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

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Coutuva.


Yue - Part Four
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	She felt much better being back on the street, having felt
very odd in the company of the family Tendou.  It had compared to
being the bug under the goblet.
	The black-haired girl, the one called Akane, had at least
tried to talk to her, but was even less versed in Mandarin than she
herself was in Japanese.  It had been an experience, given the
girl's apparent lack of patience and self-control.
	As well, something about the girl made her greatly
uncomfortable.  No matter the circumstance, she found the girl's
mere presence as disquieting as scraping pot-shards together.
	The girl called Nabiki was yet a different matter.  She had
borne the face of a strategist all throughout, giving her the
impression that she was one to be wary of.
        Their father, overall, had remained distant, his visage
sporting a contrived smile between his assessing gazes.  Of the lot,
only Kasumi had been welcoming, pleasant and friendly, which she
had expected.  She had to wonder how such a sweet, kind soul could
have come from such a family.
	"<Liang Yue?  Why are you so quiet?  Did you see another
man?>" the teasing voice of Shan Lin abruptly asked, disturbing her
thoughts.
	She tossed her a look.  "<Spare me your rapier wit,>" she
droned back, rolling her eyes.  Shan Lin started to laugh,
apparently pleased with her barb.  She ignored her.  "<I was
thinking of those people.  They are...  Unusual,>" she redirected,
before the Amazon could come up with something else.
        "<That's a nice way to put it,>" Shan Lin smirked back,
knowingly.
	She couldn't help but huff.  "<I see why the girls are yet
at home; I doubt any save the most desperate of men would seek
their hands.  Yet, Kasumi remains unbetrothed as well, which I
truly do not fathom.  Most men I have known would kill for a wife
such as her,>" she explained, shaking her head.
	Shan Lin's face sobered slightly.  "<I don't understand it
either, Liang Yue.  The people of this country are so...  Different.
I'm still getting used to it.  If I'd never left home, I'd be
married by now, myself,>" she stated, sighing.
	She had to ask.  "<Then why are you not?>"
	Shan Lin's face immediately saddened, after which she
remained silent for a few moments.  She felt so guilty she
considered retracting the question, but before she could, the girl
drew a long breath and spoke.
	"<I...  First came here in pursuit of an enemy -- an
outsider who had beaten me in a contest back at my Village.  While
I was here, I fought with a man who also defeated me.  And under
Amazon Law, that meant I was officially his wife -- which made me
off-limits to any other suitors.  He refused me though, which I
thought was because he no longer respected me.  So I went back home
to train, then returned to try again.  He still refused to accept 
me,>" she explained, then paused as if to gather herself.  "<I was
stuck.  I could not return home disgraced, and here, I had a 
husband, who I came to fall in love with, but who would not even 
look at me,>" she concluded, bitterness evident in her voice.
	She reached up and touched her friend's shoulder, feeling
terrible.  "<I am sorry, Shan Lin...  I meant not to upset you,>"
she soothed, biting her lip.
	"<No.  You haven't upset me, Liang Yue.  What I'm upset
about -- is that my husband disappeared suddenly.  Everyone
thinks he went on a Training Journey, but no one is sure,>" Shan 
Lin rebuffed, sniffing back tears that seemed determined to come, 
even as she forced a smile.  "<I'm sorry; I didn't mean to get so 
emotional,>" she added a moment later, wiping at her eyes.
	Her heart ached for her friend.  She could not imagine
existing in such a fix, and stood amazed that Shan Lin had managed
to bear it with such courage.  "<I do not begrudge you your tears,
Shan Lin.  Losing someone you love that much...  Is not painless,>"
she smiled, gently.  "<But for my part, I think him a either a
blind fool or a eunuch to refuse you,>" she winked, deliberately
looking her friend up and down.  "<In truth, were I a man, I would
be questioning my worthiness to have you for a wife,>" she added,
nodding sharply.
	She was surprised to see Shan Lin's face take on a mix of
states, seeming to be both smiling and crying at once.  A moment
later, she found herself smothered in sobbing Amazon.
	




	Akane looked back at her oldest sister in disbelief.  "But
Kasumi, I wasn't!" she protested, ardently.
	"I am afraid you were, Akane-chan.  I could see it, and I
know Yue did.  I would not be surprised if that's why she left so
quickly," Kasumi insisted, folding her hands in her lap and sighing.
	Akane swallowed.  She knew what that gesture meant.
	"Akane...  Until we know what is going to happen with Ranma,
Yue is going to be around.  It is important for you to remember
that she has a much different value system than we do.  For example,
I know she is just appalled at the thought that I, at age twenty,
am not married with at least two children.  In her time, that was
extremely important to women her age, because the average person
only lived to be about fourty," Kasumi opened, looking back at her
insistently.
	"But what does that...?" she began, but Kasumi flashed her
a very brief annoyed look.  She clamped her mouth closed.
	"As I was saying, Yue thinks differently.  You are going to
have to think differently to be able to be friends with her.  You
have to understand that in her world, women had only two
places -- wives or 'wenches', with the exception of the Amazons.  
And added to that, when someone stared at you, it was a challenge,"
she continued, her tone somewhere between conversational and
condescending.  "If you add all of that up, she didn't know what
message you were sending, Akane.  And it made her uncomfortable on
a level she probably doesn't understand herself," she added,
with an expectant look.
	Akane couldn't quite figure out where Kasumi was leading, and
from what she could see on her sister's face, her expression must have
said so.
	"Akane-chan, please take this in the constructive spirit
that it is intended," she began, drawing a breath.  "If you intend
to become friends with Yue, you need to decide what message you want
to send, and make it clear; are you a 'wife' or a 'warrior' -- are
you challenging her or trying to get to know her?  She doesn't know
how to deal with a tomboy that stares at her with moist eyes, and
won't want to be around you," she concluded, sighing.
	Akane erked.  She wasn't used to such frankness from Kasumi,
and on top of that, what she had said was a bit hard to take.
However, as she analyzed it, she realized that Kasumi was very
right -- as usual.  The squirming that 'Yue' was doing during her
visit suddenly took on an entirely new significance.
	Sighing, she lowered her head.  "Kasumi...  Would you...
Help me?" she asked, defeatedly.
	Kasumi brightened.  "I thought you'd never ask!"





	The looks cast her way were annoying, but she felt it best
to simply ignore them as she sat in the Neko-hanten, sipping at her
tea.  She had walked Shan Lin back by the hand a short time earlier,
thinking the poor girl needed a chance to freshen up.
	Her friend had gone to the kitchen and entreated the Elder,
at which the two had moved out of sight to talk.  She did not mind,
knowing the Elder to be all of the family Shan Lin had.  It did,
however, leave her sitting amoungst a press of strangers.
	Squaring herself, she cast a gaze over the room, then
through the windows, but was greeted with nothing of any consuming
interest.  A sigh escaped her as she wished for someone with whom
to converse, lest she fall into slumber from boredom.
	After toying idly with her chopsticks for a bit, she
realized that there was a thing she could do; one which always
lifted her spirits.  Thus decided, she rose from her seat and
headed out the doors, immediately setting course for the yard in
back.
	When she rounded the last corner of the structure, however,
her plans were changed.
	In the yard, working alone through a set of Taiji forms,
was the finest figure of a man she had yet set eyes upon.  Better
even than the oaf with the parasol.
	"Aiyah..." she breathed, blinking to ensure she was not
seeing falsely.  To her delight, he was still there -- and still
breathtaking.  His broad, powerful and very bare chest glistened
in the bright midday sun, seeming to almost sparkle as it flexed
with his mesmerizing movements.  His long, shining black hair
cascaded down his back in a smooth wave, framing his strong,
handsome features.
	Yue felt her knees weaken and her face begin to heat as
she stared unashamedly, simply unable to tear herself away.  Her
state grew steadily worse as she saw the well-marked muscles of
his large arms work, and could imagine herself nestled amid them,
pressed sighing against that magnificent chest.
	She decided then that she could endure only looking no
longer.  She assessed herself to ensure she looked not like an
urchin, then calmed herself inwardly.  She knew it would avail her
not to appear a smitten virgin, even though she was.
	Deciding herself ready, she strode confidently, yet still
demurely out into the yard, took a position near to him and matched
his element.  She nearly lost it, however, as she saw him note her
presence.
	It took a few more forms before he actually addressed her,
but that, she had expected.  A man of such desirable mettle would
be long tired of maids fawning over him.  His first words, however,
were not what she would have expected.
	"<You are Liang Ju Yue,>" he stated, his voice
disappointingly flat.
	"<I am.  But you have me at a disadvantage; I know not who
you are,>" she responded with her best smile, not only because he
spoke, but also because he spoke Mandarin.
	"<My name is Qiang Li Kuan; but I am called 'Mousse'...
I still do not know why,>" he stated, tiredly.
	"<I am pleased to meet you, Qiang Kuan,>" she smiled,
glancing over at him.  She saw him flash a brief smile -- although
it was not at her.  Even so, it was still a smile.  "<Do you mind
that I join you?  If in truth, I disturb you...>" she began, but
he only shook his head.
	"<You do not disturb me,>" he stated tightly, appearing to
be lost in his own thoughts.  Suddenly, she felt put off.
	Taking his words at their face, however, she continued to
work alongside him, hoping that he would warm to her over time.  He,
meantime, simply continued his forms, his face set in an
unreadable mask.
	She knew well that Taiji was a centering, relaxation-based
exercise, but something told her that his demeanor was not a result
of such.  He appeared, if anything, to be troubled -- deeply.  And
it also seemed that she had a part in his consternation.
	"<Forgive me, Qiang Kuan, but I have felt you are
troubled...  May I know of why?>" she asked, as gently as she was
able.
	Abruptly, he stopped in mid-form, a strange, angry look
sweeping his handsome face as he looked hard at her.  "<It's
you!  You're too damned...  Charming!>" he snapped, then turned
and strode away, leaving her alone with her bewilderment.





	Cologne turned to Shampoo and frowned.  "<What is really
on your mind, child?  You would not have pulled me away from a
busy day to pass small talk,>" she asked, pointedly.
	Shampoo sighed, then meshed her hands in front of her,
mainly to keep from wringing them.  Steeling herself, she raised
her eyes and met those of the old woman.
	"<Great Grandmother...  I am...  Torn.  That conversation
I just told you about made me realize something,>" she began, trying
to choose her words carefully.  "<I know...  That my duty as an
Amazon...  Is to take Ranma for a husband.  I love him, and I am 
certain, that in time and away from the distractions, he would have
loved me, too,>" she asserted, pausing to gather herself.  "<But...
Now that Yue and I have spent this time together, I have found that
I like her; very, very much.  She is already the most kind, 
considerate, wonderful friend I have ever had, and I am growing to
like her more with each passing hour,>" she forced out with a waver
in her voice, feeling her knees shiver slightly.  "<I...  Don't 
know...>" she continued, until the old woman interrupted her by 
raising her hand.
	"<I have heard enough,>" she stated, hopping closer.
Shampoo winced, then swallowed hard.  The old woman came to a stop
about two feet in front of her -- and smiled.  "<I know you have
bonded with her, child.  I can feel it when you two are together;
your auras almost become one, which told me that you had found
your Spiritual match,>" she indicated, nodding.
	Shampoo felt the colour return to her face.  "<Then...
You do not...  Object?>" she stammered, incredulously.
	"<No, child, I do not.  Yue is an incredible girl in her
own right, and, as we have not met with any success in our efforts
to restore Ranma, I have been considering another alternative.  If, within
the next few days, we have not found a solution, I will offer her 
Sisterhood in the Tribe.>"
	Shampoo couldn't believe her ears.  "<Sisterhood?>" she
echoed, a smile forming on her shocked face even before she
realized it was.  "<Then if she accepts, she would be my sister --
instead of just my friend,>" she breathed, her heart soaring.
	"<Yes, she would,>" the old woman noted, leadingly.  Just
as she went to speak again, however, she blinked, then looked
toward the back of the building.  "<I feel something,>" she
stated, then hopped out of the room.  Shampoo followed
immediately, wondering what could have distracted her in the
midst of such an important discussion.
	When she entered the room Cologne had hopped into, she
found the woman looking out the window into the back yard.
	"<It appears as though our discussions may have been moot,
child,>" she smiled, gesturing out the window.  Shampoo walked up
beside her, then erked.  Cologne smiled wickedly.
	"<It also seems you that were correct about her.  Her head
is turned very easily by a handsome face.>"
	"<And I thought I was bad,>" Shampoo commented, shaking 
her head.  "<But if she likes Kuan, then she's got me beat,>" she
added, rolling her eyes.
	"<Do not scoff, child.  This could be very good for us.  If
she were to marry him, then she -- and her children -- would
automatically be Amazons,>" the old woman noted, a smile crossing
her face slowly.
        Shampoo frowned.  "<I couldn't do that to her.  Kuan is
an idiot -- she is far too good for him,>" she glowered, eyeing the
scene with great disdain.
	Cologne shook her head.  "<We can't care about that.  
Her becoming an Amazon will raise our station in the Tribe, and assure 
your ascent to the Throne,>" the old woman stated evenly, her eyes 
hard.  "<There are a number of ways that we can ensure that happens, 
but the most effective is to have her marry Kuan,>" she continued, but 
stopped as she noticed something out in the yard.  "<You were right about
one thing, child -- he is an idiot,>" she sighed, watching him stride back into
the building.  "<Go and speak to your friend; assure her that Kuan is 
'available', despite whatever he said to her.  I must speak to Kuan,>" she 
stated, then hopped out of the room quickly.
	Shampoo watched her go, then sighed sadly and followed.





	It was frustrating.  A few sentences exchanged with a man
she barely knew, and her focus had entirely fled her.  She could
not manage even the simplest of forms with any grace.
	Opting to resign herself to the obvious, she slid away her
sword and sighed, her gaze automatically returning to the door
that man had entered.  She could still see his well-muscled back
as it disappeared into the shadows beyond the entry, and felt her
face warming at the memory.
	Her wistful thoughts were soon quashed, however, as she
recalled the look on his face.  It had been angry, but at the same
time -- it seemed almost anguished.  And his words continued to
puzzle her.
	"<Ah!  There you are!  I thought I might find you out
here!>" the cheery voice of Shan Lin called out, interrupting her
thoughts.
	"<Shan Lin; I am glad you have come.  There is something I
wish to discuss with you, if you would be of a mind,>" she smiled,
hoping her friend would know of this Kuan.
	"<So I see...>" the Amazon replied, smirking knowingly as
she pointed to her own cheeks.
	Yue flushed even brighter.  Shan Lin knew her too well.
"<I...  Met someone the name of Qiang Li Kuan,>" she began, trying
to salvage some dignity.  "<Do you...  Know of him?>" she asked,
hoping she did not sound too anxious.
	"<I do!  He lives here,>" her friend smiled back, looking
quite pleased.  "<I was going to introduce you later, but I guess
I don't have to,>" she added, leadingly.
	Yue erked.  "<He...  Lives *here*?>" she gasped, eyes
widened.
	"<Yes.  He has been for almost as long as I have,>" the
girl nodded, casually.  "<He is a member of my Tribe who followed
me from China, trying to defeat me in battle to make me his wife.
He never could, and now, since my Great Grandmother took pity on
his disgrace, he works in the Nekohanten,>" she explained,
gesturing toward it.
	Yue felt her heart sink.  It was indeed too perfect to
prove out.  "<Then...  He pines after you?>" she sighed, sagging
along with her heart.
	"<It does not matter.  He cannot have me now, even if he
were to defeat me.  According to Tribal Law, I have a husband.
Unless he could have killed him, and then defeated me, he has no
right to me.  Liang Yue, he is yours for the courting,>" Shan Lin
smiled, looking far more excited than Yue would have expected her
to be.
	"<That is...  Most gracious of you, Shan Lin.  But I fear
it is for naught.  He said things to me that I did not understand,
but now, they make good sense indeed,>" she sighed, resignedly.
"<As well, you are my friend.  Your feelings toward him do not
matter.  I would not attempt to turn the head of a man who was
enamoured of you, as that is not something friends do.  Not that
I would stand a chance, even so,>" she stated, smirking sadly.
	She was surprised to see Shan Lin smile warmly, then step
up and take her hands.  "<Liang Yue...  You honour me by calling
me friend; so much that I doubt my worthiness,>" the girl
half-whispered, her eyes shimmering emotionally.
	"<Shan Lin...>" she began, but, before she could conceive
a suitable response, the girl cleared her throat and continued.
	"<I appreciate your concern, but you don't need to worry.
He has never been 'enamoured of me'.  He's professed his 'love'
for me, but I know better.  He views me only as an object to be
won -- a trophy to display to the world.  He would marry me, give
me children, then forget me,>" she smiled, rolling her eyes.  "<I
asked him once what my birthday was, and what my favorite colour
was, and what weapon I like to fight with.  Can you guess which
answers he gave?  Accurately?>" she grinned, her face wrinkling
comically.
	"<I would warrant only the choice of weapon, from your
tale,>" she replied, looking at the girl questioningly.
	"<No!  He didn't even know that!>" Shan Lin blurted,
incredulously.
	Yue had to blink at that.  "<Twin broadswords and bonbori,
white, and the sixteenth day of the fourth month,>" she roted out,
just for the sake of doing so.  "<I fail to see how he would not
know these,>" she added, shaking her head.
	"<You see?  You knew it all, and I know the only thing I
*told* you was my birthday.  He is not interested in Shan Zhu Lin,
the person.  He was only interested in having the Champion Warrior
of the Amazons for a wife,>" Shan Lin emphasized, spreading her
arms as if presenting a great discovery.  "<Like I said, you
don't need to worry about it,>" she added, smiling.  "<To tell
the truth, Liang Yue, you'd be doing me a favour,>" she added,
winking.
	"<I still do not feel comfortable with the notion, Shan
Lin,>" she reiterated, meeting her friend's eyes again.
	"<Liang Yue -- you are too loyal for your own good,>"
Shan Lin puffed, shaking her head.  "<You're forcing me to insist.
I know you like him; I don't want you to waste the chance,>" she
urged, smiling again.
	Yue wasn't quite sure what to say to that.  She wanted to
try again with Kuan; so much that her heart pounded at the thought,
but she also valued Shan Lin's friendship.  No man was worth
losing that.  Just as she was about to growl in frustration,
however, she hit upon a plan.
	"<Mayhap I have a means by which we can both be satisfied.
I will not pursue him; but, should he decide on his own to address
me, I will surely not rebuff him.  What think you of that?>" she
proposed, regarding her friend expectantly.
	Shan Lin appeared to think it over for a moment, then
smiled.  "<I think that's a great idea; it leaves it up to him,
keeping both of us out of it.  I like that!>"
	"<Then it is settled,>" she smiled, sighing with relief.
	"<It is.  And now that it is, I think it's time we had
lunch; I still want to show you around, and I much rather do it on
a full stomach,>" her friend grinned, turning and gesturing back
toward the Neko-hanten.
	Yue broadened her smile.  "<I do like the way you think, Shan
Lin,>" she commented, starting off.  She hadn't managed a step
before Shan Lin set a hand on her shoulder, and met her eyes with
her own.
	"<Please...  Call me 'Lin',>" the girl stated, smiling
warmly.
	Her heart actually twinged at the gesture.  "<And you...
May call me 'Yue',>" she smiled back, realizing at that moment just
how close she and the Amazon had become.  She had allowed no one
but her family to ever call her by her given name, never having met
anyone she wished such familiarity with.
	But now, as she looked into the Amazon's large, earnest
eyes, she realized that what she could see within them made her
feel safe -- and also realized why.
	They reminded her -- of her mother.




======================================================================
END - Yue - Part Four		         A Ranma1/2 Fanfic By Coutuva

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