========================= RELENTLESS A Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction By Grayson Towler ========================= ----------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Cat and Mouse ----------------------------------------------------------- Shampoo bowed to the captain of the river barge in gratitude. She and her companions wouldn't have cabin space for their stay on the boat, but the captain had agreed not to throw them off the ship either. Out here in the wilder regions of China, people understood when you told them you had "monster troubles." The barge wasn't the fastest means of transportation around, but it would serve well enough to let them get some rest while they widened the distance between themselves and the Reikoku. she thought, There were some matters they needed to get out in the open as soon as they could. Ranma still didn't know that she wasn't engaged to him anymore. She fingered the scarf on her head and smiled a little bit. That had been a sweet gesture on Akane's part. She wondered if the Tendou girl knew how much it meant to her not to have to appear before Ranma shamed, with her bare scalp showing to the world. Probably not - Akane wasn't an Amazon, after all - but nevertheless, Shampoo felt grateful for the kindness. thought Shampoo. In a way, she was glad that they were no longer rivals for Ranma's affection. It freed her to feel respect for Tendou Akane, and even a sort of friendship. Still, it would have to wait until after her year of penance. A shamed Amazon was not allowed to go around making challenges. For now, they had more pressing concerns. One was getting rid of this Reikoku creature. The other was making sure Ranma and Akane didn't screw up their engagement somehow. Now that Shampoo had ceded her claim on Ranma's hand to Akane, she had no intention of letting any other girl wed her former fiancee. She wasn't really concerned about Ranma's affections for other girls getting in the way - he'd never shown a hint of attraction to Ukyou, and Kunou Kodachi's "relationship" to Ranma existed entirely in the girl's own warped head. That wasn't the problem. The problem was between Ranma and Akane. Shampoo suspected that both of them had done some soul-searching in the hard months they'd spent apart, but how far would it take them in their relationship now that they were together again? Shampoo's keen ears picked out voices speaking in Japanese. It sounded like Ranma was awake - he and Akane were talking. Crouching down in the shadows, the young Amazon crept forward to hear what they were saying. "So... uh," Ranma spoke haltingly. She could easily picture him twiddling his fingers, the way he did when he was fishing for words. "How's Kasumi? She gettin' along okay?" "Oh, she's fine!" Akane answered brightly. Shampoo was certain she was wearing that too-cheery smile she affected when she was anxious. "She's happy to have Natsume and Kurumi around, of course. And she's been having a good time looking after Miss Sanae." "Who's... wait a sec." She could hear him scratching his head. "That's the monkey! The tea ceremony one." "Actually," Akane said, "Miss Sanae is a chimpanzee. So that means she's an ape, not a monkey." "An ape?" Ranma replied. "You don't say?" A burst of rather forced laughter followed this. Shampoo sighed and shook her head. Small talk was better than bickering, she supposed, but it still wasn't great. Ideally, they should have been all over each other, declaring their love and devotion, that sort of thing. At the very least, they should be hugging. She peeked around the corner, confirming her suspicion that they were not even holding hands. Instead, they sat facing slightly away from one another, so they could each throw furtive little glances over their shoulders when they thought the other wasn't looking. she thought in frustration, It was one of the things she'd never gotten used to about living in Nerima. She'd grown up in a culture that was up-front, direct, and unencumbered by the built-in shyness of the Japanese. If an Amazon girl liked someone, she let them know. If she hated someone, she let them know that too. The Japanese she'd come to know had no difficulty declaring a feud or vowing vengeance, but they were downright pathetic when it came to expressing affection. she thought grimly, Shampoo rose from her hiding place, smoothed out her clothes, and walked purposefully towards her two companions. Ranma rose to his feet immediately. "Hey, Shampoo!" he began. "What's..." "Ranma-san," she cut him off, "Shampoo need to tell you something." "Uh... sure." She nodded curtly, then reared back and smacked the living hell out of him. As smacks went, this one was epic. It met all the criteria: packed with power, filled with righteous fury, delivered with a full roundhouse arc right to the face. The sharp "CRACK!" of impact snapped through the air like the sundering of a dry tree trunk. The heat of it burned a bright red palm-print in Ranma's cheek. The force of the blow took the pig-tailed boy clean off his feet, sent him corkscrewing through the air, and smashed him like a hammer into the bulkhead. Akane, who had delivered her own share of smacks to Ranma, looked on in sheer amazement. Several of the ship's crewmen who had been watching hastily scribbled signs and held them up: "10.0, 10.0, 9.75." If smacking had been an Olympic event, Shampoo would have just taken home the gold medal. "...oww..." muttered Ranma dizzily. "...that girl... has some serious power." "Ranma-san is no longer Shampoo's groom," she announced with crisp authority. "Engagement now officially ka-put." "Was that some sort of Amazon tradition?" Akane asked, wide- eyed. "The 'Smack of Breakup' or something?" "Nope," she replied. "Shampoo just felt like it." Amazon girls were taught to be in command of their emotions - but it wasn't the easiest thing in the world to just stop loving someone. Shampoo found that it made the medicine go down better if she channeled some of that emotion into anger. That smack had felt really GOOD. She pointed a finger at the dazed Saotome. "That what you get for messing with young girl's heart." "Messing with..." Ranma slurred. "When did I ever mess with your heart?" She glared dangerously at him. "You want list?" He raised his hands as he struggled unsteadily to his feet. "No, no. Never mind. But... wait. Why... why the breakup? What happened? I mean... don't you like me anymore?" Akane began to grind her teeth, but Shampoo acted before the Tendou girl could get any farther. "Ranma-san, you marry Akane-san." She grabbed Akane by the shoulder and steered her towards him, until they were face-to-face. Both of them stared like frogs suddenly caught in a flashlight beam, but at least they didn't turn away from each other. "Uh..." Ranma croaked. "Ranma-san, you engaged to Akane-san, right?" Shampoo said. "Well... yeah," he admitted. "You no more interested in Spatula Girl, crazy Rose Girl." He fidgeted. "Sure... I mean, I was never..." "You is chase nobody else. Not even loudmouth Sword Boy." "HEY!" he shouted, aghast. "You mean KUNOU?! What the heck are you saying?" She favored him with a level glare. "You go on more dates with Sword Boy than you ever did with Shampoo." Saotome Ranma made several horrified gagging noises, trying to articulate a protest. She reached out and grabbed his nose, pointing his face back towards Akane. She wanted him looking at his fiancee. "Now, Akane-san," the Amazon continued, "you pledged marry Ranma-san, right?" "H... hey," Akane said, gulping hard. "You don't have to..." "RIGHT?" "Right!" the young Tendou said hastily. Then slower, staring into Ranma's eyes: "Right. I did." Ranma returned her gaze, the startled expression on his face softening into something more open and vulnerable. They simply looked at each other for a long time. Shampoo considered forcing them into a hug, but opted against it. These two were stubborn types - too much forcing would make them resist. Some heartfelt gazing into each others' eyes was going to have to be good enough... and besides, it was about all that she could stand right now herself. Seeing that look on Ranma's face while he looked at Akane was starting to piss her off, even though she knew it wasn't appropriate for her to feel that way anymore. Shampoo clapped her hands together, startling the two entranced martial artists. "Good. Is time for business now." "Uh... hey..." Ranma muttered. He was still a bit disoriented. "Ranma-san," Shampoo said, "tell why you was being cat back up on mountain." He blinked. "Oh. That. Yeah... see, the thing is, when I fought the Reikoku last at Jusenkyou, I used the Neko-ken on it." "But how?" Akane asked. "I mean... animals run away from that monster whenever it gets anywhere near them. So how did you find a cat to make yourself change?" "I didn't," he explained. "I trained myself up by giving myself a bunch of bad dreams about cats. It took a while, but I got to the point where I could make myself go into the Neko-ken state just by thinkin' hard enough about cats, see? And it worked!" He grinned that smug way he did when he was proud of himself, but his expression quickly turned gloomy. "But then that demon turned my own trick against me." "How?" He grimaced. "You saw. Now whenever I get near it, I start feelin' terrified of cats. I can't get close to the damned thing without going into the Neko-ken. I shoulda guessed it'd do something like that. " Akane peered at him curiously. "But why is that such a bad thing? The Neko-ken is practically invincible..." The pig-tailed martial artist shook his head. "Nothing's invincible, especially against the Reikoku. If I get trapped in the Neko-ken, I'll be attackin' that thing exactly the same way I attacked it before. It'll be able to anticipate every move I make and tear me apart. And it'll change physically in some way to exploit my weaknesses." "Oh." Ranma smacked his fist against a metal beam. "If I face that monster again as the Neko-ken, I'm SCREWED! I gotta find some way to get over my fear of cats." "Shampoo can help." He turned to her, eyes wide and hopeful. "Really?" he said. "Do you know a way...?" The Amazon girl tapped her finger against her temple. "Problem up here in head, Ranma-san. Shampoo know better than anybody how to be cat and person at same time, yes?" "That's right!" Akane agreed. "Your curse gives you an outlook on this sort of thing that nobody else has." "Mm-hmm," she hummed in satisfaction. "So, tomorrow we is begin special training, Ranma-san. I teach you how to stop worry and love the cat!" - - - - - The whetstone made a low, grainy hiss as it glided along the oiled edge of the weapon. Ryouga followed the temper line of the blade on the battle spatula with meticulous care, caressing a finer edge from the steel with each precise stroke. Ukyou normally did not keep her weapon's blade so keen, but there was only one foe against whom Ryouga intended to use the great spatula, and against that enemy there was no point in holding back. "You should turn into a girl when you do that," a raspy voice suggested. "It's a girl's weapon, you know." "Shut up." He spared a contemptuous glance towards the dangling Happosai. Prolonged exposure to the fumes of Ryouga's socks and underwear had left the old pervert weak enough that they didn't feel the need to watch him every second now, but Ryouga still was standing guard as he tended to the care of his weapon. He was glad he didn't have to watch the old goat like a hawk anymore - he was getting pretty sick of looking at that wrinkled, loathsome face. His gaze traveled from the swaddled form of the captive degenerate to the figure of Ukyou in the distance. She was practicing her forms in the setting sun, trying to master the art of reaching that perfect zone of concentration which would allow her to summon forth her spatula-shaped ki blast. A smile crept across Ryouga's face as he watched her flow from one posture to the next. Ranma might still have the edge on her when it came to pure speed, but Kuonji Ukyou moved with a fluid grace that put even Ranma to shame. "Pretty thing, ain't she?" "Shut up." Ryouga tore his eyes away from his comrade and continued to work on the blade of the spatula. In a way, learning to ignore Happosai's babbling was a kind of training in and of itself. The gods knew, he needed all the practice he could get at keeping his temper under control. "Hey, boy," the old man wheezed. "Have ya gotten a peek at her in the bath yet? You must've had a chance, traveling around like this..." "Shut up." "Aw, come on," Happosai wheedled. "Look, just answer me this. Are yours bigger than hers? I mean, when you're a girl. 'Cuz from what I saw, I'd guess..." Ryouga knew better than to let Happosai get under his skin, but that didn't mean he had to listen to that kind of crap. He plucked a decent sized fleck of rubble off the ground and flicked it with unerring accuracy at Happosai's bulging left eye. "Aaack!" the old man howled, blinking furiously to try to dislodge the speck. With his hands bound, he had no way to rub his eyes. "What'd you do that for, you little punk?" "To get you to shut up," Ryouga informed him. "He bothering you, sugar?" Ukyou asked as she walked towards him, wiping a thin sheen of sweat from her brow with her sleeve. "No more so than normal." "So what'd you think?" she asked. "How did I look out there?" "Hotcha, cutie! You looked... glaarp!" Ukyou watched him try to spit out the pinecone she had pitched into his mouth for a moment, then turned back to Ryouga. "Well?" "You looked very confident," he told her. "The forms are flowing naturally for you now. The way you move is very graceful, like a dancer. I think you'd be good at Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics." She chuckled at that. "Would I have to learn to throw rose petals and laugh like a psychopath?" Ryouga grinned back. "Not hardly." "But you would have to wear one of those SWEET leotards!" Happosai chimed in. This time, she pegged him in the mouth with a bristle brush. The old man gnawed and spluttered. "Idiot," Ryouga scoffed at the pervert, then turned his attention back to Ukyou. "Pity we don't have any of the tools. I could teach you. I bet you'd learn it faster than Ranma, even." "Wait a second," Ukyou said. "YOU know Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics? How come? Isn't that a girl's sport?" The Lost Boy flushed. "Well... yeah." "How'd you learn it, then?" "Well..." he cleared his throat. "Um... it was when I was a little kid. I got lost and wandered into the wrong class, you see. And... one thing just kind of led to another. I was too young to care if it was a girl's sport or not. I was just having fun." "I'll bet you were!" the imprisoned Happosai rasped. "All those cuties in their tight little..." "We were just little KIDS, you PERVERT!" Ryouga shouted. Ukyou laid a restraining grip on his shoulder and glared daggers at the old man. She brandished the stick with Ryouga's boxer shorts on them threateningly. "One more crack out of you, and the next thing I shove into your mouth is THIS, buster." "Hey, hey," the old man gurgled placatingly, sweat beading on his pallid brow. "No need for that, now. Listen, all I wanted to say is that if you youngsters need training, I can help you out." Ryouga crossed his arms. "You. Train us." "Yeah, sure!" the ancient degenerate said. "I know some pretty sweet techniques, kiddies. I am the founder of Anything-Goes martial arts, after all. I taught Ranma everything he knows." "Pfeh," Ryouga spat. "You didn't teach Ranma a thing." "Of course I did!" Happosai insisted. "We sparred all the time. And I taught his pop everything HE knows, and he passed it on to Ranma. So that means I get the credit, right? And don't forget, I taught little Hinako-chan her special techniques." "Oh, right," Ukyou said ruefully. "Her." Miss Hinako was the most irritating teacher at Furinkan High, who frequently used the energy-draining techniques that Happosai had taught her to inflict her own brand of discipline on her classes. "That sort of thing would be useless against the Reikoku, oldtimer. If you tried to drain that thing's aura, it'd kill you." "Well, I could teach you something else..." "No chance," Ryouga said, rising to his feet. "I'd rather die than let you poison my mind with that filth you call martial arts." "Same here," Ukyou agreed. "Hmmph," the old pervert sniffed. "Your loss." Ukyou picked up the battle spatula from the ground and extended it to Ryouga. "Your turn to practice now, sugar. You're getting better with this." He reached and took it from her grasp. "Thanks, Ukyou-san. Don't let the old goat get to you." "I'm fine," she said. "I'll be watching." Neither of them noticed the intensity with which Happosai was watching them, however - watching the way they looked at each other, watching the way that Ukyou's hand brushed Ryouga's as she handed the weapon to him, watching the way they lingered in the exchange. the old man thought. - - - - - Having Shampoo along as a guide made a world of difference, Ranma found. Though the terrain was still treacherous and the snows of winter posed a constant, worrisome obstacle, the Amazon girl's knowledge of the countryside let them access the most expedient, safest routes through the mountainous wilds of China. She also knew where the trains ran, on which waterways one could expect to find friendly passage, and how to avoid the most densely populated areas that might be endangered if a fear-inducing hellbeast were to stroll through the middle of town. All in all, Ranma felt a lot more comfortable about their lead over the Reikoku now. Knowing that Ryouga and Ukyou had also started moving again was a relief as well - it meant he didn't have to worry about getting so far ahead of his pursuer that it oriented on them instead. Shampoo had said something about the two of them having a lead in the hunt for Happosai, but didn't seem to know the details. He was just glad that Ryouga had recovered from the wounds inflicted on him by the monstrous Reikoku-fusion that Pantyhose Tarou had become. he thought, eyeing the overcast sky, When you were being hunted by the Reikoku, you couldn't afford to hole up and wait out a storm. You either kept moving, or you died. Which meant he had to conquer the Neko-ken problem. He hoped Shampoo's training really would be the key. He, Shampoo, and Akane stood at the edge of a thick patch of forest, in a clearing where they had made their camp. The encroaching darkness of night would soon be on them, but for now he could still see well enough in the dusk. "Okay," Ranma said. "So here's the other thing I didn't tell you yet. After I used the Neko-ken last, I've been havin' these weird... episodes." "What do you mean?" Akane asked, her voice tinged with concern. Ranma swallowed hard. He still felt like he was walking on eggshells with his fiancee - he had a million things he wanted to say to her, and couldn't seem to find voice for a single one. He didn't want to fall back into their old bickering style of relationship, but wasn't sure how to relate to her any other way. he thought. "It's like this," he explained. "It happens when I'm runnin' on reflex. Like when I'm doin' some kind of really repetitive exercise that don't take much thought, or when I'm in the middle of a tough fight and have to run on instinct. At times like that, the Neko-ken kinda... surfaces." "You start to feel like a cat?" Akane asked. "No, no," Ranma clarified. "I don't FEEL anything. But the phantom claws that I make when I'm in my cat-state come out, see? Like I'll throw a punch, and then all of a sudden whatever I'm hittin' gets cut clean in half." His fiancee blinked, the implications clear to her immediately. "So that means in a fight... you might..." "Yeah," Ranma said miserably as she trailed off. "It means I might cut someone open without meanin' to. That ain't exactly a big concern when we're talkin' about the Reikoku, of course, but it's gonna be a real pain for the rest of my life as a martial artist if I don't get a handle on it." He turned to Shampoo, a note of pleading creeping into his voice. "So... does that mean anything to you?" The violet-eyed Amazon considered this for a moment. "Hmm. Is good sign." "Really? A good sign?" She nodded decisively. "Yes. It means Ranma-san's mind already trying to cope with cat self. Dream training was start of it. In time, Ranma-san will naturally learn to control cat self." "How much time?" Ranma asked. "Too much," Shampoo asserted. "And is dangerous in meantime. So we train and help mind cope more quick, yes?" "Right," the young Saotome agreed. "I'll do whatever it takes." He fidgeted a little bit after uttering that - making such an open-ended declaration to Shampoo would have been asking for trouble in the past. She chose to ignore his flinching. "Listen now," Shampoo said, taking on the tones of an instructor. "Think about how Ranma-san is when he cat. How he act?" Akane scratched her head, but Ranma smiled. He could hear the echoes of Cologne's wisdom and authority in Shampoo's voice now, the first hints of the Amazon leader that the girl would someday become. This was an old dance of trainer and student they were performing now, and he knew it well. But as for her question, he couldn't actually answer. "I ain't really sure how I am," he said with a shrug. "I black out mostly." The Amazon girl turned to Akane. "Well?" Akane shuffled her feet. "Um... he yowls around. He pounces on things. He's friendly to me... I don't know. I mean, he acts like a cat, right?" "Yes," Shampoo agreed, nodding. "But what KIND of cat?" The Tendou girl looked puzzled for a few moments, but then her eyes widened as the answer hit her. "Oh! He acts like a kitten! Is that what you mean?" Shampoo grinned and held up a finger. "Is exactly what Shampoo mean. Ranma-cat is playing and silly, yes? Even when is fighting, Ranma-cat think he playing in fun. That because Ranma-cat stuck thinking he is kitten." Ranma snapped his fingers. "I get it! Since I first turned into a cat when I was six years old, my cat-self was just a kid too. Or a kitten, in this case." "Just so," the Amazon girl stated. "Now, Ranma-san self is grown up as young man, but Ranma-cat still is kitten. That why Ranma-san's mind having hard time getting cat-self together with normal self. If two Ranma-selves are getting together, then Ranma-cat must learn to be same age. He is being tomcat, see?" "I see," Akane said. "So if we help Ranma's cat personality catch up to his normal one, the two minds will integrate, right? Then what will happen?" "If Shampoo right," she said, "then Ranma-cat will blend with Ranma-self, stop being separate. And Ranma-san should no more be afraid of cats." "Great!" Ranma shouted excitedly. "So... uh... how do we do this? Do I have to turn into a cat again or something for you to teach that other personality how to grow up?" Shampoo shook her head. "No. We trying to bring selves together, so Ranma-san not split anymore. Shampoo will now teach you how to be like cat while still being person. You learn to hold both mind at once, and selves will come together naturally." Ranma nodded. "I'm ready." "Good." Shampoo moved to take a position alongside him. "First, we start simple. You walk like cat." The young Saotome shrugged. He'd certainly done stranger things in the name of training than this. He dropped to all fours and began to pace forward, mimicking a cat's gait as precisely as possible. To his surprise, Shampoo took hold of his pig-tail and yanked him to his feet. Her voice was sharp as she spoke. "No! Not like that. You is supposed to be both person and cat at same time. No walk on all fours... it is cat attitude you use." He rubbed his jaw thoughtfully. "Cat attitude, huh?" "Right," the Amazon instructed. "Watch Shampoo." With that, she began to glide forward, chin angled up, eyes full of cool self-satisfaction. She strolled gracefully, noiselessly, as if she had all the time in the world to get where she needed to go. It was the walk of someone who knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, just how hot she really was. It was also a rather feminine walk. Ranma felt a flush rising in his cheeks. "Uh... you want me to walk like that?" "Not JUST like that," Shampoo clarified. "But start thinking like cat. You is greatest thing in whole world. You is cool, you is classy, you is good-looking. Think about how suave you feel." As she spoke, she beckoned him to walk. Akane watched this with half-lidded eyes. "And how is this any different from how he normally is?" Ranma glared at her. "Hey, you..." Shampoo's hand darted out, pinching him under the chin and turning his head away from her. "Think like cat! Someone insult you, you not lose temper. You look down nose at them. You KNOW how cool you is... who care what some yappy dog have to say about it?" Akane stomped her foot. "Who are you calling a yappy dog?" "Is training," the Amazon replied haughtily. "Now, Ranma- san... try some more." Ranma thought he was beginning to understand the distinction Shampoo was making between the kind of confidence he normally felt and the smug, arrogant, bone-deep sense of superiority that he should be striving for as a cat. Akane was right - it wasn't too far removed from how he usually felt - but perhaps that wasn't so big a mystery. His cat-self may have been subtly affecting his personality for a long time without him even knowing it. Saotome Ranma tried again. This time, he didn't just walk - he STRUTTED. "That good," Shampoo muttered. "You getting it." Ranma thought as he slid from step to step. He strolled on, letting his emotions of self-satisfaction dictate the way his body moved, submerging his thoughts in the feeling that he was the coolest, quickest, most clever guy in the whole... Without warning, Shampoo extended a foot into his path and tripped him. Ranma suddenly slammed forward flat on his face in a graceless sprawl. He bounced back to his feet, his fists clenched. "What was THAT for!?" His trainer thumped him on the head. "No, no, no! That NOT how cat handle such thing happening." Ranma's temper cooled as he thought about this. "Okay," he said, dusting himself off. "Let's try again." He began his lazy swagger again, easing along with the grace of a dancer in his cat-strut, as Shampoo kept pace beside him with her own feline walk. This time when she tripped him up, he immediately rolled from his fallen splay into a relaxed, lounging pose. "I MEANT to do that, of course," he told them smoothly. Akane snickered, but Shampoo nodded with approval. "Good. That very good." - - - - - "So... much... FOOD!" Nabiki smiled as she watched Kurumi try to run in about seven different directions at once. The Winter Festival was, as always, a cornucopia of delights for all senses, with booths, stands, and displays of all sorts lining the street as far as the eye could see. The little adopted Tendou was, of course, most captivated by the stalls where food was for sale. The only thing holding her back from a headlong charge was her elder sister. Natsume kept a firm grip on the little dynamo's shoulders. "Remember," she instructed, "we are NOT food thieves anymore. We will eat what we can pay for." "Mmm-hmm!" "So don't spend all your money in one place. You want to try a lot of things, right?" "Yeah yeah yeah." "Wipe your mouth, please. You're drooling." "Sorry!" Kurumi strained forward. "Let's go! Come on come on come ON!" Natsume wore an apologetic smile. "We'll meet up with you later, okay?" "Knock yourselves out," Nabiki said. "Have a good time, both of you!" Konatsu added. As the two adopted Tendous lurched off into the festival crowd, Nabiki turned to her companion. "How're you doing there, Konatsu?" The young ninja beamed at her with undiluted joy. "This is amazing, Nabiki-san! I've never seen anything like this." "Happens every year," she told him, grinning. Konatsu had lived worse than a sheltered life - his ruthless stepsisters had worked him like a dog, depriving him of even the barest luxuries. Ukyou had treated him better, but she hadn't exactly taken an active role in trying to show him all the parts of life that he'd missed. she promised herself. "Spring Festival is even better," she confided. "At least I think so." "There's... more than one kind?" he asked, astonished. "Yep," she affirmed. "Good chance to go out and treat yourself to a new outfit. Speaking of..." Konatsu looked down at his new kimono, brilliantly patterned with red and gold chrysanthemums, and touched the fabric with reverent awe. "This is so beautiful," he whispered. "I never imagined wearing something like this..." "Yeah. You know," Nabiki hazarded, "I would've bought you a boy's outfit if you wanted." Konatsu gave her kind of a shy look. Dressed as a girl, he could've fooled even the most discriminating eye. she admitted, though without any rancor. "Maybe for the Spring one," the ninja suggested. "Okay?" "You got a deal." Of the many head-trips Konatsu's thoroughly hideous and evil stepsisters had played on him, the most cruel was that they had raised him to believe he was a girl. For the longest time, he had simply believed that made him some kind of freak of nature, not realizing that he had a perfectly normal body for a boy. After being rescued from his horrid homelife and brought to work for Ukyou, Konatsu had finally come to understand that he really was male. But it was a difficult road for him, Nabiki knew. He was comfortable wearing girl's clothes, and his natural mannerisms and speech tended to be female. He could be a very convincing boy when he wanted to nowadays - his ninja training made him a superb actor - but it took focus. Nabiki thought. That made her think about Akane. All three Tendou daughters had been faced with a choice somewhere along the way as they grew up - would they choose the path of the martial artist, or live a "normal" life? Kasumi had always been a natural pacifist as well as lacking any great physical gifts, so the choice had been easy enough for her. Nabiki had trained during her younger years, but had come to dislike the feeling of being "weird" that came with being a martial artist. Though she took some pride in her family's tradition, she had abandoned the warrior's path. In many ways, Akane had never made her choice. She often made a lot of noise about how she was a "real martial artist," just like Ranma and Ryouga and all the rest, but at the same time she wanted to be a regular schoolgirl. She didn't seem to realize that was a big reason why her skills lagged behind the others, in spite of her natural physical potential. Except for the occasions when something motivated her into action, like when Natsume and Kurumi first tried to claim the Tendou Dojo, she tried to live a dual life... and her martial arts suffered. That had changed when she had determined to follow Ranma and help him against the Reikoku. Once she committed to the Bakusai Ten-Ketsu training, martial arts had truly become her life. For months, all her energy and will had gone into attaining a new level of skill. Her grades had dropped off, her social life had vanished - but she had done it. The Akane of today was light years ahead of who she had been before she had first strung that boulder up in the forest. Nabiki wondered. The middle Tendou daughter was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't notice the tall young man step in front of her. Her face smacked into a firm shoulder, and she stumbled back with a surprised yelp. "Whoah! Sorry about..." "I should be the one apologizing," came a smooth, cultured voice. Nabiki blinked, rubbing her nose, and looked up. "Ah. Sanzenin Mikado, I believe?" "And I recognize you as well," the somewhat famous skater crooned. "Tendou Nabiki... financial genius of Furinkan High." "Yes, well... nice to... erp!" Suddenly, his hands gripped her shoulders, and she felt herself pulled forward. she thought. "There is only one way to truly convey my regret at my clumsiness," he whispered, closing his eyes and leaning in for the kiss. Quick as lightning, Konatsu was there to save her. He cast his hand towards a nearby sushi stand, a thin chain snaking out of his sleeve with unerring accuracy towards a fresh squid. He yanked the dead cephalopod back to his hand, gently nudged Nabiki's head to the side, and pressed its beak up against Mikado's seeking lips. A short burst of slippery slurping ensued. The skater from Kolkhoz High drew back, shuddering. Konatsu tucked the squid behind his back in an invisible blur just before Mikado opened his eyes. The tall youth dabbed at his lips with his handkerchief. "It seems... the art of kissing has hit a bit of a low in this region." "Oh well," Nabiki said casually, just as another voice snapped through the air. "How DARE you, peasant girl!" The Nerima crowd knew a martial artist's aggressive tone when they heard it, and parted immediately to clear a space for a possible fight. Nabiki looked towards the sound of the newcomer, knowing the voice of Kunou Kodachi all too well. The self-styled Black Rose stood atop a tall sign post, her ribbon swirling in her hand... as she glared daggers at Nabiki. "You there!" cried the demented gymnast. "What is the meaning of this?" "The meaning of what, Kodachi?" Nabiki asked with an air of nonchalance. "You DARE to try to seduce my darling Mikado with your gutter-tramp wiles!" Kodachi accused. "I shall not stand for it!" "Seduce?" Nabiki asked. she thought. Running the restaurant had its drawbacks - she wasn't on top of all the goings on around Nerima like she used to be. "Now look..." "There's no seduction going on here," Mikado shouted up to his unwanted admirer. His voice lost a good bit of polish when speaking to her - in fact, he sounded close to panic. "This girl happens to be... uh... my fiancee!" "WHAT?" Kodachi shouted. "What?" Konatsu squeaked. Nabiki was about to deny the claim, but suddenly she felt a fat wad of bills being pressed into her palm. Mikado leaned over and whispered, "You want this, don't you?" "Oh, YES!" Nabiki exclaimed reflexively. "Nabiki-san!" Konatsu cried in dismay. "Oh... I mean..." Nabiki thought. "So THAT's how it is!" the Black Rose snarled, eyes burning with rage. "You dare to set yourself between me and my beloved!" Nabiki thought. "Uh... no, listen. I..." "Then face the wrath of the Black Rose! OH-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO- HO!" Nabiki took a step back. "Konatsu!" she hissed. "Help!" She knew that Kodachi was not the sort to hold back, even when her opponent was a non-fighter. The young ninja stepped forward, his hand moving in a blur to intercept the rhythmic gymnastic ball that came streaking towards Nabiki. Nabiki thought with relief. "So," Kodachi declared. "The young chef from that hole-in- the-wall okonomiyaki pit, is it? Now I see your true mind... you sought to hide my darling from me!" In response, Konatsu let fly with a hearty boot to Mikado's rump. The skater's body tumbled through the air towards Kodachi. "If you want him," Konatsu shouted, "then take him! Nabiki-san and I couldn't care less!" He turned and whispered to her, voice slightly plaintive. "Right, Nabiki-san?" She nodded back. "Sorry about that..." Kodachi, for her part, let Mikado's flailing form tumble by and crash head-first into a large goldfish tank at one of the carnival attractions. She clutched her hands beneath her chin. "My darling! How could that harridan treat you so badly? I shall get my revenge on her, and eliminate my rival in one stroke!" Nabiki thought. "Watch out, Konatsu..." The gymnast's ribbon rippled through the air, snapping like a whip towards them. Konatsu braced himself to defend her... ... but something intercepted the incoming ribbon in mid- strike. Another ribbon of silk, this one red, hissed through the air. It twisted around Kodachi's black lash, entangling it in sinewy, entrapping coils. A moment later, the red ribbon glowed with bright, hot ki- energy. Kodachi's weapon ignited in a burst of flame, reduced almost instantly to ash. "What? Who dares... ?" Tendou Kurumi leaped out of the crowd, drawing her red ribbon back in a series of graceful coils. She perched on top of another post, so she was on the same level as Kodachi, and struck a ready pose. "Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics, is it?" the small girl asked, her eyes smoldering. "That's a good school for beginners. But if you want to really see how a ribbon is used in combat..." She swished her red ribbon through an intricate series of loops and patterns, leaving behind a glowing energy trail. The display ended with a whip-crack that left a firework-like explosion in the air. "...then I'll show you how it's done." "Wh... who are you?" Kodachi asked, her voice for once lacking its usual self-important timbre. "Tendou Kurumi," the small girl introduced herself, smiling with superb confidence. "Of the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts." She held a fighting pose for a long moment, her battle aura blazing bright around her as Kodachi cringed. Then, unable to contain herself, she began to bounce up in down in a gleeful little dance on top of her high vantage point. "Oh WOW! I look like SUCH a bad-ass! Didya see, sis? Didya? Wasn't I COOL?!" Natsume appeared out of the crowd, leaning on her rugbeater and looking up at her little sister. "It was going great until you started celebrating," she noted wryly. "Oh yeah yeah yeah... right!" Kurumi broke off her self- congratulatory display and struck another fighting pose, facing off with a somewhat bewildered Kodachi. "Heh..." The Black Rose surveyed the scene and clearly didn't like the odds. She was experienced enough to mark Natsume as another high-level fighter, which made it three on one. "Azusa!" she called. "To me!" Silence fell over the crowd at the festival crowd as they waited the response. Somewhere far in the distance, the sound of a struggle drifted to Nabiki's ears. A very high pitched voice could just barely be heard demanding that someone render to her an extremely adorable socket wrench, which was apparently named "Marcel." Kodachi's eyelid twitched. "Very well!" she proclaimed. "I shall withdraw for now. But know this, Tendou Nabiki... the Black Rose shall prevail! Vengeance shall be sweet, sweet, sweet... and you shall pay, pay, PAY!" She began to launch into her patented Black Rose Blizzard, in which she scattered rose petals to cover her departure, but realized that she no longer had the necessary ribbon to pull it off. Without further ceremony, she bounded off into the night, stunning the local bird population with her peals of demented laughter as she went. Natsume and Kurumi converged to Nabiki's position as the crowd began to mill again. "Great," Nabiki grumbled. "That's just what I need." "Do you think she'll attack you?" Kurumi asked. "Even though you're not a fighter?" "She's doesn't exactly hold to a strict ethical code," the mercenary girl observed dryly. "Look, guys... I may need you to watch my back for a while until she gives up and flutters off to her next obsession." Natsume and Kurumi exchanged a worried look. "What?" Nabiki asked. The elder of the pair spoke up. "I am afraid we have another obligation, sister." She executed a low, apologetic bow. "My sister and I have a duty to perform which will necessitate that we leave town for a short while. I'm sorry we didn't tell you sooner." "How long?" "Usually not long!" Kurumi chimed. "It shouldn't be more than a couple weeks." she thought. Konatsu's hand found its way into hers, and their fingers intertwined. "Don't worry, Nabiki-san," her employee and friend said earnestly. "I'll protect you." - - - - - Ranma sniffed at the egg roll, then rolled his eyes disdainfully. "No, no. That simply won't do." Akane glared at him. "You ORDERED this yourself! We bought these yesterday and you liked them just fine." The young Saotome crossed his arms and turned away, not even deigning to look at the egg rolls. "These are not fresh. You expect me to eat these?" He made a disparaging noise. "Fine," Akane groused, settling down to eat. A few minutes passed, the only sounds in the night being the crackling of the campfire and the soft crunch as Shampoo and Akane chewed their dinner. Then Ranma spoke up again. "Hey." "What?" Akane asked. "I'm hungry." She offered him the egg rolls. He turned up his nose at them again. "Well this is the freshest thing we've got!" she exclaimed. "Pfeh." Ranma rose and slunk off into the night. "I'll find my OWN food then." Akane threw up her hands in exasperation and turned to Shampoo. "How long is this going to go on?" - - - - - Ryouga thought. In spite of the uncertainty of their situation and the imminent danger of the Reikoku, the thought of returning to his native soil lifted the young warrior's perpetually heavy heart. He turned a moment to take in the look on Ukyou's face as she watched the Chinese shoreline diminishing behind them, and he guessed that she was feeling the same way. It was good to have something to be happy about, at least for a little while. he thought. The relief he felt at that was stronger than he would have expected. It wasn't just that he was mortally afraid of flying, but also, he realized, that he was glad Ukyou would not have to see him in the grips of his embarrassing phobia. That was silly, he knew. She wouldn't think less of him just because he went to pieces on an airplane... at least, he thought not. It was better not to have to find out right now. Ukyou sensed him watching her and flashed him a brief smile. For some reason, he felt the color rising in his face at this, ever so slightly. Well, that was no big mystery. He had always been uncertain around girls. Even though she was dressed like a boy at the moment, he knew better. Ryouga heard the sound of footsteps on the deck behind them - the captain, he guessed. "You lads doing all right?" the weatherbeaten sailor asked. Both young fighters turned to face the captain. "Just fine, sir," Ukyou chirped. "We're glad to be underway, that's all." "Is there something we need to be doing?" Ryouga asked. The captain shook his head, scratching the grey bristles of his beard. "No, not at the moment. You won't have to start prepping dinner for another couple of hours." Finding passage to Japan had turned out to be fairly easy with Ukyou along. A quick demonstration of her skills as a cook down at the docks had secured a spot for them on the crew of a ship of their choice. Which was good, because they had been keen to find a vessel with an all-male crew. It was much easier to keep Happosai quiescent that way. "Just wanted to ask," the captain said, "about that... er... thing you brought on board. The... monkey-mummy... thing." "Oh, don't worry about that," Ukyou assured him breezily. "It's fine." "It's... alive, then, is it?" the seaman asked hesitantly. "One of the men saw it twitching." "It's more or less alive, yes," Ukyou admitted. "But we've got it sedated. It won't bother your crew, sir. Just leave it alone in our cabin, okay?" The captain nodded at this - he clearly had no desire to tamper with the shriveled creature his two temporary crewmen had brought aboard. They had been deliberately vague about who or what Happosai really was, but Ryouga felt confident that he would stay dormant for the voyage. Even the old man had nowhere to go on a ship, and there were no unwary women around for him to harass if he somehow slipped his bonds. They had also taken another bit of Ranma's advice when they reached the port, and had purchased several bottles of whiskey to keep Happosai appeased. The liquor was dirt cheap and put off fumes that could peel wallpaper, but the old geezer had sucked it down willingly enough. While they didn't need his active guidance to find this mysterious temple, they could afford to leave him tied up and pickled on booze for now. "Good, good," the captain said. He smiled fondly through his grey beard at the two of them. "Well, I'll just leave you two to enjoy each other's company until dinner. Don't worry about a thing. We're all sailors here - we know how it is." He gave them a broad wink and turned to go. Ryouga didn't know what to make of that, but it seemed to mean something to Ukyou. She turned towards the rail, making little spluttering noises. "Are you okay?" he asked, worried. "Fine," she wheezed. "Not getting seasick, are you?" "Nope, nope," she waved her hand, stifling a snort. "It's... never mind." Ryouga shrugged. He was fairly accustomed to the feeling that he had missed something. He leaned back and let his lungs fill with the tangy sea air, letting his body move naturally with the rocking of the boat as it cut its way across the surf. Eventually, Ukyou recovered her composure and smiled at him. The swaying of the deck sometimes brought her shoulder against his, so she was almost leaning on him, but she made no effort to pull farther away. "Good to be going back to Japan, isn't it?" "I was just thinking that," Ryouga said. "It's nice to feel good about something again, even if it's just for a little while." She nudged him with her elbow. "Just for a little while, eh? There's that gloom of yours again, sugar," she teased. "That gloom may be my best chance of surviving, if I have to fight the Reikoku again," he said. "You think so?" He nodded. "The Perfect Shi-Shi Hokoudan is still my most powerful technique. And I haven't used it on that monster yet." "You used the lesser one," Ukyou noted. "Yeah," Ryouga admitted. "The perfect version is different, though. Besides, it probably didn't have to adapt a defense against the Shi-Shi Hokoudan, since it was more effective to turn me into a pig." He allowed himself a grim smile. "It won't be able to do THAT anymore, at least." "Old Cologne didn't think much of that technique of yours," she reminded him, studying him carefully. "I know." The wind whipped his hair as he watched the endlessly churning waves. "She's right, of course. The last thing I need is something that makes me more miserable. If I survive being hunted by the Reikoku, I'll seal the Shi-Shi Hokoudan away forever. Right now, I need every advantage I can get." "You think you can get depressed enough to use it?" Ukyou asked. "Heh. Getting depressed has never been a problem," he told her. And yet, he realized, right now his misery felt a long way away. He knew the Reikoku was still out there, knew that their chances of finding a solution at this temple were probably slim, but just at this moment, those burdens did not weigh on his soul. Standing here on the deck on a boat headed back towards Japan, feeling the sway of the deck under his feet, feeling the brush of Ukyou's shoulder against his as the ocean rocked them in its embrace... it seemed like it was enough, somehow. For the moment, it was enough. - - - - - There was a little restaurant attached to the inn - normally, Ranma and his companions didn't spend money on lodging, but with the rain falling that night and what felt like a comfortable lead on the Reikoku, they had decided they could swing it just this once. Akane sipped her hot tea. "Is it still rainin'?" Ranma-chan asked, poking at the door. "Of course it is," the Tendou girl answered. "I wanna go check." She rose with a sigh, walked over to the door, and let her outside. Ranma-chan leaped out into the night, and Akane closed the door behind her. A moment later, there came a loud scratching from the door. Akane opened it up again, and Ranma-chan bounded through, shaking off water. "Whoah," she said. "Still rainin'." The red-headed martial artist strolled back to her table and took a few more bites of her dinner. Akane had barely managed to settle back in to her own seat when Ranma-chan was at the door in. "Hey! Think it's still rainin'?" She ground her teeth and glared at her fiancee. "Of COURSE it is!" "I wanna check!" She rose, let Ranma-chan out again, and stood there waiting. A few moments later, the scratching started. "Hey! Let me in!" she heard through the door. "It's pourin' out here!" Akane thought, letting Ranma-chan back in for the sixteenth time that night. - - - - - The lunch crowd had all but petered out, and it would be hours before the next rush hit the restaurant. Nabiki was about to start cleaning the counter when she heard Konatsu pick up the phone. "Ucchan's Okonomi... Ukyou-san!?" The young ninja's voice brightened with excitement. "Is that really you?" thought Nabiki, putting down rag and cleanser. "We've been so worried about you!" bubbled Konatsu delightedly. "Are you okay? How are you feeling? Have you been eating well? Was there danger? Do you need help? We really missed you back here!" Nabiki thought irritably as she listened to Konatsu fawn over Ukyou. "We're fine here," Kontasu continued. "Nabiki-san has really gotten things running smoothly. What? Yes, she's done that. No... she only cooks during the slow periods. Yes, she's good! We're even thinking of teaching Miss Sanae to cook..." Nabiki flinched and gritted her teeth. "Miss Sanae? She's a tea ceremony master, so she's been serving the customers... where'd we find her? Oh, she belongs to a friend of the Tendous. Yes, a pet... she's a chimpanzee. Mm-hmm! Yes, Nabiki-san is here. You want to talk to her?" Nabiki reached slowly to take the receiver from Konatsu, bracing herself for what was to come. "Er... hello?" she said. "NABIKI!! WHY do you have a MONKEY working at MY RESTAURANT! HAVE you LOST YOUR MIND?!" Nabiki cringed and held the receiver farther away from her ear. "Actually, technically speaking, Miss Sanae is an ape, not a monkey." "And TECHNICALLY speaking, YOU are a JACKASS!" Ukyou roared. "WHAT kind of..." "She brings in customers by the truckload," Nabiki pointed out. "I DON'T CARE if... wait, what? She does?" "They love her," Nabiki asserted firmly. "She makes tea, balances plates... families are hauling their kids in here left and right just to see her." "Huh." "Plus, we don't have to pay her." "... I see." Nabiki grinned. Ukyou's temper might flare up, but she was a businesswoman too. Now that she'd disarmed Ukyou's wrath, Nabiki felt it would be best to move on to other topics before she got a chance to get going on something else. "So... where are you?" "Oh... right. Ryouga and me just got off the ship. We're back in Japan." "What?" Nabiki was shocked - she would have bet money that they'd want to catch up with Ranma once Ryouga recovered. "Why?" "We caught the old man," Ukyou said. "Happosai? You found him?" "Yeah," the young chef agreed grimly. "Found him and captured his sorry old butt. We've got him with us right now, wrapped up and sedated." Nabiki leaned forward. "What are you doing with him?" "He's guiding us somewhere," she explained. "We had to wring it out of him, but the old goat finally told us what happened. There's some secret temple of women in the countryside. He did one of his panty raids there..." "That figures." "Yeah," Ukyou agreed, "except these chicks are sorceresses or witches or something, and they set the Reikoku after him. Turns out they botched the spell... didn't know his actual name, only his title. That gave him a loophole to rub the thing off on Ranma." "So... you're going back there?" Nabiki asked. "Yeah. We figure these women are the only ones who might be able to call off their pet horror." Ukyou sounded concerned. "Look... could you tell Ranma about this when you talk to him next? I don't want him to think we abandoned him. You... you have heard from him, right?" "Yes," Nabiki said. She filed that tidbit away for later contemplation, and considered whether she should tell Ukyou that Akane and Shampoo were with Ranma now. She decided on a vague response. "The Amazons sent him a guide," she related. "He's doing all right." A sigh of relief from across the line, and then: "Good. He's all right. You heard that, sugar?" Nabiki could detect the muffled sound of another voice - assuredly Ryouga. He and Ukyou exchanged a few words off the receiver, and then she heard Ukyou speaking again. "Okay. Look, I just pulled some money out of the account for traveling expenses," Ukyou informed her. "From what that pervert said, it sounds like we've got to go pretty deep into back country to find this temple place. And I'm not sure what they're going to do when we do find them." "What about Happosai? I doubt he's keen to go back." "Tough," she barked. "If we have to turn him over to these gals to make a deal, he's all theirs." "Fair enough." "But for all we know, these women could be fruitcakes," Ukyou speculated. "They might have a bunch of crazy laws, like the Amazons or something. We'll try talking to them first, but if we have to beat a solution out of them..." "Please," Nabiki implored. "Stick to diplomacy if at all possible. If these women can summon something like the Reikoku, you've got no idea what else they might be capable of." "I know," the young fighter agreed. "Listen, it looks like Happosai's starting to wake up. We have to get moving." "Okay..." "Tell Ranma what we're doing," she implored. "If we get this monster stopped, he'll be safe to come home." "I'll tell him next time he calls," she promised. "See ya," Ukyou said by way of a farewell, then hung up the phone. Nabiki handed the receiver back to Konatsu. The pretty ninja gave her an earnest, concerned look. "Do you think she's going to be okay?" The middle Tendou waved a hand. "Oh, she's fine. She's got Ryouga with her... those two are tough enough to handle pretty much anything." It was a glib response, but it seemed to put Konatsu's mind at ease. The last thing she needed was for the ninja to charge off to try to help Ukyou. she thought sourly. All right, she'd helped Ranma rescue Konatsu from his stepfamily, but how much of that had been for Konatsu's benefit and how much just to try to impress Ranma or something? In any case, it wasn't like she'd spent a whole lot of time and energy trying to help the poor guy with all his problems adjusting to real life once she had him here. she thought. Anyway, they couldn't help Ukyou and Ryouga now even if they wanted to. The two couldn't afford to wait around to rendezvous with anyone else - time was of the essence where the Reikoku was concerned. If they could really figure out what was going on at this mysterious temple... well, it might be just the answer they'd been looking for. she realized, "Tendou Nabiki! A word with thee!" Snapped from her reverie, Nabiki turned to see that Kunou had entered the restaurant. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Konatsu relax from his tensed stance - he was keeping a close eye on her ever since Kodachi had vowed vengeance on her. Nabiki raised an eyebrow, studying the bouquet of flowers and stuffed panda bear that Kunou was carrying. "Hey, Kunou-baby. Who might those be for?" She was pretty sure she knew. "Hark! It has come to my attention that the fair Tendou Natsume shall not be attending Furinkan for some time. Is this so?" "'Fraid so." "Alas! Woe unto me!" the mighty samurai lamented. "Is it my destiny that all my loves shall fly off into the distance, like the migrating swallow laden with the coconut of my heart?" "Huh?" Konatsu said. "Kunou-san, I hate to ruin your metaphor, sir, but there's no way a five ounce bird could carry a one-pound coconut." "It could grip it by the husk," Kunou insisted. "It's not question of where it grips it," Konatsu explained. "You see..." "Kunou-baby," Nabiki interrupted, not caring to get dragged into this discussion, "what do you want?" "My love returned to me!" the kendo champion insisted. "I wish to grace her lovely ears with my latest verse. Attend, Tendou Nabiki: Your eyes, how they twinkle! Your dimples, how merry! Your cheeks are like roses, Your nose, like..." "Well, you'll have to wait," Nabiki cut him off. "Sorry." "As her sister," Kunou queried, "might there be a way for you to reach her with tokens of my affection?" "Sorry, I..." Kunou produced a large roll of bills from his sleeve. "...couldn't possibly do it for any less than 10,000 yen," Nabiki lied smoothly. No sense in disappointing a young fellow in love, after all. "Done!" The exchange of money happened at a speed that would have even impressed Ranma. "Now, if you would, please deliver unto my beloved this adorable plush panda," he handed over the stuffed animal, "and this bouquet of roses..." Nabiki heard something click as she took the flowers. Konatsu moved like a blur and began to shout a warning, but even his speed wasn't enough. A plume of greenish gas spewed forth from the bouquet, flooding the air with some noxious vapor. She saw Kunou's eyes widen in shock as the gas erupted, and knew that he had simply been a dupe in this trap. She tried to hold her breath, but the gas had already filled the air around her. Dizziness overcame her as she inhaled the vapor. Kunou reeled as well, and even Konatsu couldn't stop from taking in at least enough of the gas to make him hack and wheeze. As her world turned to darkness, she heard the maniacal laughter of Kodachi the Black Rose, and felt the silken coils of a ribbon twining around her body... - - - - - the withered old pervert thought. Happosai swayed like a lantern as Ryouga hopped from one rock to the next, looking at the world upside-down as he dangled in his bonds from the long stick that his captors used to transport him around. The crash of swelling waves thundered in his ears, roaring with each mountain of water that smashed its fury against the jagged stone. This was a path only a select few could hope to take, leaping from one safe perch to another over the roiling sea as they traveled along the rugged Japanese coastline. Jagged peaks of dark stone stabbed forth from the roiling surface of the sea, forming a path of giant stepping stones twisting its way across the heaving bay. The sheer cliffs along the shoreline were so perilously steep that they would have taken at least a full day to traverse, probably more. The path across the stones littering the bay was risky, but much faster. Happosai had known that the two youngsters would choose the quicker route, in spite of the risk. Both Ukyou and Ryouga handled the treacherous path from one stone spire to the next with practiced ease. Happosai was impressed in spite of himself - these two had gotten much better than they had ever been in Nerima. Being chased by the Reikoku was like taking a warrior's pilgrimage, except on a much deadlier order of magnitude. They had used their time well, like true martial artists. "You okay back there, sugar?" Ukyou called across the thunder of the waves. "Fine! No problem!" She gave him a thumbs-up and continued along the path, carefully lining up her next jump to a safe perch above the frothing waters. The old man watched Ukyou out in front, taking the lead for the two of them in the dangerous crossing. She kept herself in Ryouga's line of vision, making sure he could follow her so that his accursed sense of direction did not carry him off their course. He would have to time this perfectly, he knew. And he would have to get lucky as well, but on that score he felt confident. He had always enjoyed the Devil's own luck. he thought. The place to which he had been waiting to come was a particularly tall rock which had two safe ledges. From the direction they climbed onto the rock, they would be on the high ledge. In order to get to the next perch, it was necessary to climb down to the lower ledge. Even someone as skilled as Ryouga couldn't simply risk the jump - the footing was too treacherous on this wave-slicked stone. He would have to turn around and climb down. For that brief moment, his back would be to Ukyou. Happosai felt his pulse thudding in his ears as Ryouga crested the top of the rock, sized up the situation, and then turned to climb down. His gaze darted towards the water - there was a good-sized wave swelling towards them, just as he had hoped. Now all he needed was the boy to react as he predicted... he thought, and then shouted. "Ukyou, LOOK OUT! Don't fall in!" "What? Ukyou!" Sure enough, the boy whipped his head around to see if his companion was in trouble. Happosai threw all his weight to one side, moving with the inertia of Ryouga's own turn, and desperately wished for it to be enough. Ryouga's grip slipped. The two youngsters had talked about this for a good spell before they had attempted this crossing, knowing it was dangerous. Ukyou never carried him, since they knew that he might pull strength from her feminine aura if he was too close. They were cautious of Ryouga getting wet, knowing that if he turned into a girl then Happosai could drain him as well, but they had thought themselves prepared to take the risk. They knew that if Ryouga could keep his balance, he'd make it through dry. They had both gotten very good at resisting his taunts and insults, so they'd been confident that Happosai couldn't distract them. he thought triumphantly as Ryouga's body crashed to the stone, and the wave broke over them, drenching the Lost Boy with cold seawater and triggering his Jusenkyou curse. His limbs were bound tight, but the old geezer still had more than enough body control to flop his way into contact with Ryouga-chan as she spluttered in the brine. A brief touch was all it took. Energy surged through him, igniting his battle aura like a tank of nitroglycerin. The wave of power blasted the restraints from his body, and he was free. "WAHOO!" he cried. He fastened himself onto Ryouga-chan's chest for a good, healthy glomp, just to make sure his engine was really running, then bolted free before the outraged martial artist could get a grip on him. Two flea-like hops later, and he was standing alone on a spire of rock fifty yards away, cackling with glee as the pair of young fighters watched in helpless fury. They'd never catch him now, and they knew it. "Damn it!" Ryouga-chan shouted, face practically glowing red with her fury. "Damn you, old man! Come back here!" Little Ukyou let fly with a couple of her darling throwing spatulas, but even her vastly improved speed and accuracy were not enough at this distance. Happosai batted them away with his pipe, then took a long, satisfied puff. "Sorry to run, youngsters!" he croaked. "But I got places to go, ladies to see. Can't afford to go back to that temple, no siree!" As he watched the two young fighters trembling in useless rage, an impulse struck him. "But tell you what, cuties! You're on the right track. Just keep heading this way up the coastline, 'til you get to an inlet where there's a rock that looks kind of like a crow's head. There's a little stream there... follow that in a few miles, and you'll see the temple in the valley below. Hard to spot, but from that angle you should be able to find it." They glared at him with suspicion and loathing, but he wasn't surprised at that. He was more surprised with himself for telling them how to reach the place. He didn't want to think it was because he felt guilty about starting this whole mess in the first place, so instead he decided it must be for another reason. "Consider that my thanks for the booze!" he called. And with that, he turned and pelted away towards the shore, away from Kuonji Ukyou and Hibiki Ryouga. he thought... but he wondered. - - - - - "C'mon, buddy!" Ranma challenged belligerently. "You wanna piece of me? Huh? I'll tear you a new one. I'll make you sorry you were ever born. I'll send you home with a freakin' rupture, ya jerk! You think you're so hot? You got nothin' on me, loser! Your kung-fu is a joke." He mimed a few lightning- fast punches. "Oh, you think you can keep up with me? You think you're fast? I'll SHOW you fast..." "Um, Ranma?" Akane tugged his sleeve. "Yeah?" "That's your reflection." Ranma straightened up, gave a surprised look at the full- length mirror in the vendor's stall, and then crossed his arms nonchalantly. "Of course it is. I was just practicing." "Right." - - - - - "Damn it!" Ryouga-chan howled, pounding another rock to rubble with a furious fist. "How could I be so stupid, stupid, STUPID!" This time, she slammed her forehead into the stony cliff. "Cut that out!" Ukyou cried in exasperation, hauling her away from the rocky wall. Part of her actually wanted to bash Ryouga-chan's head herself, but she knew she shouldn't. Happosai was a devious, evil old demon, and they'd been lucky to hold onto him as long as they had. "Curse you, Happosai!" Ryouga-chan shouted, shaking her fist into the air. "Curse you to a thousand hells! Someday you'll pay for this, I swear!" Ukyou watched as Ryouga-chan stormed and raged around for a while longer. She felt like shouting herself, but her companion was doing enough of that for the both of them. Instead, Ukyou put her head in her hands and thought. Finally, when it seemed like a gap had appeared in Ryouga- chan's fury, she grabbed the lost girl by the shoulders and faced her. "Okay, listen up, sugar," she said, biting off the words in a near shout. "We have to make a decision." "What?" Ryouga-chan said. "What decision?" Ukyou reached into her blouse and withdrew the magical earring they had obtained from the Amazon village. When she let it dangle, the tip swung and pointed roughly back the direction they'd come. Ryouga-chan's eyes widened with understanding. "He still doesn't know about the earring!" the bandanna-clad girl exclaimed. "We can go after him!" "Maybe," Ukyou agreed. "But hold your horses, okay?" Ryouga-chan gave her a wary look. The color in her face was returning to normal, although she was still in a state of high agitation. It would have to do - Ukyou didn't want to make this decision by herself. "Right," the young chef said, taking a deep breath. "One choice is to go after him again. But he knows we're after him now, and he'll be a lot more on his guard. Even with the earring, we don't know if we can catch him. But we can try... or we can follow his directions, and try to find that temple." Ryouga-chan ground her teeth. "Those directions may be a lie," she said. "We could be a thousand miles from that temple." "We could," Ukyou agreed. A desperate shudder passed through her. "Or we could be on the right path. If we chase after Happosai... we'll lose our way. I don't know if I can find my way back if we end up hunting that old son of a bitch halfway across Japan, you see?" The Lost Girl pressed her knuckled to her forehead. "Damn it! What do we do?" Ukyou waited, her eyes watching the earring as its tip swayed in the air, pulled as if by a magnetic force towards the direction of its missing partner. Her gaze traveled up the shoreline, in the direction that Happosai had told them the temple lay. After what seemed like an eon waiting by the roaring ocean, Ryouga-chan finally smacked her hands together in a resolute gesture. "I want to go to the temple," she said. This was Ukyou's instinct as well, but she wanted to be sure. "Even if it means letting that old goat get away?" Ryouga-chan nodded. "It can take a long time to hunt somebody down," she said. "Even if you have a real sense of direction. The more time we spend... the worse it is for Ranma." Ukyou let out a long, trembling sigh. She felt her heart becoming clear. "Yeah, that's pretty much the size of it, sugar. We came this way to find answers, not to get revenge. Much as I hate that old bastard, he doesn't have any more answers about the Reikoku. If there are any, we'll find them at the temple." "Then let's get going," Ryouga-chan said, her face grim. "And if that pervert gave us the wrong directions, we'll hunt him down and tear the truth out of his misbegotten hide." Ukyou clasped her on the arm. "You got that right, hon." - - - - - Nabiki clawed her way back to consciousness through a hazy grey fog. She could feel the ropes around her wrists and ankles before her vision even began to clear, and knew what had happened. she thought irritably. Akane wasn't here... so it seemed fate had tapped her to play the role of the hostage. she thought bitterly. She was beginning to wonder if she ought to start taking lessons at the Dojo again. If this sort of thing was going to keep happening to her... "Ah, I see you are awake, my dear." "Kodachi," she slurred. The wavy-haired gymnast, complete with her black leotard, swam into view as Nabiki's vision sharpened. Nabiki discovered that she was bound to a chair, her ankles tied to the chair's legs while her wrists were strapped to the arms. She gave the bonds an experimental tug, and found them to be discouragingly solid. She also noticed that a table had been set before her. "What... do you think you're doing?" she asked, her tongue feeling heavy in her mouth. She looked around - they seemed to be in the vast, open arena which lay beneath the Kunou estate. "Observe," Kodachi said, gesturing at the table, "and understand the genius of my vengeance." If this was vengeance, Nabiki thought, it was an awfully strange sort. Upon the table had been arranged mountains of pies, cupcakes, cookies, pastries... savories of chocolate and cream and caramel piled perilously high before her. "I don't get it," she admitted. "You," the gymnast informed her, "are going to eat ALL of this." The middle Tendou gaped. "ALL?" No single person could put away that much food. Okay, maybe Ranma could. Or Kurumi. Or that Piccolet guy from the Martial Arts Eating school... No NORMAL person could put away that much food. Nabiki certainly couldn't. "You've got to be kidding," she murmured. "Oh, I'm afraid not," Kodachi gloated. "You shall receive your just desserts, mercenary harlot. But for an appetizer, you shall be eating... this!" With a sudden motion, the Black Rose produced a single, ordinary-looking noodle. Nabiki eyed it suspiciously. "What's that?" "So glad you asked!" the gymnast said with a burst of laughter. "It wasn't easy to procure, but one cannot place a price tag on revenge. This is the legendary On Earth As It Is In Heaven Ramen!" "Uh..." "Once you eat this," Kodachi explained, "you will temporarily be granted the appetite of a thousand women. You will stuff your face with the treats I have prepared, eating and eating like the sow that you are. You will become fat, Tendou Nabiki... fat and pimply and utterly homely. And then, dearest Mikado will have no interest you!" "You maniac!" Nabiki snarled. "He doesn't have..." "It's the perfect plan!" Kodachi exclaimed, then belted out a peal of ear-shattering laughter. "OH-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO! Now, my dear, all that remains is for you to partake of this one little noodle..." Something hissed through the air. A dark blur, and suddenly the noodle disappeared from Kodachi's hand. The gymnast flinched, and then there came the >thunk< of a bladed weapon embedding itself in a wooden beam. Nabiki turned, and saw the noodle pinned to the wall on the edge of a black shuriken. The throwing star could only have come from one person. "Konatsu!" she cried. "We're here to save you, Nabiki-san!" "We?" "Eeeek!" Nabiki sighed. Konatsu had brought Miss Sanae along. While she understood the desire to bring some backup along in the rescue, she wished Konatsu had recruited a real martial artist. Maybe her father, or Mr. Saotome, who was at least ostensibly human... The two figures stood in one of the doorways of the arena- like expanse of the underground chamber. Konatsu wore his kunoichi outfit, soot-black and full of weapons, while Miss Sanae looked... well, she looked like a chimpanzee dressed for a tea ceremony. Konatsu pointed a finger at Kodachi. "Leave her alone, you maniac!" Kodachi put a hand to her mouth and laughed. "OH-HO-HO-HO-HO! So, you think that you have me outnumbered, do you? Azusa- chan, come here at once!" From somewhere behind her came a piercing giggle that felt like someone driving a knitting needle into each of Nabiki's ears. "TEE-HEE-HEE-HEE-HEE-HEE! The Widdle Pink Pansy is here to help my mistress!" The curly-haired horror skated into view on a pair of roller blades, power-posing next to Kodachi. Her gaze strayed a moment towards the table laden with treats, and her eyes began to sparkle with longing. Kodachi smacked her on the head. "Not now, Azusa-chan! I'll take care of the cook. You remember what to do..." "Of course, mistress!" She skated off across the smooth wooden floor. "Come on, Miss Sanae!" Konatsu commanded. He and the chimpanzee took off, angling away from each other, tracing parabolic arcs along the vast floor as they charged towards the dais where Kodachi waited. Konatsu advanced in a low- slung ninja run, while Miss Sanae scooted along in a kneeling position, in accordance with the teachings of the school of Martial Arts Tea Ceremony. "Foolish gruel-slinger," Kodachi taunted Konatsu. "I have observed your roach-infested restaurant for days as I awaited my chance to strike. I anticipated that you might bring that flea-bitten creature along in some misguided rescue attempt, and prepared accordingly! Azusa-chan... use the secret weapon!" As the shorter member of the Golden Pair glided towards her adversary, she drew an aerosol can from behind her back and pointed it at Miss Sanae. "Here, you nasty brute! Take this... Monkey Repellant!" A cloud of fumes sprayed from the can's nozzle and caught Miss Sanae full in the face. The simian martial artist barely even blinked. She sprang at Azusa, whisk brush in hand, and began to swipe the bristles across the skater's face. "Aaah! Stop that!" squealed Azusa in panic. "Eeek! Eeek!" screeched Miss Sanae, in full battle fury. Kodachi took a step back, eyes widening. "But... but how?" Konatsu let out a little bark of laughter. "Your imprecise command of zoology is going to cost you this time, Black Rose!" he vaunted. "Monkey Repellant is no use against Miss Sanae... she is an ape!" "Curses," Kodachi snarled villainously. Nabiki spared a moment to watch the battle between Azusa and Miss Sanae. she observed, Still, it looked like the ape was getting the better of that exchange. She turned her attention to the conflict unfolding between Konatsu and Kodachi. The Black Rose sliced the air with snaps of her silk ribbon, controlling the distance of the battle and keeping Konatsu at bay. "Foolish girl!" she taunted. "You think dressing up like a ninja will save you?" Konatsu had speed to spare, but the seeking coils of the lash were impossible even for him to avoid forever. After dodging a series of strikes, he made one false move. With a flick of the wrist, Kodachi sent the ribbon twining around Konatsu's body. "Got you! ...what?" As the coils tightened, Konatsu momentarily disappeared in a puff of smoke. Kodachi gave a tug on her lash... and found that it was wrapped not around Konatsu, but around a log dressed in a black ninja shirt. Nabiki realized. The hum of a sword being drawn chimed through the air, and suddenly there came a series of blurring strikes. The ribbon, pulled taut as it was around the log, was an easy target to cut. Kodachi pulled back a severed length of silk that was now only a few feet long. From the shadows came a low, confident laugh. "You fool," Konatsu chided. "Do you really think I'm just playing dress- up? Your skills cannot match those of a true kunoichi, Black Rose." Kodachi responded with an angry growl, tossing a series of spiked clubs towards the sound of the voice. They clattered harmlessly into the shadows. More laughter echoed behind her, but when she cast her weapons at that target, she struck nothing but empty air. "Accursed sneak," she growled, backing towards the table. She snatched something that had been hidden by the piles of pastries - a remote control of some sort. "You dare to challenge the heiress of Kunou in her inner sanctum? The traps of the Kunou mansion will spell an end to you!" She began pressing buttons on the remote... to no effect. "What's going on here?" she demanded angrily. The Black Rose dodged as a bundle came plummeting down from the shadowy ceiling above. The mass that landed on the ground before her was a great tangle of ropes, spiked wooden columns, spears, gears, nets... and all manner of other apparatus. "These traps, you mean?" Konatsu's voice teased. "Amateur work, at best. Do you expect a true master of ninjitsu to be hindered by meager traps like these?" "Cheeky peasant!" Kodachi raged. "But I know your weakness..." She pivoted suddenly and faced Nabiki. With a dizzyingly fast motion, the Kunou girl let fly with a razor-edged hoop. Bound to her chair, Nabiki couldn't even try to dodge. A dark blur seemed to materialize out of nowhere, and suddenly Konatsu was there, his back turned to her as he deflected the oncoming missile with his short sword. His shoulders and arms were bare - he had abandoned his shirt for his earlier body-switch trick - but most of his torso was still covered with a tight white wrap. thought Nabiki, but she had no time for further reflection. "OH-HO-HO-HO-HO!" Kodachi laughed triumphantly, drawing two of her spike-coated clubs and twirling them in each hand. "A ninja's strength is in stealth. But you cannot hide in the shadows and protect that oafish moneygrubber at the same time. Your movements are limited if you want to keep her safe. Now, the advantage is mine!" "Perhaps," Konatsu acknowledged, taking up a ready stance with his sword. "But there's one thing you haven't considered, Kunou Kodachi." "Oh?" "Has it occurred to you," asked the ninja in a sly tone, "that I might have just been stalling you this whole time?" The Black Rose had only a split second to register a look of surprise on her face. Then a figure plummeted down from the ceiling, letting out a fearsome "Eeek!" of battle fury. Miss Sanae, simian master of Martial Arts Tea Ceremony, slammed a thick iron pot into Kodachi's head. The impact drove the gymnast's upper body down through the floorboards. Kodachi's leotard-clad figure, inert except for a slight twitching of the left toes, stuck halfway out of the broken floor. Miss Sanae struck a victory pose over her fallen foe. "Eeeep! Oooka ooka!" she trumpeted. Konatsu straightened up from his defensive stance. "Are you all right?" "Fine. Thanks for the rescue. Your timing was... uh..." The kunoichi turned and began to slice away Nabiki's bonds. "Pound for pound, a chimpanzee is much stronger than a normal human." "Hey... Konatsu..." "For Kodachi to disregard such an enemy," the ninja continued, "was a fatal error." "Yeah. Great. Listen, Konatsu?" "Yes, Nabiki-san?" Nabiki cleared her throat and stood up. "What are those?" She pointed to Konatsu's chest. Though they were bound tight by the wrap, the young kunoichi quite clearly had a pair of breasts. Konatsu looked down and blushed. He... or rather, she... flushed and covered up with her arms. "Oh! Um... I forgot about that, Nabiki-san." "I thought you were a boy," Nabiki said. "No... I know for a FACT that you're a boy. Were a boy. That is... look, what the heck is going on here, Konatsu?" The ninja girl, now suddenly shy about her body, turned away and peeked back over her shoulder at Nabiki. "Do you... do you remember the box that Elder Cologne gave me before she left for China?" Nabiki rummaged through her memories for a moment. "Yeah." "Elder Cologne and I got to be good friends while she was here," Konatsu-chan explained. "She... sympathized with my difficulties. So she gave me these packets of Instant Nyanniichuan Spring water to try." "I remember that stuff," Nabiki said. "It only works once, right?" "Each dose does, yes," the kunoichi affirmed. "Elder Cologne said I should try it out... see how it felt to be able to change. If it was something that I liked or not." "How often have you been using that stuff?" Nabiki asked incredulously. She shrugged. "Oh, just a few times. Once in a while at the restaurant... at that Winter Festival... when we went out to that movie the other night. Off and on." "Unbelievable," the mercenary girl whispered to herself. "So... how... er, how do you like it? I mean..." The pretty ninja blushed. "I do like it sometimes. It's like... sometimes it feels better to be a boy, and sometimes it feels better to be a girl... and sometimes it doesn't seem to matter. I guess... I guess I'm just weird." "Oh, well... no, not really that weird," Nabiki placated. This was perhaps not a completely honest sentiment, but she didn't want Konatsu-chan to feel bad. "Elder Cologne said that if it felt right to me," the ninja continued, "that she would get me some of the real water. So I would be... like Ranma. If I wanted it." Nabiki peered at the girl, her voice gentle. "And is that what you want?" Konatsu-chan looked back at Nabiki over her shoulder, all the vulnerability of a newborn fawn in her eyes. "Would you hate me if I did?" the Tendou girl thought. In that look she suddenly felt the true depth of the power she had over Konatsu-chan - the power that Konatsu-chan had willingly given to her, trusting her with her fragile heart. It was a responsibility so great that it made her dizzy. A responsibility... and an honor. Nabiki wasn't really equipped to handle that much emotion. She gave a breezy smile and squeezed Konatsu-chan's shoulder reassuringly. "Hey, don't worry about it. No big deal. I mean, it's becoming kind of a tradition in my family to be engaged to sex-changers. So do whatever you like..." Konatsu-chan turned to face her, her entire body seeming to radiate joy. The smile she gave Nabiki was bright enough to shame the sun. "You... you mean it?" "Yeah, sure." "You said... ENGAGED!" Konatsu-chan threw her arms around Nabiki and hugged her with fearsome delight. "Wha...? I did?" the middle Tendou thought, bewildered. "Uh... Konatsu?" "I'm so happy!" the ninja girl wept. She pulled back and took Nabiki's hand. "I never thought I could be this happy, Nabiki-san!" Nabiki thought. After all, Konatsu-chan had just come to her rescue. Besides, this was a kid who had endured quite enough heartbreak. "Uh... hey, Konatsu? Let's get out of this dive. You know the way out?" "Yep!" Konatsu-chan led her by the hand towards the exit across the vast room. The kunoichi danced her way across the polished hardwood, her feet seeming to barely touch the floor, as if the lightness of her heart could float her away like a balloon. Nabiki couldn't help but smile - seeing Konatsu-chan so full of joy made her feel pretty good herself. she told herself. - - - - - "He always fast learner," Shampoo told Akane in a quiet voice. She fussed a little more with the Tendou girl's outfit. "He almost ready for final test." Akane flinched uncomfortably, looking acutely self-conscious. She looked around the tent, as if expecting to see someone else in there watching them. "Look... are you sure this is the right way to go?" "Akane nervous?" She swallowed hard. "Yeah... I mean, LOOK at me! Of course I'm nervous." Shampoo nodded sagely. "Thought so. You drink this." She offered a small flask to Akane. The Japanese fighter eyed the container warily. "What's that?" "This very old medicine," she explained. "Proven over centuries to help relax. It keep you from feel so nervous." "Okay," Akane said, taking a swig. "Is it... some secret Amazon potion?" "Is booze," Shampoo answered, taking the flask back. "No drink too much. Not wanting you passed out now." "I guess not," the girl said, blinking as the alcohol coursed into her system. "So... you want me to come out when you give the signal. What will it be?" "Shampoo just whistle," she said. "Wait in tent until we ready." "Okay." With that, Shampoo emerged from the tent. She looked around and spotted Ranma lounging on a tree branch, napping with his arm dangling down from his perch. A satisfied smile crept across her face. she thought. A week's worth of continuous effort had gotten Ranma ever closer to the goal of integrating his cat sub-personality with his main human self. Tonight would be the finishing touch - she felt sure she could get Ranma past his fear of cats once and for all. And with any luck, she could hit two birds with one stone. "You ready for beginning?" she called up to him. The pig-tailed boy awoke, stretched, and took a long time considering her question. "Well... okay. Sure. What're we doing tonight?" "Making much progress on training, Ranma-san," she said. "Naturally." "Time to practice next way of being catlike," she instructed. "This one is straightforward. As cat, you see what you like, and then you go get it. You not hesitate. You pounce! Understand?" Ranma gave her a half-lidded look. "That's it?" "That it." He yawned expansively. "Sounds boring." she thought. "Start with this." She pulled a steaming pork bun from behind her back and held it up. She'd made this one fresh, and knew perfectly well how much Ranma loved them. "Hey!" he cried, suddenly interested. She tossed it in the air and he leaped instantly, snatching it in his mouth. He'd practically finished eating it before he'd landed. "Mmm..." She allowed herself a small grin. The pork bun had been spiked as well - it wouldn't hurt to loosen Ranma up a little bit for this. Nothing too extreme, but just enough to get rid of some of those annoying Japanese inhibitions. She had kept it mild, knowing that Ranma was a complete lightweight when it came to alcohol. "So... how about this?" Shampoo pulled out a string-wound wooden top and sent it spinning across the dusty earth. "Neat!" Ranma pounced after it, doing a little dance around the erratically-moving toy. He seemed to be trying to tap his feet as close to it as he could without actually touching it. Shampoo thought. He had really begun to grasp the essence of this training - he wasn't trying to be precisely like a cat, but more like what a human would be like with a cat's sensibilities superimposed on top. The playfulness, the indolence, and the smugness all wound together in his mind, creating a feline "personality" that didn't have to actually think it was literally a cat. "How about this?" she tried, pulling out a large rubber ball with a bell inside. She bounced it off the ground and sent it ricocheting off a tree trunk. Ranma simply watched it with an expression of complete contempt, as if unable to fathom how anybody could be interested in something like that. He then regarded her with a look that seemed to ask if she'd lost her mind. she told herself, unperturbed. That reaction was also perfectly in line with the training. "Okay... how about this?" This time, she drew out an elaborately folded paper airplane, created from sheets of brightly-colored rice paper. She tossed it into the air for him. "Can you keep that from hitting ground without touching?" she challenged playfully. "Ha! No problem!" The young Saotome took off in pursuit of the small aircraft. First he simply blew under the plane with his breath to keep it in the air, but after a while he started using more complicated means. Shampoo watched in curiosity as Ranma began generating little controlled puffs of air by moving his hands in circles with relation to each other. she observed. She felt her pulse quicken, and tried not to let her feelings show. she told herself. A pity... he could be SO cool sometimes. Their play went on for a while longer, with Shampoo throwing out a variety of different toys and Ranma choosing to pounce on them or ignore them, depending on his interest in what she produced. "How about this?" she would say as she brought out her next item. "Look at that!" She picked up the pace, reducing the time between changes, forcing Ranma to rely more and more on reflex. Pounce, or ignore. Leap when something catches the eye. No hesitation, no inhibition. "How about that?" The wine that she'd spiked the pork bun with began to circulate in his bloodstream as well. His eyes were not quite so focused, and he wore a vaguely silly smile as he leaped around after the objects she threw. She watched as he became more spontaneous, more playful... "Look at this!" It was almost time. He was ready, she knew it... and part of her didn't want to go through with what she knew she had to do. Part of her heart still refused to accept the hand that fate had dealt her, wanted to still believe he could be hers. But Shampoo was a daughter of the Amazons above all other things, and that took precedence even over the longings of her own heart. The blood of warriors and matriarchs past flowed within her veins. She could survive a heartbreak. Damned if she couldn't. Shampoo pursed her lips and let out a whistle. Ranma's head jerked around as he was distracted from the inflatable octopus that he had been chasing around the campfire. The Amazon girl pointed toward the tent at the edge of the clearing. "Look at that!" Ranma looked, and there was Akane. Her face was a bit flushed from the liquor she'd drunk earlier, and her smile was shy. Kitty-cat ears stuck up from Akane's hair, a cat tail swished from the rear of her outfit. Dark stripes adorned the skintight yellow catsuit she wore. Her mittens and shoes were shaped in the fashion of soft white paws. Even Shampoo had to admit that Akane made a damned cute cat- girl. Once, an outfit like that would've sent a reflexive shock of terror through Ranma, touching off his primal fear of cats. This evening, he didn't even flinch. Primed to act on reflex by Shampoo's preparation, Ranma pounced towards his fiancee with his arms outstretched. Akane let out a little squeal - part fear, part excitement - as he wrapped her in his embrace and hauled her into the air. She barely had time to gasp as he planted a passionate kiss on her lips. Shampoo choked back a sob. Akane clenched a fist as if to strike for a moment, but the tension melted out of her almost as soon as it came. She leaned into his embrace with her whole body, kissing Ranma back with a passion equal to his own. They paused a moment as the kiss broke off, both suddenly self-conscious about what they were doing. "Uh..." Ranma muttered. "Akane?" "Ranma," she breathed back. They gazed into each other's eyes for a few moments longer, unable to find anything to say. Lacking words, they did what came naturally - and began to kiss again. All the pent-up longing, the words unsaid, the feelings too frightening to face... all the months apart, spent regretting how they had wasted the time that had been given to them... all this came flooding to the surface as Ranma and Akane finally gave in to the deeper desires of their hearts. Shampoo was pretty sure her last test wasn't going to be needed, but she still felt like it would be for the best. This was for herself as much as Ranma. She withdrew her canteen and dumped it over her head, letting the cold water wash away the unwanted tears on her cheeks. And then, she was a cat. Cats, after all, didn't feel heartbreak. Cats didn't cry over lost love. She trotted over to where Akane and Ranma sat on a log now, still lost in each others' kisses, and hopped up next to her former fiancee. She let out a small meow and reached out with a paw to poke him in the back. "Hey... Shampoo," Ranma said, looking a bit dazed as he turned to see her. "Looks like you're not afraid anymore," Akane whispered. Ranma reached out and stroked her fur with a steady hand. Shampoo purred, yawned, and settled herself down against him. "Yeah," he said with wonder. "I guess I'm not." Neko-Shampoo thought as she arranged herself into a comfortable position. She was a cat, after all, and cats never made mistakes. This was exactly how she had planned things to go all along. - - - - - - end of part fifteen... ----------------------------------------------------------- AUTHOR'S NOTES ----------------------------------------------------------- This chapter marks the last of the segments which I have come to think of as the "Meanwhile, Back in Nerima..." arc - meaning the chapters centering around Nabiki, Konatsu, and the rest of the gang back home. Those parts were always meant to provide a bit of fun and lighten the mood. But fun time is now pretty much over. The big fights are about to begin. COMING SOON: Ryouga and Ukyou search the wilderness for the temple where it all began, and find more danger than they ever feared. Meanwhile Ranma, having overcome his Neko-ken weakness, must make a heartbreaking choice... COPYRIGHT STUFF: All the Ranma characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko, and are licensed in America by Viz Communications. GRT - April 2005 Thunderstruck_comic@comcast.net All existing chapters of this story may be found at: http://www.talesfromthevault.com/relentless