Fighting Chance
By M. Zephyr

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

Ranma x Akane. At the end of a chase across China, will one person be able to defeat the odds and win her heart's desire?

Chapter 2. The Chase Begins

Cologne burst from the dining area into the kitchen of the Nekohanten, startling the two Chinese teenagers who were working in there. Even before she was fully through the door the old woman was already speaking, loudly and urgently. "Shampoo! I need your help out front. I've ..."

She paused, sized up the young man who was also in the room, then addressed him in a very different tone of voice. "Well, hello there Mr. Part-timer. You're just the person I need to run an errand. Go purchase three cases of soba noodles, immediately. We must have them before we open for lunch."

Mousse eyed her suspiciously. "I wasn't aware that we were getting low."

Cologne glared at him. "Are you questioning me boy?"

The young man bowed his head at this. Although he was very worried about what the elder might be up to this time, open defiance would gain him nothing. He gave a slight bow, then turned and walked out through the back door. As soon as the door closed behind him, Mousse took off at high speed, hoping to get back in time to interfere in whatever scheme she might have in mind.

Shampoo regarded her great-grandmother curiously. "What help you need?"

Cologne shook her head. "None actually. All of that was an act for the benefit of Mousse. I have a plan in mind, one that he is going to help us with."

The teenage girl cocked her head, staring with perplexity at her mentor. "If Mousse help, why send on errand? We have much noodle."

"Because the less he knows, the better he'll help. Now pay attention."

Despite the need to explain quickly before the boy returned, the old woman took a minute to study her great-granddaughter and heir. She sighed and began. "You miscalculated. Severely. You went much too far - the Tendo girl looks like she's been put through a wringer. Son-in-law apparently hasn't seen her yet, and she's gone off for a couple of days to recover a bit before he does, but it won't be enough. One look at her and the boy will know exactly what happened. At that point, he's bound to react very badly."

Shampoo hung her head. She had already feared as much, but it didn't make her any happier to hear it.

Cologne continued. "On the other hand, this provides us with a golden opportunity. Son-in-law doesn't know that Akane has gone off of her own free will. If we can convince him that we have her, I think we can make him chase us all the way home. Once we have him there ... well, we can do whatever's necessary to make sure he stays there. Understood?"

The teenager took one more moment to wish that things could have been otherwise, before she dismissed the dream. She nodded to show her acceptance.

"Very well, then. I'll need to make a phone call to the council to warn them of our plans. But first, this is what we're going to do. ..."

Mousse returned as quickly as he could but a good fifteen minutes had passed all the same. As he approached the rear door of the café, he heard voices through the open window of the kitchen. Making a snap decision, he put the cases down quietly and crept up close to the window, keeping out of sight just below the sill.

He heard the elder's voice first. "Now that we have Akane Tendo securely bound upstairs, we need to finish this potion. It will make her docile enough to easily take along. She'll give us no trouble as we make our way across China and back home."

"Then brainwash pervert-girl, yes?" Shampoo replied eagerly.

"Correct." Cologne's voice was gloating. "By the time we return with her to Japan, she'll do anything we say. After that it will be child's play to have her drive son-in-law away, and straight into your arms."

There was a sound of clapping. "Shampoo like sound of that." Then more soberly. "But what if airen find out?"

"He must not," the old voice responded just as seriously. "If he does, then all may be lost. You may even find yourself forced to marry Mousse."

The boy below the window swallowed hard. His fondest wish! Possibly within reach! All he had to do was to make sure that Saotome learned of their plans.

Shampoo next asked, "We leave soon then, yes?"

"Within the hour," Cologne answered. "As soon as this is done. Did you do as I asked? Did you bribe that girl, Yuka whatshername, Akane Tendo's friend, to say that Akane was staying with her?"

"Yes, great-grandmother," Shampoo replied dutifully. "She tell everyone kitchen-destroyer at her house."

"Excellent! Now ..." The voice suddenly cut off. Mousse strained his ears to hear more. With shocking suddenness cold water poured on top of him and he shrank into his clothes.

When his head emerged from the garments, the duck was grabbed around his neck. As he was lifted from the ground he heard the voice of his beloved Shampoo. "Bad boy Mousse! No should spy on Amazon women!"

The duck saw Cologne glaring at him. "We don't have time to deal with him, Shampoo. Just stuff him in the cage, and let's go."

The Chinese boy who was currently a duck found himself shoved unceremoniously into a cage, over which a blanket was thrown, cutting off all sight of the outside world. While he fretted, a variety of sounds came from the room around him, as well as the sound of feet going up the stairs and coming back down again. All too soon the back door opened one last time.

"Bye bye Mousse," Shampoo called cheerfully. "We come back soon. You be good boy while gone, yes?" The door closed.

Mousse sank to the floor of his cage, overwhelmed by despair.

As the pair of Chinese women entered the train station, the younger addressed the elder. "Akane off on own, right? Why we not kidnap for real? Airen follow for sure."

Cologne looked at her heir in disgust. "Do you truly want Ranma to kill you? Sooner or later he is going to catch up to us, though ancestors' willing that won't be until we reach the village. It's going to be a very tricky moment, even if we have set up an ambush. If Akane was our prisoner, he might fly into a killing rage. By instead revealing at that very moment it's been a wild goose chase, he should hesitate, hold back his full strength. That moment of hesitation could be critical to our victory."

Shampoo nodded her understanding. "What about Nekohanten?"

Cologne shrugged. "I'd be willing to write it off as a complete loss, if necessary. But I won't have to. I made arrangements with a lawyer in Nerima a long time ago. Once we're sure that son-in-law is on our trail, I'll contact the lawyer and have him arrange for its sale."

They purchased their tickets and went off to stand at the side, but now Shampoo had another question. "Why great-grandmother buy three tickets?"

The old woman smiled enigmatically. "You'll see."

In the event, Shampoo didn't have to wait very long. Cologne suddenly stepped forward and tapped her staff lightly on the arm of a young Japanese woman in the process of purchasing a ticket. She seemed to be about eighteen years old, with short, black hair. Although she did not much resemble Akane Tendo, she would match a general description reasonably well.

"Excuse me dear, but did I hear you ask for a ticket to Niigata?" The woman nodded, curious, and Cologne smiled gently. "Unhappily, the third member of my party is not going to be able to make it. I have a ticket for Niigata right here which is simply going to go to waste. Would you like to have it? At a substantial discount, of course."

Now the woman smiled widely. "Thank you. That's most generous."

"Think nothing of it, my child," Cologne told her. "I assure you, I'll be more than happy to give it to you. I'm sure we'll very much enjoy your company in the seat beside us on the train."

In a remote village in China, a group of wizened old crones was dispersing from the assembly hall. They had been discussing a telephone call received from Cologne a few hours earlier, conveying the information that she was returning at last with Shampoo and that Shampoo's intended would be, not with them, but following closely behind. Chasing them, in point of fact.

The call had been taken by Perfume, an old friend of Cologne's, who had agreed to her requests unhesitatingly. She had then called the other elders together to bring them up to date on the plan, such as it was at the moment. Most thought it a little theatric, but it sounded reasonably straightforward.

Specifically, Cologne had asked that a young member of the tribe, one with short hair, meet her and Shampoo near the coast. By preference, she should wear western clothing. As it turned out, this aid would be easier to provide than expected, as a suitable girl was by chance on her way back from a trip to Shanghai. Meifen, as she was named, was expected to contact her family in the next day or two. It would be a simple matter to order her to turn back around and put herself at the service of the respected elder. The idea was that she was to pretend to be some Japanese girl, and together with Cologne and Shampoo would lure Ranma Saotome to the village, where he would be met by an ambush of overwhelming force. The Japanese boy would then be compelled to acknowledge his duty, both to Shampoo and to the Joketsuzoku.

Most of the council listened to this news in relief, glad that Cologne would finally return home permanently. A few of the elders, however, were a trifle uneasy. One of these few, a woman by the name of Lotion, was an old rival of Cologne, both politically and personally. So far as she was concerned, the whole business had a fishy smell to it. She couldn't help but wonder why Cologne did not simply subdue the boy along the road, why she wished to wait until she reached the village. Yes, they had heard of many of this boy's exploits, and there was no question that he was highly skilled, but surely he could not pose a risk to an elder of the Joketsuzoku! No, Cologne must have chosen to be overly cautious for once. She would have warned them, surely, if he were a threat that potent.

All the same, she felt troubled. Everyone had always assumed the long delay in securing this Ranma's marriage to Shampoo was due to the fool girl wanting him to fall in love, or some such nonsense. But now, this? The others might accept that Cologne knew what she was doing, but Lotion had a long history with the other woman, and she remembered times when things were not quite as Cologne had made them out to be. That whole affair with the Japanese martial artist, for example, back when they were teenagers. The one who had in the end stolen some of their most precious artifacts.

She didn't know why she was put in mind of that event, so long ago. But somehow, just like then, things weren't adding up, and Lotion had a serious dislike for sums she didn't understand. Especially when it came to the safety of her people.

Several hours passed before Mousse's growing hunger forced him to think about the fact that the two women weren't coming back. That if he didn't find some way out of the cage, he'd die of starvation, or more likely dehydration, long before they returned from China. He had never put much effort into looking for a way out before, as they had never locked him into it for long, and escape would surely have brought him something worse.

The duck pulled a pair of glasses out from some mysterious space under a wing and settled them over his eyes. Looking his prison over carefully, he quickly gave up any thought of attacking the padlock which held the metal grid in front closed. On the other hand, the body of the cage was made of plastic in two halves, with the top attached to the bottom. From some invisible location the duck extracted a small mirror with a long handle which he extended through the wire front, and observed the screws on the sides which held the two parts together. He pulled the mirror back in thoughtfully.

He next glanced up at the ceiling, studying the light fixture. With a satisfied nod, he pulled a hook out from under a wing, inserted it through the grill, and then shot it up toward the light trailing a chain behind it. The hook circled around the metal bracket which attached the light to the ceiling, and snagged on the trailing chain. Mousse quickly pulled tight, securing it.

He now started pulling. It was heavy work given his size and with limbs ill-suited to the task. Nonetheless the cage slowly slid across the floor until it was under the light, then began to rise into the air. It had almost reached the light when the tortured bracket ripped out of the ceiling, dropping everything back to the floor three meters below. With a crash the plastic cracked as screws popped out and flew away. With one more heave Mousse shoved the bottom off of the upside-down cage and leaped out into freedom.

He then faced the next obstacle. He was locked inside the restaurant, and quickly discovered that the gas and electricity had been turned off from somewhere outside. There was no hot water, and no means to heat any in the kitchen. Attempting to open the doors with his feet and wings revealed that they must have been padlocked from outside as well. The duck gave a quack of frustration.

Mousse speculatively eyed the single window in the back wall of the kitchen, now closed and locked. It was a small window in human terms, but large enough when compared to his cursed form. Flapping up to it, he hit it with a long knife, shattering the glass. He scraped the knife along the frame to remove all of the shards. With a quack of freedom, he flew through the opening.

At this point there seemed little sense in wasting time figuring out how to turn the gas and electricity back on. Mousse simply turned toward the Tendo residence and flew with a will. It was a matter of only a couple of minutes before he fluttered down to land on the engawa.

Ranma looked over from the television program he was watching. "Mousse? What're you doing here? Uh ..." The boy shook his head at the sight of the duck waddling back and forth, quacking urgently. He chuckled in a self-deprecating fashion. "Sorry. C'mon and follow me to the furo. After you take a dip in some hot water, maybe you can answer that question. I hope you're not looking for a fight though. I really ain't in the mood."

Ranma walked down the hall past the kitchen, where Kasumi was humming while taking care of some task. The duck waddled behind him as he opened the door into the changing room and then the bathing room. A few minutes effort filled the tub with enough hot water for Mousse to change, and Ranma handed him a yukata to cover himself.

"So what's up?" Ranma asked again.

Mousse gave him a long, unfriendly look. "It goes against the grain to betray my beloved Shampoo, especially to help you. Nonetheless I wish to stop her current scheme to marry you, especially as it may permit me to win her hand for myself." He folded his arms across his chest, hands disappearing up the opposing arms' sleeves.

Ranma sighed. "So what's she up to this time? Potions? Magic mushrooms? Ancient Amazon eyeglasses?"

"Cologne and Shampoo have kidnapped Akane Tendo and are on their way with her back to China."

For several seconds it simply didn't register. Then the blood drained from Ranma's face. "Nooo ..." he whispered, shaking his head as if he could negate such an occurrence by an act of will.

The young man swallowed heavily, struggling to regain control of himself. "No. She ... she's over at a friend's house."

Mousse lifted an eyebrow. "Is that some girl by the name of Yuka? I overheard Shampoo tell the old bat that she had bribed the girl to say that Akane was staying with her."

Ranma felt as if ice were crystallizing in his veins. It was taking all of his willpower to continue thinking. "They can't ... They wouldn't ... Why?"

"Because of you, of course," Mousse sneered. "The plan I overheard is that they will take Akane back to our village, where she is to be brainwashed. When they get back with her, she will reject you utterly. She will do everything she can to see that you marry Shampoo."

Ranma shook himself all over, looking disbelieving and less anxious. "You're lying. You gotta be. There's just no way ..." He trailed off, then his jaw set. "And I'm gonna prove it."

He turned and marched out of the room. Mousse followed closely behind, wondering what his rival was up to. A matter of seconds brought them to the front hall, where Ranma lifted the receiver of the telephone and dialed a number.

"Hello, Yuka? Oh, hello Mrs. Sawaguchi. This is Ranma, uh, Ranma Saotome. Yes," sigh, "Akane's fiancé. Can I ... no, wait ... yeah, hi Yuka. I was just wondering, is Akane all right? Oh, good. Can I speak to her?" His face paled. "What do you mean, she stepped out a few minutes ago? Where'd she go? ... Well, when do you expect her back? ... So would it be all right if I came over and waited? ... I see." The last word was said through gritted teeth, as were the next ones. "Thanks, Yuka. You've been a real friend. Good-bye." He hung up the phone.

Ranma turned back to Mousse, his face deathly. "Seems like you were right."

"So what do you plan to do, Saotome?" The Chinese boy was gazing at him fixedly.

Ranma replied as if the other boy were crazy to even ask. "Go after them of course. Get her back." His voice cracked. "I - I gotta get her back. Before they do anything to her. Oh, God. If they've done anything to hurt her ..."

It was Mousse's turn to pale at the quietly menacing tone which filled Ranma's voice with these last words. He had, after all, been present at Jusendo mountain when the other boy had battled and killed the immortal phoenix Saffron. He suddenly wondered whether providing this information to Ranma had been the wisest course to follow, or whether he had just deeply endangered Shampoo's life.

Ranma continued to speak quietly. "I got no idea where to find Ryoga, and I doubt Akane would want him coming to her rescue anyway. After what Ukyo said yesterday, I'm pretty sure she won't help either. Pop would probably do something stupid, or get in the way at just the wrong moment. Look at what having him along at Jusendo did, though I guess that wasn't exactly his fault. No, I guess I'm just gonna have to do this on my own."

Mousse stared at him. "What are you talking about, Saotome? I'm coming with you."

Ranma looked at him with a twisted grin. "Like hell you are. You're one of 'em. I wanna thank you for telling me about this, but ... you're Joketsuzoku. I can't trust you. I can't afford to. If it comes down to me or them, you might choose them at the wrong moment. Sorry, but you're staying behind."

The Chinese martial artist glared, baring his teeth. "Like hell I am. Besides, have you forgotten that you're going to China? Just how were you planning to ask anyone questions? If you'll remember, Plum and I took care of all the talking during our last little jaunt."

"Doesn't mean I couldn't have," Ranma replied in accented but understandable Chinese. Mousse stared, wide-eyed, forcing a chuckle from the other boy. "Ever since I came to Nerima, I knew I'd probably go back someday to try to find a cure for my curse. I've been studying Chinese on my own. I didn't let anyone know because I was afraid the old ghoul would consider it one more reason to try to force me to marry Shampoo."

Ranma switched back to Japanese. "So you see, I don't really need you. And you're not going with me." He turned and walked off down the engawa toward the family room.

Mousse trailed quickly behind. "I don't particularly care whether you want me along or not, Saotome! There's no way you can force me to stay! We can go together, or we can go separately, but I am going!"

Ranma turned back toward him, a sad smile of regret on his face. "I was afraid you'd see it like that. Moko Takabisha!" The chi blast lifted Mousse off of his feet and hurled him out into the yard, where he slammed into a tree. His body fell limply to the ground. Ranma hefted him over a shoulder and carried him back into the house and up the stairs. He dumped the boy on the floor in the guest room.

"Sorry, Mousse," he told the unhearing figure at his feet. "But I just can't take the chance you'll interfere." He looked around himself. "I'm glad that Pop and Mom decided to go out this afternoon. I can be packed and gone before they get back. Hmm. Need to take care of a couple of other things as well."

Ranma dug out some of his father's sake, and slowly poured a couple of bottles down Mousse's throat. Hopefully that would keep the Chinese boy incapacitated at least until the following morning. Next he went down the hall to Nabiki's room. Silently praying that he wasn't going to regret this for the rest of his life, he concentrated hard for a minute, then ripped the door off of her safe. He counted out a sizable stack of money, then wrote an I.O.U. and left it on top of the remaining pile of yen notes.

His pack was quickly filled, a task at which he had considerable practice, albeit not quite as much in the past two years. He stopped in the kitchen long enough to tell a startled Kasumi that he was off to find Akane and not to worry, then he was gone. A quick stop at the Nekohanten showed that the place was locked up tight with the exception of a broken window in back, and that the electricity and gas had been turned off. He grimly headed for the train station.

There it didn't take long to find a couple of employees who remembered the two Chinese women. Both Cologne and Shampoo were fairly memorable, after all. It was no surprise to learn that they had purchased tickets for Niigata, and the young man grew even more grim at the tale that they were accompanied by a Japanese girl in her late teens, who wore her black hair short. Ranma purchased his own ticket for the west coast, but was utterly unable to relax in his luxurious seat aboard the train.

‹I swear to God, they're going to pay for this. There is no way they're getting away with it. And if they've harmed one hair on her head ...› He was unable to complete the thought, fear rising up to choke off his desire for vengeance.

Mousse was discovered in the Tendo guest room that evening, but no one could manage to rouse him to a point where he could do more than mumble incoherently. The smell of alcohol on his breath was strong. They reluctantly decided to let him sleep it off and wait until morning to get answers.

Nabiki spent the night in a tearing fury, swearing that Ranma would regret the day he was born. The transparent lie he had told Kasumi about going off in search of Akane, who was staying at her friend Yuka's, only made things worse. Nabiki put out phone calls to various informers to see if she could determine where he was, thereby learning that he had taken a train to Niigata. She reluctantly put aside her vengeance to wait for his return, assuming that he did return.

In Niigata, Ranma had learned the name of a ship on which two Chinese women had boarded, one old and the other young. Most tellingly, the younger girl had purple hair. They were also reported to have carried a large chest on board with them. Ranma ground his teeth on hearing this, imagining how Akane must be suffering at their hands. Unwilling to lose time by swimming, Ranma booked passage on a ship himself, even though it wasn't leaving until shortly after dawn.

Ranma spent most of that night sitting with his back to a wall, huddled in a blanket, looking out over the sea. Bright stars twinkled in the sky overhead, managing to shine through the glow cast by the city behind him. This close to the water it had naturally proved useless to try to stay male, and his female body was just one more irritant, though almost negligible beside his other worries. Ranma was fighting his imagination, trying not to picture things which Shampoo might be doing to Akane. He tried to console himself with the thought that they'd have to keep her in fairly good shape for the plan which Mousse had relayed to him. Assuming, of course, that Mousse had understood them correctly.

In its own way, this waiting was as bad as those terrible hours at Jusendo. Then, he had been first convinced that Akane was dead, that he had lost her forever. After that, he had been totally focused on the one chance she had left to live again. He had been thrown back into utter despair when it seemed like he had failed, only to be elated to discover that she was alive again.

Unfortunately that experience had changed nothing between them. Or, if not quite nothing, then too little. He had still been unable to tell her the truth, how he felt. He'd been unable to figure out a way to put an end to all the problems surrounding them.

Ranma's thoughts were spiraling out of control. The thought of tortures she might be suffering, the possibility that he might never see her again ... His fists clenched at his sides, he turned shimmering eyes up to face the blurred stars.

Suddenly the red-haired girl was on his feet, blanket cast aside, unable to bear the constriction in his chest any longer. He shouted into the empty night. "No! It won't end like this! It won't! I swear to God, I'll get her back, whatever it takes! And then nobody better ever come between us again! I'm gonna tell her I love her! I swear I will! And to hell with the consequences!"

With tears running down his cheeks, he whispered, "Please come back to me, Akane. Please be all right."

His voice choked off, hoarse. Ranma fell limply back to sit on the ground again, and it was a long time before the girl moved to pick the blanket up and pull it around himself once more.

No one else was sleeping very peacefully that night either. Ukyo had gotten drunk on purpose. Cologne and Shampoo were separately wondering how well this plan was going to work. The members of the Tendo household were puzzled over the presence of an intoxicated Mousse and the absence of Ranma, and Nabiki was planning various tortures to inflict upon the pigtailed boy for daring to steal from her.

Several kilometers away, Akane was having an equally uneasy night. It wasn't only the difficulty of sleeping in an unfamiliar bed that bothered her. More troublesome were the questions she had about Ranma and herself, what she really wanted from her life and the fiancé who had been thrust upon her. They were issues she had avoided contemplating for a long time, and it would have been much easier to go on avoiding them.

Another concern for her was the image she had seen in the mirror earlier. The look the desk clerk had given her when she checked in had been unnerving. Akane was nagged by worry over whether the bruises would fade quickly enough. Yuka couldn't keep up the pretense for more than a couple of nights, and if the marks were still blatant when she returned home, well, she'd really rather not imagine the reactions.

The night gradually faded into the glow of dawn. As the sun crept above the horizon a ship pulled out to sea with a young martial artist aboard, standing by a railing at the bow as if he could urge it to travel faster. Elsewhere, Kasumi Tendo arose from her bed and prepared breakfast for all of the members of the household, guests included. Mousse finally woke up, rolled over, turned green, and jumped to his feet. Unsure in his disorientation how to find the bathroom, he barely made it to the window before emptying his stomach, then sank to the floor holding his head in agony. Belatedly he hoped that no one had been standing below the window.

Not very much later, but long enough for a disgruntled Soun Tendo to bathe, Mousse joined the Tendo and Saotome families at the breakfast table. He held a cup of tea clutched between both hands, while he desperately tried to avoid seeing, or even smelling, the food on the table.

Nabiki inhaled her first cup of coffee, jump starting her higher brain functions. While drinking a more leisurely second cup, she turned to their uninvited and unexpected overnight guest. "So what's the story, Mousse?" she asked bluntly, pitching her voice a little louder than usual.

The Chinese boy winced, hesitating to speak. He just knew that someone would raise his or her voice, and he was afraid that it might cause his head to split open. All the same, he saw that he was the center of attention as everyone waited to hear what he had to say. He gave a sigh and prepared for the worst.

"Yesterday, Cologne and Shampoo abducted your sister Akane. They are taking her to China. Ranma has gone in pursuit." There, that seemed to cover it.

"What?!" Soun Tendo screeched, manifesting a demon head. Mousse gave a scream of his own, dropped his tea, and clapped his hands over his ears in a desperate attempt to silence the ringing.

Nabiki appeared as serene as ever on the surface, but she was making a sudden reevaluation of Ranma's actions in light of this new information. There was a slight tremor in her voice as she spoke. "I see. And you remained behind and got drunk, because ...?"

Mousse flushed brightly, but was forced by his own incapacity to speak softly. "I promise you it wasn't my idea. Ranma did not wish me to accompany him. I tried to insist. He ... made sure that I did not."

"Why?" Soun demanded loudly, causing the nearsighted martial artist to wince again. "What are they planning to do to my little girl?"

Mousse quietly retold the story of taking Akane back to the village of the Joketsuzoku to brainwash her, before returning to have her help in securing Ranma as Shampoo's husband.

Nabiki stared at him. "Now wait just a minute. That doesn't make any sense. I mean, they'd be gone for weeks, right? Yuka couldn't pretend for that long. So eventually we'd figure out she was gone, long before they all came back. With Cologne and Shampoo missing as well, it would be a pretty good bet that they were involved." She shook her head. "They'd never get away with it. And Cologne isn't stupid."

Everyone except for the serene Kasumi was staring at her. Mousse's jaw was slack. "But ... but ... I heard them! I was listening outside the window! I know what I heard!"

The middle Tendo sister pursed her lips. "And it never occurred to you that you might have heard exactly what they wanted you to hear? That you might have been set up? I swear, do any of you martial artist types ever stop to think? You, Ranma, Kuno, Ryoga, my little sister ... You're all so blasted gullible!"

"But what could they be planning instead?" her father asked.

Nabiki shrugged. "Not enough clues to be certain. But I'd be willing to bet anything it involves some sort of trap to snare Ranma as Shampoo's husband. Akane ... I'm not sure I want to think about what they might intend to do with Akane. Hopefully she'll be ... be all right until they spring the trap."

The young woman looked at the appalled faces around her. "Hey cheer up! I may think of Ranma as a dumb jock, but he's damn good at getting himself out of tight places. He and Akane have survived an awful lot of nasty things before. They'll be all right. I'm ... sure of it."

"I must go after them," Mousse said seriously. Despite the words, his eyes were squeezed tightly closed against the pain which filled his head.

"You can barely stand, boy," Genma boomed. "Not to mention I have my doubts whose side you'd be on. I'll go after my son myself."

The Chinese boy grunted something under his breath, then added. "I had this same argument with Ranma! What is wrong with you Saotome males? I don't want my Shampoo to marry Ranma. I'll do whatever is needed to prevent that!"

Nabiki asked innocently, "So tell me, Uncle Saotome, have you learned to speak or read Chinese yet?"

"Humph!" was his response. "Don't see any reason that should be necessary. I'm perfectly capable of handling this on my own, and ..."

He stopped as his wife laid a hand on his arm. Genma swallowed nervously as the fingertips of her other hand brushed along her silk-wrapped katana. "Husband ... dear ... our son may be in trouble. Don't you think you should accept help from a native guide?"

"I ... er ... yes, I suppose so," he finished meekly.

Nabiki hid her amusement while she continued trying to think straight, for her sister's sake. "May I suggest that the two of you take a little time and do things right? They already have a big head start on you, but nothing's to be gained by running off without thinking things through. Mousse, you're going to need more time to recover. Uncle Saotome, you should take the time to pack carefully, as well as giving all of us a chance to pool some money together to finance this little jaunt. That will also give me some time to check with various sources and see if there's anything else to be learned which might help."

Mousse, despite his own desires in the matter, really was in no shape to jump up and run off at once, and Genma allowed Nodoka - and Nodoka's katana - to persuade him as to the wisdom of Nabiki's counsel. Mousse rested throughout the morning and early afternoon, drinking a special tea Kasumi prepared for him. Nabiki, Soun and Nodoka pooled additional money for the trip which, after a hasty conference, they elected to entrust to Mousse instead of Genma. There was one difficult moment when Nabiki found herself unable to hand over the money she brought downstairs, and her father found that he could not pull it from her grip. It wasn't until Kasumi took it in hand that Nabiki was finally able to let go.

She gave her sister a sheepish grimace, passing as a smile. "Sorry. Habit."

"I know," the eldest Tendo daughter murmured back gently.

It was late in the afternoon and Nabiki had barely returned from shopping for camping supplies with the two fathers, when Mousse announced he was going over to the Nekohanten to pack for the trip. This made Nabiki think about the other restaurant Ranma liked to frequent, and she wondered whether Ukyo might be willing to help on this little expedition. With that in mind, and without telling anyone else what she was about, she went over to Ucchan's to find out.

However, she paused just outside the door, suddenly having second thoughts. Was this really such a great idea? Ukyo was a rival of Akane's for Ranma, after all. On the other hand, unlike the other two rivals, she was a lot more stable and reasonable in outlook. Besides, Nabiki was already there, and there was probably no harm going in to see. So taking a breath, she pushed open the door and stepped inside.

Ukyo's pretty waitress Konatsu greeted her. "Hello, Nabiki-san! What may I get you today?"

Nabiki smiled, amused by the sight of the male patrons gazing appreciatively at Konatsu without ever guessing that he was male underneath the dress. "I'll take a shrimp okonomiyaki, but what I'd really like is to talk to Ukyo." She walked over and took a seat at the counter.

Ukyo looked up from her grill and regarded Nabiki with little favor. "Is there something I can do for you, Tendo-san?"

The one addressed raised an eyebrow, but let the frosty tone pass. "Well, I suppose you could start by cooking my order for me. But the reason I'm here is to talk to you about Ranma."

The chef's eyebrows lowered. "And what makes you think that I would want to talk to you, or anyone else, about Ranma Saotome?"

Nabiki raised her other eyebrow. "What, not Ran-chan? Did you two have a fight or something?"

Ukyo stared suspiciously, then turned back to her grill. "He didn't tell you?"

"Afraid not," Nabiki admitted. "I haven't heard about it from anyone else, either, whatever it is. Which is really rather surprising."

Ukyo's knuckles whitened on the spatula she held. Her voice betrayed nothing, except perhaps by its careful control. "He made it clear that he preferred your sister over me. Told me flat out that he couldn't live without her."

Nabiki's jaw dropped, causing Ukyo to snort in grim amusement. The middle Tendo sister struggled mightily to deal with what she had heard. Apparently, Ranma had finally made a decision. He had come right out and told one of his would-be suitors that he wanted Akane. It was ... very nearly unbelievable.

"Well, that's ... unexpected," she finally got out. Nabiki shook her head, forcing her attention back to the matter at hand. "Then I guess ... you might not be interested ..." She sighed. "It seems that Ranma has taken off after the Amazons, without realizing that they're leading him straight into a trap. A trap which they've baited with my little sister. I came here wondering if you might be willing to help."

Ukyo gave her a hard look, then turned her head, unwilling to meet her eyes. "As far as I'm concerned, he can go to hell." She took a deep breath. "Look, I don't really want Ranma to be captured by the Amazons. For that matter, I don't want them to do anything to Akane either. But you can't ask me ... not after ... look, I have a business to run here! I can't just up and run off. I'd go bankrupt, I'd lose everything!"

Nabiki sighed. "I understand. I just ... well, I didn't know the situation when I walked in here. I thought you'd want to know, to have the chance ..." She sighed again. "I'm sorry. Really."

A throat cleared itself nearby. The two girls turned to see Konatsu standing there, regarding them seriously. "Ukyo-sama, you and Ranma-sama saved me from my wicked step-family. For that matter, Akane-sama was involved as well. If they are in danger ..." He took a deep breath. "I am sorry that you are upset with Ranma-sama, but may I have your permission to go to his rescue?"

Ukyo stared at her employee. It was true that his presence drew in additional customers, for which she only paid him a pittance, but his absence wouldn't cost her that much revenue. Also, she was feeling just a little ashamed about her own refusal to help, however justified it was. Finally she managed to ask, "Are you sure?"

Konatsu nodded. "Yes, Ukyo-sama. It has been a great pleasure to work for you here, to repay your kindness in helping me and ... for other reasons. But I have never had the chance to properly repay Ranma-sama for his help. I wish to do this."

Ukyo nodded her permission, not trusting herself to speak. Konatsu turned to look inquiringly at Nabiki.

"Ranma's father and Mousse will be leaving from the Tendo dojo in the morning. Come over in the morning, or better yet, tonight, with your pack and whatever supplies you need to go with them to China. They expect to leave shortly after dawn."

With a final exchange of polite words, Nabiki paid for her okonomiyaki, picked up the box, and left the restaurant.

Akane found the peace and quiet uncomfortable, not being accustomed to it, but it served the purpose for which she had sought such a place. In the absence of distractions, she was finally able to think about things she had avoided contemplating over the last two years. The only disturbance to her meditations had occurred when she returned from her morning jog. The maid had obviously come in and tidied up. Lying in plain sight in the middle of the newly made bed had been a pamphlet, which proved on closer inspection to contain advice for women who had been battered by husbands or boyfriends. Akane had flushed angrily and tossed it into the trash.

The young woman had decided early on that the beating she had suffered should not be allowed to influence her decisions. Either she wanted to try to make things work with Ranma, in which case she refused to let Shampoo's threats stop her, or she was going to break things off finally. No threat was going to make her throw away anything that she truly wanted, or make her cling with stubborn pride to something which would never work out.

As Akane relaxed in a Jacuzzi that evening, it seemed as if her thoughts slowly crystallized. As if many things which had been floating below the surface of her conscious mind rose up and fit together into a seamless whole. She thought about her feelings for Ranma, and the aching pain each time she imagined giving him up. She thought about the small ways in which Ranma showed his affection, the way he held her hand in private, the times that his eyes turned gentle. She spent time thinking about the way he had been raised, something she had never spent much time considering before, and felt herself coming to a new understanding of some of her fiancé's behavior.

Sitting there in the Jacuzzi, reflecting on all of these things, Akane finally remembered Ranma's words when he had at last truly started sparring with her. When he began preparing her to face Shampoo, though she had paid little heed to his insistence on the necessity. Ranma had said then that she needed to be willing to fight for what she wanted. Not necessarily with fists, but willing to do whatever it took to win.

She felt it in her soul, the time for indecisiveness was past. Akane gave a stern nod, her face firming with resolution as her mind locked onto that thought. Words forced themselves from her throat, whispered, but fierce for all of that. "Whatever it takes. I love him. And I'm sure that he loves me. I'm going to make him mine, whatever it takes. I'm going to make him mine. I'm a student of Anything Goes, and you'd better get out of my way Shampoo, because the real battle starts now."

She stood suddenly, water streaming off of her body. Akane toweled herself vigorously, then returned to her room and packed most of her stuff away again to be ready to leave in the morning. She crawled beneath the covers for one last night's sleep in that room, her thoughts wholly focused on Nerima and what she would say to Ranma in the morning when she saw him.

Konatsu awoke first, and then Mousse, both of them accustomed in their roles as menial laborers to early rising and the need to start their chores. They had been given a space at the Tendo home, sharing the room with Ranma's father. As they dressed, the two boys eyed the older man, snoring away as if he would sleep till noon. Mousse hefted his pack onto his shoulders, appeared to think it over, began to set it back down, then put it back on decisively. He leaned over Genma Saotome and started to shake the man, calling his name.

Genma came awake muzzily, to see the dim figure of a boy leaning over him. It fit into a familiar pattern and the man responded almost instinctively. He grabbed Mousse's arm and shirt and, with a mighty heave, tossed him through the window, pack and all. The Chinese boy had time for one startled cry before he vanished under the surface of the koi pond.

Konatsu looked out the window at the duck as it struggled free of its clothing. "Why did you do that, Saotome-san?"

Genma's thoughts were finally coming online as he muttered, "Eh, what? Wait a minute? Ranma's not here. Who was that?"

"Mousse," the young ninja replied succinctly.

The older man climbed off of his futon and crossed over to the window to look outside as well. His features shifted from confusion to a scowl. "Aw, crap," was all he said as he jumped out of the window.

Mousse made his own way out of the pond and headed indoors in search of hot water, which Kasumi supplied. Genma fetched the boy's clothing and pack out of the pond, but everything had been thoroughly soaked. The clothing went straight into the laundry to be washed and dried, while the remaining items in the pack were spread out to dry. As a result, they were some hours late getting started, and it was not until well after nine in the morning that the three men said their good-byes and trudged out to the gate.

Genma flung open the gate and immediately pulled up short. Akane Tendo was standing there, and her extended arm showed that she had been reaching for the gate when it had suddenly opened. A moment's silence hung in the air, before it vanished into bedlam.

"Would everyone please be quiet!" Akane bellowed. She was kneeling at the table in the family room, her head in her hands, the peace and quiet she had found at the inn now firmly in the past. The young woman was surrounded by her sisters, father, Ranma's parents and, for some reason, Mousse and Konatsu, all of whom were firing questions at her at the top of their lungs. None of them had paused for breath the entire time that they were bustling her inside from the gate, not even Kasumi.

The volume of the demand did get them to shut up for a moment, albeit Genma trailed on for several seconds after everyone else. Akane shook her head and added, "Sheesh, I wasn't gone that long! What's with you guys? You act like I've been gone weeks - months - instead of a couple of days." She glanced around, bit her lip, tried not to betray the intensity of her interest in the answer to the next question. "By the way, where's that baka fiancé of mine?"

"Akane, daughter, where were you?" Soun asked pleadingly, tears evident in the quaver of his voice.

His daughter looked down sheepishly. "I guess you didn't buy the story that I was at Yuka's house, huh? Well, there's not really much to tell. I ... needed to get away for a couple of days. Away from everything. So I asked Yuka to pretend that I was staying with her. Instead I headed out to the northwest, ended up in Niiza. Got a room in some little place. I caught a bus back this morning."

"Who else knew about this little vacation?" Nabiki asked coolly. There was something disturbing about the question to Akane's ear.

"No one," Akane answered easily although somewhat bewildered. "Just Yuka. I told her she could tell Sayuri. That's it. Why?"

"Somebody else knew," Nabiki responded. One could almost hear the wheels turning in her brain.

"What's going on?" Akane asked, starting to worry. "And where's Ranma? He isn't, uh, he isn't out searching for me, is he?" She winced, imagining how upset he'd be when he got home, worried that she had disappeared, only to discover that she had been safe all along.

Genma reached out and placed a finger under Akane's chin, lifting slightly. His voice rumbled, "Before we answer that, suppose you tell us who worked you over?"

Akane flushed, making the bruises stand out more vividly. In a quiet voice, she asked, "Do I ... look that bad?"

Kasumi started to say something reassuring, but Genma held up his hand. His gruff voice answered her. "Aren't you the one who's always saying you're a martial artist? Are you ashamed of your bruises? Whatsa matter? Too dainty to want people to know you been in a fight?"

Akane pressed her lips together and glared angrily, while Genma continued speaking. "I wasn't too sure of you at first, y'know. But you turned out to be a tough little thing. Tough enough to heal fast, like me and m'boy, and these two numbskulls." He hooked a thumb toward Mousse and Konatsu. "So yeah, you've healed up a bit, but I ain't so blind I can't see what your face musta looked like a couple days ago. So who did it?"

Akane sighed, surprised to find her anger half gone. "Shampoo," she answered quietly. Then she looked up, eyes blazing. "But I've already made up my mind. There's no way I'm going to let her win."

Genma nodded. Kasumi gasped as the implication sank in. Nabiki looked at her older sister, then her own eyes widened. Konatsu and Nodoka smiled smugly, but it seemed to go over Soun's head. Mousse was too busy wondering whether to get angry over the statement that Shampoo would not be allowed to win something, to think clearly over what was meant.

As the others struggled to process this bombshell, Akane looked her fiancé's father in the eye, and asked firmly. "So where is Ranma?"

He made no attempt to soften the blow. "Chasing you. Or so he thinks. Halfway to China by now, I suppose. He thought the Amazons had taken you."

Akane just stared blankly at him for several long seconds as she struggled to comprehend what she had been told. When it finally got through, she realized with bleak certainty that her own disappearance had provided an opportunity which had been used to trick Ranma. To trap him. The room started to spin around her.

"None o' that." Genma reached out and slapped her lightly across the face. Nabiki gave an angry bark and grabbed his hand, while Nodoka lifted her katana from the floor and seized the hilt. Soun's eyes flashed as he prepared to use his demon head technique on his old friend. Genma leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest, scowling.

"Stop it Nabiki, Daddy. Please, Auntie Nodoka. It's ... my fault. If I hadn't vanished, Ranma wouldn't have ... gone looking for me. I ... I ..." She started looking around the room, a little wildly. "I have to go after him. I have to get him back."

"We are already preparing to do so, Akane-sama." It was Konatsu, speaking for the first time. "We are packed, and were about to leave when you returned home. We will find Ranma-sama and return him here." For the first time, Akane took in the fact that Konatsu was dressed in his full ninja rig.

"All three of us are going," Mousse confirmed this. "Saotome, Konatsu and myself. I have no intention of allowing them to marry Ranma to my Shampoo."

"All four of us," Akane stated defiantly. "I'm going too!"

This quickly set off a barrage of protests. Her father, Kasumi, Nabiki, Nodoka, and Mousse all said various things along the themes of asking if she were crazy, telling her that she couldn't possibly mean to go, suggesting that it would be much too dangerous. Only Konatsu and Genma held their tongues. Konatsu was looking at Akane in worry, but didn't feel it was his place to speak.

Akane was still angrily telling everyone that she was so going after Ranma, when Genma stood up, drawing everyone's eyes. He looked meaningfully at Akane. "You aren't dressed for hiking. That little pack you had with you doesn't have the right supplies, or nearly enough. I'm leaving in one hour. With or without you." He turned and walked out onto the engawa, leaving everyone staring at his back.

Akane threw off her stupor, jumping to her feet and running up to her room. She had no doubt that Ranma's father meant exactly what he said, which didn't leave her much time to get ready. Her mind was already racing down the supplies she would need and where they were stored around the house.

Soun stalked out after his old ... well, he wasn't sure if he wanted to refer to him as a friend right now. "What are you up to, Saotome? You can't drag my baby girl off to China to face those Amazons!"

Genma turned and looked him over slowly. "Tendo, I know she's only a girl, but, y'know ..." He paused thoughtfully. "She didn't do so bad the last time she was in China. You want those two to get married, right?"

Soun nodded suspiciously, unsure of where this was going.

Genma continued, speaking softly, not really wanting others to hear him saying these things. "I've been doing a lot of thinking about it lately. Talked it over with Nodoka a bit, too. I think part of the problem is I raised the boy to be so good, he has trouble respecting most people 'cause he's so much better'n them. It's been hard for him to think of Akane as a partner, which is what he needs in a wife, not some simpering little girl who'll do as she's told and only cares about flower arranging and tea ceremonies and crap. Your Akane's got it in her, and she's even shown him so a time or two, but m'boy's got a thick skull. He needs to have it really knocked into him. This is her chance to prove to him, once and for all, that she's the proper heir to the Tendo dojo and the one who's right for him."

Genma paused, looked his friend in the eye, then asked, "Or don't you believe she's your proper heir?"

Soun swallowed hard, bit his lip, looked away. "If ... if something happened to her, I couldn't ... she's the one who reminds me most of Kimiko, you know." His face got a dreamy look on it. "When I remember how that tomboy used to whack me upside the head. And how she used to poison me before she finally learned how to cook." His eyes turned sad again. "I couldn't bear to lose Akane, too."

Genma slapped him on the back. "You're not going to lose her. I'll be there, after all. So will those other two lads. And when we catch up with Ranma, well he won't let anything happen to her, you bet. We'll keep her safe for you."

"You promise?" It was asked breathily, begging for reassurance.

"Of course, Tendo. Now why don't you go help your daughter pack, say a proper good-bye, and give her a bit of reassurance?"

Soun nodded, essaying a small smile before he turned and strode away. As he watched the other man disappear, Genma's own cheerful smile vanished, and his eyes were worried as he turned back to look outside.

They didn't quite make Genma's deadline, but only because Kasumi and Nodoka refused to let Akane go without a proper meal and asking several times if she was certain of her decision. Nodoka grew tearful while saying farewell to her future daughter-in-law, though nowhere near so badly as Soun. For his part, Genma was a bit disgruntled to see his wife fussing over Akane so much while barely sparing him a glance. He also chafed as his deadline came and went and there seemed to be no end to the dithering. Finally, Akane herself cut it off, firmly saying a final good-bye and marching out the gate.

Genma growled at the two boys, demanding to know what they were waiting for as he quickly followed. They grabbed their packs and stepped through the gate right behind him. Thus the four of them began the walk toward the train station.

Genma looked his companions over carefully. They all worried him, each in his or her own way. Mousse would probably manage well enough, and wouldn't concern him too much until they came near some of his own people. At that point he would have to worry about the possibility of betrayal. As for Akane and Konatsu, he knew they were tough enough in the short term, but he had no idea how either would hold up over the long haul.

They turned along the street that ran beside the canal. The older man suddenly bellowed, "Okay! Everyone up on the fence, and let's start moving faster!" Suiting action to words he leaped atop the fence and started off at a trot. Then he stopped, looking back at the three faces staring up at him from the sidewalk. "Well? Get your butts up here!"

Konatsu shrugged, used to obedience. He jumped up behind Genma and balanced there. Mousse was not so quick to obey, instead asking, "Why? It's easier to walk down here."

Genma planted his fists at his waist. "Fool boy. If we're lucky, we'll catch up to Ranma while he's still on his own. If we're not, he may already be in the middle of a pack of your people. But even if it's only Shampoo and Cologne, they're what ... the current champion of your village and the most dangerous martial artist around? Well, with the possible exception of my old master."

"So?" Mousse inquired.

"So ..." Genma replied sweetly, before shifting to a shout. "We need to be ready to face them, idiot! There is not going to be one waking moment along this trip when you're not going to be doing training of one sort or another! Now get up here!"

Mousse scowled, but jumped. He wobbled for a moment before gaining his balance, and gave Genma a defiant stare.

"Um ... even me?" Akane asked quietly.

Genma's eyes narrowed. "You'll either be ready to fight, or you'll be a handicap. And I ain't putting up with any handicaps. Your choice. Your home's back that way." He pointed.

Akane's face reddened. Without saying another word, she jumped onto the fence in front of him, there being no more room behind where the two boys were standing. To Genma's surprise, she didn't wobble. She sniffed her nose and told him, "Fine. Then let's get going." Thanking Ranma silently for the clandestine training they'd been doing, she took off at a trot.

Genma raised an eyebrow, then started off after her. They were immediately followed by the two boys. The man watched the girl in front of him for a minute, sizing up her sense of balance, then nodded.

"Faster, girl! This ain't some stroll through the park!"

Akane gritted her teeth and sped up. While she ran she wondered whether Ranma's father would live long enough to see his son rescued.

Author's note:

Will Ranma catch up to Cologne and Shampoo before they make it back to their village? Will Akane and the others catch up to Ranma before he reaches Cologne and Shampoo? The answers await in chapter 3.

In my author's note to chapter 1, I said that this story would have eleven chapters. In looking over the final chapters, I decided that dramatic requirements necessitated changing the chapter divisions. Thus there will now be twelve chapters, as chapters 9-11 have turned into somewhat shorter chapters 9-12.

Related sites on the web: Please visit my profile page for information on upcoming chapters or stories, by clicking on my name at the top of this chapter. My profile also has links to my web site, LiveJournal site and forum. The web site contains the official versions of my stories. The LiveJournal site provides updates on what I am working upon at any given time. The forum is a place to discuss my stories or Ranma 1/2 in general.