Author's note: Due to the fact I didn't like how the other one was going, I changed it to this. Since I'm the author, I can do that, so I hope you enjoy! Ja ne!
The Black and Jade Dragon
Destiny's Path
After the long boat ride from Okinawa to Tokyo, Ranma found it quite refreshing to be on land once again. Searching for Akane for three years was a long time, he last heard about her by someone who went to school at Tokyo University. Then again, he could have been dreaming, he had dreamt about her for those years of traveling.
Stepping up the stairs to a modern apartment complex, Ranma asks some random person if he would find Nabiki or Akane Tendo anyway. He told Ranma the Nabiki was at the desk and as for Akane. The person just shrugged his shoulders. Opening the door, he found the desk, as to what the young man talked about and found Nabiki behind it. "Yo Nabiki, where's Akane?"
Nabiki was getting ready to sit back down, when the chair was not under her and she feel to the floor, looking up to face the speaker, her face was in shock, "Ranma?!" He smiles graciously with his blue eyes twinkling in the sunlight of the room. "I can't believe you're back, and here I was going to set Akane up with Ryoga for a date tonight. Even though she rightfully declined the date, because she just cannot get over the fact that Ryoga is P-chan. You should have seen the damage she did when she found that out." Nabiki looks through a book saying, "He's a key to your room, and it's on the house." She shooed him away seeing that other students where checking in.
Ranma, taking his camping gear and all the stuff he had on his back up to the room Nabiki assigned him. Looking for room number 303, be bumps into a person who strangely reminded him of Mousse, but this person had short hair and did not wear glasses. When he found the room, he opened the door to find it occupied with Ryoga sleeping on the couch and the CD player blasting with what seemed to be a new J-pop star.
Moving to the back of the apartment, he found the empty room, seeing the two rooms where already occupied, so he dumped his stuff on the floor in the third room. The phone rang, and he picked it up. Nabiki was on the other end, "Yo Nabiki!"
"Alright Ranma, seeing that you have a lot of experience in physical Ed, and that the Tendo Dojo will be yours some day, I have set you up for a physical ed degree with a minor in ancient studies. Your classes are already set up for you; I will be faxing it to your fax machine in just a moment. In addition, Ryoga and Mousse are your roommates, any damage you guys cause to this apartment complex will be noted and when you leave, you will be forced to pay. So, if I were you, don't do anything stupid. As for Akane, she'll be leaving for work in two hours. If you want to go drop by and give her a line, she's across the hall from you in 302. Oh yeah, one last thing, tonight Akane and I well be meeting up with Tofu and Kasumi to go home for a weekend feast. Akane hasn't been the same since she's been home, she doesn't talk much, I haven't gotten enough data from her therapist to give any notion how to deal with it, but I think you being back might shed some light on her. Ja." Nabiki was off the phone and Ranma gathered as much info as he could.
Though the thought of Akane being next door seemed exciting, he opened the door and was able to knock on her door when it opened. She stopped and stared at him.
"You're not real, you're just another demon come to kill me. What is your mission and I'll promise to kill you quickly."
Ranma stepped back, "Akane, it's me, Ranma, your fiancée."
"All the other ones were too, what makes you any different?" Her hands on her side for a weapon of some sort she kept there.
"I am your fiancée. I've been gone for three years searching for you, though the last year I was in Okinawa training with an old master of Ancient arts. I once was cursed with being a girl, I use to use it to my advantage and get free ice cream and other sorts. Akane."
Akane stepped forward, placing her hand on his cheek, "If you are my fiancée Ranma, then why did it take you so long to come home. Do you have any idea how worried I've been!" She gives him a hug around the waist as he hugs her around the shoulders, smelling her clean hair and soaking up her presence near him. How he longed for such a reunion and how he felt that something good came out of all this.
"Say, Akane, you wanna do something, like show me around campus or something?" He asks offhandedly.
"Oh Ranma, I can't believe you're home." She squeezes him before releasing him from her hold. "I would be honored to take you around campus and show you what's what and where's where. But first, I think an old friend would like to see you." Akane pushes him in her door, "Uchan, Ranma's home!"
Ukyo ran out wearing her nightclothes, a t-shirt saying Furinkan High School and blue shorts to match. "Ran-chan, is it really you?" She gives him a hug, "It is really you." She backs away and puts her arm over Akane's shoulder, "I told ya he would return sugar, though I have to admit all those demon hunting that look like Ranma, has defiantly put a damper on my excitement." Akane nods.
"Demon hunting?" Ranma asks.
Akane tenses for a bit but Ukyo takes over and explains, "Ever since Akane came back, we've been hunted by demons. Akane hasn't told me the purpose as to why she is being hunted, but it has defiantly been able to help me get better at fighting and everyone else who helps. Though, I do have to admit, Akane's pretty deadly with a sword."
Ranma smiles at them both, "So do you girls have anything I could eat, I just returned."
Ukyo squeaks, "Yo Akane, do we have any more of your dinner last night or did Ryoga and Moose eat it all?" Akane having left to look in the fridge, Ukyo catch Ranma's uneasiness. "Ranma, trust me, her cooking is so much better than when we were in high school. I have no idea where she was taken off to, but wherever it was and who ever it was taught her how to cook. Most of us can't get enough of her cooking."
Akane returns saying, "Looks like they ate it all from last night, if you wish I could make something else."
Ukyo puts her hand over Akane's shoulder again saying, "You go talk with Ranma, and I'll make some okinomiyaki. Plus, Akane, it's nice to see you actually smiling."
Ukyo leaves Ranma and Akane alone, but before they could even say one word, Mousse comes flying in. Akane, prepared for anything these days got a pot of hot water and pored it on him. "Akane, I think I saw Ranma!"
Akane, turns Mousse around saying, "You did see Ranma." Moose facial expression was one of awe.
"Ranma, you've grown." He said arrogantly.
"Yeah, that's what three years can do to a person, as for you." Ranma stops and doesn't finish his sentence.
Ryoga busts in the room, "Akane, I've been thinking," but he stops as he notices Ranma. His eyes narrow and he shouts, "Ranma, how dear you make Akane suffer!"
Akane places her hand on Ryoga's shoulder and he tenses, she speaks coldly, "Ryoga, Ranma did his best to come save me, as for you, there is no excuse."
Ukyo comes out informing them that breakfast was ready, as the time passes Akane, Ukyo and Mousse left for work, Ranma found out, through the discussion at the table, that Ryoga is actually a professor at the school. Seeing that Ryoga has been everywhere that his feet can take him, he passed all the tests for International studies and foreign affairs. So now, that is what he teachers, also the fact that Nabiki has some good information to black mail every teacher on campus, plus those higher up in the world, so she uses the information to her advantage. This is how he figured out how he was admitted so quickly into the school.
The first day of classes would start in three days, and Ranma didn't have any money to buy any books. Though when he talked with Nabiki about this, she said it was all covered and the books be delivered later on in the day. She also gave him a map as to where he could find everything he needed in this Tokyo area. Ranma found it a bit hard to believe that the cold Nabiki he knew and this one where one in the same.
Checking out the map, he thought his first place of business would be the Cat Café. Seeing that is was a few blocks away, he took a shower and left the apartment complex to explorer the Tokyo University area.
Entering the Cat Café he noticed two things, Shampoo seemed to be running it instead of Cologne and Akane's the head waitress, from what is looked. Akane saw him at the corner of her eye and was by his side the very second, "Sorry Ranma, no freeloading. Though if ya need a job I'm sure Shampoo will hire you."
Shampoo, who noticed the odd behavior of Akane, came out to investigate why Akane stopped so quickly to talk to this young man at the front of the shop. Her purple hair tied in a ponytail, bounces next to Akane, "Akane, why you stop working?" She looks at the tall young man and notices its Ranma, "Ranma?" He smiles and his blue eyes twinkle, "Ranma is that really you?" He nods his head. "Want to work?" He answers with another nod, "Good, turn to girl from and help out."
He laughs, "I don't have my girl form anymore."
Shampoo looks hard at him asking, "What you mean?"
"I don't have the girl form anymore, though I could call her up and we could work together, but I'm sure she has other stuff to do."
"What you mean call her up? How you get rid of curse?"
Ranma steps out of the way to allow someone through, "It's a very long story, I'm sure you'll all get it out of me soon enough, but lets just say it's all in the mind."
Shampoo, not really understanding what Ranma was trying to say but let him get off with the short explanation for now. Akane gave Ranma an apron and the days of working at the Cat Café started.
Later that evening when they all walked home together, Shampoo, Mousse, Ukyo, Akane, and Ranma, Ranma noticed Akane seemed a bit to nerves. He was about to stop her and ask her what could be wrong, but she gave him a look saying don't-stop-now. Therefore, he obeyed her unvoiced request and walked a little closer to her. When they got to the complex, Nabiki was their waiting. They all met up with Kasumi, Tofu at the train station, Akane paid for Ranma's ticket, and they all entered the train. Ranma sat beside Akane asking, "What wrong?" He could feel a distance presence somewhere but he couldn't pin point it.
Akane looked over at Kasumi and Tofu before answering, "Ranma, I am being hunted because I ran away from the demon who took me. Currently there are three demons on this train and six more waiting for us when we exit in two more stops at Nerima. Protect Kasumi please, she's pregnant." The rest of the train ride was in silence as she watches the loving arms of Tofu surround her sister with its embrace.
When the train gets ready to stop, Akane quickly asks Ranma, "While you've been gone, you won't by chance have had to face a lot of demons have you?" He just looked at her and nodded. "Good, I'll get the ones on the train you can take care of the ones off the train. I have a few seconds to finish them off, go!" With that her hands where a blur and he figured, since she was fighting them off as if they were nothing, so should he. When Akane was finished, Ranma killed off the last one he was fighting. Akane asks everyone, "You all right?" The all nod and Ranma wonders what all she's been though since he's been gone. "Then let's go home," Akane announces and they walk the rest of the way to the dojo with out any problems.
When they all enter the house, Genma was the first to be shocked with no answer, his mom just burst out crying and same was the reaction of Soun. The reunion for them was quite a loud and enjoyable. Ranma noticed every giggle and smile that caressed Akane's face. However, he promised to find the underlying cause of what happened to her, and he still didn't understand why he was commanded to train with the stupid old man named Kenji in Okinawa.
As the night was dragging on, Ranma asked Akane to spar in the dojo, but she being the little prideful one as she has always been accepted the challenge. As everyone enters the Dojo, Shampoo noticed her Great Grandmother had decided to join them. Cologne bounces on her stick to seek out Ranma asking, "Son-in-law, do you actually plan on fighting her?" Ranma just smiled and turned to Akane who had enters wearing her yellow gi.
Ranma squares off and Akane starts to circle him, Ranma watched Akane tense for one moment but it was gone in a blink of an eye. At that moment, she attacked, though Akane may have become faster and accurate. She wasn't as good as Ranma, which frustrated her to no end. Then again, she wasn't doing any ki techniques, just the normal Anything-Goes Martial Arts. As the fight seemed to intensify, Akane stops. She turns around to face an unknown enemy, which left everyone but Ranma wondering what she was doing. Ranma saw the man, or a form of a man that was standing at the far end of the Dojo. Akane was stepping up to the unknown figure when the image of who it was popped into his head. He did know this thing, he put his hand out to stop Akane, which it did. The figure moved forward, allowing the other to see him in a form of a man.
"Ah, my dear sweet, beautiful Akane," the figure expressed, Ranma felt the tension coming from Akane. The figure looks over at Ranma saying, "Ranma, I will fight you for the possession of Akane. Though, I may have had for such a short time, a life time with her would be worth all the souls I already have." He turned to Akane, "You haven't forgotten your Lord have you my lady?" Ranma could tell Akane was pushing her limits standing there, listening to this figure speak. "I will come after you my dear, and you will be mine." The figure disappears in a mist, Akane fells to the floor holding her knees and rocking her self. Ranma goes to put a hand on her shoulder, to show her some kind of comfort, but she moved away from it. Ranma sits down beside her.
Ranma could hear the sniffs she was making, and could see the water droplets coming out of her eyes. Taking a deep breath he says, "You were with the Jade Lord?"
Akane stops her rocking and looks at him, "How do you know who he is?"
Ranma, making sure every attempt to comfort her in this phase of words, "I went there a year or so ago looking for you. I heard a rumor of a young woman that people told me was taken to his domain, it was also discussed that she was from Japan. Therefore, with a band of other men, we came and searched for you. I never found you."
Akane looked hard at him, "You were with the Black Dragon Clan? I took some guys sword while the Jade Lord wasn't looking and I stabbed the Jade Lord with it. That's how I escaped, I was able to find a passage back to Japan, and a few weeks later I was home with my family. However, I did keep the guys sword, because I felt safe with it. It wasn't until after I was home for a month or two, I found out that the way I tried to kill the Jade Lord was the wrong was to kill a demon, so the Jade Lord was not killed but damaged badly. Then Ying showed up, which I actually thought was you, but she just told me vaguely that you were ok, for now. She's been my teacher ever since."
To those listening, which was everyone, the story as to where Akane had been was something that got soaked up in everyone's mind. Even Kasumi, who didn't seem to understand anything that was bad, understood and wished for the best for Akane.
Ranma looks away for a moment, "So you're the one who stool my sword, do you have any idea how hard it was for me to get the Sword of the Gods." Putting a hand over her should he adds, "You can keep the sword, I was given the Sword of Heaven before I left Okinawa." Akane smiled as she realized Ranma did save her from the dreaded Jade Lord.
If Nabiki had a camera, she probably would have taken a few pictures for her sister, but seeing that a memory is good at catching images, she left the moment for her sister.
Cologne and Tofu had both heard of such a demon called the Jade Lord, Cologne took the silence to break it saying, "Akane, Ranma, please tell me about this Jade Lord. I have heard of him in old scripts but I need to know what we are going to be dealing with if we plan to get rid of him for good." The crowed of friendship filled the once silent air.
Akane tensed at the mention of him, but she figured the fast the information came out, the quicker she could recover the blow. She invites everyone to sit near Ranma and her as she explains her ordeal with the Jade Lord.