Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Winds of Change ❯ Trouble Getting Wet ( Chapter 5 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Winds of Change

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AN: I had two ideas for this chapter. Rolled around quite a bit with it, but ended up taking option B which pretty much changes a large part of the story and adds a dose of drama to the deal. My guess is it makes it also a bit more realistic. Although as this is Ranma ½ realism in many ways is a secondary notion. Anyway, hope you enjoy. Happy reading!

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Disclaimer: I do not own the world of Ranma ½ in any way I just like to play around in the sandpit created by Takahashi Sensei. I don’t make any money by writing this so keep your lawyers at bay!

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Chapter 5: Trouble Getting Wet

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“Faster!” Ranma thought with determination as he kept on pummelling the wooden practice dummy. “Harder!” screamed his mind. The construct shook and shivered under the assault. It resonated with every strike he made.

He never really touched the training prop. He always stopped at an inch or less from actually hitting it. The violent shaking, the rapid quivers were caused by mere air pressure. Ranma knew from experience. If his fists ever made an actual contact it would be the end of the training tool. The wood would shatter into millions of splinters and scatter all over the backyard. Some bigger pieces might be sufficient for firewood. The smaller bits… Toothpicks at best. The martial artist increased his effort. His speed and the strength of his strikes reached superhuman levels. The dummy shook even more.

Sweat rolled down his brows and cheeks as he drove his body on. "Faster! Stronger!" screamed his mind. "More accurate!" His heart switched into second, then third gear to supply him muscles with the necessary amount of fuel. "Focus!" So far the day had been good for him. He was determined to make the best of it. To train hard! To practice more!

It was just him. The Art. The shining sun above. The road to becoming a true master. To his goal of teaching the Art. Of spreading it to the masses. To show people the benefits of martial artistry. To give everybody the strength they need to protect themselves and those unable to do so.

The thought of achieving that goal brought a smile to the boy’s lips. It gave him more power to press on. To train harder.

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Akane stepped through the remnants of the shattered glass door. Damage from yesterday when Ranma took off after getting into a little misunderstanding. She was careful, making sure to check before taking a step to avoid any shards that may have been left behind. She knew well that Kasumi had most probably solved the problem a long time ago, and with great care, at that. However, it was better safe than to be sorry.

Sometimes she found it hard to believe how often things like this happened around the house. By now the Tendo family was on a first-name basis with almost every handyman within a fifty-mile radius. Carpenters, masons, painters, plumbers, electricians, they knew them all. Where and how Nabiki could conjure up the money, Akane had no idea. Somehow her older sister did and that was all that mattered.

Moving down the stairs and into the garden, her thoughts returned to a much more pressing matter. To what she was about to do. To her confessing her feelings. With each step, she took her body got more and more tense. She had no idea how her friends managed to talk her into it, yet here she was.

She was still trying to figure out how her friends could talk her into it. Sure, Yuka convincing her to come clean with her feelings played a large part. As did Sayuri’s dirty move of recording the confession. If that wasn’t enough the two girls threatened to play the recording through the school intercom for everyone to hear and also to put the transcript in the local paper for good measure.

There was no other way to avoid that disaster. Akane knew. She could either come clean on her own accord or she would be made to do it. One way or another her secret was bound to come out. "Jerks!" she thought. There was no way out of this one. At least none she could think of.

She could hear Ranma making use of the open-air training space just behind the dojo. His repeated strikes could not be overheard. If they could be called that. The sound was more akin to the buzz of a chainsaw than individual strikes.

The girl gulped. She could feel her courage fleeing. Doubt started to rise more within her. "How will he react? Will he accept? Will he turn her away? Will he laugh?" It didn't really matter. Her friends made sure that she had no escape. It was now or the path of public embarrassment.

Akane reached the corner. The dread within her body was almost unbearable. She would have preferred to run. She would have loved to. But she also knew it had to be done. She had to make her move. As much as she hated to admit her friends were in the right to do what they did. There was no telling how many other fiancés there were lurking in that dark. What if Ranma actually fancied one of the girls throwing themselves at him. The last entry to the contest was more than a valid threat. The way she resonated with Ranma only a few days before. In more than one way it was a wake-up call. That there were other girls in the world. That there was a very real chance that he might choose someone else.

With trembling hands and shaking feet, Akane rounded the corner. She saw Ranma going full at it. Akane saw the quivering training pole finally shatter under his onslaught with one great crack pelting the area in front of the martial artist with splinters. Some larger chunks slammed against the white wall that served as a fence around the property. "Damn!" muttered the boy, reaching for a towel. "Can't they make these things more sturdy? Sheesh! It can't even stand a little wind!" he complained.

Akane gulped. This was it. The time to spill the beans. She glanced at the destruction. The destroyed dummy, its remains on the ground. A testament to his strength. Also a testament to the distance between her and Ranma. He destroyed the prop without touching it. Without wanting to.

"No wonder he doesn't want to spar with me for real!" she thought with resignation. “We are not even the same league.” It was a great blow to her pride as a martial artist.

"What's up Akane?" he asked startling the girl.

She stared at him, unable to respond. He had his back to her all the time. How did he know it was her?

"You okay?" he asked turning to her.

Akane felt a surge rush across her body. She could not understand why she suddenly felt intimidated by him. Usually being around him felt casual, normal. But this time... Her hands and feet felt as if they weighed a ton. It was as if the world around her slowed down to a crawl, yet it was going so fast.

Why was she so afraid? She did not understand. It was only supposed to be a simple question, yet… It was so hard. All the suggestions and tips from her friends. Gone. She was numb. Her body, her mouth, unresponsive.

"Hey, Akane! Is everything all right?" he asked stepping closer. Growing concern evident in his features. "You look pale! Is there anything you need?" he inquired.

Finally, Akane managed to give him a weak answer by shaking her head.

"You sure?" asked Ranma stepping closer and placing a hand on her forehead to check her temperature. "The house was kinda cold last evening with the back door busted and all," he stated.

"No, everything is fine!" she lied through her teeth. Her voice came out more like a squeak.

"If you say so," he responded. "Say, next time we order some training supplies could we ask the guy to make the poles a bit more sturdy? The ones we got barely last a day or two, even when I do my best to preserve them." The girl found herself nodding dumbly. "Seriously, these Damn things are just too brittle lately. And it's not as if anything else would be better," he complained. "Metal bends too easily! Rock breaks after a few punches and let's not even go to sandbags!" he lamented. Again, Akane nodded. Unable to form a coherent response.

Ranma’s rant came to a halt. He leaned closer to inspect her. "You really sure?" he asked, his concern evident.

"Uhuh..." was all that Akane managed to utter. She felt stiff as a board.

“Akane you all right?” he asked. She nodded. “You sure?” he insisted. She nodded again.

Slowly, with doubt in his eyes, he turned to the wreck. "Well, I better clean up this mess!" he remarked. "The day is young there's a lot of training to be had!"

He took the first step away from her with the intent to clean up his mess. More out of its own volition than anything else Akane's hand flew out to grab his arm. He stopped at the sudden tug and turned back to her. It was only now that she noticed what had taken place. Her body froze. She couldn’t believe it. Why was this so hard?

Then their eyes met. The second it happened she lost all ability to communicate. Basic reasoning was out the window. She could only stare at him. She tried to open her mouth, but it wasn’t working.

“That’s it! You’re coming with me!” he declared scooping her up.

His action broke through her shock. This was not what she wanted. "Put me down!" she protested while trying to escape his hold in vain.

"No!" came the boy's sharp reply. "Not before Dr Tofu has a good look at you!" he responded marching towards the house.

"I said put me down!" she demanded again getting no answer in return. Since words were clearly not sufficient she turned to her usual answer. A slap across the face. At least she tried. He blocked the strike while holding her with only one hand. The girl stared at him. When did he get so fast? He normally didn’t block her strikes.

She started to wriggle. To get off of him. No success. She lashed out again. Blocked again.

"What's wrong with you!? I’m trying to help!" he yelled at her.

"Put me down! Now!" she demanded.

"Like hell, I will!" he responded, yelling continuing his journey towards the back door. Around the corner the dojo they went. Akane saw the broken entrance as it got closer and tensed. She did not want to go in there. Not with Nabiki's bugs and voice recorders all over the house.

Akane knew, if he got her into the house there was no way she would be able to say the words. Her options were short. There was always the old faithful method of hitting the problem with more force. To send him flying. It would certainly make her trouble go away, but that was not an option. Yuka and Sayuri repeated it more than enough to get it across to her that she should, could not do that if she wanted to confess her feelings.

The girl glanced at the door. It was getting close. Alarmingly. She had to do something. Immediately. Punching or slapping him was out of the question.

"Wait!" she called out, her voice almost desperate. "Wait!" she repeated, more calmly, but with more of a demanding tone. "Nothing’s wrong with me. It's just that… There's something I'd like to ask." she said.

It was enough to make Ranma come to a halt. "Okay... What is it?" he inquired.

"Please, put me down," she said.

"You sure?" asked the boy, now more receptive.

"I'm sure!" Akane insisted.

He complied and gently placed her feet on the ground. She was shocked. It was actually working. He complied with her request without arguing.

"You sure you okay?" he asked with concern evident. "Nothing hurts or the like!"

"Yes! I'm fine!" she responded.

"So what do you want to talk about?" he asked. The way he stood. Leaning towards her ever so slightly. It caught the girl off guard. He was paying attention, he really was. The fear of rejection, the dread of him laughing showed its ugly head again. She pressed on repressing the emotion

She rarely got an opportunity like this. Her resolve wavered. She knew he had to do it before her courage left her. She took a deep breath as she fought to keep her emotions in check. "Ummm... I'd like to..." she began. Her voice trailed off.

There was a distant ring in the air. Neither of the two had noticed it.

While Akane fought with her inner demons Ranma tensed up again. It was obvious that for some reason she was in distress. He could not notice any injuries or the like. The only logical conclusion he could come to was that she must be ill. Or someone might be blackmailing her. It was a rather unlikely thing, but still a possibility. He vowed to crack some skulls if that was the case. Unbeknownst to him, he was spot on in that regard.

Akane felt it. The numbness creeping into her body once again. Her legs were trembling once again. She had to say the words before her body completely refused to cooperate. She was determined not to fall prey to the same monster twice in a row. "Well... Ranma... I've been wondering..." words failed her yet again.

The dreaded double ring was there again. It was getting closer and louder. The teens missed it for some reason.

"What is it?" asked Ranma, starting to lose patience. "Is someone bothering you? If that’s the case...”

“No nothing that!” ensured the girl.

“Then what is it!? Speak up!” he insisted hovering on the edge of her personal space. From that distance, he could barely make out her scent. A faint trace of vanilla. He didn’t even notice it earlier as he tried to rush into the house with her. Now it was so obvious even when it was faint.

A shiver ran across the girl at his words. The small jolt of anger, his tone, it brought her out of her stupor. "It's not that easy jerk!" she snapped falling back to old habits. "I'm scared! Okay!"

Ranma was silent unsure what to say. The bell rang again. It was left unobserved yet again.

"All, right! Here goes nothing!" thought the girl, gathering her courage. She looked straight into the boy’s blue orbs. "Ranma," she began, her voice trembling. "Would you like to..."

That was as far as the girl got before the business end of a bicycle made contact with the back of Ranma's head putting him out of commission in an instant. The boy was launched face-first to the dirt where he stayed occasionally twitching.

"Nihao!" declared the Chinese riding the bike. Her hair settled on her back after the long fall. As did the oversized duffle bag on the right handle of the vehicle. Akane stared at her in disbelief. Shampoo's timing was impeccable. The worst possible time. As usual. "Where husband!" she asked acting as if falling from the sky on something designed for ground transport was normal.

Akane pointed at the groaning figure beneath the wheels of the bike not caring to hide her displeasure. It had been so close. "Ever thought of riding that thing like a sane person?" she asked. This whole landing on the top of one's, usually Ranma's head was really starting to get old.

The Amazon glanced down. Her face paled. "Aiahh!" she screamed diving down to the pained boy who had yet to recover from the ordeal. "Husband all right?" she asked. “One must be more careful on the street! Never know what come through! Can get hurt very, very bad!" she explained almost as if talking to some child.

"This is not a street Shampoo!" growled Akane. "This is my backyard!" she corrected.

"Does is matter?" asked the Chinese girl. "Outside is outside. One has to be careful not to get injured.

"So from now on we should be on the lookout for flying bikes Shampoo? Is that it?" asked Akane with no small amount of sarcasm in her voice.

"Is always good to be aware of surroundings!" answered the girl cheerily, lifting a finger as if she was giving some crucial advice. Akane could barely keep herself from attempting murder. The vision of Shampoo’s head on a pike. The thought was pleasing.

"What d you want Shampoo?" asked Akane not too nicely.

"Nothing from you kitchen wrecker!" mirrored the Amazon. "Shampoo come visit airen! Come to give something important!" she remarked while taking her bag off the bike.

"What do you want from him?" asked Akane. Normally she would have turned her nose up and walked away in disgust. Today was not that day.

"Not your business!" barked Shampoo before opening up her bag. And starting to dig into it. "Shampoo bring something that make husband very happy! That what matter!" With that, the Amazon almost literally dove into the huge bag disappearing into it all the way to her torso.

Akane could hear her rival rummage around within the thing. The yard was filled with rustling. Paper moving on paper. Metal on glass. As Shampoo dug deeper she started to throw things over her back. A heavy dumbbell made an appearance followed by a pressing bench, some scrolls, things that looked like ordinary trinkets, then a rubber duck of all things. It was closely followed by some female... finery. Leather. The kinky kind.

The Amazon emerged from the bag, blushing. "Kitchen wrecker not see, right?" she asked.

Akane stared. She shook her head left and right, unable to answer. That stuff! It would be extreme even for Happosai.

Shampoo disappeared back into the confines of the bag. More things emerged from within. Luckily it was not that extreme anymore. Vials, manuscripts, Some canned food. A lone chúi or Chinese mace. Manacles. A rather large pot. A pair of winter boots.

Akane made a double-take. "Manacles! With spikes!" screamed her mind. She made sure not to pay attention anymore.

It was at least five more minutes of waiting before Shampoo finally emerged from the depths of the bag with a triumphant "A-hah!" The Tendo girl finally brought up the courage to look. In the Amazon's hand, she spotted a rather average-looking coke bottle. It was ancient. Made out of rather sturdy glass and had a paper glued to its side bearing a series of Chinese letters.

"And what is that supposed to be?" asked Akane eyeing the glass container and the clear liquid within with suspicion. The fact that Shampoo was handling it wearing what appeared to be heavy-duty latex gloves made her feel vary.

"Water from the Spring of Drowned Man!" declared the Amazon in a grandiose manner.

Akane took a large step back, away from the thing. Ranma, still on the ground, perked up. His head was up. His eyes focused on the coke bottle. If there was one thing that could get his attention in any condition. Well, here it was!

"Jusenkyo guide forgot about emergency stash he had. When he find, he mail to Shampoo." She explained. She gave Ranma a beaming smile, before throwing a triumphant smirk at Akane. "Husband can have it!" continued the Amazon turning back to Ranma. "But first! Husband take Shampoo on date!"

A wave of fury raced across Akane. She could not believe the underhanded move. She was the one going on a date with Ranma, not the Chinese menace! Within seconds Ranma was on his feet with his eyes sparkling, more concerned with the seventies-style bottle than the girl handling it. "Where to?" he asked with enthusiasm making something within Akane snap.

The Amazon was like the proverbial cat. Her face said it all. With this move, she had done it. She would win it all! She was sure of it. "Husband decide." she answered coyly, leaning close. One of her hands gently passed along his jawline caressing the boy's face.

Ranma melted in an instance. He tried hard, so hard to say one coherent word, but he was beyond help. The mixed smell of sandalwood and roses lingering around the Shampoo washed away the smell of vanilla. To make things worse, or better depending on one’s point of view, the girl leaned forward in a strategic manner to show off a generous amount of cleavage. The involuntary gasp and the startled sound that came from the boy, it said it all.

"If husband good, Shampoo might allow him to have some special naughty time!" came the not so veiled promise. Ranma almost passed out then and there.

At the same time. slowly but surely all the safeties within the Akane were unraveling one after the other. All the suggestions and advice from her friends were made invalid as anger was taking over replacing thought with the primal need to crush the offender. The only question was who will be on the receiving end. Shampoo or Ranma. Although the boy with his track record it was quite obvious. The girl clenched and unclenched her fist. Trying to keep her cool. It was not working.

“Airen take Shampoo date now!?” asked the Amazon girl. Ranma nodded with a goofy grin. It was clear he was not really thinking straight anymore.

This was the point where Akane reached her limit. A fire of pure rage was burning within her. She was no longer taking prisoners. Both would get it! She lifted an arm. Her muscles tensed up. The buildup to her strike was interrupted by a low rumble.

The sound of stampeding feet getting closer. Trampling. It had an ominous feel to it. Hoofs hitting the ground, rapidly. The white concrete fence not far away from the trio was torn asunder. The thing that was thick enough to stand in for the outer walls of a castle was gone in an instant. Stones and debris rained down all across the garden making a mess of the place.

Within the house, Nabiki Tendo stared at the destruction, from her window. Her palm met her forehead. "Good Lord!" she swore. "That crap again!? The insurer will cancel the contract after this one for sure!"

Outside a small pig came charging through the gap. Its eyes were glowing, blazing red. After wrecking the wall the piglet flew across the yard like a bullet. As it landed it corrected its course, feet skidding, throwing both earth and grass into the air. It launched itself right at the bottle in Shampoo's gloved hand with an otherworldly screech that could be best described as demonic.

"The hell have you been this time!?" wondered Ranma finally out of his trance.

"Water! Give me the water!" came Genma's voice from the direction of the house. Moments later the aforementioned martial artist came rushing around the corner. Both him and the piglet rushed straight for the glass bottle. Shampoo didn't even need to move as part-time-animal and part-time human crossed each other's path.

One with immense kinetic force, the other with immense weight. They bounced off one another and landed on the grass creating long skid-marks tearing up the vegetation. Seconds later they made another mad dash for the bottle. Shampoo dodged. The two came at her again and again.

In the end, they turned on one another. The fight was on. The pig was whizzing around at insane speeds trying to tear into the man, with no real result. At the same time Genma trying to hit something that was simply too fast for him.

The other three could only stare in disbelief as the fight unfolded right in front of them. They did not have much time to stare at the spectacle. There was a grunt followed by a loud whistle. They all dodged out of instinct and ended avoiding an anchor of all things. The huge thing tore a deep crater into the ground and also managed to damage a part of the newly rebuilt dojo.

Sitting at her window, with clear view of the action, Nabiki was making hasty notes on a sheet of paper. She documented everything that was going on while also recording it with a camera just to be sure. "I'm gonna sue you so bad and then some!" she muttered angrily. "Anybody trying to get between me and my tuition money is in for it!"

Outside the fight carried on. The garden was littered with various items. Most of them were weapons of some make. There were also some oddities. An all-steel fly swatter of immense size and the basket of a hot air balloon. Complete with propane tanks and all. The tanks in question were burning merrily at their highest setting creating flames that were at least ten feet high. All these items belonged to the new entry, Mousse, the local semi-blind, sometimes-duck, Amazon guy.

He was currently occupied trying to hit his primary opponent, the demon pig from hell, with a training potty of all things. As the two were engaged in not so mortal combat Genma saw his chance. He charged forward at the Amazon girl with the bottle. He was determined to get the cure today and he had the perfect bargaining chip.

"I'll allow Ranma to marry you if you give me the Jusenkyo water!" he yelled.

"This for husband! Not lazy panda-man!" she responded.

"I'll transfer the engagement to you and make it happen within the week!" he insisted. "Do we have a deal daughter?"

Shampoo looked intrigued at the offer.

Mousse and the pig noticed Genma's attempt at haggling and launched themselves at the man with wrath in their eyes. The water was theirs to have! The combat turned into a battle royal. Its ferocity increased.

Quite often one or another of the party tried to make a break for it. Trying to get to Shampoo. To the bottle in her hand. It always resulted in the other two dog-piling onto the escapee. It wasn't long before it became an obvious stalemate. Yet the Jusenkyo victims fought on. Save for Ranma who was in no mood to join.

He himself couldn't believe it. The chaos was back again. Worse than before. The Tendo garden was already in shambles, with craters everywhere. There was a huge crater where Mousse’s anchor had landed, the side of the dojo bore a pig-sized hole from when the critter had been kicked through. And of course, part of the concrete fence already lay scattered across the neighborhood. It was a mess! The only positive thing was that the propane tank attached to the basket ran dry and the roaring flames fizzed out.

The three combatants came to a sudden ceasefire. They aligned in a circle, eyeing one another up, ready to resume at a moment's notice. Ranma massaged his aching scalp. Shampoo stared in disbelief. She wanted to clobber all three but she didn't dare to act on her desire. Not with the cursed-spring water in her hand. She also didn't dare to put it down. In her mind, that act seemed just as perilous. This was Nerima. The place where things could always get worse.

It was at this point that Akane slowly started to come to. Her brain finally managed to catch up with everything that was going on and she was not happy. As for the demon pig. That critter was all too familiar to her. Now that it stopped whizzing around she could finally identify it. "P-chan!" she cried. Trying to understand why her beloved pet would ever be so interested in that bottle. He was just a normal animal. He should have no idea what it was. Not unless...

The girl gulped. Taking a step backwards. Not unless… Realization hit home. Only one question remained: Who?

The stalemate continued. The atmosphere was tense. It was clear. If things resume, it will be over quick. For a split second the three parties glanced at their prize. The bottle containing the answer to their malady, the cure for their ailment. It was only enough for one. An unspoken decision had been made. The bottle. The Jusenkyo water. They wanted it. They charged for it!

The pig was the fastest. Shampoo barely managed to yank the container out of harm's way. Then came Mousse. There were swords mid-flight, not a real threat, more like a hindrance. He was wielding a... flagpole? Shampoo dodged. Most of it. One of the swords ripped into the back of her dress. "I'm sorry my beloved!" screamed the duck-boy. "But this is for us!" The girl saw the incoming pole. Backing off was not an option. The thing was too long. Jumping would leave her in a perilous position. Open to attack. Her moment of indecision. It left her no time to escape. The attack. It would have connected if not for Ranma.

The pole broke on the boy's fist. Its top flew off and tore into the dojo's roof. A rain of broken tiles rolled off the building. What would have been left was swept away by the avalanche. Nabiki made some more notes. Akane silently retreated to the house in search of hot water. She was determined to get to the bottom of things.

Meanwhile, it was Genma's turn to have a go at Shampoo. He lashed out. His huge muscle and fat-covered fist raced towards the Amazon's face. The girl readied herself to block the blow. She knew it would hurt but after dealing with two attackers in quick succession she was out of options. Then she noticed. It was a ruse. The fist opened up. Its course, its target became obvious. The coke-bottle!

Once more it was Ranma who fended the attack off. He grabbed his father's hand and veered the strike away from its intended course. Then he delivered a punch right into the man's gut with his left. The enormous form of the older Saotome was catapulted up in the air and into a still-standing section of the fence. Once Genma landed that part of the fence was no longer standing.

For Shampoo, there was no respite. Not even a full moment later the next attack came in the form of a Jusenkyo-cursed pig. It was followed by another pass by Mousse. She punched the pig sending it flying into the dojo wall. Another hole. Ranma intercepted Mousse. Genma rushed past him and at the girl. Normally she could have easily dealt with the man. Problem was that one of her hands had been occupied. This evened the odds somewhat.

The fight started to shift. To move away from its starting location. To Ranma’s relief, they were gradually shifting to the street and not the Tendo house. If the latter had happened he knew he’d be the one getting saddled with the bills.

Another section of the Tendo wall had collapsed somewhere during the fight. As it turns out anchors are quite effective tools when it comes to fighting. Ranma was doing his best to keep Shampoo and the bottle she was carrying safe. He could not believe how reckless the other three were. Did they not know how potent and dangerous THAT water was? There were women around.

The street outside the Tendo residence was soon just as bad as the yard. The situation was getting worse by the moment. The three challengers were starting to get more and more frustrated at their lack of results. Their attacks were starting to get more desperate, unhinged, crazy even. At one point Shampoo even pulled out one of her maces from seemingly nowhere to add some extra punch to her defence, but she was still at a major disadvantage with one of her hands occupied holding a fragile and very dangerous substance. This left Ranma in the perilous position of trying to keep the attackers off of her and a cure that might be just as much a danger.

Nabiki scribbled on. Her face grew angrier by the moment. The amount of time and effort to restore everything to how it was, the costs that would be involved. She was not footing the bill that was for sure. She needed the money to get out of this circus to be able to live away from it all.

Another attack came from the demon pig. This time it broke through Ranma's defences. It hit home landing a painful snout punch. The boy managed to avoid the worst of it, but the pain radiating from his ribs was not to be sneezed at. With a groan Ranma fought on he had no time for small things like bruises and the like. His father was almost upon him.

"I want that water!" demanded the man as he descended on his son, determined to get his ungrateful offspring out of his way. A series of furious punches were exchanged. Ranma saw the piglet return, aiming for Shampoo, he saw Mousse going in for the kill, he tried to disengage from his father, but he couldn't. The pain was just enough of a distraction. To make The disengagement just a tad bit more difficult. “Cracked rib?” he wondered silently. Genma charged. Ranma saw an opening. The old man was dispatched moments later. The dojo’s back wall did not last long.

Ranma rushed to aid Shampoo who was in the middle of a two against one. Mousse released a volley of knives forcing the girl to dodge. He descended on her with a baseball bat. Determined to knock the bottle from her hand. The pig came in full speed for another pass.

The Amazon had barely had a chance to set up a defence. She thwarted the baseball strike. Both her mace and the iron-cored bat were casualties of the engagement. Snapped in half at the hilt. The pig entered the engagement like a missile. It was headed right for the bottle. She immediately pulled the container from harm's way. She managed to do it, but not quite. The pig turned its snout trying to snatch the bottle. It was a partial success. Contact was established. The piglet did manage to get its teeth onto the bottle and bite down hard. At this point, its high speed became an undoing. Despite the grip, teeth clenching on the glass container. Momentum kept the animal going.

The animal's hold on the bottle’s neck was firm, but not firm enough. Its teeth started to slide. The only spot where he could find grip was the cap. The cap that popped off rather quickly and flew off into the distance.

Then came Mousse. Swooping in with a golf club at the ready. "Forgive me! But this is for you Shampoo!" he hollered lunging at her. Ranma jumped on the Amazon boy to stop him. They engaged in a mess aerial melee before crashing into the ground. They both ended up on top of the girl who simply did not have time to get out of the way. Then Genma joined the dog-pile. All three let out a collective grunt at the weight on top of them. The impact was enough to make Shampoo relinquish her hold on her prized water.

The bottle flew up, up into the air. Shampoo and Ranma stared in horror as it sailed across the sky. The three fighters were more rapid in their reaction. They lunged up after their prey. They were determined to get it for themselves. An aerial engagement ensued with two men and a pig fighting for the cure. Because of its lack of hands and feet, the pig was at a definite disadvantage. It was quickly knocked out of the race.

Mousse was the first one to grab the bottle, but Genma was not far behind. As teen and middle-aged man started their descent a frantic battle broke out. The container was yanked back and forth. Knocked around. Grabs and counter-grabs were performed. The descent continued. Both males gabbed the bottle simultaneously.

"It's mine!" yelled Genma threateningly yanking the coke bottle to him.

"No! It's mine!" came the retort from Mousse pulling the water back.

A back and forth ensued. Neither noticed that the bottle was upside down. Neither noticed that the cap was missing. The Jusenkyo water was draining from the bottle, fast. Down below a three-year-old boy was doused. His mother next to him got lucky. Almost instantly a series of profanities left the boy’s mouth that should be unknown to a toddler.

Ranma stared at the scene with his mouth open. Shampoo was more vindictive. She eyed the men as they crashed into the ground still fighting. She wanted blood.

The pig emerged from the rubble that was once the Tendo dojo. It stared at the scene, frozen in place. At the empty bottle as it shattered on the ground. It never noticed Akane who was approaching with a steaming kettle. Her face, a morbid mix of remorse, acceptance, hope. She held the kettle above the unsuspecting animal, then tilted it forward.

The change was instantaneous. Pig became human. A naked human. A startled, shocked human who stared up at the source of the sudden downpour with anger. Anger that was immediately replaced by fear.

Akane stared down at her pet. Her former pet. "Ryoga!" Her mind concluded. Memories flooded into her mind of all the times she had hugged the little furry critter, thinking it was a faithful friend of hers. Memories came to her how Ranma always tried to remove the pig from her room. How he always treated the animal as if it was a threat. In many ways, it was a threat. She realized, Ranma knew. He knew it from the beginning. She glanced between the two boys. Back and forth. She took a step away from them. Backing more and more away. Anger, shock, remorse, realization. It was too much. She turned and ran.

At the same time Mousse and Genma also started to run. Shampoo was livid. Pissed to a degree she thought to be impossible. Her plan of winning her husband over and restoring him to be a complete man again. Thwarted. The sword in her hand made her intentions clear as day. She rushed after the men ready to inflict pain.

Ranma stood still. Trying to figure out what to do. One thing he was sure of. His Saturday morning was well and truly in the toilet. He glared at Ryoga who was still on the pavement, still naked, still in shock.

"It's all my fault eh?" spat the martial artist looking at his rival with unveiled contempt. He kicked the part-time pig in the back before racing off after Akane.

In the safety of her room, Nabiki flicked her camera off. She had all the evidence she needed. If she played her hands right she might be even able to make a profit out of the whole ordeal milking both the culprits and the insurance agencies. The thought made her smirk. Then a thought hit her. She was not the only one forced to put up with the crazies. To fix their constant messes.

"Hey, Kasumi!" she called out to her sister downstairs. "What was the brand of that expensive cookware you said you wanted? I believe we'll have a large sum incoming soon enough!"

----------

Akane finally slowed down after miles and miles of running. She did not know where she was and neither did she care. The weather was on the nicer side this day, with a warm caressing sun high above. Her mood was the opposite. She felt used, violated. She was happy that the park she ended up in was free of visitors. There were only a handful of pedestrians in the distance minding their own business.

She preferred it that way. If there was one thing she needed it was people to leave her alone. It was because of this why she stiffened at the sound of approaching footsteps. She was in no mood to entertain anyone. If anything she wanted to crack a dozen or so cinder blocks while envisioning various faces onto them as she let loose.

"Go away!" she called out angrily, on the verge of crying.

"What if I don’t!" came the reply.

It was the last person she wanted to meet."I'll just clobber you!"

"Been there done that! Try something else!" he responded.

For a brief second Akane contemplated running. She knew there was no use. He was faster than her. He had more stamina. It was so unfair. She had worked so hard and yet... “Although…” she thought. “He probably worked just as hard if not more-so to reach his mastery.” Right now she didn’t care. The small voice was squashed. "What do you want!" she snapped turning to him.

"I'm worried! You just ran off!" he explained.

"I just ran off after finding out that my pet pig is Ryoga!" yelled the girl, rushing closer, anger and pain all over her features and movements. Her fist clenched. "I can't believe I once considered him a friend!" she called out well within Ranma's persona space. "And worst of it all you knew!" she added poking him in the chest with her index finger forcing him to back off. "You knew!" she called out a second time, tears escaping her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me!? Why!?"

Even Ranma with his rather deficient ability to understand female emotions, even he could feel the pain in her voice. "I swore an oath not to tell anybody!" he explained.

"An oath!?" asked the girl with tears now streaming down her face. "You didn't tell me because of a stupid oath?" she snapped.

"What was I supposed to do? I tried hinting. Do you know how often I tried to stop him from going to your room!?" Ranma retorted angrily. As far as he was concerned this was just another of their usual fights.

Akane stared up at him, pure anger in her eyes. She didn't say a single word. Her hand lashed out like a whip. There was a mighty crack that could be heard for miles. She didn't say a word. She just turned her back and staggered off leaving Ranma behind. He didn't follow some voice at the back of his head told him not to. That it would be a really bad idea.

----------

Lover Earth orbit. The derelict hulk that was not too long ago a proud star-ship. A state-of-the-art reconnaissance vessel reached the final part of its journey. The aliens within were strapped into their seats to prevent any mishaps that could originate from the lack of artificial gravity. Aside from them, there were two great big suitcases within the cockpit. Everything else had been discarded not too long ago. Hurled deliberately towards the planet's gravity well. To make sure that the instruments were well and truly destroyed.

There was no need to contaminate an early civilisation with any advanced materials, or technology. The only thing they've kept were the communication devices to contact the rescue team and a number of weapons in case something went really awry. The rest was fresh-made by the onboard matter converter. Too bad it was not sufficient enough to act as life support for any reasonable time.

"Captain you sure this is going to work?" asked the female.

"No, not really." responded the other alien. "We've replicated clothes and credit notes. Or "money". I believe that's what the natives call it. We uploaded as much information on the tribe we are going to live with speech included. We established fake identities through their crude IT and made arrangements for boarding. You have any good ideas?"

"Nope! None that I can think of! But what if our cover gets blown?" came the most obvious question.

"Then we start running a praying!" answered the leader. "And no titles from here on out!"

"Yes sir!"

The outer hull of the spacecraft started to glow in a brilliant orange as it started to dive into the atmosphere.

"Outer hull four thousand! Engaging shields!" the captain spoke passively. "Houto! It's time to work your magic! Please, try to put us down in one piece!"

The female grinned. Her face was reminiscent of someone out of an asylum. "Landing a barely functional wreck on an alien planet!?" she called out like a maniac. "Hell, yeah! Let's do this!"

The male shook his head. "How the hell did I end up with the biggest adrenaline junkie of a pilot in the entire force!" he thought while pulling the straps of the safety harness just a bit tighter.