DISCLAIMER-Ranma & Co. don't belong to me, but to
Rumiko Takahashi.

Excerpt:-

A slim figure stood silhouetted with legs apart in the
doorway, something long strapped to his back, pointing
down the line of his arm at Genma.

�Betrayer!�

*******************************************************

The eastern province of Sidon was famous for its
sandstone, limestone and starstone. The region was
flanked by mountains to the north and hills to the
west. The Arman desert lay between the hills and the
cities of Jin, Jiya and their smaller neighbours.

And at the edge of the desert, the six tribes of Arun
had set up camp.

�They�ve kept us at the skirts of the desert for 16
years!� Tarou shouted at his father, stalking after
the diminutive leader of the Arun. The colorful
striped war-tents and the animal herds of the Arun
people surrounded them.

The encampments of the Arun had grown as the war
stretched into years. Thousands of horses were penned
beyond the tents. 

The Arun warriors themselves numbered in the tens of
thousands and they stood in pens practicing with their
weapons or currying their horses. Tarou thought it all
looked rather like a small city itself.

�We have captured Jiya�s western land, my son,�
Happosai said patiently. He adjusted the cotton
headdress he wore to protect his bald head from the
harsh sun. �We have five of Jin�s farming towns. We
have captured fifty herds of Jiya�s sheep. They are
running low on food. Their armies are losing ground
from having lost so many generals and princes. Soon,
Genma will be forced to confront us to him or risk us
crossing the desert to them. Which we shall certainly
do after we��

�That�s what you�ve said for the past year!� cried
Tarou in frustration. . �I don�t know what King Kunou
tells you but��

Happosai stopped. �Do you have a problem with how I
lead this war, my child?� he asked, smiling slightly.

Tarou paled and stumbled for a moment. �No! Khaitan
forbid that I doubt you! It�s only that�I grow
impatient. I came out here when I was five and was
learning to hold a sword and in those eleven years we
have taken only small steps to victory.�

Happosai grinned. �So you have faith in me, my son?�

�Of course, Father.�

*******************************************************

�I�ll see you in hell first, old man!�

Genma�s cold eyes grew slitted. His young wolf was
growing well, and tried to bite the hand that hit him
constantly, but Ranma was not yet quite strong enough.
�Don�t dare to disobey me, boy. There�s no reason to
tell your fianc�e anything about the curse! I won�t
give Soun a reason to break the engagement now.�

�That�s precisely what he should do,� Ranma countered.
�How will Princess Akane be happy knowing that she
will be married to a woman?�

Ranma was careful to always refer to Akane by her
honorific in front of Genma. He�d seen the way the old
man had stared at her at the Welcoming.

�You are not a woman!� Genma growled. And then he
growled unintelligibly, waving his paws, for Ranma had
splashed him with a handy bucket of water.

�Yes. And you�re not a panda,� the prince said, and
walked off.

A glass of water hit him on the back of the head and
shattered. Ranma spun around.

�Even if you had become the blue-skinned King of the
Djinn, it wouldn�t matter,� said Genma, in the act of
pouring hot water on himself. He seemed to completely
ignore it when Ranma turned into a girl. 

Women, in his opinion, were weak and good for one
thing, to bear sons. His son was not weak. �You WILL
marry Akane. If you were dead, I would prop your
carcass up with the end of my sword and say your vows
for you and even bed her myself if necessary!�

�She�s your daughter, you sick fuck!� Ranma yelled,
unable to believe what she was hearing. She swept her
foot towards Genma�s head, but he caught her ankle,
forcing her to spin and kick him in the face with her
other foot. Altogether more satisfying, Ranma thought.

She leapt back before Genma�s lightning punch could
catch her in the chest. She didn�t understand Genma�s
insistence on having the engagement as soon as
possible. The hall was already prepared and they were
readying Akane even now, though she had just arrived a
few hours ago.

�You are my only son, Ranma, whom I will make the
strongest,� Genma said, crouching. �There is nothing
and no one else.�

The fight began in earnest.

***************************************************

In the women�s apartments, Akane sat on a silk divan
and allowed Nodoka and her sisters to tend to her.
They had bathed her in scented water, washed her hair
in some sweet-smelling concoction, and then oiled her
body with crushed jasmine.

Readying a girl for her engagement was the sole duty
of the women in the family, but it made Akane feel
like a doll being dressed.

Now they smeared red saffron on the palms of her hands
and the soles of her feet and dressed her in robes of
rich linen that she had brought with her from Jin. The
saffron irritated Akane. She knew she�d be leaving
crimson smudges everywhere.

�So Ryouga is Soun�s successor, then?� Nabiki asked,
washing her hands in a silver basin. Of the three
women, Nabiki talked the most. She asked Akane about
life in Jin, and Akane�s own life seemed to interest
her immensely.

�Yes,� Akane said. �He�s very strong. We trained
together a lot.�

Nabiki�s hands stilled. �You�trained together?� Nodoka
and Kasumi looked up from where they were fastening
filigreed gold chains around Akane�s ankles.

�Yes, we studied kenpo together. We both wanted to
become strong, you see.� Akane couldn�t quite remember
why her determination had been so fierce. She only
knew it had to do with Ranma.

Now all three of them were staring openly.

�Women don�t train in martial arts!� Nabiki said, but
her tone was questioning.

�They certainly do!� Akane retorted. �Well, not as
many as men, it�s true, but it�s not strange to see a
woman who practices martial arts!�

�Are you sure you don�t mean�marital arts, my dear?�
Nodoka asked gently. Akane�s maid, Paro, who stood
apart watching them, gave a muffled snort of laughter.
Akane found herself smiling.

�No, my lady. I said kenpo. The same style that Ranma
and�the King use.�

�What an odd idea,� Kasumi mused with a puzzled smile.
�No woman in Jiya practices kenpo, Akane. The King
believes that women are too weak for such a thing.�

Nodoka smiled at Akane often, and sometimes cast her
longing glances, but Kasumi smiled constantly, and
often at Akane. She seemed genuinely happy to be
helping her, as far as Akane could tell. She liked
Kasumi already.

The doors opened and slaves came in carrying a silk
and wooden mat on which Akane would be transported to
the great Hall where the engagement ceremony would
take place. 

The princess didn�t see why she couldn�t walk when she
had two healthy legs, but she was tired from her
journey and nearly alone, with a new and unknown
family. She figured she wasn�t going to sweat the
small stuff right then.

Akane was lifted onto the mat and carried out into the
hall, the Queen and her sisters following behind. It
was almost like being in the palanquin, Akane decided,
trying to get used to the swaying motion.

�Wait!�

They were almost past the large pillars that decorated
the entry into the Great Hall. She could see the
preparations still going on. She looked around to see
Ranma jogging towards them. He was dressed in a long,
silk caftan that impeded his progress. Akane giggled
to see it. It took away something from his usual cold
and controlled self.

Ranma stopped at her side, looking up at her with
irritation.

�Akane, I must talk to you,� he said stiffly. �There
are things you don�t know...�

The large, carved, brass outer doors of the Great Hall
burst open with a blast of sound and fell clanging to
the polished, marble floor. The noise was deafening.
Everyone froze, and turned to stare at the enormous
gap now filled with waning sunlight.

A slim figure stood silhouetted with legs apart in the
doorway, something long strapped to his back, pointing
down the line of his arm at Genma.

�Betrayer!�

Still, no one moved. The figure stalked forward, still
pointing at Genma.

�Vile creature! Mangy dog! I am here to avenge my
family�s honor on you. Do you accept my challenge?�

Genma bared his teeth in a humorless smile.

�I have many enemies, but you look to be only a
stripling of a lad. Did I kill your father or plow
your mother?� He laughed. �It doesn�t matter. Ranma,
take care of him.�

Ranma stepped forward. He didn�t care to fight the
demon�s battles for him, but he was not in a good mood
and this looked like it would delay the engagement.

�I�m Ranma Saotome, and I shall be your opponent.�

The youth stepped forward, and now everyone could see
that he was handsome, dressed in dark clothes, his
hair clipped back in a long ponytail.

�The devil�s cub is equally acceptable. I am Ukyo
Kuonji. Prepare for death.� With those words, the
youth unslung a huge spatula from his back and charged
at Ranma, who moved to defend himself.

*******************************************************

Notes: Uhm, bet you think you know why Ukyo�s mad.The
next chapter deserves a �lime� warning, by the way.




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