakfast. "Are you going to see Ranma-kun today, Akane?" Souun asked.

"I . . . " Akane paused before sighing. "Yes. Why?"

"You will tell him to come here as soon as he can."

Akane stared quizzically at him. "Why?"

"He has things to answer for." Souun grimaced. "What happened . . . "

"No, Father!"

He spun around, seeing Kasumi stare angrily at him. "Kasumi . . . "

"That is ENOUGH!" she snapped. Storming up to him, she glared into his eyes, her actions making him shrink on himself. "Why, Father?! Why are you pressing this madness, even after, ESPECIALLY after, all that's happened since the wedding?! Do you actually BLAME Ranma-kun for doing what was RIGHT, what was PROPER, when it came to that lazy fool you called a 'friend?!'"

Souun quaked. "He deliberately . . .!"

"What?! He deliberately led Genma to his death?! Is that what you were going to say?! No, he didn't! Ranma-kun simply reported what Genma did wrong to the proper authorities! And THEN the police stepped in to deal with the matter! And from what I saw last night, it wasn't Ranma-kun's fault that Genma actually used a KI blast on RIOT POLICE! What did you expect them to do?!"

"They had no right to involve themselves in private business . . .!"

"'Private' business?!" Kasumi shrilled, making Souun duck. "It stopped being private when Genma started selling his son off to every family that crossed his path! Did you know Ranma-kun found out about FIVE more fiancées Genma never bothered to tell him about?! Did you know the size of the food bill that lazy oaf would've eventually slouched off on Ranma-kun?! Well?!"

"Enough!" Souun snapped. "Ranma-kun will come here and . . .!"

"No, he will not!"

His eyes widened. "What did you say?"

"I said 'he will not,' Father," Kasumi snarled as she pointed at him. "You have no right to demand ANYTHING of Ranma-kun now . . .!"

She cried out as Souun's hand lashed at her face. Before it could strike, a pipe caught it, and then he was sent flying. Crashing into the koi pond, he surged up, and then he stopped on seeing Happoosai glaring at him from the porch. "I think you'd know better, Souun!" the grandmaster snarled.

"You stay out of this . . .!"

"SHUT UP!" Happoosai roared, making Souun wail as his master's battle aura seemed to consume the Tendou home. As soon as the Tendou patriarch had collapsed to his knees in the koi pond, a burble escaping his lips, Happoosai relaxed. "Like I told you last night, you blind fool!" he said, turning to head inside. "Wake up to something called 'Reality!' It's all you have left!"

The Tendou patriarch remained still, weeping. "No . . .!"

* * *

"Ye gods . . .!"

"I can't believe that!"

Cologne nodded. "Believe it."

Toofuu and Hinako exchanged a look before the former turned to Negako. "Is there some way for Ranma-kun to be rid of that thing?"

The grandmaster shook her head. "Not without ultimately killing her -- and Ataru -- along the way. Yes, it is through Ranma's 'neko' self and Ataru's Cyborg persona that their personal psionic link is maintained. It has been that way since Ranma underwent the Neko-ken training. But those personas are deeply ingrained in the other elements of their minds. How it is that Neko-Ranma and the Cyborg are able to access their hosts' memories? How is it they know exactly who is what in their hosts' lives?"

The chiropractor and the teacher exchanged a stunned look. "And this part of Saotome-kun . . . " The latter turned back to Negako, the fear in her voice quite apparent. "Hates us all? Hates us to the point where it would kill us if it got the chance? Every one of us who might have hurt him in one way or another, regardless of reason, since he underwent that awful training?"

Negako nodded, a thin smile crossing her face. "Yes. Do you think she would forget the time you repeatedly absorbed her ki while you were a guest of the Tendous just so you could remain an adult to impress Souun, Hinako? Do you think, Kelun, she would forget you forcing her through the cat's tongue? Even a 'trivial' incident like what you did to Ranma to give her a 'favourable' impression of Akane would loom large in Neko-Ranma's eyes, Toofuu."

Silence fell as the others considered her words. Toofuu then took a deep breath before he shook his head. "We helped create a time-bomb. Thus we have the responsibility to help defuse it before it destroys Ranma-kun and all those she cares for. What's your plan, Negako-san?"

"Remove Ranma from Nerima, plus restrict if not outright block any attempt by Ranma's would-be paramours or rivals to force her to remain in a place where she should not be," Negako explained. "That has been, in effect, done. All marriage claims save Shanpú's were resolved when Ranma declared herself an orphan and was allowed to start her own branch of the Saotome Clan. Shanpú's claim will be resolved when Kelun's fellow councillors allow the Blood-Sibling Law to be invoked. At the same time -- we may arrange this today -- Ranma will be transferred from Fuurinkan High to Stargazer West College, then allowed to complete her high school education in peace."

"Though I am familiar with many aspects of Promised Island, I don't know too much about the school," Cologne mused. "Is it good?"

"Very good," Hinako replied. "It's one of the top 'ladder' schools in the country. Negako-san's family supports it with grants and scholarships. Saotome-kun . . . " She paused, and then she asked, "Is Ranma really a girl?"

Toofuu nodded. "Yes. I didn't get the chance to examine her in detail last night, but from what I could sense, Ranma-kun . . . " A chuckle escaped him. "I guess I can't call hi- . . .! -- Excuse me, her! -- that anymore, can I?" A pause, and then he nodded. "I'd like to see her. Could you ask Sakuya-chan to bring her down sometime today?"

"Why not ask me to bring Ane-kun to see you, Toofuu-kun?"

Toofuu screamed, spinning around to see a smiling Chikage gazing amusedly at him. "CHIKAGE!" he wailed, waving her away.

As he launched into yet another bout of love-sickness, the others laughed. "I'd love to hear THIS story!" Cologne declared.

* * *

"Oh, darn! No school today?!"

"I'm afraid not." Sakurambou Sakura was currently standing by the front gate of Tomobiki High. "We were warned by the Ministry that several students were transferring to our school, so I was made to stand guard here in case some of you didn't get the message ahead of time."

"Bummer." The rose-haired tomboy with the amber-brown eyes smirked before holding out her hand. "I'm Sawada Minako, from Maizuru."

"Metro Kyoto . . .?" Her eyes then widened before a pleased smile crossed her face. "I've heard of you! You're the reigning Kyoto Metro women's high school kendou champion! Welcome to Tomobiki, Sawada-san!"

"Hai, that's me! But PLEASE, don't blurt it out to everyone in sight, Sensei." Minako gave her hand a squeeze. "People back home, especially the girls, just became a pack of raving otaku when I won that!" She then perked on sensing someone approach her. "Ah . . . "

Sakura tensed. "What is it?"

"It's nothing. Just a couple of close friends," Minako explained. Sensing Sakura peering curiously at her, she added, "I'm telepathic and empathic. So are they. I figure that for Tomobiki, that's normal."

"Somewhat." Sakura then chuckled, surprising Minako with her candour. "How did you gain those powers? Is it a family thing . . .?"

"Pretty much so. My mother's not from Earth . . . "

"Minako, do you HAVE to spill it ALL to her on the first day?!"

"Tomomi!" Minako yelped as Yoshino Tomomi gave her a bear hug from behind. She quickly returned her embrace. "How are you?!"

"I missed you." Tomomi pecked Minako's cheek, and then she turned as a blue-haired girl with purple eyes approached. "So did she!"

"Stop flirting with her, Yoshino!" Ikusawa Kyooko snarled. Then, as Tomomi stepped away, she swamped Minako with her embrace. "Hi!"

"Hi, yourself!" Minako kissed her, and then she proceeded to introduce Sakura to her friends. Along the way, some more information as to the young Avalonians' origins was relayed to the school nurse/priestess.

"So all your mothers fled your home planet because the Niphentaxians wanted to keep your race in chains?" Sakura waved them to follow her onto school property. "What did they expect to do on Earth? This was years before we came into open contact with extraterrestrials."

"Our mothers' friends learned there was a Zephyrite missionary colony based somewhere in Japan," Kyooko explained as they stepped inside, heading directly to the nurse's office. "If they made contact with them . . . "

"The Zephyrites . . .?!" Sakura blinked confusedly before nodding. "Oh, you mean Moroboshi Ataru's grandmother Nagaiwakai! She lived up in Rishiri-tou before she died while the First Tag Race was being held. I see now." They stepped into the nurse's office, Sakura waving the newcomers to the chairs there. "What sidetracked your mothers?" she asked as she moved to prepare tea.

"Their meeting our fathers, then getting married and having us." Tomomi chuckled. "You can imagine it, can't you? Switching from being slaves in a society that went out of its way to ensure they stayed that way -- to being adopted parts of a 'free' society? It was pretty disorientating for them!"

Sakura considered that, and then she nodded. "Yes, I can see that." She smiled. "Do your fathers know of your mothers' origins?"

"Hai, they do. It was only fair." Minako giggled. "Especially given how long-lived Avalonians potentially can be."

"How long? Several hundred years?"

"Try eight hundred."

Sakura whistled. "Women on Earth would KILL to know that."

"That's why we do our best to keep our origins secret," Tomomi said. "Though I don't think it'd matter here too much."

"True, it wouldn't."

Tea was soon served. "So what brings you to Tomobiki?" Sakura asked.

"Simple," Minako replied. "The factory unit that created our mothers is in orbit as we speak. Directly over Tomobiki to be exact."

The nurse blinked, her eyes widening. "Why would it be here?"

"We don't know. Neither do our mothers since they lost their links to the factory," Kyooko replied. "And given how much the Niphentaxians would like to keep knowledge of the Avalonians secret, that it's HERE speaks volumes."

"There's another thing, too," Tomomi warned.

"Being?" Sakura asked.

"Phentax Twelve, the planet where the factory was placed. If the factory's here, the planet's most likely gone. Mom knew it was inhabited at the time she was activated." A pause. "If there were people there . . . "

"Don't think such awful things, Tomomi," Kyooko warned.

Sakura gazed on the three half-alien teens in her office before she set her cup aside. "You might be able to get some help, then."

Minako perked. "Oh? How so, Sensei?"

"Despite what the news reports may have said about the whole matter last week, Lum is alive and well. She came back to Earth on Saturday morning, along with her friend Ran." Sakura lightly smiled. "It was around that time that several people who knew Lum, myself included, learned of the Niphentaxians. You see, their latest 'church' is based on worshipping Lum herself."

The visitors blinked. "That's . . . " Minako paused. "Strange."

"Agreed, it is." Sakura shuddered. "From what I could sense when Lum spoke of that, she wants nothing to do with the Niphentaxians whatsoever. I don't blame her, especially after hearing about some of the things their leader -- Oogi, was his name? -- did on Lum's 'behalf.' And . . . " She paused on sensing something step into range, and then she looked out the window.

Kyooko tensed. "Is something wrong, Sensei?"

"Shinobu's here." Sakura stood. "Just a moment."

She stepped out. The new students exchanged looks before turning to their tea. Sakura returned, Shinobu behind her. "Hello!" The latter bowed to them, and then she gazed on Sakura. "They actually said they were Avalonians?"

Minako rose. "Half-Avalonians; our mothers are pure-born."

Introductions were made. Sakura prepared tea for Shinobu. Staring at Ataru's former girlfriend, Minako tried desperately not to blush as Shinobu's wholesome beauty began to do weird things to her mind's pleasure centre. Tomomi and Kyooko watched her, and then they exchanged a knowing look. Don't be TOO obvious, Minako-chan! the former psi-linked to Minako by touching the latter's hand. You want to scare her off?!

Eh? Minako perked, and then she made a dismissive wave. Oh, no! No! I'm not interested in Shinobu-chan THAT way . . .!

Bullshit, Minako! Kyooko gave her friend a knowing look. We could sense your hormones kicking in all the way over here!

Minako flustered. She then started as Shinobu asked, the concern in her voice apparent, "Are you okay, Minako-san?!"

"Eh?!" Minako bolted up. After a few seconds' hysterics, she scratched the back of her head, laughing. "It's nothing! Nothing!"

Shinobu gave her a curious look. Tomomi and Kyooko tried not to fall on their butts howling. Watching this from nearby, Sakura shook her head. And I actually wanted things to be boring for a change? she mused.

* * *

"Onee-sama, are you okay?"

Ranma perked on hearing Sakuya. She then shook her head. "Not really." She turned to her French toast as everyone enjoyed breakfast in the living room. "That nightmare I had last night's still buggin' me."

"Was it a bad nightmare, Aneue-sama?" Marie asked.

"Pretty bad," Ranma replied. "It was me meeting a version of myself who hated everyone -- and I mean EVERYONE -- who did me wrong, no matter how big or little it was. And she had gone out and killed all those people. And . . . "

She shuddered. Mamoru grimaced. "That's pretty raw."

"Tell me about it."

Ataru gazed on Ranma, inwardly smiling at the latter's use of a dream metaphor to divert the sisters' curiosity away from what happened at Fuurinkan High last night. None save Chikage knew of what happened to Saotome Genma. Not that the others might really care, Ataru mused. While she was staying on the Island, Ranma had gone out of her way to draw as bad a picture of her father as she could to the sisters. But, especially for the young ones, harping too much on the theme of death wasn't the wisest thing.

The living room door opened, revealing Negako. "Tadaima."

Shirayuki smiled. "Oh, Nee-sama, there you are! Do you want some breakfast? Hime made her special French toast today."

"So I can scent." Negako took her place in the circle. "Please."

"Hai desu no."

Shirayuki headed into the kitchen. "Where were you?" Ataru asked.

"Meeting with Ono Toofuu, Kelun and Ninomiya Hinako," Negako replied as Karen poured her a cup of tea. "There is no school today at Fuurinkan due to a considerable amount of damage done to the windows and the front lawn."

Ranma perked before she nodded. "Well, that's good."

"Waaai!" Hinako then gushed. "That means Onii-tama and Onee-tama can spend the whole day with Hina and her sisters!"

Mamoru nodded. "Hey, that's right! Why don't we go swimming?!"

"Where, Mamoru?" Sakuya demanded. "It's February, remember?!"

"Baka! The indoor pool at the Tower in Tomobiki! It's the same size as the indoor pool at school! We can swim there!"

Ataru hummed as he considered the question. "Good point." A sly smile then crossed his face as he gazed on the eldest of his half-sisters. "And we can visit Esmerelda's to get Ranma a new swimsuit! Right, Sakuya-chan?"

"Oh, definitely!" Sakuya gushed.

Hearing that, Ranma's head slumped. "I'm dead."

"Why don't we make today 'Make Onee-chan A REAL Girl' Day?!" Karen proposed. "After all, she's GOT to be tired of wearing the same blah, unisex things day-in and day-out, even if she's used to living on the road."

Ranma glanced at her, and then she stared at her clothes. She was in her normal white tang and pants. "Well, yeah, you got a point, Karen-chan," she mused, scratching the back of her head. "But what'd be good for me?"

"For that, we best get to Esmerelda's early!" Sakuya proposed.

"I'll call the boys to get the road-train here," Rinrin called out.

She headed to her bag to dig out her phone. Ranma watched the others launch into chatter about the day's events, and then she stared concernedly at Ataru. "Hey, Ataru, I thought you wanted to keep them AWAY from Tomobiki!"

"I thought it'd be okay when we were just concerned with a swimsuit for you to wear," he lamented. "But for a whole WARDROBE . . .?!"

Ranma laughed. She then paused, a finger scratching her chin. "Hey, wait . . . " Her voice trailed off.

He blinked. "What is it?"

"You planning to go to Stargazer West next week when classes start?"

"Of course. Why . . .?" Ataru turned away as the possible gist of Ranma's train of thought sank in. "Do you want that?"

She shrugged. "What's the use going to Fuurinkan for four or five days when we could be starting a whole new school year next Monday on the Island?" A smile turned her lips. "Kinda redundant when you think about it, ne?"

"True. Besides, high school isn't mandatory in Japan. Thought I do hope you'd consider going all the way to graduation."

She nodded, and then she stared at her plate. "Of course I will. But I only realized pretty recently that I've got a lot to catch up on. I've missed so much being on the road with Oyaji and all that . . . "

He waved her down. "Oh, don't worry about it, Ranma."

"Worry about what, Onii-chan?"

They turned to see the sisters staring at them. "Oh, it's nothing, Karen-chan," Ranma assured her. She then turned to Negako as Shirayuki came out of the kitchen. "Um, I hate to ask, but can you ask the school to . . .?"

The ninjutsu grandmaster nodded. "I've already discussed the possibility with Hinako this morning. The staff will be in school today. It will be easily arranged regardless if Pauline tries to interfere or not."

A hang tugged Negako's sleeve. "Onee-tama, Hina's right here!" The youngest of the sisters pointed to herself with her free hand.

"I am speaking of Ranma's former homeroom teacher, Hinako, not you."

"Oh!"

Giggles wafted through the room. Everyone perked on hearing a knock at the front door. "I'll get it!" Haruka headed over to open the door. "Hai?"

The man flashing the police identification booklet smiled. "Sorry to bother you, but are Saotome Ranma and Moroboshi Ataru here?"

"Hai. Please." Haruka waved the policeman in, and then she looked at the dining room table. "Anigimi-sama? Anegimi-sama?"

Ranma rose, bowing. "You're here because of last night?"

"Hai." He nodded. "Okajima Keijou of the Nerima Precinct. I have to get both your statements about what happened at the school."

"Right, right." Ranma nodded before sensing Ataru standing behind her.

"Would you mind if we took this outside the house, Okajima-keibuho?" Ataru then whispered to the policeman, cupping a hand around his lips. "I don't want my sisters, especially the younger ones, to overhear some of this."

"Of course, Moroboshi-san." He smiled before heading out.

Ranma and Ataru moved to follow, the latter whispering into the former's ear, "Tell him the facts you know. That's all they need."

She nodded. "Right."

* * *

Near the Aisuru home in Tomobiki was a townhouse tucked behind two cherry blossom trees. The trees were large enough to distract the normal passer-by from wondering what might be happening beyond the living room windows. The small group of people living here preferred it that way for many reasons, chief of which was fear of discovery. Arima Fumiko paused at the front gate, gazing at what had once been her home away from her real home. Coming back here was harder than she first believed. She grimaced as she pushed open the gate. Seeing the familiar sights, smelling the familiar smells, hearing the familiar voices -- all of which had once been more sacred than anything in the universe to her -- nearly tore a scream of pained anguish from Fumiko's lips.

Innocence lost . . .

Stopping at the door, she knocked once. It opened to reveal Ishi. "Sensei." Fumiko smiled, her eyes misting as she took in his weathered features. She then caught herself. "Is there . . .?" she then began to ask.

He shook his head, waving her inside with a smile. "All of them are out doing their morning observations," he reported. "They won't be back until well after lunchtime. Did Kaili make all the necessary arrangements?"

"Hai, all set." She glanced around the living room, a place that would make most of the boys at Tomobiki High drool with mad envy on seeing the many Lum artefacts there. "Is she the same situation as me, Sensei?" she asked.

"Hai." He walked to the stairs leading to the second floor, and then he called out, "Nari! Come down here now; Feiya's here!"

Footsteps heralded the descent of a young teen. She was thirteen or so in Terran terms, dressed in a shirt with ascot, pullover sweater and skirt. Her red-brown hair was cut at mid-neck, combed in draping bangs to cover her ears. Her chestnut eyes glittered with pain and anticipation. Gazing on her, Fumiko stared at Ishi. "How could someone this young get posted here, Sensei?"

"Her parents are . . . !" the doctor began, and then he caught himself. "Pardon me, WERE priests on Phentax Two. They were killed . . . "

He faltered. "They died in the Cataclysm, Onee-chan."

Fumiko stared at Nari. The younger Niphentaxian/Avalonian gazed on the floor, her eyes brimming with tears. Regardless of her origins, the love she held for her parents shone like a nova. "I see." Fumiko walked over to squeeze Nari's shoulders. "I grieve for you." To Ishi. "What else has been going on, Sensei? You told me about this 'cataclysm' but you didn't give details . . . "

"Nari can explain everything to you." He placed a hand on her shoulder as he nodded towards the door. "It's best you both leave the Holy City as soon as possible. Right now, none of the commanders have ANY idea as to what to do. What CAN we do with so many of our leaders back home dead?" A pause, then he added, "There's another thing, too. The bioroid factory has gone missing."

Fumiko's eyes widened. "MISSING?! How . . .?!"

Nari looked up, a hand clenching over her heart. "No one knows, Onee-chan. Phentax Twelve itself has been destroyed. But . . .!"

She shrugged. Fumiko took that in, and then she sighed. "Damn . . . "

"It's obvious that there were . . . " Ishi paused as he looked for the least wounding way to say this, and then he finished, "Casualties."

Fumiko stared at her friend, nodding understandingly. "You have all your belongings with you, Nari-chan?"

Nari nodded. "Hai, Onee-chan, they're upstairs."

"Let's go. We'll overnight in Tokyo, then head to my place tomorrow," Fumiko announced. As Nari headed upstairs to get her suitcases, the older Avalonian turned to Ishi. "You sure you're going to be alright?" she asked as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "If things're falling apart . . . "

Ishi nodded understandingly. "I'll stay with the others. You two'll have a better chance of living your own lives away from us."

They stared at each other. Fumiko nodded. Nari soon returned with two wheeled suitcases and a backpack. Fumiko took one in hand as they stepped out. Ishi remained at the doorway, a neutral expression on his face as he watched the Avalonians head to the nearest bus stop. "May the Goddess guide you both."

* * *

"Damn! I didn't think it was THAT bad . . . "

Ataru, Ranma, Negako and the sisters gazed on Fuurinkan High as the road-train made its way to Tomobiki. The interview with Detective Okajima, finished moments before the road train arrived at the old shrine, went off without a hitch. No doubt, Ranma concluded, local law enforcement wanted to settle the whole matter concerning her late father and his many crimes as quickly as possible before pressing on with other business.

Repair crews from Inshin Engineering, one of the companies that formed part of Moroboshi Komeru's Inshin Group conglomerate, were hard at work replacing windows and clearing away what was left of the tree Ranma destroyed when she used the Fire Scythe on Genma. Also there, standing in the spot Kunou Tatewaki often occupied to carry out his challenges of the "foul sorcerer," was Akane. Dressed casually, she was surrounded by most of the other girls from hers and Ranma's old first-year class. The girls were busy chatting with each other. "What do you suppose your friends are doing, Onee-sama?" Sakuya asked.

"Search me, Sakuya-chan." Ranma shook her head, and then she called out to the driver, "Hey, stop this thing for a moment!"

"Hai, Young Mistress!"

The train chugged to a stop. Hearing the toot! of its horn, the crowd gazed their way. "Ranma?!" Akane perked on seeing the redhead disembark, followed by Moroboshi Negako and Moroboshi Ataru, plus a crowd of young women. "Ranma, what are you doing?!" she asked as Ranma came up to her.

"Negako was coming here to speak to the staff about something concerning Ataru and me, Akane-san." Ranma indicated the ninjutsu grandmaster with a wave of her hand. "What are you doing here, anyway? There's no school on."

Akane tried not to frown on hearing Ranma address her so formally. "Something I should've done ages ago. What's the time?"

Tokoro Yuka gazed on her watch. "Eight-fifty."

Akane nodded, her jaw set with determination. "Long enough. Everyone, you are all aware of the proclamation Kunou Tatewaki made sometime ago, a proclamation he reaffirmed yesterday, concerning people wanting to date me?"

Her classmates nodded. "Hai!"

"Since I came here to school today and having found that none of the 'Horde o'Hentai' had come to challenge me as Kunou dictated, I hereby, with all of you acting as my witnesses, declare his proclamation NULL AND VOID!" Akane's voice picked up to emphasize her point. "From this day until I graduate, I swear, on the memory of my late mother, that I will not submit myself to anything he forces on me EVER AGAIN!" she then vowed.

A boisterous cheer exploded from her classmates. The sisters exchanged looks, wondering why something as silly and insignificant as THIS was bothering their big brother's new girlfriend. Negako remained impassive. Ranma stared curiously at Akane, nodding understandingly. "Pity I never considered doing something like that!" she then leaned over to whisper to Ataru. "That would've really knocked the wind out of ol' Blue Blunder's sails!"

"You were never allowed to think about it, remember?" Ataru noted.

"True."

"Ne, Ranma-kun, why are you wearing your hair loose?" Yuka then asked. "Don't you still have that problem with your hair growing long?"

"No, not anymore, Tokoro-san. I just decided on a little change of style when I'm a girl," Ranma assured her, ignoring Yuka's dropped jaw and wide eyes in response to the formal way Ranma just addressed her. "Besides, I'm frozen this way for the next while. Negako here's helping me deal with a couple of problems Genma heaped on me during the training trip." She glanced at the others. "To make it work better, I have to remain in one body for the treatment. Unfortunately, with my curse, I can only be frozen as a girl."

"The Neko-ken being the primary one," Ataru added.

Ranma shuddered, inwardly hoping that her acting skills were proficient enough to fool her former classmates concerning her mental state. The others noticed her reaction. They started on hearing a mad cackle echo from behind them. "ALOHA KAKAHIAKA, KEIKI!" the principal of Fuurinkan High School hailed as a shower of pineapples dropped down on them, fireworks exploding behind him.

Rinrin smirked. "Nice entrance."

A pineapple dropped into Aria's hands. Ranma panicked on sensing a build-up of ki in that piece of fruit. She batted it clear, sending it flying back at the Principal. The other girls quickly kicked and punched away the fruit that landed close to them. Just in time: As the pineapple Aria caught landed in the Principal's lap, it blew, showering his face and shirt with burnt cordite. The other fruit bombs exploded shortly after, they fortunately not hurting anyone. "That -- didn't hurt . . .!" the Principal moaned.

He passed out. Aria frowned. "Nee-ya."

Ranma gazed worriedly at the young Parisian. "You okay, Aria-chan?!"

"Aria is fine." Aria smiled, and then she scowled. "But Aria is glad that Nee-ya will come to Stargazer West College next Monday. At least there, Nee-ya wouldn't get hurt anymore by her stupid principal."

"Not to mention the other baka-bakas in this place who always try to hurt Onee-tama for some baka-baka reason," Hinako added.

Haruka drew out her gunsen to fan herself. "It's a good thing we purchased the right uniform for Anegimi-sama, isn't it?"

Yotsuba nodded. "Sure got that right . . . "

"YOU'RE LEAVING?!"

Ranma was blown over; every one of her old classmates had bellowed that. "Yes, Onee-sama is leaving this dump," Sakuya answered on Ranma's behalf as Mamoru helped her Anii's new friend up. "Now you won't have the chance to blame Onee-sama for all the troubles this place has experienced, just like the dorks in Tomobiki loved to blame Onii-sama for everything that happened there."

Everyone stared at Sakuya, and then they turned to Ranma. She brushed her slacks off, and then she turned to Ataru. "Yeah, it WOULD be nice to enjoy a day without worrying about the things that bothered me here. Eh, Ataru?"

He nodded. "I can certainly agree to that . . . "

"HOLD THE POI, KEIKI! THE BIG KAHUNA AIN'T FINISHED WITH YOU!"

Ranma then peered intently at the Principal. "And what exactly do you want, Kunou-koochou?" Her eyebrow arched contemptuously.

Out came the barber shears. "No keiki, especially no disrespectful keiki like youse, gonna leave the Big Kahuna's school without getting a partin' haircut!" the Hawai'i-crazed school administrator declared.

Ranma sighed. She then blinked on feeling Ataru squeeze her shoulder. "Well, since my hair is a little on the long side, I think I need a trim." He winked at her as he reached behind his neck to undo the jumper's cord tying his ponytail down. "Hold this please." He handed the cord to Ranma.

Ranma then blinked on seeing the Dragon's Whisker tied to the cord. A curious, heart-warming feeling surged through her. She then smirked as Ataru walks up to Kunou's father. Seeing him, the Principal shuddered on seeing the hair hanging off this keiki. "Well, at least we got ONE keiki willin' ta obey the Big Kahuna's rules!" He whipped out a stool. "Sit right there!"

Ataru took his place. "Hai! Hai!"

"Moroboshi-san, what are you DOING?!" Sayuri gasped, imagining what the former Tomobiki native might look like after the Principal got done.

The others tensed as the Principal raised his shears . . .