Chapter 12

Ranma knelt at Akane's feet massaging her legs while Shan Pu did
the same for Akane's arms.
"Akane, you're going to have to use the 'sakkiken', there's no
other way." They'd been having this argument since yesterday after her
last fight. She'd used the 'other' to heal the worst of her injuries.
Start to heal them. Even her pet 'Dragon' couldn't make right all of her
injuries in one night. At best she wasn't crippled. And the effort to
repair even a minimum of the damage had left her sick and shaken.
"Kasumi will die if I use the 'sakkiken.'"
"She's already dead." Ranma was savage in his fear for her. "We
haven't heard from anyone since we broke into Jiro's office. They
probably killed her that same day."
Akane paled and swayed in her seat. Ukyou grabbed her to keep her
steady and shot Ranma a dark look.
"I'm sorry. I want Kasumi back. But I don't want Akane dead. I
don't want her to kill herself for someone who's already dead."
"Very commendable 'once and future son-in-law'. But Kasumi is not
dead."
Akane surged from her seat, fatigue and injuries forgotten, to
grab the elder Amazon. "You've found her? Where is she? Is she all right?
Can we go. . . ?"
"Peace little one. Calm yourself, and we will explain."
"We?" Akane looked past Cu Lon to notice Ryouga and Genma behind
her.
"First, while we know that Kasumi is alive, we do not know yet
know where she is being held."
"But. . . I thought you said. . ."
"We know she's alive because. . ."
"There's this man. . ."
Ryouga and Genma's voices tumbled over each other until Cu Lon
held up a hand to silence them.
"The two of you have been very helpful. For the sake of time,
perhaps I should give Akane the essentials."
The two looked sheepish and nodded.
"Thanks to Genma's skills as a thief, we found out about a
certain Deputy Minister, named Takehiro, with ties to the uyoku. A Deputy
Minister who never missed the Gakidou, until this year. For some reason
he had another engagement."
"Hey, way to go Pops. I knew you couldn't be as useless as you
look."
Genma grinned and nodded, then shot his son a dirty look.
"But how do you know this is the man, or that Kasumi is still
alive?"
"We have heard them talking about your O-neesama."
"Heard them?" Nabiki whispered in disbelief "How? Where?"
"Thanks to Ryouga. . ."
"RYOUGA??!"
"Among other things, Genma acquired a cellular telephone with a
built in privacy encryption system. . This device was unfortunately also
equipped with an digital lock that prevented anyone without the proper
code from using it. Ryoga" Cu Lon nodded in the direction of the blushing
lost boy "'persuaded' a member of the deputy minister's staff to provide
us with the locking code and the encryption key. As a result we have been
able to listen in on conversations between the deputy minister and his
staff. As of this morning, Tendou Kasumi was alive."
"Ryouga-chan! I could kiss you." Nabiki then proceeded to
demonstrate she was a woman of her word.

"Akane burst into tears, while Ranma, Ukyou and Shan Pu grabbed
her in a group hug.
Cu Lon gave them a minute to celebrate before letting reality
intrude.
"We still must locate their hiding place."
Akane slumped in defeat. "Then. . . The last fight starts in just
a few minutes. If I use the 'sakkiken' they'll kill Kasumi right away."
"And if she doesn't Akane will die, and they'll still kill
Kasumi." Ranma was glaring at Cu Lon "What's the big idea of gettin'
Akane's hopes up if you couldn't do nuthin?"
"And it is this fight which will allow us to find Kasumi. There
are closed circuit television cameras surrounding the ring for those who
wish to watch the fight anonymously or who for some other reason can not
attend in person. For some time now the system has been experiencing
video problems. Sadly, even the highly paid engineering consultant who
installed the system seems unable to locate the fault." Cu Lon gave an
elfin grin. "Really, I'm ashamed of that great-nephew of mine. After all
that money spent on college, and he can't fix something as simple as a
camera."
Nabiki looked slack jawed at Cu Lon. She then released her python
grip on Ryouga, faced Cu Lon squarely and gave her a bow of respect for
superior cunning.
"How does this help us find Kasumi?" Ukyou looked up from the
little group huddled around Akane.

"It is possible, I am told, to remotely determine the telephone
number of someone calling a cellular telephone. It is also, or so I am
told, possible to find the physical address, even of an unlisted
telephone number. My great-nephew also tells me that there are certain
people who can find the address of a telephone number within as little as
five minutes after a call is made." She looked at Akane. "As soon as the
cameras stop working, the people holding your sister are going to call to
the people they have here. All you have to do is stay alive long enough
for us to locate her after they make that call."

Ketsu looked at his opponent as she entered the ring.
"Butterfly". What kind of name was that? He hated the "Butterfly"; hated
with a delicious poisonous passion. Ever since his "first" he'd heard
about the "Butterfly, about her cool precision, her matchless strength.
Heard about how she never went for "easy" kills but always demanded the
best. How she would forgo feeding, would hold back her "other" if the
kill were not up to her standards. Ketsu snorted in derision. As if
anyone could control their "other" when the blood hunger was on them. No,
this was another of the lies about the "Butterfly".
He knew how that went. They'd always lied to him, always. Told
him he needed help, counseling. But they were just jealous. Jealous of
his pure blood, his family line that went back unbroken four hundred
years. They'd tried to steal his birthright. Told him that his ancestors
were farmers and merchants. LIES. He knew. He could feel the Spirit of
Japan burning inside him. So he didn't listen to them, didn't listen to
their demanding, degrading voices. "Why can't you be more like your
brother? Your sister is doing so well in school."
Acid boiled up from his stomach. "Brother! Sister!" Half-breed
and whore. That's what they were. His blood was pure Nippon, not
mongrelized like his "brother". He was born to the name, she was adopted,
trash. He'd been confused, angry; ready to open his belly to escape a
world that seemed to be taken over by impure and inferior races.
And then he'd gone to a meeting of the All Japan Patriotic League
and listened to the great Kubota speak. That night he'd been reborn. He'd
known then that it was his destiny to return Japan to the Japanese, the
true Japanese children of Amaterasu-oumi-kami.
He started small, running errands, telling which of his father's
business associates had the proper thoughts, which of his friends held
incorrect political beliefs, who of his teachers read the wrong books.
And it paid off, slowly at first. But gradually the weak, the inferior
were replaced or driven off. And finally he got his reward, or so he
thought at the time. His brother arrested for theft of company funds. Of
course "O-niisan" protested his innocence, but the paper trail was
incontrovertible. And "Oneecan"! Ketsu shivered in remembered pleasure.
Remembered her lying in the hospital, so small and helpless. He played
the secret video over and over, listening to her cries, the sounds of
fists on flesh as she'd been broken.
Ketsu had thought that was the pinnacle, his reward from a
grateful party for all his hard work. But the best came a year later,
when he'd been offered a chance at the "sakkiken". He been warned of the
dangers, how six of ten people who took the "soma" died in agony. But
Ketsu had known, known that it was the impure who died, the inferior, the
weak. And so it was, he came through his trial of the "first" reborn as a
true son of Nippon. And for the first time he was part of a "family" that
thought as he did, who knew what had to be done to save Nippon from the
impure and inferrio; knew what to do and did it.
And then he found out about the "Butterfly", a woman profaning
something good and pure. Spreading lies about the things she'd done. No
one was that strong, had that much control over the "other".
She must die, for lying, for being a woman, for soiling the
samurai purity of the "family".
Now he was going to crush the "Butterfly.

"OK, Akane. Let's decide how you're going to fight this guy."
"That's easy, I'm going to let him hit me until he wears himself
out."
"Not funny, Akane."
"I'm serious."
Ranma stared at Akane.
"My bones are denser, and my vital points are more protected than
a normal person's, even without my 'other' awake. All I have to do is
cover up and go with his blows. I can tell he's a new 'third'. He
probably finished within the last six months to a year. He's not very
experienced yet. If I don't resist him he'll be confused. I should be
able to ride it out, just like surfing."
"You can't surf. You can't even swim!"
Akane watched, fascinated as a vein in Ranma's temple bulged.
"It's an analogy, dummy."
"I know what it is, and I know what you'll be. Sushi. He'll kill
you. That's the most stupid plan. . ."
"Stupid. Would you care to repeat that?"
"Stupid, Stupid. S-T-U-P-I-D. We'll have to suck you up with a
shop-vac and bury you in a baggie."
"Do you have any better ideas?" Akane went on without pause.
"This is our only chance to get Kasumi back. I'm going to take it." She
squeezed Ranma's hand. "Just believe in me, OK?"
"Dammit, you stupid tomboy; if you get yourself killed, I'm gonna
beat your butt."
Akane seemed to find these sentiments entirely appropriate for
she rewarded him with her sunniest smile and a hug before turning to
enter the ring.

"Ketsu and Tendou to the line, Fighters to the line. Fight."

They faced each other, unmoving. As the seconds stumbled past
with no evidence of the "other" from Akane, Ketsu's excitement grew. She
was afraid of him, too afraid to even call her "other". He knew it, knew
that the purity of his Samurai blood would be too much for her. And best
of all, his "family" had requested that he play with her a while.

Without the use of her "other", Akane's only defense was to yield
to his strikes and hope she could survive until Cu Lon found Kasumi. It
had sounded like a good plan until Ketsu's stone-breaker fist smashed
into her guard tumbling her across the ring.
Her nose smashed against the ground in a spray of blood and pain.
Akane rolled to her feet in guard position in time to meet a side kick to
the kidneys and a reverse spin kick to the belly. She folded in half with
a scream. She'd never felt pain like this, like a red hot claw in her
gut. Through pain fogged eyes she saw Ketsu looming over her, poised for
a front heel kick. He was over-confident and didn't bother to lock her in
place before starting his kick. But if she didn't move he'd smash her
legs against the anvil of the ground. Desperately she pulled her knees up
and in, and placed her elbows at her sides just below the ribs, in a
modified "Tiger Suns it's Belly".
Ketsu's spat contemptuously at her attempt to protect herself and
kicked her savagely in the side rolling her across the ground. Akane
dimly realized that Ketsu was playing with her as he continued to batter
at her arms and legs, ignoring her head and spine.
After a while, she could no longer remember who she was fighting
or why. Her entire world was reduced to pain, a spiked ball bursting in
her belly, a savage hammer battering her ribs and the sour taste of blood
and vomit clogging her mouth and lungs.
She was dying. The thought came sluggishly. But if she died, she
wouldn't hurt any more. And she would see Mama again. Mama would make it
all better. She didn't hurt much anymore. And she felt so warm and light,
as if she could float away; like a butterfly.

Ranma stood stone faced, glaring into the ring. He watched as
Ketsu hit Akane, watched her tumble across the ring and roll to her feet.
And at that moment he'd thought she had a chance, that she could defend
herself by yielding to his blows. Could last long enough for Cu Lon's
nephew to find Kasumi by tracing a telephone call. And then Ketsu had
revealed his true power. Ranma watched as Ketsu delivered a storm of
punches and kicks that overwhelmed Akane as if she'd been a small child.
He stood white-knuckled as Ketsu kicked Akane across the ground like a
soccer ball, watched as Akane's gi was stained with blood and vomit.
"Ryouga, NO!"
Ranma faintly heard Shan Pu's scream over the blood thundering in
his head. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the lost boy
surrounded by the evil green glow of a Shishi houkou-dan guaranteed to
blow a hole lengthwise through Mt. Fuji.
"OH SHIT! RAAANMA.!"
Ranma didn't even flinch at Ukyou's soprano scream in his ear. He
shrugged off the hands that tugged at him as he raised his arms, palm out
toward Ketsu. Ketsu laughing as he stood over Akane, laughing as he
pulled her limp body off the ground.
Ranma felt dark chi gather in his hands in a boiling green fire.
He felt Ryouga's heavy chi, nearly a match for Ranma's own, and prepared
to launch a blast that would burn Ketsu, the Gakidou and everyone within
to ash.
"We found her. We found Kasumi. Tell Akane."
The sudden intrusion of Cu Lon's voice almost caused him to lose
control. Almost.
"What did you say old woman?"
"We found Kasumi. Tell Akane."
"It's too late. She's finished."
"Stupid boy. She asked you to believe in her. Do you have so
little faith? Now tell her!"
Akane heard a voice. Calling. She was so tired. She just wanted
to sleep. But this was a voice she always listened to. Listened for. This
was the one voice that she could never ignore.
"Akane. AKAAANEEE! We found her! We found Kasumi. DAMMIT, YOU
STUPID TOMBOY! WE FOUND KASUMI!!"
Who was he calling a tomboy? And then it registered. They'd found
Kasumi. And that meant. . .

Ketsu's snarled as Akane's "other" flared into life. She'd
finally decided to fight, but too late. He had broken her body, battered
her into a bloody wreck. Now for the finishing stroke. He released his
hold, amazed that she remained standing. So much the better. He stepped
back slightly to give himself more room to launch his final iron-palm
strike, crushing her chest and pulping her heart and lungs.
Akane's over-mind watched dispassionately as Ketsu's iron-palm
strike seemed to float toward her. Her enhanced reflexes gave her all the
time in the world to recognize and analyze an attack. And this one was
flawless. She was too close, too hurt to avoid the strike, so she didn't
even try. Akane stepped into the blow, robbing it of much of it's power.
Enough to make it survivable, if not pleasant. Her right hand launched a
classic hammer-hand to Ketsu's head, which he easily blocked. This,
however, left him unable to block Akane's left hand, which delivered a
slashing spear-point strike just below his navel.
Even as he sensed the unavoidable strike, Ketsu wasn't worried.
It was only a glancing blow, and not even close to a vital point.
He really was very young, Akane thought tolerantly. A more
experienced "sakkiken" would have learned never to "play" with an
opponent.
Ketsu's final lesson came from a strong left hand tipped with
finger-nails that a lifetime of martial arts had turned into something
closely resembling a box cutter. A strong left hand that opened up his
belly like a sardine can.
The sight and feel of his guts uncoiling on the ground like a
giant slinky startled Ketsu for a second. More than enough time for Akane
to drop him with a leg sweep and follow Ketsu down to the ground. As they
hit the ground together, Akane slammed a reverse elbow strike against his
temple, smashing his skull like an egg.

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