Chapter 11

Fun with Amazons, Part 3: Beach Battle

Ranma watched the small fire she had made from a good distance away. Putting her hands anywhere near the flames brought about a very unbearable aura of heat that prevented her from going any closer. She sighed.

Gritting her teeth, she emptied the round pieces of brass into her hand, threw them on the fire, and proceeded to attempt to grab them out of the fire.

At that moment, Max was in the basement, sorting through his weapons and counting his remaining ammunition. He'd switched to better guns since he'd last bought any from the Russians, and now had a lot more ground to cover. The small room's walls were lined with various firearms, blades and other tools he and Carlos had been working on.

As he shoved his remaining clips into a box, he noticed something that made him raise an eyebrow. He'd always been good about counting his ammo exactly, considering its cost. This time, however, a clip was missing. Did I misplace it?, he thought to himself. Or did I count wrong last time?

As if to answer his question, he heard a loud popping noise, followed by an ear-piercing scream. Whipping his head around to the source of the noise, he heard it again. He recognized it, and sighed. Looks like he hasn't forgotten our old training session, he thought. He walked to the patio, and watched as the redhead fruitlessly tried to snatch 9mm rounds out of a burning fire.

"You know, given your condition, you could've just stuck with chestnuts," Max said.

Ranma stopped rubbing her hands in pain to look up at her father. "Huh? No way! Like I'm gonna go back to the kiddie stuff just because of a little heat!" Another bullet exploded in the fire, sending another round of sparks up. "Ow!"

"You're missing the point," Max said, picking up a nearby pail of water and dousing the fire. "Burning yourself won't make you any faster. Maybe you should try a game that allows you to use this technique without getting near a fire."

"And how am I supposed to do that?" the redhead asked.

"How should I know? You're the one trying to get that pill, so you've gotta do some thinking. But, to be honest, you've been working a bit too hard lately." Thinking for a moment, he turned to his son. "Tell you what…take a break from all this and relax a bit. There's a festival in town this weekend, so go to that. In fact, take Akane with you. I'm sure she'll appreciate a little fun with her non-fiancé." He turned to walk back into the house.

"Why would I wanna go anywhere with her?" Ranma objected. "You said we didn't have to get married."

"Spending time with her couldn't hurt," Max replied. "Trust me, just go. You need this."

Nabiki stood outside the house, near the koi pond, her ear pressed against the closed screen door, listening to her father and his friend converse in the living room on the other side. She had disappeared when the others had gone to the festival, hoping they would think she had gone with them.

"So Ranma actually went with her to the festival?" Carlos asked. "Mr. I-don't-like-that-uncute-tomboy?"

"Well, I had to convince Akane to go with him as well, seeing as how he just couldn't work up the guts to ask her. But, they ended up going together, so maybe he's growing out of it."

"Do we really want them to end up together?"

"I guess I wouldn't mind it. They're still kids though, and, knowing them, they won't get very far anytime soon. Plus, who knows how many people Gen- sorry, I engaged him to for a free meal during our training trip." The two laughed heartily.

"Oh man, that's a good one. We should start a pool to see how many show up!"

"By the way, where'd Kasumi go?"

"Oh, she went with them, too. She took along Ken so he could go to his first festival. He was really excited."

"Well, he's had a hard life up until now. How's he doing in school?"

"Pretty good, apparently. He's having a little trouble adjusting to Japanese, but he's doing well nonetheless. What about the training sessions? Is he going to end up as the brawn-coated god of blood and death that he's supposed to?"

Max chuckled. "I don't think we have to worry about that. I've got a lot more to teach him since that crash course of all that knowledge with Totosai. The question is, will it be of any use to him outside of living in a post-apocalyptic war zone?"

Nabiki listened with intent, pressing her ear closer against the door. What on earth are they talking about? She had been disturbed by some of their talking points, and wondered what they could mean.

"Onee-chan, what are you doing?" a voice came from behind her.

Nabiki cringed, and turned to find herself face-to-face with her sister. "A-Akane! You're back!" The door suddenly slid open. "Gah!" she yelped as Max and Carlos stood in the doorway.

"Oh, you guys are back already?" She noticed all the clear plastic bags they were carrying. "What're all those?"

"Goldfish," Akane answered. "Ranma won them all in about a minute."

"Heh! It was easy," the redhead replied.

Max smiled. "So, you finally found a way to practice that technique without getting burned, huh?"

"Yeah, and first thing tomorrow, I'm gonna go down to the café and get the pill from that old bat!"

As they all continued to talk, Nabiki slipped inside, and started up the stairs to her room. "Something's not right here. The way Ranma's old man referred to himself was odd." Closing the door to her room behind her, she let out a sigh. "I've gotta keep a closer watch on them from now on."

Ranma stood, seething as she looked at the sign that adorned the window of the Cat Café. It informed the reader that the business had relocated to the beach for the summer.

Grabbing scruffs of her hair, she let out a yell of rage. "That old ghoul! She thinks she can run away from me, does she?" She stomped off into the street, passing Akane, who just watched with slight worry in her face. "Honestly…"

"To the beach, then," Carlos told the girls. "For Ranma's sake."

Akane cheered whilst Kasumi smiled. Nabiki eyed her father warily, becoming all the more suspicious of her father's recent behavior.

"Going to the beach just to follow those people," she said to herself. "This can't be good." She sighed. "Though, a small vacation would be nice…"

Clinging to a pole on a lifeguard post, the young aqua-transsexual peered out across the crowded beach, looking for any sign of the Amazons.

"Just where are you, old hag?" she asked herself. "When I find you, I'm gonna make you sorry you ever messed with the likes of me."

"Strong words," a voice from below said. Looking down, Ranma saw her familiar partner in work. "I'd be moved if you hadn't been saying the same thing for the past week."

"Fumiko!" she said, hopping down to meet her. The girl was in a swimsuit, like she was. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, the old crone gave me the week off, just like you. Guess they think they don't need us for the summer business," she said. "Anyway, I heard you guys were following 'em, and I figured I'd better come along. You could probably use all the help you can get."

Ranma pursed her lips. "I told ya' before, I don't need your help. I'm gonna get that pill from her myself!"

"And how much progress have you made since saying that before you got the job?" Fumiko asked.

Ranma blinked, stumped. "Well, I've gotten quicker with my chestnuts technique…and I swear I almost grabbed the pill the last time I was at work."

"Please," the blue-haired girl responded, rolling her eyes. "She's just playing with you, and you should know that by now. At the rate you're going, you're gonna fall into her trap, and be walking down the aisle with that purple-haired ditz by next week."

"Well, what the hell do you suggest?" Ranma asked.

"How about letting someone help you for a change?" She grabbed his hand. "C'mon, let's go look for the old crone. We'll think of something together."

Kikyou sat meditating in front of a small flame, occasionally throwing a tiny handful of sand onto it. Holding her two index fingers together, she began to pray.

"Goddess of the Sun, spirits of the heavens, I pray to thee; help me find the one whom will help me conquer the evil that ravages my home."

As if on command, the flame turned blue, and grew larger. Images soon started to appear in the fire. The miko smiled as she glimpsed the face of her supposed savior.

"So, how often do you do this?"

"Do what?" Ranma asked.

"You know, go to the beach; hang out; just have fun, like a normal kid."

"What are you talking about?" the redhead asked, a weird look on her face.

"I'll take that as a 'no'," Fumiko said, rolling her eyes. "You really can't think of anything other than training right now? Ever?"

"Hey, that's what I do! I don't have time for games. I need to get that pill or else I'll never be a guy again!"

Fumiko stopped walking, and stood in front of him, blocking his path. "See, that's your problem," the girl responded, pointing a finger at him. "You really just need to lighten up and relax every now and then. Otherwise you're never gonna be able to win against that old crone."

Ranma groaned. "Look, I appreciate you trying to help me an' all-"

"Is that so?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"-but I honestly don't need any! Be it you, Akane, or anyone else, you'll just be a distraction. Besides, it may be easier for you to talk about relaxing and having fun, seeing as how you've probably had a much easier life, but my old man dragged me around the globe like an animal! I never got to relax, much less have any fun! So, get off my case!"

"Boo-hoo," Fumiko retorted, in a sarcastic tone of voice. "Cry me a river, why don't you? And besides, what the hell would you know about my life up until now?"

"Huh?" Ranma uttered, taken aback. "Well, I mean…you act so cheerful an all, I figured you…"

"Well, that shows what you know. My childhood wasn't exactly pleasant either, by the way. In fact, I only recently moved back here. You don't wanna know what I was doing for a living until just last year."

Ranma remained silent, looking into her prying eyes. "Well, if you really had such a hard life, how come you're so okay with it now? None of it bothers you anymore? What happened?"

"I learned to lighten up. And it's about time you did. No one likes an emo-kid, so why don't we work on all that backed-up frustration of yours?" She grabbed his hand, and started walking into a crowd.

"Huh? Hey, where are we going?"

"To get you more in touch with your feminine side!"

"What?" The young martial artist's protests went unheeded, though, as Fumiko led him through the long row of shops, looking for something to do. They were stopped by someone stepping in their path.

"Say, what are two precious girls like you doing out here all alone?" the boy asked. He was taller than them, wearing swim trunks and an open shirt.

Ranma frowned. "Get lost, pal, before I-"

Fumiko cut him off. "Forgive my friend, she can get stand-offish at times. What were you saying?"

"I was just asking if you'd like to go get some shaved ice together! I promise I'll be real nice."

"Oh, isn't that nice! But, only if you're buying…"

"Oh, of course!" the boy replied.

"In fact," she said, smirking, "how about we make this a little more exciting?"

About half an hour later, Fumiko and Ranma were walking away from a crowd of disgruntled boys, each holding a cone of shaved ice. Fumiko was carrying a pouch full of coins she had just won.

"I can't believe you just did that," Ranma said, taking a break from eating her shaved ice. "How did you not lose a single hand?"

"I'm good at making calculations," she said. She had offered the boys in the crowd a chance at winning a kiss in a round of rock-paper-scissors in exchange for buying them a treat. She'd kept most of the money herself before instead of having them buy her something, though. "You've gotta admit that was more fun than just beating up on every guy who hit on us."

"Yeah, but you still didn't have to promise them a kiss from both of us, you know."

"Hey, don't doubt my abilities! Plus, what have I told you about loosening up?"

"What are you saying? That I should want to kiss guys?"

"Nah, just be a bit less prudish. I never said it had to be with boys." She laughed, and walked ahead of Ranma.

"Yeah, well I-" Ranma stopped in mid-sentence when she spotted Fumiko walking in front of her. She was wearing a bareback swimsuit that showed off her noticeable figure. "Uh…I just…"

The girl stopped, turned her head, and grinned. "See anything you like?"

Ranma blinked and shook her head. "That's not what I was doing, or anything!"

"Sure, you weren't," she replied, laughing. She turned back. "Ooh, this looks like fun."

"Huh? What does?"

Fumiko pointed to a man with a microphone, who was shouting an advertisement to a modest-sized crowd. Above him was a large banner that read Martial Arts Melon-Splitting.

"It's a race! It's an art! It's a war! Cut your opponents melons while racing to the finish line! The first to reach it with his melon intact wins!"

Ranma's face dropped as she looked from the banner to Fumiko, and back. "Are you kidding me? I've never heard of anything so stupid in my life-"

"And, for the winner, the grand prize is…the lovely Miss Shampoo!" the announcer shouted.

"Huh," the girl quipped. "Shampoo?" Sure enough, the girl was there, in a rather skimpy, flower-printed one piece, and in her hands was…

"The pill!" Ranma shouted, eyeing the round box that contained the cure she sought. Behind him, the other girl smirked. "Having second thoughts?"

The martial artist smiled, and dusted off her hands. "Well, I'll have you know, if it's got the name 'Martial Arts' in it…"

Her smile disappeared when she noticed that the purple-haired girl had seen her. With an angry look on her face, Shampoo drew a blade seemingly from out of nowhere, and leapt over the crowd surrounding her, charging at the redhead. "Ranma! I kill!"

Not far away, Akane walked down the row of beach shops, holding a multi-colored inner tube. Nabiki walked alongside her, eating a cup of shaved ice.

"Where on earth is he?" she asked.

"Don't you mean 'she'?" her sister replied.

"Knock it off, Onee-chan!"

"Why so defensive? I thought you didn't like him, but you seem rather obsessed with him lately."

"I am not! I'm just wondering why we haven't seen him in such-"

They were interrupted by screams from the people around them as they scattered to avoid two figures that came leaping out of the crowd. Akane saw that it was Ranma, running desperately from an armed and angry Shampoo.

"Crap, crap, crap!" Ranma shouted, dodging the Amazon's attacks. "I don't need this right now!"

"Ranma! Kill!"

As the two disappeared behind another crowd, Akane frowned, and then sighed.

Nabiki smiled at her. "So? Jealous?"

"Of what?" the girl replied, walking away.

The incident soon calmed down enough for the event to start. When the whistle sounded, Ranma bolted through the crowd of boys with her bokken. In a matter of seconds, she was on the other side, all of the melons the boys had been holding broken and on the ground.

"All right, where's that finish-"

She was cut off by a familiar voice. "Not so fast, son-in-law!"

Ranma looked up to see the offender, but was blinded by the sunlight. She barely had enough time to dodge the attack by the old woman's staff.

"So, you decided to play too, old ghoul?" she said, exchanging blows with her.

"Oh, don't get the wrong idea," the elder Amazon replied. "I just got to thinking about my old days as a girl playing on the sunny beaches!"

"And how many centuries ago was that?"

Ranma felt a hard jab in her side, and was slammed to the ground, still clutching her melon. Leaping to her feet, she saw Shampoo standing in front of her, melon in one hand, bokken in the other.

"Ranma no win! I kill!" She charged the redhead, who leapt to dodge her. Landing next to Cologne, she shouted angrily, "When are you gonna tell her already?"

"Whenever I feel like it, groom!" she laughed, dodging the girl's swing. "If you settle down and agree to marry her, it will make things a whole lot easier."

"Just give it a rest already!"

She almost didn't notice Shampoo leaping at her again from behind, and braced for impact. "Oh, crap…"

Shampoo, however, was knocked out of the air by an unseen force, and sent to the ground. Getting to her knees, she saw that her melon lay, crushed and splattered, on the sandy ground. Looking up, she saw the familiar blue-haired girl she worked with standing in front of her, clutching both her own wooden sword and intact melon.

"No! Great-grandmother!"

"Oho!" Cologne said, leaping next to Shampoo. "So, my last employee has entered the fight as well, eh?"

Ranma was surprised as well. "Fumiko! What are you…"

The girl smirked. "You didn't think you were alone in this, did you?" She started running towards the finish line. "Last one there's a rotten egg!"

"Hey! Wait!" Ranma shouted, chasing after her. "This is my race, dammit!"

They were both stopped, however, by a tiny sandstorm that clouded their view. When it cleared, the old woman stood in front of them on her staff.

"Don't think I'm just going to let either of you win that easily!" she cackled. "I've got a groom to catch for my great-granddaughter, and I don't appreciate you interfering, Fumiko!" She pointed her staff at the offending girl. "If you want to keep your job, I suggest you stay out of business that isn't yours!"

"Why do you think I took your stupid job offer in the first place, old bat?" Fumiko retorted, not shaken in the least. "I'm here to make sure you don't take an unfair advantage over him! Plus, you won't fire me, with all the business the both of us bring in!"

Cologne leered. "Okay, then," she said, narrowing her eyes. "I hope you know what you're getting into, dear!"

Not waiting for them to finish, Ranma charged past them, the finish line in her view. Again, she was stopped in her tracks by a gust of sand. "Don't think I'm finished with you, groom!"

"Dammit! This is the last time I'm gonna tell you, old mummy!"

"Hold on, Ranma" he heard in his right ear. "We can take her together. Just follow my lead."

"Why do you keep getting involved?" Ranma asked.

"Trust me; you're going to need my help."

"To hell with that! I don't need any help from girls!" She charged forward at the old woman, ignoring the girl behind her.

Fumiko shook her head. "You'll regret it…"

Ranma and Cologne repeatedly exchanged blows, each one trying to outmaneuver the other to strike at the other's melon. After numerous twists, turns and agile flips, both found each other's melon wide open, and struck with their respective weapons. The remains of both melons splattered to the ground.

"Unbelievable!" the announcer shouted. "Both players have been eliminated! But what's this? They're still fighting!"

"You split my melon? Since when are you that good?" Cologne said, flabbergasted.

"Oh, there's a lot about me you don't know, old mummy! I owe you a lot for all the tough training you put me through," she said, striking so hard that she lot her grip on her walking stick, "so let me pay you back now!"

Catching the stick with her foot, she snatched it up and pointed it at the old woman. "Heh. What's wrong, old ghoul? You're slowing down. Old age finally catching up with you?"

From the sidelines, as everyone else stood in awe, Akane remained cautious. This doesn't add up, she thought. He shouldn't be able to beat her so easily…

"Promise me, old ghoul…if I win, you give me the phoenix pill!"

"Fair enough," she hissed. "However, should I win…you will become Shampoo's groom. Is that a deal?"

"Sure! Whatever you want!" Ranma said, laughing in high confidence.

However, her zeal was cut short by the announcer. "And we have a winner! The contest is over!"

"Huh?" the martial artist said, looking at the finish line. "Oh, crap! I forgot about her!"

Standing just across the finish line, with her melon intact, was his blue-haired co-worker. "You should've accepted my offer of help, Ranma!"

"Dammit!" she yelled, throwing down her bokken in anger. "Does this mean-"

"Oh, don't worry, son-in-law," Cologne said, a smirk forming on her face. "I'm not about to give up so easily!" She grabbed the end of her walking stick while Ranma wasn't looking, and, using her unlikely strength, slammed the girl into the sand.

"Oh my! It was all a ploy!" Kasumi said in surprise.

"What an idiot," Akane added, her head drooping in disappointment.

Leaping to her feet, Ranma launched a kick at the old woman. "What gives, old bat? I thought the race was over!"

"I'm not about to let this opportunity to snatch you up get away, groom!" she cackled. She began to circle the teen at an alarming speed, kicking up cloud after cloud of sand in her face, blinding her.

"Dammit, you sand-kicking old mummy!" She didn't even get a chance to open her eyes when she was catapulted into the air by the old woman's walking stick. She landed by the finish line with a thud. As she lay in the sand, she saw the face of Fumiko appear above her.

"You know, Ranma," the girl said, "you don't have to do this yourself. The offer is still on the table."

"Ugh!" she yelped in pain, trying to sit up. "I told you, I don't need any-"

Her eyes went wide as she saw what was coming at her, and she had to quickly roll to the side to avoid the mace that Shampoo had slammed down at her.

"Ranma! Kill!"

"Ahh! I can't take much more of this!" she said, dodging several attacks from the purple-haired girl.

"So, what'll it be, lover-boy?" the girl asked again.

Ranma was about to rebuff her once more, when both Shampoo and Cologne came at him from opposite ends. Dodging both attacks very closely before flipping out of the way. "Okay, okay! Do what you want!"

Fumiko smiled. "Now, was that so hard?" she said, picking up a pail of water, and hurling its contents at the purple-haired girl wielding the twin maces.

Shampoo barely had time to react before she was doused in the cold water, reverting to her cat form. Shaking herself out of the one-piece swimsuit, she immediately leapt for the pigtailed martial artist, who had a look of utter fear on her face.

Aaaaaaggghhh!" she screamed, running back and forth in the sand as the cat latched onto her head. "What the hell do you think you're doing? How is this considered 'help'?"

"Oh, you'll see soon enough," she quipped, rubbing her hands together. Sitting down on a beach chair, she stuck out her foot just in time for Ranma to run face-first into it, the cat firmly attached to his face. Ranma's skin crawled for a second, then she fell to the ground, twitching as the cat pawed at her face. Within a few seconds, the girl let out a meow sound, and had leapt to her feet, crawling like a cat. Fumiko quietly walked over to the possessed girl, and pointed towards the old woman. "Sic."

Ranma was about to oblige when Cologne held up her hand. "Stop!"

"Huh?" Fumiko said, dumbfounded. Ranma continued to hiss at her.

"I get it now. You're not something to be sneezed at. I'm not prepared to take on the neko-ken just yet…but there will be another time." Reaching into her outfit, she grasped the phoenix pill, and threw it to the blue-haired girl. "I believe you won the race!" Cologne said. "And I see you have quite an uncanny fixation on son-in-law, Fumiko! I admire your spunk, but don't think I'm giving up!"

"Fine with me," the girl replied.

"Farewell, groom!" she said, leaping out of sight. The small, purple-and-white cat scurried to follow her.

A bit later, Ranma sprung awake as she was doused in a splash of cold water. Sitting up, she shook herself off, and looked around. "Huh? Wha? What's going on-"

He was back at the inn, and Fumiko sat beside him. "You feeling okay?" she asked.

"Huh? Well, yeah, I guess…"

"That was fun," she quipped. "We really should do this again sometime."

"Wait a minute," Ranma said, "what happened? Where'd the old ghoul go? Did I win? Where's the pill?"

"Relax, will you?" she said, reaching into her pocket. "It's right here." She held out the box in front of her. Ranma smiled in relief, and moved to take it. However, she pulled it out of reach.

"Just a moment," she said.

"Huh? What are you doing? That's mine!"

"I beg to differ," she said. "I won the race, didn't I?"

Ranma stuttered, before drooping her head in defeat. "Well, I guess that's true…"

"Hey, don't worry. I'm not trying to impede you. In fact, I'm looking forward to seeing your other form for once." She smiled, causing Ranma to blush.

"However, since I did do a lot of work to help you these past few days, what say you make it up to me?"

Ranma looked at her uneasily. "What do you mean?"

"I'm thinking we go out sometime, and get to know each other better."

"What, you mean a date?"

"Exactly. How does Friday at Six sound?"

Ranma was still a bit stunned by the request, and took time to answer. "I guess that's okay."

"Good, it's a date then." She slammed the pillbox in her hand, and stood up to leave. "Be in your male form, of course. See you there!" She opened the door, and left.

Ranma looked to the door, then to the box in his hand. Lying back on the floor, she let a long, tired sigh.

Whoever this girl was, she was no slouch, and she wasn't sure what to expect on a date with her. Getting up, she made her way to the baths.

Kikyou sighed in frustration as she returned from her astral form. The 'savior search' hadn't been going as well as she'd hoped. Her powers had brought her to three candidates, all of which had been disappointments, the last one especially so.

Ten minutes earlier…

"Yui! Look at this!" a young, dumpling-haired girl said, grabbing hold of a thick, dusty book in a darkened section of a library. It had just fallen from the shelf after a slight tremor.

"The Universe of the Four Gods…what on earth?"

Her friend, a short-haired girl, walked up beside her. "It looks like a Japanese translation of some Chinese legend."

"How can you tell?" the other girl asked.

"Because I recognize these kanji. I took a class on the side."

The two slowly opened the book, and began to read.

"Herein contains the tale of a young lady and her quest to gather the seven constellations of Suzaku. And if you, the reader, should read to the story's end, the spell contained within this book shall bestow upon you the powers of the heroine, and grant your wish. For indeed the moment the page is turned, the story will become reality."

Letting the final sentence sink in, the two looked over each other.

"What do you suppose that means?" One of them asked.

"How should I know?"

"But is that true? Will we really be granted a wish if we read all the way to the end?"

"Do you believe everything you read, Miaka? You really are an idiot."

At that moment, a strong gust started to blow, sending loose papers flying.

"Aaahhh! What's that?"

Before the other could answer, a bright light began to shine in front of them. As it got brighter, they closed their eyes, but opened them in time to notice a figure emerging from the light. In front of them was a semi-transparent figure of a woman, dressed in the outfit of a shrine maiden. They both gazed at her, their mouths hanging open.

"Hear me, sisters," the woman said in a deep, commanding voice. "I seek aid in my quest to conquer a new evil that is soon to ravage this land. I seek those pure of heart, pure of mind, and pure of spirit. I have been lead to you in hopes that-"

"Wow!" the dumpling-haired girl suddenly blurted out. "It is true! This is so cool!"

"Calm down, Miaka! What are you talking about?"

"We opened the book, and she appeared! That means we'll be granted a wish!"

"Idiot! What makes you think this has anything to do with what that book said?"

Kikyou could only watch, dumbfounded, as the two continued to argue, oblivious to her presence. "Excuse me…"

"Oh, and a woman in traditional garb talking about a quest just happened to appear after reading a book like that?"

"The book didn't say anything about this! Plus, it's Chinese, and this woman's wearing Japanese clothes!"

Sighing, the miko shook her head. Hopeless, she thought. Snapping her fingers, her astral form disappeared, and the two girls stopped bickering.

"Huh? Where'd she go?"

"How should I know?" her friend replied. "You probably scared her off with your babbling."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

Before she could answer, however, there was another gust of wind. With a bright flash of light, the two disappeared.

Back in her chamber, Kikyou knelt down in front of her flame. All three attempts had met with failure, and she didn't know if it would be worth the effort to continue.

They've all been useless, she thought to herself. Not one of them remotely ready for the task ahead! What's wrong with girls from this era?

She blinked, and shook her head. No, I can't give up hope now. I'm going to need help from this era in order to fight this evil. I've got to keep trying.

Throwing sand onto the fire once more, she began to recite the incantation.

Ryoko Mitsurugi had just gone through what felt like the longest week of her life. In addition to the friendly match with Tatsuya, her sempai and crush, as well as the emotional onslaught it had triggered, there had been the brutal K-Fight with Azumi, the finals, the ensuing going-away party, and, finally, seeing him off before he left for good. All in all, a week she didn't want to live again.

Even though she still hadn't gotten entirely over the week's events, at least she had time to relax. It was spring break now, and she could clear her head, and begin anew. So, she stayed behind at the kendo dojo after everyone else had left, and continued to practice her swings for another hour.

Finally not able to go any longer, she slumped against the wall, sweating and breathing heavily. Wiping her forehead, she reached for her water bottle, but was distracted by a sudden gust of wind and flash of light.

"What?" she gasped in shock as the light became bigger and brighter. Within seconds, the undead priestess was before the girl in her astral form.

"I'm sorry if I have frightened thee," she said, looking down at her new candidate. "But I seek a pure, honest soul with a strong desire for justice to aid me in a fight against a new evil that plagues this land."

After a few seconds of silence, the girl spoke up. "O-okay…"

Good, Kikyou thought to herself. A simple reaction for once. "Do not be afraid. My name is Kikyou, of the Musashi shrine. What doth be yours?"

Ryoko didn't know what to make of the situation. On the one hand, she was freaked out of her mind. Things like this weren't supposed to happen; she never really believed in ghosts, and people didn't just appear out of thin air. On the other hand, this semi-transparent woman didn't look too mischievous, and what she had said had actually enticed her in the back of her mind.

Swallowing hard, she answered. "Misturugi Ryoko." Bucking up her confidence, she let her samurai personality take over. "Why do you approach me like this?"

"Because I sense purity, honesty and justice in your surroundings. I have observed you for the past several hours, and your dedication impresses and moves me. As I have said, a great evil has set its eyes on this era, as well as mine, and I seek the aid of those who will help me in my struggle against it. Will you hear me out?"

Ryoko wasn't sure if this was a good idea, but, deep down inside, she kept thinking about what her sempai had told her. She was on her own now, and, for the longest time, thought she had been training because of him. He had told her to find her true reason for choosing the path of swordsmanship. She'd always believed in the pursuit of justice. And now…

"Very well," she said, crossing her legs. "Let me hear what you have to say."

"Well, that was certainly interesting," Max said, unpacking the last of his things. "Looks like I don't need to train him entirely myself!"

"Seriously, who is that girl anyway?" Carlos asked.

"No idea," Max replied. "She shows up outta' nowhere one day, saves me from some cyborg-thingy, disappears, then reappears to help Ranma. For all I know, she's from the future."

"She's certainly strange enough to be," Carlos said, chuckling. "Where's Ranma now?"

"In the training hall, working his ass off. I don't know whether it's because he's happy to be in male form again, or because he's mad that a girl outplayed him in a game of wits and strategy."

"My bet's on the latter."

"Anyway," Max said, donning a light martial arts gi, "I'm off to see some old friends. Don't wait up." Walking into the bathroom, he looked in the mirror, and began to concentrate. Soon, he began to change, and he was in his younger form. Walking out of the bathroom, he waved goodbye. "Later."

He wasn't out of the hallway before he ran into the middle Tendo daughter who, it looked like, had been listening from outside the room. Looking straight at Max, her face took on a confused look. "Who are you?"

"Me?" Max replied. Crap!, he thought. I'm in my younger body right now! Gotta think of something…

"I'm a, uh…student! That's right, I'm a student of your father's. I recently joined this dojo."

Nabiki's jaw dropped. "You actually joined this dojo? That's ridiculous! Nobody joins this dojo! In fact, I don't remember the last time father ever taught a class!"

"Well, I've given it a look, and this really seemed like the school for me, so, to each his own. Either way, glad to meet you. I'm kind of in a hurry though, so I guess I'll be seeing you. Bye!" He dashed out the door.

Nabiki stood in the doorway, watching the boy disappear into the streets. "Who the hell?" Walking into her father's room, she spotted him as he unpacked.

"How come you didn't tell us that you had a student, father?"

Carlos looked up. "A student?" he said, confused. "What do you mean?"

The girl narrowed her eyes. "I mean the guy I just passed in the hallway, who claims he's your first student in, well…ever!"

"Huh?" Remembering Max, his eyes went wide. "Oh. Oh! Him! Of course, my new student! That's true, I forgot to tell you. Hell, I almost forgot myself! I guess that's what happens when you don't train many people over the years! Well, he's rather nice, and I hope you like him."

Nabiki stared blankly at her father for a few seconds before stomping away, up the stairs, all the way to her room. Closing the door behind her, she sat down at her desk.

"This is really fishy," she said to herself. "Dad never gets students. Hell, he rarely even gets people to challenge the dojo!" She had heard her father and Mr. Saotome talking in the room earlier, yet someone else had walked out of it. Saotome was nowhere to be found, either, and she hadn't bothered to ask her father.

"Okay, I'm convinced: that's not my father, and that friend of his isn't who he claims to be. I'm gonna find out who the hell these people are, and what they're doing in my house, if it's the last thing I do!"

After hopping the train, Max took the steps up to the Higurashi shrine once again, hopped down the Bone-Eater's well, and made his way to Totosai's domain. The two were soon sitting across from each other, a fire between them.

"This is what I wanted to show you," Max said, holding out the sword. "You were pretty out of it after we got you out of that statue, and I was in a hurry to get back, so I didn't have time then. You know what this is, right?"

"This?" he said, inspecting the sword. "This is the Tensaiga, the sword I forged for Sesshomaru. I'm surprised you have it in your possession, and, given Sesshomaru's attitude towards you, I don't envy you, either.

"Yeah, well, I'm not exactly thrilled about it myself."

"Anyway, how did this come to be in your possession?"

"Jaken somehow got mixed up in the events of the other night. He must've forgotten it."

"Well, then I certainly don't envy that little bastard either. But, speaking as your friend and the forger of this blade, I would urge you to return it as soon as possible, lest his opinion of you fall even lower, if that's even possible."

"Wait, I have to do it? I was kind'a hoping you could do that."

"Forget it! You found the sword, you give it back to him! I'm not going to give him another reason to pester me once again!"

"Okay, okay, I'll take it back to him. Yeesh." Sighing, he laid back against a small rock. "Anyway," he said, looking at the sheathed blade, "just how powerful is this thing? I know it can bring the dead back to life, but can that work with just anyone?"

"It has its own limitations, of course," Totosai replied. "They have to be nearby, and their life must have only been taken recently. The more time has passed, the further the soul gets from the body, making it ineffective."

Max thought for a minute. "But what if the souls never ascended to heaven? What if they had unfinished business? What if you made sure they were close enough to the body when you used the sword?"

"I suppose it could work in that sense. Just who are you so intent on bringing back from the dead, Shen?"

"Nobody, I'm just curious, is all."

"Sure. Take that back as soon as you can, Shen. Just trust me."

"I get it, I get it."

Max, of course, had been lying back in Totosai's cave. He did indeed have someone in mind, and had ever since he had had a certain discussion with Myoga on their night of drunken frenzy. On one stop, they had visited a few graves of old friends, and Max had remembered when the Tensaiga fell into his hands.

Later that night, he put his plan into action. Taking shovels, tools, clay, coals and other supplies, he trekked to the grave site, dug up the remains of his old friends, threw them into a wagon, and dragged them across the country until he came to his desired location.

"Mt. Hakurei," he said. "It's been a while."

He ascended the mountain, delving into the cavernous depths until he was sure he was deep enough in for purification to be at its strongest.

"This place should suffice," he said, laying out four bags of remains he had brought up the mountain. Gathering the clay, he began constructing four body molds. Finding a small, closed-off area for the fire, he set the coals afire, and baked the molds in the tiny hole until he was ready for the final ingredient. Dumping the ashes of each deceased friend into the mix of each clay mold, he began the final process of molding them into statues. It was getting so hot that Max had to use his Hokuto powers to keep himself from overheating.

Finally, they were done. He laid the molds, which looked like noting more than brown, body-shaped hunks of clay, down on the ground in a row. Bringing out an axe, he cracked open the molds one by one to reveal a naked, lifeless body. Getting a good look at them, he smiled. They looked just like his old friends.

Taking a deep breath, he took hold of the Tensaiga. "Well, now for the moment of truth." Unsheathing the sword, he held it over the fresh, newly-formed bodies. "You guys had so much left unfinished in this world. You never would've gone to heaven; it's just not you." Raising the sword over his head, he gritted his teeth. "Let's hope this works!" He swung it down over the bodies.

Almost immediately, Max felt an aura around the bodies, and could see it in the form of a bluish glow being given off. Within seconds, four small balls of light had entered the cave, swirling around the room as if seeking a home. Looking at them, Max noticed they looked a bit dark at first, but would flash to white and back.

Corruption of the souls, he thought. That's likely what made them evil. But that's exactly why I brought them to this mountain. With just a little push, they'll be purified.

And, with that, he focused his aura on the souls, and gave off a strong burst of chi. All four balls of light gave off a light screaming sound, and turned pure white. Using his aura to calm them, he guided the souls into their respective bodies, watching the lights sink into their homes. After a few minutes, they started stirring. One of them blinked, sat up, and rubbed his eyes.

"What on earth?" he said, pushing his long, unkempt black hair out of his face. "Where…am I?"

"Over here, Banky. An old friend's brought you back."

"Huh?" the man said, looking at the half-demon standing in front of him. "Du Shen? Is that you?"

"In the flesh," he replied. "And so are you, Bankotsu, old pal. Welcome back."

Sighing a long sigh after a hard day's work, Ryoko fell back onto her bed. She hadn't even bothered to stop and eat dinner with her aunt, heading straight to her room when she got home. She was too preoccupied with the phenomenon she had witnessed – no, encountered – less than two hours earlier. Staring blankly at the ceiling, she thought about what the mysterious woman had told her.

"His name is Du Shen, which is Chinese for the God who gambles; a fitting name, of course, considering his reputation for looseness and depravity. I've done some research, and he goes by other names on occasion, including a current alias of Genma Saotome. He has a large mark in the shape of the Big Dipper on his chest. Despite his appearances and outwardly friendly nature, he is a force not to be trifled with. He lives only to cause unrest and chaos, and to corrupt and sully the nature of those around him. If we leave him alone, he will bring great suffering to this era of yours. That is why I seek aid from those pure of heart, and ready to vanquish evil. I have observed you, Ryoko, and believe you are suited to the task. Please, take a night to consider my offer."

Ryoko suddenly had a thought. Her sempai had told her to become a great woman by way of the sword, and urged her to find her true path in life. She knew that path was the way of the sword, but, now that the one she loved was gone, she didn't have her eyes set on a goal. She had always had a strong sense of justice, and showed it every time she beat up any thug or gang member who might be bullying innocents in her town. If there truly was a new evil coming to her world, and she was being called upon to fight it, she didn't know how she was supposed to refuse. Empowered by a goal to set her sights upon, she sat up, clenching her fist.

"I'll do it," she said. "I'll help mistress Kikyou fight this evil. Then…I'll finally have something to live for."

She felt like a new woman.

Hope you enjoyed that. The next one will be up soon, so keep on the lookout.

Next time: Kikyou strikes back!