**********************************************************************
Part 3e: THE HEART AND SOUL OF THE MATTER
**********************************************************************
Akane woke up to a soft knock on her door. She rubbed her eyes,
then abruptly sat up in bed.
(I don't believe it! I fell asleep! What's going on? Where's
Ranma!?)
The knock came again.
"Come IN!" Akane said irritably.
Nabiki entered the bedroom and said, "I need to talk to you about
this morning. And about Ranma."
"Nabiki, I don't have time for this." She grabbed at the clock on
her bedside table. In the process, she almost knocked over the empty
glass which had contained the warm milk Kasumi had given her earlier
that afternoon.
"I've been asleep for hours! I've got to check on Ranma! There's
no telling what that idiot might do...."
"He's fine."
"Huh?" Akane's head swiveled toward her sister.
"He's helping Kasumi clean up the walkway."
"Huh?" Akane blankly repeated.
Nabiki closed the door behind her and patiently waited for Akane
to absorb this information. In the meantime, she went through her
mental checklist of things done and things left to do.
She had taken Ranma's bloody clothes, stashed Kuno's katana in a
safe place, told her subordinates to hold the fort business-wise, and
browbeat Sasuke into telling her what little he could about Kuno.
Next on the agenda was the search of Ranma's room. Nabiki wanted
to get her hands on that old Neko-ken manual that Genma had shown them
months before. If it wasn't there, it could be in her father's room.
She hoped that the night would be quiet. Her ribs ached, her body
was bruised all over, and she was running herself ragged. But there
was no help for it. No one else in the family was capable of handling
matters properly.
"Ranma's fine? Are you trying to tell me that there's nothing
wrong with him?"
"I didn't say that. I just meant that there's no immediate need
to panic, Akane. So you can surely spare me a few minutes to talk to
me."
"I'm not panicking!" Akane looked suspiciously at her sister.
"Why do you want to know, anyway?"
Nabiki looked suitably fed up and exasperated with the whole
situation. "Listen, Akane. You know how Ranma's mother and Ukyo
reacted. They're both so messed up about the Neko-ken and Ranma's cat
thing, they can't see beyond their own noses. Figuring out Shampoo's
Japanese gives me a headache. You know that Ranma won't remember
anything. Who else am I going to talk to? Kodachi?"
Akane winced at the thought and sank back restlessly onto her bed.
"All right," she muttered.
"So, tell me what happened this morning."
"Well, I came back from my morning run...."
------------------------------------
Nabiki listened intently to Akane's story but didn't ask any
questions. At the end of Akane's version, Nabiki's only comment was,
"I see."
Akane glared at her sister. "Is that it? 'I see.'? I thought
you wanted to HELP Ranma!"
Nabiki's eyebrows twitched and she said in an unexpectedly terse
voice, "I do. And I did."
Akane backed off a bit in the face of Nabiki's temper. "Uh,... So
what did I miss?"
------------------------------------
"Shampoo did what!?" Akane stared at her sister in disbelief.
"I said that she was the one who kept Ukyo from following you and
Ranma to the bathroom."
"I don't believe it! Why?"
"Don't look at me. I don't know. All I can say is that it
certainly appears like she's given up on Ranma."
"But... but it's so sudden. I mean, she's been chasing after him
non-stop all this time and she gives up just like that?" Akane
snapped her fingers, then her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "That
Amazon bimbo... she's probably got some crazy scheme going with
Cologne."
Nabiki sounded pensive. "No, I don't think so. Don't let your
jealousy blind you to the facts. Shampoo's flat out admitted before
witnesses that she knows that Ranma wants YOU. Not only is she
willing to accept you as Ranma's chosen fiancee, but she's now also
ready to defend YOUR position, by force, if necessary.
Akane snapped, "I'm NOT jealous!"
Nabiki stared at her younger sister and shook her head. "That's
pure reflex and habit talking, Akane. Not good."
Akane's face turned beet red. She already knew that, but to be
reminded by Nabiki, of all people....
Her older sister sighed wearily. "Akane, I know that you and
Ranma have been gradually working things out between you."
"Well, um.... Yes."
"Unfortunately, I think you may be running out of time."
Akane looked up at Nabiki. "What is it? If you've got something
to say, spit it out!"
Her sister gave her a long searching stare. "All right, I do have
something to tell you. Can you handle it?"
Akane's instinctive reaction was to snap out a furious, "Of
course!" However, Nabiki's grim expression and her earlier warnings
about reflexes and habits made her hesitate... and really think.
After a moment, she nodded very slowly and said, "If it has to do with
Ranma,... yes,... I think I can."
"All right. Trouble's coming, Akane. You don't think that this
morning was the end of it, do you? And to be honest with you, I'm
really worried."
Akane looked nervous. "What are you talking about?"
"Listen, I don't have any real proof about what's going on and I
may be way off-base about this, but I have a few nasty suspicions.
First, that what happened this morning was a carefully orchestrated
plot directed at Ranma. Second, that the person responsible for this
morning's battle wasn't simply trying to defeat or even kill Ranma. I
think this enemy's out to really destroy him -- heart, mind, and soul.
I'm not talking some minor psyche-out tactic, here. I'm talking
total destruction or worse. Madness. Obliteration. Do you
understand what I'm saying?"
Akane went pale and nodded slowly.
"Let's face it, Akane. This guy's done his or her homework. He's
going for the soft underbelly."
Akane winced at the all too graphic image.
"Ranma may be... hell, IS... one of the best martial artists
around but he is NOT well equipped to handle this sort of attack."
Akane suppressed the urge to scream "Shut up!" at her sister. She
almost hated Nabiki for clearly stating things that she herself had
only vaguely dreaded. But yelling at her sister wouldn't make the
problem go away.
"He's insecure, socially inept, emotionally immature, and
regardless of what you might think most of the time, he's actually a
pretty sensitive and caring person."
"I... I know." Akane stared down at her nervously twisting
fingers.
"I'm glad to hear that. Because Ranma's going to need every bit
of your support he can get. If you really want to help Ranma, he
needs to know that he can trust you AND talk to you. He also needs to
know that YOU trust him.
"M-m-me?"
Nabiki pulled at her hair in exasperation. "Akane, quit being so
dense! Who else can Ranma talk to!?"
She knew that her older sister was right. Genma was hopeless and
his mother was probably even worse. When Akane thought about it,
Ranma had an overabundance of enemies and rivals, a lot of casual
acquaintances, and a few friends. But there were no truly close
friends. Well, there was Ukyo. But Akane had noticed an odd sort of
uneasiness between Ranma and Ukyo recently, even before this morning's
events.
"Akane, I'm not asking you to lie. That would be worse than
blurting out something stupid. I am asking you to think and think
CAREFULLY about what you say and what you do."
Nabiki's voice softened just a bit. "Akane. I'm serious about
the consequences. If you really mess up, you may not have the chance
to tell Ranma 'Oops, I didn't really mean that.' Got it?"
As she watched her sister, Nabiki knew the incredibly heavy burden
she was placing on Akane's shoulders. Self-control simply was not
Akane's forte but Nabiki also knew that this was something that she
could not possibly handle by herself. She had to have Akane's help.
Nabiki hoped that her baby sister would be up to the task.
"But... what about you, Nabiki?" Akane's voice was soft,
tentative.
She smiled sardonically. "Can you imagine Ranma unburdening his
darkest insecurities to me?"
"Oh."
Akane went over Nabiki's words in her mind and frowned. Something
nagged her. Her gaze flashed upward to meet her sister's and she said
in an accusing voice, "Nabiki, how do you know all this?"
"I don't know. All I've got are a few deductions and a lot of
guesswork."
"Did you have any idea that something like this was going to
happen? Because if I ever find out that you're involved or that you
had knew, but didn't warn us, you're going to be SO sorry...."
Nabiki glared at her sister before responding.
"I had no idea anything like this was going to happen." Nabiki's
unspoken thought was, (No, I didn't know but I can venture a good
guess where this guy got at least part of his intelligence on Ranma.)
Nabiki suddenly switched to the offensive and let a real hint of
anger seep into her voice. "What kind of monster do you think I am?
Sure. I like money and I can be a real bitch about things but I
certainly do not go in for mass murder!"
With those words, Nabiki did an excellent job of storming out of
the room.
Shaken by her sister's outburst and the real anger in it, Akane
failed to notice Nabiki discretely whisking her empty milk glass out
of the bedroom as she left.
In the hallway, Nabiki choked down a surge of annoyance. It
wasn't that she minded being in control -- of playing 'general' and
moving people around like chess pieces. But she did have her own
ethical standards.
And it wasn't as if she really had that much of a choice. Father
was incapable of any sort of leadership. Akane simply didn't have the
temperament for strategic planning.
Kasumi was a different matter. Nabiki had long since figured out
that it wasn't a lack of ability on Kasumi's part. Her older sister
simply didn't want to take charge of the 'dirty' stuff.
Nabiki paused a moment and stared down thoughtfully at the few
remaining drops of milk in the glass. Yes, Kasumi usually left the
messy problems to Nabiki, but it seems that this time, Kasumi was not
above actively meddling. She briefly considered talking to her older
sister but changed her mind.
(No, I don't think I'm up to any more gut-wrenching conversations
with the family.)
------------------------------------
Back at the Kuno mansion, the loyal family retainer Sasuke was
caught in a real dilemma. After an excruciatingly thorough
interrogation by Nabiki Tendo, she had warned him in no uncertain
terms to keep Kodachi out of Ranma's way, at least for a day or so.
Normally, he would have dismissed the warning but he remembered
all too clearly the devastation in the Tendos' front yard. And after
a call to the hospital, he was much more inclined to take her warning
very seriously.
He glanced uneasily at the bed. Mistress Kodachi would not stay
unconscious for much longer. Not without some help. And he needed to
go to the hospital to check on Master Kuno.
(Oh, what should I do? She'll wake up soon! But if Miss Tendo is
right, it'll be a disaster if she going chasing after Ranma Saotome
tonight. I'm sworn to serve the Kuno family but I also have a duty to
protect them! Oh, what should I do?)
Finally, the little ninja gathered up his courage and raided
Kodachi's laboratory. He lit the stick of black rose incense, placed
it in her bedroom, and stole out of the house.
------------------------------------
After Nabiki stormed off, Akane curled up on her bed a little
while longer to think. Finally, she headed downstairs.
She peeked out the front door. Except for the occasional claw
marks here and there, there was hardly any evidence of the vicious
fight that had occurred only a few hours ago. Kasumi was giving the
porch a final wash while Ranma was busily picking up the last few bits
of debris.
She didn't say anything but Ranma was instantly aware of Akane's
presence. He turned and gave her a faint smile. She wondered what
had happened during her nap. When she had left him, Ranma had been
terribly, though quietly, upset. Now, he seemed to be a lot
calmer,... more focused.
Kasumi picked up her bucket and mop, then headed inside the house.
"Dinner will be ready soon."
Ranma said, "Thanks, Kasumi."
After her sister left, Akane shuffled her feet and said, "You seem
to be feeling much better."
Ranma gave her a wry grin. "Yeah. I guess so."
She gave him a curious look.
He shrugged. "Nabiki and I had a long talk."
Recalling her own conversation with Nabiki, she winced and asked,
"What did she say?"
"She gave me a good kick in the butt, so to speak. Told me what
happened. Told me to stop wallowing in misery and take a good look at
the big picture."
"Ohhh!" Akane was strangely outraged by what she considered as
Nabiki's callous and insensitive behavior. She turned to stomp right
back upstairs to yell at her sister.
Ranma gently grabbed her wrist to prevent her from leaving. He
said quietly, "Akane, she did the right thing. I really needed it.
There's a lot more going on here and I was just too upset to see it."
Akane stared at him for a moment, then sank down on the freshly
washed porch and scowled.
Standing next to Akane, Ranma closed his eyes to savor the smells
and sounds of the spring afternoon. Everything seemed sharper,
clearer than he could ever quite remember. He absently noticed the
scent of Akane's sweat, which mingled in an oddly pleasant way with
the smell from her shampoo and the surrounding greenery. The faint
metallic tinge of blood should have spoiled everything but oddly, it
did nothing to ruin his enjoyment.
However, at the same time, Ranma felt strangely out of sync with
himself. He was so used to mind and body being in unison -- it was
essential for a martial artist. This time, his body was both
strangely content but also ready... ready for who knows what.
On the other hand, his brain definitely needed a vacation.
Mentally, he wanted nothing more than to crawl in a dark hole
somewhere to recuperate -- to get away from it all. Nabiki's little
talk had taken a load off his mind but he still had way too much to
worry about.
Meanwhile, Akane was brooding about how Nabiki and Kasumi both
managed to deal with Ranma. After sighing gustily, she muttered,
"Ranma, I'm sorry."
He blinked in surprise. "For what?"
"For not doing enough. I left you alone when I shouldn't have. I
could have explained things more. I went off and fell asleep when you
were.... I'm just no good at this!"
She glared at her knees. "Nabiki always knows the right things to
say and Kasumi's much more understanding."
Akane grimaced as she realized that she had mumbled those last
words out loud. This was Ranma she was talking to. Nabiki could be
right about his sensitivity but Akane was much more familiar with
'Ranma the jerk'. She waited for an insult, a teasing remark, or a
verbal jab. It never came.
There was a moment of silence as Ranma leaned back against the
porch post, then he said, "Yeah, right. Nabiki sure knows exactly
what to say...to get a guy exactly where she wants him. And Kasumi's
really nice and all that but she sort of... ignores... unpleasant
things."
Akane looked a bit hurt and a bit offended.
He shifted uncomfortably. "What's wrong?"
"How can you say that about my sisters?"
"Hey, I've got eyes. It's no big secret what they're like." He
sounded a bit defensive. "I don't hate them or nothing but it's
true."
Ranma took a deep breath to calm himself, then squatted down in
front of her.
"Akane, you saved Ryoga's and Kuno's lives. You also stopped me
from hurting Nabiki, Mousse, Kodachi, and a lot of other people, too.
Don't try to tell me that's not enough. You were there when everyone
needed you. That's plenty, okay? Your sisters ain't perfect -- not
even Kasumi. Nobody's asking you to be, either."
Akane blinked, slowly blushed, then smiled shyly at him. "Thanks,
Ranma."
They sat on the porch, not quite touching but close together, and
watched the sun sink in the sky.
--------------------------------------
Some time later, Kasumi called out, "Ranma? Akane? Dinner's
ready."
Ranma sighed and rested his head against his knees. Akane gave
him a curious look.
"What is it?"
"I was just thinking. I should probably go talk to Mother
tomorrow." He sounded slightly sick at the prospect.
She snapped, "She should be coming to you -- especially after the
horrible things she said!"
Ranma blinked in surprise. Akane normally didn't hold grudges
against other people -- just him. However, this time, she hadn't just
gotten mad at his mother. She was definitely STAYING mad.
**********************************************************************
Part 3f: SHIFTING GROUND
**********************************************************************
Dinner at the Tendo home started out as a peaceful affair.
Everything seemed pretty normal except for Ranma's relative lack of
appetite. Akane worriedly noticed that he was eating like a normal
person instead of wolfing down everything in sight. As for Ranma, he
picked at his food and tried his best to ignore the slightly nervous
looks Soun kept giving him. They were halfway through the meal when
they heard a familiar lecherous cackle echo through the house.
"What a haul! What a haul! What a haul!"
Soun buried his face in his hands and moaned. To her alarm, Akane
saw Ranma visibly twitch, then freeze.
Happosai hopped into the living room with his usual bag of
underwear. However, this time his booty bag was stuffed beyond
overflowing. As he bounced wildly around the room like some demented
rubber ball, the old martial arts master left lingerie scattered all
over the room and its occupants. Ranma, who had remained totally
still, ended up with a black lace nightrobe draped over his head. It
was followed by the usual bucket of cold water.
Akane couldn't see Ranma-chan's face but she could see her
knuckles whiten as she clutched her bowl and chopsticks. A barely
perceptible quiver went through Ranma-chan's body.
Nabiki held up a cream silk teddy and examined the European
designer label with an experienced eye. "The old pervert's really hit
the jackpot this time. This little number could buy us all a hefty
steak dinner."
The chopsticks and Ranma-chan's temper snapped simultaneously.
(Uh oh,) was the thought that crossed more than one mind.
Ranma-chan yanked the slopping wet nightrobe off her head. She
lunged to her feet and howled, "HAPPOSAI!!!"
Nabiki's eyes went wide. Kasumi dropped her soup bowl. Akane
uttered a soft, "Eep!"
With his head buried in his bag, Happosai did not immediately
notice the sight that had so shocked the Tendo daughters.
"Ranma, baby! Do I have a number for you! Let's see, let's
see...." Happosai rummaged a moment and pulled out a nearly
transparent, electric blue bra. He turned and said, "Won't you try
this one for me.... WHOA MAMMA!"
"WHAT ARE YOU STARING AT YOU, YOU OLD PERVERT!?!"
"Ranma! You... your...." Akane scrambled to her feet and grabbed
Ranma-chan's arm.
She flicked a quick glance down at Akane and muttered
distractedly, "What now? Can't it wait until I pound the crap out of
that obnoxious old...."
Ranma-chan blinked.
(Hold it. I'm looking DOWN at Akane!? That's not right! I
should be looking UP at her!)
Stupefied to realize that she still stood at least a good four or
five inches taller than Akane, Ranma-chan hurriedly ripped her shirt
open and checked her chest.
(Yup, breasts still there.)
Soun keeled over while Happosai gasped and drooled at the gorgeous
sight.
Akane and her sisters stared speechlessly at Ranma-chan. Instead
of the buxom, petite, red-haired girl they were all familiar with,
Ranma-chan now had the very same height and black hair as her
boy-type.
And she no longer looked like a cute girl of fourteen or so.
Ranma-chan was now a stunningly beautiful young woman of nearly
eighteen years.
A reasonably observant person might have noticed that red-haired
Ranma-chan and black-haired Ranma had a strong family resemblance.
Now the relationship between Ranma's girl-type and boy-type was
practically impossible to miss. Except for her distinctly female
features and figure, Ranma-chan was essentially a perfect match to her
male form. Even her eyes were the exact same shade of blue-gray.
Happosai finally broke out of his trance. His expression somehow
managed to become even more lecherous as he homed in on Ranma-chan's
exposed bosom.
Her looks may have changed, but there was nothing wrong with
Ranma-chan's reflexes. She smashed the incoming Happosai's head
between elbow and knee, then punted him out of the living room. They
all watched the old lech sail off into the evening sky.
"Take a hike, you old freak!"
Ranma-chan turned to see Akane mutely holding up the steel tea
kettle. She stared at her altered reflection for a long time as she
slowly ran her finger along her cheekbones and fingered her black
hair. Ranma-chan finally took the kettle from Akane. One deep breath
and she dumped the hot liquid over her head.
Ranma felt the familiar sense of transformation. He quickly
checked his height and pigtail, then heaved a great sigh of relief and
sat down abruptly on the floor. Nabiki got up and walked out of the
room without saying a word.
Akane knelt down beside him. "Ranma, are you all right?"
"No. Shit! What now!?" The last words came out more like a
moan.
Kasumi cheerfully said, "But Ranma, at least you didn't turn into
a short, red-haired boy!"
"That's supposed to make me feel better?"
Akane handed Ranma a napkin. After wiping his face dry, he looked
up to see the Tendos staring at him with worried expressions on their
faces.
"I think you need to see Dr. Tofu as soon as possible, son," Soun
said in a surprisingly firm voice.
"Yeah. That sounds like a real good idea."
Nabiki's voice suddenly cut into the conversation. "Sorry, but
Dr. Tofu's too busy to see anyone tonight. He's still at the
hospital."
"Why?" Akane looked up in surprise.
Her older sister said, "Apparently he's having trouble stabilizing
two of his patients."
Ranma's head jerked up and he stared almost angrily at Nabiki.
"What the hell do you mean by that? What's wrong with them? Just
what did I DO to them?"
Surprisingly, Nabiki glanced at Kasumi who blushed slightly. She
murmured, "Well, they... they did have some nasty cuts and bruises."
Nabiki prompted her sister. "And...."
Kasumi gave her father a demure, almost guilty look. "And it
seemed that something... badly disrupted the flow of chi in their
bodies."
The long silence that followed was finally broken by the sound of
ripping fabric. Ranma flung the torn napkin aside and bolted out of
the living room. Akane and the others caught up to him as he was
speaking into the phone.
"Mousse? Where's Cologne?"
Ranma suddenly jerked the receiver away from his ear. Everyone on
the Tendo house could hear loud yelling, presumably in Chinese, over
the phone. Suddenly there was a crashing noise, a loud >CLONG<, and
then silence. After the commotion at the other end died away, Ranma
cautiously put the phone back to his ear and said, "Hello? Shampoo?
Yeah, I'm feeling... okay at the moment. But something's come up. I
really need to speak to your great grandmother."
He frowned as he listened to Shampoo's reply.
"You don't know when she'll be back? No. No, there's no need to
come over. Yeah, I'm... I'm sure. I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?
Bye."
Ranma hung up and sagged against the wall. He muttered, "Now I
wish I hadn't kicked the old lech quite so hard. The old pervert's
pretty useless but he's better than nothing."
Akane gently put her hand on his shoulder and said, "Ranma, we can
go to the hospital right now and see if Dr. Tofu can spare a moment to
look at you."
He slowly shook his head. "I... no, you heard Nabiki. He's got
his hands full with Ryoga and Kuno. I've already done enough to them.
How can I butt in when he's trying to save their lives? I'll check
with him first thing in the morning."
"Are you sure?" Akane asked. "Maybe there's someone else you can
talk to?"
Nabiki said acidly, "Like who? Gosunkugi? That Tarot-reading
classmate of yours, Akane?"
Ranma blanched a bit. "You've got be kidding. And if you mean
that girl who nearly got all of us poisoned with Akane's 'medicine',
the answer is 'NO!'. I'm not THAT desperate." But under his breath,
he muttered, "Not yet, at least."
It was an indicator of Akane's worry that she barely reacted to
Ranma's comment about her cooking.
He sighed and pushed away from the wall. "This has been one hell
of a day. I'm going to change and go to bed."
Ranma slowly headed back toward the bathroom. Akane watched him
with worried eyes. Turning to Nabiki, she asked, "Do you think he
should wait? CAN he wait?"
"I don't know, Sis. But he's right. With Dr. Tofu busy and with
both Cologne and Happosai gone at the moment, there really isn't
anyone else to talk to about this... new development."
Kasumi said, "Oh dear. I guess no one's hungry anymore."
Akane sighed and headed upstairs.
--------------------------------------
The doctor in question was slouched into a hard, uncomfortable
chair, trying to savor his tea.
(Let's see if I have a chance to finish this cup.)
At about the eighth sip, the warning beeper went off -- again.
(No, I guess not.)
"Doctor! He's crashing!"
Dr. Tofu sighed and plunged back into the battle to save Kuno and
Ryoga.
A half hour later, he was back in his chair with a fresh cup of
tea. From the time he received that strange, terse call from Nabiki
Tendo, Dr. Tofu had not been off his feet for more than five minutes.
He had managed to stabilize the two young men when they arrived at the
hospital -- but only temporarily. Since then, he had been forced to
keep hopping back and forth between his two patients because both of
them would go into either cardiac or respiratory failure without
warning.
Digging into his pocket, he pulled out a small piece of paper.
Thanks to Kasumi's note, he had a very good idea what was affecting
the boys so badly. The real issue was how to fix it. The physical
injuries were severe but certainly not fatal, not for these guys. If
he could only get the chi flows in their bodies restored, the physical
injuries would heal in no time.
Easy diagnosis. Difficult cure.
(What the hell is the CAUSE? And where are the others?)
He found it very strange that no one except Sasuke had stopped by
to check on Kuno's and Ryoga's condition. All he really knew was that
the incident occurred at the Tendo dojo.
(Why haven't Akane or Ranma shown up, either as patients or to
check up on the two boys?)
He glanced over the life sign monitors. Kuno was actually doing a
little better than Ryoga. That was a bit surprising, considering
Ryoga's much greater physical strength and endurance, not to mention
his better martial arts skill. Plenty of questions and still no
answers....
A different alarm began to chirp -- again -- and a weary,
plaintive voice said, "Doctor...."
**********************************************************************
Part 3g: THE GAPING ABYSS
**********************************************************************
Shampoo waited for Ranma to hang up, then she angrily slammed the
phone down.
(Where IS great grandmother!?)
She despised Dan Xin as much as anyone else in her tribe. Cologne
may have lost her favorite grandchild but Shampoo had lost her beloved
aunt. And while they hadn't been close, Mousse had lost his mother to
Dan Xin's viciousness.
The Amazon girl knew very well why Cologne took the matter of Dan
Xin so personally. Dan Xin had been Cologne's chosen successor, her
prize student. Her treachery was a massive personal affront to
Cologne and totally unforgivable. She understood Cologne's need to
punish Dan Xin for her numerous crimes. But dead was dead. Nothing
could bring her beloved aunt back to life. And no matter what he
said, Ranma needed Cologne's help and advice. And he needed it NOW.
She grimly promised herself that the next time she saw Cologne,
she would make the old woman listen to her, no matter what it took --
even if she had to physically tackle great grandmother to get her
attention.
Shampoo turned to glare at Mousse who was untangling himself from
a heap of broken furniture as he attempted to remove a pot wedged on
his head. Mousse had been made a total fool of himself, as usual.
When he had answered the phone and immediately began yelling death
threats to the caller, she had guessed that it was Ranma on the other
end.
Finally losing patience with his fumbling, Shampoo wrenched the
pot off his head. As she did so, she shoved him into a chair and
said, <"Mousse, I want to say something and I want you to listen VERY
carefully.">
<"Y-y-yes, Shampoo?">
<"I am no longer interested in marrying Ranma so you have no
reason to attack him anymore. Is that perfectly clear?">
Oddly enough, Mousse's first reaction was not pleasure as one
might expect. Instead, he looked rather worried.
<"Does... does Cologne know about this, Shampoo? She's bound to
be furious when you tell her.">
She sighed wearily. <"I was planning on say something this
afternoon. But then we had a...unwelcome visitor. Cologne went out
to follow her and hasn't come back yet.">
<"Oh."> Mousse was silent for a moment, then asked, <"Why?">
<"What?"> Shampoo looked irritated.
<"Shampoo, why are you suddenly giving up now? After all this
time and effort."> He added quietly, <"It has to do with what
happened this morning, doesn't it?">
Shampoo nodded curtly and stared silently at the floor.
Mousse went pale with rage. (Control, control,) he sternly
reminded himself.
<"Ranma... Did Ranma... do something to you after you sent me
away?">
She gave him a slightly confused look, then realized what he was
talking about.
<"No! Ranma didn't touch me! I'm an Amazon, not some helpless
outsider woman!">
<"Then tell me why!"> Normally Mousse would not have pushed the
issue so far. But this time, he had to know whether Shampoo was
really giving up on Ranma. He had to know if she was going to change
her mind and go running back to his rival.
<"It's none of your business! All you need to know is that I'm no
longer interested in marrying Ranma, so leave him alone!">
Mousse bit his lip, then said, <"Shampoo, I... I want to believe
you. But how can I? You've been chasing after that ungrateful wretch
for nearly a year and a half. Now you expect me to believe that
you're giving up just like that? For no reason at all?">
<"Mousse, you idiot! Do you think this decision was easy for me?
Do you think that I WANTED to give up on marrying Ranma? I didn't
want to! But you don't always get what you want! You, of all people,
should know that by now!">
Those words were like a slap in his face. However, he was more
stunned to see a few tears seep from her eyes.
<"You want to know why? Then I'll tell you."> Her voice dropped
low. <"You know Ranma has a horrible fear of cats, right?">
He nodded carefully, unnerved by her intensity.
<"When cats frighten him too much, he acts like a cat. And he
uses the Neko-ken."> Shampoo went on to give Mousse a concise summary
of what happened that morning. By the time she finished, he had a
sick, horrified look on his face.
<"So that's why you....">
She quickly shook her head. <"That's not the reason why I decided
to give up, Mousse. You see, this morning, everyone else just saw him
acting like a vicious cat. But I saw something truly frightening.
It's a part of Ranma that has been hidden away from everyone -- even
from himself.">
Shampoo took a deep breath. <"Ranma wants Akane. He's always
wanted Akane. And he'll never give her up. NEVER.">
Her chilling emphasis sent shivers up and down Mousse's spine and
left no doubt about her seriousness.
<"I... I don't understand. I know he has feelings for Akane
but....">
<"I'm not talking of mere 'feelings', Mousse! I'm not even
talking about love! This is something totally different. It's much
more dangerous than that! It's... it's like a terrible... hunger.">
She considered telling him more but settled for a simple warning.
She grabbed Mousse's sleeve. <"After today, I'm afraid. If
someone tries separate him and Akane, there's no telling what Ranma
might do.">
He blinked nervously behind his glasses. "If you're right, you've
got to tell Cologne!"
"You fool! Don't you think that I've tried? But she's too busy
to listen to me! She's off chasing Dan Xin...."
"WHAT!? Dan Xin's here in Nerima!?" A look of hatred and utter
revulsion appeared on Mousse's face as he launched into the most vile
obscenities that he could think of.
**********************************************************************
Part 3g: RESTLESS NIGHTS
**********************************************************************
Nabiki stirred uneasily in her bed. There were plenty of
unanswered questions, but one question in particular nagged at her.
Whoever set up the morning's incident obviously knew about Ranma's cat
phobia and knew just how powerful the Neko-ken was.
So why would anyone risk mucking around with the infamous
Cat-fist?
He won't, of course, unless it was critical to his plans... or
unless the guy was a raving lunatic.
(Raving? No way. Too calculated. So what's so important about
the Neko-ken?)
Nabiki narrowed her eyes. It didn't feel like a straightforward
martial arts challenge. No, this whole incident had a much 'dirtier'
feel to it. There was something darkly personal about all this.
On the other hand, revenge was a very good possibility.
She stared blankly at her bedroom ceiling. Revenge for something
Ranma did while he was in his 'cat mode' and using the Neko-ken?
Revenge for a defeat in battle?
Revenge for a DEATH?
(It makes me wonder what Genma hasn't told us about their travels.
Could Ranma have...?)
It was all too possible. If it had simply been a matter of
defeating an opponent, Genma would have surely boasted about it.
However, if Ranma had killed or crippled someone, THAT would be very
different. Knowing his son, Genma would have every reason in the
world to keep his mouth shut.
Nabiki could easily see how someone, obsessed with revenge, would
find it wonderfully appropriate to kill Ranma while he was in a
cat-frenzy. And to use cats to destroy so much of what he cared
about, like his mother and fiancees.
She shook her head. There was no way to be sure. Revenge seemed
to be the most likely scenerio but there were plenty of others. There
just weren't enough facts. The myriad possibilities haunted Nabiki as
she fell asleep.
--------------------------------------
Akane tossed and turned. She glared at the clock. She had been
lying in bed for hours and was no closer to sleep than when she
started. Finally, she kicked off her covers and sat up as she
reluctantly admitted what was bothering her.
Ranma, of course.
Akane silently opened her door and padded down the hallway to his
room. She carefully opened the door and peeked inside. Ranma lay
sprawled face down on his futon, snoring very softly.
(Doesn't that figure? I can't sleep a wink because I'm worried
sick about that jerk. And what is he doing? He's sound asleep!
Hmph!)
Akane stalked back to her room. But after another hour, she found
herself still awake. Off she went to check on Ranma again. He was
still sleeping peacefully.
The third time it happened, Akane finally gave up any hope of
sleep that night.
(Oh, who am I kidding? I'm never going to get to sleep tonight!)
Finally, she snuck back into Ranma's room. Akane heaved Genma's
futon against the wall and sat down in a huff. Wrapped in a blanket,
she resigned herself to watching Ranma enjoying a good night's sleep.
(The insensitive jerk! Here I am, fretting my stupid head off and
he's snoozing like he hasn't got a care in the world!)
A wry smile crossed her face. (Well, I guess I know who's the
real idiot here.) She had to admit he looked very handsome, even with
his mouth hanging slightly open.
Akane had to suppress an odd urge to run her fingers through
Ranma's hair, just like she had done that morning. She looked down at
her fingers and wondered, (Strange. You won't think that that a guy's
hair could be so silky... so soft... almost like fur....)
But soon after she settled down, Akane dozed off into a deep
sleep. She was completely unaware of the lithe, black body that
slipped through the open window and sat down on Ranma's futon. The
small black feline stared down at Ranma for a moment as the young man
snored into his pillow. The feline then reached out a paw and lightly
tapped Ranma's head.
Ranma promptly rolled over onto his back.
The feline climbed upon Ranma's chest and twitched its whiskers
before settling down into a comfortable crouch. There it stayed the
entire night, staring silently into his sleeping face. Both Ranma and
Akane remained blissfully oblivious even as a ferocious thunderstorm
rolled into Nerima.
--------------------------------------
Fire alarms rang and fire engines charged off into the night as
the lightning storm touched off a blaze at more than one residence in
the city. A newly rebuilt house was devoured in a matter of minutes
despite the pouring rain and the best efforts of the fire department.
**********************************************************************
Part 3h: UNNATURAL HUNGERS
**********************************************************************
Ranma found himself standing inside the Tendo dojo. Only his
immediate surroundings were clearly visible. The walls and corners of
the dojo were lost in shadows. He found the strange lighting eerie
and rather disturbing.
(How the hell did I get here? Don't tell me I'm walking in my
sleep now!)
There was a soft, malicious chuckle from a darkened corner. Ranma
spun around, ready for anything.
"Come on, man!" He stared into the darkness as he tried to make
out the intruder. In response to his challenge, a tall person,
dressed entirely in black, seemed to ooze forth from the shadows. A
black face cloth left Ranma with only a view of pale blue eyes. There
was a slight crinkle around the eyes which hinted at a hidden smile.
"Who the hell are you?"
The only answer Ranma got was another malevolent chuckle. The
stranger approached, then moved to circle around him. Ranma turned to
follow, warily keeping his attention on the intruder.
"Hey! I'm talking to you! I want some answers!"
"You have some tasks to perform. And lessons to learn." The
voice that answered was soft and rather pleasant to the ear. However,
Ranma was in no mood to be pacified.
Ranma snarled. "Are you crazy!? You think you can waltz in here
and tell me what to do? I'm not interested!"
"I'm afraid you don't have a choice."
Ranma's eye suddenly narrowed. (Aw, hell! I bet I've just been
played for a sucker. Akane!)
He led with a swift slashing kick. The black-clad figure dodged
easily. However, Ranma's attack was just a diversion. He lunged
forward and ran for the house. To his shock, no matter how quickly he
moved, he never reached the doorway. The room seemed endless and the
walls of dojo remained lost in the smothering darkness.
"Shit!" He spun to face the mysterious intruder but couldn't find
any sign of him.
"It's not that easy, Ranma." The voice came from right behind
him. Ranma dodged and punched, both in one smooth motion, but his
opponent slipped away into the shadows.
The soothing voice murmured, "The only way to get out of here is
to defeat me."
Ranma gritted his teeth. "And if I don't?"
A careless shrug. "You'll stay trapped here forever. Are you
good enough?"
"I can do anything I damn well have to! If that's the way you
want it.... HYAI!!!"
From that moment on, the stranger and Ranma were locked in combat.
The first moments of the fight were brutal, the pace unrelenting.
The intruder was incredibly skilled, possibly a match even for
Cologne. He used techniques and moves that Ranma had never seen
before but Ranma would not -- or could not -- let that stop him.
Actually, he was glad. Ranma finally had something tangible to fight.
However, somewhere along the way, the tone of the
battle...changed. Ranma completely lost track of passing time -- but
it didn't seem to matter at all. The surroundings subtly altered,
losing any resemblance to the Tendo dojo.
Ranma did not notice. Pain had no meaning. Physical exhaustion
had no meaning. All that mattered was the lethal exchange of strike
and counterstrike. It was a dance which drew him in and consumed him.
Each time the intruder tried a new move, Ranma observed his
opponent's technique,...
...analyzed it,...
...dissected it,...
...made it his own...
...used it or countered it as HE desired.
A faint smile appeared on his face. Let others scorn or insult
him at their own peril. This is what he was. This is where he
excelled. This was his dominion. In this shadowy arena or on the
field of combat, Ranma Saotome would admit no master.
**********************************************************************
Part 3i: SHADOWS IN THE NIGHT
**********************************************************************
Ukyo sat up with a start. At first, she thought that the raging
thunderstorm had woken her up, then she heard the sound of breaking
glass downstairs. She jumped out of bed with a snarl and grabbed her
battle spatula.
(If that's a burglar, the bloody bastard's picked the wrong person
to mess with tonight!)
She was in a lousy mood and welcomed the opportunity to commit
some serious mayhem. Ukyo prowled to the top of the stairs and
listened angrily as the intruder shoved the furniture around. The
idiot seemed to be looking for something. She grimaced as she heard
something else break.
Infuriated, she bounded down the stairs and slammed her hand down
on the light switch. To her surprise, barely a third of the lights
came on. Most of the restaurant was left in murky darkness. She
glared around suspiciously, then stalked forward.
(Where the hell did the guy go? I didn't hear him leave.)
There was a scrabbling noise behind her. She whirled around and
froze in shock as a man-sized monster lunged out of the shadows. Ukyo
only had an instant to absorb the black fur, the musky odor, the
distinctly cat-like features,...and the all too familiar, glowing
green eyes. She frantically swiped at it but missed. The next thing
she felt was a tremendous blow to her side which sent her flying
across the room. There was a sharp burning sensation, followed by the
feel of warm liquid seeping down her skin.
(What the hell!? What's with all these cat things!?)
She staggered to her feet just in time to fend off a flurry of
blows with her spatula. The raking claws left long scratches on the
metal.
Her head swam dizzily and she suspected she had a broken rib or
two. Even worse, she was losing blood fast.
The monster's next blow connected and slammed her to the ground.
As the creature reared up over her, Ukyo clutched her spatula and
struggled to stay conscious. She was not about to allow herself
gutted like some pathetic rat. She was going to go down fighting.
(Legs... got to go... for the legs....) Every movement seemed to
send knife blades through her chest but she lifted her battle spatula
and took aim.
The cat creature dug its claws into the front of her shirt,
dragging her closer. Just before the creature could rip her open,
something slammed into it. The impact knocked Ukyo free but also
jarred her injured ribs. Everything started to go dark. She could
barely make out what appeared to be a young woman expertly wielding a
pair of large metal fans.
As Ukyo staggered to her feet, she could hear the sounds of
intense combat around her. There was a low snarl, the sound of
smashing wood, and then silence, broken only by the persistent rumble
of thunder and the patter of rain. Ukyo turned a bit too quickly and
the world started to tilt. As her vision faded, she felt two strong
arms supporting her.
A worried feminine voice asked, "Are you okay?"
"K-K-Konatsu?"
"Actually... uh,... no."
--------------------------------------
(end of Part 3)
-----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------
Author's Notes:
Tentatively scheduled for upcoming sections of Tiger Claw...
Part 4 -> An early morning conversation between Ranma and Akane,
broken by unpleasant news. Who is Ukyo's mysterious rescuer?
Hospital visits and physical checkups. Something dark is definitely
stirring.
Part 5 -> Ranma and Akane visit Ukyo and meet Ukyo's rescuer. And
where Ranma is, the Black Rose is never far behind.
^_-
-----------------------------------------
CREDITS:
Additional inspiration from:
"The Whisper" by Queensryche
WEREWOLF: THE APOCALYPSE (and associated materials) by White Wolf
Publishing, Inc.;
TIGER CLAWS, copyrighted 1991 by Tiger Claws Production, Ltd.; and
THE HIGHROAD TRILOGY series by Alis A. Rasmussen;
USHIO & TORA, copyrighted 1992 & 1993 by Kazuhiro
Fujita/Shogakukan.
Additional fanfic mentions: ^_^
"Hearts of Ice" by Krista Perry and "Nekophobia" by David Eddy for
starting my obsessive interest in the neko-stuff.
--------------------------------------------
madamhydra@aol.com /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/:E
http://members.aol.com/madamhydra/index.html