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Title: The Countdown to Matrimony (Ch. 1 of Part 4)
Anime: Ranma 1/2
Author: Denise Cameron aka Elena99
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Part 4: For Love and Honour

Chapter 1: The Nekohanten

Ranma had his eyes closed. He had an idea of what was going on around
him, but only barely. The old woman was still in the room of course;
she had never left. Even without his aura, he could still sense her
presence, hear her shuffling about the room, no doubt uncaring if they
heard. The air around them was thick with her, but there was more too.

Someone else had been there, just now. Ukyo. The old woman had said
her name, and Ranma knew who that person was. His memory was
improving, since Cologne had them swimming in the nothingness. Yes,
Ukyo was a childhood friend of Ranma's. Sweet girl, but had odd ideas
about where his heart lay. Whenever he thought about it more, a dizzy
spell tried to claim him, and he quickly concentrated on the
nothingness again. Being weak was awful, and annoying, and every
minute spent weak was a minute less that he was living, but he still
had his reflexes. He wasn't completely gone. No, not Ranma Saotome.
Not just yet.

Ranma had his eyes closed but his ears were wide open, despite
Cologne's orders. He could hear Akane sitting a few feet away,
breathing lightly. Was she having trouble? He almost felt sorry for
her; she seemed to be having a hard time adjusting to being away from
Kuno. But Akane had been weaker then him, before their auras were
drained. If anything, he reasoned, she was faring better then he, so
there was no reason to be worried about the tomboy. Still, he could be
sympathetic. Kodachi was far away from him now. That's who he did
love, wasn't it? Who he was supposed to protect? He was ashamed to
admit that he wasn't sure anymore.

When he had first seen Kodachi early that morning, his feelings had
been obvious in his heart. He wanted Kodachi, plain and simple. A
dizzy spell came at the remembrance of the pain, but he let it come,
quickly dodging over to the nothingness again. It was almost like a
game, now. Remembrance, pain, dodging. Remembrance, pain, dodging...

Suddenly he realized that he had lost complete track of his thoughts,
and struggled to discipline his mind. It was getting harder to
concentrate, as though there was something luring him to get
distracted. It was probably the curse, still, but...

He fought to keep his eyes closed, knowing who was in the room now.
That voice, of course! Ukyo had shoved...Gosunkugi...Cologne had said
his name too, but he hadn't heard it properly, he had been so focused
on staying in the nothing. Gosunkugi was in the room now, and Ranma
clenched his fists. That's what the whispering was; he allowed his
ears to open further, foolishly ignoring Cologne's training to keep
them closed. After a few words to confirm, he made himself drift away
again, let himself hear a buzz of noise rather then actual words. It
was just a matter of setting his mind to the right mode, of ignoring
and concentrating elsewhere. To protect him and his memories.

But Gosunkugi was there and alive. Ranma desperately wanted to remedy
that, but he knew he was weak right then. Maybe even too weak to go up
against Gosunkugi, unfortunately. It was a struggle, but in the end
Ranma thought he was winning. He had to be winning, he just had to...

He let out a low groan as a dizzy spell claimed him once again.
Silently, he began to pray to whatever gods were listening to just
give him back his strength already, so he could beat Gosunkugi to a
pulp and save his Kodachi. He just couldn't keep his eyes closed to
the raw facts much longer.

* * *

Akane shifted in her lotus position irritably, feeling a dizzy spell
come on. What was that groan that idiot just let out? Was he
disobeying Cologne again and thinking bad things? She had always known
Ranma was a moron when it came to simple instructions, but this just
went beyond his normal powers of ignorance.

_He's getting what he deserves..._

But she still didn't want to just leave him like that. What was she
going to do if he was knocked out? What if his battle aura stayed
inside the voodoo doll? Certainly, she'd be rid of the obstacle to
Kuno that was her engagement to Ranma Saotome, but...she didn't want
him out of the picture. Not completely, not just like that. Of course,
she'd never admit that to anyone. Never in her life would she...

Suddenly she realized what had most likely made him groan like that.
Gosunkugi was in the room. For some reason it didn't hurt her as much
as it did Ranma to realize this, and she rationalized that it was
because her memories of their classmate were different. She wasn't so
passionate about wanting to kill him, or quick to mark him as the
villain. He did annoy her, and she wasn't exactly willing to forgive
and forget, but she had control over her temper. For now, at least.

Hearing Ranma's groans cease and his normal breathing return, she
schooled her mind back to the nothingness. Not the emptiness, as she
had first done; that wasn't what they were trying to do. Emptiness was
the lack of everything. It did include extreme emotions, like pain and
anger, but it was too much. Complete emptiness, in humans especially
as young as they were, would lead to despair. And despair would only
bind them to their cruel fates. No, the nothingness was not the same
as emptiness at all. It wasn't really empty...it was just nothing.
Peace, almost, though not really, as too long in the nothingness could
drive one insane. But Cologne had assured them that they wouldn't be
there too long; only a day at most, she hoped. Maybe two. A wave of
dizziness had come over her at the thought of two, but she had dodged
it easily. Despite the lack of her aura, she was still a martial
artist. This was still a battle that Akane Tendo could fight, and she
would see it through to the bitter end.

No matter what outcome fate decided to throw at her, she would stand
and fight, like the true stubborn girl she was.

* * *

For possibly the sixtieth time that day Nabiki Tendo dealt the cards,
trying not to let the bored look in her eyes show to her two
prisoners. They were her prisoners, weren't they? And she the warden?
But prisoners weren't usually this nice to their keeper, and their
eyes merely spoke of trying to be polite in the presence of an inept
host. Despite how they also occasionally flickered to the door and,
since Ukyo's appearance, the stairway too. How much longer did Ukyo
expect her to wait, anyway? She had allowed it earlier, since she was
making money and probably in some obscure way helping her sister, but
this was not what she signed up for. Ukyo and Ryoga had talked as
though it would just take a couple of hours. Maybe. That had gone by
long, long ago.

She watched as Kodachi began to yawn and tried to be ladylike about
it. Raising her hand, turning her head, closing her eyes. The yawn
that came forth would still challenge a lion's roar in size, and
Nabiki had to fight back her own yawn at the sight of it. Although she
hated to admit it, she was getting tired too. This was long, dreary
work, waiting. Convincing the Kunos every half hour or so that things
would be okay, and that they should wait, just a little longer. That
no, it wasn't some trick, and she didn't know what was taking Cologne
so long, but she was certain that something would come up soon. They
just had to wait. Be patient.

Nabiki sniffed, looking at her own hand of cards. A full house. She
would have been pleased, though soberly, if it wasn't just one of
twenty-some odd full houses for her already today. Cards were starting
to get on her nerves. She wanted...food. Maybe some sushi. Something
expensive, to make her feel like she wasn't wasting her time here.
Eyeing Kuno without raising her head, she wondered how much money he
had left. A lot of it had already transferred from his wallet to hers,
but he had to still have some. Didn't he? She could hardly pay for her
own food, and he looked like he might be hungry too.

"Hey, Kuno-baby," said Nabiki, watching as Kuno's eyes leapt up from
scrutinizing his cards. She was surprised at the wild look that she
saw there; was the odd memory thing that she had heard about earlier
happening to them too? But she had kept them so passive; even when
they lost, they didn't seem to mind. Or even seemed surprised. Really,
if they won, they would be more happy then they would be sad from
losing, and that was just as bad. Or so she had been told.

Forcing herself to look beyond the wildness in his eyes, she noted
something else; a complete willingness to be distracted. Yes, Nabiki
clearly wasn't the only one bored with cards, and she couldn't blame
them. Losing all day wasn't that much fun. Not for them, at least.

"Yes, Nabiki Tendo?" Beside him, Kodachi shifted her position, looking
at the cards in her hand as though they were completely alien. Putting
a small smile on her face, Nabiki leaned back, stretching her
shoulders.

"You look like you've had enough of cards. Have you? Because I know I
have. I have something else we can do." Like a Christmas tree, his
eyes lit up and immediately he put his hand to his head as a dizzy
spell overtook him. Still, though, he looked gratefully at Nabiki, and
was about to put down his cards, then hesitated. Frowning, he leaned
back in his seat, looking at his cards.

"You seek to trick me, yet again. I told you, I will not fall for it
once more," he said, sounding like a beaten dog who had finally
noticed what it was that caused his master to hit him with the rolled
up newspaper. Sighing, Nabiki put down her cards face up for the both
of them to see, preparing for a dramatic monologue.

"Not a trick. Would I pull a trick? You think so little of me Kuno-
baby. Here I am, just trying to keep you entertained while you wait
for Cologne. All day spent here, just for you two, just to keep you
safe, and keep your minds from harm. Don't you think this is hard on
me too? Don't you know how much I'm suffering here, with the waiting?
Who do you think I am, some sort of cruel, ice cold card shark,
preying on you in your moment of weakness? You really...think that
badly of me? After all we've been through?" She forced a tearful shine
into her eyes, widening them as much as she could. It was a good act,
though perhaps a little cheesy. Yet Kuno always fell for it. As did
most of the people she knew in Nerima.

"Don't be an idiot, brother dear. And so ungracious! How dare you,"
sniffed Kodachi. Nabiki mentally thanked her unknowing back up, but
didn't take her large, innocent eyes away from Kuno. He looked up at
her, his eyebrows raised in curiosity. However, he did look down to
Nabiki's cards, then added his on top. One pair. She would have
definitely won, provided Kodachi had a similarly bad hand. Maybe
she...

"Nabiki Tendo, forgive me! For a maiden such as yourself to sacrifice
her whole day for my sake..." He stood up now, his eyes focused on the
ceiling, his expression tragic enough to make Nabiki want to vomit.
But she held it in and quickly got up, grabbing Kuno's sleeve and
guiding him to the phone at the counter.

"I'll...try. But it's so hard...and I'm...so hungry. Hey, aren't you
hungry too, Kuno-baby?" She mentally scolded herself for changing her
tone near the end of the sentence too fast. Kuno was too far into the
act to notice though; instead he followed her obediently, looking as
though he were in anguish over his behaviour.

_Oh no, this is not good...I need to get him to stop before he hurts
himself._

"Why don't you order us some food? Like...like sushi! Oh, I would feel
so much better with some sushi. It would...maybe...make up for the way
you're treating me, too," she said, looking away and lifting her hand
to her mouth like a proper maiden to hide a creeping smile.
Immediately Kuno lifted the phone and began to dial, then slammed it
down again.

"But I have no money!" Nabiki wanted to slap herself in the head. Of
course, she DID have it all. But it wouldn't do for her to pay.

_Think, Nabiki...think...Kuno's rich, he's gotta have something...maybe
a credit card?_

"And you have no...credit?" she asked, sniffing with just the right
amount of delicacy. A light shone in Kuno's eyes as he fetched his
wallet and picked up the phone once more. Bowing from the waist to
hide her sudden smirk, Nabiki left him to the phone and walked back to
the chair.

"Remember Kuno...three deluxe sushi. And something to drink, too," she
said, sitting back down quickly. Kodachi was shooting her a
questioning look now. Was she not as slow as her brother? Forcing the
shine back to her eyes, Nabiki put on an expression somewhere between
being extremely put out, and gratitude. Kodachi, clearly still
battling something, put a hand to her head and quickly leaned back.
Satisfied, Nabiki kept the put out maiden expression on her face, but
inside she glowed. Ryoga and Ukyo would still have their own debts to
her - and she would make sure they payed up - but this was really
going to hit the spot.

As Kuno was putting down the phone, her ears picked up the sound of
one or more people quickly walking down the stairs. Quickly looking
over, she watched as Ukyo stepped down into view, her expression
giving away that she was quite worn out. Behind her, Ryoga was finger
combing still damp hair, his bangs clinging to his forehead. His
expression was equally as worn out, if not more upset then that of
Ukyo. But there was something else that was hidden just beneath the
surface. All maidenly looks faded as she frowned, scrutinizing them.
Had Ryoga been following her all day like that? Maybe Ukyo was just
being a good guide, but...

"I trust you're going to give me some news," said Nabiki matter-of-
factly as she began to organize the cards. Kodachi tossed her own hand
over to her, clearly starting to give up on staying awake as she let
her eyelids droop.

"Of course HE is," said Ukyo with forced sweetness as she pushed Ryoga
in front of her. Ryoga turned his head to give Ukyo a pleading look,
but Ukyo's solid face was like a mask. It stayed worn out, determined,
and was not at all affected by the sad puppy dog eyes that Ryoga was,
probably unconsciously, gracing her with. _And their body
language...what was with all the tugging? And pushing?_ Something had
happened between those two, and Nabiki wanted to find out what it was.
First though, she had other questions that needed answering.

"I'm sure he's just dying to tell me. Oh, Kuno-baby? Can you call the
restaurant again, please? We'll need another order for Ryoga, here."
She thought she heard Ukyo chuckle dryly as the girl headed back
upstairs. Kuno leaped back to the phone, still eager for forgiveness,
though she wondered if he remembered what for.

Keeping a small smile at bay, Nabiki walked up to Ryoga, staying out
of earshot from Kodachi. For him, she put on her real expression.
Well, close enough to it. She schooled her face to being blank,
determined, but still pleasant enough to not seek revenge for keeping
her in the dark. For now. He was easily cornered to the wall without
her having to lay a finger on him, and quickly she turned around to
see Kuno on the phone and Kodachi leaning back in her chair, eyes
closed. Slowly, she turned back to Ryoga, her eyes curious and
questioning.

"So, Ryoga...tell me...everything."

_Hold on just a little longer, Akane...I've done my part, now I just
have to hope everyone else has been just as good about doing their
bits._

But she had a hard time keeping her expression from darkening as Ryoga
slowly, in low tones, began to tell her everything that had happened
since he had last left her.

* * *

The door was definitely in her way. She stared at it again, at the
simple carving of wood. Old wood, painted brown. Was that a chip on
one side of it? Ukyo frowned, knowing she was stalling. Knowing
absolutely that she was stalling as she traced her finger around the
place where the chip revealed a grayer shade of paint. Her mind,
unlike her stubborn body, was ready to walk into that room, take her
position and then...what? Watch? Wait? Listen? She didn't know. What
she did know was that Ranma-honey...

_And Akane. Don't pull a Ryoga now. Ranma-honey and Akane..._

...were sitting in that room, possibly still doing that meditation
technique. Cologne was there as well, no doubt perched on her cane as
though she were queen of the world. And of course, Gosunkugi was in
there. Probably crouched in a corner, shaking like the coward he was.

_Yet he's in there and you're still out here examining a paint chip,
Kuonji._

She wasn't out there because she was afraid. She was out there because
she was nervous. Maybe a touch afraid, deep down, but mostly nervous.
And scared for Ranma. Akane too, she conceded. Although a part of her
wanted to know what was going on, another...didn't. Another part of
her wanted to be protected from it, shielded. Wanted to go back
downstairs and hide behind her role of being Ryoga's guide. That had
been a confident role, despite her moment of weakness earlier that
day. Lead around the super strong pig boy by the nose, dish out
orders, fight the good fight, secretly feeling in charge the whole
time. Not so alone, and scared, and childish.

Sighing, she took hold of herself and lifted a hand to the knob. Their
period of rest, brief as it was, was over. They were over the hump;
Gosunkugi was retrieved, Shampoo and Mousse stopped, and now things
could be okay. All she had to do was go in the room, and wait.

Coaxing herself gently with the promise of explanations - if Cologne
bothered to notice her, that is - she turned the knob slowly, pushing
the door open. She closed the door behind her, slowly taking in the
room. It felt heavy with anxiety, and warm from bodies being in there
for so long.

To one side, Ranma and Akane were still sitting a few feet apart from
each other on mats. Their eyes were closed and they weren't
interacting. Her heart fluttered at the sight of Ranma, looking so
determined to stay still. She calmed it quickly, her eyes moving to
the equally determined face of Akane. The uncute fiancee. Ukyo bit
back her scowl, remembering the danger that Akane, too, bordered on.
Now was not the time for her to be petty. Now was the time for her to
be strong, and grown up. But the childishness was slow to leave, and
she had to force her eyes away from her former rival, turning to look
at the other side of the room.

Cologne stood perched on her cane as she had imagined her, her eyes
fiery, and her posture speaking of great authority. She glared down at
Gosunkugi, who was surprisingly not shaking. Instead he sat rigid in a
chair, no doubt with muscles tensed. He was saying something to her
quietly. Cologne nodded at intervals, then gestured for Ukyo to come
closer without batting an eye.

Ukyo jumped, having gotten used to being ignored for the small amount
of time she was there. Obediently, she walked up to the two, stopping
to take her place a few feet from Gosunkugi. The latter did not look
up at her for a moment, but she noticed him start to shake. Ukyo
smiled grimly.

_So he's not afraid of the old ghoul anymore, but still afraid of me?_

Feeling her confidence restore itself, she cracked her knuckles,
looking over to Cologne. To her satisfaction, Gosunkugi gulped, but
Cologne ruined it by frowning at her.

"Ukyo. And Ryoga is guarding our two...guests downstairs?" Her voice
didn't match her old, withered body; it was that of a woman, maybe
middle aged, with all the confidence and strength in the world. Ukyo
nodded, keeping her head low now and ignoring the boy who sat near
her.

"He is, and explaining things to Nabiki."

"Nabiki...Akane's sister is still here then. I would have thought
she'd go home when Ryoga took her place," said Cologne, idly fixing
her robes.

"I don't think so...she's worried about Akane. She'll stay." A small
smirk came over Cologne's carefully blank face, then disappeared
before Ukyo was sure it was there. The old ghoul didn't trust Nabiki?
Or perhaps she just didn't know her well enough. Ukyo was fairly
certain that as long as Akane was in danger, Nabiki would stick
around.

_Besides, she seems to be making money downstairs...and taking
advantage of Kuno...she'll stay, alright._

"Any progress?" asked Ukyo, quickly changing the subject. Although she
didn't indicate who she meant, the old woman seemed to understand, and
nodded. Ranma and Akane.

"They're fine for now; I have them doing an ancient Chinese technique.
Waiting in the nothingness. If they're doing it right, they can't even
really hear us now; we're only background noise. It's kept them
passive, and unemotional. But unfortunately...it can't be held
forever," said the old ghoul, looking over at Gosunkugi as the light
in her eyes fired up again.

"Gosunkugi was just telling me about his curse, and how he combined
curses. Him! Combining curses isn't for anyone as young and tender as
such a boy," she hissed, leaning forward. Ukyo watched as Gosunkugi
scrambled to lean back as far as he could from the old woman, and
found herself both amused by his reaction and disgusted with Cologne
for provoking it.

"I'm sorry already! I told you, I just want to help now."

Ukyo rolled her eyes, unsure what to believe. She did want to believe
him, of course. But that was hoping, and hoping, as she was learning,
was a good way to set yourself up for disappointment.

"Then help. You were saying, about the extra curse. The one you
reserved for my son-in-law and Kuno."

Ukyo's eyes darkened, and she felt her hand ball itself into a fist.

_Yes, Gosunkugi...keep giving me reasons to want to beat your sorry
ass._ She turned her eyes to the boy, who shook under her own gaze as
well as Colognes. This time, Ukyo felt herself less disgusted by
Cologne's actions.

"W-well...It was...umm...y-you see...would you both stop looking at me
like that!" he said loudly, then caught himself, putting a hand over
his mouth and muttering softly. A quick check over to Ranma and Akane
confirmed that they may have heard, but were still in the nothingness.
Their auras glowed cooly on the voodoo dolls, unconcerned. Sighing,
Ukyo turned back to Gosunkugi, forcing her face to soften.

"Fine, we won't look at you. Ukyo?" Cologne gave Ukyo an order to
comply just by saying her name. Irritably, Ukyo looked down at her
shoes, and saw Cologne looking at the wall out of the corner of her
eye. Hearing Gosunkugi take a deep breath, she waited for him to begin
again.

"I wanted to...give them a taste of what I have, every day. The
dullness. The curse...it...takes away memories. No, not take away.
Veils. Whenever a cursed person tries to call up a memory that has an
extreme emotion...great happiness, great sadness, great anger...they
become dizzy. Their mind fogs up instinctively, as though to block
access to the memory, and the person can't read it. So they eventually
lose complete access to the memory; the more they try, the foggier it
gets."

As his words set in, Ukyo felt her heart beat faster. Her eyes were
wide enough to pop out, and her jaw was hurting from being so
forcefully shut.

_That's what Ranma-honey...oh no...no..._

The thought of such a curse made her sick. It would allow the person
to live, certainly...but without such memories...what was a person?
What was...

Noticing that Gosunkugi was still talking, she forced her thoughts to
cease and bit her lip.

"If something makes a cursed person have an extreme emotion, it will
stay in the mind for a few minutes. But then the fog will get it, and
wrap it up tightly. Leaving the person feeling...dull...and probably
confused. Unmotivated. Just like..."

It felt like he was going to say 'just like me', but he had finished
before saying 'me'. Slowly, she waited for him to continue, but he
didn't. Ukyo looked up to see his pale, pale face frozen in an
expression of worry, and fear. His large eyes were partially closed,
and a tear was threatening to fall down his left cheek.

Pity rose up in her, but it was short-lived. Anger soon replaced it,
joining the horror at the thought of what the spell was doing to
Ranma. And probably to Akane and the others, too.

"You...you...," she began, but didn't know what to say. She wanted to
call him down to the lowest, for what he was trying to do. So he had a
pitiful life; so he was unhappy. So the one person he loved didn't
know he existed. Was that really reason to try and inflict that
existence on others? Was there any reason to do that, to anyone?

"I thought, for a minute, that I pitied you...but now..." Her voice
ice, and daggers, and shrapnel, but she couldn't finish. Her eyes
didn't want to look into his anymore. Her hand ached to slap his face,
but it didn't. Deliberately, she made herself turn around and look at
the wall.

"So that is the third curse...Southern Tibetan in origin...," she
heard Cologne say softly.

"I-it is? You know it? I just...read it..." If Gosunkugi hadn't been
scared before, he sounded properly cowed now.

"First lesson, child; never perform a curse unless you know absolutely
everything you can about it. Only the truly ignorant plunge in head
first, as you did. Your plan was destined to blow up before you even
started."

_Destined to blow up...yet Ranma and Akane walked right into it,
trusting him. Why? Were they so eager to get rid of their problems?
Maybe if I hadn't been home that day, I'd be downstairs too with Kuno
and Kodachi..._

The thought disturbed her, but it didn't seem entirely unreasonable.
It was by chance that she hadn't been in school, yesterday. Or for the
Monday and Friday before that. Maybe if she had been there, she would
have been included in the plan too. Maybe Ranma had...

_No! He's your childhood friend...he wouldn't...but..._

She forced her thoughts to cease violently as a bubble of a sob
threatened to come up, and tuned back into Cologne's low, now calmer
voice.

"...circle of flame, just as you did earlier. Wait here as I gather
the candles. Ukyo?" At the sound of her name, Ukyo whirled to look at
Cologne, who looked taken aback by the expression on her face. Forcing
the emotions away, she made herself feel empty as she gazed at
Cologne.

"Girl...light the candles as I set them down," said Cologne, handing
her a small box of matches. Ukyo took them wordlessly, stepping back
to wait as Cologne guided Gosunkugi to the center of the room and had
him sit on the floor.

The old ghoul then left the room for a moment, and Ukyo stared at the
wall, forcing her thoughts down. Gosunkugi said nothing. He just sat,
waiting like her, and Ukyo was glad for that. For if he had said one
word, she was sure her battle spatula would be bashing in his skull
within a millisecond.

The four said nothing, and waited in silence. She hadn't expected
anything from Ranma and Akane, still in the nothingness. Were they
even aware of them? Or were they fighting to ignore?

Thankfully, the old woman soon came back, her arms full of wide, low
white candles. She set them down in a circle around Gosunkugi, and
Ukyo followed after, obediently lighting each one. The flame sparked
up - the most alive thing in the room - for all eight of the candles.
Once done, Ukyo wandered back over to the chair Gosunkugi had been in
earlier and stood beside it, clasping her hands behind her back.

It was time for her to wait. Again.

* * *

Gosunkugi tried to keep himself from shaking, but he doubted it was
working. What had he been thinking, putting himself in such danger?
Here he was, sitting in a room again with four talented martial
artists. Well no, that wasn't accurate. Only two...

_Cologne said it would only take one of them, half asleep on the worst
day of their life, to take me out..._

...had their powers now. Thanks to him, Ranma and Akane were lacking
their skills in the art. He doubted he could take either, still, but
he had to keep things in perspective. One really powerful martial
artist, who called him a fool and a child every few minutes and seemed
to only barely tolerate him, and another mildly powerful one, who he
guessed was only not killing him because she knew he was needed to
help Ranma and Akane.

_Gee, putting things into perspective certainly helped..._

Sarcasm aside, he closed his eyes, finding his center. He had to try
and remember the words. But Cologne had said something about them
being not necessary. How could he undo a curse without the words?
Wasn't that one of the most important parts?

Opening his eyes slowly, he looked at Ranma and Akane, and cringed.
Even like this, Ranma looked powerful enough to kick him to China
without batting an eye. Then there was Akane. Still now, so weak and
confused, her beauty and determination sent him reeling. Only his
bitterness towards himself at putting her in such a state kept him
grounded. He had to focus. He had to remember the words, and....

"Gosunkugi," said the old woman from beside him, though outside the
circle of candles. She pronounced each syllable of his surname with
care, as though storing it in her memory. Or trying to intimidate him.
Guessing it was the latter, he turned his head slightly to look at
her. Oddly enough, he was getting used to her being there. She wasn't
nearly as frightening as she had been earlier. Unless she glared at
him, or leaned towards him, or aimed her cane at him...

Gosunkugi swallowed, and felt the collar of his shirt tighten somehow,
even though it hadn't actually moved.

"Y-yes?"

"From what you have told me of your curse...I have drawn a conclusion.
A conclusion that I don't like, but one all the same." He felt his
skin crawl.

_Getting used to her?_ his brain mocked viciously.

"You have?"

"I have. There was an important part to the curse that you missed
completely. My son-in-law was telling me earlier how you had tried
cursing before, but it never worked. He told me, as best he could
remember without hurting himself, about your repeated attempts that
left you a sorry failure, time and time again. And you have told me,
twice today, what you had done. I know why your curses fail, and it is
not merely because of your youth."

Licking his lips, he thought about what the old woman was telling him.
She...knew? She could help him? It was true that this was the most
successful curse so far, but...

_There can't be just one thing that I've been missing all these
times...and she can see it? That easily? What did I do differently?_

The thought worried him, and he tried to avert his eyes but found he
couldn't. He was hypnotized.

"Do you know what ki is, Gosunkugi?" Her voice sounded oddly casual.

"Oh, uh, of course. Martial artists use it, it's their battle aura."
Cologne nodded, but she wore a frown.

"Close, but inaccurate. The battle aura is made of the ki, certainly,
but the ki is not the battle aura. Think of the battle aura as the by-
product of one's ki. Everyone has ki. To live, one must have it.
But...not everyone has a battle aura." As though to demonstrate, he
saw her suddenly start to glow, red and black light coming from her
like electricity. It sparked and sputtered noiselessly, filling him
with awe, wonder and fear.

_I have...ki? But I can't do that..._

As though sensing his thoughts, Cologne chuckled. The aura
disappeared.

"That was a contained form of my battle aura. Just a taste. Ukyo can
do it too, though less powerfully, as can Shampoo, Mousse and Ryoga.
And so can the four whose auras you have contained..." Gosunkugi's
eyes suddenly sought out the voodoo dolls, and he felt a shiver as he
finally understood the power that was laying there. The power he had
stolen. They glowed menacingly, shades of blues and greens and
purples. Swallowing dryly, he tried to turn and look back over at
Cologne.

_But I...I don't have that sort of power...I couldn't..._

He felt very, very sick, and shook as though he would have a seizure.

"No, you can't do that. And I'm not suggesting you could ever learn,
either. What I'm suggesting is a little different..." There was a
small, mysterious smile on her face that both intrigued and scared him
to the bone. Walking around the circle, though never entering, she put
herself in between him, and Ranma and Akane.

"Your ki is very different..."

"It is?"

"There is absolutely no potential whatsoever for a battle aura. That
is different. However, your ki can produce another...by-product." The
words haunted him, and he unconsciously leaned forward, his curiosity
piqued enough to dispel his fear.

"Magic," she finished, her voice barely a whisper.

The word felt soft and velvety on his ears, and he tasted it on his
own tongue, not even hearing himself whisper it back.

_Magic? I can do magic? But surely..._

He had never really understood magic. Certainly he had been fascinated
by it, and in wonder of it, but never had he really understood how it
worked. And here Cologne was telling him that he had it in him to use
magic? It was in his ki? Dumbfounded, he just looked at Cologne,
trying to absorb this knowledge. For her part, she looked troubled to
be giving him this news, as though she was worried he would abuse it.

"There is a danger here. Though a different kind then there would be
if I had not told you," she confessed. Suddenly he realized he was
leaning forward like an eager student, and let himself sit back, the
weight of the words holding him still. There was a danger. Of course
there was a danger; nothing good ever happened to him without dark
strings attached to it. Licking his lips again, he looked up at her
nervously, trying to read her and finding he could not.

"A danger?"

"Yes...you must not use this power you have, Gosunkugi. Not until you
have spent time with a master. Think of it as a sort of art. My son-
in-law, for example," she paused to jump to the floor, pointing to
Ranma with her long, gnarled cane. "Ranma has been training since he
was but a babe to get to where he is now. All his life, he's been
under the care of a master. Be it his father, that wretch Happosai, or
even me on some occasions. Anything he learned, anything to be done
with his power, was only allowed after he was taught the control. With
time, he learned how to learn on his own. Thus now, he himself being a
master of his father's art is only a few years off, at most." Cologne
shifted the aim of her cane, pointing to Akane. Gosunkugi looked at
her in silence, suddenly wondering if either really couldn't hear
them. Was she hearing all the things Cologne was saying about him?
Would she care? He began wringing his hands, feeling his dry skin
moisten with sweat.

"Akane Tendo. One of three daughters of a martial artist, and the only
one with a gift in the art. A fierce girl, though still not as
powerful as my son-in-law. She is further from mastering it, but all
the same she too knows the rules. She doesn't strike at those who are
defenseless, and she doesn't yet use her aura in attack. Most likely
because she has not learned, but she could be even more powerful, once
she does." Having finished her explanation, Cologne took back her
cane, holding it in her hands as she considered him. His eyes stayed
on Akane a moment more, in admiration, and in fear.

_She could be...even more powerful? Akane...but she looks so..._

He thought he saw her nose twitch, and quickly turned to Cologne, a
blush coming to his face. Cologne was telling him about restraint? But
he didn't even know how to do anything yet! Suddenly he was wondering
if he even could, after all this trouble. Would there be a reason to?
What if he just hurt the wrong person, again?

"All this is great, but...I don't even know how to control my ki. Let
alone use it." Yet again, the mysterious grin appeared on her face,
though it didn't touch her eyes.

"You already have."

"I what?"

But suddenly, then, he knew. And a wave of realization nearly sent him
to his back with the force of it. Of course. That's what had gone
wrong in the gym! That's what that one passage he had not understood
meant...about the focusing. He had thought it meant focusing on the
written words, to make sure he didn't lose his place. But it meant
something else. Something completely different.

He had the power. It was in him, he had used it, and...

_And I hurt the one I loved most, at the first try..._

His shoulders slumped as his eye caught the light of one of the
candles. Happiness left him like water from a sponge, squeezed by firm
hands. His own hands. Slowly, he looked up at Cologne, an oddly
satisfied smile on her face. He suddenly wished he did have a battle
aura so he could strike out, but that urge was immediately replaced by
the reminder that all the martial artists currently in the room, at
full power, probably couldn't knock her out easily.

"Maybe this lesson will be easier then I thought. You know the
consequences of abusing your power. Good. I would rather you learned
it in another way, but a lesson learned through grief and pain is a
lesson learned well."

Gosunkugi blocked off a dry, sarcastic chuckle before it could leave
his mouth. Cologne nodded, as though expecting this. He didn't know
what to think now, what to feel. He had powers, but he had already
used them incorrectly. He had potential, but he needed a teacher. A
master. He certainly didn't want Cologne as a teacher; the little bit
she was showing him was painful, and neither the student nor the
teacher were enjoying the process.

>From behind him, he heard something shuffle; Ukyo. She was still
there. He could almost feel her gaze on him; those cold, brown eyes
that hated him. Trying to ignore her, he focused in front, his eyes
wandering from Akane to Ranma. Not much better there, either. Settling
on Cologne again, he frowned. Restlessness was consuming him. All the
eyes in the room, all the souls...he didn't want them there now.
Watching him. Accusing him.

But he had to help Akane. For that he had to face scrutiny, judgement,
and pain. For how long, he did not know, but that's how it was.

"I would rather have you spend at least a full two days learning
first, before setting you to anything. A month would be nicer. But
fate doesn't listen to the whims and wants of an old woman." He got
the feeling that she wasn't even talking to him; she was looking at a
crack in the floor.

"We need to have their battle auras restored. Now. And you will do it.
Now."

Gosunkugi's head shot up in surprise. She wanted him to do it right
then? But he didn't know how! It was insanity, pure insanity. He could
easily mess up again, make things worse, or yet, not even be able to
repeat the process at all.

Cologne was looking at him again, scowling as though reading his
thoughts. To his humiliation, he realized he had started shaking
again.

_She doesn't have to read my thoughts to know what I'm thinking..._

"Are you sure that's...a good idea?"

"Of course it's not! But we're going to do it, because we don't have
any other choice," Cologne sniffed, turning to inspect Ranma then
looking back to Gosunkugi.

"We'll start with my son-in-law. He is the strongest."

"That's crazy! What if he attacks me as soon as he gets his power
back? He obviously wants to."

"And you deserve it!" said Ukyo, finally raising her voice again. It
sent a chill down his spine, almost as bad as the thought of Ranma's
revenge.

"Hmph. You think I haven't thought of that? Why do you think those
candles are around you? Foolish boy. There is no real need for candles
in cursing; all those books that you've read, and on television, and
in the news...all those idiots have it wrong. The candles aren't
specifically for the curse." Distracted by his confusion, Gosunkugi
looked up, brushing back the bangs that had fallen over his eyes.

"They're not? But..." He looked at the candles questioningly.

_But that was always such an important thing...the colour, the size,
the number..._

"The candles are for your protection. In a circle of flame, to amplify
the magic, and make a barrier. Not an all powerful barrier; it's
strength and how long it lasts depends on the spell caster. In this
case, you probably couldn't raise a quarter strength barrier to save
your life. So I'll be doing it."

"You'll...oh. Th-thank you," he said, feeling oddly grateful.

"It wouldn't do to have my son-in-law kill you right off. I'm not
interested in death. And believe it or not, I don't want you dead. I
want my son-in-law back at full strength, uncursed. After this first
one, you still have other curses to lift. I need you alive and in one
healthy piece for that."

His feeling of gratitude faded, but it didn't sting so much anymore.
Instead he thought of the candles, and all the information he had
learned. He'd have to write it all down, when he got home.

_If I get home..._

"So uhh..what do I do?" Cologne smiled, baring her teeth.

"I was wondering when you'd ask that." Putting down her cane, she sat
down in a lotus position, her hands firmly on her knees.

"Do as I do. This position allows you to be the most comfortable,
while keeping the flow of your ki at it's peak." Gosunkugi obeyed,
twisting himself into the position, though his thighs ached at the
stretch of it.

"Now. Concentrate. There is a muscle, behind your ear. Tense it. Got
it?" Trying his hardest, he felt for that muscle. Behind one ear, or
both? Not realizing that he was biting his lip, he concentrated, and
tensed the muscle behind his right ear. It felt odd, and strange; he
had never known he had a muscle there that could be tensed. Then
again, no one had ever told him to try.

"It can be tricky to tense both at once your first time of really
trying, but it doesn't matter which goes first. Tense the other one.
You should feel an...interesting release." Closing his eyes, Gosunkugi
tensed the other one, and was frustrated to find that in his effort,
he had relaxed the other.

_Start over, come on..._

Taking in a deep breath, he tensed the right one again. Felt it tense,
squeezed it, released and tensed a few times experimentally. He had
it. Letting it go, he tried the same with the other. His left side,
not his dominant side, was harder to get control of. After a few
experimental tries, though, he thought he had it, and tensed. Then he
tensed the other side.

The feeling of the flow caught him by surprise. So this was the
interesting feeling...it felt like he had opened a passageway in his
mind. A light one, as though he were on the edge of a dizzy spell, or
on the edge of sleep without the feeling of fatigue. Slowly opening
his eyes, he saw a thin mist in front of him. Like a mist of light;
orange, with some specks of purple. A thin, thin veil over-top of the
life before him. And beyond the veil, Cologne smiled a cold, satisfied
smile.

"You have it."

"How do you know?"

"You can't see it? You're glowing. Faintly, but it's there. You won't
have to do that every time; some don't even have to do that trick to
learn, or stumble upon it accidently. But you have it now, and that's
the important part. Hold it steady; don't let it fade. You'll have a
headache later, no doubt, but after this it should get easier."
Gosunkugi nodded, but only slightly, worried that he'd lose the
control. The veil was so...hypnotic. Light orange, like the sun on the
horizon, and the sparkling of purple. He still could not believe it
was coming from him. But it was so thin, it didn't look a thing like
the aura that Cologne had, or that he had seen from others. It was a
light mist, and he worried that if he closed his eyes he'd open them
to find it gone.

But it remained. And Cologne had lied; his head wouldn't just hurt
later, it hurt now with the effort. Dizziness fought to claim him, but
he held it back, and noticed that Cologne was gently pushing the
voodoo dolls into the circle with her cane. They were placed in front
of him by a foot, and he looked down at the auras there, glowing
brightly. Four small, ugly wooden dolls, glowing with life that they
were never meant to have.

"Look at the one marked R." Obediently, Gosunkugi moved his head, eyes
locked on the R of the doll and its glowing blue aura. Ranma. He felt
more then he saw his own aura darken then lighten once more. It held
steady despite, and he concentrated on it.

"Concentrate on the glow. All you have to do is release, and aim.
Think of Ranma, and look at the doll. Release, and take care to aim!
But with your mind and your aura; not with your eyes."

"Release, and aim..."

Concentrating on the glow, he began to wonder just how he was supposed
to release. He called the image of Ranma to his mind, still feeling
dizzy.

_Release, and aim..._

The mist around him became thicker as he looked at the aura, watching
as his own began to bubble. It wavered and wobbled, flowing around him
faster now. Like a river, gently flowing, and the purple specks began
to throb and thicken as it took hold.

_Release...and aim..._

A feeling that he could only describe as eerie came over him as he
watched his aura move, as though another limb. It stretched, and
tensed, stretched and tensed, touching the R marked doll then slowly
creeping back. Something familiar was in the doll. He recognized it,
but only barely. Was that...a part of his aura in there too? Pinning
Ranma's down? He had no idea how he managed to have the strength to do
that, and the realization almost made him lose concentration.

_Release...and...aim..._

He was barely aware of the sound of Cologne speaking softly with
instructions to Ranma. Ukyo was talking too, just as softly, and then
Cologne was chanting in a language foreign to him. A Chinese dialect,
no doubt; for the barrier. Again he concentrated on Ranma's aura, this
time able to nudge it with his own. It bubbled and flowed, trying to
free itself from his grasp.

_Release, and aim..._

He found himself thinking of the first day he had met Ranma. Three
boys from his school were abusing him, trying to steal his money and
backpack, and hurt him. He had been scared then; so scared. But
Ranma...not even knowing him, he had stopped the bullies. Pulled them
off easily and made them give Gosunkugi his things back. Without a
thought for anything in return. No one had ever before helped
Gosunkugi with such raw, selfless kindness.

_Release, and aim..._

Then he remembered the first time he had seen Ranma with Akane.
Something had died in him then, watching the two, and suddenly
realizing that Ranma hadn't really been helping him, earlier. He had
been just doing his job as a martial artist; defending the weak. He
didn't care, and Akane didn't care either. He saw his aura bubble, and
realized faintly that it had darkened to almost red.

_Almost there...release, and aim...and return the favour..._

Bitterly, he let his aura embrace that of Ranma's, picking it up with
ease. The glowing ball of blue and purple rose in the air quickly, and
Gosunkugi burned the image of Ranma in his head. Without looking up,
he felt Ranma's aura return to him. Heard the exclamation from Ukyo,
and from Cologne, as he felt Ranma's aura leave him.

With a shudder, Gosunkugi untensed the muscles and leaned back. The
mist disappeared. His head ached, but he ignored it. Slowly, he looked
up to see the cold, cold eyes of Ranma Saotome burning through him.
But he was still. Ranma may have been burning with rage, but he didn't
move a muscle to attack him. Not yet.

Gosunkugi found that he wasn't afraid. No, what he was feeling was far
more intense then what the word afraid could encompass. Terror-
stricken, horrified, petrified...no, not enough. But he knew that as
he looked at Ranma, he felt he would lose his composure completely if
the boy so much as threw an insult his way.

And then the feeling washed away as he saw Ranma's eyes soften; but
just barely. Letting out a sigh, Gosunkugi leaned forward, realizing
that almost every muscle in his body had been tensed.

"Success! You are back to yourself, son-in-law?" Cologne's voice could
have been coming from two houses away, it was that distant to him.

"More or less. My head's still foggy," grumbled Ranma. He watched as
Ranma turned and looked briefly at Akane, then looked to Ukyo with a
tired, worn out expression. "How's Kodachi?"

"She's fine...we'll get to her soon, sugar. Don't worry."

"Okay. Probably best to try it on the tomboy first anyway...just to
make sure that wasn't a fluke," said Ranma, glaring at Gosunkugi
again. Gosunkugi felt a deep anger at the way he spoke of his fiancee,
of Akane Tendo, but he knew it was mostly because of the curse. His
curse. Despite Ranma's usual attitude towards Akane, he would never
risk her like this, not with his own clear mind.

"Ready, child? It should be easier this time, now that you have a feel
for it. Concentrate, release, and aim."

"I got it, I'm ready."

Eyes back down to the dolls, he stilled his thoughts and began to
tense the muscle behind his right ear. With a small headache and a
feeling of fuzziness, the veil came back, and he felt the flow once
more.

_Please forgive me, when this is all over...please..._

* * *

He felt almost himself again, with his aura back. If not for the odd
fog in his head, Ranma would have been up to check on Kodachi, but
something kept him in place. Maybe it was the fact that he knew
Cologne would fight him. Or maybe his lack of trust in Gosunkugi; if
he left, Gosunkugi may escape before the rest of his curse could be
lifted. Though something about the way Gosunkugi had looked at him
made him wonder if Gosunkugi really had the courage, or the will, to
escape.

The weakling was doing pretty well for himself, he had to give him
that. A new power in his hands that could potentially be useful, and
already he had demonstrated control over it. The kid was a fast
learner; almost as fast as he himself, he realized. Ranma watched with
mild interest as Gosunkugi was now gazing at one of the dolls;
Akane's, he reasoned. It had only taken a couple of minutes for
Gosunkugi to put his aura back. Now all he had to do was do the same
for Akane.

_And then he can lift this damned fog from our eyes, and from
Kodachi...and Kuno...and give them their power back, too._

He could see Gosunkugi's ki now, which freaked him out more then he
wanted to admit. The guy looked like a demon, with his black clothing
and hair, pale skin, large, creepy eyes, and now an aura the colour of
soft flame surrounding him. It was a barely controlled aura, but one
all the same; powerful enough to have kept his own aura trapped, and
then to release it. Impatiently, Ranma watched Gosunkugi work, trying
not to be impressed as he focused on the mechanics of the spell. It
consisted of three very simple parts, all with the ki, rather then his
physical person. Something that not everybody could do; Ranma couldn't
even do that, with his aura. But his was a battle aura; magic was
definitely not his thing, outside of the few powerful ki attacks he
had mastered.

Just as Gosunkugi was lifting Akane's flickering, turquoise aura into
the air, Ranma felt a familiar twitch. His sixth sense. It twitched
again, more violently this time. Danger.

_The door...something's behind the door!_

"Ucchan, the door!"

But even as he sprang to it, he knew it was too late. Out of the
corner of his eye he saw the flash of an aura. Gosunkugi was out of
control, he realized, his plan now changing as the door opened. Seeing
the purple haired amazon that was Shampoo, he at the same time knew
that she was the threat, and that Ukyo was soon to be in the way of
Gosunkugi's out of control ki. Something in the back of his head
flickered with a message that Akane was in trouble, but he didn't have
time to think of that.

"Gosunkugi! I kill!" Ranma didn't have time to register his surprise,
and barely noted Shampoo's tone and words for later.

In a split second he dove at Ukyo, getting her to the ground on one
side of the room. They barely missed the orange swipe of magic. Of
pure, unbridled aura, and Ranma realized too late that he had failed
to protect the other girl in the way. The threat. Shampoo.

_Dammit! The old ghoul shouldn't of let 'im do it, it was too soon!_

Making sure Ukyo was alright on the ground, he stood up in time to see
Shampoo, connected to a shocked Gosunkugi by the orange, magical mist.
Leaping in the air, he watched as the mist faded, and he quickly
caught Shampoo before she could hit the ground in an unconscious heap.
Turning around, he watched as Gosunkugi fell, obviously spent from his
own energy. Carefully, Ranma walked back into the room and placed
Shampoo gently on the ground. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw
Cologne tending to Akane.

_Akane! Dammit, that idiot must have been slammed with her own 
aura..._

He leapt over to Cologne and Akane, seeing Akane lay on the ground,
her chest rising in breath and her cheeks pink with effort. Moreso, he
realized he could feel her again. Sense her battle aura.

_She has her aura back...it worked_, he realized, feeling mild relief.
Without another thought, he looked back over at Gosunkugi then walked
back to the center of the room.

This was just great. Sure, he had his battle aura back, and so did
Akane. But now Gosunkugi was knocked out. He couldn't help anyone like
that. And so was Shampoo, and Akane. He had at least managed to keep
Ukyo conscious, and Cologne of course had gotten out of the way
easily.

Irritated, he stood in the middle of the room wondering what to do
next, when his sixth sense tingled once more. Looking up, he saw that
Ukyo was standing as well, looking worried.

_Great, she feels it too...so the threat wasn't Shampoo? Or..._

"Saotome! What have you done to my Shampoo?"

Ranma groaned, closing his eyes. He had a feeling that the newly
arrived Mousse wasn't in the mood for explanations, either.

--

Notes: Again, taking liberties with what can be done with one's
ki. ^-^  


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