The usual disclaimer: Ranma ½ is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

While this story follows the "Kasumi's Fate" ("Bindings") Chronicles, it's not necessary to have read any of the previous stories. You do need to know a few things though:

1) Both Tatewaki and Kodachi Kuno have been banished to Hokkaido by their uncle, Toshio Kuno, who is the powerful head of the Kuno family.

2) Kodachi Kuno has had her "showdown" with Ranma and has started to come to terms with her life. She also understands Ranma's nature now, and that he and Akane love each other. As you'll see from this story, she has also done a bit of research into their backgrounds. If you want any more info, please see the story "The Final Binding".

3) Ranma has been adopted into the Ono clan by Tofu's mother, Kin Ono.

4) Kasumi and Tofu are engaged and due to be married within two weeks.

5) Ranma and Akane are happily engaged now and are united soul-to-soul leading to some very interesting implications.

6) Mousse has been broken of his love for Shampoo (in a very vicious manner). Mousse has also been adopted by Mrs. Ono. Shampoo is now on-the-run from the Amazons.

7) The character Mara/Nari was introduced in "The Destruction of Ranma Saotome – Ignition". The only relevance to this story is that she's had history with Ranma (and Genma).

8) Genma resides permanently in the Nerima Zoo. His marriage to Nodoka was annulled – and rather completely at that. There are no records of the marriage anywhere. For more info see "The Destruction of Ranma Saotome – Detonation".

9) Ranma and Akane have discovered that their Chi abilities have developed enough to control their environment. Ranma is considered a Wind Mage and Akane is a Fire Mage.

That's it – the rest can be picked up from the story. If you're curious about the other stories in the Bindings Chronicles, my profile has the list of stories in order.

Chapter 1: Mara/Nari

Nari was picking up the mess in her shop when the gentleman walked in. He was a tall man with graying hair, dressed in a very sharp three-piece suit. He looked around and sighed. "I see I'm in the right place," he said with resignation.

Nari looked at the man sharply. He was not the moron's father, but he was related. "Get the hell out," she snapped.

He winced. "Please ma'am. I realize you're angry and my nephew is an idiot, but please hear me out."

"I'm not dropping the charges!" she snarled.

"I'm not asking you to," the man responded. "He struck you and trashed your shop. He can stay in jail for a bit. I'm not posting bail."

"So what the hell do you want?" she snapped again.

"I'd like you not to curse his family!" Toshio Kuno pled. "His sister is finally healing and I'd like her to stay that way!"

Nari looked at the man warily. "What are you prattling about?" she hissed.

Kuno looked directly at the young woman. She appeared to be about 25 years-old with a face that most would call pretty, except for the very deep cut across her cheek. He said: "I know who and what you are, just like I know who Mara was – or rather is, Healer Umi."

"My name is Nari –" she started.

"Which is an alias," he cut her off. "Just like Mara is an alias. You faked your death five years ago and arranged to pass this shop to yourself – as you have done over and over again. You are the Healer Umi, which was the name you took when you first setup this shop so long ago. I'm not going to insult you by saying we are on par, but I'm not a complete idiot and I have my moments of brilliance – and idiocy like right now."

Nari stared at him for a few moments, and then her look changed to one of amused contempt. "And if I was such an immortal creature, that would make me very dangerous – especially if you knew my secret. What makes you think you can survive an encounter with me?" she laughed.

"The six ninjas surrounding this place with RPG's," he answered coolly.

"You are bluffing," she laughed again. "Why deal with me at all if you think you can just eliminate me?"

"A few reasons," Toshio replied calmly. "One: The destruction of your shop would look suspicious, especially after an encounter with Tatewaki. Two: It's a little hard to deal with someone if you've already killed them, and one never knows what the future brings. Three: My ninjas might miss."

"Personally, that sounds like I have you over a barrel," she challenged haughtily.

"Not really. The first two don't apply if I'm dead or insane, and my ninjas might not miss," he shot back. She made a face and gave a grudging nod. He then said. "But the rockets are only to guarantee my safety, not enforce a bargain. I am wiser than that. You will either accept or deny the bargain on its own merit. As much as I hate to admit this, I am still the petitioner. But you will hear me out before you pitch me from your shop; you're too much of a mage to skip at least hearing the bargain."

Nari's appearance changed as she grew to match Kuno's height and her eyes became yellow cat eyes. The face became shallower and green. Her shoulders broadened and her finger nails grew into claws. Kuno looked coolly into her eyes, apparently unfazed by the changes. She laughed hoarsely and made a gesture. A chair pulled up behind Kuno. He sat down as she hopped up to sit on her counter after pushing some of the debris away to make space. Nari pointed at the gash still very visible on her cheek and stated: "All right, little lord, we bargain. But blood demands blood. What do you offer to repay this insult?"

"Twelve pints of virgin human blood," Toshio started.

Nari snorted contemptuously. "You'd sacrifice a virgin to protect your niece? Someone like that is sure to break a bargain. Besides, there's only an average of ten pints in the human body – and what happened to the metric system?"

"I never said the blood would be from one virgin," Toshio countered. "I can mix the blood from twelve different people together, so long as it's all the same blood type. Besides, then you can't use it to control any of the twelve. I'm a big fan of free will."

"But then the blood has limited use," Nari replied.

Toshio pretended to look thoughtful. "I could sweeten the deal with six knots of ginseng," he added.

The scorching look Nari gave him would have killed a lesser man, but he faced her unblinkingly. "The use of that measure was not a coincidence," she hissed.

"No it's not," he answered. "Do we have a deal?"

"No, I want the toughest ingredient to get!" she croaked.

"Then I offer two mandrake roots, gathered at the first full moon to follow the Summer Solstice as well. Do we have a deal?" he asked.

"No!" she snarled. "The spell calls for three mandrake roots and you know that somehow!"

"Pity," he said standing up. "I'll leave you in peace then and keep my silence. Maybe we can bargain another day."

"WAIT," she commanded. "You knew the spell components coming here. You have the three. What else do you want besides sparing your niece and her descendants?"

"You have to leave me and mine alone," he replied. "So you cannot take any vengeance for the bargain either."

Nari burst out with a hideous laugh as she said: "Well played, little lord. Well played. You've obviously studied all the old tales about me and my kind. You've covered your backside. Fine. Deal accepted. Twelve pints of virgin blood, six knots of ginseng, and three properly gathered mandrake roots in return for no vengeance on your niece and her descendants or you and yours." She hopped off the table. "You have until the Winter Solstice to deliver!"

"Deal. I can get everything here by then," Kuno stated as he stood up as well.

"And just to show you no hard feelings, I'll even spare the girl's father," she cackled with a sparkle in her eyes. She laughed harder at his slight wince. "Oh, I saw through that little play, Lord Kuno. I won't be your assassin. You loved the girl's mother, even though she chose your brother. You want the girl as your child, which can never happen as long as your brother lives. Still, he is your brother, and you won't give the order. So, she stays your niece," Nari insisted.

Kuno just shrugged. "At least she lives," he replied.

"True, she does," Nari agreed. "And every day that goes by, she will look more and more like your sister-in-law."

Again, Kuno shrugged. "I have moved on, but sometimes a memory should be honored. It's one more regret that I have, but I can live with it."

He started to move to the door, when Nari spoke again, this time with surprise: "What? You'll not bargain for her son?"

Kuno half-turned and said: "And what bargain could I make? What would you accept?"

Nari thought for a second and admitted: "Nothing. No one strikes me and gets away with it." Her shape shrank back to her human form. The time of bargaining had ended.

Kuno held up his hands in surrender and said bitterly: "Despite my best efforts, he's finally gone too far. I've tried to have him treated, but his megalomania is too far out-of-bounds. He's even planning to kill the woman he loves because she loves someone else. He screams about how she is his and nobody else's – she will bow to him or die. I know this poor young lady. He's made her suffer enough, and I've had enough. Her life is hard enough without this idiocy – she doesn't deserve this, and neither does the one she loves. I'm a hard taskmaster, but I'm not completely heartless."

He continued: "The only thing I can plead on his behalf is to let the Human Courts of Law punish him. My lawyers will be advising him to plead 'Guilty.' He will probably reject this and put on a great show in front of the judge professing his exaltedness and superiority over everyone else. The judge will quickly decide he is insane and lock him away for the rest of his life. If he somehow escapes with a slap on the wrist, I'm still going to have him declared insane and locked away. If he escapes, I have to have him either captured or killed. I have no other options, he's too dangerous. He could end up destroying me, and that's not a chance I'm willing to take."

Kuno took a deep breath and finished: "You want to kill him? That might be kinder. You want to have him disgrace his family's name – he's already done that and does not care. Want him to be humiliated? He's too lost in himself. Want to drive him insane? He's already there. As it is, I may have to assassinate him as an act of mercy." With that, Toshio Kuno turned and left the shop.

That night, Nari/Mara/Umi sat in her bed contemplating Kuno's parting words. She was still angry at the younger Kuno, but had to admit the elder Kuno was right. Tatewaki Kuno was insane. He did suffer from a universe-spanning ego and believed he was one of the last true Samurai Lords on Earth. Everyone was subject to him, especially Akane Tendo, Ranma of Nerima's beloved.

Mara was loathed to tamper with Ranma's life anymore. She had gambled that Ranma would beat Henna's potion and he had. Still, she now had a karma balance to pay to him. Not only that, he was one of the Children of the Balance, as was Akane Tendo. They were in the center of some major power flows and anyone who messed with them could get burned badly. Mara risked inviting the scrutiny of the Powers of this World if she interfered with Ranma or Akane again.

Still, Tatewaki Kuno had to be punished. It was bad precedent to allow someone to strike her and get away with it – and she didn't want to keep this new scar. "Killing him would be a mercy," she thought. "Another bad precedent. He's going to be locked up soon, so that's no good. Endless pain is so unimaginative. I need a way to punish him, but how do you punish someone who is insane? He will just view any punishment as something to overcome to prove his greatness. He is so wrapped in his illusions…"

She stopped and smiled. She hopped out of bed and ran to the bookshelf. Nari ran her fingers down the spines until she found the one she was looking for. "He believes in nonsense, let's give him nonsense," she thought. Nari then ran to the phone. It wasn't too late. Maybe Toshio Kuno was still awake. She could yet cut another bargain with him…

Toshio stood staring out the window at the snow covered courtyard at the Hokkaido estate. "Damn it!" he swore. "I've tried. I've had the best doctors around look at him. I've even had Ono look at him. I've had him tested against every medicine there is." Toshio sourly remembered what one doctor told him: That Tatewaki didn't want to be cured. The boy believed the world was broken, not him.

Legions had tried to help. Even Tatewaki's immediate family had tried to help. Before Toshio took the youngest Kuno away to Canada, the young lady had tried to talk Tatewaki out of his obsession with Ranko and Akane Tendo. "It was a good effort," he remembered. "She tried to steer him down a new path, but he refuses to leave Akane alone." He thought back to the videotape he watched a few weeks ago…

"Where do you think you are going, Sister?" Tatewaki asked her. He had seen a ninja carrying two suitcases toward her room and followed the man. Kodachi was packing when he entered the room.

"I am going to Canada for a bit, Brother Dearest. There are people I need to see there," she answered vaguely as she opened the empty suitcases and nodded her thanks to the ninja.

"You've been skipping your medicines again, Kodachi," Tatewaki snorted. "Our dear uncle will never let us leave this wasteland."

Kodachi studied her brother for a moment and seem to be debating her answer. Finally, she started packing again and said: "Actually, Uncle Toshio is going with me. He's going to help me get settled and make some long overdue introductions."

"What!" Tatewaki exclaimed. "It's a trap, Kodachi! He is going to imprison you overseas, away from the Family. He'll have total control over you!"

Kodachi rolled her eyes. "Look around, Tatewaki. He already has total control," she snorted in turn. "Actually, I'm going somewhere he'll have less control. I won't be beyond his reach, but I will have a bit more freedom. He and I have talked and we both agree I need a change of scenery."

"Is this a plan to sneak back to Nerima?" he asked suspiciously. "It won't work! He has the whole town under surveillance."

"No, Brother Dearest," she sighed. "I won't be returning to Nerima until Spring at the earliest. I'm hoping to go back to school and complete my Senior Year. My younger classmates will still be there. With any luck, I can convince them to be my friends."

Tatewaki looked at his sister as if she had grown a second head. Then a devious gleam entered his eyes and he asked: "Will you then continue your pursuit of Saotome? You could claim his love."

Kodachi paused in her packing and seemed to be debating with herself. She sat on the bed and motioned for Tatewaki to have a seat while saying: "Please sit down Tate, we need to talk."

Her brother moved closer but refused the chair. "About what?" he asked.

"About Ranma, Ranko, and Akane," she answered.

"Don't tell me you believe Uncle's lies!" he snarled.

Kodachi closed her eyes for a moment and set her mouth as if grinding her teeth. Finally, she said: "Tate, go over to my computer and do what I tell you. Please?" she asked. With a distrustful look, he did so, and then followed her instructions. A screen popped up with the Royal Chrysanthemum.

Tatewaki's face went white. "Kodachi, is this what I think it is?" he asked.

"Yes, Brother. It's the Koseki, the National Registry," she said. "I hired one of the ninjas to obtain read-only access for me. I'm not sure Uncle knows. If he does, he didn't stop me. Go look at our family tree." She gave him the instructions to do so.

"I don't see anything unusual," he commented after a few minutes of studying it.

"There isn't. I just wanted you to see how complete it is," she said. "Now go look at the family tree for Akane Tendo."

"That's interesting," he said after a few moments. "Soun Tendo took his wife's name."

"Yes, he did," she agreed. "You know families who have an 'only child' that is female will often ask groom to do that. Kimiko Tendo had no siblings."

"All right," Tatewaki agreed while turning to her. "So what's your point?"

"Brother, where did Ranko Tendo come from?" she asked him.

"Why…" he started and then stopped. He swung back to the computer and paged through a few more screens. "How do I do a search for a name through all the families?" he asked harshly. Kodachi told him and he quickly scanned the results. "There are no hits in the right age range!" he half-shouted. "They are either too old or too young. You mean she's a foreigner? How is that possible if Kimiko is listed here as the child of two citizens? The family trees go back quite a ways!"

Kodachi rubbed her temple. "Brother, search for 'Ranma Saotome' please?" she asked.

"Two hits – both not the appropriate age," he said. "So he's a foreigner too? But his mother is Japanese! I've met her! You've met her!"

"Yes, I met Nodoka Saotome. She's actually from a family native to Hokkaido not too far from here. She has no son named Ranma Saotome though," Kodachi told him. "Her brother, Hayato, is the head of the Saotome family in Hokkaido. The family is very powerful here. They control a lot of the resort towns in the area and many ski lodges farther north."

"But she's in Nerima to be with her son, Ranma Saotome! She is married to Genma Saotome!" Tatewaki insisted.

"Are you calling the Emperor a liar?" Kodachi asked as she tapped the flower on the screen. That calmed the young man quickly. "You'll also find that Genma Saotome doesn't exist either."

"Oh come on!" Tatewaki said. "He's a fat dishonorable coward!"

"Yet, he's not a real person. Nodoka never married. He's a cheat, a deception, a lie," Kodachi sounded with absolute conviction.

"I don't understand…" Tatewaki sounded lost.

"The Emperor didn't understand either, so Kokyo sent their own man to Nerima: Judge Isao Sanu," Kodachi stated.

"Judge Sanu?" Tatewaki quizzed. "But he's Uncle's enemy!"

"Enemy is too strong a word. Let's just say he's one of Uncle's many opponents," Kodachi said instead. "Judge Sanu managed to unravel the web of intrigue – and magic."

"So there was magic involved!" Tatewaki said with some satisfaction.

"Yes, there was," Kodachi agreed. "But you're not going to like one of the key facts. It turns out one of my 'wild' accusations was actually partially true: Akane Tendo really is a sorceress."

Tatewaki became red in the face and bellowed: "HOW DARE YOU ACCUSE MY FIERCE TIGRESS OF BEING AN EVIL SORCERESS!"

Kodachi nailed Tatewaki with a mallet to make him quiet down. As he picked himself off the floor, Kodachi placed the mallet behind her back and bent over him. She said sweetly: "I never said she was an *evil* sorceress just now, Brother Dearest. Actually, she's a very noble sorceress, and a very powerful one. She's been practicing magic since grade school."

Tatewaki slowly climbed back into the chair, stunned in more ways than one. "What the hell are you talking about?" he asked.

"Akane Tendo is capable of invoking some of the greatest magic known to man," Kodachi continued. "I've seen her power first hand. She can manipulate the elements and bend people and spirits to her will – how else do you think that she was able to defeat over forty attackers day after day and never tire? But because she is not evil, she believes great power begets great responsibility. She takes great pains to protect those that she loves and keeps them close to her while helping as many people as possible."

"You are lying, Sister! I'm stuck up here!" Tatewaki insisted.

"Why would I praise her then? Especially when I use to consider her my enemy? Surely you agree she's a noble person?" Kodachi insisted.

"Well of course she is!" Tatewaki said.

"Could a mere woman defeat forty warriors? And when she was done, she would dispatch you without out a thought? Have you ever wondered how she managed to do that and be able to go to class immediately afterward? And this happened day after day – none of you were ever a real challenge. This never struck you as odd?"

"But she's not a mere woman," he shot back. "She's…"

"Extraordinary," Kodachi cut him off. "Very extraordinary – that's what I've been telling you."

Tatewaki stared at Kodachi. He had a feeling his sister was speaking the truth to him, but he couldn't understand why. Honestly, the very fact that she seemed to be praising Akane Tendo was confusing the hell out of him.

Kodachi returned to her narrative: "So, you have forty men attacking her day after day without remorse, and she has to hurt them to get any peace. Do you think Akane Tendo enjoyed hurting them?" Tatewaki started to speak and then stopped. His face look troubled. "What's wrong Tate?" she prompted before the look vanished. "Were you about to say that they were pawns in your plans? Well, they weren't to Akane – they were people, and she was hurting them. Wouldn't that bother a 'good' person? If that happened day after day, wouldn't it just rip apart a good person's soul?" Kodachi asked sharply.

Tatewaki looked stubbornly at the ground. "Well then, she should have just submitted to me for protection!" he huffed.

"Oh, you were sending her people to hurt and she should reward you? She should bow to you? A person of such nobility?" Kodachi said with scorn. "Idiot!" His sister went on then: "No, I'm sure she thought of several other alternatives. After a few months of this nonsense, a mysterious creature appears from nowhere. It looks like a rather handsome male teenager, but fights like a demon. It says it's scared of cats, but when confronted with a tiger, it actually scares the tiger. Turns out, it can even control the very winds and seems to be unstoppable, no matter what magic is practiced against it. It is devoted to Akane, and watches over her constantly. You call it a foul demon, yet despite this accusation, it actually helps people though out Nerima and even saves others' life, causing me and several others to fall in love with it. A creature that seems to mirror Akane's spirit – noble and powerful. Within three days of this creature's appearance, the attacks against Akane stop and you are defeated – whether you admit it or not."

"Are you saying Ranma Saotome…" Tatewaki started.

Kodachi cut him off by saying: "Was a creature of great magic. It was neither male nor female and was not even fully human. It could change shape and assume attributes from animals. It appeared whenever she was in trouble such as when you were torturing her – almost as if it was summoned." She gave her brother a direct look. "It also had another primary form; a small red-haired female teenager. It would take whatever form was appropriate to stay close to Akane Tendo."

"No! She's real! I love her!" Tatewaki burst out.

"No, you don't," Kodachi returned coolly. She pointed at the computer. "You don't even know 'who' – or 'what' – she really is."

"The machine is lying – just like Uncle Toshio!" her brother burst out.

"Uncle Toshio did not lie to you," Kodachi corrected. "He just doesn't understand everything. But he was right when he said that Ranko Tendo was just an aspect of Ranma Saotome. Turns out Ranma Saotome was an aspect of something else – something not fully human. That database…" She paused and tapped the official seal again. "Is the real database. You can hire any detective to verify the information. For that matter, many lawyers will do the same." She fixed her brother with a glare. "There is no Ranma Saotome to pursue, and I would appreciate it very much if you never mention that name again. Likewise, there is no Ranko Tendo."

Tatewaki sat there troubled for several moments. Finally he brightened and said: "Well, if that is the case, then there is nothing to stop me from wedding Akane Tendo! I can go to Nerima and claim her."

Kodachi gritted her teeth and slugged her brother in the jaw. "Fool!" she shouted angrily. "She doesn't want you! She has set things up to keep you away! You go near her and the spirit behind Ranma/Ranko will appear to stop you. She keeps that spirit with her always!"

Tatewaki would have attacked back, but he was a little taken aback by her anger and her words. Kodachi went on: "Even if you could banish the spirit, she would never love you anyway! You're her torturer – her enemy!" Tatewaki eyes bulged at those words and his face swelled with rage. Kodachi spoke again quickly before he could spout any nonsense. "Now, because of that stunt you pulled at Nerima Hospital, the Emperor himself is aware of your treachery! (1) He just can't prove it because Uncle Toshio ran interference to protect the Family Name. But neither the Emperor nor Uncle Toshio is fooled! They both know you set up that attack on Akane Tendo!"

Actual concern crossed Tatewaki face at hearing the Emperor's title. Kodachi seemed to regain control. She said smoothly: "The Emperor, through Judge Sanu, has promised Akane Tendo that she may wed whoever she wants, provided that person agrees of their own free will. As soon as steps were taken to ensure her freedom, Akane promptly asked someone to marry her – someone from the Ono family. He accepted."

"But Tofu Ono loves Kasumi Tendo!" Tatewaki burst out.

"Yes, and he and Kasumi Tendo are still engaged to be married. Tofu Ono apparently has a brother. Akane met him over two years ago. She asked him, not Doctor Tofu," his sister said evenly. Tatewaki sat there with his mouth hanging open as she said: "She loves this brother very much, and he loves her. They will be wed as soon as they are legally able."

"He is just a poor substitute for me!" Tatewaki raged as he stood up out of Kodachi's range.

"Are you a sorcerer, brother?" Kodachi asked snidely. "The Ono's are a small but powerful family because magic runs in their veins. Uncle told me Doctor Tofu is actually a very powerful sorcerer as well as a very good medical doctor. Turns out, his little brother is also a sorcerer. Magic also runs in Kasumi Tendo's blood. Kasumi is a very powerful healer, but that's been a very well kept secret. I don't wonder that the Emperor himself would like to see the bloodlines mixed. The Ono-Tendo children are all likely to be very powerful. The two families have agreed that Kasumi will take the Ono name, but the little brother will take the Tendo family name. This way, both families will continue."

"You are lying to me! Why?" Tatewaki demanded.

"Again, I'm not lying to you," Kodachi told him, once again using a very cool and smooth voice. "There's no point in lying. You can find out the truth easily enough. As for why I'm telling you – I don't want to hear the name Ranma Saotome again! I lost over a year of my life pursuing that creature and made a total fool of myself. I'm done! If you want to end up in the insane asylum trying to unravel Akane Tendo's protections, that's your business – and your loss. Now leave me alone!" She raised her arm and pointed toward the door imperiously.

Toshio Kuno closed his eyes in pain at the memory. Kodachi had tried to put a spin on the truth in the hopes if she told a different story than Toshio, Tatewaki would believe her and see that Akane did not love Tatewaki. Now the boy admitted the possibility, but had decided that Akane was his, one way or another, even if it took death to unite them. "He's lost to me," Toshio sighed. "One way or another, he's going to die. All I can do is minimize the damage and tend to the survivors."

He stood looking out the window for several more minutes until the phone rang. He picked up and immediately heard a familiar voice: "Now I have a bargain for you Mr. Kuno," Nari said haughtily.

Footnotes:

(1) Happened in "The Destruction of Ranma Saotome – Ignition".