The Longest Journey

A Ranma Ibunnoichi Fanfiction story

By Patrick Nguyen Huu

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ belongs to Rumiko Takahashi – I don't own anything!.

Summary: Sequel to: "For the Sake of the Art" After the events of "For the Sake of the Art," Ranma continues his journey. And about 3 years later, destiny is about to catch up to him once more...

Author's Note: Well, guys, here it is. The beginning of my sequel to "For the Sake of the Art." I'm sorry I haven'tupdated on the Ranma/Kaguraarc of FtSotA yet, for those who've been waiting for it, but inspiration just won't come…yet. It seems like I'm getting ideas for anything BUT that arc (including long-forgotten stories I didn't know I still had). This chapter is a little short and abrupt, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. And yes, there's a point to it. And no, I'm not doing the mind-control spiel again. And yes, you're allowed to flame me if I do that or time travel again. Thanks!

P.S.: Before any of you say anything…it's set around three years after FtSotA, so I'm not sure how I'll handle character development yet…I'm really averse to long flashbacks. I'll see what I come up with.

Arc One: To Challenge the Sun

Chapter One: The New Champion

Shouting and cheering could be heard throughout the village. It was spring, and the last snow of the winter had melted, leaving the ground clear and ready for the farmers to work upon. In Joketsuzoku, the ancestral home of the Chinese tribal amazons, it was time for the annual martial arts tournament. And this year, it seemed the recently rebuilt village would be witness to a number of impressive fights.

"Winner by knockout, Shampoo!" The judge declared as the amazon waved at the crowd from her perch upon the challenge log. The victor was a stunning beauty of a woman, her long lavender hair framing her soft features, and her eyes sparkled with life and a quiet intelligence that seemed to laugh at being alive. As she climbed down from the log, the judge bowed to her as was tradition, and she returned it, before he announced, "The last fight will commence now – Ukyo," he pronounced the Japanese name with a bit of difficulty in Mandarin, "and Pa Fum."

The two girls leapt upon the suspended log, and bowed at each other, then the crowd. Ukyo smiled at her opponent as she unholstered her weapon of choice from her back, holding the giant spatula in guard position as her opponent withdrew a single broadsword, its blade carved with intricate designs. Bowing towards each other, the two fighters waited for the signal to begin. At the shrill whistle, they leapt into action.

Ukyo ducked low, swiping her spatula sideways to knock away her opponent's feet. Perfume leapt over the weapon, bringing her own down to block it. Metal hit metal in a ringing parry, and the amazon jammed her sword into the ground, her right hand leaving its hilt to deluiver a powerful blow to her opponent's throat. Ukyo turned her head to the side, the air pressure from the knife-hand severing a strand of her chestnut hair. In retaliation, the Japanese girl flicked her wrist, turning the spatula so that its broad side flipped over the sword's blade, and smashed it sidelong into Perfume.

The amazon turned away, rolling with the blow, coming to a stop at the very edge of the challenge log. She smirked at her opponent, and closed her eyes for an instant, before they flew open, her irises narrowed in concentration as a yellow aura of ki condensed around her form. The light solidified until it was a solid yellow glow that surrounded her, and she raised her blade into striking position, shoulder high, tip pointed at Ukyo's throat.

The other girl copied her opponent's smirk, raising her own weapon into a defensive stance. An instant later, a silvery-blue aura sprang to life around her, as well. Unlike the amazon's glow, Ukyo's aura grew into a burning flame, flickering high into the air as she let go her control over her ki. It wrapped itself around her, writhing like an ethereal, living being.

On an unspoken command, both rushed at each other, their respective battlecries resounding in the air. The two combatants met in a flurry of blows, exchanging strikes and counters at a pace most spectators found hard to follow. Ukyo leaned away from a horizontal slash, dropping onto her back and rearing up in a snap kick that would have catapulted Perfume off the log; only, the amazon had turned her forward lunge into a somersault, tucking into a roll and landed in a handstand, flipping upright effortlessly.

Ukyo righted herself, her spatula held diagonally across her body as she eyed her opponent. A quick sideswing made Perfume back off, and Ukyo spun the hilt of her weapon around the back of her hand, leading in with a jump kick. It went wide as Perfume leapt up, jamming her sword into the support poles that held the challenge log, using it to cling to the pole. A vault brought Ukyo into striking distance, and a simple downward swing forced the amazon to let go and drop back to the log.

Perfume ducked a series of swings, before striking back, stabbing forward and taking two quick steps towards Ukyo in one smooth motion. "Your weapon is so large you can only swing it sideways or down. Very…" she jammed the hilt of her broadsword down on Ukyo's wrist, forcing her to release the hold she had on her weapon, "easy to read."

To her surprise, the amazon found her finishing strike evaded, and glanced down to see an incoming heel. Even though she leaned back to avoid taking the brunt of the assault, the amazon felt pain well up in her chin where the kick had connected, and she staggered back. "That's why I learned fighting without it," the brunette grinned as she cracked her knuckes. Chuckling, Perfume switched her blade to her right hand, and began whirling it through the air, the massive blade whistling around her as easily as a feather.

"Let's go," they both muttered as they charged again. Tossing her spatula into the air, Ukyo threw a series of rapid punches at her opponent, before flipping over Perfume and catching her spatula in time to catch a downward swing on the hilt of her weapon. To her surprise, Perfume's aura condensed into the blade, and the metal hilt of her spatula began bending inward. Letting go of the deforming weapon, Ukyo rolled away to avoid the strike, her spatula clattering to the ground below.

Tossing a quick glance at the weapon, she discarded any thought of using it again and backed away, dodging two quick thrusts from Perfume. The amazon suddenly bowed to her, raising her sword in a silent salute, before she disappeared before her eyes.

The rustle of cloth behind her alerted Ukyo to her opponent's presence, just moments before she fell unconscious. Perfume sheathed her blade and bowed towards her fallen opponent, before smiling and carrying the girl off the log even as the referee declared her the victor and announcing that the final round of he tournament would take place at sundown.

V------------------V

The final fight of the tournament was heralded with as much enthusiasm as a crowd of warrior women could muster, and the area around the challenge log was filled with spectators who had come to watch their finest martial artists battle for the title of the best. Thunderous roaring from the hundred-odd women and men filled the air as the two competitors strode through their ranks, to stand before the challenge log.

"The last round of this year's martial arts tournament will be fought between Pa Fum and Xian Pu," the referee announced, as the two young women bowed towards each other, then the audience. "The fight will commence on my signal. Are you ready?" At their confirming nods, the referee held up a hand and the fighters leapt onto the log. "Begin!"

Shampoo eyed her opponent warily. She knew Perfume by reputation, and had seen the girl practice forms with her giant broadsword she had never seen before, but knew to be dangerous. Add to the fact that she had taken out Ukyo in a single, well-aimed blow to a sleep shiatsu point, faster than her friend had been able to react, and Shampoo knew she was facing a very dangerous opponent. The lavender-haired girl shifted into a defensive stance, her twin bonbori held before her protectively as Perfume advanced, her broadsword whistling around her, singing in the air.

With a yell, Perfume charged, her sword leading the way as if to impale her target. Shampoo leapt upwards, soaring above her opponent's head and kicked out downwards. Her foot met metal as Perfume brought her sword around in an arc, deflecting the blow. Flicking the blade upwards and towards the amazon in the air, she caught Shampoo off-guard, and all she could do was raise her bonbori to block to strike.

With a rasp, the metal blade slid along the handle of the mace, finding purchase at the spot where the head met the hilt, and sliced neatly through it. Dropping the now-useless piece of wood in her left hand, Shampoo righted herself on the log, spinning around and letting go of her other bonbori as she sent it flying at her opponent. Perfume easily deflected the makeshift projectile, but was unprepared for the series of attacks that followed it. Using the massive broadsword Perfume had swung in front of her face as cover, Shampoo closed in, with a yell of "Kachuu Tenshin Amaguri-Ken!"

As she unloaded punches at near-sonic speeds on her opponent, Shampoo could feel the majority of her blows ring off the blade of the sword, and knew she was in trouble. If Perfume would wield that massive sword at speeds high enough to counter most of her strikes, then she was a fearsome opponent, indeed.

Winding down from her attack, Shampoo kicked off the log in a backflip, coming to rest near its end, sliding into a ready stance. "You're not bad," Perfume commented, fingering a bruise on her cheek. "You, too," Shampoo replied in the same Mandarin dialect. "I can see why you were the village champion four years ago. But now, let me show you real speed."

With that, Perfume disappeared, and Shampoo's danger sense went off like air-raid sirens. Acting on instinct alone, and too quickly for her mind to comprehend, she launched herself upward and backward in a somersault, flipping high into the air. At the apex of her leap, she could see Perfume reappearing where she had stood moments before, sword extended into a flat thrust. "You loose," she mouthed, smirking, and Shampoo realized that her jump had carried her too far from the log to return.

Not yet. I won't loose like this. If Ranma taught me one thing, it's to never give up. A dark blue aura flared to life around the amazon, engulfing her as it whirled around her in a tornado of energy. "Ryu Tsui Ame!" The ki blast exploded from her cupped hands, striking the ground just off the log and propelling her even higher in the air. Twisting in mid-air, Shampoo touched down on the log, swinging around in a roundhouse kick the instant she landed. The air pressure from the blow cut deeply into the bark of the log where Perfume had been.

Ducking under a sideswing, Shampoo retracted her leg, kicking out again and catching Perfume's wrist, forcing her to release the massive sword with her right hand. Perfume leapt over the follow-up sweep and shoulder-charge, coming down in an axe-kick that caught Shampoo's shoulder. The girl wrapped her arms around the offending leg, using her sheer strength to wrench Perfume off-balance. Keeping her hold on the leg, Shampoo spun sideways, closing in with the precariously balancing Perfume, slamming a backfist into her cheek.

The force of the blow rocked Perfume off the log, but she jammed her sword into it, holding on to it. Using her arms to propel herself upwards, Perfume leapt headlong at Shampoo, and the two began trading unarmed blows. Turning away from a straight punch and spinning backwards, Shampoo smirked as she raised her left leg, balancing on her right. Her hands came up, held above her head and angled downwards, mimicking a crane as she stood.

Perfume took a tentative step forward, only to leap back towards her end of the log as Shampoo snapped out a series of kicks and sweeps that sent windblades and air pressure hurtling into the sturdy wood of the log. "Ancient Chinese Secret Technique," she smirked, "Even the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty feared it. Kijuûki Ranbû." Perfume's eyes narrowed as she dislodged her sword from the log. "Izuna!" Swinging the massive sword around her in an arc, Perfume released her ki into the blade. Shampoo's eyes widened as her senses picked up the distortion before her. Snapping out her left leg in a kick, she sent her own projectile to counter it, the windblade hurtling towards the oncoming attack.

It dissipated harmlessly against the leading edge of the distortion, forcing Shampoo to jump up to avoid it. The attack was wider than she though, and she hissed in pain as she felt it cut deeply into her right leg. Landing in a crouch on the log, she glanced upwards, to see Perfume rearing back for another attack. She leapt forward, tucking into a roll as she slid underneath the projectile, and barrelled right into her opponent, knocking both of them off balance.

V------------------V

Attentive eyes observed every move the fighters made, neutrally fielding comments and critique about their fighting styles and weaknesses in his mind. The storm blue eyes showed a hint of concern as Shampoo received her first wound, and widened in surprise when not a single drop of blood flew from the injury. Izuna, eh? Looks like oyaji wasn't the only one who came up with that idea.

The fight between the two girls on the log had escalated into something more akin to a brawl, as they punched and kicked at each other from point-blank, but he could see very well that in such close quarters, Shampoo held the advantage. While she wasn't as adept at handling an armed opponent, she was the better unarmed fighter, and this close, Perfume couldn't bring her broadsword to bear effectively.

He watched calmly as Perfume forced the sword in between herself and Shampoo, then kicked the other amazon off of herself. His eyes narrowed as he caught a dangerous glint in Perfume's dark green eyes, a flash that vanished instantly, leaving him to wonder whether he had imagined it or not. "It is a fine fight, this year, isn't it?" He turned to the source of the voice, an ancient woman perching on top her her cane. "Yeah. Looks like they had some frustration to let loose after three years of rebuilding the village. It went faster than I thought it would."

"Never underestimate the Joketzusoku, son-in-law. I thought you'd learned that by now." The old woman chuckled. He shrugged, turning his attention back to the fight. "It certainly is more dangerous than the previous times," he commented. "Really? How so? Swords aren't all that much more lethal than spiked maces, or poisoned daggers." The woman cackled again, before continuing. "Shampoo can hold her own. She has the same drive you have to excel at martial arts, if not quite as much talent."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, old ghoul," the young man smirked as he turned his eyes upon the old woman. "It would have a couple of years ago. Damn you for growing up," she quipped, and he laughed along with her. "Shampoo's certainly gotten better since the last time I was here. Crane Dance, eh? Interesting technique. Why didn't you show me that one?" the old woman raised herself to her full height…which, even atop the staff, wasn't much, and shot him an odd look. "Right. Forget I asked." Cologne doing stretches like that…that's one image I don't need.

A surprised gasp from the crowd drew their attention back towards the log.

V------------------V

Shampoo was kneeling, clutching a bleeding shoulder, and small rivulets of blood were flowing down the sides of the log. Perfume had an angry expression on her face, the amazon's beautiful features marred by a frown as she lifted her sword above her head. "Give up," she asked of her opponent in Madarin. "No," Shampoo uttered, propelling herself forward, shoulder-ramming Perfume. The two tumbled to a stop, catching themselves before they fell off the log.

She smirked as Perfume had to shake her head to clear it, and continued to press her assault, sending a rapid series of snap kicks at the other amazon. She would not give up, especially since she knew Ranma was watching. And there was no way in the world she would let him see her loose. He never gave up, and if she'd learned one lesson from him, it was that…and his stubbornness. Backing away to catch her breath and clutching her bleeding shoulder, she eyed Perfume warily. The girl was winding up to release another set of ki attacks at her, and Shampoo prepared to dodge them.

The instant Perfume launched the first projectile, Shampoo leapt forward, the blade of ki passing overhead and slicing through a strand of her hair as she bypassed it. Intending to slam a palm-strike into Perfume's solar plexus, aided by the momentum of her leap, Shampoo's eyes widened as the hilt of the sword swung around and across her cheek. Spitting blood as she came to rest at her end of the log, she glanced down to see droplets of blood on the bark of the log, making it a slicky trap for any who raced across it carelessly.

V------------------V

Perfume felt like screaming in frustration. She didn't want to hurt her sister amazon that badly, but she had refused to give up and yield. Neither had she gone down as peacefully as Ukyo had. But she had to win this tournament. She had been trained to be the best fighter of her generation, to become the strongest of the Joketzusoku, and she would claim that title at her first tournament. It was the one thing she had been raised for, and it was the one thing she strived for. There couldn't be any other outcome.

Which was why she found herself in a moral conflict at the moment. She had to win, every fiber of her being having been groomed for this fight; but she could see Shampoo would not give up as long as she was conscious, or even alive. The same desire to win, to claim the title as the best fighter burned in them both, even if for different reasons. For Perfume, it was her reason of existence. Nothing else mattered but fighting, and nothing less than perfection was accepted when it came to it.

The sword in her hand pulsed, and she felt a wave of calmness flood her mind. Her reasoning cleared, and she could focus again. Her pride won over, and she resolved to win this battle…no matter the cost. It was something she had to do. She was the best, and she would proove it, amazon sister or not. She never noticed the feeling of darkness lurking just beyond the clarity and power the sword offered her.

V------------------V

Watching in fascination as the fight grew more savage, he eyed the elder woman next to him. "Shouldn't you be stopping this? It's really getting serious now." Cologne shrugged. "That is the way of the Joketsuzoku. Win or die, you live by the sword. They are both prideful and strong. Not to mention stubborn. Both have their reasons for giving it their all; you should know best what it can drive you to do."

"Yeah, I know. Much too well…" he suppressed a shudder and continued to watch, flinching as Perfume flew back from a spinning heel kick, releasing her Izuna as she went flying. Shampoo, in the condition she was in, barely managed to dodge it, earning herself another harsh cut along her forearm. Before she could recover, Perfume was back on her feet and back within range, lashing out with a stomp kick that crushed the wood of the log where Shampoo's foot had been a moment before.

The amazon smirked, and Shampoo's eyes opened wide in shock as she saw a malicious glint there, an instant before Perfume struck her hard with a backfist that sent her tumbling across the log.

V------------------V

"Stubborn girl. I'm the champion of this year! Acknowledge that and give up, or die!" Shampoo's eyes flashed with pride and anger as she shakily stood. "I will not surrender to someone who lets her art be corrupted by anger and hate," she told Perfume. With a savage yell, Perfume charged at her, sword held high. "I am the fighting master of the amazons, and now, you die!" Shampoo closed her eyes, and sidestepped the swing, bringing her unhurt arm down in an elbow strike that knocked Perfume forward.

"I played with you long enough," Perfume noted as she wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth. "And I gave you the chance to surrender, but you're more stubborn than your friend Ukyo. I can crush you where you stand, without breaking a sweat; I have power you cannot comprehend!" Raising her sword high above her head, her aura expanded above the amazon, and her sword took an ethereal yellow glow. The runes engraved upon the blade shifted, and began to emit an eerie blood red light.

Shampoo could feel the energy swirling around her opponent, and had only a moment to wonder how she had grown so powerful. Then, she was struck, and flew backwards, slamming hard against the log's rough bark. Her back was on fire, but more importantly, she noted through her blurred vision that Perfume had aimed the glowing sword straight at her throat. "I am the champion. I am the chosen," she said, before plunging the sword downward.

"That's enough," a rough voice called out in accented Mandarin. Perfume felt something impact the side of her blade, altering its path and driving it deep into the wood. Hissing, the wood around the blade turned black and charred, and she withdrew it quickly, looking around for whoever had dared to interrupt the challenge.

A young man stood in front of the crowd, flanked by an elderly woman. "Perfume, you have won the challenge. There is no need to kill my great-granddaughter," Cologne noted, eyeing Shampoo's prone form. "She hasn't acknowledged me as the strongest, and hasn't given up. Neither has she left the log. The challenge says the fight continues until either fighter is disqualified, unconscious, or dead," the younger amazon countered.

"You have a lot of confidence in your abilities," the man spoke as he took a step forward, his jet-black hair glittering in the dying sunlight, the short pigtail that rested between his shoulder-blades swinging freely. "But Cologne's right. This fight is over. You may be the strongest of this tournament, but that doesn't make you the strongest of the Joketzusoku."

Perfume eyed him warily. He appeared to be in his late teens, with a lean, muscular build that told of martial arts training. Clad in a Chinese red shirt embroidered with decorative dragon motifs and golden wood ties and black pants, he struck a rather handsome figure. A Japanese-style sword hung at his waist, the curved blade resting in his golden sash. The amazon's pride won out, though, and she smirked as she challenged him. "And what do you think a mere male like you can say about the art of combat?"

Ranma narrowed his eyes. Leaping up the log and picking up Shampoo, he deposited her with Cologne before turning his attention back at the amazon on the log. "I have no intention of fighting someone who so obviously needs to grow up," he told her as he glanced at Cologne. The elder amazon nodded, confirming that her great-granddaughter's wounds were severe, but non-lethal. "So, you're just going to run away? You have no right to carry a sword and talk about fighting when you yourself refuse my challenge!"

Turning around, Ranma locked his eyes with hers. "Cologne, I thought you had a long talk with your people about this 'men are the inferior gender'-thing after the last time I was here?" The amazon elder shrugged apologetically. "Not all heed my words, and not all are able to let go of their pride that easily. There has been progress, but not much. It takes time to change three thousand years of amazon history."

Ranma chuckled. "Point taken. Looks like I'll have to crash your party, after all, Cologne. Sorry 'bout that." The elder smirked toothily. "Don't be. I've been wanting to see your skills ever since the last time you came to visit, son-in-law. Now get on that log and show her how a real amazon fights."

Winking at her, the pig-tailed martial artist leapt onto the challenge log, and turned to face his opponent. "So, you asked for a fight. I ask you one more time. I don't want to fight you." Perfume smirked as she rushed at him, "But I want to fight you!" Easily leaping over the thrust, Ranma turned around and leaned his head sideways, avoiding a downward slash by a hair's width. Slowly backing away from Perfume's advances, he reached he end of the log, and kicked off, soaring above her, and landing lightly on the other end of the log.

"You were faster than this when you fought Shampoo and Ukyo," he noted, ducking under one of her swings. Her next strike came fast enough to blur, and instead of dodging, he reflexively drew his sword, meeting hers in a ringing parry. As they backed away, he arched an eyebrow. "Not bad, you actually surprised me there." He smirked his trademark cocky grin, and re-sheathed the sword, settling into a low stance. "Wanna try that again?"

Perfume's reply, was a wild, wavering warcry as she lunged forward, disappearing in a shockwave as she propelled herself forward. "Now that's more like it," Ranma noted before he, too, vanished from view. The sound of metal hitting metal heralded their reappereance as they clashed in the center of the log, swords locked. Ranma yielded first, jumping backwards and sheathing his sword. An instant later, he was soaring high above a slash that would have split him in two, and came down sword raised above his head. "Ryu Tsui Sen!"

The strike missed its mark as Perfume whirled her broadsword above her head, deflecting Ranma's blade. As soon as his feet made contact with the log, he launched himself forward, striking out left, turning with the attack and bringing his blade up and around behind his back to block the return blow; he spun into a crouch, his sword lashing out in a sweep, angling upwards instantly as Perfume dodged by jumping up. A right-handed flat thrust followed by a sideswing and a diagonal strike backed the amazon against the edge of the log, and Ranma relented, backtracking until he stood in the middle of the log.

Perfume came at him again, slowly this time, swinging her sword at him in a wide arc, which he intercepted with his own blade. Blocking high, he allowed her to push his sword down, only to spin around and block her follow-up that had been aimed at his legs. Flipping over her, his let his sword glance off her blade, running it all the way down to her hilt guard before withdrawing it and drawing it across her back. Perfume stumbled forward from the blow.

When she stood back up, she eyed her opponent curiously. She hadn't felt the pain of a sharp blade slicing into her back. A glance at Ranma's blade confirmed her suspicions, his blade was reversed. An oddity she filed away for future use, as right now it only meant he would not be able to defeat her…not without beating her unconscious.

V------------------V

Ranma smirked as Perfume glanced at him. He held himself in a loose stance that was a mixture of his own Anything-Goes and kenjutsu, his sword ready by his side. Waiting for the amazon to make her next move, he sheathed his blade. Hm…next is going to be the Izuna, if I have to guess, he mused. When his opponent swung her sword at him, roaring the attack's name, he grinned and leapt up, clearing the attack easily. Coming down from his jump, he tapped his foot impatiently. "Come on, you can do better than that."

Moving into a zero-stance, he smirked. "Your Izuna, I know how it works. It's a vaccuum created by the rapid displacement of air. You're not the only one who uses such a technique." He chuckled as she snarled in rage. When she swung again, he was ready. The instant the attack came within range, he drew his sword in a reverse grip, channeling his ki into it. It wasn't even necessary, the attack parted easily around the blade, hitting the ground behind him. The follow-up strike was met with the same results, and as she prepared for the third attack, Ranma exploded forward, sheathing his sword and drawing it in one fluid motion.

Perfume never felt the blade raking across her back as the pig-tailed martial artist spun around her. She never heard his yell of "Ryu Kan Sen!"

V------------------V

"How is she?" The question from the familiar male voice caused Cologne to turn around from where she sat at her great-granddaughter's bedside."She'll be fine. Her wounds were bleeding badly, and she'll be in a lot of pain for the next couple of days, but it wasn't anything crippling or lethal. But it could have been…and nearly would have, Cologne mentally added, knowing Ranma was thinking the same thing. "That's good to hear," came the reply from the pig-tailed martial artist as he crouched down next to the younger amazon's bed.

"I've been wanting to ask you something, Cologne," he continued after watching the girl sleep for a few moments, and the elder looked up from her great-granddaughter to meet the eyes of the boy who had brought such turmoil to her life. "Yes?"

"Perfume…she's dangerous. I can't figure her out. She was so gentle and honorable when fighting Ukyo, but why go this far with Shampoo? It doesn't make sense," he shook his head. "Even being as vicious as this and hurting Shampoo like that…" Cologne sighed. She knew full well where the amazon's drive to win came from, and as much as she detested it, there wasn't a thing she could do.

"Perfume is Brush's great-granddaughter. Her parents and grandparents died when the Musk sent a raiding party into our territory. She's been alone with Brush ever since she was three, and Brush…you have met her. She is very traditional, holding on the the early teachings she has learned herself." Ranma nodded. "Yeah. Calling her inflexible is an understatement. I can't believe you let her go after what she tried the last time – she nearly managed to destroy the village!"

The ancient woman shrugged. "We didn't exactly have a jail at hand, you know. And as much as you don't like it, Brush is a powerful fighter, something that is a necessity, even with the peace with the Musk and Phoenix." Cologne's eyes darkened before she continued, "She is also a strict teacher. From what I have observed, she trains Perfume hard, and I mean, as hard as your father trained you, if not worse. All she knows, is martial arts, to the exclusion of all else." Anticipating the young man's outburst, Cologne held up a hand.

"I know you find it repulsive. But Brush is very demanding, she is nothing like your father, Ranma. She does not do this for personal gain, but she drives Perfume to become the strongest of amazons. I myself do not know why, but it is obvious she has at least partially succeeded in her task." At his sceptical glance, she grinned toothily, something he definitely found creepy. "With you being the exception of course."

Giving her a mock glare, Ranma smirked, "Glad you remembered, granny." Chuckling along with him, Cologne turned serious. "I am worried, though. Perfume's sword…is not the one she was given." Catching the expression, Ranma sobered. "Something about it looks weird," he commented, and Cologne nodded. "You mean aside from the fact that it was obviously glowing and evil?" Her sarcasm earned her another mock glare, but this time they controlled their mirth.

"It looks very much like the Hizashi-jin," she noted with a grim tone. At his confused look, she explained. "The legendary sunblade. Our patron goddess is the goddess of the sun. Amaterasu, if you will, would be her Japanese name. There is an ancient legend that tells of a great battle between her and the incarnatoin of evil." Ranma scrunched his brow in concentration for a moment, attempting to recall the sketchy memory he had of his history lessons. "You mean the legend of Amatsu Mikaboshi?" The elder amazon nodded.

"Yes. There is that very same legend here in this tribe. It is said that the battle took place near Joketsuzoku, and lasted for seven days and nights, bathing the world in one whole week of darkness, before she sealed him away. Sealed him into a cave, and secured the seal with her own sacred sword, the Hizashi-jin. Then there is the prophecy that after thousands of years of rest, he shall awaken, and only the one wielding the sword, the one chosen by the sun, would defeat him." Ranma snorted. "You know I'm not one for legends and prophecies, granny. You know me better than that."

Cologne allowed herself a smile. "Of course I do, Ranma." But neither of them could shake the growing feeling of unease that stirred in them. Something was going to happen, and both had the distinct impression it was nothing good.