Destiny

By Arun Prabhu <arun2110@sancharnet.in>

Chapter#03 <Completed on 18/05/2003> <Revision#2>

A Ranma One-Half - Sailor Moon crossover with a pinch of Ramayana.

Disclaimers:

Ranma one-half and Sailor Moon belong to their respective owners. I do
not own them.

Author's notes:

This one's a biggie, but I think it's tasty. It is palatable and I hope
you can consume it in one sitting. Oh, and I hope you can keep it down,
too. ^_~

Refer to the numerical index at the bottom. I'm sure you'll find it
very helpful.




There was light. There was light and there was darkness that surrounded
the light.

    Inside the light, there was a table. Dozens of chairs circled the
table. Ashura lords occupied those chairs. They were dressed
resplendently in silken clothes of green, blue and saffron.

    Raja Chola stood at the head of the table. He looked around, his
head held high and proud. He wore archaic clothing and shadows veiled
part of his face. He was dressed in a single long strip of silk, very
much like a toga, beneath which he wore a sarong. The folds of his
stole dropped sinuously from his hand to the floor. A pigtail tied from
his matt-black hair stretched to his shoulder blades. A gold earring
inlaid with a single diamond hung from his left ear.

    "Vengeance is at hand," he said. His eyes swept across the table.
"The Betrayers will pay."

    The seated Ashuras nodded and murmured among themselves in
appreciation.

    "Ashura," Chola said in a majestic tone, "thy time is anon. The
Walls that have bound us for so long are weak and fragile. They shall
crumble to dust soon and when they fall, we will take what is
rightfully ours. The blood of our brethren will be avenged."

    The Ashuras did not murmur this time. Instead, they contented
themselves with little nods of acquiescence.

    Chola shifted on his feet. His saffron stole brushed against the
table as he did. He fixed his gaze upon the Ashura nearest to him and
spoke.

    "Indira, wilt thou do my bidding?" he asked. His words were soft
and there was not a hint of an order in them.

    "Yes, Milord," Indiran [1], the Ashura sitting next to Chola, said.
He rose from his seat and knelt before his liege. The gold emblem of
his house, which he wore around his neck, reflected the light shining
down on it off the jade dragon carved on its center and shone brightly.
"My soul is thine. Mine heart is thine. My body is thine... Thy every
word is my command, Son of the Earth," he said, and as he spoke the
last words, the emblem flashed once a shade of iridescent green.

    Chola smiled and looked down at Indiran as he extended the Ashura
his arm. When Indiran grasped hold of the proffered hand, light
fluorescent green motes blossomed from the insignia on Chola's
forehead. Command had been given and accepted. Indira would carry them
out - at all cost.

    "Arise, Indira. Arise and be seated."

    Indiran nodded. He straightened up and sat down. His eyes never
left his lord, however. Like a child's, they shone with unconditional
love for his emperor.

    "The task I give thee is perilous, Indira. I have sensed the Senshi
on the mortal plane. When the wall falls, they will assuredly try to
defend the Betrayers from our righteous wrath. I want them
neutralized," Chola said. His eyes met Indiran's and delved deep into
his soul, "Wilt thou kill them for me?"

    It was not a command, but a request and Indiran was more than
willing to oblige his liege.

    "It will be done, Milord."

    Chola nodded once.

    "It is well then. Take Suryan with thee."

    "Suryan, Milord?" Indiran asked. There was hesitation in his words.
"Art thou sure it is wise to use that animal, Milord?"

    "No, it is not," Chola admitted, "But he is our best tracker and I
trust that thou'lt be able to control his vile urges."

    "Very well, Milord, it will be as thou wishest."

    "Thou shalt set out at the earliest opportune moment. The tear in
the wall is stable enough that you shouldst arrive safely at your
destination. Once on the other side, should Surya's base emotions take
rein of his dark soul and cause him to break The Code, thou mayst kill
him. But wait until he locates the Senshi."

    Indiran nodded and rose from his seat. As he rose, his stole, which
was wrapped around his waist, and arranged in such a way that the folds
drooped from his shoulders, slid off his arm to drag against the floor.
Indiran did not seem to mind getting his vestment dirtied and paid no
attention to it, as he bowed to Chola. The tiny trees and figurines on
his stole seemed to come alive as the light struck them. No poet could
have done justice with his poems to the tiny forest of gold, nor could
any artist with his painting. It was beauty - pure, simple and majestic
beauty - in all its glory.

    Chola bent at his waist to bless Indiran and the sigil on his head
glowed brighter than normal as he did. He gave Indira his blessings and
whispered a few long forgotten words of power and wisdom in his ears.
Finally, after receiving Chola's wisdom, Indiran left.

    Chola turned his attention to the rest of the Ashura lords. His
chest was heavy with the massive burden he had placed on Indiran's
shoulders, but he bore it with a stout heart. The Senshi of the past
were anything but innocent. Their loyalties had always lain with the
enemy and they posed a small but significant threat to his plans. As
such, they had to die. He would tolerate no obstacle that stood between
him and his ultimate quarry, the Gods.

    "Tamil Selva, arise!"

    Tamil Selvan, the Ashura at the far end of the table, stood up. He
paid his respects to his lord and stood still, awaiting his orders.

    "Go beyond the wall and gather the surviving Righteous Ones
together. Learn the changes that the mortal plane hath experienced
since our banishment and report back to me."

    Tamil Selvan nodded.

    "Do you not trust Indira to return, Milord?" he asked.

    "Son of my heart, how little dost thou trust me," Chola replied,
"Indira will be sufficiently hard-pressed controlling Surya and
eliminating the Senshi. I dare not overburden him with this task. It
would be most unwise of me if I did."

    There was a pause.

    "I send thee, for thou art the most experienced scout in mine army.
Wilt thou obey me and do my bidding?"

    In response, Tamil Selvan bowed low, prostrating himself before his
lord. His sin was unpardonable and he deserved a fate worse than death.

    "I offer my profound apologies for my presumptuous speech, Milord!
Ask and my life is thine."

    Chola shook his head, refusing Tamil Selvan offer to make amends.

    "Arise. Thou art forgiven, Selva."

    Tamil Selvan rose to his feet once again.

    "I shalt set out at the earliest, Milord," he said.

    "Very well, Selva. You hath my blessings for the journey ahead,"
Chola said, a small indulgent smile on his face.

    Fade.

***********************************************************************

    It was not easy being the heir to one of the rulers of the
Joketsuzoku-Musk nation. You had to be the best in everything. You had
to beat your nearest competitor by seven miles and six yards, and you
had to make the effort look easy. In other words, you had to be
perfect. Throughout her life, Shan Pu, the great, great, great
granddaughter of Guu Long, Matriarch of the Joketsuzoku, trained to
reach that elusive point of perfection that marks the heir of one of
the Elders. She pushed herself farther, faster and harder, until she
was the best in her age group. Indeed, she was easily one of the best
in the village. Incredibly long hours had been devoted to perfecting
her manners, her social and her language skills. Thank God, she had
learned them well, for without them, she would have reduced Ranma into
a pile of broken and bloodied bone and flesh a long time ago.

    Not two weeks had passed since Ranma entered her life and she
already hated him with a passion. In addition, to make matters worse,
she had also fallen in love with him. The man was a bastard, she knew,
whose one pleasure in life came from taunting her and acting like the
pompous twit he was all the time. Yet, despite his numerous
shortcomings, he had one thing going in his favor. He had the cutest,
tightest butt in the whole world and to Shan Pu's hormone crazed
teenage mind that alone was enough to offset all his other
deficiencies. Like his rudeness, his lack of manners, his
pretentiousness, his pomposity, and his ego. In short, her emotions
were unnecessarily complicating her life and increasing her sense of
insecurity, making her more miserable than she already had reason to
be.

    It had not been that long ago when her life was simple - simple and
uncomplicated. She trained and guarded the Wise Ones, as one of the
Elite. Sure, there were intrigues aplenty, but she loved her job and
more importantly, she enjoyed it. Her venerated grandmother took all of
it away in a single stroke on her much awaited return from Phoenix
Mountain, when she came bearing news about The Dragon. Guu Long called
an emergency session of The Council on arrival. At the end of several
hours of secret deliberations, she abdicated to her most hated rival,
Lian Qiao and announced her plans to set out on a quest in search of
The Dragon. Moreover, with the entire village as her witness, the
former Matriarch requested The Council to allow her the company of her
heir-in-training, Shan Pu, on her holy journey. They granted her
request, and both grandmother and granddaughter set out. Still,
disappointed as she was to leave her job, Shan Pu had been overwhelmed
by the honor and trust bestowed upon her by The Wise Ones. She had
idiotically looked forward to the hajj, and adventures ahead with
unbridled hope and joy. Not anymore.

    The exuberance lasted not three days into the journey when she
found out the truth. As it turned out, Guu Long did not even have the
faintest notion of where they should start looking for The Dragon. All
she had was an informant who may or may not have been telling them the
truth. Even though she had been disappointed, Shan Pu could have lived
with this letdown - when they set out on the pilgrimage, she had looked
forward to meeting The Dragon within weeks of setting out of the
village - and might have actually enjoyed the search were it not for
Ranma, that well-off pompous scum of the earth who just happened to be
their informant - may the Gods be thrice damned. He forced them to pay
for his stay in the expensive penthouse suite in Crowne Plaza Chengdu,
and he taunted Shan Pu every waking hour. He insulted her without
pause, and seemed to take pleasure in pissing the young Joketsuzoku off
in just about everything and anything. She had made up her mind to
reduce the bastard to a pile of broken bones within hours of meeting
him and would have done so were it not for her grandmother, who ordered
her to be on her best behavior around Ranma. Thus, like the dutiful
granddaughter she was, Shan Pu bore all the insults, the ridicule and
the taunts in silence, and even managed to put on a polite act.

    It did not help. Her grandmother's advice did not help at all. The
more politely she acted, the more he provoked her. The incident that
took place minutes after their arrival in Tokyo was a great example of
their uselessness, but there were others, too. After exiting the
airport, they had just boarded Ranma's 'cab,' a stretch limousine, when
he asked Shan Pu about her opinion on Tokyo. When she responded in the
negative, he launched into a rude speech that not only insulted her,
but also her ancestors, their children, and the pigs in their sties.
She almost killed him then - almost. Ranma seemed to notice the barely
controlled anger in her eyes and he did not provoke her any further for
the rest of the journey, though he shot a queer smirk at her every now
and then. Soon afterwards, they reached his home, which really was a
mansion, and he became the epitome of manners and grace. It puzzled her
to no end, this sudden transformation of his. She wanted - needed - to
know which one of his masks was the true Ranma. Was it the rude,
obnoxious one, or was it the polite, courteous one? The suspense was
killing her.

    After showing grandmother and granddaughter around the house,
Ranma, acting well the part of the gracious host, excused himself to
the kitchen to prepare their meal, while they retired to their rooms to
freshen up. It took Shan Pu an hour and Guu Long, half an hour longer
to finish their toilette, and when finally they both walked into the
dining room, a feast - a very expensive and tasty looking banquet -
awaited them. Ranma sat calmly at the head of the table with a small
expectant smile on his face. He bade them sit in as courteous a manner
as possible and even though the change in his conduct was a big
mystery, Shan Pu found herself intrigued by an even bigger one. How in
the world had he prepared such a meal in the space of an hour? There
were no servants around the house and no single man could have prepared
such a meal by himself. Or could he?

    "Lobsters, Shan Pu?" Ranma asked, interrupting Shan Pu out of her
reverie.

    His voice was too polite and Shan Pu immediately suspected his
motives. Something was definitely up.

    "Yes, thank you," she replied. She tried to hide the curiosity and
the distrust in her voice. She succeeded, mostly.

    Ranma noticed her concern in the minute fraction of a second that
it was visible and smiled inwardly. His granddaughter was very good at
masking her true emotions for someone her age. Even though she still
had a way to go before she could satisfy him in the department - her
recovery from that last slip had taken a little too long for his liking
- she was definitely Matriarch material. He smiled briefly again in
spite of himself and served her a monster of a lobster. Then, he turned
to Guu Long.

    "How about you, Honored One, do you want one, too?"

    Guu Long shook her head.

    "No."

    Ranma nodded.

    "And what about Tokyo, Honored One - do you like it?"

    "Yes, I think I do..." Guu Long paused with just a hint of
hesitation in her eyes, "It makes me wish that I were not born a
Joketsuzoku."

    Ranma raised a questioning eyebrow. Shan Pu simply gaped in
disbelief. Had she heard her grandmother correct? Those words could not
have come from Guu Long's lips, could they?

    "Regrets, Wise One?"

    Guu Long shook her head.

    "Everyone has regrets - some more than others. But no, my regrets
are not nearly enough reason."

    "But you say..."

    Guu Long took a sip of water while she formulated her answer. The
subtle inflections in Ranma's voice indicated that she was under
scrutiny; that he was examining her with a microscope. She felt sure
that her answers were going to influence him a great deal in the way he
saw her.

    "My life has been long, and it has brought joy and sorrow in equal
measures to a great many people. I regret the sorrow I caused and I
rejoice the joy my presence brought others. My life itself, I do not
regret.

    "If I were given the chance to go back in time and relive my life,
I would not change anything - not even a single mistake, or error in
judgment. If I did, it would dishonor all my friends and loved ones who
respected me and gave me a place in their hearts.

    "Still, a small selfish part of me cannot help but wish that things
had been different in my life... That I was not the all-powerful
Matriarch of the Joketsuzoku; that I was wiser than I was in my younger
days; that I had not lived to see my children, my grandchildren and my
friends die," she said and paused.

    Ranma nodded, as if in understanding, which Shan Pu noted out of
the corner of her eyes. It mystified her that one such as he could even
understand the complex issues her grandmother chose to address. The
only way he could understand Guu Long was if he were as old as her
grandmother himself and although there was a faint chance that he was
older than he looked, it was remote. And even if he had aged well, he
could not be that old. No one could age that well, could they? She
focused her attention completely on Ranma and watched, as he chewed on
his supper thoughtfully. The silence in the room, as he pondered his
answer, was palpable.

    "I understand," he spoke at length, "It is a curse and a blessing,
duty."

    Guu Long nodded.

    "One should not survive one's loved ones," he continued, "It is the
worst curse possible."

    As he spoke, his eyes lost their focus, and for just a moment
became impossibly ancient and wise. Mirrored in them were ancient pain
and wisdom the likes of which Shan Pu had never seen in her life - not
even the Wise Ones looked that old. She observed every minute detail of
his eyes, his face and most of all, his eyes, and filed them away for
future reference. His haunted voice, too, spoke a great deal about the
pain he felt in his heart. She looked even closer at him, now more
curious than ever. 'Who is he?' she wondered. The abrupt change in
manner and those impossibly ancient eyes - they were all pieces of a
gigantic puzzle that she had every intention of solving. Only she was
afraid that it might prove too complex for her - that she might have
bitten more than she could chew.

    Abruptly, Ranma's eyes regained their focus. He turned them towards
both his granddaughters, a small smile on his face.

    "But I digress. Will Shan Pu be attending school while she is here,
Honored One?" he asked, steering away from the painful subject.

    Shan Pu looked at her grandmother, her eyes pleading no, but Guu
Long ignored her.

    "Yes, she'll be attending school. Perhaps you can suggest one,
Ranma?" she asked.

    Ranma swallowed the mouthful of deliciously cooked prawn meat he
was chewing and carefully laid down his chopsticks on his plate. He
clasped his hands in front of him as he leaned on the table, took a
deep breath and spoke.

    "Perhaps she could attend Juuban High. I have applied for a job
there and we can enroll her when I attend my interview tomorrow."

    Guu Long nodded in acquiescence.

    "But I do not want to attend school, Honorable Grandmother," Shan
Pu objected. The school in the village had been bad enough and she had
no intention of attending school in Japan, ever. However, before she
could continue with her objections, Guu Long turned on her and glared
her down with unusual sharpness.

    "I have made my decision and it is final, Granddaughter. You will
attend school for the duration of our stay and that's that."

    "But..."

    "Hush! Did I give you permission to speak? Do you presume yourself
my better?" Guu Long hissed, angry that Shan Pu was behaving like a
toddler in the presence of their venerable grandfather. The ex-
matriarch wanted very much to impress Ranma with Shan Pu, and her
granddaughter was making her job unduly hard.

    Shocked by the venom in her grandmother's words, Shan Pu felt
sufficiently reprimanded to forego her tantrum. She shook her head,
squeaking only a small "no" in reply.

    Still, Guu Long was not mollified. She stared long and hard at Shan
Pu, until the girl flinched under the stern gaze. Then, with her eyes
still focused on her granddaughter, she addressed Ranma.

    "Please, forgive Shan Pu her folly. She's usually obedient, but
needs to be shown the error of her ways sometimes."

    "Young people sometimes need guidance. It is the duty of their
elders to give them that direction," he replied, shooting Shan Pu a
knowing smile. He had been in his granddaughter's position many a time
in his olden days and his sympathies were entirely with her for Guu
Long had ridden the girl very hard; perhaps harder than she deserved.
Shan Pu did not pay attention to Ranma's reaction, however. She was too
busy licking her wounds to pay attention to the world at large.

    Guu Long smiled, nodding in agreement and returned to her meal. The
conversation slowly drifted onto other topics from there and by the
time they finished their meal, Ranma had both his granddaughters
laughing with one idiotic tale of his misadventures from earlier days
after another. He was careful, however, to leave out the dates - he did
not want Shan Pu to discover his identity just yet. Afterwards, Guu
Long retired to her room, and Ranma and Shan Pu got down to clearing
the dishes. The leftovers and the china on the table disappeared fast.
With all the dirty dishes put in the dishwasher, Ranma excused himself
and stepped out into the night for a little stargazing from the comfort
of his favorite seat - a small boulder by the koi pond. It did not take
long to lose himself, and he almost did not sense Shan Pu open the
front door and watch him from the porch - almost, but not quite.

    "The stars are beautiful, aren't they?" he observed, intentionally
keeping his eyes focused on the stars to avoid her gaze.

    Shan Pu recognized his question for what it was - an invitation to
join him in his lazy pursuit. She mulled over her decision but only for
a moment, before her curiosity got the better of her and she stepped
forward, a wee bit nervous in her mind, but a great deal inquisitive.
She halted a few feet from him and flopped down on the ground, leaning
back until her back was flat on the grass and her eyes were staring
into the depths of the night sky.

    "Yes, it is... Who are you?" she asked and as she did, turned and
focused his eyes on him. It was not one of her better opening moves,
but it served her purpose. The question was something she had been
meaning to ask ever since she stepped into his house and came face to
face with the polite Ranma.

    He smiled, his teeth sparkling in the moonlight.

    "Who do you think I am?" he asked in return. His voice was cheery
and playful.

    "Don't kid with me," she warned, narrowing her eyes a little. She
meant to find the truth even if she had to kill him for it. With the
way he had infuriated her ever since she had known him she might kill
him just out of spite even if he did.

    Ranma's smile only grew larger.

    "I'm no one," he replied, then turned slightly to face her,
"seriously!"

    Shan Pu gritted her teeth. It looked like the bastard in him was
back. Maybe she had been wrong, after all. Maybe this was the real
Ranma and the polite one was just a mask worn to confuse people. If
that were true, she did not want anything to do with him.

    She stood up to leave.

    "Don't go," he said. His voice was soft, almost longing.

    It made her pause. She could not fathom the depth of suffering in
his voice and the pain in it called out to her.

    "Why shouldn't I?" she asked.

    "Because I ask you politely," he replied in a haunted tone. He did
not add anything more to his argument.

    Her resolve weakened.

    "Very well," she said. She turned and flopped down beside him once
again.

    Thus seated, they remained silent for a few minutes. During that
time, he gazed absently at the stars and she, too ill at ease to speak,
remained silent.

    "Why do you hate school?" he asked, finally. He did not take his
eyes off the star-studded sky.

    She did not reply.

    "There is no need to fear, you know. A smart girl like you can
easily ace the courses if you put just a little effort into your
study."

    Shan Pu did not reply immediately. She took several moments and
even then only because Ranma cleared his throat rather impatiently.

    "It is not the work I'm afraid of. God knows I'm not a shirker."

    "Then what are you afraid of? Surely, you aren't afraid of the
students..." Ranma began and fell silent. "You're afraid of children
your age, aren't you? Why?"

    Shan Pu muttered something under her breath, thinking that he would
not hear her reply. Apparently, his hearing was much better than she
thought, for he turned and his eyes focused on her.

    "Children are like that, Shan Pu. You have to trust me on this. If
they think you're different then them, they'll be mean to you. It
happens to every other kid around the block. The important thing is
whether you learn to ignore them or not. You need to realize that you
can't satisfy everyone at once. That's an impossible task. There's
always someone who'll hate you, no matter how nice you are to them. The
sooner you learn that, the happier you'll be."

    Shan Pu turned towards him.

    "Oh?" she asked. "And why should I listen to your advice? You're
hardly older than me."

    Ranma smiled and propped himself on his hand against the ground,
facing her.

    "Don't trust your senses. Trust your heart. It never lies."

    She raised an eyebrow.

    "And what's that supposed to mean?"

    His smile grew even wider.

    "That's for me to know and you to find out."

    "Argh! I hate you!" she exclaimed.

    He raspberried her playfully.

    "Yes, I got that feeling."

    Pause.

    "Listen. I meant what I said. You can't let them get to you. It'll
only make your life miserable."

    "I know," she replied with a sigh, "It's just that..."

    Ranma nodded as if he understood her unspoken comment.

    "I realize that growing up in the competitive atmosphere in the
village wasn't conducive to forming friendships, but I want you to put
the past behind you. I want to let you know that the situation and the
children are very different here. All I ask is that you give up that
defeatist attitude and try. Who knows, maybe by the time you leave,
you'll have a large number of friends who'd judge you for what you
truly are and not by your political standing in the village," he said,
solemnly.

    Shan Pu thought about Ranma's suggestion for all of three seconds
and then took a deep breath.

    "I suppose. Ah, what the heck, I'll give it a try!"

    Ranma smiled in response. 'As if my granddaughter would choose
anything else...'

    "You'll make a good leader," he observed after a pause.

    "Huh?"

    "I said you'll make a good leader."

    "I already know that," Shan Pu snapped, peevishly. As if she could
be anything else!

    "You are confident. Good. I saw the way you controlled yourself
when I goaded you on. You demonstrated excellent control for someone
your age."

    Shan Pu raised an eyebrow. 'So, that's why he was such an obnoxious
bastard before! Well, that takes care of one mystery. Now, for the
other one...'

    "How old are you?" she asked.

    "Old," he replied. His smirk did not falter any. If anything, it
grew larger.

    "No, I'm serious. Tell me how old you really are. Are you thirty?
Forty? Fifty? C'mon, you can tell me."

    "Forty. Fifty. I'm a combination of those two," he replied. 'And
I'm not lying... At least, not technically - after all, forty times
fifty is two thousand.'

    She smiled.

    "Forty-five."

    He smiled.

    "You could say that."

    "Oh?" From the way he spoke, it was clear that he was having a
laugh at her expense, but she did not care. As long as he was not
lying, she was not going to give a damn about what he did or did not
do. All that mattered was that he was not The Dragon, which was the
best news she had heard so far. It would be bad if she were to develop
a crush on her own grandfather, not to mention the thoughts about
pounding him into a bloody puddle. "So, you know where The Dragon is,
huh?"

    Again, Ranma flashed his ever-present smile. She was beginning to
think it was a disease or something that contorted his face and made
him seem as if he were smiling.

    "Theoretically, yes."

    "Theoretically, yes - what is that supposed to mean?"

    "I ain't telling you."

    She narrowed her eyes.

    "Why not?"

    "'Cause if I tell you, I'd have to kill you."

    "Hmph! As if you could - I bet that you couldn't even lay your
hands on me."

    "You don't want to find out what I can and cannot do, Little Widdle
Girly."

    "Little Widdle Girly? I'll show you a little girl." 'Did he just
threaten me?'

    "There's no need to. I'm already seeing one in front of myself."

    "Argh!" How dare he mock her? 'I'll show him a little girl, the
jerk!' she screamed mentally, all thoughts of the 'threat' forgotten.

    "Is widdle Shan Pu-chan losing her temper, already?" he teased,
jumping up on his feet before she could hit him on the head with her
bonbori. Two thousand years of constant pummeling by friends and
acquaintances had made him an expert at diagnosing symptoms of the
dreaded 'Die, Ranma, die!' syndrome.

    Shan Pu jumped to her feet, close at Ranma's heels and gave chase
around the front yard. Try as she might, she could not catch him,
however, and by the end of the first half an hour, she dropped in a
heap on the ground, her endurance at an end.

    Ranma sat down beside her, just out of the reach of her bonbori. He
could not help himself and laughed at her plight. She, even as she
suffered, noticed absently that he had not even broken a sweat while
she was all but dead.

    "How," gasp, "did," gasp, "you," gasp, "do," gasp, "that?" Gasp.

    Ranma looked around, feigning ignorance.

    "Do what?" he asked.

    "That!" she gasped, "You ran," gasp, "just as hard," gasp, "as I
did," gasp, "without," gasp, "tiring."

    He acted comprehension.

    "Oh, that! I've had training - lots of training."

    "You practice The Art?" she asked, surprised. She panted heavily,
as she spoke. She had not noticed anything about him that indicated he
practiced The Art before, but now that she thought about it, it was
obvious. She realized now why his movements had always seemed to remind
her of a predator. It must have been because he practiced The Art. That
subconscious realization must have contributed to her uneasiness around
him, too.

    "Yes," he nodded, "As a matter of fact, I do."

    "Oh! I hadn't noticed before," she admitted honestly.

    "Well, I try to keep all my cards close to my chest, if you know
what I mean."

    She nodded. She understood, yes.

    He clasped his legs with his arms and tucked them into himself,
leaning a little forward to rest his chin on his knee.

    "There are a lot of things that people don't know about me. Even my
close friends are really not that close," he said, "I'm the kind of
person who keeps what I know to myself unless I feel there's a good,
profitable reason to reveal it."

    "In other words, you prefer to let others think of you as a
mysterious and wise figure, just so that you can satisfy your ego's
need to feel important."

    He smiled.

    "You're correct, partly."

    "So," she drawled, scooting a little closer to him for warmth, "Why
tell me all this?"

    "Ah, we've come full circle. Have you ever considered a career as a
diplomat? You'd make a great one."

    "I would?"

    "Yes, you would. You have their penchant."

    "Oh!"

    Pause.

    "Hey," she accused indignantly, raising the tempo her voice a
little, "You are avoiding the question, again."

    Ranma laughed and jumped to his feet.

    "Yes, I am. Catch me if you can and I'll answer your questions."

    "Come back," she shouted and straggled to her feet to chase after
him. This time around, the chase did not last nearly as long and Shan
Pu collapsed within ten minutes. As she lay gasping, Ranma approached
her with a pout on his face.

    "You're no fun."

    "This," gasp, "is," gasp, "fun?" Gasp.

    He raised an eyebrow.

    "It isn't?" he asked, dubiously.

    "Of," gasp, "course," gasp, "it," gasp, "isn't!" gasp.

    "Oh, I'm sorry then. So, what questions do you want me to answer?"
he asked, propping himself against the old chestnut tree not five feet
from where she lay.

    "You're," gasp, "going to," gasp, "answer," gasp, "my questions?"
Gasp. "I," gasp, "thought..." Before she could continue any further,
Ranma placed a finger on his lips, and she fell silent.

    "Hush. I'll answer your questions. You tried your best to catch me
and that's all that matters. I'd say you earned the right to ask me
whatever you want."

    "Oh!" gasp, "Who are," gasp, "you?"

    "I'm Joketsuzoku."

    Her eyes widened. She definitely had not expected that answer.

    "How come," gasp, "I have," gasp, "never seen you," gasp, "before?"

    "That's because I don't live in the village," he replied with a
smile.

    She stared at him.

    "Hey, you asked me the question and I gave you a valid answer."

    "Name someone," gasp, "from the village," gasp, "and I'll believe
you."

    He shrugged.

    "I'm Joketsuzoku by adoption. I haven't visited the village in a
long time, though I used to live there once."

    "Oh! So, you really are old."

    "Yes, I'm older than you," he replied, 'Much older than you, but
you don't need to know that - yet.' "I aged well. So, I look young."

    "Are you old enough to be my father?" she asked, curiously. If he
was older than that, then her crush was most probably doomed.

    "Older."

    "Um... My grandfather?"

    He smiled. At the same time, his eyes twinkled with mischief.

    "You could say that."

    'Damn!' "You will not tell me your real age?"

    He laughed.

    "No, I will not. I'm sensitive about my age - just like you are."

    "Hey!"

    "Honest. It wouldn't do to let cute, adorable bombshells like you
think that I'm an old geezer, now, would it?"

    Her shoulders drooped. 'He is a Casanova, all right! And to think I
thought he was a cute and adorable angel just now!'

    "I suppose," she said with a sigh, and then inexorably brightened,
"Does grandmother know how old you are?"

    "Yes, she does. However, she wouldn't tell you if you asked her.
She knows that I like to be all mysterious and stuff."

    "Oh!" 'Damn, again!'

    "Anything else?"

    "Nah!"

    "Good. Now, I know that you think I'm rude and everything, but I
want you to know that it wasn't the real me you saw before. I was
testing you."

    "Testing me - what for?"

    "To see how far along you were in your training."

    "Oh!"

    Pause.

    "Did I pass?" she asked after a while.

    He smiled.

    "Yes, you did - with flying colors! That's why I said you'll make a
fine leader someday."

    "Oh!"

    Pause.

    "You married?"

    "Ah, the dreaded question session continues."

    "Haha! Are you going to answer my question or not?"

    "Yes, I was. My wife has been dead for sometime now," he said, his
eyes focused on the far distance.

    "I'm sorry."

    He shrugged.

    "Don't be. It was her time..."

    Silence.

    "Where did you learn to cook?" she asked finally, trying to break
the awkwardness that had crept in, after she began to bore of staring
at the sky.

    "I've been around the block a few times and I picked up a thing or
two."

    "Yeah, right! A thing or two, he says! I'd say you learnt a lot
more than that. Supper was delicious."

    "Thank you," he replied with a bow, "We live but to please."

    "I bet."

    He burst out laughing at her remark.

    "Friends?" he asked.

    She nodded.

    "Friends," she said and unconsciously hugged herself as the first
pangs of cold hit her. Tokyo was not hot at its hottest and the night
was anything but hot. The cold was almost as bad as in the village and
to make matters worse, she wasn't wearing anything to protect her from
the environment, as she would have if she were in the village either.

    Ranma noticed his granddaughter's discomfiture and came to a quick
decision.

    "Why don't we go in?" he asked, diplomatically, as he pushed
himself off the tree trunk. "It's getting late and we have an early
appointment to keep in the morn."

    She shot him a grateful glance. With his offer and his excuse, he
made sure she would not come off as looking weak.

    "Yes, let's," she said and looked up.

    He waited by her side whilst she got up and then the two of them
trudged inside, he beside her. At the porch, he turned around to look
at the night one last time and then followed her into the house. The
door closed and the lights went out soon after.

***********************************************************************

    It was early morning in Juuban, Tokyo, and Rei Hino, always an
early riser, was up and running before her grandfather had even
stirred. She woke up earlier than usual - at three O'clock to be exact
- as she suffered from nightmares all night long - frightening visions
that she could barely recall. They made her queasy, these half-
remembered dreams. Wisely, she decided that they were important enough
to explore with a Fire Reading. She instinctively knew that they had
something to do with the Silver Millennium and if a new enemy had come
to haunt them, they - she and her friends, the Sailor Senshi - needed
to know who it was and what they wanted. Their very lives might depend
on the information.

    'Let's see. Focus your ki and clear your mind,' she thought, after
she made herself comfortable in the standard lotus position. She took a
cleansing breath to balance her pranayama and to clear her mind, and
once her breathing regularized, grabbed her Kundalini Chakra with her
mind. Like a seething serpent, ki rose through her system in
retaliation, reaching her Sahasrara Chakra a tiny fraction of a second
later. Energy flooded her veins and she felt invigorated - as if she
could run a marathon and not break a sweat.

    "Rin, pyou, tou, sha, kai, jin, retsu, sai, zen," she whispered,
her voice filled with ecstasy. Never before in her life had she felt so
alive and invigorated.

    Ki gushed out of her in a torrent into the Sacred Fire. There was a
violent flash, as the flames surged forth. The heat of the unnatural
flashover singed her hair, her face and her hands, but Rei did not feel
the pain. She was too lost in the world of dreams and visions to feel
anything in the real world, and her astral form transcended the mortal
plane and entered the next - the dream plane.

    Flash.

    She flew through the air. The sky was pale red and the ground was,
too. There was a huge mountain in the distance. The mountain looked
vaguely familiar and after a few seconds of introspection, recognition
flashed across her mind's eye. She started as its name hit her. It was
Ares, the tallest mountain in the solar system. She was on Mars.

    Flash.

    Without warning, Ares exploded, spewing out an incandescent cloud
of super hot dust and ash that reached to the utmost reaches of the sky
above. The blast, the flash that she saw, was bright enough to blind
her astral form. When her eyesight returned, she saw she was in a
different place.

    More importantly, she was looking through the eyes of another
person. It was the person of Queen Serenity the First, she realized
with another start, and before her raged a battle between a strange and
powerful looking six-armed monster and Silver Millennium soldiers. It
was a one-sided fight - the monster was too powerful a foe for the
soldiers to overcome - and bodies of those who had not survived contact
littered the grounds.

    She, the Queen, looked at the monster and then, at the soldiers
fighting it. 'My people,' she thought and whatever hesitation there was
before in her mind about a very critical, but unremembered decision
disappeared. She reached into herself and released the energy pent up
in her body. There was a flash.

    Now, she was in a tropical forest. A river roared down its age-old
course somewhere in her background. A man stood to her right and to her
left were two strangely dressed Gods. An aura of palpable hate radiated
from the man. It was targeted at the Gods, who knew they were the focus
of that bone-chilling hatred just as she did. The Gods did not do
anything, however. They were too afraid - afraid of him. So afraid she
could sense their fear. The scene shifted and the man was now much
closer to the Gods. He asked for immortality, and they granted it to
him. Then, as per his request, they also crowned him king of the
Ashuras. She did not know what an Ashura was. Who are they, she asked
herself, racking her mind for references. Her search was unfruitful.

    Flash.

    Now, she was inside a house. She was in a room with two children
and their mother. The youngest had brown, curly hair. She played on her
mother's lap while her like-haired big brother sat beside mom. The
mother was narrating a story - perhaps a fable, or even a fairytale -
to her children. All three of them were dressed in the finest silk, but
their clothes were of the queerest make. Rei had never seen the likes
of such clothes before in her life.

    The atmosphere in the room was peaceful and tranquil. In fact, the
room was the epitome of peace and tranquility. Suddenly, without any
warning, chaos broke loose. Screams from beyond the door startled the
mother and her children out of their reverie. The anxious woman drew
her children together and rose, meaning to hide them somewhere safe,
just as Rei would have if she were in the other's place. Cruel fate had
other ideas, however. The front door exploded with a deafening bang
before the mother and her children could exit through the door on the
far end of the room. Flying shrapnel buzzed through the air and the
concussive blast slammed into the woman, knocking her rudely to the
hard ground. The blast picked up the little girl as well and sent her
screaming through the air. The child hit the ground hard, flipped like
a rag doll a couple of times, and lay crying, her face, hands and body
bathed in blood. The mother tried to reach for her daughter, but both
her legs were broken and she was pinned to the ground by a large piece
of dry wood that had once been part of the door. It had torn into her
right thigh and impaled her against the floor. Blood flowed freely from
the wound and try as she might, she could not extend her reach to her
daughter. She was completely helpless. And then, there was the son. He
lay by his mother's side, senseless. He bled copiously from a gash on
his forehead. Otherwise, he appeared to be in good health.

    Someone laughed from behind the cloud of smoke that filled the room
and veiled the doorway. The acrid smoke made it hard to breathe. The
mother tilted her head and so did Rei's astral form. The smoke parted
and as Rei watched with disbelieving eyes, the mother's eyes widened in
terror at the creature that came out of the smoke. It was a God.

    A mean-looking man with a moustache - the God - stood by what
remained of the door, laughing. He was dressed in blooded green silk
and in his hands was a wicked looking cutlass of the purest white
crystal - the same crystal as the Ginzuishou. Blood dripped down the
razor sharp edge of the blade to splatter in a growing puddle on the
ground.

    "Please!" the mother pleaded, her pain forgotten. Her eyes were
filled with a terrible horror that none but a mother about to lose her
child can feel, "do with me as you wish. Don't hurt my children."

    The God laughed in reply. There was no mercy in his eyes - only
cruelty and perverted joy shone in them. The doom of mother and progeny
was in his hands, and Rei saw - knew - that he would show no mercy.
Mother and children were about to die and it pained her that she could
do nothing to help them. Time slowed down and rendered her senses
unbelievably keen as the fateful moment drew closer. Overcome by horror
and helplessness, Rei watched his hands rise ever so slowly into the
air. The mother - Rei felt true pity for her - too, watched in numbed
horror, as a gout of purifying flame gushed forth from his palm to
incinerate the sobbing daughter where she lay. The flames consumed the
child, and as her flesh burned and she was roasted alive, she screamed
and wailed in raw terror and agony. Thanks be to God, the screams did
not last long. They died almost as soon as they began, but to Rei and
the unfortunate mother, they might as well have lasted an eternity. The
mother, Rei saw in her eyes, was alive and yet dead. Her soul had not
left her body, but her heart was dead. She would never be alive again,
not in the true sense of the word - certainly not after watching her
daughter burn to ash.

    Rei's senses returned to normal. The cruel God's laughter echoed
across the hallways and Rei felt sickened by his very presence even as
his voice violated the sorrowful, never to be forgotten moment. He must
have known that his laughter was vulgar and unnatural, and still, he
laughed. It made her stomach lurch, his laughter, but she could not
make him stop and neither did he pause. It was a game to him she
realized too late, killing innocent mothers and their children.

    Finally, Rei overcame her hatred and anger, and focused her
attention on him, as did the mother. The terrible fate that awaited her
son - her life, her soul - had brought the mother out of her grief-
induced stupor. She did not cry, however, as the situation demanded.
One needs a heart to cry and hers was dead - dead and gone, never to
return.

    The God's laughter grew merrier, if that was possible. 'How can a
God be so cruel? How can anyone be so cruel?' Rei asked herself and
even as she did, he swung his hand across the room to point at the boy.
The mother crawled to her son, having somehow wrenched out the wood
that had impaled her to the floor, and drew him to her breast. She was
going to shield the boy with her body, as if that mattered. The God
waited until he safely was cocooned in his mother's grasp. Then he
spoke a few terse words of hatred in some strange tongue and without
another thought, torched both mother and son.

    Flash.

    Now, she floated a thousand meters in the air. The sky was crystal
blue above. It was speckled with snow-white clouds. Her astral body
felt a faint breeze in the air. The afternoon sun shone upon her. She
looked down. Below her, she saw a huge, sprawling city that seemed to
stretch forever in all directions. No mortal hands could have crafted
such beauty, she thought. Not even the majesty of the moon capital in
its heyday could compare to this city and without a shred of doubt, it
was the single most beautiful thing she had ever seen - she would ever
see - in her life. She felt like she could cry at the sight of all that
beauty.

    There was yet another blinding flash. It seemed to stretch for an
eternity. When finally the light faded and disappeared, a huge fireball
and mushroom cloud rose into the air. It was ugly and revolting, the
cloud, and it was a blemish on the world. A powerful shockwave hit her
and hurricane force winds buffeted her. It lasted for nearly a minute
and then, it was over. Just like that.

    When the thick veil of dust parted, she looked down again. Beneath
her, there was nothing left standing in the city. Everything was gone
and nothing survived. Where the city once stood tall and proud, there
now was a crater of prodigious proportions. In one cruel blow, the
blast had destroyed the city and its people. Rei felt sick. Who could
have done such a heartless thing? Who could have destroyed such a thing
of wondrous beauty?

    She looked around in search of the culprit. She got the answer. Her
eyes fell on a God who floated on air. Beside him, also floating in
midair, was a woman. She wielded the Ginzuishou in her hand, but Rei
had never seen her before. Both had smug expressions on their faces and
the horrifying truth dawned to Rei. They were the ones who did it. They
were the ones who destroyed the city.

    Flash.

    Now, it was nighttime. Before her was another God. He was choking
the life out of a dragon and he was gloating as he squeezed its life
out of it. She could not understand what he said, and neither could she
see their faces for the dragon's face was shadowed and so was the
God's. There was another blinding flash. Suddenly, an aura of power
unlike any she had ever felt or seen exploded around the dragon. It
literally threw the God away. Such was its intensity. The God was as
surprised as she was. However, as great as his surprise was, it was
exceeded by his fear of the dragon. The dragon, even though he now had
the advantage in the battlefield, did not take it immediately. Seconds
passed before it raised its head and its eyes met the God's. It smiled.
The God cringed fearfully, but there was no escape. He was going to
die. The dragon was going to kill him.

    Flash.

    She floated in front of a king. It was the man from before - the
man from the forest. Whereas before, he was dirty and grimy, now he
looked majestic as he sat on a throne of gold and jade. On his rightful
seat, he was as beautiful and fair as the golden sun. Six-armed
monsters - his subjects - littered the throne room. They were dressed
as resplendently as he was and she knew that he was their king. She
knew that he was just. She knew that he was fair. She knew that he was
hope. She knew that he was forever. She knew that he was her enemy. She
knew that he was her worst nightmare - the one adversary she could
never hope to destroy. He was her - no, their - nemesis.

    Flash.

    She and the other Senshi were facing one of the six-armed monsters.
Its eyes met her. There was no mercy in its eyes, she saw, and yet,
even though it was going to kill her and her friends, she knew
instinctively that it was not evil, unlike the God from before. It
could not be, for she did not see the cold, calculated cunning and
madness, which was evident in the God. Instead, she observed something
that was almost akin to sorrow. She realized then that even though it
was acting out of its own free will, it did not want to kill her. The
realization confused her. Why would it kill her when it did not want
to? she asked herself. However, before she could explore more of those
soulful eyes, they parted contact with her and as it moved away, she
felt a numb pang of pain. She looked at herself and saw that blood
splattered her clothes. It was hers and she was seriously hurt. Her
eyes wandered around and she saw that all her friends, except Ami, were
badly hurt, too. Some were hurt more and some less. Mamoru lay
prostrate by a shop. He was dead. Someone had ripped his heart out of
his body, she saw. A pool of blood coagulated in his ripped open chest
cavity. Beside him lay another six-armed faceless monster. It face had
been ripped apart by something, or someone and in its hands was
Mamoru's heart, still beating feebly. A man - or something that vaguely
resembled a man - stood over the monster. Its form was a black blur
that even her spirit sense could not penetrate. As a result, she could
not tell whether it was the murderer, or would be rescuer. Usagi lay
propped up against the wall of the store beside Mamoru. From where she
lay, she could not see him and she had a terrible wound on her chest.
Minako had not fared any better either and neither had Makoto. They
were all badly hurt - all close to death. Only Ami stood between them
and the endless infinity of nothingness, for the monster would surely
kill them. He had that look, which promised death, in his eyes. He did
not want to, but he would kill them without a thought. In fact, he was
going to kill them.

    Flash.

    It was...

    Flash.

    There now stood...

    Flash.

    Swoon.

    "Rei!" she faintly heard her grandfather calling her. His voice was
distant and desperate. "Rei, are you all right?"

    She opened her eyes, her astral form having once again returned to
her body. She was staring at the ceiling, her view partly obstructed by
grandfather Hino's face. She felt incredibly weak.

    "Rei, are you all right?" he asked, again. He looked very concerned
and unbeknownst to her, had every reason for feeling so. Her clothes
smoldered, and there were first-degree burn marks on her face and her
hands. Singes were prominent on her much prided tresses, too, and her
body was burning to the touch.

    "I'm okay, Grandpa," she replied, her voice faint - almost
inaudible - before her eyelids slammed shut. She had succumbed to
exhaustion and lost consciousness.

    Grandfather Hino picked her up, even though her body was hot enough
to scald him on contact, and carried her to her room. He removed her
clothes, laid her in her tub and poured as much ice as they had over
her. Within minutes, he had an IV hooked to her and running. Then, he
waited, praying to the Gods and hoping that he had not been too late to
save his granddaughter. He would never forgive himself if she died on
him now - on his watch.

***********************************************************************

    Meanwhile, at the Qin residence...

    Guu Long stood facing her toughest opponent ever, her grandfather.
Until now, they had kept their spar free of ki. Yet, even with that
concession on his side, she was losing badly. Simply put, he was
faster, stronger, better and more experienced than she was.

    'There is as much chance of me beating him as old decadent
Happousai himself turning into a saint overnight,' she thought to
herself, as she stood gasping for breath. Ranma, she noted, on the
other hand, did not appear even a little fazed from the workout.

    "Ready for another round?" he asked.

    "Give me another minute," Guu Long replied between gasps.

    He nodded.

    "All right," he replied, relaxing his stance just a little.

    "So," she asked, "what happened last night? Did you two make up or
what?"

    "Yes, we made up and yes, she definitely has a crush on me."

    Guu Long laughed.

    "That's sweet. So, tell me, dearest grandfather mine, what are you
doing to do about it?"

    "Don't tease me, Child," he replied, mock-seriously, "I'm your
grandfather and I'll not be mocked at. Understand?"

    "Yes, O' Wise One."

    "I see that your body begs for a few bruises. I'll just have to
oblige you then. Oh, and don't go calling me grandpa just about
anywhere. I haven't told Shan Pu I'm her grandfather, yet."

    "Oh! Why?"

    He shrugged.

    "This old man does not feel like it. I'm sure that she'll find out
on her own, without your help."

    "Is this another test of yours?"

    "Yes, you can call it that if you want to."

    "And what do you call it?"

    "Um... A test," he replied, sheepishly.

    Guu Long eyed him for a moment with narrowed eyes, quite forgetting
that he was her venerable grandfather, The Dragon. She knew that it was
not proper, her wanting to bash his skull in with her staff, but the
idea did not appear completely unappealing and without advantages,
either.

    "Yeah, right!" she retorted, sarcastically.

    Ranma appeared not to notice the sarcasm in her voice. His mind had
already moved on to issues of greater import, like the disturbance he
had sensed last night on the lawn.

    "So, did you feel 'it' last night?" he asked.

    "Huh?" she asked, clearly confused. He had not done the deed with
their granddaughter last night, had he? If he had, she would never
forgive him for taking advantage of his innocent granddaughter, the
pervert. "Feel what?"

    "The changes to the Lung Mei - don't tell me you did not feel
them."

    "No, I did not."

    Ranma nodded, thoughtfully. She must have been very tired not to
sense such far-reaching changes in the spirit lines.

    "I felt it around midnight," he explained for her comprehension,
"Right about the time Shan Pu and I turned in. It was very powerful,
but it was completely natural. I don't know what to make of it and I
don't know what to do about it, either." He did not add that 'it' came
from Fuji-sama. It would probably spook her more than he cared. That
mountain was home to more Gods than he cared to remember.

    "Do you think it's dangerous?"

    Ranma tapped his lips thoughtfully. After a moment, he shook his
head.

    "No. It was positive, almost like a healing touch, but it was so
very powerful."

    "Anything or anyone you know that could have caused this change?"
she asked.

    "No."

    "So, let me guess. You don't know who caused the disturbance, how
he, she, or they did it, or even why they did it."

    He smiled.

    "Yes. You're correct on all accounts. You forgot to include
worried, however. Shall we continue?"

    "Huh?"

    "The spar - we can't let you get away with mocking your venerable
grandfather, now, can we?"

    "But..."

    "Just to even the playing field a little, you can use your ki this
time. En garde," he said and leapt at her.

    Guu Long summoned her ki and tried to defend herself, but
unsurprisingly, he was still faster. She feigned a pressure point
strike to his legs and he fell for it. Utilizing his imbalance to her
own advantage, she threw a very small ki attack at the back of his
head. He seemed to sense her attack even before she tapped into her ki
and somersaulted from an impossible position to evade the attack with
inches to spare. The ki ball slammed into the grass behind him and dug
a small crater in the ground, detonating harmlessly. As for Ranma, his
somersault easily carried him over and behind her. She turned to defend
her exposed flank, but was too slow. A blur, his outstretched leg,
rocketed towards her as soon as he hit the ground. She threw up her
arms to block the kick and she did, but the force of the blow was too
great. It carried her, skidding across the dewy grass, for a dozen feet
before she could stop herself. He was upon her immediately, and she
struck him with a ki-enhanced punch. He bent back at a nigh impossible
angle and again, her blow missed him, whereas, his retaliatory strike
to her solar plexus did not. The kick, even from the cumbersome
position that he was in, was powerful enough to push lift her off the
ground and send her sprawling against the ground.

    She rolled end over end a couple of times on hitting the grass and
using her ki to slow her skid, halted upright. She got into a stance by
pushing her right foot forward, noting that he had not pursued his
advantage, and summoned her ki once again.

    "Bring it on!" she said, a Cheshire cat grin on her face. She had
not enjoyed a battle this much in one and a half centuries, when last
she went full tilt against an opponent.

    "As you wish," he replied and shot forward.

    Thinking that she was ready for any attack he could make, she made
a mistake. She committed to a defense and was therefore completely
unprepared for the fistful of dust that he hurled at her eyes from out
of nowhere. She threw herself backwards, her arms forming a barrier to
protect her eyes and he struck not less than thirteen pressure points,
ten of which she did not know existed, on her body. When he withdrew,
she staggered drunkenly for a couple of steps and collapsed. Her muscle
clusters had frozen on her.

    "Hey, no fair!" she complained.

    "All's fair in love and war," he replied with a shrug, "If you had
truly been prepared for my onslaught, you'd have sensed that one coming
from a mile away. Honor can only protect you in a spar. It amounts to
something less than nothing in a battle to the death if your opponent
is desperate enough."

    Guu Long opened her mouth, a hot retort in her lips, but before she
could, the front door opened and a drowsy looking Shan Pu stepped out.

    "Good morning, Shan Pu," Ranma said, gaily, "Want to join us in an
early morning spar?"

    Shan Pu yawned, stretched her limbs and nodded, like a mindless
automaton. Obviously, she was still sleepy and had not even understood
his words.

    "Not a morning person, are we?" he asked.

    She simply grumbled under her breath in return and joined her
grandmother in the grass.

    "Hello, Granddaughter."

    Bleary-eyed Shan Pu looked down. Only she did not find her
grandmother at the usual elevation, though she did find Guu Long's
staff. Obviously, her head was not at the correct inclination, her
subconscious told her. Her autonomous system compensated for the error,
and her eyes drifted further down. They did not stop until they fell
upon Guu Long's paralyzed, comical-looking form that lay prone on the
ground.

    "Honorable Grandmother, what are you doing on the ground imitating
a roasted pig on a bonfire?" she asked, blearily, making it clear to
the other two that her mental faculties were not quite up and running,
as she would never have spoken aloud what she did if they were.

    "Hehehe! Real funny, Shan Pu. Want to join the Honored One?" Ranma
asked in between laughs. He was clutching his stomach, as he spoke. The
interaction between the sleepy and the paralyzed granddaughter was
proving to be priceless and he wished he had a Kodak camera with him -
it was, after all, as great a Kodak moment as there ever had been.
Moreover, he had not had such a good laugh in a long while.

    "Huh?" Shan Pu asked. Her befuddled faculties had still a long way
to go before they reached peak efficiency.

    "Here, let me help," Ranma offered.

    Shan Pu focused all her mental faculties on the 'offer,' but given
the condition they were in, it was a lost cause. Before she could
interpret its semantics, Ranma disappeared and reappeared before her.
She felt pinpricks all over her body and then, peace.

    "Boo!" he shouted into her face.

    Her mind having awoken from its sleepy stupor by Ranma's sudden
inexplicable behavior as well as shout, Shan Pu tried to react, but
found that she could not move a muscle in her body. Something had
completely paralyzed them. All she could do was use her brains and even
her thought processes were not performing as well as they usually did.
She realized that somehow, Ranma had paralyzed her body and adversely
affected the efficiency of her thought processes, and she had not even
seen him move. The revelation was mind-boggling and under ordinary
circumstances, she would have prostrated herself on his feet, willing
to do just about anything to learn the technique and its counter.
However, as things happened, circumstances were anything but ordinary
and Mother Nature, who has a knack for intruding into even the most
private of conversations at importune moments, took it upon herself to
intrude upon Shan Pu's thought conversation with self. The nerve
clusters in her ears - her physical gyroscopes - kept on sending
signals to muscle groups on her legs and thorax to constrict and relax
so that she may balance herself, but the muscles did not respond.
Naturally, when a somewhat strong wavefront from the refreshingly cool
morning breeze hit her, she toppled. Shan Pu, great, great
granddaughter of Guu Long, the most respected of all Wise Ones in the
Joketsuzoku village, tumbled onto the ground with a rumble, as if she
were a great, heap big tree.

    Having anticipated such an eventually, Ranma, in perfect
synchronicity, shouted "Timber" at the top of his lungs as his
granddaughter hit the ground.

    He noticed that the girl hit the ground, awkwardly. There was the
slightest thud, as the ground broke her fall and if one looked closely
enough, one might even have seen a small, imaginary dust cloud racing
to meet the dark clouds in the sky above. Shan Pu, from her prone
position on the ground, did not see the cloud and she did not much care
for it either, seeing that she was now imitating a frog in mid leap. It
was easily the most humiliating moment of her life and as the shock of
the fall faded, her eyes narrowed and her cheeks reddened. Ranma, if
ever he were unfortunate enough to find himself at her mercy, would
suffer a fate worse than death. Then, perhaps - after he had spent an
eternity in the emergency ward - she might consider forgiving him, but
not before. No, never before!

    Ranma, for his part, took his own sweet time appreciating the
fantastically artistic postures of his granddaughters. At long last,
his quest for spiritual mana satisfied, he then cast a mischievous eye
at them and appreciated the silly exhibition even further. The more he
looked, the funnier his labor of love appeared and he collapsed in a
heap beside them, clutching his stomach and roaring with laughter. In
riotous enjoyment, he struck the ground with his fists as he laughed,
and he laughed so long and so hard that tears cascaded down his eyes.
Guu Long and Shan Pu did not appear much pleased with his reaction, but
they were helpless to do anything about it.

    However, their ire did not go completely wasted. Ranma saw the look
that promised a slow and very painful death in their eyes, and it
sobered him some. The pressure points he used on them were relatively
short lived, and he did not want to be anywhere near grandmother and
granddaughter when they regained control of their musculature.

    "Well, lookit that," he quoth nervously. "It's time for little old
me to fix breakfast. I'll go make us some toast, ramen and omelet, and
then come to get you two 'animals.' Hahaha! That was a good one.
Hahahaha!"

    "Ranma, come back here and set us free!" Shan Pu shouted; screamed
indignantly. She was now wide-awake and very, very pissed. Her
grandmother felt inclined to agree with her, too. It was a mean thing
to do, the stunt that their grandfather just pulled.

    Ranma did not reply. In fact, he pretended not to hear their cries
and implorations. Tucking his fingers into his pant pockets and
whistling a cheery tune, he kept walking, looking hither and thither,
but never under, where his poor, dear grandchildren lay helpless, on
the dew sodden, cold hard ground.

***********************************************************************

    Rei woke up with a start, the screams of the daughter, as she was
burned alive echoing loudly in her ears. She immediately regretted
moving her head. It hurt like hell. 'This is how purgatory must feel
like,' she thought to herself, as a wave of nausea hit her. Bile gushed
up her esophagus and she had to bite back the overwhelming urge to
puke.

    "Easy now," she heard grandfather Hino say, "You are still too weak
from the Fire Vision."

    "Fire Vision?" she asked in a weak voice. "What happened? Ow! My
head hurts." Her memory of everything in her immediate past, except for
her vision, was patchy at best and a complete blank at worst. She half-
remembered that her amnesia had something to do with the sacred fire,
but that was that.

    "I bet it does. You have to promise me, Rei, that you'd never
attempt to duplicate what you did today. As it is, you almost died this
time and I might not be there next time to save you. I fear to think of
what would have happened if I had been even a few seconds late."

    "Huh? My throat feels dry, Grandpa."

    Grandpa Hino rose up and checked Rei's temperature and pulse. She
noticed for the first time the IV that was connected to her hand.
Patches of carefully applied burn salves littered her whole body.

    "What happened to me?" she asked, as he fetched her a glass of
water.

    "Hush!" he whispered, soothingly. He took her in his hands and
cradled her head in his lap, as he introduced the glass to her lips.
She drank the water greedily.

    "Better?" he asked.

    She nodded.

    "Now, lie down and don't speak. Just you hear what I have to say,"
he said, drawing his chair near to the bed.

    She nodded, again.

    "Suffice to say that I was woken up in the wee hours of this
morning by a large discharge of ki. You were not in your room, and when
I looked outside, I noticed that the light from the Sacred Flame seemed
to be stronger than normal. It did not take me long to put one and one
together, and the conclusion so terrified me that I instantly rushed
downstairs, hoping fervently that I'd make it in time to save your
life.

    "Fortunately, thank the Gods, by some miracle, I did. If I had been
even a couple of seconds late, you'd most probably be dead. Rei, what
I'm sure happened is this. You attempted a Fire Reading, but
accidentally, stumbled upon an age-old forbidden technique known as the
Fire Vision."

    Rei tried to speak, but grandfather Hino stopped her before he
stood. He was not yet finished with his tale.

    "No one knows who created the Fire Vision, or even when it was
created. Ancient lore tells us that it is as ancient as time itself and
that its creators have long since disappeared from the face of the
earth. The technique itself is relatively simple. The Sacred Fire is
sacred because it taps into the mana lines in the area, thus providing
a direct connection to the Gods. When you feed a little ki to the fire,
you get a Fire Reading. When you feed enough ki to the fire to shift
the source from mana to ki, you get the Fire Vision.

    "This change results in incredibly clear visions, but there is a
catch. Only Masters can safely hope to use the technique, as it needs
living ki. What this means is that only the user and not the
environment fuels the fire, and thus, the visions. Since, no modern man
has a huge cache of expendable ki, active use of the Fire Vision even
for only a few seconds would drain their reserves dry and in the
process, kill them. However, there was once a time when this technique
was as common as the Fire Reading. In those distant times, there were
highly skilled practitioners of the ki arts and most of them were apt
at using this technique. However, times changed and Masters became an
endangered species. Still, the popularity of the technique did not wane
and increasing numbers of unskilled or semi-skilled people began to
attempt to use it. All those who did died.

    "You have to remember that what I tell you happened a long time ago
- before the start of the civil wars that plagued ancient Japan for
centuries. Priests everywhere tried to put a stop to the practice, but
no one paid them any heed. Eventually, they passed an edict, declaring
the technique as dangerous and forbidding the use of the Fire Vision as
a technique for divination. The edict has remained in force for
centuries...

    "It is now seven O'clock. You have been out for nearly three and a
half hours and your ki reserves have only barely recovered. You will
not attend school until you're completely recovered," he said, quietly,
but firmly.

    Rei tried to protest that it was the start of a new semester and
that she did not want to miss the first day, but he stopped her.

    "Don't try to argue with me. I will not permit you to attend
school. Not until your health has sufficiently recovered. Nothing you
can possibly say can change my decision, so you might just as well
accept it. Now, I'm going to call your friends now and tell them that
you're not well - that you won't be attending school for a week or
more. If I'm lucky and if I hurry, I'll catch them before they leave
for school," he said and moved to the door.

    "Grandpa!" Rei called, faintly.

    Grandfather Hino stopped in his tracks and turned around.

    "Anything you want, Child?"

    She nodded and he approached her.

    "Can you call Usagi, or any of the others, and tell them that I'm
sick? They'll want to see me."

    He nodded.

    "I'll do that. Now, go to sleep," he said, patting her head
affectionately. Then he turned and stepped out of the room.

***********************************************************************

    "So..." the Principal drawled, adjusting his glasses. His voice was
grave.

    Ranma leaned forward expectantly. Obviously, this was the moment of
truth.

    "You aren't a trained teacher and you have no diploma, but you have
experience teaching martial arts. Am I correct?"

    Ranma nodded.

    "Yes, that is correct."

    The Principal's eyes narrowed, slightly.

    "What assurance do we have that you won't quit?"

    "None," Ranma replied, "save my word of honor as a martial artist."

    The Principal allowed himself a small smile. He looked almost
relieved at the answer. Years of experience had taught him that martial
artist types usually valued their honor, which meant that there was a
good chance that Ranma would not renege on his words. Still, he was
curious. Ranma had to be aware of what he was getting into. The
government might firmly deny the existence of the Senshi and the
monsters, but everyone in Juuban knew the truth. There were monsters
and worse, there were their enemies, the Sailors. 'He must be very
brave or very stupid to put himself at this huge a risk and I'm willing
to bet that it's most probably the latter... Twenty years on the job
and the morons still continue to amaze me!'

    "It'll suffice for our purpose. However, before I can hire you, I
must ask you this: Are you aware of our school's reputation?" he asked,
just to be on the safe side. As desperate as he was for a replacement
for the old P.E. Trainer, the Principal was not a man without
conscience. Ranma would not survive for long in Juuban - Not with the
rampaging monsters, the Sailor Senshi and other weirdoes - and the
Principal wanted to enjoy his beauty sleep at night without his
conscience bothering him. To do that, he had to be sure that he had
done all he could to dissuade Ranma.

    "Yes," Ranma nodded. He had thought that it would be a whole lot
tougher than this to land the job, but he was wrong. They were
practically handing it to him on a silver platter. 'I wonder why...'

    "You know about the ghoulish monsters, the evil, supernatural
villains, and the Senshi that run amok in this prefecture?" the
Principal asked, unconsciously shuddering at the mention of the last
group. The monsters and the villains, he could stand, but the Senshi's
crappy speeches and their hidden agendas, he could not. They almost
made living with the monsters bearable.

    Ranma nodded.

    "Yes, I do, and I'm set on this job."

    The Principal nodded, gravely. Ranma was a fine young man. He would
have made a good husband to some girl someday. Too bad, he was going to
die soon. 'And at such a young age, too!'

    "You do?" he asked, not hiding his mild surprise. "Despite all the
dangers and the risk to your life, you want to work here. Why?"

    "Because this school is close to my villa."

    The Principal's mouth slammed open, and then slammed shut.
Obviously, he was too stunned to speak. 'What kind of stupid answer is
that?' he asked himself. 'What kind of stupid, idiotic answer is that?'

    "Run that by me again," he asked, taking a deep breath to calm
himself down. 'Of all the stupid reasons...'

    "I said I want to work here because this school is close to my
house."

    "Okay!"

    If there was one thing that the Principal had learnt over the
years, it was this: Humans are inherently stupid. The man standing
before him was a prime example of that axiom. He had mainly asked Ranma
to repeat himself just to make sure he had not heard his answer wrong
the first time. Apparently, he had not. Moreover, if there was one
golden rule the Principal followed in his life, it was this: Leave an
idiot to his folly. 'Well, if the idiot wants the job, he is damn well
going to get the job, for there, sure as hell, aren't going to be
anymore applicants aching to throw their life away just like that.'
"You have your job. But I'm still not sure whether you appreciate the
dangers involved." The last bit was nothing more than token resistance.
His conscience had to be fully satiated lest it bother him at night.

    "Oh, I do realize the dangers involved, and still, I want to teach
here," Ranma confirmed, again, "And as for the monsters, I think I can
defend myself against them just fine."

    "Oh, really?" 'And now he's showing signs of being a delusional
schizophrenic. Why, God-Almighty-in-Heaven, why? What did I ever do to
deserve this?'

    Ranma nodded.

    "Yeah, if they show up, I'll flash-fry them," he added, summoning a
small ball of ki in his hands.

    The Principal's eyes widened to the size of large saucers. He had
seen a great many things in his life, but he had never seen that
before. Whatever it was, it felt and looked powerful as hell. And in
light of this new information, Ranma did not look like such an idiot
anymore.

    "Wh... What is it?" he asked. His voice was a peculiar mixture of
fear and curiosity.

    "Ki," Ranma replied, offhandedly, "Like I explained before, I
practice The Art."

    "Oh!" The Principal was too startled and awed by what he had just
witnessed to say anything more. He did not need to. Ranma perfectly
understood how he felt, having experienced the same reaction in others
numerous times.

    "So, when do I join?" Ranma asked, when he felt that he had given
the Principal sufficient time to recover control of his mental
faculties.

    'Today would be great, but I don't want you to think that we are
that desperate,' the Principal thought to himself. Obviously, Ranma was
one of the famed masters of The Art and if that were true, then the
school was in better hands that he would have ever believed possible.
Still, he had to come off not looking desperate, even though he was.
He, and thus, the school, would lose face if he did.

    "How about tomorrow?" he asked-replied after a few seconds. He put
every effort into trying to sound casual about it and he succeeded for
the most part.

    Ranma noted the effort the Principal made to look nonchalant, and
found himself in complete agreement with him. He made up his mind then.
Juuban High was now his school. He nodded in acquiescence and stood up.

    "You have made me a very happy man by accepting me into Juuban
High, Sir."

    "The pleasure is all mine," the Principal replied, "Is there
anywhere else you need to be, Ranma-san? You appear slightly ill-at-
ease."

    "Yes, Sir, you are correct. I have an urgent business meeting to
attend and..." Ranma said, making a move to stand up.

    The Principal nodded, though he signaled Ranma to remain seated
with a wave of his hand. There was still a little, though important,
matter to attend to before the affair could reach a successful
conclusion.

    "Please remain seated, Qin-san. There is the matter of finalizing
your contract, which I believe won't take more than a moment and once
we come to an agreement on your salary, this meeting would be
concluded."

    "I'm pretty well off, Sir," Ranma replied, humbly, resuming his
seat, "And I have no need for the money. I applied for this job because
I missed teaching the children."

    "And..." 'What's he driving at?'

    "I teach The Art for its own sake, Sir. I could never live with
myself if I charged for it."

    "I have to pay someone," the Principal objected, comprehension
dawning on his face. Noble as Ranma's goals were, he still had to show
something to his higher-ups. Juuban High was a state run school headed
by a bureaucratic council, after all.

    "Very well, Sir. Draw up a standard contract, if you must. I'll
sign it and as for the salary, you can donate mine to charity. Can that
be arranged?"

    "Yes, it can."

    "It is settled then. By your leave, Sir..." Ranma said, standing
up.

    The Principal stood up disbelievingly and nodded. Sure, the pay was
paltry, and most teachers struck to their jobs because they loved their
work and nothing else, but seldom had he met anyone with truly
altruistic goals as Ranma. He bowed at his waist in deference to the
master before him and Ranma exited after giving a slight nod of
acknowledgment. He closed the door behind him as he did, and walked
briskly across the hallway, the corridors, and the classrooms, making
his way to the registration area. Finally, after rounding his fourth
corner and crossing his third corridor, he found himself at his
destination. A brief survey confirmed what he had pictured in his mind.
Shan Pu and Guu Long were alone in the great hall with no one to keep
them company.

    "How is it going?" he asked, noting Shan Pu's sagged shoulders
through the corner of his eyes. It looked like they had run into some
trouble enrolling her.

    Guu Long shook her head.

    "Not well. They say that they need Shan Pu's papers before they can
sign her on. The papers are in the village vault back in China and
it'll be another month at least before those papers can be transferred
here."

    "Oh, is that so? Have you tried explaining our rather delicate
situation to them?" he asked.

    "Yes, but they still insist on those papers."

    "Legal red tape?"

    Guu Long nodded.

    "Any other reason?"

    "No. At least, he's offering none."

    "Come with me. Paperwork is not nearly reason enough to stall you,"
Ranma said and shot a glance at the counter. He espied a middle-aged
man sitting there, who looked as if he was glaring at the two Amazons.
Ranma nodded to himself at the sight of paper pusher and moved toward
the counter followed closely by Shan Pu and Guu Long.

    "Good morning, I'm Ranma Qin," he said, smiling politely, to the
man behind the desk.

    "Good morning, can I be of any assistance to you?" the man asked.

    "I'm here to enroll this girl into this school. Her name is Shan
Pu, pronounced S-H-A-N-space-P-U."

    "Do you need an application form?"

    "No, I think we have one already filled in. Shan Pu?"

    The girl produced the said application form. Ranma scanned it and
noticed that Shan Pu had taken painstaking effort to fill in the
details correctly in neat kanji. He made a mental note to praise the
girl about her handwriting later and handed it to the man behind the
counter. The man took it, absentmindedly scanned it for a scant few
seconds, crumpled it and threw it into the waste bucket.

    "Was there anything wrong with the details we had entered?" Ranma
asked, innocently. He had an inkling of the true reason for the
rejection, but he wanted to hear it from the man himself.

    "Yes."

    "Can you point it out? And I'd like another form, please, if you
don't mind."

    "I thought the mistake was pretty obvious and we ran out of forms."

    "Is that so? What's that I see on the tray to your right? Maybe I'm
wrong, but from where I stand, it sure does look like another
application form to me."

    The man looked Ranma in the eyes, and as he did, took the tray in
his hands. He moved it out of Ranma's line of sight, never once
blinking his eyes.

    "I said there is no form. Can't you get the hint and get lost?"

    "No, I don't get the hint and no, I won't get lost. The form, if
you'd please."

    Ranma's voice had dropped from warm to artic cold during the course
of the conversation, until it reached the completely controlled tone it
held now. Guu Long recognized the signs for what they were and took an
involuntary step back, fully fearing what was about to happen next. She
also pushed Shan Pu behind her, hoping that her ki shield would be
sufficient to protect the two of them. If the man behind the counter
had even an inkling of the danger he was in, he would have apologized
and made himself scarce before Ranma vaporized him. Unfortunately, he
did not, and to make matters worse, he continued to meet Ranma's level
gaze with an arrogant one of his own.

    "Well, if you want me to spell it out for you, I'll do that," the
man said, narrowing his eyes, "There's no place in this school for
gaijin whores, and the friends of gaijin whores. Get lost."

    Ranma narrowed his eyes in return and focused them on the man's
identity card. Obviously, killing the man was out of the question, even
though, in all probability, no one would make a fuss over the bastard's
death, and as much as he was tempted to blast the son of a bitch to a
million pieces, he did not feel that it was necessary, yet. There were
many fates worse than death and the piece of fecal matter before him
was going to get an up close and personal introduction to one of them.

    "Well, since you put it that nicely, I'll just have to enroll her
in spite of you," he said, pulling out a cell phone, "Oh, and if I were
you, I'd make myself scarce. I have friends in pretty high places, Mr.
Toshida, and they are going to make your life hell if they get hold of
your sorry ass," he added, punching in a number and waiting patiently
as the phone rang at the other end. He did not have to wait long, for
at the end of the second ring, a woman answered. Hers was a voice that
Ranma recognized.

    "Hello?" the woman spoke.

    "Hello, Yanagi-chan, this is Ranma Qin. Can you get me the Minister
of Education, please?" Ranma asked, courteously.

    "Just a moment, please, Ranma-kun," the woman replied in a clear,
crisp and sweet voice, before she put him on hold.

    She came on again a few seconds later.

    "The minister is in the bath, Ranma-kun. He'll be out in a minute.
How are you doing by the way?"

    "Excellent as always, thank you. And you, Yanagi-chan? How are the
husband and kids? Do you still have that Bonzai tree?"

    "They are fine, thank you. Yuki-chan called just last night from
the States. She said that she was fine and reported that she was doing
great in her studies. Incidentally, so is the tree."

    "That's wonderful, Yanagi-chan. Tell Yuki-chan that I wished her
happy birthday. Tell her she has to have faith in herself and to study
hard, and get good grades."

    "I'll tell her that, Ranma-chan."

    "I..."

    "Hello?" The voice that interrupted before Ranma could continue was
deep and had a rich, masculine tone to it. A wry smile appeared on
Ranma's lips. He had missed talking with the fat slob.

    "It appears that the Honorable Minister has finished his bath -
hello, Kaneda-san. Talk to you later, Yanagi-chan."

    "See you, Ranma-kun."

    "Goodbye, Yanagi-chan. Hello again, Kaneda-san."

    "Hello to you, too, Ranma-san. To what do I owe the pleasure of
this phone call?" he asked. He sounded truly happy at the pleasant
surprise. It was not everyday that Ranma called, either at work or at
home and he missed speaking to the fat slob.

    "A business matter, actually. I'm trying to enroll a very close
friend of mine into Juuban High, Kaneda-san. She's a foreign national.
Her name is Shan Pu and the man at the desk here - his name is Toshida,
serial #429-89A-87ABE - is trying to stall us. In fact, he positively
refuses to enroll her. Apparently, he's of the view that gaijin whores
and the friends of gaijin whores do not have a place in Japanese
society."

    "Is that so?" the Minister replied grimly. "Can you put him on
line, Ranma-san?"

    "My pleasure," Ranma replied. He covered the mouthpiece of the
phone with his right hand and turned to face Toshida, who was just
beginning to realize that he might have bitten off more than he could
chew, "A gaijin whore is she? Well, the Minister of Education wants to
talk to you, Asshole, and he begs to differ... I'm going to enjoy
watching you, as you squirm and try to crawl out of this deep grave you
have dug for yourself," he said and handed the instrument to Toshida,
"Speak."

    Toshida took hold of the instrument, his hands shaking
uncontrollably. He had a very bad case of the shivers already.

    "Hello?" he spoke into the instrument. His voice sounded timid to
even his ears.

    "What's your full name?" the Minister asked, harshly. Ranma might
consider it poor form on his part if he were to conduct a polite
conversation with a racist-nationalist. Even worse, Ranma might take
offense and God knew he had enough trouble without having to contend
with a very bad case of one of the most powerful men on earth
permanently on his back.

    "Kentaro Toshida."

    "Your serial no?"

    "429-89A-87ABE."

    "Your social security number?"

    "Mr. Minister..."

    "Your social security number?"

    "I can explain, really," Toshida persisted.

    The Minister took a deep breath at the other end and made up his
mind. He would fry the idiot after hearing his excuse. It was only
fair.

    "You want me to hear your excuse and agree with you, you mean?"

    "Er..."

    "Well?"

    "Yes... No... I thought..."

    "That just because you were native Japanese, you were one step
above the rest, right?"

    "I..."

    "If you are prudent, which I doubt you are, you'll shut up and hear
what I have to say first. Now, are you going to prattle on, or are you
going to listen to what I have to say?"

    Silence.

    "Well?" the Minister asked, impatiently. "I'm waiting."

    "I'm going to listen, Minister Sir."

    "Good choice. Means you aren't a complete idiot. Means there might
be hope for you yet...

    "Now, before we start, I want to ask you this. What do you think of
your Emperor? Is he virtuous? Is he all-powerful? Is he just?"

    "My answer is yes to all the questions, Sir," Toshida replied,
confusedly. What did the minister hope to achieve with this line of
questioning?

    "Good. Ranma - the man you just pissed off - is as powerful,
virtuous and just as the Emperor is. This country, and thus, her people
- that includes both you and I - owe our livelihoods to him. As a
result, he enjoys special favor with our nation's elite. You get what I
mean?"

    "Yes, Sir," Toshida stuttered. He was sweating bullets and was
looking like a prime candidate for a heart attack. He would have had
one if he had not found the narration slightly unbelievable.
Unfortunately, even with the doubt, he was stumbling very close to the
edge.

    "Now, Ranma is very loyal to his friends. He is also one of the
least forgiving of all people when he wants to be. When he is angry,
you get exactly one chance to appease him, and if you fail, that's it.
Even the Almighty is less vengeful than him. Do you understand that?"

    "Yes, Sir."

    "Good. Now, if what he tells me is true, you insulted one of his
friends. As I told you already, Ranma is very loyal to his friends and
companions. You can be sure that he'll take offense when you insult one
of his friends and whenever he takes offense, bad things happen to
whoever offended him. Are you still with me?"

    "Yes, Sir."

    "Excellent. Now, if you remember correctly, you made the fatal
mistake of offending one of his friends in his presence. Naturally,
Ranma 'has' taken offense. To put it short and sweet, you are neck deep
in it and still sinking, and you have as much chance of getting out as
there is of hell freezing over this very day - that's the kind of
trouble you are in... Now, what are you going to do about it?"

    "Sir..."

    "I'll not be lenient on you. Ranma's one of my friends and frankly,
I'd rather hang myself than act in any way, which makes me look like
I'm betraying the trust he has placed in me."

    "I... I did not know, Sir..."

    "Won't work - you were not doing the right thing in the first place
to plead such."

    "My wife and children..."

    "I'm sure they'll manage to scrape by after we banish you. Oh and
if I were you, I'd think twice about emigrating to another country.
Most of them think of Ranma in much the same way as Japan does and many
of them will not be quite as lenient as we are. You aren't listening to
me any more, are you?"

    Toshida, whose face had turned ashen, mumbled something
incomprehensible and shook his head. He seemed to have forgotten that
he was speaking to a phone and not to a person. Such was his fear.

    "No," he added, wiping the beads of sweat from his face with his
hanky. Like all bullies and nationalist animals, he, too, was a coward
at heart, and was easily cowed whenever someone stronger stood up to
him - a fact that Kaneda had been well aware of and exploited.

    "Well, I'm going to say this only once. So, you'd better listen
good," the Minister continued, "I can't do anything unless Ranma-san
forgives you. Kiss his shiny behind, or kiss the ground he walks on...
Frankly, I don't give a rat's ass what you do, but if you can't produce
a letter from him addressed to your supervisor that says he forgives
you for the intentional insult you dealt to his person by five this
evening, there'll be hell to pay. I'll do my part and make sure your
head rolls. You should be thankful that I'm going to leave your family
alone. Unfortunately, that status quo will not last long. If the others
get wind of this news, which they most certainly will do, you can wish
your family and perhaps even your clan goodbye, for the others are
completely capable of doing that and a whole lot more. Understand?"

    "Yes, Sir."

    "Remember, five O' clock at the latest. A second later and you are
history. Now, give Ranma-san the phone. I want to talk to him."

    "Y... Yes, Sir," Toshida blubbered. He stretched out his hand,
looked fearfully at Ranma and murmured, "The minister wants to talk to
you, Ranma-san."

    Ranma smiled unpleasantly at Toshida and grabbed hold of the
instrument.

    "Hello yet again, Kaneda-san."

    "Hello, again, Ranma. I think he won't bother you again. How does
he look, by the way?"

    "Like he's seen a ghost," Ranma replied, shooting Toshida a glance.
The man was on his knees already, rummaging through his wastebasket.
Ranma smiled unpleasantly at his plight. "Yeah, I think he'll come
around."

    "Good. Call me if he bothers you again. I'll make good on my
threats and throw the book at him if he so much as raises an eyebrow at
you."

    "I will, Kaneda-san. Thank you. I'm much indebted to you."

    "Just doing my job and helping out a friend, Ranma-san. I'll talk
to you later. Right now, I have to prepare for a meeting with the
Emperor."

    "Goodbye, then. Tell the Son of Heaven I wish him and his family
well."

    "I'll do that. I'll also get back to you later."

    "You do that," Ranma said, and closed the line with vastly
exaggerated flourish before relinquishing the instrument to his packet.

    "Shan Pu, I believe that the man has some questions to ask you.
Come, Wise One, we'll retire to yon sofa and catch a breath or two," he
said and moved off, shooting a disarming smile at Shan Pu, as he did.

    Shan Pu looked at his retreating back for a couple of seconds and
turned towards the now very nervous Toshida. Doubts were already
forming in her mind about her new friend and she did not like the
things they implied.

    Guu Long, for her part, shot a quick cursory nod to Shan Pu before
joining Ranma at the couch. There, they began to talk, keeping an eye
on Shan Pu and Toshida as they did.

    "Will he carry out his threats?" she asked, quietly, once she had
made herself comfortable.

    "Nah! He won't if the bozo behaves to Shan Pu's satisfaction. If he
doesn't, well, let's just say that his future has very few bright
spots, if any at all."

    "Oh!"

    "Shan Pu should be enrolled in a few more minutes. Once she is, you
two head off to the house. I have an important appointment to keep. Oh,
and tell the idiot that he had better behave in the future. He's on the
watched list, now."

    "I guess we can do that. Business matter, I suppose?"

    "Yes. Financial affairs, to be exact, though there are some other
matters that needs attending to, too."

    "All right."

    "And I might need you in the afternoon - if you are free, of
course."

    "Of course."

    Ranma nodded, and focused his attention on a year old copy of
National Geographic. He began flipping through the pages, and Guu Long,
realizing that the conversation was over, began to browse through some
magazines on her own. Neither of them was remotely interested in the
articles, but the pictures were very good, and it was enough to keep
their minds occupied for the few minutes that Shan Pu spent answering
Toshida's questions. Finally, he was done, and they set out, Ranma to
his meeting and the other two to his house.

***********************************************************************

    One expects peace and quiet in a respected teahouse, and one gets
it. One expects excellent service in a respected teahouse and one gets
it, too. The Matoki Teahouse, one of the most respected in Tokyo, was
no exception to these golden rules. Well over three hundred years old,
it existed when Tokyo was little more than a small, insignificant fleck
of dust on the Shogun's map. The establishment grew as the city did,
and was easily the most respected teahouse in modern Tokyo with a
clientele that rumor-mills said included the emperor himself. And as
all the truly good teahouses, it was never empty.

    "Tomoyo-sensei?" Junko spoke, putting as much respect as she could
into her voice, as she sat seiza before the dame. Tomoyo-sensei, who
was a geisha and one hundred and ten years old, ran the Matoki
Teahouse. She was also Junko's sensei, and thus, was treated with the
respect and accolades reserved for such, even though Junko was anything
but young herself at fifty-six.

    "Yes, Junko-san?"

    "Ranma-san's come."

    Tomoyo nodded.

    "Is his spot ready?" she asked. Ranma used only one room in the
establishment and used no other. The room was reserved exclusively for
him and was kept closed at all other times.

    Junko nodded.

    "Yes, Tomoyo-sensei."

    "And his guest?" Ranma, for personal reasons, scarcely visited the
teahouse and that too, only for business. Even then, he kept his visits
short and he often visited alone. His guest, on those rare occasions
when he brought one, was usually a high-ranking Japanese government
official, or a gaijin. In this particular instance, the guest was an
American.

    "He is being shown to Ranma-san's personal room even as we speak."

    Nod.

    "Good. Make sure they want for nothing, Junko-san... Can you
request an audience with Ranma-san after the meeting? I'd like to have
a chance to speak with him if he can find the time."

    Junko nodded.

    "As you wish, Tomoyo-sensei," she said, "I'll go and ask him right
away."

    Tomoyo's eyes glittered for a fraction of a second with gratitude,
but she quickly overcame herself. Her mask slid back into place and she
nodded.

    "Go then."

    Junko bowed, until her forehead touched the ground. Then, she stood
up and gracefully exited the room. Once the door closed behind her, she
abandoned all grace and decorum and ran across the building, praying to
the Gods above that Ranma had not left. Fortunately, the Gods must have
listened to her prayers, for Ranma was still entertaining his guest
when she stepped up to the rice-paper door of his pad. She silently
thanked the Gods, took a moment to regain her composure and regularize
her breathing, and then knocked on the wooden doorframe.

    "Yes. Who is it?" Ranma's voice questioned from the other side of
the door.

    "It's me, Junko, Ranma-san."

    "C'mon in, Junko-san."

    Junko slid open the door and stepped in. Hopefully, her breathing
had returned to normal and Ranma would overlook the signs.

    "Junko-san," Ranma asked, looking her over and allowing a tinge of
curiosity to leak into his voice, "What is it?"

    "I beg pardon, Ranma-san," Junko replied; apologized and took a
deep breath as she bowed, "for disturbing your meeting."

    Ranma smiled. He looked at his friend askance and the man nodded.

    "You're forgiven, Junko-san," he said, turning his attention back
to Junko.

    "Thank you, Ranma-san. I'm here to request an audience with you in
Tomoyo-sensei's stead. She wishes to speak with you."

    For a miniscule fraction of a moment, the mask that Ranma wore
fell, just as it had with Tomoyo. Then, he composed himself, just as
Tomoyo had, and he nodded, his face once again emotionless. Junko saw
the brief change in his features, but did not say anything. It was not
her place to comment, after all.

    "Tell her that I'll visit her in her room once this meeting is
over."

    "I will, Ranma-san... Thank you."

    Ranma gazed at her long. He saw in her place the child he raised.
He remembered the little girl he fed, bathed, clothed, and cared for.
Finally, he nodded. Their business concluded for the time being.

    "Thank you, Junko-san."

    Junko nodded and quietly exited the room.

    "Shall we continue, Johnson-san?" Ranma said, turning back to his
partner when she closed the door behind her.

    Johnson, for that was the American's assumed name, nodded.

    "Yes, well... Mind if I ask you a personal question, Ranma-san?"

    Ranma smiled, gently. Even though Johnson and he met at least twice
a month, their relationship was strictly professional. Only rarely did
they discuss their personal life with one another. It looked like this
was going to be one of those rare instances.

    "No, I don't mind at all."

    "Who is she - the girl who interrupted the meeting just now?"

    "She's the daughter I never had, Johnson-san."

    "Oh?"

    "Her parents were killed when Truman dropped the second bomb on
Nagasaki. She was pretty close to death herself when I got my hands on
her. I nursed her back to life and raised her as my own for the next
fifteen years."

    Johnson remained silent, not knowing what to say or do. This was
not the first time he had heard stories about the destruction caused by
the A-bombs, but this was the first time he had been confronted with a
real-life victim. It affected him in some strange implacable way.
Before he thought that President Truman was right when he ordered the
bombardment - after all, the order saved hundreds of thousands of lives
- now, he was not so sure.

    "I'm sorry," he said, eventually.

    Ranma nodded. He had a faint smile on his lips.

    "Thank you," he replied and fell silent, his eyes focused
elsewhere. 'Looks like we have observers,' he thought, eyeing the wall
to his left. "Anyways," he continued, "I wanted to talk to you about
that truckload of tuna you promised to ship to my business partners?"

    Immediately, Johnson straightened. Tuna was the codeword used
whenever he or Ranma spotted someone observing the meeting. 'It's most
probably the Chinese.' With the fall of the Berlin wall, the Russians
had ceased to be a superpower, and their intelligence community had
still to recover from the massive budget cuts and layoffs that had
paralyzed it more than a decade before. Only the Chinese, with their
massive HUMINT resources still plagued Ranma regularly.

    "Yes, what of it, Ranma-san?"

    "I'd like it delivered early the day after tomorrow, if you
please."

    Johnson nodded. He scratched the back of his left ear as he did,
asking for non-verbal clarification on the direction of the said
observer. Tuna business was one of the fronts he used to cover his real
line of work.

    Ranma tapped the left side of his nose. Yes, the interlopers are to
our left, it said.

    "I'll see to it, Ranma-san, that you get your shipment at the
earliest."

    "Thank you, Johnson-san. It's been a pleasure doing business with
you."

    Johnson frowned, slightly. 'The peeping toms must be getting
suspicious. That's why he's ending the meeting so soon,' he thought.
Over the years, he had taught himself to trust Ranma's judgment calls
implicitly. They were always correct.

    "Pleasure's all mine, Ranma-san. Gidday to you."

    'In another week, huh?' Ranma thought with a smile. This, too, was
part of their agreed upon code and he nodded.

    "See you soon."

    Johnson bowed and stepped out, leaving Ranma alone to drink his tea
in peace. Once outside he patted his shirt, as if looking for his
lighter and checked his pockets. Sure enough, the CDs he brought for
Ranma were missing, exactly as he expected. 'How does he do that? Ten
years and I still haven't caught him picking my pockets even though I
know he's going to... Still, he got the disks and that's all that
matters,' he thought, as he cheerily exited the teahouse and walked
into the street in a random direction, seemingly unaware of the two
Chinese spooks shadowing him. All he had to do was find some poor sod
to bump into in the middle of a busy street and the Chinese would have
their hands full investigating the man for the next week or two.
'Serves the bastards right!'

    'The idiots never learn,' Ranma thought, looking out through the
window on the second floor of the teahouse. 'But then they can't let
themselves relax - not when the stakes are this high... Hmm... Better
go and see what Tomoyo-chan wanted to talk to me about,' he thought,
placing his now empty teacup on the table.

    "Junko-chan?" he called.

    Junko arrived a few seconds later. She bowed, as was wont and
approached Ranma.

    "Yes, Ranma-san."

    "You can speak freely, Daughter. They can't hear us."

    Junko nodded.

    "I know, Poppa."

    Ranma raised an eyebrow.

    "Then why the formal speech - you aren't angry with your poor
father, are you?"

    "I might be..."

    "Can I at least know the reason for your anger?"

    "You rarely visit us and when you do, you don't spend time with us.
In addition, this last month, you did not even care enough to pay us a
visit or make a phone call. How do you plead to that?"

    "Guilty as charged. I beg forgiveness. Can you find it in your
heart to forgive this old man?"

    Junko pouted. It was childish and immature, her anger, a little
part of her mind told her, but she paid it no heed. She had every
reason to be upset and petty. After all, being petty is part and
package when you neglect your family, as Ranma had done for many years.

    "I might. It depends on momma, entirely."

    "Very well," Ranma replied, resignedly, "I'll do everything I can
to appease your mother, then. Lead the way so that I may see her,
Junko-chan."

    Junko smiled in spite of herself and led Ranma to Tomoyo-sensei's
room. She showed Ranma in and remained by the door, ready to respond to
their wants at a moment's notice.

    Ranma, for his part, entered the room and bowed slightly, before
kneeling in front of Tomoyo.

    "It's good to see you again," the old dame said, her eyes
glistening with tears. She served two cups of tea, one for herself and
the other for Ranma, and waited for his reply.

    "It's good to see you, too, Tomoyo-chan," he replied, allowing his
mask to fall. Few had unfettered passage to the innermost sanctums of
his heart and Tomoyo was one of those precious few. "I... I'm sorry. I
have neglected you and Junko-chan too long."

    Tomoyo did not say anything. Rather, she took a sip from her
teacup, her eyes firmly focused on Ranma.

    "Gods," he continued, "I missed you, but I couldn't bear to see you
wither away. Not you, not her."

    "I understand."

    Her tone was not accusing and the acceptance in it only made Ranma
feel worse. He told himself that she had not forgiven him, and that
made him feel somewhat better. He did not deserve forgiveness - not
after what he did to both mother and daughter.

    "But you do not forgive... Not that I have come to beg forgiveness,
Tomoyo-chan. It'd be too much to ask - not after I broke your heart...
Not after..."

    "Drink the tea, Ran-chan, before it goes cold," Tomoyo interrupted,
her voice quiet and serene.

    Ranma looked at her for a long moment and finally nodded. He took a
prolonged sip of tea and set it down gravely. The tea tasted just as
good, if not better than the best brew he had ever tasted. It came as
no surprise, though. Tomoyo was easily one of the best tea makers he
had ever met. In fact, it was her tea, which snared his heart and made
him fall in love with her in the first place.

    "I understand and forgive you, Ran-chan. You risked your heart when
you fell in love with me. I accepted it and resigned myself to this
fate when I chased you in my younger days. I do not blame you for
leaving me. I never have. I never will."

    Ranma nodded. Tomoyo was too much of a traditional Japanese woman
to demand anything for herself. It was his duty to see to her wants, as
it was his duty to care for her through sickness and health. He had
failed on both counts. He had abandoned her in her old age because of
his cowardice.

    "But you came, Tomoyo-chan. But, you came and what did I do for
you? Look around you. Look and see where I've abandoned you - this is
not the least of my crimes. You have no one but Junko to keep you
company in your old age. And as much as I loved you, I did not, could
not bring myself, to give you your rightful place by my side as my
wife. I had you as my mistress. Then come old age and I left you, for I
was too much of a coward to watch you while you grew old and died. I
have dishonored you and my shame knows no bounds. I've been egregious
as your lover and provider. Yet, you forgive me. You have borne all my
sins against you without complaint and still, you love me. Just like
that. Why?"

    Tomoyo smiled, gently.

    "Because you are who you are. I fell in love with you the day I saw
you and I'll never fall out of it. Not while I'm alive and not when I'm
dead."

    "I..." Ranma began, his voice laden with emotion. Words failed him
and he stared at the woman before him, his mouth hung open as tears
cascaded down his face in torrents. They were of remorse and of love.
Finally, he spoke, "Forgive me my sins, Tomoyo-chan... I..."

    "Shh! It's all right, Ran-chan. Don't worry about me. I'm fine.
Really. Take courage and be strong. I'll be all right."

    "All right?" Ranma croaked. "Look at you, Tomoyo-chan. Don't tell
me it's all right," he said, his voice full of anguish. Tears fell anew
and his face contorted in self-inflicted misery and pain, "I remember
the day when first I saw you like it was yesterday. You were so young
then - so young and beautiful. I remember your laughter, so sweet and
lovely it was. You did not have a care in the world, for you were her
mistress. But now... Now, look at you. The years have passed and you
are nothing more than a shadow of your younger self. You have fallen
from your throne and what a fall it has been. You lost everything and
it was all because of me. Only your physical shell remains with you and
it, too, has lost much of its former glory. Soon, that, too, will fail
you. You will wither and die, and then, you'll be no more. You'll be no
more and I'll live. How can I bear that? How can it be all right? Where
is the justice, Tomoyo-chan? How can it be all right when everything
that I have ever loved is doomed to wither and die?"

    Pause.

    "Seventeen times I have loved and seventeen times I have lost," he
continued, passionately, his tears unrelenting, "Must I always lose? Am
I cursed to lose? Lose to the beast of time. Lose Lein, Anita, Amala,
Casandra and so many more... I have lost them all, Tomoyo-chan. Lost
everyone and everything that I ever loved - and while they withered
away, I could do nothing but stand by and watch them die, whereas I
stand alive, unbroken like Methuselah, the great tree. Even now, the
beast is not satiated. It comes to take you away, too. How can
everything be all right when I know you're going to die and there's
nothing I can do to stop it?"

    Tomoyo smiled, gently and wiped away his tears. She, too, was
crying herself, but hers were not of pain. They were of love requited.
She gently laid a hand on Ranma's shoulders.

    "Death is a part of life, Ran-chan. You have to accept it and move
on. I have lived a hundred years and I have known happiness through
most of them - first with my parents, then with you and finally, with
Junko. I have lived life to the fullest and I have enjoyed it like no
other, and now, it's time for me to go. I'm not sad or angry about my
fate. It's just my time and I gladly accept it, just as I gladly
accepted everything else. I did not resist when I fell in love with you
in those days on yon forests of India and I'm not going to resist it
now.

    "You must accept and resign yourself to my fate, too, for you see,
I'm like a flower. I budded and blossomed in spring. Beauty, youth and
love were my names. Now, the season's changed. Autumn is come and like
the trees that shed their leaves, I, too, must fade. I may whither and
disappear, but my beauty will never be lost, nor my love's labor lost.
For I leave behind me you and Junko-chan. I'll live in you and her and
my grandchildren and their grandchildren for as long as the sun rises,"
she said, drawing Ranma into a hug and consoling the immortal. Finally,
after what seemed like hours, they parted. [2]

    "I need to go, Tomoyo-chan. I'll come and see you again before... I
promise," Ranma said, standing up.

    Tomoyo nodded. Her face, as usual, did not complain, even though
her heart did.

    "Goodbye," he whispered and without another look, opened the door.
He met Junko's steady gaze and nodded to her. Then, he stepped outside
and closed the door behind him.

    "Will you stay for lunch?" Junko asked.

    Ranma shook his head.

    "No, I have to go, Junko-chan. I'm sorry."

    Junko nodded.

    "I understand. Visit us often, Poppa. Momma's time in this world
will not be long now."

    "I... I know. I'll drop by twice or thrice every week. Take care,
Junko-chan."

    "You, too, Poppa," she said, giving him a hug before escorting him
out.

***********************************************************************

    Knock. Knock.

    Pause.

    Knock. Knock.

    "Who is it?" an old muffled voice enquired from behind the closed
door. The muffled clap of running feet against wooden floor followed
its wake.

    "It's me, Usagi, Grandpa."

    The door opened.

    "C'mon in, Children. How was school today?"

    Usagi, who had so studiously knocked the door until then, smiled
brightly at the elder Hino and entered the house. She idly rubbed her
sore knuckles, as she surveyed the place. The wood was hard and her
knuckles hurt from the knocking.

    "It was great, Grandpa," she replied, flashing a smile.

    "You were not sent out to stand in the hall, I infer," old man Hino
commented, an indulgent smile on his lips.

    Ami, Makoto and the other assorted animals - Minako included -
broke into snickers. Usagi turned and glared balefully at them.

    "You're a mean person, Grandpa," she replied, then abruptly changed
topic before he could embarrass her further, "How is Rei doing?"

    Grandfather Hino immediately sobered at the mention of his
granddaughter.

    "Yes, well, she's regained consciousness and is fully awake now."
'She's probably reading one of them mushy mangas, I bet.'

    "Regained consciousness? You did not tell us that she was
unconscious when you rang us this morning!"

    "She was conscious then, but was very weak from the exertion. She
fainted right after breakfast and woke up only an hour later.
Apparently, eating bread and cheese was too great a stress on her body
in her weakened state."

    "Is she all right?"

    He nodded.

    "I guess. Physically, she's fine - just a handful of burns to worry
about. Her spirit is badly hurt, however, and her ki reserves are very
low." 'And recovering very fast - that's one more mystery to add to the
ever growing list of mysteries that surround her. How can she recoup
her ki reserves so quickly when she does not have the necessary skill
and training in the area?'

    "Can we see her?" Ami asked, timidly.

    "I suppose, but you have to be careful around her, especially you,
Usagi. Her ki reserves have improved somewhat since she regained
consciousness, but she needs her peace and quiet, not to mention rest.
You must be very careful not to excite her too much."

    The girls nodded as one.

    "We'll be careful, Grandpa. We promise," they said in unison.

    Grandfather Hino nodded. A small wry smile flashed on his face as
he did. He knew they were going to break their promise, but their
presence would go a long way in cheering his granddaughter up. The
experience would certainly tax Rei's overstressed ki reserves and maybe
even make her faint again, but it absolutely guaranteed to make her
feel better in the end, which made it the obvious choice to him. After
all, was it not true that the 'shaman' had to tend to the body as well
as the mind for a proper and speedy recovery?

    "All right, you girls have your visitor's passes. Remember,
however, not too much excitement."

    The girls nodded as solemnly as they could and raced up the stairs,
followed closely by the two cats. They knocked on Rei's door, as it was
only proper that they do so, only a muffled curse greeted them.

    "Damn it, Grandpa. How many times do I have to tell you that I'm
all right?" Rei growled from behind the door.

    Makoto and Minako snickered.

    "It's only us, Rei," Usagi replied, "We've come to see you."

    There was a few seconds of frenzied scuffling inside the room. Then
silence.

    "Come in, Guys. The door's open."

    They entered as a solemn possession with Minako leading them. Rei
lay stretched out on her bed. She was dressed in a red pajama that
looked more than a few years old. Her hair looked mussed and she looked
pale, but none the worse for wear. The burn salves and the IV by the
bedside made her look sicker than she was.

    "Sit," she said.

    They sat down. The room plunged into awkward silence.

    "How are you?" Ami dared to ask. "We were worried about you. Usagi
said that grandpa sounded very upset on the phone when he called her
this morning."

    Rei laid down the Revolutionary Girl Utena manga copy she was
reading, carefully and focused her full attention on her friends.

    "Yes, grandpa was pretty upset this morning. He said I came very
close to dying - that if he had been a few moments too late, I would
have died."

    The girls' faces paled. The elder Hino had left out that little
detail out of his explanation.

    "How? What happened?" Makoto asked. Her voice was laden with
concern.

    "Apparently, I happened upon some ancient forbidden technique
called the Fire Vision while attempting the Fire Reading early this
morning. It nearly killed me."

    "Fire Vision - it sounds dangerous," Minako commented.

    "Believe me, it is," Rei replied, "I don't ever want to try that
technique again. Not in this life or any other, thank you."

    "Thank God, you're okay. I'm glad that nothing bad happened."

    "Yeah!" Usagi said, nodding in acquiescence. She picked up Rei's
manga absentmindedly; completely unaware of what she was doing, and
briefly scanned the page Rei had been reading. She saw what was on it
and blushed crimson. She had not known Rei was into that kind of thing.

    She surreptitiously looked at Rei and found the girl glaring at
her.

    "Not a word," Rei mouthed, silently.

    Usagi nodded. She was too shocked to do anything else. She could
have replied verbally, but she did not trust her mouth just yet.

    "Not a word about what?" Minako asked, curiously. She looked at Rei
and then at Usagi for an answer.

    "Nothing," Rei said as hastily as a wearied person could. She felt
like an idiot. 'Warning Usagi like that in a crowded room, especially
with everyone's attention focused solely on me. God, how stupid can I
be?'

    Minako gave her friend a once-over. The hasty reply alone made
Rei's reply suspicious.

    "Are you sure?" she asked.

    Rei nodded quickly, hoping and praying to the Gods to help her
avert disaster. Unfortunately, the 'concealed' glance she shot at the
manga was much too amateurish, and both Minako and Makoto caught her.
Rei realized her folly and moved to intercept the manga before it fell
into the wrong hands, but she was much slower than her friends. Minako
got to the manga first. Simultaneously, she jumped out of Rei's reach
and opened the manga.

    Her mouth fell open. Her cheeks turned red in embarrassment.

    "What?" Makoto asked. Her curiosity had reached its apex.

    Minako flipped the manga and held it open for the entire world to
see.

    Makoto flushed.

    "Oh, my!" That was Ami, commenting on the manga.

    "Rei..."

    "Just shut up!" Rei snarled, glaring at them, "So, what if I'm a
fan of children's manga? I think they're funny." [3]

    Everyone chose wisely to keep his or her mouth shut - everyone
except Usagi.

    "Okay, Rei," she snickered, "Whatever you say."

    Rei glared at her best friend.

    "Shut up, Meatball Head," she said, angrily. Her voice sounded
weary. God, she felt sleepy.

    Usagi opened her mouth to retort then remembered grandfather Hino's
words. Rei sounded tired and for once, Usagi did not whine.

    Rei looked smug at having won the argument. She looked to the
others challengingly. None dared oppose the dead tired but majestic and
sexy sailor suited soldier of mars.

    "Um... Can I ask you a question?" Artemis queried, a little
fearfully. He knew he was treading on thin ice with the short-tempered
Rei, even though she was exhausted, could still fry him at a moment's
notice, but it was a risk he had to take. Such were the perils that an
advisor of his position faced.

    Rei's head snapped around at him. He winced and she regretted her
hasty action. God, her head hurt.

    "Yes, what is it?"

    "What were you doing up so early? Your grandfather told Usagi that
he found you unconscious besides the holy fire in the wee hours of the
morning."

    Rei nodded, her anger forgotten. Her head hurt a little, however,
and she was grumpy.

    "I was coming to that. I think we're about to face a new enemy?"

    "That's not possible, Rei," Ami said with a shake of her head,
"Pluto assured us that Pharaoh 90 was the last threat that we had to
face."

    "Yes, well, Pluto was wrong."

    "Can you tell us anything about this enemy?" Luna asked, pushing
her way through the crowd and speaking for the first time since the
start of the conversation. Playtime was over and now, as regrettable as
it was, it was time to get down to work.

    "I saw a lot of things in the Fire Vision. I can make neither head
nor tail out of most of them. What I saw is," she trailed off with a
shudder as she remembered the immolation of the mother and her
children, "I don't know what I saw."

    The others began to murmur amongst themselves.

    "Just recite what you remember and we'll take it from there," Ami
said, helpfully.

    Luna shot the blue haired sensei a grateful look. Come hell or high
water, you could always depend on good old Ami to keep a cool head. She
was the lone voice of reason amongst the Senshi, most of the time.

    Rei nodded and began to recount. Her eyes lost their focus and
became haunted, as she remembered the individual details and
experiences from the early hours of the morning. The girls listened
with rapt attention throughout her narration and did not even once
interrupt her to venture a question. Normally, they would have, but Rei
was weak and they did not want to push her more than was strictly
necessary. There would be plenty enough time for questions when Rei
finished, after all.

    "And that's that. I don't know who or what the Ashura are, just as
I don't know anything about what motivates them. I also don't know
whether the part about The Dragon has any relevance at all to the
coming fight. As I said, I can make neither head nor tail of it."

    Silence.

    "Well," Makoto commented, "That was certainly different."

    The girls nodded.

    "Yeah, whoever heard of an evil God? There is no such thing,"
Minako added.

    "Um... Actually..."

    "You know something, Artemis?"

    Artemis opened his mouth to reply, but Luna hushed him. He,
however, paid her no heed.

    "Gods have been known to do some decidedly evil stuff from the
human point of view. Of course, they did things for the greater good,
but in our narrow two dimensional perspectives, their actions might
appear evil."

    "So, a God could have committed those crimes?" Usagi asked. Her
face bore a frown.

    Artemis nodded. Luna tried to silence him again.

    "Stop it, Luna. They need to know. We owe it to them to tell the
truth," he said to the she-cat in a rather forceful voice that
surprised the girls. They had never seen Artemis adopt such a tone with
Luna. He was usually compliant to her wishes.

    Luna nodded, reluctantly, and Artemis turned towards the girls
again.

    "The Silver Millennium is a relatively small island of peace in the
otherwise chaotic ocean that is human history. Even during the time of
the Silver Millennium, there existed pockets of chaos that resisted the
majesty of the Golden Path offered by House Serenity. There were those,
in whose point of view, the Silver Millennium was the worst evil that
ever existed. The armies of the Silver Millennium were usually enough
to wipe these pockets out, but there were exceptions. Some had mighty
armies that even we could not crush, even though the Gods were our
allies. We held them at bay, but every now and then, one of them grew
powerful enough to pose a serious challenge to us on the battlefield.
The army dealt with these aberrations rather harshly and wiped out
these states, exterminating their people."

    "We killed all their sons and daughters?" Usagi asked, her voice a
whisper. Her face had lost its color.

    Luna nodded.

    "Yes, it was regrettable, the loss of so many human lives, but it
had to be done for the greater good. We could have shown them mercy,
Usagi, but most of those people would have refused to comply with the
high moral and ethical standards set by the ruling house, and would
only have disturbed the peace. It was our duty to protect our citizens
and for that, we had to do away with these aberrations."

    Usagi opened her mouth to say something, but stopped herself before
she did.

    "But isn't that mass murder - a form of legalized genocide?" Ami
asked.

    Luna shook her head.

    "So is killing daemons, if you look at it from a certain
perspective. Trust me when I say it had to be done for the greater
good."

    "Greater good? The end does not justify the means."

    "Philosophy and reality mix not in the real world," Luna retorted,
"You have to make hard decisions on the field. They aren't always easy
on your conscience, but you have to make them. I remember one bastion
of resistance that was essentially a religion of cannibals. They raided
their neighbors - and that included us - for 'food and sacrifice.'
Their army was large enough to be a problem and governors of our
provinces did not want a war with them - they thought they could make
peace with the barbarians. They thought in their own politically
correct way that wiping out a people was bad because of the
expenditures involved, you see and therefore, they ordered our
commanders not to act. Our commanders on the field, with their hands
tied behind their back, could do nothing. The barbarians grew bold and
they sacked a major city, slaughtering millions of its citizens. Only
then did we act. The war was long because we had not prepared for it
and they were, and the cost in human lives was great. If we had acted
earlier, we could have avoided the whole mess, but we did not. As a
result, millions died. That's just an example of what happens when you
sit on your behinds and do not act. If you look at things from the
post-slaughter perspective, destroying their nation was the lesser of
the two evils.

    "Look at me, all of you, and pay heed to my words. This is a lesson
that all of you have to learn, but one you sorely lack. The world is
not made of white and black. It is made of different shades of grey.
There is no white and there is no black - only shades of grey."

    "So," Makoto said, steering the conversation in a new direction
before the argument got out of hand and devolved into a fight - as much
as she wanted to berate Artemis and Luna for their callous attitude,
she could not with a sick Rei nearby - "How are we going to deal with
this new enemy?"

    "Is there a new enemy?" Artemis asked. "I'm still not convinced."

    "Nevertheless, we'll assume there's a new enemy. Accordingly, we'll
plan for him."

    Again, Luna shot Ami a grateful look. That girl was worth her
weight in gold.

    "That's an astute suggestion. How do we suppose we go about doing
that?" she asked. She looked at Minako, who shrugged and looked at Ami.
Luna sighed. Good luck getting ideas from me, Minako seemed