Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma and co...

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Chapter 8: Running Home

"I'm sorry but…I must live here with my husband and straighten out these problems." Tanaka said as she sat at the table and sipped tea.

"You don't have to worry mom. He'll come around." Ikuyo said as she patted her mom's arm.

"We need to get back home." Akane piped up.

"We do?" Ranma asked.

"Yes. Kasumi and father will be worried and if we aren't back for school then we'll all be way behind for exams." she said.

"Right." Ikuyo said as she punched her head lightly. "I'm sorry Ranma but…Condition took the water."

"What?!" he yelled.

"She took the water!" she yelled at him.

"Damnit…"

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"Kiyoja, they are returning home." Said one of the ice woman's servants.

"Good…follow them…Koyaga." she said to the brown haired guy in the corner.

"Hai, Kiyoja-sama." He walked out, h is eyes glazed over.

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"Well…we'll be going." Akane said as she looked at the miko.

"Have a safe trip back." She said.

"Bye, mom." Ikuyo said as she hugged her mother then walked out of the house as she led the way out, wearing the clothing of the Chinese men of the village, her long black hair in a tight braid what was over her shoulder.

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"These are…demons?!" Akane yelled as she looked behind her at the large centipedes following them.

"Yeah! Ranma-kun, don't drop her!" Ikuyo called.

"Right." Ranma had Akane on his back because she couldn't run fast enough and got her leg bitten.

Ikuyo stopped. "Go ahead of me! I'll catch up."

"Okay. Be careful Iku-chan." He said.

"I will, sweetie."

She pulled out her clarinet and unsheathed the katana at her side.

"Alright, youkai. You want me, come at me." she said as she held her clarinet to one side and the katana at the other.

The centipedes came at her and she twirled her clarinet, lightly blowing into it a very quiet note sounded. The youkai stopped in their tracks and started to shake.

"Just like a dog whistle." She said happily as she sliced them through with the katana.

She sheathed her katana and put her clarinet back on her back and ran after the two.

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After 7 weeks of running from youkai after Ikuyo….

"We're back!" Ranma called through the house.

Akane was badly injured on his back but was asleep fortunately.

Kasumi ran over to them, closely followed by Nabiki, Soun, and Genma.

"Akane!" the Tendo's ran forward and helped her to her room to fix her up.

"Did you get it?" Genma asked in a serious voice.

"Does it look like I got it?" Ranma yelled irritably.

"You stupid boy! You were supposed to get it yourself!" Genma yelled as he tossed a very tired Ranma into the pool in the back of the house.

Girl Ranma surfaced but for the first time she was too tired to yell at him. "Poor Akane." She muttered.

"Why? You did protect her didn't you? Your own fiancé?" Genma pressed.

"She got bitten and when I tried to protect her there were too many and they attacked form behind and in front." Ranma said reluctantly.

Genma swallowed. This was such a different Ranma he had seen before. Maybe he was sick.

"I'm fine. Just a few cuts. Maybe I'll take Akane and Ikuyo to Dr. Tofu's." Ranma said as he walked toward the stairs to Akane's room.

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"Are you feeling okay, Akane?" Ranma asked softly.

"Not really." she replied in the weakest voice he had heard from her. "Thanks for trying to protect me."

"Don't talk, you'll exhaust yourself faster." He said. "We're going to check on Ikuyo and take you two to Dr. Tofu's."

"Okay."

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"Iku-chan! Are you alright!" Ranma called through her shop.

They heard a light thump then looked toward the stairs. She walked down the first two then tumbled down the last one, landing on her head.

"Ow…" she got up and limped, wobbled, and slid toward the door.

"Are you alright?" Akane asked as she looked at the heavily bandaged girl. She had three bandages on her face, one on her cheek, on her forehead, and one on her nose. Her arm's were covered and wrapped in cloths and other wrapping bandages. He had her lags bandaged heavily and it looked like her feet here even covered.

"Let's go." She muttered as she walked drunkenly out of the door of her shop.

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Dr. Tofu was examining Ikuyo. He kept wiping sweat from his brow as he looked on.

"Wow. There's your cheek bone is fractured, your nose is fine, it'll heal, your arm is hardly scraped and the bone is cracked. Your legs are badly cut but they'll be fine. Your ankle if heavily sprained so…you shouldn't put too much pressure on it. Your back has a few ribs sticking out of it, plus your stomach." Dr. Tofu pointed to sharp lumps coming of her back and above her hip. "What did you do?"

"Youkai." Ikuyo muttered. She had broken ribs, arms, cheekbones. She was a mess.

"Akane-chan, your next." He said.

Examining the shorthaired girl he looked as stressed as he was when he looked at Ikuyo. Ikuyo was leaning against the wall on her good shoulder. She had her eyes slightly opened as she watched at examination. Ranma was sting in a chair next to the bed looking down at Akane worriedly.

"She also has a fractured cheekbone, both of them actually, half of her ribs are broken, her arm is fractured and her ankle if lightly sprained. There is poison in her leg so…I'll need to keep her over night to extract it. Maybe we should take her to the hospital?" he asked.

"No..." Akane whispered as she grabbed his shirt. "I wanna stay here."

"Alright Akane-chan. But if you don't get better then I'll have to take you there." He said as he patted her hair.

Akane nodded and fell asleep instantly.

"Ranma, you don't look to badly injured. Let me bandage you up and you can go."

"I'll stay here with Akane." Ranma said.

"I will too." Ikuyo said. "It's partly my fault." She added. "Those youkai were after me. Not her."

"You need to rest your ankle. Here." Dr. Tofu slid a chair and she plopped down on it.

"I can cook for you guys." She offered.

"If you would like." Tofu said as he walked over to the sink to wash his hands. "The kitchen, if you need it, is in the back through that door." He pointed to the door in the back.

"Thank you." Ikuyo whispered as she watched Akane doze.

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I update finally!!! Aren't you wonderfully glad?!

I'm glad I've got reviews. I hope I get 100+ at least for this story!

Ne way…

Can't wait for the next chapter:

Chapter 9: Recovering