Permanent part 16: No one is home.... Ranma grumbled as she stalked over to another table and smiled fakely at another group of students. Luckily, this group was a bunch of girls from her class. The word had spread fast once a few students had discovered her and the Amazons working here, thanks in no small part to one Nabiki Tendo. To put it simply, the Cat Cafe had become the 'Hooters' of Nerima. The 'score board' was now almost full every night and Ranma was seriously thinking about finding a way to neuter all the males in Nerima. The only thing stopping her was the fact that she had been one of them once; perhaps not as hormone crazed or stupid, but still male none the less. On the plus side, she was making huge amounts of money with her two sisters. It was one of the most popular restaurants in the Tokyo area. Thankfully her shift was ending and one of the new employees that Cologne had picked up staggered wearily onto the floor to replace her. Ranma nodded and the girl gave her a slightly disdainful gaze. She knew Ranma would be finished with all her side work in a few minutes thanks to the speed training she had received; the same work that would take her an hour or more to do. Cologne had hired several of the more attractive high school students from the various schools in the area. Even St. Hebreke was represented in the staff. All the girls received moderate training for speed and balance while they worked; it wasn't enough to make them as good as the original three, but it was showing in their work now. Most of the girls didn't even realize they were getting martial arts training at all. As for why they put up with the old hag and her sometimes-harsh rules? The money was very good. "After you fold some napkins for the tables I want you to get another box of chopsticks from the store room Ranma." said Cologne as she passed by. The girl stopped her speedy movements and nodded before returning to the origami style napkin pile. "How is Mr.P doing?" she asked as Cologne sat next to her on the counter to smoke her pipe. "You could have told me the only thing the fool knew how too cook was instant Ramen." snorted the old ghoul. "I didn't know," answered Ranma honestly. "Don't worry girl, he'll be sore for a while; but he's a fast learner. I won't do your pet pig any harm," said Cologne with a chuckle. "Hey! I heard that!" cried a small voice from the kitchen. "Who said you had time to stop!" answered Cologne as she tossed a pot lid and nailed Ryoga in the back of his head. Her attention turned towards Ranma again. "Besides, Mousse had agreed to train him." "What? B-but isn't...." stammered Ranma nervously as she glanced around at the floor around her. "Yes, but he is like your friend used to be. He wants to feel human occasionally, but overall he is the happiest person I have ever seen. Even if my Shampoo is no longer herself; he is still finally living his dream." Cologne contentedly puffed on her pipe and sighed. "I feel Shampoo may be happier now than she could have ever been as a human. I regret that very much, but I am glad she found it." Ranma just sat and said nothing, she had long ago given up on apologizing for her acts, but she could still feel the regret pull on her heart just as it had from the first day. She finished up her chores and walked out the door. Ranma frowned as she walked down the street towards the Tendo residence; following behind her was a pair of small children, they moved quietly and ducked behind various objects as they went. She turned into an alleyway and jumped up onto a fire escape with a mischievous grin on her face, as she suspected a few moments later the children wandered into the dead end. "We lost her! Now what?" cried the boy looking down trodden as he turned to the seven year old girl who was with him. "Sato, what are we gonna do now?" whined the girl as she promptly stuck her thumb in her mouth, her hair was tied in a double ponytail and her dress was a cute yellow outfit that made Ranma's teeth rot just looking at her. The boy was not much better by her standards, he was dressed in a pair of jean shorts with a red stripped T-shirt and a ball cap, strapped across his back was a small brown backpack. "I just asked you that, didn't I?" snapped the boy at his sister in frustration. "Your going to tell me why you're following me, that's what you're going to do now." Ranma had jumped down behind them unnoticed and she stood directly over the two children now. Predictably the two children started to scream, Ranma watched in mild amusement as they scurried away out into the street. "Now it's my turn to play 'follow the leader'." "S-she was gonna kill us!" gasped the boy as he leaned against the wall of his house and panted for breath with the little girl trailing just behind him. The younger child started to cry, "Now what, if we don't get help soon..." she broke down in tears in the front yard of the small run down house. "Don't cry Yuriko! I won't let that happen!" the boy tried to look strong for his sister and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You won't let what happen?" Ranma was looking at the children with a small smile on her face as she stood directly behind them once again. The boy screamed in alarm and stood protectively over his sister. "You stay away!" he warned putting his fists up. "Me stay away? You where following me, why?" Ranma leaned forward and put her face directly in the boy's and he looked away blushing. "I...can't tell you that," he replied looking ashamed. "Suit yourself, just don't make a habit of following people around kid; you'll give people the creeps if you keep it up," she turned and walked back towards the dojo, but the little girl burst from behind her brother and stood in front of her. "Wait! You've got to help us! We need you to use your magic to help our mommy!" the girl glared directly into Ranma's eyes and caused her to falter back under the power of her cuteness. "What's the matter with her?" asked Ranma as she regained her senses and turned back towards the boy again. "Mrs. Yojiro, you have visitors," the nurse smiled as she entered the woman's room and turned to check the various monitors at her bedside. "Who could...?" asked the sickly looking woman in confusion as she turned on her bed weakly, it was obvious she had been pretty once; but her illness had taken a terrible toll on her body. Two small children slowly turned the corner followed by a young redheaded teenager. "What are you doing here?" gasped the woman in shock, she did not look upset though and Ranma smiled. "Who are you?" The woman looked at the strange girl and then back at the children, they stood meekly at her bedside as she caressed their faces gently with her hands. "Ranma Saotome," replied the girl as she sat and watched her faun over her children for a moment. "Well Ranma, are you going to tell me why you brought my children here?" she frowned a little at her and the teen merely smiled. "Actually they brought me here," the girl stood and walked over to the bed keeping a strangely cheerful look about her. "They think I can help you." "Why would they think that?" the sickly mother suddenly got a strange edge to her voice, Ranma's smile never wavered. "I'm a magician," the redhead flicked her wrist and a strange red-black rose appeared in her hand, she handed it to the woman who only frowned deeper. "So you got their hopes up and brought them to see me like this?" she was obviously getting very angry. "No, I simply couldn't bring myself to crush the hope they already had, and neither should you; even if you don't have any left for yourself." The pigtailed girl gave the woman a small wink. Mrs. Yojiro looked back at the two silent children and smiled despite herself. "Your right, I'll have their father pick them up if you don't mind." "I would hope so, I'd never trust a strange woman with my young children no matter how nice she seemed," Ranma's tone was playfully patronizing. The woman smiled again and shook her head; the young girl's cheerfulness was getting to her. "You are a strange girl, I can't say I'm grateful for you bringing the children here I'm afraid, but you are a very kind hearted young woman." "Well, I am strange at any rate." Ranma frowned a little and stood from her seat. Mrs. Yojiro inspected the delicate flower in her hands in confusion the scent of the rose in her hands was very strong and she frowned a little. "I don't recognize this flower," before she became ill she was a florist, and she had never seen a rose quite like this one. "It's a special rose, very rare," Ranma walked out of the door and stopped in the doorway. "Please, I can't accept such a gift," the woman was flustered. "Don't worry about it, I have hundreds of them," the girl waved her hand as if to dismiss the matter without turning to face the family as she walked out the door and into the hallway. The woman continued to watch the rose with her two children for a few moments, until the Yuriko looked up and sucked in a quick breath. "What is it dear?" asked the mother, her eyes went wide at what she saw in the room, the walls where covered in roses like the one in her hand, vases and arrangements filled the floors and tables of the room. The pleasant aroma of the flowers filled the room the instant she noticed them. "Wh? How?" Mrs. Yojiro was in shock. Ranma smiled as she walked out of the hospital, the flowers she had left were merely an illusion of course, but they also masked a powerful healing spell that should destroy her illness quite easily, in fact she wouldn't be surprised if the entire top three floors of the hospital didn't get so much as a cold for years to come. Idly she wondered why medicine and science where trusted so much more than magic in society. She could do things for people science was still years away from, instantly in some cases, yet mages and wizards were rare. "Sometimes this world just doesn't make sense." Tatewaki Kuno floated gently in front of the Tendo Dojo with a disturbed look on his face, only moments before he had escaped from his sister's labyrinth. The girl was learning dangerous magic with the help of that Gosunkugi boy, he knew he could not return home, and also that his powers alone would not be enough to stop her. He walked into the gate and frowned as the eldest of the Tendo daughters greeted him cheerfully. "Oh, Kuno! What brings you here at this hour?" Kasumi frowned; she had just finished cooking for dinner and didn't have enough for another diner that evening. "Where is Ranma Saotome? It is urgent," the boy bowed politely and tried to keep a mask of pleasantry on his face. "Hey Kasumi, what's up? Is it Ranma?" Ryoga poked his head around the corner and frowned in disappointment at the sight of Kuno. "Oh, it's you." "Is Ranma here?" repeated Kuno calmly glancing between the pair. "No, she called and said she was going to be late tonight," Kasumi looked worried. "Is something wrong?" "I am afraid so, it is imperative that I speak with him," Kuno kept glancing behind him and fluttering his wings nervously. "What happened?" asked Ryoga with a frown; he had no love for the boy, but could see that he was agitated. Akane frowned when she saw the kendoist standing in the doorway, her sour look quickly vanished when he ignored her presence completely and sat with Ryoga at the table. "Kuno, what are you doing here?" for the first time in years her tone was friendly with the boy. "I will tell you of my business once Ranma Saotome returns, I believe only he can save my sister from the depths of madness." Ryoga growled a little when Kuno called Ranma 'he' in front of Akane, he pushed it aside for the moment. "She should be back any time now, it's almost dinner time." Nabiki smiled at Kuno's confused look. "He never misses a meal Kuno-chan." Ryoga growled at her and she only winked at him. "You worry too much Mr.P." Akane snorted as the conversation stopped, "You think Kodachi has gone insane?" "Those were my words Akane Tendo," replied the boy simply, his wings ruffled slightly. "Why would Ranma be able to help her?" the girl was clearly angry about the situation. "Do not let your narrow defeat at my sister's hands cloud your judgement Akane Tendo, she has been quite insane for a while now; She has just now become truly dangerous." Kuno had never spoken like that to her and it was clear he was becoming impatient with her. "She cheated, I won by default," retorted Akane angrily. "Quite true, but it was not my sister on the mat with the injuries was it?" Kuno sipped at the tea Kasumi had offered and waited silently under Akane Tendo's glares for Ranma to return, finally after a few moments he spoke up again. "I did not intend to insult you Akane Tendo, but my sister is not someone to be trifled with; she is far more dangerous now than you could imagine. Ranma and I must stop her before she destroys herself, I do not wish you to become involved in this matter, my heart would not recover if you became injured because of my family problems." Akane growled under her breath and continued to glare at him, "If it's a family problem why does he need Ranma?" Kodachi Kuno smiled as she flipped through the pages of the magic book almost all of the spells contained where mastered now. She smiled slightly as she turned back to the page she had book marked, "It is almost time now, Sasuke will bring the final element into place; even though he does not know exactly what the true intention of his errand is! Once I have the final piece of the puzzle I will no longer have a use for him." She cackled madly and hunched over the stand where she kept the book before slamming it shut as lightening cracked in the sky behind her outside of the glass ceiling of the greenhouse. Hikaru Gosunkugi frowned as the girl ranted, she was cute and obviously toying with his emotions, not that he minded that so much. What bothered him was the fact that she was quite insane. His grasp of magic was mostly offensive, but he didn't know a single spell that would release him of his chains without killing himself in the process. "Damn it, I don't know how much longer I can stall her! Somebody better figure out that I'm missing before decides I'm not useful." He hung his head and pretended to be sleeping in his chair while she laughed to herself and made secretive plans. Hikaru had a sinking feeling about what she was planning, she wouldn't tell him what the plans where. She was normally a brash and arrogant person and that pointed to only one thing, she was probably toying with the demon summon spell despite his warnings. TBC... Ranma returns home from her act of kindness only to find all hell has broken loose. Will she and Kuno be in time to save Gosunkugi and Kodachi from her meddling in the black arts? Will Akane have enough sense to stay out of it? What of Sasuke, what will the completion of his errand mean for his fate? Coming Up on Yahoo! Chat More... 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