Here it is after so long, Chapter 16 up to 18

Usual disclamers apply. All characters belong to those who created them and I own nothing except my idea of how to use them.

*************************************************** Chapter 16

Ranma and Akane sat in the loveseat of their suite, while Ulaf dragged a chair over to face them. They each held a cup of tea, and were discusing what had happened in the lobby.

"So who was that guy and how did you know him?" Akane asked.

Ranma sipped his tea. "His name is Ruy. He's a wandering martial artist who fights in the Street Fighter tournaments. He's one of the top fighters in the world, probably in the top 3. He's on some kind of personal quest to take down Shadowloo. Pop and I ran into him and some friends a few years ago in Taiwan. They were busting up a drug cartel that was a front for Shadowloo and Pop and I were there to learn a from a master who was living in the area. Anyway, Pop's an idiot and he tried to pick Ruy's pocket. Ruy caught him and they had a discussion. As much as I enjoy the idea of Pop getting his ass handed to him, I stepped hin and stopped Ruy from delivering a kick. It nearly broke my arm and I'm sure that it would have cracked oyaji's ribs.

"Ruy wondered why I would save the old man and I told him that as much as I sometimes hated the bastard, he was my father and I couldn't let some stranger kick the shit out of him for something as stupid as having his pocket picked. It was partially his fault for letting the old man get so close, after all. If he had been paying attention to his surroundings instead of brooding over whatever was on his mind, he would have felt Pop coming from down the block.He sort of grunted and turned to walk away.

I took a swipe at him, angry that he would turn his back on me. He ducked and spun a kick.We traded a few blows, and even though I knew I was outclassed I still fought as hard as I could. I got a few hits in, but he eventualy put me down with a right fake, left sweep kick followed up with a palm strike to my solar plexus. He stood over me for a few seconds and watched while I got my breath back. Once I did, he told me I had great potential and that if I wished, I could travel with him and he would train me and help me improve. It's from him and his friends that I learned how to use my ki to project my aura and to throw kiblasts." Ranma paused to see if the two were following his story and they motioned for him to continue.

"Anyway, I agreed to the training and Pop and I travelled with Ruy and his friends Ken Masters, an American, and Cammy, a British woman who worked for a special forces unit of the United Nations Peacekeepers. I learned a lot from them all and got to see some of the horrible things Shadowloo has done. Unfortunately, Pop is an idiot and he sold out where we were staying to some Shadowloo's agents and Cammy and Ken were badly injured. Ruy blamed me and threw us out, saying that if he saw us again, he would extract repayment of the debt we owed him for the near loss of his friends."

Akane sighed. She had heard similiar stories from Ranma and had lived in similar events in her life. Several times during her travels with her father, she had made enemies simply through her own skills and after Jhusenkyo and the nekoken, it became harder for her to make friends. And her father was somewhat likeable, unlike Ranma's who was a complete and total scoundrel.

Ulaf frowned. "And know here he is, at this tournmant, and here you are, also taking part. Do you think you will face him?"

Ranma shrugged. "It depends on how skilled the other fighters I face are. He shouldn't have too much problems with his matches. Like I said he's easily one of the top 3 fighters in the world. He's the only man outside of Shadowloo to win more then three Street Fighter tournaments and walk away. He's fought Bison and won. I don't know if I could do that, even in my were form."

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see." Akane stated placing her cup on the table. She looked over at the clock, noting the time. "Come on, let's go. We only have about twenty minutes to get back to the arena and find some good seats for the celebrity exhibition and the firstround. Ulaf is fighting in that round against Honda and we're supposed to be at the dressing rooms 15 minutes before match time for a quick medical checkup."

Ulaf stood, downing his cup and seating it next to Akane's and Ranma's. "Thanks for the tea, and the story, Ranma. It was a pleasure meeting you Akane. I hope we can get together again this weekend, if our schedules permit it."

The three walked out of the room to return to the arena, making plans to meet the next afternoon and tour the city. Akane was the only one who had been in Tokyo before so she would give the two newbies a tour of the city between the afternoon matches, should they all win their matches this evening. They split up upon reaching the arena, Ulaf to go and prepare for his match and the cursed duo to find good seating for the exhibitions, some of which were going on.

**************************************************** "What's wrong, Ruy? Who's Ranma?" Chun Li asked, noting the odd look on her friends face. Ruy was usually a pretty stone faced guy and his face looked almost pale. Not the kind of pale of someone seeing a ghost or in shock, but the kind of pale that only someone beyond anger could achieve.

Ruy took a breath and struggled to regain his calm. He had truthfully not expected to see Saotome Ranma again. Certainly not in this type of environment. If anything, he expected the boy to have either become as evil as his father or to have been killed by someone his father had deceived in some manner. But from what he could sense of the youth, he detected no malice or wickedness. Just a general excitement for finding something he hadn't seen in a long time and a great swell of love directed to the powerful female presence at his side.

"A thief and a lowlife. I met him and his father about 4 years ago. I don't know how, but he persuaded me to train him. Looking back, I see that it was setup from the beginning. His fat fool of a father attempted to pick my pocket. He had some small skill, being able to mask his presence until he actually made contact with me. I was attempting to punish him, when this young boy, mostly skin and bones, but with a powerful aura, blocked my kick. It broke his arm, but he put up enough of a fight to impress me. It's not often that a boy his age could even block a kick from me without completely shattering his arms.

So after he explained about his fool of a father and asked to learn from me, I gave in. I taught him how to harness control of his aura. To be honest, he's one of the best and quickest learning people I've ever known. He learned how to throw a ki blast just from watching Ken and me sparring. It was weak at the time, but I didn't learn to do it until I was almost 25 and even then, his was stronger than mine was at the time."

Guile quirked an eyebrow. He'd only heard of kiblasts after getting involved with the assignment to infiltrate Shadowloo. For a boy not even half his age to pull one off was almost frightening. "So what happened that soured you on him?"

"Ken, Cammy and I were looking for Sagat and Vega. Ranma's father heard that Shadowloo had a price on our head's and sold us out. Ken amd Cammy got beat pretty badly before I was able to chase the thugs off. But it had been Ranma who had directed them to the warehouse they got caught in. I gave Ranma a warning and told him to leave. I also told him that the next time I saw him, I'd repay him for each of the injuries Ken and Cammy suffered."

Chun Li nodded. She could understand Ruy's reasoning. Though she was still curious as to what else had happened since then, she didn't want to press the issue with the moody warrior. Her companions weren't so tactful though.

"That doesn't explain what was going on. The way you jumped when you got to us . . . something startled you. Were you able to pull that trick Chun Li does and felt his aura from across the room?" Honda asked. Of all their crowd, he had known Chun Li the longest. He knew as much about her as anyone, and had learned his Thousand Hand Clap from watching her Lightning Kick, which she had told him her greatgrandmother had taught her as a child as a variation on an ancient tribe secret.

Ryu nodded. "His power level . .. I haven't felt anything like that in years. Not since the first time I ran into Bison. He's holding back a great deal, probably as much as he can and I can still feel his aura tingling against my skin. It's odd though. I'd have thought his father would have completely corrupted him by now, but I only feel a slight mischevious quality to his aura. It seems almost playful." Ryu hesitated to mention the sense of the youth's emotional presence. While he was quite adapt at locating enemies by their aura, he was still a novice at gathering people's emotional states.

Chun Li grinned. "Ryu's right. I could feel a powerful presence approaching even before we ran into you, Honda. I caught a glimpse of the boy when Ryu started staring at the elevators and I was hit by a sense of excitement and by a very strong feeling of love for the young woman he's with. His general mood is happiness, though he must have noticed you, Ryu, since there's a thread of worry. Strangely its not for himself, but for the woman and someone else. . . someone closs to them. I can't get a better sense. I'm not a mind reader, but it seems to me he's nothing like the father you describe."

"Maybe, but I still need to punish him. I made a vow and I need to go through with it or I would be no better than either his father or Bison."

"Do it in the ring, if you face him." Guile suggested. He looked up at the board above the center ring. There was a listing of all the fighters and the brackets. The name of Saotome Ranma was listed as having a by to the second level of fights, along with the names of Ryu, Guile, and Tendo Akane. He didn't recognize most of the names, and there were several others who had by's but he was surprised by the name of Tendo. It reminded him of something he'd read, but he couldn't quite place it. It was sometype of official report, but not one that immediately sprang to mind. "Look at the board. If you each win two fights, you'll be facing each other. Not quite as dramatic as if it was the finals, but still, it is center stage. You can defeat and humiliate him at the same time."

Ryu studied the board and nodded. "That sounds good. If I can. He's stronger than he was. Much stronger."

Honda snorted. "Shouldn't matter, brudda. He's still a boy. He's what, 15? 16? Not a lot of time to gain experience there."

Ryu shook his head. "You don't understand what his father's training style was like. He makes my sensei seem like a den mother. I don't know if I would have survived some of his training methods, let alone be sane enough to live near other people."

"I don't see what would have been so much worse than the way that old man taught you and Ken. Hell, because of his training, Akuma was created from all your darker impulses and anger."

"Yes, but he didn't resort to torture. Ranma's father taught him the nekoken. A powerful and deadly technique. In order to learn it, the student is wrapped in various seafoods and other goodies and tossed into a pit filled with starving cats. This goes on everyday, sometimes several times a day for weeks, until the student's mind finally snaps and he begins to act like a cat. At that point, he gains the ability to project his ki into claws around his hands and strengthen his teeth. He also at least quadruples his speed and strength. The only drawback is that the person has no concious control over himself. He is ruled entirely by his instincts. He heals at a visible pace. A cut that would kill or at least incapacitate a normal person would heal totally within seconds. You would be able to see the tissue knitting together. This makes it nearly impossible to defeat him since the only way to end the fight would be to kill him with one blow before it had time to heal.

But since he's ruled by instinct, he'd be easy to distract, just like any other cat. The only exceptions would be if you tried to take something he saw as his, either territory or food or even a mate, than he'd keep fighting until the enemy was dead. With the power he has now, I'd hate to think how strong his nekoken form would be."

Guile frowned. "So how does he snap out of it and what causes him to slip back into it if he has no control over it?"

Chun Li continued, having learned of the NekoKen from her Great Grandmother. "Fear. The student, because of the training method, will be deathly afraid of cats. If exposed to them for any significant amount of time, the fear will cause his mind to snap and the nekoken will take over. The only way to control someone in the nekoken state is for the trainee to trust you completely, even to the point of being willing to do things that seem totally insane on your say so simly because they trust that you will not harm them in any way. There's also an element of love, but that could be familial love or romantic. It's the trust that's the real secret to the control. They have to trust you to be able to control something that they have no control over."

"Enough of this. It's almost time to start. I have to get to the dressing rooms and get ready for my fight. I'm up against some guy named Ulaf." Honda stated. "Why don't the three of you go find a good spot to watch the match. It's in Area 2. That's the second ring. This arena is usually a soccer stadium. The center stage ring is Area 3. Area 1 is the home goal, Area 2 is middle of home territory, Area 3 is at midfield and so on. There are 5 rings in this field, and 5 more in another field. The arena has 2 full size olympic soccer fields and a sumo arena with 4 sumo rings. For the purpose of this fight, the rings we are using have a 35 foot diameter. The rules are you win by knock out, ring out, points by hits or submission. No killing, all weapons are blunted, and any lifethreatening injuries result in disqualification."

"So very different than the Street Fighter Tournaments. More room to maneuver and a strict rule system. What about a time limit?" Ryu asked. He had not bothered reading the pamphlets he had been given when he signed up.

"10 minutes. There are age limits as well, though exceptions are made for people of exceptional skill levels and for some schools. I've heard a rumor that there's even going to be some representatives of the Musabetsu Kakutou Ryuu." Honda stated. "I've been in town for a few days and I passed the register's office while he was on the phone with someone asking about getting 2 students of that school in."

Guile frowned. "Indescrimate School of Openhanded Fighting? Weird name."

Ryu grasped his friends shoulders. "Yes, it is. And they are here. Ranma's father is a master of the Musabetsu Kakutou Saotome Ryuu, and I'm guessing the girl he is with is this Tendo Akane who's on the board and that she's a member of the Musabetsu Kakutou Tendo-Ryuu."

Honda grinned as he split off from the group. "I'll look forward to seeing them fight then. I'll talk to you later." He made his way to the dressing room, wanting to get dressed for his fight and warm up.

"Good luck, Honda." the three wished their large Hawaiian friend while seeking seats near the center ring to watch the celebrity guests sparring match and opening ceremonies.

****************************************************

Chapter 17

Ryouga grunted as he was again tripped up by his opponent. He'd had little luck, despite his larger size and skill. His opponent was both older than him and more experienced at fighting stronger opponents. He barely felt the blows struck by the other's fists, but his foe was faster, and had the tail appendage which gave him a suprising edge. He was also stronger than he should have been for his size, but Ryouga put that down to his Gargoyle nature as opposed to humans. He knew that he could jam his finger's into solid stone without injury, but that was only after a long, painful training method.

No human could really do that without shattering all the bones in their hand. Yet all gargoyles did so as a matter of course. It wasn't solely due to the fact of the clawed talons instead of fingernails, but an inate strength of bone and tissue in gargoyle biology.

Physically, a gargoyle was several times stronger than a human of identical measurements would be. If it hadn't been for Ryouga's training, he would not have stood a chance against he small, green gargoyle called Lexington. The thought of facing the large lavender skinned clan leader was enough to frighten him silly.

"Enough." the giant being said, causing Ryouga nad the small green gargoyle to stop their session.

"Something wrong, Goliath?" the green gargoyle asked his clan leader.

The giant uncaped his wings and uncrossed his arms. "No. That was amazing, Lexington, Ryouga. It's just that it's almost sunrise and we need to get to our stations."

Ryouga chuckled a little at the praise from the large gargoyle. He'd been here in New York for a few days now. He'd spent most of that time either wandering the castle, amazing himself in not getting lost or sparring against the gargoyles, at their request after they'd seen him practicing some katas. He'd shared his story with him and his quest for vengeance, and he'd heard their own tale of misery and loss. Thanks to this, he no longer feared them and was only slightly nervous around the largest one, their leader they called Goliath, and the eldest of them, the one they called Hudson. He even felt more comfortable with the females of the clan than he could remember being around any female except his mother.

He was eager now to help these gentle people in any way he could. He could understand their need for the cursed waters of Jhusenkyo and would be honored to lead them there. The only problem was that Owen said it would take at least another week to prepare for the trip and to gather the tools together by which he'd be able to permantely correct Ryouga's sense of direction.

He wiped off with a towel while the winged beings went out the large door to take their places on the castle battlements. He moved to watch as the sun rose above the horizon, noting the positions they took as they turned to stone. Most assumed fierce expressions and stances preparing for attack, though the leader took a pose that was similar to one he'd seen in a statue by some famous artist somewhere.

A sound from the door caused him to turn. He was less than surprised to see the tall, lanky blond. "Ohayo, Burnett-san. How are you today?"

Owen Burnett's eyebrow cocked in a familiar manner. "I am well, Hibiki-san. I trust you are finding your stay with us?"

Ryoga nodded and grinned. "Hai. This place is amazing. I haven't gotten lost in days! Everytime I think I'm going to take a turn, I feel this shock and I'm still there. I've done a lot of thinking, and I realised that I feel a kind of shock or tugging everytime I used to look around and found that I'd gotten somewhere I had no idea of going to. Like when I was in Japan, turned around and found myself here, in New York."

Owen nodded. "Yes, I suppose you would. Your direction curse is just that, a curse. It is ancient and tied to your family line. I have been doing some research and found that I might have learned the originator of the curse. If I am correct, that will make it easier to cure not only you, but also your entire family."

Ryoga's smile widdened and threatened to split his face. "That's . .. that's so kind of you. I don't think I'll ever be able to repay you."

Owen's eyebrow rose as high as it ever had. "We are not being altruistic with our actions, Mr. Hibiki. You are here to provide a service. A service that you are the only one we have access too that is able to perform said service. There is no one else we were able to speak to who would be willing to aid Mr. Xanatos. The price for your aid is extremely little for what we will be receiving in return. It has become increasingly dangerous in New York for our stone friends, and the waters of Jhusenkyo might be the only means in which they will survive. Against the risk of losing them, what we are spending and what we will spend in order to aid you, is nothing. Mr. Xanatos has a great deal to repay towards them, and this is just a small step in balancing the scales."

Ryoga's face hardened. He had to stop thinking these people were friends. Just because they were helping him, didn't mean they cared in any way what happened to him. They needed something from him, and they had something he needed. It was a simple business arrangment. Nothing more, nothing less. Maybe one day, he could call these people friends, but not yet. Not until this business was over. "I will keep that in mind, Mr. Burnett. And I will fulfill my side of the deal. Just keep yours. I don't think you'd want me as an enemy."

Owen gave a feint smile. Inside, Puck was laughing wildly. Thanks to the Pheonix Gate, he had travelled several timelines. He knew the potential held in the fanged boy's powerful body and understood the truth of his statement in ways the boy would never come close to experience. For through the boy, who had a friend or two he refused to acknowledge as such, it was indeed true that Ryoga Hibiki was not someone you wished to have on the side opposing yours. There were two such friends currently in Japan who the boy was hunting for vengeance, and who's abilities would rival those of several of the fey. He looked forward to the opportunity to meet those two: Saotome Ranma and his soon to be wife Tendo Akane were watched most closely by those with any glimmer of the future.

The day would come when the world would know the names of Ranma and Akane Saotome and elevate them to the status of legends.

****************************************************

Chapter 18

Ranma and Akane cheered along with the rest of the crowd as the celebrity guests were introcuded. Jet Li, a martial arts movie legend would be doing a demonstration of a fight scene from his newest movie with his costar, Jason Stratham. The two were starring in a movie titled "The One." It dealt with dimensional travel and how every possibility that could happen did happen and branched off into different universes. Jet Li played several versions of the same character, the main ones being a homocidal maniac who was going from universe to universe killing all the other versions of himself, and the last of the versions left. Each time one version of someone is killed, the other versions get stronger, and now that they are the last two, they are extremely powerful. Stratham plays a universal police officer who is sent to hunt down and capture/kill both of the last of Li's characters.

Stratham was not really a martial artist, but he had shown a great interest in learning throughout the making of the film and had been continuing to learn more since the end of the filming schedule. He was due to begin filming his first international release film, titled "The Transporter" at the start of the next month, and he was in Japan on a promotional tour of both films.

The demonstration lasted about 10 minutes, with Jet tossing Jason around as easily in real life as he did with the special effects of the movie. The British actor performed with style the moves he'd learned, but he'd known that he had no chance and had wanted to show that he was trying to improve his skills so that he'd perform better and be more realistic as a fighter in his movies.

The crowd cheered both, eager for the release of the movies and for the beginning of the first match. The announcers gave the first list of the fighters in each arena and the screens hanging from the ceiling came to life so that anyone could check what was happening at the other rings aside from the one they were currently seated near.

The people for the first round came striding out into the converted field, joining their opponents at their rings. Before the matches began, a trio of figures came striding forth from the section of seats usually reserved for VIPS. The crowd quieted as the tall, green haired woman raised a lazy hand for their attention.

"Arigato, minnasan. I am Meaiu Setsuna, and with me are Mr. and Mrs. Suzuki Nobi. The Suzuki's are our gracious hosts and the owners of both the stadium and the hotel were most of the competitors are residing for this tournament. I am the manager of both the Stadium and hotel. I have been tasked with seeing that the rules for the tournament are followed and that any problems are resolved as soon and as painlessly as possible. I wish to pass on my good wishes to all those taking part in the tournament and I hope that it is a success, since we wish to make this an annual event." Her eyes scanned the crowd, stopping here and there as she recognized several of the competitors, including some she wished she could eject immediately.

"The rules are simple: Each match has a 10 minute time limit. You win by knockout, ringout, submission, points by hits at time limit or disqualification. All styles are welcome, though those with weapon styles will be fighting with blunted weapons. No dismemberment, or maiming. No killing. Accidents do happen though, and we are prepared to deal with nearly any situation that might occur. Should there be a fatality, the contestant is disqualified and an investigation will commence to vertify that it was an accident. Should there prove to have been any intent to kill, the person responsible will face criminal charges including a charge of premeditation. That is what this warning is concerning.

This is a test of skill, people, not of killing strength. We ask that those with the ability to kiblast or energy blast take in mind that there is a crowd here and that this is an enclosed environment and limit their blasts in size and strength. First prize in the tournament is 50million yen for the mens champion and 35 for the womans champion.

Should they be capable of continuing, the champions will be offered the opportunity to face each other for both prizes and an additional 15million yen for a grand prize total of 100million yen. There is a 1million yen prize for each of the final eight males and final four woman. The final 4 men receive an additional 4 million and the final 2 woman are also guaranteed 5 million yen, with the woman champion receiving the additional 30million yen."

She scanned the crowd until she came upon the forms of Saotome Ranma and his future wife, Tendo Akane. The pair were the only two to meet her gaze and she smiled wide and nodded slightly to them, pleased to see them return the honor with a bow. She'd watched these two grow from afar, crying silent tears at the torture they'd survived in the name of training. If it hadn't been for her own future self's banning her from taking action, she would have killed Saotome Genma a hundred times over for the harm he'd inflicted on the pair. In all her remembered life, spanning countless centuries, she'd never seen any being with the casual creulty Genma showed his child. When she'd asked herself how they could let Genma do that to his own child, let along incite his friend to commit the same acts on his daughter, her future self had grinned cryptically and said simply that Ranma's heritage would show through and to not worry about the horrible influence of the scoundrel Saotome Genma.

Still, that hadn't stopped her from exacting a slight revenge by causing him to start loosing his hair more quickly than he otherwise would have. It was petty, she knew, but it was all she could do to punish the bastard.