The Eye of the Beholder
Shampoo awoke in the middle of the night to an awful sound. Awful, but familiar. Automatically,
she darted out of her tent and ran across the dark and deserted campsite towards Ukyo's tent.
Ryoga was already there, wearing only a hastily donned pair of pants, calling out worriedly.
"Ukyo!" he yelled. "Wake up! You're having another nightmare!" He opened the flap with such
force that he brought the entire tent down on top of a feebly struggling figure. The screams and
cries coming from the tent had died down, however. Together, Ryoga and Shampoo disentangled
the frightened girl from her tent, as the others began to wake and drift sleepily out of their own
tents to see what the commotion was. Ukyo was staring around her at the people with wild eyes,
like a trapped animal, and the occasional rough sob escaped her lips. Ryoga took her by the
shoulders and shook her until her head drooped. "Wake up!" he said again, not concealing the
tremor in his voice. If Ukyo suffered a relapse into that madness that had claimed her earlier, it
would probably destroy the poor boy completely. Shampoo felt a strange sympathy rise in her,
for these two people who had somehow, unbeknownst to Shampoo, become her friends.
Dr. Tofu entered then, having finally woken up, and tried to push Ryoga aside. The boy was still
shaking Ukyo violently, trying to wake her up. Eventually, Dr. Tofu just hit him, hard, across the
jaw. Ryoga stopped shaking Ukyo, and released her, staring at her with a pale face. Dr. Tofu
sighed, doing his best to make the unconscious girl more comfortable. "You'd better tell me what
happened."
Ryoga started to tell the story, but appeared to have been so shaken by the night's events that
Shampoo had to take over. Once she had told him the story of Ukyo, her attacker, her ensuing
mental state, and her nightly spells, Dr. Tofu turned once more towards Ryoga, and said grimly,
"Yesterday she seemed just fine, other then a couple bumps on the head and bruises from the rock
fall."
"I . . . had thought she was recovered," said Ryoga softly. "She knew who I was, and knew where
she was." He suddenly clenched his hands into fists, his voice rising. "I should have made sure! I
should have stayed with her tonight, not left her alone in the dark so soon after--"
"There was no way you could have known this would happen," Dr. Tofu cut in sharply. "Enough
of this; it's not your fault."
"But--"
"I . . . am okay now."
As one, they looked down at Ukyo. Her eyes were open, and she was looking up at Ryoga and
Dr. Tofu, kneeling over her. Ryoga started to say something, but she interrupted. "No, you
jackass-- don't apologize. You have nothing to apologize about. That shaking got me out of that
nightmare. Even if it did do weird things to my neck." She rubbed at her neck, wincing. Then she
sat up, dazedly, and supported herself on her arms. "It's going to be stiff tomorrow, I think."
Everyone continued to stare at her. After a while, Dr. Tofu waved his arm at the others, who
were standing near the little scene in their nightclothes almost like spirits, staring silently. "Go
back to bed, all of you. You need your sleep. Ukyo is obviously alright. You all aren't going to
be however, if you don't get some rest." He stood up, shooting a glance at Ryoga that brought
back memories of the stern lecture about shaking. Then he headed back towards his own tent,
wearily. After a while, everyone drifted back to their tents.
Ryoga looked around and then sighed. "I'm too tired to put your tent back up for you," he said
candidly and apologetically. "You can sleep in mine, and I'll sleep outside. I did it all the time
during my various travels, so I'm used to it."
"But--"
"No, it's okay. Here, do you need help walking?" Ryoga stood up and extended a hand, which
Ukyo used to pull herself to her feet. They began to head towards the tent, but Ukyo took one
step and founds her legs had the stability of jello, augmented by the vertigo she was feeling. She
sat down, rather abruptly. "Are you alright?" Ryoga asked.
"Ye-es, I think so. Just tired, I guess." They were whispering, so as not to disturb the people who
were trying to sleep.
"Here." Ryoga bent down, and before Ukyo could do more than begin a squawk of protest, he
picked her up and began carrying her towards the tent as if she weighed no more than a feather.
"What are you doing?!" she said, forgetting to whisper in her agitation.
"Carrying you," Ryoga answered, as if it should be apparent.
"I know that, you idiot. I meant why are you carrying me? Put me down at once!"
"Don't be stupid. You obviously can't walk. Just let go of your pride for a few minutes and then
once we get there you can be rid of me."
He sounded almost bitter, Ukyo thought with surprise. She couldn't think of anything to say, so
she fell silent and rested her head against his chest in exhaustion. She was aware of the strange
thrill that ran through her as she noticed that Ryoga hadn't paused long enough to put a shirt on.
After a while, he reached his tent. He set her on, but held on to her so she couldn't have fallen
over even if she tried to. He opened the flap and set her inside, as if she were a child. She
relinquished her hold on him almost reluctantly, gathered her dignity, and straightened her
nightgown which had gotten rather disarranged from her tossing and turning, and from being
picked up and carried. ". . . Thank you, Ryoga," she said tentatively.
"You're welcome." Ryoga started to retreat.
"Ryoga . . ." she called out, halting him before he could lower the tent flap.
"Yes?"
"Uh . . ." Ukyo looked kind of embarrassed in the lantern light. "Goodnight, Ryoga."
He leaned over and blew out the lantern. "Goodnight, Ukyo." He started to close the flap to the
tent.
"Ryoga?"
He glanced back inside the tent, and could see the moonlight reflecting off of Ukyo's wide eyes
and making her pale skin glow almost supernaturally. She looked very young and vulnerable in
her nightgown, with her sleeping roll drawn up around her. "What is it?"
"Will . . . will you stay here until I fall asleep?" she asked, forgetting for once to be embarrassed.
There was a silence for a time. "Of course, Ukyo. I'll be right here." He sat down, tying the tent
flap open so Ukyo could see him. After a while, Ukyo's eyelids drooped and her breathing
slowed into a rhythm that told Ryoga that she was sound asleep. He turned and looked inside,
once, to where she was sleeping as soundly as a comforted child, and then allowed slumber to
overcome him.
Ukyo was awakened by sunlight streaming in through her open tent flap. "Damn it," she muttered
groggily, sitting up. "Who was stupid enough to leave that open?" And then, with a rush, the
events of the preceding night came back to her. She sat there for a moment, reliving the previous
evening with no small amount of embarrassment. Then she pulled the tent flap closed, and then
realized someone had placed a freshly cleaned, folded stack of her clothing just inside. Probably
Kasumi, Ukyo thought as she dressed herself. Once she finished, she opened the flap and peered
outside again. It was a beautiful day-- there wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the most delicious
smells were wafting towards her from where Kasumi was cooking breakfast. It appeared to be
late in the morning, because other people were out and about. Ukyo started to move forward,
when she struck something gently with her toe. It muttered something, and rolled over. "Ryoga?"
she asked out loud, bewildered. I only asked him to stay until I was asleep . . . he stayed watch
here all night, lying on the cold ground with no bedroll or anything, and wearing only a pair of
pants? Her heart went out to him then, as she realized how much it must hurt him to watch Akane
with Ranma, and then have to babysit a stupid okonomiyaki chef who couldn't even go to sleep
without someone to watch over her. She felt tears well in her eyes, but brushed them away. Why
had Akane ever chosen Ranma, when she could have had Ryoga? For Akane's feelings were
apparent to everyone, if not to herself. And it wasn't hard to figure out how Ranma had felt,
either.
She realized then, that the thought of Akane and Ranma no longer caused her such heart-rending
pain-- there was a dull sort of ache, but she no longer cared the same way she used to. But when
she thought of Ryoga, sitting watch over her all night, the blood started rushing past her ears in a
way it never had before. She was suddenly aware of the way his muscles stood out against his
arms and back even while he was relaxed, and of how his little fangs poked out of his mouth as he
slept. She noticed all the little things, and suddenly had to restrain the urge to run her fingers
through his thick, tousled hair and brush the locks out of his eyes. How long she sat there, staring
down at him with her mouth hanging open she didn't know. But after a while, he stirred and
opened his eyes.
He mumbled something incoherent, and then blinked a couple times. "U-Ukyo?" he asked, and
then sat up abruptly, banging his head against hers.
Ukyo rocked back on her heels, dizzily. She hadn't realized that she'd been kneeling over him.
"Uh . . . good morning, Ryo-chan."
"Are you alright?" he asked, concerned, looking at her with such an intensity that she was sure
the dizziness she now felt was not just from the blow to the head she'd just received. He appeared
not even to notice that he'd hit his head too.
"Yes . . . I'm quite alright now. My head hurts," she complained good-naturedly.
The boy flushed, and looked down at the ground. "Sorry," he began, but Ukyo cut him off.
"Why do you always apologize all the time?" But then, before he could answer, Ukyo shrugged
and said briskly, "Never mind. Come on, let's go have breakfast." She tried as best she could to
sound normal, but she wasn't sure if she totally disguised the quaver in her voice. Why had she
only just realized how much Ryoga meant to her?
"Good morning!" Kasumi called cheerily as they approached her makeshift kitchen. "I hope you
all are hungry. I think I made too much this morning."
As they began to eat, a strange feeling came over Ukyo. It wasn't a premonition, or a warning, or
anything-- just a sense of . . . wrongness. She looked up, her eyes scanning the area intently.
Then, she suddenly realized what it was. "Hey--" she said sharply, trying to ignore the sudden
fearful pounding of her heart. "Where's Akane?"
Kasumi suddenly looked puzzled. "Why . . . I don't know. Now that I think of it, she hasn't
shown up for breakfast yet, and it's almost mid-morning."
Ryoga blinked and, setting down his plate, moved over towards Akane's tent. There was no sign
of activity inside it. "Akane?" Ryoga called out as he neared the tent. There was no reply, so he
stuck his head inside. When he re-emerged, his face was a shade paler than it had been when he
stuck it in. "She's not there," he said. "And is looks as if she never went inside last night at all."
It took a while to find the others, but once they were all assembled it was a serious-faced group
that faced Ukyo. She glanced around at everyone in turn, and noticed that Dr. Tofu flinched when
her gaze landed upon him. She decided to ignore that for the time being, and began to speak.
"Does anyone know where she went?" she asked, bluntly. "I don't think she would have
wandered off last night-- she was just as exhausted as the rest of us. But it's apparent that she
never even went into her tent."
No one said anything. The two remaining Tendo sisters had equally pale faces, and Nabiki's lips
were set in a grim line. Kuno was silent. Shampoo was nervously chewing the inside of her lip,
and Ryoga was staring down at his lap, a variety of emotions struggling across his face. Dr. Tofu,
however, looked somehow guilty. Ukyo peered at him, curiously. "You were the last one to bed
last night, weren't you?" she asked. "Do you know where she's gone?"
Dr. Tofu hesitated, glancing to either side guiltily. That was enough for Nabiki, who leaned
forward, eyes snapping. "What have you done with her, you traitor?" she snapped, startling
everyone with her vehemence. "I should have known from the time we knew that you had once
been a minion of that horrible woman that we shouldn't have left you alone with any of us!"
For a moment, everyone was too shocked to move or reply. Such emotion from Nabiki was rare,
and such an outburst-- unprecedented. She continued, when she got no reply. "You're just as
bad as that Nayami woman is! You led us right to her, didn't you, and put us all right where she
wants us! Now all she has to do is pick us off one by one, and Akane is the first to go! What
happened, Dr. Tofu? Did she figure out that you're not on our side anymore? Did you have to
silence her, so that--"
There was a loud, resounding smack. Nabiki's head snapped to one side, one cheek turning a
dark, angry red. "Nabiki, stop it!" Everyone's gaze swivelled from Nabiki to Kasumi. The eldest
sister's eyes were flashing with anger as she stood, one hand raised. "How can you say that? Dr.
Tofu is a good man, even though he deceived us. Wouldn't you deceive people if you'd had such
a strange history? I know I would. And he's been helping us, at the sacrifice of the cure to his
curse! He would never do something like this-- I know he wouldn't! How dare you insinuate
such things, when he has done so much for us!"
She sat back down, slowly, but did not lower her eyes from her sister's face. Her face was
flushed hotly from the embarrassment of all the attention on her, but she wasn't going to back
down. "It's been hard on all of us," she said quietly. "We're all getting tense. Ryoga, last night,
and now Nabiki, this morning." She fell silent, a silence which continued for a while, until Dr.
Tofu spoke.
"The truth is," he began slowly and quietly. Everyone turned to look at him, including Nabiki and
Kasumi. "I do know where Akane's gone." He glanced in the direction the cave lay. "She's gone
to find Ranma."
Chaos ensued. Almost everyone jumped to their feet, ready to go off and find her, to bring her
back before she got hurt, or killed. But, after a while, Dr. Tofu interjected and they all paused to
listen to him. "It's no use," he said, looking down at the ground. "I . . . told her a possible way
for her to free Ranma of Nayami's power. She's gone to try it. I couldn't help it; she was just so
desperate to help him, I--"
"Never mind," cut in Nabiki. She seemed to have forgotten her outburst, or at least was trying to.
"Just what is this supposed cure?"
Dr. Tofu hesitated. "I can't tell you. I wasn't even supposed to tell Akane. It's very dangerous--
if-- if--" He suddenly bowed his head, staring at the ground. "What have I done?" he whispered
quietly.
"What?" Shampoo spoke up abruptly. Up until that point, she'd been very quiet, even edgy,
around Dr. Tofu. But now, she asked him in disbelief, "What you mean? What you done?"
"The 'cure' wasn't a cure at all, but Akane had to believe it was. Ranma-- it's kinder to just let--
let him go. Permanently. Believe me, I know. And Akane . . . she's the only one here strong
enough to do it."
Everyone stared at the doctor in shocked silence. Then Kuno stood up swiftly, followed by Ukyo
and Ryoga. The Tendo sisters were still staring at Dr. Tofu. "We have to find her and stop her!"
Ukyo cried, starting towards the cave. It took a visible effort on her part as she steeled herself.
She was so terrified of that place that even looking in its direction made her start to sweat.
Dr. Tofu shook his head, almost sadly. "It's no use. She left just as soon as you all went into your
tents last night . . ." his voice trailed off.
One by one, they sat back down again. "So . . . we wait," Ryoga said. It wasn't a question. It was
a statement of fact.
Kasumi, meanwhile had shaken herself of the shock Dr. Tofu's words. "Dr. Tofu," she said
softly. "Can you tell us just who, or what, is Nayami-sama?"
Dr. Tofu smiled faintly at Kasumi, in a way that made her heart thump painfully even though she
now knew that he was a couple centuries older than her. "I suppose you all should know what
we're up against. There is a scroll-- I don't know if any of you recall seeing it on a chain around
her neck? No? Well, that's it. It's very small, but it holds much power. When a possible
replacement comes to a present Nayami, the replacement will come to a deserted system of caves.
She will see a scroll lying on the ground, and when she picks it up all the knowledge and power
of every preceding woman that had held the position flows into her. And she is bound, by that
scroll, to remain there until a replacement comes. No one really knows when or why this whole
thing got started, or why the position is filled with so much hate."
Kuno was quiet until then, but he spoke up. "So it isn't Xi Nao's fault that she's the way she is?"
"No," replied Dr. Tofu. "I knew her, once. She was a kind, loving, gentle person. It's horrible to
see her in this state."
Nabiki decided to ask a question which had been nagging at her for a long time. "How come I
remember seeing Nayami's face, but I can't remember what she looked like at all? No one else
can either. Except Kuno, who doesn't want to talk about it, and Ryoga who didn't see her. When
Kuno was acting funny the other day and you tied him up, he mentioned how beautiful she was--
but how could she be beautiful if no one can remember what she looks like?"
Dr. Tofu paused, considering the question. "It is a manifestation of the power of the scroll. If any
man sees Nayami's face, he sees her as the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. His heart's
desire. He falls into a kind of delirium, and is completely under her power. The longer he is in her
presence, the greater her hold over him. Since Kuno here only caught a glimpse, distance away
from her got rid of that delirium fairly quickly. With me, it took a long time and distance to break
her spell. But with Ranma, we can't get him away from the cave. And even if we could, it would
be years and years until he started acting even remotely like his normal self. Women, on the other
hand, see a normal woman. But when they try to recall her face, their minds draw a blank."
It was quiet for a while, until Ukyo made a soft sound. All eyes turned towards her. She looked
suddenly scared, and asked in a quiet voice, "Why . . . why was Ranma acting so cruel towards
me? Towards all of us? And what were those illusions I saw in the cave?"
Dr. Tofu grimaced. "The kinder the man is at heart, the greater his downfall. The men lured
towards the mountain are an outlet for all the hate and bitterness that Nayami feels. So she has
someone to do her hating for her, so she can remain calm, and supposedly impassive. And those
illusions-- that is the strongest of the power granted by the scroll. For men, she creates illusions
of their greatest desires. For women, she creates their worst fears."
"Oh."
There was another silence, until Nabiki asked softly, "When will it be safe to go look for Akane?"
Dr. Tofu sighed and stood up. "We should go now. If indeed she succeeded in-- in removing the
danger, she'll need someone to bring her away from the place. If not-- then all of this is useless."
Slowly, agonizingly slowly, awareness returned to her. At first she could not move, but after a
few long moments, she remembered how to open her eyes. When she did, she encountered a
strange sight. She saw her wrists, carefully bound with a bandage, but she felt no pain. She
doubted there were even wounds there. Why had someone wrapped a bandage around her arms?
There was a knife sitting beside her, blood-stained and dirty. And this boy, next to her,
not moving . . .
Akane suddenly remembered everything. And then, just as suddenly, she wished she hadn't. She remembered the feel of
the blade sliding between Ranma's ribs, and the look in his eyes when he had realized what she
had done. She remembered the noise he had made when he hit the ground, and how hard it had
been to pull the knife back out. And she also remembered what it had felt like to slit her own
wrists. She suddenly looked back down at her arms, and pulled the bandages off. The only trace
of her wounds were faint, white scars. Even as she watched, these faded away until no sign of
there existence remained.
Akane stared down at her wrists, her mind racing. Someone had healed her? That wasn't ordinary
doctoring-- was something unnatural. Or magical. Magical . . . she thought, something nagging
at the back of her mind. Nayami? But-- why would she heal me? Then another thought came to
her. If Nayami had healed her, maybe she had healed Ranma too! Akane suddenly bent over his
body, examining his chest. The knife wound was still there, and it looked awful. She felt her
hopes tumbling, until she noticed a faint movement. His chest-- he was still breathing, just barely.
It looked as if Nayami had healed him just enough to hang on until Akane awoke. But why? Did
the woman expect Akane to perform some magical feat and miraculously cure him?
Akane began to look around for something she could turn into a litter. Much as she hated the
thought, she was going to have to get him to Dr. Tofu before-- before-- Her eyes fell on
something just beyond Ranma's body. It was a small scroll, attached to a chain like someone
would wear around their neck. Akane frowned at it for a moment, her panicked mind not quite
grasping what she saw. Then, she scrambled around Ranma's body to examine the little scroll
more closely. Maybe it would tell her how to cure Ranma!
She picked it up.
Ranma opened his eyes. It was hard, as if he were swimming through honey. It felt as if he hadn't
moved for months. He remembered the mountain, and the trials, but everything after that was
hazy, a jumble of chaotic pictures that his mind refused to sort out. He sat up with some
difficulty, holding his head with one hand. Then his eyes fell upon the girl in front of him.
She was wearing a white dress of some sort, simple and belted at the waist. His gaze ran the rest
of the way up her body, trying not to notice the way the thin white fabric revealed more than it
ought. She had short, dark hair, beneath a circlet of golden leaves, and she was wearing a tiny
scroll on a chain around her neck. Her face, round and delicate, framed two deep, dark brown
eyes. He knew those eyes.
"Akane!" He felt a jolt of surprise run through him, but it was a good feeling at the same time.
"What are you doing here? Why are you dressed like that? Why are you pointing a finger at me?"
For indeed, one arm was outstretched towards him, her index finger wavering a few inches from
his face. Again Ranma felt as though he had to struggle to move, and he found himself captivated
by her face in a way he never had before.
She smiled. It wasn't the same smile he knew and recognized. "So it does work. Interesting."
Even her voice sounded odd. Cold, somehow, and emotionless. Something was wrong, very
wrong-- it was like that time Akane had had her body stolen by the vengeful doll. There was
something different here, something . . .
Ranma struggled to keep alert. The heavy feeling was getting worse, and it was nearing
impossibility for him to think straight. All he could think about was the woman in front of him.
"A-A-Akane . . . what's wrong?" Even his mind was working sluggishly, and each second that
passed made it harder for him to concentrate.
She cut him off with a gesture, and smiled disarmingly at him. "Ranma, do you love me?" The
woman was still holding out her hand to him.
Ranma's mouth, still open, moved a couple times before he said quietly in a voice that would
have surprised him, had he been thinking clearly, "Ye-es, Nayami-sama. Yes, I do." And with that, he reached
out and took the hand she extended.
In the bushes, a young woman with long, violet hair watched them carefully. Then she turned
away, facing the forest. Free. She was finally free . . . And it was either her or that other girl, and
Xi Nao did not want to be trapped with that scroll for a few centuries.
Xi Nao stood up and walked a ways into the forest, her footsteps silent on the moss-covered
forest floor. She did feel a little sorry for the couple. First, with that girl wishing so dearly to have
her normal boy back, and then get him back only to lose herself. It was beautifully tragic, when
she actually thought about it. Her pride at completing such a good plan started to surpass her
sympathy with the girl, when suddenly it died down. You don't have to do this, anymore . . . said
a tiny voice in the back of her mind Xi Nao halted, puzzled. Do what? She wasn't doing anything
but leaving. And reliving the triumph of freeing herself, and turning her curse upon that girl, the
same one who had before tried so hard to free her little boyfriend. That stupid, horrible little--
Stop. You're free now. All this . . . this hatred should be gone now. Remember? The wisp of
thought refused to die.
"It's not hatred!" she said aloud, and then covered her mouth, glancing back in the direction she
had come. She waited there for a few moments, expecting at any moment to see the newly be-spelled Ranma come crashing through the bushes after her. But he didn't, to Xi Nao's relief. "It's
not hatred," she repeated, in a whisper this time. "I just-- there's no reason to stay anymore,
and-- and I never have to . . . have to . . . suffer . . .anymore . . ." Her thoughts were losing their
potency.
It's wrong. All of it is wrong. The scroll has no hold over you-- you don't have to be unfeeling
anymore. There's no one to do your hating for you.
"No one . . ." Xi Nao turned her head, her eyes falling on the path she had made through the
undergrowth from the clearing near the entrance to the cave. Images of the look on the faces of
that boy's friends when they had learned what had happened to him kept flashing in front of her
vision.
His friends . . . don't they all have a right to have those two back? They'll never know what
happened to them, if you don't tell them. They'll never find out. They'll stay there, waiting, until
it's too late . . .
Xi Nao lifted her head, her eyes determined. She had to tell them. Maybe they would believe
her-- if not, perhaps they would kill her. She smiled, faintly. She didn't really mind either way.
She paused, regaining her bearings, and struck out for the camp.
Shampoo was ahead of the others, pushing her way through the bushes in her hurry to reach the
clearing. She was making so much noise that she couldn't hear the soft sound from just ahead of
her. It was a small gasp, and a dull thud of a body hitting the ground.
Shampoo parted the bushes in front of her, and saw a young woman lying on the ground, one foot
on top of a root, as if she'd just tripped and fallen over. Shampoo had just enough to see that
before the woman lifted her head, and stared.
"You-- you are--" the woman whispered, her eyes wide.
Shampoo's mouth worked silently. It was almost like looking in a mirror-- the woman had long,
violet hair the exact same shade as hers, and her face had the same delicate frame, and her eyes--
her eyes were so alike, except so different at the same time. Older; much, much older. "Who--"
Shampoo managed to say, "Who you?"
Slowly, as if she was very tired, the woman got to her feet, facing Shampoo full in the face. "I--
My name is Xi Nao. I'm-- I'm sorry--"
Shampoo took a step back, almost as if she had been slapped. That was when the others arrived,
skidding to a halt when they saw what was in front of them. Dr. Tofu especially, looked shocked,
as Xi Nao bowed her head. Shampoo spun around, and darted back into the safety of the group,
and ironically, it was Ryoga who caught her arm before she could get herself lost in the forest.
For what seemed like an eternity, nothing moved except the leaves that were stirred by the
breeze.
Someone stepped forward. It was Kasumi, wearing a strange, almost thoughtful expression. "I--
I know who you are," she said quietly.
Xi Nao looked up at her. "You are-- you are that girl, the one that Ono--"
Dr. Tofu made a slightly strangled noise, but Kasumi ignored him for once. "And you are Xi Nao.
Nayami-sama. You're the one who did all of this . . . Aren't you?"
Xi Nao swallowed. "Y-Yes," she replied. "But not Nayami, not anymore."
Kasumi didn't seem surprised. "I didn't think so. Tell me, why did you decide to become normal
again?"
Xi Nao shut her eyes, as if to block Kasumi out. "I didn't. I didn't! There's-- please, you have to
listen to me. Kill me, imprison me, it doesn't matter. But you have to believe me-- your two
friends are in danger."
Kasumi took a step back, obviously not expecting this. "Akane? What-- what's happening to
her?"
Xi Nao shook her head. "Just-- just go to clearing," she said, slipping back into her Chinese way
of speaking in her distress. "And hurry. If you get from her soon, shock won't-- it won't-- just
go!" And with that, she took one look over Kasumi's shoulder at the group behind her, turned,
and disappeared into the forest.
There was a brief pause, and then Ukyo laughed, nervously. "So. What was she talking about,
anyway?"
"I'm not sure," said Dr. Tofu, wiping a hand across his forehead. "But I think I might have an
idea. If I'm right, we have to hurry, or else both Ranma and Akane might suffer."
They wasted no time, and began moving again. Ukyo noticed that Shampoo wasn't following.
She was standing back where Ryoga had caught her arm, staring in the direction Xi Nao had left.
Ukyo touched her on the arm, and Shampoo turned to look at her, nodding. "I'm coming," she
said, smiling reassuringly.
Ukyo smiled back at her, and then hurried to catch back up to the others.
Shampoo glanced back at where the young woman had disappeared into the undergrowth.
"Mother . . ."
When they emerged in the clearing, they immediately saw two figures near the cave entrance.
They all froze, keeping absolutely silent until it was obvious that neither of them were listening
for intruders.
Ranma was kneeling on the ground in front of a young woman, raising her hand to his lips with an
expression of complete adoration on his face. The woman, however, had an almost vengeful look
on her face.
Ryoga was the first to move. He took a step towards them, his eyes wide. "She's-- she's so
beautiful . . ." He took another step forward, the noise of his footfalls causing the pair to turn and
spot them.
"Ranma!" The woman turned so that everyone could fully see her face. At the same time, Dr.
Tofu and Kuno took a step back, and the women all struggled to focus upon her face. They could
see it, but their eyes kept sliding around it, as though their gaze wouldn't stay straight. "Ranma,"
she repeated imperiously, "Take care of them."
Nabiki made a soft, almost shocked noise, and the other girls glanced at her. "Her hair--" she
said, in a hoarse voice. "We can't see her face, but look-- look at her hair."
They did. It was short and dark, and easily recognizable. Kasumi especially recognized it; After
all, she was the one that had had to even out the ends after it had gotten cut off by Ryoga in those
early days. Meanwhile, she had left and hurried back into the cave, leaving Ranma facing them
with a smirk on his face.
Ryoga shook himself, glancing after Akane as she left, and then stepped forward to take on
Ranma. "Go on," he said grimly, tensing into his fighting stance. "Go ahead, find Akane, and get
that scroll away from her. If indeed it is Akane. It didn't look like her to me, but--" he glanced at
Dr. Tofu and the others. "I guess it is, judging by all your reactions."
Shampoo frowned. "You no fight Ranma all by yourself! He stronger now that he is controlled,
you get killed!"
Dr. Tofu sighed. "She's right, you know. He'll have gotten stronger and faster under her power."
Ryoga's eyes narrowed, hard and cold. "I have a score to settle with him. I swore I'd make him
pay."
Ukyo stepped forward then, and all eyes turned to her. "I'll help," she said quietly.
Ryoga shook his head, relaxing a little out of his stance. "No! You can't--"
"I can!" Ukyo was adamant. "All of you, go. We can take care of him. Find Akane, and get her
back to normal. We'll keep Ranma here until you do."
The group hesitated, and it was, oddly enough, Shampoo who eventually nodded gravely. "I
believe spatula-girl. They be fine. We go, find Akane. Remember what mothe-- what Xi Nao say,
that we hurry?"
Kuno nodded. "We have to go and rescue Akane from that scroll's clutches! Let us hurry!"
For once, nobody hit Kuno, and instead followed him into the darkness of the cave.
Ryoga was spluttering incoherently, and Ukyo turned towards him, taking her spatula off of her
back. "What, you got a problem?" she asked fiercely.
"You-- you--" he began, and then burst out, "You idiot! You're going to get yourself killed!"
Ukyo's eyes narrowed. "Oh, really? Like I could just happily leave and let you do the same?"
Ryoga blinked rapidly, and then tried to retaliate. "But-- but--"
Ukyo took a step towards him, her voice angry. "Think about it, idiot! One of us can't face him
alone. If I fall, you fall. If you fall, I will. We're even."
"You could have been safely with the others-- I can handle this--"
"Weren't you even listening to what they were saying?" she exploded. "He's stronger now! You
can't beat him by yourself!"
"But . . ." His argument was losing steam, and he knew it.
"What, did you think I would just tag along with the others and wait while you went and got
killed? Dammit, you men are all the same! You think you're being all noble, sacrificing
yourselves to protect us, while really we're the ones who suffer while we wait, unable to do
anything, in agony because I can't know whether you're going to come back to me--" Her voice
stopped abruptly, and she looked down at the ground.
Ryoga blinked. He didn't really know what to say in the face of Ukyo's tirade. "U-Ukyo--" he
stammered, uncertainly.
"You . . ." she said softly. "You . . . you JACKASS!" She glared at him, and then turned to
Ranma, who was looking greatly amused. "Come on, let's fight!"
Ryoga steeled himself, and nodded. "Right. Ranma, you will PAY!" And with that, he and Ukyo
charged at him side by side.
Dr. Tofu was explaining his theory as they walked along the darkened corridors. "The longer she
has contact with the scroll, the stronger the bond with it will be. I believe that if we get it away
from her soon, the shock won't affect her as much.
Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "You believe? What if you're wrong about this?"
Dr. Tofu shrugged. "Two things could happen. Either nothing would happen and she'd still be
Nayami-sama, or else . . ."
"Or else?"
"Or else she'd die. Or be severely affected by the shock."
Nabiki quieted down after that, falling a little behind Dr. Tofu, who began talking to Kasumi
earnestly. Shampoo was in front of them, her expression stone cold and impassive. Nabiki made a
face, and watched the stone floor go by as she walked. It made her a little dizzy after a while and
she looked up again to find Kuno walking next to her.
"Does anyone else besides me find this hard to believe?" he asked quietly, in a different tone of
voice than his usual one.
Nabiki shrugged, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. "Sort of. We have proof, don't we?
That was Akane, I know it was. It felt like Akane. But at the same time . . ." She couldn't quite
put her thoughts into words.
Kuno shook his head. "She looked the same as Xi Nao did when she had the scroll. I couldn't tell
a difference at all."
Again, Nabiki watched Kuno out of the corner of her eye. "Kuno-- what do you see, when you
look at Nayami-sama? Is it Akane, or R-- or your pigtailed girl?"
Kuno paused. "To tell you the truth, I'm not entirely sure."
Nabiki raised her eyebrows skeptically. "You don't know? How's that possible?"
Kuno sighed. "I don't remember too clearly. I do know she was beautiful-- and although her hair
might have just been pulled back into a pigtail or something, I'm pretty sure she had short hair."
He glanced at her, and then stopped walking for a second, his jaw falling open.
Nabiki took a few more steps and then stopped also, looking back at him. "Something wrong,
Kuno?"
Kuno gave her an odd look, as if seeing her for the first time, and then shook his head abruptly.
"No! N-no, I'm fine." Then his manner changed completely, and that same look of noble idiocy
came over his face once more. "Come, we are falling behind! We must hasten to the rescue of the
fair Akane!" And with that, he swept past her and caught up with the rest of the group.
Nabiki stared after him with a troubled expression on her face. "Sometimes, Kuno-baby," she
murmured to herself, "you really surprise me. But sometimes, I despair of ever cracking that shell
of yours . . ."
"I'm pretty sure she'll be in here," Dr. Tofu was saying. "This is the main room-- it's sort of like
a throne room, I suppose." He gestured at a cavern on their left and they all entered, stopping
short in the doorway.
Nabiki, in the back, tried to stand on her toes to see. "What? What is it? Did we find Akane?"
Shampoo answered her question in an odd tone of voice. "Oh, we find her alright. That not the
problem." She stepped aside so Nabiki could see.
The cavern was large, almost unnaturally so. There were stalactites hanging from the ceiling in
vast formations, like the jaws of some monstrous beast. But that wasn't what caught Nabiki's
attention. What drew her eyes downward from the rock formations were six people, all standing
in a row. The problem, as Shampoo had put it, was that they all looked exactly the same, and
they all had the face of Nayami.
"Ryoga, look out!" Ukyo could see, from her position behind Ranma, what Ryoga couldn't. He
was being forced backwards, towards the precipice of a cliff. Ukyo struggled to her feet,
staggering slightly. She'd been kicked back against the rock face, and had to stop and try to get
her breath before she could try getting up again.
Ryoga couldn't risk a glance behind him-- he was too occupied defending against Ranma's
lightning-fast blows. But he trusted Ukyo; she wouldn't disrupt his concentration by calling out
to him just because of Ranma's attacks. He surged forward, startling Ranma momentarily and
using his split-second hesitation to dart to the side and around him, only then seeing what it was
that Ukyo had called out about. He smirked quietly, as he waited for Ranma to regroup and come
at him again. "That's not going to work, Ranma. Nice try, though." He circled to one side,
making his way towards where Ukyo was.
"Why's he so focused on fighting, instead of torturing?" Ukyo asked quietly, as they watched
Ranma circle.
Ryoga thought about that for a moment, replying, "I'm not really sure. Maybe it has something to
do with the person controlling him-- Akane's certainly not the type of person to do that torture
stuff. She'd be more interested in just fighting-- maybe that's why. And Xi Nao has plenty of
reason to be the way she was, amplified . . . she did get left behind with a child to care for."
Ukyo tensed, waiting for Ranma to attack, and nodded. "That certainly makes sense. Look, here
he comes--" And the fight began again, even more furiously than before.
Ranma had indeed gotten stronger during his stay at the mountain, even though he'd only been
there a few days. It took them both to fend him off, and they certainly weren't making any
offensive headway. On a lucky hit, one of Ranma's punches caught the edge of Ukyo's spatula
just right, sending it skittering off along the ground and out of reach.
"Dammit!" burst out Ukyo. She wasn't a hand-to-hand fighter. While she was still a fairly good
martial artist without her weapon, she was no match for Ranma. "Cover me, Ryoga!" she cried,
and then dove for the weapon.
"Ukyo! No, wait--" But it was too late-- grinning horribly, Ranma spun and kicked Ukyo in the
stomach as she reached for the handle of her spatula, causing Ukyo to stiffen in surprise. Her eyes
widened for a moment as she landed on the ground, before she went limp, her eyes rolling back
into her head. Her outstretched hand was only about an inch or so away from the handle of her
spatula.
"Ukyo!" cried Ryoga, trying to make his way towards her.
Ranma blocked him, still grinning. It was very reminiscent of the same smirk he always had when
he knew he was going to win a fight back in Nerima, but it was somehow worsened by the fact
that Ryoga knew that if he lost to him this time, it wouldn't merely be a matter of pride. It would
be a matter of life and death.
"It's just you and me now, Ryoga," said Ranma quietly.
Ryoga stared at Ukyo's limp form for a moment longer, and then focused his eyes on Ranma's
grinning face. "Ranma . . ." he whispered, licking his cracked lips. "Ranma, you've gone way,
way too far. You . . . will . . . PAY!" He rushed at him with all his strength, lashing out with his
umbrella.
Ranma just moved too fast, evading the swing of the red bamboo umbrella with apparent ease.
"Tsk tsk, Ryoga, you're getting sloppy! Surely you aren't that angry that I beat up on little
Ucchan there?"
Ryoga snarled in response, letting his anger overtake him. The fact that Ranma's grammar was
strangely improved under Nayami's influence only added to his fury; flailing with the umbrella, he
came very near to hitting Ranma. He missed, though, and his momentum took him off balance. He
staggered, trying to get nearer to Ukyo to try and rouse her. He couldn't fight Ranma alone. He
almost made it, but Ranma came down on his unprotected back, driving all the wind out of his
lungs. Ranma leapt off of his back, his feet landing hard on the hand that was clutching the
umbrella, and Ryoga could hear the bones of his fingers and wrist crack painfully.
Ranma stepped back a few paces, watching the results of his move with a strangely morbid
interest on his face. Ryoga's fingers lost their grip on the handle of the umbrella as a wave of pain
overtook Ryoga, causing him to stagger and grit his teeth. "Ranma . . ." he snarled, trying to walk
again. But the blow to his back had somehow hit a tender spot, causing his legs to lose their
strength. He struggled to stay standing, but had to sink to his knees. His head drooped, and he
shut his eyes tightly. I'm so useless, in the end . . .
"In the end," said Ranma, unconsciously echoing Ryoga's thoughts. "In the end, you kneel to
me? Is that it? Are you begging, on your knees, to have your life spared?"
Ryoga heard Ukyo stir slightly, and opened his eyes in time to see her open hers. "Ryoga . . .
don't--" she began, but whatever she had been going to say was cut off as Ranma kicked her in
the side. He didn't kick her terribly hard, but it was in the same spot he had hit her before and she
gasped in pain, tears springing to her eyes.
Ryoga tightened his one good hand into fists. "Ukyo," he said softly. "Protect yourself."
"What?" Ukyo gasped, opening her eyes again and looking at him desperately.
"What?" Ranma echoed, looking vaguely puzzled.
Ryoga's expression didn't change. His entire face was impassive, not even letting the pain in his
right arm show on his features. Ukyo's eyes widened as she understood, and curled into a
protective ball despite the pain it caused her. Only then did Ryoga let the feelings that had been
threatening to overwhelm him the past few days surface to his consciousness, let them wash over
him like a wave. He thought about how he'd lost Akane once more, and had found Ukyo only to
have her brushed aside like a troublesome fly. He thought about how easily he'd been beaten, and
how he was losing the only thing that had ever come close to becoming friendship in his entire
life. He thought about his swear to find the person who had hurt Ukyo, and he let it all go.
"Shi shi HOKODAN!" he cried, and let the pent up energy flow from his fingertips in a rush, the
explosion drowning out all sight, sound, and emotion.
For several moments, Ryoga wasn't sure whether he was alive or not. It was always like that
after a ki-blast so large-- for a few minutes, he didn't remember who or where he was, and
couldn't really move or think properly. Once he recovered, he opened his eyes. Before him was a
gently smoking crater, a dusty and bedraggled form lying a little to the left of the center of it. Off
to one side, Ukyo sat up out of the rubble, holding her side and wincing. "Is he . . ." her voice
trailed off as she looked at the crater, biting her lower lip.
Ryoga swayed where he stood, the exhaustion hitting him hard. But he summoned enough
strength to slide down the gentle slope of the crater, skidding to a stop as he neared Ranma. As
he did so, the form stirred slightly and sat up.
Ryoga automatically dropped back into fighting stance despite the stabbing pain in his right arm.
Ranma rubbed the grit out of his eyes and stood up, smirking slightly. "That actually hurt a little.
But weren't you listening when they said I had gotten stronger, Ryoga?" he asked quietly. There
was a brief moment in which despair threatened to overtake Ryoga, and then Ranma suddenly
staggered to one side, clutching his head. He mumbled something, falling against the side of the
crater and pressing his face against the stone.
Ryoga lowered his hands, taking a cautious step towards the other young man. "Ranma--"
"D-Don't come near me!" cried Ranma, his voice muffled by the rock. He turned his head to look
at Ryoga, and his eyes were frightened. Ryoga paused in his step, looking closer. Yes, his eyes
were frightened, but they were his own eyes again-- that was what had been nagging at him the
entire time he'd seen Ranma; his eyes were cold, and almost dazed-looking.
"Ranma!" Ukyo, noticing the difference immediately, came stumbling to her feet and slid down
the side of the crater. Clutching her side in pain, she paused a moment to catch her breath, and
then asked hopefully, "Ranchan?"
Ranma shut his eyes tightly, whispering softly, "Stay away-- I don't know-- I'll hurt you, stay
away--"
"Don't be an idiot," Ryoga said briskly. "You'll be fine."
Ranma's eyes flew open, and the look in them made both Ryoga and Ukyo take a few steps back.
They were back to that blank, cold look again, and he snarled fiercely. "I told you to stay away!
You had your chance, and now you're both defenseless!"
Ryoga suddenly realized that Ukyo had left her spatula back where she had fallen, and he'd lost
his umbrella somewhere during his blast. He did the first thing that came to mind-- without
thinking, he reached his arm back and then punched Ranma, square in the face.
Ranma staggered backwards a pace and then fell heavily to the ground. Still sitting up, he swayed
slightly and then glared up at Ryoga. "You dirty, sneaking, low-down cowa--"
Ryoga punched him again. "Ranma! You . . . you . . ." For lack of anything else to call him, he
cried, "You jackass! How can you sit there, while Akane needs our help!"
Ranma's snapped back with the force of Ryoga's blow, and he reached an arm up to wipe the
trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth where he'd bitten his cheek. "Akane . . ." he looked
confused, but still blank.
Ryoga brought his arm back again, ready to punch him, when Ukyo put a restraining hand on his
arm. "No, wait--" she said, and took a step forward. "Ranchan?" she asked, querulously.
Ranma began to snarl something in response, and Ukyo calmly punched him in the face, much like
Ryoga had done. Ranma spluttered something angrily, and Ukyo hit him again, across the face
this time. "I think it's helping!" Ukyo said cheerfully, when Ranma didn't snarl at her this time. "I
guess that since he was under her spell for such a short time, all it took was for some strong-as-steel lug to knock some sense into his thick skull."
Ryoga felt a faint smile tug at his lips, and with that smile came hope. He reached down and
seized Ranma's collar, pulling the dizzy young man to his feet. "Look," he said in a low voice.
"You are going to stop this nonsense and go help Akane-- I'll even be nice and let you be the
one to save her instead of me!"
Ranma coughed, and then gasped out, "Y-You're choking me!"
Ryoga blinked and then set Ranma on his feet, loosening his grip on the boy's collar slightly.
"Well? Are you going to be intelligent, or do you need another beating?"
Ranma coughed a few more times, before grinning in a lopsided manner. "So where's Akane?"
Ryoga released him completely and pointed at the cave. "In there, you bloody idiot."
Ranma glanced towards the cave and straightened, brushing off his shirt. "Okay. You guys
coming, or not?"
"Count me in, sugar," Ukyo said smiling.
"Like I'm going to let you go without me?" Ryoga asked incredulously. "I may have given up on
Akane, but I'm not going to let you take all the glory."
Ranma began to run to the cave, but looked over his shoulder at Ryoga curiously. "You've given
up on Akane?" His gaze shifted then to Ukyo, who was flushing a bright scarlet as she hurried to
catch up. He decided to stay quiet, and not be too curious as he passed into the darkness beyond
the edge of the cave.
The six women all smiled, saying in unison, "Welcome, my friends. Well come indeed. You all
look so hostile-- surely you haven't come to kill me? Come Dr. Tofu-- you wouldn't kill the
little girl you always patched up after fights, would you? Kuno, I'm surprised at you. That you
could even think of raising a hand against me, your first love? And my dear, dear elder sisters--
you surely couldn't stand by and watch me get killed." They laughed, and it sent shivers down
everyone else's spines.
Quietly, Dr. Tofu said to the others, "They can't all be real . . . Nayami's powers extend only
over illusion. There's only one real person here, and the others can't hurt us."
The moment he finished speaking, all six women rushed them. Everyone tried to protect
themselves, shielding their faces. Kasumi cried out-- apparently the real Nayami had struck her.
Dr. Tofu struck out at the nearest figure, his fist passing straight through.
As the fight continued, it grew obvious that they would be unable to fight her this way-- it was
impossible to tell whether they were striking out at the real Nayami or an illusion, and when their
hands and feet would encounter thin air, they'd get thrown off balance enough that the real
Akane could follow it up with an all-too-solid blow.
Just then, a figure burst into the room. It took everyone a minute to realize who it was-- covered
in dust, with his shirt torn and his face slightly bloody, Ranma looked nothing the way he usually
did. But once everyone saw who it was, they knew they were lost-- it was hard enough trying to
deal with Nayami, but with Ranma helping her they were as good as dead.
Ranma stood there a moment, staring as he caught his breath. When Akane saw him, all of the
images flickered in surprise-- very briefly, but it was still there. It was enough to show everyone
who the real Nayami was; for, near the back, was one figure who didn't flicker, and was staring
at Ranma in open-mouthed shock. "How can you still be alive?" she asked, the illusions frozen
where they had last been. "I felt your presence disappear, and . . ."
"Oh, he's not dead," said a dry, female voice from behind him. "He just got a little sense pounded
into him, that's all."
"Ukyo!" Shampoo cried happily. "And Ryoga, too! You alright, yes?"
"We're fine," Ryoga assured her, and then blinked in confusion at the multiple illusions scattered
about the room. "What the . . ."
Before anyone could explain, Ranma stepped forward, towards what everyone now knew was the
real Nayami. Before she could gather her wits again after the surprise of seeing someone she'd
thought was dead, he reached out and seized the chain around her neck, pulling it away and
breaking it with a gentle snap.
As one, the entire group held their breath. The illusions flickered wildly for a few moments, and
then disappeared. The woman left standing staggered slightly and clutched at her head, backing
away from Ranma. Then she stopped and straightened, her head bowed and eyes closed.
"A-Akane . . ." began Ranma, tentatively.
The woman began to laugh, a soft, throaty chuckle. At the sound, everyone's hearts sank. That
wasn't Akane's laugh. "That wasn't very smart of you, anata," she said quietly. "You were still in
my good graces before, but now I'm afraid I'll have to dispose of you with the rest of your pitiful
band."
Ranma didn't move. There was a brief silence which seemed to stretch out forever, and then
finally Ranma took a step forward. Nayami raised an eyebrow, obviously not intimidated. "You
can't touch me, you know," she said in an amused tone of voice. "What are you trying to do?
Quit now, and maybe I'll let you die last."
Ranma shook his head, his eyes flashing with what seemed to be anger-- but with Ranma, you
could never really tell for sure. "Only you . . ." he whispered, so soft that the others weren't quite
sure what they'd heard.
Nayami crossed her arms in front of her chest. "What was that?"
Ranma's hands clenched into fists, and he said a little louder, "Only you, Akane. You know
that?"
"I know that I haven't the faintest what you can be getting at, my dear boy."
"Only you would get yourself into a situation like this."
Nayami blinked, and opened her mouth. Whatever she was going to say was cut off, as Ranma
continued, taking another few steps forward.
"Only you would be stupid enough to pick up that dumb scroll. Only you would be this dumb--
it only proves what I've been telling you all this time, you know--" his voice wobbled slightly,
and he spoke even louder to try and disguise the quavering sound. "You're just-- you're just a
stupid, macho tomboy!"
Nayami's mouth fell open, and she stared at Ranma in seeming disbelief. Then she let out a little
gasp and clutched at her head with her hands, falling to her knees on the cold stone floor. "No--
no, wait . . . this can't--" she murmured, her eyes tightly shut.
Ranma continued unmercifully, coming near enough to her that he was standing almost directly
over her, his voice rising in volume yet again. "You never do anything right! You weren't
supposed to follow me, idiot! I never meant for this to happen to you! If you'd just stayed away, I
could have handled it!"
"No! No . . ." A little moan escaped from Nayami's lips, her face contorted with pain.
"I . . . I wish I'd never even come to Nerima in the first place! You . . . you . . . you are SO
uncute!!"
The woman on the floor stopped moving, suddenly. Carefully, deliberately, she stood up, swaying
slightly before she found her balance. Her head bowed so that her face was hidden in shadow, she
spoke. "Ranma . . ."
Ranma didn't answer-- he was only a few feet away from her, and his back was to the group so
they couldn't see his expression.
"Ranma . . ." repeated the woman, swaying once more. "Ranma . . . Ranma no . . . BAKA!" Her
voice rose into a furious scream on the final word, and before anyone could blink, Ranma was on
the floor with a mallet plastered to the back of his head and his fingers automatically curled into
the martial arts' defeat sign.
As Akane stood over his slightly twitching body, fuming, her hair bristling, the others were too
surprised to do anything. There was silence for a few minutes, broken only by the faint whimpers
of pain coming from Ranma.
"Oh, how nice!" Kasumi smiled, clasping her hands in front of her. "She's back."
They made their way down the mountain, Shampoo happily leading everyone in a song. Although
Ukyo had originally proposed the idea on the way to the mountain, Shampoo took to it the most
and kept asking everyone to sing. And, since there was no reason not to, they did. Dr. Tofu had
diagnosed Ryoga with a broken wrist and three broken fingers, and Ukyo with several fractured
ribs. They were both bandaged now, and didn't really seem to be in that much pain. Other than
that, there were no serious injuries. Akane had had a headache the remainder of the final day at
the mountain, and it was only just now beginning to fade. Shampoo permitted Dr. Tofu to get
near enough to her to treat the cut on her cheek, and he predicted that it would heal nicely,
hopefully without even leaving a scar. Her finger had been bandaged and splinted, and the doctor
had assured her that it would probably heal just fine. Kasumi was happily keeping an eye over the
sheepish doctor, after making it quite plain to him that she did not blame him for what had
happened, and that she really didn't care how old he was. He was still the same man she'd
known, just with slightly more experience than she'd actually thought.
The only one not singing was Nabiki. Akane noticed this and dropped back to walk next to her
older sister. After trying to think of something to say for a while, she decided to just get to the
point as tactfully as she could. "Why aren't you singing?" she asked.
Nabiki glanced sideways at her sister and shrugged. "Why aren't you singing?"
"'Cos I'm talking to you. Besides, I asked first." Nabiki didn't answer, so Akane tried another
tactic. "You know, if you don't know the words, you can at least hum along."
Nabiki cut Akane off, glaring at her. "It's not that!"
Akane continued walking in silence. Her sister had been snappish and irritable ever since they'd
left the cave. She watched Nabiki out of the corner of her eye, and caught her glancing up to the
front of the group with a thoughtful, troubled expression on her face, towards where Kuno was
marching steadily, his attitude saying plainly that the "karaoke" was nothing without the support
of the Blue Thunder, the rising new star of Furinken High School. Akane winced slightly and
looked back at her sister. Akane might be slow, but she wasn't stupid. After all, it had been
Nabiki who had brought Kuno along in the first place, hadn't it? All that jabber about needing
him to carry her pack for her was just a cover-up. Akane suddenly saw Nabiki in a new light, and
said quietly, "Nabiki, Kuno's not going to see you as anything except a source for pictures."
Nabiki snapped her gaze away and firmly stared at the ground in front of her. "I know. But . . . it
had seemed like-- on this trip, he had-- Oh, I don't know. Never mind. I'm not making sense."
Akane tilted her head back, breathing in the fresh afternoon air. "But he's superficial and silly
anyway. You can do so much better. After all, he's been in love with Ranma, for goodness' sake.
How stupid is that?"
Nabiki raised an eyebrow at Akane, saying slyly, "Oh, I don't know. Being in love with Ranma
isn't all that stupid, is it?"
Akane flushed angrily, but was determined not to let her sister change the subject. "But . . . but . .
. Kuno? I mean, really, Nabiki--"
Nabiki glared at Akane, raising one hand and smacking her younger sister on the back of the head.
"I'm not in love with him or anything, you dolt!" She rolled her eyes and once again focused on
the path before them. Her expression turned serious again, and almost puzzled. "But . . . Akane,
if only you'd seen him when-- earlier on the trip, he seemed sensible. He . . . comforted me when
I thought you might have been--" She swallowed. "If only you knew what a . . . different person
he really is when he lets his guard down. When he lets down his facade. We're a lot alike, he and
I." Without realizing it, her gaze had drifted back to the figure in front of them. "I only wish I
could have seen it sooner.
Akane was, needless to say, surprised. "I . . . I'm sorry, Nabiki. I really am. It's okay, though . . .
if you're right, and he doesn't really mean anything to you, there's nothing to worry about. Is
there?"
Nabiki nodded glumly. After a moment, she said briskly, "Oh, well, I only brought him along for
his money anyhow. I'll find a better, richer guy to leech off of. Or I'll just expand my businesses
and soon own a huge business corporation, and make millions every day. Ne, Akane-imootosan?"
Akane grinned. "That's the spirit. Come on, join in the singing." And she began to sing once
more. After a while, she heard Nabiki join in. She glanced sideways, and noticed that although she
was singing, she was still staring pensively at the ground. Akane sighed. There wasn't any more
that she could do. Suddenly, from towards the front of the pack, came a slight commotion. The
singing faltered and died out, as everyone strained to listen. Ranma and Dr. Tofu were having
some sort of argument about their Jusenkyö curses.
"No!" Ranma was saying heatedly. "It's more of a popping sensation than a melting-- it's like
someone's rearranging your insides, and not caring what you feel in the process."
Dr. Tofu started to respond, when suddenly Ukyo, who'd been walking next to them, jabbed
Ranma the ribs. Ranma made a choking noise, and glanced back at Kuno. Everyone turned to
look at him. Strangely, he looked almost sad. He blinked as he noticed everyone staring at him.
"What?" he asked. Then, he seemed to remember something. "Oh. Continue your conversation,
Saotome. It was actually quite captivating." Although he spoke in his usual pompous, overly-dramatic tones, there was a hint of sarcasm in it.
Ranma blinked at him. He stopped walking, dropping back towards the rear of the group of
travelers, and his left eyebrow was twitching slightly. "You . . . were listening?"
"Yes."
"And . . . you heard what I said?"
"Of course, cretin."
Ranma looked even more puzzled. "Aren't you . . . curious as to what my Jusenkyö curse is?"
Kuno shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "Oh, that. I realized that a long time ago." He waved
a hand negligently.
Ranma gulped and glanced around him nervously, ready to bolt if it proved necessary. Kuno
rolled his eyes. "Don't be an idiot, Saotome. I'm not in love with you. You can stop that."
Ranma made an obvious attempt to relax. It didn't work. "But . . . if you knew, then why--
why--"
Kuno grinned, for an instant not looking his usual clown-like self. "Oh, come on, Saotome. You
just don't know how amusing you are to watch when being chased after by a man." Then his
expression slipped easily into idiocy, and he stretched a finger towards the path in front of them.
"Come now! We mustn't tarry here-- onwards, to Nerima! My pig-tailed goddess awaits!"
Ranma's jaw fell open. "Er . . . Kuno?"
Kuno paused, his step faltering. "Oh . . . sorry, force of habit there, Saotome. Well, then . . . my
loyal fans at school await my return with great anticipation!"
Ranma rolled his eyes and slowed his pace a little as the rest of the Nerima horde surged
onwards. It was strange, really, how much everyone had changed on the trip, and yet stayed so
alike. Kuno, although he was acting kind of strange, was still an idiot. Dr. Tofu was still head
over heels for Kasumi, and now that the crisis was past, he was beginning to go insane around her
again. Kasumi, of course, was unchanging. She probably wouldn't change her smiling, calm
manner if the apocalypse was nigh and fire was raining down on the Earth. Shampoo had stopped
clinging to him and begging for his attention, to his relief, but she was also more subdued in
general. The news of her parentage probably came as a bit of a shock to her, after all. And the
more Ranma thought about it, it made even more sense-- after all, Dr. Tofu was always saying
things like "Oh, I haven't seen this in a hundred years!" Ranma had always taken it as
exaggeration, but it looked as if the good doctor was being completely serious the whole time.
And whenever Shampoo made some weird concoction, or Cologne did something odd to him, it
was usually Dr. Tofu who could cure him. Ryoga and Ukyo were the same as always-- except
that Ryoga was a good deal less angry and melancholy all the time, and Ukyo had finally stopped
hanging on Ranma's every word. And Akane? Well, despite the fact that she was slightly more
irritable than usual because of her killer headache, she seemed unchanged in the slightest. All in
all, Ranma was pretty happy with the way things had turned out.
He did have one thought that wouldn't leave him alone. He wished that Xi Nao had returned with
them to Nerima. He hated the thought that she was out there all alone, with no one to make sure
she didn't do anything stupid. She had been pretty horrible, he had to admit-- but still, there had
been times late at night when she would let down her guard a little and talk to him. Ranma was
remembering more and more from his time under her power now, and he could remember what
she had spoken about to him. She'd talked about how Dr. Tofu had left her, and how she wished
she had gotten to raise her daughter properly. She'd talked about how she'd been too scared to
think of any way to stay in the village with her baby, and had had to leave. But what stuck in
Ranma's mind the most, was how she talked about how lonely she'd been on the mountain before
Ranma had come-- and how desperate she'd been for someone to talk to.
And now, she was all alone again . . . but then, she couldn't really have come back with them
anyway. She had fifteen years of her life to recall, and fifteen years of bitterness to let go of. It
wasn't as if she could let all that go in just a few minutes. Ranma glanced behind him, thinking he
caught a glimpse of movement in the bushes.
Maybe . . . he thought to himself, smiling just a little as he scanned the leaves for the flash of
violet hair he'd thought he'd seen. Just maybe, she'll come and pay us a visit. Just . . . maybe. He
turned then, and spotted Akane waiting for him further up the path, just a little impatiently.
"What are you doing, Ranma? We're going to get left behind!"
Ranma grinned and hurried to catch up to her. "So? Who cares?"
Akane blinked, but then smiled slightly. "Not me, I guess."
Ranma rolled his eyes good-naturedly, crossing his arms behind his head. "Even macho tomboys
should think before they speak, y'know."
"Hah! Like you're one to talk? You're such a jerk!" She swung at him with her fist, out of reflex.
"Nyaaa!" said Ranma, skipping out of the way. "With those stubby legs, you're never gonna
catch me!" And with that, he took off running down the path, Akane shouting after him to wait,
and then laughing as she ran to catch up.
