1 I was hoping to have chapters 14 and 15 done by now, but that hasn't
happened. I'm having problems getting things just the way I want them to
be. I wasn't going to post chapter 13 until I was finished with them, but
I changed my mind.
Don't worry Terry, Ranma and Akane are going to come face to face in chapter 14. Sorry it took so long to get them to this point.
Thanks for reviewing every chapter may, lija, and lilvivi3. Reviews help keep me motivated to finish this fic, especially when the writer's block starts to kick in.
Please people, review the story and share your opinions with me! ^_~
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7 On A Starry Night
Chapter 13
Xian Nam and Akane stared each other down, trying to spot each other's weakness. Looking for a hole in the other's defense that could be exploited and used to their advantage. Finding one could be the difference between defeat and victory.
Lending to the folly of youth, as most her age do, Xian Nam let her impatience with the situation be known, and went for the first strike. She charged straight ahead, with her fist raised, and aimed a vicious punch towards Akane's head. At once Akane saw the folly in the girls actions, as well as her own. Had she not once attempted to fight Ranma in the same way? Were her moves as broadcasted and as easily read as this girls were? Suddenly Akane understood so much of what had been occurring between her and Ranma during the time they had known each other. She was as overly impatient and easily angered as he was patient and levelheaded. No wonder he, and everyone else for that matter, could dodge all of her blows. She had been as easy to read as a child's book.
Standing her ground, Akane waited for the girl to near her, and then sidestepped the girl's fist seconds before it would have impacted against her face. As Xian Nam's fist flew past Akane, the girl stumbled and almost fell on the ground, but quickly recovered and pivoted for her next move.
Once again Akane assumed her relaxed stance, watching for a reaction from the girl. She didn't have to wait long before she was rewarded with something, a slight little twinge in the eyebrows. The tactics that Ranma used on her were having the same effect on this other girl, and, for the first time, Akane really understood why Ranma had adapted this style. Besides being able to easily move into just about any other stance, it seemed to frustrate the other person, making their moves that much easier to read. A small smirk formed on Akane's face as her confidence in her abilities grew; this was one fight she was not going to lose.
More emotion started to show on Xian Nam's face when she noticed the smirk Akane wore. Closing the distance between the two, Xian Nam raised her bonbori to strike at the girl that was angering her, only to find that Akane had, once again, moved at the last second.
The fight continued on in this manner for several more minutes, Akane never attacked, nor was she ever touched. Since all she had done was dodge, the match had been incredibly easy for her, but she could see the fatigue on her opponent's face. Constantly being on the offensive was taking a toll on Xian Nam.
Akane knew the fight had to stop before the young girl ended up injuring herself in someway, so she devised a plan. The next time Xian Nam came rushing at her with her bonbori raised on the same side of her body, she would simply step to the side they were on, take hold of the girl's wrists, and pin her to the ground. Coming up with the plan and carrying it out were two very different things though.
******************
Nabiki eyed Mousse warily as she sipped the tea. They had been sitting at the table for ten minutes now and not one word had been spoken. She wasn't sure what, if anything, was on his mind, but she was beginning to suspect that he wanted something of her, something big.
"Are you hungry?" Mousse asked in-between sips of tea. "I could make a snack for you."
"Ok Mousse, spill it," Nabiki replied coolly.
"Spill what? The tea? No thank you, that would make a big mess," Mousse answered without pause, catching Nabiki off guard. The smile on her face slowly changed from calculating to genuine. Mousse liked the change.
"What do you want from me?" Nabiki asked.
"I want you to tell me if you are hungry, and how your day was. That's all." Mousse said hoping for an answer.
Nabiki sat for a moment in silence, trying to figure out what Mousse was up to. Surely he couldn't be interested in just her, nobody ever was, except Kasumi. Maybe he just wanted to talk about the restaurant.
"When you came home yesterday you looked like you were about to cry." Mousse said when Nabiki didn't answer him. "Now look at you, you are upset! What happened to you today at school?"
Nabiki got out of her chair and started to walk towards the stairs. She wasn't going to tell Mousse anything! No one was going to ruin her reputation! Just then a thought struck her. How often was Mousse actually seen outside of the Nekohatten? Why would he do something to hurt her when he needed her help?
"Kuno," Nabiki said so quietly that Mousse could barely hear her. She turned around, but kept her gaze on the floor. "Ever since Akane left Kuno has been acting stranger that usual. He has been trying to think of different ways to bring her back to him, you know how he is. Well, the other day he decided that the best way to bring Akane back to his arms is through jealousy, and since Akane should be in touch with her family…"
"He decided to use you as the bait," Mousse surmised when the girl wouldn't finish. "What exactly is he doing to you? No offense, but you are Nabiki, nothing gets to you."
"At first he just showed up everywhere I was, you know, being real annoying. That was easy enough to handle though, but yesterday and today were different. I swear Mousse, if you tell this to anyone I will make you regret your decision!"
Mousse almost recoiled when he saw the fury that burned in Nabiki's eyes. In that instant he knew that he would make Kuno pay for whatever he had done to the girl!
"On my honor, what you say will never leave this room," Mousse said.
"He tried to take indecent liberties with me," Nabiki quietly said.
Mousse's heart went out to the girl when he saw the shame that flooded her eyes.
"Would you like me to have a discussion with him?" Mousse asked.
"No, I want to deal with him on my own," Nabiki said as tears started to fall from her eyes. "I swear I will make him pay if he tries to touch me again!"
Mousse wasn't sure why, but, as he wrapped his arms around the crying girl, he was suddenly filled with an inexplicable need to protect Nabiki from Kuno as a protectiveness that he had never experienced before filled his being. Just the thought of Kuno trying to touch Nabiki made him mad enough to want to track the bokken wielding idiot down and make him suffer.
That course of action would never work though, he had watched Ranma and Kuno often enough to know that. What he needed was a plan, a way to fix the Kuno problem for good.
Nabiki's desire to deal with the problem on her own fell on deaf ears. The boy that was holding her was too busy thinking about the different spices and powders that were currently locked in a special cabinet.
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The heavy feel of the pack on his back was very comforting to Ryoga. Every shift and slide the pack made, as his belongings moved, was familiar to him. They were the only constant in all of his wanderings, the only things that never changed.
Here he was, lost again, walking down a path in a forest. He had not seen any signs or towns as he walked, he didn't know where he was. He wasn't even sure how he had gotten to the place he was now, he never did.
All he knew was that the rising sun was shining on his face as it rose over the horizon, and that was all he really needed for now. Maybe this time he would be heading in the right direction.
The sounds of a confrontation were coming down the path ahead of him. Reaching back, he grabbed his travel worn umbrella and slowly inched his way forward, careful not to make a sound. He wanted to have the advantage of surprise if he needed to join the battle.
Finally, after slowly creeping several yards, Ryoga reached the clearing where the sounds were coming from. What he saw was a complete shock. He was standing behind four scantily clad Amazon warriors as they watched what seemed to be a match between the fifth member of their party and Akane. What was even more amazing was that they seemed to be almost evenly matched as they exchanged blows. The longer he watched though, the more he realized that Akane would eventually win the match. She was more focused and seemed to be more precise in her attacks than the other girl.
Ryoga found himself wondering when Akane's skill level had improved so drastically. She was better than Ukyou now, and was quickly closing in on Shampoo. Maybe getting away from Ranma had been a good thing for her after all. Without him there to protect her all the time, she had to learn to rely on herself and her own natural abilities.
One thing was for certain, at the rate she was improving she wouldn't need someone to protect her anymore, she wouldn't need him anymore. Ryoga felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders, this was the closure that he needed to end his one-sided love affair with Akane. Now that he knew that Akane would be able to take care of herself he could leave and not be worried about her well-being. He couldn't leave yet though, he needed to stay just in case those other girls decided to jump into the fight. Akane may have improved, but five Amazons fighting together could be dangerous. He would stay for now, just in case she needed his help.
****************
The village was just starting to wake up from their nightly slumber when Choon Li and his wife entered the village, rushing towards the elders hut. The hour was still very early and the elders probably wouldn't be there yet, but they had to try. They needed to warn the village of the demon.
The pair was stopped short of their goal when a tall, burly guard stepped from the shadows glowering at them.
"We need to talk to the elders! It is an emergency!" Choon Li said in a rush. He got very angry when the guard plainly ignored him.
"We really do need to talk to the elders. It is of the utmost importance," Ling Lao said to the guard in a much calmer tone of voice than the one her husband had used.
"Every one claims their problem is very important," the guard responded to Ling Lao, much to Choon Li's chagrin. "The elders will be hearing the villager's problems after their morning session. You may return after the noon hour."
"You don't understand! I am Choon Li, the druid charged in the keeping of the forbidden valley. I need to relay some very important information to the elders and I must do so now! How can I assemble them quickly?"
The manner in which Choon Li addressed the guard was very shocking to the women in the vicinity. The men of the village were schooled in the proper treatment of women from birth. They were expected to be mild mannered and subservient. All eyes turned to Ling Lao to see if she was going to continue to allow her mate to speak to a woman in such a manner, but no reprimand was to be heard as the guard spoke to the man.
"Forgive me honored Druid. I did not realize who you were," the guard said, further shocking the women. Then, much to the women's dismay, she bowed to the man. "The elders always tell us to be expecting you, but they never tell us what you look like. Wait here a moment and I will summon the council."
The guard walked over to the side of the hut and opened a door to reveal a bronze gong. Working quickly, she pulled the gong out of the building, picked up a mallet, and rang it three times. Then she waited precisely ten seconds and rang the gong an additional three times. When she was finished she pushed the gong back into it's storage room and turned her attention back to the Druid.
"You may wait in the council room, the elders will be here shortly."
With a grand sweep of her arm, the guard stepped aside and allowed Choon Li and Ling Lao to enter the hut. The first thing they saw upon entering the chamber was a huge semi-circular table. The fixture was placed towards the back of the room and had a row of chairs facing it. Quietly, the couple sat down on the front row and waited for the elders to arrive.
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Akane was surprised at how well the fight was going. She knew that she had improved a little bit during her training sessions, but she had no idea just how much. The feeling of winning a fight against someone who could probably beat Ukyou was exhilarating to say the least, but she couldn't think about it too much at the moment. She needed to focus on the battle or she would lose. Instead of thinking about how she had improved, she let the knowledge boost her confidence.
The other girl was charging at Akane with her fist raised to attack. Akane noticed that she didn't fight too proficiently without her weapons, and was suddenly very glad that she had destroyed them early on in the match. Now she not only had a distinct advantage, but she could practice a variety of different moves on the other girl. There was always room for improvement after all.
Akane was going to dodge out of the way to prepare for the girls next charge, but then noticed how weary the girl looked. As much as she was enjoying the fight, she needed to end it quick, she didn't want to hurt the girl.
A quick punch between the girl's shoulder blades as she ran past was all Akane needed to do. The girl flew forward and hit the ground hard. When Akane was sure the girl was not going to get back up she turned towards the leader of the group and bowed.
"Once again, I am sorry that I trespassed on Amazon land. I really meant no harm. I will leave now and not return," Akane said while bowing. Then she straightened up and moved towards her pack.
"Are you not going to finish off your opponent?" Wu Shan, the leader of the patrol asked.
"No, I have already won. She is unconscious. Now if you will pardon me, I really need to hurry," Akane said as she grabbed her pack.
"Do you have any knowledge of Amazon law?" Wu Shan asked Akane before she could go. "Is that why you are in such a hurry to leave?"
"Yes, I do. I do not wish to harm this girl any further and I will not kill her. So, I need to leave now before she wakes up and can give me the kiss of death. I have nothing but the deepest respect for the Amazon tribe and do not wish to have any problems with them."
Wu Shan listened carefully to the words the girl was saying to her and heard nothing but the deepest sincerity in them. This girl was not only a strong fighter, she had honor. Maybe she should offer her a choice besides the kiss of death.
"I would love to have a girl such as you. I have no offspring of my own and I am getting old. I need someone to teach all of my family secrets too," Wu Shan said, watching the other girl's expression very carefully. "How would you like to be adopted into the tribe?"
Akane could feel her mouth gape open in astonishment as she heard the question. This was an opportunity too good to pass up! If she accepted the offer, she would be able to stay in the village and keep an eye on Jusenkyo. Not only that, but she would be able to train with the Amazons! There were so many techniques and forms to learn! How could she say no?
"Would be honor to be your daughter," Akane answered in broken Chinese, then bowed deeply to her new mother.
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Kurumi had already been up for an hour before Natsume emerged from the tent. The older girl took a step and stumbled, almost falling in the process. She quickly regained her balance and continued to tentatively walk towards the campfire, and breakfast.
"Good morning sister," Kurumi said while closely watching the older girl. If she didn't know better, she would think that Natsume was drunk. "Are you feeling all right?"
Natsume tried to raise her eyes towards her sister, but found that she couldn't, the sunlight was hurting her eyes.
"No, I'm not," Natsume said very quietly, something was very wrong with her. "I think I am just going to go back to bed for a little while. Maybe this whole thing will pass."
Kurumi rushed to her sister's side when fell while attempting to stand. Quickly, she grabbed the older girl around the waist, and then almost recoiled at the touch. Something was wrong with her sister's aura, it almost seemed to be dark and sinister. This couldn't be right, she had to be imagining things again. She was overly tired after all, maybe she was more fatigued than she knew. This was her sister, and her sister would never hurt anyone.
For the second time that day Kurumi had the feeling that something just wasn't right, and it was making her very tense.
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7.1 A loud, thunderous crashing noise came from the front of the Tendo home, causing Nodoka to jump out of her skin in fright. Whatever had cause that loud of a noise had to be big, and someone was probably hurt.
Everything that she had been working on was hurriedly set aside and rushed to the front of the house. Thankfully, Soun had beaten her to the door because the hideous beast she saw standing in the yard was enough to make her scream.
"What do you want Tauro?" Soun said while trying to keep an even temper.
"Where is femboy? I need to talk to him," PT replied.
"The boy is headed for China," Soun replied.
"Well then, where is your daughter?"
"I don't know. She has been missing for several weeks now," Soun said with just a hint of tears in his voice.
Nodoka stared in amazement at the talking creature. He was obviously one of Ranma's cursed friends. Still, he had completely destroyed the front door to their home and there was no excuse for that.
"Young man, what is the meaning of this! You may be a friend of my son, but I will not stand for this conduct!" Nodoka said in a scolding tone of voice as she threw a pan of hot water at the thing.
"Listen lady," PT started to say, but he never got the chance to finish.
"Don't you talk to me that way! What would your mother say if she saw the damage you have done to our house? Now the way I see things is you have one two choices. You can pay for the damages to our house or I can talk to your mother!"
"All right already, here," PT said to Nodoka as he tossed her a pouch and turned to walk away.
Nodoka and Soun stood side by side as they watched the boy walk down the street. After the boy had gone a few yards they heard him yell something to them.
"If you see femboy before I do warn him that I am looking for him!"
The pair stood on the porch and watched the boy until he disappeared down the street. Nodoka noticed how relieved Soun seemed to be when the boy was finally out of sight.
"Who was that?" Nodoka asked out of curiosity.
"You don't want to know Nodoka, you don't want to know," was the only reply that Soun would give her.
************
Ryoga was pleasantly surprised at the end of the fight. Not only had Akane won with ease, she had actually been toying with her opponent at the end. This was a side of Akane he had never seen before, a side that didn't need him.
He stayed and watched for a few minutes longer to make sure she was going to be all right. Doubts began to arise in him when he saw that the Amazons were not going to let Akane leave the clearing. He removed his pack and mentally prepared to rush to Akane's side just in case he was needed, but nothing happened.
Akane and the Amazon shook hands and then embraced. Well, this was a turn of events! At the rate Akane had improved, if the Amazons helped her train she would be formidable.
Silently he wondered if he should step forward now and tell Akane about P-chan, but then quickly changed his mind. Her world was changing so drastically right now, he really shouldn't add to the turmoil. He would tell her later when the time was right.
After saying a silent goodbye to the girl that he thought he would love forever, Ryoga turned and walked away. He had a promise to fulfill at the Tendo dojo. Hopefully he would get there before anything happened.
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Choon Li gently nudged his wife in the ribs when he felt the elders approaching the building. Mentally he started to prepare himself for the challenge ahead. No man in his lifetime had ever been allowed to address the elders; their female relatives always took care of the legal problems.
Legal troubles were the least of his problems though. He had to find the couple that was talked about in the ancient scrolls, and to accomplish this he was going to have to ask permission to enter the sacred wood.
"Honored Druid," the matriarch said after all the council had assembled, "no offense, but we were hoping not to see you in our lifetimes."
"I understand," Choon Li replied, "I hoped not to see you either."
"Well tell us the news," the Matriarch said even though she really didn't want to know.
"The demon escaped his prison during that last quake and what is worse, he found the dragon," Choon Li replied.
A collective sound of gasps could be heard coming from all of the elders. The ramifications of his statement were inherently obvious with the women on the council. If the demon could not be stopped then the world would be destroyed.
"Please remember that the demon only has so many days to find a host body to possess or he will cease to exist," Choon Li told the group before him. "The valley he was imprisoned in is very remote. Besides my wife and children, I have never seen any other people in the area. Hopefully he will not be able to find a host body in time."
"We still need to be prepared in case he does find a host," the matriarch quickly replied.
"Yes, we do. That is why I need to find the couple in the prophecy," Choon Li replied. "To do that I am going to need permission to enter the sacred wood."
"To our knowledge no man has ever been allowed to enter the sacred wood. Why do you seek to do so now?"
"If the ancient scrolls are correct, then the souls of the fated couple are to be protected by the sacred wood until the final battle. I should be able to find them through meditation in the wood."
Choon Li looked on nervously as the council conversed quietly among themselves. After a few minutes of debate, he began to worry that he may not be allowed into the wood at all and that could be disastrous. The world's future could possibly be decided by this one decision.
"You may enter," the Matriarch said to him with a smile while motioning to a guard at the back of the room.
Feeling her hand on his elbow, Choon Li quickly said goodbye to his wife and then allowed himself to be led away. The guard took him to the back of the room and opened a door that led to an opening at the base of the mountains that the elders hut had been built on. The sacred wood was in the middle of the small valley.
Fear started to overwhelm him as he heard the door behind him close, and his mind started to fill with what if's. What if he couldn't find the couple? What if he found them but then couldn't find his way back out? What if the demon had already won? He shook himself mentally and started walking forwards. He had no time to be playing those games now.
Sooner than he had expected, Choon Li reached the middle of the valley and the wood stood before him. The mists that swirled around the base of trees gave a sense of eeriness to the wood and actually managed to make him think twice before entering, but he entered anyways. Whether they knew it or not, the world was counting on him to succeed, and he was not going to let them down.
With a courage born of determination, he made his way to a path and started to walk down it. After about four turns, he realized that he had walked in a circle and started to look for a way into the inner sanctum. Then he remembered a scroll he had read. It stated that the only way a person could be admitted into the inner sanctum was with a pure heart and mind. So he cleared his thoughts of everything but the fated couple and saving the world. Before he knew what was happening, a link to another path opened before him.
Quickly he made his way to the other path and decided to follow the brightly lit portion of it. Soon he was in a clearing with an old log in it. He made his way to the log and sat down, preparing for the task that lay ahead of him. Focusing his mind, he started to reach out with his senses, hoping that he would be able to find the fated couple before time ran out.
Don't worry Terry, Ranma and Akane are going to come face to face in chapter 14. Sorry it took so long to get them to this point.
Thanks for reviewing every chapter may, lija, and lilvivi3. Reviews help keep me motivated to finish this fic, especially when the writer's block starts to kick in.
Please people, review the story and share your opinions with me! ^_~
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7 On A Starry Night
Chapter 13
Xian Nam and Akane stared each other down, trying to spot each other's weakness. Looking for a hole in the other's defense that could be exploited and used to their advantage. Finding one could be the difference between defeat and victory.
Lending to the folly of youth, as most her age do, Xian Nam let her impatience with the situation be known, and went for the first strike. She charged straight ahead, with her fist raised, and aimed a vicious punch towards Akane's head. At once Akane saw the folly in the girls actions, as well as her own. Had she not once attempted to fight Ranma in the same way? Were her moves as broadcasted and as easily read as this girls were? Suddenly Akane understood so much of what had been occurring between her and Ranma during the time they had known each other. She was as overly impatient and easily angered as he was patient and levelheaded. No wonder he, and everyone else for that matter, could dodge all of her blows. She had been as easy to read as a child's book.
Standing her ground, Akane waited for the girl to near her, and then sidestepped the girl's fist seconds before it would have impacted against her face. As Xian Nam's fist flew past Akane, the girl stumbled and almost fell on the ground, but quickly recovered and pivoted for her next move.
Once again Akane assumed her relaxed stance, watching for a reaction from the girl. She didn't have to wait long before she was rewarded with something, a slight little twinge in the eyebrows. The tactics that Ranma used on her were having the same effect on this other girl, and, for the first time, Akane really understood why Ranma had adapted this style. Besides being able to easily move into just about any other stance, it seemed to frustrate the other person, making their moves that much easier to read. A small smirk formed on Akane's face as her confidence in her abilities grew; this was one fight she was not going to lose.
More emotion started to show on Xian Nam's face when she noticed the smirk Akane wore. Closing the distance between the two, Xian Nam raised her bonbori to strike at the girl that was angering her, only to find that Akane had, once again, moved at the last second.
The fight continued on in this manner for several more minutes, Akane never attacked, nor was she ever touched. Since all she had done was dodge, the match had been incredibly easy for her, but she could see the fatigue on her opponent's face. Constantly being on the offensive was taking a toll on Xian Nam.
Akane knew the fight had to stop before the young girl ended up injuring herself in someway, so she devised a plan. The next time Xian Nam came rushing at her with her bonbori raised on the same side of her body, she would simply step to the side they were on, take hold of the girl's wrists, and pin her to the ground. Coming up with the plan and carrying it out were two very different things though.
******************
Nabiki eyed Mousse warily as she sipped the tea. They had been sitting at the table for ten minutes now and not one word had been spoken. She wasn't sure what, if anything, was on his mind, but she was beginning to suspect that he wanted something of her, something big.
"Are you hungry?" Mousse asked in-between sips of tea. "I could make a snack for you."
"Ok Mousse, spill it," Nabiki replied coolly.
"Spill what? The tea? No thank you, that would make a big mess," Mousse answered without pause, catching Nabiki off guard. The smile on her face slowly changed from calculating to genuine. Mousse liked the change.
"What do you want from me?" Nabiki asked.
"I want you to tell me if you are hungry, and how your day was. That's all." Mousse said hoping for an answer.
Nabiki sat for a moment in silence, trying to figure out what Mousse was up to. Surely he couldn't be interested in just her, nobody ever was, except Kasumi. Maybe he just wanted to talk about the restaurant.
"When you came home yesterday you looked like you were about to cry." Mousse said when Nabiki didn't answer him. "Now look at you, you are upset! What happened to you today at school?"
Nabiki got out of her chair and started to walk towards the stairs. She wasn't going to tell Mousse anything! No one was going to ruin her reputation! Just then a thought struck her. How often was Mousse actually seen outside of the Nekohatten? Why would he do something to hurt her when he needed her help?
"Kuno," Nabiki said so quietly that Mousse could barely hear her. She turned around, but kept her gaze on the floor. "Ever since Akane left Kuno has been acting stranger that usual. He has been trying to think of different ways to bring her back to him, you know how he is. Well, the other day he decided that the best way to bring Akane back to his arms is through jealousy, and since Akane should be in touch with her family…"
"He decided to use you as the bait," Mousse surmised when the girl wouldn't finish. "What exactly is he doing to you? No offense, but you are Nabiki, nothing gets to you."
"At first he just showed up everywhere I was, you know, being real annoying. That was easy enough to handle though, but yesterday and today were different. I swear Mousse, if you tell this to anyone I will make you regret your decision!"
Mousse almost recoiled when he saw the fury that burned in Nabiki's eyes. In that instant he knew that he would make Kuno pay for whatever he had done to the girl!
"On my honor, what you say will never leave this room," Mousse said.
"He tried to take indecent liberties with me," Nabiki quietly said.
Mousse's heart went out to the girl when he saw the shame that flooded her eyes.
"Would you like me to have a discussion with him?" Mousse asked.
"No, I want to deal with him on my own," Nabiki said as tears started to fall from her eyes. "I swear I will make him pay if he tries to touch me again!"
Mousse wasn't sure why, but, as he wrapped his arms around the crying girl, he was suddenly filled with an inexplicable need to protect Nabiki from Kuno as a protectiveness that he had never experienced before filled his being. Just the thought of Kuno trying to touch Nabiki made him mad enough to want to track the bokken wielding idiot down and make him suffer.
That course of action would never work though, he had watched Ranma and Kuno often enough to know that. What he needed was a plan, a way to fix the Kuno problem for good.
Nabiki's desire to deal with the problem on her own fell on deaf ears. The boy that was holding her was too busy thinking about the different spices and powders that were currently locked in a special cabinet.
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The heavy feel of the pack on his back was very comforting to Ryoga. Every shift and slide the pack made, as his belongings moved, was familiar to him. They were the only constant in all of his wanderings, the only things that never changed.
Here he was, lost again, walking down a path in a forest. He had not seen any signs or towns as he walked, he didn't know where he was. He wasn't even sure how he had gotten to the place he was now, he never did.
All he knew was that the rising sun was shining on his face as it rose over the horizon, and that was all he really needed for now. Maybe this time he would be heading in the right direction.
The sounds of a confrontation were coming down the path ahead of him. Reaching back, he grabbed his travel worn umbrella and slowly inched his way forward, careful not to make a sound. He wanted to have the advantage of surprise if he needed to join the battle.
Finally, after slowly creeping several yards, Ryoga reached the clearing where the sounds were coming from. What he saw was a complete shock. He was standing behind four scantily clad Amazon warriors as they watched what seemed to be a match between the fifth member of their party and Akane. What was even more amazing was that they seemed to be almost evenly matched as they exchanged blows. The longer he watched though, the more he realized that Akane would eventually win the match. She was more focused and seemed to be more precise in her attacks than the other girl.
Ryoga found himself wondering when Akane's skill level had improved so drastically. She was better than Ukyou now, and was quickly closing in on Shampoo. Maybe getting away from Ranma had been a good thing for her after all. Without him there to protect her all the time, she had to learn to rely on herself and her own natural abilities.
One thing was for certain, at the rate she was improving she wouldn't need someone to protect her anymore, she wouldn't need him anymore. Ryoga felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders, this was the closure that he needed to end his one-sided love affair with Akane. Now that he knew that Akane would be able to take care of herself he could leave and not be worried about her well-being. He couldn't leave yet though, he needed to stay just in case those other girls decided to jump into the fight. Akane may have improved, but five Amazons fighting together could be dangerous. He would stay for now, just in case she needed his help.
****************
The village was just starting to wake up from their nightly slumber when Choon Li and his wife entered the village, rushing towards the elders hut. The hour was still very early and the elders probably wouldn't be there yet, but they had to try. They needed to warn the village of the demon.
The pair was stopped short of their goal when a tall, burly guard stepped from the shadows glowering at them.
"We need to talk to the elders! It is an emergency!" Choon Li said in a rush. He got very angry when the guard plainly ignored him.
"We really do need to talk to the elders. It is of the utmost importance," Ling Lao said to the guard in a much calmer tone of voice than the one her husband had used.
"Every one claims their problem is very important," the guard responded to Ling Lao, much to Choon Li's chagrin. "The elders will be hearing the villager's problems after their morning session. You may return after the noon hour."
"You don't understand! I am Choon Li, the druid charged in the keeping of the forbidden valley. I need to relay some very important information to the elders and I must do so now! How can I assemble them quickly?"
The manner in which Choon Li addressed the guard was very shocking to the women in the vicinity. The men of the village were schooled in the proper treatment of women from birth. They were expected to be mild mannered and subservient. All eyes turned to Ling Lao to see if she was going to continue to allow her mate to speak to a woman in such a manner, but no reprimand was to be heard as the guard spoke to the man.
"Forgive me honored Druid. I did not realize who you were," the guard said, further shocking the women. Then, much to the women's dismay, she bowed to the man. "The elders always tell us to be expecting you, but they never tell us what you look like. Wait here a moment and I will summon the council."
The guard walked over to the side of the hut and opened a door to reveal a bronze gong. Working quickly, she pulled the gong out of the building, picked up a mallet, and rang it three times. Then she waited precisely ten seconds and rang the gong an additional three times. When she was finished she pushed the gong back into it's storage room and turned her attention back to the Druid.
"You may wait in the council room, the elders will be here shortly."
With a grand sweep of her arm, the guard stepped aside and allowed Choon Li and Ling Lao to enter the hut. The first thing they saw upon entering the chamber was a huge semi-circular table. The fixture was placed towards the back of the room and had a row of chairs facing it. Quietly, the couple sat down on the front row and waited for the elders to arrive.
**************
Akane was surprised at how well the fight was going. She knew that she had improved a little bit during her training sessions, but she had no idea just how much. The feeling of winning a fight against someone who could probably beat Ukyou was exhilarating to say the least, but she couldn't think about it too much at the moment. She needed to focus on the battle or she would lose. Instead of thinking about how she had improved, she let the knowledge boost her confidence.
The other girl was charging at Akane with her fist raised to attack. Akane noticed that she didn't fight too proficiently without her weapons, and was suddenly very glad that she had destroyed them early on in the match. Now she not only had a distinct advantage, but she could practice a variety of different moves on the other girl. There was always room for improvement after all.
Akane was going to dodge out of the way to prepare for the girls next charge, but then noticed how weary the girl looked. As much as she was enjoying the fight, she needed to end it quick, she didn't want to hurt the girl.
A quick punch between the girl's shoulder blades as she ran past was all Akane needed to do. The girl flew forward and hit the ground hard. When Akane was sure the girl was not going to get back up she turned towards the leader of the group and bowed.
"Once again, I am sorry that I trespassed on Amazon land. I really meant no harm. I will leave now and not return," Akane said while bowing. Then she straightened up and moved towards her pack.
"Are you not going to finish off your opponent?" Wu Shan, the leader of the patrol asked.
"No, I have already won. She is unconscious. Now if you will pardon me, I really need to hurry," Akane said as she grabbed her pack.
"Do you have any knowledge of Amazon law?" Wu Shan asked Akane before she could go. "Is that why you are in such a hurry to leave?"
"Yes, I do. I do not wish to harm this girl any further and I will not kill her. So, I need to leave now before she wakes up and can give me the kiss of death. I have nothing but the deepest respect for the Amazon tribe and do not wish to have any problems with them."
Wu Shan listened carefully to the words the girl was saying to her and heard nothing but the deepest sincerity in them. This girl was not only a strong fighter, she had honor. Maybe she should offer her a choice besides the kiss of death.
"I would love to have a girl such as you. I have no offspring of my own and I am getting old. I need someone to teach all of my family secrets too," Wu Shan said, watching the other girl's expression very carefully. "How would you like to be adopted into the tribe?"
Akane could feel her mouth gape open in astonishment as she heard the question. This was an opportunity too good to pass up! If she accepted the offer, she would be able to stay in the village and keep an eye on Jusenkyo. Not only that, but she would be able to train with the Amazons! There were so many techniques and forms to learn! How could she say no?
"Would be honor to be your daughter," Akane answered in broken Chinese, then bowed deeply to her new mother.
*******************
Kurumi had already been up for an hour before Natsume emerged from the tent. The older girl took a step and stumbled, almost falling in the process. She quickly regained her balance and continued to tentatively walk towards the campfire, and breakfast.
"Good morning sister," Kurumi said while closely watching the older girl. If she didn't know better, she would think that Natsume was drunk. "Are you feeling all right?"
Natsume tried to raise her eyes towards her sister, but found that she couldn't, the sunlight was hurting her eyes.
"No, I'm not," Natsume said very quietly, something was very wrong with her. "I think I am just going to go back to bed for a little while. Maybe this whole thing will pass."
Kurumi rushed to her sister's side when fell while attempting to stand. Quickly, she grabbed the older girl around the waist, and then almost recoiled at the touch. Something was wrong with her sister's aura, it almost seemed to be dark and sinister. This couldn't be right, she had to be imagining things again. She was overly tired after all, maybe she was more fatigued than she knew. This was her sister, and her sister would never hurt anyone.
For the second time that day Kurumi had the feeling that something just wasn't right, and it was making her very tense.
********************
7.1 A loud, thunderous crashing noise came from the front of the Tendo home, causing Nodoka to jump out of her skin in fright. Whatever had cause that loud of a noise had to be big, and someone was probably hurt.
Everything that she had been working on was hurriedly set aside and rushed to the front of the house. Thankfully, Soun had beaten her to the door because the hideous beast she saw standing in the yard was enough to make her scream.
"What do you want Tauro?" Soun said while trying to keep an even temper.
"Where is femboy? I need to talk to him," PT replied.
"The boy is headed for China," Soun replied.
"Well then, where is your daughter?"
"I don't know. She has been missing for several weeks now," Soun said with just a hint of tears in his voice.
Nodoka stared in amazement at the talking creature. He was obviously one of Ranma's cursed friends. Still, he had completely destroyed the front door to their home and there was no excuse for that.
"Young man, what is the meaning of this! You may be a friend of my son, but I will not stand for this conduct!" Nodoka said in a scolding tone of voice as she threw a pan of hot water at the thing.
"Listen lady," PT started to say, but he never got the chance to finish.
"Don't you talk to me that way! What would your mother say if she saw the damage you have done to our house? Now the way I see things is you have one two choices. You can pay for the damages to our house or I can talk to your mother!"
"All right already, here," PT said to Nodoka as he tossed her a pouch and turned to walk away.
Nodoka and Soun stood side by side as they watched the boy walk down the street. After the boy had gone a few yards they heard him yell something to them.
"If you see femboy before I do warn him that I am looking for him!"
The pair stood on the porch and watched the boy until he disappeared down the street. Nodoka noticed how relieved Soun seemed to be when the boy was finally out of sight.
"Who was that?" Nodoka asked out of curiosity.
"You don't want to know Nodoka, you don't want to know," was the only reply that Soun would give her.
************
Ryoga was pleasantly surprised at the end of the fight. Not only had Akane won with ease, she had actually been toying with her opponent at the end. This was a side of Akane he had never seen before, a side that didn't need him.
He stayed and watched for a few minutes longer to make sure she was going to be all right. Doubts began to arise in him when he saw that the Amazons were not going to let Akane leave the clearing. He removed his pack and mentally prepared to rush to Akane's side just in case he was needed, but nothing happened.
Akane and the Amazon shook hands and then embraced. Well, this was a turn of events! At the rate Akane had improved, if the Amazons helped her train she would be formidable.
Silently he wondered if he should step forward now and tell Akane about P-chan, but then quickly changed his mind. Her world was changing so drastically right now, he really shouldn't add to the turmoil. He would tell her later when the time was right.
After saying a silent goodbye to the girl that he thought he would love forever, Ryoga turned and walked away. He had a promise to fulfill at the Tendo dojo. Hopefully he would get there before anything happened.
****************
Choon Li gently nudged his wife in the ribs when he felt the elders approaching the building. Mentally he started to prepare himself for the challenge ahead. No man in his lifetime had ever been allowed to address the elders; their female relatives always took care of the legal problems.
Legal troubles were the least of his problems though. He had to find the couple that was talked about in the ancient scrolls, and to accomplish this he was going to have to ask permission to enter the sacred wood.
"Honored Druid," the matriarch said after all the council had assembled, "no offense, but we were hoping not to see you in our lifetimes."
"I understand," Choon Li replied, "I hoped not to see you either."
"Well tell us the news," the Matriarch said even though she really didn't want to know.
"The demon escaped his prison during that last quake and what is worse, he found the dragon," Choon Li replied.
A collective sound of gasps could be heard coming from all of the elders. The ramifications of his statement were inherently obvious with the women on the council. If the demon could not be stopped then the world would be destroyed.
"Please remember that the demon only has so many days to find a host body to possess or he will cease to exist," Choon Li told the group before him. "The valley he was imprisoned in is very remote. Besides my wife and children, I have never seen any other people in the area. Hopefully he will not be able to find a host body in time."
"We still need to be prepared in case he does find a host," the matriarch quickly replied.
"Yes, we do. That is why I need to find the couple in the prophecy," Choon Li replied. "To do that I am going to need permission to enter the sacred wood."
"To our knowledge no man has ever been allowed to enter the sacred wood. Why do you seek to do so now?"
"If the ancient scrolls are correct, then the souls of the fated couple are to be protected by the sacred wood until the final battle. I should be able to find them through meditation in the wood."
Choon Li looked on nervously as the council conversed quietly among themselves. After a few minutes of debate, he began to worry that he may not be allowed into the wood at all and that could be disastrous. The world's future could possibly be decided by this one decision.
"You may enter," the Matriarch said to him with a smile while motioning to a guard at the back of the room.
Feeling her hand on his elbow, Choon Li quickly said goodbye to his wife and then allowed himself to be led away. The guard took him to the back of the room and opened a door that led to an opening at the base of the mountains that the elders hut had been built on. The sacred wood was in the middle of the small valley.
Fear started to overwhelm him as he heard the door behind him close, and his mind started to fill with what if's. What if he couldn't find the couple? What if he found them but then couldn't find his way back out? What if the demon had already won? He shook himself mentally and started walking forwards. He had no time to be playing those games now.
Sooner than he had expected, Choon Li reached the middle of the valley and the wood stood before him. The mists that swirled around the base of trees gave a sense of eeriness to the wood and actually managed to make him think twice before entering, but he entered anyways. Whether they knew it or not, the world was counting on him to succeed, and he was not going to let them down.
With a courage born of determination, he made his way to a path and started to walk down it. After about four turns, he realized that he had walked in a circle and started to look for a way into the inner sanctum. Then he remembered a scroll he had read. It stated that the only way a person could be admitted into the inner sanctum was with a pure heart and mind. So he cleared his thoughts of everything but the fated couple and saving the world. Before he knew what was happening, a link to another path opened before him.
Quickly he made his way to the other path and decided to follow the brightly lit portion of it. Soon he was in a clearing with an old log in it. He made his way to the log and sat down, preparing for the task that lay ahead of him. Focusing his mind, he started to reach out with his senses, hoping that he would be able to find the fated couple before time ran out.