"Konatsu." Ukyou’s lips formed the words, though no sound came out. The harsh flavor of salt made itself known in her mouth as she tried to crawl along the floor. A heeled foot collided with her back and knocked the breath out of her. The chef strained to lift her head off the cement and stare at the nightmarish scene that was continued to be played out in front of her. “Ranma. Noo…” she sobbed as she watched the man she idolized kick Konatsu in the gut again. The limp body of her employee and friend showed no resistance and little reaction to the strike. “Are you ready to give up yet?” the cold voice of the man standing over her asked again. She cleared her throat and croaked out, “never.” She grunted in pain as her defiance was answered by a kick to the head. “Kill him,” the calm but cruel voice said. She watched in horror as Ranma drew a short sword from his side and aimed it at the motionless body. It was poised at the back of his neck and she watched as it began its descent. “Konatsu!!” she screamed. Her eyes suddenly opened and it took her a moment to realize she was in her room. Breathing heavily into the morning chill, she felt the sweat that covered her. She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her nerves. No matter how many times she had the same dream of the past, it always traumatized her. "You okay, Honey?” Yuu asked. Concern was evident in his sleepy voice. She sat upright, moving slowly to try and cover her jitters. There wasn’t much about herself and her history that she had withheld from her husband, but some things she felt too much shame to reveal to anyone, even the person she trusted most in the world. “Just a bad dream,” she answered and forced a smile. “I really don’t remember much about it now. “ “You yelled, ‘Konatsu’,” wasn’t that the name of friend in Nerima, the one that helped you with your restaurant there?” “Konatsu was in it,” she said slowly. “It was one of those fights we would get into back then. He got hurt in my dream. I guess my conscious is telling me how dangerous the stuff we did was.” “What happened to him?” “I just remember him falling of a cliff,” she said absently while trying to make her lie believable. She looked at her alarm clock and noted she had another hour before she had to awaken. “Really? I thought you said he got another job and didn’t want to follow you here?” “No. He fell off a cliff in my dream, silly,” she chuckled softly. She knew Yuu had misspoken intentionally. “My bad,” he said smirking. When she smiled at him, Yuu placed an arm around her, hugging her tightly to him and lightly kissing her forehead. Assassination of Nabiki Tendou A Ranma 1/2 Continuation of Sorts By KPJAM The characters and situations in this short work are mine except for the characters and situations I borrowed from Ranma 1/2 which is the work of Rumiko Takahashi. The rights to Ranma ½, storylines and characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogagukan, Kitty and Viz Communications. Chapter Four: Kyoto ><_><_><_<>_><_><_><_><_<><_><_<_<_><_>_><_><_><_><_> Nabiki sat next to Kiyoshi on the express train to Osaka. They had paid for reserved seats in the first class car. It allowed them more comfort and privacy than unreserved coach, and they had only booked five minutes before departure. They hadn’t discussed it, but Nabiki wondered how much she would end up paying for this trip. Kiyoshi still had complete control of most of her money and until she came up with a plan of her own, she wouldn’t mention it. She yawned, and paid attention to the search she was currently undertaking. She had started yesterday searching for information on Ukyou. She had already been searching for information for days, but that had been a general search covering many people. When they decided on this trip, she tightened her search parameters to Ukyou, her clan, and the missing Konatsu. "Hmm..." she said absently, while reading and old newspaper archive about the chef. "What?" Kiyoshi spoke while his eyes were still closed. "This is interesting." She read the announcement, feeling a bit like an idiot for not finding it sooner. "What???" A small tingle of joy went through her spine at the annoyance in his voice. It probably wasn’t prudent, but she needed to see him ruffled a little. His overly calm and collected demeanor had unsettled her almost as much as anything else these last few days. "She married three years ago." "Anything of real interest?" "Your old sweetheart getting married doesn't interest you?" she asked coyly. "Should it?" "If you don't remember her, I guess it shouldn't." "Did you find out anything of value?" She bristled at the condescending tone in his voice and skimmed more of the announcement. "Her husband is a chef she hired five years ago. He moved into her house." "I said of value," he rebuked her. There was nothing she could gain from responding, so she ignored him. She checked one of her dummy drop sites, hoping it hadn’t been compromised and rejoiced when she had mail there. One of her contacts, a person that didn’t know her real identity, had been tasked with providing her tax and other governmental information on Ukyou in Kyoto. She noted that she would have to wire some money to a certain account, and it would probably consume the emergency money she had kept from Kiyoshi. It wasn’t an appealing situation and it wasn’t her top priority right now. Her top priority was pleasing the man that could save her, if she could only find a way to make sure he’d try. The property assessment files jumped out at her. Apparently Ukyou owned both the restaurant and her home. Nabiki wondered how much she was charging for her Okonomiyaki to afford both. Opening the file, she scanned for the last assessment which was only a couple months old, and let out a low surprised whistle. Her actions immediately earned a hiss from Kiyoshi, which she ignored in favor of scanning the directory for the information she currently craved. Kiyoshi's eyes were boring into her. She didn’t need to look at him to feel the intense glare from them, but she continued to put that out of her mind as she opened and scanned documents. Her frustration was building, but she had built a career on patience and research, so she was undeterred in her probing. After several minutes she hit the jackpot, finding a copy of the sale notice and deed she quickly scanned for the information she was looking for. "Wow," she breathed softly. "You know you're annoying?" Kiyoshi said darkly. "Moi?" she used her most innocent voice. Once she found the house, the restaurant was easy. She closed her eyes after they found the relevant pages, fearful they would pop out otherwise. "Whatever. Wake me when we're there." Kiyoshi turned away from her after she failed to respond. "You don't want to hear how Ukyou bought a house and restaurant ten years ago for,” she paused as she did the math in her head, “one- hundred and fifty million yen. With cash?" Nabiki asked smugly. "Hmmm... If you find out where she got the money maybe keeping you alive won't prove to be a waste of effort." Nabiki’s heart leapt to her throat, while she sat stunned and breathless for a minute. "Well, wake me when you find something or we get there." ><_><_><_<>_><_><_><_><_<><_><_<_<_><_>_><_><_><_><_> <_> Ukyou manned the grill at her restaurant, Ucchan's. She had deliberated on the name for what felt like months when she had first returned to the area she had grown up in. She had contemplated the question of if she should open a shop at all; the emotional scars from those last days in Nerima had been almost intolerable. Unfortunately, she realized she had nothing else she could do. Her clan, already suspicious of and upset about her recent return to Kyoto would have never left her alone if she had continued acting as if the world had ended. Her father had predictable refused to speak with her when she had returned home. She actually hadn’t cared all that much about his reaction. Ruin had been the only thing that trying to appease her father had brought her. Eternal damnation was her lot in life from her lack of strength. Her dreams saw to that. Being abandoned when she was young had been rough. It had been horrible at some moments, but she could look back at that situation and believe she had done her best. The situation was horrible, and the Saotomes actions had brought ruin to her. If she had just let it go then… If she had the courage she felt now, then, she could have this life without knowing her weakness had cost another, his. "Ukyou!" Her husband’s yell brought her back to the smell of burning batter. "Shit," she exclaimed, quickly removing the ruined okonomiyaki from the grill. "You okay, Hon?" "Damn it,” she growled under her breath while she tried to steady her breathing. “Yeah. I’m fine.” She reached for more ingredients and quickly began the process of whipping up another portion. The bowl slipped from her hand as she was moving it towards the grill. Ukyou reached for it, but only succeeded in batting it away, and watching helplessly as it landed on the floor. Broken pieces scattered everywhere while a lump of ruined eggs, pork, cabbage, and a few other special ingredients stayed in a clump at her feet. A hand fell on her shoulder, “its okay. Why don’t you take a break?” She jostled her shoulders, dislodging the hand and turned. “I’m fine, I said.” The low guttural hiss caught Yuu off-guard and she ran towards the kitchen. ><_><_><_<>_><_><_><_><_<><_><_<_<_><_>_><_><_><_><_> <_> Nabiki peered into the bustling restaurant. It was larger than the ‘Old’ Ucchan’s and was teeming with life. A row of booths ran along either side wall. The ones that occupied the left side had mini-grills on them, and were built large enough for parties of twelve to cook their own food. The other row of booths seemed perfect for smaller groups, couples or friends, and didn’t offer the option of cooking for oneself. The remaining floor space was occupied with tables and two circular grills. The décor was light and cheerful. A few paintings adorned white and sky-blue walls, while the wooden floor accentuated a very homey feel to it. Nabiki failed to recognize the man deftly preparing orders at one but the chef at the other was none other than the person they sought: Ukyou. Nabiki spared a glance at… Kiyoshi. Here, in front of Ucchan’s, she had hoped to see some flicker of recognition. Instead, dead eyes appraised the environment. She had gotten used to calling him by this new name, but when associating him with the past, she sometimes slipped. “Ukyou’s the woman behind the grill,” she said. He responded by nodding his head slightly. An action she might have missed, had she not been staring for any reaction. She watched as he stared into the establishment with unblinking eyes. The eyes she used to read like a book, where now closed shut to her. Another little reminder of the differences this man presented to the Ranma she had known. The chronicle of changes to him was too long for Nabiki to really believe. She had gone through changes from her youth. Everyone she knew had. The alterations to Ranma were without peer. Ranma had been so vibrant and alive, especially when around his friends and rivals. This man was cold. She wondered what was going through his head. She wondered if any of the boy she had once knew had survived whatever had happened to him. “Well?” she asked finally. Kiyoshi had mentioned recognizing Nabiki when they had met a few days ago, and now she had hopes he would recognize Ukyou. He had to remember her. Ukyou had played a much bigger role in his life than she had. Hadn’t she? “Let’s go,” he finally replied, before turning away, and walking down the street. She wanted to protest, if for no other reason than to be more than the hapless puppy she was treated as and felt like, but failed to articulate any words. Instead, she frowned slightly and watched him walk away, waiting to see if he’d slow or even notice. He did neither. Nabiki took a deep sigh and began walking after him. She picked up the pace when she noticed a woman break from a few of her friends, turn, and run into Kiyoshi. Kiyoshi moved agilely to try and avoid the collision, but the woman -- and Nabiki was sure of this – seemed determined to take the man down. They both fell to the ground, limbs tangled together, with Kiyoshi straddling the very attractive woman. Nabiki approached and watched with amusement as Kiyoshi attempted to detangle himself. The pair had ended up with her skirt flipped up, displaying a sexy pair of red thong panties through fishnet stockings. Kiyoshi was stammering an apology and his movement were jerky as he covered the woman’s privates. Nabiki glanced at the woman’s face, which had a delightfully smug cast to it. “Are you enjoying yourself?” The woman asked in a tranquil voice that showed no hint of the amusement on her face. “NO,” Kiyoshi blurted as he jumped to his feet as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, this had the unintended effect of flipping the woman’s skirt up again, giving all around a view of her precious box. Nabiki stifled a giggle as the woman calmly covered herself, and stood, looking at Kiyoshi with mirth-filled eyes. “I think it only fitting that you pay for your peeping,” she giggled. A quick glance at her recently departed friends verified that they had set Kiyoshi up. Seeing his lack of grace in the face of fire gave her some ideas of her own. “I’m sorry,” he said softly. His face turning crimson as Nabiki approached. “I think a nice dinner will do nicely,” the brazen woman added as she moved closer, placing a finger upon his chest. Nabiki, having reached the pair, took Kiyoshi’s arm in hers. “Dear, I told you to wait for me. Now, have you apologized for the inconvenience you’ve caused this woman?” Kiyoshi looked at Nabiki critically, causing Nabiki to wonder if he would be quick enough to go along with her little charade. Kiyoshi sighed, and turned to Nabiki. “I told you we were in a hurry. And I did already apologize. So let’s get going.” They both nodded towards the other woman as she stood there seething, and left. \\_____________ ___ / ___________{=============================== / /_`/ /__/ Commander Abe picked up his private line. “Hello?” He listened intently while a deep frown formed on his face. “Well, send people then!” he ordered and then listened again. “Of course. Send him as well. What do I pay you for?!” A few seconds passed as Abe listened to trite excuses. Finally, after having enough time wasted he harshly interjected, “Is there anything else?” A smile formed as he listened to the second bit of news. “Great. Have the documents delivered to me immediately.” He hung the phone up abruptly and picked his main one. The secretary answered immediately. “Inform my daughter that I’ll be visiting tonight. I’ll have dinner with her if she’s free, but otherwise I just have some news to give her. Thank you,” he finished politely and replaced the receiver. It had been an unimaginable amount of time in coming, but finally it was here. The blight on his family was going to be removed on paper, even if it had been effectively removed before. This last bit was a crowning moment in his efforts. Now, all that needed to be done was the last frayed string needed to be sewn back into the fabric or pulled. Apparently, that was happening in Kyoto. \\_____________ ___ / ___________{=============================== / /_`/ /__/ Ukyou walked up to her house, determined to bare her soul. She was scared. The secret had been kept a secret to protect her from her shame, but the events of the day had determined her current course of action. She wouldn't… couldn't let this sit between her and Yuu. She refused to live a lie, letting him believe she was better than she was. He had to see her for who she was, bloodied hands and soul. The reflection of the moon in the window had a reddish cast to it. 'Fitting,' she thought when the dogs came running around the corner. "Yuu must have left them out for me to bring in," she said softly with a smile on her face as she watched the two great huskies race towards her. The two brothers, both from the same litter, had been with her since she bought the house. They had been expensive, but she wanted the company and the warnings in case someone came after her. They weren't the typical guard dogs, much too friendly to be affective deterrents, but they sure were loud. "Inu-Yasha! Sesshoumaru! Osuwari!" Both dogs hit the ground, just before they tackled her. She bent over and scratched each behind its ear. "Good dogs." Turing, she entered the house. "Yuu! I'm home!" “I’m watching television,” he called back as she heard the noise from the den. The dogs, upon entering the house had taken off down the hall, and stopped in front of the study, barking wildly. The scene was strange enough that instead of going to talk to Yuu, she went to check on her pets. “What’s wrong boys,” she cooed, as she stroked both there manes. After thirty seconds when they still were more interesting in her ministrations, she sighed, and opened the doors. Both animals bolted inside, surprising Ukyou. “Crap!” Ukyou heard the woman’s voice before her eyes had adjusted to the darkened room. A swift movement caught her eyes, as she heard both dogs growl then snap at something. Yelping quickly followed as she brought both her mini-spatula’s to bear and threw them, somewhat blindly into the deeply shadowed room. “Kiyoshi! No!” Ukyou heard, rather than saw, both of her projectiles knocked out of the air. The blur she saw earlier streaked at her. She tried to move out of the way, while at the same time blocking with another pair of mini- spatulas. Her assailant moved too quickly for her to avoid, having been caught flat-footed. Pain coursed through her arm as it was knocked out of the way. Moments later her breath was taken away as she received a blow to the stomach that she hadn’t anticipated. Moments later she was flat on her face. Her stomach knotted up as she heard a metal click from behind her and shivered as she felt cold metal at the back of her neck. “What the hell?!” Yuu, called out. “Don’t move!” she heard the person atop her call out as the feeling at the back of her neck was removed. “Take it easy buddy,” she heard Yuu speaking slowly and calmly, only the slightest wavering in her voice. “Everyone calm down,” the female voice said. Ukyou strained to remember, both the female and the male’s voice had sounded familiar. “Close the dogs in that room, Nabiki,” the male voice said. Ukyou went rigid when the name was mentioned. The audible click of a closing door was heard moments later. “We just want to talk to you Ukyou,” the female voice said. “Well then tell this bastard to let me up, Nabiki Tendou,” Ukyou snarled, placing as much false courage into her voice as possible. “Kiyoshi.” Nabiki said. The weight that was pressing down on Ukyou was removed and she scurried away as she turned and caught sight of Nabiki standing in front of the study door, a sad smile on her face and another person. She softly muttered, “Ranma,” before her vision became blurred and she fainted. \\_____________ ___ / ___________{=============================== / /_`/ /__/ Nabiki sat in a soft chair, while all eyes in the room were focused on Ukyou. Very little, and nothing useful had been said as Yuu moved Ukyou to the couch. Kiyoshi had been silent, after the husband claimed no knowledge of anything. Nabiki watched the concerned husband closely. A wistful expression crossed her face as empathy made its path into her. Answers were the only thing they wanted, not the traumatic experience their actions had caused so far. Ukyou’s reaction in and of itself had shocked the fugitive woman. Nabiki had been expecting shock, but a joyful shock, the look of abject terror that had gripped the chef’s face worried her tremendously. “Mmm...” The groan from the chef grabbed Nabiki’s attention. “Honey, you okay?” Yuu asked lightly as he stroked her hair. Ukyou moved slightly before she attempted to get up. “Yuu, I’m…” she stopped speaking as her eyes narrowed and she looked around the room, her attention going instantly to Kiyoshi. She stared at him for what seemed an eternity to Nabiki. Her eyes bored into him, hatred oozing out of them. “Get out!” she growled at Kiyoshi as she started to sit up. “What do you know about me?” Kiyoshi’s calm voice answered. Ukyou blinked before responding, “I said. Get out NOW!” She sat up completely then, and stood. Never taking her eyes off of Kiyoshi, she began to pat herself down. “We removed you weapons. Now, what do you know?” Kiyoshi’s hand dipped into his jacket, and removed a small gun from within. “I don’t have patience for your theatrics.” He leveled the gun at her head. “Go ahead,” Ukyou said, “You killed me as soon as you walked in here, Ranma.” “What are you talking about, Ukyou?” Nabiki demanded. “You guys have to leave now.” Ukyou continued to stare at the gun while she spoke. “Leave now. There’s nothing I can tell you!” she cried out. “All this time you knew he was alive. And you didn’t tell anyone. Jesus, Ukyou. Why?” Nabiki asked. “Did you really want anything to do with this thing?” Ukyou spat back and pointed at Kiyoshi. “But you knew. How?” Nabiki countered, still trying to get her wits about her. Ukyou took a deep breath before speaking. “Listen. It doesn’t matter. I found him after I left Nerima. He was as he is now. It wouldn’t have served any purpose to tell anyone. Now! Will! You! JUST! LEAVE!” she screamed into the air as her balled fists began to shiver. Nabiki stood from the chair she had been sitting in and took a deep breath. Silence had descended upon the room after the outburst. She wasn’t prepared for this reaction or the negative emotions Ukyou had displayed. The other woman’s actions sent her mind whirling, and kept her from processing the information clearly. “Where did you meet me?” The calm question cut through the room like a knife, and all eyes shifted to Ukyou, waiting for another response. “Some warehouse by the docks. Konatsu found it.” “Where?” “The Ginza area. I don’t remember exactly where, but it was a pretty decent area.” “How’d Konatsu find it?” “I don’t know. I didn’t care at the time.” “You didn’t ask him afterwards?” ‘You bastard!” Ukyou roared and ran at Kiyoshi. Kiyoshi fired. The gunshot resounded through the room, and Nabiki felt herself go a little weak. Ukyou fell forwards, and Kiyoshi moved slightly away. Yuu, who had been quietly supportive of his spouse, sprang at Kiyoshi. The move was easily dodged by the target, and Nabiki said thanks that he hadn’t fired again. “Yuu, stop. I’m alright.” Ukyou’s voice stopped all movement in the room, except Kiyoshi. He moved slightly away from both husband and wife as Yuu ran to the chef. “He didn’t hit me,” she said standing and raising her hands so her husband could inspect her. Nabiki watched in shock as Yuu reached over and stuck his finger into Ukyou’s shirt, above the shoulder. “I think he did,” Yuu said when Ukyou flinched. “Just grazed though.” “Ukyou. Why are you acting like this?” Nabiki interjected. “Because that asshole killed Konatsu!” Ukyou scream and pointed at Kiyoshi. All heads in the room whipped towards Kiyoshi. Nabiki’s head swam as she tried to process the information. Konatsu was dead. She never even thought much of the weird boy dressed as a girl ninja. She had only met him once or twice, ignoring him as just another one of the weird people that seem to infect the lives of her family. “When? How?” Nabiki asked softly. Ukyou took a deep breath. Water could be seen trickling from the corners of her eyes. She sniffled, “when we entered that warehouse, we were jumped. We fought, but there were about a dozen of them. I got knocked around a bit and Konatsu was trying to protect me. They dressed in black, and the room was dark. When it was over, someone had me pinned to ground, and Konatsu was on his back, unconscious.” Ukyou stopped speaking and looked down at the floor. The room stood silent and Nabiki took a moment to look at Yuu. Ukyou’s husband looked distraught and Nabiki wondered if he had known about any of this before tonight. “Ranma was standing over him. He held a long blade in his hand. I called to him, but he ignored me. I tried to get up, to stop this insanity but someone kicked me in the back. The person kept me down and started speaking. He said that Ranma was his now, and he wouldn’t even acknowledge our existence. I tried to get up, to help. I tried calling to Ranma, but he just stood there, hovering over Konatsu.” “The man started speaking again. Laughing at me and saying he’d prove it by Konatsu’s death. So he had Ranma stab him in the back. The next thing I know I was knocked out. When I woke up, I was told I was only alive because it would be too much trouble right now to dispose of me. They said I could help them out by going back to Nerima and saying I had given up. That they’d make sure I could sell the old Ucchan’s and have enough for new start anywhere…” Ukyou stopped speaking to start sobbing. Nabiki watched in silence as the Yuu tried to comfort the grieving chef. Nabiki had a question. She had many questions, but couldn’t bring herself to articulate anything, her own wounds were stinging sharply now as her thoughts turned to Akane, and another family. A family she couldn’t take part in. “What else happened?” Kiyoshi broke the silence. The three others looked at him incredulously. Nabiki wondered, again, if she should just flee. She wanted answers. Revenge was a consideration also. Life on the other hand was something she wasn’t sure she wanted to gamble with. Ukyou continued to stare at him. Her sobs had stopped, and her bloodshot-eyes looked murderous. “Don’t you know!? You’re with them, bastard!” “Kiyoshi doesn’t remember anything from that time, Ukyou. You think Ranma would have done that on his own volition.” Nabiki wanted the rest of the story as well. She also wanted to get the hell out of here as soon as possible. “He’s still with them. Why don’t you go threaten his friends then?!” “They won’t tell me. You don’t exist in the history they’ve provided for me,” Kiyoshi said calmly. His clear eyes met Ukyou’s fiery stare. “They said they’d kill me and my clan if I ever told anyone. When I was packing in Nerima, I received a spatula in the mail. It was my father’s heirloom that had been kept in the family for centuries. One that he kept on his person! It was stained with blood and a note that read, ‘Silence is life-giving’. Now go!” Nabiki looked to Kiyoshi. Leaving sounded like a plan to her, a plan she wanted to enact as soon as possible. “Did they ever say any names?” he asked calmly. “No.” Ukyou shook her head sadly. “We answered your questions. Now go!” Yuu yelled. “Both of you lay on your stomachs,” Kiyoshi countered. He raised his gun when they failed to comply immediately. Slowly, they moved to the center of the room, quietly bearing the last indignity. Kiyoshi moved as well, sitting on top of them, he removed some rope from his jacket. He worked quickly, his hands moving in a blur of motion as he tied first one, then the other prisoner’s arms behind their backs. A couple quick tears had removed strips of their shirts, and Kiyoshi used them quickly and efficiently as makeshift gags. “Let’s go,” he said, and moved towards the back of the house. Nabiki glanced at the couple before trailing after him. \\_____________ ___ / ___________{=============================== / /_`/ /__/ A few blocks away from the house Nabiki finally decided she needed answers. “Did you really kill Konatsu?” “Probably. I’ve killed a lot of people. Although, I’m not sure who this Konatsu is.” “Why did you tie them up?” “You know why, don’t you?” Nabiki stifled her instant rebuttal and thought for a moment. “So they couldn’t follow us?” “Or call for help. Their clan is of decent size and has members living nearby.” Nabiki nodded, not having anything to add on that subject. But the way they were left was tugging at her conscious… “Let me go call someone,” she blurted as she scanned for a public phone. “No,” Kiyoshi sharp reply felt like a slap. “We’ll wait till we get out of town.” “Haven’t we…” Nabiki stopped in mid sentence. She didn’t have the mental strength right now to argue with him. Kiyoshi stopped and looked around. A frown formed on his face as his eyes narrowed. “Wait. Meet me at the train station. Go quickly!” He said as he ran across the street. Nabiki watched as he turned a corner, frowned at his sudden departure, and considered if now would be a good time to ditch the psychopath. \\_____________ ___ / ___________{=============================== / /_`/ /__/ Ukyou struggled in her bounds. She had waited until she heard the back door close, and silence ruled the house before she began her struggles. Rage, impotence, and fear clashed within her body. But she tried to ignore all of those things in order to get free. She had to talk to Yuu. Explain things. Convince him that she had no choices. If she could have thought about it, she’d be surprised at how little she cared about the pair that had just left. She stopped her struggling when she heard movement behind her. She checked and Yuu was still tied to the floor next to her. A fresh wave of fear washed over her as she heard a voice speak. One she hadn’t heard in ages. “I see someone decided to make my job easy.” Ukyou screamed into her gag. This couldn’t be happening. She had lied to Ranma and Kiyoshi before. It had been easier than telling the truth. It was easier than admitting it to herself. “Apparently you talked,” the voice said from behind her. She heard a sickening crunch and muffled scream. The agony of the sound ripped her heart out and she was forced to look. To her left was her husband writhing on the ground, a knife protruding from his back. A moment later it was lift out of his back. She could see a flap of skin stick to the knife as it hovered over her wailing husband. In a flash, it came down, driven through Yuu’s skull. His screams stopped as the knife was sawed into his brain. Ukyou barely noticed the tears falling freely from her face as the blade was removed from her sight. “Killing this way is so boring. But I do need the money. A lady has to have money to look her best. Don’t you agree,” the calm words were spoken softly as Ukyou cried. Her eyes never left the motionless body of her husband as her life ended. \\_____________ ___ / ___________{=============================== / /_`/ /__/ Nabiki walked nervously trough the streets of Kyoto. The train station was only a few block away now, but the streets were surprisingly empty for this hour. If this was Tokyo, they’d be packed, especially if they were so close to the main train station. She checked her watch, and noted they had a half hour until the next train. Her conscious was still getting the better of her, and she spotted a public phone half-way down the block. She picked up the receiver and fished around for a couple coins. She didn’t know who to call, and didn’t want to call the police. Information might be able to give her the name of a random Kounji. Her dilemma resolved; she reached for a digit when a searing pain ripped through her right shoulder. The force of whatever had hit her forced her forward, and her knees buckled slightly when her head hit the phone’s protective dome. She heard something fly by her head and clang off the dome her head had just been against. Her only thought was to flee. Rolling forward, Nabiki ignored the tearing searing pain as she felt the blade that had been stuck in her shoulder come free. She settled on all fours and started scrambling forward. She could feel her heart pounding as another knife impacted into the ground next to her. “Fuck!!!!” she screamed out as she felt a tear in her flesh, near her ankle and her movement was stopped. She turned quickly and saw a figure approaching. Sitting up, she reached down at the blade pinning her pants to the ground. “Where’s your friend?” the person said. She couldn’t see his face from the shadows, and his dark clothing showed no distinctive markings. Ignoring his question, she continued to claw at shackle, stopping abruptly when another dagger appeared in-between her hands. “I asked a question.” “And you’ll kill me after I tell you. No deal,” she responded, trying to sound as defiant as possible. “True. But I can make your demise, less painful,” he said calmly and threw another knife at her. “Argrrrrr,” she howled as the knife struck her left shoulder and forced her onto her back. “Tell me. And the next one will end your pain.” Nabiki looked up and recognized the face as it came into view. “Konatsu!” she gasped. Her mind raced as she tried desperately to think of some escape. “That’s not an answer,” Konatsu said sadly and reared back, ready to throw another weapon. Nabiki cringed when she heard the sound of a gun going off, and watched as her tormentor fell over onto his side. Bent forward, not wasting any time and ripped her pants loose from the pinning knife. Another two rounds sounded, and she watched disgusted as Konatsu’s body jerked twice, small fountains of blood spurting up from his torso. “Let’s go. He was the last of them,” she turned to see Kiyoshi offering her a hand up. She took it with little thought and stood. “That’s was Konatsu. I thought Ukyou said you killed him.” “Doesn’t matter. He’s dead now.” He said silently as he walked away. After a few steps, she said, “The stations the other way.” He continued walking when he replied, “They know we’re here, so we can’t take the train back. I know a safe place not far from here, where we can get you looked at.” Nabiki said nothing as she limped slowly behind him. \\_____________ ___ / ___________{=============================== / /_`/ /__/ Commander Abe reclined in his car. Dinner with his daughter had been delightful. She had accepted the news graciously. He didn’t even need to remind her that she was doing the right thing, that this was the correct, and honorable course of action. His phone rang and he answered it quickly. If there was any justice in the world, it would be a report from Kyoto about the success of the operation. “Abe, here.” He said professionally and then listened. His blood- pressure rose as her heard the initial report. The Kounji woman was dead, which could bring problems, but none he wasn’t prepared to handle. The Kyoto team and especially Beta’s demise troubled him. They had been good operatives, and they were always hard to acquire. Most troubling though was that the Tendo girl and Alpha were alive and together. “Triple the surveillance at the Tendo home. Nuke it if you see either of the suspects set foot in it! No I’m not serious about nuking. But a blood bath better occur. I don’t care how many innocents, we can cover it! Now, get me the report on my desk by seven and step up the search for them in Kyoto, Tokyo, and the anyplace in-between they might stop!” \\_____________ ___ / ___________{=============================== / /_`/ /__/ Author's rant: Another chapter of something. I’m going to go play games for a while. Hope you liked. Comments and criticisms welcome. Email: noirchloe@nyc.rr.com webpage: http://kpjam.anifics.com