Progeny Chapter Nine By Jeffrey Vasquez Disclaimer: Based on the series Sailor Moon. All characters copyrighted by Naoko Takeuchi, Toei Animation, and Kodansha. The characters of Ranma 1/2 are the express property of the most benevolent queen of comedy, her Highness, the revered Rumiko Takahashi and Shogokukan. I am in no way claiming, or even pretending to own these characters. The rest belong to me. ********* Tendo Dojo Nabiki sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the floor. The excitement of her stay with Mother and the Clan was finally catching up with her. She had no idea what day it was, and asking someone would be more trouble than it was worth. The fact that she was home, and that Daddy wasn't wailing that his little girl had returned, was evidence enough that she hadn't been gone all that long. The fact remained though, that the whole episode hadn't been a dream. She wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or not. It wasn't every day that you were kidnapped for no apparent reason, and told some wild bedtime story about a kingdom on the moon. If there was one thing that Nabiki hated more than anything, it was a mystery. Mysteries went against her grain, leaving things unresolved; and that was something that Nabiki Tendo couldn't settle for. She needed answers. Answers gave a person control, and control meant stability. She gathered up her bath items and raked her hand through her mussed hair. It was time to get to the bottom of the mystery, but the first order of business was getting freshened up. No one took you seriously if you stank up the room. "Yoshitsune! You're back!" Washi's rich voice floated up from downstairs, causing Nabiki to freeze at the door. Her hand was outstretched and shaking; her heart leapt in her chest. The reaction amazed her. She had never felt this way about any man, and the whole experience frightened her. The memory of his gentle arms around her, and the safety that she had felt in them, coursed through her. She tried her best to hold them back, but more images, some safe and some risqu,, broke free; questing for dominance in her mind's eye. She wanted to indulge them; they made her feel warm, and wanted. But she pushed them down harshly, even as laughter erupted from the breakfast table. She knew that she would hear about this later, but it didn't really matter to her. She would be near him again. The whole scenario was so surreal. She never would have thought that Nabiki Tendo, part time bookie - part time philanthropist, would ever fall in love. It was so out of character for her . Her introspection was shattered by a loud voice. "Shut up Old Bird!" There was a meaty slap followed by a hearty splash from the koi pond. It was strangely nostalgic to Nabiki. Images of Akane and Ranma reared up, threatening to overwhelm her. She could just imagine Akane dragging a soaked and rather beaten Ranma back into the house, to be doctored. Akane had tried so hard to hide her feelings; something that Nabiki desperately wished that she could do now. But how could you hide anything from a telepath? Nabiki growled, and latched onto the door. This was stupid. No it was worse than that! It was senseless. She was standing there fantasizing about a man that had kidnapped her. He hadn't even issued a challenge or asked for a ransom! She didn't even know why she had been kidnapped in the first place! It obviously wasn't for her womanly charms! The Jerk! More laughter floated up to her, needling her to action. She opened her door, and calmly made her way to the bath. She needed answers. And She wasn't going to find them sitting up here. ********* Mizuno Clinic Ranma winced as he pulled his pants on. Every muscle seemed to talk to him, which made no sense whatsoever. The fight hadn't been that bad, from what he remembered. He'd taken worse off of Ryouga plenty of times. But there were huge gaps in his memory from after he had come out from underneath the wall. Feh! He hated the Neko-ken! And he hated that stupid old fart, and his idiotic ideas! Ranma hunted for his tank top, grumbling about his father the entire time. A few choice comments about his mother, and her need to show off his manliness slipped in there too. Normally he wouldn't have said them out loud, but the fact that he had spent a good twenty minutes looking for his pants had set him on edge. It was one thing to love his mother, it was another to accept her "helpful" nature. He grunted as he dug the offending garment from one of the room's cabinets. Why couldn't anything ever be easy? Just once, he wished that life would deal him a good solution to a problem, rather than dragging him through the mud. He knew that he had hurt Ami, and that ate at him. It wasn't her fault that she looked like a woman that had been dead for millennia. It wasn't her fault that she could have been Akane's twin sister. She was a nice girl, one that deserved better than a dumb jock like him. He had seen the trophies, and knew what they meant. Ami had a real future; something that he had never really hoped for before Akane and the Tendos. Besides, he was engaged to Nabiki now. He couldn't be unfaithful to her. He knew that he was doing the right thing; why then did he feel like he had just stabbed Ami in the back? None of it made any sense. Ranma was so lost in thought, that he didn't hear Usagi enter the room and lock the door behind her. He simply stared out the window, bare from the waist up. Usagi had never seen so many muscles in her life up close and personal that was. And what a showing it was! She thought that gym class had been good, but this ! What was she thinking? This was Aramas! Her brother! She suddenly felt rather queasy and tried to look away from Ranma's back, when her eyes registered something odd. His back was cast in shadows, so it was difficult to make out at first, but as her eyes adjusted, she recognized the crisscrossing patterns that decorated the young man's back. Scars. Hundreds of them! All over lapping like something clawed him. The more she looked, the more distinct they became. There was a network of marks that lay all over his body now that she looked; all faded from time and healing, but there. What had happened to him? She remembered another scene, from a life long dead, in which she had witnessed a like thing. **** Princess Serenity was furious. That much was clear. The fact that she was furious and stomping down the Hall of Casius clad only in a furred bathrobe, with her hair still dripping wet and suds from her bubble bath on her nose, was enough to divert any questions and smiles for that matter. Just breathing wrong might send the offender to the headsman, if the look on the Princess' face were something to judge by. Which was exactly what she wanted everyone to think. He had done it to her again! Again! Frogs in her bath! How much longer was she going to have to put up with this man? She was going to show him where he could put his frogs! She was sorely tempted to put them there herself! Her line of thought was derailed as she rounded a corner to come face to face with Artemis. The Venusian was eating a rather large fish sandwich, which he promptly began to choke on when he got an eye full of his Princess. He quickly doubled over and fixed his eyes on the floor, while his hacking cough echoed up and down the corridor. "Where is he?" Her voice was strangely calm, despite the maelstrom that raged within her. She hoped that she looked half as nonplussed as her mother did when she used this tone of voice. Artemis pointed down the corridor, to the guards' apartments, his face turning a slight blue from the lack of oxygen. The Princess nodded once and slapped Artemis soundly on the back twice. There was a disgusting splat somewhere near her feet, but she tried not to think about that. "You are a faithful subject Artemis, I will make sure to mention this to Luna when next we meet." Artemis looked up at his Princess with a mixed expression. If Princess Serenity read it correctly, the Guardian Advisor wasn't sure if he should be grateful or worried. Luna had a way of misinterpreting things . Well, that was something to deal with later. Her sights were set on something entirely different now, and she would not be deterred! Finding Aramas was easy enough. She had "visited" the barracks so often (no thanks to her guardian) that she could make this journey blind folded. The hard part was keeping her anger hot amidst the flurry of half naked guards that were running about, or prostrating themselves at her feet. She knew that she would never be able to look the captain of her mother's guard in the eye again at least without laughing. Who thought that a rough and tumble, tough like Captain Phenris would wear powder blue silk undergarments? The only thing that kept her on course at the moment, was the slimy little frog in her hand. The thought of the amphibian clutched in her fist, and the fifty or so family members that he had brought with him to enjoy her bath, was enough to fan the flames to new heights again. The emotion was so intense, that a fully naked figure shot before her eyes, without so much as making her blush. Those guards that weren't ducking for cover mourned for Aramas; knowing that this time, he had really dug his grave deep. Princess Serenity arrived at the offender's quarters, and threw open the door with enough force to cause it to bounce back and hit her unexpectedly. She groaned for but a moment, shrugging off the pain in favor of the naked figure before her. The sight was enough to make her mouth go dry. ****** Usagi could see the scars plainly in her mind's eye. Hundreds of them, of all shapes and sizes had covered Aramas' back, giving testimony of all the hardship that he had seen. She remembered the causal way that he had reached for his pants, completely undisturbed by her presence. He had displayed so much self-control, and so much bravery in light of her intrusion she knew that had the tables been reversed, she would have been scrambling for her clothes and blushing like mad. Not to mention yelling and screaming at the top of her lungs. She also remembered that Aramas had been blameless in the whole frog incident. That had been Merin's Ahem, Minako's joke. She'd have to remember to get back at the Senshi of Venus for embarrassing her in front of so many men. That was for later though. She was on another mission at the moment, that was more pressing than frogs and whatnot. She turned her attention back on the young man before her, ready to unleash her fury on him; a punishment that she felt he had earned. Ranma was just as cool now, as Aramas had been then. He pulled his shirt on and slowly buttoned it up, seemingly oblivious to her presence. She wished that she was that unshakable! He finished with his shirt and began tucking it in, preparing to leave it seemed. It was now or never. She remembered her mother telling her that someone caught off guard was vulnerable. She hoped that the former Queen of the Moon Kingdom was right. "Aramas." She said at last. Had she been looking at him, rather than the anatomy poster that Mizuno-sensei had hung near the door, she would have seen Ranma cringe and turn. The anger in his eyes would have made her bolt for the hills, Ami or no Ami. He did an amazingly good job of reigning in his rage, but that didn't mean that Ranma's face was soft and happy. When Usagi returned her attention back to the young martial artist, his face was cold and stony. "The name's Ranma." Usagi didn't like the steel that laced Ranma's voice. To be honest, it scared her. But she had come here on behalf of her friend, and she wasn't about to back down now. "Fine. Ranma then." She tried her best not to feel nervous, but the way that Ranma stared at her made her skin crawl. The memory of Ami's tears helped steel her resolve. "What's going on? Why did you treat Ami like that?" Ranma didn't answer immediately, he seemed to look inward for a long moment, and Usagi could have sworn that she saw longing pass over his features. Yes she was sure of it. Longing and regret. "It's none of your business." He said plainly, violently shoving his feet into a pair of slippers, and then picking up a bag of tattered clothes. He made a move for the door, but Usagi intercepted him, blocking his escape. "I'm making it my business." She said, stubbornly crossing her arms beneath her breasts. Ranma had seen Nabiki and Akane take up that immoveable stance before. He had even come up with a name for it: The Root of the Mountain. It was a technique that women everywhere seemed to know instinctually. There was only one door, and the window, while large enough to provide an exit - led to the unknown. He had jumped out of enough windows to know that it was better to look before you leaped. Damn. He hated being trapped. "Outta my way Usagi. I don't got time for this." He tried pushing past her, only to find her moving with him to block his path again. He tried a second time, and then moved back a couple of steps when it was evident that she wasn't going to let him pass. She even locked the door to prevent anyone from interrupting! "I'm not budging until you tell me why you made Ami cry?" Ranma flinched visibly. Guilt swelled in his heart at the thought of hurting Ami, but he wasn't about to apologize. She was better off, not getting involved with him. "Better now than later." He said coldly, turning his back on her. It was Usagi's turn to flinch. She had seen the memory. She had seen Akane's death, and felt his sorrow. Her reaction was instinctual, reaching out and laying her hand on his shoulder. "Ranma, it wasn't your fault " "What the HELL do you know about it?" He spun around, enraged. "You weren't there!" Usagi cringed, biting her lower lip before his anger; she refused to back down though. "I know enough!" She said, "I saw it! Just like the others did! We felt her slip away! We felt your heart break! We felt your regret!" Ranma growled and threw his bag onto the bed. "You don't know nothing." Perhaps it was the way that Ranma dismissed her, or the fact that he was denying all the losses that she herself had suffered; her real mother rather their mother, her friends in the battle against Beryl, the millions of people that had once lived in the Moon Kingdom . So many faces crept into her mind's eye, that tears began rolling down her face. She had been angry before, but the cold righteous fury that gripped her now made the previous emotion seem like a candle next to a bonfire. Three steps took her inside Ranma's guard, and before he knew what was happening, her full-armed slap took him across the jaw. Ranma had survived well over a thousand conflicts, been pummeled into the ground by men strong enough to lift cars. But the slap, combined with the earnest tears in Usagi's eyes, hurt more than almost any punch that he had ever taken. "I know enough! You think that you're the only one to lose anyone close to you? You you you Jerk!" She pounded on his chest, pushing him backwards beneath her assault. "I've lost Ami and the others twice! Twice! I've had my boyfriend brainwashed and turned against me! I lost an entire kingdom! People that I had sworn protect!" Ranma sank heavily into a chair next to the bed and looked up at Usagi, unable to respond. The pony-tailed girl wrapped herself in a fierce hug, and sat heavily on the bed next to Ranma. "Don't talk to me about not understanding loss. My whole life has been surrounded by loss." A long uncomfortable silence filled the space between the two, making both feel uncomfortable. Usagi's tears slowly stopped and Ranma handed her a Kleenex, which she gratefully accepted. "Sorry." He said finally. Usagi shrugged and blew her nose loudly. ******** Nodoka and pretty much the rest of the clinic heard the yelling voices coming from Ranma's room. Yuriko and Ami had appeared beside her as she made her way down the hall, and Ami's friends that had helped bring Ranma to the clinic weren't far behind them. Nodoka noticed that the cute girl with the odango hairstyle wasn't among them, but a tall, sharply dressed, green-haired woman was. Nodoka assumed that she must have been Chiba-san's girlfriend. She thought that they made a fabulous couple, and the fact that their faces looked concerned, causing Nodoka to smile. It was so nice that Ranma was making so many friends. The large group came to the door leading to Ranma's room, and Yuriko tried opening the door, only to find it locked. She looked at Nodoka with some trepidation, before producing a key. The muffled argument coming from the other side of the door was escalating. Dr. Mizuno was about to unlock the door, when the tall green haired woman laid her hand on her arm and shook her head. She made a motion for the whole group to wait, when as if by magic, the argument on the other side of the door stopped. ******** The silence returned between the two, making the room feel stuffy and oppressive. Ranma shifted uncomfortably in his chair, wanting to get up and leave, but not able to. He couldn't understand why either. Another few minutes passed before Usagi finally broke the impasse. "So are you going to tell me or not?" Ranma looked up at her, and shook his head. "No." "Why not?" She demanded. "Because it's my business! Damnit!" "I thought that we had already established that I was making it my business." Ranma growled and leapt to his feet. "Well, I ain't sharin'! Got that?" To prove his point he grabbed up his bag and started to make for the door, Usagi hot on his heels. "Awwww, come on Ranma! I'm your sister! You can tell me anything!" He stopped so suddenly, that Usagi plowed into him from behind. For her it was like hitting a brick wall (and she had met enough to know what she was talking about), but for Ranma, the collision barely registered. He thought that he heard something fall to the floor outside the door, but he wasn't sure. ******** Nodoka heard voices pick up again after a moment and tried her best to listen to what was going on behind the door. She could now tell that Usagi was the one in the room with Ranma, but she couldn't tell what was being said. Her frustration must have been evident on her face, for a very helpful young woman produced an empty glass for her. The blonde girl simply smiled and shrugged, before the raven haired girl smacked her on the back of her head. Nodoka knew that it wasn't polite to eavesdrop, but the combined curiosity, weighed down on her intensely. The collective expectation of everyone gathered was irresistible. Very carefully, intent on making no noise, she put the glass up against the door, and her ear against the bottom of the glass. "So are you going to tell me or not?" "No." "Why not?" She demanded. "Because it's my business! Damnit!" "I thought that we had already established that I was making it my business." Ranma growled and leapt to his feet. "Well, I ain't sharin'! Got that?" The sounds of shuffling feet coming toward the door made her nervous, and she quickly motioned for everyone to make themselves scarce. She was about to pull the glass away from the door when Usagi's cheery voice came through the glass. "Awwww, come on Ranma! I'm your sister! You can tell me anything!" Something happened. Nodoka wasn't sure what, but the room seemed to spin and fall away. The last thing that she remembered, was the thought that Genma Saotome was going to have a lot of explaining to do. ******** Tendo Dojo Yoshitsune sat on a rock near the koi pond and sulked. It wasn't an unnatural sight for those that knew him; being the butt of everyone's jokes often did that to a man. But there was something more ponderous about his scowl than was normally there. Had any of the Clan taken a moment to really study him, they would have found a new light to his eyes, something that the stony faced warrior had never had before. This was the root of his foul mood: the gut wrenching, mind numbing distraction, that had burrowed its way into his heart. He had a name for his nemesis, but he was afraid to voice it. Not that he was afraid of this new antagonist... not really at any rate. It was that by naming it, he felt that he was giving her power over him; power that he knew deep down that she already possessed. Denial was a privilege that he could afford to indulge in. He looked down into the pond at the reflection of the clouds, trying to lose himself in a moment of meditation. His mind went back to the time before he had been adopted into the Clan. Life had been so much simpler then, but everything seemed simple to a ten year old. He remembered a game that he and his brother used to play while fishing near their home. They would lay back and watch the clouds, shaping them with their imaginations. It had been such a simple past-time, that had diverted Yoshitsune for hours on end. Now, every time he looked heaven ward, he would see a face in the clouds. So beautiful and mysterious... her eyes hiding so much pain from the rest of the world. Nabiki's face. With a growl of frustration he tossed a pebble into the water. It had been ages since he had seen a real woman, well a human woman at any rate. Elves and Kitsune never counted as far as Yoshitsune was concerned. All they ever cared about was the pleasure of the moment or what their dinner was going to shape up to be. They had wanted him because he was an oddity; a curiosity that would divert their boredom long enough to stave off immortality. Nabiki was different. She couldn't hide her thoughts, or guard her dreams. She was this magnificent book, that lay before Yoshitsune waiting to be read. It was refreshing to be around such an open person again. There were no psychic walls and barriers with her. What you saw was what you got. And what a priceless jewel she was. Nabiki had seen much of her world, and the pleasures and pain associated with it, but despite the cut throat exterior, had come through relatively unscathed. Her largest scars were like the rest of her family's, the loss of mother and sister. Nabiki was truly brave. It was plain that she was taking up the role that Kasumi could no longer sustain; being strong for those that had no more strength to give. He admired her for that. He admired her for a great many things... her eyes, her silky brown hair, the shape of her... "You're projecting." Yoshitsune jumped five feet into the air, angling over the koi pond in an arc that inevitably would end his journey with a splash. The koi, maneuvered themselves with practiced ease out of the falling man's path. The act was done with such alacrity, that it seemed a synchronized effort. The resounding splash was drown out by Nabiki's irreverent laughter (not to mention the rest of the Clan's). If his blood could boil, the water around him would have been churning. His face alone was giving off enough heat to do the job; whether it was from anger or embarrassment or anger, Yoshitsune couldn't decide. Nabiki's laughter lessened only a little, as the warrior drug himself from the water. An image of a water logged Ranma-chan, stomping soggily out of the pond made Nabiki howl; Washi wasn't far behind her, pounding on the dining room table and laughing so hard that tears were rolling down his face. "I am not a girl." Yoshitsune growled, misinterpreting the mental image that Nabiki was projecting. The way the loose white silk of his shirt clung to him, Nabiki had to agree. The direction of her thoughts began to take in other parts of his wet body as well, causing the man to blush harder. "Would you please stop that?" Yoshitsune asked, his eyes half closed in irritation. Nabiki bit her lip, and Washi bellowed even harder than before. "Sorry." She snickered. The laughter in her eyes made his heart pound in his chest. "No you're not." He growled, wringing his shirt out. Nabiki got a slight glimpse of his washboard stomach and nearly whistled with appreciation. This guy was more toned than Ranma! And judging by the coloration of his skin, he liked to workout without a shirt on.... An impromptu photo shoot seemed in order. Toshitsune whirled on her quickly and held up his index finger an inch away from Nabiki's nose. "Don't. Even. Think. About. It." The promise of retribution was plain in his eyes. Washi was rolling around on the floor, along with some of the other members of the Clan... including Father. Nabiki was beginning to tire of the man's "holier-than-thou" attitude and propped herself up on her elbows to glare at him. Just to spite him, and perhaps to really indulge herself, Nabiki took a moment and envisioned a particularly steamy scene that stopped everyone dead in their tracks. Washi's laughter stopped, and Father's eyes crossed, and several of the others simply bit their bottom lips and looked on with deep interest. Yoshitsune boggled at the scene that was playing out in his mind, and began to sweat nervously. He closed his eyes, so that he wouldn't have to look at Nabiki. It was so hard to reign in his emotions, and to Nabiki's surprise, the man began to tremble. "Please. Please Tendo-san, stop." There was a pleading edge to his voice that pushed the fantasy out of Nabiki's mind, to the great disappointment of the eavesdroppers. Hato-chan most of all groaned in regret, much to the surprise of her siblings. There was a mumbled "pervert" from behind Nabiki, followed by someone getting slapped. She barely noted it however. Her attention was focused on the man before her. He seemed so vulnerable in that moment, that all she could think about doing was embracing him and apologizing. "Awwwwww." The collected sigh from the gathered audience behind her made her groan. "Do you mind?" She said turning to the group and leveling them with her coldest stare. Washi smiled from were he lay, his head propped in one hand and his bulbous eyes blinking exaggeratedly. "Not at all, please continue." Hato-chan hit him with Genma and Soun's shogi board, crashing his head into the floor. "Baka! You ruined the mood!" Nabiki shook her head, and then turned her attention back to Yoshitsune in time to see him slip out the front gate. There was no way that he was going to get away that easily. He owed her an explanation for her kidnaping, and she meant to drag it out of him one way or another. She leapt to her feet and dashed after him, intent on catching him before he lost himself in the mid morning crowds. Mother, from her vantage point in front of the door of the dojo, smiled at the thought of yet another chick leaving the nest. She shook her head, and returned to her preparations. There was much to be done before Aramas returned to her. It wasn't everyday that she got to meet the future Queen of the Moon either. Soun and Genma looked at each other in mild confusion, and shrugged simultaneously. They were Nabiki's new friends after all, and she would introduce them soon enough. "She seems to be adjusting to the chaos quite well Tendo." Genma beamed. "Right you are Saotome, right you are." Soun smiled as they replaced the game pieces on the small table, that as still embedded in Washi's head. "At this rate, she'll be ready to marry Ranma by the end of the month!" The two men did a little dance of joy, and set back to playing their game. The groaning Washi went unnoticed. ******** Mizuno Clinic Usagi's words swirled in Ranma's mind, calling up a thousand memories that he wanted nothing to do with. But denying the emotions that went with them was harder. He turned to look down at the bright blue eyes that stared back up at him happily. He had always wanted to have a little sister; someone that he could protect, and tease, and just talk to. The lonely memories of years on the road with his father loomed beside those of Aramas, and the Senshi. If he believed them, Usagi really was his sister. If he didn't everything remained the same. All he had to do was accept the fact that he really wasn't a seventeen year old martial artist named Ranma Saotome. All he had to do was embrace the idea that he was a reincarnated prince from a kingdom long since dust. Yeah, right. He growled again and pushed past Usagi, reaching for the door. He was Ranma Saotome damnit! No matter what these people said! No matter what his dreams said! To accept anything else was to sacrifice his identity! He'd lose his mother again, and everything that he had suffered for over the years would have been living a lie. Especially Akane. There was no way that he had loved her just because she looked like Isis! No way! He couldn't cheapen her death or spit on her memory like that! He had loved Akane Tendo. Period. Ranma unlocked the door and threw it open, almost taking out Mizuno-sensei and two of Ami's friend's in the process. >From the guilty looks on their faces he knew that they had been eavesdropping. He pinned Ami with a hurt glance and stormed off. She and Usagi called after him, followed closely by Mizuno-sensei. "Let him go." Setsuna's voice was like a wet blanket, coldly dowsing the passion within the room. "He needs some time to himself. And we have other concerns right now." Yuriko looked down at her unconscious friend and quickly set about checking her over. She motioned for Mamoru to help her carry Nodoka into one of the examination rooms, while Setsuna shepherded the others back into the foyer. Mamoru soon joined them. "How's Ranma's mom?" Ami asked, her puffy red eyes looked awful. "Shaken, with a small bump on her head." Mamoru replied. "Your mother said that she was going to monitor her for awhile." "Good." Leave it to Setsuna to be the cold voice of practicality. "We have plans to make." Both Ami and Usagi shot her frigid glances. "What about Aramas?" Luna asked "Ranma will be fine." Setsuna made it a point to emphasize the name, which made Ami scowl. "But he's hurting Setsuna," Usagi said worriedly. "Someone should help him." Setsuna shook her head, despite the fact that she agreed with Usagi's observation. "He will be fine." "But.... " "You are my Princess," Setsuna cut Usagi off. "... and someday you will be my Queen. But that is if, and only IF, you heed my counsel here and now!" Usagi gulped and looked away from Setsuna's piercing gaze. "Aramas' father has returned. Broken free from a prison that should have been impossible to escape. His only desire when he was alive, was overthrowing the Moon Kingdom." Usagi gulped, and Haruka flexed her fists, cracking her knuckles. "With the moon Kingdom gone, where do you think his attention will turn? We are all that is left, to stand before a mad man and conquest, and you are not even fully trained yet! If we are to survive this threat, Ranma will have to tend to himself for a while." She shook her head. "I want to help him as much as you do Usagi, but soon enough we will have our hands full with Ur." Usagi slumped into a chair wearily. Nothing ever came easy. Something, or someone was always being sacrificed for the sake of the future. ******** Tokyo Harbor Herb shrugged into his pack easily, adjusting it so that the magical treasures he carried would distribute themselves properly. The boat that they had hired (bought would have been a more appropriate term) was already returning to gather the next group to be ferried over. Lime and Mint stood on either side of their King; but no one was as close to him as Pepper, who had taken up a silent vigil that made Herb concerned. The boy was maturing too quickly. He had a feverish look that was paranoid. He would jump at shadows, and brandish his small knives at the slightest hint of danger. It was almost enough to crush Herb's spirit. The only thing that kept him going was the thought of revenge, and the need of his people. He asked Xian Pu in Chinese, as the Amazon shrugged into the harness that would carry her Great-Grandmother's weakened and still broken body. She looked around her, and finally settled on two of her sisters that had chosen to accompany them from Hong Kong. She looked to the ragged form of Khu Lon and shrugged. Herb asked. He noticed the way that Xian Pu winced and subsequently dismissed the notion. Her voice was terse, and far too controlled. Saotome must have hurt her pride deeply for her to be this cold about the issue. Herb was about to say something more, when Xian Pu walked over to Khu Lon, and after a brief conversation, gathered the ancient woman into her arms. Khu Lon gingerly scrambled into the harness and allowed her great granddaughter to take up her staff. With a weak motion she motioned for the others to follow. Herb sighed and adjusted his pack again, finally setting out after the Amazons with his small retinue. ******** There was something to be said for window shopping. For Nabiki Tendo, it was a form of meditation; a time to relax and meander without any real purpose. Let other people practice their kata, or hum while surrounded by incense Nabiki could achieve the same separation from browsing through a rack of blouses. And today she needed it. Not only had her home been invaded by a whole new level of weirdness, but Ranma wasn't even there to act as the catalyst. She had lost sight of Yoshitsune the moment he entered the shopping district, and had been cursing her luck ever since. She needed something to take her mind off the man, and the nagging questions that plagued her. Shopping seemed the most logical thing in the world when faced with the chaos that had suddenly dropped into her lap. Her fingers danced through the rack of crew shirts absently, looking for a blue or black ensemble that matched a particular pair of shoes that she had seen earlier. The Clan's presence made absolutely no sense. And getting answers from any of them verbal or otherwise was next to impossible. Their body language was so foreign, and when presented with a direct question it was like she was talking to a stone. They would sit and stare at her for a very long time, but say nothing. They weren't exactly ignoring her; not really. It seemed as though they were waiting for something. Maybe for her to put the pieces together, or something. She had gone over the facts that she had again, trying to see the situation from another point of view; but it did little good. How do you fit the Phoenix in with a dead Kingdom? The symbolic connection seemed pretty straight forward; especially after Mother said that they were coming to resurrect a dead kingdom. The Phoenix was a symbol of death and rebirth, so that was the obvious connection. But what about the Musk? They had fallen, but weren't lost? How did Herb fit into all of this? They hadn't heard from him since Ranma had locked horns with him. She moved to another rack and picked out a smoky gray for lack of a better term, body sock. There were holes cut in appropriate places, and some places that were not so appropriate. It was the perfect sort of garment to wear to a club, but fat chance she would ever enjoy a night out on the town again. Ranma's idea of fun, if it hadn't died with Akane, was beating the snot out of some poor sap stupid enough to issue him a challenge letter. It was too bad really, she would have liked to have seen his reaction to this little number. She reluctantly put the dress back, and moved to a more formal section of the boutique. Since an inherent aspect of window shopping was dreaming, Nabiki felt that she should indulge herself. The only real formal wear that she owned, was a black gown that would have set her fiancee's blood to boil. It wasn't something that she could see herself wearing to dinner either. It was just too drafty. As she looked through some of the selections, a realization began to dawn on her. **Ranma.** His name popped into her mind, light some sort of lightbulb. The key was Ranma. She snorted derisively as she held up a backless, ruby red, sequined ensemble. Ranma was the center of everything, but how he fit into this puzzle was beyond her. She held the dress up to her and began inspecting its length. As she lifted her gaze to the mirror across from her, she noticed Yoshitsune's face behind her shoulder. "Red suits you." His words were soft, and as Nabiki turned around she saw that he was walking quickly out of the shop. "HEY!" Nabiki tossed the dress up atop the rack, and took off after the man. As she came out of the shop she looked around hoping to spot her quarry. Only to find no sign of his passage. "Sona'va...." she began mumbling to herself, as she turned and walked straight into a man, and was knocked off her feet. ******** Ranma stormed through the crowds of people, his bright blue aura causing the crowds to give him a wide birth. He hadn't realized that his trip had taken him back to Nerima, nor had it dawned on him that hours had passed since he had left Mizuno-sensei's clinic. His mind had latched onto one thing and had been relentless in repeating the idea over and over again. **I am Ranma Saotome. Heir to the Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu. I am Ranma Saotome. Heir to the Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu. I am Ranma Saotome. Heir to the Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu.** It had become his litany, staving off the memories that continued to echo in the back of his mind. He had done a good job so far, and the yearning that he felt to be near Ami was lessening. But he knew that there was no way that he could keep it up indefinitely. It was little wonder that he didn't see the woman bolt out of the shop in front of him, or start to turn towards him for that matter. He did, however, feel her slam into him; and for the second time in so many days, he found himself reaching out and wrapping his arms around a woman before he knew that she was really there. "Well, it's about time!" It took Ranma a full minute to process the voice, and by the time it took him to finally recognize Nabiki, she had her trade marked smirk in place and was lounging comfortably in Ranma's arms. "Nabiki?" "Glad to see that you finally noticed. I've been waiting all week for you to do this." "Nani?" Ranma looked thoroughly confused, just like normal. It made Nabiki's smile widen all the more. "Ever the astute, ne Ranma-kun?" The bewildered look in his eyes, made her roll her eyes. She was about to ask him to put her down, when a shadow fell over them ominously. "Put her down, please." Nabiki groaned and smacked her forehead. Of all the times for Yoshitsune to show up! Ranma made no move to let go of Nabiki, instead, he stood smoothly and turned to face the voice. Nabiki was glad to note that Ranma clutched her a bit tighter. "Who the Hell are you?" He growled. But was surprised when there was no one to face off against. He looked to his left and then to his right, and then (at Nabiki's direction) looked down. There face plastered to the sidewalk, knelt Yoshitsune. Ranma groaned and counted to ten, while Nabiki looked on in fascination. "Uhm, Ranma? Why is he kneeling to you?" Nabiki asked dryly. Ranma snorted and the looked at Nabiki with a tired smirk of his own. "Two thousand yen please." ******** Somewhere in Middle China, at an undisclosed military base the Chinese soldier's warning was drowned out by his dying scream, and then the inevitable static as the radio's channel died. Commander Wian Chung had received a dozen such reports in less than fifteen minutes. Each had been more terrible than the last, leaving him trembling in terror. He wanted to vomit each time he looked at the monitors. Twelve Squadrons had been dispatched, to investigate the initial alarm, and only three remained. There had been reports of demons, and living shadows coming out of the darkness and ripping crack troops apart with such brutality, that the bodies had to be identified by dental records. That was if the teeth could be found. The attack pattern was obvious, and Wian Chung knew that there was nothing that he could do to stop the advance. But what would demons want with a nuclear weapon? It made no sense. That would be the last question that Commander Chung would ever ask, as the horse headed shadow took shape behind him. He had enough time to wonder if his wife and children had escaped the base, before Savitiri fell upon the man and devoured his soul along with his flesh. ******** End Chapter Nine