Ikari wondered why they didn't attack. They had both she and Hanasu at a disadvantage, both in numbers and in weapons. Well, she wouldn't say much about their skill, but they'd obviously done something to the crew, who were good fighters in their own right. The head demon in front of her growled a low, wet growl that seemed to shake her heart. She breathed faster and glanced over to Hanasu as the young blonde began to heave slightly. Ikari knew that the growl would probably increase her nausea and she couldn't protect a girl who couldn't even protect herself.

The two demons at the top of the stairs almost giggled in glee, the chittering noise spilling from the fishy throats in response to whatever the leader had said. Ikari looked back at the leader and raised her cutlass to try and get them to back off. The fish king backed off slightly, but more as a precautionary measure than in response to threat. They were going to attack and Ikari knew that she and Hanasu were going to die.

A strangled chortle rolled down from the two at the top of the stairs and Ikari jumped as a huge black form bowled down the stairs past her. It was one of the demons from the top. Ikari shot a look to Hanasu, who was looking at the top half of a demon that lay between them. Her glance met Ikari's and both nodded. They turned and bolted up the stairs. There were barks and yells behind them as they burst from the stairs, which spurred them on.

The other demon at the head of the stairs turned back to his original prey and was shocked by the heavy blade as it thrusted into his face, throwing him bodily down the stairs. Ikari watched and smiled as her aim threw the one critter into the others coming up the stairs. It did little to slow them, however and Ikari pulled Hanasu behind her. Demons were coming up from the other hold, the one down which they had carried their cargo back at the Kellenel docks. Ikari thought that it was probably the cause of this magic, but she wasn't sure.

Hanasu and Ikari turned around each other in a tight circle as more of the creatures spilled out onto the decks. A loud humming arose around them and the creatures hesitated slightly. Ikari took the opportunity and cleaved the creature nearby in the head with the heavy blade. She huffed and backed into Hanasu again as the creature just backed away, hissing, mumbling, and just plainly pissed off.

Then it occurred to Ikari. It was getting lighter. The fog began to lift around the ship as they seemed to come out of it. The humming got louder, then deafening as Ikari saw another ship approaching to one side. It was a sleek design, a long red front part with a rather stubby, upturned back part. Something turned on the deck and there was a huge flashed that rocked the ship. Hanasu yelped and Ikari lost her grip on the cutlass as they were both thrown to the deck from the shock of the explosion. Ikari looked up and watched as another blast of heat ripped through the planks at the other edge of the ship, taking the deck and several of the demons with it into thin air.

The head demon raised his head and barked three short yelps into the air. Ikari supposed that he called a retreat as they splashed overboard into the deep blue sea. Ikari tried to regain her feet as the other ship slowed to a crawl along side hers. She picked up the cutlass and walked to the edge. Ikari could see that the front of the ship was dominated by a pair of huge barrels on swivels that were pointed towards the ship.

The top of the hatch opened on the back part of the other ship. A woman with a tight bun of auburn hair stuck her head out and looked at Ikari. There was silence for a couple minutes, as she seemed to be waiting for something.

"Ahoy!" she yelled to Ikari, "How many men do you have on your ship?"

What a question to ask at a time like this? But they did save their lives. Ikari idly wondered if they woman's next question would be concerning marriage...

"Well, this really isn't-" Hanasu began beside her.

"How many men?" This hadn't been a question Ikari thought could be shouted, but the woman succeeded.

"We're just passengers," Ikari shouted back, not wanting those barrels to start taking apart the ship again.

The woman on the other ship thought for a moment, then answered.

"Well, then get on board," she yelled as other women began to appear on the ships' small deck, "We need to sink the ship."

"Wait a minute!" Hanasu yelled.

She turned to Ikari, "What about our cases?"

Ikari thought for a minute.

"Okay, you said your family has some clout, here's a chance to show it," she said to Hanasu, "Get them to get our cases on board and I'll get Rei."

"Right," Hanasu said brightly.

Ikari shook her head as she watched the blonde approach the boarding women, who were about three times her size. Ikari turned and headed for the shiphouse, silently hoping that she wouldn't have to heal Hanasu when she got back.

Ikari opened the door to the shiphouse and had to step back as a wave of nausea hit her stomach again, but this time from the horrific smell that wafted down around her. She removed the sash from around her waist, a colorful gift from one of the sailors and wrapped it around her head to ward against the stench. She grabbed the handrail and made her way up, stepping over the remains of a sailor on the stairs that looked eviscerated, blood pooling in little black shields on the stairway.

At the top of the stairs, the door had been busted open and one sailor, covered in blood, was lying on top. Ikari recognized it as the First Mate, Van she thought his name was, the one who was interested in Rei. The same guy who had shown her around the day before. Ikari looked around the room, but couldn't make out any of the other sailors as there wasn't much left of them to make out. Bits were scattered here and there. Bits were hanging off the equipment. Swords and clothes were strewn everywhere. Ikari swallowed hard and made her way further into the room, but stopped as her foot kicked something.

She jumped back and almost slipped in the blood as she recognized one of the demons that had attacked her and Hanasu. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could see that remains of several demons scattered across the room, and another form, along the far wall near a glowing panel. Ikari checked the tightness of the sash around her face and went to Rei, who was face down in the ichor. Ikari carefully reached a hand down and extended into Rei at the base of her neck and felt around. Sure enough, her immortality had taken hold and was working it's magic. Rei would be fine, but Ikari needed to get her out of here. Gathering her up, Ikari idly wondered how the hells blood could get on the ceiling. Just one more thing to ask Rei when she awoke. Ikari hoped that Rei wouldn't take so long to wake up this time.

Ikari slowly made her way out and down the stairs. She blinked hard against the light as she threw open the door out. She began to blubber as her eyes adjusted to the sight before her.

"What the Hells?" she muttered.

Several of the huge women were coming out of the passenger hold with their cases as Hanasu looked on, seemingly directing them to put what where. One of the huge women stopped to ask Hanasu something and Ikari saw the dichotomy in stark contrast as this woman looked down, and she meant down, on Hanasu. Ikari shook her head; they'd probably be looking down on her too from the size of them. Ikari gathered herself under Rei and made her way over to them. The woman with the tight auburn bun came aboard as Ikari came up.

"What wrong with her?" she pointed at Rei.

"Hm? Oh, this is Rei," Ikari answered, "She's just a little dead at the moment. She'll be fine. Are we ready?"

"Yeah, that's the last of them," Hanasu answered, following the huge women and their leader on board their ship.

Ikari gave Rei to one of the huge women and was amazed at how gentle she was with her.

"Don't worry, we'll clean her up and make her comfortable for the remaining trip to Akamerajh."

Ikari could just nod in amazement as the huge woman stalked away. Her voice had been almost musically high and quite startling coming out of someone that size. Ikari shook her head again; this was just not her day.

The ship began to pull away and shifted into gear as they swung forward and around the other ship, which was now beginning to drift in the oceans' current. Ikari watched as the huge barrels at the front of the ship swiveled in unison on their former transport.

"You see, it's quite a problem this time of year really," the leader said behind her, "The Singing Fog comes out of the Middle Passage Trench twice a year and it really makes passage between the four continents quite difficult. Kellenel, Ullenel and Akamerajh all have ships that patrol the area once the fog is sighted, but we can't be everywhere."

"What is this Singing Fog? I've never heard of it," Ikari asked.

The guns opened up in silent harmony. The ship rocked slightly backward under the pressure wave, but no sound issued as the light bolts sped toward the derelict ship. They slammed into the side and chewed more holes into it.

"Well, nobody is really quite sure what it is," she said, "What it does is transmute every male creature, human and animal that goes inside the fog into a deep demon, who live along the bottom of the Trench. Nasty buggers. Can only be killed through magical means. Well, magical and high energy."

The woman pointed out to the ship as another section was blown into vapors.

"You see," she continued among the silence, "If the men transmute on a ship, then the ship becomes 'infected', as such and if it makes port, then any man touching it will transmute and it just spreads like a plague. Only women are immune somehow."

Ikari looked around, but saw no Hanasu. She began to ask where she was, but the woman anticipated her question.

"Your blonde friend is in Sick Bay, resting," she smiled and laid a friendly hand on Ikari's shoulder, "She's not very sea worthy."

Ikari let out a breath and leaned on the side of the ship. It had been a long day.

"It looks like you could use a rest as well. The accommodations are rather spartan, but we'll share what we have," the woman said, "We're still a couple days from Akamerajh, which is our next port. Your friend said that was where you were going anyway, so it'd be no problem to take you."

"Thanks," Ikari smiled and the woman.

Ikari looked back at the ship as the shaking stopped. The last of the front of the ship could be seen as it finally dipped to the bottom of the ocean.

***

Tama lapped up the water from the trough in front of him. It had been a while since he had been on a regular hitch and was acting like he was some kind of prince or something. Tekido knew the feeling. It was almost two years since there had been a girl that he had liked, and what's more is that it was even longer since he could actually be with one. Sure he was a virgin, but that only meant that he hadn't had sex yet. He wasn't a fool or naïve enough to not know about THAT. He shook his head and twisted the reins around the post, noting that Tama gave him a contented snort. He scratched the black horse along the neck and looked past him to Ijisai, who had finished tying the other pair off.

Ijisai looked up from her work and raised an eyebrow at him. He smiled and she dropped her gaze again, probably to keep from blasting him. Tekido sighed. He wasn't that bad of a guy, was he? Mikan thought he was nice enough to kiss, which she had. He liked that. He liked Mikan, but it felt different this time. Tekido couldn't put a finger on it, but he thought that it felt stronger, deeper than anything he'd felt before. There was some wanting, of course. Mikan was one of the most beautiful girls-no, women, he'd ever seen. No, this was more than wanting.

"Are you going to take all day with that horse of yours?" a voice came from behind him.

He stopped being surprised that Ijisai could sneak up on him a long time ago. It saved the adrenaline for when he needed it.

"If you don't take proper care of the horses, they'll never last," he said, loosing the loops on the saddle, "Horses, like people, need an occasional rest from their burdens, else they get too heavy."

He picked the saddle from Tama, who shivered at the release of weight. He set the saddle on the hitching post and fetched out a brush from his saddlebag. He smirked at Ijisai and began to brush Tama, who snorted happily at the attention. He thought for a minute in the silence and looked back to make sure she was still there. She was, her arms folded across her chest.

"You have something ta say," which was more of a statement, "Why don't ya just come out and say it."

He heard her rummaging through his saddlebags and might have protested, if she hadn't brought out the second brush. She went to the other side of the horse and began to brush. Tekido cocked his head to one side and smiled in a way he had picked up from Mikan. Ijisai just looked irritated. She stopped brushing and closed her eyes for a second before she spoke.

"I can't talk you out of a relationship with Mikan, can I?"

"Nope," Tekido replied happily.

Ijisai huffed and continued to brush Tama.

"What do you like about her?"

That was an unexpected question. Tekido thought for a second and shrugged.

"She's quite pretty," he began, "And she's strong."

"Aren't you worried that, without proper training, she might blow you away?" Ijisai asked.

"Yeah, there's always that possibility," he said, "But for her, I'm willing to take that chance."

He felt like he really would too, which almost surprised him. He stopped brushing and thought about her. Would he really give himself to save her, if it came to that? He didn't know, but he had the feeling that he probably would, which may have explained the deepness of feelings for her. He smiled a goofy smile and received a brush to the face as Ijisai threw up her hands in disgust and stomped off. Tekido smirked and brushed himself off. He followed Ijisai out of the stables and down the street to a small café nearby, where Mikan and Esu were enjoying the fresh seafood. Ijisai shot a look back to Tekido as she sat on the other side of Mikan. He nodded and took up position at the fourth seat.

Esu really seemed to be enjoying the little shellfish, whatever they were. Tekido couldn't quite get into those things, too slimy for his tastes. Kind of like eating the little bromalids that inhabited the lower caves back home. They left slime trails for gods sake, but some people hunted them and some of the money the Riders brought in was from the honest sale of those little buggers.

"Well, we should make good time to Akamerajh from here on out," Esu said, swallowing another critter, "But Cunec is a good place to rest up for tonight. I've arranged a hotel for us. Ijisai and Mikan will share a room. Tekido, you're rooming with me."

Ijisai shot a concerned look to Esu, who smirked and quickly hid it again, which meant that she had something in mind. Ijisai nodded, ordered her own plate to critters and took a sip of water that the waiter had set in front of her. Tekido began to feel the heat of the coast swirling around him at the prospect of spending a night...Alone...With either Ijisai or Esu.

"Uh, I'll just sleep in the stables with Tama," he sputtered, "If that's all the same to you."

"Actually, it isn't the same to me," Esu said, "What? Aren't I good enough to share a room with you? Or is it that you just like red heads?"

Tekido threw up his hand to protest, but realized that she was actually right. He DID prefer red heads. He blushed slightly and waved off the waiter, who was delivering Ijisai's order. Mikan waved off anymore and happily sipped at her blue drink. She thought it was hilarious the way that Tekido was sweating about all this. He was just so damned cute. Esu laughed throatily.

"I'm teasing you Tekido," she said, wiping her hands of critter juice, "But, if you're to be respectable enough to court Mikan, then you have to begin to act like it. Understand?"

He began to protest again, but realized that he was outnumbered in this argument. Even Mikan seemed to agree.

Ah well, he thought as he nodded, It could have been worse.

***

Complete blackness. It was much the same with death and dying. Well, as much as Rei knew. The water roiled as Rei watched it, the depth of the water stretching endlessly below her. It had been a couple of days since she last died. Rei had woke up on a gently bouncing ship and her first thought was that she was still surrounded by those demons, being still on a ship. But a quick survey told her that she'd been saved somehow. She slept a little longer, clearing out the rest of the death out of her system. She got up and found that the trunk that Hanasu had bought her in Kellenel had been delivered to the room in which she awoke. She reached out to one of the support beams along the wall. Metal. Only military ships and House flagships were made of metal. Certain carriers were metal as well, but it was just too expensive to repair and keep them in the long run.

Rei looked ahead of the ship to the glittering city in the distance. They were still about a day out of Akamerajh, but Rei could make out the lights in the distance. A beacon in the blackness, a singular light of hope against the darkness of night. So many things she could have said about Akamerajh, but she just enjoyed standing on the deck, the salt spray kissing her face lightly. There was a sound behind her, but Rei kept her eyes closed. She knew that it was Hanasu. The blonde had something to say, but trepidation in saying it.

"Uh, Rei," she began, "I was wondering if you could help me contact my family when we get to Akamerajh. They couldn't contact them from Kellenel, but I'd like to try again. I owe you and Ikari so much. Ranma too, and..."

"And you want to see this whole thing through."

"Yeah," Hanasu said, "And if my family's wealth can help us, then I'd like to bring it to the table."

"Do you know that's probably the nicest thing you've ever said to me?" Rei asked.

"I'm trying, Rei," Hanasu huffed at her, "You're not too easy to talk to, you know? But, I mean, can I come along?"

Rei laughed lightly. It struck her humorous hearing this little rich girl asking for anything.

"Well, it's Ranma that we're going to Akamerajh to find and she..." Rei shook her head, "He does have a certain affinity for you. I guess because you look like his wife and all."

Rei turned to the blonde, Hanasu's face glowing from the surrounding starlight.

"You're welcome to stay. I am along to help Ranma fulfill his destiny, whatever grandfather meant by that. Ikari is along because she feels kind of responsible for Ranma," Rei folded her arms around her, "You have to find your own reasons."

Hanasu smiled and nodded in affirmation. She watched as Rei turned to the side of the ship again and was going to ask what Rei wanted to say, but thought better of it. Hanasu found that Rei would talk when Rei wanted to talk, but still, in the starlight, her silence spoke volumes.

***

The room was pretty spacious. Two beds. Tekido thanked some various gods for that. He laid down on the bed and it felt so good, he had fallen asleep. It kind of embarrassed him that the feeling of a soft bed under him could lull him to sleep, to think that he was soft enough to allow it to do that. He would have shaken his head, but he was asleep.

And it felt good too.

It was dark when he woke up. It startled him to wake up in a strange place that had a ceiling. That normally meant he'd been arrested for something. He regained himself as he felt the wind blow in from the open window. It still held the smell of salt from the sea. Cunec. Memories came back. He was rooming with Esu. The gentle sound of rain came to his ears, probably a summer storm that had rolled in with the prevailing winds. Good thing about Cappin. He taught every able bodied man how to sail and all about the sea.

Tekido frowned. The smell coming in from the window wasn't one that held the smell of rain. Too much salt. Then, was it raining? Tekido pulled himself off the bed and went to the window. The candles flickered as he pulled the curtain aside. He looked back to the candles. He hadn't noticed them before, but he supposed that, if they went out, he'd just relight them.

The light from Big Brother met his eyes and Tekido smiled. It shone off the edge of the sea, where it met the harbor. But there were no clouds. The sound of rain still held attention in his ears. Now that he was somewhat awake, he could tell that the sound wasn't coming from outside the window. Tekido turned and noticed that there were two doors. One had a couple locks on it, which he assumed was the door into the hall. The other door was oddly bare.

"The bathroom," he muttered to himself, "Rain? In the bathroom?"

Some things still fogged his mind. He knew that it took a while before he was fully awake. He knew that he hadn't eaten in a while, which meant that his mind was partially clouded by hunger.

"Esu?" he called out.

No answer. Maybe she didn't hear? He'd try it again.

"Esu-san?"

Still no answer. Well, there was only one thing to do. Open the door and look inside. He had to find out where Esu was; too bad there wasn't a timepiece nearby as it might have been time for dinner. Tekido didn't know. But just in case she was in there...He approached the door and knocked. His knuckles resounded in the room, but there was no sound, beyond the continuous rain, from the other side.

"Okay, so she's not in there," he said, turning the knob.

The sight that greeted him was one that he never thought he'd have the chance to see. But then, it was one that very few men had ever had the chance to see. Esu looked back at him, one foot in the bathtub, her hand on the water spigot. He lowered his eyes and slowly shut the door. Visions of hideous deaths suddenly popped into his mind. Esu rammed her staff where he didn't want her to ram it. Esu letting Ijisai do odd things, warping bits of him off to who knows where.

She did look great though...Tekido shook his head. Those thoughts would only get him killed.

"Uh, Esu-san?" he shouted through the door, "I'm sorry, but I called out and you didn't answer. Uh, I didn't see anything, so you don't have to kill-"

"Tekido," she said, "You don't have to yell."

"Sorry," he stammered, "I-uh...I'm sorry, I was a little disoriented and-"

"Tekido, you're blubbering."

"Yes ma'am, I am."

He could hear as her light laugh came to him. She didn't sound angry.

"You can come in now," she said.

"Uh, I'd rather not," he replied to the door, "Seeing as how you're in the bath and-"

"Tekido, get in here."

He turned the knob again, this time even more slowly. The door opened easily and he could see her in the tub, her arms folded under her head. Her staff was clasped against her in her right hand and she wore an odd smile on her lips. Tekido swallowed visibly and she set her staff on the ground next to the tub. A small, wooden stool slid itself across the room as she turned to her back in the tub.

"Sit," she said, "I have a couple of things I want to talk about with you."

Tekido obediently sat on the stool, trying to pull it away from the tub. He noticed that that tub was filled with bubble bath, which kind of explained the rain sound. The bubble mix was one that the female Riders liked back home, though they had little opportunity to enjoy it. They even fought over the mixes on which they were able to get their hands. They said it made their skin soft, however that helped. Esu leaned forward in the tub, exposing her bare back to him. He gulped slightly at the sight of her glistening skin in the wane candlelight. She fished out something from in the tub and reached it behind her. It was a smallish brush.

"Scrub my back while we talk."

"Esu-san, I shouldn't even be in here..." he stammered, taking the brush anyway, "What would Mikan think if-"

"She's a good girl, whom I doubt has even been kissed yet," he was silent at this, "She wouldn't think anything of it. Now scrub."

Tekido sighed and shook his head. He dipped the brush in the bath water and began to scrub her back.

"Much better," she sighed, "Now, I do assume you want to court Mikan?"

Silence answered her.

"Yes?"

"Yeah," he said softly, "But I don't know how she feels about me, I mean really feels. She seems to like me and all, but really. I don't know."

He was holding something back, but Esu didn't know what it was. Kind of the same way that Ranma held something back when they began to talk about his past. This was about Mikan though, Esu thought she had to gamble a little to get the truth out of him.

"She definitely likes you," she said, "Anyone can see that."

"But I mean-"

"More than a friend," she continued, trying to gauge him, "Why don't you ask her?"

"Can't," he said quickly, "I'm too shy around women."

"Oh?" she said, half turning, "So I don't qualify as a woman?!"

Tekido laughed and shook his head.

"Yeah, you do," he chuckled, "It's just..."

"Just what?"

"I don't want to say it because you'd probably kill me."

"Good boy, you're learning," she said, guessing what he would have said, "Okay, you're shy. Do you want me to find out for you?"

"Yes. No."

"Ah. Scrub harder," she said, leaning into him, "Now listen, Mikan is from an islandnation House in the seas south of Ullenel. Or east, I don't think she's ever said really. But anyway, she's probably used to certain luxuries, no matter how small their House was."

"But, I can't treat her like she needs to be treated," he stammered, "I barely have enough money to live on my own. I'm only on this trip because you've been very generous-"

"You're blubbering again Tekido, shut up," she said, "Monetary gifts are nice and every girl I know loves to receive them, but there are other ways to treat her like a princess."

Tekido thought on this as he worked on Esu's shoulders. He noticed that her muscles had the look of someone who trained their muscles for many years on end. She was certainly no slouch. Tekido began to wonder idly if the rest of her was this fit. He cut off that line of thought before she cut something else off.

"Like how?" he asked.

"Like, I've noticed that you are versed in a great many things," she continued, "You ride, you're fairly good in a fight, you know how to take care of yourself out in the open and such."

"Yeah...So?"

"Teach her. She's an eager student at whatever she's learning," Esu said, "She'll quickly pick up on whatever you can give her and she'll most likely be happy to learn. Especially from you."

"But," he said, thinking of Ijisai, "Won't that interfere in the studies with her powers?"

"No, it'll probably help because her studies are getting harder and I don't want her to get discouraged because of them."

"So make it fun?" he asked.

Esu smiled wickedly. She leaned back as he stopped scrubbing. She smiled wickedly again as he noticed that the bubble mix hadn't been all that strong, revealing more than he had seen the first time.

"Fun as I'm sure you can," she purred.

She laughed lightly as his face flushed with blood. He got up awkwardly and walked quickly from the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Thank you Tekido. That felt wonderful," she giggled, "Yup. I still got it..."

She hummed a little tune as the water changed itself around her.

***

It was dark in the room across the hall. Mikan and Ijisai had retired half an hour earlier and talked for the entire time.

"Haven't you ever liked a man?" Mikan asked.

"Well, of course," Ijisai answered, "But he was special."

"Okay, what made him special?"

"He had talent. He was handsome and talented. And then there were his muscles..."

"Uh, is that all?" Mikan asked.

"Huh? Oh," Ijisai was glad the room was dark enough to hide her blush, "His name was Gasei Nohi. I met him about three months after we originally met Ranma. You see, Ranma had brought with him...Uh, her at the time, the Ijutsu Hoshi. So when we brought it back to the nunnery, which at that time was little more than a collection of wooden houses against the cold, we all decided that we needed better protection against the elements and anything else. Well, that spring was the first of the Namagoroshi attacks. That kind of sealed the decision."

"Ranma had taken off a month before to Akamerajh to get builders and the like to help us and Esu had gone with him," Ijisai continued, "One of the builders he brought back also was a painter. Gasei. He didn't want any payment. All he wanted was to paint the chapel windows and the windows in the main dining hall-"

"You mean all those beautiful scenes?" Mikan asked.

"Yes, he was quite the artist," Ijisai said proudly, "His first work was the little window above the central altar in the chapel. Esu thought it was heretical for artwork to be in the chapel, but it was Ranma that urged her at least to let him try. And try he did and succeed he did. He heard all of Esu's stories and painted from her stories the legacy of the gods and the sisterhood."

"I know that the gods are displayed in the chapel," Mikan asked, "But what are the ones in the dining hall?"

"Well, those are of the sisterhood itself," Ijisai answered, "The window in the chapel was a smaller, condensed version, which he expanded on in the dining hall. But you're right, the gods are all the side windows in the chapel while the history of the sisterhood is in the dining hall."

"He was quite the artist," Mikan said, remembering the wonderful paintings.

"And he was quite the man too. I quickly fell in love with him, but then I was his only helper during the whole time, so we spent nearly all the time together anyway," Ijisai's voice grew softer, "When he finished the dining hall, he asked me to marry him."

"Ijisai!? Why didn't you ever say anything about it? That's pretty important!" Mikan whispered.

"I couldn't tell anyone Mikan! What would Esu have said? I know what she would have said," Ijisai sputtered, "She would have told me to go marry him, that's what! I wasn't ready. He was stubborn though, even more so that Ranma. He stayed around until Ranma left, courting me the whole time. You see, it wasn't just his talents that made him so attractive to me, he was also the most pious man I knew. I thought that I could do well quoting from the ancient scrolls, but he absolutely memorized all of them! He could quote passage and verse better than any sister!"

"Wait a minute, Ijisai," Mikan broke in, "He courted you?"

"Yeah," she laughed, "He would take me higher into the hills on little hiking forays that were little more than an excuse to be with me. We would have lunch up there and...Other things..."

"I-JI-Sai!?"

"What?" she asked, laughing, "Esu was the one that told me that he was perfect for me. I was only acting as appropriate to the manner of our hearts. If the scrolls taught us anything as women, it was that Eiryo never discounted her emotions when reacting to Idaiou, even if they were rash. And if the gods couldn't discount them, then neither could we."

"How old were you?" Mikan wondered.

"About sixteen, I think," she replied, "It was a year or two ago. It seems like a lifetime. I've never regretted staying with the Sisterhood, Mikan."

Silence filled the room. Ijisai thought that Mikan had finally settled down into sleep, it had been a nice day, after all, not much stress. Well, except from Tekido, but then that was expected.

"Ijisai?" Mikan asked, "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Of course," she replied, "I'm bound by the Sisterhood not to reveal secrets. It's a covenant."

More silence followed. Ijisai wondered if she had scared her.

"Mikan?" she asked.

"I kissed Tekido."

Something wrong crept into that statement and began to bug Ijisai in a way that she couldn't describe. She shook her head, trying to dislodge something that wouldn't dislodge.

"You WHAT?!" Ijisai barked.

"It was good..." Mikan replied softly.

"Mikan! He's a Rider!" Ijisai gagged at the thought, "You don't know where those lips've been!"

"He was so soft..."

"Or who they've been on?!"

"He blushed when I did it."

"Oh great!" Ijisai threw her hands above her head, "The first step in molesting you..."

"I want to kiss him again, but he's so shy."

"He probably hasn't bathed since before you got to the nunnery!"

"I like his horse, Tama, too."

"He's probably got fleas."

"His horse?"

"No! Him!"

"I wonder if this is love?" Mikan muttered as she rolled over.

Ijisai growled to herself as she rolled over. Her dreams that night were haunted by visions of Mikan subservient to some fat, stinky, Rider heathen who whored away his nights and neglected his poor wife. She didn't get much sleep.

***

The islands were beautiful. Sparkling gems in the Middle Sea that stood out against the crystal blue sky. Ikari breathed in the salt air. It felt like a good day. Sure as hells couldn't be worse than the day before. They were a couple hours out of Akamerajh and Ikari could see the Imperial Spire rising in the center of the city. The Captain had explained it last night at dinner. Akamerajh was about three times the size of Kellenel, but instead of growing outward, like a normal city, Akamerajh grew upward. The Imperial Spire reached up as far as Ikari could see before it was swallowed by the sun. It was said that Watchers held the upper three floors of the Spire in order to see the stars without the nuisance of clouds. Ikari could imagine it too.

And then there was the rest of the city, which was so jarring to the technical marvels of the central buildings. Most of the outliers never reached much beyond four floors, making it a very pointy city. It was said that Akamerajh was spared in the Conquest wars because of a secret weapon, but no one has ever said what that weapon was, or where it was hidden. Ikari thought it was probably just bunk. Everyone knew that Akamerajh had been one of the attacking cities in those wars, but escaped retribution because of the importance to trade and the Seer Guild, which kept everyone together in those times. Ikari sneezed lightly. She stepped back from the deck as a familiar scraping sound came to her ears. She turned to the other person on the deck.

Rei sat, in a white jumpsuit so similar to the others, with her blade in her lap. She drew the small stone across the blade and examined it each time, as if gauging the sharpness. Once in a while, she dipped a nearby rag in oil and wiped it along the blade as she examined it. Then she went back to sharpening. Ikari folded her arms and watched Rei for a couple minutes.

"Did you get all the blood off?" she asked Rei.

Rei shook her head and pursed her lips in frustration.

"Nah, those damned fish not only took an extreme amount of energy to kill, but they dulled my blade too," she said, then she looked up at Ikari, "Hells Ikari, I didn't think anything could do that. How far are we?"

"About an hour or two."

Rei nodded and went back to her work.

"You expecting a fight when we get to the Seer Guild?" Ikari asked.

"I'm always expecting a fight Ikari," Rei replied, putting her tools away and cleaning the blade, "Being immortal just means I can't die. It doesn't mean I like it."

"I never said that Rei," Ikari wagged a finger at her.

"I know," Rei replied with a smile.

Rei gathered up her supplies and put them together in a little box she snapped close. She slid the blade back into its scabbard. Rei got up and situated the ties at her back into it's normal spot. She walked to the side of the deck and watched the sea below.

"It's kind of weird Ikari," she said, "This area is so full of life and I can almost feel it coming all the way through me. Like sticking your hand in a blue flame, burning all the way through you."

"Can I check something Rei?"

Rei turned to her friend and nodded. Ikari reached out and gently placed a hand on Rei's neck. Rei smiled and obediently stood still. She was glad that Ikari was still worried about her health, but after she became fully awake, she never felt better. It kind of freaked her out.

"You feel great, don't you?" Ikari asked quietly.

"Yeah."

Ikari took her hand away and looked at the smaller girl.

"I don't know what's going on," Ikari said, wringing her hand slightly, "But your immortality is going into overdrive. It IS burning like a fire. I've never seen it so active, I don't know. You may have some residual poisons that it's fighting, but I even doubt a killing blow would keep you down for long right now."

Rei just nodded and shrugged as she turned to the ocean once again. Hanasu brought a member of the crew to their attention about an hour later, who actually came from Akamerajh, her family having a residence not far from the Seer Guild's building. Rei thought she was a great help in securing a good hotel near the Guild as well as transportation there. She offered to compensate the crewwoman for her time, but she wouldn't hear it, being only happy enough to help.

Ikari thought that it was odd that these women would be so eager to serve, but the Captain told them that they all had secure positions for as long as they wanted, which meant a job forever. Solid income for the rest of their lives and never having to worry for your family about income, or health care or anything like that was a great incentive to stay honest. And it just led to better morale, overall.

The docks were packed tight with ships as they pulled into the harbor, but the Captain drew the ship aside towards a smaller, walled off section of the dock where the other military ships were stationed. Rei marveled at the sheer size of some of them, quite impressed by how they could simply stay afloat. One of the great warships sat idly nearby as they came to halt at the pier. Rei was simply in awe of the great guns that protruded from the three tiered gun decks. And there were those that said that Akamerajh had a weak naval force, Rei just shook her head.

The crew helped load their cases into the waiting cart, the driver of which was all too eager to help three lovely ladies get back to his hotel of call. Ikari looked like she wanted to rip him in half. Hanasu was pandering to his less gentlemanly attributes through the neckline she'd taken to wearing in the last day and a half. Rei simply took out some jade and gave it to the Captain in full view of him.

Well, one temptation or another, Rei thought to herself.

"For you and your crew," Rei said with a genuine smile, "For helping us, we wouldn't let you say no."

The Captain blushed and coughed, trying to cover her own feelings. The crew gathered around and bid them off as the cab picked up speed. Ikari turned back around in her seat and looked at Rei.

"So," she asked, "How much did you give them?"

"Half what we were going to pay to the captain of the other boat," Rei said, putting the rest away, "I think that was only fair."

Ikari nodded, then shook her head in disgust at the sight of the driver leering at Hanasu again. At least some things never changed.

***

Ijisai thought that he looked retarded standing there. She looked back down to Ranma, who had at least for the time, quit oozing whatever that black liquid happened to be. Ijisai had propped him up in the corner opposite hers in the wagon, while Tekido insisted on taking the last remaining hours before they got to Akamerajh to show Mikan how to ride a horse. Ijisai had to admit that Mikan was making more headway than even she would have given her credit for. She had the basics down and was keeping pace on that mangy, black horse of Tekido's behind the wagon. Tekido himself was standing on the edge of the wagon in the back, like some pirate riding his ship. Son-sama had kept the pace of the wagon slow so that there would be no problems with Mikan keeping up, but Ijisai knew that the pace was too slow for them to get to Akamerajh soon. She huffed again.

"I suppose this is absolutely necessary..." Ijisai said, loud enough for Esu to hear.

"Stop grumbling Ijisai," was the retort from Esu, "This is good for her to learn. I'm going to speed up to normal pace now."

"Right. Now Mikan, don't tense up when you go faster," Tekido said to her, "Tama will feel that and think, 'danger', so try to stay calm."

Mikan nodded and let her breath out. After a few tense minutes, Mikan could tell that the wagon was beginning to pull away from her. She shook the fear from her and decided that it was time.

"Okay, now give him a little tuck with your feet," he said to her.

Tekido looked on as Mikan gave an imperceptible tuck that threw Tama into full gear. Tekido swung his head around as Tama approached and swore slightly. No time. He turned and ran up the small wagon, stepped one foot on the seat near Esu and jumped at an angle onto the saddle behind Mikan. He grabbed the reins and pulled Tama up short a few meters later. Mikan's hands shook for a moment at the animal that had almost took off with her, but her mind switched gears as Tekido groaned once behind her and slid heavily off. She turned in the saddle and gasped at his collapsed form. She dismounted as the wagon pulled up and she ran to him. Tama walked up beside her and nudged the both of them with his muzzle. Mikan whimpered at his unconscious form and pushed Tama's muzzle away. She wiped at her eyes as a hand rested on her shoulder. She looked up into Esu's eyes.

"Esu! Please...What's wrong with him? Help him-" she said, rocking him.

Esu held up her hand as she looked around. Some of Mikan's training seeped through her panicked state and took over at the gesture. Mikan closed her eyes and settled, after a set of breaths. She was a little calmer when she opened her eyes and saw Ijisai trying to contain her laughter behind Esu. Mikan looked at Esu and shook her head in confusion.

"I think he won't be riding for a couple of days. You see Mikan, Riders have saddles with double saddle horns, one in front and one in back," Esu explained, "To prevent male enemies from doing what he just did."

Well, then why...? Mikan flashed a look back at Tama's saddle, the horse being taken to one side by Ijisai, who was red from laughter. And then it struck her, what had struck Tekido. She shuddered in sympathy and bent to Tekido in her arms and kissed him gently. Esu raised an eyebrow at this, but almost smiled slightly. Mikan would be just fine. Ijisai sighed heavily, having lost another sister. Ah well, these kinds of things happened. Esu got under him and helped Mikan carry Tekido to the wagon, where he took up position next to Ranma, the pair of them mumbling in pain.

"We need to get to Akamerajh now more than ever," Ijisai said as she mounted Tama.

"I agree," Esu said as she climbed back into the drivers' seat, "Mikan, can you care for the boys until we get there?"

Mikan nodded and climbed into the back between the two. Tama pulled up beside the wagon and Ijisai looked down at the fallen Rider.

"Geez," she said solemnly, "He must have been NUTS to try that."

Esu groaned and shook her head. Mikan shot her a look and Ijisai smiled sweetly back.

"Okay, okay," she said, "Well, come on Tama. Let's get this BALL rolling."

"I-JI-sai!" Mikan blurted.

"Ijisai, please, we need to get underway and puns aren't helping," Esu said.

"You're making me stop?! Aw NUTS!"

"Ijisai!" Mikan stammered again.

Ijisai burst out laughing and got Tama underway in front of them. A few minutes of silence, punctuated by an odd laugh or two. Esu wondered if she was still punning her way through the late day.

"Ijisai, what's so funny?" she asked.

Ijisai turned. She had the most unusual, kettertlike expression on her face.

"NUTTIN'!"

Several groans erupted from the wagon, all of them in pain.

***

The wind swept into the hills surrounding the forest, but did little to penetrate the dark of the forest itself. The trees, ancient beyond any memories of the residents in the nearby city, stood steadfastly against the intruder in their midst. He had been there for about two months. Just an eyeblink for many of the trees, but still a nuisance for many of the fauna about. The quiet of this place was what attracted many of the denizens, even the ones who weren't really supposed to be here. The light from the sun broke in a few places through the foliage to the forest floor, illuminating a small...Bunny, for lack of a better term. The bunny hopped along the undergrowth and nibbled on a couple of succulent flowers before coming to rest outside a large bush. It was quite contented to stay here, for there was a thick matte of little ivy plants that had grown near the roots of the bush. So the bunny had found a decent place to eat as well as cover from any of the number of predato-

The bunny jumped as it felt a sharp sting on its hindlegs. A thin trickle of pink blood flowed out of the little hole on its leg. The bunny's brain seized as the poison spread through the bunny, thickening the blood to the consistency of gel, while digesting it from within. The bunny's mind plunged into death as a large form unfolded over it. The tan, fanglike hands gathered the body of the bunny together and picked it up. The serpentine head opened and the bunny slid effortlessly inside.

"Hebi!"

The serpent stopped swallowing. The voice that interrupted his meal, he knew it but couldn't place it.

"Hebi..." It said again, "Turn around."

Hisomu turned around and recognized the voice of his most hated ally, Gouka Kiyomeru. But he was different. Hisomu almost choked on his stew at the sight of him. He was used to the huge gouts of orange and red the covered most of Gouka. The great flames that leapt from his head were only kept in check by an even bigger ego. This Gouka was different. He was covered uniformly by small, but incredibly fast moving licks of blue and white flames. Hisomu knew that Gouka was probably a lot hotter now too.

"What happened to you?" Hisomu asked, swallowing the rest of his stew.

"It's a story I would rather not tell you," Gouka said, the transmission making his voice about three octaves too high, "But as I'm here to tell you what I know about Shiro..."

"About time," Hisomu said throatily around the bunny, "I've been waiting here for two months, you know."

Gouka looked to his left and stepped aside. It was hard for more surprises to throw themselves at Hisomu's tail, but another occurred as Akuji stepped into the transmission. He was Gouka's height?! He must have grown quite a bit in the last two months. Or Gouka really had his timepiece cleaned by Shiro, which could also have been the case.

"Shut up Hebi," Akuji said, "This is what's left of Gouka. From what I've seen, Kowaku and Yoko are both dead as well. Jinjutsu has vanished and without support, Shiro would eat you whole."

A cloak rippled across Hisomu's body at the hidden accusation, but he said nothing.

"Now, listen to what Gouka has to say and use it," Akuji said, "This transmission won't last long, so don't argue. I have to find Jinjutsu."

Akuji stepped out of the frame, which turned once again to Gouka, who had a stupid smirk on his face. He hadn't said anything, but Hisomu could just tell that a smart remark was waiting on his lips.

"Shiro really cut you down to size," Hisomu said, beating Gouka to the remark.

"Shut up Hebi," Gouka replied, again too high in voice, "Here's what I know..."

Hisomu urped slightly around his bunny and cocked his head to one side, listening.

***

All three girls remained quiet during their jaunt through the bowels of Akamerajh, too amazed and awed by what they saw to say anything. Hanasu had tried to remain passive and unimpressed by the whole thing, but failed miserably. Ikari thought they looked like a huge forest, like the ones at the eastern edge of the Southern Sea, near her village. There were a couple of trees there still in existence that rivaled the size of these buildings. Rei wondered at the level of thought required to build something so tall would inherently be filled with too many other things to make it safe. That the slightest breeze could cause the tallest to crumble, like a castle of sand on the beach.

Ranma had told her about being in Akamerajh once, he said it felt like home somehow. The outer bits, not the "downtown" as he called it. Companies and Guilds of every imaginable nature sprang up along the route from every available storefront. After an hour or two, the buildings grew smaller in size until it felt almost like Kellenel. A few minutes later, the cab passed a building that the driver pointed out was the Seer Guild. Rei thought it was too plain a building for such an important office such as the world's best seers. Ikari thought it looked like a school, but then she realized that it probably WAS a school. Teaching the best seers to be better and such.

A couple minutes later, the cab pulled up outside the hotel. It was modest, which Rei thought was good. Not too expensive that way. There was a path to one side of the hotel that ran off into the distance. Several wagons were lined up to head off down the path later on. Rei thought it was probably a trade route out to other towns. Kind of unassuming for such a big city, but then it may not have been just a city route either.

Rei shook her head and walked inside to the front desk where an older woman with dark brown hair was arguing with the concierge. Rei stood behind her and waited patiently. Actually, it felt good to stretch and this gave her a small opportunity to do so, so Rei didn't mind the wait. A young girl, probably no older than Rei came up and told the older lady something that Rei couldn't hear. It struck her then what seemed so odd about the pair. They were wearing the same kind of robes. A religious order? She didn't know, but Rei could tell that they both had fighting experience from the way they moved, and the way the younger, black haired girl held that staff. Odd kind of gem in the top too.

The girl shot a look back to Rei, as if sizing her up as competition. Rei raised an eyebrow and smiled sweetly back to her. Ranma had taught her that trick. Fool your enemy and you'll get the upper hand...Sometimes. Now, Rei had no enmity toward the girl in front of her, but it was just the way that the girl looked her up and down, like she knew Rei but couldn't place her.

The older woman huffed and stalked off toward the entrance, followed by the girl. Rei wondered about the pair, but said nothing as she stepped up to the desk. She waited for the clerk to gather himself and then began. The arrangements had been made and were confirmed. He seemed so overjoyed that Rei had made reservations that Rei took a step back to keep from being hugged by him. Separate rooms this time, it was a little luxury that she could afford. They actually had more money than she even let Ikari know about. Oddly enough, they saved quite a bit of money from all the weirdness that had happened in the last few weeks and they probably wouldn't have to go back to roughing it until well after this whole thing ended, though Rei wouldn't count her blessings early.

Rei walked back into the lobby area of the hotel as the older woman stalked back into the hotel carrying a large sack with her. Rei shook her head and looked around the lobby. A nice area, set aside from the front desk by a rather ornate bar area. Hanasu was already up and garnering a drink from the young man behind the bar. He blushed at her neckline, but then Rei thought SHE should really blush at her neckline. Rei began to wonder what had been in the medication she received aboard the ship as Hanasu wandered back to the small table they had occupied.

"He was so cute, the way he blushed and all," Hanasu said, sipping at her drink.

"Just try not to make any wild accusations this time, okay?" Ikari said.

Rei threw her a look and Ikari waved her off. Rei shrugged and put the three keys on the table.

"This time, let's try not to destroy the place," she said, then she turned to Hanasu, "Or run up the bill."

Hanasu huffed and sipped at her drink again.

***

Ijisai had looked back to the raven-haired girl. She had smiled in a way that reminded Ijisai too much of something...And she hated it when she couldn't remember what that something was. Son-sama seemed to be having the most problems with the staff in the hotel, well at least until she brought the monetary wealth of the Sisterhood to bear. Ijisai blushed slightly at the sheer size of the bag that Esu plunked down on the desk. And when the little man behind the desk saw the amount of cash inside the bag, he blushed as well. Esu smiled as he handed her three keys. It was so gratifying to take the arrogance of people like him and shove it right back up their-

Well, it was gratifying, at least. Tekido still felt the after effects of his heroic effort from a day and a half before and was little help carrying the large loads into the hotel. Esu could understand and since the staff was suddenly willing to help them, Tekido sat down in the lobby area while Mikan and Ijisai went out to get Ranma. He felt foolish without his boots on, but Ijisai had needed them to ride Tama, as he had a tendency to flick the riders' legs if he got irritated. Ijisai knew how to handle him, though. And the sandals were a welcome relief that he hadn't felt in a long time. Tekido kind of liked it. White pants, white shirt under a leather vest...With sandals. Mikan had even talked him out of wearing his hat with it over his protests. He shifted on the lounge chair and reminded himself once again that he was definitely going to get a new saddle. One that didn't hurt so much.

He looked over his left shoulder as he heard some commotion coming from the entrance. Mikan and Ijisai were struggling to bring Ranma inside. Apparently, Esu told them not to use magic in bringing him in. She said there might be something against using magic in the hotel, or some other rule. Tekido didn't think so, but this was the nicest place he'd ever been in, so he'd keep his mouth shut.

"Mikan?!"

Tekido turned in his seat to the table to his right. The voice was coming from the blonde that had her back to him. She knew Mikan? He looked back to Mikan. She had stopped and was staring at this new stranger.

"Hanasu?!" Mikan blurted.

Hanasu? One of her sisters? What was she doing here? This was getting too weird. Tekido decided that he'd better be on his feet for this and struggled to get out of the chair. Mikan dropped her end of Ranma and hurried to her sister. She threw her arms around Hanasu and hugged her fiercely.

"Hanasu! It is you," she chirped, still hugging, "Oh thank the gods! Did father come with you? What's happened to the family? Why are you so tanned? Who are these people? Is Kakuji with you-"

"Mikan," Esu said behind her, "Take a breath and calm some. Let your sister answer."

Mikan nodded and stepped back, still smiling brightly. Hanasu was dumbfounded. What was her sister doing out here? That was something about which she'd have some explaining.

"Uh...Mikan, this is Rei Kinkaku and Ikari Pintogahazareru. And how I got to meet them is a long story that even I don't fully understand, but suffice to say that they saved me on more than one occasion. We came to Akamerajh so that I could get home and so that we could find another who helped us. Her name-"

"His name now," Rei said quickly.

"His name," Hanasu nodded, "is Ranma Saotome."

"How do you know Ranma?" Esu asked as she stepped forward.

"I've known Ranma for almost a year and a half now," Ikari chimed in, "Rei has known him for about five months now. Hanasu we saved on our journey to Kellenel and she got to meet Ranma from then on. How about you?"

Esu smiled. She turned and pointed to Ijisai, who was struggling under the weight of a man in a white, loose fitting outfit.

"Ranma!" Rei shouted, bouncing past everyone.

She hopped to his other side and got under his arm.

"Uh, thanks. He was getting heavy," Ijisai said.

"Yeah, I know," Rei replied, "He gets that way sometimes. I'm just glad to see him all in one piece. Rei Kinkaku."

"Ijisai, Acolyte-Protectorate," Ijisai said, "Let's put him in that chair, then we can all find out about one another, okay?"

Rei nodded happily. Her heart was trying to leap out of her chest at the mere thought that Ranma was safe and whole, not chopped up into little bits somewhere. She was so happy to see him, but it was obvious that something had happened to him because he wasn't quite conscious yet. She and the girl from earlier, named Ijisai, placed Ranma carefully into the chair as Ikari came to him. Rei knelt in front of Ranma and caressed his cheek lightly, marveling at the lines in his young face. It filled her with so much joy, just to be near him again, she couldn't explain the feeling. Ikari stood behind the chair and placed a hand on the back of Ranma's neck.

"She's a healer," Rei said to no one in particular.

"So why didn't you get your slave over there to help out with carrying him in?" Hanasu asked of Mikan as she threw a thumb at Tekido.

"Slave?!"

"Oh sister," Mikan bounced to his side, throwing her arms around him, "He's not a slave, he's my love."

"What?!" Ijisai asked, throwing a look at Mikan.

She just smiled fetchingly and gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Okay, let's all just sit down and work out what all has happened," Esu said as she pulled a nearby table closer, "Maybe we can even find out what's happened to Ranma."

"I can already tell you," Ikari said from behind Ranma, "There are still traces of Yoko's poison in his system, but it looks like it's working down."

"So who's Yoko?" Ijisai asked Rei.

"Another long story."

"Well," Esu said, pulling up chairs, "Now that we're all together and we seem to have a common thread, that being Ranma, we all have an interest in finding out what's gone on. So...Shall we talk?"

Everyone nodded and grabbed a chair, though Tekido did so a little slower than the others.

***

Hisomu huffed. He pushed himself over a large log and pulled up short. The Guild building stood stark against the night as Big Brother pulled over the northern sky, bathing the valley and coastline below in the blue light. Nothing had happened. Nothing had happened for the past couple of days, since Gouka had contacted him. Many larger animals never came this close to the city, so he had to clamber back to the outer woods in order to get something decent to eat, and that was a pain.

Shiro. Ranma, whichever name she wanted to go by. What a succulent little morsel...It was still a little bit of a mystery as to why Ranma and her group had come to Akamerajh. Now, Hisomu knew that no one came to Akamerajh unless they were interested in high fashion, heavy military hardware or seers. Now, while the military hardware might intrigue Shiro, Hisomu was pretty sure that she would want to find that other little morsel that Akuji had in his castle. That was the prize over which both of them, Ranma and Akuji, were fighting. And that required Ranma to find Akuji's castle, which meant getting a seer. Everyone knew that Akamerajh had the best seers in the world, so her natural destination was the building not a hundred meters from Hisomu's position.

Hisomu reached in his pouch and pulled out a little card. It was about ten centimeters by sixteen centimeters and had only one button, set into the card near the bottom. Hisomu set it on the ground and tapped the button. Ranma's image appeared before him. All pert and red haired and succulent. His mouth began to drool and he tapped the card again, no point in getting excited without a target. A succulent little morsel indeed. He could wait.

***

"And then Ranma left the nunnery," Esu said, "I personally was sad to see her go, but I knew that she had other issues running around in that skull of hers that she needed to work out. So Ranma left the most valuable things that she had, knowing that I would keep them safe, which I have."

Esu pulled out the little box from a soft case that she was carrying. She tossed it to Rei, who examined it. It looked like her sealed cases back home, the ones they used for special healing herbs. Rei turned the brown box over in her hands, admiring the craftsmanship; it was really built well. Rei suspected it had some kind of magic on it as well, but couldn't see any way to open it. Ijisai reached a hand over and felt around on the bottom of the box, depressing the hidden switch there. The box opened with a slight pop and Rei lifted the lid. She gasped at what she saw inside.

"Mikan, I never did ask you what it was like when you were brought to the nunnery," Esu asked.

Ikari watched Rei as tears escaped her. Rei brought out something small and cupped it near her chest, tears pattering down her cheeks. She sniffed once more as Ikari put hand on her shoulder. She favored the tall blonde with a smile and wiped her eyes. Rei looked around and smiled shyly at the assembled group. They had taken up residence in the hotel's restaurant and the older woman named Esu thought it would be a good idea to share their stories to kind of catch up. Esu and Rei had taken Ranma up to his own room and made him comfortable. Ikari had been up once already to check on him, as she said that Yoko's potion was still slowly working itself out of his system. The worst thing that could happen was a relapse of the way he was in Kellenel.

Rei looked around at each of them and shook her head. Hanasu's sister, Mikan did indeed look exactly like Hanasu, except for having flaming red hair. Her beau, the Rider named Tekido, seemed to be a nice enough guy, not much older than Rei herself. The raven-haired girl named Ijisai seemed to instantly take to Rei though and they had formed an odd kind of kinship. Rei felt like she could trust the acolyte, and she hoped that Ijisai felt like she could trust Rei. A little hiccup escaped Rei as she settled more. The contents of the box threw her way off guard. She knew about the ring, as Ranma told her about it one time, but the picture of Akane looking back up at Rei from the bottom of the box was almost too hard for her to bear. Rei swallowed and tried to blend herself into the background of the table conversation. Mikan and Hanasu had finally been reunited, Ranma was not only a man again, but had been returned to Rei, so there was much about which to rejoice.

Mikan smiled to herself as Tekido stretched his arm across the back of her chair. It felt good to her. Good in a way unlike the way the sun made her feel good, or her sisters or father. It felt good like kissing him felt good. Inside kind of good. From Rei's story, which had told them about Ranma's journey through the southern lands, she knew that Hanasu had been in the desert south of Kellenel when they found her. Mikan had been in the forests near the nunnery when she awoke. Both locations were far removed from their home. And then there were the images of flowers and such that haunted her dreams sometimes, oddly enough they went away after they found Ranma. Mikan thought that he might have been part of the reason, along with the girl for which he was looking, Akane.

"Well, I was out on a fishing trip with the Solomon brothers," Mikan began, "And we were out at Marschen Reef when a squall came up very suddenly. The brothers tried to get us back to the atoll on the other side of the reef, but I never made it. I got blown overboard."

"How did you survive?" Tekido asked.

"I don't know," Mikan shifted uncomfortably in her seat, "I mean, I remember going under and I thought to myself that it was the end. I felt myself going down and down and then I was lying face down in a patch of featheroot."

"Oh! I see now," Esu snapped her fingers, "You were attacked by the ketterts because you had fallen on their house."

"Yeah, it all makes sense now," Ijisai said, digging into her salad.

"It probably didn't help my situation any that I was so confused and disoriented," Mikan continued, "But I stumbled out and found my way to the nunnery."

"Do you know what happened to the Solomons?" Hanasu asked.

Mikan shook her head sadly and gave Tekido a smile as he squeezed her shoulder. A pair of waiters set four huge platters down near the table and began to serve the dishes.

"The story of what happened after Mikan got to the nunnery is quite a tale in itself too," Ijisai began.

Esu held up her hand and Ijisai stopped.

"We'll get to that soon enough Ijisai, we have food coming so let's get into that story after dinner, okay?" she said.

Ijisai nodded happily and dug into her fish-looking thing.

"Sister," Hanasu asked, "Did you feel a great hand on you at the time of the transfer?"

"Yes I did actually," Mikan said, "It was almost like it was pushing me under, so that I flopped out near the nunnery. Why? Does it have to do with how you ended up in the desert with Kakuji's satchel?"

Hanasu blushed slightly and pulled the satchel off the back of the chair and held it close.

"Actually, Kakuji and I were fighting..."

"Hanasu," Mikan sighed.

"Mikan, you know how she gets sometimes, plotting and planning with no regard-"

"Hanasu," Mikan said in a tone she picked up from Esu, "Who was grandmother entrusted to?"

"But she keeps losing her!"

"No matter," Mikan said firmly, "I've found that if the gods will it, there is little we can do to stop it."

She gave a sidelong glance to Tekido, who smiled shyly in response.

"You mean," Tekido asked, pointing to the satchel in Hanasu's lap, "In that satchel?"

"Grandmother," Both Mikan and Hanasu replied.

Tekido looked slightly ill at the thought. Curiosity grabbed Ijisai and she tapped Hanasu on the shoulder. Rei perked up from her plate of pasta, interested.

"Would you mind if I have a look?" she asked.

Hanasu glanced over to Mikan, who smiled her assent and Hanasu handed the satchel over to the raven-haired girl. Ijisai sat it on her lap and unhinged the little clasp in the top. Ijisai calmed herself and opened the bag, looking in. The blood drained from her face and she looked as though she was going to be sick as she slammed the bag shut. She let out a pained sob and took several deep breaths.

"You could...You could have-" she tried to say, "You could have cremated her first."

Several groans lit from the table and Mikan got up. Ikari felt her own neck to keep from throwing up and put her other hand on Rei to keep the same thing from happening. Rei smiled at the gesture, but squeezed her friend's hand and removed it. She'd seen worse. Mikan made her way to the other side of Ijisai and opened the bag. Ijisai turned her head away in disgust as Mikan shook the bag around a little.

"Oh yes," Mikan sounded happy, "She's fermenting nicely."

"Far be it from me to question your family's customs Mikan," Esu finally said, swallowing hard against her rising gorge, "But what the hells is going on?"

"You're making me sick, that's what," Ikari muttered.

Rei giggled softly.

Mikan looked confused but allowed Ijisai to shut the bag.

"When a loved one dies," Mikan explained, "We honor their life and memory by brewing them into a kind of beverage."

Ijisai quickly shifted the satchel from her lap to Hanasu's waiting arms. Hanasu opened the satchel and nodded once. She dipped her hand into the contents and shifted them around, bringing an audible squishing sound out. More noticeable groaning came from the table. Ikari pushed herself from the table and stood up.

"I need to check on Ranma," she said, "I'll be back in a little bit."

"Mikan," Ijisai said, almost losing it, "You do realize that the Sisterhood doesn't condone cannibalism."

Mikan threw Ijisai and Esu a shocked look.

"Neither do I!" she said defensively, "What we drink isn't human, but rather the distillation of pure spirit!"

Mikan stalked back to her seat and sat down next to Tekido, who had closed his eyes during the last few minutes.

Hanasu took her hand out of the bag and showed it to the table, all of who were shocked initially, but then astonished about the lack of bodily stuffing that Hanasu DIDN'T have on her hand. She threw a knowing smile to Mikan, who softened slightly and began to rub Tekido's back.

"You don't realize how to explain things Mikan. That was one of the few things that mother taught me," Hanasu sighed and closed the bag, "Esu-san, it's a magic sack. It liquefies its contents down to their vital essences so long as it's worn by or somewhere near a family member during that time. What's left is pure essence and clear and pure as water. The essence is spiritual in nature and therefore no longer human. You have to admit, it's an effective way to handle overcrowding on an islandnation."

"It still..." Esu said slowly, "Bothers me."

"Don't worry," Mikan chirped brightly, "We only do it to family."

"Now I'm worried," Tekido muttered, trying not to be heard and failing utterly.

He looked up and blushed as knowing chuckles went around the table. Hanasu raised an eyebrow at Mikan, who lowered her head and blushed. Ijisai sighed and tried to finish her salad. Rei clucked a couple more times before going back to her bowl of pasta. Ranma knew how to pick'em...

***

Ranma snorted to himself and rolled over. The floor had suddenly become quite hard and cold. It kind of felt like he was outside too. No wind though. Ranma sat up and wiped the sleep from his eyes as he looked around. It was gray. There was a kind of uniformness to the sky as it led off into the horizon. Ranma looked around. It was gray all around.

"Hey."

Ranma looked down. He was floating on a length of planking, similar to the kind that ships used. It was all straight and perfect looking. It was then that Ranma noticed that he was once again wearing something he hadn't worn in two years. His old shirt. The red one. The red Chinese shirt that his mother had given him so long ago. Black Chinese pants and black sandals finished his normal outfit. He looked around again as he idly fingered a little wooden tie on his shirt. The shirt had been destroyed in the first few minutes of coming to this land, which meant that all the fog, the raft; everything had to have been an illusion.

"Hey..."

Even though he realized that it was all illusion, it somehow felt like home. His old form, his old clothes, it all lent to the feeling that whatever brought him here wanted him to be comfortable for some reason. It was a nice enough place, nothing attacking him. No purple-haired fiancés crashing though walls. Of course, there weren't any walls to crash through, but Ranma was never one to question his luck.

"HEY!"

Ranma jumped to his feet and looked around. No one was there. Anywhere. Ranma watched as the ripples from his movement worked outwards in slow wave like the water was made of syrup.

"No, you baka!" the voice said again, "Down here..."

Ranma got the direction of the voice and slowly crept to the edge of the planks. He knelt down and carefully peered over the edge. A face stared back at him, one that he not only knew was his own but one that was more foreign than all the strangers he'd ever seen. He yelped slightly and backed away from the reflection. After several breaths, Ranma calmed more and checked his manhood again. Yes, still intact...Then the reflection?

"Damn, I'm glad I don't have to think with those!" the voice mused wryly at him.

Ranma shook his head and cautiously crawled back to the edge. He looked down and the reflection was still there, though now wearing a lopsided grin at him. The reflection shook its head.

"Well?" it asked, "Are you going to help me get to that side, or not?"

She held out her hand as Ranma jerked his head back as it jutted out of the water. Ranma hesitated, but reached out and took hold of the hand. He was almost surprised by the strength of the woman on the other end, but decided to let it rest that she was he. He'd seen weirder things...A strange shift in equilibrium swept over him as he pulled the woman onboard his raft. She huffed once and wiped the water from her forehead. She sat down on one end of the raft and just looked at him expectantly. Ranma sat across from her and raised an eyebrow in return.

"Well?" she asked.

"Well what?"

"No," she said, "The correct response is 'Who are you?', or perhaps 'What do you want?', or even 'Where am I?'"

Ranma shrugged.

"Okay, who are you?"

"I am the one who remembers," she said, tapping her temple with her finger, "I remember all you don't or won't. Like the last time you made love to the real Akane."

Real Akane?

"Oo, the way she squeezed our ass-"

"Okay," Ranma said as he shifted under her gaze, "I get the picture."

"Do you?" she asked, raising her eyebrow again, "I highly doubt that. We aren't the quickest mice in the maze, you know. I am the one who also knows what happened after you took Yoko's last potion..."

"Hey! So do I!" Ranma protested, "I...I, uh..."

"You don't know, do you?" she asked, "That's okay, you weren't supposed to remember anyway."

Ranma sat down, dejected but curious.

"So what happened?" he asked.

"You don't want to know," she said flatly.

An uneasy silence passed between them. Ranma shifted again, but spoke up.

"Come on," he said, "You wouldn't have brought it up if you thought I didn't want to know."

The female him chewed on his words as she stared sidelong at Ranma. A couple minutes later, she closed her eyes and drew in a sharp breath.

"Okay," she said softly, "We cheated on Akane."

"Wha'?"

His female self shook her head at some thought.

"I do have to qualify that," she said, "Since you thought it was Akane at the time we did it."

"But-"

"The cruise Ranma," she said, "It was Yoko's potion. Oh, it cured you alright..."

"The ship was-a dream?" he asked his heart sinking.

"More like a hallucination," she said, "Oh, there was a ship and we did screw Yoko quite a number of times. She was pretty good actually. What she lacked in enthusiasm she made up for in experience."

Ranma felt intense waves of nausea hit him square in the stomach. The thought that he might have cheated on his wife made him utterly sick. Ranma tried to stand but slumped to his hands and knees. Tears began to flow as he caught sight of the ring on his hands, glittering in an unnatural light.

"Yeah, she was REAL good," his female self purred, "Damn, gets me wet just thinkin' about our cock shoved up-"

"Stop it," Ranma eaked out.

His female side smirked and began to bounce up and down on the raft, drawing nearer to him.

"And then there was the fucking on the ship!" she shouted at him, "Up and down and up and-"

"STOP IT!"

Ranma folded in on himself and drew his arms around him as he lay on the platform. The motion of the boards had subsided back to its' natural placid state. He closed his eyes and his tears calmed some as he held his ring close. It was her ring, actually. When he found Akane, he would put the ring back on her finger. He could always get another for himself, but Akane's was precious. Unique. Ranma felt his female self pull him up to a sitting position and wrap her arms around him from behind. Something familiar pressed into his back and Ranma's eyes sprang open. He looked down and found that her arms were bare. Then those things pressing into his back were her...Uh, his...

Ranma spun in her grasp. Sure enough his female side was completely nude. He tried to scramble back, but she caught him around his right wrist and wrenched him close. He almost cried out for the iron grasp in which she had him. Another wry smile played across her lips again and she grabbed his other wrist in a lightening fast move. She spread his arms and thrust him back down to the deck, climbing on top of him. She began to rub herself back and forth against Ranma, arousing things in him that he tried to fight against.

"You can't win," she purred heavily in his ear, "You might as well lay back and enjoy it."

She dropped her head and forced her mouth over his. Her kiss was passionate and forceful, but at the same time loving and gentle. Just like the way Akane kissed. She forced her tongue into his mouth and for an instant, the sensations ripping through him made him consider giving in to her. But only for an instant.

He tried to push her off, but her grip was too powerful. He tried to shrug his head sideways and was able to break the kiss; he shut his eyes as tears of pain and guilt streamed down his cheeks. He could hear her as she continued to rub, laughing throatily. He felt her lean in close and she stopped at his ear.

"Whatsa' matter? You didn't mind that you royally fucked yourself with that potion..." she breathed into his mind, "So why stop now?"

Images flashed through his mind. Akane when he first saw her. Akane during their first camping / training trip. Ranma kissing her while under the Nekoken. Her face flashed a thousand times over in his mind like a mantra against the one thing that he still knew he'd never outrun. The one thing that kept him on his mission for the last two years. The one thing he utterly failed to do at any time except in his last fight with Saffron. He hated the fact that he couldn't say it. His mother had told both of them that he'd inherited the problem from his father. He hated that too. It was the single fact that drove him beyond what many, including himself, would consider his own limits.

He had never told Akane that he loved her.

Sure in the last fight with Saffron, he'd said it, but damn...That had been when he thought she was dead! Was that what it took? More tears streamed out. He couldn't believe his own cowardice at the whole thing. He'd never told her and they'd been ripped apart on that mountainside in Germany. And now he'd not seen her in over two years. He'd...Never...Sai-

"I! LOVE! AKANE!" he shouted, breaking down completely afterward.

A silence drifted down between the two, punctuated by his fading sobs. The pressure on his wrists decreased and he opened his eyes. Ranma yelped at the sight and scampered back on the raft as Akane sat up to her knees. She had on a light sundress; similar to the one she had in Germany, an unnatural light falling on the highlights in her hair. She held up a hand.

"I'm not really Akane," she said, "And I'm not your female side either. I'm your subconscious. We do have a strong link to Akane and she knows what we know. She realizes what happened with Yoko wasn't our fault, though she thinks that it was foolish of us to try and find a cure. And she's a little flattered that we'd give her that much credit when it came to creativity in the bedroom."

Ranma whimpered once and reached out a hand to touch her. Akane touched him and helped him to his feet. She took out a handkerchief and dabbed lightly at his eyes.

"Stop blubbering," she said, "You sound like your father when you do that."

Ranma took a deep breath and shook his head clear.

"Now listen. We won't have the link for much longer," she said, "Yoko's potion was just too strong. Maybe a day or two at most. After that, Akane can no longer guide us to her. After two days, we're on our own. Understand?"

Ranma nodded fiercely. Akane sighed out and she transformed back to Ranma's female side.

"Now, we're doing no one any good stuck sulking in our own head," she said, "Get out there and kick some ass!"

She clapped him on the shoulder. He swept her into a hug.

"And Ranma?" she whispered in his ear, "Good luck."

Ranma closed his eyes and nodded, feeling the gray lift as a white light spread from their hug, sweeping across his mind, setting him at peace.