Jedi Kasumi


(A Ranma/Star Wars Crossover)


By
Jim Robert Bader


(Inspired by the works of Rumiko Takahashi & George Lucas,
with ideas and suggestions by Brandon Kelly & Others)



Chapter Twenty-Five.


On Thin Ice


Episode Twenty-Five:


Having become
acquainted with their
new homeroom teacher,
Miss Hinako, Ranma and
 his friends  take time away
from their recent troubles to
relax and catch their bearings...


Unfortunately,
Akane, Shampoo
& Ukyo have made
a new encounter of their
own while paying their respects
to a nearby Ice Skating sporting arena...


Nabiki
Confronts
Ranma about
the possibility of
sharing their engagement
with Kasumi in a possible three-
way arrangement, much as the one
her parents enjoy with Trieste, their Sensei...


And, meanwhile,
a certain dark-haired
gymnast is reflecting upon
her recent encounters with an
amorous Akane, even as Trieste
herself is making inquiries about the
conduct of the youngest of her students...




LIME-ALERT!  CONTAINS SCENES OF A
SEMI-GRAPHIC NATURE!  BEWARE OF HENTAI
REFERENCES TO SEX BETWEEN NON-CONSENSUAL
PARTNERS UNDER THE AGE OF CONSENT IN AMERICA,
BUT THIS IS SET IN PRE-MILLENIAL JAPAN, THE AGE
OF CONSENT HAS NOT YET BEEN ADOPTED, SO
THERE, CYBER-POLICE!  BACK AT YOU!
(YOU HAVE BEEN DULY WARNED)





Kodachi stared reflectively at the floor of the Saint Hebereke gym, her 
expression haunted and unsure, which was so unlike the normally 
domineering Black Rose that her fellow gymnasts turned worried 
expressions in her direction, wondering if their Team Captain had truly 
lost her edge since their defeat at the hands of a single member of the 
Furinkan gymnastics team.  None at first, however, had the nerve to 
approach Kodachi, much preferring to leave her to her ruminations 
rather than risk the wrath their intimidating Captain Kodachi, the self-
described Black Rose of Saint Hebereke's.


"What's the matter with Captain Kodachi?" her nervous teammates 
would ask, whispering behind her back while gazing with concern at 
Kodachi's forlorn profile, "She hasn't been herself for days, she doesn't 
even laugh like a maniac anymore, she just stands there giving orders 
every so often, like she's trying to remind us that she's there when she 
isn't completely there, if you know what I mean..."


In truth Kodachi was thinking about her fateful encounter with Akane 
from a few months back, how the Black Rose had made the colossal 
mistake of thinking she was just another mark to be taken by surprise 
and intimidated into surrendering her position on the Furinkan team.  
Up to that moment Kodachi only knew of Akane by reputation and her 
friendship with Tendo Nabiki, the older sister of the notorious Tendo 
Hentai, but Kodachi had discounted some of those rumors as 
improbable and had risked venturing into the other girl's room to stage 
one of her usual ambush attacks.  She had not been intending actual 
harm to the other girl, after all, just some "harmless" roughing up to 
insure that a potentially tough competitor did not show Kodachi up 
before her school, family and friends, or at least not without fair 
warning.  It was a matter of pride for her that she had managed to drive 
off tough opponents in the past, to throw them off their game or to get 
them to withdraw altogether, and there seemed no reason to think that 
this Akane would prove any great exception.


Worst mistake of her life.  Akane had not only proven to be more 
formidable than expected, she had even turned the tables on Kodachi, 
knocking the Black Rose out and then stripping her naked.  Kodachi 
had awaken to find herself tied to the bed in a face-up spread-eagle 
position with strips of her own leotard serving to hold her wrists and 
ankles in place.  She had then looked up with fearful eyes at the girl 
whom she had intended to subdue and found Akane smiling at her 
lustfully, and to Kodachi's horror she had been holding an ice-cube in 
one hand and a feather in the other...


Kodachi closed her eyes and tried to suppress the memories of what 
happened next, but the sensations awakened within her on that 
encounter were too indescribable to be so easily forgotten.  Having an 
ice-cube applied to bare skin was an experience unlike any other that 
she could remember, especially when the half-melted cube had made 
it's way to her vagina, at which point Akane had partially inserted in 
past Kodachi's labia, and then poked it all the way in with an index 
finger...


Kodachi shuddered at the memory, feeling the intensive waves of cold 
and electricity that had flowed up and down her spine in that most 
awe-inspiring manner...and then when Akane had used that feather to 
tickle her...Kodachi had lost it completely, howling in peals of laughter 
until the tears ran from her eyes, only to find herself muffled by the 
quick insertion of a pair of panties (clean ones) that Akane had stuffed 
into her mouth before going to work on her bare feet and giving 
Kodachi such exquisite torment that even now she squirmed at the 
memory, still feeling a phantom feather applied to other sensitive areas 
of her body.


Without consciously meaning to, Kodachi absently placed a hand to 
her bosom and placed her other hand over her loins, eyes closed as she 
re-visualized the train of events that had followed the application of 
that feather.  Akane had merely been teasing her with foreplay, what 
happened next was truly indescribable as the dark haired girl had 
applied hands and lips to those areas of Kodachi's body now primed 
and hyper-sensitive thanks to the teasing of both ice cube and feather.  
Akane had expertly worked Kodachi over, giving the self-described 
Black Rose a royal taste of what it meant to be sexually molested 
AND TO ENJOY THE EXPERIENCE FULLY!  Kodachi gasped as 
she remembered the insertion of something warm and stiff up into both 
her vagina and rectum, the caress of soft lips to her clitoris and snatch, 
and the feeling of a wet tongue exploring the inner lining to her labia 
lips, the caress of hands playing with Kodachi's breasts and the total 
loss of self-identity which followed as Kodachi had yielded fully to the 
experience and allowed herself to be swept away in a tide of 
indescribable sensations...


A faint groan escaped her as Kodachi remembered the sweet ordeal 
that she had suffered at Akane's hand, the overpowering sense of a loss 
of personal control and freedom to the will of another.  It was, without 
a doubt, the most incredible experience of her young life and her first 
real sexual encounter, and she had loved every second of her 
humiliation, even enduring the strain of what had felt like Akane's 
whole land being inserted into her snatch, taking away her virginity 
and making Kodachi her love slave for the length of time that they 
were together.  Even now she could not help feeling the urge to yield 
again to such a treatment, a sense that if she gave Akane the chance 
then she would become a permanent attachment to the younger Tendo 
sister's charms and no longer be capable of independent action.  Such a 
thought terrified Kodachi far more than the mere act of being tied up 
and sexually ravished, the certain knowledge that she might come to 
like it just a little too much, and then goodbye to her pride and her 
freedom, to her sense of herself as an independent person.


For Kodachi there could be no worse fate imagined than to be that 
helpless and submissive.  Akane's appetite for sex had been coarsely 
demonstrated to her in terms that had opened Kodachi's mind to the 
awareness of her own submissive nature.  Though others might see her 
as a dominating figure, Kodachi was still very much a little girl who 
wanted more than anything to please her mother and father, to live up 
to their high standards as a gymnast of the first order.  She had taken to 
hounding, intimidating and abusing other girls out of a sense of acute 
insecurity and a need not to be outshone by anyone...and yet, since her 
night of ravishment, Kodachi had not dared try the same thing with 
any other prospective opponent, dreading that she might wind up in 
another such encounter with someone who was a lot less 
accommodating than Akane had proved to be, someone who might 
actually consider KEEPING Kodachi for themselves as a pet.  For 
Kodachi that alone was cause enough to be mindful and remain on her 
best behavior.


At least Akane had untied her and allowed her to go home the 
following morning, after loaning the humiliated Black Rose one of 
Akane's own dresses to further her humiliation.  Kodachi remembered 
almost wanting to ask Akane if she would like to see her again, and the 
thought that she had actually gotten excited at the idea was terrifying 
enough for Kodachi to flee the room with her proverbial tail between 
her legs.  To think that she might come to enjoy regular sessions 
of...that...with a girl who was, in so many ways, her social inferior 
made Kodachi blush with shame, and yet every time she saw Akane 
now the thought rushed back into her head that she might yield to the 
other girl's slightest suggestion...


Kodachi's cheeks flushed crimson with the thought of this.  In truth a 
part of her wanted to yield to Akane, to say "yes" to anything the 
Tendo girl proposes doing together.  She swallowed thickly when she 
remembered seeing Akane with those other two sluts---ah---ladies...the 
purple haired one with the large breasts and the mannish Kuonji...and 
to Kodachi's complete surprise and confoundment she had felt a rush 
of jealousy towards those other two girls, coupled in part by a curiosity 
to know if these, too, were into games of domination...


A ragged gasp escaped from Kodachi as she thought on the whole 
affair and dreaded something else beyond her powers of denial...that in 
a way she was afraid that Akane might not want to have her again 
since she quite obviously enjoyed the company of those other two 
girls...and Kodachi found herself wanting to be included into their 
circle.  But no!  No, that could never be!  She was the Black Rose of 
Furinkan!  She did not yield to such debased temptations, she rose and 
dominated others!


That was how she could prove to herself that she was not *that way,* 
not a submissive!  It was the need to prove this to herself that caused 
Kodachi to turn hard on her own team-mates, to become even more of 
a Bitch around them than usual, only now to demand a level of 
obedience and compliance not previously known to the gymnastics 
teams of Saint Hebereke.  In a way she had become a bit like Akane 
just to prove that she was NOTHING like her tormentor, and so she 
had started selecting the weaker and more easily intimidated girls of 
her team and demanding that they undergo special "coaching" sessions 
that were administered by Kodachi for the sake of discipline and an 
improvement in their performance.


It was not easy to arrange these sessions, but Kodachi had 
certain...connections through her father, and the Kuno money made it 
easy to buy silence.  The girls whom Kodachi individually named 
would meet up with her in private and discover, at their tender ages, 
that there was a lot more to the use of their bodies than simple 
stretches and tumbles.  A sawhorse, for example, could have OTHER 
uses besides vaulting, and by employing a crop or a paddle she could 
reduce an errant girl to tears and get her to agree that obedience was 
best when administered by Kodachi.


None of these girls ever talked outside those chambers, none of them 
had betrayed Kodachi's confidence, becoming her willing slaves and 
doing her bidding, even helping Kodachi recruit and seduce other 
members of their team for further "discipline sessions."  There was 
always the risk that they might be caught up by the school 
administrators, of course, at which point Kodachi and her "harem" 
would be facing stern punishment from both the school and her 
parents, but so far they had been circumspect and extremely careful in 
their actions, and only a few murmured, whispered rumors gave any 
hint that Kodachi had gone from being a SUSPECTED Bondage 
Queen to a real one.  In truth even her own family had no idea of the 
extent to which Kodachi had begun to flex her muscles for sexual 
games of domination and submission.


Not all the members of the team were privy to these goings on as yet, 
but Kodachi was fairly certain that the girls whom she had not yet 
submitted to her lashes were starting to get the idea that displeasing 
Kodachi could lead to something extremely...graphic.  Indeed, 
Kodachi found a great thrill in being the "Queen Bitch" to her circle of 
supple minions, and yet still she dreaded being given the label of 
Lesbian Bondage Queen.  Just because theirs was an all-girl school 
and their opportunities to find and date boys were extremely limited 
was no reason to believe that Kodachi was against having a man 
underneath her.  Indeed, if asked, she would have claimed that she 
PREFERRED a man, even if she now appreciated the charms of a 
female body in her clutches.


In truth she had started circumspectly "checking around" to see what 
men were available who might catch her interest, and in doing so she 
had happened upon her old friend, Nabiki, who had somehow snagged 
for herself one of the handsomest boys whom Kodachi could ever 
remember having encountered.  The sight of him sent intriguing 
*possibilities* circulating throughout her mind, and so she had decided 
to play the flirt and determine of the boy could be made to stray away 
from his iinazuke.  This was not so much intended to hurt Nabiki 
(though Kodachi did blame her for NOT coming to her rescue in that 
encounter with Akane) as it was to affirm in Kodachi's own mind that 
she could have a healthy, perfectly NORMAL and HETEROSEXUAL 
relationship with a boy her own age and put aside her presently wanton 
ways, to go STRAIGHT (in more than one sense of the word) and no 
longer have to risk being exposed in the eyes of others, especially her 
peers and parents.


And yet, somehow, Akane always seemed to be hovering close nearby 
whenever Kodachi attempted to encounter this Saotome Ranma, and 
just looking at the sensuous brown eyes of the youngest Tendo sister 
was enough to put a total crimp in Kodachi's plans, to remind her with 
a jolt of what she had become because of Akane, and to cause her to 
flee in terror lest her secret be let out and Kodachi exposed as Akane's 
helpless conquest.  Even now she could imagine what the scandal 
would be like if people knew just what had gone on between them 
during that singular encounter, and how much it had affected Kodachi, 
making her yearn for strange and unnatural sensations...


"Kuno-sama?" a familiar voice asked, startling Kodachi back to an 
awareness of the present.


"Uh...yes?" Kodachi asked with a roughened voice, turning to see 
Tamara staring at her with a somewhat troubled expression.


"Kuno-sama...Mistress?" Tamara asked timidly, "Is everything all 
right?"


Kodachi belatedly became aware that she had one hand resting beneath 
the fabric of her leotard, two fingers inserted up into her sex with her 
thumb and forefinger squeezing her clitoris, and her other hand had 
bared one breast to fondle herself and pinch her own nipple, and at 
once the Black Rose straightened out, removed her hands from their 
incriminating places and hastily pulled her leotard back over the 
exposed shoulder.  Appearances were important, after all, and it would 
not do to let her minions believe that she was frigging herself off from 
a sense of heightened frustration.


"Ah...yes," Kodachi coughed a bit to clear her throat as she regarded 
her lieutenant, "Everything is just fine, Slave Tamara.  Why do you 
ask?"


"Mistress," Tamara bowed her head as far as propriety would allow 
her and whispered, "If you wish to find comfort and satisfaction, this 
unworthy slave is...available...and ready to be punished for her 
insubordination."


Kodachi smiled in fond approval and said, "Maybe later...but for 
now...have you anything to report?"


"Yes, Mistress," Tamara said meekly, "As you suspected, the Akane 
girl is spending nearly all of her time with those new girls, Shampoo 
and Ukyo.  Those two cohabitate in a nearby restaurant and share a 
physical relationship together, and both are favored by the Akane.  It 
seems that all three of them are students of the Jedi Mind Ryu, like the 
Akane's older sisters..."


"Very good," Kodachi nodded with tacit approval, "And what you tell 
me about these...other two Jedi students?"


"Mistress," Tamara replied, "They each are very strong and capable 
fighters, comparable to the Akane in abilities, though until recently the 
one named Ukyo was said to have been a member of a rival school 
called the Sith.  The purple-haired one is an immigrant from China, 
said to be an actual Amazon and a student of Chinese Wushu.  Kuonji-
san is also very strong, but she was bested in battle by your brother..."


"Yes, I have heard about that match," Kodachi replied as she stared off 
into the air and seemed unusually thoughtful, "So, all three are Jedi-
trained and enjoy a physical relationship together.  Tell me, how 
serious does it appear to be for Akane?"


"The Akane...she appears to be very serious about Ukyo," Tamara 
replied, "But I am not as certain if Kuonji regards her with the same 
level of feelings."


"Interesting," Kodachi said aloud, though she scowled a bit as she 
heard this, murmuring aloud, "It figures that unfaithful tramp would go 
chasing down a girl so boyish that she makes most men look feeble.  I 
should have expected no less out of the likes of her, the witch..."


"Mistress?" Tamara asked in mild confusion.


"Never mind," Kodachi said a little too abruptly, "Have you anything 
else to report?"


"Only that the restaurant where this Shampoo and Kuonji are staying is 
owned by an elderly woman said to be Shampoo's great-grandparent 
and legal guardian," Tamara said before hesitating, then asking, "Have 
I...done good, Mistress?  Do I deserve punishment...?"


Kodachi smiled, reached out to the other girl and caressed the other 
girl's cheek, who shuddered a bit with sweet anticipation, "Yes...you 
have been very naughty, haven't you?  You should be punished..." she 
then gripped the other girl's chin between her fingers and compelled 
Tamara to look up at her with a more fearful expression as Kodachi 
purred, "But only when I say you shall be punished, is that 
understood?"


"Y-Yes, Mistress..." Tamara shuddered, swallowing thickly.


"Good," Kodachi let her go and said, "We will discuss the time and 
place for your punishment later.  For now...return to your studies and 
allow me to think upon what you have revealed to me."


"Yes Mistress," the other girl bowed more submissively this time, not 
even caring at the looks that this brought her from her fellow 
gymnastic students.


Kodachi folded her arms around herself and hugged her own body 
slightly as she tried to sort her mind and emotions back into some sort 
of coherent order.  She had to find a way of getting back at Akane, of 
evening the score between them, of demonstrating to the youngest 
Tendo girl the folly of treating a Kuno as if she were someone else's 
mere plaything.  The longer this went on the more difficult it was for 
Kodachi to look herself in a mirror with anything like her usual 
hauteur.  She needed some leverage to reverse the tables on the other 
girl, to put Akane firmly on the defensive, to have her come crawling 
on her hands and knees begging her forgiveness from Kodachi.  Only 
then could the Black Rose feel good about herself and stop shying 
away like a timid school girl at the mere mention of Akane...and 
perhaps these new girls, Shampoo and Ukyo, might provide Kodachi 
with a way of obtaining her vindication....


If only she could shake this paranoid feeling that someone else was 
watching her, maybe then she could concentrate on devising a strategy 
instead of constantly glancing over one shoulder in nervous 
anticipation...


And if only she had remembered the line, "Even Paranoids have 
Enemies" she might have paid more attention to her feelings instead of 
stand mentally unguarded while another probed her thoughts in search 
of evidence that would confirm his own dark suspicions...


"So," Taro murmured at the side of Dark Purge, "She's the one you're 
after, huh?  Nice looking frail, if you're into lace and leather."


"Don't scoff so quickly," Purge replied, smiling a reptilian smile that 
would have terrified a Velociraptor, "I sense great potential in this one, 
just as I do in the presence of her brother.  She might make an 
excellent pawn for our side and...best of all...she could be much easier 
to recruit than Tatewaki."


"Huh?" Taro scowled, "I don't quite follow you, Boss."


"She is looking for a mate," Purge explained patiently, "A male of 
your species who could appeal to the need within her of being 
dominated.  You might consider yourself a prime candidate for such a 
task, seeing as you are, as you humans say, quite the Lady-killer."


Taro thought it over then smiled, "Sure, why not?  She's cute enough, 
and I'll bet she won't even mind if I'm the one who breaks her to the 
halter."


"That is the spirit, Student," Purge mused, "Now...here is what I 
propose you do...and I'll leave the finer details to your discretion..."





"Can you believe the nerve of those two jerks?" Akane fumed, "I can't 
believe they tried to do that!"


"What?" Shampoo asked sly, "Try kissing you, Akane-chan?"


"After stealing Ucchan's spatula and making us chase her all over that 
restaurant, yes!" Akane growled, "The never of that Mikado guy...who 
does he think he is?"


"The Kami's gift to women, most probably," Ukyo sniffed, "But at 
least he got my spatula back for me, not that he even noticed that I'm 
also a woman."


"He too blind see that," Shampoo said with a leer, "Too full of self see 
what excellent prize is Ucchan.  He hit on Shampoo too, you know, 
but no see Spatula Girl is just as cute target."


Ukyo reflected that leering seemed as natural as breathing to the 
Amazon, and that if Shampoo ever stopped doing that then she should 
check the other girl for a pulse.  Oddly enough, Ukyo was finding it 
harder and harder to resent Shampoo's constant flirting, perhaps 
because she was getting to feel more comfortable around the purple-
haired wonder and hardly even minded any more the liberties that she 
often took with Ukyo's body.


Akane, on the other hand, still tended to make Ukyo feel more than a 
little nervous.  Perhaps it was because the relationship that she had 
with Shampoo was more informal, less demanding, more casual and 
even friendly without the heavy weight of a more "meaningful" 
relationship to bog things down in the complications of romantic 
feeling, that Ukyo could feel more at ease in her presence.  Akane, by 
contrast, was very serious and intent on making her relationship with 
Ukyo quite "meaningful," and as such there were more complicating 
factors that went beyond any mere sexual dynamics.  Akane was not 
just on the make for an easy lay (she already had that with Shampoo), 
she wanted to get Ukyo to reciprocate, to feel for her what Akane 
professed to feel for Ukyo, even while Akane did tend to get quite 
easily...distracted.


Which reminded Ukyo of a question that had been bothering her all the 
way from the ice rink, "Say...Akane?  Why didn't you hit on that 
Azusa character when you had the chance?  Wasn't she your type or 
something?"


"What, are you kidding?" Akane snorted, "The little ditz has a head so 
full of fluff it might as well be stuffed with cotton candy.  Oh sure 
she's kawaii, but we're talking serious high maintenance here, like 
years of therapy in the making, and who in their right mind wants 
anything to do with that?"


"So," Ukyo mused, "You've finally admitted that there's a girl you 
won't anything to do with, huh?"


"Don't act so surprised, Ucchan," Akane smiled, "I told you I was done 
with all that.  From now on it's strictly you and me and everyone else 
can take a hike, including that womanizing pervert, Mikado."


Ukyo arched both eyebrows as she stared blandly at her companion, 
silently marveling that Akane could call anyone a "womanizing 
pervert" with a straight face and actually mean it.


"Aiyaa..." Shampoo softly murmured as she shook her long mane of 
lavender hair, "What we do about challenge Ucchan make with 
pervert-boy?  Shampoo not know how to skate, and Ucchan say she no 
have practice..."


"Hey, I can skate just fine, and I'll be happy to teach the both of you 
everything you need to know," Akane assured them, giving Ukyo a sly 
look as she added, "It'll be my pleasure, especially after the way you 
stood up for me back there."


Ukyo nearly stumbled over her own two feet on hearing that, 
recovering with a rather embarrassed, "That's not why I challenged 
him...I just can't stand guys like that who think they're so smug and 
perfect, that's all.  It's got nothing to do with what he tried to do back 
there with you guys..."


"Or maybe you just sore he no try kiss you," Shampoo coyly noted.


"I do not!" Ukyo fumed, "Hey, I've been around jerks like that for 
years, and I can only stomach so much from them before I feel 
obligated to put them in their place.  If he'd just left it at being nice and 
returning my spatula to me there wouldn't have been any problem..."


"Yeah, but then he asked if you wouldn't mind him kissing me while 
you were watching," Akane duly noted, "Said I was his nine-hundred-
and-ninety-ninth girl, or something like that, like he was doing me 
some kind of great big honor..."


"You just jealous he kiss way more girl than you," Shampoo playfully 
teased, "Tell same thing to Shampoo, only that make her one 
thousandth."


"Hey, he didn't nail either of us thanks to Ucchan," Akane turned back 
to her intended amorata, "Our hero."


Ukyo all but sputtered a denial of the fact, but the memory of the smug 
way in which Senzenen Mikado had approached the girls with the 
stated intent of adding them to his "collection" had rubbed her the 
wrong way.  She might tell herself that it was no business of hers 
whether Akane or Shampoo kissed a Frog or a Prince, but the casual 
way in which he stated his intentions left her teeth grinding and her 
fingers twitching to grip her baker's peel in both hands for a little 
"Hentai Justice."


Besides which he had totally ignored her, so---Shampoo's assertions 
notwithstanding---Ukyo was feeling more than a bit miffed when she 
sent that pickle soaring into the handsome face of Mikado Jerk-Face...


"Well, the point is now that we do have a challenge match to get ready 
for," Akane noted as the trio continued along in silence, "So I guess 
we'll be hitting the rink for the next week for a crash course in martial 
arts figure skating..."


Shampoo looked up in dismay as they approached the Tendo estate 
and said, "Aiyaa...why is Elder Trieste looking at us that was, Akane?"


"Huh?" Akane looked straight ahead and found that her mother and 
Trieste were both standing at the front gates of her family compound, 
and by the expressions both wore there was something serious that 
they had in mind, especially as their eyes were focused upon Akane.


"Uh oh," Ukyo murmured as she picked up on the same vibes, 
"Busted...I think you must've done something to get yourself in the 
doghouse with those two, Sugar."


"Actually," Trieste spoke up as they approached within earshot, "There 
are a lot of things that your mother and I wish to discuss with you, 
Akane.


"Would you three terribly much mind joining us in the dojo?" Kimiko 
asked them, including Shampoo and Ukyo with a not, "Since the men 
are away, we'll be assured of privacy while we have a chat about 
some...rather private family matters."


Akane swallowed thickly and had a sense of foreboding about the 
impending matter, but she could hardly decline an invitation from both 
her mother and Sensei, so she squared her shoulders resolutely and 
attempted to put a good face on the matter by saying, "Uh...Hai...no 
problem..."





Gosunkugi looked nervously from Ranma to Nabiki as they waited 
inside Doctor Tofu's clinic.  An awkward silence had hung over them 
for much of the time that they were together, but at last Ranma broke it 
by saying, "So...you get visions like that very often?"


"Ah...well..." Gosunkugi replied, "Truth to tell...I can't really control 
when and where they happen, or even what they're going to be about.  
I can sometimes make predictions, more like lucky guesses based on 
things I can intuitively sense, but..."


"But you have no control over your ability because you've had no 
formal training," Nabiki deduced, "So...what did those guys want with 
you?  They seemed pretty upset about something."


"Hey, the last time I saw this guy was when Kasumi and me found him 
being picked on by those creeps," Ranma answered, "But before we 
could do anything Miss Hinako showed up and put 'em all into a 
coma."


"Oh yeah," Gosunkugi said faintly, "You were there with another 
girl...I remember.  Well...the truth of it is...they wanted me on account 
of my ability.  Their boss is...um...was a Yakuza by the name of 
Hijime, and he thought it useful to have a psychic he could control on 
his payroll, and he forced me to come to work with him after 
threatening my parents.  I escaped, they came after me and were about 
to beat me up, which is when you found me, and if not for Hinako-
sama...well...she convinced my former boss to let me go...after she 
drained him of all of his fighting energy...you saw how she does that, 
right?"


"I've heard of it," Nabiki replied, "And I did watch her do it to grandpa 
Happy."


"So...what did she do to the guy?" Ranma asked nervously, "Is he...?"


"As far as I know he's all right and made a full recovery," Gosunkugi 
answered, "Hinako-sama doesn't kill when she drains, at least...not that 
I know of...but when Hijime-san was flat like a leaf, along with the 
rest of his bodyguards, he got picked up by the local authorities after 
Hinako called them.  I...I owe her my life and for my family...and I 
owe you thanks too, by the way..."


"Hey, don't mention it," Ranma said dismissively, "Beating up on 
creeps like that's almost a pleasure."


"If Oneechan or Sensei were here I'm sure they'd tell you that taking 
pleasure over the suffering of another is wrong, Ranma-kun," Nabiki 
mildly chided, "But...I tend to agree with you.  Guys like that are just 
asking for trouble.  So...Gosunkugi was it?  What do you plan on 
doing with the rest of your life now that you're free from the Yakuza?"


"Um...to tell the truth, Tendo-san...I don't really know," Gosunkugi 
replied in a quiet tone of voice, "I have my abilities, and all my other 
parts are working, but...I was thinking it might be nice to just settle in 
to being a normal student at Furinkan for a change..."


"Normal," Ranma sniffed, "Be sure you let me know what that's like if 
you ever make it, Buddy."


"Er...right," Gosunkugi replied with a nervous expression.


"Hey, tell you what," Ranma said, "If anybody like that ever gives you 
a hard time again, then you just send 'em to me and I'll take care of 'em 
for you.  I hate guys who pick fights for no reason almost more than 
anything, and since you ain't exactly a martial artist..."


Gosunkugi looked uncertainly at Ranma, "You'd...do that for me?  
But...I can't pay you anything..."


"Pay me?" Ranma reacted as if insulted, "Where you been living, guy?  
Nobody has to pay me to beat up on bullies..."


"Ah...we'll talk about that another time," Nabiki said with a knowing 
lilt to her voice, "In the meantime...you sound like you could use a few 
pointers in how to use your abilities to good effect, Gosunkugi-san.  
Tell you what...why don't we work together on that sometime...I could 
always use the help of someone else who has the talent..."


Gosunkugi turned a startled look towards Nabiki, "What?"


"I'm offering you a part-time job, if you're interested," Nabiki 
explained, "I can teach you ways of using your talents that will 
enhance their effectiveness threefold, and in turn you could help me 
out as a consultant on special cases that I sometimes get handed, 
finding lost things, solving mysteries, mediating disputes and telling 
people how to avoid potential problems.  If you ask anyone around 
Furinkan you'll hear that Tendo Nabiki is the one to come to if you 
need advice, and I don't even charge for it, though...I do accept 
voluntary donations."


Gosunkugi blinked his eyes at this then said, "Are you that good?"


"Gos-kun," Nabiki smiled, "The only ones better than me are my 
Sensei and my older sister.  Since it's a shame to let a major talent like 
yours go to waste I only think it would be proper to give you the 
benefit of some of my own training.  Of course you'd have to promise 
to only use what I teach for the benefit of others..." she winked 
knowingly as she said this.


Gosunkugi just blinked his eyes again, looking even more like 
someone who had crawled out of bed a little too early...for a month or 
two at least.  In his experience no one had ever been this nice to him 
without a reason, and yet his senses alerted him to the fact that they 
were being entirely sincere in their offering to help him.  His 
impression of Ranma was of someone confident in his own abilities 
yet not sophisticated enough to be capable of dissembling 
effectively...in other words he was not smart enough to be so 
convincingly dishonest.  What you saw was pretty much what you got 
around him, and yet his robust vitality confirmed that he could be a 
dangerous party when crossed, making him a powerful ally and one 
who could back up his word with action.


With Nabiki he had a very different sense of someone at once 
extremely clever and yet sincere in a different sort of way.  She 
seemed capable and dangerous in a subtler, less evident sort of way, 
and suddenly he had a sense that Hijime-san had nothing on her when 
it came to overall deviousness, meaning that she was capable of things 
that would be beyond the wits of her more athletic companion.


And yet he had a nice feeling regarding her, as though he could put his 
trust in her abilities and not feel that trust was misplaced.  She was not 
cold and unfeeling like the ruthless hoodlums with whom he was all 
too familiar, and there was a point beyond which she would not 
trespass.  She might seem guarded in her emotions but there was a 
warm heart underneath that crooked charm, and a strong emotional 
bond that had been formed with Ranma just below the surface.


He was just beginning to probe there with his feelings when the Doctor 
came into the room and said, "Well now, sorry to keep you waiting.  
Nabiki...your friend here is my patient?"


"He's been through a lot, Doc," Nabiki explained, "We think he's been 
abused by someone who was threatening his family, and some hoods 
gave him a rough going over.  We wanted you to check him out to see 
if he was all right or had internal injuries that I'm not skilled enough to 
detect."


"I'll see what I can do then," the doctor nodded, turning to Gosunkugi, 
"Better take some of those clothes off so I can examine you, young 
fellow.  Nabiki and Ranma, you can wait outside while I see about 
your friend."


Sure thing, Tofu-Sensei," Ranma turned to his lady companion, 
"C'mon, Nabiki."


"Right behind you, Ranma-kun," Nabiki smiled, once more hiding the 
affection that Gosunkugi could feel radiating out from her center, 
which more than affirmed his suspicions regarding these two.


Gosunkugi did as the doctor directed and removed his school uniform, 
carefully folding it to one side so that he was standing in his undershirt 
and boxer shorts while the man named Tofu began to conduct what 
seemed like a cursory examination.  After being poked and prodded a 
few times, however, Tofu then began to move his hands over 
Gosunkugi without touching him.  The young man could feel the 
warmth of the older man's palms hovering over different areas of his 
body, and he began to wonder just what Tofu was up to when he heard 
the doctor say, "Well now...you have been having a rough time of it, 
young man.  There are a lot of recently healed injuries, and some 
internal bruises, and a few broken bones that were allowed to heal 
back improperly.  Who could have done all of this to you, may I ask?"


"Um..." Gosunkugi hesitated to answer that, instead asking the thought 
that came foremost to mind, "How do you know all this?"


"I've had very good training," Tofu replied, "Nabiki mentioned that 
some hoodlums did this to you.  Was it a street gang...or the Yakuza?"


"Hah?" Gosunkugi was even more surprised by the question, knowing 
that to answer would put both him and the doctor in serious danger.


"Yes, it was the Yakuza, am I right?" Tofu seemed only to be asking a 
perfunctory question to which he already knew the answer, "I thought 
so.  The injuries are consistent with their handiwork.  What did they 
want with you anyway that they would treat you this poorly?  Were 
you a kidnap victim, a rich family hostage, or someone who owed 
them a favor?"


"Uh...Doc?" Gosunkugi winced, "How do you know all this?  I 
swear..."


"Oh, never you mind about me, young man," Tofu patted Gosunkugi 
on the shoulder, "I've had my run-ins with that lot before and I can 
take care of myself.  You, on the other hand, look like you could use a 
protector.  No wonder Nabiki was so interested in you just now, she 
always has had a soft spot for strays, but don't tell her I said that.  
She'd deny it if you asked her."


"Um...is she really that nice?" Gosunkugi asked.


"She's actually a very sweet girl, if you can get used to her pride and 
independence," Tofu explained, "She's a student of the same Sensei 
who taught me about Psychic healing, and you couldn't be in better 
hands than to have the favor of the Tendo family.  Ranma's also a 
pretty reliable guy if you want someone who's handy with his fists on 
your side.  I think that he and Nabiki are engaged to be married...but I 
might have them confused with Nabiki's older sister...uh...someone 
who's very, very special."


Gosunkugi wondered why the doctor's voice quavered slightly at the 
mention of an "older sister," but he was more surprised to hear that 
Ranma was engaged to Tendo Nabiki.  (Some guys have all the luck,) 
he thought to himself with a twinge of envy and resentment, but then 
he felt a stab of guilt over having such a reaction, knowing that he was 
in Ranma's debt and that the other boy had been nice enough to offer 
to help Gosunkugi.  Somehow he doubted that Ranma was even 
capable of harboring ulterior motives, which meant that he was a 
potential friend and a powerful ally.  Too bad for Gosunkugi that he 
had clearly set his eye on the short-haired Tendo girl, but he had no 
trouble understanding why a girl like that would appreciate a guy that 
handsome and athletic.


Gosunkugi was just beginning to wonder if Nabiki had any other 
sisters who might take an interest in a charity case when he heard 
Nabiki gasp, "K-Kasumi?  What are you doing here?"


"I came looking for you, Imotochan," said a melodious voice that 
might have belonged to an angel, and as Gosunkugi was just starting to 
sort that out he heard the doctor gasp aloud, "K-K-K-Kasumi...?"





"You came looking for us?" Nabiki glanced nervously past the door 
leading to Tofu's office, "Um...Kasumi...this is not a good time..."


"Oh?" Kasumi said, following her sister's line of vision, "You 
mean...Tofu-Sensei is in there?"


"Uh...yeah," Ranma said, sharing Nabiki's general nervousness, "He's 
looking after this guy we brought in, and if the Doc finds out you're 
here..."


"YEEEOOWWCH!" came a plaintive cry that sounded suspiciously 
like Gosunkugi.


Nabiki took a moment before she said the obvious, "I think he knows 
already..."


Kasumi sighed, "I had better go in there and distract him before he 
does your friend irreparable damage."


"Good idea," Nabiki noted, "You do that, Ranma-kun and me'll get 
Gosunkugi to safety..."


"Right," Ranma agreed, wincing slightly as he imagined the ordeal that 
would accompany the sounds their new classmate was making, and 
wondering just why it was that someone as nice and seemingly as 
stable as Doctor Tofu went all the pieces over someone as nice and 
compassionate as Kasumi...


...Or was that too self-explanatory a question?  He wondered about that 
even as he followed his two iinazuke as they rushed to Gosunkugi's 
rescue...





"It's not that I want to intrude into your personal affairs, Akane-chan," 
her mother began, "But of late...we have become somewhat concerned 
about your recent activities..."


"Especially in regards to your use of the Force," Trieste noted 
somberly, "And to be quite frank, some of aspects of your conduct are 
extremely troubling of late.  Perhaps you would care to explain 
yourself to us and make us understand why she should not feel some 
concern in this regard.  I know that you can enlighten us about your 
motives and actions and put to rest any worries that you might have 
misused my teachings."


"Sensei," Akane said in surprise, "How can you even think that about 
me?  You know that I'd never abuse my talents or do anything that 
would bring dishonor to our school or to the Jedi.  I know that 
I...ah...may not be the most...um...innocent party when it comes to my 
personal behavior, but a little harmless fun with my friends hardly 
makes me out to be a Sith lord..."


"Somehow I feel slighted by that remark," Ukyo scowled where she 
and Shampoo sat on the sidelines, "Like any Sith I know would behave 
like her on an off day..."


"I'm not accusing you of being in league with the Dark side, Akane-
chan," Trieste said formally from where she and Kimiko sat side-by-
side at one end of the dojo, confronting Akane, who sat in the center of 
the room facing the two family enders with trepidation, (only grateful 
that her father was not with them else her nervousness would have an 
extra complication), "But once you begin using the Force in an 
incorrect manner it can be a very slippery slope down which the Dark 
side looms...and the fastest way of getting there is to go down the path 
of misplaced good intentions."


"That is why we have to know if your actions are entirely well thought 
out and well placed, Child," Kimiko informed her daughter, "We care 
about you...you're my daughter and a very promising student of the 
Force, and Trieste-san would never have called for this inquiry unless 
we both wanted what was best for you.  We have largely tried to stay 
out of your way, to let you live your own life your way, but lately..."


"Mom," Akane said plaintively, "Don't you trust me?  Don't you 
believe enough in me to trust that I know what's best for myself?  I've 
never gone out of my way to hurt anyone..."


"Except for young Ranma," Trieste pointed out, "Around him your 
actions have been most uncontrolled and violent."


"Ah...well..." Akane winced, "He...kind of rubs me the wrong way..."


"And then there is your relationship with Kuonji-san," Trieste nodded 
to the sidelines, "I believe that you and Shampoo have been pursuing 
an active relationship with her, often against Kuonji-san's stated 
wishes to the contrary..."


"Well, thank you somebody for noticing," Ukyo sniffed.


"Okay, maybe Shampoo and I...kind of pushed it a little with Ucchan," 
Akane conceded, "But I wasn't trying to force anything with her..." she 
winced when she heard Ukyo's derisive snort, turning a cross look the 
other girl's direction before adding, "Well...we did sort of take 
advantage of the way things worked out, but that's not the same thing 
as...ah...well..."


"As tying her down to your bed and ravishing her with a feather?" 
Trieste arched an eyebrow, "I heard about that from your sister."


"What?" Akane was shocked, "Nabiki...ah..."


"Squealed like piglet?" Shampoo suggested for her.


"I meant...she was listening in on that?" Akane glanced at her nominal 
"partner in crime," reflecting on how bad her situation looked if 
Shampoo were the only one who was really on her side, "I thought I 
was being quiet..."


"Nabiki did not supply me with the details," Trieste informed her 
student, "But I would be a very poor Jedi Master if I could not pierce 
behind the veil to see what others could not see.  Also, your mother 
was listening to the wall with a glass to her ear."


"What?" Akane blinked, "Mom?"


"Well, where did you think your sister inherited it from?" Kimiko gave 
a smile that was disturbingly like that of her middle daughter, "When I 
heard the first sounds of commotion I was naturally very concerned, 
but then those sounds became suspiciously muffled, so...can you 
blame a mother for being curious?  Especially upon learning that her 
daughter is so...imaginative and creative.  By the way, did you borrow 
some books out of my room to get your ideas on that ice cube trick?"


"Mom!" Akane reacted.


"Okay," Ukyo said with rounded eyes, "I am now officially freaked."


"Aiyaa," Shampoo murmured in soft agreement.


"Tying Kuno Kodachi down and molesting her," Trieste sighed just as 
softly, "All right, I will concede that she initiated affairs by attempting 
to ambush you, and I will not excuse her propensity for using violence 
to unfairly win her matches.  Her mother will have to be informed 
about her daughter's misbehavior, and I just know how her father will 
react to the news of Kodachi's misbehavior, to say nothing of her 
brother..."


"Tatewaki?" Akane winced, "Does he have to know about this?"


"Afraid that he might retaliate?" Kimiko asked.


"More like concerned that he might seek to even the score through 
other means," Trieste revealed, "Such as making it known around your 
school that you took liberties with Kodachi far in excess of what was 
warranted."


"Ah...okay," Akane gulped, "Maybe I did kind of...ah...let myself get 
carried away when I had Kodachi at my mercy...but I really didn't see 
anything wrong with what we were doing at the time, and she did seem 
to be enjoying it..."


"Midway and near the end, perhaps," Trieste gently declared, "But 
most definitely not at the beginning."


"That wasn't what it sounded like from my end of the glass," Kimiko 
continued to smile in a lascivious manner.


"Okay...so it's genetic," Ukyo quietly murmured, wondering if it were 
too late for her to sneak out the side exit of the dojo.


Akane looked down at the floor and said, "Sensei...I know it must look 
bad for me, doing that with Kodachi...but I never really thought..."


"That I can believe," Trieste sighed again, "Akane-chan...I have 
always taught you to trust in your feelings and to act with pure 
intentions from the heart, but if you act without thinking all of the time 
you are bound to trespass upon the rights and preferences of others.  
Understand, I have no problem with you favoring other girls in a 
sexual manner, and I certainly am not against you pursuing a steady 
relationship with Kuonji-san, but the things which you have done in 
the past are bound to have consequences in the present in one manner 
or another.  This cannot continue as matters stand now, not when you 
are anything but in control over your own actions, and with your 
abilities and strengths..."


"Sensei!" Akane protested.


"Let Trieste-chan finish, Akane-chan," Kimiko gently reprimanded, 
"She is as much on your side as I am here, and we're not doing this to 
be mean to you or to force you to make unpleasant choices.  We are 
only trying to understand where you stand right now in relation to both 
your training and your conduct.  It is not that we are accusing you of 
walking on the Dark side..."


"But with the danger inherent of treading too close to the edge of the 
Dark side, it is right that we should be concerned," Trieste concluded.


"Elder," Shampoo spoke up, "Is it wrong to make nice-nice with other 
girl who no as certain of own...sexuality?  Is it not so that many 
womans have only slight understanding of own feelings?"


"And that Amazons are trained from birth to be in touch with their 
own feelings...as long as they are compatible with your warrior code?" 
Trieste noted, "I can understand if you have taken pleasure in sharing 
joy with other members of your village, Shampoo...but I also am given 
to understand that your interest was made more urgent by the pressure 
applied to you by Mousse?  That you sought to discourage him by 
declaring that you were only interested in other women?"


"Aiyaa..." Shampoo replied in dismay, which for her was as much as a 
confession.


Ukyo looked at her, "You mean...Mousse is the one who turned you 
into such a raging girls-only nympho?" she paused before blinking, 
then adding, "Well...okay, I can see how that might happen..."


"Is...was...because of this one's Big Sister," Shampoo replied, "She 
show Shampoo other way to behave with warriors...make nice, no war, 
and Shampoo like this better.  Mousse...only convince this one that she 
better off with girls.  Would sooner make nice with little brother..."


"Better not," Kimiko smiled, "My daughters have enough competition 
as it is."


"Akane-chan," Trieste said soberly, "I do not hold you responsible for 
any mistakes you might have made during your absence.  The fault lies 
with me for being inattentive to your needs while I have been off 
training your sister for the past several years.  If I had been able to 
bring you with us, to share my teachings with you in a constructive 
manner..."


"Hey, it's all right, Sensei," Akane reassured her teacher, "I've had my 
family to look after me, and I've trained hard in what you showed me.  
I...I know I'm not as strong with the Force as Kasumi, and that she was 
a better choice than me to be your apprentice..."


"Oh, I have always known that you are very strong with the Force, 
Akane-chan," Trieste informed her, "But it was never strength that you 
were lacking...it was and is self-control that you need, and since you 
are just skilled enough in the Jedi arts to be a danger to yourself and 
others should you abuse my teachings..."


"But I'd never...!" Akane insisted.


"It is your ability to control yourself that we must work upon," Trieste 
continued, ignoring the interruption, "Anything less would be a 
dereliction of my obligations as your teacher, and since I am 
responsible for making you into what you are as a Force Master, so too 
must I now guide your actions to insure that you do not turn to the 
Dark side and waste your potential altogether."


Akane glanced down again with a conflicted expression, but she 
managed to assume enough dignity to say, "Sensei...I know that you 
mean well for me, but I don't really believe that I am straying from the 
path, no matter what you may think about my conduct.  I know the 
Code forbids you having more than one Apprentice at a time, and that 
you've...somehow gotten the idea that Ranma could be a better 
candidate than me, but..."


"Is that why you resent him so much?" Trieste asked, "Because you 
believe that I chose Ranma over you as a student?"


"Well...didn't you?" Akane asked rather bluntly, "You just said that I 
have trouble controlling my impulses..."


"Yes," Trieste replied, "And Ranma has an even harder time 
controlling his, but---unlike you---he has had some training in 
restraining his temper.  His father, fool that he is, built up a tolerance 
to hardship and adversity in his son which you have yet to 
comprehend, and if you knew more about the sort of hard life he has 
led you would be less inclined to judge him harshly.  In truth, Saotome 
Ranma may be too far gone into the way that his path has shamed him 
to be and will never make a proper Jedi, but I still see such potential 
within him..." she sighed, "Or perhaps I am being arrogant.  Perhaps I 
am repeating the folly of Qui Gon Jin, a Jedi Master I once knew and 
respected.  He, too, believed that he could shape the destiny of a young 
man whom fate had blessed with an unusual acuity with the Force, and 
by his arrogance brought into our midst a young warrior who would 
one day grow up to be our greatest betrayer."


"How's that again?" Ukyo blinked, "I don't think I've heard this story 
before, Sug---ah...I mean, Lady."


"The fall of the Jedi?" Trieste turned to regard the former Sith, "I'm 
surprised your Master never enlightened you on that story, seeing how 
he profited directly from what happened."


"Aiyaa," Shampoo said, "Is this story this one hear from Big Sister?  
One where boy raised Jedi turn to Dark side and become enemy?"


"His name was Anakin Skywalker," Trieste revealed, "And he was the 
most promising student, a powerful apprentice of the Jedi who trained 
under a young master named Obi Wan Kenobe.  Alas, by a train of 
circumstances far too tragic to relate in one telling, he fell prey to a 
Sith lord named Darth Sidious, Purge's Master.  Sidious, it was 
revealed---and far too late for us to prevent his rise to power---was a 
man named Galoran, a Chancellor from the planet Nabu, who rose to 
become the President of the Galactic Republic's ruling High Council.  
Once invested with executive powers he slowly build up his control 
over affairs like a spider weaving a web to trap us all up in his 
monstrous grasp.  Once he had maneuvered everything into place he 
revealed his true nature by declaring himself Emperor and usurping the 
Republic.  That was the beginning of our end, for once Sidious had the 
reins of power he marked the Jedi for extermination."


"But how could Sith Lord destroy Jedi?" Shampoo asked.


"Yeah," Ukyo agreed, "And how come you never sniffed this guy out 
if he was right in your midst all along?"


"Questions that I ask myself all of the time," Trieste said sadly, "I only 
know that I am the last remaining member of the Jedi Council yet 
alive...though I suspect one or two might have also fled into exile.  Of 
course, that was a long, long time ago and in a galaxy far removed 
from this, and when I traveled here it was through a worm hole that 
appears to have stretched through time as well as distance, which is 
why I can never go back, and neither can Purge for that matter.  Still 
the lesson remains, that even the most promising student can fall prey 
to adverse conditions unless guided by one who can prevent their 
sliding down the path to the Dark side.  Obi Wan failed to halt 
Anakin's succumbing to his own Dark side, but I will not repeat his 
mistake by underestimating the danger of a student going rogue, and 
that is why I will be taking a personal interest in your further 
development, to decide for myself if you are a worthy student of the 
Jedi and can be taught with safety the things that I have yet to teach 
you.  If I determine that this is NOT the case, however..."


"Yeah?" Akane asked faintly, her senses warning her that she was not 
going to like hearing this part.


"We will decide what is to be done," Trieste replied, "Your mother and 
I will determine the appropriate course of actions, but you will be 
denied the use of your Jedi powers.  There are methods of which I 
know that can be used to block the flow of energies through the brain 
that govern Force manipulation.  Be mindful that I never have to use 
these techniques upon you for I would be most reluctant to even 
consider such a drastic measure.  It would be like cutting off my own 
arm, and I would never take such a step if I believed that you could be 
turned away from certain disaster, that the fate of Anakin will never be 
your burden."


"Do you understand what this means, Akane-chan?" Kimiko asked, 
"This is why we did not want your father to be included in this 
discussion.  Soun-chan would never truly understand the necessity of 
even considering such a matter...Akane-chan?  Daughter?"


Akane did not answer her, staring wide-eyed at her elders with a 
shocked and horrified expression.


"Say what?" Ukyo asked with a disquieted expression.


"Aiyaa?" Shampoo sounded no less appalled at the suggestion.


"I am not saying that I will do this," Trieste assured them, "But I 
would sooner render you head-blind than lose you to the Dark-side, 
Akane-chan.  You have no idea what it truly means to be the slave of 
hate and anger.  The wild temper that you have displayed over the past 
few days is as nothing to the hatred of all life that is at the heart of a 
true Sith.  Even Kuonji-san has never tasted the true depths of such 
evil, only flirting along the edges, which is why she was so easily 
turned away from Purge's teachings."


"Easy?" Ukyo blinked, "You call what I went through easy?"


"But...little sister is no lost cause, Elder," Shampoo protested, 
"Shampoo has felt her heart and this one knows her path is one of 
good, not Dark side..."


"With all due respect, Shampoo-san," Kimiko replied, "But you are not 
the most objective witness who can testify on behalf of my daughter."


"You do understand what I am saying, Akane-chan?" Trieste asked 
softly, still sensing no reaction from her youngest student, "When I 
started to teach you the Force it was to help you to learn to channel 
your potential into constructive ends.  If I decide that your path is the 
correct one then I will show you more than you presently could 
imagine.  In the meantime, Kasumi will assume teaching duties for 
Ranma and her sister while I supervise from a distance, but---for all 
intents and purposes---you are now my new apprentice.  Do you 
understand what this means, Akane-chan?  Akane-chan?"


Her newly declared padawan did not answer for the simple fact that 
Akane had fainted...




Continued.


Comments/Criticisms/Padawan Critiques: shadowmane@ridgenet.net


Can Akane convince Trieste that she's still walking the path of the 
angels, and will she have time on the sly to train with Ukyo and 
Shampoo for their big Martial-Art Ice-Skating competition?  Will 
Ranma and Nabiki be able to save Gosunkugi from a crazed Tofu, and 
will Kodachi get revenge upon the girl who cause her presently 
tormented state?  And will Kasumi stop saying "Oh my!" to all of 
these developments?  Tune in next time and see when the gang goes 
further into exploring the question, "Who and What are the Jedi?" in: 
"Forcing the Issue," or, "Who Are You Calling A Sithy?"  Be there...






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