Ranma 1/100th Part 5 [FanFic]

[Lee Ginther]

Ranma 1/100th
Vol 1: A Date That Will Live in Infamy
Chapter 5 (Conclusion)

Credits:
Produced by: Horde O' Hentai Productions, Literature Division
Darren Demaine: Chairman of the Horde, President for Life
(Chance of parole in 20 years)
Lee (Grey Wolf): Pun Minister, Guy We Rub for Luck
Rob (Barbarian): P.U. Officer, Breath Weapon Specialist
Craig (Dr. Ruminahui): Minister of Foreign Affairs
(Until we caught him at it)
Series Concept: Darren Demaine
Written by: Darren Demaine (Hair stylist: Dragonball Z;
Member Design Team: Poison 1;
Employer of Yotsuya)
Story Assistance: Rob (Barbarian)
Author Copying: Well...actually, I'm copying from everyone who's even written
anything; but for the most part, I'm stealing from Takahashi
Rumiko-no-megamisama

What has gone before: In our last episode, Princess Yukino chose Ranma to
become her husband; something that didn't sit too well with the other girls.
While attempting to reach the palace, the girls became separated in the
maze-garden that surrounds the palace. Inside, Ranma and the guys tried to
steal the Dragon's Tooth, but were thwarted by the bodyguard Kaitei. Shocked
that Ranma was only using her to get to the Tooth, Yukino hypnotized the guys
and sent them off to stop the approaching girls...using any force necessary.
(Haven't you just wet yourself with excitement? I know I have.)
-----------------------------------------------------------------

The scene opens to a large, empty room. Light is cast from an
unidentified source; a cheerless, white illumination that radiates no warmth
and only highlights the emptiness of the room. There are only two features
present in the otherwise bare, somber chamber.
One of the items is a pool of unnaturally still water. The other is a
tall figure that stands before the basin. Other than the height, not much
can be determined about the entity, as a long, dark purple robe covers it
from head to floor; dark shadows seem to hover about the face, masking any
features.
The purple clad figure stares in the pool, seeming to watch images that
play across the water's surface. "Excellent," the entity speaks, in a voice
that is neither male nor female, happy nor sad. "All the pawns are now in
place..." With a slow, methodic gesture, the figure raises one arm; the robe
long enough to cover the hand, so only a limb of purple cloth can be seen.
Pointing it towards the pool, it speaks again, "Now, only one final thing
remains to be done..."
KNOCK! KNOCK!
The large figure in purple starts suddenly...it drops the arm and turns
to face one of the four blank walls in the room. The sound of knocking is
repeated. Any expression on the form hidden by the shadows, the robed figure
moves across the floor in a gliding motion, no noise emanating from its
movement. Reaching the wall, it pauses, seeming to focus its will.
Silently, the marble-like wall swings aside revealing a desolate sun-baked
plain outside...and a smaller figure standing at the open portal.
"Sumimasen," the smaller person says, bowing slightly. This figure is
dressed in a very pale purple cloak, with a deep blue and red trim
tunic/pants combination underneath. Light brown hair frames a youthful
looking, blue-eyed face. Small marks dot the skin beneath each eye, and a
vertical stripe is present between the eyebrows. Plastered on the figure's
mouth is a stupid grin.
"My name's Darken, and I wonder if you could give me directions? I was
trying to teleport directly to Yukino-sama's palace, but I think I took a
wrong dimensional turn-off somewhere." While talking, the smaller figure
pulls out and unfolds a map. "I need the quickest way back to the 1/100th
reality, and I was wondering if you know where the nearest dimensional gate
is?"
For someone with no visible eyes, the large, purple robed figure does a
pretty good impression of the 'squeechy' blinking noise. After a moment of
this, the entity in purple seems to recover itself. While Darken smiles
goofily at it, the figure raises an arm and points at him; with a loud
KA-BLAM! the large thing in purple force-blasts Darken out of the doorway.
As the kami sails away into the sky, the wall/door swings silently shut.
"I don't believe this," the figure in purple says, finally showing some
emotion. "How am I suppose to destroy a universe if I keep getting
interrupted?"

* [now back to our show] *

Pogoing her way through the maze, Cologne was making good time. Every
so often, she would encounter more guards, but all of them were at least 70
years too young to play with her.
Finally, she slowed her pogoing down. Before her, she could feel the
presence of something cold...A winter's draft that signaled the presence of
an evil entity ahead...Setting herself, she advanced slowly, eventually
entering a large, empty circular court; empty, except for the small, evilly
chuckling figure in the middle.
"So," the diabolical-looking figure said in a low, threatening voice.
"It is finally time we settled this once and for all."
Pogoing to a halt, Cologne looked down at the evil before her. "Yes, it
is time Happi, once and for all, to determine which of us is the best."
Once more chuckling, Happosai's pupilless eyes began to glow a vicious
red. By steps, his body expanded as he projected his battle-aura. The old
woman dropped down from her staff to stand on her own feet. Surrounded by
her own glowing aura of ki, Cologne also grew in size; until there were two,
90 feet tall, shrunken old people in the court.
"Too often have you interfered with me," Happosai threatened, as he took
a gigantic step forwards.
"You have been a thorn in my side since I was 16," Cologne replied; her
eyes narrowed as she considered her opponent.
Happosai grinned vilily, then with a sudden yell, charged
forwards...Cologne stepped back in the face of his assault, and threw her arm
wide, as if drawing back a fist...
From her outstretched arm, a sixty-foot bra fluttered away from the
fight.
Instantly, Happosai's giant battle-aura disappeared, and an 18-inch old
pervert bounced off towards the giant undergarment. "SWEETO!!"
The ninety-foot Cologne used the far end of her 270-foot staff to whack
Happosai into the ground repeatedly.
That done, she sunk back to her regular height and pogoed over to the
crater her attacks had made in the floor. At the bottom of the crater, a
very battered Happosai with eyes a whorl was muttering, "S...s-s-swee-to-"
Cologne bapped him once more across the back of the head, and he
suddenly came back to himself. Jumping up next to the old gal, he smiled;
"Ah, thank you! It seems as if Yukino-chan's hypnosis can't overcome strong
emotions, like the ones we keep close to our hearts!" Saying so, he pulled
a bra from an inner breast pocket.
"Yes," Cologne agreed, "It also seems as if unconsciousness cancels the
effects as well. There may be a way to defeat the princess yet." Hearing
about the lovely princess, Happosai sniffled into the brassiere.
"That naughty Yukino-chan! Being so mean to one who could give her the
love and affection she so desperately needs!" Suddenly, he looked up and
around; "Where are the other girls! I must rescue them!" Tears began to
form in his eyes. "The thought of the poor, defenseless darlings wandering
around in this evil place is too much for the kind heart of an old man to
bear! Shampoo-chan! Akane-chan! Ukyou-chan! Let me protect you!"
As the perverted master began to hop around, Cologne looked thoughtful.
"Hmm...unconsciousness will cancel any attempt the princess makes to control
his mind." She looked up at the bouncing hentai, then shrugged; "Better safe
then sorry."
Using her staff, Cologne beat him into unconsciousness, paused, then
clobbered him some more; just to make sure.

* * *

Traveling at a slow walk, Kasumi often paused to smell the flowers and
examine the other plants around her. "Ah, such a lovely fragrance," she
said, gently holding one bright yellow and red flower. "I must remember to
ask Yukino-san if I can have some seeds from her garden. These would look
lovely around the house."
Nearby, two figures watched her approach. Tendo Soun and Saotome Genma,
their eyes showing no pupils, stared intently at the intruder. "Yukino-sama
directs that we stop all invaders! We strike as one!" Genma said. Soun
nodded and moved off to one side, the sounds of the small brook nearby
blocking all noise of their movement.
Kasumi stopped once again to observe a small hummingbird suck nectar
from inside the lips of a silvery petaled flower. Smiling sweetly, she
enjoyed the peaceful and gentle moment.
On the wall above her, Genma was using the Saotome patented
cling-to-ceiling-praying-enemy-don't-look-up refined cling-to-wall technique,
to get on the other side of this invader, so that he and Tendo-kun could
encircle their opponent. Finally in position, Genma dropped to the floor
noiselessly; he could see Soun on the other side; both of them still
unnoticed by this foolish invader who dared to contest the will of
Yukino-sama!
Starting to build up speed, both began padding towards the girl,
eventually working their way into a full sprint. As they got nearer, both
suddenly threw themselves into the air and leveled kicks at the intruder.
Kasumi stood there, unaware as the deadly attackers arched towards her
head...
She looked down; "Oh! I've never seen a flower like that!" She kneeled
down to take a closer look.
BA-BOMPH!
Directly above her, Soun and Genma had managed to cross-counterkick each
other's face; their legs in the space just recently vacated by Kasumi's head.
Groaning slightly, both men fell to the ground.
The Tendo girl looked up, surprised to see the two fathers lying on
either side of her. "Otosan, Ojisama...where did you come from?" After a
moment of looking surprised, she smiled. "How nice that I finally found you.
Did you enjoy your stay with Yukino-san?"
A moment later, both fathers jumped to their feet and stood together to
block any further advance by Kasumi.
"Hear now the words of Princess Yukino!" Soun shouted, his fists cocked
into a fighting stance; beside him, Genma mirrored his pattern. "Know that
I speak as but a tool of her will! And you, invader, shall not pass!"
Kasumi looked at the two men before her, paused, then replied..."If you
say so, Otosan."
Both men looked slightly surprised. "Er...you mean you're not going any
further?" Genma asked.
"If our host doesn't want us right now, it would be rude to impose on
her," Kasumi explained. The two fathers looked at each other, then fell into
a huddle.
"She's not going any further-"
"But we're suppose to stop her-"
"Yukino-sama didn't give instructions for this-"
"I still think we should fight her-"
"I think it's unnecessary-"
"There's only one way to settle this-"
"Quite right-"
The men quickly faced each other, nodded once, cocked their fists,
leaned back, then threw them towards one another...
"HA!" Genma shouted, "Paper wraps stone! We fight her!" Nodding
grimly, Soun turned to face his daughter and started to charge in towards
her, his mind locked into a fighting mode. Racing towards the young woman
before them, each drew back his fist, and threw it towards her smiling
face...
However well planned the attack and skilled the practitioners, the
actual execution of the assault was thwarted somewhat by Genma's stomach
choosing that exact moment to rumble like Giant Robo after its warrantee
expired.
In the rather anti-climatic silence that followed, Genma coloured, then
softly muttered, "That's right; we skipped lunch."
"Oh; I have some buns left over from the batch I made for those nice
soldiers," Kasumi said, taking two out of her apron pocket. "Would you like
them?"
Hypnotic suggestion fought against years of well-trained and practiced
gluttony; it was a short battle. With eager looks on their brain-numb faces,
the two fathers quickly fell to the floor and took the buns from Kasumi and
started eating.
His taste-buds singing with delight, Soun's eyes began to tear. "How,
how could I even think of attacking my own daughter?! Hitting my own flesh
and blood, my eldest child, some one I raised from girlhood, my...my...my one
and only cook in the family!! I can never be forgiven, can I, Saotome-kun?"
Genma, too busy eating, didn't bother with a reply. Kasumi however,
leaned in and placed a slim hand on her crying father's shoulder. "There,
there Otosan, don't cry...If it's too spicy, I'm sure I can make another
one."
Soun looked up into his daughter's face; the pupilless of his eyes
fading in and out as emotions washed though him. Finally, the control over
him was shattered and his regular eye colour returned; along with a flood of
tears. "Oh, Kasumi!! How like your Okasan you are!!!"
Finally free, his emotions vented their full fury; a veritable river of
tears flew from his eyes, traveling a good four feet to either side of his
face. One of the gushers splashed over the still spell-bound Genma.
A wet panda shook its head like it was waking up, then finished its bun
and held up a sign, {Any more, Kasumi-san?}

* * *

At a leisurely pace, Nabiki wandered through the maze; it wasn't very
difficult to figure out the pattern, and the guards all fled at the sight of
her shuffling a deck of cards.
Watching a large plant that looked like a cross between a ten-foot tall
dandelion and a Venus-flytrap try and eat a gardener, Nabiki let
possibilities cross her mind. <Kodachi would probably pay a considerable
amount for that plant's seed. And if I could actually arrange transportation
for her to visit this garden, she's really be willing to part with some
cash.>
A small grin that did nothing to brighten her face made an appearance;
<And I'm sure I can find others who would pay if she were to receive only a
one-way trip.>
As her mind wandered over such happy thoughts, the soft sounds of deep
masculine chuckling began to echo through the corridor. Nabiki stopped,
sighed, and with a bored expression, looked at her watch.
"As the water that flows uphill, so too will any who try and pass the
sentinel of the 'Blue Thunder,' Kuno Tatewaki, 17 years old, find the path
before them difficult."
As he finished speaking and stepped out from another corridor to block
her way, Nabiki pressed another button on her watch and looked at the
results. "Something positive came out of all this after all," she muttered,
sounding impressed; "your introductions are shorter."
Softly snorting, the blank-eyed Kuno held his bokken out before him.
"Know this well, Tendo Nabiki; I stand here as an eternal guardian for the
great Yukino-sama. Only those who I say shall pass, and to those who I do
not say they shall pass, they shall fall before me as test results after
substitute teaching."
Peering closely at him, Nabiki gave Kuno an intense look.
"Kuno-chan...are you telling me that Yukino-kun has actually hypnotized you
to defend this passage against all comers? That no one will pass you? Even
at the cost of your own life? That you'd fight even me?" His head held high
and proud, Kuno nodded before the amazed girl.
"Kuno-chan," she began; sounding a little in awe of him. "I never
realized...Seeing this...I have to admit; I never could have thought this of
you. This is incredible; do you realize the significance of what you've just
said?"
As Kuno stood there, defiantly proud, Nabiki continued, "It means...I
mean, I now have to admit...you actually might have a mind to hypnotize after
all."
No amount of mental control could keep Kuno from face-faulting. He lay
there in the pinkie-forefinger-thumb extension for a moment; recovering, he
snapped back to his post as Nabiki leaned against a wall. "This is such a
shock...I feel faint." Saying so, she reached into one of her jeans' pockets
and produced a number of small, glossy paper-like squares. Waving them, she
wafted cool air over her face.
Watching her closely, Kuno caught glimpses of red from some of the
photos, from others, a pale yellow could be seen. "Tendo Nabiki," the
eternal guardian of the passage asked, "What are those?"
Nabiki stopped fanning herself and looked down at the items in her
hands. "Oh, these? Just some pics of the pony-tailed girl; some are Akane
working out in her gi. Don't know why I'm carrying them...Although," she
began, turning them away from Kuno's face so she could study them; "this is
a good shot of Akane's flexibility...and I really couldn't let that sweet
red-headed girl see this picture...too embarrassing for the poor dear."
As Nabiki continued to catalogue her photos in an offhand manner, Kuno
stood tall and defiant; beads of sweet rolled freely down his face, his
muscles all locked into a fierce internal struggle. A struggle that quickly
reached a conclusion after Nabiki muttered in a loud voice, "Oh my! What
kind of girl does she think she is anyway?! I know red-heads are fiery, but
this is just TOO much!"
Dropping his sword, Kuno leapt towards Nabiki; before his mouth had even
finished opening to pled his request, she had her hand extended, palm
upraised, and said, "set of five for 2000 yen."
In a smooth, easy motion that suggested familiarity with the action,
Kuno slapped the money into her open palm and took the photos from her other
hand. While Kuno drooled over the pics, Nabiki pocketed the money and leaned
in to look at Kuno's face.
His eyes, despite being drawn to the scenes presented before them, were
still without pupil; shrugging, Nabiki walked over to his sword and picked it
up. She looked at the blade for a moment, once again shrugging
disinterestedly; then grabbed it tightly by the wrong end and whacked Kuno
across the back of his head with the handle.
A hollow, echoing ring sounded as Kuno's face hit the pavement. Nabiki
turned him over and pried open one eye; it was the normal colour. Nodding
satisfactorily, Nabiki dropped the bokken and sat down. Looking over at the
prone figure, she couldn't help but shake her head and smile, softly; then
she reached into her pocket and began to count her bills. After a moment,
she looked over at the unconscious Kuno, still softly smiling; "I do hope he
wakes up soon...he's 500 yen short."

* * *

Deep in another part of the maze, another of the new guardians Yukino
had sent was attacking his victim.
Or rather, he was stalking his victim.
More to the point, he was tracking his victim.
OK, OK; in actual fact, he was busy LOOKING for his victim.
Rubbing one hand along the back of his head, Ryoga kept turning this way
and that; searching for his opponent. Four teams of defeated guards had seen
her pass and had pointed him in the right direction, but he didn't seem able
to make up any ground on the target.
Truth be told, Ryoga had unknowingly circled back and asked the same
group four times.
"Enough of this!" he shouted finally, having run across the group for
the fifth time. "Just point me in the direction of the palace; that's where
she's going!" One of the guards pointed; Ryoga turned and started to stalk
off.
One of the other guards grabbed Ryoga's shoulder and turned him to face
the direction the finger was pointing. Finally satisfied, Ryoga walked up to
the indicated wall, drew in a deep breath and set himself.
"BAKUSAITENKETSU!!"
Throwing his finger into the wall, he had the opposite effect of that
Dutch kid with the dike. As a section of the wall exploded, Ryoga marched
through and did the same to the next wall, and the next, and the next.
Progress, if you could call it that, was finally being made.

* * *

As stealthfully as a cat, Shampoo stalked through the maze. The Chinese
girl moved with purpose and control as she padded between the large
plant-covered walls. All who had met her so far had fallen to her skill and
determination; she would not be stopped in her quest.
High above her, standing on the ledge of one of the many raised
aqueducts that fed the garden, a solitary figure waited. Chuckling softly to
himself, Mousse watched with interest as the invader moved beneath him.
In actuality, all he could see was a faint blur of moving colour, but he
knew it was his opponent. With a gentle hop, he fell over the side of the
aqueduct and started to descend on the intruder. Fifty feet from the ground,
he let out his battle-cry and fired off a whole darn lot of those sharp
pointy things that his mother had warned him not to play with.
Shampoo looked up, surprised. Only her phenomenal reflexes saved her;
she twisted to one side and flipped out of the way of the assault. Landing
after his weapons, Mousse looked over as the girl faced him.
"Mousse?" she said, surprised; after a moment, she waved her hand at him
in a shooing gesture, dismissing him. "Oh, it only you. Out of way; Shampoo
take no delay in getting Ranma."
Laughing heartily, Mousse firmly placed himself in front of her. "I
have been given the charge to defend this passage against you; in order to
pass, you must fight me."
"Oh, that all," Shampoo said, still dismissing him; Mousse smirked.
"That's all; but you should know this: for the first time ever, I will
not hold back as I fight you. Finally, you will taste the true power I can
release in my-"
Shampoo kicked him in the face as he rambled on. "Fine," she said,
crouching low, "If Mousse want fight Shampoo, Shampoo could use warm up."
Leaping high, she flipped over his head and reached her arms behind her back.
When she landed, maces were held battle-ready in her hands.
Mousse recovered and pulled out a large saber, he began his charge at
the girl. Shampoo met his rush with a double thrust of her weapons, knocking
the blade aside and forcing her other mace towards his face. Ducking, Mousse
let the mace pass by, then launched another multi-weapons attack at the
lavender-haired warrior, forcing her on the defensive.
Shocked that Mousse could manage to upset her attack pattern, Shampoo
staggered for a second, then retaliated with the whole of her fury. Although
her attacks were cat-quick, Mousse kept ducking the assaults; she had the
impression he was playing a game of cat and Mousse with her. Never had she
seen him fight so well; tricks that had worked on him before, multiple times,
were now ineffective. All her attacks were being met or defeated; slowly,
Shampoo was loosing ground.
<This not possible!> she thought. <Mousse not ever defeat Shampoo!>
Anger working against her now, she abandoned all rational attack patterns and
threw herself into a headlong charge at him. Again Mousse ducked the jabs,
this time raising a knee into the girl's abdomen as he came up. Gasping in
shock, Shampoo dropped her maces and fell heavily to the ground. Grimacing,
she flipped over onto her back to continue the fight, only to see Mousse
holding a spear, its razor point aimed at her neck.
"At last, you now know the truth...I could always beat you. Let that be
your last thought as I carry out Yukino-sama's wish!" With those words,
Mousse raised the spear high, preparing to plunge it into her throat.
Looking up at him, Shampoo gazed into his lifeless, alien eyes, her own
orbs shimmering. "Mousse..." she said quietly, with emotion straining every
word. "You no can do this...This Shampoo...you know Shampoo. You never hurt
Shampoo before...Ever..."
Above her, the hands that held the spear shook ever so slightly.
Staring down at the girl beneath him, all his willpower rose to fight the
alien control that wrapped his mind in bonds of slavery. Against the subtle
whisper of domination, his will staged its own fight.
"Shampoo...my...love...I...can not...hurt..."
The blankness in his eyes flared, and Mousse threw his head back and
screamed at the internal conflict. Shampoo acted upon this distraction; her
hand reached out and grabbed the handle of her nearest mace. Although she
was flat on her back, she threw it upwards with all her strength.
Sensing movement beneath him, Mousse leaned to one side, allowing the
mace to fly by his head. His eyes snapped open; danger gave his implanted
suggestion strength, and he tightened his grip on the spear then drove it
downwards with a snarl on his face.
Once the mace left her fingers, Shampoo had already been in motion,
kicking her legs up, she flipped into a hand-stand and sprang away just as
the spear plunged deep into the concrete where her slim neck had been a scant
second ago. Pulling the deadly weapon from the ground, Mousse aimed and drew
his arm back to throw the spear.
High above him, the mace continued its travels; reaching high, it
finally crashed into the bottom of one of the up-raised aqueducts. Driven by
all of Shampoo's strength, it broke through the stonework and punctured a
huge hole.
Hearing the crash above him, Mousse paused for a second before throwing
his spear. Turning his face skyward, all he could see was a blur of blue;
then a torrential downpour of water crashed over him.
Landing heavily on her feet, Shampoo slid to her knees, for some reason
more exhausted and shaken from the fight then she'd ever been before. A
second later, a wet duck ran out of the water; it looked over at Shampoo and
seemed to realize that it had been trying to kill her.
His own river of tears matching the volume of water from the busted
aqueduct, Mousse flapped over to his beloved and buried his face in her lap.
Shampoo hugged him gently and stroked his feathers as he cried. "There,
there, Mousse; it all over now. Shampoo not hurt." After a moment, she
picked up the still crying duck and rose to her feet. "Evil princess pay for
what she put Mousse through."
As she began to walk forwards again, Shampoo looked at the duck in her
arms with an curious expression. "Mousse know, Shampoo actually worry you
really drive spear into her." The duck rose his head and faced her, rapidly
shaking his head, quacking in the negative; he could never, ever hurt his
beloved Shampoo!
Shampoo grinned suddenly. "That good you not beat Shampoo; otherwise
Shampoo have to marry you! Mousse imagine anything more stupid?!"
A horizontal bolt of lightning shot through Mousse's head as he realized
how close he'd come to his dream. A horrified quack that stretched on until
it slowly faded issued from his throat. Shampoo still carried him in her
arms, the duck's head hanging limply by the neck as the full impact of what
he'd failed to do staggered his mind.
So caught up in his own internal ego collapse, he failed to notice that
Shampoo kept taking sidelong glances at him as she continued on.

* * *

"Somewhere around here is the right path," Ukyou muttered as she looked
from one seemingly identical passageway to another. She brushed her hair
away from her face with a hand, "If only there was some way to tell these
apart."
As if in response, there came a loud explosion behind her; turning, she
saw a column of smoke rise from one of the parallel passages. Getting under
some cover, she had just made herself unnoticeable when one of the walls of
her specific passageway cracked, buckled, and exploded.
Through the damage, Ryoga stomped into view. Not seeing her, he
proceeded on to the next wall and exploded that.
Ukyou grinned, <Arigato, Ryoga; cutting a straight line for me to get to
Ran-chan. What a nice boy... Must remember to cook him something good in
return.> Stealthfully, she began to follow him; it wasn't too hard, after
all, the sound of his exploding pin-hole attack drown out any sound she made.
Eventually, after much traveling, Ryoga demolished the final wall...
And stood facing a bunch of defeated guards.
Ukyou looked, saw his previous use of Bakusaitenketsu on the opposite
wall, and promptly slid to the floor as Ryoga looked around, confused.
Rising up behind him, Ukyou clobbered him once with her kick-ass
spatula. "How can you get turned around while traveling a straight line?!?"
Turning to face her, Ryoga looked even more confused. "Where did you
come from?" Then his mission reasserted itself in his mind; "Ha! I have you
now, you foolish woman! I will prevent you from ever getting any closer to
the palace of the great-"
She hit him with her spatula again. "All I have to do is follow you
around and I'll never get to the palace!" After a moment, Ryoga peeled his
face from the metal and started to attack Ukyou.
Leaping out of the way, the okonomiyaki master threw several small
spatula-shirikens at him; Ryoga counted with several bandanna-shirikens. The
equal number of projectiles thrown by each party crashed into their
opposites; bandanna-wrapped spatulas fell to the earth between the two
fighters.
Again charging with her kick-ass spatula, Ukyou tried to pull an
okonomiyaki flip on Ryoga, but he stepped out of the way in time. Stomping
his foot down hard, Ryoga trapped the blade of Ukyou's spatula to the floor.
Swinging his arm down with all his strength behind it, he snapped the blade
free from the handle.
Stunned, Ukyou staggered backwards for a moment; Ryoga charged, throwing
punches. Using the long handle like a bo staff, Ukyou deflected the incoming
strikes. Finally seeing an opening, she spun the handle around the thrust
the broken end at Ryoga.
Sidestepping the lunge, Ryoga grabbed one end of the handle and used the
muscles in his arms to lift Ukyou clear off the floor. As she looked down at
him in surprise, he snapped the handle over and set Ukyou flipping into a
wall.
She bruised her shoulder when she hit, and landed heavily. Grimacing
slightly, she saw Ryoga heading her way. <Damn, he's strong!> She thought,
rubbing her shoulder. <Can't fight him, have to hide!> Getting to her feet,
she sprinted away; ducking down once to grab the blade from her broken
spatula.
Ryoga gave chase, following her around several corners and down more
passageways. Finally however, as Ryoga rounded one corner and entered a
small shrubbery filled chamber, she was no where in sight. Sliding to a
halt, Ryoga listened for a moment; no sounds of running could be heard, so he
figured that she must be hiding somewhere here. Looking around, he saw that
there were plenty of places that Ukyou could conceal herself in, and sneak
out while he was checking other possible hiding places. For a moment, he
wondered what to do; then he smacked his fist into his open hand, and walked
into the middle of the room. For a second, he composed himself.
"FULL SHI SHI HOKODAN!!"
A massive pillar of energy shot up from Ryoga; for a second after the
pillar vanished, a bright globe of energy could be seen in the sky above him.
Then, his head rolled loosely forwards, and the massive ki blast slammed into
the ground around him.
The impact left a huge crater in the garden, and the tremors shook Ukyou
from her concealment and deposited her at the edge of the pit. Staring at
the girl, Ryoga smirked and cracked his knuckles, "You will dodge me no
longer, Ukyou...no one escapes the wrath of Hibiki Ryoga."
Desperate to come up with anything before he clobbered her, Ukyou
snapped out, "Oh yeah? Then how come you still haven't beaten Ran-chan?"
Ryoga snarled, "That's coming! Ranma keeps running from our fights!!
One of these days, I'm going to finish him!!"
"Yeah right," Ukyou snapped back. "You keep saying that, but you don't
do anything to change it! With an attitude like that, there's no way you're
going to get Akane-chan!"
"WHAT?!" Ryoga shouted, incensed. "For that, you shall suffer!!"
Striding right up to her, he set himself and again shouted, "FULL SHI SHI
HOKODAN!!" The energy pillar shot from him and formed the globe high above
his head.
That was what Ukyou had been waiting for. She pointed behind Ryoga,
shouting, "Look! There's Akane-chan!"
"Where?!" said Ryoga instantly, turning his head and craning around to
look. At that moment, the globe began to descend. Ukyou jumped backwards
with all her might, and with a Frisbee-toss threw her spatula's blade towards
the on-coming blast.
The blade got caught by the descending ki and was driven earthwards,
right onto Ryoga's head.
Ukyou landed just outside of the blast, and was spared the power of the
attack. After the pyrotechnics of the assault wore off, she looked down to
see Ryoga, his face driven into the bottom of the crater with a metal spatula
blade firmly implanted into the back of his skull.
Ukyou slid down the crater, flipped Ryoga over and cradled him in her
arms. She had to peel the metal away from his head, and looked down at him
as he slowly groaned. Finally, he opened his eyes; he seemed to be recovered
from the hypnosis.
"Ryoga, are you OK?" she asked, ready to clobber him with the blade
again.
"Ohhh...yeah, I'm fine," he shook his head as he got back to his feet.
Looking at her, he grimaced and rubbed the back of his head, "That was a
dirty trick."
She smiled, "Oh Ryoga, I've seen you fight before; there was no way a
girl like myself could defeat you. You're so strong, skilled, determined,
and unyielding," Ryoga's chest expanded with pride as she continued her list.
"After all," she finished, smiling. "you're ALMOST a match for Ran-chan!"
Ryoga's chest and ego both deflated.
Not seeing this, Ukyou grabbed his hand; "Come on, let's get out of here
and find that palace."
"Glad I found you," Ryoga muttered after a moment. "This maze was
really giving me a hard time." He blushed slightly, "I think I got lost."
Ukyou suddenly stopped; surprised, Ryoga halted beside her.
"What's wrong."
Looking faintly embarrassed, Ukyou glanced at him out of the corners of
her eyes. "Uh...Ryoga...you remember the fact that I was trying to flee from
you?"
"Yes."
"Well...I didn't bother to pay attention to where I was going."
"Which means?" he asked, slightly unnerved.
She blushed, "I'm lost too."

* * *

Akane casually disposed of another group of guards; they having about
the same skill in combat as Furinkan's club captains. Tossing the last guy
over her shoulder, she heard him crash to the ground, groan, and decide that
staying there would probably be the wisest choice.
Wiping sweat from her brow, she made started to continue on when she
felt something on her front. Looking down, she noticed that the rose she'd
clipped to her blouse had come loose during the fight. Stopping, she paused
to reattach the flower, wondering again why she bothered with it.
<It's not like Ranma really bought this for me; I mean, I'm the one who
paid for it. Why don't I just admit that he's an insensitive jerk and be
done with it?>
A few steps later and Akane's mind unwillingly called up what was really
bugging her. <Ranma said he's engaged to that princess...He didn't say it
was a mistake, like he says the rest of his engagements are...even
ours...It's probably got something to do that getting that Dragon's Tooth
back; but...but what if it doesn't? I mean, Ranma wouldn't. Would he?>
Unnerved, angry, and although she would never admit it, more than a
little concerned, Akane started to pick up her pace; another figure jumped in
front of her, and she absentmindedly put a fist into his face.
Or at least she tried to.
Her incoming punch was sidestepped, and Akane, expecting to connect,
staggered as she met no resistance. While off balance, something hit her in
the back; stunned, she fell to the ground with the air knocked out of her.
Gasping in surprise, she twisted around and rose to her feet, an angry
expression on her face as she looked at her attacker; then she took a step
back, just as stunned as a second ago.
"Ranma?"
He was standing before her, his head held up, glaring at her with grim
amusement. As she stared into his face, she could see that the grayish-blue
of his irises covered the whole of his eyes. For a second, she was worried
about whatever had happened to him to cause this. Then she remembered their
last conversation.
"Ranma, you jerk! Can't you even keep from chasing women when your
cure's finally in sight?!" Saying so, Akane moved forwards and slapped him
across the face.
Ranma caught her arm before she could catch his other cheek. Grinning
wickedly, he twisted her arm, forcing a cry of pain from her. With a heave,
he shoved her back, and she stared at him, cradling her smarting arm.
"Ranma? What are you doing?!"
"Just so you know, Akane; I've been ordered to stop you from leaving
this place, alive," he spoke with a tone of almost enjoyment in his voice.
"That is what I get for trying to trick Yukino-sama." As he talked, he
raised his fists and settled himself into a fighting position.
Akane, her arm still stinging, nervously got ready for combat. "What do
you mean trying to trick her? Are you telling me that your engagement to her
was just a joke?"
"Of course," he said, taking a threatening step towards her; Akane
backed up a little. "The whole thing was an attempt to get my hands on that
Dragon's Tooth." He shrugged, "My punishment is to stop you once and for
all." He advanced another step.
"What do you mean?" She asked, not liking the way he was smiling.
"For the first time, I'm not going to hold back as I fight you. You'll
finally see what I really can do."
Deciding that there was no way she could match Ranma's speed and skill,
Akane suddenly sprang forwards, trying to get a hit in before he could
retaliate.
Despite her move, Ranma still dodged her punch and swung his own fist
in. Dropping her free arm down, she blocked the blow, but at the cost of
jarring her already hurt arm. Whimpering slightly, she backed off; Ranma
kept advancing, launching more attacks, none of them as yet unblockable, but
all of them succeeded in weakening her.
Ranma suddenly stopped his barrage and stood there before her, laughing.
"You certainly are pathetic Akane! You might act like a guy, but you sure
fight like a girl." He was obviously playing with her, giving her a chance
to take some shots. Angry, she fumed for a moment at his barb. But then,
his words sparked a memory: 'that hypnosis trick only works on human MALES.'
<Well,> she thought to herself, grinning, <Ranma certainly gives me a
loophole I can use.> Faking an attack at him, he let Ranma flip backwards
from her strike, then she turned and ran back the way she had come.
Surprised, Ranma landed and started to run after her.
Reaching the last set of guards she had toasted, she scooped up on of
their helmets. As Ranma launched a jump-kick at her, she threw herself to
one side; Ranma's kick shattered the ground where he'd hit, and Akane rolled
to the side of a small brook.
Running the helmet through the water, she filled it and rose to face
Ranma, the water-filled container held behind her back. Smiling grimly, she
motioned him forwards. "Come on, baka; let's finish this."
Cracking his knuckles, Ranma advanced on her, a confident smirk on his
face. "You've had this beating coming to you for a long time Akane. There's
more then enough reason I'd willingly beat you without Yukino-sama's orders;
you've much to answer for."
"I have to answer for?! If you weren't such a jerk, I wouldn't need to
hit you! You're the one who's always chasing after others girls!"
"I'm not chasing after them! They come to me!!" Anger got the better of
mind control for a second. "I couldn't care less about them! The only
reason I pay them any attention is because it's nice to see someone who can
act like a girl once and awhile!" He turned aside for a moment, arrogantly.
"Ranma no baka!!" Partially to cancel the mind control, and mostly just
to cream him, Akane hurtled the helmet of water at him. Powered by the force
of a woman scorned, the helmet flew straight and sure; the metal of the cap
caught Ranma square in the face, dropping him to the floor with a CLANG. As
he fell back, the helmet flipped over and the water splashed out.
However, for perhaps the first time in his life, Ranma didn't act as a
water magnet. Akane watched, stunned, as the helmet rolled to the side and
dumped the water beside Ranma, rather then on him. Ranma rolled back to his
feet, still male, and with a big bruise on his forehead.
Glaring at her, Ranma moved forwards, resuming his attack. Akane
twisted to one side and tried to knock him into the brook, but he jumped
above her kick and shoved her backwards. Staggering, she tried to fight
back, but Ranma kept overpowering her attempts. Slowly, Akane was forced
further and further away from the water.
"Enough of this," Ranma grunted; he suddenly drove forwards and slipped
past her defenses. He ran his fist into her stomach, hard. Hunching over,
Akane grabbed her midsection and fell to the ground, the hard stone of a wall
against her back.
While Akane lay there gasping, Ranma loomed over her. On his face, a
curious set of emotions, elation and concern, fought each other for space.
"Your last warning Akane. Back off now, or I'll...I'll..." His voice
trailing off, Ranma shook his head and seemed to shudder a moment. Finally
he whispered, "I'll...kill you."
"Ranma," she whispered back, tasting blood on her lip. She looked up at
him, unable to believe what she was hearing, what she had felt him do to her.
"This isn't you. You can't mean that... fight it... "
"I...I...can't," for a moment, his features collapsed, showing the
struggle he was waging inside. "So long as she keeps... control over me...I
can't... fight it..."
That said, Akane lay there for a moment, aching all over. Then, she
gently put one hand to the rose on her blouse. Looking up at him, she pulled
it from her shirt and held onto it. Grimacing, she worked to her feet,
leaning on the wall for support.
"If that's the case," she said, trying to control herself, "Then I'm
going to stop her."
Ranma looked up at her, clearly in an internal struggle.
"Akane...run..." he grunted out, his whole body trembling. "Get...away..."
Pushing herself off the wall, she took one step towards him. "Ranma,
I'm going on. Stop-," her voice faltered for a second. "Stop me...if you
have to; but I...I can't let Yukino do this."
Hearing this affront to Yukino's orders, Ranma's fist began to clench
and draw back. His willpower tried to prevent this, but all he could manage
was to ask in a straining voice, "A-Akane...w-why...are...you-"
"Because you're my fiancee Ranma," she said quietly, forcefully; her
face a mixture of anger and fear, but held at bay by a core of determination.
Her lower lip quivered. "My fiancee. I'll never, *ever* let anyone take you
away."
Ranma howled and threw his fist forwards.
The rose fell to the ground at the sound of cracking bone.

* * *

In the throne room, Princess Yukino and Kaitei were observing the
progress of one of the members of the rescue force.
On the Zentron-like viewing-screen, the two were watching how well
Darken was managing to penetrate the defenses of the maze-garden.
"You know," Kaitei said in a conversational tone, "for a total twit,
he's not doing too bad of a job."
On the screen above, four little SD Darkens were being chased by four,
not so SD, God Soldiers.
One hand absentmindedly running over the locked case holding the
Dragon's Tooth, Yukino seemed to be thinking.
"If that's the case," she replied, after a moment's thought, "then I
think we should make things more interesting for him." She took another
pause, then suddenly nodded.
"Do we have a confirmed lock on him?"
"Yes, my princess."
"Good," she smiled. "Active the orbital defense lasers."

* * *

Ranma stood locked into position, his chest heaving, his fist frozen in
its position of a thrown punch. With great effort, he pulled his fist back
and stood there, staring straight ahead; ignoring the throbbing in his hand
from the force of the impact.
Akane looked back into his eyes, not moving. Behind her, the wall just
to one side of her head was cratered and spider-webbed from the force of
Ranma's punch. Looking at him, she could see herself reflected in the black
of his pupils.
"Ranma..."
He held her gaze for a moment, then dropped his head. Very quietly,
almost ashamed, he whispered, "Why didn't you leave? I...I almost..."
"But you didn't," she finished. Ranma still looked at the floor; after
a moment, he slowly kneeled down and picked up her rose. Staring at it
illumated a foggy memory.
"You dropped the flower I bought you," he said as he returned to his
feet and held it out to her.
She took it back and smiled slightly. "Baka," she said softly, "I
bought it." After a moment, he returned her soft smile.
Very gently, Ranma leaned in towards her; Akane turned her face upwards.
He put his hands to her shoulders and softly held her as her hands rested
against his chest. Their eyes closed and they each took a deep, quiet breath
as they came close...
Five impossibly bright beams of light streaked down from the sky and hit
another section of the maze-garden at that exact instant.
The explosion, thunder-clap, and wind storm knocked them off their feet.
When they finally could stand again, they could see a far off section of the
maze burning.
Ranma coughed uncomfortably; the moment shot to all hell. "Come on, we
still have to get that Tooth."

* * *

"Reports coming in now, Yukino-sama," Kaitei said as he scanned a
smaller view-screen. "Even if he has a really compact brain, I don't think
he could've survived."
"Good," the princess replied. The main screen before her showed a scene
of devastation and destruction. Only now, minutes after the attack, was the
air clearing enough for her to see what had been the result. "I think it's
time to check on how our other guests are faring with their welcoming
committees. Start to scan for the others-"
The crashing open of the door at the far end of the hall interrupted
her instructions. Surprised, both her and Kaitei turned to face the two
intruders that entered the throne room.
"You!" the bodyguard shouted, seeing the man who had insulted his
princess before him; with the person he was assigned to stop no less!
"That's right," Ranma replied. "We have unfinished business. You
prevented me from getting that Dragon's Tooth once before, but now we'll
settle this once and for all!"
Kaitei stepped away from the throne, "So long as you threaten the wishes
of Yukino-sama, I will always stop you!"
Ranma was about to motion Akane to get behind one of the hall's pillars
for protection, when he noticed that she was nowhere in sight. Turning his
gaze back to the bodyguard, he flicked back his pony-tail and started
forward. The two fighters met in the middle of the room and began to trade
blows.
For some time, Ranma and Kaitei fought an almost even battle. Careful
to keep track of where his pony-tail was, Ranma defeated any repeat of the
bodyguard's previous strategy. Kaitei was tougher and stronger, but Ranma
was faster and more skilled.
Yukino watched this fight for a moment; then, she descended from her
throne. Standing a few meters from her platform, she looked at the fight
with apprehension. Unnerved, she didn't want the fight to go on...<It must
be the presence of that horrible Ranma person,> she thought. For some
reason, she winced when Kaitei took a hit to the ribs.
"Enough of this!" she shouted. Closing her eyes to concentrate her
will, she snapped them open again, the demonic red of her spell-casting
lighting up her face.
In the combat, Ranma's eyes suddenly lost all focus; his motions slowed,
and he staggered to a halt. Kaitei stopped and grinned; he took a few steps
back and started to rush forward to build up momentum for the strike on his
helpless foe.
Watching this, Yukino smiled grimly as the moment of the strike came
close...Suddenly pain shot through her left arm. With a cry, her head was
pulled back by an arm around her neck; loosing concentration, her spell
fizzled.
His senses coming back to him, Ranma blinked once and saw Kaitei
swinging his fist in. At the last second, Ranma ducked and the fist sailed
over his head. Not expecting any defense, Kaitei was left off-balance and
wide open. Looking down in surprise, he saw Ranma grin wickedly, then drive
his fist upwards.
The blow caught the bodyguard under the chin; enough force present to
lift Kaitei completely off his feet. The moment Kaitei left the ground,
Ranma spun into a round-house kick and caught him while he was still in the
air. Unable to do anything, Kaitei was thrown into a pillar.
Straining against the pain, Yukino looked behind her; a short-haired
girl with incredible strength was holding her in an incapacitator hold.
"What are you doing?!" she screamed at the younger girl.
Akane just smiled grimly. "Don't you know...you shouldn't butt into a
fight between men."
Ranma looked over at the girls with surprise, then grinned and nodded
thanks to Akane. He couldn't do any more as Kaitei, although injured, got up
from his impact with the pillar.
"A nice try," he muttered, wiping sweat from his forehead. "But not
enough to finish me. For that, you'll have to do something special."
"Don't worry," Ranma smirked. "I have just the trick to deal with you."
The two fighters closed again and Kaitei began to throw several punches.
Ducking beneath the strikes, Ranma drew his fist back.
"HIRYU-SHOTEN-HA!!"
Throwing his punch forward, Ranma's ki energy burst forth. Kaitei saw
the upraising storm, and threw himself in the direction the blast was
heading. Traveling with the twister, he somewhat lessened the impact.
However, he still was carried into the air; Ranma waited until the cyclone
was at full strength, then leapt up into the eye of the storm.
With great effort, Kaitei managed to swim into the center of the winds.
Although bruised and battered by the flying dragon, he still snarled
defiantly at Ranma. "I'm not beaten yet!"
"We'll see!" Ranma replied. He held his hands apart and began to glow
with focusing ki energy. Seeing this, Kaitei grinned suddenly; holding his
own arms in a X pattern over his chest, he began to summon his own ki.
Throwing his arms before him Ranma shouted, "Moukou Takabisha!!" An
energy beam leapt from his hands.
"Waku Hebi Taoshite!!" Kaitei countered, his own ki forming an aura to
protect him. The beam smacked into his 'springing snake knock down' and
knocked him backwards. Driven by this force, the bubble of ki that carried
Kaitei ripped through the side of the twister and out into the room.
Kaitei flipped around and landed with his legs pressed against the wall
he was pushed against. A second later the tiger blast faded into
nothingness. <A really short blast compared to last time,> Kaitei thought;
then his coiled spring exploded into action as he thrust his body away from
the wall. Like a bullet, he shot back towards the hole in the twister.
It was then that he saw it.
The hole his forced-out ki had ripped in the side of the cyclone was
allowing the energy of the flying dragon to be vented. No longer held in the
tight contains of the twister, the winds and ki-energy were traveling the
path of least resistance, out the available exit.
Straight towards him.
Before he could summon another waku hebi taoshite, the whole force of
the flying dragon crashed into him. No longer dispersed as a twister, but
concentrated like a beam, the blast slammed into Kaitei with terrible force.
It completely countered his forward momentum and he could barely keep his
defenses from collapsing as the blast battered him. Straining to look into
the blast, Kaitei's eyes opened wide as he saw Ranma speeding towards him.
Dragged along with the energies leaving the cyclone, Ranma flew with the
force, rather then against it. Ranma closed on a collision course with him;
through the howling wind, Kaitei managed to hear, "-Amaguriken!"
Kaitei saw a blur of wind driven fists, then all went black.

* * *

The blast from the flying dragon dissipated quickly without the twister
to contain it. Akane looked up to see Ranma grab the unconscious Kaitei and
flip down to the ground safely. Yukino looked blank as she saw her bodyguard
defeated; Akane felt her go limp in her grip, and she relaxed her hold. The
princess fell to her knees and just sat there, looking at her champion with
tears on her cheeks.
Akane gave her another glance, then turned to Ranma as he, not ungently,
placed the bodyguard on the floor. He looked up at her and nodded; then he
glanced beyond her and grinned. She turned to see him facing the casket that
held the Dragon's Tooth.
A few seconds later, the sound of voices came from the hall outside the
throne room.
"Good thing we stopped at the kitchens, eh Saotome-kun?"
BAP! "Wake up Happi, we're here."
"No Mousse, that not throne room. Sign say 'broom-closet.'"
"Get back here Ryoga! Everybody else went right, how could you go
left?"
"Oh good, we're in time; Kuno-chan, open the door please."
The door at the far end of the hall opened and the rest of Team Ranma
entered the throne room, looking at the devastation caused by the
hiryu-shoten-ha with amazement. Then they noticed that the ones who had
stood between them and the Dragon's Tooth were in no shape to fight.
"Good work, my boy!" Genma shouted as he slapped Ranma across the back.
"At last, I won't be a panda anymore!!"
Yukino looked up at the invaders who had entered her throne room.
Weeping softly, she whispered, "Could this possibly get any worse?"
The wall behind the gang exploded.
Striding in through the rubble, a figure enveloped in a crackling aura
of energy and carrying a beam saber entered the room. For some reason, his
clothes were slightly singed.
"YUKINO-SAMA!! I, DARKEN, WILL NOW RECOVER THE PROPERTY THAT YOU TOOK
FROM ME!! DO NOT ATTEMPT TO RESIST, FOR I HAVE THE FULL POWERS POSSESSED BY
A KAMI--"
"Brevet third class, limited license; probational," everyone said at the
same instant.
Darken cringed violently. Then he took a good look around; seeing
everyone present and the throne room a mess, he scratched the back of his
head; his aura of power faded away on the breeze. "Uh...looks like I'm a
little late...Did I miss anything?"
"Nothing of importance," Ranma huffed. "Now let's get that dragon thing
and finally get cured." Turning back towards the throne and the case, he was
stunned to see an extremely battered and bruised Kaitei before him. Standing
with great difficulty, the bodyguard blocked his passage.
"Y-you will [gasp] not...not touch it...Yukino-sama...has said so..."
Clearly exhausted, he fell to his knees.
"Look," Ranma began, "I don't want to hurt you any more, so why don't
you just-"
From nowhere, Yukino slid in from the side and bopped Ranma out of the
way. Staring down at her bodyguard, she had a look of deep concern on her
face. "Kaitei...you'd actually continue to fight for me...after what
happened to you?"
Bowing his head, Kaitei spoke softly, "You even need to ask? All I
have, all that I am, all that I could be...they are your's to command."
Exhaustion and emotional strain overpowering him, he continued, " I am
your's...because...I...I...love you."
The princess looked down at him, tears began to loom in her eyes.
Slowly, she dropped to her knees before him. "Why didn't you tell me this
before?"
His face still downcast, Kaitei began, "It wasn't my place..."
Tears began to flow down the princess' cheeks. "You foolish commoner,
you," she replied softly, affectionately. Gently, Yukino lifted a hand to
his chin and made him raise his head to face her.
Taking a moment to observe them, Darken walked up to the two figures
kneeling on the floor. A look of soft compassion and gentle wisdom was
present on his features; accented by a small, gentle smile. "Yukino-san...Do
you see that your desire for what you wanted blinded you to the truth before
your eyes. There was the love you sought right before you; however, because
you let yourself lose sight of what you truly desired, you let the chance go,
and almost lost the opportunity that was presented."
As the kami's noble words reached other ears, the reactions were
surprisingly similar. Genma and Soun held onto each other as they cried at
the beautiful words, Kasumi wiped a tear from her eye, Cologne nodded with
the wisdom, then bapped Happosai to keep him from trying to feel Yukino up.
Shampoo leaned on Mousse's shoulder, a soft look on her face, peace radiating
from Mousse's features. Nabiki, her arms crossed over her chest, leaned
against Kuno-chan; she had a small, heartfelt smile on her lips, and Kuno
looked like he wanted to spring into poetry; he didn't however, so everyone
was happy. Ryoga and Ukyou both looked at the floor, both blushing and
sniffling at the tender words; their eyes caught, and they both blushed some
more and turned back to the floor.
Ranma and Akane both looked at each other for a long moment, then turned
away to look at anything else; however, each moved a small step towards the
other. The fingers of their respective hands gently brushed the other's.
Now holding Kaitei to her, Yukino rested her head against his for a
moment, then looked up at the kami before her. "Darken-sama...you knew this
would happen, didn't you?"
"Huh?!" Darken replied, losing all trace of the noble and wise sentiment
he'd possessed a second ago; now looking completely dumbfounded at her
suggestion.
"This whole thing, from my mistaken wish up to this point, was your plan
to have me realize that I loved Kaitei; isn't it?"
"I...we...ah...oh...um....yeah...Yeah; that's the ticket. I mean;
[cough] of course!" Darken swiftly changed to a pillar of self assured
determination and pride. "I had this whole thing mapped out from the
beginning! Everything was part of a carefully and subtly arranged master
plan! Each of you played your role according to the cosmic scheme of things;
a plan that could only be undertaken by someone so astonishing as myself.
Don't feel bad at having me direct your lives from behind the scenes; it's
what I'm suppose to do. After all, I am a kami." He finished, looking
unspeakably egotistical.
"Brevet third class, limited licence; probational," everyone, including
Yukino and Kaitei responded. Darken cringed violently.
"Uh...yeah; right. Anyway...I'll just get that Tooth so I can finish
the spell for these people," Darken said as he walked past Yukino and Kaitei,
who were still holding each other. Reaching the glass case, he summoned up
an energy saber and slashed the ornate lock off the case. Yukino sighed
happily, then suddenly looked up at Darken in horror.
"WAIT!! Darken-sama, first disarm the-"
As she was taking, Darken looked over his shoulder at her; as he did
that, his hand lifted the top of the case.
BOOM!!
Everyone covered their faces as a huge explosion rocked the chamber.
When the dust and wind from the blast finally settled down, Yukino quietly
finished, "-trap."
As the gang looked on in horror, two shapes could be seen when the smoke
finally cleared. One was a horizontal, slightly curved, white ivory spike;
the other was a vertical pillar of black soot. The pillar of soot let out a
small "ouch", then fell to the floor. The force of the impact shook the
white ivory spike a bit...and it disintegrated into dust.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Came from several
throats at once. Ranma leapt towards the blackened kami and beat out the
rest of the gang for his neck by about 1/2 second. Shaking him roughly,
Ranma shouted into his face, "What have you done?!?"
Coming back to himself, Darken looked over at the remains of the
Dragon's Tooth.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" The
kami managed to look even more distressed at the loss of the tooth then the
cursed people were. "Not again!?! That's the last one we had! Man, the
Yaggdrasil sysop is going to cream me for this!" He clawed his fingers into
his hair roughly. "I can't believe this is the third tooth I've lost this
month alone!!"
"NANI?!?!?"

[roll end credits with an annoyingly catchy theme song.]

[epilogue]

Night over Tokyo. The sounds of the bustling metropolis were dampened
somewhat by the darkness. In the peaceful quiet of the dark blue sky, Tendo
Akane stood on the balcony at her house. Dressed in her night clothes, she
was looking up at the stars, letting her mind wander free. In one of her
hands, she carried a small, red rose.
Opening the door leading out, Ranma-chan walked out onto the small
balcony. Closing the door so they didn't have to listen to the sounds of
Darken trying to deal with a stomach full of Akane's cooking (the gang having
voted that he deserved the ultimate punishment), she walked to the rail.
Like Akane, she too was in her night clothes.
For long minutes, neither of them spoke, nor looked at each other.
Akane continued to gently spin the rose stem in her hand, while Ranma looked
out over the rooftops. Finally, Ranma-chan cleared her throat and looked
over at the girl beside her.
"Um...Akane?"
"Yes, Ranma?"
"Well...I'd...I'd like to know...are you doing anything tomorrow?"

[fin]

__________________________________________
Author's Notes:

Well, what do you think? All in all, I'm pretty happy with it; got a
little slow in Chapter 4, but not too bad. What I think, however, is not as
important as how you people feel about it. I'll have the address where I can
be reached later on in the notes; as this is my first non-lemon fic, I'd
appreciate some feed-back on the job I did. If people like it, I'm probably
going to continue the series. I sort of see this like an OVA series, a set
of continuous short stories (1 to 10 chapters depending) rather then an
on-going centralized story. As you can probably see from my writing, I'm a
hopeless romantic (emphasis on the hopeless part).
While I stated that I would be copying from everyone, I feel I should
give some credit for some of my shameless rip-offs:
In Chapter 1, the dinner date was based partially on an episode of
'Lois and Clark, the New Adventures of Superman.' Originally, I'd planned
Darken to show up in the park with Happosai so that Ranma and Akane never got
to their date, but seeing the hell and fun the L&C gang had with a dinner
date, I just had to do it.
The idea for Ranma getting drunk and using the line 'you're my fiancee.
I'll never *ever* let anyone take you away,' in Chapter 2 came from an
episode of 'Ranma University: Daigakusei no Ranma.' I don't remember the
exact one, but in it, Ranma gets tanked fighting someone who has drunken Kung
Fu. I saw a drunk Ranma as a golden opportunity; isn't there some Latin
phrase, 'there is truth in wine?'
The unhappy camper at the beginning of this chapter is Purple Robe from
John Bile's 'Ranma: Elseworlds' fan-fic. The dreaded Saotome patented
cling-to-ceiling-praying-enemy-don't-look-up technique was directly lifted
from 'Ranma 1/2 Life's Dulse Moments,' written by fellow Canadian Leslie
Mills. (By the way, personally, I feel 'Dulse' to be the most evil fan-fic
I have ever seen. Leslie, I want more.)
For these people I stole from: in my defense, I can only say that I
follow the Ben Dunn school of Parodying: steal first, worry about legalities
later.
Also included were multiple in-jokes based on anime or other literature.
It is beyond me to list them all, but it is safe to assume that if the scene
seems really weird, I got the idea from somewhere else.
A special note about a character in this: If you remember back to
Chapter 3, I said that Darken was based on the kami from AA! Megamisama!
Well, that's not all he was based on. I made Darken for three reasons. 1)
I needed someone to move the story along, 2) I needed someone I could abuse
without any qualms, and 3) I wanted to write myself into my own fic.
That's right, Darken is in fact, me. While I admit I don't have as
flashy a wardrobe as he does, I don't have the marks on my face, and I don't
throw energy spheres (at least to my knowledge), the physical description is
of me. Besides, who other then myself could I possibly abuse so much? If
you need more proof, just run my first name, 'Darren' through a spell-checker
and see what comes out. If you think that writing myself in is slightly
arrogant: 1) you're right, and 2) ever see how the Oh my Goddess! author
draws himself? He sure looks like his own Keichi character.
Despite (or because of) the fact that he is me, Darken is available for
weddings, bar mitzvahs, and appearances in other fan-fics. If you want him
for a cameo, no problem; I steal from other fan-fics, I expect others to
steal from me as well. If you want to write a story with him doing something
major, just drop me a line saying what will happen to him. I really don't
care what abuse he'll suffer, I'll most likely let you use him.
From here we go on to the works in progress from the sick minds of the
Horde O' Hentai:
Rob is currently involved wracking his brains for a set of
rather...unique...lemons. (note: if his ideas have given me pause; be
afraid, be very afraid.) Lee is planning to write the next installment of
Ranma 1/100th, and is also working up some as-yet unknown story. Craig is
producing his Tenchi Muyou lemon series: 'The Price One Pays,' and drafting
an Appleseed regular story.
As for my (not so) humble self: Well, after Lee finishes his run on
1/100th, I've got the next story sort of planned out. The whole Horde is
sort of working together on an original anime-like ongoing story that I'm
going to type out. And of course, I'm continuing to write the flagship of
the Horde: the Ranma .05 lemon series.
Once again, I'd appreciate some feed back on the job I did on this
fan-fic. I can be contacted at the general mail box for the Horde that
doubles as Grey Wolf's regular mail address: [grey...@ffarm.ampr.ab.ca]
Hoped you enjoyed the story.
Darren 'Darken' Demaine: Chairman of the Horde, President for Life
(Chance of Parole in 20 years)

"Men are like floor tiles: if you lay them right the first time, you can walk
on them forever."
- seen on a T-shirt.
??