Tendo Nabiki Enterprises, Incorporated Presents:

A Ranma 1/2 Fanfic side-story

Careful Destiny

Part Seven
"One Wrong Step"


by:
Todd Hill


Inspired by the "Ranma 1/2" Manga and Anime by Rumiko Takahashi

*** Warning! This section of the story contains minor lime scenes scattered throughout. Caveat Lector ***

Late Friday Night: Kuno Mansion



Smoke wafted from a small cluster of incense sticks, its cloying odor capable of overpowering anyone that happened to be walking nearby. With his eyes closed and his hands in his lap, Tatewaki Kuno sat seiza amidst the dense smoke in front of a small shrine. He inhaled deeply of the scented air and attempted once again to clear his mind. His attempts at meditation over the past hour had thus far been thwarted by the galling fact that Ranma Saotome had managed to get nothing more than a slap on the wrist for his activities from the night before.

At first Kuno had attempted to exorcise the resulting anger and frustration by enduring a three-hour marathon workout that employed the use of his bokken in various higher-level kendo forms. His effort was rewarded with sore arms and legs, but no solace. Realizing that if he continued on he was only going to wind up exhausted and angry, he abandoned his regimen and sought answers through the more enlightened path of meditation. The Blue Thunder of Furinkan High reasoned that with a clear mind and earnest concentration he could pinpoint the source of his recent misfortunes.

It had all started on the prior week with his defeat at that mongrel's hands. In order to return balance to his life, Kuno had considered issuing a challenge to the whelp a few days later. That had been before things had gone awry at the Tendo home. The bewildering events surrounding the attack as well as the realization that the Tendo and Saotome families had an extensive history together had stayed his hand.

He was then inspired to ruin Saotome's character by planting unfounded rumors at school of the mongrel's subterfuge, including the use of underhanded tactics by his newfound nemesis. By indirectly accusing Saotome of cheating in the fight, the end result should have been the destruction of that bastard's hero status.

The resultant stain on the boy's character should have driven a wedge between Akane's family and that of her would-be suitor's. Furthermore, Kuno had expected that he would come out of it all as the honorable fighter that was victimized and unfairly humbled by an unscrupulous foe. Thus buoyed by the inevitable goodwill from the sympathetic masses, Kuno would've resumed his rightful place as the one true hero of the student populace.

Using an easily duped thug as his means of discrediting Ranma, Kuno began his campaign to reclaim his place at the top early on Monday. Things had indeed been going well all week long until that same foolish thug attempted to rape a female student last night. The ensuing onslaught turned Saotome's would-be accuser into a pariah and had given Ranma a chance to redeem his character.

Employing an unanticipated level of swiftness and savagery, that damnable Saotome had proven himself and wound up saving the day. In short order Kuno found himself scrambling to salvage what was left of his ruined plan. Wasting no time, this morning he had tapped someone else to plant new seeds of doubt around the school about Ranma. That plus a few well-chosen words in the ear of a certain Ms. Kumiko Yoshida before school should have all but assured Saotome's doom.

Then came the unsettling news at the end of the school day that his pig-tailed foe had been absolved of any wrongdoing in the entire affair! Kuno reasoned that such an appalling change of course in his life could only be explained by the intervention of supernatural forces. He growled in frustration at the absolute failure of his plans and wondered what gods he'd angered on his way to self-perfection that caused his current situation.

It hadn't helped matters any that his sister was unavailable during the week and hence unable to assist him with his plan to rewrite history and undermine Saotome. Her absence had, in effect, shown him how little he knew about advanced planning for underhanded dealings. That Kuno needed her help at all with something so personal was vexing. Family or not, he felt that he should be able to take care of his own matters without always having to rely on the cunning of a master ninja.

A light breeze caressed his right ear, snapping him out of his ill-fated meditative state. Opening his eyes, he refrained from turning his head and instead looked directly at the shrine. "Where have you been?" he demanded.

Kodachi discarded her black cloth facemask and sat seiza next to her brother. Ignoring his question, she bowed reverently before the shrine with her hands up before her. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply of the smoky air, an unreadable expression on her face.

"I said, *where* have you been?" Kuno hissed.

"Shh, I'm talking to Mother," Kodachi admonished lightly, never once opening her eyes or breaking from her position of prayer.

The elder Kuno shut his mouth and waited for his sister to finish paying her respects to their dearly departed mother. Once her hands were lowered he cleared his throat. "Now will you answer my question?" he asked curtly.

"I've been doing some rather involved research out of the country," she replied matter-of-factly. "The trip was quite arduous, brother dear. I did not expect things to take as long as they did."

Kuno's eyebrow swept up in surprise. "What was so difficult that it kept you out for four days?"

Kodachi favored her brother with a smile. "I'm afraid that I do not have all the details as of yet. Sufficed to say that there is more to the situation with Ranma Saotome than initially expected."

"Well, what *can* you say about what you have learned so far?"

"The girl that attacked the Tendo home was most certainly Chinese. Additionally she appears to be from a remote and backwoods area of that country. I am still working on finding out further particulars on her as well as what motivated her to attack the Tendo residence." Kodachi paused for a moment, knowing what she had to say next would definitely be surprising.

"More importantly, someone in Saotome's family seems to have financial resources that easily rival our own." She was pleased to note that her brother's eyes widened significantly at that. "I am not sure about the source of those funds yet," she continued. "The ready availability of money on their behalf has forced me to tread a bit more lightly to avoid detection. That is why I have been taking longer than usual."

"Exactly how much money do they have?" he asked urgently, feeling the supernatural weight on his shoulders starting to grow.

"I cannot say for sure because I have not had enough time to properly delve into the matter. Besides, following money trails is not my particular forte, brother dear. That is something you should ask of Miss Nabiki Tendo if you truly want every detail uncovered."

He shot her a withering look, displeased that four days' worth of effort on her part had only netted a handful of information. "Is that all you were able to learn?"

Kodachi caught the look and spared her brother a sympathetic glance. "That is all I can comment on with absolute certainty. Anything else at this point would be mere speculation and would likely lead us in false directions. Be patient, my dear sibling. I will uncover all the information that you will need in order to defeat this individual."

"Are you certain that in your efforts to research that dullard and his family you have not been discovered somehow?" Kuno challenged suddenly.

"Me discovered?" Kodachi gave a haughty laugh at the absurdity of the idea. "How charming of you, brother. I don't provide you with all the information you need so you insult my skills in order to -"

"THAT IS NOT WHY I ASKED!" Kuno shouted, his face suddenly purpling with rage. Kodachi frowned at the interruption but didn't flinch or otherwise move away from him. "I asked you a straightforward question," he continued. "I expect a straightforward answer."

"I have been doing this for many years," she replied, glaring at him coldly. "My craft is impeccable and so are my security measures. I was not followed and I did not compromise any part of this investigation."

"Oh really?" Kuno challenged with a raised eyebrow. "Then perhaps you can explain to me how Ranma Saotome knows that you still exist?" Kuno could tell that he had pierced her usually calm demeanor.

"Oh, come off of it, Tatewaki!" Kodachi shot back. "You know very well that such a thing isn't possible. Why are you lying to me like this? Fee or no, I do have better things to do than bother with you when you're in such a petty mood."

"Am I telling you lies? I think not, my sister," Kuno shot back as he produced a micro cassette recorder from his uwagi. "This is a recording of a phone conversation I had with a school counselor just after I got home today." He pressed the play button and maximized the volume.

"Mr. Kuno, there has been new evidence presented in the case of your alleged drugging by another student," a stern female voice said by way of introduction.

"Alleged? There is nothing even remotely in doubt where that is concerned," Kuno's voice replied sharply. "What is this new evidence that you *allegedly* possess?"

"Allow me to read from the transcript," the woman replied, unruffled. A shuffling of papers was heard in the background along with the juggling of the telephone's handset before she commenced her narrative. " 'You're just making that up,' I said. 'The hell I am! I know what I did and did not do, and I know for a *fact* that wimp Kuno was not drugged,' Mr. Saotome replied. 'Akane and I didn't even talk to each other until *after* the fight was over, so there was no way she could have 'conspired' with me to do anything. Also, I did not tell Akane that I was going to challenge Kuno to break his engagement to her. I never would have put her through that. And even if Kuno *was* drugged, what about that psycho sister of his? I heard she knows her way around a few chemicals and drugs' - "

Kodachi's eyes narrowed dangerously. "*Psycho* sister? Where does that uncouth child get off calling me that?"

Kuno stopped the tape, the clicking sound of the buttons from the tape player echoing loudly in the openness of the training room. "Furthermore, he made mention of you directly to me on the school grounds at lunch when I confronted him on Monday. Based on what he said to me, Saotome seemed to hold you in utter contempt. Also, he acted as if he had rather extensive knowledge of you. Do you have any comments, or better yet an explanation as to why he would know about you?"

Kodachi seethed, ignoring his question. "I can't believe he would attempt to soil my reputation by suggesting that I was unbalanced. He has no cause to judge me!"

"I'm amazed by the fact that he is calling you *anything* at all, much less a psycho. You aren't supposed to exist anymore to those outside of our immediate family."

"And a few people we have done business with," she amended, her anger making her dark eyes burn like hot coals.

Kuno nodded. "This is very true." He pondered the tape deck and the angry look on his sister's usually composed features. "His knowledge of your existence is troublesome on a multitude of levels, sister. Either you've slipped up and been spotted by him, or someone within our employ has made mention of you when they shouldn't have... Or..."

Kodachi had been nodding along with him, a pensive look replacing the irate one that had been there a moment ago. "Or what?" she prodded, urging him to continue his train of thought.

"Or maybe he has resources that we have yet to catalog. Your discovery of his family's financial benefice has introduced the possibility that, like us, he possesses the means to investigate his arch rivals." Kuno placed the recorder on the floor and rested his arms in his lap. "We need to be cautious from now on, Kotchi," he declared in a lower voice, employing his nickname for her to emphasize the seriousness of the situation. "Our foe may indeed be something more than we originally thought."

Kodachi snorted, a cold look returning to her face. "He was simply your foe before this." She picked up the player and held it tightly in her hand. "*Now* he is our foe. I will not have some sniveling wretch with a half-baked notion of martial arts mastery try to impugn my abilities or my rationale." With that she hurled the recorder against a nearby wall, shattering the device into pieces. "For the moment I want to know how he found out about me."

Kuno nodded his approval of her attitude and her course of action. "Commendable, my sister." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "I trust you to find out the source of the information. And if it does reside within our circle of confidence, I expect you will deal with it properly."

"Of that you should have no doubt," she replied, smiling wickedly. Kodachi stood up and smoothed out her ninja uniform, then looked down at him. "I think that I will start my investigation with some of our former informants and progress from there." At his nod, she continued. "And don't worry about this one, my brother. This mission will be handled free-of-charge."

Kuno stood up met his sister's intent gaze. "Keep me informed of what you find, Kotchi. It is now in both of our interests to remain fully up to date." She nodded obediently, knelt down to grab her facemask and then sprinted for the door at the far end of the room. Just as she was about to exit the room Kodachi halted and turned to face her brother.

"I almost forgot. There is a present for you in the guest room. I ran across it when I was out doing a reconnaissance." With that she waved at him and vanished from the doorway.

Kuno smirked, feeling somewhat less burdened by the week's events given that he and his sister had come up with a workable plan. 'I wonder what my little sister picked up for me while she was out and about,' he pondered as he left the training room. He stopped at an intercom long enough to signal a worker to remove the tape recorder debris from the floor of the training room, then headed down to the basement level that contained the 'guest room.'

Opening the door, Kuno stepped into the bare and starkly lit room and was taken aback by what he saw laying on the floor. "My my my," he said with a growing smirk. "Look at what the cat dragged in."



****



The next morning



Morning broke peacefully in the Saotome household. Sunlight streamed in from one of the large windows in the den, its warm rays bathing the Saotome siblings as they slept on one of the overstuffed couches. Ranma was lying on his side, sprawled awkwardly across his sister's legs while Ranko had fallen asleep in a semi-seated position. Sometime during the night she had shifted her position slightly causing her head to rest atop her brother's unclothed torso. Their arms encircled each other in a loose embrace that communicated both protectiveness and trust.

Ranma was the first to awaken. He yawned and stretched, then scratched himself lazily behind his right ear. Blearily his eyes took in their immediate surroundings. As the world came into focus, he recognized the upholstery of the couch, but didn't have any idea what he was doing downstairs in the den. Looking down afforded him a better view of his sister's extremely long raven hair cascading down her body all the way past her hips to her coltish legs.

He smiled as he watched her sleep with her head resting peacefully against his chest. 'What the heck are we doing on the couch together? I guess Ranko must've had a nightmare or something,' he said to himself as he absently ran his fingers through her long tresses. Ranma winced as sharp spikes of pain shot through his fingers, the hand injured by Yutaka taking a moment to remind him that it wasn't fully up to snuff.

Trying not to disturb his sister, Ranma sat up as slowly and gracefully as he could. Afforded a better view of his surroundings and himself, he looked down at his sister as she snoozed peacefully. 'Funny, I don't remember anything after the end of the second movie.' He looked down and verified that his sister was wearing his T-shirt. 'Yup, I remember giving her my shirt and then taking her to her bedroom.' His mind absently noted that the garment fit her petite frame like a tent. 'So when did we both wind up downstairs?' He scratched his head in puzzlement and looked down at his feet.

"YAAAAH!" he yelled as he finally caught a glimpse of his nudity.

"What? What? I'm awake! I'm awake!" Ranko said urgently, sitting upright on the couch. Her head whipped back and forth as her wide eyes instantly scanned the room for potential threats.

Meanwhile Ranma rolled off of her lap and onto the floor. Grabbing a medium-sized cushion along the way, he whipped it down between his legs in record time. "What the *hell* is going on here?" he asked in wide-eyed bewilderment.

"Hey, you're talking like a normal person again," Ranko observed, a relieved expression showing on her sleepy face. At the same time she was doing her best not to look too closely at the well-toned musculature of his exposed chest. "That's a lot better than what you were like last night. You weren't even making human noises then."

"HUH?! What do you mean?" he asked with growing paranoia. "What happened between us last night, Sis?"

Her eyes and her mouth showed the beginnings of a mirthful smile that she just barely managed to keep in check. "We didn't do anything like that, bro. I'm still dressed, see?" He nodded as he remembered that she did indeed have everything between the neck and the hips under wraps. Although he still didn't know what was going on, having that question answered allowed his heartbeat to slow a bit. Until she spoke again, that was.

"But you and Kinuko went at it hard enough last night to wake me up." Her bemused look vanished. "Why you decided to go back to that floozy all of a sudden is beyond me. Also, it's a horrible thing for you to do to Akane to go around her back like that and try to have sex with her worst enemy! Especially after all of the effort that you and I went through to prove that Kinuko wasn't pregnant *and* to show Akane that you were finished with that whore! You must've been really bad off last night to have wanted to sleep around with that bitch again."

"What are you talking about, Ranko?" Ranma asked in complete befuddlement. "I didn't have sex with anyone last night!" he insisted.

"Ranma, I didn't say that you actually had sex with Kinuko. Don't you remember what happened last night? I walked in on the two of you before either of you could get that far." Her voice dripped sarcasm. "I may still be a virgin, but I do know what it looks like when two people are having sex, big brother. What you two were doing looked like some kind of kinky play-acting that was leading up to having sex."

Ranma's eyes widened. "Ranko, I have no idea what you're talking about! I don't remember anything from last night after I put you to bed and I went to my bedroom. After that the only thing I remember is waking up with you on the couch just now. I swear!" He refrained from crossing his heart or raising his right hand in a solemn oath in order to keep from embarrassing both of them. "I have *no* idea why I was naked on the couch with you." Both of them blushed severely as soon as the words left his mouth. "What's all this talk about Kinuko for, anyway?" he asked a moment later. "Is she here?!"

Ranko shook her head then took a moment to stare at her brother's face critically, examining every detail in search of a hint of insincerity. "You're either one of the most accomplished liars I have ever known in my life or you're on the level about not remembering what went on late last night."

"I'm not lyin' to you, sis!" he protested indignantly.

Blowing her breath out in an exasperated sigh, she crossed her arms and regarded him with a wry grin. "Okay, I believe you. I guess you *were* a bit out of it to be rational," she mused. At seeing his paranoia mount, she quickly continued. "Okay, okay! Here is what happened last night, at least as I remember seeing it." Very quickly and with little embellishment, Ranko told her brother about the events that had transpired late the night before. The genuine look of disbelief on his face once she had finished her story brought forth another amused smirk that she couldn't quite conceal.

The sheer asinine nature of the events elicited a hysterical guffaw from him. "I guess I'm still vulnerable to cats," he finally commented after he'd given himself a few moments to digest what he'd been told. He buried his face in his hands and groaned loudly. "I can't believe that something like this would have happened to me here! Of all the things... Someone has to have it out for me. . ." He loosed a long sigh and met his sister's gaze warily. "Is that *everything* that happened last night?" Ranma asked, anticipating worse things to come.

She nodded slowly. "Yeah, after you chased Kinuko out of the house you seemed to calm down. A few minutes later you were curled up in my lap, fast asleep." She giggled as the memory of the extremely cute meow her brother had given her the night before. "Well, that was after you tackled me and started licking my face."

Ranma blushed deeply. "I'm really sorry I did that to you, Sis. I wasn't myself, believe me."

"Oh, I believe you. Come to think of it, the meowing was too real. Also when you were chasing Kinuko out of the house, I never saw hair stand up on a person's head the way yours did last night."

Ranma winced, yet held his tongue.

Ranko regarded him oddly as she mulled over something he'd just said. "Oh, and one other thing. What exactly did you mean just then when you said that you were still vulnerable to cats?"



****



With a gasp Kinuko sat up in her bed. "Where am I?" she croaked to herself, her bleary eyes protesting as she opened them. Sunlight from nearby windows illuminated a large and unfamiliar bedroom and she found herself holding up an arm to block the glare. As her eyes gained their focus and adjusted to the light she took in her surroundings with a mixture of shock and awe. 'Where am I?' she wondered again, although the question went unspoken this time. She yawned deeply and detected a gentle scent in the air. 'Lilacs?' she thought as she stretched her arms and tried to wake herself up.

Kinuko looked down at her chest and found that she wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing. She also noted that her body looked completely void of the paint that she and Ami had spent hours applying to her skin. She didn't remember cleaning herself off before she fell asleep, but it had obviously been done at some point. 'Eww, I can still feel some of the sugar from that paint sticking to me,' she realized as she ran her fingers across her chest. 'This stuff must be harder to wash off than I thought... that is if I was the one that washed it off.'

Her heart jumped for a moment as she realized that Ranma must've washed her while she slept. The thought warmed her and brought a smile to her face just before she remembered that she wasn't at his place. As she wondered where she was for the third time, the events of the previous night flooded back into her low-capacity mind. Joyous thoughts and smiles vanished to be replaced by the beginnings of tears. 'I thought for sure he was going to take me back. Things had started *so* well, after all...' she lamented. 'Why did he do that to me? I've never been so... humiliated in all my life.'

The unsolved mystery of her current location kept her from succumbing totally to depression, and for a moment she felt grateful for that. Kinuko slipped out of the bed and noticed for the first time that the pristine white sheets were of a very sheer satin fabric that flowed across her skin like a gentle caress. She stood up and headed to a nearby dresser and examined herself in the mirror. 'The paint seems like it's completely gone,' she noted as she looked over every inch of her body. 'Every part of me got wiped down. Since it wasn't Ranchan, I wonder who...'

Kinuko squealed and dove for the bed before she could complete the thought as the door to the bedroom opened. A middle-aged man in an expensive butler's uniform stepped in just as she got her legs under the covers. Not having time to pull the covers up to her shoulders, she quickly whipped her hands up to cover her exposed breasts. "Who... Who are you? What do you w-want?" she stammered indignantly.

"Good morning, madam. My name is Kei and I am here to see if you needed anything."

"M- me need anything?" she asked, completely puzzled. "How about telling me where I am and how to get out of here. How did I get here last night?"

He offered her a polite yet apologetic smile. "My employer has asked me not to furnish you with that information as of yet. He has, however, asked me to convey his regrets in regards to your current accommodations. If he had been allowed time to prepare properly for your visit then he would have given you a room more fitting to your needs." He approached the bed and placed a terrycloth robe across her sheets-covered legs. "This is for you to wear until I can find you suitable clothing."

"But I-" she began, then broke off as he regarded her with another apologetic smile.

"I am sorry, madam. I cannot answer your questions at the moment. However you will have the answers you require shortly. Do not worry yourself, madam. You are quite safe here," he assured her. "Furthermore, my employer also wishes to convey his invitation to have you join him for a late breakfast."

Flustered by the sudden turn of events, Kinuko could only nod and stammer. "I- That is, we- Umm, yes. Yes, I guess I will have to join him."

"Very good, madam," Kei replied, finishing off with a polite bow. "I will convey your acceptance to him at this moment." He indicated a second door to her left. "There is a full sized bath and toilet through that door should you need to refresh yourself."

"Thank you," Kinuko replied, still too dazed to say much.

"Madam, about your clothing. What size do you wear?" Kei inquired in a businesslike manner.

"Oh! I'm an 83-57-86," Kinuko replied automatically, rattling off her measurements by rote.

Kei laughed politely. "Of course, madam. I will have a selection of clothing waiting for you in here by the time you complete your bath." With that he turned and left the room.

'Oh, stupid!' Kinuko scolded herself, smacking her head in frustration the moment the door had closed. 'Why did I just give some stranger my measurements? This old guy could be some pervert that likes to take advantage of little girls!' She dismissed her concerns since once realized that the man had probably seen her nudity before she had a chance to cover up completely. 'He could've taken advantage of me right then if that was what he wanted to do.'

She took the terrycloth robe in her hands and ran her fingers across the soft fabric. 'Oh, now that feels very good,' she thought as she stood up and slipped the robe on. Kinuko smiled despite her situation, luxuriating in the wonderful sensation of the plush cloth as it brushed back and forth against her bare skin. She walked to the door indicated by Kei and opened it. She gasped as she stepped in and gazed upon her surroundings.

The floor was tiled in a polished pink granite stone that could only be authentic, and though she thought her feet would be freezing as she stood in the room, the smooth granite tiles felt warm to the touch. Everything hinted at splendid excess; even simple things like the towel racks, door fixtures and sink faucets were all gilded in a highly polished gold.

The glistening objects stood out nicely against the backdrop of authentic gray granite tiling that ran floor to ceiling along the walls as well as the pure white of the porcelain pedestal sink and bathtub. Strategically placed wall sconces of ornately detailed frosted crystal outlined in solid gold bathed the room with a soft bluish-white light. Each sconce bore a different image based on the symbols and ideals of both a warrior's strength and the beauty of nature that were so treasured during the era of the shogunate reign.

Mirrors mounted at the sink and along one wall of the bath were also frosted along the edges with an ornate Chinese-inspired border. On the inside corners of the border stood depictions of a beautiful snow crane in flight, all done in exquisite detail. Traditional Japanese music played softly in the background from speakers embedded in the walls and ceiling. Along with that came the muted sounds of a babbling brook and the gentle chirping of crickets. "Oh, now THIS is something I could get used to," Kinuko purred as she closed the door.

Her predicament temporarily forgotten, she gleefully took off the robe and hung it on a solid gold hook fastened to a wall immediately adjacent to the door. She walked over to the bathing area and sat down on its raised edge to afford her a better look at what splendor awaited her there. Adjacent to the tub was a basket overflowing with a wide variety of highly expensive French scented oils, shampoos and herbal soaps. Further investigation of the tub revealed that it was a Jacuzzi-styled affair with a multitude of jets and a massaging headrest. Kinuko giggled as she began running the water for her bath, knowing that she was going to enjoy availing herself of everything that this place had to offer. 'Whoever my host is, he sure knows how to treat a lady,' she thought with a satisfied smile.



****



Dressed in shorts and a clean T-shirt, Ranma entered the kitchen and loosed an exasperated sigh while he surveyed his options. Pans soon rattled as he decided to make some breakfast. 'Geez, I thought she'd never get out of the den!' he growled mentally, glaring at the staircase his sister had ascended about ten minutes earlier. 'I was getting tired of dodging her questions about the cat-fu shit I went through years ago.' He blushed as a wave of embarrassment hit him.

'Man, I swear she can be really pushy sometimes,' he declared as he pushed the "cook" button on the rice cooker. He then retrieved some miso paste from the fridge and a small canister of dashi from a nearby cupboard. Slapping together a quick and dirty miso soup, he set the pot to simmer and then sat down on a nearby chair.

He turned and looked over his shoulder at the couch in the den that had featured so prominently in the rude awakening he experienced earlier. For one brief moment he felt an unexpected jolt of despair. The feeling was so alien that it caught him off-guard and forced a desperate groan from him. 'Will this crap ever end, or is this kind of stuff going to keep happening to me from now on?' he wondered.

"Argh!" he fairly shouted, slapping his face to try and shake off his gloomy mood. "Damned bitch should have just stayed at home and just played with her paintbrushes."

"You're right about that," Ranko agreed.

"Yikes!" Ranma shouted as he jumped from his chair and whirled around to face her. "When did you get out of the bath?"

Ranko whipped her long, wet hair around, spraying the breakfast room and her brother with small droplets of water. "Just now," she replied with a playful smirk.

Ranma blew his sister a generous raspberry, then stood up and took hold of the tail of her shirt. "I could tell," he quipped before using her shirttail to wipe off his face. He winked at her and then walked to the stove. Ranma checked on the miso soup and nodded in satisfaction as he popped some sanma in the oven directly under the broiler.

"Hey, bro. You didn't have to go to all the trouble. We could've gone out to get some breakfast."

"I know that, sis. I just wanted to cook something for us, is all. Besides, after what happened last night I didn't really feel like going out right away. You know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

The scent and sizzle of fish cooking under a broiler caught their attention and set both of their stomachs growling. Ranko patted her stomach and growled. "Damn! To tell you the truth I didn't think that I could be hungry after everything that we ate last night."

"Everything that YOU ate last night, you mean," Ranma quipped, winking playfully at her. "I'm surprised that you didn't lick the dishes clean, Sis."

"Hey!" Ranko shouted in mock indignation. "Cut the crap and dish out the grub!" She sat at the table and eyed him irritably. "I'm skinny and you damn well know it."

"Oh I know," Ranma replied with a smile. "Mean and skinny. Makes you really dangerous when you're also hungry." A click from the rice cooker got his attention.

Ranko blew a raspberry at him while the color rose in her cheeks. "Yeah, whatever," she mumbled as soup, fish and rice were dished out before her.

"Eat up while it's hot," her brother recommended. Ranma took a seat on the opposite side of the table from her and began dishing out some food for himself.

"Wow!" Ranko exclaimed after swallowing a mouthful of soup. "You really do know how to cook!" The look on her face was a study in shock over his culinary ability.

"Yeah well," Ranma replied with a touch of self-consciousness. He held up his chopsticks and eyed the broiled sanma hungrily. Just as he was about to make contact with the fish a knock at the front door stopped him cold.

"Oh shit," Ranko said as she likewise stopped eating and put her soup bowl down. "You expecting any visitors this morning?"

Ranma shook his head. "Sato's supposed to be coming over some time around lunch, but that's the only thing I know of for today." He paused for a second before a frightening thought came to him. "You don't think it's *her*, do you?" he hissed.

"I don't think that she would knock on our door after what you did to her late last night, Ranma," she replied. A second knock caused Ranko to push out of her chair and walk towards the front door. Ranma stood up from the table and walked closer to his sister to watch her back. Ranko looked through the peephole and then smiled. Unlocking and opening the door quickly, she ushered in their guest.

"Hey, Akane! This is a surprise!" Ranko said with a welcoming smile. "Come on in!"

"Hey Ranko, I hope you don't mind a visitor this early," Akane said brightly as she stepped in and closed the front door behind her. Ranma saw her before she noticed him, but before he could step out of the dining area and dash for the stairs, his mind ground to a halt.

Akane was wearing those tight denim jeans again, just like she had the last weekend. The cut of the pants did wonders for her figure, which was what had Ranma's mind bordering on overload. Once again he was struck by the undeniable *femininity* that she possessed. Nothing about her even hinted at defensiveness or extreme bouts of anger that he was used to with her. All he could see was a pretty girl with long hair and a winsome smile.

"Naah, not a problem."

Akane turned to look at Ranma and blushed an instant later. "Umm... Good morning, Ranma," she said as she shifted her gaze to the floor. Ranma looked down at himself and realized how underdressed he was. He choked back a wave of panic as he felt a sudden urge to update his wardrobe.

"Umm, excuse me," Ranma said as he headed out of the kitchen and up to his room.

"He'll be back down in a minute," Ranko explained, giggling. "You hungry? We were just about to eat some breakfast."

Akane looked mortified. "Oh, I'm sorry, Ranko! I didn't mean to come over while you two were eating!"

Ranko waved off the apology with her hand. "Like I said before, Akane. It's not a problem. Here, have some soup before it gets cold." She offered Ranma's seat to Akane while she resumed her own.

Akane took the bowl in her hand and sipped. "Yum! I like it! Especially since it's got all the green onions in it. Very tasty soup, Ranko." She nodded to her friend. "You did a good job on it."

Ranko laughed. "I'd normally thank you, Akane but I didn't cook any of this."

Akane's eyes widened slightly. "You mean that Ranma cooked all of this?"

"Bingo!" Ranko wolfed down a large chopstickful of rice before continuing. "I tellya, my brother can find a way to amaze even me sometimes." She slurped some soup while eyeing her sanma hungrily. "Yummy!" she proclaimed after she put her soup bowl down.

Akane took another longer, slower taste of the soup and let its savory taste linger for a bit before swallowing. 'I have to admit, it does have the right balance of flavors to it. Not too much broth and not too much miso paste either,' she thought as her chef's training kicked into gear. Using her chopsticks, Akane took a piece of sanma and held it up to her lips. 'The fish looks fantastic and smells that way, too.' "Wow!" she opined as she nibbled on the broiled seafood. "That *is* good."

"I toldja," Ranko replied with a smirk.

"Did your mom teach him to cook like this?"

"No. I taught myself," Ranma answered as he returned from his room with a pair of baggy workout pants replacing the too-short shorts he had been wearing moments earlier. "I felt that it would be somethin' I'd have to learn if I was ever alone somewhere." Having taken note of where Akane was sitting, he stepped up to the stove and dished out some food for himself in new bowls.

Akane nodded at his explanation and regarded her meal. "Well, regardless of wherever you learned it, this all tastes really good."

"Yeah, it does, bro," Ranko chimed in as she polished off the last remnants of her breakfast.

Ranma smiled nervously. "Uhh, thanks, you two." He sat down next to his sister at the table and began eating his food.

Seeing that her brother wasn't going to ask the obvious question, Ranko piped up. "Well, what brings you here this early, Akane?"

Akane put her chopsticks down. "Well, after everything that happened this week with Yutaka... I just ... I needed to hear it all directly from you and Ranma. I mean, I know you two didn't cause any of this, but still. You two know more about this than anyone else at school. Anyone that I would trust, anyway."

Ranko smiled at that. "Well, I'm glad that you trust us, Akane. That's good to hear."

Ranma had watched the two as they talked but was too distracted to contribute to the conversation. 'God, I hope she doesn't ask anything about Kinuko. I'm not sure how she'd handle what Ranko told me. I'm not sure I could explain it.' He was mulling that very thing around in his head when he realized that his sister was speaking to him. "Uh, what?"

"I said, why don't we go upstairs to the attic where it's more comfortable?" Ranko repeated with a raised voice. "You awake in there, bro?" she asked playfully. Akane giggled at the two of them.

His face colored at that. "Yeah, that sounds like a plan to me, sis," he replied absently. Ranma polished off his breakfast in record time as the two girls stood from the table and gathered their dishes. Once the table was cleaned off and the dishes stowed, the three made their way up to the attic.

"I've never seen anyone lounge around in their attic before, Ranko," Akane commented as they rounded the stairs of the second floor and made for the attic door. "I remember you saying something about watching anime in your attic, but I guess it didn't register at the time."

"Well, prepare to be wowed," Ranko proclaimed as the three made their way up the stairs.



****



Tatewaki Kuno greeted the morning in far better spirits than he expected given the events from yesterday. Kodachi noted her brother's good humor as he walked towards her. "I see that my gift was much appreciated, brother dear." she commented dryly from her seat at the breakfast table.

"Most certainly," Kuno replied with a naughty smirk. "Surely you knew that such a precious little item would brighten my spirits." He bent down and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Your consideration for my happiness is most appreciated, my sister."

"However?"

Kuno laughed through his nose. "However, I do wonder how you were able to *legally* procure someone as fetching as Miss Amagi for my personal entertainment. Not only that, but how did you manage to get her so realistically painted as a tigress? You didn't need to go through all of that trouble merely to apologize for the troubles you've had with Saotome-"

"Enough of that, brother," Kodachi replied crisply, interrupting him before he ruined the moment. "It was nothing of an apology. I literally ran into her last night and she was just as you saw her. I did nothing but bring her to our home."

His eyes widened. "Really? Assuming that this actually happened, what would've possessed her to do such a daring thing, sister? It's hard to believe that this young girl was simply jogging around the town with her naked body on display for all to see."

"Quite so. It happened last night while I was surveilling the Saotome residence in an attempt to uncover more information about him and his family."

Kuno's surprise was genuine. "Saotome's house? That boy seems to have a really firm grasp on that girl's heart if she was there despite his recent acquisition of Akane Tendo's attentions."

"So it would seem," she concurred. "Based on a lead I had obtained earlier that day, I had decided to stake out Saotome's residence. I arrived late in the evening and had been watching the house for an hour. Oddly, I had seen no lights on anywhere in the residence except for the attic window. Then about five minutes after I arrived I saw Miss Amagi approach the home wearing a long black coat. The surprising part was that the front door had been locked yet she had no difficulty in entering his residence. And before you ask; she was not let in by anyone."

"She had a key to the house!" Kuno concluded, snapping his fingers. He smiled triumphantly as he realized the implications of this revelation were far-reaching and could be quite damaging to his foe's reputation.

"Indeed. After her effortless entry, I saw no further activity until the lights went out in the attic. Their house is unusually quiet, by the way," Kodachi commented with a flicker of irritation gracing her features. "It seems to have been rather extensively soundproofed during its construction since it repelled all methods of eavesdropping that I tried. Granted such methods are rudimentary at best since I didn't bring any serious equipment with me, but they usually work on any average neighborhood home. My patience wore thin after about forty minutes of waiting and, lacking the necessary devices at the time, I decided to walk up to the residence and look into some of the windows."

"I drew closer to the house and was just inside the property line when I heard the front door to his residence open. Thinking that I had been spotted somehow, I crouched down at a stone fence along the bounds of the lot and did just catch a glimpse of Miss Amagi as she ran out of the house. She was waving her arms and screaming like a madwoman about being attacked by some kind of rabid cat."

Kodachi paused, blushing slightly. Kuno smirked as the color rose in her cheeks and guessed that something had gone wrong at that point. "So how did you manage to enter Miss Amagi's life?"

Kodachi's cheeks grew redder. "Well, I could tell that she was running straight at me but that she couldn't see me, so I moved to avoid being detected."

"And?"

"And... " She cleared her throat. "Apparently she runs faster than I thought because as I was turning around she..."

"Yes? She..." Kuno prompted, his smirk growing larger.

"She ran into me as I was turning to move," the master ninja of the Kuno clan ground out.

"You were rear-ended by a naked girl while you were on a surveillance job?" Kuno asked in disbelief.

"Yes," Kodachi growled.

Kuno sank down in a chair next to his sister and howled with laughter. "Oh, that is definitely a treat for the eyes!"

"Rule number one, brother dear. Don't visualize," Kodachi warned darkly. Her words only served to fuel his laughter however. Bent over and red-faced, her brother laughed with abandon at the images conjured in his mind.

"Oh, get me out of your sick little fantasies!" she insisted, her face wearing a look that personified disgust. Seeing that he wasn't going to let up, the raven-haired ninja continued her tale. "ANYWAY, Miss Amagi bumped into me and then fell backwards. Her head hit the pavement, the impact of which knocked her out cod. After that I turned around again to see Ranko Saotome look outside and then close the door."

Kuno's laughter subsided at the mention of Ranko's name. He nodded as he wiped tears of laughter from his cheeks and composed himself. "I am assuming that she did not see you outside." Kodachi nodded firmly. "And after that happened that you brought that wayward kitten to our abode?"

"Yes. I figured that we had a lot to learn from her."

"You are quite correct, my dear sister. That is quite a bit of information that you uncovered. In fact, you seem to have learned a lot more than you alluded to in our conversation from last night."

"Not quite, Tatewaki. Last night I had told you all of the things that I felt I was certain about. Others I had refrained from commenting on because of the lack of confirmation. You know I don't like to report on things that are substantiated by only one witness whose veracity I cannot prove."

Kuno nodded sagely. "Point taken, sister. It seems to me that Miss Amagi is indeed an untapped resource."

"Exploit her well, brother dear," Kodachi said with a knowing smirk. She looked down the hall and saw their head butler walking towards them. She stood from her chair. "And it is time for me to play my part."

Kuno watched as his sister stood and smoothed her outfit. "A maid?!" he asked in a hushed voice, taken aback by the appearance of her dressed in a traditional maid's uniform.

"Yes. She did not see me last night and it would not serve for her to know my relation to you. If I am to learn more from her, it will have to be by hiding in plain sight," she said in a whisper while she adjusted the black short-skirted affair she was wearing. She composed her features, trying to look as demure as possible. "Your breakfast will be ready momentarily, sir. Will that be all?" she asked in a louder voice, standing a respectful distance from him.

Momentarily shaken by the change in her demeanor, it took Kuno a half-second to catch up to what she was doing. "Err, yes. Yes, that will be all for now. Please bring our meals once my guest is ready for breakfasting."

"Very good, Mr. Kuno." Kodachi bowed slightly to him, now fully in the role of a maid. She cleaned the table of the dishes from her own breakfast and walked towards the servants' entrance for the kitchen.

"M'lord," Kei said with a bow. "Might I present Miss Kinuko Amagi?" The head butler made a flourish of pulling a chair back for her.

"Ohmigod! You?!" Kinuko said, startled as she looked up and caught her first glimpse of her host. She self-consciously reached up and touched her short yet smartly coiffed hair with her fingers, aware that she was without her wig in front of one of the most popular guys in the whole school. Despair warred with awe as she composed herself and bowed formally. "I am honored, Upperclassman Kuno."

Kuno stood and smiled warmly to her, then dismissed Kei. "Such honorifics are unnecessary here, Kinuko. We are not at school."

'Oops, Dummy!' Kinuko thought in a panic as she bent her head down. "I- I'm sorry, -" she caught herself before she again proffered the honorific to him.

"You can call me Tatewaki if you wish. I am no more than a humble man," he said with an almost innocent charm as he pulled out a chair for her. "Please have a seat. Surely you would like something to eat?" As she sat down and he pushed her chair in with a flourish Kodachi returned to the table to wait on Kinuko.

"Yes, please. Whatever you have would be nice, thank you," Kinuko replied tentatively. "Oh, and may I have some coffee also?"

Kodachi smiled at the girl. "Of course, madam."

Kuno sat down and ordered a continental breakfast for both of them and then dismissed Kei and Kodachi. He reclined slightly in his chair and squared away his shoulders, wanting to project an air of confidence as he studied his guest. His posture attempted to reflect the very definition of strength tempered by the wisdom of a practiced martial artisan. "I want you to know that you are welcome here as my guest for as long as you like, Kinuko," he said a moment later, breaking the awkward silence that had gathered around the table once the help had departed for the kitchen.

"I- I don't know what to say," Kinuko said with a blank look on her face. "I apologize if I seem ungrateful or rude. It is just that I am a bit overwhelmed at the moment." Feeling as if she were about to swoon, Kinuko placed her hands on the table to steady herself

Kuno showed her a knowing and patient smile. "I understand your predicament, milady." He leaned forward and looked directly at her. "Please understand that I am not insulted or upset by you in any way. Your beauteous presence here, regardless of whatever circumstance it was that brought you to my door, is a very welcome change in this stuffy old household of mine. I appreciate the opportunity that has been afforded me this day as it will allow me to get to know you better."

Kinuko's eyes were the size of saucers and she was quite sure that she'd gasped rather sharply. "What?! You - You want to get to know *me* better?" Her mind was a runaway train of jumbled thoughts. 'But I'm not even wearing any real makeup or anything. And GOD, my hair must look like mangled steel wool! And I don't have one of my push-ups on, either. How could be possibly think I look beautiful when I'm in such bad shape?' Her heart threatened to pound its way out of her chest as her nervousness grew.

"Indeed, milady. I would find it to be a very rewarding experience for myself, as I hope it would be for you as well."

Before she could even begin to stammer a response, the wait staff returned with trays of food, freshly cut fruits and two urns of coffee, all on highly polished sterling silver service. 'I can't believe this! Upperclassman Kuno has been curious about me? This just can't be real. No Way! NO WAY! No girl on the whole PLANET could ever be this lucky!' She studied Kuno carefully, looking for any hint of insincerity or that he knew about EVERYTHING that had happened to her the night before.

However, try as she might, all she could see was the air of confidence and unflappable calm that he always seemed to exude. 'Ohmigod! Could he truly be serious about all of this?' There wasn't even a momentary acknowledgement of any of her faults, flaws or scandals in his features. Despite the craziness of the situation, Kinuko could feel her hopes actually starting to grow. 'But WHY is he doing this for me? He has never even spoken to me before today, no matter how hard I tried!' She was distracted from her thoughts as the maid placed a china teacup before her and poured in some of the best smelling coffee that she had ever experienced.

"Cream and sugar?" Kodachi asked.

"Yes please," Kinuko said with a nod as she turned her attention to what the help was doing. Kodachi placed a cream decanter and a small urn of sugar next to Kinuko's coffee and then served the rest of the food in silence.

Once Kei and Kodachi had returned to the kitchen, Kuno regarded his guest. "So, what would you like to do today, milady?"

"Do? I- I'm not sure." Kinuko felt the color rise in her cheeks again. "What do you usually do on the weekends?"

Kuno laughed politely. "Well, even though it is bad form to speak ill of the absent, I must admit that this is the first time in many a week where I have a chance to enjoy being with someone without having to worry about trying to please an impatient and thankless fiancée in the process." He took a sip of his coffee and regarded her seriously. "We can do whatever you like, for as long as you like. If you want to go out on the ocean, we can do that. The yacht's mooring is not a far drive from here. We could also tour the small sake facility that my family owns out in the country. It makes a very nice daiginjyo sake that we reserve for in-house use only."

Kinuko staggered mentally at the implication of sheer wealth that came from those two suggestions. 'They have a YACHT? They have a country farm where they make their own premium sake?' "They both sound very nice, Tatewaki."

"Splendid! We will do both!" he decided triumphantly. "As soon as we have breakfasted I will see to it that you have the proper attire for a trip to the sea. Today we will go out on the yacht for as long as the weather permits and then if you have not yet tired of my company we can go to the country tomorrow and spend the entire day up there."

Kinuko beamed. "That sounds truly wonderful, Tatewaki," she agreed, a giggle working its way out of her. 'This is going to be the best time EVER!' The prior evening's debacle all but forgotten, Kinuko embraced her current situation with both arms and prepared herself to do nothing less than totally enjoy her weekend.



****



"When I hear the word 'attic' I usually think of a stuffy little room with lots of dust, spiderwebs, and it's always unbearably hot."

"Spiders? Ugh. Now THAT'S a nice thought."

"I don't think I'd be up here if this place wasn't kept as clean and comfortable as Ranma likes to make it."

Ranma nodded his agreement with his sister's conclusion. All three of the teens headed for the beanbag pile and sat down on it facing the blank projection wall. Ranma had automatically sat down next to his sister, then turned to see Akane sit down on his other side. Both girls looked at him intently. In the ensuing silence Ranma felt himself start to sweat a bit as he favored both Akane and Ranko with a nervous grin.

"Well?" Akane said expectantly.

"Uh- Well what?" he replied anxiously, looking to his sister for help. Ranko merely shrugged at him, a playful smile of her own tugging at her lips.

"What did the school wind up doing to you yesterday?" Akane clarified. "I know most of what happened to Motoko, but I don't know what happened to you and Sato."

"Oh! That." Ranma said with visible relief. For the moment he pushed aside his worries of an inquisition about Kinuko and updated Akane on what Mrs. "Dragon Lady" Yoshida had decided.

"Wow. That's not nearly as bad as I expected it to be," Akane commented idly.

Ranma's eyes widened at the implication that he deserved a harsher punishment of some sort. But before he could open his mouth to respond, his sister beat him to the punch. "Bad?" Ranko spluttered indignantly. "As far as I'm concerned my brother didn't do anything wrong at all! I saw what that monster did to Motoko, and if anything, that bastard only got half of what he deserved! Ranma shouldn't be punished at all. *I* think he should be given a medal!"

Akane recoiled slightly at the vehemence of Ranko's response and fought her inclination to respond in kind. "I didn't mean that your brother *deserves* to get punished, Ranko. I'm just saying that based on how badly Yutaka was injured, I'm surprised that the school didn't react to that as well."

Ranma heard his sister gathering another lungful and momentarily held up a hand in front of Ranko's face to forestall her rant. "I think I understand what you're sayin', Akane. I did beat the crap out of that punk," he admitted rather coolly. "Have you seen Motoko since Thursday? Or any pictures of her since Friday morning?" Akane shook her head.

Ranko reached across her brother and grasped Akane's shoulder, favoring her with an intense gaze. "When we get to the hospital you'll understand why my brother had to do what he did, Akane. She could use some friends right now."

Akane's hand found its way atop Ranko's, but her eyes locked onto Ranma's as she spoke. "I didn't mean to make it sound like you were a bad person, Ranma. I know you're not. Honest!" She smiled at him, hoping to clear things up before she found herself ushered out the door.

Ranko relented a bit. "Well, okay. Besides, when Sato gets here I'm sure he'll be able to fill you in on things better than Ranma or I could. He was the first one at the scene that night."

Akane's face tightened at the mention of Sato's name. She sat up suddenly, jerking her hand away from Ranko's as she turned her gaze towards the floor. "Oh! I didn't even know that part. Sato..." Standing up, she turned to face both Ranma and Ranko directly, then sat seiza on the floor. "I- I don't know what I'm going to be able to say to him when he gets here." Akane directed a nervous glance at Ranma. "I swear that if I knew that Nabiki was going to do something like that to him I would have warned you about it, Ranma. You have to believe me!" The glimmerings of unshed tears showed around her eyes, taking both Saotomes aback.

Ranma concealed his sudden discomfort at Akane's angst by shifting his posture on his beanbag. "I know you wouldn't, Akane. I don't think you woulda let somethin' like that happen if you did know she'd act like that."

"Exactly!" Akane exclaimed. "I never, ever saw her behave that in public before!" She wiped her eyes with a hand and continued. "I hate to talk ill of my older sister, but in this case *someone* has find out why she did what she's done. It used to be that whenever Nabiki wanted to hurt someone, she always did it behind the scenes. She usually wound up making it be something very private, very painful and long lasting. Nabiki's not someone who would make such an embarrassing scene in public. Sis looked like she was completely out of control yesterday."

"You think the attack on your house by Sh- uhh... that girl with the purple hair really could'a messed with Nabiki that much?" Ranma mused

Akane nodded, albeit reluctantly. "Nabiki has had absolutely no real training in martial arts, and her mind just isn't that of a physical fighter. Daddy taught me martial arts starting from a very young age, so I used that to help me deal with the attack. Kasumi, meanwhile... She is more mature than either Nabiki, or me and is basically a source of strength for everyone in the family. So despite the fact that Kasumi hasn't fought or even sparred in over a decade, she has managed to hold together a lot better than Nabiki."

Ranma nodded. "From what Sato was tellin' me, him and Nabiki were both right there when Sh-e punched through the wall. If you never had any martial arts experience at all and suddenly a wall explodes in front of you-"

"That might make her a basket case, bro, but it doesn't excuse how she treated Sato," Ranko interjected. "She's branded him for life as *the* school loser just because he wanted to be nice to her. Same way that neither of you deserved punishment for what happened to Yutaka. Sato definitely didn't deserve the verbal beating that Nabiki gave him."

"I agree with you totally, Ranko," Akane said as she balled her hands into fists. "I don't want to have to, but since she's not here and Sato will be here soon, *I* will have to apologize for her."

Ranko gasped. "Akane, no! It's not your fault that she did what she did to Sato. You shouldn't be taking responsibility for her!"

"But I need to, Ranko. I was there when she blew up in front of him at school yesterday and I remember every single word she said to him. Nabiki shamed him for no good cause and in doing so she shamed my whole family." Akane gave them a wan smile. "I know it won't do much to heal his heart, but I have to at least set things right between him and my family."

The sound of a ringing doorbell caught everyone's attention. Ranko looked over at the clock on the nearby VCR and winced. "Well, you may get your chance to apologize to him right now, Akane."

"WHAT? You're kidding!" Akane shouted, her eyes wide. "Already? But I was thinking it wouldn't be so soon-"

"I'm sorry, Akane. I can tell him to come back later if you like," Ranma offered.

Akane firmed her resolve. "No, don't do that, Ranma! I'm ready to talk to him if he wants."

Ranma nodded in concert with his sister, both of them satisfied with Akane's response. "I'll go answer the door, so you two just stay up here until I get back, okay?" he asked as he stood up and headed down the attic stairs.

Akane watched with wide eyes as Ranma quickly descended the stairs. Before she could even formulate what she was going to say, Ranma returned with Sato in tow. "Hey man!" Ranko said with a smile to match her exuberant tone. She quickly bounded to her feet, only favoring her injured ankle slightly as she hurried over to him and enveloped him in a warm hug.

"Hi, Ranko," Sato said somewhat shyly as he accepted the hug from his best friend's sister. "Sorry I'm late, but..." His voice trailed off as he caught his first glimpse of Akane sitting on the beanbag pile. Sato went stiff in Ranko's arms as his voice failed him. He pulled out of her embrace and stood back at the edge of the stairs.

Sato quickly dropped his gaze to the floor and swallowed to find his voice. "Why didn't you tell me she was here, Ranma?"

"I didn't think it would be a problem, Sato," Ranma replied somewhat defensively.

"Well, I didn't mean to interrupt you three, so I'll just go and let you get back to what you were doing." Without waiting for a response, Sato mechanically headed down the stairs and closed the attic door behind him.

Ranko held her hand out in a halfhearted attempt to stop him. "Dammit," she growled angrily as soon as the door closed behind Sato. "I didn't think he'd react like that."

Akane, her mouth open in shock, watched wordlessly as Ranma quickly trotted down the attic stairs to catch up with Sato.



****



An incessant rapping at the door roused Nabiki from her slumber. "What'zit?" she slurred.

"Nabiki, are you alright?" Kasumi's voice called from the other end of the door.

Nabiki sat up and put a hand up to her head, trying to block the wave of nausea that hit her following her sudden movement. She carefully turned her head and glanced at her alarm clock, squinting. 'Shit! It's after noon!' she thought urgently as she pushed away her bedcovers and sat on the edge of her bed. "Yes, Kasumi. I'm okay," she shouted out. Nabiki winced as pain shot through her head. 'Not so loud next time,' she scolded herself.

"You really shouldn't be sleeping so late. It's not healthy," Kasumi nagged.

"Okay, sis," Nabiki said mechanically as she slowly stood up from her bedding and staggered towards the window. She flinched as soon as she pulled open the curtains, the glare of the morning sunlight too much for her. Muttering an oath, Nabiki quickly closed the curtains again and ran her fingers through the unruly mass of hair on her head as she tried in vain to will away the ache that persisted at the back of her skull.

Nabiki jumped as her bedroom door flew open. "I think I deserve more than just an 'okay, sis' from you after last night," Kasumi chided as she stepped inside and closed the door behind her.

The middle sister of the Tendo three blanched as her elder sister confronted her in a very non-Kasumi manner. "What are you talking about?" Nabiki tried to smile lightly, but it bent into a pained grimace despite her best efforts.

"I'm talking about you coming in at two in the morning without even saying a word to anyone of us. That and you never called to tell me that you were going to be late in the first place!" Hands on her hips and a concerned look on her face, Kasumi regarded her younger sister worriedly. "What's gotten into you, Nabiki?"

"Nothing's gotten into me, Kasumi," Nabiki said, waving her hand dismissively. "I just lost track of time last night, that's all. I was very involved in some research and all of a sudden it was early in the morning."

"Research?" Kasumi's eyebrows knit as she regarded her sister with suspicion. "What could possibly be so important to you that you have to devote yourself to it so heavily?" Kasumi reached her hand up and brushed a lock of wild hair away from Nabiki's forehead. "This obviously isn't doing you much good."

Nabiki adopted a chastened look and nodded her head. "I know it isn't, sis. Also, I apologize for not letting you know where I was last night. It's just that I've really had a lot on my mind lately."

Kasumi's frown deepened. "To be honest, you've been hard on yourself like this for the past couple of weeks and it has me very worried. Also, why is Akane so mad at you? She left the house early this morning saying that she was going to try to fix something that you broke after school yesterday. I haven't seen her that angry about anything in over a year. What could you have possibly done to-"

Nabiki felt her stomach tighten into knots as she realized where her older sister was headed with this conversation. "Can we not talk about this right now, Kasumi?" she asked abruptly, interrupting her sister before she could complete the question. "I need to take a bath and get something to eat before I head out today, so I'm kinda pressed for time."

Kasumi relented, albeit reluctantly and put her hands to her sides. "Okay, I guess." With a hurt look on her face, the elder Tendo sister opened the door and stepped into the hallway. "If you ever need to talk ... you know, about what happened with the attack last weekend, you let me know, okay?"

Nabiki flinched involuntarily at the mention of the attack on the family home. "Okay, okay. I will, I promise!" she said hurriedly as she stepped past Kasumi and ran down the stairs.

Kasumi watched her younger sister go, surprised with the speed at which she descended the stairs. "That girl needs help, badly," she said quietly to herself. Mulling the situation over as she closed Nabiki's bedroom door, Kasumi made her decision and hurried down the stairs, her hand reaching out for the phone.



****





Ranma caught up to Sato before his friend could open the front door. "Hey!" he called out urgently. "What's wrong with you, man? Why did you bug out on us like that?" He clamped a hand on Sato's shoulder to keep him from moving for the door again.

Sato shrugged off Ranma's hand. "I- I just don't want to be a bother. Also, I'm not sure I'm ready to deal with all that stuff right now. Not in front of her, anyway."

For several moments Ranma pondered what he could do to help out his best friend in this life. "Well... you wanna to go out to the training hall instead?" he finally offered.

"You'd rather hang out with me than be with your girlfriend?" Sato snorted at that, a bitter look clouding his expression.

Like countless times before, Ranma's breath caught in his throat at the mention of Akane being his girlfriend. "Hey! You leave that ... that girlfriend stuff alone! Right now I'm worried about you just walkin' out all angry and stuff. It's not healthy, man."

Sato sighed and wordlessly followed Ranma as he led him out to the training hall. They sparred in silence with Ranma spending the time watching his friend intently. It wasn't until Sato performed a flawless block against a low kick that his expression brightened. "Wow! I've never been able to do that before!" he exclaimed as he came to a halt.

Ranma smiled at his friend. "I know."

Sato shrugged, adopted a neutral stance on the floor and bowed to Ranma, then trotted over to the far end of the hall to get his towel. "Yeah, I guess it was a pretty good move, after all," Sato admitted as he returned with another towel in hand for his friend. "I only hope I can do it again," he added with a smirk.

"Oh, I think you'd be able to," Ranma affirmed confidently. "Once you get somethin' right, all ya have to do is keep doin' it that way and you'll have it nailed." His expression turned serious a moment. "So, you think you've worn yourself out enough to stop avoiding tellin' me why you walked out of the attic?"

Sato's face fell a bit, but he nodded. "Well, I was telling you the truth earlier about why I left. I saw Akane there and figured I had interrupted you."

"But that ain't all, is it?" Ranma challenged, not buying Sato's explanation at all.

"Well, I don't wanna have to talk to Akane about her sister. It's too soon for me to deal with what happened yesterday, okay?" Sato shot back irritably.

"You can't let that stuff get to you so bad," Ranma lectured. "Sure she was a bitch to you yesterday, but Akane ain't like Nabiki. I can promise you that right now. I swear that she won't treat you like that." He dropped his towel on the floor and ran his fingers through his hair. "Nabiki's not the only girl in the world, you know."

"Well, it's easy for you to say that since you've already been with someone like Kinuko." Sato snorted derisively. "Geez, now I'm invoking Kinuko's name like it's a good thing. You know, as desperate as it sounds, I would've loved to have spent just a week with that girl."

Ranma flinched internally at the mention of Kinuko and fought hard to forget everything that Ranko had told him about last night's activities. "Hey, I was lucky to get away from Kinuko, Sato. I don't think any sane guy would ever want to be with that dingbat, regardless of what she looks like."

"Why not?" Sato asked sullenly. "At least I'll have been with someone, then."

"What do you mean?" Ranma asked with mild confusion.

Sato's face flushed angrily, surprising the young martial artist. "Ranma, stop teasing me about that!" He clenched his hands into fists angrily. "You know damned good and well that I've never *really* been close to a girl before. Hell, I've never even had sex with a girl!"

Ranma refrained from shaking his head at Sato. While he had no way of knowing about Sato's past, that didn't necessarily mean that his "predecessor" had been equally unaware. Instead, he apologized. "Didn't mean it like that, man. Sorry."

"It's okay, Ranma. It's not like I'm allowed to be lucky with girls anyway," Sato commented glumly. "Nabiki kinda proved that."

"Well..." Ranma said with a wince.



****



"Mr. Murakami, you have a vis-" a secretary managed to get out before a steely-eyed woman pushed open the office door and stepped past the flustered office worker. She came to a stop at Murakami's desk and shot the secretary an irritated glare. Eyes widening slightly, the secretary bowed to Murakami and then closed and locked the door behind him.

Quickly pasting a smile on his face, the young bureaucrat from the Minister of Justice's office stood from his chair and drank in the view of the beautiful young woman that stood before him. Wearing a black jacket and short skirt, she possessed an air of absolute professionalism and power. But the harsh businesslike edge was tempered somewhat by the definite feminine charm that she exuded as well as by the long, slender legs that were on display from mid-thigh on down. "Good Afternoon, Kodachi-sama. What do I owe the honor of your visit on this Saturday?"

"I've been trying to reach you since yesterday, Haruki," Kodachi said directly. "I have a few questions that I need answered and *you* are the person who can answer them." She sat down in a chair on the opposite side of his desk, her eyes never leaving his. With a whisper of black nylon hosiery she crossed her shapely legs and awaited his response.

Haruki began to sweat under the intensity of her glare. "I apologize for not being available on the phone, my dear lady. I have been busy compiling memoranda for my boss to go through before he briefs the Minister. The cabinet's meeting with the PM on Monday and you know how important those meetings are."

"But I thought you liked me," Kodachi said with a touch of a pout to her lips. She ran her fingers through her long hair and sighed sadly. "I was almost afraid that you didn't want to talk to me anymore," she added.

Haruki's face looked ashen. "I never!" He stepped around the desk and knelt before her chair. "I could never feel that way about you, Kodachi-sama. You are the best thing that's ever happened to me!" he proclaimed earnestly.

Kodachi smiled and bent over to put her hand on his shoulder. "I'm *very* glad to hear that. I would hate to think that our relationship had soured." She favored him with a smoldering gaze that had him suddenly sweating for an entirely different reason. "So about those questions that I have for you."

"Yes, milady?" Haruki answered in a giddy voice.

"I need to know..." she began, then slid out of her seat to stand on her knees next to him, their faces scant inches apart as she resumed in a lower voice. "I need to know if you have been mentioning our little 'meetings' to anyone." She traced the outline of his jaw with her index finger.

Haruki's breathing grew shallower. "Of course not, Kodachi. I know better than to risk our relationship like that." He returned the gesture by tentatively caressing the silky-smooth skin of her cheek.

"Good," Kodachi purred, smiling in reaction to his touch. She put her hands on his shoulders and playfully pushed him down on his behind. She straddled his legs and sat atop him as he propped up on his elbows. "Very good. Now I need to know one more thing." She tugged at the top of her jacket, loosening it to expose things a bit.

"A- Anything you want," he stammered. Haruki's heart pounded loudly in his chest and his expression plainly showed how pleased he was at the sudden turn of events. His hands brushed against her rump, his fingers tracing the outline of her garter straps through the fabric of her skirt.

She bent down over him and put her lips to his right ear. Kodachi's warm breath teased at his neck, causing his own breathing to quicken. She smelled like fresh cut roses and the warmth of her face and neck felt like fire against his cheek. "I need to know if you have mentioned me personally to anyone. Either by description or by name."

"NO! No, I didn't- wouldn't do that," he blurted out. "I know you want your privacy, Kodachi. Even when I was tempted to tell my mom about you, I didn't."

Kodachi sat back up, her eyebrow arched inquisitively. "You would tell your mother about me?" she asked with genuine surprise.

Haruki nodded hesitantly. "Yeah. I wanted to tell her what a wonderful woman I'd met-"

Kodachi's expression and voice took on a hard edge. "And did you?"

"Of course not! I wouldn't-"

"You're damned right you wouldn't." Kodachi's playful demeanor vanished completely. Roughly she shoved his back to the carpeted floor and quickly placed her hands around his throat. "And if you did, you would quickly find yourself on the way to your eternal rest." She squeezed her hands to emphasize her point. "Do you understand me?"

His voice came out in a rasp. "Yes. Yes, I understand you!" Haruki's face began to redden as the pressure of her hands on his throat increased.

"Are you sure?" she demanded.

Haruki nodded frantically, his inability to breathe causing his vision to blur.

"I am relieved to hear that, Haruki. We have a perfectly good working relationship between the two of us," Kodachi said as she released her grip on him. "But do not for an instant assume that you are my only potential resource. Should you displease me, I can always go to someone else. You do *fully* understand the consequences of this, correct?" She glared at him, awaiting his response.

Haruki nodded wordlessly and watched as she stood up. He lay flat on his back and massaged his violated neck with his hands while she buttoned her business jacket closed. "I promise you, Kodachi!" he rasped as soon as he was able to speak. "Your relationship with me has never been compromised by myself or by any of my subordinates."

"None of your subordinates know my name, I trust."

"None," he affirmed nervously.

Satisfied that he had not exposed her to anyone, she smoothed out her suit and assumed a businesslike demeanor. "Good lad. I will be talking to you again soon, Haruki-kun," she told him with a wink. Kodachi slowly stepped over him and opened the office door.

Haruki propped up on his elbows again to watch her walk away, then lay back down to stare at the ceiling. "No panties," he said aloud in a semi-breathless voice. "She wasn't wearing any panties!" He calmed his breathing and sat up again, propping himself up on one of his chairs. "God, she's a hottie," he declared.

"Hot, yes. Dangerous, yes," came the affirmative from behind him. He turned to see his secretary regarding him archly from the doorway. "And apparently she was also in a hurry."

Haruki looked his secretary squarely in the eye as he stood up. "If you want to do yourself a favor, forget that you ever saw that one here."

"You don't need to tell me that!" the young man snorted as he turned and left the office.

"Me either," Haruki readily agreed.



****



"I guess my losing streak began when I was seven years old," Sato began. He crossed his arms over his chest and began pacing the length of the training hall. "Her name was Meiko."

Ranma sat back against one of the walls of the training hall and nodded along as Sato spun his tale. "Was she in the same class as you?"

"Yep. Sat in the next row. All I had to do was look to my left and see her sitting there and I was lost for an hour or so," Sato chuckled. "The things I remember most about her now were that she always wore her hair in a pony tail and she loved to play with the boys instead of other girls. She and I were great playmates until we were both eleven years old."

Ranma smiled at that, recalling when he and a kid named Ukyou played around in the rough and tumble way of childhood. He immediately felt a quick pang of loss at not having her around anymore, but pressed on with the conversation before he became maudlin. "What happened then, Sato?"

"Well, I started feeling more than just chummy whenever I was with her. We were always close but suddenly I noticed that she had something more than just a great leg for kickball."

"Eleven's a bit young to start gettin' the hots for someone, isn't it?" Ranma queried.

Sato shrugged. "It's probably different for everyone. I just noticed her being something besides my pal on the playground. That's when she and I stopped hanging around."

"I don't understand, Sato. Why'd you stop hanging around with her?"

"Oh, I didn't stop hanging around with her," Sato corrected. "She stopped hanging around with me."

"Okay, I guess I'm not gettin' something. Why?"

Sato blushed slightly. "Well, it's a bit embarrassing, Ranma. All I did was ask her if she wanted to be my girlfriend. She looked at me kind of funny and told me that I was already her friend. So I told her that I meant that I wanted to be her boyfriend, like we were in love and stuff." His blush deepened and he had to fight off the sudden urge to change the subject

"I'm guessin' that she didn't understand what you were saying, right?"

"Naah. She understood me completely. We were out on the grounds during recess when I'd asked her to be my girlfriend. I had been kind of quiet about it because I didn't want to draw a lot of attention. But when I asked her the second time, she stood up and-" He gritted his teeth and forced himself to continue. "She stood up and yelled at the top of her lungs 'Hey everybody! Sato wants me to be his girlfriend!' out to the whole school."

Ranma winced. "Ouch."

Sato released his clenched fists. "I was so shocked that I just stood there in front of her while everyone pointed and laughed at me. When Meiko joined in with them I started crying. Then they all started laughing louder, so I turned and ran into the school."

Ranma shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He couldn't deny that the girl had treated his friend badly on that day. 'But they were just kids then, right?' he asked himself.

Sato pressed on. "She stopped talking to me after that day. She never explained why, either." He started pacing back and forth again. "After that it became more difficult for me to ask girls out. In fact, I still have some trouble with it."

Ranma held his hand up. "But just because that kid gave you a hard time years ago doesn't mean that you gave up on girls completely, does it?"

Sato snorted. "This is true. I don't drool openly like Hikaru does, but I get just as excited about a sexy girl as he does."

Ranma snorted. "Well, there's somethin' at least."

Sato snorted as well. "In the eighth grade I tried again. I met a very special girl that was standing in line in front of me the day we were getting our pictures taken. I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing and walked right into her." Sato laughed at the memory. "I wound up hitting her hard enough to knock her book bag off of her shoulder and almost pushed her to the floor. I grabbed hold of her to keep her from falling. Then she turned around so fast that her ponytail hit me in the face. I remember trying to apologize to her while not sneezing. The smile she gave me afterwards absolutely blew me away. Braces and all."

Ranma laughed at that. "Hey, at least she didn't knock your head off or somethin' like that."

"Ain't that the truth?"

"What was her name, anyway?" Ranma queried.

Sato's face lost some of its good humor. "Oh, hadn't you guessed? That was when I first met Motoko."

Ranma's jaw hit the floor. "You and her? She was your- I mean, you two were-"

Sato nodded. "Yeah. We were an item for a while."

"What happened?" Ranma asked, now fully invested in Sato's tale.

Sato looked at his friend and then sat down on the floor, facing Ranma. "You know, it's amazing to me that I'm telling you this. No offense here, but six months ago I wouldn't have trusted you to hear any of this, despite the fact that you've been my best friend for the past three years. I keep this stuff to myself usually and don't like to share it with anyone. Secrets like these can lead to lots of humiliation. For her as well as me."

"I don't know what to say, man. You know that some things have changed with me since I told everybody that I was a martial artist. I'm glad you can trust me, though."

Sato nodded. "Hey, I'm not complaining or anything. I'm just saying that I think I can trust you now more than I ever could've before." He smiled at his friend to underscore his sincerity. "Anyway, to answer your question, Motoko and I had gone out to the movies and stuff and enjoyed being around each other for a few months. We even kissed a few times." Sato put his fingertips to his bruised and cut lips, remembering the angel-soft feeling of her lips against his. "I really enjoyed those times, too."

"But then a new guy from all the way out in Osaka showed up at our school a couple of months later. Maru and Motoko hit it off almost immediately and soon it was obvious that she was very much in love with the guy. It hurt me *a lot* to watch them walking around after school holding hands and embracing. It hurt even more whenever I would see them kissing." Sato sighed, his eyes starting to mist. "I couldn't be angry at the guy either. Maru turned out to be really cool and a good friend to me while we were attending the same school. He also treated Motoko like she was the most important thing to him, and that's something I respected about him."

Ranma couldn't quite relate, having only had extremely violent confrontations with any of the rival "suitors" for his multitude of supposed love interests. "You're a classier guy than I am, Sato. I don't know if I could 'a been friends with a guy that stole my girl away."

"Well, I was headed that way before Motoko talked to me one day. She can be, as you know, very blunt and very direct. She told me that she knew that I was in love with her but that she had never really loved me. She said that she liked me a lot and valued my friendship and hoped that her relationship with Maru wouldn't ruin that."

"I have to say that I was mad. I was really pissed off at her for telling me that. In fact I wanted to hurt her so much for hurting me, but the only thing my stupid, honorable mind could say was 'let me think about it, Motoko.'"

Sato smiled sadly. "So eventually we made up. I took about two weeks to stew in my own anger and think about the whole thing; especially since she told me that I would never be anything but a friend to her. Then I decided that losing her completely was worse than being just a friend to her. So by the end of the eighth grade we were close pals again."

"It's good that you were there for her Thursday night when she needed you most."

Sato's look darkened. "Yeah. Thank God I was there for her then. I don't know what I would've done if-" Despite his attempts to control it, he couldn't stem the flow of tears. He opened his hands and gaped at them as if they were foreign objects. "I almost killed him, Ranma. And if that son of a bitch had really hurt her worse or kil- while he was... was raping her... I don't know what I would've done then."

Ranma sat up straighter but didn't move from his spot. "Hey, Sato. Listen to me. You did the right thing by not killing him. If you had killed that asshole then you would've gone to jail, probably for life or somethin' close to that. Don't forget that you stopped him from doing anything really bad to her. *Never* forget that. You were strong for Motoko when she needed it. She'll always remember what you did for her."

Sato nodded, a smile working its way onto his face through the tears. "Yeah, I guess so." His gaze shot past Ranma's shoulder to the open double doors of the training hall. "I haven't even talked to her since I admitted her to the hospital."

"Neither have we. In fact, we all talked about going to the hospital at some point today and checking in on her." Ranma regarded his friend. "You can go with us if you like, Sato."

"Yeah, I'd really like that, man." Sato stood up and dusted off his pants. "I wonder if anyone's told Maru what happened yet. He's been in Australia on some kind of exchange program for the last two months."

"Huh? She's still seeing that guy?"

Sato nodded. "Yeah, even though he wound up attending another school this year because of his folks moving again. He and Motoko still wanted to see each other."

Ranma's shock was evident. "That's hard to believe, Sato. It's not normal to see people stick together like that when they're in different schools."

"It's unusual, I agree. Still, they've been going strong for over two years now. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if they get married after they both finish high school." Sato's expression clouded over again. "Assuming she'll be wanting anything like that after being raped by Yutaka."

"Motoko's a strong girl, Sato. If she doesn't let the attack bury her spirit, she'll be okay."

"Yeah, I guess I have to agree with you there. She is a fighter, so there's a good chance that she will wind up marrying Maru and having a litter of kids with him. Unlike me, of course..." Sato's emotions took another dip. "After what happened yesterday I don't think I'll ever be getting married."

Ranma immediately went on the offensive. "Hey! I toldja Nabiki wasn't actin' normal yesterday! You could tell that by how she was yellin' and stuff. Akane and I were talking about it before you got here and-"

"I'm not really sure that I want to hear about it, Ranma," Sato declared flatly, holding a hand up to forestall further comment from his friend. Ranma, frustrated at the interruption, clammed up and watched as his friend resumed his anxious pacing through the training hall. "You know... I'm just about fed up with all of it. Fuck having a relationship if it's always going to wind up being this nasty!"

"Oh, not this shit again! Stop talking this 'I quit' crap! Things aren't always -"

Sato continued on, ignoring Ranma's outburst. "It's not just Motoko and Meiko. There have been a few others to a lesser extent over last couple of years. I can't seem to win for losing! Whenever I've tried to go out with someone, I'm always shot down. Regardless of if it's because I screw up when trying to ask someone out or if it's because of something beyond my control, I always, ALWAYS fuck up! But you know why I've kept trying to go out with a girl?"

Ranma shook his head but kept his mouth shut, knowing that Sato wouldn't have heard him anyway.

"It's because until now I'd believed that being alone would hurt even worse than being rejected all the time. During those years I've been alone while other guys are walking around with a girl, even the guys that look like they're the worst kind of losers manage to find someone, I've only been able to guess at what it's like to be in their place. It hurts me to watch all of those guys walking around with a girl smiling at them, talking to them, kissing and holding them, and simply *wanting* to be with them. I have no idea what that's like at all, Ranma. It's completely alien to me."

Ranma shrugged helplessly. "It's not somethin' I really help you with. I'm not some kind of love doctor or nothin' like that. I guess it's not as important to me to be in a relationship as it is for you. I don't know what else I can say."

"There's nothing anyone can do," Sato snorted derisively. "Not a Goddamned thing!"

"Then why do you keep talkin' about it?" Ranma shot back impatiently.

"Because I don't want you to end up being as pathetic as I am!" Sato spat. "You know that I've been through a lot of hurtful shit, both with all the bullying at school as well as with all the crap I've gone through over the years trying to get into a relationship. When you get right down to it, my life's nothing but a cruel joke, and I don't want you to have to go through the same things that I have!"

Consumed by his dark emotions, Sato stood in front of Ranma and pointed at the center of his chest with a finger. "All those stupid-ass songwriters and poets say that this is the center of joy, love and happiness." Tears raced unbidden from Sato's eyes and rolled down his cheeks. "But for me, the heart is nothing more than a nasty, empty pit. Pain, loneliness and rejection are the only things that I've ever known when it comes to girls."

"Does that include Ranko?" Ranma shot back testily.

"Oh, come on! That's not what I meant and you know it!" Sato looked his friend in the eyes with a mournful gaze that stabbed Ranma in the heart. "Don't you see what I'm trying to say? Don't you get it? I've become some kind of Zen-like example for others. You know, like how you can't appreciate wealth without poverty, or a good meal without experiencing starvation. In the same way, you can't know love and happiness unless you've seen what it's like if you were never loved and never happy." Sato pointed at himself again. "That's me! I'm that example! Beware the wretched lonely geek!"

He took a breath and calmed himself somewhat before resuming. "You have a *really* good chance to be with Akane," he declared, holding up his hand when he saw his friend about to protest. "Don't try to deny it again! I saw it in her eyes when she talked to you last weekend and I could tell by how she looked at you in the attic just now. Akane's a good person; a much better person than Kinuko ever hopes to be. So if you *really* love Akane, don't let yourself screw up and become like me! You already lost one girl. Don't lose this one too." Sato leaned against the doorframe of the training hall and stared out into the distance. "If I can't make myself happy with Nabiki or anyone else, I can at least help you be happy with Akane."

"Aw, come off it, man!" Ranma complained loudly. "Not you too!" He clenched his fists in frustration. "I don't need *another* person tryin' to tell me how to run my love life."

Sato looked at him in surprise. "Back up a second! I'm not trying to tell you what to do. I'm trying to tell you what you *shouldn't* do." He held his arms out in a hopeless gesture. "Try to understand me. If you follow my example with girls, you're guaranteed to fail. I'm only trying to help, here."

"Well I don't need anybody's help!" Ranma shot back. "I've had enough of people pushin' me into goin' out with someone *they* like. Do I really look so stupid that I can't think for myself?"

"Sorry, man. I didn't realize... Dammit, I just keep screwing stuff up for everybody. I am such a fucking loser-"

"Oh, come off it! That's a bunch of whiny shit." Ranma's face was flushed with fury. "You're better than that and you know it. Feelin' sorry for yourself by actin' like you're some kind of failure ain't helping you any. All it does is make you look like a complete fool and pushes people away. I've watched how you handled yourself this week, so we both know you're no loser. Lookin' for sympathy won't work with me at all, so just drop it."

Sato shrugged his shoulders in defeat. "Well..."

"*Well*, all *you* gotta do is get off this 'I hate myself' kick, be strong and just keep on doin' what you've been doin'. Oh, and stop handin' out dating advice," Ranma added.

A minute of silence passed between the two before Sato looked over at his friend. "Damn, you're so different from the pacifist geek I knew just a month ago." He smirked reluctantly. "I'm not complaining, though. In fact, I'd love to have half the confidence you have now," Sato mumbled.

"You keep training the way you have been and you will have it, I promise."

"You really think so, huh?"

"Duh! It helped me change my life, didn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess you have a point there." Sato stretched and exhaled loudly, then wiped the moisture of fallen tears from his face. "Well, I'm not gonna beat myself up over it anymore."

"You sure about that?"

"Yeah, I guess so. I think I just needed to get it out of my system. Thanks for listening to me bitch and moan."

"No pro-" Ranma broke off as he looked out the door of the training hall just in time to see Hikaru Gosunkugi walking in their direction with Ranko in tow. "Looks like we got company."

"Akane?" Sato guessed.

"Nope, it's Ranko and Gos," Ranma replied, then winced as he caught himself using the old name for his former nemesis. "I mean, Hikaru."

Entering on cue, Hikaru walked in and high-fived Sato. "How's it goin', guys?"

"Hey," Ranma replied distantly.

"What's wrong with you, man? Everything okay up there?" Hikaru asked, eyeing Ranma closely.

Ranma fought down the urge to smack Gosunkugi upside the head. "Nothin's wrong. I'm just tired from the workout."

"Ah, I gotcha. Have to stay in shape after all those fights last week, huh?"

"Something like that, man," Sato answered with a smirk. "They keep on dishing it out and we keep shoving it right back down their throats."

Ranko snickered at that. "That's a good way of putting it, Sato."

Ranma nodded. "Yep, and if they can't take a hint, well that's fine too. We can always use the extra training." Everyone laughed at that, and the mood in the room lightened significantly.

Hikaru put his arm around Ranko's shoulders. "Well, I'm not much of a fighter as you all well know, but I do what I can to keep myself alive and breathing."

Ranma fought back a grimace at watching Gosunkugi put his arm on his sister and subsequently place a kiss on the top of her head. 'What the hell does she like about him, anyway?' he groused. Unwilling to witness the spectacle anymore, he stared out the door instead. "Where's Akane?" he asked suddenly.

"She's upstairs in the attic learning how to work the Remote Commander," Ranko quipped.

Ranma blanched at that, recalling how frustrated the 'original' Akane usually got around strange or unfamiliar things. "How long has it been since you left her alone up there, Sis?"

"It's not a problem, man," Hikaru answered. "Akane Tendo's old enough to take care of herself. Besides, Ranko-chan invited me in only a couple of minutes ago, so it ain't been *that* long."

"Well, I think I should get upstairs and talk to her now," Sato offered. "Thanks for the workout and the talk, Ranma." Sato held out his arm to Ranma, who clasped it firmly.

"Anytime, man. I'll be right behind you," Ranma replied with a knowing smile for his friend. "I just have to clean up before I can close the training hall doors and head on in."

"Hikaru, you go ahead with Sato. I'm gonna help Ranma clean up the training area. It won't take us long."

"Fine with me," Hikaru replied jovially as he disengaged from Ranko and followed Sato out of the training hall.

As soon as they disappeared from view, Ranko walked over to her brother and hugged him close. "You're a good friend to Sato. He looks a lot better than he did when he first saw Akane in the attic." She stood back from him. "I didn't think it would take you an hour to get him over his mood, though."

Ranma's eyes widened. "An hour? Geez, we've been in here that long?" He flushed guiltily. "Damn, I didn't mean to let time get away from me like that." He looked up towards the house, focusing his attention on \ the peak of the roof. "Is Akane mad at me?"

"No, she was very understanding, bro. I think she needed the time to think about what she was going to say to Sato anyway, so it's all good. She and I spent the time talking, so it's not like she was bored out of her skull or anything." Ranko blushed slightly as she looked up into her brother's eyes. "I also want to thank you for not saying anything to Hikaru just now. I could tell that you weren't comfortable with him being here."

Ranma blew his breath out in a frustrated 'woosh.' "I'm sorry. I'd thought it wouldn't be noticeable."

"I don't think he noticed, anyway," Ranko said with a smirk. "He was too busy thinking about me."

Ranma grimaced again, and this time didn't attempt to hide it. "Ergh... I'm sorry, sis. I just don't like him hanging on you like that."

"Why? You sure you're not jealous?" Ranko replied, sticking out her tongue.

Ranma blushed at the insinuation and spent a couple of moments studying his feet. "What can I say? I love you, sis. I know we've talked about Gos before, but it still makes me feel weird every time I see him being so close to you. It just ain't right."

Ranko shook her head. "I love you, too. But I'm going to ask you again to respect my wishes and let me make my own choices, okay?"

Reluctantly he nodded his agreement. "Okay, if I can say that to Sato, then it's only right that you can say that to me."

"Oh? What all did you wind up talking about out here anyway? I figured you two spent most of your time sparring out here, not talking about your dating habits."

Ranma shook his head. "Not even close. Sato went on about all the times he failed at dating. It got really creepy to hear all those stories of girls that dumped on him." He went on to detail the highlights of his conversation with Sato, although he wasn't sure he got all of the names right.

Ranko socked her brother in the arm. "And you let him keep on going like that?! Damn, bro, why didn't you stop him?"

Ranma rubbed his now-sore arm and shrugged his shoulders. "He said he just wanted to vent, Ranko! Sato kept on talkin' and talkin' about the girls that did him wrong over the years. He acted like he had been fighting a war or somethin'. I you wanna know what I think, he takes all this girl stuff too hard. If he gets taunted by one of them he thinks it's the end of the world."

"But what Nabiki did to him on Friday was more than just taunting, Ranma! From what you and Akane told me, that girl did everything to Sato but shoot him in the heart with a gun."

"I'm not just talkin' about Nabiki, sis. While Sato was goin' on about that girl that he knew back in the fourth grade or somethin' like that, he acted like it was the worst moment of his life. In fact, accordin' to him, every time a girl dumped him or told him no it was like it was the end of the world or somethin'." Ranma shook his head. "As far as I'm concerned, the only things he can honestly gripe about are what Nabiki did to him yesterday and the crap that Yutaka did to Motoko Thursday night. Everything else is old news."

Ranko shook her head. "I thought you'd know better than that, bro. Sato may be picking up more confidence because we're teaching him how to defend himself, but inside he's still a very sensitive guy."

"He's over-sensitive if you ask me. He's holding on to his pain and old wounds like they're some kind of trophy. All that does is make him vulnerable to the same kind of thing in the future."

"Well *I* think it's sweet that he treasures a girl's memory so deeply. Those sad puppy-dog eyes of his had my heart aching to help him. You say it's a weakness, *I* say it's cute." Ranko shrugged. "It's what makes Sato the person he is. Come to think of it, until you made your wish, you were exactly like Sato."

Ranma pondered that. "Well...I've never been like that. You say the other me was like that, but that's in the past. I can't hide who I am now."

Ranko shrugged and decided to let the issue drop. "Let's just get this stuff cleaned up and get back up there. I'm sure Sato and Akane have had enough time to talk things out by now."

"I hope so. He's got to move on with his life and stop living in the past."

"Oh, and speaking of the past, there's something else I meant to ask you about this morning."