"AKANE! Wait up!" 
	
	Akane sprints off with a lunch sack in hand. The Dojo steps suddenly explode with 
dirt as she scurries to her morning class. 
	
	"We're late again, Ranma! I'm not waiting for you this time."
	
	Ranma grabs his backpack, crams a pork bun in his mouth and starts chasing after 
her as usual thinking of the possibilities of their future. 
	
	I can't believe it, Ranma thinks to himself.  Two more days and we're 
going to finish high school. And then…marriage? 
	
	He hops on top of the fences and bursts into full speed while still thinking about
the next chapter in his life. But the thought doesn't stay in his head long as he
hears Akane screaming in the distance. 
	
	"AKANE!" 
	
	Ranma leaps to the direction with no caution. A humongous white dog kidnaps Akane
by latching onto her back and starts to sprint. 
	
	"Lemme go you mut! Lemme go! Ranma!" 
	
	Ranma chases the furry mut. 
	
	He's big, but he's fast too. This isn't an ordinary dog. Could he be a…? 
	
	"Akane!" 
	
	"Ranma!" 

	The mut takes wild right turns, and leaps like a leaf floating in the wind. 
	
	Well at least I know this isn't Ryoga. He seems to know where he's going.
	
	Ranma keeps pursuing until the dog stops at a temple. Huffing and puffing, Ranma
tries to look menacing. 

	"…Okay…(huff)….you mutt… drop Akane down or else…" 

	Ryoga on his yearly trip of trying to find his home spots the situation. 

	"Ranma! What have you done now? Who's that dog! Akane! Hold on, I'll rescue you." 

	Before they can act, the dog jumps into a well bringing Akane with him. 

	"Akane!" they both scream. 

	They peer down and see no one at the bottom of the well. 

	"Ryoga, get help. I'll chase after them." 

	Ranma jumps into the well with no caution. 

	Ryoga immediately runs to the dojo, unaware he'll be in France in three days. 

	Ranma hits the bottom of the well and finds nothing. 

	"What the?" 

	He jumps back out only to find that he's not in the temple anymore or Japan or 
Earth for that matter. 

	"Oooookay…" 

	Ranma jumps back into the well and out but finds himself in the same place, a world
of pale colors, no cities, but ominous gloom. But his wonder is quickly erased as he thinks
 about Akane and spots a shadowy figure carrying a woman over his shoulder in the distance. 

	"Inuyasha!!! Let me down!" 

	"No way, baca! No more shrimp balls." 

	"Hey, I haven't gained weight at all." 

	"Tell that to my back." 

	"INU----YASHA! SIT!" 

	A loud crash follows. 

	"GRRR… I was just doing you a favor, you idiot! We're suppose to be getting the shards,
	 not shrimp balls, fatty." 

	"Who you calling fatty?" 

	"You, balloon face!" 

	"Inuyasha!" 

	Sango, Shippo, and Miroku follow them in the distance spitting out petty remarks. 

	"Seriously, if they wanted such rough foreplay, they should get a room," Miroku says.
Instantly, Inuyasha and Kagome blush. 

	"The only thing rough around here is her appetite." 

	"Can't you ever be NICE?" 

	"Stupid, I'm really mean…and evil…and bad." 

	Shippo smiles and jumps on Inu's head while tugging his ears. 

	"Yeah, an evil meannie with puppy dog ears." 

	Inuyasha grabs him by the tail and heaves him several feet. Looking down, he spots 
a lunch sack and opens it up. 

	"Kagome, didn't I tell you no more food?" 

	"It's not mine, silly." 

	"YOU!" bellows a belligerent Ranma. "Where's Akane?" 

	Inuyasha eyes the boy with the pigtail. 

	"What you say girly boy?" 

	"Grrr… I said where's Akane you freak?" 

	"Freak? Who you calling a freak?" 

	"I know you're that dog that kidnapped her. Do you need some more hot water so your
 dog ears can go away?" 

	"Hey, you saying I need to bathe!?" 

	"Inuyasha," Kagome interrupts. "He looks like he's from my world." 

	"Good, I'll enjoy shutting him up then." 

	"I'll shut up after I knock those ears off your head." 

	"What? Did he just say that to me?" 

	Sango and Miroku try to intervene but it's too late. Inuyasha is angry and so is Ranma. 

	"Akane, huh? Yeah, I have her. This must be her lunch too, huh? Must be really fat." 

	"Look here Snoopy, I just want Akane back or else." 

	"Did he just call me Snoopy? Did he just called me a Snoopy? Well look here Snoopy,
 what else are you gonna do if I don't give her back, baca?" 

	"Inuyasha this is stupid!" Kagome protest, but she is pushed away. 

	"Give me Akane now… or you won't see tomorrow." 

	Shippo runs behind Miroku. 

	"This human is crazy." 

	"Madness, but I'll be entertained." Miroku says as he pulls out a bag of snacks. 
Sango snatches it away. 

	"What are you saying? Inuyasha will rip him apart." 

	"Don't worry, we'll stop him before anything serious happens. Besides, I feel there 
is something special about this boy." 

	"Alright pigtails. Guess I'm gonna teach you some manners." 

	"Like what? How to lick myself clean." 

	"I… hope…you stop it with the DOG JOKES!" 

	Inuyasha claws the air forcing a beam of sharp waves to snap out of the air and hurl 
towards Ranma. They move faster than anything Ranma has seen. He is taken by surprise, but
manages to dodge most of it. However, enough of it cuts pass his shirt and carves a small 
bleeding wound. 

	"What's wrong girly boy? Not so cocky now huh?" 

	Ranma shakes a bit, he's never seen so much power. But the thought of Akane weighs 
on his mind. Regardless of what this man-dog is, or how powerful he could be, Ranma promised
 that he would protect Akane forever or at least die trying. 

	"I hope that wasn't you best move, because I'll still knock your ears off that head." 

	"Bastard!" 

	Inuyasha rushes at him almost flying with amazing speed. Ranma already surprised, is
even more taken back by the speed of his foe. Inuyasha eyes Ranma and swoops his right arm 
with a crashing blow on the figure, but the figure disappears like a blink The rest of the 
gang share a surprised chorus of ohs and ahs as Inuyasha realizes the attack didn't connect. 
He feels the presence a warm body underneath his right shoulder. 

	Can a human be that fas… 

	Before he can finish the thought, a clamp fist connects with his chin, rocketing 
upwards and sending the man-dog high into the air and crashing into the ground. 

	"My lord," Kagome softly replies. 

	"He's quicker…quicker than any human I've seen." Sango remarks. 

	Miroku stares in amazement. "He's powerful, too." 

	Inuyasha shakes off the strong counter attack. 

	Shit…he smells like a human. He's human, alright. But he spells like a different
 human. He's not ordinary. But he's still human. 

	"Get up." 

	Inuyasha is taken back by the taunt. 

	"Get up. I know nothing is between those puppy ears, so it shouldn't hurt that much." 

	"Heh, I underestimated you, but that's no reason to be cocky, boy. You might be good,
	 but you're still human. And I'm going to rip you apart!" 

	Inuyasha leaps from his laying position and charges at Ranma again. For the time being, 
there are no surprises. They trade blows but with Inuyasha getting more hits connecting. Ranma 
leaps like a ballet, and executes well-timed strikes that would break any ordinary man, but it
 doesn't hurt Inuyasha because Inuyasha isn't any of his ordinary opponents. 

	Damn, he's quicker and stronger and definitely more aggressive than me. He's not 
	human. He's not from Jusenkyo. Where am I?  

	Ranma tags Inuyasha several times, but Inuyasha shakes them off like tiny pinches. 

	Pig tail boy is pretty good. But he's human. He's human. He's…human.  

	Inuyasha finally connects on big ones, chopping Ranma down to size. Bloody and bruised,
Ranma tries to fight back but finds Inuyasha's blows devastating. However in if in defeat, Ranma
doesn't lose courage. 

	"Is that all you got puppy chow?" 

	Inuyasha strikes him, causing Ranma's forehead to gash with blood. 
	
	"Come on dog face, is that all?" 

	Another crushing blow to the head, but Ranma smiles it off. 

	"I'm….getting bored." 

	Inuyasha aims for throat, grasps it and begins to choke him. 

	"Shut up, pigtail boy! I'm going to kill you." 

	"Inuyasha, no!" Kagome screams. 

	But Inuyasha eyes are purple with a flame of hatred and disgust for the boy who 
shows no respect. 

	Sango and Miroku begin to interfere by pulling out their staffs. 

	"STAND BACK!" Inuyasha screams. 

	Afraid, they are paralyze in fear. 

	"He…Heh…you're…not choking…me hard…hard…enough…" 

	"Why you…ARGGHHH!" 
	
	Inuyasha digs his finger into Ranma's throat but Ranma refuses to budge. 

	"Give up…Give up and I'll let go. Give up and I'll let you live." 

	"Go to he…" 

	Ranma begins to lose consciousness as his body begins to feel disconnected and 
soft. But, he thinks of Akane. He thinks of losing. He doesn't like losing. He doesn't
like being defeated. He doesn't like Akane being alone by herself. He finds an anger 
and fear that ignites his soul. 

	"YAHHHHHHHHHHH!" 

	Ranma puts all his strength into another fierce uppercut that sends Inuyasha
 flying again. Ranma drinks the air hungrily. Inuyasha shakes of the stinging of the 
punch. A human has knocked him on his back twice. When the blood begins to trickle from his
chin, he feels the embarrassment and thinks Sesshoumaro laughing and saying "You can't
 even beat him?" 

	Inuyasha pulls out a sword that transforms into something surreal. 

	"Now, we play for real."