Disclaimer: I don't Ran-chan or anyone accept the Chinese instrument people like Ikuyo, Kiyoja and others.

Just for your info:

Blah=thoughts

"Blah"=talking

Blah blah blah=not talking or thinking, just the story.

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Chapter 5: Saisai the Rabies infested Rat

Ranma, Ikuyo thought as she jumped from house to house with Akane on her back, you lied. You said you'd protect us until I got better.

She winced in pain as her heart shivered and her body, wanting to cough, heaved as she held it back. Am I better? She asked, pleading for him to come soon.

She stopped in front of her house and looked around. It seemed that the attack had ceased. Akane's leg was bleeding furiously and she was white as a sheet.

"Hold on Akane-chan. Don't die." Ikuyo said soothingly.

"Ranma." Akane murmured as she closed her eyes.

"Woah! Do anything but close your eyes!" Ikuyo yelled at her. "Door door door! Open!" she yelled at it as she kicked it open.

"Ikuyo!" her father said startled.

"Father, help Akane-chan." She said as she put down the fainted girl and flopped down onto the cushion on the ground.

Her father crawled stiffly over to the shaking and pale girl. He looked at her leg and flinched. "That's a lot of blood loss." He said just as stiffly as his motions.

Ikuyo was leaning against the wall, panting, with her eyes closed tightly, and her arms in the baggy sleeves of her kimono. Her jeans were soaked through with Akane's blood and her ponytail had many hairs coming out of it to frame her face.

"Are you alright?" he asked her.

"I'm fine. Help Akane-chan first. She lost too much blood to be put aside." Ikuyo said as she rubbed her arms as she shivered. "Have you seen Ranma?" she asked.

"N-no. He was…here?" he replied rather hesitantly.

"Yeah." Ikuyo said as she opened her eyes to look suspiciously at her father. Then she remembered and said, "Where's Sutasai?" she asked as she jumped up.

"He's at his house, why?" he asked.

"Never mind." Ikuyo jumped out of the house and happily jumped from house to house toward the house of the repair man.

~*~

"Sutasai!" she called through the house.

"Is that you Ikuyo?" he asked as he ran over to her.

"Yeah. I need yeh to fix me Clarinet." She said as she held out her clarinet for inspection.

"'kay. I can fix this is a jiffy." He said as he happily walked to the back room to fix it.

Ikuyo looked at the filing cabinet next to her and smiled as she pulled out a bunch of reeds and re-loaded her reed holder. "Kiyoja, prepare to die." She whispered as she clenched a reed in her hand.

"What? Kill the dojo?!" Sutasai called from the backroom.

"No! I was talkin' to myself!" se called to him.

"Your Chinese is horrible!" he called.

"No nagging from you!" she yelled at him jokingly.

"You run along then!" he called to her.

She laughed and skipped out of his house.

"Now to find Ranma-kun." She said as she rubbed her hands together.

~*~

"Ranma-kun! Ranma-kun!" she called through the forest. "Damn it! Where is he?!" she yelled.

She looked down from her perch on a tree and saw him…. Passed out on the ground?!

"Ranma-kun!" she jumped down and shook him. "Wake up! Are you alright?!"

"Too hungry…can't train anymore." He grumbled.

Ikuyo dropped him and looked around. "You were training?" she asked him.

"Food…need…hungry." He mumbled again.

Ikuyo growled and pulled a bag of rice cakes out of her pocket. "Eat those. I was saving them for my cat but…just eat them, sweetie."

"Thanks Iku-chan." He said as he ate ravenously.

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When Ranma and Ikuyo were walking back they heard Akane scream.

"That's Akane!" Ranma said as he ran as fast as he could toward Ikuyo's house.

"And he say's he doesn't like her." Ikuyo muttered as she followed him.

"Akane! Akane! What happened?!" he yelled as he barged in.

"That hurt!" she screeched as she pulled Ikuyo's father's hand off her leg. "What's that rat doing next to you?" she asked.

"Rat!" he yelled and jumped onto the table lightening fast.

"Saisai!" Ikuyo cried as she dove at the rabies-infested-rat. It immediately grew to the size of a small cat and meowed.

"Saisai" she scooped up the cat in her arms.

"Your cat was a rat?" Akane asked stunned.

"That's just her disguise so she could follow me." Ikuyo said as she hugged her cat happily.

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"That little brat! How was she able to dodge my attacks when she was still injured by my Killing Snow?!" Kiyoja growled to her mirror as she brushed her long hair. "I must kill her at any cost."

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Hee Hee! I know this was short but I had to leave a little bit of Kiyoja plotting. I hope I see some more reviews!! I'm so glad that people have been kind enough to review even though I haven't updated lately. My computer is to blame! Anyway…I'll update soon with some more action in they next chapter and I hope I can write it longer.