Tears of a Dragon:Book3 Ch 6 Murphy's Law

[Valkyrie Ice]

For those of you who have expressed interest, the first part of this is up at the lost library of florestica at : http://www.florestica.com/lsmcgill/index.htm
This is the next chapter following what is posted there.
For those of you who are not familiar with Tears of a Dragon, it is a Ranma/Sailormoon/Ah My Goddess crossover which tells the story of Zhu Shu, a Mandarin girl whom Ranma knocks into a pool when he visited Jusenkyo, and who starts a chain of events that turns both her and Ranma's life upside down and sideways.
Disclaimer: Ranma ½ characters are the property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Kitty, and Viz Video. Sailor Moon characters are the property of Takeuchi Naoko, Koudansha, TV Asahi, and Toei Douga, and DIC. Ah! My Goddess characters are the property of Fujishima Kosuke, Kodansha, TBS and KSS films; AnimEigo, Studio Proteus, and Dark Horse Comics. Other characters who may cameo are the property of their respective owners. All are used without permission. I did not write this for profit, but for practice. Will be removed at request of original creators or authorized rep.
Zhu Shu (who shoo), Tao-Ching (dow-ching), Xi’an Chi (zy-an chee), and Clans’ Dragon and Scorpion are mine, and may be used so long as I am asked beforehand.
And thanks to DB Sommer for allowing me to use Ai Konjou and the Furinkan Combat Cheerleaders.
Chapter Six: Murphy’s Law
Dawn came to Tokyo and found Urd, for once, awake. She lay on her bed and looked up at the mirror above her, studying her nude form and trying to figure out what had changed. It was puzzling.
She really didn’t look any different. Her long, tan legs were as shapely as ever, the tangle of wild white curls on her pubis contrasting with her golden skin and emphasizing her utter lack of tan lines. Her breasts were as full and heavy as they had always been since she had achieved puberty and began to be able to use her goddess powers to enhance them. Her face was just as lovely as it had been the night before, her goddess marks accenting her wide, slightly tilted eyes and their long lashes like always.
But something was different.
A soft sigh from beside her drew her eyes to the golden haired form lying beside her. Mara’s naked body was curled slightly as she snuggled against Urd’s side, her pale skin and blonde hair contrasting nicely against Urd’s tan. Urd found herself looking at Mara’s sensual lips and remembering how Mara had smiled mischievously before demonstrating how talented her tongue was. She shivered in remembered pleasure.
Kami, but she couldn’t remember the last time she had felt so good after a night of fun. She usually woke up with a hangover, and even with the few lovers she had stayed with for more than a one night stand, she had never felt like this… like something about her had been changed, something that she couldn’t quite put her finger on.
She had been serious when she had told Mara she cared for her, but couldn’t honestly call it love. She had been friends with Mara before they had gone their separate ways, and had resented the way Mara had seemed to change when Urd had decided to be a goddess, but she had never suspected it had been because her best friend had fallen in love with her, and had been brokenhearted that Urd had made a choice that would doom that love forever. Looking back at the years of adversarial conflict between Mara and her and Bell, it was obvious that the demoness had never seriously sought to cause them harm, but Urd had been too blinded by her own feelings of betrayed anger to see the truth.
Guilt over all the years she had spent hating Mara’s interference, and the realization of the depth of Mara’s feelings had prompted her to give in the her mischievous impulse to bed the ex-demoness, but she had certainly not expected it to be what it had turned into. Mara had expected… no, hoped… for little more than Urd’s indulgence of her affections, which had been Urd’s intent, but Urd had found herself responding to Mara’s attentions far more intensely than she had ever dreamed possible. She had only planned on that one time, but over the past two days, she had found herself dragging Mara off to bed on any excuse. Skuld had accused her of nymphomania on more than one occasion, usually while glaring at her when she had come wandering in after one of her all-nighters, but much as she liked sex, Urd had never actually thought of herself as a Nympho. Mara had made her feel like one, and it had been glorious, something she had never wanted to end. For the first time in her life, Urd had been a slave to her own passions…
And here she still lay, next to an exhausted but supremely satisfied Mara, wondering what had changed.
I can’t be in love. This is…well…different than anything I’ve ever felt before, and I know I’ve been “In Love” before. It started out so happy and wonderful, and ended in anger and tears. I know what I’ve been searching for and this doesn’t feel like it.
…Does it?
It was like she knew that some how…some way…she had lost something infinitely precious, something she couldn’t quite put a finger on, but it was okay, because she had gotten something just as inexpressible, but far more valuable in exchange. It was maddening to be so bitter-sweetly happy for a reason she couldn’t even explain.
She sighed softly, and Mara muttered something soothing in her sleep. Urd caught herself smiling. This was turning out far better than she had feared it would be. She’d half expected it to end up like her worst one night stand ever. She shuddered at the memory of waking up after Peorth had kicked her out of the bed and accused her of slipping a potion in her drink because she wasn’t a “slut half-demon lesbian” like Urd, so obviously Urd had to be lying about who had seduced who while they had been drunk at the Beltane party.
She cast an eye over to Mara’s peaceful face and wondered if she should tell her about that. Was Peorth being so spiteful to Mara because of it? Peorth was pretty loose about the rules of relationships when it came to guys she liked, but a near fanatic about being heterosexual, except when she was drunk. Was her spite due to jealously? She’d been Urd’s biggest headache in high school, and a really annoying irritant when they had both ended up as Sysops, but was that because Peorth harbored the same feelings that Mara had? Or was it because Peorth hated the fact that she secretly liked girls? Or was it due to self loathing over giving in to curiosity? Or…
“Getting off the subject, Urd” she muttered to herself. She glanced over at Mara and caught herself smiling again. Funny how she had never really thought before about how beautiful Mara’s face was. And once again, she found herself remembering the smug grin on Mara’s face as she looked up over the wild tangle of Urd’s curls. The memory made her hips grind into the bed as she fought the urge to masturbate yet again.
Fortunately, there was a light knock against the door, and it slid open to show Belldandy’s face.
“Urd, there’s- Oh!”
Urd smiled as Belldandy’s cheeks colored at the sight of the two naked goddesses, but her sister regained her composure quickly. “So sorry, But there’s a news story about to come on I think you should see.”
Urd nodded as she stood to grab her Kimono. “Why so shy, sister dear? You’ve seen me naked before.”
“Yes, but you and Mara were…umm.”
Urd laughed. “Yep… again. I wore the poor dear out.”
“You should be careful, Urd. You know Father is keeping an eye on you, and this wish. He might not be happy if you get too distracted playing around.”
Urd tilted her head, a bemused look on her face. “That’s just it, Bell. I’m not sure it is ‘playing around’ anymore. Maybe I really am in love”
Bell raised her eyebrow. “The last time you said that was just before Loki broke your heart.”
Urd rolled her eyes. “Could we _not_ talk about him?”
Belldandy sighed. “Alright, I just… well. Anyway, there’s the news.”
“Right.”
They made their way to the TV for the morning news, Urd glancing at Keiichi sitting and doing some last minute studying as he nibbled on a piece of Belldandy’s cinnamon French toast. She had just settled on a futon as the news announcer came back on.
“Strange happenings last night around Tokyo. First, a small mountain tea shop was completely destroyed last night in a fiery explosion that could be heard for miles. The owners of the “Sexy Kunoichi Tea Shop” were apparently killed when the teashop exploded and came crashing down on top of them. Konatsu Kenzan, the surviving victim was just returning to the shop after running some errands when she witnessed the explosion and claims to have seen a small man wearing ninja garb running from the shop. According to her rather shaky memory, the assailant knocked her out and, supposedly, stole her panties, before disappearing into the night. The fire started by the explosion had engulfed the shop when she had awoken, trapping her two sisters and mother inside. Local firefighters are dismissing her story as likely due to trauma, as Miss Kenzan was struck in the temple by flying debris. While the true cause of the blaze is still being investigated, so far fire investigators have found evidence of many poorly stored flammables and signs of a leak in the gas lines. At present, they are attributing the fire to accidental causes, likely ignited by a cigar recovered from the body of the eldest victim. The bodies of all three have been recovered, and Miss Kenzan, the sole remnant of the Sexy Kunoichi clan of female ninjas has vowed to track down the mysterious man she claims is her family’s killer and bring him to justice.”
“Closer to home, a freak storm last night over Tokyo destroyed several shops in Nerima. The meteorological department are still uncertain how the storm cells formed over the city with no warning, but the evidence suggests that a small tornado was responsible for the early morning havoc that left eight shops in a partial to full state of devastation. Police have cordoned off the area and are keeping the public out of the disaster zone while insurance investigators are assaying the damage, but one thing’s for sure, The folks in Nerima are lucky that all the damage occurred in unoccupied buildings, and no lives were lost. We go now to our on site reporter in Nerima.”
The camera switched over to a nondescript reporter standing next the tall black-haired figure of Ke Lun, dressed in a modest kimono, her long tresses held back by a hair band that concealed the fact that her ears were real.
“Thank you, we are here with local shop owner Ke Lun, proprietor of the Rabbit Hutch Chinese restaurant. Miss Lun, do you think this disaster will affect the grand opening of your restaurant this afternoon?”
“Not at all. In fact, with the crowds that have come down to see the area, I expect we’ll have quite a turn out. I’m quite looking forward to it.”
“So, may I ask if the bunny ears are part of your staff’s uniform?”
Ke Lun smiled. “But of course. All of my waitresses wear either bunny ears or cat ears. It’s a gimmick, but the customers love it.”
“I see, well, it’s obvious that the businesses down here may have taken a hit, but spirits are high, and it looks like business as normal.”
“That’s right. We’re not going to let a little storm dampen our spirits.”
“And that’s our story, back to you, Kenji!”
Urd shook her head as she turned off the TV. “Why do I have the feeling that she went out of her way to get on TV?”
Belldandy sighed. “Maybe because that wasn’t a natural storm last night?
Urd looked at her sharply. “What?”
“Well, it wasn’t. I couldn’t tell who called it up, but someone did. I guess I should have looked into it deeper, but it wasn’t someone supernatural. I thought it might have been something to do with that little girl who’s trying to capture Clow Reed’s cards. It did start near the tower, and you know she’s always kicking up a magical ruckus.”
“Yeah. But what reason does she have to go to Nerima?”
“I thought she must have been after another card, so I went to sleep, but when I checked on it this morning, I didn’t find her signature. I don’t know who did it, but I did recognize Ke Lun’s hand, and another’s I think is her Loremistress’s, but the third one is a complete mystery.”
“And Shan Pu?”
“She’s fine. Like you predicted, she doused herself with the water.”
“So she’s firmly in with Akane and Ranma?”
“It appears so.”
“So shouldn’t that be the end of this idiotic wish?”
“Urd, you know that more than just Shan Pu is encompassed by the wish.”
Urd leaned back against the wall and ground her palms into her eyes. “I know, I know. Kami, I am so tired.” She sighed. “Dammit, can’t I have a morning off!!”
The phone rang. Urd looked at it in disgust. “Great, time for another lecture about how important this all is.” She sighed heavily as she stood up and grabbed the receiver. “Hello.”
A long minute passed as Urd listened, her eyes blinking several times before she put down the receiver and a slow, dazed smile came over her.
“Urd?”
“Huh… Oh hi, Bell. Daddy sends his love.”
“But what did he say to you?”
“Um… well, he said he thought I was doing well so far on Shan Pu’s wish, then he told me to go back to bed and snuggle with Mara”
“Oh… My.”
“Yeah… I—I guess he approves. He said everything necessary was already taken care of, and that the most important step I could take to further the wish was to go back to bed and snuggle Mara.” She did a slow blink. “He actually ordered me to go snuggle Mara?”
Curiously, Belldandy gave her a pleased smile. “Then that’s what you should do.”
Urd gave her an evil eye. “You’ve been up to something, haven’t you?”
Bell’s smile stayed as she shook her head and shoo’d Urd towards her room. “No, I just had a thought, and Father confirmed it.”
Urd stopped at her door. “Do tell.”
Bell pushed her back into the bedroom gently. “It just occurred to me that Shan Pu’s wish apparently encompasses you as well.” She slid the door shut with a giggle.
Urd stood for a moment absorbing that, then slid out of her kimono and into Mara’s arms with a last thought.
Could it be that I just have never known what love really is?
* * * * *
Kami-Sama closed his cell phone with a sigh. “I wish this wasn’t necessary.”
<<I KNOW, BUT IT MUST BE, OR ALL WILL FALL TO DUST.>>
“There are times, Legend, that I wish you had never met Lin Tzu.”
<<IT HAD TO BE, ALL-FATHER. STASIS IS UNNATURAL. IT SHOULD NOT BE MAINTAINED FOR INFINITY. HAD LIN TZU NOT SHOWN ME HOW TO LOVE, ALL OF REALITY WOULD HAVE BEEN DOOMED TO ENDLESSLY REPEAT THE CYCLE OF BIRTH AND DESTRUCTION.>>
“And we would have never realized it.”
<<YOU WOULD HAVE COME TO REALIZE IT TOO LATE, AS I HAVE SEEN TIME AND TIME AGAIN. CHAOS TO ORDER TO CHAOS. LIN TZU AND YOUR DAUGHTER BOUGHT US A CHANCE TO ALLOW NEW GROWTH. WE CAN END THE OROBOROS AND RESTORE THE NATURAL FLOW OF TIME.>>
The All-Father shook his head. “But at what cost, old friend. At what cost?”
* * * * *
Ke Lun entered the Tendo’s dining room with a pleased grin. “Well, that should definitely drum up some business.”
“I’m gonna have to wear bunny ears!?!” Ranma burst out, fuming.
Ke Lun fixed her with a look. “Yes.”
“Man, do you have any idea how silly I’ll look!”
Akane elbowed him in the ribs. “What’s wrong with rabbit ears?” she asked dangerously.
Ranma was learning. Other than a muttered, unintelligible string of curses, she said nothing more about the costume.
Ke Lun meanwhile had turned to Soun. “We’ve repaired the damage to the guest room, but I’d like permission to set up some wards around your estate, Tendo.”
Soun’s shaky hands took the stub of the cigarette from his mouth. “ Will—Will that stop another dragon from dropping in?”
“Yes.”
“Then what are you waiting for?” The edge of hysteria was sharp.
“Good.” She turned to Zhu Shu, who had been trying to remain inconspicuous. “As for you, Empress. I’m going to have to insist on getting your promise to go nowhere alone.”
Zhu Shu nodded glumly. “So how many warriors am I stuck with?”
Ke Lun raised an eyebrow. “I’m sorry Zhu Shu, but it’s for your own good. And after much consideration, Lo Shen and I have decided you shall only have one.”
“And I’ll try to be inconspicuous,” Lo Shen said as she entered the dining room. This prompted a double-take from everyone since the elder seemed to have lost even more years, and was looking all of seventeen herself. Barely taller than Zhu Shu, her long lavender hair flowed to her waist, and her bunny tail poked out the back of a Furinkan girls uniform. “I’ve already made the arraignments for my entry to Furinkan as an exchange student, and I’m scheduled for all the same classes, so there shouldn’t be any problems with anyone’s classes being skipped to keep an eye on Zhu-chan.” She fixed the trio at the end of the table. “Am I clear?”
They all nodded, Shan Pu looking rather put out.
“However,” Ke Lun cut in. “You three shall start work at the Rabbit Hutch this afternoon, so you can help keep an eye out on Uc’chans while you’re there.”
“Oops.”
Ke Lun looked at Nabiki. “Oops?”
Nabiki gave her a weak grin. “Uc’chans isn’t going to be there much longer. I cut a deal with Ukyo last night to move and setup at Club Nabiki. I needed a food vendor for the club, and well, you have to admit, Zhu Shu is a big draw for the local boys. Since I can’t serve alcohol, it’s an under 18 club, and I wanted to make sure I had plenty of customers.”
“Ah, yes. That bet thing that Tao-Ching has going.” Ke Lun considered. “Well, I can’t move so easily, but if you’re willing to allow these three to help, I suppose I can survive without their help at the Rabbit Hutch. The twins can wait tables.” She nodded. “However, I am still going to be taking each of you aside for further training. Much as you do know, there are too many gaps in your skills. Even yours Zhu Shu.”
“I will be giving lessons as well,” Lo Shen added. “To all of you, and Nabiki and Kasumi as well.”
Nabiki nearly choked on her fish. “Me? But I’m no fighter.” Kasumi just tilted her head to the side expectantly.
“No, but then I’m not going to be teaching you to fight.” Lo Shen said around a mouthful of her own fish. “I’m going to be teaching you to defend yourself against some of the dark arts, such as how to prevent your mind from being invaded. If this new enemy is truly Clove, you will have need of such protections.” She wiped her fingers on the napkin and looked at Nabiki pointedly. “We wouldn’t want our Empress to wake up dead because one of you stabbed her in her sleep, yes? You remember the Musk warrior at the village, no?”
Nabiki turned a little green. “Okay, okay.”
“What about Father and Mister Saotome?” Kasumi asked.
Lo Shen looked at them. “They’re not in any danger, nor is your handyman. Clove can only possess minds she has a commonality with, feminine minds. None of them could even remotely think like a woman.
Soun and Genma looked relieved.
“However, that brings me to another point.” Ke Lun said. “I have noticed that Ranma, Akane, and Shan Pu have accepted their various betrothals.” She looked down the table at them, where they looked at each other, then nodded. “Good. I also understand that you three have been rather… experimental?”
They all three blushed, and Soun buried his face in his hands and shook his head.
“Now, now Mister Tendo. It’s perfectly natural, and quite accepted among Amazons for girls to play with each other. However, that does not include playing with boys…” She fixed Shan Pu with a glare.
“But Great Grandmother, Ranma is girl type.” Shan Pu said hopefully.
Ke Lun nodded. “Yes. But he has a choice to make. I have with me a quantity of water from the Chisuitton. I will release you from the Cat tongue, Son-in-law, since I do feel that you have come to regret your rash words. However, your mother and I have been talking, and we have come to a decision. You may remain here at the Tendo’s with your fiancée’s, but to do so, you must remain locked in your female side, or else you must come home, and forgo further playing until you are properly married. Neither your mother, nor myself, wish grandchildren at this time, and as you are still unmarried, it would be improper for you to remain here in your bride’s house as a male.”
Ranma blinked. “You’re joking!”
“No, Son-in-law, I am not.” Ke Lun steepled her fingers. “Consider that we have allowed you to continue unrestricted so far only because you have been female, and there was no possibility of a child. Living together, with you able to be male, the temptation to experiment will inevitably overcome your good intentions.”
“I can control myself!”
“Maybe. I am less confident of your will to resist should both your betrotheds be overcome by their instincts while in their cursed forms.”
Akane and Shan Pu looked at each other sheepishly. “She’s got a point.” Akane said.
Shan Pu nodded. “Grandmother is very wise. Shan Pu not consider that.”
Ranma rolled her eyes. “Alright, alright. I’ll do it because neither one of them would forgive me if I didn’t, but I want your word that as soon as it’s legal, this marriage is getting done.”
“Your mother is making arrangements already. You shall be wed on your eighteenth birthday.”
“That’s more than a year from now!”
“Yes. One year and three months.”
Ranma buried her face in her hands. “Gods!” She sighed deeply. “Alright, give it here. What’s a year stuck as a girl if it makes Akane and Shan Pu happy.”
She found herself kissed on both cheeks by her fiancées as Ke Lun handed the bottle to Kasumi to deliver to Ranma.
Unfortunately, she tripped over Genma’s futon, and the glass bottle flew from her hands to shatter on the table, spraying all three of the girls with the curse locking water.
“I should have seen that coming.” Akane muttered as she started to wring out her ears. “This damn curse is a water magnet, and there were three of us sitting together.”
Shan Pu sighed. “Well, at least Ai Rens not alone in being locked.” She accepted the towel that Kasumi had run to get in her horror at dropping the bottle. “Big Sister should no blame self. Shan Pu at least not mind.”
Ranma just shook her head.
* * * * *
Not too far away, another person watched the events around the Tendo table and muttered in rage.
“Those meddlesome bitches!” Clove said aggravatedly, releasing Ukyo’s temples. The still sleeping girl had been stripped and was currently floating above her bed, where Clove had been using her link to Zhu Shu to look out the other girl’s eyes. Clove looked down at her and muttered a curt phrase, allowing her to descend to her bed.
“You’re going to be useless. I’m sure Lo Shen will ward you as well, since they already know about your link to that false dragon bitch.” She leaned back in the chair. “Dammit! Those two know almost everything about me. I’ve got to find some way of getting to her without them knowing it’s me!”
She leaned forward again and put her fingers on Ukyo’s temples, invading her mind again, and cleaning up the tell-tells of her presence. She took one last look through the link to see that Zhu Shu seemed unaware of her and was about to pull out when a small irregularity caught her attention.
Ukyo was trying to suppress the soul link, so Clove had had to break a few of her defenses before she had been able to access it. That by itself wasn’t going to be obvious to anyone checking Ukyo, the mental barriers had been subconscious and the worst the girl would suffer would be some intensely erotic dreams as her suppressed desires for Zhu Shu worked through the link, but it took Clove a moment to realize that the almost ghost-like secondary link wasn’t due to her spells.
She examined it more closely, trying to get a firm grip on it, and once she had it, she could feel another soul resonating at the far end, one who was totally unaware of the link. She sent a small spell through the link to mark the unsuspecting girl, then finished erasing the tracks of her presence in Ukyo’s mind. As she leaned back, Ukyo’s rigid body settled into normal sleep, the glowing traces of Clove’s spell fading from her body.
Clove left her there and slid out of the shop’s back door. She took a moment to image the mark of her spell, then teleported to a strange sight.
She stood at the edge of a small clearing in the woods, the air crisp and cool, showing she had arrived somewhere in the mountains. Before her was the smoldering ruin of a building, one burned so completely that little more than ashes remained. That didn’t seem to matter to the tattered figure before the ashes though, since she seemed intent on making sure even those small remnants burned completely. She was doing a little dance around one small pile, pouring kerosene on the gathered scraps of wood, then tossing a match down while chanting “I’m Free!!!”
Clove shook her head. “Great, she’s an idiot. Oh well.”
The words of her freeze spell rang out across the clearing and the red garbed Kunoichi stopped mid-step. Clove stepped from under the overhanging trees and pulled the hood off of a very pretty girl of about sixteen, whose black hair was pulled back by two ribbons into a pony tail. A small cherry blossom accented the red ribbons, adding it’s fragrance to her perfume. Wide, delicately lashed eyes stared unseeingly above a pert nose and red, red lips. Clove licked her lips.
“A true beauty. Perhaps once I’m done with you, I shall keep you for a pet.” She reached out to touch the girls’ forehead, her spells brushing through nearly non-existent defenses. A wicked smile crossed her lips. “My, my, so subservient too. Ahh, what’s this?”
She paused, examining the traces of links in the Kunoichi’s head, noting that once again, there were multiple links. She quickly established which lead back to a still sleeping Ukyo, then reached for the second, laughing in malicious glee when she realized to whom it reached.
But that wasn’t the only surprise she found in the Kunoichi’s mind.
“Oh my, what a delicious irony, my dear.” She whispered into the Kunoichi’s ear. “It seems our poor, soon to be dead false dragon is tied to you. She will never be able to resist loving you, and through you, I shall destroy her. I cannot wait till your little secret is revealed. She will go mad.”
Mad laughter rang across the clearing as in Nerima, Zhu Shu looked over her shoulder, a chill running down her spine.
* * * * *
Peorth sat pretending to look over the morning logs and muttering to herself. Her two subordinates were looking busy at their posts, not giving her a chance to work out her ire on them.
How could Kami-Sama be turning a blind eye to what that slut half demoness was doing! Even if she was his daughter? How could he not see her for what she was? And that demoness masquerading as a goddess!!!! How Urd had tricked Yggdrasil into thinking Mara was a goddess was driving her crazy. She’d spent all weekend trying to find proof that Urd had hacked the master computer, but had come up blank. She’d finally ended up just staring at what she knew had to have been Urd’s backdoor.
Isolated out of the rest of the datastream, Phoenixmoon was floating serenely on one of her monitors. The firebird clutching a crescent moon icon of the sentient program wasn’t doing anything more than rotating , but she still had a feeling it was watching her back.
Could the All Father really be so blinded by love for his daughter that he couldn’t see the demonic taint that suffused everything Urd did? Couldn’t he see her fumbling and bumbling through a wish that should have never been granted?
It was so infuriating to always come in second to an incompetent third rater who only succeeding by being daddy’s little girl! She’d nearly let her grades in school slip trying to match Urd’s party girl ways, and only achieved notoriety. She’d taken to wearing skimpy clothes like Urd, only to have been called slutty to Urd’s sexy. She’d seduced god after god, and been called an easy lay to Urd’s “love goddess.” And she wished to Kami she could forget the horror of waking up hung-over next to the bitch!!!
There had to be something she could do to make Urd’s life as miserable as she had made Peorth’s. Some way she could screw the half demoness’s current project beyond recovery. But nothing Kami-Sama could say was truly malicious. He’d been tolerant of the mischief between the various agents of Heavens far reaching bureaucracy, but he’d put his foot down at actual sabotage.
She was growling at her screen again when the messenger came in. Peorth raised an eyebrow at the girl, noting her long flowing mass of pink hair and intense blue eyes under the visor of her uniform cap.
“Can I help you, Chere?”
The young girl seemed nervous, and Peorth felt her heart go out to her. Probably a new soul who’s not used to being around gods yet.
“Um, I have a package for a Miss Peorth?” the girl said diffidently. “From the Rival Goddess Office?”
Peorth smiled softly. “No need to be scared, mon chere. I don’t bite. I’m Peorth.”
“Um, yes ma’am.” The girl gave a small curtsy. “If I could have you sign here, please?” The request was nearly a plea in her nervousness.
Peorth smiled again as she signed with a flourish. “Relax Chere. I know heaven must be a daunting place when you’re new, but trust me, you’ll love it here.”
“Thank you ma’am. I… um… it’s just so different.”
“Yes, but always remember, you’re among friends here. You won’t find one person in the Relief Offices who doesn’t care passionately about helping humanity. Even humans who have left the mortal plane.”
The girl gave a shy smile that seemed to light up the entire room as she gave another curtsy and left, leaving behind the faint scent of cherry blossoms. Peorth smiled after her. It was smiles like that that made putting up with Urd bearable, why she had joined the Relief Offices to begin with. Rivalries aside, there was just an indescribable feeling knowing you’d helped someone who truly deserved divine intervention.
She opened the package and smiled even more broadly. It was an assignment, one that she could handle in an afternoon, but one that needed an experienced touch. Grant the wish of one dying old man.
She settled back and read over the briefing but something on the second page caught her eye and she turned to an idle screen and called up her researches into Urd’s wish.
Oh, my.
It was perfect. She could screw Urd’s assignment all to hell and all she would be doing would be her job. A little judicious coaching …
Behind her, unnoticed, the fiery symbol of Pheonixmoon seemed to smile.
* * * * *
Ukyo awoke, feeling like she had drunk way too much sake. Gods but her head was pounding. Between that, and the lingering memories of mad laughter in her dreams, she found herself wishing she had something stronger than aspirin to take for the pain. She set up and groaned. What had happened?
She remembered waking up during the storm to a feeling that Zhu Shu was in danger. She had rushed out to see if she was okay, and…
Well, that was it. And what?
She was in bed, naked, her clothes neatly folded on the table beside her, and a massive pain in her head. She reached up to rub the throb in her temple, and started as her hand met a bandage. She stumbled to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror.
Okay, looked like she’d been hit with something. The bandage was a little bloody, and her eye was turning a nice shade of black, but other than that, she seemed to be fine.
So why did she feel so… unclean?
She examined herself as she took a shower and found no marks anywhere else on her body, but the shower helped her feel much better, and seemed to wash away the unseen layer of grime she thought she felt. Afterwards, she examined her eye again and found that it was much less obvious than she had thought, and that the cut wasn’t all that bad.
The alarm clock going off startled her, and she realized she had neglected to reset it after the weekend. In a near frenzy, she dressed and grabbed her schoolbooks as she raced towards school.
Halfway there, she stopped, and almost reluctantly, cut through a side street to the path along the river, completely unsurprised to find Zhu Shu waiting for her.
“Nihao, Uc-chan.”
“Yeah, hi Zhu Shu. Um… “ She kicked her heel before asking. “Are you okay?”
Zhu Shu smiled. “Yes. She hopes Uc-chan okay as well. Great Grandmother says found unconscious after be hit by brick.”
Ukyo blinked. “Oh… that explains that I guess. What happened?”
Zhu Shu looked over Ukyo’s shoulder with a questioning eyebrow, and Ukyo turned to see a lavender haired bunny girl trailing them by a few feet.
“Zhu Shu was attacked last night by someone who has some magical abilities, and could turn into a dragon.” The other girl said casually. “You were lucky she missed you in the rubble. Ke Lun and I took you home last night, though I doubt you remember it.”
Ukyo blinked. “Who are you?”
“You can call me Lo Shen. Technically, I’m Zhu Shu’s bodyguard, but you don’t need to worry. Most of the time you won’t notice me.”
“Bodyguard?”
Zhu Shu nodded glumly.
Ukyo shook her head. “What, are you like rich and never told me?”
Zhu Shu sighed. “Is much worse.”
“What, you’re a long lost imperial princess or something?” Ukyo chuckled. “Yeah, I could just see that. Imperial Princess works at Okonomiyaki joint.”
Lo Shen chuckled. “Close, my dear. Your Heartsmate is the true Empress of China.” She tilted her head making her ears fall to the side. “Well, at least she would be if the true empire hadn’t fallen a thousand years ago.”
Ukyo stopped. “You’re kidding!”
Zhu Shu shook her head. “Zhu Shu not want be empress!”
“Like that matters, dear.” Lo Shen said airily. “The sooner you realize that, the easier our jobs will be, Zhu-chan.”
Ukyo shook her head. “Okay… well Ranma did warn me there was more to you than you showed. An empress of a dead empire. I suppose I can handle that considering what else I deal with on a regular basis.” She shrugged. “So I guess a full dragon isn’t that farfetched, what with you being a dragongirl.” She did a doubletake. “Hey, wait, your clan is the Dragon. Why would a dragon attack you?”
“If the magic user is who we think it is, she contests Zhu Shu’s place as heir of the Dragon.” Lo Shen supplied. “I know her of old, and I’m at least her equal in magic, so I’m the best choice of a defender for the two of you.”
Ukyo looked at her in askance. “What do you mean, the two of you?”
“As Zhu-chan’s Heartsmate, you are just as much of a target. Zhu Shu’s enemy could attack you to get to her.”
“I LIKE GUYS, GODDAMMIT!”
“You are aware of Zhu Shu’s affection for you, yes?” Lo Shen said calmly.
“Of course I am. Everybody’s been going out of their way to point it out to me, completely ignoring the fact that I’m heterosexual.”
“Then surely you can see how regardless of your feelings towards her, hurting you would devastate her, no?”
Ukyo started to yell again, then reconsidered. “Alright, I suppose I can see that.”
“Good, because I wish to teach you how to defend yourself against this mage, so that you will not have to fear her invading your mind.”
Ukyo gave her a long disbelieving look before shaking her head. “You know, before I came to Nerima, the world made sense.”
“That was merely because you knew so little of it.” Lo Shen said.
“Just how old are you? Somehow I just can’t see you really being seventeen.”
“Four hundred and eight.”
“Right… what’s one more impossible thing to believe before breakfast.”
* * * * *
Back at the Tendo’s Kasumi was finishing dishes when she heard a crash from the Dojo. She stuck her head out of the kitchen and called to her father in the dining room. “Father, I think I just heard a noise in the dojo. Is Sandal working on anything in there?”
Soun shook his head. “No, he’s been renovating the servant’s hut, and went out to get some supplies. And Genma’s here playing go.” He looked across to the bespectacled panda. “Better get some hot water.”
A quick change later and the pair were at the dojo doors, Soun wearing a mismatched set of samurai armor, and Genma with a large mallet he had retrieved from Akane’s room. They nodded and threw open the door, hiding to either side in case something attacked.
After five minutes of nothing happening, Soun got up the courage to peek around the door frame. He gave a shocked cry and ran into the dojo. Genma blinked, then followed him. He found Soun looking down at the wreckage of the family altar.
“An ill omen.” Soun said quietly.
Genma laughed. “Maybe a demon’s awakening, eh?” He nudged Soun in the ribs.
Soun gave him a sidelong glance. “Demon?” Then he chuckled. “Oh, right. ‘Demon’.” Then he did a double take. “Demon, Saotome? You haven’t done something stupid have you?”
“Relax, Tendo. It’s just a joke. Sandal sealed him up for us remember? That’s why Akane has a Chinese girlfriend?”
“You’re one to talk, Genma. I expected my daughter to have a proper husband. YOU changed that, remember?” Soun took a deep breath, then tried to take out a cigarette, only to find the pack empty.
“Don’t worry about it. Sandal will clean it up and repair it when he gets back. What say we go to the store, then check out that new Pachinko parlor?”
Soun looked down at the altar again and shrugged. “Yeah, okay. Guess I’m just edgy after having a dragon attack the house last night.”
“Let the old ghoul deal with that. What we need is some serious relaxation.”
Soun nodded. “Right. Let’s go.”
“Umm. Might want to lose the armor first.”
* * * * *
By lunch, Zhu Shu had to admit Lo Shen really was good at being inconspicuous, at least in class. She’d taken a back seat after the teacher had introduced her and just faded into the background for the rest of the morning.
Lunchtime was another story.
“Did you have to set their hair on fire?” Zhu Shu asked the Loremistress in Mandarin as they set down under her favorite tree.
“They’ll be fine. The spell only burns hair. They’ll grow it back.”
“They really are harmless.”
Hearing an apparent seventeen year old cackle was a little unnerving. “I know, why do you think I waited until after they had caught me? Get to be my age, Zhu-chan, you’ll learn most of the fun is in being chased.”
Zhu Shu sighed. “I just hope it doesn’t-“
“What’s this, Zhu Shu. Did you have to send to China for backup?”
“-make you a target for Ai.” Zhu Shu finished as the blonde cheerleader somersaulted down from the tree.
“Nice underwear.” Lo Shen commented, switching back to Japanese as she looked up from the small brazier where she and Zhu Shu were cooking.
Ai fixed her with a leer. “I’m not wearing any.”
“I know. So are you looking for a date, or do you just want to duck over to the storage room for a quickie?”
Ai blinked. “What?”
Lo Shen gave her a knowing look. “Well, which is it? Hot chick like you, I bet I could have some serious fun teaching you all about how to please a woman.” She licked her lips. “So how about we just skip the date and go straight to the sex? I’ll even bring the cuffs and collar.”
Ai’s mouth opened and closed a few times as she started blushing, completely non-plussed.
Lo Shen was digging in her purse. “Ah,” she said, pulling out a set of cuffs. “I even have my fur-lined ones. So tell me dear, do you like being dangled, or four pointed?”
The cheerleaders blush had spread all the way down to her ankles. With a round eyed look at the cuffs, she gave a little gasp then turned and fled.
Lo Shen looked after her with a smile. “Ah… If I was only three hundred years younger.” She looked back to a blinking Zhu Shu. “What?”
“Umm… Zhu Shu not sure that wise.”
Lo Shen laughed. “Maybe not, but it was fun. Don’t worry about Miss Konjou. If nothing else, she’s more likely to take out her ire on me than you, and I have her number. If she really gets too annoying, I’ll play it. Her associates would be only too interested in hearing exactly why she left her old school to come here.”
Zhu Shu frowned. “Blackmail is not honorable.”
Lo Shen chuckled. “Honor is more flexible than you’d like to believe, Zhu Shu. Your safety is much higher on the scale than Ai’s secrets, and I will use whatever tools are needed to insure your well being. I’m not going to stop you if you get into another fight with her, if that’s what you’re worried about. My only concern is making sure she doesn’t interfere in my job. Ah, here comes your Heartsmate.”
“I really wish you’d stop calling me that.” Ukyo said as she sat down under the tree and pulled out her own small grill. “I’m not a lesbian.”
“Heartsmates are not always lovers, Miss Kuonji. You cannot deny that there is a bond between you, but that does not have to mean you are more than the best of friends.” She gave Zhu Shu’s melancholy look a shake of her head. “While I am sure our Empress hopes for more, that is no guarantee that that will occur. You do have free will after all.”
Ukyo grimaced. “You could be a little kinder to her feelings. She’s constantly depressed enough over it as it is.”
“Really. Humm… and how would you know?”
“Umm…”
“Exactly.”
That killed the conversation for a few moments until Ukyo sighed. “I’m sorry Zhu Shu. I-“
“Ukyo no have apologize. Is Zhu Shu who at fault. Not know how to not send feelings along link.”
“I know. They’re just really clear today. Ever since I felt you in danger last night, I just can’t seem to tune your feelings out.”
“Interesting.” Lo Shen nodded. “May I have your permission to check within your mind for any tampering?”
“What?” Ukyo asked in horror. “You mean like someone hypnotized me or something?”
“Or something. Clove was a master of compulsion and possession as well as being able to shapeshift into a dragon. Her favorite tactic was to possess someone close to her enemy, then have them do her dirty work. It took quite some time for us to learn how she was doing it, and how to stop her. I just want to make sure you didn’t get entangled in her clutches.”
Ukyo shuddered. “That sounds like one really unpleasant person there.”
Lo Shen shrugged. “Actually, she wasn’t always so bad. I’ve always thought that her rejection by the only man she ever loved played a large part in her going a bit mad.”
Zhu Shu looked up. “You mean Grandfather, yes?”
Lo Shen nodded. “Yes. Like you, dear, Clove was far more interested in women. Shi was the only man she wanted, and she couldn’t handle rejection.”
“Ouch.” Ukyo winced. “So you think she’s after Zhu Shu because of getting dissed by her granddad?”
“In part. She was the daughter of a Musk Prince, who was himself the son of a Musk Prince and a Dragon Princess. And like Zhu Shu, she was born with jade colored eyes.”
Zhu Shu drew in her breath as Ukyo asked, “What does that have to do with anything?”
“The last Empress of China, Song Lin Tzu, also had jade eyes, and it is through her that the Blood of the Dragon was passed into Clan Dragon. Over the millennia since her death, daughters who have been born with jade eyes share certain traits. One, like Zhu Shu and Clove, is that they prefer feminine companions and lovers. Two, they all share a bond through the Dragon’s Blood they carry with the Dragon. And three, they are all of them, every last one, extremely powerful. Zhu Shu’s mastery of her swords is just the tip of what she is potentially capable of, as is Clove’s mastery of magic. I was never her match when first we fought, and while I have exceeded her in the centuries since her death, I have no idea how powerful she might have become since her resurrection.”
Ukyo leaned back against the tree. “So basically, you’re telling me that I’ve got to be on the look out for an extremely powerful, mind controlling mage who wants to hurt me just because of the crush Zhu Shu has on me?” She shook her head. “And you want to use the exact same magical tricks on me just to make sure she hasn’t already bewitched me?”
“Yes.”
“And if I said I didn’t want you rummaging through my mind?”
“Then you leave yourself open to possession.”
Ukyo buried her face in her hands. “You know, I just came over here to offer a cooking lesson to Zhu Shu.”
Zhu Shu smiled. “You show make Okonomiyaki!?!”
“I was.” She shook her head. “Gods I wish that blonde ditz student of yours had never told me where to find Ranma. My life has been nothing but problems ever since.” Ukyo took a deep breath. “Alright, I guess… Do your mumbo jumbo.”
“I hardly do ‘mumbo jumbo’, dear.” Lo Shen said as she reached out to touch Ukyo’s temple.
There was a feeling like a cold shiver, then Ukyo found herself standing in a featureless white void.
“What, the hell?”
“Just an antechamber.” Lo Shen said from beside her. “A kind of mental room just outside your mind. I figured you’d want to accompany me, and make sure I wasn’t up to any tricks.”
Ukyo nodded. “Okay. So why does this place look like the entrance to the Matrix?”
“It’s your mental imagery, not mine, dear.”
“Do you have to call me ‘dear’?”
Lo Shen laughed as she reached out and opened a door in mid air. “Old habit.” She closed her eyes for a second, and suddenly she was an ancient woman with long, almost white hair. The faintest tint of lavender could still be seen as it hung almost to the ground. Ukyo noted that it would have if she hadn’t been balancing on a stick like…
“I get it. You’re an Amazon elder like Ke Lun.”
“Took you this long? I must be slipping.” She motioned at the doorway. “Shall we?”
Ukyo looked at the blank doorway, then shrugged. “Sure, why not, can’t get any crazier than this, right.” She stepped through the blankness and stopped.
She stood on nothing before a vast gulf of emptiness, staring at herself in a mirror… and yet not herself. She was…
“Beautiful…” she whispered.
“Yes. That is your soul, Ukyo, your essence. Everything that you are, or will ever be, your uttermost being is there. What you are seeing is your purest form.”
Ukyo blinked at the enchanting vision before her, and tried hard not blink. It really was her, as she was, but on the vision before her, that slightly too thin nose, those not quite high enough cheekbones, and that not quite pouty enough mouth… they all combined into the ultimate vision of loveliness. No one could look at that Ukyo and not be entranced. She was quite simply the most beautiful woman Ukyo had ever seen.
And there was no doubt anywhere that she was indeed a woman. Ukyo could not have described a single item of clothing that she wore, but it left no doubt about her femininity. It could have been an evening gown, or a miniskirt, or her everyday outfit, but whatever it was, it subtly emphasized her shapely bustline, and showed off the curves of her hips. It left her feeling breathless, almost faint, like a hot wind poured forth from the figure before her.
“You see now what Zhu Shu sees every time she looks at you.” Lo Shen said from beside her. “But this is merely the surface. We need to focus on a specific aspect of your subconscious.”
Ukyo forced herself to stop looking at the mirror. That was just a little too intense a piece of knowledge. This is how I look to her? “So, how do we do that?”
Lo Shen nodded. “Good. Want to do it yourself. I like that.” She cracked her knuckles. “Okay, we’re currently looking at your soul from the outside, before we go in, I want to take a moment and teach you how to make a shield against anyone trying to do what we’re doing.”
Ukyo chuckled. “Okay, since that is something I very much want to make happen, what do I do?”
“Close your eyes and think about forming a wall, a solid shell of force that completely surrounds you.”
Ukyo complied and in a few moments nodded.
“Next, you must envision the ki within you, feel the energy of it flowing through you.”
After another few moments Ukyo nodded, her motions slow and precise, showing she’d entered a meditive state.
Lo Shen smiled. “Good, you’ve had some training. Zhu Shu said you were a good martial artist. Now the last thing you must do is allow your ki to flow into the wall you conceived.”
Ukyo frowned. “Won’t that sever the flows of ki?”
“You’re far too much of a novice to do that, dear. Cutting someone’s lifeforce off takes deliberate will, and far more knowledge and skill than I have time to teach you. Your subconscious will not allow you to kill yourself that way.”
With a shudder, Ukyo tried to follow Lo Shen’s instruction, then stopped with a gasp.
“Try to relax, dear. The flows feel so intense because your consciousness is on the same plane as your soul. Just allow them to flow into the barriers you want created.”
Ukyo shuddered again, then took a deep breath. She drew the energy in through her feet and allowed it to flow out of her head and cascade down around her in a glowing wall of violet neon. “Okay.”
“Very good. Now for the last part, you must release the wall to your subconscious, you have to know that it is there, in the back of your head, even when you aren’t thinking about it.”
Ukyo opened her eyes to give Lo Shen a puzzled look, then she drew in a sharp breath.
The neon wall she had visualized hovered around her, lighting the darkness with a brilliant ultraviolet glow. Small eddies swirled and played across its surface like smoke illuminated by a laser. She blinked several times, but the wall remained.
“Not usually what I’d recommend,” Lo Shen said with a smile. “But direct visual proof works just as fine as belief. The secret to all magic is to know yourself, Ukyo. The same self confidence you have as a martial artist, the same will to improve your skills, drives the Universe around you just as easily as it drives your flesh. At our deepest core, we are all simply parts of the Grand Unity. Every one of us is a piece of god. All we have to do is realize it.”
Ukyo raised her eyebrow. “And that means what?”
Lo Shen laughed. “It means that there is no spoon.”
“Cute.”
“It also basically means that that shield is only as strong as you think it is.”
“Okay, now that is useful information.” Ukyo grimaced. “Think Adamantium!” she told herself.
Lo Shen nodded. “Now, we go check to see if Clove has been up to anything.”
The world around them did a sickening whirl and dive as they seemed to fly right through the mirror into a world of webs. Lightning crawled along the strands that criss-crossed in every direction. Ukyo nearly cried out as they executed a tight loop around several strands.
“Man, if they could make a roller coaster like this, I’d never leave the park!” she said excitedly as they performed another stomach churning roll.
Lo Shen chuckled. “It’s different for every mind, child. Welcome to your consciousness, the actual energy patterns that course through your brain with every thought. We’re headed for that central cluster up ahead, your subconscious.”
Ukyo blinked. “That’s huge!”
Lo Shen nodded. “Far more of our mind is subconscious than conscious, dear. It’s the center of our existence. It runs our bodies, monitors our dreams, and connects us to the larger universe. It is the question wrapped in mystery shrouded in enigma that lies at the heart of who we are.”
“You’re philosophizing again, old woman.”
“Only because there is no other way to describe it.” She pointed to a spot near the bottom of the mass. “There. See that shaft of gold that shoots straight off into infinity?”
Ukyo blinked as a strange shift in perspective took place and suddenly she was standing next to the no longer gigantic mass holding the thread and looking at herself sitting comfortably under the tree in front of Lo Shen. But it was like she was seeing double, seeing herself and the image she had seen in the mirror imposed on top of each other and on top of that she saw…
She blinked at the vision of herself inside herself looking at herself through Zhu Shu’s eyes. She rubbed her eyes. “That was weird”
She looked up again, and realized that the world had changed once more. She stood in the heart of a cherry grove at twilight, before a stone archway into nothingness.
“Hello, Ukyo.” A voice said from behind her, and she turned to see a pretty girl with long pink hair and intensely blue eyes. Without a doubt, she realized she knew exactly who the girl was.
“You’re Zhu Shu’s dead girlfriend.”
Ying-Ying nodded. “Technically, yes. But I’m not really dead. More like suspended between life and death.” She nodded at the archway. “I guard the door.”
Ukyo blinked. “How did I get here?”
“You followed the strands that connect us all, my love.”
Ukyo gave her a sharp look. “Not you too.”
Ying-Ying shrugged. “I too am bound within the web. I cannot love Zhu Shu without loving you all. It’s who we are. However, we haven’t much time.”
“Time for what?”
“To give you a warning. Things are about to occur that must occur, and you alone hold the key to life or death for your world - for all worlds.”
Ukyo blinked. “What?”
“You have a choice to make Ukyo. I can tell you no more. Only that your choice will save or damn us all.”
“You can’t just drop something like that on me and not give me more information!”
“I wish I could, my love. But I know nothing else. Not even the All Father knows what will happen. Only that it will come, and that you alone can save us all. We each of us have our destinies, our reasons for being bound together. That is all I know.”
“But how can I save the world?”
“I do not know, Ukyo. Only that it is something you alone can do.”
“But… but what about that other person that Zhu Shu is connected too? Why do I-“
“Because their part has not yet begun. Only if you choose correctly will they enter the field. Only if we survive the coming test will the final act commence.” Ying-Ying looked sheepish. “I’m sorry for this, love, but Lo Shen is about to pull you back.”
“Sorry for what.”
Ying-Ying stepped close before Ukyo realized what she was up to. “For sealing your memory of this until the proper time.” She whispered as she stood on tip toes to kiss Ukyo.
It was like a fiery river of ice coursing through her body as their lips touched, a liquid fire so intense it went beyond heat, beyond thought, beyond consciousness, and for just one eternal moment, she stood naked before the vast eyes of the Dragon and knew she was loved…
<<But not for the kiss, my beloved-…>>
* * * * *
“-Ukyo!”
Lo Shen’s voice was concerned. Ukyo blinked. “Yeah?”
“Are you alright, child? You blanked out on me for a second.”
Ukyo blinked. “Sorry, I was looking at myself setting under the tree. I guess I was looking out of Zhu Shu’s eyes.”
“Ah. I should have anticipated that. It’s quite an experience seeing ourselves as another sees us. I can remember when I did that with my first husband…” Lo Shen blushed. “Well, maybe you’re just a little young for the rest of that story.”
“I’m not a complete innocent, you know.”
Lo Shen cackled. “Dear, compared to me, everyone’s innocent.” She hopped over to point out another thread. “Anyway, this is what we came to see. This is the resonance from the healing spell I cast earlier. It’s the most recent external trace before our coming. It’s not conclusive proof, but Clove has a habit of leaving nasty little traps, and I’ve found no evidence of any. There is some disarray, but that most likely is from the mild concussion you had when we found you.”
Ukyo blinked. “Um… okay. Looks like any other thread here save this gold one.”
“Yes, but don’t look at it, feel it.”
Ukyo looked down at the gold strand in her hand, oddly reluctant to let it go. When she did, she noted it separated into three separate strands before re-twining around itself. Following Lo Shen’s example, she touched the silver strand.
“Oh.” She said, surprised. “I see what you mean. It just feels different.”
“Yes. Because it’s not part of you. Like I told you earlier, know thyself.” Lo Shen waved her stick around at the tangled mass around her. “Once you know yourself, intrusions are as obvious as someone holding up a sign and shouting ‘I’m Here!’”
Ukyo nodded. “I think I get you.” She snorted. “You know, I’ve always thought that magic was this enormously difficult thing to learn.”
Lo Shen rolled her eyes. “People from Buddha to Christ to Deepak Chopra have been trying to tell people how easy it really is. The trouble is no-one listens.”
Ukyo found herself once more under the tree next to Zhu Shu as she broke out laughing. “I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve told that to people who don’t want to push their martial arts to the next level.”
“It’s very much the same thing, child. Discipline and will. Besides, you both already do magic.”
“Huh?”
“Really, what did you think you were doing when you hide something in that ‘other place’ behind your back?”
Zhu Shu blinked, then broke out in giggles, and Ukyo couldn’t help but join in.
Continued next post

[Valkyrie Ice]

My apologies for the cut off. the forum clipped it after I submitted it. Here is the rest of the chapter
* * * * *
Nabiki nodded approvingly at the door of the Hibiki estate. She had decided on a whim to stop by on her way home after school, thinking it would be the first time she had gone to see her eventual home.
Home?
Strange as it was to think that of someplace other than the Dojo, Nabiki liked the sound of it. Welcome to the home of Nabiki Hibiki.
“At least it rhymes,” she muttered to herself with a grin as she rang the doorbell.
The door opened immediately to reveal a smartly dressed elder gentleman. “Ah. Greetings, Miss Tendo. Please do come in.”
Nabiki blinked. “Um… how do you know my name?”
“I made a point of learning the face and name of my grandson’s fiancée, Miss Tendo. It would be terribly rude of me to turn away the young lady who has captured his heart. My name is Muhashi Hibiki, but you can call me Grandfather.”
Nabiki blinked. “Um… Thank you.” She said, quite taken off guard. “I hope I’m not intruding?”
“Certainly not. In fact, you have wonderful timing. I was just about to send for my limo to come see you.”
Nabiki blinked again. “Oh… um…”
“It’s nothing bad, I assure you, Miss Tendo. Simply a small discussion, information on the Hibiki clan that you must be aware of if you are to wed my Grandson. Would you care to join me for tea in the garden?”
He was such a gentleman that Nabiki couldn’t help but like him, against all her normal inclinations. “Please, call me, Nabiki, Grandfather.”
He led the way through a hallway to an enclosed garden filled with sakura and a small gazebo. After pulling out her chair for her, he ordered tea for two on a small intercom panel, then sat and gave her another smile.
“I’m sure you must have noticed my grandson’s lack of a sense of direction.” He asked without preamble.”
Nabiki blinked, but nodded.
“I must ask that what I am about to tell you not pass from your keeping, Nabiki. It is a vast wound to Hibiki pride, a stain upon our honor we have never been able to erase. It is something you must consider carefully before you accept Tao-Ching’s hand in marriage.”
Nabiki gulped. “Okay. I thought you said it wasn’t bad.”
“Yes, in truth it is a matter of perspective. It is only bad if you become a Hibiki.” The old gentleman sighed deeply. “The only reason I could lead you to this gazebo is because I have spent my entire life inside this house. Had we been anywhere else, it would have been a feat beyond my capacity. You see, we Hibiki’s have the sad ability to become lost in a closet.”
Nabiki couldn’t help the small giggle.
The elder Hibiki gave her a small smile. “Before laughing, my dear, you must be aware that should you wed Tao-Ching, the curse will strike you as well.”
Nabiki blinked, her laughter gone. “It will?”
“Yes.” He looked up as a kimono clad young woman brought in a tea tray. “Ah, our tea is here. Miss Anami, this is Miss Tendo, Tao-Ching’s Fiancée. Miss Tendo, our housemaid, Miss Anami. If you ever need assistance finding your way around the house, please feel free to use any intercom and she will come to guide you.”
“Yes ma’am.” The housemaid bowed. “I know the house like the back of my hand, and can tell you where either of the masters are at any time.”
“Miss Anami and her family have served our house since before the curse. We would truly be utterly lost with out them.” He gave the housemaid a small bow. “Thank you, my dear.”
“You’re welcome, sir. If you need anything else, just call.”
Nabiki reflected that there was very little of superiority in the elder Hibiki’s attitude with the housemaid, and much of a doting grandparent. It was a far cry from how she’d seen Kuno treat Sasuke, and for some reason, it made her feel guilty for her dreams of a mansion full of servants catering to her every whim. It made her feel somehow inferior.
As she sipped her tea, he continued. “Long ago, before the Tokugowa Shogunate, the Hibiki Clan was founded when our ancestor, Jiyo Hibiki defeated one of the Wolf Demon clans and took their princess to be his bride. We were renowned as fierce fighters and we wondered all of Japan, free Samurai who sought out evil to vanquish wherever we roamed. We were one of many such clans who fought against the demons who threatened man on every side, but we understood that not all demons were truly evil. Our demon heritage made us strong, and our school demanded that we temper ourselves by standing against injustice. The teachings of the School of One Righteous Blow have been lost to us, but they were both our strength and our downfall.”
He took a sip of tea, and Nabiki could see just a small shake of his hands as he set the cup back down.
“We wondered the land, and our name was praised from one end of Japan to the other until the day we encountered the demon Naraku.”
Nabiki couldn’t have said why, but a shudder ran down her spine that made icy spikes in her belly. She could not remember ever having heard a name that left such a feeling of darkness and despair in her, a name that felt almost too vile to even utter.
“Our patriarch, Mihu, fought against him alone and lost, and he was a mighty fighter, the only warrior to stand against the demon assassin Sesshomaru and live, though it cost him his left eye. As a Clan, a thousand strong, we rode out to avenge our father and regain the Hibiki family sword Burekaishi.”
The old man was staring off into the distance, lost in the past.
“We tracked Naraku his lair and fought our way through his hordes, killing twenty demons for every man we lost, and finally, five hundred of us won through to the heart of the fortress.”
“And we wept, for before us, Naraku sat upon his throne, the mutilated body of our father naked and gutted upon the wall behind him, Burekaishi piercing his breast.”
“And Naraku laughed at our tears, and pronounced his curse. Wandering warriors we were, and wondering warriors we would ever be, never to know our way, or where our footsteps would lead us, and as we charged him, a great darkness swept over us, and the fortress was gone, and our clan was scattered to the four winds.”
Tears were running down his face now as he finished. “And from that day to this, all who bear the name Hibiki have born this curse, and shall until we have redeemed our honor and regained the family Sword.”
Nabiki put down her cup of tea, trying to still the thumping of her heart. To be eternally lost.
“Does Tao-Ching know about this?”
The old man shook his head. “He doesn’t believe. The curse clouds more than just our sense of direction.” He pointed to a small object lying on a bench just outside the gazebo. “Would you be so kind as to fetch me that compass?”
Nabiki did so, noting that it was a very expensive model, fully set up for orienteering. “Here you are, sir.”
She stopped and stared. The needle was spinning wildly.
“Tao-Ching was raised as an Amazon not because he was abandoned, child. Like so many of our clan, he was simply lost. He wondered out of the mansion and ended up in China. My son and his wife left to find him and have never returned. I myself was once foolish enough to leave this house alone and could not find my way back for six years. We do not travel in straight lines, or even in straight space. Some of us can cross continents in the space of a few steps. Were it not that those places to which we have formed strong attachments call to us, I fear that not a Hibiki would be left in Japan.”
“So that’s how he manages to eventually get to the dojo.”
“Yes. My Grandson is still half savage, but he does care for you a great deal.”
Nabiki nodded. “And if I marry him, I’ll have the curse too?”
“From the moment you make your vows.”
Nabiki nodded. “Then I guess there’s only one choice, Grandfather.”
The old man sighed and nodded. “I fully understand. Perhaps it would be best if I voice an objection, so that he will think it is simply my being an obstinate old man.”
“No, Grandfather. You misunderstand. I don’t back down from a challenge. It’s not something we Tendo’s know how to do. I mean to find Burekaishi.” Nabiki said firmly.
The old man was speechless.
* * * * *
Rei sat on a bench overlooking the back of Cherry Blossom Hill and looked out over Tokyo. She’d found herself doing that a lot recently.
She sighed, it was almost time to go to the Tendo’s for practice. Furinkan must have let out by now, and Zhu Shu was probably walking home with Ukyo…
She hadn’t lied to Zhu Shu... she really was glad that she had finally found one of the people the Dragon apparently meant for her to be with, but at the same time... she didn’t want to give the Chinese girl up, she wanted to hunt Ukyo down and...
And what? Tell a girl who so far had expressed nothing but discomfort at being chased by Zhu Shu to make the Chinese girl hate her, so that Rei could rescue her and comfort her, and keep her?
She sighed again. Gods! Why did she always have to be the loser in the relationship game? First Mamoru, the first guy she’d dated who’d treated her like a person instead of a nuisancy trophy, and now Zhu Shu, who had shown her a side of herself she had never known existed...
And that real love came from the heart.
A falling cherry blossom caught her eye, and she smiled, remembering Zhu Shu’s fondness for the flower because of her first love. She reached up to let it settle into her hand, noting a drop of water on it’s petals that rolled down to splash like a tear on her hand.
<<It is never an easy road, Soul of Fire.>>
Rei looked up as a breeze blew across the hillside, picking up loose petals in a soft flurry. Then the wind blew the petals playfully against her face and she closed her eyes as she felt the soft caress of the flowers. As the wind faded, she opened her eyes to find the world had changed.
She sat in a grove of cherry trees still, but the city was gone... in fact, she couldn’t tell if anything even existed beyond the trees. All around, the sky was a rosy color, like a setting sun, but as she looked above, it faded into a midnight blue night sky filled with stars.
“Where am I?” she asked herself softly.
“Someplace you have been before, and will one day be again, Soul of Fire.”
She turned to see an archway made of stone filled with nothing, no light, no glimmer, just... nothing. And in front of it was a young girl dressed in a white cheongsam adorned by cherry blossoms. Her long pink hair flowed down her back and over the stone bench to nearly reach the ground. Rei found herself caught by the bottomless blue of her eyes and the delicate smile on her lips, and some how knew without a doubt who she was.
“Ying-Ying?”
“Greetings, Soul of Fire.” the solid seeming ghost answered.
“Wha- wher- how?” Rei stammered.
Ying-Ying laughed softly. “You stand before Death’s Door, Soul of Fire, brought here by the Will of Legend, the Dragon Highfather. I asked him to let me speak with you.”
“But, aren’t you dead?”
Ying-Ying nodded. “For more than four years, I have bided here.”
Rei shook her head. “Get a grip on yourself Rei Hino. It’s just a vision.”
Ying-Ying giggled, her voice like crystal chimes in the still air. “Perhaps, or perhaps Legend actually brought you here, your spirit at least. Physical bodies don’t do well on the spirit plane. Here, only your soul may come.” Ying-Ying gestured at Rei’s body.
Rei looked down at herself, blinking in surprise as she found herself not wearing her priestess garb, but clothed in only her own hair, and a wreath of flame. She let out an “eek!” And tried to cover herself and shocked herself even more when a pair of flaming wings wrapped around in front of her.
“I-I...” she blinked. “I look like Zhu Shu sees me!”
Ying-Ying nodded. “Yes. My dearest love has never realized that. Zhu Shu can see partially into the spirit world due to her connection to me. From this she has gained the ability to see the soul of those she meets. This is your truest essence, Soul of Fire.”
“Wow.” Rei blinked as she flapped her wings slowly. “Can I fly?”
Ying-Ying nodded. “In the spirit world, yes. But that is not why I wished to see you.”
Rei colored. “I’m sorry... this... um.... “
“I know you must think you are dreaming, Rei, and perhaps you truly are. The spirit may go in dreams where the body is forbidden. Yet in the end, does it matter? I wanted to speak to you because I sense your conflict, and I thought perhaps it would help to speak to someone else who loves Zhu Shu.”
Rei blinked. “Oh, yeah... “
Ying-Ying patted the bench beside her. “I know you are jealous of her love, Rei, and that you feel torn because you want what is best for Zhu Shu, and yet you want her for yourself as well. Would it help if I told you I go through that same thing every day?”
Rei sat and gave Ying-Ying a look. “But, you’re dead!”
“My physical shell has passed away, but that was no more the essence of me than your body is yours. I sit here at the border of life and death, watching my love, always with her, yet never in body. One day, I know she will find her own path back to me, but until then, I wait, and aid her where I may.”
Rei blinked. “You’re her Guardian Spirit?”
Ying-Ying nodded.
Rei looked down. “Oh boy. Look... um... I hope you aren’t upset that... um... Zhu Shu and I have... um.”
Ying-Ying laughed. “Been intimate? Hardly. Else I would not have awakened you to go and find her in the shrine that day. She needed you Rei, and she always will. You have given her back a part of the strength she lost when I was taken. Your example of courage and your spark for life have rekindled the embers of her heart, and reminded her of what happiness is. For too long, she has dwelled in the shadows of grief. Your light has started her on the path to happiness.”
Rei looked away. “But why can’t I walk that path with her?” she asked quietly.
“Because you are bound by a greater fate, Sailor Mars. And a greater love.”
Rei looked back at her in shock. “A greater love?”
Ying-Ying smiled softly. “Do you really have to ask?”
Rei hung her head and sighed. “I don’t know what you’re referring too.”
“You do. You may not wish to admit it to yourself, but you do.” Ying-Ying turned to the clearing in front of them, and the ground misted, then turned clear, revealing a palace Mars had seen only in a previous life.
“The Moon Kingdom.” Rei said, realizing at last what Ying-Ying was referring to. “Yet I remember flashes of my loving Zhu Shu’s previous incarnation too.”
“Yes. I never said you did not love her, Rei. Merely that you have a greater love. You are a Sailor Senshi, first, last, and always. Not even Lin Tzu could ask you to give that up, though she knew it would cost you your life. Just as her greater love were her people. Zhu Shu has no throne, no armies, and no kingdom, yet she is still heir to the Blood of the Dragon. Just as you are the heirs to the Kingdom of the Moon.”
“So you are saying that my duties as a Senshi will pull us apart.” Rei said morosely.
“A year, a decade, a century... yes.” The palace faded to be replaced by Zhu Shu’s tattoo, the golden symbols of the Senshi blazing around the circle with the dot in its center. “You are the Guardians of the Earth. It’s protectors.”
“But there are nine symbols.”
“Not all of you have awakened. Yet this is and always has been your calling. You are the Warriors.”
“But what do we stand against? Beryl is no more, and while Ail and Ann caused a bunch of trouble they weren’t even from Earth. You’re acting like there’s still this huge threat hanging over our heads.”
The image faded into a swirling mass of chaotic colors and swirls of darkness that made Rei shudder, before it was replaced with an image of the woman who had attacked the other day.
“There are many enemies, Rei. Beryl was not the last, nor the greatest. Nor has all of her legacy passed away. You have met already a remainder of that past, in Hong Kong.”
“Xi’an Chi.”
“Once Beryl’s advisor, and brother to Lin Tzu. And even he is but a pawn.”
“Of who?”
Once more the image showed that disturbing swirl. “Of Oblivion.”
Rei was silent for a long moment. “But Zhu Shu is so powerful, she could easily match any of the Senshi... Isn’t she a Warrior too?”
“No. Zhu Shu’s path is different. Your path has already killed her once. Far more than the Warrior she tries so hard to be, Zhu Shu has always been The Mother.”
Rei did a double take. “The Mother?” Then she laughed. “I should have seen that myself.”
Ying-Ying smiled. “Yes. My love spends so much of herself taking care of others, even at the expense of herself. Her powers are strong, but they are those of the Guardian of the Hearth. The Path of the Warrior calls her, but it is the siren call of a moth to flame.”
Rei nodded. “I think I understand. Ranma, Akane, Shan Pu, me.... We all call to her because of our need... not for The Warrior... but for The Mother. We’re her... substitute children in a way.”
“My love has always had far too old a soul. I’ve rejoiced in the fact you’ve brought out more of the child in her.”
Rei smiled. “Thank you.” She sat quietly for a few moments. “You know I really do love her.”
“I know.”
“But you’re right... she’s not going to have a family with me... and I can’t ask her to abandon her duties just to stay with me because I’m lonely.” Rei sighed. “But I don’t see how she can have a child with Ukyo either, unless Ukyo gets cursed to become male.”
Ying-Ying shook her head. “No... “ The image of the tattoo formed again and Rei found her eyes drawn to the final symbol, the throwing star.
Rei shook her head. “I still don’t understand... the one I saw bearing the star was... another girl too.”
Ying-Ying giggled. “Ukyo has a rather unusual ability to attract exactly what Zhu Shu needs.”
Rei gave the giggling girl a hard look. “I still don’t get you.”
There was no hiding the amused look in Ying-Ying’s eye. “You will... eventually.”
Rei shook her head. “I can see why she loves you. You’re so unlike her... and so like her too.”
Ying-Ying nodded. “We were best friends all our lives before we became lovers. And I will always be here for her. Maybe if you help her, she can find her way back to me.”
Rei nodded. “Now all I have to do is figure out who I really am going to spend my life with.”
Ying-Ying giggled again. “Open your eyes, silly.”
Rei started awake, her eyes snapping open to see the concerned look in Yuuchiriou’s eyes. “Rei-chan? You okay? I found you passed out on the bench out back and you wouldn’t wake up.”
Rei sat up, realizing she was in her bed, and that her hakima was missing. “And what! Thought you’d take a free peek?!?”
“Your skirt got caught in the shrine door!” Yuuchiriou protested. “I didn’t peek under your kimono!”
“And you tracked petals all over my floor!”
“I couldn’t help it!”
Rei tried to think of something else to yell... but couldn’t, overwhelmed by shame at the dismay on Yuuchiriou’s face. He’d really been worried about her. And her kimono really didn’t show any signs of having been messed with.
“No... I suppose you couldn’t” Rei said, picking a cherry blossom out of her hair. She looked up at the dumbstruck look in Yuuchiriou’s face and smiled. “Thank you for caring.”
* * * * *
Tao-Ching hadn’t practiced with his zanbatou in years, and it showed.
He picked up the massive sword from where he had dropped it, the seven foot long blade dwarfing his 5’8” frame, but moving as lightly as a katana in his grip. He resumed his stance, placing his hands properly on the three foot hilt, and began the kata again.
He blanked his mind and allowed his muscles to remember reflexes honed over a decade under his mothers tutelage, the massive blade whining through the air as he twirled it in an ever faster spin. The steps were beginning to resume some of their old fluidness as he let his mind roam back to the research he had taken a break from.
The ancestral swords he had been charged with returning set in a sword rack above his computer, off to the side of his combination workroom-dojo, an ever present reminder of his duty. He didn’t regret his actions. Killing Herb had been necessary, but he had known there would be repercussions. It had been doing the right thing rather than following orders that had gotten him kicked out of the JSDF too. He might have developed his own taste for divesting nubile ladies of their clothes, but that was a far cry from standing by and allowing a Colonel to rape the dancer hired for an officers party, even if the Colonel was the brother of a party leader and his superior officer. Hell, he’d even gone easy on the guy, a broken jaw and all four limbs snapped cleanly was far less than he could have done.
The zanbatou was nearly silent now, as his training in using the air around his blade instead of fighting it returned. His muscles burned with the effort, but he ignored them. Their soreness was the price for regaining his center. Give and take, ebb and flow, for all things there is a price, what are you willing to pay to achieve your goals? He could almost hear Rin Se repeating the patter as he went into a sequence of strikes.
The problem was too many records had been destroyed between the Shogunate and the War. Only one of the swords had even been identified to a Clan, a cadet branch of the Michido, but records were spotty. Some indicated their collapse as a House before the Tokugowa regime even assumed power, following a skirmish with another house that had struck a deal with the Dutch traders for weapons and aid from one of their Black Ships. There were indications that various branches of the family survived, but it was unclear if the cadet line the sword belonged to had survived.
He used the point of his blade to toss one of the thick logs he had stacked to the side of the dojo into the air, keeping it airborne as he cut chunks out. He wasn’t even paying much attention to what he carving, the effort of moving the massive blade fast enough to keep the log steady in the air consuming most of his concentration. Rin Se had called it a carnival stunt, but he’d once been really good at whittling and not even Rin Se had been able to match his precision with the huge weapon.
“My god, you’re glowing.”
Tao-Ching grinned. “Hi Nabs. I take it Granddad grabbed you for a chat. Probably warned you how dissolute of character I am and how try as he might to civilize me, I’m still a savage?”
Nabiki settled into his computer chair. “Well he did use the word savage in describing you, but other than that, he spoke quite highly of you.”
“Humm. That’s a change. Most of my elders don’t have much praise for me.”
“You know you look a lot like that guy from Final Fantasy with that thing.”
“You mean Cloud Strife? Yeah. The guys in the JSDF teased me so much about it I actually stopped working out. But if that dragon shows up again, I’m going to be ready with a bite more effective than my teeth were. ” With a last strike, he caught the remains of the log on the end of the blade and held it out to Nabiki.
“Ohhh. Nice sculpture, but I’m afraid my body isn’t quite so well proportioned.”
“Well, maybe if you got undressed and posed…” Tao-Ching leered as he leaned against his sword, the glow of his chi fading.
“Hentai,” Nabiki offered affectionately.
“Damn straight.” He smiled. “So did you come by on your own, or did Granddad invite you over?”
“How’d you know I was here?”
Tao-Ching pointed at the monitor behind her, and she turned to see a small window with a view of the entrance to the Hibiki estate. “I always check who’s ringing my doorbell. When Miss Anami didn’t bring you straight back, I figured Granddad had waylaid you.”
“Is that why you were working out?”
“No, although I was hoping you’d get back here while I was practicing.”
Nabiki smiled. “Ohhh. I like a man who wants to show off his body for me.” She tossed him a towel. “But what if I told you I had developed a taste for women?”
Tao-Ching laughed. “You live with Zhu Shu. I’d be more shocked if she hadn’t rubbed off. Between her and my cousin, you never had a chance.”
Nabiki laughed. “True, but it wasn’t either one of them.”
“They both jumped you?”
“Nope. Shan Pu’s been occupied with her Ai Rens, as I believe she calls them, and Zhu Shu has been moping over Ukyo. No, I’m afraid I was forced to collect on a promise made by the one who did the most to drive me crazy enough to nearly rape you on the front lawn when I was stuck as a bunny girl.”
Tao-Ching laughed. “Don’t tell me Akane?”
“Wrong sister.”
“To steal a quote, oh my. So how was she?”
“She’s a tigress in bed. Rather surprising.” Nabiki gave him an evil grin. “Not even the tiniest bit shocked?”
Tao-Ching rolled his eyes. “Please Nabiki. I grew up in the Amazon village, remember. We had a five to one ratio of girls to guys. And most everybody is somebody’s relative. Shall we suffice it to say that I’ll bow to your discretion on the subject of Sister-Wives?”
“Too steal a quote, damn straight.”
“So what brings you by? Being Amazon, I’m not going to pull the usual male assumption that you’re looking for sex.”
“I wasn’t. Changed my mind to ‘haven’t decided’ when I was watching you practice though.” She gave him a wicked grin. “I’ll let you know.”
“Meanie.”
“True. I actually came by to let you know that Club Nabiki will open Friday. I’ve gotten Ukyo to move her restaurant inside, and apparently have four extremely cute waitresses on staff as of Ke Lun’s orders this morning.”
“You’re quick and efficient. Good.”
Nabiki smiled. “I also came by to thank you for trying to help last night.”
Tao-Ching shrugged. “I’d be a poor Amazon if I had stood by while those I care about are in danger, Nabs. That’s why we learn to fight… no… it’s the only reason we fight, Nabiki. To protect the ones we love.”
“I know, Tao-Ching.” She smiled, but left the rest unsaid.
And that’s why I’m going to fight for you.
* * * * *
Ukyo was really looking forward to getting home, and opening up shop. She was feeling bouncy. Weird really. She just had this sense of happiness following the impromptu magic lesson with Lo Shen.
It was probably because Lo Shen had told her she was an excellent student. Praise from anyone had always been a commodity in short supply, let alone from someone like Zhu Shu’s guardian.
“Ukyo seem bubbly.” Zhu Shu commented from beside her.
Ukyo nodded. “I guess I just feel like I made an accomplishment. I mean, I’ve worked hard for everything I have. Dad might be a multimillionaire, but I’ve never asked for his money. I’ve built what I have by my own two hands, learned what I have on my own. Having someone who is as knowledgeable and powerful as Lo Shen offer me respect for what I’ve accomplished…”
“Ukyo should have pride in self.” Zhu Shu smiled. “Zhu Shu think Ukyo very good role model. Very independent and brave.”
Ukyo blushed. “Compliments like that have been very rare for me since Genma ruined my life. I’m more used to being told how useless I am because I couldn’t even hold on to my fiancé. I guess I just gave up on expecting anyone to ever notice if I did well.”
“You deserved the compliment, Miss Kuonji. Were you willing to devote your life to it, you could be quite the accomplished sorceress.” Lo Shen volunteered from behind them. “However, it seems you have guests.”
Ukyo turned to look and noticed the limo in front of her shop for the first time. Her happy feeling fled as a familiar stale lump invaded her belly. She grimaced. “What the hell does he want now? I told him I could never marry Ranma and why. I even told him where to take his inheritance and shove it.”
Zhu Shu gave her a concerned look. “Uc-chan? Is okay?”
“Yeah, I just hate it when Dad drops in unexpectedly.”
She nodded at the chauffeur, who gave her an apologetic smile. “He’s a bit upset with you, Miss Ukyo.”
“I’m not sure I really care anymore, Kensuki.”
“Just providing fair warning, Ma’am.”
“Appreciated.”
Ukyo turned to the others. “You can wait out here if you prefer.”
Lo Shen produced a canteen that steamed when she opened it and returned to her true form. “Perhaps a grey head will help mitigate things a bit, dear.”
“I’m just gonna tell him I’m done playing his games, and that in a year, he’s free of me.”
“I understand the sentiment, child, but you are still his daughter.”
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t be nice about it.” Ukyo sighed as she pushed open the door.
The beard was more neatly trimmed, and he wore a business suit these days, but that disapproving scowl hadn’t changed from the day Genma had hightailed it over the horizon. He was sitting at one of the tables with a large gift package on the floor.
“Son.” He said in a cold greeting.
“Come on, dad. Can’t you drop it? I’m your daughter, for kami’s sake!”
“You’re a disappointment, son, but you’re all I have. I’ve given you your chance to redeem yourself and you have failed. I’m putting an end to this farce.”
Ukyo felt the stale feeling turn to spikes of ice, and her eyes locked on the package. “Oh, gods… NO!”
“Ukyo, I would like you to meet your Fiancée.”
The package exploded into ruffles and lace as Ukyo reached for her battle spatula too late. The curly brown haired figure gave a girlish giggle before a high pitched squeal of delight.
“Ukyo! Darling!” was all she heard before the feminine figure glomped her and she found herself engulfed in a passionate kiss.
“Miss Tsubasa Kurenai.” The elder Kuonji finished.
Zhu Shu and Lo Shen facefaulted…

[Dragon Man]

If Ukyo's dad doesn't know Tsubasa is really a guy I hope Lo Shen and Zhu Shu both hit him really hard on the head!!! And if he does know I hope they kick his ass! As for Tsubasa, kill him now, he's an idiot and a pain!!!

[Valkyrie Ice]

Well, the next three chapters are written. Not sure what the eitiqutte is here about flooding.
But no - Tsubasa is a one shot, just like she was in cannon. One appearence out of the entire series then gone for good. This is primarily a setup for the next event, a catalyst for a _much_ bigger event.
Val

[lwf58]

I suggest that you not be in a hurry about posting the newer chapters, unless someone requests it. Remember, there are a lot of very long chapters people will need to read to get up to speed on the story. It'll take time for them to catch up to this chapter.

[Delta-Theta]

i've been waiting on the rest of the chapters on Larry F.'s website ever since I've read this.. it's a pretty decent fic and I can't wait for the rest of it to be written.. Good job Val
I'm looking forward to seeing how it ends
Delta-Theta, Makoto-chan