========================= RELENTLESS A Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction By Grayson Towler ========================= ----------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER THREE: Hot Water ----------------------------------------------------------- Dawn was just breaking over Tokyo. The summer sunrise greeted a city which was just beginning to come to life for yet another in an endless string of busy days. It was the time of day when a city looks its finest - the bright glass windows glittered with the first rays of sunlight, the air was crisp and still relatively untainted by the daily buildup of smog, and the streets were almost totally free of the strangling congestion of traffic. Two weary young martial artists trudged down the street, making their way towards the airport. They had maintained a blistering pace across town during the night, even though they knew their pursuer was assuredly still dormant where it had last fallen. If the events of the terrifying evening had taught them one thing, it was that every second counted when one was pursued by the Reikoku. Still, even young athletes in superhuman physical condition had to meet certain needs. With a growl like a bear coming out of hibernation, Ranma's stomach reminded him of the most pressing of those physiological requirements. Ryouga's belly answered in kind, with a similar sentiment. The two boys regarded their lower abdomens, then one another. "Gotta get some grub," Ranma observed. Ryouga nodded his agreement. He frowned at the cityscape around him. In a way, he preferred the task of foraging for food in the countryside to visiting restaurants. "Where's a good place to eat?" he asked, scanning the local buildings. "'Good' don't matter," Ranma said. "We need somethin' fast and cheap. We don't want to miss our flight, and we ain't got much cash." Ryouga took Ranma's word on the latter. He actually had a fair amount of yen on him at the time, but he rarely gave it much thought. His knowledge of the value of money was fairly limited, anyway. Most of the time, it just wasn't a factor in his life. Ranma scratched his head. "A lotta places ain't even open yet... ah. I guess that'll do. C'mon, Ryouga." Ryouga scowled when he realized what Ranma's choice of restaurant was. "THAT place?" The golden arches set against the bright red sign rotated slowly on the top of a tall pole. Ranma shrugged. "Hey, American fast food ain't my favorite either, but it's better than a lot of things. 'Specially Akane's cooking." He muttered the last sentence almost as an afterthought. "Feh. I've been there before." He nodded towards the McDonald's. "Half the time they hire people who don't even speak the language. It's a dive." Ranma gave him an odd look, then shrugged. "We don't got time to be choosy. I'm sure you can get somethin' without bacon, if that's what you're worried about." "Shut up!" Ryouga trotted after Ranma as the pig-tailed boy made his way towards the restaurant. Suddenly, the bandanna-clad martial artist pulled up short, his eyes wide with shock. "Oh no!" "What? What?" Ranma was a bit on edge. He half expected the Reikoku to appear around the corner. "We're... we're nowhere near the airport!" Ryouga wailed. "What are you talkin' about? It's just a few minutes away!" "We're in Okinawa!" Ryouga asserted gloomily. "How did we get so lost?" Ranma looked around at the city. "We are NOT in Okinawa, you moron! What the heck are you talkin' about?" Ryouga grabbed Ranma by the shirt and pointed angrily at the McDonald's. "I'm telling you, we're in Okinawa! I ate at this place last time I was here! We're completely out of our way!" Ranma jerked free of the other boy's grasp. "Aw, don't be such a dummy. You probably just ate at one of the McDonald's in Okinawa. We're fine, believe me." Ryouga looked genuinely puzzled. "You... you mean there are two of these places?" Ranma blinked a few times in astonishment. "Y... yeah. There are a lotta these places, Ryouga. It's a chain restaurant." "Chain... restaurant?" "You know, a franchise?" "F... fr... franchise?" Ranma smirked. "Okay, pig-boy, whaddya think this is, dictation?" Ryouga's shook his fist in rage at Ranma. "Just how many of these places are there?!" he yelled. Ranma backed away, waving his hands in protestations of innocence. "What, in the world? I dunno, thousands!" "THOUSANDS!" Ryouga bellowed. "How come nobody ever TOLD me about this?" "Geez, will you knock it off and come with me?" Ranma yanked on Ryouga's shirt and hauled him towards the doors of the restaurant. "We ain't got time to mess around!" Ryouga followed numbly, staring with glazed eyes at the hypnotic rotation of the giant "M." he thought in wonder. - - - - - - Kuonji Ukyou breathed a sigh of relief as she closed the doors of her restaurant for the night. It was always difficult to get back into the swing of things after coming back from vacation. Konatsu had done a reasonable job of keeping the place running in her absence, but it seemed like there were a million things she needed to do to catch up. Still, she'd needed the break. Her life was insanely busy - she was a full-time student, a small-business owner, and a Saotome Ranma fiancee. Trying to keep a handle on that had run her ragged, and she'd decided to take advantage of the summer break from classes to escape for a while and find a bit of peace. She frowned to herself as she began to take down the outdoor sign to "Ucchan's." Her only real worry about taking time off was that she'd get behind in the Great Fiancee Competition. She had enough trouble keeping pace with the others, given her responsibilities. Shampoo didn't go to school, Akane lived with him, and Kodachi (if she could even properly be considered competition) didn't have a job. Those three girls seemed to be able to make free time with ease. But Ukyou didn't have the same freedom that her rivals enjoyed, and as a result she had missed out on a great many of Ranma's adventures and escapades. She wouldn't have worried so much if he'd come to see her when she'd gotten back. She'd been staring hopefully at the door all day, desperately wanting to catch sight of a Chinese shirt or a pig-tail, but Ranma hadn't stopped by. This was disappointing, but not entirely unexpected. Ideally, she would have liked it if he'd missed her, and had been eagerly anticipating her return. But Ranma was not really the "absence makes the heart grow fonder" type - he was much more "out of sight, out of mind." Still, she had needed the vacation. It would be all right. Once Ranma remembered he could get the best okonomiyaki in the world for free again, he'd be coming around to her door... Ukyou's train of thought was interrupted by the familiar but wholly unwelcome sound of a bicycle approaching on the street. It was the unmistakable harbinger of the arrival of one of Ukyou's least favorite people in the entire world. "Oh, Spatula-Girl! Shampoo thought you maybe got some sense and left for good!" Ukyou turned with what she hoped was crushing dignity and gave the Amazon girl a look of cold loathing. "Why is it always 'Spatula-Girl' with you? Or 'Crazy Girl,' 'Bokken Boy,' or my personal favorite, 'Not-Nice Girl?' Are you so incredibly stupid that you can't remember anybody's name?" The superior little smile vanished from Shampoo's face, and her expression changed to one of rage. Ukyou was pleased to see that the barb had struck home. "Shampoo not stupid! Spa... Spatula- Girl's name not worth remembering, that all!" It was Ukyou's turn to be furious. Shampoo always brought out the worst in her, one way or another. "My name," she snarled, "is Kuonji Ukyou! Soon to be Saotome Ukyou, in case you were wondering!" Shampoo let out a derisive little laugh. "When Husband and Shampoo married, maybe we hire Spatula-Girl on to cook for childrens. Spatula-Girl clean windows too, yes?" "Ranchan is never going to marry a bimbo like you!" Ukyou shouted. Her temper was beginning to get the better of her. "He's said so a hundred times! Why don't you go over and ask him again, if you're still not convinced?" To Ukyou's surprise, Shampoo suddenly became pensive... almost sad. She looked away from Ukyou, her eyes not focusing on anything in particular. "Shampoo?" "Husband no here. In China." "China?" Ukyou repeated. "What's Ranchan doing in... did he go to find a cure?" Shampoo quickly shed her melancholy and flashed Ukyou a mischievous grin. "Yes, and he go to learn Chinese. Ranma want to do everything to be best husband possible to Shampoo!" She stuck out her tongue at Ukyou. "You liar!" Ukyou snapped. "Is no lie!" Shampoo said in a sing-song voice. "Husband go to learn Chinese, and all Amazon laws, and be man all the time for Shampoo! Such love, such devotion. He make Shampoo so happy!" "Lying little bimbo!" Ukyou drew her battle spatula and took a menacing step forward. "Maybe I should just pound the truth out of you!" "No time now!" Shampoo pivoted on her bike and began to pedal away. "Not want to beat up future servant today!" The Amazon girl dodged the throwing spatula that was hurled her way as she retreated. As much as she disliked Ukyou, she had no desire to actually get in a serious fight with the girl. The little brawls and cat-fights they'd had in the past hardly constituted real battle, and all had ended inconclusively. Shampoo was pretty certain that her lifetime of training as an Amazon warrior would allow her to prevail over the young chef in a legitimate clash... but she couldn't be positive. Ukyou was just good enough that, on the right day, she might be able to take Shampoo down. And that would mean that Shampoo would be obligated to give her the Kiss of Death, which was not a prospect she relished. She'd had enough trouble with THAT particular tradition already. Ukyou watched her purple-haired rival swerve and disappear around the corner. Why did she let that moronic girl get under her skin, anyway? The okonomiyaki chef sighed and shook her head, trying to dispel the last remnants of her anger. Still, the encounter bothered her. Shampoo may have been lying about some things, but Ukyou was certain she was telling the truth when she'd said that Ranma had gone to China. And why had she looked so sad if Ranma was really going to find a cure? Something seemed wrong about the matter. Ukyou couldn't put her finger on it, but she had a bad feeling about this. - - - - - - Ranma-chan struggled desperately to pry Ryouga's hand off the armrest of his airplane seat, working finger-by-finger against the lost boy's panic-driven iron grip. She cursed herself silently: In the airport, Ranma had felt a pang of sympathy for Ryouga at the prospect that the fanged boy would have to ride in a pet carrier the whole way. Ryouga had never been on a plane (for that matter, neither had Ranma), and it would have been pretty lousy for him to have to waste the opportunity by being stuck as a pig in the luggage compartment. It HAD been Ryouga's ticket, after all. So Ranma had hit upon a brilliant plan. The early-morning flight was not going to be full - there would be extra seats to spare. They'd sneak Ryouga in as a pig while everybody was boarding, then Ranma-chan would get him into the bathroom and leave the hot water running so he could change back into a human. Once they'd gotten past the ticketing attendant in the general chaos of boarding, nobody would notice the extra person - they'd assume he had a ticket, just like everyone else. Unlike many of Ranma's brilliant plans, this one actually succeeded. Ryouga mingled in with the other passengers without raising any kind of stir at all. He'd even managed to get a seat next to Ranma-chan. Unfortunately, neither of them had realized that Ryouga was going to manifest a severe phobia about flying. "Let... go..." Ranma-chan hissed as she strained to peel his fingers off the armrest, trying to minimize the damage to the seat. "If you mess up this plane... there's gonna be... >nnnf!< ... real trouble!" Ryouga was sweating up a storm and gasping for air. He tried desperately to pull himself together, but all it took was one glimpse out the window for the unreasoning panic to seize his mind again. He grasped reflexively for a handhold. "Gnnnf!" Ranma-chan tried to bite back a yelp of pain. "Watch where you're grabbin', ya stupid jerk!" Ryouga tried closing his eyes, but he could feel his stomach lurch the moment he did. The disorientation of not being able to see would surely make him sick. He was terrified and profoundly embarrassed. He was only vaguely aware of Ranma-chan pounding on him until he released his grip on her. A worried-looking stewardess checked in on the two of them. "Is your friend all right?" she asked Ranma-chan. "Uh, he ain't used to flyin'," Ranma-chan answered. "It's his first time." The stewardess nodded sympathetically. "It looks like there won't be much turbulence. It should be a smooth ride." She patted Ryouga on the shoulder - he gave her a look that was pitiful to behold. "Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked gently. Ranma-chan shrugged. "He's real strong. If you could get him somethin' to hold onto so he won't mess up the plane, that might help." "Just a second," she smiled. "I know just the thing." The stewardess departed, and returned a moment later with a large spare tire. Ranma-chan gave her a quizzical look, but it did seem to help. Ryouga took a hold of it like a drowning man might seize a life preserver. His trembling hands sank deep into the vulcanized rubber. "There, there," the stewardess said comfortingly. "We'll be on the ground before you know it." She smiled and left them. Ranma-chan scowled at Ryouga, who was kneading the tire fitfully. "Man, you're really pathetic. What kinda martial artist are you, anyway?" "Shut up!" he snarled back in a quivering voice. "A... as someone who g... goes to pieces... every time he s...sees a kitty cat... y... you... shouldn't..." "Yeah, yeah," Ranma-chan huffed. Ryouga began to gnaw on the tire. Ranma-chan shook her head in disgust. What a trip this was turning out to be. - - - - - - Ukyou took a deep breath before passing through the gate of the Tendou Dojo. In spite of all the time she'd spent in this place, it was always a little like preparing for battle when she came over. When Ranma was home, she felt more like she had a right to be there. But Ranma wasn't there, and she had to find out why. She could hear Akane practicing in the Dojo as she entered - the sounds of the short-haired girl's grunts and the breaking of cinder-blocks were unmistakable. Ukyou was a little relieved at this, since it meant that Akane would not be answering the door. She and Akane were unusual amongst the Ranma fiancee pool in that they could actually coexist peacefully in the same place as one another for extended periods of time, but there was always an unmistakable tension. Ukyou found that she was always straining to pick up hidden meanings in the other girl's words, buried hints of her true feelings and intentions. She didn't know what Akane was thinking when they were together, but Ukyou's rival for Ranma's affection was hardly ever really at ease around her. Ukyou knocked on the door and waited. The odds were that Kasumi would answer, which would be tolerable enough. Kasumi would tell her what she wanted to know... as much of it as she understood, anyway. Ukyou liked Kasumi well enough (it was hard not to), but she didn't have much faith in the eldest Tendou daughter's grasp of reality. Still, it would be better than Tendou Soun, who might come unglued at any second, and it would certainly be better than Saotome Genma, whom she utterly loathed. The door slid open. "Oh," Nabiki said. "It's you." Ukyou offered a small prayer of thanks. Nabiki was really the one she wanted to speak with. The middle Tendou girl was always composed, always insightful, and hardly ever missed a thing. She'd surely be able to get an accurate rendition of whatever was going on from Nabiki. It just wouldn't be free, of course. "Hi, Nabiki," Ukyou greeted her. "Ranma's not here," Nabiki told her. "Sorry." "I heard," Ukyou said, nodding. "Can I come in?" Nabiki shrugged and led her into the dining area. Ukyou knelt at the table and set down her package in the center, cracking open the top of the carrying box to let the aroma escape. She had brought some specially-made okonomiyaki for the occasion. To Ukyou, entering a potentially awkward social setting without food was like going into battle without her spatula. A small, satisfied smile appeared on her lips as she saw Nabiki's reaction to the scent of the food. She had guessed in advance that she might need a bribe for Nabiki, and okonomiyaki was always Kuonji Ukyou's coin of choice. The smoked salmon okonomiyaki with the tangy mirin sauce took some special preparation, but Nabiki had a real weak spot for that particular dish. The Tendou girl gave her a small nod, which told Ukyou that the price for information had been met. Ukyou served up the okonomiyaki, then sat attentively as Nabiki told her tale. Ranma was in China - the bimbo had been right about that. But he wasn't there to find a cure. Ukyou's heart sank as Nabiki explained the events of the previous days. It wasn't as if Ranma hadn't been threatened before, of course. It wasn't as if he hadn't taken care of some pretty dangerous foes. Nabiki knew that as well as Ukyou did... and the way Nabiki told it, Ranma's life was in serious jeopardy. "I'm tracking Happosai's movements through China," Nabiki explained. "But it isn't easy. China doesn't have the most open policy when it comes to news, you know. And that little geezer sure does get around." Ukyou stared blankly ahead. She was trying to come to grips with the news she'd been given. "Look," Nabiki said after a long silence, "I'll be sure to let you know if I get any news, okay? On the house." She hazarded a little grin, hoping to jostle Ukyou out of the gloom that seemed to have descended upon the young chef. Ukyou nodded gravely, then rose to her feet. "Thank you, Nabiki-san." "Uh... no problem." Ukyou gently closed the door behind her as she left. The sounds of Akane's practice session in the training hall drifted to her ears again. She felt a surge of anger at the youngest Tendou daughter - her fiancee was in real trouble, and all she did was hang around and break rocks? But the anger passed quickly. Ukyou's first desire was to take off after Ranma, to charge to China with her spatula in hand and help him out. However, from all that she had learned from Nabiki, that would be a futile gesture. The Reikoku just got stronger if you tried to gang up on it. It got more powerful every time you defeated it. And if she attacked it, the thing would hunt her down and kill her. On the other side of the coin, she had a business to run. A list of dozens of chores and duties for the restaurant unraveled itself in her mind, things that Konatsu simply wasn't equipped to handle. Furthermore, school would be starting up in a week. An impromptu trip to China would be remarkably ill-timed. She wandered back towards Ucchan's, her body on autopilot as her mind turned the problem over and over, examining it from all angles. She loved Ranma, but was he worth dying for? Maybe... if she thought dying would do him any good. But where was the benefit in running off to a pointless death? What kind of use would that sacrifice be to anyone? She had responsibilities. She had a life, and she didn't want to throw it away. She wanted Ranma to survive, but that was what he was best at, wasn't it? Shampoo and Akane had stayed behind. Ukyou looked up at the banner for her restaurant, undulating languorously in the soft breeze. "Ucchan" - the name that Ranma had given her - flowed in shallow waves as she stared. She knew there was only one conclusion she could reach that would actually sense. Ukyou made her decision, and walked into her restaurant. - - - - - - "Let me try it this time." Ranma glared at Ryouga defiantly. "Last time you tried it, you got a glass of water tossed in your face. We don't wanna have THAT happen again, do we?" "Yeah, well last time YOU tried it, you had half the women in this city trying to kill us!" It was an exaggeration, but not much of one. The chase through the narrow Chinese streets, with a mob of angry women armed with kitchen knives and gardening tools, had lasted for almost a full day. "I got the hang of it this time," Ranma asserted confidently. "It's my turn, okay?" "We should just find someone who speaks Japanese," Ryouga grumbled. "Aw, quit worryin'. I got this aced." The two young martial artists had encountered an unanticipated stumbling block in the beginning of their search. While they had known that the language barrier was going to be a challenge, neither had realized that there were so many ways to mis-phrase the question: "Have you seen a man who steals panties?" Neither Ranma nor Ryouga were quite certain what they had actually been saying, but the reactions from the Chinese women they'd asked so far had ranged from outraged to homicidal. This time, though, Ranma knew he'd gotten it right. He'd been up late the night before scouring the Japanese-to-Chinese guidebook for the correct approach to phrasing the question. It was not the sort of subject which was addressed in the rather elementary texts they had brought with them, but Ranma was confident that his research would pay off. Ranma scanned the restaurant for a likely person to ask, and eventually settled upon a pretty young waitress. She was wearing the sort of frilly, cute uniform that Happosai couldn't resist. If the withered old pervert had been around here, there was a good chance she'd have seen him. He smiled his most charming smile (or so he thought - his truly charming smiles only actually came when he wasn't trying to affect them) and strolled up to her. She asked if she could help him. He grinned disarmingly and asked the question. The waitress stared at him with a blank, uncomprehending expression for a long, awkward moment. Ryouga fidgeted nervously behind Ranma. Ranma asked his question again. The waitress let out an ear-splitting shriek of terror and slammed her tray of drinks over Ranma's head. Ranma staggered backwards, dazed. The waitress spun and tore out of the restaurant, white as a sheet and screaming up a storm. Ryouga registered the trajectory of the glasses of water which had been on the tray too late, and in an instant he was a pig. Then, things got really chaotic. By an unfortunate coincidence, the spilled drinks had also landed on a rather large and irate looking restaurant patron... possibly a Mongolian sumo wrestler, by the look of him. That individual rose ponderously to his feet and turned to face Ranma, who had actually been shielded from the flying liquid by the tray which was still stuck to his head. Ryouga, now P-Chan, skittered backwards away from the angry Goliath, only to find himself backing up into the boots of the cook who had emerged from the kitchen to investigate the commotion. The man took one look at P-Chan and got the same idea that most Chinese cooks seemed to get when they saw him - "Yummy!" He raised his cleaver and began to chase the small black piglet around the restaurant, while Ranma tried to placate the outraged restaurant patrons which were gathering in a small mob behind the Mongolian giant. Deciding that discretion was the better part of valor, Ranma executed a dazzling leap over a table, rebounded dexterously off a wall, snagged P-Chan by the bandanna in mid-leap, and sailed gracefully out the window in the back of the restaurant. The angry mob heard the sound of a trash can capsizing, then the screech of several startled cats. A second later, Ranma plowed back through the window, howling in terror and flapping his arms like a parrot having an epileptic fit. He trampled the Mongolian giant and bowled through the startled restaurant patrons, then finally crashed through the wall and barreled out into the street. Once Ranma realized the cats were not pursuing him, he regained his composure - just in time to see the mob reforming behind the enraged chef, who was not very pleased by what had just happened to his restaurant. Ranma took to his heels, carrying the queasy and disoriented P-Chan (who had been rattled mercilessly during Ranma's panic attack), with the angry gang of Chinese diners in hot pursuit. The few remaining individuals who had not taken off to chase Ranma and Ryouga stared at the wreckage with emotions such as astonishment, disbelief, and horror... except for one. He sat in a darkened corner of the restaurant, all but obscured by shadows. He had recognized the two Japanese martial artists immediately when they had entered the restaurant. He had also figured out what it was they had really been trying to ask the waitress, and why. He smiled a nasty little smile. Saotome Ranma was in China, searching for the old man. That was very, very interesting news indeed. - - - - - - "Hello, Tendou residence." "Kasumi? It's me." "Ranma!" Kasumi exclaimed in delight. "How nice for you to call. Are you having a good time in China?" "Uh... yeah. Sure. Um, is Nabiki there?" "Not at the moment," Kasumi answered. "She said she had some sort of business arrangement to attend. I think she's starting a new job. Isn't that nice?" "Yeah. Great. Did she leave any messages for me?" "Oh dear! I almost forgot, she did." Kasumi shuffled through the papers that Nabiki had left behind for her. She read off the latest information that Nabiki had gathered about Happosai's movements through China. "Man! That guy really gets around!" "Oh yes," Kasumi chimed. "Grandfather Happosai does seem to travel a lot. Sometimes it's almost like he's in several places at once, isn't it? Perhaps he's gotten a bicycle," she hypothesized. She knew that bicycles were very popular in China, and Shampoo did seem to get around rather well on hers. "I don't think his feet could reach the pedals. Did she get the translation I asked for?" Kasumi shuffled through the notes. "Here it is! Are you ready?" "Fire away." Kasumi read the Chinese phrases which Nabiki had gotten translated to Ranma, pronouncing the words according to the phonetic guidelines her sister had written down. "Nabiki says that means 'I am hunting for a criminal who steals underwear. Can you help me find him so I can bring him to justice?' Do you think that'll help you, Ranma?" "Yeah, I think so. Well, that's about it, I guess." A long pause followed. "Uh... say, Kasumi?" "Yes, Ranma?" "Is Akane around or anything?" Kasumi sighed. "I'm sorry. She's been rather listless and depressed lately, so Father took her off to see a film to help cheer her up. I think they went to see a foreign film called 'The English Patient.' I hope they have a good time." "Oh. Well, okay." "Your father is here," Kasumi announced brightly. "Would you like to speak to him?" "Sure, put the old guy on." Kasumi handed the phone to Mr. Saotome. "Growf?" "Pop?" "Growlf." "Aw man! Why the heck did you get on the phone if you're... geez, I don't even know why I bother with you!" >click< - - - - - - The search for Happosai was turning out to be far more difficult than Ranma had anticipated. Patience was not his finest virtue - he had hoped to be able to find the withered pervert within a matter of days, or a week at most. But China (as Ryouga had noted astutely) was big... really big. Nabiki's efforts to locate the geezer had helped to give them some direction in their search, but she could only guide them up to a point. After they'd finally sorted the translation debacle out, Ranma had been able to determine that they had indeed been through some of the places where Happosai had recently struck. It was true that some of the descriptions of the panty thief they'd gotten had been pretty vague, but there was no mistaking Happosai's pattern. Ranma had been giving a lot of thought to what he would do when he caught up with the old goat. He was going to have to pound the truth out of Happosai, that was for sure... but it wasn't going to be an easy fight. The ancient martial artist had shown a willingness to go to desperate measures when he thought his life was threatened. If Cologne was right, and the only way to get the Reikoku off his own trail was to redirect it towards Happosai, the old panty-thief would do anything in his power to prevent that from happening. Ranma had never really seen what Happosai was like if he was truly backed into a corner. He had a feeling that throwing a bra into the air during the middle of the fight wouldn't be enough to tip the scales in his favor if Happosai's life were really on the line... A nagging sensation of unease interrupted his train of thought. Ranma paused in mid-stride... and Ryouga did the same. Both of them looked back down the dirt road along which they'd been traveling. In the distance, a flock of egrets had taken wing. They were ascending into mountainous terrain now, and had an excellent vantage point to view the territory they'd covered. A mild breeze was blowing against them, strong enough to obscure some of the sounds coming from behind them. Still, Ranma could swear he heard some animal - perhaps a raccoon or a badger - chittering madly from the forest. Ranma and Ryouga looked at one another doubtfully. "It can't have crossed the ocean already," Ranma assured his traveling companion. "Right," Ryouga agreed, too quickly. "I mean, we told Nabiki how fast it moves, and she figured that it'd still be a few days behind us." Ryouga nodded vigorously. "Of course! Nothing to fear." Something rustled in the trees beside the road. A small family of deer erupted from the undergrowth, bolted across the dirt path, and plunged into the forest at full speed. They were a little closer than the egrets had been. Ranma turned to Ryouga with a big, artificial smile on his face. "Well! I sure need some exercise! How about we run a little?" "Great idea!" Ryouga agreed, his voice cracking a bit mid-sentence. "Let's go!" The two boys began to jog. This lasted for about four steps before they simultaneously broke into a dead sprint. "Terrific day for a run!" Ranma shouted. He was straining gamely to sound nonchalant. "Oh! Invigorating!" Ryouga yelled back. His own voice had taken on a somewhat manic edge. The two of them kicked up a rather substantial cloud of dust as they tore up the trail. Ranma remembered what Nabiki has said about using means of artificial transport to their advantage. He tried to recall the details of the map he'd been studying the night before, wondering if there was some place close by where the two of them might be able to hop a boat or a train that would take them towards their destination. After all, even though he told himself that there was no WAY the thing could really be behind them right now, it sure couldn't hurt to get a bit more of a lead on it... Both he and Ryouga were caught completely off guard by the splash of cold water which they suddenly encountered. Ranma-chan skidded to a halt, spluttering and clearing her eyes. She had a vague impression of a figure perched on a rock beside the road. With her vision still blurry from the dousing she'd just received, she couldn't make him out clearly... but the voice told her all she needed to know. "Well, well. If it isn't fem-boy and pork chop. Fancy meeting you here." "Aw man!" Ranma-chan exclaimed in frustration. "Outta a billion and a half people in this country, why the heck did we have to run into YOU?" Ranma-chan's vision cleared as she blinked the water out of her eyes - there was no mistaking the person before her. The scaly vest and bracers, the delicate curls of hair dangling down in front of his ears, the superior expression, the distinctive sash he wore - it could only be Pantyhose Tarou. He was probably the last person in the world that Ranma-chan wanted to encounter right now. P-chan squealed angrily at Tarou, recognizing the Chinese martial artist as well. Tarou ignored the small black piglet - in this form, he was beneath notice. His attention was reserved solely for Ranma-chan. Tarou hopped down from the rock upon which he'd been resting and crossed his arms, sneering disdainfully at the wet girl and piglet before him. "Honestly, little girl, sometimes I think you make an effort to be stupid. Do you really think that encountering me here was a coincidence?" Ranma-chan blinked, taking a moment to comprehend. "Of course! You're chasin' the old geezer too!" Tarou chuckled and flipped his bangs away from his eyes. "Naturally. Once I learned that repulsive little troll had come to China, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to catch up with him and settle matters between us. Finding out that you were here too is just an added bonus." Ranma-chan thought. "Look man, I ain't got time t'mess with you here, okay? If you're half as smart as you think you are, you'll get the hell out of here while you still have the chance!" Tarou's eyes took on a dangerous gleam. Ranma-chan had been thinking of the Reikoku when she spoke, but it had come out sounding very much like a threat. "Oh ho, girly-boy. It seems we have the same idea." Ranma-chan's eyes went wide as Tarou leaped suddenly to attack. The Chinese youth was every bit as dangerous a martial artist as Ranma-chan remembered, and she frantically dodged and blocked a wicked combination of punches and kicks. Tarou pressed his attack confidently. He viewed Ranma with an acidic loathing that even he barely understood. The mere sight of the pig-tailed martial artist awakened in him burning contempt, as well as a primal need to inflict pain. He critically analyzed Ranma-chan's defenses as he continued his assault. Somewhere in the distance, an owl awoke from its daytime slumber and took wing, screeching in terror. Ranma-chan thought, fear beginning to seize her mind. "What's the matter, fem-boy?" Tarou teased. "You're fighting like a gir..." Suddenly, Tarou's world vanished in a maelstrom of fists and pain. Ranma-chan caught him dead-center in a panic-driven Amaguriken attack. Tarou's first reflex was to try to dodge the attacks, then to try to block them. It became apparent immediately that neither strategy was going to protect him. Ranma-chan's blows were coming so fast that the air began to heat up from the friction of her fists hissing along their punishing trajectories. Tarou realized that the only defense was to simply let go and allow the force of the blows to knock him clear. He relaxed his stance, rolling with the assault, and suddenly he was hurtling through the air. Tarou tumbled to the ground a half a dozen meters away from Ranma-chan, reflexively rolling to his feet upon landing. Blood trickled from his nose and lip, his body ached in a hundred different places. Ranma-chan had landed an insane number of punches in a matter of a couple of seconds. Tarou felt like he'd been trampled by a stampede of wildebeests. he admonished himself. He hadn't expected Ranma-chan to suddenly become so aggressive. He also hadn't taken into account how much quicker the other martial artist was as a girl. Letting himself get caught in the middle of that attack had been unforgivably sloppy. Still, as dazed and unsteady as he was after taking so much damage, he still hadn't lost his rapier wit. "My, my..." he wheezed. "You are in quite a mood today. Is it that time of month?" Ranma-chan flushed angrily and advanced, ready to press the attack while her opponent was still mostly stunned. She pulled up short when she saw Tarou reach behind his back and produce a flask of water. Tarou grinned nastily and held the flask over his head, ready to pour. "Now, now, little girl," he taunted. "You wouldn't want me to have to use THIS, would you?" Tarou wasn't sure if he really wanted to use his powerful cursed form right now or not, but the threat of it would keep Ranma-chan at bay for a moment while he recovered from the punishment he'd endured. "Look, Pan... Tarou," Ranma-chan said. There was fear in her eyes, the source of which Tarou misinterpreted as being himself. "This ain't the time or place to settle things between us, okay?" "Oh, I think it is," Tarou growled menacingly. He glared for a moment at the black piglet, who was squealing urgently and incessantly. He wished that idiot would have the decency to shut up. "I think this is the perfect time." "You gotta listen to me!" Ranma-chan pleaded. "There's somethin' comin' after us, and you don't wanna be in the way when it..." Ranma-chan broke off in mid-sentence. She looked past Tarou and down the road, her eyes widening in horror. Tarou pivoted to get a look at the thing which had his rival so badly spooked. The black-robed figure shambling up the road didn't really look like much at a distance. True, there was something about the way it moved that seemed twisted and unnatural, something about the maddeningly consistent pace it kept which was unsettling... something about the very sight of it which struck fear and revulsion into Tarou's heart... Tarou understood what was happening. Whoever or whatever it was coming their way was putting out some sort of psychic terror aura. It was similar to the projection of menace that a dangerous martial artist could use to intimidate foes, but it was almost palpable in its intensity. Tarou angrily refused to let himself get intimidated by some sort of cheap ESP trick. Fem-boy and that stupid pig were obviously incapable of resisting the power of this psychic attack, but that was because they were weak of mind. He brought to bear his intellect and will to control the fear which the oncoming thing was trying to generate within him, and he soon found that he could keep the emotions under control. Tarou sneered at the two so-called martial-artists who were teetering on the verge of outright panic, shaking his head in disgust. "Is THAT what's turned you into such a coward? What kind of man are you? Heh heh heh..." Ranma-chan was ready to turn and run when she realized that P-Chan was on the verge of bolting in terror. Evidently, when he was in his animal form, Ryouga was more vulnerable to the terror field of the Reikoku, and was going to react as other animals did when confronted with the unnatural thing. She knew that if she lost track of P-Chan, the little pig was as good as doomed. She managed to lunge for the terrified piglet just as he lost control and started to run. Ranma-chan had a hold of his rear leg, desperately trying to keep her grip as the piglet twisted frantically. Tarou watched this display with contempt. "Oh really, this is beyond sad. Do you need me to take care of your little problem, Fem-boy? Is that it?" Ranma-chan reeled the struggling P-Chan in and got a firmer grip on his tiny form. "Run away, Pantyhose! You don't know what that thing can do!" "Bah," Tarou scoffed. He turned towards the approaching Reikoku. The psychic fear aura got stronger as the thing approached, but Tarou refused to allow himself to be affected by this attack. He addressed the shambling thing. "You seem to get a kick out of scaring people. Want to see something really scary?" Tarou emptied the flask over his head, and immediately changed. Pantyhose Tarou's cursed form was a bizarre and grotesque amalgamation of several different creatures. He had been baptized in what was probably the strangest spring in Jusenkyo - the spring of the drowned yeti, riding a bull, carrying a crane and an eel. Much later in life, he had also used the water of the spring of the drowned giant octopus. The thing he became when he was splashed was a synthesis of all these beings - a hulking minotaur-like monstrosity, with wings protruding from its shoulders, tentacles sprouting from its back, and an eel where its tail should have been. When someone saw him change for the first time, they were inevitably shocked and terrified. The Reikoku didn't even miss a step. The lack of reaction from the black-robed thing angered Tarou even further. He let out a roar of rage which echoed like thunder through the woods, then took an earth-shaking step towards the oncoming Reikoku. It didn't even acknowledge his existence - it just kept shambling towards the horrified Ranma-chan and P-Chan. It looked as if it would simply walk by the monstrous Pantyhose Tarou as if he weren't even there. This was intolerable. Tarou was accustomed to many different kinds of reactions to his alter ego, but he had never been abjectly ignored. He reared back and drove an anvil-like fist towards the unearthly thing before him. The Reikoku perceived the incoming attack and immediately noticed Tarou. It evaded the mammoth fist and countered with astonishing ferocity. It leaped at Tarou, slashing at his eyes with sickle- like claws. Tarou jerked back reflexively, and the Reikoku's strikes left shallow cuts along his face. He stumbled back in surprise, taken off-guard by the way the thing had switched from ignoring him to attacking him with murderous savagery in the blink of an eye. Ranma-chan held P-Chan tightly under one arm and unlimbered her pack. Pantyhose had attacked it - that changed everything. She was pretty sure that he'd be able to deal with the thing while he was in his cursed form, so they didn't really need to run away. She wasn't going to be able to do much of anything while she was trying to keep P-Chan from bolting, though, so the first priority was to get some hot water. With her free hand, she scooped together a pile of sticks, then retrieved her lighter fluid, matches, and kettle from the pack. She knew she'd have to work quickly... Tarou realized how much he had become accustomed to intimidating his foes with his size and power in a battle. It was apparent to him that he'd been relying on that psychological edge now that he was facing a foe that was not at all intimidated by his presence. The Reikoku attacked with a berserk fury that would have put a wolverine to shame, targeting Tarou's throat and eyes with its relentless attacks. Tarou swung his head and nicked it with a horn as it made another lunge towards his eyes. The thing barely seemed to acknowledge the injury, but it was thrown off for a moment. He pressed his attack with the tentacles, only to jerk back in pain as the Reikoku lashed out and cut deep wounds in the rubbery flesh. It leaped in again, moving like a blur, trying to lay open his throat with its razor- keen claws. Tarou had taken just about enough of this. If the thing wanted savagery, he'd show it savagery... Tarou charged into the monster's attack, using his sheer bulk and strength to overwhelm the Reikoku. He pounded it away from him with a headbutt, then followed up with a pair of devastating punches with oversized fists. The Reikoku's chitinous armor shattered under the force of these blows, and the thing reeled and tumbled to the dirt. It bounded up again almost immediately, pressing its attack once more, but Tarou had adapted to its strategy and counterattacked with a punishing blow. This time, he didn't give it time to rise. He brought down one of his vast hooves like a piledriver, pulverizing the beast with crushing force. The earth rocked as he stomped on the Reikoku again and again, relishing the feel of its armor buckling and splintering beneath his hoof. Finally, the black-robed thing stopped struggling. Tarou backed away, regarding the creature that lay inert in the small crater with satisfaction. He spared a glance at the two martial artists who had been watching the conflict (they'd been no help at all, Pantyhose noted ruefully). It seemed that Saotome had managed to turn her stupid friend back into what passed for human with him. They stood beside the small fire they'd made, both looking worried. Tarou thought. Ranma-chan looked up at Tarou and spread her hands in a pacifying gesture. "It looks like you're in this too, Tarou. I know it sounds weird, but that thing is gonna come back from the dead, see, and now it's gonna chase you just like it's chasin' us." She scratched the back of her head, looking confused. "Maybe you'd better come with us now..." Tarou shook his ponderous head in a gesture of loathing. With surprising speed and dexterity, Tarou extended a pair of tentacles towards Ranma-chan. The girl leaped back defensively, but Tarou was aiming elsewhere. With one tentacle, he snagged the canister of lighter fluid, and with the other he plucked a burning brand from the small fire. "Hey, what..." Ranma-chan began. Tarou ignored her. Saotome was a feeble-minded cross-dresser who was incapable of even the most elementary feats of cognition or thought. If this monster, whatever it was, regenerated even after you beat it, then the obvious solution was to destroy it so thoroughly that it couldn't come back. He doubted the thing would be able to piece itself together if it was burned to ash and scattered across half of China. Tarou tossed the lighter fluid and the burning stick onto the Reikoku. Ranma-chan shouted a warning, but it came too late - and Tarou would not have heeded, anyway. The black robes of the Reikoku went up like dry kindling, and the thing was engulfed in a bright fireball. "Oh no," Ranma-chan whispered. The burning heap began to shift. Tarou took a heavy step backwards, regarding the smoldering figure with disbelief. They watched it rise to its feet in the angry flames, the light from its three red eyes piercing the thick smoke like lasers. The blazing fire coating its robes abruptly sputtered and died, as if it had been sucked into the very darkness of the being. The Reikoku stepped forward from the blackened patch of ground, the damage done by Tarou and the fire utterly healed. Tarou grunted in irritation. So flame revived it - that was merely an inconvenience. Certainly it was a vicious little brute, but he had take its measure and knew he could best it easily again. The trick seemed to be getting it to stay down... perhaps it could be encased in concrete and dumped in the sea, or maybe burying it under tons of rock would be the answer. In any case, he had to crush the stupid thing again. The earth trembled under Pantyhose Tarou's mighty hooves as he advanced on the Reikoku once more, ready for battle. The Reikoku brought forth a strange appendage from its robes, like a warped fusion of an arm and an elephant's trunk. As Tarou reared back to deliver a pulverizing blow, it launched a blast of water from its new arm. It was hot water. Suddenly, Tarou was human once more - smaller, weaker, and far more vulnerable. He staggered back in shock, totally unprepared for this turn of events. The Reikoku was on him before he knew it. He could have sworn it was faster this time. He dodged and blocked reflexively, but the thing pressed its merciless attack. Gashes and cuts opened up across his body where its strikes hit home. The few counterattacks that Tarou managed to attempt glanced harmlessly off the armored hide of the creature, not even slowing it down. "Run, Pantyhose!" Ranma-chan shouted. Tarou tried to turn and escape, but he was caught by a brutal backhanded strike across the temple. His knees buckled, his vision blurred. Another blow slashed deep into his shoulder, then something like a cannonball hit him in the chest. Tarou was blown off his feet and hurtled through the air, until he was slammed into the boulder upon which he'd been perched as he'd waited for Ranma-chan and Ryouga to come down the road. The stone shattered with the impact. Tarou's body came to rest in the rubble, where he lay prone and unconscious. The Reikoku moved in for the kill. Ranma-chan acted without thinking, leaping towards Tarou's fallen form to haul him out of harm's way. Ryouga took a step forward as well, but he couldn't match Ranma-chan's speed. A small part of Ranma-chan's mind questioned why she was putting herself in jeopardy to save the life of her dire enemy, but there was no time to hesitate or to pull back. All she could hope was that she would reach the fallen martial-artist before the Reikoku did... Ranma-chan realized the moment that she reached Tarou and scooped the boy up from the rubble that she wasn't going to make it. The Reikoku was only a step away, a hooked claw like a saber poised to slice both Ranma-chan and her burden wide open. Ranma-chan held up a hand in a vain effort to ward off the strike... then something hit the Reikoku's square in the chest and exploded. The beast was rocked for a moment by this surprise attack, but a moment was all that Ranma-chan needed. She leaped clear of the rubble. "This way!" came a yell from down the road. Ranma-chan gaped in surprise as she recognized the voice. "Ucchan?!" "Ukyou-san?" Ryouga shouted. "Hurry!" Ukyou cried. She was holding another of her specially- made exploding okonomiyaki bombs, poised to hurl it at the Reikoku. It looked as if she wasn't going to need it, though - Ranma-chan and Ryouga were already pulling away from the Reikoku. The creature had resumed its steady, unstoppable pace in pursuit. She whirled and ran along with them as they caught up to her on the trail. Ranma-chan blinked in surprise as Pantyhose Tarou was jerked free from her grasp. Ryouga slung the unconscious martial artist over his shoulder, then picked up the pace. The lost boy was far stronger than Ranma-chan, and could make better time with the heavier burden. Ranma-chan knew that this was not the time to be macho about this sort of thing, and gratefully left the duty of carrying Tarou to Ryouga. "Ucchan!" Ranma-chan huffed as she ran. "How... what're you doin' here?" "Nabiki told me where you were headed," the young chef explained. "I started there and worked my way backwards. Looks like I found you just in time!" "You... you moron!" Ranma-chan shouted. She usually didn't talk to Ucchan like that, but she was both terrified and enraged about the implications of her friend's attack on the Reikoku. "D'ya know what you've done? That thing is gonna..." "It's going to hunt me, too!" she finished. She gave Ranma-chan a stubborn look. "I don't care! I couldn't let you face this alone!" "He isn't alone," Ryouga grumbled irritably. "Uh... yeah," Ukyou said. "Whatever." "Where are we going?" Ranma-chan asked. Thinking about the ramifications of having both Ukyou and Pantyhose along for the ride was too confusing for the moment - it was time to focus on the practical aspects of getting away from the Reikoku. "I crossed a river about two miles away from here," Ukyou explained. "There's a bunch of trees by it... we can make a raft and sail away from the thing. That should buy us some time, you think?" Ranma-chan nodded. Being on the water was hardly ideal, especially with Pantyhose on board, but it would help them cover some ground. If they took shifts, they could even sleep on the raft, if necessary. The only trick was building a suitable craft before their relentless pursuer caught up with them. They covered the distance between themselves and the river practically at a full sprint. Ukyou was badly winded by the time they reached the water, but Ranma-chan and Ryouga had astonishing stamina. Ryouga borrowed Ukyou's spatula and began hacking up timber, which Ranma-chan bound with their ropes at spectacular speeds. Ukyou decided to stay out of their way, and instead checked up on their unconscious companion. "How is he?" Ranma-chan shouted over, not pausing in her work. Ukyou inspected the boy's wounds. She knew who he was from Ranma's descriptions of their encounters, though she'd never actually seen him in person. She had somehow thought he would be taller. He'd been pretty badly smashed around, but he was a martial artist in Ranma's league. The bleeding from his scrapes and gashes had already stopped, and his pulse and breathing were regular and strong. "He's going to make it." "Wrap him up in the tent or somethin' so he don't get wet," Ranma-chan ordered. "This raft ain't gonna hold up if he changes." Ukyou went to work on swaddling Tarou in one of the tents. Ranma-chan and Ryouga labored furiously towards the completion of the raft, each occasionally sparing a glance back up the road for signs of their adversary. They couldn't hear much over the din of their own activity, but Ryouga caught a glimpse of a small flock of black birds fluttering madly into the sky a short distance away. "Okay, it's ready!" Ranma-chan shouted, pulling back from the raft. It was hardly a luxury liner, but it looked as if it would stay afloat. Ryouga hefted the newly-made craft, pivoted, and lowered it into the water. He kept a hold on a rope and let the raft settle into the river, watching critically for signs of leaks or instability. "I don't know much about boats," Ryouga said, "but it looks okay to me..." Ukyou eyed the wooden craft dubiously. "You guys think that'll hold us all?" The piercing screech of a terrified wild boar erupted from behind them. It was very close... The three martial artists wasted no time in loading themselves and their cargo onto the raft. The Reikoku stalked into view just as they were pushing off from the shore. Ukyou stood at back, trying to steer with her spatula, while Ranma-chan paddled and Ryouga poled along with his umbrella. For a terrifying moment, it seemed like the raft was going to capsize from the unbalanced forces working to set it in motion, but then the current caught the tiny craft. The raft righted itself as Ukyou steered it into the center of the river. "We did it!" Ranma-chan exclaimed in glee. At first, it seemed as if the plan would work perfectly. The current on this river was swift and strong, and it carried them quickly away from the Reikoku. The black-robed creature took up a parallel course along the river bank, angling to intercept them, but it did not match their pace. Unfotunately, their pace was not consistent. The river twisted and turned, while the Reikoku remained on an unerringly direct course towards its prey. Sometimes it shambled into the water as it pursued to the point of being completely immersed, but it was able to ignore the resistance of the water effortlessly, never deviating from its speed or course for an instant. They were not pulling away from it as quickly as they had hoped they might. Keeping the craft afloat was becoming a serious challenge. The river became narrower and rockier, and the current became perilous and unpredictable. None of the three young fighters had any real experience with rafting, and now they were practically in whitewater with a slipshod boat underneath them. And the Reikoku kept coming. "This is bad!" Ranma-chan said nervously. "Tell me about it!" Ryouga answered, jerking back from the edge of the raft just in time to avoid being doused by a splash of cold water. He jabbed at a rock with his umbrella, shoving the raft aside moments before collision. "That thing's right on our backs," Ukyou informed them. She was standing, and had a better vantage point to observe their pursuer. "Don't watch it!" Ranma-chan told her. "Just keep on steerin'! If we get past this rough part, maybe we'll be okay..." Ukyou willed herself to look away from the morbidly fascinating site of the Reikoku as it shambled effortlessly across the harsh terrain, turning to face the front of the craft and concentrate on the job of steering. Suddenly, her eyes went wide with horror at the sight of what lay before them. "Oh no..." she croaked, her throat constricting. "What? What'd you say, Ucchan?" "W... WATERFALL!" "What?!" Then they began to hear it - the thunderous rumble of tons of water plummeting over the lip of a sheer drop. They were less than a minute away from the falls, and there was no place to pull ashore. The current had them in its inexorable grip. The three martial artists simply gaped for a long moment at the river before them as their craft raced towards the falls, struggling desperately to think of some way to escape the fate which awaited them. Ranma-chan pounded her fist into her open palm - "I got it! Pantyhose!" Ukyou stared at him. For a second, she thought Ranma had gone berserk and was babbling about women's underwear. "What about him?" Ryouga asked desperately. "He can fly! Quick, dump him into the water!" They didn't have anything better to try. Ryouga stood up and kicked the bundled Tarou (none too gently), sending him rolling off the edge of the raft. Immediately, he transformed into his monstrous cursed form, ripping free from the tent in which he'd been wrapped. The sudden displacement of water created a wave that dangerously rocked the already unstable raft. Ranma-chan grabbed her pack and jumped onto Tarou's back, and was soon followed by the other two. Tarou's snout was floating above water, allowing him to breathe, but he was still mostly unconscious. Ranma-chan clambered up to Tarou's immense head and took hold of one of his bovine ears. She took a deep breath, then screamed at the top of her lungs directly into the oversized ear. "GET UP!" Tarou's massive frame jerked. The three teenagers struggled to keep their hold as Pantyhose Tarou jolted back into consciousness. He let out a grunt of surprise and disorientation. "That thing's right behind us!" Ranma-chan screamed at him. "Fly us outta here now!" Tarou struggled to make sense of his surroundings. He was in the water... he'd been in a fight, what had happened... there was some infernal roaring in his ears, he couldn't concentrate... "Look OUT!" Ukyou shrieked. Tarou's monstrous form reached the lip of the waterfall. The three martial artists who clutched his back screamed in terror as they all plummeted into open space, suddenly rushing towards the jagged rocks and chaos of churning water over a hundred feet below. Tarou acted entirely on instinct. He spread his wings as they fell, straining against the momentum they'd accumulated in their descent. For a moment, it felt like his wings would snap under the stress, but he flapped them with all his might, roaring with the effort. He conquered their inertia, and then they were flying. He heard a cheer of utter relief and joy from the freeloaders on his back. "All right! Now get us outta here, man!" That was fem-boy. Tarou was still dizzy and uncertain about his surroundings. He beat his wings and hovered in place for a moment, trying to get his bearings. "There it is!" screamed Ukyou. Tarou didn't recognize the voice. The Reikoku had appeared over the lip of the waterfall. Tarou suddenly felt its unnatural presence, its fear aura piercing through the veil of confusion in his mind. He looked frantically back over his shoulder, trying desperately to pick up some speed in the air. The Reikoku launched a barrage of water blasts towards the four martial artists. Ryouga leaped to his feet and opened his umbrella, deflecting the incoming hot water attacks as they reached Tarou. In a moment of panic, Tarou banked hard to the side, swerving over the forest in a desperate attempt to dodge the incoming water. The sudden jarring movement threw Ryouga into the open air. "No!" Ranma-chan shouted, reaching out for Ryouga. She was too late. Ryouga pivoted in the air, bringing up his umbrella over his head to use as a parachute to slow his descent. The Reikoku shifted its stance slightly, reorienting on the falling boy, and launched another spread of water blasts. Ryouga couldn't bring his umbrella around to shield himself this time, and took a splash of water directly in the face. He transformed instantly into a small, helpless black piglet. Ranma-chan thought. It made sense - the Reikoku had adapted after fighting Ryouga. It wouldn't have to come up with some sort of special ki-reflection defense or anything like that to beat Ryouga... his weak spot was much more obvious, and far more severe. P-Chan squealed in abject terror, flailing madly as he plummeted into the thick greenery below. The Reikoku descended the cliff face after him. "Ryouga!" Ranma-chan screamed helplessly from Tarou's back. Pantyhose showed no signs of wanting to turn around to retrieve their fallen companion. "RYOUGA!!" end of chapter three ----------------------------------------------------------- AUTHOR'S NOTES ----------------------------------------------------------- I'm going to try to give descriptions of the more obscure Ranma 1/2 characters who appear in this story. If they haven't shown up in the manga or anime currently released in the U.S., I'll endeavor to give them some introduction. So... KONATSU: We don't see him this chapter, but he is mentioned and he'll appear some more as the story unfolds. Konatsu is a once-in-a-generation genius ninja from a family of terribly ugly ninja women. He was raised as a girl, and is quite convincing in the role. Konatsu has been liberated from his oppressive and abusive family, and now works for Ukyou (for room and board and a VERY small salary). Konatsu is sweet, submissive, and has a crush on Ukyou. He has been so badly deprived in his life that even the most basic comforts (like a futon) seem like pure luxury to him. PANTYHOSE TAROU: A Chinese martial artist who was baptized in that crazy spring by Happosai. Happosai also gave him the name "Pantyhose," an act which has earned him Tarou's undying hatred. Tarou's primary goal in life is to make Happosai change his name (ideally, he would like to be called "Mr. Awesome"). Tarou also seems to be generally confrontational and abrasive, and attacked every martial artist in Nerima with a Jusenkyou curse when he first arrived. He despises Ranma thoroughly, for reasons which are not entirely clear. Tarou has demonstrated himself to be very cunning in the past, and has formulated several plans which involved using the Jusenkyou water, which have had varying degrees of success. At one point, he also voices an interest in world domination, but we do not know if this was just a fleeting delusion of grandeur or a genuine life goal. He and Ranma have never fought conclusively as humans, but it is clear that Tarou has formidable martial arts skills even when he is not in his mighty cursed form. COMING SOON: P-Chan is in dire peril! Will Ranma and company be able to save him? Will Pantyhose even try? Can the four of them get past their own differences and work together? Meanwhile, in Nerima, Akane stops moping around and decides on a course of action which will dramatically change her life. And what was this about Nabiki... getting a JOB? REVISION NOTES: Only small fixes and edits. Ryouga's confusion about chain restaurants is a part that really tickled me when I re-read it. COPYRIGHT STUFF: All the Ranma characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko, and are licensed in America by Viz Communications. GRT - June 1998 MODIFIED - April 2005 thunderstruck_comic@comcast.net All existing chapters of this story may be found at: http://www.talesfromthevault.com/relentless