Part 4 - CHINA


Ranma let Nabiki drive the rented land rover.  He didn't mind very much, not
knowing how to drive.  Unfortunately, neither did Nabiki.  Several
near-accidents later, they came to the outskirts of the Amazonian village,
just a few short miles from the cursed springs.. the long-banned training
ground of the Amazon tribe.
"Nabiki... I want you to wait here."
"No." She said stubbornly.  "I have to go through with this all the way."
Ranma didn't want to put Nabiki in danger.  Too much was already on the line,
and he told her so.
"Please, Ranma."
"I need you to stay here in case I need a fast getaway."
"But.."
"No buts.. I'll be back as soon as I can."
Ranma jumped out of the vehicle before Nabiki could say another word.  He
made his way through the village.  Finally he reached his destination.  He
pounded on the flimsy door.
	"OLD GHOUL!" He shouted.  "COME OUT AND FACE ME!"
	"Son-in-law?" came a voice from within.  The door opened and Cologne emerged
on her staff.
	"You have no right to call me that.  Especially when Mousse married your
precious Shampoo."
	"You will _always_ be the rightful son-in-law.  No matter who else Shampoo
has married."
	"Have you poisoned Mousse too, Old ghoul?  A last chance at bringing Shampoo
and I together?"
	"I don't know what you're talking about."
	"LIAR!" Ranma shouted, as he attacked the old woman.
	"I don't know what you want, son-in-law, but I will defend myself
accordingly."
	In a blind fury, Ranma attacks again.  Cologne, being more than experienced,
blocks Ranma�s attempt, smacking him back into the front yard.  
"You have to do better than that son-in-law." She boasted.  "And I'll not
have you wreck my house in the process.  If it's a fight you want, follow me!
 I know the appropriate place."  She bounced away on her staff.  She still
had her vitality after all this time.  And she still knew how to push Ranma's
buttons, for he followed her blindly.


	Nabiki caught a glimpse of Cologne and Ranma dashing though the trees,
heading back towards... without a second thought, she turned the engine over
and went after them.


	<<I should have known better>> Ranma thought.  The old woman had led his
straight to the cursed springs. 
"An interesting trick, Ghoul."  Ranma said, trying his best to remain calm.
 "I thought your tribe is forbidden to use these training grounds."
	"Yes, but..." She grinned with malice. "..this is -not- a training session,
now is it?"
	With that said, she leapt into a series of attacks which Ranma blocked
easily.  However, she had repositioned him to where he would have to retreat
to the poles sticking up from the pools.  He leapt upward, landing firmly
balanced on top of one.  Cologne took position a few poles away in front of
him.
	"Stop now, son-in-law.  I wouldn't want you to make a mistake."
	"If Akane dies because of you old ghoul, I'll make she won't be alone!"
	He leapt towards her.  His kei was shouted, but his mind was preoccupied
with hundreds of visions and scenarios featuring Akane.. mostly dead.  The
strength from the anger was easy to tap into, but harder to focus into a
useful fighting tool.  Ranma went easily into Cologne�s counter-attack.
 Failing to land on a bamboo pole, he fell, dizzied and earthbound...
	NO!  He thought.  Don't let me land in a...  Before he could finish he was
underwater.  The change was swift.  He knew just by the sensations alone that
he was back to where he had started.
	He surfaced, not even bothering to look at his restored-female form.  He had
given in to his rage, and had paid the price for it.
	Nabiki came running out from a path from the edge of the pools. 
"Ranma!!  Oh no!  What have you done to him?"  She ran to Ranma and led her
out of the pool.  Ranma was beaten.. badly.  She seemed in some sort of
shock.
	"Only what he wished for.. I gave him his fight.  I hope he has learned his
lesson."
	"He didn't want a fight, only the antidote for the Iocane!!"
	"Iocane?  It takes way too long to be of any practical use.  Besides, we
have to import it from Australia."
	"What?" Nabiki asked.
	"We have a distribution deal with the manufacturers there.  Only our
assassins use it.  And only when they want to be long gone after the victim
is injected."
"Then you have an antidote?" Nabiki asked.
"Like I said, only our assassins use it.  Assassins rarely carry the cure for
an intended target, now, do they?"
Nabiki thought for a moment. 
"Ranma, come on, snap out of it.  I don't think she's responsible."
Cologne, sensing that whatever it was they wanted had been found, quietly
left.
	Ranma's head was reeling.  Everything fell into place. 
"You're right.  We have to get back to Japan."
	"Ranma, what about...your.. uh.."
	"I'll deal with it later!!  I know who's behind it all!!"


Part Five - HOME


	Ranma burst into the Tendo-Saotome Dojo with Nabiki behind him.  In the
dining area was Genma, Kasumi and...
	"RYOGA!!"
	"Ranma!  You're back!  Did you get the antidote?"
	"YOU BASTARD!!"  With a powerful punch, Ranma sends Ryoga through the wall
into the dojo.
	Ranma began to move forward for another assault, when his father grabbed
him.
	"What are you doing??"
	"It was you, wasn't it Ryoga?"
	"Ranma!"  Genma shouted, "Stop this!"
	"You poisoned Akane!  And you thought that with the lead to China, that
Cologne would finish me off as well!!"
	"What?" the others gasped.
	"Only someone like you would wind up in Australia!!  That's where you picked
up the Iocane, right?  What did you intend to do if word came back I was
dead?  Would you have revived her and lied to her?"
	Ryoga stood, trickles of blood dripping from his mouth and nose. 
"Yes." He admitted.  "I hadn't thought you would catch on this quickly,
Saotome.  And I didn't think that Nabiki would be around to help speed up
your travel time." He paused.  "I love Akane still.  More than you'll ever
know.  I'd do anything to be with her."
	"Even kill her?"
	"I had no intention of letting her die!" He shouted.  "Everything was under
control!  I was just waiting to hear of your death!"
	"What if your little plans had failed, Ryoga?"
"If she had died, I would have the pleasure of seeing you in torment for
years.  Either way, I would have Akane or my revenge!!  Bwaaahh-ha-ha-ha!"
 He said 
"The way you lied to us about the nannichuan."
	"That was no lie and you know it!!"
	"The humiliation at the wedding!!"
	"That was you're own fault!"
	"And for being the one directly responsible for my cursed from!!  It's
because of you had fought me back in junior high, I would never have followed
you into any of these tortures!!  All these years living as a pig!  Not
knowing who will try to eat me!!  I could bear it no longer!"
	There was no way Ranma could reason with Ryoga now.  Driven by hatred and
pain carried for so many years had finally brought Ryoga over the edge.
	"Akane understood!  She took care of me!!  She protected me from those who
would turn me into stir-fry!!  She LOVED _ME_ Dammit!"  Ryoga screamed.  "NOT
YOU!!"
	Genma stepped forward, ready to pound the insane man..
	"He's mine" Ranma announced.
	Both men took up their standard poses.  Ranma fuming with anger, desperately
tried to keep himself in control, remembering his mistake from his recent
battle with Cologne.  He also had to get that antidote from Ryoga.
	Ryoga, seeing that he could not stand against both Ranma and Genma, launched
his attack, hoping to down at least one of them before his time. 
"I won't let you eat me, Ranma!  I'll see you go to hell, first!!"
	Ryoga had learned much on the road, Ranma thought as they traded blows.  But
Ranma always was, still is, and always will be better than him.  Bouncing
around the walls of the dojo, both of the men begin to tire.  Feeling fatigue
set in, Ryoga powered up his last chance, fuming with a red aura.  Ranma
seeing he should waste no time, made his counter-attack, using the simple
roasting-chestnut technique.
	For what seemed like an eternity, Ranma hammered into the man.  Slowly,
Ranma began to hear the others in the room.  Kasumi crying.  Nabiki trying to
comfort her elder sister.  His father screaming to finish the job.  A vision
of Akane set in his mind. 
Ryoga had had enough.  Killing him will bring me down to his level,  Ranma
thought as he stopped, leaving Ryoga a bloodied, broken heap on the floor. 
	"It's over." He announced.  He kneeled down, and quickly rummaged through
the beaten man's pockets, finding the antidote.  "Kasumi, bring this to your
husband.." he said tossing her the little plastic vial, "Quickly, I don't
know how much time there is left."
	Ranma straightened up and turned to join his father and Kasumi.
	"Not yet, Ranma." A ruff Ryoga muttered.  He released a Kei, and the
previously stored red power blast that until now, had been unreleased.
	"NO!"
	In the blink of an eye, Nabiki had knocked Ranma out of the way, taking the
blast in her chest.  Genma leapt over the two, picking up the fallen Ryoga,
whose remaining strength had left him.
	"Nabiki.."
	"I'm sorry, Ranma." She said weakly.
	"Don't be.  Everything will be all right.. I'll get you to Tofu.."
	"No, Ranma.  I lied about my training.  I'd forgotten all I'd learned years
before you even came to us... I just don't have the strength."
	"..."
	"Ranma.. hold me.. please.."
	Ranma held her tight. 
"Nabiki."
	"Ranma..."
	"Anything.."
	With her strength ebbing away, she drew him closer and kissed him. 
"Take.... care of my sister."
	Nabiki went limp in his arms.  Ranma, tears running down his face, lay her
down.  He took off his shirt and covered her.
	"You little bastard.. " Genma said to Ryoga.  Ready to pick up where his son
had left off.
	"Go ahead.. Do it." Ryoga spit back.  "You'll finally get the stir-fry
you've wanted for years.."
	"Gladly.."
"No, Pop."
	"What?"
	Ranma had a grim look on his face.  He tried to compose himself, and went
on.. 
"Of all things, you've tried to make sure I knew where honor lies.  It's part
of martial arts training.  Even within that twisted mind of his, Ryoga knows
this.  With what he has done, he has failed to become a true martial artist.
 Let him go, knowing that for the rest of his life, he is a coward, a
failure.. and has no honor."
	Genma realized this was true.  He had brought up his son better than he had
hoped.
	"Ryoga," he announced, "get out of here."  And dropped him to the floor.


EPILOGUE


	A tired Ranma and a wheelchair-bound Akane were the last to leave Nabiki's
service.  They had laid her next to her father.  Akane was coming along quite
well, and according to Dr. Tofu, should be back to normal in a week or so.
 The money Nabiki had left them was a shocking amount.  They wouldn't have to
worry about much.. except for..
	"Ranma, aren't you afraid Ryoga will come back?"
	"I don't think so.  His disgrace should keep him away.  I'm sure he'll take
caution and read road signs a little more carefully in the future.  I hope
the authorities find him first though, he needs professional help. I'd still
like to know how he crawled out of the dojo without anyone knowing.."
	"That's good.  I don't think I could look at him.. or P-chan again after all
he's done." She said.
They went over the newly-rebuilt bridge and stopped, looking over the flowing
river into the setting sun.
	"Your father told me about you falling in the spring.."
	"I should have known better..."  Ranma thought it over for a moment.
	"Akane, do you want to revoke our marriage?"
	"What?  Why?"
	"Since I�ve had this curse, I�ve never felt comfortable.. with myself.  I�ve
wanted to rid myself of it before I married you.  Now that I'm cursed again,
I don�t feel that.." 
	"Stupid baka, listen to me." Akane started. "I don't care about some silly
curse.  I never did.  What matters is that I love you.  Deep down I always
have."
	Ranma finally understood that it didn't matter what came between him and
Akane.  The barriers he thought would keep them apart so long ago never
really existed.  They were in love and destined to be together.  He smiled
and knelt down to kiss his wife. 
"You are so uncute." He said.
"I love you, too."




The End