[Ranma][Fanfic] Nabiki-New Horizons Chapter 10

[G.L. Sandborn]

Nabiki-New Horizons
Chapter 10 - Return of the Cold Moon Clan
by G.L. Sandborn

"Jeffrey! JEFFREY!" Nabiki's frantic voice rang through the
Tendo compound like an alarm bell as she charged through the gate.
Akane had been tasked with finding her sister and bringing her home.
After much hunting, she found Nabiki shopping for gifts to bring back
to her friends in Hawaii. Quickly relaying the bad news about
Sodoshi, it was all Akane could do to keep up as Nabiki immediately
set out to find the one person she loved, trusted, and depended on for
support; her husband.
Exploding through the front door of the Tendo residence, her
shoes coming detached as if on their own and clattering off the walls,
Nabiki dashed towards the main room, constantly calling her husband's
name.
She collided abruptly with Jeffrey as he emerged from the
kitchen. Clinging to her husband, Nabiki poured out her anguish over
the realization that her daughter, her only child, had been kidnapped.
"Jeffrey, they took her! They took my So-chan - my baby!" she
angrily sobbed, clinging to her husband. The sense of indignation and
fear mixed and burned in her chest.
"I know, honey," Jeff murmured as he held his trembling wife and
stroked her brown hair. "They brought Kasumi home a half hour ago.
She's pretty shook up."
"Why, Jeffrey?" she whined. "She's just a baby. What do they
want?"
Before Jeff could answer, another voice spoke out of the darkness
of the kitchen.
"They want you, little one."
Nabiki's body jerked taut at the familiar sounding voice. She
knew that voice. Instinctively, her mouth curled into a snarl as a
figure stepped into the light of the hallway.
"YOU!" she hissed, dripping with venom. "You're responsible for
this!"
Master Sato's face went blank as he stared at Nabiki and prepared
to receive, for the second time in his life, the just chastisement of
Jeff's wife.
"How dare you show your face here!" Her sudden shift into attack
mode caused Jeff to change from consoling to restraining as she tried
to lunge at the old shinobi master. "You promised protection! You
promised we'd be safe! You had all the shinobi clans at your
disposal." She practically screamed the last, her face crimson with
anger. "I HATE YOU!!"
Jeff wrestled briefly with Nabiki as she again tried to disengage
herself and attack Master Sato. Only Jeff's superior strength and
knowledge of leverage kept her in check.
"Sodoshi's in no danger, Nabs." Jeff tried to reason with his
wife. She might have been emotionally upset but she still had a mind
as sharp as any Jeff knew. She would listen to him even as she
continued to struggle.
"How do *you* know?" she snarled, her attention only briefly
diverted from her principal target.
"Because they want us."
"He's right, little one. Fukoono the elder wants the secrets of
the monk's cave." Sato's timing as to when to inject himself into a
conversation left something to be desired.
Nabiki glared at Sato as she tried to decide whether to listen to
him too or just tear him apart with her bare hands. For now,
rationality prevailed and she listened - but just barely.
"What secrets? There *are* no secrets of the cave. You know
that," she growled, her eyes still filled with her hatred for Sato,
ninjas, and anything shinobi.
"True enough, little one," Sato acknowledged with a nod. "But
Fukoono does not believe the truth. His madness insists you know some
secret that is dangerous to the shinobi people - a secret you shared
with Jeffrey and your own clan members."
"Clans, clans, clans," Nabiki moaned in anger, her eyes tightly
closed as she shook her head trying to dislodge her entire shinobi
heritage. "I'm sick of clans! I'm sick of the shinobi! And I'm sick
of *you*! I just want my baby back!"
"Nabiki, we'll get her back," Jeff reassured his wife. "The
police have already interviewed Kasumi and Tofu. If the police know,
the Japanese government knows. And if the Japanese government knows,
*our* government knows. We also have other allies. The shinobi clans
have assured me...."
"The police?!? The government?!? THE SHINOBI CLANS?!?!?!?"
Nabiki stared at her husband in horror. She had little faith in the
police *or* the governments. As for the clans... She already held
them in low enough esteem.
"Under the circumstances, the police and governments will not be
able to effect a rescue without endangering the child," Sato
thoughtfully noted as he stroked his chin. "Their methods are too
clumsy."
Jeff stared at his old shinobi master, certain there was more to
what he said or didn't say that was most important.
"Master Sato, you know something," Jeff accused with narrowed
eyes.
The venerable old shinobi master's silence convinced Jeff he was
on the right track.
"You know where they've taken her," Jeff said in a flat, accusing
voice. Even Master Sato had to take note of its approach to
malevolence. Slowly, he turned to look Jeff deeply in the eyes. He
could tell Jeff was straining to control himself - and his wife.
Sooner or later, he would do something rash. Sato decided to try and
direct some of Jeff's anger in a way that would allow him to proceed
with his own rescue.
"Yes, I know where Fukoono and your daughter are." Sato sounded
almost like a grandfather describing a family outing - calm, measured,
and totally devoid of emotion.
"Where...?" Nabiki hissed, her patience clearly wearing thin.
Jeff could tell she was gathering herself for a lunge and
instinctively tightened his grip on his wife.
Sato shifted his eyes from Nabiki to Jeff. He could tell his
adopted son was as determined as Nabiki to recover their child. That
was exactly as Fukoono had hoped. He also knew Nabiki was most
skilled in ferreting out information. Sooner or later, she would
discover the location of Fukoono's lair. Then, one or both would
attempt a rescue, where one or both would be taken captive. Sato knew
what Fukoono was capable of. He also knew Jeff and Nabiki were not
good enough to rescue Sodoshi on their own. He *had* to convince
Jeffrey that such a task would be better left in the hands of his
people.
"The lady asked a question." Jeff sounded even more determined
than his wife. His look backed up that assertion.
"You are not good enough, my son. Neither of you are." Sato
turned away and shook his head. "Without the other clans, you could
never hope to defeat Fukoono and rescue your daughter. The place is
too remote and the obstacles too formidable. Your lives would be
wasted."
Jeff stared at Sato in shock.
"I had no idea you thought so little of me."
"You are no warrior, my son," Sato lamented with a sad shake of
his head. "You were never trained as such. I think nothing less of
you for your courage but I did not train you to throw your life away
foolishly."
"Nevertheless, do you think I would not make such a sacrifice for
my daughter?" Jeff sounded almost sad - disappointed at his master's
assertion. "Some sacrifices are necessary. You told me that
yourself."
Sato snorted and shook his head again.
"I trained you too well. You understand our ways better than I
thought - even better than I hoped. But your sacrifice would be
worthless - a waste - an action without hope, without meaning." Sato
turned once again to look at Jeff and Nabiki. He could see and sense
no hesitation or fear in either - just fierce determination to recover
their daughter. Perhaps knowing how far away and remote an area their
child was being held in would convince them to allow him to deal with
this through the clans. Besides, there were other considerations.
"You *must* allow the clans to rescue your daughter. You have no
idea how important it is they do this."
Jeff and Nabiki exchanged glances. He was up to something.
"Why?" Nabiki finally snarled. "Why should I place the life of
my only child in the hands of those.... other clans?"
Sato didn't really like the way she said 'other clans'. It
sounded to him too much like Nabiki was already distancing the Cold
Moon Clan from the others. A slight frown briefly flashed across his
face.
"The prophecy..." he began only to be cut off by Nabiki's finger
in front of his face.
"DON'T - ever use that word in my presence again." Her eyes
betrayed her anger at being reminded of all their earlier troubles -
troubles that almost cost her Jeffrey's life.
"Forgive me but your daughter's kidnapping was prophesied as the
catalyst to bring the clans together. It will unite them to a common
cause, reminding them of their common heritage."
"I don't care about the clans. I want my daughter back."
Nabiki's eyes practically burst into flame with her anger.
"That is unfortunate," Sato said to his shoes. "You and your
daughter were the last hope recapture the spirit of our people."
"Nabiki's right," Jeff said ominously. "Our daughter's life is
more important to us."
I can see there is no sense in keeping the truth from you." Sato
looked directly at Nabiki while addressing Jeff. "You would have
found out yourselves - eventually. Your wife is most... resourceful."
"Where." Jeff sounded most demanding, his voice low like the
growl of a cave bear.
"Hokkaido."
"Where."
"The ancestral home of the Snow Fox Clan."
"Where."
"The Kitami Mountains. Near Asahikawa. There is a cave under a
shrine to the shinobi people near the Teshio River. It is the
traditional home of the Snow Fox Clan elders - long since abandoned.
Very remote. Very hard to get to. Very easy to defend. *That* is
why you must allow the clans to rescue the child."

Akane, who had been listening carefully from the hallway,
silently repeated the location to herself; committing every detail to
memory. She was a protector of Sodoshi. It was her job to rescue the
girl - hers and Ranma's. As she turned to find her wayward fiance,
ignoring the remainder of Sato's impassioned plea for Jeff and Nabiki
to remain on the side-lines while the combined clans worked to rescue
Sodoshi, she noticed Officer Watanabe entering the house. Quickly she
moved to confront him but was surprised at his response.
"One side, young lady. Police business." He dismissed Akane's
attempts to block him with a wave of his hand as he continued towards
the stairs. Years of conditioning regarding Japanese police and the
liberties they were allowed to take caused Akane to hesitate enough
for Watanabe to slip past her and gain the stairs. Akane quickly
moved to rectify her mistake.
"I told you, young lady, this is police business. Kindly stay
out of my way." He sounded official and condescending as he, again,
dismissed young Akane while ascending the stairs.
For a few seconds, Akane was torn between following her sister's
would-be suitor and remaining behind to listen to more of the
conversation in the kitchen. The sight of Watanabe purposefully
striding up the stairs broke her indecision. Quickly, she scrambled
to follow the officer, saying nothing but determined to remain nearby.
She halted at the bend in the hallway, just outside Ranma's door.
Watanabe's progress was checked at the entrance to Kasumi's room
as Dr. Tofu was quietly exiting, closing the door behind him.
"Is Kasumi Tendo in there?" Watanabe asked in an official
sounding voice while reaching for the door knob.
Tofu's hand quickly shot across in front of the officer, slapping
against the door frame.
"Out of the way, sensei. This is police business." Watanabe
growled at Tofu's arm.
"Kasumi Tendo has experienced a severe shock. I have prescribed
complete rest for her." Tofu sounded almost as official as Watanabe.
"Sensei, you are interfering with a police officer in the
performance of his duties." Watanabe slowly turned his head to look
Tofu squarely in the eyes. "There are severe penalties for such."
"As her doctor, I must insist on her rest."
"There are some questions I need to ask her."
"Your people have already questioned her. There is nothing else
she can tell you about the kidnapping." Tofu was sounding every bit
as determined as Watanabe. It was clear to both men that Watanabe
only wanted in the room to be with Kasumi in this time of crisis -
something Tofu was determined to prevent.
"That 'girl' in there is the only link we have to the
kidnappers." Watanabe stepped back slightly as he growled at Tofu and
waved his hand at Kasumi's door. "As an investigating officer, I
insist on speaking with her."
"That 'woman' in there has undergone severe emotional trauma."
Tofu held his ground. "As her doctor, my decision must take
precedence. She is not to be disturbed."
"I intend to talk to her."
"Another time, perhaps." Tofu's face was totally without
emotion.
Akane could tell the two were rapidly approaching the limits of
their individual patience. So, as Ranma stepped out of his room to
see what was going on, she grabbed him by the shirt and demanded he do
something to prevent the two men from coming to blows.
"Akane, I only know how to start fights - not stop them," Ranma
protested as his fiance shook him violently. "Unless you expect me to
hit a police officer."
Before she could answer, Jeff and Nabiki, drawn by the sounds of
loud voices, arrived. Nabiki, too, grabbed her husband and insisted
he do something.
"Nabiki, that's a police officer," Jeff pointed out while
indicating the uniformed Watanabe. "Interfering with a Japanese
police officer is not a good thing. Especially for a gaijin."
The two sisters continued to press their respective males to
intervene with little effect while Watanabe and Tofu grew louder and
angrier in their battle of wills.
The conclusion was reached when both girls yelled: "Ooooh! You
men are WORTHLESS!"
Jeff and Ranma stared incredulously as Akane and Nabiki stomped
up to the arguing men. Getting between them, Akane confronting
Watanabe and Nabiki fronting Tofu, they proceeded to deliver
blistering declarations and pronouncements concerning the men's
behavior in the Tendo home - each punctuating their points by jabbing
fingers into the men's chests, backing them away from Kasumi's door.
Jeff just crossed his arms and watched in amazement as his wife poured
out all her anger and frustration at Tofu. Ranma kept casting nervous
glances between Akane's assault on the police officer and Jeff's
placid reaction to Nabiki's performance. He could tell Watanabe was
flustered by the ferocity of Akane's attack but continued to watch,
always ready to react, as she backed the officer against the wall
opposite Kasumi's door.
All arguing came quickly to a halt at the sound of Kasumi's door
unlatching. Slowly, hesitantly, Kasumi Tendo opened the door and
stepped into the hallway. She looked like death warmed over; her hair
a mess, her eyes red, her general complexion pasty - a few wrinkles
from her pillow had marked her otherwise flawless face.
"Forgive me," she almost whispered at the floor as she held her
hands tightly down the front of her wrinkled dress. "I have been
neglecting my duties too long. I need to start dinner."
"I've got dinner covered, Kasumi," Nabiki said firmly as she
fixed her sister with a serious look.
The sound of Nabiki's voice caused Kasumi to look up suddenly
with a startled - almost frightened expression on her face. Seeing
Nabiki for the first time since the abduction, caused fear of her
sister's reaction to surge forth and claim her now trembling body.
With eyes big as saucers, Kasumi slowly backed towards her room - her
mouth silently working as if to offer apologies or explanations to her
sister for losing Sodoshi. The serious look on Nabiki's face caused
Kasumi to start crying again, covering her face with her hands and
stumbling back into her room. With obvious irritation, Nabiki quickly
followed with Akane close on her heels. The two men tried to follow
as well, only to be stopped short by the slamming door in their faces.
"I believe that ends this afternoon's activities, gentlemen,"
Jeff dead panned, his look growing harder with every passing second.
"Officer, I believe your presence here is no longer required."
"My investigation...." Watanabe began.
"You were asked to leave," Ranma shot sharply, his posture giving
strong indications that this was more than a request.
Watanabe looked between the three who faced him before abruptly
starting for the stairs. He paused beside Jeffrey and glowered at the
American.
"Just who *are* you?" he growled as he reached for his pocket
notebook. "I'm going to remember this." He flipped open the notebook
to a blank page and punched his pen open with his thumb.
"Well, I'll certainly lose sleep over *that*," Jeff answered
sarcastically while returning the officer's glare. He had already
sized up Watanabe and concluded he could, if necessary, take the
officer - providing Ranma didn't get to him first.
"The name is Lawrence. Jeffrey Lawrence."
Watanabe's face twitched visibly at the sound of Jeff's name. He
glared at his notebook as his mind sorted through the mess he just
made of his grand plan.
"What was your name?" he asked, his voice sounding less demanding
than before.
"I'll spell it for you," Jeff snarled, feeling confident he now
had the upper hand. "D-I-P-L-O-M-A-T-I-C I-M-M-U-N-I-T-Y" He
finished by flashing his old embassy card. He remembered some of the
embassy staffers calling it a 'Get Out Of Jail Free' card because it
guaranteed the local police would treat you with kid gloves. He
displayed it now like it was a pass from the Emperor himself.
Watanabe instantly recognized the little blue card and a slight chill
ran through his body. Not only was he facing one of the richest
persons in America but someone who could, with a simple phone call,
bring down the wrath of the officer's own government on him. This
would not do. This would not do at all.
Watanabe shut his notebook with a snap, abruptly bowed and
stomped down the stairs. He would deal with all involved in his
report.
Ranma stared at the retreating Watanabe before turning to Jeff.
"How did you do that?" he asked in bewilderment.
"Never throw away something that might be useful in the future."
Jeff waved the little blue card in front of Ranma.
"Then... it's a phoney?"
"Oh, it's real. But it hasn't been any good since I married
Nabiki." Jeff grinned his best 'Nabiki' grin. "I was counting on the
officer being too flustered to examine it closely."
"I would have just slugged him," Ranma lamented while shaking his
head.
"Well, I'm not as good at slugging people as you are." Jeff
turned to return to the kitchen. Ranma and Tofu followed.
<And I'm not as good at conning people as you are, big brother,>
Ranma thought with some awe.

Inside Kasumi's room, another drama was taking place. Kasumi was
on her bed, her face buried in her pillow, sobbing. Akane was trying
to comfort her sister while Nabiki stood looking out the window, her
face stony and cold - just like the day they buried her mother. To
all observing her, she looked totally in control. Inside, however,
she was fighting her mother's instinct, her sorrow, and her feeling of
helplessness.
"Oh, Nabiki, I'm so sorry," Kasumi moaned into her pillow. "It's
all my fault. I was thinking of myself instead of your baby. I only
turned my back for a moment. It's all my fault." She finished by
dissolving into another round of sobs as her small fist slapped
against the pillow in frustration. She still couldn't understand how
this could all happen to *her*.
Nabiki showed no reaction to her sister's declarations - her
expression never changing - her inner struggles yet resolved. Akane
continued to rub her sister's back and talking soothingly in a low
voice while casting nervous glances at Nabiki. She feared another
family fight - one that couldn't be resolved through a trip for ice
cream.
As the clock ticked off the minutes, Nabiki continued to stare
emotionlessly out the window. To all in the room, Nabiki seemed
unconcerned of her sister's plight and equally unwilling to
acknowledge Kasumi's apology. The only outward sign of her struggle
was a single bead of sweat slowly working its way down her face.
Akane, still trying to comfort Kasumi looked questioningly at the back
of Nabiki's head.
Eventually, Kasumi's sobs died down and she slowly pushed herself
almost to a sitting position. She stared at her younger sister while
she fought for the right words to say. In the end, all she had to
offer was emotion.
"Why don't you say something?" Kasumi finally demanded in an
anguished voice, the tension of her sister's silence becoming too much
to bear. "Yell at me! Curse me!" Her voice changed to barely a tiny
squeak as her chin dropped. "Hate me." She paused before once again
looking at her sister and demanding angrily: "But don't just stand
there!"
Kasumi started blubbering again, still punishing herself harder
than Nabiki would ever consider doing.
"It's not your fault," Nabiki finally said to the window, her
face hard and solemn, her voice strained but firm. "It could have
happened to any of us. Me... Akane... you... They were determined to
take her."
Nabiki continued to stare out the window as Kasumi hid her face
in her hands, beginning another round of tears. Nabiki's eye caught
on another young mother as she pushed her stroller down the street,
waving to those she knew and stopping occasionally to allow people to
make a fuss over her baby. Nabiki's face seemed to melt as she
thought of her own baby in the hands of others. She bit hard on her
lower lip trying to maintain her anger at the kidnappers; fanning hard
to keep the flame of indignation burning hot. They had taken her baby
- HER baby. No one takes things from Nabiki.
No matter how hard she tried or where she looked, all she could
see was *her* baby - scared, alone, and crying. Nabiki couldn't hold
out for long as the feeling of helplessness finally broke through and
claimed her.
With a pitiful whine, Nabiki collapsed back onto the bed.
"I just want my So-chan back!" Her eyes were screwed shut,
leaking their tears as her hands balled into fists of anger. Her
whole body shook with her frustration.
Kasumi, whether for her own purposes or out of pity for her
sister, instinctively gathered her little sister into her arms and
held her tight. Nabiki, grateful for someone to hold on to, clutched
desperately at her oneechan as the full holocaust of her emotions
broke free and claimed her body. The two cried together; Kasumi out
of regret at her actions and Nabiki for the life of her baby.
Akane tried to resist the wave of emotions flooding the room but
quickly succumbed to her own anguish and joined her sisters in their
cleansing deluge of sorrow.
For the next half hour, all that could be heard coming from
Kasumi's room were the sounds of three sisters sharing their grief and
providing comfort to each other.

***** 1 *****

Fukoono's cave echoed with the sounds of a baby crying. A young
woman, still casually dressed in the same clothes she wore during the
abduction, proudly carried the squalling infant to just in front of
her master's darkened enclave. With only a glance at the crying
child, she held the baby out towards her master.
"I have brought you the child, master," she proclaimed with some
pride, her face a study of childish innocence.
Fukoono remained silent while Sodoshi's cries echoed throughout
the cave. The remaining gathered ninjas looked at each other as the
child's cries became more frantic. Clearly, they had no idea of how
to quiet the baby.
"Can't you shut that child up?" Fukoono growled from the
darkness. "I can't stand all this racket."
With a startled look, the young woman held Sodoshi to her chest.
Sodoshi, did the predictable thing; started rooting around the front
of the woman's blouse while crying less.
"If I didn't need that child alive..." Fukoono lamented out loud.
The woman's horror at such a thought was clearly evident as she
clutched Sodoshi closer in a protective embrace.
"But you promised no harm would come to the child, master," she
moaned over Sodoshi's cries.
Fukoono paused only a moment to consider his answer.
"You're quite right, my dear. I would never consider harming
such an... energetic young child." He paused again. "As you've grown
so attached to the little brat, I place her in your custody. Take the
child to the village. Feed her. Clean her. Prepare her for her
mother. We don't want anything bothering the poor little... child."
The woman smiled briefly as she rocked the baby and talked softly
in soothing tones to the distressed child. She had developed an
attachment to Sodoshi - an attachment that caused her to secretly
question this whole plan. She liked the baby, her maternal instincts
causing her to sympathize with the baby's mother. Such was dangerous
to Fukoono's plan.
Feeling dismissed, the woman walked purposefully to the cave
entrance. Fukoono's next warning caused her to pause apprehensively.
"Remember girl, that baby is most important to our plans. Should
anything happen to her...." It was unnecessary for Fukoono to
complete his warning. All knew the penalty of failure.
The woman bowed abruptly and scurried out of the cave.
"Master, surely you don't intend to allow the child to live," a
chonin begged in shock. "For there to be any survivors of the Cold
Moon Clan..."
"Of course not, you fool!" Fukoono's voice boomed off the sides
of the cave and filled all who heard it with renewed fear. "But I
need that child alive and in good health until I have her mother. She
is the bait for Nabiki Tendo." He grinned evilly to himself. "I will
deal with them all at the appropriate time - *after* I have the
information I seek."
Fukoono's attending laughter caused all in the cave to shudder at
the foreshadowing of the bloodbath to come.

The young woman carefully carried the fussing Sodoshi down to the
small village, talking in hushed tones to the child trying to keep her
from crying. She was young, in her early 20's, almost as tall as
Nabiki with a similar short hairstyle. She might have even been
considered pretty. Her eyes radiated her compassion for the abducted
child as her mind whirled with regret at having been the instrument of
the child's abduction. Still, her master had promised that no harm
would come to the child or her parents. Fukoono just wanted the
mother long enough to get the secrets of the old monk's cave from her.
All would be free to leave once Master Fukoono had what he wanted.
After all, why harm them if they cooperate with the master?
Convinced that she was doing the right thing, the woman entered a
small house and set about satisfying Sodoshi's needs.

***** 2 *****

"I said: I want to speak to the ambassador himself!" Jeff shouted
into the phone. He was clearly having language problems with his own
embassy. "NO! I do NOT want the Traveler's Aid department! I said
the ambassador!"
It was plain that whomever he was talking to either was not
understanding his request or was purposefully deflecting the annoying
caller in some misguided effort to shield the ambassador from nuisance
phone calls from traveling Americans. Whatever the case, Jeffrey
Lawrence was clearly losing the battle *and* his shinobi-taught
control.
Across the room, Tofu talked with Master Sato in hushed tones.
Ranma, while quietly listening nearby, thought it odd Tofu and Sato
talked more like old friends than recently introduced strangers.
True, they were talking mostly about pressure points and various herbs
and drugs, but the fact they were using words and phrases that were
usually reserved for conversations between close friends raised
Ranma's suspicions. He knew little about Tofu other than he had been
the family doctor for many years. He knew even less about Sato but
what he did know, he didn't like. Still, no matter how hard he tried,
he couldn't think of a logical reason why the two would be so familiar
towards each other. With a shake of his head, he quickly dismissed
any connections between the two as he recalled how they worked
together the night Jeff was ambushed in the dojo and shared an
interest in shinobi medicine. Perhaps that was all.
"I must be going," Tofu said softly while gaining his feet.
"I've been away from the clinic too long." He cast a quick glance at
the ceiling and smiled lightly. "I'm sure Kasumi will be alright now.
She has her sisters for support."
The others nodded their agreement. They'd heard how the family
pulled themselves together before under the cloud of tragedy and were
convinced they would do so again.
"IDIOTS!" Jeff uncharacteristically yelled as he slammed the
phone back into its receiver. "My daughter has been kidnapped and all
they can say is: 'We can do nothing until the police issue their
report'." He finished with a withering glare at the phone, his hands
balled into fists.
"Patience, my son." Sato suggested from across the room.
"Put a sock in it, Sato!" Jeff grumbled in English while
continuing to stare at the offending communications device.
Jeff's remark drew only a raised eyebrow on the part of his
shinobi master. He had not heard such language from Jeffrey since
they started training together so many years ago. It was clear that
Jeff's anger had taken control of him and this worried his aging
mentor.
"She is in no danger, Jeffrey." Sato's soft assurance seemed to
have no effect on his young adopted son.
"So you say!" Jeff spun around and confronted his master. "Can
you guarantee that?" His look was as piercing and confrontational as
Sato could ever remember.
"No," Sato said softly after some thought. He knew such
guarantees were impossible when dealing with someone as mad as
Fukoono.
"Can you guarantee the clans will help in the rescue of my
daughter?" Jeff's anger now had a new focus.
"No."
"Can *you* rescue my daughter?"
"No." Sato seemed to shrink slightly as he openly admitted the
obvious. He knew even he was no match for Fukoono in his own lair -
nobody was. And without clan help....
"The police are no help...." Jeff began listing the failures of
'the system' when he was interrupted by a voice from the hallway.
"What about the police, young man?"
Jeff spun angrily and faced an older police officer, dressed in
an Inspector's uniform.
"Who, the hell, are you?" Jeff growled, obviously unimpressed at
the sight of another 'uniform'.
"I'm Inspector Abe and I'm here about an abduction," the police
officer calmly replied while removing his gloves.
"Well you're a day late and a dollar short, pal," Jeff was
displaying a disgraceful amount of disrespect in front of the police
inspector. "Your people have already been here and left with
NOTHING!"
"Mr. Lawrence, I understand your anger over this..."
"Do you really?" Jeff snarled.
Abe only drew a deep breath and let it out slowly, obviously
attempting to control his own emotions.
"Inspector, do you have any children?"
"Two. But they are both grown now."
"Any grand-children?"
"Yes."
"And you'd be just as calm and analytical if it were one of
them?"
"Yes." Abe calmly replied. "Anger, undirected, can harm you
more than the blow from an adversary."
A flicker of a smile crossed Master Sato's face as he stared at
the table. To him, at least, the Inspector hadn't changed.
"You sound like that old man over there," Jeff growled painfully
while indicating Master Sato with a wave of his hand. "You police are
worthless, the shinobi clans are cowards and my own government seems
to not care that a small child is currently in the hands of a madman."
"Mr. Lawrence, we are doing the best that we can."
That was all Jeff could take. With a snort of disgust, he
stomped out of the room, pausing only to add: "I'm sure all your
reports will be properly filed and cross-indexed."
All heard Jeff's noisy exit from the house. Each suffered the
embarrassment of his emotional display quietly in their own way.
"If I can just find pop and Mr. Tendo..." Ranma mumbled just loud
enough for the older men to hear.
"That would be a mistake, young man." Ranma looked up quickly to
see Master Sato staring at him. "Even together you are not good
enough to...."
"I'm pretty good, old man." Ranma bristled. "My pop's not bad
either."
"I'm sure you're both quite accomplished in the martial arts,"
Sato calmly replied. "But I believe Mr. Tendo has already encountered
one shadow warrior and was lucky to come away with his life."
"He's out of shape - out of practice." Ranma dismissed the
assertion with a shake of his head. "Pop and I can take those...
bandits."
"If it were simply bandits we're dealing with, I'd agree." Sato
continued with his calm, reasoning voice. He knew full well what
Ranma and his father would be up against. He also knew Ranma would be
a clear underdog in such a confrontation - a tragic underdog.
"I can take care of myself," Ranma growled while abruptly
standing. "I'm supposed to be Sodoshi's protector."
"A noble and honorable position, young man. But that doesn't
address the foolishness of getting yourself killed for no reason."
Ranma wasn't buying Sato's calm assessment of the situation.
"I'M RESPONSIBLE for the rescue of Sodoshi and no one is going to
stop me!" As if to emphasize his point, Ranma bolted out the open
engawa and over the compound wall, bound for where no one could say.
Abe disturbed the quiet vacuum left by Ranma's departure by
clearing his throat.
"The impatience of youth," he sadly noted.
"Quite so," Sato replied with a nod. "Can I offer you some tea?"
He began pouring tea into a fresh cup.
"Yes, thank you." Abe calmly seated himself across from Sato and
accepted the cup with a slight bow. "My men are searching for the
fathers now. Do you have any idea how many bars and shogi parlors
there are in Nerima alone?"
"I'm afraid not."
"Too many."
"Yes, I suppose so." Sato sighed. "I fear they're most popular
among this generation as diversions from the pressures of city life."
"And generating a few pressures of their own in the process."
Abe lifted his glass in a toasting gesture before taking a sip. "Do
you have anything more on Watanabe?"
"Yes, of course," Sato answered while reaching inside his yukata
and retrieving a carefully folded piece of paper. Sliding it across
the smooth surface of the table he added: "Mr. Watanabe is a most
ambitious person."
"I've been finding that out," Abe acknowledged while retrieving
the piece of paper and depositing it in the inside pocket of his coat.
"And dangerous."
Sato nodded thoughtfully. "Still, I have found no connection
between his activities and the disappearance of Sodoshi Lawrence."
"Of course, that doesn't mean our young friend won't try to take
advantage of it." Abe scowled slightly. "I have to admit, he's most
resourceful."
"Quite so," Sato answered. "I trust you're aware that young
Jeffrey is likely to do something... rash."
"Yes." Abe stroked his cup of tea thoughtfully. "He is, after
all, an American. What about the mother, Nabiki?"
"I doubt she would be foolish enough to attempt to confront
Fukoono without help." Sato sighed and shook his head. "Unless I can
rally the clans to effect a rescue...."
"Agreed." Abe sounded emphatic. "Without the clans, I fear,
there can be no rescue."
Sato nodded his agreement and took another sip of his tea.
"As long as we can keep Jeff and Nabiki from Hokkaido..."

Jeff didn't go very far. Finding a phone that accepted both his
credit card and would dial long distance proved to be surprisingly
easy. His anger clearly showed to all who cared to watch as he slid
his card through the slot and dialed his office.
"Rachel?" Jeff's voice was calm but forceful. "Patch me through
to Jamie. Yes, *that* Jamie."
Jamie Wilde was a former Navy SEAL who had retired from the
service to work for Lawrence, Inc as a security specialist. It was no
accident that Jeff hired the highly skilled former special forces
commander. Fearing situations that governments and local authorities
would be unable to handle, Jeff had set about hiring a small team of
hand-picked specialists who could be called upon for 'special' duties.
Men who could work quietly inside hostile or potentially hostile
environments to accomplish certain necessary tasks. The often
politically sensitive situations sometimes required such intervention
to rescue or protect Lawrence, Inc personnel or corporate assets.
Jeff had never had to call upon their skills until now.
"Jamie? I want you and a small team, a very small team, here in
Tokyo within 24 hours." As he listened to Jamie's answer, Jeff looked
around to see if anyone was listening or showing any particular
interest.
It took only minutes for Jeff to outline the situation, being
careful to use phrases and critical words that would be meaningless to
an eavesdropper but conveyed exactly the information Jamie needed to
pull his team together and plan the necessary 'equipment'. Before
terminating their conversation, they agreed upon a 'smuggling'
technique to get their equipment into the country and a place to meet.
Jeff Lawrence hung up the phone, knowing full well he was about
to break the laws of more than one country but convinced he was his
daughter's last chance.

"What are you doing?" Akane asked in shock as she entered
Nabiki's room unannounced. She had noticed her sister wasn't down in
the main room with the others through dinner and became suspicious
when her initial search of the first floor turned up empty.
Nabiki Tendo-Lawrence was throwing a few items in a small travel
bag, like she was leaving for a trip. It was obvious what she was
planning to do.
"You're not going alone, you know," Akane warned as she crossed
her arms and assumed a blocking position in front of the door.
Nabiki halted her packing only long enough to shoot a 'warning
look' at her younger sibling. This was *her* problem, not Akane's.
Jeffrey was busy trying to work within the system, knowing full well
his efforts were wasted on a bureaucracy that had so many other
matters they considered more important than the abduction of a child
in a foreign country.
"Jeffrey has his ways and I have mine." She paused as if to
reconsider her next statement. "I'm getting my baby back and I'm not
endangering you or anyone else in the process." Nabiki straightened
up and glared at Akane like her sister was preventing her from doing
what she knew had to be done. "I'm going to get my baby."
Akane looked between her sister's packed bag and her sister's
face. She knew there were times when trying to talk Nabiki out of
something was a waste of time. This was obviously one of those times.
"Then I'm going with you," Akane flatly declared.
"Oh, no you're not." Nabiki picked up her bag and started for
the door. Akane made no move to get out of her way.
The two glared at each other, each waiting for the other to make
the first move. Akane knew she would be able to physically detain her
sister, if it came to that - but only for the moment. She couldn't
watch Nabiki forever. The first time Akane's back turned, Nabiki
would be gone - off to rescue her daughter. Faced with a 'no-win'
situation, Akane decided to try reason.
"Nabiki, when you named me Sodoshi's protector, you put upon me a
requirement I never asked for." Akane crossed her arms and locked
eyes with her older and taller sister. "One thing father taught me
well was that such a requirement was an obligation that demanded
fulfillment. I cannot prevent what's already happened, but I can do
something to make things right."
Nabiki seemed to deflate slightly in the face of her sister's
commitment. Perhaps, deep down, she really wanted Akane to accompany
her.
"I just don't want you hurt too," Nabiki said to the floor.
"That's my choice, Nabiki." Akane held her position and her
posture. "Besides, I know as much about this cave as you do. So even
if you don't let me go with you, I can just follow on my own."
Nabiki considered her sister's points carefully before, with a
heavy sigh, agreeing they would travel together.
"You'll need a few things," Nabiki noted softly.
"Got them right here," Akane chirped as she reached into the
hallway and produced a small 'Hello Kitty' back-pack. Nabiki made a
face at the sight.
"We've *got* to get you some more adult looking things," Nabiki
lamented as she shook her head.
"Why? I like 'Hello Kitty'."
With another shake of her head, Nabiki pressed past her little
sister and out into the hallway.
"You know, father will be furious when he finds out we've gone."
Nabiki scowled at the floor as they approached the stairs.
"Oh, I don't know," Akane thought out loud. "We're going forth
to do battle with evil. I suspect he'd approve."
Nabiki snorted her response. Both girls knew better. Their
father would be beside himself if he knew what they were up to and
would do everything in his power to stop them.
Escaping the residence proved surprisingly easy, as did working
their way to the front gate. Akane quickly slipped through but Nabiki
hesitated, looking instead back the way they had come.
She noted each detail of the Tendo homestead, recalling with each
a treasured memory or momentous occurrence. There was the old house
and all the times she passed through the old front doors. The koi
pond with its numerous underwater explorations by Ranma and his
father. The dojo with all its patches where Jeffrey had almost been
killed and later, where she had fulfilled her promise to Kasumi for a
Shinto wedding. The old cherry tree she used to climb as a child
(much to her mother's displeasure). With every noted aspect of her
home, she was struck with the same depressing feeling; that this was
the last time she would ever see them.
"Nabiki, come on!" hissed Akane from the street, snapping Nabiki
out of her melancholy. With a dismissive shake of her head, she
slipped through the gate, taking careful note to latch it behind her,
and followed her sister.
They had gone only a short ways when a familiar figure dropped
from the wall, landing in front of them. Both girls groaned.
"Goin' after Sodoshi too?" Ranma solemnly asked shifting his
backpack.
Nabiki just threw up her hands in frustration.
"I don't believe this," she snarled.
"Where Akane goes, I go." Ranma sounded most insistent and
unlikely to change his mind, whatever the argument to the contrary.
"Besides, you made me Sodoshi's protector," Ranma pouted out loud.
"That makes it *my* duty to help rescue her."
Unwilling to hold a debate on the subject in the middle of the
street, Nabiki just pushed past the posturing Ranma and headed for the
train station. The two young 'protectors' fell in behind, each
casting wary eyes at each other. Ranma feared Akane would not be good
enough in a fight and Akane worried that Ranma might do something
stupid - like get himself killed. Both knew how dangerous this was
going to be. Good thing Nabiki had a plan - at least, they *hoped*
she had a plan.
None of the trio noticed a shadowy figure as it slipped from a
darkened doorway and began trailing them as they made their way
through the dimly lit streets of Nerima.

Inspector Abe continued to sip his tea calmly as he listened to
the chirping cicadas outside punctuated by the ticking wall clock
across the room. Master Sato had departed, noting that he had much to
do to rally the clans to their cause. With Kasumi and the other girls
safely upstairs, Abe felt he had everything under control. All he had
to do now was wait for one of his men to find the fathers. His
patience was rewarded as the fathers stumbled through the door and
into the residence.
Abe sensed the party's arrival in the hallway, his confirmation
made by the escorting police officer.
"I've returned Mr. Saotome and Mr. Tendo as directed, Inspector."
The young officer smartly saluted before quickly departing. Abe
nodded his acknowledgment while he assessed the unsteady patriarchs as
they tried to support each other, all the time eyeing the uniformed
Abe sitting in their main room sipping tea.
"Mr. Tendo, I believe I have some bad news for you." Abe always
hated having to convey news like this and his sudden nervousness bore
out his feeling of unease. "There has been an abduction."
Both men stared at the inspector, oblivious of what the police
officer was saying to them. Genma finally thumbed his nose drunkenly
and snorted.
"What? Shampoo finally get lucky and grabbed my son?" The two
drunken men collapsed together snickering and trying to hold each
other up.
"I'm afraid it's more serious than that." Abe adjusted his
collar and cleared his throat nervously. "It would appear someone has
abducted your granddaughter, Tendo-san."
The snickering immediately stopped and both fathers stared at the
inspector, blinking and wrestling with the pronouncement. Soun Tendo
was first to connect everything.
"My... So-chan?" he weakly ventured, knowing full well he heard
correctly. His only grandchild had been kidnapped.
Abe could only nod, his face a serious scowl in anticipation of
what was to come.
The alcohol induced euphoria quickly fell out from under the
elder Tendo, leaving him nowhere to go but down into the depths of
despair. As he slowly slid to the floor, mumbling about how
impossible this all was, his best friend in the world carefully kept
him from falling.
"There, old friend," Genma softly comforted. "We'll get her
back."
"Steps are already being taken for the child's rescue," Abe
quietly added as he stood and faced the fathers. "There remains one
thing that only you two gentlemen are qualified to do."
"Anything."
"Yes, anything we can do." The two men seemed to echo each other
as they grasped at the possibility of helping.
"It would seem the kidnappers have also threatened the lives of
your daughters." Abe nervously adjusted his coat. He knew all this
was only a partial truth - the whole Tendo family had been indirectly
threatened. Still, he hated partial truths but it was necessary to
keep the fathers here. "I would recommend that you two men take
charge of protecting your daughters here."
"You hear that, Tendo?" Genma tried to sound optimistic. "They
need our help protecting the girls."
Soun ,still in shock from the news about his granddaughter, could
only nod weakly and stare out the engawa. Jeff had warned them about
some kind of danger but was not specific enough for any to take
measures to insure their safety. Soun always thought Jeff or Nabiki
were in the greater danger - Jeff because of his wealth and Nabiki
because of the role she had played in the last shinobi trouble. He
never considered their only child would be a target.
Now his own children were in danger. Deep down, the tiny flame
of anger he always kept carefully hidden began to burn brighter.
"We will protect the rest, inspector," Soun said darkly. "No one
will get past us."
At first, Genma looked apprehensively at his friend. He'd never
heard him talk like this before. It worried him slightly but
energized him at the same time. He knew how good his friend was at
their particular brand of martial arts but had never experienced
fighting alongside him when really inspired. Genma smiled to himself.
This might be a great adventure after all. Perhaps one that would
bear telling to his grandchildren - how he took on ninja assassins in
the home of his best friend. In fact, he could guarantee it would be
a tale of epic proportions.
"Then I'll leave you two to your duties," Abe bowed and started
for the door. "Be sure to stay close to the phone in case the
kidnappers call. We need to know all the details of any demands they
might make." Abe knew that no ransom demands would be forthcoming.
The abduction was not for money. He just wanted to give the fathers
another reason to remain home.
With a respectful bow, the good inspector departed.
"Well, my friend," Genma said with a slight smile. "It looks
like we need to be making some preparations."
"First, we need to make sure the girls are safely in their
rooms," Soun answered seriously as he regained his feet.
The two fathers were shocked and dismayed to find that only
Kasumi was still at home. Convinced that the two younger daughters
had left in an attempt to rescue Sodoshi, they noisily debated what to
do next. They couldn't follow as they had no idea where the kids had
gone. They had no idea where Jeffrey was. Ranma was also missing.
Calling Inspector Abe proved fruitless as he had not returned to the
koban and the officer on duty thought he had gone home for the
evening. After leaving a message, they resigned themselves to the
fact that there was little they could do for Nabiki or Akane. Over a
light meal prepared by Kasumi, the fathers made their plans for
protecting the remaining Tendo daughter.

***** 3 *****

Jeffrey Lawrence spent the night in a capsule hotel near the
airport. He knew Jamie would be on time and would come prepared.
Sure enough, the next morning, Jamie was the first to arrive.
Dressed like an American tourist, the powerfully built former SEAL
team leader blended in well with the flood of other Americans that
queued up in customs.
Fearing they were being watched, Jeff had arranged for them to
meet in one of the airline's private club rooms.
"Any word from the authorities?" Jamie asked as he dropped his
carry-on bag and sat down.
Jeff just shook his head and grumbled about the relative worth of
working within the system. He had spent much of the night on the
phone trying to get someone - anyone - in authority interested in
pushing ahead and doing something about his daughter. All sympathized
with his plight but insisted they couldn't move until authorized by
some 'higher authority'.
Jamie pulled a CD out of his bag and slid it across the table.
"A little gift from your friend in California," Jamie chuckled as
he sat back and crossed his legs. Jeff noted while picking up the
small disk that Jamie's eyes were constantly moving, evaluating and
assessing every person, every feature, every potential threat.
Somehow, that reassured him.
"What is it," Jeff finally asked as he turned the unlabeled CD
over in his hand.
"It's a detailed topographical representation of the area you
said we'd be going to. It's rendered in 3-D with resolution so good
you can read what time it is from someone's watch in the area."
Jeff's incredulous look caused Jamie to chuckle out loud.
"It's from Joe Palmer," Jamie grinned. "He pirated it off a
Russian spy satellite yesterday, tweaked it some of those computer
gizmos he's so fond of and crammed the whole lot onto that CD."
"It'll come in handy," Jeff admitted.
"What's more," Jamie pulled a small black device from his bag and
held it up for Jeff to see. "He sent this along."
"Looks like a simple global positioning device."
"Partly right." Jamie activated the small box and watched as
their position came up in latitude and longitude. "It also allows JP
and his team to relay items of special interest to us from back in the
states." Jamie punched a few buttons and grunted with satisfaction as
the display changed. "He'll continue monitoring the spy satellite's
downlinks and relay anything of interest to us by piggy-backing the
scrambled signal on the international CNN link bounced from one of our
communications satellites. It's not instantaneous but should keep us
from running into any 'big' troubles."
Jeff just shook his head in amazement. He had no idea there were
such devices available. Jamie must have known what he was thinking.
"It's a prototype of a device designed for American military.
His company is working on it and figured it needed a little 'field
test'." Jamie shut off the device and repacked it in his little bag.
"Ted Hsu is the communications genius who worked out all the little
details, scrambling the signal, using civilian communications links,
that sort of thing."
Jamie's face grew serious as he looked at Jeffrey again.
"Rachel's done a real good job of pulling together the help we
needed. Real discreet too." He shook his head and chuckled. "She
must have gotten it from her father."
"Her father?"
"Her dad was a former SEAL who became a private investigator in
Hawaii. Good one too." Jamie chuckled again as he watched a hostess
deliver some mixed drinks to a small group of businessmen at a table
across the room.
"Rachel Magnum's dad was a SEAL?" Jeff mumbled trying to fit all
the parts of his business life together. He thought he knew all there
was to know about the people who worked for him. Obviously, there
were some gaps in his knowledge.
"Come on, skipper," Jamie said, getting to his feet and picking
up his bag. "The other members of the team are due to touch down any
time now. I've arranged to meet in a small bar across from the air
cargo office. By the way, we're using a warehouse that belongs to
your Japanese farm implement company down in Yokohama. That's were
we'll have the weapons and equipment delivered. We'll assemble the
weapons there and finish making our plans." Jamie slapped Jeff on the
back. "Don't worry, kid. We'll get your daughter back."
Jeff smiled painfully and started to reconsider all he had set in
motion. What they were about to do was so illegal that he doubted
even the embassy would be able to bail him out should they get caught.
Bringing violent mercenaries along with their illegal weapons into
Japan was the kind of crime the local authorities tended to lock up
folks and throw away the key for.

***** 4 *****

In a small clearing near the edge of his clan's ancestral
territories, Master Sato faced representatives of the various clans
that had come to the aid of Jeff and Nabiki over the last week. The
gathering darkness of the night pressed in on the group as it
surrounded a small fire. Sato could tell something was wrong. In
spite of their recent willingness to cooperate, Sato could detect a
curious sense of reluctance about them.
"The battle lines have been drawn, my brothers," he opened
somberly. "Fukoono has presented us with a simple choice."
He could tell he had the complete attention of his audience as
none uttered so much as a grunt of recognition to his pronouncements.
He knew he was dealing with the highest ranking chunin of their clans,
their staffs were bedecked with as many rings of learning as his own.
These were men of great importance in the shinobi community - and ones
not to be trifled with.
"We can aid Nabiki Tendo with the rescue of her infant
daughter..." Sato paused dramatically. "Or we can shrink from our
responsibilities and hand over the girl and her child to one consumed
with his own madness."
There was much exchanging of glances among the gathered as each
hoped the other would speak of their concerns. Finally, one stepped
forward.
"Is she not the one who entered the monk's cave?" he asked in a
most serious tone.
"Yes, she and her clan sister entered the cave. Only Nabiki
survived the encounter." Sato scowled at the questioner like his own
honor had been questioned.
"And did she read the scroll of the prophecy?"
Sato squirmed slightly as he suddenly understood why the gathered
clans were reluctant to commit themselves any further. They now
feared not only Fukoono but Nabiki Tendo, as well. They feared that
she, indeed, knew secrets that could be used against them and their
people.
"She claims she did not read the scroll," Sato flatly declared.
He suspected she had not told the truth at the time but was so
determined to end the 'blood hunts' of the Cold Moon Clan that he
accepted her word without question. Apparently, some of the gathered
chunin as well, now suspected she was lying.
"And you believed her?"
"I have no reason to believe she would hide such from either
myself or her husband." Sato stood his ground. "Jeffrey has *never*
kept a secret from me - nor do I believe him capable of such a deed."
"You are too trusting, Sato," another of the gathered stepped
forward. He was an older chunin, one who stood with Sato the night
the Snow Fox Clan tried their takeover at the site of the monk's cave
- one who had known Sato for many years and who's opinions would carry
much weight amongst the gathered this night. "We have had time to
consider the ramifications."
"I understand your concerns, but can assure you there was nothing
in that cave that could harm the shinobi people." Sato began to feel
himself losing control of this meeting. Like a man attempting to
stand on shifting sand, his resolve was unshaken but his footing
questionable.
"So you say." The old chunin looked and sounded unimpressed with
Sato's assurances.
"You doubt my word?"
"Sato, we have discussed the situation and, as a group, have
decided we cannot interfere." A third chunin, perhaps the youngest
among them, stepped forward to confront the venerable Sato. "We fear
Nabiki *does* know the secrets of the prophecy, secrets Fukoono will
surely rip from her. If we attempt to intervene, he will use those
secrets against us."
"All the more reason to rescue the child," Sato insisted. "If we
rescue the child, Nabiki will have no reason to go to his lair.
Whatever secrets she may know, will remain safely locked in her mind."
"There is a problem with your argument, Sato." The old chunin
noted with an impatient stamp of his staff. "It is already too late.
My sources tell me she departed for Fukoono's lair earlier this
evening."
Sato openly displayed his dismay at the news. All present knew
Nabiki would be no match for Fukoono in his own lair and he had the
girl's baby, assuring that she would be forced to face him on his
terms in the one place he was at his strongest. Even if she did know
something, it would be no match for an elder in his own cave.
"So you see, brother Sato, we must do nothing to anger Fukoono
least he use those new powers against us."
Slowly and in silence, the gathered chunin turned their backs on
Master Sato and calmly slipped away into the night. Only the oldest
chunin remained.
"I'm sorry, brother," he said with a heavy sigh of resignation.
"But surely you can see that we stand to lose either way this comes
out. Even if Nabiki is able to escape Fukoono with her baby, there is
still the matter of the Cold Moon Clan rebuilding upon the secrets of
the monk's cave - a clan with every reason to hate us for 400 years of
persecution. Better to let Fukoono deal with her, then *we* can make
our peace with Fukoono." The old chunin turned his back on his old
friend and started to follow the others. Pausing, as if he remembered
something important, he spoke without facing his old friend. "Let the
Cold Moon Clan die, brother. It is better this way."
Sato stood alone in the clearing while he recalled a famous essay
on a similar situation.
<When they came for the Jews, I said nothing because I wasn't a
Jew. When they came for the Catholics, I said noting because I wasn't
a Catholic. By the time they came for me, there was nobody left to
protest.> Sato shook his head sadly. <I'm getting old. We are not the
people we once were.>

***** 5 *****

In the gathering darkness, three figures cautiously departed the
train in Asahikawa. Few paid any attention to the trio as they wound
their way through the small station and out into cool evening. Their
presence attracted no attention as it was the height of the tourist
season and was quite common for Tokyo people to be seen in town
attempting to escape the heat.
But this trio was different. Unlike the usual tourists, joking
and laughing, these three were solemn and quiet - like people on a
mission.
Over Nabiki's abbreviated objections, Akane insisted they spend
the night in a local inn. No sense wandering around in the dark, she
noted. Ranma, hungry as usual, concurred only because he wanted to
fill the void left by the lack of regular meals.
It took the better part of an hour to find a small inn just
outside of town. The elderly lady who ran the place cheerfully tried
to make them feel at home and seemed to go out of her way to make them
comfortable in the one small room she had available. She was most
proud of the way the shoji slid back to reveal the mountains beyond.
While Nabiki was quiet and brooding, Akane picked up the slack and
presented a cheerful face for the group, thanking the lady for her
hospitality and assuring her the accommodations were quite acceptable.
At dinner, they ate in silence, only occasionally remarking for
their host's benefit how good the food was. Ranma, as usual, attacked
his meal like a starving wolf while the girls ate quietly and said
little to each other.
Back in their room, Akane helped her fiance prepare the futons.
Nabiki, oblivious to her companions' efforts, silently crossed to the
open shoji and leaned lightly against the wall, staring out at the
mountains beyond. Somewhere out there in those forbidding mountains
was her baby. Nabiki shuddered as a cool breeze caressed her body,
heralding the chilly night to come.
Ranma insisted he needed a snack before bed, so left the girls
alone while he hunted an open eatery.
Akane fussed with the futons a few minutes longer before casually
wandering over to stand near the open shoji, glancing between the
beautiful scenery and her stony faced sister.
"It sure is a beautiful view," she offhandedly commented with a
big sigh.
Nabiki gave no indication she even heard her little sister as she
continued to stare at the mountains without blinking. This worried
Akane. She'd seen her sister deep in thought before but this was far
beyond that. It was almost as if Nabiki was not really there. As if
part of her was already up in the mountains searching for her
daughter.
"I'm sure glad you have a plan, Oneechan," Akane sighed as she
thrust her hands into the pockets of her bib overalls. "I'd hate to
go out there tomorrow without a plan."
Nabiki remained motionless, staring at the mountains and saying
nothing. What was there to say? This whole rescue mission was
nothing more than the first impulsive thing she'd done in ten years.
She had no plan. She didn't even know what she was going to do once
they got to the cave. All she could think of doing was storming in,
demanding her baby back, and leaving with Sodoshi in her arms. It
wasn't a plan. It was emotional insanity.
With Ranma's return, Akane reluctantly prepared for bed, noting
that her older sister, now seated, continued to stare out at the
mountains. Certain Nabiki would soon be to bed, Akane snuggled under
the covers and tried to sleep. The last thing she saw before sleep
claimed her was Nabiki sitting in a patch of moon light, still staring
off in the distance; unmoving except for the slow, rhythmic rise and
fall of her breathing.
An hour later, with Ranma snoring lightly, Akane woke from her
slumber with a jerk. It was as if someone had jostled her lightly to
wake her up. Sleepily, Akane looked around but saw no one else in the
room. Looking towards the open shoji, she noticed Nabiki was still
seated in the opening her head bowed.
With a silent sigh, Akane crawled out from under her own covers
and softly padded over the fresh tatami mats with a blanket in her
hands. As she stopped next to her sister, she could see Nabiki wasn't
asleep; her eyes open, still fixed on the mountains beyond. She could
only guess what was going on in Nabiki's mind. She hoped it was the
refinement of a really clever plan.
With a slight wince of apprehension, Akane carefully draped the
blanket around her sister, making sure to tuck it carefully around her
sister's body, before retiring to her warm futon.
Nabiki's mind was indeed working; working on how stupid it was to
be doing this. Sato had warned her that there was no chance to rescue
Sodoshi without the combined help of the clans. In spite that, Nabiki
had stubbornly struck out on her own in an instinctive attempt to get
her child back. She had no plan. She really had no idea what she was
going to do when she got to Fukoono's lair outside of walking in and
demanding her baby.
All evening she brooded in silence, the pain in her chest growing
and gripping her heart. Indignation fought a pitched battle with
something else - something Nabiki had no real experience with.
It wasn't as if someone had never tried to take something from
Nabiki before - it had happened many times while she was growing up.
Always, it resulted in her feeling the white hot flame of anger,
resentment, even revenge. That anger fed her mind the fuel it needed
to plot ways to extract vengeance on the perpetrator. It was always
so easy to feed that anger and give it free reign in her plans; then
harvesting the fruits of her machinations. She became legendary in
Nerima for her schemes. Nobody takes things from Nabiki Tendo and
gets away with it. NOBODY.
But this was different. This time Nabiki found her usual pattern
just refused to work properly. Oh, she felt anger alright - anger
beyond anything she ever experienced. But there was something else
alongside that anger, something that made the crime all that more
painful. It was something Nabiki couldn't put her finger on exactly,
or perhaps didn't want to. Nevertheless, it blunted her anger,
redirecting it inwardly flooding her with feelings of helplessness,
panic, and sorrow she had to constantly fight against. For they made
her feel like a blubbering, female victim. And she *refused* to be
anyone's victim. Her heart was crying in anguish over the loss of her
child while her mind fought back fiercely, refusing to shed more tears
- refusing to allow her emotions to rule. Still, she knew the truth -
her heart clearly was in charge of this trip. It had seen them travel
from Nerima to within a few miles of their goal. Only her mind now
intruded itself and chastised her for such impulsive and foolish
actions. While it scrambled for a plan, her heart continued to mourn.
In spite of all this, Nabiki couldn't escape one important fact;
this trip had been a mistake - a big one.
Four hours later, she was still sitting in the opening and still
staring at the mountains beyond. Tiredly, she shook her head at her
own stubbornness.
<I can't believe I'm doing this,> she finally lamented to
herself. <Why am I here? I can't get Sodoshi on my own.>
She sniffed and rubbed a corner of the blanket across her nose.
It was getting cold. So cold, she could almost see her breath.
<I should have stayed home. At least Akane would be safe. She
has no business being here.> She sniffed again and sighed softly. <Who
am I kidding? I can't run now. I'm stuck and my stupidity is going
to get us both killed.>
Nabiki shifted her position slightly and leaned against the edge
of the open shoji panel. For the first time in over 10 years, she
looked for help.
<Kasumi, you're so lucky. You at least have someone to talk to.>
Cocking her head to look at the full moon overhead, Nabiki paused, as
if to consider the wisdom of what she was about to do. After taking a
deep breath and slowly letting it out, Nabiki closed her eyes and
reached out to the one person she thought she would never want to talk
to.
<I'm sorry, mother, for all the things I said to Kasumi. It's
just... Kasumi has so much. She's so content - so happy. I just wish
you would talk to me as well.>
<Why do you think Kasumi's so happy, kitten?>
<I don't know. Perhaps, it's because you talk to her so much.>
<I only talk to her because she wishes it. Just like you're
doing now.>
Nabiki shook her head with some irritation, just like she used to
do whenever her mother told her a simple truth. <It can't be that
easy, mother. Just wishing to hear your.... voice.........>
Nabiki froze in fear. As she reconstructed what just happened,
it scared her more than anything she could think of. She was talking
to her mother - her dead mother. This was impossible. She had
accused Kasumi of being sick for thinking she could talk to their
departed mother.
<It's just because I'm tired. Yeah, that's it. I'm just tired
and answering myself,> Nabiki thought as her heart rate and
respiration slowed back down with her reasserted sense of logic.
<I have to go now, kitten,> her mother's voice soothingly echoed
in her head. Nabiki's panic leapt forward and totally claimed her
body. Her mother had, for the first time, spoken to *her* - not
Kasumi - but *her*. Frantically, Nabiki grasped at anything to
continue the conversation.
<Please, I need help,> Nabiki pleaded. It had been years since
she asked for anything from her mother. It felt so strange doing it
now - for more than the obvious reasons. <My baby...>
<You must climb the mountain alone, Nabiki. But I'll be waiting
for you at the top.> The last of her mothers cryptic message seemed to
fade away. <We will meet again, kitten. I love you.>
<Mother! Mommy!> Nabiki's exhausted mind screamed in panic. The
feeling of helplessness and fear that dominated a terrified 7-year-old
the night her mother died returned with a vengeance. Having denied
her feelings for so long only intensified their return as her panic
surged forward and overwhelmed her control. Nabiki, tired, scared,
and unsure, found herself grasping for her mother unlike anything
she'd done in the past.
Throwing off her covers, the cold air biting at her bare
features, Nabiki stumbled to the edge of the room and, without
hesitation, stepped off into space, falling five feet to the hard
ground below and landing with enough force to drive the breath from
her. Stubbornly, with added bruises and scrapes, Nabiki scrambled to
her feet and charged off through the trees.
"Mommy!" she yelled, her voice shrill with her panic, as she
stumbled down the wooded hillside. Her mother had returned only to
abandon her again. The confusion, fear, and panic was unlike anything
she'd ever experienced. Exhausted, hungry, and almost delirious from
worry about her daughter had driven her over the edge. She wanted
help - real help. She wanted her mother.
Stumbling through the trees, Nabiki angrily pushed their branches
out of her way, only to be struck in the face by the next branch or
bush, scraping her skin and bruising her body. Small animals
disturbed by her flight, scurried from their cover, further frightened
Nabiki, adding to her panic. Over the rasping sound of her own
tortured breath, she could almost hear their laughter as they mocked
her attempts to press on and get to her mother. Some branches reached
out and clung to her clothing, holding her back temporarily, until she
broke free only to stumble into another tree or bush. She called for
her mother again, without results. She knew her mother must be only a
few meters ahead. Mother wouldn't abandon her.
In tears, she stumbled through another set of bushes, her feet
becoming entangled in the foliage throwing her head first into the
shallows of a small lake. Landing with a mighty splash in the ice
cold water, Nabiki paused in shock. She could still hear the
laughter, including her own, as voices mocked her for believing in
talking to her dead mother. Her own voice was the most malicious of
all, sneering at such a possibility and taunting her efforts. On her
hands and knees, covered with mud, leaves, and twigs, Nabiki dug her
fingers into the soft mud of the lake and cried out for her mother
once more, her tiny voice echoing off the far shore, before collapsing
back on her heels and crying in frustration. She was alone - under a
blanket of stars and the cold light of a full moon - so totally alone.

Morning found Akane up first, stretching in her pajamas and
shivering slightly at the cold air coming through the open shoji.
Irritated that Nabiki had left it open she glanced at Nabiki's futon
and paused. It had obviously gone unused. With concern etched on her
face, Akane slowly walked towards the opening. Looking over the edge,
she saw Nabiki's blanket hanging on a small bush, a light morning
breeze causing its corners to sway like a ghost. She quickly surmised
what had happened.
"RANMA!" she yelled without taking her eyes off the blanket.
"Mhff... what?" he mumbled rolling over slightly.
"Nabiki's gone!"
"Probably gone to breakfast," Ranma slowly climbed out from under
his comforter and grimaced at the cold.
"BAKA!" Akane yelled. She had no time for his usual banalities.
Nabiki was in trouble - she just knew it. Without hesitation, she
jumped to the ground below and grabbed her sister's blanket from the
bush.
Ranma was instantly at the opening, staring incredulously at his
fiance. Nabiki missing and Akane acting strange - this mountain air
does odd things to Tendo women. However, seeing Akane holding a
discarded blanket and looking down the hill prompted him to look as
well - now convinced there really was something wrong. His height
advantage allowed him to spot first what they were both looking for.
"There's something down by the water," he called, spying a small,
dark shape curled in the bushes along the shoreline.
"Oh no," Akane muttered in panic as she dashed through the
underbrush towards the lake, her mind a whirl of potential disasters.
Ranma quickly joined her and the two made a bee line for where he saw
the dark shape.
Reaching Nabiki's side, Akane quickly found her sister alive but
freezing, having spent the night partway in the icy lake. Akane
wrapped the blanket around her sister's body and Ranma hefted her in
his arms - mindful of the droplets of icy water that ran from her bare
legs. Together, they struggled up the hill to the inn with Nabiki's
trembling body. All the way she kept calling softly for her mother -
her voice sounding delirious, her words not making any sense.
Back at the inn, they found the lady innkeeper and quickly
arranged to get Nabiki into a hot furo. As Akane and the lady
undressed the frozen Nabiki, they noted all the scrapes and bruises on
her body. It looked like someone had beaten the girl and left her for
dead.
"Who would have done such a thing?" the innkeeper gasped as she
looked at Nabiki's injuries. "Perhaps I should call the police."
"No!" Akane's sharp response was loud and emphatic enough to
cause the innkeeper to flinch slightly. Akane's voice quickly
recovered her calmness. "No police... please."
The innkeeper stopped helping with Nabiki and looked at Akane
suspiciously. She suspected something improper or possibly illegal
was going on.
"Is the girl in some sort of trouble?" the innkeeper asked in a
low voice, her eyes narrowed into suspicious slits.
Akane struggled with an explanation. She didn't want to tell the
truth, fearing that the lady would simply call the police anyway. So,
she answered the best she could without revealing anything important.
"She lost her baby a couple of days ago," Akane tried to avoid
telling an outright lie, willing to settle for a convenient
rearrangement of facts. "She is still adjusting, you understand...."
The innkeeper, embarrassed at her previous thoughts,
instinctively covered her mouth in shock and nodded understandingly.
She had seen women in her own town, who's babies suddenly died, slip
into a short period of 'madness'. Her suspicion abruptly changed to
compassion as she willingly finished helping Akane with the shivering
mother. As they guided Nabiki into the steaming hot water, Nabiki
came alive with a loud gasp, her head thrown back, her eyes screwed
tightly shut. The sharp pain of a thousand little abrasions and cuts
in contact with the hot water was enough to snap Nabiki back to
reality. Akane was quick to hold her sister in the steaming water,
struggling slightly as Nabiki's natural instinct to escape the pain
caused her to try to crawl out of the water. Under Akane's firm
hands, Nabiki shivered a few more times before settling down.
The innkeeper figured Akane could handle it from here and left
the two sisters alone - apologizing once again for her suspicious
nature and promising to return with some warm sake to help with the
'inner chill'.
Alone, neither girl had much to say; Nabiki because she was still
trying to sort out everything that happened the night before and Akane
because she didn't really know what to ask.
After scooping a few handfuls of hot water over her sister's
still icy cold shoulders, Akane finally resorted to the age old
question.
"What happened?" Akane's voice sounded almost like a mother
inquiring about her daughter's latest indiscretion.
Nabiki cast a quick glance her sister's way before scowling at
the water. It was all coming back - the despair, the panic, the
taunting laughter - everything. Nabiki closed her eyes and rolled her
head back when she got to a very painful part; a part she would never
have believed if it didn't happen to her.
"Kasumi's right," was all she offered to the ceiling.
"Right? Right about what?" Akane stopped scooping water and
stared at her sister.
"About mother." Nabiki sounded sad at having to admit, once
again, she was wrong.
"What about mother?"
"Last night something happened I wouldn't have believed any time
before," Nabiki sighed without looking at her little sister. She
wasn't sure she could tell this looking her in the face, considering
all the fuss she made earlier about the issue. "Last night mother
spoke to me."
It took Akane only a moment to accept Nabiki's word. She'd been
raised on stories of Japanese spirits and always, secretly, envied
Kasumi's ability to communicate with their dead mother. To have a
skeptic as Nabiki confess to such a communication only proved their
mother's spirit was still about, guiding and protecting her family
like she always did.
"Mother told me that I would have to climb the mountain alone."
Nabiki started scooping water herself, like she was already climbing
the mountain. "She promised to be waiting for me at the top."
Akane backed away from her sister slightly at the revelation. It
sounded to her almost like a invitation to her sister's death. The
mountain clearly must refer to the passage into the afterlife where
their mother would be waiting. Akane suddenly had reservations about
this whole trip. Nabiki, however, had a totally different take.
"What I think she means is that you and Ranma cannot go with me.
I must do this alone." She turned to Akane with a painful smile.
"This inn is as far as you two go."
"No, that... that can't be right," Akane replied shaking her
head. "You'll need us..."
"I'm sorry, Akane," Nabiki cut her sister off. "But mother said
I must do this alone."
Suddenly, Akane didn't want to believe her sister's revelation -
it was suicide to go alone.
"Nabiki, maybe you were just so tired you imagined the whole
thing. Mother wouldn't send you into such an obvious trap. It had to
be a trick of some kind. Maybe it wasn't mother."
"It was mother alright," Nabiki answered with a sad shake of her
head. "She sounded the same as she did in Hawaii before Jeff and I
were married." Nabiki paused at the sound of her husband's name. Was
it really only a couple of days since she saw her husband - held him
in her arms? It seemed like a lifetime ago. Her mind quickly
scrolled past her life with Jeffrey; it seemed like something that
belonged to someone else. It took so long for her to find happiness
in a man - most had been little more than children to be used and
exploited for her own personal gain. Jeffrey had proven to be the
only man who could tame her heart *and* offer her the fulfillment of
all her dreams. She was suddenly filled with regret at having to
leave him behind.
"And there's no doubt as to her message. I must do this alone."
"I'm not letting you go alone, Nabiki." Akane sounded firm in
her resolve, placing a hand on her sister's shoulder.
"Don't make this difficult, Akane." Nabiki patted her sister's
hand. "I don't want father to have to bury two daughters."

Two hours later, Ranma and Akane stood outside the inn and
watched as Nabiki trudged off towards the old shinobi shrine. Neither
waved or said anything as they parted, all that could have been said
had. Nabiki was following the instructions of her mother. For the
first time in her life, she was doing something totally without a plan
of any sort, just her mother's instructions, and it felt totally
right.
"I can't believe you agreed to this lunacy," Ranma groaned as he
watched Nabiki turn off the main road and out of sight. "She doesn't
stand a chance against those cut-throats."
"I agreed she could go alone. I did not agree we wouldn't
follow." Akane grinned at her fiance. "Now get your pack and lets
get going before she gets too far away."

***** 6 *****

Jeff nervously glanced from his drink to the various patrons of
the little bar Jamie had chosen as their meeting place. Each stranger
looked like a police informant in disguise to Jeffrey - an informer
that could put the whole group in Japanese jails until they were too
old to care anymore, for what they were planning to do.
Jamie, on the other hand, continued with his 'tourist' act,
looking totally unconcerned with his surroundings and the potential
legal entanglements he was flirting with.
A young looking Japanese male cautiously entered the bar and
looked around the room until his eyes caught on Jeff and Jamie.
Calmly, the young man walked up to their table and handed a folded
note to Jamie. Accepting the paper with a friendly nod, he proceeded
to open it as the young 'messenger' quickly departed.
"Slight change in plans, skipper," Jamie said in a low voice.
"Chris and Pat will meet us at the warehouse."
"Trouble?" Jeff asked as they rose to leave.
"Possibly, but both are very cautious people. If either suspects
anything is wrong, they'll take measures to ensure they're not being
followed." Jamie grinned like all this was just a game to him. Jeff
suspected that was not too far from the truth. "If they *are* being
followed, they won't do anything to endanger either of us. Standard
Operating Procedure, skipper."
As they left the bar and headed for the nearest train station,
Jamie pulled out what looked like a common personal pager and held it
up for Jeff to see.
"If either of them gets caught, they'll activate a small
transmitter they keep on their belts, like this pager, and we'll know
immediately right here." He tapped the blank display with a finger.
Jeff scowled again at the prospects of one of them being caught. Even
*he* was unprepared to pay someone to take the heat for his actions.
The feeling that this was all a big mistake began to build again.
"Another one of Palmer's little toys?" Jeff asked absently.
"Naw, former KGB stuff," he flipped the pager over to show the
Russian lettering on its back. "They're selling everything but
Lenin's body over there. I just picked up a few, charged them to your
South American operations fund, and changed the frequencies for our
own use."
As Jamie chuckled at his own cleverness, Jeff silently worried
about how Sean Gaffney was going to take all this - having his
operations account so cavalierly used for covert purchases from former
Iron Curtain countries. He also began to worry about what else Jamie
had bought using his money.
The train trip to Yokohama was a nightmare for the increasingly
paranoid Jeff. He saw police informants everywhere - the salaryman
near the door - the athletic looking young lady across the way - the
'teenager' listening to his radio. Every stop brought a new change of
'suspects' and a new round of 'guess the informant'. Finally, Jeff
resorted to closing his eyes and pretending he was asleep. If he
didn't see anyone, he reasoned, he wouldn't suspect anyone of
following them. It didn't work. Closing his eyes just made the whole
thing scarier.
Finally, at Yokohama Station, Jeff practically bolted from the
train in his haste to get away. Jamie continued his calm, tourist act
as if he was unconcerned with the eventuality of getting caught.
One look at the implacable ex-SEAL, caused Jeffrey to shyly slow
down and tuck in quietly next to his team leader. His eyes continued
to investigate each suspicious person, but his shame at acting like a
kid breaking into his parents liquor cabinet was enough to keep him in
check.
Outside the station, Jamie hailed a cab and shoved Jeff into the
back seat. Handing the driver a card with the address, Jamie
followed, stashing his bag carefully between himself and the worried
looking Jeffrey.
Conversation was limited as they wound their way around the
various warehouses until stopping in front of a tidy little building
apart from the others.
After dealing with the cab driver, Jamie stood for a minute
looking carefully around until satisfied they were not being watched.
Jeff, however, strode briskly up to the warehouse and quickly entered
without regard to who was watching or what might be waiting for him
inside. With a sigh and shake of his head, Jamie followed, his bag
casually draped over his shoulder.
Inside, Jeff was surprised at how empty the place was. He looked
curiously towards the small receiving office, unable to tell if anyone
was inside or not. One thing was for sure, there was no sign of the
other members of his team.
"Where is everybody?" he asked Jamie from the middle of the
warehouse.
"What concerns me is where my shipment is," Jamie replied softly.
As if to answer him, a young man in a spotless white dress shirt
and dark tie came scurrying out of the receiving office, clipboard in
hand.
"Konnichiwa," he pleasantly called as he approached the pair.
"May I help you gentlemen?"
"I'm Jeff Lawrence and this," he turned to the suddenly cautious
Jamie. "Is my chief of security."
The young clerk clearly knew who Jeffrey was and suddenly shifted
into the usual bowing and corporate-type greeting routine Jeff found
so embarrassing when dealing with his Japanese companies. Being so
young and treated like a much older person always made Jeffrey
uncomfortable.
"Perhaps you could tell us where a shipment of experimental
tractor parts would be located? They would have arrived this
morning," Jamie asked casually as he approached the young clerk.
Stopping in front of the clerk, he seemed to tower over the younger
man, giving him the full 'self-important' treatment.
The young clerk looked stunned at the question and nervously
checked the invoices on his clipboard. After a few seconds, it became
obvious that the clerk was totally at a loss.
"Perhaps it was mis-shipped, Lawrence-sempai," he stammered
nervously while bowing continuously. "I will trace it immediately."
"Yes, do," Jeff offered, still nervous but recovering fast now
that he was playing a part he was more used to - corporate big-wig.
The clerk nervously bowed once more and scurried back towards his
small office. Jamie began to drift slowly towards the side of the
room. Something wasn't right about all this. Something about the
absence of both his equipment *and* his missing team members.
"Perhaps the items you are looking for were sent elsewhere," came
a voice from the doorway leading to the offices of the warehouse.
Jeff groaned softly and closed his eyes. He knew that voice.
Slowly, he opened his eyes again and looked at the speaker to make
sure.
The man was no longer wearing his policeman's uniform, dressed
instead in a simple dark blue suit, but still conveyed all the bearing
and mannerisms his office demanded.
"Inspector Abe," Jeff noted out loud, his voice betraying his
surprise. "A little out of your district, aren't you?"
"Funny thing about my work, young man. I find it sometimes
requires me to travel." Abe calmly walked towards the shaken Jeffrey.
"Beastly weather we're having, isn't it?"
Jamie had just reached the door that led to the warehouse toilet
when the Inspector turned to address him.
"Come, come, now Mr. Wilde. Don't stand on ceremony. We're all
friends here." He smiled like a cat who had a mouse cornered as he
casually clasped his hands behind his back. "Do join us. I'm sure we
can have a most... interesting discussion."
"About what?" Jamie asked almost too casually. He had slipped
back into his innocent traveler act again.
"Oh, I don't know," Abe said to the floor as he scuffed a
perfectly shined shoe against the smooth concrete of the warehouse.
"How about mercenaries?"
"Mercenaries? Disgusting people. I wouldn't have anything to do
with 'em." Jamie was back in character again as he halted near the
other two men, setting his bag lightly on the floor in front of him.
"I'm glad to hear that." Abe glanced briefly at the bag. "I'd
hate to think such a distinguished and important person such as Mr.
Lawrence here would be mixed up with such people."
Jeff began to sweat much harder than was necessary in the hot
warehouse. He suddenly saw the inside of a Japanese jail very
clearly.
"What have you got in the bag, Mr. Wilde?" Abe was acting so
cool and coy, Jeff wondered just how much he knew about this little
operation. Quite a lot, he imagined.
"Personal items." Jeff had to hand it to his partner, he wasn't
going down without a struggle.
"Come now, Mr. Wilde or should I say: Lieutenant Commander
Wilde." Abe smiled at the ex-SEAL like he knew everything about the
man. "You're in Japan now. I can look in any bag you have."
Jamie just shrugged and held out the bag's shoulder strap to the
Inspector.
"Suit yourself. I passed through customs and airline security
with this bag. I doubt you'll find anything out of the ordinary or
illegal inside."
"I'm quite sure I won't." Abe smiled again. "Perhaps you'd like
to explain what you're doing here in Yokohama."
"Mr. Lawrence pays me as a security consultant. We're here
following up suspected security problems."
"Oh?" Abe feigned surprise. "We've had no reports of problems
at this facility."
"We don't report everything to the police."
"I'm quite sure you don't." Abe was so completely in control
here Jeff was tempted to throw himself on the mercy of the authorities
in hopes of convincing them that the loss of his daughter had caused
him to go crazy.
Jeff almost jumped as the Inspector turned to him.
"Mr. Lawrence, would you happen to know where your wife is?"
"At the Tendos, I presume." Jeff sounded like he was less than
sure about that himself.
"Unfortunately, no. She, along with her younger sister and her
sister's fiance have disappeared. You wouldn't have any idea where
they might have gone, would you?"
Jeff reaction was so blatant it caused even Jamie to wince.
Slapping his forehead he groaned out loud.
"Oh no."
"It would appear that your wife and her family members have gone
and done something... rash."
Jeff quietly walked a little way from the others and lamented the
possibilities. Sodoshi in the hands of madmen, Nabiki
uncharacteristically rushing off to... do what, he had no idea, and
now his only plan to rescue his child was being thwarted by the
police. Jeff stopped and leaned against a large packing case as he
tried to think of a way out of all this.
The clerk's reappearance waving a packing slip interrupted Jeff's
morbid thoughts.
"I've found them, Lawrence-sempai," the clerk excitedly shouted
as he scurried up to the young American. "Most were mis-shipped to
another location. But we *did* receive one box." He hurried over to
where a stack of smaller boxes were stored and quickly found the one
he was looking for. Jamie materialized by his side with a pry-bar and
popped open the 4 foot square wooden case. He wasted little time in
digging through the various pieces of obvious machine parts until he
found what he was looking for.
Packed in plastic, disassembled, was the obvious parts of an
automatic weapon. Like a child on Christmas morning, Jamie removed
the package and ripped open the outer covering. Inspector Abe was
less than pleased.
"That, is an illegal weapon," he flatly declared. "You will
kindly hand it over." His look was that of a person that expected
immediate compliance. Jamie's reaction was pure malevolence.
"In your dreams, pal," he growled. "I'm here to do a job and
this little piece of American craftsmanship is going to help me do
that job."
Inspector Abe was about to respond when Jeffrey, fed up with all
the meddling - the delays - the backside covering - and the outright
cowardice he'd seen, suddenly turned and snarled at the Inspector in
terms that made his displeasure abundantly clear.
"I've HAD IT with your national sensibilities, your bungling
police force, and everything else that goes along with your pathetic
existence!" He fronted the slightly startled officer. "First you
tell me you can't help return my daughter." Jeffrey's face was only
inches from the inspector's now. "Then you tell me my wife is most
likely engaged in some foolhardy expedition of her own, obviously
putting her own life at risk to rescue her baby from the hands of
madmen *you* and your government seem intent on avoiding."
Jeff stepped back slightly, picked up a two foot long piece of
metal tubing and threw it across the warehouse to demonstrate his
frustration. As it clanged off the wall, a gathering group of curious
warehousemen ducked and cowered back the way they came. Obviously,
this was one gaijin they were content to let someone else handle.
"I'm sure, some day, a Tokyo resident on holiday will stumble
across the remains of my long dead daughter and will dutifully report
it to your police force who will be most grateful in being able to
finally close their books on this case. Of course the hiker will be
all over your television telling just how traumatic it was finding
Sodoshi's little body and how it ruined his holiday. And everyone
will cluck their tongues at how the country is going to hell because
such acts of madness take place. Committees will be formed, the Diet
will debate various aspects of my daughter's death, and a small
placard will be erected to her memory by some local citizens. And
EVERYONE will go home feeling really good about themselves. Everyone
except my daughter - my poor departed DEAD daughter!"
Jeff paused gasping for breath, his anger reaching new peaks with
every passing second.
"I don't want to hear about how what I'm about to do offends you
or your country because, frankly, I don't give a damn any more. I'm
going to get my daughter back."
The two men stood toe to toe facing each other, each daring the
other to make a move. It quickly became apparent that Jeffrey wasn't
through.
"For the last three years, I've lived in the shadow of others;
listening to their advice, deferring to their wishes, and generally
acting like a poor little rich kid who needed the guidance of others
to get along in the world. Well, by God, no more! I may be so far
over the line now that I'll spend the rest of my life behind bars, but
if I can free my daughter, I'll not regret a moment of it."
Jamie casually leaned against a stack of packing crates as a slow
smile spread over his face. This was the kind of person he hoped he
was working for, not the scared little boy he encountered at the
airport.
<Who dares, wins,> he happily thought to himself.
"Commander Wilde, do you have another of those little pop guns of
yours in that box?" Jeff asked while still staring down the Inspector.
"Just so happens, I do."
"Then retrieve it and let's get out of here." Jeff continued to
stare angrily at the Inspector. "I suddenly need to be with real
men."
Jamie quickly retrieved the other bundle and headed for the door.
Jeff soon followed, but only after issuing one last warning to the
police officer.
"Don't get in my way, Abe. I'm in too deep now to let the harm
of a police officer prevent me from rescuing my daughter. If stopping
me means that much to you, call out your 'army'. Just be sure to tell
them to pack one thing - a good supply of body bags."
With that, Jeff turned on his heel and strode purposefully
towards the door, his stride clearly indicating his resolve and sense
of purpose. For the first time in his life, he felt like a man.
Abe stared at the floor, pursing his lips in thought. Things had
clearly spun out of control faster than he anticipated. Jeffrey was
not reacting in the way Sato said he would when confronted with
authority. Perhaps it was because this all involved his daughter.
Perhaps it was because he's an American. Maybe Jeffrey just found his
own manhood.
In any case, what Jeffrey had said was quite true, the Japanese
government was unusually reluctant to aid in the return of Sodoshi
Lawrence. Abe thought back to the Tendo house where Jeffrey asked him
if he would be equally calm if it were one of *his* children. He knew
the real answer to that question and it wasn't what the one he gave to
Jeffrey at the time. He had lied to Jeffrey, just as he had been lied
to by his superiors. There was no effort afoot to rescue the American
child, there was never even plans to institute such a rescue. Someone
wanted the child dead. Someone who had something to gain from Sodoshi
Lawrence's demise. As all the parts added up, a bit of anger forced
its way to the surface. He had been used - used by people he formerly
respected.
"Just a moment, Mr. Lawrence," Abe called, pealing off his suit
coat and tossing it along with his tie on the open packing case. "I'm
going with you."
Jeff never broke his stride as he shouted back: "I *don't* need a
chaperone."
"Nothing of the sort, young man." Abe started towards the door
as well. "I too sometimes feel the restrictions my government places
on me. You have to forgive me, I've spent all my life on the force.
I've lived so long under the discipline of my profession, I've
forgotten what it's real purpose is; to protect honest citizens from
harm, to serve their needs in time of despair. Forgive me for having
forgotten that. My late wife used to say I was sewn into my uniform."
He stopped in front of the two men and rubbed the back of his head
sheepishly. "You know, I really can be of help to you."
"You can be of most help by telling me where the rest of my team
is," Jamie said in a low, threatening voice.
"Commander," Abe looked apologetically at the floor as he
struggled with his answer. "Your men have been followed since they
got off the plane - by more people than mine."
"What!?!"
Abe hesitated, as if he was debating how much to tell the
Americans. In the end, he opted for the truth.
"There is something going on in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police
Force that, I fear, involves more than just the Tokyo area. Your team
has walked into, what may turn out to be, an internal struggle for
control of both the police and our JSDF. There are those who feel it
could be the work of militarists."
"I don't believe this is happening," Jeff yelled, throwing up his
hands. "I thought you people got rid of all those kind after the
war."
"There has always been a tiny underground movement of those who
feel we are no longer a mighty nation because we have abandoned our
samurai/military heritage in favor of a more peaceful existence."
"How big is this 'conspiracy'?" Jamie asked with some concern.
Having once been assigned to SEAL Team 5 based in Japan, he'd heard
all about such stories but never took them seriously - Navy bases
always being a hotbed of rumor and such. But if what Abe told them
was true, this could have far reaching consequences.
"It's hard to say, exactly," Abe scowled at the far wall. "I've
been working on this for six months - longer if you count the amount
of time I took to determine just who I could trust."
"Then the average policeman in the koban..."
"Could very well be a member of the conspiracy, yes."
"Damn shadow conspirators," Jamie sneered like the very words
were distasteful.
"What? I'm lost." Jeff looked between Abe and Jamie.
"In any conspiracy, there are active and passive participants."
Jamie shifted his load nervously. "Picking out the active ones is the
easy part. But the passive ones.... Well, they're the ones that'll
get you every time."
Abe solemnly nodded his agreement before adding: "What's more,
many of them are simply 'opportunists' who are members only to the
point where it benefits them."
Jeff got the feeling there was more the Inspector was not telling
him. Cocking his head in a questioning manner prompted the officer to
finish his thought.
"I believe your Officer Watanabe is one of those 'opportunists'.
I fear what he's capable of doing to obtain his personal goals."
Slowly, the realization of just what the Inspector was warning
him about sunk in. Jeff's face clearly displayed his sudden
understanding.
"Kasumi..." he said in a horse whisper.
"Yes, Tendo Kasumi is one of his 'goals'," Abe added casually.
"While the eldest daughter of Soun Tendo is unlikely his primary goal,
her relationship to you could push her acquisition up in his agenda."
"Then he might just favor the kidnappers," Jeff noted as he
stepped slowly away from the others while fitting all the pieces
together. "With Sodoshi out of the way, he would marry Kasumi,
then..."
"Then you better watch your back, kid." Jamie shook his head as
he, too, realized just where all this was going. With Jeff's only
heir out of the way, the elimination of Jeffrey would leave everything
to Nabiki. If Nabiki were to meet with an unfortunate 'accident',
Kasumi would stand to inherit, at least, a part of Jeff's fortune.
Certainly enough to satisfy one such as Watanabe. Of course, he would
be unlikely to stop at the elimination of Jeff and Nabiki.
Jeff's hands slowly balled into fists. Once again, he and his
family were being hunted - this time, for their money. Instead of his
calm, rational Shinobi-taught personality getting shoved aside in
favor of his emotional Americanism, it was brutally mugged.
"Wilde, let's grab us a train north," Jeff barked as he turned
once again to the door. "We have work to do."
"Welcome aboard, Inspector." Jamie held out a hand to Abe with a
grin. "I fear you've fallen in with renegade mercenaries."
"I believe you're right," Abe responded taking Jamie's hand and
returning his smile. "I'm glad to say."
With a renewed sense of purpose, the small multinational team
slipped quietly out of the warehouse and headed for the train station.

***** 7 *****

Soun and Genma had spent the entire day planning for the ninja
onslaught predicted to come. Like two schoolkids planning an
elaborate prank, they scurried about the compound, giggling to
themselves and laying their traps.
To ensure Kasumi's safety, they had her spend the night with an
old school friend. Collateral damage was always a possibility
whenever the Anything Goes school of martial arts practiced their
craft. Soun, naturally, didn't want Kasumi to get caught in the
cross-fire. In spite of their arguments, she proved surprisingly
resistant to leaving her home for the evening. This bothered Soun as
he could tell there had been a change in his eldest daughter - she was
less peaceful, less assured, less cheerful. In the end, she
reluctantly departed, but only after the fathers agreed they would not
make a mess.
Come nightfall, everything was set and the fathers retired to the
main room to play shogi and drink tea.
Shortly before midnight, six ninjas silently took shelter outside
the walls of the Tendo compound and plotted their strategy. Their
leader, a survivor of the Show Fox Clan, burned with his hatred for
the Tendos. They were the cause of his own clan's destruction. They
were the ones who destroyed his comfortable corporate life. They were
the ones who would pay for such treachery - pay with the coin best
known to the shinobi shadow warrior; their lives. With him this night
were not the best the new clan had; most were failures in their own
clans. Still, they were eager for their first 'taste of blood'.
With a nod, he sent two scouts over the wall.
"I wonder just what's taking them so long," Genma pondered out
loud as he watched the shoghi board closely. He was paying such close
attention because whenever he turned his head, Soun would rearrange a
few pieces to improve his overall position. Of course, Genma would
return the favor whenever Soun's attention was similarly diverted.
"Patience is a virtue of our martial art," Soun replied as he
shifted his position slightly, never taking his eyes off the game.
As if to reward their patience, the first ninja scout encountered
Genma's snare trap. To be more precise, he discovered the snare and
snorted his disdain at the simplicity of its construction. Shaking
his head in disgust, the ninja carefully stepped around the snare and
directly into a hidden bear trap that snapped painfully shut around
his ankle. Screaming in pain, the ninja scout hopped away, the trap
still painfully grasping his leg until he stumbled into Genma's
'primitive' snare. Triggered, the snare grasped the ninja's legs
together and snatched his body from the ground. His scream was cut
short as his body made a graceful arc through the air, impacting on
the roof of the Tendo's storage shed.
One down.
Slapping a 50 yen coin on the shoghi board, Genma made a wager.
"I'll bet the next one comes in upstairs."
"Not so, old friend. He'll come in through the bath." Soun
countered with a 50 yen coin of his own.
Both listened carefully as the second ninja scout slipped in
Akane's window and touched down softly on the floor.
Drawing his katana, he slowly approached the covered figure in
the bed. Without making a sound, he viciously hacked at the covered
form, ripping the bed sheets to pieces. Pausing, he discovered the
deception and angrily tossed aside the, now shredded, pillow and wig.
Both fathers heard the ninja creep down the hallway towards the
stairs.
"Almost there," Genma whispered as he collected his winnings and
grinned at Soun.
"About now," Soun noted impassively.
As if on queue, the ninja encountered black fishing line
stretched ankle high across the top stair. With a shout of surprise,
the ninja tumbled down the full length of stairs, ending with a final
groan as he passed out at the bottom.
"Well, I suppose they'll be coming through the engawa next," Soun
sighed. "They're not very imaginative." He sounded disappointed as
they prepared for the next attack.
Two more ninjas crept up to the edge of the engawa. They could
see the two fathers silhouetted on the closed panel. With sly smiles,
the ninjas selected their blowguns, loaded them with pencil thin darts
and took careful aim. Firing simultaneously through the paper thin
panel, they were delighted to see the figures collapse from the impact
of their projectiles.
With silent smiles of victory, the ninjas crept up to the panel
and slid it open. Their smiles disappeared when they discovered the
targets they had just eliminated were nothing more than cardboard
cutouts propped up next to the shoghi board.
Growling to himself about sly old foxes, one ninja angrily
motioned for his companion to search for the fathers in the kitchen
while he crept down the hallway towards the bath. Pulling his black
katana, the ninja paused when he heard the door to the bath close.
With an evil grin, the ninja crept to the door. Carefully opening it,
he looked around the outer room before exploring the bath itself.
Inside, he checked the drained furo and the only window.
Soun quietly crawled out of the laundry basket, calmly crept to
the door, wrapped a bare wire around the handle, slammed the door shut
and flipped a switch. The banging of the door as it closed, caused
the startled ninja to spin around and strike an aggressive pose.
Seeing no one there, he splashed his way to the door not noticing the
thin layer of water on the floor of the bath. He *did* however notice
the doorknob when he grabbed it. The full impact of 240 volts caused
his hair to stand on end, his toes to curl, and his katana to glow
like a light saber. His body continued to jerk and smoke as his
screams echoed throughout the neighborhood.
<Shocking,> thought Soun as he flipped off the switch and quietly
left the changing room. A sickly sweet smell seemed to fill the bath.
In the kitchen, the second ninja carefully examined every dark
corner until a small rubber ball, bouncing across the floor, attracted
his attention to the small pantry. Creeping to the partially open
pantry, he pulled his tanto out and carefully took hold of the pantry
door's handle. With a sudden jerk, he swung open the door and started
his attack only to be brought up short by the sight of a grinning
skeleton staring back at him - its eyes glowing unearthly yellow and
its jaw wiggling to the sound of ghoulish laughter. With a scream of
surprise, he jumped back on guard only to land on all the jacks Genma
had spread on the floor. With a painful howl, the ninja hopped across
the room as the pointed little objects stabbed at his tender
stockinged feet. Genma, hiding in the trash cupboard, pushed open the
cupboard door as the ninja passed and sprayed him full in the face
with a can of insect repellant.
Another howl of pain accompanied the ninja as he stumbled back
into the center of the room, clawing at his eyes. Genma just pulled a
lanyard and every pot and pan Kasumi owned dropped on the startled
ninja. Stumbling blindly across the room he collided with the door
holding back Kasumi's ironing board which immediately swung open,
releasing the heavy board. Weighted by Kasumi's iron on its end, the
board swiftly swung down, knocking out the assassin.
"Gotta hurt," Genma mumbled with a grin as he crawled out of the
trash cupboard. "That's four."
The fathers met again in the main room to ponder their next move.
Fortunately, one of the remaining ninjas made everything simple for
them. Jumping onto the engawa, the ninja brandished his gleaming
katana.
"Ah HA!" he crowed as he assumed a swordsman's position.
"Oh HO!" Soun responded as he pulled another lanyard, releasing
the pins that held four large springs in place under the section of
engawa the ninja was standing on. With a shout of surprise, the ninja
was catapulted upward through the section of roof that hung over the
engawa. The fathers listened carefully as the assassin's body crashed
into the roof twice on its way down - the dazed ninja landing in a
heap on the grass outside.
"Well, Saotome, I believe that's all of them," Soun glowed with
pride. "We did a pretty good job, if I do say so myself."
"Agreed, old man," came a nasty voice from the open engawa.
Both fathers turned slowly to see the ninja leader holding a
small pistol.
"I thought you said there were only five," Genma accused his
friend with a quizzical look.
"I never said there were only five. Besides, how should I know
they'd bring a sixth," Soun replied with a sad shake of his head. "A
most unlucky number, you know."
"Unlucky for you," the ninja growled.
"Hey! Pistols are not fair." Genma said as he noticed the
ninja's weapon. "Hardly the weapon of a noble warrior."
"Yes, I agree. Most outside the rules, old boy," Soun noted with
a sad look.
"Very well," the ninja leader replied with an evil grin as he
slipped the pistol inside his yukata and slowly drew his katana.
"This is more fun anyway."
"Do we know how to defend against a katana?" Soun asked his
friend with a quizzical look.
"Not sure it's ever come up in our training," Genma replied with
a grin.
The ninja, however, was not amused. With a yell, he attacked,
bringing the blade down with clear intent to do bodily harm to Genma.
Both fathers easily leaned away from the attack as the blade bit
deeply into the wall behind them. Simultaneously, both fathers kicked
viciously at the ninja's midsection, landing blows hard enough to
raise the assassin several feet off the floor.
The fathers had to agree the ninja leader was a tough customer as
he took the blows well, even to the point of spinning around and
clumsily striking at Soun with a drawn tanto. Missing the elder
Tendo, he dove to attack the retreating Genma, who was backing quickly
towards the open engawa.
Figuring he would get the ninja outside before finishing him
(less collateral damage that way), Genma retreated towards the opening
leading outside. Unfortunately, he forgot they 'ejected' that section
of the engawa earlier and the rotund martial artist tumbled to the
grass outside in a most undignified manner. With a roar of victory,
the ninja prepared to strike. Soun, seeing his friend's plight,
pulled his last lanyard, releasing a heavy four foot section of steel
sewer pipe they had rigged to the ceiling. With a low hum, the two
hundred pound metal bludgeon swung down and smacked the ninja leader's
head with a loud 'bong' that echoed like a temple bell, sending him
tumbling out onto the grass. His unconscious body collided with
Genma, sending him towards the koi pond. For a few comical seconds,
Genma teetered on the very edge, his arms and legs wildly flapping in
a vain attempt to avert the inevitable. With a final shrug of
resignation, Genma Saotome took another underwater exploration of the
pond - with the predictable results.
"Just as we planned it, eh Saotome?" Soun chuckled from the
opening to the main room. Genma's response was lost in his sputtering
attempts at dislodging the last of the koi from his now useless pants.
It took the next hour for the two to retrieve and stash the
comatose ninjas in the darkened dojo. While Genma-panda patrolled the
compound, searching for other potential threats, Soun dealt with the
bound ninjas in a manner that almost guaranteed they would not escape.
Soun had just finished with the last ninja when Genma reminded
him of is little 'problem'.
"What about me?" Genma-panda's sign read.
"Of course, old friend," Soun noted as he rubbed his chin. "How
you must suffer in all that fur."
"Only in the summer," Genma's other sign read before he flipped
it around. "Fleas!"
"In that case, I'll go heat up some water right away." Soun's
departure allowed Genma-panda time to waddle slowly across the lawn,
stretching the kinks in his joints. He couldn't explain it but in his
panda form, he always felt more lethargic - like he constantly needed
to stretch and yawn.
It was to this scene Officer Kenji Watanabe arrived. Responding
to a phone call from a concerned citizen about ninjas invading the
neighborhood, Watanabe handled it like he did all those 'UFO' calls -
namely, it could wait until after his tea.
Shining a flashlight around the compound, Watanabe quickly came
to the conclusion that all was as it should be - for the Tendos
anyway. The light from his flashlight caught on the staring Genma-panda.
"Oh, it's you," Watanabe grumbled as he walked up to the
stationary panda. "I don't suppose *you've* seen any ninjas?"
Genma-panda continued to stare blankly at the officer.
"I suppose not." Watanabe looked at the house, noting that only
the lights in the kitchen were on. "It looks like everyone is in
bed."
Genma-panda continued to stare blankly at the officer.
"Is your master at home?" Watanabe irritably asked as he bent
over and stared directly in the panda's eyes.
Genma-panda continued to stare blankly at the officer.
"You really are a stupid animal, aren't you?" Watanabe
straightened up and adjusted his coat. "You know, you're the first
thing I'm going to get rid of when Kasumi and I are married."
Genma-panda broke his pattern by blinking at the officer and
twitching his ears. He couldn't believe what he just heard.
Soun Tendo, kettle of warm water in hand, stopped in the shadows
of the main room at the sound of Watanabe's voice. Ordinarily,
hospitality would demand he invite the officer in for tea but what
Watanabe was telling Genma-panda gave him reason to pause.
"Yes, you, your master and those idiot Saotomes are all going to
have to go." Watanabe punctuated his pronouncement with a dismissive
wave of his hand. "Then all I have to do is convince the senile old
father that *I'm* the rightful heir to the property." He reached over
and grabbed the panda by it's fur so he could stare directly into his
eyes. "And you know what happens next? I have the father committed
to an old folks home." He ended his plans with a hearty laugh.
Genma-panda felt the plan needed something, something special -
perhaps his 'panda' touch. Shifting his weight, the heavy panda
brought his front paw down directly on the officers foot.
"OW! You stupid, clumsy beast!" Watanabe howled as he pushed on
the panda's broad shoulder to no avail. "Get off my foot!"
Instead of releasing the officer, Genma-panda only seemed to
grind his paw even harder into the poor policeman.
"That's it!" Watanabe turned to beating on the panda with his
flashlight. "It's the zoo for you, buster!"
Genma-panda figured he had enough and released the yelling
officer. With a little satisfied grin, Genma-panda turned and started
to waddle away from Watanabe. The officer, his face purple with rage,
took the opportunity of the panda presenting his broad backside to
deliver a final, vicious kick to the panda's fleshy flank - which
elicited a surprised 'woof' from Genma-panda.
Watanabe turned away and bent over to examine his injured foot.
Genma-panda, indignant at being kicked with his back turned by the
arrogant Officer Watanabe, slowly rose onto his back legs and sized up
the properly positioned officer. In his mind, he became the hero
again.
<It's fourth down and seconds to go. World famous kicker Genma
Saotome is in for the kick that would win the game. He lines up. The
ball is snapped and here comes the kick.> Genma fantasized as he
approached the bent-over officer.
The next scene was that of a screaming Watanabe, arms and legs
flailing wildly, flying over the far wall of the compound. A loud
crash marked the officer's landing in Mrs. Suzuki's heaping garbage
mound next to the street.
"Well kicked, my old friend," Soun applauded as he stepped into
view. "I believe that's two points in that American game Jeffrey is
so fond of."
"3 points!" read Genma-panda's sign as he heard the roar of
100,000 screaming fans in his head.
"Are you sure?" Soun struck a contemplative pose. "We'd better
ask Jeffrey-san when he gets back. In any case, here's your water.
We have a lot of cleaning up to do."
Across the street, Officer Kenji Watanabe was crawling out of a
disgusting smelling pile of garbage.
"Assaulting a police officer; keeping a dangerous animal in the
city; interfering with a police officer..." he ticked off the offenses
he was going to file on the panda, the Tendos, and anyone else he
could think of.
As he got to his feet, he quickly discovered he wasn't alone. A
very large mongrel dog was only a few feet away, its head lowered and
its hackles raised. Officer Watanabe was about to meet 'Baby', Mrs.
Suzuki's new dog. She got 'Baby' right after the last ninja incident,
thinking an old woman needed protection from all the ruffians that
seem to concentrate on the Tendos and anyone else who stayed there.
"Now dog, I *order* you to disperse." Watanabe waved a finger at
the growling dog. "I'm a police officer. Do you know the penalties
for interfering with a police officer?"
Apparently Baby didn't as she only growled louder.
"Let's calm down now, dog." Watanabe picked another orange rind
from his uniform shoulder and started backing away from Baby. "Let's
not do something we'd regret."
Baby, convinced there was nothing to regret in assaulting the
person who just woke her up, immediately launched herself at the
officer. Narrowly evading the first lunge, Watanabe decided to
postpone his lecture on 'being a good citizen' to the dog and began
sprinting down the street like his life depended on it. Baby helped
him along by noisily biting chunks out of the breeches of his pants.

Early the next morning, Kasumi returned home and prepared
breakfast for the fathers. She had had a quiet evening with an old
friend who listened to her troubles and consoled her about the
kidnapping. A few tears, a shoulder to cry on, and a night of doing
'girl' things was exactly what Kasumi needed.
As the two men feasted on a full 'Kasumi' breakfast, they
discussed in hushed tones their activities of the night before.
Everything seemed to grow in proportion with the passage of time;
there were now 12 ninjas attacking; the fathers were sleeping at the
time; and both escaped with only minor injuries - although each would
insist he rescued his best friend, pulling him back from the jaws of
death.
"Well, if you two are going to linger for awhile, I'll just start
my morning cleaning," Kasumi politely commented. She had almost
totally recovered from the kidnapping - relying on her learned ability
to screen out that which was most distressful leaving only those
things she was certain she could handle. Tofu had indicated she would
be quite alright so long as she didn't receive another severe shock
too soon.
With bucket and mop in hand, Kasumi passively strode out of the
house while the two fathers sat back and chuckled out loud about the
night before.
"We sure walloped the whole bunch, eh Saotome?"
"Yes, old friend, it will be some time before the ninjas attempt
another such attack." Genma sipped more of his morning tea. "By the
way, what *were* you doing out in the dojo last night with the ninjas
we captured?"
"I took their clothes and tied them together, naked in the middle
of the dojo's floor." Soun chuckled. "Even if they get themselves
untied, they would still have to escape through Nerima naked."
The two men laughed heartily until a thought occurred to Genma.
"Ah... Tendo," he ventured apprehensively. "Where did you say
you tied up the ninjas?"
"Out in the dojo. Why?"
"Where does Kasumi usually start her cleaning?"
The two stared at each other, blinking, as all the parts fit into
place.
The pair winced as Kasumi's scream tore through the neighborhood.

***** 8 *****

Ranma and Akane trailed Nabiki through numerous back trails as
they all made their way towards the old shinobi shrine. Several
times, Nabiki became suspicious and turned around. Only Ranma's
superior tracking sense kept the pair from being discovered.
However, Ranma, too had the odd feeling *they* were being
trailed. Each time he paused to look back the way they had come, he
saw nothing suspicious. With increased uneasiness, the pair pushed
on, continuing to shadow Akane's older sister while casting suspicious
glances behind themselves.
By noon, Nabiki had arrived at the site of Fukoono's cave.
Standing in the clearing behind the approach to the shrine situated
high above, she looked at the solid appearing wall and hesitated.
"Well, mother," she mumbled looking around the clearing. "I made
it up the mountain. So where are you already?"
She seemed to stiffen when she spotted Ranma and her sister
coming out of the woods.
"I thought I told you I was doing this alone," Nabiki growled,
her arms crossed and fixing the pair with her best 'look'.
"We just wanted to see the shrine," Akane offered as she huffed
and puffed up the trail towards her sister. "The innkeeper said it
was most impressive."
Nabiki knew it was a lie but wasn't about to reveal her relief at
seeing them again. She secretly felt comforted that her sister
disobeyed and followed. She was especially glad to see Ranma.
"So, is that the mountain you have to climb?" Akane chirped as
she pointed to the sheer cliff that rose almost a hundred feet above
their heads. There was a winding path off to the right that climbed
around to the other side where the ground was almost level with the
shrine. Most visitors wouldn't even approach from this side, as the
main road from the village passed nearby on the other side.
"No, this is where the cave is," Nabiki shook her head and
pointed to the solid looking wall of stone. "But I don't see an
entrance."
"Maybe it's around the side or something," Ranma offered as he
dropped his pack and started to look for an opening in the rock face
big enough for a person to slip through.
Akane duplicated her fiance's actions on the other side of the
cliff, examining carefully every likely crack or crevice.
Nabiki continued to stare at the stony surface, like she was
willing an opening to occur, when a sound caught her attention. While
faint, like it was coming from deep inside the mountain, she could
distinctly make out the sound of a baby crying - her baby crying.
Instinctively pulling her clan amulet from beneath her blouse and
holding it out in front of her, she slowly started towards the solid
looking rock surface. As she approached the wall, her amulet began to
glow blood red and, to her, there appeared an opening. For a moment,
she hesitated; her warning senses tingling with alarm. Entering alone
could be more dangerous than even *she* was willing to risk. The
renewed cry of her child made her mind up for her. Without waiting
for her sister or Ranma, Nabiki passed through the wall and into the
cave itself.
Akane was the first to notice Nabiki passing into the mountain,
her shout for Ranma accompanied her headlong charge to get to the spot
where her sister disappeared only to be brought up short by a solid
rock surface, just like the monk's cave. Ranma quickly joined her and
carefully checked every inch of the rock face looking for some
indication of a door or secret latch. Akane tried her own amulet but
it did little more than glow dimly, refusing to open the way as her
sister's amulet did. Either she was not doing something right or
there were forces at work that neutralized hers.
Ranma was still examining the rock wall when Akane noticed
something important.
"Ah, Ranma," she said cautiously as she tapped his shoulder.
"Not now, Akane. I'm busy." He brushed off Akane's hand and
continued to look for a way in.
"Ah, Ranma. There's something I really think you should know."
"What is it Akane?" Ranma finally stood up and turned to his
fiance.
"That." She pointed to, what looked like, all the ninjas in the
world approaching menacingly.
Both gulped loudly.

***** 9 *****

Kasumi awoke to find herself laying on one of Dr. Tofu's
treatment tables. For several minutes, she was content to lay still
and stare at the ceiling - images from earlier in the day whirling
around in her head. She had thought the smell in the bath was a bit
odd, the strange hole in the roof over the engawa a bit unusual, and
the naked men tied up in the dojo.... the naked men in the dojo....
the naked men in the dojo.... Her mind reviewed the scene over and
over again.
"How are you doing now, Kasumi?" Tofu wandered over while drying
his hands. "You had another episode."
Kasumi stared at Tofu while the images of the naked ninjas
overlaid his smiling face and undressed him in her mind. With a
distressed whimper, Kasumi covered her face with her hands and turned
towards the wall.
"Hey, it's alright, Kasumi," Tofu cooed softly as he knelt next
to the treatment table. "You're safe here."
Kasumi had never considered the sexual side of her nature. In
fact, she was never sure she even *had* a sexual side. Growing up
without her mother to guide and support her in such things, she
naturally pushed all such thoughts aside, hoping they would work
themselves out on their own. Oh, she had all the high school required
'sex education' courses but she never paid much attention to them as
she was always doing her homework in the class trying to stay ahead in
the areas that really mattered. In life, her sexual feelings were so
deeply buried that she forgot where to look for them.
In the last week, however, *those* feelings quietly slipped out
of their hiding place and began to manifest themselves in most
confusing ways.
First, she had been confronted with the scene of Jeffrey and
Nabiki in the furo; the scene replayed itself over and over in
Kasumi's dreams, especially the look on Nabiki's face which was
totally alien to anything she ever remembered seeing before.
Then came the pestering of her little sister for details of what
she saw; causing Kasumi to have to repeatedly relive those same
feelings while trying to shield her little sister from such 'adult'
things.
That was followed by the improper feelings of hugging and being
hugged by her brother-in-law. When she thought of what it felt like
being pressed up against his firm, young body - the same body she saw
with her sister in the furo - the same body she always secretly
admired - she shuddered as she recalled how her hormones had teased
her mind.
Finally, there was the sight of six naked males tied together in
the middle of their family dojo in such a way that it was hard not to
notice their unclothed state. Kasumi shuddered again and shrunk from
Tofu's consoling touch.
"You're going to be alright," Tofu repeated. He was truly
worried about his secret love. Worried that she might not be able to
cope with such a rush of emotions so soon after the shock and regret
of the abduction. Gently, he once again tried to touch Kasumi's
shoulder. She trembled as a tiny whimper escaped her lips.
"I feel so.... dirty," she whimpered with a sniff. "How can you
touch such a dirty person?"
"Kasumi, you're just coming to grips with the emotions you've too
long denied yourself." Tofu switched to gently stroking her long
hair. It was tough being a doctor in love with a patient. "You're a
growing young woman. Such thoughts are normal."
Kasumi sniffed again and turned her head slightly to look at
Tofu. She didn't look the least bit convinced.
"You mean..." she tried but failed to even speak of the subject.
"I mean it's the same thing every young woman has gone through."
Tofu smiled and tried to remain calm as their eyes met. It was hard
to remain in control of the emotions he always had when he saw Kasumi.
Yes, it was even harder to be both a doctor *and* in love with the
eldest Tendo daughter.
"You told me of the night Nabiki struggled with her own emotions
about Jeffrey. Do you remember everything she went through trying to
sort out her feelings? It was every bit as hard for her to embrace
those feelings then as it is for you now." He paused and gently
stroked her blushing cheek. "It's even harder for me because...."
Kasumi's face went neutral as she heard what she thought she
heard him say, or at least suggest. She tried to think of something
to prompt him to continue but couldn't think of a thing to say.
"I mean..." Tofu too got stuck. Here he was with the one woman
in his life and he couldn't even tell her how he felt. The
frustration caused him to bow his head in shame.
"I feel the same way..." Kasumi softly offered, hoping Tofu would
take the hint and continue.
"You do?" He blinked through partially fogged glasses, like his
mind was wrestling with his emotions. Silently, he rooted for his
mind.
"Hai...."
The wrestling match ended and the winner chose to speak.
"I love you, Kasumi," he blurted out as his glasses finished
their fogging process.
Kasumi's face went from shock at the admission to joy as the full
impact of what the doctor just said made itself felt.
"You mean, you too?" she stammered with the same look of
apprehension she had the day they talked in his office.
As if someone had smacked him in the back of the head, snapping
him back to reality, his glasses cleared and he felt in control again
- his lunacy gone. He almost looked behind him to see who might have
struck him so benevolently.
"For too long you've thought only of others. For too long you've
neglected your own life." Tofu gently took Kasumi's limp hand in his.
He didn't exactly know where he was getting all this from, but
continued to speak anyway. It just felt right. "And for too long
I've tried to deny the obvious. I do love you, Kasumi."
With another whimper, Kasumi rolled over and threw her arms
around Tofu Ono's neck, burying her face in his throat and crying
freely. It was the realization of her secret dreams and the
fulfillment of the promise her mother made to her so long ago.
Tofu gently slid his arms around her young body and hugged her
willingly to his chest. It was finally out in the open. No more
hiding. No more denying. No more evading the truth. He admitted to
Kasumi what he always believed deep in his heart - he loved Kasumi and
couldn't stand being apart from her. He didn't know exactly why he
chose this moment to confess, but felt grateful for whatever caused
him to do so.
Gently, he eased her face from its hiding place and looked deeply
into her brown eyes. Inches apart, each could feel the hot breath of
the other, smell the fragrances of love, and hear the twin beating of
two hearts.
As if to seal the declaration, Tofu slowly lowered his face until
their lips gently met. At first, Kasumi's eyes went wide with
surprise until she succumbed to another of her secret dreams. Closing
her eyes to better concentrate of the feelings of Tofu's soft lips,
Kasumi began to instinctively respond - eagerly.
When they finally broke the kiss, Kasumi rested her head on
Tofu's chest and sighed.
"Thank you, mother," she whispered.
"What?" Tofu asked slightly surprised.
"Nothing," Kasumi responded as she pulled her head away from the
doctor and looked lovingly into his eyes. Stroking his cheek with her
fingers and smiling slightly she added: "Nothing at all."

Outside the Tofu Clinic, two figures silently glided through the
foliage, being careful to remain unseen by possible witnesses on the
nearby street. Each planted large bags against critical points of the
foundation and slid silently away, trailing thin wires as they went.
With exaggerated care, they ran the wires into a nearby empty building
and quickly followed.
"Are you sure we've used enough?" one gruffly asked his companion
as he watched him connect the wires to a small hand-held box with a
single button.
"I know what I'm doing," his companion growled between stripping
the wires bare with his teeth. "Any more and we'd bring down the
entire neighborhood. We've placed the charges at the main support and
next to the gas main. We'll have an explosion, a fire, and no more
Doctor Tofu Ono. It'll all be blamed on a gas explosion."
"Okay, just hurry." The first anxiously looked out the window to
the almost empty street beyond. "We need to get this over quickly."
The man with the wires just grunted as he finished connecting
them to the little box. As the warning light glowed red, his lips
curled into an evil smile. All was ready.

Inside, the two lovers were still locked in their loving embrace
- as if afraid letting go would break the spell and return them to the
loneliness they experienced before.
Tofu felt another whack to the back of his head. Instinctively,
he reached behind him with the only hand he had free at the time and
felt for whatever it was that had struck him. Finding nothing he
turned his head and looked towards his office. He couldn't be sure
but it was like he could hear a voice coming from behind his office
door. All he could make out was it wanted him to get Kasumi into his
office right away. Unwilling to chance making a mistake by ignoring
something so obvious, Tofu stood up and held out his hand to Kasumi.
"Kasumi, let's go into my office." Tofu helped Kasumi to her
feet and gently urged her towards his small office.
"What's wrong?" she insisted, a sudden scowl of concern crossing
her face. She trusted Tofu with her life, but that didn't mean she
didn't want to know what was going on.
"I'm not sure," was all he could offer. "It's just a feeling."
He cocked his head like he was listening carefully for something
specific - something important.
Inside his office, he gently closed the door and turned to the
slyly smiling Kasumi.
"You just wanted more privacy," she accused with a blush. "How
clever of you to think of your office."
Tofu flashed a nervous smile Kasumi's way and returned to
listening - trying to pick out exactly what it was that made him so
uncomfortable. Kasumi was quick to catch on - her smile disappearing
under a cloud of concern.
"What is it?" she started to ask.
Tofu abruptly shushed his love and looked towards the outer wall
of his clinic. He could feel like someone or something was warning
him. It wasn't exactly a warning, more like a feeling; like trying to
make out someone gesturing to him from a long way away. Kasumi, too,
began to carefully look at the outer wall of the clinic, listening
carefully - both inwardly and to the sounds outside.
Suddenly, Tofu's eyes went wide with recognition. It WAS a
warning - loud and clear, like a shout in his head.
"DOWN!" he yelled as he dove under his heavy steel desk, pulling
the surprised Kasumi with him.
With an earth shattering roar, twin explosions rocked the small
clinic, sending plaster, pictures, and medical supplies flying in
every direction. The whole building seemed to rock and sway, like in
an earthquake, before it groaned in protest and collapsed in upon
itself. A large cloud of dust and debris domed over the rubble of
what was once Tofu's little clinic.
The two instigators of the blast quickly pulled the wires inside
their building, stuffed them into a small bag, and dropped the bag
down the toilet hole in the corner of the room. With looks of
satisfaction, they pulled crisp new police officer coats and hats out
of plastic bags, put them on and stepped out into the street while
pulling on their traditional white gloves. To anyone looking, they
looked like ordinary district policemen. Joining the gathering crowd,
they quickly took control of the situation and began looking for
survivors. As they expected, the gas main was burning brightly at the
rear of the rubble, driving all present to the conclusion it was just
an unfortunate gas main explosion.
As the two dug briefly through the rubble, they exchanged
satisfied glances. They had done their job well. Nothing could live
through such a disaster. The boss would be pleased.

***** 10 *****

Inside the cave, Nabiki paused in the darkness to listen
carefully. Her warning senses were screaming their warnings with
every breath she drew. She could still hear her baby crying somewhere
up ahead but the darkness made it difficult to tell just how far
ahead. In addition, she had the uncomfortable feeling that Master
Sato was right; this was all just a trap - a trap designed to lure her
inside, alone.
<Mother, if you have anything to say, now would be a good time to
say it.> Nabiki thought as her stare tried to pierce the darkness and
determine her daughter's location.
Her answer came in a most frightening manner.
"Welcome, Nabiki Tendo," boomed a familiar sounding voice from
the darkness ahead. "Your baby and I have been waiting for you.
Won't you join us?"
Nabiki pressed back against the cool wall of the cave, her
fingers gripping the uneven surface of the rock, and squinted in the
direction of the voice. She wasn't about to go wandering off in the
darkness, regardless of the enticement of her daughter's cries.
"Perhaps you require more light," the voice taunted as if he
could read her mind.
Instantly, there appeared in the exact center of the cave a
single pool of light, inside which lay Sodoshi on a large pillow and
crying in obvious distress. Nabiki fought the urge to rush to her
daughter's side as she allowed her eyes to become accustomed to the
limited light in the rest of the cave. She was now certain this was
all a trap and was quickly trying to figure an angle to give her an
advantage. It soon became obvious she was playing a cold hand. There
was nothing to do but confront Fukoono.
"Mother, if you have something in mind, I think now would be a
really good time," Nabiki mumbled in a slightly sing-song voice.
"Come in, come in, little one. We don't stand on formalities
around here." Fukoono's voice sounded even more evil than Nabiki
remembered. She hated him then but hated him even more now.
"You have something that belongs to me," Nabiki called from the
darkness in hopes that he could not see her as she could not see him.
"A possession?" Fukoono taunted. "What possibly could you mean,
child?"
"You have my daughter." In spite of her fear, Nabiki's voice was
strong and clear. Most likely the result of many years of bargaining
with unsavory types. She just hoped her voice conveyed to Fukoono a
lack of fear - even if it *was* untrue.
"Forgive me, little one. I thought you said your daughter."
"I did."
"Ah, then your daughter is nothing more to you than an item to be
possessed. How sad." Fukoono completed his taunt with a maddeningly
arrogant laugh.
"She's MY baby!" Nabiki snarled from the refuge of her darkness.
"Your... possession," corrected Fukoono with another chuckle.
Nabiki struggled with her anger. This was HER baby. She worked
hard for it, suffered for it, almost lost her marriage over it. How
DARE he suggest she was nothing more than... a... possession.
Nabiki's material mind fought a short, sharp battle with something
else, something that caused Nabiki's very insides to ache. Slowly,
like a rising tide, her materialism began to be smothered by a new
feeling, a new instinct, something she'd suppressed for over six
months. As her material self fought back, a cloud of doubt slowly
descended over her. Maybe she *was* treating Sodoshi like an object
to be possessed. Maybe there was more to this 'motherhood' thing than
she anticipated. Nabiki squirmed lightly in her hiding place as the
realization of how shamefully she had acted towards her own daughter
crawled up her soul. The thought of how it might have affected
Sodoshi sent a chill through her body. Fukoono, however, wasn't about
to let go of the best angle he had to draw Nabiki out into the open.
"Why should you care about the child, little one? After all, she
is clearly an inhibiting factor in your marriage."
"Mother, what do I do now?" Nabiki whispered with her eyes closed
and her jaw set. "I came like you said. Why don't you answer? Help
me."
There was no response. Nabiki concluded she was totally on her
own. No one could help her; not Ranma, not Jeffrey, and not even her
mother.
"Tell me, little one, would you like to hold your baby?"
Nabiki squeezed shut her eyes and fought the urge to step out
into the light. Her hands began to squeeze the rock she clung to.
Her heart tearing at her chest. As hard as she fought, she had no
option. She had to go to her baby. Before she could move, though,
Fukoono gave her the best reason in the world to come to the aid of
her daughter.
"Perhaps if the child were threatened," Fukoono growled. A sharp
clap of thunder echoed through the cave as a thin bolt of red
lightning cut through the darkness and danced about the feet of the
infant. Sodoshi's cries of fear escalated.
"NO!" Nabiki's protest instinctively drew her out of the
darkness. She was still a long ways from her baby but now Fukoono
could clearly see her.
"Ah, there you are," Fukoono chuckled, as if he didn't know all
along her hiding place. Oh, how he enjoyed these games.
"What is it you want? Money?" Nabiki hissed.
"Money? Oh, my dear child. How on earth could you think I would
stoop so low as to demand money?"
"Isn't that what kidnappers usually want?"
"Oh, how you misjudge me," Fukoono chuckled again. "Is not your
daughter shinobi? I've just been showing the dear child what it means
to be shinobi. You know, I've been toying with an idea. Perhaps
you'd favor me with your opinion."
Nabiki inched closer to her baby, ever mindful she was being
closely watched. If Fukoono saw her movement, he showed no sign in
his speech.
"I've been thinking of keeping her here with me and training her
as a shadow warrior. What do you think of that?"
"No... please," Nabiki's voice trailed off as she shook her head
and tried to fight the intense vision of her daughter, grown up,
following one as evil as Fukoono. She knew well the elders' abilities
to plant images in a person's mind. Her eyes squeezed shut and her
teeth ground together at the image of a grown shadow warrior Sodoshi
danced before her eyes.
"Yessss," Fukoono's voice sounded like he was savoring the same
image. "I can see her helping me unite the clans so that we might,
once again, take our rightful place among Japanese society."
Nabiki was only a few feet from her daughter now. Quickly
running the odds through her head, making sure to factor in the
designs Fukoono had on her daughter, Nabiki took a calculated risk and
lunged for the baby.
When she was just inches from the child, a force slammed into her
like a giant hand, sending her body sliding back across the room and
leaving her in a heap on the smooth floor.
"Such manners! Your child is better off with me. At least, I'll
teach her how to properly behave."
"She's MINE!" Nabiki cried as she tried to gain her feet again.
"As *what*? A possession? Like a pet?" Fukoono's voice boomed
in the cave as he admonished Nabiki. "You really are an unfit mother.
I'm doing the child a favor."
Nabiki paused, still half bent over, her hands holding her
bruised ribs from the first blow. She couldn't believe even someone
as evil as Fukoono would stoop so low.
"It's quite true what sweet Kasumi says about you. You shouldn't
have been allowed to even *have* a child. Perhaps you could start
with a cat or something."
At the sound of her sister's name, Nabiki momentarily lost her
control and reacted with mindless fury. This had all been settled the
other night. Kasumi even said how much Nabiki had progressed, how
much better she was with Sodoshi. How DARE he accuse her of such a
thing.
With fists clenched with her anger, Nabiki took a step towards
where she thought she heard Fukoono's voice. All she got for her
trouble was a vicious slap across her face that sent her spinning
towards the cave wall, back the direction she came. Nabiki's cry of
anguish when she collided with the wall was echoed by her daughter's
resumed cries of distress.
"NEVER threaten me in my own lair, child! Remember that."
Fukoono's voice sounded deep with malevolence as he shouted over the
Sodoshi's wails.
As Nabiki slid to the floor, her cheek burning from the impact,
her tears of frustration and anger blurred her already reduced vision.
All she could see was the small illuminated patch of cave floor where
her baby continued to cry - alone.

Outside, Ranma and Akane slowly backed together as the host of
ninjas closed in. Ranma tried counting the number of his attackers
but quickly gave up when the odds grew to astronomical proportions.
"Get behind me, Akane," he ordered in a firm voice. He was
willing to take them all on but not if it meant endangering his
fiance.
"Nothing doing. This is my fight too, you know," Akane answered
in a surprisingly strong voice as she continued to watch the
approaching ninjas from her angle.
Ranma was about to say something sharp to Akane when the first
shuriken slammed into the rock face of the wall behind them, making a
pinging sound that seemed to signal a general rush of their position
by the others.
In a heartbeat, the fight was on. Ranma pulled out all stops,
holding nothing back. He fought wisely and well, clearly
demonstrating his vast experience and trained lethality. Bodies of
defeated ninjas seemed to fly in all directions. Akane, too, fought
with all the experience she gained with the daily Furinkan mobs she
once had to contend with. Her blows were sharp and precise, expending
only enough energy to disable her attacker while saving her strength
for those to come.
To Ranma, it was like fighting Mousse over and over again;
chains, staffs, and various thrown objects coming at him at a furious
rate. Still, he was fighting at a disadvantage. Not only did he have
to deal with the attackers to his front, but he also had to keep a
careful eye out for Akane. He had to admit, she *was* pretty good.
But in a fight like this, pretty good was only good enough to get you
killed.
As he expected, the inevitable finally happened. While Akane was
dispatching a particularly aggressive ninja, another landed a telling
blow with his Nunchaku to her head. Without so much as a whimper, the
youngest daughter of Soun Tendo collapsed unconscious on the soft
grass.
The reduction of their opposing force by one half caused a shout
of victory from the rest of the ninjas as they prepared to finish the
remaining intruder. Ranma backed even closer to Akane, casting
nervous glances at her still form. He feared the worst. Alone,
outnumbered, he struck his most menacing pose, his body beginning to
glow with his gathering ki, clearly ready to deal lethality in all
directions in a last ditch effort to protect Akane.
As the ninjas closed in, a sudden blur of dozens of black and
yellow projectiles mowed down the entire front rank of the attackers.
Stunned at the reversal, the ninjas seemed to back off slightly;
unsure of where the attack came from and from whom it originated.
There answer came in the form of another, much larger, blur of
black and yellow as it bounced off ninjas and trees alike, sending
both in opposite directions like a small tornado. With ghostlike
stealth, Ryouga Hibiki seemed to appear at Ranma's side, clearly in
the mood for a fight.
"How did you get here?" Ranma shouted as he continued to
aggressively posture.
"I followed you, you moron," Ryouga growled back as he dispatched
one ninja braver than the others. That wasn't totally true.
While he *did* trail them to the local train station in Nerima,
he lost them soon after hearing them buy tickets to Asahikawa. An
elderly couple, going to Sapporo, offered to take him that far with
them - as long as he agreed to carry all their luggage. That seemed
to work until he chose to use the toilet facilities on the train and
promptly got lost trying to return. All night long, he searched the
train in vain until it arrived in the Asahikawa station and was
bluntly told to 'get off'. Wandering outside town, he slept alone
under the stars before morning found him wandering off in search of
Ranma and the Tendo girls. He visited a Buddhist temple (where the
monks kept trying to get him to take a cold bath - to renew his
spirit, of course), a crested crane reserve (he was run off by the
warden while trying to sneak some eggs to eat), and finally a hot
springs where the sight of dozens of naked females lounging in the hot
water caused him a massive nose-bleed.
After wandering most of the morning lost in the woods, almost
crossing paths with the intrepid trio several times, he was drawn by
the sounds of a colossal fight to the site of Fukoono's cave and his
secret love, Akane.
"It would probably be too much if I said I was glad to see you."
Ranma sent another attacker spinning off the rock wall behind them.
"You ought to be. Another minute and I would have been rid of
you for good." Ryouga swept the feet out from under a ninja before
drop-kicking his body into the top branches of a nearby tree.
"Hah! I was doing pretty good before you got here." Ranma faked
a blow to a ninja's face before stomping on a branch that disabled the
ninja with a blow to his crotch.
"Good enough to get Akane hurt." Ryouga took out his anger on a
pair of Sai armed attackers, breaking their weapons and bones in a
single blow.
"I can't help it if she's not a fighter. I told her not to
come." Ranma snatched one ninja by his head and used his body to jump
kick another pair of attackers before dispatching his 'assistant' with
a blow to his back.
Disturbed at their lack of success (and confused by the
conversation of their opponents), the ninjas temporarily lost their
nerve and backed off slightly, giving the two boys time to recover and
reposition on either side of Akane's comatose body.
"Well, they've got us surrounded," Ranma said softly. There was
clearly no way out now. With Akane injured, he had to stay. It was
the kind of fight Ranma disliked most.
"Yeah, the poor bastards," Ryouga answered with enough of a grin
to show his fangs. Unlike his old rival, he relished their position
and refused to acknowledge the situation was hopeless. On the
contrary, he seemed to enjoy the 'target rich' environment.
Under the constant prodding of their 'leaders', the ninjas
gathered for a final rush of the pair. Ranma and Ryouga did a little
preparing of their own.
"Think you still got it in ya?" Ranma asked as his body began to
glow again.
"I've got at least as much as you do, Saotome," Ryouga answered
with a growl as he too began to glow with gathering ki.
The final rush came - an unimaginable wave of ninjas swarming
over the two defenders. Above the commotion, two battle cries were
heard.
"Shi Shi Hodokan!"
"Mouko Takabisha!"

Inside the cave, Nabiki too was reaching the zenith of her
struggle with Fukoono. Battered and bruised, Nabiki refused to give
up. Time after time she tried to reach her daughter, only to be
beaten back by invisible blows that left her looking like an accident
victim; her clothes torn, her body battered. Reduced to crawling
across the floor towards her baby, her eyes never wavering, her pace
slow but relentless.
"Why do you continue to struggle for one who doesn't even know
who you are?" Fukoono crowed.
Nabiki refused to answer, her mind totally fixed on reaching her
baby.
"You're a pathetic example of our people! You don't even know
the first thing of being a shinobi!" Fukoono screamed, his voice
biting into Nabiki's heart.
She knew full well what it meant to be shinobi; the courage, the
sacrifice and the devotion. She'd seen the courage of Sodoshi Tanaka,
sacrificing herself to save Akane. She'd seen the devotion of her
husband, who endured her outbursts and childishness while continuing
to show his love for both her and their baby.
She might not have deserved all she'd gotten in life, but Sodoshi
Lawrence was *HER* baby. NOTHING was going to keep her from her baby.
"Perhaps I should let you hold your child one more time," Fukoono
mused out loud. "It might just make you see things my way."
Nabiki didn't buy it for a second. Expecting another shattering
blow, she continued to crawl towards the crying Sodoshi, determined to
reach her daughter whatever the cost. Foot after painful foot, Nabiki
dragged her battered body towards the little circle of light in the
center of the cave - the light that now contained all she really cared
for in the world. Money she could replace. Her heritage she'd gladly
relinquish if only to hold her daughter again. On hands and knees,
Nabiki crawled into motherhood.
<Whatever happens, I love you Sodoshi.> she thought with a tear
from her swollen eyes. <Momma loves you.>
Upon reaching the pillow, Nabiki lunged for her daughter,
covering the crying child with her own body, determined to absorb
whatever blow the evil Fukoono intended for them both.
None came.
Slowly, Nabiki raised her head and gathered her daughter into her
arms, cradling the child. Sodoshi clung to her mother, her cries of
distress lessening with each passing second her mother held her.
"You're alright, sweetheart," Nabiki cooed as she held the child
to her chest. "Mother's here."
Sodoshi stopped crying all together and looked up at her mother's
swollen and battered face. It took only a second for her to make all
Nabiki's trials worth while.
"Mom-ma."
"Yes, So-chan. It's momma." Nabiki finally broke down and cried
in joy and relief as she gratefully cuddled her baby. It had been so
long - so very long in coming.
"How very touching," Fukoono sounded almost tired. "I'm sure
this happy reunion was well worth the effort...."
Nabiki stiffened and ground her teeth at the sound of Fukoono's
voice. She had finally had enough of this person.
"What is it you want?!?" she yelled at the darkness.
"I want the secrets of the monk's cave, little one."
Nabiki sadly shook her head. The only answer she had was not
going to make him any happier.
"There *are* no secrets. The only message the monk left was of
how warriors fulfill themselves by embracing peace."
"LIES!" Fukoono screamed, his madness clearly manifesting itself.
"All lies! The monk left a secret of ninja invincibility. Tell me
the truth or I will RIP the very life essence from out of you!"
"BAKA!" Nabiki shouted back, disregarding the possibility of
Fukoono's temper. "Do you think for a second I'd let you abuse me
like this if I knew some secret way of stopping you?"
"You are but a chunin and cannot use the secrets, fool! I WANT
THE SECRET OF THE CAVE!" Fukoono's voice screamed his madness as it
echoed ominously throughout the cave.
"Do whatever you want. I've told you everything I know about the
monk's cave and its stupid prophecy," Nabiki snapped back. She
sounded tired. She'd gotten her daughter back. Whatever happened
now, she'd still consider herself a winner.
"Mom-mom-mom-ma," Sodoshi repeated, her little smile melting the
last of Nabiki's self-centeredness, assuring a place in her mother's
heart for the last daughter of the Cold Moon Clan.
Nabiki shifted her child so Sodoshi's arms were around her
mother's neck and allowed herself a brief luxury of looking at her
daughter's eyes. Something in them felt so familiar, like this scene
had all taken place before. As her expression dissolved into
curiosity, Nabiki slowly looked away - into the darkness.
This *had* all happened before. Nabiki could feel it. It
involved herself and... mother. Quickly returning to her daughter's
smiling face Nabiki bit her lower lip - hard. Looking back at her was
herself - six months old, expressing all the love and trust only a
child could give. Love and trust shaken by her mother's sudden
removal. And, just as her mother struggled so long and hard to get
Nabiki to love her, so too did Nabiki have to fight for the love of
her own daughter. Swallowing hard, Nabiki began to smile as broadly
as she could - smile and cry at the same time. She'd won something
far more important this day than the defeat of some deranged madman.
She'd won the unconditional heart of her daughter. As Nabiki gently
brought their heads together and lovingly rolled her forehead against
Sodoshi's, Nabiki began to chuckle lightly.
"Thank you, mother," she whispered as she choked back her tears.
"I now know how you felt when I called you 'momma'. I now know what
being a mother really means."
The only problem with all this was it began to look like Akane
was right too. There was no way out. Fukoono had them exactly where
he wanted them and could dispose of them at his leisure. Nabiki
slowly turned her face towards the place where she imagined Fukoono to
be. Sodoshi, holding on to her mother, slowly duplicated her mother's
look. Together, they stared at the darkness, the unknown, their faces
fixed and defiant; awaiting whatever fate was forthcoming - together.
"Very well, daughter of the Cold Moon Clan. I will still unite
the clans and we will, once again, hold power in this nation. The
people will rejoice at our return." Fukoono's voice began to rise in
madness as he screamed his intentions for all to hear. "We will be
unstoppable."
Nabiki just shook her head and thought sadly of what Jeffrey
would do once they were gone. She recalled how accurately her
prediction was when she looked at her home that one last time the
night she left on this quest. She also thought of Sodoshi and how sad
it was the child would never get to know the kind of life Nabiki
always dreamed of; carefree, happy, with two loving parents to care
for her. Sadly, Nabiki smoothed her daughter's hair and kissed her
forehead. It was time to say goodbye.
Nabiki could hear the crackling sounds of gathering power in the
darkness and see a growing ball of energy as it accumulated in the
hands of the madman who was about to execute them for their heritage.
Somehow, she wasn't scared. Holding her daughter, she was calmer than
any time in her life. Soon, she would be able to talk to her mother
any time she wanted - she and Sodoshi. She had so much to say to her
mother and would have an eternity to say it.
As the ball of energy reached its zenith, Nabiki instinctively
held her daughter tighter and turned slightly away, her eyes shut,
expecting to feel the lash of Fukoono's fatal ki blast and hoping it
wouldn't cause her to linger too long before the end.
There was a pause, then a brilliant white flash of light that
filled the cave, temporarily blinding Nabiki even though her eyes were
tightly closed. She expected unimaginable pain but felt... nothing -
no burning, no tearing of flesh, no sensation of doom at all. For
several seconds, Nabiki remained motionless, clutching her daughter to
her tightly, wondering if the end had already come and she just didn't
know it.
"As I promised, kitten," came a soft voice from beside her.
In anticipation, Nabiki turned her head to see her mother's
smiling face less than a foot away. It looked as real and welcome as
she could imagine.
Quickly checking both herself and her daughter, Nabiki came to
the conclusion they were still very much alive. Turning again to her
mother, she grappled with what to say. Fortunately, her mother beat
her to it.
"You climbed the mountain alone, kitten. I'm so proud of you."
Her mother's voice seemed to envelop Nabiki's body in warmth and
comfort.
"Momma...?" Nabiki asked as if she wanted to say more but
couldn't find the right words.
"As I promised."
"Where were you when I reached the cave entrance? I climbed all
the way up to the cave and you weren't there." Nabiki's voice almost
took on the edge she used to use when addressing her mother. Old
habits were hard to break.
"The mountain I meant was the one inside you." Her mother's
spirit smiled knowingly. "You had to become a mother yourself before
I could help you. Your willingness to sacrifice yourself proved you
loved your daughter more than your own life. That, kitten, is the
essence of motherhood."
"Momma...?" Nabiki repeated as the full realization of just how
much her mother sacrificed for her over the years. Kasumi was right.
Mother *had* devoted most of her waking hours to trying to get her
middle daughter to love her. Nabiki felt so ashamed standing there
holding her own daughter when she thought of how selfish she'd been.
"You've proven yourself worthy of clan leadership, Nabiki.
You've met the challenge of evil with courage and love." Her mother's
fingers lightly touched Nabiki's swollen cheek, gently wiping a tear
and caressing the skin like a feather. "I'm so very proud of you. I
always have been."
Nabiki tried to say something again but her mother stopped her
with a gentle finger to her lips. Nabiki was surprised at how warm
and alive her mother's finger felt. Instinctively, she closed her
eyes and leaned lightly against her mother's finger. How she had
missed her mother's touch.
"Now take my grandchild and leave. This is no place for her."
"But how...?" Nabiki tried to ask but was derailed by her
mother's smile. Nabiki never knew how to counter her mother's crooked
little smile, the one that was so much like her own, even when she
tried to be angry she couldn't in the face of her mother's smile. It
was that disarming.
Fukoono, however, wasn't through yet.
"The girl and her child stay until *I* say they can go!"
His pronouncement earned a sharp rebuke from Nabiki's mother.
"Fukoono the elder, you've dishonored your clan, your people, and
the entire shinobi nation."
"Hah! What can you do? You're only the departed spirit of a
chunin of your clan - and a female at that," Fukoono gloated, his
confidence growing. "You cannot harm me. Only a genin, a shadow
warrior, can harm an elder and your clan is sadly lacking in male
warriors."
"Of this you're correct." Nabiki's mother calmly noted with a
small smile. "So we women of the clan will have to do the job
ourselves - as we have for centuries." Fukoono's laughter provided
the background as she raised her arms slowly and closed her eyes. Her
white chunin kimono seemed to take on a life of its own, swirling
around her body as if in a strong wind. In seconds, small flashes of
brilliant white light broke out all over the cave, each manifesting
itself in a spirit of a departed Cold Moon Clan shadow warrior - all
female.
Slowly, Nabiki backed towards the cave entrance, clutching her
child, her head snapping one way than another as warrior after warrior
appeared in the cave. All were dressed in white versions of what they
wore in life, many in warrior clothes not seen in Japan in over 400
years. All were most certainly victims of the 'blood hunts'. All
were Cold Moon Clan shinobi. All were genin.
The departed might of the Cold Moon Clan was gathering for one
last battle with evil - a battle to save their remaining descendants;
to assure the continuation of the clan.
Nabiki's retreat was interrupted when she bumped into something
soft. Spinning around, she beheld a very familiar figure - one that
caused Nabiki to gasp aloud in her surprise.
"Greetings, clan sister," Sodoshi Tanaka grinned, her arms
crossed. "I told you I'd be there when you needed me."
"Sod... Sodoshi?" Nabiki ventured, her voice almost sounding
pleased to see the departed clan sister - and possibly the only real
friend Nabiki ever had - that she buried more than a year ago.
Slowly, Nabiki took in her former friend. She was as beautiful as
ever and still wore her hair in long pony tails down her chest, only
now they were wrapped in white ribbons that trailed to her knees. Her
body was straight and strong looking, her ever present katana still
strapped to her back. There was no sign of her fatal injuries, only
her white, glowing shinobi shoozoku that marked her as a shadow
warrior.
"I see you've done well with your child, clan sister," Sodoshi
Tanaka said softly as she bent over to get a better look at Nabiki's
baby. Her namesake stared back, unsure of what to make of the
beautiful glowing lady examining her so closely. After a few seconds
of staring intently into the child's eyes, Tanaka gave her
pronouncement of the child.
"Yes, she has the blood. She will make an exceptional shadow
warrior, clan sister. Train her well and never let her forget who we
were."
Nabiki started to say something in protest but quickly bit her
tongue. Sodoshi Lawrence was not destined to be a shinobi shadow
warrior if Nabiki had anything to say about it but, for the time
being, Nabiki was willing to acknowledge her late clan sister and
friend's assessment.
"Now go, my sister." Sodoshi Tanaka silently drew her katana
with a satisfied grin. "There is much work to do here and it's no
place for you... or my namesake." She grinned again at the baby.
Nabiki was still struck by how beautiful Sodoshi Tanaka was. She had
a smile that could have graced the covers of any fashion magazine
instead of spending her entire life running and fighting. "Goodbye
Sodoshi Lawrence. Make me proud you bear my name."
Nabiki bowed abruptly and stumbled towards the cave entrance.
She never looked back at the horrible sounds coming from deeper inside
the cave as the spirits of her clan dealt with the most evil of their
kind.

***** 11 *****

"Are you sure this is the right way?" Jeff asked as he followed
Jamie, his eyes glued to the little hand-held location and data device
Jamie had given him. They had arrived at Asahikawa the morning Nabiki
and her party departed for the cave. Having slept on the train, all
three were stiff and sore but ready to complete their mission - at
whatever cost.
Jeff punched a few more buttons and nodded at the display as it
presented an overhead view of their current position. Using the thumb
control, Jeff lowered the view to ground level and rotated the scene
until it matched exactly that he saw when he looked up.
"Cool," he mumbled. "It's like having your own personal guide
who can fly up and take a quick look around."
Jamie, leading the trio, just smiled to himself. It sounded like
JP outdid himself this time.
"Any good restaurants show up on that thing?" Jamie quipped as he
paused to carefully check out the next clearing they would have to
cross.
"Donno." Jeff touched a few more buttons but all he got was a
screen full of gibberish. Shaking his head, he keyed in his original
settings and returned to the 3D graphical view he liked so much.
Inspector Abe, bringing up the rear, still looked with disdain at
the weapons Jeff and Jamie were carrying but remained silent as if
deep in thought. Ever since the train station, Abe had been unusually
quiet. Jeff was the first to notice but refrained from saying
anything as he felt the inclusion of Abe to be a mistake in the first
place.
Jamie checked the graphic display before telling the others to
remain under cover while he scouted ahead. Grateful for the rest,
Jeff plopped down next to the trunk of a large fallen tree and played
a little more with his 'toy'.
I wasn't long after Jamie had melted into the woods that Jeff
noticed Abe staring the direction Jamie had taken, an odd look on his
face.
"What's your problem anyway," he finally asked with some
irritation as he unslung his weapon and placed it on the ground
between them. "You've been acting spooky ever since we got to
Hokkaido."
A short smile flickered across Abe's face as he turned and slid
down to sitting next to Jeff's weapon. Pulling a shoot of grass he
sighed loudly and grimaced at the trees in front of him.
"This area holds many bad memories for me, young man," he said
with a low, sad voice. "I was born in this region, not far from here,
in fact."
"I didn't know," Jeff's voice matched his look of surprise.
"My parents were jizamurai - warriors living like farmers," Abe
smiled again, this time with embarrassment.
"Then you're clan bound as well." Jeff looked back at his
display as another sequence of gibberish crossed the screen causing
him to scowl in irritation.
"No, my clan no longer exists and is best forgotten."
"Really, who were they?" Jeff tried to hide his curiosity by
fiddling with the CD player he had clipped to his belt.
"It's not important," Abe lamented softly.
Jeff carefully eyed his companion out of the corners of his eyes.
He didn't fully trust the inspector. With deliberate slowness, he
demonstrated that lack of trust by moving his weapon to the other side
of his body. If Abe noticed, he didn't react. He knew Jeff didn't
trust him. Why should he? The inspector was a last minute addition,
a replacement for the two missing team members that failed to
rendezvous with Jamie at the warehouse. Jeff wasn't totally convinced
that Abe came along out of sympathy to their cause. He could be a
plant, a spy, or worse. Only the frantic beeping of his data box kept
Jeff from pursuing his paranoid line of reasoning.
Again, the screen displayed a couple lines of gibberish, this
time in red.
"Sure wish I knew what this stupid thing was trying to tell me,"
Jeff muttered as he stabbed a few buttons to clear the display.
Jeff was about to make another comment when Abe shushed him and
crouched further down behind the fallen tree. Jeff's look of
questioning was answered by Abe's pointing towards the road the ran
along the edge of the clearing.
At first, Jeff saw nothing and was about to say so to the
intently staring inspector when his eyes caught movement through the
trees. Instinctively, Jeff crouched down a little further as he
caught more and more movement. Whatever... whomever, it was, caused
Abe to be on his guard; an action that caused Jeff to slowly retrieve
his weapon.
As three camouflaged wearing men cautiously emerged into the
clearing, it was obvious they were armed with small automatic weapons.
The way they were carrying them it was clear they were no strangers to
such weapons.
"I recognize two of them," Abe whispered to Jeff as he slid
closer. "Both are known members of the conspiracy. One is even an
officer from my own district."
"Do you think they're after us?" Jeff whispered back, clutching
his weapon even closer.
"Perhaps...," Abe hissed softly.
"What'll we do? Jamie's not here." Jeff quickly glanced the
direction he last saw the ex-SEAL take before returning to the armed
men.
"Leave it to me. This is still Japan." Abe gripped Jeff's
shoulder and glared at the men who now appeared to be discussing
something among themselves. One dropped to a knee to examine
something in the dusty road before pointing off towards where the road
disappeared into the woods again.
Almost as soon as Abe released Jeff's shoulder, he was gone in
the direction of the section of road the men just crossed. Jeff
started to shout something but immediately thought better and silently
slunk further behind his impromptu wooden fortress. Whatever was
going to happen now was up to Abe.
Seconds later, he got his surprise answer.
"Hold it right there, gentlemen," Abe's voice came from the road
somewhere behind the armed men. "You're under arrest for carrying
illegal weapons. I suggest you cooperate and lay down your guns."
Jeff could only stare incredulously as the inspector stepped into
view, unarmed except for his police badge case which he held up so the
badge sparkled in the sun.
What happened next shocked and stunned Jeffrey. As if on
command, all three suddenly whirled to face the inspector and began
shooting. Abe did a Japanese version of the old 'Texas Two-step' as
he hopped and dodged the automatic weapons fire before diving behind
another fallen tree, the assailants bullets ripping chunks out of the
tree and dirt around it. Jeff couldn't just let Abe get massacred by
the men. With weapon in hand, Jeff leaped to his feet, pointed it at
the men and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. All he got for his
trouble was a disappointing click from the weapon and shouts of
recognition from the armed assailants. At least they stopped shooting
at Abe.
"Uh-oh!" Jeff lamented out loud, just before he ducked back
behind the fallen tree, only a heartbeat before the attackers' bullets
began chewing apart his wooden redoubt.
Jeff was banging on his weapon in panic, trying to clear it or
make it function in some lethal manner, when Abe came quickly crawling
through the grass to take cover behind the same tree as Jeff.
"It won't work!" Jeff lamented out loud when Abe reached him.
Abe just shot the younger man a disgusted look, reached over and
calmly flicked the selector switch from 'safety' to 'full auto'.
"I thought you didn't know anything about these weapons?" Jeff
yelled, his voice clearly displaying his panic.
"Young man, just because I don't approve of them doesn't mean I
don't know how they work." Abe finished his explanation by pulling
his tiny police issued automatic handgun. Reaching over the top of
the fallen tree, he squeezed off a few rounds, just to let the armed
men know he too was armed and ready to respond.
It must have worked. To Jeff's surprise, the gunmen seemed to
melt into the woods behind the road - seemingly retreating in panic.
"We've got 'em now," Jeff shouted as he jumped to his feet, fired
a short burst after the men and tried to follow. Only Abe's firm hand
kept him from making a possibly fatal mistake.
"Not yet!" Abe yelled as he yanked the excited Jeff back behind
their protective wall.
"Come on, Abe," Jeff shouted back. "They're running!"
"No, they're not." Abe's voice sounded calm and firm. "It's an
old Japanese trick. Pretend you're fleeing in face of the enemy.
Draw him into the open, then cut him to pieces when he tries to
pursue. They're in the trees just beyond the road."
Abe proved his point when he briefly exposed his head and was
rewarded with a series of shots that passed close overhead or impacted
on their tree.
Jeff sat stunned at what he almost blundered into. Without
Inspector Abe, Jeff would most certainly lost his life in a remote
clearing on Hokkaido. He swallowed hard at the prospects.
A burst of light machine gun fire from somewhere in the woods off
to the right, brought Jeff back to reality. Shouts of surprise from
where the three assailants disappeared into the woods marked Jamie's
success. Whether he hit anything, or even intended to, was unknown.
There was one more burst, then silence.
Both Jeff and Abe listened intently but could detect no further
activity. Five minutes drug on into ten before either dared to speak.
"You think that was Commander Wilde," Abe whispered loudly as he
cautiously peered over the top of the fallen tree.
Jeff just shook his head and continued to scan the area he last
saw the armed men. The sound of a bolt sliding into place behind them
caused both men to spin around and drop into a defensive crouch,
weapons ready.
"You know, if I was a bad guy, I'd have bagged the pair of you."
Jamie looked and sounded disgusted as he casually raised his weapon so
it rested on his shoulder. "The first rule of being behind lines is
no two people look in the same quadrant at the same time. Keep your
heads moving and you'll stay alive longer."
With lecture ended, Jamie joined his companions behind the tree.
"What happened?" was all he asked as he slid to a seated
position, concealing himself from all but the two other members of his
team.
"It would appear we're now faced with more than just those who've
abducted the Lawrence child." Abe said flatly as he took Jamie's
advice and scanned the area behind them suspiciously.
"So it would seem," Jamie said with a sigh. "When I heard all
the shooting, I figured you were jumped by some of the locals." Jamie
shook his head and scowled. "By the time I discovered they were
more... sophisticated, well, outflanking them was easy. A few rounds
over their heads and they bolted for the high country. Any ideas who
they were?"
Both Jeff and Jamie looked at Abe for an answer. He quickly felt
their eyes on him and slowly turned to face his accusers. With a sad
shake of his head, Abe insisted they were probably members of the
conspiracy but declined to guess whether they were after Jeff, Jamie,
or even himself.
"Well, whatever the case, we better be more on guard now." Jamie
loaded another clip into his weapon. "This place is crawling with
black clad jokers who play rough."
As if to prove his point, a burst of automatic weapon fire
replied from almost a mile away. Obviously, the three assailants ran
into exactly the kind of people Jamie was talking about - ninjas loyal
to... who? Jeff couldn't even begin to guess. They could be
Fukoono's men or members of the other clans sent to rescue Sodoshi.
Either way, it would be safer to consider all other folks in the
neighborhood as potentially hostile.
"There's a small village up ahead." Jamie waved his hand in the
direction he had disappeared earlier. "Seems deserted but it's hard
to tell for sure without going in to check - something I strongly
advise against."
"I know all about the village," Abe said absently as he fitted
his pistol back into the holster in the waistband of his pants.
Jeff and Jamie exchanged glances before Jamie asked the obvious.
"How do you know this village?"
"Because I was born there." Abe pushed past the staring pair
with a firm look on his face and started for the village.
Jamie watched him go almost to the opposite edge of the clearing
before clearing his throat and observing while getting up to follow:
"Well, our little friend is just full of surprises, isn't he?"
Jeff just shrugged his shoulders and began to follow, all the
time fiddling with the locator device. It was showing gibberish
again, still in red.
"Remind me to say something to JP when we get back. This gizmo
keeps giving me noting but garbage."
"What?" Jamie came to an immediate halt and snatched the device
from Jeff's hands. With another disgusted look, he punched a single
amber button and both watched as the gibberish suddenly switched to
English. It was abundantly clear that Jeff had been using the device
all day with the descrambler turned off.
[Bandits bearing 270 / 2000 yds / moving 245 - JP]
Jeff just stared in shock.
"You mean I've been looking at warnings all day and didn't know
it?" Jeff whined as he flapped his arms in frustration.
"This has been going on all day?" Jamie sounded like a peeved
father.
"Well, yeah," Jeff suddenly felt guilty about his failure to
bring the issue to Jamie's attention sooner. It probably could have
prevented them getting surprised by the gunmen. For all Jeff knew, JP
could have been warning them since they got off the train.
"Look, if something else happens that you don't understand,
please ask." Jamie thrust the device back into Jeff's hands and
stomped off after Abe. "Amateurs."
Jeff sheepishly cleared the message and followed Jamie as another
message appeared on the screen.
[Are you clowns even reading these? - JP]
<Not so you'd notice,> Jeff thought to himself. To someone
halfway around the world, tracking their every move, it must have
appeared they were wandering drunk in the woods, bumping into every
possible obstruction in spite of the communicated warnings. With a
rotten feeling of having let everyone down, Jeff trotted to catch up
with the others.
There were no further surprises before they reached the village.
Just outside, Jamie called a halt and consulted their locator device.
[Village / No activity seen / Infrared reports one occupant - JP]
Satisfied there was no trap visible to the spy satellite, Jamie
pressed on into the village. Cautiously checking house after house,
the trio were surprised by the condition of the buildings they found
in the 'deserted' village. All looked like they had recently been
occupied. This only made Jeff and Jamie more nervous. Abe, however,
acted as if it was exactly what he expected.
They were passing a small house on the edge of town when a tiny
noise from inside caught their attention. All three froze trying to
make out who, or what, was making the noise when Abe, muttering
something unintelligible, broke ranks and darted for the building's
open door. Jamie stifled a warning and quickly followed, his weapon
ready and his senses cranked to high. Jeff, following his earlier
instructions, followed the others at a low crouch constantly scanning
the open area behind them for the first signs of a trap.
Luck seemed to be with them as they all gained the building
without incident. The inside looked even less impressive than the
outside. While it was clean, it was also devoid of furniture of any
kind, with two exceptions. Over in one corner was a makeshift cradle,
now empty but looking like it had recently held a child. In another
corner, on a filthy futon was the source of the noise; a young woman,
laying on her side and moaning softly. Without hesitation, Abe
crossed to the woman and knelt by her side. Jamie was quick to join
him, his face clearly marked with revulsion at the condition of the
girl. She had obviously been recently beaten.
At first, Jeff thought it might have been Nabiki; the woman had
the same hair style and was dressed in Western clothes. Her voice
when she whimpered as Abe examined her injuries, relieved Jeff
slightly - it was not his wife. Judging by the few visible signs he
could see from his position in the doorway, someone had done a
thorough job on her.
Abe bent over the girl gently and asked her something. Her
mumbled reply was hard to understand, her battered face and swollen
lips making her local dialect hard for Western ears to follow.
"Who is she?" Jamie finally asked as he dug through his small
pack for whatever medical supplies he had.
"My niece, Yuriko," Abe said flatly before bending over her
beaten body and speaking to her in soothing tones. She tried to
respond again but ended up coughing, her ragged breathing clearly
indicating internal injuries.
"Your niece?!" Jamie sounded surprised. "Abe, I think we need to
talk."
"After we stabilize her condition, commander." Abe's insistence
and Yuriko's renewed coughing convinced Jamie to deal with the girl's
distress first. There would be time for explanations later.
As the two older men worked on the injured villager, Jeff kept
his vigil at the doorway, constantly looking for any indications of
trouble while munching some of his provisions and casting curious
glances at the injured girl. The screaming alarm of their locator
broke the silence.
Jeff snatched the device off the floor and quickly read the
message.
[Large force 290 / 500 m / heading 040 / get moving NOW! - JP]
Jamie, upon hearing the situation just shook his head.
"She's in no condition to be moved."
The wise thing to do would have been to take the girl and get out
of the way of the new threat. Wise except that it would most
certainly doom the girl. Silently, Jamie cursed his sense of
compassion - it was the very thing that led him to leave the Navy in
the first place. He had begun making decisions that spared the locals
undue hardship but too often doing so put his own team at risk. Now,
it was happening again. Quickly he took stock of their position and
concluded that it was all but indefensible. His training taught him
that when faced with such a position, the only option was to change
the position. Feeling about the old wood floor, he quickly found a
loose board and set about worrying it free. At first, Jeff thought
him crazy until the board came loose and he caught sight of what was
under the building. Built off the ground, with skirting all around
the edge, it was a natural hiding place. Abe, too, quickly caught on
and was soon helping Jamie remove a few of the adjacent floor boards
until they had a two foot opening leading to the hard-packed dirt
under the building.
"You first, skipper," Jamie said softly as he motioned for Jeff.
Jeff quickly scurried over to the hole and dropped through.
Instantly, his head reappeared.
"There's bugs and spiders down there," he whined.
With another look of disgust, Jamie stuffed Jeff back under the
building and quickly followed.
"Come on, Inspector," he hoarsely demanded. The Inspector's
response was a sad shake of his head.
"No, I cannot leave my niece in this condition," Abe firmly
replied as he tossed Jamie's bag to him. "Besides, someone has to fit
the floor boards back into place."
"They'll catch you."
"No, you forget, I was born here and raised a shinobi." Abe
smiled like he was anticipating a grand game of hide and seek. "As
you Americans like to say: 'This is *my* ballpark'."
Jamie had to admit, the old man had a point. If everything he
said was true, he'd be the most challenging opponent of the three. If
he was any good at all, he might just pull it off. Instinctively,
Jamie held out his weapon to the Inspector.
"I told you before, those are illegal here in Japan," Abe said
with a small smile and a shake of his head. "I give you my word, they
won't find you... or take me."
Jamie stared at the Inspector with new-found respect as he slowly
withdrew the weapon. As their eyes locked, Jamie could see something
he previously only saw in fellow SEALs when faced with impossible odds
- a burning resolve to win. With an abrupt salute, Jamie disappeared
down the hole while Abe set about refitting the floor boards in place
and removing all evidence of their presence.
In their hiding place, Jeff found a position where he could see
out through a small gap between two skirting boards. Switching the
locator device to mute, he activated the overhead map and watched as a
flashing red triangle slowly made its way towards their position.
Jamie cocked his weapon and took a position at another eye hole.
Moments before the red triangle covered their position on the
locator's screen, the first of the ninja's cautiously entered the
village. Both Jeff and Jamie could hear the wood floor quietly squeak
above their heads as Inspector Abe completed his preparations - then
silence.
[Sure hope you're hiding / You've got company. - JP]
Jeff returned to looking out at the ninjas and marveled at how
stealthily they crept from one hiding place to another as they moved
like an army of ghosts through the village, silent and purposeful.
Two broke off from the rest and made a beeline for the building Jeff
was hiding under. He held his breath and faintly heard their
footsteps as they mounted the engawa and briefly paused before
rejoining their comrades filtering through the small buildings of the
village.
At first, Jeff was confused as to why the ninjas didn't go beyond
the engawa or, at least, check on the girl. Perhaps she was all they
expected to see in the building. Perhaps she had the good sense to
play 'dead' so as to not attract any undue attention. Whatever the
case, their visit was thankfully brief.
Jeff checked his watch several times over the next half hour,
waiting for someone to signal the 'all clear'. He hated being under
that house; with all the crawly things and common family debris that
filtered through the wood floors above. A quick look Jamie's way only
made him feel more uncomfortable. Jamie looked like someone enjoying
a quiet afternoon in the public library as he silently munched some of
his provisions between long, careful looks outside.
The sounds of someone pulling up the floor caused both Americans
to face the disturbance, weapons at the ready.
"It's alright. They're gone." Abe's voice sounded confident and
calm. Just to make sure, Jeff checked his locator device and saw the
red triangle had moved towards the site of the shinobi shrine. There
seemed to be an unusual amount of activity there.
[If you can read this, you must still be alive. - JP]
"Cute, Palmer. Very cute," Jeff muttered as he cleared the
display and followed Jamie back through the floor to the room above.
Abe had already moved to his niece's side. She didn't seem much
better. Jamie must have thought so too as he dipped once again into
his pack to produce a standard US military morphine injector.
Abe looked concerned as Jamie picked a spot on the girl's bare
thigh and jammed the needle home. The girl didn't even move as he
squeezed the drug from its foil pouch. It would take only a few
seconds for it to take effect. At least her pain would be reduced.
"How bad is she?" Jeff asked from his position over at the
doorway. He had instinctively moved to that guard position, not
willing to let down his friends again with his inattention.
"Bad enough," Jamie lamented as he pinned the morphine injector
to the girl's kimono so the next person who examined the girl would
know she'd already had an injection. "Her ribs have been broken.
She's got a broken leg, internal injuries, possible head injuries as
well, I don't know - she's a mess."
"But alive, commander. That's what's important." Abe fixed the
ex-SEAL in a steely glare. This had all become too personal for the
inspector.
Before Jamie could ask what he meant, the girl suddenly reached
out with her one good hand and grabbed a handful of Abe's shirt.
"Uncle... Uncle, I confess. I took the child. I was just doing
it for our clan... Master Fukoono said... said he just wanted to talk
to the child's mother. I believed him. He promised not to hurt the
baby." She was gasping and wheezing with every word; fighting to say
what needed to be said before she couldn't speak anymore. Her face a
mixture of pain and fear. "You... you must hurry. They will hurt the
baby. I know it." Her voice took on a increased sense of urgency.
"Please... please save the baby. She's so... so..."
"It's okay, Yuriko. I understand." Abe sounded sad, fatherly
but still official. The sudden knowledge that one of his relatives
committed the crime they were all pursuing weighed heavily on him.
"You understand?" Jeff spit angrily, his sympathy for the beaten
girl having disappeared. He now viewed her injuries as justified.
"That 'person' kidnapped my daughter!"
"Easy, skipper," Jamie cautioned. He'd seen something in the
girl that wasn't right; something that most Japanese families would
rather hide than admit in public. Abe confirmed Jamie's suspicions.
"Mr. Lawrence, forgive me. Yuriko... is what you call in your
country... slow, retarded. She has the mentality of a 10 year old.
She didn't understand that what she was doing was wrong."
"SHE TOOK MY CHILD...!" Jeff's animosity was still quite clear.
Such hostility with an automatic weapon in hand is a bad mix.
"Stow it, kid!" Jamie growled at his employer. "This girl is as
much a victim as your daughter. Fukoono used her, then beat her and
left her for dead."
"I cannot... cannot provide proper restitution for the actions of
my niece." Abe looked at the floor and scowled. "Her actions were
unforgivable. Please try to understand...."
Jeff looked between the two other men and at the beaten girl. As
his eyes met hers, he could see her childlike fear and remorse. She
had followed the dictates of a madman and paid a very high price for
her loyalty. Like a child who was only obeying her parents, she
couldn't be held responsible for what she had done. What finally
clinched it for Jeff was when he considered that here he had a girl
who was severely beaten, possibly dying from her injuries, and all she
was worried about was whether or not the strange gaijin across the
room was mad at her.
With a silent groan, Jeff slumped against the door frame, dropped
his weapon, and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. This was
all so complicated. He wasn't even sure just who to hate anymore. As
usual, his shinobi training provided the answer.
"Never harm the innocent or through your actions cause harm to be
visited upon them," he lamented in a distant voice.
"Brother Sato has, indeed, taught you well," Abe said softly with
a sad shake of his head.
"I'm sorry," was all Jeff could offer. "I just want my daughter
back."
"We'll get her back, skipper," Jamie sounded confident and
reassuring as he got to his feet and walked over to a window. Pausing
to pick up Jeff's weapon and holding it out to the deflated young
American he added: "Tough growing up, ain't it kid?"
"Where were you at age 19?"
"Butt deep in a rice patty getting shot at." Jamie looked older
than necessary just then - and very tired. "Hell of a life. Ain't
it?"
The sound of a vehicle approaching caused all three men to slide
back into the shadows of the room, their weapons drawn. Moments
later, a district police vehicle rounded the corner and drew to a halt
in the little village square. Four figures got out and looked at the
abandoned village buildings, never venturing far from their vehicle.
"I recognize those men," Abe said softly with a tinge of
satisfaction in his voice. "One is Lieutenant Kirosawa of the
Hokkaido Prefectural Police. I know him. He can be trusted."
Without waiting for the others, Abe stepped out onto the engawa
of their building and hailed the Lieutenant. Jeff and Jamie were
relieved at the amiable reception the inspector got but watched
carefully from their concealed positions as the inspector issued a
series of quick orders, organizing and dispatching the officers before
returning to the building.
"Well?" Jamie queried the returning Abe while continuing to watch
the officers from his concealed position. He didn't totally trust
these newcomers.
"A helicopter is being dispatched to take my niece to the
hospital," Abe said confidently. "You must forgive me but this is as
far as I can go with you. I will see that you are not interfered with
in your rescue attempt. I suggest you leave by the back way. Good
luck." With that Abe abruptly turned and left the building to confer
further with Lieutenant Kirosawa.
Following Jamie, Jeff slipped out of the building via a rear
window and quickly glided through the brush towards the shrine and
Fukoono's cave. Several times, Jeff checked behind them to see if
they were being followed. Abe's word must have been good as no one
appeared to be trailing the pair as they made their way towards the
cave.
As they got closer, both could hear the sounds of a battle royal
taking place somewhere up ahead.
"Sounds like the sound track of a bad martial arts movie," Jamie
quietly suggested as he pulled Jeff alongside. "Wait here. I'll see
what's going on. Keep an eye on that gizmo. It's not paid for yet."
He pointed to the locator device Jeff was holding.
Jeff tried to smile at Jamie's little 'joke' but could only
muster a weak look of nervousness at being left alone in the strange
woods with only an electronic umbilical cord to some unseen
electronics wizard in California to keep him company.
True to his training, Jamie seemed to melt into the underbrush as
he began to work his way towards the disturbance ahead. Jeff quickly
lost sight of him and knelt down to concentrate on his locator. Using
the graphics display, he toyed with the various 3D views of his
current position and played with how far it was to the shrine.
[Wildman, check your six. - JP]
<My 'six'?> Jeff mused. <What's my six?> He tried to think back
to the way the Marines used to talk around the embassy but just
couldn't make a match with anything he'd ever heard.
[Wildman, wake up! Bandits in your six! - JP]
Jeff came to the realization of what JP was trying to warn him
about at the same time he heard the twig snap behind him. Spinning
around, his weapon in front of him, he was stunned to see a familiar
figure who quickly kicked his sub-machine gun from his hands. Looking
down the barrel of a police service pistol Jeff wrinkled his nose at
how easily he was taken.
"I should have known," he lamented with disgust.
"Don't feel bad, Mr. Lawrence. You're not the only one who's
been deceived."
"You know, I never really trusted you."
"Pity. I thought I played my part quite well."
"And now's the payoff."
"Pretty much."
"I'm curious. Exactly what do you think you'll get from all
this?"
"Oh, money, power, you name it."
"So you're part of the conspiracy."
"Part? My dear ignorant fellow. I AM the conspiracy. They all
take their orders from *me*."
"You're kidding."
"No one would possibly expect as much from such a loyal person as
myself."
"I guess not."
"Then there's the matter of your money."
"And all that takes is my death."
"It's not really all that simple, Mr. Lawrence." Kenji Watanabe
smiled like a man holding all the cards. "I figure the meddling Dr.
Tofu is currently buried under the rubble of his clinic. Judging by
the silence up ahead, the annoying youngest daughter has gone to meet
her ancestors along with that stupid fiance of hers." He seemed to
relish the thought of his three most annoying obstacles being
eliminated in a single day.
"Then there's the issue of your wife and daughter. If Fukoono is
as mad as they say, I figure your daughter is already dead and your
wife is being 'questioned' now about some stupid 'secret' which is as
worthless as the rest of these pathetic shinobi people."
Jeff glared at the officer, his hatred clearly evident. It was
all as Abe described - and much more. Watanabe *was* an opportunist
taking advantage of the shinobi disturbance to profit - handsomely.
"Of course, I'll lead the gallant police rescue of your wife -
for which she'll be forever in my debt."
Jeff's eyes quickly looked for anything he could use in this
situation. He was getting desperate. He knew what was coming.
"Let's see...," Watanabe struck a contemplative pose while
keeping Jeff covered with his pistol and staying just out of the
American's reach. "With Tofu, the youngest daughter and her fiance,
along with your child all gone... that would mean, if you were to
'have an accident' - say, die at the hands of a shinobi ninja, your
wife would be your sole heir. Later, when an 'accident' occurs to
your lovely wife, Kasumi would be in line to inherit a sizeable chunk
of your holdings. Perhaps even the whole thing." Watanabe chuckled.
"And you'll just swoop in and marry the eldest daughter."
"Of course. She's totally in love with me, you know."
"In your dreams. She's attracted to the good doctor. She won't
take his death lightly."
"Oh, I expect a period of mourning. Of course, I'll be there to
comfort poor Kasumi and help her with the weighty problem of
inheriting your vast wealth."
"You think that'll happen with my death," Jeff crossed his arms
and looked like he knew something the officer didn't.
"You can drop the act, Mr. Lawrence. I've done my homework. You
have no other heirs." Watanabe looked smugly satisfied.
"You forgot about Rachel."
"Rachel?"
"Rachel Magnum, my secretary."
"I don't understand..."
"You simpleton. If anything happens to me *and* my family at the
same time, my secretary takes over the financial holdings worldwide."
This wasn't really true. While Rachel was well provided for in Jeff's
will, she was most certainly not the prime beneficiary. All he wanted
was for the officer to consider the possibilities - buying a little
time.
"That's not..."
"You obviously know nothing about American law."
"American law?"
"Yes. Didn't you know some of the richest women in America are
former secretaries?"
"No."
"There's something else you don't know."
"What?"
"This!" Abe growled as he struck Watanabe an incapacitating blow
and watched as the former police officer crumpled to the grass
unconscious.
"About time!" Jeff snarled indignantly as the inspector bent over
to secure Watanabe with handcuffs. "I was running out of things to
say."
"You, Mr. Lawrence?" Abe shot the young American an incredulous
look. "I find *that* hard to believe."
Jeff's sickly sweet smile answer was interrupted by Lt.
Kirosawa's arrival with one of his officers.
"Inspector, are you alright?" Kirosawa looked to his senior
officer with anticipation bordering on reverence.
"Quite alright, thank you." Abe smiled happily while indicating
the fallen Watanabe. "I believe I just got the big break in my case
that I've been looking for."
Kirosawa carefully examined the unconscious Watanabe before
casting a questioning look at Abe.
"Who is he?"
"The leader of the conspiracy," Jeff noted as if it were
something everyone should have known.
Abe just chuckled and shook his head.
"Not even close. He's just an insider who knows a great deal."
Abe's expression slipped into hard seriousness. "I suspected as much
but without hard evidence to prove it, I couldn't do much more than
watch and wait. Give me some time with him and I'll have a list of
the conspiracy leadership."
Kirosawa waved another officer to join them and help drag the
unconscious Watanabe back to the village.
"I believe you still have a daughter to rescue, Mr. Lawrence."
Abe smiled lightly and indicated the way towards Fukoono's cave.

***** 12 *****

Under the rubble of Tofu's clinic, two figures struggled for
life. In pitch darkness, each coughed on the dust filled atmosphere
and fought for enough clear air to draw a clean breath.
Tofu's heavy steel desk had absorbed the brunt of the building's
collapse, creating for them a small pocket of safety underneath.
"Are you alright, Kasumi?" Tofu gasped between coughing fits.
"My foot..." Kasumi whined between her own tiny coughs.
Fearing the worst, Tofu carefully worked his way in the darkness
to the rubble blocking their exit and gently felt about for Kasumi's
leg. But try as he might, he couldn't determine the extent of her
injuries. All he could be reasonably certain of was her foot didn't
feel like it had been severed by the heavy concrete and metal debris
and she didn't appear to be bleeding.
Frustration quickly gave way to hope as he remembered he had a
flashlight in the bottom drawer of his desk. It had been awhile since
he'd used it, so he wasn't even sure the batteries still worked. On
the other hand, he was clearly not going to be able to help Kasumi
much in the pitch darkness of their refuge.
Worming his arm around some concrete, he found the drawer in
question and thanked his luck that it had been partially sprung open.
With some grunting and straining, he was finally able to retrieve the
flashlight and sighed with relief at finding it still functioned.
Switching on the light, he started examining Kasumi as best their
little refuge would allow. She had some minor abrasions on her arms,
her face was dirty, but otherwise, she appeared to be unharmed.
Shining the light down her form, he quickly found the reason for her
pain.
"Your foot appears to be trapped in the debris," he softly noted.
"I'm going to determine if it's broken. I'll try to be gentle."
Kasumi just nodded her acknowledgment, licked her dry lips in
anticipation and prepared for the increased pain of his probes.
Carefully, Tofu felt around her foot as best he could; stopping at
every whimper and using only enough pressure to verify his findings.
"I don't think it's broken," he thought out loud as he returned
to his position next to her. "However, you're not going anywhere for
awhile." Shining the flashlight around their little bubble of safety.
"But then again, neither am I."
Kasumi's whimper of pain caused Tofu to remember the other half
of her injury. Laying the flashlight aside so it illuminated her
torso, he started to pull up her skirt.
"Sensei!" Kasumi gasped in shock. To her, he seemed bent on
exposing parts of her not meant to be seen until they were properly
married.
"I have to get to a point just above your hip. There's a
pressure point there that will relieve your pain." He sounded and
looked to Kasumi like the doctor he was. In embarrassment, Kasumi
covered her face with her hands and tried not to look. After all, if
SHE didn't look, how much could HE see.
Tofu finally got her skirt up far enough to find her hip. What
he found there caused him to pause momentarily before applying
treatment to the proper pressure point.
<Pink bikini panties?> he thought with some amusement. <I never
would have thought that of you, Kasumi.>
Pressing briskly two points near her hip and spine, he was
relieved to feel her body relax.
"I don't know how long that will last," he mumbled apologetically
as he finished re-adjusting her skirt. "It's been known to last for
several hours. Of course, that's only in clinical tests - under ideal
conditions - on a man..."
Kasumi stopped him with a gentle hand on his arm. At the feel of
her touch, Tofu stopped talking and stared at her hand. In their
dimly illuminated man-made cave, he could see her tremble slightly.
"Are we going to die here?" she asked softly, her eyes scanning
their refuge like it was a prison.
"No, of course not." His voice sounded confident, in spite of
his own misgivings. "It was only a one story building so there can't
be all that much rubble covering us. I'm sure rescuers are working
even now to get us out." He tried to smile his reassurances. Kasumi,
a self-styled expert on smiles, could tell he wasn't totally convinced
himself.
"Sensei, I'm scared," Kasumi whined slightly as her eyes began to
dart around the refuge like a trapped animal. Tofu wasn't totally
certain she didn't suffer from some form of claustrophobia or not. In
any case, her using the word 'sensei' left him with the impression
this was now a doctor-patient relationship.
Tofu lightly patted her hand and reclined next to her to await
their rescue. Both heard the voice at the same time.
"Tofu, dear, I really don't have enough time to do this
delicately." Kasumi and Tofu exchanged confused looks as the voice
seemed to boom in their confined space.
"Mother?" Kasumi looked around the space like she expected to
see her mother leaning in to have a calm conversation. "Is that you?"
"Yes, Kasumi, but I really don't have much time." Her mother's
voice sounded clear and close enough to be under the desk with them.
"What is it?"
"Tofu-sensei, do you really love Kasumi?"
"Yes, of course. But..." Tofu sounded confused as he glanced
around the refuge, his glasses reflecting light from his flashlight.
"Do you want to marry her?"
"Well.... I never actually considered...."
"Tofu, dear, do you want to marry Kasumi or not?" Mother's voice
sounded insistent, like she was in a hurry.
"I've dreamed of such, but never..."
"Good. Kasumi, do you wish to marry Tofu-sensei?"
Kasumi covered much of her face in embarrassment at the question
while her eyes tried to locate where her mother's voice was coming
from. "Yes...." Her voice sounded meek and scared at such an
admission.
"Good, then I give you both permission to marry. Kasumi, you no
longer require my assistance. You have a husband now to confide in.
I recommend you do so with much frequency. Tofu-sensei, I entrust in
you the protection of my little girl. Do not disappoint me."
"Mother, what's wrong? You sound... different." Something *was*
wrong. Something about the way her mother was talking scared Kasumi.
"I'm afraid I must leave you now. Nabiki will be able to explain
why." Mother's voice sounded sad. "I'm sorry but this might hurt a
bit, Kasumi. I love you."
"Mother...." Kasumi's voice was suddenly choked off as her hands
frantically clawed at the underside of Tofu's desk, her eyes wide, her
face a mask of pain and terror, her back arched in pain as over 10
years of connection between Kasumi and her mother was forcibly
withdrawn.
Tofu frantically tried to think of or do something that would
help his love as she went through the withdrawal process. He could
tell she was in much pain, it looked to him like someone having their
skin forcibly ripped off. For now, all he could do was hold her in
his arms and pray the pain would soon pass.
In seconds, it was over. Kasumi collapsed back into Tofu's arms,
sobbing at her pain and loss. Tofu tried to sooth the girl but knew
her pain ran deeper than any he'd encountered. Gratefully, her hands
clutched at the front of his yukata as she buried her face in his
chest.
"She's gone," Kasumi whimpered between sobs. "Mother's really
gone. I can feel it."
Tofu cradled her head as best he could in the confining space
while he stroked her hair and talked to her calmly in soft tones.
"I'm still here, Kasumi." He stroked her hair while he talked,
ever mindful of her still trapped foot.
"But without mother...." Kasumi moaned into his chest.
"You'll still have me, Kasumi. You'll always have me."
Kasumi just clutched Tofu tighter to her and cried harder. It
would take some adjustment, it would take some mourning for her
mother's departed spirit, but Tofu felt confident that she would
recover. This was something long overdue in Kasumi's life. She had
never let go of her mother's spirit; unnaturally binding it to this
world, using her own spirit to channel for her mother. She had also
never mourned properly for her departed mother.
As Tofu held Kasumi's trembling body, he tried to channel some of
her grief to himself. It had been some time since he'd tried this;
having relied on pressure points and such in the past. With his first
attempt, he was only partially successful. He could tell she was
still in pain. Gritting his teeth against the effort, he tried again.
Closing his eyes and concentrating hard on reaching out and connecting
with that part of Kasumi emotionally hurt the most. This time he
could feel the poison of her anguish, its heat scorching him with its
virulence. With long neglected methods of manipulation, he slowly
worked to channel the emotional mass of her pain into leaving her
body. Like drawing a thick fluid through a straw, he strained,
gasping at the effort, his forehead breaking into a heavy sweat. If
it were anyone else but Kasumi, he'd have given up by now. But the
vision of his love's pained expression still dancing before his eyes
caused him to redouble his efforts.
With a long, low growl, Tofu was finally able to extract the core
of Kasumi's anguish, channeling it off to parts of his soul he knew
would easily be able to deal with it.
As he opened his eyes, he saw Kasumi staring at him in
wonderment. Slowly, the hole left in her heart from her mother's
departure began to fill with the love of her sweet Tofu. Gently, she
reached up with a trembling hand and caressed his sweating cheek with
her delicate fingers. She had finally relinquished her hold on her
mother, replacing it with the emotional bond with the one she loved,
the one who would always be there for her, the one who could hold her
and comfort her when she needed it. Her smile seemed to fill their
small refuge with light.
Before either of them could say anything, a muffled bark of a dog
and the excited shouts of rescuers could be heard from only a few feet
on the other side of the rubble. Help was not far away.

***** 13 *****

Two figures remained standing in front of the cave. All round
them lay the results of a titanic battle.
"I [gasp] think we [wheeze] won," Ranma offered from a bent over
position. He'd fought many battles in his life but none as long and
involved as this one. It left him drained and exhausted.
His companion just nodded as he too gasped for breath and looked
at all the unconscious bodies around him. Some were waking up and
wandering off, dazed and injured. Others might not ever wake up
again.
"We still need to get inside the cave," Ranma wheezed as he
pointed to the solid rock wall.
"What makes you think there's anything behind that solid wall,
Saotome?" Ryouga tiredly protested. He was even too tired to insult
his childhood enemy.
"There's a cave behind it. Nabiki went in there to rescue
Sodoshi."
Instantly, Ranma had Ryouga's attention. The mention of someone
he considered 'special' caused him to call upon reserves of energy
he'd never tapped before.
"The baby?" he asked while casting anxious glances at the solid
looking rock face. He remembered back to the night he entertained
little Sodoshi Lawrence in her crib. The memory of someone who made
him feel so totally accepted cut through him like a cry for help.
The two stared at the rock wall until Ranma turned to his old
rival.
"Think you can still do it?" Ranma indicated the solid looking
surface with a sharp tilt of his head.
"Just watch me, Saotome." Ryouga glared at the rock wall,
focusing his concentration as best he could. With a sudden stab of
his fingers, the rocks seemed to explode from the cave opening. It
seemed to do the trick. There opened a one meter long vertical rip in
the face of the rock, easily exposing the cave inside.
As Ranma pushed forward to exploit the rift, it seemed to close
by itself; like a wound healing, it continued to close until the rock
face looked exactly like it did before. Ranma and Ryouga blinked in
surprise.
"Maybe you didn't use enough," Ranma chided.
"I used all I had," Ryouga snarled back, his fangs instinctively
showing.
"Well, it wasn't enough. Do it again. Maybe I can get inside
this time."
Ryouga repeated his preparation and stabbed again at the rock
face. This time only a few centimeters of opening occurred. Clearly,
either Ryouga was too drained from the fight to concentrate properly
or something in the rock was able to compensate for his actions.
"Once again! I need to get in there," Ranma yelled as he stepped
out of the way.
"I'm trying!" Ryouga shouted back. He too wanted to get inside;
not for Nabiki but for his little friend, Sodoshi.
The boys were about to come to blows over their combined failure
when the opening mysteriously appeared on its own and Nabiki came
stumbling out carrying her baby.
Looking like she, too, had been through a colossal fight, Nabiki
staggered to a halt and squinted at the late afternoon sunshine.
Before either of the surprised boys could say or do anything, Nabiki
stumbled off towards the edge of the clearing.
"We must get away from here," she gasped while clutching her baby
tightly to her chest as she ran.
Instinctively, both boys began to follow, then paused, glanced at
each other like they'd forgotten something rather important. Slowly,
they turned to see Akane's form still unconscious on the grass. The
pair quickly returned to her side but only Ranma was able, or brave
enough, to heft the girl into his arms. A small trickle of blood
escaped her ear and slowly dripped onto her shirt. Neither of the
boys noticed as they were suddenly running from an earthquake sized
rumbling coming from deep inside the mountain.
Soon, rocks and other loose debris began to fall on the spot
where Akane, only moments before, lay unconscious. More rumblings
heralded larger rocks as they slammed into the ground with force
enough to cause the earth around Nabiki and the others to heave and
pitch. In minutes, it seemed if the entire top of the mountain had
fallen, including parts of the shinobi shrine, to block the face of
the mountain from all, including those with magic pendants.
As the last stones fell, Nabiki and the others cautiously inched
their way back out into the clearing. Only Nabiki's quick action had
saved them from being crushed under tons of rock.
Ranma continued to cradle Akane's body in his arms. He didn't
like the way she looked.
"Is she alive?" Ryouga anxiously asked, daring not to get too
close yet jealous of the fact it was Ranma's arms she was resting in.
Ranma listened carefully to her shallow breathing and nodded.
She was alive but badly injured.
As silence once again settled over the clearing, each looked at
the other, thanking whatever they held most dear that they had
survived. Nabiki continued to cuddle and caress her baby. She had
won and escaped with her life. Sodoshi was finally in the arms of the
one who risked everything for her and she seemed to know it.
"Mom-ma," Sodoshi cooed softly, enjoying the sound of the word
and the feel of her mother's hugs.
"NABIKI!" Jeff's excited voice announced his arrival as he
emerged from the edge of the woods at a dead run. Over the last few
days, all he could think of was his wife and daughter. He'd broken
laws, threatened people, traveled halfway across Japan, and endured
dangers for this moment. No one was going to get between him and his
family now.
With a tearful grin, Nabiki carried her daughter proudly towards
the approaching Jeffrey. She too had endured unimaginable trials to
rescue her daughter; not because she was of a clan, but for the love
of her child.
The couple met halfway, in the remaining shaft of sunlight from
the dying light of the day - the three were reunited, they were a
family once again. Jeff held his wife first, fighting his own tears
of relief at finding her safe. Nabiki accepted the painful handling,
her head gratefully nestled at the base of his neck.
"Da-DA!" Sodoshi squealed as her tiny arms wrapped themselves
around her father's neck. Jeff switched from hugging his wife to
holding his daughter; the object of all he'd been through. Nabiki,
happily allowed the reunion; now more confident of her place in the
family. To her surprise, Sodoshi quickly finished with her hugs of
her father and immediately reached once again for her mother. She
loved her daddy but it was her mother's arms she now most desired.
"Mom-MA!" Sodoshi crowed as she clung tightly to Nabiki's neck.
Nabiki beamed with motherly pride as she gently nuzzled her daughter's
cheek. She'd earned the title. She'd learned what being a mother
really meant.
Slowly, Jamie trudged out of the woods, his weapon slung over his
shoulder and grinning from ear to ear. It was the kind of finish to a
job that made everything worth while. Making sure to remain in the
background so as to not intrude on the happy reunion taking place, he
quietly worked his way towards Ranma and the limp form in his arms.
"She won't wake up," Ranma quietly moaned as he gently placed
Akane's body on the soft grass.
Jamie quickly checked her eyes and examined her wound.
"Concussion," he mumbled. The girl was in trouble and this was
no place to treat such an injury. "We've got to get her to a hospital
quickly."
As if on cue, Inspector Abe emerged from the woods with a dozen
police officers in tow. Quickly, he took control of the area and
ordered the roundup of the remaining ninjas. He paused only briefly
at the sight of the rejoicing family before joining Jamie at Akane's
side.
"Carry the girl down to the village." Abe pointed back the way
he'd come. "There's a helicopter on its way. It'll take her to the
hospital."
Ranma, once again, hefted the unconscious Akane into his arms,
taking special care to cradle her injured head against his chest.
"Stupid tomboy. I knew this would happen," Ranma muttered as he
trundled towards the village, thankful that it was downhill all the
way. With each step, he vowed to talk to Akane later about a diet.
Ryouga followed, grumbling about the way Ranma talked about Akane when
she couldn't hear him.
Nabiki, as if seeing Akane's condition for the first time, took a
few steps towards the departing trio, her face screwed into a look of
frightened panic.
"She'll be alright if we get her to a hospital quickly," Abe
calmly said while holding his hand up to halt Nabiki's attempt to
follow. "However, I'm afraid there's one more unpleasantry to take
care of here."
He motioned for Jamie to join them and scowled at the ground as
he waited. Jeff and Nabiki continued to watch Ranma until he
disappeared into the woods. Silently, Nabiki began to wonder if the
price they had to pay for Sodoshi's return was too high.
"I'm afraid I have some bad news for you." Abe turned to Jeff
and Jamie. "Please forgive me, but our laws are quite clear on this
issue. So long as you have those weapons in your possession, you are
criminals. I'm sorry, but you're both under arrest."
Jamie instinctively bristled at the apparent betrayal of their
trust by the inspector. But his reaction was nothing compared to
Nabiki's. Stunned out of her worry over Akane by the Inspector's
declaration, Nabiki handed Sodoshi to Jeff and launched into a verbal
assault that rivaled anything the Inspector had ever experienced;
including Jeff's of the previous day. Her battered face crimson with
anger, Nabiki pressed home her attack, screaming how unjust this all
was and how her husband was only trying to save his daughter from a
kidnapper. All of which was true but irrelevant. Everyone present
knew it. Gently, Jeff pulled his wife away from the shaken Inspector,
all the while Nabiki continued her verbal assault, making it
abundantly clear this was not the last the Inspector, or anyone else
for that matter, was going to hear about this. She was naming off
everyone from the President of the United States on down who would
come to Jeffrey's assistance.
Abe just shook his head and insisted it was really out of his
hands. He was a police officer and bound by his oath of honor to
uphold the laws of his country. With further apologies, he took
Jeff's weapon and turned to Jamie. It quickly became clear, the ex-SEAL
was disinclined to give up without a fight. His fingers wrapped
tightly around the automatic weapon, his 'fighting face' on.
"Wilde, give him the gun," Jeff tiredly ordered. He knew this
situation was a possibility all along. Having Abe accompany them only
guaranteed this would happen once the rescue was complete. In Jeff's
mind, the only thing the guns did was give them an edge in their
quest. Once it was over, they would have to pay for their actions.
Reluctantly, Jamie complied.
"Hope you know what you're doing, skipper." He didn't like it
but knew well how to take an order. Besides, where could he go? It
wasn't like he could blend in with the population while he tried to
slip away.
"It's all my fault, anyway," Jeff sighed. "I'm responsible for
both you and the weapons. I knew what I was doing."
"I'm very pleased to hear that," Abe acknowledged with a nod.
"Yeah, great, why don't you confess or something. Make it easy
for them." Jamie was apparently feeling the effects of being captured
by one he previously trusted. The 'confession' part was just his
frustration talking.
"Knowing when you've done something wrong is the first step to
rehabilitation," Abe said to Jamie before turned back to Jeff. "I
believe Mr. Lawrence is a prime candidate for rehabilitation. He
knows what he did wrong and is appropriately remorseful for it."
"Maybe I'll get time off for good behavior," Jeff mumbled while
stroking his daughter's hair. The longer they looked at each other,
the more Jeff concluded he'd done the right thing. Besides, he could
still hire expensive lawyers and maybe, just maybe, he could beat the
charge.
"You will both wait here until an officer comes for you." Abe
politely indicated the way to the village for Nabiki but she just
closed her eyes and shook her head. She was determined to remain with
her husband as long as possible. There were times Jeffrey's sense of
honor and fairness made their lives harder than necessary; frustrating
Nabiki when a little lie or deception would have done just as well.
Deep down though, she had to admit, it was one of the things she
admired about him.
Abe shouted a few orders to his officers and they immediately
gathered up the remaining ninjas and started back to the village. In
minutes, the Lawrences and Jamie were alone in the clearing as the
darkness closed in on them.
"You know, kid, I'm proud of you." Jamie wandered over and sat
on a large chunk of rock from the shinobi shrine. "You handled
yourself real well today. By the way, did I happen to mention that I
get time and a half for going to jail?"
Jeff was about to say something amusing when he noticed a white
shimmering figure coming from the direction of the blocked cave.
Nabiki too noticed its approach and the pair stared, their mouths
open, as the form slowly drew up behind the unsuspecting Jamie Wilde.
"And I want to tell you," Jamie noted tiredly while lighting a
cigar. "Wait till you get my bill."
Jeff was about to call out a warning when the shimmering figure
slowly started to take shape. Like a picture coming into focus, a
female shadow warrior appeared standing on a large boulder directly
behind the grinning Jamie Wilde and his cigar. Nabiki demurely smiled
at who it was.
"Greetings, clan sister," Sodoshi Tanaka said in an ethereal
voice.
Jamie's eyes 'bonged' open at the sound of Tanaka's voice.
Slowly, they traveled a path that finally ended by looking up at the
shimmering white apparition that stood less than an arm's length
behind him. Without a sound, Jamie bolted, only stopping when he
gained Jeff's side, where he stood staring like he'd seen a ghost.
"I see you're keeping better company, clan sister." Sodoshi
Tanaka's eyes seemed to look right through Jamie.
Jeff squinted at the figure before him, trying to make a
connection of just where he'd seen this person before.
"Wasn't she...?" he began.
"At the wedding in Hawaii, yes. She was one of Master Sato's
'friends' that came to our rescue." Nabiki's smile was genuine as she
looked at the spirit of her departed best friend.
"So you are... I mean, were Sodoshi Tanaka." Jeff tried to sound
calm but it wasn't easy talking to a manifestation of a dead person
he'd only heard of.
Sodoshi's laugh accompanied Nabiki's explanation.
"She's one who came to my assistance in the cave." Nabiki's face
grew dark as she recalled all that had happened during her escape. A
question for Sodoshi sprung to her lips before she had a chance to
halt it's flight. "What of mother?"
"The evil that was Fukoono the Elder is now trapped in a realm of
which there is no escape.... provided there is a sentry. Your mother,
a chunin, is the only spirit among our people who can assure he does
not return."
"No...." Nabiki's plaintive denial accompanied her step towards
Sodoshi Tanaka. During the fight, she never considered her mother
would have to sacrifice her own spiritual immortality to assure her
daughter's safety.
Jeff's hands on Nabiki's shoulders slowly drew her back into his
embrace. Nabiki rolled her face into his chest, gritting her teeth at
losing her mother for the second time.
"Mother... why?" she whispered softly. Only Jeff and Sodoshi
Tanaka heard her.
"Your mother knew all along she would not be coming back."
Sodoshi's form slowly assumed a cross-legged sitting position on the
rock. "She knew she would not be able to stand guard over both her
family *and* the evil Fukoono."
"But what about you? Why were you spared?" Nabiki's face turned
to her late friend, her expression was hard but pleading.
"Your mother knew you needed someone to help guide and protect
your baby." Sodoshi Tanaka's smile was directed at her namesake.
"Just before sealing the exit, I was thrust out of the battle by your
mother with just one instruction: 'Protect my grandchild'."
Nabiki glanced at the staring baby in her arms and back at the
ghostly shadow warrior before her.
"Then..."
"I will not go away, Nabiki Tendo-Lawrence. I will always be
close by to protect little Sodoshi." The spirit rested her elbows on
her knees, folded her hands together and rested her chin on her hands.
"I think I'll like this job."
"I've seen things you wouldn't believe in my time," Jamie mumbled
to Jeff. "But I *never* would have believed I would be listening to a
conversation with a ghost."
Sodoshi Tanaka shifted her gaze to take in the ex-SEAL.
Instinctively, Jamie took a slight step back.
"By the way, who's your cute friend?" the spirit inquired with a
little seductive grin.
Jamie had been propositioned by many women in his life, but
facing such forwardness by a dead girl was more than he bargained for.
Jeff, however, found the whole idea quite amusing.
"Forgive me for my lack of manners," he said while turning and
taking hold of Jamie's arm. "This is Jamie Wilde. A friend."
Sodoshi Tanaka stared intently at the shaken Jamie for a few
seconds before smiling coyly.
"Well, now. Cute *and* a warrior as well." She seemed pleased
with her discovery. A discovery that left Jamie distinctly
uncomfortable. "I think I will like waiting for him."
"Is she talking about...?" Jamie whispered loudly to Jeff, half
hoping he was wrong about what he supposed she was inferring.
"Yup, looks like you have a new girlfriend." Jeff grinned back
at the ex-SEAL, clearly enjoying all the implications.
"Mr. Lawrence, she's dead!"
"Well, consider her something to look forward too."
While all this was going on, Nabiki, with her baby still in her
arms, drifted closer to the mountainous pile of rocks blocking the
cave entrance. Somewhere.... somewhere deep inside that mountain was
the spirit of her mother, guarding forever the entrance to Fukoono's
realm of madness - forever gone from her family. Silently, Nabiki
mourned her mother's situation.
"She's not unhappy, you know," came Sodoshi Tanaka's voice as the
spirit assumed a place by Nabiki's side. Both were sadly staring at
the rocks blocking the entrance. "It's just she can never leave lest
Fukoono escape." Sodoshi Tanaka slowly turned to her clan sister and
cocked her head slightly with a small smile. "She is able to
reconstruct her happy world for all eternity. And she is with the
ones she loved most; you, Kasumi, Akane..."
"Kasumi," Nabiki suddenly lamented. The thought of what her
older sister would do now that mother could no longer contact her was
not a happy one.
As if she could read Nabiki's thoughts, the spirit smiled
broadly.
"Your sister has found someone to replace her mother."
Nabiki's scowl broadcast her concern. Kasumi survived the death
of their mother only because she had daily contacts with their
mother's spirit. Nabiki was unsure *anyone* could replace that. Her
ponderings were interrupted when her clan sister changed the subject.
"I really want you to know how sorry I am for all the things I
tried to do to you." Sodoshi looked at the ground and scowled.
Nabiki marveled at how attractive Sodoshi was, even when she was
scowling. "I was being foolish, self-centered, and childish. You
didn't deserve all the things I did to you. I'm sorry."
Sodoshi Tanaka finished with a slow bow of respect to her clan
sister. In death, all had been revealed to Sodoshi. Much of what she
saw of her actions in life, she didn't especially like. Most
embarrassing of all was the way she acted towards Nabiki when all the
younger girl did was try to help. She felt genuine shame in some of
the actions of her life - as would be expected of anyone. But her
actions towards Nabiki remained burned into her afterlife memory like
a brand.
Nabiki snorted. "I would have been disappointed if you acted any
other way, Sodoshi. You were a warrior of my clan, out for revenge on
those who killed your family. I don't blame you for your hatred *or*
your actions. It's what you did in the end that marked your life, as
far as I'm concerned, - not the trivia of your day to day existence."
The two slowly grinned at each other, Sodoshi's ghostly 'cover
girl' smile being matched by Nabiki's typical sardonic grin.
"Just promise me one thing, Sodoshi."
"Anything."
"The bedroom is off limits. I can handle Jeffrey on my own."
Sodoshi Tanaka seemed to silently chuckle. Nabiki always did
have a way with her.
"Fear not. I can only appear when you wish for me. Otherwise, I
cannot even enter your realm of existence." Sodoshi's form began to
slowly fade; her body already becoming transparent. "I have to go
now. The combined chi of my sister genin is not enough to maintain my
presence here for very long. In the future, *you* must send for me."
"Tell mother.... Well, tell her...." Nabiki suddenly felt tongue
tied, her mind whirling with possible appropriate messages for her
mother.
"I know, Nabiki. I'll tell her." Sodoshi was barely a shadow
now, her voice seeming to come from far away. "I'll always be there
for you, sister. I'll never go away."
"Thank you.... Oneechan," Nabiki whispered to the spot where
Sodoshi Tanaka, only moments before, appeared to stand. Little
Sodoshi pointed to the departing spirit and squealed something
definitive in her baby gibberish before resuming her position with her
head resting on Nabiki's chest just under her mother's chin, her
little thumb firmly in her mouth.
As the clearing darkened with the setting sun, Nabiki stroked her
daughter's head lightly as they continued to stare at the spot Sodoshi
Tanaka disappeared from. Only the cicadas persistent song broke the
silence.

Nabiki's introspection was interrupted by the arrival of a young
police officer, obviously sent by Inspector Abe. Reluctantly, Jamie
and Jeff presented their arms, wrists held together, and awaited the
start of their incarceration. There was, however, a small problem.
"We're ready to go. We won't give you any trouble," Jeff said
sadly while casting glances at his wife and daughter.
"I don't understand, gentlemen," the young officer replied with a
concerned scowl. He just couldn't understand why these two were
acting like they were surrendering. Perhaps it was an American joke
of some kind.
Jeff and Jamie warily looked at each other before turning back to
the young officer.
"Excuse me, but just what *are* your orders?" Jamie asked as he
slowly withdrew his arms. Jeff did the same, his hands coming to hide
deep in his pockets for safety.
"Inspector Abe ordered me to escort the two of you and the lady
over there, along with her baby, safely home to Nerima." He blinked
like there was something he hadn't been told.
"That's all?"
"That's all."
Nabiki, finally joining her husband, was the first to figure out
what was happening. Her light giggle and loving caress of her husband
clued all to her knowledge.
"What's so funny, Nabs?" Jeff asked as his wife slipped her arm
through his and pulled herself close.
"It's what Abe-san said, Jeffrey." Nabiki chuckled again, this
time out loud. She switched to English. "He said: 'as long as you
have weapons in your possession' you are criminals. Don't you get
it?"
Jeff's head slowly swiveled to exchange looks with a grinning
Jamie. The two started chuckling, as much with relief as with the
realization that they'd been had.
"That sly old fox," Jeff laughed out loud in English.
"He followed the letter of the law and still found a way of
letting us go." Jamie broadly slapped Jeff on the back, fully
enjoying the cleverness of their new friend. "By taking our weapons,
he was clearing us. He maintained his honor and *still* skunked the
system."
"It's because of his niece, I'll bet." Jeff looked past the
young officer towards the village in time to see the lights of a
helicopter taking off. His voice becoming almost a whisper. "I hope
she makes it." He meant it too.
"I don't understand," the young officer lamented in Japanese as
he looked from Nabiki to Jeff to Jamie.
"It's not important," Nabiki finally chuckled his way. "Shall we
be going?"
The young officer just shrugged, pointed the way back to the
village and followed a respectful distance behind.
Somewhere before they reached the village, Jeff started chuckling
again.
"What's so funny now, skipper?"
"I just remembered I won't have to pay you time and a half for 10
to 20 years." Jeff laughed out loud.
"Wait till you get my bill."
"I'll let you take that up with my personal accountant."
"Who's that?"
Jeff just pointed to Nabiki who grinned back at Jamie like a cat
about to devour a mouse. Jamie swallowed hard.
"I've got a feeling I'm barely going to make minimum wage," Jamie
lamented with an exaggerated scowl.
"If you're lucky," Nabiki chirped. "You did keep your receipts,
didn't you?"
Jamie just snorted and cast Nabiki a mock look of disgust. "And
I thought dealing with Rachel was tough."
"And don't you ever forget it," Nabiki grinned as she handed
Sodoshi to her husband. Jeff immediately understood why she was
willing to relinquish possession of the child. Sodoshi was wet again.
A fact that was further confirmed by Nabiki wiping her forearm on
Jeff's shirt.
"Thank you," Jeff said with a grin of resignation.
"You're quite welcome," Nabiki grinned while sliding her arm
around her husband's waist and pulling him tightly to her. They may
have arrived separately, but they were leaving a family.

***** 14 *****

Three days later, in Akane's room, there was a gathering, of
sorts. Akane, now able to sit up in her bed, a giant bandage wrapped
around her head, looked only slightly worse for wear after her first
major fight in over a year. Ranma, sitting on her desk chair pulled
up to the side of her bed, looked relieved yet still nervous.
Kasumi, her injured foot in a walking cast, sat across the room
holding the playful Sodoshi, occasionally casting happy glances at Dr.
Tofu who stood behind her making faces at the baby.
Jeff and Nabiki occupied the area near the door and leaned
lightly against the wall, looking like a pair of bookends as they
watched happily their gathered extended family.
The fathers stood over by the window, their arms around each
other's shoulders, grinning from ear to ear. They had beaten the best
of the shinobi nation, or so they convinced themselves. Their story
of their own encounter had grown over the last few days to a battle
royal involving over 200 trained ninja assassins and resulting in them
singlehandedly saving most of Tokyo proper. Truly, they were legends
in their own minds.
Ryouga rounded out the family gathering, in spite of the fact he
looked the most miserable of anyone in the room. Perhaps it was
because of the way Akane kept looking at his boyhood rival, Ranma. He
couldn't help but notice the wistful look she periodically gave Ranma
whenever his head turned to look at someone else. Each Akane glance
stabbed at his heart. It was hard for the boy to accept the
inevitable, especially where Ranma was involved.
As for Ranma, his repeated nervous looks at Jeff and Nabiki
confirmed that this was the best time to do the one thing he kept
putting off. With a nervous lump in his throat, Ranma shifted his
position enough to retrieve a small black box from his pants pocket.
For several seconds, he hesitated, covering the little box with both
hands like he was trying to hide it from Akane while stealing quick
glances at Jeff. He couldn't help but notice that Nabiki had caught
on to their little eye contact and was scowling at her husband in a
questioning way. She knew something was up.
With a reassuring nod from Jeff, Ranma turned to Akane, looking
like someone about to publicly appraise her cooking skills.
"Akane...," Ranma almost mumbled as he fiddled with the box and
looked at the floor. "I know this isn't the best time... I... ah...
want you to..." Running out of ability to absorb the humiliation of
doing this in front of so many family members, Ranma thrust the little
box in front of the slightly startled Akane. "Here - for you."
"What...?" Akane looked and sounded surprised at her fiance's
actions as she accepted the box from his almost trembling fingers.
"Just something I thought you should... have," he mumbled while
looking nervously at everyone else in the room. He was now the center
of attention. He didn't like it one bit.
"You don't think...." Genma started hopefully, unwilling to take
his eyes off the little black box.
"Hush, old friend," Soun hissed back as the pair seemed to lean
in a bit closer. "It's... going... to... happen."
Like Genma, he desperately hoped this was the moment they had
both been waiting for. Both fathers paused like they were going to
jump between their kids and complete the engagement themselves.
Akane cautiously opened the little box while the room held its
collective breath. As the small lid slowly tilted open, something
inside sparkled in the afternoon sun. Something that caused Akane to
gasp out loud and cover her mouth with her free hand. Something that
stunned everyone in the room, except for Ranma and Jeff.
"Oh... oh.... Ranma," Akane gasped while staring at the ring as
if taking her eyes off it would cause it to disappear. Stunned beyond
words, Akane couldn't cry, cheer, or say anything. She just stared at
the ring as she gasped for breath.
Ranma sheepishly rubbed the back of his head and looked
questioningly at Jeff who shot the boy an exasperated look while
motioning for him to put it on her finger.
"Oh my. How beautiful," Kasumi admired the tiny ring openly, a
wistful look on her face. Sodoshi just sucked her thumb and stared at
her Aunt Akane. Tofu smiled and nodded.
"Banzai!" Genma yelled as his arms shot into the air.
"Touchdown!" Soun answered, duplicating his friend's actions.
"That's 7 points, old friend."
"No, six."
"Are you sure?"
"Says so right here." Soun pulled out a little NFL booklet Jeff
had given him that morning. It had all the rules in convenient
Japanese along with a schedule of games on Japanese TV.
"Hmmmm, it looks like you're correct, old friend," Genma mumbled
while studying the page Soun indicated.
"I think this calls for a celebration," Soun crowed. "And, if
you'll notice here," His finger stabbed at the TV schedule. "There's
a game starting in 10 minutes."
"Mr. Miyagi has a television in his bar, doesn't he?"
"Why, yes, I believe you're right."
Both fathers looked questioningly at Jeff who hesitated before
rolling his eyes.
"Okay, you guys. Tell Miyagi-san I said I'm buying... again."
Jeff grinned at the fathers while Nabiki shot him a disapproving look.
The fathers whooped like two kids getting a trip to Disneyland
and bolted for the door.
"Why do you encourage them?" Nabiki growled in mock
exasperation. She didn't exactly disapprove of Jeff's actions. It's
just such was costing them money and *that* bothered her.
"Keep the father-in-law happy, Nabsie my dear," Jeff grinned at
his wife. "The key to a happy marriage."
Nabiki tried to look skeptical but failed miserably when
confronted with her husband's disarming grin. With a smile of
resignation and a shake of her head, she slid against her husband and
hugged him. She had to admit it, he *did* have a way with her father.
The rest watched as Ranma nervously removed the ring from its box
to tried to fit it on Akane's trembling finger. It must have been the
combined nervousness of the two as the ring never made it that far.
Slipping out of Ranma's fingers and tumbling to the bed, the ring set
off a mad scramble by both kids. As they simultaneously ducked down
to look for the ring, their heads collided with the sound of two
coconuts impacting.
"Ow, BAKA!" Akane yelled, her hands going to her already injured
head.
"Ya clumsy.... tomboy!" Ranma held his head where it encountered
Akane's, his eyes closed, in obvious pain.
"Oh, for crying out loud," Jeff mumbled, covering his face in
embarrassment. He couldn't believe how complicated this had all
become. After all, it was just a ring being placed on a finger.
Wasn't it?
Nabiki just shook her head in disbelief while Kasumi covered her
mouth in surprise and Tofu moved quickly to Akane's side to check for
further injuries. Sodoshi however just clapped her hands and laughed
at the funny faces her Aunt Akane was making.
"I'm okay," Akane said as she waved off the doctor. She was
being surprisingly calm. Reaching down to the blanket, she picked up
the ring and placed it on her own finger. She had waited a long time
for this. She wasn't going to let a little thing like a concussion
keep her from it. Ranma just watched while rubbing his head.
"I thought *that* went well, don't you?" Nabiki smirked to her
husband in a hushed voice. "And just how long have you known about
this little 'surprise' of Ranma's?"
"Oh, come on." Jeff looked hurt that his wife would suggest that
*he* was some way involved. "What makes you think *I* had anything to
do with this?"
"I've never known Ranma to have more than a thousand yen in his
life. Unless that ring's plastic, someone had to help him with the
purchase." Nabiki crossed her arms and fixed Jeff with her best
'look'. "And there's only one person I know of with that kind of
ready money."
"Nabiki, Ranma's a working man now." Jeff tried to return his
wife's 'look'. Didn't work. He had never quite been able to master
the same intensity that Nabiki could put into her expression.
"Jeffrey, how much did you give him?"
"What makes you think *I* gave him anything?"
"Jeffreeeeey?"
"I told you, he works now..."
"Jeffreeeeey?"
"Only 10,000 yen, dear," Jeff sighed in resignation. He might be
a more self-confident person now but Nabiki still knew who wore the
financial pants in their family.
"Jeffrey, I'm becoming concerned with the way you throw money
around." Nabiki's pained expression told him this was not the last he
was going to hear about this subject.
"Ranma," Akane said softly to her fiance while holding her hand
up to admire her new engagement ring. "It's so beautiful."
"Yeah, and it's a real diamond, too," Ranma shot a glance at Jeff
as he continued to rub his head. "It's kinda small but I had an
expert help me pick it out."
"Well, *I* think it's perfect." Akane beamed while pondering how
she'd finally get to show everyone proof of her engagement. There
would be no more snide remarks about 'reluctant fiances' from any of
the girls in her class. She had proof positive now.
Still, there was something missing.
"Everything would be perfect if only P-chan were here," Akane
sighed.
Ranma, Jeff, and Kasumi all looked at Ryouga.
"Yes, well... ah, I think P-chan is really gone for good this
time," Kasumi noted with some reluctance, her eyes never leaving
Ryouga. "And Ryouga's very sorry about that too."
Ryouga's look of pure terror and betrayal told Kasumi she was
walking just a little *too* close to the edge. Jeff caught both looks
and considered it his cue.
"What she means is that Ryouga knew how much P-chan meant to you
and thought you might need a replacement." Jeff suffered Ryouga's
continued look of shock as he opened the door to the hall and pulled a
small bundle of fur from a cardboard box. Akane's face lit up like a
child on Christmas morning as Jeff carried the whimpering little puppy
across the room and placed it in her arms. Around its neck was a
small black and yellow bandana that looked exactly like the one P-chan
used to wear.
Akane cuddled the little pup to her chest and giggled as it tried
to press its head between her arm and her body.
"She's precious," Akane cooed as she stroked the pup's fuzzy
body. "Thank you, Ryouga."
Ryouga's confused look was quickly replaced by anticipation as he
moved over to the foot of Akane's bed.
"You... you really like it?" he asked with another glance at Jeff
and Kasumi. He was still confused about all this but feeling more and
more like someone was doing him a really big favor.
"Ryouga, she's perfect." Akane held the pup up to her nose and
received a tentative lick for her trouble. Akane giggled again. "How
did you ever think of such a thing."
"Well... I didn't really....," Ryouga mumbled while his fingers
fiddled with the blanket. When he noticed how close his hands were to
Akane's feet, he quickly crossed his arms out of embarrassment. He
also felt a nose bleed coming on when he thought of actually touching
Akane's body - any part of her body - in his human form.
"Yeah, that *was* nice," Ranma admitted with a quizzical look.
He knew Ryouga liked Akane but never imagined he would so willingly
relinquish his love for her just because Ranma went through with the
engagement. Maybe he misjudged his old rival. His mind roamed back
to the fight outside the cave. It was Ryouga that came to their
rescue. It was Ryouga that helped protect the injured Akane. It was
Ryouga that fought so well with him against overwhelming odds.
Secretly, he felt a flicker of admiration for the 'lost boy'.
Ryouga cast a few questioning glances at Ranma. Ranma might
still be the main cause of his curse, but without that curse, he might
not have met Akane, Kasumi, or any of the other members of this family
that treated him like a regular, and welcome, part of their home.
And what about Jeffrey? Nabiki's husband acted like he didn't
care a bit about Ryouga's curse; like it didn't make a difference to
him.
Abruptly, Ryouga turned to leave, casting one last look at Akane
and Ranma. Akane continued to snuggle with her new puppy much like
she once did with P-chan. He accidentally locked eyes with Ranma. To
his surprise, Ranma nodded slowly like an acknowledgment of respect
for an old adversary. Ryouga hesitantly returned Ranma's nod and
scurried to the door.
As he passed Jeff and Nabiki, he paused again. He wanted to say
something to Jeff but couldn't think of the words. Besides, he could
feel the nose bleed gathering. As he looked at the American, his
question was obvious: why? Jeff said nothing but smiled at Ryouga and
winked. The 'lost boy' couldn't help himself. A small smile of his
own slowly grew into a full-fledged grin, exposing the tips of his
fangs as he did. He wasn't sure why, but he got the feeling he was
going to like this American husband of Nabiki's. With a final nervous
bow of respect, Ryouga left the room.
Akane and Ranma fussed with the puppy and murmured happy thoughts
to each other. Kasumi looked up at Tofu, who'd returned to standing
behind her, smiling happily. This was exactly the kind of family her
mother used to talk about; the grown up kids together with their
respective mates enjoying an afternoon together. All of which was
perfect as it was also the kind of family Kasumi secretly dreamed of.
However, not everything was like her mother's descriptions.
Nabiki wasn't quite through with her husband yet.
"So how much did you pay for the dog?" she hissed in a low voice
so as not to be heard by anyone else in the room.
"What difference does it make? Akane's happy," Jeff whispered
back.
"How much?" Nabiki insisted.
"It was a bargain."
"I'll bet." Nabiki's sarcastic reply included a shake of her
head.
"Tightwad." Jeff's taunt almost sounded sincere.
"Spendthrift." Nabiki must have thought so too as her voice
suddenly took on a distinct edge.
"Miser." Jeff added an edge of his own as he softly snarled at
his wife. Soon the accusations were flying back a forth with
increasing seriousness as the couple were almost nose to nose. If
anyone was watching, they would have been able to tell there was more
going on than a simple disagreement over the purchase of a puppy.
Nabiki's flashing eyes and Jeff's firmly set jaw marked their mutual
excitement. Both were obviously highly... stimulated.
"Wastrel."
"Cheapskate!"
"Thriftless!"
"Skinflint!"
"Furo?"
"Drained."
"Love hotel?"
"When?"
"Now."
"You Pay."
"Half."
"You're on."

Only Kasumi and Sodoshi noticed Jeff and Nabiki's hasty
departure. Kasumi just shook her head and smiled. Some things were
simply beyond her mother's predictions.
Sodoshi pulled her thumb from her mouth, pointed to the departing
pair and said to Kasumi: "Momma!"