Ukyo had her ears closed to the deafening sound that was coming from Kuno as he beat upon the front door of the tower. Ryoga shook his head angrily and then stared at the other boy with a look of frustration. It was already morning and Kuno had incessantly been pounding on the front door since dawn.
"How long are you going to keep that nonsense up huh?" he shouted.
"Akane Tendo!" Kuno screamed ignoring him completely,"Pig tailed girl be brave! Let us in you fiend!" he banged on the door with his wooden sword.
"You tell him brother dear!" Kodachi replied cheering him on from the sidelines.
"Oh this is getting ridiculous" Ukyo said exasperated unplugging her ears and walking over to Ryoga who was standing next to Cologne, Shampoo and Mousse, "That racket is never going to be answered."
"Perhaps not" Cologne nodded, "But it will keep those two out of the way while we think of a more constructive way to get in."
"What you mean great grandmother?" Shampoo asked curiously.
"You mean you have a plan?" Ryoga said equally surprised.
"Not so much a plan as an idea" Cologne replied, "I have a feeling that the host of this tower won't keep the doors closed for too long."
"What makes you think that?" Mousse asked raising an eyebrow.
"He will get tired after awhile from that banging. Plus I expect he has no idea that there are so many of us out here. He might think of it as a challenge."
"If he is that type of person" Ryoga shrugged, "Which we're not even sure of."
"We are certain of one thing though" Cologne continued, "He is a strong adversary and he has bested Ranma's father, Akane's father, and Happy. Therefore he might consider it a challenge for all of us to insist he opens the door."
"But how do we get his attention?" Ukyo asked.
"Yes" Shampoo replied, "So far he no answer the door from the banging. How do we get his attention?"
"Hmm" Happosai said coming over in deep thought.
"Happy do you have an idea?" Cologne asked turning to him.
"I might" Happosai nodded as Genma and Soun shook their heads fervently in the back of everyone, "I was able to penetrate the fortress and he didn't like it very much. If I were to get up to that window again and find someway to convince that we are challenging him to a duel and I mean all of us, he might just open the door."
"That is if he likes challenges" Ukyo said, "Which Ryoga makes a valid point about that."
"I do?" Ryoga replied a bit surprised at her support.
"Yea. I mean we don't know what kind of person he is," she continued as they heard Kuno and even now Kodachi demanding to be let in the tower.
"No we don't" Happosai agreed, "But I bet I know who does" he eyed his two disciples who immediately fell to their knees.
"Oh please master" Soun begged holding up his hands together, "Have mercy."
"We won't do it ever again!" Genma the panda held up a sign.
"Oh stop whining you two!" Happosai said angrily, "All I want to know is does this master of the tower like challenges?"
"Uh how would we know that?" Soun gulped sweat dripping from his brow.
"You've been in there" Happosai replied, "Did he enjoy fighting you two?"
"Well now that you mention it" Soun thought out loud, "He did have a good time fighting us and if I recall correctly he used a lot of martial arts movements that I have never seen before. Oh yes" Soun slapped his knee as he remembered, "I recall when we were fighting that the room we were in had a number of fighting awards and prizes that he had probably won over the years."
"So then maybe he would like a challenge?" Ryoga said.
"From all of us?" Ukyo replied looking at him.
"What could it hurt?" he shrugged his shoulders again, "I mean all of us here knowsone type of martial arts or the other. Maybe we will stand a chance against him if we work together."
"Maybe" Cologne nodded, "But first we need to figure out how to get into the tower" she looked up.
"You leave that to me" Happosai said jumping up and immediately walking over to the tower where his rope lay, "You two morons" he called to Soun and Genma, "Get over here and hold this!" he demanded.
"You mean you are going to climb the tower again?" Mousse asked.
"Mhm. With any luck I'll make the man so angry and then he'll open the door" he tied the rope around his waist.
Genma and Soun once more held onto the rope and he began to climb. But as he took his third step up the tower down below he heard Shampoo calling loudly.
"Look it opening!" she shouted as Kuno and Kodachi took two steps back.
Ryoga, Ukyo, Cologne, Shampoo, and Mousse moved forward slightly as the doors opened in front of them. Happosai shimmied down the tower once more and hopped over to join them. Genma and Soun shied away as the doors opened completely and made a loud creak on the end. Ukyo and Ryoga looked at each other quizzically as Kuno and Kodachi prepared themselves to dash forward.
"Wait a minute!" Ryoga called out to them stopping them in their tracks as he stood in front of them, "You don't know if this is a trap or not."
"Out of the way you" Kuno said pointing his sword directly in Ryoga's face, "I shall make my way into the tower and save Akane Tendo and the pigtailed girl."
"But Ryoga is right" Ukyo shook her head and stood next to him, "This could just be what that jerk wants. If you walk in there you might be sealing your doom."
"Get out of the way you hussy" Kodachi spat, "I'm going with my brother to save my Ranma darling."
"But" Ukyo protested but Ryoga grabbed her arm gently as they pushed past and ran inside.
"Let them go" he suggested, "They'll have to learn the hard way."
"But in the meantime what do we do?" Ukyo asked everyone who were still remaining.
"It seems to me that maybe we should just go in" Mousse replied.
"And then again" Soun spoke up from the back, "Ryoga and Ukyo could very well be right and this all a big trap."
"What he said."
"No one asked for either of your opinions" Happosai said to them both angrily and they became silent once more.
"So what we do?" Shampoo replied, "Great grandmother?"
"Well we have been trying to get in there since dawn" Cologne said, "And this may be the only opportunity we might get to find Ranma and Akane."
"Right" Ryoga nodded somberly.
"So we go in?" Ukyo replied.
"I guess so. Even if it is a trap the old woman's right" Ryoga said, "This may be the only chance we have of getting Akane and Ranma back."
"Okay then" Ukyo nodded, "Then let's go."
With that said Ukyo, Cologne, and Shampoo walked into the tower while Ryoga, Mousse, and Happosai pushed Genma and Soun in after following at the rear. Once they were inside the large doors closed with a bang that shook the room. Ryoga glanced behind them his eyes becoming wide.
"I think this is an obvious trap for sure" he replied.
Ukyo nodded and then they continued to walk down the hall that seemed to go on forever.
(Next Scene)
By the time they caught up with Kuno and Kodachi they found that they were standing in a large arena like area. Ryoga gasped at the size of the ceiling.
"What a strange place?" he commented as Kuno held up his sword preparing himself for an attack.
"I'll say" Mousse nodded adjusting his glasses a little.
"It so big" Shampoo replied.
"How are we ever going to find Ranma and Akane in a place like this?" Ukyo asked.
"Welcome!" a loud booming voice announced and then a rush of wind surrounded the group and moved towards the front of them as they shielded their faces.
When the wind disappeared they could see quite clearly a man who un-doubtly had been expecting them. Happosai leapt forward as Genma and Soun cringed in the back at the sight of the familiar man.
"We've come for Ranma and Akane" Happosai demanded.
"You again old man?" he frowned and crossed his arms, "I thought you learned your lesson last time."
"Hmm. Think again. We are all here to get them back."
"Are you?" he grinned, "Then you're offering me a challenge I take it."
"You got it pal" Ryoga nodded holding up his fists.
"We fight you" Shampoo agreed getting into her stance.
"Oh" he smiled even more, "Even the young ladies are challenging me? How interesting" he uncrossed his arms.
"We can fight just as well as anyone here" Ukyo replied angrily.
"And I take it that your other companions" he looked at Kodachi, Kuno, Genma, and Soun, "Are prepared to take me on as well? Oh wait a minute" he chuckled lightly as he saw Genma and Soun clearly, "You two have returned. You have a lot of nerve coming back to my tower."
"We're here to sav..ve Akane and Ra..Ra Ranma" Soun stammered, "So give them back Kinnosuke."
"I think not" he frowned, "You signed them over to me fair and square. But apparently you two didn't receive enough punishment the last time you were here. Something I mean to rectify right now" he held out his hands.
"Let's go get him!" Ryoga shouted dashing forward with the others behind him.
"You fools!" Kinnosuke yelled pushing his hands out even more.
His power hit them with such force that they barely felt anything as they were lifted from the ground except for the pounding in their heads. They were pushed in all directions. When he was finished the only two remaining figures that were left in the room were the unconscious forms of Genma and Soun. Kinnosuke smiled softly to himself and then the room became dark.
(Next Scene)
"Ryoga! Ryoga!" someone called the boy out of his consciousness.
"Huh?" he blinked his eyes as he saw her figure appear before him, "Akane?"
"No silly. It's me" Ukyo shook her head with a smile.
"Ukyo?"
"Mhm. You okay sugar?"
"Uh" he grimaced a little as he sat up, "I feel like my body is on fire" he felt the pain in his sides.
"Yea. I felt that way too at first" she nodded, "Can you stand?"
"I think so" he nodded back as she helped him up gently, "What happened to everyone else?"
"I don't know" she shook her head, "When I woke up I found that we werein this strange cavern" she indicated all the rocks surrounding them.
"Oh. Well I guess we'd better go find them."
"Together right?" she teased, "Because otherwise you'll never find them."
"Okay. Okay" he said a bit irritated as they began to walk, "I get the point. I have a bad sense of direction."
"You make up for it in other ways though" she replied as she walked next to him.
"Huh?"
"You were right you know?"
"About what?"
"It was an obvious trap" she replied and he nodded as they continued through the dark caverns unaware of what could happen next in the strange tower.
(Till Next Time)
Authors Note: Hey guys! Sorry this took so long but I have writers block and I decided to make this story into a two parter. So I have nine more chapters to go for part one and then I will begin part two as another story. Hope you enjoyed it. See you later. I'm gonna try to get some more chapters done of this throughout the course of the weekend!
Next Chapter:
Chapter Fourteen: Reunited for a Brief Moment
Akane and Ranma back in his sweet girl form meet up back with the others but then are separated again just as fast. Find out all that occurs next time!
And
Chapter Fifteen: Ryoga's Decision
Not telling!
