Chapter Nineteen

Ranma didn't know what to do.

He had always been taught that a martial artist was supposed to think on his feet with quick, decisive actions. But at the immediately moment, his mind was a total blank. Or was it just shock to see all his friends now under the demonic influence of Xi'an?

His father wasn't giving him any advise, so he knew he had to do something on his own.

But he was surprised. he thought his friends were stronger-willed that this!

He stood frozen, afraid that the slightest movement could trigger an unwanted response from his now present foes in Uyko, Shampoo, Mousse and...

…Nabiki?

How the hell did Nabiki get mixed up in all this?

Oh yes, CopyCat Ken had kidnapped her when she confronted him, he remembered now. Mr. Tendo had told him after the dojo was destroyed.

Ranma shook his head in disbelief. he couldn't attack her. Nabiki was not a martial artist. She knew a thing or two about gymnastics, but Akane's older sister was no fighter. If Nabiki was badly hurt - especially by something he did - he wouldn't be able to forgive himself.

The other three, however, he could fight! Ranma had fought each of them before. On a separate bases, he recalled. But never all three at the same time. This was going to be a major challenge! Perhaps the biggest in his young life!

And they all had hard fighting techniques.

Shampoo was trained in China. She was taught by Cologne, and Ranma had barely beat her when they fought when they first met.

Ranma had defeated Shampoo in China during an in-clan competition. Little did he know at the time, it would cause him to become even more cursed more than he already was - with a kiss of death, delivered by Shampoo, to force him to run away from her unless be killed by her stated by Amazon tradition. On top of that, his better half, male-half, had also defeated Shampoo in a separate fight, and thus she vowed to marry him. Yet another Amazon tradition.

Lucky things worked out for the better, and instead of Shampoo trying to kill him, she just wanted to marry him...seduce him, sleep with him, and be his girlfriend. It was all a bit overwhelming actually. She was very beautiful, but he wasn't ready to engage in that kind of relationship yet.

But of course, then there was Mousse. Shampoo's so-called insane, crazily-obsessive boyfriend from China. Well, it was Mousse's fantasy he was her boyfriend, and he did everything to prove it, proclaim his love to her. He would absolutely wouldn't allow anything between Shampoo and Ranma. Thus, tried to beat him at every turn, almost doing so on numerous occasions; Mousse had had a crush on Shampoo ever since he and Shampoo were kids, and he continued to indulge in an unhealthy fantasy that they would be a couple. Shampoo flat out refused she had any interest in Mousse.

But there were times when Shampoo did care for Mousse and there was no denying it.

As far as Ranma was concerned, let him have her. Shampoo was beautiful, but he felt he was too young to get married. Besides, he was already engaged…

Well, sort of!

Last but not least, that left Ukyo Kuonji, who was also betrothed to him. It was a deal Ranma's father had made when Ranma was a kid, to get his hands on Uyko's father for his Okonomiyaki's business. A stupid, foolish trick that later would leave Ranma with yet another fiancée. Ranma still fumed over that little stunt. And yet, Uyko was cute, in a tom-boyish kind of way. Which didn't mean a bad thing.

And of course there was Akane whom he was officially engaged to be married to.

All together, it was a crazy world he lived in, and if was happening to something else, he would laugh.

He was actually quite surprised Kuno's sister, Kodachi, hadn't been taken to be one of Xi'an's personal fighters. For that, he lucked out.

But that didn't mean he would end up the victor here, even with Ryoga and the others at his side.

"We can't hurt them," Ranma said finally. "They're innocent. Xi'an is controlling each one of them to do his bidding."

"Then what do we do?" Ryoga said.

The quartet of foes jumped down off the roof and landed safely to the ground. All were armed with their weapons of choice; familiar to Ranma; and each as deadly as the last.

All except Nabiki, Ranma curiously saw. Who had...what did she have in her hand? Was that a rolled up piece of paper? What kind of weapon was that? Was she going to whack him over the head with it? Some weapon!

Nabiki was first to approach him while the others stood back with that rolled up paper in hand. Ranma readied himself preparedly, instinctively, like he had been taught.

"Careful, boy," Genma, Ranma's father said. "Women are always the trickiest!"

Ranma nodded, heeding his father's advise. And from personal experience, Ranma totally agreed.

He halted her with a hand when she got within arm's reach. "Stop Nabiki, I don't want to hurt you!"

"You wouldn't dare," Nabiki said smugly.

"I don't want to," he glanced slightly to Akane, "but I will defend myself if I have to!"

"I have no intention of fighting you, Ranma," Nabiki said. "I'm merely the go-between."

"Huh?"

Ranma's brow folded. He gave a glance to the others. Shampoo, Mousse and Uyko were all ready for a fight with weapons in hand. He had thought it odd Nabiki didn't have a weapon of her own, but of course she wasn't a fighter. Xi'an would know this, as would the demon possessing her. Nabiki wouldn't have a chance against him.

Then why was she here? And what did she mean that she was the go-between?

Quite suddenly, Nabiki reached out, and took hold of Ranma;s shirt. He was wearing his favorite red shirt, the one that buttoned up the front, and she ripped it open with force exposing his chest and stomach. He had not put on an undershirt this morning like he normally did. When the excitement started, he just grabbed the first thing he saw off the floor when he was awoken.

He leapt back after the unexpected attack, dumb struck. He felt his front, looked at his shirt and blinked in awe.

"Why..."

But before he could reason it out, Nabiki took the piece of paper and plastered it across his front with some sort of adhesive she had on her person. The glue immediately solidified to his skin.

"What the hell is this?" he said. He attempted to rip it off, but it adhered to his skin and every pull felt like he was ripping his own skin off with it. He stopped.

Nabiki backed off.

There was writing on it, but he couldn't quite read it from the angle he was looking down at.

He looked at Akane. "Whads it say?"

Akane read it, gasping. She then looked back at Ranma in awe. She turned to Nabiki. "Nabiki, why would you do this?"

"What! What is it?" Ranma demanded.

Akane looked at Ranma. "It's a marriage license."

Ranma felt like his eyes were about to bulge out of their sockets. "No! No! Get it off! Get it off!" Ranma peeled at it, wailed, struggled to yank it off his skin, but to no avail.

Nabiki wasn't a martial artist, but she did have one devious skill that Ranma and everyone who she came in contact with her failed to win against - she was a master manipulator!

Distracted, Ranma didn't see the next attack come. And something flew, pierced his stomach with a sharp jab like a dart.

It was a ball-point pen!

The point of the pen was sharp enough that it stuck in his stomach part-way.

He cried out in pain. But immediately yanked it out, blood covering the tip. The contract was now stained with his blood just at the line where he would have to sign it with his own name to make it official. And in some cultures, blood was just as good as a signature.

And Akane's name had been forged on the other line.

To be continued...