Hi guys and gals,

Just want to repost Part 5 A and B to refresh your minds about this fic.  
Part 6 A will be out by tomorrow or the day after.

Ciao,

Cass
-=-=-

CAN'T LET GO
(A Ranma 1/2 fic by Cass and GSL)

Authors' Notes aka stuff we wanna say now or we might end up being sued or 
flamed:
We have written this story out of fun. In no way do we own the
characters of this story, they belong to Takahashi Rumiko, Shogakukan
Inc, Shonen Sunday Comics, and Viz Video.  This story is meant for
entertainment, non-profit purposes.

This story deviates from the Ranma universe after Ukyou arrived in
Nerima.  Some of the characters have been given mind-altering drugs by us 
and that's why they act out-of-character.  8-) This is generally a dark fic.

Comments, criticisms and MSTs are welcome. You can reach us at
chiaty@singnet.com.sg
You can view this at http://web.singnet.com.sg/~chiaty/fanfics.htm

We also would like to thank our pre-readers, Justin Baugh, Jed Bidwell, 
Arthur Edwards and Maurice Phillip.

[ ] = dream sequence
< > = character's thoughts
{ } = conversations in chinese


Part 5A: Opposite of Love is Hate
---------------------------------


(Jusenkyo)

	Ranma stood before the nannichuan pool, his heart pounding.  If this didn't 
work, he didn't know what else to do.  <It has to work.  It will work.>  
Repeating those last two sentences like a mantra, he plunged into the pool.

	Moments later, Ranma surfaced.  He climbed out of the accursed pool, his 
hands immediately touching his chest.  No lumps of flesh!  His hands headed 
south and found his manhood.  He wanted to leap for joy but a tiny part of 
him was wary.  He needed to know that this cure was permanent.  The guide 
sensed this and poured hot water, then cold water on him.  No change.  As 
relief and happiness flooded his senses, Ranma began dancing a silly and 
utterly wacky dance.  "I'm cured!  I'm cured!"  He pranced around, with the 
abandonment of a child, his feet terribly close to the edge of a pool.

	"Careful, Ranchan.  You don't want to slip into another pool," cautioned 
Ukyou.

	Suddenly aware of the danger they were in, Ranma slowly followed the guide 
out of Jusenkyo, careful of every step that he took.  It would be terribly 
ironic to have cured himself of one curse, only to obtain another one the 
next minute.  Ukyou followed behind.

--------------------------------------------------------------
	(To prevent boring our readers, we have fast forwarded the story.  We now 
rejoin Ranma and Ukyou in a place that we have no name for, after they had 
bid farewell to the Jusenkyo Guide.)

	  "Quick!  I think I see shelter up ahead.  We can stay there until this 
storm passes," yelled Ukyou.  She held her huge spatula above her head as an 
impromptu umbrella and ran.  Noticing Ranma didn't follow, she turned back, 
only to watch Ranma stare up at the rain clouds with a mixture of amazement 
and joy.

	"I'm free," uttered Ranma, speaking more to himself than to his best 
friend.

	"What?" asked Ukyou loudly.  During torrential downpours like such, one 
would have to shout to make one self heard.

	Ranma yelled happily, "I said, I'm free!  No more wondering when I would 
get splashed, no more wearing a girl's swimsuit whenever I want to swim.  
And no more worrying about my identity slipping away with every time I touch 
cold water."  He closed his eyes, letting the rain wash away his troubles, 
if only for the moment.

	Being the sensible one, Ukyou quickly retreated to the shelter - a run down 
old temple - and started building a fire to warm herself.

	An hour later, Ranma entered the temple.  Ukyou thought it was because he 
finally had enough of standing in the rain when actually, it was due to the 
smell of food cooking.  "So, where to now?" asked Ukyou as she cut her 
okonomiyaki into neat little squares before popping them, one by one, into 
her mouth.

	"I was thinking of revisiting a place Pops brought me for training.  It's 
peaceful and close enough to a village so you can sell your okonomiyaki 
there," answered Ranma as he consumed his share with a speed that never 
ceased to amaze her.  "We'll start your training in the Saotome School of 
Anything Goes tomorrow," he continued.

	She nodded as she tried to find a comfortable place to rest.  After much 
shifting and poking, she finally settled down and went into a deep sleep.

	Ranma sat in front of the fire for a long time, euphoric about the day's 
events but still thinking about Akane.  <Maybe I should write to her and 
tell her the good news.>  He rummaged through his backpack and found a pen 
and a piece of paper.  He started writing.

		'Hey Akane,'

	But that was all he wrote for he couldn't think of words that could 
adequately describe how he felt now.  Maybe he should have paid more 
attention during composition lessons.  He shrugged, deciding to wing it.

		'Just wanted to tell you that I got a cure.'

	<That sounded cold> he thought and cancelled the line.

		'Finally I'm free of the troublesome condition that has 	plagued me for so 
long.  Am presently enjoying my freedom.'

	<What if Akane thought that the troublesome condition I was referring to 
was our engagement?  And is that how 'plagued' is spelt?>
He struck off the two sentences and begun anew.

		'Roses are red
		Violets are blue
		Am in China
		Found a cure
		No more half-girl
		And how are you now?'

	<What the hell was that?!>  He grimaced.  <It's worse than any of Kuno's 
flowery speech.  That's it, man.  I'll tell her when I get back.>  He 
crushed the paper and threw it into the fire.  Lying down, he stared at the 
burning paper until sleep came.

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

(Same day.  Nerima Hospital)

	Akane awoke to soft female humming, she recognized the tune to from a 
popular pop song about love lasting forever - in other words, a common love 
song.  Somehow that depressed her.

	"Oh, you're awake.  There was a visitor just now.  Male."  The nurse winked 
conspiratorially.  "He left those roses for you."

	Akane's heart raced as she reached for the roses and the small card 
attached.  <Ranma>. She smiled at that thought and opened the card.  Anger, 
annoyance and mostly disappointment flitted on her face as she read out 
loud, "For the fair maiden, from Tatewaki Kuno".  The roses and card fell to 
the floor.  Picking up on her mood, the nurse quietly left the room.

	<Ranma, you stupid jerk.  Where are you?  Why haven't you visited me?>  
Imagining her pillow (who had the misfortune of being at the wrong place at 
the wrong time) to be Ranma, she threw punches at it.  Stab.  Punch.  His 
confident smirk superimposed onto the pillow and she could almost hear him 
call out, "Tomboy!"  Her punches hastened and became more forceful. 
"Kawaiikune!" Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears. "Akane's my fiancT!" Her 
arm stopped in midair. Other memories flashed in her mind. How many times 
had Ranma risked his life for hers?  She couldn't remember.  But why, this 
time he wasn't here?  Why?

	Tentatively, she brought the pillow towards herself and hugged it fiercely. 
  (So snug was her embrace, that if the pillow was P-chan, it would have 
bled to death already.)  <I miss you so much, Ranma.  I don't know why, 
you're a pervert.  An immature, insensitive, chauvinistic jerk.  But no one 
can take your place.  Not Kuno, not Ryouga or any of the other guys in 
school.  Why haven't you visited?  Maybe you don't care for me after all.>  
A single tear travelled slowly down her cheek, and eventually plopped down 
onto her blanket.  <Who cares if you come or not!  I certainly don't!>  Even 
as the thought occurred to her, she realized it to be a lie, one that she 
had been saying to herself for so long.  Akane hugged her pillow tightly and 
stared at the numerous paper cranes hanging from the ceiling.  <Why couldn't 
it be you who made them?>

	"Hello sis," said Nabiki as she walked in and seated herself on a chair.

	"Hi.  The doctor said that I can be discharged next Monday."   Akane paused 
as she wondered if she should ask Nabiki about Ranma's whereabouts.  "Ranma 
never came to visit me during my stay here.  Do you know why?"  She 
continued hurriedly as a blush began forming on her cheeks, "It's not like I 
care or anything, I'm just curious, that's all".

	"Oh really," Nabiki eyed her sister suspiciously but didn't probe further.  
"Five thousand yen."

	"Fine."

	Nabiki yawned as she divulged her findings, all the while noticing Akane's 
reactions.  "After daddy threw him out, he stayed with Ukyou and helped out 
as a waitress in Ucchan's.  Shampoo approached him to convince him of her 
'innocence' but he rejected her and told her to 'Go and die'."

	Akane frowned at the mention of the name 'Shampoo' - the one who had taken 
advantage of her vulnerable state and poisoned her.  At least that's what 
Nabiki and the rest told her.  Further harsh, strongly worded thoughts about 
that Amazonian were interrupted by the rest of Nabiki's words.

	"Kasumi told him you were awake but he didn't say if he would come and 
visit you.  Kasumi said that he seemed glad, relieved and sad upon hearing 
the news.  Strange, is it not?"  The money-making machine peered at her 
sister, knowing that her next line could lead to a explosive reaction.  "The 
second day after you regained consciousness, Ranma and Ukyou left for China. 
  I think they were on a training trip."

	"That's it?"

	Nabiki blinked in surprise.  <No violent outbursts about him leaving with 
Ukyou?  No shocked expression?  No tears?  Just a surprised look that turned 
contemplative.>  "In addition, I think that their trip will be a short one 
because Ukyou never sold her restaurant.  So they will be back."  Nabiki 
paused.  "I don't know anything else but I can find out."

	"Ok." Akane leaned back to ponder things through.

	"For another five thousand yen."

	"What!  No way I'm paying that much!"

	"Ok, ok, three thousand yen," relented the elder sister.

	"Deal."

	"Deal."

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

	Once back in her own bedroom, Nabiki flipped the pages of her phonebook and 
dialed a number.  "Hello, can I speak to Seiyu-san, please?"

	"Speaking."

	"This is Tendo Nabiki."

	"Ah yes, what can I do for a pretty girl like yourself?  Just say the word 
and it'll be done."

	"Careful, you don't want your wife to hear that."

	"No, I wouldn't.  Or I would wake up one morning without my"  He paused.

	Nabiki laughed.  "Anyway, I was wondering if you have any business contacts 
in China."

	"Why?  Is it about that Amazon woman, Shampoo?"

	"It has nothing to do with her.  I need you to find out the whereabouts of 
Saotome Ranma and Kounji Ukyou..."

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

	Weeks had passed like a blur to both Ranma and Ukyou.  They had settled 
down in a village called Jing Lai Fei Si, well not actually _in_ the 
village, more like near it, for they could not afford the rent and so stayed 
in the surrounding forest.  While our main characters are still sleeping, 
let me take this opportunity to describe to you the landscape (need to 
practice my descriptive skills, you know).  Jing Lai Fei Si, a village with 
the population of thousands (that is, if you included farm animals), had 
never really prospered.  Being right smack in the middle of Qin Hai and away 
from any main rivers or important traveling routes, it was not in a 
strategic position.  As such, one could understand why this village had 
never took off.

	Its one chance of becoming a town took place fifty years ago when a 
villager discovered a tin mine in the northern part of the forest.  
Unfortunately, the mine was soon depleted, leaving behind unsightly cliffs 
and deadly holes filled up with rain water to become deceptively shallow 
ponds.  The top soil removed, the land could no longer be returned into its 
former glory.  The other parts of the surrounding forest fared better, free 
from man's meddling, except for the occasional hunting and tree logging, not 
to mention ki blasting.   Our duo resided in the northwestern part of the 
forest, only a few kilometres away from the mining area and the village.  
Whenever they needed money for supplies, Ukyou would set up a okonomiyaki 
stall in the village square.

	Ranma proved to be an impatient teacher, naively thinking that Ukyou could 
master moves after a few demonstrations and practices.  Luckily for both of 
them, Ukyou's diligence and determination compensated for her relatively 
slow learning speed.  Gradually, Ranma became a better teacher, giving 
informative advice, rather than insults, to his first real student.  In the 
short span of time, Ukyou had mastered...

	"Wake up, Ucchan," shouted Ranma as he shook the sleeping figure.

	"Huh?" Ukyou yawned and stretched lazily, her vision blurry from sleep.  
"Why are you up so early?  Usually had to wake you up," murmured Ukyou as 
she stifled yet another yawn.

	"Its that damn narrator!  She woke me up with her yapping."  Ranma shook 
his fist at the general direction, then took a few cleansing breaths.  He 
moved away from the campsite and began practicing the basic kata steps.

	After drinking a cup of warm tea from her thermos, Ukyou felt more alert.  
She took out her spatula and wielded it in a series of strikes and slashes.  
While she learned bare-fisted defensive and aggressive moves from Ranma, she 
still had lots to learn about her own style of martial arts.  Picking up 
speed, she fended herself against an imaginary enemy, all the while growing 
increasingly vicious in her attacks.

	"That's pretty good, Ucchan.  Learning the Chestnut Fist has certainly paid 
off, eh?"

	Ukyou whirled around, she didn't know she was being watched.  Her surprise 
must have showed, for Ranma reprimanded, "You've got to be more aware of 
your surroundings.  If I were to launch a surprise attack...  Right, I've 
thought of what your next training will be.  From tomorrow onwards, I'll 
ambush you at any time of the day or night, so be very alert.  Now, what's 
for breakfast?"

--------------------------------------------------------------
(Same day in Nerima.  On an open field)

	"{Pull back the string. Quick, pull back.}"

	"{Hey, stop bossing me around. I know what to do.}"

	"{Look! Careful with the... ARGH!}" Mousse exclaimed as the kite fell 
gracefully onto the ground. He shot a wearied look at his companion who was 
more than agitated.

	"{See, it's all your fault. You distracted me.}" Shampoo pouted and sat on 
the grass heavily.

	Mousse gave a sigh and ran forwards a few metres to pick up the kite. As he 
bent down, he stole a glance towards Shampoo who had purposefully looked 
away from him, finding the trees more interesting. He sighed again and ran 
towards her.

	Dropping the kite before her, he squatted to her face level. Pulling his 
ears and masking a puppy dog expression, "{I'm sorry. Will you forgive me?}" 
She refused to meet his eyes and shifted away from him. He replicated her 
movements, still searching for her eyes. He dropped his hands from his ears 
and proceeded to pull her hands, asking for attention. "{Please...}"

	She sneaked a peak at him and her facade ended. Her urge to laugh 
outweighed her urge to stay angry. After a burst of laughter, she hit him 
playfully on the shoulder. "{You are not to command me. Got that?}"

	"{Yes,}" he said resignedly.

	She motioned him to sit down beside her, and clung onto his hands. No words 
were exchanged, as each seemed to be in deep thoughts. She looked up and 
stared intently at him. He had closed his eyes seemingly enjoying the breeze 
blowing at his face. <I could get used to him,> the thought creeping into 
her mind. Looking away from him, she snuggled closer, enjoying the warmth of 
his body.

	Although his eyes were closed, his mind was whirling. She had begun to 
accept him. Good. Did she love him? He wasn't sure. But with time, he might 
accomplish just that.

	He was slightly startled when she moved closer to him. He looked down at 
her and was mesmerized by her smile. Impulsively, he pulled out his hand 
from her grip and swung it around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him. 
Tearing his eyes away from her, he faced the front reminiscing the scent of 
her hair. Enjoying the silence and basically each other's company, they 
stared into the horizon, waiting for the sun to set.

--------------------------------------------------------------
(Yes, we're back in China)

	For the next few days, Ukyou was ambushed and attacked from behind so many 
times that she became paranoid.  She never stayed in one spot for too long, 
preferring to stand or squat when she could sit, keeping her back covered 
whenever possible.  Her eyes peering at dark corners, moving bushes and 
strangers.  And that was just the effect Ranma was striving for.  In 
addition, he was having fun sneaking up on her.  The anticipation while 
hiding patiently in wait for his prey, the thrill when he managed to 
succeed, the enraged look on her face.  He smirked and almost laughed out 
loud.  Ranma sobered, he didn't want to give away his location and waste his 
hours of planning and hiding precariously on top of a ceiling beam.  <There 
she is!> Ranma tensed and prepared to land on top of her.  <Only a little 
more, come on Ucchan, walk forward, come on.>

	Ukyou Kounji sighed as she left her okonomiyaki cart outside the provision 
shop.  Sales weren't good today and she wouldn't be able to afford some of 
the groceries that they desperately needed.  <Maybe we could sell some of 
Ranma's catches,> she thought.  {Hello, Mr Wang, how are you today?  What a 
nice broom, how much does it cost?} she said in broken Mandarin, fingering 
the broom and thrusted it upwards.

	Ranma, caught offguard, toppled down.  He quickly got up and tried to 
salvage his pride.  "Oh hi Ucchan, what are you doing here?  Mr Wang has a 
problem with uh, bats, so I was up there trying to kill them," he explained, 
trying to look innocent and utterly failing.

	"Oh come on, Ranchan, lay off it.  You were trying to ambush me and you 
failed," shouted Ukyou in a smug tone.

	"No I wasn't!  Nope, not me!  He really has bat problem, if you don't 
believe me, look up!  Wait!  Don't look up, the bats aren't there because, 
uh, well, uh, they're gone.  I've chased them away."

	"Ranma," warned Ukyou, her hand still firmly grasping the broom handle.

	{Are you people going to buy stuff, or not?} interjected the impatient 
shopkeeper.

	Ukyou turned to Mr. Wang, in all her excitement, she had forgotten about 
the groceries.  Minutes later, after much haggling on both sides, Ukyou and 
Ranma walked out of the shop, her wallet empty and his hands full.  She 
happily whistled all the way back to their present home.

	"Don't get too cocky," said Ranma sullenly.  "You've only won once.  Until 
you can spot me and protect yourself from my initial attacks, five times in 
a row, this training is not over."

	<Sore loser!> thought Ukyou.  <I'll show him!> And showed him she did.  For 
the next four ambushes, Ukyou managed to spot Ranma and attack him before he 
could.  It didn't matter if he was masquerading as an old man wobbling on a 
stick, lying motionless in wait on a tree branch or in a large clump of long 
grass.  She still discovered him and blocked his attacks from behind in 
time.

	Needless to say, Ukyou whipped up a feast that night and celebrated alone.  
Ranma was too busy sulking, for his huge ego had suffered a blow.

--------------------------------------------------------------
(Nerima.  Tendo house)

	"Akane."  Nabiki held her hand out.

	Wordlessly, Akane rummaged through her purse and came up with eight 
thousand yen.  She waited anxiously for her sister to tell her the news, 
hope and fear warring in her heart.

	"My source said that Ranma and Ukyou were seen together in the Jusenkyo 
pools three weeks ago.  There Ranma obtained a cure."

	"He's cured?  That's great!"  shouted Akane happily.  She knew that Ranma 
hated his female form with a passion, which was why she kept teasing him 
about it.  "And?" she prompted Nabiki.

	"My source couldn't find out where they went after that.  He went to 
Chengdu, in case Ranma wanted to visit his father, but they weren't there.  
Presumably, they wanted somewhere peaceful to train but there are a lot of 
places in China that would serve as good training spots.  To search each and 
everyone of them would be counterproductive."

	"That means you have no way of finding out where they are." commented 
Akane, her voice shaky.

	Nabiki nodded.  She pitied her little sister.  "I'm sorry," she whispered.

	Akane looked up at Nabiki.  She didn't want pity from her or anyone else.  
The thought fueling her rage, Akane yelled, "No, you're not!  You don't care 
about me or Ranma!  You're just concerned that your major source of income 
is gone!"  A tear trailed down her cheek but she took no notice.  "You said 
you could find out his whereabouts.  You broke your promise!"

	Kasumi rushed out of the kitchen, wanting to comfort Akane.  However, Akane 
moved away from Kasumi's embrace and ran up to her room, leaving the two 
sisters to stare at the flight of stairs.  "Akane doesn't mean what she 
said.  She was just upset." Kasumi said in a soothing voice.

	"I know," Nabiki replied as she turned on the television, her face still 
remained emotionless.  She stared at the MTV but her attention was not on 
the show at all.

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

	It's 2 am in the morning and a figure can be seen tiptoeing down the 
stairs, carrying a backpack.  Carefully placing a letter on the dining 
table, it cast one final look back, before stepping out of the house.

	In the living room, Ryouga stared at the shut door.  He had fallen asleep 
on the sofa, waiting for his favourite midnight anime show.  Rubbing the 
sleep out of his eyes, he wondered if he was seeing things but the clicking 
sound of the lock slipping into place, made him rush out of the house.

	A few blocks away from the Tendo house, the figure heaved a sigh of relief. 
  <Safe.>

	"Akane,"

	The figure whirled around to find Ryouga looking worried, a few paces away.

	"Akane, what are you doing?  You're not running away, are you?"

	"Of course not!  I'm just leaving for a short trip, that's all," replied 
Akane, as she adjusted her backpack's position.

	"Where to?"

	"Nowhere in particular.  Here and there," hedged Akane as she started 
walking away.

	"If you're going, so am I.  A girl shouldn't travel alone."

	"You don't even know where I'm heading.  And I can take care of myself, 
Ryouga.  Thanks, but no."

	"I'll find out your destination once we get there.  Besides, I can roughly 
guess where.  China.  To trace Ranma's whereabouts."  The surprised look on 
Akane's face confirmed his suspicions.  "Let me come with you.  I can speak 
some Mandarin," pleaded Ryouga.  "It's terribly lonely when travelling alone 
in a foreign land.  I should know.  If you don't let me come with you, I'll 
follow behind, anyway."

	Seeing the determined look on his face, Akane relented.  Having him along 
might increase the chances of finding Ranma.  So what if he went along to 
fight Ranma?  When she found him, the first thing she would do is to smash 
him into a pancake with her trusty mallet.  "Come on, then.  Take my hand.  
We have to go back to get your things."

	Ryouga blushed slightly as he firmly gripped Akane's left hand, feeling the 
familiar tingle in his skin.  He wondered if Akane felt it too.

--------------------------------------------------------------
(Breakfast time at the Tendo's)

	"Where's Akane?" asked Soun as he sipped his tea.

	"If she doesn't come down soon, she's going to be late for school," 
commented Nabiki, nonchalently.

	A frown creased Kasumi's forehead as she passed Akane's letter to Nabiki.  
"She left to look for Ranma, father."

	"Alone?  My baby, alone and defenseless in this cruel world, with no one to 
protect her!" cried Soun.

	"I think Ryouga went with her.  His things are missing and I haven't seen 
him around this morning either.  Don't worry, Ryouga will look after Akane."

	Soun blinked away his tears.  At least his baby wasn't alone.  Ryouga 
seemed trustworthy enough.  But what was Akane doing, looking for that 
ungrateful and irresponsible Ranma?  Fury replacing worry in just seconds, 
he shouted, "Why should she look for Ranma?!  He's trouble waiting to 
happen!  What if he injures her again!  No.  I must bring her back."

	"She was engaged to him once, father," replied Kasumi softly.  "Despite all 
their fights, I think they actually..."

	Soun stood up.  "I'll leave immediately.  Maybe I can catch up to her 
before she leaves Japan."

	"Calm down.  If my associate couldn't find Ranma, Akane wouldn't be able to 
either.  She'll be back soon," said Nabiki confidently.

	"We don't know exactly where in China, she will be.  So, all we can do is 
stay here and wait.  Don't worry.  Akane can take care of herself."  
Finishing her speech, Kasumi refilled Soun's teacup.

	"I suppose so," replied Soun as he sat down again.  Still, he couldn't help 
but worry.

--------------------------------------------------------------
(12:30pm in China.)

	Akane wiped the sweat off her brow and pored over a map.  She had kept 
track of their journey so far, following Ranma's trail.  It was pretty 
smooth sailing, until they reached Jusenkyo.  There the trail vanished, for 
the Jusenkyo guide didn't even know which direction Ranma and Ukyou were 
headed.  <How hard would it be to remember that!  It has only been a few 
weeks.  It's not like he gets many visitors!  From Jusenkyo, they could have 
gone in three directions, one leading to Joketsuzoku, the Amazon village (it 
was unlikely they went there), one leading back to the way they had came, 
the last leading to small villages dispersed among thick, lush forests.  
Thus, Ranma must have gone in the last direction but after days of 
travelling, neither she nor Ryouga spotted him.  Maybe she had deduced 
wrongly.  Maybe there was a path that he had taken, that was not shown on 
this map.  Or maybe he didn't want to be found.

	"Akane, what's the name of this town?" asked Ryouga as he stared at the 
map.

	"Shengxi town," she replied as she pointed to a dot on the map glad for the 
distraction.

	"And where is the village we visited yesterday?"

	"Here," as she pointed to another dot.

	"So, we've been heading north."

	Akane wordlessly folded the map and led Ryouga out of the noodle shop, not 
bothering to correct his earlier statement.  Best to save her breath for 
inquiring Ranma's whereabouts.

	 "{See swindler... Japanese boy... this high... with a girl?} asked Akane 
to a man about to enter the noodle shop.

	"{No,}" replied the man.

	Ryouga thanked him as they turned and left.  Hand-in-hand, they made their 
way to the marketplace, questioning the locals along the way.

	"{Have you see Japanese boy?}"

	Local A replied, "Don't bother me!"

	Local B asked, "{Are you going to buy something?}"

	Local C winked and suggested, "{How about you give me a treat and I'll tell 
you what I know?}"

	Ryouga sighed.  <And I thought it would be easier to find Ranma this time 
around because of Akane's help.  Shows how much I know!  At least, I'm used 
to getting rude or useless responses.  Poor Akane, she looks like she is 
about to burst from all the frustration.>  Suddenly, he caught of something 
wonderous.  <Candied Haw!  I haven't eaten that for ages!  I'll buy some for 
Akane.  That will cheer her up.>  Eyes firmly planted onto the Candied Haw 
seller, he released Akane's hand and walked briskly to him.

	"{2 Candied Haws, please,}" asked Ryouga as his mouth watered at the 
tempting sight of many sticks of Candied Haw.  He paid and was about to 
return to Akane's side when he remembered to ask about Ranma.

	"{Not him again.  Your girlfriend asked me already.}"

	"{Not my girlfriend,}" replied Ryouga as he blushed.

	"{Don't lie.  I've eaten more salt than you've eaten rice.  I know lovers 
when I see them.  Oh no, she's leaving without you.}"

	Surprised, Ryouga shouted, "{Where?}" and headed off in the direction the 
hawker had pointed, not noticing that Akane was right where he had left her.

	Meanwhile, the girl in question looked around anxiously for Ryouga.  If he 
had gotten himself lost, then what was she going to do?  Search for him or 
continue to find Ranma?  Damn it!  If she had paid more attention to Ryouga 
then this wouldn't have happened.  Mentally cursing at her luck, she began 
asking around if people had seen TWO boys and a girl.

	Ryouga stopped suddenly and whirled around.  He couldn't find Akane 
anywhere.  Desperation mounting, he yelled, "AKANE!  Where are you?"  No!  
He couldn't have lost her.  He'll just have to backtrack to where they were 
together last and start the search from there.  He turned left and walked 
briskly, pausing only to ask the passerbys if they had seen her, not knowing 
that with each step, he was getting further and further away from her.

	The hawker stared at the departing figure of Akane, realising that he had 
made a mistake earlier.  <Oh dear, his girlfriend is here all along...  I 
feel so guilty.  I hope he'll be able to find her.>  He cracked a smile, 
revealing his yellow and decayed teeth.  <Ah, this is such a small town, 
they'll meet soon enough.>

	As the sun set, Ryouga grew even more despondent.  Five hours!  He had been 
looking fruitlessly for Akane for five whole hours!  Granted, that was not 
as long as most of his searches for Nerima.  Those sometimes lasted for 
months.  But still, Akane and him are in the same puny town!  And he knew he 
was still in Shengxi for he had passed by Shengxi Eatery a mere minute ago.  
Where could she be?  Was she as anxious as he was?

	<Perhaps Akane isn't out looking for me.  Maybe she left me behind 
deliberately.  She doesn't want me to stand in her way of happiness with 
that Saotome cur> a part of him pointed out.

	<No!  Akane isn't like that!  She is out searching for me right now> his 
heart countered.

	<Sure she will - for an hour, maybe two.  Then she'll leave this town and 
me behind.  After all, finding Ranma is her sole agenda.  Not to play nanny 
to a boy who keeps getting lost.>

	<No!  She's my friend!>

	<And that is all she will ever be!  The next time we meet, she'll be 
pregnant with Saotome's child.>

	<NO!  I'll find her before she finds Saotome Ranma, this I swear.  I love 
her so much, I don't know what I'll do if I lose her forever.  I love 
her...>  Ryouga felt tears pooling in his eyes.  <My heart will show me the 
way to her.  I'm sure of it!  I just have to concentrate and she'll be there 
around the corner.>

	<You're too old to believe that nothing can stand in the way of two 
lovers.>

	<If I don't believe in that, what do I have left?>  Hearing no objections 
from his inner self, Ryouga resolutely set forth to find his love.  However, 
he saw no vision of Akane in her lovely straw hat in the next alley, or the 
one after that.

	He found her in the third alley.  Or rather, she had found him.

	"Ryouga!" yelled Akane as she ran towards him.

	"Akane!" shouted Ryouga in relief, letting a tear fall.

	"Where did you go?  Why did you let go of my hand?  I've been looking all 
over for you!"  Her face expressing relief, happiness and anger all at the 
same time.

	"Akane," murmured Ryouga.  He wanted to touch her face or her hands to 
assure that he wasn't dreaming.  But he knew she would get mad and punch 
him, so he settled for staring at her the way a thristy man in a desert, 
looks at water.

	Seconds passed.  Akane fidgeted and blushed at the stare Ryouga was giving 
her.  She refused to meet his eyes.  Instead she focused on something he was 
holding.  "What's that?"

	Ryouga blinked and held up the objects.  "Oh, uh I saw a hawker selling 
this and I wanted to surprise you, so I let go of your hand.  They are 
called Candied Haw.  One of my favourite foods.  But after so many hours in 
the sun, they have melted and turned into a gooey mess.  He threw them away 
with a sigh, grimacing at the sticky feeling on his left palm and fingers.

	Akane smiled and replied, "We'll buy some tomorrow.  But now, let's go for 
dinner, ok?"

	Ryouga grasped Akane's outstretched hand and smiled.  "Ok."

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

	"{Sir, have you see pigtailed Japanese boy so tall,}" Ryouga's hand rose to 
signal the approximate height, "{with pigtail?}

	The shopkeeper gave him a puzzled look and then shrugged. He was too busy 
to entertain questions. Besides, there were many who could fit into this 
description. "{No such person,}" he snapped as he shooed Ryouga out of his 
textile shop.

	Realizing that it was another fruitless attempt, Ryouga turned dejectedly 
towards the door. Akane was there. Her downcast eyes showed that she wasn't 
successful with the neighbouring shopkeepers too. <Damn Ranma! He wasn't 
here and yet he still managed to hurt her.> Managing a small smile, he 
walked towards her, taking and squeezing her hand slightly to give her 
encouragement. "Never mind, Akane. As long as he's alive, we'll find him."

	She wasn't hopeful. Their search was worse than finding a needle in a 
haystack. At least the haystack wouldn't bark and shove you away. Some of 
the people they asked were downright unfriendly, others provided little or 
misleading information. They were led on a merry goose chase, going from one 
town to another. And all they got for their efforts was a big 
disappointment.

	Akane never bothered to look up at him so he tried again, "Come on, that 
Tamahome guy said that he saw a person fitting Ranma's description in this 
town. Don't give up yet."

	"I don't know. I wonder if we can trust a man with the character 'ghost' on 
his forehead." Akane replied, and began walking on a slow pace, clutching 
Ryouga's hand to prevent him from wandering away. "We have been away for so 
long," she paused, trying to count the days she was away from home. "I 
missed my family."

	Ryouga quietly looked at Akane, he didn't know what to say. He was fraught 
with conflicting emotions during the whole trip. On one hand, he didn't want 
the search to end so that he could be alone with Akane. On the other hand, 
he was afraid that he would lose Akane if they found Ranma.

	"Ryouga?" Akane asked, looking up to meet his gaze.

	"Yes?"

	"I..." Akane stuttered, her decision wavering.

	"Do you want to go home?"

	Akane thought for a moment. There was some part of her that didn't want to 
give up yet. But she was so tired. "I want to ...," she didn't get to finish 
her words when she caught a glimpse of a man in red shirt and black pants. 
Without saying another word, she gave chase to the aforementioned person, 
pulling a bewildered Ryouga behind her.

	It should be noted that they were at the marketplace in the morning. Many 
people were on the streets, making running and maneuvering a difficult task.

	"Sorry!" Ryouga cried as he crashed onto a man, sending him a few paces 
back, knocking onto more people. Akane looked exasperated at the scene, 
fallen bodies on the ground, Ryouga saying sorry to everyone and pulling 
them to their feet. She turned back to where she last saw 'Ranma' but to her 
horror, he was gone without a trace. Ignoring everyone else, she pulled 
Ryouga out of the mess and ran forwards, combing for the sight of Ranma.

	Once the pair was out of sight, Ukyou came out of her hiding place, her 
face a mask of worry. She knew what they were here for. But she couldn't and 
wouldn't let them have him. Her shopping forgotten, she disappeared into the 
crowds. There was someone that she needed to keep from being seen.

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

	Ranma wasn't into music but his stomach was growling a symphony on its own. 
Walking along the streets, he searched for Ukyou. She should be buying some 
foodstuff for the day. He would have waited for her return if his stomach 
was more obedient.

	Not having enough money, he couldn't treat himself to any food substance 
offered for sale by road vendors. And to make it worse, the sights and 
smells of such delicacies had made his stomach drum louder. And god knows 
how much he wanted to just grab something and make a run for it.

	As he was debating his decision, he stepped onto something hard. Looking 
down and removing his feet slightly, a shiny penny was uncovered. He stepped 
on it again, grinning madly, thinking that his problem was solved at last. 
Now, he has enough money to buy at least a bun. Looking around frantically, 
he bent to pick up the one-dollar coin.

	Suddenly, he felt a presence. It was just a feeling that someone important 
to him was nearby. And he usually had this feeling when Akane was close by. 
He stood up sharply and strained his eyes to look for anything familiar, 
namely a short-hair girl renowned for her temper.

	Out of the corner of his eyes, he thought he saw a figure that resembled 
Akane's. When he went closer for a second look, the person was gone or 
simply merged into the morning crowd.

	A surge of disappointment filled him. <That can't be Akane. She's in Japan, 
recuperating.> Sighing, he turned away from the direction where the figure 
disappeared to and headed towards the opposite direction, his heart 
unsettled. <Akane, how are you now? I think I miss you.>

	"Ranchan!" Ukyou almost screamed, pulling him towards an alley.

	"Uh, Ucchan, what was that for?"

	"Um...," Ukyou fumbled, "you were standing in the middle of the street 
blocking everyone else. That's road hogging, you know? What were you 
thinking about?"

	He smiled uneasily while deciding the best course of action to take. He 
didn't want to tell her that he felt Akane's presence, lest she grew angry 
and refused to cook for him. "I had things on my mind," he said, not too far 
from the truth. And his stomach chose this moment to growl again.

	"Come, let's take care of that." Ukyou said, pointing to his stomach. She 
wasn't going to stay around more than necessary. She poked her head out to 
check for clearance. Satisfied, she ignored Ranma's baffled gaze as she 
dragged him for a sprint back to camp.

	"Damn! Where did he go?" Akane uttered desperately. She was surrounded by 
people, in the middle of some street. Turning to a different direction every 
few seconds, she searched fruitlessly for her fiance, pain evident in her 
eyes.

	"Akane?" Ryouga asked uncertainly. The grip Akane had on his hands was 
crushing his bones but that was not the topmost on his mind. "Please, Akane 
calm down."

	"No Ryouga, I saw him. Ranma. He was there and then he was� gone." The last 
word was said in a whisper. The implied meaning of the word chilled her 
heart. Two months of searching and now that it seemed that she has found 
him, she lost him again. <No! I'm not going to let Ranma get away from me.> 
With that thought in mind, she found new strength to carry on the search for 
the young Saotome.

	"Akane," was what Ryouga could manage before he was pulled into another 
morning run in the village called Jing Lai Fei Si.

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

	Akane and Ryouga have finally settled down for lunch although it was long 
past lunchtime. Akane was barely touching her food, preferring to fiddle 
with her chopsticks. It took several nudges from Ryouga before she started 
her first bite.

	"Akane if you don't eat, you won't have the strength to find Ranma." Ryouga 
coaxed, and finally he seemed to have done something that worked. She 
started to put more effort in putting rice into her mouth. On seeing this, 
he sighed audibly.

	"{Hey, the two of you,}" A brutish man said rather loudly and sat on a 
chair beside Akane. "{I heard you're looking for 2 individuals.}"

	Ryouga eyed the man suspiciously and inconscientiously pulled Akane towards 
him. Akane was looking at the man with distaste, not really understanding 
what the person was saying until�

	"{Japanese boy with pigtail, red shirt, black pants and a Japanese girl 
with a big spatula on her back.}"

	She has used those descriptions so many times and realization struck like a 
brick. She jumped immediately out of her chair and was on the man the next 
moment. "Where is Ranma?!" She screamed, then realized that she spoke in 
japanese and immediately changed to chinese. "{Boy, where?}"

	Ryouga tore Akane away from the man and was trying to hold her down. 
Inwardly, he was worried. They had found Ranma.

	"{For a sum of money, I bring you to them.}" The man said after 
straightening his shirt, indignantly.

	Akane looked at Ryouga uncomprehendingly, cursing her lack of knowledge for 
the chinese language. He explained and she nearly wanted to unload all her 
money when Ryouga stopped her.

	Turning towards the chinese guy, "{how much you want?}" That guy said a 
sum, and Ryouga agreed to pay him half now and the other half when they 
found Ranma. Hands were shaked, money was exchanged and now they were on 
their way.

	They came to a small house. Inside was where their 'guide' said as to the 
whereabouts of Ranma and Ukyou. Akane knocked on the door, a little 
tentative which was strange since now she would get to see Ranma after 2 
months on the road. Shuffling of footsteps was heard and a boy about 16 
years of age, wearing red shirt and black pants answered the door.

	Akane bit back a scream. The face of the boy didn't belong to Ranma. Except 
for the tastes in clothing and hairstyle, he was nowhere similar to Ranma.

	"{Is this one you bring us find?}" Ryouga asked incredulously, the gloom in 
his heart lifted.

	"{Yes, isn't him the one you're looking for?} He asked almost too 
innocently.

	Running steps was heard and Akane was gone. Ryouga chased after her, 
ignoring the Chinese's cry for the remainder payment. He also failed to 
notice a certain spatula-wielding girl handing what looked like a sum of 
money to the brutish man afterwards.

	Maybe luck was on his side for once, because he managed to keep Akane 
within his line of sight and therefore hadn't gotten lost halfway into the 
chase.  He caught up with her and pulled her to a stop. "Akane, I know 
you're sad and disappointed but�"

	Ryouga was saying something but she tuned him out completely. All her 
emotions were fighting at the same time to warrant for her attention. She 
felt like crying, to slump to the ground and let her tears go dry. She 
wanted to scream and hit something, anything. She wanted to...

	"Akane? Answer me, Akane." Ryouga shook her gently. When he still couldn't 
get her attention, he began to use more force and his words became more 
urgent. "What's happening, Akane? Look at me. Talk to me. Anything� please 
don't just stare into space."

	She looked at him blankly then blinked, her senses returning. Slowly, a 
grim determination formed on her face. She heard him call her name again, 
then finally registered the worried look on his face. Suddenly she felt pity 
for him. Why did he choose to fall in love with someone that was in love 
with another?

	But that was a question to be dealt with later. Right now, she had only one 
wish. "Let's go home."

--------------------------------------------------------------
(One and a half week has passed since Akane and Ryouga returned to Nerima)

	Bang!  Akane slammed her bedroom door shut, wishing she could shut off her 
emotions just as easily.  Just the mere thought of Ranma abandoning her and 
in love with Ukyou was enough to make her cry.  She paid no heed to the 
tears and slumped down despondently on the floor.

	"Akane?  What are you doing here?" asked a confused Ryouga who had just 
emerged from her closet.

	For a moment, she was speechless as grief and fury warred for control.  It 
soon became clear as to which emotion won.  "This is my room!  What are 
_you_ doing here?!"

	Ryouga sweatdropped.  He stammered, "I was looking for the toilet and uh... 
Akane, are you crying?"

	"None of your business!  You're trespassing so get out!"

	He sat down in front of her and said gently, "I'm a friend, that makes it 
my business." He blushed as his interest in her was more than friendly.  
"Please tell me what is bothering you.  I can be a good listener."

	Akane opened her mouth to shout at him to leave but what came out was "It 
is just that I keep seeing images of Ranma and Ukyou kissing and hugging.  I 
try not to think about him but...  Sniff.  He didn't even write back to say 
'hi' or ask about me.  It's like he doesn't even care about me," she 
continued even as tears threatened to overwhelm her.  "And we spent so much 
time in China looking for him but to no avail.  Maybe he dosn't want to be 
found!"

	His anger at Ranma making Akane cry overshadowed his joy at the loss of a 
rival, for Ryouga shouted, "Why that Saotome Ranma!  How can he be so 
heartless?!  If I see him, I'll give a good thrashing for you, Akane!  That 
two-timing, no good bastard!"

	Akane fumed, no one was allowed to scold Ranma, except her.  She 
interrupted his endless tirade by yelling, "Then why don't you leave.  Go 
find him and punish him!  Instead of sponging on us!  If you hate him so 
much, go and find him.  I don't see why you stayed here with us for so long 
anyway."  She opened the door and gestured for him to leave.

	"Akane..." he muttered in a strained voice.  Was that really how Akane 
thought of him?  As a freeloader whose presence was unnecessary?  He closed 
his eyes, not wanting to see the loathing for him in Akane's brown eyes.  
"For you," he whispered.  "I stayed here, wearing out my welcome, for you.  
When you said you wanted to go home, I wanted so much to continue on the 
search alone.  Not to seek vengeance for what he had done to me but to seek 
justice for you.  But I'm afraid.  What if I can't find my way back here?  
Or what if I do but you're already... married or something?  When I think 
about this, I... I can't leave."  He stared at his feet and whispered so 
softly that Akane could hardly hear him, "You're worth far more to me than 
revenge."  Before Akane could respond, he hurriedly left.

	As the door shut behind him, Ryouga sighed forlornly.  After all this time, 
he was still no closer to winning Akane's love.  Then he grimaced.  He 
frantically looked to the left and right as he fidgeted on one foot, then 
another.  He really, really had to pee.

--------------------------------------------------------------
(A few days later, one hot afternoon)

	Ukyou "oohed' and "aahed" as she gently eased herself into the small wooden 
tub filled with warm well water.  It was really kind of Mr Chen, the village 
head, to let Ranchan and herself use his tub occasionally.  "I've certainly 
deserved a long soak after what Ranchan put me through these past few 
months."  She grimaced as she remembered the rigorous training sessions with 
Ranma, the slave driver.  "It'll be worth all my hard work if I can reach 
his level."

	Taking a piece of soap, she lathered her long brown hair, then piled it 
into a beehive shape on top of her head.  She was about to stand up to 
lather her body when a stone grazed her shoulder.  She turned around and saw 
Ranma standing there, smirking.  "I've told you to be alert at all times!  
You should never put down your guard.  Your punishment is running 10 laps 
around the village."

	Ukyou crossed her arms in front of her chest, her face growing redder with 
every word he said.  "Ranma," she screamed, "I'm bathing!  Get the hell 
out!"  Her hand shot out from the tub to point the way.

	"Oops!"  He laughed sheepishly and scrambled out of there.  He was so 
caught up on performing a successful sneak attack, that he didn't think 
about the...  A trickle of blood flowed out of his nostrils as his fertile 
imagination took over.  Shaking his head to remove those images, he 
shuddered as he wondered how Ukyou would seek vengeance.  He had better be 
very alert tonight.

--------------------------------------------------------------
(Meanwhile, Ryouga approached Kasumi in the kitchen)

	"Kasumi?  Is there something I can do?  I mean, I don't want to be a 
free-loader, so..." asked Ryouga.

	Kasumi turned to him and smiled.  "Thank you but no.  You're a guest, 
Ryouga.  We certainly can't ask a guest to pay or help out."

	"Oh yes, we can," interjected Nabiki as she helped herself to some freshly 
baked cookies.

	"Nabiki," started Kasumi, trying to convey her disapproval with that single 
word.

	Nabiki ignored her sister as she signalled Ryouga to follow her into her 
'office'.  She sat in her chair and gazed at Ryouga who was fidgeting 
uncomfortably.  He felt as if he was the fresh meat in the market and Nabiki 
was the hungry buyer.

	"You want a job?" inquired Nabiki.

	He nodded.

	"I can help you find one - for a price.  Two months' pay and after that, 
10% of all future income."  Sensing his outrage, she explained, "It's the 
standard charge.  Every employment agency has the same terms.  Trust me, I 
won't cheat someone who has treated my sister so kindly."  She smiled 
innocently at him and it was all he could do not to smile back in response.  
Taking his silence as consent, she continued, "In addition, 50% of your pay 
will go to me as payment for the household expenses."  Ryouga's eyebrow shot 
up in shock.  Noticing it, she played her trump card, "Or would you rather 
be considered as a freeloader by Akane?"

	"Fine.  I accept.  But what's the job?  I'm not going to do anything 
humiliating or disgusting."

	"Don't worry.  Sign here first."  She thrusted a piece of paper at him.  He 
did as she asked.  She smiled inwardly as she filed away the legal document. 
  "Let me make a few phone calls.  Sit there, don't move," ordered Nabiki.

	Several phone calls later, Nabiki swirled around in her seat to face 
Ryouga.  "Ok, there are two jobs suitable for you.  Demolition worker and 
Gym teacher.  Which one you want?"

	He pondered.  <Hmm, sweating under the hot sun with other sweaty men, 
destroying buildings or teach gymnastics to high school girls, maybe even 
Akane?>  "Gym teacher," he answered almost instantaneously.

	Nabiki nodded.  "Ok.  I'll arrange for the Nerima Elementary school bus to 
send you back and forth."

	"Nerima Elementary?"

	"Yeah.  I'm sure that the little school girls will absolutely adore their 
new Gym teacher."

	A sweatdrop formed on the back of his head.

--------------------------------------------------------------
(NOTE: Ranma and Ukyou have been in China for three and a half months now)

	Ukyou stood on top of a barren cliff that provided her with a view of the 
entire mining area, and stared off into space.  She folded her arms in front 
of her chest, as if seeking warmth and protection.  She was deep in thought 
and barely acknowledged Ranma's presence with a slight nod.

	Seeing her bad mood, Ranma tried to think of a way to lift up her spirits.  
He smiled when he remembered something, it was so childish that it just 
might work.  He quickly ran off and a few moments later, he was back.  
"Ucchan?"

	Ukyou turned around to face Ranma.

	"Super Fast Attack of the Twin Paint Rollers Revised!" he yelled as he 
waved his wet hands in circular motion.

	Two seconds later, the attack stopped.  Ukyou wiped her face with her hands 
and yelled, "What did you do that for?"  She grimaced as she sniffed at her 
hands.  "And what is this stuff you sprayed on me?"

	"Well, you seemed sad and I wanted to cheer you up so I sprayed you with 
the water from the mine holes."

	"WHAT!"

	He quickly placed a bucket filled with clean water in front of her in a 
conciliatory attempt.  "Well, it seemed funny when I thought of the idea and 
when I look at your face now," he broke off, trying to contain his laughter.

	Ukyou grumbled as she cleaned herself and headed back to camp in a huff.  
<If I develop rashes or pimples because of his shenanigans, I... I...>  She 
slowly counted to a hundred to calm herself down.  Ranma wisely chose to 
quietly walk behind her.

	"Did I hear you correctly just now?  'The Attack of the Twin Paint 
Rollers'?"

	"It is actually the 'Super Fast Attack of the Twin Paint Rollers Revised'!" 
corrected Ranma.

	"What?" commented Ukyou with a smile.  "What a stupid name for an attack."

	"I've learned it from a fight with a pugilist from the House of Paint 
school of marital arts."  Seeing Ukyou's curious expression, he explained 
further.  "You see, it was about five years ago, me and Pops were eating at 
this restaurant that served the juiciest steak in the world.  The meat was 
so tender and fresh.  The sauce is so smooth, with just the right amount of 
spices to complement the meat..."  His voice trailed off as he drooled.

	A hard poke at his side from Ukyou, prompted him to continue.  "Anyway, 
there we were, enjoying our meal, when this guy rushed in.  He was dressed 
in overalls covered with paint and carried paint buckets, rollers and 
brushes of different sizes.  He shouted, 'I challenge Saotome Ranma to a 
duel!  If you're man enough, show yourself!'  So, naturally I got up and 
accepted the match.  I mean, how dared he interrupt such a delicious meal.  
This guy had to be punished."

	Ukyou sighed, <how come Ranma's fights usually revolved around food?>.

	"Man, what a joke that match was.  I defeated him in two minutes flat."

	<Meaning you fought for at least twice as long> thought Ukyou 
sarcastically.  She knew he often exaggerated his recounts of fights.

	"I could have won sooner but wanted to toy with him, you know.  His attacks 
were so lame.  I mean, attacking using paint rollers attached to long bamboo 
poles."  Ranma started physically demonstrating the fight, playing both 
himself and the challenger.

	"All he ended up doing was painting my shirt.  Then he yelled, 'Super Duper 
Shabon Spray' and paint started spewing out from the rollers.  What was he 
trying to do?  Paint the entire place?  So, I blocked using an umbrella."  
Ranma picked up a fallen branch with leaves and pretended it was an 
umbrella.

	"He threw away the rollers and kicked me.  I jumped away and he threw paint 
cans at me.  I jumped up and did a triple somersault.  Whenever those paint 
cans landed, they exploded, causing the whole restaurant to be in splotches 
of blues and yellows."

	Ukyou watched as he jumped up and down, giggling at his antics - and the 
two leaves sticking out from his head, like a pair of bunny ears.

  	"Apparently a month ago, his family, the famous family of wall painters, 
Michaelandjello, was almost about to complete a masterpiece on a giant wall 
when me and Pops ran through it.  We were running away from our pursuers so 
we didn't care.  The guy said that never again could they ever achieve such 
a masterpiece and we ruined it.  So they sent him, the best warrior of the 
family's own special brand of martial arts to seek revenge - and to claim 
damages of a million yen.

	"But he was no match for me!  So he launched the 'Ultimate Don't Use Until 
You're Really Desperate Move'.  I ducked and Pops ended up being the target. 
  His whole face was painted with 'X's and 'O's."

	Ukyou laughed, holding her sides and rolling on the ground.  "I can't 
believe it!  The ultimate attack is playing tic-tac-to on your opponent's 
face?"  She laughed even louder, with Ranma joining in.

	Minutes later, they settled down, Ukyou leaning terribly close to him, 
trying to catch her breath.  Ranma looked into her eyes, about to make a 
silly remark about 'House of Paint' school of martial arts but didn't.  
Mesmerized by the beauty in front of him, he froze as Ukyou moved closer 
towards him, with desire evident in her eyes.  Their lips were about to 
touch when suddenly he stood up and walked away, leaving Ukyou to kiss the 
ground.

	<I almost betrayed Akane just now.  How could I do such a thing?> Ranma 
berated himself.  <How could I?>

--------------------------------------------------------------
(2 weeks later, dinnertime at the Tendo house)

	"Did you two have fun at the movies?" asked Soun Tendo as he sipped his 
miso soup.

	"Yeah, the movie was nice," answered Akane.

	Ryouga nodded, his mouth crammed with pieces of Tandori chicken.

	"I'm so happy my baby girl enjoyed her date!" cried Soun, tears falling 
into his soup.

	"It's NOT a date!" yelled Akane.

	Ryouga looked at her, his face a myriad of emotions - confusion, 
disappointment, sadness and love.

	"Did Ryouga pay for the tickets and everything else?" inquired Soun.

	"Yes," replied Akane.

	"Did you two arrange to go together?  With no one else tagging along?" 
questioned Soun.

	"Yes.  Yes.  So what?" answered Akane.

	"Did you hold hands, hug or kiss?" asked Nabiki, her eyes twinkling with 
amusement.

	Akane replied defensively, "Hey!  We only held hands because-"

	"Wahh!  My daughter went on dates!" interrupted Soun.  "If only her mother 
can see her now."  Tears were now gushing out like twin waterfalls.  
"Nothing would make me happier than seeing you two lovebirds getting 
married!  In fact, why don't you two get engaged right now?"  He pulled 
Akane and Ryouga together for a bone-crushing hug.

	Ryouga blushed and stammered, "If Akane... wanted to, uh... I..."

	Akane didn't let him finish.  She broke free from her father's embrace and 
shouted at the top of her lungs, "We were not on a date!  And we are not 
getting engaged!"  Not knowing what else to say, she left for the dojo.  
Nothing like smashing innocent bricks into dust to release all this anger.

	"Akane," whispered Ryouga as he stared at her retreating figure.  Should he 
chase after her or let her cool off?  No.  He had acted like a coward long 
enough.  Now was the time to settle everything.  "Akane!" Ryouga called out 
as he ran to the dojo.

	Kasumi looked on, with a worried expression, ignoring Soun's bawling.  
Something told her that she should have stopped Ryouga.

	"Come on, sis.  We don't want to miss this, " said Nabiki as she dragged 
Kasumi to the dojo.

	(At the dojo, an emotional scene was playing out, just as Nabiki and Kasumi 
got themselves front row seats outside the dojo, hidden from view.)

	"Akane." stammered Ryouga, his determination having left the moment he 
stepped into the dojo.

	"What!" shouted Akane as she split a tower of five bricks into half with a 
single chop.

	"About what your dad said earlier."

	<Oh no.>  She steeled herself for what was about to come.

	"Would it be so bad to be engaged to me?  To be my wife?" questioned Ryouga 
softly.  Nabiki and Kasumi had to lean forward to hear his words.

	"Yes," said Akane irritably, crossing her arms in front of her chest.  Her 
gaze softened as she noticed how depressed Ryouga looked.  Not willing to 
see the despair in those black eyes, she stared at her feet.  "I'm sorry if 
I had led you on.  But I...  I don't feel that way towards you.  You should 
find someone more deserving."

	"Ryouga has left already."

	Akane looked up, a single tear sliding down her cheek.  "Kasumi?"

	Kasumi smiled and gently wiped away the lone tear.  "Tell me, why are you 
crying?"

	"It's just that I feel sad for Ryouga.  I know how he feels about me but 
I..." her voice trailed off.

	"Are you sure you're not crying because you're losing him?"

	Akane shook her head in denial.  "He's a dear friend but that is all.  My 
heart," she paused, "Belongs to someone else."

	Kasumi sighed.  "Akane, you have got to face the facts.  Ranma has gone for 
four months already.  During this time, he never once called or wrote.  He 
didn't even say goodbye."  She pulled Akane close in an embrace.  "I'm 
sorry.  I didn't mean to make you cry.  But you have got to stop deluding 
yourself.  He isn't coming back."

	Akane sobbed louder, whispering words of denial.  The eldest Tendo sister 
sighed as she rubbed Akane's back.  "You have to let go.  It is the only way 
you can find happiness."

	Akane wanted to retort that her happiness lied with Ranma but more sobs 
came out instead.

	"I know that you think Ranma is the only one who can make you happy.  
However, that's not true.  You're still young.  You'll find some other boy 
who can make your heart sing."  Kasumi smiled and continued, "I think that 
you already have.  I've seen how happy you looked when you and Ryouga came 
back from one of your outings."

	"Not you too," groaned Akane.  "I don't want to hear about how good Ryouga 
is to me or that we would make the perfect couple."  She rested her head on 
her palms.  <I don't want to hear those words.  Not yet.>

	"I'm sorry.  I didn't mean to play matchmaker."

	"Yes, you did."  Akane glared at her sister then smiled.  "Thanks, Kasumi.  
For being my mother, sister and confidante all rolled into one."  The two 
sisters grinned at each other, one who has stopped crying, another who was 
about to start.

--------------------------------------------------------------
(Meanwhile, outside the dojo)

	"Hey!  Wait up, Ryouga!" He turned around and saw Nabiki running towards 
him.  "Where are you going?" she asked.

	"To the house to collect my stuff and then I'll be off.  Always wanted to 
visit Europe.  Who knows, maybe this time I'll actually get there."  Ryouga 
laughed but without a trace of humor in it.

	"I'll lead you back to the house but you're not leaving.  This is your home 
now."

	Ryouga stared at her in shock.  "Nabiki," he started.

	"Now, don't get all mushy on me.  You've paid for this month's rent 
already.  And since I've spent the money on new furniture, I can't give you 
a refund.  So you might as well stay put."

	"No.  I stayed here for Akane but now..." Sadness overwhelmed him as the 
whole situation sank in.

	Nabiki squeezed his hand and said encouragingly, "It's not over until the 
fat lady sings.  And you don't see a fat lady around here, do you?"  Taking 
in his confused expression, she mentally sighed.  "Be patient.  Akane will 
change her mind soon enough."

	"I don't think so.  She has a stubborn streak," countered Ryouga, intent on 
wallowing in his misery.

	"Trust me.  I can tell that her heart is with you, her mind just refuses to 
acknowledge it, that's all."

	"You think so?"  Hope shined in his eyes.

	"Yeah.  What did you think I was trying to tell you!  Come on, let's go 
inside."  She tugged his hand to get him going in the right direction but he 
refused to budge.

	He smiled at her, saying, "Thanks, Nabiki."

	"Yeah, well I'm doing this pep talk because Kasumi bribed me with her 
chocolate fudge cake.  If you want to thank somebody, thank her."

	"I'll be sure to thank her, then," replied Ryouga, though he knew she was 
lying.  "Still... I must thank you."  Staring straight ahead, he failed to 
notice a smile on Nabiki's face.

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

	Ranma slowly got up, still very much asleep.  Barely opening his eyes, he 
fumbled in the darkness, slowly moving away from the campsite.  A suitable 
distance away, he pulled down his pants and peed.  After what seemed like an 
eternity, he was done.  Slightly more awake, he moved quickly back to the 
campsite, to his nice sleeping bag.

	"No!"

	Ranma sat up, sleep forgotten, his eyes casting around anxiously for the 
source of the disturbance.  His ears picked up a soft noise.  <Was that 
sobbing?  Ucchan?>  He hurried over to her sleeping form.

	Ucchan writhed in her sleep, her arms and legs thrashing about violently, 
her blanket kicked away to one side.  "Please stop hitting me.  I'm sorry.  
Didn't mean to spill your drink, I swear..." pleaded Ukyou.

	Ranma shook her gently.  "Wake up.  It's just a nightmare."

	Ukyou cringed under his touch, all the while murmuring, "No,  daddy, stay 
away!  Daddy please... I've been good..."  Ranma stared at his best friend, 
not knowing what to do.  He didn't know if her nightmare was a reflection of 
real life, or just a case of eating too much dinner.  He remembered his 
years spent on the road with his father, knowing some of the things his 
father had done would be considered as child abuse.  If Ukyou had been 
abused by her father, he would find that man and do some abusing of his own. 
  He popped his knuckles, grinning ferally.

	Ranma looked at Ukyou and heaved a sigh of relief.  She was through 
thrashing about and was sleeping peacefully.  He covered her with the 
blanket, for it was a cold night.  She murmured something too soft to be 
understood.  Leaning down, he placed his ear very near her mouth and heard 
her whisper, "I love my Bear bear.  Thanks, Papa".  Smiling, he went back to 
his own sleeping bag.  It seemed he was over-reacting, she was just having a 
bad dream, not a flashback of her past.

	When morning came and breakfast commenced, Ranma fidgeted about.  Ukyou's 
nightmare seemed so... trivial but he just couldn't forget the terror in her 
voice, her cries for help.  "Ucchan, I had a dream last night and my dad was 
in it."

	"Oh?" she commented.

	"Yeah, well that made me think about how long it has been since I last saw 
him.  I don't miss him at all, I'm glad that he's off in Chengdu but he is 
family after all."  His voice trailed off.  "Do you miss your dad, Ucchan?  
I hardly hear you talk about him."

	She looked up, her eyes guarded.  "Yeah, sure.  Like you said, he's family. 
  Blood is thicker than water and all that stuff."  She laughed.  "I call 
him once a while just to chat and he will fuss over me like I am a 6 year 
old.  'Have I got enough to eat', 'do I have friends in Nerima', you know, 
basic parental fussing."  Ukyou stood up and cleared the dishes, thus ending 
their conversation.

--------------------------------------------------------------
(It was now bedtime for Ranma and Ukyou)

	Ukyou had fallen asleep, her back towards the small fire and Ranma.  Ranma, 
on the other hand, was not in dreamland.  He laid facing Ukyou, resolved to 
watch her <just for tonight>.  The whole day, after he asked about her 
father, she had seemed a little... off.  And that just increased his 
suspicions.

	"Don't hurt me, please!"

	Ranma immediately sat up, did Ukyou say something?  He tiptoed towards her 
and the noises grew in volume.

	"Please... don't hit me.  I'll be good, I swear.  Don't be angry, daddy..." 
  Ukyou grabbed her arm, as if she was hurt there.  Ranma froze, not wanting 
to hear her plaintive cries for help, trying desperately to deny the truth, 
that Ukyou...  What should he do?  If he woke her up, she would be 
embarrassed and probably deny the abuse.  But how could he let her suffer in 
a nightmare, how could he let her relive her painful past night after night? 
  Ukyou screamed.  She lifted her arms to protect her face as she moaned in 
pain after each imagined blow after blow.  "Mommy, where are you?  Help me."

	Instinctively, he pulled Ukyou up into a loose embrace and whispered, "Hush 
now, you're safe, I'll protect you."

	Ukyou sobbed, "Mommy?"

	Ranma paused.  He would have given up anything to have his curse back now.  
A quick splash of cold water and he could have masqueraded as her mother.  
But Saotome Ranma wasn't one to give up easily.  He cleared his throat and 
said in a female pitch, "Yes, it's".  Ranma winced, it was so obvious that 
he was pretending to be a female.  He coughed and tried again, this attempt 
being more effective.  "Ukyou, it's me, your mother."

	"Mommy?"

	"Yes, now be a good little girl and stop crying ok?  Mommy doesn't like it 
when you cry."

	"Daddy doesn't like it either.  That's why he hits me."

	Ranma didn't know what to say.  Should he say something like 'Daddy is 
bad', 'Daddy is upset when he hits you, he doesn't mean it' or 'it isn't 
your fault'?

	"Mommy, make Daddy stop.  I hurt," cried Ukyou.

	Ranma's grip tightened.  "I've chased Daddy away.  Can you see it?  He's 
gone now, no one will ever hurt you again, I promise."  He slowly rocked her 
body, trying to calm her down.  Eventually, she did and went into deep 
sleep.

	Ranma sighed for the umpteenth time that day, as he pondered what to do.  
He gently laid her back onto the sleeping bag and moved to sit next to the 
fire.  Poking through the embers with a stick, he remembered his own 
childhood.  Did Ukyou suffer through something similar or worse?  God, he 
hoped not.

	He didn't sleep a wink that night.

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

	It was raining heavily in Nerima. Dark clouds loomed overhead while 
droplets of water fell mercilessly onto the earth's occupants. The foul 
weather miraculously had not dampened the moods of 2 special individuals, 
special in the way that they turned into animals when splashed with cold 
water.

	"{Hey! Watch it,}" exclaimed Mousse as he avoided the streams of water that 
was sent towards his way by Shampoo. She giggled as a response to his 
grouchy look.

	Wanting revenge, he walked away from Shampoo, taking away their only source 
of shelter - the umbrella which he was holding. Just as the rain dampened 
her shoulders, she glomped onto him. "{So, are you enjoying our little 
match,}" she purred.

	He swallowed the lump in his throat and attempted to make a sound. 
Awestruck by her beauty and noticing how certain parts of her body are 
pressed against him, he didn't know what to say except "{Yes...}"

	"{I'm glad, because the game hasn't ended.}" With that, she snatched the 
umbrella and pushed him into the rain, effectively changing him into a duck. 
"{The last one back will be the other's slave for one week.}"

	She laughed like a carefree teenager, forgetting about everything except 
the duck which was quaking nosily and making a straight dive in the 
direction of the Nekohanten. "{Hey, no fair, you have a headstart.}" The 
duck ignored her complains and continued his flight while Shampoo increased 
her pace to outrun him. As she passed the wobbling duck, she stuck out her 
tongue at him, making dirty faces and increased her speed.

	It came to no surprise when she returned first, the duck a close second. 
She gathered the duck into her arms and gave a quick peck onto its head. 
"{I'm going to bathe, so no peeping.}" She smiled girlishly and bounced out 
of sight.

	Mousse waddled towards the kitchen and upset a kettle of warm water over 
himself. Back to a man, he groggily touched the part where Shampoo had 
kissed him. A faint smile appeared on his lips as he recalled the intimate 
act.

	<Witch! She's trying to distract me again.> At the thought, he rubbed 
forcefully at his forehead, hoping to rub away any presence of Shampoo's 
lips on it. Hatred in his eyes, he berated himself for almost losing 
control. Now that he was so near to his goal, he had to be more careful. 
Straightening himself, he remembered that he had more important things to 
do.

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

	Singing a happy song that matched her moods, Shampoo slowly got up from the 
furo to change. She felt so relaxed in the few months that she had spent 
with Mousse. He had fulfilled his promise; he made her happy again. Mousse 
had been so patient and understanding, his every step calculated to make her 
forget about her sorrows and injected fun and joy into her life. As the song 
reached the climax, she finished dressing.

	Bustling out of the bathroom, she adjourned to look for Mousse. It was 
already evening and the restaurant was as dark as the night outside. 
Vaguely, she remembered turning on the lights before bathing and this 
unsettled her. "{Mu Tsu,}" she began to call out.

	There was no reply.

	Her nerves were getting to her. She hurried into Mousse's room to look for 
him but he wasn't there. Becoming paranoid, she called out for him again and 
strained her ears to catch his reply. But all she heard was crickets 
creaking.

	Jittery, her hands began to shake as she thought that Mousse had left her 
like the others. Over the days, she had grown dependent on him. It was as if 
he had become her sanity, her joy, her happiness, her existence. As wetness 
began to gather on her eyes, soft music floated to her ears. It was a 
sentimental love song, about a man expressing his love for his loved one.

	Following the music, she walked cautiously and observed that there was a 
warm glow of light as she came to the stairs. Looking down, covering her 
mouth with her hands, she held back a squeal. A disbelieving look appeared 
on her face as she continued to stare at the scene before her.

	In the now empty dining area of the Nekohanten, candles were arranged in a 
heart shape. And in the middle of the candles formation stood Mousse, 
holding a bunch of red roses, her favourite.  He looked up at her and smiled 
uncertainly. The lighted candles whilst providing light, also accentuated 
his features. He had changed into one of his better outfits and he looked 
really dashing.

	 If it was before, she would have scolded him for causing a fire hazard to 
the restaurant. But now, everything has changed... Her legs were about to 
give way and she held onto the railing for support. He hadn't spoken yet but 
she was already touched by his actions. To her, the world had disappeared. 
There was only Mousse and her.

	"{Shan Pu... uh... I hoped you like this,}" he pointed to the candle 
formation. "I've planned this for days and I... uh...," he looked away from 
her hesitating, gathering his thoughts of what to say. When he returned to 
face her, she could see the determination in his eyes. "{I know we're just 
getting together. But these few months were the best in my life. We had 
known each other almost our whole lives. You know who I am and I wouldn't 
want anyone except you.}"

	Putting on a nervous smile, he continued, "{I don't know why I find this so 
difficult, I mean, I have said the words many times before. But believe me 
that each time I said it, it came from the bottom of my heart. And it pains 
me greatly for you to reject me over and over again. Still, I'll never give 
up.}" Taking a deep breath and bracing for the worst, he fell to his knees 
and dropped the bomb (figuratively), "{Shan Pu, will you marry me?}"

	Rendered speechless, her expression changed from surprise to indecisiveness 
and lastly ecstasy. She didn't know why she had made the decision, but it 
just came to her. And she knew that Mousse would strive to make her happy as 
she was now.

	For Mousse, this was the time when the results of his efforts were 
announced. Passing this test would secure him the satisfaction of his 
ultimate revenge. Holding his breath and amazed by how fast his heart was 
beating, he waited for her answer.

	It never came. But when he saw her overjoyed expression, he knew he had 
succeeded, scoring an 'A' for his efforts. Smiling from ear to ear, he 
jumped out of the candles formation and ran upstairs towards Shampoo.

	Stopping a step in front of her, he presented the roses to her and took out 
a ring box from his pocket. Opening the box, he showed her the contents 
nervously. It didn't had any gem stones, just an ordinary gold band. The 
only thing special was that the underside of the ring was carved with their 
names. "{I'm sorry I couldn't afford a better one but...,}" she put a hand 
on his lips hushing him.

	Wordlessly, he kissed her hand and slipped the ring into her ring finger. 
Together they began to admire the gold band around her finger. Stealing a 
look at his bride-to-be, a warm sense of passion flowed freely through him.

	And it was at this particular time that Shampoo turned to face him. Locking 
gazes for a moment, he leaned forwards and brushed her lips with his. 
Feeling no resistance, he deepened the kiss and held her tightly to him.

	It was a moment before she broke off the kiss, gasping for air. "{You know, 
I haven't said yes yet,}" she smiled playfully, fiddling with his collar.

	"{Too late. You are wearing my ring now.}" He said, holding her hand up for 
emphasis.

	"{Oh, you mean this is not just an ordinary gift for me,}" she replied 
innocently, taking her hand away from him. Her fiancTe face-faulted much to 
her enjoyment.

	"{Stop playing games with me,}" he begged. Then, a fit of giggles was 
heard. He was exasperated but a plan quickly formed in his mind. "{Well, if 
this is how you want to play it...," he launched a tickle attack which made 
Shampoo trying desperately to get away from him. Even so, he managed to 
score a few hits, producing laughter on Shampoo's part. Without stopping, he 
relayed his cease-fire conditions, "{say yes or else...}"

	"{Yes...(laugh)... yes... (laugh),}" Still under ferocious attack, she had 
no choice but to surrender. Her attacker however hadn't stopped and was 
seemingly having a great time. "{Yes what?}" He had to hear her exact words.

	"{Yes, I'll marry you.}" Upon hearing the words, he stopped his tickling 
and looked at her, searching her eyes for confirmation that it was not a 
joke or a game of hers. His face turned serious and his hands brought her 
nearer to him. "{Say it again.}"

	She slung her hands lovingly over his neck and replied seductively, "{Yes, 
I'll marry the duck-boy. Get this into your head as I'm not going to repeat 
it again.}" Noticing that his somber expression was still on, she decided to 
help him relax and proceeded to french-kiss him.

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

	When Ukyou seemed to be having a nightmare, Ranma rushed over and hugged 
her.  He rocked her while murmuring soothing words in a female voice.  He 
listened to Ukyou's cries for help, to her graphic descriptions of what her 
father was doing to her, to her pleas for 'Mommy' to stay.  His heart broke.

	He felt Ukyou calming down and he gently let go of her.  Instantly, she 
began crying out for her mother.  "Hush my baby, I'm here.  I'll always be 
here."  He gently caressed her face and wiped away her tears.

	Minutes later, back in his own bed, he mentally uttered profanities.  He 
never suspected that the friendly Uncle Kounji he met a decade ago was so 
violent towards his own daughter.  That he would hit her, kick her for the 
slightest mistake or if he was in a bad mood.  If he did know, he would have 
taken Ukyou away in a heartbeat.  <What if you triggered it all?> his mind 
warned.  <Pops took away their cart and left Ucchan behind.  That might have 
caused that Kounji bastard to hit Ucchan, to vent his frustrations on a 
defenseless child.>  Ranma's heart sank at that thought.  <Great, just 
great>, he thought sarcastically, <just what I need, another sleepless 
night>.  Luckily, he was exhausted so he soon fell asleep, casting pity and 
guilt off temporarily.

--------------------------------------------------------------
(Back in Nekohanten)

	Vengeance. This was the word that filled his teenage years. Now he was so 
near to it that he could smell victory. But why was it bothering him?

	Shampoo was a fine specimen of a woman. And maybe that was why. He would 
miss such a voluptuous woman, he convinced himself. Who wouldn't want 
Shampoo for life? There were her kisses and with a body like hers, he 
believed that she could do other things just as great. His male hormones had 
been acting up but he would wait, not for long, the wedding date was just a 
couple of days away.

	Shampoo came into sight carrying a tray of food. Dispersing his thoughts, 
Mousse got up and helped her set up the table. After lighting the candles, 
he was done.

	"{Hmm, all set.}" Shampoo said, putting the last dish onto the table. 
Turning to look at Mousse, a playful thought came into her mind. 
"{Gentleman, table for two?}"

	"{Why, yes, of course, my beautiful waitress. Would you care to join me in 
this splendid dinner?}" He bowed, taking her hand and pulled her a chair. 
Gracefully, she sat but not before engaging him in a brief kiss.

	Taking an opposite position, Mousse started, "{Well, let's tuck in.}"

	"{What's with the candles? I mean you could hardly see, particularly when 
the place is so dimly lighted,}" Shampoo teased. "{You know, although this 
is romantic, I won't want you to mistake the plant for me.}"

	Not to be outdone, he retorted, "{Oh, I still have some leftover candles 
from the proposal, so no point wasting them.}" He watched the smirk 
disappear from her face and laughed as her face turned to a scowl. "{As for 
my eyesight, I've finally gone to an optometrist and got contacts. So, I can 
see perfectly.}"

	"{Humph, how romantic you are,}" she scorned, surprised at how the tables 
were turned against her. Now, it was his turn to smirk. Without taking his 
eyes off her, he walked over to her. Squatting to maintain eye level with 
her, he held her hands and admitted defeat. "{Okay, I'm sorry. I shouldn't 
have make fun of you. I really wanted to spend a romantic evening with 
you.}"

	He seemed to know what buttons to push to get her into where he wanted. 
Right now, she couldn't stay or act angry even if her life depended on it. 
Smiling, she didn't realize that he had won again.

	"{You know I was thinking, why don't we move to Hong Kong? I'm sick of the 
prejudice we received in Japan. And I especially hate the way people are 
looking at you.}"

	She had to agree with him. People still viewed her as a killer. And they 
were making her feeling very unwelcome. "{Why Hong Kong?}"

	"{Well, we can't return to Joketsuzoku,}" he saw that she was becoming 
downcast and quickly continued, "{I wanted a new start for the both of us. 
It's a prosperous place, and our business would flourish there.}"

	"{Our business?}"

	"{Yeah, we could reopen Nekohanten. And with your cooking skills, I'm sure 
it would do very well.}" Shampoo seemed to be accepting the idea, but he 
continued anyway, a gleam in his eyes. "{When we have children, they could 
help us in the restaurant. And when we are old, we could give the restaurant 
to our children.}"

	"{What children? Who says we're having children?}" She said, making fun of 
him. In response, he pretended to be angry. "{You're going to bear me 
children.}"

	She leaned forward to him, their faces inches apart, her voice alluring, 
"{What if I refuse?}" He could feel her hot breath on his face and it turned 
him on. "{I don't think you have a choice,}" he replied hoarsely and closed 
whatever distance between them, taking pleasure from her lips. Yeah, he 
would definitely miss her.


End of Part 5A.

DICTIONARY:

1. Akane mispronounced the chinese word 'pig-tail' (bian zi) into 'swindler' 
(pian zi).

2. Candied Haw or bing tang hu lu = a famous sweet in China that has been 
around since a long, long time ago.  It is basically a reddish fruit (?) 
covered with hardened sugar.


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