Sorry for the long delay, but RL took away my muse for a short time and then gave her back, only to make other problems pop up.

STORY

Round 3.

FIGHT!

Ryu vs Miyagi

Ryu allowed his face to settle into an impassive expression as he studied the old master standing in front of him. He had watched the old man from the moment he had stepped into the ring for his first battle. He was impressed with the gentle nature and selfawareness he projected. Miyagi was an old school master, one who encouraged his students to expand their minds as well as their body. He gave respect to all, even those who refused to show him the respect he had earned.

Ryu did not have that problem. Though he could already tell that this battle would end in his favor, he knew that he would do his best not to humiliate the ancient master. For while Miyagi was not near his level of strength or skill, he was good enough to be given the respect granted to any master. His ki levels were remarkably high for someone who had shown no evidence of its use in his attacks during his two previous matches. He had demonstrated a slight gift for healing on what Ryu had noticed was one of his students, an American woman. From the board, Ryu had marked that Miyagi had several studetns, sond in the programs, he'd noticed that some of them had won a number of American tournaments.

While most in the underground streetfighting world laughed at what the Americans considered martial arts, Ryu respected the effort most of the trully passionate American artists put into their work. It was dishonorable to laugh at the Americans simply because they'd been indoctrinated not to believe in the somewhat mystical and spiritual side of the art. When masters first started training westerners, they'd agreed not to allow the true skills of ki manipulation and usage to be shared. Now, after several centuries of misleading westerners, Ryu could not help but feel someone sorry that the true secrets of the art had not been shared. For that was the goal of a true martial artist, after all. To become the best they could and to train others who, hopefully, would surpass your own skill. He himself, hoped to one day find a student to pass on the knowledge he'd accumulated over the years.

He did not fault the current masters, for save for a few individuals like Guile, most Americans simply refused to comprehend what they were being told. He suspected that Miyagi had had a little success for the two students he'd seen had shown little surprise when Miyagi had used his ki to heal their minor bruising.

Ryu was distracted from his thoughts when his opponent approached, causing a slight stir in the crowd. He bowed deeply to the elder man, wishing to show the man his deep respect for him.

Miyagi bowed back to his opponent and moved to stand near the man. "Ryu-san, I am honore to have this chance to face you. I do not often take part in these tournaments, but my studetns were invited and would not come unless I too took part. I also received a letter from Meaiu-san and the backers of the tournament requesting that I take part. I have great respect for Meaiu-san and the work she and her charges perform for our people. I am sure that you too, have seen that of which I speak."

Ryu nodded as the older man paused. "Yes, the girls she travels with have a particulary singular aura. I too received a letter from Meaui-san asking me to come and mentioning that there would be several reasons I would enjoy doing so. I believe that you, Miyagi-san are one of the reasons she mentioned. I believe it is no accident that we are in the same bracket, Sensei, and I am honored to have this chance to face a true master in such a . . . peaseful environment. I must admit, I am unused to this style of fighting. Usually, the fighting with which I am involved is more. . . brutal and much less sporting."

Miyagi nodded, a slight frown on his face. "Yes, I am aware of that which you take part in. While I can not say I approve, I must admit that if there are such . . . events, from what i have heard, you and those you choose to associate with are a much better choice for victors then those who seek to conquer you."

"I am honored by your words, Sensei. And I assure you, I will do my best to ensure the safety of all during my struggles against the dark."

Miyagi nodded and took a step back. "Shall we dance, Ryu-san"

Ryu smiled, the first true smile he'd demonstrated in a long time. "Let us show our audience what two masters of the art are capable of."

Miyagi returned to his mark and took a stance, facing Ryu. Ryu stretched and took his own boxer style stance as the referee approached. The ref dropped the flag, and Ryu began his attack, tayloring his strength and speed to match what he was reading from the honored elder.

The match went well on both part, Ryu being the aggressor for the most part and Miyagi dancing across the ring on the defensive. Neither landed many blows, though Miyagi surprised Ryu on several occassions with short increases in speed to land strikes and a couple of throws. Ryu smiled as he landed from one of the throws. Heh ad not enjoyed a match so much in years, and he knew that it would be a long time before he enjoyed another such match. He'd seen from the board that he was on a direct course to possibly face off with Ranma in the final match, if Ranma was able to defeat Guile and Honda, as well as the other opponents. And if he could defeat his opponents.

He exchanged another series of strikes with Miyagi-sensei, managing to land some through the elders surprisingly effective defense. A quick glance at the clock showed him that there was not much time left in the battle, but he was not concerned. He was more than happy to allow the match to go to the judges as he did not wish to use too much force and mistakenly injure his opponent. And he could see that Miyagi-sensei was also not adverse to such an outcome.

He paused his attack and backed a few steps away. He relaxed his stance and bowed to his opponent, waiting. He was hardly surprised that Miyagi-sensi also stepped out of his stance and assumed a more relaxed posture before returning the bow. Together they turned to the judges and bowed, then started some calming exercises. They were not concerned that there was more then two minutes left in their match, nor were they worried that their match had been more stylish and less acrobatic then the ones the fans had shown a preference for. They knew that they had demonstrated the best of what their art offered, both in terms of sportmanship and in the art itself.

The judges stopped the clock and confered for a moment. Neither participant was worried about the outcome, as both knew who was the winner of the match by the judges standards. The outcome, at least in both of their minds, had not been in doubt since the match had even been announced. They had participated in order to demonstrate their love for their mutual art and their respect for the traditions they both honoured.

The ref approached and stood between the two, with the flags lowered as he waited for the judges to give him the signal. The white flag rose and an appreciate clapping followed the call. Ryu and Miyagi faced each other, bowed, then the judges and another bow, before approaching each other.

"It was trully an honor to pit my skill against one such as you, Ryu-san. I am aware that you witheld the great bulk of your true strength and acknowledge your skills. I also thank you for the wonderful chance this match gave us to show our skills. It is rare that I am able to spar with someone of superior skill and you have taught me much about my art today. Thank you and good luck in your quest."

"Thank you, Miyagi-sensei, for allowing me to spar with you. You are a true master of our art, and it was a pleasure to spar with you. If you are willing, and I am ever in your part of the states, I would enjoy the chance to spar with you again and to perhaps study for a time under you."

Miyagi gave a small smile. "While there is not much that I could teach you, Ryu-san, I would be honor to host you at our training hall. Perhaps, you would be kind enough to demonstrate to our students some of your more advance techniques. At least, those that are within their realm of understanding."

"It would be an honor, Sensei." With a final nod, the two went their separate ways, Ryu going to his friends who were waiting to congratulate him on the win, and Miyagi to his students to accept their condolences on the loss.

INTERLUDE

Ranma applauded as he got the replay of Ryu's match on the overhead screen. It had been obvious from the start that Miyagi-san was outclassed, but he was pleased to note that Ryu had treated the older man with respect, something he himself would have done. His father, however would have seen it as weakness to downplay his own superiority, but Ranma had long since grown beyond the need for his father's approval. And he approved of the entire match, even the ending. A match like theirs could have ended no other way, with both given honor to each other and the traditions of the art they shared.

'Maybe Ryu's not the jerk I remember? He certainly seems a lot more human there. He'd never have taken it so easy on the old man when I knew him.' Ranma shrugged and hurried out of the arena, heading for the locker room. He had a match soon against a man who had been rather cruel to his previous opponents and Ranma wanted a chance to prepare himself for a more difficult encounter then his previous match. On the way, he passed a dark haired girl running through the crowd with anger almost burning the air around her. He recognized her from the group he'd spotted during Akane's match.

They'd been cheering on her opponent and had looked shocked at the ease with which Akane had defeated her. The girl, as well as the group of friends watching, had unusual auras, one he'd learned to recognize as being magical in nature. The blonde with the two long tails had one of the most powerful auras of nearly anyone he'd met, one pure and peaceful. Her aura seemed to be enhanced by something she was carrying, and each of her companions, for it was obvious she was the leader of the group even if she seemed too relaxed to have any authority, also carried an item imbued with magical properties.

Watching the black haired girl in the temple robes scanning the crowd, and the other girls trailing behind her trying to calm her, he realized that she was looking for Akane as some sort of revenge against he pain caused her friend. With a sigh, he paused and decided to try and calm the girl.

"Excuse me, miss" he called, managing to get her attention. He sighed internally as he noted the look of anger on her face change to confusion and then lust. "I think it would be best if you calm yourself. It would be foolish to allow your anger over your friend's defeat to cause you all to be banned from enjoying the rest of the tournament."

Rae frowned slightly as the handsome man spoke to her. She was so distracted by his amazing physique and the power of his aura that she could read that it took a moment for his actual words to penetrate the haze of her thoughts. "Huh? What are you talking about"

"Miss, I think you are angry that your friend lost her match. And that she was injured. You feel that she was disrespected by her opponent and wish to get revenge for what you perceive to be rudeness and poor sportsmanship on the other's part."

Rae stared at the man, her gentle emotions giving way to the anger she was famous for. "Who the hell do you think you are to tell me what I should do? What business is it of yours what I do to that harridan"

Ranma shook his head. "That harridan is my mate and the mother of my child. You will not speak of her that way." Ranma glared at the girl, his eyes flashing with his aura.

Rae gulped as the man's eyes flashed a dark red. He suddenly was projecting a sense of danger as strong as any she had experienced. She felt the aura's of her friends approaching from behind and was glad to have their backup as the power level coming from the man continued to grow until it dwarfed anything she'd felt before and to her amazement it was still rising. It wasn't evil, and didn't seem really threatening, but the sheer power was enough to frighten her into listening to the man.

"Who... who are you" she asked nervously, trying to control the quivering of her voice.

Ranma grinned and turned, ignoring the dark haired priestess to face the blonde with the odd hair. "My name is Saotome Ranma of the Saotome school of Anything Goes Martial Arts. Your brown haired friend in green lost to my .. . wife. I would like to extend my appologize for any damage done and ask for forgiveness on her behalf. Your friend is more powerful then she allows others to see and my mate was not prepared for someone of her skill and struck harder then she intended. She was, however, quite impressed with your friends strength and would like to extend an opportunity to learn with us at her family's dojo in Nerima. The invitation is extended to all of you, as I can tell that you are all much more powerful than the ordinary person, yet most of you know little of combat."

Rae opened her mouth to respond angrily to the man who'd ignored her, but a gesture from Usagi stopped her cold. It was not often that Usagi used her inborn gift for command and the grace of her position, but they al responded to it isntantly and without thought. Rae often wondered how such a ditz could also be the future queen of a solar empire, but moments like this always forced home that there was much more to her blonde friend then she showed. At times, she wondered if Usagi was simply acting as a ditz to fit with what people expected of her or if she trully was as immature and bratty as she came off.

"What do you know about it" Usagi asked, her voice not that of a 15year old schoolgirl. It was the voice of experience and command, the voice that she would use once she ascended to the throne that was her birthright twice over now.

Ranma grinned and smiled to the blonde, taking a moment to mentally mark the auras of all the girls he could see so that he could recognize them later. He also added their scents as he suspected that whatever magic they had would be able to alter their auras enough to hide from even his powers, but that it was almost impossible to completely change someones scent. "I know that none of you are exactly what you seem. You have an aura spiked through with magic, powerful and ancient magic. None of you are typical teens, and it's more than just your auras. You each carry powerful magical items, and just the fact that such a diverse group of you are together demonstrates that you are not just normal schoolpals." He cocked his head and turned it slightly to study the two oldest girls.

"The tall blonde there looks and acts like a boy, but she is most definetely a girl. A fighter, likely quite skilled. The green haired girl is like the mother of your group, trying to keep you working together. And she and the blonde are bonded as one in some way. You" he turned to Rae again, ignoring her angry expression. "Are a temple priestess and are quite skilled in reading auras and the use of ki. You" he faced the other blonde "project the aura of a starstruck sschoolgirl, yet you carry yourself like a battle veteran. You" he faced the blue haired girl who reminded a little of Akane"are quite obviously the brains of your group as the brown haired girl is the muscle." He then looked to Hotaru and Chibi-usa. "The pair of you are very different. The pink haired one is nearly as powerful as your leader, and the one in black is even more powerful then then. Yet both are gentle and seem incapable of violence. Your eyes and hair set the pair of you apart. Pink and purple are not natural eye colors, and yours are both filled with sorrow. You've both experience much pain in your lives, yet you travel on, seeking the light to end your darkness."

"What do you see of me, Saotome-chan" Usagi asked, her voice still in command mode.

Ranma grinned. "You have a great future ahead of you, if you survive what ever battles you are fighting. You are filled with love for life and for those you hold in your heart. You wish for peace, yet you know that sometimes peace must comes as a result of violence. In many way,s you remind me of me. You are willing to fight for those you love, but would much prefer to bring everyone together under a banner of friendship and trust. You lead. It is not something you wished for, but it is as natural to you as breathing. You draw powerful allies and enemies to you, without any apparent effort."

"What about you, Saotome-chan? What are you" Usagi asked, her voice as even and gentle as waves caressing ankles.

Ranma threw back his head and laughed. "I am nothing more or less than a student of the Art, princess. I am nothing special really, just someone who's spent his entire life learning little else but the martial arts. One day, I hope to be the best it is possible for me to become. I am a father and a mate, and am peaceful by nature. Like you, I do not seek trouble, but I am something of a magnet for chaos and am thrust into situations with wich I want nothing more than to avoid. I, like you, will do whatever it takes to protect those I care for, even if it means destroying those who threaten us."

Usagi nodded. She could sense the truth in his words and also the truth of his gentle soul. He was extremly powerful, and much more complex then he claimed, but she could tell that he was not a threat. He could be an ally in their fight, and while he knew a great deal about them, he didn't know exactly who they were and more importantly, who they had been and would one day be again. "I can tell the truth of your words, Saotome-san. And we accept the appology on behalf of your wife. As for your offer, it would be an honor, but we will need some time to discuss it before we accept. How may we get in touch with you"

Ranma bowed again. "I believe the dojo is in the phone book, onee-chan. There's just the one Tendo-dojo in the Tokyo area, so it isn't hard to find. Just ask for Akane or Ranma, and if neither of us is avalable, one of Akane's sisters will be glad to help you set up a time for your visits."

Usagi smiled widely and this time it was all teen girl. "Great! I'm not really into fighting myself, but some of the others are. You'll have to excuse us, but I think it's time we got Mako-chan to the aid station to check her nose."

Ranma turned to the indicated girl. "Again, I'm sorry for the nose. I'm sure it wasn't meant to be cruel or hurtful."

Makoto just waved the appology away. "Don't worry about it, Saotome-san. And tell your wife not to worry either. I knew what I was getting into when I stepped in the ring. Kami knows I've been in enough of these to know that stuff like this happens. I'll just get it patched up and cleaned and in a week or two it will be back to normal."

Ranma chuckled. "Ah, you have to love the benifits of enhanced healing. I myself have long appreciated being able to heal from near anything without any permanent damage." He looked up as the call over the loudspeaker announced the start of Akane's next fight. "Well, I have to go now, but it was a pleasure meeting you all. I'll look forward to hearing from you again." He nodded and strolled away, eager to watch Akane's next match and tell her that they might be getting some students in the near future.

POV BREAK

Rae glared at the man as he walked away before turning to Usagi. "Usagi! How can you just let that idiot walk away! He knows too much about it and he and his wife are too dangerous to let run around loose. Someone that powerful is a potential danger to us. We have to find out what they're doing here and if they work for a new enemy."

Usagi sighed as she regarded her hot-tempered friend. "Rae, they aren't up to anything. They are not evil, or possesed or anything. They are just a pair of extremely powerful martial artists. They aren't a threat, in fact, I think they'll be great allies if we can convince them to aid us. I was only being polite when I said we'd have to tlak about whether or not we'd take lessons from them. We WILL be going, Rae, and I expect you to be on your best behavior. The youma we've been fighting are getting stronger and more dangerous. Some of the new ones are much smarter then the ones we used to fight, and I want us all to be able to defend ourselves, even if we are someone blocked from transforming."

"Why do we have to learn from them? Why can't we find someone else" she whined, not willing to give up so easily.

Usagi placed a hand on her friends shoulder. Rae was the aggressive one and Usagi knew that she didn't like to admit when she was wrong. "Rae, let it go. It was a legal, sanctioned match between two competitors who knew what they were getting involved in. Yes, the girl might have been a little too . . . assertive in the match, but from what I was able to sense from her, and from Saotome-san, she could have done much worse. I have no doubt that the girl . . ."Usagi frowned, not recalling the name.

"Akane." Ami stated as she came to Usagi's rescue.

"Akane. Right." Usagi nodded. "I'm sure Akane could have turned Makoto into paste if she'd trully wanted to. Heck, if Saotome-san had been less understanding, you might have caused him to lash out at you, and if that happened, we'd be forced to get involved, and then where would we all be? You felt his power, Rae. You know that he's stronger than any one of us, possibly even stronger than most or all of us working together. Even if we managed to beat him -and it is if, Rae, not when- what would be left of us? Or the arena? How many innocent people would die in that battle, Rae"

Rae blushed and looked away, unable to look her queen in the eye. She knew that USagi was right, that no matter the winner of the battle, the cost would be too high. But it was so hard to let such a show of disrespect go. Even worse, if the other girl was as good as Makoto and Usagi claimed, the nshe should have know better then to injure her opponent in that manner. She should have stuck to just the throw, not the snap back face slam. "I . . . I don't know, Usagi-chan. It's hard. The girl was just so .. .so . .. disrespectful. She should have known better than to do that move if she was so much better then Makoto. She should have thrown Makoto from the ring, or just hit her enough, lightly, to win on points or something. She didn't have to hit her so hard she broke Mako-chan's nose"

Makoto approached her friend. "Rae-chan, I know you're angry at her, but you don't understand. It was my fault that she did that not hers. Sure, she was stronger and better then me, but I wouldn't have stopped. I wouldn't have just let her play with me. I would have tapped into the power and used Jupiter's gifts to fight her. It might have made me a match for her, but it might not. Either way, the only way for her to win without accidently hurting me even more then this little thing. I've been hurt worse in matches, Rae, and I knew going into the match that i might be hurt. Granted, I was thinking more along the line of bruised ribs, or possible a broken leg and not a busted nose, but it's part of who I am and what I do Rae. I love martial arts. I've done it my whole life and it's a part of me now. This is nothing, compared to some of what I've seen and felt. Akane was very gentle with me, Rae. You might have felt her aura, but I felt her strength, and trust me, she could have slammed me into the mat hard enough to leave a greasespot. It was a fair match, and I'm looking forward to learning from her. If she can teach us some of the moves she used, imagine how much easier fighting youma will be"

Rae sighed, knowing she had lost and feeling the last of her anger slipping away. "Fine, but don't expect me to be her friend. I'll learn from her, but I'm going to keep my eye open for any sign of corruption, and if I see anything I don't like, I'm transforming and doing what we're supposed to do."

Usagi smiled and hugged her friend, glad that she had calmed down. "That's all we can ask, Rae. That's all we can ask."

BREAK

In her office, Setsuna let out a huge sigh of relief and started sucking in the air. She'd held her breath through the entire conversation between Ranma and the scouts. And again as Usagi tried to calm the volatile fire senshi. She was just glad that the situation had not come to blows. While she was unsure if Ranma could survive a full out battle with all the senshi, she did know that such a battle would cause millions of dollars in damage to the surrounding area and likely cost the lives of at least a few of the senshi and quite a large number of bystanders.

She wondered if she would have time to join them in their studies under Ranma, but decided that for now, the less he saw of her the better. Who knows what he would make of the aura she projected. He might see her as a threat and react before anyone could reason with him. No, for now, at least, it would be best to limit her time with the boy to the ending ceramonies. Still, she wished she could tell her youngest daughter how proud she was of her and the mate she hate chosen.