Guest Ki: Chapter 15
Akane and…?
Shampoo and Mousse were detailed to drain the pool of ramen after the fights were over. Mousse because he was Mousse and Shampoo because Cologne was giving her servant's work while inventing a really humiliating punishment to remind Shampoo that the first business of a warrior in a fight is to win. They each would fill four ten-liter buckets and gripping them two in each hand, made their way through the kitchen to dump the contents back near the tree where Happosai was tied up. There a very content Katsunishiki gobbled up the broth and noodles and affectionately rubbed against his 'tether ball', which had taken a licking from the huge animal and kept right on bitching.
Ranma watched silently from his seat by the bar. He was happy for Akane and he was also concerned for Shampoo. He had never wanted her chasing him, but he admired her skill and persistence. That he had many nervous associations concerning her grandmother didn't help either. Cologne was a premier trainer, a source of ancient arcane data, and actually pretty fun to be around if you weren't a personal project of hers. It was often hard to reconcile the Matriarch with 'Granny'. He suspected Cologne hated punishing her descendant almost as much as he did.
'Actually, probably more.'
'What?'
'She probably hates it more, Ranma. But you know she has a responsibility to her people and to their traditions that act as the basis of their laws and society.'
Barry should have been feeling the effects of the alcohol by now.Alcohol made Ranma sleepy and more than a bit affectionate. He compensated by growling at anyone who got too close, an affect spoiled by the snicker that sometimes percolated through. Alcohol usually made Barry talkative and introspective. Instead he felt rather detached.
'Maybe I should offer ta help…'
'Cologne already said 'No' twice, Ranma,' Barry pointed out, wearily. 'If she knows you as well as she seems to, Cologne may be counting on your sympathy for an 'abused' Shampoo to get you closer to her. If you're trying to let Mousse and Shampoo know you sympathize with them, they know it already.'
'Nuts!' Ranma said with disgust.
'They're not hurting much. I used to carry four five-gallon buckets a mile uphill, four times a day in the winter for the horses in pasture. That's about twice as heavy as they're doing right now.'
'Yeah, yeah; I know they're not hurtin',' he grumbled. 'It just all feels somehow…'
'Incomplete?'
'Yeah.'
'You've gone through an event like this without being turned into a girl or fighting a desperate fight. Is that what's wrong?'
Suddenly Ranma laughed. That was exactly what was wrong. It was almost unnatural.
He stood and wandered over to Nabiki leafing through the wad of bills in her hands after counting out the house's take. Himamashi had been pleasantly surprised at the amount of extra income. Nabiki then paid off her helpers, including Hikaru Gosunkugi who had been taking photos. The latter sighed as he handed over ten rolls of film.
Gos was a weird little worm of a guy, as if all the wannabes in the world got together and invented someone they could feel superior to. Like the rest of the male portion of the school, he lusted after Akane. He just never had the guts to try anything.
"You look happy," Ranma commented dryly. For that matter, so did the dozen guys — three guesses why — who clustered just out of arm's reach of Akane, far better covered now in slacks and blouse than she had been earlier.
"My life is complete," said the skinny young man. He fiddled with his expensive camera, constantly checking light readings and resetting the auto-focus for quick action.
"Is that everything?" asked Nabiki suspiciously. "The agreement was that all pictures would go through me for editorial discretion."
"That's all," he said glancing at Akane dreamily. Ranma noticed a rectangular bulge in a back pocket. With skills learned from his reprobate father, he slipped the item out before Gosunkugi realized he was there.
"Cool," Ranma commented. It was a small instamatic camera. "Hey, Nabs! Didja pay him for all pictures or only the thirty-five millimeter pictures?"
"Hey," protested Gosunkugi, "That's mine! I mean my private…"
"Gos!" Nabiki warned. "The agreement was ALL."
"Oh… All right." He took the camera from Ranma, unloaded it and handed the film to Nabiki.
"All of it, Gosunkugi," Ranma said. "Ya got two rolls in yer coat and one in the top of yer sock." Barry was helping him scan. Once you knew what to look for, it was easy.
"Saotome!" He whined and produced the film. Ranma looked him over once more then turned to Nabiki.
"Ya know, Nabiki, when we was out there in the woods yer name came up." Nabiki looked at Ranma blandly. Akane came over and focused on her sister. Ranma glanced at his fiancée, then looked around for Ryoga and waved him over. "In fact, we had some real interestin' conversations about what went on after I left." Nabiki stiffened but managed to maintain her veneer of calm. "Ryoga, in particular, wanted to express his admiration for yer methods of containment and distraction." Ranma grinned. It was wordier than he usually was, but Barry claimed the results would be worth it.
They were. Nabiki looked the lost-boy in the eyes and blushed deeply. She bit her lip, trying to keep from saying anything before she knew exactly what she wanted to say. "Ha! Ha… What do you want, Ranma?" Her voice when she finally spoke was steady and dry and her eyes were hooded.
"No pictures of Akane in the buff, ta start," demanded Ranma conversationally. "Wish we could do somethin' about the other people with cameras…"
"Well, actually…" Nabiki started to speak, then bit her lip.
Ranma frowned, trying to imagine what she had been about to say, then brightened. "Ya got exclusive photo rights, too?" Reluctantly, she nodded. "That makes it easy, then."
"Ranma, do you realize how much those photos are worth?" She sighed and waved her hand. "Oh, all right. She is my sister, after all." Gosunkugi whined in anguish, distracting them momentarily. Apparently, since his private stash had been confiscated, he had been in the market for a photo or two. Eyes rolled heavenward, then the discussion resumed. "I hope you don't want me to trash all the pictures of Akane."
"Of course not, Nabiki." Her sister relaxed at Akane's words. "After all, it's not much worse than what you wear to the beach." She let her head fall to one side and cast a warm look at Ranma. "That suit is pretty much destroyed, but I may get a few more just like it."
"You wouldn't!" Ranma, Nabiki and Ryoga chorused, drawing stares from everyone in the room, sending Akari into whoops of delight at their scandalized looks. Akane managed to look innocent, while the others froze in major face-faults until the uninformed lost interest and went on their way.
Nabiki coughed, then glanced in Ryoga's direction. "Um… Just to let you know. You'll find P-chan has a few personality changes. I guess it's due to you being gone so long, Akane." Ryoga frowned, trying to understand. "He's been a real help keeping Happi out of reach and has become quite attached to me."
Ryoga still wasn't getting it. What was Nabiki trying to say? He certainly wasn't about to start dating her. He knew what happened to her dates' checking accounts. He carried most of his net worth in a few debit cards, not having a fixed address; but he wouldn't put it past her to have uncovered those with her resources. Nervous now, he moved closer to Akari who at least didn't view him as 'lunch money'.
Akari looked up at him with quiet, enthusiastic delight. She had no idea Ryoga spent most of his time at the Tendo's as P-chan. She had suspected that Ryoga had a huge crush on Akane, but one look at Akane and her fiancé would tell anyone you weren't going to break them up. She felt confident of winning against unrequited infatuation.
"You know. P-chan? The pig you gave Akane?" At Ryoga's continued denseness, Nabiki wanted to scream. She almost reached for a mallet, something she'd never done before. "Ry-O-ga! I'm talking about the pig you gave Akane as a present just after you met her?" There! She'd done it without admitting she knew about his curse in front of Akane or Akari, who were starting to look puzzled at the special emphasis Nabiki had been using.
Ryoga opened his mouth. Ranma had this horrible premonition he was about to say 'What pig?' Suddenly Barry started feeding him some lines. "Ya been breakin' too many rocks with yer head, porky," Ranma injected quickly, punching Ryoga in the shoulder to shut him up. He turned his attention to Akari. "Ryoga and me weren't on the best o' terms when he found me at the Tendo's, Akari," he said carefully, cautioned by Barry not to get inventive here. "Ryoga was doin' everythin' possible to make my life hell since, in his opinion, I messed up his life."
She nodded but looked at Ryoga reproachfully.
"Anyway, he got this little black pig and tied a bandanna around its neck to give to Akane. Somewhere along the way, we got in a fight, he lost the pig and Akane found it." Ranma sighed, remembering what really happened. "I only just found out about Ryoga, here, havin' a curse, so I thought he was sneakin' in as a pig to peep at Akane. Raised some real bad blood between us before I figured out what was goin' on."
Ryoga desperately wanted to shut Ranma up, but couldn't think of any way to do so without making it worse. It had taken him a minute, but he now understood what Nabiki was getting at. Apparently, the Tendo's determined they needed insurance against possible blackmail and had bought a pig that looked like his cursed form.
"Trouble was, I promised Ryoga, since I caused his curse, I wouldn't tell anyone about it." Ryoga swallowed convulsively. This was not good; Akari had pulled away from him and was looking disappointed.
"So Ryoga could have…" Akari began.
Ranma laughed before Ryoga could explode and kill him. "C'mon, Akari! Ryoga peep? He doesn't even peep at me when I go 'girl', an' I got a better figure! One thing I gotta admit 'bout Ryoga; he's more a gentleman than I'll ever be."
Akari and Ryoga both looked startled at this backhanded compliment, but Akari relaxed and moved back toward the lost-boy. The mood in the room began to relax.
"Hey!" said Akane suddenly. "What do you mean, 'a better figure'? Better than whose?" Ranma suddenly found himself backing away from Akane who was stalking toward him. He looked around wildly for the door.
'I told you that you shouldn't have said that,' Barry whispered dryly. 'Oh well, this should distract them from thinking about our story. Whoops!' Akane swung, barely missing. They decided discretion was definitely the better part of valor and retreated. Wildly. With much screaming and complaining.
Nabiki groaned and shook her head. "I can see it now; two septuagenarians pursuing one another down the street at a pace barely faster than a snail, arguing about who has the better figure as a girl." She shuddered.
Outside, Ranma continued down the street with Akane in hot pursuit. Mischievously, he decided to check her training by taking to the rooftops and creating an impromptu obstacle course. He further encouraged her with the occasional minor insult about how slow she was and how Ranma's girl-form was better looking.
"You shouldn't be mad 'bout that, Akane! I'm better lookin' than any girl I ever met!"
"You conceited jerk!"
Barry was not happy about the circumstances. Akane was faster and stronger than before, and mallet wielding as well, this time. Ranma was such a boil of emotions that it was impossible to decipher any at the moment. He was also still drunk, though some of it had passed through his system.
The coffee really didn't do much more than keep his body hydrated. It had been a strange evening and for all he knew Ranma needed to get himself beaten to a pulp just to feel that things were returning to normal. He just hoped neither of the pair got arrested for property damage so far from home. Ranma had doubled back on his trail twice now. Some inner sense of determination was building. It felt familiar, somehow...
Back at the bar, Katsunishiki slobbered and drooled as pigs do. They are not neat eaters, though they do manage to eat everything they want to eventually. Periodically he would give the ball of chains, cable and freak an affectionate shove, sometimes bouncing it off the tree trunk. When he did, some of the slobbered ramen broth would splash over the imprisoned martial artist.
Happosai grunted. It was surprising how good he felt despite being wrapped in chains and beaten on by a pig. He felt the warm damp spread through his clothing as the huge pig slobbered on him again. Outside he heard Shampoo and Mousse. He couldn't see them of course, but no other young folk would be talking in the Joketsu dialect around here.
""How could I be so stupid, Mousse, "" the Amazon girl was saying. There was a splashing sound as whatever they were feeding the pig hit the ground. ""How could I lose sight of winning? ""
""What can I say, Shampoo? "" returned the half-blind young man. ""Perhaps you've grown so accustomed to being better than Akane that you simply underestimated her. ""
More splashing followed. The pig burped and passed wind explosively, then warm second-hand chicken broth dribbled through the chains as the pig nudged the ball again.
Oh-ho! Akane won against Shampoo? That was news. Apparently Ranma had been doing more with his private time than make moves on the girl. He ground his teeth. Just another thing to hold against Ranma!
Ryoga had struck the blow, but that clod didn't have the sensitivity to detect his disguise. It was Ranma who set him up! Even doused with enough alcohol to drop a man his size, that infuriating, titillating boy/girl had managed to foil him. He would get revenge! All the silky darlings! All the pretty girls in bikinis, and less, in the pool of ramen! He'd missed it all! It was too much for an old man to bear!
""At this rate, we'll be here till morning draining that pool! "" grumbled Mousse. ""Why can't we bring the pig inside and let him eat out of it? ""
""We're being punished, Mousse! Quit complaining! You took secret lessons from panda-man in Anything-Goes style, and I lost to Akane! Grandmother's almost finished with you, but I'm only beginning. I may not even be Amazon much longer…""
""Ridiculous, Shampoo! "" Mousse exclaimed, astonished. The contents of his thrown bucket went high and doused the 'tether-ball' directly. Ramen noodles hung like bearded moss from the chains. ""You are better than any Amazon warrior has ever been! How can you be punished for succeeding? ""
""Amazons measure success by victory, Mousse. No matter how good I am, I lost. Bad judgment is as unacceptable as bad training. ""
Inside the ball, Happosai felt a charge roll through him. Their words filled him with glee. They were draining the wrestling pond, eh? All that ramen was loaded with the residual ki of two-dozen girls fighting at their peak! At least two of them excellent martial artists!
'Come on, piggy, piggy, just a bit more of a charge…'
In a park, Ranma suddenly stopped dead, turned and caught Akane in his arms. Startled, she struggled for a moment, then looked up at Ranma with wide eyes and flushed features. Lightning would not have adequately described the emotions that passed between them as their eyes met. Barry looked desperately for cover; he knew now where this was leading. For some things, you don't need an audience.
They drew closer, her body and his molding to one another, aching for each other. They wanted, in fact burned, for this. Why the trials of this evening had broken down barriers that had survived Phoenix Mountain, a ruined wedding, discovery of Ryoga's curse and a brutal training regimen was beyond Barry. But they were so close now that he could easily sense in Akane the fact that she wanted Ranma, needed him.
As for Ranma, every day was another chance that Akane might somehow be taken from him forever. It seemed Ranma was remaking his decisions regarding what risks he was willing to take. He felt Akane, his Akane, pressed against him, warm and responsive in his arms. The thunder that rolled across the town seemed only the echo of their hearts…
Suddenly, they stiffened. Thunder? It was a clear night. Ranma's eyes blazed.
"Happosai!" he hissed.
They came in through the back yard. First they passed a bruised and unconscious Katsunishiki, then the oak that Happosai had been bound to, several links of chain standing out from its surface. Mousse was unconscious just inside the back door. Sounds of combat echoed from the bar beyond.
The Furinkan contingent was cowering behind whatever cover was available. Himamashi was down behind the bar and unmoving. Ryoga, bruised and battered, was attempting to stand between Happosai and Akari, while Shampoo and Janet were back to back. Cologne was chained to a heavy beam, apparently the first of the serious opponents to catch Happosai's attention. The freak was…
(SPLASH!)
Ranma snarled and staggered. Alcohol, barely held in check by the male body's greater mass and resistance, surged through Ranma's girl-type like a storm. She barely felt the rip of her silk shirt as Happosai prepared to get down to business.
"No!" There was a slam of air that staggered Ranma sideways. Akane had struck using her improved speed to slap Happosai away. "Leave him alone!"
"Swee-to!" Happosai rebounded and hurtled straight at Akane like a huge superball. Ranma staggered between them and barely deflected his rush. "Okay by me, Ranma!" the old devil cackled. "Payback time!" He glomped.
Ranma glowed blue and a shockwave of force slapped the pervert away.
'Thanks, Barry! How are you holding up?' Ranma's head pounded from a headache and her vision was blurred. Lethargy pulled at her arms. It was just one more reminder why Ranma didn't drink if there was a choice.
'Still living! If I don't link up with you physically, I don't feel the effects of the alcohol. I can't use your senses, but I can see things by their ki-signatures.' Barry felt as if he were a ball of light in a huge space. The void was filled with lights however and everything glowed. Living things glowed the most and martial artists seemed to glow more than most living things.
Against her post, Cologne was using ki to crystallize the chains that bound her. It would be a while, however, before they would be weak enough to break through. Akane, standing behind Ranma, glowed like a hot, blue star, as did a violet Shampoo and greenish Ryoga. Jani-san also glowed, though not as bright. Barry noted a strange, muted glow as if someone were trying to conceal himself, but not doing it well. As he tried to focus on it, they were blind-sided.
'Barry, watcha doin'?' Briefly, Barry felt the ache of Ranma's bruised bosom where Happosai had latched on and heard the cackle of his laughter. The old goat was really roaring around! They focused on the dual screams of Shampoo and the Kolberg woman as Happosai paid them a brief visit. 'That's Gosunkugi over there.'
'I can't see Happi's ki, Ranma.'
"He's using a secret technique to mask himself. It's not invisibility; you just don't notice him. Try ta focus on places ya don't wanna look!" Akane shrieked behind them and Ranma spun, slapping Happosai away from her fiancée. The close pass gave Barry a chance. He knew where Happosai had to be in that instant. He focused, tracked and suddenly could see the old freak. It was like watching a clear glass object spin through a smoky room. You could see the reflected and refracted light and the swirl of displaced smoke, but not actually the thing itself. In many ways, Happosai was masked by what surrounded him and his technique was nearly flawless.
'Gotcha!' Barry growled in unconscious imitation of Ranma's speech patterns. Ki convulsed. Ribbons of light whipped out. Bands of energy tracked the perverted master like the guided missiles they were; for in the instant of their formation, they had been coded and matched to Happosai's ki and, like lightning traveling from positive to negative poles, had no choice but to seek their opposite. They carried programming with them and drew to themselves a reality that became substantial as their proximity produced a response at the target. Effectively, at contact, Happosai's own ki generated the bands that bound him.
"What?" Happosai was now secured far more firmly than he had been earlier with chains. His hidden technique dropped, canceled by the interference and he bounced on the edge of the stage. "What… what have you done?" he glared, an evil old gnome as Ranma stumbled toward him. "Ranma! Release me immediately or face my wrath!"
"Old goat!" Ranma higher feminine voice was slurred but still effectively carried her contempt. Her breasts tightened under the pervert's lustful gaze. "You think we have nothing better ta do than hang around for ya ta pinch our tits? I think someone's gonna feel wrath, all right; but it ain't gonna be me!"
"Really?" Happosai voice was thick with emotion. "Just watch me!" He contorted, twisted in his bonds and rolled into the remainder of the pool of ramen.
"Idiot," Ranma said, trying to catch him, "you'll drown yerself!"
'Ranma! The pool! It's thick with ki!'
"What?"
(BOOM!)
'Shit!'
The ramen boiled away as it met the heat radiating from Happosai's aura. Mad laughter poured out of the miniature figure at its center. Male-Ranma shook his head from across the room, his transformation an unintentional gift of the hot ramen flying everywhere.
"Akane?" He looked around. Akane was down and out. Something had hit her. Jani-san was down as well. Shampoo snatched her aunt and leaped toward the closest shelter, namely Ryoga, who still stood before Akari. As Ranma watched, Shampoo set herself beside Ryoga, a protective wall against the threat. Alone of the non-martial artists, Nabiki had remained and was at her sister's side almost immediately.
"Ranma, I think she's okay. Watch Happosai," she called.
Happosai twitched in their direction, his eyes mad and glowing. "Swee-to!" he crooned. Ranma blocked the line of sight. Happosai's aura glowed, visible even in the huge mirror behind the bar. He seemed to levitate from the pool and danced across the stage on toe tips like a ballerina. "Swee-to!"
"This is it, freak!" snarled Ranma. "I've had enough of you makin' life miserable for every girl ya run across. Yer goin' down!"
Barry was in full agreement. Somehow the personal pain and danger had faded. It was Akane's pain and embarrassment, and Shampoo and Nabiki and all the countless others who had been victimized. He despised and feared the dangerous little ogre who drifted like an arc lamp through the perception of ki as he presently observed. Male again, Ranma had a better grip on the drunkenness and Barry stood inside ready to back and augment Ranma's ki attacks. They focused on their opponent and felt the power build within.
Without, silvery hot threads seemed to spin out of the air. To see Ranma's aura was a rare event; he didn't consider aura projection to be terribly useful. What was happening here was an uncontrolled and unconscious event, made possible by the abundance of ki the two beings shared in the unity of their purpose.
Ranma's aura cloaked him in the form of a humanoid cat, eyes glowing a deep red that hurt to see, power curling and drifting like fur ruffled by an unseen breeze. The hands flexed and silvery arcs of power extended like knives. The immaterial lips curled in a snarl, showing fangs.
"SWEE-to?"
Ranma snarled wordlessly at the hated vocalization. Akane, waking at Nabiki's insistent urging, gaped in shock. Ryoga, in front of Akari and the fallen Jani-san, shuddered. Shampoo gaped and stepped forward hesitantly.
"Ranma?" she whispered.
Happosai turned and went for her. Through the door across the room, Mousse staggered in. He sensed Shampoo's danger and chains whipped out at the little monster. They snapped like threads, sending Mousse tumbling head over heels into the room, nearly dislocating his arms from his shoulders. Shampoo ducked and Happosai barely missed her. He carried on straight at Ryoga who, white-faced, met him head-on.
Happosai brushed him aside. Nothing stood between Akari and Janet and the perverted master except Ranma, suddenly there, moving, ki-augmented and exulting in his own power. In a flurry of strikes, Ranma drove Happosai back. The skill and speed and resultant pain finally began to get through Happosai's madness.
Then he noticed the aura and the look, not hate, but the gleeful, intent look of a predator that found its prey. He tried to dodge to the pool; Ranma blocked him like a cat would a mouse. He tried to dodge past to one of the girls and was blocked the same way.
Cologne gasped. "Is he accessing Nekoken directly, now? It's never been done this way," she muttered. "Still, if anyone could do it…"
As Happosai's power reserves diminished, sanity returned fully and he realized his life just might be in danger. No longer striking back, he defended himself and tried to use reason. "Ranma! (Wuff!) I'm sorry! (unh!) Can't (owie!) we just call it quits and (oof!) be friends?" He blocked and blocked, but every ten strikes, one would get through. His clothing was becoming as decrepit as Ranma's and, while Ranma wasn't using his claws to cut his prey, every cat's patience eventually runs out.
Desperate, he pulled a Happodarikin and tried to throw it in Ranma's face. A swipe, a growl, and the dangerous pyrotechnic flew into the back yard to explode harmlessly. Ranma screamed in exultation and pinned Happosai against the bar. Ranma's 'ki-yah' of victory bounced off the glass like the scream of a cat. His eyes jerked up…
In the mirror… It was a huge c-c-c-cat in the mirror! A demon CAT in the mirror!
For an instant, Ranma froze. The aura's lips peeled back further and the eyes widened in threat as Ranma instinctively tried to frighten away what his senses were telling him was a horrifying opponent. He wanted to retreat but Barry, oblivious at this point and thirsting for Happi's blood, pressed on in opposition. Ranma was faced with a feline threat he could not physically escape, one that was growing more horrifying by the second. Happosai's eyes grew huge. He knew what was coming.
"mmmmmMMMMRRRRRAAOOOOOooowoowwww!"
Ranma's sudden retreat into the full Nekoken stripped Barry of the ability to influence Ranma's body. The eyes looking into Happosai's had nothing human left in them. Happosai cringed. He was too exhausted even to dodge. He tried to meet death with eyes open as Ranma's fist, studded with claws of power and trailing waves of ki, slashed around and drove toward his face.
(SPLOOSH!)
Ranma's fist finished its arc, as human awareness flooded her. Happosai was smashed across the bar into the mirror by the follow-though. He looked for a moment like a bug on a windshield, before sliding down unconscious behind the bar. The whole building shook with the blow, but astonishingly the mirror was undamaged.
An arm's length away, a pale Akane stood, empty glass in hand, staring fearfully at the petite redhead who leaned gasping on the heavy oak of the bar. At her tentative touch, Ranma shuddered and jerked as if waking from a particularly vile nightmare. Reassured, she let her arm encircle the smaller girl's shoulders and leaned over the bar. Himamashi was staring wide-eyed from the floor with Happosai draped across his substantial abdomen. Akane looked from the retired sumo to the mirror.
"Polycarbonate," he explained in a hoarse whisper. Slowly he got to his feet. He held Happosai at arm's length as if he were a live bomb. Akane didn't blame him. The freak might still have another bomb on him.
Mousse staggered over to Cologne and struggled to free her. Shampoo joined him. "Ranma! Help us! Links are, are…"
"Saotome, he welded the links somehow," elaborated Mousse. They struggled with chains while Cologne winced and tried to tell them to leave her alone. Ranma felt over her own face as if to make sure she wasn't missing something. She blinked at Mousse and Shampoo and staggered over.
"You don't look well, son-in-law," Cologne said conversationally. "Don't worry about me. It's not like I'm in any danger now." The old woman looked at Ranma with concern.
Ranma-girl-type was gasping like a fish out of water, not at all like the cool, confident boy who would face death, then toss it off as if it were an inconvenience. Ranma reached out, felt the chains and suddenly they dropped to the floor, severed. Cologne staggered free, astonished and stared at the redhead.
Ranma looked at her impassively and turned away. She spoke to Akane, "How's Happosai?" Akane indicated the bar where Happosai lay on his back, still unconscious.
Cologne retrieved her staff and hopped over to examine him. "Good thing he's got a hard head," she commented dryly. "He'll live to plague more girls it seems." She looked back as Akane gasped, then toward Ranma who seemed to be the focus of the girl's regard. Shampoo came over and touched Ranma on the arm.
Ranma glanced toward her and away, looking at Happosai again. She sighed and walked over to the pool, immersing her arm until the change occurred. Male again, Ranma snagged a glass from behind the bar, filled it with water and dashed it in Happosai's face.
As the little pervert gasped awake, Ranma grabbed him by the throat. "Happosai! Just give me an excuse to finish you!"
Petrified, the object of Ranma's regard grew wide-eyed and pleading. "Ranma, I'm sorry! I… I didn't mean any harm. I just wanted to see the pretty ladies."
"Don't give me that, freak. You spiked my drink. You caused fights around the room by coppin' feels. You injured Mousse, Shampoo, Janet and some of the Furinkan students. You hurt Akane, damn you! And you wrecked Himamashi's bar." Blue eyes blazed unflinchingly into Happosai's black ones. "Go ahead, freak, twitch; make any little move, and I'll be glad to rebuild this place piece by piece over your rotting carcass."
Happosai, wisely, did not move.
"You are going to work, old man. You will personally use your unspeakable talents to rebuild this place and fix everything that Himamashi says is wrong, whether you think you caused it or not." Ranma spoke quietly, nose to nose with him. "If you leave before he's satisfied, I will make it my personal mission to track you down and lay you to rest where I catch up to you."
"You… you're going to make me stop playing with the pretty girls and the silky darlings," wailed the old man. "I'd rather be dead!"
"Come after me and you'll be in the hospital. Come after Akane, now…" Ranma grinned wickedly, "and you'll be... unpleasantly surprised. Leave Nabiki and Kasumi alone; they're not martial artists. So long as you don't hurt anyone, your life is your own."
Happosai looked hopeful. "You're a generous man, Ranma. Ah… I don't suppose I could get a bowl of the ramen over there? I feel weak with hunger…" He cringed as Ranma growled.
"Don't push your luck. I think there's still some uncharged stuff in the kitchen. If you ask nice, maybe Cologne won't add anything to it before you start to work."
"I'll behave, Ranma." Happosai fawned and groveled disgustingly. Ranma turned to the bar owner and bowed.
"I apologize, Himamashi-san for the damage to your business. If you wish, Happosai will stay until repairs are complete." The look he gave the short pervert prevented complaints from surfacing.
Janet Kolberg staggered up to the bar, looked at Happosai with a strange expression on her face and reached over for an unbroken bottle. She opened it, glared at anyone who looked askance and threw back a slug straight from the bottle. Himamashi took the bottle from her and shook his finger as she coughed. "Now why… (Hack!) …did I ever think…" Janet looked as if she was having trouble getting her breath. "(Cough! Cough!) …I wanted to do that?"
Himamashi smiled wryly. "If you don't normally drink, daughter-in-law, what makes you think you should start now?" He frowned as she pointed at Happosai and Ranma, and turned to the latter.
"I think we can manage, Saotome-san, but leave a number where I can reach you and I'll call if he gives us any trouble."
"Call anyway, about once a week. I don't trust him not to know some of the Amazon memory-altering techniques. If I don't hear from you, I'll come looking."
They made their good-byes, with Janet woozily complaining that she had missed Ranma fixing Happosai's hash, and left. Akari had found Katsunishiki little the worse for wear. The sumo pig sniffed her over, bumped Ryoga in greeting and knelt, waiting for Akari to mount.
"Akari'll get me to the Tendo's to pick up my pack, provided I don't get lost…"
"Oh nuts!" They all turned at Nabiki's uncharacteristic expletive. "I forgot about Ukyo." She related what she knew and what she had done to try to track down the missing okonomiyaki chef.
Ranma and Akane exchanged glances.
"We heard about her from Sasuke of all people. It seems Kuno-baby was being his normally charming self at some place north of here and ran across her. Konatsu went to bring her back, but he hasn't returned yet either."
Ranma looked grim. "We'll return to Nerima and make sure she got back. If not, I'll be going on another extended trip."
"Ranma…" Nabiki cautioned. "You miss too much school and you'll never graduate. You'll never make it up, if…"
"Ra… We owe her, Nabiki," Ranma said.
"How do you figure that?"
"There's more to life than money, Nabiki. Don't let one blind you to the other." Nabiki swallowed and started to fall back, but Ranma caught her shoulder with a hand. "Thank you for tryin'."
When he turned away, Shampoo caught his attention by bouncing over and firmly glomping him. "You go; Shampoo go, too. Good tracker! Watch airen's back."
"If she goes, I go," Akane immediately stated. "And I think you know why," she added grimly. Their eyes met and Ranma's head nodded.
"Akane, there is no need for both of us to miss school," he protested anyway. He turned to the Amazon. "Shampoo, are you just trying to get out of the punishment that's waiting for you from Cologne?"
Akane's jaw firmed even as Shampoo paled and looked to her grandmother for sentencing.
The latter shrugged. "Let's first see what's waiting for us at home, children. Perhaps we won't have to go haring off after Ukyo at all."
"Bets?" chorused everyone else at Cologne's statement.
"I'll give you six-to-one odds," added Nabiki.
Ranma and Akane ended up riding back on the bus Nabiki chartered for the trip to Himamashi's. Shampoo joined them, leaving Mousse and Cologne to drive the rickety truck back to the Nekohanten. Ranma noted Mousse's dagger looks but there was nothing he could do about it. It was only after they were aboard that it occurred to him to ask Shampoo who would be driving the truck.
"Mousse drive. Have license," she confirmed. She looked blank as everyone in hearing (and aware of Mousse's limitations) blanched. "Grandmother know way. They okay!"
"Right… Shampoo, I need to talk to Akane privately for a moment."
"Why?" She countered angry. "You have pervert-girl alone in woods for month!" Her listeners figuratively ducked at that bald statement. "Why need more time now?"
"First of all, Shampoo, we weren't alone," replied Ranma loudly. "Ryoga was there way before Akane. Second of all, nothing happened. Well, at least not what you're worried about. Thirdly, don't you want privacy from time to time when you want to plot… uh, I mean, talk with Cologne or Mousse? Why shouldn't I get the same privilege?"
Shampoo looked doubtful but stubborn.
"Come on, Amazon!" he said exasperated. "Do you think we'll 'do it' right on the bus? In front of everybody?" Akane and Shampoo blushed at that barb and Shampoo returned quickly to her seat as Akane and Ranma, accompanied by catcalls and one tremulous warning from Gosunkugi, made their way to some privacy. "Akane," he whispered, "I don't know how to tell you this, but…"
"I think I know," she interrupted. She swallowed. "Barry, what happened to Ranma?"
Barry sweated at the emotion he heard in her words. He had never felt so alone. That she had been holding this in since he gave Happosai his marching orders spoke of her strong will and faith in Ranma. He hoped it wasn't misplaced.
"You saw we went neko?" Akane nodded. "Well, this time it was different, Akane." He looked around and found a lug wrench under the back seat. "The last time, I was just along for the ride, even learned some things we adapted later. I had no control during it; and afterwards, Ranma…well… This time…" Holding the wrench where she could see, he passed a finger near the heavy metal object.
It fell apart in two pieces, the edges of the division clean and sharp and cool. Akane swallowed.
"Barry, does this mean…?"
"Nekoken never turned back off. I feel very… feline." Barry struggled for some way to get across what had happened.
"But, Ranma?" she asked, horrified. Ranma didn't come back unless the Nekoken had passed.
"I don't know, Akane," Barry said sadly. "I'm trying to find him in here, but… I just don't know."
Ranma groaned. Happosai must have been carrying another Happodarikin bomb. Something wet slobbered his face. 'Yep! Katsunishiki in the back yard, which means they're in trouble. I got to get up, help them…' He opened his eyes.
It was not Katsunishiki. It was not night. He was not in Himamashi's back yard. It was a huge building from the echoes, open at the sides and covered with a corrugated steel roof. The slobbering animal, a horse, waited patiently, lipping his hair with concern.
"Barry! Are you all right?" The language, partially masked with a thick accent not native to it, pulled his attention to a small, rugged man on another horse. Ranma belatedly recognized the language as English and found he could reply in kind.
"I'm okay, Bob. Just surprised." 'Boy, was he ever!' He rose groaning to his feet and looked down at his dust-covered body. He was wearing boots — weird how they felt both comfortable and alien at the same time — blue jeans and a red polyester shirt that felt slick with sweat.
He took stock of the animal, Buddy, which had thrown Barry apparently only a moment before, and unconsciously flipped the reins back over the animal's neck. He mounted from the left and tried to take stock of what had happened, as he let the trained reactions of the body do what was expected.
Legs squeezed casually, heels applied a touch of blunt spurs. The hands asked for softness and balance in the neck as the horse was driven onto the bit. Hips and lower body swayed to a movement that was comfortable and soothing to the horse. He had to start looking for answers immediately.
Barry's memories indicated that there were still six hours left in this workday, with one more day before Barry's day off. Somehow he had to make contact with his home and his universe. The answer had to be in ki and kitechniques. Perhaps the… Carnegie Library would have some answers; Barry had said it was one of the biggest in the eastern U.S.
As he rode the horse, musing over his problem, he became aware of an aspect of Barry's life that had not come up before. Cats! There were at least a dozen of the furry little monsters playing and lounging all around the arena.
Ranma stiffened, his heart lurching in horror.