The Sword, the Hand, and the Change
                  by Beky NeRichnead

     Dedicated to my number 1 fan, my sister, who insists that "the
down key is broken", no matter how much I write.

What has come before: It was a time after Ukyo, but before Nodoka.
Four mysterious guests have appeared at the Tendo Dojo and revealed
a basement. They have moved in, wowed the Tendos, scared Genma with
their knowledge of Nodoka, claimed to be 800 years old, dreamed
about the past, spouted lots of mystical stuff and turned Ukyo's
truth potion endeavor easily. They've stymied Nabiki and been nice
to Kasumi. So far, they seem to be omnicompetent. "So far" being
the operative phrase. 

We left Kasumi to her afternoon chores, Nabiki to her scheming, we
haven't seen Soun or Genma recently, and the teens have changed
and were all headed to the backyard for a grand old spar-fest.

Theme Song: "Gates of Delirium" by Yes

Day 2 - the afternoon

     Beky and Mike looked up, and the blue energy blade in Mike's
hand vanished. Beky grinned at Akane. "So, you've decided to join
us. Excellent. We will assimilate you into our fun!"
     Akane smiled. "I'd like that." She cocked her head at Mike.
"You said you could do chi attacks... what kind?"
     "Oh, most any kind I can remember," he said easily.
"Confidence, loyalty, redemption, stubbornness." He frowned. "I
think their were other kinds... but I can't remember those."
     Kat sighed. "So sad to see you so out of form, *Kolan*. You
used to be so much better."
     Beky nodded. "And Faith's little... lack of knowledge earlier.
You've lost your former glory."
     Faith glared, and it seemed real this time. "Hey," she said
acidly. "I don't see YOU taking down demons five at a swipe, okay?
And Kat, you're so slow that Tyrale would laugh at you in a fight."
     Mike frowned. "Come on, Faith. It was just a joke... calm
down, will you?"
     Faith's expression turned ugly, and Akane backed away. "Come
on! You guys have trained every day of the past 12 YEARS to get
your bodies back to the shape they're in now... and its not enough!
What's going to happen if twenty Rijab appear at the Tendo's front
door? Huh?"
     Beky winced at the question. "Faith, don't worry, it will work
out."
     "How?"
     Kat sighed, and bowed to Akane. "I'm sorry... the past few
days have been very hard on Faith."
     Mike looked imploringly at Faith. "Guys, can we drop it? We'll
deal with problems as they come. We always have." He paused. "*I*
was under the impression we were going to get some sparring done."
     Faith paused, then nodded. "Sorry, guys. I... I didn't mean
to tear into you like that."
     Beky smiled ruefully. "No, Faith, Kat was the one who started
that. *You're* just the one who decided to continue it. Consider
the matter forgotten."
     Akane blinked. 
     Mike smiled knowingly at Akane. "Yeah, even we grow up
sometimes. Now lets get sparring, I'm bored."
     Beky nodded. "Fine, boy. But I won't go easy on you... have
at you!" She grabbed her claymore and charged Mike. His blue energy
blade flickered into existence and he blocked her shot.
     Kat turned to Akane. "Oh, Akane, should we tell Ranma we were
pulling his chain earlier? Or make him suffer."
     Akane blinked. "What?"
     "Well... we kind of hammed up our morning session today. He
seemed to think we were barely working at it, and he seemed kind
a freaked. Should we tell him we were going near all-out?"
     Akane laughed. "No, let him figure it out himself. The baka
deserves it."
     Faith smiled. "So, Akane, I believe we were going to spar? Do
you mind if we use the dojo?
     Akane blinked. "No problem, why?"
     Faith smiled saucily. "So if Mike misses Beky with his chi-
blasts, we won't get in their way."
     Mike frowned and paused. "Hey!"
     Beky's sword quickly found itself at the base of his neck.
"Thanks, Faith!"
     "No prob, sis!" She and Akane walked into the house.
     Kat sighed. "Oh well, no one for me to spar with. I'll go
downstairs and get some homework done or something."
     Beky waved with her left hand. "Bye Kat! Have fun!"
     Mike grinned predatorially and whispered, "Xalen Cantandet."
A small ball of yellow chi hit her in the stomach, doubling her
over. Then he kneed her in the head.
     Her head didn't move, and pain radiated through his knee. A
visible red battle aura surrounded her body. "Uh oh," he said,
backing off.
     She stood up. "Now, mister distance fighter, you're going to
find out just how bad an idea that was." She advanced on him as he
backed away, gulping.
                              *
     Ranma flowed, one stance following another at rapid speed. His
body was centered, ready. He wished he could say the same of his
mind. He frowned as Akane and Faith tromped into the dojo. Faith
smiled at him. "Those kata look pretty good, Ranma."
     He snorted. He hated it when people were patronizing to him.
They could be good, but he didn't want his face rubbed into it. At
least they didn't know about his curse.
     She blinked, then nodded. She mumbled, "Kat, Beky, forgive
me." She looked at Ranma. "Ranma, I'm going to spoil a secret."
     "What?" he grunted, continuing to flow from form to form.
     "Kat and Beky aren't nearly as good as they were pretending
this morning... and we're not half as impressive as we claim to
be." She paused. "We might have been once... but things change.
Some of those forms look really neat... and I'd like to learn them.
Wouldn't you, Akane?"
     He blinked. "What do you mean?"
     Akane smirked. "She means you saw both Beky and Kat at nearly
full performance this morning, baka."
     He smiled. "Really?"
     Faith nodded.
     "Yes!" he whooped. "That means I can beat them!"
     "Well, hand to hand, maybe. They're both better than you with
a blade. But all of you are hampered by your body's youth. So its
pretty fair right now."
     Ranma snorted. Reliance on weapons wasn't a strength, it was
a weakness. And he could prove it, too. Of course, that would mean
sparring with a girl... but he'd try not to hurt them. It wasn't
like they weren't good enough to protect themselves.
     Kat sighed and revealed her presence. "Faith, you keep secrets
SO well."
     Ranma took a step back. Where had she come from? Then he
relaxed. "Hey, Kat, want to spar? I won't hurt you or nothing."
     She grinned. "I see you got over your problems with fighting
girls. I'll spar anytime. Is your roof good for it? I like all the
aerial space I can get."
     He shrugged. "Sure." 
     She waved to Faith and Akane and they walked outside. She
leapt, knees bent, and reached the roof easily. He shrugged and
followed.
                              *
     Nabiki walked up to her room, and listened in on the hubbub
in the backyard. So... it seemed that the Saridehm were not always
the unified and happy group they had seemed. And they weren't
nearly as powerful as her first estimates had made them out as.
     Like a predator, Nabiki leapt at the first sign of weakness.
It was time to make a few calls and spoil their party while they
were still disorientated.
                              *
     
     Akane faced Faith, taking a guard position. Faith nodded and
took her own. It wasn't one Akane recognized, but she wasn't as 
schooled as Ranma in such things.
     Akane knew intellectually that the first to attack was weaker,
but it wasn't in her nature to be patient. That being the case, she
threw the first punch, aimed at Faith's gut.
     Faith's eyes narrowed, her left arm came down in a circular
wrist block, and her right fist came flying in at Akane's head.
     Akane brought her right hand up to block, and snap kicked with
her right leg. Her powerful kick knocked Faith's back leg out, but
Faith rolled over gracefully, back into ready position. "Nice one,
Akane." She smiled. "But now I'll have to kill you."
     She came in hard and fast, and while Akane blocked one of the
three shots, the others connected. In very short order, Akane found
herself pinned to the floor, one hand around her throat, and a knee
in her midsection.
     She winced, and Faith got off her. Faith smiled pleasantly.
"I think that's a point for me. You're strong, though!"
     Akane forced down the anger she was feeling, and smiled. If
she showed anger, Faith wouldn't spar with her again. At least
Faith was a girl. "Thanks. You're fast."
     Faith chortled. "Fast? Me? No. Now Kat, she's fast. Faster
than even Ranma, I'd wager."
     Maybe she was faster than Ranma... in his male form. But
probably not his female form.... uh oh. It was then that Akane
realized no one had told their visitors about Ranma's curse. That
was sure to cause trouble. Well, there was nothing she could do
about it.
     She centered, than winked at Faith. "Come on, lets go."
                              *
     Kat smirked at Ranma. "Come on, Ranma, this is pointless. I'm
faster than you."
     Ranma shook his head stubbornly. "We're having this out now."
     Kat shrugged. "If we really must... but I warn you, no one
beats me in a contest of speed."
     He shrugged, but was grinning inwardly. She didn't know about
the chestnuts technique.
     The two martial artists faced each took a guard position, and
then the contest started.
     Ranma and Kat both launched volleys of punches at each other,
blocking incredibly fast. Then they sped up. They continued to
speed up, their speed beyond normal human sight.
     Finally, Ranma stopped speeding up, but Kat did not. She
increased her speed, catching his blows rather than simply blocking
them.
     He grinned. "Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken!"
     She blinked as hundreds of punches came her way, and she was
pummeled for a few seconds.
     Then her eyes lighted up, and she said calmly, "Kachuu Tenshin
Amaguriken."
     Now it was Ranma's turn to be amazed. Her hands moved faster
than his own, and she was again throwing his punches back to him.
     Well, she was a girl... he could probably outlast her.
                              *
     Shan Pu sat on the Tendo Dojo's roof. She had decided to wait
until after the match to glomp her husband. After she did that, she
could get to looking into the new guests at the dojo Nabiki had
told her great grandmother about.
     She had been waiting an hour, but neither Ranma or his
opponent had stopped to take a breath. They were matching each
other's speed, punch for punch and jump for jump. However, The red
head was annoying Ranma by catching his blows rather than blocking
them. 
     It was obvious to Shan Pu's trained eye that the red head
wasn't as strong as Ranma, but she seemed able to take his blows
well... the few blows that he landed, that is.
     She was puzzled. So far she hadn't seen Ranma switch tactics
yet. Why? It was obvious this method wasn't working, yet he
continued on. It wasn't like him.
     She felt three thuds, and turned quickly to meet the new
arrivals. They were a blonde haired girl, a short haired brunette,
and Akane. Akane was breathing hard, while the other two seemed
fresh. The two strangers sat next to Shan Pu.
     A dark haired boy followed them onto the roof seconds later.
He just stood and stared at her. He must think she was pretty or
something.... oh well, too bad, she already had a man.
     "Amazing, aren't they?" the blonde asked. 
     Akane spared a glare for Shan Pu, but sat next to the blonde.
"They sure are. I've never seen anyone match Ranma this long."
     The brunette snorted. "Akane, she's not matching him... watch
more carefully."
     Akane frowned. "That's kind of HARD at the speed they're
going, don't you think? I can barely see what they're doing!"
     Shan Pu smirked at Akane's discomfiture. "Shan Pu see fine.
Red Head Girl catch airen's punches and throw back to airen."
     The blonde nodded, than cocked her head inquisitively. She
spoke in Mandarin. "Are you and Ranma already married, then? I
understood you were engaged."
     Shan Pu perked up. This was a language she knew better than
Japanese. She answered in the same language. "Yes, Ranma and I are
married. He just hasn't accepted it yet."
     The brunette turned to her, speaking in oddly accented and
broken Mandarin. "Strange, what... tribal you... portion of?"
     Shan Pu smiled brightly. "I am the Champion of the Joketsuzoku
Amazons."
     Akane scowled. "Hey! What are you guys talking about? You
speak chinese?"
     The brunette smiled and switched back to Japanese. "Well,
Faith is fluent. She studied back in America. I'm trying to
remember it, but I'm missing a bunch of words and I'm using an
outdated version."
     Well, that explained her strange accent. Shan Pu turned back
to the fight... no, the *contest*. Both fighters were keeping up
amaguriken speed, but were also very tired.
     The brunette turned to the boy. "Mike, are you okay?"
     He held his head. "No... memory headache. I'll be back later."
He jumped off the roof and disappeared.
     The brunette shrugged and turned back to Shan Pu. "You are
amazon? We were... went your village many year ago." She glanced
at Faith.
     Faith laughed. "You mean, we went to her village many years
ago... its the plural form."
     Shan Pu turned and eyed them. "Many years ago? I don't
remember having american visitors. Or tales of such."
     The blonde shrugged. "We're much older than we look. When we
were there, I'm pretty sure you were still a twinkle in your
mother's eye. Magic is what makes us look so young. How is your
village?"
     Shan Pu nodded. They could be telling the truth.... magic did
odd things. Or they could be lying... it made no difference. "The
village is well." 
     She was interrupted by heavy panting. She turned to see that
the red head and Ranma had finished and were breathing heavily.
Ranma had collapsed to a sitting position, and the red head didn't
seem much better, though she was still on her feet.
     "Husband!" she cried, as she ran over and helped him up. Then
she embraced him. "Ranma okay?"
     The red head blinked. She turned towards her friends.
"Husband?"
     The brunette nodded, and switched back to Japanese. "It seems
Shan Pu here is married to Ranma by her tribal law."
     Akane walked over menacingly to them, pulling a large hammer
out. "Ranma!"
     He gulped, but Shan Pu didn't let go. Someday he would see
that Violent Girl wasn't who he wanted. The more she hit him, the
sooner he would figure it out.
     The blonde nodded, also speaking in Japanese. "Yes. She's part
of that tribe of Amazons we hung out with a while ago. I don't
remember when."
     "Neither do I. I don't remember why we left either. Probably
wanderlust again." The brunette shrugged.
     Akane put down her mallet and turned to them, though disgust
remained on her face. "You knew the amazons?"
     The red head nodded. "We did, and we were quite impressed.
They managed to keep their traditions in the face of muskets and
other technological devices. I was so impressed, I taught them my
favorite technique... which it seems Ranma learned somewhere."
     Shan Pu blinked. What? She let go of Ranma. "What technique
you teach amazon warriors?" she asked.
     The red head grinned. "Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken."
     "YOU teach amazon Chestnuts Roasting over Open Fire technique?
No can be. Amazons invent over many centuries!"
     Ranma shook his head. "No way. I can't believe that, Kat."
     The red head shrugged. "Whether you believe me or not doesn't
matter. Its all ancient history, now." She paused. "Mind you, I
don't remember when I learned the technique,  so I don't know where
it originated."
     The brunette walked up to Shan Pu, extending a hand. "Beky
Sarver, at your service." She gestured at each stranger in turn.
"Faith, my sister. Kat Mctaran. The guy up here before was her
brother Mike."
     Meanwhile, Kat bowed to Ranma. "Ranma, you are an excellent
opponent. You have great skill. Its obvious you've trained hard."
     He frowned. "I'll win next time." He paused. "I was goin' easy
on you this time."
     She laughed. "Sure, Ranma, sure. But anyway, I'm tired, so I'm
off to take a hot bath and get changed. Who's with me?"
     Faith grinned. "I'm in. Akane?"
     Akane nodded. "Sure."
     Kat shrugged. "Last one is a rotten egg!" She disappeared off
the roof.
     "Not fair," Faith complained, but she followed Katrin anyway.
     Akane seemed puzzled. "Huh?"
     Beky laughed. "Its an American way of starting an impromptu
race, Akane.'
     Akane frowned. "I guess I lost then." She pierced Shan Pu with
a glare and jumped off the roof. 
     Shan Pu forced her eyes away from Ranma and walked up to Beky.
It was time to do her great grandmother's errand.
     She spoke in Mandarin once more. It was too bad the fluent
girl left. "What brings you here?"
     Beky grinned knowingly, and answered in Japanese. "We go to
school here. Soun-san let us stay downstairs."
     Shan Pu blinked. That didn't make much sense. "Why did you
leave school back home for school here? Furinkan is a crazy place!"
     Beky sighed. "Faith got in trouble in our last school for
helping her teacher. She was kicked out, so we came here."
     "What did she do?" Shan Pu had never heard of being expelled
from school for being good! Of course, they were obviously from
another country, but still...
     "Saved the teacher's life by knifing her attacker," Beky
answered. 
     "Where are you from that schools are so strange?"
     "Well, we're recently from America. We grew up in Northern
Asia."
     Northern Asia? That could mean the outreaches of China,
Mongolia, or Siberia. She didn't look Asian, so Shan Pu assumed she
meant Russia.
     Shan Pu frowned. "We will speak again."
     Beky grinned. "Cool." She waved. "Bye!"
     Shan Pu blinked. Why was the girl so friendly? It was
suspicious. "Bye." She looked around, but Ranma was nowhere in
sight. She leapt into the street and headed home. She had much to
report to Cologne.
                                   *
     Nabiki was more than steamed now. She was furious. Shampoo
should have gotten MUCH more jealous about he situation. The
Saridehm should have made a big deal of her glomping Ranma.
SOMETHING should have happened.
     But no, of course not. Instead, they were able to talk to her
in her own language and made friends with her!
     It was then that Nabiki came to realize something. 
     First, they had waltzed in and convinced her father he was
honor bound to house them. Than they had enchanted Kasumi. The next
morning, they took Akane seriously, causing her to become their
friend. Then, at school, they had totally ignored the fact that
Ukyo had drugged them and reached out to her! Now, they had
befriended Shampoo and probably totally bent her report to her
grandmother. Even Ranma seemed mollified by Kat's easy manner when
speaking of her victory and the fact she didn't rub his face in it.
     Though these four teens had impressive fighting abilities,
that wasn't their main talent. Their best talent was their ability
to make friends.    
     Nabiki slouched to her bed. In less than two days, they had
completely woven themselves into Neriman society. She sighed. There
was no use being angry... there was only one thing to do.
     If you can't beat them, join them. And after you join them,
you can get their money.
                              *
     Faith luxuriated in the hot water of the furo, relaxing
muscles which she had worked hard during her sparring with Akane.
Akane was pretty strong... if Faith was human, she would have quite
a few ugly bruises.
     Kat smiled lazily. "Hey, guys, lets all move in here. How does
that sound?"
     "Sounds great!" Akane said, grinning. "Then we can just lay
in the hot water all day."
     Faith nodded. "That would be nice." She paused. "Of course,
who would keep the world safe?"
     Akane shrugged. "Let Ranma do it. He thinks he can do
anything. Speaking of which, Kat, how did you beat him today?"
     "It was a contest of speed." 
     "But Ranma's really fast!"
     "I'm faster," Kat said calmly. "And I know how to use my chi
to speed myself up better."
     Faith nodded. "Experience is good for something, you know."
     Akane whistled. "I guess so."
     "Well, we've been in here an hour. The others might want a
crack at a bath, and we don't want to be late to dinner."
     Her last comment had Kat out of the tub in a shot, and in
seconds clothes appeared on her person and she disappeared out the
door.
     Faith grinned at Akane. "Now you have to wonder... did I say
that just to get rid of Kat, or for real?"   
     Akane sat back. "I'm not going anywhere."
     "Your choice." Faith waved, pulled on khakis and a shirt, and
walked out the door. She headed out the back door, and stopped
short. 
     Katrin was fighting... HER! That mysterious redhead, a girl
who's existence Faith had often been puzzled by. In five years of
scrying, her limited visions hadn't enlightened her in the least.
Now she could find out who she was, at last.
     Faith examined the girl. She was surrounded by an oddly
familiar magical aura. Where had she seen that before? She was sure
she knew what it meant.
     The two were at full amaguriken speed, trading blow for blow.
Katrin was winning, but by a very small margin. How had that girl
gotten herself in a duel with the redhead anyway?
     Kat leapt, and the redhead leapt with her, as the two
continued to exchange blows with their hands and feet. The girl she
was fighting flipped backwards, descending quickly and landing on
her feet.
     Kat landed as well. "You're good. Who are you?"
     Kasumi walked out smiling. "Ranma, there someone here to see
you! Oh, are you fighting again?"
     Ranma was the redhead? How?
     Jusenkyo.
     Kat frowned. "Ranma, you might have mentioned this you know."
     Ranma winced, and began walking into the house.
     "It would have given you a better chance earlier," Kat
continued.
     Ranma cocked her head. "You mean... its no big deal?"
     Beky shrugged. "That depends if it is to you or not. Should
it be?"   
     Ranma shrugged and walked into the house.
     Kat sighed and turned to Faith and Beky. "Boy is that guy
persistent."
     "Not a bad trait in the Kinuse line," Beky noted, grinning.
"So, Kat, you up to a bit of sparring?"
     Faith, meanwhile, was fuming. Her scrying efforts had been
blocked by a JUSENKYO CURSE? 
     Years of puzzlement... a Jusenkyo curse?
     There was only one thing to do. And it required a mallet.
     "I'm going to kill him!" she declared, racing into the house,
leaving Beky and Kat in the dust.
     "Gee," Beky said. "I didn't know she took it that seriously."
     "Oh, my," commented Kasumi.
                                   *
     Ranma waved goodbye to Hiroshi, and closed the door.
     They knew about his curse - but how did he feel about that?
He wasn't sure. It would make things easier, since he wouldn't have
to be paranoid about cold water any more.
     Akane walked down the stairs, looking kind of cute in her
yellow dress. She gasped. "Ranma, did the Saridehm see?"
     He nodded. "Yeah. They seem okay about it, though."
     Then he saw Faith, her battle aura flashing. "Ranma!"
     He looked up. "Yeah?" What had he done wrong now?
     "Spirit Hammer!" A blue chi hammer appeared in her hands. She
brought her hammer around, impacting on his head.
     As Ranma sighed, he thought that it didn't hurt *quite* as
much as Akane's hammer.
     Faith dissipated the hammer and ran out of the front door,
growling and mumbling to herself incoherently
     Akane blinked. "Wow, Ranma, I'm glad they're so 'okay' about
it."
                                   *
     Dinner that night was a much less tense affair than it had
been the previous night, though Ranma and Akane were staring at
Faith, who was blushing deeply. 
     Beky was glad to see everyone was much more relaxed than they
had been. Mike had even gotten over his memory headache. She
wondered what he had remembered - it might be important.
     Even Nabiki seemed much more at ease with them. She had
stopped disappearing mysteriously into her room, and no more trials
had assaulted them.
     It seemed things were going to go well after all. And
considering the blood lines at work here, that was amazing. Perhaps
the world would live through what was coming.
     She silently reminded herself to talk to the others before
they slept that night.
     "Thank you, Kasumi. This is excellent." Faith smiled. "You
must have practiced many years to build your skill so."
     Kasumi nodded and smiled sadly, her eyes clouded. Beky
recognized the look to be one of memory... the Saridehm experienced
it enough. "Yes, I've been the one cooking for quite some time now.
Ever since my mother... passed away."
     Mike bowed his head solemnly. "I'm sorry. Were you very
young?" 
     "I was old enough."
     "I see."
     There was a long silence, as everyone at the table was left
with their thoughts. Finally, Nabiki broke the silence. "I think
we should discuss the financial situation... and perhaps we can
find out about this mysterious "promise" you keep alluding too?"
     Soun smiled. "Yes, thats an excellent idea!"
     Beky winced. The promise... now there was a fun topic. She had
been hoping they could put this one off.
     Faith noticed her wince, and smoothly stepped into a
leadership role. "First, there is some history you should know to
understand the context. You'll forgive me, I hope, if my
explanation is incomplete... but so are our memories. Also, the
dates I give are approximated and may be faulty."
     Nabiki nodded. "Proceed."
     "Certainly. About seven hundred years ago, the Saridehm were
the only Dehm. The others came later. At this time, we had only
four members, because we had lost one of the original five."
     "I'm sorry," Akane said quietly. "How did it happen?"
     Faith shrugged sadly. "None of us remember... but we do
remember Schula, and he lives on in our memory. He was a good
friend and a considerate man. His work with a naginta was
marvelous, and he saved my own life more than once, I'm sure."
     Beky smiled. "He did indeed, but that is a story for another
night. Continue on, sis."
     Inside, her heart was pierced and she had trouble paying
attention to Faith. Schula had been her best friend, and the first
person she had recruited. Though she would never admit it to the
others, she DID remember how he had died... no. This train of
thought was no good right now. She forced herself to listen to
Faith. 
     "... and it was at that time we decided to visit our home
village, Rontan. We were welcomed with open arms, and given a place
to stay. However, we also heard that there was a foreigner in their
custody who's tongue they couldn't understand. He had tried to hit
the chief, and nobody knew why. We had traveled nearly fifty years
at this point, and were fairly fluent in a few languages and we
could communicate in a few others."
     Akane cocked her head. "Like chinese?"
     Mike nodded. "Well, derivatives thereof, anyway. The modern
chinese languages didn't exist yet."
     She frowned. "Beky and Faith were using it on the roof to talk
to Shampoo." Beky winced at her pronunciation.
     Kasumi smiled. "How nice!"
     "Anyway," Faith continued, "We decided to try and find out why
the prisoner had acted so strangely. So we took it upon ourselves
to see what had happened. We walked down to the stockade, and found
that the prisoner was very obviously a Japanese man of some stature
among his own people.
     "His name was Tanketsu, and he was a young samurai in the
service of his lord, delivering a message to the village of Tirnan,
which the lord hired mercenaries from." She smiled at the memory.
"He had been informed that the proper greeting for the chieftain
was a punch to his right shoulder, and then a bow."
     Beky added, "We did find out later that this was actually the
proper greeting for the village he was headed to. But he got lost
and didn't know the language, so..."
     "He ended up getting knee deep in trouble in our village,"
Mike finished.
     Faith nodded at them. "The four of us took pity on the young
man... it wasn't really his fault. Unfortunately, he was in quite
a situation. His execution was due to take place in little over a
day."     
     Akane gasped, moved by the story. "What did you do?"
     Nabiki smirked. "Calm down, Akane. If this guy's our ancestor,
he obviously lived through this experience. Faith, go on."
     "Well, after two hours of intense argument with the chief, we
struck a bargain. He still wasn't happy... he didn't want to lose
four  MORE legends of the tribe, but his honor wouldn't let him
free Tanketsu. So he agreed."
     Soun nodded. "I'm beginning to remember this story... it has
been passed down by the generations of his descendants. The deal
you struck with the chief stated that you would all take Tanketsu's
place. However, as tribe members, you could fight for your
freedom."
     Nabiki frowned. "What was the catch? It can't be that easy."
     Kat nodded sadly. "You're right... it wasn't. Even if we won
our fights, we were exiled from the tribe forever."
     Beky remembered her own fight only too well. For some reason,
it was the bad times she could remember the best. She had to fight
her protege, the new leader of the female warriors. It had been a
vicious fight, and she had barely triumphed over the speed of her
opponent's weapon.
     Ranma shrugged. "You won, right?"
     "I suppose some might say we did," Faith answered. "We did
defeat our opponents. But for that victory, we were exiled from our
home." She paused. "I thank Deos regularly that I can't remember
that fight... from what Beky has said, we were pitted against our
friends, and they did not yield easily."
     "I'm so sorry," Kasumi said quietly, putting a hand on Faith's
shoulder.
     Faith smiled. "Thank you. Anyway, Tanketsu was a kind sort,
and he felt absolutely guilty for the situation. He also felt
guilty because of some sort of injuries we endured... but he was
reassured by our quick healing." 
     She glanced inquisitively at Beky, asking whether she wanted
the ball back. Beky nodded slightly and cleared her voice. "It was
at that time that he decided we needed a new home. So he made it
his life's goal to give us one."
     Akane cocked her head. "The Promise?"
     "Well, kind of. See, we helped him get where he was originally
going, and he completed his mission. Then we decided to see him
safely back to Japan... we didn't have anything better to do.
     "While we were still on the boat to Japan, he asked if he
could become a member of our group. We of course agreed, and when
he finally made it back home, he had a talk with his diyamo."
     Faith grinned. "The end result being that we were able to buy
some land from the said lord, and Tanketsu-chan was freed of his
obligation to his diyamo in exchange for his life debt to us."
     Nabiki frowned suspiciously. "Just where was this land?"
     Soun paled. "You don't mean..."
     Beky held up a hand. "Its not QUITE that simple. Originally,
the land we're now sitting on belonged to us, but let me finish."
     Now the Tendos and Saotomes were looking at her suspiciously.
Ranma blinked. "Are you sayin' the Tendo's house is yours?"
     Soun fainted, finally overwhelmed.
     Genma jumped in. "You can't just take a man's house!"
     Beky stood and shouted over their voices, "LET ME FINISH!" The
protests died down. She sat. "I'm not sure of the legalities of
things... we'll have to check the vault in the sub-basement. The
point is, Tanketsu was thrilled to have given us a home. Of course,
we didn't stay here. We hired someone to upkeep the place for us,
and we all went on the road. Along the way, Tanketsu married
(another story for another night), and the two of them had
children."
     Faith nodded, keeping an eye on the Tendos. "They set their
children up in this house... well, the older portions anyway, some
are new... as caretakers. He made a promise, and made his eldest
son swear to uphold it with his life - that we would always have
a home. To our knowledge, that promise has been passed on for the
past six hundred and fifty years." 
     Beky added, "He wrote out a will, also. Unfortunately, none
of us remembers it too well. There are some ownership clauses in
it, I think. We can look at it later." She paused. "But the point
is this... we're not here to steal anyone's house or ruin anyone's
lives." She glanced at Nabiki. "And we have plenty of money...
finances ISN'T an issue. We can support ourselves, and probably
your family, for a good long while."
     Kasumi cocked her head. "What are your intentions?"
     Mike snorted. "Right now? To finish high school, find the
other Dehm, and regain some of our competence to keep the world
safe for innocents."
     Soun woke up, hands shaking. "Do... do I still have a house?"
     Nabiki rolled her eyes. "Calm down, daddy. If they were going
to take the house, they could have done it already. Right?"
     Beky winced at her challenging tone. She had to be honest. She
looked Nabiki in the eye. "Nabiki, I won't lie to you. I intend to
see Tanketsu and Lyra's wishes enforced. They were Dehm for over
one hundred and fifty years, and I owe it to them. If they put in
some stipulation that someone else gets it... I will be honor bound
to carry through."
     Nabiki nodded and said levelly, "And I won't lie to you. I
will not have my family in ruins... even if I have to damn family
honor to do it. You know this isn't a legal matter... the
magistrate would laugh you out of court."
     Beky stood and smiled. "That is a response I can respect,
Nabiki-san. I sincerely wish we do not have to become enemies, but
if we do, you are one I understand." She extended a hand. "Shall
we shake on it?"
     Nabiki stood and shook her hand firmly.
     Beky looked around. Genma and Ranma were backing away from her
and Nabiki, while the Tendos seemed dazed. Faith, Mike, and Kat
stood with her.
     She bowed to Soun. "We can crack the vault tomorrow. Till
then." 
     She turned to Kasumi. "Thanks again for a wonderful dinner,
Kasumi."
     With that, she led her warriors into their basement abode,
leaving the Tendos to their own thoughts.
                                   *
     Kat sat cross legged on her mat, but she didn't feel it. Her
mind was cleansed, and her soul was ice. She floated in the void
of her chi, centered. She was one with herself and the universe. 
     She felt a tap on her shoulder. "Kat?" She opened her eyes,
returning to the world. "I'm sorry to bother you, but we have to
have a brainstorming session."
     Kat smiled and stood up, stretching. "No problem, Beky. I was
just meditating. What's up?"
     "Well, for one thing we have to decide what to do with the
promise."
     Kat nodded, and all four sat in a circle on their bedmats.
     Beky bowed her head. "I call us all to remember the unity of
the ages and our vows before Deos. May we be as we have been, and
decide as we always have."
     The others bowed their head respectfully, then relaxed.
     "So," Kat asked. "Fanah, why did you go ballistic this
afternoon? And do you know how he changes from male to female like
that? Its very useful magic."
     Faith giggled guiltily. "You guys remember the Amazons, and
not Jusenkyo?" They all shook their heads. "Its a valley of cursed
pools that give transformations. The curses are water activated and
temperature related."
     Beky smiled pleasantly. "Fanah, please enlighten us. Why did
you feel the need to smite Ranma?"
     Faith flushed. "Well... you guys know I've been scrying the
Tendos to the limits of my abilities, right? Well, I haven't been
able to use my crystal often, but the times I have I've repeatedly
seen Ranma's female form. I was mystified... and I got angry that
I was stymied by such a silly thing."
     Beky sighed. "Your actions were inappropriate. However, you've
been under a lot of stress lately. I'll let it slide this time, but
keep your temper under better control."
     Faith nodded. "Yes, Xalen."
     Beky turned to the next of them. "Kolan, what did you remember
today? Is it important?"
     He shook his head. "Just some personal details from the Amazon
village. Sorry."
     Faith laughed musically. "Not every memory can be significant,
Kolan."
     He nodded.
     There was a pause.
     "What are we going to do about the Tendos and the Saotomes?"
Kat asked. "I... I almost like them TOO much." It frightened her,
the similarities between Ranma and herself. "Xalen, Nabiki has a
point. We can't take their lives away from them."
     Faith nodded. "They have been good stewards, but not even we
know what Tanketsu's will states. On the other hand... its not like
we could kick them out on legal grounds. Could this be a moot
point?"
     Mike sighed. "I wish we knew what that will says."
     Kat blinked. Hadn't she remembered something earlier, during
the episode with Ukyo? "Ghoulbane."
     Beky turned to her. "What?"
     "I think it talks about Ghoulbane. Lyra's sword. But I don't
remember... what happened to it?"
     Mike's eyes lit up. "Tyrale, you're right! It was written to
keep the sword in the family. But there was something else about
the sword..."
     Beky winced. "Ghoulbane. It wasn't just Lyra's sword... it was
her only sign of office left." 
     Office?
     Beky sighed at their blank looks. "Don't you remember what
Lyra did *before* she was a Saridehm? She was the heir princess of
Shontovar. The only question is, where is it now? I haven't seen
any of the Tendos with it."
     Faith blinked. "Why would they have it?"
     "It was passed down along with being heir to Tanketsu and
Lyra. Soun's older brother had it, last I checked, but he died
fifteen years ago. I sincerely hope thats not one of the points in
the will."
     Kat agreed heartily. Faith pulled a dagger out of her
dimensional pocket and began to shine it. She frowned. "Guys, we
have another problem. A more immediate one."
     Kat cocked her head. "What?"
     "Kasumi."
     Mike chortled. "Kasumi? How is she a problem?"
     "She's a magic user, and a formidable one."
     Kat blinked. That made so much sense, how had she not made the
connection before? No wonder the girl seemed so spaced out all the
time.
     Beky nodded. "I see. Do you have any idea what kind?"
     Faith frowned at her dagger. Shining another spot, she nodded.
"She's some sort of hybrid... but she's definitely got enchanting
as one of her specialties."
     Ouch. Kat winced. Enchanters were... well, very fake. You
could never tell whether you truly liked them or if it was charm
spell. But it did explain how the girl got along so well among
martial artists.    
     "But she might not know it, right?" Mike asked. "She might not
be a practicing enchantress."
     Faith shook her head. "I'm afraid not. I used my last scroll
of sense magic on her - she's an active spell caster."
     Beky frowned. "I want to believe that she's played straight
with us, but we can't assume that. Fanah, can you set up a magic
trap in this room, so she can't cast or leave? I don't want her to
come and 'change our minds' for us tonight."
     Faith smiled sadly. "That I can do... though its going to be
hideously expensive. Not unlike a certain ACT put on this morning
magically by Xalen and Tyrale."
     Beky shrugged. "We're cracking the vault tomorrow, we can grab
some cash while we're at it. Besides, I LIKE those illusion
scrolls." She bowed her head and fiddled her thumbs. "Guys,
remember, no shows of anything but unity in front of the Tendos and
the Saotomes. Any grievances should be saved for privacy."
     Mike cocked his head. "Xalen, do you think that the young
people we've met so far are the foretold heroes?"
     Beky chuckled without mirth. "For the sake of the planet
Earth, I hope not."
                                   *