A Midsummer Night's Beauty, Part II: Queen of Extreme
by rkOujirou

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma 1/2 anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own original characters that I've added into this story. Just so you know.


Chapter 27

The coming of a new day in the Nerima Ward of Tokyo brought with it plenty of welcome warmth and sunshine. After a wild, stormy night, kids headed out for their classes for the day and adults shuffled off to their jobs, many still unaware of what had transpired in the hours before.

Crews went to work early cleaning up the mess left behind after the previous night's battle, the total damage of which was astounding to those directing the efforts. As many windows as were broken, some local glass makers were sure to get a healthy helping of business out of it. Likewise, there was a lot of pavement and numerous streetlights, among other things, that would require repairs in the coming days and weeks.

Cleanup efforts were still in full swing as midday rolled around, at which time, a good ways away, the summer sun was shining in through the window of a particular hospital room. Inside that room, a teenage girl, her red hair unbound and spread out across her pillow, lay asleep in one of the facility's beds after already slumbering the morning away. At the girl's bedside, a tired-looking boy with a pigtail, unable to contain his boredom, let out a loud yawn. The boy's girlfriend who sat beside him was more patient as she waited for their mutual friend to awaken.

In time, with the sound of cicadas singing and birds chirping away outside, the girl in the bed began to stir. The fingers on her left hand moved little by little, and soon her eyes started to open ever so slightly.

"Yo, look who's finally up," came a greeting from the boy who'd been watching over her. "Jeez, Ringo, ya slept all the way into the afternoon. Had us worryin' there."

Recognizing the voice, Ringo Saotome, still hazy from her long sleep, faced over to her left. "Ran…ma? Shampoo?" she weakly uttered the names of the two she noticed sitting at her side. "Where…am I?"

"Is hospital," Shampoo told her. "How Ringo feel?"

Seeking an accurate answer to that question, Ringo attempted to move her bandage-covered body. The feeling of her muscles crying out in pain would put a quick stop to that, however. "Ouch, ouch, ouch! Umm…not good."

"That ain't no surprise. You're bruised and cut all over the place. Some of the cuts were deep enough that they needed stitches, too," Ranma informed her. "Oh, and I kinda hate to be the one to tell ya this, but the doctors said you're gonna need surgery to fix up the tendon in your foot. After that, it sounds like you'll have to be on crutches for a while. Ain't no way around it, though. Ya can't even walk with your foot all messed up like that."

As groggy as Ringo was, it took her a little extra time to process what she was being told. Her tendon needed surgery? Just what had happened to it in the first place?

It didn't take Ringo long to piece it together. A distinct memory quickly came to mind—one where a ribbon had slashed though the back of her foot, followed by her lying on the ground, wallowing in agony. And with that memory came a reminder of the one who had done it all to her. "Ko-…Kodachi!" Ringo's voice shook, the mental image of the gymnast seeming to render her fully awake. "What…what happened to her?"

There was no panic in Shampoo's expression as Ringo looked to her for answers, nor would her response cause any panic for the wounded redhead. "Kuno girl defeated last night," Shampoo said to her.

Upon hearing those words, Ringo eased back into her pillow, surprised, but relieved. Her memories of last night were still fuzzy, only bits and pieces coming back to her for the moment, but the strength Kodachi had displayed was unforgettable. "Kodachi…lost?" she thought, having difficulty just wrapping her head around the idea. "She…was really stopped, huh? Kodachi…"

Ringo's mind was still trying to process that knowledge when her eyes suddenly picked up on something, that being the state of Shampoo's right arm. The Amazon girl's limb was heavily taped, from her forearm all the way up past the point where vision of it was cut off by the short sleeve of her blouse. "Shampoo…your arm…"

"Ahh, is nothing," Shampoo brushed off the injury. Reaching over, she rubbed her left hand over the tape, wincing a bit as she did so. "It hurt now, but arm heal fast, then it be good as new."

Even though Shampoo had admitted that her arm hurt, Ringo couldn't help but feel just from looking at her that it might be hurting worse than she was letting on. And seeing that injury, it then occurred to Ringo that Shampoo wasn't the only other one present who'd been hurt in this whole ordeal. "Ranma," she said, her eyes drifting over to her former male half, "…you got attacked, too, right? Are you feeling better?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, Kodachi's paralysis stuff had mostly worn off by this morning," Ranma explained, nonchalant as could be about it all. "I'm feelin' pretty good now, actually. 'Cept my pride hurts a little. I feel dumb for not expectin' that junk outta Kodachi."

Sensing an opportunity to have some fun with her beau, Shampoo gave Ranma a light pat on the shoulder. "No worry, is okay if Ranma lose," she consoled him in jest. "Shampoo always be there to save day."

Ranma, irked by the comment, wasn't about to let that one go. Folding his arms across his chest, he directed a sly smirk Shampoo's way. "Unless it's rainin', right?" he retorted.

Abruptly reminded of last night's debacle that had ended with her transforming into a cat, Shampoo's eye twitched with annoyance. "Ranma shut up," she growled.

Seeing the banter between her friends brought Ringo a bit of much-needed amusement after all she'd been through. "You guys are funny," she giggled, showing a smile for the first time today. "I remember now. I thought you might have changed into a cat because of the rain, but you must have come back and beat Kodachi. Huh, Shampoo?"

As much as Shampoo would have liked to take credit for the crazed gymnast's ultimate defeat, she had to shake her head in response. "It no was Shampoo," she insisted, pointing toward the other side of the bed.

Not understanding what Shampoo was getting at, Ringo slowly turned her head and looked over to her right side. As she would learn, there was a third individual that had been there looking after her. Seated beside the bed, her head resting on the mattress and her hand clasped over Ringo's, was a sleeping Alysse Winters.

Dressed in a hospital gown just as Ringo was, Alysse had a tube running into her nose that was hooked up to a ventilator. After suffering a punctured lung from one of Kodachi's roses last night, the assistance in breathing would be helpful until the lung was fully operational again. Breathing wouldn't be the most pleasant of actions for Alysse at the moment, though, as she'd also suffered 13 broken ribs from the pair of Novas she'd been hit with.

"A-…Alysse?" Ringo spoke the girl's name softly as she took in the sight of the injured blonde.

"Even though must have hurt very bad to move, Alysse finish Kodachi off when Shampoo no could because stuck as cat," Shampoo revealed to her restaurant's waitress. "That girl very tough. Doctor tell her many time to lay down, but she still no leave Ringo side."

Looking upon her taller friend with a certain fondness, Ringo gave the girl's hand a gentle squeeze. Alysse…was amazing, Ringo thought. She really was. It was surprising enough that she was able to get up after being hit once by Kodachi's chi blast, but to know that she got up yet again after the second one was mind-boggling. It must have taken incredible heart for her to be able to push herself that far.

"Guess that's what ya call a champion's spirit, huh?" Ranma said, leaning back in his chair.

That word, "champion," striking a chord with her, Ringo turned back over to face Ranma again. "She…told you about who she is?"

An affirming nod from Shampoo confirmed that Alysse had, indeed, done so. "Shampoo feel silly for no see it until now," she said.

"No kiddin'," Ranma snorted, sharing in that sentiment. "I thought her soccer story was kinda off that one day she came to the restaurant all beat up, but I never thought she was that Priscilla girl me and Shampoo saw at the gymnastics thing. Guess she had her reasons for not tellin' us."

Ringo knew that to be the truth; Alysse had said as much last night. She wasn't sure yet what Alysse's reasons were, but she had a feeling they'd be discussing that very subject soon enough.

While most of the missing pieces regarding last night had been filled in, there was still one thing in particular that was nagging at Ringo. "So," she began, a look of concern coming over her, "…Kodachi…umm…where is she?"

To Ringo's surprise, Ranma first answered that question with a simple shrug of his shoulders. "Hate to say it, but no one knows," he told her. "The police are lookin' everywhere, but they ain't found her yet. They're pretty ticked off, too, 'cause she hurt one of their officers last night."

"Wh-what? She's…missing?" Ringo blinked.

"Shampoo see Kuno girl lay there where she fall, but police no find her when they check," Shampoo went into further detail, clearly frustrated that the dangerous girl had somehow gotten away. "Is strange. No think she have strength to run away after that."

"Nothin' would surprise me about Kodachi anymore," Ranma sighed. "She might be loony, but she's got some serious skill. I totally underestimated her."

Ringo wasn't sure what to make of the news that Kodachi's whereabouts were unknown, but it was something she would have to bear in mind, that much was certain. "So she's...still out there…" she thought.

"Ringo," Shampoo got the girl's attention again. Though she wasn't sure how Ringo would react, there was something she felt the redhead deserved to know. "Last night, after Kodachi use big chi attack…she start to cry, and no could hurt you anymore."

"She…she what?" Ringo gasped, shocked at what she was hearing.

"Is truth," Shampoo assured her. "No know what it mean, but is what happen."

Ringo couldn't believe it. After everything Kodachi had said and done, she'd hesitated in the end? Trying to understand what was going through Kodachi's mind was generally an exercise in futility, but knowing that something like this had happened certainly left Ringo to wonder. "Kodachi…"

"Mmnnn…"

Hearing a soft moan coming from further down her bed all of a sudden, Ringo turned to her other side to see that Alysse was beginning to awaken.

Her eyes fluttering open, Alysse groggily shifted her gaze to Ringo's face, and, seeing that the girl was finally up, she flashed her a tender smile. "Morning."

That kind expression allowing her to feel at ease just as it always did, Ringo happily returned the smile. "Morning. Even though it's the afternoon already," she chuckled.

Somehow, seeing that look that Ringo and Alysse were now sharing, something clicked within Ranma's mind. There were certain people that he felt were unneeded here at the moment, and he was one of them.

"M-Man, I'm kinda thirsty," Ranma declared, rising from his chair. "I'm gonna go get a drink. You comin', Shampoo?"

Shampoo was caught off guard by the suddenness of the invite at first, as evidenced by the way she batted her eyes up at Ranma in confusion. Once her pigtailed beau gestured toward the door, however, Shampoo finally understood his intentions. "Ahh, that sound good. Shampoo thirsty, too," she agreed, briefly turning back toward Ringo. "We be back in little bit."

"Hmm? Oh, okay," Ringo replied, not seeming to think much of it despite how quickly it had all come about.

With that, Ranma and Shampoo took their leave as they stepped out of the room, making sure to close the door behind them.

"Ranma do good job of read atmosphere," Shampoo complimented her man on his perceptiveness.

"Yeah, well, I figure they got some stuff to talk about," Ranma said, interlocking his hands behind his head as he strolled down the hallway. "It's a pain, but we'll have to keep an eye on 'em since Kodachi's still out there. Ain't gonna be good if she comes lookin' for them again."

"That true," Shampoo concurred. In a way, she felt guilty that Kodachi was still on the loose. She was so certain that Kodachi was out last night that she'd taken her eyes off of her, and that had proven to be costly. She wasn't sure she would ever understand how the gymnast had found the strength to flee after falling as she had, though. It simply made no sense to her.

While the two of them walked along, Ranma found it hard to keep his focus off of Shampoo's taped-up right arm. He'd seen the pain in her eyes every time she so much as moved the arm wrong, and it had been eating away at him. "Hey," he stopped momentarily, looking apologetic as Shampoo faced him. "If you need me to do anything while your arm is healin', just tell me. 'Kay?"

Shampoo certainly appreciated the offer, but, seeing that expression Ranma was wearing, she knew there was more behind it all than just kindness. "Ranma, is no your fault this happen to Shampoo arm," she assured him.

Even though Shampoo had said that, Ranma found it debatable. In his mind, if he'd seen the paralysis powder as a possibility while fighting Kodachi, he could've beaten her and brought all of this to an end before Shampoo had ever needed to get dragged into it. "Whether it's my fault or not," he said, averting his eyes from the girl, "...I still hate seein' ya get hurt."

Shampoo couldn't help but smile after hearing that. Even though she'd pounded it into Ranma's head that she was a martial artist, too, and that she was prepared for things like this to happen, she couldn't fault him for caring about her.

Stepping up next to the pigtailed boy, Shampoo placed her left hand over his hip and gently buried her forehead into his chest. "Silly Ranma."

Ranma put his hand over the back of Shampoo's head, and the two of them shared a brief embrace. In all of the commotion today, from talking to law enforcement and Alysse to looking after Ringo, they hadn't gotten the chance to do anything like this. It was needed, though, for both of them. Silently, Ranma was able to let Shampoo know that he was glad she was okay, and, likewise, Shampoo was able to let Ranma know that she was relieved she had made it back to him.

Once she'd gotten her fill, Shampoo slowly pulled herself away. "While we at hospital, Ranma want get looked at?" she asked him.

"Huh?" Ranma gave her a quizzical look. "I just told Ringo I was fine. There ain't no need for it."

Shampoo had thought that Ranma was only putting up a front while talking to Ringo before, but apparently he wasn't dropping it just yet. "Ranma see what Kuno girl's chi attack do to Alysse. There no way you is fine," she pointed out.

"Look, I know what happened to her, but I'm tellin' ya, I'm okay," Ranma insisted.

And here it was, Shampoo thought; Ranma's stubbornness. Intent on proving that she was right, Shampoo took her left hand and jammed her index finger into Ranma's ribs—one of the areas prominently struck by Kodachi's Nova during the gymnast's assault two days ago. Shampoo was certain that Ranma would double over in pain just from that single poke. Surprisingly, however, he merely continued to stare down at her, appearing completely unaffected.

Raising an eyebrow, Shampoo poked Ranma again in another spot close by. The result, though, would be the same. "Where chi hit you?" she finally asked, dumbfounded by the boy's lack of a reaction.

"Umm…like, my entire chest?" Ranma answered, playing along for the time being.

Oddly determined to break Ranma's cool, Shampoo rapidly poked him in various spots all over his upper torso. It was all for naught, though. If Ranma was hurting, he wasn't showing it.

"Still don't hurt," Ranma said, somewhat amused by the whole thing.

That was all Shampoo could take. Rather than poking at Ranma, she balled up her entire fist and drove it into the boy's sternum.

"Augh!" Ranma groaned at last, grabbing at the affected area. Unfortunately, it really didn't serve to prove Shampoo's point. "That'd hurt no matter what!" he growled.

Shampoo knew he was right, of course. She just couldn't believe what was going on. At the very least, Ranma should have had some broken ribs from the direct impact of Kodachi's Nova. And yet, he seemed to be perfectly fine. It just didn't add up, and because of that, Shampoo was starting to become concerned.

Feeling compelled to check up on something, Shampoo moved closer and grabbed the jade necklace that sat around Ranma's neck.

"Whoa! What're you doin' now?" Ranma asked her.

Shampoo walked all the way around him, inspecting each and every segment on that necklace that was used to keep the spirits from Yanlou within his body at bay. In the end, it didn't appear to be damaged, which was good. But, it also left Shampoo with no answer as to what was happening with her love interest.

"Seriously, what's with you?" Ranma inquired, starting to show some irritation now.

"Ranma still should be hurt. Shampoo no understand," the Amazon girl replied, a tone of worry in her voice.

"What? Jeez, you're makin' a big deal outta nothin'. I've always been a quick healer," Ranma claimed, starting to proceed down the hall again. "C'mon, let's go already. I wasn't kiddin' about gettin' a drink. I seriously need one after sittin' in that room for so long."

Ranma walked off as carefree and seemingly as healthy as ever, but his words hadn't quelled Shampoo's concerns. She still believed that something wasn't right, but what exactly that something was, she hadn't a clue.

Meanwhile, back in Ringo's hospital room, Alysse was grimacing just from the act of trying to sit up in her chair.

"A-Are you okay?" Ringo asked, although she knew the girl surely wasn't.

"Don't…don't worry about it," Alysse answered through her clenched teeth. Finally, she was able to lean back in her seat. "A punctured lung…and some broken ribs…aren't enough to keep me down."

While Alysse took some time to allow the pain in her chest to subside, Ringo, a sadness in her eyes, had to look away.

Alysse soon noticed that Ringo was avoiding eye contact, and she had her own assumptions as to why the redhead was doing so. "I guess…I have some explaining to do," she spoke. She wasn't sure how Ringo would react to what she was going to say, but she was hopeful that there would be some forgiveness in the girl's heart.

"I'm so sorry, Ringo. I should have told you that I was the EGF Champion. I even knew that you and Kodachi were in the Queen of Extreme Tournament, but still I never told you who I was," Alysse sincerely apologized to her friend. She paused for a moment before going on, just thinking about how to properly explain herself. "I…inside of a gymnastics ring, I'm…I'm different than when I'm with you. I'm…mean, I'm nasty, I'm arrogant, I'm conceited…and…I never wanted you to know about that side of me, because...I was terrified of what you'd think of me if you did."

Still just staring down at her bed sheets, Ringo looked as if she was trying to keep herself from breaking into tears. "I'm not…upset about that."

"You're…you're not?" Alysse blinked, genuinely surprised.

Ringo shook her head. "It's just…Alysse, you got hurt like this because you were involved with me," she said, clearly feeling awful for all that had happened to the gymnastics champion. "If…if you'd just never met me, then-"

"If I'd never met you," Alysse was quick to interrupt, looking as serious as she ever had, "…I'd still be wasting away my days here miserable and alone."

Hearing that was enough to make Ringo raise her head and look at Alysse again. Now, Alysse was the one wearing a solemn expression.

"That's…how I always was," Alysse quietly spoke, unpleasant memories being dredged up within her mind. "After my family moved here when I was younger, kids all picked on me for having blonde hair and looking different. Nobody ever wanted to be friends with me. Then when I grew a little and took up gymnastics, everyone just assumed that anything good that came my way only happened because of who my sister was, and they all resented me for it. To them, I was just taking advantage of my last name, Winters, that Katrina had made so well known, even though she never had anything to do with my training. And I…after a while, I just got fed up with it all. I'd had enough. I decided that if everyone wanted to hate me, that was fine. If they hated me, I'd hate them, too, and I'd make sure they knew it."

Ringo laid back and she listened to her friend. She was astonished that someone who'd always been so kind around her had such awful feelings pent up inside of her heart.

"But, then…something funny happened," Alysse went on, a hint of a smile returning. "I was walking along one day after running an errand, bitter and wishing more than ever that I was back home in America, and I was feeling a little hungry. And…there was this Chinese restaurant there up ahead of me. I never, ever ate out, but, for whatever reason, that day I just figured…why not? It's not like anything that might happen in there could make life here much worse, right? So, I walked in…and there was this waitress. And at the very moment she saw me, she looked at me without prejudice or even a tiny bit of meanness, and she said...she said that my hair was pretty."

Though her name hadn't been mentioned, Ringo remembered well the first time she'd met Alysse, and she knew right away that the waitress being spoken of was her.

"I couldn't believe it, that someone I'd never met before had said such a nice thing about the same hair that others had always mocked me for having," Alysse laughed with joy as she recalled the incident. "I kept coming back to the restaurant after that, wondering if the waitress was really that kind, wondering if she'd show her true colors like everyone else in this country eventually. But she never changed. She was every bit that wonderful person she'd shown to me on the first day, and…at some point…I realized that I'd fallen in love with her."

When she heard Alysse utter those words, Ringo felt as though her heart skipped a beat. She was stunned. "Alysse…"

Pushing herself up out of her chair, Alysse painstakingly attempted to move closer to Ringo. With her body so banged up from last night, however, she was laboring greatly.

"H-hey, you're hurt! Don't push yourself," Ringo pleaded.

Alysse didn't heed the request, though she probably should have. As she took a step forward, her leg immediately gave out on her and she collapsed right down on top of Ringo, her face buried into the pillow right next to the girl's head.

"Alysse! Are you all right?" Ringo asked her.

The first thing Ringo would hear from her friend wasn't a response, but rather a muffled sniffling sound. "I love you. I love you so much," Alysse told her, trying to hold back her tears as she wept into the pillow. "That probably weirds you out, and I know I don't deserve you after keeping the truth about me from you for so long, but last night made me wonder if I'd ever get the chance to tell you how I felt. So, before it's too late, before anything like that can ever happen again…I love you, Ringo. You mean everything to me."

Alysse had no idea how Ringo would feel about her confession. The next few moments felt like an eternity as she waited for something to come out of the girl's mouth. Then, strangely, she began to hear a noise similar to what she herself was making. Pulling her head back to get a better look at the one beside her, Alysse saw that Ringo, too, had tears in her eyes.

"Hey, why are you crying? I'm the one that's pouring my heart out here," Alysse jokingly chided her.

"I know," Ringo sobbed, lifting a hand up to dry her eyes. "I know, but…all I ever seem to do is bring trouble to everyone around me, so to hear something like that makes me really happy. And…especially from you. No matter what you say about yourself, I still think you're one of the nicest people I've ever met!"

Alysse listened intently to Ringo's every word. At the very least, Ringo seemed okay with knowing that she loved her. That was a good start, right?

"I always have so much fun when I'm with you, whether it's at the restaurant, or walking around window shopping, or even just being at your house the past few days," Ringo said, moving her hand now so that she could see Alysse again. "And last night, I got so mad when I saw Kodachi hurt you, because…you're such an important person to me, Alysse."

Her heart racing and her breath short, Alysse had to wonder if Ringo was really saying what she thought she was saying. "Th-…then…"

"I…don't know for sure, but," Ringo began, trying to find the right words to convey what she wanted to say, "…the way I feel about you…I think it's the same as how you feel about me. So…I know I'm a lot of trouble, but…if you're okay with someone like me…"

Unable to contain herself any longer, Alysse wrapped Ringo in as tight a hug as she could pull off with her aching body. "That should be my line! Of course I'm okay with you!" she put the girl's mind at ease in a hurry. "There's no one in the entire world I'd want more!"

Ringo, her cheeks wet with tears again, draped her arms over Alysse's back and returned the embrace. She'd meant every word of what she'd said. Even with the frightening things happening around her, the most relaxed she ever felt was during the time she spent with Alysse. When they were together, all of the worrisome things just seemed to wash away, and the same was true for the other girl.

There were still things that troubled the both of them, but right now, in this instant, Ringo and Alysse felt more at peace than either of them had perhaps ever been.

After she'd had enough time to really let it all sink in, Alysse suddenly pulled away so that she could look at Ringo again. "Umm…"

"Wh-what?" Ringo asked her.

Her face turning red with embarrassment, Alysse gulped as she tried to spit out a certain request she had. "I-Is it okay if I…k-…kiss you?"

Giggling on the inside as she thought about how cute Alysse looked just now, Ringo answered the girl with a nod and a bright smile. "Mhmm."

Ringo closed her eyes, and she waited.

As she beheld the sight before her, Alysse couldn't help but wonder what she'd done to deserve such happiness. After all of the grief she'd endured in the years since coming to Japan, though, she'd take it. A thousand times over, she'd take it.

And so, closing her eyes as well, Alysse leaned in and pressed her lips up against Ringo's, and a newfound warmth blossomed in both of their hearts. From now on, Ringo and Alysse would cherish each other to the fullest. And whatever may come their way, they would face it side-by-side.


Later that day after darkness had fallen, far away on the other side of the Sea of Japan, those who lived in the Amazon village of Joketsuzoku in China were attempting to settle in for the night. On this night, however, that would be easier said than done.

In one part of the village, Shampoo's sister, Aroma, had just returned to the home she shared with her great-grandmother, whom she spotted right away sitting at a book-covered table just inside the door. "It's awful," the Amazon with long, brown hair complained in her native Mandarin language. "Everyone's uncomfortable with those soldiers around."

Over the past couple of weeks, news had continued to leak out regarding the resurrected Sorceress Jusenkyo—first from Ryoga's girlfriend and current military prisoner, Meilin, to her old acquaintance and male Amazon, Jynn, and then from Jynn to Cologne. Then, earlier today, a company of soldiers from the military had suddenly shown up at Joketsuzoku in search of something in particular. And they'd found it. There, sitting in front of Cologne at her table, was one of the wooden cubes she'd found glowing in her underground storage room not long ago.

"I can't believe they're making you help guard that thing," Aroma grumbled.

"I'd have done so even if they weren't so insistent upon it," Cologne told the girl. "If its purpose is as they say, I would not want to entrust it to that bunch."

"Hmm…I guess you're right," Aroma conceded, folding her arms as she leaned back against the wall. Her great-grandmother, she now noticed, was rubbing her temple and looked unusually distressed. It would be understandable for most people given the circumstances of what had gone on and what had been learned today, but not for Cologne. Even in the face of trying times, Aroma almost never saw this sort of look about her. "Granny, what's wrong? You look like something's really bothering you."

Cologne exhaled deeply as she tried to cope with the stress building up within. "I have a bad feeling about all of this," she replied.

"A bad feeling? Why?" Aroma asked curiously.

"I can't say for certain. It's just a feeling really," the Amazon elder said. "But…"

Grabbing a book from the top of a stack on the table, Cologne hopped over to her great-granddaughter atop her staff and handed it to her.

Aroma batted her eyes as she took the book into her hands. "What's this?"

"Listen, if anything should happen to me, I want you to get that book to Shampoo," Cologne demanded of her.

"Wh-what're you talking about?" Aroma asked, starting to sound worried by the old woman's tone. "Come on, it makes me nervous when you say such gloomy things."

"Aroma! I am serious!" Cologne snapped, startling the girl. "If anything happens, no matter what, you get that to Shampoo. Do you understand me?"

Aroma would nod in response, showing that she got the message. Cologne only hoped that the bad feeling she had was merely all in her head.


Elsewhere in mainland China, after another fruitless day of searching for Sorceress Jusenkyo, the worn trio of Ryoga, Meilin and Akane were warming themselves by their campfire.

For over two weeks now, the Chinese military's Orange Team duo had been traveling in search of Jusenkyo with Akane at their side. With evidence suggesting that Jusenkyo was after Akane, Ryoga and Meilin figured they would get the chance to take out the resurrected sorceress soon after the youngest Tendo daughter joined up with them. Unfortunately, that hadn't turned out to be the case. Jusenkyo hadn't shown herself in front of the group even once since killing their fellow Orange Team member, Gibbon. Reports also persisted stating that other areas were being attacked by the sorceress, leaving everyone to wonder just what Jusenkyo's objective truly was.

Every day had been nerve-racking for the three of them, just wandering around looking for Jusenkyo, knowing that they could be attacked by her at any moment. Ryoga and Meilin would take turns sleeping at night while the other kept watch over their camp. No doubt it had been a stressful time for everyone involved, but none seemed to have more difficulty coping with it than the white-haired warrior, Meilin.

While looking over at his girlfriend, Ryoga could see her starting to fade. Her eyes, which always seemed to have bags under them in recent days, were struggling just to stay open. "Meilin, go get some sleep," he instructed her. "I'll take the first shift."

Meilin didn't argue; she simply pulled herself to her feet and started to head for their tent. After several steps, though, the girl stopped momentarily, taking a quick peek back at her lover. "Come join me for a bit?" she asked, hopeful that he would accept.

To Meilin's dismay, however, Ryoga would answer with a shake of his head. "I can't," he told her, his voice laden with remorse. "Someone needs to keep watch, and we can't leave Akane alone."

As Meilin continued to stand there, she started to fidget, clenching her hands and running them through her hair. Ryoga's refusal just now was one unpleasant happening too many for her, and she looked as if she was ready to explode.

"What is it?" Ryoga asked, picking up on the girl's odd behavior.

What is it? Oh, if Ryoga wanted to know, Meilin was going to let him in on exactly what it was. "How long do we have to do this?" she angrily inquired, trying to resist the urge to physically take out her frustration on something. "We have what Jusenkyo wants, so why won't she attack us?"

Of course, Ryoga didn't know such a thing, either, and thus he kept quiet.

"I am sick of this!" Meilin screamed. "Every day we walk around looking for this BITCH, waiting for her to come at us, and she never does!"

Meilin took a breath, trying to calm herself down. "And you know what? I could deal with it, I really could, if only I got to spend some time alone with you. But I can't even have that because someone always has to be looking after her!" she said, gesturing toward Akane.

"Meilin…" Ryoga looked upon her with contriteness.

Seated beside the boy, Akane stared down at her lap, away from Meilin. "I'm sorry. I really am," she apologized.

Meilin rubbed her forehead, knowing full well that her outburst was uncalled for. It wasn't the fault of Akane or Ryoga that things were the way they were, and she knew that. All she really wanted, even if it was selfish of her to do so, was just to get some things off of her chest.

Having done just that, Meilin finally resigned to the tent to get some sleep.

Now, as Ryoga sat there watching the campfire crackle, he looked much more troubled than he had before, and it had nothing to do with Jusenkyo.

"Ryoga," Akane spoke up, abruptly placing her hand on the martial artist's shoulder, "…when a girl needs you, you should go comfort her."

Though he appreciated Akane's intentions, Ryoga didn't appear comfortable at all with the suggestion. "Are you crazy? What about you?" he asked. "If Jusenkyo shows up-"

"I'll be fine," Akane cut him off. "If I see or hear anything, I'll yell for you. Okay?"

Ryoga was torn. He wanted to go to Meilin, but not at the cost of putting Akane in danger.

Akane, though, would help her old friend to make up his mind. Looking into the boy's eyes, she smiled warmly at him, letting him know that it was okay. "Go."

That was as much of a push as Ryoga needed. Grateful, he stood himself up. "Thank you, Akane," he said.

Without another word, Ryoga entered the tent to spend some rare quality time with his loved one.

For the first time in what felt like quite a while, Akane was all alone with nothing but the campfire to keep her company. She had a good idea of what was probably going on inside of that tent, and a stray noise here and there would help to fuel her imagination, but she would just have to try to ignore it as much as possible.

Several minutes had passed when, out of nowhere, a beeping sound began to emanate from Ryoga's backpack. Akane figured it might be a while until Ryoga re-emerged from the tent, and she wasn't looking forward to enduring the noise until that time came. So, getting up and stepping over to the pack, she reached inside and fished out the culprit: the military communicator that Ryoga and Meilin used.

Trying to recall how to use the device just as Ryoga had shown her a while back, Akane punched in a series of keys that both accepted the new message and stopped the dreadful beeping.

Akane sat back down, and, for a couple of minutes, she simply stared at the communicator's screen. Again and again she looked it over, trying to make sure of what she saw. Then, lowering the device away from her at last, her eyes narrowed. She raised her free hand and bit down lightly on her thumb, her focus now on the tent up ahead of her.

Something was on the girl's mind.


End of Chapter 27