Nabiki - New Horizons
                  Chapter 26 - My Blue Heaven
                        by G.L. Sandborn



     Nabiki stared out at the countryside as it scrolled past her
train window.  Bound for an unknown destination with a person she
was all too familiar with, she brooded over the prospects.  She
was unprepared, unhappy, and horribly overdressed.
     There hadn't been enough time to even checkout of her hotel. 
Fortunately, the management was more than happy to hold her room
- for a price.  At least her luggage was safe.  That was more
than she could say for her husband.
     Master Sato had been less than candid about what danger
Jeffrey had unleashed but was quite adamant that they were all
facing something quite lethal.
     She glanced at the old man sitting next to her.  His face
was impassive, his eyes closed; revealing no hint of what he
knew.  The most annoying part was he'd been unusually quiet the
whole trip.
     After enduring an hour of this, she couldn't stand it
anymore.  "If I may ask, where are we going and why?"
     Slowly, the man stirred.  Drawing a deep breath, he
continued to stare ahead.  "To the Village of the Cold Moon."
     "What?" Nabiki gasped.  "There really is such a place?"
     "Oh, yes and it is the very heart of your clan's ancient
territory."
     "That doesn't answer why we are going there.  I thought
Jeffrey was in danger in Hawaii."
     "He is but so is the rest of your family."
     "I don't understand.  You're talking in riddles," she said,
shaking her head.
     Master Sato drew a deep breath, like he was about to plunge
into an icy stream.  "Four hundred years ago, yours was one of
the most powerful Shinobi clans in Japan.  Their power came not
just from their exceptional martial arts but from their ability
to channel the very forces of nature; the ki that makes up all
things.  Because of that, they were feared more than any other. 
Part of that fear came because they were women."
     "So, what does this have to do with my husband?"
     "One of your clan members, an ambitious young genin,
betrayed your people and threatened the other clans as well.  She
wasn't the brightest among your people but had a special talent
in opening portals to the spirit world.  Her naivete allowed her
to be tricked into making a deal with a warlord who wished to be
shogun."
     "Tricked?  How?"
     "She might have been a talented shadow warrior but she was
also a young woman full of youthful dreams about romance and
love.  The warlord used a handsome young man who was a member of
his personal guard.  At his master's bidding, the young man
deceived her with his affections.  It worked all too well.  In
the end, he got what he wanted; both her virtue and the secret to
the spirit world of the Shinobi."
     Master Sato's voice fell into a state of melancholy that
sounded like he had witnessed the events himself.  "She
discovered too late the deception.  In a fit of revenge, she
caught the young man just as he held the portal open for his
master and killed him before he could follow.  His body was
entombed in a stone case inside the shrine and sealed with an
amulet that trapped his spirit inside forever."
     "Why is this portal so important?" Nabiki asked.  "So the
warlord and his army passed over into the spirit world.  That
should have made him powerless."
     "Because the portal had many exits in the very heart of each
clan's territory, he could easily threaten them all.  Dividing
his troops and sending them out the portal exits he could have
easily killed the leadership of every Shinobi clan in Japan. 
There would have been none who dared oppose him after he
conquered the Shinobi.  His power, real and imagined, would have
cowered all into submission."
     "Why didn't he?"
     "Because entering the spirit world is one thing.  Leaving it
is something else entirely.  Without his young man with the
portal opening knowledge, the warlord found himself trapped in a
realm where reality changes constantly and madness rules for
those not of that domain.  I believe his soldiers were not immune
to that madness and must have eventually turned on each other. 
That would mean all that remains of his army is a small cadre of
fanatical samurai."
     "How does Jeffrey figure into all this?"
     "When young Jeffrey began experimenting with tapping certain
sources of power, he accidentally stumbled upon the secret of the
portal.  That attracted the warlord who used one of Jeffrey's
sessions to abduct his spirit.  The warlord must be convinced
Jeffrey knows the way out.  They will keep his spirit until he
gives them the secret."
     "What will happen when they find out he doesn't know the
secret?"
     Master Sato sighed and shook his head.  "I do not know,
little one.  My best guess would be that once they're convinced
he knows nothing, they will entomb his spirit, condemning it to
wander forever in the spirit realm.  His physical body will be an
empty shell, alive but just barely.  A truly terrible end."
     "No wonder the clans were so angry," Nabiki said
thoughtfully.  "We betrayed them all."
     "Quite so, little one."  Master Sato shifted his position,
adjusting his robe and glancing around the car to make certain no
one was listening.  "They rightfully blamed your clan for the
danger.  But I fear the retribution they chose did not fit the
crime."
     "The 'blood hunts'," Nabiki said reverently.  She'd never
really understood why all the clans turned on hers, knowing only
that hers had somehow betrayed the others.  Master Sato's story
brought the whole ugly episode into focus.  Her people really
were responsible.  Well, one of them, anyway.  For that, her
whole clan suffered four hundred years of death and destruction. 
All but her family eventually died at the hands of vengeful
Shinobi.
     Master Sato was right about one thing.  The chosen Shinobi
penalty was far in excess of the crime.
     "Is there any way of undoing what my clan did?" she asked.
     The old man's brow furrowed and his mustache moved slowly as
he pondered the problem.  "Possibly.  The clans know the warlord
is trapped but his presence in the spirit world has hampered the
use of their own shrines.  Perhaps if you were to eliminate this
malignant spirit and reopen the shrines, the Grand Council would
consider and forgive your people."  He glanced at Nabiki and
shyly grimaced.  "Of course, this is all speculation now that I'm
no longer welcome before the council."
     Nabiki sighed and slumped back in her seat.  "It doesn't
really matter anyway.  I'm not a shadow warrior.  I don't know if
I would be able to kill even an evil spirit."  She drew a deep
breath and turned towards the window.  "I doubt even Jeffrey
could do such a thing."
     "Quite true, little one.  Quite true."
     In a far-away voice, still staring out the window, she
lamented: "If only he hadn't tampered with things he didn't
understand."
     "Do not judge young Jeffrey too harshly.  I never warned him
of the danger.  I was too arrogant to bring myself to believe he
was capable of such an act.  The failure is mine."
     "Well," Nabiki said with a sigh.  "I don't really know what
I'm going to be able to do.  I don't even know where to begin
looking for Jeffrey's spirit.  He's not of our clan and will
probably be as much a stranger in there as the warlord."
     "True enough, little one," Master Sato said idly nodding. 
"I wish I could offer you somewhere to look but since I've never
been there myself, I cannot say."
     Staring out the window again, Nabiki frowned.  This was
becoming worse by the moment.
     "There is one other thing," Master Sato said in a low voice,
his eyes dropping to the floor.  "Your people overcame many
supernatural beings to claim their lands.  Some were of the fox-
people; the kitsunemin.  You encountered one of those back in the
abandoned okonomyaki shop."
     Instinctively, Nabiki's hands clutched the front of her
business suit.  So that was what seduced her.  It had been all so
real, so frighteningly substantial.  The demon or spirit of some
sort, instead of an obviously menacing likeness, took on the
appearance of a known person to seduce her.  It even sounded like
Ukyou and knew everything Ukyou knew.  Nabiki swallowed hard and
hugged herself as memories of what she almost did or allowed to
happen scrolled past in her mind.  The thought of just how close
she came to giving in caused an involuntary shudder to work its
way through her slender body.  She'd have to be more vigilant if
she hoped to rescue her husband and reseal the portal.
     "Yes, they can appear most real," Master Sato replied
without so much as a sideways glance.  "They also have no love
for you or your clan.  You can expect them to side with the
warlord."
     "Great," Nabiki grumped, crossing her arms and frowning at
the seat in front of her.  "All alone, I have to fight the spirit
of a demented four hundred year old warlord, his equally old evil
henchmen, and now I also have to contend with a bunch of
supernatural creatures that I always thought were nothing more
than myths."
     "Many of the spirit forces beyond the portal are evil but a
few - a very few - may be friendly," Master Sato admitted.  "The
spirit path was once that of your people.  It is possible some
spirits you encounter will be those of your clan ancestors."
     Master Sato's suggestion of help didn't sound very solid to
Nabiki.  "Great," she grumped.  "I have to go in alone, find
where the spirits are holding my husband, rescue him, escape with
my life and seal the portal afterwards."
     "That's about the size of it."
     "That stinks."
     "You think that's bad, wait till you get inside."

*****
     "So what's wrong with him, Doc?" Jamie asked when the doctor
arrived in the waiting room.  Just about everyone Jeff knew was
there.  Rachel hovered close to Jamie, using the big ex-SEAL's
physical presence for strength.  Jim Bateman and Sean Gaffney
occupied seats nearby, their concern evident.
     "We really don't know yet," the doctor replied with a shake
of his head.  "From what we've seen in our tests so far, there's
just no reason for him to be in a coma."
     "Is there anything we can do?" Jim asked.
     "I don't know what.  We've got the best medical minds in the
country working on this.  Mayo is consulting, Johns Hopkins is
reviewing the data but we're still stumped.  Toxicology is
looking into some kind of poison but so far, they've turned up
nothing."
     "What about that blue glow?" Rachel asked, linking her arm
with Jamie and hugging him closer for strength.
     "That's the most curious part," the doctor answered
thoughtfully.  "We noticed it when he arrived and thought it
might be from some radiation accident but there's no sign of
damage in his blood, his tissues, or internal organs.  Now that
the glow is gone, we have no idea what caused it."
     "Isn't there anything else you can do?" Sean asked.
     "Not until we know what we're faced with.  I'm sorry.  We'll
let you know if there's any change."
     They watched the doctor return to the ICU before Jim and
Sean sagged back into their seats.  Jamie turned to Rachel and
holding her by the shoulders, he stared intently into her eyes. 
"If this involves any of that 'Shinobi' stuff, there's only one
person who can help us now.  You have to find her."
     Rachel gulped and glanced nervously at Sean and Jim before
returning to Jamie's serious expression.  "That ghost?  I'm not
sure I know how."
     "You've done it before," Jamie insisted.
     "No, but I know someone who has.  I just don't think we
should get her involved."
     Jamie knew to whom she was referring and the prospect of
subjecting her to this wasn't appealing.  "It's her father,
Rachel."
     Her eyes dropped to the floor and a scowl crawled across her
face.  "I know but she's so young."
     "She may be his only chance.  Where is she now?"
     "Home with their housekeeper, Jade.  She hasn't been told
about her father yet."
     "Let's keep it that way for now," Jamie said.  "Just get her
to contact that ghost friend of hers.  Tell her that her father
needs her help.  If anyone can tell us what's going on, it'll be
that ghost."
     Rachel sighed and reached for her purse.  "Okay, I'll try."
     "That's my girl," Jamie added, patting her back.
     Rachel had barely left the room when Jamie turned to Jim and
Sean.
     "If this is something to do with his Shinobi background, and
I believe it is, we'll need help in a more substantial way," he
noted.  "Why don't you two take a run up to that Buddhist temple
in the hills and see if they can shed any light on what we're
facing."
     Jim drew a deep breath and slowly stood up.  "Let Sean go. 
I've got a feeling this is more in the Shinto realm of
experience.  I've got a friend who's a Shinto priest up the North
Shore.  I'm going to run out there and ask him a few questions."
     "Good idea," Jamie admitted.  "In the mean time, I'm going
to make a couple of phone calls and see if I can find Nabiki."

*****

     Akane stood in the shadows and watched Kasumi hang laundry
on the line to dry.  As much as she feared another confrontation
with her Oneechan, she felt a need to resolve this baby business
with her sister.
     Still fearing a hostile reaction, she carefully stepped out
onto the soft spring grass and approached her sister.
     "Oneechan?" she said softly.
     Kasumi was about to hang another shirt on the line when she
heard her sister's voice.  With a sigh, she paused, drawing the
shirt closer to her body but didn't answer.
     "Please, Oneechan.  We need to talk."
     Kasumi tried to keep her expression neutral as she went back
to hanging the shirt.  "There's nothing to talk about."
     "Yes, there is," Akane insisted, stepping closer.  She
didn't fear her sister doing anything physical.  That wasn't
Kasumi's style.  She was more likely to walk away, attempting to
end the conversation with distance.
     To her surprise, Kasumi stayed where she was and continued
to hang laundry.
     "You're having a baby and making both Father and Mr Saotome
very happy," Kasumi said flatly.
     "What about you?  Doesn't it make you happy too?"
     "My happiness doesn't seem to matter much around here.  As
long as Father is happy, I won't complain."  Kasumi hung the last
shirt and picked up her basket.
     Akane quickly moved to get between her sister and the house. 
She knew Kasumi would try to avoid any further discussion by
returning to the laundry.
     "Your happiness means a lot to me," she insisted.
     "That's very nice of you to say, Akane."  Kasumi's cold
response chilled Akane almost as much as it alarmed her.  She
couldn't remember when her sister acted like this towards her.
     "I mean it, Oneechan.  You're my sister.  I love you.  I
want you to be happy."
     Kasumi stared at her sister before stepping past her and
adding: "We don't always get what we want."
     What kind of answer was that?  Kasumi always had a way of
making sense out of the most bizarre events.  What had happened
to cause such a change in her?
     Moving quickly to catch up with her sister, Akane reached
out to touch Kasumi's arm.  "Please, Kasumi, don't walk away. 
Whatever it is that's bothering you, we can work out," she
pleaded.
     Kasumi ignored her sister while changing into her house
slippers.  There was laundry to finish and shopping to do.  She
had no desire to engage her sister over an issue that was already
decided.
     Akane stood on the engawa and watched her Oneechan, her
substitute mother, silently disappear into the house.  As if she
no longer existed, Kasumi moved with a sad purpose.  
     "This is not right," Akane said to herself.  "I have to find
out what happened to change Kasumi like this."
     Those thoughts were still in her mind as she slowly made her
way to the main gate.  She needed to think this over.  She needed
a walk - a walk to Dr Tofu's office.

*****

     Nabiki's feet hurt.  No surprise since they'd been walking
for almost an hour.  Once off the train, they caught a bus
further into the hills and rode it to the end of the line.  From
there, all they could do is walk.
     Cursing her dressy footwear, she hobbled along, grumbling
about the trip, the goal, and even the lack of decent hotel
space.  "Where *is* this place?" she moaned.
     "The Village of the Cold Moon is just over the next rise,"
Master Sato said with a sigh.
     "That's the same thing you said two 'rises' ago."
     "Distance in this country can be deceiving, little one."
     "And stop calling me that.  I'm supposed to be an elder."
     "Then I suggest you start acting like one," Sato said,
coming to a stop at the crest of the ridge.  "Below lies our
destination."
     The small village indicated by Master Sato evoked every
stereotype she'd ever heard about old Japanese rural villages. 
It was small, consisting of flimsy wood shacks spaced on either
side of a dirt road for a hundred yards or so.  Along one side
ran a small stream, thick with aquatic vegetation.  Opposite
that, almost eye level from where they stood, was an
unimpressive-looking stone shrine growing out of the mountain's
side.  Nabiki could just make out a series of wooden stairs from
the village to the shrine.
     "Not much to look at," she finally said.
     "It is the home of your ancestors," Master Sato said in a
flat voice.
     "Wrong, my ancestors are from a place with hot and cold
running water, indoor toilets, and convenient public
transportation.  It's a place with paved streets, good shopping,
and a decent hotel.  This," she snarled, waving her hand at the
collection of huts before them, "is little more than a bad out-
take from a Kirasawa movie."
     "Are you quite through?"  Sato crossed his arms and regarded
Nabiki with a disappointed glare.
     "Look, there was a little place back where the paved road
ended.  I think they even took Visa.  Let's go back, get a good
nights rest, and think about this carefully in the morning. 
Okay?"  Nabiki leaned against a tree to remove one shoe and rub
her aching foot.
     Master Sato sighed heavily and shook his head.  Without
another word, he trudged on towards the village.
     "Hey!  Wait a minute," Nabiki called, hopping on one foot as
she tried to put her shoe back on.  "Why the rush?"
     "Because every minute that passes, the warlord comes closer
to either gaining his freedom or ripping Jeffrey's spirit from
this world.  If we cannot stop him by morning, your husband will
be nothing more than a memory."
     Nabiki finally caught up with Master Sato just as he entered
the village.  He was walking like he knew where he was going. 
Nabiki slowed as she caught sight of curious faces peeking out
from the dilapidated shacks that lined the dirt road.  She felt
like an unwilling participant in a bizarre parade.
     Reaching the last shack before the wooden stairs leading to
the shrine, Master Sato came to a halt.
     "What's the matter?" Nabiki asked.
     "You must change into appropriate clothes to enter the
shrine," he said.
     Nabiki looked around.  "Where?  Into what?  I left all my
luggage back in Tokyo."
     Master Sato pointed to the shack.  "You will find everything
you need in there."
     It took only a glance at the building for Nabiki to express
her displeasure at the suggestion.  "You've *got* to be kidding."
     "Little one, you cannot go into the shrine dressed like
that," he insisted.
     "Why not?" she asked, checking herself.  "Outside of a few
wrinkles and some road dust, what I'm wearing would be welcome in
any shrine in the civilized world."
     Sato sighed.  "The shrine is only the gateway.  You must
pass through the shrine before you reach your destination."
     "Don't tell me.  Let me guess.  I've got to go into another
cave," Nabiki said, crossing her arms and rocking back on one
leg.  "You know how I feel about caves."
     "The cave is where you must go to reach the spirit realm. 
Surely, you don't want to wear your fine clothes into such a
place."
     "What's the matter?  The spirits have something against good
fashion sense?" Nabiki said with a wrinkled nose.
     "It's not that.  You may have to move quickly in there and
you're hardly dressed for such.  Now, please, go inside and
change your clothes."
     Nabiki looked one more time at the shack before shaking her
head.  "I don't believe I'm doing this," she mumbled.

     Master Sato watched Nabiki cautiously enter the shack before
taking up a position outside the door.  Leaning lightly against
the wall, he eyed the other dwellings.  Occasionally, faces would
appear, curiously watching him.  Understandably, this made him a
bit nervous.  Since the village didn't really exist but was
little more than a physical manifestation of exiled spirits of
Nabiki's ancestors.  He avoided looking their way, even when he
knew they were staring his way.  Behind the curious stares were
four hundred years of blood hunts; some of it done by his own
clan members.  He drew a ragged breath and slowly let it out,
hoping it would allow him to focus on the task at hand.
     "I'm not wearing this!" came Nabiki's voice from inside the
shack.
     "You must wear the clothes of your ancestors," he said
wearily.
     "I look terrible in black."
     "Then turn it inside out.  I'm certain you'll find the smoke
color more to your liking," he replied with a pained expression. 
He knew this task was going to be difficult but never imagined
the hardest part would be just getting Nabiki properly attired.
     "That's not much better."
     "Just put it on," he said like an exasperated parent.  "And
don't forget to remove your underclothes."
     "WHAT?"
     "You must be attired as your ancestors.  They did not wear
undergarments."
     Nabiki's frustrated snarl was her only reply.
     "You can put your city clothes in the bag on the bed."
     "I'm not putting a five hundred dollar business suit in a
burlap bag!"
     "Then hang it up on the center post," he said, covering his
face with a hand and mumbling: "I'm certain the spiders and bugs
won't mind a bit."
     Moments later, Nabiki Tendo, Elder of the Cold Moon Clan,
wealthy wife of an American, emerged into the afternoon sun. 
Wearing a smoke gray Shinobi shozoku and split-toe tabi, she
adjusted the front of her top and squirmed uncomfortably.  "I
feel like an idiot," she groaned.
     Master Sato inspected her carefully.  The clothing seemed to
fit as if were tailored for her, molding itself to her lithe form
where it should and hanging loose elsewhere.  He carefully tied
the cords that bound her pants below the knees.  "You are wearing
nothing modern?"
     "Not a stitch," Nabiki growled.  "This better not be some
elaborate joke."
     Sato ignored her comment and set about checking her
supplies.  "You must act quickly.  This disguise will fool the
spirits for a little while but eventually they will catch on. 
When that happens, you will have to depend on your wits and
this," he said holding up a small back bag.
     Nabiki tried but failed to hid her dismay.  "What's in
there?  A dead creature of some sort?"
     Looping the strap over her head and one shoulder, Master
Sato replied: "It contains all the tools of a proper genin along
with a few items only an elder can use.  Guard this bag well,
little one.  It is all you will have at your disposal once
inside.  You cannot use the implements of the spirit world."
     "It just gets better and better," Nabiki said with a sigh. 
"Anything else?"
     "All you have to do is get in, find Jeffrey's spirit and get
out."
     "How will I know his spirit from the others?"
     "A wife always knows her husband, little one."
     "I sure hope so," she muttered.  "I'm not happy about this."
     "You will do fine.  Come with me."  Master Sato turned
towards the wood stairs.
     "I don't believe I'm doing this," Nabiki said again with a
sigh before following.

*****

     Rachel arrived at the Lawrence home just before dark. 
Outside of a single light in the living room, the place looked
deserted.  She hoped Jade hadn't taken Sodoshi home with her.
     She pressed the door bell and waited.
     Silently, the door opened to reveal a beautiful young
Chinese girl, dressed in a pair of jean shorts and conservative
blouse.
     "Yes?" she said with a look of concern.
     "Are you Jade?" Rachel asked.
     "I am Jade."
     "I'm Rachel Magnum, Jeffrey's secretary."
     "Oh, yes.  Mr Wilde call and say you come.  Please," she
said stepping back and allowing Rachel entrance.
     Rachel stepped inside and stopped in the dimly lit living
room.  The house appeared spotless; testament to Jade's
housekeeping skills.
     "Where is Sodoshi?" she asked.
     "Child is in bedroom," Jade said with a cautious glance at
the hallway leading to the back of the house.  "Jade not tell
about father."
     "Good.  I need to talk to her," Rachel said with a firm
expression.  She didn't like doing this.  She'd much rather
protect the child but Jamie was right; the only way they were
going to find out what was going on was to talk to Sodoshi
Tanaka.
     "Jade get her for you."
     Rachel watched the housekeeper disappear down the dark hall. 
Fighting her natural instincts, she pondered how much to tell
Sodoshi.  It would have to be done delicately, she concluded.  It
was not going to be easy getting the child to summon Tanaka's
ghost without telling her why.
     "Miss Rachel!" came Jades frightened voice from somewhere
deeper in the house.
     Wasting no time in scrambling towards the sound of Jade's
voice.  She turned up the hallway towards Sodoshi's bedroom and
skidded to a halt in the doorway.
     Inside, Jade was frantically looking around for the child. 
The back window was open, its curtains swaying in the light
Hawaiian breeze.  The bed looked slept in, its covers having been
thrown back like Sodoshi had left in a hurry.
     Jade finally gave up looking in the room and scrambled to
the open window.  After a quick look outside, she turned to
Rachel with a terrified expression.  "Sodoshi know better than
leave," she gasped.
     "Whatever the reason, she's not here now," Rachel replied. 
"You look outside and I'll check her parent's room."
     Jade nodded and made a dash for the back door.  Rachel
flipped on the lights to Jeff and Nabiki's bedroom and looked
around there.  She figured that sometimes a frightened child
would take refuge in her parents bed.  
     Not this time.  The bed was empty as was the rest of the
room.  Even the master bath was deserted and there was no sign
Sodoshi had even been there.
     Rachel paused.  Cursing herself for going about this in a
panicked way, she drew a deep breath to calm herself and set
about systematically searching the rest of the house.
     Passing the kitchen, she encountered Jade returning from the
back yard.
     "Child not outside," she said.  "Jade not think she use
window."
     "Then she's somewhere in the house.  Does she have a
favorite place?"
     Jade took only a moment to think.  "Yes.  This way."
     Together they hurried to the one room Sodoshi spent most of
her time in; the exercise room.
     Pushing open the door, they were relieved to see little
Sodoshi Lawrence kneeling on the floor as if in meditation.
     "Sodoshi!  Why you out of bed?" Jade demanded.
     Instead of answering, Sodoshi slowly looked up at the two
women hurrying to her side.  It was obvious she'd been crying.
     Rachel never hesitated.  Taking Sodoshi in her arms, she
held the trembling child in a comforting embrace.
     "It's okay, Sodoshi," she said.  "We're here."
     Sodoshi sniffed and shuddered, clutching desperately to
Rachel's body.  "Is Daddy going to die?" she asked, her voice
almost a squeak.
     "How do you know about your father?" Rachel asked, shocked
that the child knew more about what was going on than she should.
     "I just know," Sodoshi said between sniffs.  "Is he going to
die?"
     Rachel started to answer but stopped herself.  She couldn't
tell her the truth.  "The doctors are doing everything they can
for him.  I'm sure he'll be fine."
     "I knew what he was doing was bad," Sodoshi said with a
choke.
     Exchanging a confused glance with Jade, Rachel stroked
Sodoshi's long hair and asked: "What was he doing, Sodoshi?"
     Sodoshi sniffed and released Rachel enough to look her in
the eyes.  "Something that made him blue.  I knew it was bad
because he didn't act like Daddy."
     "Blue?" she asked, looking at Jade.
     "Chi.  Is very powerful," the Chinese girl answered, bending
over the two.  "Jade never hear of blue chi."
     "What could that have to do with his condition?"
     "Jade not know."
     Before either could pursue the issue further, they saw
Sodoshi's eyes go wide, her face beaming with a broad smile.
     "DADDY!" she called, struggling to escape Rachel's arms.
     The two women looked towards the door.  Standing there, his
characteristic shy smile in place, was Jeffrey Lawrence.  They
exchanged looks.  This wasn't possible.  When Rachel left the
hospital less than a half an hour ago, Jeffrey was in a coma. 
Even if he awoke the moment she'd left, there was no way the
doctors would have released him so soon.  Something wasn't right
about this.
     Sodoshi must have thought so too.  Having extracted herself
from Rachel, she'd taken only a couple of steps before
hesitating.  Cocking her head like she noticed something
different about her father, her smile dissolved into a serious
frown.
     "What's the matter, pumpkin?  Aren't you happy to see me?"
asked her father as he stood just inside the room.
     "You're not Daddy," Sodoshi pronounced.
     The figure's smile never wavered.  "Of course I am,
sweetheart.  What do you say we go out for dinner?  You'd like
that, wouldn't you?"
     Sodoshi stood her ground and frowned at the figure before
her.  He certainly looked like her father and he even sounded
like him.   But there was something not right about him -
something she couldn't put into words.
     The figure reached for the girl.  In a flash, Jade was
between them, facing the figure and crouched in a strange martial
arts stance.
     "Sodoshi say you not father," she growled like a mother cat
protecting her kitten.  "Who are you?"
     His smile now gone, the figure replied in an almost
unearthly snarl: "I am Jeffrey Lawrence.  Don't you recognize me,
Shampoo?"
     "Who?"  Jade had caught bits a pieces of Lawrence
conversation in the past about who she looked like but never
caught a name.  Perhaps this 'Shampoo' person was the look-alike
they described.
     Her thoughts were interrupted by the 'Jeffrey' figure's
sudden attack.
     Rachel instinctively grabbed Sodoshi and retreated to the
far corner of the room.  She looked back in time to see Jade
block the figure's blow and responded by sweeping the legs out
from under him.  Even before she could recover into her fighting
stance, the figure was back on its feet and attacking again. 
Blocking strike after strike, Jade had little time to respond. 
It was all she could do to keep him from connecting with a blow
that could very well prove fatal.  This was no sparring match. 
The 'Jeffrey' figure, whoever he was, attacked with inhuman speed
and ferocity unlike anything Jade had ever seen.  Backing away as
she continued to block a flurry of attacks, her moves became
slower and more sloppy as the figure wore her down.
     Finally, she wasn't fast enough.  A spin kick broke through
her weakened block, connecting with a sickening 'thud'.
     Jade's body bounced off the wall, leaving an indentation in
its surface, before collapsing to the matted floor like a rag
doll.  Only her feeble movements assured Rachel the girl was
still alive.
     "Give me the child," the figure snarled in a voice that
dripped of pure evil.
     Shielding Sodoshi with her own body, Rachel trembled and
tried to look defiant.  "Whoever or whatever you are, you can't
have her," she said in a surprisingly strong voice.
     The figure only laughed.  "Foolish woman.  You have no idea
of what you're meddling with."
     Rachel said nothing but continued to glare defiantly at the
would-be abductor.
     With a movement so fast it couldn't be followed by the human
eye, his right hand seemed to disappear only to reappear the
instant before he back-handed her cheek with such force she
cartwheeled across the room, ending on her back next to Jade.
     Sodoshi saw both women fight and fall trying to protect her. 
Now she was alone.  She remembered the things her father taught
her about conquering her fear and controlling her environment. 
She doubted he had this sort of situation in mind when he taught
her those things.
     Dropping into her Shinobi fighting stance, she waited the
replicant's next move.
     Instead of attacking right away, he stopped a couple of
steps away, placed his hands on his hips and roared with
laughter.  "You can't be serious.  You're no match for me," he
said.
     Little Sodoshi gave no outward sign of the fear that was
steadily growing inside her.  She had no idea what this... person
wanted.  It wasn't her daddy and that was enough.
     The fake Jeff Lawrence stopped laughing, fixing his glowing
blue eyes on Sodoshi's form.  "You will come with me now," he
said in a voice that sounded nothing like her father's.  "My
master commands it."
     Her frightened eyes caught a movement over by the doorway. 
A second glance confirmed there was something else in the room
with them.  A baseball-sized sphere of light hovered in the
doorway, like it was deciding what to do before streaking towards
the replicant.  Striking him squarely between the shoulder blades
with such force it snapped his head back and ripped open his knit
shirt.  Rebounding and sharply changing direction, it disappeared
through the ceiling.
     The phoney Jeff roared in anger, spinning around to see his
attacker.  There was nothing in the room.
     "What magic is this?" he bellowed.
     Only Sodoshi saw the ball of light reappear at the windows,
streaking directly towards the creature.  There was only one
being she knew that could strike and disappear so quickly; her
guardian spirit Sodoshi Tanaka.
     The glowing ball darted towards the phoney Jeff Lawrence and
struck him again, sending him staggering forward a couple of
steps.  Sodoshi crouched closer to the wall and watched as the
ball began bouncing off walls, the ceiling, and glass windows,
repeatedly attacking over and over again.
     Reeling from the blows, the replicant swatted at the air in
a futile attempt to strike back.  He might as well been chasing a
spot of light from a flashlight for all the good it was doing
him.  Repeated strikes left him dazed and disoriented.  He
stumbled about the room, flailing his arms in a vain attempt to
beat the relentless ball of light.
     A final ricochet off the wall behind Sodoshi and the ball
transformed into the familiar human form of Sodoshi Tanaka, her
eyes glowing bright red and her twin pony tails flowing behind
her like two tails from a comet.  She streaked towards the
replicant, her flaming katana drawn and held ready.
     Without a sound she struck, slicing diagonally through the
creature's body as if it were paper.
     Even though little Sodoshi knew it wasn't really her father,
she couldn't watch.  Closing her eyes, she turned her head and
grimaced as the fake Jeff Lawrence emitted an unearthly scream
that climbed higher and higher until it exceeded the ability of
humans to hear.  The path made by the guardian spirit's blade
glowed bright blue.  The creature stood trembling, more and more
blue light escaping the cut, his eyes, and his mouth until, in a
flash of brilliant blue light, the creature dissolved into a thin
puff of blue smoke leaving no trace behind.
     Sodoshi Tanaka, finished on one knee, her blade held to her
side, her eyes on the floor.  She knew her katana had done its
job.  She savored the feel of it cutting through the evil
creature, just as she'd so many times in her tormented life
wished to do to her tormentors.
     Little Sodoshi Lawrence relaxed and looked to Rachel and
Jade.  Both women were stirring, shaking their heads and trying
to get up.
     Sodoshi Tanaka just stood and sheathed her sword.  Crossing
her arms, she watched her namesake help the one named Rachel to
her unsteady feet.  The reviving Chinese girl only drew a
distrustful look.
     "You okay?" little Sodoshi asked Rachel as the woman rubbed
her jaw with a hand.
     "Dad used to tell me stories when I was a little girl about
getting punched in the mouth," Rachel said, working her abused
jaw back and forth, testing for any permanent damage.  "I don't
remember him ever telling me how much it hurt."
     Jade coughed and held her ribs.  Blinking, she slowly stood
and looked around.  When her eyes caught on the still glowing
Sodoshi Tanaka, she forgot all about her bruised ribs.  Her eyes
wide in terror, she backed away until the damaged wall stopped
her retreat.  Sodoshi Tanaka just rolled her glowing red eyes and
shook her head.
     "What...  What is that?" Jade gasped.
     Without looking, little Sodoshi said: "That's my friend,
spirit-Sodoshi.  She protects me."
     "Then, it is true," Jade said in wonderment.  "Ghost IS
friendly."
     "Yup, Sodoshi the Friendly Ghost.  I can see a TV series in
that," Rachel said, dabbing blood from her lip with a towel she'd
pulled from a pile on the floor.
     "You are still a weak female, fit only to comfort men,"
spirit-Sodoshi said, her eyes locked on Rachel and her ethereal
voice echoing as if speaking in a great hall.  "But you have
courage.  I will always admire one with courage."
     "Thank you... I think," Rachel said, wincing as her probing
fingers found an especially sensitive spot.
     Jade took a hesitant step forward, drawing Tanaka's crimson
stare.  "You save Jade's life."  She bowed awkwardly, grabbing
her side and grimacing.
     "You fight with an Eastern style.  You are not of my
people," Tanaka said in an accusing tone of voice.  "I have seen
such fighting style only once before."
     Jade's eyes went from the ghost to Rachel and back again. 
"Jade not understand," she said, pouting at the floor.
     "You are a warrior, I can feel it."  Tanaka seemed to hover
inches above the floor, her arms crossed and her eyes fixed on
Jade.  "You are not what you appear."
     "Stop it, Spirit-Sodoshi," little Sodoshi admonished.  "Jade
my friend."
     "Very well, young master."  Tanaka nodded her acceptance but
continued to watch Jade's every move.
     "I was going to ask Sodoshi to summon you but since you're
already here and she already knows, I can't very well hide what's
happening from her now.  We need your help," Rachel said. 
"Jeffrey Lawrence has encountered an... accident."  She didn't
know how else to phrase what happened.  She wasn't even sure she
understood it herself.
     Tanaka, however, seemed to know all too well what was going
on.  "I warned him not to meddle with things he didn't
understand.  I knew this would happen."
     "Then maybe you can explain it to me," Rachel prompted,
drawing a glance from Tanaka that could only be a rebuke for
interrupting.
     "He drained energy from someplace dangerous, opening a
portal long enough for whatever was on the other side to strike." 
Tanaka's eyes swept over to where the replicant disappeared. 
"His spirit has been abducted.  I cannot say why but am certain
he is in great danger."
     "Daddy?" Sodoshi gasped, gripping Rachel tighter.  "You
gotta help him."
     "I cannot leave you unprotected," Tanaka insisted.
     "I can take care of myself."  Sodoshi released Rachel and
stood up to her full height, which still left her short of
Rachel's waist.  
     Tanaka's smile slowly grew until it became her typical
'cover girl' grin.  "You are indeed worthy of my name," she said
proudly.  "But the fact remains that I cannot help your father
and protect you at the same time."
     Jade took a hesitant step forward.  Still holding her side,
she summoned all her courage to confront the ghost.  "Jade
promise Mrs Lawrence to care for child.  That includes protecting
same."
     A low chuckle that seemed to come from everywhere at once
accompanied Tanaka's wide smile.  "You?  If I hadn't arrived when
I did, that evil spirit would have sucked the ki from your body
and left you an empty shell."
     "Jade can protect child," the Chinese girl insisted.  "Have
weapons against evil spirits."
     "Then I was right.  You ARE more than you appear.  There is
only one people from your land who possess such weapons," Tanaka
growled with a sudden frown.  "If you are what you claim, you
have deceived my master and that I cannot forgive."
     "Jade NOT evil.  Jade's mother was..."  She stopped,
suddenly aware of what she was saying.  Looking down at the
astonished Sodoshi and then at the suspicious Rachel, her whole
body seemed to sag.
     "Who are you, Jade," Rachel demanded, hugging Sodoshi to
her.
     "Forgive me, mother," Jade whispered, her voice trembling. 
"Jade must do this... for child."
     A deathly silence fell over the room.  All eyes were on
Jade.  Her lower lip trembling, she looked sadly at Sodoshi.
     "Jade not mean to deceive young one.  Jade not what Jade
say."  Drawing a deep breath, her expression changed.  With a
look of pride, she glared at Tanaka and claimed in a loud voice:
"Jade name Mao Xifaji, great grand-daughter of Sho Lon, banished
sister of Ko'Lon."
     Rachel and Sodoshi Tanaka exchanged looks before returning
to Jade and asking together: "Who?"

*****
     "One hundred and four," Nabiki said under her breath when
she reached the top of the shrine's aging wooden stairs.  She'd
followed Master Sato but her heart and mind were not totally
convinced this was the correct course of action.  Certainly,
Jeffrey needed to be rescued but why couldn't he use people more
used to the demands of a shadow warrior.  She was no fighter,
she'd spent her entire life trying to avoid learning how to
fight.  She was supposed to be an elder; one who commands and
plans.
     "We are here," Master Sato said, stopping in front of an
aging wood door secured by a large amulet that bore the Cold Moon
Clan crest.
     "Okay, now what?" Nabiki asked, scowling at the door like it
was something she didn't even want to touch.
     With a sigh, Master Sato glanced around the shrine.  "This
is where you enter the spirit realm of your ancestors.  You will
not be able to exit the same way."
     "Why not?"
     "Because as soon as you enter, I must reseal this entrance. 
Neither you nor I will ever be able to open it again.  It will be
permanently sealed."
     "Because it's a Cold Moon Clan shrine and you will use the
power of your own clan to seal it," Nabiki said like it should
have been obvious.  The fact she could come up with such an
explanation when she had no way of knowing such things was a
mystery to them both.  Sato hoped it was a good omen for what lay
ahead.
     Without waiting for Master Sato's instruction, Nabiki turned
to the aging door and gently palmed its amulet seal.  It felt
warm to the touch, like something alive.  She almost hated having
to break it.
     Muttering her apologies and silently vowing to make things
right, she tugged on the amulet.  For the briefest moment, it
held firm, like a guardian clinging to its post, before it gave
way with an audible 'snap'.
     Nabiki was a little disappointed when nothing happened.  She
wasn't certain just what she expected but dead silence certainly
wasn't one of the choices.
     At Sato's nod, she slowly pulled open the door.  A cloud of
centuries-old dust swirled about them like an evil spirit. 
Revealed inch-by-inch as the door swung open, a dead, light-absorbing 
darkness came into view.  It smelled of death and
decay.
     "I don't like this," she said softly.  "Do I have to go in?"
     "You do."
     She frowned at the wall next to the open door.  "Where's the
light switch?"
     "There is none, little one.  You must do this the way of
your ancestors."
     Nabiki swallowed hard and tentatively reached for the
darkness.  Her hand disappeared like she'd penetrated a inky
black pool.  It felt cold and clammy as if it were the touch of
death itself.
     She glanced once at Master Sato for reassurance.  He nodded
and held up his former clan's amulet seal indicating his
readiness to reseal the entrance once Nabiki was inside.  Despite
her apprehension over being locked inside such a place, she
pressed forward.  Jeffrey was somewhere in there and going in was
the only way she was going to get him back.
     Like she was plunging into a pool of water, Nabiki drew a
deep breath, closed her eyes and willed herself forward.  The
stench that assaulted her senses as she plunged into the darkness
was indescribable.  She tried to hold her breath but it didn't
help.  The smell was everywhere.  Even her mouth tasted of it.
     Opening her eyes to see where she was going only made them
water as they burned from the irritation.  Tears streaked her
face as she pushed forward.  It didn't make much difference
anyway.  In such darkness, sight was a useless sense.  She would
have to feel her way.  
     Pressing forward, she kept repeating to herself how there
had to be an end to this.  There just had to.
     As if an answer to her prayer, a spot of light appeared
ahead.  Through tear-stained eyes, she squinted at the light.  It
might not be exactly safe but it had to be better than where she
was.  In any case, it was as good a destination as any in this
dark sewer.  
     Choking on the thick, foul air, she stumbled onward towards
the ever-brightening light ahead.  The light grew in size until
it covered what might have been a large opening in the cave wall.
As she got closer, the air became cleaner.  Either that or she
was getting used to the smell.
     Unsure of distances in the foul darkness, she suddenly
collided with the brightly glowing source of the light.  Running
her hands over its surface, it felt like a spongy membrane that
vibrated at her touch as if alive.  Exploring further, she failed
to reveal any way through.  Whatever it was, it effectively kept
her in the darkness.  The light was obviously coming from the
other side.
     She was still investigating the membrane when she got the
feeling she was no longer alone.  Her warning senses tingling,
she turned around and crouched down.  Through her tears, she
could make out movement.  Not broad, easily detectable objects
but subtle shifts in the darkness that warned of something, or
some things, moving about.  Occasionally, she caught glimpses of
glowing blue eyes, dancing among the darkness.
     Pressing against the spongy source of the light, she
squinted at the movements.  How far away were they?  In this
darkness, there was no way of telling.  They could be yards away
or within arms reach.  She shuddered and choked on the increasing
stench.  It must be because they were getting closer.  She HAD to
penetrate that thin barrier.  Perhaps in the light she'd have a
chance against whatever was stalking her.
     Turning again to the glowing obstruction, she flattened her
hand and jabbed it forward.  To her surprise, it penetrated
almost up to her elbow.  If she could only make the opening large
enough to slip through, she'd have a chance.  The sound of
shuffling of feet and the scraping of something heavy against the
floor caused her to work faster.
     Jabbing her other hand in next to its companion, she worried
the split wider.  Like a bleeding wound, the membrane oozed a
colorless fluid that coated her arms as they worked to widen the
opening.  What injury she might be causing the spirits of this
realm she didn't have time to consider.  The shuffling feet were
coming closer and the stench was to the point she could no longer
breathe.  She had to get through.
     Working feverishly, she clawed at the thin slit she'd
created in the membrane.  Her hands, completely covered with the
ooze, slipped when she tried to tear the opening further.  The
noises were almost to her when she felt the thin surface give way
until it was a hole barely a foot across.  Hearing the ragged
breathing of whatever stalked her from the darkness, she tore at
the hole, cursing as her slippery fingers refused to take hold of
its surface.  There was no time left.  She had to go now and hope
the sides were flexible enough to allow her to fit her body
through.  
     Thanking her twice-weekly aerobics class and her perpetual
vanity that refused to let her get fat, she shoved her head
through the opening and tried to wiggle the rest of her through
as well.  Ooze coated her body like a lubricant.  She could feel
the presence of something unspeakably evil at her heels.  One
final push and her body popped through the membrane like a baby
being born.  Tumbling onto a smooth floor, she lay still and
listened to the sounds coming from the other side.  Wherever she
was, the air was clean and the light bright enough to temporarily
blind her.
     Through squinted eyes, she looked back the direction she'd
come.  The membrane, like a wound on a human's skin, healed
itself until, once again, it was a smooth, opaque surface.
     Laying on her back gulping down the clean, fresh air, she
blinked as her eyes adjusted to the brightly lit room.  Moans and
growls from the other side of the membrane reminded her of her
pursuers.  Slipping on the ooze that pooled beneath her body, she
slid and scrambled on all fours across the smooth, white floor
until stopped by an equally smooth, white wall.  Pressed against
its cool surface, she looked back in time to see fantastic and
frightening shapes forcing themselves against the membrane.  They
looked like hideous faces and clawed hands pushing the membrane a
foot or more into her bright refuge.  Swallowing hard, she looked
for an escape.
     She appeared to be in a long white hallway with perfectly
smooth walls and floor.  Where the light was coming from, she
couldn't tell.  The only thing she was sure of, it was certainly
bright.
     More growls and faces pressing against the membrane
encouraged her to put as much distance as she could between
herself and whatever was making those grotesque shapes.  She had
no desire to wait around and see what creatures were attached to
them.
     Stumbling on for what seemed to be hundreds of meters, the
sounds of her pursuers growing ever fainter, she abruptly slammed
into another white wall that matched everything else in the
hallway so well it was almost invisible.  
     Cursing again, she ran her hands over its surface.  At first
examination, it appeared completely smooth.  Despite her
continued search of the obstruction, all she could find was a
small hole fit only for a mouse.
     Dropping to her stomach, she peered through the hole.  There
was another hallway on the other side.  She could almost make out
a large chamber about ten meters or so further down the hall. 
Maybe that was where Jeffrey was being held.  She rolled over and
sat up against the wall.  Her frantic escape from the creatures
of darkness had been due to luck.  What she needed now was a
plan.  How was she going to get through to the other hallway if
she couldn't fit through the hole in the wall.
     "Now what?" she said, slumping against the wall.  She
couldn't go forward because of the obstruction and the mere
thought of going back towards the creatures caused her to
shudder.  Intended or not, she was effectively trapped.
     The painful bite of the little bag's leather strap into her
breast reminded her that she might have something she could use
in the meager supplies Master Sato provided.  Shifting position,
she emptied the bag's contents onto the white floor.
     Her inventory included some herbs, a few pressed tablets
that smelled of vegetation, a half dozen marble-sized orbs, and a
stick of charcoal.
     "Junk," she grumbled, sorting through the many items. 
"Nothing but junk."
     Stuffing everything back into the little bag, she slowly
shook her head.  It was pointless.  Trapped in the realm of
spirits with no way out, no way to rescue her husband, and
nothing but junk to help her.  It all seemed so pointless.

     "Well, if this isn't a pitiful sight."
     Nabiki looked up to see a familiar figure.  Standing in the
gleaming white hallway, her hands on her shapely hips, Sodoshi
Tanaka regarded her clan elder with a cynical smile.  Her twin
ponytails of jet black hair, wrapped in their omnipresent silver
ribbons, hung limply down her sides.
     "I'm sure glad to see you," Nabiki gasped, sitting up.  "I'm
lost, I'm tired, and I have no idea where I'm going."
     Sodoshi stopped her with a raised hand.  "Actually, I'm
surprised you got this far.  It's not everyone that can escape
the mad spirits of the warlord's minions."
     "Is that what they are?" Nabiki said, casting a tentative
glance back up the hallway.  "How come they can't get in here?"
     "Their way is blocked by the spirit of the girl who betrayed
us and the other clans."
     Nabiki's hand covered her mouth as her eyes went wide. 
"But... I tore a hole in..."
     "Yes, and I'm sure it caused her spirit form great pain. 
But that is the penalty she is forced to pay for her betrayal. 
She can never take the form of what she once was.  Her essence
became a skin-like covering of the most inner sanctum of our
spirit realm"  Sodoshi gazed in the direction of the white
membrane with a look of pity.  "Fear not, what suffering you may
have caused her is but a pin prick compared to the agony she has
endured already."
     "I don't suppose there's anyway to help her."
     Sodoshi shook her head causing her pony tails to dance. "I
don't know.  For now, you should be thankful her spirit guards
this section so well."
     "I suppose," Nabiki said slowly.  "Speaking of guarding
things, what are you doing here?  You're supposed to be
protecting my daughter.  What if these creatures try to take
her?"
     "They have already tried," Sodoshi said with a tinge of
pride in her voice that caused her eyes to glow.
     "WHAT?"  Nabiki staggered to her feet.  "What are you doing
here when my daughter is in danger?  Your job is to protect her."
     "Your daughter asked me to assist you in your search for her
father," Sodoshi said with a stern expression.
     "But she is unprotected," Nabiki insisted.
     "Not totally.  The one known as 'Jade' guards her now.  You
have done well in selecting her," Sodoshi said.  "She is much
more than she appears.  She is a warrior unlike any I've seen
among you mortals."
     "What's that supposed to mean?" Nabiki demanded.
     "She possesses skills far beyond other females of your realm
and fearlessly confronts demons as if it were her mission in
life."
     "But can she protect my Sodoshi?" Nabiki demanded, her hands
balled into tight fists.
     The spirit smiled with an almost evil grin.  "The blood of
the Village of Female Warrior Heros flows in her.  They have
powers you mortals can only dream of."
     Nabiki considered Sodoshi's confirmation of what she always
suspected.  Since her spirit-world friend knew things far beyond
her own abilities, she had to accept as fact Jade's ancestry. 
She was indeed a Chinese Amazon.  "I suspected as much," Nabiki
admitted, her hands relaxing back into their previous form.  "Can
she be trusted?"
     "You tell me," Sodoshi said with an odd expression.  "You've
trusted her alone with your daughter."
     Slowly, Nabiki turned to the wall, her hand coming to rest
lightly against its cool surface.  "Yes, but either Jeffrey or I
were always close by."
     "Don't worry."  Sodoshi's voice turned soft and
compassionate.  "I have a feeling about her.  She's not evil,
that much I know, and she fought bravely defending your child. 
She faltered only because she was unprepared.  If I know her
people, that error will not be repeated.  They know well how to
protect themselves against demons."
     Nabiki sniffed and ran a hand across her face, catching any
tell-tale tears of fear she might have shown to the guardian
spirit of her late best friend.  It wouldn't do to show such
weakness in the realm of her ancestors.
     She almost jumped when she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. 
Turning in surprise to Sodoshi, she stared with an astonished
expression at the hand resting lightly on her shoulder. 
"How...?" she finally gasped.
     Sodoshi smiled.  "You're in my realm now.  I'm as real to
you as the rest of the spirits you'll meet."
     Covering the spirit's warm hand with her own, her cheek
rolling to caress it lightly.  "You have no idea how much..." 
She choked and gasped for control of her emotions.  "I didn't
want to do this alone."
     "I know, Nabiki," Sodoshi said in a voice that felt like a
warm blanket on a cold evening.  "I know."

*****

     Jim Bateman arrived at the North Shore Shinto Shrine as the
sun was setting into the western Pacific like a giant orange
ball.  Getting out of his Jaguar and removing his sunglasses, he
squinted in the gathering twilight trying to locate the one he
drove all this way to find.
     "James!" came a friendly call from off to the right.
     Jim squinted in the direction of the voice until he spotted
his Shinto friend emerging from the many trees that surrounded
the shrine.  Dressed in workman's overalls and a large straw hat,
the man looked more like a grounds keeper than a priest.
     "Troy, it's good to see you again."  Jim approached the with
an outstretched hand.
     Taking Jim's hand warmly, Troy Tomita smiled, his white
teeth contrasting with a deep tan.  "It's been a long time, old
friend.  I was beginning to think you forgot all about me."
     "Oh, you know, it's been busy lately and then there's Kei--"
     Troy stopped him with a raised hand.  "Say no more.  How is
our little demolition derby queen?"
     Jim sighed and chuckled.  "I spend almost as much time
trying to keep her out of jail as I do defending my clients."
     Troy laughed broadly and slapped Jim on the back.  "I tried
to warn you about Japanese women.  Got time for a cold one?"
     "Always."
     Following his old friend back into the shade of the trees,
Jim couldn't help but notice how tranquil it was there.  Unlike
the busy comings and goings of Honolulu, this part of the island
was still fairly unspoiled; a perfect place for Hawaii's largest
Shinto shrine and its selfless priest.
     Scooping a pair of cans out of an old cooler parked under a
large palm tree, Troy handed one to Jim and indicated a
comfortable-looking lawn chair with his hand.
     Popping the top off his own can and dropping into a chair
opposite Jim's, Troy wasted no time in getting to the point. 
"So, what brings you all the way up here to paradise?"
     "To see you," Jim said, fingering the can.
     "I gathered.  What do you want to see me about?  Spiritual
matters?"
     "Sort of," Jim admitted.  "It's something that's got me
stumped."
     "Sounds serious."
     "I've got a good friend who's in a coma in the hospital."
     Troy drew another deep gulp from his can.  "You need someone
to come and drive away some evil spirits or something?  I don't
do last rites."
     Shifting uncomfortably in his lawn chair, Jim struggled for
the right words.  On the drive up he had tried to find some way
of explaining what he'd seen.  Now, faced with someone that might
have the answers, he found himself grasping for words.
     "You look like you've seen a ghost," Troy noted with a
frown.
     "Sort of," Jim admitted.  "What do you know about ki?"
     "The force that binds everything together and inhabits all
things?"  Troy shrugged.  "About as much as anyone else, I
suppose."
     "How about visible spectrum ki?"
     "You mean like yellow or red auras?  That's pretty strong
stuff."
     "How about... blue."  Jim leaned forward in anticipation.
     "Blue?"  Troy pulled his hat off and scratched his head. 
"Why do you want to know about blue ki."
     "It's important, Troy."
     "Well..."  Troy stretched and rolled his head back.  "Call
me crazy if you want but the last time I heard of blue ki, it
involved the fox spirits of old Japan."  He paused to chuckle. 
"Of course, those are just old tales told to children to frighten
them into behaving."
     Jim's face lost all expression.  "What if I told you I've
seen blue ki?"
     "Where?"
     "In my hospitalized friend?"
     Troy frowned at Jim for a moment.  "Then I'd say your friend
is in a lot of trouble."

*****

     "I wonder where Kasumi has gotten off to," Genma said, his
eyes locked to the Shogi board.  He knew better than to look for
the girl in question because his opponent was as fast as he was
at altering the positions of his own pieces on the board.
     "No idea, old friend," Soun replied, keeping his own vigil
over the board.
     The sound of footsteps coming down the hall seemed to answer
Genma's question.
     "Care for something to drink?" Soun asked.
     "Yes, that would be perfect."  Genma frowned at the board. 
"I've forgotten, is it your turn or mine?"
     "Mine, I believe."  Soun never took his eyes off the board
as he contemplated his next move... or cheat - whichever he had
the opportunity to do first.  "Daughter, dear," he called. 
"Could you please fetch us something to drink?"
     There was no answer from whomever entered the room.  Only
the sound of feet padding their way into the kitchen convinced
them it had to be Kasumi and she was hurrying to comply with his
request.  She was such a good girl, he thought.  So helpful, so
polite.
     The sound of someone approaching caused both men to hold out
their hands, their eyes still glued to the board in self-defense.
     Suddenly, the air was rent by a loud yell and a large
battle-axe sliced through the board and table, burying its broad
head in the tatami-covered floor and vaulting the Shogi pieces
around the room.
     Both men's eyes slowly climbed from what was left of their
game to look into each other's startled face.  Blinking for a
moment, they swallowed hard and let their eyes roam over the
broad head of the massive two-sided axe, up the long metal shaft,
ending with the elder Tendo daughter, her face twisted into a
furious rage.  Each saw the fiery blue glow in her eyes.
     As their own eyes slowly returned to what was left of their
game board, Soun asked calmly: "When was the last time we took a
training trip?"
     "Some time ago, I believe," Genma answered in a deep voice.
     "Then another one is long overdue."
     Both men slowly eased back from the table using only their
fingers and toes.  Clear of the decimated piece of furniture,
they gingerly got to their feet and started easing towards the
open engawa.
     Their slow escape became a frantic scramble for safety when
they heard Kasumi's unearthly voice threaten: "GET OUUUUUUT!"
     Sprinting across the lawn, Genma looked over towards his
friend.  "I tell you her 'time of month' is becoming
intolerable."
     "I'll talk to her when we get back," Soun huffed.  "For now,
just keep running!"
     The two men quickly disappeared through the gate and down
the street, bound for parts unknown.

     Moments later, the real Kasumi entered the room and did a
double-take when she noticed a giant axe embedded in their living
room floor.
     "How on earth did this get here?" she gasped.  "I swear,
those two are worse than children."
     She tugged on the handle a couple of times before deciding
it was stuck too deeply in the hardwood floor.  No matter, she
thought while picking up pieces of the Shogi game, she'd get
Ranma to remove it when he wakes up.

*****
     "Mrs Saotome.  What a wonderful surprise," Reiko said with a
broad smile and a quick bow as Akane entered the Ono Clinic.  "Dr
Ono has told me about your pregnancy.  Congratulations."
     Akane returned the young woman's bow.  "Thank you.  Is Tofu
in?"
     "Of course.  He's with a patient right now but I'll tell him
you're here."
     Thanking Reiko again, Akane watched her disappear into the
clinic and thought how lucky the young woman had been.  Seduced
and abandoned by an American, Reiko had been left to care for a
child on her own with no family to support her and no prospects
for a future of any kind.  Only the intervention of Nabiki
rescued her from a life of homelessness.  Reiko and her daughter
now had a future.  Since obtaining her certification, Reiko fit
right in at Tofu's clinic.  The patients loved her, sometimes
bringing her little gifts like flowers or the occasional package
of sweets.  Tofu was happy as well.  He had never been as busy or
as profitable.
     Reiko soon returned, escorting an elderly man.
     "If I was only thirty years younger," the old man croaked
with a suggestive grin.
     "Oh, Mr Kojima," Reiko said with an appropriately shy giggle
half-hidden behind her delicate hand.  "You say that every time
you visit."
     The old man chuckled.  "Why do you think I visit so often?"
     "I thought it was because you had a bad hip," Reiko replied
with an incredulous expression.  Only the hint of a smile
betrayed her true feelings.
     "But it feels so much better now."  The old man bounced
lightly on first one leg then another.  "I feel like going out
dancing."
     "Well, I have a daughter at home."  Reiko escorted the man
towards the front door.  "And she would be very sad if I didn't
come home on time."
     Bending over slightly, like he wanted to keep their
conversation private, Mr Kojima said: "I'll bring you some
flowers next time."
     "I will look forward to your next appointment," Reiko
answered with a polite bow.
     She waved as the old man made his way back to the sidewalk
and turned towards home.
     "You certainly have a way with the patients," Akane said.
     Reiko shrugged.  "They're just lonely.  I understand what
it's like to be lonely."
     Akane nodded and looked at all the flowers on Reiko's
reception desk.  On top of being a good nurse, she was also
filling a need in a lot of lonely old people's lives.
     "Akane," came Tofu-sensei's voice as he approached the
lobby.  "I'm honored."  He bowed politely and handed a chart to
Reiko.
     "Is there somewhere we can talk?"  Akane glanced at Reiko
who was busy filing the papers.
     "Of course."  Tofu indicated his small office.
     Moments later, Tofu closed the door to his office and turned
to regard Akane with an innocent look.
     "It's been some time since you've visited me," he said,
crossing to his office chair.  Akane settled onto a short stool
across the room.
     "I need your help, sensei."  Her voice sounded hesitant and
uncertain.
     "I will always help you, Akane."
     Akane slid her feet back and forth across the smooth floor
in front of her.  She wasn't exactly certain where to start.
     Tofu just smiled and pushed his glasses back up on his nose. 
"I think I know why you're here," he said.
     "You do?"
     "Yes, I'm a bit surprised it took you this long to come see
me."
     Akane's chin dropped and she made a painful face. 
"Sensei..., it's about Kasumi."
     "No, it's about you and your baby," Tofu softly corrected.
     Akane looked up in surprise before again lowering her head
and nodding.  "I'm afraid I've done something terrible to cause
Kasumi to hate me so."
     "Kasumi doesn't hate you, Akane.  She loves you and your
sister very much."
     "That's not how she's been acting lately."
     Tofu drew a deep breath and slowly let it out while crossing
his legs and leaning back in his chair.  "Akane, when you think
of Kasumi, what is it you think of?"
     Akane shrugged.  "I donno.  She's been like a mother to me
all these years.  I know it sounds silly because she's only a
couple of years older."
     "I see."
     "I mean, she's always cooking and cleaning and doing the
things that make a house a home," Akane said quickly with an
worried frown.
     Tofu rubbed his head and frowned.  "Let me try it another
way.  You are special because you married Ranma, the eventual
heir to the martial arts legacy your father and Mr Saotome built. 
Nabiki is special because she married first and had the first
grandchild.
     "Your marriage guarantees the continuation of the fathers'
knowledge and skills.  Nabiki's marriage assures that none of us
will ever want for any necessity."
     "What about Kasumi?" Akane begged.
     "Yes, what about Kasumi?  She has become the forgotten
sister.  She cooks and cleans and takes care of everybody and
asks nothing in return.  She's always up before any of you and
stays up late into the night preparing for the next day - a day
guaranteed to be little more than a repeat of the previous."
     "But we appreciate Kasumi," Akane said in protest. 
"She's..."  Her voice trailed off as if she couldn't think of
exactly why she appreciated Kasumi.  Sure, Kasumi was like a
mother to her but what else made her special?
     Akane's sudden loss for words and lowered eyes told Tofu
Akane was close to the truth.  All she needed was a little
direction.  "Kasumi has dedicated her entire life to caring for
her family.  It's been quite a daunting job over the years but
she's always come through for all of you."
     "And we've never said or did anything to show our
appreciation," Akane said sadly like she realized how
demoralizing her sister's life had been.  All the times she and
Nabiki went about their business, playing with friends and going
places, Kasumi was taking care of the household.  It really
wasn't fair.
     "Do you remember the morning you announced your pregnancy?"
Tofu asked.
     "Yes."
     "Do you remember how happy everyone was with your news?"
     Akane just nodded.
     "Kasumi feels the only way she could be special was to have
a baby of her own.  The morning your announced your pregnancy,
she was going to make an announcement of her own."
     Akane's hands quickly covered her mouth as she stared at
Tofu in horror.  "You mean.... Kasumi is pregnant too?"
     "Yes, she was just about to make her announcement when you
made yours."
     Slowly, Akane's hands slid down until they stopped, clasped
together at her throat.  "And I stole her special day."
     "I don't think you could be accused of stealing it.  There
was no way you could know."  Tofu sighed.  "I just considered it
an extraordinary coincidence.  But then, your family seems to be
famous for extraordinary coincidences."
     Akane only partially heard her brother-in-law.  Her mind was
reliving that morning and how she was so anxious to tell her
father the good news.  The look on Kasumi's face reappeared.  She
looked so hurt and rejected.  Akane had to make things right.
     "Sensei, have you run the tests to confirm her pregnancy?"
she asked.
     "There's no doubt.  Kasumi will be a mother in another eight
months or so."
     "Then I know just what to do," Akane said, standing up and
turning towards the door.
     Tofu, however, stopped her departure with his next comment. 
"I trust you won't tell Kasumi about this visit."
     Looking back over her shoulder, Akane grinned.  "Of course
not.  It will be our little secret."


*****

     Jeff Lawrence squinted at the bright light that threatened
to blind him when he awoke.  Drawing a deep breath of cool air,
he painfully rolled over onto his side, every muscle in his body
protesting the abuse.  What happened?  Where was he?
     Slowly, as his eyes adjusted to the glare, images swam into
focus.  He was laying on his right side, staring out the floor-to-
ceiling glass windows in his exercise room at home.  He
frowned as he took in the familiar surroundings.
     Despite the fact he couldn't figure out how he got there,
everything appeared as it should be.  Outside, the water in his
swimming pool rippled to a light Hawaiian breeze.  The three palm
trees that occupied the back corner of his fenced-in yard,
leisurely swayed.  Off in the distance, he could just make out
the deep blue Pacific Ocean.
     How did he get here, he wondered?  The last thing he
remembered was sitting in his office talking to Mr Sao.  How he
got home or into his exercise clothes was a mystery.
     With a painful groan, he sat up and glanced around the room. 
Nothing out of the ordinary here.  His punching bag was over in
the corner where he left it this morning and Sodoshi's practice
balance beam was across the room.  The mats he was resting on
were firm yet soft and the overhead lighting buzzed lightly. 
Everything was perfect - too perfect.
     He scowled at the balance beam.  It was surprisingly clean
for something Sodoshi liked to liberally smear with chalk and
there were no towels on the floor next to it.  Jade always saw to
it there were clean towels for Sodoshi to use.  This place may
look like his home but there was little doubt in his mind it
wasn't the real thing.
     He wondered what he'd find in the rest of the house. 
Probably more anomalies, he figured.
     "If this is just a dream, I hope I wake up soon," he
muttered.  "This is REALLY spooky."
     Since he had little to lose by exploring the rest of his
house, he awkwardly got to his feet and started for the door.
     Before he could reach it, there came a terrified scream from
the hall, followed by Rachel Magnum bursting through the door. 
Slamming it shut behind her, she threw her weight against it and
looked at Jeff with a panicked expression.
     "Thank heavens you're here," she gasped, blinking back what
looked like tears of fear.  "They're everywhere."
     "They?" Jeff asked, not certain enough that this was really
Rachel to do more than keeping his distance.
     Rachel interrupted her gasping to gulp loudly before
answering.  "They're horrible!  One tried to grab me.  Another
tried to rip my clothes off."
     "Okay, they're horrible and have good taste in women."  Jeff
crossed his arms and cast Rachel an incredulous look.  "That
could be just about anybody."
     Not to be outdone by his apparent calmness, Rachel abandoned
the door and flung herself his way.  Their bodies collided, her
arms going around his waist.  Burying her face in his chest, she
began to sob.
     "They tried to take me to get at our daughter," Rachel
sobbed.
     "Our daughter?" Jeff asked, being careful not to hold the
woman in any way.
     "Yes but I didn't betray you, Jeff-chan," she moaned into
his chest.  It was becoming hard to hear her words, they were so
muffled.  "I never told them where Jade was."
     Jeff frowned and cocked his head while grabbing Rachel by
the shoulders.  "Nice try.  The real Rachel would never call me
Jeff-chan and my daughter's name is Sodoshi."
     Rachel froze for a moment, her hands coming to painfully
grip his forearms.
     In a flash, Rachel stepped back and looked him in the eyes. 
Only this time she wasn't Rachel.  Her face had been replaced by
red and white furred snout, her ears forming two triangles atop
her head covered in red fur.  Her eyes glowed blue.
     "Your mind is so disorganized I can't follow it!" the
creature growled, its claws growing and digging into his arms. 
Foam and saliva dripped from its mouth as it showed sharp canine-
like teeth.
     Jeff recoiled from the slobbering creature, his eyes wide
with surprise.  He could feel the creature's claws tightening as
he tried to pull away.
     Fighting to control his panic, he let Master Sato's words
calm him.  If he could just control his emotions, an escape would
most certainly present itself.
     Remembering Sodoshi's balance beam was in the room - at
least it was the last time he looked - he stumbled backwards,
letting his opponent think he was trying to get away.
     A couple more steps and he suddenly grabbed the demon's
shredded blouse, dropped to his back on the firm mats, stuck a
foot in the creature's stomach, and flipped it high over his
head.  It landed with a sickening crunch as its back struck the
elevated surface of the balance beam while the rest of its body
continued to the floor.
     With a sigh of relief, Jeff disengaged himself from the
still clinging claws and rolled to his feet.  The creature
remained still, its body bent grotesquely over the balance beam.
     "Note to self; trust nothing you see here," he said aloud as
he started for the door again.  "Wherever here might be."
     He had taken only a couple of steps away from the creature
when the sounds of bones cracking and movement behind him caused
him to stop.
     "I don't believe this," he said, still staring at the door.
     Slowly, he turned.  What he saw caused his jaw to drop.  As
if controlled by some unearthly force, the creature slowly rose
to its clawed feet.  With jerky motions, it advanced like a
marionette; its torso grotesquely bent forward in a 'V' shape. 
Thick saliva dripped from its jowls.
     "This is not good," Jeff mumbled as he started to retreat.
     He had almost backed his way to the door when a blue-black
beam, like a black light, suddenly enveloped the lurching
creature.  With howls of pain, it's head thrown back, the
creature slowly dissolved into a repulsive smelling blue cloud.
     Jeff stared for a few moments at the spot where the creature
had been.  As he did, the room slowly faded away, leaving him
standing on a smooth black floor in what appeared to be a dark
cave.  A series of small torches lit the walls and offered
precious little illumination to his surrounding.
     From the darkness came a deep voice.  Speaking an ancient
form of Japanese, Jeff struggled to translate.  It sounded like
the voice said: "You just can't get good help anymore."
     Jeff glanced around without moving his head.  "That's what I
hear.  Maybe you should try a different agency."
     The voice chuckled deeply.  "Perhaps you are right."
     A section of the wall off to Jeff's left slowly lit up to
reveal a withered old man, wearing a samurai general's full
armor.  He looked as old as the style of armor he wore, his long
white beard hanging down his front.  Whoever he was, Jeff got the
uncomfortable feeling this was no friend of the Cold Moon Clan.