NabikiRan133

Ranma and Nabiki,

"A Tale of Two Wallets!"

by

Jim Robert Bader

(Inspired by the works of Rumiko Takahashi & Others,

with special thanks to Nicole Manders who originally

created Ganglot and long ago gave me permission to use

her…take a bow wherever you're at, Nicole!)

Chapter One-Hundred-Thirty-Three.

The Artful Truth

Nabiki's Journal Resumes:

I sometimes wonder about what Lord Anri said when I was initiated at the Crossroads between realities, about life being a struggle between the polar opposites of Existence and Nullification.

If life is itself an affirmation of the principle of awareness, then being is an experience much like a dream in which you share a space with other dreamers, all of whom pursue a common goal of finding their inner bliss, and reconciling it with the hard reality of material living.

In which case I've been having a very good dream, and one I have no desire to be awaken from, especially as I have everything which I could ever desire close at hand and within the scope of my vision.

Take for example the little ball of energy that I was playing with on my lap just this afternoon while I sat on the porch and watched Ranma and Shampoo spar together, helping our wife get back the fighting trim that she is so justly proud about.

While I am nurturing a double pregnancy and am forced to constrain my own exertions on Doctor Tofu's orders, on pain of earning a displeased look from his own very-much pregnant wife, my half-sister, Ka-Chu.

The twin daughters that I carry are, of course, Ranma's as well, the fulfillment of my promise to him to be the next to bear his offspring…though I had not intended it to be quite so literal and immediate in the wake of Shampoo's delivery of little Shanma (or "Mountain Pony," if you will, as I prefer to think of her, despite her peculiar Cursed form being that of a purple furred Cat-Girl).

Truth to tell, there are a lot of us running around with bowling balls in our tummies, and all thanks to a certain meddlesome Oni Princess whom I could name, who thought it would be a hilarious lark to plant a seed for the future that she foresaw coming a long time before the rest of us.

And I still wonder just how the hell she got hold of that magical item that somehow managed to arrange unions and pairings that seem implausible to normal understanding.

Even as I was musing on this I heard Kodachi and Kasumi calling out to me as they joined me on the porch, and I did not need to turn my head to see the tell-tale bulge in Kasumi's abdomen. Kodachi's child, if you can believe it.

And no, I don't think that it has anything to do with Instant Nannichuan, or anything else to do specifically with Jusenkyo.

"Good afternoon, Neechan," my elder sister smiled down at me, "You are looking quite well."

"Likewise, Oniichan," I responded, giving Kodachi a look as she was one of the few among our female number who had emerged from the experience without somehow becoming pregnant. And without a word I could see that the lines of emotion that surrounded them affirmed that their bond was going just as strongly as ever.

"I spoke with Tatewaki-kun today," Kodachi murmured softly, almost apologetic for the raising of the subject.

"Oh?" I asked, as if I had no inkling of what to suspect, "And how is he doing?"

"Better," Kodacahi sounded genuinely regretful, "But ever since we got that thing out of him that was poisoning his mind…he has not been quite the same. He still has no memory of the incident, and while he has not reverted fully to the ambling poetry-spouting fool that we remember…neither is he quite himself in other respects."

"I'm really sorry to hear that," I said, and surprised myself to find that I actually meant it.

"The doctors believe that with time and the proper medication…he might be functional once again," Kodachi continued, "But in the meantime, the Board of Trusties is quite content to manage affairs. For the company, that is. I have succeeded in obtaining full control over the Household and our properties, thanks to Lady AAA taking a friendly interest."

I had to smile at that, for Kodachi sounded genuinely relieved not to be burdened with too many of the details concerning the day-to-day management of her family's corporate interests. She was quite content to live out the life of an aristocrat, living on a generous stipends that afforded her in the style to which she was accustomed, and enabling her to provide a stable home environment that she could provide to my sister, whom she regarded as virtually her wife in all senses but the legal.

"Glad to see that life has been good to you both," I noted, even while turning my focus back on watching Ranma try out a new technique that he had gotten off of one of Happosai's vast array of "borrowed" scroll texts.

"And not just for us, Neechan," Kasumi said pleasantly, "We stopped by to pay our respects to Akane, Ukyo and Makoto-chan. They all are doing quite well, and Doctor Tofu sees no complications in their own pregnancies."

Again I had that sour look of ironic reflection as I thought about the fact that Akane and Makoto both were expecting their own babies…only in their case understandable pregnancies since Ukyo's curse, and fondness for the both of them, made that almost a foregone conclusion.

And to think, it all began three months ago when we accepted that invitation from Ganglot to have a "victory ball," in celebration of Shampoo's pregnancy (and the banishment of her troublesome daughter-in-law)., a party held at Ukyo's restaurant that Ganglot catered to with plenty of food and entertainment, and the recital of an act from Shakespeare conducted by her servants, Romeo and Julian.

And yeah, just as you might expect, the genders were reversed with Romeo doing the male bits and Julian assuming the role of the tragic heroine.

Surprisingly enough, they carried it off in spite of the language problems, Ganglot having obviously coached them to get the proper syntax right with the idioms of Ionic Pentameter flowing like poetic sing-song from the lips of both actors.

The crown jewel of the whole affair-quite literally-had been when Ganglot had revealed her show-capper, which turned out to be an egg-shaped crystal that was revealed from its place of concealment, which captivated all of our attention (which, I later learned, was due to the fact that it carried a powerful magical enchantment that worked on everyone, especially we Lore Masters).

In attendance at that party were, of course, our extended family of Me, Ranma, Shampoo and little Shanma, Kodachi and Kasumi, Ukyo, Makoto and Akane, our fathers and their various respective wives and Mistresses, plus Cologne and Siren, and Ryoga with own his fiancée, Minako.

In addition to this were Ryomi (Ryoga's sister), Konatsu, Usagi and Rei, Ami and some guy whose name escapes me at the moment. And, of course, their friends, Haruka, Michiru, Hotaru and Setsuna. Oh, and Usagi's sometime boyfriend, Mammoru, who flew in from America for the occasion.

Ranma's cousin, Tenchi, and his merry crew of misfit alien brides and wannabes were there as well, with Ryoko and Ayeka fussing about which one of them would get to stuff the most food into the mouth of their respective boyfriend.

Come to think of it, since Cologne is Tenchi's aunt, that kind of makes them family from both ends of the spectrum, since Shampoo is sort of like a second cousin, though I'm not about to mess with the complicated Juraian rules about family association.

Then, of course, there were Peorth and Bentan, along with some of their friends (whom I happen to know were more than they appeared to be), a guy named Keiichi and his wife, Belldandy (whose voice oddly sounds a bit like my sister), and Belldandy's sisters, Urd and Skuld, Keiichi's sister, Megumi, and some blonde haired girl whose appearance I didn't like at first, name of Mraller.

Shampoo's parents were there, along with her younger twin sisters, and their mutual boyfriend, Senzenin Mikado, if you can believe that since he got dumped by his ditzy partner, Azusa.

Also there was an "old friend" of Uncle Genma's, a Circus Proprietor named Lady Sakura, and her daughter, Kaoru (whom I happen to know is Ranma's half-sister, though I've yet to fully explain how that little revelation came about without Genma getting skewered by his other ladies)

Oh yeah, and Kaoru's own fiancée, Ryo Kumon (about whom I've related at some length in another entry, the one regarding Ranma's discovery and mastery of the Senkens…though I'm happy to say that he has yet to acquire any comely female Elemental servants as extra baggage).

Of course Ryonami and Gosukugi were there, along with a bunch of other guys too numerous to count, which would have made this a pretty big shindig even without Ganglot's little "surprise" package going off in our midst and turning our party into an all-out spontaneous orgy.

Even I got sucked into the bedazzlement that caused us all to tear off our clothes and go at it like frenzied sex maniacs, and I don't have too clear a memory about how the next two hours or so went, save that I get flashes from time-to-time of being in the arms of some rather unlikely casual bedmates.

Well, to make a short reference out of a full length Porn Movie, the upshot was that half the women attending that little bash wound up discovering, a couple weeks later, that we were all carrying some souvenir momentous for our troubles, and sometime during the next nine months we'd be increasing the population of Nerima (and other points nearby) by a substantial amount. And not all of the pairings turned out to be the boy-girl kind as this spell seemed to enable lots of female-to-female pregnancies, like the one shared by Kodachi and my sister.

Not too surprisingly, Ganglot skipped town shortly after pulling this stunt, and only surfaced again after she was sufficiently assured that tempers had cooled, and no one (not even Cologne) would be making motions in the direction of locking her back up in that pyramid from which she had escaped after three hundred years or so of exile.

Especially since Siren in particular was grateful for the fact that she and the Elder are going to be parents after just about as long a period of courtship.

Oddly enough, once people had time to sort things out, there turned out to be quite a few parties who were more than grateful to the Oni Princess for having pulled her prank as most of the couplings appear to have been what they secretly had wanted. This after Lotion and I confirmed, by our arts, which party had done the nasty with whom in order to make the child within their womb.

Almost as if the spell had been a wish fulfillment for couples who yearned to have a child together, but might otherwise not have for one reason or another.

I had noticed that Lotion herself had avoided the party in question and quizzed her about this afterward, but she had just smiled and obliquely said, "That sort of thing is for young people, and not a tired old bag of bones like me."

She then went on to critique me for not being sharp enough to sense that Ganglot had been about to do, but I had to use the lame excuse that it's difficult to predict things with an Oni as they tend to screw up probability lines, as exemplified by the direction-challenged line of the Hibiki.

I have a distinct feeling that we will be feeling the consequences of this mass birthing of unusual and gifted progeny long into the future. But that's a side issue compared to sorting out the implications of group pregnancy as couples had to make fateful decisions about whether or not to firm their union.

Which-as I well know-can be complicated and tricky from a legal standpoint, let alone by the standards of society, which is not always very approving of such innovations as girl-girl or group marriage.

But I am content to call Shampoo my wife and Ranma my husband and that's all that needs to be said about the matter. And-thankfully-now that Cybele is out of the picture, there are no angry mobs with pitchforks storming at our gates demanding that we conform to the approved Japanese community social standards.

I turned back to Kodachi and Kasumi and asked, "Have they made a decision yet which one Ukyo intends to marry?"

"They have," Kodachi replied, "After much due consideration, they have settled upon having Kuonji-san wed Makoto, since she is officially registered as a man in a legal sense. Meanwhile Konatsu has boldly taken the initiative to claim Akane for his wife, pledging himself to raise their offspring as if she were his own."

"Can't say I find that too surprising," I said with a lifting of eyebrows, knowing how much Konatsu tends to worship the ground upon which my younger sister treads as if she were an incarnation of the Goddess.

And speaking of Goddesses…well, why spoil the surprise? Except to say my spiritual God-Mother and Benten are about to bless us all with yet another divine revelation.

I don't need my perceptions as a Lore Master to foresee that the future is going to be a very colorful one…and potentially quite explosive if these up-and-coming youngsters turn out to be anything like their respective parents.

Mine included, it needs go without saying.

But that is for the future, and as a wise man (or wise guy, assuming that there is any difference) once said, the future is not set, and can pretty much take care of itself since we have enough trouble managing the present.

And speaking of the present, my daughter (yes, I think of her as that even if she wasn't born of my womb but from the loins of my wife and my husband) needed diaper changing, so I tend to that all-too-necessary assignment while Ranma and Shampoo cheerfully pummel each other like two lovebirds who are doing what they most enjoy (that doesn't require taking their clothes off, except when one or both of them get tossed into the koi pond).

Of course, the really fun thing about having a wife who turns into a cat, and a husband who turns into a busty redhead, is that they can both curl up on my lap when they are done exhausting themselves with their complicated maneuvers. It's really quite a satisfying arrangement, any way you care to look upon it. And for all that we do have our moments, well…

Ranma is stubborn, but he tends to listen to me when I offer him advice, which same goes for Shampoo, who treats me as much as a big sister as a love interest. I have very little difficulty getting them to do what I want, which kind of makes me the one in control of the two most powerful fighters in Nerima, Ryoga-kun notwithstanding.

There is a lot of leverage that comes with that responsibility, and while our lives are hardly what one would call tranquil, it's nice to have resources like them to fall back upon when I'm going through the process of becoming a mother in my own right, and will be less able to defend myself through my Lore Master abilities while I'm temporarily sidelined against strenuous exertions.

But I do have friends and other allies to call upon when I have a need for backup, and I'm rich in IOUs that I've earned through my labors. And as such I consider myself wealthy beyond measure since I'm favorably well regarded in the community as someone who can help resolve problems, cut deals and arbitrate resolutions between contending parties.

And it doesn't hurt that I've got a handy nest-egg stored up in my personal bank accounts, just for those times when it pays to have a little something extra, to pay the bills and various other…expenses.

And to think, this all began when I acted on impulse and made the decision to be the one who would honor our family agreement to wed the two schools of the Anything Goes School together. Even knowing how my life would be turned upside down, I wouldn't change a bit of it for all the world, because in Ranma I have found a partner, and in Shampoo I have found my better half. This Tale of Two Wallets that I began almost three years ago has fulfilled me in ways that go beyond monetary compensation, and now I am actually looking forward to a bright and very interesting future where the road ahead stretches out before me.

With my loved ones at my side, all three of us (and the kids) moving forward to meet whatever destiny awaits us with open eyes and hearts that are firm and unflinching…

Somewhere beyond the Veil that separates the Worlds of the Living and Beyond…

"I must say that I am very cross with you, Cybele. To come so far and fall so deep that you now grovel at my feet like a lowly commoner. And to think, you once were worshipped among Mortals as a God, with men ready to castrate themselves in order to gain your favor."

Cybele glared from among the various vine-like tentacles that restrained her essence, her not-quite-physical body being subjected to the sort of punishment that would have made a character from Urotsukudoji blush with shame, while before her the Demon Queen of the 99 Hells looked on from her throne in much amusement.

"Cat got your tongue?" asked Hild as she sipped from a wine glass, knowing full well that her once-rival and long-hated enemy (though, farther back in time, they had been something much closer than this, though neither preferred to remember affairs that far back) could hardly speak with her mouth full of tentacle. Nor could any of her other abused openings be of much service save to suffer in not-so-silent torment for her many past sins. Which made the taunting even more unbearable as Hild added, "You once had much more to say to me than that."

Cybele could only scowl, and that not very good with her jaws pried wide open as she writhed in torment from the waves that were alternately quite pleasurable and quite painful.

"Betrayed by a loved one," Hild mused, looking wistful, "How well I know what that feels like. Honestly, children these days have no appreciation for what we must suffer and go through for their sake. But, then again, I suppose I should cut you a little slack. After all, it was my sister who, ultimately, was to blame for your undoing. Ganglot always was a troublesome handful…and now that she has rejected the ways of Hell completely and is actively helping the Mortals achieve happiness and contentment…well. Let's just say it is not exclusively you whom I find most annoying."

Despite the torment she had to endure, Cybele actually arched an eyebrow to this.

"It was not always so," Hild went on, "Back when we were all so much younger, before the divisions that separated Hell from Heaven even existed…we were all so innocent and carefree. Back then there was no difference between Demons and Gods. We were all simply Immortal beings of power, among the oldest of all races, free to explore our potential to its limitless dimensions…"

Cybele did indeed remember those "Old Days," and rather fondly at that. Back when you could seduce mortals and discard them, burn down their villages if they failed to make the right sort of offerings, slaughter and eat them at will, smite your enemies with a bolt of lightning, or turn them into various forms of wildlife at a whim, and generally carry on to your hearts content with no thought at all about the logical consequences. Back when Men were Men and Gods were Gods, and everyone damn well knew their place in the scheme of things, before the Council was formed to keep the balance between worlds, before the division was set down to set rules regarding the conduct of Gods and Humans.

"And then the quarrel happened that divided us all, where some of us took the side of Humanity," Hild continued as if mirroring her thoughts, "And others allied ourselves with the Dark, and still others removed themselves completely from the worlds of Light and Darkness and sought out different pathways. That was when the All Mighty One discovered the Runes of Power and engraved them upon his staff, which was forged of a branch of the Tree of Life itself. Before Yggdrasil was created, and the Pact, and this business about us competing for shares among the mortals got set into motion. Ah yes…such memories."

Cybele was picking something up in the tone of the Ruler of Hell and wondered if her rival were making a point of some kind or another. Cybele could remember as well what life had been like before the Fall, how very different her goals had been back then. Eons before she had fallen in love with the demi-Mortal known as Razor, and fostered through him the line of the Hibikis.

"I can see that you are thinking about it too," Hild remarked, "When Ganglot and I…you and the All Mighty One, and so many other of we, the Ancient Race, believed that eternity would beckon for us with limitless horizons. And now I find myself cast down to rule over the Damned who have cast their lot with me, while you had brief control over the miraculous technologies of human science, which-admittedly-is primitive but is fast approaching the technical scope of heaven. Which means that you do possess some sills that I might yet find…useful."

Cybele dared not hope that something was in the works here. In fact, the very real possibility was that Hild was taunting her to build up false hopes of an early release and would likely dash them in the next instant, claiming that she had merely been toying with her new "plaything."

But then Hild surprised her by saying, "It is not merely my troublesome sister who concerns me just now. It is the one who also brought about your undoing…this young Lore Master, Tendo Nabiki."

Suddenly Cybele saw what her captor was aiming to bring about by her seeming meandering monologue. If Hild herself was becoming alarmed at the growth rate in this mortal woman's potential…

"She associates with a Nexus," Hild went on, "And another Nexus has just entered the picture, one born of a member of the Star Race, which by itself is quite disturbing. And now the Goddesses and even the hated Senshi have begun to orbit their cozy little cradle…that does touch me in a very close and personal place in which I live. Particularly since Urd herself has been affected…and by that useless Mraller of all the possible tools whom I might expect to give me a grandchild…"

Had Cybele been free to speak she would have put in her own curt observations on just what a handful this Nabiki had turned out to be. But she was pretty sure that Hild was fully aware about her record, as the Queen of Hell did not get where she was without developing multiple sources of information.

"I believe that I will keep you here and groom you to be my instrument as I test this mortal and discover whether or not she has the potential to tilt the balance between worlds by her endeavors," Hild noted, "When you are ready then we will have to go about finding you a new vessel that will allow you to walk once again among the humans. But until that time I will bide myself and continue to observe. After all, there is no sense in being Hasty while we sort about and observe this human's progress."

Cybele rolled her eyes, knowing that she would have to endure being the plaything for her rival for considerably longer than she cared to have to suffer through. But at least the possibility of getting revenge was being discussed, which meant that there was something that could make her ordeal bearable as she hung naked in space being violated by demons whose multiple appendages would cause envy in a Shikima.

Hild leaned back on her throne and continued to enjoy the show. Yes, she definitely would be looking into the possibility of using this worthless Cow (who, at one time, had been fairly good in bed, before Hild's tastes had gone in for the more exotic) in an effort to counter the meddling attempts of her sister to muck up the mortal world with happiness and contentment. Time enough that Ganglot was reminded just what Oni Demons were supposed to do with humans, especially the ones who were particularly tasty-looking.

But not right away. After all, if this Nabiki were as potentially powerful as indications seemed to show, then simply killing her would be entirely out of the question. Among other things, it would quite possibly annoy HIM, especially as Heaven was clearly taking just as much of an interest.

And besides…Nabiki herself might some day prove useful to their cause…or her children. Quite possibly one of them might have a weakness that could be exploited. And if so…

Well, that was for the future to decide, and Hild was not about to rush things as she had developed quite a taste of human reality shows, most particularly the ones that her monitors were finding centered in Nerima…

"I'm so glad that you could meet with me on such short notice." Ganglot said to her lovely guest, "I know what an inconvenience it was having to travel such a distance, and in your condition."

"Not at all," replied Kaoru as she sat across the table from the golden skinned woman, whom she could perceive was more than a harmless proprietor without having to refer to her ever-present Tarot cards. "Since you were paying for the train ticket that I used to commute here from mother's circus."

"I do hope that there is no lingering…resentment…considering the part that I played in your being with child," Ganglot continued, "In fact, I'm sure quite a few people are more than a bit cross with me over my little…prank?"

Kaoru smiled, patting her swelling abdomen, "You need not have any fear from me on that particular subject. In fact, I am quite grateful to you for helping Ryo-chan and me to become parents this soon in our relationship. And here I was afraid that I was going to have to seduce him to get him to marry me when he's still a bit…obsessed over the idea of rebuilding his family dojo."

"Men often need quests and goals to make their lives seem fulfilling," Ganglot smiled, then mused, "So I suppose that I should cut to the chase and get down to business. As you no doubt already know, I did not do this on a whim but for a very specific purpose, one which I am certain you have already guessed the nature of with your special gifts."

"You perceive rightly," Kaoru smiled, "I, too, am concerned about my little brother and what the fates may have in store for that special child of his…and it makes sense to me that you have opted to surround him with unusually gifted peers who will be at or around her age group, only some of whom will be allies in the future."

"She doesn't need simply allies who are strong," Ganglot replied, "She will need rivals and enemies who will challenge her to get stronger. And knowing, as I do, the pride of the Saotome and Tendo clans, she will only reach her best by facing a series of challenges that will test her mettle and help to strengthen her. And, of course, few challenges are as perilous as the ones of the heart since I foresee the potential of suitors crossing her path who will offer their own special brand of complications."

Kaoru spread her cards out on the table in front of her then began to pick ones at seeming random, spreading them out and placing them face-down in the traditional pattern that was meant to resemble the Tree of Life before turning the first card over.

"You see the threats that she will face will slowly escalate over time," Kaoru said as she turned over the next card then added, "But the ultimate challenge and goal comes from outside her circle of relationships and friends. I see the hand of the Devil poses the greatest threat to her achieving the purpose of the fates."

"My sister," Ganglot noted grimly, "And Cybele, should she ever find a way of returning to the mortal plane. I cut her power line, but only temporary, and she will not be too pleased with me if she ever manages to get back."

"You wish to arrange matters to operate on their own momentum should you be unable to act on your own more directly," Kaoru looked up from the cards that she had systematically revealing, "You foresee the possibility of your own potential demise?"

"Or worse," Ganglot grimaced, "I could be sealed away for another three hundred years if my sister has anything to say about it. And if that should be the case, I want to be sure that these kids have the tools that they will need to get by on their own without me."

"I see," Kaoru noted, glancing down, "I do not foresee any major trouble in the immediate future…but the further you move forward in time the more difficult it will be to foretell what might happen. The problem with a Nexus…let alone two of them…is that they are granted Free Will for a reason, to make choices that are unimpeded by others. By their very nature they complicate the lines of fate and make possible a variety of alternate destinies…"

"Yes, I'm rather fond of Fanfiction myself," Ganglot smiled, but then sobered once again, "Do you foresee the possibility of my Champion becoming romantically embroiled with a servant of the enemy? Because that is usually the preferred means by which Hild tries to control people."

"That is certainly one of many possibilities that I see open to the pathway that my niece will tread," Kaoru replied, then glanced up and said, "You really didn't need me to tell you most of this since you've obviously planned ahead."

"On the contrary," Ganglot replied, "You have the gift of Sight, which is rare enough these days among mortals, and have a much stronger connection to the paths of destiny since you are mortal and I…well, let's just say that I've been around a very long time. I can feel the shape of fate when Destiny reveals his hand, but I can't specifically nail down anything where it comes to those I most care about. That's why it pays to get an outside consultant to do a reading."

"I see," Kaoru leaned back on her chair and felt her abdomen, "But since my own child may well play a part in this destiny, it could interfere with my own ability to read the lines of possibility. So…what do you recommend?"

Ganglot smiled, "I want you to do something that may be asking a great deal from you. I want you to renew your ties with your brother, Saotome Ranma, and reveal to him in time the connection between his father and your mother. But mostly, I want you to do this as a means of getting closer to Tendo Nabiki."

Kaoru arched an eyebrow, "But why? She's obviously very gifted with the sight…"

"But her gifts are not precisely the same as your gifts," Ganglot revealed, "I want to encourage you to teach her a little something about your ways, and to initiate her into the art of the Tarot, which are very different from the disciplines that she is learning from Lotion, the Lore Master."

"But won't her Sensei object to the interference of a rival art distracting her away from her own special teachings?" Kaoru asked.

"Trust me," Ganglot affirmed, "Lotion is more sensible than almost any other Amazon that I've ever crossed paths with. And she will know my reason for wanting to broaden the knowledge basis of her favorite apprentice. And I believe the divination arts that you inherited from your mother are a vital key component to what it will take for Nabiki to triumph over her own special challenges, once she gets through with the difficult art of giving birth to new life. And it will help if you reveal to her than one of her daughters will be a Lore Master, the other a Healer. That much I can foresee and reveal without tipping the balance too far between either Hell or Heaven."

"Interesting," Kaoru overturned one of the cards, then lifted an eyebrow and said, "The Lovers? Curious. I would think Nabiki's romantic life was complicated enough without having additional distractions."

"Who can say with love?" Ganglot smiled back, "In a way, this all began for me when I stared to fall in love with humanity, during the years of my imprisonment, when all that I could do was observe things from a distance. Then I discovered Cable, and…well…I'd be very upset if the entertainment value that humankind provides were brought to a tragic ending. But I also have the selfish motive that my own family, the Hibikis, are interwoven with the fate of the Saotomes."

"In which case I am very glad that you summoned me here," Kaoru said, "Because I had been wondering what a Princess of the Oni was doing siding with us against her own kind. You have to admit, it does raise quite a few eyebrows in certain quarters."

"I've never been one much for playing by the rules," Ganglot said, "And ever since the All Mighty One drew them up, eons ago, I've chaffed under the stifling label of being considered as one of the "Bad Guys." Heck, in my time I was a pretty awful person, sowing misery and dissent among innocent people who had not done anything in particular to deserve that from me. But over the centuries I'd pretty much seen the best and the worst that mortals had to offer, and I had gotten pretty jaded about it…until I discovered daytime Soap Operas, Talk shows and Romantic Adventure Dramas. That and Anime…I love the stuff that they put out in cartoons these days, even if they do tend to stereotype my kind rather badly."

"I suppose that our race does have our redeeming features," Kaoru mused.

"Yeah, even if you guys did invent Infommertials and the Fox News channel," Ganglot shuddered, "Even most Demons that I know aren't warped or evil enough to come up with something as perverted as all of that."

"You mean to say that Rupert Murdock isn't one of your kind?" Kaoru asked.

"Hey, trust me on this," Ganglot replied, "When it comes to inventing new forms of evil, you humans have it way over we of the Demonkind. Heck, many of the worst devils that I know originally started out as lowly humans."

"You do have a point there," Kaoru said, only to look up as Romeo and Julian entered the room, the former looking as heavily pregnant as Kaoru herself as she said, "Mistress…is it good for my Airen and me to go shopping at store? You will not need us right away?"

"You kids go have some fun, and leave me to contemplating my wicked fates for the evening," Ganglot said, then watched as her two ex-Amazon charges went off together before saying, "Good company those two have been over the past couple of years. I look forward to seeing what sort of little Hell Raiser they'll be producing in a bit. Ah…mortals. You grow up in the bat of an eyelash, and then you're gone…too soon for my liking. And each of you is unique and special in your own special way, never to be repeated…exactly."

"I think that I understand you better now," Kaoru mused, standing up with some difficulty, "Well, I don't want my own husband fretting too much about where I've gotten off to, and I have just enough time to pay my respects to my brother and sisters-in-law before I catch the train back to where our Circus is currently located."

Ganglot stood and bowed to her, "I am very honored that you took the time to visit with me. I hope that we have many more such productive conversations in the future."

"That is my hope as well," Kaoru replied as she gathered up her Tarot card, only to see one fall of its own accord out of her hands and land face-up upon the table.

Gantlot saw it and mused, "Interesting," and then she felt a stirring of power in the air and lifted her gaze, glancing sidelong before adding, "I was wondering when the two of you were going to show up."

Kaoru looked up in surprise at two strangers who had entered the room without her being aware of them, only to gasp as she saw the craggy, weathered features of the man and gasped, "Little Brother?"

""Funny to hear somebody call me that who looks young enough to be one of my kids," the man said simply, giving Ganglot a knowing look before adding, "Hiya, Gangly. Lookin' the same as always."

The woman at his side stepped forward, her features immediately recognizable, though she was older and-like the man-considerably more world-wise in appearance as she centered her focus upon Ganglot and said, "We need to talk."

"Of course we do," Ganglot said as she sat back down and laced her fingers while smiling at her new house guests, "Do have a seat, and let's get down to business."

"Don't mind if we do," the woman replied, giving a friendly nod to Kaoru before adding, "Don't mind us, Sister-in-law. In fact, this need not concern you at all, so why don't you go on about your business while we sit down to settle old accounts with our family's guardian Oni."

And like that Kaoru found herself outside of Ganglot's art studio, blinking her eyes at the sudden transition of it all, though she had no memory of having gotten up to leave the place.

She glanced backwards and then murmured, "I have a feeling that I am missing something here, and that is very…ominous." And then she glanced down at several Tarot cards that she was holding in her hand, seeing the Magician, High Priestess and Fortitude Card.

Set in opposition to the Tower Struck by Lightning…

Continued.

And thus we come to the conclusion of this Epilogue (or Prologue, if you will), where the long saga of "A Tale of Two Wallets" officially is put to rest (but not forever as I have a deep affection for this particular timeline, and wouldn't mind visiting at points sometime in the not-too-distant (one hopes) future.

It has been quite a fun romp overall, but as with all things, time moves on and other projects beckon. I hope that you have enjoyed this multi-part crossover series, which has been as pivotal to my "Realities" series as my main series, "AVST: Nabiki ½," which I intend to get back to very shortly in order to devote myself to the conclusion of the current story arc that I've been neglecting for some time now.

Of course, my greatest thanks must go to Rumiko Takahashi for conceiving the original Ranma series, and while my take on her vision may be somewhat different than what she would have intended, I like to think that I have honored the spirit of her work, if not the exact letter.

This all began with the notion of what would happen if Nabiki accepted her engagement to Ranma, rather than pass it off to her younger sister, a premise that I also explore at some length in "Horse and Butterfly," which-again-is a series much neglected and deserving of attention.

One variation on "Tale of Two Wallets" that intrigues me is the possibility of doing a future-time "Kids" stories that doesn't cross over with other worlds (ala the "Realities" series), just to explore what the children might be like when Shanma and her siblings are old enough to be attending high school. Those who recall the versions that I used in "Realities Cubed" will know that Shanma is the top dog (or Catgirl) of her age with her younger siblings, Kachima, Kokaku and Mace, featuring prominently as the heirs to the various disciplines of the "Anything Goes" school.

Of course some changes would be necessitated if I go ahead with such a project, not least being the other kids that I have (metaphorically) conceived in this chapter, such as Ganymede, Kinko, Ryonako Naru, Ataro, Veil, Tenko, Lamyra and others, which makes for the possibility of lots of rivalries and personality clashes, the stuff that martial-arts fanfiction is all about (ala Keniichi, the Ultimate Disciple).

I hope that you might be as willing to take such a journey with me should I ever get it off the ground, but in the meantime, stay well, and keep reading! After all, a Mime is a terrible thing to taste (said the Zombie), and whatever the future may hold within the cards…

Well, the lady ain't telling, but from the smile that she's wearing you know that she's holding an ace or two somewhere…

Nihao!

Jim Robert Bader