Chapter 2: Confrontation

Akane and Ranma were hurrying across the park toward the Jouda dojo.

"Ranma, you've been up for hours now. How can you still be running slow?" Akane yelled back over her shoulder.

"All right, all right, I'm coming." Ranma hurried to catch up with his formerly uncute fiancée (after seeing her in the wedding dress, he just could bring himself to call her uncute any more). "I'm just a little tired today."

"You know, you might better off if you let yourself sleep at night."

"I did sleep a little. Besides, you're one to talk. How many times did you check the house last night? We need to work on your Umisen-Ken."

"I thought I heard something, that's all."

"Unfortunately, you woke up Kasumi and nearly took a shot to the head from her bo staff."

"Hey, it's not my fault you taught her that."

"She needed a reach attack. *You* have the mallet."

"Trust me, so does she."

"She only uses it when you cook."

"Shut. Up. So if you slept a little, why so slow?"

Ranma kept quiet for a few moments. Then he replied, "I had some unsettling dreams."

That caused Akane to stop short and turn back to Ranma. "Dreams? How long has this been going on?"

"A few days…"

Akane let out an exasperated sigh, "Ranma! We promised no secrets among the four of us, especially after Kasumi's little trip."

"Hey, I'm talking, ain't I? I'm not keeping secrets. Last night was the third night…"

Akane checked herself. Once or twice was not a pattern, but thrice was. He was right, but everyone was on edge after Kasumi's showdown with Henna, at least everyone in the know. They decided to keep Soun, Genma, and Nodoka in the dark to avoid adding unnecessary complications, but they also decided to tell the truth should one of the parents actually notice that something unusual was going on with the four younger members of the household. Fortunately or unfortunately (Akane couldn't decide which), the three elders were absolutely clueless, something that made Akane's teeth hurt. Hell - even Nabiki was checking on the house's occupants at night and the parents didn't think that was out-of-the-ordinary?

"O.K." Akane gave in. "I guess you're right. So what was the dream about…"

"AIREN!" Shampoo's shout cut straight across the conversation. "Where are you going with kitchen-wrecker?"

"Ranma-honey! Wait up!" Ukyo was closing in from a slightly different direction.

Ranma's eyes flashed as Akane felt the air temperature drop. He stepped in front of the Akane and focused on the two girls, who faltered under his glare. He did not yell, but the words carried on the chill spilling from him. "Go away."

Ukyo yelled back, "Ranma, you can't keep doing this! We need to talk!"

"I have nothing to say to you." Ranma replied in cold tones. "Once, I thought you were my best friend. I thought you might even be Akane's friend. Turns out I was wrong on both counts."

Ukyo looked stricken. "But Ranma, I was only trying to stop her from forcing you into marriage! You're *my* fiancé!"

"I'M NOT YOUR ANYTHING! I BELONG TO MYSELF! Akane's the only one who ever understood that! Not you, not Shampoo, not Kodachi, not my Mom and Dad. And Akane wasn't forcing me into anything – she only went through with it to get me the cure which you helped destroy! She had no idea that my father had shoved me into a tuxedo or that I hadn't agreed to the wedding. She was just trying to help me! When's the last time you tried to help me, just as a friend, without anything expected in return?"

Akane stood behind Ranma, trapped in a warm pocket. She listened to Ranma and realized that she needed to make some corrections to his worldview, but now was not the time.

Tears were freezing on Ukyo's face. Shampoo was faring much worst in her light clothing – she was crouched down, huddling. Ukyo tried again: "But our fathers made an arrangement! You took my yattai…"

"I WAS SIX YEARS OLD! HOW THE HELL DID I TAKE ANYTHING! MY FATHER STOLE IT! JUST LIKE HE STOLE EVERYTHING NOT NAILED DOWN. HE MADE ARRANGMENTS WITH HALF THE COUNTRY! THE VERY FIRST ARRANGEMENT HE MADE WAS WITH THE TENDO'S, AND THAT WAS SO HE COULD STEAL THEIR HOME!"

Shock was evident on everyone's face. Ranma went on in a more normal tone: "Kasumi figured it out finally and told me. Well, everything ends here. I'm not marrying anyone, except a tanto and a katana. But first, I have work to do. My real friends need me. Maybe I can restore my family's honor before I die."

Akane was horrified. "Ranma…no…" she started, but she was cut off by a voice even colder than Ranma's from her left.

"That's not why Kasumi told you that Ranma." Nabiki was standing on a small rise. "She wanted you to have all the facts, so you could make good decisions. Bushido or not, Death is a coward's way out. Not a good decision."

"…"

Akane spoke up: "Ranma, you are an idiot! We can find a way through this! You don't have to commit…You don't have to leave us!"

Ranma's eyes softened as he looked at Akane. "I'm not going anywhere as long as you three need me. I promised that."

Nabiki let her shoulders unclench. "Then you won't be going anywhere for quite a while." Nabiki looked at Ukyo, who had collapsed in tears. "Go home, Ukyo. Forget arrangements, forget vengeance. Just go forward. Take back your life. It may take leaving Nerima, it may not. But do it."

A new voice chimed in, "Excellent advice Nabiki. One that young Ranma should take. He can forget about Bushido. There are other societies willing to take him in." Cologne stepped out from behind Shampoo and dropped a blanket on her heir's shoulders. She looked at Ranma, "You are over-doing it with the Soul of Ice technique, son-in-law. You'll end up causing yourself permanent damage." To say that Cologne was unprepared for what happened next would be a gross understatement.

There was a bright flash about ten meters in front Cologne that temporarily blinded her. When her eyes cleared, Cologne could see that Nabiki had sprinted over to Ranma and was now taking a small balanced throwing club out of her purse. Akane had produced a large mallet and went into a battle crouch next to Ranma. Ranma's hands were immediately surrounded by blue Chi. When Ranma lifted his arms upward, Cologne was hit by a wintry gale. "Kami!" she thought. "What the hell is this? This is *not* Soul of Ice. It's more like Storm of Fury!" She brought up her staff and summoned a shield against the very physical wind. Shampoo had just started too come around and was crouched down next to her. "Shampoo, what brought this on?!"

"Shampoo not know, Grandmother. I didn't do anything."

"Why are they so angry?! I've never seen Ranma generate power like this!"

"Not since Jusendo."

"What? You never mentioned anything like this!"

Shampoo went very quiet and wouldn't look at her grandmother.

"Great," thought Cologne, "she's been keeping secrets from me and I think I could really use the information right now! This is like trying to stand upright in a typhoon!" She spared a glance at Ukyo who was still sitting where she had collapsed. The girl was staring in astonishment at Ranma – but the wind was not touching her, or anything else but Cologne and Shampoo. "Damn, this is a directed blast – no wonder it's so powerful. But where the hell did he learn this? And how long can he keep this up? This shield is costing a lot of power."

Suddenly, the path flagstone in front of Ranma exploded as did the stone in front of Cologne, stunning both parties. "ENOUGH!" Kasumi Tendo shouted. She stood on the rise Nabiki had formerly occupied. Kasumi was wearing a white gi that seemed to glow with a light of its own. An older woman in her 40's wearing a more standard gi stood on her right. On Kasumi's left stood Konatsu, Ukyo's ninja assistant, dressed in his feminine fighting silks. The flagstones had shattered due to two of Konatsu's heavy throwing knives. With a nod, Kasumi sent Konatsu to Ukyo's side. The older woman simply stood with Kasumi.

Kasumi looked severely at Ranma and the sisters. "I told you three that I doubted Cologne was involved with my kidnapping. The motivation isn't really there."

Nabiki answered, "Sorry sis, but we don't know that she wasn't involved. An Amazon performed the kidnapping. We just didn't feel like taking chances."

Kasumi held a hand to her temple. "That was not a defensive action. You went on the offensive. It's a little tough to parley in the middle of a battle." She sighed, and then, with the other woman, joined the three teenagers.

Cologne's world was turning upside down. Akane and Ranma not fighting? Nabiki supporting Ranma? All three deferring in battle to Kasumi? Kasumi moving as if she was a martial art adept? And what the hell was Kasumi wearing?

Kasumi picked up Konatsu's knife and made a causal throw to him, which he deftly caught. She then addressed the ninja: "Konatsu, I think you should take Ukyo home. She has enough to think about. Thank you for coming when I called."

"Anytime, Lady Kasumi." The ninja gestured to Cologne, who also returned his knife. He then bowed to both groups and picked up Ukyo, who was still stunned. Swiftly, he vanished from sight.

Kasumi watched him leave. "Good. One less complication," she said out loud. She turned to Cologne, and raised an eyebrow.

Cologne took the bait. "Kasumi, what the hell is going on?"

The young woman allowed a small smile to grace her lips, "I could ask you the same question. About two weeks ago I awoke to find myself kidnapped in a most supernatural way, dragged to a dead world. My captor was determined to drain my spirit and send me back broken. Fortunately, she underestimated me badly. She also underestimated the spirits she had enslaved to help her. Along the way, I gained some insights, met some dearly departed, and came into possession of this gi. It was quite the adventure."

"So what does this have to do with Amazons?"

"My captor was an Amazon elder by the name of Henna. No, doubt you are familiar with her?"

Shampoo gave a small start before locking down her response. She avoided looking at anyone. Cologne was much better at hiding her response. "The name doesn't ring a bell."

Kasumi studied Cologne and then responded, "I see. Well, since you don't feel like parleying, we are done here. Let me know if you change your mind. I suggest you, Shampoo, and Mousse stay away from the dojo. The friend of our enemy is our enemy and all that. Although I will admit that I doubt Henna is really your friend."

The older woman at Kasumi's side spoke for the first time. "It's a shame. I liked your restaurant."

Cologne blinked. "I'm sorry. Have we met?" She looked at the woman, and then looked at Kasumi. No, make that 'then looked at the student.' There were too many similarities between them.

"My name is Shizuka. I'm one of the many faceless Nerimans who use to go through your doors. Thing is, believe it not, the people of Nerima tend to stick together. We have been watching over the Tendo sisters ever since their mother died. We have our problems like everyone else, and I'll admit we fight among ourselves a fair bit, but no outsider is allowed to attack one of own, and Kasumi Tendo is *definitely* one of us. You're not. You've always held some contempt for us and our ways. You're a stranger in a strange land, and you have every intention of keeping it that way, unlike Nerima's favorite shape-shifter." Ranma gave a start at that.

Shizuka looked at Ranma with a stern expression. "What, you didn't think we noticed you? Despite being a loner, every move you make screams 'Look at me.' You're sort of hard to miss. So, we watched. We watched you take on the bullies. We watched you look after the children. We watched you humor the sick. Hell, we even watched you help your enemies, whether or not they deserved it – sometimes you are not the brightest bulb." Ranma's face began to redden, and he stared at the ground. "You can be a pain in the butt. You're arrogant. You need to work on your people skills. But you want to belong. So, we've taken you in. You *are* one of us. And you owe us for that. You have a large bill to pay. So, think on that before you start talking about honor and reaching for that tanto blade." Ranma couldn't meet any of the women's eyes.

Shizuka looked at the Tendo sisters. "We should go. I have a lunch set out for us back at my dojo."

"Sounds good," replied Kasumi.

Ranma looked up. "All right, but 'Arrogant Boy' has one thing left to say." He stepped over the broken flag stone and stood on the path looking at a silent Cologne. "Go home. Take Shampoo and Mousse back to China. Things have changed. *I* have changed." He crouched down and with a cry of "Kachu tenchin amiguriken" began striking at the path in front of him rapidly. He then yelled "Breaking Point" and touched a finger to the path. Cologne looked on in surprise as a wave of stone rise up in front of Ranma and travelled down the path toward her like someone whipping a towel. Before she and Shampoo could move, it "snapped" under them throwing them ten meters.

Shizuka and Kasumi lead the way back to the Jouda dojo with the three teenagers right behind them. Akane reached out and took Ranma's hand. He blushed a little but didn't pull away, which she took as a good sign. Quietly, she said "I didn't know you knew the Breaking Point." Nabiki glanced at the two of them.

Ranma sighed and then responded: "That's what I was leading up to before we were interrupted. Three days ago, I didn't know the Breaking Point. I never thought it worth my while to learn. But after three nights of having the same very strange dream, I do…"