Last major revision: 10/05/98 Last modified: 03/25/99 Here is the draft to Part 5. As always, any C&C greatly appreciated! ^_^ ====================================================================== TIGER CLAW: A Ranma 1/2 fanfic - by Madamhydra@aol.com ====================================================================== Part 5: DARKENING HEARTS (part I) ====================================================================== --------------- Disclaimer All rights and privileges to Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Viz Communications, Inc., and associated parties. The characters of her series are used without her permission for the purpose of entertainment only. This work of fiction is not meant for sale or profit. All original characters are the creation of the author. All copyright privileges to these characters are reserved for the author. --------------- IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a CONTINUATION-ALTERNATE REALITY fanfic. While I follow the manga (and video) continuity to just after Mount Phoenix (volume 38), the subsequent wedding ceremony (and the related bombing by Shampoo and Ukyo) does NOT occur. In this story, a different incident involving the planned wedding took place. Only a limited number of the main characters have actually SEEN the Neko-ken (the Tendos, Genma, Shampoo, Cologne, Gosunkugi or Sasuke, and Kuno), although others may have heard rumors about it. --------------- Text Conventions ( ) -> thoughts > < -> sound fx <" "> -> Chinese Curse forms are denoted by appropriate suffixes (-chan, -neko, -panda, etc.) except for Ryoga (P-chan) and Mousse (Muu-Muu). ********************************************************************** Part 5#: ********************************************************************** "Yuki! Your meal's ready! Yuki! Yuki? Here kitty kitty kitty!" A middle-aged housewife scowled and muttered, "Where's that silly cat gone?" All over Nerima, a lot of other people were asking the very same sort of questions. ----------------------------------- A young man wearing a faintly shimmering dragonscale vest, matching arm bracers, and a piece of women's hosiery as a belt stood hidden amid the leafy branches of a tree near the Tendo compound. Although he had a slightly effeminate appearance, he was also quite handsome with his blue-black hair and elegant facial features. At that moment, those elegant features were distorted by an irritated scowl. Pantyhose Tarou was annoyed. (Damn you, Happosai, where are you?) Tarou had just wasted the last few hours prowling around Nerima futilely trying to locate the old lech. Finally, Tarou settled down to keep an eye on the Tendo compound. There was no telling where Happosai might be at any given moment, but he always came back to the Tendos and his 'heir', Ranma Saotome. As he waited for the old pervert's return, he pulled a tattered piece of paper from his pocket and read it again. "Tarou, my dear boy. After a great deal of thought, I've generously decided to grant your request to change your name. However, there is one small condition. I want you to get a certain document from Ranma. Unfortunately, I don't know where that miserable boy has it hidden. If you can find it and bring it to me within a week, I'll be glad to give you your name of choice. That's all. Cheerio! "PS: Ranma doesn't know I'm looking for that paper. Try not to slip up, hm?" He stared down at the note with a skeptical sneer. ('Generously decided'? 'Grant my request'? Who does the old bastard think he's dealing with!? A 'small condition'? If that's a 'small condition', Happosai's a Buddhist monk. And as for trusting Happosai to keep his end of the bargain....) Tarou snorted. (No way. Not after last time... or the time before that.) Leaning back against the tree trunk, he frowned thoughtfully. (Ranma's no match for Happosai. If the old pervert wants this paper so badly, why can't he just take it? Not only that, it can't be THAT hard to trick that idiot Ranma into revealing its location. I could think of any number of ways.... What's so special about that document and why does Happosai need it so quickly?) (Is it some sort of magical item? Perhaps it discloses a special martial arts technique. Hmph! For all I know, it could be a map to something totally useless like his hidden stash of women's underwear. But it doesn't really matter what that paper is. If Happosai wants it so badly, then I want it MORE. And once I get my hands on it, I'll see whether it's worth keeping for myself or not.) As he wondered what valuable or earth-shattering secrets might be in the mystery document, Tarou started to chuckle evilly. --------------------------------- ********************************************************************** Part 5#: ********************************************************************** As they left the hospital, Akane noticed that Ranma had a worried look on his face. "What's wrong?" He absently said, "I was just wondering how Ukyo's doing after... yesterday." Akane felt a familiar flare of jealousy. Her first impulse was to snarl something nasty but she managed to throttle it into submission. She took a deep breath and thought, (No. This is just what Nabiki's been warning about. I'm not going to say anything. I'll see how Ranma wants to handle this.) She looked away and said evenly, "Fine. You do that." He took a step down the stairs, then glanced back at her. "Akane, you coming?" She blinked. "You want me to come with you?" Ranma give her a puzzled look. "Of course. Why wouldn't I want you to come along?" He suddenly appeared worried. "Unless... did something happened between you and Ukyo yesterday? Something I don't know about?" Akane hesitated a bit. "No. Not really. Ukyo just had a hard time dealing with... everything." She silently added, (But she was so bitter when I tried to explain about the Neko-ken.... Ukyo acted like I was lying to her!) Akane shrugged. "I thought you might want to talk to her alone...." He muttered, "Where would you get a stupid idea like that? It's not like I got anything to hide." She scowled at him a bit. "Oh really? Are you sure about that?" He opened his mouth to make an angry retort, but suddenly stopped. "Despite what you and Nabiki might think, I'm not blind. I know something weird's been going on between you and Ukyo recently." Ranma's natural impulse was to tell Akane to butt out, but he found himself slowly saying, "Yes, there is." He saw her frown and hastily added, "But it's not what you're thinking!" Akane flushed and hunched her shoulders. "Just what am I supposed to think? For the last couple of weeks, Ukyo's been really moody and... and whenever you guys meet, you're always watching her." Suddenly, she gave him a furious glare. "Ranma! You didn't!" "Huh!?" "You and... and Ukyo! Don't tell me you two...! She's not... she's not...." "Not what!?" "....pregnant...," she mumbled under her breath. "WHAT!?!?" Ranma looked totally stunned. She turned away to stare furiously at an inoffensive shrub. Actually, she looked more hurt than angry. Ranma dropped his face into his hands and muttered, "Oh, just great." (And just how many other people in Nerima are thinking the same sort of thing?) As he struggled to come up with a story that won't make the whole situation worse, that little inner voice spoke up. / Tell her the truth. / (I suppose I could just tell Akane the truth. But Ukyo....) / It wasn't your fault.... / / It was HER screw-up.... / / Why should you suffer for her stupidity? / / She doesn't deserve to be protected.... / / Let the fool face the consequences. / Taking a deep breath, Ranma reached out and put his hand on Akane's shoulder. She shrugged it off at first but he firmly but gently pulled her around to face him. He said quietly, "Listen. You've got absolutely no reason to be jealous of Ukyo. She and I are childhood friends. Nothing more. I never touched her, okay? If you really want to know what's going on... I'll tell you. But not now and not here." Trust and jealousy fought in Akane as she stared up at him and the earnest look on his face. "Please, Akane. I swear... whatever's going on with Ukyo, it's got nothing to do with THAT." Trust won... barely. She nodded slowly. "All right. Later." / Now say something nice. / He stepped back and grinned slightly. "And I'd sorta feel better if you came with me, okay?" Ranma released an inner sigh of relief as Akane rewarded him with a quick flash of a smile. --------------------------------- Kodachi scowled as she swirled the clear liquid around the small flask with a scowl. The extract from the dried Umbra roses was disappointingly weak. However, the scent WAS there, subtle and alluring. (Perhaps the dried petals of the Umbra rose won't be enough, but at least I'll be able to see whether the information on that ancient scroll has any merit.) As she finished sprinkling the scented water over her clothes and working it into her hair, Sasuke reappeared in a blur. "Mistress...." With a sharp flick of her comb, Kodachi curtly said, "Stand away." Sasuke knew better than to ask silly questions. He immediately retreated across the room and backed out the window. "Well?" she snapped. Peering over the windowsill from the outside, the little ninja said, "Mistress Kodachi, I've located Ranma Saotome. At this very moment, he's headed toward Ukyo Kuonji's restaurant." Sasuke's voice was muffled because he had a cloth clamped over his mouth and nose. Kodachi's expression turned ugly. With a snarl, she hurled the comb in Sasuke's direction. It zipped past his ear and buried itself into the tree trunk outside her bedroom window. After she stormed out of the room, Sasuke took a cautious sniff but couldn't smell anything out of the ordinary. ********************************************************************** Part 5#: ********************************************************************** Ranma abruptly stopped as soon as he caught sight of Ukyo's restaurant. "What's wrong?" Akane demanded. "It's closed." "What? At this hour?" He glanced at her and frowned slightly. "Are you SURE she was okay yesterday?" "Well, I thought so. She wasn't physically hurt or anything like that. She was upset, of course, but I didn't think she was THAT upset." They exchanged worried looks, then headed straight for the restaurant. Ranma pounded loudly on the door and waited impatiently for an answer. Just as he was about to kick down the door, it slid open. An unfamiliar young woman stood in the doorway, towel in hand. She cocked her head slightly and said politely, "Hello?" Ranma sharply asked her, "Who are you? Where's Ukyo?" "Ukyo? Oh, you mean Ms. Kuonji." The woman's expression became bit cooler. "She's upstairs resting." "Resting!?" "Yes. Who are YOU?" Ranma was about to answer when he caught a glimpse of the restaurant's demolished interior. He rudely shoved the unknown woman out of the way and forced his way inside. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?" the stranger complained. After taking a long look at the broken furniture and the conspicuous bloodstains on the floor, Ranma turned to the stranger and angrily demanded, "What the hell's going on here!?" No one could miss the hostility and suspicion in Ranma's voice. And while he wasn't in an actual fighting stance, he was clearly alert, ready for any unpleasant surprises. The woman cautiously backed up a few steps, then propped one hand on her hip. "Well, that depends on just who's asking." Ranma snapped, "We're her friends, damn it! Now tell us what's goin' on!" The woman hesitated before answering. "An intruder broke in sometime last night and attacked Ms. Kuonji. She got hurt. Like I said before, she's upstairs resting." "And what are you doing here?" The woman snorted. "I was passing nearby when I heard the commotion. I saw the fighting. Your friend was losing -- and losing badly -- so I evened up the odds a bit. I managed to drive the ugly bastard off. She had some nasty cuts and a bump on the head. I patched her up and stuck around to make sure she was doing okay. By the way, my name's...." She didn't have the chance to finish as Ranma dashed upstairs with Akane at his heels. The young woman was left standing alone on the ground floor. "....Yuri." She reached behind her and adjusted something tucked in the small of her back, then quietly followed the others upstairs. ********************************************************************** Part 5#: ********************************************************************** Ranma burst into Ukyo's bedroom and shouted, "Uc-chan! Are you all ri...." He skidded to a halt as soon as he realized that Ukyo was naked from the waist up, except for some broad white bandages tightly wound about her lower torso. "Ranma!?" A horrified Ukyo stared blankly at him, frozen in shock and surprise. "Oops! Sorry! I didn't mean to...." He immediately tried to backpedal out of the room but only succeeding in crashing into Akane who was trying to enter at the same time. They both landed in a confused pile on the floor. "Ranma, get off of me, you idiot! What do you think you're doing, charging into a girl's bedroom like that with no warning!? You should have at least knocked!" Akane angrily hauled Ranma off the floor and threw him out of the bedroom. After slamming the door in his face, she turned around to see a white-faced Ukyo struggling to sit up. She hastily pushed the chef back down onto the futon. "Relax! Take it easy," she said as she hastily covered up Ukyo with the sheets. The door opened a crack, and Ranma nervously asked, "Uh, Uc-chan? You... um... dressed now?" Akane whirled around and glared in his direction. "Don't be ridiculous! How can she possibly get dressed when she's been hurt like this? Just wait a moment, all right?" --------------------------------- Yuri paused halfway up the stairs. She eavesdropped just long enough to confirm that the two young intruders were actually friends of Ukyo. Shaking her head at the commotion, she headed back downstairs to the kitchen. --------------------------------- With Akane's help, Ukyo managed to get herself decently covered. She was thankful for the delay. She needed the time to regain her composure before facing Ranma. (He seems so... normal... today. It's like that fight yesterday didn't even happened!) Akane yelled, "Okay, you can come in now." Ranma warily stepped into the room. He looked Ukyo over, noticing her pale complexion, the scrapes along her arms, and the telltale signs of pain around her eyes. "How are you feeling?" Ukyo smiled weakly. "I've had better days. But it could have been worse." He chuckled a bit, then said, "That girl downstairs..." "Yuri?" Ranma shrugged. "I guess so. She said that you were attacked last night by an intruder." Ukyo stared at her fingers. "Yeah. The... guy broke in late last night. I got careless. Yuri managed to drive... him away." Scratching the back of his neck, he muttered, "Uh... shouldn't you be in the hospital?" Ukyo chattered nervously, "Oh, it's not that bad. Really! Just a few minor cuts and bruises. Nothing serious. No point making a big deal about it!" Standing behind Ranma, Akane frowned. She had seen the look of pain on Ukyo's face when she had tried to move. No matter what she said, Ukyo was hurt a lot worse than she was letting on. Ranma started to reach out to touch her, but paused. She looked unnervingly fragile. He bit his lip, then said, "Is that... it? Did... anything else... happen?" Ukyo stared at him blankly, then her eyes widened. "No no no! I just got a bit beat up. That's IT!" Ranma hesitated but decided not to press the issue. "Did you get a look at the guy?" The chef mumbled, "It was dark. I couldn't really see much, especially after I knocked my head against the wall." "You... sure you're all right?" Ukyo gave him a bright smile. "Don't worry! A little rest and I'll be fine. Actually, I was about to ask the same about you. How are YOU doing?" Ukyo's gaze flicked anxiously between Ranma and Akane. His lips twitched slightly but it really couldn't be considered a smile. "Same as you. I've had better days." Actually, Ukyo couldn't quite recall ever seeing Ranma in better physical shape. He was showing absolutely no signs of the injuries he sustained during the fight with Kuno and Ryoga. (And that doesn't make any sense. This isn't a matter of a few minor cuts and bruises. Kuno and Ryoga really HURT him. Ranma's a fast healer, but even he couldn't have totally recovered overnight... or could he? There's no signs of soreness or pain... and something about the way he was moving....) Ukyo shook her head and said, "What happened, Ran-chan?" He looked down at his hands but didn't say anything. Akane said, "During the storm last night, there was a fire at his parents' house. It burned down to the ground." Ukyo gasped. "Are they...." "They're hurt, but Dr. Tofu says that they should be fine with some rest." Ukyo looked away for a second, then reached out to touch Ranma's knee. "I'm so sorry to hear that. I know how much you care about them." His hands clenched briefly. "In more ways than one, Uc-chan." He glanced quickly at Akane, then added, "They said it was lightning from the thunderstorm, but I kinda wonder about that." The chef looked startled. "What... you don't think it was an accident?" "If the fire was the only thing, I wouldn't have a problem with it. But with the other weird stuff that's happened yesterday, I'm not so sure." Ranma got up and said, "That's why this mysterious intruder bothers me so much. First, that stuff with Kuno and Ryoga... then my parents... and now you. It's all too much of a coincidence." Ukyo muttered, "When you talk about it like that, I guess it's more than a little suspicious." He shook his head. "Yeah. Listen, I need to talk to that woman downstairs... what's her name? Yuri? Maybe she's got a better idea what this guy looks like. Be back in a sec, okay?" When Akane got up to follow Ranma out of the room, Ukyo grabbed Akane's wrist. "Ukyo?" said Akane in a startled voice. The chef pulled her closer and asked in a soft, urgent voice, "Did Ranma go anywhere last night?" "What...?" "Did he go out at all?" "No, he didn't." "Are you sure?" "Yes, I'm pretty sure." "And how would you know?" Ukyo asked, both suspicion and jealousy creeping into her voice. "Because... because...." Akane tried to find a less awkward way to say it but finally gave up. With a reluctant sigh, she muttered, "I was in his room most of the night. I can guarantee that he didn't leave the house. I would've heard him." "You were what!?" Ukyo glared angrily at her. Akane glared back. "It wasn't anything like THAT! I was just keeping an eye on him, all right?" Ukyo's anger subsided, then in an odd voice, she said, "You were really worried about him...." Akane fidgeted uneasily, but something about the obvious disbelief in the chef's voice rubbed her the wrong way. Instead of her usual attempts to deny any interest in Ranma, Akane tossed back her head and said tersely, "Yes, I was really worried." Her fierce gaze dared Ukyo to contradict her. The chef stared up into Akane's face. Ukyo wasn't exactly sure what to make of her behavior. (Does she really mean that or is she just feeling... possessive? I wonder....) Shoving that question aside, Ukyo hurriedly began to crawl out of bed. (I need to tell Yuri not to say anything about the cat creature to Ranma.) "Ukyo, lie down! I know that you're hurt a lot worse than you're letting on. And I don't understand why are you trying to hide it from Ranma." "Akane, help me up now or get out of my way!" "Sheesh! Oh, all right!" -------------------------------------- Downstairs, Ranma headed purposefully toward Yuri. She stopped sweeping the floor and gave him an inquiring look. Stopping in front of her, he muttered in embarrassment, "Uh... sorry about pushing you around earlier. I'm Ranma Saotome." Yuri blinked. "Ranma...? You're... Ranma?" She quickly recovered from her surprise and shook her head. "Hey, no problem. You were upset. The place was a bloody wreck and your friend was missing. Perfectly understandable." "Ukyo said she didn't get a good look at the guy who broke in. How about you? Did you get a better look at him?" Yuri murmured, "Him? The... guy... who broke in? Uh.... Well, that's not surprising. She did get a pretty hard knock on her head." Ranma eyed her curiously and asked, "Ukyo looks like she got hurt pretty bad. Why didn't you take her to the hospital?" There was a slightly accusing tone in his voice. She sighed and shrugged. "I wanted to, but she kept telling me that it wasn't that serious. She REALLY didn't want to go. I was afraid that she'd aggravate her injuries if I tried to force her. I've got some experience patching up people so I decided to fix her up here. Although... I've been having second thoughts about that decision." "What do you mean?" "When I checked on her this morning, her memory of last night was somewhat spotty. Her concussion might be more severe than I thought. I'd feel a lot better if you could convince her to go see a real doctor." "You're not a doctor?" Yuri laughed. "Hardly. But in my line of work, it's damned useful to know how to patch up injuries as well as inflict them." "I kinda guessed you were some sort of martial artist. You've got the moves." She grinned. "You can tell, huh? You too?" He gave her a cocky grin in return. "Yeah." Yuri's expression suddenly turned rather grim. "Well, it's lucky that Ukyo's a damn good martial artist herself. She managed to put up quite a fight. Otherwise, she'd probably be dead right now." Ranma was now looking very somber himself. "And you think it wasn't just a burglar." "I know it wasn't. Come on, an ordinary thief doesn't stand around and fight, especially with a trained martial artist. An ordinary burglar would have cut and run as soon as she discovered him. No, I think the attacker was going after HER, not her property, if you know what I mean." "Damn...." At that moment, someone flung the front door open and a flurry of black rose petals swirled into the restaurant. Ranma flinched and cringed as he heard Kodachi's familiar crazed laughter echoing through the dining room. The dreaded gymnast pounced on him and flung her arms around him. Snuggling up against him, she purred, "Oh, Ranma darling! I've been looking for you all morning!" Ranma muttered in a strangled voice, "Kodachi! Get off me!" as he tried unsuccessfully to wiggle free from her tenacious grasp. Kodachi was not about to let her quarry go so easily. She nuzzled Ranma, pulling his head down and burying it into her perfumed hair. Suddenly Kodachi felt Ranma's resistance slacken slightly. She snuck a quick peek into Ranma's face. His eyes were looking just a bit unfocused. (YES! It IS working!) she thought gleefully. While Kodachi was clinging to Ranma for all she was worth, Yuri was unhappily eyeing the petals littering the freshly swept floor. Before the gymnast could do anything else, Yuri said in a distinctly irritated voice, "Do you MIND not leaving this junk all over the place?" Kodachi turned and glared at the young woman standing behind her. The gymnast looked her over, noticed the broom in Yuri's hands, and sneered. "And who are you to interrupt this cherished meeting with my darling Ranma? Menials should know their place." Yuri flushed angrily. "Just who are you calling a menial, kiddo?" "How DARE you talk back to me in such a fashion? What were you trying to do, you tawdry little tramp? Flirt with my fiance?" Operating more by reflex than actual thought, Ranma incoherently mumbled, "But I'm NOT your fiance...." His words was totally ignored by both young women. "Tramp!? Hey! I wasn't flirting with anybody! I'm just asking for a little common courtesy here!" Kodachi snarled, "Courtesy is for equals...," she gave Yuri a contemptuous look, "which you plainly are not. And there's nothing COMMON about the Black Rose!" Even in the midst of her heated argument with Yuri, Kodachi continued to cling to Ranma's arm with the persistance of a starving leech. -------------------------------------- After a brief instant of dizziness, Ranma's thinking processes started to clear up... perhaps becoming a bit TOO clear. He shook his head, trying to shake off the cool, icy sensation that seemed to drift through his brain -- a feeling that promised to make his whole life so much easier.... It wasn't working. An uncanny feeling of exhilaration swept through his body... a sense of unspeakable freedom unlike anything he had ever felt before. Instead of his usual sense of anxiety and nervousness at Kodachi's antics, Ranma began to feel merely... annoyed. -------------------------------------- The argument between Kodachi and Yuri was going full blast as Kodachi continued to shriek insults and threats. Yuri apparently had a well-developed streak of temper herself, because she was certainly holding up her end of the shouting match. However, Yuri's anger didn't prevent her from noticing that Ranma's expression of panicked nervousness had changed into a look of cool distaste. His elbow strike was so fast that Yuri nearly missed it, even though she'd been looking directly at him. One second, Kodachi had been screaming insults... the next second, she was lying in a crumpled heap on the floor. The girl probably never even saw what hit her. Ranma calmly stared down at the unconscious Kodachi, then his inscrutable gaze moved to Yuri. She blinked, then murmured, "You ARE good." Yuri wondered what Ranma was going to do next, but never got a chance to find out. At that moment, they both heard Akane's voice from upstairs. "Be careful, Ukyo. Here, take my arm before you fall down the steps." Ranma shook his head sharply, then turned to face the stairway. A few seconds later, Ukyo slowly made her way down the stairs, discretely supported by Akane. When the two girls noticed Kodachi sprawled out on the floor, Ukyo muttered, "Good grief, not again." "Huh?" With a bewildered look on his face, Ranma glanced behind him and blinked in surprise when he saw Yuri kneeling on the floor beside an unconscious Kodachi. She checked the gymnast's pulse, then looked up at Ranma and the others. Yuri said, "Do you guys usually have to knock her unconscious in order to stop these crazy temper tantrums of hers?" Ukyo gave her a sour grin. "You've got it. It's about the only thing that'll make her shut up." Yuri raised an eyebrow. "I see. I'll keep that in mind." Ranma rubbed his forehead in confusion. After tentatively sniffing the air, he abruptly yanked off his blue shirt, leaving only his white tank-top on. As Yuri discretely admired the sight of Ranma's superb physique, Akane said, "Ranma, what are you doing!?" Holding his shirt out at arm's length, he said, "I think Kodachi was wearing some... weird perfume... and she's got it all over my shirt. And me." He shook his head again as if to struggling to clear it. In an instant, Akane had deserted Ukyo and was standing by his side. "Ranma, are you all right!?" "I'm feeling a bit... not quite... I'm feeling a bit weird." She yanked the shirt from his hand and sniffed at it before he could stop her. "Akane!" he yelped in alarm. She sniffed again to make sure. Except for the clean, masculine smell that she somehow knew was Ranma's, she couldn't detect any other odors. "Ranma, are you sure? I don't smell anything strange." She handed it to Ukyo who gave it a few cautious sniffs herself. "She's right. I can't pick up anything unusual." Before Ukyo could pass Ranma's shirt over to Yuri, he snatched it back and tossed the shirt across the room. "Are you girls crazy!? Who knows what one of Kodachi's concoctions might do to you guys!" He frowned. "Are you SURE you can't smell anything?" The girls nodded their heads in agreement. "Well, I certainly can. Uc-chan, I've got to use your bathroom. That damn stuff's all over me." "No problem." As he disappeared into the bathroom, Yuri wandered over to Ranma's discarded shirt. After holding it up to her nose, she said, "Well, I don't smell anything either." Akane said uncertainly, "Maybe only it only works on guys?" Yuri shrugged, "It could be." Ranma soon reappeared, mopping his face and arms dry with a towel. Stopping several yards away, he glanced down at Kodachi and worriedly asked, "Is she okay?" Yuri said, "She got hit pretty hard, but she's probably only got a minor concussion. I don't think anything else is wrong." She gave Ranma a questioning glance. Since he wasn't sure what she was asking of him, his only response was a shrug and a confused look. Akane said, "So what do we do with her now? We can't just leave her lying on the floor until she wakes up." Ukyo muttered, "I guess we do the same thing we did last time." Ranma said, "What's that?" The chef shrugged or tried to. "We got Sasuke to cart her back home." Yuri said, "You know, if she acts like this on a regular basis, she probably needs some serious help." Akane snorted as Ukyo said fervently, "Don't we know it!" "Who is she, anyway?" "Allow us to introduce you to Kodachi Kuno, otherwise known as the Black Rose." Yuri suddenly straightened up and looked a bit sick. "K-Kuno? Did you say 'Kuno'? Wealthy family? Lives in a huge compound on Kichigai Street?" "Uh, yes. How did you know where they live...?" Yuri walked over to the nearest wall and started to bang her head half-heartedly against it as she softly muttered, "Shit, shit, SHIT!" Ranma, Akane, and Ukyo stared at each other in utter confusion. ********************************************************************** Part 5#: ********************************************************************** After Yuri managed to regain her composure, she collapsed into a chair and was now looking seriously depressed. "Great. Just bloody great! Why me...?" she moaned. "What's with you and the Kunos?" Ranma asked. With a weary sigh, Yuri said, "One of my main reasons for coming to Nerima was to talk to the Kunos and request their assistance. And now I've managed to get into a screaming fight with the daughter of the house -- a fight that ends up with her getting bashed unconscious! Well, I can see that my chances of getting any help from them has just become a big fat zero...." Ukyo muttered, "You might be surprised." Akane said, "You're asking the Kunos for help?" She and Ranma exchanged dubious looks before he asked, "What kind of help?" Yuri rubbed her neck uneasily and said, "Ummm, that's sort of... private family business. All I can say is that I've got to ask them for a really BIG favor." Ranma stared at the ceiling. "Oh man...." Ukyo said, "Yuri, do you know ANYTHING about the Kunos?" "Just some general information. I think the current head of the family is the principal at a place called Furinkan High School. He has two children, a son and a daughter. I was planning on doing a bit more research once I arrived in town, but I got a little sidetracked." She glanced at Ukyo. The chef said, "Let's call the Kuno estate and have someone haul Kodachi away. Then we'll give you some idea just what you're getting yourself into." Yuri looked distinctly uneasy. "That bad, huh?" The others nodded vigorously. "Oh god. This is getting better and better." "Welcome to Nerima, honey," said Ukyo as she gave Yuri a consoling pat on the shoulder. -------------------------------------- Sasuke hadn't been available, but Ukyo managed to browbeat one of the other servants into picking Kodachi up. Thirty minutes later, Yuri and Akane managed to stuff Kodachi in a taxi with an anxious, middle-aged housemaid. During this entire operation, Ranma merely watched and maintained a wary distance. While they had been waiting for the taxi, he and the two girls had enlightened Yuri about the Kuno family's 'charming' eccentricities. After listening to their stories, Yuri looked as if she had been slammed over the head with a wooden post. "Unbelievable...." Her voice failed her. She gave them a frantic look. "Please tell me that this is all a really bad joke." "I wish I could," Akane said. "Let me get this right. The elder Kuno is some whacked out school dictator who runs around with hair clippers and has delusions of being a Hawaiian surfer dude. The daughter is a neurotic obsessive harridan who lies, cheats, and uses drugs at the drop of a hat. And the son thinks he's some noble samurai warrior, spouts really bad poetry, and has this thing against WATERMELONS!?" Yuri plopped her head face down on the table and muttered, "I'm doomed." ********************************************************************** Part 5#: ********************************************************************** Ukyo's stomach growled loudly. As everyone stared at her, she blushed slightly and muttered, "I missed lunch and dinner yesterday." Akane leaned forward eagerly and said, "Don't move! I'll fix some food for everyone." Ukyo's expression froze. "Uh... uh...." Ranma blurted out, "Akane! Ukyo's sick enough as it is! You can't...." His voice trailed off as Akane turned and glared at him. "What... did... you... SAY?" Yuri could have sworn that she saw a faint reddish glow around Akane. "I... I mean... that is...," he sputtered. Ukyo was astonished by Akane's restraint. The youngest Tendo daughter should have slammed Ranma with the closest heavy object by now. Yuri, no fool, politely interrupted. "There's no need to take the trouble. I've already cooked up some rice and soup for Ukyo. If you guys are hungry, there's plenty to spare." Ranma sniffed and said, "Wow, it smells great!" Yuri blinked to see the naked relief on Ranma's and Ukyo's faces. She smiled faintly, then murmured, "Ukyo, while I was cooking, I ran out of pepper. Can you show me where you have some more?" Although her tone was perfectly casual, she gave Ukyo a meaningful glance. The chef said, "Uh, sure. Come back to the storage room." The two young women disappeared into the kitchen. Akane tapped her foot anxiously on the floor, then headed off after them. "Akane." She turned around and stared at him angrily. In a hostile tone, she growled, "What?" Ranma looked away uncomfortably and said, "I'm... sorry. It's just that.... I mean, it's... it's the thought that counts. Really." She smiled uncertainly at him before disappearing into the kitchen. ----------------------------------- In the storeroom, Yuri said, "You didn't tell him about the monster." "I... I didn't want to make him worry." Yuri frowned. "He doesn't seem the type to be easily rattled by this sort of thing." "I'm sorry. I can't explain at the moment. It's... sort of personal. But as a favor to me, would you please avoid telling him about the cat creature?" Yuri sighed uncomfortably and said, "This is against my better judgment but.... all right. But tell me, do you want me to simply avoid telling him or should I lie about it when he asks me for details... because I'm pretty sure that he eventually will. He seems pretty concerned about the attack." "If you could just... talk around it. For now? I'll try to explain this to you at a later date but...." Ukyo made a helpless gesture. Yuri flung up her hands. "Okay, okay! But I really think you should consider telling him about the cat monster...." At that moment, Akane opened the door. She turned pale and said, "WHAT cat monst...." Ukyo hauled Akane roughly into the storeroom, gasping in pain at the sudden physical effort. She quickly peeked out into the dining room. Ranma was sitting on the stool with his back to the cooking area. He turned around to see Ukyo anxiously watching at him. "Uc-chan? You need some help back there?" "No, no! I just misplaced it. Be out there in a moment!" Ukyo popped back into the storeroom, slid the door shut, and sighed in relief. "He didn't hear you, Akane." Akane's stomach started to churn uneasily. "What's this about a cat monster?" Ukyo's gaze flitted over to Yuri, then she took a deep breath before saying, "Akane, the intruder that broke in... wasn't human." "No!" "Shhhhh!" "But...." "Yuri, could you get Ranma something to eat? I've some private stuff to discuss with Akane." Yuri looked at the two girls and said, "Sure." "Thanks a lot. I really appreciate it." "No problem." When Yuri left, Akane asked, "Okay, Ukyo. Start talking." Ukyo briefly told Akane what happened the previous night. She finished by describing the monster. "It looked like a cat but it was walking upright on two legs. It had longish black fur, a weird smell.... and glowing green eyes." Akane sank down on a bag of flour, almost too stunned to think. Suddenly, she started to put things together. She looked outraged as she said, "You asked me about Ranma being out of the house last night. Don't tell me you think... that it was RANMA!?" "I... I don't know WHAT to think!" "But Ukyo, come on! What POSSIBLE reason would Ranma have for wanting to hurt you?" Ukyo flinched visibly at the question. "I... I...." "Ukyo, what....? You're not telling that there IS a reason!?" Akane started to lose her temper. She grabbed Ukyo's shirt and pulled her close. "Did you do something to him? Is that why the two of you have been acting so edgy with each other for the last week or so?" Between her guilty conscience and Akane's possessive attitude, Ukyo was getting more than a little angry herself. "How come you're blaming me? Why do you assume that it's MY fault? Hasn't it occurred to you that maybe it's something that Ranma did to ME?" she yelled back. Akane turned white with fury. "You're lying! What could he possibly have done to you? He may be an obnoxious jerk at times, but he'd never do anything to deliberately hurt you. If you want to accuse him of something, stop hinting and just SAY IT!" Ukyo opened her mouth, then slowly closed it. She pulled away from Akane and buried her face in her hands. (What's wrong with me? What am I thinking of? I was ready to smear Ranma's reputation just to get back at Akane....) The chef exhaled slowly. "Just... just forget it. Ranma didn't do anything to me. I was just... shooting off my mouth." Akane glared at her, then her hostile expression eased slightly. "Don't say something that you'll regret. Don't hurt him. He has too much to worry about right now." Ukyo glared furiously at the youngest Tendo. "That's a fine thing, coming from you! Aren't you the one who's always blaming him for everything without listening to his side? Aren't you the one who's always insulting him... calling him all sorts of names? Aren't you the one who keeps saying that you hate him?" Akane flinched slightly. Staring down at the floor, she looked both sad and thoughtful. "Yes, I... was." She shook herself, then changed the subject. "Ukyo, when did the attack occur?" "About 3 AM." Akane released a subdued sigh of relief. "Then it couldn't possibly have been Ranma. I was watching him. He didn't so much as twitch in his sleep." Ukyo eyed the other girl dubiously. Akane certainly sounded sincere, but the chef knew that she personally would have lied herself blue in the face if she thought it was necessary to protect Ranma. The chef whispered, "But if it wasn't Ranma... that means.... Those glowing green eyes...." Akane said, "Come on, Ukyo. I think you should tell Ranma what really happened here last night. We told you about the fire at his parents' house. If someone -- or something -- is going around attacking his friends and family, he needs to know." Just before they exited the storeroom, Akane grabbed Ukyo's wrist. "And whatever you do, don't let Ranma know that you EVER suspected him of attacking you. That's the last thing he needs. He's already having enough problems trying to deal with the Neko-ken and what he did to Kuno and Ryoga." Ukyo flinched at the very mention of the Cat-Fist. ----------------------------------- While Ukyo and Akane were in the storage room, Ranma was happily working on Yuri's cooking. Between bites, he mumbled, "So... what style do you use?" Yuri said, "Hm? Oh, you mean what martial arts style?" Ranma nodded, his mouth full. "Actually, it's a bit of a hodgepodge. A bit of this, a bit of that. With my line of work, I'm more concerned with efficiency rather than purity of style. I use whatever works." "I kinda do the same thing." Sipping his tea, Ranma said, "Uh... by the way... just what is your line of work?" Yuri shrugged. "Oh, I do a bit of everything. I investigate. I research. I'm basically a troubleshooter of sorts." Before Ranma could ask any more questions, Ukyo and Akane stepped out of the storeroom. Both girls looked tense and unhappy. ----------------------------------- When they walked into the dining area, Ukyo felt a faint pang of resentment when she noticed that Ranma's anxious gaze focusing on Akane first and foremost. The look he gave HER was almost an afterthought. Akane said, "Ranma, Ukyo has something to tell you." He froze in mid-bite and went pale with apprehension. The youngest Tendo wondered, (Now what? Why is he looking so anxious all of a sudden?) Ukyo took a deep breath. "Ran-chan...." "...Yeah?" "That intruder that broke in... wasn't human." Ranma stared blankly at her for a long moment, then the strangest combination of disappointment, confusion, and shock appeared on his face. "Whaddya mean, it wasn't human!?" Ukyo twiddled her fingers. "It was some sort of half man and half... cat." Ranma yelled, "Why the hell didn't you mention that right away!?" "Because I didn't want you to get all upset! I know how you feel about cats!" Ukyo shouted back. "It's too late to worry about that now! It was probably too late when Kuno and Ryoga decided to show up on my doorstep yesterday and came damn close to killing me, Akane, and everyone else!" Ukyo stiffened and said pointedly, "I was there, REMEMBER?" Ranma said irritably, "How could I possibly forget Shampoo, you, Kodachi, AND my mom all popping up at the same time with those stupid messages!? And while I haven't done a great job handling this whole fiancee thing with you girls, I've certainly learned by now not to ask all of you to a meeting without warning each of you guys that the others were coming! Besides, I know what usually happens when you girls get together! Just how stupid do you think I am!?" Both Akane and Ukyo took a startled step back in the face of Ranma's unexpected outburst. Yuri busied herself in the kitchen, but she couldn't help overhearing the entire conversation. Seeing their reaction, Ranma managed to shut himself up before he really got carried away. (What the hell's the matter with me?) As usual, the thought of his romantic entanglements left Ranma feeling impatient and annoyed. Most of the time he managed to keep those emotions under wraps because he didn't want to hurt the girls' feelings. However, this time, he found he was really tired of trying to be nice to them. / Why bother? / A wide-eyed Akane whispered, "Ranma...?" (Man, I've got to get a grip on myself....) He momentarily closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths before speaking again. "Listen, Ukyo, I didn't mean to yell at you, okay? But, c'mon! It doesn't take a genius to figure out that the cat-creature that attacked you probably has something to do with what happened with Kuno and Ryoga yesterday." He sighed heavily. "I just wish you'd been honest with me from the very beginning, Ukyo." The chef flinched slightly and looked away, unable to meet Ranma's eyes. He abruptly turned and walked a few steps away in an effort to calm down. Several awkward moments of silence followed, until Ukyo finally said, "Uh, how are the guys doing?" Since Ranma didn't look like he was going to say anything, Akane answered, "We just came from the hospital. They were in pretty bad shape when they arrived in the emergency room. Besides the physical injuries, there were... other problems. You remember that Kasumi mentioned that something was wrong with their chi?" "Yeah. Something about their chi being all screwed up." "Well, she was right. It took Dr. Tofu all night to get both of them stabilized. Ryoga's in a lot of pain but Dr. Tofu thinks that he'll recover completely. They don't think there was any permanent damage to his eye." Ranma's shoulders twitched. Akane gave him a worried look and whispered to the chef, "And there shouldn't be any serious scarring." Ukyo stared at her and said in amazement, "Dr. Tofu calls that a complete recovery!?" "Considering the alternatives... yes." "But... but... I mean, Ryoga's been badly hurt before but there was never any talk about permanent injuries and scars!" Akane made a frantic hushing gesture, but it was too late. Without turning around, Ranma said softly, "Ryoga's never come up against the Neko-ken before." He lifted his right hand and stared thoughtfully at it. "Especially someone using it with a serious intent to kill." Fortunately, he was too busy with his own thoughts to notice the increasingly uneasy looks Ukyo was giving him. However, Akane did notice. She gave the chef a warning glare. Ukyo took the hint and switched topics. "What about Kuno?" "Physically, he's in pretty good shape, I think." "Physically?" With his back still turned toward the others, Ranma quietly replied, "He's in the psychiatric ward for observation." "Why?" Akane said, "Because he was been raving about Ranma and evil monsters...." She shrugged helplessly. "But isn't he usually doing that?" "Yes, but Dr. Tofu thinks that it's much more serious this time around. Before, he was just an nuisance. Dr. Tofu considers him to be a real danger to himself and others." "Oh, I see." But Ukyo immediately recalled her own thoughts from the night before. (Is it possible? Could it be that moron Kuno's actually onto something?) ********************************************************************** Part 5#: ********************************************************************** The door to Uc-chan's slammed open for the second time that afternoon. "Ranma!" They all turned to see Shampoo run into the restaurant. Ranma automatically braced himself for the usual rib-crushing glomp. However, the Amazon merely skidded to a stop a few feet away and looked him over thoroughly. She was out of breath and looked almost frantic. "Ranma, you okay?" "Y-yeah, Shampoo." "You see Mousse today?" "Wha...? Huh?" He looked badly confused by her sudden switch in topics. "No, we haven't," said Akane. Shampoo waved her hand at all the broken furniture in Ukyo's restaurant. "Then Mousse not do this?" "Nope," said Ranma. The Amazon girl started to yank on her hair while muttering, "Aiyah! Stupid pain in butt Mousse!" "What's wrong? What did he do?" "Mousse gone from Neko-hanten. Shampoo hope she find him with Ranma." She uttered a depressed sigh. "Huh?" Now it was Akane's turn to took totally confused. "You WANTED him to come after Ranma?" Ukyo sounded outraged. The Amazon gave the other two girls an irritated look. "Yes. Lesser of two evil. If Mousse not go after Ranma, only other target is...." Her voice trailed off unhappily. Ranma slid off his stool and quickly grabbed Shampoo by the shoulders. "What's wrong!?" She reached up and grabbed Ranma's hand. "Be careful! Renegade Amazon now in Nerima!" "A renegade Amazon!? Oh great!" She nodded sharply. "Dan Xin is Shampoo's cousin. She is VERY good fighter." Her lips thinned and she reluctantly added, "Better than Shampoo. Dan Xin once great grandmother's prize student. She suppose to be Cologne's successor. You understand?" Ranma nodded very slowly. "Yeah. I get it." The Amazon girl rattled off a quick description of Dan Xin. She finished by saying, "You ask about great grandmother? Cologne not around because she too busy chasing Dan Xin. Shampoo got no idea when she return." Frustration was evident in her voice. Ukyo muttered, "How the hell did Cologne's chosen successor become a renegade?" Shampoo stared at them grimly. "Dan Xin cause death of own mother and more than fifteen other tribe members." "Then why is she still alive!?" Akane asked in amazement. Shampoo looked as if she could barely keep herself from spitting on the floor. "No real proof. She defeat tribe's champion in trial-by-combat so by Amazon law, Dan Xin 'innocent' of crimes. Tribe's champion was Mousse's mother." Ranma said, "Whoa. I'm starting to get the picture." "So you think he's gone after Dan Xin?" Akane asked. "I not know! No have time to talk right now. Shampoo must find and stop Mousse." Ukyo said in wondering tones, "Shampoo, you really sound like you're worried about him. After the way you've been treating him, I'd have thought.... Why do you want to stop him? I mean...." The Amazon glared furiously at Ukyo. "Shampoo not leave mad dog in Dan Xin's mercy, much less member of tribe!" She added in a low mutter, "Even if only stupid duck-boy!" Ranma said, "Then we'd better help you look for him." He looked at Yuri. "Could you hang around with Ukyo while we're gone? Just in case someone... something else shows up here?" "Listen, Ranma! I do NOT need a baby-sitter...!" the chef protested loudly. Ranma glared at Ukyo. "You're hurt a lot worse than you're letting on. I could prove it by poking you in the ribs, but I suspect that would REALLY hurt." The chef bit her lip and flushed with embarrassment. Yuri nodded briskly. "Sure thing. Besides, I can't leave Nerima until I finish my business with the Kunos." Akane muttered, "Good luck with that. You'll need it." Shampoo finally managed to get a word in edgewise. "If Mousse not cause damage, what happen here?" Ranma glanced at the chef. "Ukyo was just telling us what really happened, right?" Ukyo turned even redder. "Okay! Last night something broke in here. I heard someone shoving the furniture around, so I ran downstairs to stop them. The next thing I know, this creature pops out of the shadows and slams me into the wall." "Creature!?" "Yes. It looked like a big cat but it walked upright like a human." "Aiyah!" Shampoo gave the pig-tailed young man a worried look as he swore under his breath. "Well, the creature was about to finish me off when Yuri showed up and drove it off. Shampoo, meet Yuri." The introduced woman gave Shampoo an interested look and said, "A Chinese Amazon, here in Japan?" "Yes. You know Amazons?" "Well, actually, I have encountered some before...." In the meantime, Ranma said, "Ukyo, you should've been more careful. Why didn't you...?" The chef turned on him and said, "Hey! This is my property and my livelihood, Ranma! If you think I'm going to let anybody wreck this place while I just sit by and wait for the police to come, you've got another thing coming! Besides, how the hell was I supposed to know that it wasn't a normal burglar!? Like you would have done anything different?" "But you're just a...." Yuri coughed loudly and said, "Um, maybe you guys should going to look for... what's his name... Mousse first... before he runs into this Dan Xin person." "Oh man, that's right." He turned to leave when Akane said, "Ranma, don't forget your shirt." She picked up it and held the blue shirt out to him. He eyed it uneasily. "I'm not wearing it! It's still got Kodachi's weird perfume all over it!" "Kodachi here too?" Ukyo gestured at the floor. "How else do you think all those stupid rose petals got here? Anyway, we managed to get rid of her. Shipped her home in a taxi, but not before she apparently left Ranma a perfumed souvenir." She gestured at his shirt. Shampoo snatched the shirt from Akane's hand and sniffed. "Shampoo smell nothing strange." "That's what I told him. None of us smelled anything wrong with it." Ranma flung his hands into the air and yelled, "I'm not imagining it, okay?" "Well, if crazy girl involved, better safe than sorry," said Shampoo as she dumped the shirt on a table. He shrugged and headed for the door. "Besides, what's wrong with wearing a tee-shirt, anyway?" All four young women in the restaurant couldn't help but appreciate the sight. Ranma's tanktop provided an excellent view of his arms and broad shoulders while offering tantalizing glimpses of his sleekly muscled back and chest. Yuri grinned as Shampoo sighed wistfully. Ukyo rolled her eyes. "Gee, how clueless can you get?" Akane muttered, "At least he's wearing SOMEthing on top. I just hope he doesn't run into some cold water while he's dressed like that." "What did you say, Akane?" Ukyo glanced in the other girl's direction. "It's nothing." ********************************************************************** Part 5#: ********************************************************************** In the street outside the restaurant, Ranma said, "Shampoo, why don't we meet up in the Neko-hanten in a hour?" "Okay." As she watched the Amazon leave, Akane mused, (Nabiki seems to be right... as usual. It looks like Shampoo's really given up on Ranma. I could get to like that.) Ranma prepared to go north as Shampoo went in a southerly direction. Akane made a move to head off on her own but he quickly quashed the idea. "No way, Akane!" She put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "We can cover more ground if we all split up!" He said, "I don't want you running off on your own, not with some crazy Amazon on the loose." "You think I can't handle myself? I've learned a lot over the last couple of months! You should know that." Ranma sighed. Running his hand through his hair, he said, "I know you've been practicing hard, Akane. I know how much you've improved, even if I haven't said so." She blinked at the unexpected compliment. "But you still aren't up to Shampoo's level. And you heard what she said. This woman must be really good, especially if the old ghoul chose Dan Xin as her successor." He stepped a little closer to Akane. "You can complain all you want, but I won't take a chance of you running into this killer Amazon character by yourself. Got it?" Akane saw the utter determination on Ranma's face. She couldn't decide whether to feel flattered or exasperated by his concern. Actually, she felt a little of both. In a sulky voice, she said, "Fine, if you want to be that way about it. Come on, let's go." ----------------------------------- After doggedly searching from the rooftops of Nerima for over thirty minutes, Akane stopped to catch her breath. To her disgust, Ranma didn't even look like he had broken a sweat. She muttered, "You realize that Mousse could be just about anywhere!" "I know. But we've got to keep looking. If this Dan Xin person is as bad as Shampoo says...." "It's hard to imagine someone who could upset Shampoo so badly." "Well, there's probably a lot more to the story than she's telling us...." Suddenly, Ranma grabbed Akane by the waist and effortlessly hoisted her into his arms as he lashed out with his left foot. She yelped, "What are you doing...!?" Her outrage quickly faded as she saw Happosai, his face plastered to the bottom of Ranma's shoe. The old man mumbled, "Why did you do that?" before toppling to the ground, momentarily stunned. "Keep your hands off Akane, you old pervert!" The unexpected vehemence in Ranma's voice startled Akane even more. "But I just wanted to say hello to my little Akane-channnnnnn....!!!" Happosai's voice faded as Ranma casually booted the old man off into the distance. As they watched Happosai fade to a little speck, Akane said, "Uh, Ranma?" "What?" "Are you planning to hold me like this all day or are you going to put me down?" she said in an irritable voice. Ranma suddenly realized that that he didn't mind the idea of holding Akane. Not at all. He enjoyed the warmth of her body in his arms... wanted to hold her closer and bury his face in her silky hair.... Feeling oddly shaken by that realization, he hastily set her back on her feet and murmured, "Oh... sorry." Straightening her dress, Akane grumbled, "I could've handled the old lech by myself!" He shrugged carelessly. "I'm sure you could. But you shouldn't have to." He turned away and easily jumped the gap to the roof next door. Akane blinked in surprise. (What did he mean by THAT?) "C'mon, Akane!" ********************************************************************** Part 5#: ********************************************************************** After the others departed Ukyo's restaurant, Yuri started picking up the used dishes. "So that's Ranma. He seems to be quite an interesting character." "You have NO idea. The stories I could tell you...." A suspicious look instantly appeared on Ukyo's face. "Don't tell me you're falling in love with him!" Yuri snorted in obvious scorn. "Hardly! I barely know the guy. Besides, I've already met the love of my life." "Really? Does he mind your line of work? After all, dealing with the occult is an unusual career, especially for a woman." Yuri calmly replied, "He doesn't mind at all. He's dead." Ukyo was shocked by her casual tone. "Oh. I'm sorry. Wha... what happened?" The last question came out before she could stop herself. With a shrug, Yuri said, "Do you remember what happened to my clan and how I said their past actions finally caught up with them?" "Yeah?" "Well, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. As for the one who was responsible for his death... I'm working on that." ----------------------------------- As Yuri cleaned up the kitchen, Ukyo carefully sat down on a stool and said, "If you don't mind me asking, this 'private' stuff with the Kunos... does it have anything to do with your family's... uh, traditional business?" Yuri didn't answer immediately, then she slowly said, "Yes, it does. That and certain matters of honor." She put down the towel in her hand. "Ukyo, seriously.... Are the Kunos as really as hopeless as you guys are making out?" The chef couldn't miss the somber look on Yuri's face. "I wish I could tell you that it's all a big joke, but it's not. You saw Kodachi for yourself. The Principal is a total nutcase. The only one in the family who has any concept of honor is Tatewaki Kuno." "The only son, right?" "Yeah. The samurai wanna-be. The one who's now locked up in the hospital's psychiatric ward for observation." "Damn." A few minutes later, Yuri said, "What exactly happened to Tatewaki Kuno, anyway? Ranma mentioned something about the Neko-ken...? You asked me about the very same thing this morning." Ukyo stared down at her hands. "Well, basically, both Kuno and Ryoga have really bad grudges against Ranma because he's supposedly engaged to Akane. Yesterday, the two of them showed up at the Tendos' home and challenged him over some stupid rumors involving Akane and some secret wedding. The fight... well, it turned really ugly. Ranma was forced to use this... extremely vicious fighting style called the Neko-ken." "It seems pretty obvious that Ranma won, but I must say that he didn't seem at all happy about the victory." "He's not. He didn't mean to hurt them so badly, but he... well, he wasn't quite himself during the fight." "Oh." Yuri sighed quietly. "Got carried away in the heat of the moment, hm?" "You... could say that." Ukyo shifted uneasily on the stool, but her ribs could have been bothering her. The other woman shrugged. "It happens, you know... especially when your life's on the line or when you're fighting for the person you love." Ukyo's response was automatic. "He doesn't lov...." As the chef's voice trailed off, Yuri politely ignored the aborted outburst and said, "You said that he's supposedly engaged to Akane?" "Well, technically he IS engaged to Akane...." Ukyo glanced up angrily at Yuri. "But he's engaged to me too!" "How on earth did he end up with two fiancees?" "Actually, I suppose you could say that he has three." Yuri raised an eyebrow. "Really?" Ukyo took a deep breath. "Akane's engaged to Ranma because his idiot father made a promise with her father before their kids were born. When Ranma and I were about five years old, Mr. Saotome talked my dad into an engagement between his son and me... then the scumbag ran off with my dowry while he left me behind! And just after Ranma arrived in Nerima, he managed to beat Shampoo in some stupid fight so she now claims that under some weird Amazon law, Ranma's supposed to be HER husband." "And about Ms. Kuno?" "Oh, there's no engagement there. She's just obsessed with him." Yuri stared at the chef. "Excuse me. Just how long has this multiple engagement thing been going on?" "Close to two years." "And nothing's been resolved? Why?" Yuri sounded amazed. "Oh, I don't know. It's been impossible to get a straight answer out of Ranma." "He doesn't seem to be the indecisive type." "He usually isn't. I guess he doesn't want to hurt people's feelings." Yuri muttered, "Typical male, scared of commitment. What a mess! But I suppose you girls are glad that the matter's finally settled." "What?" Ukyo looked startled. "I mean, since Ranma and Akane now seem to be a couple...." Yuri jumped as Ukyo slammed her hand against the counter. The impact jarred the chef's ribs and made her grimace in pain. As soon as she caught her breath, Ukyo snapped, "NO! Ranma hasn't made his decision yet. Ranma and his father just happen to be living with the Tendos. That's ALL." Yuri gave the chef a bewildered look. "You WANT to marry him?" Ukyo said, "Why do you look so surprised?" "It's just that... well, every time I've seen you with him, you act a bit... nervous." Ukyo sputtered in outrage, then finally hung her head. "You don't understand. This isn't how things normally are around here. There's a lot more to this whole mess than what I've told you." Yuri said quietly, "That wasn't too hard to figure out." She shook her head ruefully. "But it's really not my business, except that part dealing with Tatewaki Kuno." "Yeah, but... but that's just it! Listen, I told you the fight got ugly, right?" "Yes." "Well, what really happened was that Kuno and Ryoga both turned into these absolutely HUGE tigers...." Yuri stiffened and slowly put the pot she was cleaning down in the sink. "Excuse me. Did you say 'tiger'? Are you telling me that they shapeshifted into TIGERS?" Ukyo nodded. "Uh huh. With glowing green eyes." Yuri stared silently at the wall for a long moment, then suddenly slammed her fist down on the counter. "Damn it!" "Yuri!?" The young woman took a deep breath, then said tersely, "Ukyo, which hospital is Kuno in, right now?" "Why do you want to know?" "It's really important, okay?" "He's at Nerima Central Hospital. What's going on?" Yuri turned around and said, "Ukyo, I think that it would be best if I found somewhere else to stay." "Why? What's wrong?" "Sorry. I don't think you should get involved...." "Hey! I was there when Kuno and Ryoga did their little transformation act. And don't forget, I nearly got killed last night, so don't try to tell me that I'm not involved in whatever's going on! I'm involved all right... right up to my neck!" Yuri sighed. "I suppose you're right. Ukyo, I haven't really been honest with you about my purpose here in Nerima." "What do you mean?" "It wasn't just dumb luck that I was in the right place and time to save you from that cat creature. People in my clan have certain 'talents', you might say. I sensed something unnatural on the prowl last night. I wasn't sure exactly what it was, so I decided to track down the source. I ended up near your restaurant." Ukyo was quiet, then said, "I sort of guessed that might be the case. I've told you that a lot of weird things happen around Nerima. But what does all this have to do with Kuno?" Yuri grabbed a stool and sat down. "It's a complicated story. About three centuries ago, the eldest daughter of the Funada clan married the heir of another prestigious clan. As part of her dowry, she took a katana with her, one of a pair of swords which had been in the Funada clan for well over 500 years." "You don't mean to tell me that...." Yuri nodded. "Tatewaki Kuno, his sister Kodachi, and their father all carry the Funada bloodline, just like I do. I came to Nerima to ask the Kunos -- or beg them, if necessary -- for help. Three centuries ago, as part of the original marriage agreement, the Kuno clan swore a blood oath to support the Funada clan in the pursuit of their sacred duty to hunt down and destroy supernatural evil. Even though the Kunos and the Funadas have long since gone their separate ways, the Kuno clan is honorbound to agree to my rightful request for their aid." Yuri hopped off the stool and began to pace anxiously. "But when I got here, I found out from you guys that the entire Kuno family is basically nuts! You said it yourself. The only one in the present family who might have any concept of honor... the only one who might consider standing by his family's ancient obligations is Tatewaki Kuno. And he's currently locked up in a mental ward!" Yuri seated herself again before continuing her story. "The sword in the Kunos' possession is called 'Inazuma' or 'Lightning', whichever you prefer. Like I said, it's one of a matched pair. The other one was called 'Ame' or 'Rain'. These two swords had special powers which were tremendously useful in carrying out the Funada clan's duty. I NEED those swords." Ukyo took a deep breath. "Since you're still carrying on your family's 'business', that means that you chasing after something big. Am I right?" "You've got it. I'm hunting for a very powerful demon." "Was this demon the one responsible for the destruction of your family?" "Not directly responsible, but it was certainly involved in a big way. I've been tracking the beast for nearly twelve years. After the destruction of my clan, it apparently vanished. I'm not sure why, but I believe something forced the demon into hiding... probably into a human host. It could be that my grandfather or someone else in the clan managed to cast some sort of binding on the demon or wound it severely with a final strike before dying. I don't know." Yuri shrugged. "A few years ago, I finally managed pick up its trail. I've been following it ever since... and let me tell you, that's been no easy task! The traces are so faint, I've had to backtrack constantly. Furthermore, there seemed to be no real rhyme or reason for its travels. Not only did it meander all over Japan, the trail constantly went overseas. Only recently, I ended in China. While I was there, I passed through an Amazon village called Joketsuzoku or something like that. Those Amazons struck me as a very clannish sort, not the type to travel far from their home. That was why I was so surprised to find out your friend Shampoo was a Chinese Amazon." In a strange voice, Ukyo asked, "This village... was it located near some weird springs?" Yuri looked astonished. "Yes. How on earth did you know?" Ukyo wordlessly took a cup of cold water and poured it over Yuri's head. "Uh, what did you do that for?" said Yuri in a very polite voice. The chef looked confused. "You didn't get cursed!" "Oh, you mean at Jusenkyo?" Yuri chuckled. "What sort of reckless fool would wander into such a dangerous area, especially with all those warning signs they've got plastered all over the place?" Ukyo muttered, "What good are those signs if you don't read Chinese?" With a confused look on her face, Yuri said, "But some of those signs are in Japanese... and English... and half a dozen other languages! And even if you can't read, any person with sense would stay away from an area marked with all those skull-and-crossbones signs. You'd have to be totally blind to miss those." "You're kidding me!" "No." Yuri frowned thoughtfully. "Although, now that you mention it, a lot of those signs looked very new. They couldn't have been more than a year or so old." "...." Ukyo buried her face in her hands. Yuri gave Ukyo a faintly suspicious stare. "Excuse me for asking, but how do you know so much about Jusenkyo? It's not exactly the vacation spot of the world. You wouldn't be talking from first-hand experience, would you?" Thinking of all the Jusenkyo-cursed people lurking around Nerima, the chef barely managed to conceal a wince before hastily protesting, "No! Not me! I've heard about Jusenkyo, but I've never been there! I can prove it!" Yuri just as hastily said, "No need to do that! Besides, you'll get your bandages wet." She paused a moment to regroup her thoughts before continuing with her story. "Anyway, I followed the demon's trail from China back to Japan. Unfortunately, I lost the trail around Tokyo. Since I was in the area, I decided to go to Nerima and speak to the Kunos." "Is that why you want to talk to Kuno then? Are you hoping that he'll be able to tell you where the sword Inazuma is?" Yuri muttered, "It's a lot more complicated than that! I need the sword AND I need Kuno!" "Excuse me!?" "The swords' powers are gender-specific. Inazuma's special powers only works for men, Ame's powers only works for women. Get the picture? I'm female, so Inazuma would be just another katana in my hands." "Oh, great! A male chauvinist sword. But why do you need Kuno? Can't you find another guy...?" Yuri sighed, "Inazuma and Ame are dedicated first and foremost to the service of the Funada family." "Oh... I guess that means you need to have be a member of the Funada clan to use the swords, right?" "Yes. That pretty much limits the candidates to people with Funada blood, but in some rare instances, spouses can qualify, too. With the destruction of the main Funada clan, I don't know of any other men with the proper bloodline except for Tatewaki Kuno and his father. And frankly, I'd prefer to deal with some pseudo-samurai warrior like Tatewaki rather than a lunatic surfer bum like his father." "I can see your point. Now... now wait a minute. Why don't you forget about Inazuma and just use Ame? That sword's supposed to work for females, right?" "Yes, but there are two problems. First, if I'm to have any realistic chance of destroying the demon, I need BOTH swords. Second, the sword Ame has been lost for the last century or more." Ukyo winced. "That sounds like a pretty hopeless mess." "Not exactly. You see, the swords are a pair. If I have one sword, there are ways to use it to locate the other." "Another reason you need to talk to Kuno, right?" The extremely neutral expression on Yuri's face suddenly made everything click. Ukyo's eyes widened and she blurted, "You don't want to talk to him! You want to bust him out of the hospital!" Yuri nodded reluctantly. "Yeah." "But he's crazy... and dangerous! You could be risking people's lives if you...." "Listen, Ukyo! If I don't get his help, that demon is going to keep running loose and a lot of people could end up hurt. Or dead! Besides, I've got other reasons for wanting to move Kuno to a safer location." "Which are...?" Yuri looked away, then turned back to Ukyo. "First of all, I need to know whether Tatewaki Kuno has become one of the demon's minions." "Minions!?" "Yes. Since he carries the Funada bloodline, that means that he may have inherited some of the 'talents' I mentioned earlier. Unfortunately, those sorts of abilities, if left untrained, can leave a person dangerously vulnerable to outside influences. And then you mentioned that Kuno and the other guy changed into tigers.... One of the demon's specialties is transformation -- metamorphosis and shapeshifting, that sort of thing. Its minions or servants often take the form of predatory cats. Tigers are a particular favorite because of their strength and power." The color drained from Ukyo's face. "Why is that?" "Oh, didn't I tell you? The creature I'm chasing is a cat-demon." "A cat-... cat-demon....?" the chef whispered in a sick voice. Yuri nodded grimly. "That's right." Noticing that the chef looked like she was about to faint, the demon-hunter leaned forward and said, "Are you all right?" "I'm fine. Really." However, it wasn't hard to guess that Ukyo was clearly lying. Yuri continued, "Anyway, I already had a suspicion that the demon was in the Tokyo area, especially after that run-in with that beast who attacked you. But even then, I wasn't absolutely certain." "Can't you tell.... I mean, the thing that attacked me certainly wasn't natural!" "It's not that simple, Ukyo. There's actually quite a number of supernatural cat or feline entities. I wasn't sure whether the particular demon I was hunting was the one responsible for attacking you last night. A direct assault is not its style, you see. But after you told me about Kuno and this guy Ryoga...." "Uh, Yuri?" "Yes?" "Can you tell if someone's possessed by this demon? What type of signs can you see?" Yuri leaned back against the wall. "To answer your question, there are ways of finding out... certain rituals I could do. However, those methods take concentration and time. It isn't something you can do in the middle of a fight or during a casual conversation." She cleared her throat and assumed a more scholarly demeanor. "Sometimes, there aren't any signs. Unfortunately, people don't go around with helpful signs saying 'Hello, I'm possessed'. And when you're dealing with particularly powerful or cunning entities, well.... A favorite trick is to hide deep inside its host, listening to everything that's going on, but leaving little or no sign of its existence. The host can be totally unaware of the demon's presence." "That's... that's hideous!" Yuri gave her a cool stare. "That's why demons are EVIL. And that's why they have to be destroyed." "How do you know that I'm not possessed?" Yuri give Ukyo a cool grin. "I took the liberty of checking you out last night." The chef looked uneasy. "You did?" "Yes. Don't worry. All I was doing was making a detailed reading of your 'aura'." "Oh." Yuri added thoughtfully, "I've been damn lucky so far. I'm pretty sure that my quarry is unaware of my pursuit. The longer I can keep that a secret, the better it is for me. If the demon finds out I'm chasing it, it might decide to start hunting ME." Ukyo grimaced. "That would be bad, right?" "Oh, definitely. Besides, I've got another reason for wanting to get Tatewaki Kuno out of the hospital. At the moment, Kuno's an hopelessly easy target if the demon decides to clear up some loose ends." Ukyo blurted, "Then... then Ryoga's in the same danger! We can't leave him...." Yuri shook her head firmly. "I understand your concern, but we're going to have enough trouble dealing with Kuno by himself. And this may sound rather callous to you, but Tatewaki Kuno is a blood relation to me and therefore has a claim to my protection. On the other hand, this Ryoga character is a complete stranger." Before Ukyo could object further, Yuri added, "That's not to say that I won't help him if I can, but I have to prioritize. The chef bit her lip and said, "I want to come with you." "What?" "When you go to... get Kuno. I want to come along." "Listen, Ukyo. I'd prefer to not get you any further involved. For one thing, some of the things I'll have to do are probably quite illegal. Second, we're talking about a demon here! Get mixed up with a creature like that and you could easily end up dead. Or worse." Ukyo said angrily. "I've told you before! I think it's way too late for me to stay uninvolved. It's pretty clear that I've already been targeted and I've got the wounds to prove it!" "But...." "Listen! With my injuries, you'll have a perfect excuse to move around the hospital." "Hmmm. That's true, but.... Didn't Ranma or Akane mention a Dr. Tofu? Do you think that there's any chance we could convince him...." "But we would have to explain exactly what's going on. I'd... rather not get anyone else involved either." "Well, at least we should definitely tell Ranma...." "NO!" Yuri blinked in surprise at Ukyo's vehement refusal. "No," the chef repeated in a softer voice. (Oh no, we can't! If I'm right.... If Ranma....) Yuri said carefully, "Ukyo, he's already been attacked once. He needs to know just what he's up against." "But.... I...." Yuri slowly rose to her feet. "Ukyo, is there something you need to tell me? Why don't you want me to tell Ranma about this demon?" Running her hands through her hair, Ukyo whispered, "You said you followed this demon's trail all over China and Japan. How old is the trail?" "The trail? When I started searching, its trail was about twelve years old. That's about the time my clan was destroyed. I've been steadily gaining on it ever since. By the time I ended up in China just over a month ago, the trail was a little less than two years old. Why?" Ukyo buried her face in her hands. In a cool voice, Yuri said, "You know who it is... or you have a strong suspicion who it might be. Don't you?" "NO! I mean, not for certain." "Who, Ukyo? Who are you trying to protect? Don't you realize that you're not doing anyone any good by hiding this information?" "I can't...." "Damn it, Ukyo!" Instead of answering Yuri's question, the chef countered with one of her own. "If someone's possessed, they can be cured... right?" "That... kind of... depends." "Depends on WHAT?" "There's a lot of different factors... length of possession, power of the possessing entity, how much corruption's taken place... there's no way of knowing until you actually try to get rid of it. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't." "Oh." "Why are you asking?" "I... just wanted to know." Yuri stared thoughtfully at Ukyo, then she slammed both hands down on the counter and blurted, "You think Ranma's the demon's host!" Ukyo refused to answer. "But that doesn't make any sense!" "Why not?" It was Ukyo's turn to look astonished. "Because you told me that Ranma was the person who got attacked by Kuno and Ryoga. Why would the demon want its minions to injure its own host? It doesn't make any sense unless...." Yuri abruptly sat down. "Unless WHAT!?" shouted Ukyo. "Unless something went terribly wrong with the possession...." -------------------------------------- (end of Part 5) ********************************************************************** Author's Notes: In Part 6 of Tiger Claw... ....a confrontation with Dan Xin.... ....Cologne reappears.... ....Tarou pays a visit.... ^_- ----------------------------------------- CREDITS: Additional inspiration from: "The Whisper" by Queensryche WEREWOLF: THE APOCALYPSE (and associated materials) by White Wolf Publishing, Inc.; TIGER CLAWS, copyrighted 1991 by Tiger Claws Production, Ltd.; THE HIGHROAD TRILOGY series by Alis A. Rasmussen; USHIO & TORA, copyrighted 1992 & 1993 by Kazuhiro Fujita/Shogakukan; REJAR by Dara Joy. Additional fanfic mentions: ^_^ "Hearts of Ice" by Krista Perry and "Nekophobia" by David Eddy for starting my obsessive interest in the neko-stuff. Many thanks to my pre-readers, for their suggestions, critiques, and support. ^_^ -------------------------------------------- madamhydra@aol.com /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/:E http://members.aol.com/madamhydra/index.html