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			  Nyuchezuu no Senshi, Ranma
				 Chapter Third
			In Which Our Hero Meets Kasumi

	``Tendou-san?''  The man who answered the door nods.

	``I'm Genma's child, Ranma.''

	``Come in, come in!  How is he doing?''

	``Better than he could be.  He's back in Japan and he isn't dead.''
Tendou-san laughs.

	``Who are your friends, Ranma-chan?''

	``This is great-grandmother.  She is a Nyuchezu elder; and this is my
friend Ryouko, who is a space monster,'' Ryouko smacks me lightly, and I break
off, laughing, ``Sorry!  space pirate.''

	``Uchuu-kaijuu desu tte?''  She has a really nice voice, this girl.

	``Uchuu-kaizouku yo!''  Ryouko almost yells, then breaks out laughing.

	``Really?  How did you meet Ranma-chan, Ryouko-chan?''  The girl, about
Ryouko's height, smiles as we settle about the table, then offers tea.

	``I'd love some green tea or mugicha if it wouldn't be too much
trouble. . .''  I trail off, blatantly fishing for a name.

	``Oh, sorry!  My name's Kasumi.''  She smiles at me, and the others say
things to the effect of `that sounds good to me.'  She returns in a few moments
with five glasses of chilled barly tea.

	``She rescued me . . . '' I loose her words about here, concentrate on
her voice instead.  Suddenly her tone changes, and I have to scroll back to
catch what she said,  `Ryo-ou-ki, koi!' then realize that I'm standing, the
master key in my hands, my back pressed to Ryouko's.

	``What is it?''

	``That person I mentioned?'' I nod, ``She's here,'' we start towards
the door together.

	``Just why is she after you?''

	``I sorta trashed her homeworld.''

	``Is there a statute of limitations on this kinda thing?'' I leap into
the yard and Ryouko steps down next to me.

	``That's right.  The limit ran out about a week ago, and she isn't in
orbit yet.  Sit down.''  A medium large shadow covers the yard,  ``Ah,
Ryo-ou-ki, come down here!''  The shadow disappears and a furry brown thing
with big floppy ears flops into Ryouko's lap.

	``That's Ryo-ou-ki?''

	``Yep.  I know she's at least bimorphic.''

	``Hun.''  I stare at the rabbit-like creature for a moment.

	``She's now in orbit, and will be here soon.''

	``Who?'' asks someone I hadn't seen before, a girl with shortish brown
hair.

	``I don't really know.  I know she's Juraian, and she chased me about
for the fifty years before I ended up in that cave, but that's about it.  She
kept ranting about how she would bring me to justice, so I never caught her
name.'' Ryouko looks at her hands, ``She's really pretty, especially when she's
unreasonably angry,'' I stare at her, appalled by the sharp spike of jealousy
in my gut, ``not quite so pretty as Ranma when she smiles, though.''  The next
thing to penetrate is Hibaachan's laughter. 

	``She's my child, all right!'' Hibaachan says, still laughing.  I just
watch Ryouko's smile, inproportionately happy.

	``Ryouko-san, dette rashai!''  Hers is a very pleasant voice,
actually.  I look up at the starship overhead.  It is very pointed and looks
quite like it was made from some pale wood.

	I stand up, one hand on the key, intending to leap up in a very flashy
maneuver and pose dramaticly on the nose of the spaceship.  As I stand I
realize that I'd misjudged its height by about a factor of two, so I just look
up intimidatingly at it.

	``Who're you and what do you want with my Ryouko?''  I look down as I
finish speaking, and Ryouko smiles slightly at the posessive.  I turn my
attention back to the sky.

	``Justice,'' such a hokey reply.

	``Um, I kinda doubt that's your name.''  A rather inarticulate cry of
rage echos from the ships speakers, and from all around comes the feel of
people fleeing.  Ever since the Oni said they were going to reposses the
earth back in the late '70s and that Moroboshi Ataru kid won that tag game this
kind of thing has become rather common, barely even meriting a mention on the
news.  Of course, they do mention when people die in an alien attack, but that
isn't a good enough reason to stick about when it becomes obvious that
high-energy beam weapons are about to be used.

	I dodge and, sure enough, one of those high-energy beam weapons blows a
nice hole in the Tendou's yard.

	``Hey!  You come insystem, ask about my friends, refuse to answer
reasonable questions, and now start blowing holes in other people's yards!
What is wrong with you?''  I bound onto the wall, just a couple meters too low
to make it to the ship.  She thoughtfully drops a bit lower, almost enough,
before replying.

	``I am Aeka, princess of Jurai, Ryouko trashed my homeworld and you're
hiding her from me.''  I glance down at Ryouko, who can't accurately be
described as hiding.

	``Um, the statute of limitations on that expired, right?''

	``So!  I'm going to kill her!  Now stop interfering or pay the
consequences!'' her ship drops another three meters during her rant, so I take
advantage of that, pulling the key and leaping.  It isn't nearly so fancy a
leap as I'd like, but she's just a bit to high for proper cinemagraphic
technique.  The ship is fairly small as such things go, about the size of the
one that hovered over Nerima most of my childhood.

	It doesn't rock under my weight, so I use the Bakusaitenketsu on it's
nose. The technique doesn't work as I'd expected, seeming to glance off,
blowing a large patch of air into a brief burst of plasma, which scorches the
pale wood of the ship; probably the ship's alive, the Bakusaitenketsu behaves
very erraticly against living things.  I bound off towards the lens-shape that
appears to be control center, intending to intimidate her into taking off.

	``What did you do to my ship!'' goddess but her voice got loud, ``And
where did you get Tenchi?''  She isn't trying to shake me off, so I take a
wideish stance and reply.

	``I burnt it a little bit.  Youshou gave me the key.''  Suddenly all
the weapons systems shut down and this rather cute girl with long purple hair
appears in front of me.

	``Youshou?  Where is he?''

	``Um, off by the source of the contact beam?  He's the old man who
keeps the shrine nearby.''  Suddenly she wraps her arms about me, kisses me on
the lips, and things are weird for an instant before I find myself back in the
Tendou yard.

	``That was strange.  The moment I mentioned Youshou she stops fighting,
and she kisses me right after I tell her where to find him.  Hen na onna.''  I
stuff the key back into my belt and look for Soun, intending to appologize for
the hole in his yard.

	``Ranma-chan, thanks for driving the alien off so fast.  I felt sure I
was going to have to hassle the insurance people again.''  It's the
brown-haired girl again.

	`Ah, you're welcome.  I'm afraid I didn't catch your name.'

	`Nabiki.  So you're the son of a friend he,' she gestures towards her
father with her chin, `engaged one of us to?'

	`Something like that.  I have to break that engagement, though, unless
one of you really wants to be a chinese amazon's wife.'

	`That would not be my first choice.'  Nabiki shakes her head.

	`I think that would push my boundries a little bit too far.'  Kasumi
smiles to take any sting out of her words.

	A shortish girl with long black hair comes around the side of the
house, and asks in a fairly angry tone, `Who're you?'

	`This is Saotome Ranma, her friend Ryouko the space pirate, and her
great-grandmother by adoption.  They are here to discuss breaking the
engagement between our families,' Nabiki smiles a scary smile, `How 'bout you,
do you want a Chinese Amazon for a wife, Akane?'

	The short girl scowls, then smiles suddenly; I feel a sudden
disturbance in the Force, as of the world changing yet again.  `If I accept the
engagement we can break it later, right?'

	I look at Hiibaachan, who knods.

	`Any marriages could be delayed until after I get out of school,
right?'

	Hiibaachan knods again.

	`As Ranma's iinazuke all three of you would be willing to teach me your
skills, right?'  I suddenly understand where this is heading, and knod.

	`It might be easier to just ask Hiibaachan to consider adopting you.'

	`Yeah, but if I'm engaged as well it'll help with my boy problem.'  She
scowls a moment, `And it'll really yank their chains if I was engaged by my
father to such a pretty girl.'  She smiles a remarkably liceveous(sp) smile.

	I look at Ryouko, who smiles back at me.  `Guess that's OK with me.'

	Ryouko walks over to the short - Akane, lifts her chin with a crooked
index finger, and leans in for a kiss.  Akane rocks forward, pressing herself
against the tall woman, a low moan escaping her throat.  Ryouko rocks back in
surprise, breaking the kiss.  Akane smiles broadly, her eyes glistening.

	`I take it you're part of the bargain?' Akane's arms wrap around
Ryouko's waist, and she presses the side of her head to Ryouko's breast, `This
is even better than I'd hoped.'  The look on her face is just remarkable.

	I glance around, Nabiki looks . amused, Kasumi is taking the whole
thing very calmly, and Soun is standing with a stunned look on his face,
opening and closing his mouth at regular intervals, remarkably like one of the
koi in the pond.

-*-

	`So, I'm to accompany the two of you to this place called school, where
they will teach me how to function in this society?'

	`Pretty much.  Public education is designed to make sure that everyone
has a basic skill-set so they will be employable, but also to teach them social
skills so that they can function properly with other people.  You've got the
basic skills, so all you don't have to pay too much attention to stuff you
already know, but,' I trail off, not wanting to risk insulting her.

	`I still think and act like a space pirate, rather than a Japanese
girl,' she smiles down at me, `Or a Chinese Amazon.  This school will teach me
the bounds of good taste in this society, right?'

	`Right.'  I wrap firm arms around her, press my face to her neck, `Of
course, one of the things I like about you is that you're a space monster, so,'
she starts tickling me, which makes it a little hard to form coherent words,
`don't change too much, OK?'

	`I won't, if you don't want me to.'

	`I don't.'

	Akane slides the door to the room in the Tendou house where Soun had
insisted we stay until Hiibaachan could find a good place, and I turn around to
the sight of a broad smile.  She steps into the room, kisses each of us in
turn, her tongue slipping between my lips with a skill that belies her staid
appearance.  `You two should come back down for breakfast, then we'll need to
head for school, OK?'

	I nod, watch her back as she walks from the room.  I don't understand
her; I know that before I met the Nyuchezuu the very concept of being attracted
to a member of one's own sex had been not just inconcievable, but would have
squicked me badly as well.  Yet here she is, kissing the both of us like it is
the most natural thing in the world.  Maybe I was just a lot more sheltered
from such things.

	I help Ryouko to her feet.  Neither of us are going to wear the school
uniform; it's too fragile, and a little constrictive.  I'm in yet another
high-collared shirt and pants, both of machine-made insanely sturdy fabric.  I
stroke the almost millimeter thick cloth in appreciation.  Ryouko is wearing
something that looks almost like a kimono, except it doesn't.  She told me it
was something formal from some world or another, but seemed sad about it.  I'll
find out why eventually.  Ryouko runs her hands over her hair again.

	`Your hair's fine, the braid's very straight for a third try.  Don't
worry, you'll do fine.'

	Ryouko smiles at my encouragement, `I hope so.'

-*-

	`So, what's Fuurinkan like?'

	`Fairly quiet, ever since the investigation.'  Akane's voice is
strange, almost sad.

	`Investigation?'  Ryouko asks.

	`Into Mizutani Mahiko's death.'  I turn to stare at Akane, walking
backwards.

	`How did he die?' *and why was there an investigation?*

	`A brain anuerism(sp); I hit him too many times.'

	I control my first reaction to this with difficulty, `Why were you
hitting him?'

	`One of my upperclassmen, Kunou Tatewaki, decided at the beginning of
the term that since I didn't want to go out with him it must be that anyone who
wanted to date me had to beat me in combat, and told everyone in school
something to that effect.  For the next six weeks a full quarter of the male
students would attack me before school every morning.  About two months ago
Mizutani-kun died, and the police started investigating things.  Kuno-sempai
got put in a controlled environment, all of the attacking students got CAT
scans, and some of them had to have surgery to fix up their little problems.
All of us got set up with counciling to help with both the problems that let
the mess get to the point it did and the aftereffects of it.  I know that I'm
better for it, even if I've a ways to go before I'll consider myself fully
functional.'  Akane smiles sadly as she follows me through the gate.

	I touch the Force, feeling for the position of the hands on the school
clock, then juggling them for a moment until I can turn that into a time.
`Four minutes, we should hurry.'

	Akane blinks; I'd been facing her constantly since before we came into
line of sight of the school, and she knows I don't have a watch.  `How?'

	`The Force can show one much of the world.'  Akane looks very
contemplative, and I once more appreciate Hiibaachan's teachings.

-*-

	`Hora, Kawaiikochan!'  Akane greets a slightly taller girl with long
dark hair, then goes up on her toes to give her a kiss on the lips.

	The other girl responds, stroking her hands in slow circles up Akane's
back.  When she gets to Akane's shoulders she grips them lightly, throws
herself backwards and brings her feet up into Akane's belly, throwing her
towards the wall.  Akane flips midair, her indoor shoes tapping lightly against
the wall before she drops to the ground.

	`Better, Kawaiikochan.' Akane tells the other girl, who's already
rolled back onto her feet.

	`I should hope.  Who're your new friends?'

	`Kunou Kodachi, meet Saotome Ranma and her friend Ryouko the space
monster.'  Ryouko growls menacingly at Akane's words.

	Kodachi laughs delightfully, a sharp high-pitched jitter that has half
the students cringing.  The sound is so familiar I almost start crying, a
couple tears escaping when I try to blink them back.

	`You OK?'  Ryouko asks quietly, soft fingers catching my tears.

	`Yeah.  Kodachi's laugh just reminds me of a friend of mine back in the
village.  She'd giggle like that while she chased her lover around town.  It
scared me the first time, but both of them are really nice people.  He's just
into pain.'

	`Into pain?'  Ryouko's voice is curious.

-*-

	`How was school today, Ranma?'

	`Wonderful, Hiibaachan.  I got to meet some of Akane's friends.'  I
glance around, then continue in a lower voice, `I think one of them really
likes her, and Akane likes her back.  I think they're trying to keep themselves
from realizing what is going on, though.'

	`Girls often do that, especially when the risks are so high.'

	I settle into seiza in front of her, `How do you mean?'

	Hiibaachan proceeds to fill me in on some of the dangers of being a
sane girl in the outside world.


---
log:
1998 ??? ??:	restarted chapter
1998 April 30:	put aside for a while
1999 June 3:	Added log
1999 July 5:	Wow! finished it!  Yay!
1999 August 13:	bit of editing