They Are My Noble Masters Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Virtua Fighter Fan Fiction ❯ Nodoka 2/1 ❯ Chapter 08 - The Art of Film ( Chapter 8 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Nodoka 2/1
The Chroma Series
Act 0 Part 08

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DISC LAIMER
Most of the characters and other elements are owned by people who are not me, though I did make up a few here and there... but none of the main ones. The rest are owned by many talented people, and a few faceless corporations, such as Rumiko Takahashi and Sega respectively (and many others). There is no point in suing me, I have nothing.

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AUTHOR'S NOTES

-WARNING- Once again, this chapter is getting a bit more 'limey', something that will be happening more often as the kids get older. You have been warned!!
-Special thanks to my "Agent" and "Publicist" Hiryo, for proofreading, prodding, posting advice and so much more, and thank you to all of you have commented.
 -Act One will be starting before long, I tend to work on a few chapters at a time, I am scatterbrained, so I jump around and write whatever part comes to mind, sometimes I am working on up to three chapters at a time (not to mention what is off with my proof readers being corrected). However, if anyone wants to think ahead and offer up ideas I am quite open. I won't be able to use all of the ideas, and may not be able to use them as suggested, but I am interested to hear what you all want out of this story. I still have other people to work in once they get home, and several plot lines lined up, but Act One and beyond are far less planned out than the intro arc. Feel free to PM me or whatever, I would love to hear your thoughts on it.

"Speech"
'Thought' {And other emphasized items}
/Mandarin/
\Cantonese\
{Author's Notes & *Translations* Feel free to skip these}


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GLOSSARY (from the last chapter)

Miomo - Polite form of Mother
Ofukuro - Mother, the form Ranma uses in cannon

Jousahn = Good Morning in Cantonese

Tang (Tong) - Chinese Mafia, it literally means 'hall' or 'gathering place'

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CHAPTER 08
The Art of Film

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Ak ane was in the kitchen, using a meat cleaver on a fish that needed a filet knife. She was making quite a mess, cutting the skin, bones, entrails, and all, into one pile. She was completely ignoring the large signs with Maid Guy's Ten Commandments for Cooking, thinking that she no longer needed them.

 She was working with a fury at speeds in which professionals would balk. It would be impressive if it were not so disgusting.

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Genma was having a particularly good day, his classes had been going well, this crop of students were progressing nicely, and the new moves his star pupils had been designing were impressive. Even heading back toward the house where he saw the aura coming from the window of the kitchen was not enough for put a damper on his good mood. Discretion being the better part of valor, not that he particularly knew much about either, he decided that his day was going so well, that he would go out to dinner to celebrate, and snuck off of the property.

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Walking into the Saotome kitchen, Konatsu saw Akane 'working hard'. "There you are Akane-sa... Oh my word! What on earth are you doing to those ...fish?"

 "Isn't it obvious? I'm cooking, duh!"

 "No, what you are doing is an insult to your ingredients, and most likely many other things as well. Why are you 'cooking' with such an angry aura?"

 "I am NOT angry!"

 "Well, you were certainly ...enthusiastic. You could have been cooking using your battle aura alone. Cooking is about love. Isn't that on your sign?"

 "I don't need those anymore. See, look at my badges."

 Konatsu looked at the three badges she wore proudly on her apron. "I believe Kogarashi-sama said that you needed to earn ten of them to 'pass'."

 "Kukuku! Such a troublesome goshujin you are. Maid Guy has never done this before, but goshujin must return two Maid Guy Badges."

 "WHAT?!?! WHY?!?!"

 "You have clearly forgotten many of the lessons. Too bad, goshujin was making such progress too."

 Akane sulked over and handed two of her hard won badges to the massive Maid Guy. "Now clean up this mess, and then you will follow along and do everything Mini Maid Guy does. Mini Maid Guy, I would like you to show goshujin how to make Karei no Nitsuke. Go very slowly, and be very precise. Depending on how the troublesome goshujin does, Maid Guy may return a badge or two. You too must ...COOK WITH LOVE!"
{*Karei no Nitsuke = Simmered halibut*}

Kogarashi went back to his duties, as Akane cleaned. Akane was not happy with the treatment she got from Maid Guy, and she still did not like the pervert, but there was no denying that the freak could cook. Better than anyone Akane had ever seen. Even her sisters were no match. It did not help matters that she felt as though she had just been told that she was not worth his time, the way she was being taught by his 'new assistant'. Even if she could not figure out why they called the 'kunoichi' 'Mini Maid GUY', she just figured that was Kogarashi's way, the man was very strange after all. However, Akane was not going to let that stop her, she had finally started showing progress, and was not about to let that setback deter her from learning to cook!

 The 'Mini Maid Guy' waited until Akane had finished cleaning, and after adjusting the apron on the maid's uniform, began preparing the ingredients for the meal. Akane did her best to copy everything that Konatsu did, using the same tools, trying to make the same motions, with the same ingredients. Akane had nowhere near the grace or skill of the ex-kunoichi, but she did her best to copy Konatsu exactly. She was, at least, a bit relieved that Maid Guy did not make her eat the mess she had made, instead of just cleaning it up ...this time.

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 Genma had not been present for dinner that evening, and once the others saw Akane bringing food to the table, they instantly knew why that had been. They started to panic, especially when they saw that Akane was only wearing two of the three Maid Guy Badges she normally wore. The Mini Maid Guy, Konatsu, followed behind her carrying another tray of food.

 The two of them began to serve food from their trays to each person present, and the family stared open mouthed at the result. Akane's portion, while not looking near as nice as Konatsu's, did, in fact, look like food, unlike her usual 'culinary abortions'. She had improved greatly and it showed. They thanked them both for their hard work, and began to eat, each taking a bite of Akane's food, before washing it down with a bite of Konatsu's to 'cleanse their pallet'. Akane's food, while looking a bit off, did not taste too bad, and they all told her so, some more politely than others. She had made food for her family, and they did not complain about it. Akane could not have been more proud, and as much as she hated to admit it, she had Maid Guy and his assistant to thank for it. She swore to herself that she would do just that, after they had cleaned up from the meal.

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A fter the glowing faded from between Ranma's hands, he looked exhausted, having poured almost everything he had into it. He started taking drinks from his gourd, and asked, "Do you feel any better, Pai? I can't look for myself, used too much ki."

 "Well, I DO feel refreshed, but I, I cannot remember you any more clearly." '\Why is this boy, I barely know, going so far to help me?\" "And why is it you came here to get me, even if they were doing something like that, it's not like I didn't expect it, ...I thought I would be in America by now though, what happened exactly?"

 "We were training you, but you vanished on us yesterday. We have been scouring the city for you. You found the woman we were here to find to help us in return, but it seems you were captured when returning. Why didn't you ask one of us to go with you? Do you even remember any of that?"

 "I'm sorry, I don't know? Nor do I know why I would ask you, but whatever. We should probably not be here, this place is probably crawling with Koenkan."

 "True, the question is, should we smash this machine first, or do we need it to help return Pai's memories?"

 "Well, Ucchan, I hate to say it, but if all she has forgotten is us, then I do not think the risk of them using it again is worth the chance we can use it to help..., what about you two?"

 "It hurts, but I think you are right Ranchama, besides, if we do not smash it, they can always try again!"

 "We can't let them do this to someone else. I will smash it, if you do not!"

 "Ranchama, you guard Pai. I will smash it, you overtaxed yourself with that healing already, I can tell. The tea only does so much." Ukyo moved to the other side of the room, yelling out another, "Bake Renkangeki Suijin!!!!" as she smashed everything on that side of the room, leaving nothing functional. Ukyo went into the room the 'robots' had come out of, and the same smashing is heard once again. The smashing sounds went on for several minutes, then Ukyo returned and knelt before Ranma.

 "Ranma-sama, they have more kids locked up in there, but I can't figure out how to open the holding cells. It's all in Cantonese, I just cannot read it well enough to operate the controls. I am so sorry, Ransama, I am inadequate to do your service. I swear I will study harder for you."

 "I know Ucchan, you are the best friend and partner I could ever ask for, and it's not like I could do any better." Ranma smiled at his friend. "How about you Pai, do you think you are up to opening these cages? Or telling us how anyway?"

 "If there are people being held by Koenkan, I will do whatever I have to." Pai tried to get up, but Ranma held her tight.

 "No need to try to walk yet, I will carry you."

 "You don't need to carry me! I am not that bad off."

 "Don't worry about it. I understand that your legs can be wobbly for a while after the technique I used to bring you out of your mind controlled state. Sorry about that."

 Pai tried to protest, but Ranma held fast, and headed for the room Ukyo came out of. "Ucchan, please show us where those controls are located." Ukyo jumped up and ran to lead the way.

 They entered the back room and saw several electronically locked doors, and a computer console. "Here we are Ranma-sama, they are in this room."

 Ranma set Pai down near the console, yet held on to her for support, to make sure she did not fall. Pai wanted to protest, but was still feeling wobbly and Ranma's touch was having a calming effect. Pai started examining the controls, and luckily, being able to read the language, they were easy to figure out.

 Once the doors were opened, several children hobbled out of the cells. They looked terrible. "Ucchan, support Pai please." Ukyo took Pai's arm, as Ranma turned toward the children. "\Kids, please sit, be calm, me help.\ Pai, would you mind explaining that I want to heal them?"

 Pai took over communicating with the children as Ranma healed them as much as he was able. They had the children stay behind them and slowly led them out of the building. Needless to say, they were all quite amazed at the lack of resistance they were receiving on the way out. It had them quite concerned. They were worried something was plotted to destroy the building, like a bomb, so they began to hurry.

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The young people made it out of the building safely, without finding anyone else. "Ucchan, can you two make sure these kids get home safely, and then head back to the room? I am going to keep looking for ofukuro-chan and the others."

 They both nodded, and Ukyo said, "Hai Ranchama! As you wish.", and Pai began talking to the children to explain that they would take them home and to ask where they lived. Ranma began to search the perimeter before heading back inside. "Be careful, Ranchama, you had better come back in one piece!"

 "You too, Ucchan, you too. I will see you soon."

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Ranma and the others returned to the room after a long discussion with them about the current situation. They explained what they had learned from Lau, who Ranma had to restrain himself from pouncing on. Ranma then explained what happened to Pai, and the other children. Lau and the others were visibly shocked at what Ranma had revealed, Lau most of all.

 When they entered the room, they found that Pai and Ukyo had just returned from dropping the children off at their homes with their relieved families. Upon seeing their return, Ukyo jumped into Ranma's arms yelling, "RANCHAMA! You made it back! We have some exciting news."

 "As do we Ucchan, you go first."

 "If you insist, Ranchama, but shouldn't we speak Mandarin, so more of us can understand?" He nodded. "/One of the children we rescued was the child of a movie director, as a reward we have been offered a role in the next movie!/" Her face was lit up with excitement. Nodoka translated for Ryoga and Pai when needed.

 Ranma had not seen her look that excited in a long time, and wanted to make sure she stayed that way. "/That sounds like fun, if that is what you want to do, then that is what we should do, The Nujie Zu can wait. Now, for our news, the warrior Fei Sha and the people who exiled the poor woman, are experts at memory manipulation, and she can likely help with Pai's memory loss. There is a catch though. To do so we need a special memory restoring shampoo, blend One One Nine, which normally can only be gotten from the Nujie Zu themselves. We can send a messenger to a nearby guide, who might be willing to trade for it for us, but it will likely take a few weeks to do so. The only other option we can think of, is to try and contact shifu Shun, and see if we can make it. We cannot leave without doing what we can, and we cannot make Pai follow us all the way to the village if we plan to spend a lot of time there. So, we will be here for a while, and depending on how long this movie part will take, we should have time. I mean what kind of part could they be offering us? An extra? A walk on?/"

 "/Well, Ranchama, they said they would have an audition, and how well we do will determine what part we get, but that we will all get something if we want it. They also said they would pay us for the work!/"

 By the looks on everyone's faces, it looked like they were unanimous. Pai looked happy for the first time since the kidnapping, and even Ryoga had starry eyes. Ranma was glad they had this opportunity for some fun, they could certainly use it.

 They began making their plans, Fei Sha contacted a trusted messenger, and Ranma talked to Pai about continuing her ki training. Nodoka began the preparations to rent a more 'permanent' residence for while they were there, and to get their mail forwarded to this new address.

 At one point Ranma tried to talk to Ryoga to find out exactly what his mother said to Pai's father, but Ryoga got a horrified look on his face, and refused to talk about it. All he would say was that Ranma was better off not knowing. Ryoga had nightmares for some time after about 'the look' Nodoka had given the man.

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Ra nma had quite a few letters waiting on him, having not been able to pick them for some time. The oldest one stood out to him the most.

 'Dear Ranma-kun,
I am writing this because I do not want to be overheard with this message.

 I know you won't get this for a while, but I hope things are going well for you and the others. We are doing well here, although, did you know we had ninja? We sure didn't! It came as quite a surprise to me when I found them in rooms under the house that had not existed before. It turns out that your mother had hired them to help out around here, mostly with your father's school. I offered to help them implement new techniques into the school, and in exchange, they don't mess with my head... I don't want to forget ...anything. Memories are precious to me, it's the only thing we really have that's ours. They are too important to lose.'

 The letter went on to describe several of the 'cases' her club had solved, and other day-to-day things that, while important to the two teens involved, Ranma had trouble paying a lot of attention to the rest of it. He was mad. A state Ranma did not experience very often, he may well have been upset about this before, but after what had happened to Pai, he was livid. Ranma left the letters and tapes on the table, and ran off to find his mother, they needed to have a very long talk.

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 Ranma found his mother meditating on the roof, as she liked to do so in the highest place she could find, when she had the option. Ranma understood this, he would rather spend his time on just any surface other than the ground. Ranma jumped to the roof to join her momentarily. "Okaa-san. We need to talk. Alone!" He added for anyone who might have been listening in, or thinking about joining them on the roof.

 As if the heat of her son's aura, look on his face, and tone of voice were not enough to alert the woman of Ranma's mood, the fact that he used the 'san' honorific and polite 'O' for her, let her know that he might even be directing that emotion her way. She wondered what could have caused that. "Yes son, what is bothering you today?"

 "I need ask you a few things, this is VERY important."

 "Yes son?"

 "Do you recall the ninja we trained with? I believe you asked them to keep an eye on the house, and help kafu-san with his new school."
{*Kafu = one's father*}

"Yes son."

 "They are keeping themselves a secret, which I suppose isn't exactly surprising, and they built a whole new area under the house it seems." Nodoka knew this was not yet the question part, and stayed silent. "Nabiki-chan found it some time ago." Nodoka raised an eyebrow at this. Ranma's voice stayed even and as calm as he could. "Did you know, that when they found out that Nabiki-chan found them, they threatened to use an memory erasing technique?"

 "WHAT?!?!"

 "Yes, you heard me correctly. When they found out that Nabiki-chan knew about them, they threatened to use that technique! I need you to contact that woman, and those assigned to the house, and make sure that such a thing does NOT happen again! I swear that, if I find out that this happened again, I will head straight there, training be damned, and kick them out personally, with prejudice! Even if I have to SWIM there! I know it is not 'manly' to get mad at your mother, but honestly, if you were involved in that decision, I am not sure I want to call you that anymore."

 Nodoka was shocked, she had been unaware they would take anything that far, and was almost as upset as Ranma, but, being the traditional Japanese woman that she was, held her composure better. "I swear to you Ranma-kun, I had no knowledge of this, and I will be leaving now to contact them." Before jumping off of the roof, Nodoka turned back to Ranma and said, "And son, that was, indeed, VERY manly." So 'manly' in fact, that if Ranma had not been her son, and if she had been just a bit younger, she might have had to change her panties. Luckily, for her self-image, she had been able to resist her instincts, but she was going to need some 'alone time' later.

 Ranma jumped down from the roof, and was about to just take off, and run and jump, as far, and fast as he could, when a hand on his arm stopped him. In a meek voice, Ukyo asked, "Ranchama, do you want to talk about it?"

 Turning to his friend, he softened a little when their eyes met. "Not really, how much did you hear?"

 "Well, it was kind of hard to miss you threatening to leave, and no matter the reason, you know I will follow you ...anywhere. Even if it means swimming back to Japan, or living on our own, with nothing more than the clothes on our backs. No matter what, I know we could make it work." She put her arms around her primary reason for living, and held him tightly, trying to let her aura calm him.

 "I know Ucchan. I would never ask it of you, but it would be easier to do with good company." He tried to smile, but it came out weakly. He relaxed a bit, and explained briefly about what 'their' ninja had done.

 Now it was Ukyo's turn to be angry. "I can't believe it! What is the deal with all of these people messing around in people's heads!"

 Ukyo was just as angry as Ranma had been moments before, and it was his turn to calm her down. "I think I need a really long, and hard workout. What do you say we go tear something up?"

 Ukyo looked him over and said, "I have just the thing." She grabbed him by the waistband, and pulled him toward the house. Seeing Ryoga nearby, she added. "Ryoga, we are going to 'workout', don't leave the yard ...and DON'T interrupt!"

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Not being chased by the Koenkan any longer, Pai felt safe going for a walk. She had wanted to thank her friend for the help for the other day, and was just returning to the rental home she was sharing with her Japanese friends. When she had returned, she saw Ryoga working out in the yard, but did not see anyone else in the house. She figured it would be good to spend a little extra time studying the script they had been given for the audition.

 She had gone into the living room to read, she started hearing loud noises coming from one of the bedrooms. She listened in for a while, trying to figure out what was going on in the other room, she could not tell if the noises were good or bad. Some of the sounds were like moans, not unlike those of someone getting a really good massage, and others, were angry, and pained. She did not want to bother them if Ranma was giving Ukyo one of his 'special massages', as Ukyo liked to put it, but if someone was being attacked, she wanted to help.

 Pai snuck over to the door, and tried to peep through the key hole, but could not see anything. She carefully cracked open the door and peeped in.

 What she saw took her completely by surprise. Ukyo and Ranma were on the bed, Ukyo had her face planted in the bed, and her rear was in the air. Ranma was mounting her from behind, slapping her on the rump, grunting, while Ukyo moaned in pleasure.

 Despite how much noise they were making, and how quietly Pai had opened the door, Ranma looked over as the door opened, and said "Oh, hi Pai ...sorry about this."

 Ukyo looked up and added, "Wanna join us?"

 "No!" and the door slammed shut.

 "I told you we should have locked the door, Ucchan."

"But, I told Ryoga we didn't want to be disturbed, and nobody else was here, so..."

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 Pai ran out of the house, completely embarrassed and strangely excited. Ryoga saw the blushing girl run from the house, and said, "Yeah that's why I am out here, they make too much noise when they 'workout' like that." Ryoga made 'air quotes' with the euphemism.

 "I, I've never seen anything like that before..."

 "Oh hell, I should have warned you! I am sorry, and they said they didn't want to be disturbed... damn!"

 "That's alright, they didn't seem to mind... Uh, I, ...gotta go. See ya later, Ryoga."

 Ryoga was a bit distressed about look of panic on the girl's face, hating himself for not thinking to warn her on the way in. He wanted to run after her, but didn't want to leave the yard and get lost.

 Little did Ryoga realize that he could have both chased after her, and stayed in the yard if he could have simply walked into the backyard. However, as anyone who knew the lost boy could tell you, the odds of that were three to one ...against. That was exactly where Pai had decided to run. She had seen that their bedroom window had been open, and crept back there to continue to peep. Nodoka would have been proud. It was hard for the girl to tell, but it seemed to her that when she poked her face into the window to look, Ukyo's voice had gotten louder and more intense, and her head was thrashing about. Normally Pai would have chalked this up to the sound not being blocked by the walls, but strangely Ranma's voice stayed about the same.

 Pai continued to watch in shock and silence, for more than half an hour, Ukyo was looking rather worn-out, and she started yelling and thrashing about again. Ranma turned to the window, and said, "Hey Pai, I really don't mind you watching, and Ukyo seems to really enjoy it, but you are welcome to come in here. You can join us or not, you don't have to sit in the dirt. Or do you enjoy the peeping aspect more? If so, maybe we should show you 'the game'..."

 Pai was once again shocked, this time because they had known she had been there the whole time, even more than the offer. "No, that's not it! It's not like that!"

 Ranma's lip curled into a sly grin. "Then what is it like? If you are going to watch anyway, you ought to just come in here where you can see well, and be more comfortable. Just hop through the window, no one will know. Pull up a chair, sit a spell, just please, take your shoes off."

 Pai, too flustered to come up with any kind of reply, just did as she had been told, the muscular lad had been training her for just over a week, and she had been getting used to following his orders, too embarrassed to protest, or even think of an alternative.

 "OH Ranma-sama, there is only one place you haven't gone yet, and I feel so good I want you to do that now. I want to become completely yours!"

 "With Pai watching?"

 "Because Pai is watching! As long as I am with Ranma-sama, I don't care who is watching! It's not like our 'special friend' here hasn't seen us naked before." Ranma filled Ukyo's ...request, and she arched, leaning back until she was pressed against Ranma's chest. "Get a good look Pai, you could have all this too, if you play your cards right. You just have to want it bad enough."

 "What?" The voice did not come from Pai, as she had passed out with a bit of a nosebleed, her brain having had a mild short-circuit due to the remnants of the brainwashing and stimuli.

 "Don't worry about it Ranma-sama, but, more than that, please, don't stop!"

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The audition went very well, far better than they ever expected. It being a martial arts film, their skills easily gave them all large, if not leading, roles. The director thought that Pai's cool attitude toward Ranma made for 'good chemistry', especially the way the girl had kept giving him looks when she thought no one was looking, so he cast Ranma as the hero and Pai as the villain. Ryoga's lack of linguistic skills in either Mandarin or Cantonese got him cast as one of Pai's henchmen. The director saw Ukyo's devotion, so cast the concubine as Ranma's loyal retainer, which was probably for the best, as she would have had trouble going against him, even in a movie. While Nodoka and Fei Sha were cast as Pai's extra sexy bodyguards.

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Ranma wrote a return letter, not feeling that he could speak aloud with some of the subject matter, without getting angry again, and he did not want them to have to listen to him ranting. He explained that the 'problem' with the ninja ought to be resolved soon, perhaps even by the time they received his letter. He explained what they had gone through with Pai, and why they needed to stay to help her regain her memories. He went on to tell them about the parts they had gotten in the movie, and told them that they would send them their advanced copy when they got it.

 Ukyo also sent a letter, telling them about how Ranma had reacted to the news, and what he had said to his mother in response. She knew Ranma would not have mentioned it himself, and wanted the girls to know how much he cared about their feelings and their well-being. She conveniently left out how well he treated her later that night, so as not to scare them off too soon, and just told them that they had a rigorous workout to work off his anger over the situation, and that she was still feeling it days later. She also included some more 'not safe for school' photos for them to drool over and more.

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S ome of the rich families who send their servants to be trained at his school had invited Genma to a fancy dinner party. He did not want to make a fool of himself, so he asked Kogarashi for special training... Genma knew he would regret it, but could not think of another option, this was an important meeting after all. It could mean many more students for their school, and a lot more money. He needed to make a good impression.

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Ranma received another package of letters and tapes. Nabiki had spoken to the ninja, and had been informed that they would never again be subjected to any kind of threats of any kind from that ninja clan. Their goal was to protect them, and now that included their memories as well. Due to the letters from Ranma and Ukyo, she knew they had him to thank for that, and was more grateful than she could express in words. She had been pretty scared by the thought, and relief now filled her being. It had been the first time Nabiki had been able to truly relax in weeks. They still needed to keep the secret from Genma, but that meant that other than Akane and their father, the rest could know. Her father and younger sister were just no good at keeping secrets, when she would get angry, she would say anything that came to mind, and their father was even worse when he got upset. Nabiki went on to thank Ranma many more times in that tape, and even he had started to get tired of listening to it, so moved on the next one.

 Kasumi talked mostly about their work with the homeless shelter, and how well it was doing, and how many people they have been able to help. Many of whom had been able to get jobs and move out on their own, thanks to the counseling they provided. Their counselor was quite good at helping the people figure out what they were good at doing and what jobs would suit them best, and was even able to help them find one most of the time. She was quite proud of the work they were doing. She also had to thank Ranma for helping her sister, and because without him and his family, they would not have been able to set up this shelter, and being able to help these people made her happier than anything else she had ever done. Ranma was glad that they had been able to help them. That was something the two of them shared, helping others was something that brought them both great joy in life.

 Fubuki bragged and bragged about Kasumi and her job. They had taken her from doing commercials, and news spots, to having her run a 'talent' show ...or rather, a 'lack of talent' show. People would go on and show off what they thought they could do, and Kasumi would get to dress up in pretty costumes, and they even let the three of them sing the theme song for the show together! Fubuki was not on the show herself, but she helped Kasumi with anything she could off stage.

 Fubuki went on to explain how Kasumi and her had gone to a fancy dinner party with Genma, to do a demonstration of their skills as the 'star pupils' of the school, as Genma had called them, something that embarrassed the two of them. Nonetheless, the party had been a lot of fun, and they enjoyed themselves a lot more than Genma himself, who had to be on his best behavior and cram for the event. Kogarashi had taken some time to almost literally beat the proper use of western utensils, high-class manners, and other etiquette lessons into his head, by his own request. While entertaining to watch, participating did not look fun. It had been grueling training, and she had been glad that they had learned such things in school.

 She also thanked him for the present he had sent for her sixteenth birthday, it was very sweet of him to 'remember such a thing' for 'someone so unimportant'.

 Ranma made a mental note to get her another gift, for the sole purpose of reminding her of how important she was to his family. After all, without her, those three girls would have only had the fathers to look after them, and he did not want to know how such a thing would have turned out, not to mention they would be lucky to have a house to come back to, had she not been there to help keep it in shape. Without the young maid's presence, Ranma was sure that things there would have turned out much differently, and not in a good way. Ranma, had no idea how right he had been with that assumption.

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The movie shoot had been going well for a while now, and the gang had been having a blast doing it. During one of the scenes that day though, a strange, yet beautiful woman crashed the set, interrupting the action they had been filming. She yelled out, "\What is that strange power I feel? It's here somewhere!\", as she began attacking the actors at random.

 The director yelled to his cameramen to "\Keep Filming!\"

Ranma and the others jumped into the fray as soon as it started, trying to distract the woman, and get her away from the non-fighters of the cast, to allow them to be treated by the medical personal on hand. The 'battle' had been going reasonably well, the woman was not overly strong, but she was merciless, and did her best to kill anyone who got too close. Luckily for the others, Ranma did not allow that to happen when he could prevent it.

 Just as they thought they had the situation was coming under control, and Ranma had begun to tie the woman up with his ever-present twine, the woman's body began to grow, and change. Her body morphed, her limbs grew, and her clothing shredded, as she grew fangs from both of her 'mouths'. She was not happy about how things were going, and shot 'webbing' out of her 'lower mouth', at the boy who had been trying to tie her up, and started climbing the nearby wall.

 Ranma was disgusted, and tried, at least, to clean his face of the sticky 'gunk'. Ukyo was not so complacent, she began firing off her 'ki kote' at the spider woman, cutting through some of her webbing and slicing off two of her legs at the first joint.

 The spider woman screeched in pain as green blood came from her two severed legs. She turned toward Ukyo and jumped, spooging more of her 'webbing' toward the 'actress'.

 Unlike Ranma, Ukyo had been prepared for that attack, having seen it being used on her lover just moments before, so she was quick to jump out of the way. Sadly, some of the extras were not so lucky, or skilled, the spider woman's jiggling breasts proving to be too much of a distraction for some of them.

 Ranma had cleared his eyes, enough to see. He mostly trusted his 'ki sight' but there were a lot of innocent people, and expensive and fragile equipment in the studio, and he did not want to damage more than the quick moving spider. He started toward the monster woman, throwing his own 'ki cards' at her, trying to pacify her, more than kill her. Quite a few of the monsters that had attacked them lately had mentioned something to the effect of them searching for something, and he got the feeling that they were the targets. Ranma really wanted to know why!

 They had little time to think though, as the creature was bouncing after Ukyo. Ranma slid under the thing at the apex of its leap, as she took a few arrows and bandannas to the head and back. Once he was between the creature and his friend, Ranma jumped up, landing a tremendous uppercut to its chest, just missing her bouncing breasts. Ranma had not had time to judge his angle, and regretted it. The, now unconscious monster, flew through the air, and connected, head first, into one of the live tracks of lighting, breaking the bulbs, and sending a large amount of electricity pulsing through her body. When some of her flailing arms also connected with the broken bulbs a fuse blew, and the lifeless spider's limp body fell to the ground, crushing a few props in doing so. The strange thing was one of those props seemed to say "Ow!" But, no one really noticed.

 Ranma ran over to see if she had a pulse, but the body turned to ash when he touched it. Failing that, he began to search the remains of her shredded clothing to see if she had any kind of identification or anything that might give them a lead on why they were being targeted.

 Ranma was worried they would be blamed for the attack, and subsequent damage, but the director was thrilled, yelling about needing to check the film, do rewrites to work that scene into the script, and that none if his 'stars' died in the attack, that would have taken major rewrites! They were told that they were done shooting until they got someone to clean up the mess anyway. The gang decided to go have a big meal to replenish their energy and relax after the excitement of the day. Some of them were used to such things by now, but others were still in shock.

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Ranma received another package from the girls. The tape was long, and covered many topics, from the food they ate, the clothes they thought were cute, how their school was going and more. One part stood out to Ranma a bit, as he did not know either of the people involved. Apparently, the headmaster of their school had been dating the doctor that worked at the family dojo, it had been going well for some time, but they finally broke up. They both thought the other had hobbies that were too immature. Kaede with her anime, manga and video games, and Tofu and his dancing with his skeleton, Betty-chan. Nabiki said she thought that the way he looked at Kasumi might have been a factor as well. Nabiki laughed as she added that Tofu was wasting his time though, there is only one guy Kasumi had pictures of on her bedroom walls, and Dr. Tofu was not that man.

 Ranma wrote back saying, among other things, that whomever it was that Kasumi liked, was a very lucky man indeed, and that he wished her luck in winning that guy's heart. Not that he thought that she would need luck. A sweet, beautiful, and kind girl as herself, should be able to get any man she wanted, and deserved all the happiness life could offer.

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Just over a few weeks later, the movie project was coming to an end, with only one scene left to film. However, long before they left for the studio, Fei Sha had arrived with a huge grin on her face. "/Good news everyone! The messenger returned this morning! I should be able to restore Pai's memories, it should only take a few moments. We should even make it to the shoot on time!/" Then she translated for Pai, who was thrilled. "\Just sit right here dear.\" The woman's hands blurred, moving at speeds that others could not believe. Within seconds, she completed her work. "\How do you feel? Can you remember without pain now?\"

 "\YES! Oh, thank you Fei Sha! I remember everything, with no problems, and I feel so refreshed!\" Switching to Japanese, Pai turned to Ranma, "It worked! Ranma, I'm sorry, I treated you so coldly. Whenever I tried to remember any of the kind things you had done for me, I could only think of Liu, and it made me mad. Now, though, it is all clear as a bell. I am so glad. Now I can thank you for all you have done for me." Pai began to kneel, but Ranma stopped her.

 "Hey, Pai, it's not a problem. We are martial artists, helping people is what we do. Besides, a pretty girl like you, I would go out of my way to help anytime." Ranma grinned at Pai as she blushed.

 "Well, be that as it may, thank you Ranma. I am just so glad that I got to meet you. Glad that you and your family stopped in that ally that day to help me. I don't know what I would have ever done without you, and I had forgotten it all." Pai put her arms around Ranma. "I know we need to leave kind of soon, but please, let me stay like this for a little while longer..."

 "Anything you want Pai, anything you want." Ranma turned his head toward their exiled friend, and added, "/And Fei Sha, I cannot thank you enough for this, you will always be a 'heroic woman' in my book. Even if you are not a member of that tribe, you will always be welcomed as a member of our clan./"

 The pink-haired beauty blushed so that her face matched her hair color and said, "/You are welcome Ranma, and thank you. This old exile never thought to be accepted anywhere again. I had given up on most people, but I just couldn't stand by and let those men do what they wanted with this young woman./"

 "/I don't know how old you are, and it would be rude of me to ask, but I will say that you certainly do NOT look old. Do not be hard on yourself, you are really quite beautiful and kind, and do not let anyone tell you otherwise! Anyone who would not accept you is a fool!/" The blush on the woman's face grew, as did the smile on her lips.

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 Pai had still not wanted to let go of Ranma by the time they needed to leave, so he chose to carry her all of the way to the studio, a fact she enjoyed immensely.

 The fight with the spider woman a few weeks before, was to be edited in as part of the final battle that they were shooting the rest of today. They began the day shooting scenes with Ryoga's character being 'sicked' on Ranma, but Ukyo's character intercepted him and urged her 'master' forward to stop the villain! Ukyo fought with Ryoga using Ranma's drunken dance style, both to show off and for its evasion techniques, while Ryoga attacked with his dragon style.

 Ranma ran into the building to confront the evil martial arts mage. On the way up the stairs, Fei Sha and Nodoka slinked into the passage from either side, each using a war fan style, wearing matching skimpy costumes and hairstyles. They stood back to back, held their fans out and blocked the way.

 "/Yet another 'hero'./"

"/Tries to stop the mistress./"

 "/You will not get./"

 "/Passed Pi and Xi!/"

 Ranma as 'Luan', came to a stop, where his eye bugged out at the costumes they were wearing, and his jaw dropped. The two women began to move in unison. Seeing this, 'Luan' shook his head, slapped his face, and made a show of NOT looking at their bouncing breasts, or the way they jiggled as they moved while barely being restrained by the loose fitting strips of cloth that passed for the tops of their 'dresses'. Seeing the reacting of 'Luan', the women began to move in an even more sultry manner, hoping to maximize the advantage their near nudity provided.

 'Luan' flipped backward to give himself more room, and pretended to almost lose his footing on the stairs. He stumbled around on the stairs while he dodged their fan attacks, and looked quite convincing thanks to his drunken boxing training. The air strikes from their fans were bouncing off of the walls, sending them in every direction in the narrow hallway, making them difficult to avoid. Ranma's character needed to get closer, but was having trouble doing so. He feinted with a low attack, and jumped over their heads to land behind them and attempted to sweep their legs out from under them, but they jumped back as he had done before. Except when they did so, their revealing outfits, revealed oh so much more...

 'Pi and Xi' placed their hands, from the arms furthest away together, causing them to turn toward each other a bit, as a glow formed in each hand, one blue and one pink. The glow expanded out into a heart shaped outline for just a moment before the energy became a whip-like tendril, which they began to use as the description implied. They used their 'whips', which took chunks out of the stone stairs and the metal walls where they struck, and both yelled out in unison. ""/Pi and Xi's Attack of Love!!!/""

 Ranma's character jumped and dodged as he tried to 'retreat' up the stairs, trying to get out of the range of the tendrils of energy. Pi and Xi followed, having to dodge the damage they had done to the stairwell as they went.

 "/Luan, only seems to want to run away./"

"/Some hero, not even man enough to handle our sex appeal and attack of love!/"

 Their talking gave 'Luan' a chance to build up his own ki attack, a large ball of golden ki formed in his hands. The blast shot forward with a shout of, "/Qi Yuan Qiu!/"
{*Qi Yuan Qiu = Qi (spirit energy/Ki); Yuan Qiu (Sphere/Ball) cheesy name but it's a B-movie*}

 The ki blast blew out a chunk of the stairs and knocked the 'twins' back, sending them tumbling down the stair well, to land in a heap on top of each other, with what remained of their now even skimpier outfits.

 Seeing that his foes were unable to continue, Luan ran up the stairs toward the top, where his final opponent was sure to be located.

 Fei Sha was no longer bound by the laws of the Nujie Zu, and even though she knew this fight was scripted, for a moment, she seriously considered invoking a certain law, in regards to the handsome young man who 'defeated' her. She quickly dropped this line of thought after considering the age and likely inexperience, of the young man. Not to mention that she did not want to have to fight over him with the other two girls who clearly had their eye on the lad, even if he claimed not to think she looked 'old', and said she looked 'beautiful'. She was so lost in thought that she did not even hear the director as he yelled "\CUT\". It was not until Nodoka started trying to move that Fei Sha noticed the position she was in, with her face lodged in the other woman's bust and her butt in the air.

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 After they stopped for lunch, the director explained to them that he had decided on one more change to the ending of the movie. He had seen the way Pai was acting when they had arrived that morning, and it had given him a new idea. He handed them the revised scripts and gave them some time for the new scene.

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 'Luan' made it to the top of the stairs, and just as our hero was about to open the door, footsteps were heard from behind.

 "/Are you alright, master?/" 'Shen' came happily bounding up the stairs behind her master. "/You sure made short work of those two, master./" The loyal retainer had a big grin on her face. "/Are we going after the evil mage, Ming Wuqing now?/"

 "/I am glad you caught up, Shen, but remember, Ming is not evil, but is possessed by an evil spirit. We must find a way to drive that beast out!/"

 "/Yes, master!/"

 The director thought to himself, '\That girl is a natural, I have never seen anyone play a loyal retainer so well, and at such a young age too!\'

"/Now, let's go crash a party!/" 'Luan' opened the door into a large room, set up to resemble a modeling photo shoot, complete with 'Ming' being made up in a fancy dress.

 'Ming' heard them enter and told her make-up artists and other assistants to stop. "\So, Luan, you've made it passed my minions. Now you will pay!\" 'Ming' jumped across the room trying to catch 'Luan' with a kick, but he dodged out of the way, deflecting her leg and sending her off course. They both jumped into the air and exchanged kicks and punches as they seemed to hang in the air, before both landed, facing each other once again.

 Several exchanges later, 'Luan' was concentrating his attacks near her chest, trying to retrieve the medallion around her neck. He had nearly grabbed it a few times, but only came away with pieces of the fancy costume. Pai was glad that her costume didn't tear in any overly 'revealing' places.

 The fight had raged on for several minutes when the doors opened once again. ""/MASTER!?!/""
 
 'Ming' turned to order her minions to attack as well, but in the moment of distraction, 'Luan' grabbed the jade medallion, and threw it to the ground and stomped on it, smashing it to bits.

 Everyone acted as if there was a huge explosion, and flew back, 'Ming' was too stunned to move.

 The director yelled "\CUT!\"

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 The spirit of the Spider Woman that had been possessing the fair 'Ming', was now vanquished, thanks to our heroes and a little help from the 'minions'. The room was a wreck, and the 'players' were exhausted. 'Luan' leaped to the other side of the room to check on 'Ming'.

 'Luan' carried the non-possessed young woman to find her somewhere more comfortable to rest, when she started to awaken, and saw who held her. "\Luan! What happened?\"

 "/Do not fear. The spirit has been driven out and defeated. With rest, you should be back to full strength before long./"

 "\Thank you, my love!\" 'Ming' threw her arms around 'Luan', and after only a moment's hesitation, kissed him on the mouth, as they held their position for what seemed like an eternity to the young woman. The camera cut away to Ukyo and the others shedding tears over the beauty of the scene before them, and then back to the 'loving couple'.

 By the time the director yelled "\CUT!\" again, Pai was blushing so hard her whole face was lit up. She was not given any time to think about it before Ukyo ran over to throw her arms around them both.

 "That was GREAT! You were both wonderful! That was such a passionate kiss!"

Pai's fingers touched her lips, "It was my FIRST kiss! ...and in front of so many people no less..." Though her words and the smile on her face did not entirely match.

 "Then you couldn't have asked for a better man to give it to you, and now you have it on film, so you can always remember it, and the world can share it with you! It was beautiful!" Ukyo wiped a tear from her eye. "And now, here is your second kiss!" Ukyo added as she leaned in to kiss both of them. Pai almost feinted.

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 Wanting his friends to be able to enjoy the movie, Ranma talked the director into letting him translate the script into Japanese for an additional set of subtitles for the laser disk release. It would take a few more days work, but he felt it was worth it, and even offered to do it for free. The director promised to make sure he had a copy before it was even in the theaters. Since they did not have to add too many special effects, or remove wires, or any of the other usual stuff, all that remained was some editing and the rest of the dubbing.

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The girls received another letter from Ukyo,

 'Dear girls,
 I hope you are doing well. We just finished the movie shoot, and Ranchama was SO manly! Almost all of the actresses wanted to take our man home! Even some of the adults were hitting on our Ranchama! None of those girls were good enough for more than a distraction though, and certainly not good enough to invite to come with us. It was really fun to watch though, and those poor girls will be ruined for other men from now on. No man can compare if Ranchama is the measuring stick used to judge! I feel sorry for them, but there is only so much Ranchama to go around and only the best girls will do. Pai might work out nicely though, we will have to see how it goes. It really is a shame that Renka didn't come along, that girl was adorable, and so full of joy. You girls would have loved that one, I am sure.

 Speaking of 'adorable', I have noticed that you three have not sent us any pictures of yourselves in a while, despite all of the sexy pictures I send you of Ranchama. It's only fair. Did you want me to send pictures of myself as well? Is that the problem? I will include that this time then, like this one of me washing Ranchama's back, and here is one of the reverse. How sexy do you want the pictures to be? I could do one where I am washing Ranchama's front, or maybe you would prefer to see me washing Ranchama with my body, I want to try that anyway! I will do whatever it takes to get you to return the favors I do for you. With all of the photos I have sent you, Ranchama deserves to see you all as well. It's only fair after all.
 Love from us all,
 ~Ucchan'

 The annoyance the girls had felt about Ranma 'going out' with the actresses from the movie, was quickly forgotten in their embarrassment at Ukyo's request, and that was quickly forgotten in their lust at seeing the other pictures the girl had seen fit to include with the letter! On top of the photos she described, there were also pictures from the movie set, more from the bath, several with Ranma asleep, and others during their actual workouts.

 It was some time before any of the three girls had another coherent thought as they stared at the enticing photos, drooling quietly to themselves.

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Leaving the studio one day, a girl came up to the young woman, asking for an autograph. Pai instantly recognized the girl as one of the kids they had rescued from the Koenkan not long before. "\How have you been doing child? Well I hope.\"

"\Oh, yes! Thanks to you and your friends! And I can't thank you enough for getting us in to watch the movie being filmed! You and your boyfriend are so cool, I want to be just like you when I grow up!\"

 Pai blushed at that. "\You are welcome, Ranma is not my boyfriend, but thank you. Who should I make this out to, what was your name again?\"

 "\Is he seeing that other girl then? You really should try to go for it, I can tell you like the guy, who wouldn't, just so handsome! My name is Eileen, by the way.\"

 Blushing even further, Pai tried to ignore those feelings. "\Eileen, that is a strange name, but cute, like you are.\"

 It was the girl's turn to blush. "\Well, I was born in America, but when my parents died, I moved here to live with my grandfather.\"

 "\Aw, I am sorry to hear that. I do hope your grandfather treats you well?\"

 "\Oh yes! Gramps is great! He cares for me, and is teaching me to fight, I hope to be as good as you one day!\"

 "\There are lots of people better than I am, I still have a long way to go. Some days it feels like everyone I know is better than I am.\" Pai let out a small laugh.

 "\Don't give up your dream, and I will keep mine too! We can both train for our goals. Even if other people can beat you up, I think you are the best! You are my hero! If I keep training, will you fight me one day, so I can test my training?\"

 "\Sure child, look me up when you get older, after you have trained hard, we can spar. We all need a goal, even if that goal changes as we get older...\" Pai was thinking of Ranma as she said this, and blushed again...

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The three girls were embarrassed to their very core, especially Fubuki and Kasumi. They were all in Ranma's bedroom, debating what they should do about their current dilemma. It had been a little while since they had gotten the recent letter from Ukyo, and while they all agreed with the devoted girl, it had taken them this long to even talk about it. Doing something about it was proving far more difficult. They did not think that Ranma had known about the photos Ukyo was sending them, but if so, then it would be especially rude not to return the favor considering how much they 'enjoyed' them. They were far too embarrassed to take pictures of themselves in the bath, like the ones they had been sent. However, they DID want to do something to repay the boy's kindness, especially after they had heard what he had done in regards to the ninja, and if this was what Ukyo thought was a good way to do so ...well, that girl did know Ranma better than anyone.

 Fubuki had surprised them when the maid suggested they have a sleep-over in Ranma's room, even more so when the girl told them that she had been doing it frequently, ever since replacing his mattress on her own some time ago.

 "I thought it seemed bigger, but I have grown a lot since I slept in here, so it was hard to tell. Well, I have been thinking about this, and I read somewhere that some men like sexy costumes more than just looking at naked girls, so I am thinking that might be less embarrassing. So, considering Kasumi-nee-chan's shyness and Fubuki-chan not wanting to be seen outside of her uniform, I was thinking the most fitting, and least revealing, would be the hadaka apron, using the one from your uniform."
{*Hadaka = Nude, Naked, Bare*}

"Oh my, oh my, oh my!"

 "Well, I suppose that could be worse, at least I would still feel like a maid, but, what about you Nabiki-sama? Will you wear yours as well?"

 "Maaaaybe." Nabiki began to remove her clothing, revealing some skimpy, black lingerie. Handing her camera over to Fubuki, Nabiki put her apron on and struck a sexy pose. After a couple of pictures Nabiki removed her apron again and had Fubuki take a few shots in her underwear. Taking the camera back, Nabiki said, "Your turns!"

 Both girls blushed again and began to strip, Kasumi left her white panties on, but Fubuki did not. Nabiki took several pictures of each of them and a few of them together in various poses, and then set the camera on a timer and took a few with all three of them together.

 When they had used up the small roll of film, Nabiki ran down to the darkroom the Ninja had let her set up in the new 'basement' to develop the pictures as quickly as she had been able.

 By the time she finished and returned to the room, Nabiki almost facefaulted when she saw her sister and friend, still in their aprons, making out while she was gone. "Once again you started without me! Why do I have to suffer because neither of you knows how to develop film?"

 The other two girls pulled her into the fold, apologizing and kissing her. They did not get to sleep for a long time.

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P ai had been watching Nodoka and Ukyo being massaged by Ranma after the workouts, but Ukyo had insisted on being the one to give them to Pai. Pai could not argue the point, and they were really good massages, so she could not really complain either. However, now that the movie shoot was over, Ukyo had told her that it was about time for her to get one of Ranma's 'special' massages. She tried to deny the need for a moment, but Ukyo made it a difficult thing to do.

 "Let me put it this way, do you remember anything about how you felt while Ranchama was washing your back, and washing and brushing your hair?"

 "A bit, but not much of it after it started..."

 "Did you like it?"

 "Well, yeah..."

 "His 'massage technique' blows that out of the water!" Switching to a whispered tone, Ukyo leaned into Pai's ear. "And sex is even better than that!"

 "B-b-better?!?! How, I mean, is that even possible? I don't think I would survive anything 'better'..."

 "Oh, it IS possible, you WILL survive, and you will never want to do without it again! This, I promise you. It is one of the best feelings in the world! I wouldn't let just anyone in on this you know, it takes a very special person. We cannot have just any random girls chasing after Ranma-sama, who deserves only the best! Besides, you really seemed interested in it when you spied on us a while back..."

 "It wasn't like that!"

"Really? Then what WAS it like?"

 "Uh ...Look, I am honored, I really am. It's just that this is so strange, and it's happening so fast. I just don't know what to do!!!"

 "It's really simple, you just have to relax and enjoy it. All women deserve to enjoy these feelings. I feel like you are one of the few who deserve the best, and I would consider it a favor if you allow Ranma-sama to practice on you. Every woman is different, so Ranchama needs as much variety in training as can be gotten. But if you would rather not be involved..."

 "I didn't say THAT! I want to, it's just, I don't know how I should be reacting. It feels weird."

 "Oh no, Sugar, it's not weird at all. It is perfectly natural and normal, just do, whatever your body tells you to do. There is no need to worry, nothing to be scared of, and nothing you do will be wrong (as long as you don't hurt Ranchama on purpose). It will all be okay. If you would rather, I will even help you. I will stay by your side, and make sure you enjoy yourself to the fullest. I told you that I would support you, and I meant it! I should warn you of one thing though, once you have had Ranma-sama's special touch, nothing else will do."

 That threw Pai for a loop, she was normally less scared of Ranma's attention than Ukyo's, especially since her memories returned, but while Ukyo made her nervous in one way, the idea of something 'better' than how she felt during the back-washing and hair brushing, scared her to death. Even if Ranma's touch made her feel comfort, like floating on a cloud, whereas Ukyo's made her feel like prey, especially the way Ukyo's hands were massaging her legs at that moment. She felt a shiver run up her spine, that, when combined with her thoughts of Ranma's fingers playing over her sweaty body, like he had done when washing her back, had almost brought her to the point of climaxing again. She was still new to those feelings, but had been starting to get the hang of recognizing them at least.

 Ukyo saw the look on the girl's face, and recognized it right away from their first night in the bath, among other things. She knew she was not anywhere near Ranma's skill, but she had been practicing a lot, but most of that had been on Ranma, and girls were different. She did not let up for a moment, not until Pai's body had stopped convulsing and relaxed. Once again, she leaned in close to Pai's ear, and whispered, which by itself was enough to send more shivers down the girl's spine. "Just remember, Ranma-sama makes me look like a rank amateur."

 "Fine. Okay, I will, I promise. Just, please," *GROAN* "don't, stop..." Pai did not know what to think, it was strange enough to be getting feelings like this with Ranma, a boy, but to be feeling like this because of another girl was really freaking her out. The last few days had made Pai rethink everything she thought she knew about life and herself, and she was not sure how to feel about it. However, there was no denying that this felt REALLY good, and was starting to hope that this life could go on forever, even if it meant being Ukyo's plaything, something she would not admit, to anyone, even herself, was starting to feel like something she would not mind as much as she would have expected.

 Uyko's smile and eyes took on a sinister glint, as her hands went back to work, working out what little tension remained in the girl. Ukyo was quite proud of the work being done, not only was Pai taking well to Ranma's training, but her own as well. Ukyo was also proud that her own technique was having such an effect on the girl, she had never massaged another girl before Pai. Well, other than Nodoka, and she certainly couldn't practice this technique on her. Not that the woman did not deserve it, but she had been so adamant about refusing the 'treatment' from either of them. She really felt sorry for her 'mother', who always did so many things to make sure that they were as happy as could be. Ukyo had snuck in one day and 'borrowed' one of the 'toys' Nodoka used for 'stress relief', that Ukyo had run across when helping to pack one day. However, no matter what she tried, or how well she used it, it was a pale shadow of how it felt when Ranma was even just brushing her hair, never mind how it felt the few times they had actually had sex. This had given her an idea though, she really wanted Nodoka to feel as good as she did, and wanted to help her as much as she could. So, as Pai was recovering from her first massage, and prepared herself for her second that day, Ukyo snuck into Nodoka's room, and used a variation of one of the tricks they had been practicing lately, charging objects with ki of varying emotions. She charged all of Nodoka's 'toys', using the memories of how she felt when Ranma made her feel the best she had ever felt. Ukyo was not sure how this would work, not having tried it on herself, but was hoping that her hypothesis held true, and when Nodoka next used them, she would get a jolt of Ukyo's own emotions, and amplify her pleasure... Only time will tell.

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N odoka returned to the room after checking in with her contacts again. She wanted to make sure they were not aware of any emergencies that required her attention and the other upkeep she maintained, something she did frequently. Getting a negative response on the emergencies, Nodoka decided to do some shopping. She was feeling badly about making Ryoga wait for his birthday present, and wanted to do something nice for the boy, who should be a man by now.

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 Nodoka found Ryoga in the main room cleaning up, now that the dishes had been washed. "Konichiwa, Ryoga-kun, thank you for cleaning up. You are such a good boy. I feel bad about us being here in Hong Kong where the laws are different, for so long after you turned fourteen, and should be becoming a man by the standards of mainland China, but I wanted to get you something to hold you over until we leave. I do not know what you like, since you are always so shy, so I got you a random sampling of things that were recommended by the shopkeeper. Here you go." Nodoka handed Ryoga a large brown paper bag. "You may watch these in your room this evening. There are also a few other things in there for you to 'play' with. One of these days we will get you over this terminal shyness of yours, it is certainly not very manly."

 Ryoga was already blushing from the complement, and it only got worse. He wanted to make Nodoka proud of him, but his shyness was deeply ingrained. He had, after all, spent most of his life alone. Even the more than year and a half he had spent with the Saotomes had not been enough break his, as Nodoka would call it, 'bad habit'. If nothing else, he wanted to be able to take a bath without having to fight a nosebleed. Nodoka assured him that looking at naked girls was an important part of growing up, and something he would need to be able to handle, or he would never be an adult. One cannot get married if one cannot see a naked girl without passing out from lack of blood!

 Ryoga's introspection was interrupted when Nodoka asked, "Do you know where the others are?"

 Bothered a bit by the progression of his friends' relationships, he was a bit annoyed by the answer to that, but tried not to show it, despite how his face darkened. "They are in the furo, giving Pai a 'massage'. They will likely be in there a while..." 'All of the girls want Ranma, even all of the actresses were making goo-goo eyes! It wasn't fair!'

 Nodoka's reaction, on the other hand, was one of elation, "It is about time. I suppose I should not interrupt them." She was beaming with pride. Nodoka wrote 'To: Ranma and Ukyo' on the other bag, and tossed it onto their bed, and went to find her camera after taking Ryoga to his room, and telling him, "I will come get you, when dinner is ready. Enjoy your gifts, my boy."

Once alone, Ryoga opened the large bag he had been given. Upon looking inside and seeing the types of movies and other objects he did not understand the use of, he got a nosebleed, and promptly passed out.

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Ba ck in the furo, Pai was naked, laying on the changing table, being tended to by both a naked Ukyo and an almost so Ranma (he was trying to remain 'professional', to him this was 'normal' for a massage. After all, since all of the women reacted much the same way, and no one other than his mother discouraged him, and she even encouraged him to do it to every girl other than herself). Each of the Japanese youths were at opposite ends of the table, Ukyo was massaging Pai's shoulders, and Ranma was working on her legs. The relaxed girl had not been able to say an intelligible word since the two teens had started working on her, the best she had managed were groans and moans of pleasure. Pai had already climaxed three times, and Ranma had not gotten anywhere near 'the spot' yet, she looked to be enjoying herself so much, that Ukyo had almost done so as well, just from watching and the emotional aura the girl was giving off. Not to mention, the cute look on Pai's face, as she writhed in ecstasy was really getting Ukyo excited.

 Ukyo leaned in to rub Pai's lower shoulder blades when one of her breasts accidentally brushed across the other girl's face. It came as quite a welcome surprise to her when Pai took said breast into her mouth and began to lick and suck on it. Ukyo was again surprised when she learned that due to how turned on she was, that was all she had needed to climax and began to moan herself. This progressed for a while until Ukyo finally laid down next to Pai, and began to 'return the favor'.

 As if rubbing his hands all over a beautiful naked girl was not enough of a turn-on, seeing the two of them making out was making it hard on the young man. Ukyo noticed this and turned around the other way to face Ranma, and then pulled down Ranma's boxers and took him into her mouth. Before long Ranma had to ask Pai to roll over onto her stomach. Pai did as asked and rolled over, right on top of Ukyo, and began to go down on her. Ukyo's oration slowly got much more intense, as she built to another climax.

Before long Ranma had worked his way up to Pai's lower back, and hit the magic spot. Pai's body was wracked with the most intense orgasm she had ever felt, and since that was at least her sixth one of the day, it said a lot. She completely lost all awareness of her surroundings, including the girl she was laying on top of as her body convulsed. Ukyo had to stop her ministrations on Ranma for fear of biting him or her tongue, and settled for just kissing it as Pai came on top of her. Ukyo was doubly glad she had turned around when the other girl began to scream, as she thrashed about.

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 Nodoka heard the sounds die down and peeped in to see the three teens kissing and fondling each other. A warm feeling of pride filled her being as she closed the door, not even bothering to get her camera this time.

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T he next day, Nodoka found Ukyo cleaning while Ranma was giving Pai her ki treatment, and requested the girl follow her for a 'talk'...

 "SO, I assume you were the person who tampered with my 'toys'..." Ukyo blushed shyly. "I know I said you could borrow some occasionally when Ranma-kun was busy with other girls, but what did you do to it?"

 Being bashful, Ukyo said, "Well, I know you don't feel right about gettin' that special technique from Ranchama's massages, but I feel bad for you, not bein' able to feel that good, so I wanted ta share those emotions with yah. Other th'n Ranchama, you are the most important person in mah life, and I wanted yah ta feel the joy that every woman deserves. So, I took all of the joy I feel, and charged those feelin's inta the toy, so when yah used it next, it would give you mah feelings, mah love for you and Ranchama. I love yah Okaa-sama, I just want yah ta be happy too!"

 Nodoka took the girl into her arms. "Oh dear, I am not sure how I feel about what you did, but I cannot fault your motives. I love you too, Ukyo-chan. You kids make me the happiest woman on earth every day I get to spend with you. The joy of watching you grow up and becoming loving, caring people. You all make me so proud, I feel like I am going to burst. You do not need to do anything for me, except to grow up happy, and healthy." The two of them stayed in the embrace for a while, Nodoka shedding tears of joy, while Ukyo was concluding that to be 'happy', she would have to use that 'trick' again, and often.

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Pai had just finished asking Ukyo for a favor, and ran off to find Ranma. Pai found Ranma on the roof, meditating. Jumping to join him, she requested that he join herself and Ukyo in the woods, some ways away from the house.

 By the time Pai had brought Ranma to the agreed upon place, Ukyo had chopped down a tree, created a clearing, and built a simple stage out of that tree. Ukyo welcomed them, "Pai, Ranchama, we are ready for you here."

 "I have never told anyone about my hobby before, but I want to show you now. Ukyo, if you would please."

 Ukyo pulled out her violin and began to play as Pai climbed upon the stage and began to dance. The teen poured everything she had into her dance, completely losing herself in the melody. On and on she danced until Ukyo ended her song. Ranma applauded. "Pai-Pai, that was beautiful!"

 "Many of the dances I want to do require a partner, not that I have ever had one before, but this is one I can show you now." Pai pulled out two fans and began a traditional fan dance.

 After finishing a few more, the girl reached out for Ranma's hand and blushed, "Would you care to be my dancing partner tonight Ranma?"

 Ranma took her hand and the two of them danced on into the evening.

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 The family was preparing to leave, and Nodoka had just returned from having picked up the last of the mail and having it stopped and other arrangements that needed to be made. Pai had been helping them pack and was waiting for her return. The girl ran over to Nodoka and asked to talk.

 "Ranma promised to keep training me, and I need to continue that, and I was hoping you guys would let me follow you. I will try not to be a burden to you in any way. I will work really hard, and do anything you tell me, I promise! Please, I really have nowhere else to go, it's not like I can stay at Koenkan, no matter how much my father might change, I cannot forgive what that bastard did! Please Saotome-sama, I want to stay with you for as long as I can!"

 "I have heard enough! You clearly love my son who also seems to like you, and that is enough for me, but you need to at least go tell your father, it is only right."

 Pai blushed and tried to protest 'being in love', but could not find the words to deny it, so settled for just saying, "Yes ma'am, Thank you!" Turning toward Ranma, Pai asked, "Will you go with me? I do not think I can do this on my own..."

 "Of course Pai-Pai, as I said before, I will always be there to help you if I can."

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 Pai and Ranma entered the Koenkan building and strolled over to the front desk. The receptionist greeted them in Cantonese.

 Pai replied in kind, "\We are here to speak with Lau Chan.\"

 "\Do you have an appointment?\"

 "\No, but I think he will see us anyway.\"

 "\Who might you be then?\"

"\You must be new, I am Lau's daughter, Pai Chan, for now.\"

 After a few moments they were led back to a large private room where Lau was waiting for them.

 "\Greetings daughter,\ and you are that boy, the one who stopped Liu, the son of 'that woman'." Lau shivered, recalling the tongue-lashing and look that he had received from the boy's mother. That woman was terrifying!

 Ranma stayed silent, but Pai did not. "You no longer have a right to call me that! In the time Ranma and his family have been here, they have been far more of a family to me than you were for most of the last fourteen years! I have come here for only one reason, to tell you that I am leaving Hong Kong, leaving you, and leaving your family, so I give you this." Pai tossed a small box, wrapped in black paper with a yellow ribbon. "Open it now."

 Lau looked grimly at the box as he opened it. Inside of the small box was a paper hand fan. Lau got an appraising look on his face, as he looked the two of them up and down. "What? You intend to marry this boy then?"
{See 'Gifts in China' notes at the end for more}

"NO! Well, maybe, later, but we will decide that on our own, when we are old enough to choose for ourselves, and know what we want to do. However, YOU will NOT have any say in who I marry, or when! By giving you this fan, I am saying that I am leaving your family, and do not wish to see you again until I can prove you have wasted your life with your art. That you let your wife, my mother, die and still do not have the 'strongest art'! You are a fool, and you are no longer my father! Stay here with your ill-gotten gains, I no longer want anything to do with you."

 "Pai-Pai? Would you like me to prove that to him right now? I know you want to do it yourself, and I respect that, I do, but if you would rather not wait, I would be happy to prove your point for you. It's completely your call, but I really don't like the way that man treated you, your mother, nor let this group he created hurt so many people. I am not sure I would feel right just walking away, but I want you to be happy, that is the most important thing here."

 "Are you sure you can? It would be counterproductive if not..."

 "What do you think? I can tell by the aura that the ki use of that man is at the intermediate levels at best. There is no way I would lose!" Ranma added confidently.

 "Well, I can't say that I wouldn't enjoy watching that, and I wouldn't want to deny you the satisfaction ...if you feel that strongly about it."

 "For what that man did to you, I do feel that strongly about it! So, thank you, Pai-Pai, It would be my pleasure to be your stand-in." After bowing to his companion, Ranma turned toward Lau and continued. "You sir, were an even worse father than my own, and that says a lot. My father may have been stupid and abusive, but at least the man tried to be there for me, until my mother prevented that. You, however, took off to train, something I DO understand, but left your family, with no means of support! Which I cannot forgive! You sir, are no man! You are no father! You barely qualify as a human being! At least MY father is making improvements in life! You just left it to someone else, so you didn't have to take responsibility! THAT is VERY unmanly!"

 "Nothing you say can sting more than your mother's look, and that was nothing compared to the look Pai gives me now. All of you are right, I was a selfish fool. If you want to beat me up, go ahead, I will not stop you."

 "Beating you up is not my goal! This is to prove a point! Now, show me that all of the pain you have caused your family, and the rest of the city, was worth it, FIGHT ME WITH EVERYTHING YOU HAVE!"

 Seeing he had no choice, Lau took a fighting stance, Ranma did not move, other than to soften his tone and turn his head toward Pai. "Would you do the honors, Pai-Pai?"

 "Round one, FIGHT!"

 Lau jumped at the boy, laying into him with everything he had. Ranma did not even try to dodge, just soaking it up with his aura and self-healing techniques.

 Pai could not see that Ranma was not taking much damage, just saw that he was being beaten on, and was getting worried. "Ranma!"

 "Don't worry Pai-Pai, I just wanted to give the man a chance to feel it was going well." Turning back to his 'foe', Ranma continued, "This is pathetic, is this really the best you can do after all of that suffering? I can't even say, you hit like a girl, because I know girls who hit way harder than that. It would be an insult to girls everywhere."

 Lau's aura flared up again, he did not really want to fight the lad, but Ranma had a way of bringing out the frustration in people. Lau's punches and kicks began to speed up and as he attempted a back-flip kick, Ranma felt it was time to start moving. Having learned that Lau was once a student of Shun Di, Ranma felt that was the best style to beat him with, and stumbled back into a drunken posture, avoiding the kick.

 Lau recognized the stance, but his old master Shun, had never been willing to teach it to him, he still had trouble predicting the moves.

 "You seem to have forgotten an important aspect of the art."

 Lau spun in close, pivoting on one foot, kicking out with the other. "Forgotten? What would that be, what do you think you can teach me about the art?"

 Ranma simply sat down, letting the leg pass over his head. "More than I care to, not that I would waste my time like that." Ranma looked closer at the man's aura as he rolled forward, raising up with a double palm strike. "You have no compassion."

 Pai beamed with pride as she thought to herself, 'Ranma said teaching my father was a waste of time, but is happy to be teaching me!" The girl swooned for a moment.

 Lau staggered back, before recovering and did a cartwheel forward, kicking downward at the boy's head. "Compassion? It's a little late for that! Fighting is about life and death, nothing more. Compassion only gets in the way."

 Ranma sidestepped the attack, and circled around the man, landing several elbow strikes to the older man's head, knocking him down. "Is that what you think? If so, then you are truly weak." Ranma had waited for the man to get back up, and continue.

 "Weak? What are you talking about?" Lau was so surprised he was not able to dodge Ranma's 'Crazy Corkscrew' attack, and was nailed in the chest.

 "Compassion doesn't 'get in the way', compassion IS the way! The way of a martial artist is to protect those who need it, not for taking life! What good is being strong, if you have no one to protect? It makes you nothing more than a common thug!" Ranma did his own forward cartwheel kick, knocking the man down. "Your kung-fu is weak, old man!" Not giving the man a moment to recover, Ranma jumped back and did a summersault roll, standing up at the end, and used the momentum to fall on top of Lau, landing with an elbow strike to the solar plexus, knocking the wind out of the man, ending the fight.

 "I hope you learned something!" Ranma turned toward Pai, and smiled, a glint of light sparkling as he did. "I think we are all done here, Pai-Pai, unless you want to add anything?"

 "No Ranma, you did, and said, everything I wanted to, and more. Ukyo was right, you really are the best!" Pai jumped over and threw her arms around Ranma, giving him a long, passionate kiss to show her gratitude.

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< br> Ranma opened the last package he would receive until they established another residence. To say the boy was surprised by what he found inside was an understatement. Ranma had received many things from the girls in the years they had been pen pals, but he never expected anything like this. There were no letters, no tapes, the only thing in the package were twenty pictures, with no writing on them. What WAS on the photos however, was the most surprising part.

 Ukyo saw the look on Ranma's face and a huge smile formed on her own. Ukyo did not really expect her words to have been enough of a push, but it seemed as if she laid on just enough guilt to do the trick. She couldn't wait to see the pictures for herself, to stun Ranma like that, they must be pretty amazing.

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Fei Sha gathered to talk to the ever-growing Saotome clan. "/I know what you wish to do, and if you cannot be talked out of it, I need to give you a warning. As with why I was exiled, the Nujie Zu has many laws, which you would consider strange. You must be forewarned or it could lead to disaster. My former people are quite strict about their laws, and will enforce them even if it means your deaths./" Ukyo and Nodoka translated for Pai and Ryoga respectively, leaving Ranma to ask the question on all of their minds.

 "/If it isn't asking too much, would you be willing to tell us then, why you were exiled? I do not want to pry if it is too personal, or hard to talk about./"

 "/It's okay, it's been years, and you do need to know. So, yes, I will tell you. About seven or eight years ago, I was a messenger for my village, I was one of the fastest of my generation. I ran messages and other deliveries between villages, and occasionally to other outsider towns. On one such trip, in which I was to purchase supplies, I met a girl. While waiting for the shopkeeper to ready the supplies, we talked. We had a lot in common considering, and started to become friends. Whenever I had the opportunity, I would stop to visit, and occasionally, Mei would meet me outside of the village, and we would camp out and just enjoy each other's company, or train together. Over the next two years, the two of us became great friends, we were as close as sisters.

 "/One day, on one of our camping trips, we were sparring, and I lost. This normally by itself wouldn't have been a big deal, but we were seen by one of the other messengers, one who bore a grudge against me for always winning our races. Dai Pa had reported me to a family elder, and had me put on trial for breaking the law. This law states that any woman in the tribe, who is beaten by an outsider, who is also a woman, must give them the Kiss of Death, and hunt them to the ends of the earth, and kill them! This is only supposed to affect official challenges, and not friendly sparring, but my 'rival' claimed that Mei had challenged me to a dual. Tan Pan, the elder of Dai Pa's family, and member of the council, supported the claim, and wanted me executed for not giving the Kiss of Death to my friend. I stated my case, but few on the council would take the word of a simple messenger over an elder. If not for the matriarch, I would be dead now. Ke Lun, the oldest among them, had been one of those who believed me, and had pushed for the lightest sentence possible. My exile. It is normally not even invoked very often anymore, usually only when a warrior's pride is hurt, and even then, it isn't enforced all that often. If not for Dai Pa and the elder making a big stink about it, no one would have likely done anything./" Fei Sha looked exhausted from reliving the story. "/I should also warn you not to mention me, this is also why I was not able to teach you those techniques before. Fraternizing with me, an exile, could also get you exiled. Had I taught you those techniques, they would be sure to recognize them, and someone would figure out that you either learned them from me, or another exile, most likely, and you would be in trouble. I have since learned that Dai Pa got a bit too close to Musk territory and was killed for being a spy anyway. Karma always finds a way, or maybe it was the matriarch, I wouldn't put anything passed that old biddy!/"

 "/I am sorry Fei Sha, that's terrible. Did you find your friend, Mei, again?/"

 "/Of course! We were friends after all. I went there first. Who do you think I sent to get the guide to buy the shampoo for you? And don't be sorry, I couldn't be happier to be out of there, it was one of the best things to happen in my life. Hong Kong might not be the best place in the world, but I would rather be here than that backwoods village any day. Don't get me wrong, the village is quaint, and has its charms, but I much prefer the big city./"

 "/So, if a female beats one of these 'heroic women' they get the 'Kiss of Death', but what about a male?/"

 "/That brings us to the next law you must be careful of, the other side of that coin is if one of them is beaten by an outsider male, they must give the Kiss of Life, which is the quick form of a Nujie Zu wedding./" Everyone who understood that facefaulted.

 After they recovered, Fei Sha continued. "/The law began as a way to bring strong blood and techniques into the tribe. Moreover, you fellows would be exactly what they are looking for. In this day and age, this side of the law is invoked/enforced far more often and fervently than the Kiss of Death. They will do almost anything to bring strong blood into the tribe. You, Ranma, will be the most in danger, being the strongest fighter I have ever seen, not counting the elders, and incredibly handsome on top of it. All of the warriors will be trying to get you to beat them off with a stick, just to have an excuse to invoke the law. You will need to be careful./"

 Ranma blushed a bit at the compliment. "/Thank you again Fei Sha, it looks as though we owe you again. Is there any way to avoid this? We really do want to learn anything we can from them, but we are too young to get married, and certainly do not want anyone to be forced into it, and I will not let anyone hurt my friends!/"

 "/Well, the easiest and least effective is to not fight anyone while you are there. However, be assured, if the girl likes you well enough, they will use any excuse they can, even an accident, anything they can technically call a 'defeat'./" Fei Sha let that sink in for a moment before continuing. "/The more effective, yet far more difficult, is to become an honorary member of the tribe, an elder would have to test your worth, or if you do something heroic to help the tribe. The real problem is that those are about the only ways they will be willing to train you. Exceptions can be made, but they are very secretive with their special techniques. No outsiders are allowed to learn them without a very good reason./"

 "/It looks as if we only have one real option then. Thanks again, is there anything else we need to know?/"

 Fei Sha went on to explain the most important laws and customs they would need to know, so as not to offend or otherwise get them into trouble.

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Only two days out of Hong Kong, and Fei Sha was sore. She was starting to think she might not be able to even take them as close as she had planned. She really needed to get back into the habit of working out.

 Ukyo noticed her discomfort as they were setting up the campsite. "/If you are that sore, you should just rest until we are done. We are used to it after all./"

 "/Thank you, but I can at least help set-up camp first. I am just a little out of shape, it's been years since I have hiked like this./"

 "/Would you like a massage, to help work out those sore muscles?/"

 "/Are you that good?/"

 "/I am not very good myself, but my Ranchama is the best there is! There is almost nothing those fingers can't do./"

 The exile looked over at Nodoka only to see the woman nod and wink. "/Oh yes, you will not regret it. You will feel like a whole new woman when my manly son is through with you./"

 "/You ARE talking about just a massage, right?/"

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 Sometime later, thrashing was heard cumming from one of the tents, and a soprano voice was heard singing a song of joy.

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Uk yo had been getting the distinct impression that Ranma had been avoiding her, a difficult feat considering they were hiking across China together. Almost every time the girl had caught her love's attention Ranma looked away. It had been going on for a long time at this point, and it was only getting worse. She was starting to take it personally. Ukyo gave Ranma a look and a signal. The two of them dropped to the back of the group as they let the rest of them get a bit ahead so they would have a bit more privacy for their talk.

 In a semi-whispered tone, she asked, "Ranma-sama? Are you mad at me?"

 "Of course not! Why would you think such a thing? I love you!"

 That did help her mood a bit, but did not completely remove her fears. "But then, why are you avoiding me? It's like you don't even want to look at me anymore!"

 "No! It's not that at all! It's just, well, your..." He voice got a bit too quiet for Ukyo to hear.

 "What is it Ranma-sama? Please, you can tell me anything, even if you think Pai is prettier than I am and you want me to leave, I will do whatever you ask of me."

 "No, Ucchan, I never want to have to do without your company! I want you to be by my side forever! That will never change, no matter how much you do..."

 "What? It's me? What did I do? Please, tell me, Ah will do anythin' ta make it up ta ya, please tell meh what Ah did wrong!" Ukyo's accent coming back the more panicked the girl got.

 "Nothing! You didn't do anything wrong, it's just your breasts, they have really been getting bigger lately, and I, just was trying not to stare is all, but it's not easy, I can't help it! I am sorry, Ucchan, I never wanted to offend you!"

 "Oh Ranchama! Don't you know?" He shook his head, so she opened her shirt to show off her chest. "Every part of me belongs to Ranchama, I WANT you to stare at me! Why do you think I wear all of these skimpy Chinese dresses?"

 Ranma blushed. He once again, wanted to protest her 'belonging' to him, but had long ago gotten tired of the same discussion. He would try to tell her that she were her own person, and could do anything she wanted to do, and that she did not 'belong' to anyone! Her reply would always end with something to the effect of, if he really meant that, why was he trying to prevent her from doing what she really wanted to do? It always made him feel like a heel, so eventually he stopped trying to argue the point.

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A few days later our adventuring warriors were trekking through the woods, nearing the foothills of the Bayankala Mountains when a chittering was heard, followed by the sounds of crashing. Looking toward the sounds, our heroes saw that nearby trees were falling, being knocked over by a dung beetle, rapidly growing in size. Luckily the ball of dung it had been pushing did not also grow in size to match.

 Nodoka drew her bow as the others began tossing their preferred ranged weapons. However, most of the weapons bounced off of the hard outer carapace. Ukyo shifted her ki kote to 'sharpen' them, and Nodoka tried to do the same with her arrows. Ranma and the others ran into try to get into melee range, bouncing around to avoid making a straight line. They ran in, tested a few attacks, and bounded away, to try again from another angle.

 "The underside is soft! Aim for the joints and belly!" As Ranma called this out, Ukyo and Nodoka aimed for the leg joints and the others ran in to hit the underside.

 They started to make progress, half of the legs had fallen, and the underside was bruised and cracking. Ranma was about to create a large card to slice the belly open, when they heard Nodoka scream, and a chittering voice say, "It's mine!" Everyone turned and saw another scarab who grabbed Nodoka. Ukyo started throwing her ki kote at the new addition, and the others ran toward it. Ranma, card half formed, jumped straight up, and through the beetle and landed on the other one. His half-formed, over-sized ki card split, half of it remaining in each hand, and began punching the neck of the youkai-bug. Ranma's aura and ki cards were bright red, as he used them as punching daggers, and yelled with each blow, "Let, Kaa-chan, GO!"

 Ranma's anger and their combined efforts made short work of this new, slightly smaller bug. Its head rolled off like a ball of dung as the body collapsed. Ranma jumped down as they all ran over to check on Nodoka. "Kaa-chan! Are you all right?"

 Nodoka nodded. "Hai, thank you all. I do not know how that one snuck up on us. That big, with that much of an aura, we should have seen them several kilometers away."

 "Very strange indeed. I didn't feel them until right before they attacked, and was it just me, or did the thing speak?"

 "It sure seemed that way, Ranchama."

 "It seemed like kaa-chan was the target. "/Do you know anything about these things, Fei Sha?/"

 "/Well, there are monsters all over the countryside, but I can't say I have seen any like them before. It is strange that they were able to speak, most of the low-class monsters like them, do not have that ability, and to be so stealthy, it's odd.../"

 They took some time to feel the area out more carefully, and get cleaned up before they continued on their travels. They wanted to get as far from that place as they could before they set up camp for the night, making sure they took turns standing guard every night after that. Although, not before three of the four women got Ranma to give them a massage, especially that first night after that battle.

 "/Oh, I am SO sore after that terrible battle.../"

 "Oh yes, Ranma-sama, that was such a HARD battle, I am SO stiff!"

 "Me too, me too!" Pai jumped up and down in excitement.

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After a couple of weeks of slow travel, the group stopped again for the night. After setting up the camp, and preparing their dinner, Fei Sha called them together for a 'meeting'.

 "/Everyone, the time has come for me to say my good-byes. Come morning, I will have to head home. We are getting to close to the village, and if I am spotted by the guards, it will not be pretty, and will ruin your chances of getting what you want. I have one last warning for you. 'Beware the cursed springs of Jusenkyo!' If you fall in, your life will be forever changed. I only know a bit about it, but it is a scary place. Listen to what the guide has to say, the silly little man is knowledgeable about the curses. Beware the springs, and remember, do not let them know that you know anything about them or their laws. If you can get in good with the matriarch, you will have a big advantage./" Looking Ranma over one more time, Fei Sha thought to herself, '/Yup, those girls are going to be all over that boy ...and I don't blame them! ...if only that lad was just a bit older...'

 "/Thank you again Fei Sha, we owe you a lot! If there is anything we can do to thank you, let us know./"

 "/Well ...I DO have a long run back in the morning, I could use ...another massage./" The pink-haired woman blushed and smiled cutely.

 The reactions to this were varied, the women all laughed, Ranma agreed to the task, and Ryoga was again depressed that he did not have the aptitude to learn that technique. The one time Ranma had tried to teach him, Ukyo had gotten seriously hurt. Had it not been for Ranma's quick use of his healing technique, she may not have walked again. It required a firm, but gentle touch, and 'gentle' was not a trait Ryoga had in abundance. Ryoga had a tendency to overdo everything, and pushed way too hard with his ki, it scared him so badly he never wanted to try it again. Unknown to Ryoga and the others, had it not been for Ranma's quick healing, Ukyo may not have ever been able to 'enjoy' that spot ever again either, almost losing the ability to climax permanently.

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 The next morning, after they had packed up their campsite, Fei Sha said, "/Follow that path, and in a day or two, you should run across Jusenkyo, do NOT enter, just ask the guide for directions to the village. It's safer./" She turned to the girls and said, once in Mandarin and again in Cantonese, "/\Please girls, I hope you can forgive me./\" With that, the woman wrapped her arms around Ranma, and passionately kissed the lad before running off in the direction from which they had come, yelling, "/That's what a 'Kiss of Life' is like! Don't worry, it doesn't count coming from an exile!/".

 Ranma and Pai were both too surprised to move for a moment, while Nodoka and Ukyo both got big grins on their faces, with Nodoka saying, "My son is so MANLY!" and Ryoga kicked a rock.

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C HAPTER EPILOGUE

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Fei Sha returned to her home and found a note on her door. The letter was marked from a construction crew. Now she was concerned. The exile tore open the letter and began to read.

 '\We have completed the work on rebuilding your home as we were instructed. Please contact us when you return to collect the rest of the payment that was over the amount we needed for the job. It should at least cover some movers to clean out the shack you have been forced to live in. Thank you for your business.\'

'\Well that IS strange, maybe there is a mix-up, I need to call them and see what went wrong.\' Fei Sha entered her house, and went for the phone. On the phone was another letter that was not there when she left. "\Oh now this just keeps getting weirder. I hope the elders didn't find out I have been skirting the village. This could be a trap. If I have to run...\" She began to open the letter, and thought, '\If I DO have to run, I will have to make sure to thank that Ranma boy again, since I started getting those massages, I feel like I could almost run forever, just like the old days!\'

 Opening the letter, the former Nujie Zu member saw a short note.

 '/Thank you so much for all of your help. I hope you enjoy your new home. It is outside of town so you will have more peace. I got a really good deal on the land, and when I explained that 'your old home had been destroyed, by those horrible Koenkan men', that you helped to stop, they gave us a very nice discount. It should be enough to hire some movers. Surprise! No more rent for you. If you ever need anything, look us up./' The letter then was signed by Nodoka Saotome and the four teens. It also had their contact information, and her new address.

 Fei Sha feinted.

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Omake 8a

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The following is a VERY offensive parody song that a friend and I sang while watching 'Wicked City' many, many years ago. That friend died several years ago, and since this spider woman monster was loosely based on that movie, among others, I decided to dedicate this chapter and omake to him. So if you are easily offended, you probably wouldn't have made it this far... But, I apologize for the language involved anyway, we were young, and still need the money.

This is to the tune of the old Spiderman theme song.

 ~For my friend Mark! The man who gave me my screen/nickname. You are still missed, not that you can read this, but ...whatever.~

Spider clam, spider clam,
 Spooges on whatever a spider can,
 Takes a dick, any size,
 Catches men, just like flies,
 Watch out!
 Here cums the spider clam,
 Here cums the spider CLAAAAAM!!!!!!!!!!

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Omake 8b

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Pai was dancing on stage and began to sing,
"It's a beautiful day to dance in the woods,
a beautiful day for a partner,
would you be mine?
Could you be mind?

I have always wanted to have a partner just like you.
I've always wanted to dance with a handsome boy like you.
So, let's make the most of this beautiful place,
since we're together, we might as well say...

'Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?
Won't you be, my partner?

Won't you please?
Won't you please?
Please, won't you be, my partner?"

{I am sorry Mr. Rogers}

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Omake 8c

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{Alt ernate version of scene above.}

 "Nothing! You didn't do anything wrong, it's just your breasts, they have really been getting bigger lately, and I, just was trying not to stare is all, but it's not easy, I can't help it! I am sorry, Ucchan, I never wanted to offend you!"

 "Well Ranchama, you rub them every day, so of course they would be growing!" Ukyo beamed with pride. "Please Ranchama, keep rubbing them, I want them to grow nice and big for you!"

 Looking back, Ranma noticed a trail of empty milk cartons behind Ukyo...

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End Omake

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A uthor's Notes

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M ovie Dubbing
-In the final movie scene, someone of you may have noticed that Ranma and Ukyo were speaking in Mandarin, and Pai was speaking Cantonese. Most Hong Kong movies were dubbed into both when they were released in China, and so, since Ranma and Ukyo do not speak Cantonese well, and Pai doesn't speak Mandarin well, those will have to be dubbed by someone else before the move comes out. That wasn't a typo, it was planned. That is also why those scenes went more into the narrative style, sorry about that. I am also having them each get a Mandarin copy of the movie on laser disk, with Japanese subtitles, except for Pai, who's was in Cantonese. DVDs do not exist yet, so no multi-language versions.

Movie Names
-Just made up, although Pai's character had a bit of inspiration, when I thought 'Ming' all I could think of was Flash Gordon, so wú qíng means, 'merciless; pitiless; ruthless; heartless'. Oh, and Ranma's, Luan Ma, was how they spelled his name in the Nujie Zu newspaper in cannon during the Link and Pink arc.

Hadaka (Naked) Apron
-In case you did not know, is a fanservice trope involving wearing an apron over skimpy clothing or, obviously, nothing at all.

Gifts in China
-A few things about gifts, before we get to the point. There are many gifts that should be avoided, like green hats (wearing a green hat means your wife is unfaithful), or a clock (counting the seconds to their death, 'to give a clock' also sounds like 'attend a funeral'). Gifts tend to be refused the first time or three offered, the giver is expected to keep offering. Red wrapping paper is preferred, lucky color, yellow and black are only used for gifts for the dead, so should be avoided. The point of this though is to explain fans. Giving a fan symbolizes 'splitting up/scattering apart', so giving a fan at a wedding for example would mean you want them to split up, or to a friend means you never want to see them again. Although, traditionally, a new bride will give one to her parents to symbolize that she is leaving them for her new husband.
This is why Lau jumped to the conclusion that Pai was saying she was going to marry Ranma, but her intention was to leave his family, and join another. Almost the same thing, but not quite. She also doesn't want to see him again, until she is ready to beat him herself.
-Also, in most Asian customs, it is considered impolite to open a gift in the presence of the person who gave it to you.

More Names
-Ke Lun (Cologne) This is the correct transcription if her name from Mandarin. The 'e' has a dip, and is pronounced like the 'u' in 'cup', where the 'u' has an accent, and is said like 'oo' in 'too'. So this is pronounced 'Kuh Loon' {or 'kUuUh' to show the dip}.
-Shan Pu is the correct spelling for Shampoo, and San Pu is the Japanese way. We will still call her Shampoo when not speaking Chinese by most people.
-Mu Ssu is Mousse, in Mandarin.
-Bayankala is more commonly known as the Byan Har Mountains. though from what I can find on Wiki, that is Mongolian, so we will stick to Bayankala.
-Pai's new nickname from Ranma, Pai-Pai, in Japanese Pai can be short for 'oppai', or 'breast(s)' and pai-pai is a 'cute' way of saying it. So, basically he is calling her something to the effect of 'tits', in a cute child-like way.

Kiss of Death/Marriage/Life
-I say it is not enforced very often, because not counting Ranma, who's was adjusted from one to the other, Shampoo has given it to at least two others (Akane and Hinako) and no one has died, and nothing seems to have been done about it, it was quickly forgotten. The punishment she received was for failing to marry him, not for failing to kill 'her', or so I am working with. I am also working under the assumption that these laws only apply to the female members of the tribe, since the law specifically says if the outside is a male/female for marriage/death respectively, but we have also never seen Mousse have to give either of them. Although I can't say for sure how many fights, not counting Ranma, he lost off the top of my head...
I plan to go with the 'Kiss of Life' for the reverse of the 'Kiss of Death' for several reasons, the obvious for the opposites, and the fact that a marriage in this case is to bring strong children into the tribe, so it 'creates life'.

 Sorry it ran long. Now, on to the Nujie Zu and Jusenkyo.

 Thank you for all of the continuing positive feedback, it means a lot to me.

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*CH ARACTERS USED*

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{ Here I will list all of the important, non-Ranma characters, used in the chapter and where they are from.}

Kogarashi the "Maid Guy" - the title character from Kamen no Maid Guy.
Fubuki - The future 'Maid Guy Tamer' from Kamen no Maid Guy.
Kaede Tenjoji - The headmaster of Hakureiryo Academy from Ladies vs. Butlers.
Shun Di - The drunken master and herbal doctor from the Virtua Fighter series. Some versions, including this one, say he also taught Lao Chan.
Renka Ma - From Kenichi, History's Strongest Disciple.
Pai Chan - Taken from Virtua Fighter.
Lao Chan - Pai's father.
Liu (Ryu) Kowloon - A character from the Virtua Fighter anime.
Fei Sha (Facial) - A exiled member of the Nujie Zu, that I made up.
Dai Pa (Diaper) - The rival who got her exiled.
Tan Pan - (Tampon) Dai Pa's family elder, and member of the council.
Mei - Fei Sha's friend, and the 'messenger' who helped acquire the 119 shampoo.