Mamono Hunter Ukyou
Yokkyuu: Flame of Desire
Part 1
By Edward A. Simons
Based on characters and situations created by Takahashi Rumiko. Ranma 1/2 and characters copyright Shogakukan, Kitty Animation Circle, and Takahashi Rumiko. Devil Hunter Yohko and characters copyright NCS, Toho Company, LTD., and Mad House. This story revised 2005 by Edward Simons.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.
Edgar Allen Poe, "A Dream Within A Dream"
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
His hands were covered in blood, but it was his own. Ranma was getting paid for this, but he didn't care. Devastation surrounded him. One more punch, one more kick and the remains of the warehouse would collapse on his head, burying the boy in a mound of rubble.
That thought flashed through his mind, but he couldn't do it. He remembered all those endless weeks ago, remembered kneeling in the crater outside Furinkan High, certain he'd killed Ukyou, but somehow she'd survived and pulled him back from the edge of destruction.
But I can't do the same for her.
Ranma glanced again at the ruined warehouse, ignoring the beautiful weather outside that hinted at an early spring. They'd paid him to demolish the condemned building and they hadn't asked how. He'd spent most of the day battering away at the walls and supports, trying to batter away the pain in his soul. His fists and feet were torn and bloody from his efforts, but physical pain couldn't erase the ache inside.
I'm sorry, Ucchan. I promised...I promised I'd always take care of you. I guess I'm about as good at keeping promises as Pops is.
He took a final look around, instinctively verifying that no one was inside this blast radius, then smiled grimly. It was time to finish this, time for the release the Perfect Shishi Hokoudan would bring.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
It began months earlier in China, the Middle Kingdom, that land of mysteries and magic, in places the modern world forgot, where magic and curses and sorceries were still used and creatures that were not human still walked or flew or swam. But this was older than them all, and darker than the foulest human magic, yet blinding bright as the sun.
An old man lay at the bottom of a pit, still shackled to it, while snow drifted unseen in the winter skies above. Only the occasional twitch of his closed eyes showed that the emaciated wreck still lived and dreamed.
And something called to him in that dream, something that had freed him from the darkness before, when he was sealed in a cave for all those years. Supernatural power that had sustained him beyond hope and granted his desires while mocking them at the same time.
The old man's eyes opened and fire seemed to dance inside them. The sunken cheeks seemed full again; the emaciated frame radiated strength and power. The old man smiled and snapped the steel chain like loops of dry grass. He soared into the air, engulfing himself in the bag that hung above the mouth of the pit.
Happosai cackled as he fondled his silky darlings. Genma and Soun had claimed the old man was possessed by an evil spirit, for that was the only way he could have escaped the trap that should have been his tomb. The two fools were right for once, though that time their perverted master had the strength and the will to maintain control.
This time he was weaker, the Mamono stronger, and the old man might not be able to control the power he'd purchased with another piece of his soul.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Warm, so warm. I've never felt this warm.
It wasn't the water thundering from the showerhead, pounding like a storm against his body. It was another thundering in his blood, his heart hammering in his chest. He didn't remember how he'd gotten here, but he felt the soft arms wrapped around him, the warm body pressed close. Gentle gray eyes looked longingly into his and his brain became as clouded as the steam-filled shower stall.
"Ranchan?"
He gulped and wondered what to do next. This wasn't what he meant when he said they both needed to get out of their wet clothing and take a hot shower. Ukyou had dragged him away before he could say anything more.
At least we still got our clothes on.
He wondered why and how long that would last. He vaguely remembered her saying something about getting warmed up first and their clothing couldn't get any wetter.
We got to be somewhere in the hospital.
But it reminded him of the night in the love hotel. His fiancée had been semiconscious by the time they got to the room and her body had felt like ice. He'd dropped his damp coat, dragged her directly into the shower and set the water as hot he could stand it. He remembered sitting beneath the stream, holding the fiancée that was also his oldest friend, while trying to ignore the way the red silken dress clung to her figure.
We stayed there until she felt warm again, until we both felt warm again. It felt so good I almost fell asleep. And then...
He blushed, recalling how he'd peeled off Ukyou's sodden dress before tucking her into the bed and discovered both more and less than he expected.
How was I supposed to know she wasn't wearing nothing but panties under there?
The temperature in the shower seemed to soar as he recalled nervously wrapping her in his coat and most of the bedding and trying to forget the emphatic proof that Ukyou was a girl.
"Ranchan?"
"Um, ah, Ucchan, this, um, I mean, we shouldn't, it's not, um..." He took a deep breath and tried to assume the icy calmness he used in the Hiryu Shouten Ha. "It's like I said. I wanna do this right." He took another deep breath. "I wanna do what's best for you. That means not doing any of that stuff before marriage."
He wanted to say more, but she collapsed to her knees. Even he could see the tears masked by the falling water. He knelt and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Ucch..."
She twisted away and hunched over. Her shoulders shook as the girl continued sobbing and he reached out to touch her again. Her whisper nearly drowned in the pounding water.
"I'm...I'm a girl. Can't you see that? Can't anybody see that? I'm a girl."
"I know, Ucchan." The purple Chinese dress was molded to her form like a second skin. Her whole pose reminded him of when he first discovered Ukyou's true gender. Even the tears seemed the same.
"Then why...why don't you want me?"
"I do, Ucchan. I do."
She turned, a hunger in her tear-filled eyes and he winced seeing her pain.
"Then why? Why, Ranchan?"
He sighed. "You trust me." It wasn't a question, but she nodded anyway. "I don't wanna mess that up. I know the way you've been hurt before by people. I don't wanna give 'em reasons to say more stuff about you."
"Who cares about other people? I'm not like when I was six. I don't care what anyone thinks, anyone but you. Tell me...tell me, am I really cute?"
"No, Ucchan, you're beautiful."
"I don't need any promises, Ranchan. I know what'll happen after those questions your Mom asked. She's gonna pick someone else as your wife, I know she will. Maybe Kaori, since her family's so rich. Or maybe Shampoo because of all the martial arts her family can teach. Maybe it will be Akane, with her big fancy house and an actual dojo. I know my tiny little restaurant can't match up to that in your mother's mind. I know what she meant by the questions she asked. There's no way she'll ever support my engagement, no way she'll ever let me marry you, but at least I'll get you part of the time, even if I'm just your mistress."
"Ucchan, no," he whispered.
"Not even that," the girl wailed. "I don't need promises or rings or weddings or...or anything like that. I just need you. That's all I ever needed. That's all I want. Please. Please, Ranchan."
His curse was soft and barely audible as he stared at the floor. "I'm sorry, Ucchan, I never meant to hurt you." He took a breath and his voice was louder, firmer. "I never meant to hurt anybody, but that's all I seem to be good at." He looked into her eyes and felt something melt inside. "What I'm trying to say is I...I ain't gonna let anyone make you get stuck with being just anything. You remember what I said when I found out what me and Pops did to you."
"That wasn't your fault, Ranchan, even if I was still too angry to see it then, and yes I remember what you said. Something about you weren't gonna make excuses and I could do what I wanted with you."
"Well, do you wanna marry me, Ucchan?"
"Of course I do, you dummy!"
"Okay then, we can wait. It'll only be a few years till we're old enough that we can do it no matter what Pops or my Mom or anybody but us wants and once we do most of the others will give up." His voice dropped to a whisper again. "At least I hope they will."
Ukyou hugged him, holding him like she never wanted to let go.
"Ranchan?" He didn't see the fire in her eyes, but he heard it in her voice. "You said I could do whatever I wanted with you."
Uh-oh.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
"You awake, Airen."
It wasn't a question, so Konatsu opened his eyes. Shampoo sat in a wheelchair near his bed, still wearing the flimsy hospital gown, yet looking as proud, as confident as she normally did. There was something in her eyes, concern perhaps.
"Why did you faint, Airen? Or should I say pretend to faint?"
"It's what I was taught to do," the ninja replied. "The cute girlish thing is to faint when something very embarrassing happens. All those people thinking Akane was doing more than just sleeping when she was with Ryouga and then you kissing her definitely called for fainting. Besides, people are more likely to reveal secrets when they think you're unconscious."
"You Japanese have strange ideas about how a woman is supposed to act."
"As opposed to occasionally challenging people to battles to the death?"
Shampoo smiled wryly and shrugged.
"So why did you kiss Akane?" Konatsu asked.
"You know about the Kiss of Death and the Kiss of Marriage?"
"Ukyou and Ranma discussed it."
"This was the Kiss of Life. Akane saved my life, so she earned it." She saw the question in his expression. "It means the Kiss of Death against her is cancelled."
"You might have explained that to them, Shampoo."
"Is that why they fainted?"
Konatsu just sighed.
"Wait, I just remembered something, Airen."
"What is it?" the boy replied.
"You saved my life, too. After you defeated me in battle, you carried my cursed form away from the canal until you found Dr. Tofu."
"Umm, Shampoo, isn't the Kiss of Life only supposed to be given to someone you already gave the Kiss of Death to?"
"Silly Airen, sometimes an Amazon kisses a man because she wants to, not because of some stupid rule."
Uh-oh.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
"Do you truly believe they will release you from the hospital so soon?"
"Of course, Brother. There are some advantages to being rich."
Tatewaki Kuno wasn't pleased with the mocking tone of his sister's voice, but she seemed to have escaped from whatever darkness her soul had been trapped in.
Another reason for vengeance against that foul sorcerer Saotome for another heart he ensnared in his vile web of deceit. My sister is far from the most honorable of women, but even she deserves better than to be driven to the edge of despair by his cruel manipulations.
Kodachi ignored her brother; he and any words of his were irrelevant. She had a thief to find and punish. Sasuke had called, telling her of the damage to her plants and about following a trained duck back to the Neko Hanten. Someone there must have sent it.
She was long gone by the time her brother began ranting aloud about freeing his true loves Akane Tendo and Ukyou Kuonji.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Tofu put the phone down. "That's the last one." Ran-Ran had sounded relieved, excited, and eager to come see her sister as soon as the weather cleared.
"So what do we tell my father?" Kasumi asked.
Tofu considered. The elder Tendo had cycled from near hysterical with fear when he answered the phone to near hysterical from joy when he learned that Kasumi and Akane were safe. "It might be best to wait until he calms down. Your father seems a little high strung."
Kasumi laughed. "I suppose you're right. I think we can tell him about our plans, but we should wait until he calms down before mentioning what's happened between Ranma and Ukyou or between my sister and Ryouga."
"Are you sure something happened between Akane and Ryouga? Didn't you tell me that he was always the perfect gentleman with her?"
"I said that," Kasumi replied, "but hiding the fact that he's P-chan is not the act of a gentleman. And if he hid that, what else might he be hiding? And Akane knew and she didn't seem to mind." Kasumi thought a moment. "Ranma knew and I think he hated it. He and Ryouga fought so much and there was such anger between them, but whenever anyone asked why they both refused to answer. They...they both had to be doing it for her sake, to protect her reputation, her honor. That's why they couldn't tell anyone."
The doctor frowned. "It still doesn't feel right."
"When Ranma and Ryouga argued or fought, Akane always took Ryouga's side. Always. Why would she do that if there wasn't something more between her and Ryouga?"
"Perhaps." Tofu seemed to be weighing the idea.
"How could she not know? She gave P-chan hot water baths and she never let anyone else do it. It's one of the few things around the house she regularly took responsibility for, except for trying to cook."
"Even if Akane knew Ryouga was P-chan, that doesn't mean the two of them actually did anything," Tofu reassured.
"You know what my sister's like. Most people only see it in her anger, but when Akane does express her feelings she expresses them passionately, she holds nothing back, just like Father."
"Is that why Ranma moved into my place?"
"Would you still stay if your fiancée was sleeping with another man every night? How could my sister do that to Ranma! What else has she been hiding?"
Tofu shook his head. "It still feels wrong. Ranma wasn't angry when he came to my place, he was sad."
"Sad? Who wouldn't be in that situation? I know he cared about her, even if he never was good with words."
"No, Ranma was sad because Akane and your father were so angry at him, but he wasn't angry. And if he'd been betrayed, I'm sure he would have been furious. And he told me he thought Akane hated him, that's a lot of why he was so depressed."
"Was that his real reason, Tofu, or was he protecting her even though she betrayed him. After all, he always protected Akane no matter how she treated him."
"But Ranma never really grasped the concept of the polite lie to save someone's feelings. Nothing about what he told me seemed to be a lie. He was searching for something, too."
"Searching?" the Tendo girl asked.
"Searching for answers. He was trying to sort through all the duties, promises, and obligations. He was trying to figure out his feelings so he could decide what to do about his fiancées, and he wanted to make sure it was the right thing, not just what his parents or your father wanted. He didn't talk much, but I saw him trying to work it all out."
"So how long have he and Ukyou..." Kasumi blushed, unable to say it aloud.
"They didn't start dating until the night we lost..." he couldn't finish.
"My sister?"
Tofu nodded and she took his hand, waiting for him to continue.
"I think Ranma and Ukyou became lovers..." He paused for a moment. "That was only two nights ago. It seems a lot longer."
"Yes, so much has happened. But what happened two nights ago?"
"Well, when I came home they were wearing nothing but bathrobes and Ranma admitted they were sharing the bath. Though between attacks from Lin-Lin, Ran-Ran, and Akane, I don't know how far they got. They did spend the night together, though."
"And you let them? They're still too young."
"It was the first time in weeks Ranma seemed happy."
"I don't approve, but I suppose I understand," she replied. "Ranma, and Akane for that matter, felt trapped by the engagement they'd never asked for and certainly weren't ready for. They obviously resented it and most of that anger ended up directed at each other."
"I saw it, though I should have seen it better" Kasumi sighed. "I should have done something, but I didn't know what to do. Besides, I was afraid, afraid if I did say anything I'd be the one trapped instead of Akane. That was wrong. I saw all the times they brought out the worst in each other, all the ways they wounded each other with their words, but I didn't do anything to help."
"Don't blame yourself," Tofu assured. "It's inevitable they'd flee that trap and all the pain and anger by seeking someone else."
"I don't think anything's inevitable," Kasumi replied. "I don't believe in fate or destiny; we make our own choices. Still, I'm not surprised it ended up like this. It could have worked out between my sister and Ranma, but it would have been a long, hard road to get there. Almost everything my father or Mr. Saotome or Nabiki did made the road longer and harder and I don't think I really helped, either."
She fell silent and Tofu longed to wipe the pain from her eyes.
"I'm not surprised they got tired of trying," the girl continued. "Akane found a boy who was patient, who encouraged instead of criticized, who respected and supported her interests. Ranma found a girl who knew she loved him and was willing to admit it to herself and to him; someone who truly trusted him and didn't blame him for his curse or the other chaos that surrounded him."
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
She didn't expect to wake up on a bed.
Was it a dream? Was it all just a dream? I've dreamed this before, but when I woke up he wasn't there. He never was.
A glance showed that no one lay next to her and there was no sign anyone had. The room was dark. Dimly she saw the ceiling above her, but she didn't recognize it.
But it felt too intense to be a dream. Ukyou's cheeks colored at the memory. She raised her hand to her eyes, staring at the scarlet and emerald stones of the Yoma ring, trying to find the answer there. Maybe it was an illusion caused by this thing.
She tried to stifle the dark thought that had returned in her nightmares.
Maybe Ranchan didn't make it in time. Maybe Haradachi won and none of this happened, it's all some illusion of the ring to comfort me as I drown.
She imagined her body trapped beneath the surface of the frozen canal as the monster crushed the breath from her lungs. There was ice in her veins and she couldn't feel her body.
But she felt a fire burning in her heart.
No, I didn't fail. If I did, that thing could have hurt Ranchan. I wouldn't let that happen.
Ukyou flung herself into a sitting position, her arms clenched at her sides. She was breathing too hard, too fast, and she felt lightheaded. She barely noticed the covers fall away, barely realized that all she wore besides the ring was the Shimi-Seki pendant.
The door of the bathroom opened and he stood there wearing less than she was, silhouetted in the doorway, filling her vision. His face clouded as he saw her tears and trembling even though she didn't notice them, only him. He called her name. She knew that, even if she couldn't understand the words anymore.
And then his arms were around her, warm and strong, and she was safe again.
"You're real, Ranchan, you're real." Her voice was a hoarse whisper.
"Of course I'm real, Ucchan."
"Thank you."
She looked up, seeing his confusion and then she wiped it away with the same kiss that made her forget her tears.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
"Why did I not see it? Even the veriest fool could do so."
Few people in Nerima fit the description of fool better than Tatewaki Kuno.
"Yes, of a truth I see it now. With all the mystic powers that beset me, all the vile beasts summoned from the darkest pits of the netherworld by that accursed sorcerer, Ranma Saotome, 'tis no wonder that my mind was compassed with thoughts of martial glory and righteous vengeance and I thought not that the key which might unlock the answers I seek would lie so close at hand. Buried within the tales of the past, whether they be prose or poetry, lie deeper layers of meaning for those wise enough to search them out and now it is most certain that I have discovered one."
Tatewaki Kuno chuckled to himself, but no one paid attention to the would-be samurai.
"A riderless horse, a houseless street
A rudderless ship, a swordless sheath,
To make his nothingness complete."
He quoted the French poet Villon aloud, but that was also ignored.
"The swordless sheath is surely me, when I abandoned my bokken to face the mob unarmed in order to free my true loves, Akane Tendo and Ukyou Kuonji, from Saotome's brutish minions." Kuno did have a talent for selectively reinterpreting events. "The riderless horse clearly refers to that Saotome cur, for surely his name means wild horse and he has proven himself a mere beast with naught of civilization or respect for his betters in his manner."
Kuno frowned, attempting to decipher the remainder of the lines.
"Perhaps that lackwit Ryouga Hibiki is the rudderless ship, for his aimless wanderings have carried him across this world like a ship that has lost its rudder."
Kuno frowned again.
"This last phrase about making his nothingness complete clearly shows the sorcerer can be overthrown if I can but find the allies I need to aid me in my quest." Kuno's confidence was exceeded only by his talent for misinterpretation. "It will prove a simple task to find and enlist that oaf Ryouga Hibiki, the rudderless ship, as my ally against our common foe and truly his martial prowess is nearly as great as my own." Kuno was not the most humble of people, either.
He pondered the lines and silence reigned for quite some time before he sighed in frustration.
"Truly the full meaning is most cunningly concealed for I still cannot fathom who might be the houseless street, but no doubt it shall soon come to me and I shall enlist his aid as well in the final destruction of the villainous Ranma Saotome."
Kuno considered for a moment longer. "Or perhaps I have never met this houseless street. Of course, this must assuredly be so, else my mighty intellect would surely have discovered the full meaning behind this cunning riddle." Kuno laughed aloud. "Now I have but to find this mysterious stranger and ensure the liberation of the fair maidens and the vile sorcerer's destined destruction."
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Only in Nerima would you see a panda wearing an apron and cooking dinner on a stove. Hunger had triumphed over laziness. Genma was an odd man and his expressions were difficult to read even when he wasn't in his cursed form. He'd had plenty of time to think and he didn't like the answers.
The boy isn't coming back. In spite of all my matchmaking skills, he and Akane just seem to drift farther apart. Genma could be as selectively clueless as Kuno at times. Soun isn't going to be much help for a while. The man had collapsed from exhaustion shortly after discovering his daughters were safe.
Oh well, that means all this food is for me.
Genma pulled the pot off the stove and waited for the rice to cool. It wasn't fancy, but it was filling.
It was so much easier when Nabiki was around. I just borrowed money off of her father, gave it to her and she did all the work. After all, I've done my share, no, more than my share of the work about the promise to join the schools.
I've earned my retirement, earned the right to have Ranma take over the dojo and support me. And he's got to see this is the promise that matters. Tendo's the only one with a dojo. I'm sure the Amazons have the space for one, but no promises were ever made to them and Nodoka would never accept them as in-laws.
And the Kuonji girl is right out, she's only got a single restaurant, not a chain of them like the Daikoku family. It's a shame I messed up with them, if only I'd known how rich her family was.
There is Kodachi. She has a lot of money, too. Genma shuddered. No, that laugh is just too much. It would drive me insane, even if Ranma didn't kill me for it.
The panda grabbed a pair of chopsticks and began eating directly out of the pot. Natural laziness meant he always used the least number of dishes possible, even though he intended to leave this one for Kasumi to clean.
There's an idea. The boy gets along a lot better with Kasumi than Akane and she's certainly a much better cook. She's a dutiful daughter. She'll do whatever her father tells her.
Genma stopped for a moment, then discarded the idea. He couldn't do that to Kasumi, couldn't tie her to a boy she didn't want, especially when any fool could see she wanted someone else.
I have to get Ranma to marry Akane.
And he had a plan.
It's simpler if the boy is at Ukyou's. I can get good mileage out of the photos and school records Nabiki provided, once I talk to Nodoka. He wasn't eager to do that. If that doesn't work, I'll need to be careful talking to Ranma. I don't want Soun to overhear that conversation.
Genma smiled.
Soon this will be the Saotome dojo and I can relax and enjoy life.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
The sun returned and by noon the streets and sidewalks were cleared enough to travel. Konatsu left first, cradling a cat in his arms. He was taking no chances that Ran-Ran might arrive and see that Shampoo still lived. The cat purred in his arms and the ninja realized it was good to feel needed.
He'd forgotten a promise, but that wouldn't be important until later.
The streets were quiet and the boy enjoyed the stillness. Far too soon, they reached the restaurant. He halted abruptly. Mounds of flowers were stacked outside the entrance, unwanted presents from Ukyou's unwanted admirer Kuno.
That wasn't why he stopped. Most people wouldn't have noticed the faint scratches, near invisible in the feeble light of the rising sun, showed that the lock had been tampered with. Most people weren't ninjas. Konatsu motioned Shampoo to silence and tucked the cat into the front of his clothing. Her expression proved she didn't like the idea.
Konatsu's weapons had all been left behind or used against the Mamonos.
I'll have to improvise.
The ninja was skilled at concealing more than just himself. He carried Shampoo's disassembled wheelchair under his clothing and several pieces would work as improvised clubs.
Maybe I can start a new branch of Anything Goes Martial Arts. Martial Arts Nursing?
The boy smiled. Whoever had tampered with the lock was merely human, which was a pleasant change. He became a shadow, gliding closer, examining first the flowers and then the door closely.
Odd, there aren't any traps and I don't sense anyone inside.
He was even more surprised when nothing was missing. He didn't know Ran-Ran had forced the door the day before in her fruitless search for Ukyou.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Kasumi and her sister left next. The small black pig Akane carried was a source of tension between them, but Akane refused to leave Ryouga behind. The silence wore between them and neither spoke until they stood outside the front gates of their home.
"Akane, I don't approve of you sleeping with Ryouga. You're too young for that and you certainly shouldn't have done anything before marriage."
"It's not my fault, besides Ranma was sleeping with Ukyou."
"What Ranma is doing has nothing to do with it. You lied to me and Father."
"Bwee," the little pig emphatically disagreed.
"What Ryouga's trying to say is I just found out a few weeks ago. All we were doing during that time was sleeping." That much was true and Akane hoped her sister wouldn't probe about more recent events.
"Bwee," P-chan nodded in frantic agreement.
Kasumi looked into their eyes, searching for the truth. "All right, I believe you, but you have known for the past several weeks and you haven't told anyone."
"How...how could I," Akane quavered. "How could I, anymore than Ryouga could tell anyone before?"
"But you kept him in your room."
"Why shouldn't I? Why shouldn't I keep the only boy that listens to me close? It's not like he could do anything as P-chan anyway and besides that jerk Ranma knew and he sure didn't tell anyone."
Kasumi sighed. This was going nowhere.
"You should tell Father."
The distressed pig shook his head frantically as Akane clutched him tighter. "I...I will, Kasumi, I promise, I just can't do it yet."
Kasumi accepted her sister's word and they entered the house in silence. Of course, Akane had once promised Kasumi that she wouldn't strike Ranma in anger, shortly after the boy first arrived at their house. That promise didn't last long before it shattered.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
"I'm sorry."
Dr. Tofu knew the words weren't enough, even though he meant them. Ran-Ran's face remained expressionless, but he sensed her turmoil. He couldn't sense anything from her sister. Lin-Lin lay on the bed, eyes open and staring. Her chest rose and fell in a mechanical rhythm that was her only movement.
There were no signs of physical damage, but her mind, her soul seemed to have fled. Either the essence of all that was Lin-Lin was hiding, still traumatized from her possession, or it had been snuffed out like a flickering candle. The first might heal with time; the second was beyond any help he could provide.
Tofu turned back to the other Amazon. Ran-Ran's eyes pleaded for the aid she was too proud to request. He wanted to help her, to help both of them, but he didn't know how. He'd let the others go without telling them of Lin-Lin's condition.
They need the rest. They need it badly. I doubt if they can even help.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Mousse stepped out the front door, squinting in the afternoon light. He didn't feel the silken noose until it tightened around his neck, yanking him into the air. He thrashed wildly, but he couldn't break free. He tried to howl in frustration, but he didn't have the breath to do it. Spikes and hooks and spears and bladed chains were flung from his sleeves. The frantic actions caused quite a bit of damage to the front of the Neko Hanten and the street outside, but nothing struck his dark-clad attacker.
I can't die this way. I have to save Shampoo. It has to mean something.
He felt a rushing in his ears, the world faded to grayness, and panic faded to calm as he realized the way to free himself. Another blade materialized in his hand, which rose trembling to sever the noose.
Am I seeing things?
Rose petals, red as blood, drifted around him like gentle rain. They were his last sight and their fragrance his last sensation before the darkness claimed him.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Genma was not a happy panda. Phoning one of Nabiki's minions had told him things he didn't want to hear. The Neko Hanten restaurant had been closed for a while now. Mousse had been seen there, but both Shampoo and Cologne were gone. And, of course, so was Ranma. The informant also mentioned several incidents of the boy being seen with a girl who wore a crimson Chinese style dress.
This is bad, very, very bad. I may be too late. He imagined his idyllic future of leisure evaporating. They probably tricked the boy with another fake cure or maybe they drugged him. Genma envisioned his son lying bound and unconscious in the cargo hold of a ship headed for China. Stupid boy, to fall for such an obvious lie.
I really need some help.
He cocked his head, listening to the tear-filled reunion of the Tendo family going on downstairs. Unsurprisingly, most of the tears were Soun's.
Genma sighed in frustration. I don't think Tendo will be ready to travel for a while. For that matter I'm not sure how much help he'd be anyway. He's really lost his edge over the years.
I'm sure I can defeat most of the Amazons one-on-one. Unfortunately, that would bring marriage complications and I'm not going to make the same mistake Ranma did. Besides, Cologne and the other elders are tough enough even the Master would have problems.
Yes, I really could use some help. Akane won't do it, not in the mood she's in. Maybe Ukyou. No, she's sharp enough she might insist on a written promise this time.
So my work isn't done. I'm going to have to do this by myself. And it's going to take more than just martial arts skills. Fortunately, I've got my well-known Saotome cleverness and charm, so I'm sure I won't have to unseal the Forbidden Techniques. They're just too dangerous to trust in most people's hands.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
She stopped in the doorway and turned back.
"Ucchan?"
She smiled sadly, then turned to him. "I'm trying to remember this place, trying to memorize every detail, but this room is just like all the other rooms. When we leave, they'll never be able to tell we were here. There's nothing that makes it ours."
She sighed. "I wanted it to be special, Ranchan."
Then she smiled, truly smiled. "And it was. Because it's not about romantic music or satin sheets or roses or poetry." She took his arm and leaned her head against his shoulder. Ranma looked puzzled, his typical expression when dealing with girls, but he put his arm around her.
"It's about time, Ranchan. It's about being together, spending time together, doing things we both want to do."
He nodded, not fully understanding. "So where do you wanna go now, Ucchan?" But he knew the answer - anywhere he wanted to go - her restaurant, Dr. Tofu's, his mother's, off on a training trip - anywhere.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
He woke with the tables towering over him, face pressed against the floor. Dust motes danced in the light of the afternoon sun that peered through the windows, but he didn't feel warm. A faint draft reminded the boy that they needed more than a tarp to cover the extra entrance Ryouga had provided for the restaurant.
At least I'm still alive.
Mousse was mildly surprised at that. He groaned and climbed to his feet. His mind still felt fuzzy and he knew that was more than just being strangled, but his thoughts were clear enough. He stumbled to the stairs and up to his room.
They were gone, everything he'd stolen from Kodachi had disappeared. He'd expected that, though two things surprised him. The mild surprise was everything else for the ritual to save Shampoo was there and untouched.
The major surprise was the letter written in Chinese in a neat, precise hand.
"Thief who is known by the name of Mousse, I have reclaimed what is rightfully mine. You will see I have treated your property with more respect than you have mine. If you are wise, you and your trained duck will never bother me again. If you are foolish, you will attempt to steal from me again and pay the price for your ignorance."
Anger flared in Mousse's eyes. He intended to prove that this mere male would face any challenge, even death, for the sake of his love.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
You've been avoiding that place, but you have to do this.
She hadn't been in Nabiki's room since that day, but Kasumi knew she needed to go there before it became a shrine. Besides, sorting things out there would give her time to sort things out in her mind.
I need to tell Father about my engagement and Akane needs to tell him about Ryouga.
She sensed that her sister had told the truth, but not the whole truth about that. She shrugged and continued sorting through the clothing in the closet, folding it and packing it into boxes. Kasumi was too tall to wear most of the clothing and much of it was a bit daring for her tastes. She knew Akane wouldn't wear any of it, not even the garments Nabiki had borrowed from her younger sister.
I guess we'll give these to charity. Nabiki would have wanted us to sell them or use them, but Father and Akane won't accept that.
The dresser came next, as the garments were swiftly folded and packed. The bottom drawer held several notebooks and a few photo albums. The albums featured Akane and both forms of Ranma. Some pictures were decent, but most were revealing and some were scandalous. Kasumi blushed and closed the album, uncertain of what to do.
She picked up a notebook with Ranma's name printed on it. A quick glance showed it contained a series of schemes for making money off the boy, either directly or indirectly. There were other books with the names of both Kunos, Shampoo, Mousse, Ukyou, Akane, and several others. At the bottom of the drawer were two, titled 'The Marriage - Ranma' and The 'Marriage - Akane'.
Ranma's book was divided into sections titled Akane, Ami, Atsuko, Ayako, Kaori, Kasumi, Kodachi, Kurumi, a second Kurumi, Lin-Lin, Manami, Makoto, Nabiki, Natsume, Ran-Ran, Shampoo, and Ukyou. At the end there was a summary of odds of the marriage occurring, separate chances for the bride and groom surviving the ceremony and odds of divorce within one, three, five, and ten years.
Akane's book was similar, including the summary at the end, but the sections were labeled Hikaru, Kazuma, Picolette, Ranma, Ryouga, Ryuunosuke, Shinnosuke, and Tatewaki.
Kasumi hesitated before looking though the books, but curiosity won. She already knew who most of the names were, so she turned to the others.
Hikaru appeared to be the Gosunkugi boy that Tofu had mentioned, the one who was in Akane's class at school, though she couldn't recall her sister or Ranma ever mentioning the boy. He seemed to have nothing in common with Akane. At least he was just a suitor, not a fiancé.
Kazuma Kuwabara was a juvenile delinquent whose weak spot was the opposite of Ranma's. Kazuma liked cats. He couldn't bear to see them mistreated. The notebook didn't explain how he was a potential fiancé, though it mentioned his martial arts skills.
Ryuunosuke Fujinami was the son of the owner of a teahouse. Soun had promised a daughter in marriage to get out of paying a large bill, just like he'd done to the family of Picolette Chardin.
Oh father, how could you be so stupid?
Shinnosuke was another name she hadn't heard of.
So that's why Akane went back to the Forest of Ryugenzawa. Was she trying to elope? Maybe we'd all have been a bit better off if Father hadn't sent Ranma to drag her back.
At least it looks like he made less mistakes than Mr. Saotome.
Genma appeared to have compiled a much larger list. Ami Kurimoto's family owned a restaurant. Ayako Nakamura's family also owned a restaurant, and there were notes about her martial arts skills. It seemed any promise was better than actually paying bills.
Atsuko was the daughter of a former scientist from Mishima Heavy Industries. The man's estranged wife was the granddaughter of the company president and she had arranged the marriage.
My, what an odd nickname the girl has. Nuku-Nuku?
Not all of the engagements were Genma's fault. The first Kurumi's family name was Kasuga, her sister was the Manami listed. Their grandfather had cut some sort of deal with Happosai. The man had been promised that the son of one of Happosai's students would marry one of his granddaughters, if he could acquire an incredible number of bikini tops for Happosai. Nabiki's notes indicated some sort of magic might have been involved.
The other Kurumi and her sister Natsume were the other Tendos, supposed daughters of Soun and an unknown woman. Brief notes explained why they were not included on the final listed summaries of marriage prospects.
Oh my. Ranma couldn't possibly marry either of them. I'm glad Father was telling the truth. Happosai's story of impersonating Father seemed much too convenient.
She'd been too polite to call it a lie, but now Kasumi knew who Happosai had protected. Those poor girls. I have to tell them who their real father is.
She knew who Ran-Ran was and had heard of her sister Lin-Lin. This is odd. I thought Ran-Ran said she had to marry Ryouga, not Ranma. It looks like Ranma earned this one himself.
She flipped to the section on Shampoo. Why didn't the Guide warn them? And Ranma was just as much at fault as his father, not that either of them could have known.
Makoto Kino was the last name she didn't know. Apparently, Nabiki had only recently found out about the girl, since there was very little information other than the girl was a good cook, a skilled martial artist, and living off a sizeable trust fund set up by her deceased parents.
Another fiancée, another mystery, oh Nabiki couldn't that have kept you with us, the chance to use that brilliant mind of yours.
Kasumi's hand rose to her cheek, feeling the dampness. Tears. Akane always came to me when she cried. Nabiki never cried. And I had no one to go to when my tears came. Not since I lost Mother, not till now.
She looked at her hand, wondering what kind of ring he would purchase. Kasumi stood and began moving firmly and deliberately. She was going to see Tofu again. The notebooks could wait in her room and the rest of her family could tend to their own dinner.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
"Are you sure you want to do this, Ranchan?"
"But after what we did last night at the hospital...?" He frowned, obviously puzzled. "Isn't it what you want?"
"Of course, but is it what you want? I hope it is, but..."
"But what?"
"I, um, well, you'd said you wanted to wait...and then I didn't...I..."
"Yeah?" he asked.
"Did I ask for more...more than you really wanted to give? Did I take advantage of your promise, Ranchan?"
He paused, searching for the words. "Well, I wasn't exactly expecting it, but I coulda said no anytime I wanted." He chuckled softly. "Or I coulda just run away, I'd gotten real good at that." His voice dropped to a whisper. "Got too good at it."
He sighed, and continued in a more normal tone. "I said we should wait 'cause I wanted what I thought was best for you, but..." He took a deep breath and released it slowly. "But I wasn't really listening to what you wanted. I was trying to protect you, trying to keep you from getting hurt, but I was just hurting you anyway. I don't know if what we did was right; I don't know if it was honorable. I'm just making things up as I go, just like always. But I know it felt like the right thing to do."
He looked around his room, at the empty dresser and the full backpack. "And it's the right time to move on, too. Tofu's was just a place to stay until I made up my mind."
"Neutral ground?"
"Kinda." He looked at the floor. "It's hard sorting out the difference between duty and friendship and love and desire, even when you don't have people yelling at you all the time and attacking you for no reason and trying to run your life for you."
He looked into her eyes. "Sorry it took so long, Ucchan. Guess I hurt a lotta people that way, but it hurts most that I hurt you, 'cause of how I feel about you. Guess that sounds kinda selfish."
"We're all kinda selfish at times, Ranchan. It's alright."
"Thanks." He took a final look at the empty room and hefted his backpack. "I guess we better get over to your restaurant."
"Our restaurant."
"That's gonna take some getting used to. Ours."
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Two notes lay on the table.
"Tendo, I have gone to China to get my ungrateful son back from the Amazons. Thanks for the supplies."
A quick search showed Genma had snatched most of the dried foods and Soun knew his friend had already cleaned out the refrigerator.
I guess Kasumi needs to go shopping.
But there was the second note.
"Father, I have gone to Dr. Tofu's. You and Akane will have to make your own dinner."
Tears formed in Soun's eyes. "Oh Kasumi, how could you do this to you own father, to leave me alone to face the horrors of Akane's cooking," he wailed.
"Hey, I heard that!"
Soun turned to see his youngest daughter. She looked rather angry, though he didn't know why. He'd never hid the fact that he was afraid of her cooking before. Somehow he was sure this was all Ranma's fault.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
"That was a good idea, Shampoo, using those roses as centerpieces and presents for any customers that were on a date."
"Thank you, Ukyou."
Ranma blinked twice, still getting used to the Chinese girl's much better grasp of Japanese and how well she was getting along with Ukyou.
My life is just too weird.
"Now, do you have any idea how I can get rid of this idiot Kuno that sent the flowers to me?"
"If I knew how to do that," Shampoo replied, "I'd be able to get rid of that idiot Mousse."
Both girls sighed as Ranma continued to watch them in confusion, but he didn't have much time to wonder as a new wave of customers entered the restaurant.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Safety and perhaps survival required being close enough to eavesdrop. It was all too strange. Kodachi was on the phone and she was laughing in a way Sasuke had never heard before, a pleasant normal laugh. That's what scared the ninja.
"My brother said what?" Kodachi dissolved into another fit of giggling. "Poets and sorcery and secret messages within the words. No, no, I can assure you that is normal for my brother." She almost stifled another fit of laughter before hanging up the phone.
"Sasuke!"
"Yes, Mistress Kodachi." The trembling servant stepped forward, ready to bolt at any second.
"My brother has been detained by the hospital, yes, that hospital. Apparently, they have mistaken him for one of the inmates. I can't imagine how that happened," she smiled.
"Nor can I," the ninja replied, then realized he was smiling back and wiped the expression from his face. Cold sweat ran down his back and he wondered how much longer he had to live.
"I need you to retrieve my brother," the girl insisted.
"But...but if they could defeat Master Kuno, what chance would I have?"
Kodachi laughed again, but he didn't feel safe.
"They caught him by surprise, though it is interesting that it took four tranquilizer darts to drop him and a fifth to silence him. He appears to be developing a tolerance." She frowned briefly, though that expression was soon replaced by a broad smile. "I meant for you to use the Kuno family wealth and influence to retrieve my brother, though you don't need to hurry about it."
"I don't?"
"Are you in any rush to hear him bellowing about vengeance or his true loves?"
The ninja shook his head.
"Neither am I, so take your time."
Sasuke nodded briefly, then fled, as Kodachi prepared for her visitor.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
"So where am I sleeping?" Ranma seemed nervous.
"Um, my room," she blushed. "Um, I mean our room."
Both smiled nervously, missing the look Shampoo and Konatsu exchanged behind their backs, a look of both joy and sorrow.
Shampoo spoke first. "So hurry upstairs you two, Konatsu and I will finish cleaning up down here. Unless you want to make it a threesome, in which case I'd like some help getting up the stairs."
"You can do that?" Ranma looked more confused than usual.
"Ancient Amazon secret, Ai...um, Ranma." Ukyou looked like she was about to explode. "I was just teasing. You two go upstairs. We'll be fine."
The couple left silence behind them and neither of the other teens moved or spoke for quite a while.
"Were you teasing, Shampoo?"
"Yes, of..." She made the mistake of looking in Konatsu's eyes, seeing her own thoughts and feelings reflected there. "I...I think I did mean it and Ranma doesn't know what that means for an Amazon to be willing to share."
Konatsu said nothing.
"You would have said the same, but it wouldn't have been cute, right Airen?"
Konatsu blushed, but didn't reply. He saw a hunger in Shampoo's eyes and he couldn't look away.
"I did promise to scrub your back when you got cleaned up, Airen."
The boy gulped.
"After all, you did get help for Akane, just like I asked," Shampoo purred.
Konatsu gulped again and it was hard to pull his eyes away from hers, but he needed to before he drowned in them.
"N...not yet, Shampoo, not yet. I'm not ready and neither are you. Maybe later, if we wouldn't be using each other to forget about them."
Shampoo cursed quietly, imaginatively, and at great length in Japanese, Mandarin, English, and Cantonese.
"Shampoo hate it when stupid male is right." She took a deep breath, struggling to regain her command of the Japanese language. "I'm sorry, Konatsu, you aren't stupid. I'm the stupid one. We wouldn't be forgetting them; we'd be thinking of them the whole time."
"Please don't cry, Shampoo."
"Stupid Airen, how can I stop?" He moved closer and she wrapped her arms around him and didn't let go until the tears finally subsided. He was the first person she'd allowed to see her crying since she was four years old.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
"I knew you'd come."
The teens balanced effortlessly at opposite ends of the greenhouse roof. The breeze tugged gently at their long dark hair but neither noticed the cold night wind.
"I had to," Mousse replied. "It's a matter of life and death."
"So you weren't here to see me." The sad words held more than a hint of self-mockery. "No one ever is."
"This is for Shampoo," the Chinese boy yelled.
Kodachi sighed. The bellowing reminded her of the way her brother or that idiot Ryouga thundered about in combat. Compared to them, Ranma was quiet, subtle, graceful, and dignified.
"...are you even listening to me?" Angry words interrupted her thoughts.
I don't even get him in my dreams, not with this noisy fool interrupting.
Kodachi's laugh was short and sharp as a gymnastics hoop materialized in her hand. She needed this fight to work away her anger and her pain. The hoop blurred forward and Mousse's leap was barely high enough. Before he landed a ribbon wrapped around his neck and he spun through the air.
Then the ribbon was gone and Mousse was flying even though he wasn't a duck.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
"Just relax, Akane. Your father has always been like this."
"I...you're right, Ryouga." But his words still hurt.
"Now I know you can cook, you've proved it. Ranma's mother took the time to show you and you've improved a lot since then. Be patient, it will take a while before you reach Kasumi's level, just like it took me a while to get to where I am at martial arts."
The Tendo girl nodded, but didn't reply.
"That's why you need to relax. You don't cook well when you're angry, nobody does. Don't let his criticism get to you."
"It's harder when you're the one being criticized."
"Akane, if he weren't your dad, I'd be trying to pound his thick skull for hurting you."
She didn't reply, recalling all those times that Ryouga attacked Ranma because of thoughtless things the pigtailed boy had said. Ranma hadn't meant to be cruel, but that didn't stop Ryouga from leaping to her defense, even if he was a little black pig at the time.
Yet Ryouga can be so patient with me. He's the only one that really tried to help me when I trained at martial arts. Ranma never tried, Ukyou had no patience at all, and I think Shampoo was trying to hurt me.
"Akane?"
"Thank you, Ryouga. Thank you for everything."
"Everything?" She realized he meant the events at Ryugenzawa, that he sensed her fear and confusion over how that might complicate their lives.
"Everything." There was no doubt in her reply or the look she gave him. "You did it all to make me happy and you saved me from marrying someone who was cheating on me with Ukyou and who knows who else. Thank you, Ryouga, I mean that."
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Notes on Nabiki's fiancée lists:
Ayako Nakamura is from Ushio and Tora.
Ami Kurimoto is from the series DNA2.
Atsuko Mishima is All Purpose Cultural Catgirl Nuku Nuku.
Kaori Daikoku is an anime-only character.
Kurumi & Manami Kasuga are from Kimagure Orange Road
Kurumi & Natsume 'Tendo' are from the Ranma OAVs.
Lin-Lin & Ran-Ran are also anime-only characters.
Makoto Kino is Sailor Jupiter from Sailor Moon.
And the fiancé lists.
Kazuma Kuwabara is from Yu Yu Hakusho.
Picolette Chardin is a minor character from the manga.
Ryuunosuke Fujinami is from Urusei Yatsura. Though raised as a boy, Ryuunosuke is female.