Nabiki - New Horizons
                     Chapter 20 - Memories
                        by G.L. Sandborn




     The look on Jeffrey's face as he descended the stairs told
everyone in the house what had happened.  "They're gone," he said
confirming what they already suspected.
     "Perhaps they just went shopping," Jamie offered hopefully.
     Inspector Abe shook his head.  "I fear your wife has done
something rash... again."
     Jeffrey nodded and sighed.  "Nabiki has a history of doing
this."  The first trickle of sweat rolled down his face as he
looked at Jamie.  "The last time was when our daughter was
kidnapped."
     "You think the others went with her?"
     "Either with her or they went searching on their own."
     "How much trouble can they get into?  I mean, after all,
this is Tokyo.  The safest city in the world."  Jamie glanced
anxiously at the others.  "Surely, they wouldn't leave the city. 
Would they?"
     Jeff looked between Jamie, Inspector Abe and Soun Tendo
before shaking his head.  "I don't know.  Akane was acting
strange and that new lady - what's her name?"
     "Nodoka.  Saotome Nodoka.  She's Ranma's mother," Soun said
as he stroked his mustache thoughtfully.
     "I fear between the excitable Akane, the impetuous Nabiki,
and now the determined mother of the missing person, we have
several people to find."
     "Great," Jeff growled as he pushed past the others back into
the living room.  "This really stinks, ya know?"
     "Perhaps if we were to think about this rationally we could
reach a reasonable consensus as to what we should do," Inspector
Abe said as he followed.  
     "Yes, I quite agree."  Soun nodded then held out a plate.
"Would anyone care for some more sweets?"

*****

     Nabiki paused only a block from home.  She scanned the busy
streets and pursed her lips while mulling over the options for
finding Akane.  There weren't many.
     She could make a circuit of all her sister's usual haunts
but that would take time.  Besides, it was unlikely Akane, in her
current state, would seek any kind of refuge.  She was more
likely to go in search of Ranma.
     Nabiki eased over to a building and leaned against its still
warm brick surface.  She had to carefully work this out.  There
was no time for running off without a plan.
     Nodoka was off in search of Mousse, convinced he was holding
her son.  Nabiki grinned when she thought of what the sword-wielding 
mother of Ranma Saotome would do to the male consort of
the Chinese Amazons when she caught up with him.  The woman would
most certainly get the information she desired.
     It was a good thing Kasumi was not going to stray too far
from home.  Akane might just return unexpectedly.  She was just
going to check with her husband about whether or not he'd seen
Akane and pick up a few things for dinner before returning.  In
any case, Inspector Abe was correct when he said that there
should always be a family member at home in case the kidnappers
called or the kidnapped person was able to escape.  In either
case, Kasumi was the best choice to be home.
     No, the only course was to follow the route Nodoka had
picked in hopes that Akane was doing the same.  Eventually, she
would catch up with her sister.  Then what?  Would Akane act as
violently as she did back home?  Could Nabiki even hope to reason
with, or failing that, subdue her sister?
     Shaking her head, Nabiki pushed herself away from the
building and set off to pick up her sister's trail.  She'd work
out later what to do should Akane turn violent.  For now, she had
a lot of walking to do.

*****

     Brother Toyota knocked softly on the guest room door.
     "Come in," came a strong male voice from inside.
     The monk opened the door enough to stick his head inside. 
There on the bed was a young male figure, partially in the
shadows, leaning against the back wall of the room.
     "Ah, you're awake," Brother Toyota said as he closed the
door behind him.  "That's good.  I've been giving some thought to
your situation.  I've talked to the district police and they have
provided me with a list of missing persons.  Perhaps if I read
them to you, one name will trigger your memory."
     As the monk sat on the foot of his bed, Ranma sighed and
leaned forward, emerged from the shadows, his eyes dark with lack
of sleep.
     "What do ya think I've been trying to do?" he moaned.  "Day
and night, I've stared at the same spot on the ceiling,
concentrating as hard as I could but I still cannot remember
anything."
     "That will pass."
     "When?"
     The monk shook his head.  "No one knows.  These things
sometimes take time."
     "Too long to suit me."  Ranma pouted.
     "Sometimes something familiar will trigger a memory.  It
could be a smell, or a sight, or even..."  The monk waved a small
stack of papers in front of him.  "... a name."
     Ranma sighed and shook his head.  "I'll try anything.  I
just want to remember who I am."
     "We will, my young friend.  In time, we will."  The monk got
a curious look on his face as he noticed Ranma's hands.  Taking
one gently in his, he examined the backs carefully.  "You are a
fighter," he finally announced.
     Ranma quickly withdrew his hands and crossed his arms.  He
said nothing but his look spoke of how uncomfortable the idea
made him.
     "Maybe, you were a boxer or a martial artist," Brother
Toyota said hopefully.  "Your build would certainly suggest you
are a man of much physical activity.  Maybe you are a
professional athlete," the monk said.
     Ranma scowled and shook his head.  "That doesn't feel
right."
     "That's okay, my son," the monk said while patting Ranma's
hand.  "It will come to you eventually.  In the mean time, you
are more than welcome to stay with us.  Perhaps, you would even
find peace here."
     "Become a monk?" Ranma asked with a curious tilt of his
head.
     "You would certainly be welcome."
     "I donno..."
     "You needn't make such a decision right away," Brother
Toyota said with a chuckle.  "You will always be welcome with
us."
     Ranma nodded and forced a little smile.
     "Good.  Then let's go through this list of names and see if
anything strikes you as familiar."
     For several minutes, Ranma sat silently as the monk
carefully read off name after name, pausing between between them
in hopes of seeing some reaction.  There was none.
     "Shimamoto... Akane."
     Ranma's hand shot out and squeezed the monk's forearm.  His
eyes went wide as they darted from one side of the room to
another.
     "Your grip, my son," the monk gasped.
     Ranma swallowed hard before he grimaced like something
painful just worked itself free.
     "I'm losing all feeling in my hand."
     Ranma slowly looked to the ceiling, at the same spot he'd
been staring at for days.  His eyes narrowed and his jaw slowly
set.
     "I think my fingers are turning blue."
     "Huh?"  Ranma blinked like he was coming out of a trance.
     "My... hand."
     "Oh..."  Ranma released the monk. 
     Brother Toyota gasped and worked his fingers, feeling the
tingling sensation of restored blood flow.  "You have quite a
grip, young man."
     "I'm sorry.  It's just... that name."  Ranma rubbed his chin
as he rolled the name over and over in his mind.
     "Hmmm, it's not a very common name."  The monk scowled at
the printed name again.  In any case, this is the first solid
lead we've had."  The monk got up and shook his hand some more. 
"I'll see what I can find out."
     Ranma nodded but missed the monk's departure.  His mind was
probing the name, trying to find some bit of familiarity to it. 
"Shimamoto.... Shimamoto....  It just doesn't sound familiar.  Is
it possible I'm a Shimamoto?" he muttered.
     He slumped back onto the bed and stared at the spot on the
ceiling again.  This was going to take more thought... and
meditation.

*****

     Nabiki walked for several hours, the sun high overhead
causing her to stop often in the shade to cool off.  She made
enquiries at various eating places along the way, showing Akane's
picture and describing what she was wearing, but no one had seen
her.
     By the time she reached the edge of town, it was getting
late and a familiar rumble in her stomach reminded her she hadn't
eaten since breakfast.  It took only a few minutes to locate a
suitable restaurant - a tiny establishment, with seating for only
a dozen or so patrons.
     Nabiki cautiously entered and selected a table near the
front.  She wanted to keep a watch on the street as she ate in
case Akane passed.
     She showed the picture to the waitress before ordering but
received another disappointing denial in return.  No one had seen
Akane or anyone who was even dressed like her.
     <Maybe we were wrong.  Maybe she didn't even go this way. 
Maybe I'm wasting my time.> Nabiki sighed and tried to enjoy her
meal.
     Because of the size of the restaurant, it wasn't hard to
overhear conversations.  One particular exchange between the lady
who owned the place and her daughter caught Nabiki's attention.
     "Mother, we need to replace the tatami mats in our tea
room," the girl said.
     "I know but we can't afford it right now."
     "What about that tatami salesman who came by last week?  He
had all kinds of mats."
     "Tatami salesman?"
     "The Chinese guy with glasses."  Nabiki's head turned
slightly at the description of Mousse.  "He had a whole stack of
mats on his cart.  He must have been a salesman."
     "Well, if he comes back this way, I'll talk to him," the
mother said before returning to her cooking.
     Nabiki stopped the girl as she came to seat a couple of men
who'd just entered the restaurant.
     "Excuse me miss," Nabiki said.  "I couldn't help but
overhear.  That tatami mat salesman.  How did you know he was
Chinese?"
     "The way he was dressed."  The girl blinked like Nabiki
should have been able to figure that out by herself.  "He wore
long Chinese robes.  Of course, it could have been some Japanese
pervert who likes dressing up like a Chinese."
     "Was anyone with him?  A young Japanese man or perhaps a
red-headed woman?"
     "No," the girl answered while glancing nervously at the
impatient guests in the doorway.  "I really must go."
     "Just one more question," Nabiki said as she held up a
50,000 yen note.  The girl's wide eyes glued themselves to the
wavering paper money.  "This is very important to me.  Was there
anything unusual about the salesman's cart or mats?"
     "No, not really.  Although I thought the mat on the very top
of the pile was really big."
     "Big?  You mean long?"
     "No."  The girl shook her head.  "It was larger around than
the others, like it was much longer."
     "Which way did he go?"  Nabiki shoved the yen note into the
grateful girl's hand.
     "Northwest.  About a week ago."  The girl pointed before
bowing.  "I really must go now."
     Nabiki returned the girl's bow and watched her seat the two
men at a table.  If she was telling the truth, Nodoka's analysis
of the situation was exactly right.  Mousse *did* have possession
of Ranma and *was* transporting the kidnapped Saotome in a rolled
up tatami mat thrown in the back of a cart.  Where Ranma went,
Akane was certain to follow.
     <It's getting dark,> Nabiki thought as she stretched and
yawned. <No point in wandering around in the dark.  Besides,
Akane's got to rest some time.>
     Nabiki paid for her dinner and stepped out of the
restaurant, savoring the cool evening air.  She remembered
passing a small inn a few blocks back that looked suitable for a
night's stay.  With a quiet sigh, she began the short trek for
the inn.  
     The first hints of autumn blew down the street causing
Nabiki to hug herself from the chill.  The air itself smelled of
the approaching change of season.  It reminded her that she had
little time left in Japan before she would have to return home. 
She needed to wrap up this mystery quickly, rescue Ranma and
return Akane to her old sane but reactionary self.
     "Oh sure," she said to herself with a snort.  "Like I'm
going to be able to do all that."
     As she approached the inn, a lone female figure emerged from
an alley and stood for a moment like she was unsure of where to
go.  Nabiki slowed her walk.  Something about the girl was
familiar.  Squinting her eyes in an attempt to pierce the
gathering darkness, Nabiki started to walk faster as the figure
turned away.  Could she be so lucky as to find her sister on the
first try?  In the twilight, the girl's profile was right.  She
was wearing the same cut of clothes and had the same hair cut. 
Nabiki's heart beat faster as she approached.
     The girl must have sensed her presence because she suddenly
stopped and turned towards Nabiki.  The effect on the middle
Tendo daughter was immediate.  She jerked to a halt just a few
feet from the girl and blinked.
     "I'm sorry," Nabiki said with a bow.  "I thought you were
someone else."
     The startled girl could only nod before briskly escaping
into the gathering darkness.  Nabiki wiped her brow and glanced
around to make sure no one saw her embarrassment.  Satisfied, she
slipped through the door of the inn.  A good night's rest was all
she needed, she thought.  Tomorrow will be better.

*****

     A gentle breeze flowed through the Tendo yard, causing trees
to sway and hiss softly.  It also caused something else to swing
like a pendulum in the wind.  Suspended from the largest branch
of the Tendo's biggest tree hung Genma Saotome, bound at the feet
and hanging upside down.
     "How I suffer for you, old friend."  Soun Tendo sauntered
towards his dangling training companion while eating a bowl of
ice cream.
     "Couldn't you at least loosen the bindings around my arms?"
moaned Genma.  He wiggled a futile attempt to free his hands as
proof of his dilemma.
     "I can't do that.  Your wife was most explicit in how long
you must remain in your current position."
     "I'm hungry.  It gets cold at night.  All the blood is stuck
in my head."  Genma wiggled some more.  He was rewarded by the
ominous sound of a branch cracking.  "And I don't think this limb
will last much longer."
     "Not if you continue to struggle like that," warned Soun
while casting a worried look at the stressed branch.  He rolled
the delicious ice cream around in his mouth and tried to look
worried.
     "You know I don't like to beg..."  Genma's voice trailed off
as another gust of wind caused him to sway further.  "But don't
you think I've suffered enough?"
     "Oh, *I* think you've suffered enough but somehow I don't
think your wife will agree."  Soun spooned another mouthful of
ice cream.
     "I'm begging you.  PLEASE!"
     "Well...."
     "Look, I'll go away on a really long training trip.  We can
break the branch and you can claim I fell to the ground - really
hard - and was gone before you could get out here.  Tell her you
were in the bath or something."
     Soun scooped another spoon-full of ice cream and tried to
look non-committal.  He wanted to help his friend - he really did
- but Nodoka made it VERY clear she wanted her husband to remain
where he was until she returned.  She also hinted at the eventual
result should Soun help his friend.
     "It's gonna rain tonight.  You know what happens to me in
the rain.  The rope around my legs will cut my feet off," Genma
pleaded.
     It must have worked.  Soun finished his ice cream and set
the empty bowl aside.  Looking over the prospects, he stroked his
mustache.  "This doesn't look too difficult.  All we have to do
is break the branch you're hanging from."
     "Yes, but --"
     Soun interrupted his friend by jumping up and grabbing the
rope just above Genma's feet.  Wrapping his legs around Genma's
barrel-chest, he began to tug on the rope.
     "Uh, Tendo, I don't think --"
     "It will just take a few more," Soun said as he continued to
tug on the rope, causing them to bob and weave dangerously close
to the ground.
     "But...  AAAAAAAAAAAHH!"  The branch broke with a loud
'snap'.  Soun, realizing his mistake, made futile grabs at the
air for something to prevent the inevitable.
     The pair plummeted to the ground with such force that
Genma's head was driven into the soft earth up to his shoulders. 
Soun rolled free in time to be struck on the head by the falling
branch.
     "Ouch," came Genma's muffled voice.
     "I'll have you out in a minute, old friend," Soun said while
rubbing his head.
     It took only a few tugs to extract the rotund martial artist
from the earth.
     "There, now you can sneak off and Nodoka won't be any the
wiser."  Soun picked up his ice cream bowl again and smiled.
     Genma picked a few clods of earth from his eyebrows and
pulled a healthy-looking earthworm from his ear.  "There's just
one thing more."
     "Oh?"
     "I need some money - not much, just enough to get me some
provisions for the trip."  Genma spit out some grubs.
     Soun fearfully looked at his friend.  "I don't have any
money.  Kasumi keeps track of all that."
     "What?  I thought you had an allowance."
     Soun sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.  "Every time we
go somewhere, you always plead poverty and I wind up paying."
     "Oh, that's right."
     Soun hesitated and looked nervously at the house.  "I do
know where Kasumi keeps her emergency household funds.  It's not
much but you should be able to buy some of what you need with
it."  Soun looked hopefully at his friend.
     "It will have to do," Genma said as he started for the
house.
     They walked in silence until reaching the engawa.  Soun
hesitated and looked questioningly at his friend.
     "Uh, Saotome, you don't really think Nodoka would have...
you know."
     Genma fixed his friend with a cold stare.  Reaching down he
separated the crotch of his pants where there was formerly a
sturdy seam.  "And she did that on the back-swing."
     "Oh my."

*****

     Ranma ran his hand lightly over his recently shaved head. 
"Feels funny."
     "It will pass, my son," Brother Toyota said with a chuckle.
     "It also reminds me of something.  I'm not sure what but it
feels like... maybe..."  Ranma froze as his mind grasped
frantically for something that was tantalizingly close yet so far
away.  He finally flapped his arms in frustration.  "Oh, I don't
know.  It was so close this time."
     "Your memory is coming back.  That is good."
     "I guess so."  Ranma rubbed his head some more like he was
trying to work a memory to the surface.
     "Anyway, we're most pleased that you have decided to join us
- even if it is only until you regain your memory.  We don't get
many recruits anymore."
     "Well, that explains Brother Takahashi."
     Brother Toyota cast Ranma a look of pity.  "Nothing explains
Brother Takahashi, my son.  In any case, you need to begin your
meditation.  Come with me."
     Ranma followed his mentor down the ancient stone hall, its
floors dimly lit by the late afternoon sun.  He shrugged his
shoulders and tried to readjust his new garments.  "Are these
robes supposed to be so uncomfortable?"
     "They remind us of our humility and struggles we must
undergo before finding nirvana."
     "They're kinda drafty."  Ranma pulled down the back of his
robe to cut off a sudden cool breeze he felt running up his back
side.
     "That reminds us of how insignificant we are in this world."
     "They're itchy too."
     "That's probably the detergent.  Brother Suzuki did the wash
this week.  Real goober when it comes to choosing detergent,"
Brother Toyota said with a shake of his head.
     "Does that teach us something?"
     "Yeah, it teaches us not to let Brother Suzuki do the wash
anymore."

*****

     It was late morning before Nabiki left the inn.  A morning
headache complete with a bout of depression caused her to dally
longer at the inn than she expected.  Despite the many miles
she'd traveled, she hadn't gotten any closer to finding her
sister than she was when she started.  Worse yet, no one had even
seen her.
     The only bright spot was the possible lead on Mousse. 
Nabiki planned on following that lead in hopes that Akane had
done the same.  If she was lucky, she'd catch up with her sister
*before* she found Mousse.  If not, there was likely to be one
hell of a hole in Japan.
     Nabiki walked until the sun was directly overhead, showing
Akane's picture to whomever she encountered.  Finding herself on
a two-lane country road, she resisted the offers of a ride and
fought the urge to find a shady spot and take a nap.  She might
miss something.  She wasn't used to all this physical activity. 
Sure, she had her aerobics classes back home, but they usually
lasted less than an hour and were always  followed by a soothing
massage.  This walking for hours was for the birds - well, it was
for lower life forms, that's for sure.
     She'd just rounded a bend in the road and was thinking about
how suitable it was for pushing a heavy cart, when she spotted a
little girl crouched down and staring into the bushes that grew
just beyond the ditch that bordered the road.  As she drew
closer, the girl seemed to be talking to the bush.
     "It's okay.  You can come out," the girl said in a tiny
voice as she extended a tiny hand.  Nabiki noticed the little
girl wore clothes that had seen better days and clutched a
raggedly old stuffed doll to her chest with her other arm.
     Nabiki stopped behind the girl and tried to discern what or
who the girl was talking to.  Despite her best efforts, she
couldn't see anything.  "Lose something?" Nabiki asked.
     The girl spun around like she'd just noticed Nabiki's
presence.  "I'm sorry," she squealed.  "I didn't mean to be on
your land but my kitty wandered off."  The girl's big brown eyes
were open in fear and her dirty cheeks quivered.  She clutched
the doll to her for protection and looked like she wanted to run
away.  She couldn't have been much older than Sodoshi.
     Nabiki shook her head.  "It's not my land.  I'm just passing
through."
     The little girl's body sagged in relief.  "Oh."  An awkward
moment passed before she turned back to the bush and scowled. 
"Bad kitty.  You come out."
     "You live around here?" Nabiki asked shading her eyes from
the sun and peering intently into the bush.  She could just make
out a pair of amber-colored eyes looking back at her.
     "Yes.  Over..."  The little girl paused as her expression
became frightened.  "Over...," she repeated, her eyes scanning
blankly down the road.
     "Are you lost?" Nabiki asked softly.
     "No...," the girl said defensively before looking pleadingly
at Nabiki and whining: "Yes."
     Nabiki hesitated at the little girl's fearful expression and
frantic search for something that looked familiar.  Her first
reaction was to comfort the child, to take the girl into her
arms.  But she resisted that impulse at the sight of girl's dirty
appearance.  She settled for sighing and her best friendly smile. 
"I'll tell you what.  I'll help you get your kitty then we will
find your mommy.  Okay?"
     The little girl nodded and turned back towards the bush.  It
was obvious why she didn't go to get the cat herself, the width
of the drainage ditch next to the road was an almost
insurmountable obstruction to one so small.
     "What's your kitty's name?" Nabiki asked as she eased
herself down into the ditch, grimacing at the sight of so much
muck and trash.
     "Kitty," the little girl answered.
     <Figures,> Nabiki thought with a frown. <I can't believe I'm
doing this for a mangy cat named 'Kitty'.>
     Nabiki climbed out the other side and carefully approached
the bush.  Parting some of the branches, she saw a tiny black and
white kitten cowering inside.  "There you are," she said while
reaching gingerly towards the cat.  
     A hiss and a sudden swipe of a claw later, Nabiki withdrew
her hand, three tiny scrapes oozing blood.  "Ya little...!" 
Nabiki bit her tongue and shot a look towards the girl.  If it
weren't for the fact the child was within earshot, she would have
cursed loudly.
     "Bad kitty!" the little girl scolded.
     "Yeah, bad kitty," Nabiki replied under her breath.
     Pushing aside the branches of the bush again she tried
diverting the critter's attention with one hand while grabbing it
with the other.  It took a few tries but she finally got the
kitten by the scruff of the neck and hoisted her free of the
bush.
     "Yea!" the little girl crowed while clapping her hands.
     Fortunately for Nabiki, the kitten settled into a
reflexively limp mode that allowed her to be carried back across
the ditch and into the waiting arms of the little girl.  Cuddling
the kitten, the little girl bowed a couple of times and thanked
Nabiki profusely.
     Nabiki brushed off her pants and wiped her hands together
removing what little of the ditch that remained.  Now she was
going to have to stop somewhere and take a bath.  "That's not
necessary.  Let's just find your mother.  I still have a long way
to go before dark."
     "Okay."  The girl took Nabiki's uninjured hand and led her
down the road.  "You nice lady."
     "Yeah, I guess so," Nabiki sounded less sure about admitting
that than she should have.  "So, what's your name?"
     "I'm Miki," the girl said with a satisfied look.  "What's
yours?"
     "You can call me Nabiki."
     "Okay Na-bi-ki.  You wanna meet my Mommy?"  The little girl
shifted the kitten so she could hold both it and her doll in one
arm.
     Nabiki saw the child struggling to hold both and reached for
the doll.  "Why don't you let me carry that?"
     The child willingly allowed Nabiki to remove the doll and
hugged the kitten closer to herself.  "Bad kitty.  Running away."
     "Well, cats do that.  They're very independent."  Nabiki
looked at the aged doll in its faded red kimono.  One slipper was
missing and its fabric legs were dirty.  "What's you dollie's
name?"
     "Akane," the little girl said in an off-hand manner.
     Nabiki smiled.  "That's the name of my little sister."
     "Really?"  The little girl cocked her head and looked
suspiciously at Nabiki.
     "I also have another sister named Kasumi.  She's my
oneechan."
     The little girl looked at the road and pouted.  "I wish I
had an o-nee-chan."
     "Are you the oldest?"
     "I guess so.  I'm the only one."
     Nabiki caught the girl's embarrassment at such an admission
and changed the subject.  "What does your father do?"
     The girl frowned and set her jaw.  "Don't know."
     "Is he a farmer?  That's a good way to make a living."
     The little girl just shook her head in silence.  Obviously,
that was something the child didn't want to talk about either.
     As they rounded another bend in the road, a woman called out
Miki's name and came running.  As she got closer, it was obvious
that the girl's dress and lack of cleanliness ran in the family. 
The woman wore a faded blue skirt that might have once been part
of a school uniform.  Over that she wore a blouse that looked
fairly new except for the tear under one of the arms.  Her dirty
white crew socks drooped down her ankles like they were
attempting to hide her worn tennis shoes and flopped as she ran.
     "Miki!  I was so worried.  Why did you wander off like
that?" the young lady said as she dropped to her knees in the
road in front of her daughter.
     "Kitty ran away and I went to find her," the girl said
before looking up at Nabiki. "And Na-bi-ki rescued kitty."
     The woman bowed deeply to Nabiki and avoided making eye
contact.  "I can never thank you enough.  I looked everywhere and
was so worried.  She's never wandered off before."
     Nabiki stopped the woman with a raised hand.  "I understand
completely.  I have a daughter her age too."
     For the first time, the woman looked up at Nabiki.  Her eyes
quickly roamed over Nabiki's attire and her expression changed. 
It was clear she believed herself in the presence of one of a
higher - a *much* higher class.  She bowed deeply again, her head
almost touching the road.  "Please forgive my daughter.  She's
young.  I've tried so hard to raise her right.  I can never repay
you for --"
     "That's not necessary.  I was glad to help."  Nabiki's voice
must have sounded a bit peeved because the woman shrank back with
an apprehensive look.  Nabiki sighed and held out a hand.  "Let
me help you up and we can go to your house and talk.  It's not
safe to be talking here in the road."
     Hesitantly, the woman took Nabiki's hand and stood.  Her
eyes never left the pavement as she licked her lips nervously. 
"I... I can't..."
     "That's okay.  I understand," Nabiki said softly.  "I don't
wish to impose."  She couldn't really understand why the woman
didn't want her to see her home.  So it was just a farm house. 
Why should she feel embarrassed?  "I'll just be on my way."
     "No," the woman pleaded.  "Please, Lady Nabiki, I owe you. 
Do not shame me with such a burden."
     Nabiki glanced at the little girl and saw the child's
frightened expression as she looked between the two women with
wide eyes.  She looked like she could begin crying at any moment. 
"Perhaps I could just stop for a cup of tea.  Its been a long
walk."
     "I... I think I have some tea," the woman said hesitantly. 
"It's not very good tea."
     "Anything will do."  Nabiki started up the road like the
issue was settled.  She could see a small farm house off in the
distance and assumed that was their home.
     The trio walked only a short distance before the woman
pulled Miki off the road.  Crossing the ditch on an old wood
plank, she carefully slipped through a fence.  Nabiki struggled
to follow.
     <Well, I think this explains how you tore that blouse, young
lady,> she thought. <I wonder why we're going this way.  The
house is over there.>
     Moments later, the reason for the detour became obvious. 
They weren't going to the farmhouse.  In the middle of a clearing
of trees, was a hog shed.  It looked like it had just been built. 
Draped over part and forming a kind of canopy was the remnants of
a ragged tent.  Nabiki could see blankets and a few personal
possessions neatly stored in a corner of the shed.
     "You live here?" Nabiki said reflexively.
     The woman hesitated then nodded before slipping her worn
shoes off and stepping onto an old tatami mat in the middle of
the shed.  Her daughter did the same, happily depositing her
kitten on a pile of straw that looked like it had been shaped for
just such a purpose.  Nabiki shook her head and removed her shoes
next to the mat and gingerly stepped onto it's surface.  It might
have been old but it still held gave off a hint of the aroma she
was so used to smelling in her own home.  She carefully knelt
near the edge of the mat and watched the woman gather a few items
to start the tea.
     "I don't wish to be rude," Nabiki said as she looked at her
surroundings.  "But why on earth are you living here?"
     The woman stopped her tea making and squeezed her eyes shut. 
"It is all I have."  Her hands quickly covered her face and
Nabiki could see the woman's shoulders begin to quiver.  "Forgive
me, Lady Nabiki, this place is not worthy of one so high born as
you."
     "First off, drop the 'Lady Nabiki' stuff.  I'm just Nabiki." 
She frowned.  "And I wasn't 'high born'.  I come from a modest
family in Nerima." 
     "But your clothes..."
     "Okay, I married well but that doesn't make me any better
than you."  Nabiki cut off further explanation and looked at the
mat with a quizzical expression.  She was a rich woman - a VERY
rich woman.  She lived in a beautiful house in the best
neighborhood in Hawaii.  Yet here she was sitting on a dirty old
tatami mat in the middle of a pig shed telling someone she was no
better than they were.  She shook her head again.  Jeffrey was
right.  Money doesn't make you what you are.  "Who are you?" she
asked softly.
     "I am Reiko... I have no family name.  They disowned me."
     "Why would they do such a thing?"
     "Just after I graduated high school I met a man - a gaijin,
an American.  We saw each other for almost a year while he was
going to a nearby college and I worked in my family's shop.  We
fell in love... at least I thought it was love.  He promised to
marry me.  Then I did a foolish thing and got pregnant..."  She
looked at her daughter playing blissfully with her kitten and
doll.  "...with Miki.  We married - legally.  We signed the
papers and everything."  She choked and covered her face.  Nabiki
slid over and put an arm around her.  Despite the odor of an
unwashed body, Nabiki hugged the trembling woman to her.
     "It's okay," Nabiki whispered.  "You don't have to tell me
any more."
     Despite her offer, the woman pressed on - as if telling the
story to a stranger would make the hurt go away.  "My parents
were furious.  They threw me out of the house.  They told me I
had shamed the family and was no longer welcome.  At first, I
didn't care.  I had my husband and he was going to take me to
America."  Reiko shuddered and sniffed.  "That night... that
night, he got drunk and said he didn't want any children.  He
demanded I abort the baby - MY baby.  I couldn't do that!"  Reiko
grabbed at Nabiki's blouse, her frightened eyes glistening.  "He
beat me and threw me out of the apartment.  I tried to return but
he'd locked the door."
     Nabiki tried to comfort the woman.  Reiko trembled and
wavered before finishing her tale.
     "The next day, he seemed better, like everything was going
to be okay.  He took me to a nearby town.  We stopped to get
something to eat.  I thought it strange he left his bags outside
but it was such a tiny place.  I just thought he was being
considerate.  Just before our food came, he left saying he needed
to make a phone call.  The next thing I knew, I saw his face in
the window of a bus leaving town."  Reiko choked and gritted her
teeth.  "I tried to run after it but was too slow.  Reiko broke
down sobbing.  
     Miki crawled over to her grieving mother.  Reiko took the
child into her arms and clutched her tightly.  Despite her best
efforts, Nabiki felt a lump in her throat.  She never imagined
that anyone could be so cruel, so uncaring.  Reiko did nothing
wrong but fall in love with an gaijin, an American.  Nabiki
herself had done that.
     "Does someone you know own this land?" Nabiki finally asked.
     "No.  A kind farmer let me stay here until fall.  It's all
he had.  He built this shed for his pigs and they will need it
when the snows come.  We have to move before then."  Reiko looked
up in panic.  "I have no where else to go."
     "Surely you have some family somewhere that will take you
in."
     "None.  All have turned against me.  For five years we've
traveled around the country depending on the kindness of those we
met."  She hugged her child as she shook her head.  "I took
charity only when there was no other option."  She smoothed the
matted hair on her daughter's head.  "I did it only for Miki's
sake."
     "Why don't you get a job?"
     "How?  I had no home, I had no money for transportation, and
I had no one to watch over Miki."  She sniffed and shook her head
again.  "I did have a job for a couple of weeks during the Winter
Olympics.  I sold souvenirs in the street.  Miki was so good. 
She never complained how cold it was."
     "This isn't right," Nabiki growled as she looked off towards
the road.  "This isn't fair."
     "Please, I've said too much.  I shouldn't bother you with my
petty problems."  Reiko set her daughter back on the mat and
wiped her face with her hands.  "I owe you some tea."
     Nabiki started to protest but couldn't find the words.  The
woman had so few shreds of dignity left.  There was no sense in
taking the last by refusing her offer of tea.
     She watched as Reiko opened a small container, then held it
up and shook it.  The long pause told Nabiki there wasn't even
enough tea for one cup.
     <This is wrong,> Nabiki repeated to herself over and over.
<This can't be happening in Japan.  We've *never* had people in
this situation.  We've always taken care of everyone.  Even the
mentally ill are allowed to live with more dignity than this.>
     "I'm sorry, Nabiki.  I don't..."  Reiko's voice choked again
and she dropped the empty tea container on the mat.  It bounced
and rolled off into the dirt.
     "That's it," Nabiki growled as she stood up.  She painfully
bumped her head on the low roof of the pig shed with a loud
'thunk'.  "I'm getting you out of here."
     "I have no money..."
     "Forget the money. *I'll* take care of you."  Nabiki rubbed
her head trying to make the bump she received go away.
     "I can't do that," Reiko moaned.  "I don't want --"
     "YOU don't want?  YOU don't want?  What about your daughter? 
Don't you want help for her?"  Nabiki stopped rubbing her head
and glared at Reiko.
     "Of course, but --"
     "But nothing!"  Nabiki snatched her bag off the mat and
rummaged through it.  "First, we're going to get you cleaned up. 
Then, we're going to get you fed.  After that, you're going to go
live with my sister in Nerima."
     "I couldn't --"
     "Don't start with me," Nabiki warned with a raised finger. 
"I used to think *I* had it bad whenever I missed a collection at
school or couldn't buy the latest fashion for myself but this..." 
She flapped her arms in frustration.
     "Won't your sister object?  We're not family."
     "You are now," Nabiki said while scribbling an address and
instructions on a piece of paper.  "As far as I'm concerned, you
are my cousin Reiko and she's my niece Miki.  No 'buts'."  She
handed the paper to the woman.  "You can read can't you?"
     "Yes.  I graduated high school."
     "Good.  You can help Kasumi around the house until I can
think of something else."  Nabiki smiled at Miki who returned an
apprehensive look.  "Now, let's gather your things.  There should
be a small town just up the road.  We'll get you cleaned up and
into some new clothes there.  You should be able to catch a bus
to Tokyo.  Follow the instructions I gave you and you'll have no
trouble finding my sister's home."  Nabiki finished writing
something else on another piece of paper before folding it into a
secure little bundle.  "Give this to Kasumi.  She'll know what to
do."
     "Why are you doing this?"
     "I don't know, Reiko.  Ten years ago I probably wouldn't
have even stopped to help your daughter."  Nabiki rubbed the
scratches on her hand.  "But my eyes have been opened since then. 
I had heard rumors about homeless people in Japan but thought
they were just stories or cases of old men and people who refused
to fit in.  I know better now."
     Reiko raised no further objections.  Complying obediently to
Nabiki's directions, she gathered her meager possessions and
followed without question.  They stopped by the farmhouse and
thanked the old farmer for the temporary shelter.  He acted
embarrassed for not providing better but Nabiki dismissed such as
unimportant now that she was responsible for the two.
     A short walk later and they were in a small town nestled
between two steep mountains.  A pair of ribbon-thin water falls
worked their way down the mountains and into the town, their
water channeling along side the main street in a man-made stream. 
The air was filled with the fresh smell water rushing by and
green vegetation that grew alongside the stream.  Nabiki directed
them towards a small vacation inn that offered a wonderful view
of the waterfalls.
     "Konnichiwa," the old lady behind the counter said with a
bow and uncertain look towards Nabiki's two companions.  "May I
help you?"
     "Yes, I'd like a room for my friends," Nabiki answered with
an air that reminded her of Kodachi Kuno.
     The old lady looked around Nabiki at the disheveled pair and
hesitated.  "Well... for how many nights?  We are not a shelter,
you understand."
     "It will be for one night only."  Nabiki's voice remained
firm even as her eyes narrowed.  "They are leaving tomorrow for
Tokyo."
     The old lady licked her lips like she was making a decision. 
Nabiki caught her uncertainty and pulled out a wad of yen.  The
old lady stared at the bundle like it was more money than she'd
ever seen.  Nabiki dropped a large denomination bill on the
counter causing the old lady to stammer: "Of course.  We have a
very fine room for them.  It comes complete with a bath and a
wonderful view of the waterfalls."  Nabiki dropped another bill
on the counter.  "It also comes with all meals."
     Nabiki slid the rest of her money back in her pocket and
smiled.  "See?  That wasn't so difficult now was it?"
     The old lady scooped the bills up and proceeded to bow her
way from behind the counter.  "This way please."  Her smile had
returned.
     <Yup.  Money is the key that turns all locks.> Nabiki
grimaced at her own thoughts. <Good grief, I'm beginning to sound
like Jeffrey.>
     Nabiki carefully determined the sizes of her new family
members as they undressed in the bath.  The old lady brought a
bundle of fresh towels while Nabiki bagged the old clothes.
     As the two entered the bath, the old lady pulled Nabiki out
into the hall.
     "Where did you find those two?" she asked.
     "Does it matter?"
     "I suppose not," the old lady said slowly.  "It's just
I've... never seen someone in such pitiful condition."
     "She's had a rough life, through no fault of her own." 
Nabiki looked sadly at the closed door to the bath.
     "Abandoned?" the old lady asked in a hushed voice.
     Nabiki nodded without adding anything else.
     The old lady shook her head.  "I wish you had told me that
sooner.  It changes everything.  I'll take good care of them.  I
have some ukatas we provide our first-class guests.  I think one
will even fit the little girl.  Don't worry."
     Nabiki looked between the earnest-looking old lady and the
door before bowing with a smile.  "Thank you.  I can see there is
still some heart in this country."
     The old lady pulled herself up to her full height.  "I've
seen this before.  The homeless are everywhere these days.  So
sad.  Don't worry.  This is my inn.  Whatever those two may be
out there, in my establishment they will be treated with
respect."
     "I couldn't help but notice that didn't stop you from taking
my money," Nabiki said slyly.
     "Sweetie, if I didn't take your money, I'd soon be out in
the street along with them."  The old lady matched Nabiki's sly
smile.  "Besides, without us capitalists, there would be no
charity."  The two chuckled together.
     Nabiki was gone a couple of hours.  As darkness began to
settle over the town, she returned with new clothes, comfortable
footwear, and a little something extra for Miki.  She found them
in a private dining room with the inn's owner.  She paused at the
partially open door to see Miki setting a small bowl of milk on
the floor for her kitten.  The sight of all the food made
Nabiki's stomach grumble.  It had been a long time since lunch.
     "There you are," the old lady said with a big smile.  "We
were beginning to wonder what happened to you."
     "Kitty likes her milk," Miki crowed as she stroked the tiny
feline's fur.  The cat's purr could be heard all the way across
the room.
     Nabiki bowed her way inside and shut the door behind her. 
"Thank you for taking such good care of them."
     "It was no trouble at all," the old lady said as she got to
her feet.  "Now that you're back, I can get your dinner.  You
must be starved."
     All three bowed as the old lady left and Nabiki took her
place at the table.  "Well, you seem to be doing alright."
     "I can't thank you enough--" Reiko began but was stopped by
Nabiki's raised hand.
     "Let's not go through that again.  I've got you both some
clothes to wear for the trip to Tokyo.  I just hope I got the
right sizes."
     "I'm sure they will be fine."  Reiko looked gratefully at
Nabiki.
     "Oh, I almost forgot."  Nabiki pulled out a small box from
one of the bags she brought in.  "This is for you."  She handed
the box to Miki.
     "What is it?" the girl asked with wide eyes.
     "Open it and see."
     Miki glanced at her mother who gave her approval with a nod
before she tore into the box like it was Christmas morning. 
Moments later, she lovingly held a new doll in her tiny arms. 
"She's so beautiful," the girl gasped as she toyed with its short
brown hair.  "I'm gonna name her... Nabiki." 
     The two women giggled at the new name.  Nabiki looked at
Reiko as she watched her daughter introduce the doll to her
kitten.  Reiko was still youthfully attractive, almost child-like
in her beauty.  Her long dark hair looked so much better now that
it was clean and combed so that if flowed down her back.  It was
obvious how she attracted her former husband.  It was also easy
to figure out how she could have been charmed by a tall, handsome
American with a smooth manner.  
     Nabiki thought of her own American husband.  What Reiko went
through might not have been all that different from her own
experience with Jeffrey.  She could certainly understand the
attraction.
     The old lady reappeared with a tray of food and carefully
placed the steaming bowls in front of Nabiki.  Bowing like a good
host, she was quickly gone.
      "I was thinking..," Reiko said as she picked at the last of
her dinner.  "Why you were on that lonely road so far from your
home."
     "I'm... looking for someone."
     "Oh?"
     "My sister disappeared a few days ago and we, that is... her
mother-in-law and I, guessed she came this way."
     "I see."  Reiko frowned at the table.  "Does she look
anything like you?"
     Nabiki shook her head as she fished out a picture of her
sister and handed it to Reiko.  The young lady held it up to the
light, her face squinting in concentration.  Like a thought just
occurred to her, she turned to Miki and showed her the picture.
     "Is this the lady you were talking about the other day?"
     Miki frowned at the picture, one hand clutching her new doll
and the other stroking its hair.  "I think so.  I only saw her a
little bit."
     Nabiki shifted her position in anticipation.  "Was she on
the same road?"
     "Yes but she walked funny."  The girl looked at Nabiki like
she was saying something that might make her angry.  "She scared
me.  I hid in the bushes."
     "Was she going the same direction I was?"  Nabiki leaned a
little closer, her pulse racing.
     "I think so," the little girl said as she leaned against her
mother and clutched the doll like she was afraid Nabiki would
take the gift back if she answered wrong.
     "Then Nodoka was right," Nabiki said with a tiny smile. 
"She *did* come this way."
     "I thought Miki was just making it up when she told me about
the strange lady," Reiko said as her arm encircled the child's
body.  "I hope you're not angry for us not telling you sooner."
     Nabiki smiled warmly.  "What?  Of course not.  This is very
good news.  Until now, I wasn't certain I'd even come the right
way.  The only lead I had was Mousse and his cart."
     "Mousse?" Reiko asked.
     "We believe Mousse kidnapped Akane's husband."
     "Is he Yakuza?"  Reiko's eyes went wide and she hugged her
daughter closer.
     "Worse than that.  He's Chinese."
     "Oh dear," Reiko gasped as she covered her mouth with one
hand.  "I've heard they can be so violent.  It's a good thing I
didn't stop him--"
     "Stop him?  What are you talking about?"
     "A strange man in white robes passed our pig shelter on the
road a few days ago - before Miki told me of your sister.  He was
pushing a large cart piled with tatami mats.  One fell off but he
didn't stop to pick it up.  I figured he thought it so worthless
he didn't want it anymore."  Reiko cringed and looked
embarrassed.  "It was the mat we were using to sleep on."
     "Then it's true.  Akane is following the path we determined
Mousse would take with his cart."  Nabiki leaned on the table
like a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders.  "I can't
believe it."
     "Is this good news?" Reiko ask hopefully.
     "Oh yes," Nabiki sighed.  "It means my trip has not been
wasted."
     Reiko glanced at her daughter before fixing Nabiki with a
serious look.  "I owe you so much.  Perhaps I should help you
find your sister."
     Nabiki shook her head.  "No.  You have enough to do with
getting your daughter to my sister's house.  The information
you've provided me is more than ample payment for whatever I may
have done for you."
     Reiko tried to protest but found it impossible as Nabiki
just shook her head and attacked her dinner with renewed energy.
     "Tomorrow morning, you will get on the bus to Tokyo while I
follow this new lead," Nabiki said between bites.  "I want you to
tell Kasumi that Nodoka was right.  Tell her everything you've
seen and heard.  If my husband and his friends are still there,
make sure they know where you saw me and tell them I am okay. 
Can you do that for me?"
     Reiko nodded with a serious expression.  She promised to do
everything Nabiki asked.
     "I'll call Kasumi tonight and tell her you are coming.  It
will be easier if she met you at the bus station," Nabiki said as
she dabbed the corner of her mouth with a napkin.
     "And you will continue to hunt for Akane," Reiko said.  
     "Yes," Nabiki answered with a sigh.  "I have to find her
before she finds Mousse."
     "Is she some kind of martial artist?"
     Nabiki paused and stared out the window at the waterfalls. 
Her mind drifted ahead to the rest of her journey.  "Possibly the
second best in the world."
     "She must be very powerful," Reiko gasped.
     "More than she knows."  Nabiki's soft words came like a
lament, as if she was sorry Akane ever learned of her inner
power.  That knowledge seemed to unbalance the girl in ways they
had not expected - ways that may not be temporary.  That fear
Nabiki kept to herself, buried deeply in hopes she was wrong.
     Reiko turned to fuss with her daughter's long hair.  "Well,
I've heard that the most powerful fighters were all Shinobi
shadow-warriors."  She shook her head with an embarrassed smile. 
"Of course, they no longer exist."
     Nabiki's eyes slid from the waterfalls to Reiko.  All
expression drained from her face.  "Really?"
     "Oh yes.  I heard they were all assassins and thieves.  It's
just as well they don't exist anymore."  She stopped what she was
doing with Miki's hair and got a strange expression on her face. 
"My grandmother used to tell me tales of how they stole children
and made them mindless warriors - like walking dead," Reiko said
as she cast a fearful look Nabiki's way.  It was clear she had
her own daughter in mind.
     "Myths and legends used to frighten children," Nabiki said
with a shake of her head.
     Reiko hesitated before leaning towards Nabiki.  "Do you know
about them?"
     As her usual sardonic smile appeared, Nabiki said: "I've
done some research.  I can't speak for all the clans but those I
studied never took part in such things."
     "Well, in any case, I'm just glad they don't exist anymore." 
Reiko resumed stroking her daughter's hair.  "Miki is going to
grow up in a world without such people."
     Nabiki's smile never wavered. <Don't be so sure, my friend. 
Don't be so sure.>

*****

     "Father, where's Mr. Saotome?" Kasumi asked as she entered
the Tendo living room with the results of her grocery shopping.
     Soun, seated at the table reading his newspaper, never
looked up.  "I have no idea, daughter.  Why do you ask?"
     "Well, the tree branch he was hanging from is now laying in
the yard and there is no sign of him," Kasumi said as she set her
shopping bags on the counter in the kitchen.  "I was just
concerned he might have hurt himself in the fall."
     "Very admirable of you, my daughter," Soun said passively
from behind his paper.
     Kasumi stuck her head around the corner.  "Didn't you see or
hear anything?"
     "I must have been in the bath... I mean the... other place." 
A single bead of sweat formed on Soun's forehead and slowly
worked its way around his eyebrow and down his cheek.  He wasn't
used to lying to Kasumi.  The others, yes, but Kasumi was like
lying to his wife and he would never do that - well, most of the
time anyway.
     "Very strange," Kasumi said as she returned to the kitchen. 
"I wonder where he went?"
     "Probably far away.  I suppose Nodoka will understand." 
Another bead of sweat formed and made a similar trip down his
face.
     "Maybe," Kasumi answered nonchalantly.  "I just hope he
wasn't hurt in the fall."
     "Oh, I doubt such a well-trained martial artist like Genma
would be hurt by a short drop."  Soun was really sweating now. 
Could Kasumi suspect his implication in Genma's escape?
     "Yes, he's a most skilled martial artist."  Kasumi opened
and closed a couple of cabinet doors.
     Soun couldn't believe his luck.  He was getting away with
it.  He ruffled his papers to cover his clearing of his throat
and the wiping of the sweat from his face.
     "Father?"  Kasumi's voice caused him to freeze.
     "Yes, daughter?"
     "Have you been going through the cabinets again?"
     "Why no, daughter.  Why do you ask?"  Soun was sweating like
he was in a sauna.
     "I seem to have misplaced something."  A couple of more
cabinets opened and closed.
     "I'm sure it will turn up."  Soun blinked some sweat from
his eyes.  <She knows something.  I'm sure of it.>
     "I was certain I left it here."  
     Kasumi must have been searching for the money can she kept
hidden above the stove - the same money can he gave Genma
earlier.  "Perhaps you put it somewhere else."
     "Perhaps," came Kasumi's reply.  It was a little muffled due
to her head being stuck deep into one of the cabinets.  "But I
was certain I left it here."
     "You know, I think I remember Tofu going through the
cabinets this morning.  Something about a debt, I believe."  Soun
congratulated himself on such a clever misdirection.
     That was short lived.  Even though there was no response
from Kasumi, he could almost feel her reaction.  In the silence,
Soun swallowed hard and peeked slowly over the top of his
newspaper.  His eyes went wide at the sight of Kasumi standing
across the table from him, her hands on her hips and wearing a
skeptical look.
     "Tofu would never do such a thing," she said in an accusing
voice.  "And you know very well what I was looking for."
     Soun trembled visibly.  It was time for the Tendo Beg-For-Mercy 
Technique.  He collapsed forward onto the table, his arms
covering his head as he moaned: "I'm sorry, daughter.  I truly
am.  I couldn't help myself."
     "Honestly, father," she scolded.  "You've been sneaking off
to Mr. Miyagi's Bar again, haven't you?"
     Buried deep in his arms, Soun's eyes popped open in surprise
before settling into a confused look.
     "It's that stupid American football, isn't it?  You've been
sneaking money from my money can to go down to the bar with your
friends and watch grown men in crash helmets beat each other
senseless over a harmless little ball.  You should be ashamed of
yourself.  You're a grandfather now.  You should be a better role
model."
     One of Soun's eyebrows shot up at Kasumi's accusation.  Bar? 
American football?  Never one to miss an opportunity to avoid
real trouble by accepting a little trouble in its place, he threw
himself on the mercy of his eldest daughter.
     "I'm so sorry.  I never meant it to come to this.  I'm
addicted.  It's not my fault," he moaned while doing a pretty
good impression of a groveling man.
     "Father, we can't afford such extravagance.  I give you an
allowance and you just have to learn how to live with it." 
Kasumi turned on her heel and stomped back into the kitchen.
     "Yes, daughter," Soun said with an appropriate sniff of
contrition.  "I'll work extra hard in the future."
     "Good.  Now, about Mr. Saotome..."
     "What about him, daughter?"  Soun breathed a sigh of relief.
     "Shouldn't you go out and look for him?"
     "Why?"  Soun was beginning to feel pretty good about
himself.
     "Well, Mrs. Saotome is going to be quite upset when she
finds out you helped her husband escape."
     <Eeeep!>

*****     

     Nabiki waved to Reiko and Miki as they pressed themselves up
against the bus window.  Dressed in their new clothes, they
looked like everyone else now.  She was certain they'd be okay
for the short ride to the Nerima stop.  Kasumi had agreed to meet
them and knew what to look for.  She even sounded excited at the
sound of a girl Sodoshi's age coming to stay with them for a
little while.  Nabiki was certain they would be in good hands.
     She turned and adjusted the strap on her bag over her
shoulder as she looked up the road leading out of town.  Reiko
had told her everything she knew about the area.  There were some
farms, some mountains, and an old monastery.  Nothing unusual but
all places she would have to enquire at about Akane.
     As the bus pulled out, Nabiki started her walk.  Her mind
was filled with everything that had happened in the last twenty-four 
hours and especially all the pieces to the puzzle she'd
gathered.  Mousse had most certainly come this way and Akane was
hot on his trail.  At the most, she was only a couple of days
behind.  With a little luck, she might encounter one or the other
today.  That thought caused her to walk a little faster, ignoring
everything she passed.
     She rounded the last corner out of town and passed the
district's little police station.  She didn't even glance through
the building's large windows.  Why should she?  The police had
never proven to be much help to her in the past and she had no
doubt they would prove to be just as ineffective now.  No, she
would resist stopping in to ask any of the officers if they'd
seen her sister.  She'd do this one on her own.

     "Look, Sergeant, I know you're very busy.  But I just want
to show these pictures around to your officers.  Maybe one of
them have seen these people."  Jeff's voice sounded almost
desperate.  He'd been on the road for two days asking at every
stop along the way if anyone had seen Ranma, Akane, Nabiki, or
even Mousse.  Only a girl at some tiny restaurant had proven
helpful.  She'd seen both Mousse *and* Nabiki but couldn't
remember exactly when.  The fact she'd seen Nabiki heading back
*into* town did nothing but confuse the issue.  Now he found
himself in a small town police station trying to convince the
local authorities to ask their people if anyone had seen Nabiki
or any of the others.
     "I can only take your photographs and make a report," the
sergeant said.  "The pictures will be posted and you will be
notified if any of our officers see them.  That's all I can
authorize without orders."
     "Perhaps I could help in that," Inspector Abe said from the
doorway.  He'd been standing outside talking to one of the
officers when he heard Jeff's pleading request.
     The sergeant looked annoyed that some old guy was coming
into *his* station acting like he was someone important.  When
Abe flashed his ID, his reaction was more cooperative.  "Of
course, we will make this a priority," he said pulling out some
more official papers.  "Let me get all the details and I'll have
the pictures duplicated and circulated among my officers right
away."
     Jeff sighed heavily.  There it was again, that damned
bureaucratic approach he hated so much.  Why couldn't they simply
let him show the photos around?
     The sergeant began asking a series of questions while
writing Jeff's mechanical answers in the appropriate boxes on his
form.  He took each of the photographs and made a series of notes
about each of them, cross checking those notes with another form. 
     Jeff fidgeted and checked his watch repeatedly.  This was
taking too much time - time he didn't have.  He was certain all
four had come this way, possibly through this town.  All he
needed was to hear they had seen one of them - just one.  He
slumped against the counter and shook his head.  The sergeant
continued to ask his questions and write the answers on his form.
     Twenty minutes later, with all the forms filled out, the
sergeant picked up Nabiki's photo and looked at it carefully.  As
he set it back on the counter, he glanced up in time to see a
short-haired woman pass by who bore a striking resemblance to the
woman in the picture.  He paused, looked back at the photo and
again at the windows.  The woman was gone.  He blinked a couple
of times and shook his head.  It couldn't be that easy, he
thought while putting the picture with the others.  Besides, he
couldn't leave his post to investigate.  That wasn't his job. 
He'd ask one of his duty officers look into it - during his
normal duties, of course.

     Nodoka Saotome approached the small town, already foot sore
and bone tired.  She'd been walking since the sun first hinted of
the clear, warm day ahead.  She shifted her bundle as she stepped
off the road to avoid a large bus.  As it passed, she noticed a
small girl with long hair waving from her window seat.
     <Probably never been on a bus before,> Nodoka thought as she
smiled and waved back. <Ah, children.  They're such a joy and a
complete pain in the rear.>
     She got back onto the road after the bus passed and looked
towards the town.  It was a pretty little town nestled between
two mountains with twin waterfalls dancing like ribbons down the
side of one.  She was certain to find someone who'd seen either
Mousse or Akane there.  If not, she wasn't certain how much
farther to go on.  Up to now, no one she'd encountered had seen
either.
     With a sigh and a depressing thought about a mother's lot in
life, she hugged her bundle closer and resumed walking.

*****

     Akane stumbled along the twisting two-lane road, her feet
scraping the pavement in a listless manner.  She'd slept in a
recently vacated pig shed the night before, taking strange
comfort in an old tatami mat she found there.  Arising before
dawn, she'd passed through a small town before first rays of sun
brightened the Eastern sky and now found herself staggering up
the road the led from the town and into the hills.  Her money and
stamina had almost given out.  Only her will remained strong.
     Rounding a blind curve where the hill became steeper, her
fatigue vanished as she saw an old push-cart off the side of the
road, tatami mats still loaded high above its sides.  This *had*
to be it.  This had to be where Mousse abandoned Ranma.
     Banishing her exhaustion, she staggered up to the cart
calling Ranma's name in a hoarse voice.  No answer.  Was he
already dead?  Was he still alive but unable to answer. He *had*
to be here.  He just had to.
     Frantically, she tore at the tatami mats, yanking them off
and tossing those she could reach onto the road.  With each
passing moment, with each mat that flopped uselessly onto the
road, her anxiety grew.  Where was he?
     Unable to pull any more off the pile from outside the cart,
she desperately climbed up and wildly threw mats every which way. 
The landscape began to look like a open air used tatami mat
market.
     With the last mat gone, she collapsed into the bed of the
cart, sobbing.  He wasn't there.  She'd come so far and searched
so hard and all she had to show for it was an empty cart and a
pile of old tatami mats.
     "Shampoo thank violent girl for finding cart.  Now maybe
Shampoo find husband, ne?" 
     Shampoo's voice cut through Akane's self pity like a hot
knife.  SHE was the cause of all this.  SHE took Ranma away.  SHE
attacked Nabiki.  Akane rose from the cart like an avenging
spirit, her eyes ablaze and her hands crackling with energy.  She
was sucking up ki from all around her at an astonishing rate and
glaring at Shampoo with a hatred unequaled in her life.
     Before she could strike, a white flash of energy came out of
nowhere and exploded in her face, sending her tumbling from the
cart and rolling across the road.  Her body came to a painful
stop in the road-side ditch.  Had she not at the last moment
raised her hands to meet the force with her gathered ki, the blow
would have most certainly been fatal.
     "Quickly, child, before she can gather her ki again.  Ranma
must be in that monestary on the hill."  Cologne gasped at the
expenditure of energy her strike required.  But it couldn't be
helped.  Akane could not be allowed to strike first.
     The two Amazons scrambled up the stairs leading to the
monestary, leaving the battered Akane groaning in the ditch.

     Ranma knelt in the meditation room, his mind anything but at
peace.  He was still thinking of why the name of Shimamoto should
feel familiar.  He couldn't imagine where he heard that name
before and had no idea why it should cause such a reaction in
him.
     Assuming a proper position, Ranma closed his eyes and tried
to force all thoughts from his head.  Try as he might, the name
continued to bother him.  After two attempts, he finally sighed
and shook his head.
     "Why does the name Shimamoto Akane haunt me?" he moaned. 
"This is not fair."

     Shampoo burst into the monestary and glanced briefly down a
couple of hallways.
     "Ranma?" she called.  
     There was no answer.
     "Excuse me young lady," came a male voice from down the
hall.  "This is a Zen monestary.  Please respect our tranquility. 
Is there something I can do for you?"  Brother Toyota stepped
into the light and adjusted his robes.
     "Where Ranma?" Shampoo demanded as she approached the monk.
     "Ranma?  There's no Ranma here.  We are all monks dedicated
to the search of eternal enlightenment."
     "I know husband Ranma here," Shampoo insisted.
     Brother Toyota shook his head.  "Unless you're referring to
the young man who came to live with us a week ago, there's no one
here by that name."
     "Yes.  That Ranma.  That husband."  Shampoo eagerly looked
around the hallway.
     Brother Toyota's eyes narrowed.  "If you are who you claim
to be, why are you not wearing a wedding ring?"
     Shampoo glanced at her hands and back at the monk.  "Uh...
ring?"
     Before the monk could press the issue, a yellow blurr zipped
down the hallway and glomped onto the young lady's back.  Brother
Takahashi's hands found Shampoo's full breasts and squeezed them
painfully as he wrapped his legs around her waist.
     "Ah, it's been fifty years since since I've had the pleasure
of a woman," he croaked as his grip tightened.
     Shampoo screamed and threw the aging monk against the wall,
his body sliding slowly to the floor.  "Pervert!"
     "I beg your pardon," Brother Takahashi said indignantly as
he got to his feet.  "I am a Zen Buddhist monk, a celebate monk,
like my father and his father before him.  So don't you accuse me
of perversions, young lady."
     Shampoo glared at the horny monk.  "I am an Amazon warrior
from Joketsuzoku."
     Brother Takahashi brushed himself off and was about to
respond when his eye caught on another female entering the hall. 
"Zowie!  Hubba-hubba!  Hey baby!"
     Cologne jerked to a halt and looked behind her to see who
the demented monk was talking about.  Seeing only an empty hall,
she turned back with narrowed eyes.  "You've GOT to be kidding."
     "I've got beer," Brother Takahashi said in a enticing
manner.  "We can send out for some pizza and look at my book of
etchings."
     Cologne frowned.  "Your offer is tempting, I must say, but
I'm here on business."
     "Monkey business?"
     "Hardly."  Cologne's expression became hard as Brother
Takahashi slid next to her.  "I'm searching for my son-in-law."
     Brother Toyota cleared his throat.  "As I was telling this
young lady, there must be some mistake.  The only person who've
arrived here in the last few months is a young man who's lost his
memory."
     "Yes, yes!  That Ranma!" Shampoo shouted happily as she
grabbed Brother Toyota's robes.
     "I see."  He slid an arm around Shampoo's tight waist. 
"Well, let's all go down to the gathering room and talk this
over."
     As the two monks led the females down the hall, Brother
Takahashi's hand wandered innocently until it came to rest on
Cologne's tiny butt.  Her expression transformed into irritation.
     "You like that hand?" she asked with a growl.
     "Of course, it's one of my favorites," Brother Takahashi
said with a smile.
     "Then remove it before I do."
     "I love a hard woman.  So, is it a date?"
     Cologne's eyes narrowed.  Her first impulse was to squash
the annoying monk and be done with it.  On the other hand, it
*had* been many years...

     "This is ridiculous," Ranma muttered.  "I can't empty my
mind of distractions.  That name keeps popping up."
     He stood next to his meditation platform and stretched.  It
felt good to move around again.  For some reason, he found it
hard to sit in one place very long.  It was like his body wanted
more... action.
     "Oh well, I'll just go take a nap."  He wandered out the
door and back down the hall to his room.  Brother Toyota had said
things would work themselves out in time.  Ranma just wished they
would work a little faster.

     A feathered figure hopped through an open door leading to
the monastery's bath.  Battered, bruised and missing an
undignified number of feathers, the starving creature sniffed the
air.  A scent of moisture air and minerals directed him to the
large furo set in the floor.  Two monks, resting along its edge
and submerged neck-deep in the steaming water, watched the duck
hop up to the edge and tumble in.  To their surprise, the duck
sank.
     "There's something you don't see every day," Brother Honda
said.
     "Yup, a duck that can't swim is certainly odd," Brother
Suzuki answered as he rubbed his nose with a damp hand.
     "I wonder if Brother Takahashi would be interested in that. 
After all, he's the keeper of odd knowledge around here and a
duck that can't swim is certainly odd."
     Both monks froze in the steaming water as a dark-haired male
burst through the surface and flailed about like a drowning man. 
Splashing steaming water in all directions, the young man grabbed
frantically for the side of the furo.
     "Hey buddy, did you happen to see a duck down there?"
Brother Honda asked.
     Mousse said nothing, coughing and spitting, his blurred
vision even worse now than before, he climbed out of the furo and
started wandering around the room, knocking over benches and
colliding with the stone walls.
     "I wonder how long *he* was hiding down there?" Brother
Suzuki said with a curious look at the spot where Mousse emerged. 
"More to the point, what was he doing?"
     "Don't know," Brother Honda replied as he winced at the
sight of Mousse stumbling over a bucket.  "That guy has worse
sense of direction than the kid with the black and yellow head-bands.  
Remember him?"
     "Oh yeah.  Wandered in one day and stayed a week.  Took him
that long to find the toilet.  Never saw someone able to hold it
as long as he could."
     "Except for Brother Takahashi."
     "Of course."
     "Hey buddy, the door's over there!" Brother Suzuki called as
Mousse stumbled back out the open door leading to the garden.  
     A loud crash was followed by another and someone cursing in
Chinese.
     "Think he's hurt?" Brother Suzuki asked.
     "Beats me.  I just hope the cops don't see a naked guy
wandering around the neighborhood.  Looks bad."
     The two monks grew silent as they stared intently at the
spot where the duck tumbled into the furo.
     "So, how long do you think the duck's gonna stay down
there?" Brother Suzuki asked.
     "Don't know but if he doesn't come up in a couple more
minutes, we're having duck for dinner."

     Nodoka slowly worked her way up the hill towards the distant
monastery.  Her guide book said it was a place where strangers
could take refuge.  She figured to find either her son or this
'Mousse' person there.  If not, maybe one of the monks had seen
either or both.
     She shifted her bundle and looked up in time to see a dark-haired 
male, totally naked, stumbling down the hill.  He looked
like an escapee from a dungeon.
     "Mercy," she gasped while stepping aside to avoid being run
over in the naked man's headlong flight.  He said nothing but
kept swatting at things in front of him like there was a swarm of
flies buzzing around his head.
     <I wonder who he is,> she thought as he bounced off of tree
after tree, each time changing directions like a pin ball. <I
certainly hope he doesn't wander into town like that.  I'm not
sure the place needs that much excitement.>

     A police vehicle pulled up next to the pillaged cart at the
base of the hill.  Jeff Lawrence and Inspector Abe jumped out and
swarmed over the cart looking for clues.
     "It's the right size," Jeff said while flipping a mat out of
the cart.
     "And from the looks of it, I'd say it was used to transport
more than tatami mats."  The Inspector nudged with his foot a mat
laying forlornly on the road.  "However, I suspect someone got
here before us."
     Jeff looked at the imposing stone building high on the hill. 
"What's up there?"
     The officer who drove the squad car, leaned on its roof and
wrinkled his nose.  "Just a bunch of crazy old monks.  Really
into strange things.  I doubt whoever it is you're looking for
would be up there."
     "Crazy monks?  Why don't you do something about them?" Jeff
asked with an annoyed look.  The idea of crazy monks running
loose made him nervous.  It sounded too much like crazy Shinobi
and he knew what *they* were capable of.
     "For the most part, they're harmless.  Nobody bothers them
and they don't bother anyone else."  The officer scratched his
head and looked back down the road.  "Besides, we can't go around
rousting Buddhist monks for being strange.  We'd have to round up
every monk in the country."
     The police radio crackled to life.  As the officer ducked
back into the car to answer, Inspector Abe walked over to the
ditch check for evidence in the debris at the bottom.       
     For the most part, it was the usual flotsam and jetsam found
in any country ditch anywhere in the world.  One thing, however,
caught his eye.  Climbing down, he gingerly plucked the object
from its resting place and held it between two fingers.
     "What'cha got there?" Jeff asked as he approached.
     "It would appear to be a woman's hair ribbon."  Inspector
Abe accepted Jeff's hand and help getting back out of the ditch. 
"Didn't our missing young lady wear a ribbon like this?"
     "Beats me," Jeff said scratching his head.  "Akane wears all
sorts of strange things.  Nabiki used to say the girl had no
fashion sense."
     Abe was about to suggest Jeff pay closer attention in the
future when he was interrupted by the police officer.
     "Inspector, I just got a call about some naked guy wandering
around the edge of town.  I'm afraid I'll have to leave you here
unless you want to ride along."
     Jeff looked at Abe.  "A naked man?"
     "That's what the man said."  Abe slipped the ribbon in his
pocket.  "Why on earth should I be interested in a naked man?"
     "Beats rummaging around in ditches."  Jeff frowned at the
trashy ditch.  "Besides, maybe we'll get lucky."
     "I suppose.  Outside the cart and this ribbon, the only
thing we can be sure of is they passed through here."
     "What about the monastery?" Jeff asked pointing to the
imposing structure high on the hill.
     "Not likely.  You heard what the officer said.  Besides, we
can check it out after determining who this 'naked man' is."
     As they got back into the police car, Jeff caught Abe with a
quizzical look.  "I wonder what ever happened to Jamie?"

     "All I have to tell you is my name, rank and serial number,"
Jamie growled.  Seated on a hard wooden chair in front of Sgt.
Fujimoto's desk in the local koban, he was fuming at getting
nabbed so close to the Tendo's home.  In fact, he hadn't gone
more than two blocks before one of the local officers apprehended
him.  He wasn't taking this indignity well at all.  
     "Well, that's more than we had to begin with," Sgt Fujimoto
said absently while filling out one of the stack of forms on his
desk.
     "I told you I just forgot my ID."
     "You're a gaijin, Mr Wilde.  You're not allowed to forget
your ID," Sgt Fujimoto said like he was already bored with the
whole episode.
     "Then I demand to see the American Ambassador."
     "The what?"  Sgt. Fujimoto blinked and shot the ex-SEAL an
incredulous look.
     "That's right.  He's a friend of..."  Jamie bit his tongue.
     Sgt Fujimoto leaned closer like he was really interested. 
"A friend of... who?"
     Jamie squirmed before crossing his arms and repeating his
name, rank and serial number.
     Resting his head on a supporting palm, the rotund police
sergeant leaned on his desk and stared at the American with a
bored expression.  "Mr Wilde, why is it I get the uncomfortable
feeling that you have something to do with the Tendos?"
     Jamie's astonished expression quickly gave way to anger. 
"How did you know that?"
     "Because sooner or later every nut case in Nerima finds
their way to the Tendos."
     "I am NOT a nut case!"  Jamie leaped out of the chair.  Two
officers quickly moved behind him
     "If you say so."  Sgt Fujimoto went back to writing his
report.  
     "I want to see the American Ambassador," Jamie growled.
     "He's a busy man, Mr Wilde, but I'll see to it your request
is delivered to the proper authorities."  Sgt Fujimoto signed the 
report and motioned for one of the officers.
     Jamie, ever aware of what was going on around him, caught
the movement.  "What are you doing?"
     Sgt Fujimoto sighed.  "I'm sending you down to the district
station to be processed.  You'll be held there until someone
claims you."
     "WHAT?"
     "Just go with the nice officers, Mr Wilde.  I'm doing you a
favor by treating you like a crazy tourist and not a common
criminal."  Sgt Fujimoto handed the report to one of the district
officers.
     As the protesting ex-SEAL was hustled into the back seat of
a patrol car, Sgt Fujimoto sighed and reached for his coffee cup. 
"First it was that crazy rich girl in the leotard, then it was
the violent kid with the umbrella and bandanas, and now we get
Commander Wilde.  What's the world coming to?"
     "I don't know, sir," one of the desk officers said.  "Think
he has anything to do with Jeffrey Lawrence?  After all, he's an
American too *and* related to the Tendos."
     Sgt Fujimoto shook his head and waved his free hand at the
departing police car.  "Naw, a rich person like Mr Lawrence
wouldn't have anything to do with *that* nut bar.  He's probably
just some retired American sailor who reads too many Soldier Of
Fortune magazines."
     "Well, I've got a better one for you," the desk officer said
with a grin while waving some papers.  "Just came over the wire. 
Looks like some jokers up in a small town northwest of here are
claiming half the Tendo family is missing."
     "That's insane.  I just talked to Kasumi Tendo this
afternoon and she never mentioned anything about missing family
members."  The sergeant looked at the reports and shook his head. 
"Those guys must be getting bored up there.  Cancel those missing
persons reports.  I'll talk to Soun Tendo in the morning."
     Sgt Fujimoto pulled on his jacket and straightened up his
desk.  It was quitting time and the next shift had already
checked in.  It had been a long day.  All this 'missing persons'
stuff could wait till tomorrow.

*****

     Shampoo paced nervously in the great gathering room of the
monastery.  Despite Brother Toyota's assurances, she felt
uncomfortable when he left her alone to find her 'husband'.  When
Cologne and that crazy old monk took a side passage to parts
unknown, she felt even more alone and vulnerable.  She hoped
Cologne was using Brother Takahashi's advances to gather
information on the whereabouts of Ranma.
     Ranma.  Just the sound of the name caused her to breathe a
little faster.  He was her airen, her husband and nobody else's. 
All she wanted was to get him and get out of this foreboding
place.
     Instinctively she examined doors and windows in hopes of
finding a possible escape route, should the need arise, which she
was certain wouldn't.  After all, these were just a bunch of
harmless monks, not martial artists or wizards.
     She checked a door at the back of the room.  Locked. 
Running her hand over its surface, she concluded it had to be
more than a centimeter thick - too thick to easily break unless
*really* motivated.  She looked up at the windows high overhead. 
They had to be more than three meters above the floor and far too
small for her to squeeze through.  
     Locked doors and no other exits made her nervous.  Cologne's
absence only increased that nervousness.

     Cologne quietly left Brother Takahashi's quarters, pausing
in the doorway and smiling at the sleeping monk on his bed. 
Adjusting her collar, the Amazon elder sighed softly and closed
the door.  He was a nice old monk, almost good enough for one in
her position.  She leaned on her staff and closed her eyes.  Yes,
he could be a worthy consort.  Perhaps she would take him back to
China.  It had been many years since she had a consort.  It would
also be a good thing if she returned with a monk.  The village
had no Buddhist monk of their own and would most certainly
welcome such an addition.  He could be taught Chinese.  He could
live with her.  Naturally Shampoo and Ranma would have their
own...
     Ranma!  They still had not secured Shampoo's husband.  He
had to be somewhere inside the walls of this old monastery.  And
what about Akane?  They'd left the girl unconscious in the ditch
down at the base of the hill.  Surely she wouldn't give up
without a fight.
     Cologne hurried along the passage leading back to the
gathering room.  She had to get Shampoo and Ranma and get out of
there before Akane and possibly the rest of her family arrived.

     Akane climbed the last painful steps to the monastery and
allowed her eyes to roam the massive structure's exterior while
she gasped for breath.  Still aching from Cologne's surprise
attack and burning with the twin thoughts of revenge and rescue
of Ranma, she glared at the doors of the entrance.  Her husband
must be somewhere inside.  Why else would the Amazons go through
so much trouble?
     With gritted teeth, she marched up to the doors and kicked
them off their hinges.

     Ranma stretched on his bed and yawned.  The nap hadn't
helped.  Perhaps he was just hungry.  Yeah, that's it.  He was
just hungry.  A little food and he'd feel a lot better.  Besides,
the name problem didn't seem so important now.  Like Brother
Toyota said, things work themselves out in time.

     At the tiny police station in the village, two officers were
interrogating a most unusual prisoner.  He'd wandered into the
village naked and refused to tell them who he was.
     "Come one, buddy.  We only want to help you," one officer
said while leaning over the table between himself and the
prisoner.
     "Yeah, just tell us who you are and we'll have one of your
family members pick you up," the other officer said as he leaned
against the door with his arms crossed.
     "I promise we won't tell them how we found you."
     Mousse frowned at the nearest officer.  It wasn't because he
didn't like them, which he didn't, but rather because he could
barely make out the two blurry forms that were talking to him.
     The first officer frowned.  "Maybe he's... you know,
retarded or mentally ill."
     "Could be.  It's certainly not normal to go wandering around
the countryside with no clothes on."
     "Let's take a break.  Maybe he'll feel more like talking
later."
     The two officers left the interrogation room and locked the
door behind them.  Mousse squinted as he tried to make out
essential features of his environment.  There was the chair he
was sitting in, that was obvious, and the table in front of him. 
He could make out where the door was and over his shoulder was an
open but barred window.  There was also a small sink and...  A
SINK?  Mousse stumbled out of his chair and staggered over to the
sink.  If he could just get wet again, he could turn back into a
duck and squeeze through the bars on the window.
     Moments later, the two officers returned.  All they found
was an abandoned pair of pants on the floor next to the sink. 
Nervously, they glanced all around the small room.  It was
obvious their prisoner had escaped.
     "I don't get it," the first officer said after examining the
bars on the window.  "There's no way he could have gotten out. 
The door was locked and the bars haven't been touched."
     "What's that on the floor?" the second officer asked
pointing to just under the window.
     The first officer picked up a white duck feather.  "That's
strange.  It wasn't here earlier."
     "How are we going to write this one up?"
     "What do you mean 'we'?"
     "But --"
     "I'm he senior officer here. *You're* going to write the
report."
     "Well, what do I say?"
     The first officer paused next to his companion and handed
him the feather.  "What ever you say, I wouldn't mention what
you're thinking right now.  They'll think you're crazier than our
escaped prisoner."

     Nodoka paused at the entrance to the monastery.  Two monks
were busy fitting a new door in place.
     "Excuse me," she said sweetly.  "Have you seen this person." 
She held out a picture of Akane.
     The two monks stopped their work and examined the photo
carefully.
     "Nope, can't say that I have," Brother Suzuki said with a
shake of his head.
     "Me neither," added Brother Honda.  He twirled his hammer
and winked at Nodoka.
     She sighed while putting the picture away and frowned at the
broken door like she'd just noticed it.  "What happened here?"
     "Not sure," Brother Honda said as he slid closer to Nodoka. 
"Looks like someone really powerful broke down the door."
     "Didn't you see or hear anything?" Nodoka frowned at Brother
Honda as he slid a little closer.  She shifted her bundle to her
other arm and undid its binding.
     "Nothing," Brother Suzuki said as he went back to working on
the new door.  "Really weird."
     "Could be someone really dangerous," Brother Honda said as
he looked around in mock fear.  "A lovely young lady such as
yourself shouldn't be alone in a place like this."
     Nodoka eyed the monk suspiciously.  "You don't say."
     "Why don't you and I go around to the garden.  It's much
safer there."
     "Somehow I don't think so."  Nodoka flashed a devious smile. 
"Perhaps you should just stick to your carpentry."
     Brother Honda sighed and shrugged his shoulders.  "Suit
yourself but the garden is really pretty this time of year.  We
have a really nice koi pond and everything."
     "I'll take your word for it."  She looked past the two monks
into the entrance hall.  "Who's in charge here?"
     "That would be Brother Toyota," Brother Suzuki said as he
nailed a support onto the massive wood replacement door.  "You
can find him inside, down the hall, first right then just past
the wet bar turn left then left again.  Cut through the gym and
up the stairs on the right.  Go down the hallway at the top until
you come to game room.  Turn left and follow the open hall all
the way to the end.  It's the first door on the left.  You can't
miss it."
     Nodoka scowled as she tried to run the directions through
her mind a couple of times.  Each time she got lost and started
over.  "Thank you," she said absently as she pushed past the
monks.
     "I could take you there myself," Brother Honda offered.
     Nodoka held up a hand.  "Thank you but I'll find it myself."

     Nabiki trudged up the road gasping at how far she'd walked
since putting Reiko and Miki on the bus.  To her, it seemed like
she'd walked uphill all the way.  The rumble of an approaching
storm caused her to grimace at the thought of being caught in the
open.  Her thoughts had turned to shelter when she rounded a bend
in the road and jerked to a halt.
     Up ahead, off to the side of the road, was the abandoned
cart with all its tatami mats strewn about.
     "About time," she grumbled as her pace quickened.
     A quick check of the cart confirmed that Ranma wasn't there
and Mousse had long since disappeared.  She looked at the only
structure within sight, the old monastery on the hill.  A crack
of thunder accompanied by a bolt of lightning creasing across the
darkening sky directly above the monastery.
     "I've got a bad feeling about this," she grumbled while
starting to climb the stairs.

     Cologne was only slightly irritated to find Shampoo locked
in the gathering room.  Her irritation increased when she
discovered her great-granddaughter still had no idea where Ranma
was.
     "Monk say he find Ranma," Shampoo said in a soft voice.
     "Then why did he lock you in?"  Cologne's eyes wandered
suspiciously around the room.
     "Perhaps he not want Shampoo to wander off and get lost."
     "Possibly..."  Cologne's eyes narrowed when the opposite
door slowly began to open.  Gesturing for Shampoo to take cover,
she stood calmly waiting for whomever it was sneaking up on them.
     A flash of lightning and a crack of thunder outside heralded
the entrance of a young monk.  In most respects, he looked fairly
ordinary.
     Cologne sighed and shook her head.  "Excuse me, but have you
seen a young dark haired stranger around here.  He goes by the
name of --"
     "RANMA!" Shampoo cheered as she bolted from her hiding place
and attached herself to the monk's chest.  You could almost hear
her purr with satisfaction.  Despite his disguise, she knew her
Ranma.
     Brother Toyota entered from the door behind Cologne and
closed it behind him.  "There you are," he said happily at the
sight of Ranma.  "I've been looking all over for you."  He turned
to Cologne.  "He wanders a bit, you see.  Anyway, is this the
young man you've been looking for?"
     Cologne squinted at Ranma, her view partially blocked by
Shampoo raining kisses all over his face.  "I think so."
     "In any case, your granddaughter certainly seems to know
him," Brother Toyota said with a chuckle.  "It's so gratifying to
be able to reunite a young couple like this."
     Cologne nodded.  "We want to thank you and hope you won't
think us rude but we really must be going.  We have a long
journey ahead of us."
     "Oh?  I was hoping you'd stay for dinner.  Brother Suzuki is
a wizard in the kitchen - used to be a four-star chef."  He
paused before his expression changed slightly.  "Besides, I was
hoping to hear how your granddaughter misplaced her wedding
ring."
     Before Cologne could answer, the door Brother Toyota had
just come through exploded inward, scattering bits of wood in all
directions.  Another flash of lightning lit up the room and a
clap of thunder accompanied a lone figure standing in the ruined
doorway, gasping for breath.
     "There you are," Akane growled her hands beginning to glow
again.
     "Oh bother," mumbled Cologne.
     "Oh crap," grumbled Brother Toyota.
     Shampoo slowly climbed down off of Ranma and produced her
bonbori.  "Ranma belong to Shampoo," she declared as she assumed
a martial stance.  She'd found her Ranma and was now ready to
fight for him.
     "Over my dead body," growled Akane as she advanced into the
room.  Ranma's head jerked at the sound of Akane's voice.  The
fog in his mind started to clear.  He knew that voice.
     "Uh, ladies," Brother Toyota said defensively as he held his
hands up like a referee between two fighters.  "I'm certain we
can settle this peacefully."
     As Akane advanced, Cologne lowered her staff and aimed it
directly at the threatening Tendo.  The old Amazon elder's voice
began a low growl that grew in intensity as her staff began to
glow, gathering power in the same manner as Akane.  Her voice had
just reached its crescendo when a sword flashed in the twilight
of the room, cutting a good foot off the end of the old ghoul's
staff.
     "That's my daughter-in-law," warned Nodoka as she readied
for another strike.  "Don't do something we'd both regret."
     "Agreed," Cologne growled as she held her staff like a
sword.  She was clearly ready to take on Nodoka using the younger
woman's own technique.
     "There you are, my darling," Brother Takahashi crowed from
the open doorway.  Cologne had but a moment to flinch and scowl
before the crazed monk affixed himself to her back like a
starfish, his arms and legs wrapping themselves around her aging
but still firm body.  
     With a yell of surprise, she began striking the monk with
her staff.  "Not now!" she yelled.  "I'm busy!"
     Shampoo took the opportunity of the monk's diversion to
attack.  Akane, already weakened by using her ki technique too
many times, didn't have the strength to do it again.  This fight
would be the old fashion way.
     Cologne staggered across the room, knocking over chairs and
tables as she frantically fought to dislodge the clinging monk. 
Shampoo and Akane engaged in a furious battle on the other side
of the room, blows being exchanged with such ferocity that the
rest of the room's furniture was in danger of complete
destruction.
     "Violent Tendo girl not take Ranma this time!"
     "He's MY HUSBAND!"
     "He belong to Shampoo FIRST!"
     Throughout the battle, Ranma stood in silence, his confused
mind sorting out all the names and voices he heard.  They were
beginning to make connections.
     Fighting an exhausted opponent, Shampoo soon gained the
upper hand, pinning Akane to the floor.  Grabbing a broken chair
leg, she raised the weapon high over her head, her eyes flashing
with the excitement of impending victory.
     Akane, totally drained, resorted to her one remaining
weapon.  
     "RANMA!  HELP ME!"
     Ranma's body jerked as memories flooded back, swamping his
mind with twenty years of recall.  "Akane?" he gasped as his eyes
grew wide at the sight of his wife pinned to the floor.
     "Ranma?" she pleaded again her eyes fixed on the goal of her
quest.  It may have been too late.
     Shampoo's hand swung down, the club aimed at her opponent's
head.
     A blur of yellow blazed past the battling duo, the club
disappearing from Shampoo's hand.
     When she looked up, all she saw was an angry Ranma holding
her improvised weapon in one hand.  "NEVER threaten Akane!" he
yelled before striking the club with one hand, exploding it in a
cloud of harmless sawdust.
     "Ranma?" Shampoo pleaded.  "Airen?"
     "No, Shampoo.  Not now, not ever."  Ranma slowly unwound his
robe to reveal his black pants and bare chest.  "I remember it
all now; the alley, the water, the look of satisfaction on your
face before I blacked out.  I could never love someone like you,
never."  His eyes narrowed as his muscles tensed.  "Get off
Akane."
     Shampoo looked between Akane's firm expression and Ranma's
look of resolve.  She glanced at Nodoka, still holding her sword
in a threatening manner.  The odds were not good.  She might be
able to dispatch Akane but only at the cost she was prepared to
pay.  Besides, between Ranma, who she knew could beat her, and
the lady with the sword, who looked like she was an expert, the
victory over Akane could very well be a Pyrrhic one.  She glanced
around for help but Cologne had disappeared along with the crazy
monk.  Alone and with no chance of winning the way she wanted,
she slowly climbed off her opponent.
     "Shampoo not lost," she said with narrowed eyes.  "Shampoo
find way."
     "No," Ranma said as he helped Akane to her feet.  She melted
into his arms, glaring at the Amazon that almost killed her. 
"That will never happen."
     "This not over."
     "Yes it is, Shampoo," he growled holding the exhausted Akane
tightly to him. "I love Akane.  I won't leave Japan without her
and she's not going anywhere without me."
     Shampoo trembled with anger and frustration as she looked
between Ranma and Akane.  Her hatred for the woman who'd taken
her airen multiplied ten fold.
     "Ranma belong to Shampoo!" she yelled as she bolted for the
door, her eyes already beginning to water.  As much as she tried
to fight it, she knew the truth, she'd always known the truth. 
She had just not wanted to believe it hoping for some miracle
that would turn him against Akane and into her arms.  He might be
her husband by Amazon law but she now knew he would never submit
willingly.  Without a willing Ranma, the prize would likely be
worthless.
     Shampoo dashed past a nervous Nabiki in her headlong dash
for the monastery's door.  Nabiki hesitated when she heard the
crash of wood and the shouts of the two monks who were repairing
the door.  In the silence that followed, she knew that Shampoo
was gone.  "Another day," she said softly.  "I know you can't
give up, Shampoo.  We'll meet another day."
     Nabiki found Akane with Ranma and his mother in the
gathering room.  Brother Toyota was still cowering under the only
remaining table.  She shook her head.  When it came to religious
persons and the Tendos, under a table is the safest place to be.

     Ranma and Nodoka stood frozen in place staring at each
other.
     "Ranma?" Nodoka said softly as the sword slipped from her
fingers and clattered to the stone floor.
     "Mom?"  Ranma's grip on Akane loosened as he began to move
towards his mother.  Reluctantly, Akane released her husband.
     Nodoka only had to extend her arms in a welcoming manner to
find herself holding her son for the first time in fifteen years. 
It seemed like a lifetime.

     Nabiki helped the monk from under the table.  "You know,
you're very lucky."
     "Oh yeah?" he answered in a daze.
     "Sure, it's not every day you survive an invasion by Chinese
Amazons, Shinobi warriors, *and* a sword-wielding mother."
     "Really?"  Brother Toyota looked like the survivor of a
train wreck as he surveyed the rubble that was once his gathering
room.  "Boy, the Abbot is gonna be pissed."
     "Don't worry, as my husband likes to say: Everything works
out in the end."  Nabiki giggled at such a corny saying.  It was
just the kind of thing Jeffrey would say in such a situation. 
She loved that about him.
     "I used to say that myself."
     "See?  I just knew you were a learned man."  Nabiki led the
dazed monk towards the open doorway.  "Let's leave the family
reunion to the Saotomes."  She stopped long enough to see Ranma
and Akane frantically hugging while Nodoka hovered nearby, signs
her obvious joy showing damp on her cheeks.
     "Oh, is that their family name?  I was wondering about
that?"
     Nabiki led him down the hall, feeling pretty happy with how
things worked out.  She loved it when a plan came together.  "You
look like a man who could use a drink.  Come to think of it, so
could I."
     "There's some sherry down in the wet bar."
     "Maybe something stronger would be in order," Nabiki said as
they took the turn towards the party room with its wet bar.
     "Scotch Whiskey?"
     Nabiki sighed as she felt the tension drain from her body. 
"Why not?"

     As the police car slid to a halt at the base of the hill,
Inspector Abe and Jeff Lawrence jumped out.  They had failed to
find the naked man heading for town and were back at the
monastery to finally check things out there.  They were also just
in time to see Shampoo fleeing across road in front of them.
     "Catch that girl," Inspector Abe ordered.
     The officer driving the car hopped out and started running
after the Amazon like a kid anxious to be first in line at
Disneyland.  There had to be visions of wrestling the cute girl
to the ground after he caught her dancing in his head.
     Jeff and the Inspector started up the stairs leading to the
monastery when they heard someone sobbing in the bushes. 
Curious, Jeff parted enough of the branches to see an old monk
clutching a nice-looking blouse and tiny bra to his chest as he
cried.
     "She left me," he moaned.  "My only true love."
     Jeff scowled and looked at the Inspector.  "What's his
problem?"
     "Beats me," Inspector Abe said with a shake of his head.  "I
don't think I've ever seen such a heart-broken monk before."
     "Must have been someone pretty special to cause this kind of
reaction."  Jeff returned the branches and left the blubbering
monk to his private mourning.
     At the top of the stairs, they encountered two other monks
busily gathering what was left of the monastery's front doors.
     "I told you we should have waited," Brother Honda grumbled
to his companion.
     "How was I to know the girl would run right through the
door?" Brother Suzuki asked with a pitiful look.
     "Excuse me," Jeff said with a raised finger.
     "Who are you?" Brother Honda asked suspiciously.
     "Is there a short-haired woman inside.  I'm looking for my
wife."
     "Oh great, another one," the monk grumbled.  "First it was
the guy with amnesia, then it was the Chinese babes, finally we
get hit with a small typhoon of a girl who proceeds to wreck the
place."  The monk sounded disgusted.
     "Nabiki did *this*?" Jeff asked as he eyed the splintered
remains of the doors.  "Looks more like something Akane would
do."
     "Whoever it was is gonna pay for the damage," Brother Honda
grumbled.
     "Don't worry, I'll pay for whatever damage she caused." 
Jeff pulled out a pocket planner and a pen.  "If you could just
give me a list of what she destroyed..."
     The two monks huddled for a moment before they turned to
Jeff and grinned.
     "Well, naturally there's the front doors," Brother Honda
said while indicating the nearby pile of wood.  "Then there's the
door leading to the gathering room."
     "Oh, yes, that's a total loss," Brother Suzuki noted with a
nod.
     "I think she also destroyed the color TV set--"
     "The 42 inch color TV set."
     "And the ice cream machine will never be the same."
     "Absolute loss."
     "The kitchen is a mess.  Probably have to replace
everything.  She also got the new pool table, the VCR, the
jacuzzi, AND the mini-van out back."
     "And don't forget all the furniture on the second floor."
     "Of course, how could I forget 14 rooms of furniture."
     Jeff stared at the two monks.  His eyes slowly narrowed. 
"Fourteen rooms?"
     "Well, it could be fifteen when we're done break... I mean
looking carefully."  Brother Honda grinned innocently.
     "I want to see this destroyed furniture before I pay to
replace it," Jeff said as his little pocket planner snapped shut.
     The monks looked at each other.  
     "Well... you'll have to give us a couple of minutes to..."
     "To count again," Brother Suzuki hurriedly added.
     "It won't take long," Brother Honda said as he grabbed the
sleeve of his companion and they scurried inside.
     Jeff and Inspector Abe exchanged dubious looks before
stepping over the rubble that was once the front doors and
started looking for their missing family members.
     They hadn't gone far when Jeff spotted someone familiar.
     "Nabiki?" he called with a frown.
     Lounging in a overstuffed easy chair, one bare leg thrown
carelessly over its arm, Nabiki Tendo-Lawrence rolled her head to
look at who'd called her name.
     Jeff stared incredulously at the three empty bottles of
whiskey on the floor and the monk passed out in the chair next to
his wife.  The monk's head was rolled back in a drunken stupor. 
A thin trickle of drool left a trail down his chin, coloring his
yellow robe with its dampness.
     "'Bout time," Nabiki mumbled as she tried to get the chair
to let go of her leg.  The empty tumbler she'd been drinking from
clattered to the floor and rolled in a lazy circle before coming
to a rest at Jeff's feet.  "Me an' the brother here," she waved a
hand at the dozing monk, "were just talking about you."
     "I'll bet."
     "We were wondering when you'd get here."  Nabiki's speech
was slurred and her movements unsteady.  She wagged a finger at
her husband.  "I told you I would find them."
     "No you didn't," Jeff insisted as he casually kicked one of
the empty whiskey bottles.
     "I didn't?  Oh, well, I *intended* to tell you...."  Nabiki
frowned as she tried to move her leg again.  Mouthing 'ouch' as
her skin stuck momentarily to the leather arm of the chair, she
tried to assume her usual confident attitude.  It was a little
wobbly to say the least.
     "Nabiki, where are the others?"
     She wagged a finger at Jeff before pointing a couple of
different directions, finally settling on further down the hall. 
Inspector Abe nodded and set off in search of Ranma and Akane
while Jeff reached to help his wife out of the chair.
     "You've been drinking again," he said.
     Nabiki burped and blinked a couple of times.  "You think?"
     Smelling her breath, it was Jeff's turn to blink.  "Yeah, I
think."
     He helped her to her unsteady feet.  She smiled, burped, and
promptly threw up on his shirt.
     "Ooops," she mumbled with an embarrassed smile as she wiped
her mouth on another part of his shirt.
     Jeff sighed and looked down at the mess.  They both smelled
of whiskey now.  "That does it," he growled snatching his wife
into his arms.  She squealed drunkenly and wrapped her arms
around his neck.
     "I love it when you do this," she purred as Jeff started to
carry her towards the garden.  "I love a man who's so commanding
and... and... manly."
     "Yeah, whatever," Jeff mumbled as he stepped into the
garden.  It took only a moment to find what he was looking for, a
small pond set in the middle of a grassy section of the garden.
     "It's so romantic here," Nabiki sighed before hiccuping and
burping again.  "I've missed you so, Jeffrey."
     "I've missed you too, Nabs."  Jeff eased her arms from
around his neck.  Kissing her briefly, he dropped her into the
cold water.  She had only time enough for a single scream of
surprise before disappearing under the surface, scattering the
curious Koi.  Sputtering and flailing about, she soon reappeared
not exactly sober but certainly more focused.
     "What did you do that for?" she screeched, standing
unsteadily in the knee-deep water.
     Jeff stripped off his soiled shirt and tossed it into the
water in front of her.  "And clean this up while you're in
there."
     Nabiki stared in disbelief at her husband.  "What?" she
gasped.
     "You broke your promise, Nabiki," Jeff growled.
     "What promise?"
     "You promised never to get drunk again."
     Nabiki's head slowly tilted as her eyebrows rose and her
lower lip trembled.  "You don't understand, Jeffrey."
     "What don't I understand?"
     "I can't do this anymore.  I can't take the pressure."
     Jeff sagged a bit at his wife's admission.  He knew what she
was talking about.  All along he'd feared this would happen. 
Mother, wife, clan elder, entrepreneur, and sister to the most
troubled pair in Japan, this was long overdue. 
     "I've been gone so long.  Every time I tried to come home,
something else would happen.  I've spent the entire summer here."
     "It's all over now, Nabs."
     "No it isn't," she moaned fighting the urge to cry. 
"Cologne and Shampoo are still on the loose.  They hate me and my
family.  There's no telling what they will do now that I've
broken up their scheme to kidnap Ranma and take him back to
China."  She trembled and hugged herself.  "I want out, Jeffrey.
I just want to be plain old Nabiki again.  I just want to live
quietly with you and So-chan."
     "I hate to tell you this but I doubt you can ever be plain
old Nabiki.  You're married to me, you're the head of your
Shinobi clan, and there's nothing you can do about who you are
related to," Jeff said as he leaned over and supported himself
with his hands on his knees.
     Nabiki's unsteadiness seemed to increase as she wobbled for
a moment before collapsing into the pond with a loud splash. 
Jeff's shirt bobbed in front of her.  "It's not fair," she
moaned.
     Jeff waded into the pond and stood in front of his wife. 
"There's one thing I've learned since inheriting my fortune.  You
either take control of your life or your life takes control of
you."
     "What does *that* mean?"  Nabiki slapped at the water in
frustration.
     "It means you CAN do something about your life but only if
you are willing to become the Nabiki I used to know."
     She blinked at him as his words echoed in her head.  "Like
you used to know?"
     Jeff sighed.  "Look, I like the cuddly Nabiki.  I love our
evenings together.  But the part of you that attracted me the
most has disappeared.  That Nabiki didn't moan about the
unfairness of life.  She kicked butt and took names.  She had a
mind like a steel trap, quick and potentially lethal.  She had
been fair, as far as being fair was necessary, and exhibited a
sense of survival second to none."
     "I'm an elder now," Nabiki pouted drunkenly.  "I don't want
to be an elder anymore."
     "You don't have a choice, Nabs.  If you quit, your clan dies
and all those who came before you are lost.  Do you really want
to do that to Sodoshi Tanaka and your mother?"
     Nabiki closed her eyes and sagged deeper into the water at
the mention of her mother.  Her clan leadership was a birthright
and an obligation.  She sighed raggedly.  "I just can't do this
alone."
     "Agreed," Jeff said as he took his wife's hands and helped
her to her unsteady feet.  "That is why I'm going to devote more
time to both you and So-chan.  You are my first priority now.  If
your clan will have me, --"
     "If we'll have you?" Nabiki gasped in shock.  "Jeffrey, I
didn't think you cared about clans and such.  Of course we'll
have you."
     "Then I'll always be at your side.  No matter what."  He
hugged her to him.  "You'll never have to face something like
this alone."
     Nabiki pressed herself against her husband's firm body.  She
loved the warm feeling, the security his arms provided.  In them,
she didn't have to be the strong one, just Nabiki - wife and
lover.  The alcohol and feeling of his warm, bare flesh soon had
her breathing rapidly.  Her body responded like it always did
when given the opportunity, rubbing herself against him with ever
increasing urgency.
     "Uh, Nabiki."  Jeff fought his own reaction to his wife's
advances.  "We're standing in a koi pond in the middle of a
monastery.  Do you really think this is wise?"
     Nabiki stopped her advances and looked up at her husband. 
Her features were flushed, more from the alcohol than from her
obvious excitement.  "I just want to get you alone somewhere
private."
     "All I can think of right now is the back seat of a police
car."
     "It'll do," Nabiki gasped, her hands wandering lower.
     That's when Jeff made his mistake.  "Wow, you really are
easier when drunk," he said softly.
     "Easier?"  Nabiki jerked to a halt.  His remark was like a
challenge - a red flag waved in front of her face.  She despised
the idea of being 'easy'.  It implied she wasn't in control.
     "I mean, well, you know."  Jeff tried a smile.  His reaction
only caused her to scowl deeper.
     "I'll show you easier."  Nabiki hooked a foot around her
husband's ankle and gave him a sharp shove.  Jeff's short cry of
surprise was cut off by a loud splash as he disappeared under the
water.
     When he resurfaced, spitting and shaking his head, Nabiki
teetered unsteadily and tried to lean over him.  "I'm NEVER
easy," she growled.
     Jeff stared at her long enough to assure himself she meant
what she'd said.  He suddenly chuckled in submission.  "Okay,
Nabs.  You win."  He held his hand out for her to help him up.
     Nabiki snorted and nodded her acceptance of his surrender
while she extended her hand.  She didn't catch Jeff's smile.
     He snatched her arm by the wrist and yanked her off her
already unsteady feet.  Her body launched itself across the pond,
landing face first in the water.  In a flash, she was on her
feet.
     "You tricked me!" she screamed, the sound of her voice
echoing off the ancient walls of the monastery.
     "I win again," he said with a satisfied smirk.  "It was
EASY."

     Brother Honda arrived at the edge of the garden just in time
to see a beautiful young lady rubbing herself against a shirtless
gaijin while standing in the middle of their koi pond.  
     Brother Suzuki leaned around the taller monk and blinked at
what they were both seeing.
     They watched the tripping match with concerned frowns.
     "What are they doing?" Brother Suzuki asked.
     "It would appear they are going for the best two out of
three.  From the sounds of things, it's a grudge match."
     Brother Honda abruptly turned to leave.
     "Where are you going?" Brother Suzuki loud-whispered as he
tried to decide whether or not to follow or stay and watch what
happens next.
     "The guy said something about the back seat of a police car. 
I'm going to get a good seat in the bushes."
     It took Brother Suzuki only a moment to decide where he'd
rather be.

     Nabiki glared at her husband through an alcohol-induced
haze.  He'd cheated.  He used his superior strength to beat her. 
She wasn't going to take that without a fight.  Of course, she
was going to fight *her* way.
     "Okay, Jeffrey," she cooed.  "You win."
     Jeff scooped his discarded shirt from the water and wrung it
out.  Chuckling at his cleverness, he shook his head and savored
his apparent victory.  By the time he glanced at his wife again,
his jaw dropped.
     Standing calmly halfway across the pond in knee-deep water,
Nabiki was unbuttoning her blouse.
     "Wha - what are you doing, Nabs?" Jeff said nervously as he
glanced around.
     "You won, Jeffrey.  Using your superior strength and Shinobi
training, you beat this poor defenseless female."  Nabiki removed
her blouse and casually tossed it into the water in front of him.
     "Nabiki, I want you to stop that right now."
     "But why?"  Nabiki unzipped her skirt and smiled her crooked
little smile of revenge.  Raising her arms over her head, she
shook her hips until the skirt slid into the water.  Clad only in
her bra and panties, she fingered the front clasp of her bra and
smiled.
     "Don't you dare," Jeff gasped as he frantically began to
gather her discarded clothes.
     "Worried someone might see me?" she cooed softly.
     "Yes!"
     "Worried about what they might think of you?"
     "Yes!"
     "Good."  With one quick motion, she unsnapped her bra and
flung the garment open.
     "NABIKI!"  Jeff lunged for his wife and used her blouse as
an improvised cover, wrapping it around her body and pinning her
arms to her side.
     "What's going on here?" came a voice from the hallway behind
them.  Jeff turned his head just enough to see it was Nodoka
Saotome, alone but not unarmed.
     "Nothing Mrs Saotome," Jeff said as he struggled to keep his
wife covered with her own wet blouse.
     "Oh, Auntie Nodoka, this brute tried to molest me here of
all places," Nabiki pleaded as she struggled to escape her
husband's grasp.
     "What? NO!"  Jeff's protests were fruitless.  Nodoka's blade
seemed to leap from its scabbard, its razor-sharp edge gleaming
in the light.  She didn't like molesters of women, no matter how
rich they were.  She especially didn't like family members who
molested women.
     Nabiki continued to fein her struggles, all the while
pulling herself closer to her husband.  With her face turned away
from Nodoka and only inches from her husband's ear, Nabiki
whispered an order: "Say it."
     "What?" Jeff gasped in surprise.  "Say what?"
     "You know what.  Say it or Auntie carves you like a turkey."
     Jeff blinked between the menacing-looking Nodoka and the
vengefully-smiling Nabiki.  He got the message.
     "You win."  He held his hands up.  "I give up."
     Nabiki smiled triumphantly.  "Good.  Now hand me my bra."
     Jeff obediently scooped the thin lacy undergarment from the
water and held it out to his wife while casting worried looks at
Nodoka.  He didn't like being put in this position but didn't see
much of a choice.  Besides, it was quintessential Nabiki to trap
him this way.  Deep down, he kinda liked that.
     Mrs Saotome lowered her weapon.  This wasn't right.  At
first she thought Nabiki was being abused by her husband.  Now he
was handing her clothes and acting most obedient.  What was going
on?
     "You tricked me," Jeff said with a disgusted look.
     "Like you said, the old Nabiki needed to return."  She
finished adjusting her bra.  "You like the old me?"
     Jeff leaned over and kissed her lightly on the cheek.  "I
wouldn't have you any other way."
     "Would one of you tell me what's going on?" Nodoka asked as
she returned her sword to its sheath.
     "Nothing Auntie Nodoka," Nabiki said with a smile as Jeff
moved behind her to help with the zipper on her skirt.  "Jeffrey
and I were just teasing."
     "Hmmmmm," Nodoka said with a frown.  Turning back towards
the hall, she shook her head.  "I can't believe I'm related to
those two.  Rich or not, they're loony even for Americans."
     Jeff wasn't finished with his wife.  He had taken his
humiliation fairly well.  Being almost at sword point and accused
of molesting his own wife, Nabiki had played him like the pro she
was.  On one hand, he liked her independent spirit.  It was one
of the reasons he married her.  On the other hand, being shown-up
in public left him with a burning desire to get even.
     He nuzzled the nape of his wife's neck, as his hands worked
their way under her skirt.  "You know, that police car is still
available."
     "It's not private enough," she gasped as his tongue worked
its way to her ear, sending shivers up her spine.
     "That's not all," he whispered.
     She felt his fingers link themselves around the elastic of
her panties.  
     "Jeffrey, not now.  Not here," she gasped.
     "Why?"
     "Because someone might see us."
     "That didn't bother you before."
     "But that was different."
     "It sure was," he said slowly before suddenly pulling his
hands apart, snapping the elastic and ripping the undergarment
from her body.  Her hands flew to her skirt, holding it tight
against her body.
     "JEFFREY!"
     "Now we're even."  He held the shredded panties out in front
of her and dangled them.
     Nabiki glared at her husband.  If she didn't have her skirt
on, this little episode would be mortifying.  Instead, she
watched with narrowed eyes as he wadded the remnants of her
panties and slipped them into his pocket.
     "Just what am I supposed to do now?" she asked pointedly.
     "Why, travel home - like you are," he answered with a smile. 
"It will teach you humility."
     Nabiki's frown dissolved into a sly smile.  She had another
pair of clean underwear in her pack.  Why not let Jeff think he'd
won?  She could get him back later - when the time was right. 
Besides, this was the reason she married him in the first place. 
He was equally stubborn and deceptive.  She liked that.

     Everyone met at the police car still parked on the road at
the base of the stairs.  The police officer who had chased
Shampoo came limping back, his uniform a mess and his bruises
obvious.
     "Did you catch the girl?" the Inspector asked.
     "Yes."  The officer yanked opened the driver side door.
     "Did she get away?"
     "Yes."  The officer slid behind the wheel and slammed the
door shut.
     "What happened?"
     "I don't want to talk about it."  His expression confirmed
he meant it.
     "I'll look forward to reading your report," Inspector Abe
said as he got in the other side of the car.
     "I'll bet," the officer mumbled.
     Jeff frowned at the tiny car.  "It doesn't appear to be
enough room for all of us.  Why don't you take Ranma and Akane,"
he said to Nodoka.
     "What about you and your wife?" she asked, still unsure of
how to take the strange American and worried about how badly he'd
perverted Akane's older sister.
     Jeff glanced at Nabiki and she nodded back.  "We'll walk. 
She tells me there's a nice place to stay down in the village. 
We'll catch a bus for Nerima tomorrow."  Nabiki sealed the deal
by sliding against her husband and taking his hand.  
     Nodoka noticed and smiled.  "Very well."  She knew a couple
in love when she saw one.  Maybe she'd misjudged this couple. 
They were unusual, to be sure, but then so were Ranma and Akane.
     The car hadn't gone far when Nabiki wrapped her arms around
her husband's neck.  Kissing him, she rested her head on his
chest and sighed.  "I'm really glad you're here, Jeffrey.  I've
missed you so much."
     "How much?" he asked as he patted her firm bottom.
     "Enough to..."  She paused to whisper something in his ear.
     "Really?"  His face lit up with excitement.
     Nabiki nodded.  "My extra pair are still in my bag."
     "What are we waiting for?"  He picked up her bag and started
for the village.
     Nabiki indicated to her husband to wait a moment.  She
walked over to the bushes next to the road.  Parting a bunch of
the branches, she glared at the two monks crouched down behind
the bush.  "Will you two buzz off.  Nothing's gonna happen."
     Brother Honda, holding a soft drink, a bag of popcorn, and
wearing a pair of binoculars around his neck, looked nervously at
Brother Suzuki.  "Well, not here anyway."
     "I guess we better finish checking on... uh... the extent of
the damage."  Brother Suzuki blushed and tried to hide his
camcorder.
     "Scram!" Nabiki growled.
     The two monks scrambled up the stairs towards their
monastery, casting only an occasional frightened glance Nabiki's
way.  Jeff slid up to his wife and wrapped his arm around her
thin waist.  "That's my sweetie," he said kissing her.  "Now,
about that inn..."

*****

     It took Jeff and Nabiki three days to get home.  When they
arrived, they found a bedraggled Kasumi there to meet them.  She
was hanging a load of laundry out to dry.
     "About time you two got home," she said while clipping a
pair of little girl's pants to the clothes line.  
     "We only took a couple of days to get here," Nabiki said
with a frown.  "What's the matter?  Is there something wrong with
Reiko or Miki?"
     "Oh no, they've been wonderful."  Kasumi picked up another
pair of pants.  "We've been shopping and visiting and they are
both a joy to have around the house.  Reiko just can't seem to do
enough for me.  Right now she's out in the dojo scrubbing the
floor in preparation for Ranma's grand opening."
     "How is Ranma?" Jeff asked.
     "He acts like nothing happened."  Kasumi paused in the act
of pinning a blouse on the line.  "Of course, there's really no
telling what effect his experience will have on him in the long
run."
     "What does Tofu think?"
     Kasumi shook her head.  "He's worried."
     "Worried?" Nabiki asked as she glanced towards the house.
     "You might as well find out from me," Kasumi sighed.  "Ranma
doesn't transform anymore."
     "Really?" Jeff said with a happy expression.  That faded
quickly when he saw Kasumi's reaction.
     "He's not cured, Jeffrey.  Tofu thinks it's just in
remission.  His fear is that once it returns, it will be worse
than ever."
     "Worse?  How could it be worse?"
     "He might change suddenly and not be able to change back."
     Jeff and Nabiki exchanged worried looks.  Akane had just
recently accepted his transformation.  If he were to get stuck as
a female, it could be catastrophic for both of them.
     "Tofu has been reading as much as he can in hopes of finding
a cure.  He says the problem is called the Lawson Effect, named
after some researcher in America who's been studying Jusenkyo."
     "I'll bet he's popular among his colleagues," Jeff said
sarcastically.  "Kinda like someone who's studying Bigfoot or
aliens."
     "Anyway," Kasumi sighed.  "Tofu's written this Lawson person
in hopes of finding some cure."
     "Tell Tofu that whatever he needs, I'll provide."  Jeff
glanced at Nabiki long enough to see her nod her approval.
     "That's sweet of you, Jeffrey.  I'm certain he will
appreciate you help."
     "How's Akane taking all this?" Nabiki asked.
     "She seems okay but something's different about her.  I
can't put my finger on it but she's a lot more moody now."
     "Did Ranma agree to let her teach in the dojo?" Jeff asked.
     "Oh yes, he actually said it sounded like a great idea."
     "He did?" Jeff and Nabiki said at the same time.
     "It surprised me too."  Kasumi got a thoughtful look on her
face.  "Maybe the kidnapping effected him in a good way.  Anyhow,
he said that men don't want to learn martial arts during the day
and if Akane thought she could make some money teaching women
that new form of exercise that looks like fighting, he was all
for it."
     "Well, that's a switch," Nabiki said with a concerned frown.
     "Actually, it's a good idea.  That way Ranma can have the
days to himself and teach later at night."  Kasumi smiled like
she approved of the arrangement.
     Nabiki handed her sister another shirt to hang up and looked
around the yard.  Something was missing.
     "What happened to Mr Saotome?" she asked.
     "I'm not certain," Kasumi said adding a concerned look.  "A
couple of days ago the branch he was hanging from broke and he
disappeared.  When I told father about it, he acted quite
strange.  Then *he* disappeared."  She shook her head and smiled. 
"Probably off training some more.  They're so dedicated to their
art."
     "More likely off hiding until Nodoka leaves," Nabiki
mumbled.
     If Kasumi heard her, she didn't show it.  Instead, she hung
a pair of socks on the line and picked up her basket.
     "Oh, I almost forgot."  She dug in the pocket of her apron
and produced a small wad of note paper.  "It seems like all I've
done for the last week is take messages for both of you."
     "Messages?" Jeff asked.
     "For both of us?" Nabiki echoed.
     Kasumi sorted through the notes.  "There's one from some
monks who claim you agreed to pay for damage to their monastery."
     "Yeah, I think they were planning a major remodeling and
expected me to pay for it."
     "Then there's one from your school, Nabiki."  She handed the
paper to her sister.  "They want to know why you haven't
confirmed your registration yet."
     "I'll wire them the money this afternoon..."  She glanced at
Jeff.  "For both of us."
     Kasumi turned to Jeff.  "Your mother called.  You can pick
up So-chan on Saturday."  She paused with one of her motherly
smiles.  "She says they've been to Disneyland three times
already."
     "That's my daughter," Nabiki said with pride as she grinned.
     "That's my mother," Jeff corrected with a roll of his eyes. 
He knew his mother probably enjoyed the place more than Sodoshi.
     "Oh, I almost forgot," Kasumi said as she held up one last
message.  "Your Mister Wilde was arrested just after you left."
     "Arrested?"  Jeff could hardly contain his amusement at the
thought of his security chief behind Japanese bars.  "For what?"
     "Sergeant Fujimoto stopped by to tell me that Mr Wilde
misplaced his alien registration card and visa, so they had to
detain him until someone could come down to take responsibility
for him."
     "Well, I better get over there," Jeff sighed.
     "Oh, that's alright," Kasumi said proudly.  "I called your
secretary."  She turned to Nabiki.  "You remember Rachel.  Lovely
girl.  Anyway, she said she'd send a couple of men over to take
care of the situation."
     Jeff chuckled.  "I wonder who she sent?"

     "Okay, Captain America, you've got visitors," a guard said
as he ushered two Westerners up to the bars of Jamie's cell. 
"Keep it short."
     As the guard left, two men in suits approached and smiled
through the bars.
     "Mr Wilde?  I'm Mr Gaffney, Senior Vice President of
Lawrence Inc.," the first man said with a plastic smile before
indicating his bearded companion.  "And this is Mr Bateman,
personal attorney to Mr Lawrence.  We're here to help you."
     Jamie scowled at the two.  The names were familiar.
     "Wait a minute," he said slowly backing away.  "Aren't you
the guy that got run out of Peru by a mob?" 
     "It was only a little misunderstanding."
     "It started a war," Jamie protested, his eyes wide.
     "Okay, it was a bit more than that but I understand it was
quickly cleared up by the State Department."
     "Cleared up?  They chased you all the way down the Amazon
River."
     "They gave up as soon as I got to Argentina.  Besides, it
wasn't my fault."
     "It wasn't your fault?  You had a nervous break-down over
it," Jamie said wagging a finger at Sean.
     "True, but I'm much better now," Sean said with a grin.
     "And YOU..."  Jamie pointed to the bearded lawyer.  "You're
married to that red-head who trashes the country club every time
she plays golf there."
     "She just gets a little excited.  Besides, it's never her
fault."
     Jamie choked and coughed.  "No offence, guys, but I'd rather
stay here.  The food's good, it's real quiet at night, and the
Yakuza in the next cell play a good game of shogi, if you don't
mind playing with someone who only has four and a half fingers on
each hand."
     "Are you sure, Mr Wilde?  We were hoping to escort you back
to Hawaii ourselves."
     "I'll bet."  Jamie tried to smile.  It wasn't easy.  He was
facing two of the most dangerous men in America.  Just being
around them guaranteed a disaster would happen - usually only to
the poor fellow with them.
     "Suit yourself, Mr Wilde," Sean said before turning to Mr
Bateman.  "So, Jimbo, you up for some okonomiyaki.  I know a
really good shop in Nerima."

*****

[ To be continued..... ]