Charlotte's Sequel

Chapter Eighteen

I Challenge You

The next morning Nabiki Tendo sat grumpily down at the breakfast table, she grunted thanks as Kasumi laid a plate before her.

"Is something wrong Nabiki?" Kasumi asked.

"Meh." Nabiki grunted.

Ryoga appeared then, "Good morning!" He said enthusiastically.

Enthusiastically?

"Good morning Ryoga." Kasumi nodded, "Did you sleep well?"

"Better than I have in a few days!" Ryoga said with a grin, "I've just taken care or something important that's been bothering me for some time."

Nabiki's eyes narrowed. Oh, so she'd been bothering him for some time eh? Well forget him!

"So, do you two have any plans for today?" Kasumi asked.

"Oh I've got plans. Big plans." Ryoga said with a grin, "I'm just gonna need Ranma to help take me to—"

"Sorry but Ranma and I have a date." Nabiki blurted.

"What the heck?" Ranma asked, yawning and rubbing sleep from his eyes.

Okay, that hadn't been to well thought out. "What I mean is, Tatewaki-kun and I have a date, but Ranma is going along . . . with Akane, it's a double." That was better.

"Really? That's great Ranma, I never thought you'd do something so roman—wait, did you just say 'Tatewaki-kun' or am I imagining things?" Akane demanded.

"I did indeed. You see Ryoga and I are through. I'm seeing Kuno baby now." Nabiki said, smiling and watching Ryoga for some sign of jealousy.

There wasn't one, that slime!

Fine. He really did get over her, and in just one night no less! Well she'd just have to return the favor.


Ryoga smiled at Nabiki and said, "You have a good time then, tell 'Kuno baby' I told him to enjoy himself." Ryoga said with a wide smile. 'It'll be his last day on earth, I hope for his sake that he lives it to the fullest.'

We'll never forgive him for stealing Nabiki.

'No. We won't.' Ryoga thought, knowing full well that he wasn't alone in his head.

But if it was a foreign influence, or just a part of himself he didn't know, didn't care. Both halves of the coin had the same intentions for now and so he'd work with his dark side, and kill Tatewaki "Woman Stealing" Kuno.

Then Nabiki would know he cared about her and she'd want him back more than anything!

And he'd graciously allow her to return to being his fiancée. He held the letter of challenge in his hand and smiled, "Today is a major day, and I can't be late. I need someone to take me where I need to go."

"I can do it." Kasumi said.

Well . . . no. Ryoga didn't want Kasumi to know where he was going to go, what he was going to do. That was why he'd wanted it to be Ranma, Ranma would take him there and not care beyond that. Wouldn't know that Ryoga wanted to kill, would just assume it was a silly challenge.

Maybe anyway. Ranma was clever . . . from time to time.

"I can't ask you to do that, Kasumi." Ryoga said, "It'll take time out of your busy schedule. No, I'll see if Ukyo can take me."

Nabiki mumbled something that sounded like it started with the letter F and ended with K and said "I'll be upstairs getting ready for Kuno baby!"

"Uh . . . do you need help?" Kasumi ventured.

"No, I'm fine. I just can't decide if I should wear the thong or no underwear at all." She stormed upstairs.

Let her get angry, let her get jealous that Ukyo was taking him, let her know how it feels to hurt inside because the one you love is unfaithful.

The only difference was that Ryoga had been and would continue to be faithful to her, even if she wasn't his anymore.

"Since when did she start seeing Kuno?" Akane asked.

"It's just part of a trick." Ranma said. "I mean c'mon, if she were really with Kuno she wouldn't have said so in front of Ryoga, and he'd be fuming mad!"

"She said they broke up!" Akane said, as if Ryoga weren't sitting right across from her.

"A lie, she wouldn't just dump him like that, not for a block head like Kuno anyway, right man?" Ranma asked Ryoga.

Ryoga just shrugged "It's true. We're broken up, she can do whoever she wants."

"You mean 'whatever' she wants, right?" Akane asked.

"I meant exactly what I said." Ryoga shrugged. "It doesn't bother me. But I do need to get to where I'm going by about noon . . ."

That's when Mercedes showed up. "Hey!" Ranma said, "I bet the dog can take you, he's smart!"

"Oh yes!" Kasumi said, "Let's see . . . Mercedes, take Ryoga to the back yard!"

The dog bit down on Ryoga's bandanna and dragged him to the back yard.

"He's brilliant!" Akane cried, "That's great! Give him some food!"

He ate Ryoga's food.

Well . . . Ryoga hated to murder on an empty stomach, but hey, maybe it'd make him lighter and faster if he wasn't weighed down by about ten pounds of Kasumi's most excellent cooking.

"Okay dog," He said, putting a leash on Mercedes, "Take me to the front door."

Mercedes finished eating, then took Ryoga right to the front door!

Excellent! Perfect! Wonderful!

"This is the start of a beautiful friendship!" Ryoga said, "Now Ranma, if you'd be so kind as to give this to 'Kuno baby' when you see him."

"Ryoga . . . cant you do that yourself now?" Ranma asked.

"You know what?" Ryoga said with a grin, patting Mercedes on the head, "I can."


The young man was lying on the dojo floor feeling miserable. He'd failed! He'd failed and worse he'd made himself known to Ryoga! What a disaster!

He'd never find Jun now! He was no match for Ryoga! He wasn't sure he wanted to be either!

"Aww now don't look so down clown!" One of the girls, Anzu said, who was suddenly hanging upside down from the ceiling above him. "They school us like that all the time, it's no biggie."

He scoffed.

Anzu was pretty talented though to stand on the ceiling like that, she wasn't wearing any special shoes or anything, she'd just found a nook and held on, impressive.

Tomoko came over and said "Yeah, cheer up." She looked at Anzu and grinned, "Any particular reason you're hanging upside down, Anzu?"

"It's good training!" Anzu cried defensively.

"It shows off your breasts." Tomoko scoffed, and the youth realized that it did.

"T-Tomoko!" Anzu cried.

"Anyway like I say, cheer up. Hey! I know what'd cheer you up! You could take me out to dinner! That always cheers everyone up!" Tomoko said, batting her eyelashes and grabbing his right arm.

Anzu came down so fast she defied regular gravity, she grabbed his left arm, "Uh, no he'd rather go to the movie with me, a comedy that's what he needs to cheer up!"

"Uh, actually I'd rather not do either—" The young man tried to tell them.

The two Koruda instructors weren't listening.

"You have a five date rule, Anzu, I've got a three date rule, like a normal person. Logic dictates he go with the more efficient of us."

"Yeah well you don't usually last to the fifth date is what it is, at least I've got principals!"

The young man sighed and shook his head. He freed himself from their grasps and took a few steps back. Maybe watching them argue would cheer him up.

Ushio however showed up and shook his head, "Not again. They did this when that blind kid showed up too, I think they've got a thing for guys with long hair. Tell the truth I think you look like a bit of a sissy."

The young man's eyes narrowed. "Whatever."

"No offense meant boy, no offense meant. So tell me . . . we never did get your name."

"Never did offer it." The young man scoffed. "I don't have a name. Not one I can give you anyway, I left my name behind two years ago."

"Yeah . . . I'm gonna call you Bobby, is that okay?"

"What? No!"

"Right. So anyway Bobby I've been thinking and I cant have my daughter and my top instructor distracted like this. You've got to leave."

"You think I like being here? I have to find Jun!" The nameless youth said.

"Now, now, Bobby, no need to get upset. It just so happens that I've decided to fulfill my end of the bargain even though you didn't come through on yours. I'm going to contact Jun and tell him that you want to meet him."

Bobby—er I mean the nameless guy gapped at Ushio, "R-really? You'll do that? You're not going to refer to me as 'Bobby' when you speak to him right?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Ushio shrugged. "You said you don't have a name, and Bobby is a good one."

"I have a name, I just don't use it!" The kid protested.

"Yeah. Well now you can say it loud, 'I'm Bobby and I'm proud!"

"Yeah . . . that's going to really not happen."


Ranma yawned lazily as he watched TV, some new soap, he didn't like it . . . it just wasn't Weeks of Our Lives . . .

He sighed wistfully, missing that old program.

Suddenly a giant head was floating around behind him, "Ek!" He cried as Akane's father floated into the room, "S-Son, perhaps you want to explain THIS?" He demanded, throwing a large stack of paper at Ranma.

Oh crap.

"I go to the dojo to train and I find this! And on the last day before I leave for Hawaii too, now I'm not so sure I can go if you're going to be making suck awful plans for my daughter! Page 93 would require you both to be women, how do you do things like this, son?"

Ranma gapped. "Uh . . . it's all her fault!"

"Ranma . . . if I were you . . . I would run." Soun warned.


Jun frowned at his lifelong friend—or as close as he came to friends anyway—Ushio as he explained the situation to the master assassin.

"The kids really interested in finding you. He's about the right age, I think he may be your long lost son or something. At least that's what I suspect, that'd be cool."

Jun scoffed. "Ushio I don't have a son because I've never left any woman alive that long, when I'm done, so are they. Besides it's been years since I gave in to those urges, I can't possibly have a son!"

"He's definitely a skilled fighter, he took out Anzu and Tomoko in just seconds, and he keeps talking about finding you."

Jun leaned against the wall. Tosa and Fenrir were listening in, he knew. He knew that he'd have them to back him up too, Tosa had encouraged him to contact Ushio—saving the martial arts instructor from having to find him himself—and learn the identity of the boy whom Jun now understood to be known as Bobby.

An unusual name for an assassin.

"I will meet the boy . . . on a condition."

"What's that?" Ushio asked.

"He comes alone to this place."

"What place is that?" Ushio wondered, sounding almost guilty about something.

"This place. This place I'm at right now, this place where we are standing and speaking."

"Oh good! 'Cause he's waiting just outside!" Ushio smiled happily.

"He's what?" Jun gawked, he needed time to prepare a trap, if the enemy was right outside then—

Jun's nerves settled instantly, what did it matter? He had one of the guild's three top assassins with him, he was yet another of those three, and Fenrir was an agent of no small skill.

Not even Ryoga could defeat them all, and this fool could not defeat Ryoga.

"All right. Send him in, and then get out of here . . . you don't want to be here when what's going to happen happens."

Ushio frowned, "Really? He's kind of a nice guy, Anzu and Tomoko like him, if y'know what I mean."

"I couldn't care less who they like. Now get out of here." Jun said, nodding to his friend.

Ushio frowned and left.

Jun waited patiently for Bobby.

The youth from the battle before entered, just as Tosa had guessed he was indeed the same boy that was seeking Jun through Ushio. He bowed low and came up with a dark look in his eyes.

"Master Jun. I've spent a great deal of time looking for you."

"You have me at a disadvantage, you know my name yet I don't know yours. And I do so want to learn . . . tell me who you are, who you really are. You're obviously a member of a guild."

The youth scoffed. "Obviously? Well surprising isn't it? You're wrong. I was once a member of a guild, now I'm on my own. But I didn't come to give you my life story."

"Oh? But you might as well, who else will bother to remember it once I kill you?"

The young man smiled, then he laughed. "You kill me? Me? Oh boy, you're confused. If you don't tell me what I want to know you're going to be in a world of pain."

"Really? Show me."

"Fine. But first . . . our audience!" The young man shouted, he raised his hand and made a motion as if he were pulling the ceiling down.

And it came down.

Fenrir along with it.

Blast! Well at least he didn't make Tosa! Jun thought.

The young man's eyes blazed red, as if he read Jun's mind he said "The woman left."

Jun blinked, "Really? Well she'll miss out on all the fun. Shall we?"

The boy's hand flew forward and Jun flew backwards!

Only he didn't fall, he was pulled, like a magnet or something! He hit the ground—er the wall hard, but lay there as if it were the ground.

Fenrir emerged from the debris of the ceiling laughing.

He was a tall man with a crooked nose, scars on his face and elongated canines, his hair was unkempt and his nails were perhaps a bit too long.

"Heh-heh-heh. I'd know that preaching voice anywhere, even if you didn't pluck me out of the sky . . ."

"F-Fenrir!" The boy gasped, taking a step back, Jun fell to the real ground and drew his guns.

This kid was going to die, Jun didn't care about pumping him for information!

There was a growling sound, the boy turned around and saw two large, mangy dogs growling at him, teeth barred.

Fenrir, the Beast Master laughed bitterly. "It's been a long time . . . little brother. You remember our old pets don't you? C'mon boys, show little brother how much you've missed him. 'Kiss' his throat right out!"


Ryoga gave Mercedes a pat on the head, the large dog smiled happily in the way that dogs smile. "All right," Ryoga said, "I need you to take me to the place of challenge, the park. Can you do that?"

The dog barked.

"Great! Let's go then boy!" Ryoga said.

And Mercedes went.

He went with a speed that surprised Ryoga! Ryoga held tight to Mercedes' leash to keep from losing the dog as he sped along!

"This is great!" Ryoga said more to himself than to Mercedes, "I-I cant believe it! I'm really going to get there on time! I'll be there any minute at this pace I'll . . . what the heck?"

He looked up at the big sign that read: Super Ultra Pet Store.

"Oh . . . crap." Ryoga sighed.

The dog barked, and Ryoga nodded. He had a dog of his own back home, he knew how to satisfy them. "Okay, one chew toy then we go to the park, deal?"

He went inside and spent about twenty minutes trying to find Mercedes a toy he liked, the store clerk lazily pointed out that no pets were allowed, but he'd make an exception for Ryoga and the massive dog if Mercedes would kindly abstain from ripping his head off.

It was a deal, Ryoga and Mercedes even got the toy for free since the store clerk was so happy to see them go. So Ryoga and Mercedes headed off for the park, the massive dog happily squeaking his toy (which resembled a little black pig with a bandanna) as they walked.

"Okay, now that you're happy help me get to the park." Ryoga said.

Mercedes bolted, Ryoga almost lost hold of the leash!

The dog dropped his toy, stopped, went back, got it and bolted again so quickly that Ryoga was certain he'd gotten whiplash!

But finally they arrived at a nice sunny area, a large green field and . . . okay, this wasn't the park!

There were benches all around, but not park benches. They looked kind of like bleachers and . . .

There was a gun shot, Ryoga looked around expecting to see that meddlesome Jun, but instead he saw a pack of dogs rushing at him!

"Ladies and gentlemen, it seems an incredibly lost young man and his dog have wandered onto the track!"

Ryoga blinked as the dogs ran past, leaving a dust storm.

The dog track? How'd he let Mercedes lead him to the dog track without noticing?

Mercedes waited two seconds after the other dogs passed them, then broke out in a run!

Ryoga, worked hard to keep up with him, failed, tripped and was dragged along as the oversized German shepherd ran the track, passed every other dog, and won!

"Amazing, simply amazing! And with his owner weighing him down yet, I cant believe it!" The announcer cried, "This unnamed dog has won the race!"

"Sir! Sir, to what do your attribute your dog's victory?" A reporter cried.

"Does it bother you that he is not a hound?" Another demanded.

"Isn't that the same dog that competed in When Pets Do Dumb Crap last year?" A third demanded.

"How did you manage to raise such a massive creature?" A fourth demanded.

Ryoga tried feebly to answer, but Mercedes led him off again!

"Listen, listen to me Mercedes," Ryoga said, "I know you cant like that name! She gave you that name! Take me to Tatewaki Kuno and I'll give you a new name, I promise!" Ryoga said.

The dog veered suddenly to the right, Ryoga finally lost his grip on the leash and flew into a telephone pole, cracking it in half.

Groaning and holding his aching head Ryoga was hardly surprised when Mercedes came back, grabbed his bandanna with his teeth, and dragged Ryoga along.

'There is nothing more that you can do to me!' Ryoga thought.

Oh let's take the dog, the dog knows where we're going! Man am I an idiot! Ryoga's other voice thought bitterly.

'Oh shut up!' Ryoga thought to himself.

Mercedes had brought him now to a pet show.

"Great. Fine, we'll compete and then—" Ryoga was saying until he noticed Kodachi Kuno standing by with her giant crocodile, or alligator or whatever the heck it was.

"Brother dear, Mr. Turtle just wants to compete fair and square! Why must you be so difficult?"

"Because I had to pay the owners of all the pets he ate last time!" Tatewaki said.

Ryoga's face lit up. He hugged Mercedes, "You're the best!" He cried.

The dog barked once, and Ryoga got to his feet. He dusted himself off, wanting to look his best before he killed the man who'd dared to lay a finger on his woman.

Yes, his woman. Why should he be her Ryoga if she wasn't going to be his Nabiki?

He skipped—literally skipped—over to the older boy and said, "Hello! I've been looking for you everywhere!"

Tatewaki raised an eyebrow, "You have?"

"Hey, I got a question for you!" Ryoga said with a sly grin.

"And what is that?" Tatewaki sighed.

"With all your money . . . cant you afford a pair of shoes? I mean what if you walk on broken glass?" Ryoga jeered.

"Master Kuno hardly ever walks, he travels by rickshaw!" Kuno's little ninja butler said.

Ryoga ignored the little bucktoothed man, he'd stay out of this unless he wanted to die.

"Kuno baby—it's okay if I call you that right? Don't bother answering, I don't care." Ryoga handed him the slightly damaged and abused letter of challenge. "I want you to have this."

Tatewaki looked at it distastefully, "What is it?"

"Open it." Ryoga said darkly.

Tatewaki opened it and read it. He looked at Ryoga through narrow eyes. "I will not turn down a challenge. But I wonder what quarrel have you with me?"

Ryoga scoffed. "What quarrel? Nabiki Tendo ring any bells? I saw you kissing her at that amusement park you bastard. She's my fiancée, and you know it!"

Tatewaki smirked, "If you were a better fiancé, perhaps she'd not have accepted my kiss."

"Brother dear," Kodachi said, "Just kill this peasant so we can get on with the pet show!"

Ryoga smiled, "Try it, Kuno baby. See what I do to you."

Tatewaki glared at Ryoga as his ninja butler handed him a wooden sword. The sword master took up a fighting stance and said, "Then for the hand of Nabiki Tendo, as your letter demands, I will face you."

"Any last words?" Ryoga asked, "I have to ask you now, because once I start I might not be able to stop myself . . . you know how it is."

Tatewaki smirked again, "Just three. You left me an opening!" He cried, lunging forward!

Kuno's attack missed Ryoga's forehead, but the wind of the cut sliced some of Ryoga's strands of hair.

Ryoga's hand shot out, slamming into the flat of the sword's wooden blade and snapping it in half, "That's five words you idiot!"

Tatewaki struck again with yet another sword provided by his ninja butler, Ryoga dodged.

Tatewaki was more skilled than Ryoga had guessed, but the younger boy was certain he could win.

Then Nabiki would love him again!

Once the other boy is dead! He thought.


Ranma groaned as Akane pointed a finger at him, "Whatever the problem is it's all his fault dad!"

"Ranma!" Soun shouted, waving the papers in his face, "Why did you do this?"

"Look, I aint gonna argue with you 'cause I know it's no good. All I'm gonna say is that I didn't do it, and even if I did Akane and I are getting married pretty soon so it's not like I'm defiling her or anything."

Soun didn't see it that way. "Actually that's exactly what it is! You dare to touch my daughter and I'll cut it off! You know what I'm talking about! You'll be a girl all the time!"

Ranma gulped, "I've never touched Akane!" He cried.

"It's true dad, he hasn't, that's why I drew those pictures!"

"So it was you Akane?" Soun seemed confused now.

"Yes! I didn't know those were what you meant, they're not Ranma's! I just gave them to him because I thought he wasn't showing enough physical interest in me, and the idiot thought they were a list of martial arts moves!"

"Actually I knew exactly what they were." Ranma said.

Soun groaned, "My daughter! My pure daughter!"

"Yes father?" Kasumi asked.

"Not you!" Soun said, "Go and . . . clean something, I don't want you hearing this conversation!"

"But father, you're holding it in front of the TV, everyone's hearing it." Kasumi said.

On the couch Nabiki waved, Genma and Nodoka nodded.

Soun sighed. "Okay . . . well if everyone could get out of the room while I discipline my daughter and . . . oh forget it, you all know what's happening here anyway!" He glared at Akane and Ranma. "I guess we'll have an audience for the sentencing!"


Jun leapt back as the wave washed over him. By twisting in mid air he could hit the "ground" on his feet whether it was a wall, the ceiling or the ground itself.

It was obvious this guy was controlling gravity, or at least doing a really good job of making it seem like he was, Jun chose to believe this was a very powerful illusion technique.

Fenrir seemed wiling to take every blow, not bothering to dodge at all, hitting the "ground" hard but never seeming injured, this led Jun to believe that it was indeed illusion, and that Fenrir had a little resistance to it.

He'd called Bobby his little brother, maybe he'd grown immune to his younger sibling's skills.

Bobby ducked low as one of the dogs leapt over his head, Jun aimed his gun, Bobby's hand shot out towards Jun and the assassin's hand dipped lower as he pulled the trigger, the bullet slammed into the ground in front of the youth.

Jun scowled, he fought to raise both his hands, a gun in each and fire on the enemy!

Bobby came to his feet and leapt up, the second dog leapt for him now, but he whipped his hand to the side and the dog slammed into the wall with such force that the wall was broken!

It was a blow that should have killed any normal dog, might have killed most men. But beyond all reason the dog got back up and barred its fangs!

Jun noted that the wall had been the one Tosa was hiding behind . . . so she really was gone.

"Fenrir, I want him dead, hold nothing back!"

"Whatever." Fenrir grinned, pulling a pair of gloves onto his hands.

It was as if he'd put two claws on, the gloves ended in deadly talons, talons that were stained red with blood. "It' been nice seeing you little brother, but this family reunion ends now . . ."

Fenrir rushed forward and swiped with his claws, Bobby leapt to the side, waved his hand and both dogs flew towards Jun, ruining the master assassin's next shots!

Jun scowled, "You're going to die tonight boy!"

Bobby grinned and shoved his hand towards Jun, the assassin flew backwards and into the wall again!

This time the wall broke and Jun lay on the true ground looking up at the sky as his entire body made it known to his brain in its own way that it was in pain.

Jun felt a sharp pain in his stomach as Bobby ran out of the hole in the wall, stepping on the master assassin in the process.

Then the two dogs ran over Jun.

Then Fenrir wisely decided to walk around him and help him up.

"We have to get that brother of yours!" Jun hissed.

"Don't worry. My boys wont let him get away." Fenrir grinned, "They know his scent too well to lose it!"


Soun sighed wearily and said, "Ranma . . . you're blameless here . . . or so it seems. But it is because you live here that this has happened, Akane has grown too used to your presence."

"You're kicking me out?" Ranma gawked.

"No." Soun said, looking surprised, "I'd never do that son! No, but I am separating you and Akane."

"You're kidding!" Ranma said, "How?"

"I'll be taking her with me to Hawaii." Soun said simply. "It'll be hard for her, finishing off her schooling in a whole new country, but it cant be helped, you two should not be living in the same home while we are away, it is clear we cannot trust you."

"I agree." Genma said.

Ranma shook his head, "Don't force Akane to go away just because she's a little messed up!"

"Ranma!" Akane gasped, offended and flattered at the same time. "You're defending me by insulting me?"

"Of course!" Ranma said. "Anyway I wont do anything with Akane, and Kasumi will help keep her from doing anything with me, there's no need to put her through all this trouble!"

Soun shook his head, "It still leaves the problem of you living with her with no real adult supervision—no offense Kasumi."

Nodokoa raised her hand. "If I might make a suggestion . . . no one will be using the Saotome home . . . it's a little further away from the high school, but still in walking distance, and he'd still be close enough to this place."

"I don't know . . ." Kasumi said.

"Not going to work!" Nabiki said, "Ranma and Ryoga need to stay together!"

"What? Why?" Genma asked.

"Ryoga isn't here right now." Nodoka pointed out.

Nabiki blinked, "Oh crap, you're right!" She said, she looked at Kasumi, "When did he leave?"

"Weren't you here when it happened?" Ranma asked.

"He left a while ago, I think he was going to the park." Kasumi said.

Nabiki rolled off of the couch and ran for the door, "You directionless son of a—" she was screaming as she left.

Ranma tilted his head to the side. "What's her deal?"

"Never mind her," Genma said, "What do you think of your mother's deal?"

"Mr. Saotome, it is vital that Ranma and Ryoga not leave this house for too long." Kasumi said.

"Why?" Genma asked.

"Yeah, why?" Ranma scoffed.

Kasumi lowered her head, "I . . . I cant . . . for their sakes . . ."

Soun frowned, Ranma did too. "What's the problem?" He asked.


Ryoga lunged for Tatewaki when suddenly Mercedes began to bark loudly, distracting Ryoga.

The lost boy looked and saw the dog growing very irate, the other animals began to become uneasy.

Ryoga noticed a vaguely familiar face coming towards him, a late contestant he supposed with a pair of dogs following along.

As they got closer Ryoga realized those dogs didn't look friendly, and this was confirmed when one of them leapt out and tried to bite the runner!

Ryoga glared at Kuno, then back at the boy, "Be here when I get back!" He commanded.

What? What am I doing? Ryoga wondered to himself.

The boy came closer to the glass doors, he held out his hands to open them but it was at just that moment that the first dog caught him.

The dog bit down on the youth's leg, and the two of them crashed through the glass!

They rolled, both coming up bloody, the boy thrust his hand forward and the dog flew backwards in what Ryoga guessed was probably the same way he had!

The young man scowled as the second dog leapt at him and went for his throat, Ryoga rushed forward and shoved the beast away, "Are you okay?" Ryoga demanded.

The young man with shoulder length white hair blinked at Ryoga, and Ryoga recognized him.

"You're one of the K-Fighters!" He said, "The one who was looking for Jun!"

"Well he found him." Jun said darkly. He held two guns, one pointed at Ryoga, the other pointed at the boy. "My master, it is good to see you've caught this little cretin. He was once blessed enough to be a member of a guild, but he's betrayed them. Show him justice, my liege!"

"You're the son of a bitch that shot Nabiki." Ryoga said darkly. "Did you think I'd forgotten?"

Ryoga glared, and looked back at Kuno, wondering who he wanted to kill more.

Kill them both! Ryoga thought.

But Kuno regained his fighting stance. "If this cur has harmed Nabiki Tendo I shall help you in defeating him, Fanged Wanderer!"

The K-Fighter got to his feet and said, "Now you're out numbered, murderer. Why not tell me what I want to know before I stand back and watch the chosen one bathe in your blood?"

Jun scowled, but a second man laughed.

He stood behind Jun and put a hand on his shoulder, the dogs rushed over to him and he gave each a pat on the head.

"Us outnumbered?" The second man said. "Little brother, have you taken a look around? Just look at all these animals. With a word from me they'll do their best to kill you and anyone who stands with you." The other man winked at Ryoga, "Except the Great King of course. Name's Fenrir, master. A pleasure."

Fenrir's brother scowled and looked around at all the animals.

"Taking it in, little brother? I'm going to do now what I should have done back in Hong Kong."

Ryoga heard a low growl, he turned around in surprise to see Mercedes was glaring at him . . . with the hungry look he normally gave only P-Chan.

Other pets were acting similarly, Fenrir laughed wickedly, Ryoga gulped.

He hoped self defense wouldn't count as cruelty to animals . . .

To Be Continued . . .

Next Time: Ryoga and Kuno will team up for the greater good, but Ryoga doesn't plan to let their fight end in a draw once Jun is taken care of. Ranma runs into Ukyo and Konatsu who're quite tired after a hard night's riot, but will they be ready to lend a hand when Tosa kidnaps Nabiki? And is that really Nabiki that she's got? Will the youthful champions Ryoga and Tatewaki be able to defeat the experienced assassins of the Spirit Cat order? Who are the two new assassins making themselves known during the battle? (And note that NEITHER of these two is an Original Character! I'm so happy!)