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Title: The Countdown to Matrimony (Ch. 5 of Part 3)
Anime: Ranma 1/2
Author: Denise Cameron aka Elena99
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Chapter 5: Hajime! The Battle of the Weakest

Shampoo rode her bicycle quickly, only slightly put off by the added
weight on the back. She had been very, very tempted to just turn
Mousse into a duck and make him ride in the basket. But if she was
going to do that, any iota of a reason for bringing him along would be
lost. He was stronger, as a human. He talked more, and was a pain, but
still stronger and more capable of helping. If only he didn't insist
on holding onto her so; he claimed he'd fall if he didn't, but Shampoo
suspected he was enjoying it all too much.

<"Are you sure you got her orders right, Shampoo? This is all
so...sudden,"> said Mousse, in their native Chinese Mandarin. She had
told him the story as far as she knew it quite quickly before forcing
him to get dressed and assist her. With a few small changes to the
story, that she had deemed necessary.

<"Questioning me, Mousse?">

<"N-no, it's not that. But what'll killing this boy do to help Ranma
and the others? It doesn't make sense."> Shampoo smiled, baring her
teeth.

<"You're forgetting the Amazonian laws. By law, it's my right and duty
to protect family. Since I'll be marrying Ranma soon, he's family. Are
you saying I'm wrong?">

_Stupid Mousse_, she thought, shaking her head. He never did understand;
she wondered if he even tried. If he could look through the fog that
seemed to be permanently around his head and see anything besides his
obsession for her.

<"I'm not forgetting, or saying, anything. But...shouldn't it be Ranma
seeking the revenge?">

<"He's weak now...so I'm going in his place."> She heard Mousse sigh,
but he didn't question her further. _He doesn't have the courage to
question me further._

<"Where is it we're going?">

<"Furinkan High School. It's the school he goes to...Ranma's school.
Gosunkugi's a classmate, they might know where he is."> Shampoo turned
left, speeding up as she saw that they were closer now.

When they arrived, the sun barely warming the air still, she ordered
Mousse to wait at the gate with the bike, telling him not to go
anywhere until she got back. She didn't trust his eyesight enough to
let him move anywhere unguarded.

_Don't lose hope, beloved. I'll avenge you, and I'll get you your
strength back too. Count on it._

She walked into the building, seeing only a few students in the front
entrance. Never one to wait when she could just dive right in, she
stopped the first student she saw, blocking her path. It was a girl,
shorter then her, who looked scared and confused at being stopped by a
strange, taller girl.

"You. Shampoo have question. You know Gosunkugi?" She felt the strain
of going from her native tongue to the local dialect. She never did
like the language here, except when Ranma spoke it. He could say
anything to her, almost, and she'd like it.

"Sorry, I don't know who that is," replied the girl, who tried to
brush past her. Not done yet, Shampoo held her shoulder, keeping her
firmly in place.

"Is boy, highest grade level. Senior. You sure you not know? Where
Shampoo go find out?"

"I'm just a sophomore, I don't know! The seniors are mostly upstairs,
at the top. Try there." Letting her go, Shampoo sprinted off to the
stairway, dodging students as she ran to the top floor. She didn't
want to stop any more before getting there for fear of getting the
same unhelpful answers back. Once she had bounded up the four flights,
she stopped and looked around. Two boys, who looked roughly Ranma's
age, had noticed her the second she had come up the stairs. Swaying
her hips as she walked over to them, she smiled, hypnotizing them in
place with her good looks.

"You, boys. Know Ranma?" They smiled, nodding.

"Yeah, of course we know Ranma. He's in my class." Shampoo practically
purred.

"Good. You know other boy, Gosunkugi?"

"Uh...well, yes. Someone like you wouldn't be interested in him,
though. He's a bit of a loner, not very popular."

"Shampoo very, very interested. You see him today? He in class?"

"Actually, now that I think of it...no, he's not here. And neither are
Ranma...or Akane...or that girl who always wears the boys uniform,"
said the first one.

"Ukyo? You're right...hey, you know anything about them? Is Ranma
sick?" asked the second, looking up at Shampoo.

"Airen...sick. Yes." Shampoo tried to keep the sad feelings contained
inside of her. Ranma would be alright; she was fiercely confident that
he would be. He had to be. She would avenge the attack on him, and
come back to see him well. And, hopefully, thankful to see that she
had taken care of things for him. Sure, he may be angry at first,
since she was taking his revenge for him. But in time...she hoped he
would understand. Something like this wasn't to be left for too long.

"Airen? Oh, you're Chinese, aren't you? Sorry, I don't know Chinese
very well."

"Is okay. You know where he live? Gosunkugi."

"Wow, I think you're probably the first girl to ever want to know
that. I don't know, though. Daisuke, you know?"

"Sure do. Here, I'll write it down, hold on," said Daisuke, pulling
out a pen and paper. Shampoo waited patiently as he scribbled an
address, then she took the paper and read quickly. The address wasn't
far from there; he most likely walked to school.

"Good." Shampoo turned, leaving without another word.

"H-hey, wait!" she heard one of the boys call after her. Shampoo
didn't listen though; she had a mission, and Ranma couldn't wait
forever.

Sliding down the rails of the stairs, she avoided students all the way
down. She had the information she needed, now. They just had to check
on one more thing, first.

<"Mousse! Take the bike and come here, we're going to the gym!">
called Shampoo, once Mousse was in sight again.

<"The gym? Okay, I'm coming."> She watched him pick up the bike,
running over towards her. Once sure that he was close enough so as not
to lose her, she ran towards the building she remembered as being the
gym. Many a time before she had visited Ranma at his school. Although
she didn't know it perfectly, she had an idea of where the buildings
were, and the general layout.

When they got there they found a few men wearing protective gear,
standing near the entranceway. They glanced at the two people running
towards them, obviously not students due to the lack of uniforms, and
looked at them questioningly.

"Hey, no one's allowed in the gym right now. There was a break-in last
night, and they're still working on fixing the stage." Shampoo pouted,
hearing Mousse catch up with her and put down the bike.

"We look for Gosunkugi. You sure no one in there?" Shampoo tried to
look over his broad shoulders, into the doorway. The man was
frustrating her; already, she wanted to grab her bike and just mow
through them, but she had to be patient. For Ranma.

"What are you talking about? No one's in there, except the repair
man," he replied, half turning as though to end the conversation.

"Wait! Shampoo no can even look?" she asked, wanting to just kick the
man out of her way. But she held herself in check; that could attract
attention.

<"Shampoo...can I handle this?"> The man, obviously not understanding
Chinese, turned around and began to head back into the building.

<"You? Are you kidding? I can do things for myself, you know,"> she
said irritably. Now, more then ever, she wanted Mousse gone. It was
humiliating for him to suggest that he could do something where she
couldn't. For stupid, awkward Mousse, to excel where she failed.

<"I believe you, but my Japanese happens to be better then yours. Let
me talk with them a moment."> Shampoo sniffed, then looked him over,
seeing a sincere will to help in his eyes. Behind the coke bottle
thick glasses, anyway. After a moment she nodded stiffly, then stepped
back, reclaiming her bike. For Ranma. It was all for Ranma. _He'd
better appreciate this...leaving things in the hands of Mousse! Aiyaa,
I must be going crazy._

<"Fine, Mr. Japan. You do it,"> she said angrily. Smiling, Mousse
stepped forward and tapped the man on the shoulder.

_For Ranma..._

"I'm sorry, my friend has trouble speaking Japanese. You don't
understand the whole situation. We have...information, on what
happened here last night."

_Yes, Mousse, make us look like suspects now. Idiot! You don't even
know everything that happened._ The men were looking at Mousse with
great interest now, though, and he certainly did have their attention.

"Oh really? Are you turning yourselves in?" Shampoo held herself back
from hitting her so-called partner.

"N-no! It's nothing like that. But there was a boy involved, here. A
dangerous boy. We need to find him, before he causes anymore trouble,
and we thought he might still be here. Or at least, left a clue as to
where he'd be." The man sniffed, eyeing him suspiciously.

"And who are you, a private detective? Get lost, kid," he said,
starting to turn around again. Standing straighter, Mousse let one of
his hidden weapons be visible through his shirt sleeve.

"Are you sure you won't let us in? Just for a quick look," said
Mousse, his voice sounding threatening. Shampoo was almost impressed,
but her irritation towards him still remained. She merely watched
coldly, waiting to see the reaction.

"You can't have that-"

"Let me and my friend look around, and no one else will know. We'll
leave as soon as we're done." The man looked from Mousse to Shampoo
nervously, and Shampoo smiled, baring her teeth. After a moment, he
nodded, then backed up out of their way.

"Let these two in! Don't question them."

"Thank you," said Shampoo as she walked in behind Mousse.

"Y-you're welcome."

The gym looked very large with only one other person was in it at the
moment. He was off to one side, examining something on the floor that
looked like it could be blood.

<"What does Gosunkugi look like?">

<"He's a plain boy. Short, maybe up to my chin, and very skinny.
Narrow face, short black hair, and bags under his eyes. I think
they're brown, his eyes, but I'm not sure. His skin is pale, paler
then you. When I saw him early this morning, he was wearing all
black."> Shampoo tried to picture him again as well as she could, but
found the image was blurry. He was rather average looking, to her at
least. Not the sort of boy she'd look twice at.

<"He doesn't sound like he'd cause much trouble.">

<"Physically, no. He's weak; spatula-girl and I held him down easy. He
has a grudge against my Ranma, though. People with grudges can be very
dangerous, given the chance.">

They were at the stage now, looking at the large hole. Inside of it
were a few candles, knocked over, an empty pot and some ashes, as well
as debris from the actual stage. On the ground near the stage, scuff
marks told of a fight, or at least a struggle. Shampoo had noticed
those earlier. Putting a finger to her chin, she looked around, trying
to see something helpful. The stench of sweat and an odd incense-like
smell still hung in the air there. Looking to her left, she saw a
door, opened slightly.

"Hmmm." Shampoo wandered over to it, ignoring Mousse. The bronze knob
had wax on it, and there had been candles under the stage. Perhaps
some wax had stuck to his hand, then came off when he touched the
knob? Hearing Mousse walk up behind her, she turned partially around
and pointed to the knob.

<"What is it?"> asked Mousse, unable to see the small patch clearly.

<"Wax. You saw the candles under the stage?">

<"Of course. Hmm. So he went out this way?"> Mousse pushed the door
gently open without touching the knob. Directly beside the door it
looked like the grass had been disturbed, and a few small splinters of
wood like that from the stage were on the ground. Crouching, Shampoo
touched the wood gingerly, then stood up again, leaning against her
bike that she had walked through the gym.

<"We left him to sulk, early this morning. He obviously got up, walked
out this door, and took off. But where did he go?"> She could feel her
hunter instincts kicking in. Her instincts to find, and search,
and...kill. She had never actually killed before, but she would, this
time. For Ranma. There was absolutely no question, despite the knot of
guilt that was forming in her stomach. Absolutely no question...

<"Wha-well...I don't know. I'd have to know him, but..."> Mousse's
voice trailed off as he looked towards the school. <"He'd definitely
leave school grounds, if he has any brains. They'd blame him for the
holes, since he was the only one there. Then he'd have to either take
the blame, or rat on Ranma and Kuno. Either way takes him to
trouble."> A light appeared in Shampoo's eyes, and she pulled the
paper with the address out of her pocket. Reading it carefully, she
put it away, then got on her bike.

<"Get on.">

<"Where are we going?"> asked Mousse, getting as comfortable as
possible on the narrow seat behind Shampoo.

<"His house, I got his address. He didn't necessarily go home,
but...it's a place to start the hunt.">

* * *

Ukyo took Ryoga to the school first, though she didn't expect much out
of it aside from perhaps a questioning eye or two, wondering why she
wasn't attending classes today. _Of all days, too...the exams are
coming up_, she thought, feeling odd for thinking of such a mundane
thing compared to what was going on in the Nekohanten.

They walked to the gym, avoiding the main school building. It was
nearly lunch by now, and there were classes having gym outside. When
they got to the front of the building, a few adults were carrying wood
inside, one looking like he was standing guard.

"Hey! I'm sorry, but you can't come in right now," Said the man, who
wore blue workers overalls and a grey shirt.

"Oh. Well we're just trying to find someone...I heard there was an
accident here, last night? One of my classmates was involved, and I
was concerned," lied Ukyo. She doubted that Gosunkugi was in any
condition to be going to class, but she wasn't sure if she had
expected him to still be at the gym, either. He seemed too smart for
that.

"One of your classmates? Heh. You're the second pair of nosy kids to
want a look at the gym today. Well, I'm not letting you in. Not even
if you threaten me. I have a defense, this time." He patted a pouch on
his overalls as though to demonstrate that he had a weapon there.

"Huh? We're not going to threaten you, who do you think we are? We're
just looking for information," said Ryoga, stepping forward
defensively. The man took a step back, then changed his mind, stepping
forward and holding his face firm.

"No."

"Wait, what do you mean you have a defense this time? Who was trying
to get in?" asked Ukyo. The man looked as though he were going to
brush them off, then sighed.

"Two Chinese kids, one male, one female. The girl had long, purple
hair, and the guy had black hair and thick glasses." _Shampoo and
Mousse? But they're supposed to be out looking for Kuno and
Kodachi...did they think they would be here?_

"How long ago were they here?"

"What, they friends of yours?"

"Not exactly...," said Ukyo, shaking her head. "But it's important
that we know." The man furrowed his brow, looking from Ryoga, to Ukyo,
then back again.

"You kids really oughta go to the police, you know. Four of you
already that seem to know more then anyone else in this school. It's
very suspicious." Ukyo winced. Now was not the time to have others be
suspicious; they had to end this all, and fast. If only they could
find Gosunkugi. The parts about Shampoo and Mousse triggered her
highly tuned martial artist's sense of danger, but she wasn't sure
why. Yet.

"We don't have time for the police. How long?" The harsh tone to
Ryoga's voice made the man cringe.

"Maybe an hour ago. They just walked in, looked around, then left out
the side. Pretty sure they went out the front gate soon afterwards."

"We should go after them, tell them we've found the others," said Ukyo
to Ryoga, who nodded in agreement.

"Hey, before you do that...make sure you tell anyone else who may be
involved here that we're trying to fix the stage, okay? We don't need
you kids prancing around, being all dramatic about how you have to
know. If you know something about the break-in, tell the principal, or
the police. If not, let us do our job." Ukyo waved him off.

"Yeah, sure," she said distractedly as she turned around, Ryoga
following her as they walked towards the main gate of the school. Once
just outside, they stopped, Ukyo leaning against the wall
thoughtfully.

"No Gosunkugi, and now Shampoo and Mousse wandering around. Think
they're back at the Nekohanten by now?" asked Ukyo, watching Ryoga
crouch down on the ground beside her. She found herself getting used
to having her shadow with her, though it irked on her sense of privacy
from time to time. Why couldn't she be depressed, irritated, and mad
at the world and fate itself, alone? Did she really need company for
it? Just as much as he annoyed her, though, it did help to have
someone with her. Someone who understood most of what she was going
through. Even if he was Ryoga, the eternally lost boy, and she was his
makeshift guide.

"If they left an hour ago, and they were going back to the Nekohanten,
they would have been there before we left," said Ryoga, inspecting
something on the sidewalk as he spoke.

"That's a good point. Let's not worry about them too much, then.
Though I wonder why they threatened that man...maybe they just got
impatient. Shampoo has quite the temper."

"So what do we do now?" asked Ryoga, standing again to look at Ukyo.
His face was determined, though still sad.

"Well...we have no clues. All we know is that sometime after we left,
Gosunkugi up and left the gym. And it was at least an hour ago, since
he was gone before Shampoo and Mousse got there. You have any ideas?
You spent some time alone with him, did he say anything?" Ukyo could
feel the hopefulness in her voice, and wondered at it.

"Not much. Just talked about how beautiful Akane is, and that we
should let him go home, since he couldn't help us anymore," said
Ryoga, sighing. Ukyo nodded, her hands creeping up to her hair to fix
her ponytail in place while she thought.

As expected, nothing. Had they run out of luck already? But it was too
soon...and Ranma still needed them. They couldn't fail him yet, they
just couldn't.

Her mind went back to earlier that day, when she had Gosunkugi
underneath her battle spatula, then Ryoga saying how he wanted to beat
on him more. She found herself sharing that idea, though at the same
time...there was something about Gosunkugi. Before she knew of the
curse, she had felt sorry for him. When she saw him on the floor, and
recognized him, she had been concerned for him, and worried that he
had been hurt as well. Wasn't he an innocent? A victim? But this time,
the roles were almost reversed. The forever harrassed boy was now the
unwilling bully, and Ukyo was torn between feeling sorry for him and
wanting to punch his face in.

"He looked pretty depressed when we did leave, too," she commented,
looking down the street to the left of them, then again to the right.
_Which way did he pick? Left or right? But even if we figure that out,
he's probably not even on this road still._ Hikaru Gosunkugi was a hard
person to predict, indeed. Was he confident that he was right? Or had
he cracked? He had seemed close to a nervous breakdown, earlier. If
one hadn't happened right then and there, and they had been too
furious to notice.

All the same, Gosunkugi had hurt her Ranma. Aggressor or victim, he
needed to be found, the wrongs needed to be righted, and
Gosunkugi...Gosunkugi would be punished. Severely. This she knew in
her heart, and knew it would happen, whether or not her own spatula
was involved in the process.

They sat in near silence, hearing the lunch bell ring. It was noon
already; how long had they been searching now? Would it even be worth
it all, in the end? Ukyo fought to keep her composure as she heard
students start to pour out of the school, some going through the gate
to walk home for lunch.

"Hey, Ukyo? Ukyo!" said a voice as it started to pass her, then
stopped upon recognition. A tall boy, handsome and with short curly
brown hair stopped and looked at her, then Ryoga.

"Daisuke?" she asked, recognizing the boy from her class, but unsure
of his name.

"Right. So you aren't sick, then? Odd."

"No, what gave you that idea?"

"Well, you weren't in school...one of Ranma's friends was here, asking
questions, and she said that Ranma was sick. I thought maybe you and
Akane, and maybe Gosunkugi, had all caught the same cold or
something." Ukyo immediately stood up straighter, leaning in towards
Daisuke. He knew something. He knew something! But as much as she was
excited, she tried to keep her hopes level. It may be something, but
it might not be helpful, whatever it was. She just had to get more
information.

"What? She? Purple-haired Chinese girl?"

"Yeah, that's her. Pretty cute too. Err, not that you aren't...I
mean...," he rambled, biting his lip.

"She said Ranma was sick?" asked Ukyo, ignoring his discomfort.

"Yeah. She was asking about Gosunkugi too. I thought that was
odd...what girl would want to go after him?" Ukyo exchanged a look
with Ryoga, then looked back at her classmate.

"Do you know where Gosunkugi is? Or where Shampoo went? It's very
important." Daisuke raised an eyebrow, then proceeded to take off his
backpack, pulling out a pen and piece of paper.

"She wanted his home address, I assume she went there...look, I know
it's probably none of my business, but...what's going on here Ukyo?"
he asked, writing down an address then handing it to her.

"Nothing. Look, don't mention this to anyone, okay? But if you see
Shampoo again, tell her she should go back to the Nekohanten," she
said, looking at the address then quickly starting off towards their
left.

"Huh? Uh...okay." Wordlessly, Ryoga followed her as she jogged up the
street, address firmly in hand.

_Why is she looking for Gosunkugi now? They're supposed to be after
Kuno and Kodachi._ Something was definitely not right again. She found
herself almost getting used to that, too, and the thought made her
nauseous.

"Hey, Ryoga...Shampoo would never disobey her great-grandmother,
right? When Cologne says jump, Shampoo says 'how high?'?" asked Ukyo,
wanting to be sure of something.

"I don't know her any better then you, but that sounds about right."

"It looks like they didn't even try searching for the Kunos...like
they immediately started after Gosunkugi, instead. Why would they do
that?" she asked, then looked over at Ryoga. Judging from his
expression, he had just had an epiphany. "Ryoga?" she asked, more
forcefully.

"She wants to kill Gosunkugi," he said, his voice hollow.

"She what?!" Ukyo didn't know it was possible for her voice to hit
quite that high of an octave, but apparently it was as Ryoga had
instinctively reached up to cover his ears. But Shampoo wasn't a
killer, was she? She wouldn't just go out, and kill someone for
revenge...would she? For Ranma? Her face was grim as she fought to
suss out the answer.

"No, no it makes sense. Gosunkugi hurt Ranma, so Shampoo wants to hurt
him. Straight out of her Amazon Laws, no doubt. Heh. Gosunkugi may be
a jerk, and he hurt Akane...but Shampoo can't just do that. We still
need him, too."

"Shampoo's not one to do things halfway, either. She's very gung-
ho...and Gosunkugi isn't a fighter. Even if Shampoo's intention was to
wound, she could easily kill him by accident," she said worriedly. _I
hope we're not too late...they have an hour's head start on us
already. Dammit! If they get to Gosunkugi first...then Ranma-honey
will..._

Hopelessness fought to consume her, and she forced herself to try and
stay focused. Shampoo was still human; she still had limitations. Her
and Ryoga were evenly matched against Shampoo and Mousse. If the
Chinese pair hadn't found him yet, and were still searching too...they
had a chance. There was always a chance. She had to believe in that,
hold onto it, for Ranma. For her own sanity, and for Ranma-honey.

"We'll find them, Ukyo." Ryoga's eyes scanned all around them as they
jogged. Ukyo sniffed, not wanting to hear his comfort. Ukyo had to
have everything under control. She was the strength, the guide, the
thinker. Ryoga was the power and support, and she had to be in control
of her feelings to guide him, and herself, properly.

"Comforting words coming from the boy who needs a guide just to walk
around a house," said Ukyo, feeling bitter about their whole
situation.

"What? I'm trying to reassure you, and you insult me?" he asked,
looking genuinely hurt. Sighing, Ukyo shook her head. _Maintain
control...maintain control...yes, good. I'm in control. I'm
in...control..._

"It's the truth, isn't it? You need me to get anywhere. I have to find
Gosunkugi." She felt as though a huge weight had just fallen on top of
her shoulders. A weight she had placed there. She knew Ryoga would
fight to share it, but she couldn't share it.

Ukyo was a loner by nature. She didn't share, she wouldn't share with
anyone but Ranma. Right now Ranma was too weak and dazed to even know
fully who she was, let alone share a burden of responsibility.

"You don't even know where he is. Sure, I can't easily get to a fixed
destination on purpose, but we have no clue where Gosunkugi is. All we
have is an address, and we don't even know he's there. I could find
him just as easily as you could, this way."

"Whatever."

_Control...control...don't let Ryoga goad you out of it now, girl..._
But her insides trembled as she fought to keep the emotions in. Ranma
was weak, and forgetting her as they ran. They needed to find
Gosunkugi, but had no clue as to where he was. And they needed to find
Shampoo and Mousse, before they found Gosunkugi, and wounded him. Or
worse, killed. She had to hope Nabiki was keeping Kuno and Kodachi
under her thumb, or else something else would go wrong, and another
thread of the plan would be teased out, and...

_And...and...and..._

"You know, I'm really getting sick of you taking out everything on me.
Don't think I haven't noticed. Calling me pig boy, making me look
stupid, tugging me around, belittling me..."

Why did he sound so upset, suddenly? His voice came through only
barely as her thoughts raced. She had to solve everything, and find
Gosunkugi, and then they would bring him back, and help Ranma, and...

_And...and...and...oh god...I'm losing it. Don't let me lose it, here
and now. Dammit! No, not now...no..._

She barely saw Ryoga stop out of the corner of her eye, but felt his
firm grip take hold of her arm. Strange, his hand was so large that
his fingers circled easily around her forearm. Stopping her
completely, ending her forward pace. Why was he ending her forward
pace? Didn't he realize what was at stake here? Was he really that
stupid? Tears welled up in her eyes as the ball of frustration within
her grew.

"Ukyo, stop it!" His expression didn't match the harsh tone of his
voice. Odd. His expression was...soft. She suddenly felt dazed, and
realized that tears were rolling down her face at an alarming speed.
Was she crying? But she wasn't supposed to cry. She was Ukyo.
Restaurant owner Ukyo, in charge of her own life, her own fate. A
grown up, for years now, despite being only eighteen. She was the
strength here, the control. She couldn't be crying. She could NOT be
crying!

But the tears flowed still, unwanted, unbidden. Unstopping. Ryoga
sighed, and she knew he wouldn't roar at her again. Why had he yelled?
He had scared her, when he yelled like that. Made her worry and lose
confidence in herself, and her abilities. Why did he have to yell at
her as though she were a child? A child running after problems she
couldn't solve.

"Ukyo..." His voice was normal again. She was right, he really wasn't
going to yell at her again. Was he? But Ryoga wasn't a nasty person.
He was helping her. Helping her all day, really, from one thing to the
next. A huge sob burst from somewhere deep inside, and she heard
herself crying loudly. Embarrassingly. She watched as Ryoga's face
went from concerned, to embarrassed, to unsure of what to do. Tears
still flowed from her eyes, and she shook uncontrollably with sobs.
Fighting to stop only made it worse, and childlike sobs came from her
as though she had lost composure completely.

_I can't...I can't...I can't...I can't..._

Her knees went weak. She couldn't see anymore, she was so blinded by
the tears. But why wasn't she on the cement now? Her knees should be
hurting from the fast collision with the sidewalk. Instead, her face
was pressed against something warm, and firm. A comforting smell
filled her nostrils as she breathed in noisily, a sob escaping in her
confusion. Ryoga was holding her? Was he...? She felt nervous arms
hold her, one stroking her back between her shoulder blades lightly.
Smoothing her hair; firm, yet gentle arms. Above the sounds of her own
sobbing, now quieting, she could hear soothing noises coming from
Ryoga's mouth. Her shaking lessened, though only slightly.

_Oh god...my...I've...failed..._

Fiercely, she let out one last, loud sob, then reached up to grab
Ryoga's shirt with both hands, holding the fabric tightly. She had
lost it, here in front of Ryoga of all people. And he was comforting
her. Comforting her? It was all so surreal...all so odd, and fuzzy.

"U-Ukyo...," he said nervously. Her name again. Was that three times
now? Or had he been trying to call her back to consciousness for
longer then that? Slowly, she opened her eyes, seeing that her head
was resting against his shoulder. In front of her brown eyes was
Ryoga's neck, a pale expanse of smooth skin, as well as his chin. His
jaw looked so boyish, but still firm. Firmer then Ranma's, she
realized, but banished the thought as she wiped her tears away on
Ryoga's shirt. She realized the ball of tension that had been growing
in her stomach was gone now. As though she had just cried it out. Her
sanity was coming back, in slow, uncontrolled bursts, but it was
coming back. With it came the realization that she was being too
familiar with her partner. Ryoga said nothing, though. If anything, he
was probably too nervous to. He always had been around girls.

_Good old...Ryoga..._

Finally though, she wiped the last of the tears from her eyes and
stepped back slowly, her head down. Yes, she had just made a colossal
fool out of herself. She deserved any teasing Ryoga was ready to dish
out at her; even if it was yelling again. He was good at that, his
fangs added to the effect nicely. But as she looked up into his eyes,
she saw a kindness there. And an extreme nervousness in his brown
eyes, lighter then hers. Almost...orange, she realized, wondering why
she was thinking of such things. They had more important issues to
worry about.

Ryoga shook his head as though reading her mind, but he still looked
nervous. Very, very nervous. Because of...her? But it wasn't the first
time she had cried in front of him, she realized. Back at the
restaurant, when he was P-chan...but that had been different, somehow.
Safer. She could pretend he was just a loveable pet, cuddly and
comforting because of his presence, not because of who he was.

"Are you...?" began Ryoga, his voice shaking. It was a mystery how he
could be so strong and intimidating one moment and an insecure little
boy the next.

"Sane? Yeah. I...think I've cleared my head a bit," she said, finding
nothing better to look at then the collar of Ryoga's shirt. It was
hard to meet those dark orange eyes, right now.

"Good. Good, I'm...glad to hear it."

"And umm...thanks. I needed to let that out."

"I know," said Ryoga, so quickly she wasn't even sure he had said it.
When she looked back up to his eyes though, they had gone right back
to business; they were firm, and determined, and looked somewhere
beyond Ukyo's head.

"I'm ready to go now. If you are. We should go to the address, right?"
She was hesitant to take control again, as odd as that felt. It had
been too much for her, just now, and had caused her to breakdown. She
didn't like breaking down, or showing weakness like that. As though
sensing this, Ryoga nodded, appearing to be thinking.

"Yeah. Yeah, we should," he said, his voice still scratchy and unsure,
but determined enough for her. For now.

"Right. It isn't too far from here." Ukyo felt lighter as they turned
around and began jogging once more.

They turned right at the next intersection, then headed straight for a
few blocks further when her legs started to complain about all the
running. They had been going for several hours already today; she
could run for long amounts of time, but this was starting to get
ridiculous.

_We just need to find him, and soon...then bring him back to the
Nekohanten, even if he's kicking and screaming to be free. That little
brat_, she thought, itching to grab her spatula and give Gosunkugi a
beating. They still needed him, though; conscious and in one piece.
And agreeable, though that could be arranged.

A few blocks further, the silence between her and Ryoga was starting
to make her feel uncomfortable. She wondered if he was feeling edgy
over her emotional display earlier; it was always hard to tell. Ryoga
reacted to some things as though they were completely personal, while
others he just absorbed, pushing down the events he couldn't
categorize as though they hadn't happened. Looking at him from the
corner of her eye, she saw the same determined face, not looking the
least bit winded by the jog, his dark hair bouncing around barely in
the confines of his yellow and black bandanna. She quickly looked
away, concentrating in front of them again.

_It doesn't matter right now. Maybe that was a free card, a chance to
vent with no strings attached. If he wants to talk about it, he will.
If not...no point in bringing it up._

They stopped at the next intersection, and Ukyo pulled out the paper
again, comparing the street name to the one they were on.

"It should be two houses down, on the right," she said, leading him
that way.

_I don't think I've been to this part of Nerima before...a little run
down, but not bad_, she thought, looking at the small townhouses as
they went. Stopping them again, she looked up at an old, grey house
beside them, comparing the number to the one on the paper.

"Is that it?"

"Yeah, this is it. Let's see if he's here," she said, walking up the
short driveway. A dog barked at them from behind a wire fence beside
the house; it was small, fairly harmless, though it seemed to take
great offence at their intrusion. Trying to focus, Ukyo walked up to
the door, then knocked twice. She was suddenly overwhelmed by a
feeling of self-consciousness.

_What if he's not here? And it's his mother that answers? Or his little
sister, or...what do we say? 'Hey, Gosunkugi messed up really bad on a
curse he put on our friends, while they thought he was trying to help,
and now we need to take him to a place where everyone hates him so he
can undo it and further humiliate himself in the process'?_ Shuffling
her feet, she tried not to think about it. She wasn't very successful.


The person who answered the door was a very tired looking man, who
Ukyo immediately was able to recognize as Gosunkugi's father. So much
of him was in Gosunkugi; the hair, the eyes, the narrow face, the
skinny limbs. In one hand he was holding a small book with a black
leather cover. The other was holding the door open, but just barely.
He stood directly in the doorway, as though to further discourage them
from entering.

"Yes?" His eyes focused on Ukyo, only briefly flickering to Ryoga. It
made her very nervous, those large, dark eyes boring into her. She
bowed her head quickly, then tried to meet his eyes.

"Sorry to bother you. Are you Hikaru Gosunkugi's father?"

"Yes, I am." He looked at them questioningly, more interest showing at
the mention of his son. Ukyo saw this as positive, and felt her spirit
lighten.

"Is he here? We need to find him; it's kind of urgent." The man
scratched his chin thoughtfully, as though wondering which answer to
give.

"My son is supposed to be at school, right now," he began. "You look
roughly his age; shouldn't you kids be in school too?" Although
smiling good-naturedly, it did not reach his troubled eyes.

"Well...normally yes, but...are you saying he's not here? You didn't
really answer." The smile faded from his face, and he looked away.

"My son didn't come home last night. Are you friends of his? Is that
why you're here? You're not the first to try, you know. I didn't even
know Gosunkugi had friends."

Ukyo was about to answer, then Ryoga gently tapped her on the arm,
stopping her.

"We need to find him. The other people that were here...was it a girl,
purple hair, and a boy, black hair, both Chinese?" asked Ryoga. When
Gosunkugi's father nodded, he continued. "They're not exactly his
friends."

"...I see. Is he in trouble, then?" He didn't sound surprised to hear
that the others weren't his friends. _He probably doesn't actually
think we're friends, either...he doesn't look very trusting. We did
just randomly showed up at his doorstep, he has no reason to trust 
us._

"He might be," confessed Ukyo.

"Right. Well, he certainly isn't here, I haven't seen him," he said,
starting to close the door. Ukyo stuck her foot in it though, pushing
at it with her shoulder.

"Wait! Is there any place that he goes to? Any other house, or
somewhere where he'd go to get away?"

"I don't really know. When he's not in school, he's usually here. I
should have known he didn't really have friends. Goodbye, and be sure
to leave my property, or I'm calling the police." This time Ukyo let
him close the door, and she slumped against it, looking worn out. The
dog started barking at them again, louder, as though he had understood
his master's words and was lecturing them on their lack of haste.

"Come on Ukyo, we should get out of here," said Ryoga, starting down
the steps to the driveway. Ukyo followed him reluctantly. They walked
down the sidewalk, the dog still barking at them even as they went out
of view of the animal. _So much for that...he didn't even tell us where
Shampoo and Mousse went_, she thought, shaking her head. It was
doubtful he would have given any more information. Despite his lack of
faith in his son's ability to make friends, he was protective. He
hadn't given them any concrete information, only confirmed that
Gosunkugi was not at home. Ukyo felt her stomach grumble, asking for
lunch, but she ignored it, keeping the pace forward.

* * *

The wheels of Shampoo's bicycle turned quickly, spokes invisible to
the eye at the speed they were going. Yet this was slow, compared to
earlier. A frustrated but still determined Shampoo cycled on, with
Mousse clinging to her from his position on the back of the bike. The
sun was moving further in the sky now; it was past noon. Well past.
She felt as though they had searched half of Nerima, yet their search
had come up empty. Shampoo felt about ready to return to the
Nekohanten to check on progress, and found herself steering that way
unintentionally.

Gosunkugi's house had not been helpful; his father, though polite at
first, quickly had ended the conversation by telling them what Shampoo
did not want to hear. That he did not have any information, and that
he had no idea where his son was.

<"Are we going home, Shampoo?">

<"The Nekohanten is my home, not yours. You just work there."> For the
umpteenth time she craved cold water, to splash Mousse with. Being
careful not to get any on herself, of course. It was bad enough that
she felt as though she were failing Ranma; why did she have to babysit
the near-blind boy as well? It just wasn't fair. And here he was,
speaking so familiarly with her, assuming...it just drove her mad.

<"Even though I have a room there, and sleep there at nights?">

<"That's just temporary and you know it. Don't take advantage of the
kindness of my great-grandmother; it's not like it'll last much
longer, anyway."> It annoyed her, the living situation. Mousse, under
the same roof as her. Why couldn't it have been Ranma? She wondered if
Ranma would even appreciate all that she was risking for him;
disobeying her great-grandmother, ignoring commands to find two
people, and instead using Mousse to try and hunt down another. The one
who had dishonoured her Ranma. _I did obey one part of her order, at
least. I brought stupid Mousse with me._

She turned down the street passively, causing a man carrying boxes to
have to dodge out of her way. No one interesting was out today. No one
who could help her. She was growing tired of the city, of the country.
The only thing keeping her there was Ranma; more then once she had
considered kidnaping him, and taking him home to China. Great-
grandmother had disapproved of that idea quite vehemently. She seemed
to disapprove of a lot of Shampoo's ideas, lately.

A figure in the distance caught her attention, and she pedaled faster,
causing Mousse to lurch slightly. It couldn't be...after all this
time? But as she pedaled faster, her suspicions were only confirmed,
rather then denied. Finally she was pedaling like a maniac, her eyes
hard orbs of violet, and her knuckles white from gripping the
handlebars. Almost there...almost sure...

_It is! That idiot! We checked all over Nerima, and he was under our
noses? But from here...it's hard to tell...still..._

<"Sh-Shampoo?"> She felt Mousse lean to the right, looking around her
to see what was making her speed up.

<"Not so loud,"> she chastised, but her heart wasn't into it. The
closer she came, the surer she was. He was walking down the sidewalk,
head down, shoulders slumped with his hands in his pockets. He stopped
once as she was biking, to look at his wrist. Probably at a watch. It
gave her more then enough time to catch up with him, and soon she was
close enough to be positive.

<"Mousse, that's him. That's him!"> she said excitedly, not caring how
loud she was anymore. He couldn't get away now, not with them so
close. Finally, justice would be served.

* * *

"Maybe we were wrong about them. Maybe her and Mousse are sitting in
the Nekohanten right now, drumming their fingers, waiting for us to
come home with Gosunkugi. Maybe-"

As they turned the corner Ryoga quickly put up his hand, ending Ukyo's
attempts at reassuring herself. He heard her gulp as her eyes took in
what he was seeing, and he put down his hand.

Gosunkugi, the one they had been searching seemingly forever for, was
mere paces away from them now. He had caught Ryoga's eyes, and stared
at them, dumbfounded. Behind him, still unknown to Gosunkugi, Shampoo
was bicycling hard with Mousse holding onto her back.

Many things went through Ryoga's mind at a very, very fast pace.
Gosunkugi was before them...now that he was really there, did he hit
him or kidnap him? Talk or fight? Protect Ukyo from the racing Shampoo
and Mousse, or let her fight, despite her display of weakness earlier?
That he had vowed silently to tell no one about, but still, she may
still be feeling weak. Should he protect Gosunkugi now, attack Shampoo
and Mousse and risk him running away? What should he do? What was he
best course?

While he had been standing and thinking, Ukyo had taken matters into
her own hands. Her actions quickly stopped his racing mind, forcing
him to decide.

"Look out!" shouted Ukyo, springing into action and diving at
Gosunkugi. The weaker boy tried to avoid her, but she caught him
easily, then threw herself to the ground, rolling safely to the side
Shampoo's path. Ryoga lunged at the two on the bike, noting that Ukyo
had cut at least half of his decisions away. He easily stopped the
bike as Shampoo and Mousse jumped up, readying their weapons as the
bike clanged noisily to the ground.

"Stay down! And don't you dare go anywhere," hissed Ukyo, getting up
to help Ryoga.

"What's going on?" asked Gosunkugi, his voice coming out a small
croak.

"Just stay down, and keep quiet." Cracking her knuckles, Ukyo took
position beside Ryoga, watching Mousse and Shampoo. Shampoo gazed at
them cooly, looking determined to not let them get in the way. Mousse,
however, looked confused, and addressed Ryoga.

"Aren't you guys on our side?" Ryoga snorted, then shook his head.

"That depends. What are you doing?"

<"Don't listen to them Mousse; they'll lie. They're not as tough as we
are; they think Gosunkugi should go unpunished.">

"Don't try and trick him, Shampoo. You're trying to kill Gosunkugi,
aren't you?" asked Ukyo, taking out her spatula. "Don't you realize
what will happen if you do that?"

"Shampoo no play tricks. Shampoo honourable. Boy, there, hurt airen
gravely. Airen now weak. So Shampoo get revenge for him." Shampoo had
her bonbori out before Ukyo could blink.

"Not if I can help it!" Ukyo roared, lunging at the Chinese girl as
soon as Shampoo made a step towards her. She barely missed Shampoo's
shoulder as the bonbori grazed her thigh. The two landed, then turned
around slowly, Ukyo glaring as Shampoo bared her teeth.

"What about you Mousse? What side are you on?" asked Ryoga, sounding
far from calm. Mousse smirked, his glasses flashing as they caught the
mid afternoon sun.

"Shampoo's, of course. Prepare yourself, Hibiki!"

Ukyo fought wildly, her spatula clashing with the bonbori at each
interval. She tried her best to get in a kick or punch in the
meantime, but Shampoo left no openings. Their need for distance to use
their own weapons kept them from getting close. Breakfalling onto the
sidewalk, she took out her smaller spatulas, using them as throwing
darts. Shampoo dodged most of them, though one struck her on the arm.
It didn't keep her down for long, though. Soon both were back up
again, attacking and defending, each determined to find a weakness in
the other.

* * *

The tall, white robed Chinese boy fought with all his mind, body and
soul against his rival. Against Ryoga. Time and time again, his
opponent was dodged, or worse, used his own attacks against him. But
he had to prevail. He had to win, for his Shampoo. Even if the odds
were hard to read. He'd do anything for Shampoo. Anything.

And yet, a small spark of his mind was fighting him. Well, not so much
fighting, but its passivity, its curiosity was starting to get to him.
It dared to ask, in a small, confused voice, what he was doing. It
asked why. It questioned. Questioned Shampoo, questioned him,
questioned Amazon law, and wondered if really they should be doing
this. Of course Shampoo wouldn't lie to him, he tried to tell the
voice. She was Shampoo! She was...she was his love. His love was true,
and was above sneaky methods. Of course she was right. But still, the
spark nagged, and fought him with it's passivity.

He could admit it; he didn't want to fight Ryoga. Not really, anyway.
He had no quarrel with him, except for the fact that he was currently
trying to stop his Shampoo from achieving a goal. In fact, he rather
liked the guy. More then once he had fought alongside him, either
against Ranma, or to help Ranma. They were a team usually. And here
they were, battling like mere schoolboys as the girls fought beside
them, just as fierce as they. And for what?

Mousse dared a look at this Gosunkugi. At least, he tried to, but his
eyesight was so poor he couldn't make out quite what the boy looked
like. He had an idea where he was, though. A dull, dark figure was
crouching down near the bushes at the side of the road. It looked
small, but really it was hard to tell from where he was. Why wasn't he
protecting himself, and instead staying so close to the battlefield?
Why hadn't he yet run away? Anyone with any brains would-

His thoughts were jumbled as he realized that Ryoga had just sent him
reeling. Recovering quickly, Mousse felt pain in his jaw, and pain in
his chest. He looked up to see the blurred figure that was Ryoga
standing over him triumphantly. Quickly, Mousse fixed his glasses,
then stood up once more, determination flowing through his veins thick
as blood.

"You dare stand in the way of Shampoo!"

Mousse lunged at the dark figure before him, though he did not quite
know why.

* * *

_No, not more fighting, stop...stop...stop!_

Gosunkugi's mind roared in sheer panic. He felt so powerless laying
there on the ground, barely keeping his wits around him enough to stay
down. In the moments where he wasn't flinching near painfully from
having a body fall too close to him, then bounce up and renew
fighting, he was watching with eyes wide as saucers.

_I need to get out of here! I need to go...this was a stupid idea.
Stupid stupid stupid! They're going to kill me! Don't they even
realize what's going on here? Oh Akane...I'm sorry, but these brutes
are going to kill me before I can..._

All thoughts of bravery were fading from him slowly as he watched the
four fight, spilling surprisingly little blood. But spill it did, and
he looked away from it with a sickening gasp. He had been an idiot to
think he could just walk back and make things right. A complete and
total idiot.

The purple haired one, Shampoo, wanted to kill him. He was fairly
certain the black haired one (had Ryoga called him Mousse? Was that
it?) wanted to kill him too, but he didn't know why. Most likely
because Shampoo wanted him to. Shampoo seemed the type to give orders
and expect them to be carried out. And Mousse...he had never seen
Mousse before. Not that he could remember, at least. But here he was,
fighting Ryoga, clearly on Shampoo's side. And clearly on the side of
killing him.

The behaviour of Ukyo and Ryoga baffled him as well. They were
protecting him. Why? Ryoga had been ready to kill him earlier; he
didn't seem like the type to easily forgive, the same for Ukyo.
Despite that she had gotten him out of the way, and urged him to stay
low.

_She also ordered me not to go anywhere. She hissed at me. Maybe she
wants me alive, but barely._

But the Chinese boy was looking at him now; curiously, almost, though
his face was still burning with anger and determination. Gosunkugi
felt his skin crawl under that cold, odd stare, with eyes on him
magnified through thick, thick glasses. Eyes blue like a robin's egg;
pale and cold, seeing and yet not, as was obvious by his need to wear
such potent glasses. Yet Gosunkugi realized grimly just how little the
lack of good eyesight hurt his ability in the Art, for a second later
Ryoga dealt him a blow that would have killed Gosunkugi. Mousse,
however, just got up and roared at Ryoga as though nothing had
happened.

_I'm sorry...Akane...I'm sorry..._

* * *

Blood flowed through Shampoo's veins like a flood; she could feel her
heart pumping fast, feel air pass through her lungs and esophagus,
feel the lightness of her feet and quickness of her hands. The thrill
of battle had Shampoo prisoner, and despite the distraction from her
plans she was enjoying this battle. Any chance to beat on the naive
spatula-girl, who thought to steal her Ranma, was a chance to be
taken. The foolish girl thought she could win, too. Shampoo wanted to
laugh, but now was not the time to sit back and play the egotistical
idiot. No, she had seen many a warrior fall because she enjoyed the
battle too much, and held her own skills too high. Shampoo would take
this seriously, and her victory would be sweet and swift.

She would kill her, if she had to. It would be Ukyo's own fault; she
was the one who had dared fight Shampoo, and got in her way. Ranma
would understand. It was for vengeance, and vengeance was a very
important part of Amazon life.

_Be patient, my dear Ranma. I'll uphold your honour. I'll win, and then
kill the idiot who made you weak. And then...then I'll find a cure,
for you._

With a small gasp, Shampoo deflected another one of the girl's spatula
darts, responding with a kick aimed to her head. To Shampoo's
surprise, she dodged just barely, swinging her massive battle spatula.
Grinning savagely, Shampoo responded with a deadly blow, though missed
Ukyo's head by mere inches, hitting her shoulder instead. This would
take longer then Shampoo had originally thought, but no matter.
Quickly taking in the fight between Mousse and Ryoga beside her while
Ukyo stood up, Shampoo crouched, then turned back to face her
opponent. Her partner was doing alright, for now, but she hoped he
would finish off the pig-boy before she was done with Ukyo. It would
just be humiliating if she had to take care of Ryoga, as well.

* * *

Ukyo stood bravely, though her shoulder ached and she thought her left
shin was bleeding. That didn't matter though; she was still capable of
moving, and neither of the blows would kill her. Just slow her down.
Despite the ferocity of Shampoo's attacks, she was fairly certain they
were evenly matched. She could beat her. She knew she could, all she
had to do was concentrate, and stay on her toes. Concentrate...

_C'mon Kuonji...what would Ranma think if he saw this display? Show
this Amazon what you're made of..._, she chided, ignoring for the
moment that Ranma probably wouldn't really realize what was going on
in his current state. In fact, she wasn't sure if he cared. Oh, he
probably didn't want either to die, or be hurt seriously. But now...

_Idiot! That's not important right now...no matter what happens, you're
doing this to save Ranma. Not win his heart, not compete for
attention, not care about whether he cares if you live or die. To save
him. Concentrate._

She saw that Shampoo was smiling now, grimly; a small cut on her
forehead bled, but it wasn't serious. She was winded, and that was
helpful. The last few blows had seemed slow, as though Shampoo's mind
was wandering. More then likely it was to Ranma, as was hers, but she
never could be sure with Shampoo. Hadn't she been checking on Mousse,
just now? But her face hadn't been concerned; Ukyo was fairly certain
Shampoo didn't care for Mousse as more then a tool. But then, why
check on him?

_Now, while she's distracted...lunge!_

Swift as a fox, Ukyo drew in a deep breath and lunged at the girl with
her spatula high in the air. Her eyes gleamed as she brought the
weapon down on her opponent. Hard. The sound of it hitting flesh and
bone was sweet, but not sweet enough; Shampoo was still standing.
Grimly, she turned around, and prepared for attack once more. Shampoo
could be defeated. No, no. Shampoo would be defeated. By her own
hands.

Gritting her teeth, she raised her weapon again and prepared for
attack.

* * *

_I've got to end this...fast..._

Ryoga paused in his fight, looking over at Gosunkugi briefly. He was
still on the ground where Ukyo had left him, watching intently. And
shaking. Ryoga looked away as he deflected a kick from Mousse, then
spun around, dealing a punch to the back of Mousse's head followed by
another kick.

_But how?_

He could see Shampoo and Ukyo still fighting hard, Shampoo looking as
though she had the upper hand for a moment, then switching to Ukyo.
All four of them had fought each other enough times to know their
strengths and weaknesses. It was more then hopeful to think they would
finish this soon. Unless...

Ryoga continued to dodge Mousse, though occasionally took a few
punches and kicks. He could take a lot of damage as long as it wasn't
fast. Mousse wasn't nearly as fast as Ranma was; the only chance he
had was if he could get Ryoga nailed down. But before he did that,
Ryoga had an idea.

Taking a sudden leap backwards, Ryoga put a fire hydrant in between
himself and Mousse. Quickly looking over at Ukyo, he waited until she
was closer, willing her to force Shampoo towards him. Come
on...faster...no, over here! Arg...

"What's wrong, Hibiki? Had enough?" panted Mousse, watching as Ryoga
stayed in one place. Smirking, Ryoga raised his fists, daring Mousse
to fight hand to hand. Ryoga's mind raced, making him angry, and
confused. He knew what he was doing. Knew what he had to do, but if
Mousse would only take the bait...just a little closer, and he could
have Mousse trapped, and the situation in control.

"Hand to hand? You wish." He was close enough now, though. Mousse's
chains flew at him again, and he caught them with one arm, tugging
Mousse towards him.

_Come on Ukyo...just a little closer...come on...perfect!_

Pulling Mousse practically on top of him, Ryoga formed a fist with the
free hand, his index finger extended. With a wild look in his eye, he
brought it crashing down on the hydrant, making it crack under the
pressure of his breaking point attack. Immediately cold water rushed
at them, and Ryoga broke free of the chains as Mousse was flung into
the air. The world around him began to look so much bigger, and he
felt lighter, shrinking down to the ground below him. The sound of
water gushing was deafening, and he panted, trying to catch his
breath. He was P-chan now. Small, black, good for nothing P-chan. With
a squeak, he moved away from the hydrant, and looked over to where he
had last seen Ukyo.

* * *

"Ugh...ouch...coulda...warned me..."

Ukyo lay flat on her back on the grass. Water was still falling down
on her, making her shiver and motivating her to get up. Her arms and
side ached at the motion, but she forced herself up anyway, and took
in the sight around her.

The fire hydrant was destroyed, water still gushing from it like a
fountain. Beside it, Ryoga, now P-chan, squealed as he looked at her.
The pig had a cut on his ear and it looked like one of his rear legs
was hurt, but otherwise seemed fine.

_What a brave...stupid...thick headed idiot! Risking himself like that!_
Her eyes were locked with the small pig's a moment longer, barely
believing she was looking into the eyes of Ryoga. It almost felt like
when she was looking into the eyes of the female Ranma; below the
surface, she could see the real boy. For the first time...she saw it.
Saw Ryoga. She tilted her head at the sudden epiphany. Now she could
look at P-chan and not see an animal? Maybe she had hit her head a bit
hard, but she could swear she saw physical similarities, too. Odd
ones, but all the same...something about that pig was finally Ryoga,
to her.

But she didn't have time to appreciate her jump in perception. And
suddenly she realized that the eyes she was staring into looked so
tired, and almost...helpless. As though saying to her that he had done
his part, and now she was supposed to act. Those eyes trusted her, and
asked why she wasn't getting up already, and getting to her role.

Her eyes finally moved away from his, to the street. A small, white
duck was laying on the road near the sidewalk, motionless. On the
sidewalk, closer to her, a pink and white cat lay equally still,
though her wet belly rose and fell in breath. She sighed with relief.
Shampoo and Mousse had been subdued; they were alive, but knocked out.
For now. How long would they have the upper hand for? She had to act,
and fast; it was all up to her now. Ryoga had started it for her,
trusted her, and now she had to finish and get them all back to the
Nekohanten. And fast.

"Gosun...Gosunkugi?" she called, turning around to where she had left
him. The boy was still laying there, mostly dry, trying to get to his
feet. Ukyo felt relieved, but still gave him a hard look.

"What happened to them?" he asked, walking towards her. "They
changed...bodies..." His eyes moved from the duck, to the cat, to the
pig. They were so full of wonder, like a child almost. It contrasted
greatly against the old, sickly appearance of his face.

"You know how Ranma-honey can change into a girl?"

He had to. The whole school knew about that, with the exception of
Kuno.

"They're cursed..."

"Bingo. They're also knocked out, which is the important part.
Hopefully it knocked some sense into them, too. Go get Mousse. That's
that duck, in the street over there. Don't worry, he looks like he'll
be out cold for a while. I'll take care of the others. You probably
shouldn't be exposed to Shampoo yet, even if she is an unconscious
cat."

She bent down to gingerly touch the soaking wet ball of pink fur. As
she did so, P-chan trotted up to her, poking her in the ankle with his
snout.

"Hey. Uhh...good job. That was...good."

_You're really in there, Ryoga. If only your eyes were a bit more
human...but still...you're really in there...thank you. Thank you..._

She didn't voice the thoughts, as she deemed them too sentimental for
the moment. Instead she gazed at him, feeling relief wash over her.
The battle was over. The next stage was coming, and it would probably
be hard, but the battle was over. Gosunkugi was safe, and so were
they.

Scratching his ear, she accidently touched the cut, and froze. P-chan
shrank back, though only slightly, and Ukyo moved her hand, her face
apologetic.

"Ugh, you don't look much better then they do. If I carry Shampoo in
my arms, can you stay balanced on my shoulder?" P-chan nodded his head
quickly, so Ukyo picked him up, setting him on her left shoulder. Then
she carefully picked up the soaking cat. She was careful for two
reasons; one, she wasn't sure how badly the cat-girl was hurt, and
two, she didn't want to fall victim to her claws and teeth should she
really be awake. The cat was genuinely knocked out, though, and Ukyo
stood up, Shampoo in her arms and P-chan comfortably perched on her
shoulder, bitting down on her collar to stay balanced.

"Gosunkugi?" she called, watching as the boy walked over to her, the
duck cradled carefully in his thin arms. The odd look was still in his
eye, as though he couldn't believe such a powerful person had morphed
into such a tiny animal. She knew that was what he was thinking,
because she had thought it herself the first time she had seen Mousse
change. And Shampoo, and Ryoga. Yet she had not voiced anything at
those times, too stricken to know what to say.

"They look so defenseless like this."

"Don't get any ideas. They may look defenseless, but once awake
they're almost as strong as they are when human." P-chan let go of her
collar long enough to make a low squeal, as though agreeing, then
regained his grip.

"I need you to come with us. There are things you didn't tell us,
about the curse," said Ukyo, staring down into his eyes. This was the
moment of truth, she realized. She had to be firm, and stay on top of
things. One small slip, and...she could lose everything. She could
hardly just punch him in the head and carry him in too, could she? She
didn't want to have to. No, looking down at this boy, she wanted him
to just follow her. Willingly. Do the right thing, and stop being the
idiot.

Their eyes locked for a long time; so long that she heard Ryoga softly
protest, breaking the spell on her side at least. Gosunkugi still
stared up at her, his eyes scared, unsure, and ashamed. Near enough to
the same eyes she had dealt with earlier to make her hand twitch for
her battle spatula. But...it wasn't the time for violence. No, he
would go willingly. He would go, and let her lead, and...

"I know. I figured. I was actually on my way to the Nekohanten, but
I...I hadn't decided if I'd go in, yet."

"Hadn't decided? Don't you realize what you've done?"

How could he not realize? Oh, he would most certainly realize, by the
time she was done with him. She'd show him the world of pain she had
been exposed to all day, all because of his meddling curse. The stupid
boy, how could he be so ignorant? Hadn't decided, had he? Ukyo's eyes
hardened, and she felt a snarl coming on, but kept it at bay. Barely.
It looked like he was going to speak again.

"I didn't. Not at first. I wanted to hurt Ranma; Ranma and Kuno. Akane
is hurt too, though, isn't she?" She sensed that he knew the answer
already. The snarl faded, and she felt her control come back. And,
thankfully, her maturity. He was concerned. He'd go peacefully, she
was fairly certain now.

"She's weak. And there are...complications. They need you to reverse
the curse. Are you coming?" He hesitated, then looked back over at the
hydrant, still gushing water.

"It wasn't really a question. You're coming with me, but do I have to
take you by force, or do we go peacefully?" Gosunkugi winced as her
hand twitched for her weapon. _No violence...just lead, and he'll
follow. He needs a leader. You can be a leader, Ukyo...so...lead._

"Just come on, already. We're almost there," she said, starting out
towards the cafe. To her relief he joined her, walking a pace beside
her, his eyes on Mousse. They were thoughtful eyes, searching eyes.
Eyes that were realizing things that maybe he didn't want to be
realizing right now. Ukyo didn't feel pity for him; she couldn't feel
pity for such a person. Still...

"Will Shampoo still try and kill me, after?" Ukyo looked down at the
wet cat in her arms and watched her breathe slowly.

"Try to? Probably. But succeed? It really depends on what Ranma does.
He would never let Shampoo kill anyone. If he's firm enough about it
with her, she might not."

"Ranma would never protect me...not anymore." Somehow this comment
triggered her anger, and she did snarl at him, causing him to recoil
and flush at the reaction.

"He'd protect you if you needed it. Ranma may seem like a jerk
sometimes, but...he's not. Not really. He has his morals."

That was something she always liked about him; he may talk tough, and
be arrogant, and berate others, but when it really came down to a
situation where you needed him...he was always there for you. Without
fail.

"I hope so. I don't want to have to leave Nerima over this."

They continued the rest of the way in silence, getting the occasional
stare from a pedestrian wondering what they were doing carrying three
wet animals down the street.

They entered from the side entrance of the restaurant, quietly running
up the stairs to where she suspected the private rooms were. After a
few peeks behind doors, Ukyo found a bathroom and had Gosunkugi set
Mousse down on the floor. P-chan jumped down from her shoulder easily
then trotted over to Mousse, poking at him experimentally with his
snout.

"Run some hot water, but don't stay in here for long. Ryoga may have
helped you, but you don't have his trust. Go to the hallway and wait
for me there." She felt oddly heavier now, despite how she had managed
to release her tension earlier. And older. So, so much older. It
wasn't a feeling she relished.

P-chan bared his fangs at Gosunkugi, as though to confirm this, and
she left the bathroom after she had filled a small bucket with hot
water for Shampoo.

"Now where is your bedroom, Amazon Princess," said Ukyo mockingly,
looking in the other four rooms up there. On the third try she found a
room with a small bed, decorated in blues and greens. It took her eyes
a moment to figure out whether it was a girl's room or a boy's, and
decided when she saw one of Shampoo's dresses hanging over a chair.

Setting the bucket down on the ground, Ukyo placed the cat on the
center of the bed. Once satisfied with her position, she picked up the
bucket and slowly poured water onto the small body. It grew before her
eyes, fur fading into skin, paws changing into limbs, ears changing
and hair growing on her head. Quickly, Ukyo placed a sheet over
Shampoo's naked body, then left the room, closing the door behind her.
She saw Gosunkugi in the hall and nodded to him, then knocked on the
bathroom door. Everything felt very routine now, very ritual-like. So
normal and mundane that it wasn't, somehow.

"Ryoga? I'm taking Gosunkugi to Cologne. I'll be back to help you with
Mousse in a minute," she said quickly, leaving as soon as she heard an
affirmative response from the now human Ryoga. Grabbing Gosunkugi by
the sleeve, she pulled him down the hall and then downstairs, this
time turning to go to the room where Cologne was with Ranma and Akane.
She didn't know what to think, at this point. Her mind stayed blank;
she didn't want to hope that things would be alright, but at the same
time, she craved the hope. Wanted it to bloom in her mind, and give
her peace. Instead she opened the door to Cologne roughly, pushing
Gosunkugi in front of her.

"We found him."

Ukyo took in the sight of the Old Ghoul in the center of the room, and
Akane and Ranma meditating off to one side. Still. She wondered if
maybe she should not have him in there with them right now, but it
probably couldn't be helped.

_Maybe she's been preparing them for it...they haven't opened their
eyes, and their auras haven't changed_, she realized, glancing at the
dolls.

"Thank you. I was hoping one of you would be reliable, though I
thought it would be my Shampoo. Is she with you?" asked Cologne,
ignoring Gosunkugi for the time being.

"She's upstairs. There was a...fight. Shampoo and Mousse are knocked
out, but they should be fine," said Ukyo, looking uncomfortably over
at Ranma. He hadn't acknowledged her at all, though he had to
recognize her voice.

"A fight? You'll have to tell me about it later. Gosunkugi! It's about
time you showed yourself. Come here, and sit. We have much to talk
about."

Ukyo tried to feel nothing as she headed back up to the floor she had
left the others at, but the feeling of emptiness, of blankness, was
still there. It wasn't the same thing as nothing. Nothing just wasn't
as soul-wrenching as emptiness.

Once upstairs she went into one of the rooms that she took to be
Mousse's, and grabbed a large, white robe that was hanging in the
closet. Quietly walking to the hall again, a thought suddenly crossed
her mind, and made her flush. Ryoga would need clothing, too.
Remembering where he had left his pack, she went back downstairs, out
to the kitchen.

"Ukyo!" called three voices before she even thought she was visible.
In near the same places they had been in earlier, Kodachi, Kuno and
Nabiki were all looking at her expectantly, and perhaps irritably as
well.

"Uh...hi," she said, seeing Ryoga's pack on the floor. She grabbed it,
letting his heavy umbrella fall noisily to the side as she slung the
pack onto her shoulder. Up like a flash, Nabiki walked over to her,
her eyes demanding answers.

"What's going on? You were gone for hours."

"Everything's okay now, don't worry," said Ukyo, starting to head for
the stairway. Now wasn't the time to explain everything to Nabiki.
Ryoga still needed her, and so did Mousse, and then...and then she
could come back and explain. But first, she had things to do, and she
couldn't let Nabiki keep her for long.

"Are you sure? You don't look so confident." As she often did, Nabiki
had hit the nail on the head. Ukyo inhaled deeply, then turned back to
Akane's sister.

"I'll explain later. Just keep the Kunos busy a little while longer,
okay?"

Nabiki appeared to debate this as Ukyo watched nervously. She didn't
know what it was about Nabiki that made her nervous, though the ever
present calm expression may have been part of it. Finally, Nabiki
allowed a small smile to grace her face, then nodded.

"Okay. I think Kuno has a few more yen I can win from him anyway," she
said, letting Ukyo go back upstairs. She thought she heard Nabiki
asking about another game of poker before she was out of hearing
range, and knocking on the door to the bathroom she had left Mousse
and Ryoga behind.

"Ryoga?"

"Yeah?"

"I have your pack and some clothes for Mousse. Put on a towel, I'm
gonna open the door," she commanded, then counted down from five to
give him time to do that.

_Five...four...three...two...one..._

Trying to keep her mind from wandering, she slid the door open by
about a foot, feeling the steam of the bath seep around her ankles.
She shoved the pack and robe into the room, setting them against the
wall inside before closing the door just as fast. Exhaling, she wore
an expression of great accomplishment. She had delivered the clothes.
One of the easiest tasks of the day, and she had done it almost
flawlessly. She wanted to laugh at herself as she leaned against the
hall wall, watching the door and waiting. Laughter would feel good,
about now. She couldn't remember the last time she had done that, and
now she craved it like vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce.

_We'll make it...we'll make it...the end is in sight. We'll make it._

She only wished she could make the tingling of her ki calm down enough
for her to relax and really believe it.

--
Notes: Phew ^-^ That, right there, is the longest chapter of the whole
fic. Anyway, this marks the end of part 3. Part 4 is next, then Part 5, and
that's it. Part 5 is smaller then the other parts. 


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