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       ~This should be harder,~ Ranma thought briefly.

       She leaped over Ryouga's rope and dropped a
club to tangle it as she did.  An attempt to pull away
the tool resulted in Ryouga jerking back.  If it were
a real fight Ranma would let Ryouga pull him in for a
kick, but he couldn't attack without the tools
according to the rules.
       Ranma let herself be pulled along anyway,
gliding just over the ground.  Ryouga smirked, letting
the rope go in favor of another club, kicking it up.
Ranma took the opportunity to pull Ryouga's rope up
and dropped his legs to the ground, with a burst of
strength sending herself just over the celestial's
head.  Ryouga felt the breeze as she passed an inch
above, too quickly for him to take advantage of the
pass.
       "What the-~?" Ryouga gasped, looking up as
Ranma executed the aerial technique.  ~So accurate
without wings? How?!~  He didn't have time to figure
it out, the rope circled around his arm and he was
flying, bouncing off the wooden floor just short of
the wall.
       ~I dominated that exchange,~ Ranma took in a
deep breath. ~Completely.~
       ~Fighting in a style I've mastered and he first
saw a week ago.~  Ryouga kippuped to his feet and
stared at Ranma a little more cautiously.  Ranma was
staring after him with something similar to shock.
       ~I can...~  Ranma took a step back from Ryouga.
       ~...beat me.~  Ryouga frowned and stepped
forward.
       Akane watched as the practice ground to a halt
and watched the shifting stances.  It was turning
serious, and not the same sort of enraged battle Ranma
and Ryouga normally entered into whenever they were
around each other.  They were measuring each other.
       ~Have to be ready to break them up,~ Akane
thought, standing up and running through a list of
what she could call up with one hand.
       Then Ryouga moved.
       He was fast, stabbing forward with his clubs.
She expected Ranma to rush head on as well, and take
on Ryouga directly as she usually did.  When the
redhead merely started dodging away from the attack
Akane crinkled her eyes in confusion.
       Ryouga frowned and started interspersing his
stabs with wide sweeps.  Ranma let them past her, an
uncertain look on her face, finally rolling under and
past Ryouga.  Akane watched Ranma stand up and look at
Ryouga's back, the redhead had a clear opening as the
other fighter was still turning around.  She was
leaping away before Ryouga completed his turn.  It was
the blink of an eye, not inhumanly fast, but damn
close.
       "Are you done playing with me?" Ryouga
demanded.  He tossed his clubs at the red head, and
Ranma spun out of their path and continued staring at
Ryouga.  "After this match we'll fight for real."
       Ranma shook her head and vanished from sight.
       "He teleported," Akane said.  ~No spell,
either.  Some technique?~ "What happened there?"
       "Coward's playing games with me," Ryouga said.
"Just because he got lucky in that practice."
       "What is it with you two anyway?" Akane asked.
"Isn't it a little silly to be fighting this much over
a girl that's probably gone on to her own life?"
       "Feh.  I don't know what you're talking about."
Ryouga crossed his arms.  "But if you knew about Ranma
you'd be right along with me."  Ryouga started walking
out of the dojo.
       "Where are you going?" Akane wondered.
       "I have to be at the match," Ryouga said.
"I'll need to find it you know."
       "I don't care what's between you and Ranma,"
Akane said firmly.  "The pride of my temple is behind
this.  If you want to protect me, stay out of Ranma's
way."

********

       Akane looked into the guest room and noted
angrily that Ranma wasn't there.  He should have been
sleeping, getting ready for the match.  After thinking
about everything yesterday she softened her expression
and sighed.
       She walked down the stairs and considered what
was going to happen today.  She felt confident,
assuming Ranma didn't mess up somehow.  Or the unknown
party behind last night's attack got involved.  She
glanced in toward the living room and saw Ranma-chan
lying on her chest.
       "She was sleeping on the roof," Kasumi said,
passing by Akane.  "I decided to take the chance to
treat her wounds."
       "Were they bad?" Akane asked.  Kasumi shook her
head and Akane sighed in relief.
       "They should not affect her fighting at all,"
Kasumi said.  "They'll scar though, badly considering
the light wounds.  Probably yours as well."
       "I can handle a few scars," Akane said.  She
flexed her hand.  "And there's no real damage.  I
don't understand how he can be so vain."
       "Perhaps he'll tell you sometime," Kasumi said.
 "Why was she on the roof?"
       "He seemed upset about something," Akane said.
       "Well," Kasumi said.  "Maybe it was the cat."
       "I guess," Akane said.  Ranma groaned and
rolled to sitting up.  "You're awake."
       "When did I get here?" Ranma asked wearily.
       "I carried you," Kasumi said.  Then she smiled.
 "You should be more careful about where you fall
asleep.  You could catch cold."  Ranma arched an
eyebrow and snorted at that possibility.  "Breakfast
will be ready soon.  Then I assume it is off to the
match."
       "Yeah," Ranma said.  "Where's the pig?"
       ~Right letter, wrong animal,~ Akane thought.
"Ryouga?  He left for the match after you...vanished."
       "Should be a while before we see him I guess,"
Ranma said.  "He's off getting 'lost' like usual,
jerk."
       "He really does get lost you know," Akane said.
 Ranma snorted.


********

       Ryouga looked up at Hebereke temple in awe.
       "I actually got here," he said.  "It...must be
fate.  Now all I have to do is find the gymnasium and
I can make sure Ranma..."  He frowned, Akane had
expressly forbidden him to interfere in this.  And
there was something else as well.
       Ryouga thought over his last few fights with
Ranma.  He had known that Ranma had improved the first
time they had collided over Furinkan Hall.  He just
hadn't realized how much Ranma had improved until last
night.
       "I'll have to train myself then," Ryouga said.
"Now where is this stupid..."  There was a splash of
water from above.

********

       Ranma looked at the bird in her hand, and the
chain that connected it to her wrist.  There was to be
no spells in the match, but there had already been
plenty of magic and other tricks.  Now this.
       "Hey, Mr P," Ranma said wearily as the bird
pecked at his hand.  "When did you get back."
       "You are too careless," Kodachi laughed.  "But
then all of Ryoko's followers tend to rush headlong
into things."
       "These are the rules for this duel," the refree
declared.  "No unarmed attacks, no spells, no time
limit.  The match ends with a surrender, one opponent
falls from the ring, or one opponent is unable to
continue the fight."

********

       "Is it a good idea to be here?" Tenchi asked
from the seat clearly marked as "prize."
       "Oh what's the worse that could happen?" Ayeka
asked.  "Perhaps this drunk here will cause a scene,
but not me."
       "What drunk?" Ryoko asked, blearily.  Ayeka
rolled her eyes.
       "Were you drunk before or after you accepted
Little Ranma as your priestesses substitute?" Ayeka
demanded.  "Succubi are not known for their skill in
battle."
       "Neither are dryadsh," Ryoko said, smirking.
"And you should know Ranma better than that."
       "Ranma's good," Tenchi agreed.  "But this isn't
his style."

********


       "What's that idiot doing up there?" Akane
wondered.  "I thought I told him not to get in the
way."
       "It doesn't look like he has much choice,
Akane," Nabiki said.

********

       "Listen, lady," Ranma said, holding the bird
still.  "I'm gonna see you out of the ring in a moment
so I can get this over with.  I don't like beating on
people."  Ranma transfered the irritable bird to one
hand and lashed out with a ribbon to attempt and
snatch Kodachi.
       "You are a sentimental sort," Kodachi sneered.
"I remember that from before."  She swung out with her
rope, easily deflecting the twirling ribbon.
       ~Huh?~ Ranma blinked.  ~Her technique is better
than Ryouga's?~  The bird started to struggle in her
hand.  "Hey calm down!  You want get your wings
broken?"  Ranma barely avoided the down swing of
Kodachi's 'rope' and saw it contact the ground, and
dent it.
       "You should be concerned with yourself,"
Kodachi smiled.  "Not the bird."
       "What are you trying to do," Ranma yelled.
"Kill me?!"
       "Of course not," Kodachi huffed.  "I would
never kill one of Ryoko's followers.  Humiliate,
cripple, embarrass, but never kill."  Ranma gave her a
deadpan look.
       "Great," she said.
       Kodachi dropped her 'rope' and grabbed a pair
of clubs tossed by her second.  She stabbed forward
with her clubs, face calm as Ranma dodged.  Thorns
suddenly grew out of the club and scraped along
Ranma's cheek.  Ranma growled.
       "No spells!"  Akane shouted.  "The rules say no
spells!"
       "No spells in the ring," the officiator
corrected.  "She cast that before the match started."
       "You...you..." Ranma let go of the bird, which
moved to her head and started pecking.  The redheads
hands clenched tightly.

********

       "She just cut Ranma!" Ryoko growled angrily,
standing up.
       "No interference, Ryoko," Ayeka snapped.  "It
is mortal magic, she should not be concerned.  Not
like what ever fool marked her other cheek."  Ryoko
relucantly sat down.
       "A celestial," Ryoko said.  "She doesn't want
it healed."
       "What?" Tenchi asked.  Ryoko smirked.
       "Akane said it looked cute," she explained.
       "I don't understand your neice," Ayeka said
shaking her head.  "Why does she care what that brute
of yours think."
       "Better a brute than a psycho," Ryoko retorted.
       "Then why choose someone who is both?" Ayeka
wondered.  Ryoko frowned.

********

       "You cut me!" Ranma shouted.
       "Why should you care," Kodachi wondered.  "With
a face already marred like yours."  She smiled evily.
"Of course, on my Lord Ranma such marks seeming
dashing."
       "I am not your Lord Ranma!!"  Ranma shouted
angrily.
       The redhead swung around kicked one of the
poles marking the borders.  Spun around again and
launched the neatly severed piece of wood into
Kodachi's face.  The pigeon cooed angrily as it was
jerked around by the motion.  Ranma landed lightly
glaring at the gymnast and then looking at the angry
pigeon apologetically.
       "Sorry 'bout that," she shrugged.  The bird, as
usual, responded by ineffectually pecking at her head.
 "Hey it's not my fault she chained you to me."
       "Insolent girl," Kodachi snapped.  "Of course
you are not Lord Ranma!  You are the wrong gender for
one thing."

********

       "She's seen Ranma in both genders, right?"
Tenchi asked.
       "No comment," Ayeka muttered.  Ryoko snickered.
       "Oh what heavenly beauty is before me?" a voice
said from behind the deities.
       "Pardon?" Ayeka asked, turning around.

********

       "Well, he's not yours anyway!" Ranma snapped.
Kodachi frowned and moved forward to look at Ranma
cautiously.
       "I see," Kodachi said grimmly.  "That is why
you have marred your face in imitation of him!  You
want my Lord Ranma as well!"  Kodachi shrieked and
struck downward with her club, and Ranma countered the
club, suddenly thorny again, with a length of chian.
       "Sorry," Ranma said to the pigeon that she had
jerked away.  Then she glared at Kodachi again.  "All
right!  That does it!"  Ranma vanished as Kodachi
struck downward with her club, pushing the suddenly
empty chain down to the ground.
       "There are to be no spells!" Kodachi protested
loudly.  She twisted around to face behind, where she
expected the other girl to reappear.  She caught the
barest glimpse of a silohette before something landed
lightly behind her, and a rope circled around her
wrist.
       "This is over!" Ranma shouted.  The redhead
noted Kodachi pulling a piece of metal to her mouth
and frowned, opening up her mind to see what the
Jurain was thinking.  Her eyes opened wide as she
glanced down at the raised arena beneath her.  Ranma
rolled to grab a ribbon and leaped into the air as
Kodachi blew her whistle.
       The arena moved to the sound of the whistle
holding almost exactly underneath the leaping Ranma.
Kodachi gasped in surprise as the ribbon wrapped
around her and she was jerked away, across to the
other side of the fighting ground.  The redhead
watched the silvery tint of the noble's whistle strike
the ground as Kodachi landed roughly on the ground.
       Ranma glared at the platform beneath her and
moved to check on the bird.  It was angry, somewhat
dizzy, and of course it started to peck at her as soon
as she picked it up.
       "Hold still, Mr. P," Ranma said before
whispering quietly in the harsh abyssal language and
destroying the chain.  "Sorry about all that, should
have thought of that a while ago."  The bird kept
pecking at her, following her as she jumped off of the
arena.  Ranma turned angrily toward the arena and in a
fit of
       "The match is forfeit," Kodachi shouted as she
stood up.  "She used spells!"
       "That wasn't a spell," Akane said, watching
Ranma.  The redhead was sweating as she walked over to
them.  ~And it looks like it takes a lot of him.~
       "Then how pray tell did the harlot..." Kodachi
was interrupted by a shriek.
       All attention turned to the "prize" seat.  Most
people apparently were seeing the trio that sat in
that vincinity for the first time.  Ayeka stood behind
Tenchi looking deeply offended and infuriated.  Tenchi
had a grim expression as he recognized the source of
the affront.  Of course Ryoko was the most obvious.
       "Oh brother-dear," Kodachi whispered in shock.
"What have you done?"  Ranma vanished and appeared
next to the angry gods as the others moved in more
traditional manners.
       "You touch her again and I'll rip every fucking
organ out of your body one at a time," Ryoko shouted
lifting Kuno off the ground.  "And I CAN keep you
alive while I do it."
       "Hey, Auntie Ayeka," Ranma gasped as she
reappeared next to Ayeka.  "You okay?"  ~Three
teleports in twenty four hours, with everything else.~
 She was obviously sweating and breathing heavily now.
 Ayeka nodded at her and frowned angrily at the mortal
Ryoko held.
       "I was merely showing my appreciation for
the..."  Kuno started to protest.  Ryoko snarled and
tossed the idiot away.
       "Stupid mortal," Ryoko spat.
       "You claim to be my follower," Tenchi said
coolly.  "And you do that?!"
       "I have been a true follower," Kuno protested,
then frowned.  "Ah I see it now, you are merely
imitations of Lord Tenchi and his wives."  Kuno
frowned and shifted into stance.  "I, the blue thunder
of--!"  A lightning bolt crackled out of the sky and
struck Kuno into the ground.
       "No sword shall ever remain in your hands for
long," Tenchi declared.  "Whether destroyed, stolen or
lost, you shall not keep them."
       "And no anger directed at you shall be light,"
Ryoko added, moving behind Tenchi and standing next to
Ayeka.  "Those you anger shall be enraged beyond
reason."
       "And any who knowingly help you shall see all
the plants of their lands die around them," Ayeka
added angrily.  "You should know better than to
affront anyone so, much less someone with power."
       "He tried to grope you?" Akane gasped as she
came up to the small crowd.
       "I would never," Kuno tried to protest.
       "Of course you would," Ranma snapped.  "You do
it to me all the time."  The three dieties flashed a
look at Ranma and then angrily glared at Kuno again.
"But I didn't think even you would be this stupid."
       "Brother," Kodachi said sadly.  "You are an
idiot."
       "Sister, surely you must see..." Kuno tried to
explain, stopping when Kodachi turned away from him.
       "These curses shall be on your head until you
admit and atone for your actions," Tenchi declared.
"I have been lenient with your posing until now.  Now
leave!"
       "I shall leave," Kuno said, weakly climbing to
his feet.  "And you shall see that a true paladin of
Tenchi shall persevere."  He started to limp away
before the silent crowd.

********

       "Cursed by your god," a voice said out of the
shadows.  Kuno turned from his poorly made camp site
to look.  "What a terrible fate."
       "Who are you," Kuno demanded.  "And what
business of it is yours what transpires between me and
those imposters?"
       "I am someone that can give you a way around
those curses," the figure stepped forward and Kuno
caught a hint of bandages.  "I merely ask for a
favor."
       "And what favor is that?" Kuno asked
cautiously.
       "There is a girl, somewhere in the region," the
male voice said.  "I wish for you to find and destroy
the devil holding her, and bring me the girl."
       "And what is so special about this girl?" Kuno
asked standing up and facing the apparition.
       "Just bring me the girl and you're curses will
be lifted," the voice said.
       "I think not," Kuno said firmly.  "I would not
taint myself with your service for my benefit."
       "Then enjoy your life," the voice said
laughing.  "As brief as it will be."

********

       "I'm seeking Mistress Azami," the young woman
said.  She frowned at the startled and sad silence
that she received.
       "Mistress Azami?" the innkeeper said.  "The wu
jen?"
       "Yes, she has the daughter of someone important
in her care," the woman said.  The innkeeper noted the
blade at the woman's side and the pointy ears, almost
elven.
       "You mean little Linn?" the man asked.
       "Yes, where is she?" the woman asked, she
gripped her sheath with her left hand.
       "You're asking about that witch?" a loud thug
demanded from behind her.  "She's dead, and that
little brat of hers is gone.  And good riddance."
       "Azami was not my favorite person," the woman
said.  "But would you mind explaining what happened
before I beat you to within an inch of your life?"
       "Guess your employer got tired of you looking
for his daughter," the thug said.  Three other large
men joined him.  "Some blonde with a fetish for cute
animals came by and hired us to the help her rescue
the girl."
       "Where did they go?" the woman asked angrily,
frowning.  She leaned forward.
       "Nah, I don't think we'll tell you," the man
said.  "Unless you give us a little fun first."
       "Sure thing, Jackass," the woman said
cheerfully.  Then she moved, drawing her blade and
swiftly moving between the thugs.  In her wake she
left the four thugs sprawled out senseless, bones
broken.  Then she sheathed her blade and looked about
the unconscious thugs.  "Do you know where this
'blonde' went, or do I have to wait for them to wake
up."
       "Th...th..they're not dead?" the innkeeper
stuttered.  The woman drew her blade and indicated the
blunt outer edge.
       "Not with this," she said.  The innkeeper
relaxed.  "But I can still do a lot of damage.  Where
did they go?"
       "Nerima!" the man snapped desperately.  The
woman dropped him in shock.
       "That's where he's supposed to be," she
whispered.  She looked up at the sky and breathed.
"I've given up on vengeance and now I have to go
straight to where that Jackass lives."  She shook her
head and walked out of the inn.  "I wonder if I would
be forgiven for beating him up a little."
       "Who are you anyway?" the innkeeper asked.
       "Ukyou," the woman said.  "Ukyou of Kamiya Temple."

=====
"Caffeinated Kender?  What's that, a berserk spell?" -
Tribble, Kender Warrior of the Celestial Kingdom
"God has to have a sense of humor, it's the only explanation for sex." - my
father
"I have to write a how-to paper for class, so I'm writing a paper on how to
be psuedo-evil." - my brother

http://members.aol.com/thrythlind/snake.html

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