Ki Cutters: 26

The Peers II

Ranma sat across the low table from the assembled martial arts masters. Regardless of their relative anonymity, he knew the probably was that all of his guests rated the title of Grandmaster. He vaguely recognized some of them from his travels. Not that this reassured him. Especially in the early years, the last he'd seen of people like these was over his shoulder as his father encouraged him to run faster. He wondered if they were pursuing his father's sins after all this time. The last time he'd let his father steal anything had been when he was eleven. Besides, his father rarely managed to steal more than a meal or two.

Li, a Shaolin monk if Ranma recognized the signs, seemed pleasant and peaceful, but his ki was well developed and smooth, a fine mesh of training and introspection. He might even have ki vision himself and would be a dangerous opponent. Také he knew from two sources. He remembered the man from challenges he made to his school back when he was ten. He also remembered that Dr. Tofu had said this was his sensei in the Arts. It was rather odd to remember the cheerful Tofu and compare him with the dour and angry feeling Také. Suhl seemed very familiar, though her garb and movement did not ring any bells. Though she held some of the peace of the monk, Ranma knew that she was possibly his most dangerous opponent. The red dots along the hem of her tunic were unsettling. He recalled that some ninpo warriors would mark their formal garb in such a way to announce to their peers their participation in missions where they had had killed opponents. Jun seemed to mirror Ranma's uncle in many respects.

Ranma supposed he could have been promised to the daughters of some of these masters. His eyes narrowed at that thought. He was not going that route again! He let his voice come across cold and unyielding. "To what do I owe the honor of this unexpected visit?" he asked quietly, also putting the onus of any violence or discourtesy on them for not requesting the meeting. What they had done was socially outrageous. While Ranma was no social giant himself, he was quite willing to use the perceived discourtesy to his advantage.

"Nephew," his uncle said quietly. "Pardon our discourtesy for the circumstances of this meeting." He nodded to his four colleagues. "Ranma, we five come as emissaries of sorts from the larger family of martial artists." Ranma's eyebrow rose. Various schools rarely cooperated. It was far more likely that these five had taken it upon themselves to 'interview' him.

"Emissaries?" Ranma let an eyebrow rise.

"Yes." His uncle seemed to consider several approaches to the subject of their visit. "Your school of martial arts is a mix of many Arts from all over Asia. Each of my colleagues instructed you, or had students spar with you during your decade-long training journey with your father."

"I sorta figured that," Ranma replied. "Mutsabetsu Kakuto is an evolving style. Right now, it's actually two styles, depending on the personality and physique of the artist.

Toronaga nodded. "Tendo and Saotome Ryu; strength or speed. While we appreciate your courtesy, Ranma, we should be discussing our issues with Happosai…"

"The freak?" Ranma blinked. "Why?"

"Issues dealing with the students of a school are normally taken to the school's Master," Toronaga said patiently. "I know you don't acknowledge him as your master, but he trained your father and your fiancée's father and is the founder of your school."

Ranma sought Happosai with ki vision and found him snuggly asleep and probably drunk in his room in the house. No one had thought to check for the old man when they evacuated. "Yer in luck, he's home. I can't vouch for his sobriety, though." He smirked as Také frowned at his lack of respect. "Hey! If you know Happosai, you know I'm respectin' him as much as he deserves."

"He is your school's Master!" Také snapped.

Ranma smirked and held his gaze, saying nothing. While Také glowered, Toronaga, Jun and Suhl exchanged glances. Li smiled and contemplated his folded hands.

Toronaga queried cautiously, "He isn't?"

Ranma smiled and shook his head. "I am now Master of Mutsabetsu Kakuto Ryu. If you want, I can get the kaiden (teaching certificate) signed by Happosai for Akane Tendo and myself, as instructors of the school. I can also get the document that formalized Happosai's retirement to a position of Master Emeritus of the school, naming me as Grandmaster. If you have issues with my school, you can take it up here and now." He leaned back slightly and crossed his arms waiting to see how they took this news. While he did so, he began to catalogue the four unfamiliar artists. "So, just what do ya want from me?"

The five reassessed the young man before them. "Mutsabetsu Kakuto has been a combat Art in the past, nephew. May I assume that Mastery was ceded by combat?" Ranma nodded once. "And Happosai's alive…?" Ranma shrugged noncommittally. "You have become an unusually skilled martial artist, Ranma," Toronaga admitted. "I won't hide the relief of not needing to deal with Happosai." All of them nodded. "In fact, I must admit that our visit has to do with you, personally, and the interest certain parties have developed in you."

"This better not be about fiancées, Uncle," Ranma growled. He flushed as everyone choked back laughter. Apparently, everyone knew of his fiancée trouble

"It involves your fiancées, but does not add to them," Toronaga admitted, chuckling. "It does have to do with your public image…"

"Are you talkin' about what happened at the Mall?"

Toronaga smiled warmly at that. "In part," he said. "That was well done – defeating that terrorist – but that is not why we came."

"If ya have issues about my curse, I can't do anything about that," Ranma shrugged. "Ta be honest, we're not even sure there is a cure for Jusenkyo curses, though some of us have managed to trade one curse for another," he added wryly.

"It is true you have a high profile because of your curse and fiancées." Suhl sighed pensively and gazed at him like a mother would a rambunctious child. He shrugged boyishly like that child caught at the cookie jar, whose only excuse was, 'it was there'. She nodded toward Ranma. "In fact, if my granddaughter had less sense, she might be another one." Her smile was shark-like at Ranma's wince. "Don't worry. She is too involved with her boyfriend and her studies to regret that she might once have been betrothed to the notorious Ranma Saotome." She caught his eyes with a direct glance. "Those matters are not ones we would be concerned with." She nodded to Li.

Li sighed. "We have heard rumors of two confrontations in China and one here in Japan. All caused massive collateral damage even though the only weapons on site were primitive. Do Nekonron, Mt. Horai and Phoenix Mountain sound familiar?"

"Yep," Ranma replied flippantly and unrepentantly. "The first group kidnapped my fiancée. The second one dealt with a possible cure for my curse and some guy who said his ancestors were dragons. The last, we were trying to protect the springs that might cure our curses. Then Akane got kidnapped again, drowned, revived, ki and moisture-drained and then nearly killed. We're only alive because we used the skills we perfected."

Toronaga sighed at the tone of his voice. "We are not judging your past actions, nephew. We are making you aware that we know of your activities. But no matter the justification, your notoriety and your actions have created a problem." Ranma felt by the slight flaring of their auras and by the tension he felt, that his visitors had finally gotten to the meat of their concerns.

"The real issue here is your blatant use of projective ki techniques," Také growled.

"My ki techniques?" Ranma carefully monitored their auras. "What about them? I can tell that all of you can project ki, so, what's so special about me?" He met each master's eyes, daring them to claim otherwise. "Why ya singlin' me out?"

"Because you are the focus of unusual people and events, Ranma," Toronaga explained. "Most of your peers do not practice any recognized school. In a sense, they too, are practitioners of Anything Goes. But even if they are not your students, you are still the focus, and as close to their leader as anyone can be. This is a serious problem that may destroy them as completely as it will us."

Ranma chewed his upper lip as he considered his uncle's words. "I don't get it. Sure, we're all strong martial artists and we hang out. How is that dangerous?" He hesitated, before recalling the dangers of the Shishi Houkudan. "Or are you talkin' the spiritual angle?"

"No, though those hazards are well worth mentioning." The Shaolin leaned forward. "No, we are speaking of the impact of your advanced Arts on the non-martial artists you live among.

"Your skill and your contempt for authority have made certain people nervous," Suhl clarified. "You are all well known as 'unbeatable' fighters. Well enough known that Nerima has the lowest violent crime rate in Tokyo, if you ignore the interactions between you and your peers. Even organized crime takes unusual precautions to avoid your friends and families." She cupped her hands and called forth a ball of amber light. "In addition, because many ordinary people have seen you and your friends use this, you all now have the status of superheroes… celebrities." She let the light die and added, "I ask you to consider how much privacy a movie star has."

Ranma shifted uneasily. He thought about how he went in and out through Akane's window and thought about the possibility of some anonymous reporter taking snapshots and making deductions about his activities, looking for dirt. He hadn't noticed any such activity, but that didn't mean it hadn't been happening. The idea made him uncomfortable. His senses had been geared more toward the electronic threat of Nabiki's bugs or the threat of overt attack. Still, it could be dealt with; they'd just have to be more careful. "None of us are interested in politics," Ranma protested.

"But let us consider the first issue, first; it is of greatest importance. Governments will bid for your services," Jun explained. "You are all young. 'Surely,' the leaders will say, 'there is some secret method whereby a soldier can be never without a weapon: a weapon of ki.' Some governments might even authorize attacking you if they think you might train their enemy. Even a banana republic can be more dangerous than organized crime if they decide you are a threat to them. It's difficult enough for a Master to dodge bullets. It's worse if unskilled friends or family become involved."

"That's nuts!" Ranma sought the grounds outside for some sign of Akane and his friends. He wanted their advice if nothing else. His face hardened. "Anyone who tries that on us will regret it. If they leave us alone, we'll leave them alone."

Také laughed gruffly. "Really? And you said you weren't political. Who has authority over you, Saotome? Or does the first sob story send you off to play god?"

"I hope I'm not that gullible," Ranma snorted.

oOo

At Ryoga's house, the cavalry met and prepared for war. "Sometimes I think everybody else spends more time here than me," grumbled Ryoga, looking wistfully around the kitchen.

His mother chuckled. "Feel free to move back in whenever you want, dear."

"Do you want me going with you, son?" his father asked.

Ryoga glanced his way thankfully but shook his head. "No, Dad. You stay here and keep Mom safe. We should be able to take care of this." He turned to Akane. "Anything else you know about them?"

"Just what I told you," Akane said grimly. "Five strange ki signatures, all very powerful, walked into the dojo. They weren't invited, so we have to assume the worst."

Cologne scratched behind an ear. "It need not be an attack," she offered. "But I agree, it's better to err on the side of caution. We all understand our assignments?" She glanced at the Amazon contingent.

"Yes, Great-grandmother," Shampoo said for them.

"Let's go then." Eight martial artists streamed into the night.

oOo

Li injected, "Are you aware your friends, the Joketsuzoku, are closely tied to the intelligence services of the Peoples Republic of China?" Ranma grimaced. There had been that note in his journal from Barry, but he hadn't followed up on it. "I'm certain you noticed that I am Shaolin. Though I am a monk sworn to peace, none of us are permitted to be apolitical in China; we are constantly under Beijing's microscope. They use our skills to train their bodyguards and security people and, because of our small numbers, they do not consider us a threat. We are 'trotted out' to give exhibitions for the tourists." He nodded at Suhl. "But if they believe that control of ki is commonly possible, and as powerful as you have demonstrated, that would change."

"And you think our government in Japan might do something like that?" Ranma asked, turning to his uncle.

"Believe it, nephew. The nature of government is to obtain power," Toronaga said. "Because of the way the Americans dealt with our surrender after the War, we have more freedom than at any time in our history. No Shogun or warlords, simply law and duty." Ranma noted the distasteful twist to his uncle's mouth. He wasn't necessarily happy about the source of that freedom. "The ordinary man, however, is at the mercy of his protectors, including such as we under this roof. Tell me, is that man really free?" He waited to see if Ranma would answer before continuing. "Martial arts schools are the ordinary man's route to freedom. With the skills we teach him, and the oversight we try to exercise, we weed out those who would misuse our teachings and provide a bulwark against those who manage to slip through our guard."

"There is a weakness, however, in what we do," Suhl commented. "Those we protect must feel that we do not threaten their choices. If people come to believe we could impose our values on them, even if those values march with their own, they will become fearful. When governments see a possible alternative to their power, they become tyrannical. The combination is an ugly thing to behold. The death of innocents quickly follows."

"Yer sayin' we should be more careful usin' our ki-techniques, huh?"

Také gave him a cold impatient look as if he were tired of the verbal dance. "You will cease using the techniques immediately," he demanded. "In fact, you must deny their existence to anyone who inquires about them, and command your friends to do the same! If you do not, I promise you I will bring the deaths of those innocents to your door."

Ranma couldn't contain his immediate reaction. His lips twisted in an arrogant grin. "Really? Ya sound like the poster boy for the yakuza, yerself!" Ranma said coolly, his aura flickering into existence. Také had been burning hot for a confrontation the entire time. But the advantage had just swung in Ranma's favor. "And just how do ya plan to bring me to book for people I don't kill, but you blame me for?"

Whatever Také planned to say or do was forgotten as his face froze in shock. Ki flared about them. A hot blue battle aura sprang up as Akane dropped Umisen and faded into view behind Ranma. Bodies quickly slid in the other entrances and through windows. The five found themselves surrounded, though at a respectful distance.

Ranma smiled and leaned back toward Akane. "Thanks, tomboy; things were just gettin' ready ta get ugly." He turned back to the older martial artists and smiled brightly.

Li and Suhl seemed unconcerned. Jun sipped his tea and frowned. Také was coldly furious. Ranma's uncle smiled and eyed the young ladies that comprised most of the surrounding martial artists.

"These are some of those friends of mine who also do ki techniques. You were sayin', Také…?" Ranma continued to smirk faintly.

"Now, now!" cautioned his uncle, unperturbed, "Let's be polite."

"I thought we were the unbeatable martial artists with contempt for authority?" Ranma retorted. Flanking him were Ryoga and Ukyo. Behind them were Shampoo, her sisters, Mousse and Cologne. Akane stood immediately beside Ranma, her face unreadable.

Suddenly the shoji slid open again. Happosai walked in, scrubbing at his eyes. He blinked and took in the scene before him. "Could you people keep it quiet? Some people need to get their beauty sleep."

"Too late, pervert," Ranma smirked. "Nothing can help you."

Happosai glared. "Contempt for authority, huh? Whelp!" he growled. "There's hope for you yet."

"Somehow, I don't think anyone called you for back-up, Happi," Cologne remarked dryly.

"Who cares?" Happosai stretched and then twisted side to side, old joints cracking. "I'm here and my successor over there might need advice, even if he doesn't need my help." He walked over to the cupboard and opened it. "When you kids start up classes, spring for more cushions, there are only two left." He threw a cushion at Cologne, who fielded it easily. "We older folks should get comfortable." He walked back over, plopped the cushion down and seated himself. He brought out his pipe, lit it with a ki-generated spark and puffed it to life. He ignored the looks that varied from annoyed to 'wish you were dead'.

Cologne sighed and joined him, getting out her own pipe. The two gnomish martial artists seated themselves to Ranma's left. After a moment, the remaining younger warriors bracketed their elders and friends. The five visitors had recovered from their surprise and examined the new arrivals, curiously. There was even some mutual recognition.

"Nice to see you again, Li," Cologne graveled. "Happi, you remember Li, who married my youngest daughter?"

"Of course. Nice to see you again, Li," cackled Happi.

"Sorry I can't say the same, Happosai." Li looked downright hostile, a very odd sight on his normally serene face.

"Oh, come now. I know we parted under a cloud…"

"Getting the abbot to kick me out of the Temple is hardly 'under a cloud'. Nor were our sister branch happy to find my cubicle used to store their stolen undergarments."

"Heh-heh… Where else was I going to put them?"

"It was after I was expelled that I ran into my Amazon bride."

"See! Look what you would have missed!" Happosai cackled. "And after a delightful decade or two you returned to the Shaolin, so what's wrong?"

Li who had been looking very put upon, deflated somewhat. "(Sigh!) He hasn't changed, has he?"

"You'd be surprised," Ranma said.

Happosai pouted at Ranma's words. "Please, Ranma. I have a reputation to maintain."

"Yeah, right."

"Can we resume our discussion?" Také growled. "Or are your friends going to test their skills against us?"

"We're just here to keep the violence to a minimum, sugar," Ukyo said calmly.

"Unless, of course, trespassers want to play," suggested Shampoo.

Toronaga glanced at the Amazons then shrugged. "As we were saying, it is your flamboyant ki techniques that are attracting unwanted attention from various governments. Trust me. You do not want government, any government, sticking its nose in your business!" He saw that Ranma was listening to him. "You have the Japanese government watching you." He held up a finger. (Not that one!) "The Chinese government is watching you." He held up a second finger. Ranma looked nervously at Cologne. "You have the U.S. and both Korean governments watching you." He held up three more fingers. "I know of at least a dozen inquiries from law enforcement, and of course organized crime is watching as well..." His other hand came up. Ranma was beginning to look sick. "Then there are a couple of private investigators, several newspapers, not to mention unfortunately, other people who have made 'deals' with Genma…" Ranma struggled once more to deny the panic this information was evoking.

"Your skills, especially in ki, are more valuable than diamonds in some quarters," agreed Suhl. "Oh my, who is this?" Ranma looked down. Kiku, Ranma's kitten, marched into the dojo, tail high and eyes alight with interest. She crossed to Ranma, curled briefly about his legs then padded on to investigate the visitors. Suhl quickly coaxed her up into her lap. "How sweet. This brings back memories."

Ranma suddenly remembered where he'd seen her before. "But you're dead!" They laughed as he felt for his braid and flushed. "Well, my father told me you were dead."

"It's been quite some time since that idiot father of yours taught you the Nekoken." She stroked the back of a purring calico kitten in a manner familiar to Ranma's sub-conscious. Ten years ago she had done the same to a neko-cursed little boy.

Ranma took another good look at the assembled martial artists. "I understand now." He nodded to them one by one. "Master Jun, you were one of the first to teach me what honor meant, along with how to kick in the Okinawan style. Master Také, you taught me how blend with an opponent." Ranma turned to Li. "Master Li, I met you just before we went to Jusenkyo. We weren't around that long, thanks to Pops, but you gave some beautiful demonstrations on how to match linear and circular forms. You also gave some nice lectures on balancing ki and the meanings of yin and yang. If I'd listened closer, I might not have been so traumatized when I got cursed later." He returned his regard to the woman. "Master Suhl, I don't like to think how much damage I might have caused if you hadn't brought me out of the Nekoken when I was six. Dad didn't pay very much attention to women so he made me watch and train with your husband. Is he…?"

"He passed away about four years ago, dear," Suhl said.

"I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. We had over forty years together." She stroked the ecstatic kitten with graceful movements.

He turned to his uncle. "Uncle, you've rounded up people that I might feel obligations to. How did you find them?"

"They were already beginning to inquire about you. You and your father made quite an impression on people." Toronaga Daikansatsu placed a hand on his own chest as if to stress something personal. The others nodded. "As I was saying when your friends arrived, our disciplines use ki for inner strength, but you are also using yours as a weapon," his uncle explained. "That is really what we're concerned about. We have, for years, carefully encouraged people outside the Art, to believe that it is a myth to do that."

Ranma felt the eyes of his visitors and his friends on him, waiting for his answer. "Uncle, tell me the truth. Did you hide the techniques because of the unskilled people who might be hurt? Was it because the government might have closed your dojo? Or was it because that was the way it had always been done?" He raised a hand. "It matters significantly."

Toronaga sat silent for a long moment. It was as if all five had bonded together to commune silently over the question. "There was a time when such weapons had their place on the battlefield," he answered with a wry glance. "The Warring States Period and its aftermath changed that. The special skills of noble families and other practitioners of martial arts were closely watched, and most sought to conceal their special abilities. In China, it was… but that hardly matters here. Suffice to say, the families who have retained their old esoteric techniques have done so by being circumspect."

Ranma nodded. He leaned forward. "In my case, uncle, to be circumspect was the same as dying. Uncle, you speak of schools that have handed down traditions and secret techniques for generations. We are creating our traditions. Our skills are mostly not inherited but are newly created by us." The pigtailed man let that sink in. "Sure we've found dangerous ways to destroy with ki. Like I said – it was that or die.

"But what we've learned goes far beyond fighting with ki. You want me to hide this, too? That seems so selfish!" He grinned at Také who bridled at the 'selfish' comment.

"I use the word selfish for a good reason. You would tell me to hide techniques I've discovered? The inner eye or celestial eye, or whatever you want to call it is a fantastic tool for self-discovery. You don't merely learn ki techniques. You learn how to heal the body and mind, how to encourage new chemical reactions and discover substances no one could ever imagine. You five must know there are whole new worlds to discover. If more people realized that the world of the spirit exists alongside them, in parallel with the planet they live on, they might be less eager to damage the world around them. You talk about the risks, but what about the benefits? So what if the government knows we can do this? Better to make it common knowledge and teach it, like you would medicine or a science. Everyone would benefit!"

"It is easy to see you believe this new world of yours to be a paradise!" snapped Také. "I assure you that it is not. If you ever have the misfortune to meet a real demon…"

"I have, Master Také, on several occasions. I've had to deal with spirit creatures that wanted to harm me, or those I protected. I've fought oni and kami. I've fought dragons. One of our guests this Christmas was Saffron, Fire Lord of Mount Phoenix. The action at Jusendo you mentioned when we first spoke was a misunderstanding between us, and I was forced to destroy his last incarnation." Ranma added thoughtfully, "We're actually friends, now, I think." As Také withdrew troubled, Ranma continued. "I don't claim to have more experience than all of you, but it would be a mistake on your part to think that my experience is insignificant."

The five once again went into their near silent, contemplative discussion.

"What are they doing?" Akane asked her fiancé.

"They're… talkin', somehow. I don't know. Maybe somethin' like the ki radio but more subtle."

"You know, son-in-law," Cologne broke in quietly, "if you agreed to become my official student, it would place you outside their jurisdiction. You're still in a great deal of trouble here."

"I know that," Ranma growled. "But I bet bein' yer student would mean I'd have to chose Shampoo. Am I right?" He met her eyes.

"It would. After all, the Master tries to create the greatest advantage for their student." She looked away casually.

"Heh! Look Akane in the eye and say that," Ranma snorted. He turned back to the five.

His uncle led a deep bow to Ranma, which was returned. "I gather then, you cannot be persuaded to refrain from teaching dangerous techniques, especially the celestial eye?"

"Not a chance in hell," Ranma said softly.

His uncle's face became hard. "Then, we find we must issue a challenge to the Master of Mutsabetsu Kakuto on the issue of his teaching ki techniques and encouraging such teaching in an indiscriminate manner to his students."

Ranma nodded. "What limitations are placed on the combat?"

"None."

Ranma mulled that a moment while Akane, Ukyo and Ryoga looked at one another uncertainly. The Amazons set their bodies just a little differently, enough to indicate their awareness that this challenge did not preclude death. "Do I fight you all together, one at a time, or only one of you?" The five conferred again.

"You will fight me," Suhl said, rising to her feet. Everyone grabbed whatever object was nearest to them and moved to the perimeter.

Ranma nodded. "Také is too angry, my uncle is family, and Li and Jun's styles are closest to what our school's techniques are designed to counter."

"Yes." Suhl shifted slightly and pulled a dragon whip from somewhere. "Do you have a weapon of choice?"

"Only what I'm carryin'," Ranma answered. They stood and bowed, two body-lengths apart, eyes on eyes. Then they began.

Suhl circled left, the linked bars of the dragon whip in a snaky wrap around her inside arm. She kept the weapon still, trusting in her skills to snap the tip of the weapon to near supersonic speeds at any opening. Ranma circled with her for five steps gauging her footwork and feeling with his battle aura for hers. At the engagement of awareness, he attacked. It was not a matter of impatient youth but an acknowledgement that the longer he waited the more comprehensive would be Suhl's knowledge of his strengths and weaknesses. She might as well pay for that knowledge in active combat.

The dragon whip snapped out, but he was not there, his leap translating to a low glide that attacked her legs and knees. He erupted straight up over her return strike, his hand seeking nerve clusters in her shoulders to gouge while modifying his flight to an inverted attack on her right side. Suhl shifted, slipping his grip but disrupting a binding move with her free hand that sought his collar. His foot kicked over impossibly fast, batting her hand away and contorting him into an angled crescent kick with his other leg as he spun away. For an instant, the younger martial artists thought he had been caught as Suhl punched at his kicking leg with the 'fangs' of the dragon, using it like a fistload, but his foot circled and withdrew like a viper-strike and Ranma landed lightly on his left hand and used it to spring back into action again.

Three times they met in a weird silent dance of death, hands seeking to lock, bodies blending, twisting, pushing for advantage. Suhl, a small woman on a par with Ranma's girl-type, maintained an upright posture well anchored to the ground. She lacked Ranma's bulk, but that was not an advantage here. If she was at a disadvantage in speed, her technique was so flawless that she defended as much by anticipation and planning.

Ranma seemed to ignore gravity as he shifted and flowed, attacking with quick explosive movements from seemingly impossible angles. Yet for all his power and energy, it was Ranma's shirt that was torn in several places and whose ribs were bruised, while Suhl seemed as unmoving and unconcerned as a mountain. Their clashes had that sense as well. Ranma a wild wind moving across Suhl's slopes, swift and deadly, but ineffective. Ranma disengaged and circled, contemplating what he had learned. Suhl nodded to him sadly and saluted him. From the pinnacle of her experience, Ranma was moments from defeat and possibly death.

The next engagement was so totally different, that the spectators uniformly gasped. Ranma moved in, much slower, instead of peppering Suhl at Amiguriken speed, it almost looked as if he were playing push-palms with the woman. Though swift, their exchanges were stately and measured, relying on precision and anticipation. Six seconds into this new stage of combat, Suhl lost the dragon whip to a peculiarly serpentine engagement where the key action occurred as Ranma's step seemed to offer a blow to the pubic arch. As he twisted slightly to muffle the attack, his foot came down inside Suhl's leg with his knee bracing across hers. The motion of his hands as he restricted for a fraction of a second, her movement there resembled the move called 'gripping the bird's tail', but instead of a blow to her face or body, he struck across her whip hand, disarming her and redirecting the spin of the linked weapon to send it flying toward the ceiling.

Twenty potentially lethal open hand blows and kicks were exchanged and warded as the whip grazed the ceiling and cartwheeled down. Suhl could have let it hit the floor. She did not require the weapon to fight, but Ranma seemed to leave an opening in response to the release of pressure of her hip on his, so she gave into temptation...

…and it was a trap. A single circular movement bound the steel links over her wrist As she released her grip, and with it the binding the device forced on her open hand, the delay allowed a single solid strike to the nerve cluster at the base of the throat. She went down hard, the pinpoint strike disabling her body long enough for Ranma to kill her had he chosen to. She regained physical control to find him watching her from four meters away. She coughed, clearing her lungs and re-establishing the rhythm of her breathing. She set herself again. "That was quite interesting," Suhl remarked dryly.

"Your style has some characteristics of tai chi chuan," Ranma remarked, "mixed with something like jujutsu. It's not like your husband's style at all."

"Martial arts is a continuously developing phenomena."

"So true." Ranma and Suhl began circling as if in perfect accord. "Do we have to continue?" Ranma asked sadly. "I've killed once. I don't want to do it again, and not someone to whom I owe so much."

"So, Ranma, you do not think that you are responsible if your actions cause a third party to harm innocents?" she asked.

"If you truly held that view," Ranma replied evenly, "then resistance to any act of evil is futile, and the entire purpose of martial arts is a sham." Once again they moved into a graceful dance. This time, while it held elements of the second set, it also was a fusion of Ranma's initial attacks. After a dozen heartbeats, they broke apart and Suhl bowed.

"I find I cannot defeat you," she said. "You even, somehow, defeated tsubo strikes that should have crippled you. You are truly powerful."

Také scowled furiously. Li's left eyebrow rose. Jun pursed his lips and steepled his fingers. Ranma's uncle, Toronaga, smiled an edge-thin gash that was not humor. "Very interesting," he said. "I can see several styles in your work, nephew. May I ask how you can sustain a school that has no style of its own?"

Ranma relaxed and grinned. "It does have both a style and a philosophy, uncle. First: Wait for a weaker opponent to make a mistake, but attack the strong immediately. Second: Probe for weaknesses in the opponent's style. It's designed to force a response but not allow enough contact to exploit a strike or hold. Depending on the response, I use strikes and blocks or locks and throws. Many of those are based on traditional forms, but it is the initial attack and defense that is the philosophy of Mutsabetsu Kakuto: Know your enemy and match strength to weaknesses." He massaged the back of his neck sheepishly. "I don't often have to go to the third stage where I blend the probing back in with my solution. If Master Suhl was faster, I might have had to retreat or add ki techniques to win."

"Suhl?" Toronaga asked.

Suhl eyed Ranma respectfully. "Také might be able to take him in straight Arts… if he got lucky. If Ranma added ki techniques, then only Li…" She gazed at the monk thoughtfully. "He is very skilled, though, and inhumanly intuitive in combat."

"He has the celestial eye," Li confirmed. "Anything is possible." He nodded to the others. "They all have it or are near to acquiring it."

"All?"

Li turned to Cologne. "Did you have anything to do with this?"

Cologne's face wrinkled into a horrid smile. "We had a mutual spiritual advisor, son-in-law. Unusual circumstances."

Li shrugged. Toronaga nodded. After a moment, they stood and bowed. Toronaga acted as the spokesperson. "We cannot stop you, but we do ask you to reconsider."

"Nothin' personal, but I'll do what I want," smirked Ranma. "I agree though, we gotta be more careful about showin' off the ki combat techniques. We'll just have to look dumb and smile pretty when anybody asks about them outside of students I've accepted into my advanced training." Ranma grinned as he saw his uncle stiffen. He also felt the shift and surprise in his group.

"You… Then what was this business all about? Suhl would have killed you!"

"It's about me not bein' subservient to you," Ranma said pointedly. "I'll take advice if it's offered, but I decide what happens in my school. If I hide something, I'll hide it because ya don't show an enemy all yer weapons. I'll decide who I teach or don't teach; and it won't be limited to my immediate heir. And as for people being scared that we'll use our martial arts to rule 'em…? People are always afraid; that's why people fight to begin with.

"But it's how ya act around 'em that matters. A martial artist's duty is to protect the weak. I believe if you hold to that, you can't go wrong. Don't bully folks, act honorably; and the only people who fear you probably should be afraid."

Toronaga nodded. "That's better than we hoped." The five gazed at Ranma like gunfighters in the American West, meeting by chance on a street. "It will have to do." He bowed, followed by his four companions. They turned to file out.

"Ya wanna learn ki vision, uncle?" Ranma asked. He smiled as the five jerked to a halt.

"You would teach me?" his elder demanded, astonished.

"Think about it. Even you, Master Li, if ya wanna find out how I teach it." The five glanced at one another, and then pensively filed out.

Ranma smirked, sighed and turned to his friends and allies. "That went well, doncha think?"

Cologne began to cackle as the others released long-held breaths, assuming expressions of astonishment and disbelief.