The Eye of the Beholder ~ Chapter One DISCLAIMER: All characters except for Nayami, who is introduced in later chapters, do not belong to me. *ponders Ryoga's fangs wistfully* Unfortunately. C&C always welcome, feel free to email me at saezuru@hotmail.com if you've got any comments. Thanks for reading!


The Eye of the Beholder
Chapter 7
"Ryoga"






Ryoga's breath was coming in ragged gasps as he sprinted through the deserted corridors, dodging stone pillars and stalactites. Those he couldn't dodge quickly, he plowed right through. He could see Ukyo ahead of him, just out of reach. He never knew she could run so fast, however. His mind began to wander, to take his attention away from his throbbing lungs and aching muscles. Soon, however, Ryoga noticed that they were coming up to a lighter area, perhaps a larger cavern. They broke into the room, and Ryoga blinked. It was a large cavern, though bare. And all around stood every single other member of the original group, minus Akane and Dr. Tofu, and plus-- plus Ranma. He appeared to be watching everyone else, and everyone else seemed almost miserable, for some reason.
Ukyo looked around her wildly, in a panic, and when she noticed that there were no other escapes, she sank to the ground in exhaustion. Ryoga, still sprinting, got there just in time to keep her from hitting the ground. Every pair of eyes in the room centered on them then, and Nabiki stood up quickly, staring at the unconscious girl as if she'd seen a ghost. "Ukyo! She's not-- not--"
"Not dead?" Ryoga asked, lowering her more gently to the ground and then standing up. "No, but perhaps she'd be better off that way."
Nabiki looked puzzled. "Ryoga . . . What are you talking about?"
Ryoga shrugged. "Never mind." He turned his attention upon Ranma. He looked exactly the same as he had the last time Ryoga had seen him, and no worse for the wear. And yet . . . something was different about him; something about the eyes . . . "So," Ryoga said briskly. "You've found Ranma, eh? Where was he hiding all this time?" He grinned at the pig-tailed boy. "You really caused everyone a lot of worry, you know. You have to stop running off like that."
Ranma just looked at him a moment, calculatingly. Just as his look began to make Ryoga nervous, Ranma smiled brightly and laughed. "Yeah, I know." He came over towards Ryoga, who didn't see the shocked and almost hopeful looks on the faces of all the others. "C'mere, pig-boy." And he made as if to give Ryoga a slap on the back. Ryoga grinned, and before he could react, Ranma brought his elbow down on the base of Ryoga's skull. The yellow-clad boy looked momentarily confused, before he slid to the ground, unconscious.
Shampoo sat back down, slightly dizzy. She'd gotten up in excitement when it appeared that Ranma had snapped out of his weird temperament. But it had all been a ruse. She heard a slight clinking noise and looked up to see Ranma chaining Ryoga to the stone pillar in the center of the cavern. Obviously, Ryoga's amazing strength was still a part of Ranma's memories. It was strange. Some things he remembered quite easily, while others he barely seemed to even know about. Shampoo leaned against the wall, closing her eyes. The air in the cavern was close, even stifling. It wasn't hot; just very still. No sound broke the silence, and no movement disturbed the flat, heavy atmosphere. Shampoo was still dizzy from the knife wound on her cheek and the dull throbbing of her broken finger. Kasumi had done her best to clean her cheek and had bandaged her finger with a strip torn from her skirt to keep the bone from fracturing further. Despite her attentions, however, Shampoo felt dizzy and sluggish. Kasumi was very quiet, sitting next to her with crossed legs and her hands folded in her lap. Nabiki was next to her on her other side, hugging her knees to her chest and staring blankly at the ground in front of her. On the other side of Nabiki sat Kuno, who was sitting up straight, and staring off into space with an odd expression on his face. Shampoo distractedly wondered what it was that he was thinking about, but was too tired to really be curious. She didn't know how much time had passed since they'd entered the cave; there was no way of telling time. Shampoo just knew that she'd never slept since they'd came, except for the times when she'd been unconscious. Her stomach then sent up a half-hearted complain, which made Shampoo wonder vaguely when the last time she'd eaten was, and whether they'd feed her anything here. Before she had much time to ponder that, there was a slight flurry of motion and Dr. Tofu came into the room. Everyone looked up-- except Kuno, who was still staring straight ahead with a vacant look on his face-- and saw his expression. Wisely, no one asked him what had taken place in the cave with Nayami.
He saw that Ukyo and Ryoga had both joined the group, and also that both were unconscious. He gave Ranma an accusing glance. "What did you do to them?" Everyone-- except Kuno-- was shocked. They'd never seen Dr. Tofu use that tone before, nor get even the slightest bit angry. He was kind of like Kasumi in that respect.
Ranma raised an eyebrow, replying coldly, "I don't have to answer to you. I could kill you, or have you killed with just a wave of my arm."
"No, actually," Dr. Tofu said in a deceptively mild tone of voice. "You couldn't."
Ranma's expression grew even darker. Shampoo curled into a ball, trying to distance herself from Dr. Tofu and the storm that was approaching him. Ranma's voice seemed to deepen as he said, "How do you know? If I wanted, I could just come over right now and kill you. You're no match for me."
"Nayami-sama wouldn't allow it," the doctor said softly.
Ranma froze. Then, with each word as sharp as bullets, he said, "No one uses Nayami-sama's name and lives." And with a rush, he attacked, so quickly that everyone else's eyes crossed trying to follow the blur of motion. He was obviously using the fighting techniques he'd learned before he came here, and yet there was an added edge to his attacks that wasn't there before.
Dr. Tofu didn't even flinch. He hardly appeared to move, and yet not a single one of Ranma's attacks got through his defenses. Finally, he ducked, causing Ranma's foot to go right over his head, throwing the red-clad young man off balance. Dr. Tofu straightened once more, and then kicked Ranma's unprotected back as he staggered forwards, sending him into a sprawling heap a ways away from him.
Dr. Tofu waited for a moment, and then said, "You're getting overconfident, Ranma. Don't you remember when you and I first met, and Akane mentioned that I was a good martial artist? You just didn't know how good." Dr. Tofu somehow appeared to get younger as he waited expectantly for Ranma's next attack.
Ranma snarled at him, wiping a trickle of blood from his mouth. "I don't know what you're talking about, old man." And again he rushed an attack. It was too hard to follow the fight, Nabiki decided as she tried to see every move and got rather dizzy. A slight noise to her left which somehow carried over the noise of the fight aroused Nabiki's curiosity. She glanced over and saw Ukyo stirring a little, moaning as she sat up and held a hand to her head. She opened her eyes and saw Nabiki staring at her, and blinked curiously.
"What . . . What are you doing here?"
"I'll tell you in a bit. Did you hurt yourself at all running like that?" Nabiki started to move over to make sure Ukyo wasn't injured or anything, when the girl held up a shaky hand to stop her.
"D-Don't come near me," she said in a sharper voice than was necessary. She saw Nabiki's puzzled expression and added, "I . . . need space around me now, is all."
"Oh," came the reply. "Okay." Nabiki gave her an odd look, but let it lie. "What happened to you all?"
Ukyo looked confused. "What do you mean?"
Nabiki gestured to the cave. "What happened that you all got captured here? And what's wrong with Ranma?"
"Captured?" Ukyo looked around, and then gave Nabiki a worried look. "This is the Tendo Dojo, Nabiki. I don't know what you're talking about. And there's nothing wrong with Ranma." She glanced over at where Ryoga was chained. "I think he's asleep now."
Nabiki rubbed at her eyes and glanced round the cave. It was still just that-- a cave. Nabiki checked herself over to make sure she wasn't crazy, and then looked more closely at Ukyo. She looked normal, in everything except her eyes. They glanced around constantly, not quite focused. A little more of the whites showed than was normal. Nabiki swallowed, examining the rest of her. Her sharp eyes noticed her torn and then mended clothes, and although they offered clues as to what had happened to her, the conclusion Nabiki's mind was trying to come to was still far from within reach. " . . . Oh," said Nabiki, for lack of something else to say.
"Are you feeling alright?" Ukyo asked cheerfully. "You look a little pale. Maybe you should go lie down."
"Maybe . . . Maybe I should." Nabiki broke away from Ukyo's unfocused, disconcerting gaze and looked at the ground, lost in her private musings.
Just then, there was a commotion even louder than the noise of the fight going on. All heads swivelled towards the combatants, and noticed that they'd drawn apart for a while, each standing at opposite sides of the room. Dr. Tofu was on the far side, and he appeared to be calm and unruffled, though Nabiki could see that he was hard-pressed to keep up with Ranma, and breathing heavily. Ranma stood just in front of her, breathing just as hard as his opponent. He glanced around wildly, and Ukyo was the first thing his eyes landed on. He grabbed her arm and dragged her to her feet, causing her to cry out involuntarily. Then she sagged, dangling from his grip although she was still conscious. Ranma smiled triumphantly, and then turned back to Dr. Tofu. "How would you like the girl back-- in pieces?"
Dr. Tofu's skin turned ever-so-slightly paler, though the change was hard to pick out and Nabiki almost missed it. Other than that, he appeared as calm and cool as ever, and smiled mockingly back. Nabiki was too tired to be surprised, but if she had been thinking right, she would have wondered at this new side of Dr. Tofu. He was acting almost like . . . like Ranma was. "Her? Oh, she's just a prop. One of my disposable group members, you know." Nabiki could tell though, despite the calm exterior, that Dr. Tofu was fighting not to let his fear for Ukyo show and reveal a weakness to his opponent. But if Nabiki could see it, it was entirely possible that Ranma could too.
Ranma laughed, a hard, bitter laugh. "Well then, you can just stand there while I have a little fun." Nabiki heard a slight noise behind and to the left of her; a clinking sort of noise. She glanced over, and saw Ryoga stirring slightly. He lifted his head, and Nabiki saw that his eyes were flat and dull, much the way Shampoo's were. Had all the fight, all the spirit gone out of her companions? What had happened to them to make them give up? And then, a sudden thought hit Nabiki, a thought that made her cold all over. Where was Akane? She'd made Ryoga stick with Akane and help her on purpose, so that her little sister would have a bodyguard of sorts. Because nothing, absolutely nothing could happen to her while he was around. At least, that's what Nabiki had thought. And now, since everyone was here, Akane was either all alone in this cave, or something horrible had happened-- and Nabiki didn't want to think about that. To take her mind off of her sister's possible fate, she wrenched her attention back towards the fight. Well, what used to be a fight. Now it was merely Ranma, holding Ukyo so tight around the wrist that the blood was unable to reach her hand and the skin on her arm was a deathly white. He was looking at her musingly, thoughtfully. As if pondering what to do with her. Suddenly, the slight clinking noise behind her intensified; Ryoga had woken up completely. And he was staring straight at Ukyo and Ranma. Nabiki could almost see wheels turning in his head, though she had no clue what he was realizing. She wasn't sure what he'd do when he finally came to what ever conclusion he was coming to however, so she did the only thing she could think to do. She curled up and put her head on her knees and her hands over her head, hoping it'd be enough protection.
Ryoga lifted his head, and his vision finally focused correctly. When Ranma hit him on the head, it had knocked everything awry in his mind, memories, and vision. Now Ranma was holding Ukyo, and he was holding her in a way that made Ryoga's blood boil. She was cringing away from him, trying to get as far away as his grip on her wrist would allow, and no trace was left of the happy madness that had held her before. Slowly, Ryoga watched Ranma's finger trace up Ukyo's arm, tearing her sleeve in the exact same way it had been torn before. Ryoga snapped to attention, the slow, confused state of mind disappearing in an instant. The words he'd spoken earlier that day replayed themselves through his mind, while he watched Ranma and Ukyo, frozen to his spot. "I'm going to find whoever did this to Ucchan, and I'm going to kill him. But before I do, he's going to feel every bruise, every scar, every mental bit of anguish she's going through, and he's going to feel it a hundred times worse. I might even let him live for a while, just to watch him scream and sob his pain . . ." But had he even had the slightest suspicion that her attacker was Ranma? At least the question was answered now how her attacker could have driven her insane. She'd probably had a horrible ordeal in the cave, and then come back out to see Ranma. She was probably overjoyed, and ran towards him, and then he attacked her. Ranma meant everything to Ukyo-- Ryoga knew that, although it hurt him to admit it. And to be so close to getting him back, only to realize that he was the true enemy . . . Ryoga's jaw clenched. He didn't know what had happened to Ranma to make him this way, but he was going to stop him from hurting Ukyo again. He began to pull at his chains, using all his strength, leaning away from the post he was chained against.
Shampoo was watching the scene, horrified. Shampoo had come to the same conclusion Ryoga had, only moments later. She heard a loud clinking noise behind her, and turned to see Ryoga pulling at his chains. She was a little frightened by the wild look in his eyes, and remembered what he'd said earlier about what he'd do to the one who had attacked Ukyo. But then she smiled. She knew that whatever happened, Ryoga would fix it. He was strong. She glanced at the chains, and frowned. They showed no signs of budging, nor signs of snapping, and Ryoga was pulling with all his strength. Had they somehow strengthened ordinary metal? Or weakened Ryoga?
Ryoga pulled harder than he had in a long, long time. After what felt like an eternity, his muscles screaming in protest, he stopped struggling against the chains and sagged to the ground, exhausted. Shampoo, who'd been watching him, lifted her head and frowned at him. "What wrong with you? You need to go save dumb spatula girl! No dumb chains defeat you! Get up!"
Ryoga barely heard her words. "It's no use," he said softly. "They won't move. They've done something to me, or to the chains. They knew how strong I was. I can't rescue her-- I'm not strong enough."
Shampoo's eyes flashed. "You! You let them hurt Ukyo? Kill Ukyo? You no a man! You a . . . a . . ." Shampoo searched through her memories for an insult that had always gotten to Ryoga, for some reason. "You a . . . a pig!"
Ryoga's expression didn't even register the blow. "It doesn't matter any more. We're all going to die anyway."
At that moment, Ukyo let out a low, whimpering cry, trying to pull away from Ranma. "Somebody, please! Help me!" she said, her voice quavering. "Ryoga, don't let him do this!" She was obviously not aware of her surroundings except for Ranma, but her cry got through to Ryoga.
He lifted his head and looked at her, his heart thumping. "Ukyo--" he said softly, almost under his breath.
Ukyo's head turned in his direction, although her panic-filled eyes were as unseeing as they had been before. "Ryoga? Ryoga!" She repeated his name over and over again, clinging to it as a drowning person would cling to a scrap of driftwood. Ranma frowned at her as her cries got louder and then backhanded her across the face, his nails causing four red rakes across her cheek.
Ryoga closed his eyes and let his head drop. For a moment, Shampoo's rising hopes were toppled as she thought he must have given up again. She noticed, though, that his face was determined, not hopeless. He was thinking of a way out. Then he suddenly grinned, a very image of Ranma's triumphant smirk. Funny how people picked up other people's habits and quirks, Shampoo thought briefly.
Ryoga looked as if he were going to tug at his chains again, but instead turned around towards the stone pillar he was tied to. He laid his hands against it, eyes closed, and stayed there for a moment. Then, loud enough that even Ranma lifted his head and gaped at him, he shouted, "Bakousi Tenketsu!" The rock shattered, spraying shards in all directions and causing the others to have to cover their faces to avoid the pieces. He then easily shrugged off the chains, and then swung one end of them slowly back and forth, advancing grimly upon Ranma.
Ranma looked momentarily surprised, but then shrugged nonchalantly. "Whatever. One of you, two of you, a hundred of you. It makes no difference to me, after all. I could take you all on. Anyway, I've got your little girl-toy here. Don't you want her back . . . alive?" He pulled her roughly upwards, twisting her arm cruelly.
Ryoga clenched his jaw shut so tight that the muscles stood out so everyone could see. But that was the only outward sign that showed he had heard Ranma or the brief and stifled exclamation of pain from Ukyo. "I swore," he said quietly. The ceiling of the room shook slightly, bits of stone raining down from the ceiling. Without the stone pillar that had been the large cavern's support, there was no telling how unstable the cave could get.
Ranma raised an eyebrow, looking slightly amused. "Pardon?" he said, sounding almost polite. That was another thing, Shampoo noticed. He was speaking very proper and formal Japanese. He never spoke like that­ Shampoo didn't know he knew how.
"I swore," Ryoga repeated, "that I would find the man who'd done this to Ukyo, and that I'd kill him." He lifted his head, his eyes burning with a rage that no one had ever seen back in Nerima. "And dammit, I'm going to do that, if it kills me in the process." And he rushed an attack so furious that the stone floor got little dents in it from his footsteps.
Ranma, however, drew back out of the way and placed one hand around Ukyo's neck. He smiled at Ryoga, almost kindly. "I wouldn't push my luck, if I were you." After a while where the two were circling each other warily, and everyone else was looking worriedly up at the threatening ceiling, Dr. Tofu suddenly shouted, "Everybody, run! This way!"
And nobody questioned him. As soon as they cleared one side of the cave, the ceiling caves, sending boulders and showers of little, hard debris onto the floor. It seemed like Ryoga and Ranma hadn't even noticed. Kuno, who had to be bodily pulled towards the door by the combined efforts of Nabiki and Kasumi was finally running with them, but in a mindless sort of way. He occasionally ran into things. Dr. Tofu glanced back, and saw Ryoga and Ranma with eyes still locked. He rushed back in and grabbed Ryoga's wrist, whirling him about and pulling him through the door. Ryoga struggled briefly, and glanced behind him, back into the cave, "Ukyo!" he called, "Ukyo, come on! Pull away from him!"
And the last thing he saw, before the ceiling caved in totally and obstructed his view was Ukyo's frightened eyes, her large, beautiful eyes, looking back at him. And he thought he heard, over the roar of the cave-in, Ukyo's panic-filled voice calling back, "Ryoga . . .!"




Dr. Tofu led the way, now that he had gotten Ryoga running on his own. He took strange turns, through passages that the others hadn't even known were there. But they followed him, for lack of anyone else to follow. He hadn't wanted to leave Ukyo there, but it was either lose her, or lose her and Ryoga. And Ranma, too. He felt the sting of tears in his eyes, but quickly quelled the emotion, letting his countenance harden. Soon, after a dizzying labyrinth of secret passages, long corridors, and echoing caverns, they broke into sunlight. They slowed their pace to a walk, gradually. It was hard to be afraid of the cave with the afternoon sunlight beating down on your back. After a while, they stopped moving. Ryoga sank to his knees, looking at the ground despondently. Dr. Tofu looked resolutely away from him, settling instead for glancing pensively back towards the cave. Kuno sat down upon the ground, cross-legged, and stared off into space again, like he had in the cave. Nabiki and Kasumi both just stood there, feeling useless, while Shampoo debated trying to comfort Ryoga.
Eventually, Nabiki said quietly, "I guess it's over, then."
Dr. Tofu looked away from the cave, his expression an immobile mask . "Yes, I guess it is."
Ryoga clenched his fist and then stood up. "I have to look for her! Even if I don't find her, I have to go look for her!"
Kasumi sighed and glanced at Ryoga. "I don't think Akane would have--" she stopped, swallowed, and continued. "Made it through a cave in like that. If she didn't fall into some pitfall or something before then."
Ryoga gave her a strange look. "Akane? She's probably alright, wherever she is. I was talking about Ukyo. She-- I--" he appeared to be lost for words. "Her face was just so . . . so scared. I have to find her, bring her out into the sunshine again. Even if-- even if she's not able to see it. She belongs in the sunshine. It sounds stupid, I know, but I can't just . . ." He looked helplessly around at the others, who were looking at him with sympathy and surprise.
Kuno lifted his head, finally becoming somewhat animate again. "I will go with you," he said firmly.
"Kuno?" Nabiki was surprised. "Why? Whatever Ryoga plans to do, I'm sure he doesn't need your help."
Kuno shook his head, shooting Nabiki a look so piercing that it startled her into silence. "I wasn't going to help him. I was going for myself." He closed his eyes, and his expression grew softer. "She was . . . so beautiful . . ."
Everyone stared him, in confusion. Then, suddenly Dr. Tofu let out a loud curse. "Damn!" he said, startling everyone. They were seeing new sides of Dr. Tofu left and right. "I forgot. Ryoga, hurry, help me. We have to restrain him."
Everyone continued staring, this time at Dr. Tofu. Kuno stood up and began to move, when Dr. Tofu reached out and grabbed his hand. Kuno immediately pulled out his bokken, slashing at Dr. Tofu and missing. That spurred Ryoga into action, and he quickly caught Kuno's other arm, and pulled him back roughly. "I don't know what's going on," Ryoga said, "But I'd rather act first and ask questions later." He pulled him back towards a tree, and motioned for Dr. Tofu to hold him there. While the doctor did so, Ryoga rummaged in his pack and pulled out a length of rope, which he then proceeded to tie Kuno to the tree with. When everyone else gave him strange glances, he shrugged and said with a weak smile, "I have to be prepared for everything. You never know when I'll next see civilization when I'm wandering around."
Kuno struggled for a while, but then finally just gave up and sagged against his ropes. "Villains," he muttered under his breath.
Ryoga then gave Dr. Tofu a suspicious glance. "Now-- explain exactly why you're doing this? I still have more rope where that came from."
Dr. Tofu sighed and shook his head. "It's-- a little problem that men who see Nayami-sama have. I'll explain later. For now, go find Ukyo. She may need you right now."
Ryoga nodded at him, absorbing the look of understanding Dr. Tofu had given him and taking strength from it. He glanced at the others once, and then turned and began running back towards the cave.




Akane wandered slowly through the corridors, trying to remember the direction she'd heard that loud crashing noise come from. Crashing meant cave-in, and cave-ins usually meant that there was some sort of activity going on to start one. She closed her eyes as she walked, trying to picture Ranma as she'd seen him before he left, and with surprise, found herself unable to. She could see brief flashes of him, scoffing at her from his perch atop the fence, or yelling at someone in his girl form, or even trying to escape Shampoo's romantic intentions, but she couldn't hold a picture of him in her mind. She could clearly see everyone else's face she tried to think of, but for some reason she just couldn't see Ranma. So instead, she imagined what would happen when she found him, and rescued him from whatever held him and kept him from returning home. She'd hear his voice, and she wouldn't care even if he yelled at her. She'd just be glad he was back, and able to yell at her. She'd hear his voice . . .
She stopped short, a noise cutting into her daydreams. What was that she'd heard? She listened, hard, and she heard it again. It was faint, but it was recognizable. Ranma's voice. Without knowing it, Akane's pace quickened into a run, as she hurried to find him. She found herself turning into corridors, doubling back, and feeling against walls to try to find any secret passages. But finally, she came to a place where while there was still a high ceiling above the chamber, there was a huge pile of rubble where part of it had fallen down. And judging from the dust still drifting around, the cave-in was fresh. Akane skidded to a halt, scanning the pile of rubble for the source of Ranma's voice. Faintly, very faintly, she heard him call, "Who . . . Who's there?"
Akane's voice rose in spite of herself, and she began pulling away rocks and tossing them aside. "Ranma! Ranma, it's me, Akane! Ranma, hold on!" And she lost whatever his reply would have been in the noise of the clashing rocks she was throwing away. After what felt like an eternity in which she couldn't move fast enough, Akane uncovered enough of Ranma to pull him out. He quickly moved away from her, staring at her, looking bewildered. "Ranma!" she couldn't think of anything else to say, so she just repeated herself. "Ranma!" Then, before he could reply, there was a slight shifting of the rock pile. Akane glanced down to see the very tip of a slender black foot sticking out. It was moving, ever so slightly. "Oh! Who . . .? Well, never mind." She swallowed whatever she might have been about to say to Ranma, and began scrambling through the rocks and dust. After a while, she pulled out a very pale, and very trembly Ukyo Kuonji. "Ukyo! How . . . how are you? Where is everyone?"
Ukyo just stared at her with wide eyes. Akane looked at her, puzzled, and then gave up. She must still be going through some ordeal within her mind. Akane glanced over Ukyo's shoulder at Ranma, who was still staring at her with much the same expression as Ukyo had. He appeared to have suffered no harm from the rock fall, as he was standing up and there were no signs of blood anywhere. "Well . . ." said Akane, a little unnerved. "What are you all staring at?"
Ranma suddenly seemed to regain his composure, and his expression turned cold. "Who are you? And how do you know who I am? Where did you come from?"
Akane blinked. "R . . . R-Ranma? It's me, Akane. Your . . . your fiancé!" There was something different about Ranma. Something that Akane couldn't quite place her finger on. But there was something strange.
Ranma raised an eyebrow. "Really? I don't know who you are, which is rare. You were certainly not anyone I knew before I came here. If you're a friend of those . . . you must be, since you called Ukyo by name."
Akane didn't want to accept what she was hearing. "You remember Ukyo, but you can't remember me? You lived with me! What's wrong with--" But her voice was suddenly cut off by a hand over her mouth. She turned to see Ukyo still staring at her with wide, frightened eyes, but this time there was intelligence behind them.
"Shh!" the okonomiyaki chef hissed. "Hurry, we have to leave!"
Akane put her hands on her hips. "Leave? No, I'm not leaving! We only just found Ranma!"
"I wish we hadn't!"
"What?"
"Come on!"
"No!"
"Dammit, Akane, we have to get out of here!"
"Why?"
"We have to go!"
Ranma, meanwhile, had been staring at Akane again. She turned her head towards him and glared at him, in her usual fashion. "What's your problem? You look like a fish."
Ranma, in an almost trance-like fashion, said softly, "You . . . you look so much like . . ."
Akane blinked. "Like who?" She hated being on the outside of things, and here she was as lost as poor Ryoga usually was. She felt Ukyo tug on her arm again, trying to drag her towards the exit to the cave.
"Like . . . Like . . ." Suddenly, his expression hardened, and he changed his stance from one of shock to one of aggression. "You and that slut there are going to have to stay here. You aren't going anywhere."
Akane felt dizzy, as if someone had whisked away the ground she stood on. "What . . . What's wrong with him?"
Ukyo's grip on Akane's arm relaxed slightly. "I . . . I don't know."
Akane suddenly brightened. "I know!" She pulled her now-full canteen off her neck and unscrewed the cap. Splashing him with water and causing him to revert to his girl form had always snapped him out of things before, like with his nekoken. Perhaps it would work this time. She darted forward and hurled the contents of the canteen at him. A couple of the droplets landed on Akane, and she shivered in sympathy. It was ice cold, having just come from a mountain spring.
Ranma flicked a lock of damp hair back and then looked back at Akane, defiantly. "And just what did you think that was going to accomplish?" he asked, smiling malignantly.
Akane stared at him. "Your . . . your curse . . ."
Ranma chuckled. "You are a strange one. I think I might enjoy you. You might prove even more entertaining than that purple-haired Shampoo was. What is this curse of which you speak?"
Akane's mouth worked, and she backed up a few steps. Ukyo took this as her cue and hurled the empty canteen at Ranma's head. With a final jerk, she nearly pulled Akane off her feet and bodily dragged her towards the exit. Ukyo closed her eyes, counting down softly under her breath as they ran. Just as she reached the number one, an explosion of sound behind them startled Akane into regaining her footing. It sounded like someone shouting. "Damn!" said Ukyo. "He's coming."
"Who?"
"Ranma, you idiot! He's just realized that we've left. Hurry!"
Akane glanced behind her into the cave-in area. The only thing she saw before a second fall of rocks disturbed by the sudden noise blocked the path between them, was an angry face so contorted by rage and hate and violent intentions that she couldn't recognize it. Or she wouldn't have been able to recognize it, had she not seen the red Chinese shirt and black pigtail down his neck.




Ryoga tried to remember the direction they had come when they were leaving the cave so hastily, but to no avail. There were so many twists and turns and convoluted passageways that he was hopelessly, irrevocably lost. He stopped, leaning his forehead against the wall, trying to calm down. It didn't work, and it didn't make him feel any better. It just got dust stuck to his sweaty forehead. Then, so faintly that he almost missed it, he heard a sound. It was almost like that of an angry shout, heard from a long ways away. Then, as he paused to listen for it again, he heard the light pounding of footsteps, coming towards him rapidly. He drew back into the shadows to see who it was, wanting to have the advantage of surprise if it was an enemy. Soon, two figures drew near, and he could make out the equally frightened expressions of Akane, followed closely by-- by Ukyo. He stepped out of his hiding place, calling, "Ukyo! And Akane! Over here!"
Without even pausing, Ukyo glanced at him, made a motion for silence, and grabbed his hand, pulling him along with her. Ryoga spurred his feet into action, and soon all three had broken back out into sunlight again. They continued running a ways, until the others who were still waiting for them came into sight. Akane continued running, reaching them after a few more seconds, but Ukyo sank to her knees, exhausted. Ryoga slowed to a halt in concern, kneeling next to her. "Ukyo! What's wrong?"
Ukyo, supporting her frame with her palms flat on the earth, shook her head, and looked up, smiling. "Nothing. I'm just . . . just tired."
Ryoga swallowed. There wasn't that blank quality in her gaze, but he'd had hopes of her recovery before only to have them dashed later by a relapse. "Oh . . ." He couldn't say anything else, for a chunk of emotion blocked his throat.
Ukyo nervously glanced behind her at the cave and then back at Ryoga. "I think we lost him."
"Lost . . . lost who, Ukyo?"
"Ranma. Akane dug us both out of the rocks, and I got her running before he could trap us there."
Ryoga watched her, the warm sun illumining her hair and giving it reddish highlights. Her brown eyes were still round with fear, but she was relaxing more and more every second. "You . . . Who am I, Ukyo?"
Ukyo looked vaguely puzzled. "You're Ryoga . . . why? What's wrong?" She stopped, and then said quickly, "Ryoga, are you alright? Are you hurt? Here, let me see--"
Ryoga fended off her attempts at nursing with a hand. "No, no, I'm alright. Just . . . just tired." He smiled at her. "It's good to have you back, Ukyo."
Ukyo felt a strange sensation in her chest as he grinned at her, showing his little fangs. It was new and solid and warm, not at all nervous and fluttery like she used to have when she looked at Ranma. She'd never been so sure of anything in her life. "Ryoga, why were you still in the cave, and hiding in the shadows like that?"
"I . . . I'd come back to look for you. I couldn't just leave you in there with Ranma by yourself, trapped under rocks and stuff." He sighed, glancing towards the others, where Akane was being surrounded by her sisters and Dr. Tofu. "Looks like you didn't need my help anyway." In some strange way, he felt almost bitter about the fact that he wasn't the one to save Ukyo.
Ukyo laid a hand on his arm, stopping him as he began to rise to move over towards the others. "No, you're wrong. I did need you. You-- you brought me back, Ryoga. I don't know what happened to me, but I was in this . . . dark place. I couldn't see or hear or anything, and I couldn't move. I kept trying to get out, but something was holding me there. And then I heard you say my name, and the darkness just sort of . . . I don't know, it kind of blew away like the fog gets blown away by the wind. And then I realized where I was, and saw you getting dragged out of the cave by Dr. Tofu. And then something hit me on the head, and that was the last thing I knew." She smiled, wanly. "So you see, you did help. And thank you, Ryoga."
Ryoga had been staring at her in a weird way throughout her story. "I . . . you . . . I mean, uh . . ." He glanced down, turning a little pink. "A-Ano, Ukyo . . ."
Ukyo rolled her eyes and stood up. "You're hopeless, little lost P-chan." She pulled him to his feet, with Ryoga still blushing at her like a maniac.
Ryoga froze, and she felt him go rigid. She glanced back at him, quizzically, as he spoke. "P-P-P-chan . . .? How--"
Ukyo laughed. "Oh, come on. I'm not as dense as Akane is. Your fear of water, how you disappeared that night when you dropped your umbrella while fixing my roof, all those times when Ranma had called you pig-boy, and it made you madder than anything, P-chan's bandanna . . . They all point to it. I'm not stupid, Ryoga."
"Then . . . you knew? And you don't hate me for it?" Bits of Ryoga's world, which had begun to piece itself back together again, were crashing down again.
Ukyo looked puzzled. "Of course not. It's nothing to be ashamed of, sugar-- it's not your fault that you turn into a pig when splashed with cold water." Ukyo turned, releasing Ryoga's arm. "Anyway, I'm thirsty as anything, so I'm going to see if any of them have some water. Coming, Ryo-chan?"
Ryoga blinked and then nodded. "Yeah. And Ukyo--"
"Yes, sugar?"
"Don't-- I mean, please, don't tell--" And suddenly, as he spoke, Ryoga realized that it didn't matter to him anymore if Akane knew his secret. He smiled. "Never mind. Come on, let's go."




Later, as dusk fell on the mountainside, the little group gathered together to hold a council of war. Kuno seemed to have forgotten his earlier form of madness, and had been untied and showed no signs of wanting to rush off to the cave to go find Nayami. They were all together again, and now that they knew what they were up against they could plan a better way to get Ranma back.
"First, Dr. Tofu, I think we deserve an explanation." Nabiki crossed her arms, fixing the young doctor with a hard look.
Dr. Tofu sighed and closed his eyes. After a moment of silence, he nodded and reopened his eyes. "Yes, you do. But right now, I think we're all hot and tired. There is a lake over in that direction a ways; how about we all go rinse off, have some dinner, and then I will tell my story."
Ryoga turned a little pale. "It's . . . it's a hot spring, is it?"
Dr. Tofu gave him an almost amused laugh, and Ryoga got the feeling that Ukyo wasn't the only one to have figured out his secret. "Oh no, it's just a normal mountain lake. It is very cold, however, so no one will blame you if you don't want to go in."
Ryoga swallowed, while Kasumi nodded eagerly. "Yes, I think that would be delightful, Dr. Tofu!"
Dr. Tofu had to restrain the wild impulse to snatch up any handy nearby skeletons and run around the forest. Kasumi's smile always had that effect on him, though he'd gotten a lot better at controlling it. "Okay, follow me then." And the whole group trailed along after the doctor. After a few moments of walking in silence, they reached the lake. Nabiki was the first one in with all her clothes on, with Kuno and Kasumi following soon after. Akane and Ukyo were next, Ukyo grinning happily. Akane, however, seemed to be moving mechanically, sluggishly. She stayed in the shallow parts of the lake, and Ryoga remembered her difficulty with swimming. Shampoo rolled her eyes at Akane, and then sat down on the grass. She wasn't going into the cold water either. She didn't want to invoke her curse if she could help it. Ryoga sat down also, with his back against a tree, gesturing at Dr. Tofu to proceed.
"Go ahead," Ryoga said with a smile. "I think I'll just sit here and watch."
Dr. Tofu nodded and moved over towards a tiny outcropping of land. Pausing for a second, he surveyed the lake, and then brought his hands over his head. Then, with a jump, he flipped and dived into the water, causing only a small ripple.
Ryoga yawned and stretched, warming himself in the dappled sunlight as he watched everyone relaxing in the frigid water. He waited for a while, and then after a few moments he saw Dr. Tofu's head re-emerge from the water. Ryoga frowned, squinting through the glare of the sunlight on the lake. Something seemed wrong about him, though Ryoga couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. He watched Nabiki paddle over towards him, obviously to say something sarcastic. When she reached him, calling out something that Ryoga couldn't hear, Dr. Tofu turned to face her. Nabiki stopped short, staring. "Who . . . Who are you?!" she said loudly.




They all huddled around the campfire, wrapped in blankets. Except Ryoga, of course, who hadn't gone swimming. Everyone was staring across the flames at the figure who was staring glumly down into the fire. No one spoke. They'd all come out of the water quickly, and gotten dried off. The strange young woman who Nabiki had spoken to hadn't said anything. And Dr. Tofu was nowhere to be found.
"Who are you?" Kasumi asked gently. The strange woman seemed frightened, and almost on the verge of unhappy tears.
The woman murmured something inaudible. She had dark brown hair bound in a low ponytail, and she was actually quite pretty. She had a delicate face and a petite frame, and bright, intelligent brown eyes.
"What was that?" said Nabiki, leaning closer.
The woman paid her no attention, but murmured something again. This time, it was loud enough for everyone to hear. "I can't believe it . . . She . . ."
"She? She what?" Nabiki's eyes were sharp, and she was looking at the woman with a hard expression.
"She . . ." The woman raised her eyes. "She put my curse back upon me. I . . . this hasn't happened for so many years . . . so many years . . ."
Kasumi leaned forward as well, looking carefully at the woman. "Curse? What curse? What have you done with Dr. Tofu?"
The woman looked as if she wanted to cry as she watched Kasumi. "Please-- can you heat up some hot water for me, Kasumi?"
Kasumi blinked. "If . . . if you want tea, I have some made . . ."
"No-- no, I need hot water."
Nabiki leaned back, her expression full of surprise. "I . . . never knew--" Then her expression hardened. "You know, if Ranma ever gets out of there, he's gonna kill you for not telling him how to prevent the Jusenkyö curse from taking effect, Dr. Tofu."
The woman looked at Nabiki with sad eyes. "But . . . he's already found out how, Nabiki. He's already found his cure."
Nabiki frowned. "I don't really understand, Dr. Tofu."
The woman glanced pensively back towards the dark area that was the mouth of the cave. "Nayami has given him his freedom. Of his curse . . . and his humanity. As she did me, once."
There was a silence broken only by the crackling of the fire. After a while, Kasumi sank to her knees, the kettle of water heating over the fire. "Nabiki, what are you talking about? Are you feeling alright? This isn't Dr. Tofu. This is a wom--"
Nabiki picked up a nearby towel and used it to pick up the kettle. "I think it's warm enough now." And, before anyone could say anything, she dumped it over the new woman's head. Once the water had finished rushing over the girl's frame, everyone's jaw dropped in astonishment. For before them sat, blinking in the firelight, a very damp Dr. Tofu.
"But . . ." said Kasumi. "But how . . ."
Dr. Tofu sighed, wringing out his shirt. "I guess I should explain. When I was young, a bit younger than you, Akane, I went on a training trip to Jusenkyo. As you can see, I was stubborn enough to ignore the guide's warnings, and subsequently fell into one of the pools. To my shock and horror, I was no longer a man when I rose to the surface." He flinched, visibly, at the memory. "Once I regained my composure, a desire to get rid of the curse drove me to extremes I would never have turned to otherwise. I tried everything-- things that I prefer not to mention, or even to remember too vividly." He paused, glancing around the circle. "I was not very different from Ranma, only a little . . . more devoted to ridding myself of the curse. Anyway, I eventually lost all hope of becoming a normal man. I--"
"I don't see what you were all worked up about," interjected Akane. "Ranma lives an ordinary life even with his curse. Perfectly normal." She ignored the incredulous stares she was getting around the circle. After all, she felt she had to defend him and couldn't think of any other way to do it.
Dr. Tofu smiled wanly. "Well, it was a long time ago. People weren't quite so . . . accepting of weird habits and abnormalities as they are today."
"Please," said Kasumi, her pretty brow troubled. "Do continue."
Dr. Tofu nodded, and went on. "Eventually, I began wandering from place to place. I lost all sense of dignity I once had, and lived by stealing and scrounging from the villages I passed. I don't know what would have happened to me, had I not-- well, I'll get to that. At some point, I met up with an older man named Miyake, who'd seen something strange on the mountain he'd been exploring. He'd returned to his village to find people willing to go, but they were a superstitious lot and were too afraid. He was willing to pay, so I joined him. I learned later that he suspected something of the supernatural, and I continued only through hope that whatever it was could cure me of my curse. After a while, we noticed that there were less and less towns and villages as we proceeded and would have stopped and turned around, if something hadn't caused us to keep going. Something was pulling us forward, and neither of us had the will to resist it. After a long walk and climb up this mountain, we reached the same cave I led you all to. We went inside, and found there the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. Her name was Nayami-sama, and she granted us eternal youth and vitality in exchange for our loyalty and companionship. And her love. But most of all, she granted me a cure for my curse. However, after a time, I believe she grew tired of me. She wanted more company, because even Miyake and I needed rest and time by ourselves. So she sent me out to spread word of the mountain to other men, while Miyake remained to keep her company. I had many interviews once my story was spread, the story of eternal youth and happiness. But too many people were skeptical at the easiness of what I had done, so I added in a fictional story of trials to be passed. I believe that later, Nayami put other men she lured to her mountain to the task of guarding it for her and keeping women out. Anyway, so I spread the word of the mountain as she bid me--"
"The mythology book!" Nabiki exclaimed.
Dr. Tofu nodded. "Yes."
"You were . . . you were Miyake's companion!"
Dr. Tofu smiled thinly. "For a time, yes. To continue: I traveled from village to village, and even across the ocean to China in order to spread word of the Mountain of True Sight, as I'd begun to call it in my journeys. A mountain with the power to grant a man's greatest wishes. In order to seem more credible, I began to learn the medical profession, so it would look as if I were a sensible, ordinary man. In time, I found I liked that profession very much. And so I continued to travel, not only spreading my tale but also spreading healing. One day I happened upon a small village of Amazons in China, a seemingly primitive people. But as I grew to know them, I realized that they were much more advanced than any of the Japanese cultures I'd been to." He paused, as if hesitant to go on. No one said anything, and after a time he continued. "There was a girl there-- her name was Xi Nao. It was obvious she admired me. I wasn't sure why; in my opinion, there was nothing to admire. I was a low-down, sneaking coward, and all my credentials were false. But I couldn't bring myself to tell her the truth, and after time, I think I fell in love with her. I never forgot my guilt, though. I spent one brief night with her and then left, not wanting to corrupt her any further. I told her I would return, and I had planned to once I had redeemed myself. She was the one that finally broke Nayami-sama's hold on me, and I decided I would never return to that dark cave. I eventually ended up in Nerima, which was in need of a good clinic and doctor. And so I ended up."
Akane was staring at Dr. Tofu. "And . . . how long ago was this?"
Dr. Tofu avoided her gaze, and that of everyone else's. "I think . . . I came to the mountain a little over two hundred years ago. And I left the Amazon village only about twenty years ago."
Kasumi blinked at him. "You . . . You're two hundred years old?"
Dr. Tofu swallowed. "Ye-es," he said, his voice wavering.
Ukyo cut in, startling everyone with her brisk voice. "And Xi Nao? Whatever happened to her? Didn't you ever go back to find her? I'm sure she misses you still. Even if she found a husband or something, you should still go try to find her."
"I have."
"What?" Ukyo was startled.
"I found her. And spoke to her."
"Oh. What'd she say?"
"I . . . found out that she'd been basically abandoned by her village after their discovery of her supposed sin. After all, we weren't married when-- well, never mind," he said briskly, trying not to meet Kasumi's gaze. "She stayed long enough to have the child she conceived by me, a baby girl, and then left the village forever. The child she left with the wise woman of the village. After a long period of wandering, she found herself here, at this very spot. She entered the cave, hoping to find some sort of shelter, and found a scroll lying on the ground. She picked it up, and suddenly she knew everything that the Nayami before her, and every woman who'd had that position before her had known. You see, Nayami isn't a person. It's more of a title. Even I don't know how old it is-- but each time a suitable replacement comes to the mountain, they find the scroll. And the moment they pick it up, they become the next Nayami." He paused and sighed. "She was bound to stay there, until someone came to be a replacement. And just recently, she has withdrawn the cure her predecessor had given me. And with it, I'd imagine, my eternal youth. So now I'll probably age and die like any normal man."
There was a silence for a few moments. Then Kuno spoke up, softly. "Then . . . Nayami-sama is-- I mean the present one-- is-- was your Xi Nao?"
Dr. Tofu nodded, quiet now that he had gotten his story out.
Kasumi sighed. "Have you tried to find your daughter? The one that was left in the village?"
Dr. Tofu just looked into the fire, avoiding everyone's penetrating and thoughtful gazes. "I . . . know her. Her mother-- she named the child Xian Pu."
Dead silence ensued. Then, as one, everybody turned and looked at Shampoo, who was staring at Dr. Tofu with an open mouth, her face pale in the flickering light.
Dr. Tofu stood up, brushing the dirt from his clothing. "I suggest we all go to bed. We'll decide what to do in the morning."
Everyone stood up, except Shampoo, who was still staring at Dr. Tofu. Ukyo gently lifted the girl to her feet, and steered her towards the tents. "Goodnight," she called back over her shoulder, smiling cheerfully despite the events of the evening. The others dispersed one by one, each going to their tents, until only Dr. Tofu and Akane were left. "Aren't you going to bed?" Dr. Tofu asked her, quizzically.
Akane watched him, with a troubled expression. "Doctor . . . please, tell me the truth. You must know some way to cure Ranma. To make him normal and happy, the way he was back in Nerima."
Dr. Tofu shook his head, looking down at the ground. Before he did so, however, Akane saw that his expression was troubled. "No. I'm sorry, Akane, but the only way is if Nayami-sama withdraws it herself. And that almost never happens."
Akane sank back down onto the ground. "But . . . there has to be a way! We can't just give up! There must be a way . . ." Despite her prideful attempts, she began to cry, tears rolling silently down her face.
"N-No! Don't cry!" Dr. Tofu shuffled nervously. "There . . . there might be . . ."
Akane lifted her head, eyes alight with hope. "How? What is it? Tell me!"
Dr. Tofu looked at her with a pained expression. "It might not work. And it's very, very dangerous. I--"
"I don't care!" Akane said fiercely, standing up again. "Tell me!"
He told her. She nodded, though she was much more subdued. And, while Dr. Tofu watched with a heavy heart as the others slept, Akane took a lantern and left, heading towards the cave at a brisk pace.




The night sounds were not comforting at all, and if Akane hadn't been thinking so hard about what she was going to do, she would have been frightened. As it was, she was frightened by something else entirely. But she kept pushing it out of her mind, hoping to reach Ranma before indecision made her hesitate.
"You're back, are you?" The voice came out of the darkness, just before Akane reached the cave. She lifted the lantern in front of her, and could make out a tall figure leaning against the rock wall near the entrance to the cave.
"R-Ranma?" she called out, tentatively.
"Of course." The voice was sarcastic, almost hateful. "Who are you, anyway? And how is it that I didn't see you coming along with the others?"
"I'm . . . I'm Akane. Your fiancé."
"Akane." Ranma's voice was flat. "Are you in any way related to . . . well, do you have any sisters? Or maybe your mother . . ."
"I do have sisters. Nabiki and Kasumi. And my mother died, a long time ago. Why?"
Ranma laughed, an unhappy sound in the darkness. "No reason. Just curious." He pushed away from the wall and came towards her. Akane forced herself to remain where she was, though all she really wanted to do was run. He reached out, and traced a finger along her jaw. Even in his current state, Akane thrilled to his touch even as she shrunk back in fear. "You're a rather pretty thing, you know. Not gorgeous like that Shampoo, or spunky like Ukyo, but not ugly either." He smiled, an expression that only made Akane more afraid. " I think I might enjoy you for a while, before I give you to Nayami-sama."
Up until that point, Akane had been indecisive. She hadn't been sure if she would actually do what Dr. Tofu had told her. It had seemed ludicrous at the time, but now . . . when confronted by his sneering, hate-filled face, so different from the one she had once known, it was like seeing a stranger. At once, she knew what she had to do. She closed her eyes, and summoned every ounce of courage in her soul. Opening her eyes, she found her vision blurred by tears. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
"What?" Ranma paused.
"I'm so sorry, Ranma." And in one motion, she pulled the knife Dr. Tofu had given her out of her sleeve. Then, looking into Ranma's face for any sign of his old self, she drove it into his chest. She could feel it slide between his ribs, and then felt it puncture his heart. His eyes were suddenly shocked, and he grasped at the wound. Then he reached for her, to try to hold himself up. He slid down towards the ground, his hands leaving a bloody track down her clothes, and then toppled backwards. Akane retrieved the little knife with shaking hands, and knelt down next to him, and waited.
She waited for what felt like eternity, waiting for any signs that he would revive. But as she saw the light die in his eyes, she realized that she'd been betrayed. "Dr. Tofu . . . lied?" she whispered. But she couldn't be angry-- she knew why he had done it. She swallowed, trying desperately to hold back the tears in her eyes, but for once she just wasn't strong enough. Weeping, she knelt over him and tried to will warmth back into his limbs. "Come back, don't leave me here . . . Oh god, don't leave me here alone . . ."
The storm of weeping soon passed, and it left her feeling calm. Akane knew what she had to do. That she had to have been the one to take Ranma's life had been a cruel irony, but it didn't leave her completely powerless. She turned the knife and, closing her eyes and bracing herself, she dragged the blade across her arm, just below the elbow once . . . twice . . . and then all was silent, the night unbroken by noise except for the faint echo of the wind blowing across the cave and the quiet, metallic clatter of a knife falling to the stones.



The Eye of the Beholder, by Tori-chan: email me at saezuru@hotmail.com