Ranma ½ is the property and invention of Rumiko Takahashi. The following story is not produced for any monetary or personal gain. Its sole purpose is to entertain using the characters and plots developed by Takahashi. ALL rights reserved

Shadows of the Land   Volume I :   The Journey to Aina

Chapter 4: Of Friends, Foes and Mothers.

Soun and Genma finally got sober about two hours after the seven travelers left. They could remember hardly anything from the night before, or so it seemed... Soun was the first to regain his senses prompting Genma to also sober up.

"Saotome my friend, why are we in such a state?" asked Soun

"Ahh… Tendo, can you not remember our children going out and not coming home."

"Finally our lines will be joined!" exclaimed Soun and began his fountain of tears.

"Think of all the grand children!"

"My little girl’s growing up!" wailed Soun, his tears again covering the room in fountains of water.

Kasumi heard the commotion and wandered into the room.

"Oh my, Father, Mr. Saotome, are you ready for breakfast?’ asked Kasumi.

"Kasumi, where are Ranma and Akane?" asked Soun still wailing.

"Oh father don’t you remember, Ranma and Akane were kidnapped and Cologne and the others went to look for them," replied Kasumi in her sweet -nothing is going on- voice. That was the same time Nodoka happened to choose to visit her son.

"Why Auntie Nodoka, how nice it is to see you again!" exclaimed Kasumi.

"Hello Kasumi, can you tell me where I can find my manly son?"

"Oh Auntie, Ranma and Akane have been kidnapped and the others have gone to rescue him!" replied Kasumi as if it were an everyday occurrence.

A genuinely shocked Nodoka took only a few seconds to recover, but that was just enough time for her to spy Genma trying to tippy-toe out of the room. Nodoka saw red...

"So husband where were you when Ranma’s friends left to save him!" demanded Nodoka.

The fear showed in Genma’s eyes and Kasumi spoke up.

"Oh Auntie Saotome, Mr. Saotome and father were sleeping on the floor when they left," replied Kasumi using the same sweet tone as before.

Nodoka glared at Genma.

"Here I am making preparations for our son’s birthday next week and you allow him to be kidnapped. We must speak husband!"

Genma tried in vain to reach the koi pond but stopped as he saw a glistening katana in Nodoka’s hand.

"Oh no husband! You are going to be quite human when I talk to you."

She led him by the collar of his gi up the stairs and into his room. Sounds of pleading could be heard from the room.

Downstairs Soun had begun to wail again.

"My daughter has been kidnapped!" exclaimed Soun.

"Oh father, Ranma is with her. You know he won’t let anything happen to her," comforted Kasumi.

Soun was relieved by this but still continued to wail.

Nabiki, who had been watching the whole thing, grimaced. If father kept crying for five more minutes, she would have to redo the flooring of the house and the plumbing again.

*********

Ukyou and Ryouga who were still lost, heard the explosion. They were horrified at its implications. Silently they prayed that Ranma and Akane were all right and instinctively, they ran to the source of the explosion with Ukyou leading Ryouga -of course. She remembered that Ryouga had actually got lost in her store once and ended up in the bathroom instead of the spare room. He really had no sense of direction since there were only four rooms at the back of her store.

They were surprised to meet up with the others. Cologne, Shampoo, Mousse, Kuno and Jensu were all headed in their direction. Ukyou was overjoyed to be back with the others, she was tired of babysitting Ryouga.

"Ahhh… It is good to have you back," commented Jensu.

"Thanks," replied Ukyou hastily. She still hadn’t figured out how the old man kept up with them, but she would ponder that later...

Imagine their surprise when they saw a miniature castle looming in front of them as they emerged from the forest into a large circular clearing. Unfortunately for the guards who spotted them, Shampoo, Ukyou, Kuno and Ryouga were not in the best of moods. When the four men guarding the castle challenged the group, they were quickly dispatched via bonbori, spatula, bokken and fist. They didn't even bother acknowledging the threat of the guards coming for a second round as all were unconscious on the grassy earth. The seven travelers quickly entered the already damaged castle.

Fregid was in the worst of positions. He wasn’t a very arrogant or ambitious person but he hoped serving the Governor would at least bring him a happy and long life. This was not the case. Not only did the boy escape, but also he realized that the explosion had probably attracted lots of unneeded attention. He was busily supervising the repairs to the castle when he heard alarms from outside. The castle was being attacked. Not again...

Shampoo, Ukyou, Kuno, Mousse and Ryouga brazenly entered the castle and were surrounded by onrushing guards. Cologne and Jensu stayed behind the five and watched the ensuing battle, if you wanted to call it that. The five easily cut a path through the guards, who, realizing they were outclassed backed away slightly giving the five intruders’ breathing room.

When the guards stopped attacking them, the five stopped and gave each other questioning glances. No one knew what to do now. Should they press on?

The time they wasted hesitating was time precious to Fregid. He ordered his remaining two assassin groups to attack the intruders in a blind attempt to save himself further misery.

Ryouga and the others were surprised to find that the rest of the welcoming committee had retreated. Soon they were faced with eleven black clad men drawing swords.

"That look like man great grandmother say take airen!" exclaimed Shampoo "I KILL!"

That was all the rest of them needed to hear. Fregid was among his men and watched as they were severely beaten by the five. The girls were the worst; the one swinging those damned clubs had viciously smashed two of his best fighters. The one with the huge spatula had slammed two others against the ceiling. At least the boys had the courtesy of just beating the stuffing out of guards! The guards the girls had fought were now indistinguishable lumps on the floor. Their limbs were badly bent out of place. Fregid groaned. Suddenly the rest of his guards grabbed him and shoved him in front of the intruders.

"Where Ranma?" demanded the girl with the clubs. She was exquisitely beautiful but Fregid knew that the girl could easily kill him in a heartbeat. He was greatly relieved when some old woman took charge of his interrogation. By now, everyone had deserted him, he was all alone.

"Where is the pig-tailed boy and the girl?" asked Cologne calmly. She could tell that the man in front of her was no martial artist and doubted he could hold his own against any ordinary person.

Fregid was afraid, he had seen what the boy had done, if these were his friends, he shuddered to think what they might do to him. He was not a very brave man either and feared for his life more than the plans of his master. Seeking self-preservation before valor, he wordlessly led them down the flight of stairs to where he had kept the couple. He heard a gasp from behind when they reached the rubble that was the outer wall of the holding cell.

"The boy and the girl have escaped," muttered Fregid in a squeaky voice he never knew he had. The old woman simply passed by him and started to observe the rubble.

"Did Ran-chan do this?" asked Ukyou.

"Hmm...Ranma has proven to be quite powerful," muttered Cologne. She had taught Ranma the theory behind the ki bomb but she never thought that he would actually care about mastering the technique on his own. She had told him to use the ki bomb sparingly due to the devastation it could cause, but from the evidence in front her, she knew Ranma had used one. Why use the ki bomb when a simple ki packed Amaguriken would have sufficed?

As if sensing her mood Jensu quietly spoke to her. "He may not remember a lot of his training." With that, he rejoined the others. Cologne’s face remained blank, but secretly Cologne was proud of her student.

"It is clear that Ranma and Akane have escaped," said Cologne. "Now we must do our best to find them before someone else does."

Shampoo and Ukyou were about to leave the fortress when Shampoo stopped. She was still feeling a bit aggressive. Ukyou stopped as well.

"Spatula-girl want destroy castle."

Ukyou thought for a second and then nodded. All this chasing was getting to her, not to mention the events from the previous night. What followed was a demolition derby where the girls competed to see who could destroy what quicker. Those of the guards who had remained on the outskirts of the forest stared in shock as their one time home was quickly be reduced to a crumbling heap.

After the girls could find no wall or block to vaporize, the seven travelers then left the miniature castle and proceeded to look for their friend/foe.

Fregid looked at the remains of his once beautiful fortress. It had been reduced to rubble by the two girls...he started a long trek into the woods back to his master. Then he changed his mind and headed into the forest, hoping that the life of a hermit would be better than the one he had just left...

********

Governor Kripin looked at his reports. The boy had escaped with his fiancée. That was bad, he would make Fregid pay for his stupidity. The man had overly underestimated the boy. Fregid had actually put the boy in a dungeon instead of bringing the boy directly to the Command Centre. He didn’t care about the attack the castle had suffered after the escape. However, the attackers had been extremely efficient in destroying the defences of the castle. He wondered who they were. Anyway, he had more important things to worry about. His Master would be coming soon. He had to prepare; the failure of Fregid had left him open to the wrath of his Master. Kripin swore he would never let fools like Fregid allow him to fail again.

*********

After running for about half an hour at full tilt, Ranma relaxed a little on the accelerator and the pair soon found themselves under a very large tree. Ranma gave the area a once over before releasing a very heavily blushing Akane from his hands as propped himself up against the tree, his hands behind his head. Akane sat down next to him on one of the larger protruding roots. She had reluctantly left Ranma’s hands, she did not know why, but she felt safe and secure while surrounded by those arms. She was vaguely trying to understand how or why his arms made her feel that way and then gave it up as just a fact. Then she blushed again as she thought crossed her mind that she should return to them.

"C’mon Akane, we had better get going before they show up," motioned Akane after a few minutes.

"I could take them!" replied Ranma with his confident cocky smile. Akane decided to humour him though for some reason she was both a bit angry and a bit proud of his show of arrogance.

"I know you can but don’t you think getting away from them and finding our memories back is more important than fighting?" coaxed Akane

Ranma froze, then nodded his head. He had to agree with her. He did not relish the thought of having to fight those men again. There was no fun or challenge in it. He rose from his position. Slowly, with his cheeks getting rosier by the minute, he raised his hand and offered it to Akane. The colour of Akane’s cheeks also rose as she slowly moved her hand and accepted his. Together they started walking into the forest, each staring straight ahead, wondering what the other was thinking.

They continued walking through the forest as the day progressed and Ranma was quite adept at catching and cooking them lunch. When lunch was over, they lazed around for a few more minutes before again stepping out. They continued walking into the forest with no real object in mind until the sun began dipping over the horizon. Ranma was just able to catch dinner and cook it before the sun went out, then to Akane's consternation, he snuffed out the fire.

"No need to let anyone know that we're here," he told her. She nodded as she realized the truth in his thoughts. Dinner was quickly eaten with some berries as desert. By that time, the sun had fallen way below the horizon and the stars were shining brightly in the sky.

The nice thing about trees in the forest was that large trees tended to shade out the younger sapling and so it was that Ranma found a nice large tree under which nothing grew as the tree's thick canopy prevented little light from filtering underneath. That, and the huge mass of leaves underneath. Ranma thought it would make a good place to stay for the night.

"We can stay here for the night," he told Akane and lay down on the bed of leaves while propping his head up on a root. Akane stared at him for a second before she too lay down next to him. Her heart started to beat faster though at their close proximity. She had made the first move the last time and this seemed to be the most ideal romantic occasion for him to do something or say something. The only problem was that she was fighting an inward battle if he did do something. On one hand, she knew she would not mind if he held her or if he kissed her lightly or something of that nature. The only problem was that if he had something else in mind after that, she was not sure she was ready for that kind of intimacy yet. The idea that scared her most though was that if he did try anything, from what she had seen, she would almost be powerless to stop him. For some reason, although she feared that idea greatly, she was still a little excited by it, and that thoroughly confused her.

The basic question boiled down to: 'Should she let him approach her?' That question however would go unanswered for when she tipped her head slightly he was already asleep.

The tension she had been building ebbed away and she was left feeling slightly cheated. Why did the idiot have to go to sleep at a time like this? A bit distressed, she stretched her arms and relaxed her muscles. It was only then that a wave of tiredness for the day's exercise descended upon her. She yawned uncontrollably for a few seconds, glad that he was asleep and could not see her unfeminine behavior, and in a few minutes she too drifted off.

Now, geologists will tell you that there are certain facts that are peculiar to valleys. One of these occurs at night. At night, the colder air from the upper atmosphere falls to the earth's surface, so even in tropical places, valleys can get quite cold at night. The same could be said for the valley of Aina, and since it was further to the north, it could get very cold during the night on the floor of the valley.

For seasoned veterans like Genma and Ranma, they had no trouble keeping their body temperature up using their ki as a thermostat. However, for the amateur next to him, she was having a very hard time staying awake. Her body began taking the necessary steps to make sure she did not start to suffer from hypothermia. She began to shiver for warmth and her teeth began to chatter. The grinding and chattering of her teeth clicked something in Ranma's mind that he remembered from when the cats were staring at him in the pit ten years ago and he jumped up with a start.

He rubbed his hands together when the cold weather shocked his system as it went from autopilot back to his control. Still hazy, he looked around for the source of the sound that had woken him. His eyes fell on Akane as she lay in a fetal position as she tried to conserve her energy.

Ranma looked around the tree and found a particularly sturdy outcropping root that should be able to shelter them on one side. Using a branch, he dug out a trough, removing all the mulch and humus until there was only dry ground. Then, he began to heap dry leaves into the pile. Satisfied with his work, he walked over to Akane and slid his arms under her, picking her up gently from where she was sleeping. As he held her, her held rolled over into his chest and she burrowed deeper.

Ranma blushed and halted as he pondered what to do. Finally he just shrugged and held her a red line of blush still evident across his cheeks. When he reach the little bed, he tried to put her down, but her arms had somehow wrapped themselves around him and refused to let go. He tried to pry them away but the girl was so strong it was like trying to remove superglue.

Sighing, he ended up lying down with her and burrowing into the pile of dry leaves. They should help keep them warm and ward off the dew in the morning. Finally, after burrowing under the deep pile of leaves, Ranma thought they would be safe enough from the cold. That was when Akane decided she should move from his side and Ranma found himself with a girl draped across his shoulders and chest. He blushed furiously as her face burrowed into his shoulder as if she was looking for something. Then, she stopped and Ranma was allowed a moment of peace. As he lay in what was an entirely new experience for him, he wondered if he would ever get to sleep that night.

His arms still remained at his side after they had lain down and he had a sudden urge to put them around her as she had around him. Idly his mind told him he would be in a lot of pain in the morning. That part of his mind though slowly lost the war as the impulse for him to hold her grew stronger until he moved one of his hands to the small of her back. The pressure of her lying across his body and the feel of her body through his clothes was driving him crazy. He slid his other hand around her waist and held her tightly to his body, basking in the unfamiliar yet enormously enjoyable sensations that he was feeling. He soon fell asleep with a smile on his face.

Ranma had been trained by Cologne, and for purposes of being surreptitious in their training sessions, Ranma had to get up early in the morning. Genma was not a morning person so naturally, he instilled that upon his son as well. The result was Cologne forcing Ranma to use his senses late at night and challenging him to read auras. Although he did it automatically when he was asleep, she was training him to consciously react to the presence of another person or animal. How the technique working was by allowing a sliver of the conscious mind to stay awake during the sleep mode of the brain. It was inherently difficult and required vast amounts of meditation to perfect. Few ever attained it. Ranma was one of these few. He had not perfected the technique but was well within striking distance of it.

The sliver of consciousness had detected something and the result was a full activation of his neural net. Like a robot coming online, so did Ranma's senses, especially his sense of hearing. His first note was that he was buried under the leaves and the second was that something was rummaging not very far from him. He scanned the noises being made listening especially for the animal or person's steps. After craning his sense of hearing for a while, he concluded that a small animal had been rummaging around the area. The alert mode of his mind was switched off and he began to notice his non-threatening surroundings.

The first thing he noted was that his whole body tingled with sensation and he was slightly warm. The next thing that he noticed was that an uncanny amount of pressure was being placed on his body and the third thing he noticed when his eyes adjusted to the dark, was the most beautiful face he had ever seen lying on his shoulder, millimeters away from his. So close that he could feel her warm breath against his skin, raising goose pimples as the warm air massaged his tender flesh.

He lay there staring at her sleeping for a while burning the image of her face into his mind. Then, knowing that nothing good would come of the way they were sleeping, Ranma reluctantly slipped out from under Akane's arms that had somehow wormed their way under his neck and, allowing her to rest gently on the bed of leaves, he broke through to the mist above.

Instantly Ranma was covered with a thin layer of moisture as it condensed again his warm skin. A small amount of light could be seen though it was dispersed by the thick mist forming a gloomy atmosphere. Ranma glared at nothing in particular and jumped to the nearest branch, the mist thinned after a few branches and Ranma found himself at the top of the tree. The sun had yet to peek from behind the mountains but from the amount of light he guessed it was about an hour or so after daybreak. His stomach growled and he shifted his attention towards finding some food.

Akane felt something tickling her nose and woke to the sight of a small spider crawling across her face. She shrieked in surprise as wiped the animal off and burst through the leaves. She looked around and found Ranma staring at her strangely scratching his head. She turned slightly pink from embarrassment but promptly forgot all about it as she eyes the food in front of her. She didn't even spare a thought as to how she had reached under the pile of leaves.

After breakfast they began walking again. Walking in the cool mid-morning shade has the ability of making a person reflect a little. That was exactly what happened to Akane. She was reflecting on her morning since, when she really thought about it, something was fishy about the whole thing. For one thing, she had been sleeping somewhere else the night before, and, she was sure she was above ground before she fell asleep. That meant someone ha moved her there and she had a good idea who it was. Another peculiar thing she noted was the extra space that was around her when the spider decided to tickle her nose. The conclusion was easy. Ranma had been sleeping with her under the leaves. She blushed at that thought, and wondered why he hadn't bothered to wake her up. Naughty thoughts began to go through her head.

As she spent more time thinking, she devoted less of her consciousness to the environment in front of her. Had she not been thinking, she probably would have seen the foolishness of trying to walk on the slippery mossy stones she was about to step on instead of the wet but still firmer loamy soil.

With a skid, she fought precariously for her footing. Her balance control was not that well perfected however and she soon closed her eyes as she felt herself falling backwards, bracing for the inevitable impact.

Suspiciously, there was no impact. Indeed she felt nothing except something warm and hard slip around her body. She opened her eyes to find herself being prevented from her fate by the strong arms of Ranma, who held her aloft from the wet rough ground. Her dream vaguely flitted across her consciousness. The dream with Ranma holding her. Of course, they were not running from someone nor did he have her totally in his arms, but something better than that had occurred.

His face was mere inches from hers as his arms formed a protective circle around her body. They stayed in that position for a fraction longer staring at each other, Ranma debating what to do, and Akane waiting for something to happen. Slowly Ranma began to pull her up onto her feet and had almost released her when he felt the soft flesh of her unblemished hands as they somehow made their way to his face. Instinctively, he turned towards her and was captured by her beauty. Something though in his mind stopped him from allowing the impulse to touch her warm inviting lips to take control. He tried to move his eyes, but soon he felt the tender touch of her lips pressing against his. The contact was slightly longer than the last but this time when he had opened his eyes that had somehow closed, he was face to face with an almost beaming Akane.

When they both recovered and after huge amounts of blushing, they continued their trek hand in hand, finally finding a small, wooden, thatched hut an hour later.

Sensing no real danger from the place, Ranma walked up to the door and knocked. Inside, he heard the shuffling of feet and thought he saw someone peek at them from an open window. After a few moments though, an elderly lady opened the door..

"Hello, can you tell us where we are?" asked Ranma.

"Well of course young man, but first, where are my manners, please (she motioned them) enter."

"Thank you," replied Akane while nudging Ranma in the ribs a little.

"Yeah, thanks?" replied Ranma hastily.

The old woman guided them to a set of chairs. Akane followed obedietly behind her while Ranma lingered back a little. His mind was on complete alert after their first experience when they awoke. The women offered them a seat and Akane graciously accepted. So did Ranma, but he positioned himself with his back was facing an area with no openings so that he could react quickly to any threat from any door or window in the room. Taking some simple earthenware glasses the woman offered them some water. Ranma glanced suspiciously at the old woman. He did not know where he was and his heightened subconscious was telling him to stay alert. Something about little old women pulling pranks on him came into his mind. He did sense someone in the adjoining room, though he did not get any aura of hostility from them. In fact, it was more curiosity than anything else. The woman took a seat and began to speak.

"It is not often I get visitors in my old age," said the woman. "You are in the Lost Valley of Aina. What are your names and where are you from?"

Ranma looked at Akane who just shrugged back at him.

"My name is Akane and this is my…."

"fiancée Ranma," Akane finished. Where did that answer come from she wondered? It was instinctive, almost as if she wanted it to be true.

Ranma turned to stare at her, mouth agape. He wasn't doing a very good job hiding his astonishment at her answer. Akane shrugged slightly and turned back to the woman.

"I ah… we don’t know where we came from," said Akane, "All we can remember are our names."

The old woman rested her hand on her chin and thought for a moment.

"Then child...you were probably brought here by a portal mirror."

"Nani!?" replied Ranma and Akane in union.

"The only way I know of outsiders reaching this world from the outside is through a portal mirror, but if you are not in contact with the holder of the mirror, the magic of the mirror will temporarily block your memory."

"So that’s why we can’t remember anything!" exclaimed Ranma.

"Yes child, you will just have to wait until the magic subsides."

Ranma heard the crack of a door being opened and swiveled around in his chair just in time to see a small child emerging from a room towards the side of the house.

"Gramma, dada and mama home!" shouted an excited little girl then became subdued at seeing new faces. She did not stay subdued for long though. Seeing Akane and Ranma's smiles she became confident that they would not hurt her and she bounded over to Ranma.

"Hello, my name is Juja, what’s yours?" asked the inquisitive energetic little girl.

Ranma gave her a big smile, "My name is Akane and that’s Ranma," he replied pointing to Akane next to him.

"Will you go outside and play with Juja, pleassssse?" pleaded Juja, the little girl. By that time, Ranma's warning system had been reduced to its lowest level of alert. As was the case when he was on the road, he always had a soft heart for children and their games.

Ranma looked at Akane and the old lady. The old lady smiled and Akane simply nodded. Akane was disappointed that Ranma had left her but she realized that the little girls smile had probably melted every ounce of resistance in Ranma. It had certainly affected her. She continued watching Ranma play with the little girl, smiling at the fun they were having.

Ranma allowed the little girl to bounce all around him, running around playing tag and pulling at his ponytail. Somehow this felt both natural and foreign to him but he was laughing; he was having some good old fun. Something the back of his mind told him he did not get enough of.

"He’s very good with children isn’t he?" noted the old woman.

"Uh what? Oh, I’m sorry, what is your name again?" asked Akane.

"Oh, you can call me Gora."

"What did you ask me before Gora-san?" asked Akane

"Your fiancée, he is very good with children."

Akane looked at the pair outside the hut. Juja was running all around Ranma who would fake attempts of catching the little girl bringing about squeals of laughter from the girl who would continue to try evading Ranma. Of course, anytime Ranma caught her; he tickled her making her squeal. She wanted to be out there with him, but she did not know if she should. This was the little girl's turn to have him.

"Yes" replied Akane. "He really is, isn’t he."

Gora smiled at the young couple. She knew the girl was hardly paying her comments any attention. She was young once and in love in her younger days. She could still remember those days vividly in her memories. Those were the thoughts she loved to play with in her mind in her old age.

She could see the emotion in the way they held their eyes. The passing glances, the unseen smiles. Yes they were definitely in love. One only needed to see the signs that were hidden. Young people these days, so confused...

"You are lucky to have him," complemented Gora.

"I guess I am," Akane replied subconsciously not even recognizing what she had said, her eyes still focused on Ranma.

Ranma had finally worn down the girl who was now yawning heavily. She looked ready for a nap. He picked her up in his hands and brought her into the hut. He tried to give her to the old woman but the girl had fastened herself to Ranma’s shoulder and had fallen asleep.

"I think it’s best if you put her to sleep," motioned Gora, "She gets very attached to people."

Ranma followed Gora into a small room. Akane followed him. Gora stayed by the doorway while Akane followed Ranma to the side of the thatched bed. Ranma sat down and laid the girl onto the bed. Akane sat down next to him and watched the little girl as she slept.

Gora watched the young couple. The scene looked so peaceful. She wished she could have a picture to treasure that moment. Then Ranma put his hand on Akane’s shoulder and they left the room. When they were safely away from the room Ranma spoke.

"Thank you for your hospitality..."

Gora realized that the boy was going to leave. She could not have that. She needed company. If not for her, then for her grand daughter. Having people around again would certainly do the child well.

"Nonsense child, I insist you stay for the night," replied Gora with a strong motherly tone behind it.

Akane and Ranma bowed. "Thank you Gora-san," replied Akane.

Ranma was grateful for the woman’s offer. He had absolutely no idea where he was, who he really was, or where he was from. He hoped a little bit of rest would help his memory. He remembered the fight before and how more skilled he was than Akane.

"Excuse us, but we have to do some training," announced Ranma.

"Sure child, go ahead," answered Gora

Akane was looking puzzled. "Training?"

"I said I would help you train didn’t I?"

"I guess so."

"Well come on then!"

Ranma had been thinking of how he should train Akane. He did not want to spar with her directly; somehow that did not seem right. Finally he decided on a method of instruction.

Ranma faced off against Akane armed with a pile of stones.

"Ok Ranma, you have to be able to block or catch these stones! Ready!"

Ranma threw a couple of stones at a normal human speed. Akane easily caught them.

"Come on Akane, that’s the best you’ve got!" taunted Akane

Ranma smirked then grinned. If she wanted faster then she would get faster. Ranma started throwing stones with more vigour. He increased his speed until Akane could barely stop the stones from hitting her. Then, as she started to speed up her reactions to the stones, he slowly increased the speed until all the stones he had gathered had been thrown. He gathered the stones again and the exercise was repeated.

Gora was watching the two as they trained. She was surprised to see Ranma throwing stones at Akane. They continued this training for an hour then Ranma found some miniature boulders. He gave Akane two and took two himself then they went off running and jumping with Ranma in the lead. They continued this for another hour. Soon she could visibly see that Akane was out of breath and exhausted. Ranma did not seem too bothered with the training although he looked a bit drained. Gora thought Ranma probably did not want to look weak in front of his fiancée. She remembered the archaic code that still existed today. Although the principle meant well, the practice wasn’t justified most of the time.

Ranma looked at Akane. He could see that there was no use training further today. He was still feeling a bit tired and he could see that Akane was not accustomed to this kind of intense training.

"Hey Ranma, how were you able to form that mallet?" asked Ranma.

"What mallet?" asked Akane, unsure of what Ranma meant.

"The one you used during the fight!" exclaimed Ranma

"I used a mallet during a fight?"

"Of course you stupid tomboy didn’t ya know what you were doing!" Ranma thought to himself, *where the hell did that come from*.

"A-KA-NE!!!!" shouted Akane getting mad. As she advanced on Ranma, the mallet materialized in her hands.

"STOP RANMA! LOOK! IN YOUR HANDS!!"

Akane looked in her hands and saw a big blue fringed mallet in them. Then it disappeared.

"How did I do that?" asked Akane, completely forgetting about the insults. Talk about a lack of long term memory...

"I think it is a manifestation of your ki," replied Ranma. "Try and do it again."

Akane tried but nothing came out.

Ranma sat down beside Akane and started to think. He realized that Akane had only made the mallet when she was mad. She really was a tomboy.... He had to show her how to make it appear when she needed it.

"Ranma, watch this." Ranma connected with the focal point of his ki and a white sphere of energy appeared in his right hand.

"In order for you to do that Akane, you need to focus on some emotion. You have a blue mallet when you are angry so try focusing on another emotion. Try to find your center and then try to pull the energy from the center into your hand."

Akane closed her eyes and searched within herself to find her focal point. She found it and tried to pull it into her hand. It was no use she could not do it.

Ranma saw her stop and put his hand on her shoulder. "Come on Ranma, I know you can do it!"

When Ranma touched Akane, Akane felt a strong powerful emotion. She tapped into that emotion and then tapped into her ki.

"Open your eyes Ranma!" shouted Ranma excitedly.

Akane opened her eyes and saw a small bright red mallet in her hands. She marveled at it and then she let it dissipate.

"So Ranma," asked Ranma coyly, "What emotion did you use there?"

Akane blushed furiously. Ranma smiled and then headed back into the hut. Akane followed him in, her face still a shade of pink. Unfortunately she could not see the broad grin on Ranma’s face.

Gora looked at them and admonished them; their clothes were totally filthy. "You children had better take a bath, there’s a stream down the path behind the house." Akane thanked her and saw Juja watching them from inside the room. Juja ran towards Akane and glomped onto her right foot much like Shampoo does to Ranma. Ranma and Gora laughed.

"I guess she wants to go too," chuckled Gora.

Ranma bent down, extracted the girl from Akane’s leg with much giggling and laughter and put her on his head. She worked her legs around his neck and playfully tugged at his ponytail. Juja had jumped off from her perch on Ranma and was holding both Ranma’s and Akane’s hands. With the girl between them, they made their way to the stream. Juja of course led the way, practically dragging the pair with her.

Ranma had stripped to his underwear and entered the water. Juja had already dispensed with all her clothing and was splashing in the stream. Ranma jumped in clad only in his shorts had changed almost immediately as he entered the water. Juja saw him change, opened her mouth in shock, recovered, smiled then giggled. She swam over to Ranma to test the new body and began playing with Ranma-chan’s fiery red hair.

Ranma wasn’t all too happy with changing into a girl, but there was no way getting around it. At least Juja had accepted it easily enough.

Akane had changed at a distance, and entered the water cautiously, something in her mind was telling her not to go in. She dismissed the thought and entered the water, making her way to Ranma-chan. Suddenly the water got deeper and Akane panicked as he legs and arms failed to keep her above the water. She could not swim! The water, the water was surrounding her, enveloping her; she couldn’t breathe; she couldn’t think; she couldn’t feel the bottom; she had to fight to stay on top, but the current; the current, it was pulling her away, away from Ranma; she screamed.

Ranma-chan heard splashing and turned around then he saw Akane struggling in the water. She screamed, then, she went under. Immediately Ranma-chan dove frantically into the waters of the river. With Ranma's strong swimming strokes propelling the lithe body swiftly through the clear waters, Ranma grabbed Akane, put a hand across Akane’s chest and pulled her effortlessly out of the water in one fluid motion. Ranma thanked whatever god there was when he heard Akane gasping for breath at the surface. Ranma-chan dragged Akane from the water and dropped onto the bank. Akane falling on top of her. Ranma began stroking Akane’s hair from her face. Shaken, Ranma hugged her tightly.

"Ranma (pant), don’t ever do that to me again."

Akane was still in shock and Juja was by Ranma’s side, crying. Ranma hugged Akane close to him and passed his other hand through Juja’s hair to soothe the little girl, then wiped Juja’s eyes. The little girl calmed down and Ranma’s warmth returned Akane to her senses. Akane’s breathing returned to normal. Akane turned around, pulled Ranma close to her and gave him a kiss on the cheek. She felt something pressing against her chest. She realized Ranma did not have a shirt on and was in his girl form. That drew deep blushes from both of them reviving the almost satirical atmosphere before the incident.

They disengaged themselves and went back into the water. Ranma held Akane’s hand and led her into the water. They spent the rest of the day teaching Akane to swim and trying to calm Juja. At the end of the day, Ranma had at least taught Akane how to tread water and some basic swimming skills.

Ranma-chan and Juja got dressed on the bank of the river while Akane went behind a tree. Soon all three returned to the hut.

Gora was intrigued to see a red-haired girl walking with her granddaughter and Akane. She could not see Ranma anywhere! When they explained Ranma’s gender changing abilities, she was most amazed. Soon Ranma was back in his male body.

While they were gone, Gora had made dinner. Ranma for once ate without the usual gusto since Akane was eyeing him all during dinner, making sure he didn’t embarrass himself. Gora saw this and was quite amused as the two of them exchanged glances throughout the whole meal. When dinner was finished Akane and Gora put Juja to bed while Ranma slipped out unnoticed.

Ranma saw the sun going down over the mountains and jumped up a tree to get a better view. Akane had come outside looking for him and found him on top of the tree. She called out to him. Ranma jumped down, picked her up in his hands and jumped back up to his former perch. Akane and Ranma silently watched the sunset on the limb of the tree. Ranma’s hand around Akane and Akane’s head on Ranma’s shoulder. Both were a bit uneasy about their positions and unsure of what to do next. Their hearts were racing. They watched the sun go down together and stayed there after the sun set, watching the clouds roll by as they turned to deeper hues of orange and red. Slowly, the events of the day took their toll on Akane.

Ranma looked down at Akane who was fast asleep against his shoulder. He smiled. He lifted her into his arms and bounded down the tree, being careful not to disturb her. He looked at her again. She seemed so peaceful and kawaii. Gora met him at the door and showed him to a room with a large bed. Ranma gently laid Akane on the far side of the bed. Ranma lay at the other side of the bed, watching the sleeping girl beside him. Sleep overcame him before his conscience told him to leave the room. Soon they were both fast asleep.

Gora cracked open the door and gazed upon the sleeping couple. They looked so peaceful. They had seemed a bit uneasy and on guard for most of the day. She guessed they were both in the late teens. They made a lovely couple.

Ranma was an enigma to her. He moved with the alacrity of a prowling cat. Energy visibly radiated out of him as light from a flame. The boy was certainly very skilled. Training for him seemed like a second nature, and what would normally make a grown man cringe, seemed almost to encourage him to push himself harder. She could read the air of confidence and chaos around him. She wondered what his life was like and where he was from.

Akane was different. She seemed more human or rather less superhuman than Ranma. Gora didn’t know what to make of her as yet; perhaps later she would get to know Akane better.

Akane dreamed that night of Ranma. She dreamed of being in his arms but something was not right. It was not like how she had felt when he had carried her that day. She was feeling weak and she could feel herself slipping away from the world. She could see Ranma crying over her and holding her tenderly. She cried out to him, for him to hear something she desperately wanted to say, but nothing came out. She felt herself becoming colder and colder and colder….

Akane woke up in a cold sweat. She had been dreaming. She looked around and saw Ranma beside her on the bed. She hesitated, wondering if she should do what her mind was telling her to do. Would it seem improper for her to be doing that with him? She hardly knew him after all. Well she could hardly remember anything about her life anyway. She shivered again in the cold of the night and that forced her decision. She settled the doubt in her mind with the fact that remembered being in his arms. That meant they did have a history and having a history probably meant other things that she wasn't ready to think about just yet. She cuddled up next to Ranma cherishing his warmth and was soon fast asleep again her face a rosy red.

During the night, Ranma felt a tiny person nudging him in the chest. He woke up to find a semi-awake Juja trying to pry him apart from Akane. Unconsciously, he pulled away a bit from Akane allowing Juja to nestle in between them. He then drew his hand over the young girl and Akane, and went back to sleep

Gora woke up in the morning to find her grandchild missing from her room. She then peered into the other room and smiled. There she was curled up between Ranma and Akane. Soon Juja stirred and forcefully tried to wake up Ranma and Akane pronouncing she was ready to get out of bed. Gora noted that it was still early. She shooed Juja from the room and shut the door, allowing the still sleeping pair another hour of sleep.

Akane woke up first and realized she was snuggled under Ranma’s chin. After controlling the rising blood to her cheeks, she poked his tummy and nudged him in his chest until he was awake.

"Come on sleepyhead time to get out of bed," she taunted. Akane threw a pillow at Ranma who was now fully awake. He grabbed the pillow and pulled, forcing Akane off balance. Akane fell right on top of him. They stared at each other, the colour racing back to their faces. Slowly their faces came together and slowly their lips touched and for the first time in their history, their lips parted slightly.

"Ranma, Akane time for…. Whoops!’ exclaimed Gora who had just entered the room "Sorry". She closed the door behind her. By now they had broken off what was almost a French kiss and were blushing furiously. Ranma turned to leave but Akane was not finished just yet. She grabbed him by the collar and reeled him in. She wanted another to make sure Ranma knew exactly what she wanted. She pulled him around to face her.

Ranma looked at the beautiful vision in front of him. He was mesmerized by her and felt his emotions and his body stirring. He awkwardly began to close the gap between himself and the vision before him.

Akane saw him approaching her. This is it! Shouted her mind. Something in her heart was jumping for joy. She felt as if she had been waiting for this for ages. She closed her eyes. He closed his eyes and contact was made.

Their lips brushed, but with their eyes closed, their directions were totally off. Ranma’s lips ended up by Akane’s chin while Akane’s ended up on Ranma’s nose.

Ranma looked at her and began to giggle, then laugh.

Akane gave him a disapproving look but soon she was laughing also. Akane had made up her mind though. She would have her just rewards. She waited until he let his guard down and then she pounced. She flung herself at Ranma, throwing him on the ground with her momentum and pinning him with her weight. Then she kissed him.

Without the overwhelming nervousness controlling her senses, Akane noted that Ranma’s lips were soft, almost delicate. Then she pushed further.

Ranma was taken off guard by Akane’s assault and was a bit shocked. He tried to negate Akane’s advances, but soon his heart was crying out to be set free. Soon the penned up emotions of almost a year overcame him. He succumbed to Akane’s advances. He embraced Akane and pulled her closer to him, deepening the kiss.

"AHA!" shouted Juja as she burst into the room bounding across the room with Gora trying desperately to catch her as she bounded around the room. Ranma and Akane separated and burst out laughing as Gora tried in vain to keep Juja at bay.

*************

The Tendo Dojo

Monday night, Nodoka, Soun Genma, Nabiki and Kasumi gathered around the table and quietly ate supper. They all gathered there for support. Once and a while, some one of Akane’s friends would come and ask if there was any news.

Nabiki did not like this one bit. Every other time Ranma had had an adventure, she had at least known where they were or where they were going. Now, she had no answers, only questions. Nabiki hated to be kept in the dark, especially when it came to family. She hoped everything would be all right, she hoped that Ranma would take care of her baby sister.

Nodoka was most troubled. She glanced at her husband who was in his panda form. She had waited so long for Genma to bring back her son. She had hoped she would be able to spend his seventeenth birthday with him. Now, she wasn’t even sure where he was. She had talked with her son before and had realized that he had never had much of a birthday. Genma didn’t much care for occasions, and as a result, Ranma had never had a birthday party on the road. She doubted Ranma had ever had that much of a childhood and talking to Ranma had confirmed it. His only real friend on the road had been Ukyou, who was now one of Akane’s rivals. She cringed; Genma had sold her son for food so many times. How could she have put her trust in such a man! She had burned that promise she had forced Genma to make a long time ago, she only wanted her son. Silently she thanked whatever angel had been watching over her son and hoped that he would be back for his birthday tomorrow or at the most Akane’s.

Kasumi noticed the tension at the table.

"Auntie Saotome I’m sure Ranma and Akane are all right," offered Kasumi smiling.

Nodoka had always wondered how the girl managed to smile that reassuring, humbling smile all the time but she was glad for it. At least she could gain comfort in Kasumi’s presence. Genma was still cringing from her gaze behind Soun. Things had changed so much between them, she wondered if they could ever go back to that time before he had left with Ranma.

***************

Ukyou and the others had been searching for signs of Ranma and Akane for five days. They had had no luck. So far, all they had found were one or two lost and weary travelers who had not seen a living soul in a couple of days. Ryouga had managed to get himself lost again. No one had seen him in two days. She smirked. He might be with Ranma and Akane now, or he may be lost somewhere in China or Senegal. Who knows where that boy would end up?

Secretly she knew she was missing his company. He had comforted her during the search but she could not help but feel uneasy. She hoped Ranma would send them a signal again, showing them where he was. She also hoped, more than she realized that Ryouga would find them.

Cologne had the utmost confidence in her student’s abilities. Even if Ranma had lost most of his memory, she had seen him training. Every technique he saw, he subconsciously added it to his already large collection. He would be able to call on his knowledge if challenged. She only hoped that he would not go overboard.

She looked over to Shampoo and Ukyou. They wore grave masks on their face. Cologne knew better though. Ranma was a survivor, if anything he would find a way to make a way. Cologne thought that the lost boy might actually find Ranma and Akane first. He had an uncanny knack of showing up at the right places at the right time.

Jensu was feeling miserable. The boy was lost now. Jensu could feel the veil of evil in the air. The Shadows were stirring. Soon they would be awake and the only one who could defeat them still could not be found.

**********

Gora had been watching Ranma train Akane. Over the five days of training, Akane’s speed had increased considerably. Of course, she was slow in comparison to Ranma. He could move with inhuman speed. She had seen him chopping down a tree with his bare hand for firewood and to help expand the hut. She only saw a blur as he easily felled the tree and sliced it up. She had seen the boy bound from tree to tree. It seemed as if he was actually flying. She doubted if any of the warriors that she had seen during her lifetime were as good as Ranma was now.

More surprisingly to Gora, Ranma was an excellent teacher. Besides speed, Akane’s strength had increased, her balance was a lot better and her dodging and leaping abilities were steadily improving. According to Juja, whom still enjoyed romping with Ranma and Akane and bathing with them, Akane could now swim, although not very well. Juja did not stop to give details though.

Ranma worked Akane extremely hard during the day. After supper, they would go out and watch the sunset. The day usually ended with Akane falling asleep due to exhaustion and Ranma carrying her to bed. Gora noted that Ranma stayed up late most nights sitting outside in a tree. He seemed to be thinking or meditating. Then, he would join an already slumbering Akane and Juja. That made her smile. Juja had grown quite fond of them and preferred to share their bed as she had done with her parents. She realized that neither of the two was troubled about this. In fact, it seemed to be a remedy to the seemingly uncomfortable sleeping situation she had forced on them.

This evening however, Ranma had allowed Akane a well-earned break and the two were enjoying themselves in the river. Juja had not gone with them though. The child was running a slight fever and needed some rest. When they returned, they had grave looks on their faces. She was confused and afraid now. She had been suspicious that they wanted to leave but she did not want them to leave. She did not want them to leave her grand daughter.

Ranma walked up to Gora.

"There is something we would like to ask you?" said Ranma.

"Yes child, what is it?" replied Gora in the most innocent tone she could put up.

"Where are Juja’s parents?" asked Akane.

Gora was surprised to say the least. She had never in her life expected that question. She did not know if to tell them the truth. They were so young, so full of life and energy, so in love. She did not want to see them to their fate. But, if she did not tell them, the raiders would get them soon enough. She beckoned them inside. It was time for the truth.

"I want to tell you a little story, it is a bit long but if you bear with me you will find out what happened to her parents."

Ranma and Akane watched the old woman as she reclined into a chair. She sighed heavily, for the first time you could see the age and tiredness in her eyes.

"When I was younger, there was a great kingdom here. The ruler of this kingdom was a kind and generous man. He was supposed to wed a warrior he had defeated on his many travels when he died. The king had died without leaving a successor but fortunately among his brothers, there were two nephews who could be raises to be kings. The decision between which should be king could not be agreed. Both boys were brought up as brothers.

The care of the boys was given to the caretakers of the Royal Family, the druids. The Dragon and the Phoenix, as legend has it, granted the druids, the gift of wisdom. Using this wisdom, the druids helped the people of this valley and the people of the other great valley. They formed the magical barriers around the springs of Jusenkyou and the springs of Aina to prevent people from finding them for indiscriminate purposes.

One of the boys grew up to be just like his Uncle in all regards, but he did not want the crown. So, the crown went to his cousin. Now this other boy, who became king, was infatuated with power and trained a huge army to challenge the other valley. The druids, in order to spoil his plans, formed a magical barrier between this valley and the world. They formed two mirrors as the only means of leaving the valley. However, the mirrors can only carry ten people at a time and needs ten days to recharge its magic. The king was enraged and ordered the capture and execution of the druids. Few escaped his wrath. A few years later, the king became infatuated with immortality and allowed his kingdom to be controlled by a Governor. Now, no one knows where the two brothers are.

One month ago, the slavers of the Governor passed through the area and captured my son and his wife. Since then, I have taken care of my granddaughter. She is one of the last remaining descendant of the druids."

Finished with her story, Gora watched Ranma and Akane with expectant eyes. "Please stay and take care of her for me? I know I don’t have that long to live, so please just stay!"

Ranma looked at Akane, how could he refuse the old lady? But, it was Akane who replied to the woman.

"We will stay until our memory comes back (pauses) and help take care of your granddaughter," replied Akane to the joy of Gora.

Over the last five days, the two had become quite attached to the little girl who loved to play with them and who shared their bed.

"Thank you, oh thank you!" replied Gora profusely and rushed off to prepare supper excitedly. She had ensured the future for her granddaughter, now she was happy.

Akane looked at Ranma, "So what do we do now!"

"Just what you said I guess. We’ll stay here until our memories clear up. Then, I don’t know."

"I guess that’s good enough for me," replied Akane.

"You know Juja is quite cute," commented Akane

"Yeah, I know what you mean," replied Ranma.

Juja had long black shiny hair. Her eyes were a sparkling blue-green colour. She was really a very active and loveable child. She craved for attention and sometimes, Ranma used her during training as added weight for Akane to carry. Juja just enjoyed it as part of the fun. He had also started to train Juja a bit, showing her a few kicks and punches. This allowed her to do some play fighting with Akane and himself. All and all, she was a wonderful child to be with.

Gora called them in for supper and the four sat down and ate.

***********

Ryouga could not believe his bad luck. He had got himself lost again. Not that that was anything new to him, but he was worried. What if something had happened while he was gone? What if they had found Akane and Ranma? What if there was to be a fight? Ryouga continued walking, mulling in his thoughts when he heard a loud kyiah in the distance. That sounded like Akane, Ryouga thought to himself. Ryouga came to a clearing and found Ranma sparring with Akane. Ryouga thought Ranma was actually fighting with Akane, how the hell could he fight a girl, especially Akane. Ryouga’s blood began to boil!

Akane and Ranma were having their morning sparring session. Of course, Akane never won any of these sessions. It would always end with Ranma’s superior stamina and speed being the deciding factor. All Akane had to do was block Ranma’s finger strikes and counterattacks. To any person watching the bout, it seemed like a real sparring session. Suddenly a boy wearing a yellow shirt and black pants exploded from the bushes.

"RANMA PREPARE TO DIE!" shouted Ryouga.

Akane and Ranma shifted into their battle positions. Ranma did not know who the hell this was or how he knew their names but if he wanted to fight Akane he would have to get through him first.

"AKANE GET OUT OF THE WAY!" shouted Akane. Ranma seeing Akane focusing her ki quickly jumped and did a backflip, moving from a position in front of her to a position behind her.

Ryouga was now totally confused. Akane had called Ranma ‘Akane‘ and Ranma had just back-flipped behind Akane. Ryouga who was still charging at Ranma had no chance. He was shocked to see a blue ki mallet ascend in an almighty uppercut from Akane’s hands and hit him squarely in the chest. It was not very powerful, but Ryouga had been hit square on. Dazed he got up, only to meet the end of another mallet. Akane sent him flying into the sky.

"Nice shot Ranma!" shouted Ranma.

"Thanks," replied a smiling Akane. She had won her first fight.

Ranma and Akane raced towards the hut to make sure that Juja was all right. Both knew that this was not a good situation. Someone had recognized them and that was not good. They were not very far from the hut and it was possible to this person to find them again. That would be dangerous for Gora and Juja, especially if he came back with reinforcements and he surely would.

"Gora, Juja, you here!" called Ranma as he reached the door.

"Of course we are child!" replied Gora from within. Ranma breathed a sigh of relief. Akane caught up to him.

"We were attacked a minute ago," related Ranma, "I don’t think its safe here anymore!"

Gora nodded gravely. "I did not think they would pass here so soon. Come we must pack. You must go now."

"Well you’re coming with us," exclaimed Ranma.

"No child, they will not care for an old woman like me. I will just slow you down." She started packing fervently just throwing whatever she could think they needed into a bag. Juja who was scared, clung to Gora’s feet. Gora kissed her granddaughter.

Ranma pressed the matter, but Gora was insistent on staying.

"Juja, go with Uncle Akane and Auntie Ranma please." Reluctantly the girl released her grip on her grandmother. Gora gripped both Ranma and Akane in a tight hug. "Take care of yourselves and Juja." She was crying now. The three said their good byes and left the hut, with Ranma holding Juja in his arms. They walked away slowly into the forest, taking a last look at the hut. Then, reaching the forest, Ranma and Akane took to the trees, to increase their chances of eluding who ever had attacked them.

**************

Ukyou was feeling as depressed as the others were. The only person in the group who did not look the least phased was Cologne. Another day had passed and still they had not found any signs of Ranma. Ukyou looked up and offered a silent prayer to kami-sama that today they would find at least some trace of Ranma and Akane. Her prayers were answered.

Up in the air she saw a spot descending down towards her. It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s…a BOY. The rest of the group had noticed the spot, which was rapidly coming closer and which bore a certain resemblance to a boy. A faint yell could be heard coming from above.

"Great grandmother, maybe stupid pervert girl hit Ranma again, see!" shouted Shampoo.

The boy was coming closer and closer. They stared at the emerging figure, he was wearing a yellow shirt. RYOUGA! Houston we have touchdown!

Ryouga slammed into the earth, leaving a small crater. Now he knew how Ranma felt every time Akane hit him. He felt a small dent on the side of his head where the mallet had hit him and his chest was still sore from the impact of a weak but effective ki mallet. Wait, Ryouga told himself mentally, since when did Akane develop a ki mallet that strong! And, why would Akane hit him! Then the questions came.

"Ryouga did you find Ran-chan!" demanded Ukyou.

"Pig-boy find Husband!" asked Shampoo expectantly.

Cologne decided it was time to take charge of the situation. "Be patient!" ordered Cologne. When Ryouga had picked himself off the ground Cologne asked him to tell everyone what happened.

"Well I was walking by myself when I heard Akane. I saw Ranma and Akane fighting and I rushed in to attack Ranma. All I know is that Akane hit me with her mallet." Ryouga decided to keep the idea that Akane had a stronger ki charged mallet to himself, no need in getting Shampoo and Ukyou more agitated.

Shampoo was the first to speak up.

"Stupid pig-boy forget Ranma no remember. Lucky violent pervert girl hit you first!"

"Forsooth, the lecherous Saotome dare threatens the fair Akane Tendo. I Tatewaki Kuno, the Blue Thunder of Furiken High will smite him. I will free the fair Akane Tendo and the..." (wham)

Kuno clutched his head as a bonbori impacted against it.

"Ha, that shut up stupid sword boy!" exclaimed Shampoo.

"Where did you see Ranma and Akane?" asked Cologne.

"Over there," pointed Ryouga to the east, actually pointing in the right direction. Everyone began running in that direction.

The girls were troubled. If Akane was with Ranma, she could further their relationship and Ranma may have begun to teach Akane. Knowing Ranma, she might actually get good enough to give them a run for their money. He also knew a sley of trick from his old man that he could show her. Most of them worked only once, but she only needed to use them once. No, they had to get to Ranma quickly.

Ryouga was the most troubled of the lot. He could not believe he had lost to a girl. Most of all, it was Akane who had hit him. Why, why had she done that!

Soon the group of travelers reached a clearing in the woods. Looking around they noticed a small hut. Jensu walked up to the hut and knocked. An elderly lady opened the door and Jensu gasped.

"Gora!" "Jensu!"

The two hugged each other. Gora saw the visitors and motioned for them to enter. Then she saw a yellow shirt.

"You, it was you wasn’t it," demanded Gora.

Ryouga looked at her puzzled.

"You, you were the one who attacked Ranma and Akane!"

"Ranma was here," cried Ukyou.

"Please, let us sit down so the boy can explain himself," pleaded Jensu.

Gora let him enter but kept her eye on him. Ryouga felt uneasy under her accusing stare. When every one was seated Ryouga got the scolding of his life.

"Now boy," said Gora with obvious disgust in her voice, "Why did you attack them?"

Ryouga started to open his mouth, but his throat was dry. He started to speak in a hoarse voice.

"I… I…saw Ranma attacking Akane so I attacked Ranma," replied Ryouga meekly.

"Since when did Ranma get better than Akane, and do you always go around attacking girls!" she exclaimed.

"What?" shouted Ukyou, Shampoo, Ryouga Mousse and Kuno.

"Husband much better than violent pervert girl!" stated Shampoo emphatically.

Gora was at a loss for the apparent confusion.

"I think they are using the other’s names," stated Cologne. "It is the only reason why Gora would think that Ranma was Akane and Akane was Ranma."

"So you mean the girl’s name is actually Akane and the boy’s name is Ranma?" asked Gora.

"That is correct," replied Cologne.

"Great grandmother very wise," stated Shampoo to the others.

"That still does not explain why you attacked Ranma," stated Gora.

Ukyou volunteered to answer that question. "Those two are always fighting. Ryouga (she glares at him) blames Ranma for all his problems and is always seeking revenge. Ranma always beats him so they continue the contest every time they meet."

Gora looked at Ryouga. "It is not an honourable thing to blame others for your problems," Gora told Ryouga in a condescending tone. Then she turned to Jensu, "Why are you looking for him?"

"This Ranma, I have watched him through my mirror, he is the one!"

"He is!" cried Gora. "Then you must find him quickly before the Governor can send his people after him." She took them outside and pointed to the east.

"They went in that direction, and they have my granddaughter with them. Hurry, find them quickly."

The seven travelers took to the woods.

"Good luck!" shouted Gora behind them.

************

Ranma and Akane had been hiking through the forest for an hour when they heard a man cry for help. Ranma handed Juja to Akane and sprinted to the source of the cry. Ranma got angry at the sight before him. One old man was pitted against five men clad in black. The five men were severely harassing the old man who looked in no position to defend himself. One of the men hit the old man; Ranma went from angry to very pissed.

Ranma jumped down and landed five meters from the closest one.

"If ya like to pick on old men, lets see ya pick on someone your own size!" shouted Ranma. The man accepted the challenge and rushed Ranma. How unfortunate for him! Ranma dodged the man’s first strike easily. He was no match for Ranma. Soon the man was gasping heavily on the ground, the recipient of about fifty punches to the chest.

"Anyone else wanna try?"

The four men, seeing their fallen comrade, attacked simultaneously. Ranma simply jumped away from them and picked them off one by one. All the men saw of Ranma was the blur of his hands as he dispatched them with ease.

"So you have defeated my men. Pathetic aren’t they! Now see if you can beat me!"

Ranma turned around to see a very tall, burly man with an unsheathed sword. Ranma sneered.

"Only a coward attacks with weapons," taunted Ranma.

"But this weapon will be you funeral!" shouted the swordsman.

"You wish!" exclaimed Ranma as the man attacked him.

Ranma easily dodged the weapon’s strikes and struck him viciously with the full power and fury of the Amaguriken. Still not satisfied, Ranma booted the defeated brigand into the atmosphere. Akane who had only seen the ending of the short scuffle only smiled.

"Thank you kind sir! Oh thank you!" said the old man.

"Who are you?"

"I will tell you my name another time, but first I must repay you for your kindness." The old man saw Akane and Juja walking up behind Ranma.

"Come, bring your family. I must at least give you a bed for the night."

Ranma was about to reply to the last remark when Akane cut in.

"We’d love to!" replied Akane while shooting a sideways glance to Ranma.

Ranma wanted to know why Akane did not want to tell the old man that they were not married or that Juja was not their child. Secretly he allowed himself a smile. It was not like he wouldn’t mind being married to Akane. Their first kisses he had with her had been electrifying. However, due to the strenuous training activities during the last few days, Akane was either asleep or on the way before they could start anything again.

Akane did not know why she did not want Ranma to explain their situation but then pretending to be married to Ranma was not a bad proposition in itself. They had not had any time to be together, with the training and Juja taking up most their time. She longed to repeat that moment a few days ago when they kissed. She looked at Ranma and immediately blushed as she remembered the events of their previous engagement.

They followed the old man silently encased in their own thoughts. The old man continued talking about the good old days while Juja ran between Ranma and Akane, unable to decide who should play with her.

Soon they came to a cliff. Ranma, Akane and Juja watched in astonishment as the old man simply walked into the cliff and disappeared. They stood there with their mouths hanging in disbelief. The old man came out of the mountain and beckoned to them.

"Well, aren’t you coming!"

Ranma and Akane slowly walked to the half image of the old man in front of them. Half of his body could be seen, and where the other half should be, was mountain. Holding hands and an equally scared Juja, they closed their eyes and walked into the mountain.

*************

That morning, Nodoka Saotome, her husband and the Tendo family celebrated Ranma’s seventeenth birthday. In the tradition she had carried out for the last ten years, she presented a picture of Ranma covered in flowers with a present she had selected. The rest of the family following Nodoka’s example, similarly placed their gifts at the foot of the picture. Nabiki left for school and Kasumi continued her household chores. The two fathers decided to play a game of shoji. Nodoka remained in the Dojo staring at the picture of her son. She had hoped she would be able to give him the best birthday he had ever had. Now she had to pray for his return. She fought the depression that suddenly came over her.

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