Guest Ki: Chapter 6

A Hard Day's Night

"So you're going back home, dear?" Makiko took Akane's hands in her own with ready warmth. "I thought you'd be with me a few more days."

"Hai, Aunt Makiko," Akane answered, embarrassed. "I need to go on a training trip. I ama martial artist and I have some things I have to work out. I hope, though, that I may return?"

"Of course, dear. Well now, let me get you some supplies to take on your journey. Where are you headed?" As Akane provided vague answers about her destination, Makiko started to put a pack together for her.

Earlier in the week, Akane, the dundercook, had struck again, fortunately doing little damage to her hostess' kitchen but producing an inedible mess. Makiko had gracefully taken over the cooking after that, and had ignored the incident — until now. She hoped the girl had enough sense not to try cooking if she had something ready-made on hand. If Akane intended to train out in the open, as her father and his friend, Genma, had done, Makiko was afraid she would end up starving to death or worse. Not that Akane was unable to acquire food, only in that, in preparing it, she might poison herself. Makiko had secretly called Kasumi to determine the best way she could help the girl without giving offense. It was the least she could do for Soun and Kimiko's youngest.

Akane ended up with about twenty kilograms of foodstuffs in a pack that Aunt Makiko pressed on her. Kasumi had assured her that Akane could manage the weight. "When you're finished, just mail it back or come for another visit. And bring that fiancé of yours next time!"

Akane left around 10:00 A.M. on Tuesday. This was done to give her the best chance against her possible competitors. She kept a close watch for individuals that seemed to be going in her direction for extended periods of time. Logically, only Shampoo or Ukyo were likely opponents in this case, as Kodachi was supposed to be out of the country.

If it was Ukyo, she was up against someone who was street-smart and a better martial artist, if she had her weapons. Without the big battle spatula however, Akane believed she could take the okonomiyaki chef. Ukyo was excellent with disguises and could pass as a man or woman at need. In a pinch though, a disguise should further restrict Ukyo, as it would limit how many of the small shuriken-spats she could carry.

Shampoo was still the main worry; she was better than anyone else in the Nerima crowd, except Ranma and Ryoga. Also, she had far more reason than anyone to damage or even kill her rival; Akane had no doubt about her obstacle rating in Shampoo's books. Hopefully, Cologne had better sense than to let Shampoo attack her, or to participate in such an attack. Yet, her hopes of acquiring 'Son-in-law' must be wearing thin. If she put Akane in her sights, even Ranma would find it hard to stop her. Both Amazons were past masters at tracking and inhumanly fast on the trail. However, Akane thought she might have a counter for them, provided she made it to her first stop.

She kept the first part of her trip, a hike of about sixteen kilometers, tied to a fairly busy road with numerous people. She used the busy thoroughfares as trail breaks and doubled back several times to watch for pursuit. It was a bit quieter than normal due to the rain and she never saw sign of any pursuers. Finally, she stopped at an inexpensive hostel for the night. Except for the minor diversion of a local pervert who tried to hit on her, she was undisturbed. Rolling the futon provided out on the floor, she set obvious water traps everywhere.

She put one last special trap in her futon. It was an inflatable bolster, a long tubular pillow. First, she turned out the lights and made obvious preparations for sleep. Then she carefully filled the bolster three-quarters full with cold water. Using a hand pump, she pressurized the thing to nearly bursting. Draped with a sheet and quilt, it presented a reasonable facsimile of a sleeping body.

Around the futon, she gently looped a wire from a thirty-meter extension cord, from which the insulation had been stripped. At one end, the plug and a few inches of insulation were still attached. Making sure that the wires did not cross, she plugged it in. Now the room was a trap of water and electricity. She hoped any intruders would be 'shocked' by what they found. She crossed quickly, keeping low, to the closet, which normally stored the rolled up bedding. Curling into a corner, she found sleep to be an easy target.

She was almost disappointed when her careful preparations were undisturbed the next day.

The second leg of the journey began at 6:00 A.M. She carefully disarmed her traps. Having paid up-front to avoid checkout difficulties, and having checked to make sure the pervert who had accosted her the night before had made it out of the trash bin, she set off again. This leg would have three stages of approximately ten kilometers each. The last would bring her to the shore of the lake.

She thought she would have some more trouble about halfway through the second stage of her journey, but the group of charcoal makers merely shouted appreciative, if vulgar, comments at her and left her alone.

When she dropped her pack at the shore of the lake, the sun was dropping below the trees. The water was cold, but calm and the island was quite visible. The waterfall was at the far end of the small island from her, but could still be seen in the fading light.

Akane swam like a lead brick and she knew it, but Ranma's offhand remark about 'hauling her over to the island' like some inanimate lump of meat rankled. She sniffed as she unpacked the life jacket. She was more than buoyant enough with it to get across the lake. She'd show that baka. She had planned to arrive early so she could spy on him and find out what he was up to. As a bonus, the look on his face when she sauntered into camp would be priceless. So he still thought she was just a stupid girl, hmmm? She'd have to hurry, though. It was unseasonably cold in the mountains with the rain marching through; and the water was straight off the ice cap.

She took a light rope and hurled the end over a tall tree limb. Tying the other end to her supplies, she hauled the package up about four meters, more than enough to keep it away from animals. Ranma could come back and get it for her later. Her clothing she tied in a compact bundle that she planned to balance on her head.

She had forgotten that she had not tried carrying anything like this when she had last worn the vest. She kept tipping over and the water wasn't just cold, it was freezing! Too stubborn to acknowledge defeat, she pushed on until she lost everything but her blouse and undergarments, which were soaked. By the time she made it to the island, Akane was numb. After an hour in the water, what started as stubbornness, had descended to exhaustion as she wove the last fifty meters of lake, walking on and between slimy, treacherous rocks in the dark. Peering miserably about, she noted the light of a fire closer to the falls and the cliff and stumbled toward it, wringing out her things as she went.

The rocks bruised even her callused feet, softened as they were by the water. Twice she had to retrace her steps where the boulders were too tall and precipitous to manage in the dark. Finally, after stumbling through the woods and getting hung up by the life jacket she'd kept on till that moment in an attempt at modesty, she found the camp.

The fire burned low, but she could see the lone figure on the ground beside it. She stumbled up and dropped to her knees beside the sleeping bag, shivering, not caring that she was wearing less than the day Ranma had seen her in the bath.

"R-r-r-r-ran-m-m-ma!" she whispered. "C-c-c-c-cold! Cold!" She reached out to shake him.

Ranma was dreaming that damn salad dream again and the mallet had just started down. When Akane shook him, he opened his eyes with a start and blearily took in her form lit only by starlight. "Mmmmne?" Well, this was a bit different. Maybe he was finally getting that stupid dream away from pummeling.

Barry vaguely heard the word cold. This was a trigger word for him, enforced by a decade in the marriage bed. Gwen saying 'cold' meant it was time to be the 'Arm-Strong Heater'. His wife often stayed up later than he did, reading before coming to bed. Her skin was usually icy when she did, so her husband provided the warm side of the bed and a pair of warm arms to take off the chill. Barry dreamed of his home, his bed and his wife, and flung open his arms.

Ranma was debating the unexpected sight of Akane shivering in the dark. He felt the subtle pressure from Barry's dream to offer warmth and contact. It felt like a good idea, certainly better than a mallet, so he sleepily opened up the side of the sleeping bag and held out his arms.

Akane wasn't going to argue. After a strategically planned, successfully executed and extremely satisfying trip here, she had nearly gotten herself drowned, frozen to death and lost in the woods. Ranma had been, during this past year, her final anchor and safety. He offered comfort; she'd take it! She rolled into the sleeping bag and tucked herself up against Ranma's warm body, shaking like a leaf in a hard wind.

This almost woke Ranma up. He wasn't used to ice cubes joining him in bed — unless his dad had a particularly nasty training strategy in mind — and Akane was cold! Yet from the link he shared now with Barry, the reassurance that this was correct and expected filtered through. One arm passed under her body, coming to rest between her breasts and tucked over a shoulder, the hand caressing her cheek. Consequently, her back was pressed to his warm chest. The other crossed her waist, pressing her lower body against his, allowing him to rest the length of his legs behind hers. The top of his feet rested under the soles of hers, bringing additional warmth.

To the freezing girl this was heaven. Slowly her shuddering grew less, and thoughts of borrowing clothing and spare blankets were replaced by exhausted sleep and contented warmth.

Ranma dreamed of a time forgotten consciously, when a small child held a well-loved stuffed animal and his mother kissed him goodnight.

Barry dreamed of being home.

Nodoka smiled passively as she set dishes before her husband and the family to whom her son was honor-bound. She had chosen to prepare dinner tonight, partly to relieve Kasumi, whom she felt was much imposed upon by the rest of the family and in part because she needed to think about a problem that had arisen earlier in the day.

She still carried the Saotome katana with her wherever she went, which made for an exceedingly nervous Genma. Everyone had their own ideas about whether Nodoka would change her mind and call her husband and son to book over the seppuku agreement. These were based on their knowledge of Nodoka and her views, as well as their own personal outlooks and the weird slant everything in Nerima seemed to take on with respect to Ranma.

Soun flip-flopped. If asked, on any given day, he might confidently express his belief that Ranma's manhood was more than satisfactory in anyone's eyes. That usually lasted until Ranma found cold water or vice versa.

Genma's confidence was always high — in his wife's absence. All it took was the sight of the Saotome katana in its silk wrapping to drop his heart to his feet.

Nabiki was certain it would end in almost-disaster. She figured they would eventually go through a series of 'almost seppuku' scenarios, as Ranma would encounter problems that shook Nodoka's perceptions. She wished the insurance companies would pay off in these matters, though. If they did, she knew where she could get a huge policy for life insurance.

Kasumi had confidence in Nodoka's motherly instincts. She did not believe that Nodoka had ever planned on enforcing the agreement.

Akane, absent at this gathering, was basically a pessimist. She truly liked Nodoka and treated her with the all respect due her future mother-in-law. Reference to the seppuku issue in regard to Ranma's manhood, though, would usually leave her pale and angry.

Nodoka, of course, kept her own counsel. She held to odd, stereotypical behaviors she associated with manliness. That Nodoka was actually pleased Ranma had seen Akane naked a few times seemed obvious. That he had three other girls actively pursuing him was also acceptable. The damage they caused was not, but a threat to ostracize the guilty from competition for Ranma brought promises to repair damages from most of the participants.

Nodoka assured herself that everyone had been served, and gracefully seated herself, a seductively sinuous movement that brought the blood rushing to Genma's face to her momentary amusement. It was always nice to know one still had the gift and knew how to inspire a husband's devotion without gross displays of limbs or body. Devotion, unfortunately, was as much as she was willing to receive at the moment.

If only she didn't keep finding more idiocies to punish him for. At the rate things were going, she might be as wrinkled as that Chinese girl's great-grandmother before she was satisfied that he had learned his lesson.

She nodded though and smiled in response to the compliments that the diners offered. This dish had been one of Ranma's favorites. Unfortunately, he was not here to enjoy it. Neither was his fiancée, Akane. Hmmm… Perhaps he had managed to get them both out of the two men's reach for some 'manly' time. Still, it would be best to check.

"Dearest? Where is my son?"

Genma jumped, shaken out of little fantasies by the sound of her voice. "Ummm. Son?"

"Yes, husband, my son," she replied. "Ranma? You remember him? By that name, I mean. At least, I hope you didn't do something silly like selling his name, did you?"

"Oh! Ummm... He's gone off on a training trip; didn't want us along. Getting to be self-reliant, a real man!" Genma babbled on while thinking about the business of selling Ranma's name. Interesting concept...but how did you profit from it?

"Did he take Akane with him?" Nodoka inquired watching them all over the lip of her teacup. She watched Kasumi and Nabiki exchange a single glance then look down at the table.

Soun answered her. "My daughter left the week after Ranma. She expressed desire to visit her aunt," he said sipping his own tea. "You remember Makiko, don't you, Nodoka?"

Nodoka smiled easily. Makiko had been very peeved with her when she had married Genma. Still, she had not held a grudge and had been a formidable woman in her own right. So Akane was with Makiko, was she? She also remembered that Makiko was a died-in-the-wool romantic, amenable to all sorts of silly plans. Perhaps she would call Makiko and see if the youngest Tendo was still there.

But first she needed to talk to Akane's sisters. She smiled politely and dropped the subject.

At the end of dinner, she rose and began to clear the table. Kasumi immediately began to help, but Nabiki was less inclined. She rose and headed for the stairs, mumbling about homework.

"Nabiki?"

"Yes, Auntie?" The middle Tendo stopped on her way to the stairs and glanced blandly at Nodoka.

"If you could help as well, Nabiki?" Nodoka asked gently. "I know you are not a traditionalist, but I'm certain you will find something of interest in our conversation."

Nabiki lidded her eyes as she stared at the older woman. 'Interest', eh? Nodoka had never seemed particularly deep to her and Nabiki hated household chores. Still...

"Of course, Auntie," she smiled languidly. "If you feel I won't be in the way." Her smile widened when Nodoka winked.

Nodoka washed, Kasumi dried and Nabiki lounged in the background. The former communed quietly, while the latter got increasingly twitchy and irritated. Finally, she broke the silence.

"Are you two finished doing your kitchen communion, yet?"

Nodoka smiled sweetly. "You could have joined us."

"Me? Do housework? Please!" she retorted with a snort. "Now what is on the table, Auntie? Another wedding, a switch of fiancées, or Nannichuan for Ranma?"

"It has come to my attention that there are quite a few Jusenkyo-cursed individuals in Japan at the moment."

"Hmmm." Nabiki glanced at Kasumi and then turned back to Nodoka. "Why don't you tell us what you know and I'll fill in any gaps I see," she offered.

Nodoka nodded. "Genma and Ranma, of course. Also, Shampoo and Mousse of the Amazons. There is also a former salesman of Jusenkyo Products Combine. He turns into a dog and his wife chains him to a kennel when she's particularly upset with him."

Kasumi's hand went to her mouth and her eyes widened. Nabiki looked bored. "I've heard of him, Auntie."

"There are about a dozen more, including another Nyanniichuan victim — surprising when you consider how remote Jusenkyo is — none of whom have any contact or concern with us in Tokyo." She paused then regarded them grimly. "However, there is one that gives me great concern. One I discovered just recently. He is seen often in Tokyo, even in the Nerima district. His cursed form is a pig."

"A... pig, Auntie?"

"Yes. You've even met him. His name is Ryoga Hibiki, and I believe that he is Akane's pet, P-chan."

Again Nabiki and Kasumi exchanged glances. 'Hell!' thought the former, 'the cat is well and truly out of the bag. Think fast, girl!'

Nodoka waited expectantly.

'Warm... good...' bhhzzzz... 'shared warmth, better...' bhhzzzzz... 'Warmth, comfort, very good...' bhhzzzz...'

Ranma, Akane and Barry were each sleeping better than they had in weeks. Their dreams were mild, of times of comfort and stability. The fact that Akane, unexpectedly early and nearly frozen from the cold waters of the lake, had joined Ranma in his sleeping bag in a fit of self-preservation the night before, was a bit of information to which her fiancé was not yet privy. Akane hugged the arm that conveniently offered itself, her fantasies of the previous week at least partly fulfilled by the apparently open welcome she received. Ranma dreamed of the days before his father dragged him from their home, never to return. He had had a stuffed plush toy then; a monkey named Ki-Ki that he had hugged to himself in childish sleep. Barry dreamed of home and his wife and the fact that for once his son hadn't woken them at dawn.

The other player in this act was a young man who himself had no reason to be comfortable or content. He woke at dawn and stoked the fire. He noted grumpily that Ranma was not up yet and decided to go ahead and make some coffee. As the smells began to permeate the campsite, he examined the clothes Ranma loaned him, in particular the shirt, with some distaste. On male Ranma, they were a little loose, but on Ryoga, they bound uncomfortably across the shoulders and chest. What was worse, there didn't appear to be enough seam to let out for comfort.

'Lazy bum,' he thought as Ranma snoozed on. The only part of Ranma visible was the back of his head. He poured himself a cup of coffee and threw the hot brew down his throat. With a grunt, he rose to his feet. Ryoga decided to go over and kick the jerk out of bed, an act that would result in a rousing and thoroughly enjoyable fight. Besides, he wanted to hear more about those ki attacks and see if he could create a version of his own. He approached stealthily then gasped.

Another head lay beside Ranma's. Feminine clothing lay in a heap just beyond. Another step closer, it became obvious that the other head belonged to Akane Tendo, sleeping with a faint smile that clutched at his heart and drove his thoughts to mayhem. He found the sight obscene. The casual and relaxed bearing, the way Ranma's breath caused the hairs behind her ear to quiver... Though completely covered, the drape of the cloth made it obvious that she was wrapped in his rival's arms. It was too much for him to bear!

"Ranma, you Svengali! Prepare to die!" Strong hands gripped Ranma's throat and shook him.

"UhrK!t!" Pressure at his throat. "Ry-oh-ga, what?"

'UrhK!t!' Attacked! Protect Gwen! (FOOOM!) 'What the hell?'

"Ranma!" screamed a higher pitched voice.

"Akane?" (Flick) Was that a very nearly naked, in the remains of Ranma's sleeping bag, Akane? (Flick) There, left! Ryoga was flying on a ballistic arc, three-quarters of the way to the woods. (Flick) Back to Akane, still looking shocked, but edging over into that mulish anger of hers. Ranma was only just beginning to come to grips with howshe might have gotten there. (Flick) There was Ryoga charging out of the woods, as fast as he'd ever seen him move, looking like he was ready to use those fangs of his. 'Oh, shit!'

The high-speed assessments were mostly lost on Barry. He reacted to the pain of being awakened out of a sound sleep, made deeper by the subconscious belief he was home, by the painful throttling they received from Ryoga. Though he had been told about the violence that surrounded Ranma's life, he had not yet lived it and had it made real to him. The strong hands, suddenly at his throat, created a panic reaction as he tried to thrust the threat away from himself and his wife, whom he thought he protected.

But the only push he had direct access to was ki. The Mouko Takabisha was relatively weak. It launched Ryoga about forty meters, without being intense enough to cause damage. Barry, now awake, found himself facing the full fury of Ryoga Hibiki. He knew from the sparring the previous night that Ryoga was capable of incredible destruction. Unlike Ranma, Barry did not trust him or his motives. Instinctively, facing direct harm without warning, Barry started to take over, already forming a ki-blast that would shatter steel and fry rock, if launched.

Ranma, shunted aside, realized what was happening, though not entirely why. He could feel the blast coming. If Ryoga was to live, he had no choice. Ranma bore down on the ki that fed consciousness to his own body.

To Ryoga and Akane, Ranma collapsed like a deck of cards. Ryoga's spin-kick met empty air and Akane's resentful frown vanished in a scream of concern. Ranma would have been astonished had he been lucid enough to follow the exchange.

Akane stumbled over to Ranma's contorting form.

"Akane, wait! He's dangerous!" Ryoga was finally remembering Ranma's concerns about Barry's stability under pressure. Akane took it as a gratuitous insult.

"I didn't see him throttling anyone in their sleeping bag, Ryoga," she snarled, trying to catch hold of thrashing limbs and protect the swinging head from striking the ground. She gave up her struggle with modesty and finally managed to contain him. Ryoga half turned away, finger to his nose. "What did you do to him?"

"Nothing! I didn't do anything!" he protested. "I think it was Barry." He held his hands up defensively, partly to protect himself from her glare and part to hide from her generous exposure. "I only wanted to protect you, Ak—!" (SLAP!)

"Shut up, Ryoga! I don't need your protection! What's between Ranma and I is our concern, not yours!"

"But, Akane..." Even though he had vowed to give her up, he found his heart had not completely broken.

"Just shut up, Ryoga!" Seeing that Ryoga was not going to resume the attack, she turned her tearing eyes to her fiancé. The weird tremors had subsided, but he was still unconscious. Gently sweeping the hair back off his relaxed face, she whispered to him, "What happened to you, Ranma?" She felt the fabric of the sleeping bag tuck up against her as Ryoga tried to cover them without looking at them. She scowled at him briefly and waited as he hunkered down. Obviously he had something to say. Whether he remained intact at this range depended on how he said it.

"I apologize, Akane. I…I…" He swallowed, realizing that excuses were not presently acceptable. "Anyway, I learned Ranma came out here because something, or someone, possessed him. That someone claims he's a gaijin named Barry Barlowe from a different United States than the one in our world." He swallowed again at Akane's darkening glower and hastened along with the story, explaining what he could of his discussion with Barry and Ranma.

Akane reddened, wondering just whose arms she had crawled into. She was becoming increasingly aware of her state of undress. Ryoga's shifting eyes and flinches didn't help. After his third, roundabout approach at summarizing the mess, she interrupted him.

"Ryoga, could you go across the lake and get my pack, please?"

The lost-boy came to his feet, only to stop and stammer. "Ummm, Akane, I… uh, I'll only get lost. (Wrong! I'll also get turned into P-chan.) Even if I did find your pack, I might not get it back to you for weeks." He brightened. "Uhhh… I'll see if Ranma has any more spare clothes." He turned and took a step.

"Ryoga!" He stopped and half-turned at her voice. "That way." She pointed to one side. Ryoga giggled and hurried to the shelter.

"Oh, Ranma," she said as they gained some privacy. "What sort of mess did you get into this time?" She stroked his hair out of his eyes again and hoped for the best.

"Uhhh..."

"Ranma?" Her voice was bright with relief.

"Akane?" The world still blurred around him. "I guess Ryoga got me bad, huh?"

"He never touched you, as far as I could see. Is it really you, Ranma?" A slight taste of fear colored her voice.

"Yeah, it's me," he replied as the world steadied. "He told ya 'bout me 'n Barry-baka, huh?" He finally managed to focus his eyes. "Where the hell are yer clothes, tomboy!" he demanded, shocked.

Akane huffed and tucked the sleeping bag around her better. "I lost most of my clothes swimming over here last night."

"You didn't!" he bellowed. "You coulda drowned!"

Akane glared at him.

"And, come ta think of it, howdja get inmy sleeping bag? You weren't supposed to be here till the day after tomorrow. No wonder pig-boy… ("I heard that, Ranma!") …went ballistic!" As his voice grew louder, he twisted out of her grasp and rolled up on one elbow to face her. That rearranged the sleeping bag. The view caused his voice to fail.

She leaned closer and he shut up completely. "What was I supposed to think with that note of yours? It sounded like a… a... like you wanted to... Besides," she mumbled, "I was too cold last night to argue for separate accommodations when you offered to take me in."

"I didn't! Ya musta dropped yer brains in the lake, to—Urk!"

(BOP!) Akane proved that her fears for Ranma's health did not extend to ignoring gratuitous insults.

"That's nothing compared to what I was going to do to you just before you fainted from fright, Ranma." Ryoga returned with Ranma's white shirt and a pair of green fighting pants. "Hard to believe that, as often as you turn into a girl, you don't keep a bra and panties handy," he goaded.

"I was keepin' you from bein' extra crispy, pork chop! Why don't you keep a sign handy that says 'Eat Me!'? "

"Why, you—!"

"Stop it, you two!" Akane yelled, causing Ryoga to subside. Ranma had to get in his two bits of course.

"And P-chan, even if I did have 'em, they wouldn't do her any good! Ya gotta have a figure—ack!" (BAM, KRUNCH!)

"Well, it's Ranma all right," commented Ryoga dryly.

"I noticed," Akane replied scathingly. She reached for Ranma's spares then huddled under the torn sleeping bag.

When Ranma came to again, Akane was dressed in his remaining clothes and glaring at him balefully.

"Ranma?"

"I had that coming! I know, I know." It was about as close to an apology that she could expect. She nodded and extended a hand, which he ignored, flipping to his feet in his usual brash, arrogant manner.

"And your... guest?" He shrugged and focused inwards.

"Barry, you there?" he asked. There was no response. "I don't know, Akane."

She grabbed his arm and whispered at him. "I've got to know. When you wrote that note, you didn't finish a sentence. You wrote 'After you get here, we'll...' and didn't finish it. Who is 'we', and what are 'we' supposed to do?"

"I was just gonna tell ya we were gonna train..."

"Train?"

"Well, yeah! Wadja think we were gonna do?" Ranma seemed truly puzzled by her question. Akane reddened and looked down.

"Ran-ma!" Akane was obviously frustrated by Ranma's apparent lack of understanding. "You mean... you're going to train me?"

"Oh, man! Ya musta hit yer head or somethin' last night. Look, Akane… Me. You. Train this week — ack!"

She was suddenly hugging him furiously. "You'll take me seriously? You'll hit back?" Suddenly, she frowned. "You'd better, Ranma! I found out about your dad training Mousse!"

Ranma looked at her blankly. "He's been doin' what?"

Akane pushed him away violently. "What do you think you're trying to pull, Ranma?"

"Look, I didn't ask him to train nobody. Not no how, no way!" He growled irritated. "The only trainin' I'm worried about is yours!"

"And you're really going to hit me?"

Somewhere inside Ranma, yet also separate from him, a groan bubbled to the surface. Ranma froze for a moment, as his visitor began to wake up. Then spoke aloud for Akane's benefit. "Ah, Barry-san, perfect timing! Do you remember our discussion about the training responsibilities of a student?"

A pretty young woman stumbled into the hostel just before the doors were closed. Her long hair was in tangles, her clothing in tatters. One would assume that she was the victim of an assault, but her bearing was that of a warrior and the look in her eyes, a haunted spirit. The twin bandoleers crossing her torso were empty except for a single spatula. Across her back was an open hook and holster that might have borne an ax or naginata. After looking about her fitfully, she collapsed like a tree, falling forward stiffly. The old man just barely caught her and lowered her to the floor. His wife was at his side in an instant.

"Be careful, Yoiko; she looks dangerous."

"She looks hurt, Zadai!" Then, to the girl, "Come dear, let's get you into the house and clean you up." Under her fussing, the young woman slowly got to her feet and entered.

"What's your name, dear?" Yoiko inquired kindly. Perhaps she had family somewhere looking for her. The girl was terribly thin, but her hostess knew the answer to that. She patted the thin but well-muscled wrist.

"I... I'm..." The young woman fluttered her hands uncertainly.

"Well then, do you know what you're doing out here?"

"I'm looking..." her face contorted with the effort, "I'm looking for someone. I... They..." Yoiko almost cried at the hopelessness in that face. She cupped the thin face in her hands and shushed her like a small child.

"Don't worry, dear," she said. "You need to be strong when you are on such a quest. Rest here a little while."

After they got her bathed and the tangles out of her hair, she was offered the futon in their daughter's room. The last of their children, she had gone to live with her new husband in Sendai. As the girl slept the sleep of the exhausted, Yoiko and her husband called the local police station to inquire if their guest was listed as missing anywhere.