KTKG says: Hey everyone. Sorry for the long wait yet again but here I am, with a brand spankin' new chapter for you all! We're getting close to the end now but I can't tell you how many more chapters that will be exactly. Anyways I want to thank you all for reviewing and continuing to read this story. You don't know how much it means to me!

Now, that that's all said and done, I have one last thing to say… on with the story!

Remember, BOLD lettering means it's in Chinese!

Chapter 20

Ranma was lost in his thoughts as he shuffled down the street towards his current place of residence. Mousse's words were on replay in his head, blocking out the world around him as he instinctually avoided the oncoming people on the sidewalk with him. His mind was a million miles away and with the information that he was trying to digest right about then he wished he were too.

He knew that the Amazons could be ruthless but never really realized it until now. Mousse had made the whole thing out like Shampoo was nothing but a solider sent on a mission and for all he knew she actually was. She was out to claim a prize, and that prize was him whether he liked it or not.

Roughly he tugged at the scarf around his neck as his brain continued to turn over the conversation he had just had a moment ago. He knew that they were basically out of any options aside from confronting the Amazons head on, however that still didn't stop him from trying to think of something. He knew that the phone call he had just made to Kohana had maybe bought them some time but the question was how much? Would it even be enough?

He had stopped walking then and found that he wasn't that far from Ukyo's place. On a whim, he decided to pay her a visit. Maybe she had some ideas of her own, not to mention Akane would be rather pleased with him if he were to bring home her favorite dish as a peace offering for just leaving like that earlier.

His thoughts flew away from him yet again as he maneuvered his way over to the shop, not once taking in his surroundings. A crunching sound from beneath his feet brought him back to reality however and once his eyes took in the sight before him he had to blink to make sure it was real.

The place was a complete disaster.

Tables and chairs were thrown wildly here and there. Broken dishes laid everywhere with huge holes in the floors and the walls. A pale hand behind the counter on the floor caught his attention and he took off in a mad dash towards it. Sure enough, there tangled on the floor with what used to be part of her spatula rack was none other than the shop's owner herself.

"UKYO!"

At the scream of her name, Ukyo's brain seemed to come back online with a horrible headache that had jump-started it. Cracking an eye open, she was dumbfounded when Ranma's face came into focus above her. Was that worry? "Ranma?"

Relief swept over his features as he helped her up. "Thank goodness you're okay." Frowning she allowed him to help her up into a seated position before he crouched down next to her on the floor. "Are you alright?"

Ukyo exhaled as her spine straightened and glanced around her shop. What the hell happened? The last thing she remembered was closing up shop for the night and then…

Ranma's storm-colored eyes came into view and cut her train of thought off. "Are you ok?" She looked herself over. No severe damage that she could see from here. Taking a deep breath she assessed that she didn't have any internal injuries either. Then again, maybe she was in shock. "I'm fine, just… trying to remember exactly what happened…"

Surveying her restaurant once more she noticed the huge hole in the side of the establishment and instantly memories bombarded her as her eyes widened and frantically met Ranma's. "Oh god, Ranma, she's back!" Fisting her hands in his coat she shook him hard, emphasizing the next couple of words that came from her mouth. "Shampoo! She's responsible for all of this!"

Ranma frowned as he pried her hands away from his coat and looked around as well. "I know. Mousse and I just had a conversation about it. She's out to eliminate the competition and I guess that means you too." Ukyo's hands slacked in his grip as she processed what she just heard. "Eliminate?"

Ranma's frown deepened as he watched terror take shape on Ukyo's features, then confusion took over. "She… she could have killed me but she didn't." He nodded in agreement, feeling his own confusion hit. Shampoo hadn't finished the job with Ukyo; instead she just left her unconscious. Not exactly what Mousse had been implying she would do. Shaking his head he helped Ukyo to her feet. That was something that he would have to contemplate later, right now he had to get Ukyo out of here and somewhere else.

"Can you walk? We have to get you out of here." Struggling a bit, he managed to get her to her feet, however upon going vertical she promptly loss consciousness. "Great." Mumbling to himself he found a chair that wasn't turned over on it's side and sat her down in it, holding on to her shoulder so she wouldn't fall over as he tried to figure things out.

Just as he was about to give up and let Ukyo take one for the team as so he could phone for help, a scraping sound reached his ears and instantly he froze. Was Shampoo back to finish what she started with Ukyo? His whole body tensed at the sound increased in volume but instantly relaxed when none other than a black curly tail came into view.

Ryouga.

A smile made its way across his lips. He had to admit, that man had the worse sense when it came to direction but the best when it came to timing.

He was going to need all the help he could get.

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Kohana refused to open her eyes.

She had the craziest dream that seemed too real for comfort. It sounded childish, but she was afraid of opening her eyes and finding out that it was indeed real. For one, her body and head ached like she had been through everything her overactive imagination dreamed up. She could actually taste copper in her mouth, and her left arm throbbed with a pain she didn't even want to decipher.

But none of it could be real, could it? It couldn't have been. She must have bit her cheek or something in her sleep, not have been kicked in the face, so that's why she tasted blood. And her arm throbbed because she slept on it funny, not because she tried to deflect something that looked like a beach ball on a stick and possibly broke it.

Yep, it was all a dream.

Geez, she really needed to stop sneaking spicy midnight snacks.

Any minute now Sano would come barreling into her room demanding that she stop Hiro from harassing him or eating all the breakfast that their father had so thoughtfully prepared for them.

Yep, any minute now.

After what seemed like forever, she realized that maybe Sano wouldn't be doing his daily routine and maybe, just maybe, she hadn't dreamed everything up. Slowly she cracked an eye open, trying to avoid the rays of sunlight she knew would make her headache worse, but they flew open instead as she realized a startling fact.

It was night and this was not her room.

Slowly she turned her head to the side to find a peculiar sight. Sitting on a chair next to the desk with the illuminated lamp on it was a boy around the same age as her. His arms were crossed in front of his chest and his head rested against the wall behind him. She took her time as her eyes roamed over his frame in what she could only pin as appreciation.

The boy was built, that much she could see from his arms and shoulders. His yellow bandana pulled his bangs back enough to give her a clear view of his face, which was slack with sleep. Only one though came to mind.

The boy was hot.

The throbbing in her arm started back up and reluctantly she tore her eyes away from the wondrous sight in front of her and looked at the pained appendage. Instantly her eyes watered as she took in the state of her arm. It was just laying there next to her in what could only be a homemade splint in an effort to keep it immobilized. Her heart sank and her vision became even more blurred as tears rapidly built up in them. It wasn't a dream, everything had really happened, and that means that Akane…

A sob escaped her throat before she could stop it.

"Are you okay?"

Her eyes snapped open and tears spilled down her cheeks as she was greeted with a pair of warm, worried brown eyes. For some reason this only made her cry harder, which served to startle the boy further. "Uh, please don't cry! Are you in pain?" Kohana attempted to answer him but another sob was the only thing that managed to come out.

Obviously unsure of what to do, the boy headed out of the room and into the hallway to shout for Ranma. A few seconds later the room was crowded with as many people as it would hold, Ranma and the doctor from the clinic he works at in the front. At the sight of her best friend's fiancée, she couldn't hold it in anymore and broke down.

She had failed to keep her friend safe.

Ranma on the other hand could do nothing but try to comfort the girl in front of him. He had to commend her for her attempts in whatever happened. He had come back to the dojo with Ukyo and Ryouga only to find it in shambles with none other than Kohana passed out in the rubble of what used to be a wall and Kodachi hog-tied with none other than shoelaces. After getting the girls situated with Ryouga's help, he appointed Ryouga as Kohana's watcher while he made a phone call to Dr. Tofu.

Kohana's breathing finally calmed after a minute or two and her hiccup brought Ranma out of his thoughts. "Please tell me that I fell down your steps or something and I dreamed up everything else." Ranma couldn't help but feel sorry for her. She looked like he felt on the inside.

From his silence Kohana was able to tell that everything she thought she had dreamed was indeed reality and that Ranma was probably waiting for an answer as to what happened to his fiancée. Wiping her eyes with her good hand she sat up and allowed for the doctor to give her an exam before starting her explanation.

"It was that Shampoo chick."

The whole room went silent and she could feel Ranma freeze at the mention of that name. Clearing her throat she continued on, not raising her eyes to meet anyone but rather choosing to keep them locked on what the doctor was doing to her arm.

"I uh… I had just finished tying up the other crazy woman that had popped up when we heard this loud crash upstairs and the whole house shook. Next thing we know, Shampoo comes around the corner and…." She tried to keep the wavering from her voice but failed miserably as the events replayed themselves in her mind. Suddenly her teary eyes shot up to meet Ranma's sad but understanding ones. "I'm so sorry Ranma, I tried I really did! I feel so useless! I just… If I had been stronger then that crazy ass bitch and her little thing of an accomplice wouldn't have got her-"

"Wait, wait, accomplice? She had someone with her?" Kohana's eyebrows met in frustration as she tried to remember something. "Yeah… I woke up for a second after she sent me through the wall and saw that Shampoo wasn't by herself. There was this… thing, like an old mummy or something on a stick. It knocked Akane out with one touch, said something to Shampoo, and then left. After that I passed back out."

Ranma was silent as he took everything in, vaguely hearing Dr. Tofu telling Kohana her arm was indeed broken and the murmur of the others as they filled out of the room in search of other things to do.

"Ranma."

Ranma looked up and around to find that it was just he, Kohana, Ryouga, Soun and his father left in the room with him. He wasn't sure who called his name, but every last one of them looked worried. Ryouga was the first to say something in the silence that seemed to be smothering them.

"It sounds like Cologne is more involved than we think." Ranma nodded in response, not liking this little revelation one bit. Cologne meant trouble, plain and simple, but he really didn't have time to worry about that now did he? He had to do something quick seeing as Akane was in danger, and worrying about everyone involved wasn't going to help the situation much. He had to get a hold of Mousse as soon as possible, which in reality meant right that second.

He looked over at Kohana only to find her staring as indiscreetly as possible at Ryouga with a slight blush on her cheeks. So, Akane's tomboy of a best friend actually had feelings other than anger and annoyance. He was sure if Akane were here she would tease her friend senseless…

"Ranma, there's a letter here for you."

All eyes turned to Kasumi who stood in the doorway with a limp piece of paper in her hands. Ranma stood and approached her, trying not to notice the distressed look on her face. Taking the letter from her he read it in relative silence, growling slightly when he got to the end and crumpled the thing in his hand. Turning back to everyone else in the room he cleared his throat and tried to compose himself before he spoke.

"I need everyone to rest up well for the next couple of hours." He turned back to Akane's sister in the doorway. "How is Ukyo doing?" "She's doing fine. Dr. Tofu is checking her over right now and she's eating. Speaking of which, Kohana do you have an appetite?" Kohana thought for a second, then nodded.

Kasumi turned to leave but then stopped just before she crossed the threshold. She turned partially around towards Ranma and glanced at the crumpled paper in his hands before speaking. "Ranma, I know that you're going to make sure my sister and niece or nephew will end up safe, but I want you to take care of yourself. I can't bare to see my sister without her other half and your child without their father. Not to mention you're family now, and the only brother I have for the moment. Just please, promise me that you'll come back too."

With one final pleading look she turned around and headed out the door presumably towards the kitchen, leaving Ranma in a mild state of shock. Sure, he knew that they considered him family, but to actually hear it was another story. Kasumi must have read the letter before handing it to him, no wonder she looked the way she did.

Turning back to the other occupants in the room, he prepared himself to plan out his next couple of steps and explain what exactly was at stake, even though he was sure everyone already knew the problem he was facing.

Looking back at the crumpled paper in his hands he recalled it's contents and had the sensation of someone stabbing him in the heart. With Cologne now thrown thoroughly in the mix and more than likely running the show, his options on how to go about this were slim.

For that specific reason, he wasn't sure he could promise his sister what she was asking of him.

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Shampoo couldn't tear her eyes away from the sight in front of her.

Of all the things she was expecting upon going to the dojo, this was not one of them. She was expecting to burst into her husband's room, not into what looked to be a nursery for a baby, and definitely not to the sight that was in front of her now.

"What's wrong my child?" Shampoo spun around and caught sight of her great-grandmother standing in the doorway. "Nothing, I was just thinking." The steady ping echoing off the walls signaled that she had come to stand next to her, more than likely to look at the same wonder she was.

"Do you think it's real?" Cologne scoffed at her questions and turned a keen eye on her. "Of course it's real, but you shouldn't let that stop you child. You came here to take care of your outstanding obligations and that is what you should be focused on."

Shampoo winced at the tone used with those last words and felt as though she were five again. She knew better than to say what she was about to but she couldn't help it, it was something that she had instilled in her since she could remember. "But the law… she's technically married to him. I could be put to death for doing what you want me to do!" Cologne's eyes narrowed and response while she snorted yet again at the nonsense that was coming out of her great-granddaughter's mouth.

"Shampoo. You are to be the next leader of our tribe, that's a law that you can not only change, but no one will know about it but you and I. Do you want to shame our family and lose this chance at being the greatest leader in our tribes history?"

Shampoo was silent in response, contemplating the words carefully, and then shook her head slowly. Of course she didn't want to disgrace her family and all that but this, this was something that she wasn't sure she was able to go along with.

"Sometimes, the best path is not always the easiest child. You're doing what you have to with the best interests of our tribe in mind. Besides, you want Ranma don't you?" Shampoo hesitantly nodded. "Then this is the only way. Ranma will come to us for her, but if he does not comply you know what you must do."

The echoing ping signaled the finality of the conversation and didn't help the feeling in Shampoo's stomach. She knew what she had to do, her great-grandmother did have a point, and she would do it too.

For the sake of her tribe and with her family's honor on the line, she would do whatever she had to.

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KTKG Says: Okay… so that's it for now. I'm sure it's riddled with grammatical issues and whatnot but I just wanted to get this out while I could. I'm in the process of preparing for graduation next month as well as moving, so a holiday like today was perfect for me to write this! I hope you like it and remember… REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!