"This is all your fault!" Ranma grabbed Ryoga by the collar of his shirt and shoved him against the wall. Ryoga looked down at the ground, not putting up any sort of fight. "Look what you did to her!" Ranma gestured with his free hand over to Akane, who lay motionless on the floor. The expression on her face had not changed. Her eyes remained open, but glossy. Her breathing was steady.

"Go ahead, Ranma. Do your worst…I deserve it." Ryoga mumbled as he continued to stare at the floor. Rage boiling, Ranma readied his fist, only to feel the swift knock of a cane to the back of his still healing head.

"Put him down, Son-in-law!" Ranma glared back at Cologne. Her eyes stared into his, unwavering. Slowly, Ranma complied with the crone's request. "If you truly think that the two of you beating each other senseless will help Akane's condition, then by all means take it outside," she said, sternly as she pointed over towards the door. Ranma let out a short huff. "Otherwise, stop worrying about whose fault it is and focus more on what can be done now!" Mousse stepped forward from the corner he had been standing in.

"But Elder…what exactly can be done? You still haven't told us what's wrong with her…" He pushed his glasses down upon his face. Cologne glanced away from the three martial artists. She let out an audible sigh.

"To be completely honest…I don't know…" The trio of men did a double-take, each of them shocked.

"Y-you don't know?!" Mousse asked in awe. Ranma rolled his eyes.

"And here I thought you had an answer for everything," the pig-tailed youth scoffed. Cologne shook her head.

"I may be elderly and wise…but I'm still human. Every now and then a problem arises that even I don't have the solution for." She pogoed over to the non-responsive girl. "To a layman, her symptoms may seem to indicate a coma, of some sort…But my instincts tell me that something else is likely at work…"

"A coma?!" Ranma yelled at the diminutive elder. "Akane could be in a coma?!"

"You don't listen do you? I said I DIDN'T think it was a coma." Ranma crossed his arms in anger.

"Well can ya fix her or not?!" he scowled.

"Patience, Son-in-law…" She leapt onto a nearby shelf filled with various potions. "There are a few things I can try…"


When Shampoo entered the Cat Café, she found it eerily quiet…The closed sign had been pasted to the door, oddly enough, so no customers were seated at any of the tables. The fact that her grandmother had decided to close the restaurant at peak hour greatly raised Shampoo's suspicions that something fishy was going on. She glanced around the empty room as she placed her delivery bag on the counter.

"Hello? Anybody home?" she called out. Despite the nature of her question, she tried to keep her volume to a minimum. If her grandmother was indeed up to something…and that something involved her Airen…she didn't feel it pertinent to make her presence fully known.

The light-blue headed Amazon tip-toed down the hallway. There was only one place that her grandmother would be if her suspicions were correct. Reaching the entrance to the elder's study, she placed an ear to the door. Shampoo wasn't quite able to make out any words…but she definitely heard talking coming from within the usually empty room. The young Amazon was about to turn the doorknob and enter, but decided against it. She knew that, for one thing, the door was undoubtedly locked and a jiggling of the knob would likely alert everyone inside that she was home. Moreover, if she were somehow get inside, it would probably only lead to her getting into further trouble with her grandmother. Considering that the elder was still furious with her for her trick two days ago, this was not a preferred scenario…However, the Amazon warrior couldn't sit idly by, either…Not when she knew that whatever they were discussing no doubt had something to do with her Airen, the Slave Pill…and that stupid kitchen wrecker that swallowed it.

'How can I get in there?' she thought to herself. Just as suddenly as she pondered this thought, an idea swooped in to answer. The vent in the laundry room! She could crawl in there easily, once she transformed into a cat. Then, she could make her way into her grandmother's room and eavesdrop, unnoticed. Slowly, she snuck down to the end of the hallway, where the laundry room was located.

When she opened the door, however, a strange sight lay before her. The dryer was completely open, the back of a cat carrier sticking out of the appliance like a sore thumb. Shampoo could hear the distinctive, lecherous chuckles of its elderly occupant. The Amazon forcefully grabbed the carrier and pulled it out from within the dryer.

Looking inside, Shampoo saw the diminutive figure of Happosai, gleefully clutching several pairs of the Amazon's underwear. Shampoo blushed, furiously.

"Aiya! What pervert doing?! Those are Shampoo's! Give them back!" She tried to reach her hands through the bars, but Happosai fled to the back of the carrier, tightly hugging his quarry to his chest.

"No! They're mine, you hear?! Mine, mine, mine, mine, mine!" Shampoo shook the cage as the old letch protested.

"Those belong to Shampoo, freak!" The old pervert merely sat in the back, grinning.

"Not anymore they don't! Your grandmother gave them to me! We made a deal!" He stuck his tongue out at the enraged Amazon.

"What?! Why would grandmother-" She stopped herself, mid-sentence. There was only one reason that the elder Amazon would cater to the demands of this old pervert…He knew something he shouldn't…Shampoo knew her grandmother had been more secretive about this whole pill ordeal than she let on.

"You know something!" A sweat drop formed on the old man's wrinkled face.

"I beg your pardon…"

"Don't lie to Shampoo! It about Slave Pill, isn't it…Talk!" She shook the carrier, violently this time.

"Torture me all you want! But I'll never talk!" Shampoo stopped and narrowed her eyes at the small-statured master.

"So…you do know something!"

"So what if I do?" The old man crossed his arms and laid on the Amazon's undergarments like a pillow. "I promised Cologne I wouldn't tell. And Happosai is a man of his word!"

"What if Shampoo make deal?" The Amazon gave him a sly look.

"Hah! I've already got what I want, and your grandmother is the only one who can let me out of here…so there's nothing you have to offer…" He grabbed a pair of her underwear and waved it at her, tauntingly. "Face it, I have you by the panties!"

"Ture…" Shampoo said, bringing her face close to the bars of the cage. "But did grandmother give you…the ones Shampoo currently wearing…?" The old letch shot to meet her at the front of his prison.

"I'll tell ya anything you want to know!"


Cologne rubbed her wrinkled temple. She glanced down at the scattering of empty potion vials and bottle at her feet. None of them had seemed to elicit any kind of change in the young Tendo's condition. The eldest Amazon gave a sigh of defeat.

"Well…I've tried about everything I know to try…the only thing we can do now…is wait…" Ranma, who had taken a knee on the other side of his unmoving fiancé, shot her a fierce glance.

"You want us to just wait?!" he yelled. Cologne's brow furrowed.

"If you have any other options, Son-in-law, I'd love to hear them…" It was Ryoga, however, who spoke up.

"But Elder Cologne…if it IS a coma…shouldn't we take her to an actual hospital?...No offense…" the pig-boy asked. Cologne's expression grew stern.

"I'm afraid that is out of the question." She hopped over to where Ryoga and Mousse both stood. "As I said before…the Slave Pill is an extremely guarded Joketsuzuko secret. If anybody were to discover its existence and let it get out, publically…the consequences could be disastrous. As an elder of the Joketsuzuko, I cannot allow Akane to be examined by anyone other than myself."

Both Ryoga and Mousse looked a bit taken aback by her response. She stared harshly at the two of them, then back at Ranma. "I will not hesitate to use force, if necessary." Ranma, for once, did not verbally respond. He returned her stern gaze, then turned his attention back to Akane. "Besides," Cologne continued, turning back to Ryoga. "Although I practice a more ancient form of medicine…I assure you that there is nothing more that any doctor could do for her now…that I have not already done." Ryoga began to vigorously rub his head.

"Arggh…Well we can't just sit here! There has to be something we can do!" Mousse gave a sideways grin at the eternally lost boy.

"Like what, huh? You gonna try to give Sleeping Beauty over there True Love's Kiss?" Ryoga turned a bright shade of red.

"N-no…" he pushed his two index fingers together and apart. "I-I mean…I..I could…I would…i-if I thought it m-might…" Cologne whacked the pair with her cane.

"Knock it off you two!" She gave each of them another whack for good measure. "This is a very serious matter!"

Ranma just sat there, ignoring the other three in the corner. He stared into Akane's lifeless eyes. She seemed as peaceful as she looked when sleeping.

"C'mon, Akane…you've gotta come back…I can't go through this again…" He'd give anything to see her move…to hear her voice. The memories of his time on Phoenix Mountain came flooding back. He felt the unfamiliar sting of tears form at the corner of his eyes. The young fighter slammed his fists down on the ground. "I shouldn't have made you apologize...I should've been the one to say I'm sorry...I'm always doing the wrong thing, or saying the wrong thing...I shouldn't get so angry with you all the time...And now, this is all my fault..." The tears started to flow in earnest. "I'm sorry...Akane, do you hear me? I'm sorry..." His vacant fiance continued to give no response.

"Damnit Akane! Just say something!" Ranma buried his head into his arms.

"Something." Akane's voice softly cut through the air. It had an almost robotic tone to it. Ranma sat up, dumbfounded. Had he imagined it?

Cologne rushed to the side of the bewildered boy. Her eyes were wide.

"It can't be…it's impossible…" Ranma glanced up at the wizened crone. She looked as white as if she'd seen a ghost.

"What-" he began, but was silenced by the elder.

"Do it again, Son-in-law…"

"Do what again?" He could feel the force of her stare upon him.

"Give her an order." He looked at her, puzzled for a moment, then caught her meaning.

"You mean to tell me," he said, beginning to grow from sad to frustrated. "That this has something to do with that stupid pill?!"

"Just do it!" Relenting, Ranma turned his attention back to Akane.

"Fine…Akane…um, raise your right arm." Suddenly, the Tendo girl obeyed, her right shooting in the air. Her face remained expressionless. Ryoga and Mousse both gasped.

"D-does this mean she's okay?!" Ryoga asked and rushed to join the other two by Akane. Ranma scratched his head.

"Akane, get on your feet." No sooner had the command left his mouth than the girl lifted herself up off the ground and stood back upon her own two feet. Ryoga patted Ranma on the back.

"No, no, no…how can this be…" The pair turned to see Cologne, looking as fearful as she had before, pacing back and forth.

"What's wrong, Old Ghoul? She's alright!" Ranma pondered.

"Is she? Does she look 'alright' to you, Son-in-law?" Ranma looked back at Akane. Suddenly, his expression turned back to one of worry. He had been so happy to see her move again that he failed to realize that not much else had changed. She was just as vacant and blank on her feet as she had been lying down. Mousse grabbed the pacing elder's shoulder.

"Tell me, Elder," he said, noticing the elder's abrupt change in tone. "Do you mean to say that you know what's wrong with her, now?" Cologne shook her head.

"Yes…No…Maybe…But it's only hypothetical."

"Spit it out!" Ranma shouted. All three pairs of eyes were resting on the worried old woman.

"Son-in-law, you remember earlier this morning when I informed you that Akane had entered the next phase of the Pill's effects?" Ranma nodded. "Well…it would appear that the force of Ryoga's blast has rocketed her into the Third Phrase."

"What?! There's a third phase?!" He leapt to his feet and met the crone face-to-face. "And you…once again…didn't tell me?!"

"No! I didn't know there…I did not THINK there was one…until now…" She looked up at all three of the martial artists in turn.

"You see, back when the Council was modifying the Pill's formula, some of its members had pondered the existence of a third developmental stage…but it was merely conjecture. No records exist of one ever taking place during testing, so I never thought it possible, let alone worth mentioning."

"And what do you know about this third phase, Elder?" Mousse inquired. She shook her head.

"Not much…only that it was tentatively referred to as…the 'Doll Phase.'" Ranma's nerves twinged at the title. "However, I believe I can piece together a few things…based on what we've witnessed." She pogoed over to the still standing girl. Her arms were stiff at her side as she stood there, not budging an inch. Cologne placed a hand to her chin. "It would appear that, in this stage her entire sense of self…her entire being…is completely gone. At this point, she seems to be little more than a puppet…unable to move, speak, or even likely think unless…" She looked at the still kneeling figure of Ranma. "Unless you command her, Son-in-law." Ranma's eyes hit the floor.

"Old Gho-…Cologne…" The pig-tailed boy said, slowly rising to his feet. "Please…I can't do this…I can't leave her like this…" He grabbed her tiny shoulders and looked her dead in the eye. Cologne could see the sadness behind his expression…could see the faint evidence of a tear still present in his eyes. "I can't go through this again…"

'Again?' Cologne thought. Then she remembered…Phoenix Mountain….when Akane had been cursed into the form of a doll…This must be extremely hard for him…

"There's gotta be something…" Ryoga pleaded once again, joining Ranma on his feet. Cologne stood silent for a moment, studying her uncharacteristically melancholy Son-in-law. She then turned away and hopped over to a nearby bookshelf.

"There…there may indeed be something…But it would come at a great price…" Instantly, Ranma's expression changed. He rushed to the old ghoul's side.

"What? You man you DID find a cure, after all?!" The crone grabbed a book from off the shelf, flipped through some pages, then slammed it down, open-faced, onto the floor. On one open page, there was a picture of an old looking hand-mirror. On the other was a long stream of foreign text.

"Not a cure, Son-in-law…a sacrifice."