"Please Akane, eat some more, you need to regain your strength," said the Prince, saying it as a request and not an order.

"No, thank you. I couldn't eat another bite," she replied. Akane Tendo had been declared Nyajan's second best fighter, and it still stunned her whenever she thought about it. She barely had time to recollect the events that had just occurred before the Prince ordered medical attention for her and the Captain, who was still laying on the ground. The 'medical attention' they had received consisted of potions and ointments applied and given by; to Akane's knowledge; nurses.

"Here you go, sweetheart. This elixir will mend any cracked or broken bones in an instant," cooed the nurse, in a motherly tone, "And the ointment will reduce the pain and your bruises."

After a few hours of rest, the Prince had requested that Akane join him for dinner. She had originally declined the offer, but decided on meeting him in the end.

'Now that the nonsense with that Captain is over with, I hope the Prince will know how to send me home,' she thought.

She knows her family is looking for her as well as Ranma is, but her hope was fading. She has been gone for three days with no sign or story of newcomers arriving in the village, looking for a girl named 'Akane'.

'They'll come, I know they will,' she said to herself.

When she arrived for dinner she was wearing an elegant blue dress that hung just below her knees. The chambermaids had picked the dress out for her and put a white lily in her hair to match the white gloves she had on. The black heels she was given weren't too high, but since she rarely wore heels, her feet were uncomfortable in them.

The Prince helped her into her seat. "I do hope the dinner my cook prepared is something you'll enjoy," he said, pushing her chair in.

The cook brought out two silver platters covered with cloth napkins. "For the miss," said the cook, revealing the food.

The meal looked as though the Prince had kidnapped Kasumi and had her cook it. The cook called it a "Sizzling Seafood and Veggies with white rice" platter. The food was unbelievable, Akane had never tasted lobster and crab like it before, the shrimp and scallops were superb. The pieces of carrots, broccoli, corn and peas had the right crunch to them, and the rice was fluffy and melted in her mouth.

"How is it?" asked the Prince.

"Its excellent, a lot better than what I make, but how did the cook know I would eat this?" she answered.

Prince Tshugo explains, "I had my cook study the large collection of recipes you had that were bound together."

She says to herself, 'He must mean my Home Economics textbook.'

"Anything else you want to tell me?" she wondered.

The Prince sighed before replying, "After I sent you and the villager away, I had a conversation with the Captain. He told me some things he overheard you saying to the villager. He overheard you say that you have an arranged marriage, is that true?"

"Yes it is, sire," she said.

"No need to be formal," he told her, "But are you sure you want to go home? I mean, you could live here in the castle with the other Champions, and you could serve me as a Champion."

"I'm sorry, the castle is lovely and all, its just my family, friends and yes even my fiance are more important to me than the title of Champion," she answered.

"Oh," he replied.

The Prince asked, "Could you walk with me, Akane?"

She nodded yes. The girl groaned as she got up.

"Do you want some medical help?" he wondered.

"No, I'll be fine. I've been hurt worse at home," she told him.

They started walking down a corridor. Tshugo turned to her and said, "If you insist on going home, I can't stop you, but can I make a request?"

Perplexed by his question, she allows him to ask,"Could I allow my armorists to make you a battle armor like the one the Captain has? You make take it home with you if you liked to. Its nothing special, just something to show my appreciation for showing me that my army has a long way to becoming stronger."

"How's that?" she wondered.

"Johza was my best trained man, not to mention my best friend," he explained, "We both trained under a master of all kinds of martial art techniques, including some obscure ones, since we were seven years old. The master saw how fast my advancement was going, but my friend never could match me in skill. I was only fourteen when my parents died. Since that day, the master took care of us. He died when I was seventeen. When the royal advisors thought I was old enough to rule I was nineteen. My first act as ruler I made my friend the Captain of the army and had all the soldiers taught the basics I learned from the master. When you beat him, it just goes to show you can't learn enough."

Asking again, "So, can my armorists make you a battle armor?"

Akane took a little time before she agreed.

"Excellent. Now, before you go to your quarters; I won't let my newest Champion sleep in the dungeon; please enter the room down the hall. My top advisor is waiting for you. I want you to show him where it was you appeared here. That way when the villager returns with the dagger, I can allow you to go home. In the morning after breakfast, you will need to go to the armorists to get the measurements needed for your armor. It should be done by the end of the day, you have my word on it," said Prince Tshugo, getting to the end of the corridor.

"Okay, I'll do just that, goodnight," she tells him, shutting the door to the advisor's room.

The Prince begins to walk back to the dining area, but stops halfway down the hall. Talking to the shadows casted by the moonlight, he says, "As soon as my advisor receives the ripple's information, take a 'challenge' there and deliver it to her Plane."

"Yes, sire," replies the shadow.

The Prince says to himself, 'We have the Dagger of Daishiun, and I will have a loyal, new Champion and that villager will be dealt with. All is as it should be... mine.'

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"What do you mean Akane is being held captive?" exclaimed Soun.

"That's what I mean, she's being held against her will by someone and they want to keep her too," said Ranma.

"Are you sure you feel ok, Ranma?" asked Nabiki.

"Yes, I feel fine," she told her as Kasumi places her hand on the teen's forehead.

"He doesn't have a fever, so its not hallucinations," she reported.

"It can't be hallucinations, its real," she says, annoyed.

"But," started Ryoga, "It doesn't sound like Akane. I mean, she should've been able to fight back, right?"

"Not if they were using a weapon of some sorts," Ranma tells him.

A crying Soun pleads, "How do you know this, tell me how do you know?"

"This is how," she answers, waving a piece of paper in the air.

"Give it here, son. What is it?" wondered Genma, reaching for the note.

"No, pop. Get away from me old man and let me explain!" she shouted, getting out of the reach of his father, holding the paper high above her head.

Ryoga reached up and grabbed it from her.

"That's mine!" said the teen, trying to take it back.

"I want to look at it," he told her, holding the note away from her.

"I'll take that," says Nabiki, snatching it from Ryoga.

"Hey!" said both teens at the same time.

"As soon as you three STOP FIGHTING!!" she shouted.

At once Genma, Ryoga and Ranma stop their bickering to listen to her.

"That's better," she says, "You guys are giving me a headache," she added under her breath.

"What was that, Nabiki?" asked Soun.

"Nothing dad," she tells him.

"What does the note say?" chimed in Ukyo, coming out of the kitchen along with Kasumi, helping to carry a total of seven plates of okonomiyaki. Ukyo decided to work in the kitchen then listen to all the arguing.

Nabiki opened the note and began to read aloud, "The note says... huh? Its not a ransom note, because there aren't any instructions of demands or phone calls that they will be making... It look like some sort of challenge for Akane."

"A marriage challenge? Why challenge Ranma for Akane when they already have her?" asked Ryoga.

"I'm not a mind reader, idiot, it just looks that way to me," she snapped.

"Nabiki, let me see the note," said Soun.

She handed it over to her father.

Genma joins his friend, saying, "Let me see." As the two old men look at the note, there is a lot of whispering between them. Soun puts the note down for everyone to see.

The piece of paper was indeed a challenge, in shiny black ink it said: 'I, Prince Tshugo, hereby issue a challenge to whomever is in possession of this note. You have been given this challenge because I may have someone very important to you. You must decide how important she is in twenty-four hours time. If you decline, she will stay here with me, and she will remain mine forever. If you accept, you must gather five great male fighters, who also believe that she is important and bring them to where this note was discovered in twenty-four hours. At that time, you will be given transport to my castle so the challenge can commence. If you cannot find five great male fighters in time, this challenge will be voided and she will stay here with me. Signed, Prince Makiu (Pronounced Ma-kioo) Tshugo.'

"I think we should accept the challenge," said Soun.

"So do I, Mr. Tendo, but where are we going to find that many fighters in twenty-four hours?" asked Ranma.

"Think, boy. We have you , Ryoga, me and Tendo," answered Genma.

"I'll go too," said Ukyo.

"I'm sorry, but the note says 'male' fighters that care for her," replied Soun.

"That leaves one more then," added Ryoga.

"Hey, Ranma. This note looks like it was personalized to you," interrupted Nabiki.

"How's that?" wondered the redhead.

"It talks about a person instead of something like a wallet or a bike, like a generic memo and what not, but like it was made specifically for this one challenge, which I think he is hoping you won't show up to fight for Akane," explained the middle sister.

"Sure we accept, but we only have four of the five fighters we need. Where are we going to find the fifth person in time?" asked Ranma.