JediKasumi03

Jedi Kasumi

By
Jim Robert Bader

(Takahashi and Lucas supplied the original concepts,
I just played around with them a bit to make this story)

Chapter Three.





"So," Trieste said softly, "You finally caught up with me, have you, 
Purge?  But what is the idea of involving these children in our 
battle?"

"I might ask of you the same thing," the reptilian Sith Lord hissed in 
reply to this, "As if I would allow you to spread your insipid Jedi 
philosophy on this primitive backwater world.  I think that you are 
about to learn, however, that there are secrets to this planet that defy 
even your pitiful imagination.

"Careful Sensei," Nabiki cautioned, "I'm getting a sense that he's up 
to something...and it somehow involves the weather."

"Just great," Ranma grumbled as he felt the first drops strike his 
cheek, "Now everybody's gonna see me changing..."

"I wouldn't worry about it, Boy," Purge hissed back, "For you aren't 
the only one as you are about to see."

"Oh my," Kasumi said as she shifted her balance, seeing the four 
dark-clad youths standing next to the lizard man were smiling in a 
way that implied that something very unpleasant was about to 
happen.

The one holding a large spatula in both hands was the first to 
manifest a change, her body suddenly sporting a thick layer of fur as 
her features changed and grew more animalistic, and her stance even 
increased by several centimeters as she snarled in a way that was 
altogether inhuman.

"WHAT THE---???" Ranma reacted, taking half a step backward as 
he---or rather SHE---stared round-eyed at the girl's change of 
appearance.

"Oh my!" Nabiki herself exclaimed as she saw the boy holding an 
umbrella suddenly grow in size as his face sported a pair of tusks and 
a pig-snout formed on a face no less bestial that the cat-girl.

"What the hell...?" Akane gave a start as the larger boy grew to 
gigantic proportions and sprouted horns from his head, looking like 
nothing so much as a winged Minotaur, even bellowing a roar that 
shook the leaves in the trees all about them.

Lastly the tall boy with black hair sprouted a pair of wings and stood 
tall like an Angel, giving his new appendages an experimental flap 
as if to test the strength of his own feathers, at which point Kasumi 
said, "They ALL have Jusenkyo-style curses?"

"I see it now," Trieste remarked, "You have taken your Padwar and 
minions to China?"

"The idea came to me when I first met the boy named Taro, and later 
on when I encountered this other boy by the name of Hibiki, who 
blamed his condition on young Saotome," Purge remarked, "One dip 
in the enchanted waters of Jusenkyo gave them animal bodies, a 
second dip in the waters of Drowned Boy and Girl modified their 
curses into the half-animal shapes you now see before you.  Frankly 
I think it improves their appearance as humans, but their change is 
more than skin deep, I assure you."

"How horrible," Trieste frowned, "To inflict this upon these 
innocents...this is monstrous even by your standards, Sith Lord."

"Thank you," Purge sneered, "I knew it would impress you."

"Oh man..." Ranma-chan backed away as the cat-girl approached 
him, "It's...it's a ...a C-c-c-c-cat!"

"Eh?" Nabiki, Kasumi and Akane all reacted as one to the wave of 
panicked fear radiating from the transformed martial artist as the 
boy-turned-girl was staring at the girl-turned-cat-girl as if she were 
the very incarnation of ultimate terror.  This response did not go 
unnoticed by said adversary girl as she advanced upon Ranma with 
her iron spatula gripped tightly in clawed hands, a feral snarl on her 
otherwise attractive (if bestial) features.

"Glad you noticed," the cat-girl snarled, "Now hold still...this will 
only hurt for a second!"

She made a powerful leap forward with her weapon raised for a 
downward slash, but Ranma darted away before it connected so that 
the iron weapon struck the ground instead of the redheaded girl and 
shattered the pavement like it was made of styrofoam.  She 
recovered with a forward slash that would have taken the pig-tailed 
girl's head off had Ranma not ducked beneath her thrust, still 
backing away with absolute terror written large in her expression.  
Again and again the cat-girl whirled to attack her elusive quarry, all 
to no avail...right up to the point where Nabiki suddenly came to 
stand between them with her arms raised.

With a look of intense focus the middle Tendo sister conjured up her 
power and deflected the bakers peel away, knocking the cat-girl off 
her feet, though the latter instantly recovered in an acrobatic tumble 
that brought her back to her feet in no time.  This was, however, 
enough of an interval for Nabiki to calmly reach into her book bag 
and pull out a curious metal rod that she had kept concealed there.  
With the press of a hidden stud the object telescoped out to form a 
pole roughly two meters long with a blowing tip at one end forming 
an energy-scythe, which same she brought skillfully into play, 
pointing it right at the other girl's breastbone as though it were a 
more traditional Naginata.

"Back away, kitty," Nabiki warned, "Akane...get Ranma out of 
here...she's obviously in no condition to protect herself."

"Why do I have to do anything for the Baka?" Akane reflexively 
complained, but nonetheless moved to help the terrified girl, only to 
find the pig-snouted boy had gotten there before her.

"NOW YOU DIE, SAOTOME!" the bestial faced boy snarled in a 
clearly audible manner, swinging his umbrella like a club even as the 
panicked girl moved instantly to avoid him.

"Hey!" Akane protested this at once, "Pick on someone your own 
size, you big bully!"

"Your forces appear to be in disarray, Jedi," Purge hissed in a fairly 
insinuating manner, "Surrender now and I may be merciful."

"Merciful?" Trieste stood relaxed and at ease, though Kasumi was 
mindful to keep well away from her mentor as she too prepared to 
draw her Light Saber in an instant, "As merciful as you and your 
master were when dealing with the Jedi Council?  I think not."

"You are all that is left of that collection of useless old relics," 
Purge's tongue flickered out as he seemed to be savoring the 
moment, "When you die the light you serve will be extinguished, 
freeing me and my children to claim this planet for a glorious future.  
You cannot oppose me, I have anticipated your every thought and 
move and come prepared to make its counter."

"You believe that the Darkness can reflect the light," Trieste replied, 
"And you are mistaken."

"We shall see," Purge hissed, "Mu-Tsu!  Taro"

All at once the winged man spread his feathered appendages wide 
and sprang into the air, hands blurring as she shot forward to project 
a series of weighted chains that struck the ground where Jedi and 
Padawan had been standing.  Mu-Tsu made further motions with his 
hands and his chains snaked around like coiling tentacles and 
pursued his elusive quarry, and only with the greatest difficulty on 
their part did Trieste and Kasumi manage to avoid being ensnared, 
but not being maneuvered by these chains into an unfortunate 
position.

All at once the Minotaur-like boy appeared in the space between 
Trieste and Kasumi, forcing both women to hastily move to avoid 
him, nearly stumbling into the chains that lashed out to ensnare 
them, which of course forced them to draw their light sabers and 
employ them in a defensive manner.

"It matters not if you cut those chains," Purge crowed, "Mu-Tsu can 
produce more of them at will.  Any object in his hands is a deadly 
force that can claim even the most skilled of Jedi.  You haven't a 
prayer of defeating their combined power!"

"Perhaps," Trieste said with superhuman calm as she sliced away at 
several more chains that attempted to come at her from different 
angles, "But you'll forgive us for still trying."

"Of course," Purge grinned, "It wouldn't be as enjoyable if you didn't 
at least put up a struggle."

Meanwhile Nabiki was locked in a life-and-death struggle against 
her opponent, the dark-clad cat-faced girl who fought with a strength 
and fury that could easily rival the fighting prowess of Ranma.  The 
middle Tendo girl's energy Naginata was barely able to deflect the 
attacks of the iron spatula that the other girl was wielding as though 
it were as like as an epee.  Try as she might she could not regain the 
advantage, and steadily she was being forced back on the defensive, 
unable even to summon the Force to a level sufficient to retake the 
advantage.  If anything her foe appeared to be even STRONGER 
with the force than Nabiki, and easily able to counter the best of her 
mind tricks!

And while this was going on, Akane was locked in a difficult 
struggle of her own against the pig-snouted wild boy, whose strength 
and stamina were nothing less than superhuman.  Her foe did not 
seem as well versed in the ways of the Force as a true Force Master 
like herself, but his knowledge of the martial arts was considerable, 
and he fought with an instinctive tenacity that easily turned Akane's 
best efforts aside, lunging forward again and again with a relentless 
fury that spoke loudly of his bestial nature.

It galled Akane to have to admit it to herself, but the boy whom she 
was fighting was a lot better in the martial arts than herself and even 
seemed to rival the skills demonstrated by Ranma.  It was the first 
time in years that Akane had met her match in such a demonstrable 
manner, and were it not for ability th channel the force into her katas 
she might have been easily brushed aside by the boy's near-berserker 
fury.  Also in her favor was the clear fact that this guy was not really 
intent on fighting her at all but was instead trying to get past Akane 
to deal with Ranma, which meant that he was using less than his full 
effort.

And of course Ranma herself was proving totally useless in the 
battle, huddling on the ground like a coward while the women did all 
the work of defending his useless hide.  Trust a BOY (even one who 
currently looked like a girl) to cave in like some useless, quivering 
mound of jello.  Akane did not need any man to do her fighting for 
her, she was a true Martial Artist, and she never let herself be 
intimidated in a fight no matter how skilled her opponent.

Little did Akane realize, however, that at that moment Ranma had 
stopped quivery and was staring at the battle raging around her with 
a most peculiar expression.  Her blue eyes were taking on a wilder 
cast as fear drove down her conscious identity and replaced it with 
another persona.  The catalyst came when she saw Nabiki go down 
with a stumble as the cat-girl kicked the Naginata from her fingers.  
When the cat-girl planted her foot on Nabiki's chest and raised her 
spatula to strike a blow that would no doubt have separated head 
from shoulders, that was the moment when something went 
"CLICK" in the mind of Saotome Ranma.

"Eh?" Trieste felt the sudden change in her newest of disciples and 
nearly broke her concentration fending off a storm of knives being 
hurled her way.  Something was about to happen at any moment, and 
without a doubt its origin was none other than Saotome Ranma.

The bestial snarl was hardly needed to alert her to the sudden shift in 
the environment, but Purge looked up in dismay, having been too 
focused on the fight between his disciples and the Jedi to have 
caught the change until that very moment.  Turning his lizard eyes 
towards the other end of the field of battle, he saw the redhead 
straightening up suddenly and raising her hands as though they were 
clawed, then launch herself at a surprised Kuonji Ukyo, who had 
only just felt the shift in the winds and paused in the act of finishing 
off her opponent.

For Nabiki it was an even more startling transformation, having felt 
disaster loom with terminal fatality pending very near in her future, 
only to feel the hackles go up and down her back as a force not 
previously suspected reared up into full life, and all at once a 
crimson blur obscured her vision and drove the spatula-wielding 
maniac immediately on the defensive!

The bestial Taro paused to watch as the redhead lit into his nominal 
teammate as Kuonji fought a desperate battle to pull away from the 
onslaught.  Though she looked the part of a Cat-girl, it was the pig 
tailed redhead who had turned into a raging tigress with slashing 
claws that scored through the dark clad Chef's defenses and tore rips 
across her clothing.  Ukyo tried to rally herself, only to feel a solid 
blow being landed against her peel with force enough to drive her to 
her knees while gritting her teeth.  Another series of blows sent the 
dark-clad Sith Padawan skidding across the ground like a stone 
striking the water, leaving Ranma-chan to snarl again and vault 
towards the other girl with the clear intent of battering her senseless.

"WHAT?" Purge exclaimed, "How can this be happening?  What 
madness is this?  How did the boy become so powerful all of a 
sudden?"

"I think you've driven him well past the point of madness," Trieste 
noted shrewdly, "He is in a berserk frame of mind, which means he 
will not stop as long as he senses danger in his surroundings.  I 
suggest you call your Padawan off while she is still in one piece."

"Curse you," Purge snarled, "Taro, fetch the girl and let us be on our 
way!  I must rethink our battle techniques in the light of this 
development."

The hulking Minotaur looked as though he wanted to debate the 
issue, but one glance from the lizard man and he immediately 
obeyed, charging across the space separating himself and the 
snarling redhead.  He arrived just as Ukyo was faltering in her 
defenses, clutching to a bent and battered spatula as her knees began 
to sag and the redhead readied herself for a final attack that would 
conclude the issue.  Ranma hesitated when she perceived the 
lumbering man-brute charging down upon her, but even as she 
prepared to meet this new challenge the Minotaur altered the 
direction of his charge and instead scooped up Kuonji, slinging her 
over his shoulder in spite of her shouted protests.

"Hibiki---we leave now!" Purge ordered, even as the snarling Pig-
boy was attempting to bring his larger mass to bear against Akane, 
who had both hands on her umbrella and was just barely able to hold 
it in place with her powers.  At first the boy did not hear the order to 
leave, but Purge spoke again, using the Force to impress on the mind 
of the bestial Ryoga the displeasure of his Master, who wanted him 
to leave in no uncertain terms on the very instant.

"You got lucky," Ryoga snarled, then turned away from Akane, 
leaving the dark haired girl to stare at him in puzzlement, having 
gotten the weird sense that she still had not been met by the boy's 
full power.  Clearly he had been holding back with her for some 
reason, for had he been fighting in earnest...well...it would have be a 
lot harder to defeat him, she thought to herself with a certain faint 
displeasure.

"We will meet again, Jedi," Purge vowed, "At a time and place of 
my choosing."

"We will be ready to meet you when that happens, Sith Lord," 
Trieste replied, "But if I must say so, you do have a very strange 
choice in alliances."

"Well...what do you expect me to do?" the lizard man shrugged 
philosophically, "Good help is hard to find, and you take what you 
can from what you encounter.  It's not exactly like I can put a ad in a 
local paper saying, 'Wanted, competent fighters willing to give their 
souls to the Dark Side, call 911-EVIL."

"A good point," Trieste conceded, "This world does seem to lack a 
good registry for young people with special talents."

As Purge and his minions turned to go, Kasumi looked to her Mentor 
and said, "Is it wise to let them withdraw like this, Mistress?"

"It is wiser to fight a battle that you are prepared for," Trieste 
replied, "Wars fought without plan tend to be very messy affairs, and 
rarely do they get confined to just the opposing parties.  Too many 
innocent bystanders could be harmed if we were to escalate this 
battle to the next logical level."

"I see," Kasumi murmured, only to blink her eyes as she turned 
about and exclaimed, "Oh my..."

"Hey!" Akane hastily backed away from the still-snarling Ranma, 
"What are you snarling at me for?  I'm not one of the bad guys, you 
baka!  Nabiki...are you injured?"

"Only my pride, Sis," Nabiki paused as she tested one leg, then 
winced before adding, "And my ankle...I seem to have sprained it."

Ranma turned to look at her, and for a moment Nabiki's eyes got 
very round as the redheaded girl approached on all fours, sniffing at 
Nabiki as though attempting to get her scent.  Nabiki instinctively 
knew that she dared not move or do anything to excite the berserker 
girl who had just proven to be such a wildcat, seeing little of the 
intelligence in the eyes of the redhead that had been noticeable in 
Ranma, yet finding something else curiously magnetic about those 
eyes as Ranma brought her face within inches of Nabiki, making odd 
throaty noises as if to inquire on her condition.

"What's wrong with her?" Akane asked, perversely fascinated in 
spite of her uneasiness in seeing a berserker that close to one of her 
sisters, "It's like she thinks she's an animal or something..."

"Like a cat," Trieste murmured as she cautiously approached them, 
her movements little more than gliding over the sidewalk so as not to 
attract undue attention, "Didn't you notice the way she's been moving 
and behaving just now?  Clearly young Saotome is under the 
impression that she is a cat, yet in this state she seems to be even 
more able to access her dormant powers than when she is fully 
conscious.  She acts as if she possesses no true limitations in this 
state, a perfect integration of mind and body, yet governed by the 
Animus within her.  I believe that this is a direct result of her father's 
odd notions about training..."

"Training?" Akane asked, "How the heck do you train somebody to 
act like that?"

Nabiki wanted very much to ask the very same thing, but at the 
moment she found the power of speech wholly deserted her, leaving 
her mind as empty of thought as when she was in full Satori.  There 
was a different kind of communication currently passing between her 
and  the girl who had just rescued her, a strange meeting of minds to 
which logic and reason had little congress.  In dull amazement she 
found herself fighting the urge to reach out with a hand and caress 
the girl before her under the chin or behind the ears to see if such a 
gesture might elicit a positive reaction.

As it turned out she was beaten to the punch by Kasumi, who gently 
called out to Ranma by saying, "Here, kitty-kitty-kitty...come over to 
me and leave Nabiki-chan alone.  No one is going to hurt you now, 
and we're all very glad that you could rescue my sisters."

"Hmmm?" the redheaded Cat-girl inquired, seeing Kasumi kneeling 
down on the ground with her lap left exposed by the way the oldest 
Tendo girl had composed her position.  Kasumi's calming voice and 
outstretched hand further encouraged the redheaded girl to turn away 
from Nabiki and hesitantly sniff the air, catching Kasumi's scent and 
making a soft noise of inquiry that---while still bestial in nature---did 
not seem in any way unpleasant.

"Careful, Oneechan," Akane urged, "She's still got that wild look in 
her eyes..."

"I can see that, Akane-chan," Kasumi calmly replied, "But you're not 
really wild, are you?  Deep inside you're still the same lonely boy 
who needs shelter from the harsh world that has caused you to be 
like this..."

Kasumi's warm and gentle voice seemed to decide the matter for the 
redhead, for with a single vault Ranma leaped at Kasumi, causing 
both Akane and Nabiki to feel a momentary jolt of fear, but for the 
way Ranma landed in front of the older girl and composed herself in 
Kasumi's lap, rubbing her face against Kasumi with a pleasant, 
"Meow!" before settling down and purring contentedly like the cat in 
whose behavior she now was fashioned.

"Oh...my!" Kasumi blinked her eyes and actually colored, then 
glanced down at the purring form of Ranma and had the most 
PECULIAR expression.  After only a very brief hesitation, though, 
she laid a hand over Ranma's head and began petting her as a slow 
smile of happiness found its way over the face of the Jedi apprentice.

"Oneechan?" Akane blinked as if unable to accept what she had just 
seen happen.

"She'll be all right now," Kasumi said gently, "She just needs a 
moment to compose herself before she...oh my..." she seemed to 
glow warmly all over.

Nabiki's own emotional state was definitely in a state of flux as she 
went from concern to an unexpected stab of envy at Kasumi for 
turning the redheaded girl away from Nabiki.  It was not like there 
had ever been anything to worry about, after all...just because a pig-
tailed wildcat had driven off a Sith-trained martial artist with her 
bare hands and spared Nabiki's head from becoming lonely for her 
shoulders was no reason why Nabiki herself should have been afraid 
of her own benefactor.  She could have calmed Ranma down at any 
time and then had the boy-turned-girl purring in her own lap, her 
very own purring pussy and...

Nabiki colored as she caught the drift of her own emotions, to say 
nothing of the double-entendre that she had just quipped to describe 
the current situation.  What she felt was...deflated that it had been 
Kasumi, rather than herself, who had seemingly brought an end to 
the current crisis by calming down Ranma.

Just then Kuno Tatewaki burst out onto the scene with a cry of, 
"WHERE ARE THEY WHO DARE TO THREATEN THE LIVES 
OF MY TRUE BELOVED AND HER SISTERS?  SHOW THEM 
TO ME NOW THAT I MAY SMITE THEM WITH MY 
RIGHTEOUS WRATH!"

"Oh great," Akane rolled her eyes, "NOW of all times he decides to 
show his face!"

"Now Akane," Trieste chided, turning to the boy and saying, "I'm 
afraid you're a bit late to help out, Kuno-san, but your desire to help 
us is well appreciated."

"Eh?" Tatewaki glanced around and huffed, "I see...they must have 
fled in terror when they heard that I, Kuno Tatewaki, would descend 
upon them like the vengeance of Heaven!  Would that I had arrived 
in time to see the fear that doubtless was upon their faces.  Oh...and 
how fares yon Nabiki?  I trust she didn't fall on anyone and hurt 
them too badly."

"Hmph," Nabiki's expression darkened, but with an effort she 
resumed her calm and composed state, letting such dark emotions 
flow out of her with the realization that Kuno's words were less than 
important to her well being and mental structure.

"Nabiki is fine...she just sprained an ankle is all," Trieste replied, 
"Perhaps you might help us by carrying her to the infirmary so that it 
can be examined?"

"If that would meet with your approval, noble Sensei," Kuno bowed, 
only to pause as he caught sight of something else that drew his 
attention, "Hold...who is this who graces the lap of the beauteous 
Kasumi?  What wondrous form is this dainty new arrival who sleeps 
like one innocent and newborn?"

"Oh, that's just..." Akane started to say.

"Our visiting Cousin," Nabiki hastily interjected, "She took part in 
the fight.  Her name is...ah...Ran...Ran...ah...Ranko!"

"Ranko?" Tatewaki repeated while Akane and Kasumi turned 
questioning looks in Nabiki's direction, "How curious...'tis a name 
that befits such a wild and delicate seeming flower of unspoiled 
purity.  Pray I hope that she did not come to some harm from the 
foul attack of those blackguards?"

"Oh...she's quite all right now," Kasumi reassured, "Things got a bit 
confusing back there, but I think it all worked out for the better."

"Better for somebody anyway," Nabiki rumbled as she touched her 
ankle with her fingers and took note of the fact that it was still 
swollen.

"Then perhaps I may carry her inside where she can be protected 
from the elements," Tatewaki proposed, "And then I will see to it 
that Nabiki gets to where she needs to go."

Nabiki wondered why the annoying pest was being so irritating 
today and once again had to repeat a meditative koan to prevent her 
doing something to the cad that Trieste definitely would not have 
approved of, but before she could complete the thought "Ranko" 
began to stir, and then in a slightly slurred voice she asked, "W-
Where am I...?"

"Are you feeling better now, Ranma?" Kasumi asked, using her real 
name rather than the phony one that Nabiki had provided.

"Uh...I think so...I feel funny...I..." all at once Ranma sat up in 
Kasumi's lap and stared into the face of the older girl, then with a 
gasp pulled back and said, "AH-I MEAN---AH...ER...I...SORRY 
ABOUT THAT..."

"Why, whatever do you mean, Ranma?" Kasumi blinked her eyes in 
confusion.

"I...ah..." Ranma brought a hand up and started rubbing the back of 
her head, "I...um...didn't do nothing weird or perverted when I...ah...I 
mean..."

"When you were a cat?" Akane asked suggestively, "And what was 
the deal about that anyway, huh?"

"A cat?" Tatewaki blinked his eyes then said, "Did she just call 
her...Ranma?"

"Ah...Oneechan...is a little confused at the moment," Nabiki hastily 
spoke up, "She meant Ranko obviously...Ranma is the name of the 
boy who is staying at our place..."

"Staying with you?" Tatewaki's frown was like the darkening of 
storm clouds, "In what sense?"

"Saotome Ranma is my new student," Trieste replied, "His father 
and he have been on a ten year training trip and have just come back 
to Japan after visiting China.  I thought the boy promising enough 
that I wanted to help shape his training into new and interesting 
directions...I had no idea just how interesting having him around 
would prove to be.  There are so many surprising things that I am 
even now learning about him...eh 'Ranko?'"

"Ah...I guess," Ranko turned around and suddenly focused her eyes 
on Nabiki, saw the way the girl was fingering one foot and said, 
"Hey, are you all right, Nabiki?  I didn't do nothing to you...or 
anything like that?"

"You mean other than save my life and drive off the bad guys?" 
Nabiki felt a warmth return to her breast as she saw and felt the 
honest concern in the redheaded girl's blue-eyed expression, "Thanks 
by the way for that."

"Ah...no problem," the redhead swallowed, them moved from 
Kasumi over to Nabiki and said, "How bad is the ankle?"

"It's a bit...tender," Nabiki winced, "But I think I can manage."

Ranma placed surprisingly gentle fingers on the girl's leg and lifted it 
up so that she could remove the slipper and sock and expose the 
swollen member to more critical examination.  Nabiki's eyebrows 
rose up a notch as Ranma probed the foot without causing too much 
discomfort, but then her eyes got more than a fraction wider as the 
redhead closed her own eyes and seemed to concentrate for a 
moment, then ran her hands over the ankle and took several deep 
breaths as the Force seemed to flow through her body and into 
Nabiki.  After only a few moments the pain subsided and the foot did 
not appear quite so purplish and bruised looking.

Ranma lowered the foot again, touched it a few more times then ran 
her hands up Nabiki's leg and seemed to locate a few nerve endings 
that she pressed in a very precise manner.  Withdrawing those hands 
again the redheaded girl smiled and said, "It'll be a bit tender for a 
while, but you should be able to put some weight on it.  I'd pack it in 
ice for a few more minutes to get the swelling down, or maybe use 
some cold water.  Ah...that reminds me..." Ranma glanced down at 
herself and her expression was noticeably crestfallen.

"We can go inside and get you what you need...Ranko," Trieste 
seemed amused by the whole affair, adding slyly, "Where did you 
learn to heal like that?"

"Ah...well...I've learned lots of useful stuff traveling around with 
Pop," Ranma explained, "And it's not like we could afford to visit 
too many doctors..."

"I see," Trieste smiled, "Kasumi here also has a talent for healing.  
Perhaps you might compare notes with her to see what else you 
could learn from one another."

"Ah...sure," Ranma said as she got up, then offered her hand to 
Nabiki, "Hey, let me get you someplace where you can sit down.  It 
don't seem right that a pretty girl should be resting on a sidewalk."

"Ah..." Nabiki stared at that hand, then at the...person it was attached 
to...and wondered if she had just heard right and that Ranma had just 
called her pretty.

"Nay, gentle maiden," Tatewaki came to stand beside them, "I will 
consent to carry Tendo Nabiki indoors.  There is no need for you to 
strain yourself in any manner."

"Look pal..." Ranma was immediately irritated, but Trieste 
intervened again and said, "What a wonderfully noble gesture that 
would be, Kuno-san.  I'm sure Nabiki will appreciate the kindness of 
your gallant assistance.

"Uh...sure," Nabiki scowled, "No problem, Teach...I 
mean...Sensei..."

Kasumi also rose to her feet in a fluid manner, studying Ranma and 
her sister, then sighing to herself as she looked at the ground with a 
faintly troubled expression.  Akane caught the gesture and frowned, 
not really understanding what was going on here, but something else 
got her attention and she turned to Trieste to say, "By the way...who 
were those jerks who attacked us?"

"The one was my enemy," Trieste spoke with unusual gravity in her 
voice, "A Sith Lord...I've told you something about them."

"Uh...sure," Nabiki winced as she was lifted into Tatewaki's arms 
like the proverbial sack of potatoes, "They use the Dark side of the 
Force instead of the Light, right?"

"Precisely," Trieste nodded, "They are the ancient enemies to the 
Jedi, our dark shadow as it were, committed utterly to the cause of 
evil and willing to tempt and corrupt all that is pure and just into a 
twisted, inverted reflection of itself.  He and I have clashed before 
and come away from the encounter just barely alive...it would seem 
he followed me to this world and would now perpetuate his evil by 
corrupting the innocent...what does surprise me is that he appears to 
have found allies who are hostile towards you, my dear Ranko."

"Ah...well..." Ranma scratched the back of her head again, "Wish I 
could say I knew what that was all about...I mean...two of those guys 
did seem kinda familiar, but I'd swear I never saw the others in my 
life."

"What have you brought down on us, Ranma?" Akane asked, 
forgetting herself to use the faux identity that Nabiki had crafted 
(causing Nabiki to roll her eyes and think sad thoughts about her two 
naïve sisters, both older and younger), "Are you bringing more of 
your troubles back with you from China?"

"Ah...whatever makes you say that?" Ranma winced, a bit too 
nervously to be convincing.

"Just a hunch," Akane frowned, "And the fact that two of those guys 
definitely did seem to know you."

"Sis, can we do this act later?" Nabiki asked, enduring to allow 
herself to be carried by Tatewaki, "In case anybody here has 
forgotten, this is supposed to be our school period and the three of us 
are all late for classes."

"You are a student here, Beauteous one?" Tatewaki asked as he 
turned a surprised look towards Ranma.

"Ah...well..." Ranma winced slightly, wondering just how she was 
going to be able to talk her way out of this one.

"Actually her brother is," Nabiki hastily suggested.

"Her brother?" Tatewaki asked without even looking at Nabiki.

"Ranma," Nabiki none-too-gently reminded.

"This Ranma is also your cousin?" Tatewaki this time did glance in 
her direction.

"Ah...no...actually..." Nabiki started to say, when she took a moment 
and thought about it, then decided it would be less complicated than 
having to rely on the truth, "Sort of..."

Kasumi sighed, her spirits somewhat deflated from what they had 
been mere moments before, though only Akane and Trieste seemed 
to notice, the latter thinking how interesting life was becoming in 
Nerima now that the unquantifiable and unstable element named 
Saotome Ranma had just been added to the mixture.  Of her three 
main students only Akane did not seem instantly taken by the charms 
of the sex-changing martial artist, but then again Akane always was 
a more difficult convert when it came to the subject of the male of 
the species.  Obviously she was just as confused as her older sisters 
when it came to classifying the nature of their new house guest, 
though her overt display of hostility was no doubt just a defensive 
measure of allowing herself distance so that she could assess the 
situation and decide whether Ranma was a potential friend or enemy, 
or just some guy she was going to have to learn to put up with, much 
like Kuno Tatewaki.

Of greater surprise was discovering the effect Ranma could have on 
her two older students, Kasumi and Nabiki.  The middle child had 
always been a quicksilvery sort whose changeable mood swings had 
hampered her progress as a Jedi Force Master.  Nabiki was not as 
much in control of her emotions as Kasumi, and that left her open to 
influence by the Dark Side, which Trieste often felt when the 
younger girl did not know that she was looking.

Kasumi, however, was an even greater surprise, for in all the time 
that Trieste had known her Padawan she had never seen the girl 
evidence the slightest interest in the young men whom she 
encountered.  It was not that she was blind to the charms of the male 
of the species, nor (as in the case of Akane) that she was oriented 
more towards other women...it was just that Kasumi did not seem to 
find most men all that interesting...at least on a sexual level.  Kasumi 
was knowledgeable about the subject of sex (Trieste had made 
certain her apprentice was fully knowledgeable about the biological 
and psychosexual aspects involved in reproduction, though courtly 
love was another subject altogether).  Kasumi had an innocence still 
about the world that was altogether quite charming, and Trieste had 
long suspected that some portion of her sexual identity had been laid 
aside or wrapped in a mental chrysalis as the young girl devoted 
herself to fully mastering the ways of the Jedi.

Discovering that Kasumi could feel such emotions towards a 
younger man was an altogether unexpected development, one that 
promised much in the way of potential conflict between the sisters 
should Nabiki continue to grow more fascinated with Saotome 
Ranma.  There was an appeal that the boy had to both sisters that 
was undeniable, even though he had been a factor in their lives for 
less than a single planetary rotation.  Trieste would watch how 
matters would develop before deciding when and how to intervene, 
but something----the Force no question about it---cautioned her that 
difficult times were ahead,  and if Ranma's recent display of 
berserker fury were indication it meant that Trieste had her work cut 
out for her in spades.

She just wondered what part the Sith had to play in all of this, and 
what dark sub-currents of emotion had been stirred by Darth Purge 
to turn at least two people roughly the same age as Ranma against 
him.  It was a matter that needed further careful study, but the 
likeliest source for discovering the truth there had to be with the 
boy's father.

Her path thus clearly resolved, Trieste walked Kasumi home from 
school then went in search of a certain shapeshifting Panda, 
intending to wrest the truth out of the man by whatever means 
necessary, just so long her methods fell just short of the Dark Side 
(and by that Trieste was prepared to make concessions)...




Kuonji Ukyo screamed in fury as she struck at a large rock with the 
edge of her bent and damaged baker's peel and shattered it into 
powder, her wrath so intense that she was genuinely seething with 
emotions and needed to vent her anger in some sort of destructive 
manner.

"THAT JACKASS!!!" she snarled, "When I see him again I'm going 
to hammer him into a pulp!  How dare he do something like that to 
ME of all people!"

"Calm down," Taro urged the black-clad Chef, "So the creep got the 
better of you, he was just lucky.  Something flipped his switch back 
there otherwise you would have had him."

"That was pretty surprising," Mousse remarked, "I'd only heard 
about cases like that in legend...some kind of forbidden teaching 
method that instills a animalistic fury in whoever is hapless enough 
to master the training.  The technique can't even be accessed by the 
normal human consciousness and only works if you go berserk, at 
which point you don't feel any pain, fear or hesitation, just a pure, 
blind killing frenzy in which both friends and foes become one and 
the same."

"Interesting," Purge remarked, "I, too, have heard of such forbidden 
techniques, but they are dangerous to the practitioner and often result 
in death from multiple injuries and exhaustion.  The boy is obviously 
of a much hardier constitution that I had given him credit...either that 
or his teacher was a complete idiot and was totally mindless about 
the potential consequences."

"That about sums up his father," Ryoga growled, "Ranma learned 
from a devout coward, which is why he runs away from a manly 
fight.  What I remember of Saotome Genma was that he was both 
stupid and lazy and couldn't be trusted anywhere around your wallet.  
The man had no honor whatsoever, which is why his son's such a 
jerk, unworthy of calling himself a martial artist."

The others at the camp stared at the normally taciturn boy with 
dubious expressions, wondering at just how pathetic a man would 
have to be to be labeled as "Stupid" by a Hibiki.

"Master," Mousse spoke up, "The Jedi we fought were indeed quite 
skilled, but we could have taken them easily.  Why did you call off 
the fight when you did?  Was it just because of that Nyaniichuan-
cursed berserker?"

"Understand," Purge growled, "We did NOT run from that 
encounter.  An unexplained factor can prove devastating to even the 
best crafted of attack plans.  The Saotome boy could have proven to 
be troublesome in subduing, and I want you all to be at your best 
when we make our real move against the Jedi.  That was just the 
warning shot fired across they bow...the next time we will do more 
than simply rattle their cages, if you are prepared to play your part."

Taro grinned, always ready to stir up trouble, "Count me in...I can't 
wait to smash that geek into a puddle.  The frails are nothing 
really...just a bunch of weak skirts.  Give me half a chance and I'll 
bet I could turn that dark haired one over to our side."

"Don't flatter yourself, big guy," Ukyo growled as she surveyed her 
damaged weapon, then carefully pressed her fingers against the dents 
and forced the metal back into position, "It'll take more than just 
your manly charms to win them over.  I'm only sorry I lost the 
opportunity to take out that one girl with the short hair...there's 
something about her I don't like, and she was standing way too close 
to Ranma for my liking."

"Are you by any chance jealous, Apprentice?" Purge smiled craftily, 
always one to be amused by mammalian sexual behavior.

"JEALOUS?" Ukyo seethed, "Of that scrawny little piece?  No way!  
She wasn't even a serious opponent when we fought, she barely even 
had enough control to slow me down...although I do have to admit 
that I wouldn't mind seeing her head decorating the end of the 
spatula.  I can think of a good place on my mantle where it would fit 
in just nicely."

Purge hid the look of mirth that was in his eyes, feeling justifiable 
pride in the confidence radiated by his star pupil.  The others were 
jealous of Kuonji's senior status and openly competed to "take her 
down a peg," but none could deny that Ukyo as the best fighter 
among them and the strongest in the ways of Force Mastery.  The 
girl was indeed quite a treasure, and if she survived her training she 
would make one gloriously wicked Sith Lord.

If only the girl did not show that annoying streak of tenderness 
beneath her exterior of steel-hard battle fury.  Purge had been 
working to eradicate what was left of the girl's softer emotions, but 
had not yet succeeded in bringing her all the way over into the Dark 
Side.

"Ranma..." the boy named Ryoga snarled as he balled his fists in 
renewed fury, "Just you wait...the next time we meet will be your 
last moments on this earth!  You won't be defeating me with any 
tricks in your arsenal, and berserker or not, I'll still crush you like a 
grapefruit!"

So saying he picked up a stone and squeezed it until it broke into so 
much loose gravel.  Indeed, Ryoga had an even greater potential for 
Force Mastery than Kuonji...if only he was not so pathetically stupid.  
Purge could do a lot with such an apprentice if the Hibiki youth had 
the brains to match his incredible raw power and dark emotions.

Mousse was a more cautious sort as he said, "Don't get too 
cocky...we can't afford another slip up like the last time.  These 
people may be weaker than us but they're still dangerous and we 
won't have the element of surprise working in our favor."

"Maybe so," Taro admitted, "But we're still gonna stomp all over 
those losers, and then I'll force them to tell me everything they know 
about that perverted Grand Master of that school of theirs...that 
skunk who founded their 'Anything Goes' system."

"You mean the guy who named you Pantyhose?" Ukyo smirked and 
was rewarded by seeing the flash of anger in the older boy's eyes as 
Taro half-rose to his feet, intending to teach her some "manners."

"You can worry about a name," Mousse said, "I just want to know 
what that Saotome did with my Shampoo to make her leave me like 
that.  As soon as I learn that you can do whatever you want with the 
guy.  I'll take Shampoo...and then I'll help bring her over to the Dark 
Side.  You'll see what a powerful ally she can be, Master."

"So you have informed me," Purge nodded to himself, thinking 
privately that a warrior with the kinds of skills he had heard 
described was indubitable an even more promising candidate for 
training in the dark side than this half-blind, lovesick fool whose 
main talent was his mastery of Hidden Weapons.  At times the 
Chinese boy could become so annoying with is obsessions that it was 
all that Purge could do to keep from ordering the other students to 
beat him senseless...an order that would hardly need to be given on 
most occasions as it was far more likely that Purge would have to 
restrain them.

"Master," Ukyo addressed herself to her trainer, "When do you plan 
on making your next attack?  I hope it won't be too long, I'd like 
another crack at those Tendo weaklings."

"Aren't you afraid of being driven off again?" Ryoga asked, "Ranma 
sure had you on the ropes the last time."

"Sugar," Ukyo flashed a dangerous look in the boy's direction, "The 
next time I won't even give him the chance to lose his composure.  
The only thing that prevented me from flattening him this time was 
that punk girl getting in my way, and she won't even be a factor 
when I get my hands on Ranma..."

"Hmmm..." Purge frowned as a sudden thought crossed his mind, "I 
wonder...that one boy who attacked the apprenticed Jedi using a 
weakened version of the force...he seems to be a figure of some 
influence about his campus.  Hmmmm..."

"Are you thinking about recruiting him, Boss?" Taro asked.

"Not just yet," Purge mused, "Though I admit it is an intriguing 
possibility.  What I was thinking, though, is that we could gain more 
ground by infiltration...obtain much-needed information about our 
enemies that we could never hope to learn from outside.  Perhaps if 
we sent one of us undercover to investigate and learn all that we can 
about the Tendos and their allies, the Saotomes..."

"Undercover?" Mousse asked, "But won't they recognize us...or at 
least feel our presence?"

"Not necessarily, though it is hardly relevant to the matter," Purge 
replied, "The one whom I would be sending is fully capable of 
passing undetected in a crowd...and even if they do recognize you, 
they will not take direct action, for that is not the way of the Jedi.  
Your presence would be as much of a challenge to them as any bold 
statement, and it would be interesting to see what they do when you 
walk freely among them."

"Me?" Ukyo blinked her eyes, "No offense, Sugar, but if Ranchan 
sees me again..."

"That would be simple," Purge smiled, "You are used to going 
disguised as a boy, and few seem able to penetrate your disguise 
unless you want them to, so...I'm going to have you enroll as a 
student in their High School.  You will be admitted to the same 
classroom as the Force Master and your quarry, and there you can 
learn what we need to know in order to eventually destroy them."

"Sounds good to me," Taro grinned, "It's sneaky, duplicitous, 
treacherous and underhanded...I've really got to hand it to you this 
time, Boss."

"Thank you," Purge smiled, "One does try to rise to the occasion."

"Me...in the same class as Ranchan and that Jedi-wannabe?" Ukyo's 
expression darkened into a smile that had no more warmth than a 
piece of flint, "When do I get started?"

"As soon as I make all the necessary arrangements," Purge 
responded with a crafty leer, "Soon, Trieste...soon you will learn 
what the terror of the Dark Side is truly like...as I strip your students 
from you one step at a time...until it is only you and me...as it was 
meant to be from the very beginning..."

The Dark Alliance all shared that same smile, even if for different 
reasons.  Each of them had a grudge to bear against either the 
Saotomes or the Tendos, and striking at the heart of both families 
was a thought near and dear to their collective hearts.  "Soon," each 
would vow in silence as they reveled in their dark and twisted 
emotions, "Soon..." knowing that their respective forms of 
vengeance was within their grasp as they made their plans of evil in 
the silence of their campfire perched on the hills upon the outskirts 
of Nerima...



Continued.

Comments/Criticisms/The Light and the Dark sides of Life: 
shadowmane@ridgenet.net

What evil plans have the Sith for our heroes and heroines, and can 
the Jedi triumph against the darkness that weighs within their own 
hearts?  Nabiki and Kasumi take stock of their recent encounters and 
mutual engagement to Saotome Ranma while Trieste has a "word" 
with a certain panda about fish sausages and cats, and Soun reflects 
upon his life with Kimiko and the precious years that they have 
shared together with hopes that the Anything Goes school will 
survive the recent challenges from enemies past and present.  Be 
with us next time for: "A Time of Light and Shadow," or "The Jedi 
Recycled."  Be there!





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