Why do I get the feeling I'm posting on a weekly basis? ;)

----------------------------------------------------------
                    #6: The Law of Amazons
		The Wheel of Fire, Part 2: Falling Toward the Darkness

  Written by Razorclaw X (spiceoflife@hotmail.com)
  http://www.crosswinds.net/anaheim/~slythe/ranma/ranff.html
  Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 and characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. And 
all that other good stuff. Proper licenses belong to respective 
companies. The manga has precedence over material in the anime. 
  This file can be freely distributed so long as it appears in its 
complete form and proper credit. No part may be reproduced for 
monetary gain without permission from the author. (to which the 
answer is probably "no")

  Author's note: This series takes place after the final manga story, 
starting a few weeks after the wedding fiasco that followed Saffron's 
defeat. It somewhat follows after my previous fics, "Moments of 
Transition," "Team Ranma vs. the Orochi Assassins," "End of the 
Beginning," "Descending Spiral," and "Specters." Setup from the 
previous stories finally come to fruition in this grand confrontation! 
The final story in Part 2: Falling Toward the Darkness, where Shampoo 
and Cologne make their final attempt to make Ranma theirs! 

Plot Points (from previous stories)
==================================
1. Ranma and Akane are married. Only Shampoo contests this marriage 
now. 
2. Mousse and Ukyo have been dating. This is Akane's work at 
matchmaking, yet, she believes the two might have gone a bit too far; 
the two are plunging into a relationship too fast. 
3. All the China gang (except Mousse) returned to China.  
4. Mousse is now an outsider of his tribe (banished by Cologne). He's 
now living at and works at Ucchan's. 
5. Ryoga is looking for his parents to get permission to marry Akari. 
6. After being possessed by a malevolent spirit, Ukyo discovers she 
has untapped potential to manipulate chi to heights greater than 
Ranma. As of yet she's reluctant to use it as she's afraid she might 
hurt someone. 
7. Tatewaki Kuno has mastered the invincible Chinese Phoenix Sword. 
However, he is reluctant to use it, as it drains energy from one's 
very soul. But, since the first time he'd used it (against a now-dead 
opponent), he's become much stronger. 
8. Kodachi displays very real concern about her brother's well-being 
since he almost died using the Phoenix Sword. She owes Ranma a 
life-debt for saving her life long ago, which can never fully be 
repaid. 

------------------------------------------------
Opening: Little Date

  A quiet Sunday morning in Nerima. Relatively speaking, of course. 
  Mousse sat in the middle of the Tendo dojo's training room, Indian- 
style. Eyes closed, he let the vibrations in the floor grab his 
attentions. This time, his opponent was about 7 o'clock from his 
forward position. 
  Ranma fell to the floor with a loud thump as Mousse quickly swept 
the feet from under him. 
  "You're getting better at this," Ranma commented as he sat up. 
  Mousse didn't bother to turn. "My sight are, at the same time, my 
greatest weakness and my greatest asset. Had I not such terrible 
eyesight, my other senses wouldn't be as acute as they are now."
  "Spoken like a true warrior," Ranma said. 
  Mousse sighed. How long ago was it that Shampoo left Japan? How 
long ago was it that Cologne kicked him out of the village? How long 
ago was it that he'd become a waiter at Ucchan's? A month and a week, 
perhaps. Or longer. 
  How he missed Shampoo. And how his heart ached at the knowledge he 
couldn't see her again, lest he be destroyed at the old hag's hands. 
It was a better choice to live, he thought, thinking someday he could 
see Shampoo again. Maybe that's what kept him living. 
  Mousse couldn't help but feel he'd been using Ukyo's affections to 
lean on. It wasn't long ago Mousse discovered there were others 
beyond Shampoo, and Ukyo reached the same conclusion about Ranma. He 
couldn't help but feel like he was using her. They hadn't talked 
about it, of course, as Mousse was too afraid to hurt Ukyo's 
feelings. She'd been through too much pain to carry another heavy 
burden on her shoulders. Although he told her he'd given up on 
Shampoo, part of him still longed for the dream. 
  Or, most of all, how much he longed to go home. 
  Mousse stood up from his sitting position, letting the blood flow 
through his long legs again. How annoying it was for your legs to go 
to sleep.
  Ukyo walked to Mousse and gave him a big hug. "You're improving."
  "Thanks," answered Mousse. 
  "Is there something wrong?"
  Mousse hastily replied, "No, nothing! Nothing at all!"
  "You're thinking about Shampoo again, aren't you?"
  "Yeah," Mousse answered, nodding wearily. "Maybe it's time we 
talked."
  "Perhaps," Ukyo said, biting her tongue nervously. So it was time. 
  Both turned to Ranma. Ranma quickly got the hint and left the room. 
Well, this was the fruits of Akane's handiwork....
  "Mousse," Ukyo began, "just say it, I'm a big girl. I can take it."
  "Well, okay," Mousse said. "I think I've been treating you 
unfairly. Since Shampoo left I think I've been using you for 
emotional support."
  "How can you say that?" Ukyo said, not the least bit surprised. "I 
thought I was doing that to you, after Ranma got married. After a lot 
of thought in this matter, I've decided my love is genuine." 
  Are you sure about that? Ukyo asked herself. Or are you forcing the 
issue? You answered too quickly, honey. 
  "I don't know about myself, for a part of me still yearns for 
Shampoo."
  "Part of me still wants Ranma, you know. Perhaps it wasn't meant to 
be."
  "That's not the same. I still have a chance to get Shampoo, no 
matter how small a chance. If only she gave up on Ranma."
  "Look," Ukyo started, placing her hands on Mousse's shoulders, 
"don't make any hasty judgments now. If you want, I'll give you time 
you need to sort things out. All right?"
  "I suppose," Mousse answered. He tilted his head slightly, and 
sniffed the air. "What's that smell?"
  "I don't smell anything," Ukyo responded. She tried to stifle a 
yawn. "For some reason, I feel sleepy."
  "I know that smell!" Mousse exclaimed. "It's the same gas mixed in 
my village... knockout gas....." He yawned. "....too bad I don't have 
a filter on me...." 
  The two collapsed to the floor. Up above in the rafters stood a 
lone figure, wearing a gas filter over her nose and mouth. Shampoo 
jumped down, wading through the heavy red gas to Mousse's crumpled 
body. Silently, she bent over and stroked Mousse's long hair 
sympathetically. 
  "Shampoo missed Mousse.... sorry you get banished, for staying 
behind...."
  "Shampoo...." Mousse babbled silently. Shampoo couldn't help but 
shed a tear; after all this time he was still faithful.  
  Without another word, Shampoo walked out, following the heavy gas 
to her true prize. 

  Kasumi was in the kitchen washing dishes when the gas seeped in. 
  Nabiki was sitting in front of her new computer reading the manual 
when the gas seeped in. 
  Soun and Genma were finishing breakfast when the gas seeped in. 
  Akane and Nodoka were sitting out on the porch having a 
mother-daughter talk when the gas seeped in. 
  And Ranma was lying just outside the dojo when the gas seeped in. 
Well, at least, before Shampoo picked him up. 
  Shampoo was long gone when the Chinese Amazon twins, Ling-ling and 
Lung-lung arrived at the Tendo dojo, out of breath. They saw the gas 
and realized they were too late. 
  The two entered the dojo hall with filters over their mouths, 
looking around for anyone that might be around. There, lying in the 
center of the dojo, lay Mousse and Ukyo sprawled on the floor. 
Lung-lung opened all the doors and windows as Ling-ling opened her 
own can of gas, a counter-agent to the knockout gas. 
  Mousse had no idea who he was looking at when his eyes opened. 
"Shampoo!!" he cried, leaping up and hugging Ling-ling. 
  "Stupid Mousse!" yelled Ling-ling, knocking Mousse away. 
  Ukyo rubbed her eyes and yawned. Recognition burned in her eyes. 
"You!"
  Before Ukyo could pull a punch on her sister, Lung-lung grabbed 
Ukyo's arm. "Stay calm! Elder Sister must have Ranma by now."
  Mousse reached for his glasses in his sleeve pocket. "Shampoo was 
here?"
  "Yes!" the twins replied in unison. "We must hurry before Elder 
Sister marry ungrateful Ranma!"

  A few minutes later the rest of the Tendo household was aroused. 
All sat in the dining room around the table. 
  Ling-ling started, "It been almost two moons since Shampoo return 
home in defeat. Great-grandmother assure rest of tribe Shampoo will 
marry. Many days of planning."
  "And only a few days ago we learn of plan," continued Lung-lung. 
"We follow Elder Sister as fast as two can go, but Elder Sister have 
two days head start. And we too late to stop her."
  "So what happens now?" asked Akane. 
  "Elder Sister marry Ranma when get home," the two answered. 
  "Shampoo...." Mousse said. "It never ends...."
  "But why are you helping us now?" Ukyo asked the twin Amazons.
  "We not like Ranma," Lung-lung said. "Strong man is he, but not nice 
person. Make Mousse look like gentleman in comparison."
  "We not try to oppose Great-grandmother or Elder Sister," continued 
Ling-ling, "at least, not directly. We not want to be banished from 
home like Mousse. So we need your help."
  "Our help?" Akane fumed. "You should've stopped them! They're 
trying to steal MY husband!"
  "Akane," Ukyo started, trying to calm Akane, "whether you like it 
or not, we have to go get Ranchan back."
  "We?"
  "Ranchan's my friend too, you know."
  Mousse said, "You need me, I know where the village is." Not to 
mention the chance to see Shampoo, and home, again.
  "But that still doesn't get us transportation to China!" Akane 
pointed out. 
  "Well, not for long," replied Nabiki. "Of course, services rendered 
aren't exactly free...."
  "NABIKI!!"
  "....well, for you Sis, I'll throw in the transportation." Well, it 
wouldn't hurt her financially, really, so long as Nabiki saw her 
little sister happy. 

  Nabiki lead Akane, Mousse, Ukyo, and the Amazon twins to Kuno's 
mansion. Konatsu tagged along as well. 
  "Why are we here?" Akane asked. 
  "Getting transportation, of course," answered Nabiki. 
  It wasn't long before servants lead the group to an audience with 
Kuno. Kodachi sat nearby in a lab coat, fiddling with an unknown 
liquid substance in a test tube. 
  "And for what pleasure does the great Tatewaki Kuno owe for an 
audience such as this, consisting of two blooming flowers, though one 
of which is caught in the grasp of the vile Ranma Saotome?" asked 
Kuno. 
  "I've come to borrow some transportation," answered Nabiki. "The 
big one."
  "I'm willing to guess the form of transportation in which you refer 
to is the one acquired not long after returning from China."
  "Yup, that's the one."
  "May I ask for what you need this transportation for?"
  "Well, it'll cost you... 500 yen."
  Kuno handed the yen to Nabiki. "They're going to save Ranma from 
marrying Shampoo in her ancestral village."
  "NABIKI!!!" Akane yelled. Pulling her sister aside, Akane whispered 
loudly, "I don't want HIM along too!"
  "I see... the fair Akane Tendo wishes to travel to China to rescue 
her undeserving husband. Well, you're in luck. I've decided I will 
travel with you, for the explicit purpose of protecting you, dear 
Akane."
  "Thanks a lot, Nabiki...." Akane muttered. Travel with Kuno.... 
Blech! She could hardly stand him even at school. Although sometimes 
Akane couldn't help but admire Kuno in rare moments, but right now 
all thoughts of such deeds slipped from her mind. 
  "I want to go too!" Kodachi said, speaking for the first time. "No 
Chinese hussy's going to marry my dear Ranma.... even if he does hate 
me."
  Oh swell, Akane thought, now I've got to put up with Kuno's crazy 
little sister, too. Why was this day looking so much better at each 
passing minute, she thought sarcastically. 
  Nabiki turned to Akane. "There you go." She started to leave, but 
Akane caught her arm. 
  "Wait a minute, what's this transportation you spoke about?"

  "If this tug boat went any slower, we'd catch up to Shampoo next 
year."
  Akane moped about at the rail of the Seven Lucky Gods' airship, the 
same airship the Nerima crew used to get back to Japan after a battle 
with Kirin and his six lackeys. After returning from Nekonron, Kuno 
retained the airship in a private warehouse he owned. And there it 
lay forgotten until Nabiki remembered it. 
  As by tradition, Kuno gave a name to the airship: the Swift Justice. 
  Akane turned around, watching the others pass the time as the 
airship passed over the sea. 
  Mousse meditated silently on the deck, his glasses resting on his 
head. 
  Ukyo cooked okonomiyaki in the airship's kitchen down below. 
  Ling-ling and Lung-lung sat together at the opposite rail, talking 
to each other in Chinese, the subject of which Akane didn't know. 
  Konatsu sharpened his sword, seated next to the door that lead to 
the cabin and below-decks. 
  Kuno and Kodachi stood by the wheel, seemingly unconcerned with 
precise navigation through the skies. 
  The twins assured Akane that it would take Shampoo a few days to 
return home. That was all the time they had for this airship to catch 
up. 
  Akane walked to where Konatsu sat. 
  "Hey, Konatsu," greeted Akane.
  "Akane-sama," returned Konatsu, continuing to sharpen his favorite 
blade. 
  "Konatsu," started Akane, "what do you think about what Ukyo's been 
doing? I mean, between her and Mousse?"
  "Ukyo-sama is happy," answered Konatsu, "and that's enough to make 
even lowly Konatsu happy."
  "That's not what I meant."
  Konatsu sighed. "Truly, Akane-sama, if I were more a man to 
Ukyo-sama, maybe she'd notice this humble servant. She cannot return 
my love. I've accepted that fact, until the day she does return my 
love." A day to hope for. 
  "If Ukyo and Mousse broke up, do you want me to help you?"
  "Perhaps, Akane-sama. But it breaks my heart so to see her sad. If 
another man makes her happy, I won't get in the way."
  Akane nodded, then walked inside. She walked down the hall, passing 
several doors, to the room she remembered to house the airship's 
kitchen. Peering inside, Akane watched as Ukyo prepared okonomiyaki 
on the stove, probably for lunch. Ukyo smiled warmly as Akane 
approached. 
  "Hi, Akane!" Ukyo said cheerily.
  "Ukyo, we need to talk," Akane said.
  "I'm all ears, sugar," Ukyo said, putting down her spatula. 
  "Ukyo, I have to know... do you really love Mousse?"
  Ukyo didn't hesitate to answer. "Yes, I do. Why?"
  Akane took in a deep breath. "Look, Ukyo, are you sure your love 
isn't based on loneliness and desperation? Things like this happen 
after extra-emotional events, and they usually end in disaster."
  Ukyo chuckled softly. "If that were the case, then Mousse'd stop 
thinking about Shampoo by now. I know he still thinks of her, just 
the same way I still think of Ranchan. The difference is, I've 
accepted my fate. A small part of Mousse still wants Shampoo; so be 
it."
  "But what really sinks into my skin," Ukyo continued, "is how much 
he understands! We understand each other, Akane, ways in which 
Ranchan can never understand."
  "But that understanding is based on chasing an unobtainable dream," 
observed Akane. "There's a very good chance that Mousse might realize 
his dreams; where would that leave you? I don't want to see you 
crushed, not like last time." Certainly, it was much too painful, as 
Akane recalled the time Ukyo spent at the hospital. "When I got you 
two together, I never thought it would go this far. I mean, I just 
wanted to see you two happy." 
  "Don't you think I know that?" Ukyo replied hotly. "I jumped into 
this with both my feet, not head-first! Don't you think I know Mousse 
can't love me like he does...." 
  Shit. Did I say what I thought I said? 
  The sizzling okonomiyaki on the grill echoed Ukyo's thoughts. What 
the hell were you thinking, you and Mousse?! I thought you promised 
yourself you wouldn't let it get that far, so what happened? Shit, I 
let myself fall in love with Mousse. You knew he could love only 
Shampoo, so what happened? 
  Without warning, Ukyo slammed her fist on the counter. The echo 
reverberated throughout the empty kitchen. 
  Neither spoke for a long time. Ukyo flipped her okonomiyaki on a 
plate and shut off the stove. Dammit, Ukyo, you're weak. And don't 
you dare let it show, not now! 
  "Do you know how Konatsu feels about this?" Akane asked, breaking 
the silence. What was going through her mind? Akane wondered. 
  "Yeah, he's happy for me." Ukyo shrugged. "Look, I know he's in 
love with me and all, but really, Akane...."
  "Just wanted to tell you that there's another really special guy 
there for you," Akane said finally. "Ukyo, Konatsu's a person too." 
  "Akane...." Ukyo started. "I know you're trying to help, but I 
don't need it. Mousse needs to decide for himself whom he loves, and 
whatever decision he makes, I'll support him no matter what. I'm a 
strong girl, I can take whatever punishment it takes."
  Unfortunately, you already know the answer. Mousse loves Shampoo. 
How the hell did you fall into this mess? 
  "Akane."
  "Hmmm?" replied Akane, just as she was about to leave the kitchen. 
  "So long as Konatsu's happy, I'll be fine."
  "You really do care about him, don't you?"
  "Yeah, I guess I do.... But not that way, honey."

  Sunrise over the old training grounds of Jusenkyo. The Swift Justice 
passed overhead as Mousse leaned over the side, staring at the calm 
springs below. It was after the battle with Saffron the springs 
flooded and the curses mixed; no chance of finding a cure to his 
curse there anymore, for the Spring of Drowned Man was far beyond 
gone. 
  He thought back to Ranma and Akane's first wedding attempt, when he 
and the other Jusenkyo-cursed men fought over the last barrel of 
water from the Spring of Drowned Man, intended for Ranma. But the 
water was lost after the hated Happosai drank it, thinking it was 
sake. How desperate they'd all been to become a whole man again!
  Being a duck hardly bothered Mousse anymore; the form did serve 
practical uses, but sometimes transformation came at inappropriate 
times. No, make that quite often. 
  Another few hours and Mousse'd be home. The home he was banished 
from for interfering in three-thousand years of Chinese Amazon 
tradition, as old Cologne said. Tradition was held to be sacred in 
the tribe, so Mousse's act of defiance against one tradition was 
enough. In all his heart Mousse believed that one tradition wrong. 
Some traditions weren't meant to be passed on, but the conservative 
members of the village didn't agree; they kicked out all opposition 
to their traditions. 
  Ling-ling and Lung-lung, the dragon twins, walked to Mousse, the 
white swan, and stood on either side of him. For the most part it was 
below the dragons to associate with the swan, but times have changed. 
  Talking in Chinese, Ling-ling said, "Is it really hard to come 
home?"
  "Yeah, it is," Mousse answered. "If I'd known the pain of leaving it 
behind beforehand I might not have done what I did."
  "Perhaps not," Lung-lung commented. "No, you'd still do the same 
thing, and so would we."
  Mousse put away his glasses. "I can't help but wonder. Why are you 
two helping me now? All the other times you wanted Shampoo to marry 
Ranma. I thought you hated me."
  "Perhaps it was the zeal to uphold tribal laws," suggested 
Ling-ling. "The elders encourage the passing of traditions after all. 
But our trips to Japan and abroad have changed our views."
  "It's disillusionment," Lung-lung said. "We've traveled beyond the 
village and saw many things. We saw the trouble Elder Sister went 
through to get Ranma. The curse that jerk possesses further 
complicated matters."
  "So what would it be, to kill him or marry him?" continued 
Ling-ling. "It was marry, of course. But we discovered that marrying 
the outsider was more trouble that it was worth, for the outsider is 
disagreeable with our tribal laws. Not only is he too powerful, but 
Ranma waived his claim over Elder Sister long ago, but no one 
realized it."
  "We've studied the ancient texts of our village," Lung-lung said. 
"It was forgotten over time that the outsider must consent to the 
pairing as well, as the outsider could easily defeat the Amazon in 
question. Elder Sister stands no chance of winning over Ranma. 
Great-grandmother goes too far by forcing the law upon one not of 
our tribe."
  "And besides, Ranma isn't a very nice person," Ling-ling added. 
"It is unfortunate that we cannot interfere, as Great-grandmother's 
word is to be obeyed. You were brave to oppose her."
  "Perhaps," Mousse agreed. "You two are taking a step in the right 
direction."
  For a few minutes, nobody spoke a word. 
  "So," Mousse started, "what have I missed since I was last home?"
  "A lot," said the twins in unison. 
  "I suppose nobody in the village noticed I was gone, either."
  "Nope. You are a male, after all." Second-citizen at best, in this 
tribe. The role of men in the village was of subservient labor and 
help produce offspring for the Amazons when a suitable man was 
unavailable. The fact that Mousse became a warrior at all was 
unusual, as most others would've spent their existence cleaning 
chamber pots and farming.
  "A male warrior in an Amazon village... what a life." There were 
others, Mousse knew, but male warriors were so few and far between 
each generation. There was no tradition forbidding male warriors, 
just the pressures from the matriarchs and the general weakness of 
the men compared to women. 
  "You know," Ling-ling said, "we thought you annoyance to Elder 
Sister. Perhaps just another would-be fighter. A man who tried to 
become a warrior like us Amazons."
  "And we find we miss you," finished Lung-lung. "Strange, isn't it, 
how you never know what you'd miss until it's gone?"
  "And despite our best efforts," continued Ling-ling, "life just 
isn't the same without you Mu-su."
  "Really?" Mousse said, slightly amused. 
  "Mu-su, we want you to come back. And so does Elder Sister. No one 
but you showers her with much attention, even if she doesn't like it. 
The village defense isn't the same without you at the lead. Sometimes 
it's too quiet." Vividly the sisters recalled the series of events 
when the village was in danger, Mousse was among the first in the 
line of defense, willing to sacrifice his life for his people, 
despite their repressive nature. 
  Mousse couldn't contain his smile. Someone missed him after all. 
"You realize, of course, by tribal law, I can't come back." Not if 
old Cologne had a word in the matter. Conservative old hag. 
  "Not as a member of the village, a least," Lung-lung corrected. 
  "As your companions, you are merely an outsider," Ling-ling said. 
  And if I'm not careful, my former 'family' will want to kill me 
after I beat them.
  "Promise us," the two said in unison, "that you won't let Elder 
Sister marry that Ranma. Do whatever you can to stop them."
  "I promise," Mousse answered, holding both their hands and giving 
a firm shake. If only to see Akane happy to be reunited with Ranma, 
at least. 
  It was then the dragons and the swan saw eye-to-eye, for the first 
time. 

  Kodachi and Tatewaki Kuno stood by the wheel, alone that same 
morning. The only ones on deck were Mousse and the twins, far off at 
the other end of the ship. 
  Kodachi watched her brother play with the wheel, steering the 
airship ever so slightly to compensate for the force of wind against 
them. She couldn't help but wonder the changes their relationship had 
over the years. After their father left, Tatewaki became the father 
figure, the head of household, as there was no one else, as Mother 
was... gone. She hated the fact that Father disappeared, and that old 
Tacchi was in charge-- like her parents, Kodachi barely knew him, 
having been separated from his terrible experiences with either 
parent (at that point in her life she never knew her mother, and 
dearly loved the attention Father gave her-- he was such a 
gentleman!). She saw Tatewaki Kuno as a bullying ogre (strangely 
enough, the roles of Brother and Father were switched for me, Kodachi 
thought). At every possible turn Kodachi tried her hardest to make 
her brother's life miserable. 
  But that relationship quickly changed when Ranma entered their 
lives. Her brother hated Ranma, but she couldn't help but love him 
after Ranma saved her life. Of all the things Kodachi valued the top 
of the cake was living. Her love of life makes others think she's 
crazy or over the top, but it was that same thing that kept her 
going. Kodachi knew Ranma didn't love her and thought little of her, 
but her heart was set on winning him over. 
  Then Father returned to Japan. For quite a while he'd never set foot 
on the grounds of the mansion, and it was then Kodachi discovered he'd 
returned. Her hate of her brother painted a fantastic image over her 
abusive father, as she tried to see him in a good light (it also 
didn't help in that Father never showed his true nature in front of 
her). But in the end Father refused to take care of little 'Kocchi.' 
She also witnessed, for the first time in her life, Father's true 
nature, as Father and Brother battled all about the Kuno property for 
the honor of taking Kodachi to her school's 'Parents' Day.' From then 
Kodachi respected her brother all the more. Tacchi was right about 
him all along. Kodachi couldn't help but be grateful that Tatewaki 
watched over her. 
  Oh, how terrible it was to grow up in a loveless family! 
  Perhaps it was hard being both a brother and father to Kodachi. 
After a long reflection she concluded that Tatewaki was trying to 
look after his little sister, like any brother should, at the same 
time being the father, trying to guide her path of life as he thought 
was best. And it was so easy to trip over both roles. How ungrateful 
she'd been! Kodachi Kuno, by her very nature, was not an ingrate! 
  From then on Kodachi vowed to take care of her brother, as he'd 
done for her. The recent challenge by the Orochi Assassins tested 
that devotion to the limit, as Kodachi found herself concerned about 
Tatewaki's well being. Their stay at the hospital after the fight may 
as well have been one of the best and long moments she'd spent with 
him-- alone. It was the first time she'd really gotten to know her 
dear brother, considering how distant they were in the past. 
  Kodachi was especially-glad that, after he'd explained to her that 
Ranma used sorcery to transform into a girl, the very girl she hated, 
that Tacchi never said anything remotely-similar to 'I told you so.' 
Perhaps he is a good judge of character after all. 
  "Sister, you haven't said a word in quite some time," Kuno said 
suddenly. 
  Kodachi's concentration broke. "I was just thinking... about us, 
and the family." 
  "You shouldn't concern yourself over such manners. Continue your 
studies and I'll take care of the rest." 
  "Stop it, Brother. I need to take care of myself too, you know. My 
life isn't all about gymnastics or chemical sciences." 
  "Ah, how I consistently forget the brilliant young woman you've 
become." Kodachi could detect a little hint of pride in Tatewaki's 
voice. Perhaps it was the triumph over Father; succeeding in raising 
a daughter. "Mother would've been proud of what you've become." The 
thought of Mother made him flinch, as Kuno remembered her wrath 
vividly. Perhaps it was time to teach his blossoming little sister 
how to run the mansion. 
  "And you're as thick-headed as ever," Kodachi replied teasingly. 
  "You come along because you still care for that cretin, Ranma 
Saotome. Why?" 
  "Life means a lot to me, Brother. If it weren't for him, then I 
wouldn't be here talking with you today. It's a debt I can never 
repay in full, only bit by bit. At least grant him that much credit, 
Brother." 
  "Very well, for your sake," Kuno sighed. He thought back to his 
death duel with the Orochi Assassin, when he used the Phoenix Sword 
in desperation. A technique he and Kodachi were certain meant certain 
death; the old Kuno was gone, and a new Kuno was born. Such was the 
legend of the phoenix. In result, for one brief moment, everything in 
his mind was clear-- the light had shown him the way. He told nobody 
but Kodachi what he'd been enlightened with. 
  He decided that he'd be happy if Akane Tendo were happy. Since 
marrying Ranma Saotome would make Akane happy, he'd given the cretin 
that much-- at least, until the day came when Kuno would kill 
Saotome. Of course, there was still the pig-tailed girl. Kuno had 
refused to believe that Ranma and the girl were one and the same, yet 
the pieces of the puzzle were right in front of him-- the light 
cleared the matter entirely. The pig-tailed girl was merely an aspect 
of the hated Ranma Saotome. A fool Kuno had been to have fallen for 
his dark magic! Toying with a man's love is the greatest crime of all! 
  Ah, life these past eighteen years was horrible. Mother, Father, 
Ranma Saotome-- the three who tormented Kuno's world night and day. 
Love was always within reach for Kuno, yet, at the same time, 
unreachable. Love that wasn't given back from both parents, despite 
their abusive natures. False love from Ranma Saotome, generated for 
his own amusement, no doubt. Love was always out of reach. At least 
Kocchi was returning some of his love now. Oh, how he loved her 
dearly! Her ignorance to harsh life was refreshing at times, 
especially after conflicts with either parent. Truly, she had a 
better grasp of life than anyone. 
  Just as I have a better grasp of death, Kuno thought darkly. 
  Now, after weeks of soul-searching and cleansing before the Shrine 
of the Phoenix Egg back at the Kuno Mansion, Tatewaki Kuno felt he 
was ready to confront the evil sorcerer, Ranma Saotome. Akane Tendo, 
I help you now only so I may rend proper justice on Ranma Saotome at 
a later date of my own choosing, Kuno thought to himself. The end was 
drawing near. 

  Ranma Saotome was on the run. 
  He didn't know how long he'd been running, but it seemed like a 
long time. 
  Then he realized his legs weren't tired. He stopped running. 
  What am I running from? Ranma asked himself. 
  "Is this a dream, or reality?" someone said. It was a deep, dark 
voice, a voice in which Ranma was sure he'd never heard before. 
  Ranma spun about in place, looking for the origin of the voice. He 
shouted, "Who are you?! Where are you?! Why are you doing this?" 
  Suddenly, he felt a presence behind him. Slowly, Ranma turned his 
head around, his body following as his eyes fixed on a giant Shampoo, 
dressed in a cat suit, staring down at him. The cat features seemed 
to blot out Shampoo's familiar form. 
  "Nihaaaaaaooooo...." purred Shampoo. 
  "Aaaaaggghhh!" yelped Ranma as he turned and ran. "Get away from 
me!" 
  He ran as fast as he'd ever gone in his life. 
  "Raaaaaaaannnmaaaaaaa...." someone else cried. Ranma's name echoed 
at the sound of Ukyo's voice. "You can't run forever...." 
  It was then Ranma was confronted by Ukyo herself. "Ucchan, you've 
got to help me get away from that cat!" 
  "Of course I'll help you, Ranchan!" replied Ukyo cheerily. But 
then, her smile transformed into a malicious grin. "But you have to 
keep your promise and marry me." 
  "I never made any such promise!" protested Ranma. 
  "Oh, it is in your nature that you run from your problems, then?" 
taunted Ukyo. "Even if you yourself never made the promise, it's 
still there. So what are you going to do about it, hmmm? Marrying 
Akane doesn't solve anything, and you know it. Stop running and face 
it! What about me?!" 
  "Hey, I'm not the one that ran away from home!" returned Ranma. 
  Suddenly, Ukyo burst into tears. "You jerk! Honorless bastard! How 
dare you...!" Out of nowhere, a giant spatula, easily six times the 
size as her normal combat spatula, appeared in her hands. "You think 
you're considerate of others' feelings?! You call yourself a friend, 
after abandoning me so many times, times when I really needed you?!" 
  It took all that was within Ranma to dodge the giant spatula. For a 
moment Ranma felt a fear greater than a fear of cats. 
  "Your best friend is your worst enemy!" Ukyo cried. 
  Ranma kept running. His attention was so focused on escape that he 
failed to notice Ukyo's form meld into the landscape-- a vast, 
endless desert, with no end in sight. The moon shone ominously in the 
dark sky. 
  Ryoga's head appeared in the sky. "Sometimes you can't take care of 
problems by yourself, Ranma. You're too afraid to ask for help! You'd 
rather die than receive help!" 
  Beside Ryoga, Mousse's head appeared as well. "Coward! Why do you 
run from your friends? You're too wrapped-up in finding ways not to 
hurt them that you end up hurting them anyway!" A fist appeared; a 
finger pointed back in the direction Ranma came from. 
  "I'm not a coward!" Ranma cried defiantly. "Shut up, with your 
lies! How can either of you be MY friends?!" Both heads disappeared 
from view. 
  He continued to run, until something held him fast. Staring at his 
now-bound arms, Ranma realized it was a coiled ribbon. 
  Kodachi, dressed in a black-rose-adorned kimono, rested her chin on 
Ranma's shoulder. "Oooohh-hoo-hoo! I see you like playing hard to get, 
Ranma-sama!" She pranced around Ranma playfully. "Shame, you don't 
really know me, do you? You don't want to know me! All I offered was 
my love; was that not enough?" 
  "No, it wasn't that," stammered Ranma, but Kodachi cut him off. 
  "If it's my body you want, then you shall have it!" Kodachi decreed, 
slipping out of her kimono, revealing her usual gymnastics leotard. 
"I'm yours, body and soul!" 
  "Aaaaaaaahhhhh!!" screamed Ranma, as he failed to force his eyes off 
Kodachi's body. Her delicate curves seemed to invite Ranma's feelings. 
"Stop it! Put it back on!" 
  "This is what you wanted.... Oh, happiness!" Her lips moved in for 
the kill. 
  Ranma struggled in his bonds. "No, get away from me, you crazy...!" 
  Tap, tap. Someone else appeared behind Kodachi. He tapped his 
bokken in his free palm, ever so slowly, ominously. 
  "I see," Tatewaki Kuno started, "that my own Sister has succumbed 
to your wiles, Ranma Saotome. This... insult shall not go unpunished. 
You dared to sully the honor of my family, and that of others; where 
will it end, foul sorcerer?" 
  At that moment, Ranma forgot about his fear of cats, of fearing his 
best friend's wrath, of anything else... except that Kuno was very 
disappointed, very, very, disappointed indeed. And this time, it was 
personal. For the first time in his life, Ranma feared Kuno. 
  Kodachi melted into the shadows, Kuno taking his position before 
the bound Ranma, raising his bokken high. Then, suddenly, the bokken 
became metal. At the same time, Kuno's height seemed to double. Or 
triple? "By my honor your evil ends here, there's nowhere to run!" 
  The wooden bokken burst into flames, but retained shape. 
  Nowhere to run.... 
  No way to fight back.... 
  The flaming sword descended quickly.... 

  *SLAP!* 
  "You wake up now, Husband." 
  Ranma shook his head. Was that a dream? Yes, it must've been, but 
what kind of dream was this? More importantly, where the heck am I? 
  "Shampoo!" Ranma exclaimed as he recognized the Chinese Amazon 
standing before him. He tried to dart, but he found himself bound 
tightly in place. "What the...?!" 
  "Shampoo happy Ranma awake now!" greeted Shampoo. 
  Now I remember. I was brought back to Shampoo's village so I could 
be properly-wed to her. No way, I'm already married! 
  "Let me go!" Ranma shouted. 
  Shampoo laughed. "This be over soon. Great-grandmother make sure!" 
  Ranma spat. Was this any better than images of Kodachi and Shampoo 
chasing you? Was this better than being ridiculed by Ryoga and 
Mousse? Was this better than being attacked by Kuno and Ukyo? 
  Akane, where are you? 

  The airship set down just outside the village. Cologne chuckled to 
herself in amusement; what could those troublesome Japanese teens do 
to stop her this time? Shampoo was as good as married, all there was 
to do now was prepare the bride and groom for the formal ceremony. 
  And with dozens of Amazon warriors at her command, the outsiders 
stood no chance of interfering. 
  Ah, Ranma Saotome, future Son-in-law. One of great potential and 
power, one who possesses the secrets of the Anything-Goes school of 
martial arts, secrets which would make her tribe stronger. Such a 
strong, fine young man, and best of all, he was marrying Shampoo, 
Great-granddaughter of the matriarch. 
  Let them come. 
  How I wished it wouldn't end this way, Cologne reminded herself. 
Tradition must be enforced. 
  "Great-grandmother," Shampoo said, speaking in Chinese.
  "Yes, child?" Cologne replied. 
  "All is in readiness. Ranma will be mine, not the pervert girl's."
  "Good."
  "I've noticed that the twins, Ling-ling and Lung-lung have been 
missing from the village since my return."
  "Yes, child, they left two days after you departed. I suspect they 
seek to 
thwart the marriage. After all, they don't like Ranma at all. But 
it's not up to them, nor I; three-thousand years of Chinese Amazon 
tradition demands this! The two will be taken care of in due time."
  "Yes, Great-grandmother."

  Mousse, the twins, Akane, Ukyo, Konatsu, Kuno, and Kodachi hid in 
the hills surrounding the village. Down below in a small, enclosed 
valley lay the homes of the Amazon tribe, and beyond in the center of 
the village was much activity as tribal decorations were set up. 
  "We're just in time," started Mousse, "the ceremony isn't quite 
ready yet. So what's the plan?"
  "Well," Ukyo started, "there's always the straightforward method, 
we find Ranma and run. Or, we can sneak our way in." She turned to 
Akane. "It's your choice, I had no idea we'd be facing this much 
trouble."
  "We sneak in," answered Akane. "Ling-ling and Lung-lung, you two 
have to find where Ranma's being held. Konatsu, I want you to set up 
a little diversion in the square."
  "Anything you wish, Akane-sama." Konatsu bowed. 
  "Other than that, that's all," Akane finished. "I don't have a plan 
either."
  "Umm, my dear Akane Tendo," Kuno started, sounding a bit nervous, 
"there would appear to be two lovely women behind you bearing weapons 
in such a manner that would repulse you, as it does I."
  Slowly Akane turned her head around to find a spear to her face, 
held in the hand of an Amazon warrior. Another stood nearby, bearing 
a curved sword. 
  The two muttered something to each other in Chinese. Mousse 
translated, "They're scouts, and they were expecting us. We're 
supposed to follow them."
  "Humph!" Ukyo said, slowly reaching for her giant spatula. "There's 
two of them, and how many of us?" Pulling the spatula free, Ukyo 
charged the spear-wielder. 
  In turn Kodachi lashed out with her ribbon, and Kuno with his 
bokken. 
  The two Amazons were soon overpowered, but before the friends could 
celebrate their victory, more amazons appeared. 
  "Well, it looks like the straightforward approach," sighed Akane.
  They stood in a circle, backs to each other, and faced their Amazon 
opponents. The onslaught began.

  Well, it didn't go quite as Cologne expected, but the outsiders 
were kept busy, nonetheless, while the final preparations were being 
made. 
  "Greetings, Matriarch," greeted the figure behind Cologne in 
Chinese.
  Cologne turned to the one who addressed her, an aged, male farmer. 
"Greetings, Jiang-shen." 
  Jiang-shen said, "Our warriors appear to be no match for the 
outsiders. The timetable must be sped up. Shampoo must be married 
without delay." 
  "Leave everything to me," assured Cologne. Hopefully, it wouldn't 
come to that, but Cologne knew human nature all-too-well. She sighed, 
wishing there was a better way to handle the situation, but all other 
means were unavailable at this point in time. Law and tradition must 
be upheld. 
  "You are the greatest of our village," Jiang-shen said, "and we 
will not interfere. Our traditions lie on your shoulders, Matriarch." 

  "Hey, are you sure this is the right village?" shouted Ukyo as she 
bashed another Amazon with her combat spatula. 
  All in all, the battle was going quite well for the outsiders, as 
Amazon fell left and right to the superior skills. 
  "Shampoo's their best, remember?" piped Kodachi, snorting in 
disgust at the thought. These Amazons were fledglings compared to her 
own skill level. "How pitiful." 
  "No, you not understand!" cried Lung-lung. "These are warrior in 
training, not full warrior yet!" 
  "You're kidding," shouted Ryoga. "This is their worst?!" 
  "This way, rules of combat not apply!" explained Ling-ling. "Law 
apply to true warrior alone!" 
  "At least someone's bending laws," Ukyo muttered to herself. 
  "If I were the leader of a tribe of Chinese Amazon warriors," 
speculated Kuno, dodging a spear, "I would've sent real warriors to 
battle to take care of opponents such as us. Rather insulting, that 
we should deal with this rabble; a total waste of my time!" With 
that, Kuno made a slicing arc, snapping his opponent's spear at the 
shaft. 
  Time. Suddenly, Akane realized the meaning of the fight. "They're 
just here to stall us!" 
  "Oh, sure, they think that highly of us?" Ukyo wondered, batting 
another Amazon with her combat spatula. 
  "So that leaves us with two options," noted Kodachi. "We either 
stay here and fight, or run, leaving this rabble to bug us all the 
way." 
  Akane shot a look at Kodachi. Everyone else already knew the answer. 
  They ran, Akane taking the lead, down the hill to the village. 
Novice Amazon warriors trailed behind. 

  Cologne circled the bound Ranma on her walking stick. The bonds that 
held him to the post in the square were too tight for raw strength to 
break. Shampoo and Jiang-shen stood by the bound Ranma, sentinels to 
the coming ceremony. Jiang-shen opened an old, leather-bound book, 
and flipped through the pages until coming to a stop at the marriage 
ceremony section. 
  As promised, the rest of the village elders remained behind Cologne, 
obeying the wish of the matriarch to fight alone. Among them was 
Shampoo's father. 
  "Matriarch," Jiang-shen said in Chinese, words in which Ranma 
couldn't understand, "we are ready to begin."
  Of course, Ranma understood the gist of it. 
  "I won't marry Shampoo, you old ghoul."
  "You don't have a choice, Son-in-law," replied Cologne. "None of us 
have a choice anymore. I must admit that I never expected you to fall 
in love with Shampoo at all. But, tradition must be followed, and, as 
I don't intend to let it end with me, I must force you to marry 
Shampoo." 
  The matriarch sighed. "Your friends are loyal, very admirable. The 
tribe's young warriors work as we speak to hinder their approach. 
Even if they do make it this far, they will be marked for death as 
enemies of the tribe by our laws. Therefore, they must and will die. 
This time, there's no one to stop us from marrying you to Shampoo." 
  "Great-grandmother!" Shampoo cried. "The outsiders come!"
  Cologne turned, not the least bit surprised. "Son-in-law, with your 
skill the tribe's warriors will increase in skill beyond their 
current state. Shampoo's our finest warrior, and you beat her easily. 
It's unacceptable that this generation of Amazon be weaker than the 
last. You will help make us strong." 
  "But I don't know anything!" protested Ranma. "You taught me my 
techniques and all." 
  "But not the Anything-Goes martial arts techniques. Imagine the 
benefits! My Amazons have continually grown weaker in the past 
generations, and you, Son-in-law, have the ability to catapult our 
skill level to the limit and beyond. Not only do you possess superior 
martial arts talent, but an excellent pedigree, a worthy contribution 
to our gene pool. We will become the most powerful force on the 
planet, the most powerful martial artists in the world." 
  Cologne leaned closer to Ranma, and whispered, "An interesting 
side-effect of our tradition, mind you. This would have been easier 
if you were willing to marry Shampoo in the first place." 
  "You're not getting anything while I'm alive!" shouted Akane. 
Cologne turned, her back to Ranma, as the outsiders gathered. 
Jiang-shen was startled, but Shampoo remained unmoved, as were the 
other elders. 
  "Well, well, well," Cologne taunted, "looks like you've finally 
arrived." 
  "Ranma's already married, you old bag of bones!" cried Akane.
  "Not for long, I'm afraid," returned Cologne. 
  "Soon Ranma belong to Shampoo!" Shampoo shouted cheerily. 
  "I don't care what I have to do, but Ranma belongs with me, at my 
side," Akane announced, planting her hands at her hips. 
  "Do you really think you can defeat me?" Cologne taunted. "The 
master of this village, with three-thousand years of Chinese Amazon 
tradition behind her? Don't make me laugh!"
  Cologne dropped to the ground and pointed her stick at Ling-ling 
and Lung-lung. "Did you really believe I didn't know your doubts? 
With each succeeding generation more of our tribes' youth become 
disillusioned with our traditions and become rebellious; as with the 
others the rebellion stops here. As you have attacked your own people, 
you two are now traitors of the tribe." The old matriarch shook her 
head sadly. 
  She turned to Mousse, her sympathy turning into anger. "And you, 
you're no longer a member of this village. You, an outsider, along 
with the others, must die. As is fitting for a man who doesn't know 
his place. Your defiance of tradition and my authority ends here; 
apparently, banishment wasn't enough. That will soon be rectified." 
  Next Cologne pointed to the Kunos, Konatsu, and Ukyo. "How 
unfortunate that you get caught up in this mess. Such potential 
shouldn't go to waste. I  know not why any of you fight for Ranma, 
after what he's done to each of you, but if you insist on pushing the 
matter... you must die as well." 
  And finally, Cologne turned to Akane. "Ranma's no longer yours. By 
our great tradition your marriage is annulled. In the eyes of our 
tribe, you two were never married. Shampoo will marry Ranma without 
further delay. Three-thousand years of Chinese Amazon tradition 
demand it!"
  "We'll see about that!" fumed Akane, entering fighting stance. "No 
one, NO ONE, takes MY husband away from me and gets away with it!"
  Ranma could only stare in confusion. Was this really his Akane?
  Kuno brandished his bokken menacingly. "Old one, dare you try and 
defile the fairness and purity of Akane Tendo? Even if I indirectly 
defend Ranma Saotome, so be it, for this insult must not go 
unpunished. By her honor I, Tatewaki Kuno, will smite you!!"
  Kodachi twirled her ribbon in the air. "I'm not going to let any 
Chinese hussy marry a married man! Have you no shame, dried-up old 
hag? I stand for love and justice, and by my great ancestors, I will 
punish you!" 
  Kuno peered at his sister suspiciously. "I wouldn't call that a 
proper retaliatory speech, Sister...." 
  Ukyo gripped her giant combat spatula tightly. "You'll suffer for 
your impudence old one! Ranchan and Akane stood by me in my troubles, 
and I intend to do the same in return. I won't stand by and watch my 
friends be torn apart by the likes of you!"
  Konatsu drew his blade. "Only one such as you would interfere in the 
happiness of two in love."
  Ling-ling and Lung-lung drew their own weapons. "This vile 
tradition ends here, Great-grandmother! We fight not for ourselves, 
but for those who came before; for the good of the tribe, we 
challenge you!"
  Mousse reached for arm razors and fastened them. "Shampoo, I don't 
want to hurt you, but I stand by what I believe is right. Tradition 
may be law, but the law isn't sacred. I wish you could see it too." 
  Shampoo waved her fists menacingly, but stopped, and calmed back 
down. She took a step back, remembering Cologne's wish to fight alone.
  Cologne's eyes narrowed. She sighed. "So be it." 
  "Blue Thunder attack!" Kuno shouted as he jabbed with his bokken in 
lightning-quick strokes, shouting "Ha!" with each jab. Cologne 
countered with equal speed with her staff, using the speed of the 
tenshin amaguriken, then batted Kuno away. 
  "Thousand club blow!" Kodachi yelled. In which case Cologne batted 
away all twenty clubs with her staff, then knocked her to the ground. 
  Before Cologne could deliver another blow to Kodachi, her brother 
charged, and shouted, "No one harms my sister!" In which case 
Tatewaki took the blow for his little sister. 
  "Tacchi, you fool," Kodachi said, ignoring Cologne and helping her 
brother to his feet. "Stop being a hero and let me fight." 
  In the meantime, Akane made her way to Jiang-shen and Shampoo, 
standing before the bound Ranma. Raising her arms, she shouted, "Let 
him go!" 
  Jiang-shen peered at Akane curiously. "Oh, this isn't good!" 
  "Stand back, violent tomboy!" warned Shampoo. "You no interfere in 
ceremony! Stand back, or die!" The Amazon readied herself for battle. 
Great-grandmother didn't say anything about defending myself, she 
reasoned. "Wait long time for this day!" 
  "Why you...!" Akane snarled, throwing herself into a flying kick at 
Shampoo. 
  As Akane's attack was dodged, Jiang-shen hurrily began the marriage 
rituals, speaking Chinese words. Ranma couldn't stand sitting around 
while his friends were in danger. More so, he couldn't stand the idea 
of being married to Shampoo! 
  Ukyo and Konatsu attacked at the same time, both cleaving air where 
Cologne once stood. The old woman dove from the sky, landing on her 
staff. The tip of the staff split the ground beneath the two, sending 
rocks flying. 
  At the same moment, Mousse descended from the air, feet first, 
shouting "Raking hawk talons!" Cologne merely side-stepped the blow, 
then knocked Mousse down. He promptly lost his glasses. 
  Ling-ling and Lung-lung attacked as well, fighting as one. They 
planted their polearms into the ground firmly. Rising on their 
polearms, they shouted, "Dual technique: falling star!" The two 
somersaulted in mid-air, uprooting the polearms. The polearms spun in 
a high vertical arc, then down in an attempt to smash the matriarch's 
shoulders. 
  Cologne easily dodged, then parried each and every successive blow 
from the twins' polearms. "Pathetic," the matriarch spat. "I'll have 
to talk to the one who devised that technique later." 
  Akane threw kicks left and right at Shampoo, who dodged swiftly. 
With almost no care, Shampoo grabbed Akane, and threw her, using 
Akane's own momentum against her. 
  The youngest Tendo sister tried to raise herself off her back from 
the ground, but the blow hurt too much. "I'm not through yet...." she 
muttered. 
  Jiang-shen withdrew a ceremonial knife and sacrificed a pig. 
  "Soon Ranma belong to Shampoo," said Shampoo, utterly confident. 
  "Not likely," countered Ranma. 
  Ling-ling and Lung-lung were running out of battle techniques to use 
against Cologne, as one after another the matriarch countered the 
twins' attacks. 
  "Dual technique: X-Strike!" shouted the twins as they rushed 
Cologne, forming the beginnings of an 'X,' Cologne being in the 
center. 
  The matriarch's lips curved maliciously. Hopping on her staff, 
Cologne leaped into the air, just as the twins' weapons converged at 
the center. As she landed, Cologne laughed as Ling-ling and Lung-lung 
ran into each other. 
  "Fools," the old hag spat. 
  At that moment, Cologne dodged the incoming rock Kodachi snagged 
with her ribbon, then several spatula-darts from Ukyo, then jabs from 
Kuno. Mousse entered melee range, thrusting wrist razors at the 
nimble matriarch. 
  "Stand still, witch!" cried Mousse. 
  "You're all a hundred years too early for me," taunted Cologne. 
  The air parted quickly behind Cologne. She dodged quickly, watching 
as the pitiful kunoichi, Konatsu, sliced air with his sword, and bit 
the ground. 
  "I must admit, you almost had me that time," Cologne said. "Almost. 
Heh, heh, heh," Raising her palms toward Konatsu, she shouted, 
"Suzaku firebolt!" 
  Flaming chi shot from Cologne's outstretched palms, impacting with 
Konatsu's midsection. For a moment, Konatsu didn't flinch, but the 
reality became apparent to Cologne too late-- the real Konatsu was 
standing just to the right of the image she shot at. 
  "Kunoichi secret mirror image technique," Konatsu announced proudly. 
  Cologne looked around herself. Sure enough, there were three more 
images of Konatsu, all similar. Hmm, not unlike the Splitting Cat 
Hairs. A similar solution should suffice-- if you can't take them out 
one at a time, take them all out at the same time. 
  "Hmmm, you really ARE good," admitted Cologne, dodging attacks from 
the other teens. "This is the first real workout since my battles 
against Son-in-law. But, your tricks won't save you from this!" Arms 
flaming, palms stretched into the air, she shouted, "Suzaku 
firestorm! Behold, the might of the red bird!" 
  A jet of chi-flames shot into the air. Soon, the teens were covering 
their eyes as the sky was blotted out by the red-hot chi-flames. The 
flames descended like hard rain, striking Cologne's opponents in a 
five-meter radius, with Shampoo, Akane, Jiang-shen, and Ranma just 
outside the area of effect. 
  The firestorm subsided, leaving the outsiders down on the ground, in 
obvious pain. As Cologne was about to turn her back on her fallen 
opponents, she heard, "It's... not... over!" That Konatsu boy didn't 
know when to quit, thought Cologne. 
  "I must admit, I've underestimated you," Cologne told Konatsu. 
"Unlike the others, you HAVE realized your potential. Unfortunate, 
that I must kill you. You would've made a fine husband for one of my 
Amazons, but Ranma is much more important in the long run." 
  One-by-one, starting with Konatsu, the outsiders stood up. Heat 
residue from the firestorm bathed them in dangerously hot chi. Even 
Ling-ling and Lung-lung got up. Cologne's face twisted to a malicious 
grin. 
  "Time to finish this," announced the matriarch. 
  Cologne finished her spiral with such speed that Ranma barely had 
time to recognize the old ghoul's next attack. Too late to shout a 
warning, Ranma watched as the matriarch let loose her final attack, 
the hiryu shoten ha. 
  "Oh shit," spat Ukyo as the whirlwind formed before her, thinking 
back to when Cologne first demonstrated the attack for her, Genma, 
and Ranma so long ago. "Not again!" 
  The whirlwind's path traveled toward Akane. Before she could get 
out of the way, she was sucked up into the air along with the others. 
  In the dizzying spiral of the whirlwind, Kuno, Kodachi, Ling-ling, 
Lung-lung, Akane, Mousse, Ukyo, and Konatsu screamed in unison. But, 
Akane was screaming not out of pain, but out of the sensation of 
being spun around in the air.  
  Wait a minute, I'm not even in pain at all, Akane realized. Just 
dizzy! What was it that made this attack deadly? Hot chi? But I'm not 
giving off hot chi! Reflecting, Akane recalled that the others were 
within Cologne's firestorm, but she was not. The firestorm's heat... 
that must be it! Now, how do I get out of here? 
  Trying to stay calm and cool, without warning, Akane was thrown 
from the whirlwind. Well, that was one way out. Of course, landing 
was the problem! 
  As the whirlwind dissipated, Mousse crashed over Jiang-shen, and 
landed at Shampoo's feet. Jiang-shen's book and knife clattered away 
as he lost consciousness. The others caught in the whirlwind landed 
in large craters created by impact with the ground. 
  Shampoo looked down at Mousse sympathetically. "Shampoo sorry you 
get kicked out of village. But you not interfere with Shampoo's 
wedding!"
  Mousse reached for what he thought were Shampoo's legs, but grabbed 
Ranma instead. "It's not my fault, Shampoo...."
  Ranma kicked Mousse in the head. "Stupid, Shampoo's over there!"
  Akane cradled her head as she stood up next to the well she almost 
fell down, trying to contain the sensation of spinning at high 
velocities. That was something she'd not like to go through again. 
The others were scattered about the village, no doubt, and probably 
in a great deal of pain. Akane scanned the scene, eyeing several 
freshly-created craters in the middle of the village. 
  Suddenly, an idea hit her. Akane grabbed a bucket of cold water 
lying next to the well. 
  "Ranma!" Akane shouted, and threw the water at Shampoo. 
  Shampoo, surprised, caught the full brunt of the splash, turning 
into a cat. Ranma screamed in terror, unable to escape his greatest 
fear. 
  Mousse grabbed Shampoo before she could escape, and held her tightly 
before Ranma. Shampoo tried to claw at Mousse, but was unsuccessful. 
  "I'm sorry, Shampoo," Mousse apologized, but remained firm in his 
hold. 
  By that time Akane ran to Mousse's side. She shouted at Ranma, 
"Turn into a cat already!" 
  "Uh-oh." Cologne realized what was about to happen, and started to 
run. This wasn't the time to get beaten! 
  Ranma broke from his bonds, meowing loudly. He hissed, then pounced 
after Cologne. 
  Ukyo, Kodachi, the twins, and Konatsu gathered around Mousse and 
Akane, still holding the struggling Shampoo, watching as Ranma chased 
down Cologne. 
  "Akane, that was brilliant," praised Ukyo. 
  "Not even the old ghoul can defeat the Nekoken," Akane said. 
  Soon Cologne was pinned to the ground, Ranma standing over her 
viciously. The old woman cried, "Stop it! Make him stop!" 
  Akane went to Ranma's side, and Ranma calmed down a bit. "Not until 
you repeal the law."
  "Never!" cried Cologne defiantly. "Three-thousand years of Chinese 
Amazon tradition won't end with me!"
  Mousse set Shampoo down, and picked up Cologne's staff. "It's over, 
old hag. If you retain the law, then all of the village's young 
warriors will spend the rest of their lives trying to kill us, 
enemies of the village. Are you willing to throw away the lives of 
your people to maintain a silly tradition? How long would it take to 
carry out vengeance against warriors they couldn't possibly destroy?" 
  Ukyo stood next to Mousse. "And besides which, now that Ranma's 
beaten you, by your law you must marry him."
  "Impossible!" cried Cologne defiantly. "I'm no longer a viable woman 
anymore! Shampoo must marry Ranma for the tribe to become strong!"
  "Then you've got even bigger problems on your hands, old one," Akane 
spat. "If you refuse to marry Ranma, you break the law. If you allow 
Ranma to marry Shampoo, you break the law. If you yourself marry 
Ranma, Shampoo  breaks the law because she failed to marry him. Your 
choice." 
  Cologne blinked. The laws never provided for such situations as 
this. 
  "This tradition-made-law has become the tribe's ruin, old hag," 
Mousse concluded. With that, Mousse snapped the staff in two on his 
knee. "It's over. The winds of change finally caught up with you, old 
hag." 
  Silently Cologne nodded. "Perhaps we've been too-unyielding in our 
ways." 
  "As they say," Ukyo commented, "the reeds blow with the wind, not 
against it. You made the right choice." 
  Ranma jumped into Akane's arms, purring. Both fell over from 
Ranma's momentum. 
  Unnoticed in his crater, Kuno dug himself to the rim, cradling his 
head in pain. "Did somebody catch the number on that whirlwind...?" 

  Later that evening, the Nerima crew boarded the airship Swift 
Justice. Cologne, the twins, and Shampoo were there to see them off. 
  "Perhaps Mousse was right," Cologne mused. "We've isolated 
ourselves in this valley for so long, trying to resist change. In the 
face of destruction of the village I had no choice but to eliminate 
the law, to break tradition. Perhaps it is time to begin a new 
tradition." 
  Shampoo nodded silently, fighting back the tears. 
  Mousse leaned over the rail and said, "Shampoo, I've missed you." 
  "And Shampoo miss Mousse," replied Shampoo. 
  "Your heart's still with Ranma," Mousse guessed. 
  She nodded. 
  "Shampoo, I'm sorry. Sorry that you can't see beyond Ranma."
  Shampoo wept silently. "Don't go, Mousse.... Shampoo miss Mousse."
  "Shampoo, I don't belong to the tribe anymore. I can't stay, as I'm 
an outsider now. No matter what happens, remember that I'm always 
here for you." 
  Mousse turned away, a bit disgusted. Shampoo never changed. After 
over a month apart, all Shampoo could tell him was to stop annoying 
her. Mousse was so sure that Shampoo really cared. Perhaps the 
finality of recent events would change things. He walked beside Ukyo. 
  "You made the right choice, Mousse," Ukyo said.
  "Did I?" Mousse asked. "Or am delaying the inevitable? No matter 
how hard I try, I'll still love Shampoo more." And a part of her must 
love me. "I didn't walk away because I wanted to, Ukyo; I walked away 
because Shampoo needs time to sort things out. I'm sorry I got you 
into this mess."
  "Don't stop loving," Ukyo replied. "That's the worst thing you can 
do."Akane was right, Ukyo thought, this relationship was based off 
desperation. No matter, the most important thing was to keep your 
love.... 
  Dammit, Ukyo, what do you know about love? Shit, shit, shit! How 
the hell did you get yourself into this mess? How can you, Ukyo 
Kuonji, let yourself become emotionally-attached to someone and 
confuse it with love, especially since he couldn't love you back? No, 
now wasn't the time to break down, you have to be strong. 
  At that point, the two separated. From their position at the 
opposing railing of the airship, Konatsu, Akane, and Ranma could only 
guess what happened before them. 
  "Ukyo-sama...." Konatsu said, letting the words slip. A single tear 
rolled from his eye. "I wish you could be happy." 
  "I have an idea what happened just now," Ranma said, shrugging. 
  "Why do you have to be so insensitive?" Akane accused her husband. 
  Ranma turned to Akane. "Well, what am I supposed to do?" 
  Konatsu turned to Ranma. "It's sad to see Ukyo-sama can't be happy 
for herself. This is the time when she needs me most." 
  "No, this is the time when she needs her friends the most," 
corrected Ranma. He got up and followed his old friend, leaving 
Akane and Konatsu behind. If that dream had any meaning too it, Ranma 
didn't intend to discover the consequences of not heeding the advice. 
  Akane didn't know what to do. "I tried to warn her... but she took 
the risks anyway." To Konatsu she said, "When I got them together, I 
never dreamed Shampoo would come back. I couldn't stand to see either 
of them unhappy. This is my fault." 
  Konatsu patted Akane on the shoulder. "Your heart was in the right 
place, Akane-sama. It is something I've learned to appreciate in 
others since Ukyo-sama took me in. She's strong; she'll be okay in 
time." 

  Ranma caught up with Ukyo down-below the deck, hiding in her room 
on the airship. She sat on her knees, burying her head in her arms 
that rested on the bed mattress, sobbing silently. 
  "Ucchan?" Ranma said, knocking softly on the open door. 
  "Go away," Ukyo replied. 
  "Are you okay?" asked Ranma. 
  "I'm fine." 
  "Why are you beating yourself up about this?" 
  A fist slammed into the hard mattress. "I knew it wouldn't work! 
How did I let myself fall for Mousse?!" 
  "Look, Ucchan, I'm no good at this kind of stuff, but you have to 
let it go. Give yourself a break. You can't blame yourself for 
something perfectly understandable as this." 
  "I'm too darn nice to people, aren't I? I set myself up for the 
fall." 
  "That's not true! I like you the way you are; everybody does! 
Please promise me you won't change, okay? I hate seeing you like 
this." 
  Ukyo looked up and turned around to face Ranma for the first time. 
"For what it's worth, thanks." You're still bad at this 
feelings-stuff, Ranchan, but that's the way I like you, too. 

  Soon Kuno announced that the airship was ready to leave. In short 
order the airship was airborne, headed back for Japan, leaving 
Shampoo, Cologne, and Ling-ling and Lung-lung behind, all alone in 
the night. 
  "Great-grandmother."
  "Yes, Child?" Cologne answered, peering at Shampoo suspiciously. 
Cologne herself knew she was glad to see Mousse gone, but Shampoo 
hadn't. Perhaps she did care about that pathetic excuse of a man, 
after all. That certainly wouldn't do, not for Cologne's plans. 
  "What we do now?"
  "Don't worry, Child, things are going to change... for the better." 

  It was almost a week later since the airship returned to Nerima, 
and life was adjusting back to normal. Relatively speaking, of 
course. 
  It was that morning on the way to school Ranma and Akane were 
confronted by an angry Tatewaki Kuno, backed with his bokken in hand. 
Standing behind him was the entirety of the Kendo club, as well as 
several classmates. Witnesses to the final conflict. 
  "Saotome, you have much to answer for," announced Kuno. 
  "What'd I do this time?" asked Ranma. 
  "I know the truth. Only a perverted man like yourself would use 
magic to turn himself into a woman, then toy with his enemy's love! 
Only one as vile as you, Saotome! To stab at a man's heart is to 
bleed from within; the most villainous ploy! I challenge you, 
Saotome! No more tricks or games, just you and me, my bokken and your 
fists!" A red battle aura bathed Tatewaki Kuno in a hellish glow. 
  Ranma whispered to Akane, "I think I liked him better when he 
didn't know what was going on." He shrugged, and waited for Kuno to 
make the first move. 
  "Phoenix flames," muttered Kuno, "burn brightly, and guide the hand 
that wields thee!" 
  All gathered backed away as Kuno's bokken seemed to glow in hellish 
fires. 
  Kuno sliced the air in an upward motion, so quick as to create a 
vacuum force with the air, shouting, "Kokuzan!!!" 
  So intent was Ranma's attention on the chi-enflamed bokken that he 
barely managed to dodge the vacuum air blade Kuno created with his 
slice. Since when could he do stuff like that? 
  "Is that all you've got?" snorted Ranma. 
  "Heh, heh, heh," laughed Kuno ominously. "That, Saotome, was only 
the beginning of your end...." He raised his bokken high into the 
air, then shouted, "Phoenix flames, cleanse the world from this evil 
sorcerer's foul touch!" With that, Kuno charged. 

  Ranma and Akane walked together from school, intending to stop at 
Ucchan's for a quick meal. In the aftermath of the battle with Kuno, 
Ranma sported several bruises all over his body; he couldn't think of 
one instance in the entire time he'd known Kuno that Kuno ever done 
so much damage before. Of course, as soon as Ranma 'retreated' so he 
wouldn't be late to class, Kuno declared victory. 
  "Akane," Ranma started. 
  "What?" 
  "I never thanked you for coming after me. It wasn't really what I 
expected from you, really." 
  "What's that supposed to mean?" Akane returned, blood boiling 
slightly. 
  "I mean, I never thought you'd have the courage to stand up against 
someone as powerful as Cologne. All of you, really. None of you stood 
a chance to defeat her, yet you fought." Even Kuno, for reasons 
unfathomable. "Thanks." 
  "Well, it was worth it." 
  Suddenly, the two heard a bicycle bell behind them. The couple 
turned their heads in surprise as the bicycle zoomed toward them. 
  The bicycle's occupant carried a delivery box, her long hair flowing 
behind her. Shampoo shouted, "Niiiihaaaaooooo!!!"
  Shampoo jumped off her bicycle and landed on Ranma, smiling. 
  "Shampoo?!" Ranma and Akane exclaimed in disbelief.
  "Great-grandmother reopen Nekohatten!" Shampoo said cheerily. "Now 
Shampoo stay close to Ranma forever!" She hugged Ranma tightly as 
Akane's blood began to boil hotter than ever. 
  Cologne watched the spectacle with approval. Though the so-called 
'Kiss of Death' law was broken, it's been superseded with another, 
temporary one: permission to marry the one you truly love. And in 
Shampoo's case, the new law couldn't work any better. 
  Now if only she could banish any thoughts for Mousse in Shampoo, 
then it's all but assured. 
  Nearby Ling-ling and Lung-lung couldn't help but shake their heads 
in disapproval. Some things never changed.


Closing: Lambada Ranma
-------------------------------------
Author's Rant

  New to this version: expanded battle between Cologne and Team Ranma. 
Touched-up scenes on-board the Nekonron airship, especially the parts 
with Tacchi and Kocchi (aka the Dynamic Duo ;). 
  Included a bad dream Ranma has while in captivity. It actually DOES 
mean something, btw, as it will come into play later on. 
  One would've called the Ukyo/Mousse relationship akin to the 
Florence Nightingale effect. Yeah, I suppose that's the best way to 
describe it. In this case, the relationship didn't work out, as 
Mousse wasn't over Shampoo. 

  Hah, bet you didn't expect that ending. The running theme of this 
story was change, after all. Well, you can't win them all. 
  Now that Ukyo and Mousse understand their 'relationship,' the 
matters of the aftermath have yet to be resolved. In the next 
stories, reprucutions from this understanding will come to the fore. 
  If you want to know, the Chinese Phoenix Sword was what Kuno was 
using in the 'final conflict.' I am a firm believer that the Phoenix 
Sword is NOT where you have the Phoenix chick sitting on your head. 
Now that Kuno is much more powerful, future conflicts with Ranma will 
prove most interesting. The flaming sword is just the beginning of 
the series of ultimate swordsman techniques collectively termed under 
the Chinese Phoenix Sword.... 
  The stories only get better from here, folks. Bear with me. 

http://www.crosswinds.net/anaheim/~slythe/ranma/ranff.html

<!-- End File -->
"That's my story and I'm sticking to it."--JMS, creator of Babylon 5. 
"If you go to Z'ha'dum, you will die."--Kosh, Babylon 5.
"Understanding is a three-edged sword."--Kosh, Babylon 5. 
"Never show your hand until the end."--me, being profound. 

--Razorclaw X