Ah My Goddess Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ A Tale of Two Wallets ❯ Taking Stock of Your Accounts ( Chapter 107 )

A Tale of Two Wallets

(An Altered Destiny)

Written by Jim Robert Bader

Proofread by Shiva Barnwell

"Here you go, Gramps," said Ryomi as she handed Razor a cup full of steaming cocoa, "Feeling any better?"

"Somewhat, yes," Razor nodded as he accepted the hospitality of his granddaughter…or rather one of those claiming to be his granddaughter who was present, glancing from her to Akiko and back again with a somewhat puzzled expression. After a moment of serious effort he said, "You're…Jun's daughter, right?"

"Yes," Akiko nodded, greatly encouraged at not having to remind him this time after having to put up with two weeks of his constant forgetting, "Hibiki Jun was my mother."

"And your mother…Atsuko?" Razor hesitated.

"Yeah," Ryomi studied the handsome man and said, "You remember us now, Gramps?"

"I guess I do," Razor turned at last towards the bronzed woman leaning over him and said, "Mother…it's been a long time…"

"Yes it has, my dear, sweet, darling baby boy," Ganglot squeezed one of his brawny shoulders and said, "Try and take a moment and don't rush it, Son. Three hundred years is a lot of history for even one of us to adjust to in one sitting."

"I guess it is at that," Razor admitted, "Most of it's pretty much of a jumble, but bits and pieces are starting to fit into place. At least I remember who I am now, which is a lot better than I've been doing for a long, long time."

"The life of a wandering martial artist is never easy," Ganglot nodded sagely, "I've followed your adventures from afar, but never directly…one of those various spells cast on you makes it almost impossible to keep track of your movements. In a way that's a mixed blessing as it may have kept you from my side but it also kept you out of the clutches of Cybelle…"

"Cybelle," Razors expression grew sad as yet another memory fell into place, "It's been a long time since I was with her…I wonder how she's been getting on without me…"

"Not well at all, I fear," Ganglot replied sadly, "Cybelle of the House of Anslat has grown embittered and power hungry since the time when my servant, Happosai, sealed her away within her tree, and I fear you will not like what she has become from following the path of her dark ambitions…"

"It's my fault," Razor glanced down, "If I'd been able to stay with her, I'm sure I could have talked her out of whatever it is she's planning. She used to listen to me, and I could always find that spark of decency I knew was in her…"

"Decency?" Ryomi snorted, "Get a grip, Grandpa! She's trying to kill my big brother, or at the very least use him for something nasty. Does that sound like the kind of person who has decent impulses?"

"Cybelle may be a Demoness," Razor replied, "But you can hardly hold that against her, and she is your grandmother, Ryomi-chan. Besides…I know her better than you do. I could always bring out a smile on her no matter what mood she was in and besides…plotting world domination's kind of a hobby with her people…it's not like they ever get serious about it."

"Times are different now, Son," Ganglot informed him, "And she's not the same woman that you remember. Although loneliness does account for some of the changes that I've noticed, what truly makes her a threat to you and your loved ones is that she's found a way of bringing her dark ambitions into fruition."

"Maybe she's just lonely and taking it out on the world," Razor said sadly, "My fault…I should have been with her all this time. I took an oath, 'Til Death Do Us Part…ah…only it seems maybe I've not been too good at keeping it…er…" his face colored a bright hue, "How many women have I been with over the last few years? Let's see…one, two, three, four…" he began counting off on his fingers.

"This could take a while," Akiko sighed, "Look, Gramps, we know you've had this memory problem, and you're a pretty hunky guy, so it's not too surprising if some women…um…get a little bit tempted…"

"And what would you know about it?" Ryomi asked in overt suspicion.

Akiko stuck her tongue out at her younger cousin, then she resumed, "But that's all water over the damn, right? You weren't deliberately cheating on your wife, and these things just happen."

"I guess," Razor sighed as he stared disconsolately out into space, then turned to the much-beloved face of the Oni beside him and said, "What do we do now, Mother?"

"First we wait for the rest of our descendants to show up," Ganglot replied, making a face as she added, "Some of them got a little more lost than even I'd projected. Of course of more immediate concern is what happens when Atsuko arrives here with Kennou and Ryoga."

"Mom's coming here?" Ryomi spoke up, "And Big Brother's with her?"

"Who's Kennou?" Akiko wondered.

"Your aunt by another woman your grandfather has bedded," Ganglot replied, adding with a wry smirk, "odd to tell how many of your children turned out to be female, Son. I must say that I'm very proud of the dynasty that you've fathered in your travels, but it's going to take a real effort to effectively pull this one off, because Cybelle won't be long in realizing what is happening, and you know she's going to take steps of her own very shortly."

"What steps, Grandma?" Ryomi wondered.

"I'm not entirely sure just yet," Ganglot replied, "But you can pretty well bet that it's going to be nasty. My daughter-in-law has some vague idea of what my presence will do to her overall plans and you can bet that she won't be too happy to have me free and about. I expect her to try something treacherous and nasty to put me out of commission, or even attempt to seal me away once again. Either way we had best be ready for her to use her favorite tactics of subtlety and misdirection."

"But won't Mom side with us?" Ryomi asked, "You said she's gotten pretty powerful over the years…"

"Oh yes," Ganglot beamed proudly, "Your mother is a fine woman who has learned much about the arts of combat and illusion, and she will be a valuable ally in the war between us and her mother. The problem is, Cybelle knows this too, and my guess is that she will attempt to turn Atsuko against me under the mistaken belief that I'm posing a threat to her and her loved ones. Atsuko will be inclined to want to hear my side of things, of course, but I can't vouch for her most probable allies, who may be a wee bit irked that I've temporarily detained a certain Matriarch of the Joketsuzoku."

"And what will they do if they find out where you live, Great Grandma?" Akiko asked.

"Most probably stage a raid," Ganglot stroked her chin with a thoughtful expression, then beamed broadly as she added, "Then I'd better go make everything ready. My baby granddaughter's coming home to pay a visit, and the least that I could do for her is to pour some milk and bake some cookies."

"HUH?" repeated everyone else in the room, their mutual incomprehension being a near-universal constant...

"I don't know about this," Atsuko said with a dubious expression.

"Look, do you want to help or not?" Comb snapped, "Because if you don't want to help then you should say so and leave now! I wouldn't even be asking you for help if it weren't that this is more in your area of specialty than mine. Unfortunately I know squat about illusions, but what I do know is that they're holding my grandmother a prisoner there against her will, so unless you mean to side with your grandmother…"

"That's not fair," Atsuko complained with a frown, "And for another thing, why are you making me choose between the two of you anyway? In case you've forgotten, we're not exactly the best of friends, and I still owe Grandma a favor for helping me out against my momma."

"This isn't a matter of choosing between two evils," Yumi reminded her nominal compatriots, "This is a matter of determining what Ganglot is doing here and what she's truly up to. Her presence in Nerima, coming as it does on the heels of Cybelle making advances against the dojo, is ominous to say the least, and having at least pretended to go along with your mother's evil schemes, I can tell you I'm not all that comfortable finding myself locked in a vice-grip between two rival demons."

"I hear that," Atsuko frowned as she regarded the spatula-wielding Chef, "Only I'm still not too cool about that business between you and Momma. This whole mess stinks like month-old swamp grass after they've drained the lochs, and if I really am gonna have to go up against my own flesh and blood, I'd at least like to make sure that she really is the bad guy."

"You can ask Kachu when she gets here," Comb said, "She said she would be on her way to meet with us, and then we'll have the official confirmation of a Licensed Devil Hunter."

Atsuko sighed as she scanned the seeming vacant lot, then said, "Well, I can pretty much confirm that Grandma's got her illusions down in place. The building is right there in front of us, but even I have trouble seeing it. It's like staring at the thing through a pea-soup thick fog bank. The basic outline's all I can really make out, and the magical wards are on full force, like she's expecting a god to drop in and pay a visit, or something like that. In fact I…"

Before she could complete her statement the area around the lot began to cloud, and then the mists parted before them, revealing the building that was restored as if it had never truly vanished.

"You were saying?" Yumi asked in toneless apprehension.

Atsuko closed her mouth and said, "Ah…well…I guess Grandma knows we're here…"

"You think?" Comb responded with her usual sarcasm, but even she seemed unusually muted.

"Well," Yumi reached up over her shoulder and unslung her baker's peel, giving it a casual twirl as though limbering herself up with a bo-staff, "I guess we can take it for granted that we're being invited in to have a look?"

"Go in there…with Grandma expecting us and everything?" Atsuko looked at the burly chef as if she had just sported a clown face.

"You think it's a trap?" Comb wondered.

"Duh," Atsuko snorted, "I think we should wait for back-up before we take one step into Grandma's lair. At least let's wait until the card game is over and we can get Silk to help out, and Kachu since you mentioned her already…"

"I thought you said you trusted her more than that?" Yumi eyed the half-Oni with an amused expression.

"I said I didn't think Grandma was evil," Atsuko retorted, "That doesn't mean I'm totally stupid."

"Not totally stupid," Comb agreed, "Just mostly."

"Right," Atsuko nodded, then blinked her eyes and said, "Hey!"

"Well, it would be prudent to wait," Comb remarked, "But nobody ever accused me of being prudent," and she started forward.

"Waiting would be the logical thing to do," Yumi noted as she hefted her Peel, "But then again, I'm not always a very logical person. I'll back you up this one time, Comb-san."

"Hey!" Atsuko stared at her two companions as they started forward, then reluctantly followed in step, grumbling under her breath, "We're gonna regret this…"

Nabiki's Journal Continues

"This is all so very strange," I remarked as I pondered on my situation in my family's yard with Ranma, Shampoo and Akane sitting by my side eyeing me as if I were the very devil come to calling, "So much is the same as I remember…but a lot more is different."

"Strange like…how?" Ranma asked warily as if he still wasn't able to make his mind up about the way I was behaving.

"Well, for one thing," I began, "Not as many freeloaders hanging about in the yard either sparring or socializing. The old place looks pretty beat up, as usual, but the repairs aren't as recent. The dojo was almost totally demolished over that business with Prince Kirin…"

"Kirin?" Akane reacted, "You mean you face him too?"

"He kidnapped me and tried to force me to marry him close to two weeks back," I replied with an almost fond expression, "Ranma saved me, of course, and then he gave me my engagement ring and proposed to me and Sham-chan."

"Aiyaa!" Shampoo's eyes, already round as saucers, threatened to nearly double in dimensions.

"I proposed to you…and Shampoo?" Ranma now looked convinced that I was pulling his leg. I could just imagine what Akane would say next, and as usual I was right on the money.

"Don't bother denying it, Ranma," Akane scowled, "You're enough of a pervert that you'd probably do something like that, if it was legal."

"And what, pray tell, is wrong with Ranma having the two of us for his fiancees?" I regarded my sister with a frank expression, "Are you telling me Shampoo should be totally left out of the equation?"

"Well, why the hell not?" Akane demanded, giving Shampoo a glare twice as resentful as anything my Akane would have given my Sham-chan, "All she does is cause trouble, and she won't get it into her thick skull that Ranma doesn't love her…"

"What you say," Shampoo snorted dismissively, "But Shampoo think Violent girl no have clue what Airen want! Akane no think Ranma have brain in head he see that Shampoo much, much better choice for wife than girl who poison him and call it cooking!""

"Why you-!" Akane looked ready to jump to her feet and attack the Amazon, which I knew without even having to be aware of their relative skill levels was not a good career option.

"Hey, you two, cut it out!" Ranma pleaded, "We need to get this thing with Nabiki fixed before we start up on any of that stuff…"

"Exactly," I nodded, "And to be frank about it, Little Sister, you don't impress anyone by reacting to everything by resorting to violence. That's always been the difference between the two of us, you know, I'm a thinker and a planner, you just try to use your fists to solve all of your problems."

"And what would you know about problems?" Akane challenged me, "Next to Ranma, you're the one who's done the most to ruin my life! Getting Kuno to stage those fights every morning, taking pictures of me when I'm in my underwear and selling them to the pervert…"

"Like Akane pretend she no like have boy look at her naked?" Shampoo sniffed.

"That's it!" Akane leapt to her feet and assumed a fighting crouch, "You and me, right here and now, Shampoo!"

"We fight?" Shampoo had a delighted look of glee in her face as she accepted the challenge.

"Hey guys-!" Ranma started to say when I put a hand to his shoulder to restrain him.

"Let them go, Ranma-kun," I urged, judging the severity level as only minimal in the prospective brawl, and finding myself unable to help adding as a teasing afterthought, "Kareshi."

"Urk!" Ranma reacted to that clarifying of our relationship with a note of real panic.

"Grrr," Akane glared at me, then squared off against Shampoo, clearly needing to vent some steam against a ready target.

I winced as the inevitable happened, and it tool less than nine seconds before Shampoo dusted her hands again, looking as pleased as punch with herself while Akane lay flat on her back, groaning profusely.

"Akane…" this time I let Ranma go to her, curious as to why he expressed so much concern over a girl who treated him so poorly.

"She'll be all right," I said as I got to my feet, "Shampoo wouldn't really hurt Akane, at least not while you're around to see it, isn't that right, Sham-chan?"

"Why you call Shampoo this?" Shampoo glared at me, "You is sneaky girl always try use Airen for selfish things. Shampoo no forgive you play part of fiancée and try trick Airen…"

"I don't know what my counterpart has ever done to you or anyone else, Shampoo, but I'm not your enemy…I could never be your enemy, and I'd never do something like that with Ranma."

"That you say," Shampoo made a fist, "But Shampoo no let you trick Airen again…"

I decided another demonstration was in order, and it was getting easier to Time Accelerate the more I practiced using my abilities, so like a shot I had Shampoo bent over in a swoon, my arms supporting her above the ground with my face only inches from hers, my eyes boring into her soul as I relished the very novel sense of for once being in the dominant position.

"Now Shampoo," I mused as I saw the amazed look on her lovely features, "You know it isn't wise for a War Master to challenge a Lore Master. We have our ways of making you swoon with envy."

I righted the stunned Amazon on her feet again, then playfully gave her a peck on the cheek, saying, "This isn't the Kiss of Death, it's just a token sign of my affection."

I moved back out of her reach while she mulled that over. In truth it had hurt to have to endure the past half our of hostile and suspicious looks that Shampoo had been directing my way. Whatever my other self had done to earn her suspicion, I wasn't having any of that out of her. It was about as painful as knowing what a stranger I seemed to be before Ranma, and more than ever I wondered just what sort of a person I was on this timeline. Could I really be so awful that everyone would suspect me of being evil incarnate?

Akane was sitting up again, and I saw her amazement rekindled as she stared at me, then at Shampoo as if unable to reconcile herself to what she had just witnessed. Likewise Ranma was giving me the sake kind of unqualified look that demonstrated to me that I was not displaying what-to his thinking-was behavior typical of his Tendo Nabiki.

"I know I must seem like a stranger to you people," I said in mild exasperation, "But can't you at least accept the premise that I'm the Nabiki of a parallel world, one who loves both Ranma and Shampoo and isn't afraid to admit it?" I said the latter part with fingers crossed behind my back, but I doubted anyone there would notice.

"Ah…you are acting…pretty weird, Nabiki…" Ranma hesitated before adding, "So…if the place is the same where you come from…what am I supposed to be like?"

"The same," I allowed my expression to soften, "You're the very same guy, Ranma, the guy I want to marry in the morning."

"Because you think I'm gonna inherit a bunch of money from my Uncle whatsisname?" Ranma's eyes narrowed.

"Don't be ridiculous," I leered, "Why should I possibly care who you inherit your money from?"

"I've had just about enough of this!" Akane got back to her feet and positioned herself between me and Ranma, "You're not buying into this, Ranma? It's just another one of her tricks, but I see right through you this time, Sister!"

"Akane," I sighed, "What's happened to you? You weren't always this angry growing up. Don't you remember how to smile anymore and wish your older sister some happiness with my boyfriend?"

"You're…!?!" Akane spread her arms out as if to attempt to shield Ranma as she growled, "You keep away from him! I don't know who you are, but you're not my sister!"

There was something almost comical about the way Akane was standing up to me and attempting to protect Ranma. I could see in her eyes how fiercely protective she felt, and how jealously possessive, but I was having difficulty believing that she was truly in love with a guy whom she bashed all of the time and routinely insulted.

"I'm your sister all right," I sighed, "And don't think it's easy admitting that either. Growing up around you hasn't exactly been a bed of roses, though I've always taken it for granted that you mean well, Akane, and you don't deliberately mean to cause anyone trouble."

"What are you talking about?" Akane demanded.

"I mean…" and now I think I let a bit of my temper show on the surface, "That you always came first in our house no matter what Kasumi or me ever did or said to deserve as much attention. You're the one all of the boys in our school always pay attention to, the one whom everyone wants to date. You were the one that Momma and Daddy always showered gifts on and treated nicely. I got way better grades than you growing up, but did anyone besides Kasumi ever notice? You were always the first one to get a new dress whenever the old one got torn up during one of your fights, and all those times they took you to see Doctor Tofu…" I sighed, "It hasn't been a cake walk having a violent tempered tomboy for a sister, but I've tried to make allowances for you, even all those times you made a fool of yourself over Doctor Tofu."

"How dare you!" Akane reacted, "I can't believe you just said that about me!"

"I know you can't, Imoutochan," I think my tone was a bit condescending on that point, "Kasumi and me…we slaved away doing everything we could to keep a roof over your head, but did we ever get any real thanks for our troubles? Do you know what a fortune you've cost us over the years in building supplies that you've demolished? Every time you put a hole in a wall or the ceiling it comes out of the family budget and it's money we can't spend for other things. You think money grows on trees, Little Sister? Why do you think I work so hard at earning money just to keep the dojo solvent? You want to talk about taking pictures of you in your lingerie? Go right ahead, but I want to know what else you do to put food on the table!"

Akane flinched at my every accusation, though in all truth I think I was being a little hard on her seeing as I was drawing on memories of the way things had been before Ranma came into our lives and changed everything for the better. I'd already been around on this timeline long enough to learn that the dojo wasn't accepting any students, that Daddy was still too emotionally withdrawn to teach, and all Ranma and his father did to help out consisted of lounging around and eating whatever was set out on the table. Genma no longer even had his job working part time for Doctor Tofu!

"Look, Sis," I tried more reasonably, "It's not that I think you're a bad person, but you're spoiled and you don't seem to know it, and it sounds as if nobody here has had the nerve to explain things to you before. You seem to be so caught up in yourself and your own problems that you've forgotten that there are other people with problems of their own all around you. What about Kasumi and what she's sacrificed for us? She's the one who keeps this house from turning into a pigsty, and you know she's been almost like a mother to the two of us. Don't you think she deserves better than to be taken for granted all of the time? Imagine what life would be like without her!"

As I said the latter part I thought of what I had learned about Kasumi here, most of which conformed to my own earlier estimation of the way our sister used to behave before taking up with Kodachi. I wasn't about to explain to these two the nature of her relationship with the Black Rose…I'd already found out that Kodachi here had not given up on chasing Ranma and was-if anything-yet another unofficial fiancée, thanks to a deal worked out between Kodachi and Uncle Genma.

It really scares me to admit this, but given a comparison of the way Kasumi acts on that timeline and this one, I'd have to say that there's been a definite improvement in my older sister due to the Black Rose's influence. Kasumi is a little less vapid, a lot more cognizant or her surroundings, not so emotionally withdrawn and-if anything-far more positive minded and outgoing. There's a confidence about Kasumi these days that I'd never noticed in the past, a greater appreciating of her own self-worth…and it's even more scary to confess that she does look awfully intimidating in leather! She's still basically the same sweet person on the surface, but around Kodachi…well…it's like she turns into a very different person.

Anyway, as Akane was mulling it over, clearly stung by my words into actually considering my argument on their own merits, Shampoo chose the moment to step in by saying, "Mercenary girl waste time. Pervert girl no get it, she think Nice girl Kasumi just there for cook and cleaning."

"I wouldn't be too quick to call anyone a pervert if I were you, Sham-chan," I noted with a glance her way, "We all hide secrets deep down where we think people can't see them. There are tragedies in your past that your counterpart has shared with me, and I don't need to mention any names for you to remember what I'm getting at, do you?"

"What you say?" Shampoo frowned in my direction, "Shampoo no share secrets with Mercenary girl…"

"Ambergris," I said softly, "Perfume…and Lotion."

That stopped her cold. She looked at me in shock, actually going pale at the mention of that last name, and then in a surprisingly harsh voice she said, "You lie! You not know Shampoo secrets!"

"I'm not asking that you believe me," I pleaded with my own eyes that she would forgive me, "But you have to see now that I know where I'm coming from. You were the one who told me all about why you crashed your father's motorcycle…"

Shampoo moved to confront me, actually laying hands on me before I'd had time to react, a tribute to how much I'd let my guard down around her, and like a rag doll she picked me up and gave me a hard shake before hauling me up to where our eyes were almost level (seeing as I'm about two or three centimeters taller than her, this was no mean accomplishment, and more than a little unnerving, given that I knew full well what she could do to me in an outright physical confrontation).

"How you know this?" she demanded, "Shampoo never tell anyone…ANYONE! No even Shampoo mother…"

"But you told your father," I said, risking further wrath on her part, "He came and found you, took you home and tended your injuries…you barely even felt them, but the accident shook you up and make you aware of how far you'd fallen. He's quite a guy, your father, and you take a lot more after him than you do your mother. Am I right on this?"

Shampoo did not answer, but surprise had replaced her anger and resentment.

"Answer me something, Sham-chan," I said softly, "Why haven't you ever told Ranma what will happen to you at the end of the year if you don't win him for your husband?"

Her grip on me was growing slack and I saw the pain mixed with fear color her beautiful eyes as she hesitated to venture where I was leading her in this conversation.

As I'd hoped, Ranma was the one who spoke up, "What do you mean about that? What's gonna happen to Shampoo?"

"Nothing," I replied, keeping my gaze level as I held Shampoo's eyes with my own, "She's just going to be disgraced and humiliated before her entire tribe, which will force Cologne to suffer a loss in status and family honor. The Matriarch has enemies on the ruling Council who will be quick to exploit the perceived weaknesses in Cologne's chosen heir to further their own causes. The family will lose stature and other factions will seize this issue to try and appoint their own candidates for succession. Cologne may even lose her seat upon the Council and be forced to step down as Matriarch in favor of one of the other Elders. Of course you don't want anything like that to happen to you, do you, Sham-chan? So instead you'll accept voluntary exile as a condition to permit you to have another year to further chase after Ranma, and at the end of that second year your exile will be permanent…that is unless you elect to redeem your family's honor by another method…what we Japanese refer to as seppuku."

Shampoo flinched at the word and looked away, and her grip on me fell away as pain colored her expression. Half those words had been a verbatim recital of what I had been told concerning Amazon marriage laws and the severe penalties they exact upon warriors who ignore them, but half of it had been an intuitive guess on my part, allowing that odd sense I often have that helps me discern truth from falsehood to fill in the gaps of my understanding in this peculiar situation. Here Shampoo had not been successful in her chase and was-if anything-losing ground to Akane. Her fear of the retribution of her people's laws had to be acute, the moreso because she was quite obviously in love with Ranma and hated the idea of being parted from him. It was not to cause her pain that I brought this up, of course, but to make certain other parties aware of her precarious situation.

"S-Seppuku???" Ranma stammered.

"Yes," I replied as Shampoo released me altogether, "Is that so surprising? Given a choice of living in disgrace for the rest of her life, stripped of Warrior status and rendered a non-person among her people, what would you expect for her to do? Do you think she wants her family to lose status and her great grandmother to be kicked off of the Council? Of course you would be able to go on in the outside world and find your way, Shampoo…I know you and what you're capable of being. You could be a doctor or a mechanic, or anything else you set your mind to. I know the kind of person that you are, and I hope you choose life instead of throwing it all away…but then I can't say that I'd blame you for going that way either. If I was in your place…and I wasn't going to marry Ranma…"

"It…it no too late yet," Shampoo said listlessly, valiantly trying to look once again on the bright side.

"You're right, it's not too late," I turned and gave Ranma a hard and uncompromising stare, "It just depends on whether certain parties can admit to themselves that there's more to you than just some bouncy piece of fluff whom everyone else can treat as a doormat."

"Hey!" he protested, "I never…!"

"Really?" I asked, "What a shame. Of course you could say that it's Shampoo's fault that she got herself into this mess. When you defeated her in China she could have been a good sport about it, but instead she fell back on the old traditions of her people and gave you that Kiss of Death that started this whole mess. If she'd left well enough alone it might have cost her points among her people, but hardly anyone in the tribe took that 'Kiss them/Kill them' law as seriously in this modern age. The trouble was she's the great granddaughter of the Matriarch, and by humiliating her you wounded her pride. It's pride that made her chase you all the way to Japan, and pride that keeps her here, the pride of a warrior who won't admit defeat, regardless of whether or not you've already rejected her in favor of Akane."

I said the latter part with a great deal of anger, my outrage turning my words into knives that I was deliberately using to sting Ranma's pride, knowing him as well as I do and how he reacts to the thought of putting anyone else in harm's way. In truth I was angry, angry at the thought that anyone would be ignoring Shampoo's plight and would actually ignore her in favor of my clueless little sister!

As expected Ranma was flabbergasted that I was outright accusing him of emotional cowardice, but the rest surprise here came from Akane, who said, "We didn't know…no one ever told us…Shampoo, is this true?"

Shampoo did not verbally answer, she just shook her head while keeping her eyes averted.

"What do you care?" I asked, still hoping to score by wounding their pride, hoping against hope that Ranma would get the message and react the way I wanted, "Let her be disgraced, humiliated, rejected. You want to know why she's never told you any of this? Because of Pride…and the fact that she doesn't want to appear weak before the man she considers her lawful husband."

"Husband?" Ranma swallowed, "But that's…"

"It's the law of her people, Baka," I retorted, "It doesn't matter if it's not Japanese Law and we're not in China or all that legal nicety we take for granted here in the civilized world…it's the only law she's ever known in her life, and you better damned well believe she takes it as seriously as you take your code of Bushido. The moment you defeated her you officially proclaimed your intention of taking her for a wife, and maybe that's not what you were trying to do at the time, but that's the situation that you're stuck with, and if you have a problem with that, then you should have let yourself be defeated by Mousse and be done with it, so stop complaining!"

I turned away, surprised at my own flaring temper, but I have to confess that I was motivated here by a sense of what Shampoo would face if someone didn't read Ranma his rights and explain to him in large bold kanji the severity of the crisis that Shampoo was currently facing.

"But," my sister objected, "You can't expect Ranma to feel obligated because of a situation that Shampoo got herself into!"

"Of course you're right, Imoutochan," I replied without looking directly at her, "It's obviously no skin off his nose, and who cares about what happens to a barbarian girl who once spared your life in spite of the law that would have required her to kill you. You can't forgive her for taking away your memories of Ranma...but at least you still have a head on your shoulders, and if she really was as ruthless as she pretends you can damned well believe neither one of us would be standing here to talk about this.""

"But…why are you saying this?" Akane asked, "When did you turn into her defender?"

"Since I fell in love with her," I answered, hearing a gasp of surprise from Shampoo's direction.

"In love?" Ranma stared at me with frank incomprehension.

"When Shampoo-MY Shampoo-accepted me as her co-wife she changed everything, the whole dynamic between me and my Ranma," I answered, "She showed us a world that we never even knew could have existed, and she's made life special and meaningful just by being the kind of person that she is. I know more about her than I do just about anyone else in this world, and I'd die to protect her! She means more to me than the world, and I love her every bit as much as I do Ranma, because I know she feels the same way for me and has demonstrated her loyalty time and again. That's why I won't stand by and let any version of her go to waste unloved and neglected…because she deserves as much happiness as anyone else in this existence."

"Aiyaa," I heard Shampoo murmur faintly, "Nabiki never say she love anyone before…only say she love money."

"Obviously I'm not the same Nabiki," I turned to her, "You changed me, Shampoo, so I'm not going to abandon you. I promise you I'll never let you suffer," and with that I glared a hard, purposeful stare at Ranma.

"Hey," he protested, "When did I get to be the bad guy…?"

"Why don't you just say yes," Akane snapped, "You know you've wanted to be with Shampoo since she first came here."

"That's not what happened and you…!" Ranma started to challenge.

"Are you sure that's what Ranma wanted, Little Sister?" I asked archly before he had time to complete his disclaimer, "Or is that what you really want deep down? Admit it, you're just as fascinated with Shampoo as he is."

"W-What?" Akane turned a look my way that was positively stricken.

"You like girls," I replied, "And there's no question about it, Shampoo is definitely a woman."

"YOU'RE CRAZY!!!" Akane exploded, "That-That's absurd…!"

"Is it absurd?" I wondered, "Ranma-kun, how did Akane react to you when you first came into this house?"

"Huh?" Ranma asked with a "blink-blink" expression, "Ah…well…at first she was nice to me…"

"When you were in your girl type," I smiled, gratified to learn that much of history was repeated on this timeline, "As I recall in my world she didn't even mind losing to you back then…but how did she behave when she learned your little secret?"

"Er…ah…: Ranma winced, "I…kinda see your point…"

"What?" Akane blurted out, "But that doesn't mean…!"

"Tell me, Sis," I smiled without humor, "What difference does it make to you whether Ranma is a boy cursed to turn into a girl or a girl who turns into a boy? Why did you hate him when you found out about his real gender? For that matter, why do you treat all of the boys in our class like pariahs, except maybe for Ryoga, who's had the hots for you as long as you've known him."

"That's not true!" Akane cried, "Ryoga's just a friend! He's a nice guy who doesn't upset me or call me names all the time. There's nothing more than that between us…right?"

She glanced at Ranma and Shampoo, who were both staring at her with equally neutral expressions. If she was looking for confirmation of her disclaimer here, she definitely was in the wrong part of Nerima.

"Ranma-kun," I said, "Confirm something for me. Ryoga has a…little problem that you don't want to tell anyone about because it would compromise your honor…correct?"

"That baka," Ranma huffed, "When hasn't he had a problem?"

I picked up on the understated tone in his voice and nodded in satisfaction, "Shampoo…you know what Ryoga's secret is?"

"Aiyaa," Shampoo agreed, "But Shampoo promise Ranma never tell Akane, and Shampoo keep word to Airen."

"What?" Akane looked from one face to the other, "What aren't you telling me? What problem?"

"Sis," I sighed, "You're gonna have to figure that one out for yourself, but take my word for it, the guy's nuts about you but he's too shy to say so out loud. Kind of a shame, really, seeing as you can't respond to him the way he wants you to, not as long as there's someone else in the picture whom you find a lot more attractive."

"W-What are you saying?" Akane glanced away, now clearly nervous.

"I should have realized it before," I said, "It's the reason you got angry when you saw me kiss Ranma. The truth is that you're in love with his girl side, but you can't say it out loud, so you pretend it's really just Ranma!"

"You're crazy!" Akane stammered, "I'm not like that!"

"Sis…this is me," I urged, "Don't try kidding a kidder. You want a relationship with someone who will make you feel all warm and special, and for a time you even convinced yourself that it was Tofu-sensei you wanted, rather than some abstract ideal that he came to represent. You hate boys, you get angry when they talk about you, when they make comment about you or come on to you sexually. Just the thought of kissing a boy makes you panic! You want to have someone who makes you feel special, well loved and cared for, someone who won't treat you like an object or ignore your feelings or spend half their time insulting you. You want the things a woman can give that a man can never understand, and you hope maybe Ranma will become that guy in time if he learns to respect you. It angers you, it drives you crazy when he insists on being a guy all of the time, and that's the reason why you want to see him punished!"

It was like a blinding revelation to me…this deduction I made even as I was waving the proverbial accusing finger in her direction. Akane and Ranma…the two in my world had always struck sparks off one another and were always exchanging insults, but underneath it all there had to be a deeper motivation. I had just now stumbled upon the real reason for their mutual antagonism and hostility…that underneath it all Ranma symbolized something to Akane that she identified with on a personal level. Akane had always felt torn by sexual roles and identities, and here was Ranma personifying the very same inner dualism, and obviously choosing to be male, which Akane could never hope to be in her own right! No wonder she always felt like hitting him every time his guard was lowered!

I saw the confirmation of my words in my sister's eyes and knew at last why this timeline had been destined to turn out so badly. There was no way there could be a happy resolution so long as Ranma did not give ground on his own sexuality, or Akane admit to her own hidden desires. A lack of inner peace would drive them both to wearing thin the other's nerves until the breaking point would eventually be reached. Ranma denied his female half just as strongly as Akane denied her attraction to other women, and so the both of them would be locked into a struggle for which there was no compromise, and thus no easy resolution.

It all made sense to me now…Akane's rages, the way she reacted with violence against any perceived attack on her femininity, her desire to try so hard at being female when her instincts were more gender neutral. Akane wasn't a solid lesbian, but she had strong lesbian tendencies that eclipsed any attraction she might feel for the male gender. Kuno and the rest of the hentai league were literally barking up the wrong tree by trying to make her choose to be a different kind of woman, and all along I'd been standing to the side clucking like a hen, chiding Akane for her contrary nature while all along contributing to her problems!

This realization made me feel a little ill, because it made me out to be partially the bad guy. I had failed in my role as an older sister to serve as a moral encouragement to Akane that she be open and accepting of her sexuality and not try to bury her urges beneath a mask of unreasoning rage. Akane was trying to beat down her own hidden urges and deny that she was any different from other young women, but the harder she tried to bury the truth the stronger those urges would lurk beneath the surface.

It also, not inconsequentially, went a long way towards explaining her attraction to Kuonji Ukyo, a girl who very much embodies Akane's own ambivalent sexual identity and urges.

"I'm right, aren't I?" I asked as I looked Akane straight in the eyes, "You want to admit it to yourself, but you're scared that people will call you names and treat you like a freak. You think it's wrong to feel the way you do, so you try to be as 'normal' as you can be…whatever the hell 'normal' means for anyone living in this screwy prefecture!"

"Why are you doing this to me?" Akane asked, "Why are you saying these things about me, Nabiki?"

"Because it's the truth," I said, "But it's not all about you, Akane…this affects Ranma and Shampoo. You're not the only person who gets hurt because the truth gets buried. You're going to have to work this through for yourself, but I'd be there to support you if this was my time and I really belonged here. But maybe you should try going to someone else who's been where you are and knows what you're going through…right, Sham-chan?"

I sensed Shampoo react with a start at being involved in this particular conversation, but I knew her well enough to sense the guilty feelings that were hidden by the evasive glance she turned in our direction. Akane turned from me to her and her puzzlement increased dramatically, the thought of consulting Shampoo on anything clearly never having ever previously be considered.

"Shampoo?" Akane asked with a clear hesitation.

"Is…no so strange that Warrior love other Warrior," Shampoo admitted with clear reluctance, "Is best be womans…other womans know and accept you. Is no bad being womans, Akane…you only know what people want you be…no know what you want until you meet right person."

"Huh?" Ranma looked utterly bewildered as he looked from one face to the other, clearly having no idea whatsoever what we were talking about here, for which you can hardly blame him. This version was indeed a lot like my Ranma, only not as domesticated or well trained in the art of being a boyfriend. Shampoo and me had worked mighty hard to make up for the boy's lack of a proper education in that department and it was plain enough here that whoever he did wind up with romantically would have her work cut out for her…not that I wouldn't readily volunteer to undertake the challenge!

Of course it was about this time that someone usually shows up to make a dramatic announcement, and this occasion was no exception.

"I see you young people have kept yourselves busy while I was away," Cologne said as she put in a dramatic appearance.

"Hello, Matriarch," I turned to regard the outline and not the image of the shrunken old woman, "Did you manage to contact the parties I requested?"

"I did indeed," Cologne said gravely, "And you can imagine my surprise when I learned that she was already aware of your request and was already making arrangements to be here. In fact I am expecting her to appear right about…now…"

A swirl of light suddenly flared up from the middle of the yard, forming a pillar of fire that briefly filled the air with heat and light before dying off to reveal a pair of figures standing in its center. I must say that Siren character has a real flare for the dramatic, not at all like the more subtle methods employed by the diminutive figure who stood near at her side resting on her staff with a care-worn expression on her ancient features.

"You rang?" the Archmage flashed a smile, giving us a pose that would make Barbara Eden drop dead from envy. I heard the exasperated sigh from Cologne's lips and knew the direct parallel between our two worlds held true on that standard.

"So," the other old woman limped forward, homing in on my direction, "You are the young lady who has stirred up so much of a ruckus. Kimiko's child by Tendo Soun…yes, I see much about your mother in your eyes. Well met indeed…Apprentice."

"Sensei," I bowed, "It's very good to set eyes on you again…even if it may be for the first time from your side of the fence."

"I rather imagine my counterpart finds you quite a delight to be around," Lotion's eyes twinkled with that tell-tale smirk I knew so well and loved, "You have the look of trouble about you…I like that."

"So, that's the new Lore Master," the blonde Siren inclined her head as she studied me from a greater distance, "Not much to look at, but I do sense great potential."

"Oh hush," Cologne snorted, "You would do well to take notes from this one. The arts of subtlety run deep within her, and few match wits without counting their fingers after a mere handshake."

"Surely I'm not that bad to be around," I averred, wondering what my other self could have done to have earned such a frightful reputation.

"That remains to be seen," Lotion responded with her usual non-committal appraisal, "I have yet to meet your counterpart, but if she has the potential to be anything like you, then I suspect that she will indeed be both a trial and a handful."

"Whoever you are, lady," Ranma said, "Is there any way you can get things straightened out and put things back to normal?"

"That is what I have come all this way to determine, young War Master," Lotion replied, "We will see if it is possible to get young Nabiki back to her own time and place, and to restore the Nabiki who was of this time in the process."

"Will my sister be all right on your world?" Akane asked, giving me a cautionary glance as if still smarting from the words I had used upon her.

"She ought to be," I said, "Ranma and Shampoo will protect her…unless, of course, she makes a mistake and accepts a ride from Shampoo from Ucchan's place to the dojo."

"Why that bad?" Shampoo asked with a puzzled expression.

I just smiled at that rather than answer, but inwardly my mind filled with a mental image of my counterpart hanging on for dear life on the back of Shampoo's monster and I sent a silent prayer of condolence, hoping she would not keel over with a heart attack before we could arrange a successful transfer…

Nabiki did not consider herself to be a religious person, but riding with Shampoo proved to be a revelation in theological discovery, because she must have catalogued every kami that she knew by name in the space of the three-minute ride across town back from the restaurant to the suburbs where her home was located.

Ranma managed to hold on to her from the rear, reluctant at letting her ride by herself with the Amazon, which proved to be a good tactical move on his part. If not for his constant attention Nabiki might have let go mid-way during her ordeal just to take her chances with the potential inconvenience of falling on something hard and unyielding. She was not used to physical abuses like Ranma and had no illusions of her ability to bounce back from a major trauma, yet sandwiched between Ranma and Shampoo she felt a kind of security blanket that stretched over her from both angles. No matter how crazily the Amazon zigged and zagged at high velocity, she knew Ranma would not let her go nor let her come to any harm, for which she was enormously grateful.

Of course her hands gripping onto Shampoo found themselves (almost by chance) in some interesting places, and there was a curious thrill in feeling the sense of barely constrained power well padded and supple to the touch. Shampoo did not seem to mind having her hands rest there, and it said a lot about the state of trust that must exist between the Amazon and her counterpart from this dimension. Try as she might, Nabiki could not think of a single person whom she would trust in a similar manner, especially her backside, knowing how many people felt about her in Nerima.

The implications of what this would mean for her and her tendencies to admire both genders back home was an issue she wanted to table until later. From the time of puberty she had been aware of her tendency to "check out" other women, but she'd always kept it deeply suppressed rather than let others suspect her bisexual tendencies, which among other things would definitely leave her exposed to ridicule and teasing by the other kids of her age group. Hard to build a reputation as a Cast Iron Bitch if everyone in your school knew you swung both ways and had a serious interest in "exploring her options."

It was odd the things that flashed through your mind when faced by immanent danger (her life for one thing, with far too much emphasis on the bad stuff for her liking), and the thing that came foremost to mind was the mini-ordeal she had undergone accessing her counterpart's computer records. Even with the help of the Lore Master, Silk, it was a real challenge of her mental faculties, especially in light of the fact that access to the computer was Triple-Password Protected. Ordinarily that would have made opening it up a matter of typing in a few key words to gain admittance, but the first key word had come with a riddle.

"Root of all evil is this which exchanges."

The answer to that one had been surprisingly simple, "Money." But typing it in had led to the second riddle, "Parting with it is such sorrow, who is he?"

That also had been surprisingly simple, but she doubted it would be that easy. There was something about the ease of the first password that put her on edge, made her wary about jumping for the obvious answer. The more she reflected on it the more she came to realize that her basic instincts were similar to those of the Nabiki who wrote and encrypted these files, and that meant suspecting subtlety and deception at every turn, and the moment things looked too easy was the time to suspect a trap, so she wondered what the angle to this password would be then realized it came in the form of a Kanji riddle she had learned when studying secret codes in the library for means of concealing her bookie notes in her ledger.

Back during the last World War the Japanese military had used a machine-based code thought to be unbreakable by the allies, but little did they know that the Allies had acquired a code breaking machine that gave them the ability to read Japanese classified transmissions, and this had proven decisive to America defeating Japan in numerous key battles. The principle of the machine had proven to be too simple, but in theory it was still a brilliant concept of substituting one word for another, and that thought gave her the clue that she needed. All she needed to know was which symbol to place in the place of which letter, and which of several codes she would have needed, and once that was done she typed out the substitution code for the word, "BAKA."

That proved to be the correct answer at the second level, but then she found herself confronted by the final password, and for this there was no clue, but there was a thirty-second countdown, and it did not take a genius in Computer Science to know that at the end of the countdown would be a lock-out on the computer.

That kicked her brain into overdrive, knowing full well that the clue would be in logical sequence to the first two clues, and with no complex word patterns to have to muddle through since it was obvious that Nabiki herself was supposed to supply this password in a hurry, so she ran the first two words through her mind and said, "Money, Fool…Parted!"

She typed in the word and was gratified to find it was accepted, only then the computer screen flared to life and a greenish ray fanned out, briefly roving over Nabiki from top to bottom before fading out again, leaving her momentarily shaken, as if she had expected it was a death ray, or some other such Science Fiction invention.

"What," she said at the end of this experience, "Was that?"

"I have no idea," Silk seemed equally shaken, "As far as I know that was never programmed into Nabiki's computer."

Suddenly the screen filled up with the trademark "Windows" emblem, but the brand name was totally unfamiliar to her, "YGGDRASIL 2000, Version D, Skuld Special Edition," which was accompanied by an illustration of a colossal oak tree that looked taller than a redwood. It went through a standard reload in a remarkably short time, and then opened up with a wallpaper photograph that showed Nabiki framed by Shampoo, Ranma and the rest of their extended family, which included the strangers she had met before and Ryoga. Following this a series of file icons framed the picture, and among those that she recognized was a Yen Sign that obviously signified her financial ledgers. She confirmed this with a point and click that opened up a well-structured portfolio, very neat and orderly in arrangement.

At this Nabiki's eyes got very wide, for there were numerous sub-directories indicating the sources of her income, which ranged from her usual bookie making to far more legitimate enterprises, among with was the evaluated monthly income generated through the operation of the dojo.

It seemed that on this timeline her father had resumed taking in students, and he oversaw classes three times a week, once for the junior and introductory level of students under twelve years of age. Silk was listed as a co-instructor and no doubt took part in the regular operations. Shampoo and Ranma taught the main and advanced classes that took place four times a week, and on the whole they had about maybe fifty or sixty students in all of these classes, each of whom paid according to their means, which averaged out to around three or four thousand yen per month a piece. That came to about two hundred thousand yen a month, which went into a general fund used to cover basic expenses of the house, the remainder of which was allocated like an allowance to individual house members.

Overall costs were neatly itemized like a corporate structure with a certain amount set aside into a general trust fund that currently was rated around one-hundred-sixty thousand yen, a pretty nice nest egg to have salted away for emergencies. She wondered idly how it was that so much money had been kept away from Genma.

Of slightly more disturbing character was the listing of Kuno Kodachi as contributing to the house rent for the past month to the tune of four hundred thousand yen, a hell of an advance for room and board, and she suspected the reason for this generosity would make for quite a story. Part of that fund had been used to purchase bonds and stocks that were meant to give the house a long-term financial posture. Given all of that, it was hard to imagine their losing the house (and the dojo) to something as simple as a card game.

And Nabiki felt a sudden surge of angry resentment towards her counterpart, which was actually a kind of self-loathing and envy. To think of all the times she had struggled and labored to keep the house from financial ruin, the threat of collapse that came from having no stable source of income, the sacrifices she had been forced to make to come up with schemes that could provide Kasumi with the spending money for the bills and the food costs, all of which had multiplied exponentially since the Saotomes had become a part of the overall picture.

To think of how she had racked her brains trying to find ways of staying in the money, even going to far as to borrowing clothes off her little sister to save on the expense of her own wardrobe…! She had learned to turn a moral blind eye to any questions about the ethical propriety of her conduct and had grown a thicker hide, telling herself that she alone had the guts it took to make it in a hard world of cruel sacrifices. And all along a means existed for her to LEGITIMATELY secure the security of the family finances…!

Nabiki calmed herself, taking several deep breaths, gradually getting control over her emotions as she reminded herself that it was not her time and place, that the version of her living on this timeline had earned every single yen through hard work and an enterprising spirit. Ultimately the question was why had SHE not achieved a similar level of success on her own timeline? If there was anything to be resented, it was the lack of support she had gotten from her version of Ranma and Akane.

She closed the file and went on to a different icon, this one catching her interest as it turned out to be none other than a file that read, "My Journal," and had the icon of a different type of ledger.

To her amazement this proved to be an actual diary recording the thoughts and experiences of her counterpart, and it was marked with individual entries that each had a time and date chronicling the events of the past six months. That covered a lot of the time that this Nabiki had spent being betrothed to Ranma, and the amount of file space covered was HUGE! They entire journal itself was over nine megabytes, which was a HELL of a lot of writing and left her wondering what sort of information was recorded in these passes.

To satisfy her curiosity she clicked on a file at random and opened up to a curious passage that began with, "The more I think on it, the more I wonder if I took complete leave of my senses the day that I took Ranma on as my iinazuke. He's arrogant, rude, acts without thinking, thinks without acting and generally draws trouble to himself like a magnet. He's also got one mighty fine butt, and this cute way of expressing himself that's so engagingly simple minded that I just can't help but crack a smile at the doofus…"

Nabiki caught herself cracking a smile, identifying immediately with her other self as she could imagine making those very comments in the privacy of a journal in a moment of anxiety when she needed to unload her thoughts into some format. She scanned further down the text and discovered several curious bits of information, such as the training she had received from an Amazon named Lotion, and the slight vexation she received from her training was accompanied by a sense of growing confidence in her accomplishments and her prowess.

A different file turned up similar information, only here she discovered an account of sexual activities between herself, Shampoo and Ranma that sounded as if they had been lifted in form from the Kama Sutra. More than a few of the descriptions in this text caused her eyebrows to climb to the level of her hairline, while she felt more than slightly aroused and more than a bit excited.

"I suggest you click on ahead to the last time," Silk reminded her after allowing her to peruse several more such files, "Time is running out and you need to pick up on what clues Nabiki might have left you for dealing with the match."

It felt weird to hear her name being referred to in the third person, but Nabiki agreed with the basic reasoning, even as she quietly copied the files of the journal and downloaded these texts into a Zip disk that she inserted to the appropriate drive slot. She wanted to study these journal notes at greater leisure and if she could take it with her and find a computer back home that would be able to decipher the encryption she intended to sit down and do some serious reading!

She now had that disk hidden away in a pocket and hoped nobody would mind if she kept it, as long as it did not wind up in the wrong hands…meaning anyone else but her hands, of course. Assuming they did not wind up in a major accident getting to the site of the match and could make it home in one piece she intended to learn what she could of her counterpart's experiences, in which case she might find a means of improving her lot in the other world.

Besides which she had not found anything useful in that last file, other than the realization that her counterpart lived a very full and active life, one of romance and adventure. The stories her files must have to tell would no doubt be pretty eyebrow raising, but she doubted it would be a dull reading and possibly quite profitable, considering this Lore Master stuff was supposed to give one special powers of insight. Who knew what mysteries she would discover in these records?

The three-minute ordeal came to an abrupt end as Shampoo performed a flying leap that would have impressed the heck out of Evil Kenevel. The landing nearly caused Nabiki to toss her cookies (or that okonomiyaki that she had eaten before leaving), but with a rapid screeching turn of the tires they skidded to a halt almost at the very gates of her ancestral household.

Dismounting from the bike had proven to be more of a trial than getting on hand been because her legs had wobbled like jello, and if not for Ranma helping to steady her she might not have managed to remain upright.

"Easy there, Nab-chan," Ranma urged with obvious affection, "Takes time to get used to the way Shampoo drive."

"How long?" Nabiki coughed to steady her voice. This was no way to maintain an air of sophistication, behaving like a mere schoolgirl!

"Ah…" Ranma's hesitation was poignant, "I'm still working on that part…"

The flapping of wings brought Akane's attention around to the incredible sight of her sister descending from the heavens. Akane's landing was not exactly one-point, but given that she had a pair of wings with a wingspan roughly three times the length of her own body, with secondary feathers sprouting from her legs like a pair of auxiliary stabilizers. She straightened out at once, flashed a smile at Nabiki and said, "I've checked them out from the air and you won't believe what's going on in there! That guy's turned the dojo into a casino, and he's got half the kids from our school playing at roulette wheels and card tables and everything! And the house…he's got it set up like an office!"

Nabiki turned her gaze up at the new marquis adorning the top of the gates, which read, "GAMBLER KING'S ROYAL FLUSH CASINO" in large flashing letters like a neon sign taken straight out of Vegas. Her first impression upon seeing this was to conclude that this Gambler King fellow did not believe in maintaining a low profile.

"That creeps got a hell of a lot of nerve," Ranma cracked his knuckles with a nasty expression on his face, "Let's go in there and clean house."

Nabiki was about to agree with him when a stretch limousine pulled up along the block, and a moment later three people exited from the side of the vehicle, a man, a woman and a child, the woman being very well dressed with a professional manner about her…and sporting a haircut very much like Nabiki's!

"Well now," this woman smiled as she regarded them, "Well met indeed, Tendo-san. I see you're here on time for the match, and I look forward to seeing how you perform at the gambling tables."

"What do you want, lady?" Ranma asked, and Nabiki noted from the guarded tone that the boy considered the lady a potential enemy or threat, and thus not to be taken lightly.

"Believe it or not, I'm actually hoping to see you do well," the woman replied, "It would be a shame to see this place pass out of the hands of the family that has nurtured its arts so well over the generations. I'm sorry if I left a bad impression of me the last time, but I'm hoping we may still be friends in the future."

Nabiki discerned a sincerity in the woman's expression, but her instincts warned her that this was indeed a woman of hidden talents, and clearly a force to be reckoned on the financial front. From this she placed the woman as the mysterious business representative whom Silk and the others believed was behind the Gambler King's acquisition of the dojo. The girl with her was obviously her daughter while the burly man had "bodyguard" written into the very manner in which he stood protectively close to the woman.

Of somewhat more concern, however, were the hints that she had picked up on the sly suggesting that this woman was also a Hibiki. She certainly moved like a trained martial artist, and her accent was distinctly foreign, possibly even American, which also meant she was an outsider viewing the Japanese culture from an outsider's perspective.

It was as she made these appraisals, however, that the third surprise manifested at her side, for even as Nabiki was trying to decide if the woman was friend or foe, a voice she did not recognize spoke out in response, "The future is always a difficult matter to discern, but it is better to make friends than adversaries, so in that spirit we welcome your participation in the coming match between your factor and my apprentice."

Nabiki resisted the temptation to jump in a start as she reacted to that speaker, preferring instead to turn slowly before taking in the sight of a woman who reminded her very much of Cologne, albeit not quite as ancient or shrunken in stature. Amused eyes glittered up at her as Nabiki took in this ancient Amazon with no little amazement and apprehension. Without it needing to be said aloud she recognized her from the descriptions in her counterpart's ledgers, and she knew this had to be Lotion the Lore Master. This was the woman who had trained her other self in the ways of the Lore Masters, some kind of Shaman mystic whose powers and abilities defied ordinary description.

"Shall we go inside and meet your challenger, Apprentice?" the old woman asked as if taking it in stride that her suggestion would be followed.

"Uh, yeah," Nabiki replied, "Let's get this show started, shall we?"

"By all means, Tendo-san," the business woman agreed, and as Ranma and Shampoo moved to flank her, Nabiki watched as the burly man took the point, pushing open the gates and leading the way into her family estate, and a very strange encounter…

Continued

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