Nabiki - New Horizons
                Chapter 22 - Night of Demons
                        by G.L. Sandborn
                                


     "Okay, So-chan is spending the day down at the gym with the
Wilkersons, that new Chinese housekeeper - what's her name -
starts this afternoon, and I'm dropping you off at the driving
school on my way into the office," Jeff said as he sorted through
the previous day's mail.
     "The Wilkersons are taking So-chan along with the rest of
her gymnastics friends for a birthday party for their daughter,
the housekeeper's name is Jade, and my driving class starts in
less than an hour."  Nabiki stood in front of the hall mirror and
checked herself.  Dressed in a conservative blouse and slacks
combination, her clan amulet peeking out from its resting place
nestled between the mounds of her breasts, she looked much like
any other person in Hawaii.  There were times she liked the
anonymity.  While behind the wheel of a car would certainly be
one of those times.
     "Think you'll be driving today?"  Jeff tossed the mail back
on the counter and leaned against it to watch his wife fuss with
the collar of her blouse.  Her vanity sometimes amused him.
     "Elsa Bibat personally assured me I would get behind the
wheel of a real car on the first day."  Nabiki nodded at her
reflection.  "It won't be a long drive.  Just something around
the neighborhood where the school is located.  I think she called
it an orientation drive or something like that."
     Nabiki tore herself away from her own reflection and glided
up to her husband.  Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled
him into kiss.  She allowed herself the luxury of lingering in
his embrace, their kiss lasting far longer than either of them
expected.
     "I want to thank you for being so supportive," she said when
the kiss had finally run out of steam.
     "Well, you were right about the taxies and me shuttling you
around.  I guess it's time you had more freedom."
     Nabiki smiled and showed her approval with another kiss, her
tongue sensually caressing his teeth and lips.  "Speaking of more
time...," she said in a hoarse whisper.
     Jeff held her tighter.  "We *could* make time."
     Reluctantly, Nabiki loosened her hold as a thought occurred
to her.  "No, I don't want to be late for my first driving
lesson.  You know how I don't like to be late."
     Jeff sighed.  "Yeah, I guess so."  He coaxed one more hug
from his wife before releasing her.  It wasn't easy.  Her touch
seemed to beg its continuation.
     "Come on," she urged with a sly smile.  "There's plenty of
time for this later."
     Jeff shyly chuckled and hoped she meant what he thought she
meant.
     He followed his wife out the door and paused to unlock it. 
"What time does Jade start work?" he said fiddling with the lock.
     "One o'clock," Nabiki called from the driveway.
     "Your driving class doesn't finish until one.  What's she
supposed to do until you get home?" he asked walking to the Jeep.
     "She can wait outside."
     Jeff paused with his hand on the Jeep's door handle. 
"That's not very nice, Nabs.  You should be here when she
arrives."
     "Jeffrey, I only hired her because you and Sister Angelica
talked me into it."  Nabiki yanked open her door.  "So don't get
any ideas that I like her or anything.  I don't trust her."
     "Because she's Chinese?"  Jeff frowned as he slid into the
driver's seat.
     "Partly."  Nabiki continued to stand in the open car door. 
"But mostly because of who she looks like and the fact she
doesn't know where her mother is from or even very much about her
father.  Don't you find that just a little bit curious?"
     "I suppose but things are difficult in that part of the
world.  The situation is changing almost daily.  I can see a
family thrown together for no other reason than the love two
people have for each other.  Maybe Jade's parents were like that;
two lonely people, cut off from their families in a British
colony that's just about to be handed over to the Communist
government.  Sounds to me like true love."
     "You're such a hopeless romantic, Jeffrey," Nabiki said with
a sigh while sliding into the bucket seat next to her husband. 
"Real life doesn't work that way."
     "Oh, I see.  Then Jade is some international spy planted in
this country to gain our confidence.  Maybe she intends to
discover our secret of happiness so she can send it back to her
Beijing masters.  Maybe she's here to spy on the Navy base for a
planned sneak attack.  Oh, wait, that's been done."
     "Very funny, Jeffrey."  Nabiki scowled at her husband.  "But
you know what I'm talking about."
     Jeff sighed and shook his head.  "I only wish I did."
     "She just *happens* to show up in Hawaii.  She just
*happens* to know Sister Angelica.  She just *happens* to need a
job at the same time I need a housekeeper.  She claims not to
know anything about her parents past.  Her mother looks strangely
familiar and her father could be Genma's twin.  You tell me what
all this means."
     Jeff started the Jeep.  "It means that next you'll be seeing
black helicopters in the back yard and aliens landing on our
patio."
     "Don't patronize me," she growled.  "And don't change the
subject."
     "Fine," Jeff said in resignation.  "But I still think you're
making far too much out of this."  He backed the Jeep out of the
driveway.  "I've done a little checking myself."
     "And?"
     Jeff put the Jeep into 'Drive'.  "And everything Jade has
told us and Sister Angelica checks out.  She's a legal immigrant,
she's from Hong Kong, her mother is dead, she needs a job, and
she's a nice girl.  What more do you need to know?"
     "I need to know why she looks the way she does.  I need to
know why her father looks like Genma Saotome.  I need to know why
she doesn't know where her mother is from."  Nabiki crossed her
arms and tried to look determined.
     "You're going to drive yourself crazy, Nabs."  Jeff stopped
the Jeep at a traffic light.  "Everyone has someone that looks
like them wandering around somewhere in the world.  This applies
to both Jade and her father.  And before the communist take-over
Hong Kong was a refugee city.  Millions of people came there,
many more were born there to parents who left behind their homes
and families for a little taste of freedom.  Maybe Jade's mother
was one of those second- or third-generation residents who's
mother never talked about her home."
     "You're reaching, Jeffrey."
     "I'm trying to be realistic, Nabs."
     "Her mother was not born in Hong Kong," Nabiki insisted.
     "You've been checking too, I see."
     "You know me."
     Jeff just nodded.  Nabiki could be most thorough when it
came to doing background checks.
     "Her mother came from somewhere in the interior of China -
deep in the interior.  If my suspicions check out, it will be
somewhere close to Josetsuzoku.  THAT, my non-skeptical husband,
will be all I'll need."
     "All you'll need for what?"
     "I'm going to protect myself and my family."
     "Very admirable, my wife."  Jeff pulled the Jeep into the
driving school's parking lot.  "Just make certain you're not on a
witch-hunt because of Shampoo.  Jade deserves better.  She
deserves a chance to make it in this country."
     Nabiki opened the door and locked her husband in a cold
stare.  "I made a mistake once by underestimating those Amazons. 
I won't do that again."
     Jeff returned his wife's stare.  "Do what you have to but if
that girl is everything she appears to be, I don't what her
hurt."
     "You seem to be more interested in protecting this girl than
your family."
     Jeff sighed.  "Never harm an innocent or allow harm to come
to an innocent through your actions."
     "Don't quote me that Shinobi crap."  Nabiki looked around to
see who might be listening.  "I'm not going to hurt her if she is
really an innocent pawn in all this.  But make no mistake, I WILL
protect my family."
     Before Jeff could reply, Nabiki was out of the Jeep and
slamming shut the door.  He watched as she mustered her dignity
to stride confidently into the little building housing the
driving school.
     He sighed and shook his head before pulling out of the
parking lot.  It was going to be a long week.

-------

     Inside the Elsa Bibat Driving School, the founder sat behind
the desk in her office scanning the details about the students in
her next class.
     "Immigrants and old people," she muttered.  "And sometimes
both at the same time."
     "Complaining about the clientele again?" came a voice from
the door.
     Elsa looked up to see her star driving instructor, Rob
Barba, leaning against the door frame sipping a steaming cup of
coffee.  She usually didn't take much guff from her instructors
but Rob was different.  During the week he taught school, PE and
Driver's Ed, but on the weekends he made almost as much working
for her.  Good thing too.  His tanned good looks and unflappable
nature made him a natural for the job.  Little old ladies would
sign up for weeks of instruction just to sit in a late-model air
conditioned car and be seen driving around Honolulu with him.
     "We've got the usual suspects.  Four are immigrants, one old
enough to get disqualified on the eye test alone and there's this
one," she said handing a particular application across the desk.
     Rob looked at the name, his eyebrows shot up.  "Is this for
real?"
     "She signed up last week.  Seems her husband got tired of
shuttling her around."
     Rob took another gulp of his coffee.  "Japanese female, eh? 
Well, she should be easy.  I hear they're real coachable."
     "Not this one."
     "Though?"
     "Bite your head off."
     "Remind me to wear my asbestos underwear."
     "I'm not kidding, Rob," Elsa said as she took back the
application.  "This lady is VIP all the way.  No horsing around
with her.  Get her trained, get her licensed, and get her out of
here."
     "Okay, okay," Rob said holding a hand up defensively.  "No
screwing around.  I'll play it straight."
     He tossed his empty coffee cup in the trash and turned to
leave.
     "And no trying to get her to sign up for anything else,"
Elsa called after his retreating form.  She looked once again at
the application and frowned.  "I'm trying to run an honest
business here.  All I need is for someone with *her* connections
to get the authorities after me."

----------

     Kasumi paced nervously in the lobby of the hospital.  Akane,
only slightly calmer, leaned against a support and watched her
sister with apprehension.
     "Are you really going to tell her about Baby?" Akane finally
asked, her voice tinged with no small about of with awe.
     Kasumi sighed.  "I have to.  It wouldn't be right for her to
find out at home.  Besides, if she were to have some kind of
reaction to the news, I'd rather she have it here at the
hospital."
     Akane nodded her agreement before crossing her arms and
hugging herself like she'd just caught a chill.  "I'm just glad
I'm not the one that has to do it."
     "That's part of being an adult, Akane.  You sometimes have
to do disagreeable things," Kasumi said, her voice hesitating
when she saw Mrs Suzuki waddling from the elevators.
     Both young ladies stood uneasily side-by-side and waited for
their elderly neighbor.
     "Kasumi!" Mrs Suzuki said with a smile.  "What a pleasant
surprise.  I had no idea you would be here.  I hope there is
nothing wrong."  The old lady's smile disappeared, replaced by a
frown of concern.  "Is your father okay?"
     "Oh, yes, Obaasan.  He's just fine," Kasumi gushed with
glances at Akane.
     "Well, I'm certainly glad to hear that.  Of course,
considering how much he smokes, it's only a matter of time."
     Kasumi cleared her throat and shuffled her feet.  "Yes...
well..."  She paused to glance at Akane.  The younger girl must
have gotten the hint.
     "You know, little Miki really likes you.  She calls you 
'Baba' Suzuki."  Akane looked at her sister, hoping for
encouragement.  Kasumi's satisfied little smile convinced her she
was on the right track.
     Mrs Suzuki chuckled.  "The last person to call me that was
your sister Nabiki."  She sighed.  "I really do miss her."
     "Yes... uh... Miki was saying just the other day how lucky
she is to have you for her grandmother," Kasumi added with a
slight nod and a broad smile.
     "That sure takes me back."  The old lady sighed.  "After
your mother died, I remember how much the three of you spent over
at my house."
     "You've always been our baba," Kasumi confirmed.
     Mrs Suzuki fell silent as memories of the days following the
death of Mrs Tendo surrounded them all.  "Thank you," she
whispered.  "But now all I have is a scruffy old dog and my
memories.  That reminds me," she said looking up.  "I need to
pick up more dog food on the way home.  I'm sure Baby's supply
must be almost gone by now.  How that dog can eat."  She chuckled
to herself.  Akane and Kasumi remained ominously silent.
     Finally, Kasumi cleared her throat.  "Yes,... well... that
really isn't necessary."
     "Yeah, she doesn't eat very much anymore," Akane added.
     "Oh?  Isn't she feeling well?" Mrs Suzuki asked, her brow
knitted into an expression of concern.
     "I wouldn't say that.  It's more like she's kinda... well,
dead."  Akane fidgeted at the confession.
     Mrs Suzuki stood stunned for a few moments, her small,
wrinkled hand slowly coming to cover her mouth.  Her eyes were
wide with surprise.
     Akane glanced at her sister only to see the disapproval in
her eyes.  She quickly moved to soften the news.  "I found her
under the stairs curled up like she was sleeping."
     "Akane," Kasumi gasped.
     "Well, it's not like she got run over or anything."
     Mrs Suzuki was oblivious to the verbal exchange between
sisters.  She was staring at the floor through unfocused eyes. 
Her body shook slightly.
     "Akane," Kasumi warned, adding a disapproving look in hopes
the girl would get the message.
     "I mean, she didn't look like she suffered or anything.  She
looked real natural - like she was asleep."
     This time, all Kasumi could do was make a tortured little
squeak as her eyes grew wide with disbelief.
     Mrs Suzuki apparently didn't notice.  "I see," she said
slowly.  "These... these things happen.  Do not trouble
yourselves."  With a shallow bow of acceptance, she excused
herself and slowly waddled towards the womens' rest room.
     The two sisters watched the old lady disappear through the
door.
     "Way to go," Kasumi chastised her sister.
     "Well, she had to be told.  You said so yourself," Akane
protested.
     "Not like that."
     "How else do you tell someone their dog died?"
     "I don't know," Kasumi sighed.  "But I'm sure there had to
be a better way than that."
     Akane pouted.  "Somebody had to do it."

     Mrs Suzuki moved like a ghost into the last stall in the 
rest room.  Closing the door, her lip beginning to quiver, she
squatted down and leaned against the cool metal of the stall. 
Everyone was gone now.  Her husband dead, her favorite little
girl, Nabiki, moved to America, and now her only reason for
living had passed away.  She felt so terribly alone.
     Wrapping her arms around herself, she pressed her cheek
against the smooth door of the stall as the first choking sobs
escaped.  
     Soon, the sounds of an old woman crying echoed in the empty
rest room.

*****

     Nabiki took her place in the driving school classroom. 
Sliding into the one piece desk/chair combination, she looked
around at her fellow students.
     Two were obvious immigrants, Chinese she imagined.  One was
a young lady that looked like a high school drop-out.  The last
was a pair of old ladies who kept whispering back and forth
between giggles.  Whatever their problem was, it only annoyed
Nabiki.
     She was scanning her handbook when a tall, handsome, well-
tanned man strode confidently into the room.  The old ladies
giggled like schoolgirls.  Nabiki rolled her eyes.
     "I'm Rob Barba and I'll be your primary instructor for the
duration of this class.  Today, we'll review the basics of
driving, the usual layout of an automobile, and take a little
orientation drive around the neighborhood to give you the feel of
actually driving an automobile."  He flashed a broad grin that
would have been at home on a billboard.  "Are there any
questions?"
     One of the little old ladies held up her hand.  "Will *you*
be taking us out to drive?"
     Rob cleared his throat.  "There are three instructors here
at the Babit School of Driving.  I am only one of them."
     "Can we choose who we drive with?" the other asked.
     "I'm afraid not.  Sorry."
     "Oh, pooh."
     Nabiki sighed.  This was going to be a long class.

*****

     A pair of Tokyo businessmen walked the streets of Nerima
trying to decide what to have for lunch.
     "We don't have much time," one said to his companion.  "We
have that meeting at two."
     They almost passed a formerly popular eating place.  Its
door was open but several panes of glass in it had been replaced
with crude wood patches.  The windows along the adjoining wall
looked like they hadn't been cleaned in months.  The fading sign
above the door was barely legible.  Still, the enticing odor of
cooking tempted the pair.
     "How about okonomyaki?"
     The businessman eyed the run-down establishment.  "I don't
think so.  I've heard about this place.  Used to be pretty good
but lately..."
     "Yeah, now that you mention it, I've heard that too. 
Something to do with the owner.  I heard she lost it after a
nasty breakup with her fianc‚."
     "I heard it involved another woman."
     The first businessman nodded.  "Food went downhill as well."
     "Let's stop at the new Kentucky Fried Chicken.  It's only a
few blocks over."
     "Good idea."  The two men turned down a cross street.  "Pity
about the okonomyaki.  I haven't had a good okonomyaki in years."
     His partner hummed his agreement, the promise of the
Colonel's seven secret herbs and spices already teasing his
tastebuds.

*****

     The driving education class was as boring to Nabiki as she'd
expected.  Despite Mr Barba's best efforts, it really wasn't all
that interesting.  After all, she already knew the inside of an
automobile (well, the really important parts any way).  The rest
was little more than trivia.
     After two breaks, more classwork, and a final multiple-choice 
quiz, Rob finally said the magic words: "I think we're all
ready for that orientation drive now."
     The room broke into a series of excited conversations.  At
least, the Chinese and old ladies were chattering amongst
themselves.  Nabiki calmly stood by her desk and waited for her
assignment.  After all, she was a veteran driver.  She'd driven 
a Tokyo taxi - once.
     After assigning the other students to his two assistant
instructors, much to the annoyance of the old ladies, he turned
to Nabiki.  "Well, that leaves just you and me.  I hope you don't
mind."
     Nabiki demurely nodded her acceptance and followed the
handsome Mr Barba out to the parking lot.  She could feel the old
ladies glaring at her the whole way.  A sliver of a smile fitted
itself to her face.  Why not?  She deserved this.
     Settling into the driver's seat of a late model imported
sedan the school leased from a local dealership, she nodded
pleasantly while Mr Barba pointed out the various controls.
     "You certainly know your way around a car," he said with a
disarming smile.
     Nabiki nodded.  "I've watched my husband many times," she
said trying not to sound boastful.
     "Good.  I'll just make one more check to see if all the
other students are doing as well and we'll take our little ride."
     "Just around the neighborhood?" Nabiki asked cocking her
head slightly in a quizzical manner.
     "Unless you'd prefer somewhere else."  Rob's smile lit up
the interior of the sedan.  "We could drive along the shorefront
or something.  Maybe even stop somewhere, if you want."
     Nabiki feigned astonishment.  "Why, Mister Barba.  If I
didn't know better, I'd think you were propositioning me."
     "Huh?  Uh, no... not at all," he stammered sliding towards
the door.  "I hope you didn't misinterpret my offer."
     Nabiki chuckled at the driving instructor's reaction and
fought a smile.  She hadn't had this much fun flirting in a long
time.  It was good to know she could still do it to someone
besides Jeffrey.
     Mr Barba fumbled with the door handle for a moment until the
door popped open.  "I'll be right back," he said nervously.  
     Nabiki fought the urge to laugh out loud watching Mr Barba
retreat into the driving school building.  This whole driving
school thing was proving to be a lot more fun than she'd
expected.

     Two blocks away a pair of desperate men burst through the
bank's glass doors.  As planned, they split up, each going a
different direction.  One headed for a car they'd stashed earlier
in a nearby alley.  The other ditched his ski mask and looked
around for his own escape route.  The distant sound of sirens
caused him to hurry.  He had to find a way out.
     Almost jogging, he spied a car sitting in front of the Bibat
School of Driving.  A single occupant of the car promised a
hostage if things got too hot.  With a smile, he slowed his pace
and approached the car.

     Nabiki toyed with the car's radio, searching for her
favorite news station.  It was almost time for the stock market
report.  She also began to wonder just what had happened to Mr
Barba.  It couldn't take this long to check on the other
students.
     She was about to give up on the radio when the passenger
side door opened.
     "Are we ready to..."  She paused and blinked at the bearded
man sliding into the seat next to her.  Her warning senses were
tingling.  "Who are you?  Where's Mr Barba?"
     "Busy.  Now let's get moving," the man ordered looking over
his shoulder towards the bank.
     "But...," Nabiki protested suddenly forgetting everything
she'd learned in the earlier class.  There was also the little
matter of a tingling sensation, like her warning sense was trying
to tell her something.  She dismissed it as simply her excitement
at getting to legally operate a motor vehicle.
     "I said: Drive!"
     "I thought this was only supposed to be an orientation
ride," Nabiki said with a frown.  There was something wrong. 
This man didn't act like a driving instructor.  Maybe he was new.
     The man cleared his throat.  "I'm sorry," he said while
casting more glances over his shoulder.  "This is my...uh, first
day."
     "I see," Nabiki said, still not certain about this scruffy-
looking man seated next to her.  His repeated glances in the
direction of the converging sirens didn't reassure her.
     "You know how to start the car, don't you?" he abruptly
asked.
     "Certainly.  Mr Barba was most thorough in his instruction." 
Nabiki's frown deepened.  Why didn't this fool know about the
classroom work she'd just gone through?  More importantly, why
won't that stupid warning sense shut up?  
     She fastened her seatbelt and started the car.  A single red
light blinked at her from the dash, accompanied by an annoying
tinny beep.
     "Your seatbelt," she said tersely.
     "My what?" the man asked tearing his eyes away from the
commotion down the street.
     "You haven't fastened your seatbelt.  It's the law."
     The man grumpily struggled with the safety device for a
moment before his efforts were rewarded by a 'click' of the
locking mechanism and the sudden silence of the alarm.
     Satisfied, Nabiki adjusted her mirror and looked to her
passenger.  "Where to?"
     "Anywhere.  Just drive... that way," he said with a wave of
his hand.
     Nabiki duplicated everything she'd been taught in class
about pulling out onto a busy street.  She signaled, looked
carefully, gauged the traffic, then gunned the car in between two
delivery trucks.  Their angry air horns screamed indignant
warnings as the little car swerved from one lane to another.
     Surprisingly, the man in the passenger seat said nothing. 
He just kept looking back the way they'd come.  Even when she cut
in front of a bus, he acted oblivious to the chaos going on
around the car.  Maybe this guy knew his stuff after all.  He
certainly wasn't easy to fluster and he seemed more than willing
to allow her the freedom to make a few silly little mistakes. 
After all, she was entitled.

     Rob Barba stepped out of the Bibat School of Driving just in
time to see his car careening out of the parking lot.  He shouted
and ran after the fleeing vehicle until he noticed someone
sitting in the seat next to his student.
     "Oh my GAWD!" he yelled grabbing his hair.  "Someone
carjacked my student."
     Spotting the cluster of police cars down the street, he
sprinted their direction.  Elsa warned him.  The wife of Jeffrey
Lawrence was to be treated with kid gloves.  There was to be no
screw-ups.  The thought of Elsa's displeasure caused him to run a
little faster.
     Approaching the first officer he saw, Rob spun the man
around and grabbed his shirt.  "Someone kidnapped my student!" he
yelled.
     Sergeant Ralph See pried the younger man's hands from his
shirt and glared back.  "Calm down.  Now what's this about a
kidnapping?"
     Rob blurted out in a long, single sentence what all
transpired since he got out of the car.
     Another officer overheard the discussion.  "What did the
kidnapper look like?" he asked flipping open a small notebook.
     "Well... he was male," Rob said glancing between the two
police officers.  His hands repeatedly clenched and unclenched,
like he was going to grab the sergeant again.  Sgt See noticed
and slowly reached for his can of pepper spray - just in case.
     "What else?"
     "He was also big."
     "Big?"
     "Yeah, big and... ugly.  Yeah, that's it, he was big and
ugly."
     "Sounds like our man," the officer said to Sgt See.  "The
bank teller used the same description."
     "Alright, take Mr..."  
     "Barba.  Rob Barba."
     "...Mr Barba and get a complete report.  Put out an APB on
the getaway car.  Caution all units to be careful.  The suspect
may have a hostage."
     "MAY have a hostage?" Rob gasped.  "He's got Mrs Lawrence!"
     Sgt See's body flinched at the sound of the hostage's name. 
"Who did you say?"
     "Mrs Lawrence.  First name is Nabiki.  Wife of --"
     "I *know* who she's married to," Ralph groaned.  Not again.

     Back in the getaway car, Nabiki was settling into the rhythm
of driving.  It was certainly easier than she thought.  Of
course, it would be even easier still if all those annoying
people would just get out of her way.  Instead, they kept
crossing in front of her car, horns blaring, causing her to
swerve this way and that.
     "Turn right at the next street," the man said while trying
to examine street signs that whizzed past at an alarming rate.
     Careful to use her turn signal, she made the turn, wheels
screeching, from the middle lane.  Cutting through the left turn
lane of the cross street, she weaved her way around oncoming
traffic until finally picking the proper lane to be in.
     "Stupid people," she mumbled.  "Get out of my way."
     The man in the seat next to her said nothing.
     Motoring up the street leading out of town, Nabiki leaned
over to adjust the radio.  She still wanted to catch that stock
market report.
     "And this just in," the announcer said.  "One of the bank
robbers is reported to have stolen a car and taken a hostage --"
     The man snapped off the radio.  "No distractions," he
warned.
     Nabiki frowned at the road ahead.  What a rude man.  She'd
have to speak to Mr Barba about him when they get back.
     To the accompaniment of distant sirens, Nabiki turned onto a
side street.
     "Where are you going?" the man demanded.
     "I live just a few blocks from here," she answered.  "I just
thought I'd drive by the house and see if my maid has shown up
yet."
     The man looked over his shoulder.  "Yeah, that'd work."
     She wasn't certain what he meant by that but figured it
didn't matter anyway.  If only that annoying tingling feeling
would go away.
     She slowed the car, straining to see if Jade was waiting out
front.  A sadistic smile crept across her face.  It would serve
the little bimbo right to have to sit outside on the porch. 
After all, that's where Chinese belong, she thought.  Maybe she'd
even wave at the girl as she drove by.
     As her home came within sight, she felt the tingling grow
stronger.  It was beyond anything her warning senses ever gave. 
It must be the thrill of driving, she thought.  Her answer came
in the form of something cold pressing against her neck.
     "Pull in the driveway," the man ordered.
     Out of the corner of her eye she could see the unmistakable
outline of a small caliber automatic hand gun.  The smell of
oiled metal enveloped her.  A strangled gasp escaped her lips.
     "Just do as you're told and no one gets hurt."
     Nabiki swallowed hard.  "You have a gun," she squeaked.
     "One that makes very big holes in people who don't do as
they are told.  Now pull into the driveway."
     Trembling, Nabiki swerved into her double-wide driveway,
narrowly missing the mailbox.  The car jerked to a halt when she
applied a little more than necessary pressure on the brakes.
     "Get out of the car.  We're going inside."  The man opened
his door but continued to keep the pistol trained on Nabiki.
     Both were approaching the front porch when a voice rang
cheerfully from around the corner of the house.  "Ni Hao, Mrs
Lawrence."  It was Jade.  "You not here when Jade arrive.  So,
Jade trim hedges and wash all windows.  Look good?"
     Nabiki grimaced at the sound of her name and hoped the man
didn't catch it.  "Yeah, Jade, it look... I mean, they look
fine."
     "Who friend?" Jade asked before her eyes popped wide open at
the sight of the man's weapon.
     "I'm not sure but I think he's a bank robber of some sort,"
Nabiki said looking around in the hope that someone would see
them and call the police.  That wasn't really necessary.  Off in
the distance, she could hear the sounds of approaching sirens.
     "Oh... I...," gasped Jade as she took a step backwards.
     "Inside!  Both of you!" the man barked, gesturing towards
the front door with his pistol.  He paused before following just
long enough to glare at the first of the squad cars turning onto
the quiet street, their sirens screaming and their tires
squealing.
     As soon as Nabiki unlocked the door, the man roughly pushed
both women inside.  Slamming shut the door, he turned the bolt
lock and looked through its tiny window.  The sounds of several
vehicles screeching to a halt out front caused Nabiki to back
slowly away.
     "Get on the sofa!  Both of you!"  The man gestured with his
pistol.
     "Mrs Lawrence?" Jade whimpered, clinging to Nabiki's arm.
     The man's head suddenly turned.  He regarded Nabiki with a
curious expression.  "What did you call her?" he demanded.
     "Nothing," Nabiki replied before Jade could say anything
more.  "The name is Tendo-Lawrence.  It's an old Japanese name
that means --"
     "I don't give a damn what it means, lady," he said with a
snarl.  Leaving his position at the door, he stalked the two
ladies.  "She called you 'Lawrence'.  You wouldn't be related to
Jeffrey Lawrence, would you?"
     "What would make you ask such a question?" Nabiki gasped. 
She could feel Jade shudder and slide a little further behind
her.  "It's such a common name.  Now, Tendo is unique --"
     "Girl!"  His dark eyes seemed to glow with possibilities. 
"What's this woman's name?"
     Jade looked between Nabiki and the man, terrified to say
anything.
     "I only need *one* hostage."  His voice dropped along with
his weapon, coming to aim directly for Jade.  "A rich one is even
better."
     Nabiki stared down at the frightened girl.  She looked so
much like the hated Shampoo that Nabiki was tempted to let him do
what he wanted with her.  
     But as she looked deeper into the girl's frightened eyes,
she saw no Amazon warrior looking back.  There was genuine terror
in the girl.  No one, no matter how well trained, could project
fear so convincingly if they were not really scared.  
     She also got the uncomfortable feeling there was something
important about Jade.  She couldn't put her finger on exactly
what but felt certain the girl was important in some way.  In any
case, the man was bullying a frightened girl.  That just wasn't
right.
     "Don't you dare hurt her," she demanded, folding an arm
around the girl's trembling body.
     "Then you better tell me who you are."  The man's eyes
narrowed.
     "Promise you won't hurt her," Nabiki insisted pulling the
girl tighter.  She was taking an awful chance.  He could easily
kill her now and still use her perceived existence as a hostage.
     "So you *are* that Mrs Lawrence," he said, his face growing
a greasy grin.  "This just gets better and better."
     The phone ringing interrupted him.
     "You in the house.  Pick up the phone," came a voice over
one of the police car loud speakers.
     All three stood frozen in place, staring at the ringing
telephone.
     "Answer it," the man said softly, his voice tinged with
malevolence.
     Nabiki released Jade and reached for the phone.  The girl
continued to huddle behind her like a shield between herself and
evil.
     "Hello?" Nabiki said hesitantly into the phone.
     "Mrs Lawrence?  Are you all right?" the voice at the other
end asked.
     "Yes, we're okay."  She glanced at Jade.  "Both of us."
     "Is anyone else in the house with you?"
     The man snatched the phone out of Nabiki's hand.  "Listen
up.  I'm only going to say this once.  I've got Mrs Jeffrey
Lawrence here.  If you want to see her alive, you'll do exactly
as I tell you."  He gestured for the two women to move back to
the sofa.  They slowly complied.  "Now, I want a helicopter here
and a jet waiting for us at the airport.  Once I'm safely out of
the country, I'll release Mrs Lawrence unharmed.  Oh, and I want
a bag with... 10 million dollars."  He slammed the phone down. 
And turned to the women.  "That'll give them something to think
about."
     "You're not serious," Nabiki said with a frown of disdain.
     "You better believe it, lady.  I want that helicopter and
jet."
     Nabiki shook her head.  "But only $10 million?  I'm worth a
lot more than that."
     Jade grimaced and rolled her eyes.

     In Jeffrey's comfortable office suite, the young millionaire
worked on his putting.  The office was so much nicer now that
he'd turned over the day-to-day operations to Mr Gaffney. 
Between him and Mr Bateman, they took care of just about every
decision.  That left Jeff with little to do but give away money
and work on his golf game.  He liked that.
     Smoothly stroking a new golf ball towards the artificial
hole, he scowled as it drifted to the right and stopped short.
     The boys at the club were beginning to tease him about his
putting.  He was four-putting more greens than he cared to
remember.  The thought of such ineptitude caused him to frown. 
After all, he was trained by a Shinobi master to control his
emotions and by that his actions.  Surely that should translate
into a golfer to rival Tiger Woods.  Right?
     He stroked another ball.  Still short and to the right. 
This was going to take more concentration.
     With a sigh, he checked his watch.  It was almost time for
the Golf Academy show on the Golf Channel.  Maybe they would have
some putting pointers.
     Switching on the TV, he resumed putting.  The channel that
came on, however, was about anything but golf.  Between putts he
glanced up and made a face at the sight of some blow-dried
talking head droning on about a breaking news story.  Well, he
thought, maybe it's something interesting.

     Rachel lounged at her desk.  It had been a long and boring
day at the office.  All the correspondence had been typed and
sent out with the morning mail, all the filing was up to date,
and the appointment calender was empty.  It was so boring.  She
sighed.
     "Turn on the TV, Rachel," came a voice from the hallway. 
Rachel's secretary friend from Mark Engles Engineering across the
hall burst into the room like an excited child on Christmas
morning.  "There's something exciting going on."
     Rachel made a face at her friend.  "Julie, this is Hawaii. 
Nothing exciting has happened here since Pearl Harbor."
     "Oh yeah?  How about the time Jeffrey's fiance brought her
entire family to town?"  Julie giggled.  "I doubt the police
department has recovered yet."
     "Or the time Nabiki's sisters came to visit," Rachel said
with a grin remembering Nabiki's strange family.
     "Ho boy, were *they* a strange pair.  The way the little one
rearranged Mr Lawrence's office..."  Julie collapsed into one of
the plush chairs in front of Rachel's desk.
     "Still, her older sister was really nice."
     "Yeah.  She *was* nice," Julie said in sincere agreement.
     Figuring it couldn't hurt to check out the news, Rachel
reached over to the tiny color TV she kept behind her desk and
turned it on.
     "... the police, including the Honolulu SWAT Team, have
taken up positions around the house.  It is believed the bank
robber is holed up inside with two hostages including the one he
abducted from a local driving school."  The TV reporter looked
cool but intense standing in front of the giant SWAT van.
     "Hmmmm," Rachel said leaning back in her chair.  "I guess
this is exciting.  I wonder where they are."
     "Who cares?  The reporter's kinda cute," her friend noted
with a little wiggle in her chair.
     "I suppose so, if you go for the blow-dried look."  Rachel
wrinkled her nose.  "I prefer a more natural guy."
     "And hunky."
     "Oh absolutely.  Gotta be hunky."
     The blow-dried and not-so-hunky reporter moved to peek
around the van.  The camera followed making certain to keep him
in the center of the picture while framing the house in the
background.  "As you can see over my shoulder, nothing is moving
inside the house..."
     "Hey, wait a minute."  Rachel tilted forward and scowled at
the screen.  "I know that house."
     "This just in: one of the hostages is thought to be the wife
of multi-millionaire Jeffrey Lawrence --"
     The rest of what the reporter was saying got drowned out by
the sound of breaking glass coming from Jeff's office.  Rachel
and Julie scrambled to the open door.
     Inside, Jeff was still frozen in his last position, the
ending of a full golf swing, while staring at the television, his
mouth open and his eyes wide.  There was a big hole in the window
behind the TV.
     Jeff slowly brought the putter back down and started walking
towards the door.
     "Hold my calls," he said like a man in a trance.  "I'm...
I'm going... out."
     Rachel took the golf club from him and glanced at her
friend.  "You're not going home are you?"
     "Home?"  Jeff blinked.  His expression took on increased
levels of disbelief.  "Rachel, how does she do this?"
     "Do what?"
     "Get herself into so many... situations."  He looked at
Rachel without seeing her.  "I just... don't... understand."
     "Why don't you take a little walk to calm down," Rachel said
patting his shoulder.  "I'll call Mr Gaffney.  He'll know what to
do."
     "Yeah, a walk.  I'll just... go for a little... walk."
     "On second thought, maybe you better stay here."  Rachel
guided her stunned boss toward one of the overstuffed chairs in
front of her desk.
     "I'll go get Mark," Julie said moving towards the door. 
"He's seen lots of this sort of behavior."
     "He has?"  Rachel ushered Jeff to the chair and helped him
sit.  The hissing sound of escaping air and the squeak of leather
on skin accompanied his collapse.
     "Every time he tells one of his clients how much his
services cost, they react exactly the same way."
     "What does he do about it?"
     Julie shrugged.  "Not much.  He offers to deduct 10 percent
if they sign a contract to use him again.  It usually works."
     "I doubt a ten percent discount is going to help Mr
Lawrence."  Rachel stood up and scratched her head.
     "Okay, then you get a wet wash cloth and I'll go get some
brandy from Mr Engles private stock.  That'll help him," Julie
said before disappearing through the doorway to the hall.
     Rachel sighed and scurried off towards the women's rest room
with a wash cloth from her gym bag.  She certainly hoped Julie
knew what she was doing.
     She and Julie returned at the same time only to find the
office empty.
     "Mr Lawrence," she called rushing to the door to Jeff's
office.  She frowned at the empty sight before her.
     "Where could he have gone?" Julie asked holding a large
glass of brandy in her hand along with the bottle in the other -
just in case.
     Rachel returned and snatched the glass from Julie's hand. 
"I'm afraid Jeffrey has done something rash - again."  She
swirled the brandy in the glass before downing every drop in a
single gulp.
     "What do we do now?"
     "Easy.  You refill the glass and I'll turn up the TV a
little louder."  She handed the glass back to Julie and reached
for the TV.  "I've got a feeling we're going to see Mr Jeffrey
Lawrence again real soon."
     Both looked at each other and nodded knowingly at the sound
of tires squealing as a large SUV tore out of the parking garage
beneath the building.
     "That woman is going to be the death of him yet," Rachel
said crossing her arms and shaking her head.
     "I thought Japanese women just stayed home and had babies." 
Julie refilled the glass for Rachel and then took a quick gulp
from the bottle herself.
     "Not this one.  She's always trying to make money on
everything she does.  Why can't she just be a housewife and enjoy
Jeff's riches?"  Rachel reached for the phone and dialed Mr
Gaffney's cell phone number.  If anyone would know what to do
now, it would be Mr Gaffney.
     "Is that what you'd do?" Julie asked with raised eyebrows.
     "Damn right I would.  And I wouldn't cause him all this
heartburn along the way."

     The desperate bank robber herded Nabiki and Jade through the
house, locking doors, checking windows and otherwise making
certain no one could sneak up on him.  He was taking no chances. 
He had the advantage and intended to keep it.
     Satisfied as to his own relative security, he directed the
two women back to the living room where the phone was ringing
again.  This time, the man answered.
     Nabiki folded her arms and glared at the bank robber.  She
couldn't believe all this was happening in her own home.
     "I don't care if there's not that much money in the entire
state.  Ask that asshole husband if his wife is worth 10 million. 
He'll cough up the dough.  Just tell him I better see a big bag
of money waiting for me on the helicopter or one of these ladies
is going to miss the flight."  The bank robber slammed down the
phone and glared at Nabiki.  "They *better* come up with the
money."

     Outside, a Jeep Cherokee swerved around the roadblocks at
the end of the street.  Dodging police cars and shouting
officers, Jeff Lawrence made inexorably to his house.  He had no
idea what he'd do once he got there.  He just knew Nabiki was in
danger and he had to get to her.
     He skidded the Jeep to a halt inches behind the large SWAT
van.  To the accompaniment of shouted orders to stop, he slammed
open the door sending a pair of officers reeling.  Two more
jumped him less than two yards from he vehicle, their futile
attempts at official police holds lost to Jeff's semi-trained
Shinobi fighting skills.  He flipped one onto the hood of a squad
car and left the other clutching tender male necessities.  He saw
other officers drawing weapons, certain they would use them if
necessary.  It didn't stop him or even slow his progress.  With
moves that looked no more violent than someone idly swatting
flies, he sent SWAT team members and regular patrolmen alike
staggering back or collapsing in painful heaps on the warm
asphalt of the street.
     A lone figure in civilian clothes suddenly appeared in his
path.  A hand slammed authoritatively into his chest.
     "I know what you're thinking and you're wrong," Jamie Wilde
said in a controlled voice.  His expression practically dripped
control.
     Jeff's wild eyes regarded the athletic-looking Cmdr Wilde
with growing recognition.  "But Nabiki --"
     "Right now your wife is safe enough.  Our 'friend' in the
house still needs her.  Let the police negotiator do his job. 
Time is on our side.  The man is not going anywhere."  Jamie took
Jeff's arm and gently turned him away from the house.  "Let's get
some coffee and let the police handle this."
     Jeff glanced over his shoulder at the darkened house.  As he
did, his anxiety seemed to grow.  "I just feel so..."
     Jamie's arm went around Jeff's sagging shoulders.  "I know,
kid.  I know."

     Hours passed and the warm sun began its slow decent into the
Western Pacific casting long shadows in the gathering twilight. 
It would be dark soon and there was still no sign of the ordered
helicopter.
     "Where's that damn chopper?" the bank robber yelled at no on
in particular.  He paused his pacing long enough to glare at his
hostages.  "It better show up soon or somebody is gonna pay." 
The way he looked at Nabiki when he said that left no doubt in
her mind who he was referring to.
     Nabiki and Jade sat together on the sofa, the Chinese girl
still clutching Nabiki's arm like it was the only thing between
life and death.
     That in itself got Nabiki to thinking.  If this really *was*
Shampoo or some other Amazon, the bad guy would have been little
more than an ugly spot on her carpet by now.  No Amazon would
have tolerated being treated like this, gun or no gun.  There was
little doubt in Nabiki's mind that even a Western firearm would
prove useless against the best Shampoo had to offer.
     She looked over at the trembling girl.  Yes, she had
Shampoo's eyes, hair, and shape of face but that was where the
similarities ended.  She also noticed the differences.  The most
noticeable was a tiny scar on Jade's left cheek, probably the
result of some childhood accident or something.  Shampoo didn't
have one the last time they met, she was sure of it.  It looked
so out of place yet obvious she couldn't understand why she
hadn't noticed it before.  Maybe because she was so determined to
prove this girl really *was* Shampoo that she didn't take time to
examine the obvious.
     "Jade?" she said softly.
     "Yes, Mrs Lawrence?" Jade answered with a look that could
have melted even the hardest of hearts.
     Nabiki started to correct the girl as to her name but
decided it really didn't matter.  She was no longer certain it
ever really did.  Maybe it was just her defensiveness because she
felt all the money she was spending, saving, and investing on the
sly was really Jeffrey's and not hers.  Maybe it was a desperate
link to who she was before marriage, a lower class high school
girl with big ambitions.  In any case, she dismissed the whole
issue with a simple smile.  "I don't say this very often..."  She
swallowed hard.  "Come to think of it, I don't think I've *ever*
said it - to anyone."
     "What?"  Jade's eyes looked like those of a child about to
hear the ending of some great tale.
     Nabiki swallowed again.  "I'm... I'm sorry for getting you
into this.  I know I haven't treated you very well."
     A slow smile grew on Jade's face.  "Is okay.  Mrs Lawrence
and Jade friends now?"
     Nabiki paused just long enough to softly snort her chuckle. 
"Call me:...  Why don't you call me Nabiki, like Sister Angelica
does?" she said after a short hesitation. 
     "Nah-bee-keee," Jade said softly.  "Sound like something
powerful.  What name mean?"
     Nabiki's answer was drowned out by the phone ringing again. 
Before she could move, the bank robber pounced on it.
     "Yeah?" he growled.  "Where's my chopper?"  Whatever answer
he got didn't look like it was making him very happy.  "Maybe you
guys need a little incentive.  Yeah!  That's what I'm talking
about!  I only need one to keep you pigs at bay."  He slammed
down the phone and glared the two women.
     Nabiki didn't like the way he looked at her.  He wore the
expression of a trapped animal and such creatures were always the
most dangerous.  Jade must have seen it as well, she pressed
closer, her grip becoming painful.
     "I warned them," he shouted as he started to pace again. 
His voice sounded panicky and stressed.  "I warned them what
would happen.  Well, now I'm going to show them."
     He stopped in front of the sofa.  With a sudden lunge, the
man grabbed Jade by the hair.  Screaming in terror, the girl
struggled as much as she could but the man was too strong and had
too firm a grip.  He pulled her from the sofa and struggled with
the shrieking girl.  When she collapsed on the carpet, he kicked
her several times, each one lifting her tiny body off the floor. 
He tore her from the floor, forcing her to stagger to her feet. 
His arm slithered around her neck and the pistol wedged tightly
against her head as he dragged the whimpering girl towards the
front door, her eyes wide, a tiny trickle of blood coming from
her lip.
     "Please," Nabiki begged, leaping from the sofa and following
them.  "Don't hurt her.  I'll talk to Jeffrey.  I'll get you
whatever you want."
     "TOO LATE!  She's going to get me that chopper," he roared. 
"If you get in my way, I'll do the same to you."
     "Hurting her won't get you what you want."
     "Maybe, but *killing* her just might!"  He yanked open the
front door and tossed Jade to the floor in front of the glass
storm door.  He shrank back into the darkness leaving the sobbing
girl on the floor illuminated by multiple spotlights and the
ghostly light of a police helicopter overhead.  Nabiki could see
police rushing about taking defensive positions and aiming their
guns at the open door.
     "You can't be serious," she gasped.
     "I want that chopper!"  
     Jade closed her eyes, hugged herself and said something very
fast in Chinese.  It might have been a prayer, it might have been
a goodbye to her family, Nabiki couldn't tell.  She only caught
one word in English; 'mother'.
     Slowly, the man pointed his pistol directly at Jade's head. 
Jade continued to blubber in Chinese.  Nabiki could see the man's
hand tighten and the hammer of the gun begin to move.
     Over and over in her mind, she previewed Jade's inescapable
demise.  It wasn't pretty.  The girl didn't deserve this.  She
was just an innocent bystander.
     Suddenly, Jade was no longer Chinese.  She was no longer an
Amazon suspect.  She was just a scared young lady about to pay a
terrible price for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.  
     Nabiki's anger built, her body shaking, her eyes screwed
tightly shut.  She couldn't let this happen.  She just couldn't.  
     "That does it!" she yelled.  "Sodoshi!"
     A bright flash of light blinded everyone in the room.  Like
the birth of a tiny sun, Sodoshi Tanaka made her entrance.
      Shielding his eyes with an arm, the man turned towards the
light, leveling his weapon in an aggressive manner.  He'd lost
interest in the Chinese girl.  
     As the light dimmed, there was another woman standing across
the room, her arms crossed, her long silver hair ribbons slowly
moving like snakes giving her the appearance of otherworldliness.
     "About time."  Sodoshi's ethereal voice came from everywhere
at once.  Her glowing eyes were fixed on her intended target, her
expression lethal.
     "Impatient?"  Nabiki never took her eyes off the offending
assailant.
     "I was reduced to playing solitaire.  You sure like to cut
things close."
     "I'm the elder.  Remember?"
     Jade scrambled across the floor on her hands and knees
towards the relative safety of Nabiki's legs.  She didn't know
what was going on but felt safer with Mrs Lawrence.
     "Don't remind me.  What now?"  Sodoshi's lips drew back into
an angry snarl.  She was hoping for a single command.
     Nabiki didn't disappoint her.  "He's all yours," she said in
a flat voice while pulling Jade into a protective embrace.  The
unfolding scene before her almost made her miss it but Jade's
body no longer trembled.
     Nabiki had little time to ponder its meaning because the
last shadow warrior of the Cold Moon Clan was about to make her
move.  Sodoshi's eyes glowed blood red, her long hair ribbons
swirling faster as she sized up her opponent.  She must not have
thought much of what she faced because she almost casually
slipped her sword out of its scabbard on her back.  Spinning it a
couple of times, she struck a traditional swordsman's pose, a
sadistic grin giving her a particularly lethal appearance.  She
was going to enjoy this.
     "Where have you been hiding?" the man shouted as his eyes
adjusted to the light.  He leveled his pistol at the new girl.  A
strange, almost insane smile came across his face.  "Don't
matter.  Now I've got three hostages."
     He couldn't have been more wrong.  His smile faded as she
slowly glided towards him.
     "Put that sword down," he ordered.  "Stay back!  I SAID:
STAY BACK!"

     Jeff and Jamie saw the flash of light in the Lawrence living
room.  Both guessed at what it was.  Both were wrong.
     "Oh my gawd," Jeff gasped.  "Nabiki did it again."
     "Looks like the cops have decided to make their move." 
Jamie jumped to his feet.  "That was one of their 'flash-bangs'."
     A long silence where nothing moved seemed to last forever. 
Nothing moved, not police, birds, or even the air itself.  It was
only broken by five rapid gunshots.
     The police SWAT Team commander pressed the button on his
microphone and shouted: "All units move in!  Shots fired in the
house.  All units move in NOW."
     Move in, Jeff did.  Bolting from behind police lines, he
dashed towards the front door with horrific visions of his wife's
fate swirling in his head.  His focus quickly pushed such
distractions from his conscious mind, leaving only a single
though behind; get to Nabiki.  
     Movement in the semi-darkness revealed police officers
trying to cut him off.  Their movements seemed slow and clumsy to
Jeff in his current state.  He hurtled over one and faked another
out of his shoes.
     Bursting through the front door of his home, he heard a
scuffle taking place in his living room.  It had to be Nabiki, he
thought.  She must be fighting for her life, unarmed against a
man with a gun.  He launched himself towards the fight.  But
before he could clear the hallway, there came the sound of a
window exploding followed by the shouts of many officers
converging on a spot in his front yard.  Jeff's momentum carried
him into the living room where he skidded to a stop in front of
the window in time to see the kidnapper's body rolling to a
groaning halt out on his front lawn.  Immediately, the man was
swarmed by a dozen muscular police officers determined to hog-tie
the suspect in record time.
     That was the kidnapper, he thought.  Where were his victims? 
Where was Nabiki?  What about the gunshots?  He spun around,
frantically trying to pierce the darkness.  The dancing lights of
officers flashlights, squad car spotlights, and the police
helicopter overhead allowed only glimpses of the room.  In
desperation, he shouted into the darkened room: "NABIKI!" 
     No response.
     In the dim reflection of a helicopter's spotlight dancing
through the broken window, he noticed two pairs of legs on the
floor protruding from the doorway to the kitchen.  
     They weren't moving.
     "OH GOD, NO!"  Jeff dropped to his knees and grabbed his
head.  Everything he feared most in life had come true.  Worse
yet, he'd failed to protect his wife, the thing he cherished most
in life.  He was too hesitant, too slow, and too late.  
     "Will you stop screaming and get over here."  
     His head snapped up at the sound of his wife's voice.  He
saw the legs move.
     "You're alive?"  Jeff's stunned question only seemed to
irritate his wife.
     "Of course I'm alive.  Now get over here and help me find
Jade's contact lens.  She's blind as a bat without it."  Nabiki
returned to feeling around on the floor.
     "Lens here somewhere," Jade insisted.  She had only one eye
open.  The other, dependant on the missing lens, was closed
tightly.
     Jeff switched on the dining room light and knelt to help
them look.  Relief flooded him as he watched his wife feeling
around on the carpeted floor.  She was alive!
     He looked to the Chinese girl. She appeared unharmed as she
diligently went about searching for her lost contact lens.  When
her head turned slightly to investigate another section of the
carpet, something caught his eye.  
     "Jade?  What's that on your cheek?" he asked squinting at
the suspected spot on her face.
     Carefully, Jade felt around on her cheek until she touched
the folded over soft contact lens.  With a sigh of relief, she
plucked it from her cheek and cradled it in the palm of her hand.
     "Well, I'm just glad we found it before our heros in blue
tromped all over the room.  We'd never have found it then,"
Nabiki said sitting back on her heels.
     "Hey, wait a minute," Jeff said looking into the girl's
eyes.  "You have green eyes."
     As police poured into the Lawrence home, Jade forced a tiny
smile.  "Of course.  That why name Jade."
     "What's the big deal about green eyes?" Nabiki asked giving
her husband a funny look as he helped her to her feet.
     "I donno," Jeff answered like a little boy caught by his
mother.  "I saw it in a movie the other night and it seemed to be
important to them... for some reason."
     Nabiki and Jade exchanged looks.
     "Well, the girl in the movie was Chinese," Jeff protested. 
"You see, Chinese girls aren't supposed to have green eyes and
this truck driver fella..."
     "Mr Lawrence watch too many movie," Jade said standing up.
     "I know," Nabiki agreed with a sigh.  "He stays up too late
as well."
     Jeff looked between the women in time to catch them break
into an impulsive hug of relief.  It was finally over.
     The police noisily swarmed around the trio, checking in
closets, behind furniture, and even in the kitchen cabinets. 
Nabiki grimaced at the mess they were making.
     Jeff switched from rescuer to protector as his living room
descended into bedlam.  Men in uniforms seemed everywhere.  It
was all he could do to keep the girls together, rescue personnel
seemed to vie with each other to throw a blanket around the
shoulders of each of the women.  Perhaps they were looking for a
little 'face-time' on TV by being shown escorting the former
hostages to safety.  
     Jeff would have none of that.  Seeing an opening, he guided
the two women through police, reporters, and still more rescue
personnel, refusing comment to the press but agreeing to
everything the police asked.  
     Hustled into the back of a squad car, Nabiki in the middle,
they sagged together.  At least, Nabiki collapsed against her
husband and Jade clung to her free hand.  Like in the house, they
hung on to each other for support.
     To the accompaniment of sirens and escorted by a pair of
police motorcycles, they were whisked away from the crime scene.
     Jeff pulled Nabiki into a protective embrace.  He could see
the fatigue in her eyes.  "You're getting as bad as Akane," he
chided softly.
     Nabiki's curious expression left him with the feeling he
better explain.
     "From the way you tell it, Akane was always being kidnapped
by one villain or another.  It sure kept Ranma busy.  Must run in
the family, huh?"
     Nabiki sighed and shook her head.  "Jeffrey no baka," she
said leaning against her husband, savoring the secure feeling it
gave her.
     "I'm curious," Jeff said as he nuzzled his wife's hair. 
"What took Sodoshi so long to appear?  Uh, that *was* Sodoshi,
wasn't it?"
     "Yes, and I'm afraid that's my fault."  Nabiki took a deep
breath and blew it out towards her bangs.  "I felt her trying to
appear and kept pushing her back."
     "Why?"
     "I thought I could handle it.  I thought he could be
reasoned with.  He seemed almost rational in the car."  She
paused when she noticed her husband's incredulous look.  "Well,
anyway, I don't want to be depending on Sodoshi all the time."
     "That's her job," Jeff insisted.
     "Excuse please."
     "I shouldn't have to depend on Sodoshi to get me out of
tight places like that.  I'm smart enough to get out of trouble
on my own."
     "Oh, like tonight?"
     "Excuse please!"
     "This was different," Nabiki said with a shake of her head. 
"I'm smarter than a common bank robber."
     "Maybe, but HE had the gun."
     "EXCUSE PLEASE!"
     "What is it, Jade?" they both said, looking over towards
their battered housekeeper.
     "You know demon?"
     "She's not a demon.  She's a ghost."
     "Okay, Jade still not understand.  How you know ghost?"
     "We're kinda... from the same... family."  Nabiki cast a
worried glance at Jeff.
     "Don't look at me," he said holding up a hand.  "You're the
elder.  You explain it to her.  You know how I feel about 'Casper
the Warrior Princess'."
     "Chicken."  Nabiki turned back to Jade.  "You see, I'm the
last elder of a Shinobi clan and --"
     "You no elder," Jade said with a shake of her head.  Even
with only one eye open, it was easy to see she didn't believe
Nabiki's wild tale.  "Elders old and wise.  You young and..." 
She covered her mouth before it got her into deeper trouble.
     "... and foolish.  Go ahead and finish."  Nabiki fixed the
girl in a firm stare.  "Anyway, you're partially right.  I'm too
young for this job."
     "Then why...?"
     "Call it an emergency promotion on account of I'm just about
all there is left of my clan."
     "Oh," Jade said with a knowing nod.  Something in the way
Nabiki phrased her answer seemed to satisfy the girl.  "What
about demon... er, ghost?"
     "Sodoshi died protecting me.  Because of that, she was
appointed my guardian."
     "Actually, I think she's supposed to be our daughter's
guardian," Jeff added, flinching under his wife's disapproving
glare at being corrected in front of Jade.
     "Ghost live with you?" Jade asked like it would be a
determining factor in her continuing to work for the Lawrence
family.
     "Not exactly.  She can only come when I summon her or when
our daughter is in danger."  Nabiki checked Jeff again and
received a modest nod of approval.
     "Which reminds me," Jeff said shifting his body slightly to
better face Nabiki.  "How'd Sodoshi knock him through the living
room window?  I thought she couldn't directly harm anyone in this
realm."
     Oh, that," Nabiki said with a sigh.  "It wasn't Sodoshi's
doing."
     "Then... you did your little..."  Jeff grimaced while
wiggling his fingers at his wife.
     "No.  Of course not.  I don't even know how I did it the
last time."
     "Then how...?"
     "Jade do," the girl said in a soft voice.  She clutched
Nabiki's hand with both of hers and scrunched down in the seat
like a child about to be punished.
     "Jade?"  Jeff looked questioningly at his wife.
     "When the kidnapper's shots weren't affecting Sodoshi, he
turned the gun on me.  I froze.  I couldn't move."  Nabiki
glanced at Jade who was still looking miserable.  "That's when it
happened."
     "Happened?  What?  What happened?"  Jeff looked between his
wife and Jade.
     "Jade do," the girl repeated before muttering something in
Chinese.
     "Jeff, I haven't seen someone fight like that since..."
     "Since?  Since who?  Jackie Chan?  Xena?  Muhammad Ali?"
Jeff guessed.
     "Since Shampoo."
     "You're kidding," Jeff said incredulously.
     Nabiki shook her head.  "The moves, the stances, even the
way she cleared herself after each blow, was exactly the way I
saw Shampoo fight.  It was like watching her twin."
     "Then, she *is* an Amazon from Joketsuzoku."
     Nabiki grimaced.  "I don't know, Jeffrey.  I'm not all that
sure it even matters anymore.  All I know is she saved my life." 
Nabiki looked at Jade and saw the girl's uncertain eyes peeking
out from underneath her long bangs.  "That's only the second time
in my life that's happened."  Nabiki reached over with her other
hand and gently stroked Jade's hair.  "The last time..."
     Jeff's arm went around his wife's shoulders.  He felt her
tremble slightly when he pulled her into an embrace.  Losing the
first Sodoshi wounded something in her that never really healed. 
He reminded himself to be more sensitive when it came to
Sodoshi's ghost.  After all, it's not everyone who can have a
friend die and still keep them around.
     Jade continued to cling to Nabiki's hand, her body pressed
against the older woman's side.  Nabiki had become more of an
older sister to her than a strange employer.  Okay, she was still
strange but in a family kind of way.  What they'd endured
together at the hands of the kidnapper sealed a bond between
them; a bond that neither could suspect the importance of.
     When the police car pulled into the station parking lot, a
gathered throng of media parting only enough for it to make a
slow turn towards one of the open garages.  Several officers
hurried from the building and set up a perimeter to keep the
reporters and cameramen from rushing the car as its doors opened.
     Amidst shouted questions, Jeff escorted the two women deeper
into the police station.  None so much as looked towards the mob. 
Instead, they hustled towards the automatic doors that offered
some degree of sanctuary.  The bedlam diminished in volume as the
automatic doors hissed shut.
     Inside, the three were ushered into a comfortable lounge. 
Police department personnel came and went in a flurry of activity
and cacophony of voices.  Coffee and pastries appeared on a small
table next their seats.  The sight of food reminded both women of
how long it had been since their last meal.  Both snagged
handfuls of pastries and began wolfing them down.  The soft hum
of air conditioning created a hypnotic effect that also reminded
them of how long it had been since they'd slept.
     Two police detectives in suits arrived along with the
bearded Mr Bateman.  He stopped momentarily in front of Jeff and
Nabiki and bent over.
     "You okay?" he asked softly shaking Jeff's hand and shaking
it.
     "I am now.  Thanks for coming."
     "Don't worry.  Just answer their questions and you'll be out
of here in no time."
     "Yeah, but to where?"
     "Don't worry about that.  Mr Wilde is bringing a car and I'm
sure the police will see to it you escape the building."  Jim
Bateman moved only slightly to give Nabiki a hug.  Her arms
easily slid around his neck, her forehead buried in his throat.
     "How about you?" he asked completing the hug.
     All Nabiki could do was sniff and nod, her hair mingling
with his bushy beard.  Her sticky fingers left a trail across the
back of his expensive suit coat.
     He patted her back, adding one final hug before moving on to
Jade.  His hand rested gently on her thin shoulder as he looked
deeply into her eyes and asked the same question.  She forced a
little smile but took Nabiki's hand once again for support.
     The two police detectives assumed informal seats across from
the trio, flanked by Mr Bateman.  When Jeff saw his attorney wink
and expose the whites of his teeth through his beard, he knew
everything was going to be alright.
     "I'm Detective Sergeant Ed Becerra and this is my partner
Detective Michael Chase.  I know all this has been very traumatic
for both of you so I won't make this very long.  We only have a
few questions and want to get a statement from each of you before
you leave.  I understand that Mr Bateman is here as your
counsel."  Detective Becerra paused and nodded towards the lawyer
before continuing.  "We don't have the reports from our officers
just yet but from what we've been able to piece together, a
couple of points seem so important we'd like some answers before
reading those reports."
     Jeff and Nabiki exchanged glances before regarding the
detectives with uncertainty.
     "First of all, we're curious about the bright flash of light
some officers reported coming from inside the home just before
the shots were heard."  Detective Becerra looked directly at
Nabiki.  "Could you explain this?"
     Nabiki looked once again at Jeff.  How could she explain
about Sodoshi Tanaka?  She wasn't even certain how to explain her
to family members.  To complete strangers, official ones at that,
it would sound fantastic.  "It must have been a reflection," she
offered, her eyes darting between the two detectives.
     Detective Chase cleared his throat.  "The problem with that
answer, Mrs Lawrence --"
     "Tendo-Lawrence," she corrected with less insistence than
normal.
     "Of course, Mrs... Tendo-Lawrence."  He paused after
stumbling over the name.  "But officers from different angles saw
the same thing.  It couldn't have been a reflection.  It was 
definitely coming from inside the house."
     There was an awkward pause like the detectives were
pondering how hard to press the two victims.  Nabiki certainly
wasn't going to tell them it was a ghost and Jade was too
frightened to say anything at all.
     Jeff nudged Nabiki's shoulder and leaned in close enough to
whisper: "I think now it would be wise to follow an old Shinobi
saying: 'A cat without fur is self-evident.'"
     "What the hell does *that* mean?" she hissed back while
glancing at Detective Becerra.  Catching his odd expression, she
forced a quick grin his way before returning nose-to-nose with
her husband.
     "Just tell him the truth," Jeff offered with his own glances
at the now frowning detective.
     "Are you nuts?."  Nabiki's voice had gotten loud enough for
everyone to hear.
     "The truth will set you free," Jeff insisted.  "And keep
your voice down."
     Nabiki lowered her voice and leaned even closer.  "The truth
will get me an extended stay in the Happyland Hilton."
     Detective Chase interrupted.  "Look, folks, is this a
problem?  I mean, we just want to know what happened in the
house."
     Nabiki glanced between the detective and her smiling
husband.  Her eyes narrowed towards Jeffery.  Boy, was *he* going
to get it when they got home.
     "Very well," she said, straightening up and folding her one
free hand in her lap.  Her other was being gripped almost to the
point of being crushed by a wide-eyed Jade.  "The flash of light
you saw..."  She paused to take a deep breath.  Jeffrey better
know what he's doing, she thought.  "... was the appearance of my
guardian spirit, the last shadow warrior of my Shinobi clan."
     The two detectives stared dumbfounded at Nabiki.  Even Mr
Bateman's smile had disappeared, replaced by a look of profound
surprise.  He was naturally prepared to defend Jeff and Nabiki
with all the skills at his disposal.  Nabiki's fantastic
explanation was going to tax those skills beyond anything he
could remember.  It was certainly *not* something he wanted to
put on paper and sign.
     "A... ghost," Detective Becerra asked as his partner
scribbled in a notebook.
     "Yes, Sodoshi Tanaka."
     "Mrs..."  Detective Chase hesitated when he caught Nabiki's
warning look.  "...Tendo-Lawrence, Sodoshi is the name of your
daughter."
     "I know that."  Nabiki blinked at the two detectives like
they were stating the obvious.
     "But your daughter wasn't in the house at the time."
     "Of course not.  She was with the Wilkersons.  You know, the
owner of Wilkerson Sightseeing."
     The two detectives slowly nodded.  Jeff leaned back with
hands on top of his head.  This was going to be an interesting
ride, he thought.
     "Then who...?"  Detective Chase gestured like a lost man.
     "I told you.  Sodoshi Tanaka."
     "Your... daughter?"
     "No!  Sodoshi Tanaka died seven years ago in Japan."
     "But... then... how?"
     "She's a ghost, a guardian spirit.  She comes and goes at
the pleasure of the elder of the clan."
     "The... elder.  Who's the elder?"
     "Me."
     "You?  You're not old enough to be an elder."
     "Jade told you so," Jade muttered.  Nabiki paused only long
enough to shush the girl.
     "I'm the head of a Shinobi clan.  I inherited the position
from my mother.  We're a female clan of shadow warriors, you
see."  She almost choked on the words 'shadow warriors'.
     "And the shots?"
     "The man was shooting at the ghost."
     Detective Chase stopped writing in his notebook.  Detective
Becerra turned to Mr Bateman with a look of a man who didn't like
being 'put on'.  Mr Bateman forced a little artificial chuckle
before shrinking back and calculating how much bail money this
was going to cost him.
     Turning back to Nabiki, Detective Becerra frowned.  "Let's
skip the part about the flash of light."
     "Okay," Nabiki said with a shrug.
     "Now, about the ejection of the suspect through your front
window.  Did the ghost do that?"
     "Oh no.  Ghosts can't do things like that."
     "They can't?"
     "Of course not.  It's a rule or something."
     "Then how exactly did a 250 pound male get tossed through a
picture window like an old newspaper?"
     "Jade did it," Nabiki said matter-of-factly, indicating with
her head the tiny girl next to her.
     Both detectives frowned at the cowering Chinese girl.  She
couldn't weigh more than 90 pounds soaking wet.  "Is this true?"
Detective Becerra asked in a low voice.
     Jade glanced up at Nabiki and back at the detectives. 
"Well..," she said in a nervous voice.
     "You can tell them, Jade," Nabiki said with a motherly
smile.  She looked at the detectives.  "I think Jade comes from
an obscure Chinese Amazon tribe at a place called Joketsuzoku."
     "Chinese... Amazons?" Detective Chase said slowly.
     "From China, yes."  Nabiki blinked at the two detectives
like she couldn't understand why they weren't buying this story. 
"They're really very good fighters.  We've got a trio of them
running loose in Japan right now.  Just ask the Tokyo police. 
They'll tell you."
     Detective Becerra looked like he wanted to say something
else.  Instead, he just sighed and hung his head.  "Let me get
this straight.  The kidnapper was holding you two ladies at
gunpoint.  So, you summoned the ghost of a dead clan member that
caused the flash everyone saw inside your house.  The kidnapper
panicked and shot at the ghost allowing this little Chinese
gymnast here to pick him up and toss him through the front
window."  He looked up at Nabiki.  "Is that your story?"
     "Pretty much, yes."
     With another sigh, Detective Becerra glared at Jeff.  "Mr
Lawrence, if it was anybody else telling me this wild tale, I'd
toss the three of you in the clink until someone decided to tell
me what really happened."
     Jeff shrugged.  "You asked."
     That response earned him another glare from the detective.
     "I'll tell you what I think really happened."  He leaned
forward.  "With the kidnapper distracted, one of you two ladies
set off a flash camera or something.  That would account for the
flash of light.  The kidnapper, blinded by the light, started
firing wildly.  Mr Lawrence burst into the house before my
officers could move in, proceeded to beat the man senseless then
threw him out on the front lawn."
     Jeff looked at the ceiling and stroked his chin before
making his pronouncement.  "I like it."
     Nabiki rolled her eyes.  "You would."
     Detective Becerra had finally had enough.  "Alright, that's
enough.  Get out of here, the three of you."  He turned to Mr
Bateman and wagged a finger his direction.
     Mr Bateman stopped him with a raised hand.  "I know.  I'll
get them to sign an official statement, however you want to write
it up."
     "You believe all this?" Detective Becerra asked with
narrowed eyes.
     "Well, my wife is Japanese and you ought to hear the stories
she tells.  You wouldn't believe some of the things she and her
sister, Yuri, have been through."  Jim Bateman tried another
disarming smile on the detective but quickly figured the guy had
a black belt in baloney detection.
     "You're all crazy," the detective said shaking his head.

     After Jeff and his attorney herded the two women out of the
room, Detective Chase closed his notebook.  "Man, this is gonna
make one dynamite report.  We've got ghosts, Amazons, and
Japanese ninjas, everything you need for a great story."
     Detective Becerra snatched the notebook from his hands and
tossed it over his shoulder.  "Are you nuts?  If I submit a
report like that, I'll never make lieutenant."  He turned to
stomp out of the room.
     Detective Chase waited until his partner was gone before
muttering: "If you keep sleeping with the chief's daughter, you
won't make lieutenant either."

     The emergence of Jeff and Nabiki from the police station set
off a flurry of activity amongst the gathered reporters.  A
cacophony of voices assaulted the pair with blurred questions as
they scrambled into a waiting car.  Jade followed moments later
and was subjected to the same treatment.
     In the driver's seat, Jamie eyed the milling media mob, each
vying to see who could get the closest photograph or a question
answered or even catch on video tape a revealing picture of the
former hostages.  His face grew a tiny smile at how clever it was
he went back to get the special company car with the ultra-heavily 
tinted windows and the special protection.  Still, a
perfect getaway required a diversion.
     The local police captain provided that.  Around the front of
the police station, he stepped up to a hastily arranged lectern
bristling with microphones and began a long-winded statement for
the media.  The fact he offered to take questions afterward drew
the reporters to him like moths to a flame.
     With the bulk of media folks distracted, Jamie skillfully
followed the police escort out to the street.  A few diehard
cameramen clung tenaciously to the car, trying to shield the
reflection off the car's windows as they ran.
     "So, where to?" Jamie asked as the last of the cameramen
gave up trying to chase the car on foot.
     "I'm not going back to that house tonight," Nabiki declared
in a flat voice.  "I can't."
     One look from Nabiki was enough to convince Jeff she meant
it.  With a sigh, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed.  A few
minutes and a credit card number later, they were booked into one
of the nicest suites in the city overlooking Waikiki Beach. 
"Happy?" he asked his wife.
     "It'll do," she replied.  "For now."
     "What about Jade?"  Jeff looked over at the girl still
huddled protectively behind Nabiki.
     "I'll see she gets home," Jamie said with a glance in the
mirror.
     Jeff and Nabiki exchanged looks.
     "You sure?" Jeff asked.
     "No problem."
     Jeff checked with his wife once more.  There was an odd
expression on her face, like there was something wrong with this
arrangement.  Her hand found its way into his, her fingers
gripping it in a painful way.  Something was either wrong or she
was trying to silently convey to him a message.  Unfortunately,
he was clueless.
     She only looked his way a few more times before they got to
the hotel.  By this time, Jeff was thoroughly confused.
     "Jade," Nabiki said softly as the car came to a halt.  "Mr
Wilde will be seeing you get home.  Okay?"
     The Chinese girl's eyes went from Nabiki to Jamie.  It was
clear she was uncomfortable for some reason.
     Nabiki must have sensed it and made a guess at what.  "And
Mr Wilde will act like a gentleman at all times," she said more
for his benefit than Jade's.
     "I'm an officer and a gentleman by act of congress," Jamie
said eyeing them in the mirror.  "Besides, I don't take advantage
of children."
     Jade's mouth dropped open and she shook in resistance to
launching a verbal assault of the likes of which the ex-SEAL had
never experienced.  The *nerve* of him!
     Nabiki quickly moved to intervene.  "I'm certain he didn't
mean that in the insulting, condescending way it sounded," she
said eyeing daggers at the back of Jamie's head.
     "No ma'am," he replied, his voice sounding totally in
control.  "I just meant that she's a guest and --"
     "She's a friend," Nabiki said cutting him off before turning
to Jade.  "Like a member of the family."
     Jade smiled and blushed at the suggestion.
     "Yes ma'am."
     Jeff leaned forward until his face was just behind the
headrest of the driver's seat.  "Besides, you already have a
girlfriend."
     "Who?"  Jamie's frown flashed in the mirror.
     Jeff wiggled his fingers.  "You remember, 'Spooky'."
     Jamie spun around in the seat.  "She's NOT my girlfriend."
     "Well, that's not what she says," Nabiki said smiling.  "As
I understand it, Sodoshi thinks you are were worth waiting for. 
Sounds like true love to me."
     Jamie sputtered and gasped.  "You guys can't be serious," he
finally said.
     Jeff shrugged.  "It's not important whether or not *we're*
serious."
     "Yeah, it's only important that Sodoshi is serious," Nabiki
said, her familiar crooked sardonic smile aimed Jamie's way.
     "I hear she has a real jealous streak too.  You know what I
mean?"  Jeff grinned and leaned against the door.
     Jamie seemed to sag into the seat.  "I can't believe this. 
I'm too young."
     "There, there," Jeff said patting Jamie's shoulder.  "Think
of your celibacy as a short-term investment in a long-term
relationship."  It was hard not breaking into uncontrollable
laughter.  He didn't really believe Sodoshi Tanaka was serious. 
On the other hand, she *was* a ghost and there was no telling
what she thought.
     "From what I know of Miss Tanaka, she's worth waiting for." 
Nabiki's smile grew into an almost evil grin.  "Think of it as
spending an eternity with the hottest fashion model you've ever
dreamed of."  She was enjoying this.  Getting to Commander Wilde
wasn't easy.  He had so few buttons she could push.  Sodoshi
Tanaka just happened to be the best one.
     A deathly silence enveloped the car's interior broken only
by the sound of someone frantically working a door handle.  Jeff
and Nabiki leaned over to see Jade, her eyes wild with fear,
yanking furiously on the inoperable door handle.  She froze when
she noticed them looking at her.
     "You with DEMONS," the girl choked.  She resumed yanking on
the door handle and pounding on the glass trying to win her
escape.
     "I told you before, young lady.  Sodoshi Tanaka is NOT a
demon," Nabiki said, her eyes narrowing.
     "Yeah, she's a ghost.  Big difference," Jeff added.
     Jade ceased her frantic attempts at escape and looked
between Jeff and Nabiki like she was searching for a reason to
believe.  Her lower lip trembled but she continued to cling to
the door handle.
     "Look, she's more of a... guardian angel," Jeff offered
trying to sound hopeful.  "She's here to protect our daughter -
her namesake."
     "Didn't Sister Angelica tell you about guardian angels?" 
Nabiki tried to mimic her husband's innocent look.  It must have
worked because the girl's eyes slowly lowered to the floor of the
car and she weakly nodded.
     "Spirit Sodoshi is just that, our guardian angel."  Nabiki's
hand glided gently over Jade's long, dark hair.  "That's all."
     "Ghosts evil," Jade whispered, a touch of wildness returning
to her eyes.
     "Not always."  Jeff sighed and took Nabiki's other hand.
     "Sometimes they're good people who have to make up for
things they did wrong in life."  Nabiki stopped stroking Jade's
hair.  She wore a far-away look.  "She saved my life."
     "She saved your life too, Jade," Jeff said.
     Jade stared at the floor of the car, her mind a whirl of
contradictions.  In her Chinese experience, she'd grown up on
tales of evil ghosts haunting the living and causing unbelievable
terror.  They were demons who stalked the night looking for the
unwary, the unprotected, or the undeserving.  They were beings to
be avoided at all costs.
     Yet here was a ghost who came to her rescue, distracting an
evil man with a gun long enough for her to... to...  She grimaced
and slumped forward, her face buried in her hands.  Her shoulders
began to shake.
     "What is it?" Nabiki asked in a distinctly Kasumi-like
manner.
     "Jade betray mother," the girl blubbered.
     Jeff and Nabiki exchanged looks, the ghost thing lost to
this new development.
     Wordlessly, Nabiki gathered Jade into her arms and held the
trembling girl.  She looked to Jeff with a worried expression. 
"I think this has all been too much."
     "I think Commander Wilde had better get her home," Jeff said
reaching over the seat and tapping Jamie on his shoulder.
     "Please...," Jade sobbed.  "Can not go home."
     Again, Nabiki looked to Jeff and shook her head.  She had no
idea what this was about.  "Can she spend the night with us?"
     Jeff sighed.  "Well, the suite has two bedrooms.  I suppose
she could use the other one."  This wasn't working out like he'd
expected.  He'd envisioned a quiet evening in an exclusive suite
overlooking the Pacific Ocean with his wife who most certainly
needed some... comforting.  He opened the door and shook his
head.  Well, *this* certainly wasn't going to be any fun.

     An hour later, Jeff was laying on his back in the king sized
bed staring at the ceiling with his hands behind his head.  Ever
since they'd checked in, Nabiki and Jade had been together in the
second bedroom.  Try as he might, he couldn't hear anything more
than indistinct soft voices coming from the room.
     He took the opportunity to call the Wilkersons and check on
their daughter.  Mrs Wilkerson sounded tired but still in good
spirits.  In the background, he could hear girls laughing and
music playing.  She reminded him that the last thing girls do at
a slumber party is sleep.  Their conversation ended with the
promise that Sodoshi was fine and they'd make sure she was taken
care of until Nabiki felt up to caring for her again.
     He was just hanging up the phone when Nabiki entered the
room and softly shut the door behind her.
     "I just checked on So-chan," he said.  "She's having the
time of her life."
     Like someone had just lifted a great weight off her
shoulders, Nabiki sighed and smiled.  "I'm glad."
     "How's Jade?" he asked.
     "I don't know," Nabiki said leaning against the door, her
smile disappearing.  "I don't think she's all that shook up about
the kidnapping or even seeing our resident ghost.  It's something
else."
     "Think it has to do with what she was mumbling about in the
car?"
     "About betraying her mother?  Probably, but she refuses to
talk about it."  Nabiki sighed and walked over to the open
balcony sliding glass door and stared out over the lights of
Honolulu.  "It's like she did something really bad today and the
full impact of it only got to her this evening."
     Jeff rolled over his side and supported his head on a hand. 
"Well, Jamie called her father and told him where she is. 
According to Jamie, her father was more worried about her
imposing on us or even her losing her job."
     Nabiki snorted.  "After today, he'll be lucky if I don't put
in to adopt her."  She turned to look at Jeff in the semi-darkness 
of the room.  "I haven't felt this way about anyone since..."
     "Sodoshi?"
     She nodded and took a slow ragged breath.  "At least this
time, it didn't cost someone their life."
     "Well, one ghost in the family is enough."
     "I'm serious, Jeffrey."  Nabiki frowned at her husband. 
"She was incredible today."
     "Better than Akane?"
     "Maybe..."
     "Better than Ranma?"
     Nabiki sighed.  "I don't know, Jeffrey.  All this fighting
and martial arts stuff is starting to get to me.  I don't want to
think about it anymore."
     "You come from a martial arts family."
     "That the's not what I mean."  In an exasperated gesture,
she wiped her hands over her eyes and up through her hair,
pausing with her hands on her head before removing them allowing
her soft tresses to bounce back into place.  "I'm talking about
all the martial arts stuff in *our* lives.  It wasn't supposed to
be this way.  We were supposed to be just a normal, rich,
Hawaiian family."
     "Nabiki, we're both Shinobi - you by birth and me by Master
Sato.  I'm afraid martial arts are an integral part of who we
are, like it or not."
     Nabiki slid shut the glass balcony door.  "I suppose."
     "What's normal is different for different people.  For us,
it's ghosts, Chinese Amazons, and, dare I say it, shadow
warriors."
     That last one caused Nabiki to shoot him a warning look as
severe as any he'd ever received.  She knew what he was referring
to and refused to consider it even after today.  Her daughter was
going to be sheltered from all that stuff, like a mafia daughter
or something.
     "The stuff you wanted is on the dresser."
     Nabiki looked over at the two small bags sitting on top of
the dresser.  They looked too small for the shopping list she'd
made out earlier.  "Did he have any trouble?"
     "Jamie was a real good sport about it," Jeff said watching
Nabiki walk over to the dresser and look into the bags.  "He was
so embarrassed that he actually asked one of the desk clerks
downstairs to go with him."
     Nabiki fished out a light-weight nightshirt and shook her
head.  "That explains this."  
     Turning around, she held the garment up for Jeff to see.  It
was pale pink with a large, sad-eyed puppy with a flower lei
around its neck on the front.  Below the dog was the most over-
used word in the Hawaiian language; Aloha.
     "Yuck," Jeff said.
     "Well, it's only for one night."  Nabiki folded the
nightshirt over her arm and dug deeper in the bag.  After some
frantic digging, she asked: "What, no underwear?"
     "Even Jamie has his limits."  Jeff rolled onto his back and
resumed watching his wife dig through the bags.  "I don't think
he's quite up to buying underwear for the boss's wife."
     "I thought he took one of the desk clerks with him," she
said painfully.
     "Apparently, her tastes were a little too... kinky."
     "I don't believe this."  Nabiki dumped both bags on the
dresser.  Shampoo, deodorant, a pair of cotton socks, and a
single package of men's boxer shorts spilled out.  Still no
women's underwear.
     "I can't wear these," she moaned holding up the boxer
shorts.
     "Why not?  Ranma does all the time - in both his forms."
     "That's not funny, Jeffrey," she replied.  "What am I going
to do without clean underwear?"
     "Since when did start wearing underwear to bed?"  Jeff tried
to hide his smile but the way Nabiki glared at him suggested he
wasn't very successful.
     With an exaggerated huff, she stomped towards the bathroom
to take a shower.
     "Need any help?" Jeff called as she entered.
     "No," came his wife's exasperated voice through the door.
     So much for that idea, he thought.
     She couldn't have taken more than a half hour to complete
her preparations but it seemed much longer to Jeff.  It felt like
he waited longer than his wedding night when *everything* moved
in slow motion.
     Finally, Nabiki reappeared, turning off the light and
dumping her dirty clothes in one of the empty bags.  Jeff said
nothing as she glided around the room, picking up things and
generally straightening up.  He wanted to tell her to just leave
it all for the maid but the view he got when she bent over to
pick up her shoes took his breath away.
     When she slipped into bed, she rolled onto her side facing
away from her husband.  Mumbling something about hard pillows,
she snuggled under the covers, took a deep breath and slowly let
it out, sagging deeper into the bed.
     Jeff rolled over to face his wife.  "Good night," he said in
a low voice.
     She mumbled something and wiggled just enough to get more
comfortable.
     Inspired by her earlier show, an inflated sense of
expectations, and galloping hormones, he slowly moved his free
hand under the covers.  Like a snake on the hunt, it glided
between the sheets homing in on the warmth of her skin.  Gently,
like a breath of air, his fingers slid across her smooth, firm
bottom until his hand was cupping almost an entire cheek.  No
reaction.  Taking the lack of resistance to mean acceptance, he
caressed its bare surface, taking note of how well-shaped it was. 
Even after having a child and fully maturing into a woman, she
still had a body that excited him.
     When his explorations became more intimate, he heard her
sigh.
     "Jeffrey," she said in a tiny voice.  "Please, not tonight. 
I don't think I could..."  Her voice was cut off when she
swallowed hard.
     Jeff never hesitated.  He patted her bare bottom and rolled
onto his back, withdrawing his hand and linking his fingers together 
across his flat stomach.  She was just overwhelmed by
all that had taken place today, he thought.  She'll be better
tomorrow.
     "Jeffrey."  Her voice sounded so far away.  "Would you just
hold me?"
     "Of course."  
     She rolled over and positioned her pillow under an armpit. 
Her soft brown hair tickled his chest as she snuggled against
him.  One leg draped carelessly over his thigh while her arm went
around his waist.  After a little more fidgeting, she sighed
contentedly and settled down.  It had been a long day.
     He could have sworn he felt moisture forming on his chest
right below her head.  He heard her sigh a ragged sigh and
whisper: "I love you, Jeffrey."