And here is part 4..... I think I wavered a bit at the end, I just couldn't
really find a graceful way to express the scene ending....

Part 4


	Toshiro Misawa was very uncomfortable. Part of his discomfort could have
been stemming from the powerful hand clamped on his left shoulder. Part of
it could have been the very sharp sword, hovering threateningly over his
right shoulder. Perhaps it stemmed from the wreckage of his night club that
surrounded him, caused by the strange woman with the dual colored hair, or
even from the steel blue eyes of the teen-aged youth that stared at him
from across the room. Most likely, however, the source of his discomfort
was in the fog of cigar smoke that rolled into his face, followed by the
gravely voice of a man that Toshiro had hoped to never see again.
	"You know, Tosh, it's been a long night and I'm getting tired," Logan
casually leaned toward him. He gestured around,  "Hell Tosh, these young
bucks with me can probably party all night long. But me, well, after
shaking apart three bars, a night club, and two little alley dives, I think
I'm starting to feel a little fatigue."
	Logan motioned to Ryoga and Mousse to back away a bit and casually reached
his hand out as the two released their holds on Misawa. Forming a fist, he
suddenly placed it lightly against the underside of Toshiro's jaw. There
was the sudden sound of metal sliding across metal and Wolverine's left
claw was suddenly caressing the side of Toshiro's cheek.
	* snikt *
	"I get cranky when I'm tired, Tosh."
	* snikt *
	The right claw extended and pressed against the flesh of Toshiro's face.
He became very aware of the positioning of Wolverine's hand and tried to
hold himself as still as possible.
	"C'mon Tosh, you can either tell me what I want to know, or you can test
me and see if I'll use the third claw." Logan grinned ferally and his eyes
glinted dangerously. Behind him, the three young teenagers shuffled
nervously, but seemed to draw a little bit of confidence from Rogue, who
was simply leaning against the bar and watching with a trace of amusement.
	"I-I� I don't know anything, Logan-san." Toshiro weakly squeaked out.
	"That's not what Chang said. Is it Ranma?" Wolverine's voice lowered
dangerously and he continually tensed and relaxed his fist.
	Ranma looked a bit surprised to be called on like this but responded with
a strong tone of voice. "Nope, that old creep at the Golden Dragon said
that you knew something about our friends disappearance."
	"I don't even know who you guys are." Toshiro laughed nervously, "How can
I know about your friends?"
	Ranma countered, "He said that two purple haired girls were seen here, in
the back room, looking like they were either drunk or maybe drugged."
Ranma's hand curled into a fist at the thought.
	"Hey, I don't know anything about a couple of purple haired bimbos!"
	Mousse was at his side in the blink of an eye, his scimitar hovering next
to Toshiro's ear. "Watch it," he hissed. "You call my Shampoo a bimbo once
more and you won't have to worry about Wolverine-sans claw."
	Ryoga reached out and took hold of Mousse's arm. "Now, now," he said
placatingly, "he can't help us if you kill him. If you have to do anything,
just slice him up some." Hibiki's voice was disturbingly nonchalant and
Toshiro squirmed as his words sunk in. Ryoga looked up and shot a wink to
Wolverine. He stepped back as he added, almost as an afterthought, "Let me
get out of the way though. I hate having to wash blood out of my clothes." 
	Ranma saw the grin that Ryoga was hiding and had to fight back his own. He
stepped forward and gestured soothingly with his hands. "Hey, Ryoga's right
Mousse. Look, I know that Chinese Amazon law states you have to respond to
insults of your loved ones with deadly force, but wait until after he
talks. Hey, if he can help us out, maybe you could let him off the hook and
not have to kill him?" Ranma shrugged.
	Toshiro's eyes moved left and then right. He glanced at Mousse and saw the
trembling anger in his arm�.looking at Ranma, Ryoga, and Rogue he saw
simple disinterest�. Finally moving his eyes front he took in Wolverine's
face, eyes wide open and gleaming, nostrils flaring over and over. He
slightly slumped and bawled, "All right, all right!! Look, a couple members
of the Hand came through here with these two," he swallowed nervously and
shot a glance at Mousse, "uhhh, ladies and waited for some kind of pick up.
They told me that if I told anybody, they'd come back and kill me!! That's
all I know, I swear!! They waited in the back and then they got picked up
by some guy!!"
	Mousse hissed and pressed his scimitar harder against the side of
Toshiro's face. "I don't thin that's good enough to make up for insulting
my darling Shampoo."
	"Like the boy said, that's not good enough Tosh." Wolverine's eyes bored
directly into his. "The guy, who was he, how long ago, details, Tosh,
details."
	"Uhhh� he was Chinese!! Ummm�two, no, three nights ago. Uhh.. one of the
ninja called him� Li Fong. That's it! Li Fong. That's all I can say. I
swear!! I don't know anything else!"
	Mousse darted a razor sharp glance at Wolverine. "Logan-san, is this
information worth this piece of filth's life?"
	Wolverine's brow furrowed in thought. Toshiro stared at him helplessly.
"Okay Tosh, that's pretty good." Logan nodded to Mousse. "The info is good,
kid." Wolverine's claws retracted and Toshiro took a deep breath. Mousse
spun Toshiro around to face him and smiled at him.
	"Thank you," he politely stated, and with a sudden snap of his neck,
head-butted the informant into unconsciousness. Turning, he regarded Ranma
with a puzzled look. "I didn't realize that you were so knowledgeable on
Chinese Amazon law."
	"What?!" came the startled reply from several voices. Ryoga stammered
through the collective noise. "You mean you weren't faking?"
	Mousse only looked back in innocent-eyed confusion.
	"Oh man," Ranma muttered, "This is getting intense."
	"Anyways, surgah, what does 'Li Fong' get us?" Rouge directed at Wolverine.
	Wolverine exhaled slowly and tilted his hat back. "Li Fong gets us a
connection that means we need some heavy duty help. Li Fong means we're not
just facing Matsuo and the Hand. Li Fong means we're facing the Mandarin too."
	His statement drew flat looks of incomprehension from Ranma and Ryoga.
Rouge shook her head slowly as she realized what they would be going
against. Mousse, however, went as white as his robes. Wolverine noted all
of this.
	"You know of him, boy?" he directed at the Chinese youth.
	"My village does. He has a � bad history with the Amazons."
	Wolverine gestured suddenly. "C'mon, we can go over it on the move. It's
running late." He began to herd the group out of the shattered nightclub.
	"Where to Wolvie? Back to the restaurant?"
	Wolverine shook his head in response to Rogue's question. "Nah, too far
away, and besides, we don't want anybody back trailing us there. We'll head
somewhere I know has some defenses. Co won't be to worried, and we ought to
be able to call her when we get to where we're going."
	"Another old friend?" she asked with a smile.
	"Yeah, somebody who can help us out against the Hand. Them alone, we could
take. The Mandarin alone, we could probably take. Together? We could use
the help. C'mon. Follow me. Mousse can fill us in on what the Mandarin has
to do with the Amazons."
	As the five began to move off into the night, Ranma piped in. "So let me
get this straight? We're about to get in a fight with a Chinese dialect?"
	Mousse shook his head in exasperation and began his story. Twenty minutes
later, after following Wolverine on a twisting path of rooftops and
alleyways, they had all learned of both the Mandarin's connection to the
Amazons and his history with the X-Men. 
	"Hey, Logan-san. Where the heck are we going anyway?" Ranma asked as the
group raced over a wall ledge. He couldn't help but notice that Wolverines
balance and stance over the wall was just as smooth and centered, if not
more so, then his own and his friends.
	"Hey, this place looks familiar." Strangely enough, these words came from
Ryoga.
	"Every place looks familiar to you, Hibiki." Mousse puffed out sarcastically.
	"Oh yeah, well at least I can see my surroundings, Duck-boy!"
	"Can it," Wolvie growled. He jumped from the wall and landed in a shadowy
grove of trees like a large tiger. The trio of teenagers followed, each one
touching down with similar cat-like precision. Rogue floated silently
behind them.
	Ranma suddenly looked around with recognition and groaned. He leaned
towards Wolverine and whispered urgently. "Hey, wait a minute Logan. I know
this place. Look wherever we're going, let's go. We don't want to be caught
here."
	"Where are we?" hissed Ryoga and Mousse in unison.
	Wolverine beat Ranma to the punch and rose out of his crouch to stand.
"We're exactly where we want to be. The Kuno Estate."


*	*	*

	It was very dark. Shadowy shapes flitted in and out of his vision. Where
was he? What was happening? The last thing he remembered was a sudden cry,
a flash of metal, and the cold biting feel of steel. With a surge of
adrenaline and near panic, Remy LeBeau lurched forward. He heard a short
yelp of surprise and felt strong hands grab his shoulders. Before he could
react he heard a familiar voice.
	"Calm down, Gambit. Relax. We're okay."
	He shook his head to focus and was rewarded with the vision of his
smiling, blue-furred companion, Henry McCoy. He looked around as his old
instincts took hold of him and quickly tried to determine what he could. He
was on a table, wood, Beast was holding his shoulders and he could see the
X-Men team leader, Cyclops, sitting in a chair, bandages around his chest,
drinking some sort of beverage. There was a man in a black gi standing next
to Henry and two teenaged girls staring at him in surprise. The yelp, he
assumed, had come from one of them. 
	"Wha? Beast, where are we, what happened?"
	McCoy repeated himself in a calm, deep tone. "Calm down, Gambit. We're
safe. Relax. Let me and the good doctor take a look at you."
	Gambit looked around again. "Where are we? Where's Rogue? Where's
Wolverine? Who are these people?"
	Henry counted off with his large fingers while he tilted Gambit's head to
the side so he could check his pupils. "One. We are in a restaurant named
the Cat Caf�. I recommend the sweet and sour chicken and the egg-drop ramen
soup." He slowly helped Gambit sit up and turn, so that the Cajun thief-
turned hero could swing his legs over the side. "Two. Our Southern Belle is
off gallivanting with our intrepid, feisty, associate Wolverine and
assorted others. Since he is in charge, by now they have probably
terrorized the city, destroying bars and clubs and whatnot in a
sensible-only-to-Logan path of information gathering." Dr. Tofu assisted
Beast as the two men examined Gambit's pulse, respiration and other vitals.
"Three. See two." He nodded to Dr. Tofu in a satisfied way and Tofu nodded
back. McCoy gestured with a motion that Gambit interpreted as an invitation
to stand, and the two doctors helped him to his feet. "And four, these
young people are friends of Logan and have been very kind and invaluable in
assisting us. Allow me to introduce my comrade in healing, Dr. Onu Tofu."
Tofu nodded his head and extended his hand. Gambit reached out of reflex
and shook it. Beast waved his arm in a gesture encompassing the others.
"And also allow me the pleasure of introducing the lovely Miss Akane Tendo
and the lovely Miss Ukyou Kuonji. Be forewarned, I have already warned the
ladies of the silver tongued devil that you are."
	Gambit frowned as he processed the rush of information. He staggered
forward and settled heavily into a chair across from Cyclops. He looked
around and regarded Henry's somewhat jovial face, the unsure expressions on
the two girls, the look of thought on the face of the Japanese doctor, and
finally, the haggard, tired expression on the face of the Cyclops. He
closed his eyes for a moment and reflected on what he now knew; the X-Men
being attacked, then reaching an apparently safe haven, the division of the
team, the physical well-being of himself and Cyclops, and finally, all of
the unknowns that were associated with everything about this mission. He
opened his eyes and gravely regarded Cyclops. 
	"Cyke, if dat dere drink is alcoholic, put me down for one, mon ami."
	Cyclops wearily smiled and shook his head. "Sorry Remy, its just tea."
	An aged voice came from behind Gambit's shoulder. "And I have a cup for
you as well, young man."
	Gambit turned and caught his first glance of Cologne. Beast spoke up once
more, "And finally, my friend, this is Cologne, the owner of this
establishment and a past associate of Wolverine." Gambit stared at Cologne
for a moment, taking in her large eyes and small form and noting her
balance on her staff. He mentally shrugged, when he had lived in New
Orleans he had seen far, far stranger things, especially during Mardi Gras.
	She pushed a steaming cup and bowl in front of him and pogoed into the
back, calling over her shoulder, "If anyone needs anything, I'll be
cleaning up a bit back here."
	Gambit took a sip of the tea and noted that it was a pleasant herbal
mixture that sent a wave of warmth through his aching body. He reached for
a spoon to start on the soup and turned his attention to the trio of
Japanese watching him.
	"I apologize for my manners," he said in passable Japanese, "I should have
introduced myself before. My name is Gambit. I'm pleased to meet you." He
nodded at Dr. Tofu, "I thank you for helping to patch me up." Out of the
corner of his eye he saw Cyclops staring at him in resignation. "What's
wrong, Scott?" he asked in English, "Doesn't everybody speak a little
Japanese?"
	"Everybody but me, apparently," the erstwhile leader of the X-Men
grumbled. Remy grinned and then noticed that one of the girls seemed to be
regarding him with a bit of close attention. She had long brown hair tied
with a white ribbon and was wearing what appeared to be some sort of
bandolier. 
	"Can I help you, petite?" he asked, again in Japanese.
	"Ummm� well," Ukyou fought against a blush and concentrated on her
English. She thrust a small pad at him. "Would it bother you if I asked for
your autograph?"
	Gambit looked at Cyclops in surprise, then turned and regarded Beast. "Is
she serious?"
	"Quite serious, friend Gambit, she already corralled our fearless leader
for his and gained mine almost as soon as she entered. It appears as if
Miss Kuonji is somewhat of a fan of superheroes." Hank and Scott both
smiled as Ukyou blushed again.
	"I� uhhh� keep a scrapbook. I never thought I'd get a chance to actually
meet some superheroes. The closest I've ever been to one was when Sunfire
visited my grade-school a long time ago." She nudged the pad and pen a
little closer to him. Gambit smiled and picked it up, noting that the pen
was one of those multi-color jobs that held four different shades of ink,
while the pad was just a normal pad of white paper, like the kind found in
restaurants that waitresses took orders on.
	"No problem, petite, I'd be glad to." He examined the pad and noted
Henry's neat tight signature in blue. He read aloud, "To Ukyou Kuonji, from
Dr. Henry McCoy, also known as the loquacious, bouncing Beast", he cocked
an eyebrow at him and chuckled as he looked at Cyclops' message. "To Ukyou,
thanks for the help. Cyclops." Cyclops' name was written in a large bold
signature with a great flourish and a curved underline.
	Cyclops leaned back defensively, "What? I've never been asked for my
autograph before. I thought it might as well be a nice one."
	Gambit grinned and shook his head again. "I guess so," he chuckled as he
popped out the purple color and scrawled out, 'Many thanks, from Gambit' in
a solid, slashing style. He handed her the pad and asked in English, "Is
this good 'nough for you?"
	She looked at it and bobbed her head affirmatively. "Hai. Yes. Thank you!
I mean�."
	Akane elbowed her slightly and hissed, "Ukyouuuu�. I think he gets the
point!"
	Gambit just shook his head one last time in amusement and began to dig in
to the bowl of soup. "So, where did Logan and ma chere Rouge run off to?"
	And so, as Remy LeBeau and Scott Summers ate soup, they came to learn of
Shampoo's abduction, Ranma, Ryoga, and Mousse, and their subsequent teaming
with Wolverine and Rouge. The quartet talked for quite a while and names
were exchanged, stories were told and histories were noted.
	"So let me get this straight," Cyclops asked, his brow furrowing
underneath his ruby quartz glasses. "Ranma is engaged to both of you and
Shampoo, and all three of you, plus a young girl named Kodachi, want to
marry him. He turns into a girl when he's splashed with cold water and
turns into a guy when he's splashed with hot?"
	"That about sums it up," Ukyou nodded agreeably.
	"All except the part about me wanting to marry him," Akane muttered, darkly.
	The two X-Men traded swift looks and smiles at this, they had both thought
her denials about Ranma seemed a little over the top and figured she cared
more than she let on. Gambit stretched back and shook his head.
	"And we thought our lives were eventful. Bella Donna and the T'ieves Guild
doesn't seem to add up to this very much."
	Cyclops nodded and echoed Gambit's statement, "And I thought I had it bad
with Madelyn and Jean and uncontrollable optic blasts."
	Cologne came pogoing over on her staff. "Has anyone noted the time?"
	Heads turned towards clocks and groans escaped from everyone in the room.
	Cyclops looked up and stated, "Pretty soon, the day is really going to
begin and you're going to start getting customers. I thank you all for your
hospitality, but I think we have to be going."
	Cologne countered, "Now hold a moment, sonny-boy, I don't think you or
your companion is in much condition to go anywhere. I was thinking that we
simply moved you three," a wave of her arm encompassed Beast, Cyclops, and
Gambit, "upstairs, and let you three," another wave indicated Ukyou, Akane,
and Dr. Tofu, "to return to your respective homes and businesses. You can
all return later, if you would like."
	"Now wait a minute," Cyclops started, "I appreciate the offer, but I don't
think we can drag you in to something like this," he started to rise and
Beast had to catch him as he wavered on his feet.
	"See what I mean?" Cologne clucked, not unsympathetically. "Besides, Logan
and Ranma will expect you to stay here. If I know Logan, then he will
probably try to hole up once the sun comes up and he'll call here,
expecting us to do the same. I can hide you three without a problem.
Anyways, as to 'dragging us into something', you seem to forget that it is
my granddaughter who is also missing."
	"She's right, oh fearless leader. Besides, I think all of us can use a
little bit of increased physical deactivity, combined with a hope of rapid
eye movement." At Cyclops blank look, Hank sighed, "My point exactly. To
put it simply, we need some sleep oh uni-eyed one."
	Cyclops nodded in reluctant recognition of Cologne and Hank's valid points.
	With that, Dr. Tofu and Cologne helped Beast with walking Cyclops and
Gambit up the stairs to bed down. When the two returned, Cologne simply
thanked the three Japanese and bid them all to return to their homes, and
to return to the Cat Caf� if they felt like they could help. The three
assured her they would and exited the building, Akane first extracting a
promise from Cologne to call the Tendo Dojo and inform them of any details
as to Ranma and Ryoga's location. Thus the trio split up, each hoping to
catch an hour or so of sleep before having to start their day.

*	*	*	*

end part 4...

post-note....

Hey, I would love some feedback on this part... Did you X-philes (hmmm..
should we call Moulder and Scully on that one?) think that Beast sounded in
character? (I like him, in case you couldn't figure it out... he's a
wonderful character to write...)

prospects for part 5....

Who is Wolverine going to see at the Kuno estate?
Will the gang at the Cat Cafe be safe?
Where is Psylocke and Shampoo?
Will we see the return of Lady Mandarin?
Will Ray get the next part typed in a much more immediate time-frame?

Here are a few answers, in no particular order... No... Kinda... An old
friend... who knows... hopefully...

Sweet water and light laughter....