Meiyo Ai soshite Nikushimi
                                         Chapter III
                            The Judgement of Boukyaku 
                            Part V: Where the Path Leads                

                             A Ranma Nibunnoichi Fanfic
                                     by Joseph Kohle

     All characters of the Ranma series are the products of Rumiko
Takahashi's imagination and are used without the permission of her or
the innumerable companies that have rights to her products. This is not
intended for sale and all creative and copyright privileges and rights
belong to the author and Rumiko Takahashi.

     As the doors swung open at their approach, Akane, Genma, and
Ukyou suddenly found themselves drawn into the whirling mass of
confusion. Bodies pressed and smashed against them as the thousands
of travelers moved in a chaotic dance of modern life. Akane and Ukyou
struggled to stay next to Genma who was pushing the wheelchair in
which they had placed Ranma. 
      Ranma-onna was slumped in the wheelchair, her head leaning
forward against her chest, the statue clutched in her lap. Anyone who
saw her would consider her to be sleeping peacefully while her father
pushed her. Most would not have noticed the worried expressions and
nervous agitation of the three surrounding the wheelchair like overpro-
tective bodygaurds. The fragile creature in the chair was too much of a
distraction.
     Pushing through the milling crowds they reached the ticket counters
where they settled in at the end of a long line. The three erstwhile
companions stood silently, each lost in their own insecurities. Like
robots they moved up in the line, Akane and Ukyou dragging the four
bags that they had brought forward with them.
     Twenty minutes later they had made their way to the ticket counter.
Genma quickly had their tickets confirmed while Akane checked the
bags. Moments later they were moving away from the counter with the
flow of the crowd. They made their way through the security points
and then to the rail system that connected the different terminals. 
     Finding the right tube, they waited patiently for the railcar to arrive.
Akane patiently guarded Ranma as they waited. Her hand unconscious-
ly caressed Ranma-onna's shoulder, as she watched the waiting crowd.
The faces were transient in her mind appearing and then disappearing
like a magician's coin as her gaze slid across each one.
     Like a kettle on the fire, she was close to boiling over because of the
anticipation, the anxiety. From the house to the airport, they had all
remained locked within themselves speaking to none of the others.
At first, Akane had been in no mood for talking. Anticipation had
repeatedly pulled her from the depths of sleep to leave her laying
quietly on her bed, listening to Ukyou's measured breathing on the
floor. Those few scant moments of sleep had not been enough, and
upon leaving the house, she had been more zombie-like than anything. 
     Yet as they drew closer to the airport, she had wanted to speak with
someone, just to talk about something, anything, to keep her mind of
the bubbling excitement that was building within her. They were
actually going to bring Ranma back to them. Ukyou had been lost in
her own thoughts, having drawn in on herself since accepting Saotome
Genma's extra ticket, and one look at Ranma's father had dissuaded
her from even speaking.
     Unconsciously she glanced over at him as they waited. His face was
still the same. A hard face set in determination to do what was right,
but his eyes, his eyes were burning pools of pain. Akane dropped her
gaze and turned back to the crowd.
     They were so close, yet it seemed like they were about to start run-
ning in circles. It was not as if it would have been hard for Cologne to
find them, watch them, yet nothing had tried to interfere, no strange
occurrences to keep them trapped at home like some lab rats doing the
bidding of their master. There was just a feeling of something that was
out of place. A pessimistic outlook that would not release her. 
     Silence and morose attitudes were not an auspicious beginning to a
journey. Just let everything turn out fine. Please. If the gods were
listening though they remained silent. Sighing she scanned the crowd
again hoping to find some sort of distraction. A frail, old matron caught
her eye. She was watching Akane as their eyes met and locked. The
woman nodded her head and gave a small sympathetic smile as she
flicked her eyes toward Ranma-onna's comatose form. 
     Akane was about to say something when the car pulled up, the
doors opening to let the occupants spill on the other side, before
opening to allow access to the new riders. As the crowd pushed into
the car, Akane lost track of the old woman and just settled for standing
close to Ranma, the bodies of the multitude of travelers pushing them
tighter than packed sardines.
     The car accelerated quickly, forcing Akane to lean forward, grip-
ping the handrail tightly. Ukyou was not paying as much attention and
stumbled backward into Akane as the car began to move. Slightly
annoyed, Akane pushed Ukyou off her. Ukyou glanced back and
apologized with a embarrassed smile. Akane only nodded her head
before returning to her own thoughts.
     The trip was a short few minutes. A young woman's electronic voice
chimed over the speaker announcing their terminal. Decelerating
quickly, the car came to a halt, the doors opening to disgorge the
passengers. The quartet moved away from the car and into the main
concourse. They made their way to Gate 16 where they found seats to
wait for the flight.
     Saotome-san placed Ranma at the end of a row of seats and then
found another seat on the opposite side of the lobby. There he sank
down and watched the rain splattering against the windows, his
shoulders slumped and tired.
     Ukyou quickly took the seat next to Ranma and idly picked a book
from her traveling bag. She opened it and buried her face in the thing,
but Akane could tell she was not reading, over the course of ten min-
utes she did not turn the page once.
     For her part, Akane sat across from Ranma and Ukyou. Ukyou
taking her place next to Ranma was annoying her, but she was not up
to a fight, especially in an airport where any number of people could
get hurt. They had formed an uneasy truce for the time, so she could
not break it, even if the only reason not to was because it would not
help Ranma in the least.
     Eventually watching Ukyou and Ranma became depressing. With a
last glance at Ranma, she left the lobby and began wandering the con-
course, looking for something interesting to distract her. Any number
of shops drew her interest. Each she casually walked into and then
dismissed after a few moments. None of her normal interest mattered.
     After visiting several establishments, she wandered into a small gift
shop. Quickly glancing around she found nothing of interest, but as she
turned to leave, a glint of gold caught her eye. A moment later she was
back in the store and was walking towards a shelf. On the shelf were
the normal cheap crap that was sold to tourists. Small dolls with
kimonos, chopsticks with Tokyo engraved on them, and the assorted
other gimmicks pawned off on the gullible.
     One of these trinkets caught her eye. A gold picture frame holding
the snapshot of the sun rising over Tokyo Harbor. The picture was
unimportant, it was the frame. It was the same one Ranma had given to
her at Christmas over a year ago. 
     He was so nice sometimes. He even still has that scarf I knitted him.
She giggled slightly as she thought of that gift. The only reason she was
not ashamed of it was because Ranma liked it. She knew it was a horrid
piece of work. Like cooking, she was absolutely horrid at sewing and
embroidery but tried as hard as she could only to fail; however, despite
that, he still kept it, like he always at least tried her culinary
concoctions.
     "Things aren't as bad as you think they are," a voice said from
behind her. Akane turned around to see the old woman from the rail
stop. "There is always hope. As my mother always said, when things
are their darkest, faith is the brightest light. Don't worry dear, I'm sure
your friend will be fine." Smiling the old woman gently patted Akane's
cheek and then turned and started walking away. "I'm sorry I can't talk
longer. I have a flight I must catch."
     Confused Akane watched the strange, old matron walk away. For
some reason she felt a little better. The woman was right. What good
was it going to do worrying about things she had no control over.
Akane left the shop with a lighter step, eagerly anticipating the up-
coming flight and the inevitable conclusion to this hellish week.
     
     Genma placed his son in the seat next to the window before taking
the aisle seat as his own. Across from him Akane and Ukyou took their
seats, Akane on the aisle, Ukyou still uncomfortable with being near
Ranma's father by the window.
     Akane settled down quickly and yawned her body rebelling against
her lack of sleep the previous night. She managed to stay awake long
enough for the plane to taxi and take off, but once they were in the air,
she slipped into sleep. Even the curiosity of her first trip by plane was
unable to keep her awake.
     For once in his life, despite the lack of sleep and his desire to escape
from his worries, Genma was unable to find refuge in sleep. Every time
he closed his eyes, they were snapped open by another image of his
failures. A times the frowning face of his wife would stare back at him,
her katana flashing brightly as it descended towards him. Mostly
though it was the glint in Ukyou's eyes.
     Every time he glanced in her direction, he was greeted with a hard
gaze colder than a screeching, arctic wind. Against his will he found his
head turning to watch her once more only to snap back to the lowered,
tray table in front of him. He shivered at the loathing in the young
woman's eyes. 
     The entire situation was only exacerbated by his own guilt. He knew
his larcenous nature had destroyed the child Ukyou and corrupted the
young woman he now had to face. The knowledge was a burning hook
twisting in his gut, casting him deeper into his pit of depression and
self-hatred. Only his duty to Ranma kept him in place, kept him on the
plane, kept him human.
     Ukyou turned to the window and watched the pristine expanse of
white clouds pass beneath them, the shadow of the plane skimming
across the scene. The old man's suffering was apparent to her and she
was enjoying every second of it. He deserved no less and much more in
her opinion. What he had done to her was unforgivable. Maybe she had
forgiven the ignorance of Ranma, but not his father. There would come
a time when she would force him to pay, especially if she lost her
Ranchan.
     She was not blind like Kunou, nor was she impatient like that slut
Shampoo. Patience was a virtue she had plenty of, and she had waited
patiently, dropping small hints to Ranma, becoming his friend again,
trying to pull him back to her. Sometimes she tried a few plans, hoping
to win him,, but she also realized that Ranchan would not be forced. So
she gave him understanding and someone to talk to in his times of
trouble.
     Yet after all of her work, she was at least beginning to see the truth.
There had been many times when she had thought Akane cared for
Ranma, even loved him, but at the same time their constant fights and
bickering, declarations of hatred satisfied her that the feeling, if mutual,
at least was not very powerful. 
     Watching Akane this morning though had changed many of her
views. On the way to the airport she had watched the way Akane had
brushed against Ranma, constantly touching him, as if she were
reassuring herself. What made it worse was the fact that she seemed to
do it unconsciously and to Ranma's cursed form, with which Ukyou
knew Akane was uncomfortable. It reminded Ukyou of older married
couples, so comfortable with each other that physical contact was
almost necessary.
     It was obvious that Akane loved Ranma, although she was refrain-
ing from telling Ukyou. Whether from pity or just her own uncertainty,
Ukyou did not know, but it hurt all the same. If Akane cared that much,
did Ranma. Why had he broken off the engagements, why wasn't
Akane furious at him for doing such a thing. Ukyou knew she was,
even if he had reassured her, made it easier...
     She shook her head as the tears came. No! he did not do that. He
did not break up with everyone so he could have Akane. He hates her,
he loves me. Ranchan is mine.
     Glancing at the sleeping Akane, murder flashed in Ukyou's eyes. She
realized it was jeaolously and desperation speaking, but she needed
Ranma by her side. If it was within her power, she would not allow
anyone to take Ranchan from her. He was all she had, all she could
ever had. Everything, everything had been done for him. She turned
from Akane and faced the empty sky, it suited her mood. "I'll not let
you go Ranchan," Ukyou promised herself, wiping the tears from her
face. "I'll find your cure and you'll be mine. Akane was going to give
you up. I won't."
     Sinking back into her seat, Ukyou closed her eyes and tried to sleep,
but like Genma, she was unable to find peace. Instead she quietly
endured the flight, planning what she would do once there, fantasizing
about her and Ranchan together, forever.
     They were three people thrown together by a young man. Each
were bound to this young man by honor and love. Each was
uncomfor-table with the others. Hatred of the other, rivalry, and shame
and
disgust were endured as they traveled, brought together by a common
enemy and purpose. Sometimes fate is cruel.
      
     Ranma dodged her striking fist and then jumped upwards to avoid
her kick. Using her still extended arm, he vaulted himself over head and
behind her. Before he could tap her though, she was spinning and
striking out at him. Pleased with her reaction, Ranma leaned back. Xian
Lin's foot swept in front of his face, leaving a rush of air to follow its
passage.
     Refusing to regain his original position, Ranma continued to lean
farther back, expecting the next attack. He was not disappointed as
Xian Lin automatically struck with her fist. His lean turned into a back
flip, his legs scissoring her arm and flipping her above him, sending her
flying towards the ground.
     At the last moment she twisted to land on her feet, only to be con-
fronted with Ranma's lightning fast attacks. Having spent a year and a
half inside him, watching his abilities, Xian Lin was not as surprised as
most opponents were when faced with Ranma's expertise and blinding
fast reflexes.
     She lashed out, trying to attack in order to slow him down, but was
soon forced to step backwards, defending his blows as they became
faster and much more numerous. Finally her defenses broke. His fist
rushed toward her and then she was lightly tapped four times, his
personal signal of victory. Grimmacing in disgust at herself, Xian Lin
lowered her defenses. She had yet to touch Ranma in normal combat,
and now the extensive training were taking its toll.
     Physical exhaustion was not a problem within their prison, but the
concentration and discipline required of fighting did take its toll even-
tually. This was their fourth match in a row, and she needed a rest.
Looking at Ranma she decided he needed one as well. "Let's rest for a
bit," she suggested. Not waiting for an answer she sat on the ground
and cleared her mind.
     Nodding Ranma sat down in front of her and also began the exercise
she had showed him. It was exhilarating being able to fight without
worrying about physical exhaustion, but he had discovered the mental
strain was more than he was used to, and he actually tired faster
because of that.
     After their first few practice sessions, he had nearly collapsed from
the mental exhaustion of forcing away the entrapment of the world, and
his own concentration on training. Realizing what was wrong, Xian Lin
had showed him how to regain his center and remove the strain from
his mind.
     Closing his eyes, he followed the instructions she had given him. It
was almost like meditation, except that he did not surrender himself to
his surroundings, instead he actively sought his center. Once there, he
surrendered to that, allowing it to carry him away from the prison into
his own inner being. Here he was protected and nourished by his own
energy. 
     He did not stay long. To stay too long was to become lost within
himself, and since the body had no protection against itself, he would
be trapped forever. As soon as he felt his balance reassert itself, he
pushed away, scrambling upward, forming the picture of Xian Lin
kneeling in front of him, the barren broken world around him. He
imagined his muscles, tensing and relaxing, his heart beating, the air
being drawn through his nose to fill his lungs. Suddenly it was real and
he was back in the prison.
     "You're getting better at that," Xian Lin complimented him, "Your
control is much more precise, more confident, I could feel it. You have
a lot of potential Ranma."
     "I've gotta good sensei," Ranma said modestly, "Besides you're
improving just as much. For an Amazon your skills were pretty bad, but
now, I would say you are better than most fighters I know."
     "Pretty bad, huh?" Xian Lin said dangerously, "Just because I am
not as physical as you, doesn't mean I'm weak." Ranma had no warning
as a small projectile of ki shot from her hands. Slamming into his
shoulder, he was sent spinning by the blast.
     Grumbling he climbed to his feet. He was still confused by how she
used a ki attack without words to focus the energy, or at least gestures.
If he could learn that, he knew he would be unbeatable. Plopping down
in front of her, he glared at her for a second as he spoke, "I didn't mean
weak, I meant you were weak in your physical fighting skills. That's
dangerous, no matter how good your ki is. Ki attacks drain you faster
than punches and kicks. Besides what if someone nullifies your ki, or
drugs you so you can't concentrate. It's stupid to rely on one thing over
another."
     "But you exclusively concentrate on your physical skills, doesn't that
make you weak also?" Xian Lin asked. This was normal for them. Over
the time they had been together, they had discussed martial arts in most
cases. In these conversations they both learned from the other, and
improved themselves.
     "Once the body is mastered, the world around you can be mastered.
Once body and world are one, the spirit can be unlocked. Spirit, body
and world join to start your understanding of life, by understanding life
you become whole and complete. The warrior who can do this is truly
great," Ranma recited.
     "Where have I heard that?" Xian Lin asked.
     "Probably in many places," Ranma explained, "Many warrior
societies have a similar saying. Some add additional steps, some make it
more mystical, some turn it into an initiation and training process. Boil
it down though and it all means what I just said."
     "Where are you?" Xian Lin asked curiously. She had an idea, but
wanted to see if Ranma was able to be truthful to himself, assess his
own strengths and weaknesses
     Ranma was quiet for a moment as he contemplated the question and
his own self. "I'm not sure exactly. I think I've mastered my body. It
does what I want without having me to force it to. Most things become
instinct for me, also I think I've almost mastered the world. I am able to
sense things around me, threats against me, danger to friends. It is like
a sixth sense that is just there. I've only had it for a while, not much
more than a few years. I remember Pop being able to sneak up on me
when I was thirteen of fourteen, but by fifteen he never was able to do
that."
     "I don't think I've even stepped into mastering my spirit. I know I
can throw ki attacks, meditate and heal quickly, but those are still part
of the body, besides I don't have nearly your control over my inner
force."
     Xian Lin nodded, "And me?"
     "You're confusing," Ranma admitted, "You can control your spirit
and the unseen world. You fight me off, while trapped in my soul, so I
think you've mastered the spirit. I think that is because of your death
though. You never mastered the body, or maybe you mastered your
body, you have good instincts and fighting skills, but I would say the
world around you is beyond your abilities."
     "That is why I said your fighting skill were pretty bad for an
Amazon. You basically skipped two levels because of your death,
um..maybe not skipped, how about transcended them. In your position
you don't need them, but without them, you'll never master life." Ran-
ma stopped and looked at her for a moment. A thought had just sprung
into his mind. Was it possible that only when life was mastered that the
soul could move on?
     He knew that was similar to Buddhist teachings, but he had never
thought about it in relation to his own skills. Was that why he was so
good, so young? Was he working off of some previous life's or lives'
experiences. It made one wonder. How long does it take to master
body, environment, and spirit? How many lifetimes? How much longer
did he have on this world? And if he lost to Boukyaku, would his
journey be in vain? Suddenly losing took on a new meaning to him.
     Xian Lin caught a tiny amount of Ranma's thoughts, and the possibi-
lities frightened her. Was she doomed to be trapped in that pool until
she mastered life? She fervently hoped that it was a fallacy. To be stuck
in the spring for all eternity, to be trapped in other's bodies, to be
constantly fighting oblivion. What she had done was not deserving of
such a harsh punishment. 
     She could not stop the tears as they came, spilling down her cheeks
to be caught in her dark Chinese pants. Even her clothing was a reflec-
tion of Ranma. He was that strong, and there was nothing she was able
to do about it.
     It was a surprise when she felt Ranma's arms encircling her, drawing
her into his embrace. "Shh, don't cry. I'm not going to lose. I'll never
lose. Don't worry, I promised to help you and I will. I promise on my
honor." Xian Lin clutched him tighter, crying in desolation. She wanted
to believe him. She wanted to, but the doubt, the punishment for her
crimes refused her that solace. Was it even possible to be free?


     Akane was jolted from her sleep as the plane touched down on the
runway at the Naha International Airport. Reluctantly she opened her
eyes to the real world. She had been having such a pleasant dream. She
had been with Ranma, his arms encircling her as they lay side by side in
the grove of over three weeks ago.
     Rocking her gently, he had whispered his love for her as he brushed
a kiss against her cheek. Melting into his arms, she had returned the
sentiment, declaring her love, and turning to face him. His eyes had
been so brilliant, the grey-blue depths mesmerizing her.
     Drawn to him, she had leaned in closer, their lips touching, and then
they were kissing. His body pressing tightly against hers, his hands
flowing over her. It had been so wonderful, but then she had pulled
away, as Shampoo and Ukyou walked up to them, hurt expressions on
their faces.
     Ranma had complained about her actions for a second before real-
izing that they were not alone. When he had noticed who was there, an
annoyed expression had crossed his face. "What do you want?' he
asked angrily.
     "We want you, Ranchan," Ukyou responded.
     "Shampoo come to take husband from violent, ugly girl," Shampoo
declared.
     "Go away," Ranma said, "I love Akane." At those words, the other
fiancees had vanished, leaving them alone once more. Ranma had
turned to her and apologized before kissing her again, pulling her back
down to the soft moss covered ground. Then..
     Akane blushed slightly as she remembered the rest of the dream. It
had been so nice. Ranma had been so nice. If he was only like that in
real life...maybe in a way he was. She glanced over at Ranma, watching
Saotome-san lifting her body from her seat, before putting her into the
wheelchair the stewardess brought to them.
     Ukyou nudged her, and Akane remembered to get her bag. With a
slightly embarrassed smile, she followed Genma and Ranma out of the
airplane and into the boarding canopy. 
     They quickly moved from the concourse to the baggage claim. It
was about a twenty minute wait before their bags began to appear on
the belt. It was another ten before they had all four and were headed to
the front of the airport and the car rental desk. 
     A long line was waiting in front of the car rental desk. They waited
patiently in line and soon found themselves talking with a young
woman. She asked them a few quick questions about where they were
going, how long they would need the car, and then asked to see a
driver's license. Surprisingly Genma puled out a license and showed it
to the young woman.
     After checking it, the woman turned to the computer and gave them
a car number and the keys to the car. After Genma payed the cover and
insurance charge on the car, she directed them to the lot in which it was
parked. 
     It was noon by the time they found the car. Ukyou opened the door,
and they placed Ranma in the back seat of the small automobile. Col-
lapsing  the wheelchair, Akane put it in the trunk with their luggage.
Genma slipped into the front seat and turned on the car. Akane and
Ukyou slid in the back seat, on either side of Ranma-onna. Genma did
not seem to even notice as he shifted into gear and backed out of the
parking space.
     Thirty minutes later they were all on the highway, heading north
toward Nago and eventually Hedo Misaki. Akane watched the city
spread out around them as they drove through the thick traffic on the
highway. It was only about one hundred and forty kilometers to Nago,
but at this rate, it was going to take them nearly two hours to make the
hour trip. Well it was not as bad as area surrounding Tokyo, but it was
still not a good day to be driving.
     As they took a slow turn, she felt Ranma lean against her, her head
resting on hor own shoulder. Absently Akane draped her arm across
Ranma-onna's shoulder and settled against her. Leaning slightly against
the door, Akane slipped once more into sleep, a small smile on her face.
She missed the envious look cast her way by Ukyou. 
     Ukyou was burning with jealously, as she watched Akane pull
Ranma closer to her body, turning slightly to find a more comfortable
position for Ranma-onna. They looked so perfect together, like two
pieces of a puzzle. It was not fair. Before her very eyes, she saw Ranma
slipping away from her. What did it matter if he was unconscious?
Akane was doing everything she could to keep him by her side. 
     Sullenly, Ukyou turned away, grief and suppressed anger
glimmering beneath the surface of her eyes. She was effectively tied
down because Ranma needed her. If she started attacking Akane, the
old man would step in to protect the girl. Besides, did she even have a
right to attack Akane. She had been nice to her, noit begrudged her
being with Ranma. She could not just explode at her. But it hurt so
much to see Akane with Ranma.
     What would Ranma think if you attacked Akane? Ranma would
look at her with that sad expression in his eyes. It was an easy answer.
She hated that look. It meant he disapproved, and his approval was
everything to her. When he complimented her cooking, when he called
her cute, when he confided in her, that was what made all the waiting
worth it. 
     She would not incur his disapproval and possible wrath by attacking
Akane. Once he was back to normal, Akane and him would start
fighting again, become rivals. It was as inevitable as death. Help each
other when the other was in trouble, become close, and then drive a
wedge between themselves after it all was over and done, it was a
simple pattern. No need to worry, no need. In a better mood, Ukyou
shifted so her head was on Ranma's shoulder. Soon she fell asleep with
Akane.

     They were awaken by Genma slamming the car door. Groggily,
Akane and Ukyou glanced out the car windows, examining the place
with bleary eyes. They were in the parking lot of a small and most likely
cheap lodging. Saotome Genma was disappearing into the office, to
arrange their stay.
     Akane pushed Ranma back into a sitting position, before opening
the door and stepping out. She stretched her legs quickly and waited
patiently by the car, her eyes traveling over the surrounding area. It was
not to different from Nerima accept the greater abundance of signs in
English. 
     For a moment she was confused by this, until she saw group of men
walking down the other side of the street, talking loudly and laughing
boisterously at the other's jokes. They were speaking in English and
they carried themselves differently from the rest of the people on the
street. There was an arrogant haughtiness about them. They were
obviously Americans, and most likely members of the military. 
     One of the men noticed her and waved. She nodded her head in
answer, not wanting to attract their attention. The man only shrugged
and turned to his friends and made a comment pointing over his
shoulder. The other men burst out laughing.
     Red heat filled her face. They were making fun of her, and it was
probably nothing nice. She was about to stalk across the street and give
them a taste of her anger when Ukyou touched her shoulder. 
     "What?" Akane demanded, turning to face Ukyou.
     Ukyou was startled by the outburst, but then she had not noticed the
soldiers. "If you don't want to go to the room, that's fine with me,"
Ukyou snapped, "But Saotome-san is motioning for us." She indicated
Genma who was waiting for them by two open doors. Why does Akane
make it so difficult? I'm trying to be nice.
     "Gomen," Akane apologized, "I was just mad about something."
     "What was it?" Ukyou asked curiously, her anger soothed by the
apology. She reminded hrslf tht Akane was under as much stress as she
was herself, if not more.
     "Nothing important," Akane said, noticing the men had turned down
a side street. She grabbed two bags and began pushing Ranma's
wheelchair. Ukyou had obviously prepared things while she  was
occupied.
     Genma took Ranma from Akane at the door, wheeling her into his
room. Akane only shrugged and walked into the other room. Throwing
her bag in the corner, she collapsed backwards onto the bed sighing in
relief. One more stop and they would be there. Hedo Misaki was only
fifty kilometers from them. Maybe an hour drive because of the
mountain on the northern tip of Okinawa, but there were villages
around there, and they would be able to track the man down. 
     Six days would be plenty of time to find a well known doctor and
get back to Nerima. Heck they didn't even need to get back to Nerima.
If this worked, Ranma would be cured. There was no hurry to go
anywhere after that. Akane smiled.
     "What are you smiling about?" Ukyou asked. The memory of Akane
holding Ranma in the car still burned in her mind, and she did not see
anything else enjoyable about this place.
     "We're so close. Just a few more days." Her voice was soft, her tone
wistful. "All of this will be over. We can go back to normal again." She
giggled. "Well at least as normal as things get around Ranma."
     Smiling a little at the joke, Ukyou sank down in the chair, not really
wanting to share the only bed with Akane. She was juming at shadows,
that was all."You've gone through a lot because of this, haven't you?"
     "Soo-de su, I just hope it all ends soon. I just don't have the stamina
to continue. Do you know how much sleep I've gotten in the past
week?" Akane asked, focusing her eyes on her roommate Ukyou shook
her head, "Not counting today, less than four hours a day. It's hard to
sleep when you know someone you know is right down the hall dying
and there is nothing you can do about it."
     "Well we're doing something now," Ukyou offered cheerfully
     "Ahhh-hhuuhh," Akane yawned, rubbing her eyes, "For some reason
I'm beat. If you don't mind, I'm going to get some more sleep." 
     Ukyou grunted noncommittally as Akane curled up on the bed.
Standing up, Ukyou walked to the rear of the room and opened the
sliding door and stepped out into a narrow courtyard. It was not large,
but it was big enough to practice. Smiling she began to stretch in
preparation for her katas, anticipating the release.
      
     Genma knocked on their door later in the evening. He was greeted
by a well-rested and smiling Akane. "Konban-wa," she said, "Come on
in." She motioned for him to sit as she headed towards the bathroom.
"Ukyou!" she called, "Ranma's father is here."    
     Akane disappeared into the bathroom, as the outside screen door
slid open and Ukyou walked into the room. She didn't say anything to
Genma, but sat down on the bed and waited silently for Akane. Genma
fidgeted on his feet, wishing Akane would hurry up. As far as he was
concerned, Akane was neutral territory. As long as she was around
things would not go to far.
     "Where's Ranma?" Ukyou asked flatly. Her unexpected question
startled Genma who looked away from the girl. 
     "He's back in our room," Genma answered, "I didn't think we need-
ed him here to decide what to do." Ukyou ignored the response and
instead watched her reflection in the mirror next to the television.
     The bathroom door opened and Akane stepped out in a white
blouse and yellow skirt with a small, black pig embroidered on the hem.
She was still smiling, but as soon as she felt the tension in the room, her
good mood vanished with the smile on her face. 
     She looked back and forth between Ukyou and Genma. It was
obvious the former disliked the latter, and the latter was no more
inclined to the former. Sighing Akane fell into a chair. "So what are we
going to do?" Akane asked simply, deciding that bluntness was far
better than diplomacy. Besides she had a lot of practice being blunt. It
was an offshoot of her violent nature.
     Genma recovered first and coughed to clear his throat. "I was going
to go ask a few people around the city if they know an Ouchi-sensei.
Maybe they can narrow down our search. Other than that. I was going
to head for Hedo Misaki tomorrow morning. I wanna finish this as
soon as possible."
     Genma turned to leave. "Do you need us to do anything?" Akane
asked, hopefully. Staying in the room doing nothing helpful was the last
hing she wanted to be doing.
     "No, this is my duty. Ranma's my son." He started to walk out of
the room before he turned back. "There is some food in my room. I
already fed Ranma. Other than that the night's yours." He walked
outside and closed the door. They heard a car engine start and then the
sound faded away as it joined the flow of traffic.
     Akane watched the closed door for a moment before standing and
walking out of the room. She had never really liked Ranma's father, but
it was hard not to feel pity for the man. He was putting himself through
hell because of this situation. 
     Opening the door to Genma's room, she walked in and closed it
behind her. Ranma was tucked into the bed, the sheets covering her
body. On the table she saw some containers of food. Surprisingly none
of them had been touched. Another wave of pity washed over her. It
was obvious that Saotome Genma was not himself at the moment.
     The door opened behind her and Ukyou walked in. Akane glanced
at her long enough to see the smug expression on her face. She was
obviously enjoying the suffering of Ranma's father. She has a right to.
That man ruined her life. If anyone has any right to hate Ranma's father
it is Ranma and Ukyou.
     Akane pushed the thoughts from her head. As far as she was con-
cerned only Ranma mattered, not Genma, not Ukyou, not any of their
other problems. Ranma was in trouble and that was all that mattered to
her. 
     Ignoring Ukyou she sat down and grabbed some food and a pair of
chopsticks. It was takeout from some place that obviously did not care
what the food tasted like. The rice was lumpy, the meat overcooked,
and the vegetables were soggy, but she ate it without a complaint. After
finally waking up she was feeling a hundred times better and was
ravenous.
     She finished quickly and walked over to check on Ranma. She was
laying quietly on the bed, no surprise there. A container of soup caught
her eye. Akane picked it up and found it half-full. Obviously Genma
had not fed Ranma a lot, leaving her the job. Akane muttered a few
choice words under her breath, but Ranma did need to be fed.
     Sighing she found a spoon and placed it next to the soup container
while she propped Ranma up into a sitting position. Sitting next to her,
she took a spoonful of broth and gently pushed it past Ranma's lips.
Ranma swallowed reflexively, as Akane removed the spoon and dipped
it in the container to get more broth. 
     She returned the spoon to Ranma's mouth, but as she was feeding
her, she accidentally hit a tooth, spilling the broth across Ranma's chin.
     "You klutz, whatdyadothatfor?" For a moment Akane thought
Ranma had woken it up. It was exactly like something he would have
said, but then she realized it was coming from behind her.
     Glancing over her shoulder she saw Ukyou standing at the table,
glaring at her. "I'm feeding Ranma!" Akane snapped, "Obviously no
one else is going to."
     "Well then why don' t you get some of the food in his mouth?"
Ukyou shot back enjoying the taunting. Seeing Akane helping Ranma,
being close to him had snapped something in her mind. "At least I can
do something simple like that right! No wonder you can't cook right if
you can't even put a spoon in someone's mouth."
     "Shut up!" Akane screamed, "If you're so much better why don't
you do it. Just excuse me for trying to be nice!" She set the soup down
and threw the spoon at Ukyou. Ukyou dodged the flying utensil. It
whizzed past her head to smash into the door, bending under the force
of Akane's throw.
     "Fine, I will," Ukyou gloated.
     Akane just shook her head and stalked out of the room. It wasn't
worth it. It just wasn't worth. She glanced back once to see Ukyou
sitting down next to Ranma, talking to her lovingly. Slamming the door
she walked back to her room and grabbed a light jacket and her purse
before heading out into the night.
     Head down, Akane walked the streets, her feet taking her along
without thought to where she was going. She was soon off the over
crowded main streets and walking the sparsely crowded back streets.  
Unaware of her surroundings, Akane muttered angrily to herself. Her
temper as usual had gained control of her. She was furious at Ukyou.
The gall of the girl, telling her she could not feed Ranma, that she was a
klutz. It had been an accident, an honest mistake. "If I get my hands on
her.. I'm..I'm gonna wring her bloody neck," Akane growled. It wasn't
exactly what she wanted to do, but for now it would suffice.
     Caught up in her own emotions, Akane did not see the group of
men in front of her. They were walking erratically up the street,
unsteady on their feet.  Heedless of where they were going, they did
not notice the girl walking toward them, her head down. Akane crashed
against one of them, falling backwards onto her rear with an audible
grunt. The men burst out in drunken laughter as they noticed the girl on
the ground.
     Her pride was smarting as much as her rear. Baka! Watch where
you are going. Blushing a little she glanced up to see who the men
were. It was a group of caucasian men and a few Japanese. They were
all fairly drunk, actually calling them fairly drunk was like calling the
sun a nice, little light. Making things even worse they were still
laughing at her expense. The whole situation was embarrasing enough,
and now they were laughing at her. Simmering in anger, she shot them
a dirty look of disgust. 
     Grumbling under her breath, Akane started picking herself up,
obviously the men were not going to help. She heard them say
something. It was hard to understand because of their slurred speech
and the fact that it was in English, but she thought it was something
about helping the pretty lady.
     A pair of rough hands grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet.
Startled Akane found herself stumbling forward into her helper. The
strong stench of alcohol assaulted her as she felt her body press against
the rough fabric and muscular chest of one of the men.
     She heard a few catcalls from the other soldiers, which made her
blush. Then the unthinkable happened. She felt his hand sliding over
her hip. Her anger surged forward. "Hentai!" she screamed. Roughly
pushing him away, she smashed her fist in the taller man's face. He
stumbled with a surprised grunt, his hand clutching his injured nose,
crimson leaking through his fingers.
     Stunned he looked at the blood on his hands. Rage suddenly burned
in his eyes. "Bitch!" he shouted as his hand came around to strike
Akane's face. The blow was strong, snapping her head to the side.
There was a ringing in her ears and everything became blurry for a
second, but it quickly wore off as anger found it's accustomed place in
Akane's psyche.
     She stepped forward about to crush the bastard when she noticed
the rest of the men, grumling angrily, slowly start circling around her.
The four Japanese men stepped back not wishing to get involved. They
were only drinking companions, not comrades. Nothing compelled
them to help the men or the girl, and the girl had run into them and hit
one of the men.  
     Fear crept into Akane's heart as she saw this. Realizing she was
in more trouble than usual, she started looking for a way out. She hated
to run, but these men were drunk and mad. That was a bad
combination. These were not the boys from school, nor were they any
of the martial artists she was used to facing. Something told her they
were deadlier. She suddenly wanted Ranma here, but such thoughts
were futile, wishful thinking. She was on her own.
     "Wanna play rough," one of the men growled in broken Japanese. A
hand grabbed for her, she sidestepped it. The movement was clumsy,
but she saw the power behind it, the deadliness of the strike. It was
obvious that she was in over head. To stay and fight would probably
mean a fate worse than death. Shuddering, she decided to get the hell
out of Dodge.
     Spinning, she made a dash between two of the men, who had gotten
slightly behind her. They started in surprise as she launched herself at
them. This did not last long though. They moved to block her
reflexively. Akane reacted the only way she knew how. Her fist struck
one in the stomach as her foot connected with the other one's groin.
Both slumped to the ground, as Akane leaped past them.
     As she moved away, a hand lashed out catching her on the arm. Pain
flared in her shoulder, but she ignored it and sped down the street,
leaving the enraged soldiers behind. Taking several side streets, Akane
finally collapsed against a wooden door, tears spilling down her cheeks.
     "This is all Ukyou's fault. If she hadn't been so insensitive..those
men.. Damn gaijin, damn them.." Her voice broke as she sobbed in
relief. At least it was over, and she only had a few bruises. It could
have been worse, much worse.
     The door she was leaning against started to move inward. In an
instant Akane was on her feet, adrenaline rushing through her body.
Backing away from the door, she assumed a fighting stance, warily
watching the door.
     To her relief an older man stepped out, a robe wrapped around
his body. He looked at her in surprise. "I didn't mean to startle you, but
I heard you crying, are you okay?" the man asked in a kindly voice.
Akane relaxed, lowering herself to the ground in relief. Her legs
decided that they were tired of working and quit on her, causing her to
fall forward. 
     She felt the man grab her arm and support her, saving her from hit-
ting to the ground. The contact with her arm though caused her to hiss
as pain flared from her shoulder. "You're hurt," he exclaimed as he led
her toward his door, "Why don't you let me help you? Just come into
my clinic, young miss."
     Akane only nodded as he led her inside. The room was a small
kitchen. He gently guided her through the kitchen and into another
room that looked a lot like Toufu-sensei's waiting room. From here he
directed her into an examination room and sat her down on a table
while he searched the room for a few things.
     "What happened to you?" he asked as he gently prodded her
shoulder. Akane clenched her teeth as his fingers probed the muscle
and bone. The pain was intense causing a small whimper to leave her
throat despite her stoutest efforts to contain it. 
     "I was attacked by a bunch of men. It wasn't my fault," Akane said
hotly, concentrating on her anger to ignore the pain, "I accidentally ran
into them, and the one who helped me up tried to feel me up, and I hit
him. Than the others got mad..they were going to really hurt me. I
could tell." She shuddered and fell silent. She was just beginning to
realize how much trouble she had been in, how stupid it was for her to
walk off alone. Unlike Nerima, this wasn't exactly a safe place.
     "You've gotta be careful walking outside after dark. Not everyone is
very friendly these days," the doctor said, "Could you remove your
blouse? I want to put an ointment on your shoulder."
     Akane nodded and unbuttoned the top of her blouse, letting the
material fall from her shoulder. "I wasn' thinking. I was mad at
someone" she said in a small, shame-filled voice, "I've always been able
to protect myself, and Nerima isn't like this at all. It is much more
relaxed."
     "It's not that bad here, drunk men anywhere can be a problem. Just
be lucky you didn't meet up with more than you could handle. And
running away was probably the smartest thing to do," the doctor
explained as he rubbed a soothing ointment into Akane's throbbing
shoulder. The pain slowly lessened and then disappeared.
     "I promise to be a litle more careful while I'm here," Akane
promised
     "You say you're from Nerima? That's in Tokyo, right?" Akane nod-
ded in response. "What are you doing down in Okinawa, on vacation?"
the doctor asked curiously.
     "Uh actually we're looking for someone," Akane answered, "My
fiancee is dying and someone said an Ouchi-sensei who lives on Hedo
Misaki could help us. We're trying to find him."
     "Ouchi Yoshitoki?" the doctor asked.
     "I don't know his first name," Akane admitted.
     "Well it is probably Ouchi Yoshitoki. Ouchi is not an Okinawan
name, although the man has lived here for more than half a century. He
is strange old man who lives in the forested foothills around Hedo
Misaki. I don't know where exactly. He used to stop by and see me
every so often. I've not seen him in a year, but then sometimes he stays
away for two or three years at a time. Well if you are looking for him,
just ask in the villages around Hedo Misaki. They will point the way to
him."
     Impulsively Akane hugged the old doctor. "Arigato, arigato. You
don't know how much this means to me." The doctor disentangled
himself from Akane and muttered something about the young under his
breath.   
     Akane was too excited to care. She buttoned her blouse and hopped
from the table. "Arigato for everything, uhm, I'm sorry I didn't even
give you my name. I am Tendou Akane." She bowed respectfully to the
doctor.
     The doctor gave a small bow in return. "I am Miyanou Bunbei. It
has been a pleasure to meet you Tendou Akane. May you have luck
with Ouchi-san."
     "Arigato," Akane said smiling as she left. Even with Ukyou and
those drunk bastards, tonight was turning out to be rather pleasant.
Suddenly she turned around, realizing she had no idea where she was.
"Uh, Miyanou-sensei? Could you tell me how to get back to my
lodging? I don't know where I am." Miyanou laughed and asked her
where she was staying and then gave her directions upon hearing her
answer.
     Akane moved along the streets at a quick pace, her eyes watching
the partially deserted side streets. She had learned her lesson the hard
way and was not about to forget it. Moving on to a more crowded
main street, Akane relaxed a little and joined the flowing mass of
pedestrians.
     It was late when she arrived back at the lodging. Walking through
the parking area, she noticed that Ranma's father was still gone. The
lights were out in both of the rooms. Shrugging she walked into her
room. Ukyou was sleeping on the bed, her body sprawled across it
taking up the entire width.
     Akane scowled and considered pushing the girl out of bed. It was
that bitch's fault that she had been attacked. If it wasn't for her, she
would never have gotten hurt. The fact that the whole episode led her
to finding Miyanou-sensei was unimportant, that was her own doing.
At the last moment she decided against the idea. Sore and tired, she
was in no mood for a fight, and in all actuality she did not relish the
idea of spending the night in the same bed as Ukyou, even the same
room was to close for her.
     Instead she backed out of the room and closed the door. Without a
pause she went to Ranma's room and slipped inside. Ranma was in the
same position on her bed, the covers pulled tightly around her. Akane
approached the bed and watched Ranma-onna for a moment. Every
thing seemed to be fine. For a second she considered just slipping into
the bed next to Ranma-onna, but the thought of his father finding them
banished the idea in an instant. 
     Instead, she pilfered one of the pillows from the bed and pulled off
the heavy comforter. Placing the blanket on the ground, she folded it in
half and slipped into it. Fluffing the pillow she fell asleep, smiling to
herself. They were one step closer to a cure.

     Closing his eyes, Ranma concentrated on the image Xian Lin had
demonstrated. The image that kept forming was a sword that cleaved
through the attacking energy, splitting it to either side, forcing the
attack away from him, every time he tried it though, he ended up with a
short-lived, flaming katana in his hands.
     He knew it was in his thinking. There was something wrong with
the image he was constructing. There was a fatal flaw in it that gave
him a physical object instead of an actual cutting edge. Clearing his
mind he tried it again, only this time a scythe took the place of the
sword. Instinctively he realized he had hit upon the wrong idea. 
     "This is so frustrating!" he shouted, slamming his fist into his palm,
"I can't get it right. I don't see a way to put what you did into words, or
even pictures that will work. Everytime I get a katana in my hands, and
that won't work. It requires too much concentration and energy to keep
it formed."
     "What am I doing wrong?" He turned to Xian Lin who was kneeling
on the ground next to him. "Help me."
     "One more time, Ranma," Xian Lin said as she stood, "Watch me
carefully. Open your mind, relax, just try and follow my thoughts."
     Nodding Ranma closed his eyes. He was surprised at how easily he
connected with Xian Lin. Her emotions and thoughts suddenly sur-
rounded him, filled him. It was disorienting at first, but it only took him
a few minutes to filter most of it out and find what he wanted.
     He felt her gather her ki, bringing it to a single point and holding it
there, then she began to form an image. The image formed quickly in
her mind, the whole process taking no more than a second, yet the
image was an indistinct haze to him. She seemed to realize this and
extend it, allowing him to see it more clearly. The opponent's ki attack
rushing at her, her ki striking out and hitting it. But hit it with what? It
started to become distinct, it was a...
     Blackness filled his mind throwing him backward onto the ground.
Instinctively, he found his center and pushed outward, forcing the
blackness from his mind. Finally it cleared, leaving him gasping for
breath on his back.
     "So you're the one who thinks he can defeat Boukyaku. Foolish
mortal. You're mine. None can defeat Boukyaku. I am all powerful. I
will devour you." The voice was a threatening rumble vibrating around
Ranma. Shaking his head, he tried to answer, but before he could, the
ground beneath him began to crack open. 
     Shouting in surprise, Ranma tried to leap away, but his body and
mind were still recovering. He felt himself slidding downward, hard,
sharp objects stabbing into his flesh. Panic erupted in him, causing him
to scramble upwartds, grasping at the air. Then he was lifted out of the
hole, as Xian Lin grabbed him and carried him to safety.
     Boukyaku chuckled evilly. "So you're the foolish soul that interferes
this time. It does not matter. You were once given to me, and now I
will complete what I could not."
     "I won't be so easy this time," Xian Lin stated. Ranma glanced at
her curiously and then back to where he had been sitting. A fanged
mouth was pushing out from the ground, trying to reach them. A chill
spread up his spine as he saw the glistening black depths behind the
gleaming fangs. One more I owe Xian Lin. 
     "Actually going to fight, Coward?" Ranma's attention was drawn
back to Xian Lin. She was glowing a brilliant white, a colour Ranma
had never seen on anyone's aura. To touch a white aura was to die.
     "I did what I had to, and I will do what I have to. Ranma is not for
you. I will not allow you into the world!"
     "See if you can stop me, Coward. I will be waiting. You don't have
much time left." A gloating, hungry laugh filled the air, and then it
dwindled to nothingness.
     Unsteadily, Ranma climbed to his feet. He was terrified and very
confused. The speed and power of the attack, the fact that he had not
even felt it coming, and that it had stunned him afterwards terrified him.
How can I fight that? And what did Boukyaku have against Xian Lin?
     Carefully he looked back to Xian Lin. She was still glowing white,
her face contorted into an expression of utter rage and loathing. With
an articulate cry, the aura pulsed around her and shot skyward. The
blast burned the sooty red from the sky above them, turning it into a
burning silver. The area around Xian Lin had also transformed into a
blazing bed filled with small shafts of clear crystal.
     Ranma watched this in awe before turning around and walking
away. Even after the release, Xian Lin was still slightly glowing, and
Ranma was not going to risk her anger in that kind of mood. He could
wait, no he would wait until she settled down, but then, then she was
going to answer some questions.
 
     "Umm, hmm," Akane mumbled as she was shaken in her sleep,
"Wanna sleep." She rolled the blanket tighter around her body,
snuggling into the warmth
     "Wake up, Akane," Genma's voice said. Genma shook her again,
although this time he grabbed her injured shoulder. Akane's eyes
snapped open as a fiery blast of pain streaked from her shoulder to her
brain.    
     "Itai!" she exclaimed, wrenching her shoulder away from Genma's
grabbing hands.
     "Gomen," Genma said, "I didn't mean to hurt you. I-I- mean we've
gotta get going. It's nearly nine in the morning."
     Rubbing her shoulder, Akane sighed. It was no use getting mad at
Ranma's father. He had not known her shoulder was bruised. "Why
didn't you wake me up earlier then?" She failed to keep the edge out of
her voice.
     If Genma noticed this, he did not give indication of it. "I just return-
ed," he explained, "Although I probably should've slept for all the good
traipsing all over the city did me. I found nothing that could help us."
He sighed in defeat and turned to start packing some of Ranma's things.
     He didn't find anything? I'm glad I found Miyanou-sensei. At least
I'm helping, unlike Ukyou. "I found out something," Akane said. She
shoved the blankets off of her. She was surprised to see that she was
still dressed from the night before. 
     "Huh?" Genma responded in surprise.
     "Last night, well I ran into this doctor.." Akane quickly related the
story of walking out of Ranma's room and going for a walk. She
glossed over the incident with the drunken men, just explaining she had
been in a scuffle with some guys who had tried to take advantage of
her.
     "That would explain the bruise on your cheek," Genma said as
Akane spoke. Akane only nodded and lightly touched her cheek,
surprised to find it tender to the touch. Ignoring it she picked up her
story again and told him how she had met Miyanou-sensei and the
information he had given her.
     "It helps a little," Genma conceded, "At least we know he is a real
person, and maybe we've got a lead on finding him. I'm glad someone
had some luck last night." He sighed in regret. "Go get Ukyou, and
we'll leave in a few minutes." 
     "Hai," Akane answered and disappeared out the front door. Open-
ing her room, she slipped in and switched on the lights. Ukyou mum-
bled in protest from the bed. Akane ignored her and started digging
through her suitcase. Pulling out a change of clothes she went to the
bathroom and freshened up before changing.
     She was done ten minutes later, and was quickly packing. "Wake
up, Ukyou!" Akane said impatiently, "We need to get going."
     "Huh?"
     "I said wake up!" Akane piling her dirty clothes into a cloth bag and
shoved it into her suitcase. What is wrong with that girl?
     Groaning Ukyou pushed the blankets away from her body and
groggily stood up. She looked around and saw Akane almost finished
packing. It was like a truck hit her. She was wide awake in an instant.
"Why'd you let me sleep?" she demanded as she rushed around looking
for her clothes.
     "Saotome-san just woke me up. I spent the night in his room,"
Akane explained, zipping her bag shut.
     "Nani-yo anta?!" The insult just slipped from Ukyou's lips, "You
slept with Ranchan?"
     "Iie!" Akane snapped back, "I just slept on the floor because you
were hogging the bed!"
     "Why didn't you just sleep in here!?"
     "Because...because of you I got this!" she exploded pointing to her
cheek, "Why can't you just be nice to me, for once? I've done nothing
to you!"  Akane stalked out of the room before Ukyou could answer,
slamming the door behind her.
     Ukyou starred at the door with wide eyes. She had not wanted to
explode, but everything was getting to her. It seemed that Ranma was
slipping from her moment by moment, and Akane was the reason. She
touched him, she slept in the same room as him..Damn her, damn her! 
     She shook her head. I will not forgive her. Never. Angrily she un-
dressed and put on her new clothes. She threw all of her belongings
back into her bag and left the room. The day had started out bad, and
she was not expecting it to get any better.
     
     They traveled north, a tense silence filling the car. Genma was too
tired and distracted to talk. Akane and Ukyou, each on one side of
Ranma-onna, were pointedly ignoring each other. Put together it made
for a very uncomfortable two hours.
     Because of the military bases, they had to take the long way around,
and then circle around the rearing mountain, the only road over the
mountain being blocked off for military exercises. 
     Akane watched the land pass by the car with a bored expression.
She was ready to kill Ukyou, but like before, her anger had disappeared
after a time. It was just so useless to hold onto it, when she had other
problems on her mind, the main one being her empty stomach. They
had skipped breakfast in their rush to get going, and neither Akane or
Ukyou had brought it up.
     Akane doubted that they were ever going to get over this morning.
She was just glad she had not decided to sleep in the same bed as
Ranma. Thank the gods for small favours. 
     A small sign flashed past the window. She barely made out the
words. Sanagu 20 km. There first stop was not very far away. One step
at a time. One step closer. She absently rested her hand on Ranma-
onna's hand. She did not notice Ukyou watching her guiltily and
jealously.
     Saotome-san had explained what Akane had found out the night
before, telling her how Akane had gotten into a fight with some
drunken men and from there had stumbled upon the doctor. There was
purple bruise on Akane's cheek bone, right beside her eye and Ukyou
could tell that Akane's left shoulder was bothering her from the way
she kept away from the door, sitting straight in the car.
     The pressure was just getting to her, causing her to make rash
decisions. Last night she had not meant to yell at Akane. It was just
that seeing her feed Ranchan had released a roaring green beast within
her. When Akane had spilled the soup she had reacted without thinking,
trying to force Akane away.
     It had worked, but Akane had gotten hurt because of that. It did
not matter that Akane should not have gone out, she had and it was
because of her. Who could blame her for not wanting to sleep in the
same room with the girl who had prompted such a disasterous night.
Ukyou knew she would've done the same thing, maybe even sleeping in
the same bed as Ranma.
     Ukyou realized that Akane had shown a great deal of restraint
throught the whole ordeal. She had not intentionally tried to aggravate
matters, and in many cases Akane had been the only reason Ukyou
herself had not been at Saotome's throat.
     At the least she owed Akane an appology for her behaiour, but
she just did not know how to go about it. It was apparent that Akane
was not in the mood to talk to her, and Ukyou was unable to express
an aplogy to someone who had always been a rival. 
     Miserable, Ukyou leaned against the window. She wished there
was an easy way out of everything, but there was no easy answer. Even
if Ranchan was cured, someone was going to be hurt. She just prayed
to the kami that it would not be herself. Hadn't her life been filled with
enough pain already? "I love you, Ranchan," Ukyou whispered quiely
as she watched the rocky landscape speed by.
     
      Sanagu was a small traditional village. Akane decided that it could
not have a population more than two thousand people. But even two
thousand was enough to search through for information.
     Genma parked the car in the village square. Several old men were
playing separate games of shogi on a porch across from them. Stepping
out of the car, Genma walked over to the men and started talking with
them. Akane watched from the car.
     When Genma sat down and began to play a game with one of the
older men, she sighed and opened the door. Maybe she could uncover
some more information like she had the previous night. Besides,
searching for information would kept her away from Ukyou. 
     She walked through the streets of Sanagu. It was not very large,
only three main streets that ran parallel to the expressway and maybe a
dozen or so interconnecting streets. The place was desolate. In her
entire search she only came upon a few dozen people, most of them
older women or men. There were a few younger women watching over
children who were not at school, and even a few young men, but other
than that.
     It took her a while to figure this out. The only possibility was that
most of the people had jobs outside of the village, either at one of the
military bases or back in Nago. It was not uncommon for rural people
to commute into the city. This was substantiated more by a bus stop
she found at one end of the village.
     After an hour or so, Akane decided it was useless to continue
searching. There were not very many people here, and most of them
stayed away from her since she was a stranger. She made her way back
to the car to find Genma finishing his game with the old man. 
     Standing up, Genma payed his respects and returned to the car. A
bright smile on his face.
     "What did you find out?" Akane asked curiously.
     "No one has seen Ouchi-sensei for about a year, but then he doesn't
come down to Sanagu very often according to those men. They told me
to try in the next village up, since when he does come here it is
generally from that direction."
     "So we just follow along village to village, like Miyanou-sensei
said?" Akane asked, crestfallen. This was probably going to take longer
than she had hoped. Just please don't let it be longer than five days. 
     "Soo-de su, we follow where the path leads," Genma answered.
     Ukyou silently watched and listened to the two as she sat beside
Ranma-onna. He knew she was not going ot be much help. Really she
had only come akong to be with Ranma, and showed him she cared.
When he woke up, she planned to be the first person he saw. Other
than that, her prescence on this trip was distasteful to her. I just wanna
help Ranchan.   

     Ranma sat patiently on the ground, watching as Xian Lin walked
back to him. Thousands of questions were spinning in his head at the
moment, and he was going to get answers to some of them.
     Xian Lin walked wearily, her head down. Ranma could feel her
exhaustion and grief in addition to the anger that ran beneath it all.
Patiently he waited while she made her way to him and then finally sat
down in front of him. She did not drop her eyes but instead bore her
gaze into his. He knew she was studying his thoughts, trying to find out
what he was going to do. 
     She found the answer. He just wanted the truth. There was nothing
else that would help him. The only thing that mattered to Ranma was
getting home to Akane and his life. Xian Lin was going to help him so
he was not going to push her away from him. In addition to this, he had
come to like the girl in his time trapped with her. He did not blame her
any longer for the curse, it was not her fault, but he still wanted the
truth. They had to be open between each other.
     "What do you want to know?"Xian Lin asked in a heavy voice.
     There were a thousand questions he wanted to ask, but only one
really mattered. "What was Boukyaku talking about? Why does he
know you? Why does he  hate you?"
     "It goes back to when I was trapped in the pool, when I died," she
began, watching Ranma with sad eyes, "I told you I was an Amazon.
The Amazon's are the keepers of Boukyaku's prisons. The Judgment of
Boukyaku was placed upon Amazons who had done the unspeakable or
who were undesirable. You see by sending them to Boukyaku there
soul was obliterated thereby making it impossible for them to be reborn
into the tribe. His is the ultimate punishment, worse than exile. Even in
exile the soul will be reborn."
     She paused as a grimace of pain and grief crossed her face. "I was
sixteen at the time of my death. I was in love with a man who I was not
supposed to love. At that time it was forbidden, but I could not help
myself. We defied the elders, but that is not a great enough offense for
the Judgement, except that he was not of the Amazon tribe, I made him
part of it."
     "To punish me and him they passed the Judgment on him. I was
devastated. Not only would I lose him in that life, I could never have
him again, ever. For ten days of his sentence I stayed within my hut.
They kept him locked away from me, so we could not do anythign rash.
Finally I decided on an action."
     Ranma could feel the memory of fear and indecision, the appalling
chance she was about to take. "There is a way to break the Judgement
without a Matriarch."
     "How?" Ranma asked.
     "It's the statue that is the key. There were thirteen of them when I
died. Boukyaku enters the one that is given to the cursed individual. It
takes fourteen days to do. Each day he becomes stronger until the
fourteenth when he is fully in the statue. What I was going to do could
only be done on the last night."
     "Since the statue is a prison, if it is broken, Boukyaku is released
into the world. Boukyaku stays there until the person who released him
is either dead or defeats him. It was a risk I was willing to take."
     "On the fourteenth night, the tribe convened outside of the village,
near Jusenkyo. It was at that place that all of our ceremonies were held.
They brought forth my lover. He stood so bravely before them, his
head held high, his eyes blazing in the night. In his right hand he held
the statue. I acted"
     "Rushing forward, I knocked him down and lifted a large hammer. I
slammed it down on the statues, releasing a small blast of ki to weaken
it. It shattered, releasing Boukyaku into this world."
     "I was terrified as I saw him. I-I can't even describe what he looks
like, it is horrible, horrible, but I stood and faced him, standing over my
lover. We began to fight."
     "Actually it could not be called a fight. I was simply trying to
survive, allow my love to escape. He didn't. He came to help me." Xian
Lin stopped speaking as her voice broke, tears glistening in her eyes.
"The blow would have killed me, but he took it. He died in front of me,
no last words. His body had been crushed."
     "I-I died right then. But I had one small victory, I had saved his
soul. He would be reborn into the tribe. And I decided to join him. I
was going to die at the hands of Boukyaku anyway. I knew I could not
defeat him. I did not have the experience or the power. So I ran."
     "Boukyaku chased me as I fled into Jusenkyo. There I finally turned
and faced Boukyaku. Pure hunger pulsed from that bastard as he
loomed over me, but I was not going to go to Boukyaku. My soul was
my own."
     "I drew in my ki, let it build and build until I was burning with
power. It was more than I had ever held before, and at the last moment
I changed it, I forced it in on myself, turning it into a burning shaft of
white that struck through my body, exploding around me, filling me
with a sublime joy. That is the last thing I remember before entering the
pool. But that is another story."
     Ranma was about to press but he caught an edge of the unfathom-
able grief and quilt that hung just beneath the surface. He decided that
her explanation satisfied him enough. "I can see why you hate Bouk-
yaku. I can see why you're helping me, but can you face Boukyaku
now? I mean before he completely out matched you." Ranma asked
cautiously, worry gnawing at him.
     "Hai, I can," Xian Lin said, "For fifteen hundred years I've been
imprisoned, fighting for that entire time. In this form I am powerful
enough to contend with him, especially if you help me Ranma. You're
as powerful as me in your own way." Ranma nodded.
     "I think we should go seek this thing out," Ranma said, "I'm not
letting him sneak up on me like he did."
     "We can try, but I doubt Boukyaku'll show before everything is
ready. Its strength must be full before it risks another attack. This one
was just to scare and unsettle us."
     "C'mon, we've got a lot of work to do," Ranma said. He took Xian
Lin's hand and pulled her to her feet. "I want us to be perfectly in
tune. It will make things easier."
     "How are we going to do that?" Xian Lin asked.
     "I was hoping you had some ideas."  Xian Lin smiled in response. 

     The next two and a half days passed in a blur for Akane. From
Sanagu they visited many other villages, each one ending almost exactly
the same as the previous one. "No we've not seen him. But the people
in the next village might have seen him."
     It became increasingly frustrating. It was almost like Ouchi-sensei
had dropped from the face of the earth. And then they found
something different, a place where they actually knew Ouchi-san.
Though they had not seen him for a few months, they directed the
weary and bedraggled party to another village.
     Unfortunately it was a small village and cars could not get to it,
since it was part way up the mountain side. The decision was easily
made. They decided to walk, paying a villager to use his mule so they
could take Ranma. According to their informer the village of Okino-
kami was a half day walk from his village. It was mid morning at that
point, so they decided to leave and head for Okinokami.
     The trip was a pleasant one for Akane. Spring was blooming around
them, as they moved through the forested mountain side. Birds chirped
incessantly from the treetops, filling the air with their melodious
warbling. Small rodents scurried in the undergrowth and she even
caught glimpses of larger animals. It was a refreshing break from the
normal country-side around Nerima. All of the forested land was either
empty of wildlife, frightened off by the human presence or immacu-
lately groomed in parks.
     She wanted Ranma to be able to enjoy this with her, and if every
thing worked out, he would on the way back. She smiled happily to
herself and continued to enjoy the walk through the woods, reveling
in the sounds and the scents of the wild.
     Unfortunately her good cheer did not last long. The village was
quiet and empty of life when they arrived early in the afternoon. They
split up and searched, hoping to find a reason. The reason soon became
apparent. Every thing that was in the village was sound asleep, even the
animals. 
     Akane sat on the ground a sour expression on her face. "What could
put a whole village to sleep?" she asked of no one in particular, "I mean
why would someone want a whole village to sleep? It's not as if they
are important to anyone..."
     "Cologne!" All three of them said in unison.
     "Chikusho!" Akane swore.
     "How does that baba stay ahead of us?" Ukyou asked in exas-
peration. She pounded her fist into her open palm in frustration.
     "She must really want Ranma this time. She's playing hardball,"
Genma noted, looking around at the deserted village.
     Akane pushed herself off the ground. "I'm going for a walk" This
was not how things were supposed to happen. They were supposed to
find Ouchi-sensei and cure Ranma. Now they were at a dead end. It
was not fair.
     No one stopped her so she walked off into the woods, wandering
slowly up the mountain, following a trail that led away from the village. 
She was near tears. Now she had to give Ranma to Shampoo. What
other choice was there? They had wasted all of the time chasing after
this cure, and it was impossible to go back to China and see if the
Amazons would reverse the Judgement. They had lost.
     Akane continued to walk, lost in her own thoughts. She did not
even realize it when she came into a clearing. It was only when she
noticed a small cottage in the clearing that she became excited. Could
this be where Ouchi-sensei lived?
     Hope welled up within her. Maybe not all was lost. "Ouchi-sensei!" 
she called, "Are you here? We need your help. It's very important.
Please answer me!"
     There was no answer. Then Akane had a sudden inspiration. What if
Cologne had put him to sleep also? Then all she had to do was find him
and wake him up. It seemed so easy, so perfect. She rushed up to the
cottage and into it.
     The place looked like it had not been lived in for a time. There was
no dust, but the place just did not have a feel of a place that held human
life. Slowly she checked the four small rooms. There was nothing, just
furniture, books, and decorations.
     Slipping into a depression again, Akane went outside into the back
of the cottage, hoping there might be one more place to look. She
found a small garden, immaculately kept. A stone path ran through the
center and around a koi pond. Bonsai were planted in sparse yet perfect
arrangements. It was beautiful. 
     She followed the path, looking for something that could help her.
She noticed a marker off to the side. Curious, she went over to it and
knelt before it. Her heart chilled as she saw it, tears burning in her eyes.
"No, no, no, no! It's not fair! It's not fair! I don't want to lose Ranma."
She collapsed against Ouchi-sensei's gravestone, crying her heart out.



     Author's Notes:

     Wow, that was a long one. Ha I love a good ending. Hey don't
look at me like that. Life is not always kind and it never works out how
we want it to, I try and have my writing reflect that. You'll notice that
MASN will be very grim at times, no not really dark, but grim and
realistic. This is not meant to be comedy, it is meant to be drama, and
maybe some tragedy in there for effect.
     For a quick translation note: Nani-yo anta is a smimple insult. It
basically translates as to Who do you think you are? Although it is a
little stronger. Nani-yo anta is the version used by females. The anta is
a deragatory slang form of anata which means 'you'. And I don't know
how Ukyou's accent would change this. If a boy was saying this phrase
it would become nani temee. Got it? Good ^_^
     You'll have to forgive my Ukyou. I don't want her to be a
complete vengeance nut, but I don't think that Akane and her would be
getting along very well. More than ever they are rivals now. Ukyou
see athreat in the closeness Akane is demonstrating with Ranma. She
realizes that she is not assured of winning anymore. With all the
engagements out the window, and Akane being nice, will Ranma still
want her? It is a painful realization, so she acts like this. She feels sorry
for her anger, but cannot take the step of forgiving and fogetting, and
maybe becoming friends with Akane. So that explains Ukyou.
     Xian Lin...Oh I'm loving this character. I can do whatever I
want with her and not have to worry about OOC, why? Because I
created her, bwahahahaha..... Seriosuly though. I enjoy creating
characters from scratch, although I'm trying to create them within the
story, hence Xian Lin's origin. Besides I love playing around with the
stories behind the curses.
     I really don't want to write a lot of Author's Notes. I want
C&C on my characters. How do you like them? Are they really OOC?
What can be changed? I can do grammar and spelling, but my
characters are my weakest point in my self editting. So please help.
     Well I'm going to leave it at that. Part VI will mot likely be out
by next Tuesday. It is tentatively titled: Sacrafice and Betrayal. 
     Please kepe reading. Thanks to everyone who has shown
interest in my writing so far. Somehow that make s it all worth it.

     Ja ne for now

     Joseph Ashira Kohle