Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Read Or Die Fan Fiction / Fan Fiction / Noir Fan Fiction ❯ Life After Conclusion ❯ Chapter the First: Dying Liquid Mirage ( Chapter 1 )

Life After Conclusion

Chapter One:

Dying Liquid Mirage

a King of Fighters/Sailor Moon/Ranma 1/2 Fanfic

by SoftRogue

Disclaimer:

King of Fighters is the property of SNK

Ranma 1/2 is the property of Rumiko Takahashi

Sailor Moon is the property of Naoko Takeuchi

and…my soul is now the property of the Devil.

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Taking a deep, shuttering breath, Ami Mizuno leaned forward on the couch she was sitting on and placed her elbows on her knees. Resting her head in her hands, she closed her eyes and listened. The room she was in was made of reinforced concrete and deep within the sprawling complex, yet she could still hear and feel the reverberations from the crowd above. Not surprising, really, when one stopped to consider what was about to happen.

But still…would she be good enough? Was she ready? This was crazy…no; this was insane! She started to take deep, frenzied breaths as she began to feel the beginning of a panic attack. Sure, she had had some training, but she wasn't ready...not for this! What would the others say? It's been nearly three years since they had last seen her and she knew they would be watching and when they saw her…

Suddenly, a gentle hand was placed on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Ami-chan. You'll do great!"

Looking up at the source of the confident voice, Ami met the cocky grin and heart stopping crystal blue eyes if her friend, her teammate, her…lover. "Thank you, Ranma." she said demurely, a slight blush on her cheeks.

Another presence made itself known as second hand fell on her other shoulder and gave a quick, reassuring squeeze. Looking behind the couch, she met the eyes of the other person in the room. A man of few words, he nodded slightly with a small smile on his face. A rush of warmth filled her as she smiled gratefully. He didn't say much, preferring action to words, but she knew he was proud of her. Ami knew he cared a great deal for her, as she did for him, and he was the reason she had found herself here.

After all, he was her father.

It was a surprise to her when Ami found out the truth about her parentage. It was nearly three years ago when her powers…well, her other powers…began to manifest and her mother, Naomi, told her the truth about her real father. It had all started about twenty years ago, shortly after Naomi had graduated from Med-School, when she had come across the scene of what looked like a gas main explosion. Her training kicking in, Naomi searched for survivors in order to help.

She had quite literally stumbled upon the man who was to become Ami's father. The state she had found him in had made Naomi's heart sink; he looked as if he was at ground zero of the explosion. He was battered, bleeding, severally burned and she could clearly see broken bones jutting from his body. Gathering her nerve, Naomi moved to search for a pulse when her hand was suddenly stopped by an almost bone-crushing grip. Completely startled, she had almost missed the demand to know who she was. Looking down the man before her, she met his hard, cold eyes and explained in a shaky voice that she was a doctor and she was there to help.

Moments passed before he finally relaxed his grip and told her, in no uncertain terms, that she wasn't to take him to a hospital before he passed out. Her mother told Ami that she wasn't to sure why at the time, but she conceded to his wishes and half carried/half dragged him to her nearby apartment; being careful of his wounds. Once there, she was able to remove his clothing and begin to attend to his many wounds only, to her utter amazement, to see them literally heal before her eyes.

For several days Naomi tended to him, paying most attention to his numerous broken bones while he remained unconscious. While it became obvious that he was healing at an incredible rate, it was also apparent that his body wasn't able to heal correctly if the bones weren't set right. Twice during those first days she had to re-brake several bones in order to set them correctly. It was also during that time Naomi had discovered his identity. It wasn't all that difficult; although he didn't have any identification on him, he was rather famous (or infamous depending on how you looked at it). After all, everyone knew about the King of Fighters Tournament.

After four days had passed he had finally awoke and he insisted that he was fit enough to leave. Her mother had laughed as she described to Ami how she had berated and bullied him into staying until he was fit. After he collapsed several times, he had finally conceded to staying until he was strong enough to leave on his own two feet. So, for the next few weeks, Naomi nursed him back to health. It didn't take long for her to find out what had happened; he had made many enemies over the years and one of them had finally caught up with him. He had won, of course, but nearly at the cost of his own life.

It was during those weeks that Naomi had come to see a side of him that few people knew. Behind his diamond hard façade and laser sharp determination there was (apparently) a kind, caring, and honorable person…and Naomi had fallen in love with him.

Ami didn't need her genius intellect to know what happened next. In fact, much to her horror, she could visualize what happened. Which is something she didn't want to know. While the actual process is (as she has recently learned for herself) quite enjoyable, that fact that this was her parents…ew!

Eventually, with great reluctance, her father had to leave. Naomi; being nearly as smart as her daughter; realized that it would inevitable happen. There were too many people after him and many of his enemies wouldn't hesitate at striking at her. With a heavy heart, they bid goodbye to each other, neither knowing about the life growing within Naomi.

Not long after, her parents informed Naomi that she would marry a painter of some repute. An arranged marriage that had been agreed upon from before she was born. With the heartache left by Ami's father, Naomi reluctantly acceded to the marriage and, on the very day of the ceremony itself, she discovered that she was pregnant.

Nobody except Naomi and Sanosuke; the man that Ami had thought was her biological father for the first sixteen years of her life; knew that Ami was not Sanosuke's child. Looking back, Ami knew for a fact that he had never held the truth against her and had loved her as his own flesh and blood. However, according to her mother, the fact that the two of them were unable to conceive a child of their own was one of the many problems that had put a strain on their relationship that eventually let to their divorce.

Blissfully unaware of her true birthright (or one of them, at least), Ami had grown up as an extremely intelligent, if shy, girl. Until, that is, that fateful day when a certain odango haired blonde had attempted to befriend her in order to help with her abysmal grades.

"Ami-chan? Are you there?" Ranma interrupted her thoughts gently.

"Just thinking…" Ami replied, reaching over and patted the pig-tailed martial artists' cheek. "Excuse me a moment."

Making her way to the bathroom in the suite, Ami turned on the faucet and splashed her face with water. Turning to look at herself in a full-length mirror, she hardly recognized the person that was reflected back at her. She had changed much since she left Juuban to find her father. Still small in stature, she had filled out considerably in the past three years. While nowhere as…er, talented as Makoto had been, she had gained a bust size or two. Her lithe and toned muscles, once suited for a swimmer's build, were now more suited to a gymnast. Her azure hair, once kept extremely short, was now nearly shoulder length and her bangs easly falling past her eyes.

Taking a moment to check her clothing, she smiled at the thought of how…risqué her dress was, especially considering how she use to dress. A black halter-top was underneath a royal blue buttoned down Oxford shirt that was left undone and tied at her midriff with the sleeves ripped off halfway between her shoulders and elbows. She was wearing black hiking shoes and her legs were covered in tights the same color as the shirt while a black, thigh-length skirt finished the ensemble. All in all, the image she presented was…intimidating…dangerous; something Ami would never consider would ever be attributed to her. The only thing missing was…no, she wasn't ready for that, not yet.

Looking back into the room, Ami suppressed a giggle. Lying on the couch was Ranma, snoring softly. She remembered fondly how the two of them met and, surprisingly, how they became so important to each other.

It was two years (or three…it became confusing sometimes) after Ami had first met Usagi Tsukino and had become Sailor Mercury. Along with the rest of her friends and fellow Senshi, she had fought all the enemies that came their way; from the Dark Kingdom to Galaxia; Ami had faced them all with her inner strength, determination, and intellect, all the while trying to help Usagi keep her grades up. However, once things settled down, something began to…change within Ami.

It started slowly, so slowly in fact that she couldn't pinpoint exactly when it started. Little things that before were mere annoyance that she was able to brush off began to bother her more and more. There was an anger that she could literally feel began to tighten deep within her stomach. She threw herself into swimming and buried herself in her studies in order to push back the anger and it worked…for a little while anyway. Eventually, though, that anger exploded out of her, with violent results.

It happened during one of the many study sessions held at the Hikawa Shrine. Usagi accidentally spilled juice over a report Ami had been working for over a month and Ami had just…snapped. One moment, she was looking at her paper in horror, the next moment she was on her back. Above her, Rei and Makoto were forcibly holding her down calling her name and begging her to snap out of it. Looking around, Ami took note of her surroundings; Makoto's left eye had swollen shut and Rei was bleeding from a split lip. The table they had all been sitting at a moment had been reduced to splinters and paper was scattered everywhere. Minako was standing defensively in the center of the room looking as if she was preparing to transform into Sailor Venus while past her; was Usagi.

Usagi Tsukino; her best friend, her team mate, her Princess and future Queen; was huddled in a corner babbling in terror while tears ran down her cheeks. Somehow, Ami bolted from the Shrine, made her way home, and locked herself in the bathroom where she threw up repeatedly. Eventually, she made her way to her room, disgust filling her, and heard the familiar sound of her communicator. Gathering up her courage, she turned it on to hear the voices of her friends.

They forgave her, of course, and were worried for her. Usagi apologized profusely while the others wanted to make sure Ami was all right. Eventually, she turned the communicator off, unable to talk to them. She couldn't tell them that, while restrained on the Shrine floor, a part of her wanted nothing more than to shake off Rei and Makoto, push Minako to the side, and tear Usagi limb from limb.

She couldn't tell them that part of her enjoyed that thought.

With her mother away at a conference, Ami skipped the next few days of school (something she had never done voluntary before) ignoring her communicator, the phone and the doorbell. Eventually, though, her mother came back and had apparently been contacted by the others and she tried to talk to her daughter. In a fit of rage, Ami yelled at her mother; telling her to leave her alone.

And that was when her fathers' birthright manifested itself for the first time.

Eventually, Naomi was able to calm her panicking daughter down and told her the truth about her real father. She explained everything to Ami about how the two had met, what happened between them, why he left and how neither knew that Naomi was pregnant with her at the time…and how her father still didn't know about her. Since Ami never displayed any of the abilities that her father had, Naomi felt it would be safer for all that nobody ever knew the truth.

The analytical part of Ami understood where her mother was coming from. Everyone had heard about her biological father and she knew what could happen if the truth came out about her when she wasn't prepared. Ami also theorized that it was her own inborn abilities as the Senshi of Mercury that had suppressed the powers she had apparently inherited from her father.

Another part of her (a small part, mind you) did resent her mother for keeping the truth from her for such a long time. While she understood the reasons, it still stung to be lied to about something this important.

However she felt, thought, she did realize one important fact. What had happened to her these past several days were only the beginning of things to come. It wouldn't be long until something else happened to her that could endanger her mother and her friends. Ami knew what she had to do…

…she had to find her father.

That night, Ami made and followed through with her plan. She packed everything she thought she would need and, finding the bankcard to the account that held her collage tuition, she wrote two letters. The first was to her mother, explaining everything she could put into words. The strange, uncontrollable feelings that were beginning to take hold of her; the fear that, unless she got help, she would end up hurting those she cared for; that she was Sailor Mercury…

That was the hardest part. Ami had lied for over two years to her mother; but she felt that it was important to be completely honest with her. Ami told her everything she could remember that had happened and explained why it was so critical that her mother didn't tell the others why she had left.

The second letter was much harder to write, although it was much shorter that the one to her mother. It simply stated that she had to leave for a while and didn't know when she would be coming back. In the letter, Ami apologized for her actions and asked that they didn't try to find her. Finally, she slipped the Mercury Computer into the envelope with the letter to her friends and she almost added her Henshin wand, but couldn't bring herself to leave it behind. No matter how much she felt that she didn't deserve to be a Senshi because of her actions towards her Princess the other day, she couldn't bear being separated from something that was such an important part of her.

Unfortunately, it didn't take long for Ami to realize how utterly unprepared she was for the task she had set herself. Even with the information she had found using the Mercury Computer before she left it behind, there was very little data available about the whereabouts of her father. The few leads she did have fortunately pointed to the fact that he was somewhere in Japan. To make matters worse, she soon came to face to face with the ugly fact that, while she knew a lot of things, she had little knowledge of the 'real world'. A fact that nearly cost her her life.

Nearly a week and a half after she left home, Ami was suddenly grabbed from behind and pulled into a dark alley. She found herself being accosted by a group of thugs and, by the look in their eyes, she had no illusions about what they were planning to do to her. Feeling the anger building within her again, Ami reached for her Henshin wand; only to be struck across the back of the head. Fighting against unconsciousness, she struggled to stay awake and do something when she heard an angry shout followed by the sounds of fighting. Finally looking up, she was startled to find herself looking deep into the most beautiful pair of crystal blue eyes she had ever seen before she passed out.

Upon awakening, Ami found herself in a strange camp. Panicking, she looked around until her rescuer appeared before her. Introducing himself only as Ranma, he proceeded to make sure she was physically unharmed. After making sure she was fine, he then made a series of comments that, had she not heard the underlining tone of worry and concern (and the fact that most of them were true) would have pissed her off something fierce. He was right, however, she needed to be more careful and she didn't know much about defending herself…but really, did he have to come across as conceited as he did?

Of course, things got real strange for a few moments when a short, sudden rain storm struck changing Ranma from a very attractive boy with raven black hair tied back in a pigtail into a very attractive girl with red hair tied back in a pigtail.

For the next several days while Ami recovered, she slowly opened up to Ranma. For some reason, she found herself telling him everything (well…almost everything; he didn't need to know about he being a Senshi), including what she knew about her father. To this day, she still didn't know why she had told him, perhaps because something about him reminded her of Usagi; an innocence that was unmarred by all the pain they had been through.

He, in turn, also explained about his past; if rather vaguely. The curse, obviously, was the first thing he explained, stating in no uncertain terms that he was a guy no matter what. Ranma also explained; hesitantly mind you; that because of the many obligations (often contradictory to each other) that had been placed upon him by he had been forced to declare himself Ronin in order to ensure that all parties involved walked away with at least the semblance of their honor interacted. Not that that had apparently worked…it seemed that many people were still after him for a variety of reasons.

When she was healthy again, it was apparent that Ranma was reluctant to let Ami leave by herself. She was touched by his concern and she actually giggled at how he used child-like insults in order to try to anger and trick her into agreeing to let him accompany her. She finally agreed with one condition; that he teaches her how to fight and defend herself.

"It's time." her father's voice broke through her musings.

Ami met his eyes and saw several emotions flash through his gaze. This was the last chance she had to back down, to change her mind. The instant the three of them walked out the door together, there would be no turning back. She knew that if she didn't go through with it he would understand, this life wasn't for someone who wasn't ready to do what needed to be done.

With a deep, calming breath, Ami opened the door and stepped outside.

If she thought the sounds of the crowd was loud before, it was nothing compared to how it sounded as they walked through the halls towards the arena. To one side, Ranma strolled along, seeming without a care in the world. Hands clasped behind his head, he softly whistled a jaunty tune off-key as if he was taking a walk through the park; but Ami knew better. She knew Ranma was focused on what was about happen, his mind planning for every possible situation. He glanced over and gave her a quick wink and a grin that caused her to blush before he turned his attention forward again.

Her father, however, was a different story altogether. Unlike both Ami and Ranma, he had been here many times before and had walked away at the end as easly as he had walked in at the beginning. He moved with a deceptively slow gait, his body language seeming to scream danger. He exuded a feeling that said, in no uncertain terms, that the quickest point between A and B was a straight line…and pity anyone who got in his way. Ami now knew for certain what happened when the irresistible force met the immovable object…you got her father.

Ami remembered when she saw him for the first time…and it was nearly the last time she saw anything. She and Ranma had been traveling together for roughly six months when she had finally gotten reliable information as to her fathers' whereabouts. Under Ranma's strict teaching, Ami had actually made a quite a bit of progress during those months. Between the physical and mental training she had endured, she was fitter than she had ever been and she had actually achieved a measure of control over her fathers' legacy and was able to manifest it at will.

Before she had begun training with Ranma, she thought that he was merely good. However, once she saw him in action she realized that he belonged in a class of fighters that included only a handful of people, one that included people such as her father and his many rivals and few friends. Under his tutelage, she progressed by leaps and bounds; most likely due to the dual legacies she had. That along with the fact Ranma seemed to know the best ways to train her…or, as he put it, 'I know, exactly, what not to do.'

It was during this time that Ami noticed a curious phenomenon. Whenever she was able to, she learned everything she could about her father's past and his power and she slowly noticed that, during her training with Ranma, that the power she welded was, well…different. It didn't take her long to realize that, somehow, the abilities she had inherited from her father were merging with her own powers as the Senshi of Ice. However, she didn't realize how different; or perhaps, how similar, her powers were to her fathers until shortly after they met.

Ami and Ranma had been traveling for several days in the mountainous outside of Kyoto, following the rumor that her father was somewhere in the area training. For some time, Ami had felt something and knew, somehow, that they were close. What she didn't count on, though, was the fact that he could sense her like she could sense him. When they found him, things didn't go anything like Ami had planned. Her father had recognized the power within her as something similar but different than his own and was able to see the potential threat that Ranma represented. So, he did the one thing he was taught how to do…he attacked.

While Ranma was very skilled and powerful in his right, it was nothing compared to the sheer brutality and relentless determination of her father and meant little in the long run. Ami, too stunned by the sudden attack, was only able to watch helplessly as her father and the person she had grown to care a great deal about fight each other with a ferocity she had never seen before. Ranma was able to hold his own for a short time, but it became increasingly obvious that her father had way more endurance that Ranma did and he was either ignoring or shrugging off the younger man's blows.

Reacting instinctually, Ami called forth her powers in an effort to help save Ranma. That got her fathers attention…well, either that or the resulting explosion that rocked the countryside and left Ami feeling as weak as a new born kitten.

As Ami recovered from expending so much energy at once, she had the opportunity to speak to her father for the first time. It did take some time on her part to convince him that she was indeed his daughter, but he was eventually convinced and greeted his long-lost child emotionally…well, with as much emotion as he ever expressed.

It was obvious to him why she had searched him out. Without proper training, her power could easly destroy her from the inside out; as demonstrated by the state she was in after her little display. He was, however, extremely concerned as to why her abilities had manifested so late in her life and why they were so different than his own. So, making her decision, Ami told both Ranma and her father the truth. She told them about how she had become Sailor Mercury and, with the help of the other Senshi, she had fought off several threats to the Earth of a galactic scale. While both of them had dealt with quite a bit of strangeness in their life and were open minded about such things, they were skeptical about what Ami was telling them. Until, that is, she pulled out her Henshin wand and transformed into Sailor Mercury for the first time since she had left Juuban. Their reactions, however, were not what she expected.

Ranma's reaction was what she was worried about the most. In the past six months they had grown very close and had a level of trust between them…a trust she had abused by keeping such a big secret from him. While both were awkward at expressing such personal emotions, it was obvious to Ami that they both cared a great deal about each other. Fearing the worst, she looked at Ranma and was surprised by what she saw. She was expecting either anger or betrayal from him; however, what she wasn't expecting was to see him sitting there with his eyes screwed shut, red faced with a small trickle of blood running from his nose while he repeated several words over and over like a mantra.

'I'm not a pervert. I'm not a pervert. I'm not a pervert!'

Her father, however, was looking at her curiously with a raised eyebrow. Finally, he broke his silence by saying 'What the hell are you wearing? Not even Mai would wear something like that!'

From that day on, her training began in earnest. If Ami had thought that Ranma was a hard taskmaster, he was nothing compared to her father. His approach to training was physically brutal and mentally exhausting, never giving her a moment's rest until she pushed herself to her breaking point and beyond. Up until that point, she had kept the physical training and the practicing of her powers separately; but now her father demanded she incorporate both; learning to use her abilities and her growing fighting prowess together. It truth, if it weren't for Ranma's presence, the training she was going through would have been even more difficult than it was. His main strength was in his adaptability and ability to learn how to counter a wide variety of different styles. It became painfully obvious that Ami couldn't fully master her fathers' family art; she didn't have the right build to use many of the savagely brutal attacks. Ranma realized this early on and began to teach her a hodgepodge of techniques that he then showed her how to incorporate into what her father was teaching her. She later learned from him that many of the moves came from his own core style, called Anything Goes, along with the styles of Capoeria and Savate, and something he wouldn't elaborate on. Whenever Ami asked him about it, he would only mutter something about 'damn psycho amazons'.

However, as time went on, Ami started to become concerned. The fact was, even when she was Sailor Mercury, she shied away from fighting as much as possible. But now…now she was eagerly looking forward to mastering the next technique or waiting impatiently for the next sparring session. She found herself enjoying the feel of flesh striking flesh and longing for the rush that endorphins and adrenaline brought her.

And that, quite frankly, scared her.

Eventually, Ami gathered up her courage and talked to her father about her feelings. After listening to her he gave her a searching look and said one word.

'Good.'

It took Ami several days of soul-searching before she understood what that one word meant. At first, she feared that her father was happy that she was enjoying the feelings that her powers and ability's brought her; but she easly dismissed that thought. In the time she had spent with him, Ami had learned to see her father in a way only a very few knew. She knew that he would never want anyone to follow the path his life has taken him. Eventually, she understood; in fact, it was so simple she was surprised that it didn't occur to her before.

As long as she feared what she could do, but didn't let that same fear consume her, she would be able to resist the temptations that her abilities presented her.

Those years weren't all spent in an endless cycle of training, however. Once her father learned that Ami was considered one of the top students in all of Japan, he insisted that she complete her education. So, between practices, Ami continued her studies…along with Ranma, who could protest more than Usagi and Minako combined. Eventually she was able to test out of High School with top marks (Ranma passed too…barely) and sent a copy of her scores home to her mother. She did feel guilty, though, since she hadn't written a single letter home or to her friends, but she knew that she wasn't able to face any of them until she was ready. She did know, however, that her mother was thinking about her often, as evident by the occasional deposit made into her bank account. Ami knew that her mother and friends were out there, waiting to welcome her home; and that thought made her train that much harder.

They moved around constantly, going from city to city, training ground to training ground. Occasionally, though, some of their moves were sudden and unplanned. It was by unspoken consent that all three of them had people in their pasts that they would prefer to avoid for a variety of reasons. The first time, surprisingly, was when Ami's father suddenly showed up at the boarding house they were staying at in Nagasaki and told them that they had to leave immediately…something about some crazy woman with an explosives fetish. Then there was that time outside of Ookayama that Ami knew, she knew for a fact that Setsuna had spent over a minute looking directly at her. Of course, there were the times that Ranma would stumble into camp muttering something about stupid pandas, cross-dressing chefs or insane gymnasts.

Of course, there were time for other things besides studying and training. The relationship between Ami and Ranma slowly but surly progressed into something…more. Not that there weren't some snags along the way. There were a lot of things about Ranma's past that Ami didn't know about, but she found that she didn't care…although sometimes there were things that she was curious about. Like his reaction that time she accidentally walked in on him in the furo, or his extreme reaction to cats. The first time she had seen that one, she thought it was rather cute; but after seeing father's face after the two of them had a hushed conversation she decided to let that subject drop. Of course, there was that one 'private' training session that her father and Ranma had after he walked in on the two of them kissing; the fact that Ranma was unconscious for three days apparently had gotten her father's point across.

One day, however, everything changed. It had been nearly three years since Ami had left home, and she doubted that any of her friends would have recognized her and, while she was genuinely happy, she felt that something was missing…something she couldn't place. Arriving back at their camp before Ranma did after a particularly interesting…training session Ami found her father sitting by the fire absorbed in reading a letter.

After a bit of prodding and a liberal use of her 'puppy-dog-eyes' technique (which, for some reason, never failed to work) he told her that it was an invitation to the next King of Fighters Tournament. Suddenly, Ami knew what she was missing…a challenge. She knew that she was good, neither her father or Ranma were people who gave such praise lightly, but…how good was she? After spending so long learning from the two of them, she knew that the only way to know for sure was to fight people of their caliber.

To say that her father was surprised when Ami asked when they were leaving was an understatement. It took her some time to express fully how she felt; how she wanted to go, how she needed to go. He eventually gave her a long, penetrating look before glancing at Ranma (who had arrived back at camp in time to figure out what was going on). He finally said that he was leaving the two of them for about two weeks and, when returned, he would have her answer.

Those two weeks were the tensest in Ami's life. She desperately wanted to try her skills out and find out exactly how good she was. Practically every waking hour of the following weeks were spent preparing for the slimmest possibility that her father would say yes. The day finally came and her father arrived on time, bearing two gifts. The first was that the three of them would participate together as a team. The second, she knew she would cherish forever. She had only tried it on once, before taking it off immediately and handing it back to him. Taking in her father's look of confusion, Ami had simply told him that she wasn't worthy of it yet…not until she had won her first victory.

He never told her where he went during those two weeks and she never asked; she had her suspicions, however. This year, the King of Fighters tournament was being hosted by none other that Geese Howard and, strangely enough, when her father arrived, he had a copy of the newly revised rules with him. According to the new rules, only one member on the team had to be officially named before the tournament began. The official reason for the new rule was to help attract lesser-known fighters to the tournament who would otherwise be scared off by the well-known and established fighters.

"And the rest, as they say, is history." Ami muttered under her breath.

Ranma looked at her curiously. "What was that?"

"Nothing…never mind." Ami replied with a small smile.

The three waited patiently as the announcer finished the opening ceremonies. The only thing Ami didn't like about what was happening was that their team was in the first fight of the first round. No matter how much she has changed in the past three years, she still didn't like to be the center of attention.

Finally, the opening ceremonies were finished and their team was called to the arena. Instantly, the crowd erupted into boos and jeers. She knew her father was disliked, but she never imagined this type or reaction! Taking her cue from both her father and Ranma, she did the best she could ignore the crowd and tried to focus her thoughts away from the mass of people.

Suddenly, Ami giggled softly. In her minds eye she could see her friends reactions to her name being call by the announcer. She knew Makoto was practically obsessed with the tournament and the fighters while Usagi and Minako were obsessed with the fighters for an entirely different reason altogether. Rei would most likely be dragged along and, knowing how much of a fighting enthusiast Haruka was, they were probably all be watching together at the Outers' home.

As they arrived at the ring, Ami's father gave her a curious look; most likely because of the giggle. She waived him off and turned her attention to the opposite side of the arena where the other team was being announced. The crowd erupted in cheers; mainly, Ami figured, because they didn't want her team to win.

The team they were facing had taken the name of The Young Blood Team and consisted of an eclectic group consisting of Shingo, Rock Howard, and an unknown like herself.

Well…perhaps not entirely unknown…

"RANMA! BECAUSE OF YOU I'VE SEEN HELL!! PREPARE TO DIE!!!"

"Ah, geeze. It's P-Chan." Ranma grumbled to himself before shouting across the ring "Ah stuff it, pig-boy!"

Shingo and Rock had to forcibly hold their teammate back and tried to calm him down. "Who is that?" Ami's father asked with the barest of interest.

"Who him? Ah, he's just P-Chan." Ranma said flippantly before elaborating a bit more seriously. "His name is Ryoga Hibiki. He's about as smart as a dumb seal on crack, not much of a threat really. Just stay out of his reach though, he's got a wicked punch and can soak up damage like a sponge."

Ami's father nodded once, the promptly dismissed the other team. Thinking about it, Ami could understand why; after all, that last part could also be used to describe him.

The first combatants were called into the ring and Ami stepped forward after receiving a squeeze on the shoulder from Ranma and a nod from her father. Coming to a stop in the center of the ring, she stood by the referee as she appraised her opponent.

Shingo extended his hand out to Ami and she took it lightly. "Lets have a good match, alright?" he said with a shy smile.

Returning his greeting with a nod, Ami retreated to her corner to await the start of the match as she tried to remember what her father told her about her opponent. "Shingo is not to be underestimated." he had said reluctantly, "Compared to the majority of the fighters you'll be facing at the tournament he's a light weight. However, he does have some skill. He should be an easy victory for you if you were to face him as long as you remember the old saying 'The greatest swordsman does not fear the second greatest swordsman, he fears the worst'."

"Ready…FIGHT!"

Ami immediately relaxed into her stance, a deceptively simple stance that was a mix of her fathers and Ranmas. Shingo regarded her for a moment before he smiled and rushed in with a flurry of kicks and punches. The next few moments Ami spent blocking and dodging the attacks, barely moving from her starting point.

She frowned as she blocked another kick. It was too easy. Ami couldn't figure out what Shingo was doing. He was either probing for a weakness or…he was taking it easy on her…

With narrowed eyes, she twisted her body to the left as a high kick sailed past her chest before grabbing the extended leg with both arms. Shingo was obviously surprised by Ami's sudden change in tactics…he was even more surprised when he found he couldn't move his leg. There wasn't any more time for him to be surprised as Ami launched three quick elbows with her right arm into his face.

Before the last elbow connected, Ami released the captured limb. The momentum of her elbow sent Shingo staggering back several paces and he only had enough time to look up to see Ami complete a spin kick that slammed into his chest.

Landing hard on the ground, Shingo tried to regain his footing. Looking around, he saw Ami rapidly approaching him; seeming to almost glide across the ground. A quick, claw-like fist hammered into his stomach, forcing him to double over. Gasping for breath, he felt something slam into his back and force him to the ground.

Acting on instinct, Shingo rolled away from Ami and heard a sudden crack! Quickly recovering, he turned to see he was fortunate enough to have avoided a vicious knee to the back. However, he couldn't help noticing that the reinforced concrete floor of the ring now sported a small crater where Ami's knee had struck.

Rushing forward, he launched a quick snap-kick that connected with Ami's jaw, sending her flying back. Taking a moment to recover, he watched as the small girl rise to her feet and couldn't help noticing her eyes. He had faced many opponents like her before… incredibly fast, insanely strong, and had that look in their eyes. But he knew that she couldn't be another one…after all, everyone would know if there was another one of them!

Meanwhile, Ami was enjoying herself tremendously. The taste of victory…the thrill of combat…the desire to rip Shingo apart piece by piece…blinking rapidly, she took a deep, calming breath and regained her center. She wasn't an animal; she wouldn't let her baser instincts take a hold of her.

Regaining control of herself, Ami moved in to quickly finish the match. Leaping into the air, she prepared to land a solid kick on Shingo. However, this time, she was the one who was surprised as he rose into the air to meet her and slammed an uppercut into her that was quickly followed by a mid-air throw that tossed her onto the ground flat on her back.

Shingo was all over her then, raining down blows on her prone body. A snarl escaped her lips as she rolled onto her stomach, planted both hands onto the ground under her, pushed up into a handstand and spun on her hands while her legs lashed out and landed several blows. Finishing her move, Ami raised up on one hand, twisted her body around, and rammed the heels of her feet onto Shingo's shoulders.

The momentum from her spin gone, Ami landed lightly in a crouch and looked over at her opponent. To her surprise, he had backed away from her and thrust a hand forward with a yell.

Both eyebrows rose as Ami saw a ki blast fly forward. "Father never told me he could do that." she mused before she grinned. "It's time."

Regaining her footing, Ami thrust both hands forward and let loose with a blast of her own that was accompanied by a very familiar yell.

"YAMI BARAI!"

Both blasts connected in the center of the ring and cancelled each other out with a small explosion. Taking a quick moment to survey the results Ami glanced around the ring with satisfaction. The ground around the epicenter was coated in frost, the main difference between her father's power and her own. While her father's flame burned with a heat and intensity to rival any natural fire; her own did the exact opposite, a freezing flame that was as cold as her father's was hot. Despite the differences in their powers, it still felt the same. And, as Ranma could testify, both burned worse than any normal fire.

To her surprise, Shingo was looking at her with horror as she saw his eyes flicker between her and where her father stood. It was only then that she realized that there wasn't a sound to be heard within the arena.

Turning to glance at her corner, she saw Ranma smiling at her with pride. Next to him, her father seemed to be shaking slightly. That's when she noticed the sound that slowly began to echo through the arena. It began as a soft chuckle but soon grew in volume until it became a full-blown laugh.

Her father was laughing.

Someone suddenly shouted out from the crowd and, if Ami had to guess, she would say that the voice sounded like Kyo Kusanagi. "DEAR GOD NO!! PLEASE, NOT ANOTHER ONE OF THEM!!!"

Ignoring the crowd, Ami turned back to Shingo and saw him wearing a determined, yet shaky, look. "Let's finish this…" She said out loud and saw him answer with a nod.

The two fighters rushed forward; poised to strike. Shingo lashed out with a fast punch, only to see Ami duck underneath it and lash out in a quick succession of strikes to his ribs. Still crouching, Ami swept his legs out from underneath him, sending him falling forward. Quickly standing up, she grabbed his face tightly and reversed his momentum, slamming the back of his head into the concrete floor.

Blinking rapidly, Shingo looked up to see Ami poised above her, palms facing down towards his chest in what looked like a standing CPR position. He saw her grinning ironically as she whispered two words that he couldn't make out. Not that it mattered, he realized, as he doubted that he would hear what she would say next anyway. The only comfort he felt was the fact that he knew that it wouldn't hurt anymore once he lost consciousness.

Boom! Boom! Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!

"SHINE!!

BOOM!!!!!!

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Well…here we are, renaming the series and writing several more chapters and interludes for this idea that just wouldn't die. I don't know how far this will go, but I know that ideas for Ami (which is above), Makoto (forthcoming) and Minako keep coming to me, so I'll write as long as my muse will let me. I also am working on my other fics, but my muse keeps giving ideas for this little project while refusing to give out more that a little inspiration for my other fics…so, hopefully that'll be changing soon.

Until then…