A quick note: because this part is larger than the Hotmail composer can 
handle, it is being sent in two parts. This is 2/2, therefore, if you 
haven't read 1/2, go look there first, then come back.

The story so far:

* Nemesis, Seiryu, and the Orochi Cult have been destroyed.
* Mousse is severely crippled, and is not expected to recover.
  However, as part of his punishment, he must remain alive.
* Shampoo is being punished by keeping Mousse alive or can't go home.
* Kodachi leaves school in protest.
* Ukyo is dead.

---------------------------------------------------------------
Dance of the Jade Dragon (continued from part 1)

The Next Evening

  It felt like a party, what they were holding in the Tendo Dojo,
Ranma thought, and yet, it wasn't.
  Informal as it was, the young Saotome stayed close to the food
table, closest to the beverages, refilling the puny paper cup every
time he drained it dry. He scanned the room... and all he could see
were familiar faces-- all those who had come to the party had one
thing in common.
  He watched Konatsu, holding Ukyo's giant combat spatula (the one
she had left behind when she left with Akane that fateful day), talk
with a group of Ucchan's longtime regulars, among them Hiroshi and
Daisuke.
  He saw Kuno, along with his sister and the short ninja, at
a corner, where Kuno was making some kind of scene-- Ranma didn't
care what about.
  He saw Shampoo at another corner, talking with Akane about something.
Ranma could not help but notice that she was holding the very trident
that Seiryu had used... the weapon that was the only trace of Ukyo
left after the titanic battle.
  Mousse was nowhere to be seen; that was no surprise, seeing as
how he was barely alive. Tofu, Ranma knew, had promised to look after
him for Shampoo while she was gone. After all, Tofu still had a
business to run as well, even if it was late in the evening.
  And, through all of this, Ranma was surprised that anybody came at
all.
  Ranma sighed, refilling his cup for the umpteenth time. He swished
around the red punch, a red that reminded him of... no. It was nice of
Mr. Tendo to agree to this... and Mom, too. Heck, Pop even had a
good word in it, too, surprisingly enough.
  With his free hand the martial artist fingered the jade dragon
earring in his pocket, as if it could grant him reassurance.
  Well, he thought, if these things are supposed to bring good luck,
then it's not really working....
  And his thoughts drifted to Ukyo once again. He almost expected her
to be there, in the dojo, with everybody else.
  That's how it should have been, and yet, that's how it's not.
  "You must be Ranma Saotome," someone said.
  Ranma nearly jumped at the sound of the newcomer's voice. He turned
to meet a face he didn't recognize. "Who're you?"
  "I'm Joseph Nakamura," the man said, extending a hand. "A priest
at the Saint Hebereke Church. I hear it is your close friend that
recently passed away."
  The young martial artist snorted. "Who invited you?"
  Nakamura spared a glance in Kasumi's direction. "She did."
  "Gotta talk to Kasumi about that later," Ranma muttered under his
breath. What gave her the right to bring an evangelist?
  "Why the glum look?" asked the priest. "Your friend is in a better
place."
  "Yeah, where?" Ranma asked sarcastically, then added, "She ain't
one of you."
  "In atheist views there is no Heaven nor Hell," continued Nakamura.
"If you would be so willing, would it please you if I posthumously
baptized her? Would that ease your mind?"
  Anger boiled in Ranma's blood at the mere thought. Though he
wanted to lash out at the priest, something told him that now was
not the time, nor the place, for such action.
  "Get lost," he said finally. "Your stupid miracle water can't bring
her back."
  "Of course not," the priest replied. "Perhaps she could join the
saint in the afterlife."
  "Up yours! Nobody's makin' Ukyo a saint."
  "Well, then, perhaps...."
  "I've heard of your recruitment drive," Ranma spat, eyeing Nakamura
with contempt. "You've already ruined the lives of others... and
you're not going to do it to any of my friends."
  "Kodachi?" Nakamura exclaimed in surprise.
  "She ain't a friend of mine!" the martial artist insisted. "Go
away, before I lose it!"
  Smirking, the priest nodded. "I see. Well, then, perhaps some of
your associates will be more receptive to the Word." He waved his hand
in a mock salute. "Be seeing you, Saotome."
  Ranma said nothing, refilling his cup as he watched the priest
walk off into the crowd. Bastard, he thought, what gave him the right,
or the idea, to even suggest such a thing?! Ukyo'd rather die before
she'd let that happen....
  Shit.
  Heck, how could I ever know? She's dead.
  One thing's for sure, though... that priest was bad news.
  Reality broke Ranma's reverie when he realized Nabiki was passing
a microphone around. Konatsu was the first to receive the wired
object, intended to allow all attending to hear his thoughts about
Ukyo.
  The mike screeched for a moment as Konatsu gathered his thoughts.
"Hello?" he said, tapping his finger on the mike.
  Those standing close to the speakers yelled out in pain, covering
their ears. Konatsu winced.
  "Sorry about that," apologized Konatsu, blushing with embarrassment.
In his arm he held the spatula, resting against his shoulder, and
the mike in both hands. "I won't bore you all with the details, but
thanks for coming. And thank Ranma for suggesting this in the first
place."
  No one applauded or cheered, but that was to be expected.
  The kunoichi continued, "I think I speak for all of us when I say
Ukyo-sama's made an impact on our lives. For what she was and what
she did, we miss her."
  Without another word, Konatsu passed the mike to the waiting hand
of Tatewaki Kuno. But, not only did Kuno grab the mike, but the
spatula as well.
  Holding the spatula in one hand, the mike in the other, Kuno struck
a dramatic pose. "Alas, poor Ukyo Kuonji," he said, "I knew her!"
  He raised the spatula high in the air, in emphasis. "THIS, he
proclaimed, "was the spatula that struck so many an opponent!"
  With that, many attendees rubbed their heads, even Ranma.
  "To have it end like this," continued Kuno, his dramatic recital
making its peak. And yet, even while on a roll, the swordsman seemed
as if he could no longer carry on the speech, as he struggled to
find the words.
  Tossing the spatula back to Konatsu, Kuno passed the mike to
Kodachi.
  Kodachi took a deep breath, grasping the mike with both hands,
close to her lips, eyes closed, as if in prayer (but those who knew
her knew better than that). Summoning the words, she said, "Ukyo
Kuonji... I hardly knew her, up until recent times. To say she was
an excellent chef would be underestimating her skill."
  Murmurs and nods rushed through the dojo like a wave. Ranma
couldn't have agreed more, taking another sip from his cup.
  "She may be of low birth," continued Kodachi, "but birth be no
barrier to excellence...."
  Just then the wall behind Kodachi burst apart, sending Kodachi
flying forward. Kuno raised his bokken in readiness, facing the
newly-created hole in the dojo wall.
  "Where am I?!" shouted Ryoga, peeking his head into the dojo.
  "Ryoga!" exclaimed Akane. "Where've you been?"
  "Lost," Ranma muttered under his breath, "where else?"
  Looking around with the same lost expression, Ryoga Hibiki threw
down his travel pack. "What is this, some kind of party?" he asked.
  Kuno helped his sister back to her feet. "Of course!"
  Taking advantage of the distraction, Shampoo grabbed the microphone
from Kodachi. "Spatula girl strong despite being weak," she said
quickly. "Too kind to fight."
  "And you, dear," Kodachi hissed, "are an impudent...!"
  Sasuke quickly clamped his hand on Kodachi's mouth. "Please,
Mistress!" he pleaded, just before she bit him.
  With that, Shampoo tossed the mike toward Ranma. Dropping his cup,
the young Saotome grabbed it, fumbling with the mike in his hand
and barely escaping tangling himself in the wire.
  All eyes were on him.
  "W...what?" he asked nobody in particular.
  His eyes scanned the room, and met Akane's.
  "I guess it's your turn," she said, shrugging.
  Ranma stared down at the microphone, the dread filling him,
almost overcoming him. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, after all.
  The weight of stares made it even worse.
  "Ukyo, why'd you have to die?"
  Too late, he realized he had said those words out-loud.
  "Ranma," Akane whispered.
  Trapped, Ranma thought. Damn, damn, damn.
  Silently, he reached for the earring, clutching it in his fingers
tightly. Surprisingly, that seemed to give him a little confidence.
  "I guess you could say," he began, "that I'm the only one here that
knows Uccha... Ukyo, best." He sighed. "I don't know if you could
call that close or not, but...." Ranma shook his head.
  There were no insults, nor jeers, not even from Kuno.
  For several moments, the young Saotome blinked, covering his eyes
with his fingers. Lowering his hand, he continued, "We were six, when
we met the first time. Nearly twelve years ago. We were both of the
type of family that didn't have too many friends, so I guess we
were made to complement each other."
  "We got along great, Ukyo and I. We parted, and we met again, ten
years later. I thought she was the same old Ucchan I knew as a kid,
but she'd changed... a lot."
  "Ranma," Akane said, "maybe I should take it?"
  "And I never saw it!" Ranma said, seemingly ignoring the girl.
This time, he didn't care about the tears freely flowing down his
cheeks. "She died, I have no idea why, and that's because I didn't
take the time to get to know her!!"
  Murmurs ran throughout the dojo amidst gasps of surprise. Akane
ran to her husband's side, trying to think of something to say to him,
something that could make it all better.
  But, there was no such luck. She pulled the microphone from Ranma's
hand, who let go without resistance.
  "Ukyo," she began quickly, "was one of the most interesting people
I've ever met."
  "Understatement," Ranma muttered, trying to walk away, but Akane
held his arm fast.
  "I didn't know it when I first met her," continued Akane, wishing
for Ranma to hear what she had to say, "but I soon learned a good
deal about her. Ukyo was willing to give up everything for Ranma...
just as I was-- she was the one willing to do whatever was asked of
her for him. She was my greatest rival, and yet, she was also a
friend."
  Shampoo nodded, folding her arms, the trident resting against one
shoulder.
  "Quick to anger, quick to forgive, she reminded me of someone I
know." Akane forced a weak smile. "And yet, even when she lost Ranma,
she was still a good friend. It was me, Ranma, and Ukyo... and she
never complained once after accepting us. She was the first to jump
up to help us, and the last to give up, because inevitably, she loved
us both. The king, the queen, and the loyal knight."
  "Brilliant," praised Kuno.
  Akane nodded. "I don't really understand what happened these past
couple of days, but whatever it was, Ukyo helped guarantee our
future. For that, I'm very grateful, and I wish I could thank her."
  "Even after all that's happened, I can say without a doubt in my
mind that I'm proud to have known her."
  Despite the mood, someone started clapping. Moments later, the
rest of the dojo's occupants did likewise, save Ranma and Akane.
  "Right," Ranma said.
  Akane released her grip on Ranma, allowing him to walk off to be
by himself.



----------------------------------------------------------
If you're [un]lucky, you earn a place in my .sig!

* "[Y]ou're lamer than your signature and screen name indicate."--Chris 
Davies
* "There was a recent case where a fanfic author put together his work with 
only another fanfic serving as his primary resource.  *I* started writing 
fanfiction that way, and consequently I never grew attached to this whole 
idea of remaining true to the original.  I call it "correction."--Reverend 
Prez

--Razorclaw X
Author: "The Wheel of Fire", "The World's Worst Ranma Fanfic!", "The 
Geometry of Shattered Souls", "The Balance of Power".
"I sold my soul to buy a copy of the dubbed 'Ukyo Can Cook'"
"Decepticons Forever!"


_______________________________________________________________
Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com