Sorry about the screwed up chapters. I didn't mean to make such a mess of things. I just hit one wrong button and... that's what I get. Oh well, I hope it didn't ruin the story too much. So without further ado...I give you...Chapter 4...yippee.
Disclaimer: Ranma does not belong to me, and anyone who says otherwise is a dirty, rotten liar!
Chapter 4
Nabiki stared at Ranma with an extremely annoyed expression. In the last half hour Ranma had done nothing but pace back and forth before her with his finger on his chin. Nabiki had always prided herself on her relentless patience, but Ranma was treading on her last nerve. "Any day, Ranma, we're not getting any younger here." Her gaze fell on the snoozing Akane in Shampoo's lap. "Well...most of us anyways."
Shampoo tried to stifle a yawn. "Ranma, hurry up and tell greedy-girl," Shampoo tried to get more comfortable on the couch, since holding the sleeping girl was making her tired legs fall asleep. "So Shampoo, go home like Great Grandmother and Mousse." Cologne went home to do more research while Mousse was going to reopen the Cat Cafe. Shampoo probably would have gone home with them, but Akane had conveniently gone to sleep in her lap. And all agreed not to tell the little one know about her unusual predicament just yet. The longer she believed Shampoo's lie the better. So Shampoo was stuck trying to keep Akane asleep while Ranma explained things to Nabiki, and thus far he hadn't said a word.
He suddenly stopped and faced Nabiki. "O.k., I'm just gonna give it to you straight...Akane has been kidnapped..." He paused.
Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "And?"
Ranma gulped tugging on his collar. "And not only do I not know where she's at, I don't know whose taken her, or where they went. What I do know is that she's somewhere in the future, and when we tried the spell (and we only had one shot) to bring her back, something went wrong and instead of getting Akane from 10 years in the future, we...ah...got it backwards and..." he looked at the child. "The rest was history."
Nabiki's eyes became ice. "Let me see if I have this perfectly clear. You, as in, Ranma Saotome the greatest martial artist of your time, have no way at all of rescuing your own fiancée, and my baby sister, Akane Tendo, from what could be death, ravishment, or torturous imprisonment.?"
"Um...not in so many words, but...Yeah."
Nabiki was suddenly in his face. "You better figure out a way to fix this, Saotome," she said pointing to the little Akane. "or I swear on my Mother's grave, that if anything happens to my little sister...I'll make your life a living Hell...A cold, lonely, penniless living Hell. I'm I perfectly clear?"
Ranma nodded wordlessly.
"Good." With that said she went over and picked up the sleeping Akane in her arms and headed up stairs.
"That wasn't so bad..." he murmured weakly.
Shampoo shook her head. "And Shampoo think Violent-girl is moody..." Shampoo looked at Ranma, but he was staring aimlessly into space. "Shampoo go now..." Then with one last look at the hapless Ranma, she did just that.
Ranma slowly walked over to a window to look outside. It was still daylight outside, which surprised him. Although it had only been a few hours since Akane had been taken, to him it seemed like an eternity ago.
'What do I do now?' He wondered. He knew that Mr.Tendo and his Pop wouldn't be back from a training trip for another two days giving him time to maybe figure out a way to fix this mess, but Kasumi would be here soon after her grocery shopping today. He couldn't even guess what her reaction will be. Nabiki's had been pretty harsh, but he had deserved it. After all, Akane was his responsibility, and after what happen with Saffron... his hands fisted by his side. He was not going to lose her again. "I don't know where you're at Akane," he whispered. "but I swear I'll figure out a way to save you, and once I do I'm never letting you out of my sight again."
**************
Akane had backed against the wall and was unable to move. "Ranma is a...a statue?"
"Yes" murmured Cane.
Akane slowly shook her head back in forth, not quite comprehending..."How?"
Cane sighed. "It all happened 10 years ago...well...for you it will be happening in three months...it was normal day at the Dojo, and Ranma and I were fighting as usual..."
**************\Cane's Flashback/*****************
"Come on, Ranma!" Yelled Akane. "Would you just eat it already."
"No Way, Akane," he said while backing up. He held two fingers together to form a cross. Which he hoped would ward off all evil, particularly Akane's cooking. "I have an aversion to slow and painful death."
"Honestly, Ranma, You're such an jerk." The menacing blob in her hands did another front roll, then stopped to stick its tongue out at Ranma. "Its a western style omelet, look, I even have western silverware." She held up a fork and a knife.
Ranma shuddered. "There's no why I'm putting a knife anywhere near that thing." Then in a lowered voice he murmured. "That would be like giving it a weapon!"
"Ranma! You Dummy! It won't kill you to try a bite!" she thrust the plate of unmentionables at him.
"Maybe not, but it'll hurt like hell, both goin' in and goin' out!"
'And so it went for the rest of that morning. I remember leaving angry and saying things I really didn't mean. I ran away to have some personal time and reflect on the...er... That is, I ran away to pout about how mean Ranma was for not committing culinary suicide and dumping my omelet on Genma's head.. And soon after that is when he came...'
A tall figure walked down the street. His heavy, brightly polished, black boots, thudding against the concrete.
It was that sound that alerted Akane of the strangers prescience. Looking at him caused chills to run up and down her back. He almost seem like a shadow, he was all dressed in black, from his top hat to his shiny boots. He walked slowly and was leaning forward slightly as if he had a hunch in his back. Akane felt an urge to run, but held her ground, and waited for the man to slowly approached her.
'When I first saw him I realized that something was strange about him...he...had a...I don't know, a mysterious air about him that made him seem...dangerous...sick'
"What do you want?" She asked wearily.
He lifted his head to revile a long withered pale face that looked as rough as leather. He also had thick hairy eyebrows that lay across small beady, shifty eyes. He had a huge thin grin that seemed to go from one ear to the other, and it was missing quite a few teeth.
Akane took a step back.
"My dear, what I want is to issue a challenge to Ranma Saotome...If he ever wants to see his girl again he'll come to the old abandon factory in the west side of Nerma at noon tomorrow." He grinned holding up a letter. "Now how do you suppose I get it to him?"
"I could take it." Akane said hesitantly. Wanting to get far away from the obviously deranged man.
He threw his head back and laughed, a high pitched, crazy, ear-splitting sound. "That's impossible, my dear, I'm afraid you'll be all tied up with another...arrangement, you couldn't possibly have time to give it to him." He lunged at her with his hands outstretched.
She retaliated by grabbing his hands as they reached for her, and using his forward momentum she fell on her back, planted a foot against his stomach and kicked off yelling "HIYA!", causing him to go flying over her head. She turned to see him land gracefully behind her.
"Bravo, my dear, bravo." He stood from the crouched position he was in to mockingly applaud. "I can see what he likes in you...such a feisty little thing," He pulled a long staff from behind his back. "but play times over, my dear!" he growled.
Akane looked at the long weapon in his hands, it was truly unique. In fact, she had never seen its like. It was long and wooden, with a bunch of unusual designs running from the point of the staff on the ground to the rounded orb on the top. It looked to be of ancient design, yet at the same time brand new as if it were made yesterday. It seemed to be omitting an unusual energy that she couldn't place. She readied her self in a defensive position as the strange man lifted the walking cane above his head.
He charged at her...she didn't stand a chance.
'I could probably go on about the kidnapping...ya know...about how I felt, how scared I was, but I won't. Just know this, the whole time I was trapped in that mans clutches...I never tried to escape, not once. I was so sure that Ranma would save me, that I laid back and waited for Ranma to walk right into the scary man's trap.
Akane, from the inside of her cage imprisonment, watched as Ranma ran in. "I knew it." she whispered.
Ranma looked over at Akane relief was evident on his face. His eyes then traveled around the room. Mr. Weirdo was nowhere in sight. He ran in her direction. "Hey, Akane," he grinned. "I would have been here sooner, but traffic was a bitch."
She smiled. "Just get me out of here before that guy gets back."
"Where'd he go anyhow?"
"I don't know, don't care." she said as Ranma pried open the door to her cage.
"Ah man." muttered Ranma sarcastically. "I was kinda lookin' forward to the fight."
"Well, my dear," a voice called out causing both of them to jump. "wouldn't want to disappoint my guest."
Ranma threw a protective arm in front of Akane as he turned to face her kidnaper.
At this point, I had no fear at all. After all, he never let me down before. I became a spectator. I stood at the side lines not interfering. I basically felt that Ranma didn't need my help, besides the last time I helped almost killed me. Not to mention he looked so dashing all protective like that. Ranma was here and everything was going to be o.k., or so I thought.
"Listen Pal, I don't know what your problem is, but takin' Akane was a huge mistake. One that won't go unpunished." Ranma got into an offensive stance. He was more then ready to teach the guy a lesson he'll never forget.
The crazy man chuckled. "Is that so," reaching behind himself the tall thin man pulled out the long cane that he had used on Akane a few days before. "Perhaps, my dear, one should not count their chickens before they hatch. Hmmmm?" He grinned. Showing crooked unkempt teeth.
Ranma gave a cocky smirk which Akane mimicked. "I have very good chickens."
The man did his hyena laugh as he charged. Ranma met him half way. The man swung his cane at Ranma's head, but Ranma ducked easily. He used his crouched position to swipe the crazy man's legs from underneath him, and as the man fell Ranma did a round house kick hitting the man directly in the chest with such momentum it sent him careening towards the farthest wall. He hit it with a loud thud, and remained unmoving.
"Heh...piece a' cake." smirked Ranma. He turned to his fiancée. "Come on, Akane lets go..." The man Ranma had 'defeated' suddenly began to move. "...home?"
The figure slowly began to rise until he was not only up, but floating about a foot or so off the ground. A strange green smoky light began to omit from the cane in the scary man's hand, he began to laugh hysterically. "Please don't go, my dear, this party is just getting started." As if he were fishing, the man pulled the cane back then shot it forward, causing five strands of the green light to shoot out and wrap around Ranma's neck, arms and legs.
Ranma gasped as he was suddenly slingshoted forward towards the same wall he had thrown the man previously. He hit it with a sickening thud.
"Ranma!" yelled Akane not moving from her current position.
The crazy man chuckled at the slowly recovering Ranma. "What's wrong, my dear? Am I too rough for you? Do you want me to be gentle? Tsk, tsk...to think I was told that you were the best in the world when it came to martial arts."
Ranma stood wincing slightly at the pain in his shoulder. "I am the best, and I got no problem provin' it to the likes of you." Yelling out a battle cry, Ranma charged again. He threw a punch at the man, but only made contact with the air. The man was standing to Ranma's right. It looked as if Ranma missed, and not as if the crazy man had moved. Ranma threw a punch his way again with the same results, but he refused to give up. He punched and kicked repeatedly not once making contact. Ranma glared at the wildly grinning man on his right. he felt a bit dizzy from going around in circles. Ranma suddenly smirk he obviously realized something. He threw another punch, but this time he aimed it to the right side of his opponent. Just as he anticipated when the man moved again he ran right in to Ranma's fist. "Gotca!" The guy went flying.
The man slowly picked him self off the floor. "Very good, my dear, you pass."
Ranma looked thunderstruck. "Huh?"
"I've decided to keep you." The crazy man's grin became evil. "Oh yes, my dear, you'll make a fine addition to my marble museum."
"Over my dead body!" exclaimed Ranma.
The man moved in a blink of an eye and was suddenly behind Akane with his arm thrown across her neck. "How 'bout over her dead body."
It was at that precise moment that I realized how badly I screwed up. Instead of standing there I should've gone for help, or at least not've left myself so open. After all, he could've challenged Ranma without kidnapping me. I must've been there for a reason, but I didn't think. And Ranma was the one to suffer for it.
"Please," said Ranma dejectedly. "don't hurt her." He slowly sank to his knees holding his hands up. "Do to me what you will...but let Akane go."
"Ranma, no!" yelled Akane. "Don't do this, get away!"
He said nothing just sat in the same position.
Akane had tears streaming down her eyes. "You can't do this...I need you..."
The man raised his cane above his head and began to chant. Slowly Ranma's body began to harden.
"RANMAAA!!!" Sobbed Akane. Now fighting tooth and nail, trying to escape. "Please, Ranma...I...I...," she watched as he became marble. "I LOVE YOU!!!" It was too late the transformation was complete. The man released her, and distraught, she fell to the floor as sobs ripped through her entire body. She crawled over to the stone statue throwing her arms around it. "Please, Ranma, You have to fight it!" her voice now only a horse whisper. "Didn't you hear me? I said I love you. You can't...Oh, Ranma...please get up...don't leave me like this."
"Awww...how touching." the man sneered. "Almost makes me want to apologize...almost."
Akane glared at the grinning man. "You bastard! Turn him back now!"
"Oh, so sorry, my dear," He smiled, examining the cane lovingly. "but the spell is irreversible. He'll be frozen like this... forever."
Akane yelled out in rage attacking him. Her hands going for the cane, but he moved swiftly turning. She miss the cane and ran by him like a bull does when a toreador waves his cape. She fell down hard.
"No No, my dear, we mustn't touch the Staff of Eons." he said holding it up. "It will kill you on contact. You see, it can be handled by me and only me. Where anyone else to touch they would be turned to ash when it sucked out their aura." He watched the shuddering girl for a minute before grinning. "You know what?" he said drawling her attention. "I'm feeling generous today, instead of taking him with me to live out eternity in Dr. Hob's Amazing Marble Wonders museum. I let him say here and die when the building collapse in a fiery inferno, but no worries, my dear, you'll be going with him to the afterlife." With that he lifted up his cane and lighting shot out and made the walls catch fire. "Do you know why they closed this place down, my dear?" he asked his voice full of irony. "It was too great a fire hazard." He laughed insanely.
Akane sneered. "This isn't over," her tearful eyes held an unspoken promise. "I'll come after you."
"Well then, my dear, I better take steps to make sure you can't." He lowered his cane to her leg, and began to chant again.
Akane screamed out in agony as her leg began to turn, snapping and crushing the bones inside.
When he stopped Akane was little more then a withering mass on the floor. "If you're truly brave you might try to pull your self out, but you'll have to leave him behind and this place is already starting to crumble. So do you save your self leaving poor Ranma to suffer, or do you stay with him and die by his side. Hmmm...decisions, decisions." Laughing again he took his leave floating through a hole in the roof that the fire already burned through.
Akane coughed as smoke filled her lungs. Her body must've already went in to shock because she could no longer feel her leg at all. She looked at Ranma then assed her hopeless situation. 'I won't give up.' she thought determinedly scooting to sit behind Ranma. She hooked her arms around his waist and pulled as if she were rowing a boat. She scooted back again and did the motion again, and slowly began to inch her way with him towards the exit. She tried to completely ignore the flames waving around her. Determined not to get sidetracked. She thought she would never make it until she was right by the exit. She then moved in front of him and shoved him through with all her might. Satisfied that he had cleared the outlet she began the processes of pulling herself through with her injured leg lagging behind. She breathed a sigh of relief when she cleared the burning building. She crawled out a few feet where her shove had landed him and sat him up straight. she turned back to watch the building burn it was about that time that she heard sirens in the distance. She fell back exhausted and not ready for sensation in her leg to return in full force, she clasped it screaming.
**************************/End of Flashback/************************
Cane paused her story and looked down at her younger self. Her eyes held no warm feelings for the seventeen year old girl. "Dr. Tofu was unable to fix my leg and was forced to amputate it." She lifted up her pant leg to reveal wood where skin should be. "Dad, because of my condition, told me to forget martial arts and pursue more womanly things, Genma stopped talking to me completely and not too long after that ran away on a permanent training trip never to be heard from again. Nodaka wasn't the same woman after it happened; she withdrew into her self completely and had to be admitted into a mental facility. Nabiki and Kasumi handled their grief the best they could, though they later confessed to me how guilty they had both felt since they had been so thankful that it hadn't been me frozen in stone. As for Shampoo and Ukyo, both were convinced it was my fault, and one evening when I was alone they mutually beat me within an inch of my life. I was admitted into a hospital, and bandaged from head to toe. In some ways I'm glad the girls did what they did; in the hospital I had a lot of time to think things over..."
"I'll cause all of this?" Asked Akane in a mournful tone.
"I'm not done yet." said Cane with a dangerous edge in her voice.
"Sorry," murmured Akane. "but its not a pleasant thing to discover you're gonna ruin everyone that you care about's life."
"You won't. Not if I can help it." Said Cane. "Anyway, I started Therapy. It was, with out a doubt, the most painful thing I ever had to endure. It was even worse then when my leg was actually crushed...I can't tell you how many times I wanted to quit...If it weren't for Cologne and Ranma's memory...I would've."
"Cologne helped you?" Akane asked incredulously.
"Yeah, go figure. She was the one who suggested that I travel and lean the art from other masters around the world. Heck, she even set me up with the funds to do so." Cane's face became mournful. "I really miss that old bat..."
Cane looked at Akane and noticed how miserable she looked. Wearing only Kasumi's thermal pajamas, she was shivering slightly from the cold. Her nose was running and her eyes were red and puffy from crying. Cane sighed. "Why don't you head on back now. You'll catch your death in this weather."
Akane nodded solemnly, and with one last sad glance at Ranma, left the small shrine.
Cane studied Ranma for a moment brfore a smile touched her lips. "Aright, Shampoo you can come out now."
Blushing at being caught eavesdropping, the pregnant Amazon stepped out of the shadows from the corner of the room. "Like always, Cane too good."
Cane smirked at the compliment. "So, Shampoo, what brings a helpless pregnant woman like yourself to the forest this time of night in the freezing cold?"
"Shampoo have news from Mousse."
"Eh? And what's that?" Asked Cane more then a little curious.
Shampoo switched to mandarin. "Mousse says one of the men was coming back from a hunting trip when a strange man asked him how to get to the Amazon village."
"Ryoga? Why that's great news, its been awhile since we've had a chance to catch up on old times." exclaimed Cane also speaking fluent mandarin.
"Um...That's not all Ak...er...Cane." Shampoo took a deep breath as if not wanting to share some particularly bad news. "There was a man with him who carried a broom and couldn't remember his companions name." Lowering her voice Shampoo leaned closer to Cane and switched back to Japanese. "Shampoo think it Shinnosuke."
Cane took a second to digest that. "WHAT?! I'll kill him!"
The end of Chapter four.
This story is evolving. Although it's still going in the same direction I planned, it seems to have taken on a mind of its own. Weird. *shrugs*. Oh well, guess I might as well start on the next chapter now. so until next time...