Akane lost count of time while she was running through the forest, never stopping once, even bowling over a few woodland creatures whose intention had been to go hunting for some tasty human meat... now they wondered if they should become vegetarians instead.
When Akane came to a stop, she found herself at the edge of the woods. She panted hardly and leaned against a tree to catch her breath. She looked behind her and noticed that Ryoga didn't manage to follow her. Maybe he got lost as usual...
She didn't care. She didn't care about anything... not if Ranma turned into a person she couldn't love. She might have accepted his permanent sex change, and maybe even his transformation into a striped cat-girl... but when she witnessed the embrace between Katt and Bow, she knew that her chance of ever winning his... her heart were over.
Ranma was gone, and only Katt remained.
She looked around and saw that she was standing in front of another cave, this one didn't look as threatening as the entrance to the thieves' hideout though. Shining candelabras were illuminating the entrance area, and a big sign above her informed her that this was the 'Wild Cat Restaurant and Bar, Windia Branch'.
A bar was just what she needed right now. Akane normally wasn't a big drinker, but perhaps after a few glasses of sake - or whatever alcoholic beverages they were offering here - would help her to forget her sorrow.
She was just going to enter when she heard some rustling next to her. She turned around and saw a curvaceous girl stepping out of the thicket. She was dressed in some skimpy clothes and wore some sort of pointed hat. She also had long, pink hair.
The strange girl stopped when she saw Akane. "Ah, you're here for a drink as well?"
Akane nodded. She didn't feel able to say anything.
"Me too," the girl sighed. "I was hoping to find some comfort in the bar that was near my tower, but as it turned out, they closed their branch over there and moved here... stupid cats, taking away my only joy..." She sniffled. She then looked at Akane. "But, regarding the way you look, you seem to be in a pretty bad situation yourself, girl. You wanna talk about it?"
Akane wanted to tell the girl to piss off, but then she recalled the image of her female, feline fiancee, as she hugged that dog-man.
"R-ranma..." she stuttered. "N-never be able... to see him again..." She leaned against the comforting shoulders of the pink-haired girl and sobbed heavily.
"Ssshhh, shhh..." the girl whispered in a reassuring voice. "Now, now, everything will be much better after a few drinks... Come on in, it's on me! And maybe we'll feel better if we tell each other our problems. My name's Nimufu, by the way... Nimufu Mania, the witch. And what's your name, darling?"
Akane sniffed. "Akane... Akane Tendo..."
"Nice to meet you, Akane! Now let's get in and find a table, shall we?"
The main entrance was guarded by a big, muscular man that was wearing nothing but a pair of spandex briefs and a bow tie.
"Welcome to the Wild Cat Restaurant!" he said with a wide grin. "Oh, Miss Nimufu, how nice to see you again. Who is your friend?"
"Hello, Charles!" Nimufu replied. "She is with me, so could you please spare her the 'entree ritual'?"
"But of course!" the bouncer said with a short bow. "Every friend of Miss Nimufu is welcome here. Please, choose a table, we don't have many guests this evening..."
"Thank you!" Nimufu nodded and pulled Akane inside.
Akane looked around. The interior looked relaxing enough, with only a few patrons sitting around. Behind the counter, a big, cat-like man was standing and cleaning some glasses.
"So, you wanna sit at a table or would you prefer the counter?"
Akane didn't really feel hungry, but she knew that she needed a big amount of drinks before she could feel better.
"The counter, I'd say..." she finally said.
Nimufu nodded. "Yeah, that's what I figured... Hey Wildcat, bring us a bottle of your best, okay?"
Not too long after that, the two women were hanging over the counter, their minds in a blur and their tongues heavy.
"...annnn' then that shtoopid frog relly ashked me ta marry him... Whaddya shay to that?"
"HIC! Shtoopid boysh... they're all the shame..." Akane muttered while taking another swig of her bottle. "When they don't get themshelvesh curshed or getting all snuggly with the bimbo Ama... Amazzz... Amazzonns... they alwaysh inshult you, that'sh what they do, I tell ya!"
She looked into the bottle. "Damn, empty again? Hey, barkeep... another round!"
"Nobody loves us!" Nimufu was crying all over the counter. "The only guys that might love girls like us are slimy, disgusting frogs..."
"And dirty pigs," Akane nodded. "I tell ya, if I ever see one of 'em again, I'll... I'llllll... well, they're gonna see what I'll do with 'em... HIC!"
"Ummm... shweetie, you don't look too good..." Nimufu muttered. "Yer turnin' kinda green..."
"Urp... I think so too... where... where is the bathroom?"
"Um... that door, miss!" the bartender said with a sweatdrop.
"Thanksh..." Akane muttered and staggered around the counter and through the door Wildcat had pointed out.
Shortly after, loud barfing and splashing noises could be heard.
"Shtoopid gal..." Nimufu babbled. "If ya can't hold your liquor, you shouldn't have drunk that much..." And she took another swig of her own bottle.
Wildcat sighed. He only allowed Miss Nimufu to drink that much because she was his best customer... but if she continued to bilk every evening, he would have to make her take the 'entree ritual' again, the ritual that every new customer had to take...
"It's the rule of my restaurant..." Wildcat muttered to himself. "Only the strong survive. We serve the strong ones... but we cook the weak ones!"
And he continued to polish his glasses.
"So, what d'you say, Katt?" Ukyo smiled and patted her friend's furry backside. "You ready to come back to Nerima once more?"
"Yeah, I can't wait to see Mom and Pops again, and Kasumi... and I never knew I would say this, but I'd even be overjoyed to see Nabiki again."
"Well, to go back, we have to use that mirror Great-Grandmother was talking about," Shampoo said. Her voice was still shaky, but everyone could feel how happy she was to be able to talk to Ranma once again... even if she was Katt now.
"That means we have to pay Bleu a visit..." Katt grumbled.
"Yeah, I'd want to have a few words with our lil' snake lady as well," Patty nodded. "She has quite a few things to explain to us."
"Just be careful not to say the wrong stuff," Nina pleaded while turning to face the visitors from Nerima. "She is the most skilled sorceress I have ever seen in my life, and you don't want to anger her."
"I'd say it will take quite some time until Bleu is angered," Spar pointed out. "I think we'll be able to survive. She always has been on our side, right?"
"All right then..." Bow muttered. He was putting his arm protectively around Katt. "But she better give me a good reason why she did this to Katt, or else..."
"I believe I can talk for myself, Bow!" his girlfriend replied with a frown. "Now sit down boy, and relax!"
The dog-man chuckled. "Yes, ma'am..."
"Where does that sorceress live?" Ukyo asked. "Is it a long way from here?"
"A very long way!" Nina nodded. "She's living on the Eastern Continent, in the desert."
"Strange," Patty spoke up. "I've been visiting Thieves Tomb all those times, and I never saw any sort of domicile in which Bleu might have been living."
"Bleu is very secretive about her private life," Spar chuckled. "She lives underneath the sands, in a cave that is hidden among the dunes of the desert. But still, I believe we can find the way. And if we get lost, I can still ask the desert cacti for assistance."
"Take a member of the grass tribe on your journeys, and you'll never get lost," Katt chuckled. "Okay, how should we go there? By air or by sea?"
"We could ask Mina for help, but I think she's still pretty exhausted from the last flight she gave us last weekend..." Nina pointed out.
"Who is Mina?" Shampoo asked curiously.
Katt grinned. "She is Nina's little sister... and also the biggest bird I've ever seen."
"I say we take the Whale Bell and go by sea," Nina suggested. "We will need a bit more time to reach the Eastern Continent that way, but at least we'll be able to sleep on Grandpa's back at nightfall.
Ukyo shook her head. "I won't even bother to ask..."
"Grandpa is the name of the biggest and wisest whale in the world," Bow explained. "He is big enough to carry us across the ocean. He once gave the Whale Bell as a present to Ryu. Whenever we needed to cross the sea, we went at a beach, Ryu rang the bell, and after several minutes, Grandpa would arrive."
"After our adventure was over, I took the bell along with me and put it into the treasure chamber of Windia, one of the safest places in our kingdom," Nina said. "I will go get it right away, wait for me here, please..." And she left the room.
"Wait a minute, what about Akane?" Katt suddenly said. "We can't leave her behind, can we?"
"Well, it would take months to search the entire woods surrounding Windia," Bow pointed out. "Even for a skilled ranger like me."
"Don't worry, I think she'll be fine," Ukyo said. "Ryoga was going after her, remember?"
"Oh, that's supposed to make me feel better?" Katt asked. "You know Ryoga will be lost within a matter of seconds. I'd not be surprised if he has reached Capitan by now..."
Spar stood up. "I shall stay here and search for her, then," he promised. "By that time, I believe Mina will be ready to bring us after you."
"Are you sure you can find her quicker than those hunters?" Ukyo asked sceptically.
"Don't worry, I'll find her," Spar said. "The forest itself will help me find her. I will spread the word for all plants that they shall aid her when she's in trouble, even if I wouldn't have reached her by then. I shall lead her back to her own world, trust me!"
Just then, the door to the room opened and Nina came back in, holding a shiny item in her hands.
"Here it is! We're ready to go!"
Bow decided to help Spar with his search, as he knew how to handle the animals of the wild, even better than the grass man himself.
On the shore that was closest to Windia, Katt said goodbye to her friends and her fiance.
"I'll see you again soon," Katt promised as she gave her boyfriend a hug. "And please... make sure to bring Akane back safely."
"Don't worry, you can count on me," he promised and gave her a quick kiss.
Meanwhile, Nina had approached the edge of the water and held the bell high above her head. As she rang it, it's clear tone echoed across the waves.
Suddenly, two swift forms were leaping out of the water. A blue and a pink shape were approaching them quickly.
"Squeak! It's them again!" a high voice coming from the pink dolphin spoke up.
"Squeak! Maybe they want to talk to Grandpa!" the blue dolphin spoke back.
Nina giggled. "Hello, Tree and Ton! Good to see you again!"
Excitedly, the dolphins jumped up high.
"Eeek! They're saying something! They're saying something!"
"They act like this every time we see them," Patty frowned. "Don't they ever grow up?"
And then, it seemed as if the ocean itself was rising up into the air. But when the sea water came seeping down the colossus' thick, leathery hide, they could see that it was the head of an enormous whale that was coming out of the ocean.
"Hello again, my friends!" the gentle voice of Grandpa the Whale greeted them. "Is there a special occasion or did you just want to see me again?"
"Well, of course we're always glad to see you, but you are right, we called you for a reason. See, Katt and her two friends..." Nina gestured at Ukyo and Shampoo. "...need to get to the Eastern Continent as fast as possible."
"Oh! Do you have business to attend to in the desert?" the whale asked.
"We have to talk to Bleu," the princess of Windia explained. "And it is not just a formal call, it is quite urgent."
"Well, I won't ask for any more background, I was just concerned for your well-being... the desert can be a treacherous territory. But sure, I'll take you there. I have nothing better to do on this beautiful day... so please, get on board!"
And he came as close to the shore as he could, lowering his massive head into the shallow waters.
"Squeek squeek!" Tree chirped as he swam around in agitation.
"It's a whale cruise, it's a whale cruise!" Ton shouted while Katt, Shampoo, Ukyo, Nina and Patty were climbing on Grandpa's broad back. Up there, they looked back at the shore and waved to Bow and Spar, who stayed behind.
With a firm movement, the colossal behemoth pushed himself away from the mainland and then slowly turned around, to begin the long journey, while a pair of excited dolphins was circling him on his way to the Eastern Continent.
Bleu was sitting at her desk, writing a few scrolls, when one of her ghost servants came floating through the sand wall.
"Mistress, there are a few travellers approaching your domicile. From their looks I'd say a few of them are your allies from when you battled Deathevan."
"I see," Bleu sighed as she put away her quill. "And remember that I only helped defeating Deathevan. I wasn't smart enough to save myself from being imprisoned in a prison crystal... and being shattered! It was Ryu who saved the world... As there always has been a Ryu..."
"Very well, mistress... shall I let them pass?"
"Is Katt with them?"
"Mistress?"
"The female Woren who fights with a stick."
"Ah, yes, she is!"
Bleu sighed, yet again. "Seems like now is the time," she murmured to herself. "Okay, let them in! I doubt they will leave until they have been talked to me."
The ghost hesitated. "Mistress, if they don't show you the proper respect..."
"SHUT UP!" the Naga sorceress yelled. "Listen, no matter what they say to me, whatever they call me, I will have earned it! No matter what they'll say, it won't be as bad as what I did! Now go and let them in!"
The servant, shocked at Bleu's outburst, quickly left the room. Never once in his death has he seen his mistress this angry.
Shortly after, the traveling group of Katt, Patty, Nina, Ukyo and Shampoo entered her study. She welcomed them with a weak smile.
"Oh, hey there! I already figured it would be just a matter of time before you came..."
"Don't give me that!" Katt angrily said, her fur bristling. "Why did you tell me there was no way out of here? Why couldn't I go back to my friends and family?"
Bleu wanted to tell her that those so-called friends didn't deserve a friend like her. She wanted to tell her that her family's only interest was in engaging her against her will. She wanted to say that no one of her previous fiancees had really loved her.
But she knew that what she did was wrong. She had no right to change Ranma's life like that. It had taken an enormous amount of suffering until Ranma got used to be here, to being 'Katt'. True, she was happy with her new friends, but...
She only changed because she thought she had no other choice. After those two years, Bleu knew that what she did wasn't the right solution.
"It's amazing what a human's heart can do under certain unfortunate circumstances..." she said quietly.
"You are not human!" Katt said with a growl.
Bleu shrugged. "Different cover, same content. I might be more powerful than any sorceress that has ever been on this world, but I'm not without faults. And I'm the first to admit that what I did to you was wrong." She then hesitated. "Do you want to be called Katt or Ranma?"
"Call me Katt!" the Woren said. "I'm a new person now... thanks to you!" Her pose softened. "Don't get me wrong, Bleu... I've been glad for your help. You helped me to get used to this strange, new world, and you found me a job... and without your intervention, I would have never met my friends... or Bow. But still..." She glared at the Naga as fiercely as she could. "You robbed me of my manhood. Fine, I'm over it! I'm happy as a girl now. You also robbed me of my humanity. So what? A Woren is not that different from a human, and it helped me to get over my fear of cats. See, I can even say their name now."
She then took another step into Bleu's direction and made her hands into fists. "But what you can never make up for is that you stole me away from those I loved! My parents aren't exactly the best examples of how a parent is supposed to be, especially my old man, but... they still love me! And I love them! Do you... do you really have an idea how it is to be torn apart from a family member?"
'Oh yes, believe me, I know...' Bleu thought to herself. 'Myria...'
"And my friends... okay, they were all a bit crazy, but so was I. And while I don't really know if I actually loved any of my fiancees..." She gave Ukyo and Shampoo pained looks. "Every single one of them was my friend. Well, except maybe Kodachi," she added with a wince. "But you had no right, absolutely NO right to take all of this away from me!"
"You are right," Bleu replied. "You are right, and you have every right to be upset at me. But I want you to know that I did this because I felt that someone had to get you out of there... away from these problems! I just saw you completely by accident that day, when I was watching other worlds with my magical mirror... and I swear, I have never seen a sentient being before whose life was so much in shambles like yours. I overreacted... I should have talked to you and your parents first... I was wrong!"
"Damn right you were, sugar!" Ukyo grumbled. "While I was sad at having lost Ranchan, that was probably nothing against what he... or rather, she went through. You're lucky we found a way to travel between the worlds."
"Yes, the mirror!" Bleu nodded. "Of course you can use it anytime you want to visit your home world, Katt... Or do you want to stay there?"
"I... I want to visit, but... I couldn't stand staying away from my new friends forever. I want to keep living here, but I also wanna be able to visit my friends and family back in Nerima."
"Yes, and I would say for that reason, it would be more convenient if we take the mirror with us, and keep it safe in Windia Castle," Nina spoke up.
"What?" Bleu asked in surprise. "But you can't... My studies... I NEED that mirror. C-can't you just... come here if you need it?"
"Traveling over the ocean and through the desert every time she wants to see her parents?" Patty asked grimly. "I think not."
"Can't Bleu just live in Windia? Castle is big enough, no?" Shampoo wondered.
"I wondered that as well," Katt said. "And I think it's a pretty good solution. The mirror would be safe, I can use it regularly to visit Nerima, and you wouldn't be alone all the time."
"But... But I LIKE being by myself..." Bleu whined. "What about my PEACE AND QUIET?"
Nina groaned. "Listen, if you want to, I can get you a chambermaid who can tell you if you have visitors. And then you can decide if you want to meet them or not."
That wasn't too bad, Bleu thought. It wasn't that different from her current situation, only that in the castle, she would most likely get visitors much more often. Maybe she could make a schedule...
"Do I also get my own herald?" she asked hopefully.
"Bleu, you are a legendary warrior and the most powerful sorceress of our time, so you will be treated just as royalty. Of course you can have a herald."
"And what about a personal massager? And a private messenger? And maybe..."
"See what you've done?" Patty groaned. "Now she won't shut up until she has as much handmaidens as you have."
"You actually have MULTIPLE handmaidens?" the snake sorceress asked in awe. "Whoohoo, count me in! We're gonna have a party at the castle tonight! PAH-TAY! YEAH!"
"Um... if you're done, I would like to make use of your mirror right now," Katt said, slightly annoyed.
"Oh, sure! Silly me, teehee... All right, here it is!" And she gestured at the mirror hanging at the wall. "Hop right in and say hi to your parents from me!"
"Finally, we'll be able to get home," Ukyo sighed. "I can't wait for a nice, relaxing bath. I can't believe anyone would willingly live in the desert..."
Katt took a step to the mirror, then stopped and turned around. "Nina... Patty... I... I wanna tell you that... Whatever happens, I see you as my best friends from this world! And I also see Spar, Rand, Sten and Jean as my pals as well." She didn't even mention Bow.
Nina smiled. "Now why are you saying that, Katt? You know we'll still be there when you come back."
"Y-yeah," Katt muttered. "It's just that, well... I'm kinda afraid that the mirror might work only one way... and when I'm stuck back in Nerima, I will probably never see you again..."
"Well, we can't have that happening, can we?" Patty smirked. "We'll just have to come along with you, won't we?"
"I always wanted to see the town you came from," Nina giggled. "So why not pay Nerima a visit? I'm sure it will be a nice change..."
"Nice, if you like it chaotic and crazy," Ukyo muttered to herself.
Katt looked at her friends and gave them a hug. "You guys... you are the greatest!"
"Heh, you're pretty decent yourself," Patty grinned. "You know you'll have to buy me that deluxe armor I saw last weekend for my birthday, right?"
Nina turned to Bleu. "I know you have your ways of travelling. Please make sure the mirror safely reaches Windia Castle so we'll know we can get back there anytime. And tell my parents I sent you, and they will prepare a suite for you!"
"With nine chambermaids!" Bleu grinned. "And a giant balcony and a canopy bed! And how about a swimming pool on the roof...?"
"Ahem... what I wanted to say is, please make sure Bleu and Bow get to know that your mirror is being brought to Windia Castle. There are still two visitors from the other world around we have to bring back."
"No problem! I can use the mirror to track them down! I'll send them after you as soon as I found them! You can count on me!" Bleu was so happy that Katt didn't seem to be angry with her anymore that she was willing to do anything the winged princess asked of her.
"Well, I think we should be leaving, then," Katt said, looking at the mirror. Suddenly, she got a little nervous. This would be the first time after two years that she was able to return home.
"You think they're going to accept me?" she asked Shampoo, who had stepped next to her.
"Shampoo sure of it," the Amazon girl smiled. "Shampoo will help you. If stupid panda-man no can accept Katt, Shampoo will turn him into panda rug."
Katt giggled. "Thank you, Shampoo!"
"Felines have to stick together, right?" Shampoo winked.
Then it was time to go. Ukyo nervously stepped in front of the mirror, raised her hand and touched the smooth surface... and then, her body got sucked into the mirror.
Katt and the others stared. The Okonomiyaki chef was nowhere to be seen.
"Well, you wanna keep her waiting?" Bleu asked. "Just follow her!"
Patty nodded with a grin. "A step into a whole new world... now that's exciting!" And she followed Ukyo.
Next was Shampoo. "Please your great-grandmother my regards," Bleu said with a nervous smile.
Shampoo nodded and stepped through the mirror.
Nina comfortingly put her hands on her feline friend's shoulders. "Come on, you should go next! I'll be right behind you! Your parents have waited for two years, you shouldn't keep them waiting."
Katt nodded. "Y-yeah... I'm... I'm ready..." She gulped, approached the mirror... and then she touched it.
Everything around her seemed to turn into a chaotic swirl of bright lights and flashes while she had the feeling of being dragged through a tunnel. And then... she fell down on the floor.
"OW! Thanks, Katt, that was my wing!" a familiar, cranky voice moaned underneath her.
"Sorry, Patty," Katt said quickly and tried getting off the big pile of human bodies she had been landing on... but then, something heavy landed on top of her, and a pair of black-feathered wings were draped around her like a blanket.
"Oh, excuse me," said Nina's sweet voice. "I didn't mean to, Katt!"
She slid down and helped Katt get off as well. One after another, the others stood up as well.
"Well, that took you some time, youngsters," an elderly voice came from their left. "Now why don't you say something to your parents, Ranma?"
Katt gasped and turned around. She suddenly realized she was standing in the Tendo's living room... and everyone was there.
Cologne, sitting atop her gnarled pogo stick, looking extremely satisfied. Kasumi, sitting in an armchair, covered with blankets. Nabiki looking as shocked as she had never been before. Soun, looking as if he was ready to burst out in tears any minute.
And next to him...
"M-mom?" Katt whispered. "Pops?"
Nodoka and Genma stared in disbelief at the red-haired, furry girl their son had become, dressed in medieval-looking armor and carrying an oversized stick.
Which suddenly fell down to the floor with a loud clatter when Nodoka came running at her neo-daughter, embracing her so sudden, that Katt gasped in surprise.
"Ranma... it... it's really you..." Nodoka whispered into her ear. "Welcome back... welcome home!"
After a while, Katt hugged her mother back as tears appeared in her eyes. "Home..." she muttered to herself. "I'm home..."