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All original Ranma1/2 Characters and Backstory Copyright
Rumiko Takahashi, and are used without permission.

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Coutuva.



Goodbye Is Not Forever - Part Five
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	Soun exchanged a surprised look with Kasumi, then returned
his attention to Akane.
	"They didn't say anything else?"
	Akane huffed.  "No, Dad...  They didn't.  I don't know
what's going on."
	"That's unusual - perhaps he doesn't know himself yet,"
Kasumi suggested, eyebrows rising.
	"Hai.  I got that impression, all right.  But I don't know
why he took Nabiki with him - and didn't even offer to take me."
	Soun frowned.  "But that doesn't explain what happened to
my Dojo, or who is going to pay for the rebuilding.  I have
students on Monday morning," he glowered, with a look out into the
demolished yard.
	"Oh, Dad...  We can just get your friends to help us put it
back together - as usual."
	He looked back at her critically.  "At least those times,
we had something left to fix."
	"I'm sure we'll manage - we always do.  Shall I make
breakfast?"
	"Very good idea, Kasumi.  I'll be in the yard - picking up
the pieces.  Please call me when it's ready," Soun sighed, as he
rose and stepped out the doors.
	"Okay -- level with me Kasumi.  Are they an item?" Akane
buttonholed, before Kasumi could even start to get up.
	"I don't know, Akane.  Nabiki has been nicer to him, and
they do spend a lot of time together.  But I haven't seen anything
that might suggest such a thing."
	"Well I did.  The looks in their eyes said it all - I
just wondered if she'd said anything to you."
	"No, she hasn't.  About all she's ever done is asked how
you were feeling.  Apparently, Ranma was wondering."
	"I'll bet.  She's probably got him convinced I want
nothing to do with him," she huffed, crossing her arms.
        Kasumi sighed.  "That's not very fair, Akane.  After all,
you've often told me of your misgivings.  I'm quite certain that
Ranma would have noticed."
        "How?  He hasn't talked to me in a year - not more than
a few sentences, anyway.  And he's been staying a girl all the 
time, too - almost like he doesn't want to be a boy any more."
        "And how often have you tried to talk to him?"
	She flustered.  "I've tried -- lots of times -- but...  
But he...  He doesn't even talk the same anymore.  One second, he
sounds like he's from Osaka, and the next, he sounds like a girl.
And he's even using big words -- well, big for him, anyway.  It...
It's just too weird."
	Kasumi lowered an eyebrow.  "I think you've just answered
your own question, Akane-chan."
	Akane returned a blank gape for a moment, then lowered
her eyes.  "Hai...  Maybe."
	The elder Tendou nodded.  "Well, Akane...  What you
suspect certainly is possible, but I wouldn't close the door
just yet.  He is dealing with a lot, and this situation certainly
can't be helping.  You may find that once he's worked his way
through this, the entire picture could change."
	"Not if Nabiki can help it.  I think she 'likes' his girl
side," she countered, resignedly.
        Kasumi gasped in horror.  "Akane!  That's a terrible
thing to say!  Your sister's not like that!"
        Akane sighed.  "She's always been 'like that', neechan.
That's why I won't take a bath with her, and why we don't get 
along all that well.  I honestly thought you knew."
        "Well, I didn't, and...  And I certainly don't believe it," 
Kasumi flustered, her eyes darting to the side briefly.  "I have 
seen her entertain the odd young man..."
        "It's a cover, Kasumi.  She's dated more girls than guys,
but it never lasts long - not that I'm surprised.  She doesn't
know that I know, either - but I've seen it enough."
        Kasumi was speechless, despite looking like she wanted to
say something.
	Akane couldn't believe it.
	"Neechan?"
	"Oh -- I'm sorry, Akane.  I...  Forgot what I was going
to say," she recovered, composing herself quickly.  "Nonetheless, 
I would wait until they come back, and at least try to talk to
him - alone.  It's far better than trying to guess."
	She issued a slightly different sigh.  "Okay...  If you
say so, neechan."
	"I do.  I think that would be best.  Now then, would
you help me set the table?"
	"Sure...  Nothing else to do."
	Kasumi responded with only her trademark smile, albeit
looking slightly forced.




	The tools were out, the new part was ready, and Ranma
was getting impatient.
	"Can we get on with this?"
	"We certainly can," Himiko responded, as she pulled back
her shoulder-length, streaked brown hair and worked it through
a pony.
        Ranma, who was looking right at her, was again struck by
the impression that there was something familiar about her, but
still couldn't pin down what.  Just as it was starting to get on
her nerves, she happened to glance at Nabiki -- who also appeared
to have noticed something.
	She raised a questioning eyebrow, and waited for Nabiki to
look back toward her.  Unfortunately, the girl's gaze remained 
fixed.
        Himiko, meantime, had turned her attention to the service
panel and shoved her hands in.  "Nabiki-san, could you hand me
that 10 millimeter open-end, please?"
	Nabiki blinked, then stepped forward and picked up the 
item in question.  "Hai.  So what are you doing in there?"
	"Just taking out the old black box.  These cars were
made easy to service so people wouldn't be left stranded - if
all the parts are there."
	Ranma huffed.  "That isn't what I was talking about," she 
protested, wondering to herself about Himiko's attitude.  It 
seemed unusually laid back given the situation.
	Himiko responded by tossing her a smirk.  "Neither was I.
Anyway, here's the situation in a nutshell.  That 'girl' is a
genetically engineered assassin, sent here by a certain
clan - one that has a major grudge against yours.  They did it
now because their problems began with your children, and they
figured that if they got rid of you, the line would never
happen."
	"Kuso..."
	"Hai.  They knew that at this point in your life, they
needed a special type of 'weapon' to take you out, given your
ability and strength.  Since they didn't have one, they decided
to make one - and that 'thing' is it.  And from the data I've
seen, it has enough power to easily level half the city - in
one shot."
	"I don't get it -- why not just use a gun?" Nabiki
broke in, erking Ranma.
	Himiko sobered.  "This is pretty grim.  Sure you want
to hear it?"
        "Yeah.  I have to know what I'm up against."
        "Well...  The reason they're using this method is
because they wanted your body vaporized - absolutely nothing
left.  They wanted to be certain.  And for another thing, they
wanted their 'agent' to be expendable, so they couldn't have
it used against them if anything went wrong."
	Ranma shuddered.  "They must be pretty damned desperate."
	"They are.  Their aim is to get political control of 
Japan - for reasons I can't really get into.  However, your 
family is the only reason they're not already ruling, and trust 
me, you wouldn't want them to be."
	She had to shake her head.  "This is nuts - just
frigging nuts.  I feel like those actors in 'Galaxy Quest'."
	Nabiki chuckled, Himiko sighed.
	"I don't know what that means, but this is very real.  So
real that my orders are to kill that thing before it kills you."
	Ranma sobered.  "Kill her?  And just how are you gonna
do that?"
	"I have some weapons that can do it, if I can get off a
good shot.  It has to be perfect, though, or it'll just keep
coming.  Its 'power' is Ki energy, and if it's only wounded,
that energy will keep it alive - until it succeeds.  After that,
it won't matter."
	"It won't?"
	"No.  You see, it's being controlled by a neural implant,
and once it completes its mission, the implant will order it to
self-terminate."
	"Chikusho..."
	"No kidding.  So how is it you know so much about this?  
I thought you actually work for Ranma's family?"
	Himiko responded with a prideful grin.  "I'm the one who
discovered it all.  I was hacked into their corporate 'net,
looking for some other information.  I ended up tripping over an
un-encrypted workstation, and it had all kinds of information.
There's more that I haven't found, but it's just a matter of
time."
	"It was that easy?"
	"No, but that's the upshot.  I took it to the bigwigs at
SGT, and they decided to send me back to deal with it.  It's a
long, boring story, but they figured I was the best choice
because of my knowledge of the situation," she grinned, as she
exchanged the old part with Nabiki.  "They had to train me to
use the weapons, though.  I'd never even held one before all
this happened."
	"Now that's comforting."
	The woman frowned.  "Sorry, Ranma - but there really
wasn't much of a choice.  Several others wanted the job, but the
company didn't want to risk them.  They asked me, and I accepted."
	"Iya -- I wasn't trying to insult you..."
	"I know...  I admit, I'm not the best shot in the world,
but it's that thing or me - and I want to get back my own time.  
I'm in the middle of an important project, and it's on a deadline," 
she returned, then turned back toward her task.
	Ranma blinked, then exchanged a look with Nabiki.
	"Okay...  Well, I'm sorry for saying that.  I'm just a
bit freaked, here," she huffed, slumping back against the side
of the vehicle.  "So how are we gonna stop her?  She's kicking
out so much power I can't even get close to her."
	"All we can do is draw it out and catch it off-guard.
That's why I let you bring Nabiki.  She's a low-priority target,
but dealing with three of us might give me a window."
        "Low priority?  Thanks, Himiko-san."
        "Gomen.  I didn't mean that like it sounded.  Uhm...
Could you pass me that standard screwdriver?  I can't get this
connection boot off."
	"Not like we have much choice, I guess.  Kuso, I can't
believe she can control so much power and still stand. I kick
out a couple of good-sized blasts and it wipes me right out,"
Ranma frowned, looking down at her hands.
	"There's a reason for that, too.  That thing was
'engineered', remember?  The rules don't apply to it like they
do to you," Himiko supplied, as she took the tool from Nabiki.
"It's like a lightning rod, to borrow a tired analogy.  The
power it uses is unlimited, and it can transfer an unbelievable
amount - with only a short breather to 'charge back up'.
Damn -- I can't get this to budge."
	"Let me have a look," Nabiki offered, stepping up beside
her.
	"Sure!  It's that one - the one with all the scratches
on it."
	"Okay...  Screwdriver?  Hmmm...  Aha!" she muttered,
followed by a tight popping sound.  "Got it.  Want me to swap
them out?"
	"Why not?  You're already in there," Himiko grinned, her
eyes hinting that she found the situation more than just a
little interesting.
	Ranma made a mental note of it.
	"Anyway, if all that stuff is true, then why'd she back
off when you shot at her?  I've seen her do it twice now."
	"I don't really know why, but its power is affected by
the makeup of the particle beams.  They have the same effect as 
that diffuser I used at the house.  About all I do know is that 
they were both specifically developed so that I can take that 
thing out - if I get a good, clean shot at it.  But that's the 
tough part, since it knows I have them."
	"Yeah.  Then I guess we..." she began, only to be
interrupted by a shrill beeping from inside the car.
	"Nabiki!  Hurry up!  It's coming back!" Himiko shouted,
pulling the small device she'd used earlier from her jacket
pocket.
	"Shimata!  One more bolt!" Nabiki cursed, reaching into
the opening with her other hand.
	Above them, the sky lit up in the same brilliant yellow
that accompanied the ball earlier, followed by the appearance
of the same ball.  Before Ranma could even finish her jaw-drop,
the ball unleashed a blast straight at her.
	Instinctively, she dove aside, but the concussion sent
both her and Himiko sprawling.  Nabiki, by virtue of having
something to grab, was only flattened against the side of the
car.
	"Nabs!  You all right?" she shouted, as she sprang to
her feet.
	"Ah -- yeah!  Almost done!" came the strained response,
at which she turned her attention back to her attacker.  The
ball had now settled to the ground, and was beginning to
dissipate.
	"Hah!" Himiko exclaimed, as she fired toward the figure
emerging from the ball.
	The beam missed by several feet, and caused the girl
to point an arm at Himiko and return the favor.
	Desperate, Ranma grabbed a nearby broken branch and threw
it between them, hoping to stop the blast.  It worked, but the
branch exploded into a storm of shrapnel, and some of it pelted
Himiko.
	"Okay -- you asked for it," she growled, and set herself.
        Her eyes closing, she cleared her mind and forced her
concentration to the palms of her hands, then brought them
together before her.  As they met, her eyes flew open and locked
on her target.  "MOUKO TAKABISHA!"
        The powerful yellow orb exploded from her hands and
rocketed across the clearing, striking the girl head-on.  To her
amazement, the girl shrieked as she was blown backwards, and
rolled to a crumpled heap several meters away.
        After shaking off her shock, Ranma leapt over to Himiko's
side and helped the woman up, then grabbed her and launched them
both back to the car.
        Nabiki, just finished locking the panel down, dove into
the car just as Ranma had set Himiko in her seat.
        "You okay to get us out of here?"
        "H-hai...  Get in!"
        "I'm already there," she countered, landing in her seat
just as the craft lifted off.
        "Did you take her out?" Nabiki asked, between gasps of
breath.
        "I..." she began, just as the car rocked from a nearby
detonation.
        "I'll take that as a 'no'."
        "Hang on!" Himiko ordered, at which Ranma felt herself
again sink into the seat.  Just as she turned to check on Nabiki,
she felt her hand being taken.
        "You really okay?  I saw you get hit..." she asked,
despite her relief at the act.
        Nabiki smirked.  "Takes more than that to crack this old
nut," she intoned, with a knock to her forehead.
        "Yeah...  Well, do me a favor -- don't put that to the
test too often, huh?"
        "You either, Ranma," Himiko broke in, her tone serious.
"You go and make it easy for that thing to nail you, and this
will all have been for nothing.  You got lucky back there."
        She huffed.  "Maybe, but I'll take it.  It looked like it
might have hurt her."
        "I think it did - and I'm amazed.  It walked right into
it.  Like it either didn't expect it, or wasn't concerned about
it.  Was that your biggest one?"
        "Iya.  I deliberately held back.  If I have to, I can make
it about double that - but it knocks me on my ass."
        "I thought that might be the case.  Okay, I think we've
left it behind for now, so we'd better find someplace to hide out.
I don't know about you guys, but I'm starting to get tired."
        "Kuso...  No damned wonder I feel so fried.  I haven't
gotten any sleep yet, either.  But...  If that 'thing' can find me
without seeing me, how are we gonna get a chance to do that?"
        Himiko didn't answer.
        "Himiko-san?"
        "Uhm...  There is a place, but it's not exactly
conventional," she explained, hesitantly.
        "And what do you mean by that, praytell?" Nabiki broke in,
leaning forward in her seat.
        "Well, this car isn't just basic transportation.  The
type is used to shuttle the execs between continents in only a
few hours, or transport people to the International Orbital 
Research Station," she stated, with a glance over her shoulder.
        Nabiki's eyes lit.  "You mean this thing is spaceworthy?"
        "*Space*-worthy?  What are you thinking, Nabs?"
        Himiko smiled and nodded.  "It is.  If you're up for it,
we can go into orbit.  That thing can't breathe out there, and
shouldn't be able to detect us at that kind of distance."
        Nabiki grinned.  "Let's do it!"
        "Ahhh...  You gone crazy on me, Nabs?"
        "Iya...  And what's the matter, Ranma?  No sense of
adventure?"
        "Adventure, yeah - suicide, no!  If anything happens, or
something breaks..."
        "Beats letting the human torch turn you into blackened
redhead on a dustpan, doesn't it?  And besides...  I've always
wanted to see what it's like up there."  As she spoke, Ranma felt
her grip tighten slightly.  She had to smile.
        "All right.  You talked me into it."
        "Okay, you two.  I've already set us on course for a low
orbit, so all that remains is to get there and get comfortable.
I can set a timer too, if you want."
        Ranma shook her head.  "Nope.  I want to get all the rest
I can...  I have a feeling I'm gonna need it."
        "Hai...  Me, too.  By the way, I brought some clothes,
and a couple of blankets - want anything?"
        "Huh?  What did you do?  Pack for a trip?"
        Nabiki nodded.  "Sort of.  I've been keeping a bag packed
in my closet...  Just in case I ever happened to need it."
        Ranma blinked, then smiled at how the girl's face was
actually colouring.  "Good thinking.  Got a big shirt or 
something?  I'd kinda like to get out of this stuff - been 
wearing it for two days."
        "Uhm...  I have a nightgown, if you can handle it."
        She sighed.  "Yeah, okay...  Beggars can't be choosers, I
guess."
        "Oh, come now, Ranma.  You are in your girl form, after
all," Himiko dropped in, a snicker in her eyes.
        Ranma shot her a look.  "Why do I get the feeling you're
enjoying this?"
        Himiko smiled.  "Probably because I am," she chuckled, then
turned back to her instruments.
        "Figures," she huffed, then pulled her tank over her head.
        Nabiki only snickered as she rooted through her bag.




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END  - Goodbye Is Not Forever - Part 5  A Ranma1/2 Fanfic by Coutuva

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