Happy New Year!

Okay, here's more of my repost of Hearts of Ice.  In case you're
curious, Part 21 is with the pre-readers, and may be posted in the next
few days, depending on their reaction.

Enjoy!  ^_^


-- Listar MIME Decryption --------------
-- Name   : HEART5-6.TXT

The characters of the Ranma 1/2 universe are the sole creation
and possession of the brilliant Rumiko Takahashi. 
------------------------
Hearts of Ice
Part 5:  Interlude
by Krista Perry
------------------------


     Akane sat quietly, holding perfectly still as Yuki-onna
passed her slim white hands a few centimeters over the surface
Akane's skin.  After a few moments, her hands paused over a spot
on Akane's back, just between her shoulder blades.

     "Hmm," the Snow Woman said softly.  "This looks like a good
place to start today.  The spell will be easiest to untangle
here."  She began twisting her fingers, as if pulling at
invisible threads.

     Akane felt the now-familiar tingle of magic between her
shoulder blades as Yuki-onna carefully removed wisp after wisp of
dragon blood from her ki.  This had become a daily ritual.  For
the past two months, ever since she had first come to the Kami
plane, Yuki-onna had spent at least an hour a day trying to
remove the blood spell from Akane, but the spell was stubborn and
strong and fought against Yuki-onna's attempts to break it's hold
on her.  Every time a strand of dragon blood was removed from
Akane's ki, the spell would simply shift and fill in the gap.

     Akane could tell that it was exhausting work for the Snow
Woman, and was finally beginning to understand why it would take
about seven years to lift the spell completely.  She shook her
head slightly in bafflement, wondering once again why her
mysterious hostess was helping her.  Yuki-onna had taken her -- a
total stranger, and a mere mortal at that -- into her household
and had treated her like a daughter.  Which was surprising, since
the Yuki-onna that Akane was familiar with from legend was
portrayed as a cold, cruel woman; an evil spirit who enjoyed
freezing men to death with her icy touch.

      "So, Akane," said the Snow Woman as she continued to pull
at the blood spell, "it appears that the bruises from your last
match with Masakazu are healing nicely.  You seem to have fewer
than usual.  Can I take that as a sign of your improvement?"

     "Yes," said Akane, smiling.  Then she winced and raised a
hand to a bruise on her cheek; a bruise that matched the dozens
of others all over her body.  The swelling had gone down, but it
still hurt to touch it.  In spite of the pain, she was glad.  For
once in her life, she had a sensei who didn't treat her like a
china doll, as if she would shatter with the slightest touch. 
With Masakazu's help, she had slowly, but steadily improved her
martial arts skills.  She still wasn't nearly as fast or agile as
Ranma, but she was finally getting enough speed to block some of
her sensei's attacks.  And, more importantly, she was learning to
trust her instincts.  It was a necessity, really.  She always had
to be on her guard, since she never knew when Masakazu was going
to launch another attack, or "training session," as he called it.

     At first she had been angry at how rough he was on her, but
she had quickly learned that the tengu had actually gone easy on
her the first time he attacked.  Since then, she had seen him
perform feats that made Cologne and Happosai look like first-year
students, substantiating his claim that his people had invented
the martial arts.  Also, not only was Masakazu the most
incredible martial artist she'd ever seen, the tengu was also a
very patient sensei.  This was good, because more often than not,
her volatile temper got the better of her, especially when he
would use Ranma's voice to mock her during their battles.  She
*hated* it when he did that.  And yet... it was also nice in a
strange way, because deep down she liked hearing Ranma's voice. 
Even if the voice said things to make her mad.  Even if it wasn't
really Ranma at all.

     It was so strange.  Sometimes she felt as if this alien
place were home, as if she'd been here forever.  Other times she
was so homesick, it hurt.

     She tried not to think of Ranma, but it was no use.  He was
always in her thoughts at some level.  She missed him terribly
but knew that allowing her thoughts to dwell on him would just
make her miserable.  *I wonder what he's doing right now?* she
thought.

     Akane sighed.  Yuki-onna had certainly scolded her often
enough about wasting her time thinking about a man who had
brought so much misery into her life and who, in all likelihood,
wouldn't even be around by the time she could finally return
home.  She almost regretted telling the Snow Woman about her
convoluted history with Ranma and his "other fiancees."  Yuki-
onna seemed to take each of Ranma's affronts personally, whether
they were intentional or, as was most often the case,
circumstantial.  It was so ironic.  Finally, here was a woman who
completely understood the frustration and fury Akane so often
felt towards Ranma.  But now Akane didn't want to feel that way
anymore.

     She tried to convince herself otherwise.  Heck, it should
have been easy; she'd certainly had plenty of practice telling
herself what an insensitive pervert Ranma was, and how there was
no way in the world she could ever love him.  But ever since she
had been torn so forcefully out of the mortal plane, she had
become more honest with herself, and her soul refused to let her
live with such a blatant lie.

     *You know,* she thought to herself glumly, *you really have
the *worst* timing.  You couldn't have had this little journey of
self-discovery a little bit earlier?  Like when it might actually
have been useful?*

     Yuki-onna frowned, her smooth white face creasing slightly
as she concentrated on removing the dragon blood from Akane's ki. 
She paused, surprised, as the ki abruptly began to darken in
color with the girl's mood.

     *Blast.  She's thinking about her fiance again.*  Yuki-
onna's frost-blue eyes narrowed angrily.  *After all that idiotic
boy has put her through, she still pines for him.  Akane, you
foolish girl, why can't you see how much stronger you would be
without this useless infatuation weighing you down?*  The Snow
Woman began to lose her concentration because of her anger, and
the dragon blood began slipping through her fingers, resisting
her attempts to remove it.  She sighed with frustration and tried
to regain focus, but thoughts of the mortal boy Ranma and his
cruel treatment of Akane prevented her from --

     A flash of red caught her eye.

     *What..?*  Yuki-onna squinted at Akane's ki.  For a split
second, she had seen something in the blood spell, something she
hadn't noticed before.  What had she been thinking about?  She
knew that an individual's thoughts and emotions could often
effect how a person perceived the nuances of someone else's ki,
which was why perfect concentration was normally required, but
this time... 

     Ranma.  She'd been thinking about Akane's horrible fiance.

     Yuki-onna focused once again on the blood spell in Akane's
ki, this time keeping Ranma firmly in mind.  There!  There it was
again, a flash of red; a tiny, almost unnoticeable wisp of dragon
blood that responded to her thoughts of Ranma.  It was woven deep
inside the spell, too deep for her to reach for quite some time. 
Still, she concentrated on it...

     ...and gasped.

     Akane turned quickly.  "What's wrong?  Are you alright?" she
asked, looking with concern at the shocked expression on the Snow
Woman's face.

     Yuki-onna relaxed and smiled.  "Oh, it's nothing, dear.  I'm
just a little tired, that's all.  This spell requires so much of
my energies to untangle..."  She trailed off as she noticed Akane
stiffen suddenly, her ki changing color once again, flaring
bright blue.

     "Akane?" she asked, puzzled.  "What--"

     Without warning, Akane leaped straight up into the air a
good five meters from her sitting position, just barely missing
the blur of burnt umber that passed through the space she once
occupied.  Yuki-onna gasped as the girl's ki was torn from her
fingers.

     Akane flipped at the peak of her arc, coming down to land
lightly on her feet.  As soon as she touched the floor, she
dropped, bringing her hands up to block a near invisible blow
from her sensei.  Rolling, she sprang to her feet, her body
twisting and turning as she swiftly parried each blow the tengu
delivered.

     "Well, Akane" said Masakazu with Ranma's voice, "Looks like
you're more masculine than ever, you uncute tomboy.  I don't
know how you ever expect to catch a husband."

     Akane growled.  "Why you...!"  And lost her focus.   In one
smooth move, Masakazu penetrated her defenses and landed a kick
that sent Akane flying into the wall, and into unconsciousness.
     
--------------------

     "Ite!"  Akane rubbed a swelling lump at the back of her
head, and hissed in pain as Yuki-onna gently cleaned a nasty
scrape on her shoulder that she had received upon impact with the
wall.  If it were a normal wall, it probably wouldn't have done
much damage, but in Yuki-onna's household, some of the walls were
natural ice formations, complete with jagged crystalline edges. 
Akane had the misfortune of colliding with such a wall.

     The Snow Woman touched the skin just outside the scrape with
a fingertip and numbed the wound with an icy touch.  Akane
shivered, goose bumps erupting up and down her arms.  "Oooh,
that's *cold,*" she complained.

     Yuki-onna leaned back and cocked a delicate white eyebrow at
her.  "Which would you rather have, Akane, the pain or a mild
chill?" she asked calmly.

     "At the moment I'd prefer neither," Akane snapped irritably,
glaring at Masakazu, who stood serenely at her side.  "No more
pain, no more cold.  As a matter of fact, I sure could use a nice
hot day at the beach right about now.  Don't you ever get tired
of all this ice and snow?"

     "Not really."  Yuki-onna smiled pleasantly and tossed her
mane of long white hair.

     "Now now, Akane," Masakazu soothed.  "You're just being a
sore loser."

     "Emphasis on the word 'sore,'" Akane growled.

     "I wouldn't have breached your defenses if you had been able
to control your temper," the tengu chided.  "You lose focus, you
lose the battle.  Still, I must commend you on avoiding my
initial attack.  Your leap was quite impressive.  You do realize,
I hope, that you have come a long way since we began your
training a mere two months ago."

     Akane's temper calmed at the praise, and her expression lit
with a smile.  "Really?  You think so?"

     "Of course.  But then, what else do you expect with me as
your sensei?  No ordinary mortal could teach you the things I've
taught you."

     "Hmph.  It's a good thing I'm not relying on you to teach me
humility," Akane responded wryly.

     Yuki-onna chuckled.  "I, too, am impressed, Akane.  This is
the first time in a week or so that I've seen you two spar, and
just in that short amount of time, you have improved drastically. 
You'll be ready to defend my household in no time."

     Akane turned to the Snow Woman, her expression serious, and
a little nervous.  "Um, now that you bring that up, I've been
meaning to ask...  I've been here for two months now, and the
only attacks I've seen have come from Masakazu-sensei.  You keep
saying that I need to defend your household and that you need a
bodyguard, but so far I haven't seen anything or anyone come
around that you might need defending from."  Akane swallowed and
looked down.  "Are...  are you sure you need me?"

     The Snow Woman smiled gently.  "Akane, the reason no one has
been able to invade my home is because I am using a substantial
portion of my magic to keep a continuous barrier between my
domain and the rest of the Kami plane.  It is a great drain on my
energies."

     Akane blinked.  "Oh...  I had no idea," she said, flushing
with embarrassment.  "No wonder you look so tired after trying to
untangle the blood spell every day.  I... I'm sorry to be so much
trouble."

     "It's no trouble at all," Yuki-onna said firmly.  "It's part
of our deal.  You serve as my body guard, and I free you from the
blood spell.  Once you are fully capable of defending my
household, I will be able to drop the magic barrier and will once
again have my full powers at my disposal."

     Akane's eyes widened.  "Your full powers?  Does that
mean..."

     "That means," Masakazu interrupted, "that the sooner you are
able to defend the household, the sooner Yuki-onna will have
access to the power necessary to free you from the influence of
this blood spell your under."

     "I've been doing what little I could under the
circumstances," the Snow Woman added.  "But once you take your
place as my bodyguard, and I have full access to my magic, it
will speed up the process substantially.  You should know," she
continued, seeing the hope blossom on Akane's face, "that I took
this into account when I gave you the time estimate.  I still
believe it will take about seven years to break the spell, give
or take a few months, depending on how quickly you learn the
skills necessary to defeat intruders."

     Akane's face fell.  "Oh," she said softly.  For a brief,
wonderful moment, she thought that she might get home sooner.  

     *Ranma...*

     The tears, which she had avoided for weeks, threatened once
again, and she turned away from the tengu and the Snow Woman, not
wanting them to see her cry.  "Excuse me," she said swallowing. 
"I... I think I'll go to my room now.  I need to get cleaned up
for dinner."  She walked quickly away.

     The Snow Woman and the tengu watched her leave.

     **You haven't told her, have you.**  Yuki-onna started as
Masakazu's mental voice penetrated her head.

     "You don't have to do that," she said crossly.  "She's gone,
she can't hear us.  And to answer your question, no.  I haven't
told her.  I don't intend to.  And you will not tell her either."

     Masakazu sighed.  "Yuki-chan, I know what you are thinking. 
And it's wrong.  Don't you think it would be better for Akane if
you gave her some hope?  If you let her know that she might still
regain everything she's lost?"

     Yuki-onna turned on the tengu, her eyes blazing.  "And what
would you know about what's best for her?  Do you know anything
about this boy that she *thinks* she loves?  Do you know what
kind of life is in store for her if she goes back to the mortal
plane and he's still there, waiting to torment her as usual?"

     Masakazu blinked at her, his black eyes inhumanly calm.  "I
know more than you might guess, Yuki-chan.  I cannot presume to
tell you what to do in your own domain, but I ask you to
reconsider the course of action you are taking.  Remember, your
experience is not the prototype for Akane's life, or any mortal
life for that matter."

     Yuki-onna stared at the tengu, cold fury playing across her
features.  Finally she spoke.  "I must see to the servants," she
said quietly, "and make sure they preparing dinner correctly."

     The tengu met her gaze levelly.  "I understand," he said
simply.  And in a blur of movement, he was gone, leaving the Snow
Woman staring at empty space.

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

     The Snow Woman stood before her mirror.  Masakazu didn't
understand.  She had to protect Akane; protect her from both her
brutish, arrogant, womanizing fiance, and her own naive
ignorance.  But that was not why she was here, standing before
her mirror.  No, she simply needed to confirm the discovery she
made earlier that evening while trying to untangle the blood
spell from Akane's ki.

     Leaning forward, she breathed on the mirror.  It frosted
over, then swirled with magic.  "Show me the boy," she whispered.

     The image cleared to show Ranma pacing back and forth in a
comfortable living room, frustration evident on his face. 
Occasionally he would drop to the floor to do a few push-ups, or
just do a few flips to break the monotony.  

     Sitting curled in a chair, watching him pace back and forth,
was an attractive girl with short, light brown hair.  In her
hands, she held a book, apparently forgotten as she seemed
completely absorbed in watching the boy.  Frustration was evident
on her face as well.  Yuki-onna watched in amusement as the
girl's annoyance level rose to the bursting point.

     Finally it came.  "Ranma!" she yelled, causing the boy to
startle and turn to her.  "Will you please be so kind as to HOLD
STILL!  You're DRIVING ME CRAZY!"  The girl seemed to calm as she
looked at the dumbfounded expression on the boy's face.  "If you
*must* fidget uncontrollably," she continued in a softer tone,
"please.  Do it outside."

     Ranma looked chagrined.  "Sorry, Nabiki.  I didn't
realize...  I've got a lot on my mind right now."

     "I understand, Ranma.  But stomping around the house isn't
going to get Cologne and Shampoo here any faster.  They're not
due back from China for another two days."

     Ranma's gaze hardened suddenly.  "Lucky for them," he said. 
"When I get my hands on them, I'm gonna make them sorry they ever
messed with Akane."

     "Yes, of course," Nabiki replied.  She'd heard this for the
past two days solid, and much as she agreed with the sentiment,
it was getting a little monotonous.  "Just make sure you get them
to reverse the spell *before* you kill them, Ranma," she said
coolly.  "And if I were you," she continued,  "I'd get some
sleep.  You may be bouncing off the walls right now, but it
doesn't take a doctor to see that if you stop moving for a
second, you'll collapse from exhaustion.  I don't know how you
expect to defeat Cologne in such a state."

     Ranma looked at Nabiki, and his shoulders sagged, as if
realizing for the first time just how tired he really was. 
"You're right, Nabiki," he said.  "I'll try and get some rest." 
He turned and walked out the door.

     Nabiki looked at his retreating form in amazement.  He
agreed?  And he was acting on her advice?  He *must* be tired!

     Yuki-onna listened to the entire exchange with interest. 
The fluctuating time dilation that occurred between planes was
always a bit confusing, but it seemed that only a day or so had
passed in the mortal plane from the time the blood spell had
first been cast.  The poor mortals were still thinking they could
break the spell.

     The Snow Woman frowned.  If Akane knew about the time
dilation...  If she knew that once the spell was broken, she
could return to the mortal plane with only a few months having
passed as opposed to the seven years she had spent in the Kami
realm...

     She would leave for certain.  She would leave and return to
live under the abusive, unfaithful dominion of the man whose
image appeared in her mirror.

     Yuki-onna clenched one slender white hand into a fist.

     She could not let that happen.

     She watched with an icy expression as Ranma went outside the
house.  Her expression faltered to one of amazement as he leapt
to the roof in a single graceful leap.  Akane was right.  He was
a formidable martial artist.

     Ranma laid down on the roof tile, his hands behind his head,
and gazed at the stars, his face creased with a mixture of
frustration and sadness.

     "Closer,"  the Snow Woman whispered.

     The image swirled and changed.  Now she was close enough to
see his ki.  Sure enough, the blood spell permeated his ki as
well.  Idly, she wondered what it had done to him, then dismissed
the thought as unimportant.

     She concentrated on his ki, her mind focusing on Akane...

     There it was.  A tiny, almost microscopic wisp of dragon
blood, identical to the one  in Akane's ki.  One end of the wisp
was firmly rooted in the spell, and the other end...  simply
vanished, seemingly connected to nothing at all.  Which was far
from the truth.

     "Damn it all, they're linked," growled the Snow Woman.  "I
was afraid of this."  No wonder Akane couldn't seem to get over
her fiance.  As long as there was a connection between the two
halves of the blood spell, the very thing that had separated her
from Ranma simultaneously kept her in almost continuous contact
with him.


     She had to break the link somehow.  But the only way to
break the link was to remove the strand of dragon blood that
served as the connection between the mortal and the Kami plane,
and that particular strand was woven deep into the spell.  She
had neither the time nor the desire to remove the spell cast over
Ranma.

     The Snow Woman felt a wicked smile crawl across her face. 
"Then again," she whispered.  "There's more than one way to break
a spell's power over someone.  And this way, I'll be getting two
birds with one stone."

     Examining Ranma's ki, she knew it would be a matter of
minutes before he fell asleep.  The boy was exhausted.  She
waited patiently.

     Ranma stared into the night sky, his eyelids getting heavier
by the moment.  Some part of his instinct warned him that he
needed to stay awake; that he needed to fight the exhaustion that
permeated his body, but he couldn't figure out why.  And he was
so *tired.*  He'd gone almost 56 hours without sleep, unable to
think about anything except getting Akane back from wherever
she'd been taken.  But Nabiki was right.  He *had* to get some
sleep, otherwise, he would be too worn out to face Cologne and
Shampoo and force them to undo the spell when they returned from
China.

     His eyes glistened wetly as he wondered for the millionth
time that day what Akane was doing right now.  He wondered if she
was scared, or if she was angry at him for not being able to save
her.  He knew she was alive.  The spell-voices that had become a
constant murmur in the back of his mind insisted that she was
alive.  But was she safe?  Was she hurt?  Was she alone or with
other people?

     He sighed heavily as sleep slowly overtook him.  "Please be
okay, Akane," he whispered.  "I promise I'll find you." 
Unwilling to resist his weariness further, his eyes drifted
closed in sleep.

     Yuki-onna smiled grimly and pressed her hands against the
mirror.  Summoning every single scrap of magical energy she could
spare, she pushed.  The mirror gave under her hands, liquefying,
and she stepped through.

     She could tell immediately that it was spring.  The cool
breeze that brushed her white skin spoke of warmer things to
come.

     "Definitely not my season," she muttered.   It would be a
little more difficult to exert her power, but not much.  She
looked dispassionately at the sleeping boy at her feet.  It had
been a while since she had done anything like this.  Then again,
it had been a while since anyone had given her so much of a
reason.

     She knelt down next to the boy.  He looked peaceful in
sleep, almost innocent.  But appearances could be deceiving.  Her
eyes flashed coldly as she thought of the pain this boy had
caused Akane.  With a gentleness that belied her intent, she
lifted a deathly pale hand and brushed his dark hair from his
forehead.

     Yes, he was beautiful, this one.  Even more so in person
than when viewed through the mirror.  She could almost understand
why Akane was so taken with him...

     The Snow Woman leaned over the boy, her long shimmering
white hair falling in loose waves around her face, until her lips
were almost touching Ranma's.  She closed her eyes and parted her
lips slightly.

     Then, she breathed.

     Frost covered Ranma's face.  The frost slowly spread out to
cover his hair, his neck and shoulders, traveling down his arms
and chest and finally his legs until his whole body was covered
with a perfect layer of white crystalline frost.

     Ranma began to shiver in his sleep.  The Snow Woman touched
him on the forehead, and his trembling ceased.  "Can't have you
waking up, dear," she said softly.  With his martial arts skills,
he could escape her easily.

     Confident that her sleep spell was firmly wrapped around the
boy's mind, she placed her white fingers on his chest and let the
cold seep out of her, willing it into Ranma's body; slowly,
carefully freezing the blood that coursed through his veins.  

     Minutes passed, and Ranma lay motionless as the Snow Woman
slowly froze him to death.  His skin took on a deathly bluish
pallor.  Yuki-onna shuddered with sadistic pleasure as she felt
the boy's life seep away beneath her icy fingers.  It wouldn't be
long now...

     "A... Ak-kane..."

     The Snow Woman looked up, startled at the barely audible
whisper.  The boy had spoken.  But that was impossible.  He was
dying under her hands at that very moment.  She could feel his
heart slowing, unable to resist the icy cold that penetrated it. 
She could see his ki flickering weakly.  The blood spell that
bound him, however, clung tenaciously even as his life slipped
away, unwilling to release it's hold until the very last spark of
the boy's life force was extinguished.

     She looked at his face.  His skin was blue, and still
covered in frost.

     Her eyes widened as she saw the tears.

     Warm tears leaked from the boy's closed eyelids, sliding
down either side of his face, melting the frost in its wake.  And
the frozen lips were once again trying to form words.

     "A-kane...  I l-love y..."

     No.  Yuki-onna's hands slid off Ranma's chest, and she
stared at him in shock.  He didn't...  He couldn't....  It wasn't
*possible*...  

     She felt a familiar presence behind her.

     "Masakazu-san," she whispered.

     "Yuki-chan."  The tengu made no move towards her.  "Will you
be the one to reverse what you've done to this boy, or must I
intervene?  I need not remind you that we are no longer in your
domain."

     "I..."  Yuki-onna swallowed and looked at the boy; at the
tear tracks running down his face even in near death.  His
whispered words echoed in her mind.  It was almost as if he
knew...  

     "I...  will remove my spell from him," she whispered in
defeat, knowing that even if she did not, Masakazu would.   She
placed her hands on Ranma's chest once again, this time drawing
the bitter coldness back inside herself, allowing his blood to
thaw and his heart to beat freely once again.

     When she finished, she turned and stood to face the tengu. 
The tengu stepped past her and knelt over Ranma, pushing a few
Shiatsu points to make sure the boy was fully restored.  Then he
turned back to the Snow Woman.  His black eyes glittered
fiercely, and his ruddy feathers gleamed in the starlight.

     "You nearly made a grave mistake, Yuki-onna."  Yuki-onna. 
Not Yuki-chan.  He was angry.  Masakazu rarely got angry. 
"Trying to take a life that was not yours to take, completely
outside your domain of jurisdiction.  Your misplaced rage over a
slight you suffered centuries ago has made you hateful.  Are you
sure what you have to offer Akane is better than what this boy
offers?  You heard the words from his own mouth even as you tried
to take his life."

     The Snow Woman struggled within herself, then clenched her
teeth.  She looked up and met the tengu's gaze, her eyes heavy
with resignation.  "Perhaps...  perhaps I was wrong about him. 
He does seem to... love her."  She said it as if she still found
it hard to believe.  

     The tengu's hard black gaze softened slightly, and he
nodded.  "So much so that his soul's dying desire was to express
that love," he said.  "What are you going to tell Akane?"

     Yuki-onna paused to consider thoughtfully.  "Nothing," she
said finally.

     "Nothing?"  Masakazu's eyes narrowed.

     Yuki-onna sighed heavily.  "We cannot know for sure how the
time dilation will flux between now and the time I can break the
spell.  I will not interfere with her... relationship with this
boy," she said reluctantly, gesturing to Ranma's sleeping form
with a slender hand.  "But I will also not raise hopes that she
will be returning to the same world that she left.  If nothing
else, seven years in the Kami plane will change *her.*  Even if
nothing changes here, she may find herself a stranger among
friends when she returns.  Better to prepare her for the worst
and allow her to be pleasantly surprised, rather than raise hopes
that are dashed by events beyond her control."

     The tengu stood silent a moment, then nodded acceptance. 
"That is wise, Yuki-chan.  I did not expect to find such wisdom
mere moments after I found such foolishness."  His black eyes
smiled over his expressionless bird face.  "Let us return now to
where we belong."

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

     Ranma blinked groggily awake to find Nabiki kneeling over
him, shaking him by his shoulders and shouting his name.  When
she saw that his eyes were finally open, she let go of him,
allowing him to collapse unceremoniously against the roof tile
with a painful *thud.*

     "It's about time you woke up, Saotome," she said irritably
as Ranma sat up rubbing the back of his head and scowling.  "You
sleep like the dead."

     Ranma, still half asleep, didn't respond as his thoughts
churned over the strange, disturbing dreams that had plagued his
sleep.  Normally, he didn't remember his dreams, except for
certain reoccurring nightmares he had that involved either cats,
or springs with bamboo poles sticking out of them.  He remembered
this one, though...

     He dreamed that he had fallen asleep on the roof, but that
he then awoke to see Akane standing over him.  He was so glad to
see her, so glad that she was alright, that he wanted jump up and
take her in his arms, not even caring what might happen if
someone saw him.

     But he couldn't move.  He was frozen in place, unable to
even make a sound.  It was then that he noticed how strange Akane
looked.  Her skin was white and bloodless, her eyes sparking with
anger and contempt.  The look on her face sent anguish stabbing
into his heart.  *Akane?* he thought.  *Wh-what...*

     She bent over him then, and he swallowed nervously at how
beautiful she looked in spite of the anger in her eyes.  He
wanted to open his mouth, to apologize, to say anything at all,
but he was completely immobile.  He expected her to pound him
into the roof tile, or at least punt him into orbit.  But
instead, to his surprise, he heard her voice in his mind.

     **This,** she said, **is for all the times you've hurt me,
all the times you've disappointed me.  This is for being a
selfish, insensitive pervert.  And this is for all the times
you've chickened out and failed to express your true feelings for
me.**

     Ranma looked at Akane, stunned.  The agony her words
inflicted was sharper than any physical pain he'd ever
experienced.  *Wait, Akane!* he thought desperately, struggling
to move his unresponsive body in any way.  *Please!  I'm sorry, I
always meant to tell you, but I...*

     His thought was cut off abruptly when she kissed him lightly
on the mouth, his mind freezing in shock.  The whispery touch of
her lips sent cold fire burning across the skin of his face, and
he would have gasped in pain if he had been capable of moving. 
Instead, he lay helplessly as the burning ice spread from his
face across his body, seeping through his skin.  Then, she placed
her white fingers on his chest and began to suck the life out of
him.

     *She's... killing me,* Ranma realized.  All the feelings of
panic had drained out of him, leaving only a deep sadness as the
cold black fire slowly ate away at his awareness.  *I've hurt her
so bad, she hates me so much, that she's killing me.  Oh, Akane,
I'm so sorry, what have I done to you to make you like this?  I
wish I could tell you...*

     He *would* tell her.  He may not be able or willing to fight
her, but he couldn't die without letting her know.  He would
focus all his strength and will into one last act.  His mind
fought, staving off the freezing death that was slowly overtaking
him, and he forced his ice-encrusted lungs to expand, ...

     "A... Ak-kane..."

     It hurt.  He felt as if his frozen insides were shattering
with the effort.  The cold black nothingness of death was quickly
swallowing the last living pieces of him.  He had to hurry,
before it was too late...

     "A-kane...  I l-love y..."

     Suddenly it was no longer Akane who knelt over him, but a
strange woman with the same white skin, and with long white hair. 
She stared at him, her frost-blue eyes wide in shock.

     *Where did Akane go?*  Ranma felt himself slipping away, the
blackness almost complete.  *I hope she heard me,* he thought.

     And then he felt nothing.

     Nothing until Nabiki shook him awake.

     "Hey, Ranma, are you okay?"  Nabiki's irritation had faded
to concern as she looked at her sister's fiance.  He seemed
really out of it.

     Ranma looked at her as if just noticing her for the first
time.  "Nabiki?" he asked, his eyes clearing a little.  He looked
around and saw that he was still on the roof, and that it was
still dark.  "Oh man," he groaned, holding his head.  "I just had
the *weirdest* nightmare."

     "You can tell me about it later," Nabiki responded, crawling
over to the ladder she had propped against the side of the roof. 
"Right now, we've got some serious business to attend to."

     Ranma shook his head, trying to push the lingering traces of
the dream out of his brain.  "What business?" he asked, confused.

     Nabiki paused as she descended the ladder and gave Ranma a
level look.  "I've had people watching the Nekohanten," she said. 
"I just got word a few minutes ago that Shampoo and Cologne have
returned from China."

     The news hit Ranma like lightning, and he was suddenly fully
awake.  Awake and angry.  "They're back?!"  Forget dreams, forget
spell-voices.  *This* was something he could understand;
something he could deal with.  His battle aura blazed to life,
and his blue eyes narrowed in anticipation.  He leaped over
Nabiki and landed in the yard.  "I'm gone!" he yelled, springing
to the wall that surrounded the house and jumping to a
neighboring rooftop.

     "Ranma, wait!" Nabiki called after him.  "We're coming with
you!"  But it was too late.  He was already out of earshot. 
"Idiot," she muttered, descending the ladder.

     Ryoga was coming out the patio door as she reached the
ground.  "Well, did you wake him up?" he asked.

     "He's awake, up, and gone," she said.  "He didn't even wait
for me to tell him that Ukyo wants to be there too.  She was
pretty upset to hear about what Shampoo did to Ranma."

     Ryoga clenched his fists.  "That fool!" he snarled.  "How
dare he leave without me?  Ranma!!"  And with a battle cry, Ryoga
leaped over to the wall and to a neighboring rooftop.

     "Ryoga, wait!" Nabiki called.  "You're going the wrong..." 
But it was too late.  He was gone.  Nabiki moaned and rolled her
eyes in exasperation.  "Idiot!" she exclaimed.  Then she sighed. 
She wanted her sister back, and she wanted to be there to make
sure Cologne or Shampoo didn't try any underhanded tricks. 
"Well, I guess I'll call Ukyo and ask her to meet me there," she
said.  "It looks like its going to be a long night."

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

End of Part Five

The characters of the Ranma 1/2 universe are the sole creation
and possession of the brilliant Rumiko Takahashi. 
---------------------------------------------
Hearts of Ice
Part 6:  Lies and Dreams
by Krista Perry
---------------------------------------------


     Cologne rarely slept.  In a lifetime that extended over
three centuries, she had trained her body to replenish itself in
an amazingly short amount of time.  She knew how to conserve and
use her energy wisely and economically.  Her powerful ki
constantly recharged itself, sustaining both her ancient body and
her abilities as a master of the martial arts.  She kept herself
alive and strong through sheer will alone, defying the laws of
nature that insisted her body should have turned to dust long
ago.

     Which is why, after traveling on what should have been an
exhausting trip from China to Japan, she was awake and alert. 
She listened carefully, extending her senses through her
household.  Shampoo and Mousse were finally in their separate
rooms, sleeping restlessly after talking in to the early morning
hours.  She had eavesdropped with interest as Mousse had related
to Shampoo the events of the past two days since the blood spell
had been cast.

     So, Son-in-law had figured it out.  That was surprising,
considering how oblivious the boy usually was to the workings of
human nature, but it was not a completely unexpected turn of
events.  If they played it right, it could even work to their
advantage.  The trick would be getting Ranma calm enough to
listen to reason...

     As if on cue, her meditation was interrupted by the sound of
the Nekohanten glass door shattering under the impact of a
powerful fist.  "HEY, OLD GHOUL!"  Ranma's fury-filled voice
shouted from the dining area below.  "COME DOWN AND FACE ME!"

     Cologne's eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed.  "Well
well," she muttered under her breath.  "I should have known Son-
in-law wouldn't wait until a decent hour for this confrontation." 
She reached for her staff and swung herself up to her customary
place while balancing the staff on its tip, then closed her eyes
and spent a few moments focusing herself for the upcoming battle. 
Whether the battle would be physical or otherwise had yet to be
determined, but it didn't matter.  It would be tricky either way.

     When she emerged from her room a moment later, she found
Shampoo and Mousse standing in the hallway, looking
apprehensively down the stairs where the pulsing light of Ranma's
battle aura flickered menacingly under the restaurant door.

     "Great-grandmother," Shampoo whispered, her eyes wide with
worry, "how Ranma know we home already?  We supposed to go to him
tomorrow."

     "Don't worry, Shampoo," said Mousse firmly.  "I will not
allow that vile Saotome to hurt you."

     Shampoo glared at him.  "Shampoo no need help from you,
Mousse.  Besides, husband no hurt Shampoo."  She turned away from
him then, so that he couldn't see the doubt and fear in her eyes. 
Ranma sounded so *angry*...

     "YOU HEAR ME, OLD GHOUL?  COME DOWN AND FACE ME, OR I'M
COMING UP THERE AFTER YOU!!"

     Cologne sighed.  "Well, I would have preferred to break the
news to Son-in-law under better circumstances, but I guess we
have no choice.  Come, Shampoo.  You know what we must do."

     Shampoo nodded, her heart beating in her throat, and
followed Cologne down the stairs.

     Mousse followed mutely, still smarting from Shampoo's
rebuke, and wished he were wearing his arsenal-laden robes
instead of just his black pajama bottoms.  He pushed his glasses
up the bridge of his nose with his index finger and watched
nervously as Cologne opened the door to the Nekohanten dining
area.  *If you do anything to hurt Shampoo, Saotome,* he thought
solemnly, *I swear I won't rest until you've been punished.*

     Cologne entered the dining area and faced Ranma calmly. 
Shampoo and Mousse followed close behind.

     Shampoo took one look at Ranma and felt all her hopes of
persuading him to her side as a willing husband slowly
disintegrate.  His narrowed blue eyes, so handsome even in anger,
met hers briefly when she entered the room, and the look of hurt
betrayal on his face pierced her to the heart.  In that brief
moment when she met his cold gaze, he seemed to be saying *How
could you do this to me, Shampoo?  I thought you were my friend.* 
Shampoo brought her hands up to her mouth to choke back a sob. 
*Ayia!  The plan isn't going to work.  He hates me.*  Tears began
to spill down her cheeks.  

     But Ranma didn't see her tears.  His attention was already
focused on Cologne, his battle ki burning red-gold with fury,
casting flickering shadows among the rows of stacked tables and
chairs in the dark dining area.  He stood tensed in a battle
stance, his hands at the ready.  Shampoo winced when she saw a
thin trickle of blood dripping unheeded from his knuckles where
the splintering glass of the shattered Nekohanten door had cut
deep.  

     "All right, ghoul," Ranma said, his voice low and dangerous. 
"I'm gonna give you one chance to undo what you did to Akane and
me.  You'd better break this blood spell if you know what's good
for you."

     Cologne met his gaze unflinching.  "I'm afraid I can't do
that," she answered.

     Ranma growled in frustration, and clenched his fists.  "Aw
man, I just knew you were gonna say that," he said.  "Have it
your way then.  I challenge you, old ghoul.  If I win, you bring
Akane back from wherever you sent her.  And you get these voices
out of my head," he added as the spell-voices swelled up in his
mind, insisting that he would never see Akane again.  He glared
at Cologne, and waited for her standard 'If I win, you marry
Shampoo' reply.

     *So,* Cologne thought.  *Even though we've torn his life
asunder, the boy still has honor enough to extend a formal
challenge rather than attack blindly.*  The old crone chuckled
inwardly, yet kept her expression neutral.  If they engaged in
physical combat, she knew Ranma would give her a run for her
money, and she would run the risk of losing everything that she
and Shampoo had worked so hard for.  She had learned more than
once that it was unwise to underestimate Ranma's physical prowess
and sheer stubborn refusal to lose.  But now...  *This is going
to be easier than I thought.*  

     She gazed at Ranma levelly, her wrinkled face betraying no
expression.  "I refuse the challenge," she said.

     "Fine, let's get to it," Ranma said, dropping into an attack
crouch.  "There's no way I'm gonna let you..."  Suddenly
Cologne's response penetrated his brain, and he blinked, stunned. 
"What did you say?"

     "I said I refuse the challenge.  I will not fight you."

     "But you...  I..." Ranma stuttered, his battle aura
flickering out and plunging the restaurant into darkness as his
anger faltered into flustered confusion.  She couldn't refuse his
challenge, could she?  To refuse a challenge...  It just wasn't
*done!*  He *had* to fight Cologne.  Otherwise, how was he going
to force her to bring Akane back?

     "Ranma, I think we should sit down and talk for a moment. 
Shampoo and I have something to tell you."

     Ranma blinked again.  Talk?  They wanted to talk?  This
wasn't the way it was supposed to go.  He'd been psyching himself
up for a battle royal for the past two days, and they wanted to
*talk?*  Something was not right here.  

     "There's nothing to talk about," he snapped, trying to
regain his mental footing.  "I know you cast a blood spell on me
and Akane, and I'm not gonna rest until you break it."

     "You are wrong, Ranma.  We did not cast the blood spell."

     Ranma laughed, short and harsh.  "Yeah, right.  You expect
me to believe that?"

     "Actually... no," Cologne said softly.  She spoke slowly,
annunciating each word carefully.  "We *don't* expect you to
believe us.  Because the purpose of the spell was for you to hate
Shampoo.  And if the spell is working like we think it is, you
probably believe that Shampoo and I cast the spell to get rid of
Akane.  Isn't that right?"

     Ranma stared at Cologne, just barely able to see her
diminutive form in the pale light that shone through the windows
from outside.  "Well... yeah," he managed finally.  "I mean, why
else..."  He trailed off uncertainly.  Did she just say that the
spell was supposed to make him hate Shampoo?  If that was the
case, it sure was working.  But why on earth would they cast a
spell like that?  Unless... unless the old ghoul was telling the
truth, and they *didn't* cast the spell.  But then who would...

     Cologne smiled inwardly, sensing rather than seeing the
confusion on Ranma's face in the darkness.  *Time to appeal to
Son-in-law's considerable ego.*  "You are strong, Ranma," she
said gravely.  "You have it within you to fight off the effects
of anger and hatred that the spell has placed in you, and listen
calmly to our explanation."

     Ranma was silent a moment.  Shampoo stood frozen in the deep
shadows and looked at his tense figure, framed by the shattered
door and backlit from the street lamps outside.  Her silent tears
had ceased, mostly out of amazement as she watched how adeptly
her great-grandmother handled Ranma.

     "Okay," Ranma said finally.  Reluctantly.  "I'm listening."

     "You already know that I took Shampoo to China for a
training mission," Cologne said.  "We went to a secret training
area in the mountains that we Amazons use for its perilous
landscapes and dangerous animal inhabitants to improve our
survival skills.  Only the most advanced warriors are able to
train in these mountains.  I knew that it would be risky, but I
felt confident that Shampoo was up to the challenge.  What I
didn't realize, and what I regret discovering too late, was that
those mountains are now inhabited by a very powerful, very evil
dragon."

     "A... dragon?"  Ranma's voice lost some of its angry edge. 
Ranma had come across a dragon or two in his training, and had
been lucky to come out of the encounters alive.  "You went up
against a dragon?"

     "Actually, Shampoo went up against a dragon."

     Ranma looked up to where Shampoo stood in the dark, the pale
light from the street lamps outside outlining her features.  "You
fought a dragon, Shampoo?"

     Shampoo blinked and shook herself mentally.  It was time,
and Cologne was waiting for her to tell her own story.  Her own
lie.

     "Shampoo not have much choice," she said, her voice shaking. 
"Dragon kidnap me when I sleep.  Dragon want to make Shampoo his
bride.  But I tell dragon I rather die than marry him.  I tell
him I already have good husband..."

     Shampoo saw Ranma flinch at this, but she continued.  She
couldn't seem to steady her voice.  "Dragon use his magic to find
out about you.  He say he make you hate me so that I no have
husband.  He say he do worse thing possible to you and make it... 
make it look like my fault..."  Her tears were flowing again
uncontrollably; her face was pale mask of grief. 

      Ranma stood numb with shock, trying to absorb her story. 
So the old ghoul *didn't* cast the blood spell.  And Shampoo was
an innocent victim, just like he was.  Looking at her, he could
see the glistening tear tracks course down her cheeks in the
darkness, and felt something unidentifiable tremble in his chest. 
He had lots of experience with getting blamed for something he
had no control over.  His brow creased in sympathy, and he
unconsciously reached out his hand.  "Shampoo..."

     "He use own blood to cast spell," Shampoo continued.  "I...
I try to stop him but..."  Her voice choked off, and she
swallowed hard against the tears and the bile that rose in her
throat with the lie.  "P-please, Ranma.  Don't h-hate Shampoo.  I
help you.  I help you find Akane.  I help you find a way to break
spell."

     Ranma hated to see Shampoo, or any girl, cry.  It made him
feel all panicky and helpless inside.  "It's okay, Shampoo. 
Don't cry, please.  I...  I don't hate you."

     Oddly enough, that only made Shampoo cry harder.  Ranma
waved his arms in helpless agitation.  "Auggh!  What did I say? 
I'm sorry, don't cry!"

     "Oh Ranma!"   Shampoo flung herself at Ranma, wrapping her
arms around his torso and sobbing into his chest.  "Shampoo so
glad you no hate her."

     "Uhhh."  Ranma gulped loudly and glanced around quickly,
half expecting to see Akane appear to mallet him into the floor. 
Then he remembered, and a wave of sadness swept over him.  He
carefully extricated himself from Shampoo's grip and looked into
her face.  "Did you mean that, Shampoo?  Will you help me get
Akane back?"

     Shampoo nodded, blinking tears from her eyes.

     "Ranma?" Cologne came over to him.  At that moment,  he
realized that the old ghoul had called him by name; that she had
been calling him by name since he first arrived.  No infuriating
"son-in-law" or condescending "sonny boy."  Just Ranma.  It was
odd.  She knew how much he hated it when she called him by those
other "titles."   Why had she stopped?  She wasn't actually
giving up her claim on him...  was she?  Did the old ghoul really
feel that bad about what had happened?

     "I too will do whatever I can to help you break the blood
spell," she said.  "You should know, Ranma, that when I arrived
at the dragon's lair to rescue Shampoo, I managed to disrupt the
blood spell while Shampoo distracted the beast.  I believe the
spell was originally meant to kill Akane.  I was able to prevent
that, however, through my interference.  I only wish I had the
time to do more, but it was impossible under the circumstances. 
The dragon wasn't too pleased with my meddling.  We were lucky to
escape with our lives."

     Ranma's eyes widened in shock as he faced Cologne in the
darkness.  The spell was supposed to kill Akane?  He didn't want
to think about what he might have done had the spell succeeded. 
Probably fulfilled the dragon's expectations, no doubt.  But
Cologne... Cologne had actually *saved* Akane.  And was offering
to help him find a way to break the spell to get her back.

     "I..."  Ranma didn't know what to say.  He had come
expecting a fight and instead had received an offer of help.  So
what if Cologne didn't know how to break the spell at the moment. 
If anyone could figure it out, she could.  He bowed.  "Arigato,"
he said, unable to think of anything else to say.  Then, looking
at the floor, he saw that he was standing on pieces of shattered
glass.  "Uhh... Sorry about your door," he said sheepishly.

     Cologne chuckled.  "It's no problem.  This place has seen a
lot worse."

     Without warning, the lights flipped on, and the group
squinted against the sudden brightness.  They turned, surprised
to see Mousse standing by the light switch.  They had forgotten
that he was there.

     Mousse clenched his jaw tightly, fighting to hold off the
despair that was settling in his heart.  Although he initially
had reservations, he had secretly hoped that Ranma would attack
so that he could defend and protect Shampoo, showing her once and
for all that he was the better man.  Instead, he watched with
sinking hopes as Ranma once again wound his cords of womanizing
treachery around Shampoo's heart.  And now, not even Akane was
around to temper Saotome's hold on his beloved.

     There was only one thing to do.  "Ranma, I too will do
whatever I can to help you find Akane," he said, peering intently
through his glasses at his rival.

     Ranma smiled.  "Hey, thanks, Mousse," he said sincerely.  "I
really appreciate it."

     "Oh Ranma!"  Shampoo grabbed his injured hand and held it up
to examine it.  "You bleeding.  I go get bandages."

     Ranma looked at the cut he'd sustained while smashing the
door, noticing it for the first time.  "Aw man, how'd *that*
happen?"

     Shampoo came back and began cleaning the cut.  Ranma sat and
allowed her to fuss over him, trying not to squirm as she applied
some healing herbs to the wound.

     Cologne watched and smiled.

     Everything was going according to plan.

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

     Ukyo ran, sprinting with athletic grace from rooftop to
rooftop, her long chestnut brown hair, tied with a white ribbon,
flowing out behind her.  To a casual observer she might have
appeared to be a wind sprite or some other ethereal creature.  A
closer examination would have shattered that illusion.  Most
ethereal creatures don't have giant battle spatulas strapped to
their backs.

     She scowled, her face creasing with anger and worry. 
"Ranchan, you jackass," she muttered.  "Why couldn't you have
waited, instead of running off half-cocked to face Shampoo and
Cologne?  If they've gone so far as to cast this so-called blood
spell on you, who knows what other tricks they've got up their
sleeves?"

     The thought made her increase her speed a few notches.  She
had to get there, before that Chinese bimbo and that old mummy
did anything to Ranchan.  Her mind was so focused on this thought
that she didn't notice a figure in her peripheral vision, leaping
over the rooftops, closing in on her with astonishing speed...

     ... until she collided with it full force in mid air.

     "Aaaahhh!"  Ukyo fell to the ground below, flipping just in
time to land awkwardly on her feet.  She lost her balance and sat
hard on her rump on the sidewalk.  "Ite!"  She rubbed the side of
her face, feeling a small lump at her temple where something hard
had impacted.  "What..?!"

     "Ungghh..." 

     Ukyo looked over to see a figure hunched over on the grass. 
She staggered to her feet and cautiously drew closer, pulling a
few of her sharp mini-spatulas from her bandolier and holding
them at the ready.  "Who..?"

     The figure looked up, holding a hand to his bleeding nose. 
"U... Ukyo?!"

     Ukyo gasped.  "Ryoga?!  What are you doing here?"

     "I'b on by way to the Dekohaden to fight Colode!" he
snapped, pinching his nose to stop the blood flow.  "Ad least I
was udtil you rad idto be!"

     "You jackass!" Ukyo responded, replacing her spatulas and
grabbing Ryoga's arm to pull him to his feet.  "You ran into
*me!*  And besides, if you were headed to the Nekohanten, you
were going the wrong way!  The Nekohanten," she said, pointing,
"is *that* way.  Now come on!  Ranchan's probably been there a
few minutes already."  She leaped to the rooftop again.

     Ryoga scowled, probing his nose carefully to make sure the
bleeding had stopped, then followed her on her gravity-defying
run.  "That fool Ranma!" he snarled.  "How dare he leave to fight
Cologne without me?"

     "Less talk, more running," Ukyo snapped back.  Just a little
further...

     She jumped from the rooftop to the ground, landing in front
of the Nekohanten.  Ryoga landed next to her a moment later. 
Together, they stared at the store front.

     The door was shattered, and the lights were on.  They
listened carefully.  The sounds of a desperate battle failed to
reach their ears.  It was eerily quiet.  Ukyo and Ryoga looked at
each other in baffled apprehension.

     "Uhh, do you think we missed it?" Ryoga asked hesitantly.

     Ukyo's expression hardened.  If those two had done anything
to Ranchan...  "Only one way to find out," she said, and she
stepped through the broken door.

     Ranma sat at a table, looking at Shampoo with amazement as
she wrapped his right hand in a white gauze bandage.  "No
kidding?  The dragon sent *twelve* demon guards after you?  How'd
you get away?"

     "Great-grandmother, she know many warding spells that keep
them back."  That wasn't a complete lie.  But then she'd been
trying to get *to* the dragon, not trying to get away.

     Ranma frowned.  "Aren't you worried that the dragon will
come looking for you?  I mean, since he seemed so determined to
marry you and all..."

     Shampoo giggled nervously.  "Oh, no worry about that. 
Dragon not follow me all the way to Japan from China."

     "Hmm."  Ranma's mouth twitched in skepticism as he thought
about all the things -- and people -- that had followed *him*
home from China.

     "A-hem."

     Ranma looked up at the sound of Ryoga clearing his throat to
see the Lost Boy scowling at him and Ukyo staring at him with
wide eyes and a slack jaw.  "Ucchan!  Ryoga!" he exclaimed, his
face lighting up in a pleased, but puzzled expression.  "What are
you doing here?"

     Ukyo stared at him, dumbfounded.  "Ranchan...  I... we...
came to help, but..."

     "What the hell is going on here?" Ryoga demanded, glaring at
Ranma.  Trust him to foul up Akane's rescue.  "What happened to
the big battle that was supposed to take place?"

     Just then, Cologne entered the dining area balanced on her
staff and carrying two bowls of ramen.  Ryoga turned on her
angrily.  "You!  Have you agreed to bring back Akane?"

     Cologne ignored him and set the bowls down in front of Ranma
and Shampoo.  Ranma looked at his bowl suspiciously for a moment,
but then noticed Shampoo looking at him with a strange, sad
expression on her face, and he felt guilty.  Surely they wouldn't
try anything like that after what had happened, especially after
they'd offered to help him.  Besides, it wasn't like she was
Kodachi or anything.  He smiled a little at Shampoo and began to
devour the ramen.

     Ryoga's temper simmered, and he was about to yell something
along the lines of 'how dare you ignore me,' when Cologne turned
suddenly and *whapped* him over the head with her staff.  "*I*
didn't send Akane anywhere in the first place," she said, as
Ryoga clutched his head in pain.  "But to answer your question,
impertinent boy, yes.  I have offered to help Ranma find a way to
break the blood spell."

     Ryoga blinked as the pain in his head receded, and looked
back and forth between Ranma and Cologne.  "You didn't..?  You
mean--"

     Ranma slurped up the last of his ramen and wiped his mouth
on his sleeve.  "She means that they didn't do it, Ryoga," he
said.  "It was some dragon in China that wanted to marry Shampoo. 
She wouldn't marry him because,"  Ranma swallowed, still
uncomfortable with the idea, "because of me.  So he cast the
spell to make me hate her.  But don't worry," he said, smiling. 
"If anyone can lift this spell, Cologne can."

     "Oh my," said a new voice.  "Isn't this a sight to warm the
heart.  And here I came expecting to see the place torn to
pieces."

     Everyone turned to see Nabiki standing in the doorway, her
arms folded across her chest, looking at the group with a cool
expression.  She dropped her arms to her sides and stepped
carefully through the broken glass.  "So, looks like I missed the
party.  Ranma?  Care to fill me in on what's going on?  That is
unless you're too influenced by whatever dubious concoctions
these two witches have managed to shove down your throat."

     Shampoo bristled in anger and stood to face Nabiki.  "We no
use anything like that, sneaky girl!  We want to help Ranma!"

     Nabiki raised an eyebrow.  "Is that so."

     Ranma stood, flexing his hand in the bandage, and placing
himself between the two girls.  "Hey, Nabiki, it's okay.  They
explained everything to me.  They weren't the ones who cast the
spell, but they're going to help me find a way to break it."

     "Hmm."  Nabiki walked up to Ranma and peered clinically into
his eyes, looking for any sign of the drugged blankness that
usually accompanied some of his fiancees' attempts to chemically
induce his cooperation.  Aside from the tiny bloodshot lines that
told of his lack of sleep the past few days, his eyes were
remarkably clear.

     She sighed and shook her head.  She could feel Cologne's
piercing eyes on her, but she ignored the old ghoul and focused
her attention on Ranma.  If the old woman tried anything against
her, that in itself would make Ranma doubt the veracity of the
story he'd been told.  She smiled slightly, knowing Cologne could
do nothing.

     "Oh yes, that's right,"   she said, rolling her eyes in
disgust.  "I heard you mention this Chinese dragon who
*supposedly* cast this spell when I came in."  She fixed Ranma
with a look that would have made Einstein feel dumb.  "You're not
really going to fall for that, are you?  You actually believe
that some dragon all the way in China away just *happened* to
cast a spell that completely eliminated Shampoo's competition in
the fiancee department?"

     "Hey!"  Ukyo fumed.  "What am I, chopped liver?"

     "It's not like that at all." Ranma glared at Nabiki angrily. 
"You don't know what Shampoo went through, Nabiki.  Look at her! 
Look at the battle scars on her.  You think she made that up? 
Look at her arm.  The dragon pierced right through it with his
claw when she was trying to escape.  I don't think she did that
to herself!"

     Nabiki looked at Shampoo.  She had to admit, the Amazon girl
did look like she'd recently seen a nasty battle.  Her body was
covered with nasty cuts and bruises.

     Still, Ranma may be able to accept such a story, but the
whole thing was a little too convenient for her liking.  She had
a sense for these things, for feeling out people, and knowing
what motivated them.  And most of all, for sensing when someone
was trying to pull a fast one.  It was a very... profitable
talent.

     Mostly, though, she didn't like the well-disguised
predatorial look Cologne was giving Ranma.  The untrained
observer would have missed the subtle expression on the old
crone's face completely.  But Nabiki had worn the expression
herself too many times to be fooled.

     *So, *that's* your game,* she thought, keeping her own
expression neutral.  *The manipulation, blackmail, and the phoney
cure bribes haven't worked, so you get rid of my little sister
and then ingratiate yourself to Ranma with the pretense of
selflessly helping him get her back.  Very clever.  I'm just
afraid I can't allow you to get away with this.*

     She looked at Ranma, who was still full of righteous
indignation.  Just below the surface of his ire, though, she
could see in him signs of exhaustion and despair.  For a moment,
she felt a twinge of pity for him.  It was obvious that he was
suffering; that Akane's disappearance was eating away at him. 
But then it almost served him right.  She had always been
slightly annoyed that the stupid jerk would never come out and
admit that he loved her little sister.  Still...

     She sighed.  Fine.  He may be too soft-hearted and soft-
headed to recognize the trap he was in at the moment, but she'd
find a way to expose this scam soon enough.

     "I'm sorry, Ranma," she said smoothly.  "Perhaps I was
jumping to conclusions."

     "I'll say," snapped Ukyo, still steamed at Nabiki.  "If
Shampoo wanted to get rid of fiancees, she would have gotten rid
of me too."

     Nabiki gave the okonomiyaki cook a thin smile.  "Well, I
stand corrected," she said.  As she turned back to Ranma, she
noticed Cologne peering at her intently.  She pretended not to
notice.

     Ranma slumped back into his seat, glad that everything was
straightened out, sort of.  The adrenaline and anger that had
kept him going for the past few days was wearing off, and he was
having a hard time keeping his eyes open.

     Nabiki tugged on his sleeve.  "Come on, Ranma.  We'd better
get you home so you can get some decent sleep."

     Cologne surprised Nabiki by agreeing.  "Quite right," she
said.  "I have a feeling you'll need all your strength for what
we'll have to do to break this spell."

     Ranma protested, but only half-heartedly.  The only rest
he'd had was his short nap on the roof, and that sleep had been
so full of strange nightmares about Akane that he'd felt more
drained than rested when he awoke.

     "Hey," said Ukyo as Nabiki herded both Ranma and a baffled
Ryoga out the door.  "Wait, I'm coming with you."  When Nabiki
gave her a reproachful look, she smiled sheepishly.  "I... I
mean, if that's okay with you, Nabiki, since it's your house,"
she said.  "I just don't want to get left out of the action
again, and if I stay with you guys, I can be there to help out."

     Nabiki's expression softened.  Ukyo may be annoying with her
constant claims that she was Ranma's fiancee, but she was a good
person, and not even close to approaching Shampoo's level of
annoyance and possessiveness.  "It's alright.  You can stay with
us."  She didn't miss the look of triumph that Ukyo cast at
Shampoo.  Shampoo stuck out her tongue, making a face back, but
then her expression dissolved into a sulk as she watched them
leave.

     Nabiki was suddenly very glad she allowed Ukyo to stay.

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

     Ranma dreamed.

     This time there were no dreams about deathly pale Akanes
come to suck the life out of him, much to his relief.  Instead,
he found himself standing in the middle of a vast, snow-covered
plain, stretching forever in all directions.  The night sky above
him was clear and sparkling with billions of cold bright stars. 

     Cold.  It was bitter cold.  Ranma found himself shivering,
and he wrapped his arms around himself.

     Then he tensed, his eyes widening in fear.  Two familiar
voices, each thick and black as tar, came whispering across the
plain, softly at first, but increasing in intensity as they grew
closer.

     "No," he mouthed silently.  "No, why can't you leave me
alone?"  He turned around in a circle, looking for a way to
escape, but there was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide on the flat
expanse of snowy landscape.  Then, the voices were upon him,
swirling around him, tearing and biting at his skin like a cold
wind.  He clutched his head and moaned.  "No!" he shouted, as the
voices grew increasingly louder.  "Go away, leave me alone!  I
won't let you stop me, I'll find her, you hear?!"

     But the voices were relentless.  They increased in volume
and speed until his mind was full of an insane, screeching
babble.  He sank to his knees in the snow, clutching his head,
his eyes clenched shut, squeezing out tears of anguish.  "Stop
it!" he screamed, to be heard over the voices raging in his head. 
"Stop it!  I'm not going to give up!  So just leave me alone!  I
don't care how loud you yell, I'm not going to listen!  I'm not
going to listen!!"  He kept chanting that over and over...

     ...and then the voices stopped abruptly, as if a stereo cord
had just been cut, leaving Ranma is sudden silence, his ears and
head ringing with the echo.

     Ranma knelt for a few minutes, his eyes firmly closed, and
took deep breaths.  Then, when he was sure the voices had really
disappeared, he slowly, carefully opened his eyes.  He was
surprised to realize that the bitter edge of cold was gone.  It
was still cold, but not unpleasantly so.  He staggered to his
feet and turned around.

     His eyes widened as he found himself staring into the face
of... of...
     
     "I wondered how long you were going to sit there." said the
strange red creature, who looked for all the world like... like
an overgrown, humanoid mutant sparrow.

     "Gahh!"  Ranma staggered back a step, startled.  He was not
expecting to hear words come out of such an inhuman... er, beak.

     "Uhh... Wh-who... What are you?" he asked finally, as the
strange bird-like creature stared at him with twinkling,
mischievous black eyes.

     "Funny," said Masakazu, "your fiancee said almost the exact
same thing when she first saw me."

     Ranma blinked.  "Fiancee?  You... You mean that you've seen
Akane?!"

     The tengu nodded.  Ranma grabbed him by the shoulders. 
"Where?  Where is she?  Is she okay?  You've got to take me to
her!"

     Masakazu reached up and gently removed Ranma's hands. 
"Akane is fine, for the moment," he said.  "She is a strong girl. 
It's easy to see why you love her."

     Ranma's jaw sagged.  

     How did he..?  He never said...  

     *Had* he? 

     Then he remembered his other dream.  He *had* said those
three little words that had terrified him for so long.  But... it
was just a dream, right?  And how did this thing know?

     *Duh,* he realized.  **This* is a dream too.  Of course
something you dream about would know.*

     "I think you've got it wrong, Ranma.  You are dreaming, yes,
but you are also here."

     "Huh?"

     "We are on the outskirts of Yuki-onna's domain.  Akane is
here, staying with Yuki-onna.  She is safe, but she cannot leave,
and you cannot see her.  For now."

     Ranma eyes lit with excitement, his brain missing everything
the tengu said after "Akane is here."

     "She's here?!" he asked anxiously.  "Where?  Can you take me
to her?"

     The tengu looked at Ranma gravely.  "Listen, boy," he said
sharply, getting Ranma's attention.  "We don't have much time
here.  Normally, I would not be allowed to interfere with a
mortal life in such a way, but because the Snow Woman tried to
take your life unfairly, I have... decided to take this brief
moment to talk with you."

     Ranma blinked, not understanding half of what the strange
creature was talking about, but he nodded mutely, realizing the
seriousness of the situation.

     "You cannot see Akane now because you are merely a dream
presence that I summoned, and that I alone can interact within
the Kami realm, whereas Akane is a real, physical presence here. 
You would not be able to see her, nor would she be able to see
you, even if you were standing right next to each other."

     "Oh," said Ranma.  A wave of bitter disappointment washed
over him.  To be so close, and yet fail..!

     "Stop it," the tengu snapped, his black eyes sparking
fiercely.  "What are you trying to do, unleash the voices again? 
I've locked them away from your mind temporarily, but even as we
speak, the blood spell is eating away at my barrier, and when it
breaks through, you will have to be strong enough, and *positive*
enough to withstand their tauntings.  Otherwise, when Akane
finally comes home, you won't even be sane enough to appreciate
her.  Do you understand me?"

     Ranma gulped and nodded.

     "Now listen carefully.  You two are linked.  You both love
each other, in spite of your mutual ineptness at expressing your
true feelings.  That, combined with the ki blasts you released on
the spell, which weakened it before it reached you, has created
some interesting side effects not originally intended, not the
least of which is a transdimensional link in the blood spell
between you and Akane.  This is good because, were it not for
that link, Akane's memory of the mortal world would gradually
fade, as well as would your memory of her.  It is the nature of
the Kami realm to affect mortal minds in such a manner.

     "Even so, there is a danger.  The link is weak.  It was
never meant to exist.  If by some chance it should fail, *you
must not forget Akane.*  If you do, she will surely forget her
home, and remain forever in the Kami realm.  Do you understand? 
The best thing you can do for her now is remember her."

     Ranma looked at the tengu, askance.  "There's no way I'd
forget Akane," he said.  "How could I forget all those times that
violent tomboy has pounded me into the pavement or sent me
through the roof?"  *Or those times when she smiles and looks so
cute, or those times when she's done something really nice for
me, or when she's scared me to half to death when something's
happened to her, and I'm afraid that I won't be able to save her
in time...*

     *...in time...*

     The tengu watched Ranma silently, his black eyes calm and
unblinking.

     Ranma slowly came out of his reverie, his fists clenching at
his sides.  He looked the tengu in the face.  "I won't forget
Akane," he said firmly.

     "Good.  Because you're not going to remember this dream."

     "What?!"  Ranma looked around at the snowy landscape and
realized that it was fading away, as was the strange bird
creature in front of him.  "Wait," he said in frustration.  "I
*need* to remember!  Why would you go through all the trouble of
telling me this only to make me forget?!"

     "You'll be allowed to retain this conversation
subconsciously," said the fading tengu, "but to allow you to have
conscious access to this memory would break our already seriously
bent rules."

     "But...  but I..."  The landscape had almost completely
melted away.

     "Don't worry, Ranma."  The tengu had disappeared, leaving
only his voice behind.  "You can do it.  I wouldn't have made the
effort to contact you if I didn't think you could succeed."

     "Wait, please!"  Ranma pleaded.  He could feel himself
rising to consciousness, waking up.  He gritted his teeth,
fighting to stay where he was, willing the creature to come back. 
"I have so many questions!"

     "Goodbye Ranma."  The voice faded to a slightly indignant,
yet amused mutter...  "Mutant sparrow indeed..." ...and was gone.

     Ranma gasped awake, sitting straight up on his futon.  His
father in panda form snored loudly beside him and rolled over.

     "Damn," he muttered, wiping the cold sweat from his
forehead.  "What a weird dream."  He thought about it and
frowned.  What was it about?  Something about snow and... red
feathers?

     He shrugged and sighed.  His body ached with exhaustion. 
Without preamble, he collapsed back onto his pillow, and in
moments was snoring louder than the panda.

     This time, he didn't dream.

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

End of Part Six