Shan Pu had a smug grin on her face as they all walked home following Ranma’s fight with Mu Si. Ranma appeared to either be ignoring it, or oblivious to it, walking slightly ahead of her two fiancées, her head lowered as she trudged along, not even complaining about having to wear Akane’s gym clothes. Akane kept stealing looks at the glum red-head, hoping that Ranma wasn’t being jealous of Shan Pu’s arm twined about hers, or the collar around the Chinese girl’s neck claiming her as Akane’s pet. Shan Pu herself had seemed to take inordinate pride in the token. She wished she knew what the red-head was thinking following Shan Pu’s offer to use the Nannichuan to become a cat girl instead of just a cat in hopes it would help Ranma overcome his fear. Ranma had said she didn’t mind the fact that Akane had finally accepted the Amazon as a fiancée, and had said she had too, but the red-head had been unreadable since the fight.
Still, as accepting of the fact that Shan Pu was her fiancée as she was, Akane wasn’t sure she was remotely ready for the next steps… If Ranma couldn’t resolve her fear of cats, it would continue to make things awkward, and as much fun as she’d been having playing in bed with Ranma recently, she’d feel guilty playing with Shan Pu the same way so long as Ranma was having problems with the Amazon, regardless of how appealing the idea had become now that she’d finally accepted the second engagement, or how much the Amazon indicated she desired it. Even if Ranma gave her permission… she wasn’t sure it would be right to not include Ranma in the actual act.
She looked around the empty street noting that they were at the same spot along the canal where she had stopped to talk to Ranma after the big fight with Ryouga, the same place she had come to realize maybe she really did care for Ranma after all. She looked over at the spot Zhu Shu had waited for them that time, and wished that Zhu Shu hadn’t disappeared after the fight. She really needed to talk.
* * * * *
Ukyo unlocked the door to her shop and flipped on the lights. She tossed her book bag into the back room as she ignited the grill, then did a double take at the silent figure of Zhu Shu standing on the other side of the bar.
“What do you want?”
Without a word, Zhu Shu held up the ‘Help Wanted’ sign that had been in the window.
Ukyo looked at it a long time, seeming to be about to say something several times. Finally, she shrugged. “When can you start?” It sounded almost resigned.
“Have class train after school. For hour. Can work after.”
“Ever work in a restaurant?”
“Grow up in aunt’s inn.”
Ukyo was quiet for another long pause as she oiled her grill. “Want an okonomiyaki?”
“Not know. Never have before.”
There was a sizzle as batter was poured and one of Ukyo’s spatulas came out. A few seconds later she tossed a plate at the still unmoving girl.
Zhu Shu caught it and sat down at the counter. Ukyo watched as she took a bite. The Chinese girl chewed thoughtfully, then nodded approvingly. “Is very good.”
Ukyo smiled. “Okay. I suppose you can have the job then. I already know you’ll be a draw for a lot of the school boys.”
Zhu Shu smiled. “Zhu Shu cannot stop hentai boys from chase, no matter how often say no interested in boys.”
Ukyo shuffled her feet uncomfortably. “Um… yeah. Well, I suppose having a dragon girl waitress is novelty enough.”
Zhu Shu tilted her head at Ukyo as she finished the okonomiyaki. “Zhu Shu not mean make nervous,” she said quietly.
Ukyo shook her head. “I just wish I knew what to make of you. No matter what I do, you won’t get out of my mind.”
“Ukyo not leave Zhu Shu mind either.”
Ukyo sighed as she shook her head. “I’m not like you. I LIKE boys. Gods, I can’t even tell you how many girls have thrown themselves at me, and I’ve had to chase them off.”
Zhu Shu nodded, looking down.
Ukyo sighed again. “Look… for what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”
“Zhu Shu understands. She hope Ukyo still let work.”
“Yeah, you’ve got the job. Wings and all.” Ukyo idly polished her spotless grill, not looking at the dragon girl.
“Zhu Shu can be normal, but may cause much water be spilled.”
“Hell no. Stay a dragon girl during your shift. The hentai will kill themselves trying to come here to eat.”
Zhu Shu nodded. “Must go. Students expect Zhu Shu for class.”
Ukyo nodded. “Be ready to work when you get back.”
With a soft flutter of wings, Zhu Shu rose from the stool and bowed in mid air before setting her feet on the floor as she turned to go. Her hair had been caught by her wings and swept aside, revealing the ornate tattoo.
Ukyo found her gaze caught by the tattoo’s eyes… the same gold eyes she had stared at in Zhu Shu’s face, and she swallowed. Her eyes traced down the spiraling dragon until it came to the swords, and her heart nearly stopped as she saw her spatula entangled within the ribbon’s embrace.
Then the door swung shut behind Zhu Shu, and the dragon girl was gone.
* * * * *
A few minutes later, Zhu Shu fluttered down to meet Akane and Ranma at the dojo door just as they were about to start class. Akane raised an eyebrow at the contented smile on Zhu Shu’s face.
“You look like a canary who’s eaten a cat.” she commented. “Looking forward to taking Rei off for another ‘talk’?”
“Maybe. Zhu Shu also maybe think of solution to other problem.”
Akane blinked. “Oh… um… Ukyo?”
Zhu Shu nodded. “Took solution sister use for Ranma. Take job. Work for Ukyo after classes.”
Akane blinked again, then comprehension dawned. “Oh, I get it. Repeat exposure.”
Rei poked her head out the dojo door. “You’re going to be working at Uc-chans?”
Zhu Shu nodded. “Is okay with Rei?”
Rei hesitated for just a fraction of a second before she smiled. “Of course it is, Zhu-chan.” She leaned forward and kissed the Chinese girl. “That just means I’m gonna have to make the most of the time I do have with you.”
Zhu Shu had missed the slight pause. “Zhu Shu happy Rei be so wise. Not sure Zhu Shu could do same.”
Rei kissed her again. “I never said it was easy, Zhu-chan.” Rei admitted. “The gods know I want to keep you all for myself.” She gave a crooked grin. “But I’m hoping it’s for the best. I’m a priestess; the least I can do is not fight against what the gods have set in motion.”
Ranma raised an eyebrow at that, thinking it sounded like Rei was trying to convince herself, then shrugged. “So, you two joining us for class today?”
Zhu Shu blushed as Rei gave the red-head a look. “Well…” the miko hesitated, obviously wanting to drag Zhu Shu off, but not wanting to shirk her training either.
Akane grabbed Ranma’s braid and pulled the smaller girl against her. “Ranma has no room to complain, Rei. She’s been having way too much fun with me to begrudge you two some time alone, especially since Zhu-chan now has a job.”
Rei smiled and took Zhu Shu’s hand, dragging the still blushing girl off towards the house. She waved to Akane as they entered, smiling at the fact that Akane had Ranma bent over backwards as she was kissing her. Akane waved back as she supported the limp red-head, then pushed the shaky girl into the dojo.
Zhu Shu giggled as the scurried up the stairs. “Zhu Shu see Akane figure out how do deliberately.”
Rei gave her a raised eyebrow. “What?”
Zhu Shu stopped Rei at the door to her room. “This.”
As Zhu Shu’s lips met Rei’s, a flash of fire burned through the slim girl’s soul as her entire body seemed to ignite. A surge of white fire burned along her skin as her clothes vanished, energy crackling around her as her henshin started. She finally drew back as her fuku formed, looking at Zhu Shu in wonder.
“Wow… how the hell did you do that?”
Zhu Shu blinked. “Not know. Meant show chi kiss. Not sure why make change.”
Rei’s knees gave way as she collapsed in the doorway laughing. “Oh man, my legs won’t hold me after that orgasm… I don’t know what you did, but wow did it feel good!”
Zhu Shu lost her worried look in a smile of relief. “Is what supposed to do. Chi kiss make feel very good. Is part of Zhu Shu training for courtesan.”
Rei dragged herself back to her feet. “Cool. You’re going to do that to me several more times… right after I get on the bed! There’s no way I can stand through another of those.” She opened the door, already pulling her uniform top off. “And I think I’m going to stay transformed, or I might set the house on fire when I henshin again.”
* * * * *
There was pain.
There wasn’t supposed to be pain… only oblivion.
But there was pain. And the faint taste of roses on her tongue.
The agony finally settled itself in her wings, and she faintly remembered the shards of glass that had impaled them… yet had not had the mercy to pierce her heart.
She moaned softly, cursing the cruelness of having been denied release.
A soft touch and cool dampness caressed her forehead. She forced her eyes open to look in bleary amazement at the gentle hand that comforted her, unable to believe that after cruel love had treated her so unkindly that anyone could treat her with mercy. She was dead! A ghost! The only kindness she could expect was to be utterly unseen in her shame and misery!
She whimpered softly as the hand withdrew.
“Hush, my angel. You are safe.”
The voice was soft… Feminine.
“Not an angel” she whispered softly. “I am… a ghost.”
“Rest. I have bandaged your wounds. You will be fine.”
“No.” she whispered, even more softly. “I am dead.”
Then blackness rose to claim her once more, and Mu Si gratefully fell into it.
* * * * *
Rei sat in the corner of the restaurant and watched as Ukyo went over how to take an order with Zhu Shu. She’d decided she wanted to see the girl who was going to be her rival and had been followed by the rest of the girls when she had told them she was walking Zhu Shu to work. Now they were busily eating okonomiyaki while Rei tried to decide how she felt.
She’d been shocked at seeing Ukyo’s changed appearance when they had arrived, the chef looking completely feminine even though she’d done little more than allow her hair to hang loose and was showing a small amount of cleavage. The other girls had known she was a girl, but the wistful looks Ukyo kept getting from Usagi and Mina showed that they had really liked her as a boy. Rei had been far more shocked by a sense of recognition for the girl, as if she had been someone she had known quite well, and simply not seen for a long time. She’d come fully expecting to hate the girl on first sight, yet found herself unable to.
As Ukyo finished and sent Zhu Shu off to take her first orders from a crowd of boys who had just walked in, Rei patted Ami’s arm, the only one of the girls not giving the high school boys appraising looks. “I’ll be back, I want to talk to Ukyo for a moment.”
Ami blinked and nodded before turning her attention back to her mini comp. Rei slipped out of her chair and took one of the stools next to the grill. Ukyo looked up briefly.
“I didn’t know your group was who Zhu Shu’s students were,” she said conversationally, then gave Rei another glance, taking in the yakuta and hakima. “Or that you were a Shrine Maiden.”
Rei shrugged. “We didn’t know you were hunting for Ranma last time either.”
Ukyo blushed. “Um… yeah. Sorry about that. I was a little sneaky and suspicious. It’s kind of a long story…”
“We know you were supposed to marry Ranma. Zhu Shu’s only one of our Sensei’s after all. Akane and Ranma teach us too.”
“Ah. I suppose I really don’t have any right to ask you to forgive me for trying to deceive you, but you have my apologies.”
Rei nodded. “Actually, thank you. And I do forgive you, since Zhu Shu asked us to.”
Zhu Shu fluttered up to read off her list of orders and give them both a brilliant smile before fluttering off to get the next set. Rei noted Ukyo’s eyes trailed after her for a long moment before the chef visibly pulled them away and back to her grill.
“I think you could do far worse for a group of teachers then the three of them from what I’ve seen. I don’t think I know a single one of my teachers that could match them.” Ukyo continued, picking up the conversation again as her hands flew over the grill.
Rei blinked at the speed with which the okonomiyaki were being made and laughed. “You don’t seem to be a slouch to me. Only other person I know who can cook that fast is Zhu-chan. You should see her cooking a Chinese meal. She makes an incredible shrimp stir-fry, and her Mongolian bar-b-que would make a Mongolian cry for joy.”
Ukyo laughed. “I’m just okonomiyaki. My family tradition you see. We used to be youkai hunters way back in the Sengoku era, but we had to find a way to make a living during the Shogunate, at least so the story that my great uncle tells goes.” She tossed a plate in front of Rei. “That’s my shrimp special.”
She turned to whistle at Zhu Shu, and tossed six okonomiyaki towards her one after another. Zhu Shu didn’t even blink as she caught and served them as fast as they were thrown. Ukyo frowned for a second then chuckled. Rei laughed.
“What, did you expect her to miss any of them?”
Ukyo nodded. “Wellll… I was kinda thinking she’d have a little trouble.”
Rei shook her head. “You can’t even begin to imagine how fast she can be. I’ve heard her break the sound barrier on occasion.”
Ukyo blinked. “I see.” She gave the dragon girl an appraising look. “That should make this entertaining then.” She whistled and tossed the next batch without even looking up from the grill.
Rei laughed at the applause as once more, Zhu Shu seemed to simply pull the plates out of the air and place them before the correct customers. She didn’t seem to be paying them anymore attention than Ukyo had, blithely taking a new order while setting the plates down on the table behind her. She even caught one with her tail and delivered it to the accompaniment of a nose bleed from the boy so served. Zhu Shu seemed oblivious to it.
Ukyo chuckled. “So, I see it’s time to up the ante. We need more customers for that though.”
Rei nodded. “This is really good,” she said around a mouthful of shrimp okonomiyaki.
Ukyo smiled. “Compliments of the house.” She gave Rei a sidelong look. “So do I pass? Am I treating your Sensei nicely enough?”
Rei chuckled as she blushed. “That obvious am I?”
Ukyo shrugged. “She’s your friend. I would probably want to make sure my friends worked for a nice boss too.”
“She’s a lot more than just a friend to us, Uc-chan. We all care about her a great deal. We’d be really upset if you treated her badly.”
Ukyo gave her a long look out of the corner of her eye. “Why do I have the feeling this isn’t just about her working conditions?”
Rei shrugged. “I just don’t want to see her hurt.”
Ukyo nodded. “I don’t want to hurt her either, Rei.” She looked up as Zhu Shu approached to give her the new orders, giving her a smile as she rattled off nearly a dozen in rapid succession, Ukyo’s hands flashing as the ingredients were on the grill even as Zhu Shu finished with the last one. Zhu Shu’s eyes sparkled as she turned with a saucy tail wave and headed back out to the floor.
Ukyo smiled grimly. “Oh ho! So that’s how she’s gonna play it. We’ll see who can keep up, Miss dragon half!”
Rei heard the note of pure pleasure in Ukyo’s voice and nodded. Ukyo noted the motion and looked up. “Enjoying the show?”
Rei smiled. “Immensely. Though she’s going to win if you make it a competition.”
Ukyo cracked her knuckles and brought out four spatulas from her bandolier, twirling them around her fingers in opposing directions. “Maybe, but I’m for damn sure going to give it my best shot.” Four okonomiyaki went flying at once without even a whistle. Ukyo watched as a Zhu Shu caught them with one hand, both wings and her tail while still wiping a table. She never even seemed to look up.
Rei shook her head. “She serves ramen for six by tossing the bowls out in front of us and then tossing the ramen in. She never misses and never spills a drop, nor does she even pause in cooking. This is child’s play for her.”
Ukyo gave her an evil grin as she held up eight spatulas…
* * * * *
Evening found Ranma walking aimlessly through Nerima’s alleys, trying to come to terms with her situation. After the Senshi and Zhu Shu had left, Akane had her help move Shan Pu’s things up to the room she was going to share with Zhu Shu. Shan Pu had officially moved in, per Akane’s request to Soun, and she had spent the evening in Akane’s lap as they watched TV. Ranma had tried very hard not to freak out, but she hadn’t been able to stay in the room, and had finally given up on kata when she kept losing concentration.
What was she going to do? She had really started to enjoy sparring with Akane in the mornings, learning the various techniques his fiancée had gained from Zhu Shu without having to ask the Chinese girl to reveal her family’s secret techniques directly, just as Zhu Shu had never asked to learn the secrets of Anything Goes, but with Shan Pu actually living with them, would Akane still want to spar with just her?
Not that there was anything wrong with sparring with Shan Pu. The Amazon had certainly proven more than sufficiently skilled to help both of them keep their edge, but the memory of Shan Pu changing into a cat right on top of her just got in the way every time she looked at the purple haired girl. And Ke Lun’s decree that she was stuck as a girl until she had made a decision just made it harder. She wanted to find a way to overcome her fear… but she didn’t want to seem like she was bending to the bossy old woman’s will like Shan Pu did.
“Hey Ran-chan! Watch where you’re going!”
She looked up at the sound of Ukyo’s voice, noting for the first time that her wanderings had brought her to the alleyway behind Uc-chan’s.
“Sorry Uc-chan. Lost in thought.”
“Zhu Shu fluttered off about ten minutes ago.”
Ranma grinned sheepishly. “Uh- yeah. I’m just out for a walk really. Couldn’t concentrate at home.”
Ukyo tilted her head at the smaller girl, then tossed the bag of trash in her hand into the dumpster. “Come on in. I’ll make you an okonomiyaki and you can talk if you want.”
Ranma shrugged, but wasn’t about to pass up an offer for free food. She followed the chef in and perched on a stool as Ukyo served up two pizzas and some sodas before she joined Ranma at the counter.
“So, you still mulling over Shan Pu?”
Ranma nodded, taking a bite out of the okonomiyaki. “Yeah… I mean, I am starting to like her and all… at least I was, but I don’t know what to do with her being a cat.”
Ukyo nodded. “Well, if it’s any consolation, I have my own problem I don’t know how to deal with.” she propped her elbows on the counter and sighed.
Ranma gave her a sidelong glance. “Yeah, so how was Zhu Shu’s first night at work?”
“She’s a perfect waitress, does a great job, earned every yen I paid her and all her tips, drew in a ton of customers… and I still don’t know why I hired her. She’s incredibly distracting, and that damn half smile she always wears is driving me crazy!”
Ranma laughed. “That little smile that let’s you know that you’re doing exactly what she wants you to do? Yes, I know it quite well.” She finished off the pizza and smiled at Ukyo. “In fact… it’s something I like to see. I’m glad to hear she has it because she’s working here. It’s far too rare a sight.”
“Huh? It sounds like you like being manipulated by her.”
“Zhu Shu? Manipulative?” Ranma shook her head. “Yes and no… yes and no. Yes, she’s manipulative, but you have no idea as to why. All Zhu Shu has ever wanted is for her friends to be happy, no matter how much it costs her.”
“I don’t get you.” Ukyo said giving him a raised eyebrow.
Ranma turned around on her stool to lean back against the counter and look directly at Ukyo. “Humm… well, let me see if any of this helps. Zhu Shu is the last pure blooded child of a very old Chinese clan, one that used to serve the emperors. She’s been forced her whole life to learn to be the best servant she can possibly be… for a court that will never exist again. I think she’s driven by that need to serve, and she has no outlet for it, so she makes do by trying to help others. That little smile is her sign that she feels like she’s actually helping.”
Ukyo shook her head. “So meddling makes her happy.”
Ranma gave her a hard look. “I didn’t say that. Ukyo, there’s a lot you don’t know about Zhu Shu, and it ain’t my place to tell you things I maybe shouldn’t. But I’ll tell you this… I’d do just about anything to make Zhu Shu happy, because I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to repay her for what she’s done for me. As weird as my life has been since I met her, I think for the first time ever that I can recall, I’m pretty happy all in all. I have a fiancée that Zhu Shu had to beat me around the head a few times to make me realize I do love, and another fiancée who seems to love me just as much as the first, and the only problem is this idiotic phobia about cats.”
Ukyo gave him a raised eyebrow. “Humm… vehement aren’t we? Just like her little miko friend.” She held up her hands. “Okay, I understand she’s your friend, and I do think she’s a nice person, I just wish she wasn’t so fixated on me. I’m not interested in girls.”
Ranma scratched his head. “Heh, sorry for the outburst. My relationship with Zhu Shu is… kinda weird to say the least. And Rei is… well… complicated.”
Ukyo laughed. “Do tell. Anyway, I just wish I knew what to do with her.”
Ranma shrugged. “It’ll work out eventually.”
Ukyo rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right.” She pushed her plate to the back of the counter. “Just tell me one thing. Why did she go and get my spatula tattooed on her back?”
Ranma doubled over. Ukyo gave the laughing girl a look then hooked her foot under the stool and tilted Ranma to the floor. The red head rolled and came back to her feet.
“Gods, Ukyo, you have no idea how funny that question is.”
“Care to clue me in?”
“Zhu Shu’s had that tattoo since she was thirteen. According to Akane, the Dragon put it there after Zhu Shu tried to commit suicide.”
“The Dragon?”
“Zhu Shu’s family god. Apparently it’s sort of a… a… prophecy.” The red head laughed again. “You should have seen the stunned look Zhu Shu gave you when you showed up for our fight with that big spatula of yours. It was like she’d been struck by lightning.”
Ukyo stared at her. “You mean she’s chasing me because that tattoo bears my spatula, and she didn’t put it there?”
Ranma shrugged. “What can I say, I never believed in magic or gods before I went to Jusenkyo. But yes, the Dragon shows the loves of Zhu Shu’s life. The cherry blossom for her first love, Ying-Ying, the unattainable tiger for Akane…”
And a spatula for Ukyo. It wasn’t said, but the words hung heavy in the air for a few moments before Ranma smiled. “Hey, Uc-chan, thanks for the okonomiyaki, but it’s late and we need to hit the sack if we ain’t gonna sleep in homeroom tomorrow.”
Ukyo unlocked the door for Ranma. “I don’t believe in fate, Ranma, or prophecies.”
Ranma shrugged, “I really ain’t sure it matters if you believe, Uc-chan. Zhu Shu does.” She stuck her hands in her pockets. “Anyway thanks for listening, even if we couldn’t think of solutions.”
Ukyo smiled. “Hey, you spent more time listening to me. I have no idea what I’m going to do about being chased by a girl.”
Ranma smiled. “I once had a very wise person tell me that the heart doesn’t have a gender. And to be honest, it don’t matter to me if Akane kisses me as a guy or a girl anymore. I’m still me, either way.”
Uc-chan smiled. “Good night, Ranma, and good luck.”
Ranma turned, whistling in the dark as Ukyo closed the door.
And for some reason, her last words kept playing over and over in Ukyo’s head.
The heart doesn’t have a gender…
* * * * *
Zhu Shu opened her eyes to a fall of cherry blossoms.
Looking around, she noted that she was in a group of the trees, and vague sensations of familiarity came to her. She remembered lying in bed, falling asleep and thinking about Ukyo and Rei, and the tangle she felt like caught between them, and the comforting feeling of the ghostly connection she still had to Ying-Ying and wishing…
She had to be dreaming.
Laughter from behind her made a merry sound, and Zhu Shu turned, smiling.
“Ni hao, my concubine.” the pink haired girl standing next to a tree behind her grinned.
Zhu Shu smiled. “You used to tease me with that.”
Ying-Ying nodded. “When your aunt was teaching you about makeup, and you’d come out wearing your latest attempt.”
Zhu Shu’s smile grew crooked. “I used to get annoyed with you for it. Now I know that my aunt really was training me to be a concubine.”
“Does it still annoy you?”
Zhu Shu shook her head. “No.” She looked around. “Am I dreaming again, or are you really here?”
Ying-Ying laughed. “Always the same question. And I still have the same answer, does it matter?”
Zhu Shu laughed. “Getting predictable, am I?”
“You always were to me, beloved.” Ying-Ying moved, her long hair floating about her in a cloud as she walked towards Zhu Shu and looped her arm about her waist as they began to stroll through the orchard. “And that makes me the best person to talk to when you’re fretting, which is why you’re here.” She gave Zhu Shu a sidelong look. “And for once, you came to me.”
Zhu Shu blinked. “I did?”
Ying-Ying nodded. “Yes. You wanted to see me, and your dreaming mind sought out the path. That will make it easier for you to find it in waking.”
Zhu Shu blinked again. “But… how…”
Ying-Ying shook her head. “I don’t know, love, I only know that Legend has told me you have to find the path on your own, and that when you have, I will be able to use it as well to come to you.”
Zhu Shu shook her head. “I am so tired of having people knowing things, and refusing to tell me.”
“I honestly don’t know, love. Legend hasn’t even told me how you can do it. He simply advised me of your coming, and told me why.”
“Oh. So what did the Dragon say about me?”
“That you are worried, that you feel torn once more between desires.”
Zhu Shu gave a sad smile. “And talking to you makes a part of me feel as if I have betrayed you.”
“Because you have found pleasure in the arms of one who is living?” Ying-Ying shook her head. “You should not fear that, love. I sent you to Rei’s arms, remember? There is a history between you that must be resolved.”
Zhu Shu looked down. “I see. Lin Tzu and Sailor Mars?”
“Yes.”
Zhu Shu sighed. “I wish I knew why this was all happening. All I ever wanted to be was just a normal girl.”
Ying-Ying kissed her on the cheek. “If you had been a ‘normal’ girl, Zhu Shu, I wouldn’t have fallen so head over heels in love with you.”
“But why does it seem like every one has plans for me? Some ‘destiny’ I’m expected to fulfill? Gods Ying-Ying, I can’t even feel like I’m in control of my own heart. I can’t help the fact that I’m as deeply in love with Ukyo as I am with you!”
Ying-Ying giggled. “That is something no-one has control over, beloved. It is part of being human. Everyone has a spiritual link to another, sometimes more than one. Some seek it their entire lives and never find it. You are blessed with several, some as strong as those betwixt you and I, like Ukyo and Akane, and others of a lesser nature , like Rei or Sarhia. I was blessed to share in your spirit, and because of that, I have found my truest calling. I was born, and lived, and died, and now I am your guardian. My love for you gives me the strength to walk a path that I never would have dared for myself. Because of my love, I have a chance to change the path of the world.”
Zhu Shu sighed. “I have no desire to change the world, Ying-Ying. Just to make my little corner of it happier for my friends and myself.”
Ying-Ying smiled. “And that is why I do love you, Zhu Shu. Why so many people around you love you. Because you love them. Your love has already changed the world in more ways than you know.”
Zhu Shu gave her a look, then shook her head. “You can’t expect me to live up to such statements, Ying-Ying. I’m just a person. One single person.”
“Yes. Sometimes, that’s all it takes. One person, being themselves.”
“You make me sound like some sort of hero. But I’m not, Ying-Ying. I don’t even know how to deal with the tangles in my own life. How do I reconcile my feelings for Rei with my love for Ukyo? Thank all the gods I finally managed to come to some peace with my feelings for Akane, but what do I do now? I don’t want to hurt Rei, but I know she cares for me. She says she wants me to be happy, but her aura is confusing, as if she’s telling the truth, and not telling the truth at the same time.”
Ying-Ying nodded. “Yes. I can sympathize. I too have moments when I don’t want to share you, but I know that those flashes of jealousy are meaningless.” Ying-Ying leaned over to kiss Zhu Shu’s cheek. “I have as much of your heart as I can possibly have, and you have yet more to give. Rei has found in you a kindred spirit, and a new side to herself. She knows she cannot be your true love, but she has not yet fulfilled her desires of you. Do not worry about her, beloved. Simply accept the love she has to give. Rei will take care of herself.”
“I wish I could be as confident of that.” Zhu Shu sighed. “Or of Ukyo. I know she feels the bond between us, and yet she rejects it. She has no desire to be with me, because we are both female, and I cannot marry her because she is female.”
“Legally, she is male.”
Zhu Shu snorted. “Believe me, I know that. But neither Grandfather nor the Amazon elders are likely to accept that, however much my heart yearns for it.”
Ying-Ying gave her a smile that hinted at hidden knowledge. “You may be rather surprised about that, beloved.”
“Ukyo cannot give me children. That is all that matters to them.” Zhu Shu shrugged. “I am nothing other than a means to continue the imperial line.”
“Not to Ke Lun, Zhu Shu. Nor to Shan Pu, though your status as Empress means far less to her than being your sister.”
Zhu Shu nodded. “And I am glad of that. The Empire ruled by Lin Tzu is dead and forgotten. I have no desire to try and resurrect it, regardless of what others may wish. I am a servant… I am not and will not be an Empress.”
Ying-Ying laughed. “Will you or not, my love, you still are. But don’t fret about it. The fact you are the Dragon’s heir means more than all the titles in the world.”
Zhu Shu stopped. “And what does being the Dragon’s heir mean, Ying-Ying? Just what purpose is it that I have to lose you to fulfill? What purpose is so important that my life is dictated to me!?!” She hung her head. “Gods, Ying-Ying, I want to believe the Dragon means for me to be happy, but I am always torn between duty and love!”
Ying-Ying smiled sadly and waved at the trees in front of them. They wavered momentarily, shifting as a clearing formed, revealing a large archway into utter blackness. The stone bench in front of it shifted as well, covering itself in silk pillows as it grew into a cozy love seat. Ying-Ying sat and patted the spot beside her, smiling as Zhu Shu nestled herself into her encircling arm.
“It is hard to know the future, my love, but what I do know is this. You are the last child of Lin Tzu, and the blood you bear is old and powerful. The blood of the Dragon has ever been passed down from mother to daughter, always within a child with jade green eyes. You contain within you a link to a power beyond power. For every pain you suffer, Legend suffers with you, for your blood is his blood, your body is his body. You are yourself, beloved, yet you are part of The Dragon as well. You are the heir of the legacy of Legend’s love for Lin Tzu. You are his Daughter far more than you are the daughter of your parents, and he loves you more than you realize.”
“Then why must I endure such turmoil?”
“I know this will be hard for you to accept, Zhu Shu, but there cannot be a light without darkness, no yin without yang. For all things, there is a price.” She shook her head slowly, eyes lifting to the arch. “What you have to ask yourself is if the reward is worth the price?” She looked at Zhu Shu and smiled. “I certainly think so.
Zhu Shu’s gaze had followed hers and she was looking at the featureless portal as a memory rose slowly from a dark mist. “You bar the door.” she said faintly, uncertainly. Her eyes shifted to the bottomless blue depths of Ying-Ying’s eyes as the memories became more certain. “You stand at the line between my life and death.”
“And I bar the door.” Ying-Ying nodded.
“I was here when I fell. When I died. As I lay on the brink of death, you kept me alive.” The words were barely a whisper. She whirled to stare at the mandala etched into the stone before the arch. “He bound you here!?!”
“No.” Ying-Ying smiled. “My love for you allowed him to make this place for me, and here I have chosen to stay. Until I choose to allow your passage - until we both walk through that portal together, my love - you cannot die.” She leaned back and gave Zhu Shu a smug grin. “I think I’m going to make you immortal, beloved.”
Zhu Shu blinked. “But- but.”
“I could not be with you in life, my love. In death, I am with you always. My life was a small price to pay to be reunited with you. I have waited long for you to find your way back to me.”
Zhu Shu blinked. “You explained all of this to me when I tried to join you.” she said slowly. “When I tried to commit suicide like you had.”
“And that allayed your grief enough to allow you to continue living. Yes.”
“But- but why couldn’t I remember?”
“You were not ready. Had you known of this place too soon, had you been shown the way to it, you would have died more surely than you did by stepping off the cliff. You would have tried to stay here, with me. You would have had no reason to return to your body, and it would have withered without your soul. This is a place of spirit, and only your spirit may visit.”
Zhu Shu blinked. Then colored. “I see your point, love. I do want to stay with you, yet I also yearn for Ukyo and Akane and Rei. I have a reason to return.”
Ying-Ying’s blue eyes sparkled. “As well as incentive to find your way back here.” Her hands rose to the knots of her tunic as the smug grin grew wider. “And I believe I’ll give you further incentive.”
As the cheongsam was tossed aside, Zhu Shu found herself born over backwards onto a suddenly appearing pile of cushions by the naked girl. She looked up into Ying-Ying’s mischievous blue eyes as her love looked down at her. “This seems familiar.” she said with an amused smile.
Ying-Ying laughed. “Why yes, I do believe I watched Rei do this to you. Now, I am going to spend the rest of your time asleep making you climax as many times as I can. I have four years to catch up on, dear.”
Zhu Shu giggled. “Oh my. I’m not going to be able to walk in the morning.”
* * * * *
Shan Pu opened her eyes and tried to place what had disturbed her sleep. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary in the room. Nor did she hear anything outside.
The faint sound came again, and she looked over to Zhu Shu’s futon. A few seconds passed as she heard Zhu Shu moan softly again, her breath quickening. Shan Pu grinned as Zhu Shu’s body arced slightly and her breath caught for a long moment as faint tremors made her shake.
It sounded like her sister was having a good dream.
She blinked as Zhu Shu’s body relaxed just slightly before tensing as she arched again. She nodded.
A VERY good dream.
* * * * *
“So, exactly what where you dreaming about last night?” Shan Pu asked as Zhu Shu opened her eyes to the quite buzz of her alarm.
Zhu Shu blushed a deep crimson. “Umm. Well…” she gave a sheepish grin. “If you must know. I was dreaming about Ying-Ying.”
Shan Pu’s eyes gave a merry twinkle as she nodded knowingly. “I see. That would explain the moans of pleasure all night. I had to pleasure myself a few times just listening to you.”
Zhu Shu blushed deeper. “I’m sorry. I had no idea I was making any noise.”
Shan Pu laughed. “Don’t apologize for a dream about your first love. Revel in it, sister. That her spirit came to you in a dream is a gift from the gods. And a very good omen for you.”
Zhu Shu nodded, standing… or rather trying to stand, only to find her knees wobbly. “I told her she was going to have this effect on me.” she muttered
Shan Pu laughed. “Now you know how I felt after Akane kissed me the other day. If she hadn’t squirted me with the water gun, I think everyone would have noticed the damp spot where I was sitting.” She stretched, the thin material of her night gown clinging revealingly to the curves of her body. “My Ai Ren has found a way to make my body reach the peak without even touching my sensitive areas.”
Zhu Shu gave her a smile. “Yes. Rei demanded I show her that same technique a dozen times yesterday.”
Shan Pu stripped off the gown as she opened the closet door. “So, how was your first night working for your Ukyo?”
Zhu Shu shrugged, tossing her own gown into the hamper on top of Shan Pu’s. “It was interesting. I have dealt with serving in the inn before. Uc-chan’s is much busier, and it was mainly boys from the school coming in hopes of seeing as much of my body as possible. I had a lot of fun playing the plate game with Ukyo.” She poked through the dresses hanging in the closet with Shan Pu, pulling out one along with her bathrobe.
“She any good at it?” Shan Pu asked with a smile.
“Not bad. There was no soup involved, so it was a bit easier than the game my aunt used to train me with, and having wings and a tail is a major advantage, but Ukyo can toss up to twelve plates at once, so it was a nice challenge. She has excellent aim.”
“Great-Grandmother has gotten me up to ten bowls of ramen so far. I’ll have to come watch you play some time.”
Zhu Shu laughed and wrapped the robe around her as she waited for Shan Pu to pick her own dress and grab her under things, then headed downstairs for the bathroom before the others were up for a bath. Shan Pu hadn’t mentioned it, but Zhu Shu could smell herself strongly after the dreams of the night.
She wished Kasumi a good morning as they passed the kitchen, getting a sleepy wave from the presently bunny eared girl. Entering the actual bath, she listened out the window for a few seconds, hearing the noise from the dojo that showed Ranma and Akane were sparring. She smiled as Shan Pu looked wistfully out the window as well.
“They will work it out, Shan-chan.” Zhu Shu said as she started filling the furo, then sat to wash herself in front of the mirror.
“I know. I think Akane is accepting of the engagement and might even be a little amused by it.” She reached up to touch her collar with a soft smile before undoing it and hanging it by her robe. “She was definitely forgiving of my playing China.”
Zhu Shu nodded. “That was a relief. I was extremely worried about that. But I also noted she’s changed a lot since she acquired my memories. Before that, it was a battle getting her to think at all.” She gave a glance to the window from under sudsy bangs. “I do worry that she might have gotten a little too much of me in her though. She’s gone from being angry all the time to being a little too calm.”
Shan Pu gave her a raised eyebrow as she scrubbed her own scalp. “Too calm?” she shrugged. “This is the same girl who broke a rock with my head? Believe me, sister, my Ai Ren is perfectly fine. And gods is she beautiful in a fight. They both are.” She sighed. “Seeing Ranma fight Mu Si yesterday was like watching when Ranma and Akane make love. He’s a dream to watch move, male or female. And she’s got all the grace of a tigress.” She sighed dreamily as her eyes focused off into the distance. “I’m the luckiest woman in all the world, sister.” She gave Zhu Shu a sidelong glance. “Of course, you could say yes to marrying all of us and then you’d be just as lucky.”
Zhu Shu laughed, causing Shan Pu to blink. “Shan Pu, dear, I know you mean well, and you want me to be happy, but I have my own dream love. You have a piece of me in Akane. I will win Ukyo’s heart eventually, and somehow, I’ll find a way to marry her that will be honorable. Whatever the price.”
Shan Pu blinked repeatedly.
Zhu Shu gave her a sidelong look. “I told you, Ying-Ying and I talked last night… before she jumped me and made the rest of my dreams so pleasurable.”
Shan Pu smiled. “You are lucky to have a loved one guarding over you so. At times I feel my mother watching over me like that. She has never come into my dreams, but I know she has heard my prayers.” She filled the bucket with warm water from the tap again and washed the soap out of her hair. She handed the bucket to Zhu Shu as she shook the water out of her hair. “You know, after so many years, I watch you using cold water to wash with and I shiver.”
Zhu Shu giggled. “If I didn’t, how could I wash my wings?” She extended said appendages as she refilled the bucket with cold water. “Now get a sponge and you can help.”
Shan Pu shook her head. “Well, it seems we’ve both stopped considering our curses a curse.” she commented as she picked up the sponge and got it soapy. “Akane seems happy with me being a kitten at times. I just hope Ranma finds some way to deal with it.”
Zhu Shu whapped her rear with a wing. “No sad thoughts. I’m in too good a mood this morning.”
Shan Pu giggled. “Okay, okay. So what are your thoughts on whether he’s going to ask me to be a cat girl?”
Zhu Shu gave her a long look. “Other than that you’d look really cute, I don’t know. I’m hoping he’s going to find a way to accept you without any further curses. If you become a cat girl, you’ll have to deal with the same effects that the others have to deal with.”
“I have to deal with those far worse as a cat, Zhu Shu. I have to completely avoid being a cat when I’m fertile, or I have absolutely no control over my mating urge.”
Zhu Shu gave her a cocked eye. “I’m going to teach you my herbs, then. Knowing your body is all well and good, but at least with my herbs, if you do lose control, it can still keep you from conceiving.”
Shan Pu smiled. “Alright. My Ai Ren is worried enough about pregnancy without my adding to her worries. I’ll teach her to read her body, and you teach both of us your herbs, okay?”
“Akane’s worried about it?”
“Yes. My love doesn’t want to have children yet. And I can’t say I actually disagree with her reasons for any other reason than that it’s a village custom to have children as soon as you’re married to prove your love.” She shrugged. “I will deal with Great-grandmother and the other elders when the time comes. I’m not going to let them force my Ai Ren to have children before she’s ready for them. It’s bad enough knowing you have to try and find a husband just to have a child.” She looked at Zhu Shu’s wide eyes in the mirror. “I heard Akane talking to Kasumi about it, and I agree with her. It’s not fair.”
Zhu Shu shook her head. “Just listening to you, the village champion, saying something against tradition, however slight, is amazing.”
Shan Pu shrugged again. “My cousin must be rubbing off on me.” She smiled. “And to think I fussed at him when he said something about traditions.” She giggled. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against most of the traditions and laws, but my loves aren’t Amazon, and I’m not sure they should be held to the same codes. They have their own traditions and laws, and they are honoring mine, so I should honor theirs too, right?”
Zhu Shu nodded.
“And the customs in this land are different, there’s no need to have many children, and Akane does not want to be a ‘housewife’. She wants to teach, to make this dojo into a real school. And I think that’s an honorable goal.” She tossed the sponge into the sink as she finished Zhu Shu’s wings. “And I want to support her in that. Both of my loves are too good as warriors not to pass their knowledge on. So I have decided that I will also prevent myself from getting pregnant until both my Ai Ren’s agree it is time for me to be a mother,”
The door behind Shan Pu slid open to reveal Akane. Shan Pu turned, startled, to see her fiancée looking at her with huge eyes.
“Ai Ren?” she asked questioningly.
Akane shook her head. “You were in the basket. I should have remembered.” She gave Shan Pu a shy smile. “You really think my wanting to teach isn’t silly?”
Shan Pu gave her a smile of her own. “No, Ai Ren.”
Akane blushed prettily. Then Ranma’s voice came through the door. “Would you girls speak a language I understand? Akane said she was going to see how long it was going to take you to finish so I can get a bath too!”
The three girls looked at the outer door and giggled. “Yes, Ran-chan.” Akane said in Japanese. She looked at the two girls in the wash area and shrugged. “We’ll be done soon Ranma. Give us twenty minutes.”
“Riiiight.” There was the sound of a sigh from outside the door. “I’m giving you a half hour, then I really need a bath!” There was the sound of the Ranma’s voice retreating, muttering about girls and taking forever in the tub.
The giggles were unanimous.
* * * * *
That afternoon, Usagi stretched again as she walked up the path from the gate to her door. She did have to admit the continued exercise of Zhu Shu’s lessons had stopped being quite so bad. She was nowhere near as sore as she had been the first few weeks. She yelled hi to her family as she ran up to her room, looking forward to taking a long soak before dinner and homework.
She stopped at the doorway in horror. Her precious room had been ransacked! Clothes were strewn about, and drawers pulled out and tossed on the floor! Everything was a mess!
Rational thought fled as one urge came to mind.
MUST! KILL! LITTLE! BROTHER!
She ran down the stairs screaming Shingo’s name and burst into the living room with mayhem on her mind, but stopped dead in her tracks, blinking in confusion.
Shingo was looking at her in utter confusion, a contrast to his typical smirk when he had caused misery in her life, and next to him…
The pink haired girl looked at Usagi calmly, before snorting and turning back to the TV.
“Hey!” Usagi yelled, “What are you doing in my house!?!”
“What’s a matter, Sis? You forget our cousin Usagi was visiting?”
“Wha-!?!” Usagi managed, as her mom came out of the kitchen with a plate of cookies and glasses of milk.
“What’s all the fuss, Usagi dear? Don’t you remember your cousin from her last visit?”
“Last visit? What?” Usagi scratched her head in utter confusion. Why was her family acting so weird? “I don’t have a cousin!”
“Don’t be silly, Sis. Even you had fun last time she was here. Even got that stupid picture you took at the park.”
Usagi’s jaw opened and closed repeatedly, but nothing came out. As her mother picked up a photo album and opened it to show Usagi pictures from her “cousin’s last visit” She just stared at the little girl.
The girl gave her a sidelong glance, and a smirk of victory…
* * * * *
As they met in the dojo before the next afternoon’s lesson, the rest of the sailors looked at Usagi in disbelief.
Rei finally said it. “What do you mean she’s your cousin!?! You don’t have a cousin!”
They all looked out of the dojo to the garden, and the pink haired girl quietly playing with her cat head ball. Usagi shrugged.
“I know that, but my mom and dad all say she’s visited before. They even have pictures! And she ransacked my room! Even assaulted me in the bath tub looking for the Silver Crystal! And mom saddled me with her this afternoon.”
Rei closed the dojo door again as Kasumi came out of the house with a tea tray and stopped to talk to the small girl. She turned back to Usagi.
“Why would she want the Crystal? How does she know about it?”
“How am I supposed to know?” Usagi whined.
Everybody stopped talking as Kasumi knocked, then brought in the tea tray. She smiled and said “Enjoy your tea.” as she stepped back outside. They took cups as Ami poured the tea, Usagi not even paying attention to it as she devoured the cheese and crackers on the tray.
“So, who do you think she is?” Makoto asked, taking a sip of her tea.
“I don’t know.” Usagi said around a mouthful of crackers as she reached for her tea.
Makoto’s cup shattered as it hit the dojo floor, followed by the others. Usagi froze, looking in horror at the suddenly unconscious girls.
There was a creak on the porch outside the dojo, and panicked, Usagi slumped, mimicking the others in hopes that whatever it was wouldn’t kill a bunch of helpless girls.
The dojo door slid open to reveal the pink haired girl and her cat ball. She nodded. “Good. Now, let’s see if one of these others has the Crystal.”
Usagi jumped up in anger and grabbed the girl by the wrist. “You did this? What did you do to my friends!?!”
The smaller girl tried to free herself to no avail. “It was just knockout drops! Give me the Crystal!”
“I’ll give you something alright!” Usagi yelled back. She sat down and pulled the girl over her lap as she began to spank her.
The pink haired girl started to cry as Usagi paddled her, and a crescent mark on her forehead appeared, growing brighter with each smack. With the last smack, a flare of white light filled the dojo. Usagi jumped back as the small girl rolled off her and to her feet, crying as she fled the dojo.
What the hell had that been?
There was a cry of fear from the garden, and a sound of a body hitting the ground. Usagi jumped up, locket already in hand as she called out her henshin.
* * * * *
Kasumi had just opened her eyes and started to stand up as the pink haired girl had run out of the dojo crying, running into her and knocking them both down again. She tried to quiet the struggling girl.
“Whatever is the matter, dear? It’s okay. You’re safe.”
“Not even close.” Another voice broke in. “In fact, I’d say she’s about as unsafe as can be.”
Kasumi looked towards the voice, along with the pink haired girl. A tall woman with long black hair pulled up into a pair of cat’s ear-like odangos stood on the dojo roof, dressed in a pink body suit with a black skirt. An air of menace radiated from her.
“Hello, Rabbit. You’ve lead us on a merry chase, but it ends now. Are you going to come along peacefully, or do I get to kill your friend here?”
The pink haired girl cowered in fright as Kasumi stepped in front of her. “I am Kasumi Tendo, of the Tendo school of Anything Goes Martial Arts. If you seek to harm this girl, you shall have to defeat me!”
“Brave words from a fool. Very well, then. Die!”
A wave of dark fire washed from the raven haired woman’s hand, nearly striking Kasumi as she grabbed up the girl and dodged. She rolled to her feet just in time to see a spinning gold disc strike the woman’s wrist and knock it aside.
“Hey, slime ball! Why don’t you pick on someone who can fight back?”
Everyone’s eyes went to the gaudy, red, white, and blue uniformed figure of Sailor Moon standing on the roof of the walkway. The black haired woman’s eyes narrowed.
“And just who are you supposed to be?”
“I’m the Pretty Sailor-suited Soldier of Love and Justice, Sailor Moon! And for seeking to harm innocents, I shall punish you!”
The woman gave a depreciating laugh. “Do tell. So tell me. Are you FIREPROOF!?!”
Another wave of fire flew towards Usagi, and for a single horrified instant, she simply stood there as the fire streaked closer…
Then a reflex she didn’t even know she had kicked in as she leaped above the swath of flame, performed a flip in mid-air, and landed behind the woman. A further reflex kicked in as she continued the motion of her landing into a roundhouse kick that connected with the woman’s temple, tossing her off the dojo roof into the training yard, where her head hit one of Akane’s cinderblocks and she collapsed, unconscious. Usagi stared at her own foot in amazement for a second before she lost her balance and, waving her arms uselessly, she fell off the roof with a loud squawk, falling towards a rose bush.
She found herself caught by a pair of strong arms, and looked up to see Tuxedo Kamen. He smiled down at her. “I felt you in danger, and I came to help. Very impressive.”
A round of applause came from the side entrance to the main house, and Usagi looked over to see Ranma, the Tendo sisters, Zhu Shu, and Shan Pu all clapping for her.
Zhu Shu smiled as she stepped forward. “Very glad see training not go waste. Perform move quite well. Almost perfect. Knew grace Usagi display when waste time posturing have to show up sometime”
Tuxedo Kamen put her down, and Usagi blushed. “Um… well… It just kinda happened.”
“Is why make train over and over. Body learn. When need, body do.” She looked over the unconscious woman. “Still, lucky woman hit rock. Not hit hard enough to knock out.”
Usagi pouted as Ranma moved to look over the unconscious woman. “Not your usual run of the mill youma. She looks human. Except for this black moon crescent on her forehead.”
“Let’s get her into the dojo, and tied up.” Akane said. “We can at least maybe find out what’s up.”
The move took only a couple of moments and by the time they had gotten her inside, the rest of the Senshi had woken up. Kasumi had also calmed down the pink haired girl, and Usagi had finally introduced her to everyone as Chibi-Usa, her “cousin.” They spent several minutes getting things arranged, Kasumi going back to the house to run interference.
Once they were sure the woman wasn’t going to be going anywhere, Usagi pulled out her scepter and prepared as Zhu Shu waved a smelling salt under the woman’s nose. She coughed and jerked awake.
“So, you are a little luckier than you give the appearance of.” The woman told Usagi, her eyes boring into the blonde girl’s. “And have allies as well. They will not help you.”
“Who are you.” Rei asked.
“I am Cooan, of the Four Phantom Sisters! You are fools to meddle in the affairs of the Black Moon! We will crush you!”
“Why do you want this girl?” Usagi asked. Chibi-Usa peeked around her legs.
“I have answered all the questions I care to, girl. When next we meet, I will not go so easy on you.”
Ami started to cry a warning as the woman flared and vanished in a sparkle of light, Ranma’s hand passing through her fading form with no resistance.
“Damn!” she said. “That was useless!”
Zhu Shu nodded. “Least know name.”
“Cooan, and Black Moon.” Makoto mused. “And four sisters. That’s means there’s at least four of them.”
Usagi turned to Chibi-Usa. “And do you have anything to add?”
The pink haired girl turned wide eyes on her, and shook her head. “All I know is they want to hurt me, and they hurt my mommy!” She started crying, and turned to run into the garden. Usagi started to run after her, but Zhu Shu’s hand stopped her.
“She really not know, Usagi. Aura is fuzzy… confused. She too young to understand what happen.”
“So she doesn’t know who they are?” Rei asked.
Zhu Shu shook her head. “Caught flashes. Tower of crystal, shadowy figures, fear.”
“Sounds like shock.” Ami said. “Poor kid. We know she’s been here at least a week, whatever happened must have been really bad.”
“All I know is she wants the Crystal.” Usagi said. “And she’s somehow made my parents think she’s my cousin.”
Zhu Shu pointed to the door, and they turned just in time to see the cat ball duck to the side. “Think that have more do than girl. Like guardian. Machine. But have aura. Not sure what make of.”
Ami pursed her lips thoughtfully. “A computer maybe? A. I.?”
Zhu Shu looked lost.
“Artificial Intelligence. A computer that thinks on it’s own.”
Zhu Shu blinked. “No understand.” she held up her hand when Ami started to explain. “Not important Zhu Shu understand. Machine with spirit.”
Ami nodded. “Should we go after her?”
Akane shook her head. “I smell Kasumi’s cookies. I have no doubt where she is.”
Mina shrugged. “Well, I guess we just have to wait and see what happens next. So, we going to have class or what?”
Zhu Shu laughed. “Class. And today, even have Zhu Shu teach. Seem first exercises learned well. Show new set to practice.”
The girls all groaned.
* * * * *
“So just who the hell are these new enemies?” Mara asked Urd as they read the report from Phoenixmoon.
“Like I’m supposed to know? I’m the goddess of the past, Mara. According to this, they’re from the future, though I have no idea how they bypassed the gates.”
“Blackmoon bears the hallmarks of Chaos, Goddess Urd. No doubt Chaos provided the means of transport.”
“So why are they after the girl?” Mara asked, flipping through the two pages that were all that Phoenixmoon had given them.
“That is uncertain. DNA suggests more than 99.9999999999999999999 percent likelihood that the pink haired girl is a descendant of Usagi and Mamoru. Highest probability is that she is Usagi’s daughter. I am unable to scan her companion due to temporal interference, but believe the AI is programmed to be a guardian to the child.”
Urd slumped on the keyboard, pulling her hair in frustration. “What is it with this assignment! Every time I turn it gets more complicated!”
Mara stepped over and began rubbing Urd’s shoulders. “It’s okay, hon. We just have to do the best we can.”
Urd growled. “And what if the best we can do isn’t good enough?”
Mara shook her head. “It has to be, Urd. If we really are dealing with a Nexus, then all of reality is depending on us.”
Urd glared at the screen. “I don’t suppose you have anything you’re hiding that you care to share?”
“Mu Si is awake again.” Phoenixmoon noted.
Urd sighed. “Great, how suicidal is he today?”
“Actually, he’s much calmer.”
Urd leaned back to enjoy the back rub as Phoenixmoon opened a hologlobe.
* * * * *
Mu Si was staring at the ceiling, wishing it didn’t feel like she was healing quickly. Her wings no longer burned with pain, and the myriad of cuts the falling glass had made did little more than itch, due, no doubt, to the ministrations of her erstwhile savior.
“Ah, you’re awake, my angel.” came the voice of the girl who had saved her over her objections. Mu Si looked in her general direction, but without her glasses, she was only a blur.
“I should be dead. I want to be dead. Why did you save me?”
The blur set down something on what appeared to be a table. “I could not let such a beautiful angel perish in my garden.”
“I am not an angel. I am a ghost to everyone who matters.”
“You’re certainly solid enough to me.” The blur sat on the edge of the bed and long soft fingers ran down Mu Si’s arm. “And so very lovely. I have sat and watched you in your sleep for hours”
Mu Si reflected on several hazy dreams and wondered if she had done more than simply watch, but she was past caring what the girl may have done with her body. “It matters not, my love has turned her back on me. I am dead. You have saved a worthless life, but as is your due, it is yours to do with as you wish.” Summoning the strength to move, she forced herself to her feet, dropping the sheet to stand naked before the hazy figure of her savior. “Once I was Mu Si, of the Joketsuzoku. Master of hidden weapons. Now, I am dead. Name me as you will. For so long as you decide to force me to exist, I am yours.”
“Mousse? That is a strange name. Why do you seek death so avidly, my angel? You are beautiful, and surely were a gift to me from my goddess to reward my love.”
“The woman who was to be my wife has declared me dead, choosing instead to be with Akane Tendo and Ranma Saotome. I have no reason to live.”
“Akane Tendo? My goddess? Surely you can not be speaking of that purple haired harlot, Shampoo!”
Mu Si gritted her teeth, but sighed. She was dead. Shan Pu was beyond her. Her soul belonged now to this one. “Yes. Shan Pu was Champion of the Joketsuzoku. Since childhood I have sought her hand, striving to ever prove my worth to her. When she was cursed by the waters of Jusenkyo, I sought to find her a cure, and my present state is a result of that quest. I- I sought to restore to her the humanity she loses when touched by cold water, to save her from being turned into a cat, and for this, I was cast out.” It hurt to speak of, yet she had no choice, as uncaring of it’s worth as she was, she stilled owed a life debt.
She could feel the other smile. “A cat, you say? When hit by cold water? How… interesting.”
Mu Si felt her soul chill ever so slightly, and in hopes of freezing it completely, continued…
* * * * *
The hologlobe faded as Urd waved her hand. Mara gave her a raised eyebrow. “Are you sure this was a good idea?”
Urd bit her lip. “I think so. It’s rather obvious he’s extremely depressed, but if I read Yggy’s profile correctly, once he faces the fact that he can’t have Shan Pu, Kodachi’s the best personality match. Give him a bit, and I think he’ll stop being so… so…”
“In shock. Yeah, I guess.” Mara stretched, the extremely low cut bodice she had chosen barely managing to keep itself on, then flashed a smile at Urd. “So, I’m getting tired of this for right now, and you need a break. Wanna go drink sake and shoot pool?”
Urd looked up and blinked, really taking in Mara’s outfit for the first time. It looked like the ex-demoness turned goddess had really gone out of her way to look good… and had apparently ransacked Urd’s closet to do it. “Um… Mara… isn’t that my dress?”
Mara tuned to show off the extremely high cut leg. “Why yes, I do believe it is. Shall I take it off?” she asked teasingly.
Urd swallowed, visualizing Mara carrying out the threat only to have Peorth finally manage to override the privacy screen and…
“No, no, no. Keep it on… It looks good on you. Let’s go. I’ll spot you a ball.”
Mara laughed. “No, I’ll spot you one. Since when have you ever beaten me in pool?”
Urd laughed and followed the other girl out of the Operations Center. They were most of the way back to the house when Urd realized she actually had meant the compliment…
* * * * *
There had been no sign of Cooan by the time school started the next day, so Luna had stayed to watch the girl and promised to call everyone if any problems occurred. Zhu Shu made sure she had her wand with her, but hoped nothing would happen. At least, not till after the rhythmic gymnastics tryouts.
Whether Shan Pu was worried or not, her previous experience had made her wary of the gymnast, and Kodachi’s complete lack of attacks over the last week was unlike her. Zhu Shu was sure she had something planned. She had been far too… secretive since her return from Hong Kong, and that worried her.
The fact that Kodachi had shown up in the company of Valmont and his cronies, technically working for Xi’an Chi, worried her too. She had seen no evidence that Kodachi had been tainted by the sorcerer since her aura was unchanged, without the strangely glowing swirl of blackness she had seen in Mint’s, but her experience was so limited she didn’t trust it entirely. She hoped that Kodachi really was still herself.
The day went by nervously for her, though not for anyone else, and finally last period arrived. At the final bell, she joined the throng of students heading to the gym for the tryout, and the fight between Shan Pu and Kodachi.
* * * * *
Shan Pu looked down at the leotard in disdain. “This not proper warrior garb. Too tight, too thin.”
“It’s a leotard, Shan-kitty. And I know it’s thin, and very form fitting” Akane said. “You look really good in it.”
“It not protect anything!”
“It’s not supposed to. But it’s what gymnasts wear.”
Zhu Shu poked her nose in the dressing room door, her emerald eyes shining. “Sister should not complain. Zhu Shu find outfit tempting. Hentai will drool to death.”
Shan Pu rolled her eyes. “Hentai not touch or hands will Shan Pu break.”
Akane laughed. “Worry about Kodachi. I kinda humiliated her by stripping her naked and whipping her to an orgasm in front of the entire school. No doubt the Hentai Squad is hoping for something similar.”
Shan Pu cracked her knuckles.
There was a knock on the door. Zhu Shu opened it again. She turned back a few seconds later with a box in her hands. “Student deliver. Say gift from supporter for Shan Pu. Say kick Kodachi butt.”
Akane lifted her eyebrow. “A secret admirer? Or just someone who doesn’t like Kodachi?” She walked over to Zhu Shu as she was opening the lid. “Or could it be a…”
A cloud of gas escaped as Akane said “…trap.” It dissipated quickly, but both girls slumped to the floor as Shan Pu jumped towards them. It was already too late, they were both sound asleep, and no amount of shaking would wake them. She picked up the box and caught the small note that fluttered out, puzzling out the kanji for “Best Wishes. K”
She stood back up as a violet aura formed around her and she turned towards the gym. “SHAN PU KILL!!!!”
* * * * *
It had been a forgone conclusion, once Kodachi had announced her intention of trying out for the Rhythmic Gymnastics squad, that she’d be the only entrant. If it weren’t for the challenge to Shan Pu, there wouldn’t even have been a contest. As it was, Kodachi was pacing back and forth across the ring, waiting for Shan Pu.
The crowd had already settled, Ranma and Ukyo saving seats for Zhu Shu and Akane. The red head was watching Kodachi, and frowning. Something about the girl just wasn’t… right. Her hand kept going to a hexagram shaped pendant around her neck, and it seemed every time she touched it, she had to fight to keep from laughing.
Then the doors from the dressing room exploded outwards with a roar and a glowing Shan Pu stalked towards the ring. The umpire swallowed nervously as she stepped into the ring. Shan Pu leaped over the ropes, her eyes boring holes into the gymnast. The umpire stepped between them, looking like she was praying she wasn’t committing suicide.
“Okay, the tryouts are beginning. In this corner, Kodachi Kuno! Former Champion of St. Hebereke’s!”
There was a scattering of applause, but most of it sounded forced. Ranma smirked at the implied unpopularity.
“And in this corner, fiancée to our very own Akane Tendo… SHAN PU!”
There was far more applause this time. Shan Pu didn’t seem to notice, but Ranma looked around, surprised. More than just the Hentai squad was clapping. Many of the girls on the gymnastics team seemed to be rooting for the Amazon to beat the tar out of Kuno’s sister.
In the ring, the Umpire continued. “Now the rules are simple. No bare handed blows! You must defeat your opponent using the weapons of martial gymnastics!”
Kodachi laughed. “So did you enjoy my little present?” she asked. Ranma’s eyes widened, remembering Kodachi’s last fight, and what she’d done to Akane. She nudged Ukyo.
“Sister and Ai Ren sleep.” Shan Pu growled, relieving Ranma a little. “Miss Shan Pu. NOW SHAN PU KILL!!!”
“YOU LET MY GODDESS GET CAUGHT!?! YOU BITCH!!!” Kodachi shivered in outrage.
The umpire dived out of the way as the bell rang and both contestants did flips away from each other. Shan Pu grabbed a pair of clubs as Kodachi landed in her corner laughing as she pulled out her ribbon. As she struck a pose on the corner post, Ranma asked Ukyo to go and make sure the girls were okay.
“For allowing my Goddess to come to harm, I shall slay you!” Kodachi yelled as her ribbon danced. She leaped up for an attack as Shan Pu braced…
Then Kodachi blurred into invisibility as Shan Pu reeled. Kodachi reappeared behind her, laughing. Shan Pu slowly reached up to touch a slash in her leotard, the purple fabric turning black with blood. Ranma stood, almost jumping into the ring, but stopped, remembering her promise to Zhu Shu to respect the Amazon warrior’s right to fight for herself.
Shan Pu growled as she turned and blurred into motion, her chi glow fading slightly as she pushed it into speed.
But Kodachi faded again right as Shan Pu’s club would have crushed her skull. Shan Pu was tossed across the ring into the ropes, and Kodachi reappeared. She laughed as she pulled the ribbon between her fingers, blood trickling from the cloth. Shan Pu stood, another cut across her abdomen dripping. Kodachi smiled grimly as Ranma’s teeth gritted.
“You cannot fight what moves too fast for you to see. So long as I possess the Rabbit Talisman, you stand no chance!”
Ranma’s eyes were drawn to the octagonal medallion that Kodachi had been fondling, noting the faint glow, her eyes narrowing. Kodachi had somehow acquired a magical item, and however much Ranma viewed it as cheating, it wasn’t against the rules in this match. Her hands clenched in frustration.
Shan Pu just nodded as her chi aura brightened. “Then Shan Pu must move faster.”
Ranma shifted her focus as Shan Pu blurred once again, the world slowing around her as Shan Pu attacked. The Amazon’s clubs once more dove towards Kodachi, Shan Pu choosing a two prong attack to come at the gymnast from both sides.
Then Ranma blinked as the medallion glowed… and Kodachi vanished again. Even with her shifted time perceptions, Kodachi was moving too fast to see.
Shan Pu just barely managed to grab the rope to keep from flying out of the ring as she was once more impacted in the chest by a massive force. Ranma watched as she forced herself to ignore the pain and used the rope to bounce back in Kodachi’s direction, catching the laughing girl in the small of the back as she was just starting to turn. The gymnast flew across the ring to impact face first with the turnbuckle.
“YES!” Ranma cheered.
Kodachi shakily got to her feet and wiped the blood from her mouth. “You will pay for that demon! You and that other Chinese girl! You have tried to take my goddess away! Make her love YOU instead of ME, her devoted SLAVE!”
“Akane is Shan Pu Ai Ren. Is warrior. Crazy gymnast girl have cheat to stand against Shan Pu! Akane conquer like true Amazon! Shan Pu not waste spit on crazy girl!”
She blurred again, this time into the air. Kodachi tracked her, and as Shan Pu descended, she vanished again. Shan Pu wrenched violently in mid air, blood spraying from a cut in her arm as a razor hoop sliced into the ceiling. She landed and rolled, launching a kick into nothingness.
Kodachi faded into visibility as she flew into the ropes and was dumped to the mat. She rolled barely in time to avoid the hammer blow of Shan Pu’s club as it slashed down and through the canvas. She came up in the center of the mat, but slipped, catching herself as her foot slid in a puddle of water.
Ranma’s eyes instinctively went up, to where the hoop had buried itself in the ceiling. Water dribbled down the hoop, and dripped to the floor. Even as she watched, she could tell it was increasing. She watched in growing horror, knowing there was only one way this could end. She stared at the falling drops, the sounds of cats howling starting in the back of her brain
She wrenched her eyes back down as Shan Pu managed to catch Kodachi in mid disappearance again, her foot darting out as she fell to the mat. Kodachi reappeared in mid air, managing to back flip and land on the post instead of crashing into it again.
“You are lucky, wench. I’ll give you that. But my angel has revealed your weakness!”
Kodachi’s ribbon lashed out to wrap around the hoop in the ceiling, and with a wrench, she pulled it free. The entire auditorium watched as the ceiling groaned, then with shudder, a stream of water began to pour down. Shan Pu jumped back, doing a flip to land on one of the ropes. Kodachi laughed.
“Here’s your dilemma, bitch. Do you stay dry, and let me beat you to death slowly, or do we end it quickly?”
Shan Pu wiped a small trickle of blood from her mouth, and smiled. “Shan Pu not know how give up, pervert girl. She do know how to kill.”
There was a blur of violet as Shan Pu pulled her own vanishing act. Kodachi staggered as her leotard shredded, blood flying as slash marks appeared. Shan Pu reappeared on the pole behind her, her ribbon dripping it’s own blood now as she gasped for breath. Ranma let out a breath in relief that she had escaped the water…
Kodachi looked down at her shredded leotard in contempt. “Do you think destroying my clothes means anything to me anymore?” She laughed as she pulled the torn cloth free and tossed it to the crowd. “My goddess displayed me to the world as she claimed me! Let the world gaze and despair!”
Shan Pu glared at the naked girl. “Akane display Shan Pu too, and she give Shan Pu collar! Akane belong Shan Pu!”
Kodachi fixed her with a glare, her eyes locking on the collar. Sheer raw fury burned behind her eyes. “You lie! My goddess would never choose you over me!”
Shan Pu smirked. “It say Shan Kitty. Property of Akane Tendo.”
Kodachi shook in fury. “Then I shall kill you, and my goddess will know who truly loves her!” She stepped down on the soaked floor of the ring and into the falling stream, eliciting murmurs of approval from the hentai as the water ran down her naked body. “Feel the fury of my Rain Dance!”
Kodachi blurred again as the falling water shattered into a spray expanding in all directions. Shan Pu started to dodge, but all around the ring, the fire sprinklers exploded as Kodachi’s ribbon sliced through them, and even as she sought to hide behind one of the columns, water began raining down from above.
Ranma tried to move towards the stage, tried to shield Shan Pu… to keep her dry, but the memory of Shan Pu sitting on her, the sounds of her meowing, the sounds of hissing… claws… sharp teeth gnawing… glowing eyes in the dark as the demons descended… and screaming… screaming in the dark as she was ripped at…
Overwhelmed by the memories and the fear, Ranma stared as Shan Pu melted down into the pink and purple kitten, panic chittering in her brain as her instinct to protect the helpless and her fear of cats warred within her mind
Kodachi stopped spinning to the sound of an enraged yowl from Shan Pu as she clawed her way to the top of the post, soaking wet and annoyed at the falling water. Kodachi laughed again. “And so you are revealed as the beast you are! Cower before me, and I shall spare your life!”
Shan Pu hissed in rage as she launched herself claws first at Kodachi, landing on the laughing girl’s face and digging in . Kodachi howled as she ripped Shan Pu free, blood pouring from scratches on both cheeks. With her hands around the struggling cat’s neck, she started to slam the cat towards the mat, intent on shattering her spine. Time seemed to slow as every eye watched Kodachi raise the helpless kitten, intending to bring her down with bone shattering force.
Time slowed… to molasses… to jelly… to ice… Ranma’s eyes locked on the struggling form in Kodachi’s hands. The cats howled in frenzy, threatening to strip her humanity away once more, to rip and claw and tear away the mask to reveal her own inner demon, the demon that laughed in glee at the impending death of the cat…
But over the roar of the cats, there was a single quiet sound…
The sound of a rabbit screaming as a black clad warrior broke her back.
As Shan Pu rose, the scream of the rabbit grew louder. The cat’s roared in renewed frenzy, but no matter how loud they grew, the noise of the rabbit echoed and re-echoed, gaining strength and drowning out the roar, forcing Ranma to remember…
Twelve warriors… Twelve warriors that had died as rabbits… twelve women who had been slain because they were helpless. And the one woman who she had been too slow to save…
Too slow to save…
The rabbit’s scream shook her soul as Shan Pu started to descend…
And she remembered her silent vow as she had stood by the dais, watching as the Amazon she had failed to save had been laid with full honor next to her sisters.
A simple vow.
Never again…
And as time resumed its inexorable flow, at last, the cats were silent…
Kodachi found her hands gripped by iron as she was held immobile. Her eyes rose to meet Ranma’s cold stare.
Shan Pu’s eyes were fixed on Ranma as well, but the red head showed absolutely no signs of panic, just controlled fury.
“Enough, Kodachi. It was bad enough when you chased after me, and bad enough when you chased after Akane, but now you’ve crossed the line. Let her go.”
Kodachi struggled to free herself. “Stay out of this! I will not allow this tramp to sully my goddess!”
“That’s not for you to decide, Kodachi. Akane doesn’t love you. She does love Shan Pu, and she loves me! I’m tired of both you and Kuno trying to force yourselves on us! I am sick and tired of you chasing Akane! And I sure as hell am fed up with you trying to hurt Shan Pu! NOW LET HER GO!”
Kodachi let out a howl of pain as Ranma’s hands tightened. Her hands convulsed, releasing Shan Pu. She staggered back as Ranma’ grip let go, and rubbed her wrists.
“HOW DARE YOU! I will not allow this transgression to go unpunished! Feel the Fury of the Black Rose!”
Kodachi blurred, and everyone held their breath as they expected Ranma to stagger from the girl’s attack, but instead, Kodachi let out a yelp as she reappeared in mid-air, outside the ring and flailing wildly as she spun out of control into the crowd, crashing amid a group of hentai who let out a cheer as they descended.
Ranma, still standing in the ring, apparently not having moved, lifted her hand and opened it to look at the octagonal medallion, the chain that had held it around Kodachi’s neck dangling broken, then closed her fist again as she shoved it into her pocket. She turned to look at Shan Pu, who was setting on her haunches and staring up at her in wonder.
“I’m sorry I’m an idiot, Shan Pu.”
Shan Pu let out a tentative meow, half afraid Ranma would bolt again and leave her alone in the falling water, but the red head just gave her a half smile.
And leaned down to pick her up.
Shan Pu found herself being held gently in Ranma’s arms as her Ai Ren carried her out of the ring and away from the chaotic noise of the crowd as Kodachi fought herself free of the hentai. She scarcely dared to even breathe as she was carried back to the dressing room, to find Ukyo and Zhu Shu helping Akane to sit up. The three girls looked up as Ranma entered, and stared, their jaws dropping simultaneously.
Ranma raised an eyebrow at them as her free hand began scratching Shan Pu’s ears, hitting the itch that had developed under the wet fur.
“What?”
As Shan Pu started purring in ecstasy, Akane and Zhu Shu passed out again.
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