Quantum Destinies
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfic
By Jurai Knight (sthesken@earthlink.net)

Ranma 1/2 and its characters are owned by Rumiko Takahashi.  This story 
is inspired by her works and the stories from some of my fellow fanfic 
authors.  Among these are D.B. Sommer's "Shampoo 1/2", Jim Bader's "A 
Very Scary Thought -aka- Nabiki 1/2", and John Biles' Elseworlds series.  
All C&C is welcome.

Other chapters of this story may be found at this website, or you can 
email the author for them:

The Quantum Destinies Homepage
http://home.earthlink.net/~sthesken/fanfics/qd.html


The list of worlds reoccurring in this chapter:
Earth  0.000,0.000 - The world of Scholar Ranma (Baseline cluster)


What has gone before in this story (or at least what will help you 
understand what is going on):

On a parallel Earth that diverged from the standard Ranma timeline over 
five hundred years ago, the Empire of Japan rules almost half the world 
and has done so for almost a century.  A young scientist named Ranma 
Saotome, through a device of his invention, is now possessed of the 
skills and memories of a martial artist version of himself, and he used 
those skills to fight several opponents, including Akane Tendo, earning 
her interest in him.  Meanwhile, Kodachi Kuno escaped from an Earth 
being torn apart by civil war by transferring her mind to this one.   
Kodachi sought out Ranma, who was a friend in her old life, but ran away 
at the last moment in tears, confused at her feelings.  Her older 
brother saw this and assumed Ranma to have seduced and cast aside his 
innocent sister.  Nabiki gave him Ranma's name, hoping to use Kuno to 
force a wedge between any possible interest between Ranma and Akane.  
Ranma visited several more versions of himself, including a counterpart 
who was born female.  Now, both Akane Tendo and Kodachi Kuno have Ranma 
cornered in his lab.


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chapter 4 – Romances, Rivalries, and Revelations

         Within each of us, there burns the soul of a warrior.
         In every generation, a few are chosen to prove it.

                             -Mortal Kombat: the TV Series

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


*** Earth  0.000,0.000

Kodachi shifted her weight slightly from one foot to the other as she 
tried to maintain a projection of outward calm.  Inside, she felt as if 
several rather large butterflies were beating against the walls of her 
stomach.  To ease her nervousness, she shifted her attention onto Akane 
Tendo.  The other girl had turned her back on her to make some sort of 
threatening gesture to Ranma, but Kodachi couldn't quite tell what was 
going on from her current position.

What is Akane Tendo doing down here? Kodachi wondered.  She never paid 
any attention to the other Ranma.  A brief memory of all of the bullying 
that Akane had done to all of the male cadets in Kodachi's original 
timeline surfaced in her mind.  Her grip tightened slightly on the 
leather handle of her bookbag, the knuckles whitening.  The urge to 
protect Ranma from Akane Tendo's depredations was growing within her.  
Is she bullying poor Ranma for some reason?

How did I get myself into this mess? Ranma thought, trying to make sense 
of his present situation.  Akane Tendo was still holding onto his chair 
in a way that prevented him from making an easy escape.  Fragments of 
the solid oak armrest sifted down from underneath her hand, and her fist 
continued to hover menacingly beneath his nose.  He hadn't realized 
before quite how strong she was.  He managed to gather his thoughts to a 
degree when her gaze shifted back to stare at the new arrival in his 
lab.

Glaring at the intruder with a cold-eyed stare, Akane inspected the girl 
for any possible threats.  She noticed Kodachi's Blackhall uniform, and 
a slight sneer curled her lip.  What is some pampered noble girl doing 
here at the Imperial Academy?  A martial artist like Ranma just couldn't 
possibly find any interest in some soft piece of fluff like her.  Maybe 
I should just scare her off, and then Ranma and I could get back to 
our... business.  Narrowing her eyes slightly, she projected a greater 
level of menace.

As Kodachi and Akane continued their unspoken duel, Ranma found himself 
caught by Kodachi's unexpected beauty.  To Ranma's eyes, her hair done 
up in a single ponytail and tied with a dark blue ribbon, Kodachi simply 
continued to stand there pleasantly, her black leather bookbag resting 
against her thigh in a demure pose.  Ranma noticed that Kodachi kept 
glancing at Akane now and then, but he was still slightly mesmerized by 
the sight of her and expected her to break out in a chilling laugh at 
any moment.

To Akane's view, an entirely different Kodachi suddenly appeared, not as 
soft or yielding as her initial impression.  Her eyes answered Akane's 
challenging look, and an invisible spark of lightning seemed to leap 
between the two with a promise of brutal mayhem in the immediate future.  
Their gazes locked upon each other, both girls mere moments away from 
attacking each other, each somehow recognizing a rival almost instantly 
without a single word being spoken between them.  A faint blue glow of 
battle aura slowly rose around them both.

Ranma suddenly sneezed loudly.

Surprised, Akane turned towards him, breaking the contest of wills 
between the two girls.  With the break in tension provided by Ranma, the 
two undetected battle auras quickly dissipated.  She suddenly seemed to 
realize what her position might look like to a stranger, and it brought 
a brief blush to her cheeks as she suddenly felt strangely embarrassed.  
Akane quickly maneuvered herself over to stand next to Ranma, her stance 
mirroring Kodachi's demure pose.  That done, she went back to glaring at 
Kodachi with her previous level of menace, but the other girl was now 
ignoring her.

Kodachi raised one eyebrow as she briefly changed her smile to a smirk 
at Akane, before restoring her previous pleasant expression to her face 
as she turned to look at Ranma.  She stood there with her arms clasped 
behind her, unconsciously straightening and showing her figure off to 
great effect.  "Oh, I'm just so embarrassed at my lack of manners," she 
said sincerely, feeling the giant butterflies increasing in number as 
she looked into Ranma's eyes.  Kodachi didn't remember them being so 
blue, so handsome, so warm....  She blinked, lowering her gaze demurely 
to look at the floor.  "I haven't introduced myself.  My name is Kodachi 
Kuno, Saotome-san."

Well, she seems to be normal enough, thought Ranma with a small amount 
of surprise.  The image of the laughing psychotic dressed in gymnastic 
garb in his memories was not matching up at all with the pleasant-
looking girl standing before him so shyly.  He slowly stood up from his 
chair.  There was a subtle undertone to the air as he focused his 
attention on Kodachi, like hearing a beautiful but half-heard melody, a 
very relaxing sensation; quite unlike the intense attractive sensations 
that Akane Tendo induced in him, but similar in a way as well.

"Yes, umm, it's very nice to meet you, Kuno-dono," said Ranma softly.  
He walked forward, slowly closing the short distance between them, and 
then bowed politely to Kodachi.  She gracefully returned the bow, 
unconsciously lowering her head a fraction of an inch further down than 
propriety demanded in a greeting for one of her higher station, an 
unspoken form of compliment to him.  Ranma didn't really notice, due to 
his own high levels of nervousness, and the ten years that he had spent 
away from Japanese society dulling him to such subtle nuances.

Akane noticed, and her eyes narrowed even more.  How dare that pampered 
bitch?! she thought, barely managing to restrain her growing rage at 
Kodachi.  All of her instincts were screaming at her that this was a 
rival for Ranma's affections, but she wasn't quite sure why.  It was 
only a feeling from deep inside her.  A tightening of her lips occurred, 
one that neither Kodachi nor Ranma noticed.  Akane continued standing at 
parade rest at her current position and attempting to look casual, but 
the attempt was foredoomed to failure due to her building irritation at 
the young aristocrat.

"You mentioned something about helping me with my work, Kuno-dono?" 
asked Ranma, keeping his tone polite.  He felt a somewhat surprising 
level of attraction to the young noblewoman.  It was keeping all of his 
nerves on edge, especially since he kept finding himself expecting her 
to call him "Ranma-sama" at any moment.  He briefly noticed the look on 
Akane's face, one that seemed to him to be promising record amounts of 
pain for him if he dared to laugh at her discomfort.  He didn't realize 
that the expression might not be directed at him.

"I have been following your achievements in the sciences for several 
months now, Saotome-san," said Kodachi, continuing to ply him with her 
pleasant smile.  "Your name is quite well-known to me, ever since I came 
across some of your recent published works.  I discovered by accident 
that you were back in Japan, and I thought it would be very educational 
to assist you in your current work.  I asked for permission to see you, 
and Fuyutsuki-sensei allowed me to come down to meet you, Saotome-san.  
He thought you wouldn't mind some help with your project."

"My project?" wondered Ranma out loud.  He couldn't recall that the Dean 
had ever even set foot in his lab since that first day.  Ranma briefly 
noticed that Akane was muttering something under her breath, but he 
decided to ignore her for his own peace of mind.

The Dean was always able to procure the equipment and materials that 
Ranma had needed for his project, that was one of the reasons why he 
came to the Academy in the first place.  Most of the resonator was 
composed of fairly standard components when it came to its circuitry, 
only requiring a few rather unique pieces that Ranma had been forced to 
fabricate from scratch.  Chief among these specially-built components 
was the quantum flux coil, the heart of the resonator.  It simply wasn't 
something that a person could walk into a neighborhood electronics store 
and walk out with.  It required a number of rare earths as part of its 
composition, all of them mixed into the proper ratios.  Creating it had 
been the single most challenging thing that Ranma had done in his life 
so far.

"Yes," said Kodachi with a nod.  "Fuyutsuki-sensei felt that I could 
learn much from you."  She set her bag down on the table and settled 
herself on the couch near where his equipment was assembled, before 
crossing her legs.  "I'm sure that you could teach me," she shyly 
glanced down at her hands folded in her lap before looking back at Ranma 
with a coquettish smile.  "Many things.  Don't you agree?"  As she asked 
this question, an extra sparkle gleamed in her eyes.  That unexpected 
look froze Ranma's thoughts dead in their tracks, while Akane made soft 
strangling sounds behind him.

"Um," Ranma adroitly murmured, as he swallowed down a throat suddenly 
gone dry.  Pulling himself together enough to at least speak, he 
nervously said, "That is to say-"

Flashing Akane a look of triumph, Kodachi thought to herself as she 
smiled, He's so cute!  She quickly returned her gaze to Ranma, looking 
as if she waited for him to speak the wisdom of the heavens.  Her 
butterflies were fading a bit, now that she saw that Ranma was feeling 
just as shy as she was.  I can't believe that I never noticed that about 
his counterpart before.  Well, I don't intend to make the same mistakes 
twice.  I'm going to make you mine, Ranma Saotome.  I don't care what my 
brother thinks about that, and as for Akane Tendo, she very briefly 
flicked a condescending glance at the gray-uniformed girl, her brow 
furrowing with distaste.  She had better not think about getting in my 
way either.

Over at the position where she was casually standing in a modified 
parade rest stance, Akane continued glaring at the cozy-looking pair, 
grumbling deep in her throat.  She did not care in the slightest for the 
very warm looks that Kodachi was giving to her Ranma.  The goofy looks 
that Ranma was giving back to Kodachi charmed her even less.  What's 
with him? Akane thought with a frown.  Hasn't he ever had a girl smile 
at him before?

Akane's eyes suddenly opened wide as she realized what was going on with 
Ranma, and a playful smile suddenly appeared on her lips.  So, the great 
Ranma Saotome is shy with girls, eh?  No wonder he's been so resistant 
to me.  The tactics for a plan that was sure to win Ranma's heart began 
to form in Akane's mind.  She nodded to herself as the beginnings took 
form, pausing only to glare briefly at her new and unexpected rival.

How dare that pampered weakling of a noblewoman even dare to think of 
laying claim to a real man like my Ranma?  Akane quickly added in a few 
extra touches to her plan to remove the other girl from the picture.  
Kodachi's feeble story about wanting to help Ranma in his work was such 
an obvious fabrication to Akane.  I need to talk to Nabiki first to set 
it up.  I'm sure that she'll help me deal with this annoying little 
princess, Kodachi Kuno.

Ranma coughed softly into his fist.  The room seemed to be getting a 
little too warm for his comfort, especially if he kept looking at the 
still-smiling Kodachi.  She was gently bobbing her foot demurely up and 
down as she waited for him to speak.  Kodachi had positioned the hem of 
her skirt so that Ranma could readily see her trimly muscular calves, 
but her knees and thighs were covered as was proper for a young lady of 
her stature.
 
The slight motions of Kodachi's foot created a quite surprisingly 
powerful curiosity in Ranma's mind about the appearance of the rest of 
her legs, let alone the totality of what he was certain was a quite 
athletic body, currently hidden beneath her tailored uniform.  The 
thought of Kodachi's counterpart's toned gymnast body from his new 
memories, combined with the much more pleasing personality of the 
aristocratic and gentle girl currently seated before him, was proving to 
be an intense distraction.  Ranma wasn't sure what he would do if this 
version of Kodachi turned out to be a dancer or a gymnast as well.

At least she's not a fighter, he thought with relief.

Looking over at Akane wasn't helping matters either.  Ranma knew full 
well the emotions that Akane was able to generate in him lately, if he 
allowed himself to feel them.  Interpreting her lethal-looking gaze 
through his memories of the other Akane made him feel distinctly 
uncomfortable.  Since he was between the two girls, he assumed that 
Akane's ire was directed at him, not Kodachi.  Ranma forced his eyes 
back to Kodachi and focused on her face.

"Your offer to help me with my research project is very flattering, 
Kuno-dono, but quite unexpected," said Ranma suddenly.  He needed to put 
some distance between himself and the two girls.  The combined level of 
the attractive feelings that they were causing in him was very quickly 
becoming quite overwhelming.  "Please excuse me for a few moments."

Akane watched Ranma move across the laboratory, her gaze held firmly at 
a point somewhere below his beltline as she watched his backside walk 
away from her.  A coquettish smile was on her face as she suddenly found 
herself unexpectedly wondering about doing many different things with 
Ranma other than just fighting with him.  This surprised her, as she had 
never really thought such things about any boy before, since they had 
all shown themselves to be so weak, until Ranma had proven otherwise to 
her.

Akane briefly flicked her gaze back to the very irritating presence of 
Kodachi Kuno.  A brief but rather pleasant fantasy of beating the other 
girl within an inch of her life, before sending her back to the rest of 
her useless aristocrat peers, filled her thoughts.  It brought a happy 
sparkle to Akane's eyes as she turned her attention back at Ranma.

Kodachi followed Ranma's movements with her eyes and softly sighed at 
his unexpected poise.  She couldn't recall the other Ranma ever moving 
with such unconsciously graceful movements.  If anything, Ranma seemed 
to be-

Kodachi's thoughts stalled briefly as she suddenly studied him more 
carefully.  He's a martial artist, she quickly realized with surprise, 
her ability at recognizing such things still so new to her that she 
forgave herself for not noticing it before.  He appears to have had many 
years of training too.

The realization that Ranma knew how to fight added an exciting new 
dimension to her feelings, which surprised Kodachi.  She found herself 
suddenly curious to see how good he might be, so perhaps it was just as 
well that her brother wanted to fight Ranma.  Kodachi knew that Ranma's 
body must be in at least fair shape if the training that she had seen 
his counterpart undergoing was any indication.  She felt a brief blush 
cross her face at the direction that her thoughts were heading.  Well 
brought up young ladies of noble families were taught not to think about 
unattached men the way that she found herself thinking about Ranma.  It 
just wasn't proper, but she couldn't help herself.

Kodachi's gaze drifted back over to Akane Tendo, who was now studying 
Ranma with a look of possessiveness that did not please the young 
noblewoman at all.  A brief fantasy of pounding Akane into the ground, 
like she had been doing to Asuka Saginomiya now for several weeks, 
brought a smirk to her face.  Her thoughts were filled with a high level 
of confidence.  You've more than met your match in me, Akane Tendo.  I 
know that I can put you down with little difficulty if it came to a 
fight between us.

Kodachi looked over at the uncovered equipment on the table, a bright 
smile appearing on her face as she instantly recognized a completed 
resonator unit when she saw one.  So this Ranma has completed one too.  
A brief suspicion came into her mind.  Has he encountered a martial 
artist counterpart in his explorations?  That might explain how he looks 
to have had years of training in his movements, unless this timeline 
diverged even further back than I originally thought.  Perhaps my life 
didn't change as much, but his life did.  She turned to watch Ranma some 
more, heaving another soft sigh at the sight of him.

Unaware of the intense scrutiny that he was undergoing from the two 
girls during his simple walk across his lab, Ranma went over to the 
small sink in the corner.  His thoughts were slightly confused.  What am 
I going to do?  I don't know if it's such a good idea to bring in 
someone else to witness what I'm doing down here.  Kodachi seems normal 
enough, but there's something making me feel nervous around her.  I wish 
that I could figure out what it was.

Ranma looked into the mirror, a brief illusion of himself looking like 
his martial artist counterpart suddenly appeared in the glass.  He 
closed his eyes for a few moments.  You're worrying over nothing, Ranma, 
he thought, attempting to calm himself.  That other reality has no 
bearing whatsoever on this life.  In this life, you don't have any 
enemies or romantic rivals looking to beat you up, and you're not 
engaged to a bunch of violent girls either.  Don't start panicking 
unless Shampoo and Ukyo show up, if they even exist in this world.  
Focus on your work and don't let unfounded worries distract you.  Ranma 
opened his eyes, feeling a little more relaxed now.

After picking up the large mug resting on the shelf above the faucet, 
Ranma slowly rinsed it out.  When he was done, he filled it to the brim 
with some cold water from the tap, and then slowly raised it to his 
lips.  Swallowing deeply, Ranma drained the mug in four large swallows.  
He looked back, somehow fearing the worst, and saw Akane giving him 
another one of her coquettish smiles that was a rather disturbing 
counterpoint to Kodachi's flatly admiring look.  He noticed them both 
briefly exchanging much less friendly looks with each other and 
suspected that they weren't the first ones that they had been giving 
each other while his back was turned.

Okay, maybe my concerns weren't entirely unfounded, thought Ranma with 
an internal grimace.  Let's see.  I have two attractive young women in 
my lab, and both of them aren't making any motions to leave.  But at 
least they seem to be behaving themselves.  So what do I do now?

For a moment, Ranma tried to imagine what Ranko would feel if Kaneda was 
able to best her, hoping to gain some inspiration as to how to act.  An 
uncomfortable feeling came over him as he imagined what her reaction 
would be to someone as smart or smarter than she is.  Uh-oh, he 
realized, breaking out into a sweat as he looked at the two girls, 
feeling even more uncertain than he had before.

I'm not accomplishing anything here like this, Akane thought with a 
frown.  Ranma is going to be mine, but first I have to deal with this 
Kodachi Kuno.

"I'll talk to you later, Ranma," said Akane suddenly, as she strode to 
the open door.  "Don't forget that we have a date."

"Hey!  I never agreed to nothing!" Ranma shouted at her as Akane was 
about to walk out the door.  "And I'm not fighting you, ever!"

Pausing in the doorframe and turning for a moment, Akane smiled at him 
with a strange glint in her eyes.  "Ranma, you kidder, I expect you to 
meet me at 4:00 p.m. today, just like always.  See you!"  She had 
briefly debated attacking Ranma right then and there to have the fight 
that she craved with him, but things could easily get complicated with 
the added annoyance of Kodachi present.

A moment later, Akane was gone.  Ranma's thoughts were black as he 
stared at the empty doorway.  First she always bullied me, since I never 
fought back.  Then, when I suddenly gained the ability to fight back, 
she cheerfully beat me black and blue.  I stupidly went all noble and 
helped her out in a fight, and it didn't appear to make the slightest 
difference to her.  Even after that, she still apparently won't leave me 
alone until I break her jaw or something.  Ranma sighed.

"So that was Akane Tendo," said Kodachi from his right.  "She seems to 
be a woman of very great passions."  Ranma noticed that she had drawn 
near to him, but he didn't even remember hearing her stand up from the 
couch.  He casually moved a little ways away from her, trying hard not 
to be too obvious about it.

"Yeah, I suppose," murmured Ranma, as he turned to look over at Kodachi.  
He caught a whiff of the very delicate perfume that she was wearing and 
started to step closer to her before he stopped himself.  He recalled 
that Akane and Nabiki both wore a similar fragrance, but he could not 
remember ever smelling it before.  It smelled very nice to him.  Must be 
some new brand, he finally decided.

Ranma studied Kodachi and then shrugged his shoulders.  A woman in his 
life was a distraction that he didn't feel that he needed right now, and 
he thought that he could have been misinterpreting her body language 
anyway.  Ranma didn't really understand girls, despite his brief time 
spent as Ranko, and he wasn't too proud to concede that one small point 
of ignorance.  He considered it to be about the only blind spot of 
knowledge in his life, but now he found himself seriously considering 
exploiting his newfound method of learning about girls and their 
mysterious ways.

"So, would you like my help with your project?" Kodachi asked him, 
rocking lightly on the balls of her feet.  Her voice had dropped into a 
more seductive-sounding undertone, and her hands were clasped behind her 
back as she smiled at him.  The position accentuated her bosom and the 
lines of her body, to Ranma's discomfort.  "I very much wish to learn 
all that you can teach me about... quantum mechanics."  Kodachi looked 
him in the eyes with a hooded gaze.  "To be honest, I was expecting 
someone quite different, based on your papers, perhaps more formal.  In 
person you're much more charming."

Ranma felt his ego swell.  "That's a very flattering thing for you to 
say, Kuno-dono.  I, uh, thanks."

"Please," interrupted Kodachi, "call me Kodachi.  There is no need for 
you to stand on formality with me."  She smiled encouragingly at him.

"Umm, all right.  Kodachi it is."  He found himself smiling back at her.  
"You can call me Ranma then, I guess."  He reached up and absently 
scratched at the back of his head with his right hand, looking very 
nervous, and Kodachi had to control herself from acting on a sudden 
desire to tug on his pigtail.  The right look from his blue eyes would 
have had her blushing again, she was certain of it.

"It is nice to meet you, Ranma," said Kodachi.  "You are certainly 
nothing like any of the men that I meet from Whitehall."  Her sudden 
forwardness left her feeling uncertain.  "Not that I ever meet any men, 
uh, never mind."

The last thing that Kodachi wanted to discuss with Ranma was her overly-
protective older brother.  A brother who wants Akane Tendo, she suddenly 
realized.  All I need do is figure out a way to focus all of Tatewaki's 
attentions exclusively on Akane, and I will have managed to eliminate 
two stumbling blocks at once.  She will keep my lonely brother busy, and 
that will also eliminate Akane Tendo as a threat to my destined path of 
happiness with Ranma.  It's PERFECT!

"So how long have you been interested in science?" asked Ranma, seeing 
that as a far safer topic than dating and relationships.  "I have heard 
that Blackhall Academy has some of the better instructors for their 
science program."

"Oh, I've loved science since I was a little girl," gushed Kodachi, 
hoping that she wasn't overplaying her hand.  Her skirt swayed gently 
with her movements.  "I think my mother was the one who started my 
interest on that path.  She's a botanist."

"A botanist?" asked Ranma, surprised.  A sudden image of black roses 
swept over him, and he mentally smacked himself to dispel it.

"Oh, yes," replied Kodachi, smiling.  "Mother was even brought in to 
work in the Emperor's private botanical gardens last year, due to her 
expertise with rare plant life.  The Emperor had a very rare breed of 
orchid that was refusing to bloom, and my mother managed to coax it into 
life."  Ranma nodded at the explanation, inwardly feeling rather 
relieved.

"I see," Ranma said, still nodding.  "Do you share your mother's 
interests in the biological sciences?"  Ranma took a subtle half-step 
back, the subtle smell of Kodachi's perfume from so close was becoming 
distracting once again, but Kodachi maintained their nearness, moving 
forward a half step as well.  She continued to smile at Ranma, and he 
felt that the room seemed to be getting a little bit warmer again.

"I helped her grub around in the dirt with her little plants, but it 
didn't really hold much interest for me for a career," replied Kodachi, 
totally misreading Ranma's interest in her botanical pursuits.  "I grow 
some flowers at our estate for relaxation, but it's only a hobby with 
me."  She moved another half-step closer to Ranma, her hands still 
clasped behind her back demurely, and he absently ran a finger under the 
edge of his collar to loosen it a little.  His back was now pressed 
against the workbench, trapping him.

"Well, umm, how about if I think about it?" asked Ranma, noting by the 
clock on the wall that he was coming up on his training time with Coach 
Takami.  "The assisting part, I mean."  He suddenly reached down to pick 
up her bag, and pressed it into her arms.  "I've got to finish doing 
some straightening up right now.  I have to go to a special training 
class in just a few more minutes."

"What?" asked a slightly bewildered Kodachi.  She started to protest as 
he guided her gently to the door.  "But I-I wanted to talk with you some 
more about what you're working on."  She was still protesting as Ranma 
shoved her gently outside the door.

"I said that I'd think about it," said Ranma nervously.  "I promise that 
I'll talk to you tomorrow.  Come back in the morning.  It would be a lot 
more convenient for me than right now.  I don't really have time to 
discuss it at the moment.  Bye now."  He spoke in a rush, before he lost 
his nerve completely.  Kodachi still had her mouth open to say something 
when he closed the door on her.  Ranma slid the deadbolt home with a 
sigh, and leaned his head against the door.

I couldn't seem to concentrate with her looking at me like that, and 
also there was that perfume that she was wearing, thought Ranma with a 
shrug of his shoulders, as he went over and shut down all of his 
equipment.  He flipped off the main power bar, not noticing from his 
position the warnings that had printed across the screen from Akane's 
earlier fiddling with various switches.  I really don't need any sort of 
distractions right now.  I have to focus on my work.

Heedless of any problems, Ranma covered the equipment with a tarp and 
began gathering his things.  He was looking forward to his training 
class today.  Today I really start to throw myself into my training, he 
thought excitedly.  There's going to be a new Ranma Saotome soon.  I can 
just feel it.  Today is the first day of changes in my life.

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

Outside of the lab door, Kodachi paused with her hands resting on her 
hips, a little irritated at Ranma's abruptness with her.  He didn't have 
to be so rude, she thought, feeling rather cross with him.  But he told 
me to come back tomorrow morning.  Her expression changed back into a 
wistful smile.  Planning to do exactly that, she turned away from the 
locked door.  I hope that Father and Mother don't object too strongly to 
my transfer.  That would make things complicated.

Kodachi slowly walked down the hallway to the stairs, away from the door 
to Ranma's lab.  She knew that she had pushed the issue a little too 
hard and paid the price, apparently even scaring Ranma a little with her 
forwardness.  She heaved a dramatic sigh, a mild frown appearing on her 
lips.  

Perhaps it is just as well that I not talk to him until tomorrow 
morning, she thought with a brave attempt at a smile.  I'll leave him 
alone for today, since trying to talk with him again right now would 
just be counter-productive.  I need to earn his trust first, since I 
certainly never expected him to be so shy.  His counterpart never seemed 
to feel shy with me, but then he just treated me as a lab partner, not 
as a woman.

Kodachi heaved another sigh as she walked.  I never expected him to feel 
afraid of anything, let alone me, she thought as her face fell into an 
even deeper frown.  It was probably due to that girl Akane Tendo's 
presence.  She must know that she's entirely unsuitable for someone 
gentle and kind like Ranma, the vicious, little, barbarian peasant girl.  
Ranma needs someone nicer and more feminine, but mixed with just the 
proper amount of spirit.  Someone like... me.  Kodachi was so 
preoccupied with her thoughts that she didn't notice that she wasn't 
alone.

"Didn't have any luck with him?" asked Akane smugly, stepping out of the 
shadows at the end of the corridor.  "I just thought I'd wait and see 
how things went between you and Ranma."  She blocked Kodachi's path, her 
jaw set with determination, and her arms folded across her chest.  
Inside, Akane exulted at the thought of the beating that she planned to 
give to the other girl.

"I do not see how my time spent with Ranma Saotome should be any concern 
of yours, Tendo-san," Kodachi replied in a very stiff tone of voice.  
She started to walk past Akane, her head held high.  The nerve of the 
little cow, Kodachi thought with annoyance.

"I'm making it my concern, Kodachi Kuno," said Akane coldly.  She looked 
up as Kodachi started walking past, grabbed the aristocrat girl by one 
shoulder and shoved her hard against the wall.  Akane released her hold 
immediately and placed her right palm flat against the wall, before she 
leaned in slightly in a menacing posture.  She smiled in a very 
unpleasant way.  "I have a prior claim on Ranma Saotome, and there is no 
way that some rich, spoiled, debutante witch like you is ever going to 
interfere with that.  Do I make myself clear?"

"Quite clear, Tendo-san," replied Kodachi in cool tones, her chin held 
up.  "However, I fear that I must decline your advice though.  Please do 
be good enough to stand aside and let me pass now.  You wouldn't like it 
very much if you forced me to remove you from my path."  Kodachi started 
to move to one side, and Akane's other hand smacked flat against the 
wall, mirroring the position of the first.  The two girls stood in a 
silent tableau for several moments.

So, the little debutante witch is going to defy me? Akane thought with a 
mirthless smile, yet strangely pleased all the same.  The mere presence 
of the other girl was irritating to her, like an itch at the back of her 
mind.  A vision of the brutal beating that she was going to give to 
Kodachi, or to any other girl that ever dared to come between her and 
Ranma, floated across her mind.  Akane felt her breath coming a little 
faster as she let the familiar rage build inside her.  No little piece 
of soft fluff from the nobility is going to stand between me and my 
happiness!

This ill-mannered, loathsome peasant is actually threatening me! thought 
Kodachi with a great deal of surprise.  She narrowed her eyes slightly 
as she met Akane's own cold gaze, and she felt her heartbeat increase as 
her body prepared itself for savage combat.  Kodachi could not see how 
some barbaric and crude commoner, as she thought of the other girl 
standing before her, was ever going to keep her away from Ranma.  You 
just don't stand a chance against me, Akane Tendo.  So it looks like I 
get the pleasure of beating some manners into you!

"So what are you two girls still doing around?" asked Ranma's voice 
suddenly from behind Akane.  Neither girl had even heard him leave his 
lab and approach them, they were so focused on each other.  He feared 
that he already knew the answer, from witnessing the tableau that had 
been taking place, but he desperately hoped that he was wrong.

Akane instantly sprang aside from Kodachi, a blush filling her cheeks.  
She smiled at Ranma, her eyes downcast and her thoughts confused.  "Oh!" 
she exclaimed, feeling strangely and rather suddenly embarrassed at 
Ranma seeing her in such a position.  "We were just, um, chatting, and 
getting to know each other."  Akane gave a brief, warning glare in 
Kodachi's direction.

Kodachi felt her heart skip a beat at Ranma's sudden appearance, but she 
quickly took advantage of Akane's distraction to slip away from the 
other girl.  It was getting to be time for her to head home as it was, 
so fighting with Akane could wait until the morning.  Kodachi locked 
eyes with Akane for a brief instant, another invisible bolt of lightning 
passing between them, before she turned her attention to Ranma, standing 
there in his uniform and holding his bookbag on his shoulder.

"That's right, Saotome-kun," said Kodachi evenly.  "She and I were just 
discussing something, but it wasn't anything very important.  Shall we 
pick this up again in the morning, Tendo-san?"  Another look of 
challenge was given and answered between the two girls once more, 
despite the smiles on both of their faces.  Ranma didn't appear to 
notice anything out of all this.

"Why, yes," said Akane, looking somewhat distracted.  "Kuno-sama and I 
are going to meet tomorrow and have some girl talk.  I'm sure that we'll 
have a lot to talk about."  Akane had another brief but satisfying 
vision of pulping Kodachi's face with her fists, and her smile turned 
cold when her gaze swiveled to Kodachi.  Her right hand balled into a 
fist as she struggled to hold her anger in check in front of Ranma.

"I'll see both of you tomorrow then," said Kodachi as she bowed to 
Ranma.  She gave Akane the look a noble would give a commoner as she 
waits for the peasant to bow.  After a quick glance at Ranma, Akane 
bowed, her fists clenched at her side, receiving a very slight lowering 
of the head from Kodachi in return.  An evil smile briefly crossed 
Kodachi's face as she looked at Akane, but her expression was far more 
pleasant when she gave a look Ranma's way.  "Until then, Saotome-kun, 
Tendo-san.  Adieu."

"Uh, later," said Ranma uncertainly.  He watched Kodachi leave with a 
faintly wistful expression.  Akane noticed, and a dark scowl appeared on 
her face.

Just you wait until tomorrow, Kodachi Kuno, thought Akane with a great 
deal of malice directed at the young noblewoman.  I intend to show you 
how wrong you are to even think to mess with me.  She noticed Ranma 
heading away from her towards the stairs and hurried after him.

"Wait up, Ranma!" she shouted after him.  "Let me walk you to the locker 
rooms!"  Ranma didn’t feel like running away from Akane, so he let her 
draw up even with him.

"I thought you had somewhere else to be?" remarked Ranma.  He kept his 
distance from Akane as best that he could, ignoring the few looks that 
he was getting from the remaining cadets on the campus at seeing the two 
of them together.

"Well, I just have to meet Nabiki to walk home with her," said Akane.  
"You're heading the right way, and I don't mind spending some more time 
with you."  Akane smiled cutely at him, and it was disturbingly familiar 
to Ranma how much it was like the way that the other Akane smiled at the 
martial artist Ranma sometimes.

I wonder what her reaction would be if I called her an uncute tomboy? 
Ranma found himself briefly wondering.  Maybe if I make her mad enough 
at me, then she'll go away.  After considering it at some length during 
the walk, and watching the vaguely possessive way that Akane walked next 
to him, he doubted it.  I'm going to have to watch my words carefully, 
but that shouldn't be a problem for a genius of my caliber.  A smile 
crossed his face.

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

Where is that little idiot? Nabiki thought, tapping one foot on the 
ground in mild impatience.  The idiot in question was less than a minute 
from earning Nabiki's wrath.  He was a new addition to her organization 
this year, a form of experiment to see how one of his kind worked out in 
it.

"I'm here, Tendo-san," said a soft voice from behind her.  Nabiki felt 
her heart jump into her throat at the unexpected voice behind her.  She 
covered it, when she recognized the voice, by whirling around to gaze in 
an imperious manner at the very person that she was waiting for.  She 
managed to hide her surprise beneath one of her usual cool looks.

"You were almost late, Gosunkugi-kun," said Nabiki in chilly tones, a 
mild expression of her displeasure.  In ten seconds he would have been 
late.  "It is not a good habit to form.  I expect my operatives to be a 
little earlier to each assigned meeting time.  And what's the big idea 
of sneaking up on me like that?"

Hikaru Gosunkugi shrugged his slight shoulders.  Nabiki was again amazed 
that someone of such weak physical ability was attending the Imperial 
Academy, especially wearing the gray uniform of a Security cadet.  
However, pinned on his collar was a small black symbol, and the reason 
for his presence at the Academy.  Even Nabiki felt a slight thrill of 
fear while looking at it, the unmistakable sign for possibly the most 
feared and secretive arm of the Security Directorate, the Mobius 
Institute.

Since the Empire first became aware of their existence several decades 
ago, Espers, as they were commonly called, became a very useful addition 
to the Security Directorate.  From the time that they were first 
employed until very recently, Espers normally attended their own small 
Academy that was considered to be an adjunct to the main Imperial 
Academy.  However, this year the higher-ups in the Security Directorate 
felt that such a training policy was fostering an insular mentality 
among the Espers, and a new idea was being tried out to change that.  So 
Gosunkugi and one other Esper now attended classes at the Imperial 
Academy in an attempt to try and learn how to fit in better among their 
future peers in the Directorate.

Gosunkugi's compatriot and senpai was named Kyosuke Kasuga, and he was 
in Nabiki's homeroom class.  He was a shyly distant sort, but actually 
fairly personable in his own way.  Kyosuke was not nearly as inherently 
spooky as little Gosunkugi could be most times.  His Esper abilities 
were mainly psychokinetic in nature, and he was also reported to be able 
to teleport great distances, though he never had demonstrated such 
abilities around Nabiki.  He and Yohko Mano, Nabiki's second in command, 
were currently exploring a relationship with each other that had lasted 
for a couple of months now.

Nabiki preferred to keep her distance from the couple whenever they were 
together.  For some strange reason, putting the currentmost generation 
of Devil Hunter and an Esper together in a relationship seemed to 
attract more than a fair share of oddities around them.  The last thing 
that Nabiki needed in her life right now was the many types of zany 
strangeness that those two endured in their brief time together.  Yohko 
alone could be bad enough to be around at times, but adding an Esper to 
the mix was just "Asking For It."

Yohko was currently a little upset with Kyosuke.  The Esper boy had 
apparently showed an interest in another girl that he saw dancing in a 
club while he was out on a date with Yohko.  The Devil Hunter hadn't 
spoken to him for two days since their date, despite a strong attempt by 
Kyosuke to patch things up between them.  Personally, Nabiki doubted 
that Yohko had anything to worry about when it came to losing her man to 
some tough-talking streetpunk girl in a leather jacket like Madoka 
Ayukawa.

Gosunkugi, on the other hand, was a relatively low-level Esper, and his 
abilities were limited to more non-violent things: a fairly capable 
avoidance screen that would cause most people to ignore his presence, 
and some minor mind reading ability.  There were severe limitations on 
his powers though.  A person possessing a decently high level of 
awareness would be able to sense him, despite his avoidance screen.  For 
example, most times Nabiki was able to, unless she let herself be 
distracted.

Gosunkugi's telepathy was very limited unless he was able to make 
contact, and even then he couldn't probe very deeply.  So far, Nabiki 
simply considered him to be an occasionally useful stooge and also 
sometimes a spy, but she kept these thoughts to herself.  Luckily, her 
Security training in resisting telepathic probes was sufficient to 
resist if Gosunkugi ever tried his feeble skills on her.  He had also 
developed an amusing crush on Akane which made him easier to work with 
for Nabiki, and he worked cheap for that reason.
 
"What do you have to report to me, Gosunkugi-kun?" asked Nabiki.  "And 
make it fast.  I'm meeting my sister Akane here shortly."

Akane-chan, thought Gosunkugi with a slight sigh, as he remembered his 
love goddess.  He didn't let himself dwell on her beauty and charms for 
long though.  For some reason, that tended to irritate Nabiki, and he 
far preferred to stay on the middle Tendo daughter's good side.  Akane 
Tendo was the reason why he put up with Nabiki's moods and demands, as 
the Tendo sisters were frequently together.

After he made his report to Nabiki, Gosunkugi was going to begin his 
personal investigation of these dreadful rumors that he had been 
recently hearing about his love goddess pursuing a relationship with 
that stuck-up newcomer named Ranma Saotome.  If they turned out to be 
true, then he planned to do something unpleasant to the pigtailed 
scholar, but he wasn't quite sure what presently.  If necessary, he was 
planning to do some research on the matter.  There was a rather large 
multitude of books on magic that had been entrusted to the Mobius 
Institute, and Gosunkugi might be able to talk one of the apprentice 
magic-users into helping him.  After all, someone like Saotome just 
didn't deserve to have a vibrant woman like Akane Tendo; her ability to 
beat people up in a fight always left Gosunkugi breathless whenever he 
saw it.

"There is nothing further yet to report on the identity of your rival," 
said Gosunkugi as he bowed slightly.  "He has managed to keep himself 
cloaked sufficiently well by acting only through his four chosen 
intermediaries, so I am still unable to discover his identity.  I don't 
dare try and probe them from up close, and their minds are too 
impenetrable for me to get a face from them at range."  He had an 
expression of distaste on his face.

"Whoever he is, he's a canny sort," acknowledged Nabiki with a 
frustrated wave of her hand.  "Continue to monitor his four cronies.  
Perhaps we'll get lucky, one of them will make a mistake, and I'll 
finally learn their leader's true identity."  Nabiki had been working to 
narrow the list of possibilities from among her fellow Security cadets 
with only a fair amount of luck.  She still had some twenty names left.

The matter of Nabiki's mystery competitor was beginning to annoy her.  
At first, it had given her a new thrill to her life to have someone 
daring to compete with her on her own level, master strategist to master 
strategist.  The attack on Akane recently was taking things just a 
little too far though.  Nabiki wanted to find this person, and his 
continuing ability to evade her substantial information network, even 
with the aid of people such as Gosunkugi, Mano, and her own little 
sister helping her, was getting on her nerves.  For all she knew now, it 
could have been someone like Ranma Saotome pulling the strings from the 
shadows.

Wait a moment, Nabiki thought, rather surprised at the direction that 
her thoughts were suddenly taking.  My new rival didn't begin making 
waves until shortly after Saotome's arrival.  Also, Ranma had been 
rather convenient in the time of his appearance to save Akane yesterday, 
and he was not touched even once.  There is also the matter of his 'new' 
martial arts skills.  Could he be the mystery genius behind the attacks 
on my organization?  Nabiki shook her head, but the nagging thought that 
Ranma Saotome was hiding something from her would not go away.

"Do you require me for anything more, Tendo-san?" Gosunkugi quietly 
asked, his hand fiddling slightly with the gloss black PsiDiv pin on his 
uniform collar.  Nabiki waved him away, and the spooky little teen faded 
back into the shadows and vanished.

Just what are you hiding, Ranma Saotome? thought Nabiki, as she looked 
up at the cloudy sky.  I intend to find out.

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

Ranma went through his stretching exercises, striving hard to improve 
his limberness.  He knew that that was a real weakness with him, his 
muscles and tendons were not conditioned for the range of motions that 
he needed to be able to do if he wished to call himself a martial artist 
of an equivalent caliber to his quantum counterpart.  His limberness was 
coming along though, and at a surprisingly rapid pace which astounded 
him even more than it did his coach.

Ranma's newfound physicality was a source of great pride, adding even 
more to an already impressive ego from his various intellectual 
accomplishments.  He was truly becoming the Imperial ideal for its 
Citizens.  Ranma anticipated the day when he considered himself a 
physical match for his quantum counterpart.

That day did not seem to be as far away from him as he once would have 
thought.  His muscle strength and his body's conditioning were very 
steadily improving, and at a roughly similar pace to his agility and 
limberness.  The annoying thing to him was that using the other Ranma's 
combat skills in his own body still made him feel like a rusty martial 
artist, and he suspected that it would for some time yet to come.  He 
knew that there was so much more that he was capable of, but he 
possessed no doubts that he would achieve greatness someday.

Once Ranma finished his stretching exercises, he hopped up onto his feet 
and took off for the running track at a sprinting pace.  When he got 
there, Dean Fuyutsuki was standing there, and Coach Takami was not 
around.  The older man was smiling at him as Ranma came running up.

"Hello, Ranma," greeted the Dean.  "Takami-sensei invited me here to see 
how you were progressing.  You don't mind if I watch a little of your 
training today, do you?"

"Huh?" said Ranma, surprised.  "No, that's all right, sir."

"SAOTOME!" screamed Takami, spotting Ranma over near the bleachers but 
not seeing the Dean.  "HURRY IT UP!  I WANT TO SEE YOU DONE WITH FIVE 
KILOMETERS A.S.A.P.!  YOU WERE THE ONE WHO WANTED THIS TO BE HARDER!"

When he got closer, Takami noticed the Dean standing there and bowed, 
before speaking in a much quieter voice.  "I didn't see you there, sir."

"Quite all right, Takami-sensei," said the Dean, returning the bow and 
then waving his hand to one side.  "Pretend that I'm not even here."

"Yes, sir," replied Takami.  He noticed Ranma still standing there and 
scowled.  "ARE YOU WAITING FOR A BUS, CADET?!  GET YOUR ASS IN GEAR!  
MOVE IT!!"

Ranma snapped into motion and went tearing off down the track at full 
speed.

"He certainly seems more physically fit than when he first arrived, 
Coach," observed Fuyutsuki as he watched Ranma with a dispassionate 
expression, like the pigtailed scholar was a lab animal in an experiment 
of his.  "You've done an impressive job with the boy."

"Well, I can't take all the credit, sir," said Takami.  "Ranma has 
managed to surpass all of my expectations.  I've never seen such a high 
ability to adapt and improve to such a rigorous level of training 
before, nor such a natural talent at physical performance as he has, 
other than perhaps the two Tendo girls.  The boy's simply a marvel to 
train."

"Indeed," remarked Fuyutsuki.  "But this morning you mentioned a new 
approach that you wanted to try in his training regimen?"

"Yes, sir," said Takami, removing his cap and scratching at the back of 
his skull.  "Especially after what I saw him achieve during the regular 
class today."

"Oh?" asked Fuyutsuki in an interested tone.  "What happened today?"

"Ranma managed to match the record for a first-year cadet doing a five 
kilometer run," said Takami.  "But I don't think that he would have been 
able to do it without the challenge from Akane Tendo.  She broke ranks 
from the class and managed to goad Ranma to a faster pace for several 
kilometers.  I think if I was allowed to make some adjustments to their 
training schedules, then I could use this rivalry to make them even 
better."

"What do you propose, Takami?" asked the Dean, while he watched Ranma 
running around the track.

"Currently, Ranma's schedule is to have his regular physical training 
class, then a free period, then this extra training?" asked Takami.  The 
Dean nodded.  "And Akane Tendo has her Imperial History class at the 
same time as Ranma's free period?  I want to change his schedule and 
Akane Tendo's then.  I want her to train with Ranma during a three hour 
special class overseen by myself and Coach Fujinami, after they finish 
their scholastic studies."

"An interesting notion," said the Dean, nodding approvingly.  "You want 
to intensify their martial arts training then?"  Fujinami was the most 
capable martial arts instructor on campus, with a Seventh Dan rating in 
Shorinji Kempo and an Eighth in Shotokan Karate.

"I suspect that of the two of them, Ranma truly has the potential to be 
a Grandmaster inside of him, and I think I can turn their rivalry to 
good use for that," said Takami.  "The boy's expressed an interest in 
improving his fighting skills, and I want to give him a chance to do 
just that.  You watched the tape of his fight with Akane Tendo?"

"Yes," acknowledged Fuyutsuki.  "The camera angle was a little off, but 
from what I could see I was quite impressed with his skills.  I had 
always thought that Akane Tendo was impressive, but Ranma shows clear 
signs of eventually outdoing her completely."

"He was beating the Tendo girl in that match," said Takami with a 
bewildered look.  "And I don't know how his skills improved so much so 
quickly, for the life of me.  Only one day earlier Akane Tendo was 
mopping the training mat with Ranma Saotome's face, and now this?  It 
was totally uncanny, like I was watching a different person fighting 
entirely.  He was using moves that I've never seen before."

"Nor have I," said Fuyutsuki with a ghost of a smile on his face.  "It's 
a pretty puzzle though, isn't it?"

"You could say that," said Takami.  "Myself, I just find it to be damn 
spooky, but I find myself liking the boy.  He so earnestly wants to 
improve himself, and ever since yesterday it's been like something lit a 
fire underneath him.  Perhaps all of the beatings that he suffered at 
the young Tendo girl's hands before yesterday forced some sort of 
breakthrough in Ranma.  He's a pretty proud kid."

"What of the older Tendo girl?" asked Fuyutsuki.  "Do you see much 
potential in her?"

"Nabiki Tendo," said Takami slowly, as if tasting the name in his 
thoughts.  He nodded a moment later.  "Yes, that might be a good idea as 
well.  Nabiki has arguably more potential than her sister, I think, but 
that girl doesn't try nearly as hard as she could.  I can't seem to find 
a way to motivate her to reach for excellence, but I know that she could 
outdo her sister if she only found reason to try."

"I agree," said Fuyutsuki.  He had been a little disappointed with 
Nabiki's slower development; it was throwing his schedule off.  There is 
also the added benefit of seeing the three children interacting in such 
close proximity for such a great length of time, he thought with an 
inner smile.  Under such stressful conditions as training of this 
intensive level, Ranma should develop a bond with one or the other of 
the Tendo girls.  Then it would be time to discuss Ranma's future with 
Genma.  Ranma must be mated to one or more of the girls from the Project 
within the year if the master schedule is to be maintained.  I have such 
plans for the boy and his future offspring.

"So I have your permission to change each of their study schedules, 
starting tomorrow?" asked Takami.  "I think this will be just what both 
Tendo girls need.  For example, I think I can force a breakthrough on  
Nabiki Tendo if I force her to train alongside Ranma.  She does have a 
competitive streak, but it's quieter than Akane's.  If I set her against 
Saotome, then I can push her further along the same path that Ranma is 
following."

"You have my permission, Takami-san," said Fuyutsuki with a smile.  "By 
the way, you never mentioned your opinion of Akane."

"Akane is a different story," replied Takami, nodding thoughtfully. "She 
was actually stagnating in her training before Ranma's match with her," 
said Takami.  "However, his new abilities have also sparked a new fire 
in her.  She is apparently determined to match Ranma every step of the 
way as he improves.  Strange as it may sound, I think she's smitten with 
the boy.  I never noticed it before, since she always treated him with 
such tremendous contempt, at least she did up until after their match 
yesterday."

Akane Tendo and Ranma Saotome, a couple? wondered the Dean.  This is 
quite interesting news.  I wonder if she has had a chance to meet the 
Kuno girl?  I would almost suspect the gentle hand of Fate in action to 
bring her here, especially as she was seeking to meet Ranma.  Most 
curious indeed.

"I will be interested in seeing the results of this change, Takami-san," 
said Fuyutsuki calmly, a fatherly smile on his face now as he watched 
Ranma running.  I have such plans for you, Ranma.  A glorious new day is 
dawning for the Empire, heralded by you and the other children like you.  
What wonders will you and the others bring forth?  It is still hard for 
me to believe that the day fast approaches.

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

During the walk home, Nabiki was silent as she contemplated the mystery 
of Ranma Saotome.  One day he's a nothing, and the next he turns into a 
martial arts wonder.  There's something that I'm missing here, but what?

Akane, walking along beside her, wore a smile on her face as she thought 
about Ranma.  It was only dimmed slightly as she tried to figure out 
why, now that Ranma had finally revealed his true warrior self to her, 
did a rival for him appear out of nowhere?  That damn Kodachi Kuno, 
thought Akane darkly.  How dare she show up and try to steal Ranma away 
from me?!

Memories of the aristocrat girl set Akane's teeth on edge, and she found 
herself looking forward to the fight tomorrow.  She probably won't even 
show up, knowing that I intend to rearrange her delicate features, she 
thought confidently.  A pampered noblewoman like that won't be much of a 
challenge for me, but once I send her back to her worthless peers then I 
can devote all of my attentions to Ranma.

Nabiki heard Akane sigh once more, and she could tell by the wistful 
smile on her sister's face that it was over Ranma.  Ranma, Ranma, Ranma, 
what is it about you that's changed?  And what is it that you're hiding 
down in that laboratory of yours?  Nabiki paused for a moment, and Akane 
walked on ahead for a few paces before turning to look back.

Ranma's lab, thought Nabiki.  Some of the answers are probably there.

"What's wrong, Nabiki?" asked Akane, studying her sister.

"I just remembered something that I forgot to take care of back at the 
Academy," said Nabiki calmly, her thoughts far from her sister right 
now.

"Do you want me to come with you?" asked Akane, recalling the recent 
attack on herself, and being concerned for her sister.

"No, I'll be fine," replied Nabiki with a confident smile.  "I don't 
think it will take very long.  You go on ahead.  I'll be home in a 
little while."

"Okay, Nabiki," said Akane, waving goodbye as she turned around and 
continued on her way.  "I'll see you at dinner."

Nabiki turned around, her thoughts already on the task ahead of her.  
She patted the pocket that contained her mini-camera and set of 
lockpicks.  I'm probably imagining things about Ranma, she thought with 
a cool smile.  But I am curious about what he's been doing down there 
for all these weeks.

An ominous rumble of thunder rolled across the skies as she hurried back 
to the Academy buildings.  Nabiki paid it no mind, quite used to the 
strange weather patterns that Nerima always seemed to have.

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

Ranma paused between sets of sit-ups and allowed his body to hang from 
the boots that held his feet vertically in midair.  Sweat dripped off of 
his face and fell to the wooden floor a foot beneath his forehead.  He 
turned his head to see a bright flash of lightning race across the sky 
outside.

"What's the holdup, Saotome?" asked Takami, coming over nearer to him 
with his usual clipboard in hand.  "You still have another fifty sit-ups 
to do before you're done."  He loudly whacked Ranma across his stomach 
muscles with the clipboard.  "No slacking off.  You wanted hell, and I'm 
going to give it to you!"

"Yes, sir!" shouted Ranma, as he started another set of sit-ups, his 
stomach muscles objecting to the activity.  He focused his attention on 
his efforts, ignoring everything else.

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

Assistant Director Soun Tendo sat in his office in the heart of the 
Security Directorate, and he was only able to keep a smile off of his 
face by sheer discipline, now that his plans were close to fruition.  He 
studied the middle-aged woman seated in his office with a critical eye.  
To put his plans into motion, for dealing with the matter of Ranma 
Saotome, was going to require meticulous care to make everything seem 
like a perfectly natural set of occurrences.  Luckily, the main plan 
itself was relatively simple.

Soun had spent a great deal of time in researching all of the finest 
matchmaking agencies in the Empire as the first part of his plan.  A 
fortunate discovery for him during this research was coming across Otsu 
Mitsuma, a pleasant-looking, middle-aged lady who was a former operative 
for the Directorate many years ago, before she decided to get married 
and have a family.  Otsu currently worked part-time at one of the best 
agencies as a matchmaking advisor, perfect for his needs.  She was 
amenable to the assignment, even confessing to Soun that she missed the 
thrill of field work.

The bug that one of Soun's operatives had managed to place within the 
Saotome home a week before Ranma's return back to Japan gave him all of 
the information that he needed on dealing with the decision maker in the 
family, Nodoka Saotome.  She was apparently the real strength in the 
Saotome household, and she was the one who would make the final decision 
on the girl that Ranma was going to marry.

Soun smiled in his thoughts at learning of Genma Saotome's meek 
acquiescence to his wife's decision to pursue a search for a bride for 
Ranma.  Soun had never been that meek with his own wife, Kimiko (God 
bless her soul) when she was still alive, even though she had been a 
combat veteran of many savage campaigns during her time with the 
Imperial Special Forces.

Soun still remembered the day that he had first met Kimiko, the woman 
who was to be his wife.  He, a young agent newly assigned to the 
Security Directorate with a promising future ahead of him, had been 
wearing his best dress uniform and feeling more than a little bit 
worried upon meeting the young woman that had been chosen by his parents 
to be his new bride.  He had been sitting in the front room of his 
parents home when his blushing fiancée and her family had arrived.

His parents had escorted the Nakakami's into the front room, a smiling 
older couple, and a frowning girl his own age who was wearing a military 
dress uniform, a patch from the Imperial Special Forces proudly 
displayed on one shoulder beneath her rank insignia.  She had been a 
junior grade Lieutenant then, and she had not been quite the blushing 
innocent that Soun had been hoping for.  And even now, he could still 
remember that first look that she gave him.

He had thought that she was going to kill him, from the glare that she 
gave him when their eyes first met, as if she blamed him for the whole 
situation.  After such a terrifying first look, Soun remembered finding 
himself regretting that he was unarmed.  He had known that she came from 
a proud warrior family, but he hadn't expected to feel afraid of the 
woman who was to be his wife.

Both sets of parents had chosen to withdraw at that time, to let the new 
couple get to know each other.  Kimiko had stared at the floor.  Soun 
had quickly found his own spot to stare at and joined her in the 
activity.  It was a moment heavy with tension.

Soun wasn't ashamed to admit, in the privacy of his own memories, that 
he had sat there petrified in fright from the looks that Kimiko had been 
giving him.  She had sat there with her hands clenched in her lap, her 
knees together, only looking at him occasionally.  She did have a faint 
coloring on her cheeks, but it was offset by the almost murderous gaze 
in her eyes.

He still had yet to meet a woman who was as beautiful and deadly as 
Kimiko.  She was also the only woman he had ever loved.  The terror he 
felt at their first meeting only added to the spice that was their 
passion. 

"So, we are going to be married," Kimiko had said softly as an opening 
salvo in their first conversation, a rough edge to her very feminine 
voice.  

"Yes," Soun had said, feeling more uncomfortable by the minute.  He had 
turned to look at Kimiko once more, only a brief glance, and had seen 
her studying him.  "What?"

"You don't have to keep looking at me like I'm going to bite you or 
something," she had said in irritation.  "I'll have you know that I'm a 
very nice girl underneath this uniform."

Soun didn't really remember what he had said in response, but the next 
thing he had known was the feel of her hands on his jacket as she had 
bodily picked him up and shoved him against the wall.  She had gazed 
into his eyes with fury burning in hers.

"Look buddy," Kimiko had growled at him.  "You treat me with proper 
respect, or I'll rip both of your arms off and beat you with them!  If I 
say that I'm a nice girl, then you damn well better believe it!  I may 
be a soldier, but I'm also a woman.  You're going to be my husband, so 
you're going to have to deal with those two things.  Are we clear?"

"Quite clear, Kimiko-san," Soun remembered himself saying.  "You can put 
me back down on the ground now.  Please?"

She had laughed at that as she had put him back down, but instead of 
feeling irritated that smile and laugh had captured his heart.  He had 
even complimented her on that when his feet touched back down to the 
ground.

It had been a beginning for them.

Soun's memories flashed forward over the events that soon after followed 
in their lives together: their courtship, a surprisingly long and drawn 
out one filled with many more complications than he cared to remember; 
their eventual marriage a year later, and how nervous that he had been; 
the birth of their eldest daughter, Kasumi; the births of the other two 
daughters that Kimiko had given to him, first Nabiki and then Akane; the 
happy years that had followed as the former warrior explored being a 
mother; and finally, the emptiness left behind when her vibrancy was 
taken from him forever.  He had thrown himself into his work to deal 
with the pain, seeing her face in all of the three girls.  He had loved 
his daughters as best that he could, but it was so very easy to use his 
duty to hide from the pain.

During Kimiko's all-too-brief time as their mother, all of their 
daughters had benefited from her passing on her combat skills, but only 
Akane had really taken to the martial arts like a warrior born.  Their 
mother's death had left a hole in the household, but Soun was able to 
see her every time that he looked at Akane.  She was looking more and 
more to be every inch the fighter that her mother had been.

However, Akane was not the girl that he hoped to match with young 
Saotome, oh no, that honor was reserved for Nabiki.  Akane, as much as 
Soun loved her as a daughter, was not Nabiki's equal in his heart.  The 
middle Tendo daughter reminded Soun most of himself at that age, 
ambitious and full of promise.  Her skills as a Security operative at 
gathering information and organizing people were truly impressive to 
Soun, and he had chosen to reward her with the finest match that he 
could find.  So he had chosen the best for her in a husband, someone who 
could keep up with her quick wit, and that someone was Ranma Saotome.

Akane, on the other hand, needed a husband who was more suited to her 
personality and even stronger in combat than she was, and Ranma was more 
scholar than warrior.  She would eat a boy like Ranma alive, since he 
would be unable to stand against her strength.  Akane, though she tried 
hard to please him, was totally ill-suited in temperament to become a 
member of the Directorate, and Soun feared that she would only embarrass 
the family reputation for excellence if she continued in her attempts to 
be a Security operative.  The qualities that would have enabled her to 
be a fine soldier of the Empire in the Special Forces would only hinder 
her effectiveness as a future Security operative.  It required a subtler 
touch than Akane was capable of.

Soon, however, Nabiki would be engaged to the man that he had chosen for 
her, and Soun would be able to turn all of his attentions to Akane's 
future next.  There were several choices for his youngest daughter that 
he was going to explore once the matter of Nabiki and Ranma was finally 
settled.  He had also even sounded out some of his contacts among the 
Defense Directorate at obtaining a place for Akane in the military.  The 
Tendo Clan had honorably served under both Directorates over the years, 
admittedly favoring the Security Directorate, so he was not anticipating 
any difficulties in getting Akane transferred.  Soun was certain that 
his youngest daughter would earn numerous honors fighting for the glory 
of the Empire.

"Director Tendo?" intruded a gentle voice into his thoughts.  Soun 
looked up and cursed himself for allowing himself to drift off into a 
state of inattention like that.  It did not befit the image that he had 
of himself.  He folded his hands in front of him on his desk.

"My apologies, Mitsuma-san," said Soun sincerely.  "I have been 
listening to your report with great interest.  My thoughts simply 
drifted the last few moments.  I trust that you understand the extreme 
level of importance for this assignment to the future of the Empire?"

"I don't quite see how arranging a marriage could be that important, but 
I will do all in my power to arrange for your daughter Nabiki to be 
engaged to Ranma Saotome," Otsu said pleasantly.  "You are paying me 
enough to do so, after all.  I have reviewed his file extensively, and I 
believe that I can sell Nabiki quite easily to Saotome-san."

"It's very important that my name not ever be mentioned in this 
transaction as anything but the father of the bride-to-be," cautioned 
Soun.  "It is also quite vital that you not appear to be too eager about 
Nabiki, just enough that suspicions will not be raised.  Do you have the 
throwaway candidates' files that I selected for you?"

"Oh my, yes," chuckled Otsu.  She pulled out a couple of manila file 
folders and set them on Soun's desk.  She picked one back up and waved 
it around.  "Wherever did you find this girl?  According to her file, 
she's been rejected in over two dozen different bridal candidate 
selections for all sorts of reasons in the last year alone, including 
beating up a few of the potential grooms.  Admittedly, her family 
background criteria will fit the profile that you gave me, but the girl 
herself, no.  According to Ranma's personality profile and hers, they'll 
be like oil and water, totally incompatible."

Otsu pointed at a section of one of the pages and said, "Take this for 
example.  Does she really dress up as a boy sometimes?"

"Amusingly enough, yes," said Soun with a chuckle.  "I understand that 
the Kuonji's are getting quite desperate to wed their only daughter off.  
She has apparently rejected all of the local boys, a few of them rather 
violently.  I have it on very good authority that the Kuonji Clan is one 
of, if not the finest of the remaining true Ninja clans left in the 
Empire, and Ukyo Kuonji is supposed to be next in line to inherit the 
leadership of her Clan.  That is, provided that she can find a husband."

"Ah, I see," said Otsu.  "But why the dressing as a boy part?  That I 
don't quite understand."

"Blame her senile great-grandfather for that one," said Soun with 
another chuckle.  "While the parents managed the day to day affairs of 
the Kuonji Clan and taking care of the family shrine in the Koga 
mountain area, Ukyo was being raised and trained as a Ninja by her 
great-grandfather back up in the mountains, learning her Clan's Ninja 
lore.  Unfortunately for Ukyo, for some strange reason, the old fool 
apparently became convinced early on that Ukyo was a boy, and he raised 
her as one for years.  Her parents didn't learn this until a little less 
than a year ago, but the damage was done.  I'm told that her mother 
about had a heart attack at meeting her 'son' at that time."

"Does Ukyo know that she's female?" asked Otsu, her brown eyes widening 
a little at the tragic tale.

"Oh, she does," admitted Soun.  "However, according to one of her 
psychological profiles, the problem is that she simply isn't aware of 
the proper ways to act as a girl, so she tends to be rather male in her 
attitudes.  But she also wishes to be a real girl, so there is quite a 
bit of fascinating gender confusion going on.  Little Ukyo is quite an 
interesting psychological study, as well as being a formidable martial 
artist by all accounts."

"Oh my," said Otsu with a smile.  "Her first meeting with Ranma will be 
rather interesting."

"To say the least," said Soun, handing the file back to Otsu.  "That's 
why she's one of the throwaway candidates for Ranma.  Her family 
background is an excellent match, but I very much doubt that Nodoka 
Saotome would look with much favor on having someone like Ukyo for a 
daughter-in-law.  Despite her samurai family background and warrior 
training, a traditional woman like Nodoka would surely find Ukyo, well, 
flawed.  The girl is totally unsuitable, but her flaws will make Nabiki 
shine by comparison."

"And the other one?" asked Otsu, picking up the other file folder.

"Ah, the other side of the equation," said Soun.  "I picked this name 
myself from a stack that one of the bridal services gave one of my 
contacts.  Perfectly unsuitable for entirely different reasons than the 
first."

"Kodachi Kuno?" asked Otsu, her eyes widening a little.  "How could you 
possibly expect me to suggest such a match?  The girl is a daughter of 
one of the Minor Families.  Her family registry is filled with blue-
blooded nobility.  Ranma Saotome, while he does descend from samurai 
stock, would never be acceptable to the Kuno Family patriarch unless he 
was a great warrior of some sort as well."

"And if he was that, he would have no interest in a timid mouse like 
Kodachi Kuno," said Soun in a scornful tone of voice.  "According to her 
file, the girl is typical of an overbred daughter of nobility and has 
done everything that she was ever told to do.  She had an opportunity to 
attend the Imperial Academy extended to her, but she instead chose to 
attend Blackhall Academy, at her mother's insistence."

"She is quite lovely," said Otsu, doubt in her voice.  "The boy might be 
taken by her looks."

"My daughter Nabiki can easily outshine a spoiled aristocrat like 
Kodachi Kuno," said Soun proudly.  "The Kuno girl was chosen to show the 
opposite end of the scale from Ukyo Kuonji, a girl without much spirit 
despite an impressive family background.  Between the two of them, 
Nabiki will shine forth like a star in the heavens.  After all, my dear 
daughter comes from a good family with excellent connections for a boy 
like Ranma.  Play your part and nothing can possibly go wrong with the 
arrangements."

"You have my word, Tendo-san, that I will follow all of your 
instructions to the letter," said Otsu with a smile.  "Your daughter 
Nabiki will be pledged to Ranma Saotome as you desire.  Nothing will 
stand in the way of that."

"Excellent, dear woman," said Soun with a smile.  "I am counting on 
you."

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

"What sort of game are you playing, Soun Tendo?" wondered Hinako 
Ninomiya in the privacy of her office.  She had heard that Soun Tendo 
was speaking with a former Directorate operative in his office, a woman 
who works in one of the matchmaking bureaus.

The intercom on her desk suddenly buzzed.  "Director Ninomiya?" asked a 
voice over it, her new assistant, a recent graduate of the Imperial 
Academy named Yui Ikari.

"Yes, Yui?" Hinako replied.  "What is it?"

"I have the reports that you were asking for from the Ministry of 
Science," said Yui over the intercom.  "Oh, and I have also heard that 
Director Tendo is finished with his meeting with Otsu Mitsuma."

"Excellent," said Hinako.  "Bring in those reports, and then you can go 
home, Yui.  You've done enough for one day."

"Yes, Ma'am," said Yui over the intercom.  "I'm on my way."

Outside, at her desk, Yui Ikari gathered up the files on her desk that 
Director Hinako wanted.  So late in the day, there were few people 
around.  She was looking forward to a quiet evening at home with her 
cat, perhaps relaxing in the bath with a romance novel.

Yui walked the short distance from her desk to Hinako's office door and 
gently knocked before opening it.  I swear, Director Ninomiya needs to 
get a boyfriend, she muttered in her thoughts.  Not that my life is any 
great shakes socially, but all this obsessing that she does over Soun 
Tendo and his activities can't be good for her.

Hinako looked up from her obsessively tidy desk, in the middle of making 
notes on a pad of paper.  "You can set those there, Yui," she said, 
pointing at a spot near her right elbow on the desk.  Hinako went back 
to making cryptic notes on the paper that she was writing upon.

"Yes, Ma'am," Yui replied, setting the stack of folders on the desk at 
the appointed place.  "Are you sure that you won't be needing me for 
anything more this evening?"

"Positive," said Hinako, looking up with a smile.  "Go on home and have 
a good evening, Yui.  You've done enough, and tomorrow is another day."

"Thank you, Ma'am.  Goodnight."  Yui turned to go.

"Oh, by the way, how is everything going with you and your new 
boyfriend?" asked Hinako, looking at Yui with a smile.  "I noticed that 
you had a new picture on your desk.  Things didn't work out with you and 
Captain Rokubungi?"

"Oh, we had a parting of the ways about a month ago," said Yui with a 
brave attempt at a smile.  May you rot in the lowest and hottest corner 
of hell, Gendo, for cheating on me! Yui thought behind the fake smile.  
"He told me he was accepting a new assignment in one of the northern 
Chinese prefectures, and that was the last that I've heard from him."

"He was a little old for you, I suppose," acknowledged Hinako.  "So who 
is your new one?"

"Keiichi?" said Yui, a genuine smile on her face now.  "Oh, he's just a 
good friend right now, but who knows what the future holds?  He's one of 
the design engineers at Mishima, making better vehicles for the Empire 
and all that.  He and I met while I was out with Miyuki and Natsumi 
after work several weeks ago.  He's really very sweet, and I like him a 
lot."

"He obviously makes you happy," noted Hinako, smiling gently at the 
younger woman.  "Take it from a woman who knows, Yui.  If you find a man 
who makes you happy, then grab on and don't let anyone take him from 
you."

"Yes, Ma'am, but he's just a friend."  Yui suddenly looked at the floor, 
and a faint blush crossed her cheeks.

"I see," said Hinako, in an amused tone of voice.  "Well, you give my 
best to your 'friend' when you see him next, Yui.  Now go on.  Get out 
of this place for the night."  Hinako pointed at the door with one 
finger.  "I'll see you in the morning."

"Yes, Ma'am," said Yui, and she left, closing the door behind her.

Behind her, Hinako set the pad on the desk and gently rubbed her eyes.  
Hopefully, these files will explain what interest that Soun Tendo could 
have in Ranma Saotome.  They were certainly buried deeply enough in the 
Science Ministry's archives.

She pulled one of the files to her, and read what was written on the 
cover.  Ranma Saotome, Project Phoenix, file number three-two-five-six.  
What in the sacred name of the Emperor is Project Phoenix?  She flipped 
the file open, revealing a small sheaf of papers and a surprising 
addition: a single, silvery compact disk in a plastic sleeve.  She 
pulled it out and turned it over in her hands.  There was nothing 
written on it, save for the same file number as was on the file folder.

Hinako set it aside, and read through the papers.  Much of what was in 
them appeared to be concerned with a physical given to one subject, 
named Ranma Saotome, age five, over a decade ago.  Hmm.  A fairly 
complete set of tests done, both physical and mental, including a full 
genetic analysis.  No abnormalities or defects determined.  Somewhat 
above-average both physiologically and neurologically, a basically 
normal and healthy boy.  Deemed suitable for induction into Project 
Phoenix, whatever that is.  So why all the interest in Ranma on Soun's 
part?

The silvery compact disk caught her eye, and she slipped it out of the 
plastic sleeve.  Holding it up in her hands, the disk's mirrored surface 
reflected the light from the lamp on her desk.  Perhaps the answers are 
in here, she thought as she slipped the disk into the proper slot in the 
front of her computer.  She waited, somewhat impatiently, as the system 
read the information on the disk.

A moment later, a terse message appeared on her computer screen, and she 
looked at it, rather unsurprised.

*ENCRYPTION PROTOCOLS ACTIVE.  INPUT PASSWORD:

Bastards, she thought, without much anger.  It was about what she would 
have expected at this point.  She tried a few times with some sample 
passwords that she thought might work, but they came back with negative 
responses.  Ah well, I have some of the best decryption software that 
the Security Directorate has available.  I should have no difficulties 
cracking this.

Hinako tapped away at a few keys, connecting her personal system to one 
of the Shinohara-manufactured mainframes in the basement.  She left the 
disk in the drive and let the software start up.  After a few moments, 
it came back with an analysis of the encryption.

*FILES SEALED BY IMPERIAL EDICT... FURTHER USE OF DIRECTORATE DECRYPTION 
*ALGORITHMS IS EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN WITHOUT ROYAL AUTHORIZATION – INPUT 
*AUTHORIZATION CODE:

Sitting back in her chair, Hinako stared at the lines printed on her 
monitor in puzzlement.  What is it about Project Phoenix that could be 
of such sensitivity, or so secret, that it requires an Imperial Edict 
Seal to protect it from Security Directorate investigation?  She pulled 
out a small 5-yen coin from one pocket and began absently playing with 
it, rolling it back and forth between her fingers.  It was a nervous 
gesture of hers that she had had for years.

There's more to this than meets the eye, Hinako decided after several 
long moments.  She stood up and watched the rain falling outside her 
window against the darkening sky.  The coin in her hands rested between 
her index and middle fingers, and she brought her palm up to focus on 
the small hole in the center of the coin.  She flipped the coin into the 
air and snatched it back up with the same hand.  I was just curious 
before, but now I'm even more determined than ever to know the answers.  
What secret do you hold, Ranma Saotome?

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

Nabiki managed to make it into the main Academy building before the rain 
really began coming down.  She shook off her umbrella and set it in the 
rack by the main door.  The evening cleaning staff could be heard 
working in the building, and the sounds of electric cleaning equipment 
were humming in the distance.  Nabiki smiled when she saw that no one 
appeared to notice her arrival.

Off to her right was the entrance to the stairs, and Nabiki quietly 
opened the door and closed it behind her.  The lights were on in the 
hallway, for which she was grateful.  She had a flashlight on her, but 
she preferred to save its batteries for when she might need them.  No 
sounds came up from below, so it looked like she would not have to worry 
about anyone disturbing her little bit of burglary.

Ranma's laboratory door was locked, and Nabiki eyed it with an unhappy 
look.  Lockpicking was not one of her better skills, but she had to give 
it a try to get through the door.  She pulled out the small zippered 
case that her father had given her for a birthday present.  She eyed the 
lock again and pulled out a couple of items.

"Seems like a standard Academy door lock," she murmured softly to 
herself.  She knelt down next to the door and inserted a pick and probe 
gently into the lock.  She tapped a button on the side of her watch 
until the digital readout changed to stopwatch mode.  Nabiki took a deep 
breath and let it out.

Nabiki tapped the stopwatch, setting the chronometer into motion, and it 
began counting off fractions of a second.  She began fiddling with the 
lockpick, her tongue wedged between her lips on the left side of her 
mouth.  Come on, Nabiki, you can do this.

Down at the other end of the corridor, Nabiki heard a few of the 
cleaning staff descending down the stairs.

Work the lock, she thought, slightly frantic.  Don't think about getting 
caught.  Just work the lock.

The final tumbler clicked into place, and she turned the probe with a 
grateful sigh, hearing the deadbolt lock slide open.  She pulled out her 
pick and probe with a smile, absently tapping her finger to stop the 
counting of the stopwatch.  She opened the door quietly and quickly 
slipped inside Ranma's lab a moment later.

Nabiki closed the door behind her with a confident grin and set her 
bookbag down on the floor to one side of the door.  She very gently slid 
the deadbolt shut, mere moments before she heard a hand test the door.  
The lock rattling sounded very loud in the quiet of the room.  A moment 
later she heard the footsteps passing on.

Nabiki let out a sigh of relief.  She flipped on her flashlight and let 
the beam move about the room.  There's something fun about doing this 
sort of thing, she thought with a smile.  She pointed the narrow 
flashlight beam at her watch.  Not bad, fifty-two seconds.  Daddy raised 
me up to be a proper investigator, not to mention a pretty good thief.

Nabiki found the light switch and turned on the power, flipping her 
small flashlight off as the fluorescent bulbs flickered into life.  She 
eyed the contents of Ranma's lab dispassionately for a moment as she let 
her gaze sweep around the room.  Her eyes settled on the cloth-covered 
table on one side of the room next to a rather ugly-looking couch.  What 
have you been working on down here, Ranma-kun?

Nabiki flipped off the cloth covering the table and its contents, and 
eyed the small collection of equipment sitting there neatly.  A small 
computer monitor sat next to a power bar and a keyboard, both of them 
connected to a gray case.  A thick wire ran to a headset of some sort, 
with several prongs on it running down to several small, flat, black 
metal plates.  It all looked rather anti-climactic.  Nabiki had been 
half-expecting to see something much more impressive.

Curious, she flipped on the main power bar and let the equipment warm 
up.  The screen immediately began printing out an intriguing series of 
self-test messages.

*SELF-CHECK COMPLETE

*ALL LOGIC COMPONENTS ARE FUNCTIONING WITHIN DESIGNATED PARAMETERS

*QUANTUM FLUX COIL IS FUNCTIONING WITHIN DESIGNATED PARAMETERS

*NEURAL INDUCTION SENSORS ARE FUNCTIONING WITHIN DESIGNATED PARAMETERS

*SYSTEM HAS 5 QUANTUM COORDINATES STORED IN STABLE MEMORY

*TIME DURATION OF RECENT TEST RUN:  30.00 MINUTES

*SCAN FOR NEW COORDINATES:

The cursor paused at this point as it awaited some form of input.  A 
sense of amazement and wonder filled Nabiki at that moment.

Quantum flux coil? Nabiki thought as she looked over the case in the 
middle.  She turned the headset over in her hands, suspecting that it 
was most likely the "neural induction sensors" that the one system 
message referred to.  Quantum coordinates?  What could Ranma be playing 
with down here?  Her curiosity level was peaking from all of the 
mysterious-purposed hardware and arcane phrases.

"Let's see what happens if I type 'yes' there," she muttered with a 
smile.  She typed the word in and hit the return key.

*SELECT QUANTUM REGION FOR SCAN:  RANDOM

The word 'RANDOM' was blinking, so Nabiki just hit return, not knowing 
what else to do.

*SET CYCLE INTO ACTIVE MODE:  YES

Again, the input word was blinking, so Nabiki tapped the return key once 
again.

*SET TIME DURATION FOR TEST:

Nabiki carefully typed in '30.00 MINUTES' and tapped the return key once 
more, taking her cue from the report of the length of the most recent 
test run.

*WAITING FOR SIGNAL FROM NEURAL INTERLINK HEADSET

That was it, no further input requests.  Well, what do I do now to get 
this thing to show me what it does? Nabiki wondered.  She eyed the 
headset resting in her lap and the couch behind her.  I guess Ranma 
wears this and lays down on the couch.

Nabiki, carrying the headset in one hand, sat down on the edge of the 
couch so that she could see the screen.  She put the headset on her 
skull and waited to see what happened.  I feel silly doing this, she 
thought with a sardonic grin.  There was a vaguely pleasant hum that 
felt as if it was within her brain, and she started to remove the 
headset when she noticed that a computer generated voice was speaking.  
On the screen a pair of sine waves suddenly appeared and slowly began 
moving into convergence.

The computer spoke in gentle tones, its artificial voice repeating over 
and over for several seconds the same word, "Searching... searching... 
searching."

Suddenly, it said, "Quantum signature match found.  Initiating upload 
cycle."  Nabiki felt a moment of nothingness, and her body suddenly 
flopped back as if she'd been poleaxed and sprawled partway across the 
couch, her eyes closed as if in sleep.  One arm fell off the edge of the 
couch and rested on the cool concrete floor.

The timer began to count down.

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

*** Earth  +1.614,+1.496

There was a brief and mildly disturbing moment of dislocation, of non-
existence of self, and then Nabiki suddenly found herself in another 
place, one that she did not immediately recognize.  It was early 
evening, but the skies were clear, instead of raining as she distinctly 
remembered it doing outside only a few minutes before.  She was outside, 
somewhere in Tokyo it looked like.  However, she had no idea what had 
just happened to her, and the skyline looked different.

I-what? Where am I? Nabiki thought in confusion, and her brain felt 
slightly fuzzy, almost like it was wrapped in soft cotton.  The feeling 
faded quickly, allowing her thoughts to clear.  Okay, Nabiki, calm down 
and take stock.

Nabiki stood where she was and blinked her eyes as she adjusted to her 
new surroundings.  Mere moments after her return to awareness, and 
possibly even more surprising and disturbing to her, a confusing stream 
of mental images suddenly seemed to fill her mind over the course of a 
single moment.  It was a kaleidoscopic torrent of memories, an entire 
lifetime of experiences shoved into her awareness all at once.  The 
unutterable rush of the experience totally overwhelmed her for that 
moment.  It took her a few moments afterwards to realize that someone 
was speaking to her.

"Nabiki?" asked a familiar, male voice, concerned.  "Are you okay?"

Nabiki looked over and was startled to see a very familiar-looking young 
man standing next to her, dressed in an outfit of Chinese-style clothes.  
She recognized his face instantly and then couldn't help staring for a 
moment.  It was Ranma Saotome, yet it somehow also wasn't him.  Seeing 
something that was so very familiar to her, and yet knowing with an 
absolute certainty that it wasn't in the same breath, was a bit 
disturbing to her.  However, it was not nearly as surprising as the 
thought that suddenly popped into her head when she looked at him.

Ranma is my fiancé, Nabiki instantly realized, then wondered why that 
thought would come to her like that.  He was looking at her with a 
worried expression on his face, and she felt a strange warmth from deep 
inside her at seeing his obvious concern.  She smiled back at him 
pleasantly, and it felt right to do.

"I'm fine, Ranma-kun," Nabiki said calmly.  "I guess I was just lost in 
thought."  He nodded, apparently accepting her explanation at face 
value.  Her years of practice at hiding her feelings kept her from 
showing the quivery nervousness that she was feeling at this new and 
unexpected experience.  Everything around her felt completely familiar 
to her, and yet it wasn't at the same time.  So where am I? she found 
herself wondering.

Nerima, near the Tendo Dojo, came a sudden thought to Nabiki, one that 
wasn't really in words and just seemed to come from the back of her 
brain, but she was suddenly fully aware of where she was.  She nodded 
contentedly at the name for a moment, then she paused and cocked her 
head in confusion.  Tendo... Dojo?

Nabiki suddenly realized that she wasn't wearing her Academy uniform and 
looked down at herself.  She saw that she herself was also dressed in 
Chinese-style clothes similar to Ranma's, but it was not a surprise, for 
some reason.  Nabiki casually raised her right hand up to stroke the 
silky material of the shirt and caught a glimpse of her hand.  It was 
her hand, and yet it wasn't.  Fascinated by that simple thing, she 
studied it for a moment and noticed the calluses on them, somewhat 
thicker than the ones that she expected to see on her own hands.

These are the hands of a heavily-trained fighter, she realized in an 
instant.  Nabiki noticed her reflection in a plate glass window next to 
her and looked at herself, noting the braid at the back of her hair, 
longer than she normally wore it.  A warrior's braid.  She then wondered 
how she knew to call it that.

Behind her, Ranma stared at his fiancée and was not sure what to make of 
Nabiki's sudden change in mood.  She was checking herself over as if she 
was seeing herself for the first time, and that was just plain strange 
to Ranma.  He decided not to press the issue though.  If Nabiki wanted 
him to know what was going on, then she would tell him.

Suddenly, a new mass of memories became clear to Nabiki, rising unbidden 
into her awareness around a single, central realization.  I am Nabiki 
Tendo, the Heir to the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts.  Random 
other memories came to her, associated with that one central thought, 
and it was like the stories she had heard people tell of seeing their 
lives flashing before their eyes before they died.  Slowly, over several 
moments, many of the memories slowly sorted themselves out in her mind, 
and they were immensely fascinating to her.

Up until less than two months ago, she had been on a ten-year long 
training journey with Genma Saotome, Ranma's father, learning and 
improving her now formidable skills in the martial arts.  A new torrent 
of memories sped through Nabiki's mind, too quickly for her to really 
grasp onto anything firmly.  So many people had been met over that time, 
places seen, and various fighting techniques learned.  It was like 
seeing herself as the heroine of a martial arts action movie series, and 
it was both terrifying and wonderful.  Nabiki felt an unexpected joy 
fill her upon embracing these new memories, as if they filled an empty 
place within herself that she had not even known existed until that one 
shining moment of revelation.

One of the more terrifying memories centered around falling into a pool 
of water during some sort of martial arts training exercise, one of many 
in a mysterious valley located in China, and a name for the place popped 
into Nabiki's awareness.  Jusenkyo?  The name of the place conjured up 
another powerful image for her, of a handsome young man dressed as she 
herself was in the reflection.  She tried to follow that thought, to 
learn who this young man was, but it seemed to hover ever so 
tantalizingly out of reach.

Nabiki turned back to face the reflection of herself in the plate glass 
window.  She noticed Ranma's face also being reflected in the glass, and 
he was simply staring at her with a confused look.  She turned to look 
at him, and he stared expectantly at her.

"I'm going to take a walk by myself, Ranchan," she said, and his look of 
confusion reappeared.  "Don't worry.  I won't be long.  I just have to 
check on something."  A sudden impulse came to her.  "Don't let your old 
man eat my share of dinner, okay?"

That seemed to reassure him, and he smiled at her.  "Sure thing, Nabiki.  
How long you think you're gonna be?  I can let Kasumi know."

"I should be back in a half hour," said Nabiki, shrugging her shoulders.  
The longer she was here, the less it felt like a dream and the more it 
felt like real life.  There was a quality to dreams that was simply not 
present, and that left her with the inescapable conclusion that she was 
really here, wherever here was.  Looking at Ranma kept filling her with 
strange new feelings that she was unused to, and she wasn't sure what to 
do if she saw her family until she had figured out what was going on.  
So she waved at Ranma and jogged off down the street, needing some time 
to think and reason out what had happened.

Ranma watched Nabiki run off, and then shook his head.  If there's 
anyone in this city who doesn't need a chaperone, it's her, he thought 
with a smile.  Turning his feet back towards home, Ranma walked in the 
opposite direction from the way Nabiki had gone.

Nabiki never remembered feeling so alive before, as she did while she 
ran down the street, recognizing places and streets that were a mixture 
of both similar and very different from the Nerima that she had known 
for her entire life.  On an impulse, she almost effortlessly bounded to 
the top of a wall without thinking about it, gracefully landing a moment 
after her feet had left the ground.  She suddenly laughed at the sky, 
feeling a new sense of freedom in herself, and a new confidence.

I'm not dreaming, Nabiki firmly decided.  She knew from her own 
experience that dreams had their own tone, and this felt too "real" to 
be a dream.  So she focused on what she did know about what was going on 
around her.  One, I activated Ranma's device in his lab.  Two, I found 
myself here, with my mind filled with memories of new experiences that I 
never lived.  Three, wherever here is, I'm a martial artist of great 
skill.  Four, Ranma's device referred to a component within itself 
called a quantum flux coil.  Nabiki sat down on the top of the wall.

"So what does this all add up to, Tendo?" she muttered softly to herself 
as she studied the stars beginning to emerge in the evening sky.  "It 
either adds up to one strange dream that you're having in Ranma's lab, 
or this is all somehow very real.  And you've already determined to your 
own satisfaction that this isn't a dream.  So if this is real-"

Nabiki suddenly snapped her fingers.

"If this is real, then this is how Ranma developed his new combat skills 
overnight," she concluded, talking softly to herself.  "Somehow, in some 
way, this is me, only in another life.  A life where I did all of these 
things that are in my new memories now."  Nabiki held up her hand and 
made a fist.

"Let's see what this other me is capable of," she said with a grin as 
she leaped from the top of the wall to a nearby rooftop.

The next several minutes were filled with a laughing Nabiki leaping and 
running from rooftop to rooftop across Nerima.  Her fists and feet 
lashed out at a thousand phantom opponents as she tested the body that 
she now wore to its limits.  It was an exciting and wondrous feeling, 
and she marveled at the flow and grace of each motion of her body.  She 
knew that she was the preeminent martial artist among her peers here, 
and every movement of her body proved it to herself.

Nabiki stopped on a random rooftop and went through a swift kata of 
blocks and strikes, feeling the perfection of every movement as she 
jumped and dodged.  She smiled broadly as her hands wove through the 
graceful motions of the various Shaolin Kung Fu styles, her body filled 
with unbelievable agility and power.  As she moved in a random way 
through the martial arts lore that this body knew in every fiber of its 
being, Nabiki felt something deep inside of her change, but she was not 
sure what it was.  She paused at the end, feeling her breath coming a 
little quicker.

Oh, Ranma, Nabiki thought with a smile, bringing her right fist around 
to hover before her body, palm upright.  To invent something like this.  
You truly are a genius, and that must be why I love you so.

That unexpected thought brought her movements to a stumbling halt, and 
she was still standing there looking confused when the world went away 
around her.  Nabiki felt a moment of dislocation.

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

Nabiki looked around in surprise.  Where did Ranma go? she wondered as 
she lowered her hands from the combat stance that she found herself in.  
Did I get into a fight with someone?  What just happened here?

Feeling a rumbling of hunger from her stomach, Nabiki decided that 
eating was more important right now than dealing with her confusion.  
She leaped to the next rooftop and began heading home.

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

*** Heaven  0.000,0.000

The systems of Yggdrasil hummed along smoothly, maintained by the many 
gods and goddesses assigned to that task.  Belldandy, the Goddess of the 
Present, had her attention focused upon her central workstation as she 
managed the daily file updates for the main system.  Yet her gaze 
quickly noticed the message appearing on one of the secondary screens.  
She paused in her activities to study the scrolling symbols.

*DESTINY PROTOCOLS ACTIVATED.  PROBABILITY NODE ALTERATION INITIATED.

*REVISING CURRENT INDEXED NODE STATUS FROM CLASS THREE TO CLASS ONE.

*PARADIGM SHIFT DETECTED.  TIME TO COMPLETION: UNKNOWN.

Belldandy eyed the screen and frowned ever so slightly, a sign of her 
concern.  She reflected on the nature of the Destiny Protocols for a 
moment.

A system as complex as the universe reflected a middle ground between 
two extremes.

On the one hand, every event that has ever happened, is happening now, 
or ever will happen, have all been meticulously predetermined to the 
last detail.  Reality was a clockwork mechanism, predestined to follow a 
rigid and unchanging fate that allowed only for the illusion of free 
will.

On the other hand, random chance was the controlling factor in all 
things.  God played dice with the universe, and everything that happened 
in it was unpredictable and uncontrolled.

Neither option was fully correct, but neither were they fully incorrect.

Instead, reality should be thought of as a pinball machine.  Playing 
pinball required the right combination of skill and chance, and an 
understanding and mastery of indeterminacy as balls careened all over 
the playing area.  Control and randomness interacting together in a form 
of synergy.

Yggdrasil had just put a new ball into play.

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

*** Earth  0.000,0.000

"Retrieval cycle complete," said a soft voice in the background.

Nabiki slowly opened her eyes and simply stared at the plain cement 
ceiling over her head, broken only by faint cracks, conduits, and the 
fluorescent lights.  She suddenly became aware of her back muscles 
complaining slightly from the awkward position that they were in, and 
she shifted around to a more comfortable one, raising her arm up off the 
cold concrete floor.

That was simply incredible, thought Nabiki as she sat up slowly.  Her 
thoughts felt a little bit strange, as if her awareness was divided 
among two very similar thought patterns, but the feeling quickly went 
away.  Nabiki absently squeezed her right shoulder with her left hand, 
and she had a faint grimace on her face as she noted the lesser amount 
of muscle on herself with some dismay.  She already missed having the 
lithely well-sculpted musculature of her body in that other life.  I 
need to work myself into better shape.  Correction.  I will work myself 
into better shape.  I always thought I was in excellent condition, but 
that other body was even more so.

Nabiki took a moment to stare at the resonator, humming lightly to 
itself with power.  She had come here expecting to find the answers to 
her questions about Ranma, and instead she found herself with more 
questions than before.  Ranma, your secret is even more amazing than 
anything that I was expecting.  How did you ever come up with something 
like this?

Nabiki suddenly smiled.  Like it or not, Ranma-kun, you have a new 
partner in your endeavors.  There is no way that I'm going to walk away 
from this, now that I've seen what I've seen.  You owe me an explanation 
now.  She lifted the headset off her skull and allowed it to rest in her 
lap.  Memories from that other life hovered in her mind like fireflies, 
refusing to settle where she could examine them more closely.

Standing up, Nabiki set the headset back where she found it and noted 
the new text printed on the screen.

*TEST RUN COMPLETE... FILE #0000006 ADDED TO STABLE MEMORY.  DETAILS?

"Sure, why not?" muttered Nabiki.  She typed out 'YES' and hit the 
return key, finding herself almost breathless to see what would come up 
next.  She wasn't disappointed when the screen began to print out more 
information on the new file that she had just unintentionally created.

*FILE #0000006 - QUANTUM DIVERGENCE POINT OCCURRED:
    910 YEARS
     10 MONTHS
     15 DAYS
      9 HOURS
     35 MINUTES
     31 SECONDS AGO.

Ohmygod, Nabiki thought as she sat there in stunned silence.  The count 
of seconds continued to rise as she watched it.  I was right.  It wasn't 
a dream.  It wasn't an imaginary world.  It was real, and I was there, 
living and breathing inside another version of... myself.

Nabiki looked at her hand, curling it into a fist and opening it back up 
several times.  I was a fighter, a martial artist.  How simply amazing.  
Nabiki looked at the resonator and a sly smile came onto her face.  You 
and I definitely need to talk, Ranchan.

Not knowing if there was any special way of turning the device off, 
Nabiki simply shut down the power at the main switch.  The device died, 
locking shut once again the doorway between dimensions that it offered.  
Nabiki had the odd sensation of the memories from that other life fading 
into the background noise of her own thoughts, as if her mind was 
soaking them up like a sponge.  It was not unpleasant, and it made her 
feel strangely more complete as a person.
 
Since she planned to talk to Ranma in the morning anyway, she did not 
make any real attempts to hide her presence.  Nabiki put the headset 
back where she found it and covered over the equipment with the tarp.  
She gazed at the covered table with a smile, and she felt an eagerness 
fill her to see what other mysteries were hidden across that gauntlet 
that she had just crossed and returned from.  But that could wait until 
tomorrow, after she confronted Ranma with her knowledge of his secret.

Nabiki snapped on her flashlight a moment before turning off the 
fluorescent lights.  She picked up her bookbag and listened at the door 
to see if she heard any activity in the hallway beyond.  Hearing 
nothing, Nabiki slid open the deadbolt and slipped out of Ranma's lab 
into the darkened hallway.

She slipped the tiny flashlight between her teeth as she pulled out her 
set of lockpicks and went to work relocking the door.  She didn't even 
bother timing herself this time.

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

"The Boss was pretty mad at us for yesterday, wasn't he Hayate?" asked 
Kena, as he pulled a cold can of beer from the street vending machine 
with a grimace.  "I thought he was going to kill you for lying to him 
like that."

"Somehow it just seemed to be a better idea than telling him that you 
and I got our butts whipped by Saotome," said Hayate.  "He made us both 
look like fools!"

"You at least had more warning than I did," said Kena stiffly.  He 
gently rubbed at his bandage currently itching his nose, wincing at the 
pain.  "The little punk caught me by surprise, and he broke my damn 
nose!  You got any idea how embarrassing that is?"

"Yeah, but Hiei's gonna fix him good," said Hayate with an evil smirk.  
"Whatever he leaves behind, you and I can have fun with."

"Sounds good," agreed Kena, tipping his head back and drinking from the 
can of beer.  When he lowered his face back down, a smile suddenly lit 
up his features as he saw what was coming their way on the other side of 
the street.  He nodded once with his chin.  "Looks like our luck is 
improving today already.  See who's coming?"

Hayate turned to look and smiled wickedly.  Nabiki Tendo was walking on 
the other side of the street past them, alone.  He slipped his chain out 
of his pocket as Kena tossed his half-empty can into the alley behind 
him where it landed with a thunk against some trash bags.

"No bodyguard, and out alone like this," smirked Hayate.  "Care to have 
a little fun with the bitch?"

"Sure," agreed Kena with a smile, pulling one of his balisong knives out 
and flipping it open.  "I'm going to enjoy seeing the high-and-mighty 
Nabiki Tendo bleeding.  Maybe it'll make my nose hurt a little less."

Over on the other side of the street, Nabiki walked along with a bemused 
look on her face.  She was still thinking about that other life and was 
not really paying attention to her surroundings very well, but a sudden 
quivering at the back of her neck caused her to leave off from her 
thoughts and stop.

In front of her stepped Hayate and Kena, wicked smiles on their faces.  
Nabiki suddenly realized that she was alone on the street with the two 
fighters, and that she didn't have Akane or Yohko around to defend her.  
This is bad, she thought, frowning, as she started to back up slowly 
away from the two street punks.

"Evening, Tendo-san," drawled Kena as he drew out a second knife.  "A 
pretty thing like yourself should be careful, out alone on a darkened 
street.  Maybe my buddy and me here could escort you?"  Kena nudged 
Hayate with an elbow and chuckled.

"Yeah," chuckled Hayate, flipping the weighted end of his chain in a 
lazy circle around his hand.  "Never know what sort of things could 
happen to a cute girl like yourself."

Nabiki turned and ran.  The two punks squawked for a moment in surprise 
at seeing her getting away and chased after her.  They called out all 
manner of threats and catcalls at her as they ran close behind her, 
slowly gaining.

Nabiki ducked down an alleyway in an attempt to lose the armed pair, but 
they followed right on her heels.  This is what I get for depending on 
others to do my fighting for me, she thought angrily at herself.

"Running's just... gonna... make it... harder... on ya... when we catch 
ya," gasped Kena as he managed to close the range a little more.  He 
never knew that the middle Tendo daughter could run so fast, and it only 
added to his anger.  Hayate just panted along right beside him without 
speaking, saving his breath for running.

Nabiki turned a corner and suddenly found herself facing a dead-end 
alleyway.  Seeing her trapped when they came around the corner, Hayate 
and Kena slowed to a walk and grinned at her.  Nabiki backed away from 
the pair slowly.  Damn it!  If I could just fight like my other self, 
I'd wipe the alleyway with these two idiots!

At a nod from Hayate, Kena came in with a low chuckle and faked a swing 
at Nabiki.  "Gonna make you bleed a little first, Nabiki-chan, before 
Hayate and I have some real fun with you.  Ain't nobody gonna be saving 
you here.  You're all ours."  He swung once more at Nabiki, and she 
blocked with her bookbag.

Suddenly, Nabiki felt like something clicked into place within her, and 
a cool smile appeared on her face.  She ducked under Kena's outstretched 
arm on his next swing, blocking his knife thrust with the bookbag held 
in her left hand, and she dropped split-legged to the pavement.  Her 
right fist fired up lightning-quick, with all the strength that she had 
in her arm, and impacted solidly a little off-center from his groin 
area.

Kena coughed hard, then gave off a soft whimper of pain and staggered 
back from Nabiki, dropping his knives and clutching at himself.

Hayate immediately paused in his approach, and the fun that he had 
planned for this girl had suddenly turned serious.  That idiot Kena 
must've been caught by surprise, he thought with a shake of his head.  
Everybody knows that Nabiki Tendo doesn't fight; she has others do her 
fighting for her.

Nabiki gracefully flipped herself back to her feet and took up a combat 
stance, tossing her bookbag to one side.  She smiled coyly at Hayate and 
made a come-hither gesture with her right hand towards a suddenly 
uncertain Hayate.  "Here I am, chain boy," she called out in a mocking 
tone.  "Come and get some."

"Kill the bitch!" squeaked Kena, as he leaned against a wall and 
regained his breath.  "Show her that she's way out of her league!"

"That's right," said Nabiki softly, batting her eyelashes.  "Show me how 
big and strong you are.  After all, I'm only a weak and helpless girl."  
Her fear was gone, replaced by a sense of anticipation as her heart rate 
sped up and her breathing deepened.  Nabiki felt totally in control of 
the situation, and the knowledge of over a dozen disabling moves quickly 
flashed across her thoughts as she gazed at Hayate and his current 
stance.  But she wanted this to last.

Lashing out with his chain, Hayate missed when Nabiki stepped aside, and 
her mocking grin was firmly fixed on her face.  She leaped into the air, 
feeling a strange energy adding strength to her legs, her body doing a 
quick somersault in midair, and she landed easily on her feet on the 
other side of Hayate.  Her thoughts focused on the fight, she never even 
thought to question how she was able to do that.  Her left fist lashed 
out in a backhanded punch that snapped the chain-wielding boy's head to 
the side, and she followed it up with an uppercut from her right fist.

Hayate flew up and crashed back down to the ground in the alleyway, 
stunned, and Nabiki turned around to see Kena coming at her with a snarl 
of anger.  His silvery blade darted around her body in a rapid series of 
strikes almost too fast for the eye to follow.  With her newfound grace, 
Nabiki dodged around the razor-sharp blade, keeping her skin well away 
from the edge.

"Nobody does what you did to me and lives, Tendo!" snarled Kena in a 
much higher octave than usual.  Pure adrenaline was helping him ignore 
the pain as he savagely attacked Nabiki with elbow strikes, punches, 
stabs with his blade, and an occasional kick.  Like a ghost, Nabiki 
flowed around them all, dodging most, and parrying those she was unable 
to dodge.

"Looks like your friend is ready to play some more," noted Nabiki with 
another sardonic grin as she spotted Hayate trying to attack her on her 
blindside.  She ducked under the chain, parried another one of Kena's 
strikes, and then tossed him headlong into the other boy as hard as she 
could.  Nabiki heard a satisfying crunching sound as Kena's nose broke 
for the second time in as many days against Hayate's forehead.

"You're supposed to fall down at this point," said Nabiki calmly as she 
saw that Hayate still remained standing, leaving Kena to flop around on 
the ground and scream with pain as he clutched at his twice-broken nose.  
Nabiki coolly drove her foot across Kena face in an attempt to shut him 
up.  The abused blade fighter's eyes rolled back up into his skull as he 
went unconscious.

Hayate managed to loop his chain around Nabiki's neck in that brief 
moment of inattention on her part, and yanked on it, pulling her in, 
while he launched a savage kick into her gut.  Nabiki managed to leap 
over the kick, using her newfound momentum to continue up and forward, 
driving her knee up into Hayate's chin.  There was the sound of a bone-
crunching impact, and Hayate's head snapped back as a bright spray of 
crimson fluid, and a few small chunks of teeth, flew up out of his 
mouth, narrowly missing Nabiki's clothes.

As Hayate collapsed to the ground, mostly unconscious, Nabiki landed 
gently on one foot and immediately pivoted herself around in a tight 
spin that freed her neck from the chain.  The movement also slammed her 
raised foot against Kena's backside in a solid kick as the knife-wielder 
struggled to stand back up.  Nabiki coolly watched the boy's face impact 
against a brick wall, led by his forehead, and he slowly slid down it a 
moment later.

Soft groans emerged from the two barely conscious members of the Wolf 
Pack as Nabiki dropped back down into a ready stance.  She suddenly 
became aware of what she had just done, and a strange glint appeared in 
her eyes as she surveyed the results of her efforts.  A few light 
bruises were on her neck and arms from the chain's impacts, but she was 
otherwise mostly unharmed.  A heady feeling of excitement at her victory 
filled her as she gazed down at her two former attackers.

Now I guess I know what Akane always talked about, Nabiki mused with a 
wry smile.  There is something fun about fighting, at least when you 
know what you're doing.  Nabiki flexed her hand and made a few practice 
punches, and they felt pretty good to her, as if she had done them for 
years.  Nabiki chuckled softly.  Won't Ranma be surprised when he sees 
what I can do now, too.  Maybe I should do like Akane and challenge him 
to a fight.  She smiled at that thought, picturing the look on Ranma's 
face.  I wonder if I could beat him?

Setting that thought aside for the moment, Nabiki slowly straightened 
her uniform up and dusted herself off while gazing in a somewhat 
contemptuous manner at Kena, before she bent down and grabbed Hayate by 
the front of his uniform.  She judged him to be the less damaged of the 
pair, and a better recipient for the message that she was about to give 
him.  Hayate's eyes focused on her face too slowly for her tastes, and 
she smacked him about his cheeks until he did.  Blood dribbled in a 
thick stream from his mouth as he gazed at her with fear written in his 
eyes.

"Listen up, you little wretch!" Nabiki snarled into his face.  "I want 
you to pass on a message for me.  You tell your punk-ass boss that I'm 
getting tired of these attacks on me and my people.  If he doesn't stop, 
then I'm going to come down on him like the wrath of God, no matter how 
well he tries to hide from me.  Don't you ever forget this, I run the 
Academy."  She pulled Hayate's face a little closer to her.  "You tell 
him to close up shop.  Our little competition is now over, and I've 
won."

Nabiki let the beaten Hayate fall back to the pavement without any 
further thought and went over to her bookbag.  She picked it up and 
dusted it off casually, before slinging it over her shoulder.  She 
glared at the two boys lying in the alleyway, filled with confidence at 
her newfound skills, and walked off into the gathering darkness.  She 
vanished from Hayate's sight a few moments later when she turned and 
went around the corner.

First Saotome kicks our asses, and now Nabiki Tendo does the same? 
thought Hayate with a groan of pain, suddenly spitting one of his teeth 
out whole.  Damn bitch!  I'm gonna get her for this!  Both her and 
Saotome die for this!  Hayate looked at his tooth, shining wetly with 
his blood as it sat on the ground near him.  He let his body slump down 
against the pavement, his vision blurring, since it hurt too much to try 
and stand.  One clear thought filled his mind shortly before he fell 
unconscious.  Damn, the Boss ain't gonna like this....

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

Dinnertime around the Kuno Family table was always a very quiet affair, 
and tonight was no exception.  Kodachi sipped delicately at her miso 
soup, appreciating the mild flavors, even as her eyes shifted from 
watching her father to her mother and back again.  Her parents were 
seated at the extreme ends of the long table, while she and Kuno sat 
across from each other in the middle.  No one spoke.  Her parents 
thought speech disturbed the dignity of a family meal.

Across from her, her brother ate his soup quietly, the bruises on his 
face much diminished from how they appeared at lunchtime.  His eyes met 
hers once, and a neutral expression was on his face, before he returned 
his attention to his meal.  The house would have to begin burning down 
around him before her brother would break the sacred quiet of the 
evening meal.

From her position, Kenseiko Kuno, the mother of the Kuno siblings, 
noticed that her only daughter appeared agitated over something.  She 
was a beautiful, regal sort of woman, much as Kodachi would probably 
look with another twenty years added to her age.  Kenseiko Kuno enjoyed 
her position as Lady of the Kuno household, and she loved both of her 
children dearly.  However, lately Kodachi was beginning to worry her so.

"Dachi-chan," said Kenseiko, breaking with tradition and causing her 
daughter to almost jump from her chair in surprise.  Down at the other 
end of the table, her husband raised his eyes to look with surprise at 
his wife but said nothing.

"Yes, Mother?" answered Kodachi.  Across from her, Kuno continued to eat 
his soup, mirroring his father doing the same at the end of the table.

"You appear restive, child," said Kenseiko gently.  "I fear that it is 
disturbing your meal.  Tell your mother what is wrong."  Her gentle 
tones had the ring of steel behind them.

"Well, I suppose that it might as well be said here," said Kodachi 
quietly.  The two Kuno men continued to ignore the conversation between 
the two women.  "I spoke with the Dean of the Imperial Academy today, 
and he is willing to accept me as a transfer student."

Both of the Kuno men stopped eating and stared at her.

"Oh my," said Kenseiko hesitantly.  "Why ever would you want to do that?  
I thought that you were happy at Blackhall.  Why would you want to leave 
your own kind to associate with such riffraff as populate that... 
place?"  She dabbed at her lips with a napkin, as the servants emerged 
to replace the soup bowls with the next course.

"She does it for the sake of a vile cad," growled Kuno in low tones.  "I 
told you to have nothing further to do with him, and you defied me!  
Your own brother!"

"Manners, my son," chided Kenseiko.  Tatewaki immediately bowed his head 
to his mother and refrained from speaking further for the moment.  His 
father said nothing, only began eating his rice and fish quietly, and he 
ignored his son when the boy looked to him for support.  "What is this 
about a young man, Dachi-chan?  Have you taken a lover?"

"Mother!" said Kodachi, her cheeks flaming with embarrassment.  "It is 
not like that at all!  I am simply not happy among my so-called peers.  
Plus, the Imperial Academy offers much more challenging coursework in 
the sciences."

"But what of this young man that your brother spoke so adamantly about?" 
asked her mother with a gentle smile.  "Does he have a name?"

Kodachi muttered something too soft to be heard, her cheeks still 
continuing to burn bright red.

"His name is Ranma Saotome, Mother," said Kuno with a grimace of 
distaste.  "He has apparently seduced my sister with words of cunning 
and deceit.  A base corrupter of an innocent virgin he is!"

"Brother dear!" shouted Kodachi, wishing that she was near enough to 
kick him in the shins for his words.  "Desist in this name-calling, I 
implore you!"

"Did he not bring you to tears by his mere presence only yesterday, my 
dear sister?"  Their mother turned her gaze to him and he quickly 
continued.  "I bore witness to her tears myself, Mother.  She waited 
outside the gates to that place, hiding herself behind a tree when the 
villain emerged.  She started to approach him, but broke and ran in 
tears at the last moment.  I have sworn myself to smite the vile wretch 
for his crime!"

"Good for you, my son," said his father unexpectedly from the other end 
of the table.  Kuno turned his head to stare at his father, and he would 
not have been more shocked if one of the statuary had chosen that moment 
to speak.  "I entrust you with the sacred task of proving the worth of 
this Saotome boy.  But if he can overcome you, then I shall consider 
allowing him to court your sister."

"WHAT?!" shouted Kuno, echoed by the two women a moment later.

"I am familiar with the Saotome name for reasons that do not concern 
you, my son," said the Kuno family patriarch with a grim look.  "If this 
boy can defeat you, then he is welcome to pay court to your sister.  I 
shall say no more on this matter."  With that, he went back to eating.

Kuno sat there with a stunned expression, mirrored by one on Kodachi's 
face.

"I will allow you to transfer, Dachi-chan," said Kenseiko with a 
thoughtful tone to her voice.  Kuno made strangling sounds from his 
position at the table, but Kodachi looked to her mother with a smile 
that lit up the room and then turned to look at her brother in triumph.

"Perhaps you should transfer as well, brother dear," said Kodachi in a 
saccharine-sweet tone of voice.  "It would allow you to be near your new 
love, Akane Tendo."

Their father raised his eyes again for a moment, but did not speak.  
Their mother, on the other hand, was a different story.

"My son, is this true?" she asked, a suspicious look upon her face.  "I 
had thought you interested in that Saginomiya girl, the one with the 
flower fetish.  She seemed eminently suitable for you, and her family is 
excellent.  What sort of background do the Tendo's hail from?"

"A noble background, I assure you," said Kuno, attempting to soothe his 
mother.  "After speaking with her elder sister and being informed that 
the Tendo's were of noble blood, I checked on that myself.  They are of 
landless samurai background and have served as Squires to several Lords 
over the centuries."

"Soun Tendo's daughter?" asked the elder Kuno, looking up once more from 
his meal.  When his son nodded, he appeared satisfied over something and 
returned to eating.  Kuno stared at his father for a moment before 
returning his attentions to his mother.

"I shall... tentatively allow you to pay court to this Akane girl, my 
son," said Kenseiko.  "However, if you choose to pursue it beyond making 
her your mistress, then I must require that you bring her before me that 
I may determine her suitability as a future Lady of the manor."

"Of course, Mother," said Kuno fervently.  "I would not even dream of 
doing otherwise."  He returned to his meal, visions of his new love 
filling his mind.

Across from him, Kodachi looked both pleased and concerned.  I hope that 
you do no harm to Ranma Saotome, brother dear, for your sake.  She went 
back to eating, and the table reverted to silence.

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

Nabiki collapsed into her bed after finishing dinner with her sister and 
doing her homework.  This has been such a strange day, she thought with 
a faint smile.  She lifted her hand above her face and studied at it for 
a long moment, her memories suddenly filled with thoughts of her mother, 
and the great warrior that she had been.  Ever since her mother's death, 
the diligent training routines that a younger Nabiki had once followed 
so religiously had faded off over the years.  Her physical training at 
the Academy had compensated for the years of slacking off to a large 
degree, but not nearly to the capabilities of her other life.

Nabiki now knew that she had been coasting for too long, only doing the 
minimum required of her to pass, and she decided that that was now going 
to change.  I've let myself sit in Akane's shadow when it came to the 
physical things for too long.  I see now that I'm more than capable of 
outdoing little sister when it comes to combat.  And thanks to Ranchan's 
little toy, I've gotten ten years of martial arts skill training.

The last thing that Nabiki realized before sleep claimed her was to 
question the change in how she referred to Ranma.  When did I start to 
call him Ranchan?


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Special thanks goes out to Jim Bader for his kind permission to borrow 
from Nabiki 1/2 (A Very Scary Thought) for Earth  +1.614,+1.496 (Ranma 
1/2 cluster).

My heartfelt thanks goes out to all of my usual pre-readers for all of 
their comments and suggestions.  A special thanks goes out to D.B. 
Sommer and Michael Allen for their very detailed help with grammar and 
plotting.