Special Thanks to: Roja Cyd Dream and Angel Jourdan Bickham Byooki Desu Don Granberry Acetylene Negai And to the person reading this. Implied adult situations. Are women Saints? No Saints, and yet no Devils, Such Needful Evils, That few can be without. ~~ Wit's Recreation John Ashmore ~ Chapter 12 ~ _... I didn't know what happened. I didn't know what I was going to do..._ The moment Ranma had heard the assessment of Kodachi's actions out of Nabiki's lips, he felt the sinking feeling he was accustomed to whenever he had learned about one of Kodachi's little 'errands'. Had he wanted to believe her so much that he had been blinded to *everything*, even to a very sordid history he had with her deceiving them every step of the way. Kodachi never did have the qualms to pretend as long as it was for her own benefit. But she had put up with Nabiki's ridiculous idea of Martial Arts in Good Graces. Kodachi was a consummate actor. She had been willing to teach Hanae and was determined to prove she was worthy. She had also threatened to kill Hanae countless of times before. Ranma raked his hand through his disheveled hair jumping from one tree to the other. Had they been all played for fools? "Who do I believe, Kodachi who I've lived with most of my life or Akane who I've only seen for the past year?" He remembered what Nabiki had told him the day before he left for Rose Brier. ||-------------------------|| Nabiki disturbed his thoughts by opening the shoji and bringing him a cup with warm tea. She knelt down beside his futon as he pulled himself up into a sitting position. "I thought you'd be awake." He rested his head against his knee as he watched her pour the green tea into one cup then offered it to him. It was unusual that she'd come into his room in the evening, but her presence was comforting. "And which do you believe Nabiki, Kodachi or Akane?" Nabiki stopped at the cup that Ranma had taken and frowned deeply. "You're asking the wrong question Ranma. It's not a choice between Kodachi nor Akane. There is no choice, there is only one: your wife." He had run through the finishing touches to Yokohama blindly, the two extended weeks passed through dully, and Yokohama was finished. Nabiki was worrying about her so-called wedding with Sohin and Kuno postponing his wedding for hers. Which was quite odd, especially since there was a bet looming on their heads. Nabiki dismissed it as 'being Kuno' but Ranma doubted it. Still, there were other things on his mind, and Nabiki's farce was the least of them. Nabiki shifted uncomfortably looking at Ranma. She had not wanted to tell him about her suspicions because she had been afraid of his reaction. "I asked Cologne to bring the children to Nerima. I do not think it's still safe for them to remain there without us." Ranma frowned but nodded. He did not want the children under the same roof with Kodachi, nor did he want them around when he did deal with her. "If you were in my place, what would you do with her?" Nabiki took a deep breath weighing Ranma's question carefully. On one hand she had never actually believed that Kodachi was telling them the truth, on the other she had not wanted the truth she presented to be a lie. "Lock her up *somewhere*, but I have overly suggested that to you, Ranma." The words Nabiki spoke did not reassure him. The consequences of Kodachi's death were rather large. "Do you really think that this merits her seclusion? Playing us for fools has always been her game. This is just milder than whatever she had done before." "Yes, this is mild compared to the others." Nabiki said softly, she had her own share of Kodachi's stories, and most of them were not pleasant. "But do you not think this should be the last? I worry to the extent she would go, there are questions that are left to be answered, why the determination to teach Hanae, why remain in Rose Brier?" "You really think that this is a lie then?" Ranma asked, as though asking the question over and over again would convince him otherwise, or would get a different reaction from his sister. "Even as the border troubles commenced, I was suspicious of her presence in the house wondering if the border attacks were because she was there." Nabiki had been distrustful of Kodachi before, and she had mentioned that Kodachi might be the source of their troubles. He had wanted to be sure. "I was not willing to tell you anything before I had tangible proof for fear that I might be wrong, but this has forced my hand. Every time the trouble brewed around the borders Kodachi was home, maybe not recently but this seems like the calm before the storm." "And the fire in both Yokohama and Nerima?" Ranma asked Nabiki quietly. "Is that my wife's doing as well?" "Only a Saotome would know when all the samurai would be pulled out from the towns for Happosai's little gathering." Nabiki reminded him. "And we have forces to keep people from going in our cities, and little for restraining those from within. I feel strongly that the border troubles were a diversion for the fires. You have given me the mission of finding out what troubles the borders. I am almost at the end of my task..." Ranma looked at his sister, her unfinished sentence troubled as much as her conclusions have. "You wonder if I'm up to *my* task." "No, Ranma, I didn't mean it that way." Nabiki said harshly. "I would never question your abilities. I do not want to deal her a fate she does not deserve." "And if we make a mistake?" Ranma asked slowly, knowing that he had to leave some room for error. Nabiki knew the question would come. She had asked it of herself as well, but she had to have the interests of Sagami first. "We're not allowed to make mistakes." Ranma knew that action was needed from him. But why now? Why now after more than nine years of living with Kodachi and turning a blind eye to all her misdeeds. Was this pretense enough to merit certain action? "Excuse me, Nabiki, but I'd rather keep to myself tonight." Nodding, Nabiki cleaned up the tea set she had brought. "Good night, Ranma." She said before leaving him to his thoughts. Ranma had not slept all that much in the evening, the thoughts of what to do about his wife plaguing him. In the end, there was only one decision to be made and that had been to go home. Nabiki leaned at the door watching Ranma pack all of his things with mild interest, she had never seen him in a hurry to go home, *ever*. Apparently, there really are such things as firsts. "You can't leave here and because of that, I'm the one going home to deal with this situation." Nabiki winced at the way he said the words. She had never seen Ranma as livid as he had been at the moment. He had been almost emotionless the night before. She was truly scared at the show of anger, not for herself, but for the person who was at the receiving end. Ranma's anger had been slow in coming, but she was hardly happy with it manifesting now. She wanted Kodachi dealt with, but not with Ranma overly emotional. "I don't think it's wise to confront Kodachi now, Ranma. You're angry at her." "There's no other perfect time to deal with her, other than *when* I'm angry at her." Ranma ground out, he picked up his bag and began to walk out his pace beginning to speed up. "She has been the perfect little wife, hasn't she? I'm hurt. It had taken an explicit order against her life for her to pretend to be nice." Nabiki had to run to keep up with her brother's larger stride. "Ranma, please be reasonable. Let's go to mother first. Just to cool off your head. You might do something you'll regret. Come to mother's house and we'll work up something for Kodachi." Nabiki argued, pulling on Ranma's sleeve. He brushed her hand away rather violently. He stopped walking and turned to her. "I'm an idiot. A goddamned idiot. You can tell me now." "What?" Although it wasn't something to be happy about, Nabiki resisted the urge to smile. There was something extremely boyish in the way he said that. "You're itching to tell me that you told me so." He accused crossing his arms in front of his chest and then tapping his foot against the soft earth, impatiently waiting for what he knew was inevitable. "I'd rather not rub salt to your injury." Nabiki smiled a bit then sighed as Ranma deepened his frown. "Oh, all right. I can't believe I'm letting you go." It had never been her choice. He would go even if she didn't want him to. "Promise me you won't do anything irrational." He gave her an indignant look. "When have I been irrational?" "All the time." Nabiki deadpanned. She then held his arm, preventing him from moving away from her. "Come on, I won't let you go without your promise." There was a hesitant pause before he gave her his word. "I'll rejoin you in Rose Brier soon. Before the children need to swear in." The townspeople had already gathered amidst the semi-revived town, wanting to bid goodbye to their lord. He gave out a forced smile and thanked the gods that Kuno was not out. He did not know what he would have done if he had been. "Oh... and Nabiki? I'm giving you the rest of the week to stay at Yokohama. You really don't need to come with me." Nabiki's jaw dropped open as she started to protest, she couldn't be left alone in Yokohama with Sohin and Kuno and the bet looming over their heads with -- "You have a wedding to plan." She was stunned, good, that would give him time to leave. Nabiki snagged his sleeve, a fake smile plastered across her face as she whispered, "I can't believe you're doing this, Ranma! Damn you." "You don't want it?" He knew she wouldn't turn the offer down because the people would wonder why she would pass such a gift from her brother. Time was something rarely given and the people -- especially Kuno -- would ask why she had refused the offer. She bowed. "My lord is gracious." She then leaned closer, and to the people who were watching, it seemed like she was giving him an affectionate hug. She leaned towards his ear and whispered, "I'll get you for this, Ranma." He gave her a smile and when she stepped back and looked up to him, his smile widened. "I know." ||-------------------------|| No one will be home when he confronts Akane -- Kodachi. He wondered if it was wise but dismissed the idea as soon as it had entered his thoughts. He had to go home sometime, and the best time to deal with Kodachi was when she didn't know what to expect. He landed gracefully in front of the Rose Brier. As he entered through the arches, one of the samurai bowed to him and offered to carry his pack for him. He continued towards the house, giving no indication that he either saw or heard him. Akane was out in a second. At first a smile lit her face, but as she drew closer and slowed into a halt, it turned into a frown. "Ranko, where have you been? I've been looking for you. Hanae and Sei were called to Nerima and..." Whatever she said barely registered in Ranma's brain as he noticed that he was indeed female. He had not even been aware when or how he had managed to become wet, but he -- or rather she was. "Well? Have you been listening?" A flash of worry showed through Akane's face as she walked towards Ranma-chan slightly tilting her head. "Ifuku said that you were with Nabiki and Ranma. Aren't they coming home?" 'Tell me it isn't true.' He had wanted to say that the moment he heard the words out of her mouth, yet the pain that had numbed his heart when he heard Nabiki's assessment still weighed heavily against him. "Don't you dare pretend with me, Kodachi." Inside he winced at the steel he heard in his own voice. "You know who I am. I talked to your brother. I'm sure you'll understand what he's told us." Technically, that wasn't true either. But they weren't basing it on the technicality here, were they? He didn't talk to Kodachi's brother, and she might have not known what Tatewaki would tell... but then, he wasn't thinking straight either. "What am I supposed to understand..." Akane asked, bewildered at the sudden hostility that the girl had shown. She shook her head and brought her hand up to touch Ranma-chan's shoulder. Ranma-chan glared at her then walked past Akane. Akane put her hand down. "I thought..." Ranma-chan stopped moving towards the house, Akane's words of denial, the final straw. She whirled around to face Kodachi, looked up to her, took her hand and pulled her towards the house. "Come with me." "But..." It was the only thing Akane could get past her lips as she was dragged towards the house by Ranma-chan's strong hands. She only noticed that they were in the kitchen when they stopped. "What are we doing here, Ranko?" "Putting an end to the 'Ranko' business." Ranma-chan answered as she turned to the servants that cluttered the kitchen, the sounds of talk immediately stopped as they bowed low and waited for someone to relieve them. "I'd like you all to retreat to your quarters for the day. I'll send Ifuku when you can return." There was no protest as the ten or so servants that cluttered the room left. Everything that they had been doing left at the small tables. "Why do that Ranko? And why here?" "Because this isn't something that concerns them." Ranma-chan took a kettle of hot water from the brazier that the maids had all surrounded earlier. "I'm doing this only once. Don't you want to guess what will happen next?" Akane bit her lip hesitantly. She was nervous. It was not a good sign for her innocence regarding the matter. 'Good, let the strain get to her nerves for once.' Ranma-chan thought as she swung the kettle lightly on her fingertips. She really didn't need to do this, but she wanted to make her admit everything to stop the pretense. 'At least give me that much.' "Make tea?" Akane offered up helplessly, and Ranma-chan was once again reminded of how good an actress his wife really was. She looked clearly dumbfounded. "Funny. I never knew you had a sense of humor." But Ranma-chan didn't want the confrontation to last more than it should, and so, she unceremoniously dumped the remains of the kettle on her head. The change came over him, muscles expanding, height growing, breasts diminishing, until his body reached its full proportions. Akane took this all in with wide eyes. She dazedly went forward and raised her hand to touch his chest. It angered him more that she was still willing to wear the fa�ade of innocence. When she had satisfied herself that there were *no* breasts, she looked up to him. There was hurt and betrayal in her eyes, and Ranma wondered again if he was somehow making a mistake, that she *had* been telling the truth and he's over-reacting. "How *could* you?" She slapped him hard on the face and ran out of the kitchen. Ranma just looked at the door where she had exited, then raised his hand to his cheek. He mentally shook his head. No, he didn't want to believe another lie. He believed in Nabiki's capability to assess people's motives, and she had said that Kodachi had played them. Kodachi had always been the perfect actress, fit for any role, hurt and betrayal did not suit her, but she used them well. "Ifuku!" He called out. It took three calls for the maid to hear him, as she scurried towards the kitchen and bowed low. "Go get Yuka and the rest of the staff at their quarters. Tell them I won't be eating for the night. I'll be at the dojo and I do *not* want to be disturbed." "Yes, Lord Saotome." Ifuku rose from her bow and scurried to perform the orders. Ranma watched her go then turned towards the dojo, his resolve against his wife strengthened. Opening the large double doors, he sighed. Without the children, the dojo was pretty much useless to him. But since he didn't want to be seen, the dojo was the next best option the other was camping outdoors on a training trip. He had enough of camping from Yokohama, thank you very much. He took a deep breath, didn't bother with stretching his muscles and started to do a long complex kata that he hadn't performed since the last time he was this angry. As he moved along the hard and forceful blows, he wondered if peace was ever going to come to Rose Brier. "You mean you *knew* of this all along?" Akane asked, incredulously at her maid, furious at the sudden surprise that her husband had landed at her. "You *knew* Ranko was Ranma?" In a way, it made sense, the way Ranko wore the same things Ranma did, or the peculiar room arrangements... and why Ranko looked so much like he did. But it was all the more unclear because she *has* seen the two of them together. Everything didn't make sense. But then, ever since she had landed in the past when did *anything* make sense? "Yes, Lady Saotome, I am one of the very few privileged to know about Jusenkyo." Ifuku was taking all of it in stride. The fact that her *maid* knew more than she did irked her all the more. She was made out for a fool and Ranma was getting away with it. Ifuku continued gently, "I would suggest not taking up Lord Saotome on the battlefield right now. He is most assuredly angry at you, my lady." "Angry? What the hell is he supposed to be angry about?" Akane fumed, and in all truths, Ifuku could not see any reason why Ranma should be angry at Akane either. There was no point in all of this when they had been so much in love when he left. Something had happened and it had changed Ranma's outlook on his wife. "We are never given the easiest road in life, my lady. Maybe Lord Ranma has chanced upon one of her ladyship's past 'misdeeds'?" What Ifuku meant by misdeeds, Akane would never know. Kodachi did too many 'misdeeds' for her to pinpoint on one particular thing. Everything that Kodachi could have done in the past would have been erased by her claim of amnesia. It just didn't make sense that Ranma could completely turn around his perception of her. Akane wished she could go home. Home was when her life was dull, but relatively safe. 'I wish I was never sent here. I wish I've never had this fight with Ranma.' But then that's the problem with Ranma... he always sets Akane's temper. It was like the reason he stepped in the house was solely to flare her temper up. With the way Ifuku was hovering over her, she knew the woman was trying to think of someway to make her feel better, but there was nothing she could do. In the end, Akane wanted more to be alone than to be comforted, especially since the only comfort she could accept was Ranma's. "Please leave me." A flash of uncertainty went past Ifuku's eyes, as she thought of whether she should obey and leave or take into consideration what Akane needed and stay. Eventually, compliance won, so she bowed and silently left the room. Whatever argument Ranma and Akane had, it was up to them to solve it. This had to happen when everything was going well... 'Karma,' Ifuku thought, 'The Gods of Fate have always been playfully sadistic...' ~~~ Nabiki did *not* like it when her own brother tricked her. Not one bit. Not at all. She threw her hands up in frustration as half of the inn room was piled up with gifts for her supposed wedding. She had already received things ranging from a nice fan to the more provocative _Pillow Book_ and the 'toys' that came with it. She was going to strangle Ranma. But before she strangled Ranma... she was going to kill that good for nothing bastard... "Where *is* he?" "Looking for your future husband, Lady Nabiki?" Nabiki spun around to find Kuno leaning against the door, with that weird little smile of his. She put a mental note to herself that she should strangle him as well. She glared at him, and he ignored her as he continued to walk by the clutter of her room, raising an eyebrow at the articles here and there. Ever since Ranma had left her, she had become more irritable, raised her voice to Kuno and Sohin constantly and generally became bossier. "Are you being pesky Lord Kuno? Do you really wish an answer to that particularly *stupid* question of yours?" This wasn't good, she wasn't supposed to be *provoking* Kuno. "He is outside." He answered nonchalantly, as if it was the most obvious answer in the world and Nabiki had failed to see it. Nabiki's temper rose a notch higher. Not only was Kuno the reason why she was stuck here in the first place, he was also the reason why Ranma was not here stuck with her. "Bravo. How may I ask did you come with that conclusion?" Nabiki asked in feigned awe, something that she had mastered since childhood. She glared at him and then waved her hand at the room. "Maybe because he's not *in* the room?" She drew out the last words with a level tone. "Oh... not really. I merely saw him stroll out." Nabiki's mouth opened to retort then she shut it again. What was the use when you were talking to an idiotic blockhead like Kuno Tatewaki in the first place? She took out a big sack and started packing some of the small items that had been given to her which she could take to Rose Brier for her 'marriage' while the rest she would ask the owner of the inn to store for the moment. She didn't care that Ranma gave her a week off, she didn't care that she was going to dance with only a geta on Kuno's wedding night. She was sick and tired of Yokohama. Not Yokohama, particularly, for she enjoyed running her shared han with Ranma, but of the people surrounding her. She should be spending a quiet time at home getting irritated by Kodachi than spending her entire week in Yokohama getting harassed by both Kuno and Sohin. "I've changed my mind. I'm going after my stupid brother." Nabiki muttered as she dumped a beautiful white furoshiki unceremoniously into the sack, followed by whatever materials she could grasp. "I've decided that I *really* don't want Kodachi to die, even if she deserves it, and my marriage can wait." Kuno looked at all this with a smile on his face. "Really Lady Saotome? If I marry next week, you're going to be forced to dance for my bride and I." "However did *you* of all people manage to make me bet on something as stupid as *dancing* in geta?" Nabiki asked as she threw everything, not bothering to see where it was landing anymore. "I mean don't you think your wife would find something unethical about it?" Kuno started to answer but Nabiki whirled around and made a warding gesture with a loud sound of frustration. "Arghhh -- don't answer that! If wives arrange courtesans then *obviously* wives can permit their husbands viewing naked women in getas." Kuno looked at this all with mild amusement. She picked up her backpack and slung the enormous sack over her shoulder. She took offence at his smile. She took offence at his mere presence. "Not one word, Kuno. Not one word. Regards to your future wife, but I'm going home." He couldn't help it, he spoke up. "Perhaps this has something to do with you dying when my sister dies?" The clause in Ranma's marriage usually got Nabiki's hackles up, especially since she was the one who was going to get the brunt of it. Nabiki turned back and glared at him. "At least *that's* better than dancing in a *stupid* geta for a *stupid* wedding, wherein I haven't seen a *stupid* bride yet." She was close to a shout when she ended that sentence. Her tirade was interrupted by Sohin as he walked nonchalantly into the room. He looked at her, at the pack, and back at her before asking. "Uh... What are you doing?" "Sohin, darling," She almost cringed as she said the endearment. What she really had wanted to say was: 'Isn't it obvious, moron?' or something along those lines. Fortunately for Sohin, Nabiki had most of her temper in check. Kuno didn't seem to notice the tension between the two of them. "I've decided that my brother has been temporarily touched by the kami... he's not fit to be in Rose Brier ALONE!" She smiled as sweetly as she could while carrying an enormously heavy pack, and trying to keep the sarcasm out of her voice, being the nice and dutiful and *in-love* fianc�e that she was supposed to be. "Be a dear and help me get to Rose Brier in time." Sohin looked genuinely confused. That's good, at least she'd confuse *him* for once. Besides, that he's not voicing that pesky opinion of his. At least he's learning to play his part in this whole fianc� fiasco. Now if she could get her life back. "I just decided that I'd rather get married in Nerima, with family." She glared daggers at him, the first sign that her irritation was breaking through. "Now let's get to Nerima, darling." "You know Lady Saotome, with your sudden mood swings..." Kuno hid a small smile behind his hand, he took his time and waited until he had both Sohin and Nabiki's attention before asking, "Are you perhaps carrying child?" Nabiki glared at Kuno again, her ire fully showing this time. "Now *that* is the stupidest thing I have heard from you. Do I look like a woman with *child* Lord Kuno?" With that she stomped down the stairs with the big bag in tow. "I think..." Sohin sighed as he looked at the path Nabiki took. "I better go and help her." He quickly took his own things and dashed after Nabiki. When he reached her, she was already standing in front of two neat rows of samurai, the sack containing their 'gifts' were at her feet. "Nabiki..." She turned around to glare at him, so he kept his distance. When she was satisfied he wouldn't interfere she turned to the samurai. She had visibly calmed down and was talking to them in an almost light manner, as if she had forgotten her previous enraged attitude. "In the light of the recent events, I'm going to follow my brother. Yokohama is whole now and I'm not needed anymore." "Koku intake is going to be cut in half until we regain the production that we have lost." That was going to be hard... their region was primarily upland and irrigation was hard upon them, even with the abundant field. That meant there were very few lands where rice could grow. Most of their crops were fruits and vegetables... and in a land where rice was literally money, a loss such as Yokohama's was hard. "That goes for every samurai in the entire Sagami." Nabiki shook her head. "Sagami is under trial right now. The enemy is closer than both my brother and I realized. Guard your backs well. Get to your duties." The samurai bowed and one by one left her, Nabiki sighed, the first show of weakness since she arrived at the city. "Let us not lose Sagami too soon..." One of the samurai who had been at the last of the ranks approached her, she smiled at him. "Yes, what is it?" He had approached shyly and given her a bundle wrapped in red furoshiki with imprints of a fan. "My wife wanted to give your husband a sword, my lady. It was her father's, and since we would never have a son, and she will not fight again, she wanted to give it to you." He bowed as he offered the bundle to her. She looked at the sword indecisively. It was obvious from the vibrant colors that his wife had just made it a day or two ago. The cloth was probably from one of the remaining good cloths they have. She also knew his wife was lying in her deathbed with a wasting sickness that they knew no cure of. She made it a point to know the samurai in her hans. She could not recall each and every one of their names though and asked softly, "What's your name? And your wife's?" "Maria and Michael, my lady." Nabiki looked at him thoughtfully. Christian names. It was highly unusual for a samurai to give Christian names, but Happosai had made sure that everybody knew his orders. Michael probably knew she was ordered to be a Christian. 'I probably should re-baptize myself into Buddhism... just to spite the old man.' Nabiki shook her head as she placed her hand on his stooped shoulders. Michael was old, probably near the death bed as well, but he was a loyal samurai and Nabiki regarded all of the samurai under her with respect. "Thank you for the gift, but I'd rather if you offer it directly to Sohin... after all you're giving it to him." The man nodded and turned to Sohin, Nabiki watched as the man ambled over to her pseudo-fianc� and present him the family heirloom. She watched in morbid curiosity over what Sohin would do with it. It was rare that swords a few generations old be given away because the most coveted ones are those that had tasted blood so often. These swords were heirlooms passed from generation to generation and since they were so rare, many young samurai were forced to accept newly forged blades. And here was a three-generation katana wasted on a peasant. She had wanted to tell him to take the sword back, or at least, wait for someone worth its blade, but she dared not insult her 'fianc�' nor the man that stood proudly in front of her. In some way, she had sent him to Sohin as a test, a test to see how her fianc� would react to such a precious gift. That and because she did not know how to refuse such a gift. At least no one asked why Sohin did not have a sword. It was widely believed that for a samurai to part with his sword is to lose his honor. But these men were in Saotome territory, and in the whole of Happosai's lands, men were taught that the Saotome fist could do so much more than a single blade. Nabiki rarely carried hers when she expected no fight from samurai outside the Saotome sect. It was a dishonor to have it stolen... but they found nothing wrong with it being left alone. At least, not for long periods of time, and the blade was well taken care off. Her curiosity was even more piqued when they started walking towards the stables where the horses were kept. Sohin turned to look at her and motioned her to follow them. Outraged that he summoned her as he did, yet interested in what they were going to do, she grudgingly followed. She sighed as she picked up the sack and lifted it with a grunt. "Come here, he says..." She muttered all the way to the stables where exactly one horse was kept. She stayed at the door, where she could watch all of them idly. No one was going to use the horse because Happosai had not given any permission. The solitary horse they kept in each city was used for emergency purposes. Even though there was a scarcity of the animal in Sagami, the stables were always packed with straw... it was an essential part of living. Currently, a couple of women were sitting on the haystack matting the rice straw together. When this was done, another group of women covered this with a smooth surface of their woven reeds and bound the edges together with cloth tape. They were making the tatami, the final touches to their houses. Nabiki just raised her eyebrows when Sohin and Michael started to gather straw, binding it together with ropes until it became twice as big as she was. Then, Michael stepped back and gave Sohin the sword. Sohin smiled as he gently unwrapped it. Nabiki noted that he looked exactly like Hanae or Sei when they were opening presents on special occasions. He took the sheath and the sword and fixed it on his belt, his hand resting lightly on the sword hilt. All of a sudden, it dawned on Nabiki what they were doing. They were testing the sword. "Oh... damn." Nabiki muttered, as she raised her hand to stop Sohin from striking the haystack, berating herself for not realizing their intent sooner. Just because Sohin was a peasant it did not mean that he did not know he was supposed to test the sword. She just hadn't drawn that conclusion, and she didn't think Sohin would do it in front of an audience. Usually swords were tested on criminals except murderers, priests, tattooed individuals and eta. When there was a lack of subjects to test the sword upon, what were left were haystacks. Just as what Sohin was trying to do right now. Between the ten women, most of whom were samurai, and Michael who was a few meters away from Sohin, one of them was bound to realize Sohin had never handled a sword before. 'A sword meant for a samurai, goddamnit!' Nabiki thought. A peasant did not usually engage in *testing* swords. If that didn't put and end to their game, nothing would. "Sohin!" But it was too late, for he had already gone through the motions swiftly... And she watched as the haystack stood there in a single piece, 'He *missed*. It was right in front of him and he *missed*. I'm doomed.' Nabiki thought as she ran towards them, in a moment she was beside Sohin... "What do you think--" Sohin sheathed the sword and smiled as he looked at Nabiki then turned to Michael. "Thanks. It's a great sword." And in that instant the straw pile disintegrated. Nabiki's jaw slacked. She turned towards the straw, which had been whole a few minutes ago. She looked down on herself and found that her clothes were already sticking with the small particles. She had not expected him to be swift. He was probably only slower than Ranma, possibly even faster than herself since she had barely seen his sixteen swipes... she would have to check on that. Usually, swords tested with the haystack were regarded as lesser swords than those who were tested with real bodies, but this was not a new sword, Sohin was just testing it for formality. It told her more about Sohin than about the quality of the blade that had just been handed down to him. She turned towards Sohin and gave him a glare. "That was an excellent show. I never knew you could do the sixteen stroke test." The test was preformed with much difficulty. Samurai usually did it with one stroke at a time, but most Saotomes did all of it in the way Sohin had. Some had a great deal of difficulty. Nabiki had mastered it at a young age... but for a peasant to do it... it was a remarkable statement of his skill alone. She gave him a guarded look. She had long suspected Sohin was hiding something from her. This feat just made her more suspicious. "You never asked." He gave her a smile, then took the sword from his belt and handed it over to Michael. Nabiki noticed the tsuba, the hilt-guard of the katana, had an extremely intricate design decorated with the engraving of a crab and had several inlays. Both the twins had dragons in theirs... Sohin shook his head and did something Nabiki had not expected. "I can't accept this. It's too good a sword for me." He had refused a good sword. A sword that was worth a hell of a lot more than every small gift he could sell from now to the day of his last breath. She had known Sohin for only a few days and as a merchant, catalogued him as mercenary. His refusal of the gift made Nabiki think back to what other miscalculations she had made of the man. The samurai smiled at her 'iinazuke' and shook his head. "And I can't take it back because it was never mine in the first place. Please accept it Sohin-san. It's the least we could do for the husband of Lady Saotome, for someone of great skill. You have not tested it against the human flesh yet, my lord." "Well... okay then, thank you." Sohin answered not even glancing at Nabiki. He took out ivory chopsticks carved intricately with flowers at the thicker side from his belongings and presented it to Michael. "I wouldn't accept such a good gift without something for you to remember me by." The samurai nodded and accepted. Nabiki watched all of this with mild frustration. She made a mental note to have a long talk with Sohin and then a longer talk with Ifuku after this ordeal. She watched as Michael walked away, then turned to watch as Sohin wrapped the sword slowly with the furoshiki. Yes, she was going to have that long talk. Kuno smiled then looked outside, where one of his men had waited patiently for him. "You. Come here. Prepare our things, we're leaving." The samurai bowed, then asked, "The destination sir?" "Kamakura." ~~~ Shampoo was getting bored following the crazy lady circle half of Nerima before she finally stopped in front of the shabbier place of the eta village. It was highly unlikely that one person who was going to literally rob the Saotome household was eta. They were the classless... and a classless society does not challenge one higher in ranks. It could mean only two things. It was either this eta was extremely stupid... or she wasn't eta at all. Shampoo was willing to bet on the latter rather than the former. She had been following this woman for days, and she has not yet seemed to be suspicious of her presence. Shampoo didn't want to return empty handed to her grandmother. Not when this had been her first assignment without the matriarch ever since she had left China. Her bones ached for a good fight, not the spars that she had with the twins... but a real fight. She'd missed that... this might be her last for a very long time if Cologne continued to train her so far away from civilization. The woman she followed turned her head back and stared at the night, and for a moment, Shampoo thought that she had spotted her, but she continued towards the house slipping into the small shanty as if she owned it. In a moment, a small light from her lantern lit the small house up and from what the shadows could tell her, the girl was sitting down complacently doing whatever Japanese girls did at that time of the evening. She was tempted to get up and leave, nothing was happening of importance, and she wondered why her great-grandmother would take an interest on such a boring specimen. After an hour of staring into the house, Shampoo stretched her coiled muscles, wondering how the girl could sit there staring into nothing at all. Probably one of the idiosyncrasies of Japan? Perhaps a bit of meditative silence that her great-grandmother was trying to teach her. She frowned at the thought, or maybe the woman was on to her -- A branch snapped in the distance and she stood up alertly, moving silently through the night, making sure that she kept to the shadows for cover. A quick glance around revealed no one lurking in the dark, but Shampoo kept her stance ready, a quick peek at the house told her that her prey was still staring at the wall. She was nervous though, something did not feel right. She looked at the moon and calculated how long she'd been looking at the house, and decided she'd best retreat before she was discovered. She heard a distinct rasp of metal, which she was sure could only be a sword, she tried to whirled around, but an object dug on persistently at her back, "Ah, my dear Shampoo, does your great-grandmother send you to do her dirty work for her now?" Shampoo's mind whirled, who *was* this woman? She apparently knew them... but she had no recollection of seeing her. Ever. And Shampoo had an impeccable memory. She tried to turn her head, but the sword against her back was firm. "Uh uh, we don't want you to make a scene." "What am I going to do with you?" The woman sighed loudly, and Shampoo could almost hear the staged effect from her ears. "I can't just send you yelping to your great-grandmother. She is after all... a very formidable foe. It's tragic that I found out about you only now. I could have cut the strings earlier on... but... no matter. Come my dear pussy cat, we need to keep you chained." After a moment she was splashed with cold water, and she was a cat. It would have proven to be her advantage being small and nimbler but before she had the chance to run, the woman's hands caught her by the neck, and lifted her up, "Now, now, no running my kitty cat, I still have need of you. Your great-grandmother will not know of me. I see my drug is working." As a cat, Shampoo's eyes were flawless, and she looked at her prey turned hunter. She was beautiful... Shampoo would give her that. Her looks reminded Shampoo of someone she couldn't pinpoint. The eyes... the mouth, the shape of the face, the curve of the cheek... there was something eerily familiar about the girl that she couldn't place. Yet, she was sure that she had never seen this woman before. "You want to know who I am little cat?" The woman laughed out loud, then brought Shampoo closer to her face, by now, Shampoo was almost paralyzed by whatever drug that had been induced to her through the small blade. Powerful stuff to have affected her so quickly. "I will tell you, but you might not believe me." Her voice dropped down to the smallest of whispers, an evil glint placed in her eyes, a small smile starting to form on her face, "I am Kuno Kodachi." If Shampoo had not been sure if Kodachi had been telling the truth the first time, the loud laugh that followed confirmed it. She was at the hands of Kodachi Kuno. Her eyes widened as much as the drug would let her. If Kodachi Kuno is in the body of this peasant... then who was in Kodachi Kuno's body? It was the last coherent thought of Shampoo before she succumbed to oblivion. ~~~ After the third day of being secluded in the dojo, most of the household was already wondering about Ranma. He had not eaten and apparently through the sound of flesh against the dummy, he did not sleep. For three days Ranma Saotome had closed himself to the world. It spoke volumes of his anger, for Ranma had never done such a drastic thing before. When he summoned for food, one of the younger maids offered to do it, Ifuku tapped her and volunteered for the duty. The girl eagerly complied to do so, no one in the household was thrilled to face Ranma at the moment, and so it had been easy to persuade the young girl. She tapped lightly on the shoji of the dojo. "Your food, Lord Ranma." "Come in." the voice was haggard -- and female. She didn't know when Ranma had the chance to turn female, but it was obvious she had been in that state for at least a day... and Lord Ranma never let the opportunity for change pass -- especially if there was no need to be female at the moment. When she entered she found Ranma-chan staring at something only she could see. Her eyes were sunken from lack of sleep and from the three days that she had spent without food. It looked like she had lost a bit of weight. She moved towards her setting the small tray down and bowed. "Would you like hot water for your curse, my lord?" Ifuku asked in the most humble voice she could muster. It took a while before he -- she answered, as if Ifuku's words had only become clear now. Then, she gave a startled looked over herself and finally realized why the woman had asked for the water. "No... I'll manage." "Yes, my lord." She paused for a moment, not leaving the area where she had initially knelt on. "Is there any thing else you want, my lord?" "Stop calling me my lord, for one." Ranma-chan quipped. "You're going to let the whole house get suspicious." "Yes, my lady, I'm so sorry, my lady," Ifuku said, when she was young, it was always ingrained to her that there was no such thing as too much scraping, bowing and flattering when it came to appeasing your lord. "Is there anything else, my lady?" Realizing that Ifuku had not moved from her prone position, Ranma-chan tapped her shoulder and knelt beside her. She turned up to face Ranma-chan, a bit uncomfortable to be sitting beside her lord. "Were you sent here Ifuku? Are my own vassals afraid of me now?" "No, my lady." Half a lie, but if Ranma noticed, she didn't say. "What if it wasn't me, or Yuka-san? Another servant would learn of your secret then." "How is Kodachi?" It was the first she's asked of her condition, it proves that he cares, at least, even if it was just a cover. "Heart sick, my lady," Ifuku answered tentatively, she closed her eyes, waiting for any indication of what Ranma-chan felt -- nothing obvious was forthcoming so she continued, "She hasn't been out of her room much and she's barely talked to anyone. I think you broke her heart." The last comment was not something she had planned on saying, especially since she was talking to an employer that could very well order her killed for meddling. Luckily, Ranma wasn't that kind of man. "She has one?" Ranma-chan shot back readily. Ifuku winced at that comment. This wasn't like any of their fights before. This time, Ranma was the one who started, and Akane was on the verge of giving up... but *why*? "Did *she* send you?" "No my lady, I volunteered to go." From all the members of the household, it was Ifuku who was closest to Akane, and it was she who was far more able to defend her if the need arose. But they were talking about their liege lord here. "There has been worry for the both of you." "Were you here when Nabiki and I had our numerous engagements, Ifuku?" Ranma asked in a low voice, almost a whisper. The past was not something talked about in the house. Why look back when the present contains so many problems and the future still out there to build? "Were you here when I married her?" "I was, my lady," She had practically grown up in Saotome territory. When she had started to serve the house of Saotome, she had been three and ten. She was older than most, younger than some. She had learned from the previous owner of the Twin Dragons, and she had continued under Nabiki-sama when the twins had trained in the household under Genma's tutelage. Children were very hard to find in samurai territory, it was as if they were locked by key to keep away from the world, or they were in some sort of training trip or the other. Nabiki and Ranma were the only children remotely close to her age, and even in the five-year gap, the twins had treated her very kindly. "My mother always thought my first work would be for Kunos, for she worked there, she has seen Rose Brier change from one hand to the other... but I was your sister's maid before I was Kodachi's." Ranma had a short memory span concerning people, even those who had been very close to him. It wasn't a surprise he didn't remember when she started. When he inclined his head in agreement, Ifuku knew he had finally recalled. "Nabiki-chan needed a chaperone for her numerous fianc�es, and mother picked you because you seemed so out of place with the servants..." "I was very old when I started to learn, my lady, my training wasn't well... I was a very spoiled child..." Ifuku smiled a bit. At least, the twins were very forgiving masters. "Did your parents die when you were young, Ifuku?" Ranma-chan asked, the meal in front of her forgotten. It was rare for samurai to question a peasant's past after being taken in, and though Nabiki and she had been a bit close before Ranma married -- she had never had more than a pleasant hi from Ranma. She paused for a moment, as if considering what she was going to say, but finally spoke, "... I was taken in by a woman, my lady, the only mother I had ever known... I was too young to remember her face, the face of my real mother, I mean. Sometimes... sometimes..." She smiled, it was a sad one. "We regret a lot of things in life, my lady. Not knowing my mother was one of them." "We never knew our father too." Ranma-chan said. "Then again, we've both been lucky, I had Genma -- even though sometimes I wish I hadn't -- and you've had your own surrogate mother." "I suppose." Ifuku sighed again. "Your husband then. At least you have your husband." Ranma-chan answered. For a moment Ifuku looked confused then smiled eagerly at Ranma-chan's words. "I forgot that Sohin would meet up with you. Sohin, yes, how is Sohin? I take it he managed to catch up with Lady Nabiki and my lady?" It took a while for Ranma-chan to say anything about *that* particular topic. She chose her words carefully, wondering how Nabiki would explain the whole mess to the maid. "Yes... he did. You'd better talk to Nabiki about your husband though. I have a feeling that they did not start on the right foot." "Sohin and Lady Nabiki?" There was a puzzled look in Ifuku's face. "But... Sohin and my lady are...! I should think that they would get along. I mean no offence, but Sohin is a very good man and --" "I did not mean anything bad in his character, Ifuku." Ranma-chan shook her head as she remembered Nabiki's treatment of the man. "I understand that he's your husband. It's just that... well he and Nabiki don't really see eye to eye on matters." "Did he do anything terrible?" Ifuku asked curious as to why Nabiki and Sohin would not work well together when... "I'm sorry I sent him, but I thought that it would have been for the best, and I didn't think... I'm very sorry." "It's okay." Ranma-chan looked outside and noticed that it was considerably darker than when she had finished the kata. "I must be keeping you from your duties, you may go Ifuku." "Yes, my lady." Ifuku bowed and started to leave, when Ranma-chan called her out again, "Do you think I've been terrible to my wife, Ifuku?" Ifuku frowned not knowing what to say. On one hand, this was the most depressed she's seen Akane in months, on the other, this was her lord she was talking to. She opted for the truth. "My lady has done nothing to offend you Lady Ranko. She's been terribly hurt from your deceit... will you not tell her what you have found offending?" "One last thing, Ifuku," Ranma-chan said ignoring the question the Ifuku had asked, knowing that he could give no sufficient answer, nor was it her right to know. "Tell her I'll fight her tomorrow morning." Ifuku nodded then left. Her lord was skilled -- even when angry... was it wise to make Lady Akane fight him now that *she* was the sole focus of her lord's anger? Ifuku stopped tentatively at Akane's door, one hand raised to knock on the shoji, but not quite reaching it, the other holding another tray of food. Akane has been depressed for days, and though she came out of her doors to eat, sleep and fulfill any necessities unlike Ranma, she was like a ghost, making the motions, but not once thinking what she was doing. Ranma had hurt Akane... and yet, Akane had hurt Ranma just as well. Both had far deeper wounds than they were willing to let on, and with Nabiki out of the house, there was no one to mend things... no one to mediate except... her... and it wasn't the easiest of jobs when you knew only half of the story. 'Best that I finish this soon...' Ifuku took a deep breath and then tapped the shoji lightly, although she was sure her silhouette had been distinct from the other side of the paper doors. "Lady Akane, I have some food for you." There was shuffling from the room, and the soft yellow light from one of the lanterns started to flicker from it. Ifuku opened the door as soon as she heard Akane's call. Akane had not cried, she had been indignant, angry and locked herself up in the room, but she had not broken down into tears. Ifuku took that as a good sign, for at least the girl wasn't near hysterics. A pseudo-smile lit up her face almost immediately as Ifuku entered, Ifuku being the only servant Akane ever sees the past few days. "How is my lady?" Ifuku asked as she prepared the table, careful not to lay her breath on the food, as she had been taught when she was a child. A small breath on what Akane was going to eat would sully it and she would have to go down and take more food. "I trust my lady has been well?" "I'm fine, really," Akane answered as she sat down from the tatami, facing Ifuku calmly. "I could've eaten downstairs, you know." "My lady needs a little extra treatment from time to time." Ifuku answered as she handed her the ivory chopsticks, long black ones with roses at the end and Kodachi's name carved intricately amongst its thorns. "This house is too lonely for someone like you, Lady Akane. Perhaps if we take a walk?" "Maybe tomorrow, Ifuku, I'm not really up for it tonight," "I guess so..." Ifuku trailed off then finally thinking that there was no other time to tell Ranma's message, and no other way to tell it she proceeded to inform her, "Lord Ranma has finally set the date of your 'spar', Lady Akane. He wishes for you to be ready tomorrow morning." Akane stopped eating for a moment, turned to look at Ifuku, then back at her plate. "I thought he'd never ask." Ifuku looked at Akane worriedly. There were too many factors that engaged this fight that she didn't particularly like. Far too many. There was something about two people angry at each other brawling on the dojo. There would be no limits... no guarantees. Anything Goes. It scared her. "As my lady wishes." "You can leave now, Ifuku-san." Ifuku bowed as she left to retire towards her own quarters. ~~~ There was something happening in the Saotome household beyond Kodachi's sudden amnesia that Cologne did not know. Now, Nabiki was asking her to keep the children at their grandmother at Nerima. It was a queer request since Nerima was in trouble right now, but she trusted her student's judgment in such matters. There was a specific request not to tell Akane where they were going and if she must know something, only the fact that they were leaving. Sei's foster mother was to be taken along and Hanae had been assigned a new foster mother that Nabiki had arranged for in Nerima. She was also 'to continue teaching them what she saw fit', for which Nabiki had asked for forgiveness. She had been surprised to hear from Nabiki, and even more so to hear the favor that she had been asking. Then again, the twins, aside from her heir, were her favorite students. With Shampoo gone on that errand, she had nothing better to do. Cologne looked at Nodoka silently, wondering what a woman like her felt whenever situations like this arose because of her children. She really didn't know much about the woman. The twins were not the type to talk about their past. When she had pursued the two at their arrival in Japan after their training in China, Nodoka had not been informed of their arrival because of that seppuku pledge Genma had ranted on and on about. Eleven years after she first heard about the ritual suicide, she still knew nothing about the woman who had brought the twins to the world... "Thank you for bringing my grandchildren over, Matriarch Cologne." Not having the same grasp of Chinese as her two children, Nodoka still manages to fuse her name together. "I hope the trip was not tiring." "No, no, the children were very cooperative." Cologne answered, being as old as she was, Cologne tended to know how to deal with nasty situations dealing with nasty children... not that Hanae and Sei gave her any trouble. They were much more... sedate than the twins had been in their youth. Nodoka led the elderly matriarch towards the backyard where Sei and Hanae were talking on the steps, their transfer from Rose Brier to Nerima unquestioned. Without their two main teachers -- namely, Ranma and Nabiki -- Hanae and Sei were left to their own devices, something rare with the barrage of lessons imposed upon them daily. That was going to change now that Cologne was given a free rein on the lessons. Today though, both were sitting on the steps of the newly polished dojo and sipping some tea Sei's foster mother had made for them, watching the small koi after taking a breather from running from Rose Brier to Nerima. Cologne was as much a taskmaster as their parents. "You're busy these days aren't you?" Sei asked as he looked at Hanae's tired expression. "I've barely seen you the past months other than our sessions together." Hanae made a face as she took a sip from the tea and set it down on the tray, "'nt Nabiki has asked me to find out about Aunt Akane's 'illness'." Sei made a face when he heard the name Hanae had used to refer to their aunt. "Yes, I've missed you too, Sei. What do you say we pick some shells by the sea?" Sei's eyes lighted up for a moment, but it went out just as quickly. He was the more cautious of the two and the more practical in matters. "I don't think so. Last time, I heard you practically drowned. No one has tried to get you near the waters... and that was a year ago." "Well the water was choppy!" Hanae pouted as she brought up her knees towards her chin and hugged it, thankful that she had chosen one of the hakama they trained in for the day. "Have you mastered that last move father taught us?" "It's okay I guess, not perfect, but well enough." Hanae clapped her hands gaily. "Show me Sei-san! Come on, I wanna see how it's performed. Mine seems too wobbly and stiff." "How about you show it to me? I'll just correct your form from time to time..." Sei suggested, not too eager to stand from his comfortable position on the steps just to show his cousin something that she could do well on her own. Jumping up from her position by the steps, Hanae landed gracefully upon the soft earth in front of the dojo. Sei just raised an eyebrow at her performance. "Well the least you could do is tell me how well I executed my jump." Hanae said pretending to be hurt from her cousin's lack of expression. "It was perfect, Hanae." Sei answered in a dull monotone that bordered on boredom. But although he showed disinterest, Hanae knew that he did mean what he was saying. "As always. Now show me the move." Bowing to her cousin, Hanae complied, moving with the swift kicks and spins that her father had gone over with her the last time he was able to teach. She executed the moves gracefully, but Sei found that she lacked some of the precision and balance that should go along with it. She danced but she missed the rhythm. Cologne frowned and found that she needed to correct that, but Nodoka smiled at the children's antics. "They are having fun, are they not? What I would not give to be as carefree as they are now. Youth and its ignorance --" "Sometimes they see more than what we 'wisened old ones' do." Cologne chuckled as she turned to see Nodoka. Maybe she was more alike to Nodoka than she would admit. She had been forced to give up her children at a young age, learned to deal with life suddenly and fate had dealt with her roughly. 'Whatever reasons Nabiki had for leaving the children here, it would do Nodoka good.' She watched the woman smile at the children wistfully. Yes, the children would do Nodoka good. ~~~ Nabiki arrived at Kamakura early that morning. She had run the entire length of the Tokkai, shortening her supposed three day trip into two and a half. Sohin was none the worse for wear and she was a bit irritated by that fact. He was slower than she was while they had been running, but he had his brute strength to compensate... the man carried all their 'gifts' the entire trip. She frowned at the thought for she had seen his true speed when he had tested the newly acquired sword. Sohin concealed his skills well. A character of contradictions. She hardly knew what to do with him. She nimbly dropped down the upper branches of the tree as a gymnast would with double bars. Sohin raised his eyebrow at her presentation, she merely smiled. At least she'd be getting rid of Sohin now, and the whole fianc� business would be over. A fake wedding for Kuno could be arranged, after all she was in the 'false identity' business herself. It would just require a lot of forged documents. Then again -- why forge the documents when she could just steal the old man's hanko stamp. That'd be as good as any signature... "Rose Brier is up on that cliff --" Nabiki pointed towards the beach where Rose Brier obscured by the tall trees in the path. Sohin smirked again, and in a tone that said he didn't like to be treated like an idiot he replied. "I know. Ifuku happens to be there." "I can't believe your Ifuku-san tolerates your loud mouth, Sohin-san." Nabiki quipped as she leaned against one of the trees, flipping a small stone that she had acquired along the way. Sohin just stared at her with a bemused expression in his face, as if he knew what she was going to say, and what her intentions were. It was already unnerving to have him pretend to be her fianc�, Kami-sama knows she has enough of those already, but it was another thing entirely when he started taking the damned part seriously. "I believe she just has more patience than my l--" Whatever he was going to say was stopped by the small rock that hit his head, from the way Nabiki was holding out her hand and the light scowl across her face, there was no question about *where* the rock had come from. "Don't insult me Sohin-san," She wiped her hands from the dirt and then continued walking. "You're about to realize I don't like to get insulted." He rubbed his head where the pebble had struck and scowled at her. He had not been about to say anything that would jeopardize their little 'play', but she was edgy. "If my fianc�e gets manners maybe I'd think about shutting my loud mouth." "Now I realize why Ranma and you get along so well." Nabiki gave him a meaningful stare and walked towards Kamakura's larger streets. Kamakura was just like any normal city with its checkpoints, but the seki that barricaded the way let her pass without qualm, after all she *was* Nabiki Saotome. The streets were busy even in the morning, and a lot of people were already busy milling about, most of the servants already going out to buy some fresh fish by the sea, some buying seasoning. Nabiki smelled in the salty air... Kamakura always smelled of salt water and fish in the morning. She had missed that in Yokohama, since Yokohama was mainly an agricultural city, with just enough fishermen to keep the city well fed. The local people bowed their heads when they saw her. She gave all of them a warm smile and a small bow when she could. Most of the people here knew her by name already. She made it a point to know the locale she was governing, and the best place to start was with the people. She noticed the last girl she walked past stared at her then whispered excitedly towards her friend. By the fifth person, she was already curious what exactly they had found so amusing. She stopped walking, she was sure it was not the clothes... she and her brother have been walking pass the city for fourteen years wearing them. She had no dirt on her face, or the guards at the checkpoint would have told her, and the villagers were already used to her walk by without a sunscreen or an umbrella. Finally, she sighed and bluntly asked the next person that happened to do so, "What's funny?" She didn't mean it to come out so harshly and the girl shied away a bit, fanning herself lightly. "That didn't come out right, really. I just want to know what everybody seems to be amused at." The girl, not wanting to disappoint her mistress bowed, bringing her fan closer to her face. "Lady Saotome, congratulations on your betrothal." she bowed again. Nabiki's hand flew up to the only outward indication of her supposed betrothal and frowned. 'The *comb*! I thought I took it off!' She smiled weakly at the girl. "No... you're mistaken... I'm not --" "Prepared to tell the whole city... yet." Sohin quickly interrupted as he took the comb out of her hair, and placed it on her hand. He had not set the bag down and the girl was looking at him rather oddly. "Sohin!" Nabiki bit out whirling around to face him, she continued in a harsh whisper. "Kamakura is quite different from Yokohama! Someone is *bound* to notice that you're Ifuku's husband here. Kamakura is not as large a city as you think!" He shrugged then turned around as if he had not heard her, calling out. "Hey, Lord Kuno, I didn't know you were due for Kamakura at this time. I thought you had a wedding to plan?" "Are you *crazy*?" Nabiki reprimanded, the girl she had interrogated forgotten, her mind all set on the irritations of life now. "We left Kuno two days ago." "Tell that to *him*." Sohin inclined his head towards Nabiki's back, not too much to be obvious, but enough for Nabiki to note the direction which he was apparently pointing. Nabiki whirled around to face Kuno, flanked by two other samurai of his house. She changed her irritated frown into a forced smile. "My, Lord Kuno, meeting like this gets really old, really fast." He had been far enough not to see, but close enough to hear whatever she was saying. Especially if he had a spy with him somewhere. "Ahhh... Lady Nabiki, it seems your fianc� has a sharp ear." Quick eyes, nice reflexes, good timing. Nabiki wondered what exactly her fianc� *didn't* have. *Nobody* was supposed to be better than Nabiki Saotome. Especially not in martial arts. The day was starting to turn uglier by the minute. She had not expected Kuno to actually follow her to Rose Brier, although in retrospect, it was a logical conclusion. Rose Brier was closest to Kuno's land than Yokohama. He had not seen his pigtailed girl yet... and if there was one thing Kuno was known for -- it was blind persistence. She was displeased, Kuno sneaking up to her *this* long without her noticing was something she wouldn't live down. It was also quite possible he had taken another route and just converged at Kamakura... he was carrying more men than she was, and while Sohin could adapt to the trees like she did, most of Kuno's men didn't. "One of the things I merit in him, Lord Kuno." "Yes, your fianc� is every bit worthy of your intellect, Lady Saotome." Kuno complimented Sohin. Sohin gave a small nod in acquiescence. For someone who ranked nothing at all, Sohin knew enough to pretend nobility. Nabiki sensed an education, although how he could have acquired one was still a mystery to her. "And my Lady Saotome seems to be worthy enough of his skill." A small cough escaped Nabiki's throat. *That* had to be the worst blow to her pride yet, she smiled through her teeth. For a *Saotome* to be decreed worthy by *Kuno* for a *peasant's* skill. If Ranma had heard the compliment she would have killed Kuno. "Sohin-san has enough skills in his own rights." "He seems to be a man of little words, ne?" Nabiki could only wish *that* was true. Kuno looked at Sohin over then shrugged. "And your last name, Sohin-san? Something so that I would engrave it in the wedding present of Lady Saotome?" Right then Nabiki panicked, peasants have no last names. The had no lineage so they could not trace it. A man without a past... damn it. They could not simply invent one out of the blue without arousing anymore suspicion, and she could *not* admit that he was a peasant of all things. Kuno was going to laugh at her for the rest of his miserable life -- and if there was one thing Nabiki kept close, it was her pride. "Tendo. My last name is Tendo, Lord Kuno." Sohin bowed in introduction. At that moment when Sohin acknowledged Kuno, he stood straighter, his chin lifted, Nabiki could almost feel the confidence exuding from him. All his manners that screamed peasant was lost. It was as if he suddenly became the samurai he was pretending to be. "I am not of direct lineage... so I'm far from home." Kuno nodded again, Nabiki tried her best not to slack her jaw open. It was either Sohin being unimaginative, just had no other name to say, or maybe he was just being a total *bastard* that he would choose the name which she did *not* want to bring attention to themselves at the moment. She promised herself he was getting it after this whole stunt he pulled. Tendo. "I think you should retire to an inn, Lord Kuno." Nabiki suggested, with just a hint of threat in her voice, she signaled for one of the servants, easily identified because they only wore their loincloths, milling about the market. "Escort Lord Kuno to the Dragon's Chambers, tell them it's under Lady Nabiki's orders." Dragon's Chambers was the best in the vicinity and their vassal who owned the place would not make Kuno feel unwelcome. She pressed some coins on his palms. "Tell your master that I borrowed you and I would pay for the time that I am taking you away from your duties." She signaled for another servant to take the load off Sohin's shoulders to be delivered at Rose Brier. Kuno looked at all of this with mild amusement. "Trying to get rid of me Lady Saotome?" It was a rare moment of intelligence in Kuno's part, a rare moment where he actually used his head and said something true. "Merely looking out for your welfare, Lord Kuno." Nabiki answered then bowed towards him, in her humblest gestures. She did not want him to think that she really was trying to get rid of him. "I must tell my brother I am home." Kuno waved his hand, and then he followed the servant Nabiki had paid. Nabiki watched him go then turned to look at Sohin. She picked him by the sleeve and began dragging him towards the path that led to the archways towards Rose Brier. "You *never* learn do you?" Nabiki asked in frustration as she walked towards the steps, finally showing all the anger she had hidden when Kuno was present. "Of all damned names in the world, did you have to pick Tendo? If word gets around what do you think the real Tendo Clan would do to your scrawny hide?" Sohin stared at her without answering, Nabiki shook her head. "Oh sure, the Tendos are a small house, and sure their damned liege lord is a Lady Chisei that I've never heard before, but don't bet your life that we can get out of this fix easily." He didn't speak, it was highly unusual. Normally, when she started ranting, he had this irritating habit of arguing the technicalities at her. She was getting no such thing right now. She spared him a glance, and was satisfied when she found a deep frown on his face. "Thinking about the consequences of your loud mouth?" For a while he didn't answer... then he looked straight at her. "Actually, thinking about the consequences of *your* loud mouth. We aren't exactly in a secluded place, Lady Nabiki." Nabiki turned to look at the three or four people who had stopped to look at the odd picture she was making. She glared at them, she was their goddamned liege. It was rude to stare. "Don't pay attention to us, we're fighting." All of them stopped to look at each other then continued on their respective tasks. "Never mind *them*." Nabiki whispered as she dragged him up the one hundred or so steps that lead to the arches of Rose Brier. "Worry about what *I'm* going to do to you. Pray that Ifuku is good at bailing you out, Sohin-san." ~~~ Ifuku trailed behind Akane, she had picked a small white gi that they had found around the house and fit her snugly. It was probably one of Kodachi's older ones, when she had been actively training in the art, something that the mistress had kept out of sentimentality. Then again, Ifuku still had a hard time picturing Kodachi as anything but the cynic that she was. But... her mother had always said cynics were sentimentalists at heart. Ranma-chan, she had not chosen to return to her true form, was already waiting by the koi pond, and it seemed like she was tossing a small pebble into the water, startling the poor fish into jumping up. "Lord Ranma, may I present the Lady Akane." She had introduced her less formally than she would have a new challenger but more formally than what a household challenge merited. It looked serious, but duels of honor usually are. This was something more than a duel of honor. It was for Hanae, and Hanae meant more than any honor debt. Ranma-chan didn't look up from the pond, and Ifuku sensed that Akane was getting irritated by this. When Akane's patience had already stretched to its limit, Ranma-chan, as if she had sensed it, and maybe she *had*, stood up to face her. Ranma's eyes bore an aura of seriousness that told Ifuku this wasn't something like their daily spar. Akane had some skills, but she had been dormant for the past months, Ifuku was not sure whether she could rough it out. Their daily 'training' had been cut short three days before the fight, and even then, Ifuku wasn't so sure if Akane could take Ranma. At least she wouldn't be severely damaged. Ifuku didn't think that Ranma would out and out kill Akane. There were some things that he didn't do. Killing his wife was one of them. Ranma-chan squared her shoulders and adopted an easy stance that looked to the world like she had let her guard down. It told Ifuku that she was more than ready for an attack at any moment. "I see you took me up on my offer." "Let's get this over with." Akane answered, then eyed him -- her wearily. "Aren't we going in the dojo?" "You want to train Hanae in martial arts?" Ranma-chan asked, although it didn't need an answer, he already knew what she wanted. "Then we fight where I choose, I stay here. Anything Goes Martial Arts literally means anything goes. If you can't train Hanae out here, then you can't train her at all." "Fine." Akane answered as she started the offensive, knowing that any pre-amble was useless. Based from her fight with Nabiki, the twins didn't go offensive until the last moment, and that was what she should watch out for, because it was when he would deliver the last blow. She was right, Ranma-chan danced around her in an almost dizzying pattern whenever she tried to hit the girl. If she had thought Nabiki was fast, Ranma-chan was twice her speed in girl-form. The distinct difference between was that: although Nabiki threw a few blows in between -- Ranma-chan did not even try to land a blow against her. For some reason, that angered her even more, she tried to deliver several more punches and kicks. She tried everything that she had been taught, but everything simply missed. It was like punching water. Ifuku winced as Akane almost fell forward at the extra power she had put in that last punch. At least she wasn't going about a pattern. That was good. Ranma-chan was giving Akane far more time than she normally would, and from what Ifuku could see, it was going to be a fight in endurance. Ranma-chan didn't seem to have any inclination of trying to hit Akane and Akane was simply missing. If that was the case, then Akane was going to lose. She was tired, and had less than the average training. She would not last long. Akane broke away from Ranma-chan her hands positioned in front of her in one of those basic karate stances that she had learned from her father, altered just so, bringing out its advantage and stripping some of its weakness by joining it with another defensive stance. From the look of recognition on Ranma's face, Ifuku was guessing this was from Anything Goes Martial Arts as well. 'Don't get clumsy, Lady Akane.' Ifuku thought as she watched the fight carefully. Akane was winded but was more or less fit for keeping up for a few more seconds. The only remote possibility of Akane winning was by trying a special move. Ifuku took her eyes off the fight when someone sighed behind her. She found Nabiki looking at the fight with a frown on her face. "He just couldn't wait can he?" Nabiki sighed as Akane started the attack again, with Ranma-chan doing all the dodging. Akane was getting frustrated. There had been no progress to the fight other than Akane getting breathless. From what Ranma-chan was showing, Ifuku wagered she could continue fighting the whole day, and it was obvious Akane couldn't. Akane knew of only one special move in her entire life, and if it was the only thing that would give her a good hit she was willing to risk it. She was contented to land even one blow against Ranma-chan's body. It was obvious that she wasn't going to win. It was a fight she was never meant to win. 'But I need to get closer to him, damnit,' Akane thought as she punched towards his shoulder, she missed, that wasn't unusual. 'The only way to go about this is close combat, and he's keeping his distance.' The proximity wasn't Akane's only problem however, Ranma was moving faster than she could deck out punches. In fact, he was moving so fast that he seemed to blur entirely out of place, only to reappear at a different angle. If she had been truthful, she knew that this fight would have been over a *long* time ago. She had only one shot in making him stay still for at least one second to make her attack employ damage. From what she knew about his improvision, she knew she could only hit him by taking him by surprise. Nothing would work twice. 'But how to keep him still?' "You're not taking me seriously." "I am." Ranma-chan answered, it was the first time she had spoken in the fight, and it was unusual. Ranma liked conversations -- or taunts -- in sparring matches. He wasn't normally a fan of silence. "Then stay still!" She had managed to summon her mallet again, it would be useless in a fight like this, a weapon like that would only hinder her, with a person who dodges *punches* much less the slower mallet. She threw the mallet out, he evaded, in that single move where she had managed to predict where he was going to dodge, she had tried to put everything in one final blow as she tried to ram her body against the red head's. "YAMA ARASHI!" Nabiki's eyes narrowed down to slits as she watched Akane run towards Ranma in a sacrifice blow. "Mountain Storm(98)? Did you know of this Ifuku?" Her eyes never left Akane as she moved towards Ranma... and missed falling down to the koi pond instead and gurgling out of the three feet water. "No, my lady, she did not mention it to me." Nabiki waved her hand, signaling that she may go towards her mistress, and Ifuku ran towards Akane, who by now, was coughing out water as soon as she swallowed it and was being fished out by Ranma-chan. When Ranma-chan finally snagged her kimono, she lifted her up from the pond and promptly deposited her to the ground. "Escort her to her room." "That really wasn't so bad." Nabiki said as she clapped slowly taunting Ranma. "That big explosion I was expecting from you didn't happen, at least nothing worse than before. Getting soft in your old age, Ranma?" "I had three days to think about it." Ranma-chan quipped straightening herself from the crouched position. "I don't do husband beating very well. You're early." Ranma never did anything that was against his principles. She had never even seen him hold a grudge, extremely angry, yes, but not for long periods of time, and never after a sincere apology has been offered. "You don't like it?" Nabiki had the habit of using Ranma's words against him. She gave him a small smile. "She was better than the last time I saw her fight. Ifuku must have been good for her." "It looks like she knows a lot of Anything Goes. Most of what she knew was advanced material, although modified to take out the kill in some areas. She has a low-level grasp of aerial combat though. She tried to compensate by keeping me locked to the ground. Looks like she didn't train for that one, most of her moves were based on brute strength, something that she has a lot of. Slower than the children, definitely, can be taken out easily but could probably handle her own in a non-fatal challenge. The chi potential is there, though it's untapped." Ranma-chan shook her head, moving towards the house wanting some of that hot water she had not touched in days. "The martial arts was an unconscious thing, so I know she's been training on this particular style for a long time. No... she didn't pick it up out of the blue, someone trained her." "Her father then?" "But she claims Tendo School of Anything Goes, not Kuno. Her brother doesn't seem to know anything from the school either. A new branch that Happosai has forgotten to tell us? It would not be unusual, Happosai easily forgets students he's trained because he's taken a liking to them. What about that real Akane Tendo?" Ranma-chan asked. It was possible. Happosai was an extremely forgetful man. But one thing nagged her. "At least she was... good." "I'll admit she isn't the best, but she does seem to know what she's doing." Nabiki frowned. Below than mediocre, yes, but a lot of potential waiting to be tapped if that last offence meant anything. "She would have been a fine student if we got our hands on her when she was five." "We would have been ten when she was five. I doubt we could have trained her." Ranma-chan pointed out and Nabiki scowled at her. "Her last attack surprised me... she has chi potential, but cannot tap it consciously. It was almost as if she needs to physically pull it out." "That puts her just a little bit above some of the low bred samurai, Ranma-kun." Nabiki pointed out as she leaned against the shoji watching her ask Yuka-san for what she needed. "Still, she *is* a practitioner of anything goes, and Happosai absolutely *hates* strays." Ranma-chan sighed as she waited for Yuka to boil it. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" "It depends." Nabiki smiled as she tilted her head to one side as she watched Ranma-chan. She looked like she had finished a long run, but was not breathing heavily. "What are you thinking?" "Sei and Hanae will be inaugurated to the Clan this week..." She trailed off. It *was* an option, and something she had thought about, but it wasn't one of their better ones. Happosai would demand answers and when they gave him none... damn. "I wonder exactly if she's young enough to be inaugurated." "She better be." Ranma-chan quipped. In all truths, the being a Saotome and a samurai were birthrights that didn't need to be proven, but Happosai reveled in taking them in *only* when they have become the best. He said that birthright is an excuse to be lazy and so arranged all the ceremonies. "She's going to be proclaimed a Saotome Samurai when the children are going to get their surnames legally. I can't believe we're going to do this." Nabiki's eyes glinted in mischievousness. "I'm not sewing the family crest on black silk for her, Ranma." Ranma didn't get it at first, so she smiled again. "How's your sewing skills?" He paused for a minute as he looked at her, wondering what the hell she was talking about when she pointed at his shirt, and remembered it was usually the mother's task to do so... and since Kodachi had no one... "Damn." ~~~ It was mid-afternoon when Akane woke up. She didn't rise from the futon as her eyes adjusted from the near blackness to the soft ray of the setting sun. She couldn't even remember what her last coherent thought was. There were only feelings. Anger, resentment, agitation. There was nothing else, and in the dim room, she also acknowledged that she had been hurt... 'And you only hurt when you're in love.' As the events reconstructed in her mind, she sighed, not even a final hit. Not a single hit had connected. Ranma was as good as everybody had given him credit for, and he had not even used tenth of that power to fight her. She was a child in comparison. She tried to sit up, and her muscles screamed in protest, Kodachi's body had not been used to the early morning calisthenics but had gradually been broken in... Apparently, she was also not used to Ranma's fast pace. Her muscles were sore, not because of bruises he would have inflicted, for he had not touched her, not a single time in the whole fight did he attempt to touch her. He had dodged and jumped, but he never tried to be on the offense. Every small movement shot pain up her body and she sighed when she was finally in an upright position. At least she was sure she wasn't dead, yet. Ifuku, who had been waiting at the shadows for her to wake up, was immediately by her side offering a hand for help. She offered everything, a meal, a bath, clothes... she declined them all. The shoji slid open, the almost silent whisper when it moved told her it was either Ranma or Nabiki. It was Nabiki-kun, in his male form wearing the red Chinese clothes he favored, he nodded towards Ifuku, and she left them. Akane watched her go, not having enough strength despite her half day sleep to call her back in. "Come here to gloat?" "I have nothing to gloat about," He said, sitting beside her, deciding that it would not do to play with the emotions of an already broken woman. "I'm not Ranma." "Stop playing with me. This isn't funny." Akane spat out, as she turned towards him violently, her muscles protesting all the way. "This isn't some game where you can just go up and leave, this is me we're talking about. You. Us." "As I said, I'm not Ranma." Nabiki-kun shrugged, he didn't really need her to believe him. "But I'm not here to talk about that. We all make mistakes, Akane-san. Some people are prone to it more than others. You're going to need to take this to heart." An old scroll was handed down to her, it had what she now recognized as the twin's crest on the top, two dragons entwined to form a circle that closely resembled the yin-yang. At the bottom of the page, Happosai's Lotus and Eye symbol was stamped in red ink. "It's the oath. You're going to be pledged in as a Saotome." She looked at it bewildered, then at Nabiki-kun she protested, "But I'm already a Saotome." "You aren't a Saotome Samurai, not until you fight in Happosai's little tournament and he approves." Nabiki-kun shook her head. "My brother believes that you will make it. He seems to believe in your skills." Not that Nabiki-kun doesn't, he just wanted to intimidate the girl. "Your brother?" Again there was confusion. "Ranma? But I thought only he and Nabiki... Impossible." Nabiki-kun sighed, at least Happosai can't blame him on this one. This was going to be put down on 'Ranma's little error' tally book. "I take it my brother didn't explain Jusenkyo. What did he do, dump the water in his head and smiled?" From what Akane's reaction was, he understood that his guess had been close. "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever left, though improbable, must be true. Then if I'm not Ranma, I'm Ranma's twin and Ranma has only one twin, who am I?" "Nabiki..." Akane whispered disbelievingly, lifting her hand to Nabiki's face, as if trying to assure herself that the image before her was real and not an illusion. Nabiki-kun evaded the hand and glared at it. "Give the woman a prize. The woman can learn." Nabiki-kun said sarcastically, almost as if talking to a child, Nabiki-kun gave her a pat on the head then stood up. "Why he's giving you a chance, I would not know. I have always said... Never mind." He stared at Akane before going. "If you're going to be Saotome Samurai, then I am going to be forced to be civil to you." From the way he said it, Akane was sure Nabiki didn't particularly like the concept. She would learn that Nabiki was brutally honest, if not agonizingly sarcastic. "I've never trusted you, Kodachi. Now that you've shown you know Indiscriminate Grappling, I am forced to give you some, regardless of my dislike. Earn our trust, Kodachi and we might just give you some." Akane opened her voice to speak but nothing came out. With those final words, Nabiki-kun disappeared just as suddenly as he had come. At the door, Nabiki-kun motioned at Ifuku to follow her outside. Content that they were out of Akane's hearing range, Nabiki turned to Ifuku. Clasping the woman's shoulder with one hand Nabiki-kun took out the comb he had been wearing the past week and showed it to Ifuku. "Do you recognize this, Ifuku?" Ifuku took the comb with her hands. She thumbed the exterior varnish of the wooden comb and the small carvings towards its bended side. She rubbed her thumb against the simple design then handed the comb back to Nabiki-kun carefully. "Yes. It's Sohin's betrothal comb." Nabiki-kun nodded at the comb, then dismissing Ifuku's answer she handed the comb back to the maid. "Isn't this yours? You should keep it. I just kept it on loan." The woman shook her head as she stared at the ornament at Nabiki-kun's hands. "No, my lord." Ifuku protested backing away from Nabiki-kun's intimidating stare. "Sohin has given it to you, and it is he who must take it from you. It's not mine to take." Nabiki-kun shook her head at the pride Ifuku was showing. Not understanding her refusal towards what was hers to begin with. "But the comb is yours." "Not until he gives it to me." Ifuku protested, and although she could not turn her back on Nabiki-kun, he could see the determination in Ifuku's eyes. "It is yours until you give it back to him, my lord." Nodding, Nabiki-kun kept the comb at the pocket of the Chinese pants. "I find your husband extremely insubordinate, Ifuku. Where has he learned such manners?" He demanded, wanting to know the answers that he had made up his mind to ask. "He grew up harshly, my lord." Ifuku answered, although the question made her visibly uncomfortable. "Sohin had a rough time learning how to live. How to be. His defiance comes from a long history of abusive overseers and his courage comes from his need to protect." Frowning, Nabiki let go of the woman's shoulders. "To protect whom?" "His family. His friends." Ifuku shook her head, as she trailed off, unsure at the point that Nabiki had wanted her to prove. Although Nabiki made it a point to know everything that went on within the household, she rarely voiced it out in the open. "You." Nabiki-kun ended, but whether Ifuku agreed or not, the maid did not voice her opinion. Ifuku's lack of response towards the word troubled Nabiki-kun, because he was sure that he should have elicited *some* response from the girl. "You must not take these traits against him, my lord." Ifuku continued in a pleading tone, as if Nabiki-kun had the power to break the bonds that held the two of them together by not wanting the union. "It was brought about by time and environment. There is little time to trust what he cannot understand and for him, there had been nothing to trust at all." Curiosity made Nabiki want to learn more about the two of them. Maybe it was because it had been so long since she had known about this particular union, or because of the fact that they had tried to hide it in the first place. "How did you come to know him, Ifuku?" "I met him at a garden, my lord. He had recently stolen apples from my mother." She closed her eyes at the long forgotten memory. "I had thrown him the apples he had attempted to steal." "Did you love him then?" Nabiki-kun asked softly. Opening her eyes, the memory shattered, Ifuku gazed at Nabiki-kun with such sadness that Nabiki-kun could not comprehend. "I have loved him since forever, my lord, and I will love him for another eternity." Nabiki-kun could not understand how a strong feeling of love could evoke an equally strong feeling of remorse. Especially with two people who seemed to have the simplest of lives that she could only dream of. "Why?" "Because of who he is." Ifuku whispered, and then shrugged. Nabiki-kun could almost feel the sadness that laced the words she spoke of. "Because of who I am. Because of what we did--" Nabiki-kun nodded, cutting the girl off. She didn't want to hear any more of what she was saying. "You may go, Ifuku." The maid bowed and disappeared inside Akane's room. Nabiki-kun could only stare at the door, long after she closed it. Sighing he moved away from Kodachi's room towards his own. Nabiki-kun rounded the corner only to bump into his twin, he raised an eyebrow at him. He had already changed and was wearing a new set of Chinese clothes, and from the looks of it, he'd been waiting for Nabiki-kun. "You know, pacing around isn't going to help our problem any." Nabiki-kun quipped as he threw Ranma a bundle that he had picked up when he left Akane's room. It held the cloth was going to be used for the ceremonial garb. "Now all you have to do is learn how to sew and how to fast talk Happosai out of punishing you and we're all set." "You don't like her much do you?" Ranma answered as he opened the package gingerly, unfurling the smooth black silk that was hidden in it. More than enough for one shirt, at least there was some room for error. Nabiki-kun snorted as he folded his arms across his chest looking at Ranma wearily. "If I recall, the whole reason we're in this mess in the first place is that *you* don't like her either." Nabiki-kun pointed out. Shrugging, Ranma swiftly folded the material again. "Hey, at least I try to be nice from time to time." Then, before Nabiki-kun could answer him, he was gone. Nabiki-kun narrowed his eyes at him. He was using the Forbidden Techniques again. He was going to strangle him when this was all over. He almost sighed... that was the eighth time that day he made the promise. "Coward." At least he wasn't the one who was going to sew this time. "You'll need this!" He held up a needle and a roll of black thread in the air, in a manner that was clearly taunting. In a split second, the thread and needle had both disappeared. Nabiki-kun shook his head. Saotome women had always been trained before hand of their duties when time came, of ceremonies, of social status, of what to do. The ceremonial garb was more than a piece of black cloth with fancy needlework, it was something that had always been a show of how a mother loved her child... because after the sword was given, their meetings would be rare, if not never again. It was the tangible link between mother and child and the symbolism that the child will always be loved. It was the reason why Nabiki couldn't bring herself to do Kodachi's. Maybe Kodachi didn't know what that cloth meant, but Nabiki did, and she would never be able to give that to *her*. "Ranma!" Nabiki-kun called out, "I know you can hear me, you have to talk to your wife. Happosai's little test isn't *easy*, you know." "Is that... *worry* in your voice Lady Nabiki?" Ranma asked from the shadows he had disappeared to. Nabiki-kun didn't even try to pinpoint his location. His mastery of the Umisenken is unparalleled, even with the Umisenken's own creator. "Why thank you, but I believe the Lady Saotome can do well with this challenge." Nabiki-kun didn't say anything for a while, letting Ranma think what he wanted. Let him do what he want, but he cannot just leave Kodachi memorizing the oath without any preparation for what Happosai has in store for her. "I'm just thinking what Happosai is going to say when he finds out that his best hatamoto was bested by his worst vassal." It was ironic really, Ranma really wasn't bested... he had just been a bit impressed. Her words worked against her. It still stung her pride to know about Sohin sneaking up to her. No one would ever find out, but *she* knew, and that was all that mattered. ~~~ Sohin had been left at the gates of Rose Brier, with Nabiki's explicit instructions not to come in when they had reached its arches. Only when the fight between Ranma and Akane had stopped and the night had deepened, had she allowed Ifuku to go and fetch him. Food had been sent, he was not overly hungry, but he was tired and he needed a bath. Her proclamation of engagement to the whole household was a surprise, but she had taken pains to *try* to explain it to Ifuku. Ifuku had been mildly amused, but had not understood because Nabiki kept running up into walls. Finally, Nabiki decided to let Sohin explain and told the woman to ask her husband about it. Because of their supposed engagement, and Nabiki's embarrassment at borrowing Sohin, she had permitted Ifuku to leave for the night, lending Kodachi her own maid. All trysts between the two had been forgiven with a minor scolding that she should be informed of marriages and such things in the future. Still she gave a suspicious look at the Ifuku before she the maid go. Although she could trust her life with Ifuku, she didn't know if Sohin could buy Ifuku's loyalties. Ifuku excused herself early from her chores, the household almost normal again. With Nabiki around to talk to Ranma and Akane, they could almost pretend that everything was fine. There had been nothing to do at the house, and she would only hamper the sewing that the twins were doing and whatever preparation Akane had put herself onto. The reason to why Ranma was still angry at Akane was unknown and she did not ask, fearing that it was a sore spot. Still, when she stepped out of the house, it was already evening and the air was cool. She brought a small shawl of sorts to place around her shoulders for protection against the cold winds. As Nabiki had said, Sohin was waiting by the gates, and rather impatiently because he had been alone longer than necessary, but his face lit up immediately when he saw Ifuku walk up to him. When she herself spotted Sohin, Ifuku ran up to him and hugged him. "Have you been well, Sohin? The boy... how is the boy? What is this I hear about you and Lady Nabiki not getting along?" Sohin chuckled as he disentangled himself from her fierce hug. "Let's walk by the shore, Ifuku. Will you be missed?" She shook her head, her duties done for the day, Akane had already expected her gone, and Nabiki knows where she is. As they neared the water's edge Ifuku bent her head low. "Lady Nabiki has your marital comb, Sohin. Is there something you wish to tell me? Has our secret been passed on to another ear?" Sohin laughed at her, Ifuku merely looked at him with a small frown. "This isn't a joke, Sohin. I told you to find Lady Nabiki because I thought you would be the best to tell her what she needs to know. Not offer her a betrothal!" "You sound just like my mother, Ifuku-chan." Sohin smiled as he offered his hand to her, something that he had always gallantly offered when they were together. "Trust me." Words that he had always told her when she doubted his intentions, and she always has given her trust to him willingly. She shook her head at his words. Still not letting the issue drop, because who had brought it up. "Do not jest with me, Sohin. I don't think I can take such a joke from you. Lady Nabiki asked me questions of you, of us. What did you tell her?" Sohin frowned at the way Ifuku glared at him. As usual, he tried to divert her attention before she peered into something that he wasn't ready to answer yet. "Do you wish to argue on a beautiful night, or are you going to trust me on something as minor as Lady Saotome?" Ifuku's mouth hung open with indignation at his words. "Minor?" She shook her head again, her worry escalating. "I would not call Lady Saotome 'minor', especially not when your marital comb is with her. Especially not if you gave it to her because you're in --" "Do you trust me, Ifuku?" Sohin asked softly as he pulled her closer to him, effectively silencing her. She didn't answer immediately so he prodded her again, wanting to hear the reassurance that he had always had with her. "Don't you trust me?" Ifuku's gaze softened and she sighed. She gave a resigned nod. "Of course I trust you. It's just that -- your marital comb? You provoked her, Sohin. I could see it in the way she asked about you." "Leave Lady Saotome to me, Ifuku." He whispered then kissed her softly on the forehead. "You should learn to trust me more." "I already trust you too much. I wish I could bring a parasol for the two of us, Sohin," Ifuku sighed and then whispered as she drew close, letting the unexplained engagement go. "But peasants are not allowed to such luxury." He gave her a soft smile in return, happy that she had dropped the subject to move on to the more mundane things in life. "How has the year been for you, Ifuku?" "As well as one might, Sohin," She brought her finger upon her cheek wiping away the signs of what seemed to be tears, but it was gone in an instant replaced by another smile. She brought up her earlier questions, "And you? How is the boy?" He frowned at her question. "Well." She took his hand and followed his lead. As usual, he picked the best place to talk, near the waves. They always talked by the shore, it was private and the waves lulled you into a false sense of security she missed. It was through practicality that Sohin chose the venue. With the waves crashing against the sand, their conversation was muted to prying ears. They have long since learned that the night has eyes that pry, and the wind has ears that listen. As Ifuku took her straw slippers in one hand while she stepped on the soft sand of the shoreline she sighed while Sohin supported her. "How long has it been, Sohin? Have you visited her grave?" "No, I've always waited for you." Taking her slippers in his hand they walked in companionable silence in the night, with only the wind, and the lull of the waves breaking their thought. How long they walked, they did not know. They did not stop until they reached the cliff that broke off Kamakura from the other cities. It had been quite distance from Rose Brier. Sohin looked up from the cliff and climbed a little before offering Ifuku a hand, setting her slippers down for her to use, she smiled up at him, but adeptly followed, his offer not needed. The cliff was high, but they didn't climb further than what would have been a normal person's height. When Sohin pulled Ifuku up the final distance, they stumbled through the small cave that had been the object of their long walk. There was a lantern at the side. Ifuku had left it there a year ago when the storm had broken out. While Sohin lighted the lamp, Ifuku went into the cave and knelt down in front of a small circlet of stones, done so that it would mark the soft ground of the cave. It had been their sanctuary long ago. "I'm sorry, we did not bring flowers for you." The pale yellow light from Sohin's lantern slowly filled the crevice as he walked towards her, Ifuku brushed the small stones as if in contemplation. "I'm sorry we had no burial, no food. I'm very sorry." Sohin touched Ifuku's shoulder lightly. Still feeling a large amount of guilt coming from Ifuku he tried to reassure her. "She understands. We don't have money, Ifuku, much less something to bury her in... or cremate her..." "She deserves better." Ifuku whispered then finally she stood up and dusted her kimono off, some of the soil clinging on to her, the scent of the cave of mixed soil and grass. "Do you blame me for what happened to her, Sohin?" He shook his head vehemently as he held her shoulders for comfort. "We already talked about this Ifuku. It had always been a sacrificial blow. She knew what happened. It was her choice as much as your own." "Is it?" Ifuku shook her head as she patted his hands. "I can't keep this up anymore Sohin. How long can we remain as we are? I cannot train in what seems to be a useless dream to some while masking what I know most of the time." "You tire of who we are?" Sohin asked softly as he embraced her comfortingly. "I tire of who we are not. Is it not tiring to constantly pretend to be someone else?" Ifuku gave a long sigh. "But I fear that the more I lose myself towards what I am now that I forget who I really am." "That if you look into the mirror the person you see is the person who you made and not you?" Sohin snorted as he looked at her. "How clich�. It's practical to forget who we are -- who we were." Ifuku shoved Sohin aside as she frowned. "And you are entirely too boring. Do you ever think of going back to Sanuki, Sohin?" "I would never think of going without you." He assured her as he walked past her to bend down and pay his respects. A small thin silver that glinted when the light flickered across it caught his eye. He picked the thin link up and lifted it against the light. Curious, Ifuku peered at what Sohin was holding and recognized it almost immediately. "That's her ear piece." Ifuku said as she got a good look at it. "It was something that she had since her birth." Ifuku looked at Sohin questioningly as he handed her the ornament. He turned back towards the grave, took away his top shirt and handed that to Ifuku as well. That done he knelt near the grave and began digging at the soil frantically with his hands. "There's something..." "Sohin! Don't --" But Ifuku stood back and let him finish, knowing that there must be a good reason for his sudden want to dig a year old body from its grave. She looked over his shoulder awaiting the body. After an hour of working at the soil, and it having a considerable dent on it, Ifuku stared at the empty hole backing away slightly. "No... It can't be... this is high enough to..." "She's missing." Sohin said thunderstruck, he looked at Ifuku, his eyes wild with anger and worry, not knowing what to do with the sudden revelation. Ifuku shook her head as if clearing it, trying to will that the hole had a grotesque decomposing body with worms and maggots, not of the empty hole that sat there. "Maybe the marker was wrong..." "Ifuku! The marker was buried into the ground, a circle of them, untouched..." Sohin stepped out of the hole that he made, the sweat mixing with the earth forming a brownish tint against his arms, feet and face. He took his shirt from Ifuku and hastily put it on. "I don't think wild animals could have gotten this far. No, the body was moved." "Moved!" Ifuku was close to tears as she sank towards the ground. She moved her hands against the ground as if willing the body to return. "But who would want a dead body? Surely it's of no use to anyone..." "Let's get out of here," Sohin suddenly answered blowing the light out of the lantern, pulling Ifuku up, supporting half of her weight against his body. Although it was a useless act in itself, because the enemy was long gone, it made him feel safer. "I have a bad feeling about this." "Who would want her body?" Ifuku wailed. Not really caring that she sounded like a child or that her voice was loud enough to carry across the walls. "Think, Ifuku, Think!" Sohin whispered urgently, cautiously looking out of the cave before going out himself, with Ifuku in tow. "Who do we know is dreadfully demented, doesn't give up and badly wants her dead or alive?" "Lady Chisei..." Ifuku whispered, realization dawning on her. She looked up to Sohin in fright, and realized that he too was as pale as ash. The news was not good. Smart as well as dreadfully demented, a very dangerous combination. And Chisei has always been dangerous. "We're not safe in Kamakura anymore." Sohin murmured, rain was starting to fall and the air smelled of the earth. "Faster, before the tide rises and we get stuck." Finally shaken out of her stupor, Ifuku regained the use of her limbs. "Then where are we safe?" She did not want to leave the only place that had made her feel secure since her father died. "I can't let Chisei take her body!" "We have no choice in the matter, Ifuku!" Sohin almost sounded like a father scolding his child. He shook her slightly as they went down to emphasize his words, trying to rattle her enough to bring common sense to her. "We can't go up and knock on her door. She controls the Sanuki, damn it. Listen to me." "Control doesn't mean ownership." Ifuku whispered as she jumped down the final rock face on her own. "Ownership doesn't mean loyalty. How long will the people of Sanuki follow her?" "As long as it takes for her to die." ~~~ The house was eerily silent that evening, and Ranma fidgeted under the flickering light that the lantern was giving off. He adjusted the light a bit before continuing the staring match with the black cloth and the sewing materials he had snatched from Nabiki. Sighing, he folded them all and neatly tucked it away at the alcove where he kept all his clothes and stood up. He wasn't going to get any work done if he just *stared* at a piece of cloth all day. Jumping up from his position, he decided to take a walk at the village. The streets usually calmed his nerves. Kamakura was a silent city at night where the children usually helped mend their father's fishing net or sew by the evening firelight, and the semblance of normalcy, of peacefulness -- of home would do him good. He stepped out his usual doorway -- the window and jumped down from the house. Rather than employing his usual break neck run, he took a leisurely pace from the gardens of Rose Brier that led to the residential area of the city. "Hey," Someone called from behind him. He swiveled around slowly to find Akane leaning out of her window. She was almost unnoticeable through her dark room, but at the distance, he could see her. He was just a few feet away from the house. "We need to talk." "What's there to talk about?" Ranma answered coolly, bringing his hands up to his neck and leaning against them, as if he had nothing better to do with his time. "Let me remind you that you're the one who ran out on me." "I was wrong, I'm sorry, you shocked me." A small wisp of hair fell from her face as she leaned forward to see him better. She would have missed him in the night if not for his white shirt and for the fact that the cliff elevated the house. She could see the whole garden and the bay from her window. "Can't we talk about this whole inauguration thing?" He shrugged. "It's something all samurai go through, I'm sure Nabiki has talked you through it. You know anything goes, Saotome samurai who know of its style must be known to the clan. It's protectionism. But that's not what you want to talk about is it?" Akane hesitated then nodded, there was no use in going about in circles. This was the only chance she'd get of finding out anything from him. "Why the sudden change of mood? I thought we've worked things out?" "Things changed. I talked to your brother. You don't have to pretend anymore." Ranma looked up at her. He gave her a smile that Akane decided was out of spite rather than one meant to reassure her. "I should have seen this coming Kodachi. It's no one else's fault but mine." "Don't turn this around!" Akane answered angrily, she slammed her fist against the window sill as she glared at him. "You were the one who deceived me. Ranko? Why didn't you tell me?" "Because you knew of it already." Ranma shook his head as his smile dropped back to the neutral expression she was used to seeing. Jusenkyo was an unwritten pledge he and Nabiki had. Jusenkyo was also an order from Happosai... Jusenkyo was a clan secret. "Besides even if you didn't know, it would have been easier than having to explain Jusenkyo to you. You wouldn't really understand anyway." Akane closed her eyes. She was close to giving up. "I would have at least tried to understand." She had said it so softly, that Ranma almost didn't hear her. "But would you have believed?" Ranma asked. It was an irrational fight. He knew that she had known of Jusenkyo from the start of their marriage, that she had known of 'Ranko', but she insisted on fighting about it. She shook her head, wishing that she could find out where Kodachi's brother was... just so she could find out what he had said, why he had changed. "Perhaps you don't trust me because you don't understand me." "Yes, I don't understand you, and I think I never will." Ranma shook his head as he dropped his hands to his sides, he looked at her straight in the eyes, "Trust is earned, Kodachi... The inauguration is in five days. Memorize the oath, and prepare yourself. Anything goes competitors don't hold back in *this* fight." He turned to go when she called out again. "Wait!" He didn't turn back but almost unwillingly stopped in his tracks, when she was assured he wouldn't move she asked, "What about us?" "There never was anything of the sort." Ranma closed his eyes, to try to forget, to block out the painful feelings that came with the memories of her words. "That was a plan on your part and a mistake on mine. Think of it as a dream. I promise I won't tell your parents." With that he disappeared. Akane stared at the spot he had stayed at for a very long time. ~~~ Nabiki raised an eyebrow when she noticed Akane staring out the window and sighed. Ifuku has not yet turned in for the night since she had given her time with her husband. Because of this, the duties of taking care of Akane fell onto her hands. A job she particularly disliked. If she wasn't the reason why Ifuku was having a tryst with her husband, she would have gladly passed this job to her maid, whom she had sworn in not to tell Ifuku of the arrangement, but as it was she would just have to hold her breath and endure. Entering Akane's spacious room, Nabiki skillfully set down the porcelain bowl that Akane used to wash her face, a small wash cloth and some of the oils that Kodachi favored. She pulled a small night kimono from Akane's dresser and pulled the one with soft lilies and swans on it, laying it all down in a pleasing manner... 'The things I do to keep this house quiet.' Nabiki thought as she turned to Akane. "My lady, your wash," It was only then that Akane had realized her entrance, and she had been surprised at who had brought her things, equally so because of Nabiki's position in the house, and the way she had addressed her. "Nabiki, is Ifuku ill? Shouldn't she be..." "Ifuku is with her husband, Lady Kodachi, I'm paying off a debt." Nabiki answered in the sweetest tone she had ever used towards Akane. She had gone through pains to remove the malice that usually dripped from her sarcastic tone and it actually sounded sincere. If Akane had any more objections, she kept her mouth wisely shut as she washed her face from the water and then her hands, wiping it delicately against the small towel that Nabiki offered, then, Nabiki started to undo the laces on her hair and combed it down. "Nabiki, do you know why Ranma is mad at me?" Akane asked tentatively, not knowing who to address anymore. Not knowing *how* to address them. "I'm not in liberty to say." Nabiki answered as she continued to brush Akane's long black locks. "Do you love my brother, Lady Kodachi?" There was a deep intake of breath, and a small tentative nod, as if she was unsure of her answer. The strings were weak and yet it was there. "I have never liked you, my lady, and to tell you the truth, I don't think I ever will. I've been forced civility to you before, but none as close as this." Nabiki brushed Akane's hair and swept it up to the high ponytail that she was accustomed to. Nabiki traced the long scar that she had made across Kodachi's throat. It was something that had healed a long time ago. "Do you remember where this came from Lady Kodachi?" "What?" Akane asked not knowing what Nabiki was referring to for she has never seen the scar. Nabiki shook her head, as if convincing herself of the truth. "I was admiring an old scar of yours, Lady Kodachi." Nabiki stood up as she helped Akane to her evening kimono. "You forget easily, my lady, yet I wonder if you truly have forgotten or maybe selectively remembered. I'm at a loss whether to believe you or be weary of you." She has always seen Akane, or maybe it was Kodachi, even she was confused. She didn't know if it was all a big mistake. Maybe this woman that stood before her was telling the truth, that she was Akane, she knows anything goes, and yet her moves lack the grace of the gymnast that she had been trained in. Fighting skills were something that was so hard to differ, so hard to change. Kodachi fought with grace, this one fought with strength. 'Sometimes the truth is hard to take... but it's still the truth.' Nabiki thought as she stared at Akane. If Jusenkyo taught her anything, that was one of them. If this is truly who she was, then had they all made a mistake in judging her, just as she had made the mistake of judging them? "Be weary then, because if you believe, you might blame me if I'm not the person who you think I am." Akane sighed as she looked out. "Does your brother make it a habit to move out so late at night?" "You've noticed." Nabiki smirked as she followed Akane's gaze towards the window. "And Sasuke gave the signal that he's asleep already, he escapes so easily... he misses the freedom of his youth, when he was not lord to a land. We were brought up differently, Ranma and I, and I guess it makes it hard upon him." Hard upon the both of them, but she wasn't about to reveal that to her brother's wife. She saw Akane sigh once again, and Nabiki, as she had been accustomed to most of her life, found herself psychoanalyzing Ranma's wife. "Don't worry about it too much." Akane looked back at her startled. "You mean Ranma? I thought you were against the very idea of us being together. I don't think I've ever heard anything kind from you." "You misjudge me," Nabiki bowed gracefully. "I am but a sister who cares deeply for her older brother, I want the best for him, but that's not what I was referring to." "Then what?" Akane asked puzzled not knowing what else Nabiki could see. Nabiki tilted her head to the side as if assessing her, then whispered urgently to her, as if her life depended on the answer. "The pain." "What hurts?" Akane asked genuinely confused at this point. "Knowing that the reason you want to avoid my brother is because you want to be with him so much and the reason you have tried to hate him is because you love him." Nabiki blew the light off the lantern to help Akane sleep, picking up all the things that she had brought with her. "You're confusing yourself. But it's normal." "I can't be *ab*normal to in the first place, because there is no situation to act abnormally *on*." Akane answered irritably, having lost Nabiki completely. Nabiki shook her head, she didn't know why she found so much fun in trying to get to her brother's love interests, but she found that they were so much fun to tease. But there was some grain of truth in what she said. She could not outright lie to them... not about this. "Then this isn't abnormal? Pining away for someone who steals one fleeting moment then turns around completely for another? For someone who looks out the window hoping for a stolen glance that would never reach you? Then perhaps you are normal, my dear Akane, perhaps I am mistaken." She opened the shoji and some of the soft light from the hall spilled down the almost dark room, and Nabiki looked back. "For your sake, hope that I am not wrong, because if not, then you are the woman that I have sworn to kill, my lady. Pray to whatever gods you believe in that you truly love my brother and not the power he will have or the land he owns. This may be the last time I will talk to you in such a manner, but now more so than ever, I distrust you and yet I find myself doubting my mistrust." "I am torn between the two personalities you have presented me, my lady, torn between two truths that even I cannot sift through." Nabiki shook her head in disdain and then stared back at Akane again. "I am tired, my lady, and I hope that what you have shown me tonight is who you are, not who you want us to believe you are." "But... that's just the same thing..." Akane protested. "Not to us." Nabiki whispered, then continued, "You are to become part of our school, and that holds more than your claim to be Ranma's wife." Nabiki shook her head. "I hope you understand the meaning of that oath, the meaning of why you have been taken in." With that Nabiki shut the door and left Akane pondering on what she had said. ~~~ Ifuku and Sohin arrived barely in time for the sun to rise and Ifuku was so tired Sohin was half carrying her through the halls. As Sohin moved towards the house Ranma-chan met him at one of the higher halls. She raised her eyebrow at his charge then at him. "If you're trying to sneak up on the house, I suggest some quiet. I thought the house was under siege." She quipped at him as she grumbled. "What are you doing up this early?" Sohin didn't know why he was being questioned so boldly by someone who didn't own the house. He didn't know how to react with her question so he settled on giving her a puzzled look. "Uh... taking a stroll?" Ranma-chan gave him a sidelong glance then turned to Ifuku. "Hey Ifuku, I know you're married and all, but you should know by now that being out up 'til the first hour of the day would do wonders for your head when you're trying to please Kodachi." She sighed as Ifuku just raised her bleary eyes at Ranma. "Dead tired eh? Well she's out. What did you do to her? Wait... I *really* don't want to know. Here give her to me." Sohin obliged, the woman seemed to know what she was doing, and he had to get out of the house to see what Chisei was up to anyway. "If Ifuku asks she could always meet me at the temple." He told Ranma-chan. Sohin was surprised when he found out what Ranma-chan meant by giving Ifuku to her. He had been expecting her to assist Ifuku to bed, not to continue carrying her. She nodded. "So, you're leaving without any say so." Ranma-chan smiled a little at the thought and then proceeded to tease him. "That's going to be hard on your 'engagement' with Nabiki. She needs her groom you know." At that moment, an equally disoriented Nabiki got out of her room glaring daggers at Ranma-chan. "Ranma!" Sohin took a step back, as he took in Ranma-chan's features again. It had taken him a while to connect the name with the person since he had not seen the effects of Jusenkyo before. 'How could I have been so dense? Ifuku told me about Jusenkyo.' Nabiki ran a hand through her hair, with the braid replaced by a loose ponytail it hung below her waistline the brown locks curled at the ends reaching her knees as she tried to support herself with her left hand while heavily leaning against the shoji. If there was something Sohin learned about their month long stay together, it was that Nabiki was definitely *not* a morning person. "I know you're alive and well in this hour... and I know I'm supposed to be awake when you are... but I really need another stick of sleep today. So I was wondering if you could please keep your tone down?" Nabiki always said things in a manner that brooked no argument. It looked like she had been up all night and morning and had gone to bed wearing what she had worn the day before. Ranma-chan noticed that she did take the time to take her hair out of its usual braid to put it in a simple loose ponytail the comb firmly wedged between the bindings. She just gave her a small smile then turned towards Sohin and nodded to him before she went to Ifuku's room. "Sure, Nabiki." Ranma-chan called out with a smile. "" With that Ranma disappeared into Ifuku's room. Sohin just stared, although he had not understood a word that she had said, he had a feeling that leaving fast seemed to be a good idea. When he moved to depart, he noticed that his shirt was caught on something. When he turned around in an attempt to free it, he noticed that it was connected to Nabiki's finger. She released his shirt with distaste. "Figures. You're *just* the type to give me problems so early in the morning." She crossed her arms in front of her suddenly lucid. And if Sohin hadn't been with her for the past week, he would have never guessed that Nabiki Saotome was not a morning person. At that moment, it looked like she was never frazzled. "Uh... I really need to go, Lady Saotome." It sounded weak, even to his ears, but he could give no reason for the sudden departure, just as he could give no concrete reason for his sudden arrival. Although he had been expecting a fight, Nabiki didn't seem like she was going to give one. She nodded. "You have your own life, and I had been expecting you to leave sooner." She took out the comb she had worn in her hair, taking a while to detangle it from the bindings. He had been so used to seeing on her, that he had not noticed its presence until she had touched it. "Although..." She shook her head. "Thank you, Sohin-san." She took off a coiled strand of hair from the comb and handed the comb back to him. He looked at the comb uneasily. It was his custom to trade one gift for another, and he had been planning to leave the house without the comb with him. Now that it was presented to him, Nabiki's suspicion would be roused by a refusal. Especially since it was supposedly Ifuku's. He nodded as he took the comb and put it away in the pack that he always carried. He turned to go when Nabiki's amused voice stopped him. "What, no good-bye?" There was no mistaking the small laugh in her voice. "I know I've been hard to live with, but even I deserve a decent farewell." "Does that *decent* farewell include a kiss?" He asked moving his head sideways to see her response to his quip. She shifted lightly leaning against the shoji the grin leaving her face. "Surely, Sohin-san, you know that kisses come from courtesans in the futon and wives in the marriage bed. Since I am neither your wife nor your whore, I am not in a position to give you what you ask for. I would rouse Ifuku for your request but since she's just been put to bed, I find that venture a waste." "You're mistaken, my lady," Sohin said mildly, still not turning towards Nabiki and the silent outrage that was still lingering in her eyes. "It was not my request. It had been yours." He continued out of the hall towards the staircase, at the last minute, he raised his hand for a half-hearted wave, although it seemed out of place because he had not turned back to look. A thought came unbidden to his mind, 'I didn't even say goodbye to Ifuku.' ~~~ Kodachi slapped her new captive to rouse him from the potion she had used on him. The mild tranquilizer she had painstakingly created in her labs, she used sparingly for she had only stolen a few fr