Sorry it took so long peoples. Lots o' stuff came up lately so I had a reason! XD To the people who want explanations for the plot holes in the story - DENIED! Just kidding. As a wise person once said, "Patience is a virtue."

Disclaimer: I am poor and own nothing but the storyline. Please don't sue.

Darkness.

Ranma's eyes opened and then immediately closed again. Light has a tendency to hurt unaccustomed eyes after all.

"Wh-where am I? Ugh, it's like I got shot with a cannonball," she said, taking a quick glance at her surroundings.

She seemed to be in a dungeon of some type. Chains and iron bracers adorned the wall and there were various torture devices on a rack in the corner. Ranma looked over her head and found her own arms to be locked into a pair of aforementioned bracers and suspended from the wall.

'Heh, Homey. Well I guess I need to get out of here.'

She stretched her ki out into a "tentacle" and reached it up to break the chain….only, she couldn't focus. The tentacle wavered and faded.

"Man, Herb must've hit me harder than I thought! I wonder what that stupid attack was anyway?"

"I might teach it to you at some point…..bride," came a voice from the shadows.

"Who's there?" Ranma yelled. "Why, it's me, your soon-to-be-husband," said the voice.

"Psshhhh! Yeah right! I ain't marryin' nobody pal. Now why don't you step out here so I can see who's butt I'm gonna kick!"

"Very well," the voice said, walking out of the shadows. The torchlight shone on his dragon scale armor. "And I don't think you'll be kicking my butt, woman!" he said with a cruel smile.

Suddenly, it all came back to the newly permanent girl. The fights with the guards, the confrontation with Herb, the big battle….and the last thing she heard.

"I have finally found a woman worthy of bearing me a strong child!"

Back in the present, the girl immediately screamed, "Oh HELL no! I ain't lettin' you anywhere near me if that's what's goin' through your mind, pal!"

"And just how are you going to stop me? I've already beaten you and the drug running through your system should make it too difficult for you to focus your new power."

Ranma realized that he was right. For the first time since she could remember, she was completely helpless. The bindings holding her were hard iron and as strong as she was, without her ki, she couldn't even hope to break them. She was at the mercy of the man before her, and they both knew it.

'I really should've gone with my first plan of no fighting!' she thought desperately.

"I must say, I don't think I can even wait for the wedding. Why not secure the throne right now?

The implications behind this statement made Ranma say the only thing that came to mind.

"Kyaaaaaaahhh!"

She knew it was girly but she was a girl now right? Besides, it seemed to fit the situation.

Herb was already shedding his robes when she came back to herself.

"Herb, pl-please! I-isn't it enough that you b-beat me?"

"I already knew that I was the superior combatant. I am doing this for two reasons. One, you are the strongest woman I have ever seen and will do good to secure my bloodline. Second, I'm doing this for a personal reason," he said, tearing her shirt and pants off.

"Quite simply, I want to see you squirm like the pathetic, little, helpless girl you are!" he said with a malicious grin on his face.

Ranma was down to her usual underwear of just boxers and this fact terrified her. Quivering in fear, she screamed with the realization that she was probably going to be raped. Fear gripped her whole body and just as darkness started closing in, she heard it.

"Halt foul sorcerer!" said a surprisingly reassuring voice.

"K-Kuno? Wh-what are you doing here?" she asked weakly.

"Fear not my fair pigtailed girl! This beastly ruffian shall now face the might of the Blue Thunder!"

"Kuno no! He's too strong! Even I couldn't beat him!" Wait, why did she care? Somehow, she was worried for the delusional fool.

"Who is this joker? Can't he see we're busy? I'll ju-"

That's as far as he got before the would-be samurai threw his hands forward and launched the Musk prince into a wall. The boy in uniform then went back to a standard samurai stance with his hand on his bokken.

"Prepare yourself hooligan!" he roared.

Ranma, for once, was speechless. Did the Blue Blunder just use her new technique? Nah, it was probably just his usual air pressure attack. But what if it wasn't?

Whatever it was, it only stopped Herb for a minute. He blasted out of the wall like a rocket, headed for a flight-powered head-butt into Kuno. Said boy simply side-stepped the attack, drawing his weapon simultaneously and slamming it into his opponent's back. The force of the attack slammed Herb into the ground where he lay motionless in a daze.

"Well, so much for a good fight. Are you okay Ranma?"

Whoa, back up! Did he just talk normally and call her by name?

"Who are you and what did you do with the real Kuno?"

Kuno sighed and said, "I suppose I should have expected this. Let me free you and we'll talk on the way to our ride home. You have accomplished all that you came to, yes?"

"Uh…..yes?" 'Holy crap. Is this really Kuno?'

"Yes, it's really me."

"What the hell?"

"On the way if you please."

He sliced through her cuffs and helped her stand.

"Can you walk?"

"O' course I can! What do you think….I….I….ugh," Ranma said falling over. 'S-stupid drug!' "Okay, no I can't"

Kuno simply responded by picking her up bridal style and walking through the nearby door. Ranma unconsciously laid her head against his shoulder.

'This sure is different. Oh well. I'll get some answers!'

To be continued…

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