Preamble.

Well here it is, Chapter 6 of Way of the Ninjitsu - all ready for
your viewing pleasure. I've always made use of the extra editng
required to format the work for the FFML, to iron out minor spelling
errors and the occasional missed word etc. So for any of you who have
already read the story from the website, I will have re-posted what I
*think* is the final version.

Oh and by the way, I've changed my email address. It's now
dojo@ihug.com.au   Eventually I will be looking to close down my xoommail
emailing account.


Thank you for your time, and on forth to





Way of the Ninjitsu.


A Fanfiction by Jason Wong.
Inspired by Ruminko Takahashi's Ranma
1/2.





Chapter 6. Amazons and Spatulas.



The rising Sun, a constant wherever you were in the world, was absent
from its traditional greeting to an awakening Ranma. This was no great
disaster - merely that for reasons unknown the teenager had arisen
early today (for him). Groggily shaking off the stiffness borne of the
previous day's hard travelling, the ninja trainee tossed the feather
blankets aside and stepped barefooted onto the cold wood. In such
high altitudes, the mornings were frequently below freezing point -
though here in the sheltered valley, fuelled by the same underground
natural heat that generated the springs, snow and frost was a rarity.

Quickly pacing to his backpack in the cupboard, Ranma hastily slipped
on his customary jet silken shirt, covering it with the red. That, combined
with the generic Shinkasa thermal undershirt would prove sufficient to
keep its wearer warm. Tightening the shoulder sheath of his bokkens,
the ninja trainee was thus finished with the daily dressing, and quietly
exited his bedroom. In the light of pre-dawn, the abode of Elder
Cologne was definitively more homely - the natural laminated wood
facing warming its welcoming appearance - a stark contrast to the
heightened shadows of night. Or maybe that was just because of the
'welcoming' that had accompanied his first impression. Best not to think
of that.

It was apparent from the silence pervading the house that Ranma was
the only member currently awake within the premises - which was hardly
surprising considering the time. With that in mind, he silently floated
downstairs, and out towards the open field standing behind the
matriarch's home. The half-hour before the mass populace arose could
be well spent in private training. Withdrawing both wooden blades in
one smooth pull, the trainee took one deep breath of sharply fresh
mountain air, and began.


*********


With a ragged jerk, the ancient Cologne shot up from her bed, only
barely catching herself from making a most undignified landing upon
the hard floor. Without so much as a glance for her sleep dishevelled
state, the elder hurriedly slipped on a heavy woollen overrobe, and
dashed towards the source of the flow disturbance - almost skipping in
her haste. It must have occurred very close to awaken her - the other
matriarchs may have felt it as well, though probably not. In any case, she
had a fair idea about who would perform such a technique, and was
anxious to arrive before it was completed.

Stepping out into the cold morning, Cologne was presented with the
spectacle of her soon to be student sparring with an invisible enemy in
her own 'backyard'. Rhythmically, the dancing ninja twisted in curious
arcs - the wood of his bokkens occasionally cutting clean grooves into
the soil.

"A rare treat for us to see - it is uncommon indeed when one catches Ranma
in this sort of trance." Kagora commented mildly from beside the
matriarch.

Shrewdly, the old crone regarded her long time friend. "Still haven't loss
the knack for sneaking up on people I see."

"Maybe you are just getting old."

"Hah! And you were ever the insolent pupil." Turning once more to the
teenager she added casually, "He cannot hear us can he?"

"No - Saotome will not be receptive to anything until his reverie is
finished." Pointing clinically, he continued. "See the way the leading
edges of his bokkens glint at the off angle?" At her nod he stated
simply, "Chi. In conscious state he has only barely harnessed the ability
to focus chi outside of his body - and here we have a fully cohesive
energy focus onto a foreign object - the Catfist manifested onto pure
wood."

"Most interesting. I'll have much to work with here Kagora. Plenty to
keep an old woman occupied in her declining years."

The ninja master's reply was dry with years of experience. "Why does
my skin get a distinctly poxy feeling when you say that?"

She was almost cackling. "Because you know as well as I that the boy's
a prize - and one that would be valued by all - if not me then by another
elder. Would you rather a matriarch other than myself succeed in her
designs? I have kept my full knowledge of Ranma's abilities hidden
mostly so far from the council - but that state of ignorance cannot last
forever. Sooner or later - and probably sooner mind you, his skill will
become common knowledge, and then you will have much to contend
with. For the present I am content to let things run as they are - my heir
has taken a liking to yours already - and that is sufficient for my aims."

"You know the Shinkasa will never hold Ranma back should he choose
to leave the Clan - but I will have it only by free choice, and not some
potion or magic induced state."

If the old crone had been two hundred years younger, her expression
might have been called a pout. "You spoil all the fun in life Kagora."

Their friendly bickering was interrupted as a rather surprised Ranma
landed before them - his bokkens held blades downwards like a
praying mantis. "Sensei.s?" He left the question hanging at the
unexpected sight of both tutors. The ability to sense other beings at
close proximity had become so regular in its constancy that any
deviation was almost disorientating.

"You needn't worry kohai - your abilities are not waning - merely another
trance." The Ninja Master supplied patiently.

"Yeah...uhh thanks I guess." Despite his past experiences with this
curious shift in lower mental state, the teenager was still unsure upon
how to react to it. On the one hand it seemed almost marvellously
enticing to be able to perform such techniques and forms which
spectators had occasionally related to him on recovery; but that loss of
coherence to the outer world, and more critically the loss of control on
his own body's machinations - both anathema to any Shinkasa ninja -
gave the entire affair a certain brand of distrust. In entirety the
pigtailed
boy found it easier to circumvent the matter entirely - at least for the
moment. "May I go now?"

It was Cologne who answered him. "Yes, go and have breakfast.
Shampoo's father will have awoken by now - he'll see to your needs."

Hastily, Ranma bowed and took off towards the rear entrance of the
house.


********


Arching her back theatrically, Shampoo adroitly pulled both arms high in
her traditional awakening stretch. Never really a morning person as a
general rule, this was the sleepy girl's way of suppressing the irritation
of rising early - to the demands of an Amazon warrior. Stepping
groggily over to the dresser she pulled it open to select the apparel for
today - and was suddenly reminded again of the recent changes in her
life.

Smiling deviously, the purple haired teenager revised the normal attire,
keeping a certain pigtailed boy in mind - although in such cold weather
it was difficult to express one's more....sensuous side, without
running the risk of freezing to death. Not to mention that she would look
decidedly bizarre surrounded by the village populace attired in their
usual heavy overrobes.

Deciding at last for a more modest affair (though not *that* modest),
Shampoo rapidly doffed her sleepwear, replacing it with a tight fitting
shirt, contrasted by loose warrior's trousers. There. A nice compromise
between aesthetics and functionality - and not so obvious as to totally
reveal her motives. Slipping a light jacket on top for warmth, she
enthusiastically bounced down the stairwell to meet their guest.


********


After doffing his hiking shoes, Ranma slid easily through the corridors -
the basic outlay of the house already well versed in his memory.
Stepping into the relative warmth of the kitchen revealed the as of yet
unseen third member of Cologne's household - presumably
Shampoo's father.

"Good morning," he greeted warmly. "I'm sorry we never met last night.
My name is Kwai Lien."

Ranma bowed formally, in deference to a senior. "Saotome Ranma. I'm
honoured to meet you sir." Raising his eyes, the boy made a quick
assessment of the man standing casually by the cooking stove. Kwai
Lien was a shortish figure with thinning black hair - fairly unremarkable
save for the almost startling red cast eyes - a trait shared with his
daughter.

As with all trained fighters, Ranma was well versed in the tell tale signs
of a fellow martial artist (or ninja for that matter). From the moment a
combatant moved, one could innately detect the fluidity and power of tone
that radiated 'danger' to his hyper alertive senses - and in regards to
those that did not move - well, Master Kagora had always taught a
nearly failsafe area to investigate.

The hands. Patterns of calluses, or the lack of them, their strength, their
dexterity - to a trained eye one could judge the craft of the person, and
perhaps even his or her social status.

Now Ranma was no expert in this, but it was clear that the man standing
before him was no fighter. There were calluses to be sure - but all
wrong for a sword or weapon grip; or even the thickened pads to be
expected on the knuckles.

So surprised was the pigtailed ninja that he missed the next comment.
Slightly embarrassed, he mumbled, "Sorry could you say that again?"

Shampoo's father smiled kindly. "I was just asking if you were hungry
now - I've prepared a hearty breakfast for us all, and my Shampoo was
always a healthy eater."

And once again Ranma was thrown off kilter by the reminder of that
other recent issue in his life. He was unsure as to how much Kwai Lien
knew of the events that had transpired the previous night, but in any
case it was poor diplomacy to mention, "I had my very first kiss with your
lovely daughter last night - and she even tried to use tongue."

The Amazon male seemed to accept the teenager's outward
discomfort at face value and sought to relieve the pressure by tactfully
returning to the more immediate distraction of his bubbling pots and
pans.

"Nihao Ranma! Good morning yes?" Shampoo announced brightly as
she bobbed down the stairwell.

"H-hey Shampoo..good morning." He stumbled uncomfortably. "Did
you..uhh sleep well?"

"Yes. Sleep good."

"That's...good." Great. Ten seconds into the conversation and he was
already stumped for words. Fortunately, Ranma was saved by the
unobtrusive clatter as breakfast was laid upon the dining table. As if on
cue, Cologne also chose that moment to enter - hopping to her
traditional seat at the head of the table, and thus completing the eating
party.

Breakfast was a quiet affair, which suited the ninja trainee just fine. To
his credit, Kwai Lien's cooking was superb - a wide array of packaged
dumplings, stir fried vegetables, with herb soup and rice on the side.
Throughout the meal however, Shampoo took every opportunity to steal
not so very well concealed glances at the boy in jet - who by sheer
coincidence (of course) happened to be seated next to her. Whilst this
technically had no effect on the quality of the food - somehow Ranma
couldn't fight off the pangs in his stomach.

Without bothering to ask for the rice to be passed over, Shampoo
reached over her companion, artfully angling her body towards a certain
pigtailed teenager. "What Ranma planning to do this morning?" she
inquired as rice was scooped into the plate.

"Yah..hee...heh." His mumblings were almost incoherent as
concentration was rapidly dismantled by a certain scandalously snug
fitting shirt. "Morning? I...dunno. Whatever Elder Cologne wants."
*How can she possibly breathe without ripping that top?* No! He really
didn't want to think of tearing tops now.

And from her seat at the head of the table, the said matriarch smiled
inwardly. Despite a virtually null education in the finer arts of attracting
the opposite sex - Shampoo was doing well - if the boy's reactions
were any credible measure. Returning to the more present subject, she
coughed authoritatively. "We will start your training immediately Ranma,
as will be done with all your fellow ninja companions."

Looking up from his close examination of the intricately random
patterns of grains in the rice bowl, the Anything Goes practitioner
hesitantly asked, "Will Lano - Iyarasora that is, be training with me? I'm
kinda used to him as a sparring partner."

"No, Lano will be taking instruction from Siu Wei - that is the woman you
met last night." The little lady regarded the boy intently. "And the fact
that you are so used to the Korean boy for fighting is all the more
reason *not* to have him as training partner. No student of mine will be
knocked off his feet just because he was too ingrained with one
particular opponent to fight anyone else. Now, I will want to see your
progress with chi manipulation before we work on techniques and
forms. Is that clear?"

"Hai Elder Cologne." And with that the room returned to silence - Kwai
Lien observing the proceedings without a word.


*********


Tendo Nabiki winced sympathetically as the unpleasantly harsh sound
of exposed skin skidding across cold concrete echoed through the
silence of the morning bystanding crowd.

"Face it Kuno. You aren't good enough by miles to be more than a
bother to me." Akane stood with arms crossed confidently as she
watched the downed kendoist struggling with limbs akimbo. "It was fun
for a while and good for my training - but now it's just interfering with
school time."

"My goddess...please!" Kuno desperately called, his hands held forth
beseechingly. "Thou canst..."

"Can it Kuno!" the Anything Goes heir interrupted fiercely. "If you can't
offer a *better* challenge then stop pestering me. I'm SICK of it you here
me? Sick of the poetry, sick of the flowers, *sick* of your wannabe tryhard
samurai skills!" Without waiting for a reply Akane stomped off towards
the main school building, the observing crowd of students reflexively
clearing a wide berth passage as she passed.

"Man, is it just me or is she glowing?" a stunned Hiroshi queried in awe
to his companion. Daisuke remained mute as the Tendo girl
disappeared around the dim corridor, lighting it briefly in an unearthly
red haze with her passage.

And still kneeling frozen in his plea for credence Kuno sat stunned in
shock - his livelihood and world demolished in an instant. After all these
months of tireless challenging - efforts unequalling to the endless love
that fuelled them, not once had the sweet Tendo Akane voiced any
objection - as was to be expected.

Well, that wasn't *quite* true. She had frequently expounded variations on
the 'leave me alone' theme - but the Kendo prot�g� had always taken it
as some form of incentive - a negative reinforcement per se. But never
once had his love ever condemned his vaunted skills.

Actually that wasn't really true either - but more exactly - she had never
damned them so...explicitly. Silently Kuno Tatewaki pondered over
the raven haired beauty's torturous words. *Good enough by miles.
Better challenge.* What could she possibly mean?

And whilst the upperclassman mused, the remainder of the student body
filed systematically through the large double doors as the first bell
echoed piercingly across the now deserted school front. Thus it was to
a noticeable empty lot that his astounding revelation was most proudly
vocalised. "Zounds to the mighty Gods. The skills of the vaunted
Tatewaki are as nothing when faced unto forth the invincibility of the
warrior goddess herself." Clutching hands mournfully to his face, he
continued - unmindful of the partly curious/partly disinterested stares
from the facing classroom windows. "O me miserum - I must conquer
my damnable weakness....I MUST!"

But how? Akane was superb - nay she was the icon of perfection. Kuno
was not so deluded (surprisingly) as to believe himself capable of
conquering one of her calibre - but to even equal her would be an
honour unto itself.

And of course the only answer to this was to train. For the greater
portion of his childhood, the swordsman had trained under the tutelage
of a wide variety of grandmasters and sword masters. But clearly that
was not nearly enough. What the great Kuno heir required for his needs
was a true swordsman - not one who had earned credentials in some
meaningless dan rating or petty tournament. Nay it would be only a real
warrior for Tatewaki - one that lived by the sword just as he did so
himself.

Now, on to the more immediate concern - his lovely red cloud had
proclaimed bitterly that there was no one to even test her skills upon.
Well, whilst Kuno was secluded in his own training to fulfil that role - it
was a matter of relative simplicity to recruit followers to supplement the
task until he could assume his rightful place.


**********


Reaching into the closet, Ranma pulled out his trusty weapons case,
laying the contents out upon the bed. Following breakfast, Cologne had
sent her new pupil upstairs to prepare for his first Amazon training
session - the only directive being to 'arm himself as he saw fit.'

And thus the pigtailed boy was left to decide on the choice - eventually
deciding on adding both the true katanas and sai to his usual bokken
armament. As an afterthought he pocketed a couple of shuriken in their
leather holsters - who knew? Maybe they might come in useful. Once
the appropriate holsters, bridge clips, and straps were properly
snapped together the ninja trainee leapt out into the open, exiting
through his second storey bedroom window - after all it *was* quicker.

Downstairs, another teenager was quietly pacing back and forth
between dining and cooking rooms, dutifully passing on the used
dishes to be washed. And in the corner, by the fireplace sat the family
matriarch closely observing her heir.

"Shampoo."

At once the girl turned and said, "Yes great grandmother?"

"You like Ranma, don't you?" It wasn't really a question.

And of course Shampoo knew better than to try to hide anything from
her ruling elder - although there was no particular reason to anyway.
Ranma was a fine strong boy - certainly it would have been a surprise if
Cologne did bear an objection. "Hai great grandmother. Ranma
is...he would have made good husband."

The old crone smiled thinly at that. "Remember child, you are not
allowed to challenge the boy for marriage..however he is under no
such restriction..." She left the statement hanging - a clear
implication.

If she wasn't before an elder, the purple haired Amazon might have
jumped in glee. "Obasan no mind if Shampoo get Ranma to be airen?"
"On the contrary, to 'get' Saotome Ranma will surely boost our family to
even higher levels - I am sure that the other elders are establishing
similar plans with their own unmarried girls. You have my full approval
Shampoo - do as you see fit to ensnare your prospective airen."

The Amazon smiled contentedly - that was all she could have asked for
and more - now she was working for issues of honour and political
standing, and not just for her previous more...physical motivation.

As an after thought, Cologne added hastily, "Oh and by the way - no
potions allowed either." *Damn treaties.*

"Hmpf. Is no fair." She knew however that crossing her arms and huffing
in disapproval would do little good. Anyhow - there were many other
ways to attract a man.

"I know my child..I know. But go now. I have arranged for you to sit in
on some of Ranma's lessons, including his first. So prepare yourself
and be outside in fifteen minutes."

"Hai great grandmother." And with that the violet haired teenager was
off up the stairs.


**********


Briskly slipping on the multi-layered robes which constituted his daily
wear, Mu Tzu very nearly flew across the landing - pulling a pair of
spectacles from one of the voluminous sleeves midway through
trajectory. This proved to be a somewhat unfortunate attempt, as he
was soon to discover that the oncoming blur which up till now had been
hidden in the haze of blindness proved to be unusually hard.

Gingerly, the Hidden weapons master picked himself up and returned
the granite stone quern to upright position. Without so much as a further
glance he was off once more - heading for the village house just three
doors down - the abode of course, of his beloved....

"Xian Pu my love!!!!!! Wait for me!" Had he the vision to notice, Mu Tzu
might have been daunted by the purple haired girl's returning glance -
usually reserved for unidentified objects occasionally found stuck to
one's shoe heels.

Deliberately refraining from following the boy's usage of their native
dialect, Shampoo responded curtly in Japanese. "Go away....Mousse.
Shampoo no need to bother with you today." *Or any other day for that
matter.* Without a further comment she imperiously turned her back and
marched down towards the training field.

Expectant as he was for the usual bout of more eloquent Chinese
expletives, habitually accompanied with several choice bludgeonings -
the sudden silence was - eerily gnawing. Well, he could have done
without the latter part - but still...no something was wrong.
Apprehensively, Mousse dashed after the retreating teenager.


**********


Patiently a figure dressed from head to toe in an ominous black leaned
casually against a withering tree trunk. On a last minute whim, Ranma
had reordered his clothing, putting the black silk shirt to the fore. It was
after all a training session, and as a ninja he could never feel at ease
fighting whilst clothed in bright red.

It was to such a sight that greeted Elder Cologne as she stepped out
into the winter Bayankala morning, carrying her ever present, ever
useful wooden cane. "Ah - I see that Kagora and his traditionalist
faction have finally accepted the newer technology." Her reference was
to the distinctly modernistic fibre-glass 'over the shoulder' holsters
which were clicked into a belt of similar design - all dyed black of
course.

Reaching to rub at the back of his head. the boy merely said, "Actually
Kuranami Sempai lent this to me for the training trip - just to try out the
design." Shrugging non-committedly he continued. "Seems okay -
certainly lighter and more flexible than my old straps of leather."

"And certainly very fierce looking - you look like one of those Western
commando soldiers." Cologne's tone was only slightly mocking - he did
cut a fine appearance in the jet getup. "Now back to the training - you
will not need those katanas for the moment. I understand that Kagora
has already begun your chi training?"

"Yes, I have been practicing it in the off hours as well."

Taking a more commandeering tone she directed her new kohai for his
first task. "Well then, form a ball of chi."

Taking a deep breath, Ranma closed his eyes and initiated the focus.
Although he had been practicing the task, both in and out of official
training time - even this relatively simple chi manipulation took some
effort of concentration. After several tenuous seconds, the awaited blue
glow began to crystallise before his outstretched palms, swirling
randomly before gently coalescing into a warm pulsating ball of energy.

"Aiyaaahhh," came a soft murmur from behind. Abruptly the ball
wavered followed quickly by a dissipation of the chi, and a gasp as
control was lost.

"Shampoo I said you could watch but be *silent*." Returning her intent
gaze back to the student, Cologne gestured for the boy to relax. It was
obvious to even untrained eyes that the focus had been taxing. "You
have been training for a while now to be generating energy like that?"

Shrugging again he queried nonchalantly, "Is a month a long time? I
dunno..don't know that is - everything took a long time to achieve - just
being able to concentrate properly took a week in itself."

A cryptically mysterious smile formed upon the old woman's lips at the
pigtailed trainee's offhand remark that would have shocked any
practicing martial artist. "A month to form chi balls?
Impressive....exceptionally so. No sonny boy - four weeks to reach
your level is more than satisfactory." Musing half to herself, she added,
"Though when viewed with your mastery of the Nekoken, it is perhaps
not so very surprising."

Startled by the revelation, Ranma's voice quavered. "You know about
my...Catfist?"

"But of course - you could not imagine that I would be ignorant of such a
momentous issue?"

"Catfist?" Shampoo cut in, curious at the foreign term.

"A powerful chi technique - if you are nice to Ranma he might
demonstrate it for you." It became apparent then to the ninja that the
Amazon elder, like Master Kagora appeared fond of the semi-
serious/semi-mocking tonalities. He was brought back to reality by the
not very light rapping of her cane upon his still extended hands.

"Don't fall asleep on me sonny boy - since you are sufficiently versed
enough in the chi arts I will begin immediately with your first technique -
a technique so devastating it has been feared by generations of
Chinese Emperors for over three thousand years." Without further
comment she pogoed away, leaving both teenagers to follow at a brisk
half-run.


***********


"Who is *that*?" The young fighter needed not to point out the item of her
curiosity - an obvious foreigner clad in black who had just floated past
the idling pair.

"One of the outsider trainees from Japan. I heard from Bo Yan that they
arrived yesterday night." Eyeing the newcomer speculatively, the
speaker added, "Not bad you know - I wouldn't mind losing a fight or
two to someone like him."

It was then that the mystery boy's companion was revealed - a certain
violet haired Amazon well known to both. And from the way that she
almost skipped in her eagerness, it was just as clear to the pair that she
had already staked out her territory.

"Damn her! What gives her the right to lay claim on the outsider?"

Mixed between agreement and bemusement the other mildly remarked,
"Five seconds of assessment and you already want the foreigner? My
my, you do move fast, Jia Su Min."

Angrily the Amazon fighter rounded on her friend. "That is NOT the
point! We should all be given fair chance to 'check out' the newcomers -
instead of that purple haired bimbo moving in on fair game." Seeing the
girl about to open her mouth in a rejoinder she added venomously, "And
no Ka Mien - I am NOT still seething over Xian Pu's
last....last...victory in the duel." Actually she was - but that was totally
unrelated and of course unbiasing over her current opinion (of course).

"Stay your anger," Ka Mien soothed, "your little rival cannot stake any
official possession of the outsider. My mother told me last night -
Amazons both male and female may not use either the kiss of marriage
or death in the event of a defeat."

"It's just as well for the boy in black - or Xian Pu would have been all
over him like a vulture."

Unknowst to the bickering pair, there was a third temporary member to
their conversation. Seething in a rage very much more palpable than
the griping Amazon girl before him, Mu Tzu forced clenching fists to
relax - lest the nails bite into his own palms. The myopic teenager may
have lacked the visual clarity to receive firsthand enlightenment on the
scenario being portrayed in the discussion - but the words *'claim'*, and
*'fair game'* were enough to supplement the imagination. In his rapidly
overboiling rage, the Hidden Weapons Master even failed to notice Jia
Su Min's open insults to his beloved - where in any usual situation she
would probably have already been beaten to incoherence.

Whoever the mystery boy in black was, he was already marked for an
enemy. To any Amazon the mentality was simplicity unto itself - Mu Tzu
had set himself a goal in life - Xian Pu's heart - and anything that
delayed his inevitable possession of it could be considered an
obstacle.

In a silence that spoke volumes, the raven haired teenager stalked
forward to investigate.


**********


Less than twenty miles away, another teenager was wearily trudging
along the annoyingly steep collection of broken rubble, loose dirt and
potholes which constituted a pathway in this godforsaken place. Ukyou
winced bitterly as his ankle was jarred for the umpteenth time in yet
another rut. Impatience had resulted in his journeying throughout most
of the previous night, despite the sometimes near-absolute darkness - a
decision reflected in the boy's decidedly ragged appearance this morning.
A mere two days in China and already the Kuonji heir had
grown to hate China and all that it represented. It would be a very
welcoming day when he could be done with this blasted business of
honour and for once experience the 'normal' life of high school, friends,
and okonomiyaki. And as for Saotome Ranma - well, Ukyou could have
cared less how he fared, damn that boy for choosing to live in another
country
just when he was so very close.

Pausing for breath, the martial artist reached behind to retie his slipping
ponytail, taking stock of the surroundings as he did so. All things
considered, the wild landscape might have been appreciable under
more...favourable conditions. As his eyes wandered, Ukyou's gaze fell
upon a relatively clear, and more importantly, flat patch of terrain - as
good as any place for breakfast. The teenager had been walking since
dawn, and was more than ready for a hearty meal. Drawing forth a mini-
spatula from the bandolier the chef settled down to pound his travel
preserved and hardened batter into submission.

*Kami above, I hate this.*


**********


Ranma silently observed as his sensei knelt and began methodically
gathering firewood, neatly arranging the fragments into a reasonable
pile. And all the while, Shampoo was almost hopping in glee - she
recognised very easily this technique. Consequently, the pigtailed ninja
was the only surprised participant as Cologne reached once more into
her sack, and withdrew a handful of...

"Chestnuts?"

"Why yes," the matriarch replied - her voice deceptively mild. "They are
delicious for eating - provided they are roasted *just* right." So saying
she casually scattered the nuts into the open flames. "We will have to
wait for a while - they take some time to heat. You can tell when the
kernels are ready as the shells will start to crack open.'

Shampoo stifled a giggle at her friend's poorly hidden bewilderment. A
training session he was prepared for - but a cooking lesson? *Hmmm.*

And after a minute or so, the chestnuts did indeed begin to crackle
invitingly. As if acting on the signal, the old crone reached into the
flames and nonchalantly gathered the freshly roasted chestnuts
up...all of them..with her bare hands.

"Wha-hey? How..."

Seemingly ignorant of her kohai's somewhat startled appraisal, she
said, "Because of the unique teaching method, the Amazons have
come to name this speed technique, Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken."

And immediately, Ranma was transported back to a dimly remembered
day - near to his arrival at Shinkasa House, where a ninja trainee had
uttered those very words. So finally, his first true directly aggressive
application of chi - well it would be once he mastered it. Wordlessly,
Elder Cologne delved into her canvas bag and passed a light handful of
raw nuts - absently gesturing to her student to mimic her previous
actions.

Following this, the ninja trainee evenly scattered his portion, pointedly
ignoring a watching Shampoo - soundless save for the crunching as
she munched upon the roasted chestnuts.

"Remember sonny boy, speed is absolutely everything - you need little
strength here to gather a handful of nuts."

*Speed, speed, speed, speed....* And at the moment the signatory
crackling became audible to his sensitive hearing, Ranma dove in,
open palms flailing as he attempted to scoop up the target multitudes
where they lay half imbedded in ash.

The rather sickly wet hissing of vaporising skin moisture and sweat was
most unpleasant to hear, earning a sympathetic wince from one
lavender haired Amazon. The pigtailed ninja on the other hand merely
examined his rapidly reddening palms, stoically enduring the burns in
wordless silence - and half-noting that he had failed to retrieve any of
the chestnuts. Trying to maintain his clinically detached air, Ranma
delicately extracted a splinter wedged in the meat of the right hand -
biting back an almost instinctive yelp as the wood scraped freshly
cooked flesh. "Silence *always*", as Master Kagora occasionally
admonished. Calling to mind one of Meyah's cantrips to soothe the
mind of distraction helped considerably here.

Seeing her student's reaction, or rather lack of reaction, the Amazon
elder leaned towards the crouching teenager. "That does hurt, doesn't
it?" At his nod of yes, she continued bemusedly, "I'll have none of your
'quiet ninja quiet' nonsense here sonny, no matter Kagora's obstinacy
on the subject. If it helps to express the pain vocally - and by the way
that means yell - then feel free to do so."

Blandly, Ranma returned the old crone a blank gaze. "Ouch - it hurts.
And Shampoo," he added, turning to the girl, "you can stop that any
time."

The addressed Amazon had the decency to look contrite as she
refrained from curiously prodding her friend's scorched hands any
further. "So sorry, Shampoo just want to see if Ranma's hands totally
dead."

"Trust me Shampoo - this really does hurt."


***********


"Now let me get this straight sensei. You want me to stick my bare,
unprotected, and totally vulnerable hands into *that* fire." Lano skilfully
embellished his statement with a convincingly sceptical frown.

Exasperatedly, Siu Wei replied, "Yes of course that's what I want you to
do - I didn't start this fire in the middle of nowhere for my own
amusement."

The Korean fighter paused to consider this. "Can we just wait a
moment sensei? I have to get something." At her dismissive wave he
dashed off - thankfully for her patience the absence being of short
duration. When the trainee did return, he carried with him a small
wooden pail of well water.

"Okay sensei - I'm ready now." And without waiting further, Lano lanced
into the flickering flames, where the chestnuts already lay cooking. As
with his friend the admittedly staunch efforts yielded much pain and little
gain.
Gasping silently, Lano jabbed his hands into the nearby pail, sighing in
relief as temperatures were brought to normalcy.

"You realise that the point of this exercise is to *use* the pain to fuel
the
speed necessary to avoid it. To that end..." Here Siu Wei casually
tipped the bucket with the end of her staff. "We will not be needing this
any further - although I applaud your ingenuity at trying to sidestep the
Amaguriken." Almost to herself she added, "strange that nobody ever
thought of doing that before."

Grunting in disapproval, the Korean ninja rolled the sleeves of his blue
workman's shirt a little higher, and reached into the bag for another
handful.


**********


"No no Ranma, you are approaching this all wrong." Cologne was
appreciative enough of her kohai's resilience, but it was for the sake of
his blistering palms that she finally intervened. "The Kachu Tenshin
Amaguriken is a *chi* technique. You're trying to seize those nuts on
physical speed alone - and that is no where near fast enough. Use the
words of the technique to focus the energy into your arms - concentrate
on what the chi must do to hasten the speed and then...take the
chestnuts."

Resisting the urge to peel away the loose skin on the inside of his
hands, Ranma sat back on his heels to muse upon this. *Speed - speed
is of the essence here*. His Mutsabeto Kakuto Ryu was a study on
speed, amongst other factors - so theoretically (Ranma wasn't much of a
theorist) he needed only the mentality, fuelled with inner chi energy to
make this work.

"Kachuu....kachu Tenshin AMAGURIKEN!!" And lo, the pigtailed
teenager held forth in his hand a lone chestnut - which he promptly
discarded. "Kami..that's HOT."

Cologne's subliminally thin-lipped smile was her only evidence of
approval. "In time calluses will develop which will help you to bear the
heat. For the present - suffer."

Ranma took the advice without comment, though he did shoot a nasty
look at Shampoo as she brightly reached for the dropped chestnut and
delicately opened it. "Hmm, cook for too long." She gave the boy a
friendly pat. "Next time take chestnut out a little faster, okay?"

"Thanks a lot for the tip, Shampoo." Ranma responded dryly.

Observing in partial silence, Cologne cut in. "If there is nothing else we
shall leave you to practice - you have the form and needs be to only
repeat it. I will be with Kagora in our house should you have any
queries. When the violet haired girl failed to follow her example -
instead remaining by her friend's side, the elder commanded firmly,
"Come with me as well Shampoo. Staying with your new love there is
no excuse to shirk your own training."

Reluctantly the girl rose, leaving a perplexed Ranma, somewhat rattled
by being referred to as 'love'. As the pair retreated, he could still catch
Shampoo's baby doll voice politely inquiring as to the meaning of
'shirk'.

*Now back on to the task at hand*. Ranma turned once more to the fire,
adding a few extra logs, and gently rearranging the burning ashes into a
more convenient bed. *At least now I know why Elder Cologne gave me
a whole bag full of chestnuts*.

Taking a deep breath, Ranma reached for the darkening kernels.

"KACHU TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!!....KACHU TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!!!....KACHU...

And in the village proper several heads turned at the abrupt termination
of the faintly ambient shouting. After several minutes when no
screaming or unidentified explosions were forthcoming, work was
resumed as normal - in Joketsuzoku it was too much trouble to
investigate such petty issues.

Next to the gradually diminishing practice fire, one Shinkasa ninja
trainee lay prone, peacefully comatose despite his awkwardly random
collapsed position.


*********


Elsewhere, another dark haired teenaged boy was making his way
down the winding trail that led to the village of Joketsuzoku. With the
ease born of practice, Ukyou's eyes scanned the local perimeter for
unwanted assailants - rigorously assessing the multitude of cover spots
offered by the dense foliage. Satisfied at last that there was no
immediate danger, he proceeded along the widening trail. That was a
good sign - an improvement in the road was a general indication that
people were about.

In less than a minute, the forest opened up into an open plain,
almost startling in its immediacy. And there before the boy stood a
tensely alert woman - an Amazon if Shinkasa Maya's verbal
description of the Amazon battle garb proved accurate. Since there
seemed little alternative than to be open, Ukyou stepped into clear view
- flat hands held forth in parley.

Perfume studied the foreigner who had materialised out of the brush,
with narrowed eyes. Acting on a guess she barked out in Japanese,
"Who are you and what you want?"

The okonomiyaki chef was truthful in her reply. "My name is Kuonji
Ukyou. I'm looking for a Saotome Ranma - I was told he might be found
here - if this is the village Joketsuzoku." Left hanging was the query if
he was right in naming the location.

The village border guardian either failed to comprehend the hint or was
totally ignoring of it. "What you want here?"

Disliking the way the warrior seemed to eye the shorter figure down the
bridge of her nose, Ukyou nonetheless reined in her temper - for the
moment at least. "I'm here to see Ranma on a matter of family honour."

Now those kind of words Perfume understood very well - a matter of
honour was either a challenge or some due unfulfilled obligation - either
way it was bound to cause trouble for the outsiders. And since that is
what Elder Tze Liang had commanded for, well....

"You may go through. But leave..." and here the guard pointed to the
oversize spatula, glaringly obvious as it protruded from Ukyou's
shoulder holster, "..that weapon thing here. We do not allow no invited
outsiders to bear arms within the premises."

As to be expected the brown haired teenager disliked the requirement
to part with her beloved spatula - but it was admittedly not an
unreasonable demand. "I will be able to get it back, right?"

"Of course. Ask anyone inside for directions, and most will be able to
lead you to the right place."

Nodding once in understanding, the Japanese boy briskly jogged down
the main road, thankful that the border guard had not noticed the
bandolier of throwing spatulas he stored behind his outer shirt.

And from without, Perfume respectfully placed the giant spatula in a
nearby storage shed. Scum of outsiders the boy may have been - but a
weapon was a weapon - even if it was one of the weirder ones in her
experience.


************


Across the sea in another nation - and more particularly, a certain
Furinkan High School, the magnificent Kuno Tatewaki was mounting a
table - it was hardly the gold guilded podium which would have been
much more suitable for one of his station to be making such an
announcement - but in this environ of peasants, it would suffice - if only
barely.

"Hold ye all and hear mine words of proclamation!" Across the crowded
playground there was a wavering murmur as several hundred members
of the Tuesday lunch crowd turned to witness this unusual spectacle -
unique even for Furinkan.

"It has come to mine attention that the beauteous Tendo Akane is
expressively dissatisfied with the calibre of the studential body herein
contained within these four walls." Here Kuno slowly scanned the crowd
with a vehemently fierce stare, as if daring anyone to question the
number of walls that the high school actually contained. "A pox on ye
all...all who would claim the gender of manhood to have failed in such
a grievous manner. I, as Kuno Tatewaki, sole male heir to the Kuno
name, and Shooting Star of Furinkan High do seek to remedy this
calamity - I declare that the privilege that until this day has been held
singly by myself - the right to fight for the hand of Tendo Akane is hereby
extended to any and all." The upperclassman had little faith in the
general male populace to actually succeed in overcoming his warrior
goddess - and even if by some sheer element of ill luck that some
unworthy sod did defeat the Anything Goes heir - well Kuno had his
ways to remedy such situations.

All the while, the subject of the Kuno heir's high praise sat immobile,
chopsticks in mid transition to her mouth; transfixed by an overloading
surge of emotions - confusion currently the dominant factor.

"For those of ye who have not the intelligence to grasp my concept,"
(this was his response to the myriad of semi-shocked stares that
accompanied the words) "I may put it simply that you have my
permission to challenge my goddess for the right to date her."

Now that kind of language was universally comprehended by the boys -
and as one their gazes swivelled around to take personal assessment
of the most kawaii girl in Furinkan High. Subversively aware of the
sudden shift in attention, Akane cautiously lowered her bento box, and
levelled deadly serious eyes upon the posturing Kendo Captain.
"Kunnnooo....", she growled quietly, menacingly.

"Therein ends my proclamation - you have mine permission to return to
your meagre daily affairs." And with that, Tatewaki proudly exited the
playground in a flourish of pomp and bravado, leaving his beloved
caught between half-bridled anger and perplexity.

"Tell me Yuka, what exactly has happened in the last twenty-five
seconds?"

Cautiously taking note of the frequent concealed half glances that were
shot their way, or more particular at the girl sitting beside her, Akane's
companion whispered conspiratorially, "I think your good friend
Upperclassman Kuno has just offered you up on the 'free market' so to
speak."

The raven haired girl settled for a long, slow burn. "If those jerks think
they can actually beat me for the right of a date - wellll..." Here she
audibly cracked her knuckles for emphasis.

"Oh come off it Akane," Sayuri called from her seat. "The guys here
aren't that stupid".

No - of course not.


***********


Hopping rapidly along her cane - which served for running to the old
crone, Cologne arrived at the training field to discover a somewhat
comatose Saotome Ranma. She wasn't particularly surprised by that -
Kagora had been found thus when she had first trained him in the
Chestnut fist, all those decades ago.

*Like Master like pupil*. Tenderly, the Amazon leader knelt and placed a
gnarled hand upon the prone teenager's forehead - a flaring of chi the
only sign of her work. When in short order Ranma returned to
consciousness....well, the dried up, weathered visage of the aged crone
was perhaps one of the less welcoming sights to open one's eyes to.
Especially with the added realisation that he felt totally drained, with a
migraine quality headache to boot.

"Well sonny boy, what have we learnt from this particular episode?"

"Huh?" The pigtailed ninja stared blearily up at his sensei. "Next time
bring a packet of paracetamol."

"No!" She accompanied the admonishment with a sharp rap to his
forehead, earning a muffled groan. "There is a limit to your energy -
when you practice with it, time *must* be allowed to recover. This is not
some punching exercise to be done repeatedly - try the Amaguriken
once every fifteen minutes or so; and besides," she added, jabbing his
open palm for emphasis, "it will save your hands a great deal of pain."

Biting back a grimace of pain, Ranma nodded glumly. "Hai sensei."

"That's better boy. Now, on to business. It seems that a person has
arrived at our village who claims an acquaintance with yourself - no
don't ask me who it is - I haven't met him or her yet. Kagora and your
mother are waiting for you at the house." With that she dismissed her
charge with a curt wave.

Mildly curious as to the abrupt interruption to the morning schedule,
Ranma floated across the field to the now familiar five windowed
abode. Standing patiently by the doorway were his two Shinkasa tutors.
As was to be generally expected, Kagora took charge of the briefing.
"Ranma, about fifteen minutes ago, a Japanese martial artist arrived at
this very village seeking yourself. It seems that he has tracked this party
all the way from Japan, with the express intention to settle a 'matter of
honour' - or so he says."

Expressionless, the trainee noted the unexpected news without
comment.

"He is awaiting you in the west training hall - that way." The ninja master
pointed towards the indicated location. "Be cautious - for anyone to
follow us all this way speaks of gravely serious intent.."

"And Ranma," Meyah cut in. "Bring steel". Still wordless, the raven
haired ninja trainee reached behind and unbuttoned the clasp holding
his katanas in place, rattling the blades slightly to guarantee a fluidly
unhindered draw. Simultaneously the training bokkens were deposited
into the awaiting hands of the swordmaster. The command to carry true
weapons was most certainly a declaration of the reality of the situation.

"Well then, go forth - Daikoto has already been assigned to back you
up should events fall awry."

"Hai sensei." Bowing once in deference, Ranma took off - not even
bothering to circumvent the various buildings barring his way.

Seeing her son disappear from view, Meyah turned to her father and
teacher. "That has to be one of the most uninformative of briefings I
have ever heard you give."

Staring off into some unseen space, Kagora's reply was curt. "I wished
for Ranma to face this first echo of his heritage and Saotome past
without the tarnishing of my personal words."

"You said nothing of who this girl was - or even the fact that she *is* a
girl."

The old father smiled bemusedly at that. "I would be most sorely
disappointed in my kohai if he failed to notice that Kuonji Ukyou is a girl
- and as for the rest, well, I think it best if Ranma discovers for himself
the reasons for her upcoming challenge."

"Everything is a training exercise for you, Master Kagora." The barest
of frowns marred Meyah's forehead. "I hope neither hurts each other too
badly - or at least Ranma avoids injury."

"I think we needn't worry - I would be the most shocked of us all if
anyone could injure any kohai of mine."

"Arrogance?" Meyah smirked - her father was not an arrogant man. In a
rare show of affection she poked his arm teasingly.

"Hardly false pride, my daughter - only reality."


***********


Before entering the heavily constructed training hall, Ranma took a
moment to retie his bandanna, centring the Shinkasa silver emblem on
his forehead. Although aesthetics was probably one of the least
concerns in his psyche, it wouldn't hurt to look the part of a shadow
warrior - after all there was pride to be held in being a Shinkasa ninja -
and to that end the tiger's head crest shone forth from the grey.

Taking one final deep breath, as well as a cursory nod towards where
Kino Daikoto lay in waiting, the ninja trainee stepped into the brightly lit
hall - in such daylight there was little point in attempting a stealthy
entry.


***********


Kuonji Ukyou turned at the grating sound of sliding wooden rails to see
a ruggedly handsome, broad shouldered boy of about his own age
pushing open the main entrance doors. Studying the individual intently,
he noted the style and colour of dress, the pigtail, and the barely
noticeable line of a weapon's sheath hidden behind. Oh yes, this was
definitely the despised Saotome Ranma, still recognisable after their
long parting. Now was not the time to question the Anything Goes
practitioner carrying of arms - no, he had something of much greater
import to settle here and now.

"It's nice to finally meet you once more after all these years, Saotome
Ranma - now...I Challenge You!!" Without waiting for further
formality, the Kuonji heir leapt forwards into a crouching battle stance.

A novice of the subtleties involved with socialising he may have been,
but Ranma was never one to stutter at a loss for words (he just rarely
chose to employ them). "It seems you already know my name - may I
perhaps know yours?"

Snarling in fury, the chef promptly set into his enemy, opening with a
dangerously fast hip sweep. How dare they! - both father and son to so
casually discard the pain and dishonour they had inflicted upon a once
thought of friend. To what had been a constant source of torment for the
ponytailed boy - and Ranma had just so casually forgotten him.

And as if in expression of that casualness, the Shinkasa trainee
effortlessly slid underneath the kick - rolling well out of harm's way. As
of
yet he had refrained from drawing weapons - opting to wait until after
the assailant was identified. "Do we have a name yet?" His tone was
half mocking - intent upon riling up the furiously attacking teenager.

Now of all times Ukyou fervently wished he had usage of the battle
spatula. At least Saotome was making him *mad*. And the Kuonji heir
was a superb fighter when he was mad. "Damn you Saotome - have
you already forgotten your old *Pal* Ukyou?" As if to punctuate his point
the chef let loose a vicious kick to the neck, which was neatly ducked
under. "DAMN YOU RANMA!!" Further speech was cut off as in an
abrupt reversal of tactics, Ranma surged into the offensive - scoring a
neatly placed palm strike to the breastbone.

Frantically, Ukyou leapt backwards, clearing himself for some much
needed breathing space, and hopefully preventing a follow up finishing
move. He was mildly surprised when the pigtailed boy refrained from
pressing his momentary advantage, instead stepping back and
widening the already substantial gap between the fighters.

With slow, even deliberation Ranma reached behind, and soundlessly
slid the black hilted katanas from their leather sheath. With a voice
deadly fatalistic in its calm disquiet, the ninja trainee murmured, "An
admirable attempt - your style is convincing enough to resemble my
friend's - but there's one problem - in case you didn't notice - Kuonji
Ukyou is a boy."

All that the chef could manage was a strangled "Hah?" before she was
immediately forced to dodge as a katana blade cut mercilessly close to
the space where her shoulder had previously occupied. And before she
had time to recover from that, the other blade opened up a light slash
across the thigh.

And all the while Ranma's mind was in a whirl. This girl must have met
his old friend before to be duplicating the Kuonji martial style - and that
led the imagination to decipher what this imposter might have done to
good ol' Ucchan in the meantime. "Alright now miss - this isn't funny any
more, who are YOU?"

*Crikey, who ever said this was funny?* Ukyou gasped as the katana
point opened up another slash across her arm, realising then that this
boy in black was only toying with her. That thought left her dreadfully
afraid.

"Your name?" Both words were punctuated with an additional trio of
cuts. Prowling catlike, Ranma's unblinking eyes tracked her movements
in eerily endless consistency.

"I told you already, I'm Kuonji Ukyou!" Thoughts of revenge were well out
of her mind now - she would have been more than grateful to get out of
this fix relatively unscathed.

"Name?" *Slash*. Ranma was almost clinical in his precision - this
intruder had something to do with Ukyou - and he was definitely gonna
find out.

*Dammit dammit dammit dammit...* This definitely was not going well.
She had to get past those katanas - but without her battle
spatula...wait..

Wildly throwing a wide arcing punch, the okonomiyaki chef lightly
danced across the heavy wooden wall of the training hall, and bouncing
into the corner. But the pigtailed boy had already whirled into position
and was speeding forward into striking range. Left without the distance
she needed, and absolutely no time to prepare, the Kuonji girl violently
snatched at the hidden bandolier - very nearly shredding her overshirt
as she pulled out a mini spatula for a last ditch chance. The hated
Saotome was much too close for throwing - but a token resistance was
better than lying helpless...

And like a freeze in a motion picture, the world seemed to halt -
teetering on a breath held in anticipation. From half closed eyes Ukyou
peered at the razor point which was within a centimetre of slicing her
forehead open. But Ranma's gaze was elsewhere, upon the dully
glinting tool clasped in her right hand. A spatula. A mini-spatula - just
like the ones that belong to...

"Ucchan?" Tentatively, the Shinkasa trainee pulled his katana away,
eyes slowly shifting to take stock of the crouching girl before him. No,
wait a moment a girl? That wasn't right. "You're a girl?"

Still recovering from the shock of bracing for yet another painful slash,
the chef was slow to respond to her enemy's mystified query. Quickly
though, she stumbled clumsily to her feet, valiantly trying to reattain a
semblance of poise. The half-dozen or so dripping cuts threatened to
undermine the attempt. "Yeah *sugar*" she almost spat, "Nice to know
your memory isn't totally wasted." But despite her angrily defiant glare,
the brown haired girl's lower lip was trembling - she was all too aware
that this strange fighter dressed in jet black could have easily
disembowelled her (or worse) at any stage - that her life existed only
because he had chosen not to take it. Ukyou liked not the thought of this
boy, or anyone having that much control over her fate.

Ranma wasn't faring much better - for now that the adrenaline of battle
was finally depleted the pigtailed teenager was left with the
disconcerting realisation that he may have been cutting up his old friend
- not to mention that he was a *She*. Fancy that - all that time they spent
together and he was really a girl....all that time...all that..."Gyahhh!
You mean all that time we spent together you were a *girl*?"

"Don't you have anything better to talk about you jackass?"

"Ucchan...."

"Don't you DARE call me that!" the furious girl shot back. "After what
you did to me you have no *right* to call me that."

Katanas still clutched in both hands, Ranma raised his arms in protest.
"You don't understand, the Ucc..uh Kuonji Ukyou I know was definitely a
boy."

Frowning in disbelief, the ponytailed girl gave what would have been
her best 'I'm not taking any of this crap' look. "Even you can think of a
better excuse than that."

"Excuse? Excuse for what?" her long time enemy's baffled expression
was so innocent as to almost have her convinced of its authenticity.

"For not marrying me of course!"

"Huh? Why would I marry a boy...ohh..ah.." Kami-sama this was
turning into a headache. Abruptly aware of the inappropriateness of his
stance, Ranma delicately placed his weapons upon the floor. "Okay,
can you take it from my perspective that I have no idea why you're here -
and for that matter why you were trying to kill me?" This was hardly the
atmosphere for the reunion he had imagined.

Still bearing that suspicious stare, the Kuonji heir decided to take this
ninja's apparent ignorance at face value. If Ranma was indeed lying - it
was certainly a convincing enough act to fool her. "Okay Ranma, I'll
believe you for the moment - but if you're having me on...." Actually
she had no idea what she would have done.

"Here wait a moment." Almost unthinkingly, the amateur healer pulled
out a cloth handkerchief and, padding closer, delicately daubed away
the various lines of blood that still flowed from the fresh sword cuts.

Caught off guard, Ukyou was hit by a momentary instant of panic as her
most hated adversary landed well within touching distance. Forcing
herself to breathe evenly, she forcibly relaxed - reminding herself that
Ranma wouldn't have gone to this much trouble to dispose of her,
helped considerably. Actually, his feather light touch was comforting in
an odd manner - even despite the sting of the razor thin slices to her
flesh. Trying to sound casual she broke the silence with a question.
"Anyway, how did you know I was a girl from the start?"

Looking up from his work, Ranma peered at her confusedly. "It was
kinda obvious you weren't a boy."

"What, is my disguise so bad? It's fooled everyone before you for years
now."

Musing upon that, the ninja trainee was forced to agree. "I guess that
without my training you'd *really* look like a guy."

"Hey now, what's that supposed to mean?" Ukyou wasn't entirely sure
whether that was supposed to be derogatory.

"Nuthin. Nuthin. Look here, how about we see my Mom and get these
cuts fixed up first? Then we can sort all this out later." Less than five
minutes into their first proper conversation and already Ranma was
feeling the strains of conversing with a girl.

Shrugging nonchalantly, Ukyou gestured for her rival to lead the way.


***********


"Shampoo thought she already told Mousse to leave her alone."

"Shampoo, who was that, that outsider with you?" The object of the
Amazon girl's ire chose to ignore her command for the moment, though
in any case it made little difference since Xian Pu had already turned
and left the blind martial artist.

Being blind, it took Mousse several long seconds of silence to realise
that his love was noticeably absent (and thus unable to answer his
query). "Shampoo? Shampuuuu!"

And unfortunately for the addressed individual, the Master of Hidden
Weapons possessed an uncanny ability to track down his beloved.
"Why won't you answer me Shampoo? *What* has that outsider done to
you?"

*Unluckily for me - absolutely nothing - yet.* Of course she refrained
from antagonising the pesky boy by saying that outright -
still..."Handsome boy is Saotome Ranma - he staying nice and cosy
*rrriiight* next to Shampoo when she sleep...."

"WHATTT???" And that was effectively that - as Mousse was
instantaneously engaged in the rather pressing business of hunting
down this Saotome Ranma and presumably killing him. Sighing
forlornly, the Amazon girl flicked back her purple tresses, hoping that
her beloved would be alright - although if he was anywhere near as
good as previously displayed, there would be little problem.


***********


"My, your 'matter of honour' must have been quite an active affair,"
Meyah commented mildly as she took stock of her new patient's
injuries, before delicately administering cloth binders to dress the
milder cuts.

Reeling from the recent ordeal of battle, Ukyou was still somewhat
distrustful of the entire idea that the mother of a boy she had recently
tried to beat up would be on amiable terms - a fact that she openly
admitted to the healer.

Smiling at the girl genially, Meyah merely offered, "Well, you can
consider it from the perspective that if we really intended you harm -
you'd probably be dead by now."

Ukyou couldn't hide a dark frown as she was reminded of the apparent
ineffectiveness of her attack upon this latest Saotome. After all, it was
galling in the extreme that after all these years of fierce training she
could be rendered so.....ineffective.

"It just goes to show you."

The chef blushed at the thought that this lady might be reading her mind.
"How so?"

"You think you know a person so very well - and then one day he goes
and does something totally unexpected." Meyah paused to dab some
ointment before continuing, earning a wince of pain. "Did you happen to
know that Ranma despite all the training we put him through, still has a
bit of a problem hitting girls?"

Her frown returning once more, Ukyou huffed at that. "Could have fooled
me."

"Yes, well he fooled me too." And with a final dab, the Shinkasa healer
was done. "There, well - you can go and talk to Ranma now -
presumably he's still waiting outside."

Shakily dismounting the work bed, the brown haired girl gave her
thanks and shambled out of the room, pausing only to retrieve her
bandolier - for some reason unknown to her, no one had made any
effort to remove the mini-spatulas held within. And true to Meyah's
words, her former object of hate was impatiently pacing back and forth
along the walkway outside. Even with his back turned, Ranma noticed
her presence. "Ucchan..."

"I told you not to call me that."

Reaching back to rub behind his head, the pigtailed boy hastily
apologised, leaving an uncomfortable silence between the pair. Turning
to gaze at her, Ranma took a moment to see his long lost friend. As
was to be expected, Ukyou had grown and matured considerably from
their last meeting. But now in the calm he could clearly see the signs
that marked good ol' Ucchan - the seemingly ever present twinkling in
her deep brown eyes, the simple ponytail now reaching well down her
slender frame, and her fun, easy going nature. Well, there wasn't much
of that last feature remaining - but considering whatever must have
happened to so drastically alter their friendship.....

"Soo, I guess you'd be wanting an explanation about now, right sugar?"
For the first time in nearly four years, the Kuonji heir spoke in her true
'girl's' voice - a change that was not without effect upon her companion.

With an outstretched finger, Ranma pointed towards a semi-enclosed
grove of trees. "Elder Cologne told me we can speak there in privacy if
you want."

Shrugging indifferently, Ukyou nodded her acceptance, and together
the past friends slowly made their way. "I suppose you'd be wondering
why I *tried* to challenge you to a duel of honour."

"Yeah, that would be a good place to start."

Looking towards the taller boy, she took a preparatory deep breath
before beginning. "Well....remember back when we were little, just
before you left Kyoto?" At his dubious nod she continued. "Well, the
morning before that I approached my father and asked him if he could
petition for us to get married."

The ninja trainee's reaction was poignant to say the least. "Huh? Are
you crazy?"

A little annoyed, Ukyou answered, "Ranma, we were only *kids*. I had
more fun in those few weeks with you that I had ever had in my *life* -
even if it hadn't been going for very long. And so I read somewhere that
when people wanted to stay with each other forever, they got married - I
just wanted to be able to play with you every day from then on, is all."

"Sheesh." Despite his disbelief, the ninja trainee had to admit that the
idea was plausible - in a weird sort of kiddie sense.

"Anyway, that doesn't really matter. What counts is that my father
agreed to it - I guess he saw you as potentially very good husband
material, and he approached your Dad with the offer. According to what
father told me, Saotome Genma was rather leery of the proposal - that
is, until our family's yattai was offered as dowry." Ukyou's jaw tightened
ever so slightly at that.

"Oh yeah, I remembered your yattai. Always wondered why we took
it...with.....us....Oh God no."

"Exactly - your father agreed heartily to the marriage, and the next day,
took his dowry. Only trouble is he forgot the bride - and that brings me
to one of two things I have wanted to ask you all this time. When you
and your Dad were running away, I was chasing after yelling at you to
stop. If you weren't in on the whole scam, why didn't you stop for me?"

Raising his hands in defence, Ranma backed up. "Hey now wait a
moment. *I* wasn't runnin' nowhere...yah I mean I was *not* running
anywhere - Dad was the one carrying the yattai with me on top. And
besides - I thought you were waving goodbye to us."

"I was *crying*, Ranma!" The admission came with difficulty - in her male
lifestyle, Ukyou wasn't accustomed to admitting to such - 'girly' habits.

"Well you know - it could have been you just feeling a little upset that we
were parting. I know I was." At her sceptical glare, he waved his arms
frantically. "Oh come on Ucc..kyou! It's *plausible* isn't it?"

She sniffed reluctantly. "I guess so. Although I don't have to like it. I've
been through hell because of what happened that day."

"Uhhh, how so?" Ranma wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer.

"Ranma, do you *know* what it's like for a girl to be rejected like that? It
was goddamned awful having to live with all the residue of what you and
your father did. When word got out, I was ostracised for *months* -
people thought there was something wrong with me - that somehow I
was mentally unfit to be anyone's wife. Even the other kids at
school....well let's just say that I'd rather forget that part. It's what
made it
so much better to change genders. Life became at least tolerable."

"You...you became a guy because people were teasing you?"

"No I became a boy because *everyone* was teasing me, or giving
strange looks, or whispering too loudly behind my back. Kami above
Ranma, even my own father used to make all these snide comments
about 'oh Ukyou, if only you were a boy', or 'I'm sure a son would never
have so disgraced our Clan'. You'd understand if you ever have the
whole world isolating you."

Sombrely, the pigtailed trainee murmured, "You never know Ukyou, that
might turn out one day. In my profession we've been warned about that
happening."

"Yeah - Ranma the ninja. That's the second thing I wanted to ask about -
you've still to tell me about that one, and also why you keep staring at
me funny."

Sheepishly, Ranma snapped his gaze away. "I'm still not used to you
being a girl Ukyou - I mean come on - all that time - I shared things with
you I'd *never* have told a girl."

"Oh?" she said, an evilish gleam lighting her eyes as she considered
the myriad of topics discussed all those years back. "Like when you
told me about the time you caught yourself in your fly?"

Blushing furiously, Ranma's reply was a half mumbled, "If you were a
guy you'd understand."

"I'm not a guy, and I did understand honey."

An uncomfortable silence developed between the pair, before Ukyou
finally said. "So how did you figure out that I was a girl the first time?"

Relieved of the tension for the moment, Ranma was quick to settle
down in familiar territory. With an offhand gesture, he pointed to the
centre of her throat. "Guys have a lump there, called the Adam's apple. I
learnt that in the lessons on anatomy."

Unconsciously, Ukyou reached up to feel for - or rather the absence of
the so called lump. All these years of successfully concealing her
gender - and this boy hadn't been fooled for a second. Returning to the
subject at hand, she continued, "What were those lessons for? - one
thousand and one ways to kill your opponent silently?"

Indifferently, Ranma shrugged. "Yeah something like that. Anyhow all
Shinkasa trainees are given a basic grounding on the human body -
and that's one of the first signs we check for on any potential gender
bender....ahh no offence." Standing back, the pigtailed teenager eyed
his friend speculatively. "You were pretty good at hiding your, ya know -
girl stuff."

"I guess so - although these past few years its gotten to be a bloody
pain - what with having to tie back my...." and suddenly the
okonomiyaki chef remembered who she was talking to and moreover
he was a *boy*. "Uhhhh..." she waved a hand in the very general
vicinity of her chest area.

Ranma coughed uncomfortably. "I g-get the idea Ukyou." A strained
silence developed between the pair, before he hesitantly added, "Well
you know - it's not like you have to hide anything now." Under her mildly
curious stare, his confidence abruptly wilted. "Errm I meant you wouldn't
be fooling anybody here with the guy clothes."

"Thanks sugar," her tone was decidedly dubious. "But I'm kinda used to
the look these days. It wouldn't feel...right otherwise."

Shuffling uneasily, the ninja trainee's mind raced furiously for yet another
change of subject. This conversation was turning into a potted
minefield. Fortunately (or perhaps otherwise) he was saved any further
effort as internal senses suddenly flared warningly in alarm. Ukyou for
her part was caught totally off guard as she was encompassed by a
sweeping arm, and carried bodily off to one side. And before she could
question her companion's motives, or even voice a complaint, a long
and wickedly sharp spearhead landed with a resounding *Thunk!*
through the tree stump she had been previously using for a seat.

"Saotome Ranma?" Mousse addressed the girl, seemingly unaware
that she was a she, and in addition currently held in the arms of another.

Delicately, Ranma lowered his somewhat breathless armload to her
feet, answering for them both. "About five centimetres to the left and
you'd be talking to him."

"Adjusting his gaze (although in reality it was more for effect than any
real vision improvement), the Amazon angled his other spear
aggressively. "So you're Saotome Ranma?"

Smirking, the ninja replied. "Last time I checked. And you might be..."
The answer was not forthcoming as the pigtailed boy was forced to
sidestep a savage spear thrust. Slipping past the long armed weapon's
range, Ranma twisted the haft, forcing his opponent to relinquish
possession of it. Taking a moment to discard the heavy tool, he was
thus nearly caught flat footed when from seemingly out of nowhere,
Mousse pulled forth a curved slamanca, slashing for the neck in a
narrow arc. Gasping as the massive blade cut air less than an inch from
his nose, Ranma tipped over in a reverse somersault, fervently glad that
he had neglected to remove his weapons after the recent duel. Cursing
his poor reaction to the discovery that this mysterious assailant
apparently knew Kagora's hidden weapons technique, the ninja trainee
continued to twist gracefully into a full roll. Drawing both katanas during
flight, he was thus well armed by the time the world was in correct
orientation.

Taking advantage of his heavier weapon, Mousse attacked with a
relatively straightforward series of overhead smashes, as if to literally
club his opponent's defence into submission. He got no further than the
third strike before the slamanca was deftly turned aside and the
irritating boy in black stepped into his guard.

Staring the long haired Amazon directly in the eyes, Ranma pressed
bodily against the taller boy - his katana sandwiched lengthwise
between them. Mousse's eyes widened in abject shock as the razor
edge began to bite a clean gash just below his ribs - the stinging pain
shortly eclipsed by a far more agonising wrench as Ranma followed
through with a vicious knee to the groin. Collapsing in a haze, the
Amazon boy was thankfully relieved of consciousness as the ninja
jabbed as before for the carotid artery.

Standing transfixed, Ukyou observed as her companion methodically
wiped his blade clean on the currently slumbering opponent. Taking a
deep calming breath, she murmured, "I can't believe you actually did
that."

"Hmm?" Ranma looked up from where he was re-sheathing the
precious blades. "Did what?"

Up till half an hour ago, the okonomiyaki chef had been a boy - and well
did she know that one golden no-go zone. "Kneed him in the bloody
nuts of course. I can't believe you would do something so..so...."

"Dishonourly?" The boy in black gazed at her humourlessly. "Our
anonymous friend should have guarded his weak spot...err spots more
carefully. We can see what happens to those who rely on honour to
protect their privates."

Ukyou was positive that if she had been similarly equipped (thank God
for small mercies) she'd be currently keeping her legs well and truly
crossed. "My God that musta hurt."

"Does it really matter? - I'd best report to Elder Cologne and tell her
about this."

Walking away together, the pair left the glade - their eyes open for any
old humanoid of less that 4 feet stature.


*********


Elsewhere, a certain misguidedly lost boy was crouching furtively -
hands protectively cradling a scroll gained several hours earlier. Here it
was - his first lesson - a way to harness chi. Maybe then, just maybe
Akane would take notice of him, and see him seriously as a proper
challenge.

It was sheer pot luck that he had attained the document - a chance
encounter with an elderly coal miner, in an abandoned well (he still had
no idea how he managed to get there) - and behold. Perhaps it was a
divine sign that things would be looking up for now. Looking up, Ryouga
noticed for the first time that the various street signs and advertisement
boards were universally in English.

*Then again maybe not*, he considered sourly.

Tossing that thought aside for the moment, the bandanna boy dumped
his pack off to the side - it was getting too late to find Nerima, and it
would be best to make good use of the fading light before one had to
rely upon the public park lighting. Reverently, Ryouga unfurled the
tattered paper, silently mouthing the boldly inscribed words proclaiming
the title.

*Shi Shi Hakodan.*


**********


On their way back to the house, the Japanese pair were met by a
worried and somewhat breathless Shampoo. Blushing slightly, Ranma
absently wondered at the curious property of this bouncy girl - her ability
to turn everyday acts into a generous helping of sexy 'kawaiiness'.
Forcefully taking his eyes off her heaving bosom, he hesitantly inquired,
"Errrr, is there something wrong, Shampoo?"

With genuine concern, the lavender haired girl held on to arm of the
shuffling boy. "Is Ranma okay? Tried to find you before stupid Mousse
get to you."

And in the background, Ukyou blinked in confusion at the odd
statement. *Stupid mousse?*

Attempting to trivialise the matter to soothe her worry (and perhaps stop
her from insistently rubbing against him), Ranma shrugged non-
committedly. "I take it Mousse is a long haired guy in white robes? We
kinda left him in a heap back there." He pointed in the general direction
of the glade.

Drawn to his usage of 'we', Shampoo seemed to notice the other girl for
the first time. "Who you?" Shampoo needed a few critical seconds to
decide how this newcomer girl fit into the grander scheme of things (ie.
friend or obstacle).

Hastily interceding, Ranma's tone was decidedly apologetic. "Sorry I
should have introduced you. Shampoo, this is an old friend of mine -
Kuonji Ukyou. Ukyou, I'm staying in Shampoo's house."

Oh well, the tomboyish girl seemed amiable enough - and more
critically there was only the standard issue formal friendship between
her and the pigtailed boy. Brightly, the Amazon champion bowed,
happy to meet any friend of her beloved. "Would stay to talk, but Great
Grandmother grow angry if Shampoo not train." Smiling sweetly at the
other, she took off down toward the western training grounds, in a cloud
of enthusiasm.

"Soo...." Ukyou began, still reeling in the aura of the universally happy
girl's virtually instantaneous departure. "Her name's *Shampoo*?"

"Don't bother asking - they all tend to go for weird names around here."

His discomfort was not lost upon the Kuonji heir. "Are you two...like
you know...." Here she hooked her little fingers together in a lover's
knot.

"Hah?" Caught in the limelight, he reacted surprisingly well. "No, *I'd*
like
to say not - though it's hard to tell whether it's the culture thing over
here
- but the impression that I get is that Shampoo-san wouldn't mind having
it that way." He pointedly refrained from depicting their first meeting the
previous night.

"That's putting it mildly - she'd need neon lights to make a bigger 'come
hither' signal."

"I'm sure my great grand daughter would be positively thrilled to hear
that," a voice commented dryly from behind.

Ukyou squeaked in fright as an ear splitting crack resounded less than a
foot away. Whirling in the combined shock of finding an Elder in close
proximity, and the unexpected sound from Ranma, she turned to see
the pigtailed boy crouching on all fours - predatory eyes scanning the
area for danger.

"Get off the ground Ranma, it's only little old me - although if I knew that
surprising you would get such excellent speed results, it would have
been integrated as part of training." Cologne eyed her student
curiously. Less than a day's worth of practice and the boy had already
utterly smashed the sound barrier.

Huffing breathlessly from the adrenaline surge, Ranma picked himself
up from the odd battle crouch and bowed formally. "How did you get so
close to me?" Previously that had been a skill associated solely with his
two primary sensei's.

"Would you believe me if I said that your Master Kagora taught me the
knack?" She waved off the proposal. "In any case you are behind in
your training already. Siu Wei will be waiting for you to report for
weapons and balance practice." At her kohai's uncertain look towards
Ukyou, she added brusquely. "No need to worry - I'll look after your little
friend here."

"Hai sensei." With another bow and a farewell glance to his companion,
the ninja trainee sped easily off in the indicated direction. He knew
better than to consider arguing a point with Elder Cologne.

"So my dear, what are your plans now?" the withered crone inquired in
the wake of the boy's departure.

"Huh?" Actually Ukyou had never really considered that far ahead, and
said as much.

"Well before you make any far fleeting plans, you ought to know that
Ranma has already petitioned to myself and his masters for permission
to allow you to stay with us - for which the Shinkasa Clan will take
responsibility."

Wonderingly, Ukyou reached up to finger a stray lock of hair. "I didn't
think....I didn't think Ranchan...." She trailed off - seemingly unaware
of her usage of his pet name.

"Yes well I wouldn't have thought so either - considering the way you've
treated him so far - but let the Gods decide as they will - and teenager
minds will continue to mystify me." Pausing, Cologne used her staff to
halt their passage. "Consider this a payment of debt to the Shinkasa
and not any particular favour towards yourself that I have decided to
grant Ranma's request. Frankly as far as I can see your presence will
cause nought but disruption to my own plans - but then Kagora and
Meyah's wishes mean a great deal to me."

Reigning in her anger at the old lady's openly blas� display of rejection,
Ukyou tonelessly answered. "I didn't ask for anyone's pity. When my
business here is done I'll return to Japan."

Eyes twinkling, Cologne could nearly have laughed (if it wasn't so un-
matriarchly to do so). "*IF* your business is ever done hah! Young pride -
so strong and yet so blindly foolish. I have yet to ask my student how
your duel was so abruptly terminated - but count yourself lucky he didn't
gut you from head to toe."

Shivering reflexively, Ukyou was reminded of that cold yet so very much
alive touch of razor sharp steel. And even then she found it difficult to
conceptualise the Ranchan she had known as a little girl being so
ruthless. But then again ten years was long enough to change anyone -
on some of the worst nights she had dreamed of performing such an
act. Filing that cautionary note away, she returned to the matter at hand.
"What do you propose I do then?"

"Do?" The pair resumed their regular pacing. "Do as you see fit. But
remember three things above all else - firstly that the people you are
dealing with are not martial artists, secondly that any crimes you commit
within our borders should you stay will be laid upon the heads of the
Shinkasa, and finally that Ranma has the good faith to lay the trust of his
Clan upon your shoulders. Now be off - I have no more time to waste."
And with that Cologne was off, pogoing away to leave the Kuonji heir to
her thoughts.


***********


"Taidammmaaaa." Akane groaned wearily as she stepped into the Tendo
abode.

"Why hello Akane." Kasumi called brightly from the living room. "I'm just
out on my way to extension class - is there anything I can get for you on
the way back?"

"Thanks a lot but I'm fine, oneechan." The youngest daughter ambiently
wondered how it was possible for anyone to be able to juggle the
housework, school and *still* maintain a faultlessly bright and cheery
demeanour. Especially considering that Kasumi was in her final high
school year - with the assessments and exams bombarding from all
directions. *And she gets top marks for everything, AND all the good
boys like her.* It seemed readily impossible for that much goodness to
be placed upon one person.

"Oh well, anyway dinner will be a little later than usual - but Mr Saotome
is cooking tonight. I'll be studying after class with a few friends."

"Marvellous - it looks like fish stew tonight." Unfortunately or otherwise
her sarcasm was totally lost on the radiant girl.

"Yes, Mr Saotome's cooking has improved a little - if not the variety. Oh
My! I have to get going - bye bye then Akane." Hastily Kasumi gathered
up her remaining text books.

"Bye oneechan." *Hmpf. Why don't they let me cook dinner for a
change?* Dropping the idea, lest it worsened her already frayed
temper, Akane headed off to the dojo, where presumably her father and
his old time friend would be finishing off with the last martial arts class
for the afternoon. In the past few days, both Anything Goes teachers
had taken to permanently dual training the Mutsabeto Kakuto heir on a
daily basis - although for Soun it was more a test of his ability to hold
back tears at the oftime rough regimen Akane willingly subjected
herself to. On the positive side the teenager could even feel within
herself the dramatic improvement which the concerted efforts of both
the men would eventually bring forth.

With the strength training more than fulfilled by the routine bouts with
Ryouga (and incidentally Akane hadn't seen him around for a week or
two), it fell to the official Anything goes sensei to accelerate her speed
work up to the same level. And although Genma would rarely if ever
admit it to his protege, he was impressed by the youngest Tendo's
general aptitude for the adoption of new forms and techniques. Already
they were working on harnessing chi to superpower some of the faster
moves. And outside of training time she could always be relied upon to
train like any proper martial artist.

*All this from a mere girl...ohhh Nodoka you would be so proud of my
teaching skills.* Then the thought returned of their son - hmmm maybe
not.

"Akane," Nabiki called from the main house. "I have another letter from
the council complaining about the damage you do to the local fencing
by continually running atop the wiring every morning."

"Nonsense Akane, a martial artist must take EVERY opportunity to train
- such petty costs are as nothing."

"Uh yes Mr Saotome," the teenaged girl replied uncertainly, "Could we
start training now?"

"Of course. Now then, assume crane stance - we're going to add some
proper accuracy to your iron fist punches."


*********


Bustling merrily about the kitchen, Shampoo applied the finishing
touches to the dishes that would serve as tonight's dinner for the family.
With the addition of two houseguests, Kwai Lien had required the
additional culinary services of his daughter to have the table set
punctually.

"Easy with the pepper Shampoo - we don't want our diners to be
choking for the remainder of the night."

"Hai father." True to his command the lavender haired girl delicately
tossed a pinch upon the chicken dish. There. Perfect. Sighing in abject
contentment, she stepped into the lounge room for a breather, and a
chance to contemplate.

Things were apparently going well. As were her plans, she had given
her beloved a minor, and therefore more enticing feel of what was on
offer - now was the time to get personal. She wanted to find out
everything Ranma both liked and disliked - his personality, his wishes -
everything. And lo if not for better timing than should his best friend turn
up out of the blue. This Kuonji girl seemed to be a nice enough
character, at least as far as the 30 seconds of conversation revealed.
And more importantly Ukyou was in the position to divulge any critical
juicy secrets that would help Shampoo draw herself closer to the still
mysterious boy in black.

Oh yes, things were definitely going well.


*********


"Ranchan?"

The addressed boy glanced up curiously at the tentative voice. Inwardly
he was smiling at the familiar diminutive to his name. "Yes Ucchan - I
take it I can call you that now?"

Bushing in the memory of her past open repulsion to that name, she
timidly nodded yes. "I just wanted to ask you something....why?"

He was innately aware of the meaning of her generic request. Letting
out a quiet sigh, he reached into a hidden belt sash and delicately
pulled out a smallish metallic object. Ukyou's eyes widened a little in
immediate recognition.

"Remember this Ucchan?" Held forth in his outstretched hand was a
steel spatula, laboriously etched with a somewhat clumsy set of kanji
symbols.

"Ya of course I do." She paused in recollection of the several hours
spent hammering out their names. "I didn't think you'd keep it for all this
time."

"It was your mini-spatulas that told me that you were really Kuonji Ukyou
back in our fight." He smirked in recollection. "Like I said when we were
little - nobody else would be dumb enough to raid their kitchen drawer
for weapons. Anyway, in answer to your question - this is kinda why."

Silently, the okonomiyaki chef awaited further explanation.

Shrugging nonchalantly Ranma murmured, "I don't have many friends,
even within the clan. Oh there's always Lano - you haven't met him yet -
and he's always been a very good buddy and one to be relied on. But
ya know, I always wanted more than just one friend."

"I understand the feeling honey. Back in Kyoto I had friends. But with
my....problem they always had to be guy friends. It was....difficult."
She smiled sympathetically.

"So, will you stay?"

Turning to face him in the fading afternoon light, she seemed to freeze
as if in last minute consideration.

"Yes...yes I think I will. There's no reason for me to be hurrying back."
Left unsaid was the fact that she still had no way to admit to her father
about the 'failure' to redeem honour.

With one of his rare genuine smiles, Ranma playfully nudged her. "Well
then - we'd better be heading back - dinner ought to be out soon."

"Sounds like you alright - stomach first, brains later."

As one, the pair dashed back to the brightly lit five windowed house.


**********


Within the space of minutes the issue of one Mu Tzu had been
established and promptly discarded. Cologne had required only the
words 'Hidden weapons' and 'spectacles' to positively ascertain the
identity of Ranma's attacker. With the promise to see to the matter
further the following day, the family settled down for the affair (and in
Ranma's opinion rather more important) of dinner.

"My, Shampoo, Kwai Lien san, you've certainly outdone yourselves.
That was a fine meal." Kagora had chosen to dine with his kohai for this
night - and based on food alone it proved to be a wise choice.

"My thanks Master Kagora." The purple haired girl echoed her father's
words with a gentle nod.

"Now then - it is growing late, and fine young warriors should be
heading for bed." Cologne's tone was only mildly mocking. In truth she
half-expected a certain 'young warrior' would be up for a few hours
more at least. True to her assumptions, Ranma arose, and politely
submitted his request for a nightly solo training session.

"Yes yes Ranma, but recall that you retain sufficient energy for chi
practice tomorrow."

"Hai sensei," and with the minimum of fuss, the pigtailed boy was out of
the house - still suitably attired in raven's black.

"No Shampoo, you may not follow," Cologne firmly stated before her
heir could even draw breath to voice the question. "As Master Kagora
informs me, these sessions are a somewhat private affair for the boy.
You'll only antagonise him if you tag along."

Reluctantly, the Amazon gave in - and mechanically began the process
of gathering the array of used crockery and toting them to the kitchen
where Kwai Lien had already begun to wash. Left more or less to her
own, Ukyou continued to stare inquisitively after the recent departure of
her old friend.

"Something ailing you my dear?"

Startled back to the present, Ukyou turned to face the elderly matriarch.
"No not really, Elder - just reminded of Rancha..ah I mean Ranma's
fighting style."

"How so?" That offhand statement had drawn the attention of the
Shinkasa master.

"I'm not sure - I mean already I've seen him in battle form at least three
times - and each time...." Puzzled at her own words she shook her
head as if to clear it. "I remember a little of how he used to fight back
when we were kids - now it's....strange. I don't really know how else to
put it." She gazed evenly back at the two adults, as if to gauge their
motives. "Like how he always seems to crouch on all fours when
startled. It looked...weird." Shrugging she laughed. "I guess I sound
kinda weird myself, rambling on like that."

"No, never that. Why don't you head off to bed? I expect it was a long
day for you - and those cuts need to heal." The ninja master waved in
the general direction of the stairway.

Bowing once to both, Ukyou repeated her thanks and bade them
goodnight. Even after her long discussions with Ranma she still had
much to dwell upon.

For several minutes silence dominated the room, now devoid of all
save for the two masters of the art. "So Kagora up for a spar or three
tonight?"

"Hmm?" The old Shinkasa ninja gazed at his mentor in mildly mocking
amusement. "Sparring - yes. A savage beating - unfortunately no. I'm
getting too old to play practice dummy to overstressed Amazon
matriarchs." He neatly avoided the resultant swipe from the gnarled
walking cane - rolling expertly under the table to the other side.

"Watch your tongue Kagora - Shinkasa master or otherwise, you are
still my student and I'd be more than willing to wallop some manners into
you." Her glinting eyes took some of the sting out of the admonishment.

"Come then, let us spar - and I'll offer you ample opportunity." He openly
gestured for the doorway.

As one, the pair stepped into the chilled night air - the diminutively
stunted crone presenting a play of contrasts with the tall, rangy ninja
master.


*********


"Heya Ranma - thought you mightn't show up." Lano was apparently as
cheery as ever this night.

"And miss our match? That I would never." Bemusedly, the pigtailed
boy raised a burned hand. "I see we all started speed training today."
He stared pointedly at the Korean's similarly bandaged palms.

Lano grinned impishly at that. "Wasn't sure if you'd have the time to train
- what with all your extra-curricular activities."

Eyes narrowing suspiciously, his friend's reply was curt. "Okay I'll bite.
What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh I don't know......" the heavy set fighter tried to look innocent and
failed miserably. "But I'm sure it begins with Sham and definitely ends in
Pu."

"That's it - we're sparring now."

"Awwww come *on*, Ranma! What happened? I saw the way she was
hanging off you last night. You can't tell me you just *slept*." Lano was
fairly whining in protest.

"I'm not saying anything and we came here to practice so shaddup." As
if to emphasise the point, the ninja trainee crouched into a standard
attack stance.

"No way are you going to dodge the issue. I swear if you are too scared
to do anything - and miss this ultimate-golden opportunity with the
ultimate babe of babes I might add - I might just take your personal
plight into hand personall..HEY!" The last was a half protest at a
sidelong swipe which stopped about three centimetres short of flooring
the Korean.

Before the conflict could develop into one of the choicer Ranma/Lano
brawls, the pair were duly interrupted by a polite cough. Whirling in
unison, both turned to discover a certain pair of sensei, silently
observing the exchange.

"It seems we have chosen the same field in which to spar." Kagora's
tone was deceptively mild, but his expression revealed none of what he
might have learned a moment ago.

Lano had the decency to blush, and the integrity to wonder how much of
their conversation (or rather his speech) had been overheard.
"Uhh...sensei's." He bowed in greeting. "Did you want to use this
area? We can always find somewhere else."

"No no my boy," Cologne cut in, "Stay awhile - I never minded an
audience in a good fight."

"Always the exhibitionist, eh Cologne?"

"That will cost you Kagora." In a warping of physical geometry that
almost hurt the eyes to witness, she reached into a robe sleeve, and
slowly extracted a mighty six foot staff topped by an evilly gleaming rake
head.

"Oh....my," murmured a rather awe struck Ranma. That was surely going
to hurt. He wasn't particularly surprised therefore when his own master
unsheathed a pair of kodachi - moulded from real steel as opposed to
the wood he habitually used in training.

"Is this a sparring match or a death duel?" Lano seemed unaware that
he had openly voiced his thoughts.

"I will be very displeased in either myself or Kagora if either one of us
manages to land a proper blow. And now then...." She took a single
step back, and before startled spectators, the two erupted into a flurry
of combat.


**********


Several hundred metres away, Swordmaster Meyah shifted into
awareness from where she had been making herself comfortable in
bed. Smiling to herself, she traced the familiar patterns of chi not felt
for
at least a dozen years. *I knew it wouldn't be long before Elder Cologne
sought to test her former student once more.* Thinking no more of it,
the part time healer rolled over once more and attempted to isolate her
mind from the distracting flares of living energy.


***********


"Kami....sama." This wasn't ninja fighting - this was..... Actually
Ranma hadn't fully decided what it was.

*Slap!*......*Clang*..........*TwackClackPingSlapClapBang..............

Both ninja trainees were staring somewhat dumbfounded at the
admittedly almost supernatural sight of two of the world's greatest
combatants 'duking' it out on the moist soil. Blows and parries were
traded evenly - and this might have been considered a normal duel,
save for the fact that the pace was *incredibly* accelerated.

Reversing a full armed swing from her combat rake, and seemingly
defying the laws of inertia, Cologne sailed overhead - the razor claws of
the head snapping repeatedly against the defiant kodachi - and
showering the wielder with a haze of sparks. Relinquishing her hold for
an instant, the ancient crone pulled both hands back, and in a fierce
push - shot forth a brightly glowing stream of...chi?

"My God."

Effortlessly, Kagora danced his way out of the bombardment, releasing
a spinning volley of shuriken from a bandolier kept hidden in a
voluminous sleeve. Hurling himself about, the ninja master casually
gestured lightly. To his credit, Cologne nearly failed to notice the almost
invisible ball until it was too late. Nearly.

Literally clawing herself away from the chi's path, the elder ignored the
resultant mild explosion at the point of impact. Pressing forward, she
moved in for a more straightforward engagement.

"You know Master Kagora once shot me with one of those?" Eyes
never leaving the battle scene, Ranma continued. "Trust me - it hurts."
Both winced in concert at the machine gunshot cracks as both
combatants utterly destroyed the sound barrier. In reality it was a rather
tiring scene to observe - even with the pigtailed ninja's enhanced
sensory, he found it supremely difficult to track the course of the battle
at the speed the moves were executed.

The Shinkasa master was forced to sidestep a massive punch from the
rake, which would probably have broken both sword and arm had it
connected. Crossing his kodachi into one hand, he seized the staff,
earning a bruised hand from the shock, and made use of superior
stature to lift Cologne bodily from the ground.

But before Kagora could capitalise on his opponent's instant of
immobility, he was promptly blasted by a chi ball. Sent flying nearly
twenty metres, the old man was dumped unceremoniously to the
thankfully soft earth. Gasping in abject shock, Ranma was in the
process of flying to his sensei's aid, before the ninja master picked
himself up in time to meet the matriarch's finishing blow.

"How the hell did he survive that?" Lano murmured wonderingly to his
companion. "That blow should have caved his lungs in."

"They're not human." As if to agree heartily with that statement, Cologne
seemed to shake herself - and cast forth a....small wizened old woman.

"Huh?" Now there were two of them, duplicated even to the point where
both wielded their six foot rakes. That definitely wasn't possible (at least
in this world) - and the ninja master seemed doubly hard pressed to
avoid the endless barrage, losing first one, then both kodachi to the
whizzing teeth of the rake. Twisting acrobatically, he seemed to
manoeuvre through the air, glaring in furious concentration.

And Ranma's senses flared in alarm at a *very* familiar feeling, as
Kagora abandoned the useless hilts, and surged into the offensive with
bare hands. Even at Cologne's eye blurring speed, the pigtailed boy
thought he could detect the faint traces of a smile - even when the
metallic head of her rake seemed to disintegrate under a whirling of
open palmed swipes.

"I thought the Master instructed you to never employ the Nekoken unless
in real combat." That fact did not appear to concern either of the
currently duelling fighters.

Mesmerised, Ranma's reply was only half-directed to his friend. "See,
he's only used the Catfist to destroy her weapon - to level the playing
field - so to speak."

Shaking his head at the wanton usage of such dangerous arts, Lano
looked down to check his watch. *Nine minutes. Geez how long can
they last?* Even with his only relatively basic study of weak and
pressure points, he could see that if any one of the several hundred
blows being traded actually met with something other than air - well, the
fight would be over fairly quickly.

Ducking under a poorly aimed (at least from their perspective) dual
kick, Kagora unhesitatingly cleared himself to take advantage of his
greater reach. Rotating like a fan, he barraged past his teacher's
grappling defence. The move lasted less than a second before
Cologne abruptly folded up like a closing book - tucking and rolling with
the impact.

"What was that? I missed it." Lano knew well enough that his friend's
quicker eye would have more chance of tracking the move.

"Master Kagora knocked the side of her head, then clipped the neck.
I....I don't know what happened next - he was too fast." Years of
training under the ninja master had instilled within the boy a close
familiarisation of the techniques his master commonly employed - and
this was unfamiliar.

"He's weakening." Despite the score, it was clear to both teenagers
that age as always held its tax upon the old man - a man trained in an
art that commonly yielded quick victory - not long, drawn out duels. And
in herald to that thought - for no apparent reason, Kagora seemed to
bowl over under an invisible kick, keeling straight into a headlong jab to
the temple.

And thus it was over.


***********


Kagora awoke to the dimly candle lit view of his own room, somewhat
disorientated by the swirl of nausea that accompanied his awakening. It
took several seconds for him to detect the warm grip of a friendly hand
holding his own.

"Daughter?" He didn't really require a verbal confirmation for that. "I
take it I lost?" Neither that either.

"Considering what you two do in those fights - you should count yourself
fortunate that the duel was all you lost." Silently, Meyah shook her head
at the infrequent situations where she played the chastiser, not the
chastised.

"Never you mind daughter - I'm a tough old walnut. It takes more than a
sparring with Elder Cologne to crack me."

"You are also seventy three years old. Why could you not have retired
gracefully like other men your age?" Her visage twinkled in mild
mockery.

"Insolent child - leave me be that I may rest in my defeat."

"Rest in peace you mean? Just a few moments longer else you will
arise tomorrow feeling like a migraine has invaded your entire body."

Silently, the ninja master submitted to her careful healer's
administrations. Presently, he said, "As always my endurance failed
me."

"We train in Ninjitsu - ninjas need not the stamina to endure for duels,
and sparring." She didn't really need to say that - Kagora himself had
taught her this years ago. Looking up from her work, Meyah's brow
furrowed in wonder. "Of course if that is the case, then what is Ranma?"

Smiling despite the ever-present aches, the Shinkasa master replied,
"Ranma is neither martial artist nor a ninja. I know not a term to
describe one such as he." Pausing in consideration, he added.
"Perhaps it is sufficient to name him as simply a warrior - a fighter of all
creeds - no rules to hamper his need to win."

"Such would be a dangerous one - if it weren't for his staunch honour."
Meyah's visage deepened as she was again reminded of a nagging
thought. "I wonder how his sense of honour held up today under the
discovery of his father's commitments."

"You are his mother - I expected you to bear the answer to that."

"He does not confide much about his life before Shinkasa. Sometimes I
wonder...what Ranma feels to his original family - those that hold his
name and blood. And also I consider the morality in the Clan
withholding information of them." It was an unspoken issue - that the
Shinkasa in keeping with its records on all members, carried files on
the Saotome tree - Ranma's real mother included.

"The spy network does not withhold *any* information from any members
- no exceptions save for the Nekoken. The boy knows well enough of
the expansiveness of our knowledge - he has merely chosen not to ask
about his bloodline."

Sighing, Meyah finished off with her application of the soothing balm to
her father's forehead. "That is what concerns me in reality. That our
kohai has never ventured to discover his roots. In all due frankness I
was surprised that he would be content with the society and family we
provided at Yamakaro."

Sitting up, Kagora murmured grimly, "Perhaps it would be wise to
consider the nature of a woman who allows her only son to be torn from
his home at such an infantile age. Or the mentality of a father who
'trains' the Catfist into his child. In that light it may not be so
inconceivable that a son forgoes his blood ties without question."

"We have not any personal acquaintance of this Saotome Nodoka. You
have said so yourself that it is unwise to assert judgement based on
speculation."

"Well in any case until Ranma feels the need to broach the subject the
point is moot. Concern yourself with the new day - that will pose enough
strain for our efforts." Offering a sympathetic hug, Kagora gave his
thanks for his daughter's ministrations.

"Goodnight father." Gathering her tools, as well as the remainder of he
healing poultice, Meyah headed silently for the door to her adjoining room.

"Sleep thee well my daughter."

Left in solitude, the swordmaster was free to admit to herself a feeling
which she would never have admitted to anyone, not even Master
Kagora. In such moments of reminiscence when she was reminded of
Saotome Nodoka - a woman known by name only - she could not help
but feel a jealous possessiveness of her son - a fear that one day *her*
Ranma might choose to leave his surrogate mother to re-trace his true
family.

*Who is of more import? The mother who gives birth to the boy and
cares for him for his first four years, or the mother who raises and
teaches him for the next ten?*

Meyah fervently dreaded the time when her son would make that decision.
She could not imagine how she would survive without the love of the boy
that had dominated her daily efforts for so long.

Best not to think of that.


************


In another home of the Joketsuzoku, another member of the Shinkasa
was quietly dressing himself for bed. Once more Master Kagora had
revealed wonders of power and skill which had entirely encapsulated
Ranma's vision of the Arts. The goal however remained staunch - to
one day live up to the training and sheer amount of time which had been
invested solely into himself - to become the greatest of fighters. Letting
out a long breath, the pigtailed teenager tried to avoid the daunting
consideration of just *how* he would ever be able to match such feats as
seen tonight. Every time he thought himself at some established point
of ascension in either Ninjitsu or Mutsabeto - Master Kagora, and now
Elder Cologne would smash the conception that he had actually
reached anywhere in the grander scheme of things.

Well, there was naught to do but train - and Ranma was very good at
training.




************
************
************



Author's Notes.

Alright, you all have my sincerest apologies for being so tardy with this
chapter (although I didn't take *that* long did I?). Suffice to say that
several interfering factors (new computer etc.) were the contributors,
and not writer's block. Anyhow, just a reminder that I may change facts
about Ranma 1/2 whenever I like - to suit the flow of the story. Right now
I'll be taking a short break from Way of the Ninjitsu to try and make a
start on one of my other proposed projects (as per request from some
readers).

Also I must convey my thanks to an and all of you who voted for my
stories at the monthly awards. I never even realised that people were
doing this until the "You have reached second place" e-mail arrived. In
any case it is very flattering that I would get any mention for my first
work.

If you have any problems at all with the pace of this series (ie. I'm going
too slow) - my e-mail is always open to helpful criticism. Several people
have commented that they are a little impatient for Ranma to 'meet' up
with the rest of the Nerima crew in Japan. I just wanted to avoid
'skipping' through the storyline just to get to the parts which every fanfic
reader comes to expect from a Ranma 1/2 work.

You can find the rest of my works at http://members.xoom.com/dojohouse
Or email at dojo@ihug.com.au


Generic statement.
Comments and criticism are always welcome (flame me if you must),
but I won't accept any ethical stuff from people who hate any particular
love match ups which may or may not occur in this series. I personally
don't really have any objection to any possible girls Ranma could end
up with (although Ukyou is my personal favourite) - no don't cringe I
also like Akane/Ranma, Shampoo/Ranma etc. ones too, but I've
gotta have a favourite. Every new fanfiction I write will have a different
match up (assuming that is there is any match up at all). If your
particular pairing hasn't come up yet, then tough rocks - I'll get to it.




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