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Part 4f: CONSULTATIONS
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Out in the Tendos' yard, Ranma stood holding a cup of cold water.
Before he saw Dr. Tofu, he wanted to check out a few things. He took
a quick breath and emptied the cup over his head. Shaking the water
from her eyes, Ranma-chan first checked herself out.
(Damn it! I was hoping that the change in my girl-form was just a
temporary thing. I guess not.) She shrugged. (Well, time to see
what this body's got.)
Akane didn't have much of an appetite. Instead, she and Nabiki
sat in the living room and watched Ranma-chan run through a quick
series of warmups and kata.
"That's so bizarre...," Akane muttered.
Nabiki sipped her tea and said, "You mean that change in his
girl-form?"
"Yes. I mean, what could have possibly caused something like
that? Do you think the Neko-ken had something to do with it?"
Her sister shrugged, "Frankly, I don't see how the Cat-fist could
have possibly affected his Jusenkyo curse. In the past, they seemed
to be entirely independent of each other. But who knows? Maybe Dr.
Tofu has some ideas." She watched Ranma-chan strip off her shirt,
exposing the white tanktop underneath which clung beguilingly to her
more mature figure. Nabiki surveyed Ranma-chan's new form with a
critical and dispassionate eye.
"But I can say this much, Akane. If his girl-type stays this way,
the boys at school are going to go absolutely bonkers."
Akane gave her sister a startled look. "What do you mean?"
"Take a good look at her, Akane. Ranma-chan used to be very cute
and very pretty. Now I think she could give Ms. Hinako's grown-up
body a serious run for her money. I'm not talking just about the bust
size department, but with respect to overall appearance. Imagine how
she'd look if she let her hair down."
Akane buried her face in one hand and muttered, "Great, I used to
have a fiance who's cuter and bustier than I am. And now he's more
beautiful? Good grief!"
However, Nabiki had detected another change in Ranma-chan -- one
that had totally escaped Akane's attention. And knowing Doctor Tofu,
he probably wouldn't notice it either.
She couldn't really define it but there seemed to be an air of...
femininity... about Ranma's female form that hadn't been there before.
It was very different from the overblown, cutsy way he usually acted
when he was pretending to be a girl. Instead, whatever it was, it was
remarkably alluring because of its very subtlety and naturalness.
Ranma-chan was not a girl. She was a woman -- a young woman
perhaps, but most definitely a woman. And a sexy one, at that.
(Oh, yes. Ranma's new form is going to attract the guys'
attention, all right. Big time.)
Nabiki said nothing about this particular change to her sister.
All she said to Akane was, "Does his new looks bother you?"
The youngest Tendo daughter gazed thoughtfully at Ranma-chan as
the martial artist tested her balance on one of the big rocks edging
the koi pond. She was silent for a moment, then said quietly, "It's
weird. But... no, not really." She seemed to have forgotten her
sister's presence. "Ranma... is Ranma... is Ranma. It doesn't seem
to matter whether he's a guy, or acting like a cat, or has a female
body that could stop traffic. It's all still Ranma."
Akane scowled as she spoke, so it wasn't entirely clear whether
she meant her words as a compliment, a statement of fact, or a
complaint. Maybe it was a little of everything.
Nabiki drawled, "That's an interesting point of view."
"Hmmmmm...." Akane muttered distractedly, not really paying
attention to what her sister was saying. Nabiki couldn't blame her.
Even after living in the same house for nearly two years, she still
enjoyed watching Ranma work out. Of course, she was usually on the
prowl for interesting photo opportunities but that didn't distract her
from admiring a superb martial artist at work. Combine that with
Ranma-chan's new body and Nabiki's fingers itched for her camera.
Ranma-chan finished her exercises with a graceful backflip off the
rock. Carelessly slinging her discarded shirt over her shoulder, she
walked over to Nabiki and Akane.
"I'll be right back, after I take a quick shower."
Nabiki said, "Sure. There's no hurry."
-----------------------------
A few minutes later, Ranma reappeared in his male form. As they
briskly headed for the hospital, Akane said, "Nabiki, you said that
the fire was caused by... lightning?"
"That's what the preliminary investigation report said." Akane
didn't bother asking how Nabiki had managed to get access to that sort
of information. "It's a perfectly reasonably explanation. Mrs.
Saotome's house wasn't the only building to burn down last night.
There were at least four other fires."
Ranma had remained quiet up to that point but he glanced up and
said, "Except we weren't supposed to get any rain all week, much less
have a violent thunderstorm."
"Weather forecasts aren't perfect," Nabiki murmured.
"No, they're not." Both Nabiki and Ranma fell silent, each lost
in their own thoughts.
------------------------
The hospital receptionist had been expecting them. As soon as
they asked for Dr. Tofu, they were ushered into an empty examination
room and told to wait.
When the doctor walked in few minutes later, his grim and
exhausted appearance gave them a shock. He greeted them with a weary
smile.
Ranma spoke first. "Doc, how's Kuno and Ryoga doing?"
"Ryoga's doing all right. He's recovering steadily but he hasn't
regained consciousness yet. Kuno...." Dr. Tofu fell silent and
rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"What's a matter with Kuno?"
The doctor sighed tiredly. "Physically, Kuno's doing quite well.
In fact, he's healing much faster than Ryoga." He paused a moment.
(And I can't explain that at all. Kuno should have been partially
paralyzed, at least temporarily. When he came in yesterday, his
X-rays indicated that he had several cracked vertebra. But this
morning, the new X-rays showed no traces of any spinal injuries. And
considering the way he's been able to thrash around....)
"Mentally, I'm afraid that's an entirely different story. I'm not
sure of the cause but he's become alarmingly fixated on you, Ranma."
Nabiki murmured, "Kuno's always been obsessed about him, Doctor."
"I know, but this is a very different sort of fixation. From his
ramblings, it appears that Kuno's now hearing voices telling him about
a sacred duty to destroy some dark and terrible evil. Namely, you,
Ranma. We've had to put him under restraints to stop him from hurting
himself and the hospital staff."
Ranma turned pale. "Oh man.... He was pretty wigged out when he
showed up at the dojo yesterday. He was waving around a real katana,
not one of those wooden bokken he usually carts around."
Dr. Tofu frowned, "Now that's not good news."
Ranma paused, then softly said, "Doc, Kasumi said that there was
something wrong about those guys' chi...."
Dr. Tofu hesitated a bit before answering. "Well, she was right.
The physical injuries weren't the critical problem. Something had
severely disrupted the flow of chi in their bodies."
"Disrupted? You mean like the stuff that Ms. Hinako keeps pulling
with that damn coin of hers?"
"No, that's completely different. Ms. Hinako only drains chi and
battle auras. Her type of attack doesn't affect the pattern of chi
flow itself. It only reduces the amount of chi a person has. You
guys usually manage to recover fairly quickly and it's not
life-threatening. However, in Ryoga and Kuno's case, the actual
patterns themselves were disrupted. That's why it was so hard to
stabilize their condition. The disruptions manifested themselves in
physical symptoms such as heart or respiratory failure. The treatment
is fairly straightforward -- reestablish the correct patterns -- but
it's rather difficult to accomplish in practice. It requires
meticulous care and a good deal of concentration to reconstruct the
patterns properly." Tofu ran his hand wearily through his rumpled
hair. "Having to work on two people simultaneously only made things
worse."
"But you managed to fix them, right?"
"Yes, eventually." The doctor smiled reassuringly.
"Do you know what... what caused all this?"
"No, I don't." He saw the distress in Ranma's face. "Don't jump
to conclusions. We know that the Neko-ken was responsible for the
physical injuries but it may not have been responsible for the effect
on their chi. From what Nabiki said, they were probably under the
influence of a whole slew of magic spells. I'm no expert in that area
but I've heard that black magic can have a very nasty effect on a
person's chi."
Ranma didn't look too convinced by Dr. Tofu's words but didn't
press the issue.
The doctor stared thoughtfully at him for a moment, then said,
"Akane, Nabiki, if you'll excuse us for about 30 to 45 minutes? I
want to get going on Ranma's examination."
Nabiki said, "Sure thing. Ranma, we'll just ask the receptionist
about your parents. And maybe check on Ryoga." She gave Dr. Tofu an
inquiring look. Before the doctor could respond, Ranma said softly,
"Could you guys wait a bit? Then we can go see him together."
"Ranma, are you sure you want to do that?" Nabiki said, her eyes
narrowing slightly.
He ducked his head and muttered, "I'm worried about him too.
And.... It's just that... well, something's really driven Kuno
totally wacko. Ryoga may not be showing obvious signs but we can't be
sure that he hasn't been affected, too. I'd feel a lot better if I
was around... just in case."
Nabiki waited a heartbeat, noted Ranma's white-knuckled grip on
the examination table, then slowly nodded her head. Before Akane
could argue, Nabiki grabbed her sister and towed her out the door.
"Why not? We'll talk to the receptionist and wait for you just
outside, all right?"
"Thanks, Nabiki."
-----------------------------------
Once outside, Akane stared at her sister and snapped, "What was
that all about? Now we've got to sit around here and do nothing for
nearly an hour!"
"Take it easy, Akane. There's no harm in indulging Ranma a bit."
Nabiki dug through the stack of magazines until she came across
something worth reading.
Akane scowled at her sister. "There's something else going on
here, right?"
"Hmm?"
"Come on, Nabiki. 'Indulging Ranma', indeed! What are you up
to?"
"Akane, stop pacing and sit down."
Her younger sister threw herself into a chair and said, "All
right, Nabiki. Talk!"
She sighed and said, "Akane, you can be so dense at times.
Haven't you figured it out by now? He's just worried that something
might happen to you if you wander off by yourself."
"Oh great."
However, before Akane could start on her usual 'how dare he think
I can't take care of myself' tirade, Nabiki hastily added,
"Considering everything that's happened, I think Ranma's entitled to
feel a little bit paranoid. Or do you think that fire last night at
his parents' house was just a convenient 'accident'?"
"You don't think...!" Akane suddenly looked uneasy.
"I know that coincidence runs rampant here in Nerima, but this
time? Not bloody likely."
Akane frowned, then with a mixture of suspicion and confusion, she
said, "Nabiki, I've been meaning to ask you something. Why are you
suddenly being so... so helpful?"
Without looking up from her magazine, Nabiki calmly said, "You can
consider it a sort of payback."
"What do you mean by THAT?"
"Why don't you try to figure it out for yourself? Think of it as
practice." Nabiki closed the magazine and looked at her sister.
"Akane, you're not very good at understanding what motivates people.
The problem is that you're lazy. You always want things spelled out
for you in big letters. But that's not the way real life works. I'm
not going to be around forever to tell you what's going on or hold up
cue cards when you get into complicated situations."
(Akane, you were always the baby of our family. You never had to
do anything more than just be yourself. Well, those days are over.
Time to grow up, kiddo.)
Staring down on her hands, Akane muttered, "But... but I'm not any
good at this sort of thing...."
"Exactly my point. It's a lot like marital arts -- it takes
constant practice, you screw up a lot, and you get hurt. The big
question is whether you care about Ranma enough to even try." With
those words, Nabiki opened up her magazine again and began reading.
Akane stared to her sister for a moment. When it became clear
that Nabiki had nothing more to say, the youngest Tendo daughter
settled into her chair to do some hard thinking.
-----------------------------------
After the most thorough examination that he could manage, Dr.
Tofu's only conclusion was that Ranma was in his usual superb physical
condition. Taking into account the emotional stress that Ranma was
under, there was nothing abnormal about his aura or his chi, either.
Dr. Tofu found the very lack of symptoms puzzling and somewhat
worrisome. Something as traumatic as the fight yesterday should have
had SOME noticeable effects.
"Doc?"
"Hm?" Dr. Tofu stared at him thoughtfully.
"How about it?"
"Oh. Well, Ranma, based on my examination, I have to say that
you're in excellent shape. Frankly, I can't find anything wrong with
you. Your Jusenkyo curse is still there, of course."
"Uh, Doc, didn't Nabiki tell you anything about what happened
during dinner last night?"
"Well, she did mention something about the curse, but she said
that I'd simply have to see it for myself."
Ranma heaved a sigh. "Can I have some cold water?"
After Dr. Tofu wordlessly handed Ranma a cup, the young man slid
off the examining table and poured the water over his head.
For a brief instant, the doctor thought that Ranma's Jusenkyo
curse had been miraculously cured, but then he quickly realized that
while Ranma's height and hair color hadn't changed, he still turned
into a girl. No, that wasn't really accurate. Ranma-chan was now a
young woman -- and a stunningly beautiful one at that.
"How did THIS happen?"
Ranma-chan shrugged helplessly. "It just... did. Happosai was up
to his old tricks with the underwear. He splashed me with some water
and...." She gestured to herself.
Dr. Tofu absently noted that even Ranma-chan's voice had changed.
While still unmistakably female, it was no longer quite as
high-pitched as before. And it sounded... well, he couldn't find any
other way to describe it except as 'richer'. A less dispassionate
observer might have called it almost... sultry.
The doctor sat down on a stool and murmured, "Well, this IS an
interesting development." He gave Ranma-chan a thorough visual
examination. "Now your female form's much more similar to your normal
male form, both in height and in age. How's the change in body size
affected your speed and strength?"
"The change... hasn't reduced my girl-form's speed. At all."
Ranma-chan bit her lip anxiously, then whispered, "In fact, I think
I'm even a bit faster now...."
Dr. Tofu raised a startled eyebrow. If that was true -- and he
saw no reason to doubt Ranma-chan's assessment of her own abilities --
her speed would now be truly phenomenal. "I see. And the strength?"
"I... don't know. I haven't noticed any real difference, but the
only way to test it out is to get into a serious sparring match or
fight."
"Hmmm...."
After a splash of hot water returned Ranma back to his male form,
he fidgeted uneasily. "Doc, it's not that I LIKED being a cutsie girl
but this is... really kinda scary. I mean, all the previous stuff
I've tried barely put a dent in my curse and now this, on top of
everything else that's happened to me...." His voice wavered
slightly.
Tofu gave Ranma a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "I know that
your cat phobia and the Neko-ken really bother you...."
"Bother me? Doc, you don't know the half of it." He fell silent
for a moment, then murmured, "I hate it. All my life, I've been
taught how important it is for a martial artist to have self-control.
In combat, if nothing else. But I've got absolutely no control over
my cat-side. It just does whatever it wants...."
"You do realize that your cat-side is only acting out your
innermost feelings."
Ranma hunched his shoulders as his face turned bright red. "Yeah.
The stuff with Akane... that's as embarrassing as hell but I could
deal with it. But that's not what scares me." In a whisper, he said,
"I'm afraid that if I'm really... angry at someone, my cat-side will
actually DO something about it. And now that I know what it's capable
of...."
"It's not your fault...."
"Doc, it IS my fault. It's my fault because I let this whole
stupid cat thing go on. I should have just told Pop to shove it and
done something about it long ago! But no, I kept making excuses!"
"Ranma...."
He stared at his hands -- even now, he occasionally imagined he
could still smell the blood. "Can you understand? I used to just
shrug it off and ignore it because nobody really got hurt. Akane says
that I like fighting. I guess I do. But I always had the choice of
stopping if and when I wanted to. This time, it was totally
different. This isn't a matter of just beating someone up or
defeating them. This is about murder. I came too damn close to
killing Ryoga and Kuno. And the worst thing of all is that I didn't
NEED to. If Akane hadn't stopped me...."
Dr. Tofu watched Ranma with sympathetic eyes. Nabiki had told him
all about how Akane literally putting her hand in Ranma's mouth in
order to prevent him from sinking his teeth into Ryoga's throat.
"Doc, I totally blanked out just after Kuno and Ryoga showed up.
The last thing I remember was those idiots charging into the compound
yelling something about a secret wedding between Akane and me. The
next thing I remember clearly is waking up in Akane's room. I was all
covered in... blood." His voice was quiet, empty of emotion.
Staring vacantly as his mind replayed the events of the last day,
he whispered, "It was everywhere. On Akane, on me... my hands, my
clothes,... I could even taste it...." Ranma closed his eyes.
The doctor give Ranma a badly worried look. Nabiki said that she
didn't think there was an immediate danger of Ranma killing himself --
emphasis on 'immediate' -- but she had been rather vague about her
reasons. Admittedly, Nabiki was very good at reading people, but she
was still young and hardly a certified psychologist. Then again,
neither was he....
Tofu decided to approach the issue indirectly. "Are you thinking
of... going away?"
Ranma instantly shook his head. "No, I can't. It's way too late
for that. Akane and her family's all tangled up in this mess and I
won't desert her." He suddenly looked up at Tofu. The doctor was
taken aback by the cold, fierce gleam of determination in those
blue-gray eyes. "Someone tried to hurt Akane. There's no damn way
I'm leaving her alone and unprotected."
Dr. Tofu sighed quietly. "I understand your position, Ranma. I
just wish I could gives you some reassurance. Unfortunately, there's
so little reliable information about the Neko-ken.... It's mostly
rumor and speculation. Have you talked to Cologne?"
"I tried. Shampoo said that the old ghoul's off on some personal
errand. There's no telling when she'll show up again."
"I see. Well, ever since I found out about your problems with
cats, I've been doing research and asking my associates about it. Sad
to say, but I haven't found too many answers. I'm sure you know that
there are quite a number of cat-based martial arts styles."
"Uh-uh. Tiger, leopard,.... I've used some of their moves."
"All right. Like many other animal fighting styles, they're based
on creatures in nature. The Neko-ken's quite a bit different. It is
a cat-based fighting style but one that utilizes chi to an extent that
most styles never dream of, simply because most martial artists can't
manipulate their chi to the necessary degree. For example, when you
use the Neko-ken to shred objects like wood, metal, or stone, you're
actually using extremely focused chi to do that. Your hand almost
never touches the object you're cutting. You're basically generating
a psychic 'claw'."
"Uh, Doc, how did you find out about all the stuff I do when I'm
using the Cat-fist?"
Dr. Tofu smiled faintly. "Akane told me. She asked me a lot of
hard questions about the Neko-ken right after that first incident at
Furinken High. She wanted to know what she could do to help you.
Ever since then, she's been keeping me up to date every time you've
used the Cat-fist." He cocked his head slightly. "I hope you're not
mad at her for consulting me behind your back. She's been quite
worried about you and you've been very reluctant to discuss the
matter."
"I... I didn't know that." (Good grief! She's been doing this
for nearly a year and a half? All this time, while I've been blowing
this stuff off, she and Dr. Tofu have been researching the Neko-ken?
Then again, the only times I ever discussed the Cat-fist with Dr. Tofu
at all was because SHE brought up the subject first.)
"Akane even gave me a videotape involving your battle with Cologne
and a giant shark. I think Nabiki got the video from one of the
bystanders on the beach."
Ranma dropped his face into his hands and groaned, "Oh great! If
Nabiki had her hands on it,.... Hell, I'm just surprised she hasn't
passed it around school. For a suitable rental fee, of course."
Dr. Tofu blinked. In a startled voice, he said, "You haven't seen
it yourself?"
Ranma silently shook his head.
"I thought...."
He said flatly, "Doc, I've never seen myself in the Neko-ken. Pop
did his very best to ignore it. Whenever I woke up after going 'cat',
he'd yell at me for being a weakling and drag me off for an extra
heavy-duty training session."
Although Dr. Tofu's mild expression didn't change, he was
entertaining some very uncharitable thoughts about the elder Saotome.
(That moron....) Aloud, he gently said, "Would you like to see it?"
"....Yeah. Maybe later?"
"Just give me a call and I'll show it to you. Hm. Before I go
any further about the Neko-ken, maybe we should ask Akane and Nabiki
to join us. Unless you mind?"
"I... I don't mind about Akane, but Nabiki...." His voice trailed
off as he instinctly balked at exposing what he considered a major
weakness to Nabiki's prying eyes. (But considering all the stuff that
happened yesterday....)
Ranma threw up his hands. "Aw, hell. Why not? They're both up
to their necks in this damn mess."
As he went to call the girls in, Dr. Tofu hesitated. "Ranma, I've
been meaning to ask you about Ukyo. I saw her a few days ago and she
seemed... well, rather unhappy. Did you....?"
Ranma looked away uneasily. "No. I haven't said anything about
that stupid love potion she used on me."
"Why not? What are you waiting for?"
"I... don't know. I guess it's because... I want her to tell me
on her own."
"I see."
"Am I expecting too much from her?"
"I don't know. Maybe you are."
Ranma's voice held equal parts of anger and pain. "Shampoo
admitted her part in that mess. Ukyo should have at least THAT much
honesty."
Dr. Tofu said, "Ukyo worries too much about your opinion of her.
That's probably why she's been afraid to say anything to you."
"Ukyo's smart, pretty, nice,... she's a good person. But she
should already know that for herself. She shouldn't need me to tell
her that!"
Dr. Tofu sighed. "Some people don't have enough confidence in
their self-worth so they rely on other people's opinions too much.
Besides, it's only natural for Ukyo to worry about the opinions of her
closest friend. She's just afraid that you'll hate her for what she
did."
"I don't hate her."
"But you're angry because you feel betrayed."
"....Yes." Ranma looked away. "I thought I could trust her
but...."
"You'll have to decide how to handle this. But it might be best
to just to get this all out into the open," Dr. Tofu said quietly.
"Yeah. I'll keep that in mind, Doc." Ranma gritted his teeth in
frustration. "I never asked to be the center of Ukyo's, Shampoo's, or
Kodachi's life."
"But you seemed to like it at first. And I seem to remember all
the things you did when you thought Shampoo wasn't interested in you
anymore. You know, that 'contrary' jewel incident?"
Ranma flushed and muttered, "Yeah, now that I think about it, it
was a pretty stupid and mean thing to do. But it was kinda cool at
first, you know, having them hang around. With all the traveling Pop
and I did, I never really got to know any girls who were interested in
me. But things just started to get crazier and crazier. And now that
I want to get out of this mess, I can't."
"So you've finally come to a decision."
Ranma whispered, "Doc, I don't think there was ever any real
decision to make." (I think I fell in love those first couple of
weeks. I was just too stubborn to admit it to anyone -- even myself.)
"But in a way, that only makes things worse. I've let this situation
go on and on for way too long. How am I supposed to tell the other
girls about all this? I can't just go up to them and say 'Gee, too
bad, but you never even had a chance.' That'll make them really
happy."
Dr. Tofu sighed quietly.
"The only good thing that's come from that fight yesterday is that
Shampoo doesn't seem to be interested in marrying me anymore."
"Well, that's one third of your problem gone."
"Yeah, but that leaves Ukyo and Kodachi...."
"Hm. I can imagine how difficult it will be trying to deal with
those two girls. I get the impression that they're both extremely
stubborn. It's going to be very hard to convince them that you've
chosen Akane of your own free will...."
"Try 'impossible', doc."
"And they might take their pain and anger out on her."
With his back turned, Dr. Tofu couldn't see the odd, half smile
that flitted across Ranma's face.
"You're right, Doc. I need to make it perfectly clear to them.
They're just gonna have to learn that I'm absolutely serious about
Akane,...."
In a distant corner of Ranma's mind, something cheerfully
whispered, /....even if it kills them. /
-----------------------------------
When Dr. Tofu peered out into the reception area, he saw Nabiki
quietly engrossed in the business section of the newspaper while her
sister slowly paced back and forth.
"Akane? Nabiki? Would you mind joining us in here?"
As soon as she entered the examination room, Akane glanced quickly
at Ranma. He turned his head and gave her a slightly bemused look as
she demanded, "Well, how is he?"
"He seems to be fully recovered from the fight yesterday. As for
the rest.... I was just telling Ranma what I've discovered about the
Neko-ken."
Nabiki saw her sister's cheeks turn slightly red. (Ah!
Interesting reaction there....)
Ranma said quietly, "Dr. Tofu said that you've been telling him
all about... what I do when I go 'cat'."
The younger Tendo daughter blushed even more. She huffed and
snapped defensively, "Well, it wasn't as if you were doing anything
about it yourself and...."
Ranma cut her off with a soft, "Thanks."
Akane blinked, shuffled her feet, and mumbled an awkward, "Um...."
He continued to give her that slightly bemused look, but inside,
Ranma felt a sudden, crazy impulse to touch Akane. From that very
morning, he could still remember the feel of her skin under his
fingers,... the scent of her hair.... If it hadn't been for Dr.
Tofu's and Nabiki's presence, he might have given in to that impulse
and to hell with the consequences.
The doctor broke the mood by cheerfully saying, "Well, I was just
explaining how the Neko-ken differs from other cat-based martial
arts."
Nabiki said, "You mean in its intensive use of chi."
Everyone's eyebrows shot up in astonishment.
Akane said, "Nabiki, how did you...?"
The middle Tendo daughter shrugged nonchalantly. "Information on
the Neko-ken isn't THAT hard to find. The real trick is sorting out
the few credible tidbits from all the overblown legends and myths."
"Gee, does everyone know more about the Neko-ken than me?" Ranma
muttered plaintively.
Akane glared at her fiance. "That's not hard, considering how
much energy you spend trying to ignore it!"
Ranma glared back at her. "You're damned right!"
"Whoa, whoa! Time out, guys. I think Dr. Tofu has a bit more to
tell us."
"Thank you, Nabiki. Most martial arts can be practiced and used
in combat without using focused chi. Naturally, if you can manipulate
your chi, that enhances the effectiveness of any martial art form.
However, according to my friend Dr. Kayuga, the Neko-ken is extremely
unusual because it requires not just the ability to focus one's chi
but it requires a mastery of chi manipulation before a practitioner
can even begin to utilize a single move."
Dr. Tofu give Ranma a quizzical look. "It's astounding that you
had that necessary ability when you were only six years old. No
wonder you picked up all those other chi techniques so easily."
Ranma smiled sourly. "Thanks for the compliment, Doc, but I would
have preferred to avoid the whole cat thing all together."
Akane frowned, "Just how many martial artists ever learned the
Neko-ken?"
"No one knows with any certainty. By rumor, a bare handful of
martial arts masters. And certainly no one within the last 200 years
or so."
Nabiki reached into her shoulder bag and pulled out a battered
green booklet. Ranma said, "Hey, isn't that...?"
"Uh huh."
Akane blurted, "Nabiki! How did you manage to get your hands on
it?"
"I took the liberty of looking through Mr. Saotome's things."
Noting Ranma's scowl, she murmured, "You have a problem with that?"
"No. I just wish I'd thought of it first," he grumbled.
"This is the manual that Ranma's father used to 'train' him in the
Neko-ken. I didn't find it too informative but maybe you can get more
out of it, Doctor."
"Thanks, Nabiki." Dr. Tofu took the book and read the title
aloud, "'The Anything Goes Martial Arts Final Attack Cat Fist'.
Interesting." But as he quickly flicked through the tattered volume,
a frown appeared on his face.
"What's wrong, doc?"
"Now this IS strange."
"What!?"
"This book contains pages and pages extolling the virtues of the
Cat-fist. Plenty of discussion about its power, what it can do, how
it's unbeatable, etc. But except for that single mention of the 'pit
of starving cats' technique...." Ranma shuddered visibly. "....It
doesn't disclose a single thing about HOW to learn the Neko-ken.
There are no guidance, no beginner's moves,.... nothing."
Nabiki chuckled. "Sounds like an advertising brochure. All
flash, no substance."
"Then how on earth did anyone ever learn the stupid thing without
the you-know-what method?" Akane muttered crossly.
"I don't know." Dr. Tofu continued to skim the booklet, looking
for any clues.
In a more serious voice, Nabiki said, "I noticed that it describes
the ability to slice through almost anything, but it doesn't say
anything about generating battle auras or stuff like that."
Akane frowned. "But are we sure that cat-shaped battle aura we
saw yesterday really is a part of the Neko-ken? There was so much
weird magic floating around during that fight.... Couldn't that aura
be caused by some sort of magic spell?"
Ranma sputtered, "Spell? What magic spell?"
Akane touched his arm and said, "I can't be sure, Ranma, but your
cat-phobia kicked in way BEFORE Kuno and Ryoga changed into those
tiger monsters. And...and there were other things wrong." She winced
as she remembered Ranma's soft cries of pain and how he had begged for
the torment to stop....
"You think someone slapped me with a magic spell to set off my
fear of cats? But why? This guy had to know that I was sure to freak
out anyway once Kuno and Ryoga... changed."
Akane could only shrug helplessly.
Dr. Tofu said, "Hmmm, battle auras. You're right, Nabiki.
There's no mention of anything like that in this manual and nothing in
my research ever remotely suggested the possibility of such a thing.
But it certainly sounds like something that would fit right in with
what we know of the Neko-ken. Think about it. What is a battle aura
except a powerful outward manifestation of one's chi? And chi
manipulation appears to be a hallmark of the true Neko-ken."
Nabiki murmured, "Now that's an interesting omission. Don't they
say that the things left unsaid are just as important as the things
said, hmmm?"
Ranma pounded his fist on the examination table. "Damn it!
Where's Cologne!? She's the only one who really knows anything about
the Neko-ken!"
Dr. Tofu frowned thoughtfully. "Considering her age, it's just
possible that she might have actually fought a Cat-fist adept many,
many years ago. And survived, which would say a lot for her skill."
Nabiki said, "I'm pretty sure that's the case."
The doctor blinked in surprise. "Really?"
"Yes, during that fight on the beach. With the shark. I believe
she said something about running into the Cat-fist before."
"Hmmmm. That makes it even more important that we talk to her."
Ranma sighed and said, "You got anything else to tell us, doc?"
"Not at the moment."
"Then... can we see Ryoga?"
"Yes, I'll tell the nurse to let you make a quick visit. I'm
sorry, but you won't be able to see Kuno."
"I... I understand. If you find out anything...."
"I'll let you know."
-----------------------------------
While Nabiki stood outside chatting with one of the nurses, Ranma
and Akane walked into the ward where Ryoga was resting. He took a
sharp breath as he stared at Ryoga, whose body and face was almost
completely wrapped in bandages. The few parts of his body that
weren't covered showed heavy bruising and vicious-looking scratch
marks.
"Aw, man...." Ranma shuddered.
A passing nurse whispered encouragingly, "It's not nearly as bad
as it looks. The doctors are almost positive that he won't lose that
eye. And the scarring should be minimal."
Ranma stared at Ryoga. Unconsciously, he reached for Akane's hand
and held it.
(Why did you do it, Ryoga? From the way you were acting, you HAD
to have some idea of what was going to happen.)
/ She's MINE. /
(You knew and you did it anyway. Was beating me THAT important to
you?)
/ Try something like that again.... /
(Why won't you just give up, you idiot?)
/ ....and I'll kill you.... /
(Can't we just be friends?)
/ ....slowly.... /
Akane whispered, "Uh, Ranma?"
"Hm?"
"My hand's going numb...."
He glanced down to see Akane's fingers turning white from his
tight grip. He quickly loosened his hold and would have released her
hand completely but Akane clung to his fingers.
She muttered, "Just... not so tight, okay?"
Even in the dim light of the hospital ward, Ranma could see Akane
blushing furiously. He felt a similar warmth flooding his face, too.
"Um... sure thing."
He jumped as Ryoga suddenly uttered a soft moan. The injured
teenager stirred restlessly and mumbled piteously, "No... Akane....
I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have... couldn't stop... being... p...
p...."
(Oh, shit! The idiot's gonna blab all about being P-chan!) As
Ranma frantically tried to figure out a way to get Akane out of the
room, Nabiki stuck her head into the ward and whispered, "Your time's
up, guys. The nurse says that he really shouldn't be having any
visitors at all."
"You're perfectly right. Come on, Akane."
She looked a bit startled as he quickly dragged her away from
Ryoga's bed, but Akane managed to keep her mouth shut.
(Poor Ranma. This whole affair must be terribly difficult for
him. Guilt must be eating him alive. And it's really not his fault
at all.)
Out in the hallway, Ranma leaned his head against the wall,
overcome by a turbulent mixture of guilt and relief. He muttered, "He
looks like he'd been stuffed through a shredder. What did that nurse
say? '...won't lose that eye... scarring should be minimal'? And
Kuno's gone really nuts this time."
"Ranma...." Akane put her hand on his shoulder and he leaned
slightly into her comforting touch. She could find nothing else to
really say. Awkwardly, she murmured, "The receptionist said that your
father and mother are two floors down."
He reached up and touched her hand, then straightened. "Yeah,
let's finish this."
-----------------------------------
Akane's little gesture of support had not gone unnoticed. One of
her classmates saw Ranma and Akane standing in the hospital hallway.
She bumped into some friends shortly afterward and naturally told them
about the incident. Other people happened to overhear some, but not
all, of her story and their overactive imaginations easily filled in
the rest.
Within a few days' time, the Nerima gossip machine would turn a
moment of awkward sympathy into something considerably different.
**********************************************************************
Part 4g: PARENTAL UNITS
**********************************************************************
They made a quick stop to see Genma. Ranma's father was loudly
snoring in the hospital ward. Except for a few burns on his arms and
shoulders, he was basically unhurt. That wasn't entirely unexpected.
The elder Saotome had always had a superb instinct for
self-preservation.
-----------------------------------
Ranma gingerly approached his mother's bed, then flinched slightly
when he noticed what his mother was holding. When the nurse saw Ranma
staring at the sheathed katana tightly clutched in Nodoka's hands, she
shrugged helplessly and said, "We tried but we couldn't get her to let
go of it."
As he stared down at his dozing mother, he thought wearily, (Why
doesn't that surprise me at all?) He closed his eyes and struggled to
put together a calm facade. (This isn't the time to argue about it.)
Ranma edged closer to the bed, paused briefly to listen to her
harsh breathing, then softly whispered, "Mom...."
Nodoka's eyes flickered open, then widened in apprehension. That
apprehension vanished as soon as she realized that she still had her
sword. Only then did she notice her son standing by her bedside,
patiently watching her.
"Ranma...." Her voice gave way to harsh, racking coughs. Unable
to speak, she awkwardly clutched her son's arm with one hand. The
other hand kept its fierce grip on the katana. Even now, she was
unwilling to completely relinquish her hold on the family weapon.
He put his hand on her shoulder and said gently, "No, you just
rest. We'll have plenty of time to talk after you get better."
Nodoka smiled gratefully at her son, then closed her eyes and
relaxed, letting her hand slip from Ranma's arm.
Akane and Nabiki watched the brief conversation from the other
side of the room. Akane had a tense scowl on her face. She didn't
like to see anyone in pain, but she wasn't about to forgive Nodoka so
easily.
Ranma didn't say anything, even after they left his mother's room,
but he couldn't quite suppress a bitter smile.
Since he certainly seemed calm enough -- maybe a bit TOO calm --
and since Akane appeared to have taken her advice to heart, Nabiki
decided to leave the two to their own devices. She casually said,
"Well, I've got a few errands of my own to run. What about you guys?"
Ranma looked a bit startled. "Huh? Oh, I don't know. I thought
that we might drop by the Neko-hanten and see if Cologne's come back,
then grab something to eat."
"Fine. I'll tell Kasumi not to expect you for lunch. See you
later, then."
**********************************************************************
Part 4h: SPLISH SPLASH
**********************************************************************
Kasumi finished hanging up the last of the wash. The sight of
clean laundry drying in the spring breeze filled her with mild
satisfaction. As she turned to return to the house, she noticed a
small, fluffy black cat perched on one of the rocks bordering the koi
pond. It seemed fascinated by something in the water. Even as she
watched, the cat leaned over a bit too far and toppled into the pond
with a startled squall.
She dropped the laundry basket and rushed over. The cat was
paddling with great determination, but was too small to haul itself
out of the pond. The koi were none too happy about the feline
intruder. They swum around in angry circles, bumping and nipping at
the cat.
"Oh dear!" Kasumi leaned over and fished out the bedraggled
little feline. It didn't struggle but merely stared at her with its
big blue eyes and uttered a pathetic little mew. The sight was almost
indescribably cute.
"You poor thing."
The little feline shivered and sneezed twice.
"I suppose you were hungry. Don't you know that those koi are
much too big for you?" Kasumi gently rubbed its tummy and got a
surprisingly loud purr. "But I'm afraid that you can't stay here.
Poor Ranma, he'll have an absolute fit if he sees you. But you're
lucky. I think I'll have enough time to dry you off and give you
something to eat before he comes back."
With those words, Kasumi carefully carried the black cat into the
Tendo house.
--------------------------------------
(end of Part 4)
**********************************************************************
Author's Notes:
Tentatively scheduled for upcoming sections of Tiger Claw...
Part 5 -> Ranma and Akane visit Ukyo and meet Ukyo's rescuer.
Naturally,
wherever Ranma is, the Black Rose is never far behind. However,
things don't turn out quite the way Kodachi hopes. Shampoo drops by
and she's actually worried about Mousse. And Nabiki has an unpleasant
surprise as one of Ranma's worst rivals shows up in Nerima.
^_-
-----------------------------------------
CREDITS:
Additional inspiration from:
"The Whisper" by Queensryche
WEREWOLF: THE APOCALYPSE (and associated materials) by White Wolf
Publishing, Inc.;
TIGER CLAWS, copyrighted 1991 by Tiger Claws Production, Ltd.; and
THE HIGHROAD TRILOGY series by Alis A. Rasmussen;
USHIO & TORA, copyrighted 1992 & 1993 by Kazuhiro
Fujita/Shogakukan.
Additional fanfic mentions: ^_^
"Hearts of Ice" by Krista Perry and "Nekophobia" by David Eddy for
starting my obsessive interest in the neko-stuff.
--------------------------------------------
madamhydra@aol.com /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/:E
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