"I feel like shit." Iori muttered under his breath as he fought the nausea
and placed a hand on the wall to keep standing. If only the room could stop
spinning for a minute he would be able to carry Leona to the dining room.
Leona sighed when she saw Iori fight to get his sense of equilibrium back. Something that would be very difficult, if not impossible, with the blow to the head he took yesterday. "Iori, don't push yourself." She said calmly as she watched the redheaded man turn an incredulous look her way.
"What?" He asked, not sure if he was hearing correctly.
"I said don't push yourself." The blue-haired woman repeated. "After the beating Ranma gave us we need to rest to recover."
Iori sighed in defeat. He knew Leona was right, as much as it hurt his pride. He would recover a lot faster than Leona, due to his wounds being less serious, but it would still take a few days. "I'm hungry." He complained.
"I can help you with that." A female voice was heard from outside, easily recognizable as Ranko's. "Can I come in?"
Leona smirked at Iori. "Come on in." She said, not bothering to cover herself in the slightest. She didn't care much about modesty, even less in her injured state.
When Ranko opened the door she quickly examined the two people inside. Her eyes quickly traced the wounds on both his friends. After seeing Iori would recover soon she turned to the other woman in the room. She paid little mind to the fact that Leona was only covered by her panties and some bandages, instead she focused her attention on all the bloody and bruised flesh. "Oh man!" She groaned. Even if Mature told her about it, seeing the damage she inflicted on one of her best friends made her feel guilty. Not able to keep looking at the result of her insanity, the small redhead turned around. "I'll get you a bathrobe before taking you to the dining room." With that said she was gone.
Leona gave Iori a knowing look. Ranko's eyes didn't linger on her assets for a single moment. "You should know better." She accused trying to erase Iori's scowl from his features.
The red-haired man snorted. He wouldn't openly admit it, but he knew Ranma had no eyes whatsoever for anyone but Kasumi. Having the body of an attractive woman sort of took away the mystery of female flesh, and Ranma's sense of loyalty was so strong he would rather have his heart ripped out than even think of betraying his wife.
All too son Ranko was back with a large bathrobe. She helped Leona put it on before lifting the blue-haired woman in her arms. Iori smirked at the comical sight of the small redhead carrying a woman that towered over her with ease. "Wait here. I'll be back to help you as well." The pigtailed martial artist said seriously.
Iori snorted again when he was left alone, but either way remained where he was. The sooner he got better the sooner he could kick Ranma's ass.
-----
"I'm sorry." Ranko apologized to the blue-haired woman as she carried her.
"What for?" Leona asked back. "You have no control when you go into the Nekoken."
The redhead sighed. "I should have expected something like that from Genma." She admitted. "I was so immersed in humiliating Soun that I didn't pay attention. You got hurt because of that."
Leona dismissed it with a wave of her hand. "What are friends for?" Friends. She couldn't claim having lots of those, but the few she had she could trust her life on.
Ranko wasn't satisfied with that. She was already thinking of a way to make it up to Leona. The blue-haired woman knew this, but did nothing. Ranko needed to appease her conscience.
"Good morning." Mature greeted as they entered the dining room. "I see your wounds continued bleeding." She said pointing at the bandages on Leona's leg, which were tainted red.
Leona thanked Ranko when the redhead put her down and went to help Iori. She then turned to Mature. "I'm not bleeding anymore."
Mature nodded, having expected such from her. "Just be sure not to place too much strain on your leg." She sighed. "And of course participating in the tournament this year is not an option."
Leona sighed as well. "I know that." She didn't like the idea of not participating in the tournament, but there was little she could do about it.
-----
Nabiki groaned as she sat up in her futon. It wasn't that she was getting up too early, but that she barely slept at all. After yesterday she doubted she'd have untroubled sleep for a while. She turned to her side and saw her roommate wasn't in the room. *Probably wasn't here the entire night.* Nabiki thought, remembering what Mature told her about how protective Ranma was of Kasumi and Yoko while in the Nekoken. He probably didn't let them out of his sight.
It had been decided, after Kuno brought her to the Todo Dojo, that she would stay in Yoko's room. The little girl was ecstatic about her 'Aunt Biki' staying with her. "I wish I could be that enthusiastic." The middle Tendo sister whispered as she got up and stretched her back.
She winced slightly and clutched her stomach. "Akane wasn't pulling her punches yesterday. Must've been really angry." With that she walked out of the room and down the hallway.
She caught sight of Ranma, in female form, helping Iori take a sit at the table. Leona was already there. From what she'd seen of their injuries yesterday it was an impressive feat to see them up already. "Good morning." She greeted as she entered the room.
Leona and Iori just nodded to her. Ranko smiled. "Did you sleep well, Nabiki?"
The teenager slumped down unceremoniously. "No."
Mature turned to the small redhead. "Go fetch Kasumi and Yoko. I'll handle my husband and son."
"Yes, mom." The redhead mocked as she left to do as she was told. Mature rolled her eyes and followed, leaving the others alone.
After they finished breakfast everyone went about their own business.
Geese and Nabiki didn't waste any time and continued to work on the tournament, which consisted mostly of making calls to their contacts and finding more fighters to send invitations to. It was a good way for Nabiki to forget about what happened yesterday. Tofu diagnosed she needed rest to recover from the blows she received, so she didn't have to worry about school for a couple of days.
Yoko pestered Mature about getting ice cream for a good fifteen minutes until the blonde relented. Rock tagged along since there was nothing to do around the house. The woman was seriously considering, as much as she enjoyed their presence, registering the children for school so she could have some time to herself.
Iori and Leona excused themselves and returned to their room.
Out in the backyard a discussion was taking place. "You should be resting." Ranma said sternly. He changed to his male form sometime during breakfast.
Kasumi, who sat in a lotus position, just smiled at her husband's concern. "I'm resting, anata. I promise I won't strain myself, but let me stay by your side."
Ranma's stern demeanor vanished when his wife gave him a pleading look. As much as he wanted to put his foot down he knew there was no way to convince Kasumi about going to rest in their room.
Kasumi's smile widened when she saw her husband's resolve go away. She decided not to press her luck and remain silent to watch the pigtailed martial artist go over his katas.
Ranma sighed and assumed a ready stance to begin going through his motions. He was glad not to be alone right now. Yesterday's event shook him badly, and had it not been for Kasumi he would've killed many people, starting with Akane. His wife's presence, even if right now it would be better if she went inside, was a necessity to him.
Kasumi watched as Ranma flowed through the katas of her school with the usual grace and power inherent to him. Her father once told her Ranma had the potential to become the greatest practitioner of their school, but there was one thing holding him back.
Ranma slammed his foot down on the ground and executed a forward palm strike.
It was his natural aggressiveness in fighting. The Todo Ryuu Kobojutsu required for its practitioners to be calm and use their opponent's strength against them. The pigtailed martial artist was usually the one on the offensive in all his fights. His sheer speed gave him an advantage in taking the initiative.
Two blocks led to led to a front kick that was followed by an elbow smash.
Kasumi's eyes caught a sudden movement to her side and she turned her attention to see who was trying to sneak up on them.
She caught traces of black hair as the person tried to hide behind the dojo building. Kasumi didn't get up from her position, but did keep a close eye to identify the person spying on them.
Ranma continued his kata without noticing any of this.
-----
Akane fought down the urge to run at almost being caught. She clutched her chest with her hand and did her best to control her agitated breathing.
When she caught sight of Ranma going through a kata she couldn't help but stare. It was such a simple one, nothing really compared to the ones of the Anything Goes. But when performed by Ranma it became something else. The pigtailed martial artist took a simple kata and transformed it into a master's one, with a grace and power she could remember all too clearly in her mind's eye. She was always jealous of how easily the Art came to him, of how clumsy he made her feel.
She was lucky to hide behind the dojo before Kasumi turned in her direction. Now if she could just control her damn breathing. She chanced a second look a few minutes later, and was abashed when she saw Kasumi staring directly at her. She expected the older woman to cry in indignation, or at the very least glare at her, but all Ranma's wife did was turn her attention from her to Ranma.
Akane was left staring stupidly at a woman that should be angry with her, just as she was.
-----
Kasumi sighed inwardly when she discovered their uninvited guest was none other than Tendo Akane. She averted her gaze to look at Ranma again and let her mind wander. Why wasn't she as angry with Akane as she was with Soun and Genma? She was trying to take Ranma away from her, just as those two, and even then all she could feel was some sort of empathy.
Sure, Akane had shown she was undisciplined and let her anger control her actions a little too much, but from what Ranma had told her she was hardly at fault. It was all she knew from growing up with a man that pampered her to the point that even a fiancé was a gift for her. The dojo, instead of a legacy she had to earn, was a prize for being the only daughter with a passing interest in the Art.
She kept staring blankly at the general direction Ranma performed his Art, her mind asking questions and finding no answers. She knew Akane was there, but it didn't seem like the youngest Tendo desired a confrontation. She could do without one today.
-----
Mature smiled as she saw Yoko dive into her ice cream with a vengeance. *So much like her father.* She thought wondering if she was the only one, besides Kasumi, aware of Ranma's sweet tooth.
They were at an ice cream parlor a few blocks from the house, one that they visited very frequently at Yoko's insistence. Mature could easily ignore Yoko's pleading looks, but her whining got on her nerves and she always gave in. Her son always tagged along, of course. Geese teased her every chance he got for pampering the children, something he'd never do.
The blonde woman had to admit Geese was right, he was a much sterner parent than she was.
"Not hungry, mom?" Rock asked innocently, giving her sundae a hungry look.
Mature smiled at her son as she took a spun to her mouth. After making a big deal of enjoying the flavor she answered the question directed at her. "I'm just enjoying it, dear. You should learn to do the same." Her smile turned to a smirk when she saw him pout.
Yoko didn't notice the exchange as she continued to eat, somehow able to stain her dress with chocolate but avoid any other flavor.
The woman smiled when she noticed Kasumi would have to wash that particular dress again to get the stain out. She took pity on her son and gave him what remained of her sundae, not that she was really hungry in the first place. As he dove into it with gusto she turned to look out the window.
As fate would have it she caught sight of three people that instantly called her attention, two adults and a ten year old. *They're here?* She asked herself with wide eyes as she traced their advance down the opposite sidewalk. It seemed by the way they walked that, as usual, they didn't have a destination in mind. She continued to look at them until they vanished around a corner.
With a sigh she leaned back on her seat. *It seems like Geese was right. None of us is winning the tournament this year.* She thought as she turned her attention back to the children. "Ready to go?"
-----
Shampoo stopped when she caught sight of the little girl stealing her Aireen away from her. She'd been wandering the streets surrounding the Todo Dojo looking for a chance to do something before her great-grandmother told her they had to leave back to China.
She hid around a corner and saw the little girl that claimed to be Ranma's daughter walking happily next to a blonde boy. A blonde middle-aged woman walked behind them. Shampoo hardly spared the boy and woman a second glance, her entire attention focused on the little girl and knowing this was her best chance to get one of the obstacles out of the way.
-----
"Get down!" Mature yelled as she pushed both her son and Yoko out of harm's way. Some girl had appeared out of nowhere waving a sword and tried to cleave the little girl in half. She pushed her son away as well just to be safe and jumped away from the return strike of the sword, which was meant for her. She didn't quite make it as she had a long gash down her left forearm. "Rock, take Yoko to the house!" Mature cried as she charged at the purple haired teenager before she could attack the children again. It was obvious they were the girl's intended targets.
"Mom!" Rock cried as he saw the blood on his mother's left arm. But his call went unheeded as Mature was already too intent on the fight. He decided to get some help for his mother. "Come on!" He said taking Yoko's hand and running down the street towards the house. Even though Yoko wanted to stay she couldn't fight off her companion, who dragged her off ignoring her protests.
Shampoo cursed under her breath as her prey ran away. An attempt at pursuit cost her the sword in her hand as Mature took the chance to kick her hard in the ribs and, using her momentum, spin on herself to kick at the sword's hilt. The bladed weapon was sent flying away from the fighters.
Mature jumped back once her opponent was unarmed. and casually started swaying her hips to her sides. Granted, it was an unusual fighting stance, but it took most of her opponents off guard in its effectiveness.
Shampoo turned to regard the woman that stopped her from reaching half her goal. She snarled when she noticed the arrogant smirk on her face. "Outsider get out of Shampoo's way!"
Mature didn't even flinch at the menacing tone in the Amazon's command. She ignored it altogether as she waited for her already angry opponent to attack in rage. Then she would make her move.
Shampoo didn't disappoint her.
-----
Cologne sighed as she heard the front door opening again. Without Shampoo to help around the restaurant it was becoming quite hard to attend all the customers. Mousse was here still, but his limited sight and moves, due to his wounds, made him less than adequate for the job.
She poggoed out of the kitchen and smiled in pleasant surprise when, instead of seeing more customers, her eyes met three Amazon warriors. "'Greetings, elder.'" One of them said in Chinese as she stepped forward and respectfully handed her a letter from inside her tunic.
The old woman took said letter and smiled at the messenger. "It's good to see you, children." She greeted back making it a point to speak in Japanese, which elicited smiles from the faces of the three Amazons. With a smile still on her face Cologne opened the letter and started reading the Council's answer to her request. Her smile didn't drop.
-----
"RANMA!!!" Rock's voice could be heard crying from outside the house. The cry had the effect of breaking Ranma out of his kata-induced trance. Both Kasumi and Akane turned sharply in the direction the cry came from.
"Rock!" Ranma yelled back as he jumped over the outer wall.
Kasumi remained where she was, worried sick about the children but knowing that if a confrontation took place she'd be an obstacle for Ranma right now. She sighed deeply, knowing her little girl couldn't be in better hands, but at the same time depressed that she couldn't be there for her.
Akane stepped into full view of the older woman and gave her an unemotional gaze. Now that Ranma wasn't here she could deal with the woman who stole him away.
-----
Cologne was about to say something to the newcomers when she suddenly felt a spike of power coming in the direction of the Todo Dojo. A feeling of dread filled her as she rushed out of the restaurant in the direction where the power was coming from.
The three others looked at each other and followed the elder out the door and onto the rooftops.
-----
Shampoo spit blood as she struggled to regain her feet. An arduous task after the incredibly short and brutal fight. She should have known something was wrong after the first exchange, the woman showed great skill in disarming her and that kick to the ribs hurt a lot. Even then she didn't let the fact that she was in trouble set in until she was slammed through a wall. "Worse part is laugh. Remind of crazy-girl." She muttered as she straightened to stare defiantly at her opponent, who aside from that first wound to her arm was untouched.
Mature had to recognize the tenacity of the Amazon. Many would chose to remain down after the savage beating she'd been dealt, but she refused to surrender. Blood flowed freely from deep wounds on Shampoo's body, the result of Mature's chi blades connecting with their objective. When she slammed Shampoo against and through the wall she could feel several ribs giving in under the pressure. It was a miracle the girl could keep a standing position.
Shampoo blinked several times to clear her vision. The dark spots were starting to become annoying. "Shampoo... no give... up." She said defiantly as she raised her hands to assumed a somewhat shaky fighting stance.
"I would probably take it easy on anyone else." Mature said casually as she started walking forward, not bothering to be cautious. "But you attacked my son and granddaughter." She'd gotten used to Yoko calling her grandma.
Shampoo threw a punch with all her remaining strength. It was met by Mature's open palm, which captured it effortlessly. The blonde narrowed her eyes as she started to apply pressure to the offending fist.
The Amazon stifled a scream of pain as she felt the bones in her hand pop out of place before braking. She wouldn't give this woman the satisfaction of hearing her scream. Shampoo managed to release her now crushed hand before receiving another kick to the ribs. This time she couldn't hold in the whimper of pain as she felt fire consume her chest.
Mature stared emotionlessly at the now broken girl at her feet. She gave no mind to the people staring at the fight, neither to the ones begging her to stop. As far as she was concerned the girl had tried to kill one of the children. Mercy was not an option. She was about to deliver the finishing strike when Ranma's voice was heard.
"STOP!" Ranma cried as he caught a look of the situation. Not for a single moment did he doubt the outcome of the fight. What he came for was to prevent Mature from killing Shampoo, and in the process making an enemy of the entire Amazon village. It was obvious Cologne wanted to avoid a conflict as well, so it was a good call that she would take care of Shampoo for what she had just tried to do.
Mature turned to the pigtailed martial artist. "You wouldn't stop. Why should I?"
Ranma made his way to her side and stared down at the barely conscious Shampoo. "She's not worth it. If you kill her now we'll have to fight an entire village of warriors."
Mature raised en eyebrow at that. "Do you think they could actually win?" She sounded amused at the mere idea of losing.
Shampoo growled from her position on the ground at the insult, which turned out to be a bad idea. Mature kicked her in the jaw for good measure, knocking her out.
Ranma didn't even flinch at the kick. "No, but we should avoid the trouble. Even if we'd win in the end I don't want to risk Yoko's safety."
Mature paused at this and considered Ranma's words. *He's right. They might not be strong enough to beat us, but they could harm the children. We can't be everywhere at the same time.* Coming to that conclusion she kicked Shampoo's inert body in the ribs one more time. "What should we do with her?"
"I might be of some assistance in that." An aged female voice sounded from the side. Both Ranma and Mature turned to see Cologne approaching them on her staff, three Chinese women behind her.
The blonde woman raised an eyebrow at the sight that Cologne presented. "And you are?"
"She's Cologne." Ranma said for the woman before turning to Cologne with a serious expression on his face. "What will you do about Shampoo, old ghoul?"
The three females narrowed their eyes at the way Ranma addressed their elder, but she motioned for them to remain calm. "The council has decreed you're off limits for the Amazons, child. You and your kin are safe from our laws the same way an ally would be." When Ranma didn't question her about that she continued. "Shampoo is to return to the village since she has become lax on her training. It'll be years before she can leave again."
Ranma nodded. "That'll do. I don't want to kill her."
Cologne smirked. "Then we agree on something, child. We don't want you to kill her either." With that said she turned her attention to Mature's arm.
The blonde shook her head with a smile. "Don't bother. This flesh wound will be gone in a week at most." Her eyes studied the three Amazons behind the old woman. "I take it they are the ones entering the tournament?"
"Our very best from the youngest generations." The Amazon elder said as she turned to the three women, who were following the conversation with some trouble due to the language. "They're recipient to all of our martial arts knowledge."
Ranma shrugged and turned around to walk away. Mature followed suit. As he walked the pigtailed man spoke over his shoulder. "See you around, ghoul."
Cologne chuckled at the way steam seemed to come out of her three newest charges' ears. *That's Ranma for you.* She thought in amusement, knowing better than to let his comments get to her.
Shaking her head she turned down to Shampoo's bleeding form. The girl would live, that much she could tell, but it would be a while before she was in any shape to fight.
END PART 20
Author's notes: Another chapter out. The next one will serve to tie the rest of the loose ends and prepare things for the tournament. Akane will have a confrontation with the injured Kasumi, while we find out what the Kuonjis are up to.
Leona sighed when she saw Iori fight to get his sense of equilibrium back. Something that would be very difficult, if not impossible, with the blow to the head he took yesterday. "Iori, don't push yourself." She said calmly as she watched the redheaded man turn an incredulous look her way.
"What?" He asked, not sure if he was hearing correctly.
"I said don't push yourself." The blue-haired woman repeated. "After the beating Ranma gave us we need to rest to recover."
Iori sighed in defeat. He knew Leona was right, as much as it hurt his pride. He would recover a lot faster than Leona, due to his wounds being less serious, but it would still take a few days. "I'm hungry." He complained.
"I can help you with that." A female voice was heard from outside, easily recognizable as Ranko's. "Can I come in?"
Leona smirked at Iori. "Come on in." She said, not bothering to cover herself in the slightest. She didn't care much about modesty, even less in her injured state.
When Ranko opened the door she quickly examined the two people inside. Her eyes quickly traced the wounds on both his friends. After seeing Iori would recover soon she turned to the other woman in the room. She paid little mind to the fact that Leona was only covered by her panties and some bandages, instead she focused her attention on all the bloody and bruised flesh. "Oh man!" She groaned. Even if Mature told her about it, seeing the damage she inflicted on one of her best friends made her feel guilty. Not able to keep looking at the result of her insanity, the small redhead turned around. "I'll get you a bathrobe before taking you to the dining room." With that said she was gone.
Leona gave Iori a knowing look. Ranko's eyes didn't linger on her assets for a single moment. "You should know better." She accused trying to erase Iori's scowl from his features.
The red-haired man snorted. He wouldn't openly admit it, but he knew Ranma had no eyes whatsoever for anyone but Kasumi. Having the body of an attractive woman sort of took away the mystery of female flesh, and Ranma's sense of loyalty was so strong he would rather have his heart ripped out than even think of betraying his wife.
All too son Ranko was back with a large bathrobe. She helped Leona put it on before lifting the blue-haired woman in her arms. Iori smirked at the comical sight of the small redhead carrying a woman that towered over her with ease. "Wait here. I'll be back to help you as well." The pigtailed martial artist said seriously.
Iori snorted again when he was left alone, but either way remained where he was. The sooner he got better the sooner he could kick Ranma's ass.
-----
"I'm sorry." Ranko apologized to the blue-haired woman as she carried her.
"What for?" Leona asked back. "You have no control when you go into the Nekoken."
The redhead sighed. "I should have expected something like that from Genma." She admitted. "I was so immersed in humiliating Soun that I didn't pay attention. You got hurt because of that."
Leona dismissed it with a wave of her hand. "What are friends for?" Friends. She couldn't claim having lots of those, but the few she had she could trust her life on.
Ranko wasn't satisfied with that. She was already thinking of a way to make it up to Leona. The blue-haired woman knew this, but did nothing. Ranko needed to appease her conscience.
"Good morning." Mature greeted as they entered the dining room. "I see your wounds continued bleeding." She said pointing at the bandages on Leona's leg, which were tainted red.
Leona thanked Ranko when the redhead put her down and went to help Iori. She then turned to Mature. "I'm not bleeding anymore."
Mature nodded, having expected such from her. "Just be sure not to place too much strain on your leg." She sighed. "And of course participating in the tournament this year is not an option."
Leona sighed as well. "I know that." She didn't like the idea of not participating in the tournament, but there was little she could do about it.
-----
Nabiki groaned as she sat up in her futon. It wasn't that she was getting up too early, but that she barely slept at all. After yesterday she doubted she'd have untroubled sleep for a while. She turned to her side and saw her roommate wasn't in the room. *Probably wasn't here the entire night.* Nabiki thought, remembering what Mature told her about how protective Ranma was of Kasumi and Yoko while in the Nekoken. He probably didn't let them out of his sight.
It had been decided, after Kuno brought her to the Todo Dojo, that she would stay in Yoko's room. The little girl was ecstatic about her 'Aunt Biki' staying with her. "I wish I could be that enthusiastic." The middle Tendo sister whispered as she got up and stretched her back.
She winced slightly and clutched her stomach. "Akane wasn't pulling her punches yesterday. Must've been really angry." With that she walked out of the room and down the hallway.
She caught sight of Ranma, in female form, helping Iori take a sit at the table. Leona was already there. From what she'd seen of their injuries yesterday it was an impressive feat to see them up already. "Good morning." She greeted as she entered the room.
Leona and Iori just nodded to her. Ranko smiled. "Did you sleep well, Nabiki?"
The teenager slumped down unceremoniously. "No."
Mature turned to the small redhead. "Go fetch Kasumi and Yoko. I'll handle my husband and son."
"Yes, mom." The redhead mocked as she left to do as she was told. Mature rolled her eyes and followed, leaving the others alone.
After they finished breakfast everyone went about their own business.
Geese and Nabiki didn't waste any time and continued to work on the tournament, which consisted mostly of making calls to their contacts and finding more fighters to send invitations to. It was a good way for Nabiki to forget about what happened yesterday. Tofu diagnosed she needed rest to recover from the blows she received, so she didn't have to worry about school for a couple of days.
Yoko pestered Mature about getting ice cream for a good fifteen minutes until the blonde relented. Rock tagged along since there was nothing to do around the house. The woman was seriously considering, as much as she enjoyed their presence, registering the children for school so she could have some time to herself.
Iori and Leona excused themselves and returned to their room.
Out in the backyard a discussion was taking place. "You should be resting." Ranma said sternly. He changed to his male form sometime during breakfast.
Kasumi, who sat in a lotus position, just smiled at her husband's concern. "I'm resting, anata. I promise I won't strain myself, but let me stay by your side."
Ranma's stern demeanor vanished when his wife gave him a pleading look. As much as he wanted to put his foot down he knew there was no way to convince Kasumi about going to rest in their room.
Kasumi's smile widened when she saw her husband's resolve go away. She decided not to press her luck and remain silent to watch the pigtailed martial artist go over his katas.
Ranma sighed and assumed a ready stance to begin going through his motions. He was glad not to be alone right now. Yesterday's event shook him badly, and had it not been for Kasumi he would've killed many people, starting with Akane. His wife's presence, even if right now it would be better if she went inside, was a necessity to him.
Kasumi watched as Ranma flowed through the katas of her school with the usual grace and power inherent to him. Her father once told her Ranma had the potential to become the greatest practitioner of their school, but there was one thing holding him back.
Ranma slammed his foot down on the ground and executed a forward palm strike.
It was his natural aggressiveness in fighting. The Todo Ryuu Kobojutsu required for its practitioners to be calm and use their opponent's strength against them. The pigtailed martial artist was usually the one on the offensive in all his fights. His sheer speed gave him an advantage in taking the initiative.
Two blocks led to led to a front kick that was followed by an elbow smash.
Kasumi's eyes caught a sudden movement to her side and she turned her attention to see who was trying to sneak up on them.
She caught traces of black hair as the person tried to hide behind the dojo building. Kasumi didn't get up from her position, but did keep a close eye to identify the person spying on them.
Ranma continued his kata without noticing any of this.
-----
Akane fought down the urge to run at almost being caught. She clutched her chest with her hand and did her best to control her agitated breathing.
When she caught sight of Ranma going through a kata she couldn't help but stare. It was such a simple one, nothing really compared to the ones of the Anything Goes. But when performed by Ranma it became something else. The pigtailed martial artist took a simple kata and transformed it into a master's one, with a grace and power she could remember all too clearly in her mind's eye. She was always jealous of how easily the Art came to him, of how clumsy he made her feel.
She was lucky to hide behind the dojo before Kasumi turned in her direction. Now if she could just control her damn breathing. She chanced a second look a few minutes later, and was abashed when she saw Kasumi staring directly at her. She expected the older woman to cry in indignation, or at the very least glare at her, but all Ranma's wife did was turn her attention from her to Ranma.
Akane was left staring stupidly at a woman that should be angry with her, just as she was.
-----
Kasumi sighed inwardly when she discovered their uninvited guest was none other than Tendo Akane. She averted her gaze to look at Ranma again and let her mind wander. Why wasn't she as angry with Akane as she was with Soun and Genma? She was trying to take Ranma away from her, just as those two, and even then all she could feel was some sort of empathy.
Sure, Akane had shown she was undisciplined and let her anger control her actions a little too much, but from what Ranma had told her she was hardly at fault. It was all she knew from growing up with a man that pampered her to the point that even a fiancé was a gift for her. The dojo, instead of a legacy she had to earn, was a prize for being the only daughter with a passing interest in the Art.
She kept staring blankly at the general direction Ranma performed his Art, her mind asking questions and finding no answers. She knew Akane was there, but it didn't seem like the youngest Tendo desired a confrontation. She could do without one today.
-----
Mature smiled as she saw Yoko dive into her ice cream with a vengeance. *So much like her father.* She thought wondering if she was the only one, besides Kasumi, aware of Ranma's sweet tooth.
They were at an ice cream parlor a few blocks from the house, one that they visited very frequently at Yoko's insistence. Mature could easily ignore Yoko's pleading looks, but her whining got on her nerves and she always gave in. Her son always tagged along, of course. Geese teased her every chance he got for pampering the children, something he'd never do.
The blonde woman had to admit Geese was right, he was a much sterner parent than she was.
"Not hungry, mom?" Rock asked innocently, giving her sundae a hungry look.
Mature smiled at her son as she took a spun to her mouth. After making a big deal of enjoying the flavor she answered the question directed at her. "I'm just enjoying it, dear. You should learn to do the same." Her smile turned to a smirk when she saw him pout.
Yoko didn't notice the exchange as she continued to eat, somehow able to stain her dress with chocolate but avoid any other flavor.
The woman smiled when she noticed Kasumi would have to wash that particular dress again to get the stain out. She took pity on her son and gave him what remained of her sundae, not that she was really hungry in the first place. As he dove into it with gusto she turned to look out the window.
As fate would have it she caught sight of three people that instantly called her attention, two adults and a ten year old. *They're here?* She asked herself with wide eyes as she traced their advance down the opposite sidewalk. It seemed by the way they walked that, as usual, they didn't have a destination in mind. She continued to look at them until they vanished around a corner.
With a sigh she leaned back on her seat. *It seems like Geese was right. None of us is winning the tournament this year.* She thought as she turned her attention back to the children. "Ready to go?"
-----
Shampoo stopped when she caught sight of the little girl stealing her Aireen away from her. She'd been wandering the streets surrounding the Todo Dojo looking for a chance to do something before her great-grandmother told her they had to leave back to China.
She hid around a corner and saw the little girl that claimed to be Ranma's daughter walking happily next to a blonde boy. A blonde middle-aged woman walked behind them. Shampoo hardly spared the boy and woman a second glance, her entire attention focused on the little girl and knowing this was her best chance to get one of the obstacles out of the way.
-----
"Get down!" Mature yelled as she pushed both her son and Yoko out of harm's way. Some girl had appeared out of nowhere waving a sword and tried to cleave the little girl in half. She pushed her son away as well just to be safe and jumped away from the return strike of the sword, which was meant for her. She didn't quite make it as she had a long gash down her left forearm. "Rock, take Yoko to the house!" Mature cried as she charged at the purple haired teenager before she could attack the children again. It was obvious they were the girl's intended targets.
"Mom!" Rock cried as he saw the blood on his mother's left arm. But his call went unheeded as Mature was already too intent on the fight. He decided to get some help for his mother. "Come on!" He said taking Yoko's hand and running down the street towards the house. Even though Yoko wanted to stay she couldn't fight off her companion, who dragged her off ignoring her protests.
Shampoo cursed under her breath as her prey ran away. An attempt at pursuit cost her the sword in her hand as Mature took the chance to kick her hard in the ribs and, using her momentum, spin on herself to kick at the sword's hilt. The bladed weapon was sent flying away from the fighters.
Mature jumped back once her opponent was unarmed. and casually started swaying her hips to her sides. Granted, it was an unusual fighting stance, but it took most of her opponents off guard in its effectiveness.
Shampoo turned to regard the woman that stopped her from reaching half her goal. She snarled when she noticed the arrogant smirk on her face. "Outsider get out of Shampoo's way!"
Mature didn't even flinch at the menacing tone in the Amazon's command. She ignored it altogether as she waited for her already angry opponent to attack in rage. Then she would make her move.
Shampoo didn't disappoint her.
-----
Cologne sighed as she heard the front door opening again. Without Shampoo to help around the restaurant it was becoming quite hard to attend all the customers. Mousse was here still, but his limited sight and moves, due to his wounds, made him less than adequate for the job.
She poggoed out of the kitchen and smiled in pleasant surprise when, instead of seeing more customers, her eyes met three Amazon warriors. "'Greetings, elder.'" One of them said in Chinese as she stepped forward and respectfully handed her a letter from inside her tunic.
The old woman took said letter and smiled at the messenger. "It's good to see you, children." She greeted back making it a point to speak in Japanese, which elicited smiles from the faces of the three Amazons. With a smile still on her face Cologne opened the letter and started reading the Council's answer to her request. Her smile didn't drop.
-----
"RANMA!!!" Rock's voice could be heard crying from outside the house. The cry had the effect of breaking Ranma out of his kata-induced trance. Both Kasumi and Akane turned sharply in the direction the cry came from.
"Rock!" Ranma yelled back as he jumped over the outer wall.
Kasumi remained where she was, worried sick about the children but knowing that if a confrontation took place she'd be an obstacle for Ranma right now. She sighed deeply, knowing her little girl couldn't be in better hands, but at the same time depressed that she couldn't be there for her.
Akane stepped into full view of the older woman and gave her an unemotional gaze. Now that Ranma wasn't here she could deal with the woman who stole him away.
-----
Cologne was about to say something to the newcomers when she suddenly felt a spike of power coming in the direction of the Todo Dojo. A feeling of dread filled her as she rushed out of the restaurant in the direction where the power was coming from.
The three others looked at each other and followed the elder out the door and onto the rooftops.
-----
Shampoo spit blood as she struggled to regain her feet. An arduous task after the incredibly short and brutal fight. She should have known something was wrong after the first exchange, the woman showed great skill in disarming her and that kick to the ribs hurt a lot. Even then she didn't let the fact that she was in trouble set in until she was slammed through a wall. "Worse part is laugh. Remind of crazy-girl." She muttered as she straightened to stare defiantly at her opponent, who aside from that first wound to her arm was untouched.
Mature had to recognize the tenacity of the Amazon. Many would chose to remain down after the savage beating she'd been dealt, but she refused to surrender. Blood flowed freely from deep wounds on Shampoo's body, the result of Mature's chi blades connecting with their objective. When she slammed Shampoo against and through the wall she could feel several ribs giving in under the pressure. It was a miracle the girl could keep a standing position.
Shampoo blinked several times to clear her vision. The dark spots were starting to become annoying. "Shampoo... no give... up." She said defiantly as she raised her hands to assumed a somewhat shaky fighting stance.
"I would probably take it easy on anyone else." Mature said casually as she started walking forward, not bothering to be cautious. "But you attacked my son and granddaughter." She'd gotten used to Yoko calling her grandma.
Shampoo threw a punch with all her remaining strength. It was met by Mature's open palm, which captured it effortlessly. The blonde narrowed her eyes as she started to apply pressure to the offending fist.
The Amazon stifled a scream of pain as she felt the bones in her hand pop out of place before braking. She wouldn't give this woman the satisfaction of hearing her scream. Shampoo managed to release her now crushed hand before receiving another kick to the ribs. This time she couldn't hold in the whimper of pain as she felt fire consume her chest.
Mature stared emotionlessly at the now broken girl at her feet. She gave no mind to the people staring at the fight, neither to the ones begging her to stop. As far as she was concerned the girl had tried to kill one of the children. Mercy was not an option. She was about to deliver the finishing strike when Ranma's voice was heard.
"STOP!" Ranma cried as he caught a look of the situation. Not for a single moment did he doubt the outcome of the fight. What he came for was to prevent Mature from killing Shampoo, and in the process making an enemy of the entire Amazon village. It was obvious Cologne wanted to avoid a conflict as well, so it was a good call that she would take care of Shampoo for what she had just tried to do.
Mature turned to the pigtailed martial artist. "You wouldn't stop. Why should I?"
Ranma made his way to her side and stared down at the barely conscious Shampoo. "She's not worth it. If you kill her now we'll have to fight an entire village of warriors."
Mature raised en eyebrow at that. "Do you think they could actually win?" She sounded amused at the mere idea of losing.
Shampoo growled from her position on the ground at the insult, which turned out to be a bad idea. Mature kicked her in the jaw for good measure, knocking her out.
Ranma didn't even flinch at the kick. "No, but we should avoid the trouble. Even if we'd win in the end I don't want to risk Yoko's safety."
Mature paused at this and considered Ranma's words. *He's right. They might not be strong enough to beat us, but they could harm the children. We can't be everywhere at the same time.* Coming to that conclusion she kicked Shampoo's inert body in the ribs one more time. "What should we do with her?"
"I might be of some assistance in that." An aged female voice sounded from the side. Both Ranma and Mature turned to see Cologne approaching them on her staff, three Chinese women behind her.
The blonde woman raised an eyebrow at the sight that Cologne presented. "And you are?"
"She's Cologne." Ranma said for the woman before turning to Cologne with a serious expression on his face. "What will you do about Shampoo, old ghoul?"
The three females narrowed their eyes at the way Ranma addressed their elder, but she motioned for them to remain calm. "The council has decreed you're off limits for the Amazons, child. You and your kin are safe from our laws the same way an ally would be." When Ranma didn't question her about that she continued. "Shampoo is to return to the village since she has become lax on her training. It'll be years before she can leave again."
Ranma nodded. "That'll do. I don't want to kill her."
Cologne smirked. "Then we agree on something, child. We don't want you to kill her either." With that said she turned her attention to Mature's arm.
The blonde shook her head with a smile. "Don't bother. This flesh wound will be gone in a week at most." Her eyes studied the three Amazons behind the old woman. "I take it they are the ones entering the tournament?"
"Our very best from the youngest generations." The Amazon elder said as she turned to the three women, who were following the conversation with some trouble due to the language. "They're recipient to all of our martial arts knowledge."
Ranma shrugged and turned around to walk away. Mature followed suit. As he walked the pigtailed man spoke over his shoulder. "See you around, ghoul."
Cologne chuckled at the way steam seemed to come out of her three newest charges' ears. *That's Ranma for you.* She thought in amusement, knowing better than to let his comments get to her.
Shaking her head she turned down to Shampoo's bleeding form. The girl would live, that much she could tell, but it would be a while before she was in any shape to fight.
END PART 20
Author's notes: Another chapter out. The next one will serve to tie the rest of the loose ends and prepare things for the tournament. Akane will have a confrontation with the injured Kasumi, while we find out what the Kuonjis are up to.