Eloise Jarvis McGraw's Mara, Daughter of the Nile and the Samurai Deeper Kyo manga. I'd heard of SDK before, but figured a shounen fighting manga wouldn't be to my liking. Your posts convinced me to give it a try, however, and I ended up completely hooked on it (and Kyo/Yuya!). I'm currently on volume 19 and trying to ration the remaining volumes until TP finishes the series...

And yes, it is Fred. :)