

'I TOOK THE ONE LESS TRAVELLED BY...'

An URUSEI YATSURA Fanfiction story by Richard Suzuki

(Originally published in U.S.A. YATSURA APA #22)

	It was a bright, clear morning that promised to turn into a 
beautiful day.  The sun beamed down from a gorgeous blue sky onto 
the frequently battered but always steadfast face of Tomobiki High 
School.  The shrill piping of cicada played counter-point to the 
joyous songs of birds.  A slight breeze rustled the leaves of the 
trees and wafted the faint scent of flowers through the open windows 
of the school.  It was one of those days when nature seemed absurdly 
pleased with itself and intended to show off all of its splendor.

	But the display outside was lost on Ryunosuke Fujinami as she 
morbidly dressed for school.  Her boy's uniform waited on a hanger as 
she tightened the wrapping around her chest.  The wrapping flattened 
her breasts against her body while making it only moderately difficult 
to breathe.  Ryunosuke adjusted the strips of cloth and sighed.  But 
the few times she had gone without it had been so disastrous that she 
had little choice about wearing it.  She endured the discomfort 
stoically but allowed some wistful thoughts to float through her mind 
as she combed her short, bushy hair.

	There were actually a large number of things Ryunosuke wished 
for.  She wished her father had not raised her to act the son he had 
wanted instead of the daughter she was.   She wished her masculine 
habits had proven easier to break so that she might at least try to 
act like a girl.  She wished she didn't look so damn much like a boy 
with her uniform on over her wrapping.  She wished the guys at school 
who knew she was a girl would stop making passes at her and she wished 
the girls who thought she was a guy would stop trying to get her 
attention.  She wished her father had not arranged for her to be 
engaged to Nagisa, the ex-ghost transvestite son of one of her 
father's dead friends, who was also the newest addition to the 
Fujinami household.  She wished life in Tomobiki wasn't so 
complicated.  But today, above all else, Ryunosuke wished nobody 
would remember what day it was.

	"Happy Birthday, Ryunosuke-sama!" Nagisa cried out as Ryu 
stepped from her room.  

	"Damn", muttered Ryunosuke.  So much for that.

	It was one of the first times Nagisa had gotten up before 
Ryunosuke.  Having once died was sufficient grounds to be excused 
from school, even if that condition was later remedied.  Nagisa 
never had any need to wake up for school, and it was just as well.  
Ryu shuddered trying to imagine Nagisa wearing one of the schoolgirl 
uniforms.  This morning he was wearing a light summer dress with a 
cooking apron over it.  The table was already set with an elaborate 
breakfast which Mr. Fujinami was digging into with enthusiasm.

	"Nagisa-san cooked this fine breakfast for you, Ryunosuke,"  
Mr. Fujinami said from around a mouthful of rice.

	"If he cooked it for me, how come you've already finished most 
of it?" Ryunosuke grumbled as she sat down at the table.

	"Don't worry, Ryunosuke-sama, I cooked plenty."  Nagisa placed 
a steaming bowl of rice in front of Ryunosuke.

	Ryunosuke cautiously took a bite of fish and was surprised.  
She never knew Nagisa could cook.  But then he had been raised in a 
seaside cafe just like Ryunosuke, so he must have picked up some of 
the same cooking skills as she had.

	"Is it good?"  Nagisa asked, his face hopeful.

	"Un."  Ryunosuke answered non-committally.

	"Really?"  Nagisa was not fazed in the least by such a neutral 
answer.  "I'm so glad!  It's been such a long time since I last 
cooked, I was worried the food for the party might not be good."

	"Party?"  Ryu stopped in mid-chew.  "What party?"

	"Your birthday party, silly!"  Nagisa giggled girlishly.  Ryu 
really hated when he did that.

	"Nobody told me anything about any party!  How can we afford 
to throw a party?"  she demanded.

	"Do you think I'd let such an important day go by without 
celebrating?"  Mr. Fujinami asked while he stole one of Ryunosuke's 
pickles.

	"It's just my birthday!  I don't want a party!"  Ryunosuke 
protested, slapping away her father's chopsticks as he made a grab 
for her fish.

	"Nonsense, Ryunosuke!  It's a very important day for you!  
This is the day you grow up a little more!  It's the proudest day of 
a father's life!  One more step on the way to becoming a man!"  Mr. 
Fujinami paused to wipe away some tears, not noticing Ryunosuke 
gagging on her rice.  "Before you go to school today, Ryunosuke, we 
have to talk.  There are things a father has the responsibility 
to pass on to his son!  A real man-to-man talk!"

	"I AM A WOMAN!!!!" shouted Ryunosuke and emphasized the last 
word with a punch that sent her father crashing thru the wall.

	Another day at Tomobiki High had begun.


[Picture #1]


	Ryunosuke was later depressed to learn that Nagisa had already 
told the kids in her homeroom class about the party.  Ryunosuke had 
hoped she could have kept today a secret from them.  One reason for 
that was sailing toward her right now.

	"Happy Birthday, Ryu-chan!" exclaimed Ataru Moroboshi as he 
leaped at her, his arms flung wide.  "How about a birthday kiss?"

	Ryunosuke deftly kicked Ataru in the face to stop his forward 
momentum and followed up with a jab that sent him flying back the way 
he came.  The rest of the class hardly noticed Ryu's impressive 
display.  Ataru getting clobbered was one of the daily, almost hourly, 
rituals at Tomobiki.

	"Darling!  Stop bothering Ryunosuke on her birthday-cha," 
admonished Lum as she floated down toward Ryunosuke.  "Happy Birthday, 
Ryunosuke!" the astral princess said brightly as she hovered over 
Ryunosuke's desk.

	"Thanks," Ryunosuke said glumly.

	"What's the matter-cha?" Lum asked.

	"Nothing.  I just don't feel like celebrating my birthday."

	"Poor thing!" Ataru suddenly popped up behind her and hugged 
her.  "You shouldn't be sad!  Let me comfort you."

	"Darling..." growled Lum, her fangs started to show and a few 
high-voltage sparks arced from her hands.

	Ryunosuke was faster.  She grabbed a chair next to her with 
one hand and easily swung it over and behind her head.  She was 
rewarded with a loud crash as Ataru was swatted away.

	"Why don't you want to celebrate your birthday-cha?" Lum asked, 
pointedly ignoring Ataru's twitching form on the floor.

	"What's the point?  It's just a day like any other day."

	"That's not true, Ryunosuke-san," Shutaro Mendo came up to her 
desk.  "A birthday can be a very important day.  It can signify your 
coming of age.  When you start to take on the mantle and 
responsibilities of adulthood."

	"And when you start to blossom into womanhood," added Ataru, 
having recovered with that remarkable endurance and once again 
snuggling up against Ryunosuke.

	"Why the fuck is everybody talking like that?!" Ryunosuke 
shouted a trifle louder than she usually did.  "All of you, just 
leave me alone!"  She flung Ataru off as she tromped away.

	"Something must be bothering her-cha," Lum said thoughtfully, 
looking at Ryunosuke's retreating back.

	"But what?" Mendo managed to wonder before Ataru completed his 
arc through the air and landed squarely on Mendo's head.

	"Maybe Shinobu knows-cha," Lum thought out loud.  She floated 
away as Mendo and Ataru began to wrestle over Mendo's katana.

	Shinobu had been at her desk the entire morning, staring 
outside through one of the windows and seemingly ignorant of 
everything around her.  Though they had hardly been very friendly 
when they first met, the two very different girls had somehow left 
their animosity behind and become good friends.  Thus Lum had a 
fairly good idea what was occupying Shinobu's thoughts.

	"Got a date with Inaba today, hmmmm-cha?" Lum grinned at 
Shinobu impishly.

	Shinobu started at the sound of Lum's voice.  She slowly 
blushed as what Lum said registered.

	"What makes you say that?" Shinobu asked.

	"You always have that far-away, dazed look when you're about 
to go on a date with him-cha," Lum replied, clasping her hands behind 
her head and levitating a little lower toward the desk.  She opened 
her eyes wide and stared off into space, her face lost in rapture.

	"Stop it, please," Shinobu blushed brighter.  "I didn't know 
I was so obvious."

	"I wish Darling would look that way when he thought about 
me-cha," Lum sighed and rotated over onto her back.  She sat up 
suddenly.  "Wait a second.  Ryunosuke's birthday party is today, 
were you planning on bringing Inaba?"

	Shinobu stared blankly at Lum for a second, then her face 
clouded in horror.

	"Oh no.  The party is today?  I... I forgot."

	"You mean you haven't bought Ryunosuke a present yet-cha?"

	"No.  Nagisa-san told me, but I must have..."

	"You must have other things on your mind-cha,"  Lum's grin 
returned.  "I'm sure Ryunosuke won't mind.  She didn't sound terribly 
excited about her birthday.  Why don't you bring Inaba to the party?  
Ryunosuke hasn't met him yet, right-cha?"

	Just then Onsen-mark came into the classroom, ordering the 
students to take their seats.  Shinobu sat at her desk, her thoughts 
overwhelmed by what she felt was her callous disregard over 
Ryunosuke's birthday.  Some might say she was overreacting, but 
Shinobu was a very, perhaps overly, sensitive young girl.  To forget 
something as important as one of her closest friend's birthday was 
something she would never have thought herself capable of.  But then 
Lum's words came echoing back to her.  Shinobu had been preoccupied 
with other thoughts, all of which centered around a shy, sandy-blond 
boy in a rabbit suit.

	Absurdly, Shinobu felt guilty.  As though she were somehow 
betraying Ryunosuke.  Even though it was a ridiculous feeling, 
Shinobu could not shake free of it.  She resolved to find Ryunosuke 
at lunch and apologize.

	The morning passed quicker than Shinobu would have liked.  
Mendo's little sister, Ryoko, had burst into the classroom on her 
palanquin, sobbing to her older brother about some incident 
involving Tobimaru.  He was the half-astral boy who was Mendo's 
oldest rival and Ryoko's unrequited boyfriend.  Tobimaru's younger 
sister, Asuka, then appeared much to Shinobu's surprise.  Asuka and 
Mendo were arranged to be married in order to unite their two 
wealthy family lines, but Asuka seemed to be a little unclear about 
whether she wanted to marry Mendo or Tobimaru.  They were the only 
boys who did not terrify the confused young girl.  Shinobu had not 
expected her to show up at a place full of boys like Tomobiki High.  
Ataru attempted his usual advances on Asuka, which resulted in the 
classroom being wrecked as the panic-stricken girl ripped the place 
apart with her immense astral strength.

	All in all, it had been a fairly calm morning.

	After Onsen-mark had been taken to the nurse's office and a 
clean-up crew assigned, the rest of the class went outside to enjoy 
lunch in the warm sunshine.  Shinobu steeled herself and went out to 
search for Ryunosuke.  She finally found Ryu sitting behind one of 
the chunks of concrete Asuka had hurled out of the window.  
Ryunosuke turned as Shinobu approached.  Her glare relaxed into a 
relieved smile when she saw who it was.  For some reason, that made 
Shinobu feel even worse.

	"Not as bad as the last time Asuka visited, is it?" Ryunosuke 
asked, gazing over the debris littering the schoolyard.


	"Ryunosuke-kun, I'm sorry!" Shinobu burst out.  Ryunosuke 
looked at her, surprised at the intensity in her voice.

	"I didn't buy you a birthday present, please forgive me!"

	Ryu's perplexed expression faded and she shrugged her 
shoulders.  She cupped her chin and stared off into the distance.

	"Doesn't matter.  I wish more people had forgotten.  
This has to be one of the worst days of my life."

	Ryunosuke did not see Shinobu's shocked expression.  All 
Shinobu could manage to ask was, "But why?"

[Picture #2]

	"Because I'm growing up.  I finally realized that this is the 
way I'm going to grow up.  I'm never going to get a chance to act 
like a girl before I become a woman.  I've tried so many times... 
Now what's the point?  I've acted this way too long to change."

	Shinobu couldn't believe what she was hearing.  Ryunosuke was 
a fighter, someone who would never give up.  Could she have grown 
that far from Ryunosuke that such a change had happened without her 
noticing?  Or was this something that had just surfaced with all the 
talk about Ryunosuke's birthday?

	"It's just..." Ryunosuke continued.  "Sometimes I really wish 
I knew what it would have been like to grow up like a girl.  That's 
the worst part, wondering what it might have been like.  Not in the 
cards for me, I guess."

	"Listen to me whining..." Ryunosuke muttered, giving Shinobu a 
wry grin.  "I can't even act like a proper guy.  Don't worry about 
the party, I might not show up myself."

	Ryunosuke got up and walked off before Shinobu could think of 
anything to say.  This was serious.  Shinobu had seen Ryunosuke in 
brooding moods before, but never one so deep.  She remembered how 
disastrous Ryunosuke's previous attempts at being feminine had been.  
What could she do that was any different from before?  Then suddenly, 
a wonderful idea sprang into Shinobu's head.  Ryunosuke might be 
resigning herself to the hand fate had dealt her, but Shinobu knew 
of someone who could do some very special card tricks.  Or rather, 
door tricks.

	Class let out early that afternoon when Tobimaru appeared, 
demanding that Mendo apologize to Asuka for the incident earlier 
that morning.  One of Ryoko's ubiquitous spies must have told her 
where her Ton-chan was since she reappeared a few minutes later 
with a squad of her Bunraku ninjas.  Tobimaru had a fairly difficult 
time coping with girls like Ryoko and Asuka romantically interested 
in him.  Ryoko blew up the recently cleaned classroom in a misguided 
effort to prevent her brother and proclaimed fiance from killing 
each other in a duel.  

	Unfortunately, the only one who had any notions that a duel 
was going to be fought was Ryoko, so Mendo was less than 
understanding.  His scolding resulted in Ryoko fleeing the scene in 
tears, detonating the last of the explosives on her way out.

	The principal decided to excuse the students for the rest of 
the day while the repair work began.  Onsen-mark was still 
incapacitated, so no one objected.  The students trickled out of the 
smoking school as one of the many construction companies owned by 
Mendo's family arrived to begin repairs.  The workmen were making 
the usual bets on how long their repairs would last this time.  
Shinobu had lost Ryunosuke in the smoke, so she had to search for 
her again.  Shinobu didn't think Ryunosuke would go back to the part 
of the school where she and her father lived.  Shinobu decided to 
try looking downtown.

	She found Ryunosuke standing in front of a boutique, staring 
at the dresses in the window.  Ryunosuke was attracting a few stares 
herself from passers-by who were mistaking her for a young boy.  
Ryunosuke either did not care or was too absorbed to notice.

	"Ryunosuke-kun!" Shinobu called out.

	Ryunosuke looked up from the displays.  "Eh?  Oh, it's you, 
Shinobu."

	"Ryunosuke-kun, please let me have the chance to get you a 
birthday present.  I know you don't want to celebrate, but I really 
want to give you one."

	Ryunosuke glanced back at the window and shook her head.  "Oh 
no, Shinobu.  I couldn't let you buy me a dress.  Besides, my father 
wouldn't let me keep it."

	A passing couple dropped their bags in shock as they overheard 
what they thought was a schoolboy speaking.

	"It's not like that.  You have to come with me, Ryunosuke-kun.  
Please say you will!"

	"Go with you?  Where?"

	"To someone who can help you."

	"Help me get a dress?  I doubt she can."

	"I'm taking you to see a guy!"

	"How can a guy help me get a dress?" Ryunosuke asked 
incredulously and a trifle too loudly.

	The couple had just gathered up their bags when their feet 
seemed to slip out from under them, and they landed in a heap on the 
sidewalk.

	Shinobu began to despair over arguing with Ryunosuke and began 
to tug her by the arm down the street.  "Please, you have to meet 
him!  It's not far!"

	"I'm already living with a transvestite!  Why do you want me to 
meet another?"

	The couple looked up from the pile of packages.  They turned to 
each other, their faces shocked.  They had only recently moved to 
Tomobiki.  They now were wondering if there was a reason why houses 
here were so cheap.

	"No, Ryunosuke-kun!  He's not a transvestite!"  At least now, 
Ryunosuke was walking along with her.  Shinobu decided not to go into 
any other details about Inaba's dressing habits.

	"Why are we going to meet him?" Ryunosuke asked.

	"He's the only one who can give you the present I have in 
mind."

	"What are you talking about?  What kind of present is it?  Who 
is he?"

	"He's very special.  I... I hope you like him."

	"Waitaminute," Ryunosuke stopped in her tracks.  "You aren't 
setting me up for a blind date, are you?"

	"NO!" shouted Shinobu, then recovered.  "I just want you to 
meet him."

	Ryunosuke stared hard at Shinobu.  "Hey, is this the guy you've 
been going on dates with?"

	Shinobu's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open.

	"How do you know?"

	"Some of the girls in homeroom said they heard from Lum that 
you were going on dates with someone.  A couple tried to follow you 
last Wednesday.  I didn't find out till the next day, or I would 
have warned you.  But the next day they wouldn't say if they saw 
anything.  Had kinda confused looks, too."

	Shinobu had an uncomfortable feeling about what Ryunosuke was 
saying.  Last Wednesday, Shinobu did have a date with Inaba and the 
girls must have seen him.  Shinobu wondered if what they saw would 
somehow reach her mother.  Shinobu's mother was beginning to wonder 
about her dreamy behavior, but Shinobu had not yet worked up the 
courage to bring Inaba to her house.  Perhaps she should before her 
mother began to hear rumors.  But that was a problem for another day. 
Shinobu had to deal with the situation at hand.

	"Is it really true?  You are going on dates with someone?" 
Ryunosuke asked.

	Shinobu took a deep breath and said, "Yes, I have been sort of 
going on dates with someone."

	"Really, Shinobu?  You really are?  What's he like?  Why didn't 
you tell me?"  Ryunosuke's face was excited, but Shinobu could hear 
the slight hurt in the last sentence.

	"I'm a little embarrassed, I guess.  I haven't even introduced 
him to my mother yet."

	"How come?"

	"Well, to tell the truth, it's a little hard to explain...."

	"Shinobu-san!"  A voice called out from behind Ryunosuke.  
A voice that made Shinobu's heart beat faster in spite of herself.  
She looked over Ryunosuke's shoulder and sure enough, there was Inaba 
jogging toward them, rabbit suit and all.

	Shinobu sighed.  She decided that she was probably going to 
have to get used to doing this in the weeks ahead.  "Ryunosuke-kun, 
I'd like you to meet Inaba-san."

	"Pleased to meet you," Inaba smiled at Ryunosuke.

	"Gah," replied Ryunosuke.

	After a second, Ryunosuke managed to get out an "Urk."  An 
expression of astonishment paralyzed her face.  Shinobu decided she 
was probably going to have to get used to seeing that expression in 
the weeks ahead as well.

	For some reason, Shinobu found herself not only turning red 
with embarrassment, but also growing annoyed at Ryunosuke's horrified 
reaction.  She cleared her throat and said, "Inaba-san is not from 
around here."

[Picture #3]

	Unnecessary perhaps, but she wanted to assure Ryunosuke that 
Inaba was just another of the varied alien beings they both had 
encountered before.  Why was Ryunosuke acting that way?  Shinobu's 
irritation gave way to worry.  Inaba wasn't that strange compared to 
some of the astrals they had seen, surely!

	"Shinobu," Ryunosuke whispered, still staring at Inaba.  
"That's... That's not... I mean his face looks normal, but his 
joints...  He's a human, not a rabbit, right?"

	Inaba grinned sheepishly and answered, "I'm wearing a suit, 
Ryunosuke-san.  Under it, I'm a guy just like you."

	"I AM A WOMAN!!" shouted Ryunosuke, grabbing Inaba by the 
collar.  All traces of Ryunosuke's shock were gone.  Without knowing 
why, Shinobu felt as if things might work out, after all.

	Inside a coffee shop, Shinobu explained how she and Inaba had 
first met and tried to explain his unique occupation.  Anyone else 
might have had a harder time accepting what Shinobu said, but being 
around Lum for any length of time tended to broaden one's concept of 
reality.  Ryunosuke still seemed a little doubtful, especially when 
the only reason Inaba gave for why all the Destiny Makers wore rabbit 
outfits was that it was tradition.

	"Okay, I think I understand," Ryu did not sound entirely 
certain.  "But what was the big deal about letting Shinobu, Ataru and 
Lum use those... what did you call them?  Destiny Doors?"

	"It wasn't so much that as letting strangers form their own 
Destiny Doorknobs," Inaba explained as he sipped his carrot juice.  
"If someone views a possible destiny, they can take steps to avoid 
or achieve that destiny.  That conflicts with the Causality of Free 
Will."

	"The what?  What the hell's that?"

	"I'm not really sure, myself,"  Inaba admitted.  "I didn't 
think it was such a big deal about letting someone see the destiny 
they wanted.  but my superiors go on about 'Time Stream Splits' and 
such.  I don't know enough Temporal Physics to understand it all."

	"You mean you didn't know what you were doing wasn't permitted?" asked Ryu.

	"Oh, I knew that.  But in the end, it was worth the risk," 
Inaba said, glancing over at Shinobu.

	Shinobu stared back at him, her eyes starry.

	Ryunosuke coughed as the silence lengthened.  She coughed 
louder when the two merely continued to sit there and blush at each 
other.  Shinobu returned to Earth and remembered why she had brought 
Ryunosuke there.

	"There was something you told me, Inaba-san.  Just last 
Wednesday.  You described the other departments that worked with 
yours."

	"You mean like the one that takes care of Alternate Destinies?"

	"Yes!  That's the one!  You said that it was all right to let 
people see what their present might be like if their past had been 
different, and that department could do it, right?" Shinobu asked.

	Inaba suddenly looked very uncomfortable, but answered, "Well 
yes, that is the department for that.  And in theory, it should be 
safe.  What you would see can't really effect the future, since 
you're only seeing a present that never came about.  The future can 
be shaped, but the present, that just is."

	"Then that's it, Ryunosuke-kun!" Shinobu was excited now.  
"You can stop wondering what it would have been like if you had been 
raised like a girl.  You can see it yourself!"

	"Uh, really?" Ryunosuke sounded skeptical.

	"You won't have to imagine anymore.  Surely that's better than 
always wondering!"

	"I would kind of like to see what it was like," Ryunosuke 
admitted.  "Can you really show me, Inaba?"

	"Uh, well..." Inaba looked between his paws.  "Yyeeessss..."

	"Can we do it today, Inaba-san?  Please?" Shinobu asked.

	Inaba looked at her and felt his indecision evaporate.  When 
Shinobu gazed at him like that, he would have done anything.  He 
nodded, "Sure."

	It was a simple trip.  Inaba searched through his pockets 
until he found an irregularly shaped crystal Doorknob.  He lifted it 
to waist-level in the air and turned it.  It clicked and a plain, 
white door blurred into existence around the Knob.  Inaba opened the 
door to an empty, brightly-lit hallway with another door at the end.  
Ryunosuke suspiciously examined the portal while Inaba drew Shinobu 
to the side.

	"Are you sure about this?" he whispered.

	"What's the matter?  Didn't you say it was all right?  I don't 
want you to do it if you'll get in trouble again."

	"No, there aren't any official regulations against it, but it's 
just that the department head can be a little difficult to deal with."

	"Please, Inaba-san, it's important.  If Ryunosuke-kun can just 
stop thinking about what she might have been like, maybe she can get 
on with being what she is.  Does that make sense?"

	"Ah..Yes, I guess so," Inaba sighed.  He knew he was just 
delaying.  Shinobu had asked for his help, and he could no more 
refuse her than he could stop breathing.

	"This way," he said to Ryunosuke, forcing a cheerful smile and 
motioning her to follow him down the hall.

	Ryunosuke stood at the doorway that seemed cut out of the air 
itself.  She glanced at Shinobu and shrugged her shoulders.  "No 
weirder than one of Lum's toys," she followed Inaba through the door.

	At the other end of the hall, Inaba hesitated at the other door.  
He felt Shinobu's warm hand lace its fingers in his.  He straightened 
his back and brought up his other paw to knock.

	"Enter," a muffled voice called from the room beyond.

	Shinobu felt Inaba tense, but he reached for the handle and 
opened the door.

	The office was large and neat with walls painted a pale beige.  
A coffee table and chairs sat in the center on a plush carpet.  A 
very large, ornately carved, oaken door occupied one empty wall.  The 
other walls were lined with filing cabinets and a desk.

	"Inaba, what a surprise," now unmuffled, the voice was rich, 
sultry and very feminine.


[Picture #4]

	The owner of the voice had turned from her desk to examine 
them.  She looked like she sounded.  Her hair was a lustrous brown 
and her green eyes twinkled with amusement.  She was dressed in the 
female version of the Destiny Maker rabbit outfits, which left far 
less to the imagination than the male ones.  Only a pair of 
business-like glasses broke the Playboy Bunny image.

	"Have you finally decided to transfer over to my department?" 
the woman asked, suggestively biting the end of her pen.

	Inaba felt dizzy and was afraid he was going to faint when he 
felt Shinobu's hand tighten.  One of his knuckles popped loudly.  
Inaba decided that if he wanted to use that appendage again, he had 
better recover.

	"No..No, I'm here on personal business," he stammered.

	"Personal business?  The best kind."  She was clearly enjoying 
herself.

	"It's not for me!" he almost shouted.  "It's a favor for 
someone else!"

	"Oh?  Well, I assume it's for those two civilians with you.  
Please show them in.  Have them sit down and make themselves 
comfortable."  She stood up and motioned them over to the coffee 
table and chairs.

	"This is Shinobu Miyame," Inaba introduced, sitting down with 
Shinobu still holding him in a death-grip.  "And this is Ryunosuke 
Fujinami."

	"I'm pleased to meet you.  I am Frost, Department Head of the 
Alternate Destiny Division," she fluttered her long eyelashes at 
them.  "The name is something of a misnomer.  It is not destinies so 
to speak that I am involved in, though they are destinies from the 
past's point of view.  As many possibilities that exist for the 
future, exist for the present, and I can access any of them."

	Frost noticed that Shinobu had not let go of Inaba and a wicked 
grin lit her face.  "For example, Ms. Miyame, would you like to see 
what it would be like if you had a score of handsome boyfriends all 
begging for your attention?"

	"I'm not the one who wants to see a destiny," Shinobu replied 
stiffly, not noticing Inaba desperately trying to remove himself from 
her tightening clasp.  "Ryunosuke-kun is the one who does."

	"Really?" Frost looked at Ryunosuke appraisingly.  "Inaba, you 
didn't tell me there were such handsome young men in that town you 
keep popping off to."

	"I...I'm a woman!" cried Ryunosuke, blushing angrily.

	Frost's smile disappeared and she squinted at Ryu over her 
glasses.  She leaned back and crossed her arms.  "I think you have 
some explaining to do, Inaba."  Her voice had become even and 
serious.

	Shinobu and Ryunosuke were amazed at the change in Frost as 
Inaba explained.  She asked her questions with authority, her whole 
manner professional and intent.  Somehow, she even made the bunny 
outfit seem as official as a business suit.  When Inaba was finished, 
she sat back frowning in thought.

	"Theta-theta, bring in some tea," she said finally.  She looked 
at Ryunosuke and shook her head in wonder.

	"I suppose I can understand why you want to see that particular 
destiny, Ms. Fujinami.  I think I will help you, this once."

	A tray with a steaming teapot and matching teacups levitated 
out of one of the filing cabinets.  It floated over to the table.  
The pot deftly poured itself and the cups flew down in front of each 
of them.

	"You're going to do it?" Ryunosuke asked, not even seeing the 
floating teacup.  "I can see what I'd be like if I grew up like a 
girl?"

	"Yes, you can visit that present as you would any normal 
destiny.  The only question is finding out which Doorknob leads 
there."  Frost took her teacup and went over to her desk.

	On the desk was something that looked like a typewriter, only 
instead of a roller on top, there was a crystal that glowed with 
changing yellow, blue and red light.  Frost left her cup suspended in 
the air and began to deftly type on the keys.  The crystal flared as 
writing and pictures appeared in the air.

	"Frost-sensei!" Inaba looked horrified.  "You're using a 
computer!"

	"Just because those idiots in the Destiny Maker Division insist 
on ignoring the technology they could access doesn't mean that I have 
to." Frost said loftily.  "Besides, until I get more help, I don't 
have much choice."

	"Confidentially," she whispered to Ryunosuke.  "I think they're 
afraid of giving me any male underlings.  They know I'd make them 
serve the tea."

	The images over the computer formed into a picture of Ryunosuke. 
"Ah, there you are.  Now we only have to find the serial number of 
the Doorknob you want."

	The images changed into graphs and numbers which grew fuzzy, 
then suddenly flashed and disappeared.  Frost gaped at the empty air 
in shock.

	"What?  It can't find the number?  Impossible, there has to be 
one."  She cracked her knuckles.  "All right then, we do this the 
hard way."  Her hands flew over the keyboard, faster this time and 
the images reappeared.  Frost's fingers were a blur, and after a few 
minutes sweat began to form on her brow.  She hunched her shoulders 
and her face became an aggravated snarl.  Her bunny ears began to 
slip with the violence of her typing, but she ignored them.  Her 
fingers battered the keys with increasing furor.  Finally, she shot 
up and kicked the keyboard with a well-placed heel.  A string of 
numbers appeared in the air.

	"Theta-theta, get that Knob," Frost gasped and collapsed into 
the chair, trying to slow her breath.  "I haven't... wheeze... had 
such a hard... heave... time finding a Knob in quite a while.  Don't 
be surprised if there are some differences from the present you're 
used to."

	"But I will be acting like a girl, right?  Acting and dressing 
and everything?" Ryunosuke asked intently.

	"I found an Alternate where you're as feminine as you can 
possibly be."  Frost pushed one of her ears out of her face and drank 
her cold tea down in a gulp.

	The tea tray came floating up to Ryunosuke.  A small pink 
crystalline Doorknob was laying on it.  The greek symbol for woman 
was on its front and frilly tracings decorated it.  Ryunosuke picked 
it up and was surprised by how light it was.

[Picture #5]

	"That's it," Frost nodded toward it as the teapot tipped itself 
to refill her cup.  "With that Doorknob, you can use any Destiny 
Door to reach the Alternate Present you want to see.  You'll need a 
guide since it's going to be somewhat different from your own 
Destiny Stream.  Theta-theta, you will accompany Ms. Fujinami."

	The teapot landed on top of the tray and suddenly the two 
folded in on themselves.  With a whir of tiny servomotors, the 
dishware turned into a small, flying robot.

	"Certainly, Frost-sensei," the robot said in a squeaky, 
electronic voice.  "It will be an honor to serve as guide for the 
Honorable Customer."

	"What the fuck is that??" Ryunosuke asked.

	"Theta-theta is a reconnaissance droid.  It has access to data 
concerning the Alternate Destinies.  It is also equipped with an SEP 
field," Frost explained.

	"SEP?" Ryunosuke asked, still glaring at the robot which was 
somehow managing to grin without a mouth.


[Picture #6]



	"A Doctor Adams' Somebody Else's Problem Field.  Trust me, it 
works.  Now since you'll have Theta-theta for a guide, there won't be 
any need for a Destiny Agent to accompany you.  That means Inaba can 
stay here with me."  In the last sentence, Frost's voice went back to 
the husky drawl she first used.  The mischievous grin reappeared on 
her beautiful face.

	"Wh...What??" Inaba gasped.

	"What?!" Shinobu hissed.


[Picture #7]


	"It is my responsibility as your superior, Inaba.  From your 
past record, you seem to have a mild discipline problem.  Maybe I can 
fix that," she winked at him.

	Shinobu gritted her teeth.  She was about to shout her refusal 
to leave Inaba when she remembered Ryunosuke.  There it was again, 
that choice between the two of them.  Shinobu had resolved to help 
Ryunosuke, but she couldn't leave Inaba with that... that woman.  
Though she suspected Frost's wanton behavior was an act, Shinobu 
wasn't about to take a chance.  She floundered, unable to decide 
what to do.

	Ryunosuke was staring at everyone, wondering what was going on. 
One look at Shinobu answered everything, and Ryunosuke knew what she 
had to do.

	"I'd rather go alone, Frost-sensei.  This is kind of personal, 
after all."

	Shinobu blinked at Ryunosuke, then smiled gratefully.  Ryunosuke
nodded her head slightly and clasped Shinobu's shoulder.

	"That means I'll have to stay with Inaba-san," Shinobu moved 
next to Inaba and took his paw possessively.  He was grateful she 
hadn't taken the other one, since it was still sore.

	"I could send you back to your home, if you want," Frost 
suggested.

	"Oh no, please don't trouble yourself.  I'm fine."  Shinobu's 
smile was a bit too sweet and her tone was definitely strained.  
Inaba gulped as he felt her hand start to tighten.

	"Really?" Frost asked innocently.

	"Yes, really."

	Frost and Shinobu locked gazes, and Inaba was frantically trying
to figure out how he could intervene without damaging his career or 
body.  The two held stares for a moment longer when Frost abruptly 
smiled.  She seemed to find something privately amusing and inclined 
her head.

	"Then you're welcome to stay and wait for Ms. Fujinami to 
return.  Please don't take too long, Ms. Fujinami.  Time will pass 
at an equal rate in the Alternate Present you are going to as it 
does in your home.  And since you're merely sidestepping Probability 
and not actually involved in any temporal displacement, I can't do 
anything tricky like having you return an instant after you left."

	"Huh?"  Ryunosuke asked.

	"Don't take all day looking around, please."

	"Oh.  Okay."

	Frost led Ryunosuke over to the massive oak door on the other 
side of her office.  There was an empty hole where the Knob should 
have been.	

	"You won't be able to see the portal from the other side, but 
it will remain open.  Theta-theta will be able to guide you back if 
you get lost.  Theta-theta will also be able to home in on your 
alternate self if you need to.  Now, as we like to say around the 
departments, the rest of your fate lies in your hands,"  Frost 
indicated the pink Doorknob Ryunosuke held.

	Ryunosuke took the cue and stepped forward eagerly.  The 
Doorknob fit perfectly into the door, and Ryu twisted it with a loud 
click.  She pulled the heavy door open and stepped back in surprise.  
The door opened to a sunny street that Ryunosuke knew.  Birds and 
cicada could be heard in the distance.  A warm breeze rustled the 
leaves and wafted the scent of flowers into the room.

	"This way, Honorable Customer," Theta-theta few through the 
door and waited patiently on the other side.

	Ryunosuke took a step forward, then hesitated.  She turned back 
to Shinobu.  Shinobu took one of Ryunosuke's hands in both of her 
own.  She gave Ryunosuke a squeeze of encouragement.  Ryunosuke 
smiled and squeezed back.  She went through the door and followed 
Theta-theta down the street.

	Frost closed the door, but left the pink Doorknob in.  "Hmmmm, 
I wonder if Ms. Fujinami has ever seen It's A Wonderful Life?"  Frost 
commented to herself.  "There's not much to do now but wait.  Inaba, 
why don't you go make a fresh pot of tea?"

	* * *

	The street Ryunosuke walked down was a familiar one.  She knew 
what was behind the corners before she went around them, and where 
the slopes and buildings were before they came into view.  She knew 
how far and which turns she should take down the street to reach 
Tomobiki High.  The clear, blue sky was the same, the lively sounds 
were the same, even the smells were the same.  


	Ryunosuke wondered if she hadn't stepped through the wrong door 
and ended up back home.  But Theta-theta assured her that this was 
not her home.  Although it was Tomobiki, it was not the Tomobiki 
where Ryunosuke went to school.  Ryunosuke had to remind herself of 
that constantly as she looked at the sights she knew so well.  She 
wondered why Frost had wanted to give Ryunosuke a guide.  Nothing 
seemed all that different from the Tomobiki Ryunosuke had left.

	But then they came to the school, and Ryunosuke realized she 
wasn't back home.   The front of the school was untouched and the 
yard was clean of any of the concrete slabs and craters that had been 
there when Ryunosuke had left.  Mendo's construction crews were fast, 
but not even they could have fixed the damage so quickly and 
completely. A crowd of girls in gym clothes jogged by chanting time 
loudly.

	Ryunosuke looked up at the school clock and remembered that 
everyone at her Tomobiki High had been let out early.  The time on 
this clock was what it should have been, and that meant that classes 
at this Tomobiki were still in session.  Ryu shook her head.  Even 
with all the weirdness she'd been through with Lum, this eerie 
familiarity with a place where she had supposedly never been was 
something else.

	"Please follow, Honorable Customer," Theta-theta piped and 
flew toward the school.

	"Hey!  Wait a minute!" Ryunosuke chased after the robot and 
caught up with it by the front doors.  "I can't go in there!  Classes 
are..."

	The doors opened and the principal stepped out, followed 
closely by Kotatsu Neko, the giant ghost-cat cum school mascot.  
Ryunosuke froze.  She realized she was still in her school uniform 
and that she was about to get busted for skipping class.

	"What a beautiful day,"  the principal sighed and blandly 
stepped around Ryunosuke and the robot.  "It reminds me of my youth."

	Kotatsu Neko also stepped around Ryu, but he seemed to notice 
her, unlike the principal who had seemed oblivious to her presence.  
K.N. nodded to her, and Ryunosuke waved back nervously.

	"Days like this make me think about what it might have been 
like if I had done things differently," the principal went on 
philosophically, walking across the schoolyard with the giant cat in 
tow.

	"What the...??  He didn't even see me," Ryunosuke looked after 
him in wonder.

	"He did see us, Honorable Customer.  We are not invisible.  
Invisibility is a very inconvenient state, with other people 
constantly bumping into you.  My SEP field is a much more advanced 
method of camouflage," Theta-theta puffed up with pride.  "He saw us, 
but merely decided to ignore us because we were somebody else's 
problem.  The field was developed by Doctor Adams at the University 
of Ursa Minor.  It exploits their natural tendency of most humanoids 
to ignore problems.  But it's not very effective against animals and 
children.  They notice everything.  And I must caution you, Honorable 
Customer, if you force someone to pay attention to you by interacting 
with them, then you become their problem, and the SEP field is 
rendered useless."

	Ryunosuke felt she finally understood.  "So just act casual?"

	"And everything will be fine.  Now, shall I home in on your 
alternate?"

	"Go ahead," Ryunosuke agreed and followed Theta-theta into the 
school.

	Just then the school clock tower rang out with its 
solemn-sounding bell, and the students began to stream out into the 
halls.  Ryunosuke quickly flattened herself against the wall.  Then 
she saw that even in the middle of the hall, the kids were giving 
Theta-theta a wide berth.  With increased confidence, Ryu followed 
the robot through the crowd.

	"Where are we going?" Ryunosuke whispered to the robot as it 
started to lead her toward the back of the school.

	"There's no need to whisper, Honorable Customer.  My SEP field 
insures that our speech will be ignored as well.  Another advantage 
over mere invisibility."

	"That's great and all, but where the hell are we going?" 
Ryunosuke asked in a normal voice.

	"Your alternate is headed due east.  We are on an intercept 
course."

	"Why would I be heading back that way after school?"

	"When we catch up, I can initiate a low-level mind-scan to find 
out if you like, Honorable Customer.  This way, please."

	Ryunosuke muttered under her breath and quickened her pace.  
The robot led her back outside.  It paused and cautiously peered 
around the nearest corner.  The little robot then darted behind the 
nearest tree and looked both ways suspiciously.  It motioned for 
Ryunosuke to come across urgently.  Ryunosuke sped behind the tree, 
and Theta-theta flew to the next bit of cover.  They did this a few 
more times when Ryunosuke stopped short.

	"Hold it.  Why the hell are we sneaking around, if no one is 
paying us any attention?"

	"I have found that humanoids enjoy sneaking around," the robot 
smirked.

	Ryunosuke was about to play kickball with Theta-theta when it 
pointed around the corner.

	"And here you, so to say, come, Honorable Customer."

	Ryunosuke peered around the corner, "Where?  Behind the girl?"

	"You are the girl, remember?"

	"That's me?"

	Ryunosuke rubbed her eyes in disbelief.  It wasn't just the 
fact that the figure heading toward them wore a girl's school uniform 
as naturally as a bird wore feathers.  Or the fact that her long hair 
was tied in a large pink ribbon and reached far below her waist.  Or 
the fact that her eyelashes were long and her hands delicate.  
Physically, it was still clearly Ryunosuke's face and form and she 
was beautiful.  But though that surprised Ryu, it wasn't what shocked 
her.  It was her alternate's entire manner.


[Picture #7]


	She walked without Ryunosuke's strong, aggressive strides.  Her 
shoulders were not thrown back in the confident stance Ryunosuke 
carried herself with.  Her shoulders were meekly hunched down and she 
seemed to mince steps rather than walk.  Ryunosuke glared ahead when 
she walked.  This girl looked around like a nervous deer.  If 
Ryunosuke projected the image of someone you wouldn't want to get in 
the path of, this girl projected the image of someone who wouldn't 
only move out of your way, but would bolt in terror.  But even that 
wasn't what bothered Ryunosuke the most.  Even from this distance, 
Ryunosuke could see something underlying that overt shyness that was 
equally foreign to Ryunosuke's own mannerisms.

	In spite of the inherent caution of her steps, the girl 
Ryunosuke watched seemed to glide over the sidewalk like a caress.  
There was a smooth swaying to her hips that Ryunosuke could never 
have emulated.  Her movements somehow made her dress emphasize rather 
than cover her legs.  Even something as simple as running a hand 
through her hair forced attention to her body, which was as femininely
 developed as Ryunosuke's, but without the boy's clothing and 
wrapping to conceal the fact.  And though she seemed to want to hide 
her face, this only caused her features to stand out all the more.  
Her every motion was gentle, graceful and undeniably, unaccountably, 
sexy.

	Ryunosuke stared at herself with growing wonder and horror.  
There wasn't a single boy in the entire yard who wasn't staring at 
her alter-ego as she walked by.  If any guy had looked at Ryunosuke 
like that, she would have punched his lights out.  Her alternate 
merely hunched her shoulders further and tried to avoid looking at 
anyone.  Ryunosuke noticed the other girls sometimes stared at her 
other self, but it was with either resentment or hostility.  Mostly 
they made it obvious that they were ignoring her entirely.

	With a strange kind of insight that Ryunosuke had never 
experienced before, she somehow realized that her other self hadn't 
the slightest idea what she was doing to cause such reactions in her 
classmates.  Her motions were utterly unconscious and as unbreakable 
a habit as Ryunosuke's own masculine gait.  Ryunosuke also somehow 
knew that her other self was confused and very frightened by the 
behavior of her classmates, and that the only thing she wanted to do 
was get away from their scrutiny.

	Ryunosuke's alter-ego came to the corner where Ryunosuke and 
Theta-theta stood.  This close, Ryunosuke could see her face clearly.  
It was stupefying to Ryunosuke to see her own features shaped by such 
timidity.  She could do nothing but gape at herself slack-jawed as 
she went by.

	Ryunosuke's alternate reached the far corner when a tall figure 
dressed in pristine white stepped out in front of her.  She gasped 
loudly and dropped her bookbag; her hands flying to her mouth to 
stifle a scream.

	"Good afternoon, Umiko-san," Shutaro Mendo said, turning on his 
brightest gleaming smile.

	Umiko couldn't speak, but Ryunosuke found her voice.

	"Umiko?"  Ryunosuke grabbed Theta-theta.  "Who the fuck is 
Umiko???"

	"That is the name of your alternate, Honorable Customer.  
Ryunosuke is a somewhat masculine name, afterall, so she wouldn't be 
called that."  The little robot was somehow managing to start to 
sweat.

	"I received the invitation to your birthday party and only 
thought it proper that I tell you personally that I'd be honored to 
attend," Mendo said, and from somewhere a breeze came by and wafted 
his gorgeous hair.

	"Th...Thank you, Mendo-sama," Umiko stammered from behind her 
hands.  Her voice was soft and sweet, but had a husky undertone that 
would have made Frost envious.

	"Mendo-SAMA??!!!" Ryunosuke gurgled, appalled at the honorific.

	"I'm afraid you didn't give me much time to pick a present for 
you, Umiko-san.  Tell me what you desire, and I'm sure I can have it 
by the party."  Mendo had managed to take hold of Umiko's hands.

	"I...I can't...You don't..have to get me anything."

	"Don't be silly, Umiko-san," Mendo moved closer.  "Though 
perhaps it is crass of me to think that a material gift would be 
worthy of your loveliness."

	"You aren't buying that crap, are you??!!" Ryunosuke shouted, 
but it was clear that Umiko was.

	"Perhaps I can find you a gift that no money can buy," Mendo 
closed in.

	"What the fuck are you doing??" Ryu screamed and moved forward.

	"Honorable Customer, please!" Theta-theta tripped Ryunosuke and 
pushed her to the ground with a surprising weight.  "You must not 
interact with the alternates!"

	Ryunosuke wasn't listening.  "Are you just going to stand 
there?" she shouted to Umiko.  "Rip his lungs out!"

	For Umiko, Ryunosuke was someone else's problem since she 
currently had a larger problem to occupy herself.  Mendo stared into 
Umiko's eyes, and though they were wide with shock, Umiko did not 
bring forth the slightest inkling of resistance.  Ryu knew Mendo 
could wrap many of the girls at school around his finger, but had 
never understood why it worked.  But seeing him doing this to Umiko 
fired up a cold rage in Ryunosuke for some reason.  She threw off 
Theta-theta and was about to leap forward as Mendo leaned his 
handsome face over Umiko's, his eyes closing for a kiss.

	A silver flash, and suddenly a large kitchen knife was 
quivering between their lips, its tip embedded in the concrete wall 
next to them.  Mendo's eyes shot open, and he spun around as did 
Ryunosuke and Umiko.

	"I thought I warned you about touching my fiance when I was 
gone."  There was Nagisa standing by a tree, dressed in an apron and 
holding a couple of ladles, but that wasn't the amazing part.  He was 
actually wearing a man's shirt and pants underneath the apron.  His 
hair was cut short and his face was angry.  His voice had none of 
the girlish lilt Ryunosuke was used to.  Instead, it was a deep, 
masculine tenor.


[Picture #8]


	"Bastard!" responded Mendo, pulling his katana out from 
somewhere.  He leaped toward what had to be Nagisa's alternate.

	The glaring kid who looked like Nagisa but wasn't, blocked the 
katana with the crossed handles of his ladles.  He then scraped the 
ladles down the blade until they snagged against the hilt-guard.  
With a quick twist he bent the metal handles of the ladles and used 
them to tie Mendo's hands to the hilt of the katana.  Mendo stared 
down at his hands in shock for an instant as Nagisa's alternate 
smiled grimly and grabbed the front of Mendo's neatly-pressed shirt.  
He easily lifted Mendo with one hand and with his other hand drove 
the sword upward and back, plunging it high into the trunk of the 
tree.  He then released his grip, leaving Mendo hanging from the tree 
in a somewhat less-than-debonair position.


[Picture #9]


	Ryunosuke was not surprised by this display of strength.  
Ryunosuke had experienced the power in Nagisa's wiry frame the one 
time they had fought.  She hadn't been able to break out of a 
bear-hug of his and she was the strongest kid in class next to 
Shinobu.  What did surprise her was the cool nonchalance with which 
he had dispatched Mendo.  Ryunosuke couldn't help but to feel a bit 
of admiration at his handling of Mendo, although she felt he hadn't 
nearly gone far enough.

	In the meantime, Umiko had collapsed to her knees and gazed up 
at Nagisa's alternate in wonder.  He moved to her and tenderly helped 
her up.

	"Ryo-sama," Umiko whispered.

	"Ryo?!  That's Nagisa's name here??" Ryunosuke asked.

	"Certainly, Honorable Customer.  The circumstances that lead to 
you being raised a girl also influenced Nagisa into being raised as a 
boy," the robot explained.

	Ryo was looking down at Umiko fondly.  He cupped her chin and 
asked, "Are you all right, fiance?"

	Ryunosuke gagged.

	Umiko's eyes filled with tears, and she threw her arms around 
Ryo's neck, burying her face in his chest.

	"I'm sorry!  I'm so sorry, Ryo-sama!!" she sobbed.  "I was 
unfaithful to you!  I...I let another boy touch me!!  How can you 
ever forgive me!!!  I'm sorry!"

	"Hork!" Ryunosuke clutched her chest and fell over.

	Theta-theta panicked.  Frost would not be pleased if the 
Honorable Customer had just suffered a stroke.  The robot was about 
to administer a dose of adrenaline when Ryunosuke sat up and knocked 
it away.  Her eyes were on fire and she was hyperventilating.  She 
stalked over to where Ryo and Umiko stood, not entirely sure what she 
was going to do.

	She stopped suddenly when that strange insight into Umiko's 
mind came forth again.  It was like some kind of link that made 
Ryunosuke see Ryo through Umiko's perceptions as well as her own.  
Umiko was still wailing apologies, tears gushing out over Ryo's arms,
but Ryo's expression was what drew Ryunosuke's attention.  It was 
infinitely caring and devoted.  His eyes, eyes that were just like 
Nagisa's were misty and sparkled with...

	Ryunosuke turned away, not wanting to look any closer.

	"You bastard!" shouted Mendo, as he struggled futilely to 
detach himself from the tree.  "I don't know how you've misled that 
poor girl's heart, but I won't let you get away with it!!"

	"Why, Onii-sama?" came a tearful voice from behind another 
tree.

	Ryunosuke's, Umiko's, Mendo's and Ryo's heads all slowly turned 
simultaneously as Asuka stepped out from behind the tree.  She was 
not wearing her armor, but was instead dressed in the uniform of the 
girls' school she attended.  She clutched her bookbag with trembling 
hands.

	"Why, Onii-sama??" she repeated, her head hanging down, hiding 
her face.

	"Asuka-san," Mendo was perspiring heavily.  "Let me explain..."

	"Why do you always chase after that girl?" Asuka asked 
quietly.  Suddenly the thick books she held were shredded in two like 
tissue paper.  Her head raised up, and though there were tears in her 
eyes, her teeth were clenched and her brow furrowed in anger.

	Mendo screamed, losing what little composure he had left.  Ryo 
and Umiko both took a step back.

	"Onii-sama No Baka!!!" yelled Asuka as she kicked the tree near 
the roots.  A huge quantity of earth and a corner of the school's 
roof accompanied Mendo and the tree as they rocketed into the air and 
swiftly diminished to a bright point.


[Picture #10]


	Asuka then swung to face Ryo and Umiko.  Ryo stood protectively 
in front of Umiko, but his face held very little confidence.  His 
eyes searched around for some means of escape.  But then Asuka's eyes 
filled with tears again and her shoulders slumped.

	"You already have a fiance!  Leave mine alone!  I hate you!!" 
Asuka cried out to Umiko then turned away.  With a single leap she 
cleared the school grounds and vanished from sight.

	Ryo let out a vast sigh of relief and wiped his brow.

	"Ryo-san, you're back!"  A colorful palanquin carried by two 
men dressed as Bunraku puppeteers came out of the brush.  The 
palanquin's door slid open to reveal Tobimaru and Ryoko seated 
together inside.  "Welcome back from China." Tobimaru continued.  
We're looking for my sister.  You wouldn't have happened to have seen 
her?"

	"She just left," Ryo answered.  Umiko peeked out nervously from 
behind him.

	"And my dear brother?" asked Ryoko.

	"He should be over Hawaii about now.  He and Asuka had another 
fight."

	"Only as far as Hawaii?" Ryoko asked, surprised.

	"He was attached to a tree," explained Ryo.

	"Ah.  Well I suppose we should find Asuka-sama.  The poor dear 
is always so distraught after her arguments with big brother.  
Perhaps it was a mistake to have shown her his invitation to your 
birthday party, Umiko-sama." Ryoko said.

	"You what??!!" Tobimaru groaned.

	Ryoko was all innocence.  "She has the right to know what her 
betrothed is doing.  I send her copies of all of big brother's mail.  
Besides, if she doesn't have something to keep her busy, she resorts 
to laying siege to our estate and I can't leave to do my shopping."

	Tobimaru was holding his head in both his hands.

	"Ryo-sama, why don't you come with us?" Ryoko continued easily.
"I'd love to try any new recipes you learned while you were in China."

	Ryoko took the surprised Ryo by the arm and lead him toward the 
palanquin.  Ryo considered refusing Ryoko, but didn't know if that 
would be any less dangerous than fighting Asuka.  Umiko found herself 
left out in the open, to her dismay.  She looked as though she wanted 
to protest, but couldn't bring herself to.  Tobimaru noticed her 
distress.

	"Don't worry, I'll make sure he's back in time for your party," 
Tobimaru gave Umiko a comforting smile.  Umiko nodded gratefully.

	"Tobimaru-sama, aren't you coming?" Ryoko called sweetly with 
only the slightest hint of menace.

	"I'm coming!" Tobimaru quickly ran back to the palanquin.

	"Fiance, I'll..." Ryo was cut off as the palanquin's door slid 
shut and it took off into the bushes.

	Umiko sighed.  She picked up her books and brushed them off.  
She made her way around the deep hole left by the tree.  Ryunosuke 
dumbly followed after Umiko, her mind lost.

	"Everyone's so different.  What's going on?" she muttered.

	Theta-theta heard, but it's self-preservation programming 
decided that it was a rhetorical question and was safest left 
unanswered.  Ryunosuke had a very strong grip.

	They followed Umiko as she made her way to the front gate.  
Ryunosuke noticed she was taking the route that gave her the most 
cover and avoided most of the other students.  Umiko then suddenly 
looked up and a hopeful smile appeared on her face.  She clutched 
her books to her chest and began to run after a dark-haired girl 
just passing the gate.

	"Shinobu-san," Umiko called shyly, stopping behind the girl.

	"Shinobu?" Ryunosuke said, brightening.

	Shinobu turned and saw who it was behind her.

	"What do you want?" Shinobu's voice was icy and hostile.

	Ryunosuke's jaw cracked loudly as it hit the pavement.

	"I...I was wondering if you got the invitation to my birthday 
party," Umiko asked quietly.

[Picture #11]

	"I don't see why you bothered inviting me," Shinobu said 
sullenly.  "I'm sure you'll have every boy in school going.  I 
wouldn't want to crowd your house."

	Shinobu coldly spun and walked away, leaving Umiko standing 
forlornly at the gate.  Umiko slowly turned, looking back once sadly, 
then started down in the other direction with her head hung low.

	"Honorable Customer?" Theta-theta asked.  Its sensors seemed to 
indicate that Ryunosuke was not breathing although her mouth was open.
Theta-theta waved its tiny hand in front of Ryunosuke's blank eyes.  
It shrugged its shoulders at a loss for what to do.  It never saw 
Ryunosuke's hand come up from behind it and grab it out of the air.

	"What...the...fuck...is...this???" Ryunosuke tore the words 
from her throat and emphasized each one with a rattling shake of 
Theta-theta's body.

	Theta-theta's self-preservation programming now forced it to 
answer the question and several unasked ones as well.

	[Picture #12]

	"This is an alternate present, Honorable Customer!  When you 
came here, you entered a universe with a different past!  The changes 
to your past not only effected you, but also those around you!  
Everyone touches the lives of the people around them, Honorable 
Customer!  You cannot change yourself without changing those around 
you!"  Theta-theta gagged.  Its voice modulator was being crushed.

	"Why the hell is Shinobu acting that way?" Ryunosuke demanded.

	"In your universe, Shinobu became infatuated with Shutaro 
Mendo after ceasing her involvement with Ataru Moroboshi.  It took a 
while, but she eventually grew out of that infatuation.  In this 
universe, Shinobu never had the chance to recover before her heart 
was broken again.  That proved to be a bit too much for her at that 
time of her life.  She has never attempted to seek another 
relationship.  She had become somewhat bitter, especially toward the 
person that caused that heartbreak."

	"So she hates Mendo?" Ryunosuke wasn't sure she was following 
this.

	"Partly.  But mostly, she hates you."

	Theta-theta fell out of Ryunosuke's numb fingers.

	"Why?  Why does she hate me?"

	"When you, or rather your alternate, first met Shutaro Mendo, 
he became fascinated by her.  Mind-scans indicate that he chases 
after that which is denied him.  Your alternate refused his advances.
That had only happened to him once before, with the Oni-Princess Lum.  
He might explain Lum's denial of him since she was engaged to the 
human, Ataru Moroboshi.  Your alternate was unattached at the time, 
and the idea that a girl would prefer remaining alone to being with 
him, unbalanced Mendo.  Added to the fact that your alternate is 
extremely attractive to males, and she was made a goal that started 
to consume Mendo.  At that age he was less stable than he is now in 
your universe if you remember, since then his personality has 
matured.  But in this universe he never had the chance for such 
growth.  Once he started to deteriorate, it didn't take long before 
he began to ignore nearly all other females, save the ones he found 
as attractive and unattainable, such as Lum and the human female, 
Sakura.

	"But he was interested in those two and every other girl back 
when Shinobu was all gushy over him!" Ryunosuke protested.

	"True, but in your universe, Mendo enjoyed leading on as many 
girls as he could.  Shinobu slowly figured this out and she was able 
to free herself of emotional attachments without damage.  In this 
universe, Mendo abruptly ended any chance of other relationships.  
Shinobu was in a delicate emotional state at the time.  Delicate even 
for her, which is saying something.  Many of the other girls at 
Tomobiki High School also blame your alternate for removing any 
chance they might have had at Mendo."

	"That's why Asuka was acting so crazy, too?" Ryunosuke asked, 
unwillingly beginning to understand.

	"Correct.  The first time Asuka encountered your alternate was 
substantially different from the first time you two met in your 
universe."

	Ryunosuke remembered.  It had been a mess.  Asuka had been 
convinced that Ryunosuke was a boy, which had infuriated Ryunosuke.  
Then Asuka had decided to fight her fear of males and nearly killed 
Ryunosuke in the process of trying to give her a hug.

	"What happened when Asuka and Umiko first met?" Ryunosuke 
asked.

	"It was a mess.  Asuka found out something she never learned in 
your universe, she discovered her beloved 'Onii-sama' was interested 
in another girl.  It crushed her at first but then something 
surprising happened.  The knowledge had the odd effect of 
strengthening her will and drive.  She vowed to win back Mendo.  She 
has almost overcome her fear of males and has abandoned her unhealthy 
interest in her brother, Tobimaru.  This, by the way, has helped 
Tobimaru to no end.  He is actually very grateful to your alternate, 
though the boy must still deal with Ryoko Mendo.  Hopefully the 
Mendos will not breed in this universe.  The planet might not survive 
it."

	Ryunosuke slapped the robot on the head.  "Stay on the subject!
What happened to Nagisa?"

	"Since you were raised as a girl here, there was no need for 
Nagisa's, or rather Ryo's father to raise him as a girl.  He only did 
that so that the two of you would be the proper sexes when you 
married.  Ryo never died, either.  He became a cook in his father's 
cafe and so impressed a visiting food critic that with Tobimaru's 
sponsorship, he was able to become an apprentice to one of the 
world's greatest chefs.  Tobimaru did this out of gratitude to Umiko, 
by the way.  Ryo has proven to be quite proficient under the tutelage 
of a chef in China who enjoys combining the culinary arts with martial
ones."

	Ryunosuke sat down and cradled her head.

	"Isn't anything the same in this screwed up Tomobiki?" 
Ryunosuke asked plaintively.

	"Happy Birthday, Umi-chan!  How about a birthday kiss?"

	"Kya!  Hellllpppp!  Kyaaaaaa!!!"

	Umiko came running back from the way she had gone, with Ataru 
Moroboshi chasing after her.


[Picture #13]


	"Darling!  Stop that-cha!!!"

	A blast of electricity shot out of the sky, frying Ataru just 
as he ran by Ryunosuke.  Lum followed the blast and hovered over the 
smoking heap of Moroboshi.

	Ryunosuke found herself smiling.  "I never thought I'd be glad 
to see that jerk."

	"Umiko, are you all right-cha?" Lum asked.

	Umiko peeked from around the telephone pole she was trying to 
hide behind.  She nodded mutely.

	"Shame on you, Darling!  You shouldn't scare poor Umiko like 
that on her birthday-cha!"

	"I just wanted to give her present to her early!" Ataru said 
indignantly.

	"I know what kind of present you were trying to give her!" Lum 
glared at Ataru and the air started to crackle.

	"Lum-san, are you and Ataru-san coming to my party?" Umiko 
asked meekly.

	"Of course we'll be there!" Ataru had taken advantage of the 
distraction to leap next to Umiko and clasp her hand.

	"Darling!" cried Lum.

	"Kya!" screamed Umiko, who instinctively swung her bookbag at 
Ataru.

	It was an awkward, ungainly motion, but Umiko did connect 
squarely on Ataru's chin with a loud thwak.  He sailed backward and 
was imbedded headfirst into a nearby brick wall.  Umiko's momentum 
swung her around a couple of times, but she stumbled to a stop and 
cowered behind her bag, expecting another rush.  However, Ataru only 
twitched a bit and made rambling singing sounds.

	"Benten and Oyuki said that they could come, and Ran-chan might 
come, too!" Lum told Umiko brightly, tugging the limp Ataru out of 
the wall.  She floated up, lifting Ataru by the collar.  "See you 
later-cha!"

	"I haven't given her my present!" Ataru came to life and 
struggled toward Umiko, puckering his lips.

	A flash of bluish light and a buzzing crackle were accompanied 
by Ataru's scream.  Umiko rushed back behind the telephone pole to 
avoid the stray bolts.

	"Bye-bye, Umiko!" Lum waved to her and carried the smoking 
Ataru away into the blue sky.

	Ryunosuke leaned back and sighed in relief.  "I'll be damned.  
At least some things are the same."

	Umiko stopped waving and peered around the pole again.  Looking 
up and down the street she assured herself that there were no other 
threats and hurried down the sidewalk clutching her books.

	Ryunosuke watched her alternate and shook her head ruefully.

	"How could I turn out to be such a wimp?" Ryu grumbled, falling 
into step after Umiko.  "I mean she only hit Ataru once!  There were 
plenty of openings!"

	"Your alternate is acting as she was raised to act.  Young 
females in your society are not taught to engage in hand-to-hand 
combat or to shout at people or to use offensive language." 
Theta-theta answered.

	"You saying I act like that?" growled Ryunosuke.

	"You...You were raised to act like a boy." Theta-theta said, 
nervously.

	"Yeah, I guess so," Ryunosuke admitted.  "But why am I, I mean 
Umiko, acting so...so..."

	"Different?" Theta-theta offered.  "You wanted to visit an 
alternate destiny stream where you had been raised in a way totally 
opposite to the way you had been.  This would naturally result in 
changes to your personality, but it does seem unlikely that it could 
be the sole cause for such radical differences.  Genes do play a role,
after all.  There must be a reason for such extreme differences in 
your alternate, but my databanks have been somewhat scrambled by your 
handling, so the reason is not readily available."

	Ryunosuke stopped at the corner as Umiko crossed the street at 
an intersection.  She watched as her alter-ego was swallowed up by 
the crowd.

	"Well, I don't think I want to find out why I turned out that 
way.  God knows what my father is like," Ryunosuke grimaced.  "Let's
get out of here."

	Ryunosuke turned around and slammed into a little kid rushing by 
her toward the intersection.  The kid bounced off her knees and 
landed on his bottom.

	"Hey, you okay?" Ryunosuke lifted him to his feet and dusted 
him off.

	"I'm fine!" chimed the little boy.  He laughed and took off 
again.

	"Don't run so...Hey!"  Ryunosuke suddenly noticed the crosswalk 
light had changed, but the little kid was waving back to Ryunosuke and
didn't see it.

	"Bye-bye!" he giggled and turned forward again.  He ran a few 
steps before he came to a halt, noticing the red, flashing 'Don't 
Walk' symbol.  He was already in the middle of the street.  He stood 
there with the confusion of a small child faced with a totally new 
situation, unable to decide to go on or go back.  The result placed 
him directly in the path of a speeding semi-truck rushing toward the 
intersection.

	"Shit!" Ryunosuke shouted and jumped.

	"Honorable Customer!" cried Theta-theta, but it was too late.  
Ryunosuke's leap was the picture of grace and speed.  But to Ryu, it 
felt clumsy and slow.  She stretched toward the little boy in a 
forward dive.  The truck was barrelling right toward him.  Ryunosuke 
could see the driver was looking to the side, no chance of him even 
slowing.  The kid now heard the truck.  He turned toward it, his eyes 
growing with fear.  Ryunosuke gritted her teeth, she only had one 
chance.

	She hit the street next to the kid hands first and did a 
forward roll.  The grill of the truck was already looming over them, 
impossibly huge, eclipsing the sun.  Too slow, Ryunosuke thought 
desperately.  She scooped up the kid.  No, dammit!  She wouldn't give 
up.  She was a fighter, and fighters didn't give up!  Everything was 
moving in slow motion except the damn truck.  She could see flecks of 
dirt on the grill now.  She completed her roll and her feet rammed 
into the ground like jackhammers.  She shot upward, twisting her body 
to protect the boy, expecting to feel the hard metal hitting her back 
in the next instant.  


	Instead, a blast of air struck her back, the wake of the truck 
as it sped by.  Ryunosuke's leap cleared the street and she landed 
smoothly on the sidewalk across from Theta-theta, who had been hiding 
its photo-receptors.  It risked a peek and let out a loud "Yatta!" 
when it saw Ryunosuke land safely.  Then it noticed the crowd staring 
at Ryunosuke.  The robot wished curses had been programmed into it's 
vocabulary.

	Ryunosuke worriedly looked down at the child in her arms, "You 
okay?" It sounded more like a prayer.

	The kid was clutching Ryunosuke's shirt, his eyes shut tight.  
He opened them fearfully, then focused on Ryunosuke's face.  The fear 
changed into a broad smile.

	"That was cool!  Can we do it again?"  he said.

	Ryunosuke smiled with relief.  Brave kid, she thought.

	"That was incredible!"  "Did you see that?"  "That young man 
saved that little boy!"  "You were great!"  "How brave!"

	Ryunosuke found herself surrounded by people slapping her back 
and congratulating her.  She was so relieved and happy that she didn't
even feel like correcting the old mistake of her gender.  Happy?  As 
a matter of fact, Ryunosuke was happy.  For the first time today, 
maybe for this week, maybe for the month, she was happy.  She might 
not wear a dress or make-up, but if she did, she might not have been 
able to snatch this kid out of harm's way.  Somehow, acting feminine 
didn't seem to matter that much now that she held this little boy safe
in her arms, with all these people cheering her.  They were really 
cheering her.  Ryunosuke felt her face start to redden when she 
realized that she had become the center of attention and not somebody 
else's problem.  And that meant she was no longer effectively 
invisible.  Everyone could see her.

	"Ryunosuke!"

	Ryunosuke felt a cold weight fill her gut.  She looked toward 
that voice that called to her.  That voice that sounded so strange 
not coming from her own throat.

	Umiko was running toward Ryu, pushing through the crowd.  
Ryunosuke found her feet wouldn't move, and she just stood there as 
Umiko came up to her.

	"Ryunosuke!" Umiko cried out again.

	"H...H...How...?" Ryunosuke croaked.

	"Older sister!" shouted the little boy gleefully.

	"Ryunosuke!" Umiko cried and took him from Ryunosuke's arms.  
"Don't you ever cross a street unless you look both ways!"  She 
clutched the boy tightly, her voice a mixture of anger and relief.

	"I'm sorry, Sis," the little boy named Ryunosuke apologized.  

"Did you see us flying?  Make him do it again!"


[Picture #14]


	"Thank you very much.  Thank you so much," Umiko bowed deeply to
Ryu.

	"It...was...nothing," Ryunosuke said dully, still not believing 
what she had heard.  A brother, I have a little brother here, she 
thought.

	"I was trying to catch up to you, Sis!  I was helping shop for 
your party!"

	But the only way Ryunosuke could have a younger brother...

	"You didn't leave home all by yourself, Ryu-chan?"

	...would be if...

	"Naw!  I came with Mommy!"

	"Mom?"

	"Mother?" whispered Ryunosuke.

	"Oh, Thank Heavens!  Ryu-chan, don't you ever run off like that 
again!" Ryunosuke heard a woman run up behind her.

	No, thought Ryunosuke, don't look.  It can't be.

	But she found herself turning around, regardless.

	[End of Part One]

---------------------------------------------------------------------


'I TOOK THE ONE LESS TRAVELLED BY...'

PART TWO

An URUSEI YATSURA Fanfiction story by Richard Suzuki

(Originally published in U.S.A. YATSURA APA #22)


	For a long time, Ryunosuke had never even known what her mother 
had looked like.  Her crazy father had collected pictures of many 
women playing with Ryunosuke as a baby, but never told her which one 
was Ryunosuke's real mother.  Then a magical sea creature had assumed 
the form of Masako Fujinami, Ryunosuke's dead mother.  The creature 
had returned to the ocean, but Ryunosuke always remembered the image 
it had taken.  It was the same image she now faced in the woman 
standing before her.

	She was tall, dignified and beautiful.  Her long black hair was 
loosely tied up and framed her lovely face.  Her eyes were filled 
with relief and gratitude and stared straight into Ryunosuke.  
Ryunosuke tried to deny it, but some part of her wouldn't let her; 
this really was her mother.


[Picture #15]


	"I'm okay, Mommy," little Ryu piped.

	"Thanks to this brave young woman," Mrs. Fujinami said and gave 
a heartfelt "Thank you very much."

	Ryunosuke felt the cold weight in her gut drop down to her 
knees.

	"Motherrrr," Umiko said, embarrassed.  "He's a boy."

	Ryunosuke didn't know why her disguise had failed this time, 
but she couldn't explain why she was dressed like a boy without 
revealing more about herself than she wanted.  They couldn't know who 
she really was, and Ryunosuke decided that she wanted to keep it that 
way.

	"That's right, Ma'am.  I..." Ryunosuke choked.  "I am a boy."

	Mrs. Fujinami frowned slightly, then bowed apologetically.  "Oh,
I'm so sorry!  Please excuse me.  I was so worried about my little 
Ryu-chan, I must not have known what I was saying..."

	"It's...It's okay," Ryunosuke waved her hands.

	"I'm Mrs. Fujinami, and this is my daughter Umiko, and you've 
already met Ryunosuke," Mrs. Fujiname introduced them and paused to 
give Ryunosuke a chance to do the same.

	"What's your name?" Umiko asked hesitantly when Ryunosuke just 
stared at them.

	"Ryunosuke," Ryunosuke responded before she could stop herself.

	"Really?!  How cool!  He's got the same name as me!"  little 
Ryu exclaimed.

	"Thank you very much, Ryunosuke-kun," Mrs. Fujinami bowed to 
Ryunosuke again.  Ryunosuke wished she would stop it.  "There must be 
some way we could repay you for saving Ryu-chan..."

	Umiko tugged her mother's shirt, then whispered in her ear.  
Mrs. Fujinami smiled and nodded in return.

	"Ryunosuke-sama," Umiko bowed very deeply to Ryunosuke.  
"I'd be very happy if you would be a guest at my birthday party 
today."

	"Huh?"

	* * *

	"Frost-sensei, what is 'It's A Wonderful Life'?" Shinobu, Inaba 
and Frost sat around the coffee table.  Although Shinobu remained 
glued to Inaba, she decided to try to engage in polite conversation 
as they finished the tea.


[Picture #16]


	"It's an American film that deals with a man seeing an 
alternate destiny stream that is not to his liking.  Surprisingly 
insightful to the basic nature of parallel universes, considering the 
primitive culture that made it.  Such disappointment at viewing 
alternate presents is something one learns to deal with in this job.  
I wouldn't be surprised if Ms. Fujinami hasn't experienced some 
rather heavy shocks by now."

	"What?" Shinobu almost dropped her tea.  "What do you mean?"

	"Well, Inaba said you managed to break regulations and view 
several of your potential destinies.  Were they what you expected 
them to be?"

	"I...I didn't know what to expect."

	"Let me rephrase that.  Were you happy with what you saw in 
your destinies?"

	"No," Shinobu answered after a pause.  "No, I wasn't."

	"Ms. Fujinami is quite probably experiencing the same 
disappointments by now."

	"I didn't want to do that to her!"  Shinobu cried out.  
"I wanted to help her!"

	"I'm not questioning your motives, Ms. Miyame.  This might help 
Ms. Fujinami even if it is unpleasant."

	"You knew about that!" accused Shinobu.  "You knew Ryunosuke-kun
might not like what she'd see, but you didn't even try to stop her!"

	"Of course not.  The final choice to go had to be hers and hers 
alone.  When you deal in destinies, you realize there is nothing more 
important than free will."

	"But what if she hates what she sees?  What if it hurts her?  
It would be my fault," Shinobu groaned.  "She'll blame me, and I'll 
deserve it!"

	Inaba put a consoling arm around her.

	"I doubt anything that drastic will occur, Ms. Miyame," Frost 
relented.  "After all, how different can that alternate present be?"

	* * *

	"My....Your mother...is alive?" Ryunosuke asked Umiko 
incredulously.

	"Of course, Ryunosuke-sama."

	Mrs. Fujinami had left them after giving Umiko some money and 
suggesting she buy Ryunosuke something at a coffee shop before 
bringing Ryunosuke to their home.  Little Ryu had adamantly refused 
to leave, and was now happily riding Ryunosuke's shoulders, begging 
her to jump over the street again.  Ryunosuke was still dumbfounded 
and didn't notice the shy glances Umiko would dart in her direction 
as they walked.

	To Umiko, Ryunosuke seemed a handsome, if somewhat dazed, young 
man.  But the thing that amazed her was that Ryunosuke hadn't tried 
to make a pass at her.  Almost every boy she had ever met had fixed 
her with more attention than she could bear.  Umiko didn't know why 
they did it and it made her more than a little leery around boys.  
Strangely, one of the few boys she did feel comfortable around was 
Lum's fiance, Ataru simply because that although his advances did 
frighten her, he did it to every girl he met.  He was the only boy 
who had never given Umiko any special attention.  Until now.

	She had never met a boy named Ryunosuke at school and she was 
certain she would have remembered someone that good-looking.

	"Are you from around here?" Umiko asked quietly.

	"Yeah... No!  I mean, I... Uh..." Ryunosuke fumbled.  "I'm just
visiting."

 	"Oh," Umiko murmured.  It wasn't right, she knew.  She was 
engaged to Ryo and she did love him, but it felt so...comfortable 
being around this boy.  As though the two of them had met before or 
had known each other since they were born.  She didn't feel threatened 
or nervous around him for some reason, and it was nice.

	The three of them went into a coffee shop that many of the kids 
visited after school.  Umiko seldom went there, so the instant she 
entered she almost ran out again when she found most of the heads 
turning toward them.  The boys reaction was familiar and still 
terrifying but to Umiko's surprise, she saw a similar reaction in the 
girl's faces when Ryunosuke came into view.

	"Umiko-san, welcome!  Please take this seat!"  A boy from her 
homeroom rushed up to her.  Was Pama his name?

	"Umiko-san, can we order you something?"  One of his friends, 
Chibi?, asked Umiko hopefully.

	"You bastards!" shouted another boy Umiko remembered was named 
Megane.  She never forgot his name for some reason.  "Your unfaithful 
hearts turn to just any other girl when Lum-san isn't in sight??!!"

	Megane was the only boy in Umiko's homeroom who totally ignored 
her.  But his constant raging tantrums made him more frightening than 
anybody in school.

	"She's with me," Ryunosuke said, dangerously.  She grabbed 
Megane by the lapels and drew his face close.  "Got that?"

	"Of course," Megane sputtered.  "Take it easy, guy."

	"I AM A....Geh," Ryunosuke stopped herself just in time.  
"A...a visitor here," she finished lamely.

	"Please take these seats," Megane offered.

	"But those are our..." Pama objected, but one glare from Ryu 
and the table was evacuated.

	They sat down and the room began to buzz with people whispering 
and looking at them.  Umiko tried to shrink down into the seat while 
Ryunosuke glared around the room.  Little Ryu assumed an identical 
pose next to Ryunosuke and tried to glare with equal intensity.

	Ryunosuke then suddenly noticed Shinobu was at one of the tables 
and she was staring at Ryunosuke as well.  She and Ryunosuke's eyes 
locked, but Shinobu swiftly turned away.  The other girls at the table
exchanged giggling whispers as Ryunosuke continued to stare at 
Shinobu.  Ryunosuke was recalling how different Shinobu had become in 
this universe.  But Ryunosuke refused to believe Shinobu could be 
that different.  A thought began to form in Ryunosuke's head as they 
ordered their sodas.

	Umiko finished hers quickly.  She wanted to get out of here.  
Little Ryu took somewhat longer, since he seemed to take equal 
enjoyment in playing with the milkshake as drinking it.  After he had 
managed to dump the last third of it over the heads of Megane and 
company, who were at the table next to them, Umiko decided it was 
time to leave.  She took little Ryu up in her arms and carried him 
back to the washrooms to clean him up.

	Ryunosuke decided this was her chance to try the idea that had 
come to her.  She got up and strode purposefully over to Shinobu's 
table.  The girls at the table all got that wide-eyed look Ryunosuke 
was used to getting from girls who didn't know she herself was a 
girl.  All the girls except Shinobu, who was busy sipping a cola.

	"Shinobu," Ryunosuke cleared her throat.

	Shinobu spit her drink over the table and began to cough.

	"Sorry about that," Ryunosuke apologized as she slapped Shinobu 
on the back.  "You okay?"

	"*Hack*...Uh...yes,"  Now Shinobu had that wide-eyed look, 
too.  "How do you know my name?"

	"Uh...Umiko told me," Ryunosuke tried to cover her slip.

	"Oh, really?" Shinobu's tone cooled noticeably at the mention 
of Umiko's name.

	"Look, Shinobu, I have to talk to you, please.  Come over here."
Ryunosuke grabbed Shinobu's wrist and nearly dragged her out of her 
seat.

	"What?  Just a minute!  Stop that!"  Ryunosuke managed to get 
Shinobu into a moderately private corner before Shinobu became 
irritated enough to exert a fraction of her potential strength and 
break Ryunosuke's grip easily.

	"Please listen to me, Shinobu.  I have to talk to you,"  
Ryunosuke leaned close to Shinobu, her eyes intent.

	Which had the result Ryunosuke should have expected but never 
thought she'd see in Shinobu.  Shinobu's eyes became all starry and 
she began to blush.

	Oh hell, Ryunosuke thought.  She knew she had that effect on 
girls who didn't know her real gender, but that wasn't what she had 
meant to do.

	"Uh, listen.  I want to ask you for a favor," Ryunosuke went 
on.

	"But...But I don't even know you," Shinobu now had that look 
she used to get back when she was mooning over Mendo.

	"Oh yeah, right, we haven't met before.  My name's Ryunosuke."

	"Ryunosuke?  That's the same name as Umiko's brother.  Are you 
two related?"  There was a hopeful note to her voice that made 
Ryunosuke shiver.

	"Uh, kind of...Look, I wanted to ask you if you could come to 
Umiko's birthday party, please?"  This wasn't working out the way 
Ryunosuke had intended, but she might still be able to salvage her 
plan.

	"Are you going?"  Shinobu became even more hopeful.

	"Well, yeah, I am.  But I'm really not asking you to go with me 
to it."  The look on Shinobu's face was making Ryunosuke queasy.

	"Oh, I see," Shinobu said disappointedly.  "Well, I don't 
know..."

	"Umiko really wants you to come, though!"

	"She told you that?"

	"Er, yeah, she did," Umiko hadn't actually told Ryunosuke that, 
but the weird bond between them made Ryunosuke aware of how much 
Umiko wanted Shinobu at her party.

	"Why would she want me to come?" Shinobu sniffed.  "There are 
lots of guys who want to go."

	"Because...Because...Dammit, Shinobu, because she's lonely!  
Because she never had you to...uh, I mean, a friend like you to turn 
to or talk to.  Because she really wants to be your friend," the 
words came out in a rush, Ryunosuke hardly knew what she was saying.  
The link with Umiko had grown stronger now and Ryunosuke could 
actually see Umiko's lonesome memories.

	"How can she be lonely?" Shinobu asked, disbelieving.  "She has 
every boy in the school after her."

	"They're all jerks.  They aren't her friends.  How many girls 
even talk to her anymore?"

	"Well...There's Lum..and Oyuki, I guess."



	"Lum is friends with everybody," Ryunosuke responded.  "And 
Oyuki?  Well, all right, but she's hardly ever on Earth.  Don't you 
see, Shinobu?  She needs a friend more than anything else.  Maybe you 
two can't be friends.  Maybe things are too different...But can't you 
at least come to the party?"

	"Well, I..." Shinobu hesitated.

	Ryunosuke realized that Shinobu still wasn't entirely convinced.  
Desperately, Ryunosuke realized what she could do to get Shinobu to 
go.  Ryunosuke swallowed hard to settle her stomach, then gave 
Shinobu her best smile.

	"Please?  For me?" Ryunosuke asked, trying to emulate Mendo's 
smooth voice.

	Shinobu blushed again and seemed to sway a bit.

	"All right, I'll go," she said and swiftly turned away, hiding 
her face.

	Ryunosuke sighed with relief and rolled her eyes with nausea.  
She wasn't sure if this would work, but she had to try something.  
Ryunosuke could feel an emptiness in Umiko through their connection.  
Umiko probably didn't even know it was there, but Ryunosuke could 
feel it.  She could notice the absence in Umiko of something that was 
a very important part of herself.  It was the absence of a close and 
very special friendship.  One party might not be enough to change 
anything in this crazy world, but it was worth a shot.

	"Big brother!  Can you jump over the street on the way home?" 
Little Ryu came hurtling into Ryunosuke's knees and tried to climb up 
her legs.

	"Shinobu-san!" Umiko was very surprised as she came up to them.

	"Shinobu is coming to your party," Ryunosuke said quickly, 
picking up the anxiously hopping little boy.

	"Really, Shinobu-san?  You really are going to come?"

	"Well, yes, I am," Shinobu was taken aback by Umiko's earnest 
enthusiasm.  "But I'm afraid I didn't buy you a birthday present, 
please excuse me."

	"It would be the best birthday present I ever had if you would 
come to my party," Umiko said timidly.

	Shinobu stared at Umiko, amazed at the sincerity in what she 
had just heard.  Then a slow, hesitant smile spread across her face.  
A matching one grew over Umiko's face, and the two girls began to 
giggle.  Without really knowing why, Ryunosuke suddenly felt as if 
things might work out after all.

	* * *

	The foursome were all laughing together by the time they 
reached Umiko's home.  Ryunosuke did a double-take when Umiko lead 
them into a small, neat cafe that had a sign outside that read, 
"Closed for Private Party".

	"The Fujinami's cafe is really very popular," Shinobu told 
Ryunosuke as they went inside.  "The food is very good."

	"Oh no, it's not that good," Umiko protested.

	"Your mother is a wonderful cook, Umiko-san!" Shinobu argued.  
"Although people do have to get used to your fath..."

	"Ryunosuke!!!!!!" Mr. Fujinami came crashing through the tables 
and caught little Ryu in a tearful bear-hug.  "Your mother told me 
what happened today!  You shouldn't risk yourself so!  You're my son!  
You're never to cross a street again!"

	A loud, metallic gong rang through the cafe as Mrs. Fujinami 
hit her husband over the head with a wok.

	"He has to cross the street sometimes, dear," she said mildly.  
"Next time he'll be more careful."

	"I'll be careful!  I'll be careful!  I promise!", little Ryu 
cried, trying to pry himself free of his father's crushing embrace.

	"Don't ever take such chances again!  You're my son!  I don't 
want to even imagine anything ever happening to you!"  Mr. Fujinami 
burst into a fresh flood of tears.

	Mrs. Fujinami smiled and apologized, "Please excuse my husband.
He's been a little over-excited since Ryu-chan was born.  He always 
wanted a son so badly.  It's nice to see him so happy."

	She handed Ryunosuke and Shinobu umbrellas to ward off the 
tears showering the room and led them to a large table.

	"When Umiko was born, he actually wanted to teach her to act 
like a boy, but I wouldn't stand for that,"  Mrs. Fujinami continued 
conversationally over Mr. Fujinami's wails.  She smiled again and 
shook her head.  "He even want to name her Ryunosuke."

	"I Love Ryunosuke!" shouted Mr. Fujinami suddenly.  He grabbed 
Umiko and Mrs. Fujinami up in a mass-hug.  "I Love Umiko!  I Love 
Masako!"

	"Oh, no," groaned Ryunosuke.  She grabbed Shinobu and braced 
herself.

	"I LOVE THE SEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"




[Picture #17]


	The tidal wave washed through the cafe and managed to catch 
Ataru, Lum, Benten, Oyuki, Ran and Rei just as they entered the shop.

	"Guess they've started early," burbled Ataru as they were all 
swept down the street.

	Once everyone had ridden the wave out and wrung their clothes 
dry, the cafe was returned to its former state and the party begun in 
earnest.  Ryunosuke discovered some other unusual but not really 
displeasing differences from her world.  She found out the Fujinami 
seaside cafe was still in business but it was only open during the 
summer months.  As in Ryu's universe, Mr. Fujinami had wanted to keep 
it open all the year round even though there were no customers during 
the winter.  Mrs. Fujinami had flatly refused.  Aside from the fact 
that she was the one who did most of the cooking, she had a hell of a 
right cross, so a compromise had been made.  The family had another 
cafe further inland in the town of Tomobiki that was open during the 
rest of the year.  With a full year's income, Umiko's family was 
somewhat better off financially than Ryunosuke's, even with extra 
members.  Ryunosuke also noticed that Umiko and Lum's astral friend, 
Oyuki, seemed rather close.  In Ryunosuke's world it was Lum's brash, 
violent friend, Benten, with whom Ryunosuke had developed a kind of 
mutual admiration and respect.  In this world it was the quiet, 
demure ice princess from Neptune that Umiko obviously felt more 
comfortable around.

	But the strangest, most amazing thing of all was the presence 
of Mrs. Fujinami.  She moved amongst her guests serving punch and 
cookies while managing to keep little Ryu's hands away from the cake 
and Ataru's hands away from Umiko.  The first time Ataru tried that, 
Ryunosuke had instantly broken a chair over his head before even Lum 
could react.  Everyone was surprised at the speed and vehemence of 
Ryunosuke's attack.  Mrs. Fujinami had thanked Ryunosuke for her help,
but Ryunosuke found herself tongue-tied and uneasy under Mrs. 
Fujinami's gaze.  Ataru switched his attentions to Benten while 
Ryunosuke found herself casting covert glances at Mrs. Fujinami as 
the tables began to fly around the room.

	In a sense she was Ryunosuke's mother, or at least what her 
mother would have been like if she hadn't passed away before 
Ryunosuke could even remember what she looked like.  Ryunosuke felt a 
pang at that thought, and the connection with Umiko surfaced again.  
Only this time Ryunosuke felt an emptiness inside of herself.  It was 
starkly noticeable because it wasn't missing in Umiko.  It was more 
basic and fundamental than a friendship.  It was something that shaped 
and permeated almost every bit of Umiko's being.  It was the simple 
thing of having a mother who loved her.

	A simple thing, something most people would take for granted.  
Something Ryunosuke would never know.  How many times had Ryunosuke 
wondered about her mother?  How many things did Ryunosuke want to 
know about her?  And now here she was, alive and close, and Ryunosuke 
couldn't even say, "You're welcome" without stuttering.  It didn't 
seem fair.  

	None of Ryunosuke's friends, not even Shinobu, could understand.
No one could except, and Ryunosuke frowned at the thought, except 
maybe Nagisa.  Ryunosuke had met the ghost of Nagisa's father, but 
had never seen his mother.  Ryunosuke had never asked but she wondered
if Nagisa had also grown up without a mother.  Could he, of all 
people, understand the turmoil she was feeling at seeing her mother 
alive?  Would he know what she could ask or say to the woman 
gracefully dodging electric blasts?

	Benten had developed a variation on Pin-The-Tail-On-The-Donkey 
called Plant-The-Fist-On-Ataru when Lum's little cousin Jariten came 
floating in.

	"Ten-chan!" shouted little Ryu gleefully.

	"Ryu-chan!" the astral boy sailed down and gave little Ryu a 
high-five.  The two kids were obviously good friends.

	"Ten-chan, meet my new big brother!  He's named Ryunosuke too!"
little Ryu tugged Ten over to where Ryunosuke sat, still staring at 
Mrs. Fujinami.

	"I don't have time for that, Ryu-chan!" Ten said urgently.  "I 
was flying around the corner and I saw a bunch of guys from 
Lum-chan's school gathered there.  I snuck up and overheard that 
they're planning to crash your big sister's party!"

	"What?" Ryunosuke said, breaking free of her painful thoughts.  
"Damn it.  Look, Ten, don't tell anyone else, okay?  I'll deal with 
this myself."

	"But there are more than twenty of them!"  Ten objected.

	"I said I'll deal with it myself," Ryunosuke cracked her 
knuckles.

	"What a fine, brave young man you are!" Mr. Fujinami suddenly 
appeared.  "First you save my son, and now you go risk yourself again 
to save my daughter!  I hope Ryu-chan grows up to be as good a man as 
you are!"

	Ryunosuke made sure no one else was looking and punched him in 
the jaw.  She might be in disguise, but that didn't mean she had to 
take that macho-bull.

	"Wow!  You're strong!" little Ryu said, looking down at his 
flattened father.

	"Yes, but you lead a little too much with your right," Mr. 
Fujinami observed.

	Ryunosuke surreptitiously threw a table on him.

	She left the cafe and started down the street.  In a way, she 
was grateful for the distraction.  It was better than thinking about 
a mother that wasn't truly hers.  Mrs. Fujinami was Umiko's mother.  
Ryunosuke's mother was dead.  Ryunosuke had lived with that fact all 
of her life, and nothing was going to change it.  It didn't make it 
hurt any less, though.  She gritted her teeth and hoped that those 
party-crashers put up a fight.

	She found the boys around the corner, just like Ten had said.  
They were carrying a strange mixture of presents, battering rams, love
letters and scaling ladders.

	One of the boys was shouting to the crowd, "All right, everyone 
got that straight?  They can't stop all of us!"

	"Wanna bet?" Ryunosuke said as she stepped into view.

	All of them turned toward her.  Ten had miscounted, there were 
easily forty.

	"Who are you?" asked the one who had been shouting.

	"The one who's going to send all of you to the hospital if you 
don't leave right now," Ryunosuke answered grimly.

	"I recognize you!"  The loudmouth pointed at her.  "I saw you 
with Umiko in the coffee shop this afternoon.  He's trying to steal 
her away!  Get him, men!"

	Ryunosuke had been getting into fist-fights with her father 
since as far back as she could remember.  She never had any formal 
training, but had developed her own unusual and very effective 
fighting style over the years.  Her experience combined with her 
natural speed and strength made her the best fighter at Tomobiki High.
But even she found herself hard pressed against so many opponents all 
at once.  Any five or six of them wouldn't have made Ryunosuke even 
break a sweat, but her style of combat consisted of very little by 
way of defensive maneuvers.  Which meant that she had to remain on 
the offensive, and it was a strain doing so against such a large 
crowd.  A dozen or so had been knocked out when the loudmouth finally 
got smart.

	"Dogpile!" he shouted.

	Ryunosuke suddenly found them all rushing her at once, trying to
bear her down.  She was strong, but she was no Shinobu or Sakura.  If 
enough of them managed to grab her, they'd overwhelm her by sheer 
weight of numbers.  Things were beginning to look unpleasant.

	Two of the guys who had managed to grab Ryunosuke abruptly let 
go with yelps of pain.  Something whizzed past her ear and cracked 
into the face of the bozo she was about to kick.  She stared at the 
missile in disbelief.  A ladle?

	An eggbeater and spatula flew by and took out two more boys by the 
time Ryunosuke recovered.  She leaped over another two charging her and 
slammed her feet into their heads as she went over them.  She did a 
somersault in mid-air and when she landed, she could see Ryo flinging 
more kitchen utensils into the crowd.  Confronted with two attackers, 
the boys were no longer as organized, and she could deal with them more 
easily.

[Picture #18]

	Ryo kept his distance, but then ran out of kitchenware.  Several
burly types tried to tackle him, but as they neared Ryo, a silver 
Ginzu knife flashed brightly.  The buttons of Ryo's attackers flew 
from their school uniforms and their jackets flapped open.  Their belt
buckles were then sliced off, and their pants fell past their knees.

	Kept something in reserve, Ryunosuke thought with grudging 
respect.  She caught three more guys on the chins with a sweeping 
circular kick and used her momentum for a punch that connected 
solidly on the loudmouth's nose.  She spun around as he collapsed, 
and was surprised to see he had been the last one standing, if you 
didn't count the partly disrobed ones who were cowering as Ryo pointed
the razor-sharp knife at them.

	"Get out of here," Ryo snarled.

	Taking the subtle suggestion, the boys let loose screams of 
terror and tumbled over each other in their haste to depart.  With a 
practiced motion, Ryo spun the knife around his finger and returned it
to the hidden holster under his left arm.  He walked over to 
Ryunosuke, who was bent over with her hands on her knees, trying to 
catch her breath.  She looked up at him with a reluctant grin of 
gratitude forming on her lips.

	"Who the hell are you?" Ryo asked bluntly.

	By now, Ryunosuke had thought she had passed her limit of 
surprises for the day, but evidently her limit had been raised.

	"Wha...?  What's your problem?" Ryunosuke straightened 
herself defensively.

	"My problem is that I heard from Ryoko's spies that a bunch of 
idiots were going to crash my fiance's party.  My problem is that 
they also told me that some guy they never saw before was taking my 
fiance out on a date at a coffee shop.  My problem is that if you're 
that guy, I'm going to have to figure out how I can kill you even 
though I owe you for helping take care of these jerks."

	Ryunosuke was still astounded at hearing Nagisa's voice used in 
such a manner, but that didn't stop her indignation.  "Now wait a 
damn second.  I'm the one who 'helped' wipe out most of these guys 
and I could've gotten them all without your help.  Besides that, you 
got it wrong about me and Umiko.  There's no reason for us to fight."

	"You don't have much choice about that if you're trying to take 
my fiance from me," Ryo growled.

	"Will you listen, you moron?  I'm not interested in Umiko!"

	"That's why you took her on a date?" Ryo advanced on Ryunosuke, 
who held her ground.

	"She asked me to go to that coffee shop!"

	"You lying bastard!" Ryo raised his fists.

	"I don't want to fight you!"

	"Why not??!!"

	"Because you care about her!" Ryunosuke yelled, to their mutual 
surprise.

	Ryo stared at her, taken aback.  Ryunosuke wondered what had 
made her say that.  Unbidden, the image of Umiko and Ryo holding each 
other in the schoolyard came into her head and wouldn't leave.  She 
had experienced Umiko's feelings for him then, and Ryunosuke fought 
against the memory.  The link with Umiko came back and seemed stronger
than ever.

	"You care about her," Ryunosuke found herself saying, no longer 
in control of her words.  "Don't you know how important that is?  To 
have someone who really, truly cares for you?  Don't you know what 
that means?"

	She stared up at Ryo's bemused face, suddenly aware how close 
their bodies were.  The connection with Umiko made Ryunosuke aware of 
other things, like the sweep of Ryo's hair, the shape of his lips.  
Ryunosuke found herself involuntarily leaning toward him.  Ryo's eyes 
widened.  Inexplicably, Ryunosuke knew he was feeling the same 
unexpected attraction.  He swayed toward her.  Ryunosuke stretched 
her face up toward his, staring into his eyes.  Eyes that were so much
like Nagi....


[Picture #19]


	"AAAAGGG!" Ryo screamed and shoved her away.

	Ryunosuke shook her head.  That damned connection.  Umiko's 
emotions must have taken over her.  That had to be why she was 
breathing so hard.  Why her heart was pounding.  That had to be it.

	Ryo had put some distance between them and was now holding his 
stomach, retching violently.  He glared back at Ryunosuke with a look 
of revulsion.

	"Oh God, I guess my fiance is safe from you.  I didn't know you 
were one of those...type of...guys.  Oh Jeez!  And I..." He spasmed 
and wretched again.  "I...Oh God...You...for a second...reminded me 
of her...You!  Oh man, I'm gonna be sick."

	Realization hit Ryunosuke and she felt herself starting to 
redden.  She clenched her fists.  Ryo was too busy to notice.

	"Look, I don't want to fight you anymore," Ryo wiped his mouth 
with the back of his hand.  "I guess I should thank you for fighting 
these jerks, but don't you ever, ever mention what happened here to 
anybody.  Not anybody!"

	He turned away and unsteadily stared down the street.

	Ryunosuke picked up the fattest looking kid and used him to 
deck Ryo.

	* * *

	Ryo appeared at the party about fifteen minutes after Ryunosuke 
got back.  Everyone was so overjoyed at his return from China that 
they never noticed the sick looks he directed at Ryu, or the wide 
space he gave her.

	The cake was brought out and cut while Umiko bashfully showed 
off her presents.  Mostly filly, lacy stuff.  Ataru was finally 
recovering from the electric attack Lum had given him after his 
present had turned out to be a brassiere.  Umiko had almost fainted 
and insisted that he take it back.  Ryunosuke shook her head as she 
ate another piece of cake.  She remembered all the trouble she had 
gone through pretending to date Shinobu just to try to earn enough 
money to buy one herself.  Thinking about Shinobu made Ryunosuke 
homesick as she finished her tea.

	Her teacup sprouted eyes.  "My mind-scan indicates the Honorable
Customer is ready to go."

	"Ack!" gagged Ryunosuke and flung the teacup down.  It stopped 
before it hit the floor and folded in on itself, transforming into 
Theta-theta.

	"Don't do that!" Ryunosuke gave the robot a good whack.

	"Is my scan inaccurate?" asked the robot, dizzily.

	"What?  Oh yeah, I guess it's about time I left."  She got up and
intended to slip out the door without anyone noticing.  Little Ryu did 
notice and let out a wail.

	"Eeep!" squawked Theta-theta.  It folded up into something 
resembling a cigarette case and slid into Ryunosuke's back pocket.

	"You're not leaving already?" Little Ryu ran up to her, his eyes 
fearful.

	"Uh, yeah, I have to.  Thanks, it was a great party, but I have 
to leave."

	"I don't know how I can ever repay you," Mr. Fujinami said, 
shaking her hand.  "Except to promise you that I will try to raise 
Ryu-chan to be as much a man as you are."

	Ah, what the hell, thought Ryunosuke and slugged him in front of 
everybody.

	"What a fine, strong lad!" shouted Mr. Fujinami just before he 
crashed through the kitchen door.

	Umiko and little Ryu showed her out of the cafe.  The sun was 
just beginning to touch the sky with the faintest traces of red.

	"Can you visit again sometime soon?" Little Ryu was clutching his
sister's hand and fidgeting.

	"Uh, well..." Ryunosuke felt Theta-theta start to squirm 
violently in her pocket.  "Um, no, I don't think I'll be able to," she 
said and Theta-theta quieted.

	That answer was not the one little Ryu wanted to hear, and tears 
began to well up in his eyes.

	"Hey, now," said Ryunosuke, squatting down in front of him.  
"Don't cry.  Guys aren't supposed to cry, remember?"

	"I won't," little Ryu whimpered, tears already streaming down 
his cheeks.  He flung his arms around Ryunosuke's neck and held on 
tight.  Ryunosuke smiled sadly and hugged him back.  After a while, 
little Ryu pushed himself away and rubbed his eyes with his fists.

	"Daddy may be a fruitcake, but I do wanna grow up to be just 
like you," he sniffled.

	"I don't know if you'd want that, but I'll tell you, I'd be proud
to have you for a little brother," she smiled at him.

	That was too much for little Ryu.  He exploded with tears and 
ran back into the cafe.

	Ryunosuke stood up and sniffed.  There must have been some dust 
in the air.  It was getting in her eyes, too.

	Umiko still stood there, her fingers twisting in her skirt.  She 
darted a look at Ryunosuke, trying to find words.

	"Shinobu-san told me," she began.  "She told me that you were the
one who asked her to come to my party.  Thank you."


[Picture #20]


	"I kind of figured you wanted her to come.  I'm glad that the two
you seem to be getting along."

	"I've always liked her, but she never seemed to want to talk to
me, even after all of those strange adventures we've had together with
Lum-san."

	"I don't know if I'd call them 'adventures', but being in the 
same homeroom with Lum sure keeps you busy."

	Umiko blinked at Ryunosuke curiously.

	"Or at least, so I've heard," added Ryunosuke quickly.

	"I also found out from Ryu-chan that you kept a bunch of
gate-crashers out.  Thank you.  And thank you again for saving Ryu-chan.
Thank you for everything."  Umiko was bobbing her head with so many 
bows that Ryunosuke was getting seasick.

	"It was nothing, okay?" she said.

	"That's not true!  You've done so much and I've never even met 
you before.  But it feels like...like we have met before, like we 
already know each other, like between us there's..."

	"Please," Ryunosuke interrupted, not liking the course Umiko was 
taking.  "I just wanted to help, that's all.  I really should go now."

	"Are you sure you won't be visiting Tomobiki again?" Umiko asked 
quietly.

	Theta-theta began to squirm again.  Ryunosuke slapped her pocket 
hard.

	"I'm sorry.  I won't be able to visit again.  But..." Ryunosuke 
stared down at the pavement, "I'm glad I had this one chance to meet
you."

	"So am I," Umiko murmured.

	Umiko's feet appeared in front of Ryunosuke's.  Ryunosuke looked 
up and found Umiko's lips brushing hers in a kiss.


[Picture #21]


	"Goodbye," Umiko whispered.  She ran back into the cafe, leaving 
behind a glistening rain of tears.

	Ryunosuke stood there with her eyes wide and blank, one eyebrow 
twitching spasmodically.

	Theta-theta slipped out of her pocket and assumed robot-mode.  It
flew up to Ryunosuke's pasty-white face.

	"Honorable Customer?"

	"Why is it always girls?" she gurgled, her appalled expression 
unchanging.  "Why is it always girls who end up kissing me?"



	"Perhaps the Honorable Customer has a similar effect on females 
as your alternate does on males.  It might be that you would be very 
successful if your tastes ran in that direction."  Theta-theta's 
self-preservation programming had unknowingly developed a few bugs.  
"Now do you wish me to show you back to the Door..Erg!!!"

	Ryunosuke grabbed the robot and pitched it over the rooftops.  
"I know where the hell it is!"  She tramped down the street fuming.

	Again!  It had happened to her again.  Kissed by a girl!  Shinobu
had kissed Ryunosuke by accident, and Lum's friend Ran had done it on 
purpose more than once.  When they had first met, Ryunosuke had thought
Nagisa was yet another girl trying to kiss her.  Ryunosuke hated to 
admit it, but it had been a little bit of a relief finding out he 
really was a boy.  At least it was better than having another girl 
trying to do that to her.  But this time she hadn't just kissed a 
girl, she had kissed herself!  Ryunosuke felt the street spin slightly,
she didn't want to think about it anymore.

	"Ryunosuke-kun!"

	She had made it a block or so when she heard Mrs. Fujinami call 
out from behind her.  Ryunosuke felt her dizzy queasiness vanish to be 
replaced by a nervous uncertainty.  Ryunosuke wondered what she wanted.

	"Thank Goodness I caught up with you," Mrs. Fujinami said as she 
hurried up to her.  "There's something I want to give you."

	"Oh no, please, I couldn't take anything for saving Ryu-chan," 
she protested.

	Mrs. Fujinami smiled and shook her head.  "It's not for that.  
Here, please take this.  I was going to give it to Umiko today, but 
something tells me you need it more."  She pressed something into 
Ryunosuke's hand.

	"I can't..." Ryunosuke stopped when she saw the shining golden 
locket she now held.  "It's...beautiful.  But I can't take Umiko's 
birthday present."

	"Not even if it's now your birthday present?" Mrs. Fujinami 
asked.

	Ryunosuke's eyes grew as wide as saucers.  "Wh...What do you 
mean?"

	"You know, I've seen many strange things since Lum-chan came to 
Tomobiki.  I am almost convinced now that anything at all is possible.  
But I've never yet seen anything that has convinced me that a mother 
could not recognize her own daughter when she saw her," Mrs. Fujinami's 
smile grew bright.

	Ryunosuke's heart skidded to a stop.  Her mouth was moving, but 
nothing was coming out.  She found she couldn't voice the denials she 
didn't really want to say.  She looked at the beautiful, knowing face 
of the woman before her and felt her hands start to shake.

	"I didn't know if I should tell you," Mrs. Fujinami continued 
slightly embarrassed.  "But then I heard you were never coming back, 
and I couldn't just let you leave.  I don't know where you're from, 
but something tells me I don't want to know too much about it.  I can 
guess it must be...different."

	She raised a hand and smoothed Ryunosuke's short hair.  "So 
different.  And yet still the same," as she touched Ryunosuke's cheek.

	"I..." Ryunosuke found her voice.  "There's so much...I want to 
ask you."

	"Hush," she stopped Ryunosuke's fumbling words.  "There's only 
one thing you have to ask, and the answer is inside the locket."

	She opened the locket for Ryunosuke, and Ryunosuke read the 
inscription inside.  Ryunosuke looked back up and found her vision 
starting to become blurry.

	"When you have children of your own, you'll understand how I feel.
A mother's love isn't restricted in any way.  I love Umiko and Ryu-chan,
but that doesn't mean I can't love a daughter I've only just found."  
Mrs. Fujinami's smile was the most radiant Ryunosuke had ever seen.  It
hurt to look at, but Ryunosuke didn't want to turn away.  Seeing the 
pain on Ryunosuke's face, Mrs. Fujinami drew back, her expression 
concerned.

	"I'm sorry...I shouldn't have followed you.  I didn't mean any 
harm, I just...I'm sorry."  She started to turn away when Ryunosuke 
rushed forward and embraced her.

	"Mom!" Ryunosuke choked softly, fighting against the tears she 
felt building up.  Mrs. Fujinami's arms encircled her, one hand 
stroking Ryunosuke's hair.

	"My little girl," she murmured.


[Picture #21]


	The two of them stood together, black outlines in the crimson 
glow of the setting sun.

	"It's all right," her mother soothed, kissing Ryunosuke's head 
and nuzzling a cheek in her hair.  "It's all right."

	The tears came then.  But that was all right.


	* * *


	"What if something happened to her?" Shinobu asked again, 
wringing her hands with worry.

	"Theta-theta would have sent a distress signal," Inaba tried to 
reassure her.  "Ryunosuke-san is all right, really."

	"In fact," Frost cut in, examining the holograms over her 
computer, "she's at the Destiny Door right now."

	They all went to the huge oak door as the pink crystal knob 
turned and clicked.  The door swung open and the room was bathed in red
sunlight.  Ryunosuke and Theta-theta came through into the office.

	Shinobu felt her heart sink.  It must have been awful.  Ryunosuke
had been crying.  How could Ryunosuke ever forgive her?  Their eyes 
connected and Shinobu saw Ryu's eyes were still glistening.

	"Ryunosuke-kun," Shinobu moaned.  "I'm...."

	But before she finished, Ryunosuke ran up to her and caught her 
in a fierce hug.


[Picture #22]
	

	"Shinobu, thank you," Ryunosuke's voice cracked.  Shinobu could 
not believe she felt fresh tears soaking into her shoulder.  "Thank 
you.  That was the best birthday present I ever had."

	"A birthday present?" Frost said, looking on with a smile.  
"How interesting.  Using an alternate present as a birthday present.  
Perhaps we might make a business of that idea."

	"That would be very difficult, Frost-Sensei," Theta-theta piped 
in.  "Keeping the customers from interacting with the alternates is 
impossible."

	"Interacting?" Frost turned to the robot, her eyes flashing 
dangerously behind her glasses.  "You let her interact with people?"

	Theta-theta gulped.  It was definitely going to have to run a 
check on it's self-preservation programming soon.  Assuming it was 
around that long.

	"Frost-Sensei," Inaba said respectfully.  "It doesn't really make
that much difference, does it?  Neither the past or the future has been
altered, only another parallel present.  There's nothing wrong with 
that, is there?"

	Frost put down the can opener she was about to use on Theta-theta
and frowned at Inaba thoughtfully.  Abruptly she laughed and sat down.

	"You know, now that I think about it, you're right, Inaba.  There
may be hope for you yet."

	Theta-theta fainted with relief and hit the floor with a crash.

	* * *

	When the three of them returned to their Tomobiki, the sun was 
totally red and their shadows were stretched long on the street.  The 
crows called to each other loudly in the evening sky.

	Shinobu had insisted on examining the book Frost had given Inaba 
before they left her office.

	"It looks like a textbook," she looked over the alien writing on 
the cover.

	"It is," Inaba said.  "It's a book on Parallel Actions theory."

	"Sounds worse than math," Ryunosuke smiled.

	Since they had gotten back Ryunosuke had been quiet, but there 
was an aura of peace surrounding her.  Shinobu was glad to see her 
friend was feeling better than she had this morning.

	"It's not that bad, actually," Inaba said.  He quoted from memory,
"It assumes that not only do the events of history repeat themselves 
along the timestream, but that events also repeat themselves in a sort 
of perpendicular manner between the infinite parallels of reality."

	"It sounds much worse than math," Shinobu chuckled.  She put the 
book under one arm and took Inaba's arm in her other.  The warm evening
sky continued to deepen it's color as they reached Tomobiki High.  The 
construction crew had left for the day, but it looked as though they 
would be able to finish the repairs before classes began tomorrow.

	Ryunosuke looked up at the school that had become her home and 
fingered the locket in her front pocket.  Her life might not be exactly
the way she wanted it to be, but it was hers.  And like Inaba said, 
the present just is, but the future she could shape.  And maybe her 
future wasn't going to be that bad afterall.  She'd be able to face 
it, however it turned out, knowing the answer to the most important 
question of all was inside the little golden locket.

	"Ryunosuke!" Mr. Fujinami exploded a party-noisemaker behind her,
showering her with confetti.  Ryunosuke leapt straight into the air.

	"You almost missed your surprise party!" accused Mr. Fujinami, 
his mouth filled with brightly colored party horns.

	Ryunosuke came down and cracked her father on the skull.  "What 
the hell do you mean, surprise party?  You told me about it this 
morning, you idiot!  Remember?"


	"Surprise!" shouted the people hiding in the bushes around the 
schoolyard.  Ryunosuke saw they were the kids from her homeroom mixed 
with Lum's Astral friends.  More confetti and pops from noisemakers 
filled the air.  They unraveled a banner which said, 'Happy Birthday 
Ryunosuke' in smudged paint.  A massive number of balloons rose toward 
the sky and a squadron of Mendo's fighter planes streaked the sky with 
multicolored smoke.

	"Dammit, didn't you hear me?" Ryunosuke shouted.  "I knew about 
this!"	

	"Surprise, Ryunosuke-sama!"  Nagisa ran up to her.  He was 
wearing a fancy dress, and a pointed party hat was tipped precariously 
on his head.  He held out an intricately decorated cake, it's candles 
already lit.  "Make a wish!"

	Ryunosuke glared at the cake being thrust under her face for a 
moment.  Then her scowl changed to a suppressed smile, as if she had 
just thought of a private joke.  She shook her head.

	"Sorry Nagisa, but I can't think of a single thing I could 
possibly wish for," Ryunosuke's smile broadened and she pushed the 
cake away.

	Nagisa burst into tears.

	"Ryunosuke-sama hates my cooking!" he sobbed.

	"What?  Oh for...I didn't...Shit, will you stop that!!!" 
Ryunosuke yelled, which made Nagisa bawl even louder.

	"Ryunosuke-sama won't eat my cake!!" he wailed.

	At the word 'cake', Lum's old boyfriend, Rei perked up his head 
and locked onto them.  He charged toward Nagisa, changing into his 
massive tiger-bull form, trampling over Ryunosuke.

	"Kya!  Get away!" screamed Nagisa.  "This is for Ryunosuke-sama!"

	Ryunosuke woozily got up and found Ataru peeking over her 
shoulder.

	"Here's your present, Ryu-chan," Ataru smiled lecherously and 
pulled a lacy brassiere around her chest.

	"Darling!" Lum cried angrily.  A familiar smell of ozone filled 
the air.

	Ataru and Ryunosuke both ducked under the electric blast, which 
ended up hitting Megane and the rest of Lum's Guards.

	"You bastard!" shouted Mendo.  "What kind of present is that to 
give a girl?"

	Ataru caught Mendo's katana between his palms.  "The best kind!" 
he retorted.  "Giving it is as much fun as getting it!"

	Ryunosuke got up again and found her father was trying to yank 
the brassiere out of her hands.

	"Hey, what're you doing?"  Ryunosuke demanded.

	"No son of mine is going to wear one of those!" Mr. Fujinami 
exclaimed.

	"I AM A WOMAN!" Ryunosuke's punch knocked him straight back into 
Mendo.

	Ataru leapt aside and managed to grab the brassiere from 
Ryunosuke before she could finish the follow-through of her punch.

	"Would you try modeling this, Benten-sama?" Ataru dashed up to 
the Astral girl.  "There's a betting pool on whether you or Ryu-chan 
has the best proportions."

	Benten's eyes darkened like stormclouds.

	"Of course, I know you'll win, Benten-sama," Ataru added sweetly.
"After all, I already have first hand knowledge to make a comparison 
by."

	"Why you fucking, sonuva..." Benten drew her bazooka and leveled 
it at Ataru.  She missed when she fired because Ryunosuke had knocked 
Ataru down with a kick to the head.  The missile impacted on the tree 
Nagisa had climbed, trying to escape the rampaging Rei.  Unfortunately,
Ran had been trying to tug the tiger-bull down by the tail and got 
caught in the blast.

	"You idiot!" Ran coughed smoke and pulled out her own bazooka 
from her purse.  The rest of the kids broke in a panicked rush to find 
cover, most of which was swiftly disappearing as Ataru tried to use it 
to hide from Lum's electric attacks.

	"Oh, I do so love parties," said Oyuki.  She was sitting on the 
grass, calmly sipping tea as the air became filled with artillery fire.

	"I Love Parties!" shouted Mr. Fujinami.  "I Love Birthdays!  
I LOVE THE SEA!!!!!!!!"

	Shinobu and Inaba managed to grab onto the branches of a tree 
that had been blasted on its side before the tidal wave hit.  Ryunosuke
got washed into the branches with them.

	"I'm sorry about your party, Ryunosuke-kun," Shinobu said over 
the din.

	Ryunosuke looked around.  Benten and Ran had found some high 
ground and had switched over to grenade launchers.  Lum was finding it 
difficult to draw a bead on Ataru, and so had increased the intensity 
of her electric attacks while shouting, "Darling No Baka!"  Oyuki was 
still sitting on her patch of grass after having called up a frozen 
barrier to redirect the flow of water around her.  Most of the kids 
were cringing behind the protection of the wall of ice.  Nagisa was 
crying loudly and hitting Rei with a tree branch as the tiger-bull 
gnawed the birthday cake.  Mendo must have put out a call for his 
personal army, since the first distant rumbling of tanks could be 
heard over Mr. Fujinami's shouts of "I LOVE THE SEA!"

	To Shinobu's surprise, Ryunosuke broke into laughter and hugged 
her again.


	[Picture #23: The open locket...  The left side is a picture of 
Mrs. Fujinami...  The right side has a handwritten inscription...  
"Wherever you are, my love goes with you..."]

	(And for those interested in the inspiration for the title...)

				THE ROAD NOT TAKEN

				Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
				And sorry I could not travel both
				And be one traveler, long I stood
				And looked down one as far as I could
				To where it bent in the undergrowth;

				Then took the other, as just as fair,
				And having perhaps the better claim,
				Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
				Though as for that the passing there
				Had worn them really about the same,

				And both that morning equally lay
				In leaves no step had trodden black.
				Oh, I kept the first for another day!
				Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
				I doubted if I should ever come back.

				I shall be telling this with a sigh
				Somewhere ages and ages hence:
				Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
				I took the one less traveled by,
				And that has made all the difference.

						-Robert Lee Frost