Again, even though I keep forgetting, I don't own these. Don't assume I do, cause its a big bummer for me everytime I think about it.

Thank you for your comments, and I hope that this chapter meets your approval.

If you see Mr. Wiener, tell him i miss him.

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The day had finally come.

Ranma had finished packing everything that he would need for the trip and a few weapons that he knew he would be able to sneak past airport security. He had helped Shampoo pack a few of her remaining possessions and had Nabiki send the rest back to China. One of his tickets had come up missing but that was hardly an issue after Shampoo offered to share her supply of waterproof soap.

Ranma had spent the past two days finding out what he could from Shampoo. She wasn't really that much help since she had spent more time chasing after him than studying. From what he could gather, when he defeated Saffron, he unsealed some ancient evil that the people who preceded the amazons had banished away a few millenia ago. That evil needed two things in order to destroy the world, some scrolls that Happosai had and his own demise.

She was unable to provide more specific details but it couldn't hurt to humor her at least. He tended not to believe in such things as prophesies or demons, but turning female with a little water tended to open one's mind to possibilities.

A quick inventory of his carry-on luggage revealed that aside from the missing ticket, everything else was in order. He probably shouldn't tell Nabiki of that, she'd skin him alive if she found out he lost a ticket worth that much. He didn't need to bring much with him, his ticket, a few magazines, and some money he had from the last time he was in China would suffice. The other bags were mostly clothes and other items he doubted he would use or need.

He would have a long flight, and a probably long enough time going through customs, but the alternative of swimming there, female and with a cat on her back was unthinkable. Besides it would probably hurt Nabiki's pride to turn such good tickets down. He could basically sit wherever he wanted to on the plane.

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Gosunkugi awoke in his quarters aboard the Chinese fishing vessel he first found himself on yesterday. Apparently he had managed to bribe the captain to smuggle him back to China while he was in port. He of course didn't remember any of this and the demon that had plagued him refused to offer any explanation. He just had to hope that whatever he did, whatever that creature did, nobody was hurt. Even though he was ridiculed and picked on, he never really wished serious harm upon other people.

He suspected that the demon had control of him the past two nights. When night fell, he just completely blacked out and was unable to recall what had happened to him. He was almost lucky, this creature was a shadow and could only thrive at night. During the day in bright light he was safe from it, but how safe can you be when something like this is as close as your own shadow?

He had a theory as to how he got it. It couldn't have been magic, as much as he hoped he was skilled enough to summon anything, he had to have gotten it from somebody else. The shadow-creature-thing wouldn't tell him anything about itself which made him think that it didn't want him to know or didn't expect him to.

But how can you catch a demonic possession, it's not exactly the common cold. Its not like he had any magical artifact that could attract demons or steal souls or anything. Most of his magic relied on ingredients and ceremony more than artifacts..

'At least the creature had brought a few things for him to do while they were out' He thought to himself as he polished his camera and prepared to take another picture of the open sea before him.

*----------*

Saffron was getting worried about Kiima's behavior. Her fainting spells were coming more often. At first he had chalked it all up to shock from the recent revelations, but it was happening more often. In the past two days she had fainted a number of times, so often in fact that he had guards placed at her side in case of an emergency.

He too was starting to feel weaker. Yesterday he had felt a momentary drop in his power as he was flying. This coincided with feelings of nausea and fatigue. He wouldn't have much longer than a few weeks or a month at the most. Out on the fringe of his senses he could detect the shadows return.

In a few weeks all of this land before him would become a battlefield once more. All he had left was the hope that he would be strong enough to be of some help again.

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Ranma and Shampoo had walked out the door moments ago leaving Akane to sulk. She peered out the window overlooking the front entrance looking at the path they took as they left. She didn't want him to leave, but he said it was for the best. A few weeks ago she might have suspected that they were running off together but not anymore, she believed him now.

She wondered if she would ever see him again, if Shampoo would brainwash him into forgetting her even if he survived whatever danger he was in. She trusted him now, but that didn't mean she trusted her. A single tear worked its way past her cheek as she thought of him leaving her life as abruptly as he entered. He walked out the door with nothing more than a short goodbye and the words "I'll see you again soon."

He just left. Without a hug, or a kiss, or even a smart remark, he just left. She may never see him again and tell him that she loved him. She would tell him, she would tell him now before he got on the plane, all she had to do was get to the airport before he left.

She just had to be there, she had to at least see him off, to give him a reason to return to her. Making her way back downstairs she made sure not to alert her sisters as to what was happening, Nabiki had told her that there was a good chance that being anywhere near Ranma was much more dangerous than it used to be. Creeping the door open slowly so as not to make a sound, she made her way outside.

"Akane?" Kasumi's voice piped in from behind.

"Yes Kasumi?" she responded with the voice of a child with their hand caught in a cookie jar.

"Are you going to see Ranma-kun off?"

"Yes I was hoping I would get to"

"Well then, would you please bring these to him? I believe that he left them behind in his haste."

Kasumi handed her a duffel bag full of women's clothes (the pervert) and the missing ticket. She winked once, turned around and headed back towards the Kitchen. It took her a moment to realize what Kasumi really did for her and to silently thank her. The next moment was not spared as she raced on foot in the direction her fiance had taken just moments ago.

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Ranma had now found something that he hated almost as much as cats, airline security. The long delay just to pass a couple of feet was made even longer after trying to explain why they would need to travel to a communist country like China. Both Ranma and Shampoo had silently agreed that any mention of magic might just make it a little more difficult. They decided that he was escorting his friend Shampoo who had visited for a year back to her home village.

Customs was another pain that they had to go through. Their carry-on baggage was checked several times by quite a few people to make sure that they weren't smuggling anything into another country. After assuring them that the items were of no harm to anyone, they walked down the terminal in the direction of their gate. They still had another hour to wait until their plane arrived.

"Damn now I know why Pops and I always traveled on foot" he muttered with annoyance.

"Why is that Ranma? Training? Panda too cheap?" Shampoo said with genuine interest. If he could no longer be her airen and she was honor bound to protect him now, the least she could do was get to know him better.

"No. I doubt either. He was wily enough to probably cheat all these people into getting him where he wanted to go for free." he said almost chuckling to himself "Speaking of which I wonder where he went to. I haven't seen him since two days ago."

"Panda man probably on floor of bar. Pay tab by playing as rug maybe." She said with a small smile attempting to say the joke with the best Japanese as she could.

Ranma understood what she was trying to say and laughed in earnest. "I think that he could be doing that."

"So why Ranma always walk"

"Well, I think it was probably that even though you were moving slower, you were at least doing something the whole time"

"Shampoo see chairs near door, we sit?" Pointing out the rows of benches near their terminal.

They took two seats that were at some distance from the other travelers so that they could talk with some degree of privacy. This was of course not really much of a problem as once they were seated they had very little to say. Ranma mentally went over some katas thinking about how each move should be performed without moving his body at all. Shampoo sat there like a person who was dieing on the inside and was looking for a reason to live. Fifteen minutes had passed when something was finally said to break the silence between the two travelers.

"Hey Shampoo? How come you haven't tried to grab me or glomp me in a while?" he asked, knowing that he probably shouldn't.

"Great-grandmothers request. Shampoo have to give you up, more important that Shampoo protect you from prophesy than personal reasons." at the thought of her dead relative, Shampoo's eyes began to water.

Shit, now he's gotten himself in a bind. Just as Nabiki had told him, emotions were his weakness. Thats why he had unintentionally seemed to lead all of them along. He wasn't trying to toy with them, he just didn't know how to break it to them.

Now he did it again. She was crying and he didn't know what to do. Damn that Panda, he knew that this was his fault for withdrawing him from society.

"Aw jeez Shampoo, its ok" Ranma tried saying. "She died a honorable death in battle" Those words weren't working. He reluctantly tried to hug her and she dove into his embrace sobbing and weeping. Her tears ran through his shirt and wet his chest making him wish he could do something to ease her pain.

They remained like this for a some time while Shampoo let out days worth of grief that had been pent up inside her.

*----------*

Akane wished she was in better shape. She had lost some of her edge when Ranma came and she didn't need to defend herself as often. Now she was wishing that she had trained more when she had the chance, she was completely out of breath and covered with a thick layer of sweat.

She then found something that she hated even more than immature boys, airline security. The long delay just to pass a couple of feet was made even longer after trying to explain why she would need to travel to a communist country like China. She had silently agreed that any mention of sneaking onto a flight to surprise her fiance might just make it a little more difficult. She eventually decided that she was meeting her friend Shampoo, who had visited for a year, at the gate and wished to help her back to her home village.

Customs was another pain that she had to go through. Her carry-on baggage , make that only baggage, was checked several times by quite a few people. After assuring them that the items were nothing more than a few days change of clothes, she was pointed in the direction of her gate. Looking at her watch, she realized that she still had another half-hour to wait until her plane arrived.

Walking further down, she spotted the waiting area. The closer she got, the more she began to recognize Shampoo's perfume. She decided to take a seat at some distance from the other travelers so that she could look through their faces and try to find Ranma.

After accidentally bumping into a couple embracing in two of the seats, she said her apologies and made her way towards the seat she had mentally chosen. It was just then that her senses fully registered what had just happened.

"I knew it! You really were gonna sneak off with Shampoo!" She yelled, though not loud enough to make a scene, yet.

"Akane, whatta you doin here?" Her pigtailed fiance said with a panicked sound in his voice.

"I came here to help you, to at least give you a proper send-off." Akane's body began to glow with her anger.

"Akane, it isn't what it looks like" he said, praying that she would be merciful for whatever transgression she thought he had done.

"Oh really, and just what is it?" she yelled louder this time "You cook up some story about a prophesy after three people died so you two could elope" That's just sick

The amazon decided that if she was to protect Ranma's life, she might as well do it now "Shampoo was only crying Akane, Great-grandmother dead. Was all Shampoo had growing up, Mother died at birth, and Shampoo lost everything, even Ranma. All honor that left now is to honor dieing wish of elder"

Seeing the tears and redness in her eyes, Akane softened. Why did she still act this way, he had never given her any indication that he would stray, despite the fact that he had many opportunities to do so. Perhaps she should take up some self-improvement classes when she gets back.

"I'm going with you" She said remembering her intentions before she exploded. "You're my fiance Ranma, and if you're in danger, then my place is with you. I'm a martial artist too after all" she continued with a smile "and if you so much as try to say no, then I'll just mallet you all the way back to China."

Ranma hesitantly agreed while Akane took her seat on his other side. Together the three of them waited for their plane to arrive.

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