DISCLAIMER: Ranma Nibunnoichi is the property of Takahashi Rumiko, Shogakukan Inc, Shonen Sunday Comics, and Viz Video. It is used without their permission and is not intended for profit but only for the enjoyment of fans of the Ranma series. All characters within this fic that are not the property of the above mentioned are copyrighted to the author, Joseph Kohle, January 1997. This work of fiction is the result of the author's hard work and is for the enjoyment of others. Please do not change, modify, or use any segment of this story without the author's knowing and written consent. Feel free to archive this work. ************************************************************************ Meiyo Ai soshite Nikushimi A Ranma Nibunnoichi Fanfic by Joseph Kohle Part II: The Judgement of Boukyaku Chapter IV: Where the Path Leads As the doors swung open at their approach, Akane, Genma, and Ukyou suddenly found themselves drawn into the whirling mass of confusion. Bodies pressed and smashed against them as the thousands of travelers moved in a chaotic dance of modern life. Akane and Ukyou struggled to stay next to Genma who was pushing the wheelchair in which they had placed Ranma. Ranma-onna was slumped in the wheelchair, her head leaning forward against her chest, the statue clutched in her lap. Anyone who saw her would consider her to be sleeping peacefully while her father pushed her. Most would not have noticed the worried expressions and nervous agitation of the three surrounding the wheelchair like overpro- tective bodygaurds. The fragile creature in the chair was too much of a distraction. Pushing through the milling crowds they reached the ticket counters where they settled in at the end of a long line. The three erstwhile companions stood silently, each lost in their own insecurities. Like robots they moved up in the line, Akane and Ukyou dragging the four bags that they had brought forward with them. Twenty minutes later they had made their way to the ticket counter. Genma quickly had their tickets confirmed while Akane checked the bags. Moments later they were moving away from the counter with the flow of the crowd. They made their way through the security points and then to the rail system that connected the different terminals. Finding the right tube, they waited patiently for the railcar to arrive. Akane patiently guarded Ranma as they waited. Her hand unconscious- ly caressed Ranma-onna's shoulder, as she watched the waiting crowd. The faces were transient in her mind appearing and then disappearing like a magician's coin as her gaze slid across each one. Like a kettle on the fire, she was close to boiling over because of the anticipation, the anxiety. From the house to the airport, they had all remained locked within themselves speaking to none of the others. At first, Akane had been in no mood for talking. Anticipation had repeatedly pulled her from the depths of sleep to leave her laying quietly on her bed, listening to Ukyou's measured breathing on the floor. Those few scant moments of sleep had not been enough, and upon leaving the house, she had been more zombie-like than anything. Yet as they drew closer to the airport, she had wanted to speak with someone, just to talk about something, anything, to keep her mind of the bubbling excitement that was building within her. They were actually going to bring Ranma back to them. Ukyou had been lost in her own thoughts, having drawn in on herself since accepting Saotome Genma's extra ticket, and one look at Ranma's father had dissuaded her from even speaking. Unconsciously she glanced over at him as they waited. His face was still the same. A hard face set in determination to do what was right, but his eyes, his eyes were burning pools of pain. Akane dropped her gaze and turned back to the crowd. They were so close, yet it seemed like they were about to start run- ning in circles. It was not as if it would have been hard for Cologne to find them, watch them, yet nothing had tried to interfere, no strange occurrences to keep them trapped at home like some lab rats doing the bidding of their master. There was just a feeling of something that was out of place. A pessimistic outlook that would not release her. Silence and morose attitudes were not an auspicious beginning to a journey. Just let everything turn out fine. Please. If the gods were listening though they remained silent. Sighing she scanned the crowd again hoping to find some sort of distraction. A frail, old matron caught her eye. She was watching Akane as their eyes met and locked. The woman nodded her head and gave a small sympathetic smile as she flicked her eyes toward Ranma-onna's comatose form. Akane was about to say something when the car pulled up, the doors opening to let the occupants spill on the other side, before opening to allow access to the new riders. As the crowd pushed into the car, Akane lost track of the old woman and just settled for standing close to Ranma, the bodies of the multitude of travelers pushing them tighter than packed sardines. The car accelerated quickly, forcing Akane to lean forward, grip- ping the handrail tightly. Ukyou was not paying as much attention and stumbled backward into Akane as the car began to move. Slightly annoyed, Akane pushed Ukyou off her. Ukyou glanced back and apologized with a embarrassed smile. Akane only nodded her head before returning to her own thoughts. The trip was a short few minutes. A young woman's electronic voice chimed over the speaker announcing their terminal. Decelerating quickly, the car came to a halt, the doors opening to disgorge the passengers. The quartet moved away from the car and into the main concourse. They made their way to Gate 16 where they found seats to wait for the flight. Saotome-san placed Ranma at the end of a row of seats and then found another seat on the opposite side of the lobby. There he sank down and watched the rain splattering against the windows, his shoulders slumped and tired. Ukyou quickly took the seat next to Ranma and idly picked a book from her traveling bag. She opened it and buried her face in the thing, but Akane could tell she was not reading, over the course of ten min- utes she did not turn the page once. For her part, Akane sat across from Ranma and Ukyou. Ukyou taking her place next to Ranma was annoying her, but she was not up to a fight, especially in an airport where any number of people could get hurt. They had formed an uneasy truce for the time, so she could not break it, even if the only reason not to was because it would not help Ranma in the least. Eventually watching Ukyou and Ranma became depressing. With a last glance at Ranma, she left the lobby and began wandering the con- course, looking for something interesting to distract her. Any number of shops drew her interest. Each she casually walked into and then dismissed after a few moments. None of her normal interest mattered. After visiting several establishments, she wandered into a small gift shop. Quickly glancing around she found nothing of interest, but as she turned to leave, a glint of gold caught her eye. A moment later she was back in the store and was walking towards a shelf. On the shelf were the normal cheap crap that was sold to tourists. Small dolls with kimonos, chopsticks with Tokyo engraved on them, and the assorted other gimmicks pawned off on the gullible. One of these trinkets caught her eye. A gold picture frame holding the snapshot of the sun rising over Tokyo Harbor. The picture was unimportant, it was the frame. It was the same one Ranma had given to her at Christmas over a year ago. He was so nice sometimes. He even still has that scarf I knitted him. She giggled slightly as she thought of that gift. The only reason she was not ashamed of it was because Ranma liked it. She knew it was a horrid piece of work. Like cooking, she was absolutely horrid at sewing and embroidery but tried as hard as she could only to fail; however, despite that, he still kept it, like he always at least tried her culinary concoctions. "Things aren't as bad as you think they are," a voice said from behind her. Akane turned around to see the old woman from the rail stop. "There is always hope. As my mother always said, when things are their darkest, faith is the brightest light. Don't worry dear, I'm sure your friend will be fine." Smiling the old woman gently patted Akane's cheek and then turned and started walking away. "I'm sorry I can't talk longer. I have a flight I must catch." Confused Akane watched the strange, old matron walk away. For some reason she felt a little better. The woman was right. What good was it going to do worrying about things she had no control over. Akane left the shop with a lighter step, eagerly anticipating the up- coming flight and the inevitable conclusion to this hellish week. Genma placed his son in the seat next to the window before taking the aisle seat as his own. Across from him Akane and Ukyou took their seats, Akane on the aisle, Ukyou still uncomfortable with being near Ranma's father by the window. Akane settled down quickly and yawned her body rebelling against her lack of sleep the previous night. She managed to stay awake long enough for the plane to taxi and take off, but once they were in the air, she slipped into sleep. Even the curiosity of her first trip by plane was unable to keep her awake. For once in his life, despite the lack of sleep and his desire to escape from his worries, Genma was unable to find refuge in sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, they were snapped open by another image of his failures. A times the frowning face of his wife would stare back at him, her katana flashing brightly as it descended towards him. Mostly though it was the glint in Ukyou's eyes. Every time he glanced in her direction, he was greeted with a hard gaze colder than a screeching, arctic wind. Against his will he found his head turning to watch her once more only to snap back to the lowered, tray table in front of him. He shivered at the loathing in the young woman's eyes. The entire situation was only exacerbated by his own guilt. He knew his larcenous nature had destroyed the child Ukyou and corrupted the young woman he now had to face. The knowledge was a burning hook twisting in his gut, casting him deeper into his pit of depression and self-hatred. Only his duty to Ranma kept him in place, kept him on the plane, kept him human. Ukyou turned to the window and watched the pristine expanse of white clouds pass beneath them, the shadow of the plane skimming across the scene. The old man's suffering was apparent to her and she was enjoying every second of it. He deserved no less and much more in her opinion. What he had done to her was unforgivable. Maybe she had forgiven the ignorance of Ranma, but not his father. There would come a time when she would force him to pay, especially if she lost her Ranchan. She was not blind like Kunou, nor was she impatient like that slut Shampoo. Patience was a virtue she had plenty of, and she had waited patiently, dropping small hints to Ranma, becoming his friend again, trying to pull him back to her. Sometimes she tried a few plans, hoping to win him,, but she also realized that Ranchan would not be forced. So she gave him understanding and someone to talk to in his times of trouble. Yet after all of her work, she was at least beginning to see the truth. There had been many times when she had thought Akane cared for Ranma, even loved him, but at the same time their constant fights and bickering, declarations of hatred satisfied her that the feeling, if mutual, at least was not very powerful. Watching Akane this morning though had changed many of her views. On the way to the airport she had watched the way Akane had brushed against Ranma, constantly touching him, as if she were reassuring herself. What made it worse was the fact that she seemed to do it unconsciously and to Ranma's cursed form, with which Ukyou knew Akane was uncomfortable. It reminded Ukyou of older married couples, so comfortable with each other that physical contact was almost necessary. It was obvious that Akane loved Ranma, although she was refrain- ing from telling Ukyou. Whether from pity or just her own uncertainty, Ukyou did not know, but it hurt all the same. If Akane cared that much, did Ranma. Why had he broken off the engagements, why wasn't Akane furious at him for doing such a thing. Ukyou knew she was, even if he had reassured her, made it easier... She shook her head as the tears came. No! he did not do that. He did not break up with everyone so he could have Akane. He hates her, he loves me. Ranchan is mine. Glancing at the sleeping Akane, murder flashed in Ukyou's eyes. She realized it was jeaolously and desperation speaking, but she needed Ranma by her side. If it was within her power, she would not allow anyone to take Ranchan from her. He was all she had, all she could ever had. Everything, everything had been done for him. She turned from Akane and faced the empty sky, it suited her mood. "I'll not let you go Ranchan," Ukyou promised herself, wiping the tears from her face. "I'll find your cure and you'll be mine. Akane was going to give you up. I won't." Sinking back into her seat, Ukyou closed her eyes and tried to sleep, but like Genma, she was unable to find peace. Instead she quietly endured the flight, planning what she would do once there, fantasizing about her and Ranchan together, forever. They were three people thrown together by a young man. Each were bound to this young man by honor and love. Each was uncomfor-table with the others. Hatred of the other, rivalry, and shame and disgust were endured as they traveled, brought together by a common enemy and purpose. Sometimes fate is cruel. Ranma dodged her striking fist and then jumped upwards to avoid her kick. Using her still extended arm, he vaulted himself over head and behind her. Before he could tap her though, she was spinning and striking out at him. Pleased with her reaction, Ranma leaned back. Xian Lin's foot swept in front of his face, leaving a rush of air to follow its passage. Refusing to regain his original position, Ranma continued to lean farther back, expecting the next attack. He was not disappointed as Xian Lin automatically struck with her fist. His lean turned into a back flip, his legs scissoring her arm and flipping her above him, sending her flying towards the ground. At the last moment she twisted to land on her feet, only to be con- fronted with Ranma's lightning fast attacks. Having spent a year and a half inside him, watching his abilities, Xian Lin was not as surprised as most opponents were when faced with Ranma's expertise and blinding fast reflexes. She lashed out, trying to attack in order to slow him down, but was soon forced to step backwards, defending his blows as they became faster and much more numerous. Finally her defenses broke. His fist rushed toward her and then she was lightly tapped four times, his personal signal of victory. Grimmacing in disgust at herself, Xian Lin lowered her defenses. She had yet to touch Ranma in normal combat, and now the extensive training were taking its toll. Physical exhaustion was not a problem within their prison, but the concentration and discipline required of fighting did take its toll even- tually. This was their fourth match in a row, and she needed a rest. Looking at Ranma she decided he needed one as well. "Let's rest for a bit," she suggested. Not waiting for an answer she sat on the ground and cleared her mind. Nodding Ranma sat down in front of her and also began the exercise she had showed him. It was exhilarating being able to fight without worrying about physical exhaustion, but he had discovered the mental strain was more than he was used to, and he actually tired faster because of that. After their first few practice sessions, he had nearly collapsed from the mental exhaustion of forcing away the entrapment of the world, and his own concentration on training. Realizing what was wrong, Xian Lin had showed him how to regain his center and remove the strain from his mind. Closing his eyes, he followed the instructions she had given him. It was almost like meditation, except that he did not surrender himself to his surroundings, instead he actively sought his center. Once there, he surrendered to that, allowing it to carry him away from the prison into his own inner being. Here he was protected and nourished by his own energy. He did not stay long. To stay too long was to become lost within himself, and since the body had no protection against itself, he would be trapped forever. As soon as he felt his balance reassert itself, he pushed away, scrambling upward, forming the picture of Xian Lin kneeling in front of him, the barren broken world around him. He imagined his muscles, tensing and relaxing, his heart beating, the air being drawn through his nose to fill his lungs. Suddenly it was real and he was back in the prison. "You're getting better at that," Xian Lin complimented him, "Your control is much more precise, more confident, I could feel it. You have a lot of potential Ranma." "I've gotta good sensei," Ranma said modestly, "Besides you're improving just as much. For an Amazon your skills were pretty bad, but now, I would say you are better than most fighters I know." "Pretty bad, huh?" Xian Lin said dangerously, "Just because I am not as physical as you, doesn't mean I'm weak." Ranma had no warning as a small projectile of ki shot from her hands. Slamming into his shoulder, he was sent spinning by the blast. Grumbling he climbed to his feet. He was still confused by how she used a ki attack without words to focus the energy, or at least gestures. If he could learn that, he knew he would be unbeatable. Plopping down in front of her, he glared at her for a second as he spoke, "I didn't mean weak, I meant you were weak in your physical fighting skills. That's dangerous, no matter how good your ki is. Ki attacks drain you faster than punches and kicks. Besides what if someone nullifies your ki, or drugs you so you can't concentrate. It's stupid to rely on one thing over another." "But you exclusively concentrate on your physical skills, doesn't that make you weak also?" Xian Lin asked. This was normal for them. Over the time they had been together, they had discussed martial arts in most cases. In these conversations they both learned from the other, and improved themselves. "Once the body is mastered, the world around you can be mastered. Once body and world are one, the spirit can be unlocked. Spirit, body and world join to start your understanding of life, by understanding life you become whole and complete. The warrior who can do this is truly great," Ranma recited. "Where have I heard that?" Xian Lin asked. "Probably in many places," Ranma explained, "Many warrior societies have a similar saying. Some add additional steps, some make it more mystical, some turn it into an initiation and training process. Boil it down though and it all means what I just said." "Where are you?" Xian Lin asked curiously. She had an idea, but wanted to see if Ranma was able to be truthful to himself, assess his own strengths and weaknesses Ranma was quiet for a moment as he contemplated the question and his own self. "I'm not sure exactly. I think I've mastered my body. It does what I want without having me to force it to. Most things become instinct for me, also I think I've almost mastered the world. I am able to sense things around me, threats against me, danger to friends. It is like a sixth sense that is just there. I've only had it for a while, not much more than a few years. I remember Pop being able to sneak up on me when I was thirteen of fourteen, but by fifteen he never was able to do that." "I don't think I've even stepped into mastering my spirit. I know I can throw ki attacks, meditate and heal quickly, but those are still part of the body, besides I don't have nearly your control over my inner force." Xian Lin nodded, "And me?" "You're confusing," Ranma admitted, "You can control your spirit and the unseen world. You fight me off, while trapped in my soul, so I think you've mastered the spirit. I think that is because of your death though. You never mastered the body, or maybe you mastered your body, you have good instincts and fighting skills, but I would say the world around you is beyond your abilities." "That is why I said your fighting skill were pretty bad for an Amazon. You basically skipped two levels because of your death, um..maybe not skipped, how about transcended them. In your position you don't need them, but without them, you'll never master life." Ran- ma stopped and looked at her for a moment. A thought had just sprung into his mind. Was it possible that only when life was mastered that the soul could move on? He knew that was similar to Buddhist teachings, but he had never thought about it in relation to his own skills. Was that why he was so good, so young? Was he working off of some previous life's or lives' experiences. It made one wonder. How long does it take to master body, environment, and spirit? How many lifetimes? How much longer did he have on this world? And if he lost to Boukyaku, would his journey be in vain? Suddenly losing took on a new meaning to him. Xian Lin caught a tiny amount of Ranma's thoughts, and the possibi- lities frightened her. Was she doomed to be trapped in that pool until she mastered life? She fervently hoped that it was a fallacy. To be stuck in the spring for all eternity, to be trapped in other's bodies, to be constantly fighting oblivion. What she had done was not deserving of such a harsh punishment. She could not stop the tears as they came, spilling down her cheeks to be caught in her dark Chinese pants. Even her clothing was a reflec- tion of Ranma. He was that strong, and there was nothing she was able to do about it. It was a surprise when she felt Ranma's arms encircling her, drawing her into his embrace. "Shh, don't cry. I'm not going to lose. I'll never lose. Don't worry, I promised to help you and I will. I promise on my honor." Xian Lin clutched him tighter, crying in desolation. She wanted to believe him. She wanted to, but the doubt, the punishment for her crimes refused her that solace. Was it even possible to be free? Akane was jolted from her sleep as the plane touched down on the runway at the Naha International Airport. Reluctantly she opened her eyes to the real world. She had been having such a pleasant dream. She had been with Ranma, his arms encircling her as they lay side by side in the grove of over three weeks ago. Rocking her gently, he had whispered his love for her as he brushed a kiss against her cheek. Melting into his arms, she had returned the sentiment, declaring her love, and turning to face him. His eyes had been so brilliant, the grey-blue depths mesmerizing her. Drawn to him, she had leaned in closer, their lips touching, and then they were kissing. His body pressing tightly against hers, his hands flowing over her. It had been so wonderful, but then she had pulled away, as Shampoo and Ukyou walked up to them, hurt expressions on their faces. Ranma had complained about her actions for a second before real- izing that they were not alone. When he had noticed who was there, an annoyed expression had crossed his face. "What do you want?" he asked angrily. "We want you, Ranchan," Ukyou responded. "Shampoo come to take husband from violent, ugly girl," Shampoo declared. "Go away," Ranma said, "I love Akane." At those words, the other fiancees had vanished, leaving them alone once more. Ranma had turned to her and apologized before kissing her again, pulling her back down to the soft moss covered ground. Then... Akane blushed slightly as she remembered the rest of the dream. It had been so nice. Ranma had been so nice. If he was only like that in real life...maybe in a way he was. She glanced over at Ranma, watching Saotome-san lifting her body from her seat, before putting her into the wheelchair the stewardess brought to them. Ukyou nudged her, and Akane remembered to get her bag. With a slightly embarrassed smile, she followed Genma and Ranma out of the airplane and into the boarding canopy. They quickly moved from the concourse to the baggage claim. It was about a twenty minute wait before their bags began to appear on the belt. It was another ten before they had all four and were headed to the front of the airport and the car rental desk. A long line was waiting in front of the car rental desk. They waited patiently in line and soon found themselves talking with a young woman. She asked them a few quick questions about where they were going, how long they would need the car, and then asked to see a driver's license. Surprisingly, Genma pulled out a license and showed it to the young woman. After checking it, the woman turned to the computer and gave them a car number and the keys to the car. After Genma payed the cover and insurance charge on the car, she directed them to the lot in which it was parked. It was noon by the time they found the car. Ukyou opened the door, and they placed Ranma in the back seat of the small automobile. Col- lapsing the wheelchair, Akane put it in the trunk with their luggage. Genma slipped into the front seat and turned on the car. Akane and Ukyou slid in the back seat, on either side of Ranma-onna. Genma did not seem to even notice as he shifted into gear and backed out of the parking space. Thirty minutes later they were all on the highway, heading north toward Nago and eventually Hedo Misaki. Akane watched the city spread out around them as they drove through the thick traffic on the highway. It was only about one hundred and forty kilometers to Nago, but at this rate, it was going to take them nearly two hours to make the hour trip. Well it was not as bad as area surrounding Tokyo, but it was still not a good day to be driving. As they took a slow turn, she felt Ranma lean against her, her head resting on Akane's shoulder. Absently, Akane draped her arm across Ranma-onna's shoulder and settled against her. Leaning slightly against the door, Akane slipped once more into sleep, a small smile on her face. She missed the envious look cast her way by Ukyou. Ukyou was burning with jealously, as she watched Akane pull Ranma closer to her body, turning slightly to find a more comfortable position for Ranma-onna. They looked so perfect together, like two pieces of a puzzle. It was not fair. Before her very eyes, she saw Ranma slipping away from her. What did it matter if he was unconscious? Akane was doing everything she could to keep him by her side. Sullenly, Ukyou turned away, grief and suppressed anger glimmering beneath the surface of her eyes. She was effectively tied down because Ranma needed her. If she started attacking Akane, the old man would step in to protect the girl. Besides, did she even have a right to attack Akane. She had been nice to her and did not begrudge her being with Ranma. She couldn't just explode at her. But it hurt so much to see Akane with Ranma. What would Ranma think if you attacked Akane? Ranma would look at her with that sad expression in his eyes. It was an easy answer. She hated that look. It meant he disapproved, and his approval was everything to her. When he complimented her cooking, when he called her cute, when he confided in her, that was what made all the waiting worth it. She would not incur his disapproval and possible wrath by attacking Akane. Once he was back to normal, Akane and him would start fighting again, become rivals. It was as inevitable as death. Help each other when the other was in trouble, become close, and then drive a wedge between themselves after it all was over and done, it was a simple pattern. No need to worry, no need. In a better mood, Ukyou shifted so her head was on Ranma's shoulder. Soon she fell asleep with Akane. They were awaken by Genma slamming the car door. Groggily, Akane and Ukyou glanced out the car windows, examining the place with bleary eyes. They were in the parking lot of a small and most likely cheap lodging. Saotome Genma was disappearing into the office, to arrange their stay. Akane pushed Ranma back into a sitting position, before opening the door and stepping out. She stretched her legs quickly and waited patiently by the car, her eyes traveling over the surrounding area. It was not to different from Nerima accept the greater abundance of signs in English. For a moment she was confused by this, until she saw group of men walking down the other side of the street, talking loudly and laughing boisterously at the other's jokes. They were speaking in English and they carried themselves differently from the rest of the people on the street. There was an arrogant haughtiness about them. They were obviously Americans, and most likely members of the military. One of the men noticed her and waved. She nodded her head in answer, not wanting to attract their attention. The man only shrugged and turned to his friends and made a comment pointing over his shoulder. The other men burst out laughing. Red heat filled her face. They were making fun of her, and it was probably nothing nice. She was about to stalk across the street and give them a taste of her anger when Ukyou touched her shoulder. "What?" Akane demanded, turning to face Ukyou. Ukyou was startled by the outburst, but then she had not noticed the soldiers. "If you don't want to go to the room, that's fine with me," Ukyou snapped, "But Saotome-san is motioning for us." She indicated Genma who was waiting for them by two open doors. Why does Akane make it so difficult? I'm trying to be nice. "Gomen," Akane apologized, "I was just mad about something." "What was it?" Ukyou asked curiously, her anger soothed by the apology. She reminded herslf tht Akane was under as much stress as she was herself, if not more. "Nothing important," Akane said, noticing the men had turned down a side street. She grabbed two bags and began pushing Ranma's wheelchair. Ukyou had obviously prepared things while she was occupied. Genma took Ranma from Akane at the door, wheeling her into his room. Akane only shrugged and walked into the other room. Throwing her bag in the corner, she collapsed backwards onto the bed sighing in relief. One more stop and they would be there. Hedo Misaki was only fifty kilometers from them. Maybe an hour drive because of the mountain on the northern tip of Okinawa, but there were villages around there, and they would be able to track the man down. Six days would be plenty of time to find a well known doctor and get back to Nerima. Heck they didn't even need to get back to Nerima. If this worked, Ranma would be cured. There was no hurry to go anywhere after that. Akane smiled. "What are you smiling about?" Ukyou asked. The memory of Akane holding Ranma in the car still burned in her mind, and she did not see anything else enjoyable about this place. "We're so close. Just a few more days." Her voice was soft, her tone wistful. "All of this will be over. We can go back to normal again." She giggled. "Well at least as normal as things get around Ranma." Smiling a little at the joke, Ukyou sank down in the chair, not really wanting to share the only bed with Akane. She was jumping at shadows, that was all."You've gone through a lot because of this, haven't you?" "Soo-de su, I just hope it all ends soon. I just don't have the stamina to continue. Do you know how much sleep I've gotten in the past week?" Akane asked, focusing her eyes on her roommate Ukyou shook her head, "Not counting today, less than four hours a day. It's hard to sleep when you know someone you know is right down the hall dying and there is nothing you can do about it." "Well we're doing something now," Ukyou offered cheerfully "Ahhh-hhuuhh," Akane yawned, rubbing her eyes, "For some reason I'm beat. If you don't mind, I'm going to get some more sleep." Ukyou grunted noncommittally as Akane curled up on the bed. Standing up, Ukyou walked to the rear of the room and opened the sliding door and stepped out into a narrow courtyard. It was not large, but it was big enough to practice. Smiling she began to stretch in preparation for her katas, anticipating the release. Genma knocked on their door later in the evening. He was greeted by a well-rested and smiling Akane. "Konban-wa," she said, "Come on in." She motioned for him to sit as she headed towards the bathroom. "Ukyou!" she called, "Ranma's father is here." Akane disappeared into the bathroom, as the outside screen door slid open and Ukyou walked into the room. She didn't say anything to Genma, but sat down on the bed and waited silently for Akane. Genma fidgeted on his feet, wishing Akane would hurry up. As far as he was concerned, Akane was neutral territory. As long as she was around things would not go to far. "Where's Ranma?" Ukyou asked flatly. Her unexpected question startled Genma who looked away from the girl. "He's back in our room," Genma answered, "I didn't think we need- ed him here to decide what to do." Ukyou ignored the response and instead watched her reflection in the mirror next to the television. The bathroom door opened and Akane stepped out in a white blouse and yellow skirt with a small, black pig embroidered on the hem. She was still smiling, but as soon as she felt the tension in the room, her good mood vanished with the smile on her face. She looked back and forth between Ukyou and Genma. It was obvious the former disliked the latter, and the latter was no more inclined to the former. Sighing Akane fell into a chair. "So what are we going to do?" Akane asked simply, deciding that bluntness was far better than diplomacy. Besides she had a lot of practice being blunt. It was an offshoot of her violent nature. Genma recovered first and coughed to clear his throat. "I was going to go ask a few people around the city if they know an Ouchi-sensei. Maybe they can narrow down our search. Other than that. I was going to head for Hedo Misaki tomorrow morning. I wanna finish this as soon as possible." Genma turned to leave. "Do you need us to do anything?" Akane asked, hopefully. Staying in the room doing nothing helpful was the last hing she wanted to be doing. "No, this is my duty. Ranma's my son." He started to walk out of the room before he turned back. "There is some food in my room. I already fed Ranma. Other than that the night's yours." He walked outside and closed the door. They heard a car engine start and then the sound faded away as it joined the flow of traffic. Akane watched the closed door for a moment before standing and walking out of the room. She had never really liked Ranma's father, but it was hard not to feel pity for the man. He was putting himself through Hell because of this situation. Opening the door to Genma's room, she walked in and closed it behind her. Ranma was tucked into the bed, the sheets covering her body. On the table she saw some containers of food. Surprisingly none of them had been touched. Another wave of pity washed over her. It was obvious that Saotome Genma was not himself at the moment. The door opened behind her and Ukyou walked in. Akane glanced at her long enough to see the smug expression on her face. She was obviously enjoying the suffering of Ranma's father. She had a right to. That man ruined her life. If anyone has any right to hate Ranma's father it was Ranma and Ukyou. Akane pushed the thoughts from her head. As far as she was con- cerned only Ranma mattered, not Genma, not Ukyou, not any of their other problems. Ranma was in trouble and that took priority. Ignoring Ukyou, she sat down and grabbed some food and a pair of chopsticks. It was takeout from some place that obviously did not care what the food tasted like. The rice was lumpy, the meat overcooked, and the vegetables were soggy, but she ate it without a complaint. After finally waking up she was feeling a hundred times better and was ravenous. She finished quickly and walked over to check on Ranma. She was laying quietly on the bed, no surprise there. A container of soup caught her eye. Akane picked it up and found it half-full. Obviously, Genma had not fed Ranma a lot, leaving her the job. Akane muttered a few choice words under her breath, but Ranma did need to be fed. Sighing, she found a spoon and placed it next to the soup container while she propped Ranma up into a sitting position. Sitting next to her, she took a spoonful of broth and gently pushed it past Ranma's lips. Ranma swallowed reflexively, as Akane removed the spoon and dipped it in the container to get more broth. She returned the spoon to Ranma's mouth, but as she was feeding her, she accidentally hit a tooth, spilling the broth across Ranma's chin. "You klutz, whatdyadothatfor?" For a moment Akane thought Ranma had woken it up. It was exactly like something he would have said, but then she realized it was coming from behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Ukyou standing at the table, glaring at her. "I'm feeding Ranma!" Akane snapped, "Obviously no one else is going to." "Well then why don' t you get some of the food in his mouth?" Ukyou shot back enjoying the taunting. Seeing Akane helping Ranma, being close to him had snapped something in her mind. "At least I can do something simple like that right! No wonder you can't cook right if you can't even put a spoon in someone's mouth." "Shut up!" Akane screamed, "If you're so much better why don't you do it. Just excuse me for trying to be nice!" She set the soup down and threw the spoon at Ukyou. Ukyou dodged the flying utensil. It whizzed past her head to smash into the door, bending under the force of Akane's throw. "Fine, I will," Ukyou gloated. Akane just shook her head and stalked out of the room. It wasn't worth it. It just wasn't worth. She glanced back once to see Ukyou sitting down next to Ranma, talking to her lovingly. Slamming the door she walked back to her room and grabbed a light jacket and her purse before heading out into the night. Head down, Akane walked the streets, her feet taking her along without thought to where she was going. She was soon off the over crowded main streets and walking the sparsely crowded back streets. Unaware of her surroundings, Akane muttered angrily to herself. Her temper as usual had gained control of her. She was furious at Ukyou. The gall of the girl, telling her she could not feed Ranma, that she was a klutz. It had been an accident, an honest mistake. "If I get my hands on her.. I'm..I'm gonna wring her bloody neck," Akane growled. It wasn't exactly what she wanted to do, but for now it would suffice. Caught up in her own emotions, Akane did not see the group of men in front of her. They were walking erratically up the street, unsteady on their feet. Heedless of where they were going, they did not notice the girl walking toward them, her head down. Akane crashed against one of them, falling backwards onto her rear with an audible grunt. The men burst out in drunken laughter as they noticed the girl on the ground. Her pride was smarting as much as her rear. "Baka! Watch where you are going." Blushing a little she glanced up to see who the men were. It was a group of caucasian men and a few Japanese. They were all fairly drunk, actually calling them fairly drunk was like calling the sun a nice, little light. Making things even worse they were still laughing at her expense. The whole situation was embarrasing enough, and now they were laughing at her. Simmering in anger, she shot them a dirty look of disgust. Grumbling under her breath, Akane started picking herself up, obviously the men were not going to help. She heard them say something. It was hard to understand because of their slurred speech and the fact that it was in English, but she thought it was something about helping the pretty lady. A pair of rough hands grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. Startled Akane found herself stumbling forward into her helper. The strong stench of alcohol assaulted her as she felt her body press against the rough fabric and muscular chest of one of the men. She heard a few catcalls from the other soldiers, which made her blush. Then the unthinkable happened. She felt his hand sliding over her hip. Her anger surged forward. "Hentai!" she screamed. Roughly pushing him away, she smashed her fist in the taller man's face. He stumbled with a surprised grunt, his hand clutching his injured nose, crimson leaking through his fingers. Stunned he looked at the blood on his hands. Rage suddenly burned in his eyes. "Bitch!" he shouted as his hand came around to strike Akane's face. The blow was strong, snapping her head to the side. There was a ringing in her ears and everything became blurry for a second, but it quickly wore off as anger found it's accustomed place in Akane's psyche. She stepped forward about to crush the bastard when she noticed the rest of the men, grumbling angrily, were starting to circle around her. The four Japanese men stepped back not wishing to get involved. They were only drinking companions, not comrades. Nothing compelled them to help the men or the girl, and the girl had run into them and hit one of the men. Fear crept into Akane's heart as she saw this. Realizing she was in more trouble than usual, she started looking for a way out. She hated to run, but these men were drunk and mad. That was a bad combination. These were not the boys from school, nor were they any of the martial artists she was used to facing. Something told her they were deadlier. She suddenly wanted Ranma here, but such thoughts were futile, wishful thinking. She was on her own. "Wanna play rough," one of the men growled in broken Japanese. A hand grabbed for her, she sidestepped it. The movement was clumsy, but she saw the power behind it, the deadliness of the strike. It was obvious that she was in over head. To stay and fight would probably mean a fate worse than death. Shuddering, she decided to get the hell out of Dodge. Spinning, she made a dash between two of the men, who had gotten slightly behind her. They started in surprise as she launched herself at them. This did not last long though. They moved to block her reflexively. Akane reacted the only way she knew how. Her fist struck one in the stomach as her foot connected with the other one's groin. Both slumped to the ground, as Akane leaped past them. As she moved away, a hand lashed out catching her on the arm. Pain flared in her shoulder, but she ignored it and sped down the street, leaving the enraged soldiers behind. Taking several side streets, Akane finally collapsed against a wooden door, tears spilling down her cheeks. "This is all Ukyou's fault. If she hadn't been so insensitive..those men.. Damn gaijin, damn them.." Her voice broke as she sobbed in relief. At least it was over, and she only had a few bruises. It could have been worse, much worse. The door she was leaning against started to move inward. In an instant Akane was on her feet, adrenaline rushing through her body. Backing away from the door, she assumed a fighting stance, warily watching the door. To her relief an older man stepped out, a robe wrapped around his body. He looked at her in surprise. "I didn't mean to startle you, but I heard you crying, are you okay?" the man asked in a kindly voice. Akane relaxed, lowering herself to the ground in relief. Her legs decided that they were tired of working and quit on her, causing her to fall forward. She felt the man grab her arm and support her, saving her from hit- ting to the ground. The contact with her arm though caused her to hiss as pain flared from her shoulder. "You're hurt," he exclaimed as he led her toward his door, "Why don't you let me help you? Just come into my clinic young miss." Akane only nodded as he led her inside. The room was a small kitchen. He gently guided her through the kitchen and into another room that looked a lot like Toufu-sensei's waiting room. From here he directed her into an examination room and sat her down on a table while he searched the room for a few things. "What happened to you?" he asked as he gently prodded her shoulder. Akane clenched her teeth as his fingers probed the muscle and bone. The pain was intense causing a small whimper to leave her throat despite her stoutest efforts to contain it. "I was attacked by a bunch of men. It wasn't my fault," Akane said hotly, concentrating on her anger to ignore the pain, "I accidentally ran into them, and the one who helped me up tried to feel me up, and I hit him. Than the others got mad...they were going to really hurt me. I could tell." She shuddered and fell silent. She was just beginning to realize how much trouble she had been in, how stupid it was for her to walk off alone. Unlike Nerima, this wasn't exactly a safe place. "You've gotta be careful walking outside after dark. Not everyone is very friendly these days," the doctor said, "Could you remove your blouse? I want to put an ointment on your shoulder." Akane nodded and unbuttoned the top of her blouse, letting the material fall from her shoulder. "I wasn't thinking. I was mad at someone" she said in a small, shame-filled voice, "I've always been able to protect myself, and Nerima isn't like this at all. It is much more relaxed." "It's not that bad here, drunk men anywhere can be a problem. Just be lucky you didn't meet up with more than you could handle. And running away was probably the smartest thing to do," the doctor explained as he rubbed a soothing ointment into Akane's throbbing shoulder. The pain slowly lessened and then disappeared. "I promise to be a litle more careful while I'm here," Akane promised "You say you're from Nerima? That's in Tokyo, right?" Akane nod- ded in response. "What are you doing down in Okinawa, on vacation?" the doctor asked curiously. "Uh actually we're looking for someone," Akane answered, "My fiancee is dying and someone said an Ouchi-sensei who lives on Hedo Misaki could help us. We're trying to find him." "Ouchi Yoshitoki?" the doctor asked. "I don't know his first name," Akane admitted. "Well it is probably Ouchi Yoshitoki. Ouchi is not an Okinawan name, although the man has lived here for more than half a century. He is a strange old man who lives in the forested foothills around Hedo Misaki. I don't know where exactly. He used to stop by and see me every so often. I've not seen him in a year, but then sometimes he stays away for two or three years at a time. Well, if you are looking for him, just ask in the villages around Hedo Misaki. They will point the way to him." Impulsively Akane hugged the old doctor. "Arigato, arigato. You don't know how much this means to me." The doctor disentangled himself from Akane and muttered something about the young under his breath. Akane was too excited to care. She buttoned her blouse and hopped from the table. "Arigato for everything, uhm, I'm sorry I didn't even give you my name. I am Tendou Akane." She bowed respectfully to the doctor. The doctor gave a small bow in return. "I am Miyanou Bunbei. It has been a pleasure to meet you Tendou Akane. May you have luck with Ouchi-san." "Arigato," Akane said smiling as she left. Even with Ukyou and those drunk bastards, tonight was turning out to be rather pleasant. Suddenly she turned around, realizing she had no idea where she was. "Uh, Miyanou-sensei? Could you tell me how to get back to my lodging? I don't know where I am." Miyanou laughed and asked her where she was staying and then gave her directions upon hearing her answer. Akane moved along the streets at a quick pace, her eyes watching the partially deserted side streets. She had learned her lesson the hard way and was not about to forget it. Moving on to a more crowded main street, Akane relaxed a little and joined the flowing mass of pedestrians. It was late when she arrived back at the lodging. Walking through the parking area, she noticed that Ranma's father was still gone. The lights were out in both of the rooms. Shrugging she walked into her room. Ukyou was sleeping on the bed, her body sprawled across it taking up the entire width. Akane scowled and considered pushing the girl out of bed. It was that bitch's fault that she had been attacked. If it wasn't for her, she would never have gotten hurt. The fact that the whole episode led her to finding Miyanou-sensei was unimportant, that was her own doing. At the last moment she decided against the idea. Sore and tired, she was in no mood for a fight, and in all actuality she did not relish the idea of spending the night in the same bed as Ukyou, even the same room was too close for her. Instead she backed out of the room and closed the door. Without a pause she went to Ranma's room and slipped inside. Ranma was in the same position on her bed, the covers pulled tightly around her. Akane approached the bed and watched Ranma-onna for a moment. Every thing seemed to be fine. For a second she considered just slipping into the bed next to Ranma-onna, but the thought of his father finding them banished the idea in an instant. Instead, she pilfered one of the pillows from the bed and pulled off the heavy comforter. Placing the blanket on the ground, she folded it in half and slipped into it. Fluffing the pillow she fell asleep, smiling to herself. They were one step closer to a cure. Closing his eyes, Ranma concentrated on the image Xian Lin had demonstrated. The image that kept forming was a sword that cleaved through the attacking energy, splitting it to either side, forcing the attack away from him, every time he tried it though, he ended up with a short-lived, flaming katana in his hands. He knew it was in his thinking. There was something wrong with the image he was constructing. There was a fatal flaw in it that gave him a physical object instead of an actual cutting edge. Clearing his mind he tried it again, only this time a scythe took the place of the sword. Instinctively he realized he had hit upon the wrong idea. "This is so frustrating!" he shouted, slamming his fist into his palm, "I can't get it right. I don't see a way to put what you did into words, or even pictures that will work. Everytime I get a katana in my hands, and that won't work. It requires too much concentration and energy to keep it formed." "What am I doing wrong?" He turned to Xian Lin who was kneeling on the ground next to him. "Help me." "One more time, Ranma," Xian Lin said as she stood, "Watch me carefully. Open your mind, relax, just try and follow my thoughts." Nodding Ranma closed his eyes. He was surprised at how easily he connected with Xian Lin. Her emotions and thoughts suddenly sur- rounded him, filled him. It was disorienting at first, but it only took him a few minutes to filter most of it out and find what he wanted. He felt her gather her ki, bringing it to a single point and holding it there, then she began to form an image. The image formed quickly in her mind, the whole process taking no more than a second, yet the image was an indistinct haze to him. She seemed to realize this and extend it, allowing him to see it more clearly. The opponent's ki attack rushing at her, her ki striking out and hitting it. But hit it with what? It started to become distinct, it was a... Blackness filled his mind throwing him backward onto the ground. Instinctively, he found his center and pushed outward, forcing the blackness from his mind. Finally it cleared, leaving him gasping for breath on his back. "So you're the one who thinks he can defeat Boukyaku. Foolish mortal. You're mine. None can defeat Boukyaku. I am all powerful. I will devour you." The voice was a threatening rumble vibrating around Ranma. Shaking his head, he tried to answer, but before he could, the ground beneath him began to crack open. Shouting in surprise, Ranma tried to leap away, but his body and mind were still recovering. He felt himself slidding downward, hard, sharp objects stabbing into his flesh. Panic erupted in him, causing him to scramble upwartds, grasping at the air. Then he was lifted out of the hole, as Xian Lin grabbed him and carried him to safety. Boukyaku chuckled evilly. "So you're the foolish soul that interferes this time. It does not matter. You were once given to me, and now I will complete what I could not." "I won't be so easy this time," Xian Lin stated. Ranma glanced at her curiously and then back to where he had been sitting. A fanged mouth was pushing out from the ground, trying to reach them. A chill spread up his spine as he saw the glistening black depths behind the gleaming fangs. It was one more he owed Xian Lin. "Actually going to fight, Coward?" Ranma's attention was drawn back to Xian Lin. She was glowing a brilliant white, a colour Ranma had never seen on anyone's aura. To touch a white aura was to die. "I did what I had to, and I will do what I have to. Ranma is not for you. I will not allow you into the world!" "See if you can stop me, Coward. I will be waiting. You don't have much time left." A gloating, hungry laugh filled the air, and then it dwindled to nothingness. Unsteadily, Ranma climbed to his feet. He was terrified and very confused. The speed and power of the attack, the fact that he had not even felt it coming, and that it had stunned him afterwards terrified him. How can I fight that? And what did Boukyaku have against Xian Lin? Carefully he looked back to Xian Lin. She was still glowing white, her face contorted into an expression of utter rage and loathing. With an articulate cry, the aura pulsed around her and shot skyward. The blast burned the sooty red from the sky above them, turning it into a burning silver. The area around Xian Lin had also transformed into a blazing bed filled with small shafts of clear crystal. Ranma watched this in awe before turning around and walking away. Even after the release, Xian Lin was still slightly glowing, and Ranma was not going to risk her anger in that kind of mood. He could wait, no he would wait until she settled down, but then, then she was going to answer some questions. "Umm, hmm," Akane mumbled as she was shaken in her sleep, "Wanna sleep." She rolled the blanket tighter around her body, snuggling into the warmth "Wake up, Akane," Genma's voice said. Genma shook her again, although this time he grabbed her injured shoulder. Akane's eyes snapped open as a fiery blast of pain streaked from her shoulder to her brain. "Itai!" she exclaimed, wrenching her shoulder away from Genma's grabbing hands. "Gomen," Genma said, "I didn't mean to hurt you. I-I- mean we've gotta get going. It's nearly nine in the morning." Rubbing her shoulder, Akane sighed. It was no use getting mad at Ranma's father. He had not known her shoulder was bruised. "Why didn't you wake me up earlier then?" She failed to keep the edge out of her voice. If Genma noticed this, he did not give indication of it. "I just return- ed," he explained, "Although I probably should've slept for all the good traipsing all over the city did me. I found nothing that could help us." He sighed in defeat and turned to start packing some of Ranma's things. He didn't find anything? I'm glad I found Miyanou-sensei. At least I'm helping, unlike Ukyou. "I found out something," Akane said. She shoved the blankets off of her. She was surprised to see that she was still dressed from the night before. "Huh?" Genma responded in surprise. "Last night, well I ran into this doctor.." Akane quickly related the story of walking out of Ranma's room and going for a walk. She glossed over the incident with the drunken men, just explaining she had been in a scuffle with some guys who had tried to take advantage of her. "That would explain the bruise on your cheek," Genma said as Akane spoke. Akane only nodded and lightly touched her cheek, surprised to find it tender to the touch. Ignoring it she picked up her story again and told him how she had met Miyanou-sensei and the information he had given her. "It helps a little," Genma conceded, "At least we know he is a real person, and maybe we've got a lead on finding him. I'm glad someone had some luck last night." He sighed in regret. "Go get Ukyou, and we'll leave in a few minutes." "Hai," Akane answered and disappeared out the front door. Open- ing her room, she slipped in and switched on the lights. Ukyou mum- bled in protest from the bed. Akane ignored her and started digging through her suitcase. Pulling out a change of clothes she went to the bathroom and freshened up before changing. She was done ten minutes later, and was quickly packing. "Wake up, Ukyou!" Akane said impatiently, "We need to get going." "Huh?" "I said wake up!" Akane piling her dirty clothes into a cloth bag and shoved it into her suitcase. What is wrong with that girl? Groaning Ukyou pushed the blankets away from her body and groggily stood up. She looked around and saw Akane almost finished packing. It was like a truck hit her. She was wide awake in an instant. "Why'd you let me sleep?" she demanded as she rushed around looking for her clothes. "Saotome-san just woke me up. I spent the night in his room," Akane explained, zipping her bag shut. "Nani-yo anta?!" The insult just slipped from Ukyou's lips, "You slept with Ranchan?" "Iie!" Akane snapped back, "I just slept on the floor because you were hogging the bed!" "Why didn't you just sleep in here!?" "Because...because of you I got this!" she exploded pointing to her cheek, "Why can't you just be nice to me, for once? I've done nothing to you!" Akane stalked out of the room before Ukyou could answer, slamming the door behind her. Ukyou starred at the door with wide eyes. She had not wanted to explode, but everything was getting to her. It seemed that Ranma was slipping from her moment by moment, and Akane was the reason. She touched him, she slept in the same room as him..Damn her, damn her! She shook her head. I will not forgive her. Never. Angrily she un- dressed and put on her new clothes. She threw all of her belongings back into her bag and left the room. The day had started out bad, and she was not expecting it to get any better. They traveled north, a tense silence filling the car. Genma was too tired and distracted to talk. Akane and Ukyou, each on one side of Ranma-onna, were pointedly ignoring each other. Put together it made for a very uncomfortable two hours. Because of the military bases, they had to take the long way around, and then circle around the rearing mountain, the only road over the mountain being blocked off for military exercises. Akane watched the land pass by the car with a bored expression. She was ready to kill Ukyou, but like before, her anger had disappeared after a time. It was just so useless to hold onto it when she had other problems on her mind, the main one being her empty stomach. They had skipped breakfast in their rush to get going, and neither Akane or Ukyou had brought it up. Akane doubted that they were ever going to get over this morning. She was just glad she had not decided to sleep in the same bed as Ranma. Thank the gods for small favours. A small sign flashed past the window. She barely made out the words. Sanagu 20 km. Their first stop was not very far away. One step at a time. One step closer. She absently rested her hand on Ranma- onna's hand. She did not notice Ukyou watching her guiltily. Saotome-san had explained what Akane had found out the night before, telling her how Akane had gotten into a fight with some drunken men and from there had stumbled upon the doctor. There was a purple bruise on Akane's cheek bone, right beside her eye and Ukyou could tell that Akane's left shoulder was bothering her from the way she kept away from the door, sitting straight in the car. The pressure was just getting to her, causing her to make rash decisions. Last night she had not meant to yell at Akane. It was just that seeing her feed Ranchan had released a roaring green beast within her. When Akane had spilled the soup she had reacted without thinking, trying to force Akane away. It had worked, but Akane had gotten hurt because of that. It did not matter that Akane should not have gone out, she had and it was because of her. Who could blame her for not wanting to sleep in the same room with the girl who had prompted such a disasterous night. Ukyou knew she would've done the same thing, maybe even sleeping in the same bed as Ranma. Ukyou realized that Akane had shown a great deal of restraint throughout the whole ordeal. She had not intentionally tried to aggravate matters, and in many cases Akane had been the only reason Ukyou herself had not been at Saotome's throat. At the least she owed Akane an appology for her behaiour, but she just did not know how to go about it. It was apparent that Akane was not in the mood to talk to her, and Ukyou was unable to express an aplogy to someone who had always been a rival. Miserable, Ukyou leaned against the window. She wished there was an easy way out of everything, but there was no easy answer. Even if Ranchan was cured, someone was going to be hurt. She just prayed to the kami that it would not be herself. Hadn't her life been filled with enough pain already? "I love you, Ranchan," Ukyou whispered quiely as she watched the rocky landscape speed by. Sanagu was a small traditional village. Akane decided that it could not have a population more than two thousand people. But even two thousand was more than enough to search through for information. Genma parked the car in the village square. Several old men were playing separate games of shogi on a porch across from them. Stepping out of the car, Genma walked over to the men and started talking with them. Akane watched from the car. When Genma sat down and began to play a game with one of the older men, she sighed and opened the door. Maybe she could uncover some more information like she had the previous night. Besides, searching for information would kept her away from Ukyou. She walked through the streets of Sanagu. It was not very large, only three main streets that ran parallel to the expressway and maybe a dozen or so interconnecting streets. The place was desolate. In her entire search she only came upon a few dozen people, most of them older women or men. There were a few younger women watching over children who were not at school, and even a few young men, but other than that the village was a ghost town. It took her a while to figure out why this was. The only possibility was that most of the people had jobs outside of the village, either at one of the military bases or back in Nago. It was not uncommon for rural people to commute into the city. This was substantiated more by a bus stop she found at one end of the village. After an hour or so, Akane decided it was useless to continue searching. There were not very many people here, and most of them stayed away from her since she was a stranger. She made her way back to the car to find Genma finishing his game with the old man. Standing up, Genma payed his respects and returned to the car. A bright smile on his face. "What did you find out?" Akane asked curiously. "No one has seen Ouchi-sensei for about a year, but then he doesn't come down to Sanagu very often according to those men. They told me to try in the next village up, since when he does come here it is generally from that direction." "So we just follow along village to village, like Miyanou-sensei said?" Akane asked, crestfallen. This was probably going to take longer than she had hoped. Just please don't let it be longer than five days. "Soo-de su, we follow where the path leads," Genma answered. Ukyou silently watched and listened to the two as she sat beside Ranma-onna. He knew she was not going ot be much help. Really she had only come akong to be with Ranma, and show him she cared. When he woke up, she planned to be the first person he saw. Other than that, her prescence on this trip was distasteful to her. She just wanted to help Ranchan. Ranma sat patiently on the ground, watching as Xian Lin walked back to him. Thousands of questions were spinning in his head at the moment, and he was going to get answers to some of them. Xian Lin walked wearily, her head down. Ranma could feel her exhaustion and grief in addition to the anger that ran beneath it all. Patiently he waited while she made her way to him and then finally sat down in front of him. She did not drop her eyes but instead bore her gaze into his. He knew she was studying his thoughts, trying to find out what he was going to do. She found the answer. He just wanted the truth. There was nothing else that would help him. The only thing that mattered to Ranma was getting home to Akane and his life. Xian Lin was going to help him so he was not going to push her away from him. In addition to this, he had come to like the girl in his time trapped with her. He did not blame her any longer for the curse, it was not her fault, but he still wanted the truth. They had to be open between each other. "What do you want to know?"Xian Lin asked in a heavy voice. There were a thousand questions he wanted to ask, but only one really mattered. "What was Boukyaku talking about? Why does he know you? Why does he hate you?" "It goes back to when I was trapped in the pool, when I died," she began, watching Ranma with sad eyes, "I told you I was an Amazon. The Amazon's are the keepers of Boukyaku's prisons. The Judgment of Boukyaku was placed upon Amazons who had done the unspeakable or who were undesirable. You see by sending them to Boukyaku there soul was obliterated thereby making it impossible for them to be reborn into the tribe. His is the ultimate punishment, worse than exile. Even in exile the soul will be reborn." She paused as a grimace of pain and grief crossed her face. "I was sixteen at the time of my death. I was in love with a man who I was not supposed to love. At that time it was forbidden, but I could not help myself. We defied the elders, but that is not a great enough offense for the Judgement, except that he was not of the Amazon tribe, I made him part of it." "To punish me and him they passed the Judgment on him. I was devastated. Not only would I lose him in that life, I could never have him again, ever. For ten days of his sentence I stayed within my hut. They kept him locked away from me, so we could not do anythign rash. Finally I decided on an action." Ranma could feel the memory of fear and indecision, the appalling chance she was about to take. "There is a way to break the Judgement without a Matriarch." "How?" Ranma asked. "It's the statue that is the key. There were thirteen of them when I died. Boukyaku enters the one that is given to the cursed individual. It takes fourteen days to do. Each day he becomes stronger until the fourteenth when he is fully in the statue. What I was going to do could only be done on the last night." "Since the statue is a prison, if it is broken, Boukyaku is released into the world. Boukyaku stays there until the person who released him is either dead or defeats him. It was a risk I was willing to take." "On the fourteenth night, the tribe convened outside of the village, near Jusenkyo. It was at that place that all of our ceremonies were held. They brought forth my lover. He stood so bravely before them, his head held high, his eyes blazing in the night. In his right hand he held the statue. I acted" "Rushing forward, I knocked him down and lifted a large hammer. I slammed it down on the statues, releasing a small blast of ki to weaken it. It shattered, releasing Boukyaku into this world." "I was terrified as I saw him. I-I can't even describe what he looks like, it is horrible, horrible, but I stood and faced him, standing over my lover. We began to fight." "Actually it can't be called a fight. I was simply trying to survive, allow my love to escape. He didn't. He came to help me." Xian Lin stopped speaking as her voice broke, tears glistening in her eyes. "The blow would have killed me, but he took it. He died in front of me, no last words. His body had been crushed." "I-I died right then. But I had one small victory, I had saved his soul. He would be reborn into the tribe. And I decided to join him. I was going to die at the hands of Boukyaku anyway. I knew I could not defeat him. I did not have the experience or the power. So I ran." "Boukyaku chased me as I fled into Jusenkyo. There I finally turned and faced Boukyaku. Pure hunger pulsed from that bastard as he loomed over me, but I was not going to go to Boukyaku. My soul was my own." "I drew in my ki, let it build and build until I was burning with power. It was more than I had ever held before, and at the last moment I changed it, I forced it in on myself, turning it into a burning shaft of white that struck through my body, exploding around me, filling me with a sublime joy. That is the last thing I remember before entering the pool. But that is another story." Ranma was about to press but he caught an edge of the unfathom- able grief and quilt that hung just beneath the surface. He decided that her explanation satisfied him enough. "I can see why you hate Bouk- yaku. I can see why you're helping me, but can you face Boukyaku now? I mean before he completely out matched you." Ranma asked cautiously, worry gnawing at him. "Hai, I can," Xian Lin said, "For fifteen hundred years I've been imprisoned, fighting for that entire time. In this form I am powerful enough to contend with him, especially if you help me Ranma. You're as powerful as me in your own way." Ranma nodded. "I think we should go seek this thing out," Ranma said, "I'm not letting him sneak up on me like he did." "We can try, but I doubt Boukyaku'll show before everything is ready. Its strength must be full before it risks another attack. This one was just to scare and unsettle us." "C'mon, we've got a lot of work to do," Ranma said. He took Xian Lin's hand and pulled her to her feet. "I want us to be perfectly in tune. It will make things easier." "How are we going to do that?" Xian Lin asked. "I was hoping you had some ideas." Xian Lin smiled in response. The next two and a half days passed in a blur for Akane. From Sanagu they visited many other villages, each one ending almost exactly the same as the previous one. "No we've not seen him. But the people in the next village might have seen him." It became increasingly frustrating. It was almost like Ouchi-sensei had dropped from the face of the earth. And then they found something different, a place where they actually knew Ouchi-san. Though they had not seen him for a few months, they directed the weary and bedraggled party to another village. Unfortunately it was a small village and cars could not get to it, since it was part way up the mountain side. The decision was easily made. They decided to walk, paying a villager to use his mule so they could take Ranma. According to their informer the village of Okino- kami was a half day walk from his village. It was mid morning at that point, so they decided to leave and head for Okinokami. The trip was a pleasant one for Akane. Spring was blooming around them, as they moved through the forested mountain side. Birds chirped incessantly from the treetops, filling the air with their melodious warbling. Small rodents scurried in the undergrowth and she even caught glimpses of larger animals. It was a refreshing break from the normal country-side around Nerima. All of the forested land was either empty of wildlife, frightened off by the human presence or immacu- lately groomed in parks. She wanted Ranma to be able to enjoy this with her, and if every thing worked out, he would on the way back. She smiled happily to herself and continued to enjoy the walk through the woods, reveling in the sounds and the scents of the wild. Unfortunately her good cheer did not last long. The village was quiet and empty of life when they arrived early in the afternoon. They split up and searched, hoping to find a reason. The reason soon became apparent. Every thing that was in the village was sound asleep, even the animals. Akane sat on the ground a sour expression on her face. "What could put a whole village to sleep?" she asked of no one in particular, "I mean why would someone want a whole village to sleep? It's not as if they are important to anyone..." "Cologne!" All three of them said in unison. "Chikusho!" Akane swore. "How does that baba stay ahead of us?" Ukyou asked in exas- peration. She pounded her fist into her open palm in frustration. "She must really want Ranma this time. She's playing hardball," Genma noted, looking around at the deserted village. Akane pushed herself off the ground. "I'm going for a walk" This was not how things were supposed to happen. They were supposed to find Ouchi-sensei and cure Ranma. Now they were at a dead end. It was not fair. No one stopped her so she walked off into the woods, wandering slowly up the mountain, following a trail that led away from the village. She was near tears. Now she had to give Ranma to Shampoo. What other choice was there? They had wasted all of the time chasing after this cure, and it was impossible to go back to China and see if the Amazons would reverse the Judgement. They had lost. Akane continued to walk, lost in her own thoughts. She did not even realize it when she came into a clearing. It was only when she noticed a small cottage in the clearing that she became excited. Could this be where Ouchi-sensei lived? Hope welled up within her. Maybe not all was lost. "Ouchi-sensei!" she called, "Are you here? We need your help. It's very important. Please answer me!" There was no answer. Then Akane had a sudden inspiration. What if Cologne had put him to sleep also? Then all she had to do was find him and wake him up. It seemed so easy, so perfect. She rushed up to the cottage and into it. The place looked like it had not been lived in for a time. There was no dust, but the place just did not have a feel of a place that held human life. Slowly she checked the four small rooms. There was nothing, just furniture, books, and decorations. Slipping into a depression again, Akane went outside into the back of the cottage, hoping there might be one more place to look. She found a small garden, immaculately kept. A stone path ran through the center and around a koi pond. Bonsai were planted in sparse yet perfect arrangements. It was beautiful. She followed the path, looking for something that could help her. She noticed a marker off to the side. Curious, she went over to it and knelt before it. Her heart chilled as she saw it, tears burning in her eyes. "No, no, no, no! It's not fair! It's not fair! I don't want to lose Ranma." She collapsed against Ouchi-sensei's gravestone, crying her heart out. Author's Notes: Wow, that was a long one. Ha I love a good ending. Hey don't look at me like that. Life is not always kind and it never works out how we want it to, I try and have my writing reflect that. You'll notice that MASN will be very grim at times, no not really dark, but grim and realistic. This is not meant to be comedy, it is meant to be drama, and maybe some tragedy in there for effect. For a quick translation note: Nani-yo anta is a simple insult. It basically translates as to Who do you think you are? Although it is a little stronger. Nani-yo anta is the version used by females. The anta is a deragatory slang form of anata which means 'you'. And I don't know how Ukyou's accent would change this. If a boy was saying this phrase it would become nani temee. Got it? Good ^_^ You'll have to forgive my Ukyou. I don't want her to be a complete vengeance nut, but I don't think that Akane and her would be getting along very well. More than ever they are rivals now. Ukyou see athreat in the closeness Akane is demonstrating with Ranma. She realizes that she is not assured of winning anymore. With all the engagements out the window, and Akane being nice, will Ranma still want her? It is a painful realization, so she acts like this. She feels sorry for her anger, but cannot take the step of forgiving and fogetting, and maybe becoming friends with Akane. So that explains Ukyou. Xian Lin...Oh I'm loving this character. I can do whatever I want with her and not have to worry about OOC, why? Because I created her, bwahahahaha..... Seriosuly though. I enjoy creating characters from scratch, although I'm trying to create them within the story, hence Xian Lin's origin. Besides I love playing around with the stories behind the curses. I really don't want to write a lot of Author's Notes. I want C&C on my characters. How do you like them? Are they really OOC? What can be changed? I can do grammar and spelling, but my characters are my weakest point in my self editting. So please help. Well I'm going to leave it at that. Please keep reading. Thanks to everyone who has shown interest in my writing so far. Somehow that make s it all worth it. Ja ne for now Until next time Joseph A. Kohle ----*----*----*----*----*----*----*----*----*---- All rights and priveleges to Ranma Nibunnoichi belong to Rumiko Takahashi. The characters of her series are used without her permission for the purpose of entertainment only. This work of fic- tion is not meant for sale or profit. All original characters are the creation of the author. All copyright privileges to these chara- cters are reserved for the author. This story is a product of the author's hard work and imagination. Do not modify, add to, or make use of any part of this work without the author's knowledge and consent. Please feel free to archive this work. Comments and criticism are welcome. Written by Joseph A. Kohle, (c) 1997. Send all comments to Ashira@worldnet.att.net