Compass
Thom Keehn
zinyadel@hotmail.com


Exclusive rights to all Ranma1/2 characters and places belong to
Rumiko Takahashi and are used herein without permission.  This
material is not to be used for commercial gain or in any other way
that is profitable.

The bridge between the two series is finally here.  This story is
meant to occur sometime in the middle of the last school year of
Ranma and Akane.  This will undoubtedly leave things unfinished and
probably not reflect well upon Ryouga's character.  It isn't the
first time I allow a character to give in to his/her failings nor
will it be the last.

The stories of both the Cas series and Wedding Aftermaths are on my
homepage in formatted text files.

http://ravenhale.anifics.com/fiction.html

-----

"Delivery for a Gosunkugi Hikaru!"

Ears perking to the unusual call of his name, Hikaru stood up from
his chair with enough force to knock the seat over.  He shot out of
his room, bounding down the steps as fast as he feet would carry him.

Panting for breath in the foyer, he threw open the front door,
barely taking note of the nondescript deliveryman.

"Are you Gosunkugi Hikaru?"

"Yes, yes!" Hikaru panted, eyes fixing on the parcel wrapped in
brown paper with thick paper cords tied about it like a ribbon
wrapped about a present.

"Sign here," the man said, handing him a clipboard and pen.

Hikaru seized the items, his eyes never leaving the package in the
other man's arms.  He scrawled his name on the paper before handing
the clipboard back and thrusting an expectant hand towards his mail.

"Could you try signing in the appropriate place?"

Hikaru scowled, taking the clipboard back.  The man shrugged,
smiling pleasantly as Hikaru resigned his name, this time where an
'x' indicated the place for his signature.  Again, he handed the
papers over.  The deliveryman nodded with a satisfied grunt before
handing over the package.

"Thank you, sir."

Hikaru hardly paid the man any more attention, cradling the
book-sized parcel in his arms after he quickly shut the door to
shield him from the light of day.  Unable to restrain himself, he
sat down in the foyer and started tugging on the paper cord
bindings that held the box tightly.

"Finally I have the item that will bring justice to Saotome once
and for all!" he cackled.  He grunted, a vein pulsing on his
forehead as he strained against the bindings.  With a snap, it
broke, sending Hikaru's head back with a jerk that knocked against
the wall behind him.

"Owww..." he groaned, rubbing the back of his head with teeth
gritted.  It was only pain, a physical pain that he could easily
endure better than the humiliation he had been subjected to in the
past year.  They had all found out... everyone.  The pictures he
had taken of Shampoo had been linked back to him and now even
people who still didn�t notice him branded him a pervert.

It was all Ranma's fault.  If Ranma hadn't been stupid enough to
eat Kodachi's poisoned foods and put Ukyou in such a delirious
state of mind that when she accidentally discovered Mousse's stash
of photos purchased through Nabiki from him, Konatsu wouldn't have
spread the news about all the photo albums of naked girls he owned.

He ripped away the brown paper, revealing a simple white box
emblazoned with a red logo of the company he had purchased this
item from.  It had taken him months to afford this, having to put
in extra time to take thousands of indiscrete pictures and sell
them to the male student body.  All the toils of his labor had come
to this.

"The polarian star!" he said in awe, caressing the logo for a
moment.  Daintily he lifted the box, the upper portion separating
from the rest.  He set the top aside, peering inside.

"My boy?" sounded a voice from above him.  Gosunkugi crooked his
head up to see his mother blinking down at him curiously.

"It seems you bought another of that company's gadgets," said his
father.  Hikaru turned his head again to witness his father lifting
up the top half of the box to frown at it.  "You do remember the
last time you bought from this company.  That dumb warsuit nearly
got you killed."

"This is not going to be that kind of battle," he replied with a
smirk.  Returning to the box, Hikaru parted the tissue paper to
reveal a large book.  He seized it with both hands and grunted,
shaking the box to free it from its tight confines.

"Oh, it's just reading material," his mother said dismissively.

With a final shake, the book was liberated and the box fell away.
A metal clang sounded from between his knees.  "Nope," he said,
setting the thick, heavy book to the side.  "That's just the
instruction booklet."

The thud of the book against the floor was joined by two more.

His father recovered first, shaking the top of the box in Hikaru's
face.  "Then tell me what is the meaning of this!" his father
demanded.

Gosunkugi smirked, snatching at the item that had fell between his
knees earlier.  He held up the small band of gold before his father
and grinned.  "This!"

Gasping for air, Hikaru suddenly found himself embraced in a
crushing hug from his mother.  She wept tears into his shirt as she
squeezed tighter and tighter.

"My boy, my boy!" she cried.  "You've grown up so quickly!"

Hikaru wheezed, pressing a palm against his mother's head as he
tried to pry himself free.  "It's not what you think!" he shouted.

A heavy hand slapped him atop the shoulder, diverting his attention
upwards.  His father grinned broadly, crossing arms.  "That's my
son!" his father started.  "I knew you'd finally get over that
Tendou girl and find another love."

"No, no, you got it all wrong!" he gasped, his mother still not
relenting.  "This is the polarian star!  With this, I can't lose!"

"Of course not!" his father agreed with a nod.  "Why any young girl
would fall victim to such an aggressive show of your love!"

Hikaru frowned, clutching tightly to the ring as he finally gave in
to his mother's rough embrace.  "Why me?"

*****

Lying awake beneath warm covers of a comfortable bed, Ryouga stared
up at the white ceiling, watching the lines of light that stabbed
through the window blinds shorten with the passage of time.  Heat
pressed against his side and chest in the form of a girl, her arm
around his ribcage and a soft thigh, clothed in cotton, hooked over
his leg.  Her head was cradled in his shoulder, her breath tickling
across his skin as she breathed.

Carefully, he shifted her up so her head was on his chest instead.
She stirred slightly, her grip tightening about him.  Letting out a
long exhale, Ryouga moved his cramped arm, flexing his fingers to
get the blood back to them.  Lifting his other hand up, he pressed
his fingers softly against her cheek, brushing away raven locks of
hair from her eyes as he traced small circles about her ear.

He could feel her lips curl into a small frown.  "Morning?"

Satisfied that his other hand was not going to trouble him, he
brought it up slightly to rub at her back through the cotton shirt
she was wearing.  "Yea," he said softly, tilting his head down to
kiss at the top of her head.  Her hair was soft and smelled of
wildflowers.

Her lips pressed moistly upon his chest, causing his skin to
tingle.  Her body moved against his, her clothing rasping gently
upon his skin in a welcome manner, as she lifted her head up,
trailing small kisses up his chest to his neck.

Ryouga breathed steadily, having discovered it helped him cope with
the times she showed more affection than he was able to accept.
Breathing kept the blood flowing through him instead of gouting out
his nose and prevented the passing out that often followed.

Today was sixteen months and twenty-three days since he had
stumbled back into Akari's life.  Though the meeting had been
pleasant as all chance meetings with Akari were, his continued stay
had been a decision he still was uncertain if he should have made.
He had ran away from Akane, a coward's way of making the decision
to be with Akari.

A kiss on his cheek made him turn his head.  Her eyes were closed
as she kissed his lips softly.  Ryouga's heart pounded madly,
scattering his reminiscent thoughts to the far recesses of his mind
as he attempted to kiss back.  Though his kiss was far from what he
thought Akari deserved, it was better than anything he had managed
before.

Akari pulled her head away, smiling softly as she opened her eyes.
"Better," she commented in her sweet voice.

Frowning, Ryouga reached up to caress at her cheek with the back of
his fingers.  "I'm sorry," he muttered.  "I don't know what's wrong
with me."

"Don't be like that," Akari said softly, rubbing his side with the
arm draped over him.  "I'm not making you comfortable enough to do
this."

"There's only so much you can do," Ryouga replied, sighing.  "It
has to be me.  I think I need to finally put an end to a chapter of
my life if I'll ever be able to treat you the way I want to treat
you."

Akari lifted herself up on her elbow, raising both of her hands up
to capture his caressing hand.  Her eyes never leaving his, she
pulled his hand down, kissing the back of his hand softly.  "I will
wait for your return," she assured him.

He smiled his thanks, knowing she was not offering to go along
because she knew this concerned his former and unresolved love.  It
was the only secret he kept from her because he wanted to take care
of the matter first.

Risking unconsciousness, he leaned forward into her, kissing her
unsuspecting lips.  It was pleasant at first but when her arms
wrapped around him and she began pressing her soft body against
his, he started to panic.  He turned his head away, gasping as he
pushed against her shoulders.

Akari whimpered as she obediently distanced herself.  Ryouga hung
his head, unable to look her in the eyes.  "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," she said, bringing her fingertips to trace softly upon
his cheek.  "Thank you for the kiss."

Ryouga turned away, rolling to a seated position.  He rubbed his
face with both hands as his heart steadily slowed to a calm pace.
"You deserve more," he declared, standing up.  The chain that tied
his ankle to the bedpost grated against the floor as he moved
towards the dresser to retrieve his clothes.

Several things came to mind as to why she deserved more as he
rummaged through the top drawer for one of his many new shirts she
had bought for him during his stay.  She had clothed him, fed him,
gave him a place to live and kindly chained him to things when she
left him alone so he wouldn't wander about absently.  Of course he
could always break the chain if he wanted to, but he could no more
break that chain than he could her heart.

Despite his hatred for his cursed form, he had discovered at least
one good thing about it.  Akari could take him almost anywhere with
it.  Though it was strange to use the girl's bathroom, it saved him
the embarrassment of getting lost in the men's and possibly never
finding Akari again.

But the foremost thing that demanded him to give more of himself to
her was her love and her innocence.  She had given both freely to
him, doing things that would ruin her 'good girl' reputation if
anybody found out the lengths she had gone to in hopes to make him
more comfortable.  At least he could now survive a voyeuristic
night without passing out.

Warmth pressed against him from behind as arms found their way
about his waist and Akari rubbed her cheek against his shoulder
blades.  "Would you want me to pick out your clothes?" she asked
softly.

Shuddering, he moved his hands to her arms in a manner so he could
turn about and face her without harming her.  His eyes trailed down
from her face, taking the delicious curves of her body wrapped in
white cotton with patterns of little pink pigs with angel wings and
golden halos drifting about on silver lined clouds.

Akari stepped forward, moving her hand up to his cheek as she
lifted up on her toes to kiss his other cheek.  "I love you," she
whispered, the fingers of her other hand toying at the hem of his
boxers.

Ryouga gulped, realizing she was in one of those moods again.
"Please, Akari," he begged, his hands pressing against her waist.
"I'm not ready for this."

"I want you," she whispered, her breath tickling his ear.  "Please,
don't faint, don't faint, don't faint..."  Her words became a soft
litany as she slipped her fingers into his boxers.

His heart beating madly, Ryouga tried to think only on his
breathing.  Steadily.  In and out.  In and out.  But even the
thought of in and out became sexual, an act he knew would soon
follow as her warm fingers curled about him.

Darkness swept through him and he felt himself falling.  The last
thing he was aware of was her soft voice, tinged with
disappointment.  "Damn."

*****

"Damn!" Ranma cursed, holding a bucket in each hand.  "How was I
supposed to know he was calling my name?"

Ranma muttered a few more curses, several aimed at himself for
letting his thoughts wander over Akane and that damn locket she
kept using.  He loved the fact they were getting along better than
they ever had before but it was unsettling that she rarely took the
locket off.  It simply did not feel right, no matter how much Akane
claimed she wanted to do the things they were doing and the locket
only ensured her that she would.  Ranma would rather she be able to
without it.

Graduation would be coming around soon.  Akane was going off to
higher education, intent on becoming a teacher.  Ranma was not sure
if that was the best choice for her, considering how little
patience she showed towards him, but he had already been rewarded
with a stiff punch in the kidneys the first time he spoke on the
matter so there was no point in discussing it further.  It was her
dream, and he knew he should be supportive.

As for himself, Ranma was still undecided.  After three years of
school, two of which having been for the most part uneventful, he
was ready for a break.  At least he would not be alone in his
hiatus from education.  He understood Ukyou and the rest of the
crew from the Cat Cafe had no intentions of going on, Ukyou
claiming it was a financial decision.

Ukyou.  Even he was aware of the change in her and it was not just
her showing up to school in the pullover skirt customary of his
school.  Even if he had not noticed the change himself, Hiroshi and
Daisuke talked enough about when they did decide to eat with him
during lunch.  Ranma supposed Hiroshi had been at least honest when
his friend explained why they would chose to eat lunch with a girl
that likes to talk to them in comparison to a guy that still was
reticent about talking after two years of friendship.

"Prepare to be judged, worm!" cried a voice through his reverie.

Turning to regard the speaker, Ranma blinked.  His eyes passed over
his fellow student, hardly noting anything about the boy.
"Gosunkugi?"

"Your evil ways end today!" Gosunkugi shouted, leveling a fist
towards him.

Unsure if he should take this seriously or not, Ranma set down the
buckets and crossed his arms.  "If this is supposed to be funny,
I'm not seeing the punchline," he muttered.

"Don't dare mock me!" Gosunkugi cried.  He reached his other hand
up to clasp about the elbow of his extended arm.  His other hand
still a fist, the light through the windows glinted off a golden
band about Gos's ring finger, something he had not noted before.
"Divine Retribution!"

"Hey, what's the ring for?" Ranma asked, intrigued.  "Did you get
engaged?  Or has it become trendy for guys to wear rings."  He
frowned, pressing a finger to the middle of his chin.  "Strange, I
don't see any other guys wearing rings.  Is there a lucky girl that
comes with that ring?"

"Will you stop!" Gosunkugi snarled.  "Divine Retribution!"

"Divine retribution?" Ranma repeated, confused.  "Is that supposed
to do something?"

"It's not working!" his would-be rival cried in alarm.  "It can't
be possible that there is nothing you regret!"

"Huh?"

Reaching into the pocket of his pants, Gosunkugi pulled a huge
textbook out of his pocket with a grunt.  The boy dropped the book
to the tiled floor, the book reporting sharply against the surface.
Kneeling down in front of the book, Gosunkugi flipped through the
pages madly.

Stalking over to the boy, Ranma peered at the book.  "I know this
may sound stupid, but what exactly are you mad at me about?" Ranma
asked.  "It's been a long time since I can recall doing anything
with you, let alone to you."

"Silence, fiend!" Gosunkugi snapped.  He turned to a page of the
book, trailing his finger down lines of text.  His hand stopped and
his eyes widened even more than usual.  "No, it can't be!"

"What?"

"My family life, although a pain to me, is probably deemed as
wholesome by the Polarian Star," Gosunkugi said with a dejected
sigh.  "I can not harness the negative energy to empower the ring."

Ranma's eyebrow twitched in annoyance.  His reasonable question,
like so many times before, had been ignored and he would be
probably fighting for his life now if Gosunkugi had read the fine
print about this gadget he was wearing.  "Okay, you little squirt,"
Ranma said, grabbing Gosunkugi by the collar and lifting him up off
his feet.  "Hand over the ring."

Gosunkugi gulped, quickly yanking off the band and presenting it to
Ranma.  Ranma grabbed it with his other hand and tossed it out an
open window across the hall.

"I want you to just leave me alone," Ranma said calmly.  "I have
enough problems with Kodachi and Akane that I don't need people
like you trying to judge me for them."  He let the boy go to fall
in a graceless heap at his feet.  "Now go while I'm still in a good
mood."

It felt good to see Gosunkugi scurry off like that.

*****

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Ryouga leaned against the side of
the masonry building.  He had made it.  This was Furinkan High, the
place where Akane went to school.  All he had to do was find Ranma
to take him to the dojo and this would all be over.

He slid down the wall, his green, short-sleeved shirt protected by
his backpack that scraped down the surface.  Reaching back, he
fumbled with the ties that held his canteen to the pack before
bringing it up to his lips and carefully drank from it.  It ran
down his throat hot and stale, a sign he was in need for fresh
water.

Drawing his knees up, Ryouga rested his elbows against them and
hung his head, panting slowly.  The fading sunlight pierced through
the ebony darkness of his pants, heralding the end of the day.
Lifting his head up he frowned.

"I guess it will have to wait for tomorrow," he said with a sigh.
He realized there was no way Ranma would be at school at this time
of the day.  Sighing again, he moved his arms to his sides,
dropping his emptied canteen.

"Huh?"  He turned to his other hand that had felt something cold
and metallic.  To his surprise, he saw a small band of gold next to
his hand.  In awe, he lifted the ring up to his eyes.

"This has to be a sign that what I'm doing is right," he surmised.
"For Akari...  I swear to you that I will marry you the moment I
find you when this is all over."

With a soft smile, he slipped the ring on, imagining it was her
giving this to him and him giving her a diamond ring he vowed he
would afford.  But in an instant, the image was banished from his
mind.  Streets, places, names... thousands of places that he had
been too flickered through his mind and he distinctly felt he could
find any one of them from here.

Dazed he stood up, glancing about the horizon.  "The Tendou Dojo,"
he muttered thickly.  An image of the place was summoned to his
mind and he instantly knew how to get there from here.

"I'm not lost," he declared with a measure of surprise.  He quickly
thought of other places like the Cat Cafe, the Kunou mansion, his
home....  He knew exactly how to get to each of them from the
school.

"I'm not lost!"

Beside himself with joy, Ryouga started off in a sprint towards the
dojo.

*****

Swearing that he had to be lost, but knowing the map in his head
could be trusted, Ryouga slowed his pace a little.  He did not want
to arrive at the Tendou dojo unprepared.  He had to confront Akane
and tell her the truth about everything.  He still was not sure how
he was going to go about it.

Demonstrating his curse was the first option that came to mind.  He
suspected her reaction was going to be violent, but it did not
matter.  This was for Akari, and for her he would suffer any
punishment.  Even if it meant he would never be friends with Akane
again.

Ranma.  He needed Ranma's help for this.  Ranma was partly to blame
for this situation and would likely be in as much trouble with
Akane for this revelation.  It would only be fair to let Ranma know
about this and possibly help to avoid some of Akane's inevitable
yet righteous wrath.

"What a haul!  What a haul!" cheered a voice from above him.

A shudder of revulsion coursed down his spine in recognition.
Happousai, the evil lecher that stole innocent girls' panties.  He
had no doubt in his mind that the perverted master would have no
qualms in stealing Akari's panties.  He had to stop him.  Justice
demanded it.

Ryouga ran down the street, allowing himself the small detour as he
tried to get in front of the old master that was hopping along the
rooftops beside him.  He launched himself up, barely touching down
on the roof before he started sprinting in an intercepting course.
"Come back here, you old freak!" he shouted.  "I'm going to end
your lecherous ways for good!"

The old man cackled, coming to a halt to turn about and face him.
"Well if it isn't Ryouga," the old man said smugly.  "Haven't seen
you about in ages.  How's it been?"

"Not long enough to forgive you for what you did to Akane and
Ranma!" Ryouga growled.  "Ranma could have been a whole man for her
and you had to throw it all away!"

Happousai blinked.  "Since when did you approve of their
engagement?"

"Since I opened my eyes!" Ryouga snarled, thrusting his fist
forward and gripping his elbow with his other hand.  "Divine
Retribution!"

A surge of energy coursed from the depths of his heart, channeling
down his arm into his fist.  He barely understood what he was doing
when a wave of cold darkness shot forth from his fist towards the
evil master.

"Amateur," Happousai huffed, stepping aside.

Only the ball of darkness veered unerringly towards the old lecher.
It caught him, his eyes wide with surprise as it washed over him.

Ryouga cringed as a series of horrendous images flickered through
his mind, thousands of panties of just as many different kinds
while being worn by girls, their smooth legs and the desire to
caress them.  He felt sick to his stomach, realizing this must be
something Happousai had done or did on a regular basis.

Happousai fell to his knees, hands pressing down to the tiles as
the old man began to weep.  "All I wanted was for somebody to love
me," the old man cried.  "But who could ever love a man like me!"

Ryouga could only nod in agreement as the perverted images
continued wafted into his mind.  Uncertain of what was going on,
Ryouga decided it was time to get moving back to the dojo.  He
sprung off the roof and started back in the direction of the dojo.

Of one thing he was certain.  He did not want to be anywhere near
that freak.

*****

Setting down three cards, Ranma regarded his opponents carefully.
The odds were against him, four seasoned players with a lot more
money to burn.  If the night continued much longer, he would be
dipping into IOU territory just like old times.

To his right, Ukyou tossed down two cards, leaning away from him,
her elbow resting on her thigh with the hand cupping her cheek.
The thick, white sweater hung loosely from her arms, appearing warm
and smooth to the touch.  Her eyes reflected an immense boredom,
revealing nothing to him in what weapons remained in her hand.

To his left, Mousse surrendered a single card.  As a show of good
faith, Mousse had opted to show up to this little meeting in a
short-sleeved, midnight blue shirt with small, black buttons
running up from the bottom to a collarless top.  His eyes were
hidden behind thick glasses and the expression on his face revealed
only his determination to win.

On Mousse's other side, Kodachi cast in three cards, her eyes fixed
on him.  Unable to stand her gaze, Ranma glanced down her shoulder,
taking in the smoothness of her skin with stride.  His eyes trailed
downwards, swallowing the vision of Kodachi's tight fighting,
crimson bodice.  Shaking his head, he nervously regarded the king
and queen that frowned at him from his hands.

"Ranma-sama," Kodachi spoke, a tinge of concern in her voice.  "Are
you sure you can't find it in your heart to at least go on a date
with me once before the end of the school year?"

Refusing to look up from the cards, Ranma answered, "It wouldn't be
right and we both know it.  'Sides, Akane is my fianc�e and I can't
just abandon her like that."

Akane, the last player of this game, did a poor job in restraining
her amusement at that statement.  Putting down two cards of her
own, the dealer bedecked in a simple, yellow sundress drew two
cards from the deck and handed them to Ukyou.

"But Ranma-sama," Kodachi began softly.  "There's only two more
months before graduation.  I'm bound for a private school in Nagano
after that.  What if I never see you again?"

"I can only hope," Ranma muttered, taking the three cards offered
to him by Akane.  He sighed, disappointed at the queen of hearts
and the four and seven of diamonds joined his other cards.  'Oh
well.  A pair is better than nothing.'

"You're not getting any better at this, Ranma," Ukyou muttered,
rearranging the cards in her hand.  "You might as well fold before
committing to the second deal."

Ranma frowned, doubting his hand was that bad.  True, he could have
folded before asking for more cards, which would save him from
losing money or prevent him from making any promises to stay in the
game.  However his pride would not be sated by backing down in
defeat.  He would play with the cards he was dealt, no matter the
cost.  He swore he would win tonight, and he be damned if he did
not own up to it.

"Well, maybe if you win enough hands you can get Ranma to promise
you a date," Akane suggested, taking up two cards for herself.
"I'm sure Ranma will be down to promises soon."

"How could you even say something like that, Akane?" Ranma
demanded, appalled.  Akane stuck her tongue out at him, giving him
all the answer he needed.  She was using that damn locket again.
He would certainly give anything to win that from her tonight, even
if it meant sacrificing a little self-assuredness on Akane's part.

It was not like he was unable to take it from her if he truly
wanted to.  However, he knew she would be angry with him if he did
it in that manner.  The thought of having Ukyou or Shampoo take the
locket away had also crossed his mind, but he had felt asking them
to do more favors would simply be wrong.  This was his problem and
he had to deal with it personally.

"I have two pair," Ukyou announced, lying her cards down.  Ukyou
glanced over to Akane and shrugged.  "I guess if you don't mind
Ranma dating Kodachi, it would be okay.  Too bad you weren't this
sharing when I was still engaged to him.  I certainly wouldn't have
passed the chance up."

"Hey, I'm right here you know!" Ranma protested.

"And it's your turn to show your cards," Ukyou replied.  "Show us
what you got, Ranma."

"I have a pair," Ranma declared proudly, setting his cards down.

"Ladies again," Akane commented dryly.  "Aren't you the lucky man
tonight."

"Junk for me," Mousse said with a sigh, tossing his attempt at a
flush into the pile.  "I'm just not in the swing of things
tonight."

Ranma smirked happily.  Though he had yet to win a match tonight,
Mousse had lost the most hands.  In this game, the player with the
worst hand has their bid taken by the player with the best hand.

"Three deuces for me," Kodachi muttered, setting her cards down.

"And the winning streak continues," Akane said, setting down her
pair of aces, the rest of her hand junk.  Akane pressed a finger to
her chin.  "Though it seems more likely you'll win a date with
Mousse at this rate."

Mousse grimaced, sitting back from his prior leaning position.
"Maybe I should quit before I'm broke," the Amazon murmured.  "I'm
sure Shampoo still needs help in closing the cafe."

"Konatsu can handle it," Ukyou said, waving a hand at him
dismissively.  "If you want to, sit out a hand and watch TV or
something.  I'm sure none of us would mind."  The chef glanced over
to Ranma and favored the martial artist with a small smile.
"Except Ranma.  You're the only person keeping him from losing
every hand."

"I'm not doing that bad," Ranma replied with a frown.

Mousse nodded, getting up to his feet.  Ranma sighed as he watched
his only hope for staying alive in this game wander across the room
and sit down heavily before the TV.

Akane startled shuffling the cards as Kodachi scooted towards Ranma
to fill the gap made by Mousse's departure.  Swearing that Kodachi
had worn that outfit just to unnerve him, Ranma prayed to the
heavens that her breasts did not pop out of those confines.
Somehow he knew in his heart it would be his fault and a pounding
waited for him when it did happen.

Cards were tossed to each of them, one at a time.  Ranma licked his
lips, turning his attention away from Kodachi entirely, but finding
himself too upset at Akane's unfair use of the locket to gaze upon
her.  In the end, he settled for looking at the safely clad Ukyou.
After all, what could possibly be sexy about a girl wearing a
sweater?

"Sounds like there's someone at the door," Ukyou commented, tossing
a gaze down the hall.  She turned back, her eyes catching his.
"What?"

Shaking his head and blinking, Ranma turned his head towards the
hall as well.  "I can get it," he volunteered, leaving his cards
untouched as he got to his feet.

"You fiend!" cried a voice from the hall.

Ranma froze after his first step.  Everyone in the room turned to
gaze down the hall.

"Ryouga?"

Akane had said it, confirming his suspicions.  Ranma's heart nearly
skipped with relief.  He had begun to think his rival was dead in
the almost two years since last their paths had crossed.

"I can't even begin to list the evils you have committed upon your
own flesh and blood!" Ryouga shouted in righteous fury.  "Divine
Retribution!"

A chill swept down Ranma's spine.  Those had been the exact same
words Gosunkugi had spoken to him earlier today.  'What if he found
that ring?'

Without further thought, Ranma charged out of the room and down the
hallway.  He stopped in the foyer, his fists ready for a fight.  If
Ryouga had somehow got the ring, Ranma had no doubt in his mind
Ryouga would use it against him.

But to his surprise, the foyer held only the weeping form of his
father.  He frowned, hopping past his father as he peered into the
darkness of the night for any sign of his rival.  Finding none, he
turned upon his father and grabbed the elder man by the collar,
hoisting him up.

"Okay, fess up, old man!" Ranma growled.  "What did you do to
Ryouga this time?"

"I'm so sorry, Ranma," Genma cried, hanging limply in his grasp.
"I only wanted what I thought was best for you.  I know you could
have been anything like your mother wanted, anything at all.  But I
truly believed you would become the strongest martial artist this
world has ever seen.  Forgive me for denying you the chance to
chose to be something else."

"You're no help," Ranma said, rolling his eyes.  He tossed his
father aside, his assessment of the situation taking so little time
that the others were just now arriving.

Ukyou crossed her arms, regarding his father with mild interest.
"What's with him?" she asked.

Genma pounced back to life, gripping around Ukyou's knees in an
embrace that threatened to topple the girl.  "I'm so sorry, Ukyou,"
Genma bawled.  "I should never have agreed to your father's offer.
I was thinking with my stomach and not my head.  If I had, I would
have realized that cooking okonomiyaki is more difficult than it
looks."

Ukyou gnashed her teeth, a red aura flaring around her as she
reached behind her for the handle of her battle spatula.  "Is that
the only reason why you're sorry!" she snarled.

"The poor man has lost his mind," Kodachi declared, holding a hand
up to her mouth.  "Do you think he was attacked?"

"I think Ryouga did something to him," Ranma answered, shrugging.

"Why would Ryouga attack your father?" Akane asked, frowning.

"Very well then," Kodachi said, springing towards the door.  "Any
foe that thinks to harm the family of my love deserves my
punishment!"

Ranma shot out a hand to grab the girl, but she twisted away,
eluding his grasp.

"Fear not, my love!" Kodachi cackled as she shot through the open
door and hopped into the night.  "I shall bring the villain to
justice!"

A sharp clang drew Ranma's attention away from the dwindling spot
in the darkness that was Kodachi.  He glanced back inside, noting
Ukyou had spared them of any further gibberish from his father.

Mousse simply shrugged as his eyes came over to the Amazon.  "Don't
look at me," Mousse remarked.  "I don't know what's going on."

"You haven't answered my question, Ranma," Akane said with a
distinct calm.

Ranma nodded, trying to sort things out for himself.  He was fairly
certain Ryouga had got the ring and that his father's reaction was
some sort of side effect of the attack.  Remembering the stance
Gosunkugi had displayed, he wondered how the attack worked.
Gosunkugi had seemed fairly confident in the attack, though the boy
had been standing several paces away at the time.  If Ryouga could
attack from a distance, this would make things a bit difficult.

"Kodachi!" Ranma snapped, suddenly thinking about the girl.
"Mousse, I want you to come with me!  We have to stop her!"

"Huh?"

"There's no time to explain!" he shouted, rushing out into the
yard.  He heard the sound of pursuit, suggesting at least somebody
was coming with him.  He bounded over the wall in a single jump,
his name being shouted from the household from Akane's lips
resonating in the still of the night.

*****

Slamming a fist through the brick wall to his left, Ryouga screamed
his frustration.  "Damn it!  What the hell is wrong with me?!"

Memories of the images that had washed over him from the attack on
Genma made him cringe, clasping a hand over each ear and wincing.
A life filled with half-truths, greed and thoughtless acts that
harmed others all justified in the name of training.  The blackness
of that selfishness filled him with a queasy feeling, threatening
to spill the contents of his stomach at any moment.

Gritting his teeth, Ryouga shook his head and screamed again.  What
was happening to him?  Why was he seeing the evil in everyone he
encountered?  But no.  He had been angry with Genma before seeing
any of the evil acts that dwelled in the old man's heart.

"What can I do?" he groaned, crossing his arms tightly to his
chest.  "I know the old man deserved far worse than I gave him, but
I didn't come to deal out judgment.  I came to apologize to Akane."

He grimaced, thinking about Akane.  She was just as bad as the rest
of them, always seeing the worst in Ranma and never giving the man
a chance.  She would be judged along with the rest of them.

Gasping, Ryouga shook his head.  "How can I think such things?" he
asked, hugging himself tighter.  "I can't see her like this.  I
don't want to hurt Akane!"

"You should be more concerned with yourself, fiend!" a girl cried
from behind him.

Ryouga turned as she cackled with laughter.  Grimacing at the sight
of Kodachi in a crimson bodice with black leggings, Ryouga lowered
his arms and calmed his breathing.

"This is neither the time, nor the place, woman," Ryouga said
defiantly.  "I'm in no mood for this."

Kodachi slipped her hand back, bringing forth a purple ribbon.
Striking a graceful pose customary for her sport, Kodachi's eyes
narrowed.  "For what you did to Ranma's family, you should expect
nothing but swift justice," she declared.

"Justice?" Ryouga snorted.  He narrowed his eyes, a feeling of
anger rising from the pit of his stomach.  "Don't make me laugh.
Your idea of justice suits only yourself.  A true act of justice
shows no sides, even if it means condemning your beloved to death
for the sake of what is true."

"Don't you dare mock me!" Kodachi growled.  "I do this for my
love!"

"You do this for yourself," Ryouga shot back.  "Everything you do,
no matter how you justify it, is for your own selfish desire.  Have
you ever considered the possibility that he simply doesn't love
you?"

"Silence, knave!"  Kodachi charged towards him with a howl of rage.

Ryouga scowled, leveling his fist and clasping his other hand about
his elbow.

"Divine Retribution!"

*****

Slices of light stabbed into the thick, tan carpet through the
cracks of the blinds.  Her eyes lowered as she hung her head more,
her knees and the edge of the wooden stool she sat upon, lacquered
in a rich mahogany finish.  Her small hands rested at the hem of
her skirt as she felt a solitary tear track down her cheek.

"Do it!"

She cried out, bringing her hands up to her face as her tears fell
more freely.  "I can't!" she sobbed, shaking her head.  "I want to
be a good girl!"

"If you were a good girl, you would not have been brought to me,"
snickered the voice from the shadows of the room.  "If you were a
good girl, your mother would not have left you like she did.  Isn't
that what you believe?"

Nodding slowly, Kodachi sniffled as she lowered her hands back to
the hem of her black skirt.

"I have told you before that there is no rewards for being a good
girl," the man continued, his voice moving about the room as he
moved.  "Your mother left for another man.  The fault lies in her
making the choice between pleasure and pain."

Kodachi lifted her eyes up, pleading with her counselor with glassy
eyes.  "But it still hurts!" she protested.  "No matter what I do,
it still hurts!"

"Because you still chose to feel pain!" her spiky-haired counselor
snarled, grabbing the back of the sofa across from her so tightly
that his knuckles whitened.  "If you would allow yourself the
pleasure of self indulgence, you would not be living in pain!"

"But good girls don't..."

"Your sense of good is your doom!" her counselor shouted, grabbing
a nearby glass and throwing it near her to shatter at her feet.
"What good is there in being good if it denies you happiness?"

Kodachi bawled, hiding her face in her hands again.  "But it
doesn't make me happy," she sobbed softly.

"Do it!"

Her tears felt hot upon her cheeks as she lowered her hands back to
the hem of her skirt.  "Please, don't make me," she begged.

"Have I ever?"

Sobbing, she shook her head, acknowledging he spoke the truth.
Slowly she lifted up the hem of her skirt, spreading her thin legs
more as her hand crept up her inner thigh.

"Please."

"Allow yourself the pleasure, Kodachi," he said softly.  "Trust me.
If you embrace this, nothing will ever bring you sorrow."

She blinked, the last of her tears squeezing out her eyes as her
fingers pried their way into her panties.  At least he was right
about something.  It did feel good for a while.

*****

Ryouga fell to his hands and knees, coughing.  Bringing a hand up
to his chest, his body convulsed as more and more travesties
drifted into his consciousness.  In one agonizing cough, bright red
blood splattered the stones beneath him.

He gagged, bringing his sleeve up to wipe at the corners of his
mouth.  "How... dare you?" he gasped, suppressing the urge to retch
again.  "Sharing that with me."  He paused, breathing heavily as
his head buzzed.  "You were only nine."

There was no answer forthcoming.  He glanced up, his vision
wavering as he regarded the still form of the girl he had been
facing.  She was curled up in a ball, barely moving.  Only the bob
of her shoulders and the soft sob that occasionally slipped into
the night air suggested she was still alive.

Resting his head against the bloodstained stones, Ryouga closed his
eyes.  "Akari... give me strength."

*****

"Sounds like they came from over there," Ukyou declared, thrusting
her spatula in the direction they had heard Ryouga scream.

Ranma and Mousse bounded their way towards the scream, gracefully
launching from rooftop to rooftop while Ukyou remained in the
streets below.  Ranma launched to the next house, pausing when he
saw two prone forms below.

"I see them!" Mousse shouted, diving down to land in the alleyway
between the two forms.

Ranma hopped down to join him, his eyes quickly surveying the
scene.  "Seems we got here a bit late," he muttered, walking over
to Kodachi's side.  He knelt down beside the girl, reaching out to
shake her softly.  Oddly she cringed at his touch.

"Ranma, it looks like Ryouga is hurt bad," Mousse declared from
behind him.  "There's blood and he's unconscious."

Ranma waved a hand, dismissing the information for the time being.
He shook Kodachi again, wanting some answers.  "Kodachi, it's me,
Ranma," he said softly.  "Are you okay?"

Kodachi's head lifted up, her tear-stained eyes regarding him for a
moment before she turned away.  "I'm sorry, Ranma-sama," she
murmured.  "I'm not good enough for you... or anyone."

Grimacing, Ranma shook the girl harder.  "Snap out of it, Kodachi!"
he growled.  "Tell me what happened!  Did Ryouga hit you or
something?"

Kodachi shook her head, refusing to meet his gaze.  "They only
wanted to help me after momma left," she croaked, drawing away from
his touch.  "I only wanted to be a good girl so momma would stay."

Sighing, Ranma got to his feet.  "Mousse?" he called over his
shoulder.  "Is Ryouga hurt bad?"

"It... doesn't look like it," Mousse answered after a pause.

"Take him to the dojo," he ordered.  "I'll be taking Kodachi home
if she lets me."

Footsteps carried towards their location and a figure appeared at
the intersection to the street.  Holding a spatula over one
shoulder and the limp form of a boy in the other, Ukyou nodded at
the pair.

"You wouldn't believe who I found snooping about."

*****

After knocking on the door, Shan Pu stepped back and waited.  She
did not know what Ranma wanted from her today, but his voice had
sounded genuinely urgent in the matter.

The door was thrown open, revealing Ukyou and a relieved Ranma.

Ukyou glanced at her and queried, "Konatsu?"

Shaking her head, she stepped into the foyer, slipping out of her
shoes.  "I came as quickly as I could, but somebody had to finish
cleaning the restaurant," she explained.

Ukyou nodded.

"You look like hell, Shampoo," Ranma muttered, taking her by the
hand.  "Come on..."

"What do you expect, Ranma?" she asked, allowing herself to be lead
out of the foyer.  "You said to come right away.  I did not have
time to pretty myself for whatever crisis you are having now."

"It's not my crisis," Ranma said, pulling her into the main room.
He gestured to the boy lying unconscious in the middle of the room.
"I need you to help when he wakes up."

Shan Pu frowned at the fallen form of Ryouga.  She noted the
stained blood in his hair and the red flecks of spittle at the
corner of his mouth.  She glanced up at Ranma, feeling a small bit
of anger towards him.  "What did you do?" she demanded.

"I didn't do a thing!" Ranma protested.  Thrusting an accusatory
finger to a nondescript boy that was sitting beside Mu Si, Ranma
scowled.  "It's Gosunkugi's fault for buying the stupid ring Ryouga
found."

"Then take the ring off," Shan Pu suggested, her eyes fixed on the
nondescript boy.  "Only problem I see here is a boy that takes too
many pictures for his health."

Gosunkugi paled, shrinking away from her.  "B-b-b-but you can't
take the ring off," he stammered.  "It will only come off once he
has judged the person he put the ring on for."

Shan Pu crossed her arms, turning her eyes to Ranma.  "What is this
nonsense?" she demanded.

"He bought another contraption to defeat me," the martial artist
said.  "He tried using it on me earlier today but it didn't work.
I thought I had got rid of the thing, but...."

"So Ryouga has to find the person he first thought of to get that
thing off," Ukyou finished, leaning against the wall.  "Obviously
Genma and Kodachi weren't the intended targets for his wrath."

"Any ideas on who he was thinking of?" Shan Pu asked, arching an
eyebrow at Ranma.

"Since he was headed for the dojo, I'm sure it was either me or
Akane," he said grimly.

"Speaking of which, where did Akane steal off to?" Ukyou asked,
glancing about the room.

Mu Si shrugged.  "I thought she went with the two of you," the
bespeckled boy said.

"Regardless of that, I'm going to need all of you to hold him down
if I'm wrong," Ranma declared.  "I've never seen Ryouga beat by
anyone other than me, but I'm sure if you guys combined your
efforts he won't be that much trouble."

"So that's why you called Shan Pu?" Ukyou asked incredulous.  She
stepped towards Ranma, fists clenched.  "Why don't you just say you
have no faith in Mu Si and me?!"

Ranma grimaced but held his ground.  "Hey, this is serious,
Uuchan!" the martial artist declared, gesturing towards Ryouga.
"You haven't seen Ryouga the way I have.  If he had the guts to
strike Kodachi, I doubt he will hesitate in doing the same to you!"

In the silence that followed, Gosunkugi spoke up with a meek voice,
"This may not be the best approach.  If Ranma is wrong, Ryouga will
find himself in a room full of people to judge."

"In that case, we'll have to use Akane," Ranma admitted, staring
down at the floor.  "We can't let Ryouga wander about judging
people wherever he goes."

"I wouldn't worry long about that," Gosunkugi muttered.  "The
Polarian Star will take all of Ryouga's power in a few more uses."

"Huh?"

"The polarian star is not meant to be worn for prolonged periods of
time, nor is it meant to be used in a wild judgment spree," the
sallow faced boy continued.  "When Ryouga is unable to carry on,
the ring will come off."

"That's a relief," Mu Si noted, getting up and starting to pace.
"As much as I'd like to see Ranma gurgling apologies, I'd rather
avoid a fight."

"Gee thanks," Ranma muttered.

"But you said the ring would not come off," Shan Pu spoke up,
hunkering down on her haunches besides the fallen boy.   "How is he
carrying on if he is unconscious?"

"He's still breathing."

Two hands lifted Gosunkugi up by his collar, an angry martial
artist glaring at the boy.  "You mean to tell me that thing is
going to kill him!" Ranma shouted.

"That explains the blood..." Ukyou said softly, her voice trailing
off.

Scowling, Ranma tossed the boy aside and knelt down beside Shan Pu.
"As much as I hate to admit this, Akane is probably the first
person this moron thought of," Ranma said with a sigh.  He glanced
up.  "Ukyou, I want you to find her and bring her here.  Tell her
Ryouga's life is in danger if he doesn't get this ring off and that
if I'm wrong, she's probably the only person that can help him."

Ukyou frowned, narrowing her eyes at him.  "Why me?"

"Because you're the only person I can spare if he wakes up and I'm
wrong," Ranma explained.  "Mousse and Shampoo can hold him down
until you get back."

"Why don't you spare the runt?" Ukyou demanded, gesturing towards
the cowering Gosunkugi.  "He's not going to be any help holding
Ryouga."

"He can't even speak to Akane, let alone convince her of the
importance of this," Ranma countered.  "I need you, Uuchan.  We'll
take care of the rest."

Shan Pu watched as her friend huffed and stalked down the hall.
Angrily she punched Ranma's arm to show her displeasure.

"Ow!" Ranma snapped, wincing.  "What did you do that for?!"

"Should have sent Mu Si," she explained.  "You hurt her pride twice
tonight."

"Hey!  I only did what I thought was best," Ranma protested.  "If
either of you had a better idea, you should have said something."

Mu Si shrugged, stalking over to join them.  "You haven't given me
any reasons lately to help you," Mu Si remarked.  "I only agree
that Ryouga can't be allowed to continue like this."

Holding back her comment that Mu Si was only here because backing
out would reflect poorly upon him, Shan Pu flickered her eyes
towards the hallway.  Though Ukyou was out of sight, the chef was
far from out of mind.  To Shan Pu, her suggestion to take in Ukyou
had been the best decision she had made since yielding on Ranma.

Unable to deny that there were times she wanted her privacy back,
Shan Pu had to admit it was a small price to pay.  First, she had
got Konatsu back, whose strong silence and accepting understanding
had helped her through the first year.  But better yet, she had
gained a roommate and a friend.

For all that was good in Konatsu, he was still a guy whom she could
not share all her secrets with.  Ukyou, though maybe not the
typical woman, was still a woman, and a very stubborn and emotional
one at that.  Also, Ukyou was not opposed to sparring with her,
something Shan Pu had lacked since leaving China.  Though Ukyou's
skills at combat were not quite up to her level, Shan Pu felt
confident the chef could hold her ground against most of the
Amazons Shan Pu had grown up with.

"I think he's getting up," Ranma noted, shaking her on the
shoulder.

Frowning, Shan Pu let her thoughts of Ukyou disperse as she took in
the situation.  Ryouga was stirring, his fists clenching tighter as
he let out a heavy gasp.

Ranma knelt further down, turning the lost boy over.  Ranma glanced
up to her and shook his head to the side.  "I want you and Mousse
to stay out of sight for now," he ordered.  "I'm not taking any
chances that he might attack anyone other than me."

Nodding, Shan Pu got to her feet and backed away.  She watched as
Ranma slapped Ryouga's cheek several times in an attempt to get the
boy awake.  Nervously she glanced aside to Mu Si and the pervert
boy, noting similar looks of concern on their faces.

"Hey, Ryouga," Ranma said, continuing his less than gentle rousing
techniques.  "Wake up.  Akane wants to talk to you."

Though she grimaced at Ranma's antics, the reaction from Ryouga was
not the least bit expected.

"Why would I care, Ranma?" Ryouga growled, his eyes flying open.
His lips turned up into a sneer as he sat up, grabbing Ranma by his
shirt.  "I'm not falling for your games, Ranma.  She's always been
yours."

"I was only trying to help," the martial artist declared.  Ranma
pointed at the ring.  "When you put that thing on, who were you
thinking about?  Was it me or Akane?"

"Don't flatter yourself, Ranma," Ryouga snarled, shaking Ranma
roughly.  "What makes you think I'd ever put a ring on for your
sake.  You're nothing but a perverted deviant!"

"Oh yea?!" Ranma shouted, breaking loose of Ryouga's grip.  "I'm
not the one using my curse to sleep with girls, you pig!"

"That's it, Ranma!" Ryouga cried, hopping up to his feet and
leveling a fist at the martial artist.  "Divine Retribution!"

A well of crackling blackness writhed out from Ryouga's fist,
twisting sinuously towards its target.  Though Ranma instinctively
moved out of the dark sphere's path, it meandered towards the
martial artist, veering off its original course to follow its
victim.

"Take your punishment like a man, Ranma!" Mu Si growled, shoving
Ranma towards the ebony ball.

Shan Pu could swear that even without Mu Si's help, Ranma was going
to be struck by the sphere that seemed to have moved unerringly
towards the martial artist.  As one, both victim and aggressor fell
to their hands and knees, as if coordinating a weird dance.
However the reason why Ranma's shoulders bobbed were far different
from the racking coughs from Ryouga.

"He was wrong!"

Her eyes flew to Ryouga's hand at the sound of the peeping boy's
declaration, noting the warm glow of the ring.

*****

Thoroughly annoyed, Ukyou stomped her way down the stairs with the
only clue to Akane's whereabouts in her hand.  This was turning out
to be a lousy day.  She had cancelled a perfectly tolerable night
at the arcade with Hiroshi and Daisuke to spend some time with
Ranma by his request, and here she was searching about the house
for his fianc�e because he thought so little of her fighting
skills.

With a hint of sorrow, she remembered Daisuke's remark after
informing him of her change of plans.  'Hey, it's Ranma.  It's good
to see you two get together occasionally.  He used to always think
of you as his best friend.'

'So what does he think of me now?' she asked softly.  Shaking her
head angry at her thoughts, she strolled into the room with her
eyes closed, thrusting the piece of paper out before her.

"Sorry, Ranma, but it looks like Akane went off to meet somebody
and will be back as soon as she can," she huffed.

The sound of a pained cough cut through her, her eyes opening to
witness a gout of blood splashing against the wooden floor.  "Oh,
god, Ryouga!"

The note slipping free of her hands, Ukyou rushed to Ryouga's side,
placing her arms around his back and holding tightly to him.
Seeing a figure join her from across Ryouga, Ukyou tilted her head
to look over the back of Ryouga's.  Shan Pu nodded a silent
greeting.

"What happened?"

Shan Pu eyes flickered over to a balled figure nearby in
explanation.

"You... you monster!" Ryouga said with a grimace, barely able to
lift his head up to gaze upon Ranma.  "How dare you have such
fantasies!"

"Fantasies?" Ukyou echoed, confused.

"I'm sorry," Ranma wept piteously.  "There were just dreams.  No
matter what I tried, I couldn't stop myself from dreaming about
it."

"Such a betrayal to Akane!" Ryouga spat venomously.  "You are not
worthy of her or anyone else!  I've seen the darkness of
Happousai's heart and yours exceeds even his dreams of debauchery!"

"I can't be that bad," Ranma protested meekly, flinching under
every word that escaped Ryouga's lips.

"I swear you are!" Ryouga growled assuringly.  "Thinking of having
two women at once!  You disgust me!"

Surprisingly, Ryouga shot to his feet despite Shan Pu and her hold
on the lost boy.  "You make me sick!"  Thrusting both hands
forwards, palms towards Ranma, Ryouga screamed.  "Last Judgment!"

Unlike the previous attack, the ball of energy that struck Ranma
this time lifted the cowering martial artist up into the air and
carried him across the room to strike against the far wall.  Wood
yielded under the force of the blow, leaving only a smoking hole in
the wall to hint at where Ranma had gone.

"I don't recall that being a feature of the polarian star,"
Gosunkugi said, cupping his chin and frowning.  He shrugged,
smiling.  "Oh well.  At least Ranma is done for."

Ryouga began to laugh maniacally, his shoulders bobbing in a manner
that threatened to shake loose the two girls clinging desperately
to him.

Glaring at the picture boy from over Ryouga's shoulder, Ukyou
scowled as she stood on the tips of her toes.  "Would you explain
what's happening so we can do something about it?" she demanded
angrily.

"Insanity is probably setting in," Gosunkugi explained, sighing.
"I suggest you restrain him until Akane comes."

Ryouga's eyes turned upon her, orbs staring out from behind the
vast emptiness of his soul.  "I looked at the face of the devil,
and I smiled back," he muttered.  "The only joy that awaits us is
the chilling embrace of death."

Ukyou blinked, loosening her hold.  "Shan Pu?" she said softly.
"This is a bit morbid even for Ryouga."

"Quickly!" Gosunkugi shouted.  "Put him down before he gathers the
strength to use that attack again!"

"Easier said than done!" Ryouga chuckled madly, writhing in her
arms.  "I have nothing left to lose but this battle!  You won't
take that away from me!"

Ukyou gasped as Ryouga turned in her grasp and grabbed onto her
sweater.  Without further warning, she was hauled off her feet and
shoved roughly back.  Losing her hold, she tumbled back flailing
her arms as she fell gracelessly on her butt.

"Mousse!" Shan Pu shouted.

Gritting her teeth, Ukyou rubbed the small of her back as she
glanced about for her spatula.  Spotting it, she turned, gathering
her feet beneath her as she lunged for it, the sounds of battle
behind her.

Closing her hand about the spatula, she spun about and charged.
Ryouga was busily fending off both Shan Pu and Mousse.  She
screamed as she swung her spatula into the fray.  "You aren't
getting off that easy!"

*****

After shoving his first opponent aside, Ryouga swung his elbow back
to catch his other captor in the ribs.  He was vividly aware he was
hitting girls, but that did not matter anymore.  They were here for
him.  They were here to put him down.

The grip about his waist loosened as she doubled over.  Grabbing
the girl by the back of her pink, sleeveless shirt and loose,
purple pants, he yanked the girl forward and off of him.

A feral cry shouted as his only male opponent charged forwards.
Smiling, he lifted his fists up, welcoming the challenge.  For all
the injustices, everything he had ever committed, tonight he would
sleep with no regrets.  He knew he would have to hurt them, but it
was the only way to escape the pain of his dying heart.

Mousse came forwards, punching out with a lunging right fist.
Noting the short sleeves of Mousse's shirt, Ryouga frowned as he
pushed aside the punch.  Mousse was not reliable for this task
without his weapons.

A kick to his side announced the return of Shampoo.  Stepping back
as he blocked most of Mousse's attacks, Ryouga grinned.  In numbers
they were sure to succeed, but they were not mad enough yet.  He
would have to do something about that.

Determined, he stepped forward throwing his punch out.  For his
efforts, Mousse cracked him in the temple with a well-placed kick,
barely avoiding the punch intended for the Amazon.  He winced as
Shampoo jabbed two fingers into the side of his neck.

As darkness threatened to overwhelm him, a cry pierced through the
oblivion.  "You aren't getting off that easy!"

His heart reached out to her, stealing glimpses into her life as he
perused what he knew about each of his opponents.  He knew who he
had to hit if he wanted this to end.

As steel pressed unforgivingly against his face, Ryouga fell
backwards, his head clearing despite the raging pain.  He hit the
floor, throwing his arms back and pushing himself back up and over
to a standing position.

"Damn!  Almost had him!" Shampoo growled, standing aside of Mousse
in a ready stance.  Ukyou regarded him warily, gripping her spatula
tightly and standing on Mousse's other side.

If he hit her, he could count on the others to finish this.  Akari
would finally be free of him with a chance to live a normal life.

"We end this now," Ryouga declared solemnly, reaching out to wag
three fingers in a gesture for them to come at him.  "I'm not
holding back."

"I guess you get what you wanted, Shampoo," Ukyou said, gritting
her teeth.  "A guy not afraid to hit girls."

"Not funny," Shampoo shot back.

As one, the trio charged.  He sprung forward, ducking down below
Mousse's thrust.  Swinging his arms about in an arc, he grabbed
Mousse's arm at the elbow and lifted up, placing the other hand
against his opponent's midsection.  Turning, he heaved the taller
boy out into the yard behind him.

The spatula struck heavily at the back of his head, leaving his
ears ringing.  He turned about to reach for the spatula, but she
had already pulled it back as she hopped about to deliver a
whistling roundhouse.  Snapping his torso down to avoid the passage
of the limb, he swung out his open hand to snag at the girl's other
leg, pulling hard to send the girl tumbling back to the floor.

Legs wrapped about his midsection as his last attacker latched onto
him from behind.  Her arms came around his head, one blinding him
while the other tightened about his throat.  He whipped his hands
back, trying to swat the girl away as he had little ability to
strike at her in her current position.

Gasping he staggered forwards.  He was dimly aware that Ukyou was
nearby.  Desperate, he lunged forwards, pinning a body beneath him.
Through the haze of his vision, he saw Ukyou attempt to smack him
with her spatula, but he slammed both of his hands up to grab at
the shaft of the weapon.  Ukyou's face twisted in determination as
she struggled against his hold on her weapon.

"Let... go..." he wheezed, thrusting down with all of his strength.
Ukyou's grip was unable to prevent him from pressing the grip down
against her throat.  Her eyes went wild with panic as she began to
kick beneath him.

"Ryou!" she squeaked out, before he thrust down harder.

Before any more damage could be done, a body collided into them,
sending all three sprawling and two gasping for air.

Shaking his head, Ryouga was greeted with a kick to his chest that
threw him over onto his back.  "How dare you treat women like
that?!" Mousse screeched.  "I will not allow it!"

As Mousse's foot came down, Ryouga shot both his hands up, grabbing
onto the foot and twisting it sharply.  There was a sickening sound
as bone snapped under his treatment, followed by Mousse's howl of
pain just before the Amazon collapsed nearby to clutch at his
wound.

He staggered back to his feet, whipping his forearm across to
deflect a punch.  He blinked, the vision of the buxom Amazon before
him.  He could not ask for a clearer shot.

Allowing her follow-up kick to rock his head back, Ryouga thrust
both of his palms forward.  "Last Judgment!"

*****

Her face flush, Ukyou held her hands up to her neck as she panted
raggedly.  Though the danger had passed, the fear of dying had
become all too real for her.  This was not a matter of holding
Ryouga down.  Something was seriously wrong.

Barely hearing Mousse's pained howls, she sat up, fighting back the
sudden urge to vomit.  The fit passed, leaving her holding her
stomach as she slowly rolled up to her knees.

"Last Judgment!"

The voice cutting through the air, pulled her out of the murky
depths of her pained conscious like a rescuer pulling a five year
old drowning in a tarmac covered swimming pool.  Shan Pu sailed
across the room, striking against the TV, which promptly sundered
into a mess of glass and broken components beneath her weight.

"Shan Pu!" she shouted in a strangled cry.  Uncertain of her
footing, Ukyou crawled as quickly as she could towards the fallen
Amazon.

Heedless of the glass cutting into the palms of her hands and her
knees, the chef moved up next to her friend.  Her breath caught in
her throat as she saw the back of the pink shirt was stained with
blood.  Moving closer, she leaned over her fallen friend, her eyes
burning with tears as she softly caressed Shan Pu's cheek with the
back of her hand.

"Shan Pu," she whimpered piteously, moving closer.  She tucked her
other hand beneath the girl's hair, the blood sickenly warm against
her fingers.  Carefully she rolled the girl onto her back, pressing
her ear against Shampoo's chest in hopes to hear anything.

Frustrated at her hair, tears fell freely from her eyes as she
yanked the locks aside and tried again.  Swearing that it was faint
but at least there, Ukyou lifted back to her knees, freeing her
hands.

"My Shan Pu!" screamed Mousse from behind her, startling her out of
her misery.  Turning her tear-stricken face,  she watched in dismay
as Mousse attempted to fight on with what appeared to be a broken
leg.

"Die!"  Mousse slashed forward with a knife he must have produced.
The blow struck firmly into Ryouga's side, the blade burying in to
the hilt.  Ryouga did not even flinch.

With a resounding crack, Mousse's head snapped around under the
force of Ryouga's next strike.  As the boy fell between them in an
unceremonious heap, his eyes burned into her heart, eyes that held
neither remorse nor malice.  Only emptiness.

"You are all that's left," Ryouga declared.

A spatula swung into view, aimed for Ryouga's head.  His hand
snatched forward, yanking the weapon out of the cowering
Gosunkugi's hands.  Ryouga snorted as he shot his other hand out to
haul the boy up by the collar.

"I didn't notice you," Ryouga remarked with a scowl.  As if tossing
aside a useless piece of trash, Ryouga threw the hapless boy across
the room to smash against the wall.  As an afterthought, the lost
boy tossed the spatula in the same direction, the weapon landing
atop the unconscious boy.

"Come, Ukyou," Ryouga said, wincing as he touched his side.  "Let's
finish this."

Furious at him, she got to her feet.  What she wanted most was to
go get help for Shan Pu and the others, but she doubted Ryouga was
going to allow her to do that.  Embracing that frustrated anger,
she charged forward with an unintelligible scream.

She was not sure how she managed, either her speed or his weakened
condition allowed her to get through his defenses.  Burying her
shoulder into his midsection, she bowled him over.  Air rushed from
his lungs when they hit the ground.

Straddling over him, wincing as the knife in his side sliced her
calf, she dug her nails into his shoulders and lifted him up.  "You
jerk!" she shrieked, slamming him back down.  She pulled him up
again, crying out the same declaration each time before slamming
him back down.

After about the fifteenth time his hands came up and clenched about
her elbows, his fingers biting into her as he tightened his hold so
she could no longer hold him.  He stared up at her through glassy,
unfocussed eyes.

"You'll never kill me like that," he said with a slur.

"Fine, then!" she said through gritted teeth.  "I'll kill you!"
She slammed her forehead down, her skull connecting painfully
against his face.  "I'll kill you!"  She smashed her head down
again, annoying the dizziness.  Concentrating only on her words,
she repeated the litany and her strikes each time, ignoring the
pain in her arms as he tried tightening his vice-like grip.

Eventually his hands fell away, but her litany continued.  Her
forehead was warm, redness trickling down her brow into her eyes
though she was no longer certain who's blood it was.  She smashed
down again, her hands resting forgotten at his shoulders.

If he had spoke the words, she did not hear them.  All she was
aware of was the growing pain in her head when the searing blast
struck low upon her ribcage.  She felt her insides give under the
attack, her body convulsing forward as she spilled a mixture of
bile and blood upon the boy beneath her.

"Ryouga!"

The voice was Akane's.  Ukyou turned her head lazily as she slumped
to the lost boy's side.  She could barely glimpse the youngest
Tendou girl, but she knew somewhere in that haze of red was the
woman she had delayed Ryouga for.  Content, she let her eyes roll
back as oblivion swept over her.

*****

Sitting in the waiting room, Ranma glanced across the bench at his
rival.  For as bad as he felt, Ryouga looked worse.  Ryouga's nose
had been broken and both eyes were swollen.  The rest of the lost
boy's injuries, like his own, were hidden beneath the yellow,
sleeveless shirt he wore.

Turning away, Ranma regarded the clock with uneasiness.  He felt
partly responsible for this mess.  If he had known things would
have turned out like this, he would have kept the ring.  He could
only hope Ryouga never linked him to this incident.  He was certain
the lost boy would never forgive him if Ryouga did.  Especially
after what Ryouga had to do to get the ring off.

He hated hospitals with a passion.  Most of his unpleasant memories
resulted in somebody ending up there.  This memory threatened to
haunt him for quite some time.  Four days later and he still could
not sleep without dreaming about how things could have gotten even
worse.

Genma was back to his normal self.  Kodachi, possibly having been
more affected by the Polarian Star, had made no efforts to speak to
him.

Gosunkugi had gotten off easy.  Diagnosed with a minor concussion,
he had been released within the first day.  Ranma had made his
displeasure very clear with Gosunkugi, especially concerning whom
he felt was to blame for this.

Having suffered only a few bruised ribs, Ranma had also been
released early.  Of course, everyone, even Nabiki, had come to
visit him during his time of injury.  The thought of how his family
rushed to his side contrasted sourly to the gatherings for the
others injured in this incident.

Mousse appeared to be doing fine and was going to be released soon,
though he would not be walking for at least a month.  It was not
the easiest thing understanding Mousse now that he had a cast for
his broken jaw.

Oddly, despite those seemingly serious injuries, Ranma could at
least think of Mousse's problems without a shudder.  The girls'
injuries he did not even want to think about.  All that mattered
was everyone was going to be okay, even if it meant a little
surgery.

"Ryouga..."

"I don't want to talk about it."

Ranma sighed, crossing his arms.  Despite the recent events, he
wanted to talk with Ryouga and find out where his rival had been
all this time.  It was torture, sitting back and watching Ryouga
sink further and further into the pit of despair.

This was Ryouga's first day of release.  The doctors felt confident
that the stab wound would heal the rest of the way on its own, the
stitches intended to come off on their own over time.  Ranma
worried that Ryouga would slip off the face of the earth if he let
the lost boy out of his sight.

"It's been a long time," Ranma continued, his words sounding hollow
in the room.  "I was thinking you might have died."

"I should have died."

Ranma jerked up, appalled.  Ryouga sat there resolutely, continuing
to ignore anything he did.  Turning away, Ranma sighed.  "You
shouldn't say things like that, man," he said softly.  "I'm sure
being dead is nothing to envy."

"I'll never be worthy of anyone's love, Ranma," Ryouga muttered.
"I had always thought I was the better man.  What finally tipped
the scales was seeing into your life."

"Huh?"

Ryouga turned burning eyes upon him, still slightly bruised purple.
"I was fine believing Akane was with you," he declared.  "I could
reason it by belittling myself and finding every reason I could to
tear myself down so you were the better man.  And every time you
would have to screw things up by doing something so stupid, I would
feel the urge to throttle you because of what I was doing to myself
just to believe she could be happy with you."

Ranma fidgeted with his thumbs, frowning.  "I don't understand."

"I'm disappointed, Ranma," Ryouga muttered, slumping forwards,
elbows pressed against his knees.  "I looked into your soul and I
saw something far worse than I will ever be, and yet something that
I am all the same.  If I were you, I'd be living those fantasies
and not dreaming them."

"I don't see the point..."

"I'm not fooling myself," Ryouga remarked with a sigh.  "I really
am worse than you."  He turned his head back, gaze intense.  "If
there was a way I could have them both, I would.  I disgust myself.
She deserves better."

Ranma waved a hand at Ryouga dismissively.  "Don't take it so
seriously," Ranma declared.  "I'm sure I'm much more of a pervert
than you.  If you truly saw everything in my life, you would know
I..." Ranma fumbled as he flushed at the thought of what he just
about admitted to.  Clearing his throat, he coughed into his fist.
"Yea, well, you know, a little experimentation.  Make use of the
curse since I might have it for some time."

"I know about it," Ryouga said nodding.  "In your shoes, no man
would behave differently."

"Well thanks," Ranma replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of his
head.  He frowned, leaning back.  "You should cheer up.  She loves
you and understands why you did what you did."

"That has never been the issue," Ryouga said, rising to his feet.
"Her heart has never been in question.  It is my own that I fear."

Ranma got up, taking a tentative step towards his rival.  "Where
are you going?"

"To see her," Ryouga replied.  He turned his eyes upon Ranma, this
time soft and pleading.  "Please don't follow me.  I know the way."

Ranma nodded.  Watching his rival wander off down the halls of the
hospital, he wondered if he would ever see him again.

*****

The soft beeps of machines greeted his entrance to the room.
Slowly he stalked over to the white bed, a girl resting beneath a
single blanket.

He paused after reaching her side, standing for several moments as
he gazed down upon her.  He traced every curve, every wrinkle of
the blankets and every detail of how her hair fell about her eyes
into a memory of regret that he vowed to hold close to his heart
for the rest of his days.

Leaning forwards, he lifted a hand up to brush away a lock of her
hair, exposing the gentle curve of her earlobe.  He hung his head,
feeling ashamed at the liberty he was taking, but knowing in his
heart that it might be the last time.

Shifting the blankets aside, he exposed her hand, lifting her arm
up, an IV sticking from her forearm that connected to a nearby bag
supported by a metal stand on rollers.  He slipped his other hand
into his pocket as he took her hand in his.  Pulling out the ring
he had found, he pressed it into her palm, curling her fingers
about the ring before lifting the fist up to kiss it softly.

"For you, Akari," he whispered, resting her hand back down.  "May
next we meet, I be a better man, worthy of your love."

Leaning further forward, he pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead.
Then silently, he turned for the door.

-----

When I started into this, I knew I was going to be writing a very
long story.  Several scenes originally intended for this fic, such
as insights to Shan Pu's and Ukyou's lives were cut out simply
because I didn't feel the need for them in what was supposed to be
a Ryouga based fic.  Konatsu was even supposed to be in here but we
were running on a tight budget and couldn't afford any more extras.
I think this should set the stage a lot better for the Cas of Blues
series, which I shall promptly go about revising now that I have
all the events that preceded it in order.  Serves me right for
trying to pick things up three years down the road and pretend that
nothing has changed between the characters.

I know I leave a lot of issues open, even with all these Preludes
fics.  I suppose it has a lot to do with the fact that there are
two huge gaps between the fics (after Roommates an entire school
year passes before Graduation and after Losing Identity another
half of a school year if not more passes).  There are a lot of
things, especially concerning the ways the characters go about
developing relationships with each other.  I think I can be
forgiven, as it seems the relationship between Shan Pu and Mu Si
does not appear to be any more meaningful than what it started out
as long before any of my Preludes would take place.

Ukyou does start to refer to Shampoo as Shan Pu in her narrations
but does not do the same courtesy for Mousse.  This is intentional
and probably confusing at first.  As always, Shan Pu refers to
herself and Mu Si correctly.

As to what happened to Shan Pu, Akari and Ukyou, I plan to pick
those things up as I go along in the revised versions of Cas of
Blues.  It wasn't pretty, and I wasn't about to gloom my fic up
more at the end than what I had to.  Though Ryouga regrets what he
did, his primary thoughts are on Akari and mentioning what he did
to Ukyou and Shan Pu and then having him do nothing about it just
would reflect even worse upon him.  Go ahead and hate Ryouga for
running away at the end, but I think this situation is a bit more
than he could take.

I hope everyone likes this.  I still may feel the need to add a
prelude or two in the future but I doubt any will end up as long as
the ones that I have planned out to this date.

Comments and criticism are always welcome.

zinyadel@hotmail.com

Ciaow






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