Okay, my other email is down because of server issues. Since
it's sending things back, I'm just going to change to this email. 
If you tried to email me and it went right back to you, that's
why. Please send to denisecameron@eastlink.ca in the future. 
^-^

Err, if chapter 3 didn't end up going through, just go to:
http://elena.ff6rpg.net/counp3ch3.html

------------------------------------------------------
Title: The Countdown to Matrimony (Ch. 4 of Part 3)
Anime: Ranma 1/2
Author: Denise Cameron aka Elena99
------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 4: My Fickle Heart

Ryoga looked through his pack again, searching for a certain map. It
had been in there, he was sure. He had packed it himself, unless
Nabiki or Ukyo had been through it. He didn't think either was stupid
enough to go through his pack. Digging around, he finally pulled it
out, an expression of satisfaction briefly flashing over his face.

It was a map of Nerima.

"May as well update this as we wait, right? You can help, Gosunkugi,"
said Ryoga to the tied up body beside him. Well, he wasn't completely
tied up, just his wrists behind his back. His ankle was also tied to
Ryoga's ankle. Ukyo had insisted on that, saying that if something
happened, Ryoga at least wouldn't get lost. Ukyo's sense of 'humour'
really grated on him, sometimes.

He was feeling better now. That really wasn't saying much, though,
since he still felt horribly depressed, confused, and upset. Something
was being done about the situation, though. Plus, he had the culprit
in control. Under his control. Seeing the twerp suffer, despite that
it wasn't directly helping Akane, was oddly satisfying.

"A-anything, just don't hurt me, okay? You martial artists are all so
violent," he said, not meeting Ryoga's eyes.

"I'm not violent! I'm just a little strong. Anyway, better to be
strong then a treacherous, ignorant magic abuser," Ryoga defended,
looking back to his map.

Gosunkugi had told them the whole story, starting from the note he had
given to Ranma. It had started on the day Ukyo had come back to the
restaurant in tears; she should be counting her lucky stars that she
hadn't ended up involved, though perhaps she could have been a voice
of reason. Maybe. It was possible, anyway, that Ranma and Akane could
have been talked out of doing something so obviously stupid.

As far as Gosunkugi could tell, the curse had been jumbled when Kuno
had crashed the stage. Somehow that had managed to disrupt the dolls,
and they absorbed the battle auras of the other four. Gosunkugi had
even said that he had never been completely sure of what would happen,
which only served to irritate Ryoga further. So now, apparently, Akane
and Ranma were in love with Kuno and Kodachi, while the latter two
hated Ranma and Akane passionately. Ryoga wasn't sure if it was poetic
justice or ironic tragedy. But then, Ryoga had never been much of a
philosopher.

It had not taken them long to realize that they would need someone
versed in the dark arts, or at least battle auras and ki, to come and
help them out. The only person they could think of off-hand was
Shampoo's Great-Great-Grandmother; the Old Ghoul. Despite that this
meant involving Shampoo. It was their only hope. Ukyo had gone off in
search of her, Ryoga figured they had less then an hour before
teachers and students began arriving at the school. They hoped to at
least figure out the solution before the gym was taken over with
students and the four cursed ones had to go to school. If they could
forget about each other long enough to go to school, that is.

"Does this look right to you? Everyone keeps saying my maps aren't any
good," said Ryoga, showing him the map and practically daring him to
insult it. It consisted of the Tendo house, Furinkan High school, a
few roads, and the Nekohanten. He had added that last one on the most
recent trip to Nerima before this one.

"Well it's, uhh...well..."

"What?"

"Sorry! It's just...it's a good map, but you need a...a scale. So you
know distances. And you don't have nearly enough roads, and...oh, hey,
so that's where the Tendo house is?" he asked, looking suddenly more
interested. Ryoga sighed, shaking his head and feeling his annoyance
rise.

"Yes. Hey, you have any idea where Ucchan's Okinomiyaki place is? I
need to add that." It was getting to be a habit for him to end up
there. He didn't want to have to be guided away from it again. Or to
it, if need be. Gosunkugi frowned, then nodded slightly.

"Put it...right above that bush, there. Where is that bush, anyway?"

"That's the park near Akane's house. At least, I'm pretty sure it's
near it..." Ryoga creased his brow in thought.

"Oh. Well either way, I'm pretty sure her restaurant is west of here,
and that bush looks very, uh, west," said Gosunkugi helpfully.
Nodding, Ryoga marked in a small house, then wrote "Ucchan's
Okonomiyaki" in it.

"Thanks. I'll get Ukyo to check it later. Ha! I'll show her I can make
good maps," He said, putting the map of Nerima away. "I wonder what's
taking her so long to get back."

"I'm s-sure she'll be back soon. So really, you could probably just
let me go now. I've been here all night, and I need to get home, and
have some breakfast, then sleep for maybe five minutes before coming
back to-" He was stopped as Ryoga easily grabbed his shirt, lifted him
an inch off the ground, then gently put him back.

"Not happening. Ukyo said you stay here, and stay here you will.
Besides, I think you have a crush on Akane. You might do something
else stupid, and make things worse." Gosunkugi gulped nervously. _Why
do people always underestimate my intelligence?_

"Don't you, too? Akane is...is..." Gosunkugi's dark, creepy eyes were
suddenly lit up, and a brief smile touched his lips. No doubt he was
picturing the girl in question.

"Beautiful? I know that, idiot. I know that all too well." Feeling
depressed, Ryoga sighed, tucking in his knees to his chest. Holding
his legs close, he looked back in the hole in the stage. The dolls for
Akane and Ranma were next to each other, with the K and T ones looking
as though they had been kicked aside. He wanted to pick up the Akane
one, just because it had her initial on it, and hold it. But stopped
himself. It would just make things worse in the long run.

"Why are you listening to Ukyo then, if you love Akane? You don't love
Ukyo too, do you?"

"Of course I don't! But...Akane's sister sent her with me as a guide.
And believe me, you don't want to go against Nabiki. I've already got
enough women against me," Ryoga said, shaking his head. He had heard
Akane, and Ranma, complain about Nabiki. Often. She had seemed nice
enough the two times they actually talked, but he was not one to
forget anything that Akane said.

"Nabiki Tendo? Oh. OH. Better listen, then. She's the smart one."
Surprised, Ryoga looked at him wide eyed.

"Did you just insult Akane?"

"No, of course not! I meant...bad smart. Evil smart. Manipulative."

"Oh. Like you?" asked Ryoga.

"Yes. Err, no. Feh, I don't know. I just want Akane," said Gosunkugi,
looking as depressed as Ryoga now.

"Join the club." Then the already falling apart stage got itself yet
another hole from Ryoga's fist.

* * *

"Cologne? Shampoo? Open up! It's important!" yelled Ukyo, banging on
the front door to the Nekohanten. She stopped after a minute of no
reply, and considered her options. No one was answering. She could
look for a door in the back, which no doubt existed, or she could just
break down this door. Or bang and shout some more. Opting for the
third option, she knocked louder, hollering enough for Ryoga to
probably hear her.

"Wake up! It's about Ranma-honey!" Immediately the door was opened,
and Ukyo was quickly pulled in.

"What you say about airen, spatula-girl?" asked an obviously pissed
off Shampoo. Ukyo straightened herself, and scowled.

"My name is Ukyo, Shampoo. Even you should be able to handle it." She
had never liked Shampoo. Not an ounce, not for even a moment, and she
never planned on trying. But for Ranma-honey...she could be
reasonable. As long as it lead to helping him.

"Spatula-girl trying Shampoo's patience! You come here, you knock, you
yell, you shout, you say something happen to Ranma, and now you stand
there and tell Shampoo things Shampoo already know?" she yelled,
tapping her foot irritably. Ukyo rubbed her forehead. If she thought
her headache was bad before, Shampoo's ringing voice was making it
even worse.

"Ranma's in trouble. Gosunkugi put some sort of curse on him, by
accident. Though it may have been on purpose...either way, we need
Cologne. The curse used their battle auras somehow, and your great-
grandmother was the only person we could think of that knows a lot
about them."

"A curse? Aiyaa! Great-grandmother, come quickly! Something happen to
airen!" cried Shampoo, running towards a stairway at the back of the
restaurant. She returned moments later, changed into a less wrinkled
dress and with a tired, but still awake-looking Cologne in tow.

"I remember you. One of the girl's trying to steal away Shampoo's
Ranma! Well. And so you come to us, for help?" She stood on her long
staff to consider Ukyo. The look in the old ghoul's eyes suggested she
was searching her very soul for the answer, rather then wait for the
verbal version. Ukyo shivered.

"Yes, I am. Are you going to help or not? Ranma's life is at stake!
Well, sort of. He'll live, but...oh, just come on!" cried Ukyo,
clearly still not master of her vocal chords. She didn't care, though.
Cologne rolled her eyes, then looked up to Shampoo.

"Should we help them, great-grandaughter?" Shampoo glanced at Ukyo,
then nodded. "Fair enough. Let us go. You can give me the details on
the way."

* * *

Cologne had only a few questions for her during the course of the
explanation, and Shampoo a few more. There was a determined light in
the old ghoul's eyes; she was thinking. When Ukyo had started talking
about Gosunkugi, and the curse, she had noticed Cologne's eyes widen
in a cross between amazement and possibly fear. If Cologne actually
feared anything, that is.

"So Ranma chase after leotard girl? And Akane after kendo boy? No make
sense. Of all hussies trying to steal away Ranma, leotard girl least
attractive. Ranma avoid her more then any others!" said Shampoo,
trying to make sense of the situation. Ukyo bit back a retort to being
called a hussy, and nodded.

"It was some sort of reversal curse, but it was only supposed to
reverse the emotions of Kodachi and Kuno, not Ranma and Akane too."

It was light out now; they didn't have much time. Before long people
would be pouring into the school.

"Ukyo...does this Gosunkugi have any sort of grudge against my son-in-
law and Akane?"

"Well...no, not really. Not that I know of. Gosunkugi's sort of a
loner. He's...weird."

"Weird? Nerima weird?" asked Shampoo. _Nerima weird? They have their
own brand here? Though I guess things were a bit different, in my
hometown. No one had Jusenkyo curses, anyway._

"No, just loner weird. He claims he knows black magic, and voodoo. I
don't really know much about him, to be honest." Cologne frowned,
looking towards the sky.

"We need to hurry, girls. I have a very bad feeling about this whole
ordeal."

"Shampoo agree. We hurry and help Ranma, yes?"

"We're almost there."

The school gate was still closed when they got there, so they had to
climb over the wall. When they arrived at the gym, Ukyo was relieved
to see Ryoga, still tied to Gosunkugi at the ankle.

"Ryoga!" she called, rushing over to sit beside him and check on their
hostage. She was also relieved to be in the company of those other
then Shampoo and Cologne, now. The two amazons were definitely an itch
that she couldn't quite scratch.

"Ah, good, Ryoga. You've kept him alive, I trust," asked Cologne,
bounding up to Gosunkugi on her cane.

"Old Ghoul! It's about time," said Ryoga, earning himself a smack
across the face from the cane.

"So you...Gosunkugi, is it? Foolish boy! Tell me, what is it that you
have done here?" said Cologne crossly, staring down Gosunkugi like a
tiger glaring at a mouse. Everyone wisely stepped away, Ryoga going as
far as he could while still attached.

"A-Akane and Ranma...they...asked me to do it."

"I'm sure they did, but it doesn't mean you had to do it. Unless they
threatened you? You don't look like a martial artist, to me."

"I'm not, and they...they didn't. I wanted to help them."

"I see. So...eh? What's this over here? The dolls Ukyo mentioned,"
said Cologne, momentarily losing interest in Gosunkugi to peer into
the hole in the stage. Her eyes turned to slits as she took in the
sight, and she rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

"You tried to do an emotion reversal spell, didn't you? But why?
Surely you knew that it would affect Ranma and Akane too," she said,
turning back to Gosunkugi. Ukyo shook her head in confusion. _A
reversal spell? But..._ As the implication set in, her brown eyes went
cold as ice.

"I didn't, but...but I wasn't sure...I..."

Ukyo watched Ryoga's eyes go wide as something dawned on him.

"You were trying to get Ranma and Akane to hate each other!" Ryoga's
voice echoed off the gym ceiling. Gosunkugi tried to back away, then
remembered the rope on his ankle, and paled. It wasn't the conclusion
Ukyo would have come to, certainly. To her, reversal would mean that
Ranma-honey's and Akane's feelings for the Kunos would just change.
Ryoga did have a way of sometimes seeing straight to the core, though.
It was odd, considering his sense of direction. If the facts were laid
straight, he was sure to miss it. But if there was any sort of
confusion, or vagueness, it was as though his natural survival
instincts kicked in. The same instincts that had brought him running
to Ukyo's restaurant, that night, and that had brought a drunken P-
chan to Akane's bed.

"That's it! That has to be it. He was saying earlier how much he loves
Akane. Not that I could blame him for that, but I would never risk
Akane like that!" roared Ryoga, preparing to lunge. Quickly, Cologne
got in between them and cut the rope. In one motion she pushed
Gosunkugi over to Shampoo and Ukyo, while striking Ryoga hard on the
back. As a result, his attack missed, and a large crack appeared on
the gym floor around his fist.

"Hey! Why did you interfere?" Ryoga turned around to glare cold, cold
daggers at the old woman. His aura flared blood red, and made Ukyo
very glad that she was several feet away from him now.

"We need him alive! Now calm yourself, Ryoga," said Cologne, turning
back to Ukyo and Shampoo. They were sitting down, with Gosunkugi on
the floor between them. Ukyo had her spatula on his legs, her own feet
propped on it to weigh him down. Shampoo was holding down his arms
with her bonbori. Gosunkugi lay limp, but still conscious; Ukyo
registered his expression as having resigned himself to the custody of
those around him. _It's about time he realizes who's boss around here,_
she thought bitterly, not feeling his legs try and move at all under
even such a small portion of her force.

"Now Gosunkugi. Tell me - exactly - what you were hoping to accomplish
here. Keep in mind you are surrounded by five talented martial
artists, though it would only take one of us, half asleep on the worst
day of our life, to take you out." Gosunkugi sighed, then turned his
head.

"Well, umm, you see...ugh. I don't know if you'll understand,
but...have you ever...wanted someone? Loved someone? That you...just
couldn't have?" Ryoga raised an eyebrow, then turned to Ukyo. She
shook her head, looking back to their hostage. _Has he gone mad? What a
question to ask a three hundred year old woman with a great-great-
granddaughter. Though, the idea of Cologne, in love..._ She looked up a
the old woman curiously, wondering if she'd understand. Wanting
someone was no excuse for Gosunkugi's actions, but it might soften
Cologne's fury. Or make it worse, depending.

"What does...oh. Ohoho, that's an old one. Eighteen year old boy in
love, is it? Yes...yes I see what has gone on here exactly. So who
broke the stage? My son-in-law isn't nearly so clumsy. And what
ingredients did you use?" she asked, looking more in her element now
that most of the mystery had disappeared for her.

"It was Kuno...he made some of the candles go out, and debris fell on
the dolls. I used...cursed black wax, and frog's blood."

"Frog's blood? But surely-" Cologne turned back to the stage,
examining it further. After a moment, she turned around, her gaze
fixed upon Gosunkugi again.

"You didn't just get frog's blood, young one. You also got human
blood. Kuno bled," she said, pointing to the evidence on the wood.

"Kuno bled? But he never bleeds!" exclaimed Ukyo, though her words
were not intended to be taken literally.

"Of course he bleed! He human, no?" asked Shampoo, breaking her cool
silence for the first time since her arrival. Ukyo scowled at the
insinuation of her stupidity.

"Of course he's human. But he never bleeds! Not many people can get
close enough."

"Except for my son-in-law...," murmured Cologne. "We need to find the
four of them, and reverse the spell. And those dolls should be
moved...we'll relocate to the Nekohanten. Shampoo! Grab the dolls, and
be careful with them. That much battle aura could lead to trouble."

"Yes great-grandmother." Shampoo obediently gathered the voodoo dolls,
holding them as though they were glass.

"Does this mean you can help Ranma-honey?"

"And Akane?" Cologne frowned, then looked at Gosunkugi again.

"We just might be able to. And as for you, child...what you call
magic, and cursing...you are one hundred years too young to be using
such things, especially in the name of love. Don't you dare mix with
elements you don't fully comprehend again! The next time, I won't let
you off so easily."

"Y-yes...I swear, I won't do it again." Seeing no reason to hold him
down any longer, Ukyo got up, resheathing her spatula. Running to
Ryoga, she practically pulled him to his feet, then started for the
door. She already knew what they had to do; find Ranma and Akane. And
if they could, Kuno and Kodachi as well. Just not at the same time,
considering the nature of the spell. _No, that wouldn't go over
well...Kuno and Kodachi would kill them before we could get them back
to the Nekohanten..._

"We'll go look for them, Cologne." Ukyo stopped momentarily to see the
old woman nod.

"It shouldn't be hard to coax them into food. But don't force them to
be together if they don't want to! The more friction they cause
between themselves, the more firmly placed their battle auras will be
in the dolls." Said Cologne. But the shock of what Cologne had just
revealed left Ukyo immobilized. Cologne had been hiding something
important from them? Why was she only saying this now? Had it just
occurred to her, and now she was telling them as an after thought?
Ranma-honey was in...danger? Graver then she had thought? Her brown
eyes hardened, and she felt her hand twitch for her spatula.

"What are you saying? Does that mean they can't fight now? If the
battle aura-" Ukyo gasped, her eyes widening as she realized the full
extent of the cursing. _They can't fight...they won't be able to defend
themselves. They...they can't summon their battle auras!_

"You're a quick one, Ukyo. None of them have any fighting spirit right
now; it was all absorbed into the dolls. So they should be putty in
the hands of two martial artists like yourselves. But use caution! As
of now, I could get them back to normal if we recreate the situation.
But if their auras become too firmly in place..." Ukyo narrowed her
eyes.

"We'll be at the Nekohanten soon." Without another word, Ukyo and
Ryoga were out the door, and the search for the cursed four began.

* * *

Akane Tendo ran up the stairs as best she could. Her short legs
screamed for mercy with each step, but she kept going. _One more, just
one more...and then another...and..._ Panting, she pushed herself
further, bending over and using her hands as though she were climbing
a small mountain. Something was sapping her strength, causing her pain
she hadn't felt since she was a child. Her head swam with dizziness.
It left her feeling as though she had just woken up, and hadn't quite
sorted out her location yet.

"Do you see them, Ranma?" she called, looking for her companion. He
was at least five steps further then she was; she tried to push
herself further, to be equal with him, but it was such a strain her to
her muscles that she just gave up and sat down.

"Nope. They're too fast. I can't believe they outran us at the park,"
gasped Ranma, sitting down himself. The cold air stung at her throat,
and she looked towards the horizon, at the sun fighting to rise up and
claim the sky. _Something's wrong here...we shouldn't be tired this
fast...we..._ Looking down, her eyes widened as she saw how many stairs
they had climbed. It couldn't be. They had gone much further then
that, worked so much harder then...that.

"R-Ranma!" she cried, pointing.

"Huh? Is it Koda...whoa! But it...that can't be right!" Ranma scuffled
back to his feet as though the view would be better from higher up.

"Well it is! We've only gone up eight steps, and we're tired. Us! This
is just wrong," said Akane, getting up herself. Panting and fighting
off a suddenly worse dizzy spell, she walked up the steps agonizingly
to test herself. It pained every muscle in her legs so much that she
let out a low groan, then sank back down to the steps.

"Stop forcing yourself, stupid tomboy. You're just gonna get yourself
hurt," chastised Ranma, through gasping breaths.

"Tomboy? You're the one who lost sight of them and probably took us
through a wrong turn."

_He let them get away! Arg. I shouldn't have trusted his judgement._
Fuming, Akane pulled her legs closer to her chest, wincing at the pain
she felt. She tried with all her might to ignore the dizziness, the
flashing of lights just out of the corners of her vision. It hurt
badly, but she was stronger then that. She knew she was.

"You really _are_ hurtin'..." Sounding oddly concerned, Ranma walked
down a few steps to be at her level. Once there, he sat, rubbing his
legs. Sympathy was spicing his voice, but she ignored it. It wasn't
his sympathy she wanted; she wanted Kuno. She wanted him to come back,
and say that he was sorry for those odd things he had said to her.
Then take her in his arms, so she could finally stop chasing and rest.
Oh, to be able to rest in the arms of Tatewaki Kuno...

"It's weird. I wonder what...huh. That's strange." Akane tried to
think back to earlier that day, but her memory was fuzzy. Everything
before waking up was...blurred. Especially when it involved her
beloved Kuno. She wanted to weep, but kept herself strong, not wanting
to show even more weakness to the man she was forced to call her
fiance.

"What's strange?"

"I can't seem to remember correctly. Hey, you remember when we woke
up, right?" she asked, looking over to him. They had both caught their
breath by now, and were talking with greater ease. If they stayed like
this long enough, Akane thought they just might be able to get up and
chase after Kuno and Kodachi again. _If only my legs would stop
throbbing as though I had run to Hokkaido and back..._

"Well, from what I remember...you, me, Kuno and Kodachi were all
sleepin' in the gym...and then Ukyo and Ryoga were there. They were
shocked at somethin', and then Kuno and Kodachi left. I still can't
believe she ran away from me. Did I do somethin' wrong?" Akane just
sighed, having no answer to his question.

_What about me? Did I do something wrong? He...called me...he called me
a wench. But I didn't do anything to deserve that...did I?_

A fuzzy feeling passed through her mind, and she suddenly felt
incredibly dizzy. Something wasn't right. Something was very, very
wrong here, but she couldn't quite figure out what it was.

"A-Akane? Hey, are you alright?" Ranma managed to barely catch her as
she began to fall over, then set her straight.

"Why are we so weak? Every time I try and think about it, I get dizzy.
And when I tries to think, just then...I got dizzy. Something is
really wrong here." Her voice hollow and like that of a lost little
girl. She hated sounding so lost, especially in front of Ranma. Her
housemate, her fiance in name only, and her only obstacle to Kuno. For
now, at least.

"Don't worry Akane, I'll figure out something," said Ranma, though his
face was turning an odd shade of green as he said it. _Oh dear...for
some reason, I...oh..oh, this isn't the first time Ranma has been
weak. But...ouch!_ She rubbed her temple, feeling a massive headache
coming on. Maybe...if we can get to Dr. Tofu...maybe he can help us...
Trying to bring up the image of Dr. Tofu proved to be a failure,
though; her head was so fuzzy. How far were they from the school now?
>From his building? Could they make it all the way back there?

"Oh Kuno, where _are_ you? You idiot..." Tears formed in her eyes, and
she tried to force them away. Ranma nodded sympathetically.

"I dunno what's wrong with Kodachi, either. She's...she's never run
away from me before."

"Well we can't just sit here! We need to...oh no. If we're weak, maybe
they're weak too? What if whatever's affecting us is affecting them?"
she asked, her eyes as large as dinner plates. She didn't know what
she would do if Kuno was hurt. Or in trouble. Or...worse. She didn't
want to think of what worse could be defined as.

"And that's why they ran! Kodachi didn't wanna embarrass herself by
letting me see her like that. Feh, she should know better."

"It makes sense, though. We have to find them, Ranma. Before something
happens to them." She forced herself to stand bravely on her shaky
legs. Not one to be outdone, Ranma stood up as well, looking up to the
top of the stairs. They both stared up for a long time, then slowly
turned and started to walk downstairs.

* * *

Around the corner of an office building, two figures crouched around a
small telephone booth. The male figure, Tatewaki Kuno, held the
receiver of a phone in one hand, clearly waiting for someone to answer
at the other end of the line. The girl, Kodachi Kuno, pressed herself
against the grey stone of the building as though she didn't want to be
seen. They were both sweating profusely and panting, Kodachi scanning
the area wildly every few seconds as though expecting someone to jump
out at them.

"Sasuke! Sasuke, thank god, you have got to help us! Something has
gone terribly wrong. Kodachi and I are weak. Something has sapped us
of our strength! Oh, bitter fate...What? What date? Hold on." Kuno
covered the bottom part of the phone with one hand then looked to his
sister. His manservant had said something rather odd, just now. He had
been tempted to refute it immediately, but Sasuke was a smart man.
Surely, he wouldn't have said what he had just said without just
reason? Giving him the benefit of the doubt, he looked at his poor,
distraught sister, and tried to keep his expression soothing.

"Did you have a date last night?" Kodachi shook her head, looking
distressed. Just as he had thought.

"A date? Me? Of course not!" she cried, insulted. Kuno nodded, then
moved his hand from the speaker so he could refute Sasuke's wild
claims with a clear conscious. Of course the man had been wrong! What
had he been thinking, to ask his poor sister such a question? He
blamed his lapse in judgement on the sudden dizzy spell that had
claimed his mind, and fought to not let Kodachi see it in his face.

"Of course she didn't have a date Sasuke! Besides, she goes to an all
girls school. She doesn't know any boys. No. No. What are you talking
about, Sasuke? I think you've been into my father's sake again! Am I
right? How _dare_ you suggest I have a desire for that wench, Akane
Tendo! No, I will not calm down. Now come here immediately and save
us! What? Yes, I'm sure I'm still weak. No, I don't know how long it
will last! Just get here," said Kuno peevishly, hanging up the phone
after stating the address.

"Is he coming for us?"

"Fear not, my twisted sister. Although it does seem that my loyal
Sasuke has been into the drink again. I won't foul your tender ears by
saying what he thought you were doing with Ranma Saotome!" Kuno shook
with revulsion.

"What? He thought I was doing something with that...that...pervert?"
Kuno nodded solemnly, then frowned.

"I will not let him touch you, sister. This is an odd situation, here.
I do not understand why we are suddenly weaker. I should have been
able to run at least most of the way home."

"Most of the way? Ha! I could run the whole way from here!"

"Oho? Shall we race?"

"A race it is, big brother!"

Then they were off, running as fast as their tired, overworked legs
could go. Sasuke found them fifteen minutes later, passed out a block
away from where Kuno had said they'd be. Quickly, he had loaded them
into the Kuno family limousine, and drove them home.

* * *

"Ukyo, this is crazy. We can't just wander all over Nerima looking for
them," said Ryoga, following Ukyo down yet another road. When they
turned, they both scanned up and down for Ranma and Akane, though
Ryoga suspected Ukyo shared his lack of optimism at actually just
seeing them. Yet Ukyo kept on forward, tugging Ryoga after her. This
had been going on for quite some time now. He liked to think that his
guide knew what she was doing, and that her actions made sense, but it
was frustrating all the same. Plus he didn't like how quick she was to
grab onto his shirt and tug, as though he were a small child. He
almost expected her to produce a leash and collar him.

"And you can stop tugging on me, I'll go on my own." Ryoga tried to
push her hand away, but she had a surprisingly good grip. Ukyo glared
at him a moment, then softened her expression.

"Fine, fine. Don't get lost on me though. Unless of course you can
manage to keep yourself lost within Nerima, find Ranma-honey and Akane
and, if we're lucky, Kuno and Kodachi, and convince them to lead you
back to the Nekohanten?" Ukyo looked up at him with an expression that
was both hopeful and mocking. Sighing, Ryoga frowned, but kept himself
close to her.

"Point taken long, long ago, Ukyo," he said tiredly, realizing he
hadn't had his coffee yet. He always had his coffee. Whether he was in
Hokkaido, Osaka, Nerima, greater Tokyo, China, anywhere and
everywhere, Ryoga started his day with coffee. But today, he had been
moving too fast to think about it. His stomach gurgled, as though just
realizing this fact as well. _But...I don't have time for that...I have
to find Akane! She's out there, somewhere...and not as strong as she
used to be._

"Did I just hear your stomach growling?"

"You did. I haven't had anything to eat yet today. Isn't yours
growling too?"

"No...I ate while we waited for you to wake up," said Ukyo, guiltily.

"Feh. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

"If you say so, sugar."

Students were slowly populating the streets now, joining the adults
that were on their way to work, and the occasional early morning
jogger. Ryoga and Ukyo blended in perfectly; both looked quite tired,
though determined to get to where they were going. Even if they passed
out from exhaustion and lack of food on the way there. _At least SHE
wouldn't pass out from lack of food...and dammit, I don't think I even
have anything in my pack._

"Hey...hey Ryoga? Are you sure you're okay?" asked Ukyo, stopping him
for a moment to give him a concerned look. "You're not going to be of
any help to me on only half power, you know."

"I could use some food...but I shouldn't be thinking of myself right
now. Akane's out there somewhere, weak, and maybe even alone. What if
she's hurt? What if she's been kidnaped? What if _she_ hasn't had
anything to eat yet either?" He had only been half serious about the
last one, but it was a problem all the same. Not having her battle
aura was one thing; it just meant she was at the strength of an
average human. But running around, stubbornly following Kuno and
Kodachi as he expected she would, without food? She had to be
exhausted by now. Ukyo blinked twice, then appeared lost in thought.

"They probably ARE hungry...and they wouldn't go home, in their weak
state. Ranma's too proud to let his parents and the other Tendos see
him weak." Rubbing her chin, Ukyo glanced from one end of the street
to the other.

"Hey, you don't think..."

"Oh, I do. I do indeed. But...Ranma-honey promised not to come near me
until I said it was okay. Unless the curse has affected his memories?"

"It's worth a shot. And if they aren't there...then we'll just keep
looking. I will not give up until we've found Akane, and rid her of
this curse," vowed Ryoga, suddenly consumed with the urge to run back
to the gym and take out his frustrations on Gosunkugi.

"And Ranma and the others too, of course, right?" Ukyo smirked.

"Of course. Isn't that part understood?"

"From now on, sugar, it is. Let's go."

They took off in a sprint, heading through what seemed like a maze,
until they finally got to a street Ryoga thought he recognized. He
didn't dare stray from Ukyo, though, and instead kept in stride with
her. She was a pretty fast runner, for someone shorter then him, and
he didn't have to keep himself in check much to keep stride with her.
Adrenaline flowing through his veins, they ran down the street that
Ukyo lived on, and stopped when they got to her Okonomiyaki
restaurant. To their surprise, Konatsu was waiting for them at the
front door, his expression troubled.

"Miss Ukyo! I was hoping you'd come back soon." He walked up to them,
then lowered his voice. "Ranma and Akane are here, but they don't look
okay. They asked where you were, and I said you were called in the
night to the Tendo house. I tried to tell them they should go there,
but they...they said they were too tired! I'm worried. Aren't they two
of the best martial artists around? What happened last night to make
them so tired, even now?" Konatsu shook his head, clearly nervous at
the thought something so strong that it could exhaust both Ranma and
Akane. Clearing his throat, Ryoga pushed open the door to Ucchan's.

"Umm...it's a really, really long story, Konatsu. I'll tell you later.
For now, please, stand guard here and don't let anybody in." She
started to walk inside, then stopped. "Oh, but if you see a guy in
kendo gear with a wooden sword, and a girl in a leotard with long
black hair in a side ponytail, stop them and let me know immediately,
okay?"

"Wha-what? Okay. Right, questions later. You can count on me, Ukyo,"
he said, standing straight and looking to either side of the street.
Ryoga pulled her into the restaurant when she was done, his
satisfaction at being able to pull Ukyo instead of the other way
around melting at the sight of Akane, sitting on a chair at a table.

His head swam with conflicting emotions; love and pain, bliss and
depression, desire and repulsion. Somehow he pushed the emotions
aside, and let himself bask in the glow that was Akane Tendo. His
heart fluttered, panicking.

"Akane! Are you okay?" rushing straight to her, he almost knocked over
Ranma in the process, who was sitting at the table as well. Akane
looked positively exhausted. Her eyes were closed, her face pale, her
limbs limp and no doubt as worn out as her face looked. Upon hearing
her name, she opened an eye weakly.

"Ry-Ryoga? Is that you?" One lazy eye opened, and she tried to sit up
straighter.

"Yeah, it's me Akane. I'm here." Akane smiled, but it was a sad smile
that made his face fall.

"Okay Ranma, I admit it. You were right. They came." Finally noticing
Ranma, he watched as his rival lifted an arm, twirled a finger around
in mock victory, then rested his hand back on the table with a mild
*thump*.

"Hey, Ucchan? I know it's early and all, but since you're up
anyway...can we have some food?" Ryoga noticed that Ukyo had come in
right beside him, and was looking rather perturbed at Ryoga right now.
Inexplicably perturbed. He would have thought she'd be tending to
Ranma, as he was to Akane.

What's she so mad about...oh. Looking down, he saw that he was still
holding onto her arm. In his excitement to get to Akane, he hadn't
actually released Ukyo, and had dragged her to the table with him.
Sheepishly, he let go of her arm, blushing slightly. Ukyo shook her
head, but her expression was forgiving enough.

"Sure Ranma-honey, just sit tight okay?" said Ukyo, leaping for the
grill, "You sit down too Ryoga. I'll be there in a minute."
Obediently, Ryoga began to pull out a chair, then flushed, noticing it
was the closest to Akane. Moving to the other one, he found that it
made him sit across from her, but rather then go back he pulled it out
and sat down in it. Innocently, he put his hands on the table,
twiddling his fingers. Akane looked so beautiful, sitting there,
despite her being weak. He had seen the dress she was wearing earlier,
but he had been so shocked that the memory hadn't really stayed with
him. Now, though...he fought a blush, looking at the way the delicate
silk fabric hugged her body, and accentuated it. Her legs, with those
high socks innocently showing off her toned leg muscles, hinted at the
nudity of...

Ryoga looked away quickly, feeling a severe nosebleed coming on.
Instead he focused his gaze on Ranma, who was looking at him as though
he could barely keep his eyes open. The pigtailed boy was dressed
nicely as well, though his posture suggested he could still move as
easily in these clothes as in anything else. If he had the aura to
fight, that is. Sapphire eyes looked at him tiredly, as though through
a thick mist. Akane's beauty near forgotten, he found himself feeling
sorry for such a weak looking Ranma. _We've got to help them...we've
just got to..._

"Ryoga..." Ranma stopped to let out a large yawn, and stretch. "Ow."
He said, rubbing his shoulder.

"Don't push yourself Ranma. I know you're both weak right now." Ranma
looked surprised, and Akane lifted her head in interest.

"You know? So you can tell us what happened?"

"Of course! Uhh...what do you guys remember?" The spell came over him
once more as he gazed at her, but he fought to keep his composure. For
her sake.

"Waking up. Kodachi and Kuno running. Us giving chase. Them giving us
the slip," said Ranma dully.

"That's the condensed, Ranma Saotome special version, anyway."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Immediately, Ranma and Akane each put
their hands to their heads, as though dizzy. Worried, Ryoga frowned,
then remembered what Cologne had said about friction.

"Whoa, wait. No fighting. You both need to calm down, or you'll drain
your battle auras."

"We'll what? Ow!" they both said at the same time. Sighing, Ryoga put
his hands firmly on the table, and began the explanation.

Ten minutes later, all four of them were sitting around the table,
finishing off the last of the Okonomiyaki and drinking some of Ryoga's
extra strong coffee. Akane and Ranma had regained a lot of strength,
but still looked weak compared to what they had been. If Ryoga had to
guess, he'd say they were down to Nabiki's level of strength, maybe
even Kasumi. Though he felt sad at the prospect, he was happy that
they were still okay, and that there was a possibility of getting them
back to normal.

"Okay...so...you're saying that we asked Gosunkugi to put a curse on
Kuno and Kodachi, so they wouldn't like us, but really Gosunkugi was
in love with Akane, and wanted to make us hate each other? So we lured
Kuno and Kodachi to the gym? But we fought, and Kuno ran into the
stage, messed up the curse, and now all of our battle auras are
enclosed in little voodoo dolls in the Nekohanten, with Shampoo and
the old Ghoul?" asked Ranma.

"Err. Yeah. Yes, that's it," said Ryoga, not seeing any holes in it.

"But that doesn't make any sense." Akane looked as though she were
struggling to keep her temper in check.

"Yeah! Why would we want Kuno and Kodachi to hate us? Though I bet
Kuno already hates Akane, with the way she's always trying to make 'im
eat her cooking," said Ranma, sticking his tongue out at his fiancee.

"Why you! Moron! Kuno loves my cooking." She sniffed, then looked
away. Ryoga and Ukyo exchanged nervous glances, but didn't comment.
They had already decided, while in the kitchen making coffee, that
they would not bring up the fact that it was all a part of the curse.
It was pointless. They were under a curse, and they wouldn't believe
otherwise. But that didn't make it any less maddening to watch.

"Looks like the curse didn't affect how Ranma and Akane act towards
each other. Much," muttered Ukyo, taking a swig of her coffee.

"This is serious Ukyo, it's no time to be making jokes." Ukyo
shrugged, then went back to picking at her okonomiyaki.

"Something else doesn't make sense, either. Why was Gosunkugi wanting
to separate me and Ranma? Sure, we're engaged, but just as soon as I
can get Kuno to propose to me properly, I'm sure my dad will see the
light and allow Kuno to be the heir to the Tendo dojo," said Akane,
her brow creased.

_...I did not just hear that. I did not just hear that. I did not just
hear that. I did not just hear that. I did not..._ Ryoga shook his
head, trying not to stare in bewilderment at Akane.

"Well...Gosunkugi has the idea that you and Ranma love each other,"
said Ukyo, in a low voice.

"What? But...we'll practically be brother and sister, once we're both
wed! That's just...that's just...ew."

"Who would wanna marry this uncute tomboy anyway? Except maybe Kuno.
Maybe," said Ranma, who earned himself a glare. Akane raised her hand
to hit him, then seemed to remember about the curse, and lowered her
hand. Ranma, pleased with himself, smirked as though he had just
scored a point.

_I could really go for a good Shi-Shi-Hadokan right about now._

"Okay, look. We're all done and caught up, and we have work to do. To
remove the curse, we need to find Kuno and Kodachi, and take them back
to the Nekohanten. The Old Ghoul thinks she can solve this, but we
need all four of you there. Pronto," said Ukyo, standing up. "The two
of you can make it to the Nekohanten, right?"

"Of course. We were just tired from running so much...I think we
covered a quarter of Nerima, just tryin' to get them to slow down,"
complained Ranma, standing up as well. Ryoga watched him, noting that
he seemed to be able to balance himself well enough.

"Good. We'll take the two of you to the Nekohanten first. Then me,
Ryoga, and maybe Shampoo and Mousse if they're up to it, will go
looking for the Kunos."

"What? But I want to look for them too!" said Akane. _Feh, I
figured one of them would protest._

"Yeah, what if Kodachi is hurt? Or in trouble?" Ukyo sighed, then drew
a deep breath.

"The curse, Ranma. Whatever they felt for you before, right now they
hate you, and are maybe even scared of you. It's best if they don't
see you until they have to."

"Oh...r-right," said Ranma, looking sour. Akane nodded, looking
equally peeved at the situation, but didn't pursue.

"So, if we're done with the discussions...?" asked Ukyo.

"We're done. Let's go," said Ranma, hitting the table with all his
strength. Ryoga winced when it resulted in only a couple of cups
shaking briefly, and Ranma holding his hand as though hurt.

* * *

After giving careful instructions to Konatsu, just in case he spotted
the Kunos, Ukyo had set the pace to the Nekohanten. Although Ranma and
Akane seemed more at ease physically, they didn't want to go any
quicker then a fast walk. She was walking a few paces behind them,
watching them talk quietly except for the occasional raised voice,
followed by a quick recovery.

It had been hard to listen to them. So hard, beyond anything she had
imagined. She always thought herself to be a firm woman, in control of
herself and of her emotions, but this scenario had proved her wrong.
Now she knew, more then ever, why she had requested that time away
from her friend. Why she had sensed in her gut that she wasn't ready
to see him yet. Because she just wasn't. She had no idea how long she
needed, but now was not a good time. Especially not with him under a
curse, and pinning away after Kodachi. Giving him up for Akane hurt
like a jagged knife, but losing to a curse...to Kodachi...it was more
then Ukyo could bare. More then once during the explanation in the
restaurant, she had wanted to flee up to her room and cry like a baby.
Worse, more then once she had also wanted to hold Ranma in her arms,
and assure him that everything would be alright. That she and Ryoga
would take care of it, and them, and hope that maybe...just
maybe...after this was all over, he'd see the error of his ways and
come back to her.

It had been far too soon for her to see Ranma again, and interact with
him. Weeks to soon. Months too soon, probably. Feeling confused, she
made herself stop looking at Ranma's back, and averted her gaze to
Ryoga, her second shadow as of late.

Ryoga, his head down, looked sullen as usual. He was walking beside
her, kicking the odd rock and taking care to aim them away from the
two in front of them. She felt just as miserable as he looked, but
tried to keep a strong posture. _If I crumble, it's not going to help
anybody. I need to stay strong, she thought firmly._ Ukyo desperately
wanted to be the strong one again, in control of her emotions. If she
didn't look at Ranma for a while, she just might be able to pull it
off, too. If she only tried hard enough, she could do it.

Wanting further distraction, she decided to start a conversation with
Ryoga. They had things to discuss, anyway. If they were discreet
enough, Ranma and Akane were too self-absorbed to hear them, so now
was probably the best time.

"Their memories don't seem to be working right, in regards to us,"
whispered Ukyo, too low for Ranma and Akane to hear.

"Maybe it causes too much pain. Akane said something about her mind
being fuzzy when she tried to bring up details, remember?"

"Good point. Ugh. This is such an awful position...so close, and yet
so, so far away." Mimicking Ryoga, she gave a rock a good kick. It
bounced nicely off the wall to the left of them, but didn't do much
for her mood.

"Shouldn't Ranma be able to remember Akane's talk with you, though?
And Akane, mine and Ranma's? It doesn't make sense."

"They're a couple, Ukyo. Despite the curse...maybe there's still a
bond between them, deep down. For a normal couple, one person's pain
is pain for both, right?"

"Something like that, I guess. I wouldn't know," she said bitterly.
Chasing after Ranma for so many years...she had never been in a
relationship. Never been in love, except for Ranma. Yes, it had always
been about Ranma-honey, ever since she was ten. She had stayed loyal,
even as she resented him for abandoning her. She had never wanted
another, and then when she had seen him again, and he called her
cute...all the feelings had come back. In the past two years, she had
remained fiercely loyal to Ranma. Despite the odds. Here she always
thought herself a strong person, for having such determination to
remain true to one person. Everything she had ever worked for was
thrown back in her face with staggering force.

"Yeah. Neither would I..." Ryoga's low voice came to her as though
through a fog, and she noticed him looking up at Akane, then quickly
look away. "My pain was never her pain."

"Maybe it's something else," said Ukyo, watching as the two seemed to
be fighting now. Fighting carefully, at least. "Maybe they remember,
but don't think it's important. They know they're engaged, but don't
want to be. Could be that they thought breaking off things with you
and me was just a part of the process, and not something they really
wanted to do. Sort of...going through the motions."

"It's possible...I wonder if the old Ghoul found out anything."

"Hopefully." She was very, very hungry for answers.

When they got to the Nekohanten, Shampoo and Cologne were in the back
room, the old Ghoul examining the dolls while Shampoo appeared to be
struggling with something. She didn't precisely leap at Ranma, as per
usual. Instead, she'd look at Ranma longingly, then look back to
Cologne, then to Ranma. Ukyo smiled inwardly as she realized that
Cologne had most likely told her to avoid physical contact with her
'airen'; one of Shampoo's tackle hugs could seriously hurt him, as
well as affect his still trapped battle aura.

"Ranma okay, yes?" Shampoo tilted her head, concerned.

"For the third time, Shampoo, yes. I ain't sick or nothin', just a
little...weak," he said, looking away from her.

"Has there been any change in strength from when you got up, son-in-
law?" Her eyes were narrowed, scrutinizing him as though he were a
specimen in a jar.

"I don't think so. We ran around, got tired, and then after we rested
and ate, I felt better again. Not one hundred percent, but okay."

"I see. And you, Akane?"

"The same."

"Hmm...as long as you both stay here, and stay calm, you should be
fine. For now." The air became heavier as she turned casually back to
the dolls.

"For now?" asked Akane, rubbing her forehead. Cologne frowned, then
looked at the five young people around her. Despite their no doubt
different thoughts and feelings on the matter, Ukyo felt as though it
were all of them against Cologne. As though she was the only one who
knew what was going on, while the rest fought to catch up and
understand.

Cologne closed her eyes, then nodded.

"I can explain, but first I need to make sure you both can remain
calm. What you will hear will no doubt surprise you, and upset you,
and you will get angry. Suppress that! These dolls feed on anger;
don't give them fuel."

"R-right," said Akane, straightening her back. A look of determination
was barely fixed on her face.

"No problem," echoed Ranma, looking equally determined. Cologne then
picked up the dolls, setting them carefully on the table in front of
the two. Each doll glowed brightly, the colours flickering from shade
to shade randomly. The ones marked Ranma and Akane stayed cooler
shades of blue, purple, and green, but the other two flashed around
madly, sometimes green, sometimes pink, sometimes orange. Ukyo took
another step forward, watching the dolls intently. The auras around
the Kunos were weaker then those of Ranma and Akane; they would have
to find the Kunos soon.

"I'm sure you can identify which one each of you is, and what the
colours mean. That's all basic to virtually any martial artist," she
said, pointing to the Kunos with her cane. "It is fortunate that we
found you two. However, the others...they do not realize their peril."

"Is Kuno alright?" Akane's eyes didn't leave the dolls for a moment.

"For now, he is. I'd give them another day, maybe two, at this rate."
But Cologne's voice was not entirely confident. "Your
classmate...Gosunkugi...he had no idea what he was dealing with,
however well or unwell he meant. The curse he used was something that
hasn't been done in Japan for centuries, ever since it was first
created. I don't know how he came about it. It wasn't sealed away, as
it should have been."

"Why was it created? For battle?" asked Ranma, tearing his eyes away
from Kodachi's aura. Obviously with great effort. Ukyo forced herself
to look away from him, and instead focused on sharpening one of her
throwing spatulas.

"That is correct, son-in-law. Taking away an opponent's battle aura is
a very effective way to win...and dirty. However Gosunkugi wasn't
trying to take away auras; he was trying to reverse emotions. Little
did he know how deeply the two are connected." Cologne shook her head,
then continued. "When it was first used, the side effect of reversing
emotions was discovered. By concentrating ki in a certain way, the
caster of the curse could selectively manipulate the spirit and
emotions of the victims. But they had to be fighting, and had to be
marked. Also...there had to be human blood. Kuno's served well for
this."

"Kuno..."

Ukyo saw a movement out of the corner of her eye, and watched as Ryoga
bawled up his fists, then released, repeating over and over again. On
the other side of the room, Shampoo was watching quietly, her large
purple eyes only seeing Ranma. Ukyo tried to keep her face plain,
hoping her misery was not so obvious as the others. She seriously
doubted that she was hiding her emotions well, though.

"Gosunkugi made a fatal mistake, without even knowing. Only someone
who has great control of his ki can really handle the spell. It
appears as though he was not even aware of what he was doing, as the
spell took an...unplanned turn." As she spoke, Cologne glanced from
Ranma to Akane, looking thoughtful.

"I can give you both your auras now; it would take perhaps a half
hour, perhaps more. But first we'd need to backtrack. Your auras are,
I'm sorry to say, quite comfortable where they are for the time being.
You need to claim them." Immediately, Ranma's aura flashed a bright
red, and Akane's a deep orange, as Cologne's eyes went wide at their
misinterpretation of her words.

"No, no, stop! Not like that." The colours remained for a few seconds,
then settled back down to blues and greens. "Where is your discipline?
Hmm? But you seem to have regained control."

"Sorry," said Akane, and Ranma nodded, looking annoyed with himself.

"I was worried this would happened, or I would have tried it the
second I laid eyes on you two. I may have to put you both to sleep to
get you to relax, but we don't have time for that," she said
hurriedly, looking over her shoulder at Ryoga and Ukyo.

"You two! Go out and search for Kuno and Kodachi. Do your best to get
them back here, and whatever you do, don't mention Akane and Ranma.
Try and bring them back peacefully."

"Right," replied Ukyo and Ryoga, though lacking enthusiasm.

"Shampoo, I need you to go wake up Mousse, and explain to him what has
happened. Then you two will also go out in search as well."

"Why Shampoo have go with Mousse?" Irritation was heavy in Shampoo's
voice.

"Are you disobeying me, great-granddaughter?" asked Cologne,
surprised. Shampoo looked as though she would protest again, but
instead firmed her face, and walked out of the room.

"Shampoo obey," she said angrily from the hallway, then they heard
footsteps running upstairs. After one last, long look at Ranma, Ukyo
frowned, then looked at Ryoga. He was still staring at Akane, his face
slightly flushed.

"Ryoga..."

"I know. Let's go."

"Come back here in three hours if you cannot find them. Be swift!" Not
having to be told twice, Ryoga and Ukyo ran out the door, closing it
tightly behind them. The sun was now quite high in the sky as they
headed out once again, to search.

* * *

Gosunkugi was still laying on the gym floor, staring up at the
ceiling. His eyes weren't focused on anything; his vision blurred,
forming shapes that looked like creatures moving underwater. Blinking
didn't get rid of them, and focusing only made him more tired. He had
wanted to get up, to at least go home and crawl into bed, but couldn't
muster up the strength. Besides, he had been out all night; if his
father was still home, no doubt he'd be very cross with him. He
definitely didn't have the energy to deal with any more angry people.

"I should really get up...if the gym teacher finds me here, he'll
probably blame me for the damage to the stage." He didn't manage to
convince himself enough to actually get up, though. Being on the floor
felt almost comforting; solid, polished wood, cool against his pale
skin even through his clothes.

_I was so close this time...I almost had them...but I've only hurt
Akane_, he thought bitterly, clenching a fist. That was the last thing
he had wanted to do. Now all four of them were out somewhere, their
powers drained, and their heads a mess of mixed emotions and dulled
memories.

He had not told them about the memory part; it had been intended for
Ranma, as a last minute piece of revenge, and for Kuno. The girls he
had no quarrel with. That curse he had added was specifically designed
to cause all long term memories of happiness, and pain, to fade.
Eventually, it would have turned them into lazy, unmotivated slouches,
without a will to live because all their memories were so dull. They
would not be able to make new ones, not for keeps. They would fade
away quickly, as a short term memory.

Gosunkugi shivered again, at the memory of reading that part. It was
such a fitting piece, to make their lives as horrible and eventless as
his own. But now he realized what he had done wrong. He hadn't noticed
right away, but after Kuno had crashed into the stage, tiny slivers of
wood had imbedded themselves into the dolls of Akane and Kodachi, as
well as joining the ones already in the others. Uncursed wood. It
would probably be unnoticed by the old woman, or anyone else who had
not seen the dolls carefully first. He had been tempted to tell them
about it, and how he thought it might interfere with the curse, but he
had been afraid. Very, very afraid. He shivered at the memory; his
life in the hands of that brute, and the two girls, not to mention the
old woman. He had been terrified of her the most. So terrified he
couldn't even open his damned mouth to help.

"Idiot...stupid stupid stupid idiot...," he muttered, shaking his head
slowly. His vision still blurred, and he felt his neck ache from the
movement. _I've got to tell them...Akane could get hurt_, he thought. He
tried to conjure her face, to motivate him, but it was quickly
replaced by Ranma's face. Threatening, mocking, dominating Ranma. He
shivered again, realizing just how alone and unsafe he was now. Sweat
dripped down his forehead, trickling into his ears.

A noise from outside the gym door made his skin crawl, and finally he
made himself get up, scared of what it may be. Quickly heading for the
side entrance, he ran out into the sunlight, blinding himself at the
sudden light.

"Ugh..." Quickly, he sat on the ground beside the building. He didn't
think he had been seen, at least, but he made himself get up anyway
and run to the school gate. The first bell had rung already, as well
as the second; a class change was due to happen soon. Panting, he made
himself run off school property, feeling his legs jerk and spasm from
the effort. When he was far enough away, he stopped, looking back at
the school thoughtfully. His head pounded, and he could practically
hear his own blood racing through his veins. No one had seen him. No
one was around. No one...cared.

Sighing, he made himself turn away from the school. He wasn't sure
where he was going just yet, but he had to think. To clear his head.
One leg went in front of the other easily, though slowly. His eyes
focused on the ground.

_What have I done..._

_What...have...I...done..._

* * *

Ranma sat stiffly on the thin blue mat, trying to concentrate. His
mind felt like a haze, like a substance-less cloud. Keeping his anger
in check was hard enough to do, without the images and senseless
memories floating around in his head. Images of Kodachi, faded; Ukyo,
fading. Ryoga, Shampoo, fading, fading. He could only hold onto those
of Akane and the Old Ghoul because he was in the same room as them. He
didn't want to know what would happen if he was left alone for too
long, with these memories. They were suffocating him, teasing him,
taunting him in their incompleteness. It made him angry, and confused.

"Son-in-law? Son-in-law! You don't look like you're relaxing, to me."

Despite what she had said earlier about avoiding fights, she was
certainly being snippy with them. _Maybe she's trying to scare us, so
we won't get angry. That might work on Akane, but she should know
better then to try that crap with me..._

"Relax? How the heck am I s'posed to relax? You told me to think of
happy memories, to go to a peaceful place, but I can't find any," he
exclaimed, watching in horror as his aura flashed bright red.

"Ranma, no!" cried Akane, whose aura flashed as well. Struggling,
Ranma bit his tongue, the pain distracting him enough to calm down.
Akane's aura soon turned blue as well, and she looked down, worried.

"What are you saying, son-in-law? Surely you have happy memories."
Ranma fought against the sea of images again, but still came up
nothing. Frustrated, he looked up, his eyes as dull as he could get
them.

"I can't find 'em. All I see is a bunch of...of images. Nothin'
concrete. I can't even remember people's faces anymore." His voice was
almost as small as a child's. It was bad enough that he was physically
weak, now. He hated being weak. Loathed it, beyond anything
imaginable. But with a solution dangling in front of his nose, first
provided by Ukyo in her restaurant, his spirit had come back to him.
In short, uncontrolled bursts, but it was still there. But now, with
these odd images stopping up his mind, and his inability to
concentrate, he didn't know what was going on. Nothing seemed to be
going correctly; the curse was a step ahead of them, a step ahead of
what even the old woman seemed to know.

"Me too. There's nothing there. I...I can't grasp at anything. I
tried, but I just...can't," said Akane, her face mirroring Ranma's own
fears. He quickly turned away from her, looking back to the old woman.
Looking at Akane made his head hurt. He couldn't figure out why,
but...something about her eyes, her face...memories of her made him
dizzy and fogged his mind.

Expecting Cologne to snap at them again, she instead looked down, eyes
just as confused as his. _Something's wrong here...she looks...worried._

"The curse shouldn't affect your memories..." Her muttering was barely
audible as she glanced at the dolls once more. Looking at them
closely, she squinted, then pulled back. "Unless..."

"Unless?" asked Ranma, impatiently.

"Unless there was more then one curse involved. We can't continue now,
not like this! You should have told me from the start. Though maybe it
was a gradual change." Once more her attention went back to the dolls,
which glowed silently in the dim light of the room.

"I didn't notice, until you had us try just now. It makes sense,
though. Ukyo and Ryoga...they're our friends, but they were treating
us as though they expected us to lash out at them. I thought at first
that they were just scared to hurt us, but now...," said Akane sadly.
It took Ranma a moment to register the name Ryoga, and he wondered if
Akane was able to retain memories better then him. _Maybe it's all in
how we remember...it hurts me to think of them...but it doesn't hurt
her so much...why?..._

"When I get my hands on that stupid curse-boy, I swear I'll...," baid
Ranma, amazed at himself for being able to say that without his anger
flaring again. _Gosunkugi...all his fault...he started this all...he
caused this pain..._ He tried to pull up a mental image of his
classmate, but only a blurred image came to mind, making him dizzy.
"What now? If you can't undo the curse, what can we do?"

"We need Gosunkugi again. He has the best knowledge of what happened
there; he caused it." As she spoke, Cologne looked towards the door
that the others had left through earlier, as though willing that he
would enter it right then. After a moment, she did look away, then
fixed both him and Akane a level gaze.

"Try to stay calm. You two should be alright, provided you keep
yourselves passive. Shampoo will no doubt return soon, or perhaps send
Mousse. I don't like the tone she took with me, before she left." The
last part more to herself then to them. Akane and Ranma exchanged
glances briefly, then looked back over at the dolls.

"Maybe he did a modified curse. Dangerous as that sounds, he's young
enough, and when love is at stake..."

"Love?" asked Akane, tilting her head. Ranma's head swam at the way
Akane said it.

_Love...love...I love...Kodachi?...no...yes...Kodachi..._

Determined, Ranma took a quick glance at the state of his aura, then
tried to call up an image of Kodachi. Yes, there she was...tall and
slim, and beautiful, her hair piled on one side of her head. Why did
it make him dizzy to think of her? Why was her image fuzzy, as though
he was looking through a fogged window? _Kodachi...Kodachi...gotta find
her, before I forget too much..._

"Yes, love. It turns everyone into unthinking idiots. I think that was
demonstrated well enough, don't you?" Neither had a proper reply to
that, so they stayed silent, avoiding the eyes of their superior.

"No matter. We can do this without memories; I will teach you an
ancient Chinese technique, for your stamina and concentration. Get
into comfortable positions, both of you. Good. Now, close your eyes,
and listen only to me..."

* * *

A small, mismatched crowd of people walked down the sidewalk,
expressions and demeanor changing from one to the next. At the back
was a pretty girl in a blue schoolboy's outfit, her long brown hair
tamed by a white hairband. Beside her walked a boy of roughly the same
age, wearing yellow and black clothing and carrying a pack. They
looked accomplished, yet at the same time still grim, as though they
knew their mission would not turn out as wonderfully as they wanted.
In front of them walked a girl wearing a plain blue kimono, her dark
hair combed and styled to one side of her head; occasionally she
turned back to look at the boy, then blushed, and turned back to face
front. In front of her walked a shorter girl with brown hair wearing
white pants and a pink shirt, calmly talking to a taller boy beside
her who gestured elaborately as he spoke. He wore a plain blue jacket
and black pants, suitable for fighting in. At his waist swung a wooden
sword in it's holster, unused and unnecessary for the time being.

They were, of course, Ryoga and Ukyo, with Kodachi walking in front of
them, and Nabiki and Kuno in the lead. It had been Ukyo's idea to
fetch Nabiki and convince her to help. At first she had refused; they
had outright told her to help them find Kuno, without giving her much
of the story. However, after explaining the incident, Nabiki's concern
for her sister kicked in. Reluctantly, she agreed to go, making them
promise to protect her if any fighting started up in the process.
Ryoga had been surprised she felt the need to ask; wasn't it the duty
of all martial artists to protect the weak? But she seemed unconcerned
now, chatting up Kuno as though they were old friends.

"Ukyo, this...place we're going to. Isn't it run by that Amazonian
girl? The one who can't speak Japanese properly?" asked Kodachi,
looking over her shoulder at Ukyo. She didn't address Ryoga directly;
at least, not like that. She seemed shy almost. He hadn't known
Kodachi very well, but shy was the last thing he'd expect her to be.

"The Nekohanten, yes. But it can't be helped; you do want your
strength back, don't you?" They had not even mentioned Akane or Ranma
to either of them, and thankfully neither of the Kunos had thought to
ask. Nabiki had done most of the talking at the Kuno house, and the
two had vaguely remembered Ukyo and Ryoga being present when they had
woken up. It was enough to convince them to come along with them, and
trust them. For now.

"And you're sure she won't attack us before her great-grandmother gets
a chance to help? She's so...vulgar. And primitive."

"Now sister dear, is that the way to talk about someone who is going
to help us?" Kodachi sniffed, but didn't reply.

_Heh. Shampoo may not be nicest girl around, or even sympathetic, but I
wouldn't call her primitive. It's not her fault she hasn't learned
Japanese yet_, thought Ryoga, though not voicing his thoughts.

They arrived at the cafe soon after, and ignored the 'Closed' sign on
the door. After having a short conversation with him, Ukyo dashed off
to speak to Cologne, leaving the rest of them to sit at the tables
under Ryoga's guard. It was a very uncomfortable ten minutes before
she came back, her face pale and hands clenched nervously at her
sides.

"Ukyo?" he asked, getting up. Kodachi and Nabiki also looked
momentarily alarmed, but Ryoga motioned for them to mind their own
business as he walked up to her. Pulling him gently into the kitchen,
she shut the door, then looked him squarely in the eyes.

"Something's gone wrong, Ryoga. She wasn't able to give them back
their auras yet." Ryoga's eyes went wide. _I knew it...this was all too
easy...all too good to be true._ He resisted the urge to do property
damage to the Nekohanten kitchen and instead put his frustration to
voice.

"What?!" 

Ukyo shot him a wild look. _Oh...oh right. The Kunos. Arg, but
this is so hard...I need to...hit something, release... oh, Akane!..._

"Sorry, sorry. What happened? What's gone wrong?"

"Hey, everything okay in there?" asked a female voice, knocking on the
door. It was Nabiki. Ryoga was unsure if they should involve her or
not, but decided it would be best first for him to know.

"Everything's fine Nabiki. You shouldn't leave the others alone." He
tensed uncertainly, then relaxed when he heard footsteps walking way
from the door. Sighing, he scratched the back of his head, then looked
over at Ukyo. She still looked pale, and very put out from whatever it
was that she had heard.

"She thinks that Gosunkugi did a modified curse. Something happened to
their memories; they say they're fuzzy, they can only remember vague
events. Akane said something quite disturbing about not being able to
recall any happy moments in her life. Or painful, for that matter.
They said it's...it's like a haze."

"That...that jerk! I should've beaten the little punk when I had the
chance. I knew he was trouble. I just knew it. Loving Akane, my foot!
He just put her in danger." Nodding sympathetically, Ukyo reached out
a hand to touch his shoulder, then drew back. Ryoga barely noticed the
touch, he was so upset. He was so used to Ukyo tugging at him all the
time anyway, he would have brushed it off as her trying to get him to
do something for her, if he had noticed.

"No no, it's a very good thing that you didn't beat on him. Because we
need him, now. He's the only one who can tell us what it was that
happened; Cologne wants us to go and find him."

"Us? But who'll watch over the Kunos? Nabiki couldn't possibly keep
them both here, even if they are all the same strength now. Unless
Shampoo and Mousse came back?"

"Cologne hasn't heard from either of them. She sounded worried, too.
Though she may have been just surprised that we found them before they
did."

"Maybe they're still searching. Neither of them know the Kunos very
well, they wouldn't have known where to look."

"Good point, sugar. Either way...we have to find Gosunkugi, and get
him back here. Will you stay, and watch over the Kunos?" Ryoga shook
his head. He didn't want to be left behind here, to rot, and pace
around. It would kill him, the waiting. But...Nabiki. It wasn't that
he cared about the girl, specifically, but she was a girl. A normal
girl, not a martial artist. What if the Kunos decided they didn't want
to stick around any longer? Or worse, went off exploring and found
Ranma and Akane? It was a big risk, and one he wasn't sure if he
wanted to take.

At the same time, he knew he couldn't stay here and sit around, when
he could be doing something useful. Should be doing something useful.
Akane was in the building somewhere, suffering, and needing him.
And...so was Ranma. Rival or not, he didn't want Ranma to stay like
this. It was just wrong.

"No, I'll go with you."

"What? But what about the Kunos?" Ryoga scratched his head, letting
out a low sigh. Nabiki may have been a normal girl, but she wasn't a
complete idiot. She was smart. Smarter then him, and...what was the
word Gosunkugi had used earlier? Devious? Manipulative. He hated to
borrow the words of someone he regarded as the scum of the earth, but
he had been right. Nabiki had powers beyond any sort of physical
prowess him and Ukyo possessed.

"Maybe...maybe Nabiki CAN handle them. She'll have to. Just...let me
talk with her a minute first, okay? I'll meet you out front," said
Ryoga, going against his own gut instinct at leaving the weak to watch
over the weak, "Send Nabiki in here, I'll wait."

"Oh...okay, sure." He thought she was going to argue, but instead she
left the room quietly. Leaning back against the counter, he fought to
put back his composure and figure out what to tell Nabiki.

--
Notes: I've taken a few liberties with how auras, ki and battle auras work.
I admit it confused me a bit, so I may have altered things in such a way
to be quite different from the manga or anime. I do explain what I've done
in coming chapters, though. 

             .---Anime/Manga Fanfiction Mailing List----.
             | Administrators - ffml-admins@anifics.com |
             | Unsubscribing - ffml-request@anifics.com |
             |     Put 'unsubscribe' in the subject     |
             `---- http://ffml.anifics.com/faq.txt -----'