The Dying of the Light

A Ranma 1/2 Fanfic by Alan Harnum 

All Ranma characters are the property of Rumiko Takahashi, first
published by Shogakukan in Japan and brought over to North
America by Viz Communications.

This copy of the story is from my centralized fanfiction archive
at http://www.thekeep.org/~harnums/fanfic.  I can be reached by
e-mail at harnums@thekeep.org

Part 6 : Truths and Consequences

     Morning came, as morning must.  The sky was a clear blue that day,
without the grey, moisture-laden clouds that had given Tokyo an enormous
snowfall over the past two or three days.  The sun hung brightly amidst a
cloudless azure field, and it looked that as the snow had come quickly, so
too would it vanish quickly.

     In the dining room of the Tendo house, the return of more pleasant
weather brought little cheer, however.  After a night of chaos that
rivalled anything of the wilder times more than a half a year ago, but had
been a far more deadly experience, all those at the breakfast table had
finally found sleep early into the morning of the current day.

     The toll of the attacks of last night upon the Tendo house and the
Nekohanten had been grave.  The Tendo's had gotten off lucky; they would
have to repair a few broken windows and doors that had been hastily
patched before going to bed.  They'd also lost a large number of dishes
that had shattered on the floor of the kitchen during the shockwaves the
thing that had directed the attacks of the monsters upon the house had
caused.

     The Nekohanten, on the other hand, was still burning when last seen by
any of them.  Shampoo and Mousse had stayed the night at the Tendo house,
having nowhere else to go.
     
     But houses and restaurants could be rebuilt, even though it might take
time.  Human lives, though, were more fragile things.

     The most devastating results of the long night of darkness had been
the presumed death of Cologne, in either the battle with the man Happosai
had called her son, the man called Tensai, or in the fire that had
destroyed the restaurant.  If Cologne was alive, then she had made no
attempt to contact them at all.

     For the two to whom it mattered most, however, there was no doubt that
Cologne was dead.  Shampoo had seen too many signs, too many portents with
her newly-developing gift, to hold out much hope that her great-grandmother
still lived.  She'd wavered last night between a cold, murderous rage
towards the man she held responsible for her great-grandmother's death, and
a deep, despairing sadness that had left her wanting to do no more than
weep.

     This morning, she seemed to have settled into a kind of quiet ache,
her eyes downcast as she picked at the food laid before her.  There was
little sign this morning of the proud Amazon, as if in losing her
great-grandmother she'd lost a part of who she was.

     Mousse glanced to her constantly, desperately wanting to offer some
words of comfort and knowing himself unable to.  He knew even better than
she did that Cologne was gone; the old woman had confided in him the
morning before her death, revealing that Shampoo's development of the gift
of future-seeing destined the nearness of the death of the previous holder
of the gift.  She'd also entrusted to him two things once she was gone, the
task of telling Shampoo of the true nature of the gift she'd inherited, and
of passing onto her the box concealed in the storeroom of the Nekohanten.

     Neither of which he'd yet been able to accomplish.  He hadn't yet
found a time that seemed right to tell Shampoo about what Cologne had told
him, and he hadn't yet returned to the Nekohanten since Cologne had made
him and Shampoo leave, before preparing to battle her son.

     Tensai had survived, presumably, as a group of them had gone with
Shigeki Kiyokuro to the spot where Tensai would have performed the ritual
he'd needed the four objects for, the same ritual he'd nearly completed
over two hundred years earlier.

     They'd arrived in time to see a blinding flash explode from the hill,
and when they awoke, they found no sign of Tensai, or of the thing that had
been driving him to perform the ceremony, for a purpose yet unknown.

     Each and every one of them knew, however, that whatever had begun with
the attacks upon the Nekohanten and the Tendo house last night was far from
over.

     Mousse nervously shifted at the crowded breakfast table, trying to
avoid bumping Shampoo on his left or Soun on his right.  As soon as they'd
finished breakfast, he and Shampoo were going down with Ranma's mother to
the police station.  They'd found out from the radio that they were
currently being sought, and had, after some discussion, decided it was
better to show up and cooperate than go into hiding.

     Ranma and Akane would have to head off to the two exams they had that
day with less than ten hours sleep between the two of them.  Neither of
them looked in very good shape to take an exam, let alone two of them.

     Soun let out frequent yawns behind his paper, and even Kasumi looked
less than spectacular this morning, although still far better than anyone
else in the household.

     The only ones who seemed in any kind of cheerful mood were Genma and
Nodoka, who would occasionally give each other a quick glance across the
table, then giggle with embarassment and look away from each other.  The
situation would have been an intriguing one, if anyone had been awake
enough to notice it.

     However, no one was.

     "You two had best get ready to leave," Kasumi said to Akane and Ranma.
"You don't want to be late for your exam."

     "I do, actually," Ranma said testily.  "I'd love to be late for the
exam.  Another four or five hours would be nice; I could sleep."

     "Last time I checked, having your home attacked by monsters was not a
legitimate excuse for missing an exam," Akane said, wiping her mouth with a
napkin and standing up.  "Come on, Ranma."

     "Okay, okay," Ranma said as he wobbled to his feet.  "I hate school,"
he said after a moment.

     "Good luck, Saotome," Mousse said with a sigh from his seat at the
table.  "You too, Akane."

     "Yeah, thanks Mousse," Ranma said.  "Same to you guys.  I hope
everything works out okay."

     Shampoo nodded dully, and pushed her nearly-full food bowl towards the
centre of the table.  "Shampoo sorry, Kasumi.  Food good, but just not
hungry."

     "That's okay," Kasumi said.  Ranma and Akane waved goodbye and headed
out the door to their exams, leaving the others at the table too pick
absently at their food until it finally seemed they were all finished.

     Shampoo helped Kasumi clear the dishes into the kitchen, without
either being asked to help or offering to.  The expression on her face as
she mechanically stacked the plates by the sink was neutral and controlled.

     She headed back out as Kasumi began to wash the dishes, and sat down
on the floor with a sigh.  Mousse approached a bit hesitantly and sat down
beside her; she didn't even seem to acknowledge his presence.

     "Shampoo?" he said finally.

     "Yes, Mousse?" she said, staring at a blank spot on the floor.

     "How do you feel this morning?" he said.

     "Empty," she said after a moment.  "Shampoo feel empty.  I not feel
like crying anymore.  Not even feel like fighting.  Just feel empty."

     Mousse frowned.  "Shampoo, we never got a chance to really talk last
night, because those things attacked the house.  There was something..."

     "How soon would you two kids like to go down to the station?" Nodoka
said from across the room.  "I'm in no hurry.  Take as much time as you
need to get ready."

     Mousse sighed, then changed the topic.  "You remember the story we
came up with?"

     "We were staying night here," Shampoo said.  "Great-grandmother had
guest coming."

     Mousse nodded; the story wasn't that far from the truth.  Hopefully
they wouldn't have to answer too many questions.  There'd been no
suggestion on either the radio or this morning's newspaper that the police
suspected anything beyond a simple, accidental fire.

     Still, Mousse didn't like the idea of dealing with the Japanese
authorities much.  From what he'd heard, some of them liked to come down
hard on foreigners who had any kind of trouble; he wasn't even quite sure
of his status within the country.  He had a vague fear that he and Shampoo
might be deported, thrown far away from whatever events her dreams had been
warning her of.

     If necessary, of course, they could just sneak back into the country.
That was how Shampoo had come here the first time, when she'd been hunting
down the "woman" who'd bested her in combat.  He knew Cologne had probably
made some kind of arrangements; it would have been extremly difficult to
keep a restaurant open for over a year without having some kind of dealings
with the government, but now that she was gone he suspected that he and
Shampoo were going to have a hard time sorting things out.

     The thought of Cologne reminded him that he still had to talk to
Shampoo about what had happened to her, but he pushed it down and tried to
focus on the here and now.

     The presence of Ranma's mother would help, he hoped.  He didn't know
her very well, but she reminded him much of Kasumi.  She had the same
seemingly permanent smile, the seem easy manner, but there was always an
impression of great strength behind her that he'd never really seen in
Kasumi.

     He looked at her across the room, talking in quiet tones to her
husband.  He brushed back a few strands of hair that had fallen over his
shoulder, and thought wistfully of his own parents, back in the village.

     He wondered how long it would be until he'd be able to return and see
them.  He'd hoped when he came to Japan he would return one day to the
village in triumph with Shampoo as his bride.

     He glanced sideways at her; the sadness in her face gave her beauty a
melancholy quality to it, but it was beauty all the same.  It seemed as if
he might be able to achieve that goal; there had been a real change in
Shampoo's attitude to him recently.

     If only it had been caused by better circumstances, not by the strange
dreams and the loss of Cologne.  He mentally chided himself for being
selfish; he couldn't think of marriage at a time like this.

     "Mousse?" Shampoo said.  "You okay?"

     He started, realizing he'd been lost in his thoughts for a while now.
"Yes.  Just thinking, Shampoo."

     Her hand reached out and touched his for a moment, then drew away
quickly.  He looked at her to see her staring off into nothing, one finger
slowly tracing the slender curve of her cheekbone again and again.

     He longed to embrace her, tell her that he loved and that everything
would be alright.  He held himself back; he'd forced himself to learn
control around her.

     "When would you like to go down to the station, Shampoo?" he said
after a moment.

     "Whenever you ready," she said quietly.  "I ready as I ever be."

     He stood up, offered her a hand that she did not take, choosing to
rise on her own.  He ignored the slight and glanced back to Nodoka.

     "We're ready to go, Mrs. Saotome," he said.  Nodoka nodded and walked
up to them, leaving her husband and Soun to set up another one of their
endless games of shogi on the living room floor.

     "Alright then," she said.  "Let's get our jackets on and go."

     Dressed for the colder weather, they stepped out into the street and
looked up at the sun, hanging bright and golden in the blue, cloudless sky.
The sky seemed horribly empty of anything, and for a moment Mousse had the
awful illusion that he was falling upwards, into the endless burning blue,
and that he would fall forever and never stop.

     Then someone touched his arm, and it was gone.  He looked into the
kind, smiling face of Nodoka Saotome, and the strange fear was gone.  With
a nod, he began to walk with the two women down the street, the sky hanging
overhead and watching them go.

**********

     "Boy, you four look awful," Hinako-sensei said as she looked at Ranma,
Akane, Ukyou and Hikaru.  "Didn't you get any sleep last night?"

     "Not enough," Ranma said with a yawn.  "Hey sensei, aren't the English
exams over?  Why are you still at school?"

     "With my valuable abilities of discipline," Hinako said, striking a
pose she imagined was heroic, but was actully just silly, "I am an
indispensable aid to controlling students!"

     "Lucky us," Hikaru said under his breath.

     Having no ability to detect sarcasm as a child, Hinako nodded.  "Thank
you, Mr. Gosunkugi.  Now, take your seats, kids."

     "So, how're you all doing this morning?" Ukyo said, looking around at
the other three.

     "Not too good," Akane said.  "I don't think any of us got enough sleep
last night."

     "I certainly didn't," Hikaru said.  "I had to get up extra early this
morning to take down all those spirit wards I put up the night before."

     "Spirit wards?" Ranma said.

     Hikaru nodded.  "It's a good thing I did, as well.  I think those
things came to my house last night before they went to yours; some of the
wards were damaged.  I wasn't there of course, but my mother..."

     Everyone was silent for a moment at the thought, and then Ranma spoke.
"Well, we'd better sit down and do this exam.  We can talk later."

     "Count on it, Saotome," Hikaru said as he turned away.  "There's still
a lot we need to do."

     Ranma sat down behind Akane and in front of Ukyou.  Akane turned back
and looked at him suddenly.

     "Hey Ranma, did you see Happosai this morning?" she said.

     "No, I didn't," Ranma said.  The thought of the old man clicked in his
mind as he looked at Akane, and he realized with annoyance that he'd
completely forgotten about the ring Happosai had stolen from him, the ring
he'd been meaning to give to Akane the night the old man had taken it.

     Happosai had used him as a pawn to get the ring away from Tensai; the
old man had probably thought it was for the best, but the ring had been
lost anyway, to Hibino Kyofu when she'd controlled Ranma.

     The thought of the serpent-woman made him grimace; Mousse had
explained what little he could about the thing.  He knew it wasn't his
fault he'd been affected by her powers, but he still didn't think he was
ever going to forget the disgusting feeling of total devotion to the
creature.  He hoped Shampoo had killed her last night; he hated to think a
thing with that kind of power was still around.

     He thought of Happosai again; if the old man had just come out into
the open and told him what was going on, things probably would have worked
out a lot better.

     Still, Ranma probably wouldn't have believed him.  He'd developed a
grudging respect for Happosai; the old man obviously had some traces of
decency in him.

     But he was going to talk to him about the ring, that was for sure.  If
Happosai still had it, he wanted it back.

     If he didn't, he sure as hell wanted to know why.

     Ranma looked at the exam as it was laid in front of him, and groaned
inwardly.  No time to think of Happosai, or anything else; he had to try to
remember what little he'd studied.

**********

     Kasumi knocked on the door hesitantly, then stepped inside.

     "Master Happosai?" she said, turning on the lights.  "Are you
alright?"

     The tiny form of the old man was curled up on a sleeping mat in the
corner of the nearly bare room.  His sides rose slowly up and down as he
breathed, but he didn't respond.

     She approached, a bit cautiously, and knelt down beside him.  "Master
Happosai?"

     He didn't answer; the slowness of his breathing disturbed her.  She
reached over and hesitantly shook him.

     Both his hands closed around her wrist in a tight grip as he rolled
over.  His wide eyes opened, a hungry look in them, one she'd seen many
times, but never directed towards her and never in the past few days.

     "A female body..." he hissed, clutching her wrist so tightly it was
beginning to hurt.  He struggled to his feet, still holding onto her
with a powerful strength.  Kasumi was too startled to do anything except
make a small, frightened sound.

     She couldn't even move her arm; it seemed impossible that a man so
old and tiny could be so strong.  The grip was like iron, and Happosai's
eyes were hard and flat and hungry.

     One hand still holding her wrist, his other one began to spasmodically
clutch at the air as he pulled her towards him.  "Girlies..."

     "Please," Kasumi whispered, not sure what else to say.

     The hungry look was gone in an instant, replaced by something so
filled with self-disgust and self-loathing that Kasumi's fear turned
instantly to pity.  His hand released her, and she fell back with a small,
surprised sound.

     "It's best you leave," he said weakly, huddling back against the wall,
as far as he could get from her.  "Please, go.  Quickly."

     "What's wrong, Master Happosai?" Kasumi said, getting up and backing
away.  The old man let out a long, hacking cough and dropped to the floor,
lying back down on his futon with a sigh.

     "I'm addicted to female bodies, remember?" he said weakly.  "Like
Genma and Soun said once, it's like not being able to breathe.  It's not
quite that bad yet, but it's close."

     He coughed again, sounding as if he were trying to clear something
from his throat but unable to.  Kasumi frowned, then hesitantly moved next
to him and sat down, smoothing her skirt out and looking at him anxiously.

     "I told you to go," Happosai said.  "Please.  Just... just having you
in the same room is a temptation.  I can hold back now, but there's a
chance I could hurt you, Kasumi."

     "Do you know of any cure?" Kasumi said.

     "No," Happosai said.  "I'm three hundred years old, after all.  It's
just age catching up with me."

     "Then... if you didn't touch a female body for long enough, you would
die?" Kasumi said after a moment.

     "Yes," Happosai said.

     "Why?" Kasumi said.  "How could something so horrible happen to you?"

     "You remember how I told you about Tensai?" Happosai said, not looking
at her.  His entire body was shaking, and the top of his bald head gleamed
with sweat.

     "Yes," Kasumi said.

     "When we tried to remove the influence of whatever was upon him,"
Happosai said.  "We were all changed, in a way.  Except for that one, of
course.  The hunter, Shigeki.  I think he's a hard one to change."

     "What do you mean, changed?" Kasumi said.  "It was you and Lukkosai
and Cologne and Tensai's father, right?"

     "And Shigeki," Happosai said.  "He was there as well.  I remember.  He
was the one who told us about the spell; too bad it failed."

     He coughed again before continuing.  "Lukkosai and I both got the same
thing, because we were so similiar I guess.  We aged, slowly, but we didn't
die or lose our strength as long as we got a regular grab at a female
body."

     "What about Cologne?" Kasumi asked.  "Is that why she aged so slowly
as well?"

     "The Amazons are always long lived," Happosai said.  "Even that
long-lived, sometimes.  Cologne never told any of us, of course, about how
she changed, if she did change."

     "What about Tensai's father?" Kasumi said.

     There was a long pause.  "He died.  The ceremony destroyed everything
he was."

     "Oh."

     Happosai coughed again, and for a while it seemed as if he would never
stop, until finally he did.  He weakly turned his head and looked at Kasumi
through half-closed eyes.  His gaze seemed to be rapidly losing lucidity as
they talked.  "I think you'd better go."

     "But what about you?" Kasumi said.  "You're dying."

     "Maybe that's for the best," Happosai said.  "Lucky's dead.  My dear
Cologne is dead.  Maybe it's time I joined them."

     "Don't you dare," Kasumi said, gazing at him and surprised to find
herself feeling angry.  "You're just giving up?  Tensai's still out there."

     "I know," Happosai said.  "You think I don't?"

     "What would Cologne say?" Kasumi said, somehow knowing it was the
right thing to say.

     "She'd say it was just like me," Happosai said.  "Because it is.  I'm
scared of Tensai; I'm scared of whatever he's done."

     "So you'd rather slowly die than face him?" Kasumi said.  "That's
cowardly."

     "So I'm a coward," Happosai said bitterly.  "So what?  On top of that,
I'm a lech, a pervert and possibly a demon as well.  It's not like my
reputation would get any worse."

     "Then why'd you try before?" Kasumi said softly.  "I know you tried to
stop Tensai.  Can't you try again?  We can use your help; we can use your
experience."

     "You have Shigeki," Happosai said weakly.  "He was there as well, and
I'm sure he's a lot more reliable than me.  Kasumi, I'm begging you.
Please go; every moment you're near me puts you in danger."

     "We can use all the help we can get," Kasumi said, trying to make her
voice sound hard and determined.  "Your help, Happosai.  This is your
chance to prove Cologne wrong; you were fighting so hard before, and now
you're just giving up?"

     Set in her decision, she stretched out her hand.  "I don't think you
have to touch any certain part of the female body, Happosai.  You grabbed
my arm and that seemed to bring you back again.  So if you're not a coward,
if you're willing to fight, take my hand again.  Take my hand for as long
as you need to, and I won't try to take it away."

     There was a long, stretched out second between them, and then she felt
a small hand, wrinkled and dry as old leather, slip into hers.

     "Thank you," Happosai said.  "You... you're the first woman who's...
who's ever said I could touch you in so long..."

     She could feel his hand, which had been cold, growing gradually warm
in hers.  "You're welcome, Master Happosai.  It will be alright."

     She caught his eyes with hers, and gave him a look that made his go
slightly pale for a moment.  "But if you ever try to touch anything other
than my hand, I'll be very unhappy."

     Happosai laughed, and his voice sounded stronger.  "I was waiting for
you to say that, Kasumi.  You remind me of your mother; she said something
along those lines to me once."

     "You knew my mother?" Kasumi said quietly.

     Happosai chuckled dryly.  "Our meeting was a short one.  I think I
started to run right after she threw the kitchen knives at me, and a little
before she threw the microwave."

     "Mother did that?" Kasumi said, touching her free hand to her mouth
with amusement.  All her memories of her mother were of the calm, kind
woman she'd tried to emulate all her life.

     "Well, I gave her adequate reason," Happosai said.  "I think the words
she used were 'If you ever touch me again, you deranged little troll, I
will break every bone in your body.'"

     Kasumi giggled slightly.  "How old was I?"

     "I guess you would have been a little under four," Happosai said.
"Akane had just been born, and your father had somehow gotten it into his
head that his master should pay a visit.  It didn't work out very well."

     "How are you feeling now, Master Happosai?" Kasumi asked.

     "Better.  Much better," Happosai said, taking his hand out of hers.
"Thank you."

     He did look better; his eyes gleamed, and he was standing up now,
looking far better than he had.  "I feel fine... but... different.  I don't
know what it is."

     "Maybe it's because I let you," Kasumi said.  "Perhaps that's it."

     "Could be," Happosai said.  "If you'll excuse me, Kasumi, I've got to
look at some of my books.  There may be some answers there."

     "Alright," Kasumi said, standing up.  "Now, if you start to get weak
again, just talk to me.  It's no trouble for me to hold your hand for a few
minutes."

     "Thank you," Happosai said again.  "Thank you so much, Kasumi."

     "You're welcome, Master Happosai," Kasumi said as she left the room.
Outside in the hallway, she smiled and shook her head.  She hadn't felt
like this in a long time; she felt happy, happy that she'd managed to help
someone.  It was the feeling she'd used to get when she prepared a meal for
the family, or when she did the housework.  It was a feeling she'd missed
quite a lot.

**********

     "You are?"

     "Mousse."

     "Is that your real name?"

     "That is how it tends to be pronounced over here."

     "Right," the man said, taking a few notes.  "Mousse.  I'm Captain
Otani."

     Captain Otani was a small, quick-looking man with an apparent
expression of perpetual misery on his face and a tendency to look intently
about a foot to the left of whoever he was talking to.  It was having the
effect of making Mousse distinctly nervous; it appeared that the man could
see something he couldn't.  He had to resist the urge to turn and look
behind him constantly.

     "I'm in charge of this station," Otani said, switching his eyes to
look one foot to the right of Mousse.  "And I've got just a few questions
for you concerning last night."

     "Yes?" Mousse said.

     "Last night was a real piece of work, I'll tell you that," Otani said.
"We had all kinds of calls from people reporting dozens of strange people
moving through their yards or their gardens, but when we got there, we
didn't find anything.  Someone ripped up a whole bunch of sewer grates all
over the ward, and someone else called in this morning to report the
wreckage of a car outside their house.  Odd that no one called it in when
it blew up in the middle of the night, eh?"

     "Yes," Mousse said.  "Very odd."

     "You wanna know something else odd?" Otani said, switching to look at
a point a foot above Mousse's head.

     "Sure," Mousse said, unsure of how else to respond.

     "How long have you been in Japan, Mousse?" Otani said.

     "Over a year," Mousse said cautiously.

     Otani nodded.  "Uh-huh.  Then you remember those killings we had about
six months back?  The priest, the couple, and the attack on that girl?"

     "Yes," Mousse said cautiously.  The stumps of the two missing fingers
on his left hand throbbed slightly in remembrance.

     "It was strange how they abruptly stopped," Otani said, his eyes still
sad and unfocused.  "No one was ever caught, and the killer didn't move to
another area."

     Mousse was silent, letting Otani continue.  The man switched his gaze
back to the right of Mousse before he did.  "Like clockwork, for three
nights, whatever psycho this is attacks someone, and then on the fourth
night, nothing.  And after that, nothing.  But on the fourth night, you
know, we got a call from some officers who'd heard the sounds of fighting
coming from a supposedly condemned warehouse.  They'd called backup, but
when they'd arrived they'd found no one there."

     Otani steepled his fingers and rested his elbows on the desk, leaning
forward and looking straight at Mousse for the first time in the whole
conversation.  "I went down, and I went inside that place."

     The sad expression on his face didn't change, but his eyes went
focused and hard and dark.  "You ever get that feeling that something's
wrong with a place the moment you go in there?  Shivers up your spine,
your eyes seem to see things that aren't there?"

     "Sometimes," Mousse said guardedly, worried about exactly where this
was going.

     "That's what it was like.  People talk sometimes about how when
terrible things happen in a place, the horror of what happened can kind
of... bleed, I guess, into the site where they occured."

     Captain Otani didn't seem to be talking to Mousse so much as he was to
himself.  "We searched the place from top to bottom, of course.  We didn't
have any other leads to go on.  And we found all kinds of stuff; there'd
been a fight, of course.  Shelves were knocked over, all kinds of different
footprints in the dust, even a few bloodstains.  But none of it led
anywhere."

     Otani reached into his desk drawer, and pulled out something that
glittered in the overhead lights.  He tossed it across to Mousse, who
caught it automatically before looking at in shock.  It was one of Ukyou's
throwing spatulas, razor-sharp on one edge.

     "Distinctive, isn't it?" Otani said, leaning back in his chair and
staring at the ceiling.  "Someone picked it up at the scene for a reason he
didn't really know, held it back from the evidence room, though he'd never
ever thought of doing anything like that before."

     "Oh," Mousse said, turning the weapon over and over in his hands and
looking at it with a heavy feeling growing in his stomach.

     "I kind of looked into the background of that place, where the
warehouse was built," Otani said.  "There were some very bad things that
happened in a house there a long time ago.  It was torn down and the
warehouse was built overtop."

     "Yes," Mousse said.  He wasn't sure what else to do with the spatula,
so he tucked it quickly into the concealing depths of his robes.  Otani
seemed to nod imperceptibly with approval.

     "A lot of strange things happen in Nerima," Otani said slowly.
"Things that I can't really put in reports to my superiors.  Giant monsters
with tentacles, men with wings, six-armed women throwing fireballs and
fighting with the giant tentacled monsters.  I've had to learn to deal with
it; everyone else who lives around here has had to, after all.  A lot of
property gets destroyed, but no one ever really gets hurt."

     "What is this all about?" Mousse said, starting to get annoyed.  "I
thought you wanted to ask me about the fire at the Nekohanten."

     "I've only got one question about that," Otani said.  "Did you start
it or know who did?"

     "No," Mousse said.  It wasn't really a lie; he didn't know whether
Tensai or Cologne had actually started the fire themselves, or if it was an
accidental thing.

     Otani nodded.  "Good.  Now that that's out of the way..."

     He steepled his fingers again and leaned forward.  "I'll be straight
with you, Mousse, even though I know you can't be with me.  I've seen
things in the past few years that either tell me I'm crazy, or there's a
lot going on that it's better people don't know about.  I'm most interested
in making sure the people in this ward are safe.  I know there's things out
there that the police probably aren't equipped to deal with as well as some
people."

     Mousse was silent, not quite sure whether Otani was giving his
approval or a warning.  Otani leaned back in the desk chair and gave out a
slight sigh.

     "I don't think you or your friend had anything to do with starting
that fire," Otani said.  "I think there's a lot of things going on here
that would look very strange in a report."

     "Oh," Mousse said.

     "They'll be reports filed, and investigations made, of course.  All
procedure," Otani continued.  "But I don't think we'll find anything out of
the ordinary.  There was another fire about two months ago where there was
nothing out of the ordinary either, except that it reduced a very large
house and its contents to practically nothing in an immensely short time."

     "Could you get to the point?" Mousse finally said, unable to deal
anymore with the man or his roundabout way of speaking.

     "Yes, yes," Otani said.  "I know there's more going on here.  I know
that my people probably aren't going to be able to deal with it."

     Otani turned his gaze to Mousse for the second time.  "I know that
there have to be people to do certain things because they need to be done.
I'll tell you this; if you watch yourselves, if you're careful, you'll be
okay."

     He brought his palm down on the desk with a slap.  "But if you act
reckless and someone ends up getting hurt, that's a different thing.  I'd
like to think all you martial artists do more good than harm around here;
the crime rates are certainly low, and the most people really have to fear
at night is someone waking them up by bounding across their rooftops.  But
just be careful; try not to put anyone in danger."

     Mousse nodded.  "I understand, Captain."

     "I'm glad you do, Mousse," Otani said, nodding slightly.

     "May I ask you some things, Captain?" Mousse said.

     Otani smiled slightly.  "I suppose."

     "Have any bodies been found in the Nekohanten?" he said.

     "None," Otani said.  "You're friend's great-grandmother is still
missing, then?"

     Mousse nodded.  "Yes."

     "I'm sorry to hear that," Otani said.  "Is there anything else?"

     "When will we be able to go through the wreckage of the Nekohanten?"
Mousse said.  "We would like to see if any of our possesions survived."

     "The investigation is still going on right now," Otani said.
"Anything of interest to it will be kept as evidence, but I'd say you and
your friend can come down by the end of the week and have a look."

     "Thank you," Mousse said.

     Otani nodded, and then extended a hand across the desk.  After a
moment, Mousse took it.

     "If I can help in any way," Otani said.  "I would like to."

     Mousse was silent, and turned to go.  At the door, he looked back.
"Do you want to talk to Shampoo?"

     "Your friend?  No, not really.  I've heard all I need from you,"
Otani said.  "Just pass on what I've said to her and your friends."

     "Alright," Mousse said, a relieved smile breaking across his face as
he opened the door to Otani's office and headed out into the hallway.

     "Favour repayed, Cologne," Otani said softly after a moment.  "At
least in part."

     He sighed slightly, ran a hand through his thinning hair.  "Seems like
a nice kid, though."

     After a little while, he began to do some paperwork.

**********

     "We can go?" Shampoo said incredulously.

     Mousse nodded.  "Yes.  He says he doesn't think we had anything to do
with the fire."

     Shampoo still seemed a bit stunned.  "You sure?  He not want to talk
to me?"

     "No," Mousse said.  "He said by Friday, we can go down to the
Nekohanten and see if there's anything we can salvage."

     "Good," Shampoo said dully, standing up from the chair she'd been
waiting in outside Captain Otani's office.

     "Where's Ranma's mother?" Mousse asked.

     "She go to bathroom," Shampoo said.  "She be back soon."

     Sure enough, Mousse looked up to see Nodoka making her way down the
hall towards them.  "How did everything go, Mousse?" she said kindly as she
came to stand beside him and Shampoo.

     He put a hand behind his head and stared at the ceiling for a moment.
"Almost too well.  He says we can go; he believes we don't have anything to
do with the fire."

     "That's wonderful," Nodoka said, clasping her hands together in front
of herself.  "I'm so glad things worked out for you two."

     Mousse nodded; he hoped everything else would be this easy, even
though he knew it wouldn't.  Otani's statements were just one more thing he
was going to have to share with Shampoo, and everyone else for that matter.
He'd thought the police had no idea of why the murders had abruptly
stopped; Otani had proven him wrong.

     On the other hand, the police probably still didn't have any idea.
Otani did, however, and had told Mousse as much without ever specifically
telling him.  The man didn't really fit any concept he'd had of what a
police captain would be like, but he supposed that being in charge of law
enforcement in a place like Nerima required a certain type of person.

     "Well, what we do now?" Shampoo said resignedly.

     "You could come back to the house," Nodoka said.  "It would be no
trouble."

     "Actually..." Mousse began.  "Shampoo, I'd really appreciate it if you
would come for a walk with me.  There are some things we need to talk
about."

     Shampoo was silent for a moment, and then she nodded.  "Okay."

     The three of them walked out of the police station, and into the cool
of the day.  It was a strange contrast to the icy snow that had blanketed
the city for the past few days, and was even now disappearing, running in
streams into the sewer grates as it melted beneath the warmth of the sun.

     Mousse looked up at the sky again, and suppressed a shudder.  He
couldn't put any reason on it, but the sight of that cloudless, empty blue
sky disturbed him.

     "Well, I'll see you two back at the house in time, I suppose," Nodoka
said, looking slightly uncomfortable.  She nodded once, then headed off on
the route that would take her back towards the Tendo's.  "Goodbye."

     "Goodbye," Mousse and Shampoo echoed.

     Shampoo looked at Mousse, then looked away.  Without a word, they
began to walk, the sun and sky staring down at them unblinkingly.

**********

     "I think I remembered everything," Ranma said.  "I hope I remembered
everything.  I might have remembered everything."

     "Well, it's too late to do anything about it now," Akane said.  "We
should get home and do some studying for this afternoon, as much as we
can."

     "Maybe I can have a nap," Ranma said hopefully.

     "You know if you go to sleep, you'll never be able to wake up," Ukyou
said.  "I'll see you guys this afternoon, okay?"

     Waving farewell, Ukyou headed off through the front gate of the
school, leaving Ranma and Akane still talking behind her.  She yawned, and
headed up the streets, bookbag swinging at her side.  Everything seemed
blurry this morning, or maybe it was just how her eyes kept on closing
involuntarily.

     Seeing a familiar figure walking up ahead, she hurried to catch up.
"Hey, Hikaru, wait!"

     Hikaru turned, regarding her a bit confusedly.  He looked as tired as
she felt, but, then again, Hikaru always looked tired.  "Hi Ukyou."

     "Where you headed?" she asked.

     "A cafe, someplace I can sit down," he said.  "I live too far from
Furinkan to make it worth going home, so I'll just find someplace I can sit
and study until this afternoon."

     "Mind if I tag along?" Ukyou said on impulse.  "I don't wanna head
back to my restaurant; Konatsu was still asleep when I left, and if I go
back I'll either wake him up or get mad at him for doing chores when I told
him to relax."

     Hikaru laughed slightly.  "How's your arm feel?"

     Ukyou shifted her left arm a bit hesitantly.  "Like one giant bruise.
How about your wrist?"

     Hikaru held up the still-bandaged wrist for inspection.  "I'm just
lucky I was holding the ward with my left hand.  If that thing had busted
my right wrist, I wouldn't have been able to write the exam."

     "Wouldn't that have been better?" Ukyou said.  "I mean, you wouldn't
have had to take it when you were so tired."

     Hikaru laughed again.  "Perhaps you're right."

     He looked up at the sky.  "I'm just glad we all made it through last
night in one piece.  We got lucky, Ukyou.  Really lucky.  The two of us got
the worst injuries out of everyone, and what are they?  A sprained wrist
and a bruised arm."

     Ukyou sighed.  "You're right, Hikaru.  I just hope our luck lasts;
this isn't over."

     "It's nowhere near over," Hikaru said with a dry chuckle that lacked
the humour of his previous laughter.  "I'd say in truth, it's only just
begun."

     "Yeah," Ukyou said softly, thinking back to her dream of two months
ago.  Almost without realizing it, she spoke again.  "I've walked in
dreams... I've seen what's coming."

     "What was that?" Hikaru said, glancing sideways at her as they walked.

     "Nothing," Ukyou said, making a dismissive gesture with her hand.

     They continued to walk in silence for a moment, until they came to a
mutual stop in front of a small teashop.

     "This place looks as good as any," Hikaru said.  The two of them
walked in, leaving their damp boots in the rack by the front door and
taking seats at one of the booths.  The teashop was about half-full, and
filled with the quiet chatter of the customers.  A waitress soon
approached, and they ordered tea and sat back, waiting for it to arrive.

     "So, how's Kodachi?" Ukyou said after a moment, trying to fill the
void of silence between the two of them.

     "She's fine," Hikaru said, putting several of his books on the table
with a slap.  "Although..."

     He trailed off, a pensive expression on his thin face as he looked at
Ukyou.  "Something wrong?" she asked, tilting her head and looking at him
appraisingly.

     "No, nothing," Hikaru said.  He glanced down at the tabletop with a
sadness on his face that belied his words.

     "Oh, come on hon," Ukyou said gently.  "I run a restaurant, you know.
That makes you almost as good a listener as being a bartender."

     She was relieved to see that got a small laugh from him, and he
brought his head up to look at her again.  "Okay, so what's on your mind,
Gos?"

     "I don't know," Hikaru said, even though everything in the way he said
it told her he did.  "Let me ask you a question, Ukyou."

     "Shoot," Ukyou said.

     "What do you think of me?"

     Ukyou blinked in surprise.  She touched two fingers to her lips in
thought for a moment.  "Lemme see..."

     "That much, huh?" Hikaru said with a sharp, bitter laugh.

     "No, no," Ukyou said.  "Don't take it that way, Hikaru.  It's just not
the kinda question I thought you were going to ask me."

     "Okay," Hikaru said.  "I'm just a little sensitive about these things,
I guess."

     "A year ago, I just thought you were a particularly weird example of
the Akane-mania that seems to take hold of pretty much every guy who sees
her," Ukyou said quietly.  "But you know, when you came with Shigeki and us
to the island, you really changed in my eyes, at least.  I think in someone
else's eyes as well."

     The tea arrived, and after the waitress silently left, Ukyou took a
sip, letting the warmth of the liquid drive the last of the winter chill
from her body before continuing.  "Even though you weren't a fighter like
the rest of us, you were as brave as anyone.  You fought in your own way,
and you probably saved all our lives, and the lives of a whole bunch of
other people when you and Ranma destroyed the Spire."

     "Saotome did most of the work," Hikaru said, flushing embarassedly and
looking into his undrunk tea.

     "Don't put yourself down, sugar," Ukyou said.  "You're the one who
showed him what to do, from what I understand, and you got us all off there
once it blew up."

     "Thanks," Hikaru said, taking a sip of tea.

     "So why did you want to know what I think of you?" Ukyou said.

     Hikaru laughed, a bit embarassed.  "It's just... I've been thinking
about me and Kodachi a lot for the past little while.  About how it almost
seems like she's too good for me."

     "What the heck are you talking about?" Ukyou said, raising her
eyebrows and looking at him intently.

     "What do you think?" Hikaru said, leaning back in the booth and
spreading his arms wide.  "I don't have any illusions about myself, Ukyou.
I'm not like Saotome; I'm about as strong as two or three tight-stretched
rubber bands, and I'm not handsome like he is either.  All I am is a skinny
little guy who's lost the only thing he had that made him feel worthwhile."

     He laughed, bitterly and without humour.  "I thought it wouldn't
matter at first, that I could still feel good without it.  Necessary
sacrifice and all.  But now I crave it.  I remember how good I felt, how
powerful, when I had all that magic running through me.  It was all I ever
wanted, and now I've lost it.  Without it, I'm useless.  I don't even know
how Kodachi can stand to be around me."

     "Now just a damn minute," Ukyou said, pounding her hand down on the
table so hard their cups rattled.  She glared at him, forcing her to turn
his dark eyes to look into her green ones.  "What are you talking about,
you're useless?"

     "You saw what happened last night," Hikaru said.  "There goes Hikaru
Gosunkugi, big-time sorcerer, thinking he can beat that thing with a piece
of paper and some words.  That sure showed about how much good I am."

     He held up his bandaged wrist, injured when the thing had twisted it.

     "Yeah?" Ukyou said.  "Lemme ask you this.  Who's the one who got us
all together and had us heading down to help Ranchan and Akane and everyone
else?  Who's the one who's been saying for days now that something was
coming, and none of us really listened to him?"

     Hikaru was silent, and Ukyou continued.  "You think the measure of a
man is in just how hard he can punch someone, or in how he looks?"

     "That sure seems like it some of the time," Hikaru said, but he
sounded unsure, with none of the bitter conviction he'd had before.

     "Maybe it is to some people," Ukyou said softly.  "Some people who
can't see the person behind the face and the body, can't see that maybe
things won't work out the way they expected."

     She sighed, and sipped her tea.  "But people change, Hikaru.  They
have to change, or they'll destroy themselves.  You've changed, Kodachi's
changed, I've changed, everyone's changed."

     "But... that still doesn't explain why she stays with me," Hikaru said
after a moment.  "She could do so much better, I know she could."

     "Maybe she doesn't want to do better than you," Ukyou said.  "Maybe
she thinks you're good enough for her."

     "But..."

     "Hikaru, I can't tell you Kodachi's reasons for staying with you,"
Ukyou said, exasperated.  "You'll have to take that up with her.  But I'll
take a stab at why she stays with you."

     "Which would be?" Hikaru said in a soft voice.

     "Because she likes you, you dolt," Ukyou said.  "Maybe even loves you.
That's what's important."

     Hikaru's face looked shocked.  "L... loves me?"

     "Sure," Ukyou said.  "Why not?  People think it's hard to find someone
to love; that's not it.  It's easy to find someone you can love; the hard
part is to find someone to love who loves you back."

     Hikaru laughed slightly, and shook his head.  "Love.  I always said I
loved Akane to myself, but never to her.  It was just infatuation, of
course; there was no way I could have any girl, so I might as well go for
the prettiest, nicest one in all of Furinkan."

     "Hey," Ukyou said teasingly, glad the tension was broken.  "What about
me?"

     "This was before you showed up," Hikaru said.  "Besides, that boy's
uniform doesn't do you justice."

     "Don't let Kodachi hear you say that," Ukyou said with a laugh.

     Hikaru laughed with her.  "Promise you won't tell her?  She might feed
me to her alligator."

     "Nahh," Ukyou said.  "I think she likes you too much."

     Hikaru blushed until it reached the tips of his ears.  "Thank you,
Ukyou.  I guess I just needed someone to talk to.  Sorry to rant at you
like that; I just feel so... useless next to all of you some of the time,
especially now that everything's happening like this.  I know if I had my
magic, I could..."

     "We all do what we can," Ukyou said.  "That's the important thing."

     "I know," Hikaru said softly.  "Well, thanks for listening to me."

     "No problem," Ukyou said with a mild sigh.  "That's me.  Always a good
listener; Ranma liked that, I guess."

     "Well, I'm here," Hikaru said.  "I'm usually fairly quiet.  I'll
listen to you, if you need me to."

     Ukyou laughed.  "Thanks, Hikaru.  But I've got Konatsu for a
sympathetic ear; besides, I worked things out for myself a while ago.  But
I've got something I'd like to ask you."

     "Go ahead," Hikaru said.  He finished his tea and leaned forward.

     "What do you know about dreams?" Ukyou asked.

     Hikaru tapped his fingers together.  "I know we all have them."

     "About dreams and magic, you know," Ukyou said.

     "Some say that dreams are windows to the future," Hikaru said.  "They
are our inner souls showing us the things that we cannot see with our outer
eyes.  They can be warnings, or guidance."

     "Uh-huh," Ukyou said with a nod.

     "There are some who are said to dream the future," Hikaru continued.
"A kind of prophecy in sleep, a vision of the unconscious mind."

     He shrugged, and smiled.  His eyes were bright and sharp, no longer
the dull, sad eyes of minutes before.  He was in his element now.  "Some
say that what we mortals see as reality is but the dreams of the gods.
Perhaps the world is a dream we make for ourselves, and sustain because all
of us dreamers agree that the dream should be this way."

     Ukyou nodded again, looking at Hikaru intently.  His voice wasn't his
usual thin rasp, but sounded strong and confident.

     "There's a famous story," Hikaru said.  "About a man who dreamed a
vivid dream that he was a butterfly..."

     "...and when he awoke, he did not know whether he was a man who had
dreamt he was a butterfly, or a butterfly who was dreaming he was a man,"
Ukyou said, completing Hikaru's words.  He nodded.

     "What you said outside, about walking in dreams?" Hikaru said.  "Is
that why you're asking me these things?"

     "You must have pretty good ears," Ukyou said, surprised he'd been able
to hear that much of what she'd said outside.  "Yeah, that's really why I'm
asking you."

     "What do you really want to know?" Hikaru said.

     "Have you ever heard of anyone who became... trapped, I guess, in a
dream?" Ukyou said.

     "Yeah, of course," Hikaru said.  "There are lots of spells for dreams.
To strike down a foe with nightmares, to give pleasant dreams, even to
allow you to become a participant within a dream.  I guess there must be a
way you could trap someone within their dreams."

     His eyes were concerned now.  "Ukyou, is everything alright with you?"

     "It is now," Ukyou said.  "It is now."

     The waitress interrupted them, walking up to the table and breaking
the mood.  "More tea?"

     "Please," Hikaru said.  The waitress took their cups and headed off,
and they resumed talking.

     "I... had a dream about two months ago," Ukyou said, hesitant to share
it with Hikaru, but knowing she'd told him too much already not too.  The
only other person she'd discussed the dream with had been Konatsu, and he
had been in it as well.

     "Yes?" Hikaru said.

     "It was like reality," Ukyou said.  "It was because of something we
killed six months ago, something that didn't stay dead."

     "The thing that was commiting those murders?" Hikaru said.  "I know a
little about that."

     "Yeah," Ukyou said.  "He somehow got into my dreams.  He was...
feeding off me, somehow."

     "But you overcame him," Hikaru said.

     "Just barely," Ukyou said with a sigh.  "He nearly got me.  I've just
got one more thing to ask you, Hikaru, and then I'll get to what I really
want to tell you about my dream."

     "Okay," Hikaru said, as second cups of tea were placed in front of
them and the waitress glided silently away.  "Go ahead."

     "What if it had won?" Ukyou said.  "What if it had managed to make my
dreams its own?"

     Hikaru steepled his fingers in front of him and sighed.  "Dreams are
the windows to the mind, as eyes are the windows to the soul."

     Ukyou remembered the gaki's eyes, the grey-blue-black within the faces
it had worn.

     "To first destroy or control a mind," Hikaru said.  "You must work
with the dreams, the desires.  That is a necessity.  Most likely, if that
thing had managed to take over your dream, he could have done two things."

     "Which were?" Ukyou said quietly.

     "He could have destroyed your mind," Hikaru said slowly.  "And left
you a vegetable.  Or, he could have taken over your mind, basically
possesed your body."

     Ukyou shuddered.  "Geez."

     "But it's okay," Hikaru said.  "You got out of it, right?"

     "Yeah," Ukyou said.  "Yeah, I did."

     "Then you're fine," Hikaru said.  "Don't worry about it."

     "But he said something before he died," Ukyou said slowly.  "Died in
the dream, that is."

     "What?" Hikaru asked.

     The words were still clear and terrible as they'd been when she'd
first heard them.  "I've walked in dreams.  I've seen what's coming.  He's
coming.  Cities burning with fire.  The bodies piled in the streets like
fruit at the marketplace."

     Hikaru nodded.  "I see.  That only confirms things."

     "What do you think he was talking about?" Ukyou said.

     "He could have been talking about a lot of things," Hikaru said
slowly.  "Perhaps about the return of the Sleeper, using Stalford's body.
Perhaps about Tensai."

     Ukyou nodded.  They'd all had a quick explanation from Happosai last
night as to just who Tensai was.  "He's still the one we have to worry
about.  Tensai.  Cologne's son."

     "I only saw her a few times," Hikaru said softly.  "When I went to
that restaurant she ran.  But even then, I could feel how strong she was.
Anyone who could beat her..."

     "Yeah," Ukyou said.  "So, you think he was talking about Tensai?"

     "No," Hikaru said, shaking his head.  "I wish he was.  I think what's
really going on is much worse than Tensai."

     "Go on," Ukyou said.  "Don't keep me in suspense."

     "You remember that man we met on the island," Hikaru said.  "The one
we thought was crazy?"

     Ukyou closed her eyes and nodded.  "Yeah."

     "He takes the Effigy of the Sleeper," Hikaru said.  "Two months later,
Tensai is awakened again.  The Effigy of the Sleeper is one of the four
items he needs to do whatever it is he wants to do, and that old man had
said there was something else driving him to do what he did, right?"

     "Yeah," Ukyou said, beginning to see the connections.  "So, it's the
same thing that was Satoshi Okamoto that's influencing Tensai."

     "I'd say so," Hikaru said.  "Or at least with what I have to go on
now, I'd say so."

     "But that thing was so strong," Ukyou said.  "None of us could touch
it.  Why does it need Tensai?"

     "Because it needs to work through a human agent," Hikaru said.  "I
think whatever this thing is, it's similiar to the Sleeper.  It's somehow
got a part of itself locked away, and it cannot use its full power.  The
books I've read say that some of them can act, can use their power, but
only at certain times or in certain places.  I think that thing could act
on the Spire, which was why it came with us to go there.  It needed the
Effigy, and we had it."

     "Geez," Ukyou said.  She gave a short laugh.  "It's weird to think
about, you know?  The gaki comes back in my dreams, then Richard Stalford
comes back in real life."

     "Well," Hikaru said, taking a sip of his tea.  "Sometimes they come
back."

     "I guess they do," Ukyou said.  "I'm still worried about all this,
Hikaru."

     "Who isn't?" Hikaru said.  "I'm using all my spare time to find out
just what Tensai might have been able to do with the Effigy of the Sleeper
and other objects; I really should talk to that old man and find out what
the other three objects were."

     "Well, if you're on the job, I'm sure you'll figure it out," Ukyou
said.

     "Thanks," Hikaru said, smiling at her.  Ukyou smiled back, and sipped
her tea as she looked at the thin, intelligent face of the boy before her.

     Their talk turned away from serious matters to inconsequential
things, and so they passed an hour or two together in the cafe, while
outside the snow melted and ran in grey streams down the sides of the
street.

**********
     
     "So he know?" Shampoo said as they walked through the park.  The trees
here still hung heavy with snow, and shielded the snow underneath them from
the light of the sun.  The park was cold and dank, patchy with snow and
slush upon the ground.  "He know about what happen with gaki?"

     "Yeah," Mousse said.  "Although I don't think he knows everything.
What he does know is that we were the ones who ended up stopping whoever or
whatever was commiting the murders.  He also knows there's more going on
with the fire at Nekohanten than there seems."

     "Not good," Shampoo said after a moment.

     "I don't think he's going to do anything," Mousse said.  "He's known
ever since he found Ukyou's spatula at the warehouse, and he held that back
from evidence because he knew it could lead the police to her.  I think
he's on our side."

     "Hope so," Shampoo said, putting her hands in her pockets and looking
around at the skeletal, snow-wet trees.

     "So do I," Mousse said.  "That isn't what I really wanted to talk to
you about, though, Shampoo."

     "Yes?" Shampoo said, looking at him expectantly.

     "How are you feeling now?" Mousse said.  "About your
great-grandmother?"

     Shampoo sighed.  "Still empty.  Not know what to feel; always know
that great-grandmother have to go someday.  She very old.  But... never
really expect it to happen like this.  Great-grandmother not die peacefully
in her sleep; she die fighting.  That probably way she want it to be.  But
she die fighting... son..."

     She sighed again and shook her head.  "Not seem right, that son kill
mother.  Not want to believe Happosai... but he have no reason to lie.
Great-grandmother alive long time before Shampoo's grandmother even born."

     She growled and slammed the heel of her hand against the trunk of a
nearby tree, shaking snow from the branches with the impact.  "Why she not
let us stay and help, Mousse?  Might have saved her; she no have to die."

     Her body slumped and she leaned forward against the tree, saying her
next words with none of the anger of before, but with a cold, sad, clear
whisper of a voice.  "She no have to die."

     "Shampoo..." Mousse said, touching her on the shoulder.  She didn't
pull away and her slowly turned her around.  She was looking at the ground,
but he could see the tears in her eyes.

     He put a hand on each shoulder and smiled sadly at her.  "It will be
alright.  Don't blame yourself for what happened to her; it was her choice.
She... she believed it had to happen that way."

     "What you talking about?" Shampoo said softly, looking up at him.  He
found himself suddenly without voice, and her voice rose in anger.  "What
you talking about, Mousse?"

     "She talked to me yesterday morning," Mousse said.  "Very early.
Before the sun rose.  She told me some things about your gift, about your
dreams, that she didn't tell you."

     There was a long hush between the two of them, standing there in that
desolate, empy park.  When Mousse spoke again, his voice was choked with
guilt and regret.  "The dreams, the visions... they only begin in the new
holder of the gift when the previous holder is about to die.  That was what
she told me."

     "And you no tell me?" Shampoo whispered, each word spoken in a soft,
betrayed voice that drove like icy shards into his heart.

     "Shampoo, she-"

     He never got the chance to finish.  He felt the muscles in her
shoulder ripple under his hand, and then she slapped him across the face
with a crack.  He stumbled away, tasting coppery blood on his tongue from
where his lip had been cut against his teeth.

     He braced himself for the followup blow, but it did not come.
Cautiously, he glanced at Shampoo, who stood in the same place as before,
body rigid with tension and grief.

     "<You did not tell me,>" Shampoo said in Chinese.  "<Why?  You wanted
great-grandmother out of the way so you could have me, is that it?  So you
could comfort me in my grief?>"

     "<Shampoo, that's not it,>" he said desperately.  "<Please, you have
to listen to me...>"

     "<Bastard,>" Shampoo said.  "<You are a heartless bastard.  You let
great-grandmother die.  I thought you'd changed Mousse.  I was even
starting to...>"

     She trailed off, weeping, but still not moving from the spot.

     "<Shampoo, please...>" he said, approaching her slowly.  "<Please, you
have to listen to me.>"

     "<I have to listen to nothing,>" Shampoo said.  "<Touch me and you
die, Mousse.  I should kill you now, for killing great-grandmother.  I
blamed Tensai for it; now I know who is truly to blame.>"

     "<Shampoo, won't you listen to me?  If you have any feelings for me,
any at all, then...>"

     Her hand came up again, not in a slap this time but in a closed fist.
It caught him across the jaw and sent him falling back to land on his back
in a puddle of slushy water.  It soaked through his clothes in an instant,
and he could speak no more, only make a frantic quacking and try to
struggle out of his rapidly dampening clothing.

     Someone grabbed him and yanked him out, holding him by the neck.  He
looked into Shampoo's eyes; the sadness he saw hurt him even more than the
hatred.  He didn't even have the will to struggle.  Perhaps she would just
kill him now and be done with it.  Her grip was loose, but it could easily
tighten.

     "<I am going back to the Tendo's,>" she said flatly.  "<Friday, I will
go to the Nekohanten and find what I can of what remains of my life here,
which will be little.  I had no life here, in truth.  In a few days, I will
go and hunt down this Tensai.  I will kill him, or he will kill me.>"

     Mousse quacked miserably as Shampoo continued.  "<If you try to follow
me, you will die.  You stay out of my way until I leave, and you can live.
Otherwise, you can die.  It is that simple.  I have no wish to kill you,
Mousse.  It would be inconvenient, and right now you are so low in my sight
that it is not worth inconviencing myself.>"

     She tossed him to the ground.  He could have used his wings to break
his fall; he did not.  "<You speak of feelings I have for you.  You killed
all those feelings when you let great-grandmother die.  I don't even hate
you, Mousse.  I'm just empty.  But if you had one part of your love for me
that was anything more than the lust of a foolish boy, you will speak to no
one of what I plan to do.>"

     He heard her footsteps, gradually receding in the distance, as he lay
there with his head gently resting against the cool ground.  Slowly, when
he was sure she was gone, he got to his webbed feet, quacked mournfully,
and looked up at the cloudless sky.

     Perhaps he could fall forever into it, in this form, flying higher and
higher until his life and strength gave out, and then his fall would
finally end.  He weakly flapped his wings, and took off into the air,
spiralling above the snow-hung trees.

     He might have been able to fall forever.  Perhaps he still would,
after a time.  But not yet; he still had Shampoo to think of.  He had said
it to Cologne himself.

     *"I do not care what happens to me, if only she will be alright."*

     He still had a responsibility and a duty to Shampoo, even though she
did not want it.  He no longer cared what happened to him, for without her
he had nothing to care for.

     But he still had to make sure she would be alright.

     Then, perhaps, when he was sure that this was done, he would let his
wings carry him, up into the long blue of the sky, until he could fall no
more towards the sun.  For now, though, he could content himself with
flying, flying till his wings and body ached, so that when he became human
again he might be able to drown the guilt within himself with sweet fires
of agony.

**********

     Ranma and Akane stumbled in the front door of the house together,
yawning in unison.

     "Oh man," Ranma said.  "All I wanna do is sleep..."

     "We have to review..." Akane said.  "Come on, Ranma.  We'll go up to
my room."

     The two of them slowly made their way to the stairs, murmuring in
greeting to Kasumi, Nodoka, Soun and Genma as they passed.  After a few
more moments, they remembered how the stairs worked and headed up them
slowly.

     "We're finished, aren't we Akane?" Ranma said miserably.

     "No," Akane said fiercely, forcing herself to stand up straight.
"We're not finished.  We're gonna study Modern Japanese History until we
need to go do that exam, and we're gonna do fine."

     "Good," Ranma said.  "Wake me up when we've done that, okay?  I'm
gonna curl up the hall here and have me a little bit of a nap."

     "NO!" Akane said.  "Wake up!  I need to study with you!  And you need
to study as well.  We have to pass this exam."

     "But I'm so tired," Ranma whined petulantly.

     "You think I'm not?" Akane asked sharply.

     "Why are you bein' so mean to me?" Ranma said.  "I just wanna sleep."

     "You can't sleep!  You have an exam at one.  It's a little after ten
now, so we've got maybe two hours to study," Akane said.  "Are you too
stupid to realize how important this is?"

     "Don't call me stupid," Ranma said.  "I'm not stupid.  You're always
telling me I'm stupid."

     "I am not!" Akane said.  "Why are you so sensitive all of a sudden?"

     The answer was obvious to both of them, of course.  They were tired
and stressed out both by exams and by the terrors of the night before, and
that combination was bringing out the worst in both of them.  Still,
neither one of them would admit it at this point.

     "Maybe if you weren't naggin' me all the time," Ranma shot back, and
battle was joined.

     "I do not nag," Akane said loudly.  "Don't say I nag or I'll..."

     "Would you keep it down out there?" Happosai said, leaning out the
door to his room.  "I'm trying to read in here.  If you have all that
excess energy, you're two healthy young people and I'm sure you can find
some way to work it off that doesn't disturb me."

     "Old goat," Ranma muttered, glaring at Happosai as the old man
retreated back inside his room.

     "That's another thing," Akane said.  "You promised you would tell me
what was going on with you and him, and you still haven't-"

     "That's because it's still going on," Ranma snapped.  "Dammit, can't
you just lay off about it, Akane?"

     The tone was harsher than before; he could feel his annoyance, his
stress, his worry about exams, about the ring, about Akane, about
everything, boiling to the surface rapidly.  Akane glared at him, but
shrank back slightly.

     "I said I would tell you when I could," he said slowly, gritting his
teeth.  "And I can't tell you yet?  Why can't you accept that?"

     "Because I can't," Akane said loudly, matching his angry tone with
hers.  "You always have to keep things from me.  You ask me to trust you,
but you never trust me!  From the start, you show up here, pretending to be
a girl like some kind of pervert..."

     "I am not a pervert," Ranma said.  "Don't you call me a pervert."

     "What else is there to call you?" Akane said, heat rising to her face.
"Running around all night with Happosai..."

     "You always call me a pervert," Ranma said.  "You think I can help I
turn into a girl?  You think I like it?"

     Akane sniffed and looked at him.  "Could be."

     Ranma's temper snapped at that moment.  "Shut up, Akane.  Just shut
up.  I'm sick of everyone thinking I'm a pervert; you, people at school,
just everyone.  This curse wasn't my fault, so just leave me the hell alone
about it."

     "Don't tell me to shut up," Akane said quietly.

     "Shut up," Ranma said.  It felt good; good to fight with someone, even
as his brain screamed at his mouth to stop.  It felt good to let out all
his anger and tension and stress, at someone human, at someone who could
fight back, not gibber and moan and run away, or vanish in a flash of light
after speaking a name too terrible to be heard.

     It felt good, and yet so awful.

     "Don't tell me to..."

     Barely a whisper now.

     "Shut up."

     Her voice was barely a whisper, but his was loud and harsh.

     Akane pulled back a hand; there was an almost imperceptible shift in
Ranma's body as he pulled back his.

     He saw Akane's eyes as his hand went back.  There was fear in them.
Not much; he knew he could never truly hurt her, and she knew as well that
he couldn't.  But just a tiny bit, and that broke something inside him,
broke the wonderful scarlet feel of his released anger, and left only the
awful, gnawing coldness.

     "Akane..." he said, his anger draining away like water through a
sieve.  "I... I..."

     With a short, harsh sob, Akane turned on her heel and fled down the
hallway, closing her door behind her.  Ranma took a step forward towards
the closed door, and then took another back.  "I'm sorry," he whispered
softly, finally, only to himself.  "Oh geez, Akane, I'm so sorry."

     He only wished she were there to hear it.

**********

     Hikaru and Ukyou arrived at the exam in a good mood, having spent some
time talking and reviewing together in the cafe.  Their good mood
immediately diminished when they saw the almost palpable air of silence
between Ranma and Akane as they walked in, maintaining an absolutely rigid
distance of about five feet between them that no one dared to cross.

     "I guess they had a fight," Ukyou said quietly from her seat behind
Hikaru.  He glanced back at her and nodded, chewing on the end of his pen a
bit nervously.

     "Looks like it was a bad one," he said with a sigh.

     "They'll get over it," Ukyou said.  "They always do.  But until then,
try to stay on their good sides."

     Akane took her seat in front of Hikaru, Ranma took his behind Ukyou.
Neither one of them would look at the other.

     Ukyou glanced back questioningly at Ranma, but he just sighed and
stared at his desk, his pencil clutched between white-knuckled hands.

     She sighed and patted his the back of his hand lightly with with her
fingers.  She would have liked to say something, do something more, but in
the mood Akane was in, it would definitely be taken the wrong way.

     "The exams will now be handed out," Hinako-sensei said cheerfully, her
young voice amplified by the PA system.  "Everyone have extra special luck
today, okay?"

     "Yeah, right," Ukyou heard Ranma mutter behind her.  There was a snap,
and she glanced back to see he'd broken his pencil in half.

     "Umm... Ukyou?" he said after a moment.

     "There you go, hon," she said, handing him one of her spares.  He
nodded in gratitude and sighed deeply, as the teacher came by handing out
the exams.

     "No talking, everyone," he said as he passed.  "Or we'll sick
Hinako-sensei on you."

     With a last glance at Ranma, Ukyou began to write the exam with the
same determination she did anything she didn't want to do but had to.

     In the background, the clock ticked, mockery somehow in the sound of
the hands moving across the numbered face.

**********

     At dinner that night, the tensions between Ranma and Akane hadn't
diminished at all.  If anything, they had only grown worse in the
intervening time.  The two of them had come straight home after the exam
and gone to their rooms without even a word to the other.  There they had
both stewed for the next few hours, trying to study by themselves for
tomorrow's exam, but finding themselves constantly distracted by little
things.  By dinner the two of them were in foul moods made worse by their
tired states; the rest of the table remained mostly quiet in the face of
the massive silence between the two of them.

     In her focus on the tensions between her youngest sister and Ranma,
Kasumi didn't notice that Mousse wasn't there until everyone was seated and
had been served.  Ranma and Akane picked listlessly at their food,
occasionally giving each other a glare that melted into a sad glance when
one of them looked away.  The rest of the table carefully avoided speaking
to either of them, or even speaking that much at all.

     The only one who didn't seem too disturbed by the silent fight between
Ranma and Akane was Shampoo, who seemed to be off in her own world as she
ate, slowly and carefully.  There was an empty space beside her where
Mousse should have been.

     "I wonder where Mousse is?" Kasumi finally said, directing the
question at Shampoo.

     "Shampoo no care where stupid Mousse is," Shampoo said angrily.
"Maybe he try to hug truck and make world better place.  Make Shampoo
happy, at least."

     There was stunned silence for a moment, time enough for Shampoo to
take a few more bites of her food and stand up.  "Shampoo be excused now,
please."

     "Yes, yes," Kasumi said softly.  Shampoo left without another word,
turning on her heel and heading out of the dining room.

     "Wonder what that was all about," Happosai said.  "Seems like
everybody's fighting today."

     "What's that supposed to mean, old man?" Ranma said sharply.

     "What do you think?" Happosai replied calmly, glancing at Ranma and
Akane.  "I guess you don't want it back after all, if it's going to be this
way between you two."

     "Hey!" Ranma shouted, rising up from the table.

     "What?" Akane said, her eyes widening.  She stood up as well, the fact
that she had decided to ignore Ranma forgotten for the moment.  "What don't
you want back from him, Ranma?"

     "Nothin', Akane," Ranma said quickly.

     "Why can't you trust me?" she shot back.

     "I do trust you... it's just..." Ranma said lamely.  "Hey!  I thought
you were ignoring me?"

     "That's right," Akane huffed, spinning on her heel.  "You're an idiot,
Ranma.  I'm going upstairs."

     "My cue to leave," Happosai said, scooting off with Ranma in hot
pursuit, yelling various threats as he chased the old man.

     Kasumi looked around the table at the three adults, who looked
slightly put out at the fight between their children.  "Would anyone like
some dessert?"

     "I would," Genma said, because he did.

**********

     "I'll kill you, old man!  This whole thing is your fault!" Ranma said,
catching up with Happosai in the dojo.  The old man turned and wove back
from the punch Ranma threw at him.

     "How is it my fault?" Happosai said.  "If you knew how to treat a
woman..."

     "What, like you do?" Ranma shot back, kicking and missing.  "And if
you hadn't taken what was mine in the first place, none of this would have
happened."

     "Oh?" Happosai said.  "Really?  I suppose everything would be just
fine then, if it wasn't for terrible old Happosai.  The house wouldn't have
been attacked, you and Akane would be all hunky-dory, and Cologne wouldn't
be dead, is that what you're saying, Ranma?"

     "Well..." Ranma said, surprised at the seriousness in the old man's
tone.

     "I'm sorry I had to do what I did," Happosai said.  "But I thought it
was for the best.  It turned out I was wrong, but I was only trying to stop
Tensai.  And now that I failed, I don't know what's coming, and neither do
you or anyone else.  And it puts us all on edge, makes us nervous, makes us
lash out at people for no good reason other than we can't fight the real
enemy."

     He flipped Ranma something that glittered gold as it spun.  Ranma
caught it, and stared disbelievingly at the thin band of gold in his palm.

     "It's the real thing this time," Happosai said softly.  "Just try to
remember, boy.  Akane's not your enemy, and neither are any of us.  Not
even me; we're all on the same side here."

     "You're right," Ranma said after a moment.  "Never thought I'd say it,
old man, but you're right."

     "I'd talk to Akane," Happosai said.  "As soon as you can.  We seem to
have an interlude right now, but I fear it won't last for long.  The battle
is not over."

     "Yeah," Ranma said.  "Thanks."

     Happosai left the dojo, pausing at the exit that led back towards the
house.  "Good luck, boy."

     "Thanks," Ranma said again.  He sat down on the floor, the ring
clutched tightly in one hand as if he were fearful he might lose it again.

     Happosai was right.  He had to talk to Akane, and soon.  But he needed
time to think, and somewhere he wouldn't be disturbed.  He didn't want to
go back into the house and have to face the questions of his parents or Mr.
Tendo.

     He hoped that the warm trend to the weather would have continued into
the evening as he headed out into the backyard of the house.

**********

     "Why do we have to fight so much?" Akane whispered as she threw
herself down on the bed.  They always had little disagreements, but a big
fight like this was rare.  She knew it was because of stress, because they
were both worried about what had happened last night, but knowing that
didn't help to make it hurt any less.

     She was so tired, she didn't want to do anything other than sleep.
Her leg still ached from last night, a reminder of the terrible events.

     She'd been so frightened when she'd seen Richard Stalford standing
there outside the house.  It had lessened when she'd realized it was only
his body; she was as scared of Richard Stalford as she was of anything, be
it demons or monsters or whatever else.

     But he was dead; he had to be dead, finally.  It hadn't been anything
other than his body, given life and power by the very thing whose power
he'd sought to seize.  It had apparently destroyed itself last night, from
what everyone else told her, but they couldn't be sure.

     And even if the thing in Richard Stalford's body was gone, there was
still so much to worry about.  Tensai, the man who'd beaten both Happosai
and Cologne, was still out there, and he'd apparently completed whatever
ceremony he'd been intending to.  None of them had any idea of what he'd
accomplished, but all of them could feel that it was something terrible.

     On top of all that, the exams.  Akane couldn't remember a time she'd
felt so stressed, or so miserable.  The fight with Ranma, and the little
disagreements over the past few days, most of them springing from his
strange, secretive activities with Happosai, that was just the tip of the
iceberg.

     Akane wiped away a few tears and sniffled, clutching her pillow in her
arms.  She was wound tight with stress and worry, like a tense spring that
would break at any moment.  She needed to relax, needed to calm down.  Then
maybe she could talk to Ranma; they both had things to clear up.

     Maybe a bath.  She smiled at the thought of the warm water.  Yes, a
bath would be perfect.  She headed out of her room and downstairs to the
bathroom; in the changing area between the bathroom and the rest of the
house, she slipped out of her clothes, picked up a towel and hung it over
her arm, and stepped into the bathroom.

     This time, at least, the person already occupying the bath had his
back turned to her.  She couldn't see anything beyond a shaking pair of
muscular shoulders draped with long black hair, but that was enough to
identify who it was.

     "Excuse me, Mousse," she said, blushing hotly and starting to back out
of the bathroom.  There was no answer except a long intake of breath from
the boy in the bathtub, and then as Akane closed the door and leaned
against it, she heard a short, harsh sob from the bathroom.

     Making her decision quickly, she threw on her clothing and stepped
back in after knocking.  Mousse hadn't moved from the bathtub, and didn't
even turn around as she entered again.

     "Mousse, what is it?" she said quietly from the doorway, unsure if she
should approach closer.

     "I don't have any clothes," he said softly with a short, bitter laugh.
"I came in through the window and got changed back, but I don't have any
clothes."

     "Oh," Akane said, realizing it went much deeper than that.  She'd
vaguely noticed he hadn't been at the dinner table, and Shampoo had seemed
furious with him, but she seemed angry with him a lot.  Lately, though, or
at least from what she'd seen last night, that didn't seem to be happening.
So what had happened to make Shampoo so angry?

     "What happened between you and Shampoo?" Akane said, coming a few
steps closer.  As she got nearer, she could see about a dozen long red
scratches across his back and shoulders.  "How'd you get scratched up like
that?"

     "I finally got too tired to fly and fell," Mousse said.  "I crashed
into a tree."

     "Are... are you alright?"

     There was a long silence.  "No.  No, Akane Tendo, I'm not alright."

     She was almost at the edge of the tub now.  Steeling herself, she took
a few steps closer and sat down on the floor, glad it wasn't too damp.

     "Do... do you want to talk about it?" she said hesitantly, putting a
hand on his bare shoulder.  He flinched under her touch, and drew away.

     "Damn Cologne," Mousse said.  "Why'd she have to do this to me?  She
should have known Shampoo would react like this."

     "What... what are you talking about?" Akane asked.

     "It's not Cologne's fault," Mousse said.  "It's mine.  What right did
I have to hold back something like that from Shampoo, even though Cologne
asked me to?"

     "Mousse, tell me what's going on," Akane said.  "Please."

     So he told her, starting with Cologne's speech to him yesterday
morning and finishing with his telling Shampoo in the park this morning.

     "I just... flew, I guess," he said.  "Until I couldn't fly anymore,
and then I fell into a tree.  I came to my senses and made my way back
here, got in through the window and changed back."

     He laughed again, but there was a sob in it as well.  "And then I
realized I didn't have any clothes to get changed back into.  They're all
burned at the Nekohanten, and the clothes I've been wearing since yesterday
night are soaking in that park."

     "I'm sorry, Mousse," Akane said, rubbing his shoulder gently from
behind.  He didn't pull away this time.  "Why don't I get you some of
Ranma's things to wear?  They'll probably fit you."

     "Okay," Mousse said.

     "And this wasn't your fault," Akane said.  "Cologne asked you to do
this.  Shampoo never gave you a chance to explain; you just have to try to
talk things out with her.  She won't go after Tensai if she understands
what's really going on."

     "Oh," Mousse said.  "I told you, didn't I?  She asked me not to, and I
told you.  She's right; I don't love her.  I don't deserve to love her.  I
let Cologne die, I let..."

     "Mousse, get a hold of yourself," Akane said.  "You know you love
Shampoo.  It's so obvious to everyone.  Don't tell yourself you don't love
her.  And you didn't let Cologne die; it sounds to me like she chose to
either stop Tensai herself or die trying."

     "Maybe," Mousse said.  "But that doesn't matter to Shampoo, it doesn't
matter to..."

     "Mousse, listen to me," Akane said firmly.  "Shampoo never gave you a
chance to explain.  Cologne practically ordered you not to tell her, didn't
she?"

     "Yes," Mousse said guardedly.  "But that still doesn't..."

     "She thought that was best," Akane said.  "Tensai was strong enough to
fight and probably beat both her and Happosai.  He probably would have
ended up killing you and Shampoo if you'd stayed.  Cologne chose her own
fate; you didn't choose it for her."

     Mousse sobbed softly, and Akane spontaneously threw her arms around
his neck from behind and hugged him.  "We're going to be okay, Mousse.
We'll all in this together, don't worry.  We're not going to let this beat
us, whatever it is, we're not going to give up."

     She was speaking to herself as well, trying to hold back her own
tears, telling her own disbelieving self that everything would be alright,
that she'd work things out with Ranma, that there'd be times again when
they wouldn't fight like this, when they'd all be safe.  But it didn't
work.

     "Please," she whispered, speaking to whoever might be listening as the
tears flowed down her face.  "Please, let it all be okay."

     Mousse clutched her hand tightly in his.  "It will be okay.  You're
right, Akane Tendo.  We'll see this through, all of us together."

     She smiled at him, and he smiled back.  "Maybe I can talk to Shampoo
soon.  Until then, why don't you get some clothes for me?  This situation
here might seem a little compromising if anyone were to walk in."

     Akane realized abruptly just how tightly she was hugging him.  That,
combined with the fact he was naked, albeit in the bath from the shoulders
down, was enough to send her scrambling back in embarassment, laughter and
excuses mingling with her tears.

     Mousse laughed as well.  "It's alright.  I won't tell anyone if you
won't."

     "I'll get you some clothes," Akane said, leaving the bathroom as
quickly as she could before she was overcome by embarassment.

     That was one of the things she'd needed, she decided as she walked
upstairs to find Mousse some clothes.  A good cry always made you feel
better.  Hopefully, everything would be okay.

**********

     Ranma was surprised to see someone was already sitting in the backyard
when he got out there, gazing into the black depths of the near-frozen pond
with their back to him.

     The figure sighed and shook her head, causing her cascade of purple
hair to wave slightly like a flag.

     "Hey Shampoo," he said as he sat down a few feet away, tucking his
legs under him and wrapping his arms around himself.  The night was still
chilly, but not freezing.  He would be alright out here without his coat
for a little while.

     "Ranma," Shampoo said.  It was a less a greeting than an
acknowledgement.  She stretched out her legs and gazed idly at him, and
though she tried to hide it, he could see the pain behind the haze of tears
in her eyes.  She gave a small sniffle, but continued to look straight at
him.

     "Cold out here," Ranma said.  "Especially without a jacket."

     Which neither one of them had.  Shampoo nodded and rubbed her hands
together.  "Yes.  Cold."

     She looked up at the darkening sky.  "Get used to it after a while.
Used to cold, used to emptiness, maybe."

     "How you doing?" Ranma asked.

     "What you care?" Shampoo shot back.

     Ranma sighed; he tried to think of the last time he'd talked to
Shampoo alone like this.  It would have been six months ago, when he'd told
her he wouldn't marry her.  He could see the gap that had grown between
them since then; this was no longer the happy girl who had embraced him
enthusiastically each time she saw him.  There had been a change in her.

     "I care because you're my friend, Shampoo," he said after a moment.
"We've all been through a lot together."

     "I know," Shampoo said softly.  "I sorry, Ranma.  Is not you I angry
at.  Is Mousse."

     She pronounced the name of the boy who was so in love with her with
such venom it surprised Ranma.  Shampoo had seemed to be warming up to
Mousse, from what he'd seen last night.

     "What'd he do?" Ranma asked.

     "He let great-grandmother die," Shampoo said bitterly.  "Shampoo even
starting to think, just maybe, she..."

     "What do you mean, he let Cologne die?" Ranma said, mystified.  "I was
with him the whole time after you guys got out of the restaurant, even if I
was tryin' to kill him, and..."

     "He knew," Shampoo said.  "He knew great-grandmother was going to
die."

     "How'd he know that?" Ranma said.

     "She told him," Shampoo said, wiping a hand across her ears, which
were filling with tears again.  "She tell Mousse yesterday morning that she
was going to die soon."

     "She knew?" Ranma asked.

     Shampoo nodded miserably.  "Yes.  She knew."

     "What, she had more dreams?" Ranma said, remembering the visions
Cologne had been having around the time the gaki had been in the area.

     Shampoo shook her head.  "No.  She not having dreams.  Shampoo having
dreams."

     "Like Cologne's dreams?" Ranma said.  "Like... precognition?"

     "Yes.  That what great-grandmother tell Shampoo; is gift of woman in
great-grandmother's family.  She not tell Shampoo what she tell Mousse; I
only start having dreams because she going to die, so gift get passed on."

     "So how does that mean Mousse let her die?" Ranma said.

     "Because he no tell me," Shampoo said.  "He not tell Shampoo what
great-grandmother tell him.  He only tell her this morning."

     "Well, did ya think about why?" Ranma asked.

     "Because he want great-grandmother out of way," Shampoo said bitterly.
"He think with her out of way, he marry Shampoo."

     "I don't think you're being fair to him," Ranma said quietly.  "He
wouldn't do something like that."

     "Then why he no tell Shampoo what great-grandmother tell him?" Shampoo
said.  "Why he just go with Shampoo when great-grandmother tell us to leave
restaurant last night, no warn Shampoo that great-grandmother might die?"

     "Have you thought about why Cologne didn't tell you, instead of why
Mousse didn't?" Ranma said quietly.  He saw from the slight gasp Shampoo
gave that she hadn't.

     "I... I no think about that," she said, looking slightly shocked.
"But... why she tell Mousse and not Shampoo?"

     "Maybe because she didn't want you to know until after she was gone,"
Ranma said.  "She trusted Mousse to tell you."

     Shampoo shook her head.  "But why she not tell Shampoo?  Shampoo would
have stayed, help fight..."

     "And maybe died with her," Ranma said.  "This guy was her son, wasn't
he?"

     "That what Happosai say," Shampoo said guardedly.

     "So why didn't she ever tell anyone about him?" Ranma said.  "Maybe
she thought it was something she had to handle herself, because he was her
son.  She knew she was gonna die, she thought she'd probably die trying to
stop him, and she didn't want to risk you getting hurt."

     "But why she leave Mousse to tell Shampoo?" Shampoo said.  "Why can't
she tell Shampoo herself?"

     "Look, if you'd known she was going to die, soon," Ranma said.  "Would
you have left when she asked you too?  Even if she ordered you to?"

     "No," Shampoo said after a moment.  "Always, always are supposed to
obey commands of elders in tribe.  But great-grandmother tell Shampoo is
important sometimes to follow heart, and heart say I would have stayed."

     She chuckled slightly, but it quickly became a sob.  "I no listen to
Mousse when he try to tell me why.  I just hit him, tell him awful things.
And now he gone.  Maybe he no come back."

     "Hey, hey," Ranma said, as Shampoo began to cry harder.  "Of course
he'll come back.  He loves you."

     "How?" Shampoo said quietly.  "How he love Shampoo?  I always used to
hit him, yell at him.  Why he still love me?"

     "Hey," Ranma said.  "Remind you of any other people you know?  A guy
who gets yelled at and beat up all the time, but he still stays with a girl
no matter what?"

     Shampoo gave a hiccuping sob.  "Like you and Akane.  Don't know why
never understand before."

     She hugged her knees to herself.  "He have to come back.  He all
Shampoo have left here.  Restaurant gone, great-grandmother gone.  Mousse
is only thing left."

     "Hey, that's not true," Ranma said.  "We're all still here for you.
He's just the most important thing you have left.  I'm sure he'll come
back."

     Shampoo nodded.  "Hope so."

     He patted her on the shoulder, and smiled.  "You gonna be okay?"

     "Yes," Shampoo said.  "Ranma, what that you have in hand?" she said
suddenly.

     "Ah... it's... uh..."

     Shampoo grabbed his hand and pried his fingers open, snatching the
ring quickly and examining it in the dim light cast from the house.  "Is
very pretty.  For Akane?"

     "Yeah," Ranma said.  "Can I have it back?"

     Shampoo handed it back to him, a sad expression on her face.  "Very
beautiful ring.  Akane like."

     "Thanks," Ranma said.  He sighed.  "I gotta give it to her now.  Even
though were kinda fighting; I don't know how long this peace is gonna last,
you know?"

     "Yes," Shampoo said.  "Shampoo having dreams still.  Is not over."

     "What kinda dreams?" Ranma said.

     "Been same dream many nights," Shampoo said.  "Shampoo all alone in
darkness, with voices everywhere.  She turn, see three things.  Good man
who look evil, giant snake, and... thing.  Thing that look like giant
pillar of flesh."

     She shuddered slightly.  "Always wake up as they start to speak.
Never hear what they say."

     "What do you think it means?" Ranma said.

     "I no know," Shampoo said.  "I not as smart as great-grandmother...
wish she still here to help Shampoo.  But now Shampoo have to be on her own
with dreams."

     "You know, that woman last night," Ranma said slowly.  "Hibino Kyofu.
She was some kinda snake-creature, right?  Maybe that's what the snake in
the dream represents."

     Shampoo snapped her fingers.  "Yes, yes.  Shampoo thinking that it,
maybe.  But what about other two?"

     She tapped a finger on her cheek.  "Good man who look evil..."

     "Tensai," Ranma said quickly.  "He was Cologne's son, right?  He
couldn't have been bad from the start."

     Shampoo nodded.  "And thing that we fight outside house, thing in dead
man's body, that could have been third thing in dream..."

     She shook her head.  "But still not understand what it all mean."

     She rubbed her eyes.  "Great-grandmother, Shampoo miss you so much."

     Shampoo started to cry again, quietly, and Ranma hesitantly put an arm
around her and let her cry on his shoulder.  Her body was warm against his
in the cold of the night, somehow comforting.  He steered his thoughts away
from anything beyond giving comfort to a friend; Shampoo was beautiful, but
he just didn't feel that way about her.

     "Thank you, Ranma," Shampoo said, looking up at him gratefully.
"Shampoo need that."

     "Just hope Mousse didn't see it," Ranma quipped.  Shampoo laughed, and
it was good to hear her laugh.

     "I did," a voice said softly from near the house.  "But it doesn't
really matter anymore."

     Mousse stepped into view, dressed for some reason in some of Ranma's
clothing.  His face was serious as he looked at Shampoo and Ranma.
"Shampoo, I'd like to talk to you, but if you don't..."

     "No, no," Shampoo said quickly.  "Shampoo want talk to Mousse.  Ranma,
you go inside.  We have lots to talk about."

     "But it's cold out here," Ranma said.  "Shouldn't you get jackets..."

     "We find ways to keep warm," Shampoo said, looking at Mousse with a
coquettish smile.  "Right Mousse?"

     Mousse blushed, visible even in the darkness.  "Shampoo... do you mean
you forgive..."

     "Of course," Shampoo said, as Ranma took his cue to leave and got up
to walk towards the house.  "Question is, you forgive Shampoo?  I jump to
conclusion, no let you explain..."

     He saw Mousse settle down close beside Shampoo, heard their voices
rising in Chinese, and went inside with a smile on his face, holding the
precious ring, the symbol of so much, inside his hand. 

**********

     Someone knocked hesitantly on her door.  "Umm... Akane?"

     "Come in," Akane said, looking up from her desk.  Ranma entered,
gazing down at his feet and looking nervous.  "Yes?"

     "Look... I just wanna say I'm sorry for all that stuff that happened,"
he said after a moment.  "I was tired, you were tired, maybe we got a bit
out of hand.  I'm sorry I yelled at you."

     "I'm sorry as well," Akane said.  "We always fight like that, Ranma.
Today was just the day after a bad day, you know, and that's always when we
have our worst fights."

     "Yeah," Ranma said sheepishly.  "Sorry."

     "You know what you do after a fight though, don't you?" Akane said,
getting out of her chair and walking slowly over to him.

     "Make up, right?" Ranma said, putting a hand on her shoulder that made
its way behind her neck fairly quickly.

     "Yeah..."

     They held the kiss for a long time, tasting the flavour of each other,
the warmth of her lips from being inside contrasting the chill of his, so
recently outside.  He slipped his other hand down her side, trailing it
lightly along her ribcage until he reached her waist, where he rested it on
her upper hip.  His hand was cold, but the feeling was warm and good.  She
could feel something small and hard, like a stone, resting between her hip
and his hand.

     They broke apart finally, smiling at each other.  "That's better than
fighting, huh?"

     Ranma nodded.  "Harder to do in public, though."

     "I love you, Ranma," Akane said.

     "I love you, Akane," Ranma said.  "And now, I can finally be honest
with you.  I'm gonna show you why I had to go out with Happosai every
night, and I'm gonna show you why I couldn't tell you why."

     He took his hands off her and knelt down in front of her.  Akane's
eyes widened as he opened his hand up, exposing the golden band within.  He
took her limp, numb hand in his, and slowly put the ring on her finger.

     "Akane Tendo," he said, his face showing a wide range of emotions, all
of them making Akane feel wonderful.  "Will you marry me?"

**********

     "<Are you sure you don't want to go inside?>" Mousse said as he sat
down beside Shampoo on the cold ground.  "<It's very cold out here.>"

     "<You get used to the cold after a while,>" Shampoo said.  "<Besides,
I know a way to warm up.>"

     With a short, quick movement she was against him, her arms wrapped
around his chest and her head resting on his shoulder.  "<Warmer now?>"

     "<Yes,>" Mousse said disbelievingly.  "<But what about...>"

     "<Mousse, did great-grandmother tell you not to tell me?>" Shampoo
said softly.  Her breath tickled against his cheek as she pressed herself
to him.

     "<Yes,>" Mousse said.  "<She asked that I say nothing until after she
was gone.  She was worried that if you knew, you might do something that
would end badly.>"

     Shampoo sniffled.  "<She was right.  I would have.  But it's too late
now; she's gone.>"

     "<Are you still going to go, then?>" Mousse asked.  "<After Tensai?>"

     "<No,>" Shampoo said.  "<That was said in anger.  I thought I had no
one left, that I had nothing to live for but vengeance.  Ranma helped me
realize that I still have much here; friends, comrades-in arms.>"

     "<Oh,>" Mousse said.  The warmth of Shampoo's body against him was
enough to overcome the chill of the night, he found.  Knowing it was
alright, he circled an arm around her slender body and drew her closer.

     "<But most of all,>" Shampoo said.  "<I still have you, Mousse.>"

     He felt warm breath in the hollow of his neck, and soft lips pressed
lightly against his throat, then began to move up his jawline towards his
mouth.  "<I love you, Shampoo,>" he whispered.  "<I swear I will never stop
loving you, no matter what may come between us...>"

     Her lips had reached his now, and they kissed briefly, in the night
air, before Shampoo pulled away and gazed at him, at the boy who'd offered
his love to her for so long.

     Perhaps now, she could finally offer him some back.  With a sigh, she
leaned forward and kissed him again.

**********

     "Yes, yes," Akane said.  "Oh, yes, of course.  Of course I'll marry
you, Ranma."

     He looked up at her, grinning like a fool.  "Really?"

     "Of course," Akane said.  "Get up off your knees and kiss me."

     He did.

**********

     Soun made his move, looked across to Genma, and sighed.

     "It had all seemed to be going so well, Saotome," he said after a
moment, fighting back the urge to cry.  Which was something he did often;
most everything made him want to cry, either from joy, sadness, or just
because no one else was.

     "Agreed, Tendo," Genma said, studying the shogi board with half-closed
eyes.  "It was a wonderful idea.  Lay off them for a while, let them have
some time to themselves..."

     They could hear the clinking of dishes and the voices of Nodoka and
Kasumi in the kitchen as they washed up after dinner.  Genma made his move
resignedly, and watched a bit impassively as Soun captured a piece.  Both
of them were too worried to cheat.

     "Maybe we were wrong, you know," Soun said.  "Maybe they do need some
encouragement."

     "Wanna work on Operation True Romance Returns?" Genma said, rubbing
his chin with one hand.  "I've got this whole idea involving a martial
artist who comes to challenge the dojo..."

     "We did that once," Soun said.  "Remember the dojo destroyer?"

     "Oh yes," Genma said.  "I'd forgotten about that."

     "I know," Soun said.  "What if we dress up as fairy godmothers and-"

     They were interrupted by the sound of footsteps coming down the
stairs.  The two men looked up to see Ranma and Akane coming down the
stairs, hand in hand, with wide smiles on their faces mixing with a kind of
stunned disbelief.

     "Umm... Hi, pop, Mr. Tendo," Ranma said with a slightly nervous
laugh.  "How's the game going?"

     "Very good, son," Genma said, studying his son and Akane appraisingly.
"What's going on?"

     "Oh... uh... nothing, Mr. Saotome," Akane said.  "Kasumi!  Auntie
Saotome!  Could you come in here?"

     The two women walked into the living room, Kasumi still drying her
hands on a dishtowel.

     "Yes?  What is it, Akane?" Kasumi asked.

     "Umm... well, we've kinda got something to tell you all," Ranma said.
There was the sound of someone approaching from down the hall, and Mousse
and Shampoo came into the living room, their faces slightly flushed as if
with embarassment or cold.

     "Oh, it's good you two showed up," Kasumi said, hiding her smile
behind her hand.  "Ranma and Akane have something to tell us, don't you?"

     "Come on boy, don't keep us in suspense," Soun said.  "What is it?"

     Happosai hopped up on Genma's head and stared eagerly at Ranma and
Akane.  "Yeah, Ranma, tell us."

     Akane slipped her hand out of Ranma's and held it up.  On her finger,
something glittered golden in the light.

     "Is that..." Nodoka said, trailing off at the end as she looked at
Kasumi for an answer.

     "Yes," Kasumi said.  "It is."

     "I've asked Akane to marry me," Ranma said.

     "And I've said yes," Akane said, her voice choked with emotion.

     Many things happened at once.  Soun burst into tears.  Genma soon
followed, if not with as much enthusiasm.  Happosai laughed and thumped
Genma on the back.  Nodoka, Kasumi, Mousse and Shampoo rushed to Ranma and
Akane, offering congratulations.

     "I'm so proud of you, my son," Nodoka said, embracing Ranma tightly as
tears rolled down her face.  "So very proud."

     "Oh, Akane," Kasumi said as she hugged her youngest sister.  "You must
be so happy."

     "Yeah," Akane said, smiling disbelievingly.  "I am."

     Ranma's mother let him go, and he was grabbed into a violent,
arm-pumping handshake from Mousse.  "Saotome!  I can't believe you finally
got up the courage to do it!  Congratulations!"

     "Thanks, Mousse," Ranma said, clapping Mousse on the shoulder.  He was
grinning happily, as around him his friends and family offered their best
wishes to him and his future bride.

     "Akane, Shampoo happy for you," Shampoo said, grabbing Akane by the
shoulders as soon as she was free from Kasumi's embrace.  "Happy for you
and Ranma."

     To Akane's utter shock, Shampoo darted her head forward and kissed her
quickly three times, once on each cheek and the forehead.  "What are you
doing, you crazy..." she sputtered, blushing furiously.

     "Is Amazon ritual," Shampoo said.  "Kiss of Blessing.  Ensures happy
marriage for woman kissed."

     "Th... Thank you," Akane said, not sure what else to say.

     Something small and wrinked landed atop Shampoo's head, looking Akane
in the eye.  "Can I kiss the bride too?"

     Akane jumped back a foot, glaring at Happosai.  "You... you..."

     Shampoo growled and pulled Happosai off her head, dangling him by the
back of his shirt in front of her.  "Old pervert, you..."

     "Well, I'll settle for you, Shampoo," Happosai said, grinning madly.
"Pucker up."

     Shuddering, Shampoo tossed the old man away, but her disgust quickly
turned into laughter, which Akane joined.

     "Well," Happosai said, getting a bucket of water from somewhere.  "I
can at least kiss the groom."

     "Old man, keep that away from me..."

     There was a splash, and the large panda that had blocked the water
growled angrily at Happosai.

     "MASTER!  HOW DARE YOU INTERRUPT THIS BEAUTIFUL OCCASION!" Soun said,
grabbing the old man by the front of his shirt and shaking him.  Abruptly,
he had nothing to shake, and Happosai was running away, laughing madly,
with Soun and Genma in hot pursuit.

     "I'm going to go call Nabiki," Kasumi said, wiping at her eyes.
"She'll be so excited to hear this."

     Ranma put his arm around Akane's shoulders and drew her close.  "I'll
call Ukyou after that.  I want everybody to know about this."

     For a moment, all thoughts of Tensai, of grief, of sadness and pain,
were vanished in the face of the bright feeling of happiness and love that
filled the Tendo house.  Now, it seemed, there was no darkness that could
eclipse the light.

**********

     Mount Fuji was a spectacular sight at any time.  Rising over twelve
thousand feet and capped by continual snow at the top, it was the image
many people thought of when they thought of Japan.  If you could climb to
the top of Mount Fuji, it was said that at the apex of its summit, you
would find enlightenment.

     There was no one at the top of Mount Fuji this night, however.  No
seeker of life's truths was there to experience what took place in a few
short seconds.

     There was a small rumbling first, that could have been felt only by
someone at the very top.  There was no one there to feel it, however.
Beneath the snow and ice, carved into the rock, symbols that no eye had
gazed upon for thousands of years glowed briefly, starting first at white
and then cycling quickly through every colour of light in the spectrum to
black, to the absence of light, whereupon the glow finally died.

     And across the slopes of Fuji, down into the valleys beyond, out
across the winds of the silent night, a voice old as time and pitiless as
death sang in its laughter a song of the ashes of cities.

**********

     Friday morning found Mousse and Shampoo standing with Captain Otani
outside the burned building that had been their home here in Japan.
Thursday had been a pleasant day, spent relaxing as Nodoka and Kasumi
bustled around making endless plans for Ranma and Akane's wedding.  Ranma
and Akane had still had their exams of course, and they'd returned full of
stories about their classmates shock when they saw the ring.

     Calls had been made; to Nabiki, to Ukyou, to the Kuno house, to Ryoga
and Akari in the country.  It had been with some suprise that they'd found
out Ryoga had asked Akari to marry him a few days earlier; they'd listened
with amusement to Ranma berating Ryoga over the phone for not calling and
telling him earlier.

     There were plans this Sunday for a party, a celebration for both
couples.  Nabiki and Kuno would be home for the winter break by then, and
Ryoga and Akari had said they would come down.

     It had been almost enough to make everyone forget about the grim
events of Tuesday night.  Now, standing in front of the remains of the
Nekohanten was a reminder to Shampoo and Mousse that all was not yet over.

     "The damage was fairly extensive," Otani said after a moment, looking
up at the sky.  "Most of the second floor collapsed in the fire.  We
managed to salvage some clothes, some books, other things.  Those are all
in a holding room at the station.  You two can come by and look through
them once you're done here."

     Mousse nodded.  "Thank you, Captain."

     Otani smiled.  "I'll wait in the car for when you two are ready.  Take
as much time as you need."

     The small man made his way to his car and got inside behind the wheel.
Shampoo watched him go.

     "He is good man," she said after a moment.

     "Yeah," Mousse said.  "We're lucky he's in charge around here."

     He glanced at Nekohanten and sighed.  "Guess we'd better get started.
There probably won't be that much we can find that they didn't, but we can
have a look."

     They made their way through the wreckage to the storeroom, which had
been fairly undamaged.  All the boxes had been cleared out, leaving in it
only a layer of ash that clung to their shoes.  Mousse made his way to the
wall and knelt down, brushing away the ash on the wall.

     "What you looking for?" Shampoo said, leaning down behind him.

     "Something Cologne showed me..."

     There.  He felt the shape of the box within the wall, and drew it out.
Behind him, Shampoo gasped.

     "She said to give this to you," Mousse said, cradling the large box in
his arms as he stood up.  It was plain but solidly built.  There was a key
fitted into the lock, ready to be turned.

     Shampoo opened it up and looked at the contents.  Books, small bottles
and jars, scrawled notes in Cologne's hand.  On top of it all, a large
envelope with Shampoo's name on it, also in Cologne's writing.

     "Great-grandmother..." Shampoo said, holding back tears.  "She... she
leave all this for Shampoo?"

     "Do you know what it is?" Mousse said.

     "Must be very important," Shampoo said, closing the box.  "This...
this all we need here.  We go to station now, find other things.  But
nothing more important than this.  Shampoo feel that."

     The two of them made their way towards Otani's car, glancing around at
the streets.  The snow was almost gone; only in a few places did it still
remain.

     Overhead, the sky shone clear and blue with the sun the centrepiece.

**********

     "You summoned me, lady?"

     "Yes, child.  Welcome."

     "It is an honour to be in audience to you."

     "Look into the pool."

     He looked into the wide, still pool, barely tall enough to peek over
the edge of the vast basin and into the clear waters within.  "Is that..."

     "Yes."

     "That is why you called me here."

     "Yes, child.  The land cries out in its pain.  Their servants walk,
and one of mine must as well."

     "But every one of us who is there is another..."

     "I know, I know.  But if they succeed, it shall not matter.  The seals
are breaking."

     "How is that possible?"

     "It is happening."

     "No..."

     "You must go now, child."

     "But there shall surely be a battle.  I am no warrior, my lady..."

     "There are enough warriors there.  And you yourself have met one of
those whose life is intertwined with these warriors."

     The image in the pool changed.  "Oh..." he said, with a small smile.
"She sure grew up to be beautiful."

     "They will need guidance.  And one who knows the nature of what they
face.  Tell them only what you must, though."

     "What about him?  He is..."

     "That one follows his own path, as he must.  His path crosses with
ours at this time."

     "Yes, lady."

     He turned and left her presence.  She smiled as he went, and when he
was gone she stared intently at the images in the pool.  After a moment, a
single drop of clear water fell through the air, splashing down into the
pool.  As the ripples spread out, reaching to the very edge of the water,
the image gradually faded from her pool, if not from her vision.

     "You play the game well, ancient foe," she said softly.  "You wear my
form, and know I cannot interfere.  You twist the power of the land to your
own foul ends."

     The last of the ripples died in the pool.  "But they gather against
you, and you in your arrogance believe you cannot be defeated.  It was by
that you and your kind were stopped before.  Perhaps it shall be enough to
stop you again."

     The pool reflected nothing now.  It was glassy-still water with no
image of sky or ceiling in it, and the bottom could not be seen, as the
waters stretched infinitely down, growing from crystal clear near the top
to an inky black as the eye was dragged further and further down within the
pool, to gaze upon the part that even the light couldn't reach.

     Her hand, slender and delicate and perfect, dipped fingers lightly
into the waters of the pool, and came up with droplets clinging to her
slender fingers, like diamonds upon ivory.

     A flick of her fingers sent the droplets scattering into the water,
dozens of them, and where they hit they made small ripples.  Within those
ripples, faces formed and images shone, each highlighting the individual
actions of the people displayed within them. 

     The ripples spread out, and where they touched out each other the
images joined, showed scenes of the people together, fighting, laughing,
talking.  Gradually, more slowly than it should have taken them to do so,
each set of ripples had touched every one of the others, and the pool
displayed only one image again.

     She spoke only one more word.  "Perhaps."