Last time found Hades and Ursula invading the tournament with the now Heartless Akane. They forced Ranma to fight Akane to the death, which Ranma gladly obliged, saying that he felt nothing for Akane now. Being the Villains they were, Hades and Ursula brought in some Heartless to make the fight 'interesting.' Sora, Riku, Kairi and Aiden jumped in to hold off the unwanted Heartless. Miley, as Hannah unconsciously used her power as a Princess of Heart to keep the terrified audience from becoming an out of control mob. Outraged by Miley's interference, Hades tried to kill her. Adam, Ryoga and the other martial artists, now revealed to be the protectors selected by the FBI, did their best against the flaming god, but it wasn't enough. But then the maniac revealed himself and threatened to blow up the area with a vest bomb, if only to keep Hannah away from Hades. 'Nuff said, on with the show!
Chapter 10: The Final Match Part 2
"You crazy punk," said an exasperated Hades, "do you really think a bomb can destroy me?"
"If it doesn't," said Evan Kramer, "than at least you'll be unable to hurt Hannah."
"Don't do it," pleaded Miley, "Evan, please, don't!"
"We've got to stop him!" shouted Sora. He, Riku, Kairi and Aiden shoved aside the Heartless they were fighting and tried to reach Miley, but they knew that they would be too late.
"It's for the best, Hannah," said Evan Kramer, "I won't let you suffer at the hands of this monster! I may go to hell, but at least you'll be safe in heaven! Goodbye, Hannah!" his thumb pressed the button…
…and nothing happened.
"What?" a very confused Evan Kramer said as he pressed the button again, and again, and again.
"It won't work," said a singed but still standing strong Adam as he stood behind Evan Kramer with a red wire in his hands, "that detonator is useless unless the receiver is connected to the explosives."
"What?" Evan Kramer asked again while Jake, Lilly, Oliver and Jackson ran up to Miley.
An equally singed Shampoo bashed Evan in the head with one of her war clubs, knocking him out. "How Adam know to pull red wire?"
"It's always the red wire," said Felicia as she and Mousse, both singed but still standing strong, pulled the bomb vest off of Evan and pulled the wires out of all the dynamite sticks, just to be safe.
Just then Tatewaki, Kodatchi, Ryoga, Jean-Louise, Julia, Kyle and Ian appeared and circled Hades. They all looked burned, but still willing to fight.
"It'll take a lot more than some trumped-up party tricks to keep us from protecting our friend!" said Ryoga as he and the others assumed their fighting stances.
At that Hades laughed viciously, "oh that's just precious. You little pukes think you've got a chance against me. You can't be serious."
"Tell me, mate," said Julia as she seriously glared at the flaming god, "do we look like we're joking?"
At that Hades stopped laughing and looked at them seriously, "you're not joking."
"We're pretty freaking serious about this," said Felicia.
"Mort sérieux," said Jean-Louise, "dead serious."
"What a coincidence," said Hades as he summoned another fireball, "'cause that's what you're all about to be!"
From out of nowhere came a singed Ukyo. "Oh shut up already!" she shouted as she swung her giant metal spatula and bashed Hades in the head with it, smothering the flames on the dark gods' head.
"Allez au diable!" shouted Jean-Louise as she kicked Hades in the back, while Ryoga kicked Hades in the chest.
"Take this, hot stuff!" shouted Ian as he also kicked Hades in the chest, then grabbed the dark god by the arm and flipped him onto the floor. Kyle then jumped in and delivered a hard kick to Hades' side.
Hades then got back up, but was then hit in the face by a hard elbow jab from Julia. Tatewaki had another wooden sword in his hands and delivered several hard strikes across the dark god's body.
"And here is the finisher!" shouted Kodatchi as she twirled her ribbon above her head and used it to ensnare Hades by the neck, lifted him off the ground and slammed him headfirst into the side of the ring.
A dazed Hades then said, "thank you and goodnight, ladies and gentlemen; Hades has left the building."
With his concentration broken, the cursed flames blocking the exits vanished.
Miley, realizing that she wasn't going to die in a horrible explosion, spoke into the microphone, "everyone in the audience! I think it's okay to leave. Just move to the exits in a calm manner and everyone will be alright. Just keep calm and don't push."
Cautiously, the people in the audience. Amazingly, nobody panicked and within minutes the arena was free of innocents.
"That's one baddie down," said Adam as he, Kyle, Ian, Jean-Louise, Julia, Ryoga, Shampoo, Ukyo and the Kuno's looked down at the still dazed Hades, "and two to go."
"Make that just one!" said Mousse as he used his chains to ensnare Ursula and throw her out of the ring. She fell and hit the floor headfirst.
With Ursula's concentration broken, no more Heartless appeared in the ring, leaving Sora, Riku, Kairi and Aiden free to breathe.
"That was tense," said Sora.
"It's not over yet," said Riku.
"Ranma and Akane are still fighting," said Kairi.
"We've got to end this now," said Aiden, "before anyone else gets hurt."
"I don't think Ranma would appreciate it if we butted in," said Riku.
True enough, Ranma was so engrossed in his battle with the corrupted Akane that nothing could have broken his focus. But apparently his strategy of attacking and blocking had changed. Now Ranma was dodging all of Akane's attacks, while moving away from her in a circular pattern.
"Hold still, you jerk!" snapped Akane as she missed another punch at Ranma. She moved ahead, trying to get in range to attack, but Ranma kept moving back from her, always in a circular manner. "Hold still so I can kill you!"
"Not gonna happen, Akane!" said Ranma in an cold tone, "you couldn't beat me as a human, and you'll never beat me as a Heartless. No matter what you are on the outside, heart or no heart, on the inside you're still just a pathetic, un-cute, no tallent tomboy who can never find a husband!"
"Bastard!" raged Akane as she kept trying to attack Ranma, but he kept dodging and moving away.
"What's he doing?" Sora asked, "he's got Akane so riled up she can't see straight. I guess that's a good thing, but what's the point?"
"Ranma's got something planned," said Riku, "but what is it?"
"He's going to do it," said an astonished Ukyo, "Ranma's going for his ultimate attack."
"What ultimate attack?" Aiden asked.
"Just watch and see," said Ryoga, "it's awesome to watch."
"But it's a living hell to be caught in," said a slightly nervous Mousse, "if I were you guys," he said to Sora, Riku, Kairi and Aiden, "I'd get as far away from the ring as possible."
"That's a good idea!" said Ukyo. She then spoke to Miley, Jake, Lilly, Oliver and Jackson, "I'd take cover now, but that's just my humble opinion."
"You won't get any arguments from me!" said Lilly as she, Miley, Jake, Oliver and Jackson took cover by the commentators table, where Hank and Lisa had returned to their seats and were still broadcasting the match.
"I hope you're still with us, boys and girls!" said Hank, "after all that's happened, after having the tournament invaded by Villains and Heartless, after having Hannah Montana being threatened by the lord of the underworld himself, after nearly being blown to kingdom come by a bomb-wielding maniac, Ranma Saotome is still fighting his former fiancée to the death!"
"And we're still here!" said Lisa, "giving you all the gritty, blood-soaked details as they happen!"
"Oh just duck already!" said Miley as she pulled Hank and Lisa down.
"Just what's going to happen?" Sora asked as he, Riku, Kairi and Aiden took cover next to Adam and Shampoo.
"Ranma use special attack he learn after old pervert Happosai take away strength," said Shampoo, "Ranma no longer able to fight until he get paper with cure on it from old pervert. Great-grandmother teach Ranma technique that no need strength, just hot and cold Ki."
"Hot and cold Ki?" Aiden asked.
"I think I get it," said Riku as he looked up and saw that Ranma and Akane were moving in a tighter and tighter spiral movement. "Ranma's keeping a cool head, while Akane's so worked up it's a miracle she hasn't spontaneously combusted."
"And they're moving in a spiral," said Kairi as she also looked, "and the spiral is getting smaller and smaller."
"What does that mean?" Sora asked.
"What happens when hot air and cold air meet in the atmosphere?" Adam asked in a teaching manner, "you get a storm."
By now Ranma had reached the middle of the ring, the center of the spiral, with Akane one step behind him. He reached back and threw a punch, "Hiryu Shoten Ha!"
Hiryu Shoten Ha=Heavenly Dragon Fist
The cold force of Ranma's ki in his punch met the boiling-hot rage of Akane's ki and created a tornado-like blast that forced Akane into the air.
"Sweet Mama!" exclaimed Miley as she and the others ducked again to avoid the flying debris picked up by the tornado blast.
The indoor storm cleared up a few seconds later. Sora and the others emerged from cover in time to see Akane fall and hit the floor outside of the ring. She gasped in pain and passed out.
"Same old Akane," said Ranma as he stepped down from the ring, "always acting without thinking." He then saw that the referee was still there, "hey, does this mean I win?"
"Oh no you don't!" snapped Hades as he got up, "I said that this match was to the death! One of you brats has to die!"
"I think not," said Sora as he jumped over and held his Keyblade in front of Hades, "we can do this the easy way or the hard way, Hades. End this match now, or I'll end you! Remember, I beat you before, I can do it again."
"And this time he'll have us to help," said Kairi as she, Riku and Aiden held their Keyblades point first at Hades.
"Okay, you're serious about this," said a slightly nervous Hades, "but it's really out of my hands. Akane's Ursula's property, has been since the idiot signed that gold contract."
"You mean this?" Felicia asked as she picked up the contract that had Akane's name on it, which at some point had fallen out of Ursula's pocket.
"I got it," said Ryoga. He grabbed the contract and tried to rip it in half, but despite his best efforts, he couldn't even bend it.
"I got it," said Mousse as he pulled out a set of tin snips from his sleeves and tried to cut the contract, but the gold paper wound up breaking the shears.
"This thing's got some serious mojo about it," said Ukyo as Ryoga tried his Breaking Point technique on the contract, but to no avail, "evil mojo."
At that Ursula began cackling, despite the chains still holding her, "you poor, pathetic human! Nothing you or anyone else in this pathetic world can do will break the contract! Akane Tendo is mine, now and forever more!"
"I beg to differ!" said Felicia. She then placed Ursula in a submission hold that threatened to break the neck of the humanoid sea witch.
"One chance, purple lady!" said Felicia, "either break that freaking contract yourself, or you'll be sleeping with the fishes for real!"
"Never!" spat Ursula.
"It's your neck!" said Felicia as she applied more pressure to the hold she had on the humanoid sea witch.
"Alright!" exclaimed Ursula as the bones in her neck were on the verge of breaking, "Alright, I'll terminate the contract!"
"How do we know you won't pull a fast one?" Kairi asked, "you've proven that you can't be trusted."
"Believe me when I say that I'm in no position to break my word," said Ursula.
"She's got a point," said Felicia.
"Alright, Ursula," said Sora, "your life in exchange for Akane's heart. Deal?"
"Deal!" said Ursula, "now tell this muscle-bound wench to let me go!"
"Break the contract first," said Aiden, "and no tricks!"
"You Keyblade brats are really annoying," said Ursula. She then snapped her fingers (insert finger-snapping sound) and the gold contract broke in half lengthwise and lost it's sheen.
"It's done!" said Ursula, "now let me go!"
"She kept her part of the bargain, Felicia," said Kairi.
"Oh, alright," said a disappointed Felicia as she released Ursula, while Mousse released his chains from her.
"You miserable whore!" spat Ursula as she rubbed at her sore neck, "how dare you use such strength against me!"
"Well of course I'm that strong," said Felicia as she grinned eagerly, "I freaking wrestle water buffalo."
"Hey, isn't Akane supposed to wake up by now?" Ian asked. Sure enough, Akane was still unconscious.
At that Ursula began laughing again.
"What's so freaking funny?" Felicia asked.
"I'd like to know that myself," said Hades.
"You fools!" said Ursula, "you poor, pathetic fools!"
"I knew she had a fast one up her sleeve!" said Sora.
"I didn't sense any dark magic other than her breaking the contract," said Riku.
"Who cares?" Kyle asked, "she broke her word, so let's just kill her already!"
"I didn't use any tricks," said Ursula, "and I certainly didn't break my word, not just now that is. You should have looked at the contract before you demanded that I broke it."
Sora picked up the broken halves of the contract and read them, "what are you talking about, Ursula?"
"Read the fine print, boy," said Ursula, "you'll find a clause that says that if I choose to terminate the bargain and return Akane's heart, she can become human again, but only if she wishes to have her heart back. Judging from her still catatonic state, she wants her heart back like she wants yesterdays garbage!"
"You bitch!" spat Ryoga, "you evil, fat, purple cow!"
"Sea cow actually!" said Jean-Louise.
"Same thing in my book!" said Mousse as he ensnared Ursula with his chains again, then drew out from his sleeves another set of chains, but these ended in meat hooks.
"Stomp her guts!" exclaimed Ukyo as she hefted her giant spatula.
"And kick Hades' ass while we're at it!" said Ian.
"Shove pipe bombs up their arses!" said Kyle.
"I still have the dynamite," said Adam as he held up the bomb vest Evan Kramer had, "will that do?"
"Perfectly," said Kyle as he cracked his knuckles.
"Oh, this doesn't look too good," said Hades as the martial artists closed in on him and Ursula.
"Got any hot ideas?" Ursula asked.
Just then there was a flash of green flames and Maleficent appeared.
"Oh crap!" exclaimed Sora, Riku, and Kairi.
"Is that…?" Aiden asked.
"Yeah," said Sora, "that's her alright."
"The mistress of all evil herself," said Riku
"Stand back, you impudent fools!" shouted Maleficent as she shot several bolts of purple lighting at Ryoga, Adam and the other martial artists. They barely managed to get out of the way of the cursed bolts.
"Great timing, Maleficent darling," said Ursula, "now, if you could just get these horrible chains off of me. That four-eyed whelp is using Ki to make them unbreakable."
"And then could you take care of that blond diva over there?" Hades asked, pointing at Miley, "she's a real pain in the…"
"Silence!" exclaimed Maleficent as she blasted both Hades and Ursula with her dark lighting. The two Villains collapsed to the ground and writhed in agony.
"I thought they were all on the same side," a confused Aiden asked.
"They are," said Kairi, "but with Maleficent, you never can tell who'll be next on her hit list."
"You incompetent, idiotic, irresponsible imbeciles!" spat Maleficent as she continued to blast Hades and Ursula, "you nearly ruined everything!"
"We didn't do anything!" shouted Hades, "the brats didn't give us a chance!"
"We nearly had the game won!" said Ursula as the dark lighting broke the chains binding her, but still had her incapacitated, "and that blond bimbo dead!"
"That's precisely the point!" said Maleficent as she stopped her dark lighting, "you nearly killed a Princess of Heart! The magic that unlocks Kingdom Hearts was almost lost because of you!"
"She's a Princess of Heart?" Ursula asked as she and Hades got back up.
"Well let's grab the brat now while we have the chance!" said Hades.
"Silence!" spat Maleficent as more dark lighting crackled from her staff, "I've had enough of your bumbling. You will be punished for your failure, and this time your suffering shall indeed be legendary, even in the darkest level of hell!" With a wave of her staff, the two other Villains vanished in flashes of green fire.
"So it is true," said Riku as he, Sora, Kairi and Aiden hefted their Keyblades, "you're after the new Princesses of Heart!"
"We heard it from Rakel and Reddik," said Sora, "but now that you said it, it's definitely for real."
"Indeed it is," said Maleficent as she glared at Sora and the others, "and I will have them all once all seven are discovered. The day will come when the door to Kingdom Hearts shall be opened at my command, and I shall claim the dark power beyond those doors!"
The mistress of all evil then glared at Miley, "enjoy this small reprieve, Princess. One day, not today or tomorrow, but someday you shall be mine, you and your power to enrich other hearts with that horribly golden voice of yours."
"No!" said Jake, "I won't let you!"
"You'll have to go through us first!" said Lilly as she, Oliver, Jackson and Jake stood in front of Miley.
"And you'll have us to contend with us as well, foul sorceress!" said Tatewaki as he, Kodatchi, Mousse, Shampoo, Ryoga, Ukyo, Adam, Julia, Kyle, Felicia, Ian and Jean-Louise, stood in front of Lilly, Oliver, Jake and Jackson. They all glared at Maleficent defiantly, all of them ready for a fight.
"This world has its defenders, Maleficent," said Riku, "you'll have your work cut out for you if you want to make any more trouble here."
"And you've got us to deal with as well," said Sora, while Kairi and Aiden nodded in agreement."
"Another time then," said Maleficent. She then vanished in a flash of green flames.
"Okay," said Oliver, "That was weird."
"Weirder than being a teen pop-star," said Miley.
"Try hopping from one world to another," said Kairi, "now that's weird."
"So, is it over?" Lilly asked cautiously.
"Not just yet," said Ukyo, "Akane's still a vegetable."
"Ursula said that Akane can only become human if she wants her heart back," said Riku.
"Maybe she doesn't want it back," said Julia, "it's a distinct possibility."
They all walked over to the still unmoving Akane. The darkness surrounding her body was condensing around her, nearly covering her in blackness so thick she could barely be seen.
"What's happening to her?" Ranma asked.
"She's already lost her heart," said Riku, "now she's losing her sense of herself, her intelligence, and her will. It's only a matter of time before she becomes just another mindless Heartless."
"If she's lost her will to live," said Ukyo, "then we should give it back. I know she just tried to kill Ranma, but she wasn't herself."
"She just tried to kill Ranma just now!" said an exasperated Aiden, "why do you want to save her?"
"Because despite all her faults," said Tatewaki, "Akane Tendo doth be a good person at heart."
"Sure she's terrible at a lot of things," said Mousse, "and she usually acts without thinking."
"She's abusive and untrusting," said Kodatchi, "and a horrible cook to boot."
"And an uncute tomboy," said Ryoga, "but that's no excuse for her to just give up."
"Despite everything," said Ranma, "all the horrible things she's done and had done to her, she keeps trying. That's the one good thing about her, she tries."
"Then that's the key to saving her heart," said Kairi. She knelt down by Akane, "hey, Akane, don't let go of your humanity! There's still a light inside of your heart, a light that will never go out as long as you try to do better. Sure, things look bad now, but there's always the chance that tomorrow will be better. Just reach for tomorrow, reach out and take back your heart."
At that Akane opened her eyes, "Why?" she asked in a barely audible tone that spoke with hopelessness and despair, "why should I try? I'm a failure at everything. Ranma's right; I'm a pathetic, uncute tomboy who will never find a husband."
"Don't say that!" said Ryoga, "if there's one thing I've learned is that everyone is entitled to some happiness. Just because your life seems like crap now, doesn't mean it always will be like that."
"Just try to believe, Akane," said Ranma, "remember when Kuno made that stupid proclamation that no boy at school could date you unless he defeated you? Remember how angry that made you that you had to fight dozens of love-struck boys every day before you could get to class? Remember how pissed you were when you always got to class late because you had so many to fight?"
"I admit I was one of those love-struck fools," said Tatewaki, "and I doth be the one who made the proclamation."
"That's what Ranma just said," said Ukyo.
"And remember how pissed you were when I sabotaged your schools' gymnastic team?" Kodatchi asked, "and how determined you were to defeat me in order to redeem your school's honor?"
"And how enraged you got every time you saw one of us talking to Ranma?" Ukyo asked, "and how you blew your top when we tried to get him to marry us?"
"Akane very passionate about Ranma," said Shampoo, "about keeping Ranma for her."
"You keep saying that you hate me," said Ranma, "if that's true, then why did you always act so jealous whenever I was with another girl?"
At that Akane sat up, her face still full of hopeless despair, but she spoke with a much stronger tone, "because I'm a stupid girl who can't even tell her fiancé that she loved him! But I was fooling myself all the time. I never really loved you at all, Ranma, I just liked you. But it doesn't matter now! We're finished, Ranma, and I'm finished," she sighed, "and I'm glad it's finished."
"But what about your dad and your sisters?" Ranma asked, "I know Nabiki wouldn't really be that upset, except that she's be losing a money making asset. But what about Kasume and your dad? How messed up will they be if you become a Heartless for real?"
"They'll be fine without me," said Akane, "one less mouth to feed, one less waste of human life."
"This isn't working," said Riku, "just talking to her isn't going to save Akane from the darkness."
"We're open to suggestions," said Mousse.
Just then Miley blinked in surprise as an idea shot into her head, "I think I know what to do, but it all depends on how big of a Hannah fan Akane is."
"She's a huge fan," said Ranma, "but if you tried to get her to admit it, she'd deny it like the plague."
"Well if she likes Hannah, even in secret," said Miley, "then Hannah can save Akane's heart."
"How?" Jake asked.
"I don't know exactly," said Miley, "right now I'm acting on instinct, but my heart tells me that I have what it takes to save Akane's heart."
"It's worth a shot," said Oliver.
"We believe in you, Miley," said Lilly, while Jake, Sora, Ranma and the others nodded in agreement.
"Okay," said Miley, "here I go." she then got into character as Hannah, "okay, Akane, since you're so sure about giving up your humanity, I guess there'll be one less person who get's to enjoy the extra prize awarded to the top 32."
"What extra prize?" Kairi asked, "this is the first I've heard of this."
"Same with us," said Adam, while Ranma, Ryoga, Kyle and the others nodded in agreement.
"Is this your plan?" Jackson asked.
"Just trust me," said Miley, she then got back into Hannah and spoke to Akane, all the while her light shown from her heart and shot a beam at the darkness surrounding Akane, "I guess I forgot to tell ya'll at the party; everyone in the top 32 gets free tickets to my next concert."
"Say what!" exclaimed Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden, Ranma, Ryoga, Ukyo, Shampoo, Mousse, the Kunos, Adam, Felicia, Kyle, Julia, Ian and Jean-Louise.
But Akane's reaction was much bigger. "Free Hannah Montana tickets!" she shouted, while Miley's light began to break up the darkness surrounding Akane's body. The darkness began to fade and her expression brightened noticeably.
"And backstage passes to boot," said Hannah as she smiled and sent more of her light to Akane, breaking up the darkness even further.
"Backstage passes!" said a visually improved Akane. The darkness was only a faint outline around her body now, while a small but definite light began to glow from her heart.
"But since you're going to be a Heartless soon," said Hannah in a disappointed tone, "I guess you won't want that last ticket after all."
"You'd better believe I want that ticket!" said an eagerly grinning Akane as the darkness completely vanished from her body, purged by Miley's light and the revived light in Akane's heart, "a free ticket and a backstage pass! I'm already there!"
"You're also already here," said Hannah a grinning as her light returned to her heart, "and you're alive, with your heart back where it belongs, right?"
Akane blinked in surprise as she held her hand on her heart and indeed felt it beating. "You're right, my heart is back!"
"She's alright again!" said Ukyo.
"Akane's alright!" said Ryoga.
"I am alright!" said Akane, "and…and…"
"And what?" Ranma asked cautiously.
"And…I'm happy!" said a smiling Akane, "for the first time in a long time, I'm truly happy!"
"How that happen?" Shampoo asked.
"I think it was Hannah's doing," said Jake, "that pale-eyed witch, Maleficent, she said that Hannah has the power to enrich people's hearts."
"That light that Hannah had," said Sora, "it helped give the audience courage."
"She did help everyone in the audience get over their fear and hopelessness," said Kairi, "I think what Hannah can do is turn fear into courage, despair into hope, rage into serenity, and hate into love."
"And restore people's hearts," said Ian.
"I feel like I've been given the chance to start my life over again," said Akane, "and for some reason, I'm not angry at all about being around men." she grabbed Ranma's hand and placed it on her shoulder, "I don't feel like I'm going to explode with rage any more. It's like a huge weight has been lifted from my mind, body and heart all at once."
"Maybe it was your inner darkness that caused you to hate men in the first place," said Aiden, "maybe it was some incident in your childhood that triggered your dislike of men in the first place, and the darkness in your heart only fueled that hate."
"Well I don't feel any hate in me any more," said Akane, "I feel like I can do anything I set my mind to, even cooking something that isn't toxic."
"You'll forgive us if we don't volunteer to taste your next concoction," said Kodatchi.
Just then Nodoka ran up to our heroes, "everyone managed to get outside safely. Are you all alright?"
"Everyone's fine, mom," said Ranma, "and some of us are better than others."
"Auntie Nodoka," said Akane in a serious tone, "I mean, Mrs. Saotome. I…I want to say how sorry I am on how I've treated Ranma," she looked at the boy in question, "I am sorry for the horrible way I've treated you."
"I'm also sorry for all the mean things I've said about you," said Ranma, "you're not an uncute tomboy, not any more."
"So, we're still friends?" Akane asked cautiously.
"Still friends," said Ranma. With that they both smiled and shook hands.
"How wonderful!" exclaimed Soun as he and Genma ran up to them, "you're together again! Now the wedding can go on after all!"
"The future of the Anything Goes Martial Arts is secure," said Genma.
"Oh good gods!" said an irate Aiden, "are you two idiots still at it?"
"What does it take to get you to get the message!" said an irate Kairi, "Ranma and Akane don't want to get married!"
"Don't waste your breath," said an annoyed Ranma, "I don't think any of you can knock some sense into these morons."
"I'd certainly like to try," said an irate Riku.
"Save a peace for me," said an irate Ryoga as he cracked his knuckles.
"Now that things are finally right with all of us," said Ukyo, "all that needs to be done to make things perfect is to stomp these dimwits guts!"
"I'd like to get a few hits in meself," said Kyle, "if you don't mind."
"Help yourself," said Mousse.
"Shampoo teach stupid old men lesson they never forget!" said the purple-haired Amazon..
"I shall smite the fools for their foolishness!" said Tatewaki.
"Wait," said Akane, "I want to try something." she then walked up to Soun and Genma, "daddy, Mr. Saotome, you've got to stop this, now. Ranma and I are just friends now. We're never going to get married, not now, not ever."
"You don't mean that, Akane," said Soun.
"She's just upset over what happened just now," said Genma.
"I'm perfectly fine," said Akane, "for the first time in a long time, I know exactly what I'm doing. Ranma took charge of his life, and that's exactly what I'm doing right now. If you're so worried about the future of the family style, then leave Ranma out of it. He said he'd start his own school, so I'll just take care of the Anything Goes Style myself."
"What?" said a confused Soun.
"You heard me," said Akane, "I'll take over the dojo myself when we get back to Tokyo. I'll teach and manage the school myself, and I think I'll do a much better job than you have been, daddy."
"She would make a great dojo master," said Ranma.
"But…but…but…" said both Soun and Genma as they tried to find some means to justify their children marrying.
"Just let it go, Genma," said Nodoka, "you too, Soun. Your children are no longer under your thumbs."
"But…who will take care of us in our old age if you two don't get married?" Soun asked as tears began to fall from his eyes.
"Well maybe if you two actually worked for a change," said Nodoka, "instead of sitting around on your behinds and playing shogi all day, you'd find all sorts of investment opportunities that would ensure you'd be supported in your dotage."
"And there's still Kasumi," said Akane, "she's got Dr. Tofu, the chiropractor, as a beau. Get them to marry."
"And tell Nabiki to get a freaking job already," said Ranma, "with her cunning and ruthlessness, she'd be running her own international corporation in no time."
"Oh," said both Soun and Genma in astonished tones, as if these ideas never occurred to them in the first place.
"I'll just take them back to the hotel now," said Nodoka, "before they start acting stupid again," she then lead Soun and Genma towards the door, "I'll meet up with you all later."
"Your mom is awesome, Ranma," said Oliver.
"Amazing," said Kyle.
"Fantastique," said Jean-Louise.
"Smashing," said Julia.
"One in a million," said Miley.
"Speaking of one in a million," said Adam, "I think we all have a lot to talk about."
"That's right," said Felicia, "we all were in Aiden's vision of Mi…I mean, his vision of Hannah."
"The twelve of us are supposed to protect her," said Mousse, "and we did that."
"But it's not over," said Ukyo.
"That witch, Maleficent," said Ian, "she'll be back someday."
"Or something else could come along and threaten our Princess," said Kodatchi.
"In which case we will have to make ensure we will always be ready to do our duty," said Tatewaki. He then bowed to Miley, "I hereby swear on my life and my love of it that I will always be ready to defend thy life, Princess Hannah. My sword and all my prowess are yours to command"
"As are all my abilities as a martial artist and as a human being," said Adam as he also bowed, "I swear to defend you from the darkness in whatever form it takes."
One by one the other martial artists who were in Aiden's vision swore similar oaths to Miley.
"Wow," she said after all the promises were made, "I…I don't know what to say."
"'Thanks' would be nice," said Robbie Ray as he walked up.
"I take it you heard everything that happened," said Jake.
"Oh you'd better believe it that I heard," said Robbie Ray, "and from what I heard," he looked at Miley, "someone has been a little careless with a certain secret."
"They're friends, daddy," said Miley, "and I trust them with my life. They did save it tonight after all."
"Just let it go, Mr. Stewart," said Oliver, "things are out of your hands."
"Well I don't have to like it," said Robbie Ray, "I mean, it's bad enough that my daughter is a pop superstar, but now she's some kind of princess?"
"Stranger things have happened," said Sora.
"He's your father?" a confused Akane said to Miley.
"Long story," said Miley, as Hannah.
Just then Violet, Elaine and Quincy, as well as Travis and Rebecca, ran up.
"Just what in the world happened here tonight?" a slightly distraught Violet asked, "the tournament's been ruined all because of a bunch of weirdoes from another dimension."
"I thought we had the arena secured from such incursions," said Elaine, "we employed the best psychic protection we could find."
"And we had our own psychics as well," said Travis.
"The FBI and the Heartstone Foundation both have psychics?" Lilly asked.
"We haven't been completely honest with you," said Rebecca, "Not only do Agent Bachman and I work for the FBI, but we're also operatives in a very special investigative organization that guards the world against things like what happened here tonight."
"And the Heartstone Foundation is a part of that organization," said Quincy, "we are The Watchtower Initiative. Our mission is to keep a watch for supernatural threats to the human race and to prevent those threats from coming to fruition," he sighed, "but we did not see this coming at all."
"Villains like Hades, Ursula, and especially Maleficent are not what you call predictable," said Riku, "and with The Heartless involved, anything is possible."
"We'll have to expand our horizons then," said Violet. She then looked at Miley, "and if there's anything we can do to make sure that you, Princess of Heart Miley Stewart, are safe, just let us know."
"Your real name is Miley Stewart?" a confused Akane asked.
"Need to know, Akane," said Ryoga, "need to know."
"What about that maniac with the bomb?" Jake asked, "The one that's been stalking Hannah?"
"We've got him locked up in the arena security room and later he'll go to a secure cell at the mental ward of the local hospital," said Travis, "it looks like the maniac, Evan Kramer, has a really bad case of erotomania."
"Erotomania?" Miley asked.
"It's a form of delusional psychosis," said Rebecca, "where the patient has an irrational belief that someone he idolizes is in love with him, you in this case."
"It seems that Evan's been getting 'messages' from you in your music," said Travis, "he believes that you are singing only for him. He's so wrapped up in his delusions that he would do anything for you, even blow up an entire arena full of innocent people."
"Oh, like that crazy guy who tried to kill Ronald Regan because he thought it would impress Jodie Foster," said Robbie Ray.
"And like Glen Close's character in Fatal Attraction," said Jake.
"Exactly," said Travis.
"So, what's going to happen to Evan?" Miley asked, "I know he's one sick puppy who did a lot of terrible things, but he did try to protect me tonight, in a really messed up way."
"The only thing that can be done for him is to try to cure him of his delusions," said Rebecca, "with the right therapy and anti-psychotic medication, in time he could be a rational member of society again. But then there's the problem of his crimes. If he's ever declared fit to stand trial, Evan Kramer could spend the rest of his life behind bars for murder, attempted murder, arson and harassment."
"I'll drop the harassment charges," said Miley, "this guy's life is messed up as it is, I don't want to make things worse."
"We'll see what can be done," said Travis.
"Well, this has been exciting," said a yawning Jackson, "but right now I'm ready to crash for the night."
"I'm ready to pass out too," said Felicia.
"I could sleep for a week," said Mousse.
"We're all tired," said Riku, "so maybe it's best we all called it quits for today."
"That's a good idea," said Adam. He looked at Miley, "when we're all rested, we'll make plans for your protection."
"I'd like to be apart of this here meeting," said Robbie Ray, "I am her father after all."
"And I'm very pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. Stewart," said Adam as he eagerly shook Robbie Ray's hand, "you know, my sister is a huge fan; she absolutely adores your music."
"You don't say," said Robbie Ray.
"I'm serious," said Adam, "she has all your albums on vinyl, cassette, CD and MP3, and she has nearly all of your concerts on DVD, VHS and Beta."
"Well don't that beat all," said an impressed Robbie Ray, "on Beta as well?"
"MY sister is one of those freaks of nature who's obessed with vintage technology," said Adam.
"This looks like the start of a beautiful friendship," said Kyle.
"You may be right," said Ian.
Everyone then said their goodnights and left the arena in their separate vehicles.
Sora, Riku, Kairi and Aiden were among the last to wait for their car that would take them back to their hotel.
"Well, this has been one wild adventure," said Aiden.
"We saved the world and discovered a new Princess of Heart," said Kairi, "and made a whole lot of friends in the process."
"And helped those friends," said Sora.
:You ain't kidding,: said Roxas.
:Where have you been?: Sora asked,
:Where I always am!: said an exasperated Roxas, :I kept my mouth shut tonight because I didn't want to distract you.:
:Same with me,: said Naminé, :things got so tense back there, I was holding my breath in anticipation.:
"Well you can hold your breath for as long as you want," said Kairi aloud, "I'm the one with the lungs here."
"One of these days I'm going to learn how to talk like you can," said Riku.
"It's really annoying when your friends have private conversations when they're standing right in front of you," said Aiden.
"Sorry about that," said Sora.
"I'm not mad at you," said Aiden, "what's irking me is that Riku and Ranma never got to fight."
"Now we'll have to wait for another tournament before we see who's the better," said Kairi.
"We could spar any time you want," said Ranma as he walked up to our heroes, "it's not like I've got anything else to do."
"I thought you'd be going back to your hotel with the others," said Sora.
"I decided to walk back," said Ranma, "the weather's nice out, and I've got a lot to think about. For the first time in my life, I'm free to make my own decisions, and now that I can, I honestly don't know what to do with myself."
"Didn't you say that you would start your own martial arts school?" Riku asked.
"I was kinda blowing off steam at the time," said Ranma, "I was really mad at pops and Mr. Tendo, I just said that to get them to shut up. But now that Akane's got the whole future of the schools under control, I've realized that having my own school isn't what I want at all, not now anyway."
"So what are you going to do now?" Sora asked.
"That's what I'm trying to figure out," said Ranma, "I don't want to move back in with Akane and the other Tendo's. Things were uncomfortable enough when Akane and I were engaged. Now that we're friends, things would just be weird. I guess I could move in with my mom, but that doesn't seem right to me, now that I'm finally independent. And no way am I taking a trip around the world to clear my head. No thanks, I did enough traveling when I was with pops.
"I could stay here in America with Ryoga, Ucchan and the others, but they've got their responsibilities protecting Miley," he looked at Aiden, "are you sure you didn't see me in that vision of yours?"
"Positive," said Aiden, "I can see the stain glass window I saw Miley's face on clearly now. You're not on it. Just Miley, surrounded by Jake, Lilly, Oliver and Jackson, and they're surrounded by Adam, Ryoga and the others."
"That's something I was wondering about," said Ranma, "I get that the fighters were in your vision, but why Lilly, Oliver, Jake and Jackson? What's their part in this?"
"We think it's because those four are those who love Miley a lot," said Kairi, "and she loves back, even her brother."
"But if that's right," said Riku, "why wasn't her father in the vision?"
"I would have remembered if Robbie Ray was in the picture," said Aiden.
"Maybe it's because they're close to Miley's age," said Sora, "and maybe it's their love for her and her love for them that makes them all special."
"Maybe it has something to do with her power," said Kairi, "we can only wait and see how things turn out."
"Which leaves me right back where I started," said Ranma, "unsure about what I'm going to do with my life now that it's mine."
"I just had a crazy and awesome idea," said Sora, "you could come with us."
"What do you mean?" Ranma asked.
"You could come with us to our town," said Sora, "for now that is, and when we have to go to other worlds to fight The Heartless, you could come along as well, just for a while, just to see if you like it."
"You are pretty strong against The Heartless," said Riku, "even without a Keyblade. Maybe fighting The Heartless is what you're meant to do with your life. It couldn't hurt for you to try it out."
"And who knows?" said Kairi, "maybe you'll figure out what to do with your life when you're traveling from one world to another."
"Strange things happen when visiting other worlds," said Aiden, "finding your destiny is just one of them."
Ranma stood there in a thoughtful manner for a moment. "You really want me to go with you?"
"We wouldn't be friends if we didn't make the offer," said Sora, "you're more than welcome. But I have to warn you, some of the people we know out there are kinda weird."
"If they're as weird as I am," said Ranma, "I can handle it." As if to prove his point, it started raining, and within seconds the cold water had turned Ranma into Ranma-Chan.
"I guess having a curse that turns you into a girl can desensitize you against weirdness," said Aiden.
"Now I've got an idea!" said Kairi, "maybe there's a way to cure Ranma's curse out there among the worlds."
"Of course!" said Sora, "if anyone can cure Ranma, it's either The King, Yen Sid or Merlin, or maybe all three."
"You really think there's a cure out there?" Ranma-Chan asked in a hesitant tone, as if barely daring to hope. "I've been trying to get a cure for a long time and every time I just get mud thrown in my face."
"It couldn't hurt to try," said Riku.
"Okay, you've convinced me," said Ranma-chan, "soon as I clear it with mom, I'm going with you."
"Awesome!" said Sora, "as soon as we get back to our home, we'll open a portal to Disney Castle and introduce you to King Mickey and the others."
"Sounds great," said Ranma-chan, "but before we go, just how weird are your friends, anyway?"
"Well," said Sora, "Donald is a short-tempered wizard, who's also a duck, and Goofy is…well…Goofy. Oh, and The King, he's a mouse."
"A mouse," said Ranma-chan, "I can handle that."
"You're taking this whole talking animal thing rather well," said Aiden, "I nearly freaked out when I met Donald and Goofy for the first time."
"When you've done as much crazy stuff as I have," said Ranma-chan, "you get use to craziness in general."
"Good point," said Riku.
:I think Ranma is going to be alright,: said Naminé.
:What makes you say that?: Kairi asked.
:Just a hunch,: said Naminé.
"Well, this has been a night to remember," said Oliver once he, Lilly, Miley, Jackson, Jake and Robbie Ray were back at the Stewart residence in Malibu.
"You ain't kidding," said Lilly.
"Makes you wonder if there's anything else that can top tonight," said Jake.
"Oh please," said an exasperated Jackson, "can we just call it a day already? The last thing I want is any more maniacs and crazy bad guys trying to kill us."
"Sorry to be a downer, big brother," said Miley, "but tonight was just the beginning."
"She's right," said Jake, "that witch, Maleficent, she's going to come back someday for Miley, and who knows what else will try to get her?"
He then looked at Miley, "but I won't let anything happen to you, Miley Stewart. I know we've had a lot of ups and downs in the past, and I know your friends and family don't like me that much."
"I think you're okay," said Jackson.
"Well that's just you," said Jake.
"You're alright in my book," said Oliver.
"The way you stood up to all those creeps tonight," said Lilly, "and the way you pulled that fast one on that old pervert at the party," she laughed, "awesome."
"Well then," said Jake, "I guess the only problem is your dad, Miley."
"Just make sure she's home by curfew and in one piece," said Robbie Ray, "that's all I ask."
"Then there's no problem," said Miley, "now, Jake, are you going to talk for the rest of the night? Or are you going to…"
"Say no more," said Jake. With that he and Miley kissed passionately.
"Well," sighed Robbie Ray, "guess there's no arguing with that."
"Ya think?" said Lilly, Oliver and Jackson.
The end of chapter 10.
But it's not over yet, fellow readers and writers. There's still a few lose ends to tie up, so stay tuned!