Disclaimer: The characters depicted in this work of fiction
are not mine and I do not lay any claim, either real or 
imagined to the likeness, reproduction, or otherwise.  This 
work is intended for fun only, and is not produced for 
profit.  Please feel free to distribute freely.

Writer's Foreword:
I'll warn you now, this is a crossover lemon.  I've put the
cast of UY, the cast of Ranma, the cast of DP, the cast of
AMS, the cast of AKO, the cast of.... etc. etc. etc. I tried
to break as many boundaries as possible with this, including
having Ataru admit to his true feelings (Whatever they may
be) Well, you don't expect me to tell you now, do you?  You
Ranma 1/2 fans may not like what I've done with Ukyou, but
feel assured that there is a reason (as always) that I've 
portrayed her in such a light.  You might not like what I've
done to Ranma either, but hey, it's my universe.  Kei makes 
a few explicit appearances, and even Yuri has some fun.  All
in all it makes for some very interesting story lines, so
please, read it, and then tell me what you think.

  Comments/Crits to:
			inaba@earthling.net

                               Part X
                             The Chain

	Yuri sighed heavily, wiping her brow as she pushed the door to
Mendo's apartments open, slapping the light switch on as she turned
to face Mendo, laying on the ground, passed out cold from exhaustion,
"What will I ever do with you?"

	She hefted him up onto her shoulder, straining under his weight.
She grunted with self-disgust, painfully remembering that she hadn't
been working out lately, 'And with all those sweets...' rolling her
eyes.  

	She pushed her legs forward slowly, her burden beginning to get
VERY heavy after two flights of stairs, about a mile of hallway, and
five doorways to push, pull, and shove him through.  She had no idea
how he remained asleep through it, remembering some tight jams, including
trying to get him out of the rolls, her mind filled with an image of
her pulling Mendo out of the car and accidentally dropping his head
on a very hard patch of pavement.  It hadn't seemed to do any damage,
"Well, nothing permanent anyway." she said aloud, remembering the large
lump it the blow had left behind.

	She dropped him to the floor, freeing her hand to work the knob
and pulled him through, her skirt riding up uncomfortably as she pulled
her way to the bed.  She stood strait for a moment and closed her eyes,
tapping her remaining strength for one last heave as she bent down
and shoved him onto the bed, producing a clouded grunt from Mendo as
he rolled onto the huge surface, crunching his body against the 
headboard. 

	"Serves you right." she nodded, frowning, then her eyes gentle
as her gaze moved into the past.  Seeing him battle with Ataru had 
really touched her, made her feel worth something, like she was special.
Her eyes cleared as she gazed at him, trying to find what it was that
made him so important that even a silly notion of a brawl would make
her want him more.  

	"*Baka!" she mumbled to herself, "You could have been hurt!" 
trying to make herself mad enough to leave, as Lum's words ran through 
her mind, 'No matter how much you want to, you have to wait for HIM to
come to YOU...'.  She didn't want to leave, in fact she wanted to stay,
BAD.  
[*idiot]

	She turned from him, almost feeling as if his eyes were on 
her as she walked toward the door.  Her feet stopped at the door, her
hand on the knob as she pulled her eyes from the floor to his crumpled
form on the bed, "*Ja ne, Mendo-chan." and with that she left him to
his dreams, closing the door behind her.
[*fem. see you later]

                              ***************

	The sound of knuckles rapping loudly on the front door echoed
through the Moroboshi household.  Lum ran to the door, glad for any
excuse to remove herself from her tormentor's presence, cringing as
an edged feminine voice rang out behind her, "Lum!  Could you PLEASE
get the door?!"

	Lum's body itched with anger as she set her shoulders, trying
to calm herself, "Hai!" sweetly, her hand on the knob.  She pulled the
door open, trying to smile for the visitor, then her eyes lit up,
"Yuri-chan!  *Yogata!"
[*thank goodness]

	Yuri stood in the doorway, a bit bedraggled by her chore as
she waved slightly at Lum, "Hi Lum-chan!" then stepping inside and
taking off her light tennis shoes as Lum waved her in, closing the
door behind her.

	Down the hall came a woman of middle-age, dressed lightly
in a prim white blouse and a beige skirt, her eyes smiling blankly,
"Who is it Lum-san?" her voice sweet, her eyes scanning the room,
then resting on Yuri as she bowed slightly.  Her brow crunched 
down over the sight, her voice rasping harshly, "Oh, it's you." then
turned about, walking back into the main room, "Please do try to 
keep your visit short this evening, Lum." over her shoulder, then
stopping at the doorway of the main room, "Unlike SOMEpoeple, we like
to sleep at night." then continuing on into the main room as Lum
flashed a nervous smile at Yuri, then motioned up the stairs.

	Yuri, her eyes wide in amazement, mouthed mutely, "What was
that all about?" pulling at Lum's loose black satin shirt to get
her attention.

	Lum dismissed it with a wave as she led them up the stairs,
whispering over her shoulder, "Oh, she's just mad I'm getting some
and she's not." then grinned evilly at Yuri, giggling slightly.

	Lum's giggles seemed to be contagious as Yuri followed her
up the stairs and down the hallway.  "But still," Yuri began, a 
little concerned, "if she's mad, maybe I ought to..."

	"Don't even think about it." waving off Yuri's concern with
a light smile as she opened the door to Ataru's room.

	"Are you sure it's okay?" Yuri queried, still not sure whether
everyone wouldn't be better off if she stayed with Mendo.

	Lum eyed her suspiciously as she led Yuri in past the door,
inspecting every glint in her eyes, "You're not thinking of backing
out are you?" her hips cocked to one side, condemning the thought.

	"Well..."Yuri avoided Lum's gaze, working her eyes around the
room, "the thought had crossed my mind." looking up sheepishly at 
Lum.  

	Lum rolled her eyes, closing the door behind her, "You know
that he," pinning Yuri with a gaze, "has to come to you." then walking
to Yuri, her eyes loosing the edge they had gained, "If you give in
now, he'll go back to treating you like a toy, is that what you want?"
fixing Yuri with her gaze.

	"*Iie." Yuri sighed as she slumped to the floor, pushing her
skirt down nervously over her thighs, feeling vulnerable.
[*no]

	"Good," Lum nodded, sitting down beside her, patting Yuri's
thigh affectionately, "now perk up, it won't be too long." smiling 
brightly.

	Yuri's eyes pulled to Lum's, bathing in her confidence as
a slight smile peeked out through the frown she had worn all night,
her heart feeling lighter.

	The two continued to talk for quite a while, with both of
them laughing along as they recanted the events of the day, trying
to ignore their own fatigue as the yawns became more prevalent.

	Lum looked over to Ataru, her eyes heavy with exhaustion as
her eyes smiled, he had been such a fool so many times, but she was
still there, just as Yuri was trying her best to hold on to Mendo.
'Maybe if I had someone like Yuri to help,' she thought, 'things 
wouldn't have gotten so bad.' then dismissing the thought with a
sigh and a quick shake of her head.  Things had always worked out
for the best, and always would, 'Why?' she asked herself, but she
couldn't answer that one, it was almost as if, something held them
together, something so strong that even his mother couldn't tear
them apart.  She could feel it sometimes, in the middle of the night,
when he was asleep as he hugged her to him in his dreams, like the
links of a chain formed with their pain and joy.  Could feel it
in his grasp when he pulled her near.  "Lum-san?" Yuri queried, 
interrupting her thoughts.

	"Hmm?" Lum responded, her eyes clouded with dreams.

	Yuri chuckled slightly and got to her feet, shaking her head,
"Goodnight, Lum-san."

	Lum beamed in response, "Goodnight, Yuri-chan." still lost in
her dreams as she sighed heavily, then crawled over to Ataru and
kissed him gently on his forehead, whispering, "Goodnight, Dahling."

                          ***************

	Lum awoke feeling a breath of winter run across her brow,
sending chills throughout her body.  She shivered slightly against
the cold and pulled her eyes tight, squeezing the pillow before
her.  

	Lum opened her eyes, the room slowly coming into focus as the
sleep drained from her eyes.  "Mmmm." she moaned aloud, the cold 
breeze sending icy chills down her back as she scanned the room, her
eyes resting on the gentle flow of the curtains across the sliding
glass door.  She blinked heavily, trying to scan the silhouette that
stood on the balcony. 

	Her eyes focused on him as Ataru gripped the rail tightly,
staring up into the night sky, examining the memories that ran through
his mind, a slight smile across his face as the cold chill brushed his
body, oblivious to everything but his thoughts.  He could see Lum as
she was on the first day they had met and chuckled slightly, remembering
the ruckus that had ensued and had kept on through this very day, a 
sad smile overcame his brow.  It seemed as if all they had was trouble.
If it wasn't Mendo, then it was Megane, and if not Megane then Rei, the
list went on forever.  He clutched at the rail as he felt the first
chill run across his body, heightening his morose thoughts, 'Will we
ever be able to leave this behind?' he queried the stars mutely, watching
as they twinkled slightly, building his dreams.  

	"Is there a place for us?" he breathed quietly, pushing himself
off the rail.
	
	Lum stood before him in the doorway wrapped in a quilt against
the cold, "Dahling," she yawned, "come back to bed." complaining,
rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

	He nodded, stopping only for one last look at the stars, then
complied, hugging to her tightly as they stood in the doorway, then,
with his arm draped around her, he closed the door behind them and led
her to the futon.

	She leaned into him as they walked the short distance, yawning
hugely, already lost in the comfort of his chest, then faltering
slightly as the broke to lay on the futon.

	He pulled her to him affectionately, resting her head on his
chest, "Dahling." she chided, complaining slightly, "Not tonight." eyeing
Ten and Yuri nervously.

	He chuckled slightly at the thought, his mind working over
their first night together, 'How far away that night felt.' he thought
and whispered slowly, "I know," he paused, brushing a stray lock of
hair from her eyes, smiling down at her, "I just want to feel you
near me." squeezing her tightly.

	Lum smiled brightly as she closed her eyes and pulled closer
to him, adjusting herself for comfort, and drifted into sleep, secure
in the fact that the chain pulled them together, never to part.

                           ***************

	Mendo awoke from shattered dreams of a future without Yuri,
his mind raving as he clutched at a pillow, bathed with sweat.  He
opened his eyes slowly to the slow morning light that worked it's way
in through the east window.  

	He pushed himself up, his hand grappling at the throbbing in his
skull, his eyes squeezed tight against the pain.  "Aah." he moaned 
aloud and sucked in a breath through his teeth as he pushed his legs
over the side of the bed.  

	His legs cried out as his feet touched the floor, screaming
of their abuse as he pushed himself onto them, heading for the 
kitchenette and the medicine cabinet.  

	'What's that damn Moroboshi done?' he thought, scowling, 'Dropped
me on my head?!' as he stumbled through his rooms, turning on lights
on his way into the kitchenette, still clutching at his head.

	He slowed himself to a stop, balancing himself on the wide
counter with his hand as he opened the cabinet, trying mightily to
be as quiet as he could, and searched.  He pulled a bottle down and
popped off the lid with his thumb, shaking out a mass of pills on the
counter then struggling with fumbling fingers to pull three from the
stack and popped them in his mouth, grabbing a glass and filling it
to the brim, then drowning the pills with water.  He sighed heavily,
placing the glass on the counter lightly and moved back to the main
room, shaking his head slightly as he waited for the pills to work.

	He slumped into a chair and turned on the terminal to his
right, scanning over the daily family financial news as his head
head beat to a slow throb, blurring his vision slightly.  He squeezed
his eyes shut, and rubbed at them, trying to pull the haze from his
vision as he tried to read the first column to no avail.  His thoughts
drifted off as his head beat out the rhythm of his eyes scanning the
page.  

	He moaned heavily, pushing himself back in the chair and
slapped the terminal off, his mind turning to nightmarish daydreams
of defeat, loss.  To be sure, he had not lost his battle with Moroboshi,
but he had lost the one with himself, and hadn't even fought the
one that mattered to him most.  He grunted his self-disgust as he
picked up the CD remote and hit RANDOM, and again, and again, his
muscles bunching as his fingers worked the remote, his scowl growing
into a picture of bitter hatred.  He looked down at the infernal thing
in his hand, making sure that it was the right one, and noticed a            
thumb, his thumb? On the wrong button.  He chuckled slightly and beat        
down on the PLAY button heavily, tossing the remote out of his sight,        
leaning over his knees as he berated himself.                                
                                                                           
	     Music Cue: Dreams - Fleetwood Mac (title?)                                  
                                                                             
	He could feel the gentle sounds of the music carry him away,
bringing pleasant dreams to the top of his mind as he pushed himself
back in his chair, letting the tension flow from his body.  
	
	He could see Yuri in his mind, her sweet smile, his fingers 
remembering her soft skin as he clasped at the arm of the chair
lightly.  He could feel her breath on him as his mind rambled back
through the memories of their short time together, and the long nights.
She was so sweet, playful, no matter what he did, she responded in 
kind, finding new ways to pleasure his thoughts.  A slight smile 
grew across his face as the memories ran past him, leaving him with
a warm glow. Then the smile dropped as he slowly remembered the first 
time she had overstepped the bounds he had laid for her.  He could
see Junko, sweet, young Junko in his arms, then remembered what Yuri
had done later that day.  He moved his hand absently to his cheek as
he saw Yuri before him, raw insolence in her eyes as she broke her
hand across his face, leaving his cheek red and his heart raw. 
He scowled slowly as his mind watched her walk out of the room
that day, somehow knowing that that was the last, the last time he
would ever touch her and know that she was there, there to stay.  

	He could feel a slight ache beginning to rise within' him as
he opened his eyes and leaned forward, unable to stop the hellish
images from coming to light on the foremost of his mind.  He could
feel her presence in the room, see her before him as she walked across,
and past him, turning away from him, always.  He clutched at himself,
feeling the chill of the day as he saw in his mind that one kiss he
would never forget.  The one kiss that declared Moroboshi the victor,
to leave him but a peasant, happy to accept the droppings of Kings as
they tasted love.  He slumped down slowly, pulling everything that
mattered to him within' himself, squeezing his eyes tightly against
the visions, never again would he be hurt like that, never again.
	
	He pulled himself up, letting go of the whimpering child 
within' him, his eyes blank, his face coldly impassive as he faced the
terminal before him and quietly turned it on, his hands precise,
"Bring the car around."  	                                 

                             ****************

	Mendo sat in the back of his Mercedes watching the changing
scenery as they rounded the last corner, his mind on words, which to 
use, which to leave out.  The trip here had been tormenting enough, 
the wait compiled with the very uneasy feeling that grew inside
him that maybe he was too late.  He could feel his chest ache with
fear as the car rolled to a stop in front of the Moroboshi household.

	The driver jumped out and strolled around the car to his door,
opening it with a bow as Mendo shoved out a foot and placed it on the
ground.  He pushed himself up out of the car and began to walk to the
house, his hands aching as he clenched them together nervously.

	                     ***************

	Lum woke slowly, grunting her displeasure as a quiet voice
called to her, "Lumu.." it strained, "Tatsukete..." 

	Her eyes opened slightly, her vision blurred with sleep as
she scanned around the room, finding gentle puffs of smoke billowing
from where Yuri and Ten curled together against the cold.  She blinked
at, shaking her head slightly, then stared back at the small clouds
of smoke, her ears picking up a rasping, "Tatsukete..."
	
	She pushed herself up, throwing her hair to one side as she
pulled the covers around her, moving over to the small futon by the
closet where Ten lay clutched in Yuri's iron grip, her eyes squeezed 
tight against the dreams that howled her, beads of sweat rolling 
slowly from her brow, Ten's eyes bulging as he breathed, "Ack!" as
a slow cloud escaped from his lips.

	Lum chuckled slightly, staring down at the two, then shook
Yuri's shoulder lightly, "Yuri-chan." then harder, "Yuri-chan."

	Yuri stirred slightly, her grip increasing as she whimpered
pitifully, then cut a sharp breath, snapping her eyes open, her
grip on Ten slowing to an easy embrace as Ten heaved a sigh and
tried to catch his breath.

	"Ohayo, Yuri-chan." Lum said brightly, letting out a slight
giggle.

	Yuri looked about her, slightly embarrassed then answered,
"Ohayo." with an apologetic smile to Ten who had stumbled to the edge
of the bed mumbling something about 'psychopathic women'.

	Yuri pushed her chest up off the futon, her brow pulled down
from with the aches of the previous day, scanning the room for her
bag as Lum crawled back over to Ataru, who, still snoring, grunted
slightly as Lum placed her cold hands on his chest.
	
	Yuri chuckled slightly at the two then grabbed her bag and
pushed herself up and out to the bath, getting ready for the day, 
and step three in her 'master plan'.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Writer's Notes:  That wasn't too painful, now was it? 
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BUT WAIT G** D****T!! WHAT ABOUT SHINOBU??!!
Hehehehe....
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