Ranma 1/2 used without permission
Spider-Man used without permission

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        Hikaru Gosunkugi: The Amazing Spiderman Issue Nine: Lessons (Part Two)
======================================

	Students filed grudgingly into the halls of Furinkan high, nearly all of them
looking as bad as they felt. Hikaru Gosunkugi was among them, having stayed up to an ungodly
hour in an attempt to catch up on delinquent assignments. He hoped he had them all in order.
His brain had more or less shut down on him at three that morning. All he recalled clearly
was stuffing all the papers into a handy notebook and collapsing on the kitchen table.
	I hope I got everything, he thought as he trudged to his first class.

===========================================

	Pao Leung watched as the Boeing 747 took off from Narita International. For a
moment, he imagined he could still see his daughter through the window of seat 3A.
	"Home, driver."
	"Yes, sir."
	The limosuine's engine started with a quiet rumble before the car turned to leave
the airport. Leung reclined in the rear seat, a great weight having been lifted from his
shoulders. Lan was safely out of Raizo Yamata's reach. Now he could turn his attention to
other pressing matters, like Spiderman.
	Leung didn't stop to wonder why he was becoming so obsessed with Spiderman. Every
fiber of his being warned him that the costumed freak was a menace to his enterprises. A
threat that had to be elimnated at all costs.
	Then why did he bring in Doctor Ping to develop the Black Widow?
	Ostensibly, it was as an advanced Mecha to deal with the ever-growing technological
power of the Yakuza. Chinese science wasn't exactly a thing to be taken lightly, after all.
	However, if the Widow and the spider seekers could destroy one of his most dangerous
problems, so much the better. And what better test could he think of?
	Leung allowed a small smile to play across his lips as the driver steered back
toward Tokyo. Everything would work out as he had planned. Spiderman would die, and Doctor
Octavius would soon deliver the weapon that would allow him to bring the Triad into Japan in
force. The Yakuza's days were numbered.

==========================================

	Lunch was a bland affair, as usual. Gosunkugi sat beneath one of the trees that
dotted Furinkan's landscape as he peered into his bag. A baloney sandwich. No mayo, no
mustard, not even any wasabi. Just the meat and the bread. What joy.
	He ate anyway, actually having his lunch by this time still somewhat a novelty.
After years of having it taken away by people much bigger than himself, being able to
actually eat at lunch felt somewhat sublime.
	"Hi."
	"Hey," he said, looking up at Miku standing over him. Talking to him two days in a
row? He must be getting popular.
	"May I sit down?"
	"Huh? Sure!" Miku knelt across from him, smoothing out her dress as she did so.
Gosunkugi tried not to stare, but her face kept drawing him. She really was pretty cute. It
was a wonder that Kuno hadn't made a move on her yet. She pulled out a small box of bento
and began to eat in delicate bites.
	"Looks like you didn't sleep much, Hikaru."
	"I didn't get much last night. Sleep, I mean..."
	"I asked about you."
	"Yeah?" Gosunkugi's heart leapt up in his throat. Oh, what had those bastards told
her? Why should I care? he thought. She's not interested in me.
	I heard you were called 'Voodoo Spike'. Is it true?"
	"Oh! That..." He would kill whoever said that... "I used to dabble in magic."
	"You... um... don't anymore?"
	"Nah." He looked back into those eyes, and saw something strange there. Gosunkugi
couldn't put his finger on what, but something told him she was building up her nerve.
	"I also... um... heard that you're a photographer ."
	Oh, jeez, Hikaru thought. I know where this is headed.
	"Is it true?"
	"Is what true?" Uh-oh. Here it comes.
	"That you're the one taking all those Spiderman photos?"
	"That's me. Well, not anymore." Gosunkugi breathed a small sigh of relief. For a
second, he thought she would ask about his taking snaps of Akane. She was bound to have
heard about that by now. Another part of him, however, felt a twinge of annoyance at having
someone come to him about Spiderman. He was trying to leave that behind, damnit!
	"You don't take them now?" she asked after another bite of rice and shrimp.
	"Nope."
	"Why?"
	"I don't know," he lied. "I just can't seem to catch the opportunities lately." More
like I stopped BEING Spiderman... he ammended silently.
	"You know, it's the strangest thing," she said as she looked directly at his face.
	"What is?"
	"Of all the people I asked, nobody really knew anything about you."
	"Heh. I kinda go unnoticed around here." Hikaru returned her gaze and marvelled at
his lack of nervous tension. He couldn't think why, but he felt at ease talking to Miku.
	"And can you believe that the only one who really knew anything charged a thousand
yen to tell me?" she asked incredulously.
	"Actually, I can. Her name's Nabiki Tendo."
	"I guess you really know her, huh?"
	"Everyone here does," he replied sourly. "Do yourself a favor. Steer clear of that
one."
	"You're not the first one to say that," Miku chuckled. "You know, I'm getting the
feeling that this place is stranger than it looks."
	"You haven't seen anything yet. Wait'll you meet Ranma."
	"Who?"
	"You'll find out." Gosunkugi was surprised that she didn't know already. The bell
signalled the end of lunch as students packed up their food for the return to class. Hikaru
rose to his feet and offered a hand to Miku.
	Wow. Her touch was soft, yet firm. Her eyes met his, and Gosunkugi nearly gasped.
She really was cute!
	"Thanks."
	"N... no problem."
	"So, I'll see you later!" she said as she walked back toward the building's
entrance.
	Gosunkugi remained still for a few moments as the reality set in. This girl was...
Nah, couldn't be. He finally managed to get his feet moving when another thought occured to
him.
	Whatever she had been building to, she hadn't been able to ask. What could it have
been?

=========================================================

	Ryo Sanzaki glared balefully at the bottle before him as he hammered another shot
into his body. He couldn't believe it. He just couldn't believe it!

	"Due to the recent theft," the Dean had said, "We are cancelling the recombinant
genetics research grant."
	"Y... you can't!" he had shouted in protest. "I can remake the stolen components! We
can start over!"
	"Doctor, do not think we are terminating you," the dean had replied in what was
probably ment to be a magnanimous tone. "We are transferring you to our teaching staff. We
feel that you can make a sizeable contribution to our faculty..."

	Ryo didn't clearly recall the rest. All he knew for certain was that he had accepted
their new job opportunity with what he had hoped to be good grace. Teaching the students,
however, could never replace what had been taken away.
	The recombinator had been the culmination of his entire life's work. The machine,
and what it represented to the field of genetic research, had been the driving force of his
work. And now it was gone.
	Refabricating the stolen power source would be costly, yes, but possible. The test
data, on the other hand, would have taken years to replace. Even he knew that the university
would be unwilling to invest that much time and money.
	Damn you, Kenji, he thought bitterly. He should have known what his assistant had
been planning. Had he not been so caught up in possibilities for the future, he would have
seen what was right under his nose. But, he had no proof that the man had stolen anything.
Even if he did, Kenji had been rumored to have skipped the country.
	As such, Doctor Ryo Sanzaki resigned himself to mediocrity, grading test papers and
downing scotch whiskey every night for the rest of his life.
	Or so he thought, but that's a story for another time...

===============================================================

	Miku Tachibana stepped into the modest apartment which she now called home. It was
sparesely furnished, a sofa and easy chair adorning one wall across from the modest
television set. Through an archway rested the small dining area, separated from the
kitchenette by a thin partition with a rectangular window area cut into it.
	She placed her bookbag on the dining room table before raiding the fridge for a
snack. While her aunt made great bento, it never managed to fill her up quite the way her
pot roast did. After placing a plate full of meat and potatoes into the microwave, she
checked the answering machine located by the counter.
	"12:45 pm," the answering machine droned before the beep.
	"Miku," a male voice said after a moment's silence. "I know you're there, Miku."
	She froze on her way back to the kitchen, cold fingers reaching into her spine. Her
brain refused to function, seized by rising terror. She couldn't move, couldn't think, could
barely breathe as the voice rang in her head.
	"I know you're there, Miku," the voice said again.
	"End of message," came the monotone of the machine.
	Miku Tachibana sank to her knees as tears began to stream down her cheeks. She paid
no heed to the beep of the microwave as her fear swelled within her. He found me, she
thought. Oh, God, how did he find me?

==================================================================

	Hikaru Gosunkugi stared down at the negatives beneath the red light of the lamp to
his right. All those rolls of film, filled with momentos of his former life as Spiderman.
Part of him didn't want to destroy them, viewing them as reminders of the power he had once
had. The power he still had, really, just refused to use. Another part wanted them destroyed
just for that reason.
	As such, he gathered every picture and negative of his former adventures and placed
them into a manilla envelope. Looks like it's time for another trip to the boiler room, he
thought as he reached for the last bunch of developed photos.
	He stared at it for a few minutes, the red and blue clad figure locked in combat
with Doctor Octopus. No matter how many times he saw himself in that costume, he could
hardly believe it to be true. Hikaru shuffled through the others in the stack, coming to one
that nearly made him laugh out loud.
	It was Nabiki, chained and gagged to a support pillar with a look of utter terror on
her face. She was looking down at her feet, to a flaming chunk of debris that had landed
near her legs. Gosunkugi had saved it, just for the memory. Oh, how Nabiki would hate for
that one to get out. She would downplay it, of course, calling it a fake, but he would know
the truth. Even her likely wrath against him would be worth turning the tables on her and
rattling her cage.
	I really shouldn't have held this one back, he thought with a grin. Seeing that on
every newspaper in Tokyo would have been fitting revenge against Nabiki.
	Oh, well, he thought, too late for that now. Gosunkugi packed up the last of the
photos, sealing the envelope with the now-wet adhesive patches, and made his way out of the
darkroom.

===================================================

	"Miku!"
	"Huh? Oh, hi, Hikaru."
	Gosunkugi drew up short alongside her, taking in her disshevelled hair and worn face
with concern. Bags hung beneath eyes that darted in every direction, as if desperately
searching for something. Her every movement, every twitch, broadcast barely repressed fear
to anyone nearby.
	"Is... Is something wrong?" Gosunkugi was surprised at the level of concern Miku's
state was generating in him. He'd never felt this way about another before.
	Nevermind that. Something's odd here.
	"Oh, nothing."
	"Yeah, right." Miku's eyes finally stopped moving, locking on his own and sending
chills throughout Gosunkugi's entire being. Jeez, he'd *never* seen anyone this scared.
"Now, what is it?"
	"It... it's none of your business."
	"Wha..?"
	"I'm.. I'm sorry, Hikaru-chan."
	Hikaru-*chan*?! Oboy...
	"Miku. Is anyone..."
	"Hikaru-chan, listen to me," Miku whispered, leaning in close. Gosunkugi felt a few
strands of her mane brush against his face in the breeze and his heart took an involuntary
leap. "I want you to come over to my apartment after school."
	"Say *what*?!" This could *not* be what it sounded like!
	"But don't follow me." Her eyes moved back and forth again like frightened
butterflies before settling on his again. "There's something I have to ask you."
	"What?" Gosunkugi could feel his heart triphammering in the confines of his ribcage,
nerves alive with tense anxiety. Then, it hit. The spider-sense began to tingle in the back
of his head, warning that someone was watching. Nabiki. It *had* to be Nabiki.
	"Not here. My place. Five o'clock. Here's my address."
	"Can I at least get a hint?" Hikaru asked as he took the slip of paper from Miku.
Damnit, where was she?
	"I can't... I... Oh, what the hell. I need to ask you about Spiderman."
	"Huh?!"
	"*Please*, Hikaru-chan. Five o'clock. I'll be waiting." With that, Miku Tachibana
turned and left. Her steps were hurried, obviousy nervous though she tried to hide it.
	Spiderman, he thought with rising disgust. *Always* Spiderman! I should've known she
was just using me to get some dirt on him! I'm willing to bet Nabiki set her up to do it! I
wouldn't put it past the conniving little bitch.
	"*Please*, Hikaru-chan. Five o'clock. I'll be waiting."
	What if it was genuine? What if Nabiki wasn't behind it?
	Oh, shut up! he screamed to the dissonant voice in his mind.
	Do you think anyone could fake that kind of fear? it replied. The best actresses in
Japan couldn't do it!
	Quiet, you...
	This is the real thing, Hikaru. You might wanna check it out.
	Hikaru shook his head angrily as he stormed off to his first class. Having moral
discussions with himself over the use, or non-use, of his powers. Maybe he had finally gone
off the deep end.

	Nabiki arched an eyebrow at the retreating form of Hikaru Gosunkugi. He was upset;
angry, even. What had Miku told him?
	And what, she asked herself, should all this be telling me? Nabiki stepped out from
behind the tree she had used for cover and made her way to the front door, stepping over the
still-unconscious Kuno. Wow, twenty minutes, and he was still out. Ranma must have really
knocked the hell out of him this time.
	Okay, she said to herself. What is going on?
	First, Miku pays a pittance for any information Nabiki herself had on Gosunkugi.
Bloody odd in and of itself.
	Second, sources indicated that Miku and Gosunkugi had chatted at lunch on Tuesday.
From what she could gather, the conversation had been rather pleasant.
	Sources, she grumped. She hated having to waste such resources on Hikaru, but he'd
left her no choice. The little bugger had been getting rather good at spotting her of late.
	Alrighty, then. Now, Wednesday morning, Miku is looking absolutely terrified, and is
confiding in Gosunkugi? No, there has to be more to it. Buying information on Hikaru,
something Nabiki couldn't even give away before, cozying up to him, and now the scared
schoolgirl act?
	No act. Nabiki knew when someone was faking, and when they were sincere. If that was
just a play, then Miku Tachibana was a *damn* good actress.
	Maybe I'll just follow Hikaru, she thought. Discreetly. I can't afford to have him
spot me again.

====================================================

	"Worthless fool." Hyo Imawano glared out over the expanse of Justice High School.
The rapidly-growing multitude of students, there was a good joke, moved about the grounds
much like any good drone would.
	"So, what do *you* suggest we do?" Hyo shifted his focus to the reflection of the
immense figure reflected in the glass. Raizo, the principal, such a waste. How could he
expect to fulfill Justice's purpose?
	"The Ketsume have outlived their usefulness."
	"Their war with Gedo High's gangs has brought us no new blood. Keeping them would be
pointless."
	"Eliminating them would only prove a waste of resources. We will allow them to run
free until we can spare the manpower necessary to crush them."
	"Are you certain?" Hyo repressed a flash of irritation at the snide tone of the
remark.
	"Positive."
	"Very well, Hyo-san, we will try it your way."
	He felt Raizo's thundering footfalls throughout the immense office the latter called
his own as he left through the double oak doors. Anger heated his face in a red flush,
white-gloved grip growing ever tighter on the hilt of his katana.
	*TRY* it my way? Before long, you oafish buffoon, you will be *DOING* things my way.
And you will ask no questions!

=======================================================

	Well, here we go, Nabiki thought as Hikaru edged out of Furinkan's main gate. She
weaved in and out of other students, each movement graceful and cat-like. She would trail
from well behind, mingle into the crowd. He would definitely have a much harder time
spotting her that way.
	Over the course of the day her mind had processed all the available information from
every possible angle, searching for the one conclusion. At lunch, she had found it.
	Spiderman. No surprise.
	More jagged shards of the picture were coming together to form the cohesive whole
she was searching for. Miku had asked if Hikaru was the one taking the Spiderman photos, to
which he had answered yes. Also, from what she had heard, his excuse for not having any more
seemed very plausible. The opportunity wasn't there.
	No more pictures of Spiderman. Hell, no more Spiderman recently. Maybe he had
decided to look for greener pastures, or taller buildings?
	Maybe, maybe, maybe. Too many variables, and not enough information. The whole thing
was giving her a headache. There was only one real source of intelligence on Spiderman, and
he wasn't talking. She had cajoled, browbeaten, even threatened, and Hikaru still refused to
crack. The man had more spine than Nabiki had ever given him credit for. But, everyone had
their limits. She need only send him to his.

	No spider-sense. So far, so good. Hikaru Gosunkugi threaded through the thinning
pedestrians on the sidewalk, making his way to the restaurant district. Miku's address was
on the other end of the ward, a good hour's walk from here, plenty of time to grab a quick
bite to eat.
	He considered Ucchan's again, and decided against it. Her food was good, and the
service great, but he simply wasn't in the mood for okonomiyaki right then. Maybe a stop by
the Beef Bowl would do? Yeah, some of their ramen sounded good. Not as good as the
Nekohanten's, but much safer. Less chance of random violence from a certain pig-tailed
martial artist showing up.
	Wonder what's got Miku so spooked? he asked himself as he stepped around an elderly
couple with a short bow. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good. But, why would it involve
Spiderman?
	I shouldn't go. I can't, I *won't* get involved in that again.
	But, I can't just turn my back. Can I? No, I can't. Damn.

	He doesn't live out this way, Nabiki thought with rising suspicion. He's meeting her
out here, I know it. Gos, you can be too easy sometimes. She watched as he took a seat in
front of the small Beef Bowl ramen stand and allowed a wicked grin to settle on her face as
she slid into a nearby alleyway. So far, he hadn't noticed her. So much the better.
	Ten minutes passed, then twenty, and then thirty-five. Nabiki's glare was almost
enough to melt titanium. Where the hell was she?! Had she stood him up? Or was he just
throwing her off. Damnit, Hikaru had become far too unpredictable for her liking.
	Cool it, girl. No point getting angry. Hey, he's moving! About friggin' time!

	The sunlight was steadily fading into night as Hikaru neared the address Miku had
given him. His unease continued to mount as he walked, a cloud of dread settling over his
senses. He couldn't place what was wrong, yet it gnawed at the edge of his mind with
relentless persistence.
	This is the place, he thought to himself as he veered to enter the glass doors. The
buildings were taller here, he noticed, than in the main part of Nerima. Not quite as tall
as those nearest Tokyo proper, but enough for some decent altitude...
	What the *hell* am I thinking?!
	Not bad, he thought as he entered the simple lobby. Not exactly the Ritz, but not
too shabby. He made his way to the nearest elevator, pressed the button, and waited for the
car.

	He's going to her *apartment*? Nabiki couldn't believe it. No way. Uh-uh. A girl
inviting him to her place? HIM?! It was... against all the laws of the universe!
	She entered the apartment building, glancing in Gosunkugi's direction when his back
stiffened. He couldn't have spotted her, not when she was this close!

	Hikaru entered the elevator, spider-sense still raising the hackles on the back of
his neck. He turned, hoping to see who had followed him, as if he didn't know, when the
doors closed again.
	Great, he groused, *just* great! Nabiki's here, and she's gonna be waiting for me to
leave. Can't that mercenary whore leave me the hell alone?!
	The sense of wrongness only grew as the elevator car rose to its intended floor. It
no longer proclaimed that someone was following him; and how had it missed Nabiki up until
she walked into the lobby? but kept insisting that something was going to happen. Or already
has. Hikaru really wished he could understand his spider-sense better, especially since it
was the one manifest of his powers that seemed to act on its own.
	The car stopped, doors sliding open to reveal a perfectly normal hallway with
equally normal rows of doors on each side. Hikaru stepped out, searching for 320.
	Okay, he thought, I'm here. I just tell Miku that I don't know Spiderman, anything
to get her off of this, and go home. As for Nabiki, well, she's not going to take my
stonewalling forever. There has to be a way to avoid her without crawling right down the
side of this building.
	He came to the door marked 320, and his spider-sense immediately flared. Hikaru's
hand stopped just short of the knob, the sudden urge to run suddenly very strong. Whatever
this was, it wasn't worth it. Just go home!
	But, she's in danger!
	"Oh, my God..." The furniture was smashed, ruined chunks of wood dottng the
scratched floor, and the blood...
	"MIKU!" He ran toward the lone archway, blood running cold through his veins as his
brain threatened total panic. "MIKU!"
	Closet... he could feel the sense tugging him toward one of the closets, screaming
that someone was in there. Heedless of anything else, Hikaru ripped open the closet door and
found a strange woman leaning against the back, hands behind her with a rag in her mouth.
	"Oh, jeez... Hey, you okay?!" She was quiet, unresponsive as he gently carried her
out into the living room. His answer came when her head tilted, revealing auburn hair matted
with blood.
	"Fuck!" Gotta call an ambulance, police, get someone the hell up here! Where's the
phone, where's the bloody damn phone!
	"Oh, no..." his head whipped up to see Nabiki standing in the doorway, a look of
shock mixed with horror on her normally smug face. No time to yell at her, just get someone
up here!
	"Call an ambulance," Nabiki ordered as she jogged up to the injured woman. "I'll
take care of this."
	"Right."
	Hikaru found the phone in the kitchen and immediately dialed the emergency number.
Come on, someone pick up!
	"Emergency services, how can I help you?"
	"I need an ambulance at 1420 Jingoku, apartment 320. There's a woman up here, she's
hurt!"
	"Calm down, sir," the female voice replied. "Do you know how badly she's injured?"
	"It's her head, she's still bleeding."
	"Is she unconscious?"
	"Yes!"
	"Okay, sir, you need to stop the bleeding..."
	"Already working on it," he replied, seeing Nabiki pressing a folded handkerchief
against the wound and wrapping what was once the woman's gag around it.
	"Good. Now, stay on the line. Rescue and police are on their way right now."
	"Hikaru..."
	"They're coming now!" Miku, where's Miku? Hikaru already knew the answer. She was
gone. If she was still here, his spider-sense would have warned him.
	The police came soon after, along with paramedics. Then came the questions, and
night fell on Nerima once more.

======================================================