Guardian One-Half

by TheDevian

While being chased through town one day, Ranma somehow managed to avoid the walkway washer woman, and his fate subtly changed. My apologies to anyone who has been waiting on the next chapter of my first story, Nodoka 2/1, my editor got sidetracked, and while I was waiting on him to catch up, I started this "short story" idea that grew well out of hand.

2. Chapter 2

As usual, no thing here is owned by me, etc.

So, without further adieu, here's chapter two.

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"You think it's a good idea to bring the kid?"

"What, ya think it's better ta leave Hinako-chan here, alone?"

"Point taken."

"Thank you, onii-chan!" The 'child' squealed and climbed onto Ranma's back, hugging him as they handed their 'anchor' to Jasmine.

The elephant took the bound Happosai and started swinging, building up as much momentum as she was able before letting him fly! Already upset about being manhandled, Happosai slammed into the side of the air-ship, cursing 'the ingrates' as he did. "How dare they do this to their master!" Then a thought of the eldest Tendo daughter, dressed in a skimpy dress, with silks thin enough for an 'Aladdin' style harem, filled his mind, spurring him on to greater heights! "KASUMI-CHAN!" The perverted old man dug his fingers into the hardened wood, and fueled by his depraved imagination, scaled the side of the boat.

Hoping to see the young woman being forced to belly dance on the deck of the ship, he put all of his effort into climbing over the top of the railing. The old man could think of no other reason there would be so many lights this late at night. However, much to his dismay, he found the deck quite empty, and was rather disappointed until he heard the sound of a woman's sweet sigh! It was not the voice he had been hoping to hear, but it was melodic, and it called to his very soul. He was finding it more difficult to move than he anticipated, what with the unexpected weight of the others added to the trailing rope, but he was not going to allow that to prevent him from reaching the siren's voice.

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"You are sure that Prince Kirin is just sleeping...?"

"...and there is nothing else wrong?"

An unintelligible, yet positive sound was heard.

"Oh good."

The twin brothers let out a sigh of relief. "We should probably have a doctor check anyway..."

"...once we get back."

Five of the seven lucky gods, led by the large mountain of a man, Mu, paused as they ran face to face into the wouldbe rescue team, who were led by Happosai, the smaller man bouncing back like a ping-pong ball, still tied to his rope.

"Intruders! Get them!"

The grand melee began, various people taking turns, and switching partners until everyone settled on their opponent. Ryoga threw a few blows, taking a few as well, though he barely noticed at first, unfortunately he kept getting turned around, and was still looking for an appropriate target, when he saw Akane trying to help with one of the twins. His new target acquired, Ryoga started to charge into the fray.

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Hinako remembered her onii-chan saying the scroll had a super secret special move on it, and it was important to get it back! Everyone else was busy, and it had to be in this ship somewhere, so she ran off to look for it! Whenever someone was making fun of her, or trying to leave her behind, there was onii-chan to save her, and she wanted to help him too! Everyone else was helping, so why shouldn't she? "I'm helping, I'm helping! Helping onii-chan! Hinako-chan is helping, helping all day long!"

Hinako skipped down the hallway, singing as she looked into every room she passed.

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Ranma looked up and did not see Hinako, though quickly looking around, he thought he saw her hair flipping out from around a corner. Most of them were all engaged in battles, and many of them were barely holding their own, the only person not in a one on one fight was Ryoga who he did not trust to find the youthful-seeming instructor. "Shimatta!"

"This effrontery will not continue! Bishamonten will teach you to focus in battle!" The large bearded man lowered his trident, charging at the young martial artist, who casually slipped around the long weapon, redirecting his momentum into the lost boy's path.

"Tonkatsu, take care of this for me fer a moment, would you? I got ta do something real fast!"

Ryoga scowled at being called a 'pork cutlet' as Ranma ran after his absent-minded professor, but did not have time to worry about it as the physically larger man blocked his path. The monster was standing between himself and helping Akane, and Ryoga was determined to not to leave things that way for long, but he swore that once this was over, Ranma would pay! Unfortunately for him, the bearded man was not the only one around.

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Mon-Lon and Kasumi had not made it back to her 'guest-room' room before they heard the sounds of a scuffle on the decks above. The two young women looked at each other, concern for different people written clearly on their faces, and they both took off running toward the growing racket.

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Crawling around a dark room, Hinako found many large vats, each covered with a lid. They were all over the room, and many times larger than she was. She gathered a few smaller items from books, to buckets, and anything else she could carry, and climbed up to the first vat, lifting the lid. She was so shocked by the strong vinegar smell that upon hearing a noise behind her, she stumbled and fell inside. Her feet were caught, keeping her from sinking to the bottom, but also keeping her from being able to right herself. The pickle juice in her ears prevented her from hearing the shouting now filling the room.

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"Hinako-chan!" Ranma glanced in the room, just in time to see the alleged child fall in the vat and the lid close on her shoes. With one mad dash, he was able to pull her free before she had the opportunity to suffocate, thankful that he did not need to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation! Ranma returned her appreciative embrace, not particularly caring that he now smelled like pickles.

"Onii-chan saved Hinako-chan again! Best onii-chan ever!"

"It's nuthin, just promise me you won't run away again. I need you to stay with me, or I can't keep you safe. Okay?"

"...Okay, onii-chan, I promise! But, what about the scroll...?"

Seeing the look on her face, Ranma's bravado took over, trying to be reassuring. "Don't worry, if it's dangerous, we'll get that scroll, after we save Kasumi-nee-san, and defeat that Prince Kirin jerk! Okay?"

Jumping onto Ranma's back, Hinako cheered! "OKAY! Onii-chan to the rescue!"

They both cheered, "Okay!" as Ranma ran back toward the deck where he had last seen his friends and family.

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The pair made it to the deck just after Mon-Lon and Kasumi, and while thankful to see Kasumi safe and sound, he was not happy to see the state of the rest of his alleged 'team'. He silently wished he had been able to gather more of his 'friends' for this trip. "Do you see that? This is why we can't run away. Okay?"

The 'young' Hinako nodded, feeling a bit guilty about her actions as she saw their friends piled up, tangled in the rope that was tied to the silly 'Jii-chan. She might have cried if not for her onii-chan's mood improving.

"Kasumi-san! You're okay!"

"Ranma-kun, everyone, why are you here?" Her emotions were quite torn, she was surprised that everyone had joined them, not happy to see that they had mostly been beaten up in the process, though she was relieved that they seemed to be recovering.

The need to facefault, was only overridden by Ranma's desire to keep the 'child' on his shoulders safe. "Well, we all got our reasons, but, ya know..."

Kirin was the last to join them on deck, and while he was still a bit groggy, he was pleased to see that his own people were doing well, and that his 'bride' remained unharmed. The fact that she was talking to that 'uncultured plebeian' did not improve his mood though. He was about to confront the scoundrel, when he had been interrupted by another vaguely familiar young woman.

"My prince! My Prince!"

"Yes, do you have business with Kirin?"

The young Chinese girl was on the verge of tears, desperately pleading her case. "Lychee is original bearer of scroll! Lychee is one to be bride!"

"Kirin does not know you. Kasumi-Kasumi Tendo is the one fated to be the bride of Kirin."

This was the last push, the poor teen's heart could take no more, and she broke down into tears, sobbing on the deck of the ship.

"How dare ya make a girl cry! Guys like ya 're th' worst!" Ranma teemed with rage.

"Baka! Like you have any room to talk!"

"That's different! At least I'm tryin'!"

"Yes, you certainly are!"

"Do ya got ta ruin every dramatic moment?"

"When it's with some other girl, yes! Besides, it wouldn't have made sense if I'd waited! You need to learn 'context'!"

"NOW look whose talking!"

"Are you two quite done? We have a wedding to prepare and some sharks to feed."

"WAIT!" Ranma's ki infused shout caused everyone to freeze for a moment as he turned to face Kasumi, surprising even himself. "Kasumi-san, if yer happy, an' want ta stay with these guys, then we'll leave, an' pray fer yer happiness, but if ya want ta come home, then tell me now, an' I won't stop until yer safe with us! What do ya REALLY want?"

"I really want you to not get hurt on my account!"

"THAT ...doesn't matter! All that matters is that yer safe an' happy, an' it's MY job ta get ya back, no matter what it takes ...that is if ya want ta come back, I mean."

"But, how can I be happy, if you get hurt for me?"

"I told ya, that don't matter, don't worry about it. Just answer me this one question, 'Do ya WANT ta come home?'"

"Oh Ranma-kun ...I do!"

Ranma smiled and cracked his knuckles as he shifted his gaze from Kasumi to Kirin and took up a fighting stance. "Ya heard th' woman, let Kasumi-san go, or prepare yerself fer battle."

"Touching moment, but do you really think you have a chance to take the bride of Kirin by force? You certainly did not give us a very good showing at our previous meeting." The nobleman calmly walked forward, his cape flowing in the wind. "Fine then, if you wish to be shown up by your betters again, so be it."

"You remind me of someone I know back home, that guy is a real jerk too!" Ranma cracked his neck as he prepared to block the attack he expected to come at any moment.

"On second thought, fighting a weakling is bad enough, but to fight a commoner as well, that would just spoil my fine mood this evening." Turning away, his cape flapped in the wind. "Drop the interlopers into the sea!"

"Why you, I'll show you who's a weakling..."

"No need, you already have." Kirin turned away as the front half of the vessel started to rotate, causing Ranma to slip, while the rest of their family started to slide toward the edge of the deck and over the side. Ranma knew that as a potential bride, Kasumi was in no immediate physical danger, so as much as he wanted to make a jump for Kirin, he leapt for the others, with Hinako still clutching tightly to his back.

"Ranma-kun! ...Save Akane-chan, who can't swim!" Kasumi ran to the nearest edge, looking over. What she saw horrified her, there were no people, just the last pieces of wood being pulled under by the waves. "You monster! Even Ranma-kun, swept under, how could you?"

Kasumi was crushed, almost her whole family, wiped out before her very eyes, and they wondered why she had not wanted them to do this. She knew Nabiki would recover, her little sister was emotionally the strongest one of them all, but as for her, she did not want to live with the guilt! Kasumi Tendo made a short, silent prayer.

The young woman then moved faster than any of them had thought possible, as she threw herself over the side of the ship, only to have her plunging descent arrested by something wrapping itself around her waist as she slammed into the side of the airship, knocking the wind from her lungs. As she was being hauled back up, she saw something that made her realize her miscalculation, and ceased to struggle while trying to catch her breath.

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"That's it Akane, use that brute strength of yours!"

"Why you...!"

"That's it, use that anger ta hold on! Ryoga, if ya let Akane fall, I will serve you up with breakfast!"

"As if I would ever do that!" Ryoga was so shocked at the implication that he would ever drop Akane, that he missed the 'pork' reference entirely.

Hinako panted with her death-grip on Ranma's chest, thankful that he had grabbed her as they started to fall! With the sudden change, she had been dislodged from her onii-chan, and he had snatched her out of the air before she had fallen too far. She was still gripping the pieces of his shirt in her hands. She was so scared she could not even spare a glance at the elephant above them with the Chinese onee-chan on its head, or below where mustache man and the mean glasses man were hanging on below, all she could do was to bury her face in the warm, safe chest, while trying to hide from the scary world. She did not think she could ever have been brave enough to jump off of a flying ship, even with a rope!

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The sun had finally climbed over the mountains, providing a breathtaking sight. The morning sun glistened off of the spraying water from several geysers that shot up into the crisp blue sky, and producing rainbows almost everywhere they looked.

"It is quite majestic, eh Tendo-kun?"

"Ah yes, it is said that this mountain is protected by the spirit of Mount Fuji!"

"No one say that! Is Nekonron, said be legendary place, where Monkey King, Sun Wukong once fought! Is home of Seven Lucky Gods after all, and at center, Seven-Luck Mountain, where is they castle. Geysers say formed during battle of gods!"

"Sugoi!"

"Yeah, it's pretty amazin', all right, especially from way up here-" Just as Ranma was finishing his sentence, one of the jets of hot water blasted them all, stopping just shy of the boat. Luckily, the only one who had been unable to maintain their grip had been Happosai, unfortunately for them all, he had been the one holding onto the ship...

Luckily, the hot water broke their fall. It had been a rough landing, but one they had all been able to walk away from without serious injury. "At least that washed off th' pickle juice! Now, which way'd they go?"

"It was this way, I'm sure!" Ranma grabbed Ryoga by the collar, keeping him from running off.

"If Ryoga thinks they went that way, we know it has to be this way. Let's go!"

"Raaaaaannnnmaaa...!"

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"Lord Kirin! Are you sure you want to go in there, after what happened last time?"

"Be at ease, Ebiten."

"Yes, Sire."

Walking into the room, he turned to face Kasumi, who was sitting on the bed, absently staring out the window. "Kirin sees you have calmed. Have you decided to become the bride of Kirin then?"

Kasumi did not pull her eyes from the porthole as she shook her head. "I cannot."

"How could that be? Could you have given your heart to that man? How is it the one that Kirin has bested is the one you care for? Amusing. Kirin is the only man worthy of your love."

"Oh my, you are quite mistaken, but Ranma-kun will come for you, and that scroll. Of this I am certain."

"Oh? Interesting. This man comes for Kirin then, not for you?"

"Of course not! Why would anyone come for me?"

"Why would anyone not?" Kirin slowly leaned in, intending to kiss his bride to be, however she cringed and turned away. "Fine then, I will fight for you in earnest, and when your man is defeated, you will come to Kirin of your own free will."

"Oh my ...you still do not understand at all."

"You must love this man very much to have such confidence, but fear not, Kirin will not be overwhelmed if you are the prize!"

'Do I? ...Of course, like a little brother! Ranma-kun is Akane-chan's iinazuke, and that is all there can be to it. Besides, my tastes are ...different, are they not? I like older, more mature men, younger men are just so ...young!' Kasumi spared a glance at the prince as he walked out of the room, more confused than she had been since this whole adventure commenced. "Oh my!"

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"I need food!"

"Too tired to go on."

"Come on guys, we can't slowdown now, we got ta save Kasumi-san!"

All of them cheered together. "YEAH!"

"What's that?" Ryoga pointed to the sky.

"A pickling stone? What's-" The bounder, about half a meter across, crashed into the ground in the middle of their circle, with handwritten paper sign taped to it. "-that doing there?"

"There's a drawing of Kasumi an' that jerk! Lychee, can ya read this?"

"Today at sundown, Kasumi-Kasumi Tendo and master Kirin, will hold wedding reception in castle tower. Seven Lucky God await guest at castle gates."

"That means this must be a challenge, they know we're here! We got ta thank that pretty-boy jerk fer th' invite!" Ranma ran off, following the direction of the stone's origin.

Lychee ran to jump onto Jasmine's back. "Ranma, wait for Lychee!"

"Ranma, you pervert!" Akane ran after them, mallet in hand.

"How dare you, Ranma?" Ryoga tried not to let Akane out of his sight.

"Go forth to battle, Ranma! Test the fruits of your training! However, before you can battle the leader, you will have to defeat each of the other Seven Lucky Gods!" Happosai's face lost all focus, and he stared off into space. "Seven, Lucky, Gods? ...That means, that means I can see the pretty lady again!" Like a shot, the ancient master was off and running after the lost boy.

"After you, Tendo-kun."

"Oh, no, no, no, Saotome-kun, after you..."

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"So, the children have come. With Bishamonten guarding the first gate, they'll not get through that easily!" Twirling his trident, the large man readied himself for battle.

"The first one would have to be a big one..."

"You'll just run away anyway, like you always do."

"Out of the way, I've got this guy! I've got a score to settle anyway. Hurry up and stop that wedding, Baka!" Mallet in hand, Akane charged after the much larger man, swinging wildly.

"Same here, we'll catch up to you soon!"

"Hey, thanks. Give 'um a Pork Chop!" Ranma and the others ran through the gate.

"Don't make me change my mind!" As soon as the fathers had made it through, Ryoga shouted, "Bakusai Tenketsu!"

Ranma only hesitated for a moment, as the first tower fell. Mumbling under his breath, Ranma picked up speed toward the second tower. "Ya'd better keep Akane safe, Pork-butt!"

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They knew they had arrived at the second tower, not just because it was a tower, and was the next one in their path, but also because it helpfully had a sign stating as much, along with strange background music playing as the oversized doors creaked open.

"What th' heck?"

"I guess that means we need to pass through here!"

"It's scary, but it's okay, 'cause your here, Onii-chan!"

"Let's go!"

"Wait for Lychee!"

"Pretty Lady?" Happosai ran through the doors, desperately looking around, as he hoped to catch even a glimpse of the beautiful bard's location.

As Ranma entered the main room, he saw the two twins sitting at a 'Go' table, playing a game.

"As the game plays on, the sun sets..."

"Humm, that is interesting, is that your move?"

"Hey, are ya two jerks th' guards here?"

"Oh, it seems we have company, Daihakusei."

"Indeed, it seems we do, Daikokusei."

"Excuse me, don't let me interrupt yer relaxing game, don't get up, I'll let myself out."

"Oh my, how terribly rude."

"It certainly was, dear brother. Whatever shall we do?"

"I guess we shall have to teach our friend some manners."

"Shall we?"

"Surely. After you."

"Thank you."

"Go on Ranma my boy, your father will save you from these fiends!"

"I think they are perfectly suited opponents for us, don't you Saotome-kun?"

"Indeed Tendo-kun!"

"I am afraid you do not understand."

"Yes, I am sorry, but we must stop any of you from proceeding."

Soun, used to talking to children, or at least child-like adults, knew just how to enforce discipline in his students! Soun's trademarked Demon Head technique prevented any further discussion on the matter. "I said WE were to be your opponents!"

Both of the twins responded in a weak unison. "Okay."

"No time to waste, Ranma-kun! 'Go', save my daughter!"

"You have my word, Tendo-san!"

"'Go', you said, fine then, I will. First move, four-fourteen, black!"

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As they approached the third gate, Ranma paused, curious, not seeing anyone around. "Is this it? I don't see a guard. I guess this one is going to be easy!"

"Pretty Lady!" Happosai did not even slow down, making a straight light to go through the gate, however as he approached, the largest of the Seven Lucky Gods seemingly stepped from nowhere, blocking their path, and sending the old man flying.

"He's huge!" Ranma barely stood up to this next guard's bellybutton. He had briefly seen the man on the boat, but to be that close, was something else. Ranma was momentarily struck speechless.

"He many time bigger than Jasmine!"

Said elephant stepped forward, looking up at the larger man. After a moment, Jasmine raised her trunk to the man's face, as he wrapped his arms around her trunk with hearts in his eyes.

"I guess they friends now."

"Well, I guess that means the coast is clear now, huh? Let's go!"

"Jasmine, you stay here and make 'nice-nice', okay?"

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Kasumi looked beautiful in the wedding attire in which she had been dressed. Sadly, her lovely appearance did not match the discontented look upon her face, as she stepped into the room where Kirin awaited her. The sunlight glistened off of the sparkling jewelry she had been wearing, dazzling the eyes of anyone in view.

As the prince turned around, his face lit up, barely able to contain his gaze. "How lovely you are!"

The complement was not enough to improve her mood however...

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Mon-Lon was relaxing on the roof of her gatehouse, looking stunning as she calmly plucked out a simple tune on her favorite instrument, hardly seeming to notice Ranma and Lychee approaching at all. It was not until Ranma had spoken his challenge that she bothered to stop playing, or even acknowledge them in any way.

"I've got business with yer boss, so get out ta th' way, an' let us pass!"

"You speak boldly young man, but I doubt you could ...'handle' me."

"Don't underestimate me, I'm serious here! Why don't ya come down here..."

Ranma jumped back as she suddenly jumped down, landing right in front of where he had been. "So what do you plan to do, boy? At least you nose isn't bleeding, that is better than your friend had managed on the boat!"

Ranma had been about to retort when he got a strong sinking feeling, and knew exactly what it was. "GET OUTTA THE WAY!" He dove to the side, pulling Lychee along with him, just in the nick of time to avoid being bowled over by an imperceptible blur.

"Do you take me for a fool?" The bard was annoyed by the lad's reaction, but it did not last as the blur suddenly stopped right in front of her.

"Pretty lady! Pretty lady!"

"Aiyaaaaaaaaaa!"

"Well, normally I would stop the old pervert, but we're in a hurry."

"Onii-chan, CHARGE!"

As Ranma started to run, he turned back and shouted, "Hey, sorry about that, but, ya know, good luck with th' old man!"

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"Wahahahaha! So you've made it all the way to the fifth castle gate! But this is where your luck ends!" The little man commenced spinning his fishing pole like a staff. "As the fearless Ebiten, I shall allow no one to pass through here!"

"I don't got time fer this! If ya won't let me through, I'll turn ya inta a garden gnome fer Kasumi's garden!" Ranma took up a fighting stance of his own and charged in. "Let's go!"

Lychee cringed, the small man's longer reach gave him a clear advantage as blows rained down upon Ranma and his charge. Even she could tell that he had to be especially careful whenever a strike came anywhere near the child on his back, it required a slightly different focus, but she saw that he was gradually getting used to it, and so far, the girl had barely been inconvenienced, though Ranma's shirt was looking much worse for wear.

Luckily, the little man rarely aimed above Ranma's shoulders, so he usually only had to worry about protecting Hinako's legs and back. His best move was to get behind the dwarf, it never lasted long, but he could get in a few blows that way. Flipping over his head worked a few times, but the little man had figured out a counter to that, by aiming for Hinako's head, and Ranma had to twist out of the way to avoid it.

Their melee had moved off to the side, and had even punched a few holes in the walls, but Ranma had managed to take all of the hits himself. Hinako screamed when a rare blow to Ranma's face had drawn blood. "Not in the face! Not in onii-chan's face!"

"It's okay kid, it didn't hurt. It will take more than that to stop Ranma Saotome!"

"Good, it wouldn't be fun otherwise!"

"What's taking so long, Baka?" Akane ran by, quickly followed by Ryoga.

"Yeah Pervert, hurry up or you'll miss all the fun!"

"Not only are you fighting the smallest one, but you take this long? Ranma, my boy, you disappoint me!"

"I thought you were going to save my Kasumi-chan!"

"I'm working on it!"

"'None shall pass', I said!"

"We aren't waiting!"

"Hey!" Ranma watched as the last of his tentative family passed him by... "At least take the kid!" A growl formed in his throat. "Fine then." The boy's battle aura grew brighter and he leapt into action! ...by running away, rebounding off of a nearby wall, and high into the air, well over the reach of the man's pole, and luckily short man did not think quickly enough to use his fishing line. Ranma's arms blurred into motion as he descended, shattering the little man's weapon before landing blows on the man, and his gate as well.

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An explosion was heard in the distance, and Kasumi regained a bit of her smile, which grew a bit wider as the chamber doors flew open and Akane, her father, and several of their friends ran into the room. She then noticed that Ranma was not with them and instantly began to worry. The fact that Happosai and the elephant were not there, did not seem to register as important to her in any way.

"As promised, we held off on the sacred ceremony until your arrival. You may now stay for the festivities, or be defeated by Kirin. Either way, it should be an honor for you."

"Will there be food?"

"Saotome-kuuuuuun!"

Genma at least had the decency to look embarrassed, as he apologized. "Hee hee, sorry Tendo-kun, you know how it is..."

"Do you yield?"

"Give us back Kasumi-nee-chan!"

"Fine then, the punishment for disturbing a sacred ceremony, is most dire indeed." The young monarch stepped forward, keeping Kasumi behind him as he launched his attack, and in the blink of an eye, all four of them had been knocked out!

"Akane-chan, father, uncle Saotome!" Kasumi was really getting tired of people getting hurt on her account, and she vowed she would do something about it.

"Come now, we are here to join these two halves of the scroll, and with it, our lives! This is a happy occasion! Why do you not seem pleased that Kirin has disposed of our uninvited meddlers. What is wrong?"

Kasumi was dismayed, she could not believe the show of power, that just knocked out her whole family, the best martial artists Nerima had to offer, and they were hurt, so easily, to protect her. "You keep hurting my family, how could I possibly be happy about that? Why would I be 'pleased' that my friends and family are not 'invited' to my supposed wedding? That you would beat them up for trying to be here for me. In what world is that acceptable?"

"The world of the gods, of course! Now take this, and we will undertake the ceremony." Kirin handed half of the scroll to Kasumi, and she just stared at it, unable to even move for a moment, until she remembered something about the scroll containing a secret technique, and considering the power she had just seen displayed, she knew that this man did not need any more, and accepted her half, not sure what she would be able to do to prevent him learning this new technique!

She was searching the room for a source of fire when she heard one coming...

"Where's that pretty-boy jerk?" The doors flew open, revealing Ranma, with Hinako on still on his back, his battle aura blazing, and a flame in his eyes, Ranma smiled as he saw his goal. "There ya are Kasumi-san, I'll have ya out a' this real soon, just hold tight."

"Ranma-kun!" Hearing his voice raised her spirits, even if she was aghast to see the bruises and cuts on Ranma's face and body, but the relief she felt upon seeing him standing in the doorway had somewhat surprised her. She had known he would come, she had known the boy long enough to have faith in his determination, but she was unprepared for the joy she felt when his silhouette appeared there, like a phoenix, rising from the ashes! "Ranma-kun! You're hurt!"

"Ain't nuthin', I'm fine."

"Here we come to save the day! Onii-chan is on the way!" Hinako's grip tightened, as she expected the fight to start, but Ranma did not move.

"Ya should wait over there, where it's safer."

Hinako looked as if she were about to start crying. "But you said..."

"That's not really what I meant... I didn't mean while I'm fighting."

"But..."

"How about ya run over there, Kasumi-nee-chan will keep ya safe. Who could be better than onee-chan?"

A spark across the child's face, as she shook her head, clearly showing her certainty. "Onii-chan!"

Ranma's shoulders slumped. "Ya seem ta have me at a disadvantage."

"Kirin seems to have you at several, but do not allow that to stop you now, not when you have made it this far." Walking forward, the prince turned to focus on Kasumi for a moment. "Now, when Kirin defeats this man you love, nothing will be left standing on our way!"

Ranma froze for a moment, when the prince spoke, sure he had misheard something, and not certain what to make of it...

Kasumi straightened up, tightening her grip on her half of the scroll. "Still you continue to misunderstand everything!" Kasumi hesitated at the befuddled look she was receiving from Ranma, but focused her glare at the placid prince. A 'glare' that on anyone else might look lovely, pleasant even, but to see it on Kasumi's fair features was like a demon clawing its way up from the abyss. "Ranma-kun is here to stop you, due to a promise, but I am the one standing in your way!" Sparing another glance at her rescuer, she silently thanked him with her eyes. "I will always be thankful to Ranma-kun and the others for coming to save me, because I am now certain, I do not want this. One who treats others as you do, could never make me happy."

Now it was Kirin's turn to be baffled, how was it, that he, 'the great Kirin', could possibly not make anyone happy? The sheer audacity of such an idea was almost enough to floor his greatness, luckily for him, Ranma too was ...distracted to take advantage of his momentary lapse. Surely the woman would come around once she got to see how good it was to be the prince!

Still somewhat perplexed by the scene before him, Ranma finally latched onto one thing that he understood with clarity, 'this guy was not making Kasumi happy', and, ignoring the emotional stuff he was ill equipped to handle, he was ready to act! Back on comfortable ground, Ranma's body proceeded to act without the need for conscious thought, allowing him to focus on analyzing and annoying his opponent. Something he still desperately needed, as none of his fastest punches were getting though. It was as if the guy had an invisible shield blocking his every attack!

"Your feeble punches cannot touch the almighty Kirin, your attack is easily countered." Kirin's speed was easily double that of Ranma, and he used it to easily slip inside of the younger man's guard, striking a blow to his face, surprising every other conscious person in the room.

Kasumi fretted, absentmindedly playing with the hem of her gown, and muttering her mantra of 'Ara, ara, ara', agonizing as Ranma took hit after hit.

Flying backwards, Ranma twisted his body so that he would hit the wall with his feet, not his back ...he did not want to crush Hinako after all. Rebounding off of the wall, Ranma spotted what he had been looking for, and made a dash for it. It was only the abruptness of his change in tactics that gave him the lead-time that he had, and allowed him to pull off a Saotome Final Attack! Grabbing the scroll half Kasumi had dropped in the excitement, he made a break for the nearest window, stopping and facing into the room, he waved the scroll around. "Ya needed this, right? Let's take this somewhere safer..."

As Ranma hopped from floor to floor, making his way down the building, the others ran for the stairs, following Kirin. Hinako squealed in delight as she rode the 'onii-chan express', loving the feeling of the wind blowing through her hair, and forgetting for a moment that they were in the middle of a fight! After shoving the scroll into his shirt, Ranma had grabbed onto Hinako, to make sure she had not gotten flung off, and after a moment, she asked him how he had gotten the marks on his hands...

Ranma stared at one hand, as he held on onto her with the other, and after a moment, he shouted, suddenly changed directions, and headed for the nearest geyser, making sure everyone saw where he had gone.

-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-

Ranma concluded that Kirin's shield and attack were basically two applications of the same technique, and figured the only ways to get through the guard were to either attack with something that could not be blocked by chopsticks, hit him with something that could overpower them, or just catch him off guard. This was not the first time he had run into someone who found a really good move, thought it made them invincible, and focused all of their energy into that one training method, but every technique, no matter how powerful, had a weakness, the trick was finding what it was ...and a way to exploit it.

-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-

Ranma splashed around in the nearest of the many hot springs located around the area, and made sure that he could be spotted, as Hinako sang. "Chopsticks, chopsticks, gettin' hit with chopsticks. Chopsticks, chopsticks, gotta break um soooon! In the morning, we will eat with chopsticks, and in the afternoon, we will use them too! In the evening, we will use some chopsticks, but to use them in a fight, just seems so very rude!" Hinako paused in her song for a moment, and had to ask. "I'm singing for you. Do you like my song, onii-chan?"

"It's perfect!" Ranma grinned, making a racket is exactly what he needed. "There ya are! Fer a guy who moves so fast, ya sure are slow!"

"Are you finally tired of running away? Will you stay and get beaten now?"

"Too many people were unconscious back there, can't let 'em get hurt if this gets out a' hand." Having his fan club watching, he made a point of being more like a proverbial manga hero, and posed dramatically. He never could resist the urge to show off when he had an audience. "Besides, haven't ya lost enough buildings today?"

"Return the scroll and Kirin will make your suffering short!"

"Don't try to eat MY onii-chan!" Hinako wanted to throw something, but did not dare to let go again.

Ranma had to resist a chuckle before he could continue. "Just give me back Kasumi-san, er yer humiliation won't be short."

"You cannot defeat Kirin, it is to laugh. You have shown us your best move, and it was not enough by far."

"Who said that was my best? This fight's just gettin' started! Who starts a fight with their best move anyway? That's no fun... Oh, that's right, a guy who only has one move!" Ranma shouted out the revised name of his attack as his hands blurred into motion, and his usual cocky grin returning. "You holdin' up okay, One-Trick Pony?"

"Revised? This seems like the same ineffective attack to me, Kirin can block this while sleeping. Kirin thought you were going to show us something new." Just as he had finished his boast, he had taken a blow to the gut.

Ranma's cheering squad rejoiced as they shouted out encouragements.

"No, there definitely seems to be something different to me..." Three more attacks made it through his wooden guard, one to his chest, and two to his face, staggering the young man, before knocking him back. "You seem surprised, how about this one?" No one else had noticed how Ranma had been leading Kirin around in a spiral, but when he landed his uppercut, the cool ki from the two young men, mixed with the heat from the hot spring, and the 'dragon' was unleashed!

Ranma underestimated the power of the hurricane he had created, and both the scroll and Hinako were ripped from him. He had quickly pulled Hinako into his chest, and started to swim for the scroll when he saw that Kasumi had been caught up in the wind as well, while Lychee was swimming for the scroll. Ranma wasted no time for thought, and immediately put all of his effort into a power-dive for Kasumi.

At the same time, Kirin woke up, saw the scroll, and dove for it, catching Lychee in its place, who was still clenching her prize.

Ranma landed holding Kasumi tightly, with Hinako carefully tucked between them. "Ranma-kun, you saved me! But, didn't you need that scroll?"

Embarrassed, Ranma rubbed the back of his neck, not sure what to do about the young woman still hugging him. It was not like he had ever had much luck dislodging one before, he could not even get the kid to let go, and it seemed rude to try to do that to Kasumi anyway. "Aw, it was nuthin', 'sides, yer more important than any stupid scroll..." Ranma was trying to look anywhere other than into Kasumi's caring eyes, in hopes that she would not see his blush, and so he had not see hers either.

Kirin carried Lychee's unconscious form out of the rubble, his bowl of rice and chopsticks long since abandoned as he looked down at her with a gentle look upon his face. The young woman, still clutching the scroll, started to come to, as she caught her prince's gaze. He gently set her down once he was sure she could stand again on her own. Not saying a word, the two of them got lost in each other's eyes.

The young Chinese woman's dreams had been shattered far too many times in recent days for her to be holding onto any hope at this point, and so she just held out the half of the scroll she had so desperately recovered. "Here, you have, is important, yes?"

"Thank you." Calmly, the noble young man, accepted her half, while pulling out his own, before slowly rejoining the two halves, which magically combined as one. Looking up, prince Kirin looking into the eyes of the young woman before him, who was still staring longingly into his own. The hopeful look on her face, unmatched by the calm one on his.

Neither moved for what seemed like an eternity.

-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-

"Kasumi-Kasumi Tendo, without you, Kirin would never have known these experiences, thank you." The two of them bowed to each other.

"Just try not to kidnap any more princesses, it is always best to ask first!"

"I do not believe that will be a problem again." Kirin spared a glance at Lychee, who was still giving him a hopeful look, though it was slowly fading into disappointment. "Ranma, I have never before met your like. You defeated Kirin utterly."

"Then, that means yer givin' up on marryin' Kasumi-san?"

"When it came to a choice, Kirin went after the scroll. You proved you care more about Kasumi-Kasumi Tendo than Kirin, you are the one who is worthy of marrying the woman, you two deserve to be happy together. In fact, you are no longer a commoner, I hereby grant you a title! You and your brides will always be welcome here!"

"'Brides'?"

"Oh my!"

"It's not like that!" Taking a moment to recover from his shock, Ranma turned back to their traveling companion. "So, Lychee, whatcha gonna do now?"

The young woman put on a brave face, trying not to depress the others. "Lychee start from beginning, start saving, rebuild family business..." She didn't even glance in the direction of the man she had been chasing for so long. "Then Lychee find TRUE prince on white horse! Maybe make long trip again, maybe you see Lychee again too too soon..."

Ranma froze for a moment, worried where this might be leading...

She looked up, catching Kirin's eyes, and getting depressed again, as she placed her hand on Jasmine, and turned to leave.

"Wait, Lychee was it? Let Kirin ask you something... Can you cook ...I mean things other than rice and pickles?"

The young girl glanced at him nervously over her hat, which she was holding in front of her face, trying to hide as much as she could. "Well, Lychee family DID own restaurant before it destroyed..."

Growing hopeful, the young monarch looked deeply into the young woman's eyes. "Is that a 'yes', can you show our chefs how to prepare these things?"

Lychee was not exactly sure where this was going, but it was not like she had many prospects, not after her family and their business were ruined, If she did not get to marry her prince or find a job here, then she would have to mooch off of that nice Japanese boy and his family or wander, desperately looking for any work, and she did not really want that, so she shyly nodded, hoping for the best. It was as good a place to 'start over' as any! Even if it DID come with some sad memories.

"Oh, thank you my queen! You have made Kirin a very happy man!" Lychee could not believe her ears, had her dream really come true?

Kasumi leaned in to whisper to Lychee, how she ought to put pickling seasonings in their normal meals, and slowly wean them off of it as they get used to other foods. Allow them to grow accustomed to it slowly.

Still feigning offence at the previous perceived slight, she tried to tease her. "Fine, Lychee get prince back, you get husband back!"

"Oh ...but, I'm not. Is that how it looks to you? I mean ...Oh my." Kasumi's blush brightened the already well lit day, almost giving her a pink glow. She looked truly at home among the land of the gods.

"Why deny now? That how look to everyone! Lychee saw the way you held-"

Just then, Akane came charging over the hill, quickly followed by Ryoga and the others. "'HELD"?! Ranma, you ...PERVERT! I can't trust you with ANYONE! Girls, boys, Nabiki and now KASUMI TOO? What is WRONG with you? How low will you sink?"

"I- I- ...but-"

Perhaps it was the all of the excitement, but for some reason, Kasumi was mildly offended by the implications of her sister's rant, not that she dared to let it show. 'What is wrong with me? I know I am not as popular as Akane-chan, or as pretty as Nabiki-chan, but would I be worse than a boy? Why am 'I' the lowest point in that list? I was the one the prince took, not you, although, I suppose no one DID try anything... Oh my, maybe Akane-chan is right, maybe no boy will ever want me, it is not like I have much time to look ...I have a family to take care of, and that is worth any sacrifice! After all, if I were to get married, whoever it is would have to move into the dojo with us, it is not as if I could leave it to Akane-chan! That poor old house needs me!'

"Why you care? Spend whole trip with boyfriend? Why be jealous over sister husband?"

"Why you... I am NOT jealous!"

"Akane, just calm down, there's no need to be so uncute."

"You pervert! This is all your fault anyway! How dare you do this to me?" Akane pulled out her mallet and Ryoga grabbed his umbrella as the pair charged forward, auras blazing, intending to attack.

Without thinking, Kasumi leaped in front of Ranma, followed by little Hinako. Hinako was not sure what she thought she could do to help, but she wanted to help her 'onii-chan' more than anything. Moving without thinking, she looked at the pair through the hole in the sucker she held out as a peace offering, while shouting out the first words came to mind. They made no sense to her, even though they DID sound familiar. "Good Girl, Exercise, Number One! Malice! Evil! Illness! Pain! Magic!"

Memories returned along with her sense of self as Hinako regained her adult form. In spite of her personality being restored, absorbing all of the angry and depressed ki from her targets fueled her already distressed mood, and she ripped into the now deflated teens. "Do this to 'you'? To YOU? What exactly was done to YOU?"

Akane had no coherent response even if she had possessed the energy, or will, to speak. All of her anger had left her, and she felt as though she were just floating in the breeze. She had never been drained by Hinako before, and she wasn't exactly sure what anyone had complained about, she had never felt so at peace in her life...

Hinako's aura was blazing twice as brightly as either Akane or Ryoga's had been, her eyes were glowing and her hair was flowing straight up with a seeming breeze. "Your sister was the one who was kidnapped, and Saotome-kun was the one who got beat up coming to the rescue, along with some of these others here. I was there, I remember what happened, you insisted on coming along, that guy stole the scroll, and that girl brought it to Japan, so in what way is this Saotome-kun's fault?"

Ryoga tried his best to make a case for their side, wanting to defend the love of his life, but unable to put any force behind his words. "Pervert... hurt Akane... hit on ...Kasumi-san ...worst man ...alive."

Hinako glanced over at their fathers, and then to Ranma. "There seems to be a pattern here, has this trip been typical? Is this the way these situations always go for you?"

Unsure what was going on, or if he was even awake given that someone was defending him, Ranma could do little more than nod half-heartedly and shrug. "Well, usually Akane's th' one kidnapped, but..." Nothing about this day was feeling 'real' to him any longer. Kasumi jumping in to save him, Hinako-sensei jumping to his defense, nothing made sense, he was sure someone was going to sprout a second head, or grow wings and fly off at any moment if he did not wake up beforehand. Even if it was only a dream, he was pleased he saved Kasumi, that was all that really mattered... The rest could be sorted out later.

"No, I meant... never mind, I think I have my answer," Hinako turned back to Soun and Genma, glaring daggers. "And you! How could you two not see what was going on here?"

Soun was just standing there, flabbergasted, pointing at Hinako, and babbling incoherently. "Small, big, friend, teacher, child, adult... Wahhh!", while Genma held up a flimsy panda mask in one hand, and a sign that read, 'seems normal to me' in the other.

Not being a fan of the men forcing Akane to marry that pervert, Ryoga mustered the rest of his energy to get out what he could. "Their ...fault, made ...marriage promise."

"Uh, Hinako-sensei? You're back ta normal? Um, thanks ...I guess." Ranma was stunned, not only from this new revelation, but also from the embarrassment of remembering his 'babysitting' assignment, wondering how much of the last few days she remembered clearly.

Hinako turned a cool look toward the badly beaten young man, being supported by Kasumi. "You are welcome. With my ...fresh perspective, I saw some things I had missed before, and I ...seem to have been mistaken about much I had taken for granted. I believe that I owe you an apology ...as well." Hinako's head drooped, as she calmed down. "I think I need some time to reevaluate my ...situation. I will be in touch soon ...o-NI-I-chan!"

Hinako quickly skipped from the room, before any of the stunned onlookers could follow.

-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-

Everyone stood there for a while, still stunned over one revelation or another, before someone finally asked, "So, what WAS on that scroll anyway?"

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Well, I suppose you could say that takes care of the 'prologue' of the 'short story' that grew out of hand. The rough draft of this story is finished, as I intended this to be a one shot, but since it will not allow me to upload that much at a time, I will be uploading it in smaller pieces, as I am able to get them proofread, and reworked.

Where will our story lead? Who will call Ranma a pervert next? What will happen after this? Hopefully one of you will like (or dislike) this well enough to give me your thoughts on it. Public review, or private message, whatever makes you the most comfortable. The more people talk to me about it, the more inspired I am to continue the work.

Again, I am sorry about the delay on my other story, but this is what I have been up to for the last few years. I hope you have enjoyed this so far, and that you will return for the next installment.