Shinran had just finished off the last of his lunch and was enjoying a warm cup of tea when the postman stopped by the temple. Shinran met the postman at the foyer, and after exchanging greetings, he was handed an oblong package and asked to sign the release forms. Shinran quickly scrawled his signature at the bottom of the signature pad, studying the return address as he did so. Addressed to Herb, the return address was simply, 'King of the Musk, China."

"You never did spill the beans, Akane. Come on, we're your sisters. You can tell us!"

"She's right, Akane. You wouldn't want to hold out on your oldest sister, would you?"

Akane looked back and forth between Kasumi and Nabiki in utter disbelief. She had just returned to her room not ten minutes after being rescued from Taro when the pair descended up her like vultures.

"Why do you want to hear about that? Really! It's not like I just got kidnapped or anything. You sure you don't want to ask me questions like, 'were you scared,' or 'what were you thinking about.' Honestly." Akane sighed as she began rummaging through her bureau for some clean clothes.

"We know, but..."

Nabiki jumped in. "It wasn't like you were ever in any sort of danger, right? With Ranma there to rescue you and all..."

Akane sighed again. "Can I at least take a bath and change first?"

Her sisters turned around and put their heads together, quietly conferring for a moment before turning back. Kasumi watched for Nabiki's nod before speaking. "We've agreed you can have fifteen minutes to bathe and change. After that, you talk. Or we tickle."

Akane narrowed her eyes at the threat, but the two seemed serious. "I don't like empty threats. Besides, I don't kiss and tell. Sorry."

"Okay, then no kissing. Just telling." Nabiki smirked. Her smirk quickly faded into a frown as she added, "Please?"

"Humor your older sisters. It's not fair you're the youngest and you got such a hot fiancée." Kasumi crossed her arms across her chest, attempting to look stern, but failing.

"Well, how was I supposed to know we'd end up engaged?" Akane quickly gathered a change of clothes and shouldered he way past her sisters. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I want to go bathe." On her way down, she realized she should have gotten a long sleeve t-shirt for after the bath. Her tank-top wasn't going to cover the marks Ranma had left at all.

Happosai closed his eyes, waiting for the blows to fall. When they didn't come, he slowly opened one eye to see Ranma sitting on the ground in front of him. Ranma pointed to the still unconscious form of Taro.

"Want to tell me what this was about, Happosai?"

"No."

Herb and Konatsu shift positions behind the old geezer, edging slightly closer. "Tell us, or I'll take off the leg next time, not just break it." Herb's whisper carried far enough for Ranma to hear.

"Herb!" Herb backed off at Ranma's exclamation. "I want to know why Taro attacked us, not beat up on an injured old man. You want to tell us?" Ranma held Happosai's gaze until the diminutive master shrugged.

"Why do you think? After what you did to me? He wanted a new name, I told him he'd get one if he took care of those two. I guess he thought you were a bonus."

Ranma cocked his head. He noted that Konatsu and Herb had both shifted at Happosai's statement. "What do you mean, what we did to you? They gave you a few broken bones – seems fair, considering they wanted to kill you."

Happosai scoffed. "Good ploy. Play innocent."

"I don't even know what you're talking about."

"Why don't you ask your friends then, boy?"

Ranma pointed at Happosai. "Don't move. You won't be able to escape even if you tried." Happosai nodded glumly, and lowered himself to the ground, muttering about stiff joints and aching bones. Ranma watched Happosai out of the corner of his eye as he pulled his friends to the side. Neither answered Ranma's question directly at first, but his suspicions proved to be true.

"You guys did the moxibustion on him?" Ranma stared until he received confirmation. "Well, no wonder he's pissed. I know I was. That also explains why his injuries have taken so long to heal... With every woman able to beat him off, he can't steal any ki to regenerate."

"I still think it was the right thing to do." Konatsu said emphatically. Herb nodded, agreeing with Konatsu's statement.

"Yeah, well, now he's out for blood, even if he can't do it himself." Ranma watched as Happosai pulled out his pipe and began to smoke, rubbing the top of his head as he rested on the ground. Happosai attempted to pull up some blades of grass, but the moxibustion prevented even that.

Ranma tapped his chin with a finger as he watched. "You know what?"

"I don't like that look, Ranma." Konatsu frowned at Ranma.

"What look?"

"That one – the same one that always ends up getting us in trouble."

"Konatsu, I'm hurt. When have I ever gotten us in trouble?" Ranma jumped in before anyone could answer. "And don't answer that. Anyway, you want to hear my idea or not?"

Konatsu was displeased, and Herb not much more enthusiastic with Ranma's plan.

Akane was still scrubbing her back when the door to the bath opened. She whipped around to see her sisters standing in the entrance, both naked and ready to join her. Nabiki walked in and sat down on a low stool to her left, and began to fill a pail with cold water. Kasumi sat down on her other side and also filled a bucket with water. Nabiki smirked as she touched one of the love bites on her shoulder.

"I think you missed a spot, Akane. Need help scrubbing?"

Akane glared. "No." Her answer set both of her sisters to giggling. She ignored the pair as best she could until she finished rinsing off and sliding into the hot bath. She closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of Nabiki and Kasumi scrubbing down, still whispering about and occasionally laughing at the various marks that adorned her body. Eventually, they stopped laughing and rinsed, the sounds of splashing water heralding the end of the cleansing process. The two joined her a few minutes later, making the water level rise until it was close to the top of the tub.

Akane cracked open one eye to see both her sisters staring at her intently from across the tub. She closed her eyes and attempted to relax, but soon felt the water shift again as her sisters crossed the tub to sit on either side of her. No one said anything, but after a while the silence only magnified their presence. With a groan, Akane opened her eyes and crossed the tub to sit opposite her sisters. Nabiki and Kasumi continued to stare. Akane rolled her eyes at the expectant looks on their faces.

Nabiki simply asked, "Well?"

"Well what?" Akane replied.

"Well, how about; who started it? How did it happen? How long has it been going on? You know - easy questions for starters."

"Oh, you two are so immature."

To Akane's surprise, they giggled, but it was Kasumi who spoke up. "But Akane, look at it from our point of view. Our little sister is engaged and sleeping with a hunk of a man."

Nabiki interjected with an enthusiastic "Yeah!"

Kasumi continued, as if uninterrupted. "Of course we are going to be curious, considering neither one of us has a boyfriend. It isn't like your sister or I have a lot of opportunity to meet men, as I'm always at home and most men are probably too intimidated by Nabiki to even try."

Akane snorted with laughter at Nabiki's indignant cries. Kasumi had a point, though. Slowly at first, but with increasing animation, Akane began to answer their questions, but kept the personal details private. When the story wound down, the two simply 'oohed' and looked at her in a new light.

"Well, Kasumi, looks like Akane's all grown up." Nabiki faked a sniffle and rubbed an imaginary tear from her eye, causing both Kasumi and Akane to shake their heads ruefully. "Do you think it was the right thing to do, Akane?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I certainly don't regret it. I mean, Ranma's something else..." she trailed off, looking at her hands as she thought about the boy.

Kasumi giggled. "I wish you could see the look you have on your face when you say that, Akane."

Nabiki chimed in. "How touching. My little sister's gaga for some wandering martial artist."

"HEY! I'm not gaga!"

"Could have fooled me."

"You love him, don't you?" Kasumi became serious when she asked the question.

The question brought Akane up short. Conversation died after that. Akane didn't feel like answering anymore questions. She pointed out they had been in the bath too long, anyway, and were going to dry up like raisins.

"SON OF A BITCH!!!" Happosai lashed out as Ranma finished the application of the moxibustion point. The kick caught Ranma squarely in the chest, launching him into Herb and Konatsu, knocking all three to the ground.

Ranma smirked as he stood. "Seems like it worked. Remember our agreement, Happosai. One week, then I will challenge you for mastery of Anything goes. If I win, I get certification, you change Taro's name, and no more assassins, alright?"

"Are you going to let me 'recharge'?"

Ranma nodded and shifted into his female form. "You only get five seconds, though. As per our agreement."

"Sure, whatever..." Happosai launched himself at the now female Ranma, fondling her chest and copping a cheap feel. Ranma shivered at the old perverts actions, but true to his word, the letch stopped after five seconds. Happosai breathed deeply as he flexed his muscles. . The ki he had absorbed allowed him to repair his remaining injuries. It felt... good to be whole again.

"If I win, you agree to be my slave for one year." He watched Ranma nod. "You're an idiot, you know that? But I like you anyway. See you in a week, boy!" With that, Happosai took to the roofs, intent on 'rescuing' some silky darlings.

Herb walked over till he stood behind Ranma, watching the little pervert bound away. "I hope you know what you're doing, Ranma."

"Yeah, me too. Are you guys ready to train?"

Herb frowned as he opened the package Shinran had received in the mail. Inside, he pulled out a silk scroll and examined the bindings, checking for authenticity marks known only to him. Satisfied, he opened the scroll and read. When he finished, Herb wordlessly passed it to Konatsu. When Konatsu finished reading it, she wrapped Herb in a hug from behind. "When do you want to leave?"

"After the challenge."

"Do you want to let Ranma know?"

Herb shook his head. "He needs to concentrate. We can tell him afterwards." Herb turned in Konatsu's embrace, hugging her back. They held each other for a while until Herb broke the silence. "Konatsu, I'm scared."

"Me too."

"Hello, Tendo residence." Kasumi paused as she listened to the other party. "Oh, Ranma! Good to hear from you. Akane? Why yes, just hang on a second, please." Kasumi held the receiver to her chest as she called to her sister. "Akane, Ranma's on the phone."

Akane put down her tea and walked into the hall to take the phone from her sister. With a smile, she thanked Kasumi and took the receiver from her hand.

"Hi Ranma!" She paused to listen. "This week? For the whole week? What about school?" Akane paused again as she listened. Kasumi looked at Akane with a puzzled expression, causing Akane to shrug her shoulders. "Let me ask my dad, okay? It shouldn't be too much of a problem, but you never know..." She paused again. "Okay. Can I call you back in a few minutes? Okay! Bye!"

Akane hung up the phone. "He wants to come along on a training trip for a whole week."

"That's wonderful, Akane! Just think about how much time you can spend alone with him."

Akane blushed. "Yeah, but I get the feeling he's serious about something. You'll be surprised, Kasumi. Sometimes I think he would forget about that completely if I didn't have to 'remind' him every now and then."

"Well, you'll just have to keep it on his mind, won't you?" Kasumi's grin mirrored Akane's. "Let's go talk to father, shall we, Akane?"

This was hardly what Akane had in mind when she agreed to go on a training trip. They had arrived and set up their tents when Ranma announced the first exercise. She had anticipated some kata's, or maybe some light sparring to warm up. Ranma had a different idea. Basically, it consisted of all out assaults against the pig-tailed martial artist, no holds barred.

Ranma panted as he raised a leg to block a front snap kick from Herb, at the same time bending nearly double to avoid Kontasu's thrown shuriken and Akane's roundhouse. Going three against one wasn't nearly as much fun as he had anticipated, but it was exactly what he needed. Herb and Konatsu had stepped up their usual level of sparring they usually reserved only for Happosai.

Without using the Neko-ken, he couldn't win at this rate, but it was great practice for the coming challenge. Ranma grabbed the throw shuriken from mid air, tossing it back at the ninja, forcing him to change direction. He allowed the momentum absorbed from blocking Herb's kick to throw him free of the melee, buying time to snap off three quick Ki blasts at his assailants. Herb and Konatsu dodged with ease.

Akane wasn't fast enough to get around the blow, and had to absorb it with her guard. With a grimace, Akane shook out her left arm and charged back into the fray. Those dame things hurt! That was probably one of the smaller blasts Ranma threw, and yet her arms felt like she had just absorbed a full-powered round house.

The three charged Ranma again. Akane hated the fact that Ranma, Herb, and Konatsu were so much better than her, but she understood Ranma's reasoning behind her participation. Since it was likely that Ranma's battle with Happosai would take place under blindingly fast conditions, anything that might throw off his timing or broaden his perception of the fight was vital. Akane, while fast, was a like a snail racing a jet plane when compared to Happosai. Her attacks threw off the normal rhythm of dodging and blocking Ranma had established with Konatsu and Herb, forcing him to concentrate more on the fight, paying attention to things he might otherwise ignore.

Akane threw another punch at Ranma, only to have him disappear from view. Konatsu and Herb quickly vanished as well, as they began to move faster than her eye could track. Sonic booms quickly echoed throughout the clearing as Konatsu and Herb sped up, attacking at full speed. Akane stepped back and out of the way, trying to gauge what was happening.

She had learned enough from all the training together to pick out their individual auras. Herb's aura had just surged, as had Ranma's. Konatsu's on the other hand, was non-existent. Part of what made the ninja so deadly was just that – he could vanish almost at will, becoming invisible on the battle field, landing blows from seemingly no where. One of them must of struck, because Ranma came crashing through the trees, to impact heavily on the ground, creating a small crater.

Akane wasted no time. She tried to land a vicious axe-kick on the downed boy, only to have her ankle caught at the last moment and her feet swept from under her. While still in falling, Ranma some how got behind her to strike her with an open palm in the middle of her back, knocking the wind from her lungs. Before she could gain her bearings, Ranma vanished again, and the sounds of high speed impacts once again echoed through the clearing.

Akane got up, patiently waiting for another opportunity to attack. The next time Ranma came crashing through the trees, though, he was already out cold before he hit the ground. Herb and Konatsu appeared, both looking severely battered but happy. Akane returned with a bucket of cold water, pouring it on the hapless Ranma. The water triggered his change, as well as waking her up. With a groan, Ranma opened her eyes.

"I swear, when I can see straight, I'm going to get all six of you, Herb."

"I take it the day's training is over then, Ranma?"

"Nope. I've only got six more days, and I'm going to use every minute of it possible. Do you mind if I just nap here for a bit first, though?"

It was colder in the mountains at night than Akane was used to, so she threw another log on the fire. The warmth was welcome as she contemplated what Ranma had told her about the upcoming challenge with Happosai. Herb and Konatsu had disappeared some time ago into the surrounding forest, devising strategies for tomorrows 'training' sessions with Ranma. Across the fire, Ranma was busy finishing off the remains of his meal, methodically picking out the last grains of rice from his bowl.

She watched as Ranma put down his bowl with a sigh, chop sticks hanging rudely from his mouth. He leaned back with his eyes closed and his face towards the sky. He patted his stomach, indicating that he was satisfied. She studied the lines of his face as he did this, fascinated with the way that the moonlight filtered through the trees, pooling softly on one side of his face.

"Ranma?"

"Mmm?" He opened his eyes, and pulled the dangling chop sticks from his mouth onto the rim of the bowl before him.

"Nothing..."

Akane snuggled closer to Ranma as he shifted in his sleep, draping an arm around her waist as they spooned in the sleeping bags they shared. Facing away from him, she was resting on his bicep, gently tracing the various scars that adorned the portion of his arm that was exposed. This was the first time they had actually 'slept' together – the first time they would wake up in the same bed the next morning. Akane was wide awake, seized with an irrational fear. She was terrified because having tasted this once, she wasn't sure if she was strong enough to do with out it.

Ranma's hand snaked around her waist to rest just below her navel, his pinky and ring finger tucked just below the elastic of her underwear. He pulled her close as she tensed, tickling the back of her neck with his breath. She sighed, and began relaxing as the even sounds of his breathing eventually lured her into a fitful sleep. As she was falling asleep, she realized that, just maybe, her sister had been right about Ranma.

Two days into the training, Ranma pulled out his secret weapon. He brought out the Neko-ken for the first time in his matches against the Herb, Konatsu, and Akane. Akane never stood a chance, and bowed out quickly. Kontasu held up well at first, but was soon realized that his primary advantages, stealth and speed, were nullified by the extra sensory perception of Ranma's technique, forcing him to utilize more ki based attacks than he normally incorporated. Herb did better, able to unleash his full power against his adversary. The resulting 'sparring match' leveled a nearby mountain. Ranma deemed he had the power necessary to take down Happosai. Now, they just needed to work on cunning.

Akane lightly kissed Ranma's shoulder as her hands wandered up and down the muscles of his back, basking in the afterglow of their latest 'training.' Ranma collapsed on top of her, supporting most of his weight with his elbows as he reached up to brush her hair out of her face. She turned her head to kiss his palm.

"Akane?"

"Mnn?" She turned her head to look at Ranma, receiving a kiss in for her efforts.

"We should probably stop this until I beat Happosai. I don't want to lose my edge." Ranma kissed her again before disengaging himself, sliding beside her to wrap her in a hug. "You understand?"

Akane nodded. She turned till she faced away from him, pulling his arm over her ribs and to her chest, so she could be held from behind. She laced her fingers through his, pulling his hand to her mouth so she could kiss his knuckles. Akane reveled in the feeling of his body against hers, enjoying the warmth and the contact, conscious of the fear once again.

Ranma didn't even unpack from the trip before he sought out Shinran. Dirty and smelly, Ranma joined the monk in his meditations until Shinran was finished, and ready for conversation.

"I trust you had an excellent journey, Ranma?"

"I did. That is what I wanted to talk to you about, if I may."

"What do you wish to tell me?"

Ranma paused, looking down at his hands. He carefully composed his thoughts, thinking over what he wanted to say and how. There was no delicate way of putting it, though. "It's about my relationship with Akane, really."

"Ahh. Go on."

"It's just that..." Ranma stopped, and blushed. Finally, he blurted out, "How did you do it?"

Shinran chuckled. "Do what?"

"Get past the desire? Past sex? Past wanting to feel that close to someone?" He sighed. "Every time I look at Akane, I just get so... unbalanced. I lose focus. I've never been this out of control, or this influenced by anything before..."

"You get horny, you mean."

"Yeah, that too." Ranma smiled sheepishly.

"Well, she is a very good looking young woman, Ranma. I'd be truly worried, or conversely, very happy for you if you were able to see beyond that right now."

"So, how did you get past that desire, Shinran?"

"What makes you think I have?"

"Well, you're here. You're a monk. You must of, at some point."

"Ranma, I joined a monastery precisely because I had such difficulty getting over those urges. Everyone does. It is easier in a controlled environment, such as a temple. And after my wife died... I lost interest for a while, and it became easier to channel my energies into something constructive, like meditation."

"Great. So basically, I'm going to be stuck like this forever?"

"That depends entirely on you."

Ranma snorted. "Maybe I should just cut 'em off."

Shinran laughed. "According to the Buddha, there was once someone who, plagued by ceaseless sexual desire, wished to castrate himself. The Buddha said to him, 'To cut off your sexual organs would not be as good as to 'cut off' your mind."

"Meditation hasn't helped much, though." Ranma sighed wistfully. "I have a hard time focusing. I keep seeing her."

"Your mind," Shinran began, "is like a supervisor: if the supervisor stops, his employees will also quit. If the deviant mind is not stopped, what good does it do to cut off the organs?

"If you truly desire to conquer this, and your ultimate goal is the mind of no mind, then you must do it here." Shinran tapped a finger against Ranma's head. "To do otherwise is fruitless." He dropped his hand. "I admire your efforts. Keep in mind why you wish to do this, Ranma."

"Mastery."

"A truly noble goal. With practice, you can achieve it."

Herb, Konatsu, Akane, Dr. Tofu and Soun all stood on the grounds of Furinkan early on a Sunday morning, watching as the Happosai and Ranma faced each other prior to the match. Taro was also there, standing away from the other group, watching Happosai intently. Soun produced a scroll, and began to read the conditions.

"Saotome Ranma hereby challenges Happosai, founder and Grand Master of the Anything Goes style of Martial Arts for mastery. In addition to this, if he is victorious in today's challenge, he requests that Happosai change the name of Pantyhose Taro to one of the aforementioned person's choosing. Do you accept these terms and conditions, Master Happosai?"

Taro shouted, "DON"T CALL ME THAT!"

Happosai yelled at Taro, "Shaddup!" before agreeing to the terms. Happosai began to stretch, twisting at the hips like a baseball player to taunt Ranma. "Now, read my conditions!"

Soun nodded, and produced a second scroll. "Happosai, as founder and Grand Master of the Anything Goes style sets a condition on the challenge. Should the challenger, Saotome Ranma, lose, he/she will be honor bound to serve as his willing disciple for the period of not less than one year, in which any act of disobedience is punishable in any manner the Master sees fit."

Soun's face lost its color as the blood drained from his face. He walked over to Ranma and quietly whispered. "Do you know what he'll do to you?"

"I am aware."

"This is silly, Ranma. You don't have to go through with this! Mastery is not worth being his slave!"

"Just call the match."

Soun lowered the scroll, looking at Ranma with abject horror clear upon his face. "Saotome Ranma, do you accept this condition?"

"I do, Mr. Tendo."

Soun walked back to his previous spot, shaking his head the whole time. Soun carefully rolled both scrolls and handed them to Tofu, there as a second judge and for emergency medical treatment.

"Victory will be judged by incapacitation, either by knock out, injury, or death, and capitulation. There is no time limit. Is the challenger ready?"

Ranma nodded, carefully keeping his eye on the diminutive form of Happosai, still engaged in his mock stretches.

"Are you ready, Master Happosai?"

"You bet your hinny, Soun!"

Soun raised on hand in the air as the two fighters faced each other from a distance of two paces. Soun dropped his hand and the fight commenced.

For a long time the group watched as both combatants stood still, merely staring at each other. Ranma smiled and moved first. Herb, Konatsu, and Soun all shook their heads in disappointment, as Tofu adjusted his glasses with a sigh.

Tofu's statement mirrored everyone's mood. "I was hoping Ranma would win this, but..."

Ranma stood facing Happosai, watching for any sign of movement. In the back of his head, he could feel the familiar feeling of the cat lashing its tail, ready for battle and itching for control. 'Not yet,' Ranma urged. The sensation died, but Ranma was ready. With a smile, he launched himself at Happosai. This was going to hurt.

Happosai would have rolled his eyes if he could have afforded the time necessary to do so when Ranma moved first. With a muttered oath of "amateur," Happosai proceeded to counter Ranma's first offensive initiative.

Ranma was right. That first opening sequence move had hurt, as had the second, third, and fourth... The cat was furious, actively trying to wrest control from Ranma. We can beat him, if you just let me out, it seemed to say. Again, Ranma only urged patience. He was fighting Happosai by conventional means. He was getting beat up for it, but then again, so was Happosai. More importantly, Happosai thought he had Ranma's full measure.

Happosai took moment to spit a loose tooth into his hand as Ranma picked himself off the ground some twenty feet away. He pocketed the tooth for later – it could still be saved. The boy had gotten very good, but he wouldn't win. A lecherous grin split his face as Happosai began fantasizing about the first thing he'd have Ranma do as his 'willing' disciple. It involved that delicious female body he possessed and taking something a woman could only give once.

Ranma's ears were ringing from the latest exchange as he picked himself off the ground. He moved more slowly than he felt necessary, watching for any changes in Happosai's demeanor. Happosai began grinning. He wanted to smile, but his jaw hurt too much. In his head, the cat was purring. It was play time.

From the sidelines, Herb and Konatsu watched Happosai administer the beating with distress. They were aware of Ranma's plan, but it didn't make it any easier to watch. Even though Ranma was giving Happosai a thrashing as well, it became increasingly clear that the Ranma was coming out worse for each exchange. The longer this battle went on, the more certain it was for Happosai to win. Konatsu winced as the old Master landed a particularly nasty blow that sent Ranma to the ground, yards away from the Happosai. Ranma managed to clip the old man on the way out, knocking out a tooth of Happosai's. As the old man pocket the tooth, he began grinning as he approached the still reeling Ranma.

Happosai walked over to Ranma, ready to administer the finishing blow. "Any last words as a free man, Ranma?" Happosai fished his pipe out of his pocket, ready to knock the boy into oblivion.

Ranma was on his knees, clutching his head as he struggled to stand. "Yeah."

"Do tell."

Ranma's only response was an ear splitting roar. Happosai didn't have a chance.

The roar shook the battle ground, making the earth vibrate and causing the spectators to cover their ears. Akane watched in fascination as Ranma slipped into the Neko-ken and out of sight. The first blow launched Happosai into the air, where it appeared to hover, kept aloft by Ranma as he rained blows in from all directions, preventing his opponent from falling to the ground. The attacks were too fast to see, and a loud rumble echoed through the area as every movement Ranma made exceeded the sound barrier or the ability of the human eye to perceive it. After a minute, it was over.

Happosai fell to the ground, unconscious well before impact. Ranma stood panting, holding the last stance of the final kata for the Neko-ken learned so long ago.

"Soun!" Tofu nudged the Tendo Patriarch in the ribs.

"Yes, Doctor?"

"Call the match, please!"

Soun nodded. He walked over to the fallen form of Happosai. After a cursory examination, he declared the winner to be Ranma, by virtue of knock out. Ranma nodded once before collapsing as well.

When he awoke, Ranma immediately regretted doing so. The pain was tolerable. The sight of a voraciously bawling Soun, however, was not.

"RANMA!!! YOU BEAT THE MASTER!!!!! WAAAAAAAAA!!!!" Soun's tears were soaking the Ranma, turning him into a female. The other occupant of the room, Akane, was also getting thoroughly drenched. She was desperately trying to clam her father, to no avail. Finally, in exasperation, she used a trick that Konatsu had shown her once. With her pointer finger, she jabbed a pressure point at the base of her father's neck, causing him to slump over asleep.

"What do you know, that works!"

Ranma managed to croak, "Good job, Akane."

"How are you feeling?"

"Terrible."

"You look it."

Ranma stuck his tongue out at the girl. She responded in kind, before leaning over and kissing him once. "You were amazing."

"What do you expect from the great Saotome Ranma?"

Akane wrinkled her nose. "A bath, perhaps?"

"I'll need help scrubbing..."

Akane's grin would have made Happosai proud.

Herb and Konatsu waited at the temple for Ranma to return from the Tendo's. While they waited, they prepared their belongings and wrote letters. Ranma returned later that afternoon, limping but in good spirits. He saw their preparations and his mood became somber quickly. Konatsu tossed him the scroll that had arrived a week before. Ranma read it twice, just to make sure of the contents.

"How long have you known?"

Herb replied. "One week."

"And you waited till now?"

"This challenge was important to you."

Ranma clenched the scroll in his fist, shaking it violently. "And this isn't?" He looked around the room. "When are you leaving?"

Konatsu and Herb answered as one. "Tonight."

"Good. I'm coming with you. Just let me write some letters."

Thanks for reading. Reviews, questions and comments welcome. I am sorry it has been a while since the last installment, but life, as it is wont to do, has gotten in the way. That, and I suffered from a bit of a block - I am not statisfied with this chapter, but I think it will be suffiecient in order to introduce the next elements of the story.

I apologize for not working Ryoga into the story at this point - i can rationalize it by saying, "he's still lost." i do plan on re-introducing him, because he will play an role in resolving the issues that will be present with the present state of affairs between Ranma and Akane.

I also regret that I'm incable (or simply not imaginative enough) of writing a better, or more in depth anaylsis of Herb, and Konatsu. I particularly like their relationship, and i think it has a lot of complexity that i've only hinted at, but haven't really taken the time to explore. If i ever go back and re-write this peice (ha!), then I will endevour to do so.

Now, to reply to some comments (most of which were simply supportive - thanks to all the readers):

Preventer Squall writes:

"my quandry revolves around how Ryoga will react to this new development? He is still after Akane's heart, afterall, and there's no dought that he won't take her marriage arrangement laying down. I personally hope he won't be as blindly ignorant as he was in the manga, always accusing Ranma to be the bane of his existence, while it's his own shortsightedness that leads to his own downfalls. I can see him continuing to be an exceptionally useful sparring partner for Akane, if he serves no other purpose in your story.
Maybe you will also entail the details of the viscious punishment Konatsu administered to Happosai, as well as afew more of those dashes of lemony goodness you do so well. Heh."

As for ryoga, i have a clear idea of how I'm going to introduce (or should I say, re-introduce) him to the story, and in what capacity he's going to serve. I simply didn't have enough time to introduce him this chapter. I think i detailed the punishment KOnatsu administered in this installment - if there is confusion, i need to know in order to clarifys for the snatches of lemony goodness, this chapter has a little more zest than the previous ones. I hope you like it. I may end up writing a lemon scene before this story is over...