AN: Well, here it is folks! The moment you've all been waiting for! The next installment of Feelings! Seriously though, I truly am sorry for taking so long before picking up this story again, and I could give you several valid exuses, but I won't. It's been a while since I really updated, and I'm sorry for that. I hope that you, my readers, can forgive me.

I've gotta say though, whoa! Just by posting that minchapter, the overall hit stats jumped from 13,113 to 15,004 overnight! That's 1,891 more hits! (though the reviews only went up by 4... cries) Thank you all for reading, it makes me happy to know my story is enjoyed.

I do not own Ranma 1/2 or Golden Boy, so don't sue me pleez!

Chapter 7, The Lengths That We Go.

Soun Tendo sat in his dojo, deep in meditation. It was one of those rare times when the house was empty, save for his friend, Genma Saotome, who was currently passed out drunk, and Soun, finding himself alone, decided to get back in touch with himself. The recent events revolving around his daughter, Akane, and her fiance, Ranma, had opened Soun's eyes to some very troubling truths that he simply could not ignore. Most of them resolved his and Genma's master, the fearsome Happosai, and the fact that they were too terrified to face the dimunitive pervert openly. What troubled Soun the most was the lengths that Happosai had gone to recently regarding Ranma, hitting him with the Ultimate Weakness Moxibustion point, leaving Ranma as weak as a baby. Happosai was a petty man, to be sure, but Soun couldn't shake the feeling that there was a deeper meaning to Happosai's motives, something that wasn't immediatly noticable. Sure, Ranma had made the old man mad enough times, but this went beyond the norm. Happosai did consider Ranma his one true heir to the Anything Goes style after all.

As Soun sat and contemplated, the family shrine that sat in front of him gave a great shudder and cracked in half and a feeling of dread washed over Soun, causing his eyes to go wide. "Oh no... Kasumi! Nabiki! Akane!" He yelled, the feeling that his dear daughters were about to be in terrible danger forcing him to spring from his sitting positition and run out of the dojo, only to come face to face with an equally wide-eyed and now sober Genma.

"Tendo! Do you feel that?" Genma asked.

Soun pushed passed his friend as he ran for the front door, Genma close on his heels. "No time to talk Saotome! We've got to get to the clinic now!" Soun exlaimed, running outside, then doing something he had not done in years, jumping up onto the nearest roof then hopping to the next, Genma right beside him as they sped for Tofu's clinic.

-Dr.Tofu's Clinic-

At that same moment, there was a fairly merry crowd inside of Ranma Saotome's room, with several people in it engaged in their own little conversations. Kasumi was giggling as Dr. Tofu kept dancing around with Betty the Skeleton, while Nabiki and Kentaro Oe engaged in a deep conversation about the law, and how one could use it to their advantage should a situation arise, Kentaro's knowlage impressing the normally stoic girl more than a little.

On the other side of the room, the Amazon elder, Cologne, was carefully assessing Ranma's slowly healing wounds while Akane sat beside him, her hand resting lightly in his own. "Well Sonny boy, your wounds are coming along rather well, though not nearly as fast as what they would be if you hadn't been hit with the moxibustion point." She stated as Ranma grimaced, shifting slightly to get more comfortable.

"So... there's nothing you can do?" Ranma asked.

Cologne shook her head sadly. "Nothing... I'm sorry." She replied. "The good news is, you are still young, so you can train back to your old level evntually, though it will be a long and hard road. Are you willing?" She asked, looking into Ranma's eyes.

Ranma nodded in response. "The art is my life. Of course I will. As soon as I'm finished healing, I'm gonna start." He said. Then, oddly enough, he smiled. 'IN a way, this can be counted as a good thing. If it hadn't have been for the old pervert, I wouldn't have ever had that brush with death that I did, and then I may have never found out about my family art. Not to mention that it pushed me to reveal my feelings for Akane." He said, looking at said girl, still smiling softly.

"You baka." Akane teased, gently pushing against Ranma with her shoulder.

Noting that her great grandaughter, Shampoo. who was depressed already when Ranma told her once and for all that he would never love her as a wife, become even more depressed at the affectionate display, Cologne cleared her throat. "I'm happy for the two of you, but Shampoo's emotional wounds are still fresh. Is there any chance that the two of you could be a little more discreet?" She asked, looking at the both of them with pleading eyes.

"Sure thing." Ranma said, looking over at Shampoo. He was about to say something else, when a huge burst of Ki stopped him, along with the familiar yell of 'cretin!' that could have only come from one person, which proved Ranma's suspicions as seconds later, Kuno came bursting through the door, rolling along the floor and coming up into a crouch, his boken held at the ready in front of him. What surprized everyone present though was that he was not looking at Ranma, he was instead gazing intently at the door. "DIe foul demon!" He cried out suddenly, causing everyone to tense up, as he charged the door, his bokken raised above his head, only to be knocked back into the wall, cracks splintering out behind him.

"I've come for my revenge!" A voice cried out as a small, black blur shot through the door, bouncing off Kuno, who let out an audible oomph, and landing directly on... Akane?! "Oh my dear sweet Akane!" Happosai crowed, snuggling deep into the affonted girl's chest.

"PERVERT!" Both Akane and Ranma yelled at the same time, attempting to bat Happosai away, who merely dodged and leapt off, landing atop Tofu's head.

"Oh my." Kasumi said, covering her mouth. "Grandfather Happosai! Why did you do that?" She asked in a slightly scolding voice.

"That's easy mi'girl, I'm here for my revenge!" Happosai cackled, using Tofu's head as a spring board to launch off his head right as Cologne's cane filled the space were he had been, landing on Shampoo's ample chest. "Sweeto!" He cried, giving her a squeeze.

"EAAAHHH! PERVERT MAN!" Shampoo screeched, throwing Happosai off and pulling out her one remaining bonborri. "SHAMPOO KILL!" She screamed, charging Happosai, swinging.

Happosai easily dodged all of the swings, pulling out his pipe and lighting it. "Careful there sweeto! Hit me in the wrong place, and you might ruin any chance of gettin' ya some good ol'Happi' lovin'!" He said as one of Shampoo's swings caused his match to go out.

"Ummm... what's going on?" Kentaro asked Nabiki, looking confused.

"Trust me, you don't want to know." Nabiki replied, leaning against a wall.

At that moment, Cologne joined with Shampoo in an attempt to defeat their greatest foe, the two of them working in perfet sync as they thrust, slashed, and parried with their respective weapons, forcing Happosai to block occasionally with his pipe. "You're getting slow Happi!" Cologne said, working her staff furiously.

"Heh... You're one to talk!" Happosai explaimed, suddenly catching Cologne's staff and tossing her away while simultaniously blocking a strike from Shampoo, striking her bonborri just below the head, snapping it off and sending it directly for...

"Ranma! Watch out!" Akane yelled, rushing to get between Ranma and the projectile, crying out in pain as it smashed into her shoulder and bounced off. "Y-you... ok... Ranma?" She asked, looking up into her fiance's horrified eyes with a smile, before collapsing on top of him, unconcious.

"A... Akane?" Ranma asked, his eyes wide with shock as he stared down at his fiancee. He reached for her, horrified, as the events kept playing through his mind. Getting up, Ranma gently laid Akane down, staring down at her.Then, he saw red. "HAPPOSAI!!!" Ranma roared, his aura bursting from him as he turned a deadly glare on Happosai.

Kuno got up just as Akane took the hit, and his own rage boiled over as well, his killer intent suddenly filling the room as well as it intermingled with Ranma's, both of them aimed directly at Happosai, who was staring wide-eyed at the fallen Akane. "You dare to attack the beautiful Akane Tendo?! Die monstor!" Kuno screamed, charging at the dimunitive man, swinging his bokken in a cross-cut, which Happosai barely managed to avoid, only to be knocked through the window as Ranma's foot smashed into the back of his skull.

"Ow! That hurt boy!" happosai complained, rubbing the back of his head, looking up at Kuno and Ranma, who were glaring down at him, murder in their eyes.

"Saotome, in light of this monsters atrocities, I suggest a temporary truce until we bring him to justice." Kuno said, resting his bokken on his shoulder.

Ranma could only nod mutely as he continued to glare at Happosai, leaping out the window with surprizing agility considering his wounds, followed shortly by Kuno, the two of them landing on either side of Happosai.

"So... the two of you wanna fight me?!" Happosai asked, taking a defensive stance.

Ranma shook his head. "No... I want to kill you!" He snarled, his ki skyrocketing even more as his muscles started to buldge, causing cracks to spiderweb across his casts, which finally broke apart, unable to withstand the strain they were placed under.

"What?! That's Saotome's Iron Body technique! Is Ranma unconciously activating it?" Happosai wondered, staring intently at Ranma as his muscles continued to get larger. "Careful boy, put too much power into that technique, and you'll wind up hurting yourself." He warned.

"Cretin! You dare turn your eyes from an opponent?!" Kuno snarled, charging forward, slashing for Happosai's head.

"Fool, I never forget an enemy." Happosai replied, spinning around the attack, getting into Kuno's gaurd, kicking him in the chest and chin, sending him flying backwards, knocked out. "hn!" Happosai looked down in surprize as a small cut opened up on his sleeve. "That boy is dangerous as well! Does he even know what he just did?" He mused, fingering the tear. suddenly he sensed immense pressure right above him, and dodged out of the way as Ranma's fist slammed into the concrete, smashing a hole and causing a crater to form from the force of the punch. "You're too slow boy!" He explaimed, opening up on Ranma's side with a series of punches and kicks.

Ranma, for his part, stood up, seeming to not even notice the attacks, much to Happosai's surprize. Without a word, he sprung forward, lashing out at Happosai with a leg sweep, who predictibly leapt up to avoid it. In the next instant, Ranma delivered a vicious uppercut to the small man, who used both arms to block, yet was sent rocketing upwards just the same.

"Happo-Fireburst!" Happosai called out, throwing several bombs down at Ranma, who simply batted them away, paying no attention to the explosions around him.

Nabiki whistled from the window, Kintaro standing next to her. "Ranma's fighting like Ryoga normally does." She told Kasumi and Tofu, who were busy checking over Akane with Cologne while Shampoo got smelling salts from a shelf.

"I don't know what's with that boy, but he needs to be careful. With the combination of the Moxibustion and how hurt he still is, a battle isn't good for him right now, especially against an opponent Happosai's level." Cologne remarked, taking the smelling salts from Shampoo and waving them under Akane's nose, causing the girl's eyes to flutter open.

"Ranma!" Akane cried out, sitting bolt-upright.

Kasumi placed a steadying hand on Akane's shoulder. "Hold still sister, you were knocked unconcious. You need to take it easy." She gently scolded.

"But what about Ranma?" akane asked, looking up at Kasumi, worry eched all over her face.

Nabiki was about to answer when Soun and Genma burst into the room. "Are you girls alright?!" Soun asked.

"Where's the boy?" Genma followed up, looking around.

"He's outside with Kuno right now fighting Happosai because the old man hurt Akane." Nabiki said, waiting with a hidden smirk for more action.

"HE WHAT?!" Both men roared at the same time.

"He did, and he's outside right now." Nabiki replied.

"Come Saotome! We must vanquish the villan for the honor of the Anything Goes School!" Soun exlaimed, leaping out the window.

"Right behind oyu!" Genma replied, leaping out as well.

"HAAAPOSAIII!!!" Soun roared, going into his demon head mode as he bore down on his master.

Not wanting to take his eyes off Ranma, Hpposai simply pulled out some Happo-bombs and tossed them up at Genma and Soun, who were just barely able to avoid the attack, landing not too far away.

Seeing the small opening, Ranma charged forward, using an unsaid Chesnut Fist attack, his fists little more than flashes as he attempted to hit Happosai, who was barely able to dodge.

Getting out of bed, Akane rushed over to the window. "Oh, Ranma..." She said, seeing the rage that he was in as he fought. "Ranma! You can't keep fighting! You're hurt!" She cried out, leaping from the window and rushing over, pulling him into a hug. "Ranma, please stop... please? I don't want you to be hurt any worse!" She cried against him.

Ranma blinked and looked down. "A... Akane?" He asked, coming to his senses, his body returning to normal. He winced in pain as his adreniline started to die down, feeling all the hits he had taken to his still sore ribs.

"Just... please stop..." Akane pleaded, her face buried in his chest.

"I can't Akane, he's got too much to answer for this time." Ranma replied, glaring at the old man.

Cologne and Shampoo dropped down behind them. Then let us help as well." Cologne said.

"Yes... let us vanquish the villan!" Kuno said, standing up, shaking his head.

"You hear that master! You won't get away with your crimes anymore!" Soun declared, Genma nodding behind him.

Happosai cracked a grin as he started to cackle. "I haven't had this much fun in years!" He declared, then he sobered as his smile disappeared. "Akane, I truly am sorry that you were hurt earlier. However, if all of you are serious about fighting me, I miught as well get serious as well!" He decleared pulling a large scroll out of seemingly nowhere and unfurled it, laying it on the ground. "I summon thee! come forth, great toad demon, Gamabunta!" He cried out, placing his palm on the scroll, which started to glow with an eerie light as an unnatural wind started to blow out from it, howling as it grew in intensity. Jumping away, he watched on in triumph, only for his glee turn into horror as he felt something go wrong. The light turned black, and the wind died down, only to start back up again as it was sucked into the scroll, pulling debries in with it.

"Ranmaaa!!!" Akane cried out as she felt the wind start to rip at the both of them, they being the closest to the scroll.

"Akane! Just hold on!" Ranma yelled back, bracing himself in front of his fiancee, hugging her close to his chest as he felt the winds pull at his back..

"Happosai you fool! What have you done?" Cologne asked as she and Shampoo took several steps back, feeling the wind tug at them as well.

"I don't know what's going on! Quickly, we must get away from the scroll before it sucks us in!" Happosai yelled back, leaping even further away.

"We're tryin' ya old fool!" Ranma replied, feeling his already nearly spent reserves beginning to fail. Then... they gave out. "NO! Ranma cried out as his eyes went wide, flying backwards from Akane, reaching out with his good hand.

"RANMAAA!!!" Akane screamed, leaping after him, tears streaming from her eyes as she wrapped her arms tightly around his waist as they flew towards the vortex...

-End-

Bwa ha ha! It's a cliffhanger! Bet'cha can't wait for the next chapter, can ya? Review and tell me how evil I am!