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 9: Recovery

Ranma stirred in his sleep. He had a whopper of a headache. Dizzily, the forced his eyes open. He remembered the fight in the castle and could only think of one person…Akane. His eyes fluttered open briefly, allowing him to see the face of the woman he loved against his cheek. His mind at peace, he drifted back into the folds of time. 

***********

Cologne and Jensu waited patiently outside the magical barrier. Neither said anything as they focused their senses to capture at least some part of what was happening within. They heard the sounds of battle and were pleasantly surprised when a handful of frightened soldiers scurried past them. That at least gave them some measure as to how the battle was proceeding. After only a few minutes however, there was silence. Neither of the two liked this silence emanating from the barrier. It hung in the air, saturating it, as would water the humidity.

Then, after about an hour, a bright red plume of ki burst out from the depths of the castle, roaring through the building and rocking the earth with its sheer intensity. Finally the barrier mysteriously disappeared. They knew its disappearance was a good omen, but what had victory cost the young warriors? What would cause Ranma to unleash that sort of energy?

Cologne quickly made her way to the castle, leaving the more handicapped Jensu behind. She was genuinely concerned about the welfare of her great granddaughter and her pupil. She reached the castle and sensed for their presence. She scurried onwards a bit of fear creeping into her mind as she could not longer sense the aura of her pupil or his fiancee. Yes, what had indeed been the cost of this victory! Following a long corridor and using her great-granddaughters aura as a marker, she met with a large wooden door, which seemed to be bolted in place.

She did not have time for such obstacles. She pressed the door at its breaking point and it exploded before her. Glad to see I haven’t lost my touch, Cologne thought to herself. Cologne entered the room and was shocked to see the bodies scattered all over the dark room. Systematically, she assessed the damage sustained by the warriors in front of her.

Directly in front were Kuno and Mousse. Their clothes were partially burnt. They had both been put out of action by the application of numerous pressure points and were currently unconscious. Cologne peered for a closer inspection and what she saw startled her. She felt the traces of Ranma’s distinct aura on their bodies where the clothes had been burnt. Why had Ranma been fighting them?

The girl with the spatula had no outward signs of battle on her. To Cologne, why she was on the ground was a complete mystery, her face was etched in unnatural contortions, adding to the questions...

Xian Pu and Ryouga were on top one another. A case Cologne thought would have been more humorous at another time. Both showed signs of heavy battle. She could not detect how they were defeated nor did she understand why she could feel anger emanating from them.

She hobbled over to her student and his fiancee. Both held each other tightly. Cologne was relieved to see this. With the little bit of ki between them, it would take some time before their bodies would be able to revitalise themselves. They were at the side of the room, which seemed to have sustained the most damage. Both were covered in bruises and dirt, Ranma receiving the brunt. His body was ravaged by burns and indeed, most of his shirt had burnt off. She watched the small amount of ki flicker between them and managed to touch some vital ki flow spots on the both of them that should help them recover their ki more readily. She watched them for a while. She marvelled at how the ki patterns flowed from Ranma to Akane and back. It seemed that from every cycle, they seemed to generate a little more ki. By that time Jensu had returned with a pack of seemingly dirty followers behind him. These were the remnants of the Old Kingdom.

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

Ukyou woke up feeling disturbed. Her mind slowly opened with her eyes, gently reminding her of what had transpired. She remembered only a little of her intense inner battle. She slowly absorbed her surroundings. She was on a large bed within a large room.

She saw Gora coming towards her.

"Ran-chan…is he…are they…" asked Ukyou, trying to keep her composure and hold back her fears.

"No child, they are in a next room," answered Gora with a huge smile in her face.

Ukyou jumped out of bed, "Then I must see Ran-chan!" exclaimed Ukyou.

"No you can’t," replied Gora sternly

"But I’m his fiancee," pleaded Ukyou.

"He was the worst injured of you all, he needs his rest," answered the woman.

Ukyou wanted to plead her case more but the expression the woman gave her told Ukyou that pleading was futile.

"How badly was he injured?" asked Ukyou.

"Cologne said he had a few cracked ribs but she wouldn’t give me any more information. She is with him right now."

Cologne had warned Gora about the rivalry between Ranma’s fiancees two days ago when they found them in the dark room. She had been there to try to bandage the burn wounds on Ranma’s side.

They had tried to separate the pair, but even in their weakened state, the two latched onto each other for dear life. Cologne had thought it best to leave them that way. Gora and Cologne had had to settle for cutting the clothing from their bodies. Besides the bad burn wounds on his side, Ranma had some nasty bruises on his feet and on his hands. Similar treatment was given to Akane, who was also nursing bruises along her hip and limbs. Cologne had commented that the bruises looked as if her great granddaughter had inflicted them, but of this, she could not be certain.

Gora and Cologne had removed all of the clothing from Ranma and Akane’s bodies in order to dress all of their wounds properly. Cologne had also mentioned something about it helping them to fuse their energy or something. Gora had long realised that the kinds of injuries sustained by Ranma and Akane would have them in bed for weeks.

Kuno awoke up next, savouring a dream about him vanquishing the sorcerer Saotome and releasing the Pig-tailed one and Tendo Akane into his arms. Immediately, he asked about the whereabouts of his beauties. Subsequently, he managed to learn from Gora that Akane and Ranma were in the same room. He attempted to barge into the room, but was stopped by a spatula to the face. An angry Ukyou behind it.

"Look here Kuno. I don’t like it any more than you do, but I won’t have you attacking my Ran-chan!"

Ukyou had settled for Gora’s explanation that Cologne could best treat Ranma and Akane, if they were in the same room. She would accept that, for now!

Mousse awoke with feeling of euphoria. His dream had him defeating Saotome and claiming his Shampoo with the victory. He searched for his Shampoo and finding her bed, he attempted to hug her. A fist shot out and smashed him against the wall.

"Stupid Mousse no take advantage of Shampoo when asleep," muttered a groggy Shampoo. She felt uneasy; she had no idea what had happened after she entered the room with the others. She tried to remember, but all she drew was a blank image. She sighed and decided to go look for her grandmother.

Ryouga awoke with a nauseating feeling that something had happened. He could not for the life of him figure out what though, and that bothered him. He had to find Ranma, whatever had happened, it had to be his fault.

Gora had luckily brought her granddaughter along for damage control. Shampoo and Ryouga found themselves confronted by a small girl.

"Hello my name Juja," she said proudly, "What yours?"

"Shampoo."

"Ryouga."

At that time, Juja chose to swirl the cup she had in her hand, splashing the two of them with juice. Juja giggled at the two animals in front of her. She grasped both of them and ran off down the corridor with the two animals. Shampoo and Ryouga looked at each other sheepishly, not wanting to hurt the girl, but wanting to find Ranma and Akane. They were in no position to do that in their animal forms. They accepted their fate for now.

By the end of the day, Mousse and Kuno had recovered from their slight injuries. Gora was surprised at how quickly these children healed. The other two had gone missing, but Gora knew that they would probably return after their wandering. She didn’t even see the resemblance between the missing children and the pets Juja had shown her sometime that afternoon in another section of the castle. All of them waited patiently for Cologne for news about Ranma and Akane.

At nightfall Cologne came out to report and Gora went in to check on them. Ranma had opened his eyes once and then fell back into unconsciousness. Cologne told them that they were okay and just needed sleep. Everyone in the room was relieved and went about with a happier tune. They all wanted to see them: some for more valid reasons than others.

Gora stepped into the room, which was now bathed in moonlight from the open windows. The sleeping couple lay there under the covers, holding each other tightly. The sight was so serene that it made Gora sit and soak it in. She remembered her younger days. Her motherly instincts commanded her to stay there the night and watch over them. And, so she did.

Two days had passed and there was no change from Ranma and Akane. Cologne had called it a ki-induced coma but the others thought differently. Shampoo and Ryouga had somehow got away from Juja, who was intensely looking for her pets. The teens bickered amongst themselves, but the concern on their faces could easily be seen. Only the interruptions by Juja as she pulled one of them to play with her, brought any peace to their squabbles and planning.

Ranma tried to open his eyes. He felt weak. He did not know where he was. He saw Akane lying to his side he nudged her. She gave a slight response. He kissed her on the cheek and her eyes fluttered.

Akane woke up to find herself staring at Ranma.

"Hello," he whispered hoarsely.

Akane smiled at him. She felt tired, sleepy, and hungry.

"Oh your awake!" cried Gora from her perch on a soft chair. "You must be starving, let me get you something to eat."

Ranma and Akane gave a weak nod.

When Gora left, Ranma released Akane and tried to get up. He flinched as he flexed his muscles as they spasmed in response. Defeated, he dropped back to his pillow. Then he realised something.

"Um…Akane…do you realise that we’re um naked," whispered Ranma into her ear.

Akane gave a slight blush that showed up readily on her face since it was already a couple of shades paler.

"It’s ok I guess," she replied, "I mean we are going to get married." She added as more of a statement than a question.

She passed her hands over the undamaged part his sleek chest, which faced her, sending cold ripples of pleasure to his brain and embraced the warmth his body, evading the presence of the piece of his anatomy pushing into her side. Given another time and another place, they would have reflected more critically on their positions, but their lethargic and sore bodies refused to entertain any more thoughts for the day and returned them to their slumber.

Gora returned with two large bowls of soup. She placed them on a bed tray near to them and left the room quietly. When they awoke the next time, she knew the bowls would be empty.

The delectable vapours rising from the soup caused the stomachs of the two to growl incessantly, pulling them out of their slumber again.

Since the tray was on Akane’s side she turned and retrieved the two bowls of soup. She gave one to Ranma and took the other herself. Ranma never took his eyes off his finacee, entranced by her movements under the sheets. Akane didn’t observe him, the food trapping her eyes. The bowls of soup were quickly downed. Ranma put his hand around Akane’s shoulder and savoured the touch of her silky smooth skin. Akane smiled at him and they returned to their previous position before they ate, her body fully covered from view by the thick covers. Soon sleep enveloped them again into her waiting arms.

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

Gora relayed the news that Ranma and Akane had awoken that morning but she was sure that they would soon fall back into dreamland after they ate. The others protested tat they wanted to see them but Gora knew that in Ranma and Akane’s present state, visitors were totally out of the question. For those couple of days, she had entrusted Juja to the care of the youngsters in the hope that Juja would keep them busy. That plan had worked to the greatest degree. The active child had kept the others so occupied that the youngsters did not dwell on their fallen comrades all the time. She had them running all over the castle playing games and the like. Evidently, the teens didn’t mind too much. Just like Ranma and Akane, the others were more than happy to entertain Juja’s requests.

Juja had been a real godsend. She commanded so much attention from the girls that they did not focus as much on Ranma. Somehow Ryouga always managed to get himself lost within the castle. Kuno had been silenced by the girls many times and sported an array of bruises on his head. Mousse, well he just stuck around the vicinity of Shampoo like a lovesick puppy.

Cologne and Jensu had been searching for the missing descendants of the druids for the past two days without any luck. They had neither found anyone within the castle walls nor any trace of the mirror. All they found were empty rooms and a dungeon that looked as if it had once been a torture chamber. They shuddered when they found it. There was no sign of the missing. The only peculiar thing that struck them was a black oval in the room they had found the teenagers in. Cologne felt something evil and sinister from behind it. She felt once again the barrier from the other day preventing her from stepping through it. Perhaps behind it lay some room. Most of their time had been concentrated on that oval, trying to pry away at the magic which bound them from entering. There had been no luck from that angle. They hoped that at least Ranma and Akane could tell them something when they got up.

Ranma awoke. His hands felt a bit sore and so did most of his chest. He gave Akane a slight kiss on the cheek and tried his best to get up without waking Akane. That attempt failed.

Akane stirred and then opened her eyes. She saw Ranma try to get off the bed.

"So where do you think you’re going?" asked Akane. Ranma turned around. Akane gasped.

All along the left side of his chest was bandaged along with most of his hands and sides.

"Ran-chan, you’re hurt!" exclaimed Akane.

"You don’t look so hot yourself," Ranma replied coyly as he spied the unnatural protrusions of bandages underneath the sheets.

Akane realised that she also had bandages along her side and her shoulder.

"Well I do look better off than you," teased Akane.

Ranma wanted to reply to that, but he did not have the heart to do it. He changed his mind and returned to the warmth of the sheets. Akane punched him the shoulder.

"Lazy baka!" she shouted jokingly.

Akane then reached for the table on her side of the bed and snatched the clothes from it. She passed Ranma his clothes and, clutching a sheet around her body, donned hers. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Thanks Acchan."

"For what?" Akane asked bewildered.

"For helping me back there," replied Ranma.

Akane turned around and stared at him, "what are fiancees for?"

Then she smiled, "and it’s nice to know we have one technique that the others can’t do!"

Ranma put his hands around her in a light embrace.

"It’s nice to know I still have my kawaiikune tomboy."

"…and I have my hentai baka."

They tested their legs and stood up groggily. They walked to the door and opened it. No one was in the corridor. They heard sounds coming from one of the rooms. Slowly, they made their way to the door.

"Ran-chan, Akane, you’re awake!"

"Ranma how could you let Akane get hurt!"

"Vile sorcerer what have to done to the fair Akane Tendo!"

"AIREN you carry Shampoo on date now yes!"

They advanced on Ranma and Akane who visibly backed away.

"Get back in bed you two! You should be resting!" scolded Gora, who had a twinkle in her eye.

Ranma thanked the gods for the save. He did not feel up for a fight now, and in his present condition. He was almost assured of losing.

Ranma and Akane headed back to the room under the gaze of the others. Gora walked behind them and saw them into the room. She followed them in, but not until she gave the others a look that said- if you come any further I will have you for lunch.

Ranma and Akane flopped back onto the bed.

"Finally you’re awake, we have a problem," stated Gora.

"What type of problem?" asked Ranma.

"We can’t find anyone. We found the man you battled. He was miraculously unhurt, but he has refused to talk unless he sees you."

"Then let’s go!" replied Akane.

"Ok, but I only allow this because we have no other choice."

They left the room with her, the others wanted to join them but a glance from Gora told them that they should not.

They followed Gora to another section of the castle, down a flight of stairs, down to what seemed to be a holding cell. Jensu and Cologne were waiting for them at the door.

"It is good to see you up Ranma. Now to the matters at hand."

She motioned for Ranma and Akane to open the door. Ranma and Akane opened the door and saw a man sitting on the bed facing away from them.

"I told you, I will talk to no one but the boy," stated the man firmly.

"So what do you want to speak to me about?" asked Ranma in a cautious voice.

The man turned around and looked at Ranma with a gleam in his eyes. He rushed over to them and before Ranma and Akane could react, he grabbed them in his arms and hugged them tightly.

"Ak…must…breathe..." mumbled Ranma as the air was forced from his lungs. He could see Akane was having the same problem. Hiro released them.

"Thank you, oh thank you, both of you…you released me from the Shadow."

The man began to wail not unlike Soun.

"Yahhh!" cried Ranma and Akane as then jumped out of the way to prevent themselves from getting soaked with tears.

Cologne mused as she saw the puddles starting to grow.

Ranma and Akane were set aback. This couldn’t be the same man they had battled with. First of all, he did not seem to radiate any sort of dark aura as had the person they fought. Secondly, his eyes and his total demeanour were different. As if sensing their questions he began to speak.

"You are probably wondering why I am looking so different?"

Ranma and Akane only nodded.

"The person you fought a while ago was not me. Someone or rather something else was controlling my body. It was this thing, this shadow that attacked you. I saw everything it did and was powerless against it."

At this, the man produced a fresh batch of tears. Akane and Ranma again had to step away for fear of being soaked. The man cooled down.

"I know where the others are, but only you (pointing to Ranma and Akane) can get to them."

"He’s right you know," answered an unknown voice from the shadows of the room.

"Who’s there?" threatened Cologne.

"I believe the young ones here know me," said the shadow, then he came into the light.

"Hiyako!" exclaimed Ranma and Akane together. From his hands Hoya bounded out to greet Ranma and Akane.

"How did you get here?" asked Cologne and Jensu.

"As these young ones will tell you," he said with a toothy smile, "I have my ways. In any case, my uncle is right, only Ranma and Akane can go"

"But why us?" asked Akane.

"Because you have the rings," replied Hiyako.

"But…but you gave them to us," stated Ranma.

"Did I? Those rings only fit you, and in Ranma’s case fits both his forms. Did I really give you those rings or did the rings choose you? It is a question only you can answer."

"So what do we do now?" asked Ranma.

"Now you rest. You will need all your strength to battle the shadow."

Ranma was not going to rest. Saving Juja’s parents was his first priority. He stole a glance of Akane. She was clearly thinking along the same lines. Neither Ranma nor Akane felt Cologne’s touch as they were sent back to dreamland.

"Thank you dear. If I know these two, they would have jumped directly into the fight," stated Hiyako.

"Yes, they have that young stubbornness don’t they," agreed Cologne.

Ranma and Akane were placed back into their room while Cologne stood guard.

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

Ukyou and the others were uneasy about being kept in the dark about Ranma and Akane. They certainly didn’t want them spending more time together than they already were. Unfortunately, Gora and Cologne did not see it that way. Without using words, they had virtually banished anyone from Ranma and Akane’s room. The two children had them occupied for the while, but the others began to suspect that something was not quite right.

Everyone had noticed the outline of bandages within Ranma and Akane’s clothing. Had they really been that badly hurt? They had not spoken with them and Ukyou had not been awake during the fight. She had questioned all the others, and all she got back were images and dreams not unlike hers. Right now, all the questions had to be on hold until they could see Ranma.

Ranma and Akane spent the next day in bed under the careful eye of Cologne and Hiyako as they recuperated fully from the effects of their previous battle. It was at this time that Cologne thought it best to question her student about what had happened in the dark room. Cologne didn’t know that much about Hiyako, but she was as wise as she was old, and wisdom had taught her who she could trust and who she could not. Hiyako was definitely one to trust. She did not know this by reading his aura or by his actions, it was her instincts, instincts that had told her to search after Ranma, instincts that told her that he was special in some way.

"So Ranma," questioned Cologne as she made her way closer to the bed, "what exactly happened in the room?"

Ranma knew what she was talking about. Akane gave Ranma a doubtful gaze, would Cologne believe them if they said that Shampoo attacked her.

"Well Cologne, it’s like this..." Ranma then proceeded to tell the entire tale, leaving out perhaps how Akane and he had generated the ki blast, though he suspected Cologne already knew.

"So Shampoo, Mousse, Kuno and Ryouga all attacked you, and you say that you both felt some evil presence tugging at your mind. Hmm..."

The Amazon Matriarch was deep in thought, then she looked at Ranma and Akane "You know I spoke to each of them, and the only one who remembers the anything at all is Ukyou."

"The spirit does that," muttered Hiyako.

"What?" asked Cologne prompting Hiyako to clarification.

"The spirit, the spirit borne of the shadows. It will enter the mind then leave it, wiping out any trace of its existence to its captive."

"That’s not good is it?" asked Akane

"No child," replied Cologne, "it brings my worst fear to light. If you are to succeed in your quest to find the others, you will have to do it alone."

Ranma’s face was grim. He didn’t want another bout with that thing. They had only managed to stun it the first time due to Akane’s surprise ki blast, now they had lost the element of surprise. It would be waiting for them on the other side.

"Then we should talk to Hiro, he may be the only one who might be able to help us" commented Ranma

"My sentiments exactly" replied Cologne.

Hiyako and Cologne left the two who retired again to their bed. Ranma forced himself to go to sleep. He would need that rest for the battle ahead.

Ranma and Akane woke up early that morning feeling refreshed. Ranma stretched himself. He removed his shirt and gingerly began to peck away at his bandages. Slowly, with Akane’s help, he removed them from his chest. The skin below was red and discoloured, but beyond that fact, Ranma was almost perfectly healed. Now for Akane.

She removed her shirt while covering her chest with the blanket. Ranma gently and nervously peeled away at the bindings across her shoulders. Neither saw the others blush as Ranma’s hands touched Akane’s soft flesh. Just like Ranma, the skin was slightly red and discoloured. Ranma allowed Akane some privacy as she removed her skirt and peeled away at her other bandage at her waist. The results were the same.

Growwlll!

Ranma’s stomach was making a statement.

Growwlll!

So was Akane’s.

They giggled and came out of the room. They remembered having seen the room the others were in before and again they found the same room easily. This time however, there was no Gora to help them. The girls saw Ranma and immediately glomped onto him. Akane started fuming causing Kuno and Ryouga to get angry. Mousse was seething at Ranma as Shampoo hugged him things were just about to get out of control when Cologne entered the room. Seeing her great grandmother looking disapprovingly at this unwarrior-like behaviour, Shampoo released Ranma, which cooled down Mousse. Cologne placed herself in front of the other two boys.

"Son-in-law, you must be hungry, come we will eat!"

Cologne hopped down the hall on her cane, with Ranma and Akane in hot pursuit, or rather, their stomachs. The others shrugged and joined them. At the table, Ranma discarded his table manners and inhaled all the food he needed. Similarly, but in a more dignified manner, Akane engulfed her own share. The others also dug into the feast before them. After the feast, Ranma decided to explore the castle. Akane agreed to go with him. Of course, the others had already had their fair view of the castle but none of them wanted to see Akane and Ranma alone for any longer period of time.

Akane, Ranma and the others wandered around the castle with no particular direction in mind, but every time, they ended back up in front of the room where the battle took place. After passing the fifth time, Ranma decided to enter the room.

The room seemed as cold and as dark as it had the first time Ranma entered it. A central candle still dimly lit the room. Ranma and Akane shuddered as they remembered the fight. They had almost been beaten here. They had almost died!

"It is calling you isn’t it?" asked Hiyako as he emerged from the shadows. He pointed to a dark oval on one of the undamaged walls. "It is waiting for you to come and rescue them, but know this: you cannot defeat it, you are not capable of that as yet. You can only hope of distracting it long enough to release the others."

Only visible to Akane, Ranma and Hiyako, the rings began to glow as they approached the wall.

"You must not go now. It is waiting for you on the other side. Find Hiro, talk to him, he may hold the key "

Ranma and Akane walked slowly away from the wall and away from a destiny that awaited them. The priority now was to form a plan and Hiro had all the answers to their questions. Ranma led the way out the castle. He had not seen Hiro in there, so he had to be outside somewhere.

Akane followed him closely as did the other girls, Kuno was undoubtedly taking an unscheduled nap given to him by someone, somewhere in the castle and Ryouga was lost again. Mousse followed a safe distance behind Shampoo.

A silent thought crept through Ranma’s head Akane hadn’t hit him once in the past few days. They had to have broken a record or something; he would have to speak with her about it sometime.

Ranma searched the gardens, and finally found Hiro on a stone bench hewn out of a rock, on a cliff overlooking the valley of Aina. The sunlight hit his dark gray garments and trickled to the ground around him. Ranma strode up to the man and casually sat down next to him.

"I guess you’re here to find out how to defeat it?" inquired Hiro

Ranma didn’t reply.

"For many years, my mind was trapped in my own body. I could only watch what it did and was powerless to stop it...all that because I wanted power, because I wanted to rule this valley (he gestured with his hands) and the world. Take care my boy, power is not something to chase after, I wanted it and look where it got me."

Ranma listened.

"For all those years, I hoped beyond believe that something would happen to free me. Nothing ever happened, but I kept my hope, and then you came. That was the first time I had even seen it vulnerable. Whatever you did back there, it weakened its hold over me. The first blast had caught it by surprise and weakened it allowing me to take control over my body again. That’s what will help you defeat it. I’m sorry, but that is all I know."

Hiro gave Ranma an apologetic gaze. Ranma turned to him. "Don’t worry, I think we can handle it," he replied in his usual bravado. Ranma left Hiro there and joined the others, his mind racing, trying to find something that he could use against the shadow. Suddenly he froze and then scurried back to Hiro.

"You said that what Akane did, weakened it?" asked Ranma excitedly.

"Yes!"

"What did it feel like?"

"Well it felt like it was being repulsed by whatever she did!" Hiro stated.

Ranma smiled and clapped Hiro on the back. "I think I know what to do now."

Hiro beamed, glad that he was of any service. Ranma confidently made his way back to the others. Akane gave him a questioning glance but he silenced her with his beaming smile. Maybe he finally had a working plan Ranma thought. The others just watched him suspiciously as they made their way back into the castle and into the dark room. Cologne waited for them there.

"Are you ready son-in-law."

Ranma nodded.

Hiyako was behind Cologne.

"Shampoo help husband fight bad man."

"No Shampoo, I’m afraid you can’t follow son-in-law."

"Why great grandmother!"

"Because it was you who attacked him in this room." Cologne new it was a lie, but Shampoo’s cringe told her that the girl would obey. "That also goes for the rest of you."

Ukyou was ready to explode, but Ranma’s saddened gaze told her that he wanted her to stay also. She silently fumed to herself. There was no one else around to object.

 Ranma and Akane approached the wall with the black oval on it. The others followed them with their eyes. To Ranma and Akane, the their rings glowed brighter. They watched in amazement as their hands just seemed to disappear into the wall, then they were through.

"It’s up to us now," stated Ranma.

He offered his hand to Akane. She grabbed it. He held her tightly, and together they began to explore wherever it was that they were.

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