***Author’s Note***

Based on Hung Nguyen’s Fighting Blind. You can find his story at http://www.members.tripod.com/ANIMEADDICTION/DUAL_DESTINIES_HOMEPAGE.html

***End notes***

SIGHT BEYOND SIGHT

Chapter 2

After putting away his schoolwork, Ranma absentmindedly rubbed his temples as he went over his situation with Akane Tendo. She had just challenged him a while ago and due to the wording of the challenge, he was obligated as a Joketsuzoku to accept.

If she had only used his given name in the challenge, it would’ve been deemed a private duel, thus worthy of refusal, if he chose. But by adding his origins to the challenge, she was, in effect, challenging the village itself. With her being an outsider, this made the challenge impossible to refuse.

Coming to a decision, Ranma got up and went in search of Dr. Tofu. He needed his insight both as a local and as someone familiar with Amazon lore to a certain degree. He found him in his office going thru some papers. “Dr. Tofu, could I ask you something?”

“Hmm? About what, Ranma?” The doctor laid aside the paperwork and focused his attention on his assistant. “Is there a problem with your room?”

“Oh, there’s no problem with it. I came on a different matter altogether.” Ranma gazed at the doctor for a moment. “What do you know of Akane Tendo?”

******

Akane continued to train as Nabiki idly watched from the sidelines. She wanted to be ready for her fight two days from now. She can’t afford to underestimate her opponent this time.

Ranma was faster, stronger and definitely more skilled than any of her previous opponents. If she were going to beat him, she’d have to be at her peak if not better. His fight with Kuno definitely proved that if nothing else.

Just when she was performing a particularly difficult move, Nabiki sprang the question on her. “So what’s this I hear about you challenging Ranma, sis?”

Akane stumbled, lost her balance, and fell to the floor. Hard. She glared at her sister, for purposely interfering with her practice, who only shrugged her shoulders in response. There were times when she really disliked her sister. “Nothing. It’s just a challenge.”

“Yeah, but it’s you who made the challenge, not the opposite sex.” It really made her day to get her sister’s goat because in a dark, often unvisited portion of her heart, she was secretly a little jealous of the attention she seemed to get from the boys.

“Why should it matter?” Akane prepared to perform the same kata as a moment ago before she was rudely interrupted.

“It matters because you can lose.” And there would go her profit margin.

“I’m not going to lose.” Akane kicked with more force behind it than usual and momentarily made her lose her balance, but she compensated the over-kick nicely.

“Whatever.” Nabiki left the dojo.

*******

Dr. Tofu rubbed his chin as he digested what Ranma told him. “So, you’re saying that, if Akane were to win then by your Amazon Law, you must marry her, correct?”

Ranma nodded his head, glad that he was taking this so well. “Yes, Tofu-sensei, it’s our Marriage Law.”

“Have other females from your village challenged you with this Marriage Law?” Dr. Tofu didn’t think so considering Ranma wasn’t married yet, but he had to make sure.

“The Marriage Law doesn’t apply to Amazons, at least, not quite.” Ranma saw that he needed to explain things better. “Maybe I should explain the law with more detail.”

“The Marriage Law, with regards to Amazons, uses formal combat to show who would be dominant in the marriage. Usually, this is ritualistic, done for the sake of tradition, even if the combatants go all-out to knock out their intended.”

“With outsiders, this is used to bring in strong warriors into the tribe. If an outsider defeats an Amazon of opposite sex, then by law the Amazon must marry the outsider. Though it is a sound idea in theory, I don’t particularly like the idea of marrying a stranger because of it.”

Ranma leaned back a bit as he remembered some of his Amazon history. “Although I do admit that some Amazons have played fast and loose with the marriage laws to gain some advantage for the tribe like when Elder Chu-Ki married that engineer, the law’s pretty clear about losing to outsiders.”

Dr. Tofu took a sip of his tea as he mulled over this. “Hmm… I see the advantages of the law to the tribe, but what happens if the outsider is of the same sex?”

Ranma winced slightly at this. He didn’t want to reveal the flipside of the law regarding outsiders. “Then, the Kiss of Death is given.”

The doctor blinked in surprise at this. “Kiss of Death?”

“Yes. By law, the Amazon is to hunt the outsider until the law is carried out, often after the Amazon has been given additional training to improve his or her skills.” Ranma quickly continued on to explain the reason behind that. “It’s not as grim as it sounds Dr. Tofu. Let me explain.”

“The person defeated is usually sent to kill the outsider accompanied by an Amazon of the opposite sex. The thinking is to have the outsider defeat this Amazon so that he would be forced into the tribe to escape the threat of death. Sort of like what the Americans would call a shotgun marriage.”

“Ah! So it all still centers around bringing the best fighters into the tribe.” Dr. Tofu sat thoughtfully for a moment. “Could you not refuse the challenge?”

“I could if she hadn’t included my Amazon title with the challenge. That makes this fight more than just about me, it includes the tribe as well. I was hoping Akane would withdraw the challenge.”

Dr. Tofu chuckled lightly at this predicament. It was unlikely that Akane would defeat Ranma, so there shouldn’t be any problems. Baring accidents, that is. “I’m sorry to say this, but Akane is very strong-willed. Once she sets her mind on something, she will see it all the way thru.”

“I see. Is there anyway to convince her otherwise?” Ranma looked at the doctor hopefully.

“Well, I think that it would be a good idea to talk to her and explain the law to her. It might turn her around.” At least she’d know what to expect from this.

“I think you’re right. I’ll talk to her tomorrow at school.” Ranma stood and left the office after wishing the doctor goodnight. His brow furrowed as he considered possible ways of approaching Akane at school.

He could talk to her before school, but that was out of the question since he didn’t know when she’d arrive. Not only that, she had that horde of boys to deal with. He could deal with them, but from her last reaction, she wouldn’t be very pleased. That would damage his chance of talking to her reasonably.

“Can’t talk to her in class. Not enough time to explain everything.” As he made his way upstairs to his new room, he pinched the bridge of his nose as he felt the early signs of a headache. Wearily, he laid down on the futon, arms extended.

“Well, there’s lunch. It’s probably the best time and she shouldn’t be difficult to locate.” Ranma stared at the ceiling as he thought. “Hopefully the idiot Kuno won’t interrupt like he did last time. He’s almost as bad as Mousse.”

The thought brought him a sudden dread and pain. Of all the people he met in Joketsuzoku, Mousse was the one person he never got along with. More correctly, he never had the chance to get along with. From the very beginning, Mousse had challenged and fought him in everything he did, especially if it concerned his cousin, Shampoo.

He wondered if his cousin was having any trouble handling Mousse now that he’s gone.

********

In the remote area of China, a village of women flourished under the vast resources provided by the surrounding land as well as the contacts they had both in the PRC and abroad.

“Great-Grandmother?” A girl with purple hair looked to the elderly matriarch that was the leader of her clan. “Do you really think Ranma is ok?”

“Yes, Shampoo.” Balanced on her staff, Cologne chuckled lightly at her great-granddaughter’s concern. “I’m sure of it. Ranma knows how to take care of himself.”

Shampoo remained silent as she looked upon the stars, her thoughts upon her cousin. She wondered how he was doing. It had been many weeks now since his departure and possibly many more months until his return.

What’s more, Mousse had become more forward in his approach for her hand in marriage. Though she wasn’t worry about Mousse being able to defeat her, it was still an annoyance that was wearing down her patience. She’d once clobbered him simply because he said that Ranma had run away.

“Do you miss my son?” A middle-aged Amazon came up behind Shampoo as she nodded her agreement. Things just didn’t seem the same with him gone and she wasn’t the only one that felt this way.

As she walked thru the village, she heard similar sentiments from the other female warriors. Well, pretty much every single unmarried female missed him, present company included. Ranma, without a doubt, was the best Amazon warrior of his generation. He was a warrior and a healer, a prime combination.

Which was part of the reason why he went away. Too much politics involved in him choosing a mate in the village. Every clan elder was encouraging their unwed daughters to snag Ranma for the prestige of their clans, which the daughters enthusiastically tried to do.

Shampoo sighed as she looked away from the stars. There’s no use in lingering on something she couldn’t have at the moment. She looked towards Ranma’s mother and smiled.

“Strange, how one person can affect so many lives.” Cologne turned towards her granddaughter and Ranma’s adopted mother. “Wouldn’t you agree, Jasmine?”

“Yes, Ranma certainly has a natural ability to attract, umm, attention.” Jasmine smirked at the comment. Saying that Ranma attracted attention was like saying that the Gobi desert was slightly dry. The others giggled and soon settled into a full-blown laughter.

“Still, I worry about him.” Jasmine quietly sat down beside her grandmother. “He has never been away on his own before. What if something happens to him?”

“I don’t doubt your concern, but this is something he must do alone. Consider it as a test of his manhood.”

“True, Honored Elder, but as a mother, I will always worry no matter where he might be. However, I do believe in my son abilities and his judgment.” One could feel the pride that Jasmine radiated.

Cologne smiled inwardly. Though she wouldn’t voice it out loud, she was truly amazed at Ranma’s skills. She believed that under her guidance, Ranma and his children would raise the honor of her clan to new heights. The clan that could claim his descendants would obtain great prestige from it.

She had little doubt of this and for that reason, pushed her great-granddaughter to capture his heart. She knew that unless he was firmly bonded to the clan thru marriage, it was still possible for the other clans to steal him away from her since he was adopted and not of her blood.

Too bad Ranma wasn’t an outsider then the matter would have been solved already.

A thought occurred to Shampoo at that moment so she turned to her great-grandmother out of curiosity. “I wonder where no good father is?”

The others snorted at the mention of the idiotic moron who claimed to be Ranma’s father.

*******

“Nodoka’s going to kill me. Oh Kami-sama, save me. Nodoka’s going to kill me.” A man in a white gi with a white bandanna over his baldhead ranted as he drank. He was seated at the bar table with a glass of sake in one hand while the other is clutching a piece of paper.

“What will I do? If it weren’t for those damn Amazons, the boy would be mine. Damn that boy! Damn him for being weak! Damn him for hiding behind those females!”

“Oh Kami-sama, Nodoka’s going to kill me. I just know it. I must find him and repair whatever damages those damn Amazons had done to him even if it kills him. This is a promise! Hahahaha…” The man laughed hysterically, making the other drinkers draw back from the instability it implied.

“Look pal, are you going to pay for the drink or do I have to persuade you?” The bartender negligently slapped his palm with the club in his hand.

“Heheheh, no need to raise your voice. Just put it on a tab for Saotome Ranma.” The drunkard gulped down the drink then ran out the backdoor faster than the bartender could react.

“Damn him! If I ever get my hands on that Ranma again, I’ll make him pay dearly!” Not that he ever believed he’d see that drunk again, but it made him feel better to think so for the moment.

“Ranma?” Just outside the door of the bar, a figure paused in mid-step. He repeated the name to himself again and rushed into the store where he thought he heard the name came from. Only one problem, it was the wrong one.

Within the store, one could hear the boy cursing very loudly followed by a loud crash and a final scream afterwards. “RANMA, THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!”

Not far away, the man in white gi ran thru the street, keeping to the shadows. He might not be very bright, but he knew when he was no longer welcome in town or when it was time to run away.

When trouble lurched and he couldn’t win without underhanded tricks, he ran. When the odds were against him, he ran. When he couldn’t find an immediate solution, he ran. And so, he ran. He ran until he found another dwelling where he could scourge as much as he needed until he needed to run again. But for now, he ran.

******

Nabiki sat at her desk and tapped on the pad in her hand with a pencil. She was frustrated. Her sister had challenge Ranma of Joketsuzoku. Joketsuzoku? She still didn’t know what that title meant or its importance.

The only thing she knew was that it was Chinese in origin and had researched in that area. The only thing she found was that it’s a small village of women in the remote region of China and that those women were warriors, Amazon warriors.

Why was Ranma there? How had he gotten there? She knew he was Japanese, but she can’t research any more without his family name. The lack of information bothered her and Ranma bothered her like the thought of loss in profits.

Now, Akane had challenged Ranma and, from intuition alone, this told her that her careless sister had made a mistake. She didn’t know the magnitude of that mistake, but it was what she planned to remedy very soon. Problem was the best source in information was the most direct and that led to Ranma.

Nabiki sighed as she stretched tired muscles. There was something about Ranma that gnawed at her senses. But, she couldn’t fathom what it might possibly be.

From a physical perspective, he was in perfect health, well, more than perfect according to the health record. Other than his extreme sensitivity to light, which caused him to wear shades. He was also colorblind, but that’s nothing uncommon.

Still, there was something about him that troubled her unlike anyone she met before. Was it because she couldn’t see his eyes? She knew the importance of eye contact since the eyes always betrayed a person’s intentions.

She judged people by reading their intentions thru their eyes and body language. She was very proud of that ability. But with Ranma, she couldn’t read him. Of course she got the obvious signs, but even an amateur picked those up without trouble.

Ranma, however, eluded her. He moved differently from others and his actions hid all outward intentions. He moved like a martial artist, a master, yet there was something else, something more.

Nabiki rotated in the comfort of her chair in frustration. She rubbed her forehead and looked out the window. What was it about Ranma that made her skin crawl and spine shiver? She had to know. She had to find out, if not for herself and sanity, then for her sister and family.

Her sister. Why had she challenged Ranma in the first place when she knew that if she lost, then he might force the issue claimed by Kuno’s declaration? Was it because she wanted to date him? If so, she certainly had a strange way of approaching men. No, that couldn’t be the reason.

Nabiki snapped her fingers as another came to light. She should’ve seen this coming. Ranma was better than Akane. He threatened her position as the best martial artist in Furinkan. She challenged him to see who’s better. It was stupid, but that’s Akane’s way of thinking.

But why would Ranma accept the challenge? He knew about Kuno’s ranting. Did he want to date Akane and thought this was the way to do it? That couldn’t be right either. From the conversation she heard at lunch, Ranma flatly objected to Kuno’s proclamation. Then why?

“Aaarrggghhh!” Nabiki nearly screamed in frustration. She took several long deep breaths and settled back to her calm demeanor. She was getting a headache with all of these unknown elements about Ranma. She stood and left her room.

On the way down, she noticed Akane coming from the Dojo, sweating profusely. For a long time, she hadn’t seen her sister train this hard, not even after Kuno made his announcement. So why? Did Akane realize that Ranma was the better fighter and needed to be more serious about her workout?

Probably. She’ll worry about Akane later, now she needed some distraction and the best distraction was collecting money. She usually left this job to her flunkies, but she needed the diversion.

After Nabiki made a few phone calls, she headed back to her room and returned later with her purse and left the house.

******

Akane gritted her teeth as she lowered herself into the furo. She had really pushed herself in her training today and was paying the price for it now.

Her body ached like never before, or at least she doesn’t remember anything as bad as this when her father trained her. This was the first time she took her training seriously in a long time. Hopefully, it would be enough for tomorrow’s battle.

Tomorrow

What was going to happen tomorrow when she faces her challenger? Could she win? Her sister doesn’t think so. So why was she confident that she would? Had she misjudged Ranma’s skill? No, she saw his fight with Kuno and it wasn’t much better than hers. Though, something still bothered her.

What would happen if she lost? Does that mean she’d have date him? Does she let him? Could she even refuse? The proclamation by Kuno made it impossible for her to refuse any challenge. So, if she lost, then she would have to go thru with it.

“Aaaahhhhhh!” Why does her life have to be so difficult? Why couldn’t she just have a normal life? Why couldn’t she go to school, meet some friends, and just enjoy being a teenager? Why does she put up with those idiots?

She knew why she tolerated them. Or does she really? All she knew was a bunch of perverts attack her in the morning because an idiot made a speech and no one dared to challenge him. Maybe she does, but she wasn’t sure any more.

It doesn’t matter though. She was committed to the fight. Besides, if she could handle Kuno, she should be able to handle anything. But could she handle Ranma of Joketsuzoku?

Akane shook her head to clear the doubt that etched it ways into her thoughts. This was not a time for doubt. She would win! She was the best! She’d show that she’s the best. She was the heir to the Tendo School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts. Other than her father, she was the only person to practice this martial art, supposedly the most deadly in Japan.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow would determine whether she’d win or lose. Tomorrow, she’d find out if she’d gain a boyfriend or if she’d still retain the title as the best in Nerima.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow was a new day. However, today, she’d rest and wait for tomorrow. Akane closed her eyes as visions of the fight tomorrow filled her mind, visions of possibilities and probabilities.

Silently, she dreamed of a day where she had a companion who fought with her and protected her. She dreamt of someone she loved and loved her. But until that day, she’d have to keep fighting and tomorrow would just be another fight to be won, a fight like all the others.

Tomorrow

But for now, she slept and allowed her body to recover. Her tense muscles loosened and the pain was but a distant memory, her mind at ease and her worries gone.

Sleep Akane. Tomorrow would arrive soon enough.

****

“Oh dear, oh dear. The master isn’t going to like this.” A little ninja paced back and forth as he fretted over the problem handed to him. As a loyal ninja, he was supposed to protect his master’s interests, and presently, that interest included a certain girl that the master was fascinated by.

If a certain event that he had recently found out were to go the wrong way, his master would definitely become out-of-sorts. He might even take it out on him. He REALLY didn’t want to listen to him expound on the virtues of Shakespeare again.

Casting about, he spotted some of the mistress’ bouquets lying on her workbench and an idea occurred to him.

****

Genma wandered thru the dense forests of China, tired and starved. He’d been running nonstop for several days now because of some stupid villager who wouldn’t let him borrow a few measly portions of food in the barn. After all, he left him the chicken, didn’t he?

Unfortunately, some of the villagers had sent messages to the other settlements and they all chased him out of the area before he had the chance to do more than borrow a sack of rice, a couple of piglets and a basket of vegetables.

Suddenly, he paused in his steps and sniffed the air. His mouth watered and eyes glazed as he followed the scent to an empty camp.

Immediately, he dived for the pot of stew balanced over the fire and devoured it quickly without hesitation. Just when he was about the leave, a hand grabbed the back of his gi and threw him across the camp and into the tree.

Before him was a Chinese man, about the same age as his boy would be, walking towards him. Scanning the area for an escape, he quickly fled into the forest. From behind, he heard footsteps and they were closing on him. Desperately, he leaped into the tree and hid his presence as moments later, he saw the young man stop just below him and pause.

Genma released his breath when the man moved passed. Carefully, he lowered himself to the ground and ran in the opposite direction. To his surprise, he ran right into a large monster and tumbled to the ground.

He tried to stagger away, but the monster reached out and clasped its huge hand around his body and dragged him back in the direction of the camp. There, it tossed him to the ground and grabbed some pantyhose to tie him up. Pantyhose??

“Happosai?” Genma had barely whispered the name of his dreaded master, but the monster’s ears perked up in recognition. “W-What do you want?”

The beast said nothing as he secured the improvised ropes and left the area. Moments later, the Chinese man returned and started to question Genma. He started off by demonstrating his lack of patience by taking a burning branch from his fire and waved it before Genma’s face. “Where’s the old freak?”

“W-What?” Genma was confused. Where had the monster gone? He had assumed that it was his master come back to haunt him. He was the only one he knew that had such a fetish for women’s accessories. “Wasn’t he that monster?”

The man grinned before laughing loudly. He lifted a container and dumped it over himself. The monster appeared and loomed over the shivering form of Genma. Once satisfied, the monster poured another bottle over itself and returned to the human before.

“Jusenkyo.” Genma finally recognized the signs before him. This man was cursed just like him and the master probably had a hand in it. Why else would the man search for such evil?

“That’s right, old man. Now, where’s the old freak?” The young man wasn’t going to let this thief get away from him. This was the first lead he’d ever gotten on his hated godfather.

“I…I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Genma didn’t know why this man was still searching for the master. It had been seventeen years since he was last seen in the world. But there was no way he would be party to his release. Never.

“Don’t lie to me! I heard you say ‘Happosai’, fool. I know of only one named Happosai and I want my revenge on him!” The young man brought the branch closer to Genma’s face.

Genma gulped. Ok, maybe he should reconsider this a bit. After all, the master was not worth getting tortured over, right? Maybe the man would be satisfied in learning of the master’s fate instead.

The young man could see that the thief was wavering. Maybe all that’s needed would be a little push… “Tell me where the old freak is and I might let you live long enough to see your grandkids.”

That decided the issue for Genma. If there was one thing he disliked even more than torture, it’s death, especially death by torture. “H-He’s trapped.”

“Trapped?” If the old freak was still alive then there might still be a chance to change his name. “Explain.”

“We sealed him in a cave several years ago.” There, he’d said it. Genma sagged down now that it was over. Maybe the young man would let him go now.

“Where is this cave?” The young man wasn’t letting up an inch. He’d been waiting for years to find any leads on Happosai and wasn’t about to let the news that he’d been trapped deter him.

“It’s in…” Genma paused as he caught himself and looked at the man. “I-I can’t.”

“And why the heck not!” This thief was really trying his patience. To show this, he grounded the burning branch next to Genma’s head, close to the ear.

“To release… such evil… it … I can’t…” Genma babbled as he strove to retain what little dignity and courage he still possessed. It was an uphill battle since he’s a tad cowardly and definitely not dignified.

The man laughed for several minutes. “I’ll say one thing about you. You got that right. The damn freak is evil.” He looked away for a moment and glanced back at Genma. “But I don’t care, I want my revenge for what he did to me.”

“I-I can’t…. I won’t…” Then again, dignity and courage had never been much use to Genma. Maybe he should reconsider his position…

“Hahahaha. You think I care about something as stupid as that?” The man laughed louder. What did the fool think he was? A saint? “The only thing I’m concern about is my revenge and I will have it.”

Genma audibly gulped as the other person towered over him. “Now, let me ask you again. Where is the old pervert?”

Genma sweated as he slowly backed away from the fire, but quickly ran into the trunk of a large tree behind him. Genma swallowed again as the young man got closer. In an attempt to move away furthered, he kicked a container towards the man who instinctively crushed it.

“GROWWWLLLLL!!!!!!” The man, now monster, growled into the night, his imposing visage seemed to eclipse the sky.

Genma paled visibly and cowardly gave up the ghost of his resistance, pitiful that it was. “He’s buried in the mountain outside Hokkaido.”

The monster flew off into the night while Genma shamefully slipped away. At least, that was what he tried to do. A blur from the skies told him otherwise as it picked him up and flew in the direction of Japan with its unwilling passenger screaming girlishly.

******

Ranma awoke in his bed feeling troubled. For some unknown reason, he felt that today was not going to be a good day. Perhaps it was something in the air or the way his seventh sense tingled every so often. He sighed, as he was unable to fathom the cause of this disturbance and uneasiness.

After a brief workout involving some calisthenics, a kata resembling very fast, very vigorous Tai Chi and some chi exercises, he went to take a soak in the furo before making his way to breakfast.

As he made his way downstairs, he noted that Dr. Tofu was already awake and cooking breakfast. Though he was worried about the day, the thought of food lightened the mood and helped him forget his troubles for a moment.

They exchanged greetings and inquiries about how each slept before Ranma’s curiosity over breakfast got the better of him. He peered over Dr. Tofu’s shoulder and watched as the doctor flipped a flat piece of fried dough. “What’s that you’re cooking?”

“Ah, this is a western breakfast. I believe its call a pancake.” Dr. Tofu flipped the pancake onto a plate already piled high with the dish.

“Smells good.” Indeed it did. It reminded Ranma of when his mother back at the village was baking delicious bread, only different.

“Why don’t you prepare the table?” The doctor poured some more batter on to the skillet. “I’ll be finished shortly and I do hope you have a big appetite because I made plenty.”

Ranma chuckled heartily at this. It was obvious the doctor had never encountered a hungry Amazon before, at least, not this Amazon anyway. “Don’t worry. You’ll be surprise how big my appetite really is.”

“That’s good.” The doctor casually flipped the pancake to cook the other side. “Oh, you can find all the silverware in the top shelf, two cabinets down from this end.”

Ranma followed the direction and brought out the necessary utensils. Just as he completed, Dr. Tofu entered with three large plates filled with pancakes. He placed them in the center and the syrups next to it and settled opposite of Ranma. “Please, help yourself.”

“Thank you.” Ranma observed Dr. Tofu stacked three pancakes and poured syrups over it and ate. Rather than copy the doctor, he decided that it would be better to increase the amount to three times that.

Dr. Tofu watched Ranma eat the stacks of pancakes with curiosity and amusement. Though, he was surprise by the feat, it was still quite an amusing site to watch. “So Ranma, do you have plans of joining any extracurricular activities after school?”

“Um… not that I know of. Anyway, I doubt any of them will be challenging enough for me to take interest.” Especially not from what he saw of their physical activities, maybe he should try some of the more leisurely ones like the book club.

Ranma’s face suddenly lit up like a bulb. “Tofu-sensei, there’s something I was wondering if you can help me with. You know the fight I told you about? The one that’s after school today.”

“Oh, yes.” The doctor remembered the discussion last night. It had been very enlightening. “I assume you want my advice on how best to approach Akane since I’m familiar with her family, correct?”

“Yes. I want her to withdraw, but from what you told me, I don’t think she will. What I want to know is what it will take to convince her to back down.”

“I wish I can tell what to say, but I really can’t. You must understand that Akane takes martial arts very seriously. Thus it will be hard to dissuade her from this. However, I can advice on what not to say.”

Though it wasn’t the answered he wanted, it was better than nothing. “What shouldn’t I say?”

“Well, for one, don’t degrade her skills. I know that you’re better, but don’t make it a point of humiliating her. Also, try to be patient. Well, Akane can be very touchy and tends to loose her temper rather quickly at times.”

“I see.” Just the thing he needed, additional complications. It was beginning to sound like trying to reason with some of the more pig-headed Amazons or, worse yet, one of those from the Musk kingdom.

“Please don’t misunderstand me. Akane has gone thru a lot and she’s very considerate of others. I think it’s the pressure of the boys at school and the fact that she feels helpless in preventing it. She’ll fight them, but I think she’d rather have something normal.”

“I guess I can understand. Maybe I can help her in some way.” Ranma mused over the possibility of helping the girl with her problems. Sometimes, healing does not necessarily involve the flesh.

“Well, if you do decide to help her, ask her first.” Dr. Tofu wiped his chin and stepped back, signaling the end of breakfast. “She doesn’t like people interfering with her life.”

Ranma nodded and helped clear the table before heading off the school. By the time he made it to the school ground, he found the assembled body of male students waiting for Akane.

He shook his head in disgust and entered the building. He needed to evaluate the situation regarding the stupid claim made by Kuno as well as his inevitable talk at lunch.

He watched carefully as Akane ran into the horde of boys and plowed thru them like a tractor. He noted that her strikes were more powerful and precise than before. It seemed she had been practicing. Ranma shook his head as he realized that his task was going to be harder than he realized.

******

Akane felt revived as she left her bed this morning. The training she did last night and the long soak in the furo helped her to relax. Now, she felt like she could take on Ranma and her morning horde at the same time.

She quickly left the room and prepared for her morning jog. Unlike before where she jogged at a steady pace, today, she increased her pace to near running and doubled the distance she usually ran. After she finished and washed up, she felt energized and alive.

Akane greeted her family cheerfully as she sat down for breakfast while Nabiki merely waved her sister off since she was not fully awake yet.

Soun looked at his daughter in surprise as he had expected the usual annoyed attitude she had been carrying for almost a month now.

Kasumi merely smiled sweetly as always. She had her own personal theories as to her little sister’s new found interest in improving her martial arts and her sudden euphoria. Of course, these tended to be heavily influenced by some of the books she read.

After Akane and Nabiki finished their breakfast, they quickly left the house and jogged partway to school. At about halfway there, they slowed to a walk. “What’s with you today? You’re acting very strange for someone who challenged a complete stranger without realizing the possibilities.”

“Well, I’m not worried one bit. I know what I’m doing, Nabiki.” Akane was annoyed at the lack of trust in her abilities. By her own sister, no less.

“If you say so, but let me give you a little of free advice, don’t underestimate him. He’s hiding something and if you’re not careful you might end up regretting it.”

It wasn’t long before the gate of Furinkan came into view. Up ahead, Akane noticed Ranma standing in front of the crowd shaking his head like he was disappointed or something. For a moment, Akane thought that maybe Ranma wasn’t like the other boys, but only pushed it aside.

“See you inside.” Nabiki waved as she ran off. She hoped that her lieutenants had set things up correctly. She expected some heavy betting to occur today.

Akane didn’t reply as she charged into the crowd. Like before, she easily plummeted the horde. However, she found herself weaving thru the crowd and knocking them easier than before. She finished her morning attacks in half her usual time and waited for Kuno to appear.

She didn’t know why Kuno even bothered hiding behind the tree. Everyone knew what he’d do once Akane finished with the horde, but he still used the same approach everyday since the announcement.

“The fair Akane Tendo has graced me with her presence as a declaration of her love.” Kuno threw his trademark rose at Akane, who promptly caught it and crushed it under her feet.

“I don’t love you!” Akane glared at Kuno and wondered what it would take to get thru the moron. Maybe she should look into those psychology books Kasumi had around. Nah, those things never got anything right.

“There’s no need to hold back your true feelings. For only I, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High, am worthy to accept your affections. But first, I shall accept your challenge and on the eve that you win, you shall be allow to date me.”

Everyone groaned as they heard the spiel repeated for the umpteenth time. You’d think Kuno would get the hint and at least try some new declaration, but no…

“I don’t want to date you!” Akane punted Kuno into lower earth orbit and stomped into school as her good mood was destroyed.

*******

Ranma observed Akane carefully as she entered the classroom. Even without his seventh sense, he noticed that she was quite upset which, as a result, depressed him even more. He had wanted to talk to her while she was in better mood. He only hoped that she would be calm enough when lunch came.

Again, he sighed as the tingling feeling returned. It was starting to become annoying, especially since he had no idea why it kept doing that. His sensei had never mentioned feeling anything like this during his training.

As the day dragged one, he continued to monitor any changes to Akane’s mood. He was very glad when he felt her relax and calm down a few times. That strong, angry and unpredictable aura of hers really grated his senses. Every time it flared up, he nearly reeled away from his seat expecting her to erupt.

******

Akane tried to focus on today’s lesson but couldn’t as she was too hyped-up by her upcoming fight with Ranma. Plus, she was still angry.

It always took her a while to calm down nowadays. Used to be she’d cool down as quickly as she flared up but ever since Kuno made that announcement…

The pencil in her hand snapped, bringing her out of her angry haze. The pencil was her failsafe alarm. Whenever it snapped, she knew that it was time to relax and think about something else.

She was going to have to find another way besides pencils though. Nabiki was starting to complain about the expense of constantly replacing them.

Instead, she focused on watching Ranma. After all, he hasn’t done anything to make her angry yet. He was definitely safer to think about than Kuno and the Horde at the moment.

What was he doing in Dr. Tofu’s clinic yesterday? Was he the doctor’s helper? But he’s only sixteen! How could he know how to treat the doctor’s patients? Was he some sort of child doctor like from that gaijin TV series, Doggy something?

Plus, he was going to be staying at the clinic. This meant that every time she went to Dr. Tofu to have her checkup or to get an injury attended to, Ranma would be there.

A disturbing thought passed thru her mind. If Ranma was a doctor, does that mean Dr. Tofu was going to let him do some of the checkups? What if the doctor allowed him to do her checkup? Hentai fantasies involving checkups, clinics and teenage doctors flitted thru her head.

Akane pounded her head a bit on the desk, when the teacher wasn’t looking, trying to drive the ecchi thoughts out of her head. She glared at Ranma as she believed it was his fault that she was thinking like this and tried to focus on his martial skills, not his marital skills.

Unknown to Akane, she was being observed by her fellow classmates and gossipmongers. Seeing the avowed man-hater and bane of the Horde making eyes at the new heart-throb from China made for great gossip material, no?

******

Ranma fidgeted a bit as he waited for the lunch bell to ring. The news of the fight had already spread thru out the school. It puzzled him as to why Akane’s sister would encourage such a thing. Was it not in Akane’s best interest to keep the fight private?

As he spotted Akane leaving the classroom, he subtly followed her as she exited the building and went to a secluded spot under a tree. He took special care to mask his presence using Dr. Tofu’s technique so that he might not draw attention to himself as he approached Akane.

Once he was sure no one was looking, he allowed his masking to drop so that Akane might feel his presence. He didn’t try to place his hand on her shoulder though. That was the doctor’s prerogative. “Akane, I need to speak with you.”

“Ack!” Akane twisted around to stare behind her as she suddenly felt Ranma appear. How he had gotten behind her without noticing him was beyond her. The only one she knew who could do that was Dr. Tofu. “How’d you get there without my seeing you?”

Ranma shrugged, as this didn’t seem important to him and he didn’t want to get distracted from his purpose. “I just used Dr. Tofu’s masking trick. But that’s not really important right now. It would be a good idea for you to retract your challenge to me, Akane. There are consequences to continuing.”

Akane’s eyes narrowed as she jumped to the wrong conclusion. Since she knew that he was good, she thought he was being condensing towards her and perhaps even mocking her skills. “Are you saying that I’m not good enough to beat you?”

Ranma blinked at her reaction. He hadn’t expected for her to take offense at this request. “Not that it has any bearing on what I’m talking about but I don’t believe our skills are at the same level. Now if you’d let me explain…”

Akane stood up and poked him in the chest as she lambasted him. “You jerk! Who do you think you are? There’s no way am I going to take back the challenge! I’m going to show you that I’m the best here and make you eat those words!”

Ranma cursed silently as he strove to salvage the situation. He’d unwittingly belittled her skills, something the doctor had warned him against. “No! You don’t understand…”

Any further conversation was interrupted by the interference of the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High. “Hold, foul cretin! How dare you raise thy voice to my goddess? Prepare thyself!”

Kuno charged at Ranma, thinking to take advantage of his position before he had the chance to defend himself. His boken flew into a pattern of thrusts that turned the very air itself into a weapon with which to smite his enemies as air pressure strikes with the power to break stone flew at Ranma’s back.

Ranma started dodging the upperclassman’s attacks without turning around to face him. As he felt the air strikes shatter the tree next to Akane, he cursed Kuno’s stupidity. His reckless attack could injure innocent bystanders like Akane. He would have to take this fight elsewhere.

With a cartwheel and a two-story leap, he moved away from Akane and the students as he taunted for Kuno to catch him. “Hey, Kuno! That’s one piss-poor technique you’re using. Can’t you do anything better than that?”

“Foul, dishonorable cretin! Taste my wrath!” The upperclassman rushed over to where Ranma nonchalantly stood and began to repeat his patterned air pressure strikes, totally ignoring the fact that it didn’t work the last time he used it.

“Dishonorable? I wasn’t the one trying to attack someone from behind!” Ranma dodged Kuno’s attacks casually for a few moments before diving forward and executing a combo that had the elements of a backspin, a knee-level attack, an upward mule-kick, a handstand and a triple, upside-down spin-kick.

It did several things to Kuno. It got Ranma inside his guard, brought him to his knees, disarmed him and applied three kicks to his head, all in a few moments. It didn’t knock the upperclassman out though, much to the audience’s surprise.

Ranma caught the boken as it fell down and began to casually flip it. He really shouldn’t do this, it might backfire on him, but someone really has to get thru to this moron. “Do you still wish to continue this fight, Kuno? Better answer me quickly. Lunch period only lasts so long after all.”

Kuno was in a quandary over what to do next. Despite his delusions, he did have a modicum of sense, at least when it came to combat. He knew that he was basically helpless without his boken. He might know a few unarmed tricks, but they weren’t enough when going against a trained fighter like Ranma.

Seeing no choice available to him, he gritted his teeth and conceded the battle. “Very well, Ranma of the Joketsuzoku. I concede this battle, but do not think that this is over. The vengeance of heaven is slow but sure. I will smite thee!”

Ranma nodded his understanding and tossed the boken to the upperclassman. He knew Kuno would challenge him again. A person like him disliked being upstaged by someone he considered to be of inferior social status. In many ways, he was a lot like Mousse.

After making sure that Kuno wasn’t going to attack him again, insured by the punting the upperclassman into the distance when he challenged and attacked again in the same breath, Ranma returned towards the tree where he left Akane only to find her gone.

A quick search by his senses pinpointed her entering the school in the company of some students, possibly her friends. Ranma cursed this loss of opportunity. His fight with Kuno had delayed him too much. He’d simply run out of time.

******

Akane watched the blackboard as the teacher pointed out a particular section of the formula but her mind wasn’t on the lesson. She was thinking about the fight between Kuno and Ranma earlier at lunch.

She had definitely underestimated both of them. Kuno had been much better than he usually was when fighting her. She hadn’t even known about that thrusting technique of his. It was obvious that he’d been holding back with her. If he’d gone all out when the morning fights started, he’d have beaten her easy.

But what really worried her was Ranma. He’d played with Kuno like a master. She didn’t know how he dodged those air pressure attacks without seeing where the attacks came from, but she was daunted by how he’d dodged them without moving from the spot where he stood.

She was impressed and scared by this. Ranma had played with Kuno the same way as Kuno played with her. He’d taken Kuno out faster than she ever did, and that was after the upperclassman had gone all out at him. Then at Kuno’s second attempt, Ranma had taken him out with single attack!

If she were to have any hope of beating Ranma, she’d have to give it her all right from the start. She couldn’t take the chance of him adapting to her style before she can take him out. She’d already given him an advantage by showing him her style with the morning fights.

But she won’t back out! She was the best, damn it! There was no way she was going to let a boy get the better of her. Especially after he implied that he wasn’t in his league. The nerve of him!

Still, she wondered what was so important that he wanted the fight called off. He wasn’t afraid of her, that’s for sure. So why did he seem worried? Well, she’d find out later, AFTER she went medieval on his ass.

******

Ranma brooded as he waited for Akane to show up. He’d wondered at first over why she wasn’t here already since they had been dismissed at the same time, but a student explained that she went off to change into her gi for the fight and that she’d be here in a moment.

He wasn’t really worried about this fight. He knew that he could beat Akane easily, that was why he hadn’t pressed the issue of telling Akane about the Law so hard.

No, the main reason was that he hadn’t wanted to fight in the first place. At least, not for this type of reason or against this level of fighters. It’d be like bullying a kid who’d ruined his favorite shirt, unsatisfying and immoral.

Well, there was no help for it now as Akane walked towards him dressed in a yellow gi. He was simply out of time.

*******

Akane of the Anything-Goes School faced Ranma of the Joketsuzoku as they prepared to battle. Around them the students stood and watched as the unbeatable Fighting-Belle of Furinkan High was about to go head-to-head with the Whirlwind from Western China.

In the sidelines, Nabiki and her cohorts were taking bets as to who would win the fight as well as other esoteric and minor details like how many punches thrown, how long to take down, etc. Once all the bets were taken in, Nabiki assumed her role as the referee of the match.

“No time limit. Winning is by knockout, serious injury or surrender. Any questions?” Hearing none, Nabiki raised her hand and brought it down abruptly. “Fight!”

Akane shot forward like a ball from a cannon and began to pummel Ranma with everything she had. Jackhammer blows and pile-driver kicks flew faster and thicker than angry hornets at a bear. Except, unlike a bear, Ranma wasn’t standing still and taking it.

He moved like a dancer, sidestepping, twisting, and ducking the attacks like they were part of the choreography. Occasionally, he’d use a small wave of his hand, a tiny bump from his hip or a slight tap from his feet to divert an attack and add flavor to the dance. “Come on, faster! Even a twelve year old Amazon can do better than that!”

“Argh!” This went on for a few seconds then, with a slight twist of the wrist and a tap on the chest, Akane went flying to slam into chain fence surrounding the arena. This stunned her for a few moments before she pulled herself out of the fence and charged Ranma again. “I’m not finished yet, Ranma!”

Ranma shook his head as the dance of blows began once again. Round and round they went, sometimes he gave ground, sometimes Akane did. But it was always Akane who went flying. It was a spectacular sight to watch as the students had a blast cheering and betting.

When Ranma noticed Akane beginning to falter, he decided to end it. With a short jab to the solar plexus, Akane was brought to her knees, clutching her stomach, as he readied the coup de grace. But before he could deliver it, he caught an object that was thrown at his face between his fingers.

It was a rose. Before he could register any danger, it blew up in his face and engulfed him with a noxious substance that threatened to put him to sleep. He quickly began to press shiatsu points all over his body to stop the effects of the drug. Unfortunately, this left him vulnerable to attack.

Akane strove to suck in some air as she frantically tried to get back to her feet. She knew that this was the end as she was wide open to attack. Not that it mattered though, Ranma could’ve finished this fight any time he chose. She had been doomed to lose from the start.

She cursed her overconfidence that placed her in this position. She had blinded herself to the obvious and was now paying for it. She had been so outmatched that she hadn’t even managed land a single blow on him.

Thus, it was very much to her surprise when Ranma stepped back and began to stagger about.

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, she called up whatever reserves she had left and began to land blow after blow on Ranma. But even with this sudden weakness of his, he was insanely tough. Blows that would’ve knocked out anyone else, even Kuno, were absorbed with only a grunt in response.

Desperate, she slammed a kick into his groin, doubling him over with pain and making the guys in the audience wince in sympathy, and slammed his head into the ground with a double overhead drive.

It was all over. Akane shakily dropped to her knees and began to draw in breath after shuddering breath. It had been the closest fight she’d ever had in her life. She’d thought that she was going to lose. In fact, she was certain she was going to lose. Why had Ranma started staggering about like a drunk?

It was then did she finally register the cries of foul play being shouted by the audience. Her friends had rushed over to help her to her feet, so she tried to find out what was going on.

She was told of the small man in black that had thrown a black rose at Ranma and how it had blown up in his face after he’d caught it. A friend pointed to some of the students that had gone to examine the remnants of the rose. They were all asleep.

Akane began to curse as she made her way to the fallen Ranma. She hadn’t won the fight after all. Someone else had won it for her. Somebody had interfered with her fight and that made her mad!

She sighed as she knelt down and began to pull him up. She would have to ask for a rematch. Unfortunately, she would also have to ask his pardon for the outside interference. As the challenger, it was up to her to insure these things don’t happen. She couldn’t let this stain on her honor go unanswered.

When she’d managed to prop up Ranma, Akane lifted his head to look at his face and gasped in shock as she saw him without his shades for the first time. She could now see the ragged scars where his eyelids were supposed to be.

Ranma chose this moment to groan as he came to. His hand went to his face to rub the ache away when he realized that he wasn’t wearing his shades. Noticing the remnants of his shades imbedded in the ground, he pulled out a spare that he’d hidden away for such an occasion.

It was then that he noticed Akane staring at him. Considering that she’d just seen him without his shades, that wasn’t surprising. “You know, Akane, I really wished you’d listened to me earlier and called off the challenge.”

Such was the shock of realizing that Ranma was blind that Akane didn’t immediately register what he said.

Knowing what was required of him, Ranma took advantage of this lapse to hold her head in his hands before saying the words. “Wo Ai Ni, Airen.”

With that said, he planted his lips on hers in the most passionate kiss he could manage.

Akane’s eyes bulged as her friends gasped in renewed shock. Ranma was kissing her. On the lips. And passionately to boot!

Before their eyes, Akane’s friends could see her eyes go from shock to anger then, strangely enough, they went from angry to confused to glazed before they rolled up into her head as her eyelids half closed.

Akane’s body went slack then began to twitch and shudder as spasms shook it. A minute passed. Two minutes. Three minutes. Then the seizures subsided as both of them came up for air.

Ranma stood up with a slight wince as Akane and the students stared at him with various expressions of shock, confusion and bemusement on their faces. Then with a tremendous leap, he was over the fence and limping away faster than most people could run. “I will see you later, Airen!”

Akane stared at the rapidly departing Ranma in a state of paralysis as her friends began asking questions of her. Embarrassing questions that simply flew over her head.

Suddenly, she stood up and ran towards the locker room, sending students flying like bowling pins. It was a good thing that her gi was heavily stained with sweat and dirt though, cause she really needed to change her underwear right now.

<End of Chapter 2>