At last!  Here is the draft to Part 5.  Hope it's worth the wait!

As always, any C&C greatly appreciated!   ^_^

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    TIGER CLAW: A Ranma 1/2 fanfic - by Madamhydra@aol.com
======================================================================
        Part 5:  DARKENING HEARTS (part I)
======================================================================

---------------
Disclaimer
    All rights and privileges to Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takahashi,
Shogakukan, Viz Communications, Inc., and associated parties.  The
characters of her series are used without her permission for the
purpose of entertainment only.  This work of fiction is not meant for
sale or profit. 
    All original characters are the creation of the author.  All
copyright privileges to these characters are reserved for the author. 


---------------
IMPORTANT NOTE:  
    This is a CONTINUATION-ALTERNATE REALITY fanfic.  While I follow
the manga (and video) continuity to just after Mount Phoenix (volume
38), the subsequent wedding ceremony (and the related bombing by
Shampoo and Ukyo) does NOT occur.  In this story, a different incident
involving the planned wedding took place.
    Only a limited number of the main characters have actually SEEN
the Neko-ken (the Tendos, Genma, Shampoo, Cologne, Gosunkugi or
Sasuke, and Kuno), although others may have heard rumors about it.
                
---------------
Text Conventions
    (   )  -> thoughts
    >   <  -> sound fx
    <" ">  -> Chinese
    Curse forms are denoted by appropriate suffixes (-chan, -neko,
-panda, etc.) except for Ryoga (P-chan) and Mousse (Muu-Muu).

**********************************************************************
Part 5#:  
**********************************************************************

    "Yuki!  Your meal's ready!  Yuki!  Yuki?  Here kitty kitty kitty!"
 A middle-aged housewife scowled and muttered, "Where's that silly cat
gone?"

    All over Nerima, a lot of other people were asking the very same
sort of questions.

-----------------------------------

    A young man wearing a faintly shimmering dragonscale vest, 
matching arm bracers, and a piece of women's hosiery stood hidden amid
the leafy branches of a tree near the Tendo compound.  Although he had
a slightly effeminate appearance, he was also quite handsome with his
blue-black hair and elegant facial features.  At that moment, those
elegant features were distorted by an irritated scowl.

    Pantyhose Tarou was annoyed.

    (Damn you, Happosai, where are you?)

    Tarou had just wasted the last few hours prowling around Nerima
futilely trying to locate the old lech.  Finally, Tarou settled down
to keep an eye on the Tendo compound.  There was no telling where
Happosai might be at any given moment, but he always came back to the
Tendos and his 'heir', Ranma Saotome.  As he waited for the old
pervert's return, he pulled a tattered piece of paper from his pocket
and read it again.  

    "Tarou, my dear boy.  After a great deal of thought, I've
generously decided to grant your request to change your name. 
However, there is one small condition.  I want you to get a certain
document from Ranma.  Unfortunately, I don't know where that miserable
boy has it hidden.  If you can find it and bring it to me within a
week, I'll be glad to give you your name of choice.  That's all. 
Cheerio!  

    "PS: Ranma doesn't know I'm looking for that paper.  Try not to
slip up, hm?"  

    He stared down at the note with a skeptical sneer.
    
    ('Generously decided'?  'Grant my request'?  Who does the old
bastard think he's dealing with!?  A 'small condition'?   If that's a
'small condition', Happosai's a Buddhist monk... a celibate one.  As
for trusting Happosai to keep his end of the bargain....)

      Tarou snorted.  (No way.  Not after last time... or the time
before that.)  
    
    Leaning back against the tree trunk, he frowned thoughtfully. 
(Ranma's no match for Happosai.  If the old pervert wants this paper
so badly, why can't he just take it?   Not only that, it can't be THAT
hard to trick that idiot Ranma into revealing its location.  I could
think of any number of ways....  What's so special about that document
and why does Happosai need it so quickly?)

    (Is it some sort of magical item?  Perhaps it discloses a special
martial arts technique.  Hmph!  For all I know, it could be a map to
something totally useless like his hidden stash of women's underwear. 
But it doesn't really matter what that paper is.  If Happosai wants it
so badly, then I want it MORE.  And once I get my hands on it, I'll
see whether it's worth keeping for myself or not.)

    As he wondered what valuable or earth-shattering secrets might be
in the mystery document, Tarou started to chuckle evilly.

---------------------------------

**********************************************************************
Part 5#:  
**********************************************************************

    As they left the hospital, Akane noticed that Ranma had a worried
look on his face.  

    "What's wrong?"
    
    He absently said, "I was just wondering how Ukyo's doing after...
yesterday."

    Akane felt a familiar flare of jealousy.  Her first impulse was to
snarl something nasty but she managed to throttle it into submission. 
She took a deep breath and thought, (No.  This is just what Nabiki's
been warning about.  I'm not going to say anything.  I'll see how
Ranma wants to handle this.)

    She looked away and said evenly, "Fine.  You do that."

    He took a step down the stairs, then glanced back at her.  "Akane,
you coming?"
    
    She blinked.  "You want me to come with you?"

    Ranma give her a puzzled look.  "Of course.  Why won't I want you
to come along?"  He suddenly appeared worried.  "Unless... did
something happened between you and Ukyo yesterday?  Something I don't
know about?"  

    Akane hesitated a bit.  "No.  Not really.  Ukyo just had a hard
time dealing with... everything."  

    She silently added, (But she was so bitter when I tried to explain
about the Neko-ken.... Ukyo acted like I was lying to her!)

    Akane shrugged.  "I thought you might want to talk to her
alone...." 

    He muttered, "Where would you get a stupid idea like that?  It's
not like I got anything to hide."

    She scowled at him a bit.  "Oh really?  Are you sure about that?"

    He opened his mouth to make an angry retort, but suddenly stopped.
    
    "Despite what you and Nabiki might think, I'm not blind.  I know
something weird's been going on between you and Ukyo recently."

    Ranma's natural impulse was to tell Akane to butt out, but he
found himself slowly saying, "Yes, there is."  He saw her frown and
hastily added, "But it's not what you're thinking!"

    Akane flushed and hunched her shoulders.  "Just what am I supposed
to think?  For the last couple of weeks, Ukyo's been really moody
and... and whenever you guys meet, you're always watching her." 
Suddenly, she gave him a furious glare.  

    "Ranma!  You didn't!"
    
    "Huh!?"
    
    "You and... and Ukyo!  Don't tell me you two...!  She's not...
she's not...."

    "Not what!?"
    
    "....pregnant...," she mumbled under her breath.
    
    "WHAT!?!?"  Ranma looked totally stunned.

    She turned away to stare furiously at an inoffensive shrub. 
Actually, she looked more hurt than angry.

    Ranma dropped his face into his hands and muttered, "Oh, just
great."

    (Just how many other people in Nerima are thinking the same sort
of thing?)  As he struggled to come up with a story that won't make
the whole situation worse, that little inner voice spoke up.  

        / Tell her the truth. /

    (I suppose I could just tell Akane the truth.  But Ukyo....)

        / It wasn't your fault.... /
        / It was HER screw-up.... /
        / Why should you suffer for her stupidity? /  
        / She doesn't deserve to be protected.... /
        / Let the fool face the consequences. /
        
    Taking a deep breath, Ranma reached out and put his hand on
Akane's shoulder.  She shrugged it off at first but he firmly but
gently pulled her around to face him.  He said quietly, "Listen. 
You've got absolutely no reason to be jealous of Ukyo.  She and I are
childhood friends.  Nothing more.  I never touched her, okay?  If you
really want to know what's going on,... I'll tell you.  But not now
and not here."

    Trust and jealousy fought in Akane as she stared up at him and the
earnest look on his face.  
    
    "Please, Akane.  I swear... whatever's going on with Ukyo, it's
got nothing to do with THAT."
    
    Trust won... barely.  She nodded slowly.  "All right.  Later."

        / Now say something nice. /

    He stepped back and grinned slightly.  "And I'd sorta feel better
if you came with me, okay?"

    Ranma released an inner sigh of relief as Akane rewarded him with
a quick flash of a smile. 

---------------------------------
    
    Kodachi scowled as she swirled the clear liquid around the small
flask with a scowl.  The extract from the dried Umbra roses was
disappointingly weak.  However, the scent WAS there, subtle and
alluring.  
    
    (Perhaps the dried petals of the Umbra rose won't be enough, but
at least I'll be able to see whether the information on that ancient
scroll has any merit.)  

    As she finished sprinkling the scented water over her clothes and
working it into her hair, Sasuke reappeared in a blur.

    "Mistress...."

    With a sharp flick of her comb, Kodachi curtly said, "Stand away."

    Sasuke knew better than to ask silly questions.  He immediately
retreated across the room and backed out the window.

    "Well?" she snapped.

    Peering over the windowsill from the outside, the little ninja
said, "Mistress Kodachi, I've located Ranma Saotome.  At this very
moment, he's headed toward Ukyo Kuonji's restaurant."  Sasuke's voice
was muffled because he had a cloth clamped over his mouth and nose.

    Kodachi's expression turned ugly.  With a snarl, she hurled the
comb in Sasuke's direction.  It zipped past his ear and buried itself
into the tree trunk outside her bedroom window.

    After she stormed out of the room, Sasuke took a cautious sniff
but couldn't smell anything out of the ordinary.

**********************************************************************
Part 5#:  
**********************************************************************

    Ranma abruptly stopped as soon as he caught sight of Ukyo's
restaurant.
    
    "What's wrong?" Akane demanded.
    
    "It's closed."
    
    "What?  At this hour?"
    
    He glanced at her and frowned slightly.  "Are you SURE she was
okay yesterday?"
    
    "Well, I thought so.  She wasn't physically hurt or anything like
that.  She was upset, of course, but I didn't think she was THAT
upset."

    They exchanged worried looks, then headed straight for the
restaurant.
    
    Ranma pounded loudly on the door and waited impatiently for an
answer.  Just as he was about to kick down the door, it slid open.  An
unfamiliar young woman stood in the doorway, towel in hand.  She
cocked her head slightly and said politely, "Hello?"
    
    Ranma sharply asked her, "Who are you?  Where's Ukyo?"
    
    "Ukyo?  Oh, you mean Ms. Kuonji."  The woman's expression became
bit cooler. "She's upstairs resting."

    "Resting!?"
    
    "Yes.  Who are YOU?"
    
    Ranma was about to answer when he caught a glimpse of the
restaurant's demolished interior.  He rudely shoved the unknown woman
out of the way and forced his way inside.  
    
    "Hey!   What do you think you're doing?" the stranger complained.

    After taking a long look at the broken furniture and the
conspicuous bloodstains on the floor, Ranma turned to the stranger and
angrily demanded, "What the hell's going on here!?"  

    No one could miss the hostility and suspicion in Ranma's voice. 
And while he wasn't in an actual fighting stance, he was clearly
alert, ready for any unpleasant surprises.  The woman cautiously back
up a few steps, then propped one hand on her hip.

    "Well, that depends on just who's asking."

    Ranma snapped, "We're her friends, damn it!  Now tell us what's
goin' on!"

    The woman hesitated before answering.  "An intruder broke in
sometime last night and attacked Ms. Kuonji.  She got hurt.  Like I
said before, she's upstairs resting."

    "And what are you doing here?"
    
    The woman snorted.  "I was passing nearby when I heard the
commotion.  I saw the fighting.  Your friend was losing -- and losing
badly -- so I evened up the odds a bit.  I managed to drive the ugly
bastard off.  She had some nasty cuts and a bump on the head.  I
patched her up and stuck around to make sure she was doing okay.  My
name's...."

    She didn't have the chance to finish as Ranma dashed upstairs with
Akane at his heels.  The young woman was left standing alone on the
ground floor.

    "....Yuri." 
    
    She reached behind her and adjusted something tucked in the small
of her back, then quietly followed the others upstairs.
    
**********************************************************************
Part 5#:  
**********************************************************************

    Ranma burst into Ukyo's bedroom and shouted, "Uc-chan!  Are you
all ri...."
    
    He skidded to a halt as soon as he realized that Ukyo was naked
from the waist up, except for some broad white bandages tightly wound
about her lower torso. 

    "Ranma!?"  A horrified Ukyo stared blankly at him, frozen in shock
and surprise.
    
    "Oops!  Sorry!  I didn't mean to...."  He immediately tried to
backpedal out of the room but only succeeding in crashing into Akane
who was trying to enter at the same time.  They both landed in a
confused pile on the floor.

    "Ranma, get off of me, you idiot!  What do you think you're doing,
charging into a girl's bedroom like that with no warning!?  You should
have at least knocked!"

    Akane angrily hauled Ranma off the floor and threw him out of the
bedroom.  After slamming the door in his face, she turned around to
see a white-faced Ukyo struggling to sit up.  She hastily pushed the
chef back down onto the futon.

    "Relax!  Take it easy," she said as she hastily covered up Ukyo
with the sheets.
    
    The door opened a crack, and Ranma nervously asked, "Uh, Uc-chan?
You... um... dressed now?"

    Akane whirled around and glared in his direction.  "Don't be
ridiculous!  How can she possibly get dressed when she's been hurt
like this?  Just wait a moment, all right?"

---------------------------------

    Yuri paused halfway up the stairs.  She eavesdropped just long
enough to confirm that the two young intruders were actually friends
of Ukyo.  Shaking her head at the commotion, she headed back
downstairs to the kitchen.
    
---------------------------------

    With Akane's help, Ukyo managed to get herself decently covered. 
She was thankful for the delay.  She needed the time to regain her
composure before facing Ranma.

    (He seems so... normal... today.  It's like that fight yesterday
didn't even happened!)

    Akane yelled, "Okay, you can come in now."
    
    Ranma warily stepped into the room.  He looked Ukyo over, noticing
her pale complexion, the scrapes along her arms, and the telltale
signs of pain around her eyes.  "How are you feeling?"
    
    Ukyo smiled weakly.  "I've had better days.  But it could have
been worse."
    
    He chuckled a bit, then said, "That girl downstairs..."
    
    "Yuri?"
    
    Ranma shrugged.  "I guess so.  She said that you were attacked
last night by an intruder."
    
    Ukyo stared at her fingers.  "Yeah.  The... guy broke in late last
night.  I got careless.  Yuri managed to drive... him away."

    Scratching the back of his neck, he muttered, "Uh... shouldn't you
be in the hospital?"
    
    Ukyo chattered nervously, "Oh, it's not that bad.  Really!  Just a
few minor cuts and bruises.  Nothing serious.  No point making a big
deal about it!"

    Standing behind Ranma, Akane frowned.  She had seen the look of
pain on Ukyo's face when she had tried to move.  No matter what she
said, Ukyo was hurt a lot worse than she was letting on.

    Ranma started to reach out to touch her, but paused.  She looked
unnervingly fragile.  He bit his lip, then said, "Is that... it? 
Did... anything else... happen?"

    Ukyo stared at him blankly, then her eyes widened.  "No no no!  I
just got a bit beat up.  That's IT!"

    Ranma hesitated but decided not to press the issue.  "Did you get
a look at the guy?"
    
    The chef mumbled, "It was dark.  I couldn't really see much,
especially after I knocked my head against the wall."

    "You... sure you're all right?"
    
    Ukyo gave him a bright smile.  "Don't worry!  A little rest and
I'll be fine.  Actually, I was about to ask the same about you.  How
are YOU doing?"  Ukyo's gaze flicked anxiously between Ranma and
Akane.

    His lips twitched slightly but it really couldn't be considered a
smile.  "Same as you.  I've had better days."
    
    Actually, Ukyo couldn't quite recall ever seeing Ranma in better
physical shape.  He was showing absolutely no signs of the injuries he
sustained during the fight with Kuno and Ryoga.

    (And that doesn't make any sense.  This isn't a matter of a few
minor cuts and bruises.  Kuno and Ryoga really HURT him.  Ranma's a
fast healer, but even he couldn't have totally recovered overnight...
or could he?  There's no signs of soreness or pain... and something
about the way he was moving....)  

    Ukyo shook her head and said, "What happened, Ran-chan?"
    
    He looked down at his hands but didn't say anything.  Akane said,
"During the storm last night, there was a fire at his parents' house. 
It burned down to the ground."

    Ukyo gasped.  "Are they...."

    "They're hurt, but Dr. Tofu says that they should be fine with
some rest."
    
    Ukyo looked away for a second, then reached out to touch Ranma's
knee.  "I'm so sorry to hear that.  I know how much you care about
them."

    His hands clenched briefly.  "In more ways than one, Uc-chan."  He
glanced quickly at Akane, then added, "They said it was lightning from
the thunderstorm, but I kinda wonder about that."

    The chef looked startled.  "What... you don't think it was an
accident?"
    
    "If the fire was the only thing, I wouldn't have a problem with
it.  But with the other weird stuff that's happened yesterday, I'm not
so sure."  Ranma got up and said, "That's why this mysterious intruder
bothers me so much.  First, that stuff with Kuno and Ryoga,... then my
parents,... and now you.  It's all too much of a coincidence."

    Ukyo muttered, "When you talk about it like that, I guess it's
more than a little suspicious."

    He shook his head.  "Yeah.  Listen, I need to talk to that woman
downstairs... what's her name?  Yuri?  Maybe she's got a better idea
what this guy looks like.  Be back in a sec, okay?"
    
    When Akane got up to follow Ranma out of the room, Ukyo grabbed
Akane's wrist.

    "Ukyo?" said Akane in a startled voice.
    
    The chef pulled her closer and asked in a soft, urgent voice, "Did
Ranma go anywhere last night?"

    "What...?"
    
    "Did he go out at all?"
    
    "No, he didn't."
    
    "Are you sure?"
    
    "Yes, I'm pretty sure."
    
    "And how would you know?" Ukyo asked, both suspicion and jealousy
creeping into her voice.
    
    "Because... because...."  Akane tried to find a less awkward way
to say it but finally gave up.  With a reluctant sigh, she muttered,
"I was in his room most of the night.  I can guarantee that he didn't
leave the house.  I would've heard him."

    "You were what!?"  Ukyo glared angrily at her.
    
    Akane glared back.  "It wasn't anything like THAT!  I was just
keeping an eye on him, all right?"

    Ukyo's anger subsided, then in an odd voice, she said, "You were
really worried about him...."

    Akane fidgeted uneasily, but something about the obvious disbelief
in the chef's voice rubbed her the wrong way.  Instead of her usual
attempts to deny any interest in Ranma, Akane tossed back her head and
said tersely, "Yes, I was really worried."  Her fierce gaze dared Ukyo
to contradict her.

    The chef stared up into Akane's face.  Ukyo wasn't exactly sure
what to make of her behavior.

    (Does she really mean that or is she was just feeling...
possessive?  I wonder....)
    
    Shoving that question aside, Ukyo hurriedly began to crawl out of
bed.  
    
    (I need to tell Yuri not to say anything about the cat creature to
Ranma.)

    "Ukyo, lie down!  I know that you're hurt a lot worse than you're
letting on.  And I don't understand why are you trying to hide it from
Ranma."
    
    "Akane, help me up now or get out of my way!"
    
    "Sheesh!  Oh, all right!"

--------------------------------------

    Downstairs, Ranma headed purposefully toward Yuri.  She stopped
sweeping the floor and gave him an inquiring look.

    Stopping in front of her, he muttered in embarrassment, "Uh...
sorry about pushing you around earlier.  I'm Ranma Saotome."
    
    Yuri blinked.  "Ranma...?  You're... Ranma?"  She quickly
recovered from her surprise and shook her head.  "Hey, no problem. 
You were upset.  The place was a bloody wreck and your friend was
missing.  Perfectly understandable."
    
    "Ukyo said she didn't get a good look at the guy who broke in. 
How about you?  Did you get a better look at him?"

    Yuri murmured, "Him?  The... guy... who broke in?  Uh....  Well,
that's not surprising.  She did get a pretty hard knock on her head."

    Ranma eyed her curiously and asked, "Ukyo looks like she got hurt
pretty bad.  Why didn't you take her to the hospital?"  There was a
slightly accusing tone in his voice.
    
    She sighed and shrugged.  "I wanted to, but she kept telling me
that it wasn't that serious.  She REALLY didn't want to go.  I was
afraid that she'd aggravate her injuries if I tried to force her. 
I've got some experience patching up people so I decided to fix her up
here.  Although,... I've been having second thoughts about that
decision."

    "What do you mean?"

    "When I checked on her this morning, her memory of last night was
somewhat spotty.  Her concussion might be more severe than I thought. 
I'd feel a lot better if you could convince her to go see a real
doctor."

    "You're not a doctor?"

    Yuri laughed.  "Hardly.  But in my line of work, it's damned
useful to know how to patch up injuries as well as inflict them."

    "I kinda guessed you were some sort of martial artist.  You've got
the moves."

    She grinned.  "You can tell, huh?  You too?"

    He gave her a cocky grin in return.  "Yeah."

    Yuri's expression suddenly turned rather grim.  "Well, it's good
that Ukyo's a pretty good martial artist herself.  She managed to put
up quite a fight.  Otherwise, she'd probably be dead right now."
  
    Ranma was now looking very somber himself.  "So you think it
wasn't just a burglar."

    "I know it wasn't.  Come on, an ordinary thief doesn't stand
around and fight, especially with a trained martial artist.  An
ordinary burglar would have cut and run as soon as she discovered him.
 No, I think the attacker was going after HER, not her property, if
you know what I mean."

    "Damn...."

    At that moment, someone flung the front door open and a flurry of
black rose petals swirled into the restaurant.  Ranma flinched and
cringed as he heard Kodachi's familiar crazed laughter echoing through
the dining room.  The dreaded gymnast pounced on him and flung her
arms around him.  Snuggling up against him, she purred, "Oh, Ranma
darling!  I've been looking for you all morning!"  
    
    Ranma muttered in a strangled voice, "Kodachi!  Get off me!" as he
tried unsuccessfully to wiggle free from her tenacious grasp.
    
    Kodachi was not about to let her quarry go so easily.  She nuzzled
Ranma, pulling his head down and burying it into her perfumed hair. 
Suddenly Kodachi felt Ranma's resistance slacken slightly.  She snuck
a quick peek into Ranma's face.  His eyes were looking just a bit
unfocused.  

    (YES!  It IS working!) she thought gleefully.
    
    While Kodachi was clinging to Ranma for all she was worth, Yuri
was unhappily eyeing the petals littering the freshly swept floor. 
Before the gymnast could do anything else, Yuri said in a distinctly
irritated voice, "Do you MIND not leaving this junk all over the
place?"
        
    Kodachi turned and glared at the young woman standing behind her. 
The gymnast looked her over, noticed the broom in Yuri's hands, and
sneered.  "And who are you to interrupt this cherished meeting with my
darling Ranma?  Menials should know their place."

    Yuri flushed angrily.  "Just who are you calling a menial, kiddo?"

    "How DARE you talk back to me in such a fashion?  What were you
trying to do, you tawdry little tramp?  Flirt with my fiance?"

    Operating more by reflex than actual thought, Ranma incoherently
mumbled, "But I'm NOT your fiance...."  His words was totally ignored
by both young women.

    "Tramp!?  Hey!  I wasn't flirting with anybody!  I'm just asking
for a little common courtesy here!"

    Kodachi snarled, "Courtesy is for equals...," she gave Yuri a
contemptuous look, "which you plainly are not.  And there's nothing
COMMON about the Black Rose!"  Even in the midst of her heated
argument with Yuri, Kodachi continued to cling to Ranma's arm with the
determination of a starving leech.

--------------------------------------

    After a brief instant of dizziness, Ranma's thinking processes
were starting to clear up... perhaps becoming a bit TOO clear.  He
shook his head, trying to shake off the cool, icy sensation that
seemed to drift through his brain -- a feeling that promised to make
his whole life so much easier....  

    It wasn't working.  An uncanny feeling of exhilaration swept
through his body... a sense of unspeakable freedom unlike anything he
had ever felt before. 

    Instead of his usual sense of anxiety and nervousness at Kodachi's
antics, Ranma began to feel merely... annoyed.  

--------------------------------------

    The argument between Kodachi and Yuri was going full blast as
Kodachi continued to shriek insults and threats.  Yuri apparently had
a well-developed streak of temper herself, because she was certainly
holding up her end of the shouting match.  However, Yuri's anger
didn't prevent her from noticing that Ranma's expression of panicked
nervousness had changed into a look of cool distaste.  

    His elbow strike was so fast that Yuri nearly missed it, even
though she'd been looking directly at him.  One second, Kodachi had
been screaming insults... the next second, she was lying in a crumpled
heap on the floor.  The girl probably never even saw what hit her.

    Ranma calmly stared down at the unconscious Kodachi, then his
inscrutable gaze moved to Yuri.  She blinked, then murmured, "You ARE
good."

    Yuri wondered what Ranma was going to do next, but never got a
chance to find out.  At that moment, they both heard Akane's voice
from upstairs.  

    "Be careful, Ukyo.  Here, take my arm before you fall down the
steps."

    Ranma shook his head sharply, then turned to face the stairway.  A
few seconds later, Ukyo slowly made her way down the stairs,
discretely supported by Akane.  When the two girls noticed Kodachi
sprawled out on the floor, Ukyo muttered, "Good grief, not again."

    "Huh?"  With a bewildered look on his face, Ranma glanced behind
him and blinked in surprise when he saw Yuri kneeling on the floor
beside an unconscious Kodachi.  She checked the gymnast's pulse, then
looked up at Ranma and the others.  Yuri said, "Do you guys usually
have to knock her unconscious in order to stop these crazy temper
tantrums of hers?"

    Ukyo gave her a sour grin.  "You've got it.  It's about the only
thing that'll make her shut up." 

    Yuri raised an eyebrow.  "I see.  I'll keep that in mind."

    Ranma rubbed his forehead in confusion.  After tentatively
sniffing the air, he abruptly yanked off his blue shirt, leaving only
his white tank-top on.  As Yuri discretely admired the sight of
Ranma's superb physique, Akane said, "Ranma, what are you doing!?"

    Holding his shirt out at arm's length, he said, "I think Kodachi
was wearing some... weird perfume... and she's got it all over my
shirt.  And me."  He shook his head again as if to struggling to clear
it.

    In an instant, Akane had deserted Ukyo and was standing by his
side.  "Ranma, are you all right!?"

    "I'm feeling a bit... not quite... I'm feeling a bit weird."

    She yanked the shirt from his hand and sniffed at it before he
could stop her.  

    "Akane!" he yelped in alarm.

    She sniffed again to make sure.  Except for the clean, masculine
smell that she somehow knew was Ranma's, she couldn't detect any other
odors.

    "Ranma, are you sure?  I don't smell anything strange."  She
handed it to Ukyo who gave it a few cautious sniffs herself.

    "She's right.  I can't pick up any usual."

    Before Ukyo could pass Ranma's shirt over to Yuri, he snatched it
back and tossed the shirt across the room.  

    "Are you girls crazy!?  Who knows what one of Kodachi's
concoctions might do to you guys!"  He frowned.  "Are you guys SURE
you can't smell anything?"

    The girls nodded their heads in agreement.

    "Well, I certainly can.  Uc-chan, I've got to use your bathroom. 
That damn stuff's  all over me."

    "No problem."

    As he disappeared into the bathroom, Yuri wandered over to Ranma's
discarded shirt.  After holding it up to her nose, she said, "Well, I
don't smell anything either."  

    Akane said uncertainly, "Maybe only it only works on guys?"  
    
    Yuri shrugged, "It could be."  

    Ranma soon reappeared, mopping his face and arms dry with a towel.
 Stopping several yards away, he glanced down at Kodachi and worriedly
asked, "Is she okay?" 
    
    Yuri said, "She got hit pretty hard, but she's probably only got a
minor concussion.  I don't think anything else is wrong."  She gave
Ranma a questioning glance.  Since he wasn't sure what she was asking
of him, his only response was a shrug and a confused look.

    Akane said, "So what do we do with her now?  We can't just leave
her lying on the floor until she wakes up."  

    Ukyo muttered, "I guess we do the same thing we did last time."
  
    Ranma said, "What's that?"
    
    The chef shrugged or tried to.  "We had Sasuke cart her back
home."

    Yuri said, "You know, if she acts like this on a regular basis,
she probably needs some serious help."
    
    Akane snorted as Ukyo said fervently, "Don't we know it!"

    "Who is she, anyway?"
    
    "Allow us to introduce you to Kodachi Kuno, otherwise known as the
Black Rose."

    Yuri suddenly straightened up and looked a bit sick.  "K-Kuno? 
Did you say 'Kuno'?  Wealthy family?  Lives in a huge compound on
Kichigai Street?"

    "Uh, yes.  How did you know where they live...?"
    
    Yuri walked over to the nearest wall and started to bang her head
half-heartedly against it as she softly muttered, "Shit, shit, SHIT!"

    Ranma, Akane, and Ukyo stared at each other in utter confusion.

**********************************************************************
Part 5#:  
**********************************************************************

    After Yuri managed to regain her composure, she collapsed into a
chair and was now looking seriously depressed.   

    "Great.  Just bloody great!  Why me...?" she moaned.

    "What's with you and the Kunos?" Ranma asked.

    With a weary sigh, Yuri said, "One of my main reasons for coming
to Nerima was to talk to the Kunos and request their assistance.  And
now I've managed to get into a screaming fight with the daughter of
the house -- a fight that ends up with her getting bashed unconscious!
 Well, I can see that my chances of getting any help from them has
just become a big fat zero...."

    Ukyo muttered, "You might be surprised."

    Akane said, "You're asking the Kunos for help?"  She and Ranma
exchanged dubious looks before he asked, "What kind of help?"

    Yuri rubbed her neck uneasily and said, "Ummm, that's sort of...
private family business.  All I can say is that I've got to ask them
for a really BIG favor."

    Ranma stared at the ceiling.  "Oh man...."

    Ukyo said, "Yuri, do you know ANYTHING about the Kunos?"

    "Just some general information.  I think the current head of the
family is the principal at a place called Furinken High School.  He
has two children, a son and a daughter.  I was planning on doing a bit
more research once I arrived in town, but I got a bit sidetracked." 
She glanced at Ukyo. 

    The chef said, "Let's call the Kuno estate and have someone haul
Kodachi away.  Then we'll give you some idea just what you're getting
yourself into."

    Yuri looked distinctly uneasy.  "That bad, huh?"

    The others nodded vigorously.

    "Oh god.  This is getting better and better."

    Ukyo patted Yuri on the shoulder and said, "Welcome to Nerima,
honey."

--------------------------------------

    Sasuke hadn't been available, but Ukyo managed to browbeat one of
the other servants into picking Kodachi up.  A half hour later, Yuri
and Akane managed to pack Kodachi off in a taxi with an anxious,
middle-aged housemaid while Ranma maintained a cautious distance.

    While they had been waiting for the taxi, he and the two girls had
enlightened Yuri about the Kuno family's 'charming' eccentricities. 
After listening to their stories, Yuri looked as if she had been
slammed over the head with a wooden post.

    "Unbelievable...."  Her voice failed her.  She gave them a frantic
look.  "Please tell me that this is all a really bad joke."

    "I wish I could," Akane said.

    "Let me get this right.  The elder Kuno is some whacked out school
dictator who runs around with hair clippers and has delusions of being
a Hawaiian surfer dude.  The daughter is a neurotic obsessive harridan
who lies, cheats, and uses drugs at the drop of a hat.  And the son
thinks he's some noble samurai warrior, spouts really bad poetry, and
has this thing against WATERMELONS!?"  

    Yuri plopped her head face down on the table and muttered, "I'm
doomed."

**********************************************************************
Part 5#:  
**********************************************************************

    Ukyo's stomach growled loudly.  As everyone stared at her, she
blushed slightly and muttered, "I missed lunch and dinner yesterday."

    Akane leaned forward eagerly and said, "Don't move!  I'll fix
something for everyone."

    Ukyo's expression froze.  "Uh... uh...."

    Ranma blurted out, "Akane!  Ukyo's sick enough as it is!  You
can't...."

    His voice trailed off as Akane turned and glared at him.

    "What... did... you... SAY?"  
    
    Yuri could have sworn that she saw a faint reddish glow around
Akane.

    "I... I mean... that is...," he sputtered.

    Ukyo was astonished by Akane's restraint.  The youngest Tendo
daughter should have slammed Ranma with the closest heavy object by
now.

    Yuri, no fool, politely interrupted.  "There's no need to take the
trouble.  I've already cooked up some rice and soup for Ukyo.  If you
guys are hungry, there's plenty to spare."

    Ranma sniffed and said, "Wow, it smells great!"

    Yuri blinked to see the naked relief on Ranma's and Ukyo's faces. 
She smiled faintly, then murmured, "Ukyo, while I was cooking, I ran
out of pepper.  Can you show me where you have some more?"  While her
tone was perfectly casual, she gave Ukyo a meaningful glance.

    The chef said, "Uh, sure.  Come back to the storage room."  The
two young women disappeared into the kitchen.

    Akane tapped her foot anxiously on the floor, then headed off
after them.

    "Akane."

    She turned around and stared at him angrily.  In a hostile tone,
she growled, "What?" 

    Ranma looked away uncomfortably and said, "I'm... sorry.  It's
just that....  I mean, it's... it's the thought that counts.  Really."

    She smiled uncertainly at him before disappearing into the
kitchen.  

-----------------------------------
    
    In the storeroom, Yuri said, "You didn't tell him about the
monster."

    "I... I didn't want to make him worry."

    Yuri frowned.  "He doesn't seem the type to be easily rattled by
this sort of thing."

    "I'm sorry.  I can't explain at the moment.  It's... sort of
personal.  But as a favor to me, would you please avoid telling him
about the cat creature?"

    Yuri sighed uncomfortably and said, "This is against my better
judgment but.... all right.  But tell me, do you want me to simply
avoid telling him or should I lie about it when he asks me for
details... because I'm pretty sure that he eventually will.  He seems
pretty concerned about the attack."

    "If you could just... talk around it.  For now?  I'll try to
explain this to you at a later date but...."  Ukyo made a helpless
gesture.

    Yuri flung up her hands.  "Okay, okay!  But I really think you
should consider telling him about the cat monster...."

    At that moment, Akane opened the door.  She turned pale and said,
"WHAT cat monst...."

    Ukyo hauled Akane roughly into the storeroom, gasping in pain at
the sudden physical effort.  She quickly peeked out into the dining
room.  Ranma was sitting on the stool with his back to the cooking
area.  He turned around to see Ukyo anxiously watching at him.

    "Uc-chan?  You need some help back there?"

    "No, no!  I just misplaced it.  Be out there in a moment!"

    Ukyo popped back into the storeroom, slid the door shut, and
sighed in relief.  "He didn't hear you, Akane."

    Akane's stomach started to churn uneasily.  "What's this about a
cat monster?"

    Ukyo's gaze flitted over to Yuri, then she took a deep breath
before saying, "Akane, the intruder that broke in... wasn't human."

    "No!"

    "Shhhhh!"

    "But...."

    "Yuri, could you get Ranma something to eat?  I've some private
stuff to discuss with Akane."

    Yuri looked at the two girls and said, "Sure."

    "Thanks a lot.  I really appreciate it."

    "No problem."

    When Yuri left, Akane asked, "Okay, Ukyo.  Start talking."

    Ukyo briefly told Akane what happened the previous night.  She
finished by describing the monster.  "It looked like a cat but it was
walking upright on two legs.  It had longish black fur and a weird
smell.  And it had glowing green eyes."

    Akane sank down on a bag of flour, almost too stunned to think. 
Suddenly, she started to put things together.  She looked outraged as
she said, "You asked me about Ranma being out of the house last night.
 Don't tell me you think... that it was RANMA!?"

    "I... I don't know WHAT to think!"

    "But Ukyo, come on!  What POSSIBLE reason would Ranma have for
wanting to hurt you?"

    Ukyo flinched visibly at the question.  "I... I...."

    "Ukyo, what....?  You're not telling that there IS a reason!?" 
Akane started to lose her temper.  She grabbed Ukyo's shirt and pulled
her close.  "Did you do something to him?  Is that why the two of you
have been acting so edgy with each other for the last week or so?"

    Between her guilty conscience and Akane's possessive attitude,
Ukyo was getting more than a little angry herself.  "How come you're
blaming me?  Why do you assume that it's MY fault?  Hasn't it occurred
to you that maybe it's something that Ranma did to ME?" she yelled
back.

    Akane turned white with fury.  "You're lying!  What could he
possibly have done to you?  He may be an obnoxious jerk at times, but
he'd never do anything to deliberately hurt you.  If you want to
accuse him of something, stop hinting and just SAY IT!"

    Ukyo opened her mouth, then slowly closed it.  She pulled away
from Akane and buried her face in her hands.  (What's wrong with me? 
What am I thinking of?  I was ready to smear Ranma's reputation just
to get back at Akane....)

    The chef exhaled slowly.  "Just... just forget it.  Ranma didn't
do anything to me.  I was just... shooting off my mouth."

    Akane glared at her, then her hostile expression eased slightly. 
"Ranma cares a lot about you.  Don't say something that you'll regret.
 Don't hurt him.  He has too much to worry about right now."

    Ukyo glared furiously at the youngest Tendo.  "That's a fine
thing, coming from you!  Aren't you the one who's always blaming him
for everything without listening to his side?  Aren't you the one
who's always insulting him,... calling him all sorts of names?  Aren't
you the one who keeps saying that you hate him?"

    Akane flinched slightly.  Staring down at the floor, she looked
both sad and thoughtful.  "Yes, I... was."  She shook herself, then
changed the subject.  "Ukyo, when did the attack occur?"

    "About 3 AM."

    Akane released a subdued sigh of relief.  "Then it couldn't
possibly have been Ranma.  I was watching him.  He didn't so much as
twitch in his sleep."
    
    Ukyo eyed the other girl dubiously.  Akane certainly sounded
sincere, but the chef knew that she personally would have lied herself
blue in the face if she thought it was necessary to protect Ranma.  

    The chef whispered, "But if it wasn't Ranma... that means.... 
Those glowing green eyes...."

    Akane said, "Come on, Ukyo.  I think you should tell Ranma what
really happened here last night.  We told you about the fire at his
parents' house.  If someone -- or something -- is going around
attacking his friends and family, he needs to know."

    Just before they exited the storeroom, Akane grabbed Ukyo's wrist.
 "And whatever you do, don't let Ranma know that you EVER suspected
him of attacking you.  That's the last thing he needs.  He's already
having enough problems trying to deal with the Neko-ken and what he
did to Kuno and Ryoga."

    Ukyo flinched at the very mention of the Cat-Fist.

-----------------------------------
    
    While Ukyo and Akane were in the storage room, Ranma was happily
working on Yuri's cooking.  Between bites, he mumbled, "So... what
style do you use?"

    Yuri said, "Hm?  Oh, you mean what martial arts style?"

    Ranma nodded, his mouth full.

    "Actually, it's a bit of a hodgepodge.  A bit of this, a bit of
that.  With my line of work, I'm more concerned with efficiency rather
than purity of style.  I use whatever works."

    "I kinda do the same thing."  Sipping his tea, Ranma said, "Uh...
by the way,... just what is your line of work?"

    Yuri shrugged.  "Oh, I do a bit of everything.  I investigate.  I
research.  I'm basically a troubleshooter of sorts."

    Before Ranma could ask any more questions, Ukyo and Akane stepped
out of the storeroom.  Both girls looked tense and unhappy.

-----------------------------------
    
    When they walked into the dining area, Ukyo felt a faint pang of
resentment when she noticed that Ranma's anxious gaze focusing on
Akane first and foremost.  The look he gave HER was almost an
afterthought.

    Akane said, "Ranma, Ukyo has something to tell you."

    He froze in mid-bite and went pale with apprehension.  

    The youngest Tendo wondered, (Now what?  Why is he looking so
anxious all of a sudden?)

    Ukyo took a deep breath.  "Ran-chan...."

    "...Yeah?"

    "That intruder that broke in... wasn't human."

    Ranma stared blankly at her for a long moment, then the strangest
combination of disappointment, confusion, and shock appeared on his
face.

    "Whaddya mean, it wasn't human!?"

    Ukyo twiddled her fingers.  "It was some sort of half man and
half... cat."

    Ranma yelled, "Why the hell didn't you mention that right away!?"

    "Because I didn't want you to get all upset!" Ukyo shouted back.

    "It's too late to worry about that now!  It was probably too late
when Kuno and Ryoga decided to show up on my doorstep yesterday and
try to kill me, Akane, and everyone else!"

    Ukyo stiffened and said pointedly, "I was there, REMEMBER?"

    Ranma said irritably, "How could I possibly forget Shampoo, you,
Kodachi, AND my mom all popping up at the same time with those stupid
messages!?   And while I haven't done a great job handling this whole
fiancee thing with you girls, I certainly wouldn't ask all of you to a
meeting without warning each of you guys that the others were coming! 
I know what usually happens when you girls get together!  Just how
stupid do you think I am!?"

    Both Akane and Ukyo took a startled step back in the face of
Ranma's unexpected outburst.  Yuri busied herself in the kitchen, but
she couldn't help overhearing the entire conversation.

    Seeing their reaction, Ranma managed to shut himself up before he
really got carried away.  (What the hell's the matter with me?)  As
usual, the thought of his romantic entanglements left Ranma feeling
impatient and annoyed.  Usually, he managed to keep those emotions
under wraps because he didn't want to hurt the girls' feelings. 
However, this time, he found he was totally fed up and tired of trying
to be nice. 

        / Why bother? /

    A wide-eyed Akane whispered, "Ranma...?"

    (Man, I've got to get a grip on myself....)  He momentarily closed
his eyes and took a few deep breaths before speaking again.

    "Listen, Ukyo, I didn't mean to yell at you, okay?  But, c'mon! 
It doesn't take a genius to figure out that the cat-creature that
attacked you probably has something to do with what happened with Kuno
and Ryoga yesterday."  He sighed heavily.  "I just wish you'd been
honest with me from the very beginning, Ukyo." 

    The chef flinched slightly and looked away, unable to meet Ranma's
eyes.  He abruptly turned and walked a few steps away in an effort to
calm down.  Several awkward moments of silence followed, until Ukyo
finally said, "Uh, how are the guys doing?"

    Since Ranma didn't look like he was going to say anything, Akane
answered, "We just came from the hospital.  They were in pretty bad
shape when they arrived in the emergency room.  Besides the physical
injuries, there were... other problems.  You remember that Kasumi
mentioned that something was wrong with their chi?"

    "Yeah.  Something about their chi being all screwed up."

    "Well, she was right.  It took Dr. Tofu all night to get both of
them stabilized.  Ryoga's in a lot of pain but Dr. Tofu thinks that
he'll recover completely.  They don't think there was any permanent
damage to his eye."  

    Ranma's shoulders twitched.  Akane gave him a worried look and
whispered to the chef, "And there shouldn't be any serious scarring."

    Ukyo stared at her and said in amazement, "Dr. Tofu calls that a
complete recovery!?"

    "Considering the alternatives,... yes."

    "But... but... I mean, Ryoga's been badly hurt before but there
was never any talk about permanent injuries and scars!"

    Akane made a frantic hushing gesture, but it was too late. 
Without turning around, Ranma said softly, "Ryoga's never come up
against the Neko-ken before."  He lifted his right hand and stared
thoughtfully at it.  "Especially someone using it with the serious
intent to kill."  Fortunately, he was too busy with his own thoughts
to notice the increasingly uneasy looks Ukyo was giving him.  However,
Akane did notice.  She gave the chef a warning glare.

    Ukyo took the hint and switched topics.  "What about Kuno?"

    "Physically, he's in pretty good shape, I think."

    "Physically?"

    With his back still turned toward the others, Ranma quietly
replied, "He's in the psychiatric ward for observation."

    "Why?"

    Akane said, "Because he was been raving about Ranma and evil
monsters...."  She shrugged helplessly.

    "But isn't he usually doing that?"

    "Yes, but Dr. Tofu thinks that it's much more serious this time
around.  Before, he was just an nuisance.  Now, Dr. Tofu thinks that
he could be a real danger to himself and others."

    "Oh, I see."  But Ukyo could help but remember her own thoughts
from the night before.  

    (Is it possible?  Could it be that moron Kuno's actually onto
something?)

-----------------------------------
continued in Part 5 (2/2)