RANMA 1\2: SPIRIT WITHIN:by Sean D’Anna [Catbert25] GRAPHIC NOVEL VERSION: Standard disclaimer I don’t own Ranma 1\2 or any of the characters. ect. ect. the story is mine so don’t copy it or nothing. you can post it if ya want, E-mail opinions to: Catbert25@aol.com. I’d love to hear from you , Special thanks [and appologies] to the writer of Ill met by starlight, one of the Idea's was taken almost directly [however unwittingly] from that fic. The person involved is no longer being spoken too. Sorry I didn’t write a better beginning but I needed a way for Ranma to think and act like I did and I couldn’t think of any better way so I made it quick and painless as possible. anyway... on with the show. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- part 1: the beginning ------------------------------- Sean slammed the book on to the table angrily. “Thats it?!!! 38 volumes and thats it??!!!!ARRRGGGHHH!!!!” He had just finished reading Ranma 1\2 in its entirety. Suddenly a voice entered his brain “ You think You could do better?” it asked amused. “Hell yes!” he yelled not paying attention to where it came from. “Would you like to try?” it asked. “HUH?” said Sean realizing he was alone. “Would you like to try?” it repeated. Sean looked around his room. “what the hell?!!” he thought. “Would I have to come back here?” he asked. “No. I can Make it Permanent, But be warned once I make it permanent its just that, permanent.” it said forebodeingly. “It won’t be any good if I can’t remember anything.”said Sean trying to listen for where the voice was coming from. “Then it is agreed. You will remember everything, So will Saotome.” it said. Sean felt a surge of pain in his head and his body fell to the ground. A few hours later it was found by his parents. The official report DOA Brain hemorrhage.(Dead On Arrival.) Ranma Saotome jerked in pain as his father talked to the guide. “ how long till we get there?” He Asked. “ Not long.” said the guide. All the while behind them two souls became one. “Your Souls are now merged as one Neither are you Ranma nor Sean. “Why like this?” asked the new Ranma. It keeps you in tune with this world and insures you have feelings for Genma and Nodoka, as well as Ranma’s fears, hopes, and memories. As well as your own, yours will be more dominant. Also it prevents me from having to Destroy Ranma’s soul. You are now Ranma and Sean there is no separation you are one being. Forever.” “Come on Ranma.” said Genma impatiently. “Sure pop.”said Ranma..... ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- part2:China ------------------------------------------------------- Ranma-chan looked at his father distastefully. “Good going Pop.” he grumbled as he chased the Panda away from the springs. The panda ran past a young boy about Ranma’s age and caused him to teeter on the edge of the cliff. Warning lights flashed in Ranma’s mind “No.” she said as she dove and caught the boy by his shirt as he fell. “Hang on Ryoga!” she yelled as she felt her arms being clutched by the boy. “Let go! its Just water “ said Ryoga annoyed. “Not on your life. You go I go.” said Ranma straining. “Drop your Bag, Its to heavy.”she grunted. “No way!” said Ryoga angrily. “look jerk we’ll go get it I Promise.”Grunted Ranma. Ryoga begrudgingly complied and Ranma pulled him up. “I didn’t need your help... uuuh.” Ryoga looked at the stunning girl who saved him and his brain fried. “No you don’t Hibiki.”said Ranma smacking him up side his head. “You know my name?”said Ryoga in shock. “Don’t you recognize me Ryoga?”asked Ranma playfully. “UUUHH...sure?” said Ryoga blushing. “Its me Ranma, the guy you were obviously dumb enough to track here.”said Ranma coolly. “WHAT??”yelled Ryoga. Ranma held the lizard in her hands carefully. “Magic springs??!! thats crazy!!” yelled Ryoga. “Humph” said Ranma. “This is the spring you almost fell in...” Ranma tossed the lizard into the little pond, instant pig. “...see, I got lucky at least I’m human, Pop wasn’t so lucky.” she said. Ryoga couldn’t believe his eyes. “Y-you really are Ranma?”he said dumbly. “Yea, and you owe me Porky, wadda ya say? pals?”Ranma extended his hand. Ryoga took it “ I’ll Forget about our feud at least.” said Ryoga coolly. A few hours later Ranma said goodbye to Ryoga and went to find her father. When she found him they had a long ‘talk’ and Ranma went away “ I’m going to train on my own for the rest of the trip, Pop. I’ll meet you in Two months.”(TV time line) and with that Ranma went away on her own, her father to tired to argue with her. “Time to put this knowledge to use.” thought Ranma sarcastically as he awoke hanging from the harness after Trying to train for the Bakusai tenketsu. “What was I thinking?” but he continued anyway. A week later he tended to the burns on his hands carefully wrapping them, once again. “what *was* I thinking?” he again asked himself. The next week he attempted the Mouko takabishi and the next the Hi ryuu shouten ha, each week he succeeded(although he couldn’t use the heaven blast, seeing as how he was alone. Also I should add that he was quite suprised to find he could accomplish the Mouko Takabishu at such an early stage, it being a high level KI attack and all.) always thinking the same thing as he tended to his training wounds. “What was I thinking?” “Great a whole month to spare thought Ranma as he walked through the wilds of China. “He walked into a familiar looking village and thought to himself. “I’m hungry that rabbit I caught didn’t last.” Ranma made her way into Jokenkyo (‘Village of Amazon this village women very strong.’) “Oh, man I don’t need this.” He thought as he realized where he was. Of course it began to rain. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Part 3 Ranma vs. the Amazons ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ranma looked around at his surroundings. Something quickly caught his attention. His father (Still a panda)was sitting looking battered in a cage. “Pop!”yelled as he ran to the cage. “What happened?”asked Ranma. The panda growled pathetically. A large mace swung at Ranma’s head she quickly ducked to avoid it. The girl was saying something in Chinese. Ranma looked at her dumbly “Shampoo” she mumbled. Shampoo continued to rant in Chinese. “You speak Japanese?” asked Ranma. Shampoo only looked at him. “Child get away from that cage that animal is dangerous!” said an aged voice. “It is not! Its my Pop.”said Ranma. “Pardon me child?’ asked Cologne. “I said this panda is my father.”said Ranma coolly. Colognes eyes narrowed “I don’t see the resemblance.” “The stupid jerk went to Jusenkyo.” sighed Ranma. “Oh, I see.”said Cologne with a strange smile. “I will release him if you defeat our champion.” Ranma snorted in response “ So I can end up with the kiss of death or a wife I don’t want? No, thanks.” Cologne was obviously suprised, “You know much about our village young lady.” she said warily. “Look honored elder, I just want to get my Pop and go.”said Ranma politely biting back sarcasm. Cologne smiled “Very well, Shampoo give the man who stole your prize the kiss of death.” said Cologne pointing to the Panda. Shampoo nodded and walked toward the cage. “NO!” said Ranma standing between them. “I’ll do what ever you want ,as long as it doesn’t get me engaged or killed.” said Ranma. “There is nothing.”said Cologne. “Very well I will fight Shampoo.”said Ranma bitterly “At least I tried.” she thought. Cologne eyed Ranma carefully. Ranma looked coolly at Shampoo who was stretching on the other side of the dirt clearing they were to fight in. “Great” grumbled Ranma. Shampoo growled at him and her village cheered. “Only one way out of this.” Thought Ranma. His father was being held at the other side of the ring by two guards armed with spears. “Growff” he said pitifully. “Such confidence in me.” thought Ranma sarcastically. Shampoo quickly took the offensive, Ranma ,however, merely dodged and weaved his way around her blows. “The girl is learning quickly she cannot defeat Amazon streng---” Seeing Ranma on the defensive Cologne was boasting to her village, when a realization hit her. The girl wasn’t running at all! “No, Get away from her Shampoo!” she called but it was too late. The foreign girl raised her arm in a spiral motion and uttered the words that sent fear into Colognes heart. “HI-RYUU-SHOUTEN-HA!!!!” Shampoo screamed as the blast tossed her into the air like a doll. “NO! HOW?!!”yelled Cologne in outrage. The village backed away and gasped in awe. An explosion could be heard from the blast as it peaked, and Cologne watched helplessly. Suddenly Ranma shot from the tornado, grabbed his father and ran into the woods. The villagers were to shocked to care. Ranma smacked his now human father on his head with the pot he’d used to fix his fathers ‘condition’. “Ranma you make your father proud!” said Genma with tearful eyes. “Shut up old man. What were you thinking?!!” scolded Ranma. Ranma jumped as a staff struck the ground where he’d been standing. Genma wailed and passed out. “Where?! Where did you learn that move?!!” asked Cologne angrily. Ranma pulled his father over his Shoulder. “Your such a good son.”said Genma. Cologne froze. “ From the person who invented it. BAKUSAI-TENKETSU!!”replied Ranma. When the smoke cleared cologne was standing alone. “She died over 3000 years ago... Son-in-law.”said Cologne with a smile. She turned and made her way back to the village. In the trees above Ranma muttered “damn, she knows.” ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- part:4 Japan ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ranma ran down the street away from his father, the panda. “I already told you NO! I’ll decide who I’ll marry!” he yelled. Genma swung at Ranma and the two traded blows for a while. Ranma eventually got the upper hand and knocked Genma to the ground. He turned to walk away. Genma whapped him with a street sign. Ranma turned and punched him in the face “Cut it out you annoying gnat.” he said angrily. “Speaking so to your own father...”said Genma’s sign. “Stuff it old man I’m going home.” said Ranma. “NO! You’ll die!” said the next sign. “Better to die as a man than live as a coward.” said Ranma. “But the promise...” said the sign, Genma was becoming delirious. “You sayin I ain’t Manly??!!! I’ll kick your butt old man!!”Ranma yelled. “Don’t yell at me that way boy...” said the sign Genma used to whap his son. “Were going home.”said Ranma dragging his father behind him. “I don’t wanna.” said the desperate Genma sign. Nodoka’s day was interrupted by sounds from the hall. “Get in there ya big coward!” said the voice of a young girl. Followed by what sounded like an animal cry. Nodoka jumped six feet when the girl kicked the panda into the living room. “Hello, c-can I he-help you?” she asked. “Yes ma’am get us some hot water and we’ll explain every thing.”said the young girl. “Isn’t that right Pops?” she said glaring at the panda who cowered back. Nodoka looked in shock at the pair, but complied. “Trust me Mo-Ma’m, You won’t be disapointed.”said the girl. “I hope not” said Nodoka. To her suprise the girl poured the water on her head. “Hello mom” said Ranma. Nodoka looked at her son and husband. She stood quietly for a moment, then. “EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!” “ B-but the promise.” sobbed Nodoka. Ranma growled “My own mother questioning my manhood?” he hung his head. “I am manly.”he said quietly but forcefully. “B-but Jusenkyo, the c-curse...”said his mother. “My son is more of a man than any one I know in either form.”said Genma looking proud. “Well with the exception of me...” Ranma belted him on the head. “Look ma I didn’t ask for this, its a curse. But even when I’m a girl I’m still a man. I don’t enjoy it, but I will use it to my advantage when nessesary.”said Ranma. “What are you doing boy we almost have her convinced.”whispered Genma as he grabbed his son. “I won’t lie to my mother.”said Ranma. Nodoka’s eyes softened “You are a man my son.” she said sternly. “You however...” she said looking at Genma. Genma sweated. “Trying to run from you promise to me? eh, Genma.” She asked. “Only the boy had to become manly.”said Genma looking wise. She looked at Genma coolly “Its a wonder he became so manly around you.” she said sternly. Genma broke down “But -but honey bunch”he whined. “No buts your on the couch.” she scolded. “Ah, home at last.” thought Ranma happily. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Part5: school daze --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ranma walked blissfully toward his school. “This is going suprisingly well.” he commented to himself. He jumped down from the fence he was on and walked into the gates of Furinkan. A large group of boys was waiting near the front of the school , Ranma walked into it towards the school. “There she is!!” yelled one of the boys. “Shit.” said Ranma as he was herded towards a very angry Akane Tendo. Just as Ranma was about to be pushed into the angry martial artist he realized. “I don’t have to take this!” and turned on the foolish boys. Seconds later he and Akane were back to back against the boys, another ten seconds and it was over. “I didn’t need your help.” she said coldly. “So, that doesn’t make it right for me to just sit back and watch does it?” he responded and walked away. Akane staired at him hard, and then turned to face Kuno, Who was currently issuing his daily challenge. Later, Akane was suprised to find that the boy was next to her in class. “This happens every day?” he asked quietly. “Whats it to you ?” she asks glaring at him. “I heard about it thats all, is it true?” he asked with a grin. “Yea it is.”she said a little more relaxed. “Sorry to hear that.”he said simply and turned toward the teacher. At the lunch period Ranma ate his lunch and wandered around the school yard a bit. “I understand you had words with the fair Akane Tendo this morning.” said a tall, older boy to Ranma. “So, whats it to you Kuno?”asked Ranma. “ That is Upper classman Kuno to you cur. So, you hav e heard of me, no doubt I knew it must be so.”said Kuno proudly. “Yea, ‘That asshole Kunos probly gonna give you trouble for talkin to Akane.’” repeated Ranma with a grin. “What??!! Who who would dare!!!???”raged Kuno. Daisuke looked on in the crowd and began to sweat. Hiroshi smiled and looked at him "You know something about that?" he asked playfully. "Shut up!" said Daisuke patheticaly watching the exchange with increasing interest. “like I’d tell..”said Ranma smugly. “What is it you spoke to the fair Akane about , Tell me!” demanded Kuno. Ranma snorted “none of your business” he stated simply. “How dare you !!” snarled Kuno as he pulled out his bokken. “Put your stick away Kuno, You could beat me to death and I still wouldn’t tell you now.” said Ranma unfazed. Kuno growled and took up an offensive stance. “What makes you think I’d waste my time fighting you anyway? Bye.” with that Ranma walked calmly away from the enraged kendoist. “Coward did I give you leave?!! Come and face me knave!!” Kuno was pissed. “Left you in the cold eh, Kuno baby?”said Nabiki smugly as she walked up to Kuno. “Heh, No doubt he feared my prowess.” said Kuno smugly. “Actually he’s probably the only guy in school who doesn’t.” said Nabiki with a snort. Kuno growled “I shall not forget this insult Saotome.” he muttered. “What was that Kuno baby?”asked Nabiki. “Nothing.”said Kuno. Nabiki smiled "This Ranma could be...Interesting." she thought. Ranma looked quietly over horizon at the sun set over the rooftops of Nerima. His first day of school not entirely unproductive. “Humph, I’m doing well not a single real fight all day.” he mused as he turned to walk home. “Uh, hi.”said a familiar voice behind him. “Hello Akane.”said Ranma as he turned to face her. “How do you know my name?” she asked warily. “I pay attention, how’s it going?” replied Ranma laughing a little. “Wow she’s cuter than I thought.” he thought. “Well, I wanted to thank you for your help today. I know I seemed to be a little snappy... and please don’t do it again.”she said quietly. “Eh?” said Ranma a little suprised. “Look I’m sure your a nice guy and all but you could really get hurt.” said Akane. “I’d love to but thats pretty much impossible now.” said Ranma. “W-what?!!” said Akane angrily. “See that bush over there?” said Ranma pointing at a small shrub. “Inside that is Sasuke, Kunos loyal ninja retainer. He’ll tell Kuno about our supposed ‘lovers rendevous’and well you can guess whats next.” said Ranma smiling. “That is redic--”started Akane. “Hey, Sasuke tell Kuno I said hi!”called Ranma. Akane heard a small panicked cry and saw a small brown blurr dash from the bush. “Tomorrow morning every jerk in Furinkan will be gunning for me too.” said Ranma smugly. “Sorry Akane.” he said sincerely “ As long as I’m in trouble anyway I might as well walk you home.”he continued. “W-Wh-What?!!” said Akane fuming. “Cmon Whats the worst that can happen? Besides I don’t really know any one else yet.” he said charmingly. “You don’t know me either!!” retorted Akane. “Your name is Akane Tendo, You do martial arts, I’m guessing That girl following us is your sister, Nabiki I think her name was. How was that for starters?” said Ranma obviously Impressed with his knowledge. “But don’t give away too much...” he thought inwardly. “God he’s such a pri- a perv- obnoxi- cute.” thought Akane. “OK I’m impressed. Whats your name?” she asked “ Cute? where did *that* come from?” she wondered. “Ranma Saotome.” he answered. Ranma thought back to the post card sitting on his desk in his room.(Tendo, bringing Ranma from China, Saotome.) “Almost didn’t get away with that one, she’d already be mad at me if that thing got out.” he thought. “Well, it was nice meeting you.”said Akane politely. “See ya tomorrow.” said Ranma. “I’m in the animation? Sasuke is here mabey its sort of both?” he mused as he walked away. Akane stopped and staired at her sister. “All right talk.” said Nabiki. “About what? Didn’t you learn enough just by following us?” Said Akane with a snort. “Every thing you know about him.”Said Nabiki coolly. “Why?” asked Akane. “Haven’t you heard?!! he’s the hottest topic around school! He laughed in Tatewaki Kunos face. Every girl in the School wants him!” she said flatly. “Present company excepted?”asked Akane smugly. “of course, and as usual you have him.”snorted Nabiki. “I do not! He’s the first guy I’ve met that hasn’t looked at my chest during an entire conversation besides my father ever since I got it!” fumed Akane. “That usually means he’s seen one before.” said Nabiki. Akane just looked at her and walked away. Ranma smiled to himself “thats true.” he said as he walked away from the corner. The next day Ranma got up early as he had been for months and practiced some things his father would probably be proud of, but he didn’t want his mother to find out about.(Not that you uncultured hentai!!) He heard his father approaching and quickly stopped. When the goul came he’d be ready, even if he had to hurt someone, he would not marry Shampoo, at least not until he was sure if Ukyo was cuter. “Practicing already?! Thats my boy!” said Genma proudly. “Heh, Yea.” said Ranma as he faced his father for their morning work out. “Listen boy there is some one I’d like you to meet, today.”said Genma. “If you think I’m dumb enough to Get sucked into another engagement your out of your mind.” said Ranma Coolly as he swung at Genma. “How did you kno- I mean how could you think that about your own father?” said Genma. “Too late Pop you already blew it.”said Ranma as he knocked his father to the ground. On his way to school Ranma ran into Akane. “Hey Akane how are ya?” he asked. Akane growled “Men” she spat angrily. “That good huh?”said Ranma cheerfully. As they approached the gates Ranma and Akane braced themselves as the hoard approached. But it never reached them, it was stopped by another seemingly immovable force. Ranmas’s eyes lit up “Ryoga”He called to the boy standing in the middle of the mess. “Hello Ranma.” said the boy. “What are you doing here?” asked Ranma pleasantly. “Well In China after we split up I realized we never finished our fight.” said Ryoga. “You want to fight?” said Ranma with a big smile. “Yea, I’ll always wonder who would have won.” Said Ryoga with an evil grin. “Me too actually.” lied Ranma with a smile. “You just had a fight. look at this mess.” said Akane. “They thought they could push *me* out of the way, So whos your friend Ranma, a girlfriend?” asked Ryoga. Akane was about to issue a loud denial when Ranma smiled and said “Like I could be so lucky to have one this cute.” Akane blushed and kept quiet. Ryoga grinned and caught on to what Ranma was trying to do. “Ah, give it time.” he said playfully. Akane glared at him. Ranma smiled, and continued his conversation. “So, when you want to do this?” he asked seriously. “After School today? behind the school?” offered Ryoga. “Wait for me so you don’t wander off.”said Ranma . Ryoga growled at his last comment, but let it pass. “Its a challenge then, Don’t think I’ll go any easier on you just cause I don’t want to kill you anymore.” said Ryoga seriously. “Wouldn’t have it any other way.” said Ranma confidently. “Great, see you later. It was nice to meet you.” said Ryoga smiling. “A friend of yours?” asked Akane a little suprised. “Friendly Rival.”said Ranma “but, I guess you could call him a friend.” “Oh, ok.”she said uncomfortably. “He said I was cute?” she thought. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- part 6 one fine mess ----------------------------------------------------- During lunch Ranma was pulled aside from his conversation with Ryoga. “But, Ranma everyone’s saying were dating!” said Akane in a strained voice. “And?” Asked Ranma. “What are we going to do about it?” cried Akane. “Nothing.”answered Ranma. “What ??!!” she almost screamed. “Akane, number One: there really isn’t any thing we can do. Two: It will eventually die down, its just a rumor Three : Is it really all that bad?”as said this he looked directly in her eyes causing her brain to freeze up. “H-his eyes are so so-” she thought but quickly snapped out of it. “but they are asking embarrassing questions like,’how does he kiss?’” she said with out looking at him. “I kinda wonder about that.” she thought. “Who said that?”her mind retorted. He put his hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry Akane it will pass.” he said reassuringly. “All right” she sighed and walked away. “Ranma Saotome you fiend!” yelled Kuno as he swung his bokken at Ranma. “Release Akane Tendo from this obligation at once!” he spat angrily. “Kuno if I was dating Akane what makes you think I’d stop just because *you* don’t like it?” said Ranma coolly. “Because I am your superior knave.” said Kuno proudly. “Heh, you think so?” said Ranma. “I know so.” said Kuno puffing up his chest “All right Kuno we’ll fight but we’ll do this right. After school tomorrow, behind the school.” sighed Ranma. “And if you lose Akane Tendo will be mine.” said Kuno loudly “Kuno if I had Akane I wouldn’t be dumb enough to bet her on something as stupid as this.” said Ranma. Akane gasped and glared at both of them. “If you lose you don’t bother me again.” said Ranma coolly. “Agreed” snorted Kuno. The two glared at each other and parted. Akane turned away “men” she muttered. “Akane wait!” said Ranma. “Your no different than the others.” she said as she walked away. Ranma staired at her helplessly. “What? Why am I so upset I don’t lov--- Oh, no.” Ranma s thoughts were interrupted by another voice that was his own but not quite the same. “Thought you’d just be friends and wait for Ukyo or Shampoo to show up did you? heh heh.” it said evilly. “Shut up.” he mentally told it. “Oooh, touchy, hit a nerve did I?” it seemed gleeful. “Shit.”he muttered. “I just had to go and fall in love with Akane.” During class Ranma composed his thoughts. “Akane, why? I’m not Ranma really ,well, mostly not. Damn. Love huh? Oh well, its to late now might as well go for it.” Akane however was thinking a little differently. “That jerk he’s just like every other guy here. ... Isn’t he?” Soun and Genma sat across the table from each other and contemplated their dilemma “Saotome we must find a way to get our children together.” said Soun solemnly. “Quite so Tendo.” agreed Genma. “but who will we engage Ranma too?” Soun thought for a moment. “Akane is about the right age.” said Soun happily not wanting to bring Nabiki into this, he remembered the last time he tried to make her do some thing he was broke for some time, and Kasumi was almost twenty. “Then its settled.” said Genma. “Ranma and Akane are engaged.” the two men laughed and drank themselves silly . Nabiki smiled “This could be fun.” she thought. She removed the headphones from her head and looked towards the front of the class room. “The longer I can keep this going the better.” she mused. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Part 7 : The big match. ---------------------------------------------------------- Ranma looked across the field at Ryoga and both combatants smiled confidently. The crowd around them was small, after all it was just some new kid not Kuno. “Prepare yourself!!” yelled Ryoga as he charged Ranma with his bamboo umbrella drawn. Ranma smirked. “Here we go...”he thought. The few students in attendance would remember this day for a long time to come. Ranma easily dodged around Ryoga’s attacks and looked for an opening, he could easily defeat the lost boy, but he didn’t want to humiliate him, he needed him. Ryoga swung faster and harder frustrated with his efforts “Hold still damn you!!” he yelled as he wrapped one of his bandannas around Ranma’s wrist. Ranma frowned “Even with the ‘Breaking Point’ training I might not be able to take many of his punches.” thought Ranma. “Got you!!” yelled Ryoga as he put his arm through Ranma’s head. “Through?!!” Thought Ryoga as he was forced to his knees. Ranma had moved with lightening speed, he rolled between Ryoga's legs pulling his arm between them in a hold. Ryoga grunted “pretty good...but not good enough!!” he yelled as he jumped twenty feet into the air using his one free arm. The crowd gasped, as Ranma dodged Ryoga’s mid air kick and hit him with his own knocking the lost boy to the ground. Ryoga got up and slashed at Ranma as he landed ripping his shirt. Ranma ignored him and pressed his attack. Ryoga blocked and swung with his umbrella but was forced back. Ryoga jumped back and threw the open umbrella at Ranma like a boomerang. It went by Ranma’s head and carved a deep gouge into the ground and the crowd behind him. “With out your weapon your mine Ryoga.” said Ranma smugly. “Think so?” laughed Ryoga as he took a fair amount of bandannas from his head, and flung them at Ranma. The two dodged and weaved between them trading blows and avoiding the razor sharp projectiles. Akane watched mesmerized as Ranma and Ryoga danced among the dangerous spinning bandannas. “Wow he’s ...” she said aloud and her friends smiled at her behind her back. “Wow, she’s got it bad.”said one. “Its about time.”said the other. Akane couldn’t even hear them. Suddenly Ranma saw several bandannas spinning towards him. “Damn, Mouko Takabishi!” he said as he used a small Ki blast to knock them out of the air. The crowd fell deathly silent, Ryoga stopped dead in his tracks and staired at Ranma wide, eyed the bandannas he was spinning in his hands spun out of control and went in every direction. “Huh?” he said dumbly. “Ranma what the hell was that?” he asked. “Just a little Ki blast.” said Ranma “They haven’t seen one before now?” he asked himself. “Little!!???” asked Ryoga shocked. “Yea litt- Akane!!!”yelled Ranma as he saw one of the bandannas spinning toward her head from behind. Ranma called out her name and ran towards Akane “Huh? What the he--” said Akane dumbly as Ranma tackled her to the ground. “What did you do that for you jerk?!!” yelled Akane as she hit Ranma on the head. Ranma looked up apologetically “Too late.”he said, as she saw something hit the ground behind him. “That wasn’t--”she thought as Ranma picked her up and carried her off before the students collected their wits and decided to find out what happened. Ranma landed in a quiet area near the school and put Akane down. “What do you think your doing??!!”she yelled at him angrily. Ranma looked at her head carefully and sighed looking relieved. “no, cuts thats good.” he thought. Akane was pissed. She swung and beat on him and he didn’t seem to notice. “Are you OK? Your not hurt are you?” he asked her. “What why?!! Take me back now you jerk!!”she yelled and then stopped. “Hurt? why?” she asked. He looked away and handed something to her. “Sorry Akane I figured you wouldn’t want anyone to see. “What? what are you talki--Oh no.”she said aloud, as she felt what was in her hands. “My hair.” she said quietly as she felt the back of her neck and found only skin. Ranma jumped on to the roof and waited, “You OK?” he asked after a while. He seemed to be looking for someone. Akane calmly looked up at him. “What are you doing?” she asked timidly. “Looking for Ryoga, he probly’ feels bad and he’ll come looking for us.” he said. Just then Ryoga came from behind Akane. “There you are!! Are you OK miss?!!” asked Ryoga with a worried look. Akane looked at him oddly. Ranma smiled and landed next to him he had intentionally went in the opposite direction than the one he originally started to go after he was out of sight of the school so Ryoga could find them. “She isn’t cut but her hair...” Ryoga seemed to just notice this and began to apologize... allot. “I’m sorry I really am please forgive me!!” he said almost sobbing. “I think short hair will look really good on her.”offered Ranma. Akane didn’t know what to make of the situation she should be mad but Ranma was nice enough to save her a great deal of embarrassment by getting her away from the school. And this poor Ryoga fellow seemed to be sorry,... too sorry, and so another beating was averted. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Part8:Kuno’s big fight ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ranma looked at Akane again as she entered her house “You sure you don’t want me to help explain things?” he asked. “No, its OK” she said as she went inside and greeted her sister. “Oh, hello Akane. your home! who was that nice young man? A boy friend?” asked Kasumi. “NO! I mean... He’s just a friend....(Isn’t he?).” said Akane defensively. “Well you should invite him in I’d love to meet your boy friend, father will be so pleased.” said Kasumi happily ignoring her. then she turned to see her. “YOUR HAIR!!” she cried. Ranma walked towards the Saotome home and whistled to himself. Kuno stood before him looking angry. “What have you done with Akane Tendo kur?”he asked gritting his teeth. “Hiya Kuno, our fight is tomorrow.”reminded Ranma ignoring the question. “Tell me or..” started Kuno. “Or you’ll what?” said Ranma coolly. Kuno pulled out his sword and glared at Ranma. Ranma’s eyes narrowed and he looked at Kuno hard. Kuno had a sword, not his bokken. Ranma surveyed the situation carefully. “She had an accident and I took her home.” he said cautiously. “You have hurt my love??!!” he roared. Ranma knew he was now beyond words. Kuno swung at Ranma who ducked to avoid the blade and removed his bag and took up a defensive stance. he looked cautiously at the sword and saw a glowing spot on it. “No he’s far to fast with that for me to risk the Bakusai tenketsu.” he thought. Kuno bellowed and thrust at Ranma “STRIKE STRIKE STRIKE...!” He yelled as his blade became a flurry of motion. Ranma dogged and took a few hits in the arms and chest. Nothing major but enough to figure out that Kuno’s sword was lighter than a bokken and he could move it faster. “Die kur!” Yelled Kuno. Ranma faced Kuno and ducked under the blade. “KATSU TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!” he yelled as he hit Kuno hundreds of times easily breaking several ribs. Kuno collapsed in a heap. Ranma swore “I’ve changed things I can’t be sure whats going to happen any more.” he thought. After that he became obsessed with improving his skills practicing every morning, pushing the Chestnut fist just a little faster, just a little stronger with his Ki a little more control over the Breaking point. He even stopped practicing with his father, Genma was suprisingly easy to convince. “He gets up an extra hour early and I’m getting to old to get up as early besides I can practice with Soun.” he said proudly. Never mentioning that Ranma was now winning every practice match. “Speaking of which...I’d really like you to meet...” Genma started. “Can’t, I'm busy” said Ranma simply. One day Akane didn’t come to school. “Where’s Akane?” he asked one of her friends. “Don’t know.” she replied. Ranma went over to her home with papers from school. He knocked on the door. “Hello can I help you?” asked Kasumi as she answered the door. “I brought Akanes homework. Is she OK?” asked Ranma. “Oh yes, she’s fine. She just wasn’t feeling well.” Akane came down the stairs. “Who is it Kasumi?”she asked “Its just your little boyfriend with your homework.” said Kasumi cheerfully. Ranma laughed a little. As Akane turned red and Denied it loudly. “Here you go Akane. You OK?” he asked. “Yea I just couldn’t bear hearing every one tell me how chivalrous you were the other day, I mean that was a month ago, It wasn’t *that* romantic... sorry about Kuno.”she said quietly. “Not your fault, your hair looks really good that way.” smiled Ranma. “Quit telling me that.” she said not meaning it, any other guy would stare at her chest and say that, and get knocked into the stratosphere. Ranma smiled at this. “Well, Ryoga came back into town and he and I are gonna get together later wanna come?” He asked. “Sure. Where we going?” she asked. “Ryoga’s coming.” replied Ranma “Oh.”said Akane smiling. “You should do that more often.”said Ranma as he walked toward where Ryoga was camped with Akane. “What?”she asked. “Smile, your cute when you smile.” he said. Akane stopped and laughed a little. “I’m too cute as it is.” she said a little bitterly. “Believe it or not I know what you mean.”said Ranma Quietly. Akane smiled, he didn’t think she’d heard him. “Lets go before he tries to come find us.” said Ranma composing himself Quickly. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- part9:Hearts of ice. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Ranma glided somewhat gracefully across the ice, well not gracefully and not glided he clumsily stood. “You two could have told me you couldn’t skate.” said Akane giggling a little. “Now’s as good a time to learn as any.”said Ryoga from the floor. “Where is Ranma?” asked Akane as a Ranma-chan picked herself off the ice. “Great.” said Ranma. “The ice is wet, genius” said Ryoga to her. “Oh, shut up Ryoga.”said Ranma bitterly as Ryoga laughed at her. “Hi, you two know each other? I’m Akane.”said Akane assessing the new girl. Ryoga stood and staired at the two. “She doesn’t know??!! I’m sorry! I didn’t ...” Whispered Ryoga. “Doesn’t know what?”said Akane cheerfully. “Akane this is Ranma’s uh, sister yea, thats it.” said Ryoga unconvincingly. “So, your Ranma’s Girlfriend then?” asked Akane quietly. “No I’m not, and thanks for trying to cover for me Ryoga but she’ll find out sooner or later.” said Ranma. “Can we go some where and talk?” Ranma , Ryoga and Akane sat in a secluded corner of the ring's rest area. Akane watched the new girl carefully and she didn’t seem to want to fight. “Whats this about? You really Ranma’s sister or something?” she asked. The girl pulled a thermos out just like the one Ranma always carried, exactly like it and her clothes... “Its better to see..”said Ranma. She poured the contents on her head. “Hey, your hair changed color...”said Akane. Then a familiar voice said “Notice any thing else different?” Akane backed into the wall. Ryoga quietly plugged his ears. “Ranma?”she said quietly. “Thats right. you’ve found my dirty little secret.” he said solemnly. “How she gonna take this?”he wondered. “Your a girl?”she asked. “NO.” said Ranma. “It all started a few months ago...” Akane looked at Ranma sadly. “Now I know why you didn’t want to go to the pool the other day...”she said as a smile crept on her face "Not than we would have been doing much swimming anyway." she thought a little bitterly. “Its not fun. I have to deal with female ‘problems’. I hate it.”said Ranma bitterly. Akane tried hardest not to laugh, but Ryoga had no such inhibitions. “Y-you d-d-do?!!”laughed Ryoga. Ranma nodded solemnly, he wondered why he had told them that. “Well I guess if we’re gonna stay I might as well change back to a girl now that you know about it.” he said. A few hours later, Ranma sat on the floor of the Tendo dojo. Ranma winced at the disinfectant Akane applied to the bridge of his nose. “You didn’t have to go that far. It was just a kiss.” she said sadly she knew who her first kiss *had* to be with only a few months ago but had finally gotten over him a few weeks ago, she also knew what a big deal this was, but he needed to be comforted. “He gave me the tounge Akane.”said Ranma coldly. “Then you did a good job.”she corrected, she remembered the mess he made of Mikado, “I guess he deserved it after all.” she commented as she put a bandage on the only blow Mikado’s ‘dance of death had been able to land on Ranma, Unfortunately it was a kick and the boy had been wearing skates. “You really left your self open...”said Akane. Ranma smiled and tapped her shoulder, and then he swept her into his lap with his arm “Who are you to talk?” he asked. Akane scrambled away. “Relax its not like I was gonna kiss you or nothing.”said Ranma trying to look embarrassed. “I remember this part.” he thought happily. “You wouldn’t have the guts to do that anyway” said Akane flushed. “Keep talking like that and I might.” he retorted. “Go ahead then.” She said to him defiantly scrunching up her face in a child like pucker. Ranma tried his hardest not to laugh. “Well? I knew you couldn--” That was all the opening the ‘new’ Ranma needed. Akane was about to say more when something warm hit her lips. “Huh?” she thought as she realized what was happening. She was expecting a peck or a kiss on the cheek or something, but not this. This was not some little girl dare kiss but a full blown passionate kiss. She started to regain her senses. She wasn’t quite sure what to do, she had told him to do it so hitting him was pretty much out of the question. so.... Ranma felt a strange sensation in his mouth. “What?” he thought. “Oh, tounge....TOUNGE?!!” then some thing else registered in his mind. “Cheering?!!” Nabiki Tendo Cheered and laughed at her sister. “Way to go sis! Woo Hoo!” Akane blushed. “Its about time you had a boy friend little sister.” said Nabiki with a sly smile. “It was just a dare!”said Akane defensively. Ranma got up and started towards the door with a neutral look on his face. “OK!OK! so it wasn’t, but I still...” she said frantically grabbing Ranma to keep him from being upset. Ranma smiled at her “Thats good to here but now I have to buy you dinner sometime.” he said dryly with a stupid looking grin. “But, we don’t have to be dating or anything.”he added. Akane sighed and looked a little relieved. “I’d better get going, its late.”he said as he walked away “see you tomorrow Akane.” Nabiki smiled at her sister, “Whether you want to admit it or not he’s your boyfriend now he knows it and you know it.” she said smugly. “Nabiki!” said Akane turning red. Nabiki looked seriously at her sister, “don’t screw this up.”she warned you aren’t the type who falls in love more that a few times. Akane was at a loss for words. Ranma was stopped by Soun in the hall “son can I speak with you?” he said calmly. “Sure Mr. Tendo--urk!!” Soun roughly grabbed the boy around the neck in an obvious attempt at intimidation. Ranma could tell it was ment to incapacitate him, but only a little and played along. “My daughter is engaged to someone son and doesn’t know it yet.” Soun said happily. “I don’t want to stop you from being friends, but I love my little girl and I don’t want to see her hurt, so.” he continued increasing the pressure on Ranma’s neck. “I’m not stupid Mr.Tendo. You want me to stop seeing Akane.” said Ranma. “I’m so glad you understand...” Said Soun relaxing his grip. “I didn’t say I would.” interrupted Ranma. “What?” said Soun as his head grew immense and demonic. “Her fiancee is a very powerful Martial artist and very honorable, he will not be happy with you when he arrives.”said Soun angrily. “Sound allot like me.” hinted Ranma.“Good bye Mr. Tendo.”said Ranma as he calmly ran away, very fast from the huge demonic head. “Man this is fun.” thought Ranma as he ran towards his home. suddenly the wall beside him crashed down. “Ranma I kill!!” said a male voice from the hole. “Huh?”said a confused Ranma. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- part10:downfall ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ranma was confused as a figure walked out of the hole in the wall and staired at him from the dust. “Shampoo? no, thats a guy, Moose?”he wondered aloud. “You dare compare *ME* to weakling Moose?!! he asked. The dust cleared and Ranma faced a tall handsome Chinese man with green hair,he also had a scar running down his face over his left eye which was covered by an eye patch and a long nasty looking double edged spear. “Who the hell are you?” Ranma asked the boy. “You tell! You make! Your fault!”he said as he swung at Ranma with the spear. Ranma dogged and kicked the man in the chest. the boy grunted in pain and fell back. “Reiraku kill!” he said as he got up and swung again at Ranma “Downfall? what kind of name is that?” Ranma wondered aloud. “Shampoo not marry bad man!”he said and swung faster as Ranma dogged effortlessly around him. “Well I’m not marring Shampoo anyway.”said Ranma. “Shampoo but...Who the hell??”thought Ranma as he Kicked the boy into the air and into the drainage ditch . The boy rose from the water looking angry. “No curse.”noted Ranma. “But whats his story?”he wondered. “Any way we can talk about why we’re fighting before...”asked Ranma as the boy jumped up and slashed at him again. “Guess not.” he grumbled as he dogged. “Reiraku kill you and release Shampoo from evil law.” he said in a low growl. “Your right it is an evil law, but isn’ t there another way to get around it besides killing me?” asked Ranma hopefully. “No.” said Reiraku. Ranma reached around he boys defenses easily and held his neck threateningly. “You sure about that?”he asked. “I’m willing to help in any way I can.”he said cheerfully. “Why?” asked the boy with a suspicious look. “Because I don’t want to marry Shampoo.” said Ranma. “You lie!! every one want marry Shampoo! she beautiful and strong and skilled!! Before you come!!”Spat Reiraku. “No I’m in love with someone else.”said Ranma. “Then why you fight with her?!!” demanded the boy, who was near tears in his rage. “To save the life of my father.”said Ranma. The boy relaxed and Ranma released him. “What you talking about?” said the boy evenly. “They had my father in a cage like an animal Cologne told me that if I didn’t fight they would kill him.” said Ranma. “You lie it just stupid panda!” growled Reiraku. “We were cursed at Jusenkyo.”said Ranma looking ashamed. “They not tell me this...”said Reiraku quietly and lept away. “Great grandmother, why you not tell me about this?!!”demanded Reiraku. “Silence! how dare you speak to your elder and better that way!” spat Cologne. “Apologies.” said the youth placidly. “Better, and simply because it does not matter.” said Cologne. “This is not honorable. My honored sister...” started the boy. “Has no say in this matter boy as you well know. Now go practice with Mousse you’ll need all your skills to defeat your opponent. he will join our Tribe or die.”said Cologne coldly. “As you wish.” said Reiraku unhappily. Mousse looked at his student with a mixture of pity and happiness. “Shall we continue where we left off?”he said closing the ancient looking book he was reading. “We will restore your true name and return Shampoo’s honor my friend.” said Moose to his friend. “Perhaps Shampoo feel different about you when this over.”smiled Reiraku to himself. he grumbled. Mousse hit him on the head “You’ll never get any better if you don’t practice.”he chided absently as he carefully placed the book away. “Reiraku looked wide eyed at the book “Is that?!!” he asked. “Yes, the darkest secret of my family. To be used only if he proves to much for even you.” he said quietly. Reiraku looked at Moose with new respect and humility. He had scoffed when he was told he would become his student, the villagers considered him weak always loseing when he challenged Shampoo, but Reiraku had quickly learned differently. He could easily defeat his sister, but could not bring himself to hurt her. He had quickly learned a new respect for him, although he’d never admit it to any one. From the rafters above Ranma silently crept out of the top floor window of what would soon be the ‘Cat Cafe’ So Moose is here,and Shampoo has a brother, but where is Shampoo?” he wondered to himself. He quickly moved to the side out of the way of Cologne's staff as she tried to suprise him. “Hello Cologne.” he said calmly without turning. “You suprise me son in law, did you learn what you wanted?” she asked. “I learned enough, do me a favor and never try to use the ‘cat tounge’ shiatsu on me again will ya?” he said as he lept away. “Why, your just full of suprises son in law.”said Cologne to herself as she watched him head towards his home. “I’ll have to be much more cautious.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Part 11: the wild Moose ------------------------------------------------------------ Ranma ran down the field and kicked the soccer ball towards his team mate and ran down field. He smiled as the goalie cowered before him. then he felt something in the air behind him. “Right on schedule.” he thought as he turned to face Cologne. “Hello goul.” said Ranma. “Well son in law how are you doing today?” she cackled. Ranma grit his teeth. “Fine until you showed up.” he said humorlessly. “Well, thats no way to talk to your elders boy.” she scolded with a shriveled smile. “What do you want?” he asked impatiently. “Just to see how your health is holding up.” she said. Ranma looked at her “I’m fine.” he said cautiously. “But how long will it last? Marrying Shampoo is the only way to stop Reiraku now.” she grinned. “Or, I could just kill you.” said Ranma with an unpleasant look on his face. “Big words for one so young, but even that would not stop him I’m afraid.” said Cologne as she lept away. Ranma kicked a large lawn maintenance tool at her as she lept away. “Any time now...” he said to himself, but Moose never came. “What?” said Ranma as the tool hit the ground seventy feet away. “Great another anomaly.” he muttered. “When will Moose show up?” suddenly he heard a shrill voice that made him wince. “Airen!!” Ranma turned and was tackled by a familiar looking girl. “Hello Shampoo.” he said dryly. “You I love!”she said happily. “Something is different.”he said mentally. then it hit him. “Her hair.” Shampoo had her hair cut Rather like Nabiki’s but a little longer and her thick bangs covered most of her face, the color seemed a bit darker as well. “I can’t let this happen.” Ranma thought as he roughly pulled Shampoo off him. “Don’t touch me.” he said firmly. “What?!!”said Shampoo with a blank stare. “You’ve threatened my family, sent some idiot maniac to kill me and I’m sure Moose will probably join him soon enough. So what in the hell makes you think I’d ever even look at you much less marry you?!!!” he said angrily. Shampoo looked at him for a moment and ran off with a neutral look on her face. “How he know about Moose?”she wondered not at all upset about his words. Moose looked in horror at the way Shampoo had been treated by the barbarian fiancee. He would pay for that with his life. He crept from the bushes he had been hiding in and lept away into the streets of Nerima. That night Ranma looked at the sign on the fence ‘danger guard dogs keep out’ it said. Ranma lept over the gate and looked around. “I really hate doing this, but I have to know if this will work.” he thought to himself. He felt sick to his stomach as he looked around for his prey. “I ‘really’ hate this.” he muttered. He heard a low growling behind him and turned to face the three Doberman guards. “I’m sorry.” he said to them and jumped into the angry pack. The next morning the day time security guard looked in silent horror at what lay before him. The remains of his dogs lay strewn about the pavement and stuck to the walls around him. He turned and vomited not believing what he had seen. his Doberman dogs nothing more than a few red smears on the pavement around him not even bones could be seen in the mess. “What could have done this?” he sadly wondered aloud. Ranma looked out towards the school and sighed heavily. “I wish there had been another way.”he said quietly. “Whats wrong Ranma?” asked Akane. “Huh oh nothing just someone who showed up the other day.” he said not entirely lying. “Really who?” asked Akane cheerfully. “An old enemy from China.” said Ranma. Akane gasped “Ranma has enemies?” she thought. “Don’t look so suprised. I’ve done allot I’m not proud of in order to survive. I had hoped that I could change all that here, but it seems to have followed me.” he said with a strange look in his eyes. Behind him Genma ran up and kicked him in the head. “What do you think your doing boy?” he scolded. “What the hell?!!” said Ranma. “How dare you flirt with her when you have a perfectly good fiancee?!!” he yelled. “WHAT??!!” said Ranma and Akane in unison. “Ranma you JERK!! said Akane as she slammed him over the head with a section of wall. Akane ran off crying. “Akane wait!!” called Ranma from under the rubble. But Gemma put a hand on his shoulder. “Let her go boy its for the best.” he said. “You’ll like this girl I’m sure.” he smiled at his son as he said this. Ranma jerked away from his hand “You won’t stop until you destroyed my life will you?!!” he yelled angrily. “Look boy..”started Genma. “No *you* look! you’ve done enough to me old man, I like Akane allot and if you dare get between us again I garentee you’ll regret it.” spat Ranma. “Is that a challenge boy?” asked Genma puffing up his chest. “Not yet.” said Ranma as he walked away from his father. Ranma walked towards the school looking more upset than ever and sighed to himself. “Great, I can’t talk to Akane until she calms down. What else could happen.” he said aloud. suddenly a familiar voice called out to him sounding angry. “Ranma I kill!!” Rairaku yelled as he threw several throwing stars at Ranma. Ranma easily caught them and turned to face his opponent. “Not now, I’m not in the mood.” said Ranma calmly. “Reiraku no care. Never let marry Shampoo!!” he yelled. Ranma kicked the boy as he was rushed and slammed his head into the wall behind him knocking him out cold. “Hmph, he was always a poor student.” said a new voice. Ranma immediately turned to its source. “Hello Mousse.” he said letting his battle aura burn a little making himself look very dangerous. Mousse was to say the least a little unnerved by this. “He knows me?” he wondered trying to keep his face neutral. “Lets get this over with.” said Ranma calmly. Mousse shifted his position to try to get behind the angry martial artist but Ranma seemed to always face him. Finally growing impatient he walked into the light. “You know me.” stated Mousse. Ranma smiled a dark smile at the boy. “Better that you think.” said Ranma. Mousse snorted at the boy. “You don’t look so tough.” he said. Ranma side stepped as Mousse swung what looked like a backhanded uppercut at him. “Not bad Hidden weapons is dangerous art.” said Ranma smugly. Mousse growled. “You can’t even beat Shampoo what makes you think you stand a chance against me?” Ranma goaded. Mousse shot various knives and spears attached to chains at Ranma. “Can’t defeat her or won’t?”asked Ranma smugly. “This is a problem.” thought Ranma inwardly. Mousse’s weapons were not his usual assortment of toys, everyone of them was deadly even the chains had spikes or blades on them, he was willing to bet that wasn’t a training potty that Mousse had swung at him earlier. “Gotta end this fast.” thought Ranma coolly. He raised his hands in a familiar pose “Moukou Takabishi!!”he yelled as the energy ball escaped his hands. Mousse reeled back from the blast but was not stopped by it Ranma had not had time to charge it properly. But Ranma pressed his attack he kicked Mousse in the head and knocked him into the wall. Mousse responded by beating Ranma back with an odd looking sword. Ranma decided he’d had enough “Katsuten shin amaguriken!” he yelled unleashing the chestnut fist. Mousse blocked allot of the blows but not enough, he fell to the ground under Ranma’s attack. Ranma stood over Mousse’s unconscious body and staired hard. Reiraku stood behind Ranma. “Mousse could never defeat my sister.” he said defiantly. Ranma laughed at him. “Boy you really are stupid aren’t you?” he said to Reiraku. Reiraku glared at him. “Moose could easily defeat Shampoo, You fool, he’s just too in love with her to hurt her. Didn’t you know that?” said Ranma. “I knew he in love with her, but he to weak to defeat her.” said Reiraku. “I’ve fought both I know.”said Ranma. “NO.”said Reiraku. “You think what you like. but you and I both know that your both in no condition to face me for a while.” said Ranma as he left the boy glaring at him. Reiraku watched him leave he had been trying to hide the fact that he could barely stand up, but Ranma could have finished them at anytime, and they all knew it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Part 11:The family mantle ---------------------------------------------------------------- Ranma walked away from the Tendo dojo angry. Soun had refused to allow him to speak to Akane. When he arrived home his mother looked at him with tearful eyes, but said nothing. His father walked into the room quietly. “So, did you apologize to that slut?” he asked. “No. I’ll see her tomorrow.” said Ranma calmly. “The stupid jerk doesn’t even know that he could have screwed up the very thing he wants so badly.” thought Ranma bitterly. “No you will not you will come with me tomorrow and uphold your family honor.” said Genma coldly. “And what of her honor?” said Ranma. “It is of no consequence to us.” said Genma with a small smile. “It is of no consequence to you old man. It is the most important thing to me. I love her.” said Ranma. “Ranma your young you don’t know what love is.”said his mother trying to look cheerful. “How old were you when you married dad? Eloped as I recall.” said Ranma. Nodoka looked at her husband with pleading eyes. “Don’t do this.” she said “not to my son.” Genma ignored her “Then it is a challenge.” said Genma. Ranma looked in shock at his father, he had not been expecting this. “If you lose you will be a Saotome no more.” said Genma. “And if I win?”asked Ranma. “That will not happen.” said Genma with a stern look. Ranma looked across the Saotome homestead’s yard at his father who was in a battle ready stance. “This day you are my son no longer.” said Genma angrily. Ranma sadly looked at his father, his eyes burned with the tears he fought back, to show weakness now would be a mistake. “ I have to tell him.” he thought “this isn’t a game for me anymore.” He was about to open his mouth when Genma’s foot stopped him. He stood there and looked at his father who was wide eyed and stairing at his son as his blows seemed to have no effect on the boy. Ranma staired at his fathers rage in silent wonder. “He can’t hurt me. The breaking point...” he thought. Ranma grabbed his Father and threw him to the ground. Genma forced Ranma’s arms out and punched his son in the chest. “Pop. stop it.” said Ranma. Genma was nothing but a blind rage. He had not even been able to even move his son. He saw his son’s arms vanish and pain exploded all over his body. “I’m sorry but, I won’t stop seeing Akane.” He heard Ranma say with obvious strain in his voice. Then the world became black. Genma woke a few hours later with a terrible head ache and his feet and hands were sore and bruised as if he had been hitting stone. “I had the most terrible dream.” he said feeling for his wife next to him. He found her sitting up next to him with a warm towel pressed against his head. “It wasn’t a dream dear.” she said sadly looking at her husband. Her words were sad but she looked somewhat relieved. “Where is my son?” he asked. “In his room, he won’t come out.” she said quietly. Ranma looked sadly at the picture on his dresser, it was his family together when he was very young. “Only half of me remembers this.” he said sadly. “He looked at his father in his younger years. “Stupid old man why did you make me do that?” he asked aloud. Ranma had never really fought with his father before, he had sparred and had some pretty physical arguments with him but never like what had just happened to him. never like that. He looked disgustedly at himself, it had been to easy, he should never have been able to beat his father so easily. “Its your own fault. Your far too powerful, you’ve changed everything and made your future uncertain.” said the voice in his head that was not really him with a small laugh. “Shut up.” he said to it. Genma opened the door to his sons room and looked at him proudly. He’d never admit it but, he was proud his son had surpassed him so quickly, and now the school belonged to his son, he was relieved of the burden, and his promise to his old friend would now go unfulfilled. he stood tall as he entered his son’s room “Ranma we have to talk.” he said quietly. A few hours later Genma exited his sons room feeling both humbled and proud. Ranma had taken his responsibility in stride refusing at first and eventually accepting The Saotome anything goes school. “He’ll break up with that girl sooner or later, and then Tendo and I can arrange a little meeting.” he laughed at his own cleverness. “Or better yet sooner. It will be so much easier if they are friends first...” Genma went to sleep happily plotting away. “Mabey Tendo and I can finally settle that shougi thing. I have lots of spare time now...” he thought happily dozing off. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- part 12:Mending wounds ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ranma waited patiently outside the Tendo Dojo. “I hope she’ll listen.” he said nervously. Nabiki was the first to emerge from the home. “What do *you* want Ranma?” she asked bitterly. “To talk to Akane.” he answered. “She doesn’t want to talk.” said Nabiki. “I don’t care, I do.” he said flatly. “Nabiki wai--” said Akane as she ran out side. “What do you want?” asked Akane angrily when she noticed Ranma standing next to her sister. “We need to talk.” said Ranma to her. “Why should I talk to you?” asked Akane trying to look indignant. “Because you don’t have any idea whats going on.” said Ranma. “WHAT??!!” said Akane looking furious. “Why do you think that was an insult?” asked Ranma. “Go tell it to your fiancee.” growled Akane. “I’m not engaged.” said Ranma. Akane looked at him and sighed. “All right we’ll talk *alone*” she said the last part looking directly at Nabiki. Ranma sat with Akane at a small cafe that was between the school and the Tendo home. “Thanks Akane.” started Ranma. “Shut up and start talking.” said Akane spitefully, however she failed to hide the hint of hope in her voice. “You do care.” said Ranma with a smile. Akane started to get up. “My father tried to force me into an arranged marriage.” he stated simply. Akane sat down again. “Akane you have no idea what I’ve been through in the past few days.” he said suddenly looking very tired and worn. The look of confidence gone from his eyes and the strain on his body showing clearly now. “R-Ranma? you look terrible what happened?” said Akane looking worried and more than a little guilty. “Its not your fault. Mostly Moose and Reiraku’s.” he said trying to comfort her. “Who?” she asked. “Chinese martial arts group very dangerous.” said Ranma with a smile. “Plus my father and this engagement thing, I was almost disowned over this.” he said with a humorless laugh. Akane gasped “Ranma you did that ...” “over you?” finished Ranma. “Yes.” “But we just met and...” said Akane embarrassed and astounded. “I understand and I think you should know it was as much principal as my feelings for you.” he said wincing. Ranma prepared for the worst, “I shouldn’t have said that.” he thought. “Ranma I-I’m sorry!” cried Akane as she threw her arms around him in tears. “I’m sorry I didn’t listen” she said. “Akane.” said Ranma “I..” Akane kissed him before he could say anything more. “I have to admit I like Akane’s attitude allot more that I would if I’d just let things happen.” thought Ranma as he walked towards the school with his arm around her. Akane quickly moved away from him as they walked into the gates. “She’ll come around.” he thought with a smile. Every boy in school glared at him with distaste, Ranma found he didn’t care. “Knave how dare you place your hands on the fair Akane Tendo?!!” yelled Kuno as he swung his bokken at Ranma. “When did you get out of the hospital Kuno?” asked Ranma cheerfully as he kicked him in the face. “You dare place your vile hands on Akane Tendo?!!” he said from the ground. “Haven’t you heard? Akane and I are dating!” said Ranma with a little too much cheer. “WHAT??!!” said Kuno in shock. Every boy in the schools face fell. It had been only a rumor up till now, they had hope. They started to cry...all of them. Ranma cheerfully walked to Akane who was stairing at him. “WHA? Ranma I, I...” she stammered. “Are you embarrassed by me?” he asked. “No but who said we were..?” she stammered turning bright red. “Who said we weren’t?” asked Ranma matter of factly. Akane looked at him but didn’t say anything. Ranma grinned. “Besides that was to much to pass up.” he said laughing. Akane turned to look at her daily attackers, and laughed also “Your right.” she said with a smile. Ranma took her arm and went into the school with her. His thoughts were not as light, “This can’t last.” he thought. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ part13: a turn for the worse. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Cologne looked at Reiraku with disgust. “How could both of you lose to that boy?!” she scowled at the two bandaged men. “If you do not succeed soon Shampoo will be forced to marry him, I have no wish to force her into that.” she swore under her breath. “I *will* kill him.” said Mousse angrily. “But what if another defeat her?” asked Reiraku gazing sideways at Mousse. “He must also be able to defeat the groom. At any rate such a defeat would be...questionable at this time.” said Cologne. “I ask to use the ancient sealed techniques of my family.” said Mousse. “The ones banned from the village, and sealed away?” said Cologne with a narrow look. “Yes.” said Mousse. “You know these techniques Mousse?” she warily asked him. “Sealed is not forgotten honored elder.” responded Mousse. “I shall have to have a little talk with his father when we return.” thought Cologne dryly. “Very well.” she said. “But you must obey the laws surrounding them as well. We are not a clan of ninja Mousse, no matter how tempting you should not forget that.” said Cologne with a warning glance. “As you wish, honored elder.” said Mousse compliantly. “You realize that your family will suffer for this boy, those techniques were to be sealed and forgotten after World War 2.” she said warningly. “Only Shampoo matters to me.” he responded. “Mousse?” said Reiraku quietly in shock. Ranma looked at Ryoga and waited for his answer. “You want to train *me*?” he asked. “Yes, I see great potential in you, and I need to for my own reasons.” answered Ranma. “And what are those?” asked Ryoga cautiously. “I need some one to train with who isn’t out to kill me. Your the only one good enough to do that that I know, that fits that category.” Ranma answered with a small grin. “But let me warn you this isn’t normal martial arts training, its really going to hurt and possibly kill you. I promise you’ll be allot stronger when I’m through. Besides I gotta start my school some where.” he looked at Ryoga and waited for a response. “All right I’m in.” said Ryoga with a stern look. Kasumi looked at the young girl in the doorway and called to her sister. “Akane your little friend is here.” Akane smiled as she saw her 'new best friend' smiled in greeting. “Ranko what brings you here?” she asked cheerfully. Nabiki frowned she didn’t trust Ranma’s kid sister at all. “Is that delinquent of a brother you have around?” asked Soun cheerfully as he noticed the young girl. “Nope.”she beamed. Soun returned to his paper he liked the girl she was always cheerful, but the boy, the boy must die. Akane walked off with her friend as Nabiki frowned at them. “RRGH! I can’t find any dirt on that girl!” growled Nabiki. Ranma walked along side Akane and chatted cheerfully. “Ah my lovely Akane, I see you doth partake on a stroll this fine day with your friend, the lovely Ranko, charming sister to that ruffian Saotome. Ranma grit his teeth and smiled sweetly at Kuno. “Hiya cutie!” he said feeling his stomach turn. He had figured out a while ago an important formula for Kuno. GIRL+BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF KUNO= KUNO LOVES GIRL, and as a result had been very careful in front of the Kendoist. “Very well I shall leave you to your day as I have pressing matters with the vile Nabiki Tendo. Else I would gladly escort you this fine day, but alas I must take my leave of you.” and with that he walked away. “That was close I can’t stand acting like that. Ugh!” said Ranma. “I can understand my family but why Kuno?” asked Akane. “If I beat him up he’d fall in love with me or something.” replied Ranma. “Oh,” said Akane still unsure. “What did you want?” she asked cheerfully “I wanted to tell you about my trip. I’m taking Ryoga on a training trip in a few days and I just wanted to tell you. We could be gone a while.” said Ranma looking sad. “But I wanted to spend the summer break with you.” said Akane looking disappointed. “If pig boy doesn’t screw us up too bad we should be back in a couple of weeks so don’t worry about us, besides ‘Ranko’ will write you and tell you how we are doing.” she smiled at their private joke. Ranma looked behind her and stopped. “So, she’s here already? the pervert hasn’t even showed yet.” “So...Ranma has a sister.” said the girl as she watched from the bush. as the two ‘girls’ walked away. “Interesting.” “Hello Ucchan, we need to talk.” said a voice form behind her. “Its been a long time Ranma.” she said steeling her voice. “Now prepare to die.” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Part14:Will Ranma get another sutor? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ranma stopped talking and looked at Akane "Someone is spying on us." he said. "What?" Akane said looking suprised. "You go on I'll take care of this.” said Ranma taking the thermos he was carrying and pouring the contents over his head as he rounded the corner. "Let me go with you." said Akane with a worried look. "She might be an ally, and don't worry I can handle this." said Ranma with a reassuring grin. "She?" thought Akane as he snuck away. Ukyo Konji looked thoughtfully at the two girls. "So,... Ranma has a sister....Interesting" she said. Suddenly a voice behind her snapped her back into reality. "Hello Ucchan we need to talk." said Ranma from behind her. "It's been along time Ranma. Now prepare to die!" said the girl to him. Ranma easily caught the battle spatula as the young Ukyo swung it at him. "No. talk first." he said lazily. Ukyo growled at him but sat down. "Now first off why are you attacking me?" he asked. Ukyo looked at him oddly "you don't know?" she said with a rage in her eyes. "I know why your mad at my father, but why me?" he asked. "You left me behind you jack ass!" she yelled at him. "'I' left you behind? Ukyo how old was I?" said Ranma with an amused look. "He's laughing at me?" thought Ukyo angrily. "Six and what does it matter?" Ukyo spat. "It matters because I was *six*. what makes you think I had anything to do with it? It was almost eight years before I figured out what pop had done to you, and by then it was too late, I didn't know where to even begin looking for you." said Ranma. Ukyo looked at him angrily "How dare you?!!I gave up my femininity because of you! I can never get back my childhood!" she growled as she swung at him again. "Not from where I'm standing." said Ranma catching the spatula easily again. Ukyo staired at him. "W-what?" she said dumbly. "Look don't get the wrong Idea but your a very cute girl, you could easily get your 'femininity back' as you put it. From what I see you never lost it." said Ranma. "R-Ranma?" said Ukyo in shock. "Ukyo I won't be held responsible for my father any longer, if you have a grudge with him fine, I won't get in your way but I won't let you kill him." said Ranma. `"I can only allow him to live if my honor is restored." said Ukyo quietly. "Meaning?" said Ranma hoping the answer was not what he already knew it was. "You will marry me." she said with a smile. Ranma fell to his knees. "Then I'm sorry we couldn't work this out." he said bitterly. "What?" said Ukyo with rage once again in her eyes. "Your going back on your word? your promise?" she said angrily. "I never made a promise or gave my word Ukyo, and I am seeing someone else,... I will not do this to her." said Ranma in a low voice. "So be it I will kill you and your father for this Saotome." growled Ukyo as she Prepared for a fight. Ranma however stood silently looking at his old friend. She was in a battle ready stance. He punched a large oak tree next to them in frustration. "Ukyo...go home." he said and turned away. "Why you--" Ukyo fell silent as the oak tree groaned and collapsed. She backed away in silent horror, the tree was easily four feet in diameter, probably more. Ranma sighed as he walked away. "Please let that be enough to make her give up." he said inwardly. But he knew it would not be. Cologne stood behind Ukyo and smiled. She turned to the two boys training in a clearing near by , their wounds almost healed. "Mousse, Reiraku! come here." she cackled. Ukyo turned to face them "What do you want?" she looked tired and hopeless after what she had just seen. She knew she would never defeat Ranma. Cologne Ignored her and spoke to the boys. "It seems you two may have a new ally. See what she can do." said Cologne and with that the boys rushed at her weapons drawn. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- part15:Preparations for a trip ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ukyo looked at the boys who had her pinned to the ground, the battle had been short lasting only a few minutes. "Damn!" she thought as the green haired boy smiled at her oddly. "What do you want with me?" she asked cautiously not liking the looks the green haired boy was giving her with his one eye. "What do you think Mousse?" asked Cologne. The boy with the thick glasses and long hair smiled. "She has potential." he mused looking her up and down. "She almost good Shampoo used to be." said the one eyed boy. "Potential for what??!!!" said Ukyo from the ground suddenly looking very worried. "Cologne smiled. "Not *that* child." she reassured. Ukyo relaxed a small amount. "You wish to kill Ranma Saotome?" Cologne asked. Ukyo became very interested in this strange woman. "I wish to end the Saotome line." she said coldly. "That is the mission of these two as well child, perhaps with their help you can achieve your goal." said the old woman. "Perhaps,..." said Ukyo cautiously. "Mousse I leave her in your care, Make her stronger." she said as she lept away. Mousse growled under his breath. "May as well open a dojo." he muttered under his breath. Ukyo picked herself off the ground "Thanks I guess I'll be leaving now." she said as she walked away. "You no kill Ranma alone." said Reiraku. "He's right girl you'll need our help, we can make you strong enough to stand a chance." agreed Mousse. "I am Mousse and this is Reiraku, we make you no promises, but with out our help you will fail, Saotome is much more powerful than you can even imagine, what you saw was nothing compared to hat he's capable of." Warned Mousse. "I sorry about great grandmother, she think it only way you listen us." said Reiraku. Ukyo looked at the two boys and sighed "All right I'm listening, what can you do for me?" she said. Ranma looked at Akane apologetically, "I can't let you come along Akane I'd love to but..." he said as the young girl pleaded with him. "But what I'm not strong enough?" she growled looking angry. "Don't put words in my mouth Akane. You know your father would never allow this." said Ranma with a sigh. "I'm coming along Ranma. You are not leaving me behind." she said sternly. "Looks like she's made up her mind Ranma" said Ryoga with an amused smile. "Akane what will you do? this is a training trip, I won't have time to spend with you." argued Ranma. "I can train too, and besides I can cook for you." Akane said with a pleading voice. Ranma gasped, his eyes went wide with horror. "OH, shit." he thought. "And I can tell my father I'm going with Ranko." she said with a sly smile. "And when he finds out that I'm not here? Akane he hates me as it is..." said Ranma sternly. Akane’s face fell. "He wont find out," said Nabiki with a grin as she walked up to the group, "For a price" said Ranma and Nabiki in unison. Nabiki frowned. Ranma walked over to Nabiki "I think a whole week without the danger of Akane cooking anything is payment enough for this." he said in a low voice. Nabiki looked at him in suprize. "How do you know about that?" she wondered and quickly dismissed it, they were dating after all she must have made him lunch once or something. "Along with the knowledge that we'll be eating it at least twice this week." he said in a weak voice. Nabiki smiled "Agreed." she said. Ranma turned to face his friends "On one condition we take turns cooking." he said to Akane. Smiled and hugged him. Ryoga looked at him oddly. "We've got a woman coming and you want us to cook?!" he whispered. "You'll regret its that much..." said Ranma looking weak. Ranma sat at his table and ate his meal in his usual manner, he inhaled it before his father got to it. At the end of the meal Ranma spoke up "Me and a friend are going on a training trip over the summer." he said to his parents. His father looked at him oddly. "HIS name is Ryoga, you might remember him." said Ranma who knew what his father was thinking and emphasized 'Him'. "We went to school together when I was little." He continued. "Where are you going?" Genma asked. "Mt.Terror I think its called, but with Ryoga along It could be anywhere in Japan." Ranma laughed at his own joke. His parents looked at him oddly. "He gets lost easy." explained Ranma looking embarrassed. His parents shrugged and went back to their meal. Akane looked at her father happily. "You mean I can go?" she said happily. "Your sure he won't be there?" asked Soun warily. "I told you daddy those two are *never* in the same place." said Akane with a grin. Nabiki looked at her sister, she had no Idea that her sister was such a talented liar. Later that night Nabiki went to talk to her sister. "Akane I had no Idea you could lie that way, I'm impressed." she said. Akane had a strange smile. "Who said I lied?" said Akane. "All I said was that they won't be together." she said reading her magazine intently. "Ranko's not coming?" Nabiki said warily. She was not happy with the idea of her sister being alone with two guys in the woods. "She'll be there." said Akane. Nabiki looked at Akane. "What the hell does that mean?" she said frustrated. "Ranma and Ranko will be there. When Ranma is there Ranko won't be and vice versa." she said never looking up from her reading. Nabiki looked at her sister and walked out confused and she didn't like it. "I'll find out what's going on Akane I swear it." she growled. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- part16:Training on Mt.Terror --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ranma walked with Ryoga as a girl towards Akane’s home. Suddenly Shampoo latched herself around his neck from behind. “Nihao Airen!!" she squealed. Ranma roughly took her off "How many times do I have to tell you I'm not interested?" he said with a disgusted look. "Man she's getting worse. Thats the third time today." commented Ryoga, he had been staying with Ranma for a few days so he wouldn't wander off before the trip. "You ain't kidding she don't know when to quit, I'm just lucky Akane hasn't caught her doing that yet." he sighed as they approached the dojo. "Hope you brought enough to eat Ryoga cause were gonna have to sneak our meals when Akane cooks." said Ranma quietly as they approached the dojo. "What was that Ranma?!! How can you say that? You've never even had my cooking!!!" said Akane from behind him as she hit him with a large mallet. "I should have known! That was a classic set up..." thought Ranma bitterly. Soun and Genma sat across from each other and concentrated on the game before them. "My son has gone on a voyage of training with his first student." said Genma with a small amount of shame in his voice. Soun looked at his friend and sighed It had been difficult for his friend to tell him he had lost the school to his own son, but also reassuring to Soun, when Genma's son returned to marry his daughter he would defeat that evil Ranma and free his daughter. "I feel sorry for the young sister of that evil boy who is seeing Akane, she is so nice, it will be a shame when your son fulfills his promise and Akane has to stop seeing her brother." said Soun with a slight smile. Genma sweated a little. "Quite so Tendo." he agreed hastily. "Its just as well as my daughter has also taken a trip with some friends. Although I doubt a bunch of girls will get much training in." said Soun to his friend with a laugh. "Really where has she gone to?" said Genma with no real interest. "I believe the place is called Mt. Terror." Answered Soun. "Hmmmm,thats nice I'm sure they'll have a goo...Mt. Terror you say?" Genma's attention quickly left the board. "Yes, thats what she said." answered Soun. "Mt.TERROR?!!" said Genma with a huge smile. Ranma looked at his surroundings with a small smile. "Well this is it." he said. Ryoga looked around and snorted "This?" "Relax Ryoga we train on the other side of the Mountain, there is a water fall there, getting there every day will be part of the training." said Ranma amused with the smuggness Ryoga had, "I'll wipe that off your face soon enough Ryoga." he thought with just a tinge of evil laughter. The next day Ranma lead Ryoga to the waterfall with Akane in tow. "Lets see this arduous Training that you don't think I'm good enough for..." snorted Akane. Ranma smiled and turned to Ryoga. "Shatter this boulder." he said simply. "Thats easy." laughed Ryoga. "I was wondering what arduous training you were going to put me through." he said as he cracked his knuckles. Ryoga punched it causing it to split down the middle. "How's that?" he laughed. "I could do that." said Akane. "I bet you could, but thats wrong. I said shatter not split." said Ranma to them. Ryoga and Akane looked at him dumbly. "Wha?" they said in unison. Ranma touched the breaking points for both boulders lightly and they exploded. "Ryoga and Akane gasped. "Care to learn that?" asked Ranma. Genma looked at the group from the bushes. "So he brought that slut of a girlfriend of his along." he mused "When Tendo finds his daughter's camp we'll arrange a little meeting. If all goes well they'll never even know we were here." Genma laughed maniacally at his plan. A short time later, Ranma pulled the rope taught as he prepared the harness for the boulder. Suddenly he felt a presence behind him. Ryoga who was standing near by growled at the new comer. "Well it seems Saotome has a new student." said Mousse to a nearby tree. Ranma took up a fighting stance, and Mousse shifted his position following the movement. "Relax Ranma I'm training someone myself." said Mousse as he snorted at Ranmas stance. "I thought we were alone out here and I wasn't expecting to find *you*." said Mousse. "What do you want?" Growled Ryoga. "Well now that I know who else is here I'll leave you..." A small smile crept across Mousses lips. "Say Saotome?" he said. "What is it Mousse." said Ranma looking cautiously at the boy. "How about a little game?" Said Mousse. "What do you mean?" asked Akane. "Just to see who is the better teacher." said Mousse "My student vs. yours?" asked Ranma. "Yes." said Mousse, "In two weeks." "You got it !" said Ryoga with a sly look. "Let me introduce you to your opponent." smiled Mousse. Ranma gasped as Ukyo stepped from the trees. Ukyo staired hard at Ryoga. she was dressed in a kimono with a black and gold flower pattern on it on her chest was a bandoleer of throwing knives and across her back was a dangerous looking spear. Ryoga face faulted "A girl?" he said dumbly. " Ucchan." said Ranma weakly. "I have to fight a girl?!!!" Ranted Ryoga. "I've modified her fighting style. she is far more deadly than the girl you knew Saotome."grinned Mousse as the two disappeared into the forest. "You will have a formidable opponent boy." Later that night Akane watched Ranma chan across from the fire light. "So she was a friend of yours?" she asked softly. "My best friend." said Ranma as he looked up into the stars. "Its all my father's fault..." Ranma began to tell the tale of his and Ukyo's friendship including the engagement his father made and his betrayal of that promise. Akane cried as he finished "Ranma th-thats terrible! how could he do that to you two?" she said softly. "We did what we had to survive', I told you remember? I'm not proud but it doesn't change things." he said sadly. Akane looked at her friend and saw the sadness in his eyes . His father had caused his best friend to hate him, she could never forgive that. Ryoga looked at the sky next to them and sighed, he didn't hear Ranma's tale. His thoughts were occupied by the girl he would have to fight in two weeks time. "I-I can't fight a girl. especially one like her. Shes...what?" the answer he never wanted to hear came to him "Cute." From the bushes just outside the camp Soun Tendo watched his daughter talk with her friend 'Ranko' as she sat with her next to the fire. "Now to find Genma and get our children together at last!!" he was crying tears of joy. A few hors later he met Genma in the woods. "I've found them!" they said in unison, they hugged and cried for joy together, Until... "Say Tendo...where are we anyway?" ------------------------------------------------------- part16:The secret training ------------------------------------------------------- Ryoga watched as the boulder swung towards him, he felt in the air waiting for the perfect moment to strike, but alas the feeling never came he slammed into the rock painfully. "Dammit Ryoga concentrate! If you can't master this simple tequneique you will lose!!" said Ranma from below him. "You have to see with the minds eye!" he chided. "This guy is nuts." thought Ryoga. Akane looked at Ranma in horror "Stop this can't you see your hurting him?!" she said grabbing his shoulder causing him to wince in pain. "Akane, this is why I didn't want you to come..." he said sighing. "Ranma your hurt?" she asked looking worried. "Don't worry Akane its nothing." he said looking at her with his best smile and turned his attention to Ryoga. "You gonna hang there all day looking hurt or you gonna train??!!" he chided. "Yea yea..." grumbled Ryoga pulling himself up right. Akane looked at the two weary martial artist. "Hope you like it its curry." she said with a smile. "Bet we do." said Ryoga with a smile. "You'd lose." thought Ranma to himself. Ryoga looked at Ranma oddly he had been acting strangely all day, like he was afraid or something... The two looked at their meals and ate a small amount. Ranma and Ryoga looked at each other and stood. "Well Ryoga looks like its time to train!" said Ranma. "Yes sir!" said Ryoga heartily agreed and they both ran off. Akane looked blankly at the two. "What?" she said completely oblivious. In the bushes Ryoga grabbed Ranma's collar. "Who could have known she'd be that poor a cook?? its inhuman I tell you!!" he growled. "I warned you! Aren’t you glad we brought those extra provisions now?" retorted Ranma. Later that night... Akane lay awake in her tent waiting for Ranma to sneak away. Where does he go?" she wondered they had been there a week already and she knew Ranma was sneaking away at night. He had better not be sneaking food after I worked so hard to cook for them she growled as she got up and went out to check on him and he wasn't there. "I knew it." she said to herself but Ryoga was gone as well. "What?" she said "They left me?" she growled no wonder they had been so weary looking lately. Akane was about half way to the training sight when she heard a strange noise. She went towards it and saw Ranma and Ryoga standing out side a small shack. "What are they doing?" she wondered. The two opened the door to the shack and the noise became deafening. they entered the shack and stayed for a long time. Akane approached the shack cautiously. As she walked up to it the door on the other side opened. "ALRIGHT! we did it!" said Ranma and Ryoga to each other as they emerged. Ryoga looked behind Ranma and his eyes got big. "Akane?!!" he said looking guilty. "Uh oh." said Ranma. "What are you two doing sneaking off without me?? I was worried about you." said Akane angrily. "Akane I can explain. said Ranma ,but his voice dropped off as he saw Akane had put her hand through the wall of the shack in her anger. "Akane! Don't move!!" yelled Ranma as a Black cloud came from the shed and began to form around her. "What? OW!" she said as she felt a stinging on her hand. "Ranma the bees!" said Ryoga. "BEES??!!" Thought Akane as her body went tense. Ranma staired for a second and lept to action, he quickly lept into the swarm and shoved Akane to the ground. "Stay down!" he said to her as his arms became a blur of motion. Around her bees fell twitching to the ground. Ryoga gasped in awe as Ranma Attacked and dodged the bees with blinding speed, all around him the pile of insects grew until no more flew around him. "Ranma that was...amazing." said Ryoga as Ranma helped an equally amazed Akane off the ground. "Is that what you two were doing in there?" she said as she examined Ranma, "He hasn't been stung once?!!" she wondered aloud Ryoga spoke up "We were just learning to disguise our presence by walking around in there...I had no idea he could do this..." he said stairing at Ranma. "That is something I picked up in China." said Ranma. "Why didn't you tell me about this??!!" yelled Akane. "Because I knew you'd just worry about me and Ryoga that’s why." said Ranma. "I could have done this too, I am a martial artist ya know!" she said tearfully. "Akane your very good but you don’t have the endurance to do something like this yet, when you do I promise I'll teach you." said Ranma with a heavy sigh. "You promise?" said Akane looking at him hard. "Yes, Akane but you have to train allot harder than you have been if you want to be able to do this." said Ranma sternly. "Will you help me?" she asked him. "Of course I will Akane." said Ranma smiling. "Are you saying Ryoga's better that me?" said Akane with a hard look. "Are you saying I'm not?" asked Ryoga with a smug grin. Akane blushed. "That's not like the Ryoga I remember..." thought Ranma inwardly. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- part17: the Blasting point ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ranma looked up at the hanging Ryoga as he swung helplessly from side to side, "Ryoga you fool you have to find the breaking point!!" he again Chided. "Ya, know Ranma I'm starting to think this is some kind of trick." grumbled Ryoga. Ranma looked at him "He's so different, he's like Ryoga only -not- depressed, its weird..." he thought. "Ryoga if you can't concentrate and believe you will never master this!" Ranma said looking weary. It had been almost two weeks and Ryoga still had not learned the 'Bakusai-Tenketsu'."Well, I'm no Cologne and this should make him even tougher." he reasoned."Try again." said Ranma wearily. Ryoga pushed away and closed his eyes "See with the minds eye..." he told himself, he opened his eyes and staired hard at the rock. "YAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!" he cried as he swung at the Rock only to find it was still there. "NO WAY! I FELT IT!" he cried out in frustration. Ranma smiled as he looked at the boulder. "So that’s it." he thought with a small laugh. "Ryoga you fool you can't find the breaking point with other things on your mind!" he scolded. "No way!! the only thing on my mind is the Breaking Point!" he yelled. Ranma shifted the Rock to face Ryoga. "U-k-y-o" was written into the side where Ryoga had been hitting it. "If your thinking about her we have bigger problems that the 'Bakusai-Tenketsu'" thought Ranma grimily. Mousse smiled at his pupil. "You've done better than I'd hoped." he smiled at Ukyo. "Hibikki will suffer for siding with my enemy." she said coldly. Reiraku looked at her with a calculating eye. "But is she ready for Ranma as well?" he said to Mousse. "Only time will tell and she will be stronger before that fight." he said. Ranma watched painfully as Akane cooked yet another meal, occasionally noting that she was putting some rather odd things in the meal, "Akane that isn't sugar its salt." he offered kindly. "Shut up." she growled and corrected her mistake quietly. "Mabey it won't be so bad since I've been pulling damage control..." he mused. Suddenly the air felt different. Ranma grabbed Akane's arm and went towards the woods. "What are you doing?!!" she cried. "Quiet Akane." he said and she did unsure of what to think. When they stopped Ryoga was looking intently at the stone in front of him. "What I've seen this lots of times." said Akane grumpily. Ranma shushed her and Akane elbowed him on the head. "You haven't seen this yet, well not from him anyway." said Ranma From a little lower but unharmed state. Her gaze stopped an Ryoga as he pushed the rock away. Ryoga looked at the stone's image in his mind as it swung towards him, "I feel it!" he said triumphantly as a small glowing point appeared to him in his mind. "BAKUSAI-TENKETSU!" Akane watched as Ryoga swung at the stone and it shattered into a thousand small pieces. "YES!" said Ranma proudly. "Ryoga!" said Akane in shock. A small time later they all sat around the campfire, Akane was crying "I made a meal and no one said it was bad!" she sighed, completely forgetting that Ranma had corrected her every minute or so. Ranma of course had not failed to mention this to Ryoga during the meal, quietly. "I wonder why Ryoga was thanking Ranma so much during dinner, I had no Idea he wanted to learn that move so badly." she concluded. "Ranma how dare you teach me a useless technique!!" yelled Ryoga. "Who said it was useless?" said Ranma coolly. "You just said I can't use it on people!" said Ryoga angrily. "So do you honestly think I'd teach you something that dangerous on our first trip?" Ranma looked at him oddly. "You'll find out the true terror of the 'Bakusai-Tenketsu' tomorrow Ryoga when you fight that girl" smiled Ranma. Ryoga winced at this. Soun and Genma looked at the small map they had. "Were here Saotome." said Soun pointing at the map and looking at the panda next to him. "Growf" said Genma pointing at a different spot. "or mabey here?" said Soun. Turning to see the panda digging through the packs. "-there's no more food!!!!-" Said the panda's sign. "-I'm hungry-" it said as he flipped it over, the panda was crying. "Take it like a man Saotome." said Soun with tears in his eyes. "My poor little girl stuck on a mountain with the boy of her dreams and they might not even meet!" he sobbed. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Part18: Ukyo's great Revenge ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ryoga faced the Girl on the field and staired hard at her trying to see her as an enemy. "I can do this." he muttered. The wind blew shifting her hair and making her look radiant. "No I can't." he sobbed. Ukyo looked at the boy standing in front of her, "I will crush you." she told him as the wind blew, the boy was almost crying, good he was afraid of her. Ryoga finally composed himself enough to speak. "What did Ranma do to get a girl as cute as you so mad at him?" he said and locked up, he had meant to say angry instead of cute. Ukyo staired at him in disbelief. "Cute?" she wondered "I'm not cute." her train of thought was broken by Mousse. "Begin" he said. and the two lept into battle. SEVEN HOURS LATER Ryoga looked at the girl who was panting hard in front of him, "Why isn't she hitting me hard? Does she want to win?" he wondered. "Why don't you hit me for real?" he asked her. Ukyo looked at the boy she had been swinging at for the past seven hours. He had destroyed the end of her spear just by touching it after she cut him on the face, and her throwing knives were all gone. "I'm in trouble." she thought. "If he decides to stop dodging and start attaching me I'm gonna lose." she thought bitterly as she prepared to swing again. He had refused to hit her thus far and only dodged her attacks, the few that actually connected (she could count those on her fingers.) had all been really good hits and he didn't seem to notice. Then he spoke "Why don't you hit me for real?" Ukyo went into a blind rage as she swung the pole at him breaking it over his head. then she saw into his eyes. He was serious, he genuinely thought she wasn't really trying. She felt bad for hitting him like she had, he could be really hurt...then he spoke again. Ryoga looked at the pole that was broken over his head. "That should have knocked me out." he thought. He looked over at Ranma in wonder and thought of the few times Akane had hit him over the head, and he didn't even feel it. Ranma smiled and nodded seeming to understand what he was thinking. "That's it that's why I haven't really felt any of your hits." he said aloud. Ukyo slapped him across his face. A look of shock was on it. "It isn't you at all it's my training, this is what the 'Bakusai-Tenketsu' does!" he said in wonder. "I'm sorry." he said turning to Ukyo. Ukyo blinked, and Ryoga turned Red with a look of shock covering his face. Ukyo looked at the boy on the ground who was covering his nose and passed out as blood gushed from it. Her team mates were celebrating and Ranma was shaking his head with his back turned, his girl friend was blushing and had an odd look on her face. Suddenly she realized that she felt strange. She looked down at her chest only to find that her Kimono had come undone and her left breast was hanging out. Ukyo gasped and passed out in sheer embarrassment. Ranma looked at the two fools who lay on the ground. "Looks like a draw." he said. Mousse sighed and picked up his student, and walked away without another word. A FEW DAYS PASS... Ranma looked up as his father walked in to his house. "How was the training trip pop?" he asked his father. "Eh? oh fine fine." he grumbled as he shambled towards the kitchen. "Moron" said Ranma happily. On his way to school the next day he talked with Akane. "My father went on a trip while we were gone." she said cheerfully. "Training trip?" asked Ranma. "Yea, How did you kno--" she started. "My pop did the same thing, don't let him fool you Akane those two morons were trying to spy on us and got lost, It wouldn't suprise me if they were in on it together, My pop and yours have the same feelings about us dating." he said happily. "Your right but please don't call my father a moron Ranma." said Akane as she pulled the mallet out of his head. "Gosh she's cute when she's angry." he thought as he followed her towards the school. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- part19: The evil wakes ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ranma-chan walked purposefully along the fence towards his home when he heard strange cries coming from around the corner. "Akane!" 'EEEEEEEEE' "Akane!" 'Get it off me!' "Akane" .... Akane staired in a kind of disgusted awe at this strange creature groping her friends, then it turned it's attention to her. "AKANEEEEE!!!!" it yelled. Akane closed her eyes and braced herself. "HAPPOSAIII!" yelled another female voice. Akane opened her eyes to see Ranma pinning the thing down to the ground. "You keep your hands off her you perverted letch!" she yelled. It twisted out and tried to grope Ranma only to get punched in the face. He turned away "Your Soun Tendo's daughter all right so high spirited." he said tapping his back. "You know my father?" asked Akane with an odd look on her face. Happy looked at her. "You mean you really are Soun's Daughter?" he said. "You have some explaining to do Happosai." said Ranma. "You know him Ranma?" asked Akane. Happosai looked at her "You know me Ranma?" he repeated. "Akane I'd like you to meet Happosai Grand Master of the anything goes school of martial arts." he said calmly. Akane Gasped. Happy smiled at her "so you've heard of me cutie?" he said with a lecherous look in his eyes. "Sure, you trained both our parents." happy just looked at her. "I'm Ranma Saotome." said Ranma. Happy looked at her for a moment. "I thought Genma had a boy." he said. "He did." smiled Ranma. Akane looked oddly at Ranma for a moment. "Any thing goes? Both..our...parents..." she said dumbly. "How could I not see it? am I that blind?" her mind ran back to all the fights She had seen Ranma in. "Ranma you practice the Anything goes school?" she said aloud. "Yea, I thought you knew..." he said looking at her. "You never said any thing..." said Akane with a distant look in her eyes. "You've seen me fight lots of times." said Ranma oddly. Happy looked at Ranma and Akane for a long moment, "lets go see my old students." he said cheerfully. "You can carry me!" he said leaping at Ranma's chest, only to meet her fist. Happosai hung back with Ranma and watched her tentatively. "So your Genma's boy, eh?" he said looking her over. "You can see through my curse?" she asked looking at him with mild suprise. "Sure! I ain't lived this long for nothin sonny. Calm down boy, your battle aura's goin full blast, I ain't gonna rush ya." he said in his silly 'I'm just a harmless old man' voice. Ranma blinked "I am calm." he said looking at Happy. Happy squinted his eyes and almost gasped in awe, but managed to keep it hidden. "If thats his calm aura...That boy has twice as much battle aura as any man should be able to have and live!" Happosai smiled at him. "And it's still undeveloped." Finally he spoke "So Ranma tell me about yourself." he said looking a little too cheerful. "Hooo hooo hooo this is too rich! you beat that old windbag Genma and are secretly dating Souns daughter who your supposed to be engaged to? HA HAH HAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh! I can't take it!" cried Happosai as he rolled on the ground. "Keep it down old man Akane doesn't know." Growled Ranma. "Sorry Ranma my boy its just too good, and don't worry I'll keep your secret, It would be so much more fun not to tell. Just to watch those two idiots fall all over each other...In exchange for one thing." said Happy with a sly grin. Ranma gave him a dark look, he knew it was a risk telling Happosai all he did, but it was an even greater risk that he might figure it out on his own or even help Soun keep him away from Akane. "What is it?" he asked. "I want to train you to be the true heir to the Any thing goes school." said Happosai with a serious look. "What?!!" said Ranma in suprise. "No, doubt you've heard the tale of how those two fools 'defeated' me." Said Happosai with a smirk. Ranma nodded. "Don't worry I'm not here for revenge boy, I'm here to train my true heir to the school. I thought it would have to be one of those two fools, you have beaten your father from his right to that honor, and wel,l to be honest they would have stuck you with it anyway seeing how Soun only has daughters." Happosai was serious for almost five minutes when a large group of girls jogged by, Ranma snagged his collar. "You can chase women after we go see Mr.Tendo, I don't want to miss this." said Ranma. "Not even for a little while?" whined Happy. Ranma sighed. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- part20: The great reunion. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ryoga sighed as he walked out of Ucchans. "Argh! That stupid uncute tomboy! all I wanted was directions. Its not my fault she exposed herself to win that fight." he rubbed his head a little from where Ukyo had hit him with that damn spear, It didn't hurt but it was starting to itch. "Now where does Ranma-sensie live?" he wondered as he looked around. "Still she was pretty cute when she smiled when I first walked in...before she recognized me." Ryoga ignored the small pain in his chest. "OOH! That pervert! how dare he ask me for directions after stairing at me that way?!!" Ukyo was (not?) happy when the boy walked into her restaurant. "Of course I was unhappy!" she chided herself. "He probably just came to try to peek another look at her chest the perv." she growled. "Just you wait Ranma I'll get you for this and all those other Indignities! You've made my life hell!" she ranted as some customers moved away from her. An elderly man looked at her side ways "Your generating allot of heavy Ki my friend." he said to her. "What?" said Ukyo. "I may be able to help you, if you wave the price of my meal." he said with a small smile. Ukyo could tell that a smile was a strange thing to see on this mans face. Ranma laughed from his vantage point from a tree in the Tendo yard as he watched his father and Soun fall all over each other in panic as Happosai played with them. He would love to have seen it first hand but his father would have seen him at the Tendo home and he was still freigning ignorance. "Don't worry boy's I'm not here for revenge." said Happosai as he laughed from on top of them as they lay beaten beneath him. "Y-your not?" said Soun looking hopeful. "No I'm here to train my true heir to the Any thing goes school." he said cheerfully. Both men were packed and preparing to leave within seconds. "Where are you going?" asked Happy. "Why, were moving to China master." said Soun with a cheerful smile. "My heir will not be one of you two." he said cheerfully, both men looked relieved. "I'll be training a young man I met on my way here. But I will need a place to stay...You have a spare room don't you Tendo?" said Happy looking at him. "But master, Saotome has much more room..." started Tendo. "If you think I'm letting him anywhere near my Nodoka-chan Tendo." Growled Genma. "Saotome, I have three little girls to think about." said Soun. "I'll expect to see you here At leat once a day Saotome. Don't think I'm gonna let you slack on your studies I heard what happened to you, by your own son no less." said Happosai with an evil grin. Genma paled. "I'm sorry master." pleaded Genma. "Oh, no you don't that 'Crouch of the wild tiger' business of yours won't get you out of this one, don't make me come and get you." scolded Happosai. "Yes. Master." said Genma looking Defeated. Happy turned to Kasumi "Could you show Grandpa Happy to his room dearie." He said sweetly. "Certainly." she replied cheerfully. "Oh,my!" She said from half way up the stairs. "Sorry dearie my hand slipped." said Happy. Soun began to cry, again. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- part21: a turn for the worse ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Ukyo been gone for week." grumbled Reiraku. "She said she'd be back." said Mousse in a tired voice. "We will save Shampoo from marrying that monster who did that to her." Mousse was sounding very motivated and very tired. "I getting board, when we face Ranma? I tired waiting, Great Grandmother say she make Ranma marry Shampoo soon." said Reiraku. "In a few more days I will have mastered this technique and we can face him then...with or without Ukyo." said Mousse. "You only have until I can break the son in law to defeat him" said Cologne "It seems he has a girlfriend, she must be taken care of. Soon he will have nothing, and he will cling to Shampoo as his only hope for a life." she smiled at her plan. From the roof of the Cat cafe Ranma frowned and crept away not even Cologne had felt his presence. Later Ranma lay in his bed and Sighed, "This is not good." he thought as he lay in the pitch black darkness. He felt something smooth and silky pass over his chest and he froze. What ever it was it was trying to hide something cold. "Ranma." said a voice softly "die." it said. Ranma heard it grunt as he moved and grabbed at the intruders arm his other hand moved instinctively up and he touched its face. Ranma gasped. he turned and pinned the intruder to the wall. The lights came on blinding him for a moment and the intruder tried to struggle away taking advantage of this situation, but Ranma had anticipated this. "Ranma are you OK?" asked his mother as she entered the room expecting her son to be having a nightmare. Instead she found her son pinning a beautiful young girl to the wall of his room. She gasped and blushed. Then he grabbed her hair and pulled back hard causing her to cry out in pain. She was about to rush to pull her son off the poor girl when she saw the long curved knife she held in her hands and something else, she turned away with a look of horror on her face. "What's going on?" said Genma. "Shampoo!!" he said in horror looking at the girl with a look of fear. Ranma looked hard at Shampoo and growled at her "You tried to kill me. You have some explaining to do..." ALAS WHAT A CRUEL PLACE THIS WOULD BE TO CUT AWAY.... Ukyo looked at the mess she had created before her. "I did it!" she cried. "Hmmm yes." said the old man with a small amount of disappointment "looks like that was my last free Okonomiyaki." he thought. "Ranma! Today is the day you breathe your last!" cried Ukyo. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- part22: the secret. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ranma pulled down hard on Shampoo's hair as his parents walked into his room with looks of concern on their faces. Her thick bangs moved away from her face revealing a long scar and an ugly white eye stairing at him coldly. "You tried to kill me. You have some explaining to do...Reiraku." he said coolly. Shampoo growled at him, "you did to me." she said pointing at the scar on her face "I get revenge. I was beautiful once now I... look at me!!!" she screamed at Ranma. "I die before I marry you." she spat coldly. "Release her groom." said an aged voice. "I will tell you of how 'Reiraku' came to be, in exchange for her life." she noticed Ranma had turned the knife in Shampoo's hand on her throat. "She will not attack you." said Cologne. Ranma eyed her coldly. "All right." he said and slowly released her. "Go Shampoo, we will discuss your actions later, you know *you* should never have attacked him." Cologne scolded. Shampoo looked at Ranma with a venomous gaze and left. "Now where to begin.... FLASH BACK: THE AMAZON VILLAGE. this scene is totally in Chinese except for <>. Cologne watched in horror as Ranma raised her arm in the spiral uppercut and called the sleeping dragon. 'HI RYUU SHOUTEN HA!!' "No!" she cried as Shampoo was thrown violently into the air. Ranma shifted inside the blast he couldn't see much and it was difficult to move around without getting caught in the blast. he thought as he stood in the nexus of the blast. Shampoo struggled in the blast barely holding on to her conciseness as she moved upwards. "I won't lose." she thought as she turned downward and started to move down. Ranma looked up as the blast reached its peak only to see Shampoo directly above him with her Bonbori raised. She swung downwards . Ranma met it with his finger, and the Bonbori exploded in her face sending her flying up into the blast. Ranma braced himself and lept from the blast. Shampoo woke three days later and saw her family looking solemnly at her. "Did I win?" she asked already knowing the answer. Her father looked at her and shook his head slowly. "My daughter." he said softly. She turned to face Cologne, "Then I am to marry him?" she asked. "Yes." Replied Cologne. "So at last I am defeated by a worthy opponent." she thought with a small amount of relief that he was her own age and reasonably good looking. "My head hurts." she commented. It was too much, her mother ran from the home. "What is wrong?" asked Shampoo. "I-it is better to see." replied her father looking sadly at her. Shampoo looked into the mirror and started to scream. Shampoo looked out over the cliffs. "So I will die like this." she laughed with the irony, she had laughed at other women who found their engagements unacceptable and met dishonorable death at the cliffs surely that was not for her, and yet here she was. "To marry the man who did this to me..." she thought. "Shampoo stop." Said Cologne. "I will die before I marry him." said Shampoo to the elder. "Because you were injured so there is yet another way, although you may prefer death. Still I feel you should know of this option. A chance for vengeance." Cologne smiled as a fire lit in her Great Grand daughter's eyes. "Stand boy.” said Cologne to the figure that emerged from the spring. she turned to face the villagers. "A new member of the village has arrived. Stand forward Reiraku." she called. Shampoo stepped forward in her new male body. "Who are you?" Cologne asked. "Down fall." replied Shampoo. "What is your pourpose?" Cologne questioned Shampoo. "To kill Ranma Saotome to avenge my sister Shampoo's injuries and release her from her marriage." he said angrily. "You understand that You are not Shampoo but a completely different individual who can never be destroyed, even if your task is completed?" Shampoo grit her teeth. "I do." she replied reluctantly. Cologne had neglected to mention this. "Who will teach him our ways?" called Cologne. "I will, she will learn to be an Amazon and a warrior." Said Mousse as he emerged from the crowd. Worried murmurs were heard from the crowd. Mousse frowned as he heard 'weakling Mousse?' from the lips of more than a few of his villagers. Shampoo gasped, "Great grandmother choose weakling Mousse to help Me?" she said with a horrified look. "You will soon learn Respect." snorted Mousse. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- part23: Ukyo and the Lions Roar ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ranma looked at Cologne as she lept out the window of his room and smiled. "She would make an interesting wife 'Son-in-law'" she cackled as she turned away. "You keep your hands of her or I'll kill you." said Ranma to Cologne. "What?" said Cologne looking at him. "You know who I mean, she has no part in this." said Ranma looking at Cologne his expression unmoving. "You can't protect her all the time, and you know how things are." she said coldly. "Humph. Kill me indeed." she snorted as she lept away. The next day Ranma walked next to Akane towards the school. "What's eating you?" she asked noticing his somber look. "Nothin." he said looking cheerful for a moment, "Just tired I guess." he said looking at Akane. Suddenly, "RANMA PREPAIR TO DIE!" rang out. "Ryoga?" thought Ranma but he was suprised to see Ukyo running towards him with an angry look. "Now what?" he asked. "Ranma I challenge you!" she called throwing an Okonomiyaki at him with a challenge written on it. "Sure thing Ucchan." said Ranma. looking up from the challenge. Ukyo grabbed his collar. "Who you callin Ucchan?" she growled. Ranma blinked in mild suprise. "She's acting like...Ryoga?" he thought. Ryoga turned the corner to see Ranma Being grabbed by Ucchan. "Ranma? whats going on." he asked. "Just a challenge." said Ranma. "That Uncute tomboy Challenged you?" he asked with a serious look. "Shut up you jack ass!" yelled Ukyo as she hit Ryoga over the head. "Violent tomboy." Retorted Ryoga. Ranma was watching this exchange with mixed feelings, amusement, wonder, and slight disgust. He looked at Akane who was just bewildered. "It's like we should be..." he thought, And they all headed towards the school. "It must be love." he said aloud. Akane looked at him. Ryoga and Ukyo just stopped and staired at him. "With that uncute tomboy?" yelled Ryoga. Ukyo bat him on the head. "My heart ain't exactly a flutter for you either Jackass!" she countered. AFTER SCHOOL... Ranma looked at Ukyo sighed. "Let's get this over with." he muttered. She growled and swung her spear at him "You ruined my life!" she screamed and swung furiously at Ranma. Ranma dodged and punched her in the gut taking a light hit on the cheek. "Damn I gotta be more careful." he said "I should have dodged that easy." He chided himself. "Better end this before she hurts herself with that stick." he said goading her. "For all the humiliations for every thing you've done to make me suffer. You pay now Saotome!!! Eat this! 'SHI SHI HOKO DAN!'" Ukyo shot a blast of blue green energy hitting Ranma on his right side hard. "Uhng." cried Ranma in suprise and pain. "Where the hell did *you* learn that?" he yelled at her. She smiled "I have you!" she cried. She prepared a huge blast even larger than the first and shot it towards Ranma. 'SHI SHI HOKO DAN' Ranma smiled "you think so?" he said confidently. 'MOUKO TAKABISHI' he yelled and sent a solid blue wave of energy into Ukyo's blast. "No! Impossible" she cried as Ranma's blast cut through her's and hit her dead in the chest knocking her out cold. Ranma clutched his shoulder. "Ranma your hurt!" cried Akane as she rushed to his side. Ryoga picked up Ukyo and went toward The clinic...or so he thought. "Ryoga you jerk how dare you take me to Hokkiado?!!" screamed Ukyo as she beat him on the head. "You mean this isn't the school nurses office?" he asked as he looked around. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- part24: The good doctor ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- "So Ranma is it? I hear you and Akane are quite an item." said Dr. Tofu as he patched Ranma's shoulder. "This should be gone in a few hours. It's amazing how fast you can heal." he said as he looked at the wound, "What kind of fire was it?" he asked. "Shi shi hoko dan" replied Ranma. "You really shouldn't get into fights with people who can throw chi blast Ranma, you should respect your elders." said Tofu with a warning gaze. "She was sixteen, and I won." said Ranma with an amused look. Dr. Tofu looked at Ranma for a moment in suprise. "Ranma can throw a Ki blast?" he asked Akane. She nodded. "Tell me Ranma does it usually take you this long to calm down after a fight?" he asked. "Calm down?" asked Ranma. "Your Battle aura is still very large." Tofu said looking at Ranma. "I am calm Doc." he said. " Come now Ranma." said the Doctor pushing several calming points on his body...several times. He backed away. "Ranma you have twice the battle aura that any one man should have." he said. "I've studies martial arts a long time." said Ranma with a shrug. "No Ranma, everyone is born with a set amount of Ki in their bodies, it is always pretty close to the same amount for every one. its like a battery if you use it up it regenerates, and also like a muscle the more you use it the stronger it gets. But the amount never change you get more control and more potent as time goes on but the amount never changes." Dr. Tofu looked amazed at Ranma. "What about Happosai's Battle aura trick." Asked Ranma. Dr. Tofu looked at him quizzically. "He makes himself look really big." said Ranma. "That's just control of his Ki. He uses it to manipulate the natural Ki in the air around him." said Dr. Tofu after a few moments thought. "Natural Ki isn't really much good for anything but illusions using it in an attack is kind of like trying to drown a fish. Happosai's real attacks are disguised in the Illusion. Of course that is just an educated guess." he said looking thoughtful "At any rate your Ki is still highly undeveloped, but there is allot of it, thus making it easier to control." he guessed. Ranma was becoming board and stood to leave. "Well it was nice meeting you but I gotta head home." he said as he walked out with Akane. After dropping Akane at her home he stopped and watched the sunset from a rooftop. "It seems we both kept our Ki Saotome." he said to himself smiling quietly at his personal joke. "So that's how I learned the Mouko takabishi and the Hi ryuu shoten ha so quickly...: he mused as the sun slowly sank behind the rooftops of Nerima. "Mabey that's why I wasn't drained after those Ki attacks." Spirit wihtin part 25 -------------------------------------------------------- Ryoga meets Happosai ---------------------------------------------------- Ryoga once again looked out over the roof tops of Nerima, with a wistful look on his face. "Ukyo why do you have to be such an uncute tomboy?" he said as he rubbed the bump on his head casually, it didn't really hurt but still he wondered why he'd gotten it. Ranma looked on as Ryoga got up and dusted himself off after his landing. "So I take it you've seen Ukyo again?" he said casually from behind Ryoga causing the lost boy to start suddenly. "Yes sensei." said Ryoga bowing respectfully to his master. "So, you've taken on a student Ranma?" said Happosai from behind Ranma. "Thats right." said Ranma showing no sign that he had been snuck up on, while Ryoga almost screamed again. "Put the water away Happosai." said Ranma in a warning voice. Happy smiled and said "OK" as he dumped it on Ranma. Onna-Ranma turned angrily on the little pervert. "Why you little..." she started to say when Ryoga piped up. "How dare you treat my sensei like that you dirty old man!" yelled Ryoga as Happosai unsucsessfully grabbed for Ranma's breast. "Ryooga, no!" cried Ranma as Ryoga swung at the old man. "My such a strong boy." quipped Happosai as he hooked his pipe under Ryogas wrist and flung him into the air. A few moments later Ryoga came crashing down and immediately got up. "Why you..." he said as he stalked towards the evil pervert. "My such a strong young man." said Happosai as he patted him on the head after Ryoga picked him up by his shirt. Ryoga felt every almost every muscle in his body tighten up in a cramp and cried out in pain. Ranma walked up to him and hit him hard on the back. "Why did you do that?!!" asked Ryoga angrily. "Hey the cramps are gone." he said looking at Ranma dumbly. "Been hanging around tha chiropractor have you Ranma?" asked Happy lightly. "I'm his favorite patient." said Ranma coolly. "Besides he's a freind of Akane's." he continued. "Who is this guy Ranma?" asked Ryoga warrily. "Master Happosai, Grand Master of the anything goes school." replied Ranma. Ryoga's jaw dropped. "M-master? I am so sorry please forgive me!" cried Ryoga looking helpless. "Ryoga get up." said Ranma after Ryoga prostrated himself on the ground. "He doesn't deserve *that* much respect." said Ranma. "Hey!" cried Happy. "Shut up you old perverted freak." said Ranma. "R-ranma?" said Ryoga looking at him sideways "You treat your master like this?" he asked. "He is my old mans master not mine he also taught Akane's old man." said Ranma coolly. A some what evil plan formed in Happosai's and Ranma's minds. "You'll learn to respect me boy." quipped Haposai. "Fat chance old man." said Ranma coolly looking at Ryoga. Ryoga just looked at the two and shrugged. Several days later Ukyo Konji looked out over the streets of Nerima with a strange gaze, Mousse had several problems with this new tecneique of his and the Attack on Ranma had been delayed several times. Since the Reiraku attacked Ranma in his sleep the old hag had made it difficult for him to practice. Also it had become a rare site to see Akane any where without Ranma close by, not that that was unusual but he was going to extream lengths to protect her from something. So what she was seeing could not be real. Ranma was walking down the street with an ordinary looking man in traveling clothes and ... her father. But that was not even the best part her father was smiling at Ranma and talking like a friend to him. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Spirit within part 26: Ryoga and Ukyo. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- "WHAT?" asked Ukyo with rage in her eyes. Ryoga just staired at the Three men in shock. "Don't just sit there you jack ass say something!!" she yelled at him. "T-to that uncute tomboy?" he asked. Ukyo hit him over the head. "I see what you mean, my wife reacted the same way when our parents told us about the engagement." said the strange man to Ranma. "Ranma has offered an honorable solution to our problem Ukyo, and we will accept." said Ukyo's father. "Daddy!" said Ukyo angrily. Ryoga looked at the man sitting across from him. "You and Ryoga will marry and Ranma's fiancee and your children will marry thus combining our two lines and eraseing the dishonor placed upon us by his father." said Ukyo's dad. "B-but..." he started. "Quiet boy I only wish I had provided for you sooner." he said to his son. "Dad?! to that uncute tomboy??!" yelled Ryoga. Ryoga's father laughed out loud "I said something simmilar when I met your mother." he said heartily. Ryoga didn't know what to say. "But to that uncute tomboy?!" was all that came out. "Will you quit saying that!!??" said Ukyo as she hit him over the head again. "Ranma where did you find him?" asked Ryoga quietly as he staired at his father whom he hadn't seen in three years. Ranma smiled at Ryoga, he was getting over the shock of the engagement thing and still hadn't attacked him, Ranma decided he had made the right choice. "You have no Idea how hard it was to do." said Ranma with a small laugh. Truth was he had found him totally by chance after only a week of searching. Ryoga moved back to his seat as Ukyo yelled at her father who smiled at how much she protested the engagement, almost as much as she protested against Ranma when he first told her about that engagement. A short time later Ryoga glared at Ranma from on top of the roof. "I can't beleive you did this too me!" he yelled angrily. "I am aware thet you like her Ryoga." said Ranma. "So what?" Ryoga yelled. Then stopped realizing he had just admitted his feelings for Ukyo. "Thats not what I meant." he retorted. facing away from Ranma. "Ryoga I did this because I don't want to hurt her, she was my friend once. If things had gone on much more I may have had to deal with her, Mousse and Reiraku all at once and Cologne is trying to get Akane now. If she was helping them and they hurt Akane I may have done something I would have Regretted,That you would have Regretted. What would you have done if I had seriously hurt or even had to kill Ukyo?" said Ranma gravely. Ryoga looked at him. "It may come to that in the end Ryoga, I pray it doesn't. This takes Ukyo out of the game." he looked at the stars as he said this pretending not to notice Ryoga's horrified reaction to his words. Ranma turned to jump off the roof. "Ranma...thank you...........for finding my father." said Ryoga. Ranma said nothing but smilled a little at the real meaning from those words. Ukyo looked at the two men on the roof of her restaraunt Ryoga would be living with her now when he was in Nerima and her fight with Ranma was over. She looked bitterly as Ranma lept off the roof. "Looks like you win." she said somberly. A smile crept on her face as she thought about some possible living arangements with Ryoga. She crushed it quickly. "Let him sleep on the grill." she grummbled without much malice. she started to smile again at an amusing immage of Ryoga sleeping on the hot grill, but quickly squelched it as well "Ryoga get down off the roof and let me show you your room. " she called. She heard a thump as Ryoga jumped off the wrong side of her home. "Moron." she said as the smile snuck on her face again. The next day at the Cat cafe'... "Mousse." said Reiraku looking at the duck in the middle of the floor of the restaraunt covered in water. "I just get word Ukyo no can helpus. Ranma trick her father so no can help any more!" said the boy with an angry look. "Quack." said the duck angrily. "And after we went to all that trouble to train her too." said Cologne. "I guess I should take care of the girlfreind soon." she said with a sigh. She walked from the Kitchen and up to the duck. "I'll give you one final chance Mousse. If you fail Shampoo will marry the son in law, and my plan to destroy his life will begin soon. "I do not wish to see my Great grand daughter unhappy so I will help you this once." she said Darkly. "If he succeeds I won't have to kill anyone." she though coolly. --------------------------- Spirit within part 27:Mousses Secret Technique... ------------------------------------------- Mousse stood at the gates of Furinkan in wait the wind blew his hair dramatically as the students filed around him. "Ranma." he said as Akane Tendo approached. "Ranma Saotome I challenge you." he said pointing at the bewildered Akane. Mousse fell to the ground as Ranma kicked him in the back of the head. "Over here stupid." said Ranma looking at him with a confident smirk. "Ranma Saotome I challenge you." growled Mousse as he got up and faced him. "Great when?" said Ranma. "Now you fool!" yelled Mousse. Reiraku stood a small distance away and approached casually. "I can't now I got school." said Ranma pointing to the building. "You fight us now." Said Reiraku as he swung at Ranma with a spear he had hidden in his cloak. "OK Shampoo I'll bite." said Ranma as he jumped to avoid the spear. Ranma looked around the area there was a large crowd surrounding the fight. "Damn I was hoping they would back off till later." he thought. Akane looked on in confusion as the two tried to get Ranma between them. Then Shampoo did some thing strange. She seemed to avoid being directly between Mousse and Ranma. "What is she doing?" thought Akane. Ranma dodged the pair's strikes easily enough and backed away. "This is to easy, better be ready for the real attack." he thought as they forced him back. A new voice rang out from behind and Ranma turned to see Kuno behind him. "Well Ranma Saotome it seems you are out numbered." he said looking the situation over. "And who you is?" asked Reiraku cautiously. "I am Tatewaki Kuno the rising new star of the high school fencing world! The sound of my voice strikes fear into the hearts of my peers, they cal me "THE BLUE THUNDER OF FURINKAN HIGH" and I seek to free Akane Tendo from the grasp of his evil heart." said the Kendoist dramatically. "Great all three of them." grumbled Ranma. Kuno stood opposite the pair of Amazon warriors and smiled. "Today is the day of your defeat Saotome." he smiled. "Mabey I can use him, if I can get us away from the crowd..." thought Ranma. Ranma desperately Dodged the attacks of the Three and even took a few light hits from the battle. "Damn I can't take much more of this." thought Ranma as he rushed at Kuno again. Mousse grabbed at Kuno with his chains. "What are you doing knave I almost had him!" cried Kuno in anger. "This fool is going to get us killed! Ranmas trying to use him for the Hi ryu Shouten ha." Said Mousse. Reiraku nodded in agreement and turned on the kendoist Knocking him out cold in a few seconds as Ranma was kept barely at bay by Mousse. "Now we end this Saotome." said Mousse as Reiraku joined the fight once again. Akane watched from the shade of a nearby tree as Ranma was pummeled By the pair mercilessly barely keeping away from the blades they wielded. "Ranma be careful." she said. Mousse smiled and stopped his attacks as Reiraku slid to the side and held her spear in ready. "Now Ranma we end this foolish battle." Ranma turned his head slightly to see Akane was behind him watching with a worried expression. Mousse lifted his arm and took up a strange stance. "What the?" thought Ranma as Mousse pointer his sleeve at him. Ranma heard a familiar click and his heart stopped. "No." he said. Akane was behind him and he couldn't dodge. He turned and yelled "Akane get down! He's got a gun!" Mousses Robe sleeve exploded in a loud bang sending scraps of cloth flying through the air. Ranma felt the bullet whiz past him and through his shirt. Ranma turned to see Kuno with his back turned standing over Akane as she crouched defensively on the ground as if waiting for the bullet that never came. Kuno Turned towards Mousse. "A dishonorable attack." he spat at him. Mousse smiled. "If the end result is Shampoo being mine who needs Honor?" he said. Kuno fell on top of Akane as a large red stain formed on his side. The crowd snapped out of shock and stampeded. Mousse cried out in frustration as Ranma disappeared into the crowd. "Coward!" he yelled chasing after him. "Ranma is gone." said Reiraku coolly. Ranma collapsed after arriving in Dr. Tofu's clinic with Kuno and Akane over his shoulders. "Ranma?!" said the Doctor rushing to his side. "A bullet wound?" he said noticing Kuno as he breathed heavily where Ranma had placed him before his own collapse. Akane was in mild shock but did not appear to be injured. Ranma had a few light cuts and allot of bruises but was not seriously injured. Ranma awoke a few hours later with a start. "Finally awake?" said Akane as she kissed him gently. "Y-yea." said Ranma shakily. "How's Kuno?" he asked. "Stable at Nerima General." said Akane smiling. "You saved his life." she added. Ranma noted that they were still at Dr. Tofu's clinic. Akane saw him looking around and smiled. "Dr. Tofu went with Kuno he'll be back later." she said. "He took a bullet for me..." she said with tears in her eyes. Ranma held her for a moment top comfort her. "I hope we aren't interrupting any thing." said an icy voice from behind them. Akane turned to see Ryoga and an annoyed looking Ukyo standing in the door. "Ryoga Kun, Ukyo san. What are you doing here?" she asked suprised. "This fool wanted to see you after he heard what happened." said Ukyo with a tone that said she had to be talked into bringing him. "You OK sensei?" asked Ryoga looking at Ranma with a smirk. "Yea." said Ranma. "So how are things between you two?" asked Ranma. "Shut up Saotome I still haven't forgiven you for that." growled Ukyo. Ryoga just scratched the back of his head. "Why you gotta be so uncute in front of my friends?" he grumbled. Ukyo hit him over the head. Ukyo and Ryoga stopped Fighting when Mr. Tendo appeared in the door way. He was not happy. "You have endangered the life of my daughter." he said as Akane pulled away from Ranma slowly. "I will not allow this relationship to continue." he said as he roughly took Akane by the arm and pulled her away. "Akane...he's right." said Ranma looking sadly at her. Soun stopped and looked at him in suprise. "Until those two are stopped you can't see me. It isn't safe, I'd never forgive my self if something happened to you because of me." he said looking at her. A look of dread crossed Akane's face. "NO! she yelled and pulled away from her Father. "Akane please try to understand." pleaded Ranma. "Never I will die before I leave you like this." she cried with tears in her eyes. Desperately pulling away from her fathers grip towards Ranma. Ranma got up form the cot and walked out the back way. "Akane...I'm sorry I love you too much to see you hurt in this." he said and walked out the door. Soun held his daughter and smiled as he comforted her. "It will be all right Akane. I'm sure you just need time." he said to her. In his mind he thought of his friend Genma. "In time she will forget Ranma and then Genma's son Can meet her and they will both fall in Love and the Tendo family legacy will be secure!" He was almost giddy that Akane was finally free of that evil Ranma boy. But still he was not completely heartless he felt sorry for what his daughter felt now and tried to comfort her as best he could. Ranma walked into the streets of Nerima with a heavy heart and sighed. He stood confidently and stared into the sky as it began to rain. "This ends tonight." he said defiantly and headed towards the Cat Cafe. When he arrived there he looked in silent horror at the empty building. "I-Its gone." he said dumbly. "I had a feeling you would come here tonight." said a familiar voice. "Ryoga?" said Ranma as he turned to see his friend standing in the rain. It felt strange seeing Ryoga in the rain unchanged. Ukyo walked up behind Ryoga and smirked. "You were right Ryoga he did come. Your in no condition for a fight like this and you know it." she growled at him. Ranma hung his head. "Your lucky they moved somewhere else or I'd have to stop you from getting yourself killed." she spat at him. "What?" he said looking at her in suprise. "I may not like you very much Ranma but Akane would never forgive me if I let you get killed." she grumbled at him blushing. "Your right but Mousse has no honor he'll try to get me in my weakened state." said Ranma. "Doubtful, They'll have to lay low for a while because of the police. Why do you think the Cat cafe is empty?" said Ryoga. "That little stunt he pulled has got every cop in Nerima looking for the two." agreed Ukyo. "But Cologne and Shampoo can still move around freely." said Ranma. "Yes." agreed Ukyo. Soun and Genma Drank another toast to the end of Akane's relationship With the evil boy. "At last we can bring our families together!" cried Genma. "Yes but Akane needs time to recover." slurred Soun solemnly. "You think a week is long enough?" asked Genma. "Plenty." said Soun as he poured another cup of sake. ------------------------------------- Spirit within part 29: close quarters. --------------------------------------- Ranma woke stiffly from his cot and stretched uncomfortably. He had been staying with Ukyo and Ryoga for about a week now hiding in the back of Ucchans, occasionally doing dishes and working in the back as he laid low to recover. He felt a smile come as Ukyo gave her wake up call. "Ryoga you jerk!" cried Ukyo as she sent Ryoga out the window and into Nerima, it would be several hours before he returned. Ranma walked down the stairs and sat at a table. "You shouldn't be out here, they might see you and if they show up and wreak my restaurant Saotome." She said angrily. Ranma smiled and stood up. "Thanks for every thing Ukyo I'm almost completely healed." he said as he walked out. "Ranma wait. Where are you going?" Ukyo said suprised. "Home." said Ranma simply. "I'm better now and I can't hide forever." he said looking serious. Ukyo blinked and muttered. "Whatever." "How is she?" he asked standing in the door way. "Not good, I think if you get yourself killed she'll die a widow." said Ukyo flatly. She turned to see Ranma standing in the shadow between the door and the light from outside unmoving. "Ranma you can't push her away." she said to him. Ranma looked at the floor. "Why did I do it?" he asked himself out loud and walked out finally. "Just don't get yourself killed. I want to do it remember?" said Ukyo with out much malice. She then turned to see a stack of pot sitting in the sink. "Ryoga you jerk! How dare you leave without doing your chores?!" she yelled. Outside Ranma couldn't help but smile a little. He realized that Ryoga had probably replaced what his life should have been. He Idly wondered if Ukyo would be kidnapped instead of Akane all the time if they got through this. He would return home and then school, he had hated leaving like he had but he couldn't let his parents know where he had gone. He knew they must be worried about him, but he couldn't risk contact with them with the old goul running around. He would have to deal with her sooner or later and he knew she would be dangerous even with all his preparations. He had to deal with her quickly as long as she was around Akane was in danger. Mousse awoke the next day with a hard face. He had not lived in comfort over the past few days, but then he was used to that, at least he was with Shampoo for that time, but the fact remained that he had failed. Cologne would do everything in her power to get Ranma to wed Shampoo. Mousse watched as Shampoo rose from his side awoken by his movements. she asked him. Mousse looked into her eyes, and said one word. "Ranma." Shampoo nodded and lay back down getting what rest she could. She would die before she married Saotome, he had scarred her and destroyed her pride. He could not survive, Ranma Saotome would not exist or she would die it was that simple. How could it be done? He was seemingly invincibly lucky. A smile formed on her lips as a plan formed. she said quietly and went to sleep. Soun Tendo walked into his daughters room and smiled pleasantly. Akane sat on the bed looking tired. "Akane dear, you've been cooped up for days. Why don't you come down and-" He was interrupted by his daughter. "Meet your friend and his son? I don't think so, -he is coming back for me-" she said looking at her father with a gaze of ice. Soun went white as a sheet as he saw Akane's gaze her face was hard and bitter, she looked exactly like her. Nabiki walked in from her place out side the door where she had been spying with an odd look on her face completely oblivious that every one now would know she had been there. Akane steadied her gaze on her father as he backed out of the room. Kasumi walked in and looked around. Her gaze met with Akane's stare and she dropped the tea she had brought hoping it would calm everyone down. They all turned away and quickly left the room. Akane sighed and lay back down, she could not believe the nerve her father had over the past few days. "Ranma." she said staring at the ceiling. Soun sat wordlessly at the table with his news paper in front of his face and tears in his eyes. "I can't believe I never saw it before." he thought. His friend Genma had left after realizing that every one seemed uncomfortable after coming out of Akane's room. Nabiki and Kasumi kept the silence with their own thoughts and from the looks they had it was obvious they had seen it too. Akane had looked exactly like her mother when she was angry back there. Not a close resemblance -exactly- like her. Soun was very unnerved by it. Nabiki didn't know what to think, that look, the one Akane had given her and her family was one thing she had never forgotten about her mother. It was the look she got when she wanted them to know that they had crossed the line. Kasumi looked at her father and sister quietly sitting and waiting for the silence to end. "Oh my Akane looked very upset, I hope she's all right." she thought to herself. A knock at the door stopped the silence. Soun got up and walked to the door. Kasumi started to get up but Soun smiled and walked past her. He opened the door and stopped. Ranma stood before him looking at him calmly. "Hello." he said. Soun growled and quickly closed the door behind him as he stood outside with Ranma. "What do you want? Akane is upset enough..." he said angrily "If you haven't forgotten I am the heir to the Any thing goes school. I would like to speak to the master." said Ranma calmly. Soun looked at Ranma hard. He did not like being reminded that his daughter had an obsessive infatuation with the man Happosai had chosen as his heir. "Wait here I'll get hi-" said Soun only to be shoved aside by Happy who had emerged from his room. "Ranma my boy what brings you here?" he asked. "I need to train." said Ranma simply. Nabiki looked at him with a gaze that was unreadable from inside the house. Ranma returned it and turned to walk away to follow Happosai. "You come to me to train? why?" asked Happosai after a few moments of walking. "Because however unorthodox your methods are they are also effective. I need to beat these people or Akane is in danger. I hate being apart from her and I'll do any thing to ensure we'll be safe when we are together." said Ranma calmly "Even if it means all of their lives none of them will use her to get to me." The two rounded the corner and Ranma ducked under a hand that swung at him. He looked up to see Nabiki staring at him angrily. "What the hell do you think you are doing?" she yelled at him. Ranma looked at her and sighed. "You would rather have her die with me?" he said to her calmly. "With you?" she asked suprised and horrified. "Do you have any idea what I'm up against? Do you know how powerful Cologne is? Do you know that I am not facing just these amazons but an entire village? If they fail more will come after me. You think I'm going to let Akane live like that? Always running for her life? Never being safe? Nabiki I doubt if I'll even survive this." Ranma looked at Nabiki hard. Nabiki looked at Ranma sadly. "I didn't know." she said looking ashamed. "So thats why you left me." said Akane as she walked out from behind a tree nearby. Nabiki turned and looked at her in shock. "Akane?!" she cried. Ranma smiled and turned away. "Now you know." he said sadly. "I don't care." she said to him. Ranma turned to face her. "Akane don't do this you don't know what your getting into." he said pleading with her. "I don't care." she repeated calmly. Ranma looked at her and faltered. "Akane you can't do this..." he said wavering under her gaze. "Ranma your stuck with me. I'll hunt you down if you try to run away. I love you and you can't stop me from being with you." said Akane seriously. Ranma looked at her and sighed gathering his chi in his hands. "Can't I?" he said staring her down. Akane walked up to him and kissed him her chest coming dangerously close to the energy ball in his hands as it dissipated. "No you can't." she said smiling at him. Ranma looked at her and fell to his knees. "You win." he said to her with a sort of sad smile. Akane sat next to him and kissed him again. Nabiki and Happosai watched the argument form the side. "This is boring c'mon Ranma we've got to train." he said to him dragging him away. Nabiki smiled as Akane followed them. "I just hope she doesn't try to cook for them while they are away." she said dryly waving them off. Mousse smiled as he watched the exchange from the bushes. he smiled. Shampoo in her female guise sat next to him in the bushes. she said to him. said Mousse with a grin. Shampoo nodded and looked ahead with a grim smile. she said bitterly touching the scarred tissue under her hair. Ranma followed Happosai as he led them towards Nerima station. Ranma stopped and looked at the building he was standing next to. "Ucchans." he said reading the sign. "Hey, old man, wait up for a minute." he called. Happosai turned and looked at Ranma impatiently. "Hurry it up boy!" he said. Ryoga sat at a table and relaxed, he was tired after the lunch rush and was enjoying some quiet time in the restaurant. "Hey, Ryoga feel like going on a trip?" said a familiar voice from the door way. Ryoga looked up and saw Ranma sticking his head through the open door. He stood up and grabbed his pack from the corner. "Sure." he said without a second thought. Ukyo watched the whole exchange from the grill and sighed. "Ryoga you jerk." she said to herself. Akane poked her head in behind Ranma. "Ukyo are you coming?" she said smiling. "Are you joking? I have a business to run here!" she cried putting her hands on her waist. Akane blinked and smiled "O.K.." she said cheerfully. Ukyo turned off the grill and grabbed a small bag from under the counter. "If you insist." she said dryly. Akane looked at her and smiled cheerfully not really understanding. "Are you gonna take all day?!" called Happy from outside. "Besides I'm not letting Ryoga go off alone with him! Who knows what he'll be like when he gets back. He's perverted enough as it is." said Ukyo in a failed attempt at covering her true reason for tagging along. "Hey! said Ryoga defensively. "I think your just worried about him." said Ranma from beside Akane. Ryoga blinked and looked at Ukyo, "Really?" he said dumbly. Ukyo turned red and protested loudly "Of course not!" she cried hitting him over the head with her spatula. "This is going to be a long trip." sighed Happosai. "And just where do you think your sighing?!" cried Ukyo pulling him from her chest and hitting him into orbit. ------------------------------------------- Spirit within part 30: training for a peaceful life. ---------------------------------------------- "All right then, I send the flowers and the note and make sure he is at the park at four?" said Genma with a smile. "And I take Akane and go for a nice walk in the park to cheer her up!" finished Soun. "A perfect plan. When my son returns from his training voyage we'll set it all up!" cried Genma. The two men pat each other on the back and laughed heartily. "Nabiki, where is your sister?" called Soun as his middle daughter walked by. "Oh, thats right you haven't heard yet. She ran away with her boy friend yesterday." said Nabiki sitting down calmly while eating a bag of chips. She rested her head in her palms and watched the two men cry. Ranma sat next to the fire the group had made on the side of the mountain and watched it burn down. He could feel every muscle in his body ache. Ukyo and Akane were angry at the three men and forced them out of the tents. The three had spent the past few days raiding bathhouses, restaurants, windows, and school locker rooms from the towns surrounding the mountain. "They could have at least given us our sleeping bags." grumbled Ryoga. The tired and beaten men returned to camp only to face two very angry girls. Akane was the worst of the two. Ranma had made her tag along on all the 'training voyages' refusing to take his eyes off her for the slightest moment. She had often joined the hordes of angry girls after the unfortunate victims of Happosai's training began chasing them. "I can't believe that jerk!" growled Akane from her sleeping bag. "He is such a pervert." she muttered. "Akane, I envy you." said Ukyo looking at her room mate from her own bag. Akane stared blankly at her. Ukyo smiled "You have someone who loves and trust you so much that he'll allow you to see him doing things like that. Even when he knows your going to pound him for it." she rolled over in her bag. "I wish I had someone that trusted me that much." she said. Akane smiled. "Ryoga isn't being very discrete about his actions either." she said. "I suppose not, that pervert, he's probably having the time of his life. At least Ranma looks miserable." muttered Ukyo. "He looks like he's the one having the hardest time about this. Ranma isn't exactly shy about naked women for obvious reasons, Ryoga, well...lets just say he lost allot of blood over this." Akane smiled when she remembered Ryoga's reaction to the bath house caper. "Besides I think you just like to watch Ranma suffer." "I do like watching those two morons stumble around from their injuries." said Ukyo she smiled and rolled over to sleep for the night. "I guess Ryoga does trust me." she thought as she dozed off with a small smile on her lips. "What do I care anyway." she muttered. Akane however frowned and fumed again in her own bag. What did he mean 'it was a blessing in disguise' when she told him they weren't allowed to have any of the curry she had cooked? Nabiki must have told him those lies about her cooking. She had cooked for him before and he only complained the first time, except for that lunch, and that was just a coincidence. He even told her he hadn't been feeling well before then. "I'm gonna have to talk with Nabiki when I get back." she muttered and dozed off as well. Mousse crept silently up to the encampment and smiled as he entered the Tent. He looked at the two girls sleeping on the ground and frowned. He looked back over his shoulder and saw a blur in the bushes. Moving frantically. "Which one is it?" he cried looking at the snoring girls. Shampoo watched the idiot Mousse stop and stare at the two girls in the tent for a moment. she grumbled in Mandarin. Then a realization came over her. Mousse wasn't staring at them, he couldn't tell them apart. "Stupid Mousse." she muttered and stood up. He looked back at her with a confused gaze. "Right Mousse! Right one!" she said waving her arms to the right frantically. Mousse watched the blur move and sighed. "Oh well." he said and dropped a gas ball. He then lifted both girls over his shoulders and walked out carefully. He placed a paper on the flaps and crept silently away. A few hours later... Mousse growled as Ukyo struggled against the chains that held her against the wall. "What have you done to Akane?" she screamed. Akane was hanging from a large arch in the back of what appeared to be a tomb of some sort, it was built in a huge cave. She was several stories in the air and hanging from a rope. Below her were several large samurai statues with stone spears in their hands pointing straight up. hundreds of them lined the walls of the huge cavern. Light from a hole high on the ceiling gave it and aerie presence. "Relax Miss Konji. If all goes well you and Miss Tendo will be released unharmed. She is bait and you are insurance." said Mousse. Shampoo walked up behind him and smiled at her." He is right, you relax now and be quiet." she purred. Ukyo growled at her. "Well it seems like your finally using your head Mousse." said a familiar voice from behind them. Shampoo and Mousse whirled around and backed defensively away from it. "Great Grandmother." said Shampoo angrily. "Don't worry dear, I'm feeling generous, I'll allow this plan, if only because you actually put some thought into it, no matter how little. A warning Mousse...If you fail this time, Shampoo will marry the son in law." said Cologne. "Goul, not even you can prevent my marriage to Shampoo this time. We will avenge her honor and return to China together." thought Mousse barely containing his grin. Ryoga and Happosai woke the next morning and sat up. "All right boys ready for another day of training...." Happy trailed off noticing Ryoga was staring at Ranma who was standing in front of the tent not moving. In his hand was a sheet of paper. He turned to face the two. "They won't get away with this." he said and tightened his grip on the sheet. "What's wrong Ranma? Where are Ukyo and Akane?" said Ryoga looking worried. Ranma held out the note. It was a map with the words. "Come and get her." written on it. "Oh, my." said Happosai. "Our girlfriends have been kidnapped and all you can say is 'Oh my?!" growled Ryoga. "Somebody had to say it and Kasumi isn't here, besides since when is Ukyo your girlfriend?" said Happy. "She'd not I was talking about Ranma!" cried Ryoga defensively and blushing a bright red. The two turned and saw Ranma already disappearing off in the distance with the map in his hands. "Ranma wait up!" cried Ryoga chasing after him in the wrong direction. "This way fool." cried Happy dragging him by his collar. "Cut it out you freak!" yelled Ryoga. ---------------------- Spirit within: final. ------------------------------ Ranma stood in front of the cavern and looked into the darkness. Ryoga, and Happosai caught up with him and stopped. "Hey Ranma whats up?" asked Ryoga impatiently. "This is where the map ends." said Ranma. "Where do we go now?" asked Ryoga. "Are you really that stupid?" asked Happosai. "We go in there." he said pointing at the entrance to the cave. "We better be careful, this is obviously a trap." said Ranma as he walked into the cave. Cologne appeared in front of him. "Well now, it wouldn't be very fair for us to interfere with this would it Happy?" she said to the old man. Ranma growled at her. "What have you done to Akane?" he demanded. "Yea! What have you done to Uk-Akane?" said Ryoga standing behind him. "Me? Why nothing son in law. This was all young Mousse's Idea, I had nothing to do with it." she said with a smile. Happy had been staring at her for a long while. "That nick name...for you to know that. You must be...L'il Cologne." he gasped. "Well now its nice to see you too Happy. Let the children play alone, it isn't very fair to help them." said Cologne. "Humph, it wasn't fair to take poor Akane and Ukyo captive either was it now?" replied Happy. "C'mon boy's lets..." Happosai and Cologne looked around and saw that the two youths had already left. "Ah well...So how ya been Cologne?" Ranma and Ryoga walked down the tunnel that the entrance led to and turned into a large hallway like room that was flanked on each side by statues of soldiers all armed with spears. It was about thirty feet tall and forty feet wide, and led to an underground temple about two hundred yards away. "Hey, I think I've been here before." said Ryoga. Ranma grabbed him and dove behind one of the statues as the one behind where they had been standing shattered at the waist. Several soft noises could be heard echoing through the cave. "Welcome Saotome." called Mousse as he stepped from behind one of the statues about twenty yards away. "I hope you like your tomb. It belongs to a lost emperor of Japan." He threw the empty gun he had used to the ground, it had a crude silencer on it. "Ryoga when we move watch the barrel of his gun, keep from being directly in front of it and we may come out of this alive." said Ranma. "Coward! Are you afraid? Your to weak to face him like a man?!" yelled Ryoga. The Arm of the statue they were hiding behind disappeared after a deafening roar erupted through the cave. "Weak. strong. I'm the guy with the guns." said Mousse then he blew the smoke off the barrel of the shotgun he had used. Shampoo and her prisoners became more restless with each passing moment as gunfire continually erupted from outside the temple. "I hope that jerk Ryoga didn't follow Ranma here." said Ukyo with a wavering voice. "Is boy friend?" asked Shampoo. "Don't even try it sugar, after what you did to me and my friend I'm not about to start small talk with you." Growled Ukyo. Akane just watched the door quietly. Cologne appeared from the shadows of the cavern. "Well now isn't this convenient?" she cackled. Shampoo stood in suprise. "Great grandmother what you doing here?" she said. "Just making sure things go my way if Mousse fails, and taking care of an old 'problem'." said The old woman as she looked at Akane as she hung high above the group of statues all of which pointed their spears towards her. "Hmmm, how convenient." she repeated looking pleased. Ranma dodged and ducked behind another statue as Mousse tore apart the room with his M-60 machine gun. The pile of spent weapons at his feet was impressive, almost as much as the shells he had collected. "Doesn't this guy ever run out?!" growled Ryoga as he nursed the wounds he had gotten on his leg and shoulder, they were really only scratches. "We've only got flesh wounds so far." growled Ranma as he ignored his own minor wounds. Then Mousse stopped firing. A low hissing noise could be heard as the hidden weapons master began to stalk towards them. "Now whats he up to?" said Ryoga as he watched from over Ranma's shoulder. Ranma noticed a small light coming from the small pipe coming from Mousse's sleeve. A smile formed on his face. "Ryoga no!" cried Ranma as Ryoga Bolted He dove out into the open and shot a Ki blast at Mousse that grazed the boy and burned the side of his chest. "Moukou Takabishi!" he cried. "Where did he learn that?" thought Ranma in suprise. Mousse cried out in pain and anger and pointed the weapon at Ryoga. A long thick beam of flame erupted from the flame thrower catching the lost boy on his decent as he dove for cover. Ryoga screamed and rolled into the shadows. He managed to put the flames out as he hit the wall. He did not move after that. "Well Ranma I'll give you this, You are one hard to kill bastard." said Mousse as he walked up and kicked Ryoga a few times. "Seems he's dead." said Mousse calmly. He pulled a .45 from his robes and shot Ryoga in the shoulder. "Yup." he said noting the lack of a reaction. Ranma stood from his place in the shadows and stepped out. "Bastard." he said angrily. Mousse turned and shot the flame thrower at Ranma who jumped and rolled away from the flame. Mousse growled and adjusted his aim. Ranma stayed just ahead of the flames, barely. "You can't dodge forever Saotome!" said Mousse angrily. Cologne sat across from Ukyo and smiled at her. "Don't worry dear you won't be harmed. We just need to make sure you don't get in our way." she said with a smile. "Although I can't say the same for your friend." Ukyo growled and kept silent. She looked up at Akane who was silently watching the door. The look in her eyes was filled with hope. "I wish I could be so confident." thought Ukyo. "Ryoga you jerk! Don't you dare get killed on me." Ranma stayed just ahead of the flame and backed into the wall. He was almost out or room to run. "Damn." he muttered as he rolled as flames shot over his head. "Almost." she said. "That's right Ranma, Your almost out of room." said Mousse with a laugh. "No, we were almost there and now we are." said Ranma with a huge grin appearing on his face. Mousse's eyes went wide as he realized what was happening to him. "Hiryu shoten ha revised! horizontal blast!" cried Ranma as he punched towards Mousse. Mousse growled and thought back to the fight. Ranma had been dodging along the walls and floor only giving way slightly, his pattern had grown tighter as he was backed into the wall. Mousse had assumed that it was because he had less room due to the statues that flanked the hallway, he had been wrong. Mousse was knocked to the side as a Ki blast slammed into him from the right. "You shot me you bastard!" cried Ryoga from the corner. Just as the Hiryu shoten ha blasted from Ranma's arm. Mousse was tossed into the air like a doll as the edge of the Hiryu shoten ha caught him and threw him up towards the ceiling. Ranma and Ryoga shielded their eyes as the dust and dirt clouded the cavern and made it difficult to see or even breathe. Cologne looked up from her meditation and sighed heavily. "Shampoo, Mousse has lost, prepare to meet your new husband." she said to her granddaughter. Shampoo's eyes went wide. "No! Mousse no lose is Impossible." she growled. "I die before I marry Ranma! Mousse no let Ranma win!" she cried angrily. Cologne sighed. "Believe what you like." A strong wind blew into the temple from the tunnel outside through the door blowing dust and dirt into the temple. Cologne stood and waited for a moment before walking over to the rope that held Akane suspended over the statues. "And now we wait." she said calmly. Ranma stood in the wake of his attack and walked over to Ryoga and helped him up. "Your lucky you were behind these statues or it might have gotten you as well." said Ranma. "Its a good thing you passed out and couldn't feel that or Mousse would have killed you." said Ranma as he looked at Ryoga's shoulder. "What ever you..." Ryoga's eyes went wide as he stopped mid sentence. "Oh god." he said in shock. Ranma turned to see Mousse, he was impaled from his back on one of the statues nearby. He writhed on the spear clutching the base of it as it jutted from his chest. He turned his head and looked at them with a gaze of hatred. "Shampoo..I...failed you." he said as he slipped away. His head tilted back and sent his glasses to the ground. They shattered as they landed in the ever growing pool of blood at the foot of the statue. "Lets go." said Ranma. Shampoo stood and stared at Ranma and Ryoga as they walked into the temple. "Ranma!" cried Akane as she began to struggle against the ropes. Ukyo turned pale as Ryoga came into her field of vision. His arm was covered in blood and hung limply at his side as he staggered in after Ranma. He turned and smiled at her weakly. Cologne smiled and placed her staff against the rope holding Akane in the air. "Welcome son in law." she said smugly. Ranma stared her down and fell to his knees. "You think I will marry Shampoo after every thing you have done to me?" he growled at her. "If you truly love this girl, yes." said Cologne as she stripped the rope a little. Ranma stood and glared at Akane. "Goul I challenge you, if you win I go with you. If you lose you and Shampoo leave and never bother me again." Cologne returned his gaze. "Very well." she said with a small smile. Shampoo stood and glared at him with a small smile. He had just given her great grandmother permission to kill him. Ranma leaned over to Ryoga. "I'm counting on you buddy get them out of here, no matter what happens." he gave Ryoga a sad smile. "You just killed yourself didn't you?" said Ryoga quietly staring at him in disbelief. "Its too late for that to matter get them out." said Ranma sternly. "All right." said Ryoga reluctantly as he backed away. Ranma charged Cologne and was promptly thrown to the ground as she parried with her staff. "Your a hundred years too late to beat me boy." she said as she stabbed his leg with the end of the staff. Ranma screamed as his leg exploded in pain. He stood shakily and faced her. She jumped around him at an incredible speed and beat on him as she passed each time. Ranma stood and punched vainly at her. She smacked him hard across the face and sent him to the ground. He growled and pushed himself up and spat out three of his teeth. "Had enough boy?" laughed Cologne. "Never." said Ranma as he charged her again. Ryoga untied the rope and lowered Akane slowly to the ground as Cologne and Ranma fought. Akane just screamed Ranma's name over and over as he lowered her. He had a feeling she would have to be carried out. She landed gently on the ground between some of the statues and struggled to get to her feet. The ropes made it difficult and she strained and watched in horror as Ranma was beaten mercilessly by the elder Amazon. "What you think you doing?" said a high pitched voice from behind Ryoga. He fled his shoulder explode in pain as Shampoo gripped it hard and brought him to his knee's. "You have ...Ranma...let them go.." he said as Shampoo squeezed ever harder. Shampoo let go and Kicked the wound hard Sending Ryoga to the floor. "Why?" she said angrily. "I make Ranma suffer before Great grandmother kill him, I'll kill woman he love in front of eyes." she said with a sadistic smile. She brought her Bonbori down on Ryoga's leg several times and he felt it snap. She jumped and landed on his back and Ryoga yelped in agony. Shampoo giggled as she beat him in the head with her Bonbori. "After I kill student." she said. Ukyo struggled against the Chains that held her to the wall angrily. "RYOGA!!" she screamed. "Get off him you bitch! I'll Kill you!" she screamed as tears streamed down her face. The she felt something give. Ranma Rolled away from Colognes staff and wiped the blood from his eyes. The goul touched him on the forehead and sent him flying back into the ground. "So boy you thought you could defeat me?" she cackled. "Still so eager to fight?" "I will fight till I beat you or die." spat Ranma as he stood again almost falling over in the process. He regained his balance faced her. "Moukou Takabishi!" he cried sending the blast at her and falling over from the recoil. Cologne simply stepped to the side and smiled. "You'll have to do better than that I'm afraid." Shampoo beat Ryoga into the ground and kicked him in the gut. "Stupid you no can beat Shampoo." she yelled at him angrily. She stopped Cold as she felt something sharp against her back. "Ryoga honey, you OK?" asked Ukyo quietly as she held the spear she had 'borrowed' from one of the statues against Shampoo's back. Ryoga did not move. Ukyo growled and stared at Shampoo hard. "You killed my fiancee'" she said and shoved the spear hard. Shampoo did a backflip and kicked Ukyo in the face as she tried to stab her in the back. "You no can face me?" she taunted. "You die like boyfriend." Ukyo screamed and slashed at Shampoo with the spear. Shampoo dodged and weaved around the blows and blocked some of them with her Bonbori. She then swept Ukyo's feet and uppercut her in the gut with one of the Mace like weapons. Ukyo lost her wind and her spear went flying off into the shadows. "Stupid girl you no can defeat me, now you die too." said Shampoo as she raised her Bonbori into the air. "Y-you killed my Ryoga-kun." Said Ukyo bitterly. She looked at Shampoo with a gaze of ice. It was not the gaze that stopped the Amazon from striking, it was the huge Ki aura that formed around her. Ukyo's face was almost like that of a corpse. There was no anger, only complete despair. "I never even told him I-I never said that I-" she stammered hysterically. Shampoo backed away in terror. She slowly began to regain her senses. "What I do?" she said looking down at Ukyo as she held Ryoga's body in her arms. She felt dread encompass her heart as she realized that she had just lost her mind. Ukyo looked at her and her face turned into a mask of pure rage. "SHI SHI HOUKOU DAN!" Was the last thing Shampoo heard before the world went black to her. Ranma stood against the wall as Cologne closed in on him. "You are quite a warrior son in law." she said as she hit him in the gut. "All out of tricks?" she said as Ranma held himself up against the wall. Ranma growled at her and wiped the blood from his brow again. he knew he could not stand much longer, he was in serious pain and browning out. A few more hits and he would die at Colognes hands. He couldn't even stand with all the blood he was losing."Not quite. Bakusai Tenketsu." said Ranma as he touched the wall. It exploded in a cloud of dust and Rock Cologne backed away from the huge dust cloud and a realization hit her. "You'll not escape that easily son in law!" she cried and lept into the cloud. "SHIN BAKUSAI TENKETSU!" Ukyo cried softly as she held Ryoga against her chest. She looked at his battered face and frowned. "Your dirty." she said with a small laugh and she rubbed some of the dirt off his face. She turned to see Akane watching her with tears in her eyes. After a moment Akane returned to watching Ranma battle Cologne. It was fairly obvious that he would also die. She looked at Ryoga again and lay him on the ground gently. "Worry about the living." she thought coldly. She bent down and began to kiss him on the lips. "Good bye Ryoga ku--" she stopped. She felt something on her lips. She backed away and looked at Ryoga again and it hit her. "Breath." Ryoga was still alive. She pulled him to her chest and sobbed. "Ryoga wake up honey! Don't die on me!" she cried as she picked him up and headed towards Akane. Akane stood watching helplessly as Ranma fought with Cologne. She Had managed to free herself from the ropes but the statues around her formed a sort of cage. She beat against her prison made of statues and tried vainly to shove them over or break through them. The statues in the temple, unlike the stone guards in the entrance hallway were made of solid iron. "Akane." said a voice from behind her. She turned to see Ukyo standing on the other side of the statues. "Ukyo!" she cried "Get me out of here!" "I'm gonna climb to the top and pull you out." said Ukyo. Akane waited and watched Ranma's battle as Ukyo climbed up the ten foot tall guardian. A few moments passed and Ukyo called from the top. "Akane grab my spear." she said. After a minute they were out Akane ran towards the battle when an explosion rocked the cavern. They neared the battle just in time to hear. "Shin Bakusai Tenketsu!" The smoke cleared away slowly and Ranma stood motionless in the haze. He held his arm extended out and Cologne was impaled on his finger By her shoulder. Her staff was extended in a blow that had just missed Ranma's head. "That's good boy." said the old woman "But you should know that move has no effect on living things." "Doesn't it?" said Ranma as he shook her off and threw her to the ground. The last thing Cologne ever saw was Ranma's finger glowing blue as she fell to the ground. She realized what he had done. He had just pumped her shoulder full of Ki. She Screamed a high pitched scream as she felt it begin to swell and tear apart. She exploded on the ground before Ranma covering him in her remains. Half her face and most of her chest was gone as what was left twitched on the ground. Ranma turned to see Akane running towards him with her arms extended and tears in her eyes. He smiled and sat up. Then he saw them. Akane and Ukyo stopped. Ukyo slowly placed Ryoga's unconscious form on the ground and they looked around in horror. The Amazon village was here, in the cave with them. A woman of about forty walked up to Ranma and looked at him. "Get them out of here." she said to the others. She pulled her hand back and struck Ranma in the neck. He slumped down with a smile still on his face. Akane screamed as Ranma fell to the ground. Several Amazon women dragged her from the cave with Ukyo and Ryoga. "Ranma!" she screamed as she watched the women stand around him, she struggled with those pulling her away. She saw Shampoo being carried along with her through the hall way. The Amazons carrying her veered off to the side and gently let her go near one of the statues. Akane heard an anguished cry and screaming coming from the Amazon but she didn't care. She struggled and tried to throw her captors off angrily. Then she felt a gentle hand on her neck, after that the world became black. She awoke three days later in the hospital. She sat up and looked around. Ryoga hobbled over to her on his crutches and gave her a weak smile His arm was in a heavy cast that covered most of his chest. Ukyo stood next to him and smiled at her. "Hey you OK?" she asked. "Ranma?" asked Akane quietly. Ukyo said nothing and turned away in an attempt to control her own emotions. Ryoga held her and comforted her as best he could with his body in the condition it was in. Akane gripped the sheets on her bed and felt tears in her eyes. "Ryoga, you looked pretty bad before, are you OK?" she asked to change the subject. Ryoga smiled. "It looked worse than it was, I got allot of bruises, a broken leg, a mild concussion, and a hole in my arm, other than that I'm fine." he said with his grin wavering. It was obvious he was taking it pretty hard himself. "You guys carried me here?" asked Akane. "No. We all woke up here. said Ukyo bitterly. "They dropped us off on the way home." Soun burst into the room with tears in his eyes. "My baby is awake at last!" he sobbed as he grabbed her in a rough hug. Akane smiled at this but reacted only a little. Nabiki and Kasumi followed him in. "You really had us scared sis." said Nabiki. "Oh my I'm so glad your all right Akane!" exclaimed Kasumi. "Is she?" thought Nabiki to herself. Two weeks later... Soun Tendo smiled as Akane sat next to him in the park. He was tired and worn from all that had happened to his family. Akane had locked herself in her room and stayed, she refused to leave for school or any other reason. She just stayed in the room and mourned. Ukyo and Ryoga would visit occasionally and she would talk with them, but it was obvious her heart was not in it. Her father was taking it very hard. He had sat with her as much as she would allow and eventually convinced her to come with the family to the park. It wasn't much but it was a major breakthrough for Akane. She sat silently next to him. Genma Saotome walked by him in the park. "Saotome kun." he said with wide eyes. He turned to see Akane glaring at him. "Hello Tendo, fancy meeting you here." said Genma with a look of genuine suprise. "I-I- didn't, really dear. Its...just a" stammered Soun. "It's OK daddy I believe you, go talk with your friend." said Akane as she turned her gaze back to the sky. "Really Akane, I promised I would never do that again." said Soun just to be sure. "I must offer my condolences." said Genma bowing respectfully. "Thank you." said Akane. "So, is she feeling any better?" asked Genma after they were away from Akane. "Really, Saotome." growled Soun. "Tendo, Don't insult me like that. You are my best friend I would not make such a foolish mistake twice." said Genma. "So how is your son? I heard he was training in the mountains again." said Soun. "He had an accident." said Genma with a far off look. "I am sorry to hear that." said Soun as they walked back to the bench where Akane sat alone. "Ah, Akane my wife is waiting for me. I hope you are feeling better soon." said Genma bowing to her as he parted from his friend. "Pop you tell her if she acts like this when I really am dead I'll haunt her for the rest of her life." Akane's heart stopped. "What?" she said looking at Genma in suprise. Genma paled and turned to glare at the wheelchair ridden boy behind him. "I apologize, my son is very rud--" Akane cut him off mid sentence. "Ranma!" she cried and ran into the arms of the younger Saotome. Soun watched as Akane kissed Ranma and knocked him and the wheel chair over. "Yyyou?" he stuttered in disbelief. "Wait a minute I recognize her." said Genma adjusting his glasses. "That is your son?!" yelled Soun. "That is your daughter?!" repeated Genma. "So an evil slut, eh Saotome?" growled Soun. "Rotten bastard?" retorted Genma. The two men looked at their children and smiled. "At last our families will be joined!" cried Soun. Epilogue Three weeks later... "So what happened again? I still don't get it." said Ryoga as Ranma sat across from Ukyo, Ryoga and Akane at Uchans. Akane smiled at Ranma as he began and played with the small gold ring on her finger. "Well after what you saw they brought me to a sort of hospital. I was there for about two weeks. They said that Cologne really messed my nerves up and I would have died if they hadn't help me." said Ranma. "Why did they help you?" asked Ukyo confused. "Something to do with the image of Amazons. You see Mousse and Shampoo were lovers. She is pregnant with Mousse's child. That's why we hadn't seen Reiraku for a while. She couldn't change with the child in her. They said the child might be her only chance at regaining her sanity." Ranma frowned at this. "I'm still not sure why they told me all that. Anyway, When Mousse and Shampoo became lovers then she legally gave up on me. The marriage contract became 'void' so to speak. That meant Reiraku's hunt on me had no merit, so he was out of the picture. Cologne, Mousse and Shampoo chose to ignore this and went after me anyway. Whether or not Cologne knew about the pregnancy or even that they were lovers isn't really known. So she may have been acting within the laws of the Amazons. But Mousse and Shampoo knew. Even if she regains her senses she won't ever get back the status she once held in the tribe. They were coming to bring them all back, one of the spies they sent had caught Mousse and Shampoo in the act." explained Ranma. "They were a little late." grumbled Ryoga. He popped his shoulder and rotated his arm to keep it from becoming stiff. "Thank god for super fast healing abilities, eh Ryoga?" said Ranma smacking him on the shoulder playfully. "Ow, you jerk!" he cried punching Ranma's leg. Ranma winced "They helped me because as long as Shampoo and Cologne didn't succeed then Shampoo lives in shame and can never lead the village, a sort of punishment for ignoring the laws. Also it was a sort of apology for all the trouble they caused me." he said while glaring at Ryoga. "By the way. You never explained how you learned how to do the Moukou Takabishi." said Ranma to Ryoga. Ryoga blushed. "Well, I just sort of figured it out." he said grinning dumbly. "It took me forever to figure out how to do it with out hurting myself with it, but I did, with a little help from Ukyo." he said pointing at her. Ukyo blushed and said nothing. "She fights pretty good for an uncute tomboy." said Ryoga smiling. Of course it earned him a belt to the head from Ukyo. Akane and Ranma smiled at this. Suddenly Happosai burst into the room and hid behind Ranma's leg. "You've got to help me!" he cried. "I was wondering when you would show up again." said Ranma staring at him as he cowered behind him. "Where ya been old man? I haven't seen you since the cave." said Ryoga. Akari burst in after him. "Ryoga Kun? Where were you? You were supposed to take me out today!" she cried as she grabbed Ryoga by the neck. "What?" cried Ryoga and Ukyo in unison. Ukyo hit him over the head. "See she is a violent tomboy Ryoga kun!" cried Akari pointing at Ukyo who fumed. "Akari if that oversized pig of yours wreaks my restaurant again..." growled Ukyo at the girl. "One of the trash cans snuck up behind Ukyo. "Don't' even think about it." she cried and slammed it out of the door way. Tatiwaki Kuno charged into the door and demanded that Ranma and Ryoga Release his loves from their evil grasp. Only to get thrown from the restaurant. Ranma smiled at all of this as he watched Ukyo and Ryoga bicker. Then the wall caved in. "She's found me!" cried Happosai. "My restaurant!" yelled Ukyo. Ranma stared at the huge black aura that surrounded what he knew to be a huge pink elephant. A few minutes later Akane and Ukyo were both drug on board a gigantic boat flying above them while Lai-chi cried for 'her prince'. They had both caught the scroll at the same time. "Ukyo!" cried Ryoga as he dashed on to the boat using Tsubasa as a spring board. Ranma sighed and lept after him. "Won't this be fun?" he said to himself happily. "Hey you jerk! give me back my wife!"............ The end Whew! that is finally over. It took a little over three months but I finally got it all done. I'd love to get C&C on this. Send to Catbert25@aol.com. Hope you enjoyed it. Ja-ne! Catbert