Chapter Twenty: Akane's Training

The sun was just starting to set in the horizon as Ranma and Ukyo left the hospital. Stretching his arms towards the lazy ball of warmth, she watched as a pair of doves flew by overhead, calling to each other. Even nature seemed to be in perfect harmony at moments like this. It was a pity life couldn't be like this all the time. Peace and serenity without heartache, pain, or evil. But such dreams were for a perfect world and this was not a storybook setting.

A great crushing weight lifted itself off of Ukyo's heart, and she inhaled easily, savoring the cool air. Her time with Ryoga had gone much differently than she had expected it to and her mind was still reeling as she struggled to understand how an event that had been so wrong had produced something so wonderful. Pausing from her musing, she turned and saw Ranma struggling not to make eye contact as he walked with his hands in his pockets.

Her eyes widened in realization. She knew Ranma well enough to know when he was thinking about something he was dying to talk about but too embarrassed to do so. "How much did you see, Ranma? Out with it."

"See what? What do you ya' mean?" Ranma asked, playing dumb. He quickened his pace but Ukyo kept up with him easily, grabbing the back of his ponytail.

"Oh no you don't! You know perfectly well what I mean, Ranma Saotome!" There was no trace of playfulness in her voice. She grabbed his arm and slowed him down, turning him to face her. She looked up at him expectantly, her cheeks puffing up with displeasure.

"Well, you see, I er, Uhh... wasn't sure how long I was supposta' wait in the hall so I, er.."

Ukyo whacked him over the head. "Stop babbling, jackass! I'm not mad! I just want you to tell the truth!"

"I saw you two sucking faces," Ranma muttered, rubbing his head.

Ukyo whacked him again...then again because it just felt good. "What were you doing peeping?!"

"Hey, it's nothing to be ashamed of! I'm glad you and Ryoga got together." Ranma took a step away from her and raised his hands as if to ward her off.

Her expression softened and she bobbed her head cutely. "Thanks Ran-chan. We'll just have to see how things go between Ryoga and I. I still feel like I don't deserve to have this happen to me though."

"You just gotta deal with the cards you're given, I guess," Ranma commented.

Ukyo poked her two pointer fingers together, embarrassed. "I'm not very good at… you know, the dating thing…"

Ranma snorted. "Trust me, neither is Ryoga. You two will be fine though, I'm sure of that."

Glancing at him, she noticed with admiration how much he had changed in the years she had known him. He clearly felt more in touch with his feelings than ever before. She didn't know what it had been that had finally caused him to wise up, but she was glad, especially for Akane. She smiled absent-mindedly knowing that was only half true. The old ache in her heart was subdued but it still existed and made its presence known. She loved Ranma still, and probably always would in some ways. She just needed time to adjust and find herself.

"Do you love him," Ranma asked.

Do you love Akane," Ukyo countered.

Ranma scratched the back of his head. "I think I do…"

"What's this 'I think I do'? How can you not know if you love her or not?!" Her eyes narrowed slightly.

Ranma thrust his hands into his pockets. "Everything is happening so fast, I just want to be sure before I go off sproutin' words of love like Kuno does. I care for her very strongly but has it evolved into love? I can't say for certain."

Ukyo nodded and closed her eyes briefly. "I think I can understand that."

That confession ended the stream of her questions. They walked silently together until they reached her restaurant. She unlocked the front door then went back and playfully punched him in the shoulder.

"Well, I for one have had more than enough excitement for one evening. Night, Ran-chan, I'm exhausted!"

"Night, Ucchan! Sleep well!"

"You too." Smiling, Ukyo went inside and shut the door. Whistling, Ranma watched the lights turn on as she made her way upstairs through her small home. Thus far it had been a chaotic week without peace and he was getting tired of it. All he wanted was to live normally and happily without having to suffer through constant hassles. While he didn't hate the fact that Nerima had made him much stronger, it wore on his nerves sometimes and tonight was no exception.

Maybe someday he and Akane would have children and then, maybe he could give them the normal life he had never been able to experience. But he was far from that point yet, at least mentally. Strong and as remarkable as he was, he was still a sixteen year old boy who had been raised without the softer guide that came from a mother's point of view. While he no longer even tried to deny the fact that he had feelings for Akane, except around their parents, he still found it hard to express himself and put his feelings and thoughts out properly. He just needed time, as all maturing boys his age did.

Walking briskly down the empty street, Ranma was nearly hurled backwards as the Shadow Warrior teleported onto the material plane before him. The brilliant flash that came along with the teleport, for a second, turned the black night into day. He turned to the bewildered teenager, folding his arms over his chest plate armor. He stared at his prey from behind that haunting metal mask that had plagued Ranma's mind for almost week.

"You are not wisely using the time I have given you. Only three days remain until our rematch and you haven't accomplished anything! This time I'll kill you for sure. Are you simply ignorant to this fact or just plain stupid? I had fond hope that you'd be more of a challenge this time around. That was the only reason I allowed you to live."

Ranma just stared, seething. "You haven't given us anything. That attack on Ukyo's mind you pulled landed Ryoga into the hospital! How big of a coward are you?

The mask stared right back, and Ranma could see his reflection within the eye-pieces that hid the eyes of a killer "What are you talking about? I did no such thing. I don't even have an ability to control someone else."

The hairs on the back of Ranma's neck stood on end. His first impulse was to call the Shadow Warrior a liar. After all, he was the current threat and Ukyo's condition had come about in the middle of it. Mad as he was though, Ranma knew that his enemy was at the very least blunt. He was already out for murder. It wouldn't make any sense to hide his attempts at it now. That meant something else was going on behind the scenes. Whatever it was, it had him concerned. The problem was he didn't have time to think on it, not with his life at stake in three days.

"I had no hand in your friend's accident. But that isn't important right now," he said, echoing Ranma's thoughts. "What is important is that your friend won't be there to interfere this time. Fortune smiled on you during each and every encounter we had in the past. But not this time, I guarantee it. This time, I'll be the one holding all the winning pieces and you'll be playing my game as I see fit."

"You may be strong but you're not invincible," Ranma retorted, standing his ground. "Move out of the way and let me pass."

The Warrior did not move. He hands fell to his sides and an audible metal click could be heard as he formed a tight fist with his right hand. "You do realize that if you do not give me a good battle then I'll tear your fiancée apart as you watch, right before you die. If I cannot gain satisfaction through fighting you, I can at least find some in your horrified eyes as you die beside her, watching her breath in her last and knowing that it was your fault."

"Shut up!" Ranma hissed like a cobra and lashed out with his fist.

The Warrior had purposely hit that nerve, testing his opponent's reaction. The fact that he knew Ranma's emotions that well spelled danger. The Warrior wasn't just a physical combatant, he knew how to twist a person's mentality against them to suit or amuse himself. He was a true nightmare in every sense of the word, especially to people like Ranma or Ryoga, who drew strength from their feelings.

The Warrior sidestepped the blow, turned to the side, and planted his knee into Ranma's stomach, doubling him over. "You are still much too weak. Use this lesson of pain I have generously provided you to improve yourself so that on the day of our match I can kill you with some sense of satisfaction. It's the only way to save your beloved woman. Your life is forfeit either way. The only real choice you have left is whether the one you love will live to mourn your passing or not."

Ranma clenched his teeth, struggling to gather his patience. He looked up at his rival from a hunched position and resisted the urge to strike at him again. "My life is not a game for you to play around with. You're going to pay… I'm going to defeat you, and when I do…"

"That, I assure you, will never happen. You know, it's almost painful to stand here and listen to the deluded gibberish that pours out of your mouth. Get out of my sight. Go salvage your wounded pride and make something of yourself before I take it away for the last time."

The Warrior vanished as Ranma climbed to his feet, massaging away the fiery pain that went nova throughout his stomach. There was no one else around. That was something at least. The only thing worse than being humiliated was being humiliated in front of others.

"I'll improve… just you watch. I'll give you a fight you'll never forget!"

Everyone was off doing their own favorite activity at the Tendo Dojo as Ranma walked through the front door, still rubbing at his sore stomach. Walking into the vacant kitchen, he heated up some of the dinner food Kasumi had left for him and wolfed it down with his normal frenzied motions. However, tonight he stuffed his face more to forget his infuriating encounter than from actual hunger.

I gotta calm down, think about something else…

Grabbing his school bag, he pulled out his books and started on his homework, biting back his frustration as he reviewed how much work he had yet to accomplish. He didn't normally worry about homework but after his run in with the Warrior, he needed something to get his mind off things.

Like teenagers around the world Ranma hated homework. His future as a martial artist was already planned out. He didn't see any reason why he had to continue his schooling. School was necessary for those who didn't know what they wanted to do with their life or for those who needed to learn math to become scientists or doctors or whatever. Teaching martial arts could be very profitable this day in age and it was an honorable profession. He knew he could be happy working like that. He wouldn't just drift by as Soun seemed to prefer to do.

As he sat there, struggling with a confusing equation, his mind drifted…

"But Ryoga doesn't have to go to school! Why are you badgering me?!" He had asked several months back during an argument with Akane. He remembered it well. She had been nagging him particularly hard that day about his lack of care for his education.

"That's his choice, Ranma. Besides, he's smart enough to get by in the world."

"Yeah, smart like a pig," Ranma retorted. "If he's so smart, why does he always fall for my stupid tricks?"

"Just because he's gullible doesn't mean he isn't smart," Akane reasoned. "You don't give your rivals enough respect, Ranma. You've lost to Ryoga before, you should remember that. Let's not forget that whole Shishi Hokodan fiasco where he had you a nervous wreck when he defeated you twice in a row."

Ranma twitched as her comment struck a nerve. Never-the-less, she did have a point. At that instant, a part of him had learned that there was more to Ryoga than he had previously realized. It still didn't convince him that school and homework were necessary for him though and he had shouted as much at Akane before he had gone to sulk in his room.

Breaking his mind away from the memory, he groaned in frustration, looking down at his Algebra homework in dismay. I just can't get the hang of this. There's only one thing to do!

He struck a manly pose. Desperate time's called for desperate measures and as much as he hated to do it, he realized he had no choice in the matter. A guy's gotta' do what a guy's gotta' do! "Akane!"

"What?" She yelled back.

"Could you help me with my math homework?" He squeaked out, clenching his teeth.

Akane padded down the stairs more than a little shocked. He almost never did his homework. The fact that he was attempting it now clearly showed how desperate he was to keep the coming fight off of his mind for as long as possible.

"Ranma," she said shaking her head in mock exasperation, "sometimes you're just too hopeless." She sat down next to him. "Now, here's how it works…"

Akane was a wiz at math and within an hour's time she was even able to help Ranma understand the gist of the math formula needed to solve his homework. Thanks to this, he finished his homework in record time. No doubt his teacher would be shocked tomorrow, not only because of the fact that Ranma did the homework for once, but because he actually solved all the questions correctly.

Rejuvenated, he jumped up and took her hand, helping her up. His determination peaking, he realized it was time to put his plan into effect while he still had time.

"Go get changed into your Gi and meet me in the dojo," he said.

"O-ok..." She hurried upstairs, shooting him a confused look. What is he up to?

Ranma walked into the dojo, reviewing his plan over in his mind again to make sure everything was in order. Nodding to himself, he changed into his solid white training uniform, neatly folding his clothes and placing them off to the side.

I think it's about time...

"What are you up to this time, Ranma?" Akane asked as she entered the dojo, tightening her belt.

Ranma cleared his throat. "I think that you've reached your peak in martial arts, Akane. At least at this stage in your life. But, if you had another form of attack you could easily tip the scales in your favor. I believe the time has come for you to learn how to harness and fight using your ki."

"Really!? Do you think I'm ready?!"

He nodded, motion for her to come forward. Someone's got to carry on. If I die in my next battle, she'll need a strong edge to pass on to her successor thus keeping the school strong. No matter what, I won't allow this bastard to end the Anything Goes school!

"Cool! Where do we start?" She asked, practically bouncing up and down.

Ranma scratched his head. "Well, uh, I guess first you need to be able to feel the flow of energy around you, and then learn to feed it through your body and tap into that source. From there we can work on you harnessing it and then we can shape it into an attack. I'm not a martial arts teacher yet, but I'll do the best I can."

Akane nodded seriously. "I understand."

Ranma gestured with his hand. "Take up your normal combat stance."

She did, placing her arms in front of her rigid body, bent at the elbow with her feet spaced shoulder width apart.

Ranma shook his head. "Relax your stance a little more."

Her posture sagged a little bit. By nature she was just a little bit tense during battle, partially because of her temper. Getting her to unwind enough to sense the gentle flow of energy within nature would be a chore in itself.

"Good. Now close your eyes and look deep within yourself. I want you to try to see me using only your mind. I know it sounds impossible but trust me, the ability for you to do so is there. Let your senses do the work while your eyes rest. Look inside for that tight ball of energy within your source of strength and tap into it. It comes from the energy that flows through life, from your very soul."

Akane tried to do as he instructed, following his steps as he issued them. Immediately she sensed a problem and her brow wrinkled in concentration and frustration. As he had predicted, she was going at it all out, instead of easing into it as was required. "It's not working!"

"Don't try so hard. You have to be at peace. Relax and see with unseeing eyes. Try again."

She sighed and tried to do as she was told. She dove deep into her soul, searching for a key to the door Ranma was trying to introduce her to. Grasping clumsily, she momentarily tapped into something powerful and warm and Ranma flashed in her mind as clear as if she had been looking at him with her own eyes. Breaking her concentration, she smiled broadly, excited and confident. "I saw you! It was only for a second, but I saw you!"

"How did you feel?"

"I felt like my spirit had gone supernova and a warm sensation filled my body. All my senses went hyper for a second! It felt really weird."

"Good, that's how your supposta' feel the first time. A honed martial artist has a deeper bond with their own inner energy than most people. If you can learn to tap into your energy and use it as a guide and as a weapon, you'll become much stronger. Now, let's try it again. I want to see how long you can keep up your concentration. When you find that spark, reach for it, draw from it. That's how I manage to read the moves of lesser opponents so well. Let its energy do the work for your eyes."

Akane closed her eyes again, finding the strangely warm power that tickled her mind once more. She found her body was filled with energy, and that it stemmed from her soul, just as he had told her. Using her power as a set of eyes, she could see the flow of energy within nature, thereby seeing her fiancee' behind her eyelids.

"Can you see me?"

"Yeah." A fresh sweat sprung out on her brow.

"Ok, what am I doing right now?" He waved his right arm up and down.

"You're shaking your arm up and down."

"Good." He stood on one foot. "What am I doing now?"

Akane groaned and fell to her knee's in disappointment. "I lost it! I just couldn't keep up my concentration. It's amazing how much mental willpower and strength it takes to keep the connection open."

"That's ok. Rest for a minute then we'll try it again. You're doing very well. This isn't the method I was taught… come to think of it, I never really got a real training session, I just took what the ghoul taught me and learned the rest in the heat of battle. I'm giving you tips using idea's I've been coming up with. I've been working out the details in how to train you to use Ki for a while now."

Akane wiped her brow and chuckled. "Well then teacher, I guess I owe you a hundred percent then! Let's try it again!"

For the next couple of hours they trained and each time Akane's focus would last just a little longer than it did the time before. While her mastery of martial arts might have gone sluggishly compared to some of the other people Ranma had met over his lifetime, she picked up on ki faster than anyone else he had ever known. At her prime, Akane was just about equal to Shampoo and Ukyo, but with her natural talents concerning Ki training, she would be dancing circles around them in no time.

"Ok, what am I doing now?"

"You're bouncing around like a chicken, silly. Stay serious, I'm trying to concentrate!"

"How about now?"

She giggled. "You're standing on your head."

Abruptly, Ranma ran forward, throwing a half speed punch aimed at her stomach. With a fluid motion Akane dove to the side, grabbed his arm and pinned it behind his back. Opening her eyes, she nearly sank with exhaustion but the sight of how she had defused Ranma brought a look of awe and shock to her face.

"I saw you coming! I knew where you were going to attack! I read your moves, Ranma! I can't believe it!"

Ranma knelt by her side and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You did great! Your concentration lasted five minutes straight that time! I think that's enough training for tonight though, don't you think so, Akane?"

"Uhhhh, I'm pooped!"

"Allow me." Ranma grinned as he picked her up and carried her into the house.

"Put me down you jerk." She giggled.

"Can't do that." Ranma jumped up the stairs and took her to her room, pushing the door open with his foot. He laid her on the bed then sat next to her, stroking her hair affectionately. Everyone else was settling down for the night so he could afford himself a few moments to drop his guard and show her some affection.

"I could have made it to my room on my own you know." She put her head on his shoulder, playfully pulling on his pigtail.

"I couldn't bear the thought of you over exerting yourself any further." He gently brushed her cheek with his hand. Her skin, so soft and so wonderful, it heightened her beauty and, as he stared at her out of the corner of his eyes, he couldn't help but blush. "I take back ever calling you un-cute."

"Mmmmmm." She leaned against him, enjoying his touch. "I take back ever calling you a pervert. You are still a jerk though."

He glanced at her out of half open eyes. "Oh gee, thanks."

"Come here you pervert!" She giggled again as she pulled him down for a kiss. He held her in his arms for what seemed like an eternity, just letting himself explore what it was like to hold someone you loved without having to worry about embarrassing interruptions or attacks from crazy admirers. Eventually though, he felt Akane's breathing slow down, signaling her ascension into the dream world. She had fallen fast asleep in his arms, he realized with a blush.

"If I'd only see what a wonderful person you were two years ago, Akane." He gently laid her head down on her pillow then covered her form in a blanket. He silently slid out of her room, shutting off the light and closing the door as he left.

He didn't go straight to bed, as he probably should have. Returning to the dojo, he stared at the walls and saw the face of the Shadow Warrior glaring at him from the polished surface of the wood. The image was almost too real and it haunted him as that emotionless metal mask watched him at every turn. It was an evil mask; it was filled with more loathing and hatred than Ranma thought was possible.

The scary thing wasnt that the mask was evil, he quickly reversed in his mind, growing angrier. It was the coward who hid behind it. If he wasn't careful, that mask would be the last thing he'd ever see.

"Shit!" Temper flaring, he lashed out with his fist, cracking a hole through the center of the mirage, which, in reality, happened to be the wall of the training hall. His fist passed through the wood easily, and he felt the cool night air upon his stinging knuckles.

"Damn you! I won't lose!" Ranma began to work out, fueling his tired body with the words his newest and most hated nemesis had said to him. He dodged; pulling every ounce of speed he could from his limbs and boxed against his own shadow, pretending it was the Shadow Warrior. His fists and feet lashed out as his dance of skill reached a peak intensity.

"You think you're so strong don't'cha?! You think I'm weak! I'll show you!" He vented his anger out via a combat cry and performed a mid-air snap kick.

Normality was not a word Ranma was familiar with. A life of constant travel on the road with his scheming, often insensitive father had been extreme in itself. Once he had arrived in Nerima and began attending school like a normal student and staying in a house like a normal kid, he'd incorrectly expected things to tone down a bit. Instead everything had just gotten crazier. They kept getting crazier and in some cases, more dangerous.

Tiring as this existence could sometimes be, he found himself feeling happier than he ever had until this Warrior business had started. The jerk played by his own rules and Ranma was forced to adapt to situations no normal teenager should ever have to face. Gone forever were the crazy, carefree antics he had come to experience over the last two years. He knew it deep within his core. It was time to take life a bit more serious and it was time to fight for his life.

The Warrior was just the tip of the iceberg. Something told him that in the back of his mind and he felt chilled to the bone. If he indeed survived this trial, would there be yet more terrible things for him to face in the future? He absolutely did not want to think about that.

"Shit. Shit! Shit!" Ranma slammed his fist into the reinforced wooden floor over and over again before exertion set in and he fell backwards onto his back, limbs stretched out. Sighing, he looked up at the non-descriptive ceiling.

"At least mom isn't here right now. She'd be worried sick and I wouldn't want to put her through that kind of stress and pain, not after being separated from her family for fifteen years."

He reviewed Akane's training from before and nodded his head in silent approval of his teaching techniques. "She's got a firm grip on it. If something happens to me, the school will be fine. Either one of the ancient bags should be able to help her build on what I've shown her. Pretty responsible of me, wasn't it, pop? Training her and all. Maybe you should take lessons from me for once."

Chuckling without a trace of humor the thoroughly exhausted youth fell asleep where he lay, a slight cool night air rising from the wooden boards to cool his sweat drenched skin.