-----------------------------------
Part 1c:  Murder, Madness, & Mayhem
-----------------------------------

	Ranma spun around to face Kuno.  The upperclassman stood in the gateway, 
literally glowing with rage.  The steel blade of his unsheathed katana 
glittered in the sunlight.

	(Oh man, he looks totally pissed off!  I've NEVER seen Kuno this mad 
before.  He really means business, this time.  That's no wooden bokken he's 
waving around.)

	"Saotome, today you die.  You have tormented Akane Tendo and the pig-
tailed girl for too long.  Your evil reign ends now!"

	With his customary bravado, Ranma snapped, "Man, are you're still going 
on about that?  Well, I'm ready for anything you can dish out!"  

	(Just great.  All my fiancees are ready to pound me, my mom thinks I'm a 
liar, and Kuno's out for blood.  What else can go....)
	
	"Ranma, prepare to DIE!"  For once, Ryoga didn't land on top of Kuno 
when he jumped over the wall.

	(...wrong?  Shit!  WHEN will I learn to stop asking stupid questions 
like that?)

	"What now, Ryoga!?  Didn't suffer enough yesterday, pig boy?"

	"Shut up, Ranma!  What you do to me is one thing, but there's no WAY 
that I'm going to let you drag Akane into another secret wedding!"

	At the same time, Kuno shouted, "I forbid it!  Do you hear me, Saotome?  
I ABSOLUTELY forbid it!  How dare you defile the sacred rite of matrimony to 
gratify your base lusts!"  

	Ranma blinked, then blurted out, "Wedding!?  Matrimony!?"

	The four fiancees and his mother said in ominous tones, "RRANMMAA!!!!"

	Ranma turned around to face the angry women.  "Hey, don't look at me!  I 
DON'T KNOW NOTHING ABOUT NO WEDDING!!!"
	  
	He snarled to himself, (Pop, if this was one of your stupid ideas, I'm 
gonna kill you!)

--------------

	In her hiding place, Yonoko held a hand over each cat figurine and 
softly whispered a single word.

--------------

	The skin on the back of Ranma's neck prickled.  It was a sure sign of 
danger.  He cursed himself for taking his attention off Kuno and Ryoga for 
even a second.  Ranma immediately spun back around to face them.  He took an 
aggressive step forward and said, "Okay, that's it!  I've had enough of both 
of you and your stupid challenges!  Which of you guys wants to be first?"

	(Come on, come on.  Go for it.  If I can get these guys arguing as 
usual....)

	Kuno and Ryoga didn't even bother to look at each other, but instead 
took a simultaneous step forward.  Ranma frowned and readied himself for 
their attack.

--------------

	Yonoko took a firm grip on the long silver pin.  She suddenly stabbed 
downward, pinning two of the magic wards to the straw doll with a single, 
vicious stroke.

--------------

	 Ranma abruptly clutched his head as a storm of hideous cat images tore 
through his mind.   

	"AGGGHHHH!"	
	
	As he stared at Kuno and Ryoga, a horribly familiar sensation of pure 
terror flooded his body.  There was something WRONG about them -- their 
posture, their movements, everything....  He slowly began to back away.  Kuno

and Ryoga both looked grimly satisfied with Ranma's reaction.  A bead of 
sweat trickled down the side of Ranma's face and he started to make soft, 
whimpering noises.  

	"C-c-caa...caaaa...caaaatt...."

	His sudden cry, followed by Ranma's display of raw terror, jolted Akane 
and the other fiancees out of their anger.

	"Ran-chan?  What's wrong?"  Ukyo asked in bewilderment.	

	"A cat?  Huh?"  Akane quickly scanned the area.  Finding nothing, she 
shook her head in bewilderment.  "Ranma, get a grip on yourself!  There 
aren't any cats here!"

	He lifted a badly shaking hand and pointed in Kuno and Ryoga's 
direction.  Ryoga simply smirked while Kuno grinned in savage pleasure.  The 
upperclassman gloated, "That's right, writhe in fear, you craven worm!"
	
	Nodoka frowned at her son's blatant display of cowardice.  In sharp, 
scolding tones, she said, "Ranma!  This is most unseemly behavior for a 
martial artist!"

	"C-c-c-cattt...."  Ranma seemed incapable of saying anything else as 
horrifying memories -- memories of glowing, hungry eyes, of sharp teeth and 
sharper claws -- completely dominated both mind and senses.  

--------------

	Yonoko watched the scene unfolding in the Tendo compound and smiled in 
malicious amusement.  Two years of careful observation had given her the 
opportunity to pinpoint Saotome's every strength and weakness.  Now all that 
effort would pay off.  

	Leaving the straw doll to do its dark work, she lifted her hands.  In 
response to her gestures, wisps of arcane energy began to swirl around each 
of the cat figurines on the table.

--------------

	As the women watched in horror, Ryoga and Kuno suddenly collapsed to the 
ground, writhing and screaming.  Their bodies started to warp and swell.  
Clothes split from bulging muscles.  Bare skin sprouted fur.  Their faces 
lengthened into muzzles full of long, gleaming teeth.  Human limbs became 
paws tipped with knife-like claws.  The screams deepened into low, bestial 
rumbles.

	The transformations were appallingly quick, only taking a few seconds.  
Kuno was now a huge blue tiger with black markings.  Ryoga had changed into a

slightly smaller, but more heavily built, yellow and black tiger.  Their eyes

had an eerie green glow.  Saliva dripped from their gaping jaws as they 
slowly stalked forward.

	A strangled scream tore its way out of Ranma's throat as he frantically 
scrambled backward until he was cowering up against his fiancees and his 
mother.  The cat creatures were some of his worst fears spun into material 
form, then magnified a hundredfold.  They were coming for HIM and he knew it.

	"No no nononono...!"

	The blue tiger uttered a vicious, hissing snarl.  At the sound, Ranma 
cried out in pain before abruptly collapsing onto the porch.  As Akane knelt 
down and held his shoulders, Nodoka asked her, "What's wrong with him?"  

	"I...I don't know!"  

	Akane frantically thought, (Ranma should've gone into the Neko-ken long 
before now!  What's going on!?)  She could see him flinch with every snarl or

growl the tigers made.  As she watched, he curled up into a tight ball, 
covering his ears with his hands in an effort to shut out the sounds of the 
tigers.

	"S-s-stop it... get off...leave me alone...stop...hurts...!"

	Ukyo shivered as she heard Ranma's low whimpers and moans of anguish.  
She then glared furiously at the tigers.  

	"Leave him alone, you damn monsters!  HIYAA!"  She leapt forward and 
hurled a handful of her razor-sharp throwing spatulas directly at the tigers.
 

	The spatulas simply bounced off the creatures' thick fur.

	As Ukyo swore in frustration, Kodachi knocked her aside and snapped, 
"Stupid wench, get out of my way!"  

	"Hey!  Watch it!"  Ukyo frantically ducked as the metal-edged ribbon 
whipped through the air just above her head.  Kodachi's weapon struck the 
blue tiger that had been her brother Tatewaki just a few minutes ago.  Ties 
of blood had never stopped the Kuno siblings from attempting to inflict 
severe bodily harm on each other.  However, this time, the slashing ribbon 
was just as useless as Ukyo's spatulas.  

	The tigers ignored the girls' futile attacks.  Their attention was 
clearly for Ranma alone.

	Shampoo yanked one of her hair ornaments loose and threw it with all her 
Amazon strength at the blue tiger's head.  The ornament sank deep into the 
eye socket, causing the tiger to roar in pain.  Ranma weakly echoed that cry.
 

	Shampoo's shout of triumph faded into a hiss of dismay as she watched 
the ornament pop loose, and the tiger's eye heal almost instantaneously.  The

blue tiger then resumed its leisurely but inexorable advance, just a step 
behind its companion.  

	Ukyo started to back away from the tigers. In a tense voice, she said, 
"I think we're in big trouble."  She then glared at Shampoo. "Where are those

damn maces you're always waving around?"

	"Stupid spatula girl!  Shampoo here for private talk, not duel!  Not 
polite to carry big weapon around even if talk is with mother-in-law!"  The 
Amazon was also backing away from the tigers.  "Shampoo ask same thing about 
you and stupid big spatula!"

	Ukyo muttered to herself, "What a great time for both of us to pick up 
some manners.  I should know better after hanging around Ran-chan all this 
time!"  

	The exact same thought ran through both Ukyo's and Shampoo's minds.  
(And I'm NEVER going to get caught unarmed like this again.  NEVER!  I don't 
care what that stupid book on etiquette says!)  

	Ukyo then said in a much more conciliatory voice, "What do you say to 
a... uh, strategic retreat?"  She pointed over her shoulder toward the front 
door of the Tendo house.

	Shampoo nodded abruptly. "No can fight monsters unarmed. When inside, 
head for dojo.  Weapons there."

	"Gotcha."

	Kodachi joined the two of them in their slow retreat.  "I'm quite in 
accordance. What are you fools waiting for?"

--------------

	The directional microphones picked up the girls' conversation perfectly.  
Yonoko murmured, "Now, I can't have you running off, ladies."

	She chanted for a few seconds and a small transparent cube appeared 
between her hands.  Yonoko suddenly clapped her hands together and the cube 
vanished in a flash of light.

--------------

	Akane had come up with the same idea as Ukyo and Shampoo.  Leaving Ranma 
in his mother's hands, she started to struggle with the front door.  Ukyo 
moved up behind her and tensely asked, "Akane, what's the holdup?  We've got 
to get away from those things!"	

	Akane snarled, "I'm trying!  The door won't open!"  

	"What do you mean, it won't open?"  Ukyo jerked the door handle but the 
front door refused to move.  "Damn!  Shampoo!"

	Shampoo dragged her gaze away from the stalking beasts. "What now?"

	"See if you can get this door open!"

	"Violent girl pick fine time to lock us out of house!"

	"It's not locked!  It just won't open!" Akane protested.

	"Stupid Akane!"  The Amazon yanked, then pounded on the door.  It 
refused to budge no matter how hard she tried.

	Akane bit her lip.  (With Shampoo's strength, she can smash a hole right 
through the wall.  She's done it plenty of times before.  This stupid front 
door should be no problem!)

	"Is no good!"

	"What's going on here?"  Kodachi hissed anxiously.

	"Maybe we can just edge along the wall...."  Ukyo tried to step off the 
right side of the porch but found a very unpleasant surprise.

	"Shit!  There's something blocking the way!"  Ukyo pounded her fists on 
an invisible surface at the edge of the porch.

	"What!?"  Akane tried the other side of the porch and found the same 
sort of invisible barrier.

	Shampoo looked upward, a grim expression on her face.  She pulled her 
other hair ornament free and flung it straight up.  Instead of punching 
through the roof of the porch, it ricocheted in mid-air and landed at her 
feet.  The girls soon found out that the front edge of the porch -- the side 
closest to the approaching tigers -- was the only side not blocked off by an 
invisible barrier.

	"We're trapped but good!" Ukyo growled.

	Shampoo bent down to gently touch Ranma's quivering body, then looked up 
at Akane in confusion.  "Why he no change?"

	"I don't know!"  Akane pointed at the tigers.  "But I'm guessing that 
whatever changed Ryoga and Kuno also has something to do with Ranma's 
condition."

--------------

	Yonoko glanced at the two magic wards pinned to the straw doll.  The 
first one was 'fear'.  Its purpose was obvious and simple.  The second magic 
ward was 'protection from insanity'.  Its sole purpose was to force Saotome 
to endure the utmost depths of terror before being able to escape into his 
cat personality and using the Neko-ken.

	The cruel elegance of the spell, the subtle twisting of a protective 
object into an excruciatingly painful weapon -- those were Ebon's trademarks.
 

	...as Saotome would soon learn for himself.

--------------

	By now, everyone crowded together on the front porch.  They were boxed 
in with nowhere to go.  The tigers, now only six or seven meters away, 
completely blocked the only path of escape.  With a grim expression on her 
face, Nodoka stood up, unsheathed her sword, and moved forward.  However, 
before she could step off the porch, Shampoo put her hand on Nodoka's wrist 
to stop her.  

	"Please, is better for Shampoo to fight.  Shampoo is Amazon warrior." 

	Nodoka frowned.  "Child, it's my duty to...."

	"Shampoo has duty, too, to protect husband."  For once, the other 
fiancees chose not to argue with her.  While Nodoka hesitated, the Amazon 
girl urgently added, "Also, Shampoo best fighter here.  Is only one strong 
enough to hurt monsters."  It was no boast, just a simple statement of fact.

	Nodoka looked at her, then glanced at the other girls and the 
unconscious Ranma.  Then Ranma's mother silently offered Shampoo the Saotome 
family sword.

	The Amazon looked a little startled but then gave Nodoka a quick bow 
before taking the weapon.  As Shampoo tested the sword's superb balance, 
Kodachi angrily hissed, "Why you conniving little tramp!" 

	Shampoo gave Kodachi a chilly stare of contempt, then ignored her as she 
spoke to Akane and Ukyo. "Move Ranma when Shampoo attack."

	Akane said, "Shampoo, you can't!  Kuno and Ryoga...  remember what 
happened before!  Those creatures aren't normal.  That sword isn't going to 
stop them!"

	"Heh."  Shampoo tossed her head.  "Shampoo not stupid.  Shampoo distract 
tigers, not fight.  Beside, no one else good enough or strong enough to do 
job."

	"Damn it!  You may be a pretty good fighter but even you won't survive 
even a quick encounter with those things!" Ukyo argued.

 	"Then it is honorable way to die, yes?  Just make sure you no mess up 
your part." 

	The eyes of the three girls met in unspoken agreement.  Ukyo and Akane 
moved next to Ranma.  Shampoo took a deep breath, then stepped off the porch 
to confront the tigers.

--------------	

	The creatures' musky scent, the rasp of their claws on the paving 
stones, their horrible voices -- everything about the monsters plunged Ranma 
deeper and deeper into an old, pain-wracked nightmare.  But this time, there 
seemed to be no escape.  There was no comforting oblivion to take away the 
fear that was slowly destroying both mind and soul.

	He could sense them moving closer and closer.  They were coming for 
him...and for her.  Amid the overwhelming terror and pain that held his mind 
in a steely grip, Ranma began to feel a fierce burning rage.  He would be 
DAMNED before he would let anyone or anything take away what he had wanted...

what he needed... for so long -- a home, a sense of belonging,... and her.  

	For the first time in his life, he didn't try to escape or run away.  
Instead, Ranma willingly reached into the nightmare and embraced it, looking 
for the power to keep what was his and his alone.

--------------	

	Yonoko watched without surprise as the paper wards pinned to the straw 
doll suddenly fluttered.  Their movements became more and more violent.  The 
wards and the straw doll suddenly went up in a bright flash of flame.  Only a

small puddle of molten silver and little flecks of black ash remained.

	"Now comes the interesting part."

--------------	

	Akane, Ukyo, and Nodoka gasped as Ranma suddenly rolled to his hands and 
knees.  His lowered head and his hair hid the expression in his eyes but 
Akane could hear the low, throbbing growl coming from his throat.  Hands 
curled as he pulled his bare feet under him in a familiar stance.  The low 
growl increased in volume to become a deep roar of challenge.  

	Shampoo whirled around at the sound, then flung aside as Ranma leapt off 
the porch.  He landed on the walkway only a few feet away from the two 
strange males.  They dared to take what was HIS.  They would die for it.  

	He bared his teeth and hissed viciously, one hand raking at the air.  In 
response, the tigers laid back their ears and snarled back.

	Akane shuddered.  She had seen Ranma in the Neko-ken before, but she had 
never seen him quite like this.  On past occasions, he had certainly been 
ferocious, but it had always been -- or had quickly become -- a playful sort 
of ferocity.  This time, it was terribly clear that Ranma was NOT feeling the

least bit playful.  

	This time, if Ranma was feeling anything, it was primal rage.  

	Nodoka grasped Akane's shoulder in a white-knuckled grip and said in a 
tense voice, "What's wrong?  Why is Ranma acting like... like some sort of 
animal?"	

	Ukyo gulped and sounded a bit sick.  "Is THAT the... Neko-ken?"

	Akane nodded distractedly.  "Yes... I think."

	"What do you mean, 'you think'!?"

	Ranma's mother demanded, "What are you talking about?"

	Without looking away from Ranma, Akane hastily explained.  "Ranma has a 
terrible phobia of cats, all because some crazy martial arts training his 
father put him through.  When his fear of cats becomes overwhelming, he 
starts acting like a cat.  He also uses this extremely dangerous martial art 
called the Neko-ken.  It's also known as the Cat-fist."  

	She paused, then added softly, "But something's not right."

	Shampoo murmured.  "Shampoo notice it too.  Ranma-cat different this 
time.  Much darker, nastier...."

	The women watched in horrified fascination as Ranma and the tigers 
slowly circled each other.  The opponents watched each other with predatory 
intensity, checking for any signs of weakness. 	

	Akane and Shampoo hurriedly grabbed Ukyo as she tried to step forward.  
She said, "Let me go!  We've got to help him.  He can't handle those two huge

monsters by himself!"

	It seemed to be a sadly uneven battle -- a single human against two 
tigers.  Each of the tigers easily outweighed Ranma by four to five times.  
However, both Akane and Shampoo knew that mere physical size was not the 
deciding factor in a fight like this.

	Akane shook her head.  "NO!  It's way too dangerous!"
	
	Ukyo turned on Akane.  "Hey!  If you're SCARED...."
	
	Akane snapped, "Yes, I AM scared!  For you!  Do you have ANY idea what a 
Neko-ken strike can do?  In this state, Ranma can rip through steel and rock 
like paper!  Can you imagine what even an accidental blow would do a human 
body!?"

	"Ranma would never...!"
	
	"No, he wouldn't if he was in his right mind.  But he's NOT!  Ranma's 
berserk with rage right now.  There's no telling what he will or won't do.  
And who knows what's going on with Kuno and Ryoga!  If Shampoo didn't stand a

chance against them with a sword, what do you think is going happen to you?"
	
	"Akane right!  Best stay out of way...unless spatula girl WANT to end up 
like chopped cabbage!"

	The blue tiger that had once been Tatewaki Kuno attacked first.  It 
lunged for Ranma's throat.  Ranma leapt aside effortlessly and slashed back.
 
His hand never touched his opponent, but a huge gash opened along the blue 
tiger's belly.  Any normal animal would have been instantly gutted.  However,

even as the women watched in dismay, the near bloodless wound closed and 
faded away.

	The other tiger, formerly Ryoga, moved in with unnatural speed.  Ranma 
jumped over it, then used the Neko-ken to shred mercilessly at the yellow 
tiger's exposed back.  The huge beast howled in pain but the enormous wounds 
again quickly disappeared. 

	The pattern repeated itself, time and again.  Ranma and the tigers 
swirled in an incredibly swift and lethal dance.  Ranma used his superior 
speed and agility to maximum advantage.  He constantly dodged in and out, 
using the Neko-ken to relentlessly slash and tear at his opponents.  However,

he never attempted to grapple with his much more massive opponents.  

	In spite of repeatedly striking his opponents, Ranma's attacks were 
futile.  Any wounds suffered by the tigers healed instantaneously, no matter 
how severe.

	Dragging her eyes away from the battle, Akane took a hasty look around 
her. Strangely, Shampoo had a somewhat wistful and pensive expression on her 
face, as if she was perceiving something both undesired but also undeniable.
 
Nodoka was grimly stoic.  Ukyo looked horrified at what she saw.  And 
Kodachi....   

	Totally fixated on Ranma's every movement, Kodachi was almost panting 
with sheer excitement.  

	Akane shuddered and thought, (Oh no!)
 
---------------------

	Yonoko was sweating but she was nowhere near her limits.  No matter how 
much physical damage Saotome inflicted, she could easily maintain the 
regeneration spell on the tigers.  That spell was the only thing keeping them

intact and functioning in the face of his Neko-ken attacks.

	However, the ability to rip through most physical objects actually 
represented only a fraction of the Neko-ken's power.  And in this fight, that

minor ability would not be nearly enough.  Only the true power of the Neko-
ken would win this battle.  She and Ebon had made very sure of that.  If 
Saotome couldn't access and master the true powers of the Neko-ken, the two 
tigers would eventually kill him and everyone else at the Tendo home.  
	
	She shrugged.  In that case, Saotome's death would be small loss.  A 
powerful entity such as Ebon of the Shadows had no use for failures.

	However, if Saotome succeeded in using the greater Neko-ken, he would 
then become much more valuable.  And much more useful.

---------------------

	The deadlock in the fight suddenly broke.  The two tigers launched a 
concerted attack that finally allowed them to get a grip on their elusive 
opponent.  The yellow tiger hooked its claws into Ranma's left shoulder as 
the blue tiger sank its fangs deep into his right hip.  They started to yank 
in opposite directions.

	"NO!"  Akane took an involuntary step forward.  Shampoo let loose a 
stream of Chinese obscenities.

	Screaming in both rage and pain, Ranma managed to pull free.  However, 
his freedom had not come cheap.  He had badly aggravated his injuries as he 
tore himself away from his opponents.  Gasping for air, he managed to put 
some distance between himself and the tigers.  But they had no intention of 
giving him any time to recover.  Even as he licked at his wounds, they moved 
in for the kill.

	Ukyo couldn't take it anymore.  "That does it! I don't care HOW 
dangerous it is to butt in on this cat fight!"  

---------------------

	As the tigers drew blood, Yonoko stiffened in anticipation but nothing 
else happened.  She frowned, then snapped her fingers.  How careless of her.
 
She had forgotten one very important thing about Saotome.

	It was danger to OTHERS, not himself, which often brought out the very 
best in Ranma Saotome.

	(So let's give him four good reasons to push himself a little harder.)

---------------------

	The yellow tiger suddenly abandoned the battle with Ranma.  Instead, it 
headed for the women. 

	Ukyo swore bitterly.  "Shit!  I guess it's now our turn."

	Shampoo readied Nodoka's sword while Ukyo pulled out the last of her 
throwing spatulas.  Akane gave the door one last hopeless heave, then took up

a defensive stance in front of Nodoka.  The girls spread out on the porch, 
trying to give each other fighting room.  Shampoo had to shove a bemused 
Kodachi out of her way.

	As the tigers advanced, Akane shouted, "Ryoga, stop it!  RYOGA!"  
	
	Her earlier shouts during the fighting had been ignored, but this time, 
the yellow tiger responded.  It suddenly froze in mid-step.  The tiger's eyes

lost their greenish glow.  

	Ukyo took a startled breath.  She whispered, "Come on, Akane!  Keep 
talking!"

	Akane nodded.  "Ryoga.  Fight it!  I know you can!  You can beat it."
	
	The tiger stared at Akane, shifting its weight back and forth, as if 
struggling to decide whether to move forward or retreat.  It uttered a low, 
confused rumbling sound.

---------------------

	Yonoko frowned slightly but she seemed more wistful than displeased. 
	
	"That Tendo girl's very lucky to have not one, but TWO young men so 
deeply in love with her." 

	She sighed.  "But, unfortunately, true love does not always conquer all.  
Back to your task, Hibiki."

	With a look of fierce concentration on her face, Yonoko sketched a 
symbol in green fire in the air above one of the cat figurines.  The fiery 
symbol slowly descended, draping the figurine like a glowing cloak.

---------------------

	The yellow tiger that had been Ryoga Hibiki suddenly threw its head up 
and screamed.  When it lowered its head, the greenish glow in its eyes was as

bright as ever.

	Akane shouted, "Nooo!"  She had been so close to reaching Ryoga.

	Ranma's head jerked around at the barely controlled desperation and 
panic in Akane's voice.  The others were also shouting but Akane's voice was 
the only one that mattered.  He instantly lunged for the yellow tiger.  The 
blue tiger took ruthless advantage of Ranma's distraction.  It pounced, 
plunging its massive claws deep into his back.  Ranma's struggles soon forced

the blue tiger to bring all its weight to bear in an effort to subdue its 
thrashing victim.  Blood began to ooze from beneath Ranma's body as his 
furious efforts to escape only caused the tiger's claws to tear even deeper.
 

	"RANMA!!!" Akane and Nodoka both screamed.  
	
	Horrified as the women were to see Ranma mauled by the blue tiger, they 
had their own tiger problem barely two meters away from the porch.  The 
yellow tiger crouched slightly.

	Everyone jumped as Ranma abruptly let loose a shriek of indescribable 
fury.  Even the yellow tiger snapped its head around to look.  Nearby glass 
panes shattered.  The blue tiger was flung aside as a shimmering aura of 
violet-black energy suddenly coalesced around Ranma's body.   

---------------------

	Yonoko's eyes gleamed with triumph.  She exultantly whispered, "Oh yes!"

---------------------

-----------------------------------
Part 1d:  A Taste of Things to Come
-----------------------------------

	Akane and the others stared in shock as the dark battle aura stabilized 
into the semi-transparent form of a huge predatory cat.  Using the battle 
aura as an extension of his own body, Ranma casually swatted the charging 
blue tiger aside, sending it flying.  Tiger blood splattered the grass.  The 
blue beast slammed into a nearby tree with such force that the sturdy tree 
trunk snapped.  The leafy top of the tree slowly toppled to the ground and 
landed on top of the tiger's limp body with a lazy > WHOMP <.

---------------------

	As the blue tiger hit the tree, one of the cat figurines on the table 
exploded.  Broken shards went flying.  Yonoko gasped in pain as the spells 
binding Tatewaki Kuno suddenly snapped, but she refused to be distracted.

---------------------

	Ranma then pounced on the startled yellow tiger, digging the aura's 
front 'paws' into the creature's flanks.  The tiger desperately tried to 
shake Ranma off its back.  When that tactic failed, it twisted around and 
tried to sink its teeth and claws into the battle aura surrounding the young 
man.  

	Ranma responded by slashing at the yellow tiger's face with a front 
'paw' as he simultaneously raked the tiger's underbelly with his hind 'paws'.
 
Blood flew as Ranma's first blow peeled away nearly half the yellow tiger's 
face.  This time, there was no instant healing for the creature's injuries.  

	Blinded in one eye, the tiger screamed in agony as it wrenched itself 
free of Ranma's grasp.  It weakly staggered to its feet.  Dark red blood 
poured from the gaping wounds on its face and belly.  Paralyzed both by the 
sheer power of the battle aura and by Ranma's terrible ferocity, the women 
could only watch as he began to rip the tiger apart.  Slowly.  

---------------------

	Yonoko gritted her teeth.  "Unbelievable!"
 
	The actual physical damage Saotome inflicted was nothing compared to the 
non-physical damage he was doing.  Somehow, his attacks were disrupting the 
magical spells binding Hibiki as well as wreaking havoc on his opponent's 
lifeforce.  The regeneration spell had been the first to go.
	
	(So why am I even trying to keep Hibiki going?)  
	
	Saotome had manifested the greater powers of the Neko-ken.  That was all 
that was important.  But an irresistible curiosity made her continue the 
struggle.   Yonoko wanted to see how far she could go.

	Finally, Ranma's merciless onslaught forced Yonoko to give up.  Her body 
trembling with exhaustion, she made a tossing gesture as she let the spells 
on Hibiki go.  The remaining cat figurine slowly crumbled into dust.  

	No matter how tired she felt, Yonoko was very pleased.  She had 
accomplished what she had set out to do and Saotome had far exceeded her 
expectations.

	"Well, Ebon.  He's all yours."
 
---------------------

	Down in the Tendo compound, the yellow tiger suddenly uttered an 
agonized groan before collapsing into a bloody heap of fur.

	Ranma warily watched for a renewed attack from either opponent.  When it 
became clear that neither tiger was capable of even moving, the eerie violet-
black aura wavered and dissipated.  He snarled softly in triumph and moved to

finish off the yellow tiger. 

	Akane suddenly lunged forward but Ukyo grabbed her.  "Akane!  What are 
you doing?"
	
	"I've got to stop him!"
	
	Ukyo said accusingly, "Weren't you the one telling us that he's too 
dangerous to mess around with?  And now you turn around and...."  
	
	Akane was beyond tact at the moment.  All she cared about was stopping 
Ranma from doing something that he would consider unforgivable.  She wasn't 
interested in her own safety, nor in sparing Ukyo's feelings.

	She snapped irritably, "Hey, I don't care what you think, Ukyo!  All I 
know is that I've GOT to stop him!  Self-defense is one thing but killing 
Ryoga now would be cold-blooded murder!  And if you don't understand 
THAT...!"

	She twisted herself free of Ukyo's grasp, then quickly stepped across 
the scarred flagstones until she stood only a few feet away from him.  

	"R-r-ran...?"  Akane coughed, then tried again.  "Ranma?"

	Hovering over the yellow tiger, Ranma merely uttered a distracted growl 
but didn't bother to look at her.  
	
	"Ranma, please!"  
	
	He ignored her.

	Akane edged closer, then carefully put her hand on his back.  When he 
didn't object to the touch, she put her other hand on his unwounded shoulder.
 
She applied a gentle tug, trying to urge him away from Ryoga.  However, Akane

immediately realized that despite his injuries, Ranma was still very strong.
 
Actually, he was much stronger than normal.  There would be no budging him by

force. 

	(He's so focused on the kill....  How can I possibly reach him?)

	She saw him prepare to sink his teeth into the tiger's throat.  Before 
she could think about it, Akane shoved her hand in front of Ranma's face in 
an effort to protect the tiger's throat.  Ranma immediately froze in mid-bite

when he felt her fingers in his mouth.

	Shampoo hissed softly, "Stupid Akane!  What you do?"
	
	"P-p-putting my hand in the tiger's jaws...?"  Akane's voice wavered 
just a little bit.

	Ranma glanced sideways at her, without moving or lifting his head.  She 
felt him apply just a bit of pressure.  It could have been a warning -- or a 
test -- but it wasn't enough to break the skin.  Akane gasped but didn't 
remove her hand.  Knowing that words meant nothing to him, Akane did her best

to make her voice both firm and soothing.  

	"No, Ranma.  You don't want to do this.  Leave him alone.  Please."

	She leaned closer, trying to ignore the smell of fresh blood.  Akane 
murmured into his ear, "There's no need to hurt him any more.  You've won.  
Ranma.  Please stop it."  

	A long, still minute passed, then Ranma released her hand.  As he 
reluctantly backed away from Ryoga, he briefly brushed his cheek against her,

leaving a bloody smear on her legs.  However, instead of snuggling against 
her as he usually did in his cat-mode, Ranma chose to crouch at her feet, 
alert for new challengers or new dangers. 
	
	When the other fiancees and Nodoka saw Akane successfully make contact 
with Ranma, they took a few tentative steps forward.  Ranma did not 
appreciate the intrusion.  His eyes narrowed and he hissed a soft warning.

	Nodoka turned pale as her son gave her a cold, wary stare.  Whatever lay 
between her and Ranma -- love, fear, whatever -- she knew that she meant 
nothing to the creature now looking out of her son's eyes.  Ukyo also looked 
very upset by Ranma's hostile reaction.  In sharp contrast to Ukyo, Shampoo 
seemed more resigned than surprised by his behavior.  

	Akane awkwardly tried to ease the distress she saw in Nodoka's eyes.  
"Mrs. Saotome, he...."

	Nodoka made an abrupt gesture, cutting off Akane's explanation.  
Unwilling to face the pain and grief in Nodoka's eyes, Akane looked away.  
She muttered, "Could ... could you guys check on Ryoga and Kuno?  I'm sort of

occupied...."  

	She gazed down worriedly at Ranma.  The rage was pretty much gone but he 
wasn't calm.   With her hand on his shoulder, Akane could still feel the 
tension in his body.  

	(What's wrong?  He seems to be waiting for something....)
	
	After returning the Saotome sword to Nodoka, Shampoo carefully edged 
past Akane and Ranma to take a look at the yellow tiger.  She stiffened in 
surprise, then ripped open the tiger's fur with a sudden jerk, exposing a 
naked Ryoga.  Ryoga's injuries looked relatively mild when compared to the 
terrible wounds he had suffered in tiger form.  However, there was no doubt 
that he was severely injured.

	"He ... he still alive!  And not so badly hurt!"
	
	Ukyo blinked and muttered, "That means ... Kuno."  She nudged Kodachi 
hard.  When she failed to get any reaction, Ukyo hastily moved toward the 
fallen tree.  After a brief delay as she cleared tree branches, Ukyo yelled, 
"The same thing over here!  But we need an ambulance now!"

	Akane heaved a deep sigh of relief.  (I was afraid I was going to have 
to tell Ranma that he....  Kuno's can be such a pest but he doesn't deserve 
to die!  And thank goodness Ryoga's not TOO badly hurt.)  

	At that moment, Nabiki walked into the compound.

---------------------

Back to the present...

	As Nabiki frantically retreated from Ranma's charge, she heard a 
familiar male voice shout, "Ranma!  I won't let you touch Shampoo!" 

	An instant later, Mousse plowed into Nabiki from behind.

	Akane and the Amazon acted in unison.  Akane somehow managed to throw 
herself in front of Ranma, shouting, "NO!"  At the same time, Shampoo lunged 
toward Nabiki and Mousse.

	With inhuman speed, Ranma easily dodged around Akane.  However, her 
interference bought Shampoo just enough time.  Shoving Nabiki aside with one 
hand, the Amazon grabbed Mousse and heaved him into the street.  She then 
blocked the gateway with her own body, then braced herself for impact.  

	Fortunately for Shampoo, Ranma seemed disinclined to pursue Mousse off 
the Tendo property.  She cautiously looked down to see Ranma crouching a few 
feet away, growling softly.  Akane quickly knelt down beside him, holding him

and murmuring softly.  

	Akane desperately wanted to check on Nabiki, but she knew that keeping 
Ranma calm had to be her main concern.  Mrs. Saotome or one of the other 
girls could take care of her sister but nobody else was remotely capable of 
dealing with Ranma right now.  Thankfully, aside from the dazed look on her 
face, Nabiki looked all right.  Ranma, on the other hand,....

	Rolling to his feet, Mousse yelled in Chinese, <"Shampoo!  Why...!?">

	Shampoo turned around but continued to block the gateway.  She shouted, 
<"Mousse, stay back!  Ranma's too angry now to let another male into his 
territory!">

	Ukyo shouted, "Shampoo, what the hell's going on!?  What are you 
jabbering about?"

	Shampoo gave her a quick glance and said in her usual broken Japanese, 
"Shampoo tell Mousse that Ranma no want other males in territory."

	"'Territory'?  What do you mean, 'territory'!?"  Mousse and the others 
asked together.

	Shampoo sighed and said, "Ranma act like male cat.  Male cat no like 
other rival males on territory!"  She turned back to Mousse and putting as 
much female authority as she could in her voice, she sternly said, <"Mousse, 
go back to the restaurant!">

	<"Shampoo, I'm not going to leave you alone with that... that beast!">

	As if in response to Mousse's words, Ranma bared his teeth and hissed 
nastily.  Mousse couldn't keep himself from flinching at the blatant threat.

	<"Stupid Mousse!  If you challenge him now, YOU...WILL...DIE."> Shampoo 
said flatly.  In quieter tones, she said, <"Go back to the Neko-hanten and 
great grandmother.  I'll... be along later.">

	He hesitated.

	<"PLEASE.">
	
	Mousse looked extremely reluctant to go but something in Shampoo's 
manner finally persuaded him.  He gave Ranma one last wary look before 
leaving.

	As she watched Mousse depart, Ukyo asked, "What's all this garbage about 
rival males, huh?"  

	Shampoo shrugged and simply repeated what she had said before.  "Ranma-
cat no like male intruders on territory."

	"You're still not making any sense!"  The chef glared at the Amazon.

	Akane said, "And Ranma's never acted like this before!"

	Shampoo looked at Akane and said, "This different from other challenges, 
other fights.  Kuno and lost boy try to take EVERYTHING away from Ranma-cat.
 
Life, home,...."  She stopped abruptly and grimaced slightly.  Finally, she 
continued in the faintest of whispers.

	"... mate...."
	
	Akane's mouth dropped open in shock.  
	
	Ukyo shook her head violently and blurted out, "That's crazy!  Ran-chan 
doesn't think of Akane as his...his...."
	
	Shampoo said flatly, "Human Ranma maybe not know right now.  But cat-
side know for sure." 

	Ukyo slowly shook her head and said quietly, "No.  NO.  You're WRONG, 
Shampoo.  I don't know what's going on but that..."  Ukyo pointed at the 
young man crouching beside Akane.  

	"...that... creature... is NOT Ran-chan.  It may be his body but THAT is 
not him at all."

	Akane looked up sharply and said softly, "Ukyo, I can understand why 
you're so... upset but please believe me.  This IS Ranma.  The Ranma we know 
is in here,... somewhere."  She gently stroked Ranma's back as he started to 
clean his face and hands with precise licks of his tongue.  
	
	In a surprisingly harsh and bitter voice, Ukyo said, "Yes.  I'm sure 
you'd like to believe that."  She looked as if she might have said much more,

but chose to keep any additional thoughts to herself.  

	Turning away from Akane, she said coolly, "I think I'll keep an eye on 
Kuno until the ambulance arrives."  

---------------------

	Nabiki lay on her back, trying to recover from her collision with the 
walkway wall.  She was also thinking, hard.

	She had always considered Ranma's cat-side to be amusing or annoying.  
Sometimes it was both.  But now, Nabiki knew that she had been wrong.  Very, 
very wrong.  

	(It's not a joke.  Not anymore.)
	
	She had always thought of Ranma as a bit of a buffoon, someone strong 
but not too bright.  Someone easily manipulated.  It wasn't that she didn't 
like Ranma.  She DID like him.  However, she had never really... respected 
him.

	How stupid could she be?  

	(You respect a gun.  You respect a bomb.  Why didn't it ever occur to me 
that Ranma could be just as dangerous?)

	She answered her own question.  (Because I've been relying way too much 
on Ranma's good nature, that's why.  Because I expect him to hold back, no 
matter how badly I treat him.)

	After all, Ranma put up with Akane's constant physical and verbal abuse, 
her own schemes, and their fathers' persistent meddling.  He might have 
resented the way the Tendos and his own father treated him, but he didn't 
really DO anything about it.  Ranma almost never retaliated.  Instead, he 
simply endured.  Furthermore, any resentment he might have felt certainly 
didn't stop him from doing his utmost to protect everyone, even at the 
possible cost of his own life.

	However, the carnage Nabiki had just seen forcibly reminded her that 
Ranma was a very powerful, very highly skilled martial artist -- one who 
wouldn't have any problems taking out the entire Tendo household.  And if he 
really wanted to, he could probably level a good portion of Nerima.  

	Considering what Ranma had gone through in the last two years, it was a 
minor miracle that something like that hadn't already happened.  

	Nabiki felt more than a little guilty.  She may not have been directly 
responsible for a lot of Ranma's problems.  But she hadn't helped -- at 
least, not nearly as much as she could have.  Instead of making things easier

for him, she had often made things worse just to milk the maximum profit out 
of a situation.  Sometimes she aggravated things for the sheer amusement 
value.  Like the time she had sold the information about Akane's and Ranma's 
secret wedding to half the people in Nerima....

	Well, the games were over.

	(I don't what happened here but I have to find out.  If Ranma's out of 
control, if something's pushed him over the edge, we're all in serious 
trouble.  For our sake,... for Ranma's sake,... I've got do my best to sort 
this mess out.  Somehow.  I owe him that much.)

	She reluctantly added, (And if worst comes to worst, I need to be ready 
for that, too.)  
	
	Nabiki saw Shampoo standing over her.  The Amazon looked a bit worried.

	"So sorry Shampoo throw so hard.  Was emergency."

	"Ugghhhh..."

---------------------

	Finally emerging from her trance, Kodachi started to walk toward Akane 
and Ranma.  There was a strange smile on her face.  

	"Oh, Ranma darling!  You were... truly MAGNIFICENT.  Such power, such 
strength!"  Kodachi was almost purring herself.  

	"So...dominant."

	Akane felt Ranma go utterly still.  Seriously alarmed, she attempted to 
warn Kodachi off.  "Stay back!  You're upsetting him!"
	
	The younger Kuno sibling didn't bother to reply but moved even closer.  
Her eyes glittered with feverish excitement.
	
	Akane could sense the anger building in Ranma.  It was a cold anger, 
quite unlike his furious rage at Kuno and Ryoga -- and possibly even more 
dangerous.
		
	"Hey!  Stupid crazy girl!  What you think you do?" Shampoo shouted as 
she helped Nabiki to her feet.

	"Kodachi!  What's wrong with you?  You're only making him mad. Back 
off!"  Akane stepped between Ranma and Kodachi.

	The Black Rose did not appreciate the favor.  "How DARE you interfere!?  
Stand aside, you cretinous whore!"

	Akane flushed at the insult but tried her best to ignore it.  Sneaking a 
quick peek at Ranma, she could see his eyes narrowing.  His muscles tensed.  
Those were NOT good signs.

	"Kodachi, this isn't the time or the place for your crazy games.  You 
can get seriously hurt!"  

	"You should be worrying about yourself, you gutter tramp!  You will 
suffer long and hard for your presumption!"  Kodachi pulled out her ribbon 
and started to twirl it.

	At the sight of the ribbon, Ranma snarled ominously.  Akane clutched at 
his shoulders in an effort to keep him from lunging at Kodachi.

	"Keep you hands off of him, you slut!  He's MINE!"  Kodachi shrieked.  

	As she pulled the ribbon back to strike, Nodoka quickly stepped forward 
and grabbed Kodachi by the arm.  In very firm, authoritative tones, she said,

"DON'T."
	
	Kodachi glared at Nodoka who calmly returned her gaze.
	
	While Kodachi and Nodoka engaged in a private staring contest, Akane 
concentrated on dealing with Ranma.  Her control, if she even call it that, 
was very fragile.  If he really wanted to attack someone, nobody could stop 
him.

	(I've got snap Ranma out of this before anything else happens.  Who 
knows how he'll react to Father or Mr. Saotome?  Ranma has enough problems 
with his father when he's in the 'normal' Neko-ken but the way he is NOW....
 
And if Happosai shows up!?)  She didn't even want to think about what might 
happen.

	"Nabiki?"

	There was a faint groan.  "Yeah, Akane?"

	"Are you all right?"

	"Uh-huh.  I've felt better, though."  

	"Can you handle things here?  I've got do something about Ranma."

	Nabiki waved her sister off.  "Sure.  The last thing we need is for 
Ranma to go running amuck.  Again."

	Akane grabbed Ranma's braid and gently tugged him around the corner of 
the house.  Fortunately, he seemed content to follow her.  At the sight of 
the koi pond, Akane hesitated briefly.  

	(Should I knock him into the water and hope that changing into a girl 
snaps him back to normal?  No, better not.  If he's this bad, there's no 
guarantee that it'll work.  And the last thing I want to do is upset or 
startle him.  He came so close to killing Ryoga. If he runs off, there's no 
telling what he might do if provoked!  If Ranma seriously hurt or killed 
someone, he may never forgive himself.)  Visions of tanto blades and great 
puddles of blood came all too vividly to mind.

	Once inside the house, Ranma dashed down the hall and bounded up the 
stairs.  Akane ran after him.

	"Ranma, wait!"    
	
	As she passed the front door, she could hear a familiar voice outside 
the door saying, "Oh my!"  

	Akane grabbed the door handle and pulled.  It moved easily.  

	(No problem opening it NOW, of course!)

	Everyone outside jumped when Akane abruptly flung the front door open.  
In a rush, she said, "Kasumi, Nabiki, make sure everyone stays downstairs 
until I say it's okay, all right?"  With those words, she dashed up the 
stairs.  Akane followed the trail of bloody prints to her bedroom where Ranma

tensely prowled back and forth.  

	Akane closed her door, then after a brief hesitation, locked it.  She 
wearily sat on the floor and called to him softly.

	"Ranma?  Come here.  Come on.  No one wants to fight with you.  Here, 
Ranma."  She repeated her coaxing and cooing a few more times before he 
approached.  With a little gentle pressure, Akane finally managed to get 
Ranma to lie down beside her with his head in her lap.  When her hand brushed

against a blood-encrusted spot on his hip, she suddenly remembered that Ranma

had been badly injured in his fight with the tigers.  

	(I completely forgot!)  However, Akane's eyes widened in disbelief as 
she pulled his clothes aside to take a closer look at his injuries.
  
	(What!?  They're... they're almost gone!)  Indeed, the bone-deep gashes 
were now only faint reddish lines.  She struggled to stay calm but it wasn't 
easy.

	(I know Ranma's a fast healer but... but this is impossible!)  She 
hastily checked Ranma's other wounds and found the same thing.  Except for 
the rips in his clothes and the blood, there was almost no sign that he had 
been hurt.  

	As Akane sat on the floor of her room struggling to make sense of recent 
events, she continued to gently stroke Ranma's fine black hair.  She was 
greatly relieved when Ranma began to really relax.  She was even happier to 
hear him purring.  

	She whispered to herself, "Just this morning, I was hoping for something 
to change.  Well, they say you should be careful of what you wish for.  You 
just might get it."

	Oh yes, things had most definitely changed and NOT for the better.  The 
only good thing that happened was Shampoo's apparent change of heart.  But 
everything else....  Kuno and Ryoga were both injured.  How badly, she didn't

know.  Kodachi's obsession with Ranma had gotten worse and more twisted, if 
that was possible.  Ukyo seemed to be unable -- or unwilling -- to accept 
Ranma's cat-side and the Neko-ken.  Ranma's mother also appeared to have real

problems dealing with Ranma's present condition.  

	Looking down at him, she gazed into Ranma's drowsy, half-opened eyes.  
He looked back with a cat's calm, inscrutable gaze.  

	She whispered softly, "Oh, Ranma.  I know you're in there, somewhere.  
Come back.  Come back to me.  I need to know that you're okay.  You're really

worrying me, you idiot."  The last words came out more like a caress than an 
insult.  As if sensing her distress, Ranma uttered a soft, soothing croon.  
He rubbed his cheek against her leg.

	Akane patiently waited.  In the distance, she could hear the wail of 
ambulance sirens come, stop, and go.  A little while longer, she could 
another sort of wail.  It was the familiar cry of her father who was no doubt

bemoaning the damage to the house and grounds.

	The minutes slowly passed before Ranma finally stirred.  He murmured 
"Akane...," wrapped his arms around her waist, nuzzled his face against her 
stomach, and fell asleep.

	In the sanctuary of Akane's arms, Ranma enjoyed his last few moments of 
innocence and peace.

(To be continued in Part 2)

-----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------
Author's Notes:

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.; and
	THE HIGHROAD TRILOGY by Alis A. Rasmussen.
		
Additional fanfic mentions:  ^_^
	"Hearts of Ice" by Krista Perry and "Neko-phobia" by David Eddy for 
starting my obsessive interest in the neko-stuff.

------------------------------------------

madamhydra@aol.com       /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/:E