This is the followup to 'At The Movies' but it is a prequel to that
story. Both are part of an alternate timeline and do not strictly
adhere to either Manga or Anime canon.C-C and MST-ies are
welcomed and appreciated either publicly or privately.

Disclaimer: All characters mentioned herein are the property of
Takahashi Rumiko and are used without permission on a solely
non-profit basis. All rights reserved to her and her authorized
licensees.

Note: '...Cats and Dogs' takes place within the first two months
of Ranma's stay at the Tendou Dojo and one day after the story, 
'Things To Do:'

Thanks go to my Pre-readers, without whom this story could not
have been written.

Part 5

	The cat persona firmly in control, Neko-Ranko scanned the
playground. Licking her paw, she stopped when she saw Ukyou,
specifically, Ukyou's combat spatula. She stared at the weapon,
concentrating all of her attention on Ukyou and the large
spatula.
	"O.K., Ran-chan, come here," Ukyou implored. Standing
with a hand in front of her, she beckoned to Neko-Ranko.
	"Come on. Here kitty, kitty." She said softly, straining
with everything she had to keep the panic out of her voice. She
didn't want to scare Ranko right now, not while she was caught
in the Nekoken.
	'Just stay calm. Breathe, sugar.' She thought to herself.
'Don't want to spook her, definitely don't want to have her bolt on
me now, or worse. I REALLY don't want to fight her if she's using
the Nekoken, wouldn't last ten seconds. Just have to reach her,
get her to follow me to Dr. Tofu's clinic. He'll know what to do.'
	Putting on what she hoped was a warm smile, she
continued calling out to Neko-Ranko, "Ran-chan. Listen, sugar.
It's me, Ukyou, your fiancee, come here, come to me now."
	In response, Neko-Ranko took a small step back and
began to stare into space. While looking at what seemed to be
nothing, Neko-Ranko appeared wary, the tension clearly visible to
Ukyou.
	'KUSO! I want him closer and he's moving back!' She
screamed inwardly. 'The story of my life really. This isn't working!
Come on Ukyou, focus, don't lose it now.'  Ukyou willed herself to
relax and, still maintaining eye contact with Ranko, said "Ran-chan,
it's me Uc-chan, you've got to remember me, I'm your best friend."
Stopping, she held her breath, the tension in the air almost
suffocating.
	Despite a biting cold, the last remnant of the storm, Ukyou
was warm. Her palms were sweating and a thin sheen of sweat
glistened on her face. Her heart racing, Ukyou was still able to keep
her breathing even. She knew that even the movement of a deep
breath could spook Neko-Ranko into action.
	It was at this moment a large bead of sweat collected on
Ukyou's forehead, at the base of her scalp. The cold sweat on her
warm skin created an itch that was maddening to her. The desire to
scratch almost overwhelmed the martial artist. The only things
keeping her from crying out and wiping her forehead were the thought
of Neko-Ranko's reaction to that sudden outburst and her own fear of
the Nekoken.
	'ARGGGGHHGHGH WHY NOW?!?!? I've got to concentrate
on helping Ran-chan and this stupid itch is driving me CRAZY!
Kami-sama, WHY ME?!?!'
	As if in answer to her question, the tiny bead of sweat slowly
started to trickle down her forehead.
	If Ukyou had wanted to scratch before, she was truly
desperate now. The sweatdrop, like an old laboratory rat going through
one last maze, was crisscrossing its way down her forehead. It couldn't
have stimulated the nerves in her forehead any more if it actually was
sent by the Kami for that specific purpose. Finally, it stopped at the
bridge of her nose, caught in the ridges of her skin created by her
squinting.
	Even knowing the situation, Ukyou wanted to jump for joy
at this temporary easing of her itch. However, proving once and
for all that this truly wasn't Ukyou's day, 'The Little Sweatdrop
That Could' started moving again. Having made its way over the
last ridge, it slowly ran down her nose, heading towards the tip.
The itch was back, with a vengeance. Even knowing the stakes,
Ukyou was reduced to debating in her mind whether or not to
scratch.
	'Ran-chan attacking me CAN'T possibly be worse than
this!' she thought feverishly. Suddenly that little voice in her head
popped up, putting in its own opinion, "Just scratch it!", it begged.
"Please, one tiny little scratch, a flick of your wrist. Cat-girl over
there won't notice; she's in her own little world right now. You
know you want to."
	'No,' Ukyou retorted to herself. 'She is depending on me.
If I move the wrong way it's all over and I won't let her down!'
	With that, the drop finally reached the tip of her
nose. No larger than the size of the head of a pin it hung just
off her nose, a last little trail of it still clinging stubbornly.
	Finally, the drop fell off. It hit the ground and just
like that, was gone.
	Almost drunk with relief, Ukyou let out the breath she
was holding.
	Hearing the release from Ukyou, Neko-Ranko turned her
head, as if hearing something in the distance. This time though,
she took a tentative step forward. This step was shorter than her
step back but she was slightly calmer, and her body relaxed just
the slightest bit.
	Ukyou smiled at seeing that step, after all the effort it
took to get. Her first genuine smile since the end of the fight
with Kunou, which by then seemed like ancient history to her.
Encouraged, she told Neko-Ranko, "I know you're in there
somewhere Ran-chan. Even as a cat you have to know how
much you mean to me. As hard as it is, you have to focus and
listen to me, sugar. We have to get you to Tofu-sensei's clinic.
You know Dr. Tofu don't you? Nice guy, great doctor, always
taking care of us. Good old Dr. Tofu."
	Neko-Ranko eyes narrowed, her face scrunched in
concentration, as if she was trying to remember the doctor.
Eventually she stopped and relaxing more, she took another
step forward, this one larger than the last.
	Encouraged by this show of trust and her seeming
recollection of Dr. Tofu, Ukyou decided to play her trump card.
'I don't care if he's a she and thinks that she's a cat, a pig
or a singing bear hopping around on the old crone's staff, it's
still my Ran-chan in there and I know the one thing that has to
work!' She said to herself.
	Confidently, Ukyou stretched out her arms slowly and
called out to Neko-Ranko in a conversational tone, "I don't
know about you, Ran-chan, but all this excitement is making
me hungry. Sure seems like forever since we ate at lunch,
doesn't it?"
	Her companion didn't not reply but it was clear from
Neko-Ranko's expression that Ukyou had made her point.
	"I bet after everything that's happened we could both
use a snack. That sound good to you?" Neko-Ranko looked at
her and flicked her tongue out just a bit, licking one of her
paws.
	Taking that tiny movement as a confirmation Ukyou
continued, "I thought so. How about I cook us up two of my
Deluxe Okonomiyakis, heavy on the special sauce, huh? Just
the way you like it. Doesn't that sound great right about now?"
she finished, trying hard to keep the desperation out of her
voice.
	Neko-Ranko once again checked the air. This time she
was apparently satisfied with whatever her nose told her. She
purred once and took a few steps closer to Ukyou, closing the
distance between them by a full third.
	Beaming, Ukyou grinned. "O.K.! That's my Ran-chan!
Two deluxe Okonomiyakis coming up! It'll just take a minute."
Moving very slowly, Ukyou took out her supplies and her
emergency fold-out grill. Satisfied that everything was in order
she began to cook the food. 'Can't rush through this like I
normally would, don't want to scare Ran-chan off now, not after
all this. Just a few more seconds then I'll be done and she'll
have her food. Hopefully the way to this cat's heart is through
her stomach.'
	Neko-Ranko watched Ukyou carefully while she was
cooking. She could smell the Okonomiyaki batter as it was
broiling on the grill. Liking the appetizing aroma, Neko-Ranko
meowed happily and licked her paw in anticipation.
	Keeping one eye on Ranko and the other on her own
hands, Ukyou cooked this meal slowly, with very deliberate care
and it was a strain. She couldn't remember the last time it took
her so long to prepare her signature dish. Half a minute later, she
was done. Finally, the food was ready.
	Wiping her brow carefully, she scraped the Okonomiyakis
off the grill and put each of them on a plate. One plate she
placed on the ground, for Neko-Ranko, the other she held for
herself. "Food's ready, Ran-chan, come and get it."
	Neko-Ranko stretched, meowed once in reply and began
to walk over to the food. Stopping just short of the plate she
reached out and cut a small piece of the treat with her paw.
Grabbing that piece, she brought it to her mouth and bit into it,
nibbling slowly, at least for Ranma anyway.
	Watching Neko-Ranko chew her food, Ukyou couldn't
help but notice, 'Wow, she's actually chewing her food like a cat.
Not like she normally does, that's for sure. If we were sitting
at 'Ucchans' she'd be on her seconds already.'  Smiling at the
picture in her mind, Ukyou took a bite of her own Okonomiyaki.
Soon she was digging into her own food. 'All this talking, trying to
get Ran-chan to trust me enough to come closer and eat, made
ME hungry.'
	Neko-Ranko and Ukyou both finished their Okonomiyakis at
the same time and Ukyou rose slowly and started to pack up her
cooking gear, grateful that she had brought her supplies with her
today.
	Neko-Ranko was on the wet ground, laying down happily.
Purring softly she wallowed in the wonderful sensations coming from
her full stomach.
	Smiling at the sight before her, Ukyou thought Neko-Ranko
looked exactly like the cat that ate the canary. 'Hah, I guess Akane
isn't the only one who can help Ran-chan when she's stuck in the
Neko-ken after all. Figured as much, all I needed was the chance
to prove it...'
	Without warning, Neko-Ranko sat up and suddenly dashed in
front of Ukyou, standing between Ukyou and the street. Facing the
road, her back to Ukyou, she turned her head again, straining to hear
something. Suddenly, her pigtail stood straight up into the air,
looking like a car antenna and before Ukyou knew what was
happening, lights flashed down the street, bathing the playground in
shadows and a loud horn was heard.
	Startled by the unexpected noise, Ukyou dropped the
normal-sized cooking spatula she had been putting into her
customized Bento Box. She reached for the combat spatula still
strapped to her back.  Sighing once, she was prepared for anything,
especially after the day she'd had so far.
	For her part, Neko-Ranko jumped up and stood with her back
arched. Her right hand quickly shot out in front of her. Neko-Ranko's
claw was tensed and ready to attack.
	Suddenly Ukyou saw the lights and outline of a large tractor
trailer as it appeared speeding at the end of the street about two
hundred feet away. She relaxed for a moment, relieved that it was only
a delivery truck.
	Her stomach turned when she discovered Neko-Ranko's very
different reaction to the intruder. Once Neko-Ranko saw the truck,
she let loose a horrible screech and took off. She was quickly
headed towards it, on a collision course with the monstrous rig.
Scrambling, Ukyou got up and started chasing her but that split
second delay already cost Ukyou twenty feet.
	A sense of dread fell over Ukyou when she saw the truck
clearly. Its front, the cab section, was painted a bright Bluish-Brown
with the words YAMATO'S TRUCKING stenciled in a sharp white
over the hood. The trailer was unremarkable except for its color,
an ominous red-black. The sixteen-wheeler closed in rapidly on
Neko-Ranko, who was in the street headed right for it. Only a
hundred feet separating the two. It looked like they were playing a
ridiculous game of chicken. Behind Neko-Ranko, Ukyou sprinted
desperately, trying to catch up to her fiancee before the truck hit
them both.
	The truck's horn again rang out. This time the noise was
longer, more insistent. The driver saw what appeared to be some
crazy girl running right into his path followed by another girl
carrying some kind of sword. He desperately tried to get them out
of the path of his truck, all the time berating himself.
	"Masaka!" He cursed. "I knew I shouldn't have taken the
Furinkan route! Should have just listened to my instincts and told that
guy and his cute waitress that they could wait till tomorrow for their
damn cooking supplies. Screw the overtime, it isn't worth this!"
	Less than fifty feet from Neko-Ranko and ninety-five feet
away from Ukyou, he shifted gears and wrenched the wheel left,
into the direction of the playground. Unfortunately, he was
going too fast and the momentum of the trailer was too much for
his brakes. The cab section jerked left but the trailer continued
to go straight, darting past the cab. The sudden turn snapped
the restraints connecting the trailer to the cab. The cab spun
out, away from the girls, flipping end over end, trampling through
the playground.
	Neko-Ranko meowed triumphantly once at the cab but
stopped when she saw the trailer, which still headed straight for
them. Only forty feet away from the trailer, Neko-Ranko reversed
direction and started sprinting for Ukyou, who was fifty feet
behind her.
	Ukyou, seeing Neko-Ranko running at HER with the
runaway trailer bearing down on them, screamed and tried to
turn away to run. Knowing all the while that she couldn't possibly
move fast enough to escape the runaway trailer, Ukyou refused
to give in.
	With death twenty feet from Neko-Ranko and twenty five
from her, Ukyou spared a look back and saw Neko-Ranko
running behind her. The trailer was on Neko-Ranko's heels, ready
to pounce. Ukyou sent a quick prayer and her thanks to the Kami.
'At least I got to spend my last moments with Ran-chan. If only
we had more time!'.
	Only five feet from Neko-Ranko and six feet from Ukyou,
the trailer was close enough that Ukyou felt the sparks being
thrown away as it skidded on the street when suddenly, Ukyou
felt something grab at her collar. "RAN-CHAN I LOVE YOU!!!"
She got out before it all went dark.

End Part 5

In Part Six, The Finale: Someone is gone, another is coming and a
third appears.