Chapter Two: A Reason to the Rhyme

	The dawn spread itself over Nerima Ward around 5:47 AM. It was a 
Monday morning, about time for everyone to commute. And as usual, the 
train was filled to capacity. Amidst a flurry of activity, a single man 
could be made out in the puzzle of flesh. He stepped away from the 
boarding area, and squinted from exposure to the western sun. The man 
was easy to make out as a foreigner, but he also has an alien quality 
to him. Needless to say, no passenger would stand anywhere near him, if 
they had the choice. He looked around briefly, before choosing his 
direction, and then set off, not knowing exactly where his feet would 
take him.
	Perhaps he would find what he was looking for today. Perhaps 
tomorrow. All he knew was that what he was looking for was in Nerima, 
and that he had to find it. Then man left the train station, and began 
his quest down Kinoichi Street.

	The light shone in through the upstairs window, and blasted 
through Nabiki Tendo's eyes. She squinted reflexably, and then slowly 
opened them. She sat up and pulled the blanket off of her. To her 
relief, she was in her own bed. Alive. She secretly thanked god and 
went down stairs into the restaurant.
	Kinami, her main okonomiyaki cook had been already awake, she was 
already dressed in her usual cooking garb, and had already started to 
heat up the griddle. Nabiki greeted her and fetched herself something 
to eat before they opened the restaurant.
	Opening the refridgerator in the back room, Nabiki pulled out 
some milk and a box of cereal from the cupboard. She was in a 
remarkably good mood, and didn't want to jinx it by allowing herself a 
large meal. As  she sat down to eat, she noticed the gash in the side 
of the table.
	The gash was nothing new. In fact, it had been there for close to 
five years. Nabiki knew she really should buy new furniture, but what 
for? Expecially if this furniture had nothing else wrong with it. 
Nabiki let her mind drift as she ran her fingers around the edge of the 
gash. She knew how it had gotten there, she had been there when it 
happened. Ukyou had put it there, with her spatula. She also knew why 
it was put there. She had accompanied Ranma and Akane to Ucchan's one 
day, to take care of the impending disaster that Ranma and Akane's 
decision would cause. 
	Of course, she had accepted a fee for her accompaniment. Nabiki 
had accompanied them to ensure Akane's safety. It was well known that 
Ukyou was not a match for Ranma, but they had to ensure that Ranma 
wouldn't have to be alert for every day of the rest of his life. Nabiki 
had dug up some dirt, and threatened to use it if push came to shove. 
It had worked, and since she couldn't strike Akane, she had driven her 
spatula into the table and walked out. About a week later, Nabiki 
recieved a letter.
	There was no return address, though Nabiki, Akane and Ranma 
desperately sought her wherabouts. But what was more interesting was 
the contents of the letter. It was not adressed to Ranma, or even 
Akane. It was addressed to herself.
	Ukyou had left the deed to Ucchan's to Nabiki, knowing full well 
that she was capable of taking care of the place, and even making it 
succeed. Which was exactly what it had done. Succeeded.
	Ranma died a few months later. A sad event, but Nabiki wasn't 
about to let it ruin her life. Yes she cared deeply for Ranma, as a 
sister would a brother, but life goes on. She had to continue. She had 
made the Okonomiyaki restaurant into a nationwide hangout. There had 
even been a time when Jackie Chan himself had shown up and eaten at the 
restaurant during a business trip into the country. Of course, they 
added other things to the menu, even some western foods. However, the 
main source of revenue was the Okonomiyaki.
	Nabiki chuckled to herself. Ukyou was a great cook, even Nabiki 
knew that. However, she also knew that she lacked the business sense 
that had caused the restaurant to thrive as much as it did.
	Kinami stepped over and unlocked the door, allowing the regulars 
entrance. The regulars weren't there.
	Nabiki's eyes shot wide, and her stomach did the splits. There, 
in the doorway a familiar form stood, along with another man whom she 
didn't recognize. She felt her stomach wrench at the memory of the man. 
His name was Makaro.
	Makaro had made his presence known the previous year, after 
Ucchan's sudden burst of popularity. He had originally been one of a 
duo, a partnership with a man named Gendo.
	At first glance, they had seemed to be nice people. Nabiki was an 
excellent judge of character, but for some reason she couldn't pick up 
anything out of the ordinary with them. She showed them a table and 
rushed off to help Kinami and the other staff with dinner. When she 
turned around, she found that much of the restaurant had been emptied, 
and whoever was left, was leaving at that very moment. Gendo and Makaro 
stood there smirking at her.
	They were very polite at first, introducing themselves as Yakuza. 
But Nabiki knew with that name came trouble. After a while, they 
propositioned Nabiki with a deal. She would cater to their meetings and 
such, and offer her a 'fair' price. However, when they say 'fair' they 
mean 'free'. Nabiki had refused, knowing full well what they were 
capable of, but Nabiki also knew what she was capable of.
	In the end, they had won. One night they came into the 
restaurant, and brutally attacked her, leaving her nearly dead. She had 
spent a week in the hospital, after many visits from Gendo and Makaro, 
and returned to the restaurant. After that she had no choice but to do 
as they said.
	Then last week she had pulled something. She may not have had the 
connections of the two Yakuza men, but she pulled up a little bit of 
attainable information from another Yakuza member, who was a close 
friend of hers. She found out about Gendo's family.
	Gendo's family was wealthy, and even well respected in the 
community. His father was even the mayor of a town to the west. If the 
press even got wind that a Mayors son was a Yakuza member, they would 
have a field day. She waited until Gendo was visiting alone before 
informing him.
	At first mention of this, he threatened to kill her, and her 
family. But when she informed him that the information was at that 
moment in the posession of a dozen people, who would gladly contact the 
press if anything were to happen, Gendo backed down. Since then, 
neither he or Makaro came by. She had won. It was over. Or so she 
thought.
	"Well, Miss Tendo.", Makaro began.
	"What are you doing here?", she demanded, "I went over this last 
week with Gendo. If you--"
	"Mr. Satoni has suffered an.. accident.", he informed her.
	"He.. What?", she asked.
	Kinami backed away from the door and started towards the back 
room.
	"Where do you think your going?", the other man asked, "You're 
staying right here miss. This concerns you too."
	Makaro nodded and smirked at Nabiki. "Gendo told me of his little 
chat with you last week. He wanted me to find a way to get around it, 
so I did."
	"You.. Killed him didn't you?"
	"Now, Miss Tendo. Do I look like the sort of person who would do 
that?", he said, looking out of the restaurant towards the limosuine 
that had been parked out front.
	"Come on in.", Makaro said. And a man walked into the door. He 
was dressed in black, and a mask had covered his face.
	"Why am I here?", the man asked.
	Nabiki stood back and took the image in. The voice seemed 
somewhat familair, but she couldn't place it.
	"Meet our new friend. He just got here from China. He speaks 
pretty good Japanese eh?"
	"What do you want Makaro? Get to the point."
	"My point, Miss Tendo. Is that our previous deal is now Null and 
Void. If you wish to continue your... meaningless existance, I suggest 
you do what we say, unless you want us to release our friend here."
	"I will not kill a woman.", the man said.
	Makaro frowned and looked back at the man, "You'll do what we pay 
you to!"
	The man began to walk towards Makaro, but upon seeing Makaro's 
jumpy reaction, just chuckled and fell back into place.
	"Anyways, our new deal is this. We will allow you enough money to 
pay your help. We will allow you enough money to pay your bills. But 
the rest, Miss Tendo. Is ours. Try anything else like you did with 
Gendo, and I will personally see to it that you are eliminated."
	The man with the mask looked to the floor. It had seemed like he 
had wanted to say something, but for the time being, remained silent.
	"And now Miss Tendo, we shall return at closing time. Leaving you 
enough time to get to your bank and empty it. Consider it a... Price. 
The price for Gendo's life."
	Nabiki gave a cold stare at Makaro as he left, and then, 
collapsed to the floor.

	"Well, that went remarkably well.", Makaro said, after informing 
the driver of their next location.	
	"Yes.", the man in the mask said.
	"What is wrong with you?", he asked, "You shouldn't be 
questioning my _PAYING_ authority in front of others!"
	The man looked up at him and replied, "I apologize. I am being 
paid for this, but I knew that woman."
	Makaro's eyes shot open. "Why didn't you tell me?"
	"You didn't tell me who it was until I had seen her."
	"So", Makaro began, "Who was she?"
	"I don't talk about my past."
	"No, consider it a paid conversation. You've piqued my interest."
	"I don't sell conversations. Only services."
	"Well", he said, "Your no fun. This had better not be an 
obstacle, however. If I pay you to kill her, you do it."
	"I will not kill a woman."
	"If I pay you to, you will, or I'll have the entire Nerima chain 
of the Yakuza up your ass."
	"Threats have no meaning to me."
	"They will.."
	The man shook his head.
	Changing the subject, Makaro spoke up. "So, why don't you take 
off your mask?"
	The man leaned back and replied, "If I were to show you my face, 
I'd have to kill you."
	Makaro started to chuckle, still unsure if it was a joke or not, 
but upon seeing the stillness of the other man, he knew it wasn't.

	Nabiki rushed about the restaurant frantically. Since the 
incident only minutes earlier, she had thrown up twice, and broke down 
crying three times before she finally gained control. They would be 
back tonight. God, that wasn't enough time to think about it. Nabiki 
was definately brighter than most people. Her crude business sense had 
left more than one person broke in her day. But she couldn't get her 
way out of this. More time. She needed more time!
	She rushed to the cash register. Already, a few of her regulars 
started to show up as the Yakuza left, most of them visually worried 
about Nabiki's behavior. She had pulled out the money from the register 
and begun to count. Good, same amount as was there last night. Maybe if 
she could hide a certain amount of money--
	No. That wouldn't work. They'd find out, and have her killed. 
Nabiki cherished her money, but even she knew her life was worth no 
price. It would take some time to think of something. She considered 
force. Her father? No. She didn't want him involved. Her sister? No. 
She wasn't skilled enough. Even Gendo was more skilled than her, and 
that.. Masked man apparently had done him in easily. Ryoga? Possibly. 
His strength was unmatched, and his Shi Shi Hokoudan would probably 
blast that man to kingdom come. But no, that wouldn't work either. 
Above all else, she did not want her family involved in this. If Ranma 
were still alive, at least he could gather up the strength to fight 
them. He beat a _DRAGON_ in combat, the Yakuza would be no match for 
him.
	Nabiki sighed and put the money back in the register, she walked 
to the window and sighed. The only thing she could do for now, was 
follow their orders.

	Soun opened his eyes. Aparently he had slept in a little longer 
than usual. He attributed his sleepiness to the disturbing dream he had 
the night before, and stepped out from his room on the top floor of the 
Tendo home. The home was empty. Genma and Nodoka had left last month to 
live with her family. Soun smiled at the memory of his dear friend and 
wife living with him the past five year, even after Ranma's death.
	Thinking about Ranma had immediately reminded him of the dream he 
had the night before. Ranma had shown up, %100 alive, even if a bit 
disfigured, and wearing the strangest suit. A chill run up his spine as 
he remembered. Soun began to step down the stairs of the home when he 
noticed the picture missing.
	The picture he had taken only last year was missing from the wall 
by the stairs. He looked towards the ground, and noticed that it wasn't 
there either. It was gone.
	He thought for a second, trying to remember if it had been 
misplaced when he had given the place a cleaning the day before, but 
promptly remembered that he hadn't even dusted it, let alone take it 
down to wash the frame. He immediately began to search for it.
	He remembered the day the picture was taken. The entire family 
had gathered together, even Genma's family had posed for it. He 
remembered the hard time he had positioning everyone together correctly 
so there would be no problem fitting all of them in. He mentally 
counted the number of people in his head. 
	The whole Tendo family was there, as well as the Saotome family. 
Kasumi, Nabiki, Akane. He smiled at the thought of his three daughters. 
Kasumi was in her fourth year at Medical School. She had since married 
Dr. Tofu, which was the main reason he had popped up in Souns memory of 
the event. Genma and Nodoka were there with Ranko, the child they had 
after Ranma's death. Nodoka had originally wanted another child long 
ago, before Ranma had died, but Genma had nothing to do with it. He 
only wanted one child, and Ranma was it. But after he died, Genma and 
Nodoka could only find happiness in each other, they're relationship 
has blossomed after that, and they were like teenaged lovers again, 
then Ranko showed up.
	Ranma's alias before Nodoka knew of his curse had been Ranko, and 
they had named they're new child that for two reasons. 1. Out of 
respect for Ranma, and 2. Because of her red hair. It wasn't long after 
that, the Tendo/Saotome family pact had been reborn. Akane had had a 
child at the tender age of 19. Even though it was against Soun's 
wishes, they went ahead and had the child. 'They' being Ryoga and 
Akane.
	Originally, Soun had thought the idea of Ranma's friend marrying 
his widow was scandalous, and an outrage. But seeing Akane upset nearly 
24 hours out of the day was even worse, and he had relucantly agreed to 
the wedding, under the condition that Akane would keep 'Saotome' in her 
name, out of respect for Ranma. And thus, Ranma Saotome-Hibiki was 
born.
	Soun since then had grown to love Ryoga as a son. He still felt 
guilty from time to time for allowing the marriage, but Ryoga had 
assured him that he felt the same. If Ranma and Akane were a perfect 
match, then Ryoga was the next best thing. If only Ranma could have had 
a son before he died.
	Again, his mind drifted to the dream he had the prior night, but 
when he walked into the tea room, his brain went into overtime.

	Ranma barely acknowledged Soun's presence, he had his mind on 
other things. For some reason he had not been tired at all the night 
prior, and had spent his time trying to remember more about his past, 
and looking at various pictures around the house. He had remembered 
most of his life up to the Saffron incident when he noticed it.
	The picture had been rested on the wall near the stairs. He had 
passed it several times in his efforts to remember more by looking 
around the place, but had never actually noticed until he accidentally 
knocked it off of the wall. He picked it up, and was about to replace 
it when he saw them.
	Akane was the first he recognized. Then bit by bit, each of the 
people in the picture began to surface in his memory. Kasumi. Doctor 
Tofu. Ranma wasn't at all surprised at this. He had expected them to 
marry, and he silently chuckled at the memory of Dr. Tofu's 
lightheadedness whenever he was in Kasumi's presence. Next he noticed 
Nabiki. Although her image in the picture was well presented, he could 
note a hint of worry in her eyes. Next he came to his father and 
mother. This was a shock to him, to see them so close to each other, 
and smiling. Most of his memories of his mother were of hiding and 
lying. Pretending to be 'Ranko' the cousin of the Tendo family.
	Most notably about his parents, was that they were not alone. It 
seemed that there was another member of the family. One that Ranma 
could not remember no matter how hard he tried. A little girl. Her hair 
was red like Ranma's girl form, and did share alot of Ranma's girl-form 
qualities. Right down to the eye colour. He mentally noted that he 
would have to visit his sister one day soon, as well as his parents. At 
least to tell them that he is still alive.
	What he noticed next blew his mind. Ryoga, his.. 'aquaintance' 
from memory, but friend from heart was shown holding the hand of the 
woman he loved most. The woman he had endured this curse for. He was 
holding Akane's hand. Not as friends, but as lovers. The image of a 
small boy sitting on the ground between them seemed to verify his 
worries. After that point, he had been enraged with pure anger and 
hatred, but let it die down to simple contemplation afterwards.
	"Ranma?", Soun said, stepping towards him.
	Ranma temporarily cut himself loose from the trance long enough 
to greet Soun, but not much else.
	"Hello Mr. Tendo."
	"Ranma...", he said, placing a hand on his shoulder, "it wasn't a 
dream."
	Ranma scoffed, "I wish it was."
	"Ranma, whats the matter?"
	Ranma turned and pointed towards the picture laying on the tea 
room table. The frame had been broken and picture crumpled and if by a 
fist.
	Soun immediately knew what was wrong. "Ranma, I wanted to tell 
you last night, but..."
	"It's not your fault, Mr. Tendo.", he said, depressingly, "I know 
you just didn't want to hurt me."
	"Ranma, you were gone so long, they thought you were dead, as did 
the rest of us."
	"I loved her."
	"I know Ranma, we all knew. And it was painfully obvious after 
you had gotten married--"
	"What?", Ranma asked, looking even closer into Soun's surprised 
face.
	"You mean, you don't even remember that?"
	"No, of course I don't remember. How long were we married before 
I disappeared?"
	Soun looked sullenly towards the ground. "Five Months."
	Ranma took this new information in. He knew he loved her, but he 
didn't know that they were married. The last thing he could remember 
was the botched up wedding, which, if memory served him correct, was 
_SERIOUSLY_ botched up.
	"How long after the Saffron incident did we get married?"
	Soun looked into Ranma's eyes. Though they were mainly covered by 
his cowl, he could imagine the pain which was portrayed in their image. 
"Nearly a year."
	Ranma tried desperately to remember what was going on. He would 
have to question Soun for whatever he was fuzzy on, or didn't remember.
	Soun suddenly noted the time. Quarter to Ten. He let an image 
pass through his mind, and quickly decided it would be best to avert a 
meeting between Ryoga and Ranma at this point. At least until Soun 
could have a talk with Ryoga about the events that have transpired. 
"Ranma, we're going to have to finish this conversation another time. 
As much as I'd like you to stay around, I think its best you go out and 
find some things out for yourself, the morning class will be here 
soon."
	"Morning class?", Ranma asked.
	"Yes.", Soun winked at him, "This dojo has become a hotspot for 
aspiring Martial artists!"
	Ranma began to protest his leaving, but after Soun began to push 
him out of the door, he knew it was futile.
	Annoyed, he started to speak, "When should I come back?"
	Soun looked at the clock and then replied, "About four."

	"Gendo Satoni", Daisuke said, dropping a file down in front of 
Hiroshi.
	"What?", he asked.
	"Gendo Satoni. The corpse?"
	"Oh. Thats his name?"
	"Yep, and get this. He's the _SON_ of Mikasagi Satoni."
	Hiroshi frowned, "Who is...?"
	"You don't follow politics much, do you?", Daisuke replied. 
"Mikasagi Satoni, as in _MAYOR_ Mikasagi Satoni of Kosaka."
	"You mean hes the sone of a mayor?"
	"Duh. Apparently junior here was a member of the Nerima Chapter 
of the Yakuza."
	"Have we got any more information on the perp?"
	"Not yet. Apparently there's a few rumours floating around 
underground that there's a new assassin in town, all the way from 
China."
	"Could it have been him?"
	"More than likely, I got the file of another of his 'clients' 
back in Hong Kong. Lets just say the MO is... Similiar."
	"So, whats the deal on motive?"
	"Well, apparently this guy was big on extortion. A few business 
owners stepped forward after his death and told the whole story."
	"Could it have been one of them?"
	"Doubtful. From what I hear, this Chinese guy is expensive, and 
from the amount of money Gendo was extorting from them.. Well, use your 
head."
	"I see. Do we have anything else on the suspect?"
	"Just a file larger than a breadbox. He's got over 40 confirmed 
killings, and another 15 unconfirmed. This guys MO is strange, but 
methodical. He kills them three times through. First, he hits them in 
the heart with a--"
	"A bonbourri, then crushes their skulls with a mace, and takes 
their heads off with a scythe."
	Daisuke nodded. "Pretty much."
	"Daisuke, maybe its just me, but doesn't this sound familiar. A 
single man, having two or three weapons at his disposal."
	Daisuke shook his head. "It can't be him. He died with Ranma."
	"Yes, but isn't it possible that Mousse survived? I mean, When 
Shampoo came back, spouting that they were both dead, she had no 
evidence!"
	"Look, even he was _WAS_ still alive, he couldn't have done it. 
Mousse may have been nearsighted and quick to judge, but there's no way 
in hell he was a killer."
	"Well, maybe there was someone else with Mousse's skills. It 
possible!"
	Daisuke paused for a moment. "Your right", he said, "We should 
check out the immigration department for any Jokusetsuzoku immigrants."
	Hiroshi nodded, and began to flip through the file that Daisuke 
had thrown on his desk. He looked up at his friend and contemplated.
	"Do we have a list of the business owners that were being 
extorted?", he asked.
	Daisuke acknowledged him and pulled a sheet of paper from the 
files on the desk. "Right here", he said, handing it to him.
	Hiroshi scanned the sheet quickly, seeing if anything would pop 
out at him. Fortunately, something did.
	"Well, I'll be.", he muttered.
	"Whats up?"
	Hiroshi didn't even answer, he just turned the paper around and 
pointed at a name. Daisuke let a grin show on his face as he recited 
the name.
	"Nabiki Tendo."

	*Where is the damn bus?*, Ryoga thought. He normally took the bus 
to get to work, it was part of Akane's master plan.
	Since Ryoga had constantly been getting lost, she began to walk 
with him to certain places, and soon worked out a system. For cross-
town destinations, a map would be drawn, and he would use mass 
transportation to reach it.
	For shorter trips, like from the front door to the bus stop, he 
soon learned, that instead of focusing on the main destination, he 
would focus on 'baby-steps' as Akane had called them. For instance, His 
first destination from the front door, would be to follow the walkway 
to the sidewalk, from the sidewalk, he would walk three streets left of 
his position, and wait at the bus stop. The bus soon showed up, and he 
got off at the third stop. From the third stop, he would get off, walk 
across the street, turn left, walk two streets over, and face his 
right. That would usually place him at the outside wall of the Tendo 
Dojo. From that point, he was usually okay, but from time to time he 
would turn left instead of right and end up missing for days at a time. 
Before long, Akane stopped getting worried and just waited patiently 
for him to return home.
	Although not completely 'fixed', his sense of direction was 
getting remarbly better. He had even learned to retrace his steps.
	He let his brain wander for a minute when the bus showed up. 
Again able to process conscious thought, he stepped onto the loading 
platform, and let the doors close behind him.

	Ranma knew he couldn't be seen, and he made sure he wasn't. Since 
he had left, aparently, Nerima had been nearly devoid of Martial 
Artists, and he found himself easily escaping the views of everyone he 
passed by, over, and in some cases, under.
	He soon found himself blocks away from the Dojo, and began to 
think of where his new destination would be. He thought for a moment, 
and then reluctantly decided the closest place would be the Nekohanten, 
and set his sights for the restaurant.
	Although he hadn't expected anyone he knew to be there, there was 
still the chance that it was run by someone associated with Shampoo, 
Mousse or even Cologne.
	He passed from rooftop to rooftop on his journey to the 
Nekohanten. He wasn't hungry, but he needed to see things for himself.
	While jumping across a wide street, he had waited for the nearest 
vehicle to pass by between him and the other end of the street, 
incidentally, the vehicle had been a bus. He timed his jump correctly 
and jumped across, landing on the bus and then on the other side of the 
road, leaving behind nothing but a thump and a small dent.

	Ryoga had nearly had a heart attack. Here he was, just sitting on 
the bus, counting the stops, when the roof _RIGHT_ above him had nearly 
caved in. Examining the ceiling he noted two foot-shaped dents and 
began to wonder. It had been a long while since any _GOOD_ Martial 
artist had come to Nerima, and the ones that were there, he knew 
personally. Shampoo and Ukyou had left a long time ago, Tarou hadn't 
been seen in.. God only knows how long, Happosai went to America, but 
it was doubtful that he weighed enough to make that kind of dent. Ryoga 
suddenly felt a familiar chill run up his spine, it was only moments 
later when he released that it was the same as the one he had the night 
before.

	Akane felt the chill run up her spine. She had felt a familiar 
presence, but dismissed it, so as not to worry her son.
	Ranma Saotome-Hibiki was three years old. He would be four in 
five months, and he was already becoming the elite martial artist that 
his namesake would have been proud of. Although Akane felt remorseful 
that she never had the chance to have big Ranma's child, she loved her 
son with all of her heart.
	For a reason unknown to Akane, she had been thinking alot of 
Ranma over the past two hours since she woke up. She couldn't identify 
exactly why, but the thoughts were pouring in her head like an endless 
waterfall. Her memory drifted back to the time she found out Ranma had 
died. The day Shampoo returned to Nerima and gave the dreadful news 
that Mousse and Ranma had died protecting her.
	Originally Akane was in denial, she waited day after day on the 
front porch of the dojo, but he still never showed up. It was only 
after that that she had accepted the fact that he would never come 
back.
	Akane did the only thing she could do. She ignored it. Pretended 
she had never met Ranma, but that had come with its consequences. After 
two weeks of her 'ignorance', she was admitted into the hospital, near 
death because she hadn't eaten anything. She may have been able to 
forget about Ranma, but she also forgot to eat. Her only support during 
those times was Shampoo, Nabiki and most notably, Ryoga.
	She had found out of Ryoga's 'secret' just before Ranma had died. 
She was extremely angry at him for weeks afterwards, but after Ranma 
died, it just didn't matter anymore. Before long, she found herself 
becoming attached to him.
	The courting process was long, and not without its share of 
problems. She cared for Ranma deeply, and being with Ryoga felt like 
betrayal to Akane, even if Ranma _WAS_ dead!
	But soon, fate had taken its course. She had fallen in love with 
Ryoga. True, the feelings weren't as strong as they were for Ranma, but 
there were feelings nonetheless, and before long, Ryoga proposed.
	Getting her father to accept the proposal however, was harder. 
The old man gave in after a while, and they were married. It wasn't 
long after before she found out she was pregnant.
	And thus, Ranma Saotome-Hibiki was born, and much to Akane's 
relief, there was no trace of the Jusenkyo Curse. It just wouldn't do 
well to have your first born wander around as a piglet.
	She smiled at her son. Even though he was a mere three years of 
age, he took martial arts seriously, even more seriously than his 
parents. He seemed to follow after his namesake. Most children his age 
watched the greatest kids shows, and went to preschool to play with 
toys, but little Ranma, was a martial artist at heart. In fact, at that 
very moment, he was practicing his Kata on the balcony.
	"Whatcha doing honey?", she asked her son.
	"I doing kata!", he excitedly replied.
	"Wow", she feigned. "Well, when your done, why don't you come in 
and have something to eat?"
	Little Ranma nodded and jumped into the house. Even for a three 
year old, his balance and Coordination was impecable. Akane often 
wondered about it, but soon dismissed it as a gift.

	The Nekohanten was still the Nekohanten, much to Ranma's relief. 
It was still a restaurant, and still open. But the owners, however, 
were not the originals. From a quick check-in, he had found out that 
these people had purchased the restaurant from Shampoo and Cologne five 
years earlier, but refused to tell him any more than that, and shooed 
him away with the threat of calling the police. Even though Ranma could 
easily take the police down, he just wasn't in the mood for such a 
thing. He looked around for a moment, and then decided on a new 
destination. Ucchan's was three blocks away.
	"Ranma Saotome?", the voice asked.
	At first, Ranma thought it was his visitor from the previous 
night, but on closer examination at the source, he changed his mind. 
The source was an old man. A white beard extended down to his stomach 
area, and his eyes sparkled with intelligence.
	"Who are you?", he asked.
	The man walked up to him and replied, "I am Count Nicholas De 
Cogliostro."
	Absolutely positive that he didn't know the man, Ranma began to 
interrogate him. "That doesn't tell me much." he said.
	"Of course.", the man stepped up to Ranma and held out his hand, 
"We have something in common."
	"Oh yeah? Whats that?"
	"Your curse."
	Ranma's brain worked into overtime, considering the mans 
statement, he soon broke free of his trance and stared at him.
	"So, that doesn't explain how you know my name."
	"I have my sources.", the man explained. "I'm surprised it was 
you actually, from my examination, during your life you were a kind 
person, if not a little.. Shall we say.. Ill-tempered?"
	"What do you mean?"
	"Well, I had thought I had narrowed who the new Hellspawn would 
be to a government assassin. I was in New York for the past few months 
waiting for him to emerge there, but a few days ago, I felt your 
presence beginning to manifest. I had to follow it."
	"You're not answering my questions!", Ranma was now near-raging.
	"I suppose you'd need a better explanation. Above all, you should 
remember the deal.. Correct?"
	"The deal...", Ranma looked towards the ground, "Yes."
	"Well, lets just say, long ago, I had made the same deal."
	Ranma looked into the man's eyes. He wasn't lying. "Why did this 
happen to me?"
	"You are a hellspawn. A warrior recruited by the likes of 
Malebolgia."
	"What?"
	"You apparently did something during your life that warranted 
being sent to hell. Upon your arrival, Malebolgia offered you 
something, in exhange for your services."
	"Hell? You're crazy, old man.", Ranma said, turning to leave, 
"I'm not dead."
	"You are dead, Saotome. Even if you don't realize it now, you 
will.", Cogliostro said, but it was too late, Ranma had already 
disappeared.

	Ranma jumped from rooftop to rooftop, Ucchans was just a little 
further, and Ranma didn't want to stick around with the old man. Of 
course he wasn't dead, how would he be here?
	But the premise did explain a few things, like how he no longer 
had his Jusenkyo curse, and how there's a good six years missing from 
his memory, five of which he had been apparently dead. And also-- No. 
He stopped himself. He was thinking crazy things, of course hes not 
dead.
	Ranma kept jumping along the rooftops until he reached his new 
destination. Making sure the place was empty, he went through the 
doorway.

	Nabiki sighed. Two things were bothering her. The first was that, 
since the few customers that had shown up earlier, barely any had came 
into the establishment since, and the place was devoid of life. The 
second was what she was going to do about Makaro. She took a look back 
outside into the main restaurant, and noticed Kinami sitting in one of 
the chairs eating some of her own Okonomiyaki. She mentally noted to 
charge her for the food.
	She went back to thinking about what she was going to do before 
she was interupted by a screech.

	Kinami had known the consequences of eating the supplies, even if 
there were no customers, but she knew she would accept the punishment 
and pay for the supplies out of her wages. She was hungry, and it was 
the only thing she could do to take her mind off of the incident 
earlier.
	Kinami cooked herself some okonomiyaki and sat down at a table. 
She began to scarf it down, wondering how she would help her good 
friend Nabiki. She had the beginnings of an idea when she saw him.
	He had appeared out of nowhere, coming through the door without 
so much as the sound of a footstep, and he was dressed strangely. 
Chains all about his body, even a large red cloak and a cowl. She 
looked to him like a sadistic superhero, when she let her larynx take 
over.

	The woman screamed at him. A response he had expected. However, 
he had also expected it to be someone he would recognize. It was not, 
some woman dressed in an okonomiyaki chefs outfit. Ranma shrugged 
inwardly, he wasn't in the mood for asking questions and began to turn 
around an leave. He was nearly out the door when he heard it.
	"What the hell is-- Oh my god.", the females voice said from the 
back. Ranma immediately recognized it.
	"What the hell do you want? We've got until tonight!", Nabiki 
yelled at him.
	Ranma felt his guts wrench inside of him. Here was someone else 
from his past someone he recognized. Here was the sister of his love, 
Nabiki Tendo.
	"Nabiki..", he said.
	"We've got until tonight!", the voice replied, "And who gives you 
the right to call me by my first name!"
	"Nabiki", Ranma pleaded, "Its me!"
	Nabiki began to let her stern expression evolve into something 
else, but then returned to its former position.
	"Who are you?", she asked.
	Ranma began to think of what to tell her. 'Hey, its me Ranma, I'm 
not dead, just had amnesia for the past five years' didn't seem 
plausible. "I'm a friend.", he replied instead.
	"Oh yeah?", Nabiki stepped up to him, "I don't have friends who 
dress like that."
	"You don't even recognize my voice, do you?"
	Nabiki thought for a second and replied, "Yeah, it sounds 
familiar, but that doesn't mean a thing."
	"Nabiki. If I tell you who I am, you've got to promise that 
you'll hear me out."
	Nabiki stared up into his eyes. "Fine." she said, still visibly 
suspicious.
	"I'm... I'm Ranma."
	Something clicked. Nabiki let the name seep in. The voice, she 
knew it seemed familiar, but Ranma? She let herself think long and hard 
over the present situation. A number of possibilities ran through her 
head. At first she thought was that it was some sort of sick joke, but 
the posture. The way he talked. It _HAD_ to be Ranma.
	"Ranma?", she said, backing away, "H..How?"
	Kinami also knew the name. Many nights had passed by when Nabiki 
would talk of nothing but Ranma and his skills, and his curse. She also 
made sure to mention how much money she had made off of him.
	"I thought Ranma was dead.", she said to Nabiki.
	Ranma looked at Kinami. He was sure he didn't recognize her, but 
asked anyways, "Do I know you?"
	Kinami turned towards Ranma and smiled, "No, but Nabiki sure does 
talk about you alot.", she held out her hand, expecting it to be shook.
	Ranma reluctantly held out his gloved hand. They shook and Kinami 
immediately began to inspect his costume.
	"Hey, cool threads!", she said, "I was never really into the goth 
thing, but I've gotta admit.. Very trendy!"
	"Ranma?", Nabiki asked, mouth still gaping wide open.
	"Yes, its me", he held out his arms as a friendly gesture.
	Nabiki ran into them immediately. She hugged him as hard as she 
could. Her brother-in-law was back. _HE_ could help her with her 
problems!
	"N..Nabiki?", Ranma asked.
	"I can't believe you're alive!", she cried.
	"I'm.. uhh.. I'm not going to be much longer if you keep hugging 
me like that."
	Nabiki smiled. Now _THIS_ was the Ranma she remembered. Sense of 
humour intact, even if his wardrobe was a bit... different.
	She backed away from him for a moment and took his image in. "Get 
tired of the same old clothes?"
	"Well", Ranma said, looking himself over, "This isn't exactly by 
choice."
	Nabiki smiled. She didn't know what he meant, but she didn't care 
either. Ranma was back. The _ONE_ person that could save her from the 
Yakuza. The _ONE_ person outside of her own family that she cared for 
like a brother. Nabiki wouldn't let her smile go and even let a tear 
run down her cheek. Suddenly, her business sense had taken over.
	"Ranma", she said, "I've got a problem."
	Ranma knew this. He knew this ever since he saw her only a few 
minutes ago. She was afraid of him, even threatening him. Of all the 
possibilities in Ranma's mind, he could only narrow it down to one.
	"Somethings going to happen tonight.", he said.
	Nabiki nodded. "Yakuza.", she said.
	Everything began to fall into place. There were still a few 
things he was unclear on, such as how Nabiki got to own Ucchans, and 
why they were extorting such a small business, and when they had made 
they're presence known in Nerima, but he got the main idea. Extortion.
	Ranma felt obligated to help, and that was exactly what he 
planned on doing. "You can count on me.", was all he could say.