Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Dark Family ❯ 4 ( Chapter 5 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Imported From: RAAC
From: Nicholas Stone <bnstone@ix.netcom.com>


Peoples,

Things still seem down for our heroes. Wonder what's happening to
the Kunos?
Thinking how Doctor Tofu is going to keep Kasumi out of Marcus's
clutches, and avoid getting arrested or worse?
What about Nabiki? Is she doomed to a life in prison?
Ranma, Akane, their parents and friends. What will Renon do to
them?
What of Mousse and Cologne?

Read on and find out in Part Four : "Broken Family"

Insert Standard Copyright blurb here.

Now, on with the show.....












< br>








Ranma 1/2

DARK FAMILY

Part Three:

`Unwanted Reunions'





Nicholas Stone







































Broken Family


Chapter Eleven

Running blindly through the forest, Sasuke, Kodachi, and
Tatewaki scrambled on desperately trying to stay ahead of the
ninja's in pursuit.
Rolling out onto another dirt road the three fugitives
sprinted along rounding the far bend seconds before the
ninjas arrived. Up ahead Sasuke caught sight of several
buildings. He heard the rumblings of machinery and alerted
Tatewaki.
"Excellent!" shouted Tatewaki.
Leaping over the side, he lead them sliding down the
side of the ravine crashing up against a chainlink fence.
The top was lined with razor wire and it appeared that they
had trapped themselves.
"Fantastic, brother," Kodachi complained bitterly. "You
have killed us. Are you satisfied now?"
"I've killed no one, Kodachi," replied Tatewaki. He
looked over the fence, then pulled off his jacket.
"Sasuke."
Sasuke knelt on all fours acting as a ladder as Tatewaki
jumped up on his back. With a long grunt, the manservant
hefted him up. Tatewaki reached up but could not grab the
post holding the razorwire.
"Higher, Sasuke. Higher!" he called down.
"I'm... afraid I'm fully... extended, Master Kuno,"
replied Sasuke.
"Damn," muttered Tatewaki. He examined the wire fence
again. Several large empty wire spools sat stacked next to
the building beyond and an idea sprang to mind. Throwing his
coat over the top, Tatewaki turned.
"Kodachi, its your turn," he said, interlocking his
fingers together.
"What!" exclaimed Kodachi.
"Please, Mistress... Kuno. Master Kuno is... not
exactly... light," begged Sasuke.
"But what do you expect me to do once I'm on the other
side?"
"Move several of those spools up against the fence so
Sasuke and I can climb down without killing ourselves!"
Kodachi eyed the stack, staring up at her brother again
in disbelief. "Me move those heavy objects? Tachi, you must
be joking."
"No I am not, Kodachi! Now unless you want to stand and
fight, give me your jacket and get up here!"
"Tachi--,"
"Kodachi, we have not the time to debate. Now do it!"
he roared.
Kodachi quickly pulled off her jacket handing it to him.
Tossing her weapon over the fence, she stepped back then made
a light graceful hop planting a foot into his hands.
Tatewaki threw her up and she went into a ball spinning end
over end as she sailed over the top of the fence. Kodachi
landed feet first on the ground.
"Ah, such is greatness," she said.
"Kodachi!" shouted Tatewaki. "Don't dawdle, get busy!"
While his sister dashed for the spools, Tatewaki wrapped
her jacket around the post twisting it into several knots.
He pulled himself up to the top and levered his body over the
wire covered by his jacket.
"Sasuke," he called back down.
Sasuke leaped, latching onto Tatewaki's legs. Suddenly,
Kodachi called to him.
"Tachi, how many do you think I'll need?" Kodachi asked
staring at the stacks.
"Kodachi, this is not the time for you to be asking
silly questions. Just move one over here so we can get
down!"
A rip sounded, the glint of metal tearing through the
backside of Tatewaki's jacket. "Hurry it up, Kodachi!"
Grabbing the edge of one, Kodachi began tugging and
straining with all her might to move it. "Brother, this does
not seem to be working too well."
Tatewaki rolled his eyes. "Sister, it might work better
if you roll one over here, please!"
"Oh," said Kodachi.
Sasuke suddenly tapped Tatewaki rapidly on the side.
"Uh, Master Kuno we have company," he said pointing back up
the side of the ravine.
Asaiko and her Ninjas stood glaring down at them.
Giving a sharp gesture down the line, several of the ninjas
drew up bows readying arrows. Another rip from the jacket
did not help matters.
Tatewaki could see his sister would be no help, and the
forthcoming storm of arrows would terminate their lives in a
matter of seconds. Telling Sasuke to hold on tight, Tatewaki
levered himself over the strands of razor wire. Sasuke's cry
filled the air as the two men fell to the otherside of the
fence.
"Ooh, Master Kuno that was very unusual. Not in the
Kuno book of escapes," said Sasuke.
Tatewaki rubbed the side of his head as he sat up.
"Make sure you document it then," he replied.
The hiss of arrows suddenly filled the air. Tatewaki
and Sasuke looked up too late as the wave of arrows raced
towards them. They both cried out covering their faces with
their arms.
THUNK!
THUNK, THUNK, THUNK, THUNK!
Slowly, Tatewaki peered over his arms wondering why he
was not tasting blood pooling up from his punctured body. In
between he and Sasuke sat one of the large wooden spools;
Kodachi huffing and blowing exhausted on one side.
"Well (huff, huff) I finally found one that would move,"
she said totally oblivious to what was happening around her.
"Kodachi!" cried Tatewaki.
In a flash he scrambled over to her. The hiss sounded
again and Kodachi looked around.
"What is--, URK!"
Taking her by the front of her shirt, Tatewaki jerked
Kodachi down. Several arrows slammed into the spool and
building behind them.
Sasuke chanced a look around one end as the storm
continued. Several of the ninjas were surging down the
ravine. Immediately, he called out the alarm.
"Damn," muttered Tatewaki. With the air full of arrows
pinning them behind their cover, the chances of escape
dimmed. He drew up his sword from his belt and gripped the
hilt tight ready to fight to the death if need be. Suddenly,
Sasuke tugged his sleeve.
"Master Kuno, I have an idea," he said. "Let me roll
this spool towards the corner of the building."
Tatewaki did not think long about the idea. "It better
work, Sasuke. Otherwise we are going to die," he replied.
Sasuke sheathed his Sai. Waiting for a lull, the Kuno
Manservant scampered in between the two ends of the spool.
Grunting loudly from his exertions, it began rolling towards
the far end of the building; Tatewaki and Kodachi moving
close behind the protection it provided.
Up on the ridge, Asaiko let out a furious cry as the
Kuno's again drew slowly out of her grip.
"Miska! Get them, get them before they escape," she
cried.
Her ninja teams were cutting the final strands of razor
wire away, but it was to late as the spool reached the end.
Sasuke crawled up underneath the center post and darted out
to join the siblings. An arrow streaked towards his back,
but with the flash of his blade, Tatewaki deflected it as his
man reached the corner.
"Why thank you, Master Kuno," said Sasuke.
"Never a problem to assist one's employees," replied
Tatewaki.
Arrows hit the side of the building reminding them that
they were not out of trouble yet. The three broke into a
run, fleeing up the road towards the center of the town.

* * * * *

In full stride, Tatewaki led Kodachi and Sasuke past the
warehouse section of town coming out into one of the small
communities near the railroad. People turned surprised to
see strangers charging up the road, more importantly
strangers wielding edged weapons looking for a fight. Cries
rang out as the village people grabbed their children or
other valuables and ran inside.
"Wait!" cried Kodachi, but her plea was useless. The
three slowed to a stop gazing around at the now empty
streets.
Tatewaki looked down at the sword in his hand and
quickly understood. "Kodachi, Sasuke, put away your
weapons!"
"What? Why brother, that means we will not have anyway
of defending ourselves if Asaiko's henchmen catch up with
us," replied Kodachi.
"We're scaring away the locals, and we need their help,
sister. So put away your weapon, now!"
Kodachi smirked. Franticly, she searched for a place to
conceal the halberd. Its long blade proved impossible to
cover up.
"I'm afraid your request will be hard to follow, Tachi,"
she said.
With a sharp snatch, Tatewaki took the weapon from her
grip. He walked over to a nearby trash can and deposited
their weapons inside.
"There, problem solved," he said, dusting his hands.
Sasuke had concealed his two Sai and stood keeping a
close eye on the road behind them. The sounds of running
could be heard. "Master Kuno," he said passing on the alarm.
The Kuno's glanced back in time to see Asaiko and a few
of her people boil out around the corner. Breaking into a
run, the three headed up the street. Sasuke spotted a sign
pointing the way to the local train stop. "This way!" he
cried, and they followed him down another street.
Soon, the gates could be seen. From what they could
see, a silver colored train sat preparing to depart.
Asaiko's cry from behind spurred them on. They reached the
ticket booth and Kodachi began beating frantically on the
glass.
"Help! We need the police. Call them, call them, CALL
THEM!" she raged at the terror stricken attendants.
"Please, it is an emergency," Sasuke added.
One of the attendants reached over and grabbed a phone
from the desk. Tatewaki hoped there was enough time.
Looking back he spotted Asaiko and her people standing a
short distance away. Not wanting to draw unwanted attention,
they glared at their intended victims with dark malice in
their eyes. Asaiko cut her eyes from side to side at the few
people standing around the concourse. A light flick of a
wrist slid a slim dagger into her hand, a move not missed by
Tatewaki.
He quickly cupped his hands over the mouths of his
companions. "We need tickets to Kyoto!" he cried.
Kodachi forced his hand down. "We do?" she asked.
Tatewaki placed her in a tight headlock. A look over a
should found Asaiko's people moving towards them.
"Quickly!" he said with more urgency.
The attendant complied, taking the fist full of money
Tatewaki shoved through the window opening. A buzzer sounded
and the three walked hurriedly past the gates.
"Master Kuno, I am confused," said Sasuke. "Why did we
not stay and wait for the police?"
"Yes, why did we not wait?" asked Kodachi.
"Because Asaiko was about to slaughter innocent people
to get to us. Remember what she did to that Park Ranger."
Kodachi and Sasuke grimaced, reminded by the dreadful
murder they witnessed not too long ago.
They boarded the train. Moving through the car, they
passed into the next one forward. Tatewaki told Sasuke to
take a look outside to see if Asaiko was in pursuit. Sasuke
went to an open booth and pressed his face up against the
window. Outside he could see Asaiko glaring around the
concourse.
Sasuke darted back to Tatewaki. "Um, Master Kuno. Miss
Nari is about two cars down in search of us."
"Did she see you?"
"No."
The train suddenly lurched. The trio sat down as it
started pulling away from the station. Kodachi flagged down
the conductor.
"Yes, madam?"
"Uh, yes. Tell me does this train have telephone
services?"
"Why yes, ma'am. You will have to wait until we clear
the town. That should be about five minutes."
The conductor excused himself moving on.
"Hmm, five minutes. I can wait that long to call the
police," commented Kodachi as she settled into her seat.
Tatewaki relaxed cherishing the long overdue rest they
all sorely needed. His mind however continued to wonder
about the vendetta Asaiko Nari had against them. Why did she
have to kill them all if it was only Kodachi she desired?
That part bothered him ever since this debacle began.
"I'm not aware we had any enemies that would stoop so
low to attempt an execution on us," he said.
"The Kuno industries are expanding at a moderate rate,
dear brother," replied Kodachi. "Maybe the Yakuza clans have
finally taken notice and are attempting to stop our growth."
"No, they probably would have tried other means first
like kidnapping, or extortion. This is deeper I can feel
it."
"Then who, Master Kuno?" asked Sasuke.
Tatewaki slowly shook his head. "Hard to say."
Kodachi smacked her lips attempting to wet them. Her
mouth was dry, parched after a full day without any food or
water.
"I could use something to drink right now." She leaned
over, peering out into the aisle. "I wonder if--."
A sudden gasp; Kodachi's eyes growing wide with shock.
Griping the arm rest of the chair tight, she pointed towards
the rear doors. "T-T-Tachi!"
Tatewaki and Sasuke looked around. There, walking up
the aisle of the car behind them was Asaiko Nari, followed by
Miska and three ninjas. They had change into casual attire,
concealing their intentions from the rest of the people
around them, sweeping the cars for their quarry.
"Shit!" growled Tatewaki, springing from his seat.
Leading his sister and manservant to the head of the
car, Tatewaki peered through the door windows into the next
car. All clear, he opened them and went inside. Asaiko
spotted them, giving Miska a light tap drawing his attention
forwards. She smiled, smoothing a brow with her finger then
moved on in pursuit.
In the other car, the trio reached the middle of the car
when Tatewaki suddenly spread out his arms stopping their
advance. Kodachi was about to question why when she noticed
a pair of men moving through the aisles in the car ahead.
They were not looking for the restroom she figured from the
dark glowers on their faces.
"We're trapped," she said.
"Obviously," replied Tatewaki. Make a quick glance
between the two doors, he assessed their situation. "Sasuke,
are you still armed?"
The two Sai flashed up into Sasuke's hands, drawing a
gasp of fear from the people around them.
"Give one to Kodachi," ordered Tatewaki.
"We intend to resist, Master Kuno?" asked Sasuke.
"No. Jam the doors so they cannot get in."
Sasuke ran forwards; Kodachi rushing for the rear doors.
Kneeling, Sasuke thrust the blade in between the guide and
base of the doors pounding it in until it was wedged tight.
Kodachi did the same thing, beating on the hilt. She stood
up, and let out a yelp in surprise staring face to face with
Asaiko.
Kodachi took fearful steps back from the door. Asaiko
attempted to pull it open, but it shuddered remaining closed
tight. Angrily, she pounded on the glass. Miska came up and
together they tugged and pulled trying to wrench it free.
"Ha, you evil witch," taunted Kodachi. She stuck her
tongue out increasing the fury Asaiko was already venting in
her direction. Suddenly, Tatewaki jerked his sister away.
"Stop teasing her," he said. "That only makes things
worse. If you remember, we still have to figure a way out of
this mess before the next station."
"Master Kuno, might I suggest we just call the police
and ask for their assistance?" said Sasuke.
Tatewaki thought a moment at the suggestion. "My good
people," he suddenly announced. "Dose anyone have a cellular
phone we can use?"
Arms raised up, a series of cellphones in hand from the
people around them.
"One that will reach all cities without impedance?"
added Tatewaki.
The arms remained in the air.
"Ah yes, such is technology," said Tatewaki.
"Brother dear! Do not be picky and just take one!"
cried Kodachi.
He was just about to do just that, when the sudden rapid
banging on the window from Asaiko drew Tatewaki around. She
placed a knowing stare on him, eyes narrowed then glanced
around at the people in the car.
Tatewaki arched a brow. Lowering his hand, he declined
the use of the phones much to Kodachi's distress.
"Tachi! What are you waiting for? Call the police!"
"We do and Asaiko will slaughter all these innocent
people," replied Tatewaki. The phones quickly disappeared at
his comment.
"Does it matter? She might kill them anyway now that
they are aware of us."
Kodachi's point might be true, but Tatewaki did not want
to take the chance that Nari would kill innocents. There
were a good number of women and children on this train, and
their was no cause to spill blood needlessly because of them.
"Master Kuno, do we surrender?" asked Sasuke.
Tatewaki's head snapped around surprised by the
question. He frowned then went over to the nearest window.
Outside, the train was rolling out through the hilly
countryside along the shores of Lake Biwa-ko. Looking over
the station directory, the next stop would not be for at
least twenty minutes. Too much time for them to wait; Asaiko
and her henchmen certain to force their way into the car by
then.
He gazed out the window again, then began examining its
surrounding edges. "Excuse me," he said to the woman seated
beneath him as he pulled the seat cushion from the back of
her chair.
Placing it up against the window, Tatewaki moved as far
to the side as he could. "Sasuke, here!" he said pointing to
the center of the cushion.
Sasuke's eyes brightened. After several hard kicks the
window shattered with a muffled crash. Tatewaki cleared the
edges.
"Let's go," he ordered them.
"What? Out there, Tachi!" said Kodachi.
"Up onto the top of the train, dear sister. See if we
can draw Asaiko away from potential hostages and get some
fighting room," replied her brother.
"But the train is moving!"
Tatewaki paused. "Do you want to face her here,
Kodachi?" he asked.
Kodachi glanced up the aisle. The two men in the car
ahead were battering at the glass; the spider-web of cracks
growing longer with each blow they made.
"Uh, no," she answered.
"Thought not," replied Tatewaki.
He pulled himself up and out onto the narrow edge of the
window. Fighting against the force of the wind caused by the
speeding train, Tatewaki grabbed one of the maintenance
handles on top and pulled himself up. Sasuke quickly
followed; Kodachi hesitantly in trail close behind him.
Asaiko's frantic pounding stopped her long enough to
look back.
"Bitch!" scowled Kodachi, gesturing rudely at her. The
people around her looked at Kodachi in surprise.
She flinched. "Uh, sorry. Heat of the moment and all,"
she said before climbing onto the ledge and out up to the top
of the train.

* * * * *

The force of the wind made moving along the upper side
of the train difficult, Tatewaki leading the way hand over
careful hand towards the lead cars. Behind him, Sasuke and
Kodachi fought to stay with him as the train rumbled along.
It reached a turn in the tracks and the trio gripped tight to
whatever they could. The pull drew them to the left, but
abated quickly much to their relief.
"Tachi!" called Kodachi through the din of rushing wind
around her. "This was not a good idea!"
"Save your complaints for Asaiko when she catches up
with you!" Tatewaki replied.
Looking back, he was about to say more when he spotted
Asaiko, Miska and the ninja's at the middle of the car behind
them. They were steadily making their way towards them,
knives clenched tightly between their teeth. Uh oh, he
muttered picking up the pace.
They reached the front of the car and Tatewaki moved up
into a crouched position. Steeling his nerves, he leaped
across the narrow gap latching on to the top of the next car.
Something swiped close at his heels, then a head appeared.
It was one of the two ninjas at the front of the car peering
around for another shot.
"Get back down there you brigand!" shouted Sasuke.
He gripped the edge, swinging his legs around catching
the ninja beneath his chin. A long cry followed; the man
tumbling off over the side. Sasuke too cried out. His hands
slipped and he was about to fall away when Tatewaki grabbed
him at the last second. He strained as they dangled
precariously over the side. Suddenly the second ninja
appeared, a katana held upright in one hand. It came down
stopping short of Tatewaki's arm as Kodachi grabbed hold of
the ninja's wrist.
A short struggle ensued with the ninja finally loosing
his balance on the narrow platform he stood on. He fell out,
grabbing onto Sasuke's leg. Sasuke cried out in pain as they
flapped along against the side of the speeding train.
"... K-K-Kodachi!" shouted Tatewaki, straining to
maintain his grip on Sasuke.
Kodachi jumped across and took hold of her brother. It
stabilized their position, but Asaiko was closing the
distance fast.
"Master Kuno, let me go!" Sasuke called up to Tatewaki,
aware of their situation.
"No!" shouted Tatewaki. "Now get rid of that excess
baggage!"
Sasuke grinned. "At once, sir."
Sasuke glared at the ninja. He kicked him several times
with his free leg until finally the man let go. They watched
him bounce across the ground disappearing into the brush
along the railway. The Kuno's pulled Sasuke up and they
paused trying to regain their strength. Asaiko; furious at
what they did, let out a piercing cry. She rose up blinded
by her anger, and without thinking attempted to launch her
dagger at Kodachi. The weapon immediately streaked back,
imbedding into the shoulder of the rear most assassin behind
her. He tumbled back saved only by the efforts of Miska and
the remaining two ninjas. Asaiko cried out again in
frustration.
"Well, that was better than what we could have done,"
Tatewaki said humorously.
Kodachi stuck her tongue out at Asaiko then followed
Tatewaki and Sasuke as they resumed their flight.
The trio reached the center of the car they were on. Up
ahead at the far end two more of Asaiko's people appeared
stopping them dead in their tracks.
"More of these ruffians!" said Sasuke.
Tatewaki nodded. He looked back only to find Asaiko and
Miska making their way across. Trapped, and with no apparent
way out, he frowned facing the two ahead. The whistle of the
train sounded as it neared the entrance to a tunnel. Two
signal post sat on either side of the railway, and a plan
came to mind.
"Tachi, what are you doing?" asked Kodachi as her
brother slowly stood up.
He motioned for them to follow his lead and they came up
behind him. Tatewaki made a defiant sweeping gesture,
becoming the two on. Devious grins appeared; katana drawing
from hidden sheath from behind their backs. Carefully, the
two ninjas approached and it appeared that Tatewaki was going
to meet them in a final confrontation. Asaiko saw what
Tatewaki was doing. Frantically, she waved her arms trying
to warn her people, but it was to late.
"Get down!" he suddenly cried out.
Tatewaki, Sasuke, and Kodachi sprawled out on the top of
the train as it reached the two sign post. The ninja's did
not know what hit them, sailing off the top with surprised
screams. Darkness engulfed them, and when the train finally
cleared, Tatewaki looked back. Snickering darkly, he smiled;
Sasuke and Kodachi doing the same.
"You'll never get us, Nari!" he shouted defiantly at
Asaiko. "Kunos are too intelligent to be cornered by the
likes of you and your henchmen!"
Sasuke's frantic tapping brought him around to see what
was causing him such concern. More of Asaiko's ninjas were
climbing up on top, and there was nothing this time to stop
them from closing in.
"They are like roaches," he snarled.
It appeared everything they had gained was about to be
erased with the painful slash of blades.
"Tachi, what do we do now!" said Kodachi as the distance
closed between them.
Tatewaki spotted a bridge coming up, the wide river
below sparkling between the gap.
"We jump," he said.
"What?" Sasuke and Kodachi replied together.
"On my signal, we--,"
"I am not jumping off to be killed in such a painful
manner, brother!" declared Kodachi.
Tatewaki rolled his eyes. "We're not jumping onto
ground, Kodachi," he replied. "We're going to leap into the
water!"
Kodachi looked out over the side. Pondering his plan,
she suddenly turned and faced Asaiko.
"Here I am, Asaiko. Come kill me. My demented brother
is going to do this anyway," she called out.
Tatewaki jerked her back around. "You are not
surrendering, Kodachi Kuno. We've come this far, and we are
not giving up now!" he shouted at her.
"And I am not jumping off the side of this train
either!" she shouted back. "The blade will be much quicker
than the lingering death you are proposing!"
Asaiko and her ninja's were mere moments away from
converging; the train turning out onto the bridge. He
realized they had to do this now before it was too late.
"You are right, Kodachi. We will not jump," he said.
"You bet we are not," she replied.
"I'll push you off!"
Tatewaki's arm smacked Kodachi hard in the back. She,
Sasuke, and Tatewaki cried out together as they sailed off
the top of the train, over the side of the bridge towards the
river below.
"No!" cried Asaiko, but it was to late. The train sped
on leaving an enraged and frustrated Asaiko crying out to the
skies above as they left the bridge and Kunos behind.

* * * * *

Wanabe and Ken sat in the den of the Kuno clan's estate
admiring it's Western style decor. Ken held a small white
vase in his hand close, studying the intricate details of the
picture etched into its side. A genuine Ming, he surmised
noting the specific style making up the early Kanto scene of
a quiet, serene lake in mid spring. Steps sounded at the
door, and he quickly placed it back down on the table in
front of them.
The double doors of the den opened and they stood up; a
young maid bowing slightly stepping aside as Madame Kuno
strode gracefully into the room. She was beautiful in all
regards, the stolid chin held upright just at the right
angle, petite body accented by the light brown evening dress
she wore. Her hair was drawn back except for the trademark
tuft of slightly curled hair that flared out off to the left.
Madame Kuno's thin brows rose slightly, her dark red
colored lips drawing back into a smile. "Gentlemen," she
said sitting down in a plush, high-backed chair.
Ken and Wanabe bowed, sitting back down. As the senior
man, Ken started to open the discussion when a series of
thumps like that of roller-skates on a wooden floor sounded
from above. They both looked briefly up, then gazed
curiously at her.
"Uh, youngsters?" asked Ken.
"You could say that," Madame Kuno replied.
The rumbling faded away, and she continued.
"And what is the honor of this visit by the esteemed
Tokyo Police Department upon my humble home?"
"Ah, yes, Madame Kuno," answered Ken. "We are seeking
the whereabouts of your elder children; Tatewaki and Kodachi
Kuno. Can you tell us where we might find them?"
A long, tense silence followed. Slowly, the skin of
Madame Kuno's cheeks tightened, lips stretching into a thin
line. The two detectives fidgeted nervously around, fearing
a sudden outburst from the aristocratic lady. She stood up,
walking over to the bookshelves and began looking them over.
Ken could see the topic touched something deep. She
wrung her hands together while pretending to read the titles
on the spines of the books. "Uh, Madame Kuno--," he said.
"This has something to do with that Nabiki Tendo affair,
doesn't it?" she asked them.
"Yes, Madame, it does," answered Wanabe.
She sighed, turning around. "She was such a nice girl
too," Madame Kuno said.
Ken arched a brow. "Tendo?" he said.
"Yes. A darling child, one I had hoped Tatewaki would
take liking to and make part of our family."
This surprised the two detectives. They traded looks
then Ken spoke.
"Well it is a good thing our people discovered the dark
motives she had upon your son in time, Madame Kuno.
Otherwise, he might have become a pawn in her deadly plans."
"Ken. Temper, temper," Wanabe warned his partner.
Madame Kuno regarded Detective Homa for a moment. She
let out a light grunt, smiling oddly as she walked over to
the window.
"So I assume you think she is guilty, Mister Homa," she
said.
"Up to her neck, Madame Kuno," answered Ken.
"But our Lieutenant thinks otherwise," Wanabe quickly
added, cutting sharp glances over at his partner.
Tracing her fingers along the ledge, Madame Kuno
examined them for dust, purposely delaying her response. "I
tend to agree with your lieutenant," she finally said.
Ken shook his head. "No disrespect intended Madame
Kuno, but with what we have on Tendo and her accomplices they
are guilty to the core."
"And what is this convincing evidence you have on
Nabiki?" asked Madame Kuno, turning to face them again.
"Ken," warned Wanabe more forcefully, not wanting this
to breakdown into a confrontation.
"Unfortunately, I am not at liberty to discuss that,
Madame Kuno," replied Ken.
His answer was not good enough for her, and she started
to speak when the annoying rumble echoed through the room
once more. Madame Kuno's body tensed. She briefly closed
her eyes, arms ridged to her sides, fist clenched tight.
"Will you gentlemen excuse me for a moment," she said.
Striding over to the double doors, Madame Kuno flung them
apart.
"OKHI! OKHI, WILL YOU PLEASE STOP ALL OF THAT INFERNAL
RACKET UP THERE!" she shouted.
Shocked, Wanabe and Ken could hear the rumbling fade
off. They thought it was over, but from the hall outside
sharp raps bounced down the stairway leading to the upper
floors. Madame Kuno let out a loud shriek and ducked aside.
Something large and brightly colored flashed past her on a
skateboard. It streaked to a stop on the carpeted floor,
bunching it up after the two detectives fleeing for their
lives. The mound slammed into the table and the Ming vase on
top was thrown off, breaking into pieces against the wall.
A well tanned man wearing wide dark sunglasses, clad in
beach shorts, a colorful Hawaiian shirt and flip-flops, stood
atop the mound.
"ALOUUUHAH!" announced Principle Kuno to them all.
A light kick on the rear of the skateboard flipped it
spiraling up into the air. In one smooth move, Principle
Kuno snatched it down to his side like a veteran gunfighter.
He stared at the two detectives cowering terrified in the far
corner.
"What wrong, brudahs? You not evah see dis one moke on
a board before?" asked Principle Kuno, scratching his head,
frowning.
Ken and Wanabe were speechless unable to reply or
comprehend what the Principle of Furinkan High said. They
were spared any response by the low growl that suddenly came
from behind him.
"Uhoh," said Principle Kuno.
He hesitantly turned around facing his now enraged wife.
The air literally crackled around her as she stood chest
heaving.
"Okhi... look what you have done to my Ming vase," she
uttered menacingly as she approached him.
Principle Kuno glanced back at the shattered vase. He
grimaced. "Oops?"
Madame Kuno grabbed him by the collar of his shirt with
both hands. "OOOPS? OOOPS! Is that all you can say is
`OOOPS'!" she raged at him.
He shrugged. "Hey, no worries, mama! It got big
inshurance on it. Lot o'good money we gonna get for dat,
eh?"
The grip tightened around his throat. Ken thought he
would have to arrest Madame Kuno to prevent a murder as the
husband and wife stood eye to eye. She suddenly sank to her
knees, covering her face with her hands.
"Oh why, why did I ever send you to Hawaii? Why!" she
moaned.
Principle Kuno patted his wife lovingly on a shoulder.
"Now, now, dear. You work'n too hard again. Say, I know.
Why you not go vacation to Hawaii like me? It clear you mind
and--."
Madame Kuno was up on her feet in a flash. She glared
angrily at her husband effectively stifling the rest of his
words.
"Do you see why I had to place Tatewaki in control of
all the Kuno assets?" she said to the two detectives.
Ken and Wanabe fixed themselves up. Combing out the
bits and pieces of the vase from his hair, Ken walked over to
them.
"If we can get back to your son and daughter," he said.
"It is imperative we locate them as soon as possible."
"Whatcha need my Tachi and Kochi for, bro?" asked
Principle Kuno.
"They could be vital witnesses to the Nabiki Tendo trial
set to start tomorrow."
A smirk, Principle Kuno leaning away from Ken. "My
Tachi?" He stepped down from the mound of rug, pacing around
in a circle before facing him again.
"I know Tachi was seeing dat cute wahine Nabiki, but I
not recall him evah being at no banquet with her."
Wanabe stepped up next to Ken. "The guest list had them
both listed, Principle Kuno," he said.
"What? I don't tink so, Mistah Prime Time, Five-Oh
detective."
"They went, Okhi," Madame Kuno suddenly said.
He spun around in surprise. She stopped from her
straightening of the mess around the room.
"Tatewaki went in our place to represent us," she
explained to them.
"He did? Why I not told about dis, woman?" questioned
Principle Kuno.
She smirked. "Do you think I was going to allow you to
represent us in front of the entire Diet, the American
President, the Prime Minister, and the Emperor?"
Several muffled snickers from the two detectives brought
Principle Kuno slowly around. Ken hung his head desperately
trying to hide his smile; Wanabe moving off to the side a
hand covering his mouth.
Principle Kuno's eyes narrowed. He walked around Ken,
looking him up and down. Suddenly, he leaned up close over
Ken's left shoulder.
"You got one nice set of hair deh, bro," he said.
Ken felt the mischief in his voice. "Uh, thank you...
sir?" he replied.
"Yeah, one fine head o'hair. It need a bit of cutting
though."
In a flash the skateboard dropped to the floor, replaced
in Principle Kuno's hand by a set of hair clippers.
"Wha' you'd like. One kind buzz cut, or two? Free,
compliments of Principle Kuno."
Ken's jaw sagged, eyes bulging from their sockets.
"OKHI!" shouted Madame Kuno. He looked up. "Put that
thing away, now," she ordered.
Principle Kuno frowned but did as he was told, stepping
away from Ken.
"You get lucky today, Prime-Time," he said, smiling.
"Uh, Madame Kuno," Wanabe said. "What about Kodachi?"
She paused, thinking back. "Kodachi. At first she did
not want to go, at least that is what she told me. I guess
she changed her mind."
"You guess?" asked Ken.
"Yes. I made no arrangements for her to go."
Wanabe's brows rose. He glanced at Ken, finding him as
much as surprised as he was.
"So you made arrangements for Nabiki Tendo to go in her
place?" he asked Madame Kuno.
She shook her head. "No. Tatewaki did that."
A long pause followed, Madame Kuno dwelling deeper in
thought. "Something was strange about my children before
that," she finished.
"Such as?" questioned Ken.
"They were `different'. More withdrawn than usual."
"Dat was strange?" said Principle Kuno, receiving a
sharp slap across the back of the head.
"I'm not following you, Madame Kuno?" said Ken.
"They had changed. A mother's intuition, but it
happened a few days before the banquet. The day Nabiki came
calling on Tatewaki."
More information Ken was sure Lieutenant Kira would find
interesting. This brought about more questions, questions he
was eager to ask the Kuno siblings himself.
"So can you tell us where we might find Tatewaki and
Kodachi?"
"Yah, bro!" exclaimed Principle Kuno. "Deh went on one
kind business trip down to Ke-yoto."
"You mean `Kyoto', sir?" Wanabe corrected him.
"Yeah, dat it. Took Sasuke and da'limo and left early
yesterday morning."
"Sasuke. Is he not your leading groundskeeper?" Wanabe
asked.
"Handyman, watchdog, bahdyguard. You name it, he it."
"Hmm, now that is interesting," said Ken. "Sasuke's
name also appears on the guest list."
"Now why would Tatewaki want Sasuke at the banquet?"
Madame Kuno wondered.
"That is a good question. One I will be sure to ask
when we locate your children," replied Ken. "Thank you for
the information, we'll be leaving you now."
Ken and Wanabe bowed and headed for the doors. Madame
Kuno called to Ken and he stopped.
"Okhi, would you please show Mister Tamigari to the
door?" she said to her husband.
"Sure!" he exclaimed.
Hopping up on his skateboard again, Principle Kuno
rolled up next to Wanabe.
"Hey, Prime-Time," he said to him. Wanabe waited
politely for him to finish.
"Snip, snip," teased the Principle, making cutting
motions in the air with his fore fingers. Wanabe bolted out
the doors; Principle Kuno hot on his heels.
Madame Kuno let out a frustrated sigh. She glanced at
Ken, then went back to the bookshelves again.
"Detective Homa, I don't know what it is the police have
on Nabiki Tendo, but I will say this. I think you have the
wrong person."
Ken rubbed his chin searching for a decent reply that
would not upset her.
"We can only go by facts, Madame Kuno. The facts so far
point to her," he replied.
"The motives do not fit Nabiki Tendo." She walked over
to him. "I trust this has been considered?"
"It certainly has, but you never know what a person
might be thinking."
Madame Kuno tensed slightly irritated by Ken's derisive
barb.
"You may go now," she said.
Ken bowed again and left the room.

* * * * *

Ken found his way out the Kuno home joining Wanabe
waiting for him next to their car. Wanabe was just folding
up his cell phone when he arrived.
"You get in touch with the boss?" he asked him.
"Yep. He was interested in what we said, and wants us
to keep on researching everything we can about that night."
That night, eh? wondered Ken. He leaned on top of the
car frowning at his partner. "Why?" he asked.
Wanabe shrugged. "I haven't the foggiest idea."
Lieutenant Kira never gave orders that did not make
sense, but this one certainly had him baffled. What about
that night at the banquet interested him? He needed to
review the reports, in particular Nabiki Tendo's statement.
Maybe there he could get some clues.
"Let's go back to headquarters," he said, opening the
car door.
"Are we heading over to the Gosunkugi residence?" asked
Wanabe.
Ken paused to glance at his watch. The time was
starting to get late. Better to work on this for the rest of
the night and question the Gosunkugi's in the morning.
"Nah, this will take some time," he answered.
Wanabe shrugged again, getting into the car.

* * * * *

Tucking away his cellphone, Lieutenant Kira thought for
a long moment pondering the information Wanabe passed along
to him just now. It was not so much what they found out
about the Kuno siblings, but more the fact that they were
called away at such an inopportune time. Another coincidence
that furthered his conclusions about Nabiki Tendo's claims.
Across from him, seated at his desk in his office, Tosa
Kurisawa waited for the detective to speak. He sipped on a
glass of imported scotch, moody after the events in the
courtroom.
Oneda sensed his apprehension. "Toto," he said calling
him by the playful pet name he gave his nephew so long ago.
"Be patient. I think things will start to gel soon."
Tosa looked up from the glass. "Gel? This mess?
Uncle, I have been a lawyer now for several years, and I have
never seen a case so screwed up as this."
"I take it you too think she's guilty?"
"Hell yes! Nabiki Tendo is guilty no doubt about that."
He took another swig from his glass. "I cannot believe I
allowed you to talk me into this."
Lieutenant Kira chuckled lightly. "You did it out of
the kindness of your heart, and the fact that I needed this
favor."
"But Uncle, they've got Masuda against me. You know how
he's always wanted to down me after I left his firm. Now
he's going to get his chance."
"Forget about him," said Lieutenant Kira. He stood up
going over to the window and peered outside. Tosa was
stunned by his Uncle's comment. There was no way he could
defend Nabiki effectively, not with the evidence piled up
against her. Forget him? Masuda was guaranteed to bury him
in upcoming trial, and all he could say was forget him?
There was something his uncle was hiding from him
though. He could sense it, the way he was taking everything
so calm.
"What are you up to?" Tosa asked.
A smiled appeared, Kira cutting his eyes briefly over at
him. "Toto, what would you say if I don't expect you to win
this case?" he said.
Silence.
"Toto?" called Lieutenant Kira again. He found his
nephew gapping at him in disbelief. "Did you hear me?"
"You set me up," muttered Tosa.
Another laugh. "No, no, Toto. I did not set you up. I
do need you to defend Nabiki Tendo, but I really need you to
stall for time."
"S-s-stall... for time, Uncle?"
"A day or two. Think you can do it?"
"No. Uncle, I have not a chance of proving her
innocence! How do you expect me to stall for time?"
"You're doing a good job right now, Toto."
"Yeah, one day. Great, but what about tomorrow? The
Prime Minister, Emperor, and the Court will be expecting the
Kuno's there to testify."
"If you find them."
"Which I have not."
Shaking his head, Oneda returned to his chair. "Toto,
Toto, Toto," he said as he sat down. "We still have gained a
day. Believe it or not, progress has been made."
"Progress? What progress!"
"Calm yourself, Toto."
Tosa drew in a deep sigh. He sat back gazing up to the
ceiling wishing there was a way to change this situation.
"Incidentally, we have an idea where the Kuno's are at,"
his uncle informed him.
"You know where they are?" he snapped, jerking upright
in his chair.
"They went to Kyoto. Where I don't know, but when I
return to headquarters, I'm going to contact their station
and put out an APB on them."
"Okay, but that still will not stop the Prime Minister
from beginning the trial tomorrow."
"No. It will give you grounds to keep it open until
they are found though."
They traded knowing looks; Tosa slowly breaking out in a
smile. "Yeah... yeah that might give you more time." His
cheer quickly faded. "There is one thing you have not told
me though, Uncle."
"What's that?"
Tosa leaned towards him. "Why?"
A delicate question, one that Lieutenant Kira was
hesitant to answer. "Let's say I'm after bigger fish," he
answered, giving Tosa a sly wink.
Realizing his uncle was not about to elaborate, Tosa
thought about what was being asked of him. He knew it would
be difficult, but he would give it his best shot. Who knows,
maybe he could find a sliver of a chance and turn the tables
on Masuda.
Unlikely, but one could always dream.
"So, are we on the same page, Toto?" Lieutenant Kira
asked breaking his thoughts.
"Yes, Uncle. I'll do what I can," answered Tosa.
"Good. Now I must go." He stood up.
"Uncle," called Tosa just before he stepped out. Oneda
turned and Tosa smiled.
"To luck?" he said hefting his glass up.
Oneda laughed lightly. "No luck, just pure skill," he
replied.
As the door closed, Tosa paused confused by the remark.
"To skill, whatever that means," he said, downing the
rest of the scotch in his glass.

* * * * *

Narrowed eyes of dissatisfaction glared at the
information scrolling on a monitor, Renon Marcus pursing his
lips tight together trying to keep control of the anger he
felt. On a larger screen situated in front of Marcus's desk,
the Chairman; his ever present mentor and financier, waited
patiently for his man to finish. Itchioni Yamaguchi stood
off to the right behind Renon. He could not see his face,
but sensed that the doctor was quite upset about something.
Marcus taped a few keys on a keyboard to the side then
shut off the monitor.
[Trouble, Renon?] questioned the Chairman.
Marcus briefly looked up at the elderly man. "Some
information I find very disturbing sir."
[Oh? Trouble involving your little operation in
Nerima?]
Hesitantly, Renon nodded. "I can have it cleaned up
tonight, sir," he replied.
[Will it effect us?]
"No sir."
The Chairman seemed satisfied. [So when do you plan to
begin, Renon?]
"Also tonight, sir. I have an agent all set up ready to
be inserted as instructed."
[Excellent. Is he reliable?]
"She, sir, and yes quite reliable."
Renon called up another screen displaying a picture of a
man well into his late fifties, dressed in a fine business
suit surrounded by several staff and bodyguards.
[Renon, Mister Sakita must be brought to heel.
Otherwise, our hold on the stock exchange will be severely
weakened by his desire to sell off trade accounts to the
minor Asian conglomerates,] the Chairman reminded him.
Norisho Sakita's image remained focused in Renon's eyes.
Appointed head of the point committee formed by the Prime
Minister, after the partial stabilization of the economic
fall that rattled Japan and most of Asia; Sakita, with his
vast business expertise, made moves and recommendations that
brought a complete turnaround in banking across the country.
His reforms revitalized the nation, but unknowingly hurt the
underworld infrastructure. After all, it was they who
started the whole affair.
His latest proposals to share the Asian business market
with other countries threw the silent empire into fits.
Opening up control of computer technology, recording and
electronics deals, even the lead in car production sent
chills and alarms throughout the board. Something had to be
done, and again as usual the Chairman called upon his ever
faithful operative to conduct the delicate operation.
Despite his setback, Marcus remained a favorite in the
Chairman's eyes. Renon valued this trust, but his reputation
rest on a floor made of eggshells. One wrong gesture,
failure in this assignment meant instant elimination. He had
plenty of rivals who were more than ready to replace him.
"I will be successful, sir," Renon said.
[I have faith in you, Renon. Contact me when you have
completed this assignment.]
The screen went blank; Renon turning his chair to face
Itchioni.
"Saotome?"
"Sapparo is dragging him up here now, Doctor Marcus,"
Yamaguchi answered.
Thinking a moment longer, Marcus reached back pulling a
piece of paper from the printer beneath his desk. He read
the printout, then angrily crumpled it up in his hand.
"Itchioni, please tell Suin-Tan, Rei and his brothers to
come here."
Itchioni arched a brow. Nodding he went out to gather
the others. A short several minutes later, the four men
stood before Renon Marcus. A dark glower filled his eyes and
they see he was not very pleased.
Drawing in a deep breath, Renon leaned forward. He
steepled his hands before his face, eyes cutting briefly on
each one individually.
"Gentlemen," he began. "I understand I gave you
opportunities to eek out your revenge upon those who have
insulted you, however; I also hired you and that means I
expect my orders to be carried out... thoroughly."
Rei frowned. He glanced at his brothers, then at Suin-
Tan. Scratching the back of his head, he looked at Renon.
"I am not quite sure what you mean by that, Doctor
Marcus," he said.
"Not quite sure what I mean by that?" replied Renon.
Slowly, Marcus rose from his chair. "Not quite sure what I
mean? This is what I mean!"
Renon thrust the crumpled wad of paper out for them to
see.
"Say, Bien-so, did you use Doctor Marcus's paper to
write a letter," Huuchu-so asked his brother.
"No, you nit-wits!" roared Renon. He flicked the paper
ball at Suin-Tan telling him to read it. Suin uncrumpled the
paper. After a few moments his eyes suddenly went wide.
"No... NO!" he cried out.
"What is it, Suin-Tan?" asked Rei.
"I'll tell you what it is," Renon interjected. "It
tells me that you gentlemen have slacked in your duties!"
The insult smacked the Zuchen brothers egos hard. "Are
you calling us incompetent?" snarled Huuchu-so.
Rei kicked his brother in the shin, cutting a
threatening glance at him. Huuchu-so drew back behind Bien-
so.
"Doctor Marcus, my brothers and I have done all that you
have asked us to do," he said, setting a stern look on Renon.
"And just like Suin-tan, only partially succeeded at
what needs to be done!" replied Renon. "That paper from my
informant tells me that Cologne is still alive."
Suin-Tan's head snapped up. "Impossible! She could
have not escaped such an explosion!" he said.
"Well she has, near death, but alive all the same. Now
the police have her in protective custody at Furinkan
Hospital. Do you know what that means?"
Suin-Tan shook his head.
"It means that the police are curious. If Cologne
manages to pull through they will question her."
"But how will she know it was us?" asked Bien-so.
"Fools! She will not, but she will undoubtedly ask for
Mousse and Shampoo. Once the police start searching for
them, and if they find Mousse mind you, then he will start
talking." His gaze locked onto Rei. "And then they start
looking for Ryoga. Once the picture becomes clear, Nabiki
Tendo's situation becomes valid, and then all we have
attained is gone."
"How can the police find us, Doctor?" Suin-Tan asked.
"IDIOTS!" roared Marcus. "They will find us. The
entire country will be searched if need be to root us out,
and do not underestimate our propitious foes. We may be
hidden, but even the slightest trail will not go unnoticed."
Renon sat back down allowing them to ponder his words
for a moment. The weight of the issue could not be missed
even by the Zuchen twins. After a moment, Suin-Tan spoke up.
"I will go and kill Cologne," he said.
"Not a chance," replied Marcus.
"But, but, I thought you want her dead?"
"I do, but I do not want you prowling around anywhere
where the police can get a good look at you. Bad enough you
went parading down streets in broad daylight with Shampoo
kicking and screaming over your shoulders. Another
appearance will only heighten their suspicions. No, she will
be taken care of."
Suin-Tan wanted to protest, insulted by his loss of
face. He sneered angrily down at the ground, his hate for
both Mousse and Cologne doubled. Yamaguchi shuffling beside
him made Suin-Tan glance over to see Renon's man smiling
derisively. His fist balled, Suin-Tan ready to pound him.
Renon noticed as well. "Wipe that smile off your face,
Itchioni. You too have failed me."
Yamaguchi smirked, the smile fading away.
"What do you want done, Doctor Marcus?" asked Rei.
Renon thought a minute. "Rei, I want you to take your
brothers and return to North Nerima. Continue the search for
Hibiki and this mystery girl and pig."
"What about Mousse?" asked Suin-Tan
"He will reappear, and then he will die."
"But Doctor--,"
Renon's narrow gaze stopped Suin-Tan's protest.
"As you wish, Doctor."
"Good." Renon glanced over at Yamaguchi. "Once Sapparo
has completed his mission, you help in the search for
Kasumi."
"Yes, Doctor Marcus."
Marcus sat back in his chair. He ran a withering gaze
across all of them before continuing on.
"I want all of you back before One O'clock. Is that
clear, gentlemen?"
They all said yes, and he waved Suin-Tan and the Zuchen
brothers away. When they were gone, Itchioni moved closer to
the desk.
"Doctor, if I may say, I do not think searching for them
all night will gain anything."
"It will ensure our illusive friends do not try to
contact the police in person, Itchioni," replied Renon. "We
take no chances, and I still want Kasumi Tendo."
By his tone, Yamaguchi knew the topic was finished.
"Now then, where is Sapparo?" Marcus asked him.
Yamaguchi was about to answer when the door opened.
Sapparo entered guiding a weak and quavering Ranma along
beside him.
"Ah, Sapparo. Ever the studious one," commented Renon.
Sapparo pushed Ranma down to his knees. He bowed,
stepping back and Renon stood up.
"Ranma. How good it is to see you again."
Ranma could barely keep himself upright. Every breath
he took was an effort in itself; head heavy like a ton of raw
steel. He drew in another gasp, allowing a spasm of pain to
cut through him before answering.
"I'm not... I'm not pleased to see you... Marcus."
Renon smiled. "Still one with the barbed tongue.
Defiance, strong but breakable. Is that not right, Sapparo?"
Sapparo chuckled at Ranma.
"What... what now, Marcus?" asked Ranma.
"Yes. It is time for you to earn your keep."
"My... keep?"
"For keeping you alive, Ranma, or have you forgotten
that you work for me now, hmm?"
Ranma strained, lifting his head up at Renon. "I'm not
working for you, Marcus," he said.
"Oh, really?" replied Renon.
Ranma could not stay upright any longer. Another spasm
sent him teetering to his side in pain. Itchioni smirked
slightly as the boy writhed in agony on the floor.
Renon, unmoved by his condition, reached back over the
desk hitting a button. A picture lit the wide screen on the
wall.
"Ranma, I'd look up if I were you," he said.
Ranma turned his head up to look at the screen. It was
a picture of Nodoka, seated on a bed in a room somewhere in
the castle estate. She peered out the window at the skyline,
but he could see the glint of tears in her eyes and on her
cheeks.
"Tch, tch, tch, tch. Such a lonely woman, Ranma. I
wonder if she'd like some, heh, heh, company?"
"You stay away from my mother, you bastard. ARGH!"
The anger only amplified Ranma's pains. He curled up
into a ball, moaning and shuddering uncontrollably. Renon
arched a brow. He gave Sapparo a light twitch of his head
and the Master Ninja knelt beside Ranma.
Popping the top off the vial of the counter agent,
Sapparo poured a few drops into his mouth. Its effects were
a godsend to Ranma. He desperately groped for the ninja's
hands, but Sapparo swatted them aside.
Renon laughed, humored by the attempts. "Stand him up,"
he ordered. Yamaguchi and Sapparo pulled their battered
captive from the floor, holding him up as Renon returned to
his chair.
"Like I was saying, you have a job to do, Ranma," he
continued. Reaching down into one of the desk drawers, Renon
pulled out a vial filled with a dark, reddish colored liquid.
Ranma immediately recognized it. He gasped, trying to squirm
free from the hands holding him.
"Not for you, Ranma," said Renon. He pulled another
vial out, this one empty, and began pouring the Ginsukou sap
into it. Filling it a quarter of the way, Renon resealed it.
"No, Ranma, this is not for you either."
"Then, then who is it for?" asked Ranma.
"Your target. Sapparo will instruct you while you are
both on your way."
Staring at the vial on the desk, Ranma wondered who it
was the Ginsukou was meant for. No matter what, he still did
not like giving it to anyone. Death would be better than
this, but the deaths of his family and friends out weighed
everything. Hesitantly, he reached out, but before his hand
got near the vial, Sapparo swatted it away.
"Don't touch," said Renon.
Sapparo picked up the vial and tucked it in his belt.
A last glance up at the screen, Ranma sadly gazed down
at the floor. "When am I doing this?"
"Tonight."
"I-I-I'm going to need some time to recover, Marcus."
Renon shook his head. "You will be fine. Now there is
one more thing before I send you away."
"What?" groaned Ranma.
A devious grin appeared. Renon chuckled, leaning back
in his chair. "I understand you have an alter ego, Mister
Ranma Saotome. I would like to see her now."

* * * * *

The setting of dusk along the shoreline of Lake Biwa-ko
enhanced the beauty that graced the serene countryside.
Tatewaki Kuno never noticed as he dragged his waterlogged
manservant and sister from the river. Staggering to a stop
he set them down on the ground, and with a deep sigh,
Tatewaki slowly knelt to his knees in the soft sand and earth
thankful they had survived this ordeal so far.
Kodachi coughed, clearing her lungs of the water in
them. Rising up on her arms she looked slowly around.
"Tachi?" called Kodachi weakly.
"Here, sister," answered Tatewaki.
She turned around. "So we are alive."
"Brilliant observation, Kodachi."
Kodachi glanced at Sasuke. "And him?" she said
pointing.
Tatewaki crawled over to Sasuke. He turned him over.
"Sasuke. Sasuke!" Several slaps to the cheeks drew a long
gasp from Sasuke. Tatewaki tipped him onto his side allowing
him to cough up the water in his lungs.
Finally, Sasuke opened his eyes. "M-Master Kuno?"
"Ah, you are not dead. Good," said Tatewaki, smiling.
He helped Sasuke up and the three sat in silence staring
at each other. Suddenly, Kodachi glanced back at the river,
then up at the hills around them. She let out one of her
low, evil laughs briefly before looking back at her brother
again.
"Hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo," she let out again.
Tatewaki frowned, wondering if the fall had not rattled
Kodachi harder than he suspected. Her laughter continued and
it proved to be contagious. Slowly, he too began to chuckle,
bursting out into laughter with Sasuke joining in.
"(Ha, Ha) What's, what's so funny, Ko-Ko-Kodachi?"
Tatewaki finally managed to ask.
"That was quite fun!" Kodachi answered, laughing harder.
All of the humor faded from Tatewaki and Sasuke in a
second. They stared at Kodachi, and slowly she stopped.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"Fun?" questioned Tatewaki. "You found that fun!"
"Why yes. I must try it again sometime," replied
Kodachi.
Tatewaki did a double-take. "Try it again? Kodachi,
you were about to fight me tooth and nail not to jump off
that train!"
"So I was wrong. I think we could make that a new type
of sport, Tachi."
"Wha--, did you hear her, Sasuke?"
"Yes, Master Kuno. I dare say I did."
Tatewaki shot to his feet. "Let's go!" he growled,
storming off towards the surrounding woods.
"Tachi, wait for us!" cried Kodachi.
They rushed after him.
"Master Kuno, what are your intentions now?" asked
Sasuke.
"Find some place to hide for the night. Nari is
probably scouring the area for us, and without arms we are at
a major disadvantage."
"We could walk along the shoreline until we come upon a
home or something," suggested Kodachi. "I'm sure then I can
arrange--,"
Tatewaki rounded on her. "You will not arrange anything
more for us," he said sternly. "In fact, you will not
arrange anything else for us as long as I'm around."
Kodachi stepped hesitantly from behind Sasuke. "It was
only a suggestion, brother," she meekly replied.
"And a silly one at that. Now let's get moving."
Silently they continued on towards the forest. Kodachi
let out another light chuckle.
"It still was quite fun," she muttered low.
Tatewaki let out an angry growl, parting the limbs
forcefully aside as he led them into the forest.
Chapter Twelve

Nervous eyes watched in silence as the Veterinarian
tending to P-chan studied the readouts on the computer
monitor on his desk. Several hums and ahs brought more fear
and tension to Akari's face, but she held back her questions
waiting for the final verdict.
The Vet finally turned around. "Your little pig
ingested a severe amount of poisons, Miss Unryuu," he said to
her. "Strychnine, cyanide, and Monoethenides that would have
killed several animals three times over."
Akari gasped fearing the worst. "Does that mean, does
that mean you cannot help him?" she asked.
The Vet laughed. "Help him? I'm surprised he's still
breathing now. A strong little piglet he is."
The Vet went back over to the table where P-chan lay
bundled in his blankets. Reaching up, he turned a spot light
on the piglet and began examining him again.
"Yes, very remarkable indeed."
"Can he be helped?" asked Akari again.
Thinking, the Vet went over to a medicine cabinet,
opening it up. He ran sifted through the bottles on the
shelves taking several of them out, then pulled a box of
syringes from a drawer. Sharp snaps made Akari flinch as he
opened seals, filling several of them.
"We shall see, Miss Unryuu," he answered her question.
"Please, hold your piglet for me."
Akari picked up P-chan.
"Now this is going to hurt my little friend," said the
Vet opening up the blanket.
The first shot went straight into P-chan's rear and he
let out a tiny squeal. Akari blinked away tears as she held
P-chan still. The Vet told her to turn him over onto his
back and she did.
"Hold him very tight. Very, very tight, Miss Unryuu,"
the Vet instructed her.
Placing the needle over the area where P-chan's heart
would be, he gave Akari on last look to see if she was ready.
She sniffed, then swallowed giving him a quick nod. P-chan's
tiny cry pierced the air as the injection was administered.
"Hang on, Ryoga. This is to save your life," Akari
said.
P-chan's cries subsided, and the Vet told her to place
him back down on the table.
"Now this is the most important, and the most painful,
Miss Unryuu," the Vet told her. "You must not allow your pet
to squirm around, or I might do irreversible damage to him."
"What are you going to do?" asked Akari.
Picking up the last syringe, the Vet held it up, tapping
out the air bubbles. "I must inject this into his spinal
cord at the base of his neck. Do you understand how
important it is now for him not to move around?"
Akari nodded.
Drawing several straps across P-chan for extra support,
the Vet placed Akari's hands at the center of P-chan's back.
He told her to press down hard and not let up, then placed
the tip of the needle to P-chan's skin.
"Ready?" he asked on last time.
"Do it, please do it before I cry!" exclaimed Akari.
The injection was made, and P-Chan let out a long
hideous squeal that chilled even the Veterinarian's soul.
The tiny piglet attempted to squirm but only managed a slight
jerk.
"Now, Doctor. Now can I let go?" Akari frantically
asked.
"Not yet, Miss Unryuu. A few seconds more," replied the
Vet.
P-chan shuddered again, and it was all that Akari could
muster within herself to keep from breaking down. Finally,
the needle was removed and they both drew back.
Akari looked for any sign of life in the piglet.
"Ryoga?" she called lightly. A gentle nudge of his head
brought no results.
"He's dead!" cried Akari. She reached for him, but the
Vet suddenly held her back. She struggled in his grasps,
beating furiously on his chest.
"Let me go, let me go! You've killed him, you've killed
him, you monster, you quack, you--,"
"Miss Unryuu," the Vet said calmly.
Akari stopped. She looked up, then back at the table.
P-chan's tiny head slowly moved.
"RYOGA!" shouted Akari. She shot over and removed the
straps hefting P-chan high up into the air before hugging him
tight to her chest.
"You're alive!" she said cheerfully.
"Oh ye of little faith," commented the Veterinarian with
a laugh.
Akari turned around. "I'm so sorry I doubted you,
Doctor," she said.
"It's quite understandable. Now you must allow your
little pet time to recover. The toxins in his system are not
dispelled yet."
How long?" she asked.
"Give him a day or two. Pigs are natural filters so I
think that should be enough time. If you see any signs of
relapse bring him back immediately."
Akari nodded. "So how much do I owe you?"
The Vet glanced up at the ceiling, pondering a figure in
his head. "Well, for someone so devoted I think I can let
this one go on the house," he replied, smiling at her.
"Oh thank you," replied Akari. She set P-chan down and
wrapped her arms around him, squeezing tight.
"Whoa, whoa there. Trying to kill the Doctor are we?"
joked the Vet.
She drew back. "I owe you a lot. We both do," said
Akari.
Picking up P-chan, Akari rebundled him back up into her
blanket. Thanking the Vet again she opened the door.
"Miss Unryuu," called the Vet.
"Yes?"
"One question. `Ryoga'?"
Akari hid her surprise with some difficulty, not
realizing that she had been calling Ryoga by his real name.
She laughed.
"Just another pet name," she quickly answered.
The Vet let out a light grunt. "Such devotion. Take
care, Miss Unryuu. You too `Ryoga'," he said.
Akari smiled nervously, hastily leaving the office.

* * * * *

Outside the Veterinary, Akari took a quick look around.
The streets appeared to be normal, and she scampered down the
steps. Walking briskly up the sidewalk for home, Akari
suddenly realized that she had not replaced the scarf about
her head.
Panic creeped up into her chest. Stopping now might
draw attention from unwanted eyes. Desperately, she hung her
head down making occasional glances up to see while hiding
her face. So caught up in her flight was Akari that when she
rounded a corner, she looked up too late to stop from running
into a man leaning against the streetlamp.
Akari let out a startled gasp, drawing back. He turned,
and they stared at each other for a moment in tense silence.
Forcing a smile, Akari said "Excuse me," and attempted
to move past him. Much to her surprise, he stepped aside.
"I should not have been standing there," he replied.
Suddenly, his eyes noticed the tiny snout sticking out
from a fold in the blanket. Akari followed his gaze, then
quickly covered it up.
"My pet," she said, moving on.
The stranger watched her go. Narrowing an eye for a
moment, he shrugged then returned to his position against the
post.

* * * * *
Norisho Sakita's estate, eastern suburbs
of Tokyo, 7:45 PM

Ranko's geta clacked ominously through the halls as the
young girl walked steadily towards the far doors at the end.
She wanted to scream, call out the alarm to warn Sakita's
guards that danger lurked in their midst. Unfortunately, she
knew that would be the same as signing Akane's death warrant
along with her father and mother.
The tray of food in her hands grew heavy, and the ill
fitting kimono gown continued to slip down from her waist and
shoulders. Ranko stopped, setting the tray on a table along
the wall and began refixing her disguise.
"Saotome, why are you delaying?" called a light voice
from the shadows.
Ranko paused, eyes scanning around for a glimpse of the
Master ninja. Sapparo did his work well, she thought. The
man was like a ghost remaining out of sight.
"I'm trying to fix this outfit you so conveniently got
for me," she snarled, resuming her task.
"Hurry it up. You were supposed to be there five
minutes ago."
"Hey! I'm not the one who picked this out, pal,"
snapped Ranko. "You could have done a better job finding a
girl my size. Incidentally, you didn't have to hit her so
hard."
A sharp pain stabbed at Ranko's stomach. She tensed
clutching her midsection.
"Don't question my methods, Saotome," Sapparo said.
"Now pick up that tray and get down there!"
Ranko looked up. "I think, I think I need more of the
antidote," she gasped.
"No, now get moving!"
Ranko's shaking hands gripped the tray of food once
more. She picked it up, then pausing staring at the hot cup
of tea and its deadly content of Ginsukou sap. To just drop
it now. Make it look like an accident and spare herself of
doing this dark deed.
"Get it out of your mind," Sapparo's threatening voice
called down.
Ranko closed her eyes. Taking a few deep breaths, she
fought through the pain and continued on down the hall.
Reaching the sliding doors, Ranko tapped lightly. One
opened, two of Sakita's bodyguards staring at her.
"Uh... I have Mister Sakita's... dinner f-f-for him,"
she said.
The guard before her took the tray. "Where is your
identification?" he asked.
Ranko reached into a sleeve producing a small
identification card, handing it to his partner. Please,
please look at it close, she thought, secretly praying the
guard would see it was a fake.
Matching the likeness, the guard turned it front to back
several times. He appeared satisfied.
"It looks good," the guard told his partner, handing it
back to Ranko.
Idiots, she thought placing it back into her sleeve.
They let her pass and Ranko went on to the next set of doors.
She knocked, and a gentlemanly voice told her to enter.
Dressed in his evening robe, Norisho Sakita sat at the
center of the room before a low table studying several pages
of papers arrayed before him. He looked up and smiled at
her.
"Ah yes, dinner," he said, setting the papers aside.
"For a minute there I thought my cook had forgotten I was
alive."
His humor brought a weak smile to Ranko's face. The
man's friendly charisma only made it harder to carry out her
instructions. Sakita beckoned Ranko to come over. She did
kneeling down in front of the table.
"So, my little blossom. You are a new one here in my
estate," he said while taking the dishes from the tray.
Ranko hesitantly nodded. When the old man picked up the
cup of tea, Ranko's bottom lip began to quiver. Tears
started to well up, vision growing blurred. She hung her
head, unable to look upon the man.
"Is there something troubling you, young lady?" asked
Sakita.
"No... no, sir," Ranko replied.
"Nonsense. I can tell you are troubled by something.
What is it?"
Here is your chance, Ranko thought. Looking up, Ranko
cleared her eyes. "Well sir. It is the--,"
Over the shoulder of Sakita, Ranko could see Sapparo's
eyes glaring at her though one of the panels in the roof.
They narrowed, telegraphing the threat no words could convey.
Ranko swallowed hard. "The food," she lied. "I am
hoping the food is to your liking, s-s-sir."
Sakita smiled again. "I'm sure it is, child," he said.
"You need not shed tears on my account."
Sapparo's eyes remained fixed on her.
"Tears of... joy, sir," replied Ranko.
Helplessly, Ranko watched as Norisho Sakita drew the cup
of tea up to his lips. She could not bear it any longer,
closing her eyes as he took a sip.
"Hmm, interesting. A light, pleasantly sweet flavor,"
she heard him say.
Another sip, then the foreboding silence. When Ranko
reopened her eyes, Sakita had fallen into a trance.
"Excellent job, Saotome," Sapparo's voice called out
lightly.
From the cieling, Sapparo climbed out. He walked over,
waving a hand before Sakita's eyes. There was no reaction
satisfying him. "You've done well. Doctor Marcus will be
pleased."
Ranko looked sharply up. "What you're doing is wrong!"
she shouted.
Sapparo quickly gripped her jaw tight, stifling further
protest. "Lower your voice, or I will see to it that your
dear Akane suffers."
Ranko nodded and he thrust her head free. Sapparo knelt
beside Sakita. "Go watch the doors," he ordered Ranko.
"What you're doing is wrong, Sapparo," snarled Ranko
again.
"Get over there!" snapped Sapparo.
Ranko hesitated, then did as she was told.
Once out of earshot, Sapparo leaned closer to Sakita's
ear. "And now, Mister Norisho Sakita, it is time to follow
your true calling," he said before dictating Marcus's
instructions to him.

* * * * *

The narrow confines of Nabiki's cell prevented her from
getting comfortable enough to fall asleep. Dressed again in
the ill-fitting yellow prison jumpsuit, she sat huddled in
one corner of her darkened cell contemplating the days
events.
She was hungry, cold, and thoroughly depressed, with no
glimmer of hope in the immediate future. Nabiki still could
not believe that such a thing could happen. With Tosa
Kurisawa as her only ally, no matter how hard she might
squirm and fight, Marcus's invisible grip would inevitably
squeeze the life from her.
"TENDO!" shouted a loud commanding voice. The door to
her cell opened, a female guard standing outside. Nabiki
slowly stood up.
"Here!" snarled the guard. She thrust a small, half
opened box at her. Nabiki opened it up. Inside, there was a
small bowl of rice with a few pieces of raw fish on top.
"Who?" wondered Nabiki, looking up at the guard.
"Read the card," answered the guard.
Attached to one side was a small card which read;

Nabiki,
I hope this will help you through the night.
Please believe me, I am trying to do everything
I can.
Hang in there,
Tosa Kurisawa

"Aw, isn't that sweet," said Nabiki. The note brought a
warm feeling through her and she smiled.
"Yeah a real darling," said the guard sarcastically.
"You're not a very nice person," Nabiki said to her,
frowning.
The guard sneered. "Be thankful I let this get to you,
Tendo," she said.
The door slammed shut, and Nabiki sat back down.
Sighing, she looked through the box for chopsticks or any
utensils. Taken, probably by that dike guard.
"Shit! She even took the Musabi!"
"You didn't think she wouldn't?" called a woman's voice.
Nabiki looked around. "Huh? Who said that?"
"Me, you neighbor," came the reply. "My names Uni. My
sister is in the cell across from us. Anna, can you hear
me?"
A short silence followed.
"She's kind'a shy," the prisoner named Uni said. "Anna,
don't be such a prude!"
"You're going to get us in trouble with Sergeant Ozaki,
Uni," came Anna's frantic reply.
"Oh, screw her!" snapped Uni. "She's all wind."
"Yeah, tell that to my blackeye too."
"Um, excuse me," Nabiki said interrupting them. "Who's
this Sergeant I need to be afraid of?"
"You met her already. Sergeant Leona Ozaki. Ya'know,
the fire-breathing guard who gave you the box," said Uni.
"Oh, her."
Nabiki stared down at the meal Tosa sent her. She set
it aside and leaned back against the wall. Letting out a
heavy sigh, Nabiki gazed up at the ceiling.
"So what are you two in for?" she asked, trying to keep
her mind off her situation.
"Us?" replied Uni. "Well, we kind'a got caught playing
a practical joke on the government."
"Pffft, if you call it a practical joke again, Uni, I'm
gonna pound you so hard when we get out of here!" said Anna.
"Okay, so we tried to smoke out the Prime Minister's
Office. What's the harm in that?"
Nabiki sat up with a start. "Smoke out the Prime
Minister's Office?" she said. "Now what in the hell would
you want to do something like that for?"
"He wouldn't consider our request to suspend all fishing
and whale hunting around Japan."
"And that was to include shutting down all industrial
plants and facilities too," added Anna.
Hanging her head, Nabiki covered her face with a hand.
"Great, just what I need. Environmentalist."
"Hey, what's wrong with wanting to save the ecology?"
Uni said.
"Yeah, I'd bet you'd be kicking and screaming if someone
was pulling you out of your natural environment against your
own freewill," added Anna.
Nabiki chuckled for a moment. "Spare me, girls," she
finally said. "I'm a natural Capitalist."
"Figures," snapped Uni.
"So why try burning down the PM's office?" asked Nabiki.
"We didn't try to burn anything!" shouted Anna.
"Well you don't have to be so defensive."
"Anna's very sensitive about that," explained Uni. "The
plan was all hers and she was so proud of it too."
Anna let out a loud huff. "Would'a worked too, if not
for that evil sergeant out there," she grumbled.
"You mean the guard watching us now? Ozaki?"
"Yeah," answered Uni. "Ol'fire and brimstone herself.
Busted us flat when we were just about done."
"So you didn't get the smoke bombs planted."
"Stink bombs," Anna corrected her. "Smoke might kill
someone if they got overcome."
"See we weren't out to hurt anyone, we just wanted to
scare the Prime Minister into seeing reason," said Uni.
A long silence followed, then the sisters heard Nabiki's
laughter drift from her cell.
"What's so funny?" asked Anna.
"You were going to scare the Prime Minister with...
Stink Bombs!" Nabiki burst out laughing again.
"And what's wrong with that?"
"Stupid!" replied Nabiki.
"You know that's what I told her too, but she wouldn't
listen to me," Uni said. "Heh, I knew we should have stuck
to our original plan."
"And, and what was that?"
"Stuff his mailbox full of dead tuna fish."
They could hear the thump of Nabiki's body as she fell
to her side in fits.
"Hey! You know you two are both lucky we're in
different cells!" snapped Anna. "I'd be stomping the sense
out of you right now!"
Nabiki could not hear her, laughing hard for a long
moment. Finally, she settle down. "Oh, oh thank you, girls.
I didn't think I'd find anything to laugh about ever again."
"You're welcome," replied Uni.
"Uni!" snapped Anna.
There was a short silence, then Uni called to Nabiki
again.
"So why'd you do it, Tendo?" she asked.
That caught Nabiki off guard. The cell seemed suddenly
cold once again, and she sat up.
"I-I didn't do anything," she answered.
"That's not what we heard," teased Anna.
Nabiki pressed up against her cell door in a flash.
"What, what did you hear?"
"We heard that you are some big time killer trying to
wipe out the government and spread anarchy throughout the
land."
"I am not trying to do anything of the sort!"
Uni let out a thoughtful hum. "The police here seem
pretty sure you're going down," she said.
"Yeah, they're so sure they've even got a money pool on
you," added Anna.
"W-W-What?"
"We tried to get into it, but they took all our money."
"No," moaned Nabiki. She turned around and slid to the
floor in total dejection.
"You really shouldn't be surprised, Tendo," said Anna.
"After all, you did try to kill the Prime Minister and--,"
"I didn't try to kill anybody!" shouted Nabiki.
"Hey keep it down," Uni warned her. "You want that evil
sergeant to come in here and beat you up?"
Nabiki let out a sigh. "It might be better than what
could happen."
"Nope. You won't get out of it that easy, Tendo," said
Uni. "She's got a stake in that pot too."
"So somebody is betting on me?"
"Hell no! The bet's not on if you are innocent or not."
"It's not?"
"Nope. They're betting on what time you will be
executed once the verdict is read."
"I say you'll be dead before the ink's dry on the
paper," Anna added.
Nabiki shot to her feet. "No! No, I'm innocent. Do
you hear me? I'm innocent, innocent, innocent!" she pounded
her fist on the door with each word, finally breaking down
into tears.
The door to the cell block suddenly flew open. In walked
Sergeant Leona Ozaki, face turned down in a sneer. The three
prisoners could hear her steps, then a sharp rap on Nabiki's
door made her flinch. She covered her ears and drew back.
"Shut up in there, Tendo!" growled Ozaki. "You'll have
plenty of time tomorrow to whine in court."
Anna let out a giggle which drew her attention. "And
you two! One more round of chatter and this `evil sergeant'
is going to come in there and pound both of you! Got it?"
"YESSIR,MAAMSIRMAAMSIRMAAM!" the sisters cried in
unison.
Ozaki cut her eyes menacingly from cell door to cell
door before storming out. The door slammed shut and silence
mercifully returned.
"Tendo," Uni suddenly whispered lightly.
"Shh, Uni. You're gonna get us all hurt," Anna pleaded
low.
Uni ignored her. "Tendo, you still alive?"
Nabiki shuddered, then uncurled from her fetal position
on the floor. "Yeah, I'm still here."
"Hey, if it means anything... I believe you. Don't ask
me why, but I do."
That touched Nabiki's soul. She reached out and placed
her palm on the wall. "Thanks, Uni. At least somebody
believes in me."
"No problem. I'm not facing death like you are, but I
think I understand how you feel. It's not very pleasant, you
know. Living in fear and all."
Nabiki fought to hold back her tears. "Yes, yes it's
not," she replied through trembling lips.
"Well, good luck to you tomorrow."
"Th-thanks, Uni."
Uni's words made Nabiki feel better, but she knew in
several hours her trial would begin. A chill ran through
her, Nabiki stuffing a fist in her mouth to hold back the
scream she so desperately wanted to let out.
It all looked hopeless. Nabiki grabbed the pillow
crying steadily until finally her body grew tired and she
drifted into a deep, troubled sleep.

* * * * *

Kasumi Tendo stood beneath the steady stream of warm
water from the shower, muscles relaxing after today's events.
How often was she able to find the time for this could be
counted on one hand. The steady chores around the Dojo
caring for her family, tending house allowed little
opportunities for pleasures such as this. How ironic it was
that in their deepest hours of need she could allow herself
this luxury.
Her last thought made Kasumi start lightly. Feeling
suddenly guilty and afraid, she turned off the shower and
quickly dried herself. Wrapping her towel around her, Kasumi
stepped back out into the living room where Ono Tofu lay on
his mat reading a book.
Kasumi sat down and began drying her hair before
stopping to watch him curiously.
"That must be some book," she said to Ono.
"Mm hmm," replied Ono, turning a page.
Staring at the good doctor for a moment, Kasumi finally
crawled closer to him. She peered at the front cover, then
sat back.
"Computer Basics and Networking?" she said.
Ono flipped the book down, looking over at her.
"Somebody has to understand what Gosunkugi is saying," he
replied.
The sight of Kasumi clad in nothing but a towel
immediately fogged Ono's glasses. He shuddered, quickly
returning his gaze back into the book.
Kasumi smiled. "I guess someone should talk this
`Computereese' if we intend to be successful," she said,
reaching over pulling off his glasses.
"U-U-U-um, y-y-yes I guess I-I-I am the most a-a-
adaptable for the p-p-p-part," he replied.
Holding the glasses up, Kasumi made sure they were
thoroughly clean. She started to hand them back, then paused
to reflect upon Tofu's handsome features. Kasumi set them
aside and inched closer to him.
"Ono," she said, smiling lightly.
"Uh yes, Kasumi?"
"Would you mind if I, if I slept next to you tonight?"
Tofu was literally paralyzed. Kasumi asking him that
rattled his brain. He lay there with mouth agape searching
for the right response in his mind.
Thinking she had gone to far, Kasumi's cheeks flushed.
"I'm sorry, Doctor Tofu. I should not have asked that."
She started to move away, but Ono suddenly reached out
and grabbed her gently by the wrist.
"It is okay, Kasumi. You can stay next to me," he said.
Relieved, Kasumi settled in snuggling closer to Tofu.
They were quiet, nervously waiting for each other to speak.
After a moment, Kasumi shifted, placing her head on Ono's
chest with a low sigh.
"We really should not have left the guys behind like we
did," she said.
Tofu let out a brief laugh. "They'll be alright," he
said. "If I figure Konatsu right, he will not let things get
out of hand."
"Gosh, I hope so. They're virtually up under the
police's noses. What mayhem it would cause if they are
discovered I don't even want to imagine."
"It might turn out to be a good thing for us."
Kasumi rose up giving Ono a strange look. He arched a
brow guessing what was on her mind.
"If the police do discover them, then at least within
the confines of Tokyo Headquarters they stand a chance of
avoiding Marcus's agents first."
"But what if some of the police are Marcus's agents?"
countered Kasumi. "I mean if this list they have on us is
false, then somebody had to plant it, right?"
"Yes, that's why we did not surrender ourselves. I
would not put it past Marcus to somehow whisk you out of a
cell with no questions asked."
Tofu's scenario sent a shudder through Kasumi. She laid
back down, pressing closer to Ono. Another awkward silence
followed.
"You know I liked the way your hair looked dyed black,
Kasumi," Tofu said.
Kasumi blushed; Ono feeling the heat rushing to her
cheek. She suddenly laughed. "Yes, I did not think I would
have such a change of my features," she replied.
"Well despite the overalls and cap, your beauty could
still not be concealed."
Tofu reflected on the way the police officers reacted
once they got a good look at a Kasumi when they pulled up to
the service entrance of Tokyo Police Headquarters. Every
young male cop there virtually fought to help her unload and
move the large beverage machine Tofu arranged to have
delivered into the building and up the series of steps to its
final destination. He remembered how hard it was to keep
himself from laughing as they drove away, the forlorned puppy-
dog looks that followed them a sight to behold. Kasumi's
unique beauty might be an asset for her, but in their current
situation it could bring unwanted attention.
"If Konatsu does not call tonight, I'll go and get the
guys," he said.
"And leave me here by myself!" exclaimed Kasumi, rising
up again.
"The chance of you being discovered is too great. It
was risky just having you along when we went out."
"Ono, I will not--,"
"Attract attention? Look at the reaction you received
from all those cops."
She had to admit that fact. Laying down, Kasumi dreaded
being away from Ono. Her fear of Marcus tugged sharply at
her emotions, emotions already stretched by the worry for her
family and friends. Feeling Tofu's strong, firm body next to
her renewed Kasumi's confidence, and she felt relieved that
she had found someone to trust in this world.
Someone whom she could also share her love.
"Ono," said Kasumi.
"Yes?"
"I'm cold."
Jitters rushed trough Tofu. He found himself paralyzed
again, then Kasumi gently pulled back the quilt he lay under.
The touch of her soft skin increased the flow of blood
rushing through his veins. A hand turned his head to the
side; Kasumi Tendo gazing deep into his eyes.
"Ono, you won't let Marcus get me, will you?"
Tofu snapped out of his stupor. "Never, sweetheart.
I'll die first," he replied.
Kasumi smiled. She inched closer and kissed him lightly
on the lips. "I ... I love you, Ono," she whispered into his
ear.
This came as a complete shock, but Tofu's self-imposed
fears did not reappear. He wrapped his arms around her
waist, drawing her close. Together they stared at each
other, then Tofu spoke in a low voice.
"Are you sure this is what you want?" he asked, brushing
a strand of hair away from Kasumi's face.
She smiled. "I've never been so sure of anything in my
life."
Reaching over, Kasumi turned out the light. A rustle
from beneath the quilt followed; Kasumi's towel landing off
in one corner shortly after that.
Ono Tofu managed one short last gasp before Kasumi
kissed him again, ending any further questions.

* * * * *

Computer Central Control,
Tokyo Police Headquarters,
10:55 PM

Ken's fingers typed instructions into the terminal he
sat before, hoping this marathon of research would come to an
end soon. His eyes burned, a sure sign of exhaustion after
running around town almost non-stop. Beside him, Wanabe sat
staring at his computer monitor, a slight frown on his face.
"Find something?" asked Ken pausing from his work.
Tamigari let out a sigh. "Kind of," he answered.
Ken rolled his chair over. On the screen, a webpage
readout was displayed. The header read in bold letters
`GINSUKOU' with several columns of information below it.
"So, Tendo wasn't lying about this stuff after all, eh?"
he said.
Wanabe's eyes cut briefly over to Ken, then he sat back.
"Looks like our initial conclusions could be wrong after
all."
"Just like the boss said," finished Ken.
"Puts everything in a different light now. I wonder how
the Lieutenant is going to proceed after bringing this to
him."
Ken smirked and stood up. He stretched, milling
thoughts in his mind about this new piece of information that
might just affect everything that has come along so far.
Tendo being right burned his ass, but now they had to find
more evidence that would bring this Renon Marcus out into the
open.
"I guess this proves Tendo is innocent," commented
Wanabe.
Ken turned around. "No it does not. She might have
been right about this plant being real, but it still does not
clear her from the charges of attempted assassination."
"Says here, Ginsukou root numbs the central brain
leaving its victim a mindless puppet." Wanabe smiled,
looking up at his partner. "She said she did drink some of
it," he pointed out.
"Yeah, and who's to say she did not feed it to her
family, eh? Think about that?"
"Sounds silly."
Ken started sharply. "You must be looking for a way to
clear her, aren't you?"
"No, but I'm also not headhunting like you either,"
replied Tamigari.
"Headhunting!" Ken paused, reigning in his anger.
"Okay. You think she's innocent, I think she's guilty.
Let's not bicker about it and concentrate on our research,
okay?"
Wanabe shrugged. "Okay," he replied. Adjusting his
glasses, he peered over at the terminal Ken was using.
Reading the page on the screen, Tamigari sat sharply back.
"A background check?" he said in disbelief.
Ken smiled. Returning to his seat, he finished
inputting his request into the computer and sent it out.
"Yep," he answered turning to Wanabe. "Ms. Nabiki Tendo
thinks she's immune to government securities, but I know
differently."
"And how is that?" asked Wanabe.
"Contacts. People in the know around the city.
Everyone talks my friend, and information comes from all
sources big and small."
A beep sounded from the terminal.
"Ah, here we are," said Ken.
Eagerly, the two watched as a profile sheet scrolled up.
Nabiki Tendo's face appeared, and below her ran a history
list dating back all the way to her pre-high school days.
Wanabe whistled loud. "This girl is something else," he
said.
"Holy smokes! Organizing the neighborhood paperboys
into a union at the age of thirteen? Forcing restaurant
delivery people to give her a forty percent cut of all tips
as `good will' insurance!"
"Hmm, not a bad idea. You know those guys are always
drifting off the job and--,"
"Tami!"
Tamigari laughed. "Just kidding. A union, eh? Didn't
think anyone could do that here."
Ken rolled his eyes up to the ceiling. "Look," he
continued, scrolling the page up. "Tendo had her grips into
the student faculty of Furnikan High School."
"Class Treasurer since her freshmen days. Boy oh'boy is
this woman business-minded."
"She's a pirate!" scowled Ken. He scrolled down
further. His fingers abruptly let up on the down key.
"Now look at this," said Ken. "Nabiki Tendo has been
selling lurid pictures."
That surprised Wanabe. "Pornography?"
"Soft, hard, it does not say. However; it does say who
she's been selling it to."
"And it is?"
Ken turned. "Tatewaki Kuno."
Wanabe let out a gasp. "No?" he declared in disbelief.
"Yep." Ken rubbed his hands together. "It makes sense.
Tendo blackmails Kuno, he gets her into the summit banquet
thus opening up her terrorist gang to their attempted
assassination."
"Whoa, whoa, hold on there, Zulu," Wanabe interrupted.
"Tendo said all of them were drugged."
Ken smirked. "Are we going to go through that again?"
he asked.
"You can't discount this."
"I can because I don't believe her."
"Ken--,"
"Save it," Ken said stopping any further discussion on
the topic. "Let's get this stuff printed out, okay? I'm
tired and I'm sure you are too. We'll put this on hold until
tomorrow."
"Okay, but I think you shouldn't jump to conclusions."
Ken smirked. He called up the print window and hit the
start button. An alert appeared telling him that all access
to the intranet was temporarily disabled.
"What the," he said peering over to the main office
area.
Inside, three women were busy at their terminals, the
shift sup walking menacingly behind them. A deep scowl was
etched into her face, her presence alone driving the shift on
at a fevered pace.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you," said Wanabe. "We had
somebody trying to break into our internal LAN today. Upper
floors got the geeks working to track down the idiot so they
can go and pummel them into mush."
"Damn," muttered Ken.
Tamigari produced a disk. "Don't worry. I'll save it
to disk. We can show it to the boss on his computer."
"You're a lifesaver, Tami," commented Ken. He watched
as Wanabe saved their files. Suddenly, he smirked at him.
"Zulu?"
Wanabe looked back. "Yeah. Aren't they the ones who go
around headhunting in Africa?" he replied.
A long pause followed from Ken. "No," he finally said.
The download finished and Tamigari stood up. "What do
we do tomorrow?" he asked while putting on his jacket.
"I think we should go see this Gosunkugi's parents,"
answered Ken. "Maybe we can run down a lead on his
whereabouts."
"Sounds like a plan."
A loud voice sounded from the other room; the shift
supervisor in a heated debate with one of her subordinates.
"Eew. I think we should leave," commented Wanabe.
Ken nodded. "Let's," he agreed, leading the way for the
door.

* * * * *

Walking down to the next level, Ken and Wanabe stopped
in one of the staff lounges. Tamigari found a beverage
machine and went over to it.
"Come on, Tami," complained Ken.
"Just a minute. I'm thirsty, okay," replied Wanabe.
He reached into his pocket fumbling for the right
change. Inserting several coins, Tamigari looked over the
selections. He pick one and hit the corresponding button.
Nothing happened. Pushing the button again he got the same
results.
"Tami!" called Ken again.
"Hold on. This thing just ate my change!" Wanabe
snapped.
"Well try something else."
Wanabe glanced briefly over at his partner. He stepped
back and gave the machine a hard kick to the side. No
response. That only angered him even further. A flurry of
kicks and punches followed, Tamigari angrily growling louder
with each blow.
"Tami, Tami, stop it!" cried Ken as he ran over to
settle his partner. He pulled Wanabe back.
"Didn't help did it?" he asked.
Wanabe stood heaving and panting as he stared at the
machine. "Bastard," he snarled.
Ken found the label plate and searched for a phone
number to get Tamigari's money back.
"Oh, here's the reason why it's broke," he said. "Made
in Nashville, Tennessee, USA."
"Dah-What! Feh, no wonder it doesn't work. How'd this
thing get to Japan?"
"Trade Summit maybe?" Ken answered with an innocent
grin.
"Not funny, pal. Makes you wonder if it was a mistake
stopping Tendo."
Ken pulled him back for the door. "Come on, you're not
thinking straight. We'll get drinks someplace else."
The two detectives left the lounge. Several long
minutes passed and there were no more visitors to the room.
A low thump sounded from the machine Wanabe had assaulted
followed by another.
"I should have pummeled him with sodas," a low voice
said from the machine.
"Temper, Kurenai. Temper," said another.
A pop came from the front. It opened and Konatsu slowly
stuck his head around the edge. He gave an all clear signal
and stepped out. Tsubasa followed him and began
straightening out the female police officers uniform he wore.
"Grief, that guy almost gave me a headache. How's my
hair look?"
"You look fine," answered Konatsu, checking his make-up.
"Where's Gosunkugi?"
Tsubasa looked back into the soda machine. "Gosunkugi?"
he called.
Gosunkugi sat crumpled at the bottom of the machine in a
dazed stupor, eyes fluttering from the after affects of the
beating just moments ago. Kurenai let out a frustrated sigh
as he pulled the incoherent man up.
"Gosunkugi, Gosunkugi, come out of it!"
Several firm shakes finally brought him around.
"Are we home yet, mom?" he muttered.
"I'm not your mom! Get a grip on yourself!"
Blinking his eyes, Gosunkugi squinted at Tsubasa.
"Tsubasa, what are you doing here?"
"What am I doing here," grumbled Kurenai rolling his
eyes up to the sky. "We're supposed to be getting you to the
main computer, remember?"
Hikaru paused, blinking again. "Oh. Oh yeah!"
It took a lot of patience from Tsubasa, but he held back
his frustrations. Konatsu went to the door and peered around
into the corridor outside. Except for the security cameras
at the far ends, the way was clear.
"Guys," he said, drawing back. "We need to get going.
You ready?"
"Yeah," answered Tsubasa. "Hikaru's coherent enough to
walk now."
Konatsu looked at Gosunkugi. "Hikaru, where are your
glasses?" he asked.
"Glasses? I don't wear glasses, Konatsu," he replied.
"Fool! The glasses are part of your disguise!" shouted
Kurenai.
Uncurling, Gosunkugi made a thoughtful gesture as he
reached into his jacket pocket. He pulled out a pair of
black rim glasses complete with coke-bottle thick lenses.
"Completely forgot about these," he said as he put them
on. "Don't know what I was--, Kurenai, Kurenai?"
Gosunkugi reached frantically about trying to relocate
Tsubasa standing mere inches away.
"I'm here," scowled Tsubasa, grabbing him up by the
collar.
"Guys," pleaded Konatsu from across the room.
"We're coming, we're coming!"
Snatching the small black bag from the bottom of the
soda machine, Tsubasa dragged the half-blinded Hikaru over to
the door. Konatsu gave them brief looks then sighed.
"It will be a wonder we aren't exposed," he muttered.
Placing the blue garrison cap on his head, Konatsu led
them out into the corridor.

* * * * *

The three men made their way up to the next level
careful not to look up at the cameras mounted along the
entire route to the computer room. Normally not one to be
nervous, Konatsu felt his muscles tense, apprehension
amplified by the grumbling of Kurenai from behind.
Gosunkugi's new state of vision was threatening to jeopardize
their entire purpose; his running into corners, staggering
off in the wrong direction sure to draw attention sooner or
later. If it were not for Tsubasa's constant shepherding
they might have lost him altogether.
Finally the doors to the main computer room appeared
ahead.
"Kurenai, get ready," he whispered behind him.
"I'm ready, but what about the one-eyed bandit here?"
"He'll have to manage somehow."
Kurenai pulled Gosunkugi up beside him. "Did you hear
that. Manage, okay?"
"Hey I can manage quite well, thank you. And another
thing--,"
"Hikaru," said Kurenai.
"I'm not blind. In fact I'm very capable of seeing you
quite well,"
"Hikaru."
"Plus, without me you two would have no purpose."
"Hikaru."
Gosunkugi paused. "What?" he finally replied.
Tsubasa gripped the top of his head turning it around to
face him. "I'm over here."
Konatsu stood watching the two banter. He shook his
head, muttering, "We're going to get busted."
Fixing his uniform again, Konatsu readied himself.
"Hey, Konatsu," Tsubasa called to him.
"Yes?"
"Can I be `Miki' again? I kind'a liked that name."
Konatsu paused a moment.
"We're going go get busted," he muttered again as he
pushed his way past the double set of doors.
The majority of desk and consoles were empty as they
entered the room. Close to the center, three women sat
hunched close to their monitors with fingers tapping rapidly
across the keyboards. Behind them stood a hulk of a female
sergeant in her middle to late fifties, a frown etched
between the folds of wrinkles creasing her face. All
business, all terrifying, Konatsu and Tsubasa drew in deep
gasp as she immediately locked a withering eye on them.
"Who are you, and who is he?" she snarled in a thick
scratchy voice.
The two traded looks, hoping the other would have
something planned for this situation.
"Uh, we've come to work on the computer," said Tsubasa.
The sergeant's scowl drew deeper. "I don't recall
putting in a request for additional support?" she said moving
towards them. The three techs behind her stopped and looked
up.
"Konatsu, she's getting closer," Kurenai whispered
frantically to his companion.
"Yes, it's hurting me too," he replied.
Thoughts of trains derailing filled their minds as the
sergeant stood across from them. Gosunkugi took that
opportunity too become curious.
"Hey, is there somebody asking questions?" he asked
looking around.
Kurenai placed a hand over his eyes. "Please, oh please
not now," he said to himself.
Gosunkugi finally managed to find the front and leaned
forwards. Squinting through his glasses all he could see was
the blurred shape of the sergeant's figure, heavily distorted
by the lenses.
"Wow, such beauty," he said. Konatsu and Tsubasa stood
stunned at the remark.
The cheeks of the sergeant suddenly flushed deep red.
She smiled, and only by sheer will did all those who could
see maintain straight faces.
"Now who are you, dear boy?" asked the sergeant in her
gentlest voice.
"Me? Oh, I'm Hik--,"
A sharp kick from Konatsu to the shin stopped him.
"He's a tech from, ah, the Osaka technical section,"
explained Konatsu.
"We understand you need help on a problem with your
computer, ma'am," added Tsubasa.
The sergeant rubbed her chin obviously annoyed by their
answer. "Osaka!" she exclaimed. "How did they find out
about this?"
One of the techs behind her raised a timid hand, calling
out drawing her attention.
"Sergeant, ma'am. Osaka is also hubbed to our external
network. It could be that the upper chain sent out an alert
warning all stations to this threat," she said.
"Yeah, that's it!" exclaimed Kurenai.
Konatsu shook his head slightly. Busted, we are going
to get busted, he thought to himself.
"Uh, sergeant could we get our tech here started?"
Konatsu quickly asked. "We've been on the road for a long
time and would like to solve this as quickly as we can."
The fearful scowl returned as the sergeant pondered the
request. Reaching up under the counter top she hit a button
opening a side door. "Come in," she said motioning to them
with a wave of her hand. The two policewomen guided Hikaru
along, following the sergeant back over to the center desk
"Allow me to introduce my shift," continued the
sergeant. "Sasuya Hinokime, Kitsu Dagowa, and Motoko
Narishima."
The three police officers waved cheerfully at them.
"Now get back to work!" shouted the sergeant.
Konatsu flinched slightly, then introduced themselves.
"Officer Konatsu Aoba. My partner, Miki, ah, Kurenai.
Mister Hideiki Choki is from the technical department of uh--
." Konatsu glanced quickly around, spotting a label on one
of the machines. "Sanyo Computer corporation."
"Sanyo?" questioned Hikaru, receiving another sharp kick
that silenced him.
"I see," replied the sergeant. "Let me fill you in on
what we've found so far."
The three moved around behind the techs, peering over
their shoulders at the screens.
"Somebody, a hacker who's very good at the trade, cut
through most of our security systems in place and was on
their way to the intranet terminals."
A broad smile covered Gosunkugi's face. "The security
system is in need of upgrade," he said.
"Is that a question?" asked the sergeant.
Tsubasa leaned close to Hikaru, flashing him a brief
sneer. "Mister Hideiki is just commenting on the antiquity
of our current programs," he answered.
"Oh. I've been telling those fools to upgrade, but does
the front office listen. No!"
"How fortunate," commented Gosunkugi.
The sergeant and her shift paused, turning around to
stare at him.
"What he means is that now we can build a proper system
to counter all the holes just discovered," Konatsu quickly
added.
"Makes sense," said Officer Dagowa, returning to her
work.
Tsubasa pulled Gosunkugi back to prevent him from
jeopardizing their position any further.
"So what are you trying to do here?" asked Konatsu.
"We're trying to back trace the connection," answered
Officer Hinokime. "But so far we keep running into drift
nodes."
"Drift Nodes?"
"Yes. Spurious lines."
Konatsu remained lost to the explanation.
"Decoys?" said Officer Hinokime.
"Oh! Oh yes, decoys," replied Konatsu with a nervous
laugh. "Sorry, I'm not a tech."
Eyeing Konatsu warily, the three techs continued on with
their work.
"So if we can localize the main stream, we can trace
down the real source and find where it originated from,"
Officer Narishima finished.
"And then what?" asked Tsubasa.
"We bust them," snarled the sergeant.
Uh oh, thought Konatsu. If they managed to figure this
one out tonight, then by morning Doctor Tofu and Kasumi might
be waking up under the guns of Tokyo Police.
"How close are you to localizing this intruder?" he
asked.
Officer Hinokime tapped a few keys and stood up. "About
five more cups of coffee," she said heading for the coffee
pot across the room.
Tsubasa tapped Konatsu lightly on the back of his arm.
He gave him a concerned look, conveying his worry about the
situation. Konatsu understood. Taking Gosunkugi by a wrist,
he pulled him back up next to him.
"Mister Hideiki here might be of some assistance," he
said.
"Really?" questioned the sergeant.
"Who, me?" said Gosunkugi.
Konatsu pinched him roughly on the side.
"Oh, oh yeah. Me," he corrected himself.
As Konatsu and Tsubasa traded exasperated looks,
Gosunkugi sat down at the vacated terminal. He smacked his
lips, rubbing his hands eagerly together.
"Ah. So what am I doing?" he asked.
"You're trying to help them find the hacker!" shouted
Kurenai.
His outburst drew surprised looks from the police
officers. "Oops, ah ha ha... sorry I'm just a bit tired.
Traveling and all that stuff."
"Yes, let's get back to work shall we," Konatsu said
before anymore problems arose.
Gosunkugi stared at the screen trying to make out the
blurred colors and lights, groping around for the keyboard.
"I know it's here somewhere," he said.
Officer Narishima reached out taking his hands guiding
them over to the keyboard. Gosunkugi held it up close to his
face drawing a giggle from her.
"Gee, these things are so hard to find," said Gosunkugi.
Narishima's giggles increased.
"You're funny," said Motoko smiling at Hikaru.
"Mister Hideiki," Konatsu said sternly.
"Yes?"
Konatsu shuddered slightly. "The problem."
"Problem? Oh, the problem!"
It was a miracle that they had not been arrested by now,
thought Konatsu. As he looked on, Gosunkugi peered closer at
the monitor then started typing on the keys. Soon, the
expressions around him dropped into amazement as his pace
quickened. Numbers, words, and diagrams flashed across the
screen so quick that even the three techs had to draw back
and clear their eyes.
"Wow," gasped Sasuya in disbelief.
Gosunkugi called for the black bag and Tsubasa passed it
over. He stopped and opened it up, rummaging through it
until he found what he was looking for.
"Yes, this should do it," he said pulling out a floppy
disk.
The sergeant leaned closer to him. "What's that?" she
asked.
He turned. "This will--- AHHHH!"
In a flash, Gosunkugi's chair shot away from the
terminal. Tsubasa and Konatsu quickly stopped him as he sat
cringing in terror.
"What, what!" wondered Tsubasa.
"Did you see it!" cried Hikaru.
"See it. See what?" asked Konatsu.
He pointed over in the direction of the sergeant. "The
Mon--Mmmmrphh!,"
Silencing him with a hand, Tsubasa stopped Hikaru from
inadvertently insulting the sergeant, and ruining all the
progress they had made. He leaned close to whisper into the
terror stricken man's ear.
"Don't say it, please," he said.
Gosunkugi settled down. His glasses were briefly
flipped up giving him a good look at the curious sergeant
staring at them.
"Ooo," he muttered, a twinge briefly creasing his
cheeks.
"What is wrong with him?" asked the sergeant.
"Uh, he's been under some stress lately," lied Konatsu.
"The pills the doctor gave him, ah, makes him see things."
"That's why we're with him," added Tsubasa. "Can you
imagine him trying to come all the way here on his own?"
"Is he using Demerol?" Officer Dagowa suddenly asked.
"I can relate to the hallucinations. You know sometimes we--
,"
A sheepish pause followed, the burning glare from the
sergeant hot on them. The three women flinched.
"Well, sarge, you have been pushing us hard the last few
days," Sasuya said. "The doctor prescribed--,"
The sergeant sneered. "We'll talk about work hours
later, ladies." She looked over at Gosunkugi again. "Can we
finish this?"
"Yes, ma'am," answered Konatsu.
"Oh, do I have to?" muttered Hikaru.
A firm push wheeled him back over to the terminal.
Trembling, Gosunkugi picked the disk back up and
inserted into the open slot. He tapped in a few commands and
the computer started running the programs on the disk.
"There. Now that should help speed up things," he told
them. In reality, Hikaru's program was secretly adding an
account to the database files. Once in place, they would be
able to traverse the entire Intra-network without any
restrictions. All that remained now was fixing the hardware
connection.
"Uh, can I see the main terminal?" he asked.
The sergeant asked him why.
"I'd like to, uh, check the terminal connections. See
how the Ethernet is configured physically."
Gosunkugi's explanation baffled the three techs. They
traded confused looks, scratching their heads.
"What's that got to do with an intruder raiding our
system?" asked Motoko."
"Just a check to see if there is any physical way they
can get in," he lied.
Deliberating for a moment, the sergeant rubbed her chin.
Suspicion ran rampant through her eyes, Konatsu nervously
hoping that she would buy off on the excuse.
"I do not see how that will help, but I'll let you
inspect our connections."
Gosunkugi smiled. "Thank you madam," he said.
"Officer Hinokime will escort you."
Sasuya stood up. "This way," she said directing them to
follow her.
Tsubasa and Konatsu started to follow along, but the
sergeant interposed herself between them.
"I don't think everyone needs to go," she said.
"Of course, sarge," replied Tsubasa stepping back.
Gosunkugi tugged nervously at his collar. He cast
fearful glances back at his two friends following Officer
Hinokime towards the back of the room.
"I could use some coffee," Kurenai said. Konatsu caught
the urgent tone in his voice and nodded. They went over to
the coffee pot.
"Konatsu, what if Hikaru screws up and does something
stupid?" whispered Tsubasa.
Konatsu maintained a calm appearance. "Well, let us
hope he does not," he replied.
"You don't really believe that, do you?"
Konatsu paused a second. Cutting a glance over in the
direction of the sergeant and two officers, he smiled
lightly.
"Sugar?" he asked offering a box of sugar cubes to
Kurenai.
"No thanks. I think I'm going to need this stuff
straight," replied Kurenai.

* * * * *

Officer Hinokime guided Hikaru past the rows of computer
bays after his last run in with one of the machines. He
rubbed his now tender chin trying to keep up with the young
woman. Finally, they reached a long dark, machine gray
colored panel set at the very back of the room.
"Here it is," she said smiling brightly at him.
Gosunkugi struggled to see. He flipped up the glasses
for a second and let out an ah of satisfaction.
"Locked?" he asked pointing to the two door handles.
Sasuya produced the keys and opened them up. Inside, a
myriad of wires and fiber optic connections ran in multi-
layers up and down the inner cabinet in neat rows. It took
Hikaru literally by surprise.
Uh Oh, he thought to himself. Sasuya asked him if there
was anything wrong, noting the lost expression on his face.
"Uh, no. Um, can you find me the schematic diagram for
this please."
Smirking, Officer Hinokime physically turned Hikaru
around to the left door. She pushed him up close so he could
see the diagram fixed on the inside.
"Oh," Hikaru meekly replied.
Sasuya giggled. "You're funny," she said.
"Yeah, thanks."
Gosunkugi ran a finger along the wire diagram until he
found the lead he was looking for. A quick comparison traced
down the connection he needed. Something brushed up against
his arm and he looked back straight into Sasuya's face. Her
features distorted, Hikaru let out a yell, jumping to one
side.
"Are you all right?" she asked him.
"What are you doing there! Are you trying to give a
young man like me a heart attack?"
"I was just curious to see what you were going to do,
that's all," replied Hinokime.
"Well, well let me know when you're going to stand
behind me, okay?"
She let out a huff, crossing her arms. "Meany."
In a way Hikaru thought it fortunate that the young
police officer did alert him to her presence. If she managed
to see what he was about to do, she might have figured out
what was going on and alerted her companions.
Retracing the leads, Hikaru pondered how to distract
Sasuya long enough to make the connection that would allow
them access without being discovered.
"Oh, damn," he suddenly said, patting around his jacket.
"I forgot my utility bag. Would you get it for me?"
Officer Hinokime smirked. "What do you need? We have a
tool cabinet in the corner."
Curses, Hikaru thought. "Ah, can you find me a voltage
meter?"
She went off to get the tool and Hikaru sprang into
action. A light shake of the wrist produced a small
electricians screwdriver. Taking the Ethernet connector, he
undid one of the spare leads. The sound of Sasuya rummaging
through the tool draws could be heard, then she suddenly
called out to him.
"I've got it!"
"Uh, great! Now I think I'll also need a... a long tip,
non-conductive flat-head screwdriver."
"What?"
"Yeah, I found a loose connection here."
A short pause, then Sasuya muttered angrily as she began
searching again through the drawers.
More time bought, Hikaru pulled a length of fiber optic
cable out of his jacket. It would be crude, but enough to
link the Intranet system with Internet system. If they acted
fast, they could be in and out before the signal was
discovered.
"I've got it," announced Sasuya.
Is this woman that organized? mused Gosunkugi hurrying
to finish the tap.
"You need anything else?"
Just for you to go away and leave me alone, he muttered
low.
"What was that?"
"Ah, nothing, nothing! Um, Officer Hinokime, I don't
think I'm going to need all of that stuff now."
"You're kidding?"
Hikaru opened one of the ports to the Intranet connector
and inserted his tap. A few twist of the screws and the ends
were secure.
"No, I'm satisfied with what I've found here."
A drawer slammed shut; Hikaru turning around in time to
see Officer Hinokime stride briskly back around the corner.
She stared at him and he smiled.
"All done. Nothing out of the ordinary here," said
Hikaru, closing the doors shut.
"And the loose screw?"
He reached into his pocket. "Pen knife," answered
Gosunkugi showing the small tool to her.
Sasuya arched a brow then shrugged. "Well after seeing
what you did out there, I'm satisfied."
"As you should be. We strive for perfection."
Laughing, Sasuya locked the doors.
"Anything else you would like to see?" she asked him.
"Everything, but I'd settle for the way out," replied
Hikaru.
The police officer's chuckles increased. "You are such
a kidder, Mister Hideiki. I like that."
Taking his arm in hers, Sasuya lead Gosunkugi back to
the main computer room.

* * * * *

Konatsu and Kurenai looked over anxiously as Gosunkugi
was lead back into the room by Officer Hinokime. Thinking
that their plan had been exposed, the two started to take a
defensive stance until they heard them laughing and carrying
on in casual conversation.
Obviously not amused by this sudden change, the sergeant
leveled a withering stare on her underling.
"So I take it nothing was found, hmm?" she said.
"Huh, who's that?" said Hikaru looking blindly around.
Sasuya conveniently stepped behind him.
"So, Mister Hideiki," Tsubasa called. "Are we done
here?"
Gosunkugi lifted his glasses, squinting in their
direction. "Oh, there you are," he said.
"Go get him, will you?" whispered Konatsu.
Tsubasa took Hikaru roughly by an arm. "Are you done,
Mister Hideiki?" he asked again, pulling him over to Konatsu.
"Ow, you don't have to be so rough," answered Hikaru.
"Yes, I'm done."
"Then I guess we can go," said Konatsu.
"But what about the tracer?" Officer Narishima asked.
"It'll finish on its own. Trust me," said Hikaru.
Konatsu motioned to Kurenai to get Gosunkugi out while
things were good. "We'll be back in the morning, sergeant,"
he said.
"Hopefully we'll have an address on our hackers by
then," replied the sergeant.
"Oh you will," Gosunkugi commented just before Tsubasa
pulled him out the main doors.
Konatsu rolled his eyes. Bidding them all goodnight, he
hurried to catch up with his two companions. Once the trio
were safely in the stairwell leading down, Konatsu suddenly
stopped.
"Hikaru," he said, gripping Gosunkugi tightly by the
shoulders. "That program of yours. What did you mean they
would have an address by morning?"
"Just what I said," he answered.
Tsubasa turned him around. "Who's address, and I hope
you're not being stupid and sending Konatsu's."
"Give me some credit, guys," replied Hikaru. "It'll be
alright, trust me."
Trading questioning looks, Konatsu and Tsubasa let
Gosunkugi go and continued on down the steps.
"Okay, so who's address are they going to get?" asked
Tsubasa.
"Not Konatsu's," answered Hikaru.
"Then who's?" asked Konatsu.
"Ucchans."
Konatsu and Tsubasa literally collapsed on the steps.
"You, you, you gave them Ucchans!" exclaimed Konatsu.
"I had to give them something. It was one of the other
addresses in my loop."
"Why didn't you give them a false address?" shouted
Tsubasa.
"What, and let it be known that I, Hikaru Gosunkugi,
builds bad programs? Never."
"I tell you, Konatsu, he's working for Marcus! Let's
kill him now and escape before they find the body!"
Konatsu shook his head. "He's not working for Marcus,
Tsubasa. I don't know what he's thinking, but I know it's
not for Marcus's sake."
"Screw that. Let's kill him anyway!"
"No," replied Konatsu preventing any escalation of the
one-sided argument. Hikaru's mistake might cost them later,
but it was to late to undo the damage.
"Let's get out of here," he said, deciding that it might
be best to be well clear of the area.
Chapter Thirteen

The nightshifts of Furnikan General Hospital were
usually peaceful and quiet. Especially the Intensive care
ward as patients recovered from whatever miracles the doctors
performed to extend their lives. Behind the nurses station,
the duty nurse read one of her romance novels, grateful for
the break away from the hectic duties normal day workers
experienced. Around her, computer indicators monitored the
health of every person interned in the wing. Low steady
beeps paced heart rates, green lights winking on and off
indicating all functions were normal.
Occasionally, she'd look up to check on things, review
the nights schedule and keep up with any small chores she
needed to complete. At that particular moment, she looked up
and found someone standing at the counter. Her shriek made
him draw back, then she stood up.
"Who the--," began the nurse. She recognized the pea
green smock and pants of an intern. He huddled behind his
cart, startled by her outburst. "Oh, I'm sorry. Just wasn't
expecting any visitors."
The intern slowly stood up. Fixing his glasses, he
returned to the counter. "Uh... I didn't mean to scare you,"
he said.
The nurse smiled. "You're new," she said looking him
over. "I thought I knew everyone on the nightshifts.
"Yeah, just started today. Say am I in the right place?
I've got to do something called `Bed Pan' collection on this
floor."
The nurse snickered, hiding the rest of her outburst
with a hand. "Oh, you got rookie duty tonight. Who assigned
you, Dan?"
"Somebody downstairs. So am I on the right floor?"
"Yes, ha ha, yes you are. Start with the far rooms on
the left, just watch out for the cop seated outside 405."
"Cop?"
"Yes. We've got a VIP in there and she's not to have
any visitors. Oh that reminds me, I better call and let him
know you're coming."
The intern gazed up the hall towards the double set of
doors. Giving her a light wave he pushed his cart along.
Waiting for the floor phone to be answered, the nurse watched
him pass through the door. Youngsters, she mused. A voice
finally answered, and as she passed along the news, dark
silhouettes appeared in the window of the fire escape door.
Their eyes roved around examining the room, marking their
target.
Bypassing the alarm system, the door slowly opened.

* * * * *

A burly cop watched the young intern push his cart
towards him, eyes carefully looking for any sign of foul play
from him. He held up a hand signaling a stop and the intern
brought the cart to a halt. Without a word, he drew his
nightstick and began an inspection. Lifting a corner of
towels with the end of the stick, his eyes cut over to the
intern.
"Open the bottom," he ordered.
"You don't want me to--," began the intern.
"Open it," the cop ordered him again more forcefully.
The intern shrugged and undid the latch. Kneeling, the
cop pushed it open then frowned.
Bedpans.
"Alright, close it," he said, sneering slightly.
A smile formed on the intern's face as he did. "Can I
go in?" he asked.
The cop nodded towards the door. Just before the intern
could get through, his nightstick suddenly blocked the way.
"Don't be long," said the cop.
"Sure," replied the intern.
The nightstick was removed and the intern went in,
closing the door behind him.
Dim light shone through the shuttered window blinds; the
eerie glow from computer monitoring equipment flashing around
the lone bed at the center of the room. Pushing the cart
aside, Mousse pulled the hair cap from his head and stepped
gently towards the bed.
"Cologne," he whispered in hopes that the elderly sage
was in a light slumber.
No response only made him worry more, and he moved
closer. She lay inert, head turned to one side eyes clenched
shut. Cologne's head was wrapped in bandages, both eyes
swollen and dark. Steady beeps from the monitor pulsed in
rhythm with the shallow breaths Cologne made; several IV bags
dripping nutrients and blood into her frail veins. A clear
tube snaked up into one nostril; Mousse trembling in silent
fear for the old woman.
He went to one side and dropped to his knees. "Cologne,
Cologne, please speak to me," begged Mousse, but there was no
response.
Gently, the man reached out and touched her arm, drawing
in the warmth. A light sigh came from him. "Cologne,
please... please don't die on me. I, I need your help."
The stillness from the sage brought the shimmer of tears
to his eyes. "Damn it, Cologne! As many times and as much
fighting you have done, this can't be the end." He placed an
arm up behind her, cradling Cologne. "Cologne,... mother,
please I don't know what to do. Shampoo, she's been captured
by Suin-Tan; Ranma is missing; Marcus is running amok in
Nerima. WE need you, mother!"
Mousse began to cry, pulling Cologne close weeping into
her chest. He drew back, looking down at her. Wiping his
eyes clear with the back of his sleeve, he tried to control
his grief.
"I know I've not been the idea suitor for Shampoo,
mother, but you've got to believe me I deeply love her, and
will do my utmost to get her back. Even if it means my
death. It won't be the same without you though. Don't die
on us, please don't die on us!"
He pulled her close once more, hugging Cologne tight.
"Tell me, please tell me what I can do to help you. Just
tell me."
"... you could start... by allowing me... to breath...
boy," came a low, raspy reply.
A sharp start, Mousse drawing back looking down at
Cologne. One of her swollen eyelids parted painfully open,
the white of her eye a network of red veins.
"Mother!" he exclaimed hugging her tight. "You're
alive. I knew you could not be killed by ordinary means!"
"... mmmmuuuuphhhffff!..."
Rapid beats from the heart monitor told Mousse he was
literally killing Cologne. Laying her back down, the old
sage panted finally setting down. Her open eye glared at him
and he shuddered.
"S-s-sorry, Cologne," he apologized.
Cologne gathered up what little strength remained in her
pain wracked body. "Mousse," she called lightly. He moved
closer. "Shampoo... she needs you."
"Yes, mother, I know. But I have failed. Suin-Tan took
her away and I don't know where to start looking for them."
Cologne drew in a harsh breath. "Patience," she said.
"Patience?"
She nodded slightly. "You will find her, but (cough,
cough) you must be patient."
This confused Mousse. Was he to sit and allow Suin-Tan
to have his way with Shampoo. Surely she could not be
thinking clearly.
"I know what you are thinking... by the look on your...
face, Mousse," continued Cologne, noting his expression.
"Shampoo will be found... , and you-will, ... save her."
"How, when?" asked Mousse.
Cologne was near exhaustion. She drew in another long
breath. "Soon," she gasped.
"Soon. How soon? Cologne--,"
She held up a weak hand cutting him off. "Go," she said
waving him away. "Go, go, go. You have been here too long."
Mousse sadly stood up. A feeling of dejection filled
him, and he turned away. Suddenly, Cologne called his name.
He turned.
"Save her, Mousse," she said. "Save my
Granddaughter..."
A new determination filled Mousse, Cologne's
acknowledgement of him renewing his sagging spirits.
"I will, mother. I will," he replied.
Cologne managed a thin smile. Her eye closed, and in
moments she drifted back into unconsciousness.
Taking the covers, Mousse pulled them up, making her as
comfortable as he could. He planted a light kiss on
Cologne's forehead, then quietly took the cart and left her
to rest.

* * * * *

Time to ditch this disguise, thought Mousse. He quickly
pushed the cart back down to the front desk, when suddenly he
realized something. Where was that guard, he wondered
stopping for a moment. Looking back, the cop that had
harassed him earlier was no where to be seen.
"Hmm. The duty nurse said Cologne was considered a VIP,
it's not like the police to be slacking up like this." He
paused, think about how easy it had been to sneak in himself.
Really shouldn't have, but I had to see if Cologne was alive.
"Better check with the duty nurse and see if he just
stepped out," he decided moving on.
Backing through the double doors, Mousse turned
expecting to find the nurse reading her book behind the
reception desk. Instead, the station was empty.
"No," said Mousse.
He peered over the counter. "Hello!" he called out.
Nobody answered. This was starting to get strange. Two
breaks at the same time, not likely. He felt the tingling of
his senses increase, a warning sign from his training that
trouble lurked close by. Mousse stepped away from the cart
and desk. A low thud echoed from the hall closet.
"Huh?" he muttered, moving to investigate.
Carefully, he stalked up to the door. The thud sounded
again. Making a fist, Mousse grabbed the handle and flung
the door open. A body flopped out and he stepped back.
It was the duty nurse, bound hand and foot squirming
desperately on the floor. "MMMMMMRRRRRRrppppppHHHHHHH!" she
screamed through the thick wad of cloth wrapped tight around
her mouth.
Mousse pulled the cap off his head, kneeling to help the
struggling woman. "What happened?" he asked.
His senses went wild then. Dodging to the side, the
swipe of a blade clipped a section of his hair away. Rolling
to a stop against the wall, he looked up to find one of Suin-
Tan's black-clad ninjas charging towards him, a sword held
over his head.
Letting out a cry, Mousse went prone rolling his body at
the ninja's feet. The ninja leaped coming down to straddle
him. As he raised the blade to strike, Mousse kicked
upwards, receiving a satisfying gasp of pain as his foot
connected in his midsection. A rapid series of kicked
followed, and the ninja sailed into the wall. With a groan
he slid to the floor.
Mousse grabbed the ninja by the throat, hefting him from
the floor. "Where's Suin-Tan? Where is he!"
The Ninja could only gasp through clenched teeth. That
angered Mousse, and he drew back a fist. "Where is Suin-
Tan?" he asked again. Is he here, and why are you--,"
It quickly dawned on him why the ninja was there.
"Cologne," he gasped.
Thrusting the ninja roughly aside, Mousse dashed for the
double doors praying he was not too late.

* * * * *

Thundering up the hallway charged Mousse all his
concerns focused on saving Cologne. He rounded the next bend
and came to an abrupt stop. Two of Marcus's ninja assassins
stood at the threshold of Cologne's room getting ready to
enter. They heard him, looking over recognizing who it was.
This was not expected, the two glancing briefly at each
other. With a light gesture, the ninja at the door motioned
for his partner to attack Mousse while he took care of
Cologne.
"No!" cried Mousse breaking into a run.
The second assassin charged at the raging man while his
partner went inside. Morning stars flashed from his hands
streaking out at Mousse. He turned to one side dodging the
deadly shower of missiles, slamming up against the wall.
Dazed, Mousse barely saw the fist that rocketed towards
his face. He ducked and the blow crashed into the wall,
metal studs cracking the concrete blocks. He wanted to stand
and fight, but Cologne still lay at the mercy of the other
ninja. An upper-cut bought Mousse enough time to dash by.
Mousse was just barely in time; the second ninja poised
with dagger held high ready to apply it's icy kiss of death
into Cologne's heart. He let out a growl, literally flying
through the air tackling the assassin driving them both into
the equipment with a crash.
A struggled ensued, Mousse fighting to keep the blade
away from his chest as the ninja pressed down on him. He
strained, glancing over spotting the edge of the small table
next to the bed. A kick at the ribs surprised the ninja and
he lost his balance. It was enough for Mousse to slam his
fist down painfully on the ledge, knocking the dagger free of
his grip.
A sharp blow struck him across the chin, glasses
flinging away as stars flooded his vision. Another punch to
his already injured ribs made Mousse cry out. He found
himself pulled from the floor; rapid punches rocking his
body. Fighting through the pain, Mousse blocked a blow
catching the ninja's arm snapping it back across his forearm.
The ninja cried out staggering back clutching his elbow.
Mousse stepped back. He took a fighting crane stance,
preparing to deal this miscreant a beating he would never
forget. Steps came from behind; Mousse leaping into the air
as a swipe from a katana cut precariously close at his heels.
"No you don't!" he growled, lashing out with a sharp
kick to the second ninja's chin.
As he landed, the first ninja attacked again. Mousse
took a shot to the stomach doubling over. A knee to the face
sent him winging over the bed straight into the equipment
monitoring Cologne's vital signs. Pain ran though his body,
but his adrenaline and willpower forced him back up to his
feet. From the light of the hall, he could see the first
ninja yank Cologne's breathing tube from her nose, then take
her pillow and force it roughly over her face.
"You bastard!" cried Mousse launching himself over the
bed.
With one arm injured, the ninja had no chance to defend
himself. Rapid flurries of blows staggered him, then Mousse
took a hand full of his shirt and flung him into his
returning partner. They both crashed into a heap against the
wall.
"You bastards won't get Cologne that easy," said Mousse,
chest heaving. "I kicked your asses once, I'll do it again!"
The last ninja assassin appeared at the doorway. "Ah,
more victims to kill," said Mousse readying himself for a
renewed fight.
Alarms suddenly blared through the halls, Mousse and the
ninja's looking around in wonder.
"Looks like your little attempt has failed," said
Mousse.
He started moving towards them, but the ninja's had
other plans. Drawing a pellet from a pouch, the third ninja
dashed it to the ground. It popped, raising a cloud of smoke
shielding them from Mousse's vision. He hack and cough,
recognizing the old trick. Running out into the hall, the
door of the fire escape slowly closing marked their trail.
Mousse kicked it open and carefully stepped out wary of
any traps. He head foots steps and leaned over the railing
spotting the three ninjas fleeing down the steps.
"Hey, where are you going!" shouted Mousse. They paused
briefly to look up at him. "Yeah, go back to your master,
you chicken-shit bastards. You go back and tell Suin-Tan if
he wants me, he can find me in the park. Anytime, any day,
I'll be there!"
The ninjas continued on down the steps, Mousse's voice
raging behind them.
"You tell him, you tell him I'm going to kill his sorry
hide. And if he doesn't show up, I'll find him. I'll find
him, and get Shampoo back, I swear by my mother's grave, I'll
find him!"
They disappeared and Mousse staggered back into the
hall. He clutched his ribs, grimacing from the pain. The
hallway was beginning to fill with patients, and he could
hear the nurses and orderlies rushing to find out what had
happened. Sirens echoed from outside, and he knew it was
time to go.
"I'll save her, Cologne," he said one last time running
up the adjoining hall.

* * * * *

Renon listened as Sapparo made his report, quite pleased
at the success of the mission. Situated behind the Master
Ninja, Ranko knelt barely able to maintain herself as the
pain in her body started to intensify once more. Gold
manacles were clipped to her wrist and ankles, a long chain
attached to each one. Above, in her gilded prison, Akane
watched and listened helplessly on.
Sapparo finished and stepped back. "So, Saotome. You
have completed your first mission for me. Excellent."
There were tears in Ranko's eyes. Tears not from the
pain wracking her body, but the revulsion of having to do
Marcus's dark work. She wanted to die hoping that would
clear the stain that tainted her conscious.
"That's the last, ... last time I'll ever do anything...
like that for you ever again..., M-M-Marcus," she sobbed.
"I'm afraid not, Saotome," replied Renon.
Taking up the chains from the floor, he pulled ever so
gently tugging Ranko towards him. She resisted, but for a
brief moment until Sapparo kicked her in the rear towards
him. Marcus increased his pull and Ranko crawled on hands
and knees, crying every inch of the way.
Finally, Ranko reached his feet and Renon pulled her up.
"Your work has just begun, Ranma," he said. Marcus clipped a
portion of the chain together between Ranko's wrist. He
leered evilly, eyes gracing over this supine morsel of young
flesh quivering before him.
Akane sensed what was going through Marcus's mind.
"Stop it, Marcus!" she cried out. "Ranma's not like that!"
He ignored her. "Saotome, there will be... other jobs
and task you will be required to perform."
Allowing the innuendo to linger, Marcus reached out to
caress Ranko's bare neck. Terror filled her eyes, and she
pulled back. Marcus stopped her, looping a length of the
chain around her throat. He pulled tight.
"Heh, heh, heh. I see you surmised what I desire," said
Marcus, drawing her close to his face again.
"Leave him alone, Marcus!" screamed Akane.
"And pass up this opportunity?" Renon replied.
Ranko coughed and gasped for breath, fighting to get
away from this madman. In her current condition she was no
match for him.
"You-better-kill-me-Marcus," she gasped.
Renon grinned. "No, I'm not done with you."
"I-won't-do-this!"
Angrily, Marcus placed a foot at Ranko's stomach,
kicking her back. She rolled across the floor and he stood
up.
"Yes you will, Saotome. Do you know why?"
Ranko looked fearfully up at him.
"Because, it will be either you or Akane. I leave the
choice in your capable hands."
"MARCUS NO!" cried Akane. He turned and looked up at
the cage. "If you, if you want somebody then take me,
please. Ranma's had enough. You've... won."
Akane brokedown and started crying. "You've won," she
sobbed again.
Marcus smiled. Gazing back down at Ranko, he arched a
questioning brow at her. "Well, Saotome?"
Ranko stared down at the floor, her tears streaming down
her cheeks. She wiped them dry and stood. Her eyes met
Akane's, and in a sad distant voice said, "I'm sorry, Akane.
Please understand, okay?"
Akane desperately reached out to her. "Ranma, no!
Don't sacrifice yourself for me!"
Her words fell on deaf ears; Ranko hanging her head in
defeat. Sapparo's laughter sounded, then Marcus gathered up
the lengths of chain.
"Of your own free will," he said as he passed by Ranko.
"Shall we retire now, hmm?"
Akane's desperate cries hurt Ranko's ears. She gave her
one last look, then allowed Renon to pull her of out the
doors.
"RRRRRAAAAAAANNNNNMMMMMMAAAAAAAAAAA!" wailed Akane as
the lights were turned out.