Revision notes: 05/29/03 - grammar and some of the reasons of Nabiki's presence. 12/25/01 - grammar revision Special Thanks to: MJ Maurice Phillip Tony Loco Dream and Angel Jourdan Bickham Jose Aragao Byooki Desu Ano Nimus C. Jones Richard Robinson David Bateson David Stanley Jitou King Chan Lawrence Chu Bert Miller The Dragonbard Darthcwader1 Erin Outlawone1 David Calvarese Larry F And to the person reading this. WARNING: Some adult talk. No graphic sex, just talk about sex, which qualifies for a warning. Standard disclaimer here. Real disclaimer at the bottom. All the day the darkness and the cold, Upon my heart have lain, Like the shadows on the wintry sky, Like the frost upon the pane. ~~ Joh Greenleaf Whittier On Reviewing the Eagle's Quill Little note before you start anything: there's a prologue Ranma, Ranko and Nabiki... Nabiki in her cursed form will be referred to as Nabiki-kun in scenes that show the perspective of people who know about the Jusenkyo curse. (Ranma-chan in Ranma's case). When this is shown in Akane's point-of view, Ranma will be called Ranko and Nabiki will be called Ranma. I hope this doesn't cause confusion. I also switch from gender to gender in the middle. (Arghh sorry, sometimes Ranma gets referred to as he when in cursed form and Nabiki gets referred to as she in cursed form.) Hark! They whisper: angels say, Sister spirit, come away! What is this absorbs me quite? Steals my senses, shuts my sight? ~~ Alexander Pope The Dying Christian to His Soul ~ Chapter 1 ~ _... The first few days were the worst. I was so confused and hurt..._ Akane groaned, the last thing she remembered was her hand stretching out towards her body. Thankfully, she had not seen its state, but she had touched her fingers. As she did so, the highway faded and she blanked out. With contentment, she somehow realized that she had reached her body. Feeling returned to her slowly, from her toes to her head. As it finally completed, she could've sworn she felt herself falling. If she had been given more time, she would have tried to maneuver around so she would not fall headfirst, at least. A groan involuntarily escaped from her lips, the intense pain forced her out of her body again when she collided with the ground. ~~~ Kodachi struggled from the horse as it reared its head. She let one out of her infamous laughs as she threw her head back in defiance. She looked at the people around her, no one was near her and Ranma had been the farthest. She caught his gaze for a moment and smiled at what she saw there. Ranma rarely showed her any emotion at all. Lately it had been a challenge, even for her, to make him angry. All of a sudden her hand slipped from the horse. She let out a small gasp as she fell head first towards the grass. Her smile returned. She was a bit rusty in her practice of the art, but she still knew enough to know how to land on her feet. She started to twist around, when she was engulfed in a blackness that she could not identify. She shook her head from the suddenness of the change of background; it seemed she was amidst hundreds of bushes of roses. Black ones, the ones she so loved. She was about to pick up one of the blossoms when she heard a soft noise, so soft that she did not know if it was imagination or truth. She felt uneasy about the place, yet she maintained her stature as best she could. "Kodachi," The voice called out from nowhere, and Kodachi narrowed her eyes at this. She looked around the garden but saw no one. "How dare you insolent fool sneak up on me." She called out trying to pinpoint the origin of the voice, but it seemed to come out of nowhere and everywhere all at the same time. "And what impoliteness. I am Saotome Kodachi-noh-Ranma a samurai of the Kisagi lineage. It is my right that I be called with the honorfic -sama or -san!" "I'm sorry." It was a simple statement. Something that Kodachi heard almost everyday, and yet, something in the voice -- had it been sincerity? -was something entirely foreign. "Who are you?" She asked with a little fear creeping to her heart. "Here, it doesn't matter who I am." The voice said, and Kodachi's hand went to her head, she felt intense pain coming from there, yet distant, as if it was not happening at all. "Do not talk riddles with me." She felt her head and winced, it had started bleeding. She pulled her hand to her eyes to look unbelievingly at the blood at dripped out. "You are too worldly for your own good. Even now as we have separated you from your body, you remain attached to it, and cling as a leech does." Her head ached, it was pounding, pounding, she couldn't think straight. "You chatter too much." "*You* were a mistake!" She almost let out a laugh. A mistake. Mistakes are meant to be eradicated. Usually. ~~~ There was emptiness... No sound, no feeling, no sight... It had been a second of this, and then the sudden burst of everything, she could feel, she could hear, and though her eyes were closed, there was the red glare that was surely the sun through it. Akane tried to move her head, but groaned at the little she had managed. She was both uncomfortable and very pained. In a second, she realized that someone was holding her, trying to see if she was alright. "Kodachi... open your eyes." It had been a man's voice, close to her ear. Akane shook her head, not wanting to. To move was to inflict more pain onto her body. His hand hovered on her eyes, as if in contemplation, then lifted her eyelids with his thumb on her brow. Akane managed to give him a weak glare at the sudden light of the sun, and closing her eyes had been another struggle. "Kodachi, will you stop being stubborn?" It was a woman this time, she was also leaning close and there was a snort of exasperation. 'Were they calling me Kodachi?' She thought to herself, having heard the name the second time around. Finally, she remembered why she ached so much, 'The accident...' Akane thought... trying to remember exactly what happened, but could not. 'Had I survived?" She very much doubted it. She knew she had died. She knew that for a certainty. 'Then why do I feel alive? Surely heaven could not inflict so much pain, not leave me confused.' She moved her hand slightly, and another wave of pain coursed through her, causing her head to pound. She felt the damp grass against her hand, and she was confused all the more, 'Grass? Does Nirvana have grass? Reincarnation?' Her thoughts were moving erratically from one point to the next. 'But... that's supposed to be in forty days.' She tried to think, move as thoughts plagued her of being one animal or the next, as she thought of being one object from the other. 'But... reincarnation with *all* my memories?' A breeze stirred her, and she realized she was very cold. She suppressed a shiver for her body ached at every single twitch of her muscle, 'Where am I?' She was frightened now, not knowing why she was present and not understanding her predicament. She tried to speak, but the effort was too great, and the questions too many. In the end, she spoke out only one word, "Cold..." She couldn't repress her final shiver and she did. The man who held her looked up. "Ifuku, a blanket." He didn't shout, but his voice was commanding, and the woman scampered at the command. There was a light touch on her shoulder and a soft cloth on her forehead, she tried to shake it away but the woman sternly held on to it, pressing hard against it. "It's to stop the bleeding, Kodachi." "Let Nabiki do it." Another command. Akane felt herself being shifted, and then something heavy dropped on her body. A blanket that smelled of hay and horses. It was eerily silent, no other man spoke. She could hear waves, the horse's neigh, the shift of cloth, but no one spoke more than necessary. Had she not opened her eyes, she would not have realized that there were more than three people with her. Suddenly everything stopped. There was nothing again... She was floating ... and when she opened her eyes, she didn't feel pain. "Where am I?" "In the void between consciousness and unconsciousness..." A singsong voice answered out of nowhere. Akane looked around. There was nowhere to hide in the place. Wherever it was, it seemed to be an endless blue. The voice had not been traceable to a particular spot, like an echo that resounded, though there were no barriers to bounce off it. "Who are you?" "Oops, sorry, forgot about that invincible thing. I always forget that." The person said as he -- it whatever began to materialize before her. "Must be why that other girl kept asking me *where* I was when I was *obviously* in front of her." When he finished, Akane blinked once, then another time. She pinched herself to be sure she was awake then took a deep breath. "You *must* be joking..." The angel -- well pig -- that was in front of her held its head up indignantly. "I have been taking care of you for twenty five years now young lady..." He abruptly stopped at what seemed stopped laughter coming from her throat and raised an eyebrow -- well Akane thought it was the equivalent of raising an eyebrow. "Oh, I'm sorry, it's just that..." She smiled a little then patted the pig that was hovering above her chest. The pig sighed, "It's not my fault. You're the one who conjured up this scene. I didn't even know what I was supposed to look like." He told her sternly then continued, "As I was saying we are in the 'Betweeness' if you want to call this void something." "And why exactly are we in this 'Betweeness'?" Akane asked speculatively catching a cloud at her palms as it breezed by and shaping it. "For me to explain to you what you're doing here." the pig smartly said and went on a tirade of words, that Akane could only stare at openmouthed and wide-eyed. When he finished, he looked at her and asked. "Well? I thought you'd be reacting to this much like that other woman-- oops, there I go again saying things I shouldn't have." "Would you run that by me again?" She asked, feeling a headache coming on, and then proceeded to sit down at the space, surprisingly it held her there. "We don't have much time to do this." The pig muttered, "Just know that I am your guardian and that I will see to your safety." As he said those last words, the blue started to fade into black and pain started to return to her head, though as she returned, she had somehow understood the message that was sent to her. In the back of her shocked mind, the pig squealed and said that she was not actually hearing the angels, but simply knew what they were saying. But what he said was so unbelievable that she had to shake her head to clear it, failing her purpose and causing another rush of pain. She was not aware of her surroundings yet and could only try to sort what was in her mind right now. She continued thrashing back and forth as if to stop that little black pig that continued to invade her mind. Despite that, the message came through and she understood. She now knew that she had died, and her unborn baby had died along with her. Though her body was dead, her soul was living in another woman, and that she wasn't pregnant. And though she was living that other woman's pain, her mind and soul continued to live on. After realizing this, she was surprised that the pig actually managed to take out her fright and confusion of the whole ordeal. The voice suddenly stopped and she felt a hand that brushed her head, no inside her head, like a feather touching her, to erase her pain and the agony she felt over the massage. Akane then, tried to sit up straight, but a restraining hand held her, when she opened her eyes, the woman gave her a stern look. She took the small cloth she had been holding against her head and noticed that it was red with her blood. The woman shook her head as another cloth was handed to her and held it down against Akane's still bleeding wound. Surprisingly, she hurt far less than she remembered. "I think we should call 119." It was the number for the ambulance. She shook her head at her own voice, startled at it. It sounded... higher, shriller, "Or maybe the doctor?" This woman was empty -- and she didn't know how right she was. It was then that she started crying, pouring the grief in tears of what she had lost. Not only because of her baby, but also because of her husband, of a life she knew she could not regain. It was a grief so violent that the people who surrounded her immediately started to try to calm her. Although the people, the angels, the pig, they were all there trying to soothe her, they could not fill the emptiness she had felt, as if they knew that this purging was necessary for her sanity. Akane wished she could stop crying, because each time she did, her body shuddered and caused waves of pain in her head. But even then, she could hear the voices, in particular the pig, trying to calm her. One woman turned to the girl who they had called Ifuku, "Ready her bed. She's going to need rest." The girl was swift on her feet and was gone in an instant, then she laid her hand on the man who was holding her. "She needs to be inside the house. She's delirious." The man contemplated on this, and he agreed as Akane felt herself being lifted again, quite easily, as if she weighed no more than a stack of books. She also felt the sadness fade away replaced by an odd sense of exhilaration. 'Chemical imbalance,' she thought as she held on tightly to his neck. The pain on her head was still heavy, but at least she was on a chemical high. 'Someone in heaven must be looking after me.' "I'll call the doctor." The woman said as she turned towards the entrance. He hesitated a bit then the woman followed it up with a smile and a knowing glance. "I'd be faster than your samurai." At that, he conceded, although Akane couldn't guess what they meant. Finally, when they had walked a considerable distance, she tugged on his shirt, he leaned closer, but did not stop his pace. "I can walk now," she told the man who was carrying her. "Besides I don't think you can carry me much further. The man gave her a sharp look bordering on anger. She saw him for the first time. He was handsome, very handsome. Dark hair, deep blue eyes -- her favorite combination. But right now, he had a deep scowl and his lips compressed so hard to see what their shape was. He looked at her for a minute. "Are you mocking me?" He asked her angrily, his head loomed above hers with an ominous look. "You know very well I can carry you to and fro with whatever you throw at me, running, or fighting my way through your tons of suitors." 'Brash male arrogance.' Akane had always been independent and she was not going to break that now. "Honestly! Put me down. I'll lean on you, but this is ridiculous." He did not let her go as he started to walk on towards wherever he was headed. That had started to irritate Akane. "Will you please let me down?" The man glared at her then let her legs down, but kept his right hand along her back for support. When she hit the ground, she felt shaky and immediately regretted her demands. "Just let me get my bearings." She said as the young man who helped her spanned in her vision, she tried to focus her eyes as she held her hand out for support. "I told you, you can't walk." he said sternly gripping her arm tightly, just as the world stopped spinning and she stared at the imposing man who had taken charge. He wore a red Chinese shirt and loose black pants that looked very Oriental. Glancing back at the people about, she noted with surprise that they were all dressed in kimonos probably dating back to the 1600's if she recalled correctly. She identified them as samurais from the two swords. She looked at herself and noted that she too was wearing a long black kimono beneath a heavy cloak-like thing that damply clung to her. She wrinkled her brow, which made her head hurt more. Looking back at the man, she raised her brows in surprise. "Wow, you're tall," she said without thinking. She was about five seven and was used to looking at all but the tallest men straight at the eye. Why, this man must be close to seven feet! She thought in wonder, and then realized the problem. "You're not tall. I'm short!" she said with wonder. "And I'm fat," she said patting her stomach and thighs that she could feel through the layers of clothes. "I'm going to have to start running and training again." The man was now looking at her as if she had just suggested taking over Japan. He looked back at the group to see if anyone else had heard her. He looked relieved that they were clustered around the horse Kodachi had been riding when she took the fall. The horse had broken a leg and would have to be destroyed, he thought with regret. Akane looked at what he was staring at and asked, "What's wrong with him?" The beautiful chestnut mare stood fifty yards away, and she was surrounded by people looking at her legs. "Congratulations, Kodachi, you just managed to do some of your favorite things -- degrade me in front of my samurai *and* my sister by deliberately disobeying me. You have shamed me further by hurting one of the gifts our liege lord has given us." The man's beautiful blue eyes hardened and Akane was reminded of ice when she met it, "It broke its leg. I told you not to jump her; I told you she wasn't ready. She'll be destroyed." "Oh, no...No." She said her head pounding, and she was aware she was slurring her words she turned to him and asked, "Can't you fix it? She's beautiful. Oh, the poor thing. That's horrible. I don't understand why horses have to be destroyed. They fix people's legs, heck even dog's legs. Why not horses?" The man rolled his eyes at her and said, "You have got to be kidding! You know better Kodachi. Don't pretend you're sorry for what you did and don't pretend sympathy. Stop trying to be what you're not. Or have you forgotten who you're talking to Kodachi?" He looked at her with something close to disgust and...what was that thing...hatred? "But I didn't do anything!" Akane protested without thinking as she looked at the man, pleading for him to understand her situation. She then had the odd floating sensation and the man's face wavered in front of her. "That must have been Kodachi, whoever she is." Why was this man calling her Kodachi? She must be Kodachi. Or the woman's body was Kodachi. 'This is too weird,' she thought as she reminded herself to be cautious at what she did and said, until she could get out of this mess. Hearing the woman deny that she had anything to do with the horse injury apparently made the man angrier as he pulled her arm roughly and forced her to walk faster than she could have. She hardly could manage with the headache, she couldn't with the dress, especially not with the string that tied her knees together and he was too darned fast. He led her off the grass and into the smooth dirt track, but she felt weird in the new body, and she found herself stumbling more than she would've liked. Her eyes started to blur with what she thought were tears, but she could see where he was taking her, to her right was a field, the tall grass shivering in the cold breeze, to their left were woods and the trees bare of leaves. Although she knew that it had been august and summer when she left, she had a feeling it was late winter now. The air was sharp, but had a fecund smell as if things were beginning to grow. She also knew they were close to the sea, for the familiar clean, salty smell was strong. As they turned the bend, Akane got her first glance of a huge house that was nestled behind high shrubbery. But as she tried to get more details of the house, her eyes lost focus once more. "Is that where we're going?" she asked. Her head pounded and she couldn't think straight, she suddenly felt a wave of nausea wash over her, "I don't think I can make it that far without rest. This body is in rough shape and I don't feel so hot." He stopped and turned to look at her placing a hand on her forehead, "No, you're not feverish." "That wasn't what I meant. I meant I feel sick, bad, I feel funny. I..." She threw up and fainted. Ranma Saotome caught his wife as she slumped to the dirt. 'That fall is making her act differently,' he thought. He would have expected Kodachi to rant, rave and laugh that infuriatingly loud laugh of hers then rant on again about not training the horse properly. She was just too damned cheerful taking into consideration what happened. He couldn't puzzle it out, and he didn't like it, wishing he could end the game she was playing. He couldn't understand her. As he carried her towards Rose Brier, he looked down at her face, she was starting to look old, and she was only twenty and five, he thought. Too much sake, the late nights, the ... indulgences she never seemed to refuse were catching up with her. The face he had married when he was twenty-two was gone, replaced by a harsh parody of that countenance. But he was not a fool enough to think she had changed in other ways. She had been just as vile back then when she was nineteen, as she was now at twenty-five, except then Ranma had been arranged to marry to tie allegiance to the Kunos, the dowry of Rose Brier being a tactical advantage to his father, the fief they controlled even better. All of them had known nothing about the real Kodachi, nothing about what was inside her. Of course, it hardly mattered, at a time when marriages were for the better of the Clan and he... well... he had been an advantage. In his more charitable moments, Ranma knew that few men would have been able to see through the charming well-bred young woman Kodachi had presented herself to be. No, he'd told himself more than once, she had not changed after the marriage. Just shown her true colors and those were black and gray, no wonder she was called the black rose. Holding her, he was taken back to the first time he saw her -- their wedding night. It had been a beautiful day, their wedding day. The sun had been bright in a cloudless sky, and Kodachi serene and lovely in a midnight blue wedding kimono. Six years later, Ranma still felt a rush of rage and shame when he recalled his wedding night. "*You're* the lowlife my father has arranged on my marriage?" Kodachi demanded twirling a rose as she sat on the large futon that had occupied the room that they had been supposed to share. "You look pathetic." Ranma recoiled at the words. He had been young and almost sheltered. He had lived in a world with no political agendas, no samurai, no daimyo. He had known no betrayal for there was no one to betray him, and though his foster father Genma tended to act foolishly, it had always been for the good of the twins. It was his first taste of the real world and he reeled from it. "But --" "Don't *tell* me you're going to grovel." Kodachi scrunched her nose in obvious distaste as she dug into her futon throwing her covers over herself, "I hate a man who has no backbone." He stopped and looked at her, then turned away for another room, not wanting to stay in bed with her. Although he had every right to order her out of his house, every right in their laws to take her head... he didn't. She was still useful to the Clan, her land that was protecting her, the support of the Kunos another. Over the years, he had learned the sordid story of her deceit. Before he met Kodachi, she was nothing more than a little whore, who would spread her legs to anyone who would have her. The foster mother (1) chosen by her parents was a mistake, and their deaths at the War when she was five worsened her state. Her foster mother spent more time gossiping than teaching her proper behavior. When her brother caught her with one of the gardeners when she was seventeen, he gave her an ultimatum: Find a respectable man to marry or be forced to be left out on the streets *forbidden* to the right of seppuku, which she would never earn. So that is what she did. ~~~ After that disastrous night, it was just sex between Mr. and Mrs. Saotome and that only when she used one of her potions. The last time they'd lain down together was four years ago. He was so disgusted with himself and filled with loathing for her and that laugh of hers that he did not know whether he wanted to kill himself or her. In the end, he just ignored her. They appeared together socially, to keep up appearances, but only few people were fooled. Theirs was no loving relationship, not even a grudging friendship. His mother told him that he should get a consort for himself, and reminded him time and again that he was allowed to but he refused completely. He distinctly remembered the day that the head of the Saotome Clan had called him up to his donjon (2) at the Kanto. ||-------------------------|| "Ranma, my boy, I think six years of evading your fianc�es is far enough, don't you think?" Happosai was a shriveled up old ghoul who still managed to sit aloofly on the silken cushions of the audience room when it was necessary. Holding the clan for nearly two centuries merited him many things, and he had trained his eyes on this young one, who showed such great potential at becoming a leader. "I'm offering you an easy way out, my boy. I can strip you of all your fianc�es." Ranma was skeptical, although he didn't show it. He didn't want to be impolite to his liege lord. His fianc�es were harder to get rid of than Happosai thought, he should know -- he spent six years trying. "I don't think so, my lord. My fianc�es are... a lot and the only easy way out of it would be to commit seppuku." The old man's eyes flared at what his great-great-grandnephew suggested, he was still useful, "You are forbidden to commit seppuku on the matter of your multiple iinazukes (3)!" There was a short pause, a moment for Ranma to breathe and realize what had not been granted to him. It was something he both wanted and detested. Ranma always asked for the ritual suicide every year, as was his right to do so. As always, Happosai's response was just as vehement against it, he had already decided that the women were not the boy's fault. Ranma protested, "I am dishonored. You can not have a samurai with much shame around sullying the Saotome name--" "I offer a simpler way out. The Lady Kodachi of the Kuno Clan is nineteen. At that age, she is ripe for the plucking. Her dowry, Rose Brier, which borders on the Kanto Mountains and the shore of the bay, has great tactical advantage. It is easy to protect and a good place to keep meetings when we are pressed on our back with messengers we don't want." There was a short pause again, not one of the samurai surrounding them stirred though most knew the Lady Kodachi's infamous reputation. Ranma held a puzzled frown as he sneaked a peek at Happosai, "I don't see how marrying the Kodachi Kuno helps..." there was a pause, "It is rumored the woman is touched by the kami ... she's crazy!" They believed craziness is caused by the gods themselves, so crazy people, just like children and old people were allowed some special privileges. It was another reason why Kodachi can't be killed off. "She is also Christian, so I order you to convert at once!" The old man laughed at some amusement only *he* saw, as he patted the sword at his side. "Those priests have been meddling in our affairs too long and I still don't have a single Christian spy." Taken aback, Ranma stared at Happosai openly now, ordered to be a Christian? With all their silly laws and doctrines... It could be a tactical move but it was something he didn't like. "In fact I have ordered your sister Nabiki to convert at the same as you do as well." ...Ranma gulped, Nabiki was ordered as well, the Old Man's mind was moving again. 'What is he up to?' "But taking Kodachi won't solve all your problems." The old man cringed, as if he remembered something foul. "She is a rotten one, that girl, and not as virtuous as she seems. But ... you are given a choice after all. That rotten attitude of hers will keep *all* the girls away." "If you marry her I'll increase your fief to twenty ri (6) around Nerima, which will include Rose Brier at that stretch." The old man gave him a few days to think, but it was obvious that the matter had been decided even before he was called out to the donjon. That decision would doom him forever. A few days later and Kodachi became his bride. ||-------------------------|| He was bitter, but he had convinced himself that he was as happy as he was ever going to be with his life. The only comfort he had was the Art. Thank God for that, he'd thought more than once. Unlike many of his fellow samurai, whose wives held the purse strings and had little to do with the family fortune, Ranma was the one who did *that* part of the marriage as well, with help from Nabiki of course. He could do without family life. A lot of samurai did. Without warning, the image of his sister, Nabiki and her son leaped into his head. Nabiki had just been as unlucky as he was, after a miscarriage and giving birth to a son, her husband had almost killed her for a crime she didn't commit. She lived with him now with Kodachi usually far away to bother either of them. He was thankful for Nabiki and her son's company though. If not for them, he would be far more bitter and lonelier than he already was. Ranma's arms weren't a bit tired as he had told Kodachi when he reached the house. Sasuke met him at the door. The short ninja was a kuroki (7), protector (which Sasuke would like to think and Ranma made him do so, even if he honestly didn't need one), and a man who had a fierce loyalty and respect for his employer. Upstanding men never employed the Stealthy Ones as a rule. They were treacherous and deceitful most of the time, but the Kunos felt that a ninja would keep Kodachi at bay and would keep track of her actions better than any other samurai could. Ranma had petitioned up the case to Happosai, who shrugged and agreed to let Ranma employ his services as long he kept the true nature of the short man to himself and to some chosen people. He raised his eyebrow when he saw the blood on Kodachi's head though didn't offer to take Ranma's burden, because doing so would be discourteous and be offending. There were no explanations needed because Ifuku, Kodachi's maid, had already told Sasuke what had happened when the maid had entered the house in search for a blanket. Ranma, followed by Sasuke, brought Kodachi to her room and deposited her on her futon. She tossed her head of dark curls and moaned as she again opened her eyes. The man from the field was standing back, his arms crossed as he looked down with no emotion. "I fainted," she said, as she looked around taking in the frills, the bleakness and darkness of the room, and the black trimmed, gray furniture. "I don't mean to be critical, but this is the ugliest room I have ever seen in my life," she said with characteristic bluntness. "And stop looking at me as if I were crazy every time I open my mouth! Honestly! Don't you think I can say something about this ugly room? You should never hire the people who did the d�cor." She then shut her mouth as she realized the design might have been done by one of the men standing in front of her. "Kodachi, you've suffered a blow to the head and obviously it's affecting you. I am simply reacting to an overwrought wife." "Wife!" 'Kami,' Akane thought, 'this is worse than I imagined.' ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~||-----------^_^-----------||~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Endnotes: (1) Why does Kodachi have a foster mother when her parents were STILL alive? Well that's because important samurai let foster mothers take care of their children while they can focus on new matters...further explained in Chapter 3 :) (2) Donjon: central main building of a Japanese Castle. Happosai's main donjon is in Edo. Which most people know now to be Tokyo. (3) Why is Ranma asking for seppuku? Well he feels he has dishonored the Saotome name by having multiple fianc�es he doesn't plan to keep. In the earlier days, you weren't allowed to commit seppuku if the head of the clan or your liege lord (generally someone higher up) doesn't permit you to. It strips off the giving back of honor seppuku is supposed to give, although you can commit seppuku if you're about to be captured by your enemy. Seppuku's an honor. (4) Why did Ranma say touched by the Kami? They believed craziness is caused by the gods themselves, so crazy people, just like children and old people were allowed some special privileges, another reason why Kodachi can't be killed off. (5) Why was Ranma ordered to convert to Christianity? Well then, that's Happosai for you :) although this may be another tactical advancement it's also for Kodachi who's also Christian :)hehehehe I love irony... anyway...Christianity came with the Portuguese and the Fathers have churches on Japan (in the late 1600's they'll close the doors to all foreign people and such and boot out the priests and Christianity and order everyone back to Buddhism) (6) A ri is roughly equivalent to a mile. (7) What's a kuroki? Well if taken literally it means black something. Also is a servant clad in black :)Generally guys who were servants to all these big mansions in Japan. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~||-----------^_^-----------||~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ICQ: 51376120 -- (:) Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2 and the book I based it from Which is When there is Hope, and if you sue me you can't possibly get money from me. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~||-----------^_^-----------||~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Author's Notes: Now to explain a few plot points which you might want to ask and HAVE been asked in the past, I am already heading you off: (Of course I'd still *LOVE* to hear from you, questions or no questions.) Ryoga doesn't have a curse because Ranma isn't living in the present, (not that, that hinders Ryoga to wander in the pool of drowned pig but.... I wanted it to be so) Why can Ryoga find himself inside the apartment? Well his sense of direction got better, okay. Why is Akane's guardian Angel a pig? Well where would you want me to put P-chan? You think he deserves better? Why do you think I put Akane's soul in Kodachi's place? Ryoga deserves better? I'm an eternal Akane and Ranma fan, sorry. Ryoga, Akane's husband? Well, there's no Ranma, who do you think she'll fall for Kuno? Okay so Shin-boy's an option... I can't work with all the options kay? Okay so technically she couldn't meet up with Ryoga without Ranma... but he gets lost a lot it's a wacky world. Have a little imagination. Nabiki, Ranma's sister? I think the reason I chose her became pretty obvious chapter five or so. Besides, I like Nabiki. She's a nice character. Why is Happosai the head of the Saotome Clan?? Well, after thinking about possible candidates, (namely, Ranma, Genma, Nodoka, Ranko, Nabiki) My sister and I thought bout this change... well, we can't have Ranma because we need a counter balance of things he needs someone to order him to *marry* Kodachi in the first place :). Besides it was necessary for the plotline. Genma isn't a possibility because we all know how stupid the patriarch of the Saotome household is, the Saotomes would never survive the beginnings of the Tokugawa Era :) (which begins around 1603 according to my history book) and medieval Japan (Era before Tokugawa) Nodoka, although may be whatever personality I put her to be...A woman won't work as the head of the clan. Even if it was possible, it would be very, very hard for her and for me :) I have to think up of a reason why she's there!!! Ranko, same as Nodoka, another good reason is I already HAVE plans for her. Nabiki, same as Ranko and Nodoka :) A completely new person: I don't want to. :) stubborn neh? I really don't like to put a new Character 'cuz people tend to stop and think who those people are...when you say Happosai he already comes with his own character, I may alter it a bit but there's a standard for him already. Example, when I mention Ifuku, do you *really* remember she's Akane's personal maid? Why did I tear apart Nabiki's life? Well, that's because I needed her advice at Ranma's back, with a husband, her loyalties would be to her husband then to the head of the clan, then to his liege lord. Making her unmarried...well doing that changes my original plotline badly and... besides having her divorced binds her stronger to her family. :) ~~ iCe ~~ PS. Please be reminded send mail to me at: siuane@gmail.com (I love recieving letters if just for a pleasant hi, I always answer back, I'm *that* talkative, if not prompt) My homepage: http://iCe.esmartdesign.com/ Mirror site: http://time-arrow.atspace.com/rend_main.htm ** popup less, banner less site :) Packrat's homepage: http://members.tripod.com/the_packrat/anime.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~||-----------^_^-----------||~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I write when the spirit moves, and I make sure it moves every day. ~~ unknown