Wheel of Fate

AN: Hi all! Back again! I haven't really written many chapters centred around a fight scene so I'm quite interested how I did. Hope it is good!

Enjoy!

Suggested Music for reading: For this chapter, I thought of many possible candidates but couldn't really find anything that really fit the bill. Sure Sabaton's "Firestorm" was a pretty good contender and I did use it for the battle itself, but it simply doesn't fit the entire chapter with its tone. I doubt I could find any music that would completely suffice. And I did research. You know you did when you end up listening to African wood drums at two in the morning. Side note: Those things are pretty good! The vibe is there! Just... different!

Disclaimer: I don't make any money out of writing this story. Ranma ½ belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, not me.

Chapter 10: Submission / Defiance

Akane's eyes fluttered open. She felt content, happy. For the first time in months, she felt completely rested and secure. The masculine arm around her waist filled her with warmth the type she had never felt before. To her, it felt soothing in a rough kind of way.

She smiled remembering the memories of last night. Her and Ranma. Their playful fight. It had been just perfect. Akane even considered going further than she had planned. The mere thought left her with a blush. Of what they could have done if she had the courage. Her and Ranma together like… like that. The colour of her cheeks brightened.

The mere idea caused shivers to run down the girl's back. It launched a wave of exhilaration across her body she had never before experienced. It took a while, but she finally admitted that she was actually looking forward to it. To that.

Slowly she traced her fingers across the skin of his shoulder, his upper arm. All the way to his hands. She took his into her own and marvelled at the difference. Her hands, her fingers. They were so small delicate compared to his. The colour of his skin. Its slightly darker tone. The rough feeling of its texture. It felt so right. So perfect.

She glanced up at his face. Even in his sleep, there was a hint of his trademark smirk on his lips. His nose, it took some internal fighting not to place a chaste kiss on it. His eyes. Those sparkling blue orbs. She longed to see them. The firm dedication she so often saw in those orbs. If he only knew what kind of effect his eyes had on her… Back, in the beginning, it was the first thing that caught her interest. What made her reconsider her opinion of him.

She slowly eased her head back onto his chest. It was so warm and comfortable. His steady heartbeat. So relaxing. She knew. Yes. She had found her man. The one for her. With a small tug, she pulled the fabric of her torn tunic tighter around the two of them. It was doubling as her and Ranma's makeshift blanket. At least for that purpose, it was still somewhat adequate. She never bothered getting re-dressed later during the night. As far as she was concerned there was no sense in doing so with her fears laying in defeat.

The girl was tempted to go right back to sleep. To spend more time curled up against his boyfriend. With his arm holding her close. It was just too good. She knew sleeping alone would never be the same again. Not after the previous night.

She glanced at the shutters. The small creaks in it were the only source of light in the entire room. The rays of bright light were the only thing piercing into the darkness. It meant daytime. She didn't care and closed her eyes to get more precious rest. Maybe even to fall back into that nice dream she had. It was… interesting.

Ranma pulled her closer. He mumbled something in his sleep. Something that sounded similar to a sequence of punches and kicks followed up by some special technique.

"Even in his sleep he's at it!" thought the girl before closing her eyes in an attempt at falling into oblivion. Minutes passed. It was not working. The frustration about it didn't make things much better.

Ranma mumbled something once again. This time his words were accompanied by more movement. Slowly he started to roll in his sleep. Akane let out a groan. His movement caused her to slip from her rather comfortable and warm full body pillow. The dirt floor was cold and rough. She wanted her spot on top of Ranma back. Her head landed upon his outstretched arm sparing her from a rough landing. Before she could launch a complaint she felt his arms close protectively around her form. The contact between their bodies became more intimate leaving the girl with a dark blush across her face. All thoughts of hostility let her. She felt safe, cherished, loved. With those thoughts in her mind, she was finally able to surrender herself to sweet sleep.

Hours passed before she came to once again. The pleasant contact between her and Ranma was gone. She found her robes draped over her body with Ranma sleeping close by facing towards her. Serving as her pillow were his folded clothes. Akane took a deep breath of resignation. She knew well why he kept his distance. It was her. She was the sole reason for it all. After years of her overreacting. Blowing up because of the smallest things. Mostly out of fear of her past experiences and what may happen. She knew it would be some time before he would become completely comfortable with the change in their relationship. Though his hand holding hers. It was a definite sign of progress.

Upon inspecting his face she noticed a small smile on his lips. Not a smirk, but a genuine smile. "He can be really cute when he sleeps!" mused the girl.

Slowly she untangled her hand from his hold and got up. In all truth, she longed to stay. To spend a few days in that old shack. But with enemies on their heels, it was time to get moving. One more night they might be able to allow themselves, but not more. They were also down to the last slice of dried meat and needed to move on and find food whatever the source.

Akane slowly got to her feet. She grabbed her robes and started to get dressed. The fire had flickered out at some time during the night, but the smouldering embers still emitted a pleasant warmth. She stepped closer and inspected the remnants deeming it recoverable. She threw a few dry branches into the pit followed by a larger one for the sake of longevity. It only took a bit of poking around to rekindle the flames.

With a smile, the girl turned from the fireplace and grabbed the outer part of her robes that lay discarded next to Ranma. The thing had more holes and cuts than material, but that was all she had. She threw it over her form and moved over to the single window of the house while fastening her belt. The shutters were old and worn with time, but they were still in a functional condition. The iron fittings out a fatigued groan at the girl opened the window.

With no actual glass to keep the cold out the air from outside immediately rushed into the room. Her senses were assaulted by the frigid temperature. It was cold very cold. However, the fresh air was welcome. Her view of the surrounding landscape was dominated by white. Snow large heaps of snow no matter where she looked. In fact, the colour of it all seemed to be more clear and pure than she could ever remember.

The sky above was a deep blue. A spectacular to view, but it also promised a cold night to look forward to. "It's a good thing we found this place when we did," she mumbled to herself.

She was about to close the window when she noticed something in the distance. Something brownish. Upon a second look, she noticed that it was not but one but several brown forms on a faraway slope. They were moving. They were people. Running with a rather impressive speed. They were heading right towards the cabin. It didn't take long for her to connect the dots. Her head snapped over to the burning fire. With the clear sky above the smoke leaving through the chimney was almost like a signal flare.

Letting out a rather foul curse Akane slammed the window shut not caring to lock it in place. She knew it was too late to put out the fire. She had to wake Ranma. They had to grab what they could and run!

Akane dove onto her boyfriend and shook him vigorously. At first, Ranma was slow to come to. For some reason, he seemed to be reluctant to come back to reality. "Just five more minutes, then I'll clobber you pops!" he mumbled. "That dream is… she is so beautiful," he mumbled.

Several questions came to Akane. Most importantly; "Who was she?" Before she could pursue that thought any further he mumbled a single word that sounded pretty much like her name. Under normal circumstances, she would have been flattered. This was hardly one of those. "Ranma!" she yelled grabbing his shoulders and giving him another good shake.

No reaction came from him. She had had enough. She raised her hand.

The slap was loud and hard. It cleared Ranma's mind like nothing else. The boy's eyes snapped open and he stared at her with wide eyes. "What did you that for?" he asked, more yelled.

"Tribers! Coming closer!" she answered doing her best to gather whatever she could.

Those words were more than enough for Ranma to get into gear. They gathered up whatever they could and prepared to rough it out if need be. Ranma lodged the broken door open. He glanced at Akane who placed a quick kiss on his cheek for reassurance. Then they ran. Akane couldn't believe how quickly things changed. Mere minutes ago she was looking forward to a calm day. Or at least to what was left of it. Now it was nothing but a pipe dream.

The teens raced out into the open. Their escape almost turned into disaster then and there. Both were forced to dodge a volley of arrows. Apparently, it was later already. What Akane spotted was not the spearhead but the main body of the triber force. Weida-De warriors came at them from every direction. Within seconds Ranma sent two of them flying. He knew they will be back for more, but there was nothing he could do about that. "Run! Get out of here!" he yelled at Akane.

"Not without you!" she yelled back fending off a spear. With the successful parry, the wielder was left exposed. The girl exploited the opportunity to the fullest. The tribesman tried to use the but of his weapon to defend. It was too late for him. The meeting between his face and Akane's kii-enhanced fist was not to his liking at all. Another warrior out of commission. For now.

Ranma's attempt at breaking out soon took a darker turn as Cinnamon charged into the fight. The martial artist barely managed to dodge the first attack. Soon the two of them were at it giving it all. Parrying, blocking, countering. One move flowing into another.

"Now it's no time for all that cheesy stuff! Go!" yelled the boy at her.

"Like hell I am!" Akane yelled back while grabbing hold of a mace and redirecting the weapon at its wielder.

Even if she wanted she didn't really see a way to get out of the situation. There were just too many enemies. With Ranma occupied and the rest of the tribers all over her, all she could hope for was to hang on and hope for the best. In more than one way this fight felt different. The members of the warrior tribe were no longer playing it safe. They were just throwing themselves at the two of them. She felt it. The attacks. They were more fierce. More reckless. She did not like the odds one bit. It was clear. These people were no longer playing around.

She felt an attack from the back. An arrow incoming. She dove to the ground. A second later she jumped up to avoid a swipe from a scythe-like weapon. A spear came from the left. She fended it off, but exploiting the opportunity would have led her into a trap. Things were looking grimmer and grimmer by the second.

Ranma too was giving his all. With Cinnamon as his opponent finding any way to support her girlfriend was nothing more than a dream. He diverted an attack and latched onto the warrior's wrist. Before he could capitalize on the opportunity he had to pull back to deflect a kick aimed at his head. His senses warned him of an attack aimed at his elbow. He deflected and countered. It was a success. The hit was solid but not decisive. The Chinese warrior stumbled a few feet back only to return into the fight with renewed vigour.

The boy's senses suddenly flared up to a degree that almost made him miss a parry. He glanced over to Akane only to see her struggling against the grip of a red-haired tribeswoman. The Weida-De had the girl in a headlock and was trying to bring a dagger to the Japanese girl's throat who was even now doing her best to defend against another male who made repeated attempts at stabbing her with the trident-like spear. Without Ranma's extensive training of Akane, the triber would have no doubt succeeded long ago.

The Japanese boy paled. It was clear. This fight was a loss. It was only a matter of time before one of the tribers manages to land a fatal blow on his girlfriend. There was only one option left for him. He took a deep breath while fending off one last attack. "We surrender!" he yelled both in Japanese and very broken Chinese. "Akane!" he yelled to the girl who ceased her struggles to stare at him. "Tell them! We surrender!"

The girl's head snapped over to him."You're kidding right?" she asked, more yelled while using the opportunity to kick the spear-wielding man in the head. Her victim was out cold before he even hit the ground.

"I'm not!" responded Ranma matching her tone. "Do it! Now!" he demanded. The girl froze. This was not how he usually talked. It was not his way of interacting with her. It was not a request. It was an outright order.

All combat slowly came to a halt. Both tribers and Akane stared at her boyfriend. "You're kidding me, right!?" she asked trying to to keep the blade as from her neck as humanly possible.

"Tell them!" he demanded again.

Seeing no other option the girl complied. Her words were met by even more shock. Cinnamon responded with a long stream of words Ranma had no chance whatsoever to decipher.

"What he say?" he asked.

Akane visibly shuddered. One arm still straining to keep the red-headed woman's dagger away. The other one, clawing at the hand keeping her pinned. She was grateful to at least be able to breathe. Cinnamon barked a few orders that caused the struggle between the women to come to an end. Akane felt relieved at that, but the blade of the dagger was still awfully close for her taste.

"What did he tell you?" asked Ranma again getting more agitated.

Akane answered with a small nod risking a glance at him with fearful eyes. "He wants a fight," she said before visibly trembling. "To the death," she added as another shudder ran through her form.

Ranma accepted her words with a grim nod before turning back to Cinnamon. "Tell this bastard that I accept," he responded. "But! I have a condition!"

Akane stared at him in disbelief. Her mouth almost hanging open in shock. Her mind was screaming once sentence again and again. "This is not happening! This is some bad dream!"

Ranma sensed her hesitation. "Do it!" he yelled turning to her. The force behind his words was strong enough to make the girl flinch. When seeing this his features softened his eyes uttered an unspoken apology. "Akane… if there was any other option. I would take it. Now, tell him!"

"A… all right!" she responded. "He agree if you agree to terms," she said turning to Cinnamon.

The Weida-De warrior glanced at the trapped girl then at Ranma. First, he smirked then he laughed. It was not just any laugh. It was a full-bellied guffaw. "You are in no position to make any demands!" he declared between fits.

Akane turned to Ranma. She was hesitating unsure what to say. The boy saved her the problem. "Really?" he asked addressing the warrior. "Go! Speak to him!" he said urging the girl. She complied not knowing what else to do. "You want this fight, right?" he spoke with confidence. This time Akane didn't hesitate and did her best to bring the message across. "Let the girl go and you'll have your fight! The way you want it!" he glanced at his girlfriend once more. She looked back at him with a shocked face but kept on translating. "If something happens to her… Trust me! I already have an idea how to deny you that dammed fight! And I'm ready to go through with it!"

Just as Akane finished conveying her boyfriend's words the weight of his statement dawned on her. "No!" she mouthed to him. Her face twisting and turning into one mass of despair.

Ranma smirked back at her. "Why not?" he asked. "If they kill you there's not much left for me anyhow." She did not answer. She simply couldn't find the strength.

Cinnamon's laughter came to an abrupt end. He stared between Ranma and Akane with a grin on his face. "Is that all?" he asked. "Deal!" he yelled with satisfaction before barking a series of orders to his subordinates. The tribers backed off to give the combatants space for their fight and to find comfortable spots to enjoy the spectacle.

Ranma breathed a sigh of relief. The worst possible scenario had been averted. Now all he had to do was to somehow beat this guy. A thing easier to say than to accomplish.

Akane glanced around in disbelief. It was really happening. The only one with and objection against the barbaric deal was her and there was nobody around to do anything about it. She couldn't believe it. Her desperation rose to new levels as she saw both sides preparing themselves for the fight.

The girl was well aware that Ranma had fought and killed for her in the past. This was different. Saffron, the demigod of the phoenix, would come back. His defeat would only be a temporal thing. All those times Ranma choose to fight. For her. This time around there was no choice. And the only way out was to either kill or be killed. She felt ill. The dagger resting on her throat didn't make things any better.

The soon to be spectators slowly formed a semi-circle for the fighters. Akane found herself being dragged backwards. She didn't resist. It would have been useless anyhow. With her spine bent backwards in a most uncomfortable way, she was forced to yield.

"Be a good little girl and let our men get it out of their system." whispered the red-haired woman behind her.

"Bitch!" Akane spat. For the first time in her life, she found somebody she really wanted to hurt, but in her current situation, she had no means of acting on the desire. Not unless she wanted to turn a bad situation into an even worse one.

Ro-xe smirked at the remark and tightened her hold on her hostage robbing her supply of air. "Just a suggestion!" she whispered into the girl's ear. "Next time you try to insult someone. Make sure to do it when they don't have control over your fate," Seconds later the red-head loosened her hold making Akane gasp as her supply returned.

"One or another way, I get you!" wowed the Japanese girl.

The tribeswoman chuckled. "We'll see fiery one, we'll see!" she whispered into Akane's ear.

Meanwhile, the fight was starting up. Ranma and Cinnamon circled each other trying to maintain a casual stance. They were both ready to unleash a world of hurt on the other at a moment's notice. Ready to unleash everything on their now mortal enemy. Ranma was focusing on the battle ahead. He was nervous. He was a martial artist first and foremost. Killing his opponent was not okay as far as he was concerned. It went up against his code of honour in so many ways.

The mere thought of what he was about to do. It turned his stomach over. He was supposed to protect people not put them in the ground. Despite this, it was either that or get killed. Once more he made a series of small changes to his stance in a reaction to his opponent's. During the many skirmishes they had, one thing had become more clear to him above all else. He had the advantage when it came down to raw skill. However, when it came to strength and speed Cinnamon had the upper hand. It was a pretty even match. Ranma would have preferred to test their capabilities under less dire circumstances.

Cinnamon was busy studying his opponent. He knew well. The moves the younger warrior had, they were well above his own. The finesse and sophistication of the stranger. This fight was something he was really looking forward to. A test of his skills. More importantly the opportunity to steal a few moves and make them his own. The Weida-De lieutenant felt giddy. It was there once again. That tingling feeling. the anticipation. The ecstasy he could only feel when he was truly put to the test. In a fight risking everything.

To the warrior, it had been truly a long time. He took his time. Enjoying it. The blood rushing across his veins. His heart pounding fast preparing for the coming storm. His senses. Each going into emergency mode. He had no real words to describe it. It was a feeling people aeons later would describe as an adrenalin rush. To him, it didn't really matter. It didn't matter who would come out on top. The only important thing was that the feeling was back. Once again it was time. Time for a nice big fight. The waiting. It was finally over.

The Weida-De warrior smirked. He had what he wanted. Mere moments later he lunged forward his fist sailing towards his enemy. Ranma saw an opening move from a mile away and countered. With that, the fight was on. The start of the same back and forth that took place so many times during the past weeks.

A fury of punches and kicks were exchanged as the combatants descended into an ultimate test of their abilities. There was no quarter given nor asked for. Attack and counterattacks flowed into each other. In an ultimate test of skill.

Ranma felt it. A kick was about to be unleashed. Aimed at his mid-section. He made a grab for the extended limb. The boy managed to soften the impact, but it still hurt. Before he could fully launch the counter he had to fend off a punch aimed at his jaw. That one was more dangerous. A feint, the martial artist concluded while launching his own strike. He landed a good one right into Cinnamon's gut. The warrior came back with a fury of punches to repay the favour in kind.

Akane stood still. Eyes wide in terror as the men kept tearing into each other. She completely forgot about the blade resting at her neck. As far as she was concerned if Ranma was to lose the fight her captor might as well finish the job. After everything she and her boyfriend had been through there was no other man she could imagine herself with. Not now, not ever.

She let out a silent cheer every time her boyfriend landed a blow and winced at every hit he took. Her body reacting each time. Almost as if she had been in the thick of it. At his side every step of the way.

Minutes passed. The air was dominated by the sounds of heated combat and the hushed conversations as the observers of the spectacle made small comments on the fight. Most of the time Ranma was on the defensive. Waiting for the right moment to strike. Finally, he made his move when he exploded into a fury of punches. Akane knew the technique. Chestnuts-roasting-on-an-open-fire. He did not call out the name of the attack, but it was all too apparent. For the first time, Cinnamon was forced to be completely on the defensive.

Again and again, Ranma pushed himself further and renewed his efforts. The technique seemed to be his salvation. The air pressure made the fresh snow fly in all directions creating a minor blizzard. Akane, for the first time since the battle started, allowed herself to hope. That maybe she and Ranma can come out of this one. That they might walk away. She was starting to look hopeful. Ranma was doing serious damage. His repeated attacks left Cinnamon's face battered and bruised.

Ranma was less enthusiastic. This guy was tougher than Ryoga of all people. Almost all of his opponents would have long ago fallen to his onslaughts. Not this one. He took the hits and kept coming back for more. It was like fighting some freak of nature. There was no way someone could take so much punishment and keep going.

The martial artist also had a second problem. The ancient amazon technique he employed. It was a good one, a strong one, but at the same time, it had a major drawback. Maintaining the technique was tiring on the body. The repeated bursts of speed demanded a lot of physical power. What most didn't know was that at its core the chestnut-roasting-on-and-open-fire was actually training technique allowing the practitioner to build their constitution up. To help the fighter employing it to gain the necessary abilities for even more elaborate techniques. Of course, the members of the Amazon tribe kept that little fact to themselves. Let the outsiders think it's an ultimate move! Then they will not try to grow something even more powerful from it.

It took a while but the boy started to feel it. The drain on his stamina. With it came feeling, the dread of a possible defeat. Then something happened. Something that shook him to his very core. Upon launching another round of his amaguriken technique Ranma found Cinnamon's hands matching his speed. All of the blows were blocked or deflected. The boy took a step back and stared at his adversary in disbelief.

The warrior smirked. "Nice little technique!" he remarked. Ranma didn't answer. He was speechless. Astonished. His opponent. Ranma shook his head. It was simply not possible.

He was all the more shocked when the Weida-De launched a fury of punches of his own making. The speed and power of the attacks. Ranma it was all too familiar to it. The technique. While it was not a true amaguriken, yet, it was all too close for the boy's taste. The warrior managed to land quite a few hits before the martial artist could come to from his initial shock. Ranma could hardly believe it. His mortal enemy learned the technique in the middle of a fight.

The battle went on. Ranma found himself once more on the defensive. He knew that without using special techniques he would lose sooner or later. However, using his more elaborate moves he was taking a gamble. One he really didn't want to. Handing more of his techniques to the Weida-De. No. That was not a good idea.

In the end, the boy had no choice. He had to use everything at his disposal or end up dead. He could already feel it. His hands and feet were starting to feel heavier. His reflexes were taking more and more time to kick in. To the casual observer, it was almost invisible. To him, it was a sign of dire things to come.

The battle continued. Despite Ranma's best efforts, the warrior didn't seem to slow down. On the contrary. He kept getting better. Turning more and more of Ranma's techniques against their master. Things weren't made any better by the ever-present smirk on the warrior's face. In the end, Ranma started to understand it. His opponent. He was not out for some kind of revenge or fulfilment of some obscure tribal law. No. Cinnamon wanted one thing and one thing only. A fight, in order to master new techniques and become even stronger.

A shiver ran through the boy at the idea, but it was all too logical. This meant that by agreeing to the conditions he pretty much signed his own death warrant. However, with Akane's life on the line, what other choice did he have? He risked a glance at the girl and was almost rewarded by a kick in the head for it. The hopeful expression on the girl's face told him all he needed to know. She had not yet noticed. She still believed that he could win this one.

Ranma raked his brain for ideas. This was not the first time he was in a bad spot. Usually, he always found one or another way out. One on one the winner was already clear. He had tried the Hiryu-Shoten-Ha earlier. Cinnamon did not fall for it. That move was off the list.

He felt a low kick aimed at his leg. The block was easy, but before he could launch his counter Cinnamon's fist found its way to the boy's stomach. Ranma heard his girlfriend's audible gasp. He wanted to take another glance at her but never had the chance. The tribal leader pressed the attack. Hard! The assault was in many ways based on Ranma's chestnut-roasting technique. The boy fried to defend, but the minor modification proved to be too much. His defences were at first repeatedly breached then completely shattered at the series of blows kept coming. Cinnamon's onslaught. Unlike the Amazon technique. It simply didn't run out of steam. It kept going and going.

On the sidelines, Akane's blood ran cold. She had seen many martial arts fights but this was not one anymore. This was no longer an art. It was more of an ugly street brawl. She started to wince with each hit that Ranma took. If it wasn't for the dagger resting on her neck she would have interfered a long ago. The way she was. In an exposed, vulnerable state. It left her without any real choice. She could almost feel it. The smug satisfaction radiating off of her captor.

She saw Ranma seemingly flicker into nothingness in an attempt to make use of the Umi-Sen-Ken. For a second she thought he had found an answer to the problem. However, before he fully managed to disappear, Cinnamon landed one last blow that launched the boy across the snow-covered ground. The end of the martial artist's journey was marked by a tree. The impact was powerful. The boy didn't even try to lessen it to any degree. The tree, its many branches rattled.

Akane watched in horror as the snow fell from the branches covering her boyfriend. She watched in complete shock as Cinnamon approached the unmoving pile that contained her beloved.

"Looks like you'll be made a widow today!" whispered her captor into the girl's ear. Akane froze. Whatever the red-head went on. Taunting the female martial artist. Akane didn't hear any of it. She was far too gone.

When Cinnamon got to the pile he reached out and pulled Ranma from underneath the thin blanket of snow. At first, the man was surprised. He was expecting a raven-haired man. Instead, he found a red-haired girl. He scoffed. "Last-ditch effort at confusion eh?" he asked mockingly.

Akane knew better. Ranma's curse. The heat of his body must have melted enough of the snow to trigger it. Though that was the least of her concern. The way Ranma hung. Completely limp and unresponsive. His breaths, each of which came with a rasping sound. The sound made the girl's blood run cold. Her entire body went rigid when she saw Cinnamon pull out a knife.

The was Ranma hung in the air. Unmoving. Dangling in the hold of the warrior. The Tendo girl's world went blank. In her mind, one single memory took over. A memory she had buried deep down. Locked. Sealed away. Buried. It came to the forefront with a force unparalleled. The day of her mother's funeral.

Her father did her best to shield his eight-year-old daughter, but there was only so much he could do. Seeing her believed mother's body. Unresponsive. It shook the little girl she was to the core. Until that point, Akane had no idea what was going on around her. She did not know why her sisters were crying. She did not know why her mother wouldn't come to wake her up in the morning as usual. The sight. It told her everything she needed to know. It taught her how precious life really was.

The blade at her neck. It kept the girl from interfering. Or did it? Memories of the previous night came to her. Memories of all the time she and Ranma had spent together. All of it would be in the past. Mere memory with no future. Something in the girl's mind just snapped. She was no longer standing by. No matter what. If Ranma was going down she was ready to go with him. The danger caused by her captor suddenly became irrelevant. To the girl, her own life, it became expendable merchandise.

Akane focused all her strength into one single blow and slammed her elbow into her captor's side. Ro-xe's moment of triumph was replaced by a moment of pure agony as her enemy's lib sank into her flesh. The shock of the blow made the woman drop her dagger and stagger backwards.

The girl didn't hesitate. She lashed out landing two devastating blows on the woman. One aimed at the temple the other landing just under the recipient's jawline. Within seconds Ro-xe was on the ground moaning with a debilitating pain radiating from the points of impact. The girl didn't stand around. She surged forward. Ranma was in danger and she was dammed if she didn't do something about it.

Cinnamon was oblivious to all of his. He was bathing in his moment of victory. The joy of coming out on top. Sure his body hurt like hell, but that hardly mattered to him. He had done it again. And also mastered a few new moves in the process. As far as he was concerned the day couldn't have gone better. Now all he had to do was to seal the deal.

"You really think a cheap magical trick would save you?" he asked mockingly before hurling his knife at his opponent's heart.

The climax he wanted didn't come. Something or rather someone small appeared in the path of his thrust. A small delicate hand grasped his own, making an attempt to stop the lethal jab. All it managed was to slow it. But the perpetrator wasn't satisfied with merely trying to halt the stab. She threw herself in the way of the thrust ready to take the blow if it was necessary. And so she did.

Akane winced as the blade sank into her flesh. To her, it didn't matter. It was only her shoulder. It was not too deep either. She could live with that. Her aura flared up in a reddish hue releasing every inch of power she had at her disposal. She saw the shock in Cinnamon's eyes. The utter astonishment at her actions. Unlike him, she didn't hesitate. She struck out with her fist delivering a series of punches. The warrior could only stare at the utter bloodlust present in her eyes as she tore into him.

After unleashing a devastating series of attacks, she placed all her strength into one last punch that launched Cinnamon into the air at an insane velocity. The lone tree in his path stood no chance. He smashed right through the rather thick trunk. The top of the unfortunate plant went airborne. It landed quite a distance away with a loud crunch.

It was at this point that the rest of the Weida-De finally managed to shake themselves from their initial shock and awe. All of them surged forward with one goal in mind. To destroy this lone woman. To ensure that their victory is final. Many soon wished they didn't.

Akane was blind with rage. The cherry-red aura of her kii-reserves was billowing around her like flames of a fire. All she was interested in was to destroy anybody and anything that could endanger Ranma. She did as so without the slightest hesitation or care about her wound.

Soon the broken forms of Weida-De fighters littered the clearing while their still standing comrades did their utmost to take her down. However, she had paid dearly for her success. Her body was decorated by numerous injuries as every now and then one of her enemies managed to land a hit. Worst of it all was that Cinnamon's dagger was dislodged from her body at one point and she was bleeding profusely.

After minutes of hectic and somewhat erratic combat, the battle came to a standstill. The remaining tribers were hurt badly. They were staring at the girl. At her gigantic aura as it danced around her body. "You bastards will not hurt him!" she growled with an almost inhuman way. Her voice was raspy, threatening, it conveyed a message that was hard to miss. Her clothes were soaked with her enemies' and her own blood as were her fists which she kept clenching and unclenching were soiled with the bodily fluids of her enemies. Her vision was blurry, but she didn't care. Not as long any of those people were around. Not until they were out of there or all dead. Whichever came first.

Ro-xe was still on the sidelines trying to bring up the strength to engage the girl. She just couldn't. Those initial strikes she took did their fair share of damage to the red-haired woman. Her right hand was completely unresponsive. She couldn't even feel the limb. Then there was her side. The spot where Akane's elbow made contact with the woman's body. Even minutes later it remained unbearably painful. Even the simple act of taking a breath caused indescribable agony to her. Compared to that the throbbing pain emitting from her abused neck was considerably more tolerable.

She simply couldn't believe it. That strange foreign girl. The power she had stored within. The sheer brutality of her style. To tear up an entire cohort like nothing. That roaring aura. Even among the Weida-De, supposedly the strongest warriors alive, the sight of an aura like that was a rarity.

"What are you waiting for! Get them!" ordered the woman struggling to get up. With a silent curse on her lips, she managed to do so. Fighting the monster they were facing? It was something beyond her.

The tribers hesitated at first. However, pride soon won over fear. They had a reputation to uphold. It was a single fighter. She was outnumbered and injured. There was no way they would allow their enemy to take away their victory. Slowly, steadily the battered group started to advance on the lone girl. They only needed one last push to take her down. They were determined to do so. Just as they finally found their courage the girl's aura suddenly fizzled out. She fell forward landing in the cold snow like some doll with its strings cut.

The triber's advance came to a halt. They were concerned. This was too good to be true. It had to be some ruse.

Akane felt tired. So tired. Her body felt like a pile of lead. She glanced around at all her enemies. She was surrounded with no way out. "So this is it?" she thought. Strangely she didn't feel any remorse. No hate. She guessed she was no longer capable of doing that. When her eyes landed on Ranma's still form. She knew what she wanted.

Gathering all her power the girl started to move. Pulling herself across the snow-covered ground towards her boyfriend. To her relief, the tribers didn't move to stop her. Not that it mattered. She knew it was only a matter of time before they finally decided to finish it. However, before that came she wanted to do one more thing. To touch Ranma one last time. If she could achieve that she would be able to go into the night with a smile on her lips.

Another grunt, another inhuman effort brought her closer to the boy. Inch by inch she pulled herself towards her goal. The exhaustion she felt was almost unbearable yet she pushed on. Pulling herself closer all the while painting the snow red in her wake. When she felt she could no longer go on she made one last effort. And reached for his hand.

When she felt the skin of his palm she felt nothing but utter joy. It was all she wanted. All she dreamed of. Only then did she allow her body to rest. Her fingers barely managed to encircle his hand before her head fell forward and landed in the cold snow with a small thud.

It was only at this point that the tribers finally figured it all it. This was not some scheme. Their opponent. She was truly down. They had won the fight. Some broke out in jubilation while others stared at their fallen enemy in solemn resignation and not a small amount of relief. A few stepped closer to the couple to make sure that they will stay down.

They were about to finish it when the nearby forest was filled by an almost inhumane roar. Many turned at the source only to see an umbrella as it came flying out from among the naked trees.

The thing came fast. One of the unsuspecting warriors tried to stop it only to regret it when the weight of the object became clear to her. The warrior in question was launched into the air to land quite a distance away.

Seconds later the third member of the strange group charged into the clearing with murder in his eyes. His mere presence caused panic among the warriors. Some were starting to talk about demons and gods. At the same time, the one taken down by their leader came to.

Ranma didn't hesitate and made her presence known by punching the closest of the crowd around her so hard the triber was forced to relieve himself of his breakfast.

Shock among the Weida-De was complete. The turn of the tide. Complete and utter. A few with less resolve started to run throwing away their weapons and gear in the process. Soon others started to follow their example. Within seconds it became a mass rout. All of them fleeing the scene.

Ro-xe couldn't believe it. For the first time in more than a hundred years, Weida-De warriors were running for it. She also knew there was no helping the situation. This battle was over. Cinnamon was out cold. She was in no position to fight and the rank-and-file was on the run. The writing on the wall was clear for all to see. She gathered all her will and limped over to her fallen superior. The woman gathered him up before joining the rest. This battle went to the foreigners. But as far as she was concerned the war was far from over.

Ranma didn't care about the fleeing warriors. Nor about Ryoga who was busy tearing into them. The memories of the day slowly flooded back to her mind. She felt Akane's iron grip. When she turned to the girl her eyes went horrid.

The Tendo girl's face was pale as a ghost. Her hands, clothes, the very snow she was lying in soaked with blood. Ranma glanced around and saw Ryoga. He just accelerated the retreat of a triber through kicking him in the back. She didn't care much about the part-time-pig. Akane was hurt. To the young martial artist that was all that mattered. She grabbed the unconscious girl and ran for the only safe spot she could think of. The small cabin they had spent the night before. She had to get her to a warm place. She had to get bandages. She had to get medicine. Everything else was secondary.