Chapter 11

There was no night or day. Just the endless smoke rimmed neon
twilight. There was no rest, just a brief fitful blackness followed by
the endless mindless command. "Fighters to the line. . . fight."

"Akane no move. . . Ukyou hold Akane head. Shan Pu no can sew up
if she move."

Slowly Akane swam through the syrupy blackness toward
consciousness. Her head was pillowed on something soft that smelled of
soap and perfume, not the sweat and blood that soaked her dreams.
"K. . .kasumi?" There was a startled silence. "No. Not Kasumi. Shan Pu."
Shan Pu? Had she been kidnapped again? She must have spoken the thought aloud.

"No, Akane not kidnapped. Akane fight in Gakidou. Head split open
by kick. Shan Pu sew up so brains no leak out."

Oh that was all right then. Maybe after Shan Pu sewed up her head
she could make Akane a new doll. She'd gotten her old one dirty.
"Akane, you take this..Chew up." Shan Pu sounded worried.

A hand thrust something leafy between her lips. Automatically she chewed,
swallowed. The top of her head blew off. "AAAAAAAA" Akane bolted upright, scattering Shan Pu and Ukyou like a pair of dolls.

"What the heck was that stuff?" Ukyou huffed, picking herself off
the floor.
"Coca leaf, datura root, some other things. Good to warm blood,
stimulate mind."
"Coca leaf." Ukyou's voice was a strangled whisper. "As in
cocaine?"
At Shan Pu's nod, she exploded. "Are you crazy? That stuff's
illegal. We could all go to jail."
"Gakidou illegal. Kidnaping Kasume illegal. One more thing not
matter much. Beside, Akane take too many hit to head. Talk crazy. She go
fight like that she die. She no fight, Kasumi die, then Akane, Nabiki
die. Shan Pu do best she can."
Ukyou looked shamefaced. "I'm sorry Shan Pu. I didn't mean
anything. . . I'm just worried, that's all."
"Hey guys what's going on? Akane, are you all right?"
Ukyou and Shan Pu exchanged looks as Ranma dropped to his knees
beside Akane. The first time Shan Pu had put needle to skin to sew Akane
up, Ranma had dropped like a stone. Thereafter when Akane needed to be
stitched, they'd sent Ranma to get food, water, magazines, anything to
get him out of the way.
"I'm fine, Ranma. Don't fuss. I'm a martial artist too, you
know."
This too was a familiar refrain. It was tearing Ranma apart to
watch Akane step into the ring, over and over again. He'd derided her
skills, refused to spar seriously with her. After all he was the best. If
there was any fighting to be done, he would do it. And now he was paying
for his arrogance by watching her go against man after man, watching her
take blow after blow. And doing nothing but watching, and offering
advice. His enforced helplessness was tearing him apart, and the others
watched his face twist and grey with agony and guilt with each blow,
every bruise and every cut.
"Dammit Shan Pu, she can't go on like this. Sixteen fights in
three days. It's killing her."
"Akane never give up on sister, on family. Better she die
fighting than kill self for shame."
Ukyou bit her lip. It didn't help to know it was true.
"Shan Pu, everyone, something's up."
Shan Pu turned to see Nabiki, followed by Moshu, approaching.
"What you find?"
"Something is seriously wrong with the point spread on Akane's
next fight."
"What!" Ranma's voice cracked with worry.
"Look, after Akane won her first couple of fights her odd were
good, not great but respectable. After she'd cleaned five in a row, she
became odd's on favorite. Now, there's a lot of big money, spread out,
but still big money, 'against' Akane."
"What does that mean?"
"It means somebody is laying off some really big bets that Akane
isn't going to win this next fight. And they're spreading the bets around
so they don't change the odds."
"How much?"
Nabiki looked at her sister. "At least twenty million yen."
"How are you betting, Oneechan?"
Nabiki could only stare for a long moment. "I'm betting on you,
sis. Always."
"Good. I think it's time."
Ranma started to help Akane up, then froze, looking across the
ring toward the opponent's side.
Shan Pu followed his gaze and hissed in dismay. Moshu started
cursing under his breath.
"What, what's going on?" Ukyou questioned in a bewildered voice.
"That what wrong." Shan Pu said pointing.
"Well, at least we know why the odds changed." Akane smiled
tiredly at Nabiki. "If I win this one you should really clean up."
"If." Nabiki's voice was a whisper. "What's going on? Wait." She
tried to grab Akane as she started for the ring. "What is it, what's
going on?" She stumbled as Ranma pushed her out of the way and started a
low voiced urgent conversation with Akane.
"What is it?" Nabiki asked plaintively.
"That's what I'd like to know." Ukyou seconded.
"Look." Moshu pointed to Akane's opponent who was entering the
ring.
"What?"
"Look at legs" Shan Pu added "Look at shins."
"I don't see any. . ."
"They look kind of shiny, and yellow. Is that what you mean?"
Ukyou asked.
"Shins get that way hit against tree. Use drugs to kill pain, hit
and hit and hit until skin bleeds, callous forms."
"That's crazy, Who would. ..?"
"Thai boxers." Moshu continued "They're not fancy kickers like
ketjak or wu-shu. But they train for endurance and pain. They like pain,
it fuels them, makes them stronger."
Shan Pu finished "Thai boxer use legs, break tree, break bone.
Shan Pu use leg sweep for take down, Thai boxer use to smash opponents
legs. Use shin crush ribs, break back."
"You can't do this Akane. He'll kill you."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence. I'm a martial. . ."
"Would you stop that?" Ranma jerked Akane around so that she
looked wide eyed into his angry face.
"This isn't about martial arts. Hell, your training and style is
a lot like Thai boxing. Your strong, tough and like to smash things."
"Was that a compliment, Ranma?"
Ranma glared and went on. "The point is, he's fresh and you're
exhausted. And I don't know what to tell you, how to fight this guy. You
basic style is so close, and the surest way to lose a fight is to fight
the other guy's game. I mean that's what I've been telling you, how
you've been winning. Get them to come to you, fight your kind of fight,
not theirs. But this. . ."
Akane pressed a finger to Ranma's lips, shutting him up.
"It's OK, Ranma, really. You've been a great coach. I couldn't
have done it without you." She paused a moment. "Ranma, you're a much
better fighter than I am. After this is over, would you take me as your
student, teach me for real?"
Ranma went white and a vice clamped around his throat.
"Yes. Yes I will teach you."
He was rewarded with a megawatt smile.
"Thank you. I'm glad you were my fiance. I've always felt better
knowing you were there to take care of Nabiki and Kasumi."
Akane climbed into the ring, leaving Ranma with silent tears
running down his cheeks.

"Tendou and Dtom to the line. . Fighters to the line. Fight."

Akane and Dtom began to circle each other looking for an opening.
Dtom tried a couple of lazy jabs, probing Akane's defenses. Akane moved
away from the jabs but refused to counter. She was content to wait. Dtom
suddenly launched a series of hard Thai round kicks to her left side,
trying to take her down or to leap from those to higher kicks to the
neck. Thai boxers liked to smash the neck or back with iron hard shin
strikes. Akane knew that and refused to meet force with force, especially
in her depleted state. Instead she faded with each blow, tried to ride
the strike like a surfer on the crest of a wave. They still hurt. She was
amazed and a little frightened at just how much power was left in just a
partial hit. And dismayed at her own weakness. She had no chance of
wearing him out, and a slugging match, her own preference, was out of the
question. And if she didn't think of something fast she was going to make
a mistake and Dtom was going to smash her spine into splinters with one
of those high kicks. His eyes and throat were soft targets, but small and
hard to hit. She didn't think she had the speed and coordination to get
past his defense. She looked longingly at his groin, always one of her
favorite targets. But some fighters, especially Thai boxers, trained to
take a hit to the groin. The sudden rush of adrenaline actually made them
stronger.
She had to try something, she was tiring fast. Akane tried a side
kick followed by a stone-breaker fist to the heart. Dtom countered by
kneeing Akane's kick as it came in, throwing her slightly off balance and
following up with an forearm strike to the temple. Pain exploded in her
head, and she went down only half conscious. Desperately she rolled,
trying to escape his follow through. She rolled to her feet in a
defensive stance to find him grinning at her. It was a nasty grin, one
that said that she was his any time he wanted her. And he might be right.
Dtom launched another attack, and Akane went to meet him. She
tried a forward kick to the groin, expecting him to block. When he did,
she used the slight opening to hit him with a backfist to the head and a
reverse punch under his arm. It was like hitting a small block Chevy. Her
arm went numb to the elbow, and she jumped back trying to shake feeling
back into the arm. Sensing victory, Dtom came forward with another
forearm blow, grabbing Akane by the hair and yanking her head down into
his knee. Akane twisted, trying to take the blow on her shoulder. She
felt something pop, and her dislocated right arm dangled uselessly by her
side. Akane brought her left hand up in an inside curve, breaking his
hold on her hair. The predators gleam in his eyes told her that Dtom
thought she was finished. Like a springing tiger, he launched a high
round kick intending to break her neck. With an almost dreamy look on her
face, Akane stepped inside the kick, catching it on her already injured
right shoulder. She welcomed the sharp blast of pain like an invigorating
shower on a sultry day. As her shoulder absorbed and slowed the kick, her
left hand came over and under, grabbing his knee in an eagle's claw
chin-na grip.
Thai boxers were hard, tough fighters, and it was a losing
proposition to try to match them fist for fist, kick for kick. They
trained to use area weapons, like their shins, against broad areas of
their opponents bodies. Akane was trained to use her fingers, to hit
specific points or to grab and lock joints, tendons, muscles. So it was
that Dtom was completely unprepared when Akane's eagle claw chin-na
ripped the flexor muscle and tendon completely away from his left knee.
He stood for a second, perfectly balanced on his right leg, staring at
the red ruin of his left knee before Akane's side kick smashed his right
leg, folding him in half like a cheap paperback.
Akane swayed for a moment before dropping heavily to her knees.
Strong arms came around her, keeping her upright as consciousness faded
away like an orchid in the summer sun.
She didn't hear Ranma's frantic voice calling her, didn't hear
Shan Pu's soft reassurance. Nor did she hear the referee call for her to
prepare for her final fight.
Ukyou looked over to where Nabiki was arguing with a official.
Nabiki was insisting that Akane be allowed one day to recover. The
official was equally insistent that the final match, between the two top
winners, not be postponed. That if Akane could not fight, immediately she
would forfeit.
"Nabiki, you shouldn't be arguing with this man. He's very
sick.."
Both combatants turned to Ukyou.
"I assure you, young lady that I am in the best of health."
"No." Ukyou went on reasonably. "I think you're a sick son of a
bitch."
The official stared, shocked for a moment.
"Now see here. . ." the official jerked to a halt as he felt
something hard and metallic press against his. . . "Urrrk!"
"You see" Ukyou went on, a manic grin on her face. "I think
you're suffering from testosterone poisoning and I 'm just naturally
going to have to castrate you with a dull spatula and pour salt in the
wound."

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