Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Shadows are Stirring ❯ Kiwameru Saigetsu ( Chapter 20 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma 1/2 by any stretch of the imagination - that right belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Viz. Also, I have to add a couple of other copyrights here. There are two songs, one held by Software Sculptors, H. Kanzaka/R,Araizumi/Kadokawa/TV Tokyo/SOFTX (now there's a mouthful!), and the other by 2003 Gospel/A.D.Vision, Inc. Just so everyone is clear on that.

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Chapter Twenty: Till the End of Time

The journey to the southeast started as one of silence. Neither Ranma nor Akane carried a pack with them, even though they knew that it was a good distance to the castle that they had seen on the flight over. They were both well aware that a pack would only get in the way of any fights that they were forced into.

Akane looked over to her husband shrewdly again. She didn't really want him to know she was watching him, but she couldn't help herself. Ever since the attack that had disturbed them earlier that day, he had been strangely calm. She had known him long enough to know that this was simply a mask, though.

"Frilanas," Ranma said quietly after they crested a small mountain and were looking down on another valley. There were at least three more mountains to pass over or around before they were within sight of the black castle, but Ranma was obviously not focused on that right then.

"What about him?" Akane asked. She remembered the man, vaguely, anyway. He had been the captain of that ship that Ranma had hitched a ride with after he had been kidnapped. That fight had been difficult, but once Ranma had reverted to his male form, there was no stopping them.

"He mentioned Harito," Ranma said evenly. "He said that Pops had done something to him that made him angry. So mad that he spent years lookin fer him. Fer me. He wanted revenge fer something that Pops had done, but I don't have any idea what he did!"

Akane nodded and leapt over a rock that was in her way. Vaulting off the boulder, she landed next to Ranma again, who hadn't slowed in the slightest. "So, we're going after the boss of that guy?"

"I guess."

"Think we can beat him?"

"No." Ranma's reply caught Akane completely off guard, and she stopped and openly stared at her husband. He took three steps before stopping and turning back to her, his usual cocky grin on his face. "I know we can. Ain't no one alive who can interrupt my honeymoon and get away with it." When Akane cleared her throat pointedly, he turned to keep walking. "Sorry, Acchan. Our honeymoon."

"Oh?" Akane asked with a grin of her own as she hurried to catch up with him. "Looking forward to something, were you?"

"Damn straight." Especially after last night...

The two continued on in silence well into the night. To Akane's tired mind, one tree started looking just like the last, and everything was starting to blur together, but she didn't want to say anything to Ranma. He was still going strong, and she was not going to fail him now.

They were officially partners, which meant she would stick by him no matter what.

When she finally tripped over a loose rock, she didn't even have the chance to hit the ground before she found herself in Ranma's arms. For his part, Ranma said nothing to her, and simply kept walking, focused and determined on their goal. Akane sighed softly and cuddled into him a little, deciding to take what rest she could get so she would be ready when it was necessary.

She didn't know when they stopped at all. In fact, the next thing she knew was being picked up again. With a startled cry, she shook herself free of Ranma's grasp and landed on her feet in front of him. Turning towards him, she saw a grin on his face.

"Awake now, are ya?"

She ran a hand through her short blue-black hair and sighed. "I guess so. Did I sleep long? Did you get any rest at all?"

"Yeah," he said softly. "I slept half the night. You slept almost all of it," he added. "Are you gonna carry me today, partner?"

"What?" She was so surprised by his question that she missed the teasing grin entirely.

"I was kidding," he said calmly as he started forward again. "We'll get there today, around midday. We'll stop close by so we can get some idea as to what the Kami has sent after us this time."

"You mean you actually have a plan for once?"

Ranma didn't reply right away. He looked back to her pointedly, though, and she got the message that she should start walking, too. Only after she caught up did he actually say something, though it was so soft that she had to ask him to repeat it.

"I had a plan in Jusendo, too. I just hope this is a better one."

Akane forced the memories of the entire Saffron experience down again quickly with a deep breath. "What was wrong with that plan?" she asked once she had a handle on her thoughts again.

"You almost died. That won't happen this time." The determined edge in his voice told her just how serious he was. It occurred to her then that she had only really ever seen him mad twice before... and both were on her behalf! When he was fighting Saffron, he was mad. When he fought Happosai for the Grandmaster title, he was mad.

Not angry. Mad. There is a difference, she told herself firmly. Only this time, it might be even stronger than that. She knew he often held back against his opponents, in a bid to try and make them better themselves. She also knew that the few times it looked like he was going to lose, he had always come back in the end with victory.

So why did this time feel so different to her? The sense of dread was stronger now than it had been ever before...

A rustling in the trees ahead of them caused both martial artists to draw to an instant halt. When the noise only increased, she noticed Ranma's aura flaring just slightly, as though preparing to attack without mercy whatever stepped through the brush. She let her own ki start to flow around her as well. He would not fight this battle alone.

When a black and white creature burst forth with a roar, Ranma could barely believe his eyes. A giant panda was leaping at them both with a high kick. His aura vanished instantly as he simply ducked beneath the attack and spun around. "Pops?" he asked in surprise. "What the heck are ya doing out here?"

If he expected the panda to reply, he was sadly mistaken. It turned with a growl and pounced again almost instantly, catching him in the stomach before he was ready. Ranma flew backwards ten feet, crashing into the trunk of a tree before coming to a stop. The panda made no notion of recognizing either of them, and leapt on Ranma before he had a chance to stand.

Akane's kick to the side threw the leap off course, sending him straight into a tree of his own. She didn't stop for Ranma to pull himself up before attacking again with a hard strike to the back of the fallen creature. In an instant, she had struck the same point again and again, hitting as fast as she could in the same place over and over. Well, as fast as possible without using the Chestnut technique, anyway.

Ranma appeared next to her without warning before the panda could respond to her attack. She had seen him move at full speed only once before, and he knew that he looked like little more than a blur, even to Akane's highly trained senses. Before he could reconsider things at all, he had wrapped the panda in a taunt line of ki, essentially tying him up as though using rope. There was just no escaping the ki, however.

Satisfied, he dropped to the ground in front of Akane again and took a deep breath. "Ranma?" Akane called softly when she noticed he was just staring intently at the tightly bound panda.

"He's done something," Ranma replied in an equally soft voice, though she wasn't sure if he was talking to her or to himself. "Harito's done something to him... those are his eyes, but they have no life in `em... it's as though he's been possessed by something." He clouted the panda in the back of the head and looked into his eyes again. "I should've known nuthin that easy would'a done it."

"It looks like we'll have to beat Harito, then," Akane suggested. "Your father should be safe here, right?"

"Yeah. And if he's here, then the castle can't bee too far away." Ranma stood slowly, looking towards the woods his father had burst from... the woods that were in the direction they had been heading earlier. "Harito's days are numbered to none."

It took the two almost no time at all to get through the woods... tree hopping was a very fast method of travel when one was focused almost entirely upon it, and not on anything else.

The black ruins of the castle stood waiting for them on the other side. Large, ominous, and amazingly quiet, the stone and brick building mocked them by its sheer presence. There were no guards waiting for them, either. That meant one of two things - Harito's guards were completely inept, or he wanted them to come to him unhindered. Both possibilities would send them straight to their target, so it didn't really matter which one it was in the end.

Ranma lead Akane into the darkened keep carefully. He stopped in the middle of the large room at the end of the first hall. On the other side of the room were two massive thrones, and there were pillars lining the walls to hold the room up without fear of them getting in the way if a fight were to occur there.

The fact that the doors they had come through seemed to swing shut behind them as they entered told them both that that was probably just as well. As soon as they could find Harito, the battle would start. The only issue was that the room appeared empty.

Ranma met Akane's eye and held it for a moment before looking back up to the thrones. Even without having heard the question, she nodded and walked across the empty room. With his feral eyes, he searched the crevices of the room, looking for a place for someone to hide. The entire castle couldn't be empty... there was no way that the ninja that had told them about Harito could have lied to them. The fear was too great to allow for it.

"You are not pure."

Ranma turned back to Akane instantly, who had leapt back up from the smaller of the two thrones as though she had been burned. "What?" he asked. "Who said that?" The voice had been dark and deep, and had seemed to come from all around them.

"You are not pure, maiden," the voice said again, and the light in the room suddenly focused on Akane. Even from the distance apart they were, Ranma could see her muscles suddenly freezing up. "You are tainted... you have been taken by another. You have not the right to sit upon the throne of Harito."

"Who are you?" Akane managed, though she had to fight to move even her jaw to speak. "What's going on?"

"I will not reveal myself to the likes of the unpure maiden," the voice said sternly. "You should not have come here. I was not seeking to kill more than necessary. Not yet."

"And you won't kill her!" Ranma shouted at the disembodied voice. "No one touches her but me, got that?" he added, tensing up to attack the moment he saw an enemy to strike. He was still in his loose stance, but anyone who knew Ranma as well as Akane did - which meant only herself, really - could tell that he was seething on the inside, and ready for action.

"It is a pity you both came here," the voice said as another light came on in the room, this time focusing on Ranma. "I was not after a tainted maiden and a rude boy. There was only supposed to be one more death on my hands before my freedom. A pity you have forced two more."

"What's going on here?" Ranma shouted, chopping a hand down to stress his anger. It was a minor miracle that he could move at all, and suddenly the light intensified around him, freezing his actions completely, save for his mouth. "Who are you?"

"I'm only after the child of Genma," the voice continued as though Ranma hadn't said anything. "And yet, now I have no choice."

"Let Akane go," Ranma said in a softer voice. "If you want me, then take me. But you ain't gonna touch her... not so long as I still draw breath."

"And you won't hurt Ranma so long as I'm still alive, either!" Akane said fiercely.

The lights suddenly vanished entirely as a being materialized in between the two. He stood a little taller than Ranma did, and was dressed in a long white trench coat, with a black suit on underneath. His eyes - glowing red - slowly focused on Ranma.

The Grandmaster of the School of Anything Goes took a single step towards the figure before freezing again, unable to move as though the light was still surrounding him. It took him a moment to process the fact that a foreign ki was what was holding him in place.

"Harito!" Ranma growled, unable to do more than that.

"Indeed," the man said with a flourish, turning towards him and turning his back on Akane. Akane had time to draw her mallet from the air around her before she froze solid again, just as Ranma had done. Harito turned back to her angrily. "Do not interrupt me, you foolish tainted girl!"

"Ya wanna stop makin fun of my wife?" Ranma growled as Harito turned to him again and took a step towards him. "Ain't no one who can do that but me!"

Harito didn't reply to Ranma's words at all for quite some time. Instead, he walked slowly around him, looking him over carefully before going back to being in between the two. "So, you are Ranma Saotome, then?" He gave no time for either of them to reply before he went on. "You aren't quite what I was lead to believe you were by that idiot of a father of yours. He said you were a godkiller... but I just see a young man, barely into his own. How disappointing..."

"You took my father's mind from him, didn't you?"

"Hmm," Harito said with a shake of his head. "Not really. Just sealed it, actually. If I had taken it, he would not be a valuable guard for me, now would he? He'd just sit on the ground drooling... not much good in that, is there?" Turning his back on Ranma again, he walked towards Akane and looked her over as carefully as he did Ranma earlier. "And you, tainted girl. Who are you?"

"I am Saotome Akane Tendo," she said forcefully. "And I am not tainted in the slightest. As soon as I figure out how to break whatever ki you are using to hold me down, then I'll show you what tainted means when I paint the floor with your blood!"

"Temper, temper," Harito said with a soft chuckle. "I was warned about you, too... though Genma seemed to believe you nothing more than an annoyance, of course. Fool always did underestimate women... though he seemed to have nothing against corrupting them." He then turned away from Akane and looked up to the thrones. "Point in fact, little tainted girl, is that you are just that. Tainted. If you were still pure, you would be able to move. In fact, you would even be able to hurt me!" With another chuckle he strode up to the throne and sat down. "But, of course, you two are newlyweds, aren't you? That means you have surely... shared each other, right? Hence, you are not pure. Of course, I can't be certain of that, save for the fact that you cannot move. That is all the proof I need."

"What the hell are you?" Ranma demanded, trying with all his might to rip free from the invisible bonds that was holding him in place. "How come her sleeping with me made it so she can't move? And what about me?"

"No man could ever hope to harm me," Harito said with a small shrug. "So that should answer that easily enough. And she is no longer a pure maiden, which says why she can't attack me. None but a pure maiden could attack me, and then few would ever be able to harm me."

"Hey, Acchan, do ya think he could make any less sense?"

Akane grinned back at Ranma's confidence, despite their situation. "I'm not sure. At least he isn't spouting poetry at us like Kuno!"

"That's true enough." He then looked back to Harito, narrowing his eyes into a glare. "What's goin on here?"

"Oh, I thought you knew, godkiller Ranma!" Harito said with a laugh. "The man who was Harito dabbled in some rather... darker arts, shall we say? He pledged his soul to me in exchange for destroying the Saotome line. Now that your idiot of a father has been taken care of, I intend to kill you and be done with it, and free from my bonds!"

"Gave you his soul?"

"Of course," the being that had called himself Harito said with a wide grin. "Without my horns, I needed some fashion of gathering astral to me... and his soul is a convenient method."

"You're a devil!" Ranma said suddenly.

The being looked back to Ranma in mock surprise. "Got it in one, Ranma!" he said with a laugh. "At least you aren't as slow as your father was."

"You aren't so tough!" Akane suddenly said in a loud voice, drawing the gaze from both of the others in the large room. "You are a wimp! A coward who can't even fight!"

"What are you doing, Acchan?" Ranma cried in surprise, trying to keep her from getting killed by the devil that was in front of them. Without being able to move, they were sitting ducks.

Harito interrupted her before she could reply by throwing his white trench coat from his body in a fluent motion. Before it could hit the ground, a dark cloud swarmed to life around him as he roared in anger. The feeling of dread and sorrow filled the room in an instant as the temperature dropped a good fifteen degrees.

When the smoke had cleared, Harito had grown to almost twice the size he had been, and was sporting a tremendous set of black wings on his back. The wings were torn, but they were still obviously effective. Aside from that obvious change, he also had long claws on both his hands and a tail that looked to be made from a mix of barbed wire and copper piping.

"Coward, am I?" he demanded. "A wimp, am I?"

"Yes!" Akane shouted back in his face. "You can't even fight Ranma in a face to face battle! You have to freeze him in his place so you even have a chance of hurting him! You're scared, even though by your own words, he can't hurt you!"

"I am scared of nothing!" Harito's devil form screamed. "This boy does not have the strength to frighten me! He couldn't lay a finger on me!"

Akane looked over to Ranma, meeting his eyes with her own hazel ones firmly. She stared at him for almost a full minute in silence, as though trying to say something to him, but she said nothing until she looked back up to the devil in front of her.

"Then prove it!"

"What?" Harito screamed. "What? How dare you challenge me, especially in a name not your own?"

"I accept the challenge," Ranma cut him off before he could say anything else to Akane. Her message had just clicked in his mind... the two of them had spoken about the very fact the first night of their honeymoon.

"You can't even touch me, boy!" Harito roared, whirling on him. "I will release you from your bonds of fear, just to prove that fact to you!" He glowered down at Ranma for a moment before a snap in the air set Ranma's body moving again, practically bouncing on the spot, making it obvious that he had been fighting against the bonds the full time. "I could use a bit of entertainment first... it isn't often I can find someone brazen enough to challenge me sincerely."

"Could I have a glass of water, first?" Ranma asked calmly, standing tall and putting a hand to his throat. "My throat's a bit dry cause of all the yellin I've been doin in here."

The devil looked down at him in disbelief for a moment before throwing back his head in a mix between a roar and a laugh - it really was hard to tell which it was. He then lifted a hand forcefully, and a loud gong sounded off in the distance. Immediately, the doors that Ranma and Akane had come through in the first place parted, revealing line after line of armed guards - each holding a long spear and a shield. One near the front lowered his weapons and walked forward, holding out the canteen that had been at his side to Ranma without saying a word.

Ranma took it carefully and unscrewed the cap, looking at the man in front of him the whole time. He, too, had that lost look in his eyes that his father had had when they had fought. That meant that Harito was controlling them, too.

Turning his back on the guard who was retreating again, he lifted the canteen up to the devil before him. "You have my thanks!" he called with a grin. He then lowered it back to his lips for a brief second before raising it again to dump it over his head.

The cold water flowed over him, and he was never as glad as he was right then to become a she. He lost his height as he shrunk several inches, and he felt several of his muscles shrink just a little, but knew they still held a lot of power. His chest swelled outwards in an instant, and without even thinking about it, he tightened the strings in his shirt to compensate for his loss of shoulder width.

In one smooth motion, he pulled the band out of his hair and shook it loose, letting the red frame his - now her - face as she looked up to the devil in front of her. "Still feeling as confident, Harito?" she asked, forcing a touch of sweetness into her voice to heighten the effect.

"What?" Harito roared, holding a hand out towards Ranma-chan. She just shook her head and took a clean step forward, dropping down into her loose fighting stance as she brought her hands up.

"Trust me, devil, I ain't ever slept with nobody like this before!"

"You... you're a..."

"Ya damn right I am. I'm a pure maiden." She then smirked and stuck her tongue out at him. "Better yet, I'm a pure maiden that's gonna kick yer ass so hard you'll be praying ta the kami fer release!"

Not wanting to let go of the element of surprise that she had managed to attain, Ranma-chan leapt towards the massive devil as fast as she could, blurring through the air as she brought a foot forward to crash into the bare black chest.

Harito's wings spread wide as he was knocked backwards by the sheer force of the kick, and then he stood tall himself. "You may be a pure maiden now, Ranma, but you will never defeat me! Being pure isn't enough!"

"The best one of us'll win!" Ranma-chan vowed, making a fist in front of her. "And trust me... I'm always the best." She leapt forward again as she coated her hands in ki energy. "Always!" She dropped to the ground in front of Harito and clasped her hands together, pushing back with her feet as she kicked upwards. "Goraikou Ryu Aoriashi!"

Ranma-chan knew that Harito was fast enough to avoid a simple direct kick, so by using her knowledge of her own ki and how to manipulate it to a certain extent, she used the move she had been working on in the dojo on her own while Akane had been practicing her advanced katas.

As expected, the devil leapt backwards, and Ranma-chan landed on her back. There was a split second where it appeared that she could not move at all - even though she knew she could, it would be extremely difficult, and feel like she was ripping her body in two if she were to try. However, that is key to the attack itself, as Harito saw the opening and dove forward to attack.

The ki that had been left behind by the kick struck the devil fully in the chest, lifting him off his feet and throwing him through the air to crash into the far wall. One of the massive pillars toppled on top of him, and billows of dust poured out from where he sat, struggling to stand.

By now, Ranma-chan had managed to get back to her feet, and was focusing her ki for a move that she had only really used in battle once or twice before. "That all you got, devil?" she shouted. "My old man's more of a challenge than you!"

Harito was on his feet again at the insult and shot forward on his wings to strike hard and fast. Ranma-chan had brought her hands up to meet the attack head on with a large smile on her face. "Moko Takabisha!"

The bright ball of yellow ki, unfortunately, seemed to have very little effect against the large devil, who struck Ranma-chan hard with a closed fist, sending her crashing into the wall. Afterwards, however, Harito knelt to the floor and coughed hard. Black bile splattered in front of him, and he fell to all four as he coughed again, spitting up more of the disgusting black goo.

"Impossible..." Harito wheezed through his pain. "No one can deal so much damage! It isn't humanly possible..."

"Neither is turning into a girl when splashed with cold water, and turning back with hot," Akane pointed out from her frozen position. "My Ranma has always had a thing about doing the impossible, though. He's never failed."

"You!" Harito growled. "I can use you! Your soul is strong enough to repair my body, and give me the strength I need to crush him!" He stood up suddenly and spread his wings as he turned towards Akane all at once.

Meanwhile, Ranma-chan had managed to pick herself up off the ground, and stumbled once as she tried to look at what was going on now. Her attack must have done some good if Harito hadn't followed her yet, but she doubted it was enough.

She simply saw red when Harito turned from facing her to facing Akane. All thoughts went clear out of her mind instantly as she called all of her aura out in full force, focusing everything she had into her battle strength. "Shishi no Ryuujin!" she cried, though it came out as more of a roar of energy than anything. She was not aware that her aura, this time, was a twisting of white and blue, rather than the soft red it often was.

The entire room shook as a massive mist dragon formed around Ranma-chan, encircling her once before shooting towards Harito, to encircle him as well. With a roar of its own, the dragon then vanished, and Harito found himself forced to face Ranma, despite his previous intentions. "No!" he shouted, trying to turn away from Ranma's incredible aura. "I need her power! I will get it, too!" His own black aura started to ooze from him, and he focused it the best he could to moving towards the girl who was now behind him.

Through the haze of her rage and fear induced battle aura, Ranma-chan heard Akane scream. "The power..." she growled. "I need the power... of the dragons..." I guess my calling is towards the Phoenix instead... Akane said that. The thoughts were whirling through Ranma-chan's head faster than she had thought possible. And she meant that mine were geared towards the dragon... and I've proven that. Well, it's time to tap that power more than I ever have before!

Her feet were moving before her mind could even settle down. Even though she was used to moving quickly, everything around her blurred this time. She knew that she was faster this time than she ever had been before. Words spouted in her mind as she struck hard at Harito's neck on the first pass, having leapt at him from the ground.

"Kagenmi..." She shot down again and struck the other side of his neck, arching upwards as that attack finished so she could come in from another plane. "Kouryuu..." Four more attacks, all striking Harito's neck again and again with ki claws that she was barely aware she even had. Hovering with a power not entirely her own in front of the devil's face, she finished the attack with a roar of sound. "Raikou!"

Landing on the ground behind the devil, five drops of black blood drip on the ground in front of her, dripping off the fingers of her right hand. After the five drops struck the ground, everything came into focus again as a resounding crash knocked her to the ground. Spinning around from her fallen position, she clamoured backwards despite herself when she found herself face to face with the detached head of the devil.

It was literally only seconds later that she was bowled over by something moving even faster than she had been - or, at least, that was the impression that struck her. The thing had her arms wrapped around her and was crying while kissing her hard on the mouth.

Responding as soon as her mind would let her, Ranma-chan wrapped her arms around Akane and opened her mouth to deepen the kiss. She had never really been comfortable kissing Akane as a girl before... but it seemed so right suddenly. As she tasted the inside of the taller girl's mouth, her senses almost blew out at the sensations that were shaking through her body. With a start, she realized that her aura was still out, and she knew instantly that Akane's was out as well.

As the pleasure was starting to rise throughout her body, tensing muscles and giving her a feeling deep within herself that she had never felt before as a girl, a sound from the body of the dead devil forced her to pull away from her wife. Anything that could disturb something so wonderful was seriously going to regret it...

"You were wonderful, Ran-chan!" Akane breathed, holding her even tighter.

"You did do better than I had anticipated," a voice from the body said firmly. Akane leapt back to her feet in an instant, and Ranma-chan stood next to her, watching the pile for any sign of life. It took a moment - only really a couple of seconds of watching - before the devil's body faded into ash, leaving a man no larger than Happosai standing before them. "Which leaves me with only one choice - killing you myself!"

The man, who they could only assume was the real Harito, drew a sword that was at his side and leapt at Ranma-chan. The petite redhead leapt backwards as she dodged out of the way, Akane moving with her stride for stride. "Ice." She looked over at Akane, who was smiling, and the word clicked. She knew what her wife was suggesting.

Carefully, the two moved together as one entity as Harito attacked them again and again, taunting them as he went. "You realize, don't you, that I could just strike you down at any time?" he laughed, slicing at the air between them with the deadly blade. "You might think you are so fast, but nothing can stand forever, and the devil gave me enough power to outlast any mortal!"

Ranma-chan kept herself - forced herself - to remain calm and collected. Even though the small man reminded her of Happosai. Even though he had wiped the memory of her father - or something of the sort, anyway. Even though he had summoned a devil to try and kill her and Akane. None of that could matter at the moment as the large circle they were leading started getting smaller and smaller.

"You have the skills, Acchan," she said softly. She knew what she was doing... but given what Harito had just said, she doubted it would be enough. "Don't be afraid to use the best ya can draw on, got it?"

Akane, whose face was a mask of concentration as she did her best to follow her mate's movement step for step, nodded once but said nothing. The spiral was getting smaller, and it was getting harder and harder to avoid the blade of Harito. His comments had long since been completely tuned out, but he could not be ignored. A thought brought a brief smile to her face - thankfully she didn't have to keep as calm and cold as Ranma did.

I'll have to thank Kuno for training us to avoid sword attacks later...

Without warning, the spiral suddenly came to a close and Ranma-chan shot forward with the flat of her left fist. "Hiryu Shoten Ha!" With a rush of energy, the cold of Ranma's calm ki collided with the fury of Harito's, causing a massive funnel of pressure and wind, lifting the smaller man into the air with a strike as powerful as though a dragon had hit him, rather than a person.

Seeing the funnelled ki she was looking for, Akane rolled to her back and held her hands before her, pointing straight up into the tornado of wind. "Genko Fenikkusu!" The roar of energy that erupted from between her palms forced her hard into the stone ground that she was lying on, leaving her winded. That didn't matter, though, as the flaming energy shot upwards, straight through the wind tornado. The blast of energy struck the flying Harito hard, and then the whole of the funnel burst into flames, drowning out his screams of pain.

Ranma, who had pulled out a thermos of hot water from nowhere to change back into a guy, hauled Akane to her feet and out from under the flaming death trap. The moment they cleared it, the energy faded, and Harito landed on the ground in a heap. Neither had a chance to walk forward at all before her suddenly crumpled further, his body turned to ash from the intense heat and damage that he had sustained.

Harito was dead.

For a long time, neither spoke, or even moved. Akane was breathing heavily and Ranma - though he would never admit to it - was also rather winded by now. They had fought together with more power than ever before, with results more potent, too. Ranma forced the idea that they had just killed a man out of his mind as he turned towards Akane. Harito had tried to hurt Akane... wanted to kill her, even... so that was enough to allow for what they had done.

He didn't get a chance to speak, however, before the doors they had entered through suddenly burst open again, revealing the guards all over again. "He's gone?" the guard up front asked in surprise. Ranma was surprised to even hear him talk, but didn't say anything. Instead, he nodded carefully. "Please... stay here in peace! We owe you that much for releasing us from Harito's presence."

"Whada ya mean?" Ranma asked as he wrapped an arm around Akane. She was strangely quiet and a little subdued, which was not helping Ranma's concentration. If the guards were looking for a fight and just trying to pull one over on them...

The guard who had spoken lowered his spear to the ground and let it fall before taking a step forward. Several of the other lines of guards marched around the room, to surround it, as though watching for anything that could interrupt them. "I mean that the devil who he had absorbed had complete control over us... Most of us surely have significantly shorter lives now than we would have had if our former master had not subverted to the act of devil worshipping."

"So, that's a bedroom up there?" Ranma motioned to the room that they obviously meant for the two of them. It was the set of double doors behind the thrones that they had never managed to make it to before Harito had attacked. "Where we can get some rest without the lotta yas interrupting?"

When the guards all nod in unison, Ranma decided that enough was enough and swept Akane into his arms. He leapt over the first line of warriors who now claimed to be protecting them, and then pushed the doors open to the room and walked in with her clinging to him.

As soon as the doors actually closed, Akane burst into tears, startling him so much that he actually fell onto the bed with her... and the end position wasn't exactly the most comfortable. After rearranging both of them, he sat still rocking her back and forth, still holding her close. "What's wrong, Acchan?"

She didn't answer right away, but did seem to be trying to get herself under some semblance of control. Eventually, she looked up into his blue feral eyes and shuddered as she took a deep breath. "I'm still a little scared," she whispered. "Even though that devil is gone... it was so close to killing you, Ran-chan! And far too close to absorbing me!"

"I know," Ranma whispered into her ear as he leaned a little closer. "I know, love. But it's alright now. I mean, I killed a god for you before remember? What makes you think a simple devil could stop me?"

Despite herself, Akane smiled a little at the reference that would have been a painful reminder only days earlier. Somehow, it didn't seem as bad now. "Who else can say that their fianc... sorry, that their husband would literally tear apart heaven and hell to save them?"

"I would go further than that for you, my wife, and you know it," Ranma replied playfully, teasing her on the slip up. She swatted him in the shoulder, but didn't seem to have all her heart in it. When she didn't say anything else right away, Ranma leaned a little closer and planted a soft kiss just behind her ear. "What else is wrong?"

"You realise we killed a man back there, right?"

Subconsciously, Ranma's arms tightened a little around Akane at the tightness of her voice. "Yeah," he said softly. He knew all right, having thought of that very fact a few minutes earlier out in the large room. "But he was trying to kill us. And if we didn't end it for him completely, he probably would have summoned another Devil... one that we couldn't stop."

"That doesn't really help me feel much better about the whole thing..."

"Think it helps me?" Ranma snorted. "It's tearing me up inside. All I can focus on, though, is the same thing I did in Jusendo... that you're alright. He didn't manage to kill you." When he saw that his words calmed her a little, he smiled. "Alright... so what else can I do for you?"

"What?"

"You seem a little more relaxed now," he pointed out. "But you're still upset... and unless I miss my guess, a little scared of what we just did."

"I don't know how you can read me so well suddenly, Ran-chan..."

"Who knows? Might have to do with how strong your ki has gotten recently... or maybe we bonded in more than one way a couple of nights ago," he added in a lower voice, whispering into her ear. She giggled and leaned into him again.

"This is nice, though. Being in your arms... I'd never have said this before, but it makes me feel safe. And I like that now... it reminds me," she whispered in return.

He gave her a light squeeze. "Reminds ya of what?"

Akane shook her head, and he hugged her again, trying to convince her to talk. It was a lot easier to get her to talk than him, and he knew it. "I remember when I was scared of storms when I was little... my mother would hold me close and sing to me. She had the most beautiful singing voice..." She stopped when a tear rolled down her cheek. Akane had never really told him much about her mother before... but it just seemed right now. "And she'd keep singing until she put me to sleep again."

"Memagurushii jikan no mure ga." Akane froze as the soft, rough words leapt into the air. It was a relatively fast song, but she certainly hadn't expected it. "Hashinukeru machi wa savanna..."

"Ranma?"

The words died in the air instantly. "Sorry," he whispered. "I know I can't sing fer the life of me... not manly, ya know?"

She shook her head and buried herself a little closer to him, breathing in deeply of his scent. Though he did smell a little of ash - a side effect of being a little too close to her Genko Fenikkusu - he mostly smelled of himself. The musky, tired smell of one who was constantly striving to improve themselves. "I don't mind," she whispered, sorry that he had stopped. "You might not have the nicest singing voice... but it means a lot that you would try."

She couldn't see his smile, but he couldn't see hers either as he started up again. "Mogaku you ni... nukedasu you ni." The song was not a slow song by any means, and she could feel the excitement in the words, even though he was just starting out. She would have wondered at his choice of music, but didn't want to think too much... rather, she just wanted to listen. "Kono chikara o tameshite-mitakute."

He paused for a moment, and then dove into the rest of the song, his singing voice a little more confident now. He missed a few notes, and it was obvious that he was straining at the higher notes, but she really couldn't care less. "Kitto dokaka ni `Kotae' aru. Umaretekita kotae ga... Hito wa minna sore o motome." Again, the song got faster, and she was surprised to find herself tapping his knee to the rhythm. After what she had said earlier, she had really expected a slower song... but this was nice. The words seemed to suit her. "Yarusenai... nogasenai. Yume ni mukau no!"

"Kizutsukukoto wa kowakunai. Dakedo kesshite tsuyokunai. Tada nanima shinai mama de... kuyandari hashitakunai." Akane smiled as she fit the words to her own life. She would have asked if he meant the words to relate to her directly, but she didn't want him to stop at the climax of the song, just when it was really starting to move.

"Here we go, go!" The English was a little rough and caught her off guard, but she didn't have the time to think about it before he was continuing. "Hashiri tsuzukeru. Dare nimo tomerare wa shinai. Mirai no jibun e to. Give a reason for life todoketai!"

She pulled away a little from him and clapped, while he looked away from her and rubbed the back of his head as though he was embarrassed. "It probably wasn't as good as your mother's singing..."

She stopped his words with a kiss, knocking him backwards on the bed so she was lying directly on top of him. When she pulled away again, she found herself staring into his eyes... the eyes that had changed over the passed few months since the match against Happosai, but eyes that were still his all the same. "It was wonderful," she reassured him. "You might not be the best singer, but it was really good."

"It didn't do its job, though," he pointed out.

"What job?"

"Ya said yer mom would sing to ya until ya fell asleep, remember?"

Akane shrugged and rested her head against his chest, moving a little until she was comfortable. It was how she had taken to sleeping with him when he was a guy, and she loved the sense of security it brought her. "It was a fast song, though. Not really sleeping music, right?"

"Do ya want me ta try again?"

"How many songs do you have up there?" she asked with a grin, reaching out and touching the side of his face.

He shrugged. "Never thought about it. I heard that one a few years back on our travels, and I guess it stuck."

"I'd love another... but if it was softer, that would be good. I think a good sleep really will help me," she whispered, closing her eyes as she tried to relax.

"Alright," he whispered. "Do me a favour, though?" When she nodded to say she was listening, he went on. "Replace the think with know." Although she wasn't sure what he meant by that, she nodded anyway. Then a soft, almost sad melody filled the air. The song was much slower, though Ranma's voice was a bit stronger this time. It was as though he had a little more confidence in just what he was singing. "Daisuki to omou kara ne." That was what he was talking about... "Kizutsuitari tomadottari."

"You don't have to..." she started, but he silenced her by wrapping his arms around her and shaking his head slightly, his voice holding the last note he had sung for a moment before continuing.

"Tsumetai hoho wo yose atte kokoro ga umareta... Itsumo ima sugu ni aitai." While the last song he had sung seemed to be geared towards her general outlook on life, he seemed to be telling her his feelings towards her through the words of this song. "Mukuchi ni naru hodo suki yo. Yasashisa doushitara mieru no?"

Even though she wanted to hear the last of the words, she knew she was starting to fade. Ranma's voice was softer now than she had ever heard it. A soft smile was playing on her face as she continued to listen, slowly drifting off to sleep. "Dakishimete motto tsuyoko atatkana mune wo shinjiru yo... Sayonara solitia ashita e." When Ranma felt her breathing steady and slow, he knew she had fallen asleep. With a smile, he kissed the top of her head. "Goodbye, loneliness. I'm with her, now."

He let sleep take him then. After having slept around his father for so long on training trips, he knew he could wake in an instant if need be... even if he did like sleeping in when he felt safe. Although he couldn't think of a better place to be - with Akane wrapped around him - the actual location was not necessarily a safe one, so he didn't want to risk anything.

Ranma woke up sometime later to the sound of the doors closing again. Akane was still in his arms, and he eased her onto the bed itself as he slipped out of it to look around the room. He felt much better having gotten a bit of sleep... and felt even better when he saw the massive trays of food that had been brought in for them. There was more food there than he had even seen anywhere else - including in the kitchen of a restaurant - and there was no one around to steal it from them.

Sitting back down on the bed, he put a hand on Akane's shoulder and shook her lightly. "Hey, Acchan," he whispered. When that got no response, he smiled. "Uncute tomboy..."

"Perverted baka!" Akane said instantly, sitting up and hitting him in the head with the mallet that appeared out of nowhere. It was only after the contact that she actually woke up fully, and started apologizing to him immediately.

"I've got a hard head," he interrupted her, knocking on the top of his head. His hair was back in the usual pigtail again - something he must have done subconsciously as he looked around the room when he woke up. "And I deserved it anyway, for calling you uncute." He then motioned to the tables and trays behind him. "Hungry?"

It took most of the morning for them both to be satisfied with the amount that they had eaten. There was still over half the food left, but they didn't really want to take anything else. With a sigh, Akane sat down on the bed again and laid back.

"Feel better now?" Ranma asked in a whisper, sitting down next to her.

"Yeah," she promised him. "Thanks." She looked up to the doors again, and raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.

"What?"

"It looks like there's a lock on that door," she pointed out.

It was true, too. The door had bracers installed, and a long, thick piece of wood was resting against the frame. If placed in the bracers, it would take someone of incredible strength to pull them open, and only then by breaking the doors themselves.

"And?"

"And I have a promise to keep," Akane whispered with a grin, standing up to put the bolt in place. She was careful to walk directly in front of Ranma, making sure that, if he wanted to, he could watch her ass as she moved. Once the door was in place, she picked up a glass of water from the table and turned back to Ranma.

It seemed that there were times when Ranma's brain worked faster than usual, because he suddenly backed up on the bed quickly, holding his hands out as though to ward her off while shaking his head. "Oh no," he said. "No, Acchan. That's not gonna happen, so get that look out of your eyes. No."

Akane stopped halfway back to the bed, surprised by his vehement refusal. "But..." She looked to the glass carefully, sure that if she held his gaze then she would probably break down right then and there and start crying. After a moment, she looked back up and stared right into his feral eyes. "I love you, Ranma Saotome."

That comment seemed to catch him off guard, because he lowered his hands. "I know, Acchan. I love you too, you know that."

"All of you," she whispered. "I love all of you."

Ranma closed his eyes as he turned his head away from the determined girl in front of him. "I know. But, `kane... I'm a guy, not a girl. You know that, too."

"But you can turn into a girl," she pointed out. "And you think that I'm disgusted by it... that I think you're a freak."

"I know you don't!" Ranma objected. "I believe you... you don't have to do anything extra to prove it to me. You love me either way."

"And you love me when you are a guy or a girl, right?" Ranma's pointed glare made her nod. "I know you do." She set the glass down on the ground in between them carefully and closed her eyes. She had to make a decision, and she knew what she wanted. They were alone, on their honeymoon, and no one would interrupt them. She loved him... wanted him... and no one was going to stop them.

Very slowly - almost painfully slowly - Akane lifted her tight black shirt up over her head, exposing her stomach first, and then in a burst, ripping it all the way off and throwing it onto the floor, leaving herself standing before Ranma wearing her pants and a bra.

"Kawaii..." Ranma breathed without even realizing it.

"Like what you see, do you?" Akane asked with a smile. She didn't really have to ask - after their first night completely together, she knew how he felt about her body. She reached behind her back and snapped her bra off before he could say anything, and let it fall to the ground. "Better?"

"Come here," Ranma said in a dry voice, holding out his arms to her. "I want you here, on the bed with me, right now!"

Akane just smiled and shook her head. "You like this view?" she whispered.

"More than I can say..."

Bending down slowly, she picked up the glass of water and held it out towards Ranma. "Do you think you wouldn't like what you see as a girl?"

"I would never not love you!" he said in a louder voice than he had meant to use. "But it wouldn't be right..." he whispered, forcing himself to look away.

"Why not?"

"Because... it's suppos'ta be a guy and a girl, not two girls!"

With a growl, Akane threw the contents of the glass of her husband, soaking him and triggering his curse. Ranma-chan looked back to her in surprise at her sudden action. "Do you still love me?" Akane demanded.

"Kuso, Acchan, ya know I do!"

"Then why would it be wrong for us to be together?"

Ranma-chan bowed her head and took a deep breath, but said nothing in response. Taking that as a good sign, Akane sat down on the edge of the bed and edged closer to her husband, moving as slowly as she thought she could while still getting closer to her.

Ranma-chan turned her head towards Akane's as the now taller girl suddenly stuck her face in where she had been staring. "Shan kamisan..." she whispered.

"Ririshii kihou."

Neither said anything else as both leaned in closer to capture the other's lips with their own. Because she still had enough of her mind left - given that they were just starting - Ranma-chan let her aura start to seep from her to surround them both.

The fire deep in her belly erupted with a flare as Akane let her own aura free. Ranma-chan moaned into the kiss as she felt a small tingle of pleasure wash through her from their joined lips all the way down to the junction between her legs.

Somehow, one of her hands had found its way to caressing Akane's breasts, while the other was at the back of the other girl's head, ensuring that she couldn't pull away from the kiss, even if she had wanted to.

She pulled away just slightly when she felt one of Akane's hands brush against her own breast, and swallowed hard. The only time anyone had touched her there before was a long time ago, when she had first arrived in Nermia. Neither Nabiki nor Kuno had made the experience at all pleasant...

"Trust me," Akane managed to get the words out during the short pauses they took between their long kisses.

"Always."

Her breath caught in her throat when Akane pulled at the strings holding her shirt closed, and she released it in a gasp when she felt a cold hand right on her left breast. She could barely believe the feeling that was flooding through her, both from their kisses shared with their auras, and from the sensation of the hand on her breast.

She rolled onto her back as Akane pushed her gently, and let the girl who was now above her push her shirt out of the way to grasp both her breasts fully. The pulses of energy that were shooting through her were so intense that she moaned loudly again before thinking to lift her own hands to Akane's free breasts.

It was hard to say who was in control once Ranma-chan had taken hold of Akane as well. Both pressed into the other, and Akane leaned down the best she could to kiss the other girl again. It felt odd to be doing what they were doing, but she couldn't say she didn't like it. She loved Ranma either way... and that meant as a boy or a girl.

Akane suddenly pushed Ranma-chan's hands away from her breasts, but before the other girl could say anything or try to regain her position, Akane had leaned down and captured an erect nipple in her mouth, sucking on it gently.

Ranma-chan moaned again - surprising herself, certainly. She wasn't nearly as vocal as a guy... but the entire experience was very different, without question. "More," she whispered harshly, and gasped as she felt Akane's teeth gently pulling at her breast. Before she could even think clearly, Akane had switched to her other breast and was repeating her previous actions.

She had no idea when her pants had been pulled down, or how it had happened, but she certainly noticed when Akane's hand was suddenly cupping her heat. If she thought the pleasure rolling through her was powerful before, she couldn't even grasp the strength of the waves now.

She screamed her pleasure when a soft, gentle finger suddenly found its way into her folds, burying itself as deep as it could go in one fluent motion. Her muscles clamped tightly around Akane's finger, but that didn't seem to stop the other girl at all, who pulled hard to move her finger out just a little before pushing it deeper it.

Ranma-chan was vaguely aware of a sharp, sudden pain with the last push, but brushed it off as the waves of ecstasy started rolling over her again and again as she screamed Akane's name. When she finally managed to calm down a little, she opened her eyes again and found herself staring straight into the hazel green that she had grown to love so much. Akane grinned and pulled her hand away from Ranma-chan's heat, showing the smaller girl that her hand was dripping with Ranma-chan's inner juices.

"Take me, Ran-chan," Akane whispered as she leaned down to Ranma-chan's ear. "After watching you writhe about like that... I need you to take me! Now..." No thought at all was involved in Ranma-chan pulling down Akane's pants and panties in one foul swoop and throwing them to another side of the room. She stopped instantly when Akane's hand touched her wrist. Looking back to Akane's eyes, she saw the desire there clearly. "There's a kettle of hot water in the corner."

"You want..." Ranma-chan didn't even finish the question before Akane started to nod quickly. Using every one of her muscles and all her speed training, Ranma-chan blurred suddenly, but never seemed to leave the bed at all. Instead, she had pushed Akane down on her back, and Ranma-chan had turned back into a guy in apparently the same action.

"Hard!" Akane shouted when he reached out to caress his wife's own heat carefully. With a grin, he slipped a finger inside her suddenly and pushed hard before pulling out again. She didn't have the time to object before he had positioned himself before her opening and thrust hard.

It was Akane who screamed this time, and Ranma who forced himself onwards through her muscle contractions. His own pleasure was quickly mounting as she screamed his name over and over again, and he could feel her juices leaking out of her as she started to ride her own pleasure a second time that minute.

That was what put him over the edge, too, and he thrust hard one last time before holding himself as deep as possible and leaning down to kiss her. As he did so, he felt his own release as his seed shot from him deep inside her. She met his kiss fiercely and continued it long after both had calmed down a little.

When Ranma finally pulled away, it was to see Akane's broad smile and to hear her very contented sigh. "Ready for more, koibito?" she whispered to him, raising her hips a little to pull him in a bit deeper than he had been residing.

He didn't need a second suggestion in the slightest.

---------------------

"Hey, tomboy!"

Akane turned from the peak of the mountain, hefting her small pack up a little as she did so. Ranma was a little bit behind her, carrying a pack much larger than hers, though he didn't appear to be struggling at all, even though they had been travelling for almost three days straight. The most rest they had gotten since leaving the castle was when they had paused to try and find Ranma's father.

There was no sign of him when they had returned to free him.

"What, baka?"

Ranma smiled as he was suddenly standing next to her. "Love you."

As if his smile wasn't enough to reduce her to a mess, he had to go ahead and say that. With a soft sigh, she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him briefly. "Love you too, my Ranma."

"And you're my Akane." He then let go of her and stepped back, dropping his pack to the forest floor suddenly. She looked to him in confusion, and he just shook his head and suddenly vanished, entering the Umisen-ken technique.

"Baka," she whispered, setting her own pack down and sitting next to it. Whenever he disappeared like that, there was no telling what he was up to, or where he was headed. She had gotten used to it at one stage, but hadn't expected him to pull such a stunt on their honeymoon.

A loud cry of pain startled her out of her thoughts, and she leapt to her feet to meet whatever challenge was heading her way next. She couldn't come up with anything to say, however, when Ryoga suddenly landed in a crumpled heap in front of her, followed almost immediately by Mousse, who was tied up in his own chains.

It was Ranma's voice that broke the silence. "I don't know who you are, so I ain't gonna attack ya without findin out what's goin on." She was surprised by the steel edge to his voice, but he had vowed not to let them get interrupted again.

-Muu Tsu brought his companion to try and find you two,- a voice replied. Although she was speaking in mandarin (which Akane only barely understood in the first place), she knew it wasn't Shampoo talking. -I met them on the shore of China, and agreed to go with them to try and help you.-

"Ya don't talk much Japanese, do you?" Ranma asked as he reappeared at the top of the hill. Next to him was a female warrior wearing - to Akane's surprise - robes much like Mousse's. She had long pink hair that was braided down her back and tied with a black ribbon, and her sleeves hid her hands.

"I can, but as we are in China still, I thought it appropriate," the woman replied with a shrug.

"What's going on here?" Akane demanded, finally finding the ability to talk again. "Just what are you two doing here? And who are you?" she added, looking up to the woman as Ranma came back to her side after retrieving his pack.

It took a while to get the full story with both Ryoga and Mousse trying to explain it at the same time, but eventually, it came to light. Mousse had overheard Nabiki and Nodoka talking about where Ranma and Akane had gone for their honeymoon, and was worried almost right away. After checking with Shampoo - though it was no easy task for him to do so these days - he had confirmed his fears.

The area they were headed for was a dark spot in China, and rumours of evil and trouble coming from there had spread to the Amazon village even before they had left. When Mousse told Ryoga about this, they both decided that it wasn't something the two newlyweds should have to concern themselves with, so they would go to China to deal with the trouble.

Well, more accurately, Mousse had told Ryoga that if he didn't help, he wouldn't mind hunting down a chef to make him a rare dish involving pork or bacon. Ryoga had wanted to simply stay in Japan with Akari, figuring that he would have a hard time finding his way back anyway, and that Ranma and Akane were well able to take care of themselves.

Their trip across the sea was easy enough, after stealing Kuno's new boat. While neither were great navigators, and both were in constant danger of transforming to smaller animals incapable of sailing, they somehow managed to make it across the sea to the shores of China.

This was where they met up with Phen Riche, though everyone save Mousse managed to butcher her name as Fenrish, which she had started to accept already. She had tried to hijack their boat to get across the sea to Japan. As a warrior of the Hidden Weapons school, she had heard about the incredible power in Nermia, and wanted to see what the School of Anything Goes could offer. When she heard about what the two of them were up to, she insisted on helping, declaring it as her initiation into the School.

Curiously enough, Ranma said nothing about this at all until they were close to the dock where the boat had been moored. And it only came up after Akane finally relented and told the three just what had happened to the dark presence.

"Shishi no Ryuujin?" Ryoga asked in surprise at the end of the tale. "Kagenmi Kouryuu Raikou?" He looked to Mousse quickly, and then back to Ranma again. "Roar of the Dragon God? Temporal Holy Dragon Raid? What are those all about, and why haven't either of us ever heard of them?"

"Because I made them up in the fight," Ranma explained. "They were necessary, and I had the ki to pull them off. Mind you, I'm not sure I wasn't channelling some dragon's spirit at the time anyway... the words just came to me as I attacked."

Mousse clouted Ryoga on the shoulder with a small, almost forced laugh. "Besides, pig boy, if he had used them on us, we probably wouldn't be around to talk about it, now would we?"

"What did you call me?" Ryoga roared, pulling his umbrella off his pack in an instant as he turned towards Mousse.

"Let it go, P-Chan," Akane said in a low voice. Ryoga looked to her in surprise, but wisely decided against saying anything at all in response. After a moment of Ryoga under her intense stare, Ranma put an arm around her and pulled her a little closer to him, since they had stopped moving and were now standing on the docks.

"We made quite the team in the end, though, don'tcha think?"

"Phoenix Fist and Rising Dragon's Heaven Blast?" Fenrish asked. "Sounds to me like you two belong together more than these two bakas let on."

"How so?" Akane asked in surprise. Fenrish had said very little to any of them since they had joined up, so it was startling to hear her suddenly making a declaration like that.

"Well, although the dragon and phoenix are often painted as the deadliest of enemies, always fighting each other and never willing to show leniency towards the other, they also are the best of allies. The Dragon to the east, and the Phoenix to the south... they always fight side by side, covering waters, winds, and fires."

Silence met her words before Ranma broke out into a large grin. "You are referring to the Shinto gods, goddesses, and beliefs, aren't you?"

"Of course," Fenrish said with a shrug. "I studied them extensively when I was training as a priestess. Mind you, I gave up that path when I started studying the Hidden Weapon's school."

Ranma cleared his throat and stepped away from Akane then, to stand before the entire group. "Yeah, about that..." He paused and closed his eyes before looking to Mousse carefully. "Master Muu Tsu, have you examined her abilities in your art?"

Mousse glanced to Fenrish quickly before meeting Ranma's gaze again. "I have seen her in action, but not taken the time to study the rest of her form as of yet. I was not completely aware that I was granted the Master class under the School of Anything Goes."

"Well now you know. What level would you place her in at this time?"

Mousse pulled his glasses from his face to clean the lenses before looking back to Ranma. "At this stage, I would award her advanced student status, so she might train under your esteemed guidance to improve her overall form."

"You would not have her teach alongside you?"

"I believe we would all wish to learn under you, sensei, but I do not believe her skills capable of teaching at this stage. In time, that will be possible, but for now, I will take responsibility for the Hidden Weapons art."

"What's going on here?" Fenrish finally asked, looking to Akane and Ryoga in confusion. Ryoga shook his head, as though loath to interrupt the conversation, but Akane just smiled to her.

"I take it these two never told you?"

"Told me what?"

"Ryoga Hibiki," Ranma said, cutting off whatever reply Akane was going to give to Fenrish. Ryoga bowed slightly to Ranma, realizing just how serious what Ranma was about to do really was. "Have you inspected her style?"

"I have, sensei," Ryoga said, forcing the word sensei out of his mouth. Ranma would always be a rival to him... but he had to admit, since he was now a part of the Anything Goes School, that the Grandmaster was also his teacher. "She needs an increase in her speed, and desperately needs endurance training. I can help with that. Otherwise, I agree with Mu... M... Mousse," he stumbled, trying to get Mousse's name right, by falling back on the more familiar name.

"Phen Riche," Ranma called before anyone could say anything else, the use of her proper name causing her to draw up to her full height as she turned to face him. "Are you prepared to accept the teachings of the School of Anything Goes?"

"Hai."

"And are you going to use the Art to defend the weak, and never attack out of anger and disrespect?"

"It will take discipline... but hai."

"You aren't alone in that," Ranma said with a smile. "Several people need to work on their anger still." He then nodded to her briefly. "Very well. Welcome to our school, Phen Riche. Fenrish."

"Can you do that?" she asked in surprise. "Just like that?" She had assumed that she would have to travel to the Dojo proper and make a formal request to join.

"As the Grandmaster of the School of Anything Goes Martial Arts, Ranma Saotome can admit anyone he feels deserving of it into the school." Fenrish turned on Mousse quickly as his words, and found him smiling broadly to her. "Good to have you on board."

"You never said you were travelling to help the Grandmaster!" she objected.

"I didn't have to," he reminded her. "You offered to help two of the students of the school on their quest, and asked that we give our recommendations to our sensei."

"We've done that, and now you're in," Ryoga added. "So don't complain. And don't tick either Ranma or Akane off, by the way. It's rather painful."

---------------------

Nodoka sighed as she leaned against the doorframe leading into the backyard. He son and daughter-in-law had returned yesterday, though they did not bring with them entirely good news. They might have been getting along very well - and she was more happy than words could express when Akane took her aside and assured her that her son was, indeed, very manly, and she took the honour blade of the Saotome clan from her - but there was something troubling her at the same time. They had run into her husband, and defeated his kidnapper. Why, then, had there been no sign of him yet?

"Everything alright, mom?" She turned in surprise, as she hadn't heard anyone walk up behind her. Not seeing anyone there, she looked back outside, and then finally right above her, where she found Ranma hanging from the rafters by his feet, looking down at her. When she spotted him, he grinned and flipped down to the ground to sit next to her.

"Not entirely, Ranma," she whispered. She continued in a louder voice. "You did very well on your trip. I spoke to Akane in private, in case you were wondering why your wife now holds the clan's honour blade in her possession."

"She has it set above the mantle," Ranma assured her.

"My daughter-in-law is one of a kind, isn't she?"

"I wouldn'tve married her if she wasn't," he pointed out. "And she wouldn't hold my heart, neither."

Nodoka smiled down to her son as she felt a warmth spread from him that she hadn't felt in years. "You have killed a god and a devil for that woman," she said softly. "And you truly have become a man among men."

"Thanks, mom."

She sighed and sat down next to him slowly. "I only wish I was to thank," she said before shaking her head. "But that is no matter. I'm proud of you, Ranma."

For his part, Ranma didn't reply right away. His mother had just said some of the words that he had been hoping to hear from her for quite some time, and he couldn't come up with a response that seemed appropriate just then. After a long stretch of silence passed, he decided to move onto other topics.

"So, are ya staying here, then, or going back ta yer home?"

"Soun is actually planning something about that right now," she explained. "With Shampoo staying here, we knew that we would have to add to the house already, but she's not the only change. Akane's room needs to be a bit bigger for the two of you, and we need another guest room for Mousse and another for Fenrish." Fenrish was an odd one, even by the standards of Nermia. She knew her myths very well, and seemed to enjoy talking about things along those lines with anyone who would listen - which usually meant Mousse. Nodoka then smiled as she heard Kasumi's voice call out to announce her return. "And unless I miss my guess, Kasumi's room may need to be enlarged before too long, as well."

"If she's planning on staying here, that is," Ranma pointed out.

"Would you ask her to leave?"

"Never," he assured her. "She's always welcome within this house. Not that it's my decision anyways..."

"Soun signed the property over to you and Akane the day you left for your honeymoon," Nodoka explained. "So, point of fact, it would be your decision." She hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath and asking a question that had been haunting her ever since hearing their story. "How are you two holding up?"

"With the Harito thing?" She nodded, and it was Ranma's turn to sigh. "As well as we can, I guess. I'm keeping focused, just like I did the last time. He would've killed Akane... and that means I had no choice. It's shaking her up a bit more, though."

Nodoka's hand automatically went to her back, where she had kept her blade for so long, but pulled away when she found nothing there and remembered where it was. She had been planning on giving it to Akane to help her get over it after Ranma had told her his concerns... but she couldn't do that anymore.

"Nabiki said she'd deal with it, though."

"What can she do that her husband can't?"

Ranma shrugged. "She said something bout telling Akane what could've happened if we hadn't killed him, but she wouldn't go into details with me."

An image of a dead Ranma flashed before Nodoka's eyes, and she shuddered. "I think Nabiki has it in good hands, then." She then looked back to her son. "How are you handling all the changes around here?"

"Truthfully, this isn't as bad as some of the things we've gone through here anyway. The Kunos are - for once - staying out of the way, though I've no idea why." Nodoka managed to keep her smile to herself. She had found a way to get the two convicted to an insane asylum, but hadn't mentioned it to anyone else. "Ryoga's gettin ta know Akari better, and just stayin with her now. I'd like ta know what Shampoo said to Akane to make the two of `em such good friends, and I wouldn't mind knowing just what's going on with Ukyo these days... but over all, things are looking up." He looked up at a sound behind them, and grinned. "Way up," he amended as he clasped Akane's hand when she stopped behind him.

"Daddy's planning on renovating the house," she said quickly. "He seems so excited about it, too. I haven't seen him moving this fast or with this type of energy ever since mom... well..."

"Good fer him," Ranma cut her off. "He needs something, and this is great for him. With Fenrish's payment to start classes, we have the money we need to add to the house."

"Nabiki offered to deal with our books, so long as she can have a place to stay and food to eat," Akane added. "So we're in good hands there, too."

"So..." Ranma said as he looked up to his wife slowly. "Are ya gonna tell me what Shampoo told you yet?"

"Shampoo promise to help protect Dojo, and train child of Ranma and Akane when time comes." Ranma looked up in surprise as Shampoo came out of the Dojo. "Also say sorry for attacking her before, and promise to teach her to cook better, too. If staying here, no want to die from bad food."

"You said that last bit, and the two of yas are suddenly friends?" Ranma asked in disbelief. He then did a double take and looked back to Akane. "Child?"

Akane rolled her eyes and swatted the back of his head. "Baka. We are having kids sometime. Not until we're ready, though, don't worry."

"So you were... uh... taking steps when we were away?"

Shampoo butted in before Akane could reply. "From what Akane said, Shampoo doubt any steps would hold! Make Shampoo even more sorry for not having Ranma as Airen." She held up her hands before anyone could say anything. "But I no want now! Ranma belong to Akane."

Ranma looked back to his wife to gauge her reaction, and was surprised to find her as red as a tomato. "You told her about..."

"I didn't think she'd go spouting it off to the world!"

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Shishi no Ryuujin: Roar of the Dragon God. Ranma's battle ki charged to such a degree that it forces the enemy to turn towards him. It was used to force Harito's Devil form to leave Akane alone and focus on him. Anyone not intended for the battle will be unable to get anywhere close to fighting, the ki is so powerful.

Kagenmi Kouryuu Raikou: Temporal Holy Dragon Raid. The move Ranma created out of anger and fear for Akane's life. Moving so fast that it can not be seen until he finishes, Ranma comes at the enemy from all sides - almost literally at once - striking one plane again and again from all angles until tearing through. This is the move that torn Harito's Devil form in half

Genko Fenikkusu: Literal translation Phoenix Fist (though technically it is fist phoenix...). Akane's power move equaling Ranma's Hiryu Shoten Ha, it is a move that funnels her burning ki into a mass of energy that slams into the enemy like a flaming bird.

Hiryu Shoten Ha: Flying Dragon Ascension Strike, technically, though usually called Rising Dragon Blast. Ranma's power move, used by keeping your own ki cold as ice with the Soul of Ice technique and spiralling around the opponent, funnelling their battle ki until the moment of impact is released - hot and cold equals lots of pain on the enemy.

The first song Ranma sings is from The Slayers: Next, and is called Give a Reason. It is considered by many to be the most powerful anime music of all time (though the opening itself left something to be desired. The title for most powerful opening overall goes to Neon Genesis Evangelion, btw). This is not to say is it the best - I happen to be a rather large fan of the humorous first season opening of Ranma - but there is no debating that it is powerful. Here are the English words.

Things are moving so fast, the moments ticking by.

I'm running through this city, to me, a savanna

Like it's struggling... trying to break free...

I wanna test all this power!

I know that the "Answer" is out there someplace.

The answer that everyone looks for...

From the day they're born!

When all looks lost... and there's no escape...

I turn to my dreams!

I'm not afraid of getting hurt...

But I'm not always strong, either.

It's just that I can't stand... just doing nothing anymore!

Here we go, go! I'll just run on...

And let nobody stop me now!

I wanna find the me in the future...

Give her a reason for life!

The second song that Ranma sings is call Sayonara Solitaire, and is from a rather recent source - in fact, there are almost no fanfictions of it on this site! I'm talking about the anime/manga called Chrno Crusade - in North America, Chrono Crusade. An amazing work in my opinion, I highly recommend it. It isn't finished in English yet, however. The first two mangas and DVDs have been released (as of the date of posting, anyway), but that's it. Still... I can say it's quite good. Anyway, the piece is the ending credits theme. Here are the English words.

It's because I think I love you

That I get hurt and I get bewildered

When our cold cheeks met, a heart was born

I always want to see you right away

I love you so much I end up not being able to talk

How can I see gentleness?

Hold me more tightly, I believe in your warm heart

Farewell, solitaire, I go to tomorrow