========================= RELENTLESS A Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction By Grayson Towler ========================= ----------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER NINE: Challenge ----------------------------------------------------------- The students of Furinkan High School were beginning to realize that something strange was going on. The two members of the Bowling Club moved into position, giving a brief glance and nod to the other martial artists and students circling their adversary. They'd planned this attack out the night before, practicing against target dummies until they got the timing right. An upperclassman with a pair of nunchaku gave the cue, and the students charged. The first student hurled a pair of bowling pins at Tendou Akane, while his counterpart charged with an underarm swing. With a sweep of her left arm, Akane swatted the heavy pins out of the air, deflecting them with uncanny accuracy towards the tennis player who was charging her flank. One of the pins ripped through his racket strings and thumped into his forehead, while the other spun hard into his midsection. The tennis player dropped like a sack of hammers. Akane met the swinging bowling ball with an open palm well before it connected with her chin. The heavy sphere stopped cold with a meaty smack, sending a shudder of backlash through the bowler's arm. Akane simply pushed, and the boy stumbled away from her, the black ball bouncing painfully off his chest as he fell. By this time, the three martial artists who had positioned themselves behind her were attacking, hoping that the other students had distracted her sufficiently to create an opening. The upperclassman with the nunchaku spun his weapon and aimed a blow at the back of Akane's head. Without turning to look, the Tendou girl shifted her position slightly, then reached up over her shoulder with her left hand and caught the weapon a few centimeters before impact. With a twist, she wrenched it easily away from the grasp of her attacker. Akane pivoted and intercepted the staff of another attacker. The chain of the nunchaku wrapped around the wood of the staff, killing its momentum instantly. She swept the nunchaku in a shallow arc, tearing the staff out of the student's grip and clocking him in the jaw with one end of the flailing weapon. She cast the two weapons aside into the gut of the upperclassman, who sprawled to the ground. Her final attacker in this group was a member of the sumo team, who charged in the wake of his fellow students with a 315-pound bull charge. An elbow to the temple, and he was down. Sensing a break in the action, Tendou Akane stepped clear of the prone forms of her fallen foes, then waited for the next attack. The remaining love-struck boys of Furinkan regarded one another dubiously. Something was not right here. It wasn't that they were getting beaten by Akane - that happened every day, they were used to it. Some of them even liked it. But the Akane they knew was a fierce fighter, a piston in a school uniform who charged, ducked, and weaved through their ranks with delightful savagery. As good as she was, there was always the feeling amongst Akane's unconventional suitors that she could be beaten. Sure, it was unlikely, but they knew she left openings. If the right guy could get into the right place at the right time... well, it could happen. It would be like winning the lottery, but it seemed remotely plausible. Today, though, was different. She hadn't thrown a single kick. The bookbag which she'd used to batter them with such masterful skill in the past hung quietly at her side in her right hand. She barely even moved to dodge their attacks, hardly even looked at them when they charged, yet none of them had landed a single blow. The surging wave of fury which had carried her like a human tornado through their ranks was gone, replaced by a composure that was almost clinical in its coolness. She'd defeated half of them with only her left hand, and she wasn't even breathing hard yet. The students of Furinkan High were gluttons for punishment, but they knew futility when they saw it. They'd recognized it when Ranma first arrived, knowing that they'd just be spinning their wheels if they tried to challenge him over Akane. Now, looking into the eyes of Tendou Akane, they began to realize the game was over. They'd never beat her now. The students began to lower their weapons and back away. "At last, these lowly curs see that they are unworthy of thee!" A small grin flickered across Akane's features as she turned to face Kunou. The kendo artist, secure in the mysterious belief of his own invincibility, advanced with his wooden sword in one hand and a single red rose in the other. He was the sort of person who always heard his own soundtrack in his mind, and who could practically feel the epic prose being written whenever he took a step. He had failed to pick up on the change in Furinkan's most popular girl that the other students had detected. "So fair, yet so fierce," Kunou exclaimed. "Truly, this age is blessed to be witness to such loveliness!" Akane simply waited. "And even more blessed am I!" Kunou announced. "For once I defeat thee in honorable combat, my beloved Tendou Akane, thou shalt be mine forever. Come, my love! Lose with all thy might, so the yearnings of thine heart might finally be satisfied! Yaaah!" The last exclamation accompanied Kunou's charge. Akane held her ground as he approached, bokken raised above his head to strike. As the wooden sword descended towards her, she reached up with her left hand and met the blade in the midst of its arc, pinning it in her grasp. A murmur rippled through the crowd. "Before we start this, upperclassman Kunou," Akane said, "I want to tell you something." "Very well, fairest maiden," Kunou acquiesced nobly. He tried to pull his sword free of her grip, but was surprised to discover the weapon would not budge. "Uh... speak what thou would!" Akane nodded and looked gravely into Kunou's face. "Now, you've said this yourself and heard it from my dad, but you've never heard it from me. Upperclassman, if you defeat me in combat today, I swear that I will date with you." Kunou beamed with joy. "Ah! Such devotion! Truly, this is the finest of days, that my love would declare herself to me!" He attempted to make a dramatic gesture, but he still couldn't work his sword free of her grasp. It felt as if the weapon were imprisoned in solid stone. "But I'm warning you, Upperclassman Kunou," she continued, "I'm going to fight my hardest. You'll never win if you go easy on me. So if you want to date me, you have to give me everything you've got." "Of course, my beloved!" Kunou sang. He gave another futile tug on his sword. "Your best fight, Upperclassman Kunou," Akane reiterated, staring hard into his eyes. "I want your very best fight." The intensity of her gaze seemed to penetrate Kunou's cocoon of self-importance for a moment. He sucked a sharp breath through his teeth, composing his features for battle. "I understand, Tendou Akane. I shall attack without reservation!" Satisfied, Akane opened her fingers and released Kunou's weapon. She set down her bookbag and dropped into a combat stance. The students of Furinkan backed a little farther away - her battle aura was practically palpable. She stood facing Kunou for a long, tense moment. The wind twirled a handful of dry autumn leaves between them. The crowd of high-schoolers didn't dare breathe. A harsh battle cry ripped its way from Kunou's throat, shattering the silence. He advanced in a blur, swinging his bokken in a savage arc directly towards Akane's head. The air whistled in protest from the speed and force of the blow. Akane didn't even flinch. Kunou checked his swing a hair's breadth away from Akane's skull. The crowd let out a collective gasp - several of Akane's friends almost fainted. Kunou himself seemed surprised that he hadn't been able to follow through with the attack. Akane was the only one who acted as if this is what she'd expected to happen all along. She relaxed her stance and let out a sigh. "I... I apologize, Tendou Akane," Kunou said formally as he drew back his blade. He bowed his head in shame. "Though I know you desire my love above all things, it seems... that I cannot bring myself to strike you." "That's okay, Upperclassman Kunou," she said, patting him on the arm. "I thought this might happen." "I have failed you, my dearest love," Kunou opined, with genuine distress. "Oh, don't let it get you down," Akane said cheerfully. "In a way, it's kind of sweet that you couldn't bring yourself to do it." "S... sweet?" Kunou repeated in a whisper, his eyes lighting up. He turned, gesturing to the crowd with narrative flourish. "And thus she saw the nobility of his heart, even in the midst of his greatest failure. And thus she knew his love was true. His failure became his success, his defeat transformed to victory! The storm broke, and the golden sunlight poured onto a shining world of bliss! A glorious new love was born!" Kunou charged, arms spread wide for a passionate embrace. "Come date with me, my darling waaaaaagh!" The last sentence was abruptly ended by Akane's traditional Uppercut Launcher, which sent Kunou hurtling away to the distance. Some things, she reflected, never changed. The show was over - the bell was about to ring, and another day of classes would begin. Natsume and Kurumi congratulated Akane briefly as they passed her on the way in. Akane considered the morning's events as she traversed the hallways towards her first class. She was going to have to find some other way to test herself. - - - - - - Ryouga jerked his hands out of the flames, scattering hot acorns across the ground. He grit his teeth against the pain and flexed his singed hand. he thought. He lowered his hand into the bucket of cool water carefully, making certain he didn't splash or tip the pail. The Lost Boy sighed with relief. "Ain't you gonna be glad when you don't have to do that anymore, sugar?" Ryouga looked up at Ukyou as she approached. "Do what?" "Be so careful around water. Once you get cured," the okonomiyaki chef said with a smile. "Oh. Sure... if it works." "What do you mean?" Ryouga shrugged. "I've had cures dangled in front of me before," he explained gloomily. "Something always goes wrong." "Oh, don't be so negative," Ukyou chided. "It'll work out. You'll see." Ryouga just grunted irritably. In his experience, things NEVER just "worked out." "As a matter of fact, I was thinking of something about those springs," Ukyou said. "Hmm?" "How about we try to find a spring that would let you turn into something really strong?" she suggested. "That way, when you fought the Reikoku again and it tried to splash you... WHAM! It's in for a big surprise! Chalk up another victory for the boy in the bandanna." She looked very pleased with the idea. Ryouga was considerably less enthusiastic. "What kind of spring are you thinking of?" "Well, I don't know them all, do I?" she said. " Maybe that one that Tarou fell in would do the trick, though." "Feh," Ryouga sniffed. "I think I'd rather die than turn into a monster like THAT." "Are you sure about that?" The Lost Boy nodded and stared into the fire. "I'm enough of a freak as it is. How would you like to turn into some hideous, deformed monster every time it rained? What if you're in a restaurant and someone spills a glass of water? The whole place is destroyed and everybody's screaming in terror, looking at you like you're some kind of demon from the pits of hell. Some life that would be. Even being a piglet isn't as bad as that." Ukyou bit her lip and frowned. "Well, there's bound to be another spring that wouldn't be SO bad, isn't there? And besides, you could always get some of the water you need for the cure, too. Then once you win the fight, you can turn back to normal." "I don't know," Ryouga muttered. It sounded like a reasonable enough plan on the surface, but he had his doubts all the same. Jusenkyou was an unlucky place - he didn't really believe the cursed springs could ever be used to save them. "Or maybe," Ukyou suggested, "we could dump some water on the Reikoku. Turn it into something we could handle." "I wonder if that would work?" Ryouga mused. Maybe the thing was too powerful to be affected, but would it hurt to try? "It might turn into some sort of demon animal or something. I wonder if it would be easier to fight a demon-pig, or a duck, or a cat..." "Anything but a cat," Ukyou said. "Ranma would never be able to deal with it." "Oh, yeah." The young chef cocked her head. "What IS his problem with cats, anyway? Do you know?" Ryouga shrugged. "Some stupid training thing is father tried with him when he was little. He threw him into a pit full of starving cats. I can't guess what it was supposed to achieve." Ukyou fumed at this. "I can't believe what an ass his dad is. It's a miracle Ranma came out as well as he did." Ryouga considered saying that Ranma hadn't come out very well at all in his opinion, but found that he didn't really believe that so strongly anymore. Sure, he could still be an irritating bastard, but compared to his father and his former "Master"... "He's not such a bad guy, sometimes," he muttered. Ryouga glanced towards Ranma's dark corner of the campsite. The pig-tailed martial artist had gone to bed earlier once again, as part of this dream- training experiment he refused to explain. "I bet he's already asleep..." Something stirred in the darkness. "Ranchan...?" Ukyou called nervously. Her hand edged towards her battle spatula. They heard the barest hint of some strange noise coming from Ranma's sleeping bag. It sounded like some kind of animal's growl. The two teenagers scrambled to their feet and stared wide-eyed into the blackness. "Ranma?" Ryouga called. "Is that you?" A pair of eyes peered at them from the shadows, reflecting red in the firelight. The eerie yowling intensified. "Stop that right now, Ranma!" Ukyou shouted, her voice hitting a nervous high. "This isn't funny!" The glowing eyes grew closer as the figure in the darkness began to move. Ukyou fought against the urge to scream and clutched Ryouga's arm. A sudden, jarring clatter emerged from Ranma's sleeping area. It was followed instantly by the unmistakable noise of splashing water. Ukyou let out a little screech of surprise. Ryouga jumped back, startled, and nearly tumbled into the fire. They heard Ranma spluttering. "Wha... where? Huh?" "Ranchan!" Ukyou shouted. She and Ryouga advanced to get a better look. Ranma-chan sat beside an empty bucket, which was affixed to her ankle by a long rope. It became clear to the two fighters that Ranma had set the bucket up in the tree above her sleeping bag, and tied this rope to it so it would fall and douse her if she awoke and began moving about. "What the hell were you doing?" Ryouga demanded. He wrinkled his nose as he smelled the campsite. "Ugh... and again you're sleeping with dead fish." Ranma-chan got to her feet and looked around. "I was makin' weird noises and stuff, wasn't I?" "You scared the heck out of us!" Ukyou snapped accusingly. "What's the big idea?" "Then... I did it!" Ranma-chan punched triumphantly at the air. "Ha! I did it!" "Did what?" Ryouga demanded. "You'll see," Ranma-chan told them. "It'd take too long to explain. But if we get in a tight spot with that monster, I've got an ace in the hole." - - - - - - "Don't worry, my darling Shampoo!" Mousse declared bravely to the fire hydrant. "You needn't trouble yourself with this! Whoever this challenger is, he'll have to go through ME if he wants..." A bonbori smacked into the back of Mousse's head, cutting off his soliloquy rather abruptly. Shampoo absently snagged the weapon out of the air on the rebound, ignoring Mousse as he crumpled to the sidewalk. Sometimes, it was just a lot more expedient to knock Mousse cold than to try to explain anything to him. "What's this about a challenge, great-granddaughter?" Shampoo pivoted to face Cologne as the elder Amazon emerged from the restaurant. She unfolded the letter she'd received that morning and extended it towards the old woman. "Great-grandmother. Look at this!" Cologne inspected the letter thoughtfully. "A challenge letter indeed... but not signed. How very odd. Do you have any idea who this might be, Shampoo?" The long-haired girl shrugged. "Shampoo not know. Someone who want to marry Shampoo, maybe?" Cologne frowned. That was always a possibility - by now, word of Amazon law had gotten around in Nerima, and Shampoo was the sort of girl who attracted attention. She'd bested several challengers seeking her favor back home before she met Ranma. It wasn't unreasonable to assume that the locals here would eventually try their luck, especially with Ranma gone for so long. But somehow, she didn't think that was what was happening here. The wording in the letter was terse and hostile - not at all what you'd expect out of a suitor. It sounded much more like the challenge of an enemy. "Well," the matriarch said with a sigh, "we shall see soon enough. The time dictated in the letter is almost upon us." Shampoo smiled confidently and went back to her warm-up exercises. Cologne took up a seat on the prone Mousse's head and simply waited. "Shampoo!" called a strong, female voice from. The two Amazons pivoted towards the sound, squinting at the figure silhouetted against the setting sun. "Who that?" Shampoo shot back. "It's time we settled things once and for all," the figure shouted. She advanced towards the restaurant, striding with fierce determination. "A... Akane?" Shampoo said in disbelief. The tension went out of her stance and she rolled her eyes. "Oh, it only you. What you doing here, stupid girl? Come to ask for date with Mousse?" The Tendou girl seethed and clenched her fists. A sly smile crept across Shampoo's lips - it was so easy to make Akane angry. The more enraged she got, the easier she was to deal with. Not that the short-haired martial artist could offer much threat to Shampoo anyway, but it never hurt to gain every advantage over an adversary. "It's past time we ended this, Shampoo," Akane declared. "This is a fight to the finish." Shampoo shook her head and sighed. "What got into Violent Girl today? Why you in such a mood?" Akane took up a fighting stance ten meters away from Shampoo and glared angrily at the Chinese girl. "This fight settles everything between us. Whoever loses suffers the consequences." Shampoo gave her a dubious look. "So much crazy talk today. What consequences you talk about?" "Do I have to spell it out for you?" Akane growled. "If you lose, you admit you've lost Ranma forever and take your punishment for failure. If I lose, you make good on that Kiss of Death you gave me. Now do you get it, Shampoo?" Shampoo sucked air through her teeth and winced. "Great-granddaughter!" Cologne gasped. "Do you mean to tell me that this girl defeated you in combat once before?" The Amazon girl waved her hand dismissively and forced a grin. "No... no. Shampoo not give real Kiss of Death. Just trying to scare Akane, that all." "Shampoo!" Cologne scolded. "I taught you better than that! Using Amazon laws and traditions in such a deceptive way is disgraceful behavior. How could you?" Shampoo bowed deeply by way of apology, trying not to gnash her teeth. She'd never imagined that Akane would go and bring that up in front of her great-grandmother. The stupid girl deserved a good beating for that, if nothing else. "I don't care if it was a real Kiss of Death or not!" Akane shouted. "This challenge is for real! Now are you ready to fight me, Shampoo?" The young Amazon composed herself and glared irritably at Akane. The child had no business making death challenges to real warriors - she was completely out of her depth. Shampoo was quite aware of the difference between threatening to kill someone to intimidate them and actually getting the blood on your hands. Akane would have been dead long ago otherwise. She had no idea how much forbearance Shampoo had accorded her. And this time would be no different. Shampoo didn't understand what had gotten into Akane today, but all that would be required was to give the girl a sound thrashing and send her slinking home. Since Ranma wasn't around, she didn't even have to hold back as much as she had in the past. A thorough, embarrassing beating should be enough to teach Akane not to make death threats. Shampoo stood up straight, lifted her chin slightly, and gave Akane a curt nod. "Okay, Violent Girl. Shampoo accept challenge." "Shampoo! Your weapons..." Mousse cried out, gesturing to the bonbori on the ground. It seemed he had regained consciousness again - he always did, eventually. "No need weapons for just Akane," Shampoo purred. She didn't even bother with a formal fighting stance as she strode calmly forward and took up her place in front of her rival. True to form, Akane pressed her attack with reckless enthusiasm, shouting her battle cry as she lunged towards Shampoo and let fly with a roundhouse kick. The Amazon girl ducked away from the blow and the follow-up. It seemed Akane had been training - she was definitely faster, and her balance had improved. Not that it really mattered. Pressure points, Shampoo decided, were the best way to deal with Akane. Though Shampoo knew she was stronger and faster than the other girl, it still wouldn't pay to sit there and exchange blows and give her foe a chance to get lucky. With a few precise hits to the right nerve clusters, she could render Akane all but incapable of fighting back. She wanted to inflict a little punishment too before she let the silly child off the hook, maybe even make her beg for mercy a little bit. she thought. Shampoo spun away from one of Akane's punches and twirled gracefully around behind her adversary's back. She lashed out with extended fingers towards the Tendou girl's exposed neck... Akane shifted her stance in defense. Shampoo's fingers glanced uselessly off the girl's hard-muscled shoulder. The Amazon frowned and danced away from Akane's counterattack. Her opponent really had gotten faster, she reflected. Maybe it wouldn't be so easy to disable her as she'd thought. That was okay. She'd just have to wear Akane down a little bit first. Shampoo moved in close to her adversary, searching for openings. She threw a few kicks towards Akane's midsection to little effect, then missed with a combination to the head. The Tendou girl's counters came closer to their marks than Shampoo would have preferred. She didn't like the look on Akane's face. Shampoo could tell that the short-haired girl's confidence was improving as the fight went on - she was in control of her rage, keeping her wits about her. She had reined in her instinct to lash out in anger and was starting to attack with a calculated aggressiveness that was a lot more dangerous. And she was stronger than Shampoo expected. She just about tagged Shampoo with a vicious axe-kick - when the Amazon girl crossed her arms above her head to block, she could feel the shock of the impact right down to her bones. If Akane started landing clean hits, Shampoo knew she'd be in trouble. It was time to start taking her seriously. Shampoo waited for her foe to throw another kick, then dropped down and spun with a sweeping counter. She took Akane's feet out from under her and sent her sprawling to the asphalt. She waited a split second until the girl was in the midst of trying to rise to her feet again, and then launched into a savage three-kick combination. The first kick lifted Akane off the ground, the second swept aside her defense, leaving her wide open and helpless for the third. Shampoo's foot slammed into Akane's temple at full force. She didn't hold back an iota of strength this time. The impact of the kick sent Akane tumbling, bouncing across the hard asphalt until she collided noisily with a brick wall. The mortar gave and the wall caved in, burying Akane under a cascade of rubble. Plumes of dust rose around the wreckage. Shampoo's foot went momentarily numb from the impact - Akane had a head like a chunk of granite - but it was a small price to pay. "That should do it," Shampoo stated with grim satisfaction. A second later, the bricks shifted. Shampoo gaped in astonishment as Akane rose from the rubble, shaking the dust out of her hair. She should have been out cold - she should have been pulverized. That kick should have put the miserable child in the hospital. Instead, Tendou Akane was laughing. "Ryouga was right," she laughed. "Just like a baby's kick." Shampoo backed away as Akane advanced. It was obvious what was happening now - she cursed herself for not realizing it before. No wonder Akane had gotten so confident and decided to challenge Shampoo. The answer was so simple. "What you do this time, Cheating Girl?" Shampoo spat. "Eat magic noodles again? Maybe you wearing magic outfit?" Akane's grin just widened. "Not on your life, Shampoo. You just can't take the truth, can you?" Shampoo vaulted away from her approaching adversary and landed next to her bonbori. She snatched the heavy maces off the ground and glared with loathing at her adversary. "Stupid girl have no honor. Find some way to cheat. Shampoo not go easy on you anymore!" "Give me your best shot, bimbo!" Akane snapped back. The Amazon warrior felt a genuine rage building up inside her, and stoked it to fuel her strength. The lying little sneak - what trick had she found this time? She was the sort who always looked for the easy way out, always thought that there was some nifty secret that could make her unbeatable. Well, those sorts of tricks always had their drawbacks and side-effects. Akane might have gotten some kind of temporary edge from whatever she'd done, but it was no substitute for real combat expertise. Shampoo hefted her weapons and marshaled her resolve. There would be no mercy for Akane this time. Shampoo charged. Akane held her ground and waited. "You still don't get it, Shampoo," she snarled as the Amazon girl approached. "This is our last fight. You can't beat me this time!" Shampoo leaped into the air and descended towards Akane, letting out a ferocious battle cry. She swung her weapons towards her enemy in twin, deadly arcs with bone-crushing force. At the last instant before impact, Akane lashed out with both hands, meeting each bonbori with a single, extended finger. "BAKUSAI TEN-KETSU!" she cried. The bonbori exploded. Shampoo tumbled to the ground, dazed from the concussive force and shrapnel. She lurched and tried to regain her balance, her mind reeling from pain and shock. That technique... it wasn't possible! How had Akane learned... how could she have possibly have endured... how could she... how could she... A powerful hand closed like a vice on the front of Shampoo's blouse. The stunned Amazon felt herself hauled into the air. She struggled and kicked out at her foe, but she had no leverage and barely any strength. Akane lifted her high in the air and brought the proud fighter crashing down to the asphalt. She hauled her aloft again and slammed her once more against the street. "Shampoo! No!" Mousse cried out. Shampoo could barely hear him over the ringing in her skull. Akane lifted her once more and tossed her into the air like a softball. Shampoo descended, unable to even twist in the air to defend herself. "The final strike!" Akane trumpeted. "Megaton punch!" The roundhouse blow connected at full force. Shampoo's body skipped like a stone across water as she tumbled away, limp as a rag doll. She finally came to rest in front of the restaurant. Somehow, she found the strength to hold on to consciousness. Her quivering limbs felt like bundles of dry straw, but still she managed to haul herself to her feet. She stood there trembling, the world a fuzzy blur around her, waiting for the next attack. "Shampoo!" Mousse wailed. She thought she saw him rushing to interpose himself between her and Akane, but it was hard to tell when the world dipped and twirled so much... "That's enough!" Cologne called out. "That's quite enough, Tendou Akane. The fight is over." "Great... grandmother..." Shampoo whispered. Suddenly, her knees gave way. Mousse caught her before she hit the ground. Akane stared at her rival, barely able to believe what she was seeing. Had she really done it? After all this time, had she really beaten Shampoo? Her heart thundered in her chest. "It's over, my dear," Cologne said to her great-granddaughter. "Mousse, please take her inside." "The... engagement?" Mousse asked tentatively. Cologne shook her head slowly. "Take her inside and see that she is prepared." Mousse seemed like he was going to utter another protest, but the old woman's voice brooked no argument. He steered the dazed and battered Shampoo through the door, back into the restaurant. Akane and the matriarch watched them until they vanished from sight. The venerable warrior pivoted slowly on her staff and peered thoughtfully at Akane for a long, silent moment. The Tendou girl held her ground and tried to control her trembling. Her blood was full of adrenaline now, her mind reeling with the implications of what she'd done. She was giddy with triumph, flushed with the red fury of battle, and sick with fear of the consequences. Yet she kept her silence - there were a thousand things she wanted to say, but it was Cologne's place as an elder to speak first. Akane held her tongue while her nerves screeched a discordant symphony and her stomach tied itself into knots. Cologne simply watched her for a long while, listening to the girl's staccato breathing. "You surprise me, Tendou Akane," the matriarch finally said. "I didn't think you had it in you to complete such rigorous training. You used the method I employed to train Ryouga?" Akane just nodded and made a little affirmative noise. Cologne closed her eyes and almost smiled. "That must have been quite an ordeal for you." "Yes," she whispered. The Amazon elder let out a long sigh and scratched her chin thoughtfully. "Such determination. And you chose to test your strength by challenging Shampoo?" "It had to happen someday!" Akane blurted out. "Your laws left no choice. A fight like this was inevitable, wasn't it?" "Hmm. Perhaps," Cologne muttered. "I certainly never thought it would happen this way, though." "I'm sorry," Akane whispered. "So, you've admitted your feelings for Ranma, then?" Cologne asked. The Tendou girl swallowed hard. "I... I did all this so I could be strong enough to follow him. To help him. I know... there has to be some way I can save him." "Yes. I thought as much. And you came here thinking that Shampoo would kill you if she won," Cologne observed. "Do you know where that leaves her, now that you've defeated her?" "I'm sorry," Akane said again. "But they aren't my laws. I never wanted this to happen. She left me no choice!" Cologne shook her head wearily. "I see. So that's your stand on things." "And... Shampoo?" Akane hazarded nervously. "There is a penalty for failure in such a matter," Cologne said gravely. "It falls on me to carry out this punishment, though it grieves me to do so. You knew this would be the case." "Yes," Akane agreed in a small voice. "I did." "I guess I'll be needing a sharp blade," the withered Amazon muttered to herself. "Mousse should have one - that boy's always stocked with weapons, at least." Akane gasped, her eyes bulging wide. Cologne gave her a measured, unreadable look. "Tendou Akane, your actions will have consequences that you have not foreseen," the old woman asserted. "This restaurant will be closed tomorrow, and we will return home to China. Be here tomorrow morning, my girl. There are many things that we must discuss." The old woman turned away from the young martial artist and disappeared into the restaurant. Akane stood alone on the sidewalk - watching, listening, thinking - as the sun crept over the edge of the horizon, and the stars began to appear in the sky. - - - - - - He found them just before nightfall, when the first stars began to materialize across the darkening panorama of the Chinese sky. He spotted their flickering campfire at a distance and flew in low to investigate. His acute hearing caught the sound of their voices on the wind - there was no mistaking who they were. Pantyhose Tarou thought as he landed and transformed himself back into his human shape. The Chinese martial artist crept through the darkness of the forest towards their encampment, moving through the sparse undergrowth as quietly as a cat's shadow. It would be interesting to see what sort of shape they were in after their trip through the Himalayas... and whether or not all of them had survived. Though he would certainly shed no tears if the Reikoku had managed to claim one of them, he preferred the idea that they all still lived. He very much wanted them to witness his triumph. When the campsite came into view, he clearly saw all three figures - fem-boy, pork chop, and... her. He couldn't be absolutely certain about their physical condition from this distance, but they did seem to be healthy and energetic. That was a bit of a disappointment - he wouldn't have minded seeing some limps or signs of broken bones. he thought.