Nabiki - New Horizons Chapter 18 - Best Laid Plans by G.L. Sandborn "Ranma's missing." Kasumi's simple declaration was all that greeted Nabiki upon her return from Iwasata and the meeting with Master Sato. With the exception of Oneechan, the house appeared to be empty. "Where is everyone?" "Out looking for Ranma." "What happened?" Kasumi sighed and told her sister all she knew concerning Ranma's disappearance. It was a fairly short tale full of unknowns and suppositions. After all was said, one thing was clear; Ranma had been gone for three days and no one knew where to look. "Have you tried --" "Ukyou hasn't seen him. The way she greeted the police when they stopped at her place made that much clear." "How about --" "No," Kasumi shook her head again. "The Kunos have been able to account for their whereabouts during the last three days. In any case, the police searched their home and grounds and found nothing." "Then --" "The Cat Cafe has been boarded up. Since Ranma and Akane were married the place has been closed. No one's seen any of them for over a week." Nabiki frowned as she followed her sister into the kitchen. It was obvious who the prime suspects were. "Any idea where Cologne and her charges went?" "No." Kasumi poured a cup of tea. "As soon as we reported his disappearance, the police began searching." Kasumi sighed as she handed the tea to her sister. "I guess having a Japanese citizen kidnapped by gaijin peaked their interest." "How's Akane taking it?" "She's up in her room sleeping right now. Tofu gave her a pretty strong sedative." Kasumi forced a painful-looking smile. "She's been frantic, running around day and night - sometimes searching herself and other times just sitting in her room crying about how it's all her fault." Nabiki's eyes instinctively went to the ceiling of the kitchen. Upstairs she could imagine what her sister was going through. Having lived that brand of hell when Jeffrey was attacked gave her pause to pity her sister. "Where's Daddy and Mr. Saotome?" "Out." Kasumi scowled at her tea cup. "Daddy's checking the hospitals again. There's no telling what Mr. Saotome is up to." Kasumi waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. It was clear she didn't think much of the efforts put forth by Ranma's dad. "Then we don't have a clue." Nabiki frowned at her sister. "Not necessarily," came a familiar voice from the front hallway. "Inspector Abe." Kasumi's genuine smile greeted their visitor. "That's former Police Inspector. I've been retired." he corrected softly. "Oh, I'm sorry..." Kasumi momentarily covered her mouth with her delicate fingers before remembering her hospitality. "Could I offer you some tea? I've just made it." "Thank you, but that won't be necessary." Abe smiled and nodded to the Tendo sisters. "What brings you here, Abe-san?" Nabiki asked in a low voice, her eyes narrowed. "I've been working on this disappearance... independently." Abe paused to scowl at the floor. "It's a most distressing case. I mean, Chinese gaijin kidnapping a Japanese citizen is quite unsettling." "Yes, I suppose under those circumstances they *would* make more of an effort than for, oh say, an American infant." Nabiki's voice had a distinct edge to it. It was clear she remembered the last time the police were called in to find a member of her family. "Nabiki!" Kasumi chastised her sister. "That's no way to speak to a guest." Abe held up a hand. "That's quite alright. I understand." He grimaced lightly before forcing a smile. "You have every reason to feel that way. My colleagues acted shamefully in the case of your missing daughter." Nabiki's glare softened only a little. She knew how much Jeffrey trusted the former police officer and she trusted her husband completely. Sometimes, she reminded herself, it's best to follow the one you trust most. Kasumi finally broke the uncomfortable silence. "Do you have any leads?" "Well, after your sister kicked in the back door of the Cat Cafe and ransacked the building looking for her husband, there wasn't much left to go on. I fear she destroyed any clues we might have found." "Hmmmm, that's Akane all right." Nabiki continued to eye Abe suspiciously. "As soon as you reported him missing, the police notified all the airports and maritime points of departure to be on the look out. I believe our suspects are still in Japan." Abe sounded quite sure of himself. "So where does that leave us?" Nabiki tried to refocus her anger into something constructive. She remembered Jeffrey's admonishment that allies come in many forms and that all should be used. That reminded her of Sato and the mess she made by not trusting him. "I have used my contacts in the government to get a listing of all the building rentals in the last week." He patted a large computer printout in his hands. "I believe they are hold up in a recently rented building until the authorities tire of watching. Then they will make their move to leave the country." "So if you know how to find them, what's preventing the police from making an arrest?" Nabiki's antagonistic voice returned. "It's not that simple. There are thousands of new rentals registered every day in Japan. I doubt our suspects would be foolish enough to register in their own names and we don't have the manpower to search each and every new rental on the list." "So we're at a dead end." "Possibly but I brought the list here in hopes one of you might notice something that we missed - something that has a meaning to you but would go totally unnoticed by us." Kasumi and Nabiki exchanged looks before agreeing to examine the list. It was certain they weren't going to find Ranma any other way. Especially since Nabiki couldn't expect any help from the Shinobi. Grateful for their assistance, Abe bowed and quietly left but not before leaving his card with Kasumi so she'd know where to call should they turn up anything. "Well, It looks like our evening is cut out for us," Kasumi said as she placed the stack of paper on the family table. Nabiki only snorted and shook her head before plopping down on a large pillow and scanning the first page. "Kasumi, there's over twenty-five rentals per page." She flipped through the stack. "There has to be 500 pages here." "Well, I'll just have to make sure the tea is extra strong." Kasumi forced a reluctant smile before heading to the kitchen. Nabiki separated the printout into two stacks and started to skim the names. They seemed endless and were a combination of individuals, gaijin, businesses, and organizations - all mixed together in a never ending stream of titles. Kasumi soon joined her sister and silently sorted through her half of the list. For the next hour, all that could be heard in the Tendo house was the sounds of a clock ticking, pages being turned and tea being sipped. When both were satisfied that their lists contained nothing out of the ordinary, they traded lists and started through going through the process all over again. The frustration got to Nabiki first. "I can't believe this," she moaned pushing the printout from in front of her. "This is hopeless." "You must develop patience, Nabiki," Kasumi said softly without taking her eyes off her list. "These things take time." "No offense, Kasumi, but your tea is not enough to keep me awake. I'd kill for a Coke." Nabiki stretched and yawned. "Odd you should mention that." Kasumi paused to take another sip of her tea without taking her eyes off her printout. "Mr. Saotome has developed an odd liking for the stuff. I think there's a couple of cans left in the refrigerator." Nabiki wasted no time in retrieving the caffeine and sugar-laden product. After a long, satisfying gulp, Nabiki sighed contentedly. "Now *that's* more like it. You know Jeffrey likes Pepsi. Can't understand what he sees in that stuff. Coke is much better." Nabiki smacked her lips before taking another, can-draining gulp. "You don't say," Kasumi replied absently as she stared at the list in front of her. She had paused when an odd thought occurred to her the same time a particular name crossed her field of vision. "Yeah, he's always telling me I don't know what's good but I think he's just stubborn." Nabiki smirked at nothing in particular as she envisioned her husband's sputtering attempts to convince her of his chosen cola product's superiority. Kasumi didn't respond. Her mind was totally locked onto deciphering the name she had just found. "Oneechan?" Nabiki asked softly when she noticed her sister's trance-like state. "Are you alright?" Kasumi's expression never changed as she frowned at the list. Occasionally, her eyes would blink but other than that, she was frozen like a statue. "Kasumi?" Nabiki asked with a touch of fear in her voice. As she gently nudged her, Kasumi seemed to wake from her trance. "What?" she asked softly while blinking at her sister. "You were really zoned out. What's wrong?" Nabiki resumed her place at the table and leaned over towards her sister. "Do you remember a couple of weeks ago when we were talking on the phone?" Kasumi slowly stroked her chin like she was still stringing together bits of evidence. Nabiki frowned at the table as she tried to recall all the things they talked about. Whenever she called home, she always talked to Kasumi. Their conversations usually touched on just about everything imaginable. "Do you remember what you said about Shampoo's name in English?" "Yeah.... something about how odd it was they all had names that sounded like English words for hair care products. So?" Kasumi frowned at the list again. "I'm not certain but I think I might have found something." Nabiki snatched the list out her sister's hand and squinted at the name Kasumi had circled. "Amazon Hair Care Exports Ltd ?" Nabiki read carefully. "I think this is a bit of a stretch." "Maybe," Kasumi admitted. "But check out where they claim their home office is." Nabiki's face grew hard when she read the location. "Joketsuzoku," she hissed angrily. "I think you've nailed it." "I guess I better call the Inspector," Kasumi said as she pulled out Abe's card. "No!" Nabiki growled. "This is OUR business. I don't trust the police." "Now Nabiki, if it's about --" "It's not about Sodoshi's kidnapping, although heaven knows I have more than enough justification to hate them for that. No, it's because of who we are." Kasumi blinked. "Tendos?" "No! We are the last of our clan. Our ancestors wouldn't go running to the authorities with their problems. They might USE the authorities for their own purposes but they would NEVER have left the outcome in their hands." "Nabiki, I don't like where this is going." "I've been too nice to them over the years. This time they've gone too far." "What are you going to do?" "Something I should have done a long time ago." Nabiki got up from the table and stomped over to the phone. Kasumi scrambled to follow. "I hope you're not going to do something illegal." "Nope," Nabiki said with a set jaw. "It'll all be VERY legal." "Who are you calling?" "Someone I know who works for the Foreign Ministry." "Why?" Nabiki turned slightly to cast a withering look her sister's way. "The Cold Moon Clan is back in business. We're about to show how a *modern* clan does things." "I don't know about this." "Trust me. I know what I'm doing." Kasumi clutched the front of her dress and stared at her sister in shock. She hadn't seen Nabiki look this angry since her daughter was kidnapped. Deep down, Kasumi felt sorry for Shampoo and her friends. "I guess... I better..." Kasumi paused as she tried to find a graceful way to disengage herself from her sister's presence. The feeling of malevolence coming from Nabiki was almost too much to bear. "... go check on Akane." Nabiki didn't notice Kasumi's departure as she was fully engaged in an animated discussion with an insider from the Foreign Ministry. She had dealt with kidnappers before and had absolutely no remorse about what she was about to do. Kasumi quietly slid open the door to the Saotome apartment on the second floor. It was quiet and dark inside. Slowly, so as to not trip over anything, she made her way back towards the bedroom. Noticing the door was ajar, she discreetly peeked inside. With a gasp, she snapped on the lights. "Oh no," she moaned lightly before bolting back towards the hall, stumbling over clothing, pillows, and household furnishings. Scrambling down the stairs, Kasumi yelled for her younger sister. "Just a minute," Nabiki said into the phone before holding it against her chest. "What is it Kasumi?" "Akane's gone!" ***** "Great-grandmother, come quick! Something wrong with Ranma." Shampoo's voice cut through the tiny store-front apartment the trio had rented. It was far enough from Nerima so they would not be recognized but still close enough should they need to sneak back to the Nekohatten. Cologne tiredly set aside her reading and followed Shampoo into a small back room where the form of Ranma Saotome was slowly writhing on a futon. Cologne frowned as Ranma slowly dissolved from his male form into his female form and back again. Silently, she watched several transformations before reaching down and feeling the young man's cheek. He was burning up with fever. "What wrong with husband Ranma?" Shampoo's worried expression framed her wide eyes as they shifted between Cologne and the man who was her husband only by Amazon law. Cologne frowned and pursed her lips. "I've seen this only once before. It's called a Curse Paradox." "What that?" Shampoo gasped. "It's when a person already cursed is splashed again with the same curse water when it's warm. The temperature of the water tries to change the person back to normal while the cursed water tries to maintain the person in his cursed state. Hence, a paradox." Shampoo stared in horror as Ranma blurred from male to female once again. "How...?" "I fear the fault is mine, child. I had a hidden cask of Nyanniichuan in the basement of our cafe. I had asked Mousse to fill a bucket with pure spring water from our casks in the basement. The knock-out potion works best in pure spring water, you know. Either he accidentally used the Nyanniichuan or switched the water on purpose." "Mousse --" Shampoo growled malevolently. "Hush child. A Curse Paradox is quite rare. I doubt the boy is smart enough to know what he was doing." "Then... what we do?" "If I cannot cure him quickly,..." Cologne paused to look at her trusting great-granddaughter. "What?" Shampoo took a step towards Cologne in anticipation. "He will die." Cologne's off-hand reply stunned Shampoo. "Die?" she finally gasped with a desperate look at Ranma. "We can still save him, child." Cologne walked back towards the front room. Shampoo anxiously followed. "I'll have to go out to get a few things." "Shampoo help." "Of course." Cologne paused and looked back towards the room where Ranma lay. "Have you seen Mousse today?" "No Great-grandmother." Shampoo frowned at the mention of their male companion. "Hmmmm, well you and I will have to do this ourselves. I'm certain that son-in-law will not be going anywhere by himself." Shampoo agreed and was quickly given a list of items to purchase. Cologne checked her own list before offering a final warning. "We must be very careful not to be discovered while shopping. I'm certain the police are looking for Ranma and we are probably high on their list of suspects." Shampoo nodded and forced a smile. Cologne paused in the open door. "Take care, child." "Shampoo not be caught," the young Amazon pledged with a stern look. With a final nod, Cologne slipped out of the shop followed quickly by Shampoo. As the door clicked shut, the only sounds in the shop were Ranma's gasps of pain and the ticking of an old clock. Minutes passed before the side of a rather large crate creaked open. Cautiously, Mousse emerged from his hiding place and looked around. Satisfied that he was alone, he stumbled over to Ranma's futon. "So, Ranma Saotome, you're dying. Good. It saves me the trouble." He glared at Ranma's form as it slowly transformed between genders. "Of course, if Cologne were to cure you..." Mouse snarled at the thought of his rival surviving as he quickly crossed to a closet door and listened carefully for a few moments. "Sounds like the coast is clear." With a cruel chuckle he returned to Ranma's side. "If you are not here when they return, there is no way you can be cured. And if you were to disappear altogether... well, there would be no way they could blame me." Bizarre, evil laughter echoed through the building. ***** Nodoka Saotome quietly worked on her sewing in the dim light of her small home. A small television showing an American Western featuring her favorite American actor was playing across the room. She listened intently, occasionally looking up and smiling. She didn't have to watch closely. She knew all the scenes by heart. The scene where all the cowboys were fighting and sliding into a pit of mud, however, caused her to pause her sewing and chuckle aloud. She loved this movie. Her evening was interrupted by the sound of something striking the back door of her house. It wasn't a booming impact, just a loud thump that startled her. As her breath came in rapid gasps, she listened intently, trying to screen out the soundtrack of the movie for further unnatural sounds. Again there came a thump, louder this time. With her heart beating loudly in her ears, she set her sewing aside and crept to where the family sword rested on its wooden display. She paused, her hand on the hilt and her eyes narrowed. Another thump and she silently snatched the weapon from its scabbard. Whatever was at her back door didn't belong there and was certainly unwelcome. Holding the sword like a trained swordsman, she slowly crept into her kitchen. She paused again while carefully listening. Like most Japanese homes, her back door did not contain a lock. Whatever was there, if it could use a door knob, would easily be able to gain access to her home. An average female alone, even in Japan, was vulnerable. Nodoka, however, was no average female. Ever since her husband had disappeared with their only son, she'd spent many hours learning how to use the one weapon left to her; the family sword. A friendly neighbor, a widower descendant of the samurai class, drilled her in the art of swordsmanship in exchange for an occasional hot meal. Ten years of training had resulted in one throughly dangerous female. Another impact of her door sounded more like a dull thud followed by the sound of a body sliding down its surface. Nodoka paused and flicked the lower folds of her kimono open to give her mobility. Her still muscular-looking legs flexed as she lowered herself into a guarded stance. Licking her dry lips, she readied herself and reached for the door knob. With a sudden twist of the knob, she jumped back, her sword at the ready. A small female body rolled into her kitchen. Nodoka instantly recognized who it was. "Akane!" she called hoarsely. "What happened to you, child?" Akane could only whimper and sob as her body curled itself into a fetal position. Her clothing was torn and there were visible bruises on her body. It looked like the girl had been beaten and left for dead. It took only a few minutes for Nodoka to get Akane into her futon and apply a cold wash cloth to the girl's forehead. "Who could have done such a thing?" she whispered as she undressed Akane and covered her with a thick blanket. The girl's body began a fevered trembling. As there appeared to be no serious injuries, all Nodoka could do was comfort the girl, assuring her in soft tones that she was safe. It wasn't easy as Akane kept mumbling something between moans as her body twitched in torment. "Ranma, why?" Akane whimpered. "Why?" Nodoka's face hardened. Why should this lovely creature be begging for mercy. And why was she calling her son's name? "It hurts, Ranma." Akane's voice trailed off into further mumbling. Nodoka's thoughts concerning her son turned dark. Further coherent thought dissolved into even darker reflections that spun through her consciousness to be coated with her growing anger. Wordlessly, Nodoka returned to the kitchen and retrieved her sword. "Genma Saotome, you've dishonored the family name by your actions. You lied to me. You perverted our son." Nodoka gripped the black ray skin hilt of her blade. "I won't forget this." ***** A lone figure pushed an old cart laden with dirty-looking tatami mats along a rural road northwest of Tokyo. He had been traveling for hours looking for just the right place. He needed a place where nothing would discover his load for many hours - perhaps even days. He pushed his glasses back up on the bridge of his nose as he stopped to check out where he was. There were few buildings nearby, just a couple of farm houses and what appeared to be an old Buddhist monastery. Over the hours, his conscience had slowly worked on him. As much as he wanted Ranma Saotome dead, he couldn't bring himself to kill his rival in his current condition. Besides, he thought, if Cologne was correct, time would take care of his problem anyway. He also felt a shadow of guilt. It was his fault this accident occurred in the first place. He honestly tried to fetch the requested water Cologne asked for. It was just that the casks looked so much alike. He really thought he was filling from the right cask. He sighed as he resumed pushing the cart towards the Buddhist monastery. He could tell it was still occupied because he could hear the monks chanting as he grew closer to the massive wood entrance. As he creaking old cart ground to a halt against the first step of the entrance, a plan had formed. "I'll just leave you to the monks. They'll find you and care for you until you die. You'll be dead all the same and it won't be my fault." Mousse unrolled part of a tatami mat to reveal Ranma Saotome. The sight of his old enemy brought forth new venom. A crack of thunder complete with streaks of lightening framed his form as he scowled at his stricken foe. "Shampoo will finally be free of you. I'll have my revenge and Shampoo too." He rolled his head back and faced the dark clouds overhead. "I've finally won! Do you hear me, Saotome? I've won!" His jubilation was short lived. A sudden cloud burst drenched him in a cold summer rain. His own transformation quickly resulted in an angry duck struggling to free himself from his now useless clothing. Even in victory, he'd found a way to lose to Ranma Saotome. Quacking angrily, he stumbled through the driving rain towards the lights of a nearby farm house. He figured he'd find hot water somewhere there. He could hear other ducks quacking nearby. As he waddled off the road, his webbed feet slipped on the muddy slope leading to the house. Tumbling down the embankment, his glasses come dislodged and disappeared in the wet weeds. Coming to rest against a wire fence, Mousse quacked his indignation and struggled to his feet. Blinking in confusion, he was suddenly blinded by a bright light. "Well now, how did you get out?" came a voice from behind the light. Mousse quacked and tried to escape. "Not so fast. I don't know how you did it but I can't have you wandering around loose." Mousse felt a hand gripping his neck. "I'll just put you back in with the other ducks." Mousse felt himself being lifted off the ground as he flapped his wings and quacked indignantly. Despite his struggles, he couldn't prevent the old farmer from depositing him inside the fenced pen. "You're a feisty one, you are." The old farmer shook his head sadly. "I can't have you disturbing the other ducks. I'm taking you all to market tomorrow and it just won't do to have my ducks all mussed up by a single trouble-maker." He reached again for Mousse. "I guess I'll just have to keep you for tomorrows dinner." Mousse screamed in terror. ***** Cologne and Shampoo returned to their rented storefront apartment just before dark. Both had been successful in obtaining the things Cologne said they needed to come up with a potion to cure Ranma - or at least stop him from indiscriminately changing genders. Cologne was certain her knowledge of magic and medicine would be able to stabilize him long enough to get him boxed for transport back to China. Shampoo, anxious to be reunited with her airen, disappeared into the back room. Moments later, she quickly reappeared. "Great-grandmother, Ranma GONE!" she gasped. "Hmmmm, this is most disappointing." Cologne slowly lowered herself into a chair. "Are you certain?" "Yes, Shampoo look everywhere." "He couldn't have gone far. He was in no condition for any kind of travel." As the two were planning their search, they were interrupted by someone knocking at the front door. After exchanging concerned looks, Cologne sighed. "Perhaps someone has already found our missing groom and is returning him." Her optimism was not to be rewarded. Swinging open the heavy wood door, she flinched at what was waiting for her. "Hello, Cologne. Long time, no see." Even in the shadows cast by the gathering darkness and the nature of the recessed entrance way she could tell who it was. Cologne's eyes narrowed into angry slits at the sight of Nabiki leaning casually against the entrance with her arms crossed. "What do you want?" She tried to sound unconcerned and nonchalant but Nabiki could tell there was a spark of panic in the old ghoul's voice. "Me? Nothing much. However, I brought along a few friends that are anxious to meet you." Nabiki pushed herself upright and gestured to four men standing behind her. Two were obviously police men, right down to their spotless white gloves. Another, a short barrel-chested man with a bad haircut, wore a cheap suit that seemed to scream 'police'. The fourth was even shorter with glasses and a large briefcase. He shifted nervously to check his watch, like he was working by the hour. Cologne tried to maintain her calm air. "We're not open for business yet but I'm certain you already knew that. Still, a visit by such a distinguished citizen as Nabiki Tendo and her friends is not something one gets every day." Cologne stepped aside. "That's Tendo-Lawrence." Nabiki looked down at the diminutive Amazon as she casually walked into the room. "Looks like you are a long way from being ready to open. Cosmetics Exporting was it?" If Cologne was stung by Nabiki's question, she didn't show it. Shampoo, however, began to look like a trapped animal. With a nod of his head, the barrel-chested plain-clothes policeman sent his uniformed companions pushing their way past Cologne and into the storefront. One disappeared into the back room while the other systematically sorted through the boxes and crates stacked in the storefront. Neither were being exactly careful with the things they were handling. Cologne, despite the brutish rummaging being done by the policeman, couldn't take her eyes off of the little man with the glasses. She'd always prided herself on being able to pick out the most dangerous opponent in any situation. Watching the little man as he set his brief case on an overturned packing crate and begin pulling papers out made her practically twitch with nervousness. The fact Nabiki had seated herself on an old chair and was staring at Cologne with a enigmatic little smile only made matters worse. Her attention was diverted by the return of the other uniformed officer from the back room. She obtained some satisfaction when he shook his head and went to help his companion. Shampoo edged closer to the door leading to the back room. "There's no sense in making a run for it, Shampoo," Nabiki said while continuing to watch Cologne. "There's no place to go." Shampoo paused and looked apprehensibly between Nabiki and Cologne. It was clear she would much rather fight than endure these indignities. "Perhaps if you were to tell me what you are looking for, I might be able to help." Cologne tried to sound unconcerned. "We have reason to believe that we would find Ranma Saotome here," the plain-close police officer said while sifting through his notes. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about his disappearance, would you?" "Me?" Cologne asked indignantly using her best helpless old lady voice. Nabiki sighed loudly. "Cut the innocent act, Cologne. It's obvious you were involved in Ranma's disappearance." Nabiki paused to shake her head sadly. "You have no idea what it took to keep Akane from coming over here and rearranging your body parts until you tell her what you did with her husband." Nabiki stood up and towered over the smaller gaijin. "And you have no idea how satisfying that would be to me." She was trying her Shinobi deception on Cologne. If she could convince the old witch that Akane, who'd beaten her once before, was straining at the leash to attack, she might buy some cooperation. Cologne turned to the plain-clothes police officer and did her best offended little-old-lady act. "Sir, are you going to allow her to threaten me like that?" The officer looked up from his deliberations with one of the uniformed policemen and blinked. "I'm sorry. Did you say something?" "I see," Cologne said icily. "You're only treating us this way because we're gaijin." "No, they're policemen. They treat everyone the same." Nabiki crossed her arms and looked smugly at the diminutive Amazon. "Mr. Moto here is the one who intends on treating you like a gaijin." Nabiki smiled sweetly at the shorter man as he adjusted his glasses. "Isn't that right?" Mr. Moto cleared his throat and nervously shuffled his papers some more. "Well, actually, yes." He looked like a man totally uncomfortable where he was. It might have been the job he held or it might have been the presence of so many potentially violent people. Whatever the case, he looked totally ill at ease in the situation. "What's this all about?" Cologne asked pointedly. She didn't have time for all this nonsense. She had someone to find, then cure. "In according to Ministerial Ordinance to provide for criteria pursuant to Article 7, Paragraph 1 of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act - part of Ministry of Justice Ordinance Number 16 enacted on May 24th of 1990 --" "Official sounding little rascal isn't he?" Nabiki grinned towards Cologne. "Ahem, If I may continue?" Nabiki raised her hands and grinned. "Now then..." He turned towards Cologne. "You are Ko Lon of... Joketsozoku?" Cologne winced at the butchering of her name. "I am." "And you." He turned towards Shampoo. "Are you Xi'an Pu also of Joketsozoku?" Shampoo nodded while glaring at the little man. "There seems to be one missing." Mr. Moto looked around like someone who'd misplaced something. "We don't know where Mousse is right now." The plain-clothes policeman looked up from his notes. "Don't worry. We'll find him later." "Very well." Mr. Moto referred to his papers again. "You were originally granted a..." He paused to read carefully. "Working Visa with a Skilled Labor status in order for you to open a restaurant." Cologne wordlessly nodded with a frown. She didn't like this line of questioning at all. "You were until recently the proprietor of a Chinese restaurant called the Nekohanten. That establishment has since been abandoned and boarded up. Might I ask why?" "We're going to move to a better location." "I trust you're speaking of this... place." Mr. Moto's voice accurately conveyed his disdain at the condition of the storefront. "Yes. We're going to open a new restaurant here." A smile flickered across Mr. Moto's face. "I won't debate your dubious business decision. However, you are not allowed to open and close businesses in this country on a whim. You do not have the proper paperwork on file for such a move." "And renting this place under the guise of an export company is certainly not good business." Nabiki resumed her seat and carefully smoothed her skirt. Cologne was about to offer another excuse when the plain-clothes policeman upped the ante. "We've checked your financial situation. You are certainly not in a position to make such a move. Furthermore, we checked into your credit rating and found you do not qualify for any financial consideration in such a venture. In short, you're broke, out of bounds, and in violation of your visa." "This is an outrage," Cologne growled. "Nevertheless, it is the considered opinion of the Foreign Ministry that you are an undesirable alien and your visa is no longer in effect. As such, I'm obligated to ask for your Alien Resident cards," Mr. Moto said almost forcefully. He had little tolerance for gaijin. Indignant ones brought out the bulldog in him. "I can't believe this is happening." Cologne's face was turning a delicious shade of red as she turned towards Nabiki. "This is all your doing." Nabiki just crossed her arms and glared back at Cologne. "You knew the rules. You broke them. You suffer the consequences." "My government is not going to take this lightly." "Oh come now. Your people are not exactly in favor back in Beijing. In fact, I understand the Chinese government wants to have a serious discussion with you upon your return." Nabiki's face grew her crooked grin. She loved it when a plan came together. "You will be allowed to gather your personal belongings and the officers here will escort you to a holding facility until you can be placed on a transport back to China. The assets of your former business will be taken over by the Japanese government and its contents sold to pay for your expulsion." Mr. Moto smiled for the first time. For some reason, he really liked this part of his job. "Once your male companion has been located, he too will be deported." "Great-grandmother?" Shampoo asked plaintively. She didn't fully understand all that just occurred but gathered it meant they had to leave - without Ranma. "What about --" "Mousse will just have to worry about himself. It would appear that we have no option." Cologne cut off her young companion to prevent her from saying something incriminating. All the while she continued to glare at Nabiki - totally convinced this was all the middle Tendo's fault. Nabiki, however, was feeling a strength she hadn't felt in since facing the evil Fukoono in his own cave. Cologne was certainly not going to intimidate her any longer. "Pity you don't know where Ranma is. I MIGHT have been persuaded to plead on your behalf. For the right price." Nabiki's smile became a snarl. This had been a long time coming. At first, the Chinese were simply an amusing diversion. They gradually became an irritant. Now they were something to be despised. If Cologne was going to respond to Nabiki's challenge, she didn't have a chance. The plain-clothes policeman quickly cut in and directed the two gaijin to gather their personal effects - immediately. Both women complied meekly, possibly too meekly. Nabiki knew well how unpredictable they were and anticipated them to pull something. Nabiki was right. Cologne picked up her bag, yelled something in Chinese and the room seemed to explode in a thick choking smoke. Confusion reigned complete with the soundtrack of a bad martial arts movie. Nabiki could hear a short fight over from where Shampoo was standing next to one of the police officers. She heard Mr. Moto and the plain-clothes police officer yell, followed by a series of blows landed with sickening-sounding thuds. With her sense of danger screaming, Nabiki dove to the floor and rolled towards where she remembered seeing a bunch of overturned crates. She needed cover from whatever evil had befallen the police and Mr. Moto. Her shoulder banged painfully against the unyielding wood of a crate, causing her to change directions abruptly. It might have saved her life. An instant after Nabiki scrambled for cover, the crate behind her exploded in a shower of wood. Through the smokey gloom, Nabiki slithered towards the doorway. Behind her, crates, boxes, and the glass windows exploded from an unseen source. All the time, Nabiki choked and crawled as quickly as she could. A few feet more, she thought. No more than a meter and she'd be safe. It wasn't to be. A wood staff slammed into the floor inches from Nabiki's hands. She recoiled back towards the wall amid the evil chuckling of Cologne. "You thought you could threaten the warriors of Joketsuzoku, the village of Amazon Heros? You are but a pathetic female, unworthy of my time." The staff stabbed at the floor closer to Nabiki as she found herself trapped by the plate glass window of the storefront. "This ends NOW!" Nabiki had no idea what was coming but feared the worst. Inside her, she felt something like a vicious case of heart-burn, growing and spreading throughout her body. Her breath came in short, choking gasps. Her arms tingled. She looked to her hands. Even in the smokey interior of the room, she could see herself glowing - a brilliant amber glow, like an aura. Before she could determine its cause or purpose, her warning sense screamed personal danger. Instinctively, she turned her head and thrust her hands towards the suspected threat - the place she last heard Cologne's voice. A blinding light, like a flash bulb exploded in front of her eyes. She couldn't see but heard a grunt and the sound of a body impacting the far wall. Stunned, Nabiki froze as her glow disappeared. The crash of a bonbori shattering the crate next to her snapped her back to the fact she was still in danger. With her path to the door blocked by the remnants of a crate, Nabiki turned to the only way left out of the storefront. Springing to her feet, she launched herself at the plate glass window. Time slowed as she impacted the glass. She felt it give and shatter. She couldn't help but think what an odd sensation it was. It brought to mind a scene from Jeffrey's favorite John Wayne move where the red-headed woman dove through a window to escape the Duke. Just before her body impacted the hard surface of the street, she wondered if this was the way Maureen O'Hare felt jumping through that window. Further speculation was cut off as her body bounced off the concrete and rolled across the broken glass. When she rolled to a stop, she could hear voices backed by sirens in the distance. She was laying on her back. Her view was suddenly obscured by the face of an old man who was trying to say something to her. She couldn't hear what he was saying but the look of concern on his face told her she must have appeared badly injured. "Call police," she croaked as darkness surrounded her vision. "Call police." Her voice echoed in the darkness as she lost consciousness. ***** Kasumi was quietly cleaning the main room, working around her father who was still reading his morning paper and enjoying his last cup of coffee. It was all she could do now that Akane was missing along with her husband. Kasumi's mind worked on the possible relationships between the disappearances but couldn't come to a rational reason for both to be missing. Her cleaning was suddenly interrupted by Genma Saotome's panicked flight through the room and out the open engawa. "I wonder what got into him?" she asked more to herself than anyone else in the room. "Probably some new training technique." Soun never deviated from his paper or his coffee. His words were punctuated by a loud splash from the koi pond. "Mr. Saotome only does that when --" Kasumi's thoughts were interrupted by a voice from the front hall. "Hello?" "Auntie Saotome!" Kasumi's joyful call was accompanied by the dropping of her hand sweeper and a dash for the source of the voice. Soun only did a loud spit-take into his paper. Nodoka quietly entered the main room, her arm around Kasumi. Her other arm was holding the family sword. Soun's eyes only glanced at it once before he gulped loudly and cleared his throat. "Welcome to our home, Saotome-san." He bowed respectfully from his seated position while trying to wipe himself of the spit coffee. Nodoka returned his bow and gestured back down the hall. "I've brought something for you." Kasumi's hands went to her mouth as she stifled a short gasp. Slowly, like a ghost, Akane Tendo-Saotome entered and dropped to her knees in front of the dumb-struck yet tearful Soun. "I'm sorry, Daddy." Akane pitched forward, her head coming to rest in her father's lap. "I'm sorry." Soun's trembling hand gently caressed his daughter's hair as she clutched his legs and cried. "We were so worried." Kasumi released the older woman and scurried to the kitchen to fetch some appropriate welcoming tea. Nodoka smiled tiredly as she stood next to the reunited father and daughter. "She came to my house last night. I thought she'd been beaten and abandoned." Nodoka paused as her eyes caught Akane's. She smiled reassuringly. "We've had an interesting discussion. It would seem we're now related by marriage." "Yes... well... we meant to tell you." "WHEN?" Nodoka's whole demeanor changed abruptly. "At the birth of the first child?" "No..." Soun stammered and searched for the right words. "There were... complications." "Something more complicated than my son turning into a GIRL?" Nodoka's hands tightened on the hilt of her sword. "Ah... well.... something like that, yes." Soun was now clutching his daughter like a tiny shield. He didn't like the way Nodoka kept gripping the sword. Genma-panda waddled over the engawa and into the house. He smelled of wet fur and looked as goofy as ever. To add to that image, he pawed over a large ball and started to play with it. Nodoka's eyes narrowed. "Ah, yes, Mister Panda. Sweet little Ranko's companion pet." Nodoka slowly ambled over to the panda. She gently began to scratch him behind his ears. "Ever faithful Mister Panda. Wouldn't let Ranko out of his sight for anything." Genma-panda seemed to relax at the friendly touch and kind words. It didn't last long. Gripping the panda's ear tightly, Nodoka stood the protesting creature up on his back legs. "MISTER PANDA and I are going to take a little walk down to the bath." With a flick of her wrist, her sword came free of it's sheath. The point quickly assumed a position at the base of Genma-panda's throat. "After which, Chubby and I are going to have a serious talk." Genma-panda's sign read: 'HELP!' as Nodoka led him down the hallway towards the bath. Only the sound of a ringing phone accompanied their departure. "This... is not good," Soun mumbled as he continued to hold his daughter. "She won't really hurt him, will she?" Akane asked while looking up at her father with big eyes. Soun's reply was cut off by Kasumi's return from answering the phone. Her face was drained white. "What is it daughter?" "That was the hospital," Kasumi gasped as she steadied herself on the wall. "There's been an accident." "Ranma?" Akane asked hopefully. "No... Nabiki." ***** Nabiki floated in a dark void. There were no sounds, no lights, and no feeling of any kind associated with her condition. "Am I dead?" she said, or thought she'd said to no one in particular. "Strange, I thought death would be... different." "Why do you say that?" came a familiar sounding voice from the darkness. "Sodoshi?" Nabiki's heart leapt at the sound of someone she knew to be dead. It only confirmed for her what she had only suspected moments before. The scene slowly dissolved into a clearing. It was exactly the same clearing in Hawaii where she and Jeffrey had undergone her 'testing' at the hands of the elders. "I warned you this would happen." Nabiki turned to see Sodoshi Tanaka sitting on the same rock Master Sato had used that day. Her legs were crossed and she was leaning on her fists. What struck Nabiki especially hard was how solid and real she appeared - like she was not a ghost anymore. Or perhaps it was because Nabiki was now a ghost as well. "What do you mean you warned me? Warned me about what?" Sodoshi scowled at her clan sister. "I told you your 'new clan' methods wouldn't work. Work within the system, you said. Do things a new way, you said. Look what it got you." "It was the right thing to do," Nabiki protested. "And look where you wound up." Nabiki paused to look down the front of her and back at Sodoshi. "Am I dead?" "You might as well be. If you hadn't pulled that ki business... And just where did you learn *that* anyway?" "I don't know. It just... came to me." "Well good thing it did. Without it, that Chinese witch would have killed you for sure." Sodoshi shook her head and hopped down from her rock. "Then... I'm not dead." Sodoshi held out a flattened hand and rocked it back and forth. "You're at that point between life and death that lasts but a heart beat. That's why we're able to have this little chat." Nabiki turned away from Sodoshi and shook her head. "I don't understand what went wrong. It was such a perfect plan." "Oh, is that what it was. I thought it was a five person suicide pact." Nabiki turned and frowned at her ghostly friend. "It should have worked." "The first rule is to never, NEVER underestimate your opponent. You walked into a trap you laid yourself." Sodoshi walked up to Nabiki and placed her hand on her clan sister's shoulder. Her voice became softer. "You never allow your opponent a chance to strike first." "I thought using the authorities would settle things with them once and for all. Besides, I couldn't just kill them." "Why not? They're gaijin after all. Who'd miss them?" "You can't go around killing people in Japan today. It draws too much attention. Even the Yakuza refrain from killing unless absolutely necessary." "So you get yourself trapped in a storefront so you have to..." Sodoshi acted like she suddenly remembered something. "And where did you get that stupid idea of jumping through the window like that?" Nabiki hung her head and shrugged her shoulders. "I saw it in a movie." Sodoshi slapped her forehead and stumbled away. "I can't believe this. My clan is being led by a popcorn princess who gets her ideas from Hollywood." Nabiki followed. "That's not fair. I was trapped. There was no way out. I used the only means of escape available." Sodoshi spun around and angrily glared at Nabiki. "And where did you get your plan? Indiana Jones?" "It should have worked." "Well, it didn't and look where it got you." "I wish you'd stop saying that." "Well, it's true. You botched the whole thing." Nabiki hung her head again. "I know." Sodoshi wasn't through with her yet. "Now you've got three dangerous gaijin running loose in Japan, probably with a death vow against you and your family, and you still don't know where Ranma is." Nabiki looked up hopefully. "But you could tell me --" "I'm not allowed to do that." "Just this once --" "NO!" Nabiki sighed loudly. "Okay, can you at least tell me if he's still alive." Sodoshi glanced around nervously. "He's doing better than you are right now." Nabiki placed her hands behind her back and turned towards the ocean. She listened to the pounding surf for a few moments. "At least Akane will have a chance for happiness. I guess I've had all I'm entitled to. Pity, I really wanted to see my daughter grow up." "Oh, stop it. You're breaking my heart," Sodoshi growled sarcastically. "Then..." Nabiki began, her eyes full of hope. "Yeah, I'm just keeping you here so we could have this little chat." Sodoshi's face grew her typical cover-girl smile. "You can go back any time you're ready." Nabiki's grin grew broader as she excitedly turned to hug her clan sister. Sodoshi, however, stopped her with a raised hand. "Shinobi don't hug." Instead, she resorted to bowing and thanking Sodoshi as the darkness once again closed in on her. As she reentered the void, she heard Sodoshi's final warning. "Remember, the traditional ways ALWAYS work. Never forget that." Nabiki felt her body slowly enveloped in pain as she returned to life. She felt the cold air being forced down into her lungs and the odd feeling of the blankets over her feet. Something was holding her hand and she felt something else brush against her forehead. As her eyes fluttered open, she focused on the smiling face of Kasumi. "I knew the doctors were wrong," Kasumi said softly. Nabiki forced a painful smile and blinked a couple of times. "We found Akane. She's okay." Kasumi continued to stroke her sister's bangs. "She's out in the waiting room with Father. They've both been terribly worried about you." Nabiki wanted to say something but couldn't find the strength. She just nodded and continued to smile. It had been a long day.