The characters of the Ranma 1/2 universe are the sole creation
and possession of the brilliant Rumiko Takahashi. 
-------------------------
Hearts of Ice
Part 3:  Voices
by Krista Perry
-------------------------

     Dr. Tofu knocked softly on the front door of the Tendo
household, then stepped back and let out a breath he hadn't
realized he'd been holding.  Kasumi had been brief and blunt on
the phone, and upset enough that the tone of her voice managed to
penetrate the usual infatuated fog that came over him whenever 
he saw her or heard her voice.  He swallowed and performed a 
few simple breathing techniques, hoping that he could exercise 
enough self control to keep his synapses from misfiring during 
this emergency.

     The door opened.  Kasumi stood there, looking beautiful in
spite of her pale face and tense expression.  Tofu's heart
thumped loudly, but the fog stayed down.  *Kasumi needs me,* he
thought.  *I can't disappoint her by losing control.*

     "Oh, Doctor Tofu, I'm so glad you could come."   Kasumi's
smile was strained, but sincere as she led him into the house. 
"Ranma hasn't regained consciousness, and Father and Nabiki seem
to be suffering from shock.  Genma seems to be holding up
alright; he helped me with administering first aid...  I guess he
and Ranma have been through enough, that this..."

     She trailed off, and Tofu nodded, a sardonic smile tugging
at the corners of his lips.  If being turned into a Panda and
watching his only son change into a girl didn't send him into
shock, *nothing* would.  

     They entered the dining area.  There was a large, perfectly
round hole in the ceiling.  Tofu blinked at it, then realized
everyone else seemed to be ignoring it, or simply didn't notice
it altogether.  Then again, holes in the ceiling were a common
thing in this household.

     Kasumi had moved the table out of the way, and Ranma, Nabiki
and Soun were stretched out on futons, covered with warm
blankets.  Genma knelt by his unconscious son's side, worry
creasing his face.  Tofu took one look at Ranma, taking in his
deathly pallor, his shallow breathing, and the faint flicker of
his dangerously depleted ki, and knew that the boy was in
serious, but stable condition.  He could tell that it had been a
lot worse.  He glanced at Kasumi.  "You've handled this situation
admirably," he said, his respect evident in his voice.  "Your
quick thinking has prevented a bad situation from getting worse." 

     Kasumi's tired eyes lit briefly at the praise, and she
smiled, yet her heart ached strangely.  It was nice to see Tofu
so calm and collected, yet the price at having him this way was a
bit high.  *Someday...* she thought sadly, unable to finish the
thought.

     Tofu felt the fog begin to rise at the sight of Kasumi's
smile, so he turned towards his patients and forced himself to
concentrate on the task at hand.  Nabiki and Soun both had their
eyes open, but Nabiki's eyes were clear while Soun's were clouded
and far away, tears streaming from his unblinking eyes.  Not a
good sign.  Tofu knew immediately that Soun would be out of it
for a while.

     Nabiki gave Tofu a wry grin from her prostrate position. 
"Hey, Doctor.  Glad you could join the party.  Would you tell my
sister that I'm fine so that she'll let me get up?  I'm getting
kind of hot under this blanket."

     Tofu smiled gently as he knelt down next to her.  "Just a
moment, Nabiki, and then I'll decide whether you're ready to get
up or not."  He checked her over.  Physically, she seemed to be
recovering well, thanks to Kasumi's ministrations.  Her ki
appeared to be in balance.  Ranma, on the other hand...  Now that
he took a closer look at Ranma's ki, he could see something
definitely strange about it, aside from the fact that the boy was
almost completely drained.  "Oh dear," he muttered.

     "What?"  Nabiki asked.  "What is it?  I feel better,
really!"  

     Tofu shook his head.  "Not you, Nabiki.  You'll be fine. 
You can get up now if you like.  I'm more concerned with Ranma
and your father."

     Nabiki gratefully crawled out from under her blankets and
stood, a little unsteadily.  She looked at her father, a strange
look of sadness creasing her normally smooth, calm features.  "Oh
Daddy," she said softly.  Kasumi came up behind her and put a
hand on her shoulder.  The last time they'd seen him this bad was
when Mother had died.  Akane...

     She swallowed hard.  Akane wasn't dead.  She was just...
gone.  They could find her.  Ranma would find her.  That was one
good thing about him.  He may be a pain and a freeloading jerk
who made their insurance rates skyrocket every time he put a new
hole in the house, but when it came down to it, he always
protected her sister.  If anyone could figure out where she'd
been taken, he could.  As soon as he regained consciousness, that
is.

     She watched as Dr. Tofu knelt over Ranma, pushing pressure
points all over his body with grim determination.  Slowly,
Ranma's skin lost some of its gray pallor, and his shallow
breathing deepened to that of natural sleep.  After a few minutes
of concentrated work, Tofu leaned back and sat on his heels, his
hands resting on his knees, and sighed.

     "That's all I can do for now," he said wearily.  "I've
restored most of Ranma's ki flow.  He should be waking up soon,
but he'll need to rest.  Now, would someone like to explain to me
exactly what happened?  I'd like to know exactly how Akane
disappeared, and why Ranma's ki was almost completely depleted,
as well as changed."

     Genma glanced sharply at Dr. Tofu.  "What do you mean,
'changed?'  What's happened to my son?!"

     "I might be better able to tell you that once someone
informs me of the total situation."

     "Okay, here's the deal," said Nabiki, her normal business-
like demeanor slipping back into place.  "This red swirly energy
thing traveled clear across the sky to crash through our roof and
attack Akane and Ranma.  Ranma tried to stop it with a couple of
really powerful ki blasts, and the last one almost worked,
because it broke apart, but then it just formed back together and
kept coming.  When it got here, it engulfed Akane and Ranma,
making Akane disappear, and filling Ranma with some of the weird
red glow.  Then it disappeared, and Ranma collapsed."

     Tofu frowned, disturbed.  For such a unique phenomenon to
have such drastically different effects on two people...  It had
the feel of unnatural magic about it -- very powerful, carefully
considered magic.  And the red glow...  that could explain the
strange taint to Ranma's ki.  Tofu suppressed a shudder at the
implications of his diagnosis.  

     "Well, those ki blasts must have been something," he said,
facing Nabiki.  "I've never seen anyone with such a low ki level. 
But tell me more about the 'weird red glow.'  You said it filled
him?  What do you mean?"

     "I mean that it kind of seeped into his skin, all over his
body."  Nabiki paused, grimacing.  "It looked... really painful. 
After he passed out, I thought for sure he was going to wake up
possessed or something."

     "Hmm.  I was afraid of that."  Dr. Tofu stood and backed
away from Ranma's still form.  "I wouldn't totally rule that out
just yet.  It appears that the red glow you described has
definitely altered Ranma's ki somehow.  I'm not sure exactly what
effect it will have on him, but we won't know until he regains
consciousness.  We should be prepared, just in case."

     "In case what?" asked Kasumi.

     "In case he becomes violent."  Genma's voice was heavy with
resignation.  "We need to be able to restrain him until we can
find a cure, isn't that right, Doctor?"

     Tofu nodded glumly.  "I hope there is a cure.  I've never
seen anything like this before."

     Nabiki and Kasumi's eyes went wide.  "Restrain Ranma?" 
Nabiki said, gasping.  "But he's so... so strong.  Will we be
able to fight him if he's really--?"

     "I'll help you," said a resolute voice.  Everyone turned to
see a slightly damp Ryoga standing just outside the patio doors. 
The determined look on his face crumbled to embarrassment under
the combined stares.  "I... uh, I'm sorry to intrude, but I was,
uh... wandering around... and I saw the red light streak across
the sky and crash into your house... and I came to see what was
going on, and I, er, kind of eavesdropped.  I'd... like to help."

     *Please buy it, please buy it,* thought Ryoga, looking
anxiously at each face in turn, waiting for someone to notice his
dampness and the implausibility of his story, point their finger
at him and say "Aha!  You're P-chan!  There's no other
explanation for you being here!"

     But no one did, much to his relief, although Nabiki did
raise an eyebrow at him.  He swallowed nervously and looked away
as Kasumi smiled and said, "Come in, Ryoga.  You are always
welcome, and we appreciate the offer.  But I don't think it will
be necessary to fight Ranma.  If we restrain him now, then we
will be able to determine what has happened to him when he
regains consciousness without the risk of him attacking."

     "Good idea, Kasumi," said Nabiki.  "Although hopefully the
restraints won't be necessary in the end."  *Because if they are,
and Ranma really is under the influence of some malevolent magic,
who will find Akane?  Certainly not the smitten Lost Boy over
there.  He couldn't find his way out of a paper bag.*

     Genma stood.  "Kasumi," he said solemnly, "we need a length
of the strongest chain you can find."

     "Oh my."  Kasumi looked at Ranma.  "Do you really think that
will be enough to... to hold him?"  She had once witnessed Ranma
break free after Happosai had him chained, sealed in concrete,
and buried in the back yard.

     Genma sighed and shook his head, a strange mixture of pride
and apprehension playing over his features as he looked at his
sleeping son.  "Probably not," he admitted.  "So we'd better pray
that he's alright."

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

     Shampoo appeared to have regained much of her lost energy,
for she was twirling and dancing around in ecstasy as she packed
up her few belongings in preparation for the trip back to Japan. 
"Oh!  Shampoo no can wait to see Ranma again!"  She paused in her
dance uncertainly, to face her great-grandmother.  "You really
think blood-spell work?"

     Cologne scowled impatiently.  "You're still questioning that
after what you've seen?  The power you felt?  We used dragon
blood straight from the Ancient One.  Believe me, the spell has
done its part.  Akane is out of the way, and Ranma has been
rendered incapable of following her.  Now we need to do our part. 
You didn't forget to mail that postcard to Mousse, did you?"

     Shampoo frowned.  "Of course not, great-grandmother.  We
need good alibi.  I send postcard as soon as we reach China. 
Stupid Mousse have it by now."

     "Excellent.  We must make haste to Japan at once, so that
you can lend your support to Ranma in his efforts to find Akane,
and comfort him when he at last comes to the realization that his
search is hopeless."

     Cologne's words brought one of Shampoo's fears to the
surface.  All this work would be wasted if Ranma suspected... 
"How we make sure Ranma not realize we the ones who cast spell?"

     Cologne smiled.  It was an awful smile, cold and determined.
The smile reenforced the fact that, now that the blood spell was
cast, there truly was no turning back.  It sent shivers down 
Shampoo's spine.  

     "Don't you worry about that, great-granddaughter," Cologne 
said, her eyes gleaming.  "The time for straight-forwardness in 
dealing with Son-in-law has passed.  Now a more... subtle touch 
is required.  By the time I'm through with him, he'll be eating
out of your hands."  She laughed, but the sound was rueful, and
devoid of humor.

     Shampoo wanted to laugh with her, but the sudden sick
feeling in her stomach prevented her, and all she managed was a
weak smile.  *No turning back now,* she thought to herself
forcibly.  *No turning back.  You're committed to your course. 
Now is not the time to be getting cold feet, girl.*

     Shampoo had never been above being sneaky, but it had always
been an *open* kind of sneaky, where her motives were always
plain to see.  An *honest* sneakiness, like when she used the
hypnotic mushroom on Ranma.  After sneaking it into his food and
getting him to eat it, she made her intentions perfectly clear. 
Or like when great-grandmother gave Ranma the All-Over-Body-Cat-
Tongue, so that he couldn't change back into a guy.  The phoenix
pill cure was always in plain sight, and Ranma was told exactly
what he had to do to get it.  No matter *what* she did, no matter
how sneaky it seemed on the surface, she always made sure the
truth was out in the open once her plans were set in motion.

     Now, though, the truth was to be buried deep, and she would
have to live a lie for the rest of her life.  But if it meant
having Ranma by her side...

     Shampoo's weak smile gained strength.  "Eat out of hands?"
she said, her doubts fading.  "Shampoo can live with that."

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

     Waking up was like swimming to the surface of a lake of tar. 
Ranma felt thick and sluggish, the tar pressing into his eyes and
ears, slowing his rise to consciousness.  He could hear muffled
voices just beyond the surface, speaking in urgent, anxious
tones.  Something was wrong up there, something Bad that he
couldn't remember, something that existed only on the other side
of the warm, thick blackness that filled his mind and body.  If
he stayed where he was, he wouldn't have to face the Bad thing.

     Ranma slowly twisted that thought in his mind.  The idea was
appealing; staying, perhaps even sinking back into the warm,
black depths from which he'd come.  Normally, he wouldn't
hesitate to take action and break the surface.  But somehow he
knew, because of some alien feeling whispering inside him, that
this time, any action he took wouldn't be able to fix what was
wrong beyond the darkness.

     Still, the muffled, distorted voices sounded familiar... and
concerned.  He may not be able to fix the Bad thing, but perhaps
he could help those people on the other side of the darkness in
some way.  The thought gave Ranma's sluggish mind focus, and, his
decision made, he began to slowly rise through the smothering
void.

     The blackness gradually lightened, and with the light came
both physical sensation and memory, each sharp and painful. 
Ranma broke the surface of consciousness with a gasp.  "Akane..."

     "He's awake," said a familiar voice.  Ranma blinked his eyes
open groggily, and found himself looking into the concerned, yet
wary face of Dr. Tofu.

     "How do you feel, Ranma?"

     Ranma closed his eyes again.  "Urrgh," he moaned.  "Like
someone's pushed me through a cheese grater."  He opened his eyes
and was surprised to see a relieved smile on Dr. Tofu's face. 
"Hey, that's not a good thing, you know," he grumbled.

     He heard sighs of relief all around the room, and Nabiki
chuckled softly.  "Yup, I'd say he's the same old Ranma," she
said.

     That got his attention.  "What are you talking about?" he
asked, trying to sit up.  "Of course I'm the sa--"  At that
moment, he realized that his hands were bound firmly behind his
back and his arms were pinned to his sides with a length of
sturdy chain.  "What the..."  His legs were bound tightly as
well, from ankles to thighs.  "What the heck is going on here?!
Why am I chained up?"

     Tofu put a calming hand on his shoulder, encouraged by
Ranma's normal behavior.  "Take it easy, Ranma.  We'll remove the
chains in just a moment.  But first, can you tell me what you
remember?"

     "What I..?"  Images and feelings of his last few conscious
moments flashed in Ranma's mind, and he swallowed as he suddenly
felt tears build behind his eyes.  *No!  Guys don't cry,* he
thought to himself fiercely, and blinked hard.  But Akane had
looked so... so *scared.*  The image of her face in his mind tore
at his heart.  He'd never seen her as frightened as she was when
she faded away, disappearing out of his grasp, silently screaming
his name.  And he hadn't been able to help her...  

     *You _couldn't_ help her,* said a strange, alien voice deep
in side him; a voice that felt as thick and black as tar, and
made him shudder convulsively.  *You _can't_ help her.*  

     "I..." His voice cracked, and he cleared his throat.  "I
remember the spell..."  He stopped, surprised that he realized
what the thing was -- but then of course it was magic.  It only
made sense.  Tofu nodded in confirmation and motioned for him to
continue.  

     "It hurt... a lot," he admitted reluctantly.  "I'm pretty
sure it did... something... to me, because I have two very
strong... feelings..."  Ranma paused, as if unsure he was using
the right word to describe what it was that had happened to him. 
"There are these two voices inside me that don't feel like...
like they're part of me.  It feels like they've been put there by
something else."  He sighed and looked down, his arms straining
vigorlessly at his chains.  "I know, it doesn't make any sense."

     "It's alright, Ranma."  Tofu hoped that the worry he felt
didn't show on his face.  "Can you describe what these 'feelings'
are?"

     Ranma raised his head and looked into Dr. Tofu's eyes. 
"Akane's alive," he said softly.  "I don't know why, but this
thing... this new voice inside me... wants me to know that."

     There was a collective gasp around the room as hope
flickered in everyone's hearts; everyone's except Ranma's.  Even
Soun blinked.  Nabiki and Ryoga leaned forward intently.  "Are
you sure?" Nabiki asked with barely contained excitement.  "Do
you know where she is?"  *Ah, the rescue is at hand,* she thought
giddily, but then she saw the expression on Ranma's face, and her
hopes plummeted.

     Ranma felt his expression crack at Nabiki's question, and
the tears threatened once again.  "No," he said flatly, trying to
fight the despair that welled within him.  *Why should I care
what happens to that violent tomboy anyway,* he thought, but
there was no real feeling behind the automated response.

     *But you do care,* his own voice answered him.  *You always
have.  You've always tried to protect her... and you've
succeeded, until now.*   

     Ranma's throat felt tight.  "That... that's what the other
feeling is," he whispered hoarsely.  "There's this other strange
voice inside me that keeps telling me that I'll never... n-never
f-f-find h-her..."  *Damn* he thought as he felt the tears slip
down his cheeks.  He went to brush them away angrily, but his
hands were still chained behind his back, so instead, he looked
at the floor.  The tears dripped off his nose and chin.  He
closed his eyes.  After a moment, he sniffed.  "Would somebody
get these stupid chains off me," he growled when he'd gotten his
voice under control.

     Tofu looked at the distraught boy sadly.  "Well, the spell
may have done something to Ranma, but I think it's pretty safe to
guess that the he's not going to attack us," he said softly. 
Genma knelt behind his son and began to remove the chains.  When
he was finished, Ranma knelt and rubbed the dampness from his
face with the palms of his hands without looking up.

     No one knew what to say.  A feeling of utter helplessness
filled the room.

     Ryoga looked at Ranma in disbelief. *He loves her,* he
realized, and felt his heart contract with despair.  Because of
his closeness to Akane as P-Chan, Ryoga knew more about Akane's
secret feelings than anyone else, even Akane herself.  Sometimes
she would just think out loud, not realizing what she was saying,
and not knowing that her unintentional revelations broke Ryoga's
fragile heart over and over.  Akane was always worried about
Ranma, or angry at Ranma, or excited to try out a new recipe for
Ranma, then angry at Ranma again when he would refuse to eat
it.  Sometimes -- and this was the worst -- she would talk in
her sleep, and it was always Ranma's name that came unconsciously
to her lips.

     *But Ranma *can't* love her!*  The implications of Ranma and
Akane actually being a couple left Ryoga shaken.  *He's always
teasing and tormenting her, making her life miserable with his
womanizing ways!*  Ryoga had held onto the belief that Akane's
feelings for Ranma were one-sided, and secretly hoped that one
day Akane would realize that Ranma would never love her... At
least, not the way *he* loved her...  He was sure that Ranma's
constant callousness would eventually turn her towards the true
love that *he* had to offer, and that they could live happily
ever after.

     No, Ranma was incapable of really loving Akane.  He was too
egotistical and selfish.  After all, didn't he continually try to
thwart Ryoga's attempts to get close to Akane, just so that he
could maintain his monopoly on the women?  Didn't he do it just
to spite him, adding one more grievous injury to the lifetime
list of offenses Ranma had committed against him?  Ranma never
did it because he was actually... jealous... did he?

     Could it be that Ranma really loved Akane, in spite of all
his protests to the contrary?  But then, come to think of it,
Akane protested just as much, and, much as it pained him, he
*knew* how she felt about Ranma...

     Did any of it really matter, now that she was missing, and
Ranma might be the only link to figure out how to get her back?

     Ryoga felt his resolve harden.  Getting Akane back was all
that mattered now.  He could put his turmoiled feelings aside for
a little while and sort things out later.  Looking at Ranma,
Ryoga couldn't remember ever seeing him so despondent, not even
the time when Happosai used that weird Shiatsu technique to steal
his strength, making him weaker than a child, or when he thought
he might be stuck as a girl forever after Herb splashed him with
water from the Chiisuiton.  Ryoga sighed, knowing what he had to
do.

     "So that's it then," he said.  Everyone except Ranma was
startled by the sharpness of his voice.  "You're just going to
give up, Ranma?  Just because you're hearing voices that tell you
that you can't find Akane?  What kind of pathetic excuse of a man
are you!"  Ryoga sneered.  "Maybe you've been spending too much
time as a girl!  Go curl up and boo-hoo in a corner, Ranma! 
You're not worthy to call yourself Akane's fiance!"

     Ranma didn't look up, so Ryoga couldn't see his expression,
but he saw Ranma's fists clench convulsively.  A grim smile
flickered on Ryoga's face.

     "You say that it was a spell that took Akane away?  Well,
spells can be broken!  And I for one am not going to give up
until I figure out a way to get her back.  So you can sit here
and sulk and listen to your 'voices' for the rest of your life
for all I care.  You were never good enough for her anyway,
Saotome, especially with the way you treated her all the time!"

     Everyone stared at Ryoga, shocked.  Ranma flinched as if
he'd been hit, but he still didn't look up.

     Nabiki frowned.  "Hey, Hibiki, don't you think you're being
a bit harsh?  I mean, normally, I'd agree with you, but I don't
think now's the time..."  

     *The knife's in,* Ryoga thought, ignoring Nabiki and looking
at Ranma's tense form.  *Now to twist it.*  And he knew just what
to say.  He lowered his voice to an accusing whisper.  "You
couldn't even save her, Ranma.  You just stood there and let her
get taken away.  What kind of a pathetic martial artist are you,
that you can't do a simple thing like protect your fiancee?"

     That did it.  Ranma's head snapped up, and there was fire in
his eyes.  Before Ryoga could blink, Ranma had him by the front
of his shirt and had slammed him against the wall, cracking paint
and plaster.  "You take that back, Ryoga, or I'll pound you into
a pulp," Ranma snarled.  "I'll show you!  I'm going to find Akane
no matter where she is, no matter what it takes!  Even if I have
to tear apart this whole planet to do it!"


     Ryoga grunted as he tried to get air back into his lungs,
and smirked.  Ranma blinked, surprised.  "What are you grinning
at?!" he yelled.  

     "Glad to see you're feeling better, Ranma," he said,
wheezing, and shrugging out of Ranma's grip.  "You might actually
be of some use, now that you're through moping around."  He
dusted the plaster chips off his shoulders.

     "What?!"  Ranma pulled back his fist to send Ryoga through
the ceiling, but then he paused as his brain, for once, thought
faster than his reflexes.  His eyes widened in amazement.  *Ryoga
did that intentionally to provoke me out of my stupor,* he
realized, as Ryoga continued to smirk.  Ranma scowled.  *I still
want to send him through the ceiling though, 'cause I get the
feeling not all of that was an act.  But if I do that, then he
might not be able to find his way back, and I *do* need all the
help I can get to find Akane...*

     *You _can't_ find her, you _won't_...* whispered the spell-
voice deep within his mind.

     *Aw, shaddap,* he thought back fiercely.  *Nobody's asking
you.*

     Ranma lowered his fist and stared hard at Ryoga.  "The next
time you say something like that, I'll send you to your funeral,
Ryoga.  So you'd better keep your mouth shut until *after* we
find Akane, got it?  And wipe that smirk off your face before I
change my mind."

     Ryoga chuckled.  "Sure thing, Ranma."

     Ranma scowled.

     "Well then," said Dr. Tofu after a moment, being the first
to recover, "I guess the first order of business is to figure out
what kind of magic this is so that we can know how to counter it. 
And I think I might know someone who can help us.  One of my old
senseis was very gifted at reading magic auras.  He might be able
to tell us what exactly has tainted your ki, Ranma."

     Ranma turned to Tofu, grim determination written across his
features, his blue eyes sparking with an inner fire that, for the
moment, burned away the smothering black despair of the spell-
voices within him.  "What are we waiting for then?  Let's go."

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

     "Hiiyyyiaa!!"  Akane sent her fist through three solid
blocks of ice, spraying herself with tiny slivers of cold,
stinging shrapnel that melted against the warmth of her skin.  It
felt good to let off some steam... literally.  The knowledge that
she was going to be stuck in the Kami realm for at least seven
years was eating at her heart.  But smashing things bare-fisted
always made her feel a little better.  Usually.

     Not this time.

     Yuki-onna, who stood a few feet away, applauded.  "Well
done, Akane!  You truly are a woman of strength."

     Akane stood, flushing with exertion and pride at the
unexpected praise.  It had been such a long time since anyone had
noticed that she actually possessed some talent when it came to
martial arts, unless you counted that poetry-spouting drip Kuno,
which she didn't.  She always seemed to be in Ranma's shadow, or,
even worse, Shampoo and Ukyo's shadow, when it came to fighting
ability.  

     "Well, I *have* been training for some time now," she said,
smiling as she brushed her hair out of her eyes.

     "Excellent."  The Snow Woman returned the smile in a way
that made Akane wonder once again how such horrible tales could
have been created about her -- tales of her taking delight in the
slow, freezing death she inflicted on many a mere mortal.  "I'm
sure that your hard work will serve you well in the training you
will receive here."

     Akane's ego deflated.  "More training?"  *Jeeze, even Yuki-
onna doesn't think my skills are good enough to win in a fight.*

     *Well, _duh_, Akane.*  Ranma's voice suddenly popped into
her head.  *You may be strong and violent as a gorilla, but
you're a total slow-poke.*

     Akane blinked, surprised at her train of thought, then
frowned.  *Well *this* is great,* she thought with disgust.  *Now
that Ranma's not around to insult me, my own brain is filling in
for him.*

     Yuki-onna smiled, amused at Akane's expression.  "Please,
don't be upset.  As I said, I *am* impressed with your skill. 
However, you will need to develop your substantial abilities
beyond what you know now if you are to defeat those who would
invade my home."

     Akane swallowed.  There were so many things she still needed
to learn about this place and her unusual hostess.  "Uh, now that
you bring that up, I've been meaning to ask you...  Who exactly
will I be fighting, and why?  And if you're going to train me,
why do you need a body guard to fight for you?"

     The Snow Woman laughed; a sound like wind through ice
crystals.  "What in Kami made you think that I would be training
you?  My dear, I do have some small means of self protection, but
most of my... talents... lie elsewhere.  As for who and why
you'll be fighting, let's just say that some of the denizens of
this plane are rather... mortal in their appetites."

     Akane looked at the Snow Woman, and couldn't help feeling a
twinge of jealousy at the same moment she comprehended her
meaning.  Yuki-onna's unearthly beauty, her incredible mane of
shimmering white hair that fell to her ankles, and her slender,
yet perfectly rounded figure were enough to stun Happosai into a
slobbering, twitching coma of lust, had he been there.

     Akane sighed.  "So I guess that means that men are the same
no matter which plane of existence you're in."

     Yuki-onna chuckled.  "Ah, you *do* understand."

     Akane nodded sullenly, remembering morning after morning
spent fighting her way through a thick wall of men on the grounds
of Furinkan High School, all wanting to defeat her for the
privilege of dating her, not one of them ever taking into account
her own feelings on the matter.

     Of course, Ranma had put a stop to that -- not that she'd
asked him to.  It wasn't like she couldn't handle those jerks
herself.  Ranma always seemed to interfere in her fights, butting
in where he wasn't wanted.  Well, there was no way he could do
that now...

     No way...

     A wave of sadness suddenly swept over Akane.  *Seven years. 
There's no way Ranma will wait that long for me to come back...*

     Akane closed her eyes against the strange ache that filled
her chest, and shook her head forcibly.  *Why?  Why do I keep
thinking about Ranma?* she thought weakly.

     Suddenly, that tiny, whispering voice that she always tried
so hard to ignore rose to the surface of her thoughts with a
vengeance.  *What do you mean *keep* thinking of him, you
stubborn idiot?  You *ALWAYS* think of him.  You're just noticing
it now because you know you're not going to see him for seven
years, and you *miss* him.*

     *You miss him.*  Akane felt her lips start to tremble, and
her vision swam with unshed tears.

     "Akane?"  Akane jumped as she felt a delicate, icy hand on
her shoulder.  "Are you alright?"

     She looked up into the Snow Woman's concerned face.  "I...
I'm fine," she stuttered, blinking her wet eyes and swallowing
the lump that thickened her throat.  "I was just thinking
about... home."

     Yuki-onna frowned, sensing something else behind her words. 
"You were thinking about your fiance."

     Akane looked at her feet, her eyes burning as the tears
threatened, and didn't notice the hard look on the Snow Woman's
face.  "I... I don't know why.  It's not like I love the jer..."

     *Liar.*

     Akane was startled into silence by the forcefulness of her
own mental voice.

     *Lair. You love him.*  Akane jaw tightened.  She swallowed
and blinked, sending the tears spilling down her cheeks.

     *You love--  No.  Not *you,** Akane thought to herself, a
strange calm settling over her.  *No more self-deception.  *I*
love him.*

     As soon as she thought it, she knew it was true, like a beam
of sunlight piercing a black fog.  Akane suddenly smiled
tremulously through her tears as she felt a dark, heavy burden
lift from her heart and felt it fill with another, brighter
emotion until she thought she would burst.  She experienced a
moment of pure joy beyond anything she'd ever experienced as she
realized what it was like to really love someone, freely and
without fear. 

     *I.  Love.  Ranma.*

     Then the moment passed.  The joy pressed out of her as a new
weight settled over her heart.  Her smile trembled, then
shattered as she sank to her knees, sobbing quietly, wrapping her
arms tightly around her chest in a futile attempt to hold in the
pain as she finally accepted the whispering voice as her own.  *I
love him.  I love him and I never told him, and now I'll never
get the chance, and I'll probably never see him again, and he
probably hates me, I've been so mean to him...*

     *Why now?  Why did it take *this* for me to realize what
I've known all along?!*

     Yuki-onna stared coldly at the weeping girl at her feet. 
She should have known.  But the girl had seemed so strong...  A
true kindred spirit, not at all like most quivering mortals who
had stumbled into her realm every odd century or so.  Sentimental
fools, the lot of them.  She should have realized it before, and
left the girl in the void between planes instead of using her
precious energy and magic to rescue her.

     **Don't be so hard on the girl, Yuki-chan.  She is young,
and doesn't have the eternity of experience that you possess.**

     Yuki-onna inclined her head and scowled at the telepathic
intrusion into her thoughts.  **Masakazu-san, how many times have
I told you to stay out of my head?**

     **Too many, dear, too many.  But as always, you should
listen.  You need this girl.  She is very strong, in spite of the
display she's putting on at the moment.  You forget that even the
strongest mortal is fragile when they first find themselves
transported here by magic or mayhem or some such.  I, for one, am
surprised she didn't break down sooner.**

     **She thinks she's in love.**  Disdain permeated the Snow
Woman's response.

     There was no reply.  Yuki-onna smiled grimly.  He wouldn't
dare respond to that.

     **Don't be so cocky, Yuki-chan.  You were in love once too,
no matter how much you try to deny it.**

     Of all the impertinence..!  **That was a mistake,** the Snow
Woman snapped back.  **I should have frozen him with the other
one and left them dead together.  I should have killed him inch
by inch and let him feel the ice around his heart, I should
have--**

     **Now now, calm down, you've missed my point completely.** 
Masakazu's mental voice was firm, and effectively silenced her. 
**Mistake or not, you *did* fall in love, and you are Yuki-onna. 
The child in front of you is not.  She is human.  She is mortal. 
Mortals fall in love.  You must accept that, and allow the girl
her sorrow.**

     The Snow Woman was silent a moment as she watched Akane
shudder with her sobs.  **She cannot defend my household in such
a state,** she replied, almost petulantly.

     Masakazu heaved a mental sigh.  **She will recover.  Do not
discount the strength you sensed just because the child displays
an emotion you cannot abide in yourself.**

     Yuki-onna's smooth white forehead creased in anger, and she
readied a retort.  But then she paused.  Masakazu was even more
ancient than herself, and his wisdom had helped her often in the
past.  Often enough that she knew she should set aside her anger
and take his advice.  **Very well.**  She sighed.  **What should
I do?**

     **Well, first off, I'd say something to the girl.  She's
starting to gain control and is wondering if you are angry with
her.  Which you are, but don't show *her* that.  You need a
strong ally, not an intimidated servant.  Besides, you weren't
too far off in your first assessment of her.  She *is* a kindred
spirit.  Give her a chance.**

     Yuki-onna frowned, but then her expression softened as she
looked at Akane's shuddering form and she remembered the feel of
the girl's spirit.  She *was* strong, this one.  Hesitantly, she
reached out a hand and placed it on her shoulder.  Akane
stiffened, but then she looked up, her face wet, her eyes puffy
and red-rimmed.

     "I never t-told him," she said, snuffling.  "I love him, and
he'll n-never know..."

      Yuki-onna sighed inwardly.  Perhaps in time she could teach
the child that there were more... substantial pursuits than
fickle romance.  "I'm sorry, Akane.  I want you to know that I'll
do my best to break the spell as soon as possible.  In the
meantime, I hope you can be happy here."

     Akane nodded miserably.  "I-I'll try."

     **Good girl, Yuki-chan.  There may be hope for you yet.**

     The Snow Woman snarled mentally, careful not to let the
expression reach her face.  **For the last time, Masakazu-san,
get out of my head and get your feathered tail over here.  Akane
needs to be trained as soon as possible.**

     **You're wish is my command, Yuki-chan.**  Masakazu's
chirping chuckle echoed in her head.

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

     Yuki-onna stood in her bed chamber before a full-length
mirror.  She admired herself a moment, running her thin, white
fingers thoughtfully through a silky length of white hair that
shimmered with all the colors of the spectrum, as she debated the
wisdom of what she was considering.

     She would never admit it to Masakazu -- then again, he
probably already knew, much to her chagrin -- but Akane's grief
had shaken her.  Had she ever been that passionate over a man?

     The corners of her mouth turned into a slight frown, and she
knew her curiosity must be satisfied.  Taking a deep breath, she
leaned forward and blew softly on the mirror's surface.  A
perfect sheen of frosted ice formed over the glass.  In the ice,
a moving image began to form.  She blew again.  The ice cleared
of frost, and the image sharpened.

     "Twice," she muttered to herself.  "I'm getting rusty."  But
then it had been a while since she'd used the mirror.  She looked
at the image intently.

     The image centered on a young man with a mop of dark hair
tied into a pigtail, wearing a red Chinese shirt and black pants,
running over the rooftops of a Tokyo suburb.  He was followed by
three other men, who were trying in vain to get him to slow down,
the most adamant of which was a young man with light brown hair
wearing glasses and a dark blue gi.  "Ranma, wait!"  The man's
voice sounded small and distant through the ice.  "We needed to
turn left two streets ago!"

     "And I thought *I* was bad with directions,* said another
young man with a shock of dark hair hanging over a yellow and
black bandanna.

     Ranma stopped and, without missing a beat, flipped in the
opposite direction and began running back, passing his three
frustrated companions in the process.  "Why didn't you say so?"
he called angrily as leapt to another roof top.

     "We *tried,*" yelled the older man, who was wearing a white
handkerchief over his bald head, "but you were so far ahead you
couldn't hear us."

     "So keep up already!" Ranma called back without turning. 
"We can't waste anymore time!"  His three companions sighed and
began following as best they could.

     Yuki-onna raised a slender white eyebrow, intrigued. 
"Closer," she whispered.  The ice swirled and cleared until it
showed Ranma's face.  His expression was one of determination and
anxiety, his blue eyes clear and narrowed in concentration.

     "Well.  He is handsome, I'll give him that.  So this is the
one who hold's Akane's heart."  She smiled coldly.  "We'll see
how long that lasts."

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

End of Part Three

The characters of the Ranma 1/2 universe are the sole creation
and possession of the brilliant Rumiko Takahashi. 
----------------------------------
Hearts of Ice
Part 4:  Shadows of Revelation
by Krista Perry
----------------------------------

     "So is this it?" Ranma asked impatiently, eyeing the small
two-story medical clinic wedged in between the larger business
buildings on the outskirts of Tokyo.

     Tofu nodded affirmatively, since he was too winded to speak
at the moment and was busy gulping air into his lungs.  He had to
admire Ranma's durability; the boy had barely broken a sweat on
their rooftop run.  It wasn't that he himself was out of shape,
per se.  He worked out every morning before opening the clinic,
but it had been a while since he had focused on the endurance
aspect of his martial arts training, preferring the healing arts
above all else.  Still, he took a rather perverse comfort in
knowing that Genma, and even Ryoga were gasping a little.

     Ryoga glared at Ranma as his breathing leveled out.  He was
used to traveling great distances, just not in such a... short
amount of time... and Ranma was unbelievably fast when he wanted
to be.  "Ranma, you idiot!  What's the big idea taking off like
that?  We would have gotten here a lot sooner if you had slowed
down and waited for directions."

     Ranma didn't even look at him.  "Shut up, Ryoga.  Like
you're one to talk about waiting for directions."  

     "Hey, I wait for them, I just..."  Ryoga trailed off and
seethed.  He hated admitting that he couldn't seem to get
directions right, no matter how carefully he paid attention.

     "That's enough, you two."  Tofu straightened, getting his
breathing under control.   He rapped lightly on the door.  The
door opened a moment later to reveal an old man with wise eyes
and grey hair tied back into a short, neat pony tail, much like
the one worn by Dr. Tofu.  The old man's face creased in a
surprised smile.  "Ono-kun, you're here already?  My, that was
quick."

     Tofu bowed and returned the smile.  "We, ah... took the high
road, Kintaro-sensei,"

     The old man chuckled.  "I see."  As if to prove the point,
his eyes scanned the group with the piercing gaze that Tofu
remembered so well from his days as a student under Kintaro-
sensei's kindly, yet careful tutelage.  There never seemed to be
detail that his former teacher missed, a symptom that he ever
overlooked.  The old man quickly assessed the situation, his gaze
lingering on Ranma.  The boy looked back steadily for a few
moments, then began fidgeting uncomfortably under the intense
scrutiny.

     "This must be Ranma," the old man said, his eyes narrowing
in concentration.  "Yes, yes...  I see what you mean, Ono-kun. 
There is definitely a strange magic affecting his ki."  Kintaro
stopped suddenly, and looked chagrined.  "But where are my
manners?"  He gestured for Ranma and the others to enter the
clinic.  "Please, come in.  Then I can make a proper examination,
and we'll see what we can discover about this spell that has been
cast over you."

     "And Akane," Ranma said.  "We need to find out where Akane
is."  He grimaced, almost as if in pain as the spell-voice
swelled within him, once again whispering hopelessness to his
soul.  He pushed it down forcefully.  "Whatever got me got her
too."  

     Kintaro nodded sympathetically.  "I'll see what I can do,"
he said, ushering them into an inner office.

     The inside of the clinic was much like Dr. Tofu's, except
that there were many more books and scrolls on the shelves, some
of which looked so ancient that it appeared they might crumble at
a touch.  Kintaro motioned for Ranma to get onto the examination
table.  He then looked at Ryoga and Genma.  "Would you mind
waiting in the outer office?  I need as little distraction as
possible for this examination."  

     Genma looked ready to protest, but a look from Dr. Tofu
silenced him.  Reluctantly, he followed Ryoga out the door.  Tofu
made to follow, but Kintaro restrained him with a hand.  "Ono-
kun, I'd like you to stay and assist me.  Ranma is your patient,
and I expect you know him well.  Perhaps you can explain to me
why I see two separate and extremely different magics linked to
his ki, when you only mentioned the one spell on the phone?"

     Tofu glanced at Ranma, who was staring at his lap and
twisting his fingers, his face flushing with embarrassment.  Tofu
coughed delicately.  "Oh, well, I guess in all the excitement and
rush to get over here, I forgot to mention the, ah... little
curse that Ranma is under."

     Kintaro-sensei raised his gray eyebrows, and looked at Ranma
again.  "Curse?  No, you didn't mention it.  What is the nature
of the curse?"

     "Have you ever heard of Jusenkyo?"

     The old man's eyebrows shot up even further.  "The Cursed
Springs?"  He looked at Ranma's aura intently.  "So, it's not a
myth after all.  Tell me, boy, what do you change into?"

     Ranma felt a strange combination of acute embarrassment and
relief.  If the old man was familiar with Jusenkyo, he might know
of a way to break the spell that had taken Akane away.  He
supposed he shouldn't have been so surprised at the old man's
unusual knowledge.  After all, this guy had been Dr. Tofu's
sensei, and Dr. Tofu had helped him counter some of the worse
stuff that Cologne and Happosai had thrown at him.

     On the other hand, even though he had grown accustomed to
his curse, he really, *really* hated it when people first found
out about it.  It always made him feel humiliated, though he
tried not to show it, and it unfailingly brought to his mind the
feelings of horror and anguish he felt when he plunged into the
spring and felt his body shift with the change for the first
time.  He had known what had happened instantly; the sensations
of the changes his body underwent from the inside out didn't
leave much doubt in his mind.  He knew, and for one brief,
despairing moment was tempted to stop struggling and let himself
drown, thinking that the change was permanent.  But then his
indomitable survival instinct kicked in, and he thrashed
desperately to the surface.  Gasping for breath, he peered
through unfamiliar locks of dripping red hair that were plastered
against his face as his hands tentatively explored his chest and
confirmed what the sensations already told him.  Then he looked
down at himself, and the horror that had been building in him
erupted in a soprano scream.

     Ranma shuddered at the memory, then realized that
Kintaro- sensei was still awaiting an answer.  He squirmed
miserably on the examination table.

     Kintaro-sensei put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder.  "I
understand your discomfort, Ranma.  I'm sure your curse must not
be an easy thing to bear.  However, I'm going to find out anyway,
since you will have to change to help me differentiate between
the magic of the curse and the magic of the spell.  It would
probably be better if you told me now rather than waited for me
to be surprised."

     Ranma sighed and looked at the floor.  How could he even be
worrying about his stupid curse, which he'd had for over a whole
year, when Akane was missing?  "I fell into the Spring of... of
Drowned..."  Ranma stopped and almost had to choke the word out. 
"...Girl."

     Kintaro kept his face carefully neutral.  "Ah," he said, and
was silent for a long moment.  "Well," he said finally, "it could
have been worse, or so I've heard."

     "I guess so," Ranma mumbled.  "No offense, but could we get
on with this?"

     The old man nodded and adopted a clinical manner.  "Tofu-
sensei," he said, addressing his former pupil in a more formal
manner, "would you bring me some hot and cold water?  I'd like to
find out which part of his aura is which before I start trying to
pick apart this spell."

     Dr. Tofu complied, and Ranma closed his eyes as Kintaro-
sensei upended a glass of cold water over his head.  Much to his
relief, the old man refrained from comment, and instead
concentrated on his, now her, aura.

     Tofu glanced briefly at his former sensei, and could see the
same amazement in his expression that he had felt the first time
he had witnessed Ranma change.  The bright flare of the peculiar
sparkling in the boy's aura as the transformation took place was
a sight to behold, for those like himself who had eyes to see
such things.  This time, though, he could see how the deep red
flicker of the spell was interwoven not only with Ranma's regular
ki, but with the curse magic as well.  It seemed to have
penetrated every part of him.  He could see his sensei drawing
the same conclusions, as well as making discoveries that were, as
yet, beyond his own capabilities.

     Ranma waited impatiently with her eyes closed, holding
perfectly still, not wanting to disturb Kintaro and Tofu's
concentration.  Then she felt hot water spill over her head, and
in moments was back to himself.  He opened his eyes.  "Well?"

     Kintaro-sensei's mouth was pinched in a worried frown. 
"This spell is strong, boy.  I've never seen its like."

     "Do you know what kind of spell it is?" asked Tofu.

     "I have a suspicion, but I need to look through a few of my
books before I make any judgements.  You can let the others in
now.  I'll be in my study for a few minutes."  Kintaro left
through a door in the back of the office, while Tofu let Genma
and Ryoga come back in.

     "So, what's the news?  Does he know how to get Akane back?" 
Ryoga looked anxiously at Dr. Tofu.

     Tofu shook his head.  "Not yet, but he thinks he may know
what kind of spell it is.  I'm sure he's researching it right
now." 

     Ranma slid off the examination table and began pacing back
and forth.  "I hope this doesn't take too long," he said
irritably.  With every moment that passed, he could feel the
spell-voice wearing down his perseverance with its insistence on
his pre-determined failure.  He clenched his fists and fought the
feeling back again.  He would *not* give up, never in a million
years.  Akane was alive somewhere, and he was going to find her.

     Ryoga leaned against the wall and watched Ranma, full of
nervous energy, pace the room.  After a few minutes of watching
without comment, he began to wish that Dr. Tofu hadn't restored
*all* of Ranma's ki flow.  He briefly considered pounding his
rival into the floor just so that he would stop his nervous
fidgeting, since it was really getting on his nerves.  He
abandoned the idea after realizing that if Ranma were
unconscious, it could possibly hinder the search for Akane.

     Just then, Ryoga noticed movement out of the corner of his
eye.  He turned and saw a small animal pad silently through the
slightly open door that led to Kintaro-sensei's study.  It was a
cat.  A long-haired orange tabby, to be precise.  Ryoga guessed
that the cat belonged to Kintaro-sensei, since it wore a collar,
and appeared quite comfortable as it strolled casually into the
examination room.

     Ryoga suppressed an evil grin, and wondered how long it
would take Ranma to notice it.

     He had heard somewhere that, when in a room full of people,
cats can somehow pick out the biggest cat-hater in the lot, and
go right to them.  It certainly seemed to be true in this case. 
The cat went straight to the pacing Ranma, and rubbed against his
legs affectionately.

     Ranma froze in mid pace.  His eyes grew to the size of
saucers, staring straight ahead.

     The cat entwined itself around his legs, looked up at Ranma
inquisitively, and meowed.

     Ranma's features fled to the perimeters of his face in
terror, and he began to shake uncontrollably.  Almost as if
against his will, his head bent itself at the neck and forced his
watering eyes to look down.

     "Mraowr?"

     "GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"  Ranma leapt straight up in the air
and clung desperately to the light fixture that hung from the
ceiling.  His primal scream sent the poor cat scurrying out of
the room, its claws scrabbling on the floor tile.  Tofu stared at
Ranma in amazement.  Genma looked disgusted, and Ryoga just
smirked.

     A moment later, Kintaro burst into the room and joined the
other three staring at Ranma who still hung from the ceiling, his
eyes glazed in terror, his trembling threatening to loosen the
light fixture from its fastenings and send it crashing to the
floor.

     "What on earth happened in here?" demanded Kintaro.

     "C-c-ca-...  C-c-c-ca..!" Ranma stuttered incoherently.

     "What Ranma is trying to say," said Ryoga casually, "is that
a cute little kitty-cat just came in and rubbed up against his
legs."

     Kintaro blinked.  "You don't say?"  He looked piercingly at
Ranma.  "If I didn't know any better, I'd say from his reactions
that he's been exposed to Cat-fu training."

     Genma cleared his throat uncomfortably.  "Well, uh, he has. 
I trained him in the Nekoken when he was ten years old."

     "What?!"  Kintaro turned on Genma angrily, his usual
friendly countenance clouded with anger.  Genma shrank against
the wall, away from the fierceness of his gaze.  "Are you crazy?! 
What on earth possessed you to do such a thing to your own son? 
Didn't you know what the consequences would be?!"

     "Well," said Genma, shriveling, "no.  I, er...  never made
it to that page in the instruction manual."  Then he
straightened, and stared back defensively.  "But the Cat-fu
technique has helped him win battles against some of his most
powerful enemies."

     "I see," Kintaro said coldly.  "It's nice to know that you
believe winning a fight is more important than your son's
sanity."  Genma flinched.  Kintaro looked back at Ranma's
trembling form, and frowned.  "If you could see what I see," he
continued darkly, "your opinion of Cat-fu might change
drastically.  The technique wasn't banned without reason, you
know."

     Genma's brow creased in confusion, and he squinted at Ranma,
wondering what the old man saw that he didn't.  All he could see
was his son gibbering in terror, which was enough of an
embarrassment as it was.  What could be worse than that?  He
watched as Tofu stood on the examination table and gently pried
Ranma's shaking fingers from the light fixture, then lowered the
boy back to the table.

     Ryoga looked at the floor.  Somehow, Kintaro's reaction to
Ranma's phobia had spoiled the fun of seeing his arch rival
tremble in terror.  And what had he meant by "if you could see
what I see?"

     He quietly posed his question to Tofu when the young doctor
came to stand beside him against the wall as Kintaro pushed
various pressure points on Ranma in an effort to help the boy
relax.  "What did he mean by that?" he asked.

     "I'm not sure," Tofu whispered back, his expression grim. 
"I knew that Ranma had a phobia of cats, but I didn't realize it
was connected with Cat-fu, and I've never actually seen him
before when he's had an... attack like this.  But I did notice a
strange grayness in his aura, especially around his head, that
appeared as soon as he noticed the cat.  That might be what
Kintaro-sensei was referring to."

     Kintaro smiled encouragingly at Ranma, who looked a little
better as a result of his ministrations.  "I'm sorry about my
cat, Ranma.  I usually let her wander the clinic at night.  She
keeps the mice away, and she's good company.  But she's gone for
the night," he added quickly, as Ranma's eyes began to dart
around furtively.  "Last I saw her, she ran past me and was out
the window in a flash."  Ranma relaxed only slightly.

     "I do have news about the spell," he continued.  That got
Ranma's attention, and his trembling ceased abruptly.  Ryoga,
Tofu and Genma leaned forward as well.

     "What?  What is it?  Can you break it?" Ranma asked in a
rush.

     "I'm afraid this is beyond my capabilities,"  Kintaro said. 
Ranma groaned and put his head in his hands.  

     "I'm sorry, Ranma, but all the signs point to this being a
blood spell of some kind, and spells cast with blood are not only
nefarious and unscrupulous in the extreme, but very hard to
break."

     Ranma lifted his head.  "A blood spell?  What the heck is
that?"

     "Just what it sounds like.  A spell cast with the blood of a
living creature.  The more powerful the creature, the more
powerful the spell.  From what I can see in your aura, I would
guess that the blood used was at least human, or possibly even
that of a magical animal."

     Ranma slid off the table, turned and slammed his fist down
in frustration, sending cracks through the wooden base.  Kintaro
raised an eyebrow at the property damage, but said nothing. 
"There's gotta be *some* way to get Akane back," Ranma said,
fuming.

     "Well," said Kintaro thoughtfully, "my first suggestion
would be to find out who cast the spell in the first place."

     Ranma froze, staring at Kintaro.  "What?" he asked numbly. 
"What did you say?"

     Kintaro looked at Ranma.  "I said that you should find out
who cast the spell."

     Ranma's eyes widened in disbelief, and he smacked himself in
the forehead.  "Oh duh!" he exclaimed.  For some reason, it
hadn't occurred to him that there was a caster behind the spell,
even though it now seemed so obvious.  The spell couldn't exactly
have conjured itself, after all.  So then who..?

     A small gasp escaped Ranma's throat as all the little
mysteries that had been plaguing him all day clicked into place
with frightening clarity.  The strange premonition he felt that
morning while running to school, that peaked when he realized
Shampoo hadn't attacked him all week...  His conversation with
Mousse, and finding out that the Chinese boy had experienced the
same feeling...  The postcard from China...  The way the red glow
rose out of the western sky...

     Ranma's eyes narrowed, and a snarl escaped his lips.  "Why,
that old GHOUL!  I'm gonna kill her!  If she thinks she can get
away with this..."

     "Hold on," said Ryoga, holding up his hands, his voice edged
with sudden nervousness.  "Wait a minute, Ranma.  Are you trying
to say that Cologne is behind all this?"

     But Ranma wasn't listening.  He turned to Kintaro.  "Mousse
got a postcard from Shampoo today.  It said that she and Cologne
are in China doing some kind of special training.  Is it possible
for them to cast a blood spell in China and have it travel all
the way to Japan to get Akane and me?"

     Kintaro frowned.  "I'm not really sure if there are spacial
limits to a blood spell.  I wouldn't rule it out as a
possibility, however..."

     "Then it has to be them!"  Ranma's eyes glinted dangerously,
and for a moment, Ryoga felt sorry for Shampoo and Cologne.  But
only for a moment.  After all, they were the ones who made Akane
disappear.  Ryoga's brow furrowed in anger, his blood boiling as
his sentiments suddenly mirrored Ranma's exactly.

     "The postcard said they would be getting back to Japan on
Tuesday," Ranma continued, his battle aura flaring around his
body.  "And when they get back, I don't care *what* it takes, I'm
gonna force them to reverse whatever it is they've done to
Akane!"

     Ryoga walked over to face his rival, his face set with
determination.  "Ranma, I know that we've had our differences,
but just this once I'm going to stand with you.  You need all the
help you can get if you're going against Cologne and Shampoo." 
He hadn't forgotten how the old crone had used him, teaching him
the Breaking Point technique, deceiving him into believing that
he could destroy Ranma with it, when all it was really good for
was breaking rocks.  He clenched his teeth and, almost against
his will, stiffly held out his hand.  "Truce?"

     Ranma stared at the outstretched hand blankly for a moment. 
Then his face softened into a wry half smile, and he clasped
Ryoga's hand firmly.  "Truce."

     "Now don't get any funny ideas that we're friends or
nothing.  I'm doing this for Akane, not you, got it?"

     Ranma nodded grimly.  "For Akane."

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

     Outside the window of Kintaro-sensei's clinic, a lone figure
crouched silently in the shadows, listening intently to every
word spoken inside.  For this one night, Mousse was glad of his
vision impairment.  His hearing was much more acute because of
it, making up for what he lacked in the other sense.

     Ranma had confirmed his worst fears.  Well, maybe not his
*worst* fears.  As soon as the red blur of energy streaked across
the sky heading towards the Tendo Dojo, Mousse knew that whatever
Shampoo and Cologne had done in China had come to fruition.  He
followed the red blur quickly, reaching the Tendo household just
after the spell had done its dirty work and disappeared.  He then
spied and listened from the Tendo roof to all that followed.  He
was sure that Ranma would regain consciousness with his brain
completely addled by the spell, a spell that Mousse knew would
cause Ranma to forget the now-absent Akane and fall in love with
Shampoo.

     But that wasn't the case at all.  Mousse was completely
baffled, yet strangely relieved.  If Shampoo *was* behind the
spell, why didn't she make Ranma fall in love with her?  Didn't
she know that by taking Akane away, she would just arouse his
anger?  Ranma may be a womanizing jerk, but it was obvious to all
observers -- even Shampoo -- that, out of all his fiancees,
Ranma's feelings (such as they were) were strongest for Akane.

     And now he knew that the spell cast on Ranma and Akane was a
blood spell.  Mousse shuddered.  Surely Shampoo would never stoop
to such sinister magic.  The old ghoul, on the other hand...  She
might not be above casting a blood spell, as long as it suited
her needs, and Mousse was painfully aware of how easily Cologne
could convince Shampoo to go along with her less-scrupulous
plans, especially if Ranma was the prize dangled in front of her.

     But whether or not Shampoo was actually responsible for the
spell or not, Ranma now believed that she was.  There would be a
battle, and, as good a fighter as she was, Shampoo could not hope
to defeat Ranma.  She might be hurt; seriously so if Ranma's
anger was great enough.

     Mousse could not allow that to happen.

     He stood and carefully edged away from the window.  He had
plans to make before Tuesday.

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

     Akane knelt at the dining table and picked despondently at
her rice with her chopsticks.  Yuki-onna had left a few hours
earlier, saying that she needed to attend to some personal
business.  At the Snow Woman's directions, the household servants
had attended to her every need -- even the pompous Kazuo had
served her dinner, much to his chagrin.  The little ice man
hadn't warmed up to her in the least.  She couldn't blame him
really, since she *had* nearly attacked him when she first
arrived.

     Now, though, the servants were nowhere to be seen.  That was
odd.  She rested her chin on her hand with her elbow on the table
and sighed, twirling her chopsticks idly.  She still felt a
little shaky from her exhausting cry hours ago, when she'd
finally admitted to herself that she loved Ranma.  Not that it
did any good now that he was out of her reach for at least seven
years.  Seven years during which he would probably marry one of
his other fiancees.  

     She felt her eyes tear again at the thought, but swallowed
hard and angrily swiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. 
What was done was done, and there was nothing she could do about
it.  The blood spell held her to the Kami plane, and it would
take the Snow Woman at least seven years to break its hold on
her.  But at least it *could* be broken.  She would be able to go
home, eventually.  But go home to what kind of life, without
Ranma..?

     She cut off the thought.  She would go crazy if she dwelled
on it further.  Best to take the Snow Woman's advice and take it
one step at a...

     Akane froze as she suddenly felt another presence in the
room.  She turned quickly... but the room was empty.

     She tensed.  The feeling of another presence still tingled
strongly in the back of her mind.  Her eyes scanned the room
carefully, trying to spot anything out of place.  She suddenly
wished she'd paid closer attention to her surroundings, since she
wasn't sure that if something *was* out of place, she'd realize
it.  Cautiously, she stood and turned her back to the table,
instinctively bringing her hands up into a defensive posture.

     "Who's there?" she called, hesitant, yet angry that someone
was trying to spook her.  "Kazuo?  This isn't funny..."

     A shift in the air current behind her was all the warning
she had, but before she could turn, something whacked her hard in
the back of the head and sent her flying into the opposite wall. 
The impact knocked the air out of her in a *whoosh,* and she
groaned, sliding down the wall.  As she tried to suck the air
back into her lungs, she could feel a throbbing lump growing at
the base of her head.  *Wh-what hit me?*

     Her feet touched the floor, and she turned, fighting
dizziness, to face the room.  She pressed her back against the
wall, glad to have something solid behind her.

     The room was empty.

     Cold fear gripped her heart.  Something was there; she could
*feel* it... and not just because of the evidence throbbing at
the base of her head.  She crouched defensively, trying to see in
all directions at once, fighting the panic that was rising in her
chest.  *How can I fight something I can't see?!* she thought. 
*It figures that the house would be attacked before I could even
get a chance to learn how to defend it.  I have no idea how to
fight a spirit...*

     Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of reddish-
brown, and had the impression of glittering black eyes coming
straight for her.  Her martial arts instinct kicking in, she
turned swiftly to meet the attack, bringing her hands up to
block.  But the thing moved right through her defenses and landed
numerous blows on her face, chest and stomach, sending her
skidding several meters across the floor.

     She staggered to her feet, her body on fire with pain. 
Blackness flickered at the edges of her vision as unconsciousness
threatened to overwhelm her.  She could taste blood in her mouth,
and one of her eyes was swelling shut.  *Seven years?!* she
thought bitterly.  *I'll be lucky to survive the next seven
minutes!*  She looked around, but sure enough, there was no sign
of her attacker.  The unfairness of the entire situation broke
over her like a tsunami, and anger surged within her.  To lose
Ranma, her family, and now possibly her life at the hands of some
unseen demon was just too much for one night.

     "Show yourself, coward!" she yelled in frustration.  "Why
don't you fight me fair?!"

     "Duh, Akane."  Akane paled as Ranma's voice suddenly spoke
out of nowhere.  "I don't see what your problem is.  You always
complained that I held back too much during our sparring matches. 
Well now I'm not holding back.  It's what you wanted, isn't it? 
To have a real fight?  To not be coddled like some fragile girl? 
If you want a 'fair' fight, you shouldn't try to go against
someone who's better than you.  Which in your case is just about
everybody."

     "R-Ranma?" Akane whispered through swelling, bleeding lips. 
The voice was his; some of the words too, but the *tone* was full
of sneering contempt.  Even when Ranma teased her the worst, she
never heard *that* in his voice.  And, above all, Ranma would
*never* hit her, not even in their sparring matches.  No, of
course it wasn't Ranma.  It was a trick of some kind.  The
predator playing with its prey.  *This is the Kami plane,
remember?* she thought to herself.  *Who knows what the
inhabitants are capable of?*

     A reddish blur streaked in her peripheral vision.  Akane
moved to block, but was struck in the side of the head and sent
reeling.  She fell hard on her rump.

     "Heh.  Slowpoke."  Still Ranma's voice.

     Akane clenched her fists, pushing herself to her feet again. 
"Shut up!"

     "You might as well face it, Akane.  You're just a girl. 
You'll never be as good as me."

     A red haze settled over Akane's vision, a combination of
pain and fury, overwhelming the part of her that knew the voice
really wasn't Ranma.  "Oh yeah?" she shouted.  "Well who are you
to talk?  You're a girl half the time yourself, you stupid
pervert!"

     "Eh, wha..?"

     Akane suddenly realized that the reddish blur was closing in
on her again from behind, but had paused in surprise at her last
exclamation.  Dropping to the floor, she rolled, instinctively
kicking backward with her right leg.  To her satisfaction, she
felt her foot connect solidly with a body, and heard an "oof!" 
She had scored a hit!  Smiling painfully through split lips at
the small victory, she turned and sprang to her feet to face her
attacker.

     Her jaw sagged in amazement.

     "Well well!" said a tenor-pitched, wizened voice altogether
unlike Ranma's.  "Not bad for an untrained, clumsy fledgling like
yourself."   The creature that stood before her clutching its
stomach bowed briefly, then raised its ruddy, feathered arms in a
strange gesture of salute.  Its solid black birdlike eyes blinked
mischievously at her over a wide, pointed beak set in a feathered
face that had not a single trace of humanity to it.  The whole
creature, from the top of its head to the base of its ankles, was
covered in fine feathers the color of burnt umber.  Below the
ruff of feathers at its ankles were reddish, predatorial taloned
feet.  It wore a cloak about its shoulders of tightly woven, yet
supple green pine boughs.

     Akane was too stunned to react to the "untrained, clumsy"
remark.  "Wha... what... W-who are..?" she stuttered.

     The strange bird-man bowed.  "I am Masakazu, the Tengu.  And
you, my dear, had better get used to seeing strange creatures
like myself pop up from time to time, or you'll never be able to
defend Yuki-onna's household.  Most of the inhabitants of the
Kami plane are much less attractive than myself, and the way
you're stuttering right now, with your defenses completely open,
I could have defeated you ten times over."

     Akane blinked as she tried to shift her brain back into
gear.  "You're a tengu?"  Akane remembered reading about the
mysterious race of ancient bird people who were both great
warriors and incorrigible tricksters.  *More mythology come to
life,* she thought dazedly.  *Next, I suppose a kappa will come
knocking at the front door asking for cucumbers.*  

     The tengu's expressionless bird face didn't change, but his
black eyes twinkled.  "Yes, I believe that's what I said.  I have
come to train you in the martial arts so that you will be a
suitable body guard for our mutual friend, the lovely Yuki-onna."

     "You... you know martial arts?"  *Stupid!  What kind of
question is that?  He just beat the crap out of you!*

     Masakazu laughed; a short chirping sound.  "Know martial
arts?  My dear, my people *invented* martial arts.  Who do you
thing taught humans how to master it in the first place?"

     Akane stared.  "Uh, I never really thought about it,
actually."

     The tengu's strange black gaze grew serious.  "Good. 
Because the martial arts are not about conscious thought.  The
arts are about instinct."  There was a blur of movement, and
suddenly Akane found herself nose to... beak... with the tengu. 
She "eeped" and staggered back a step.

     "They are about speed," Masakazu continued, the mischievous
glint back in his eyes.  "Something which you are seriously
lacking, my dear.  But I intend to fix that.  Along with your
agility and dexterity.  You have strength, will, and endurance,
but little else."

     "Hey!"

     "Oh, and we must also work on focus and concentration. 
Apparently I could work on that a little myself.  You really
threw me for one with that last comment of yours.  So," 
Masakazu's eyes glittered with barely suppressed laughter, "your
fiance fell into the Spring of Drowned Girl, did he?  Poor sap. 
That must have made for an interesting relationship."

     Akane blinked.  "How do you know about..."

     "There aren't very many secrets that can be kept from me,
you'll find.  It's a small talent I possess.  But don't worry, I
spread gossip only when its absolutely necessary."  The tengu
winked conspiratorially at her.  "Now, shall we begin your
training?  Or do you want some time to recover from my little
sneak attack?"

     Akane winced as she was reminded of the pain throbbing
through her body from the beating she'd taken.  "That wasn't
fair," she snarled.

     "Fair?  Who said anything about fair?"  The tengu narrowed
its black eyes.  "Don't expect formal challenges in this level
of existence, dear.  The creatures you'll be facing will use all
sorts of deception and unethical tactics to defeat you.  Anything
goes.  That *is* your school of training, is it not?"

     Akane's lips thinned into a frown as she realized that she
was whining like a spoiled child, and she nodded.  She *should*
be ready for anything.  And, much as she hated to admit it, she
wasn't.  As she was right now, she had no chance of winning
against the inhabitants of the Kami plane.

     "Let's start the training now," she said, then blinked in
surprise.  The tengu had disappeared.  "Hey, where'd you go?  I
thought we were --"

     She suddenly felt herself grabbed from behind and thrown
roughly into the air.  She landed on her back, hitting the floor
with a *thud,* the air whooshing out of her lungs, and found
herself staring up into the laughing eyes of the tengu.

     "First lesson.  *Always* be on your guard.  Don't think that
just because you're having a friendly chat with someone, the
denizens of the seven levels of hell will wait until you're
finished to attack at your convenience."

     Akane wheezed a sigh and glared daggers at her new sensei as
she struggled to sit up.  It looked like it was going to be a
*long* seven years.

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

     The Nekohanten was dark.  Shampoo sighed in relief and
exhaustion.  She really didn't want to deal with Mousse at the
moment.  The swift journey back to Japan had taken a lot out of
her, mostly because she was still feeling the effects from her
battle with the demon guardians, her encounter with the Ancient
One, and the draining task of casting the blood spell.  Still, as
great-grandmother had told her, even this would work to her
advantage in the end.

     Once inside, Shampoo yawned mightily.  "Aiya," she said
softly, so as not to wake Mousse, wherever he was, "I go to bed
now, great-grandmother."

     Cologne nodded.  "That's a good idea, child.  Tomorrow is
going to be a busy day, and you'll need your rest."

     Shampoo went into the bathroom and turned on the hot water. 
Even in the cool spring night, she felt hot and sweaty from the
journey.  She would have loved to splash some cold water on her
face, but with her curse, it was more trouble than it was worth,
so she rinsed most of the grime from her face with an
uncomfortably warm wet washcloth.  She then removed the leather
bandage from around her arm and carefully cleaned the wound left
by the Ancient One's claw where it had lanced clean through so
that she could pay the blood price.  The wound was healing
nicely, thanks to Cologne's ministrations, and when it was
sufficiently clean, she anointed it with herbs and replaced the
leather bandage with some clean white gauze.  Then she headed to
her room and to the promise of sleep that beckoned her.

     It wasn't until she closed the door behind her that she
realized Mousse was sitting on her bed.  

     "You're home early," he said.  "We weren't expecting you for
another two days."

     She stared in surprise that swiftly turned to anger. 
"Mousse!  What you doing in Shampoo's room?  You leave now!  Only
husband allowed on Shampoo's bed."  She was appalled at his
audacity.  Even Mousse, who constantly threw himself at her, had
never presumed to sit on her bed uninvited.

     "Very well.  I'll stand," said Mousse softly, and he stood. 
It was only then that Shampoo realized that Mousse's attitude was
profoundly different than what she was used to.  First of all, he
didn't appear to be overjoyed to see her, the way he usually did,
and wasn't babbling and crying about his "darling Shampoo."  As a
matter of fact, he looked almost... angry.  His face was creased
in a frown, and his arms were crossed severely over his chest. 

     "But," he continued, his voice firm, "I'm not going to leave
until you tell me why you cast a blood spell on Ranma and Akane."

     Shampoo paled and staggered back a step.  How did he know? 
And if he knew, that might mean that Ranma knew as well!

     Shampoo's panicked mind raced to the words Great-grandmother
had rehearsed with her on their journey from China.  "There is a
chance," Cologne said, "that Ranma and the others might figure
out what happened before we get back.  If this is the case,
remember, *our plans do not change in the least.*  Just stay with
the story, and all will be well."  Shampoo trusted in their plan. 
It *had* to work.  It *would* work, as long as she remembered to
do her part well.

     Her eyes filled with tears, and she sank to the floor,
hoping that her initial shocked reaction would blend with her
performance.  "Oh, Mousse!" she said, her voice shaking.  "Tell
me, what happen to Ranma?"

     Mousse was taken aback, and he seemed almost relieved. 
"You... you mean, you really don't know?"

     "Please, Mousse!  Tell Shampoo what happen!"  She let a few
of the tears slide down her cheeks.  It was easier than she
thought it would be, pretending this apprehensive anguish.  But
that could be due to the actual sick feeling she had inside. 
*Ayia,* she thought, the tears coming stronger and more
sincerely, *This lie feels so dirty.  I wish I didn't have to do
this, Ranma.  But there was no other way.*

     Shampoo's tears were having the desired effect on Mousse. 
His angry countenance shattered into concern, and he sank down to
his knees beside her.  "D-don't cry, Shampoo," he said, reaching
out a tentative, comforting hand.  "I'll tell you.  I'll tell you
everything!"  And he did, starting with Ranma's visit to the
Nekohanten, and ending with what he had overheard at Kintaro-
sensei's clinic.

     All through his story, a part of Shampoo's mind listened
analytically, finding out exactly what Ranma and the others did
and did not know.  The other part focused on reacting properly
anguished, yet not *completely* surprised, at the news of Akane's
disappearance, and the spell voices within Ranma.  She was a
little worried when she heard that Ranma had managed to shatter
the spell with one of his ki blasts.  Still, the spell had formed
itself back together, and it seemed to have done its job quite
adequately, so she pushed those nagging doubts to the back of her
mind.

     When Mousse was through telling his story, Shampoo shuddered
with sobs.  "Oh, Mousse.  It all my fault."  The truth.  That
didn't feel so bad...

     Mousse looked at Shampoo, distraught.  "How?  Why is it your
fault?  What happened in China, Shampoo?"

     Shampoo shuddered.  A real shudder this time.  And told the
lie.

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

End of Part Four