Indians in the summer

With a teenage diplomat

In the dumps with the mumps

As the adolescent pumps

His way into his hat

With a boulder on my shoulder

Feeling kinda older

I tripped a merry-go-round

With this very unpleasing

Sneezing and wheezing

The calliope crashed to the ground

-

Blinded by the light

Revved up like a deuce

Another runner in the night

Blinded by the light

She got down but she never got tight

She's gonna make it through the night

-

(Excerpt from: Manfred Man's Earth Band – Blinded by the light)

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1 SOUL HEIR

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A Ranma ½ Fanfiction by Ralf Martin

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Disclaimer: All characters featured in this wonderful work of art sprang originally from the fertile mind of Rumiko Takahashi. Except for a few that sprang from mine. Trust me, you'll notice the difference.

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CHAPTER 14: Nowhere to run

-

A high-pitched squeal coming from upstairs was the first sign for the returning girls that something was amiss. Just as they passed through the entrance they heard the panicked sound, causing Akane to leave her sister standing in a cloud of dust as she flew up the stairs towards the first floor. The ongoing stream of squeaks and oinks and scrapping hooves emitting from the room she knew should only contain a sleepy cat filled her with adrenaline and a sick feeling in her intestines.

How could she have forgotten about P-Chan? Her sweet little pet-pig with the uncanny ability to pop in and out of the most unlikely of places? He must have come back from god knows where he spent the day and gone looking for her. And where else to look first if not in her room?

But of course it hadn't been his 'mommy' that greeted him upon his return. Instead there waited about twenty-five pounds of easily irritated feline with the certified capability to take down a medium-sized apartment- building.

Crashing through the door she took in the chaotic mess her room had been turned into and saw her worst fears realized. Well, maybe not her worst fears. Actually, considering the prior emotional buildup, what she saw was almost a little disappointing.

-

Stranded in a corner of the room and shaking like a dry twig in a thunderstorm, P-Chan watched wide-eyed as 'The Cat' stalked his way in a relaxed and almost insultingly slow pace. Oh yes, Ryoga had faced cats before in his cursed form, and most of them had continued their lives with a healthy respect for small, cute little piglets with a knack for martial- arts.

But this one was different from those strays and family-pets he fought before. He couldn't for the life of his tell why, but this cat scared him like none had before.

Maybe it was because it was almost as big as a dog, but still sleek and graceful. Powerful muscles rippling beneath gleaming fur. Unsettling pale eyes glowing in an unholy light that seemed to promise something cruel and painful in the little pig's immediate future.

Or maybe it was because of its smell. This terrible smell that for some reason reminded P-Chan's sensitive nose of darkness and fear and fresh blood.

Or maybe it was simply his pig-genes finally taking control and freezing the human part of his mind to the point were running seemed the only option. Running away as fast and far away as possible from this ghastly, terrifying monster of a cat that stalked him, that pawed and clawed and threatened to swallow him whole.

-

It would be disputable if it had helped P-Chan any would he have known the real intentions behind the cat's toothy grin. For the feline was actually more impressed with the pig's strange reactions than its possible use as a light snack.

Tip-toeing a little closer, it dropped a paw in front of the quivering heap of pork, thus causing it to jump almost to the ceiling in panic, only to suddenly change course by ricocheting off the wall, then the cupboard, desk, bed and other assorted objects of furniture.

It was exactly what it had done every time the cat had come too close, and the feline, true to the playful nature of its kind, watched it zig and zag through the room in fascination, even rolling on its back for a better view of the pig passing overhead. Its head followed the squeaking projectile on its wild ride until the propellant ran out and it crashed down in yet another corner of the room.

Then the game would start anew. The cat would roll to its feet and cautiously approach the piglet in its selected corner, gleefully watching it squirm and quiver at each step. Then, when the suspense had reached the boiling point, all that was needed was another strategically placed paw and… whoosh… instant flying pig.

Oh what a funny way to pass the time.

-

Akane stared at her ruined room in wide-eyed disbelief. Books, magazines and papers strewn all over the floor, picture frames toppled or crashed down, as was about everything else she had placed on the desk or the cupboards. The mirror on the wall splintered and hanging askance, her chair lying on the ground, next to the pillows that originally belonged on her bed. And amidst the chaos, the cat lay on its back, paws pulled tight and head zipping back and forth as it trailed a black shadow that zipped through the room, squeaking pitifully as it crash-banged from furniture to the walls and back, causing more and more of the mess.

Acting quickly and without any apparent sense of self-preservation, Akane jumped right into the path of the mini-sputnik's next passage, catching him with a full body-check like a Major League Football Player. She rolled across the floor, the panicking piglet struggling in her arms and came to rest right in front of a slightly disappointed looking cat. Panting she sat up, leaning her back to the wall as she cautiously inspected her quivering pet.

"It's okay, it's okay…" she repeated over and over while stroking the little pig. "Moma's here. Nobody's going to hurt you as long as moma's here."

Slowly her assurances and little cooing noises bore fruit. The piglet stopped squirming and simply made do with burying as deep into her arms as was possible without breaking her skin.

While Akane tended to P-Chan, the cat rolled on its side and watched the whole thing. At first it looked on in bemusement, but the longer the girl's attention stayed with the pig, the more the cat's expression darkened. Its tail started to twitch in irritation, and maybe it was this sudden movement that caught Akane's eye.

"And what did YOU think you were doing?" she chided the feline. "Bullying poor little P-Chan like that? And look what you did to my room!"

The tomcat for his part saw those accusations of course as completely unjust and hissed angrily in reply. Then he shot to his paws in indignation and presented her with his backside, tail raised high. The look he passed her over his shoulder before haughtily stalking towards the door looked almost as if he was throwing a raspberry, but of course that was probably just Akane's imagination.

Such a human gesture was highly unlikely to come from a cat after all.

-

Even though the door stood wide open, the way out was blocked with something, or rather someone, who also incorporated many catlike features, including a sometimes nasty sense of humor.

"Now that's a new one," Nabiki remarked dryly as she leaned in the doorframe, arms crossed and one eyebrow raised. "Since when are cats allowed in this house? Oh wait, I remember. It's about two weeks now, isn't it?"

"That's not funny," Akane growled, shooting a poisonous glare at her sister as she continued to pat her pet.

"I don't know," Nabiki replied mysteriously. "Something here surely is."

"Huh? What's that supposed to imply?" the younger girl responded, her anger suddenly replaced by a more cautious demeanor.

"Nothing really," the girl by the door stated calmly. "Maybe I'm just curious. There've been so many strange incidents lately. If I hadn't been to his funeral, I'd almost believe Ranma was still around. Though that would hardly explain why you suddenly decide to house a cat here."

As she spoke those words, the cat that had stopped dead at her feet started hissing, glaring up at the human giant and twitching its tail angrily again. Nabiki saw this and recognized the signals for the warning they were, but since she didn't know of the feline's destructive capabilities yet, she wasn't exactly frightened by them.

"Yeah, I'm talking about you kitty," she addressed the cat. "You know, two weeks ago Akane wouldn't even have let you near this place. Nobody living in this house would have. Nothing personal, mind you. It's been simply safer that way, considering the way Ranma would have reacted in the case of an encounter."

Returning her gaze to the bewildered sister that still sat on the ground, holding on tightly to her piglet, she smiled a grim little smile as she continued.

"But then again, Ranma can't freak out anymore, or can he? So why not add a cat to your zoo? It's surely not any stranger than your sudden change of mood ever since you went on that mysterious little walk yesterday. Say, you're still sure that absolutely nothing interesting happened back then?"

Even though she phrased that last sentence as a question, it was obvious that she saw this as given. It was also obvious that she expected an answer anyway. And with this being Nabiki, it was obvious that it was better going to be a good one.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Akane replied defensively, using the standard phrase that always marked you as 'guilty'. "What do you want to hear? That I enjoyed myself that much between kicking Kuno's butt and talking with Ukyou that I completely forgot about Ranma, huh?"

"What I want to hear?" Nabiki gave back, mirroring her sister's tone perfectly while adding a sarcastic spin of her own. "I want to hear that this whole mess never really happened. I want to wake up right now and Ranma's still alive. And there are no stupid ghosts hanging around, and no gods, and my little sister never had the idiotic idea to go and try to kill herself in the middle of the night! But actually," she continued in a more sympathetic manner, smiling sadly at her suddenly pale-faced sister, "what I want isn't that important. So I'm willing to settle for the truth, okay?"

Still shell-shocked from the unexpected depth of Nabiki's knowledge about yesterday's events, Akane stared from her sister's face to the alarmed looking cat that had apparently taken a guarding position between them and back again.

"Fine," she finally declared with a sigh, struggling to a standing position. Then she walked over and burdened her surprised sister with P- Chan's tiny body.

"Here, you want to know the truth?" she told the reluctant girl. "Then you take P-Chan while I take care of the cat."

"Why can't I take care of the cat instead?" Nabiki inquired, trying to keep the piglet as far away from her chest as possible. After all, 'she' knew of its second identity as a certain directionally challenged martial artist. "I'm much better with cats than with… this pig."

"You're welcome to try…" Akane replied with a shrug as she took P-Chan back. It may have been the light, but Nabiki almost believed to see a dangerous glint flash across her sisters eyes. Whether this was just a trick of the light she would never know, but the grim smile Akane wore was real, no doubt about that.

-

"Oh come on," Akane teased her twitching sister as she applied the disinfectant, "it's only a little scratch. No need to make such a show of it."

"A little scratch?" Nabiki retorted vehemently. "Look at it, I'm lucky that I pulled back fast enough or we'd have to interrupt Kasumi's date!"

"Stop squirming," Akane shot back , "you've almost dropped P-Chan. If you don't take better care I've got to switch pets again…"

"No way!" Nabiki replied, her gaze automatically searching the cat sitting nearby, obviously still unable to decide if it preferred to look smug or guilty. "The pig is mine!"

Said pig was currently on the brink of passing out, thanks to the generous amount of breast it was currently being pressed into rather forcefully. He didn't complain though, being momentarily content with quietly nose- bleeding himself into oblivion.

"If you say so," Akane agreed while putting away the medical supplies. Then she sat down opposite to her sister and called for the cat who eagerly took the offered place on her lap. Curling up to a purring bundle of fur, the feline nonetheless watched Nabiki attentively through half-lidded eyes.

"So, where do you want me to start?" Akane finally asked once she and the cat were comfortable. "Probably with me leaving the house yesterday morning, right?"

"Sounds good to me," Nabiki agreed with a nod, distractedly stroking the pig in her arms as her full attention was directed at the girl opposite of her.

"Well," Akane began in her best story-teller's voice, "I guess it all started when Kuno showed up with one of his sister's special bouquets…"

-

Nabiki wasn't the only one listening intently as Akane began to spin her tale. The pig in her arms seemed as interested as the cat on her sister's lap. In P-Chan's case the reason for this was rather transparent, at least to Nabiki.

The feline though appeared to her suspiciously attentive for one of his kind, reacting with grunts and side-glances to parts of the story he obviously disagreed with, and strangely captivated whenever Akane's true feelings for a certain 'pigtailed jerk' became almost painfully apparent during this tale of mystery, ghosts, cursed families and friendship.

And love of course. Not that she ever really used that word, old habits die hard after all. But it didn't exactly take a scientist to discern what fuelled this girl's hopes and dreams.

Stupid hopes and idiotic dreams according to Nabiki. As long as they led to her sister trying to something as idiotic as committing seppuku. That was exactly what Nabiki had always hated about all this 'love-business'. If you did it right, and what was the point of love if you didn't, it made you completely dependant on someone else. A concept as alien to Nabiki as paying taxes. Maybe even more so.

On the plus-side, Ranma had shown up in time to stop Akane from perforating her stomach, in spite of this little inconvenience of already being dead himself. No small feat, and Nabiki strongly doubted that she would have been able to do anything similar, had she been in his situation. But then again, who could compete with Ranma when it came to showing off?

Well, making an appearance as a ghost was one thing, coming back from the dead was something entirely else. It should be completely impossible. Science said so after all, and this was the 20th century, not the age of legends. A modern woman should simply discard silly ideas like that. Like Jusenkyou. Or Oni. Or stupid wishing-swords. Or… well, you get the picture.

Listening to Akane, Nabiki found herself similarly forced to believe the truth of Ranma's resurrection as she had been when Ryoga first told her about it.

This was, in a very real way, completely insane.

It was also, in a equally real way, completely likely.

There is after all something called 'Nerima-deduction'. It follows an easy enough rule. Take all the facts, throw away everything that's even remotely probable, and what you're left with, especially if it appears completely stupid, is the truth. *

-

*People in the western hemisphere always appear surprised at how often this method has been applied successfully. But then again, they discovered the 'Chaos-theory' only recently, whereas the Japanese always had Tokyo.

-

"What are you going to do with him once you get him back?" Nabiki asked when her sister's narration drew to an end.

"Now that's a pretty private question," Akane replied, a light blush creeping across her face, followed closely by a roguish grin. It was surprising, to say the least, but after confessing to her sister she was feeling actually pretty relieved. Almost reckless even.

"Well, that's not what I meant," Nabiki stated, rolling her eyes theatrically. "Though I guess that's only to be expected. No, I mean afterwards, when the novelty has run out. Say, after a week or two, when the both of you come out from under the sheets again…"

"Nabiki!" Akane interrupted her older sister, 'embarrassment' painted a tad bit too thickly across her face.

"Now what?" the other girl asked innocently. "If he's got a brand-new body then it's your duty as his… girlfriend, or whatever this whole mess makes you, to check that everything is working according to the specifications. That's the least you can do…"

"Gee, if you put it THAT way…" Akane snickered, sinking lower in her seat. That movement obviously startled the cat that had kind off zoned off on her lap. The big tomcat shook his head as if to clear some cobwebs and stared at her with big eyes.

"What's the matter?" the cat's living cushion asked him amiably. "Did I scare you?"

The cat nodded at her in reply, then shock his head only to nod again. It was a funny sight, even if it was probably just some typical cat-behavior both girls simply didn't know about.

"Oooh! My poor baby…!" Akane exclaimed in overdramatic pity, reaching out for the feline and pulling him flat onto her stomach, his head coming to a rest between her breasts while her arms were encircling him protectively.

The general effect was pretty much the same that Nabiki's embrace had on P- Chan. 'Sorry brain, the blood is needed elsewhere'. The poor animal never even had a chance to purr.

"As I was saying," Nabiki suddenly spoke up, successfully regaining her sisters attention. "You're going to have to deal with a couple of problems once Ranma comes back. IF he comes back and this wasn't just something he made up to keep you from shish-kebabing yourself. Not that I'd blame him if he did."

"He's coming back," Akane insisted with surprising calmness, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Okay, let's say for now that he does," Nabiki agreed with a shrug. " Then what are we going to do about him? He will be without an identity. No name, no family, no papers…"

"But Auntie would surely…" Akane threw in confusedly, only to get interrupted herself.

"Officially!" Nabiki corrected her curtly. "We're talking bureaucracy here. If you've got no papers, you don't exist. Simple as that. So that means no school, not that he'd ever complain about that. But it also means that he can't go to university, and you know what that means in this country. He could never take over the Dojo either, for he's no legal persona. And this of course also means no marriage."

"So?" Akane asked defiantly. "You don't honestly believe that a few complications would stop us from anything?"

"So it's 'us' now," Nabiki remarked nonchalantly, tilting her head as she inspected her sister's unflinching expression. "Anyway, both of you already proved yourselves as uncorrectable boneheads. Still, you should take this serious. Ranma is going to need an identity when he comes back, or we'll be in for a lot of headaches. I'm not too worried about the neighbors, but the authorities would sure prove a pain in the ass. Police, registration office, health department. They'd come knocking at our door sooner or later."

"Sounds almost scary if you put it like that," Akane remarked without actually sounding too afraid. Scratching the cat between its ears, she looked expectantly at her sister. "But knowing you like I do big sister, I'm convinced that there's some failsafe plan in one of your drawers. Just for some freak emergency like this. Ain't I right?"

"Gee," Nabiki moaned while scratching her own pet. "When have I become so bloody predictable? I've got to do something about this soon or my reputation will suffer. But well," she sighed melodramatically, "let's talk business…"

-

Neonlights painting their surroundings in the strangest colors, waging a saccharine war with the shadows of night. People mingling in groups of two or larger amidst the cinemas and theatres and restaurants and arcades of the amusement-district. Laughs and smiles on a myriad of faces. Hopeful glances, shy looks and oh-so accidental touches. The whole spectrum of Saturday-night anthropology.

And amidst this writhing mass of potential procreation and good-natured lies, also known as compliments, makeup and strategically placed 'stuffing', a young couple walked in relative silence.

The guy of the pair, just an assumptions based on purely visual data, and those had been forced into rectification a lot lately, walked with his hands in the pockets of his dark coat, head bowed and eyes invisible in the shadows of his cap. By the way he walked it was pretty obvious that he wasn't really in amusement mode at the moment, that with kicking at cans and stuff.

The girl by his side didn't look too amused either. Once again, this is solely visual data and this so-called girl had a long standing history of fooling people concerning her gender. Wearing a dark pantskirt and a green blouse, her brown mane of hair falling freely over her shoulders for once, she looked pretty much as cheerful as her companion.

"What's the problem now?" she suddenly muttered, sounding rather grumpy. A female kind of grumpy, admittedly. "I thought you wanted to go out with me."

"That's not it," the boy replied distractedly, kicking another can right across the street. "I mean, I appreciate it and everything. You even closed your restaurant for this. It's just…" he liberated one hand from the depths of his coat to gesture helplessly in the air. "Honestly, I don't know what it is," he finally admitted with a shrug.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," the girl agreed resignedly, idly grabbing another empty can from a wastebasket they passed and lobbing it in front of her companions feet. A sacrilege, especially in a tidy place like Japan, but she didn't really mind at the moment. Watching the can go flying clean over a passing car, she huffed, a reminiscent smile on her face.

"You can't blame the movie though," she stated wryly, chuckling softly at some remembered scenes.

"Course not," the boy agreed, his head perking up. "That's a Kevin Smith movie we're talking about! He's god! Though I sure could tell him an interesting thing or two about angels…" he added dryly.

"HE's god?" the girl gave back tauntingly. "Funny, I thought HE was that fat prophet and god was a woman…"

"Okay, point for you," the guy replied with a sagely nod. "Alannis is god. But since Smith's also the director, and therefore giving instructions to her, he's also …" He tilted his head, looking thoughtfully at his companion as he mused about Kevin Smith's position in the 'ViewAskew'-iverse **.

"…her boss." He concluded, tapping the chin beneath his sudden smirk. "He's the god of god, that's what he is!"

"Oh please," the girl exclaimed, shaking her head in disbelief. "And Jay's his prophet, right?"

"Sure," the guy agreed happily while starting to count on his fingertips. "And the Metatron and Bartleby and Lok…"

Suddenly he stopped his enumeration, hands frozen in midair, and his head snapped towards the opposite sidewalk. The girl next to him followed his gaze but couldn't tell what or who in the crowd on the other side had caught his attention. So she did the next best thing that came to her mind.

"Kinyou, you okay?" she asked dubiously, waving a hand in front of her companion's face. He didn't react at first, except for a light frown creasing his brow. But then he shook his head, as if to clear it.

"Huh? Oh, sorry Ukyou. But say, isn't that Kodachi over there?" he asked distractedly, his eyes still fixed at the other side.

His companion scanned the distant crowd, searching for an overdressed, dark- haired girl with a haughty bearing and probably some bishonen-looking escort. Actually, she saw some that fit that description, but none of those resembled the less-than-level gymnast more than superficially.

"Sorry," she said without too much regret, "I can't spot her anywhere."

"There, by the streetlight," Kinyou supplied, pointing in the direction, "the girl in the blue jacket that's window-shopping. Got her back to us."

"Huh? Where..?" Ukyou asked just before she spotted the indicated girl. It took her a moment to realize that this slightly hunched figure with the hands in the pockets of her relatively plain apparel was indeed the Kuno- girl.

"Do you think we should go over?" Kinyou asked her while she was still wondering about the other girls unprecedented bearing. "Say hello or something?"

"You got to be kidding," Ukyou replied distractedly before her head snapped back to glare at her companion. "Why should ANYONE want to…"

What exactly anyone might want to or not was left unsaid though, mainly because Kinyou was already halfway across the street.

-

** Don't ask. If you got the reference, you won't need to. If not, it would take a couple of movies viewed at late hours in company of the right people and probably a couple of 'Becks'*** to explain.

*** German Brand of Beer. Yummi.

-

Kodachi wasn't exactly sure what had made her go on a walk through this more lively part of town. Except for the fact that she simply had been unable to stay one more second in that over-endowed, lifeless crystal- palace she called home. Maybe it was the babble and laughing of the mingling crowd that had beckoned her. Even though she wasn't part of it, stumbling through the tangle of amusement-seekers without plan or destination, the life she felt pulsing around her, the chatter and background-noise, filled some of the void in the back of her mind.

Had it really been only yesterday that reality had been proven nothing more than a sham of her own deluded family with the breaking of that oh-so sacred family-treasure?

Had it really been only yesterday that her confidence, her guidance and beliefs had been exposed as the by-product of some century-old stupidity started by one of her foolish ancestors?

Yes, it had.

Staring at the window of a shop, Kodachi wondered about the girl that looked back at her. Dressed in a simple blouse and skirt-combo, a light jacket protecting her from the light chill of night, dark bangs shadowing a pale face with slightly puffy eyes. A pretty girl, maybe even beautiful, though that was hard to say with the pained expression she wore. Why was that? Had she cried? Kodachi wasn't sure, but that was okay. Lately she wasn't sure of a lot of things.

Casting a last glance at her counterpart in the window, she turned on her heels, deciding to call it a night and return home before her mood slid completely down the drain. Just as she was about to round a corner, she heard a familiar voice call out to her.

"Oi Kodachi, wait a sec," she heard Kinyou shout excitedly, waving at her from the middle of the street. At least she thought it was Kinyou. It was hard to tell since he was only a black silhouette against the headlights of the onrushing car behind him.

-

Einstein explained in his famous theory that time is actually relative instead of absolute.

Kinyou would have done nothing but agreed to this, given the time to idly muse upon scientific philosophy. But as things were, that with those screeching brakes behind him, screams and shouts all around him and a sinking feeling in his stomach, he had other things on his mind.

He saw the whole scene unfold slowly, just as if he were watching a movie in slow-motion.

Kodachi, eyes widening, her face ghostly in the neonlights. Her mouth opening to scream a warning as one hand rose to point down the street.

Camera pan to the left. The panicking, still half averted face of a driver who had spent too much of his attention on the girl next to him. His hands cramping around the wheel, his mouth working some inaudible prayers, or curses, as the vehicle sped nearer and nearer, hardly slowing down at all.

Further pan of the camera, towards the other, nearer sidewalk. A crowd of people, surprised or shocked or even strangely eager expressions on their faces. Amidst them a wide-eyed Ukyou, trying to reach him but somehow restrained by the suddenly static crowd. One arm reaching out helplessly, unable to bridge the distance as she screamed his name.

Close-up on his own person, trying to move, trying to order muscles to work at speeds that they were not designed for. To get him out of the way of, if not certain death, than at least a prolonged stay in a hospital of his choice, option for a rehab-facility included. His feet trying to use whatever purchase the wet asphalt of the street was willing to offer for a running start.

His Phys.-Ed. Teacher might had been surprised at the sudden burst of speed he displayed, so unlike his usual sloughing self.

It didn't matter though.

Kinyou knew, from the very first step, that he would not make it in time.

But you always have to try, don't you?

'Shiiiiiiii…'

Òne step.

'…iiiiiiiii…'

Two steps.

'…iiiiiiiit !'

Impact.

The sound of steel hitting flash.

Cries.

Pain.

And.

Last but not least.

Darkness.

-

It was almost midnight when the gate to the Tendo-residence swung open to admit the household's eldest daughter, weary but still giggling from tonight's excitements. Entering the house she sobered up, sneaking quietly towards the stairs so as to not wake her family. She needn't have bothered though, for at least both of her sisters were still up and calling out to her from the living-room.

"Hey Kasumi, back already?" Akane greeted from where she lounged, a certain cat dozing peacefully next to her.

"Can't have been much of a date then," Nabiki added with a grin. "If I go out I rarely come back before dawn."

"Akane? Nabiki?" Kasumi asked slightly confused. "What are you still doing here at such a late hour?"

"Late hour?" the two girls echoed synchronously, exchanging a meaningful look.

"Well, maybe for you," Nabiki continued solo. "Considering that you usually retire around…?"

"Ten o'clock," Akane supplied helpfully, "and that's on busy days."

"Right," Nabiki agreed with a nod. "Whereas for other people, with a less busy schedule and a bit more of a social life…"

"… it's not unheard of that they stay up all night to gang up and grill their favorite big sister after a date!" Akane finished happily.

"So come here for a moment," Nabiki quipped, patting the place next to her. "Share with your sisters…"

-

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Author's notes: Oh boy, me and my big mouth. This chapter took even longer than the last one. And the only excuse I've got is a five-day trip to Bavaria. Frightening thought, admittedly, but not much in the way of a justification. Anyway, I've recovered, I'm back with my computer, and I'm willing to write more. So the next chapter should be out faster than the last two. As if I wasn't promising something along those lines every time... :-)

But enough of me and on to more important matters. Like my readers for example...

Hello, Merlines Lil´girl? Hope you didn't suffocate. I mean three weeks is an awful long time to hold your breath. Hope it was worth it though.

Hossa, Alagon, What do you mean? Beasts with bushy tails and girls DO mix! Else half of the Dragonball fanfics wouldn't work. (Hey, ask Lady Hella or Ttrin if you don't believe me!)

Heyyy Lija. Got a cliffhanger again, wuahahahaha. C'mon, the last one didn't really count, except if you are especially interested in P-Chan's welfare. But then you'll hate to hear that I plan to get rid of the lil bugger by the end of this fic. Wuahahaha. (Again.)

Aaargh, Foxboy. Got me again. I guess great minds DO think alike. A little hint. Ranma's new sensei's gonna stink.

Hmm, Quick. Thanks, I guess. (That's quick, huh?)

And finally, Makotois and Suya. Thanks guys. Hope your not disappointed that lil bacon ain't got more than a shock and a little panic attack. But then again, he just lost his favorite sleeping-spot to some black-furred nightmare. He's gonna have to sleep with Nabiki now. *snicker*. Poor lil piggy. Bwahahahaha!

Err, as I was saying, that's it for now.

See ya next week. (Hopefully)

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