Still off the FFML. That should finally be taken care of soon. Please send
C+C to sommer@nb.net directly. Thank You.

Writer's note: This one is a little different and pretty dark It's almost a
side story, so be prepared. 
Also, Chapter 15 should come out later today.


Prologue

The Present:
Nerima, Japan:

Kasumi was on her way to the market, alone. Lately, Shampoo refused to do
anything other than hide in her room, even going so far as to make Kasumi
deliver her meals there. The eldest Tendo might not have done it save for
fear that Shampoo would starve to death. Ranma wasn't behaving much better,
moping around the house in a depressed state that would have done Ryouga
proud. His father had actually beaten him in some of the morning sparring
sessions for the first time in months, which was the main reason the two
fathers had managed to drag Ranma and Shampoo out of the house on a two day
training trip. At the last minute Akane decided to go with them, striking
the fear of god into the group when she proudly stated she would do all the
cooking for the party. That left Kasumi and Nabiki with the house to
themselves. Maybe forever if Akane made good on her promise. With any luck,
whatever problems existed between Shampoo and Ranma would be resolved by
the time the duo returned. 

As she walked down the street a new storefront caught her eye, Wayfinders's
Antiques. An unusual name. Kasumi suddenly became interested in antiques
and walked up to the store. She didn't have enough money to buy anything
expensive, but it wouldn't hurt to browse the shop. Perhaps she would see
something nice for Shampoo that would cheer her up. 

Once inside, she saw the interior of the store was brightly lit and the air
quite clear. So much for the idea all such stores had to have the dank,
musty feeling of antiquity to them. There were no other customers in the
shop, allowing Kasumi free reign within. She perused the shelves,
discovering old pots, wooden dolls, dishes with pleasant designs to them,
and all sorts of paraphernalia one would expect in such a store. As she
cleared a set of shelves she saw a gray haired gaijin gentleman that smiled
at her from behind a glass counter.

"Is there anything I can help you with Miss?" he politely inquired. 

"No thank you. I'm just browsing. Is the store new? I hadn't noticed it
before." Kasumi asked as she walked up to the counter.

"Just opened it today. Have to admit, I'm a bit disappointed in the turn
out though. You're only the fourth person to come in. Maybe I should have
put up a 'grand opening' banner or something." Wayfinder shrugged. 

"I wouldn't worry about it. Once word gets around of how nice your shop is,
I'm certain more people will come. It's much nicer than the last antique
store that was here." Kasumi said as she examined the glass case the
storeowner stood behind. 

"Oh what was it's name?"

"'Needless Things', it was run by a very odd man named Mr. Lean. It folded
up quickly though." She remembered how that store had always given her the
creeps as she continued looking at the objects in the case.

Noticing her interest, the owner started pointing out things to her. "This
is where I keep my special objects. Many of the items have are very
valuable or have an unusual history to them. Take this for instance." He
reached down and pulled an old scepter from the case. "This was said to
have been used in one of the floating courts of a maharaja from India. I
don't have a certificate of authenticity to back up the claim, however." He
smiled at Kasumi. 

She continued examining the contents of the case. A great many crowns,
rings, and bracelets adorned the receptacle. One odd golden object in
particular caught her eye. It was a small piece of gold with a particularly
beautiful design to it. Again, her attention did not escape the eye of
Wayfinder.

"That is an unusual piece. It's part of an object. Maybe a ring. Judging by
the beautiful design, I would wager it was a signet ring. You would show it
off to people to prove what family or clan you belonged to. What I know for
certain about it is that it's from China, and it is very old. Over fifteen
hundred years, easily. Want to see it more closely?" he reached in to show
it before Kasumi could answer.

"Oh I couldn't. I'm sure it's much too expensive." 

He forced the item into Kasumi's hand over her protests. "Don't be so sure.
As I said, it's damaged, which reduces the price greatly." 

She turned it over in her hand, looking at it from every angle. Even if she
had a great deal of money, broken jewelry was not the sort of thing she
would spend it on. Still, there was something eye catching about the piece.
"How much did you say it was?"

"How much do you think it's worth?" he responded.

Ah. Haggling. That was why there were no prices on any of the items.
Kasumi's shopping expertise gave her fair negotiating skills, but she was
unfamiliar with what she should open with. "I'm no judge of antiques.
Perhaps if you gave me an idea of what you were thinking of selling it for
you could tell me and we could work from there."

The owner considered that. "Three hundred thousand yen."

That was far out of Kasumi's price range, just as she expected. And she had
started to get her hopes up too. "I'll think about it." She turned to
leave.

Wayfinder didn't want to lose the sale. "Wait! The price is negotiable." 

Kasumi continued out. "Thanks anyway. So long." And left the store,
depressed. It would have been nice to splurge a little for herself. Lost in
thought, she felt someone jostle her as she walked along the busy street.
Kasumi turned to see a short figure, no higher than her chest, walk past. 

"People really are becoming more rude nowadays," Kasumi thought sadly to
herself. She took notice of the figure. The person was wearing an odd set
of azure robes, unlike those of a shrine maiden, or anyone else for that
matter. The figure had the hood of the robes pulled over its head. The
small one paused and turned in front of Wayfinder's. Just as it was about
to enter, it turned to face Kasumi. From where Kasumi stood, she could only
see the bottom portion of the figure's face, the upper portion covered in
the shadows of the hood. At a distance, it appeared to be a young girl, no
more than thirteen years of age. The oddest thing was that, despite not
being able to see the girl's eyes, she could feel her looking directly at
Kasumi. That was when she was overcome by the feeling she had met this girl
before. So certain, in fact, that it actually disturbed her. 

She shook herself out of the reverie. The girl turned back to the store and
entered. Kasumi changed her direction and followed the girl. Perhaps she
was the younger sister of one of her friends from high school or something.
That would explain the familiarity. 

As she approached the store she saw movement next to the glass door.
Wayfinder had grabbed the open sign that hung from inside the door and was
turning it over to the closed side. He was just finishing up when Kasumi
hurriedly walked over and stood in front of the door and knocked. The man
turned to face her, the unmistakable look of fear in his eyes. It appeared
he was going to turn away when he abruptly changed direction and opened the
door.

"What is it Kasumi Tendo?" There was a sheen of sweat along his forehead.

"I..." she trailed off for a moment. "How did you know my name?"

"You must have mentioned it to me when you first came in," he said, the
look of fear remaining in his eyes.

Kasumi was certain she did not state her name, but that was secondary to
the question she wanted to ask. "I want to talk to that girl that just
entered your store." It was a simple enough request. 

"I don't know what you're talking about. There's no girl here. Now if
you'll excuse me..." he went to close the door once again.

Kasumi didn't know what to make of the man's response. She had definitely
seen the girl enter. Perhaps the store owner was unaware of her presence.
And why was he closing his store in the middle of the day? If Kasumi had
been more aggressive she might have attempted to force her way in, but
since she was not, she gave up and turned to go. That was when Wayfinder
opened the door once again.

"Wait one moment!" He closed the door and rushed inside, then returned
moments later bearing the piece of signet ring Kasumi had examined. "I
asked you once how much you thought this was worth. I now ask you that same
question again."

Kasumi shook her head. "It's much too expensive. I can't afford it."

Wayfinder appeared desperate. "That wasn't the question I asked. Let me
rephrase it. How much can you afford to pay for it?"

Kasumi hesitated. The man must really be in dire straits if he was that
desperate to make a sale. She grabbed the money out of her purse and
quickly estimated how much cash she could spare. "Only five thousand yen."

"Sold!" he grabbed the amount from her hand and gave her the signet. He
turned without another word and shut the door again, leaving the sign on
the closed side.

Kasumi walked off, admiring the piece. She was so wrapped up in the bargain
that she forgot the main reason she had stopped at the store. In fact,
within moments she forgot about the young girl altogether.


Wayfinder slumped against his main case, grabbing the bottle of
nitroglycerin pills for his heart. How had The Seer found him after all
this time? It didn't matter. Rumor had it if she wanted to find you, she
found you. Of course she still needed his transdimensional abilities to
travel across the Great Divide, which meant she was not a god regardless of
how it seemed sometimes. There were some that implied she could even be
killed, not that he would ever do such a thing, even if it was in his
nature. No, with any luck this would be the last occasion he would have to
see her in this lifetime. Twice was quite enough, thank you very much. 

The Seer had him so bent out of shape that he had almost blown it when he
spoke Kasumi Tendo's proper name without having actually "heard" it. How
would she react if she knew that, within the confines of the store, he knew
everyone's name and understood who or what they were? No exceptions, save
those that were unfathomable to his mind, like The Seer. There was also the
fact The Seer wanted the youth to have the signet ring. Why she would take
interest in such a mundane mortal was beyond Wayfinder, but there was no
one, save Fate itself, that understood how The Seer's mind worked. Being
closed for several days might be a good idea. Then he could have a grand
reopening. That was a good plan, one he would act on immediately.


Kasumi spent the rest of the day in normal fashion. She cooked a meal for
herself and Nabiki and cleaned up the house. Having only the two of them
present made cleaning go quickly, so Kasumi used the extra time to watch
television and defeat Nabiki in three straight games of Monopoly. It was
beyond Kasumi why her sister got so worked up over the game. Nabiki would
beat her someday. After all, she had only lost seventy two times in a row,
so she was due for a win. 

It was late when Kasumi lay down to go to sleep. As she pulled the covers
over body, she held the signet in her hand. A feeling of peace came over
her as she quickly fell asleep and began to dream...

Ranma 1/2 Presents:
Shampoo 1/2
Chapter 14

Prophet and Loss

Any C+C is appreciated.
Azatlan has given Shampoo 1/2 a home at:
http://www.geocities.com/~azatlan/special-series/shampoo.html
or you can email me for previous chapters at   sommer@nb.net

Standard Disclaimer:
I disclaim I own any of the Ranma 1/2 characters. They are owned by the
Goddess Takahashi and those she sold the rights to. 

The characters of Oh My Goddess! are owned by someone else as well.

An alternate universe:
What's gone on before (or what you really need to know to enjoy this fic)
In the beginning the Saotomes traveled to Jusenkyou and began sparring, not
realizing Shampoo and Mousse had already began a duel there. One mid-air
collision and bath in Spring Of Young Drowned Man later, we have a male
Shampoo as well as a female Ranma. (So Ranma-chan= female Ranma.
Shampoo-kun= male Shampoo. Enjoy.) Shampoo elected to travel to Japan with
Ranma and ended up briefly engaged to Kasumi. After that was cleared up,
Ranma became engaged to Akane. During the course of the months it was
learned that there are laws against becoming a man in Shampoo's village.
Subsequently Cologne has been trying to get Shampoo cured, or barring that,
stand trial for becoming a man and most likely executed. Last chapter, it
was revealed that an old rival of Shampoo's, Perfume, has been trying to
kill Shampoo for maiming her after a duel. Ranma defeated Tarou (with an
assist from Kodachi) and discovered the truth about Perfume. Feeling
betrayed by Shampoo's actions and for her lying to him, the two have had a
strained relationship ever since. 


<> indicates Chinese

One Thousand and Four Hundred and Twenty Nine Years Ago:
China:

The two opposing forces met on the Plains of  Kyan' Tal. The rain poured
heavily, leaving the fields covered in mud. Four elders were at the
forefront of the group of women that had come directly from the village.
Their group numbered close to one hundred as opposed to the group of eighty
that stood across from them. Their composed features masking the fear they
all felt. Things should never have deteriorated to this level. And the
saddest thing of all was that all of this could have been avoided
altogether. But how could anyone know the repercussions of using the
Jusenkyou pools in the manner they were employed. Only now did they
understand the true ramifications of their actions. Or at least some of
them did. Others were not so convinced that they were a danger. Those
others stood across the field watching the group that approached from the
village.


A group of men watched the first group approach. They had elected to come
to the plains first, as the elders had asked. The elders wanted to meet
outside the village, resolving  this matter away from the prying eyes of
the males. The two groups faced off across from one another, ten meters
apart. One man stood at the forefront of the group. 

"" Ji Kwan was not amused at being dragged all
the way out here

Feng Lu acted as spokesperson for the elders. ""

One of the men behind Ji spoke up. "" 

Ji waved a hand to cut the speaker off. "" she stated
to the man. ""

Feng scoffed at that. ""

"" Ji responded.

"" Feng's frustration
grew. ""

"" Ji scoffed. ""

Feng shook her head sadly. ""

Ji gave a look of burning intensity at Feng, ""

Feng's mouth dropped in shock. ""

"" Ji turned to the group behind
him. "" Ji turned to
Feng. ""

Feng did not like losing control of the discussion, but the weight of the
events was keeping her from thinking clearly. ""

Ji turned back to the men he was talking to. ""

Feng started to protest. "" 

She was cut off by Ji. "" A smile slowly crept across his face. "" Ji
continued to smirk.

Feng had a very intense urge to use one of her daggers to cut the smirk off
of Ji's face. The intensity between the two groups was building, and
without the matriarch to back up her words ordering the others would be
difficult, but things could not be allowed to continue the way they were.
Something had to be done to resolve this matter. Today. Time to put it all
on the line. ""

Ji's smirk changed to a look of seriousness. ""

Feng allowed a chi aura to build up around her. "" Everyone
behind her drew weapons, with a handful letting auras glow to back up her
statement. The group of men drew their weapons and allowed a handful of
auras to grow in return as the two forces started moving towards one
another.

Feng was concerned about this fight. True, her people outnumbered Ji's
group, but many of the best warriors were amongst the group transformed by
Nanniichuan, and a lot of them were very powerful. It would be a
devastating battle for both sides no matter what, and the only loser would
be the tribe.

Just as weapons and auras began to collide with one another a loud voice
shouted out "HIRYUU SHOUTEN-HA!!!" causing a giant vortex of chi energy to
suck up all the participants in the battle and unceremoniously drop them on
their heads. 

A huge man with a giant two handed sword strapped across his back stood
next to the woman who had launched the all encompassing attack. A look of
surprise was on his face as he turned towards her. ""

The woman gave a wry little smile. ""

The man gave a wide eyed look of surprise. ""

"" The woman continued to give her smile.

The man gave an exasperated sigh, ""

"" she paused, ""

Giving up, the man approached the fallen foes with his sister in tow. "" The
collected people nodded their heads in agreement, the pain from the chi
attack still all too fresh in their memories.

"" he allowed his voice to build up for
dramatic effect. ""

Voices of dissent that began from the men were quickly drowned out. ""

Again voices claiming it was not a curse were spoken over again by Su as he
circulated amongst the crowd. "" his voice became much quieter, ""

Su drew his giant sword. "" No sounds of disagreement
were heard from that statement. "" he emphasized
that last word, "" He spun it around in his hand for effect. ""

He spun and pointed the sword to indicate Feng. "" He paused, "" He turned towards
his sister. "" He paused once again, not continuing. Finally one of the men
spoke up.

"" And Su told them. 

The shock to everyone was evident. Such an obvious thing, which everyone
mysteriously overlooked. All that is, save one.

Su whispered to his sister, "" Su trailed off in disgust as he
watched the others react to the new information. Looks of pity were on the
faces of many of the women, but the features of the men were almost
uniform: shock.

Su listened to many voices mix together, "" 

As though some sort of consensus was reached, the majority of men set off,
only a handful were not in such a great shock that they had enough sense to
bow before their leader before leaving. There was a small group that
remained behind. Thirteen men, still led by Ji Kwon. 

They huddled together in discussion, and after coming to an agreement,
broke up and confronted the matriarch. Ji acted as spokesman once again. 

""

Su was stunned, ""

"" Ji looked Su in the eye
in defiance.

Su returned the glare, ""

"" Ji retorted. ""

"" Su responded.

"" she smirked.

A dangerous gleam entered Su's eyes. "" 

Ji nodded. "" 

"" The gleam became more dangerous.
""

"" Ji growled in response.

"" 

"" Ji became more and more angry.

Su ignored the declaration, ""

"" Ji began to tremble in rage, but Su continued on, ignoring it.

"" A wild look entered Su's eyes. "" He indicated Ji's falchion.
""

""

Su's voice remained calm, despite the increasing wildness in his eyes.
"" Su turned towards the elders that were looking upon the
situation with growing alarm. "" He turned back towards Ji, "" Su wielded her monstrous
two handed sword, holding the serrated edge so Ji could be certain to see
what fate awaited him. "" An
unmistakable psychotic gleam entered Su's eyes as he continued speaking
softly, 

""

Ji Kwon answered with a drawn sword and a wild yell as he ran across the
mud, intent on impaling his matriarch on the end of his falchion. Su ran
forward, sword held back to strike. 

Hu shook her head sadly as the two warriors met one another. For the
briefest of moments, she envisioned someone else running across the field
at her sister, and remembered exactly why she had removed herself from the
tribe so many years ago.

One weapon moved with blinding speed as it embedded itself in the chest of
the person across from it. The remaining warriors looked on impressed. Few
could match the speed of Su Chiang, two-handed sword or not. Ji Kwon was
not one of them.

Ji looked down at the sword buried in his chest, then turned his head far
enough to look at the man who had put it there. All he managed to gurgle
out was, "" before trailing off.

Su whispered in his ear, "" and with
that, Ji Kwon died.

As Su Chiang removed his sword from the corpse, the body shifted from that
of a male to a female. Su allowed a smile to form on his lips for the
briefest of moments. "" He
turned to the rest of the men. "" he
turned to the elders. "" They bowed before one
another and turned, each on their way. Su returned to Hu's side as the two
of them took a separate path back to the village.

Hu spoke first. ""

Su smiled at his sister, ""

"" Hu responded.

Su looked over his sister in an odd way. "" He
chided his sister.

"" she answered while looking off in the
distance.

"" He was rewarded by a surprised look from his sister. "" He gave a soft look to Hu who returned the
gaze.

"" Hu asked.

""

Hu's eyebrows shot up. ""

Su's expression became one of depression. ""

"" Hu said in disbelief. ""

"" Su shook her head. ""

"" Hu began when she was cut off.

"" 

"" Hu protested.

"" The look he gave Hu
informed her he was telling the truth. Su always had been a poor liar,
that's why he never played games in which you had to bluff. Anyone could
read his face.

The two quickly arrived at the family home it was the first time in years
Hu had at long last returned to the place where she had grown up. As Su
went in back while his sister examined the belongings. So few things were
different. It still looked much the way she had left it. Maybe not so
surprising since Su was the only one living here. As Hu was caught up in
the feeling of Nostalgia, her eyes fell upon the griffin's head. 

How long had it been? Twenty, no, thirty years since four young, foolish
warriors set out to destroy a mythical beast that had been terrorizing
lands to the south of the village. Those four made a great deal out of the
quest, vowing to bring back the creature's head or not come back at all.
The stupid promises only the young ever made. Still, the four of them did
have many grand adventures on the journey. Nothing so impressive as to
become legends spoken of among others, but they were important to the young
warriors. And when they at last confronted the griffin in its lair, a
climactic battle did occur. The creature proved far more intelligent than
they gave it credit for, and would have killed Su if it hadn't been for
Hu's sudden manifestation of her chi abilities. She used a pure blast of
chi energy drawn from herself to destroy the creatures torso, and in the
process was sick as a dog for a week for drawing too much of her energy in
the blast. After the fight, (and the beheading) Hu had even received a gift
from Su's best friend, in appreciation for saving Su's life.

Hu drew her falchion from its scabbard. It was one of a pair of family
heirlooms she had been given. Now its twin lay somewhere in the mud, unless
someone was thoughtful enough to pick up Ji Kwon's weapon. Tears fell from
her eyes as she remembered the events from earlier in the day. Kar Yau, the
other girl on the journey, died during the Serpent Men Wars, leaving only
herself and Su of those that had slain the griffin.

How much things had changed, and not for the better.

Su came out from the back, after having bathed and changed into clothing
appropriate for the matriarch to stand for the trial. The only thing that
was unusual was that Su was still in a male's body.

""

Su smiled at his sister, ""

Hu did as indicated and returned, dressed in much better finery. The two of
them set off for the trial.

"" Su asked his sister. "" He gave a smile as the duo's pace slowed.
""

"" she said. ""

"" Su took on a more serious tone. ""

"" what was she getting at?

""

Hu had her reasons for leaving, but the citizens within Joketsuzoku were
still her most cherished people. ""

"" Su's eyes took on an almost pleading
quality. ""

Hu was taken aback. ""

Su shook his head, ""

Hu looked down at the ground, "" That was
only part of the reason, but she couldn't tell him the whole truth.

"" Su's chuckled. "" 

"" Hu answered, evading the answer.

"" He shrugged. "" 

They continued walking a little farther when Su spoke again. ""

Hu hesitated. She couldn't tell him that either.

"" Su continued prodding.

"" 

"" Su continued, "" Su paused then changed the talk back to
the direction it was in before. "" he softly added. ""

Hu could not deny him, as much as she wanted to. Being here for a prolonged
period of time was the last thing in the world she needed. "" she
softly said.

Su's face erupted in a smile. "" The two of them
had arrived at their destination without Hu realizing it. The Hall of
Judgment.

The doors parted for the matriarch and her sister. It appeared ever member
of the tribe was present. The warriors that had been changed and accepted
their curse, like Ji Kwon, where in shackles before the elders. Su did not
take his seat amongst the elders, but remained on the floor. 

"" he began, "" A
rumble began from the male population about staying, but that was quickly
silenced by the next order. "" The men rushed out. 

Su took on a tone of command. ""

Hu shook her head. Technically Su could do this, but it would alienate the
matriarch from the council, an unwise move.

"" That brought a murmur
of approval from the crowd. Disobeying a direct order from the matriarch
frequently was as good as a death sentence.

"" That brought a series of shouts from the crowd, causing Su to
shout at the top of his lungs. "" His speech
became more impassioned, "" No one could agree
with that. 

""
Su continued, "" contempt flowed into
his voice, "" That brought another eruption from the crowd.

"" The crowd quieted down. ""

""

Hu looked on, confused.

"" Su finished.

"" Hu erupted.

Su turned and faced his sister. ""

""

"" Su calmly stated, "" He turned back to the crowd, 
""

Hu rushed over to Su's side. ""

Su used force to bring his sister closer to himself and began whispering in
her ear, ""

"" Hu began but was cut off.

"" That was a
surprise to Hu. ""

"" She was cut off by Su.

""

Hu had been tricked. Su had known from the beginning this was the course he
would take. That was why he referred to everything in the past tense
earlier. "" Hu tried to protest.

Su's voice became even quieter. ""

Tears filled Hu's eyes as she whispered back. "" It was
true. Hu's mother and two cousins fell in the Serpent Men wars. Her aunt
and brother were consumed by the Gray Plague and her father fell victim to
pneumonia. She and Su were the last ones of the family clan. And now it
would be just her.

"" Su looked at her caringly,  "" Hu just stared at him. ""

""

""

Hu nodded reluctantly, tears streaming down her face. She withdrew her
falchion even as Su went to his knees and drew his short sword.



Hu threw herself into her new/old home, crying on the floor. She had no
idea how long she remained there, thinking of the past, of what led up to
today. It was then she stumbled upon the root of all these problems.
Nanniichuan.

"" she railed
towards the heavens.

"" A voice quietly spoke from the doorway.

Hu turned to see her. The girl from her childhood. The girl she had met
when she was nine. The azure robed thirteen year old whose face remained
masked in shadow. The reason she went on to leave Joketsuzoku. 

Hu grabbed a knife that had been sitting on one of the tables and rushed
forward to the girl. The youth made no protest as she was thrown against
the wall and the blade pressed against her throat.

"" At that
moment, Hu's eyes bore the same anger Su's had before the fight with Ji
Kwon. 

"" the girl's voice remained
steady and neutral.

"" Hu pressed the blade
against the skin. Any more pressure would break it.

"" she
began goading some more, "

Hu gave a little whimper, then threw the blade into a wall and slumped into
a chair. ""

The girl straightened herself out. ""

Hu just sat there, staring off into space. ""

"" The Seer stated, "" The Seer noticed Hu shudder at the declaration.

"" Hu began weeping some more.

"" She paused for a
moment. "" She shook her head, ""

"" Hu said quietly.

""

Hu looked up at her, ""

"" 

""

""

"" The Seer
paused. ""

Hu stared at her through tear filled eyes. ""

"" and with that The Seer departed, leaving Hu Chiang in
mourning.


Interlude
Two Devils

The present.
Japan

The man covered in black approached the remains of the ancient temple. An
eight foot massive stone giant trailed behind him, looking over the remains
of what was once a building. The man in black began speaking. 

"People have been complaining for centuries about the number of snakes that
live in this area. How surprised they would be to discover the cause of
it." 

Snakes began to pour into the remains of the ancient temple. The man in
black continued. "Your loyalty to your mistress serves you well reptiles.
Even if it was your ancestors long past that obeyed her commands."

Snakes by the hundreds poured into the temple. "Which of you are willing to
sacrifice yourselves for your ancient mistress." His hand pointed to a
snake. "You!" The snake obeyed and slithered over to the spot where the man
in black indicated. 

"Now you." A second snake now went to the same spot. As it came into
contact with the first snake, the two merged becoming one larger snake.
Others began to make their way over and melded with the original two.
Hundreds of snakes merged, becoming one huge ten foot snake wider than a
man. 

"You are ready." The robed man raised his hand and two streams of energy,
red from the right and blue from the left, emitted from his fingertips. The
blue stream gripped the snake's head while the red shot up and down the
snake, causing it immense pain. As the red streams moved up and down the
snake's body, it would become slightly transparent during bright flashes.
At first nothing could be seen. But as the seconds passed a figure began to
form within the images.

"What is that?" The stone man asked.

"Your old associate from a time long since past." The man responded.

The energy cascaded the snake for another minute, then stopped. The reptile
had long since ceased moving, and was now charred black on the outside.
Suddenly, there was movement from under the snake's skin. It undulated back
and forth, until at last part of the skin ripped away. A human hand reached
through the opening and forced itself through the rent in the exterior.
Another hand emerged and the two pried open the skin, allowing a beautiful
Japanese woman, quite naked, to pull herself out of its reptilian womb and
into the night air.

"It is her." The giant confirmed.

The woman turned to the sound of the voices.

"Welcome back, mistress of the snakes," the man in black proclaimed.

End Interlude


One Thousand Three Hundred and Forty Nine Years Ago.
Eighty Years after Su Chaing's death:

The Amazons watched as the massive pillar of blue energy dissipated in the
night air. Hu lowered her arms and moved back from the edge of the
mountainside the Amazon troops had been entrenched on. It had been the
ideal ground from which to defend themselves against the T'ang's army. 

It had been an unnecessary precaution.

All of the warriors paled at the event they just saw occur before their
eyes. None would forget it as long as they lived. Many of them moved away
from the matriarch in fear as she strode back to her tent. Some remained
giving prayers to the dead, while one of the younger one's even went so far
as to run away. Another had the courage to speak in awe directly to Hu.

""

The Matriarch stared at her curiously for a moment, then answered. "" As Hu left, the warrior took note of the
fact the matriarch's arms were now covered in blood, despite never having
been attacked.

The honor guards around her tent parted as Hu entered her temporary home
and slumped in a wooden chair. A flimsy thing, not surprising considering
all of the material had to be transported so high in the mountains. She at
last took notice of the blood on her arms. No cut produced that, at least
not a visible one. Perhaps it was a sign of the wound her soul now bore,
but more likely it was a side effect of the chi attack she had just used.
Even as she moved to grab a towel to wipe off her arms when she was wracked
by the first feeling of pain. So intense was it that she was knocked to the
ground and writhed in silent agony. All perception of time was lost until
the pain passed. But even as it did, Hu felt it still hovering there,
almost as though it were a snake waiting to strike. As she got shakily to
her feet she felt the urge to drink. That had been her crutch for so many
years, ever since Su's death. She began scanning the tent when her eyes
fell upon the new occupant standing before her. She hadn't appeared in
eighty years, but one would not be able to tell from her appearance. She
had not changed at all. The matriarch showed no shock at that fact. There
were no surprises left for Hu Chiang. 

"" If The Seer took notice of the
comment she didn't acknowledge it. Hu continued, ""

"" The Seer informed
her.

Hu paled. "" Some color returned to
her face after a few moments. "" 

"" The Seer informed her.

"" No regret was in the voice. At least not regret about that.
""

"" The Seer said

"" Hu said. "" White hot shards of agony lanced through Hu
once again as she went to the ground. There was too much pain to even
scream, so she simply lay there in silent agony. Eventually the feeling
passed as Hu managed to shakily regain her footing. 

"" Hu
finally managed to grab a bottle of wine and pour some of the liquid into a
glass, downing it in one gulp. 

"" The Seer informed her.

Hu's eyes were distant. "" The
bitterness was thick in her voice. "" She poured herself another glass and
repeated her earlier action.

"" The Seer told her,
voice remaining neutral. "" 

Hu seemed to soften a bit at that. "" She poured herself another glass, but as she
raised it to her mouth she began to shake uncontrollably. The glass fell to
the floor as she was wracked with sobs. ""

"" The Seer explained. "" 

"" Hu continued trembling. "" Her own life seemed to leave her as she stopped shaking and sagged
into her chair. "" She
stood up and stormed over to The Seer ""

She calmed down again. " Her voice
drifted off in memory. "" That one in particular
struck her. ""
She answered for herself. ""

"" The Seer said.

" she retorted as
she downed another glass of wine. "" Her eyes took
on a far off cast. "" She trailed off, ""

Her words began filling with self-loathing. "" She turned toward the heavens as tears filled
her eyes again. "" she knew what the answer was. "" 

Her voice became faint. "" Her form was once again wracked by even more
intense pain. It took everything she had not to throw up. 

"" she asked The Seer as she recovered. ""

The Seer let a smile come to her lips. ""

Hu was confused. ""

"" 

Hu thought about it. "" and that
was when she realized what point The Seer was making. She manipulated
enough power to level an army three times that size. The majority of the
chi was from the army itself, but the size of the effect would have been
directly  proportional to the size of the army. Only those that had the
ability to control their chi could keep the attack from drawing any from
them. Even if there were many soldiers that could control their chi, (an
impossibility. Very few knew how to do it and they mostly kept that
knowledge from others) it would have lessened the effect, not added to it. 

Where had the extra come from? Some of the additional amount would have
come from her, and she was the most powerful chi channeler she had ever
known. Still, it would have added no more than a fiftieth to the total
effect. At most. Which meant the additional energy would have come from the
land itself. She had done it many times in small amounts, but it was always
risky. It had to go directly through the summoned, which sort of acted like
a sluice for the energy, and could easily overload you if you lost control,
even for a second. The more you drew the more difficult it was to control,
and the more likely you would destroy yourself. And at certain high amounts
it would destroy you no matter how effectively you manipulated it. 

She knew the amount of chi she drew from the land should not have produced
the effect that had happened. Nowhere near that. It was just not possible.
It was difficult to remember just how much she had received. There was such
a tremendous amount she was using that she knew she might kill herself
anyway. That was one of the reasons she never practiced the technique. She
knew from the beginning it was likely to kill her. Hu was not even certain
it would have worked until it did. 

The amount of chi one could get off the land was directly proportional to
how much you could control. The better the control, the more area you could
use. And the amount in the land had always been uniform. There were no hot
spots she had ever discovered. Yet. She forced her mind to go over in
minute detail every moment of the attack. As much as it pained her. Her
mind searched for the time she summoned the land itself to lend its latent
energy...

and that was when she remembered it. A chill ran down her spine as she
realized what had happened. There was a source.

"" The Seer
spoke, as though reading Hu's mind. "" The Seer
left the same way she came in.

Hu's mind reeled. It was the end. That was certain, and she had much to do.
A plan formed itself immediately. She emerged from the tent and spoke to a
guard. "" 

It took only a matter of moments to gather everyone up into the center. No
one wanted to risk angering the matriarch after what she displayed this
night. Hu stood atop several boxes and spoke to the almost two hundred of
warriors present. She paused to take the scene up. It would be the last
time she would see them, the people she led for so long. After the
Nanniichuan fiasco she had actively recruited women to take the place of
those missing, all but twelve of the original woman had remained cursed and
ended up exiled. So few that were recruited actually managed to fill the
roles that were lost. It would take at least another generation to recover
from the damned curse of the spring.

She had led them on so many campaigns. It really was a miracle that any
were here at all. Each challenge she had met as matriarch could have doomed
the tribe. And their foes became more and more powerful each time. Yet she
had prevailed, fighting for everyone of her warriors. Every time one fell a
small piece of her died with them. She was so happy when fewer and fewer of
them died. True, she would burden herself more and more with each new foe,
with each new battle, she would be the one doing most of the killing. But
it was worth it if it kept even one more of her warriors alive. She may
have despised warfare, but she cared for those that she was responsible
for. In a way, they were her family. If only it had been her own instead of
one foisted upon her. Now she would be dying, and the "family" would have
to take care of itself. She prayed they could.

She brought herself back to the present and told the Amazons what she
wanted. "" That caused a commotion, which Hu quickly cut off. "" She cut of further sounds again. "" Every warrior, right down to the elders that
were present, assented. "" and with that she
jumped off the box and returned to her tent followed by her bodyguards.
They had to keep quiet about the attack. If any powerful person learned it
was a chi attack they would come to the village to seek it. And without Hu
there they would never be able to find it.

She looked over her guards as she departed, searching for one in
particular. Her eyes settled upon Rianna del Silva, the daughter of a woman
from a far off land called Italy. The Amazons had rescued the mother from
caravan that had been attacked by raiders. Apparently some traders from
those lands had believed there was great treasure to the East and set a
course for China. Things had gone perfectly until the raiders attacked,
leaving Rianna's mother the only one alive. The woman was pregnant with
Rianna at the time and the tribe adopted both as full fledged members of
the Joketsuzoku. The mother was intelligent and enjoyed living in the
tribe, helping anyway she could, though a warrior she was not. Rianna grew
up knowing only the tribe as her own. Despite her obviously foreign
appearance she was never treated differently from any other of the members.
In many ways, she felt like a daughter to everyone, and Hu had overheard
Rianna mentioning how she might set off to see her mother's homeland. A
very good idea. Rianna was bright enough that she just might make it.

Hu told the woman to enter the tent so they could speak in private.
"" Rianna nodded, a smile
growing on her face. She thought she knew exactly what the Matriarch meant,
and excitedly rushed off. Just as she exited Elder Yang appeared, her
satchel of magical items in hand.

"" Yang set down the crystal and departed. As soon as
she was out the door another attack paralyzed Hu for close to five minutes.
The attacks were getting worse and there wasn't much time left. She quickly
sat down, pulled out several magical scrolls and a quill, then placed the
crystal before her eyes. The magic of the crystal would distort the writing
so only a wielder of the crystal could decipher the text written under it.
To others it would be meaningless gibberish. After it was used, the only
way anyone could read it would be with the crystal.

Hu paused for a moment. Should she do this? There was so much risk to the
world if the knowledge fell into the wrong hands. And what if the wrong
hands belonged to the Joketsuzoku? She couldn't refuse do it. The knowledge
should not be lost for all time. This would be her legacy to the world. She
was the grandmaster of chi manipulation. No one had ever thought to use it
the way she did, or if they did use it in the fashion she did, she could
teach them how to refine the technique and use it better. 

She had already taught the elders how to slow down their aging to the point
where they could live hundreds of years. And the better the control they
had, the longer they could live, although none of them had learned how to
keep from shrinking as they got older. Hu had tried to educate them, but
they never seemed to quite be able to grasp what she tried to teach them.
She was a living example of what could be done. In eighty years she
appeared to have aged five, at the most, and the majority of that was done
early on. Now she had almost perfected it. By her approximation she would
have been able to live for eight hundred years. And that was not taking
into consideration the fact that she got better with each year. There was
no telling how long she would have been able to live, until today.

There were other techniques she had taught, but the majority of the most
dangerous ones she had kept from the others, waiting until she had found
the right people to teach. Now she had run out of time. She spent the
better part of two hours writing, suffering through three more attacks. At
last she finished the final scroll and bound them together. She then took
some of the melted wax and used it to seal them together. She then placed
her signet ring into the wax and spoke the words of power. 

"" And with that, she
cut her finger with a knife and let a drop of blood land on the ring, then
observed it end up absorbed by the wax. The magic worked. 

She placed the scrolls into an ornate case and ushered the Amazons that had
been picked by Rianna inside. She looked them over. All of them, save one,
were young. And all of them had demonstrated intelligence in the field.
They would serve nicely. 

"" Everyone
riveted their attention to Hu. "" The warriors all nodded soberly.
Good choices indeed. "" All of them nodded. 

"" The warriors nodded. "" The collected warriors swore an oath. "" Rianna bowed her head in gratitude at
being given such an important task. "" The Amazons departed as
Hu sat back in her chair. She felt the next attack building, knowing it
would be the last one.


In the heavens:
At the same time:

"Father, isn't there something we can do?" The beautiful white haired kami
asked.

"THAT CANNOT BE. YOU KNOW THE RULES. SHE HAS DONE TOO MUCH," a voice from
above replied.

"But she didn't want to do it. If she hadn't, her people would have been
wiped out," the kami said.

"SHE ALWAYS HAD A CHOICE."

"She was just a victim of Fate," the kami answered softly.

"WHY ARE YOU SO CONCERNED URD? COULD IT BE SHE REMINDS YOU OF SOMEONE?"

Urd remained silent as she gazed back upon the pool that was being used to
watch the events at the scene below. 

After a pause the voice spoke again. "VERY WELL. SHE WILL BE GRANTED A
WISH. BUT NOT BY YOU."

Urd began to smile. "Thank you Father. Who will be chosen?"

"HER." the scene within the pool shifted to reflect The Seer as she made
her way down the mountain.

"You can't be serious! She'll never grant Hu a wish!"

"I HAVE SAID ALL THAT WILL BE DONE ON THE MATTER."

"Father..." Urd began.

"ENOUGH URD!" 

That was it. Urd knew when he spoke to her in that tone it was over. She
stared helplessly at the pool, and with a sigh, entered the clear waters.


The Seer was journeying to the next destination when the kami slowly broke
the surface of a nearby pool. She observed Urd fully leave the water and
walk over to her. 

"Well Urd. This is a surprise. How many centuries has it been?" The Seer
asked, the faintest hint of emotion leaking through her voice.

"I've come to ask you a favor."

The Seer was startled by that, but quickly regained her composure. "A
favor? From me? The kami must be desperate indeed."

"It's not like that," Urd  said. "It's about Hu."

"You've come to the wrong person then," The Seer shook her head, "I'm just
a messenger. Now if you'll excuse me. I have somewhere I must get to and
I'm not given much time to get between destinations." She turned to go.

"You can grant Hu a wish." Urd saw The Seer stop as though struck by a
shot, then spun to confront Urd.

"Me? Grant a wish? HAHAHAHA! That's the first laugh I've had in ages Urd.
Thank you."

Urd wished she could look into the eyes of The Seer to see what she really
thought, but that was denied even her. "It's not a joke. It's for real."

"Then that makes it even more amusing," she gave a derisive snort. "The
idea that I would grant someone else a wish, that is irony at its highest
form."

Urd knew this would happen. "Have you forgotten what it means to be mortal
Shier..."

"DON'T CALL ME THAT! NEVER CALL ME BY THAT NAME!!!" Urd was shocked by the
rage in the girl. "That person died the instant The Seer was born! If you
just tried to appeal to my humanity you failed miserably." She paused for a
moment, then continued. "Not that I have any left anyway. Don't think I'm
like you Urd. I'm not. I am a mortal bound in immortal flesh, and we both
know why!"

Urd dropped to her knees as tears began falling down her cheeks. She was
failing Hu, and the memory of her time with The Seer pained her just as
much. She wanted to say something, but nothing came to mind other than a
plea. "Please."

Urd was shocked to feel a finger gently play itself against her face. "The
tears of a kami." Urd looked up to see The Seer had one of the drops on her
fingertips, examining it. The robed girl continued speaking softly. "Who
would have thought I still had it in me?" She allowed the tear to fall to
the ground.

The Seer turned to look back at the Amazon encampment, then pivoted to look
at Urd. "Never ask me any favor again. Do you understand?"

Urd managed to shake out of her disbelief long enough to answer. "Yes."

The Seer's lips pursed ever so briefly. "Good." She then turned back to the
encampment. "I grant Hu Chiang the wish that, in the next life, she need
never raise her hand in violence, nor have such a hand raised against her."
The Seer turned back to Urd. "I'm giving her the option of free choice. She
has the ability to behave in a violent manner or get in the way of
violence, but she will never be the target without provocation. And as far
as a family is concerned, she's on her own. Also," she warned, "she can
wait a millennium or two for it. Let her simmer for a while." 

A bright beam of light encircled The Seer as the wish was sent to the
heavens for approval, and granted. Once the light disappeared, The Seer set
off on her original path. Urd broke out of her happiness long enough to
stare at The Seer's departing form. "Thank you Seer." Sadness began taking
the forefront as Urd realized how painful granting the wish must have been
for the girl. "And I'm sorry for what happened so many years ago."

The Seer turned her head towards Urd, the sound of irritation in her voice.
"Oh stop it with the self pity. It doesn't suit you at all. You had nothing
to do with what occurred. We were both victims of Fate." She turned back in
the direction she had been heading towards and began running. "I have to
get going now. There was enough time wasted here, and I cannot be late."
The Seer hadn't gone too far when she felt a pair of hands reach under her
arms and lift her off the ground.

"Ever fly like a bird Seer?" Urd said as she took off, bearing the girl in
flight. "It's the only way to travel."

"Good." The Seer hurmphed. "You cost me enough time as it is." 

The duo flew onward into morning.


That night every Amazon in the encampment that had managed sleep had a
horrible nightmare of a cloud of darkness with red orbs, like eyes,
descending upon them, searching for something. The last thing they felt
before the cloud left was the sound of frustration, as though it had failed
in its search.


Five months later:
Peking: 

Hwa Lau, chief advisor to the emperor, had had another busy day. Why the
emperor insisted upon joining the army in it's conquest of the western
territories was beyond him. No, that wasn't true. He bore some personal
grudge against one of the villages out there and wanted to witness it first
hand. If only some word would come from the army. The last set of
messengers were a week overdue, and that worried Hwa. Long distance
communication was so chancy, anything might have happened to the
messengers. There was too much lawlessness between here and there. Unifying
the empire was certainly what needed to be done. A small disruption in one
of the entryways caught Hwa's attention. 

He approached the corridor and noticed several guards talking adamantly
amongst themselves. There was a slender white haired man among them. The
man set his eyes upon Hwa and rushed forward. 

""

Hwa was outraged. How dare this wild eyed man presume to be familiar with
him and call him his friend. If he had a friend like the skinny man then he
would certainly remember him, and what was he saying about the guards being
his men? They were the emperor's...

and that's when Hwa got a good look at the white haired man's face. When he
left, his hair had been black and he had weighed a good twenty pounds
heavier, and exhuded a calm controlled confidence. He had changed so much
in such a short amount of time it was no wonder some of the emperor's
guards didn't recognize their leader. 

"" Hwa was so surprised he forgot the proper
way to address the emperor. 

If the emperor noticed, he gave no indication of it. He clutched his
advisor with the grip of a madman and spoke. ""

Hwa wasn't quite sure what to make of the emperor's ramblings. Nothing
could destroy thirty thousand men in an instant. The emperor continued his
rant.

"" The
emperor regained some of his composure. "" 

Hwa walked off, confused beyond measure. The emperor had returned alone. If
what he said was true, as impossible as it seemed, perhaps the Amazons
should be left alone. They really were very small and out of the way, and
they never caused any problems that affected the empire. So maybe it would
be best to leave such a law on the books, but quietly. Just so long as it
didn't become widespread common knowledge. No point in giving the world
cause to believe the mighty T'ang Dynasty was afraid of one little village
in the middle of nowhere. Hwa could word the law so some reason other than
fear was why the Amazons should be left alone.


Nineteen Years Ago:
Nerima, Japan:

The man walked down the hallway to see his beautiful child. The delivery
had taken a while and his wife was resting, still under the effect of a
sedative. He couldn't wait to lay his eyes upon the darling daughter he had
been blessed with. It was hard to say whether or not this or his wedding
day was the more joyous occasion. 

As he arrived at the viewing room he saw a beautiful white haired woman
with an odd style of clothing making faces against the observation glass.
The clothing she wore was very revealing in certain spots, making him
wonder if maybe it was somewhat inappropriate wear for visiting a hospital.
The woman turned and looked at the man. 

"Hi there. Come to look at the babies?" Urd asked.

"Yes I have."

Urd ushered him over and pointed out a particular child to him. "All the
babies are beautiful, but that one over there is the cutest." She indicated
a little girl in one of the beds.

The man's joy tripled. "I couldn't agree more. You see, that little girl is
mine!" he beamed a smile at Urd, who suddenly had a look of concern on her
face. 

Urd began circling around the man, looking at him at every angle as though
judging a thoroughbred race horse. She even went so far as to pry open his
mouth and examine his teeth. After releasing him she smiled. "You'll do
nicely. Congratulations!" She started slapping him on the back, hard.

He gasped as the wind got knocked out of him. "Thanks," he managed to get
out. "I think."

"Well I have to be going. Just wanted to check on a promise an old friend
made. Good luck," and with that she turned and left.

"What an unusual girl," he mumbled, then turned back and pressed his face
against the glass. The woman was right. None of the children were as
beautiful as little Kasumi.


The Present
Nerima, Japan.

Nabiki's door burst open. She sat up bolt upright as the sound awakened
her. She managed to make out Kasumi form through sleepy eyes as her elder
sister rushed in and grasped her.

"Oh Nabiki. I just had a terrible nightmare. I dreamt that I didn't have a
family and..." she paused, voice dropping to a whisper. "and I did some
terrible things."

Nabiki was more than a little startled by this. Never in her life could she
remember her sister coming to her in an emotional uproar. It had always
been the other way around. Even her father sometimes, well frequently,
needed calming down by her sister. And here was Kasumi, hugging her in a
near backbreaking embrace. Nabiki allowed a smile to come across her lips.
Time to start repaying her old debts. 

"It'll be all right Sis. It was only a dream." Nabiki returned her sister's
embrace, much more lightly though. 

"But it seemed so real. It was more detailed than any dream I've ever had."
Kasumi continued to shudder for a few moments until the dream started to
drift away, buried by the present. Eventually, she calmed down enough to
let go of Nabiki.

"Sorry I behaved that way. You must think I'm being silly. It's just the
dream made me realize how precious you all are to me." Kasumi gave a caring
look to Nabiki, which was returned by her sister.

"I love you too. I know I don't show it much, but you're important to me as
well." Nabiki thought for a moment. "Want to sleep in here?"

Kasumi shook her head. "Oh my! No. We're much too old for that sort of
thing."

Nabiki waved off the protest. "We're family. Besides, I remember right
after Mom died I seemed to end up in your bed a lot. It always made me feel
better. So now it's my turn to comfort you. Just don't tell anyone, okay
Wouldn't want my reputation for ruthlessness to be tarnished, would we?"

Kasumi agreed and settled in next to Nabiki. It was odd, but comforting,
just as Nabiki had said. Kasumi relaxed a little and drifted off to sleep.
The piece of the ring bearing the crest of the Chiang clan still in hand.

Epilogue

The Present:
Another dimension: 

The Grand Hall was overflowing with three thousand spectators and guards.
Rarely in the history of the Empire of the Five Comets had there been such
a spectacle such as this. The people needed it, especially considering how
badly the war was going. The Baron Darzine and Lord Alderan were at the
forefront of the giant opening, which would be where the access portal
would open a rift in the Great Divide. She was coming, at least if the
prophecy still held true, and many would be seeing her for the first time.

Darzine examined the open path that the Imperial Guards had left for the
travel of the guest. A thousand members of the elite corps were hand picked
to be guards today, leaving no chance anyone would get in the way. Once she
arrived, the guest would be taken from here directly to the stone chambers
of the Prophecy Room where she would reassure them the prophecy was still
intact. It had to be intact. All the hopes of the Empire of the Five Comets
rested almost solely on it. Without it, the Empire was dead.

A swirling luminescent glow highlighting a thousand galaxies came into
focus in the middle of the empty space where the Great Divide opened up.
Even as the swirling vortex grew to the size of a hundred feet before
stabilizing, it was still quite a sight to behold. One never grew tired of
looking into infinity. Darzine's eyes fell upon the azure robed girl, face
shrouded in shadow, as she emerged from the swirling vortex, unaffected by
the travel. Even after all the years she remained unchanged, still
appearing as a thirteen years old girl.

There was a collective gasp as The Seer came fully into the Grand Hall.
Darzine and Alderan bowed before her in respect. She acknowledged their
presence and indicated they should rise. Both did so.

The trio began their journey to the chambers when Alderan spoke up. Darzine
tried to explain to the man why it would be better for them to wait until
they arrived at chambers, but the lord could not delay.

"The prophecy Seer?" he asked.

"The prophecy is in jeopardy. An unlikely event has occurred, and the
Shogun has not only survived, but begun to move. It is now unlikely that
the Protector will come into existence, which means the savior is doomed."

"Isn't there something we can do?" Alderan pleaded.

"Pray that when the opportunity for change happens, another unlikely event
occurs. But don't hold your breath." And with that The Seer went to the
Prophecy Rooms. No more predictions for a little while, at least until the
opportunity for change passed. 




Special Thanks to 
Harold Ancell
Ryan Anderson
Kevin R. Wible
Dr. Wade Tritschler

    Source: geocities.com/tokyo/towers/5920