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Masterwork Productions presents... 

Ranma 1/2: The Sands of Time 


Based on characters created by Rumiko Takahashi 
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Part Three: Ultimatum 


    It took a moment for Happosai's statement to sink in. 
    After a long silence had passed, Kasumi spoke up. 
    "Excuse me, Grandfather," she told Happosai, "But didn't that happen in 
1945?" 
    "That's right, my dear," Happosai replied. 
    "Oh, yeah, right!" Ranma sneered. "You expect us to believe that you fought 
the same kid in 1945 who was at Akane's house yesterday?? We ain't THAT dumb! 
He'd be a shriveled old goat like you by now! This guy must be his great-
grandson, or somethin' like that." 
    Happosai shook his head. "I tell you, it was the same boy." 
    "But that's impossible!!" Akane insisted. 
    "Hey, wait a second," Ukyo interjected. "I don't mean to side with the old 
lech, but even if this Tatsunada Fushin was somehow an identical descendant of 
the man he fought in 1945 ... didn't he recognize Happosai by sight?" 
    "That's right, dear Ukyo!" Happosai exclaimed. "It's proof that we fought 
before! How sweet of you to remember..." 
    "That's right, Ranma ... he did say something like that!" Akane said, 
looking worried. 
    "No way! I don't buy it!" Ranma insisted, shaking his head. "There's no way 
that guy could still be around after all these years, and not look any older 
than ME!!" 
    "The curse of immortality is not entirely unheard of, Son-in-law," Cologne 
stated. "There are many legends dealing with the acquisition of eternal youth. 
I've even heard of a few such cases myself, though very, very rarely." 
    "You obviously weren't one of them," Ranma couldn't resist observing. 
    "Joke all you want, Son-in-law," Cologne replied, "But be aware that your 
opponent is very likely far more dangerous than you expected. He already 
defeated Happosai once, and his skills have had decades to improve since then."
    Even Ranma couldn't brush off a statement like that. 
    "Ranma, what you do now?" Shampoo cried, clinging to his arm. 
    "Please, Honey, you've gotta be careful!" Ukyo added, clinging to his other 
arm. 
    Ranma looked around the room, and noticed that everyone was looking at him 
expectantly. 
    "Aw, geez, whaddya want ME t'say?! I don't even have any grudge against 
that guy, whatever his name is! This is all the old freak's fault!" 
    "But, Ranma," Happosai cut in, "As my successor, you are now Tatsunada 
Fushin's target! He WILL come to challenge you!" 
    "And the succession of the Anything-Goes school of martial arts is 
something YOU chose for YOURSELF, Ranma!" Genma declared, pointing a finger at 
his son. "Be a man, and face up to your responsibilities!" 
    "Aw, STUFF IT!!" Ranma yelled as he drop-kicked his father out the window. 
    "But he's right, Ranma," Akane pointed out. "No matter what we do, Fushin 
is going to come back. We'll have to think of something!" 
    "Well then, why don't we just feed him some of your cooking?" Ranma 
suggested. "Even if that guy really IS immortal, that'd kill him for sure!" 
    "QUIT JOKING AROUND, YOU IDIOT!!!" Akane yelled as she wedged Happosai's 
breakfast tray into Ranma's mouth. "This is SERIOUS!! I don't want to be kicked 
out of my own house!!!" 
    "And don't forget that that leaves YOU without a home, too, Ranma!" Soun 
reminded Ranma as he pried the tray loose. Ranma immediately pushed Soun out of 
the way, and got into a glaring match with Akane. 
    "What's the matter, Ranma..." Nabiki asked quietly, "...You're not afraid 
of a little challenge, are you?" 
    Ranma froze. Several seconds passed, and Ukyo waved her hand in front of 
his face to get his attention, but there was no response. After a long moment, 
he finally moved, bowing his head. 
    Then, he started glowing. 
    Happosai grinned. 
    "Ranma...?" Akane asked apprehensively. 
    "Aiyaa!" Shampoo exclaimed. 
    "Oh, boy..." Ukyo murmured. 
    Ranma clenched his fist, then raised it to the ceiling. 
    "All right, then ... if that's the way it's gonna be ... then so be it!! 
There's no WAY I'm gonna LOSE!!!" 

    About an hour later, the entire group (except for Happosai) could be seen 
walking the route between the Nerima district hospital and the Tendo Dojo. The 
colorful procession drew stares from many other pedestrians, especially so 
because there was a giant panda bringing up the rear. 
    "You know, Daddy," Nabiki told Soun, "You should really think about getting 
a car one of these days." 
    Soun didn't hear her as he was busy showering Ranma with pep talk. "I'm 
glad you've decided to fight, Ranma, but remember that you must be careful! 
There's a lot at stake here, and this Tatsunada Fushin is no ordinary enemy!" 
    Ranma ignored him and continued walking with an air of complete confidence.
    "Hey, Ranma!" Akane barked at him. "I keep telling you, you've gotta take 
this more seriously! If what Happosai told us is really true--" 
    Ranma snorted. "Aw, gimme a break, Akane! That old freak was just tryin' 
t'scare us. I'll betcha anything he made that whole story up." 
    "Ten thousand yen versus Ranma's life!" Nabiki called out. 
    "Hey, knock it off!" Ranma told her with a glare. "I ain't puttin' my neck 
on the line here." 
    "Au contraire, Ranma dear," Nabiki answered. "If the old man's story IS 
true, then you most certainly ARE." 
    "Yeah, Ranma!" Akane added. "Even if that guy isn't immortal, who do you 
think taught Hideaki Goda and his gang those fatal techniques?!" 
    "Well ... uh ... if that guy taught those kids, he sure didn't do a very 
good job!" Ranma stammered. 
    'Didn't he say that himself?' Genma's sign read. 
    "Ranma, honey, if you're determined to fight that guy, you should at least 
do it on a full stomach!" Ukyo implored him. "That hospital food isn't much 
better than Akane's cooking. Let's stop at my restaraunt on the way back, and 
I'll fix you something." 
    "What was that?" Akane growled in response to the crack about her cooking. 
    "Ranma eat at Nekohanten instead!" Shampoo insisted. "Shampoo have perfect 
dish, prepare for big fight!" 
    "Oh, by the way," Ukyo told Shampoo, "I forgot to mention that there's a 
duck watching your restaraunt right now." 
    Shampoo and Cologne stopped and looked at each other as the rest of the 
group continued. Then Shampoo got angry. 
    "No fair! That low, even for spatula-girl!" She growled. 
    Cologne sighed in resignation. "I hope we haven't lost TOO much business 
since this morning. I'd better go take care of it." She hopped across a nearby 
rooftop, and was gone. Shampoo hurried to catch up with the others. 

    Minutes later, Cologne dropped onto the street outside the Nekohanten. She 
passed quickly through the crowd and made her way inside, where angry voices 
(along with the sound of a duck quacking) could be heard. 
    As Cologne entered the restaraunt, she passed the girl who had sat next to 
Ryoga earlier, during their conversation about the monsters. Seeing the old 
woman, she tugged on her companion's sleeve and pointed. A young man of about 
twenty, with brown hair and broad shoulders, he looked on with interest. They 
watched the restaraunt for a moment, then the girl gave her friend a 
questioning glance. He nodded gravely, and they followed Cologne into the 
Nekohanten. 

    Having finally arrived home at the Tendo residence, Ranma peered cautiously 
through the front gate. The bright morning sun shone down on the yard, making 
it impossible for anyone to hide in the open, and everything within the walls 
was completely silent. 
    Ranma stepped into the yard and took a good look around. He was followed by 
Akane, Shampoo, Ukyo, and the rest. Everyone was completely alert, searching 
for any sign of their enemy. Tension filled the air. 
    Finally, Ranma shrugged and sat down on the grass. "Aw, there's nobody 
here," he announced. 
    The others milled around the yard, making sure for themselves that he was 
right. Akane checked the house, then returned to the yard and stopped a few 
feet from Ranma. 
    "You know, Ranma," she pointed out, "Even if everything that old creep said 
is true, it still doesn't explain those monsters we fought last night." 
    "Yeah, I know," he muttered without facing her. 
    "And I suppose that doesn't worry you either," she said, glaring at him. 
    Ranma turned and looked over his shoulder at her. "What's the point of 
worryin' about it?" he said pointedly. "It ain't gonna change nothin'." 
    "Truer words were never spoken," said a voice at the gate. 
    Everyone whirled around to face Tatsunada Fushin as he stepped through the 
gate and entered the yard. He looked Ranma in the eye with his flat, almost 
reptillian gaze, and ignored the others completely as they all took up battle 
stances. He stopped about five steps away from Ranma. 
    "I have returned as promised to discuss the future with you, Ranma 
Saotome," he declared. "We will decide what it holds." 
    Ranma glowered back at him. "Did you come here for a fight, or what?" 
    Fushin smiled indulgently. "Not necessarily," he replied. "But, first, I 
think we should be aware of each other's positions. Has old Happosai told you 
anything of me?" 
    "He said some stuff that didn't make much sense," Ranma answered carefully.
    Again Fushin smiled. "And yet, the truth is that I met him atop Mt. Aso 
when he was just a lad. There's no denying that even then, he was one of the 
most talented martial-artists I'd ever encountered. That's why I've waited 
until now to claim my prize." 
    Ranma cracked his knuckles. "And what prize is that?" he growled. 
    "Well, the Tendo School of Anything-Goes Martial-Arts, of course. Goda 
should have relayed that message to you -- he followed all my other 
instructions to the letter." 
    Before Ranma could reply, Akane stepped forward. "Are you saying that you 
ordered those kids to commit seppoku when they lost?!" she demanded. 
    "Akane, stay back," Soun pleaded. 
    "Why, yes, my dear, that's exactly what I'm saying," Fushin replied in 
response to Akane's question. "They had disgraced themselves in battle, and 
besides, they had already served their purpose." 
    "'Their purpose'?" Ranma repeated. 
    "To weed out the weaklings, for lack of a better term," Fushin sneered. 
"Alas, it turned out that they themselves were the only true weaklings, while 
the rest of you carried yourselves quite nicely." 
    "You mean..." Ranma growled, shaking with anger, "...That you just threw 
them at us, to test our skills?!" 
    "More or less," Fushin replied with a shrug. Then, he fixed Ranma with an 
urgent stare. "Now, young Saotome, before you charge at me with that vengeful 
fury in your eyes, let me tell you all a little story." 
    "When I was your age -- I mean, TRULY your age -- my father and I were 
assassins for the Shogun. He had learned that one of his enemies had found a 
great treasure in China, and was having it brought back by ship. We were to 
travel to China and locate this ship, then kill the crew and bring the treasure 
back to the Shogun." Fushin shrugged. "It was a simple enough task, and was 
carried out just as simply. Afterwords, we found a large chest in the ship's 
hold. We carried it back to our campsite before returning to Japan. But, that 
night, out of curiosity, my father decided to open the chest. And do you know 
what was inside?" Fushin raised his eyebrows and grinned at them. "Fish meat! 
At least, that's what we thought it was. It must have been something very rare 
for the Shogun's enemies to want it, so my father and I each decided to try 
some." He chuckled softly. 
    Then he looked at them again, and his flat, predatory stare hardened even 
more. "Well, just a moment later, my father ... changed. He became something 
else ... he was no longer human. A monster, you could say. I was terrified, and 
I ran to a clearing nearby, and hid amid a cluster of springs until he had 
gone. That was the last time I ever saw him." He smirked. "And I have not aged 
since that day either." 
    "Fish meat that make you live forever? What that?" Shampoo asked. 
    "I imagine it was the flesh of a mermaid," Fushin replied. 
    "The flesh of a WHAT??" Ranma repeated in disbelief. 
    "A mermaid," Fushin repeated. "Surely you've heard the legend, that he who 
eats the flesh of a mermaid will never die, but live on forever and ever, until 
the end of time. Of course there's a lot more to it than that. It doesn't work 
for everyone, and those who do survive often come to curse their immortality." 
    "So, then..." Akane murmured. "Those creatures that attacked us last night 
were..." 
    "They were two of my former apprentices," Fushin replied without so much as 
a hint of regret in his voice. "The mermaid's meat is very unpredictable. Even 
when you consider the 'ideal' effect it can have on humans, it really isn't all 
it's cracked up to be. It's ultimately a sort of curse either way. However, 
I've found a way to turn this curse to my advantage ... and that is why I've 
come here." 
    "All right, I give up." Ranma said, crossing his arms. "What the hell does 
ANY of that have to do with us?" 
    "It's really quite simple, young Saotome," Fushin replied. "I'm sure you're 
aware that the world's most powerful martial-artists are also its most ancient. 
Dedicated fighters who spend decade after decade training their mind and body, 
seeking a perfect fusion of the two. If anyone ever reached that level, they 
would be able to achieve ANYTHING. And yet, the constraints of time and the 
inevitable deterioration of their bodies has always rendered this impossible. 
But ... what if they didn't have to worry about growing old or dying? Wouldn't 
it then become possible to achieve this perfect level of skill?" He laughed. 
    "And so, it is to this end that I have travelled the world, challenging and 
defeating the champions of every school of martial-arts in existence. When 
every school, every style, has been laid low ... then I shall create a new 
school. The ultimate martial art, which combines centuries of experience with 
thousands of individual techniques to forge an invincible style of fighting." 
He smirked. "Modern warfare will be changed forever." 
    "And, lemme guess," Ranma threw in, "Since the Anything-Goes style is only 
practiced by our two families ... it's one of the last ones on your list." 
    Tatsunada Fushin smiled. "That's correct, Ranma Saotome. And, as such, you 
have a choice. You can fight me for control of the Tendo Dojo. Or, you can 
become my disciple. A boy of such exceptional skill would make a truly ideal 
first student. Perhaps some of your friends could also join us ... that is, if 
they are worthy." 
    Ranma's eyes narrowed. "So ... what happens if I fight you?" 
    "I admire your spirit, Ranma!" Fushin laughed. "All right, I'll tell you 
what will happen if you fight me. I will kill you. I will also kill any of your 
allies who dare to challenge me. This dojo, this house, and everything under 
its roof will become mine. The Tendo-Saotome legacy will become my own. Your 
bloodline will end here, and mine will begin anew." 
    "Geez, that sounds awfully midieval," Ukyo muttered. 
    "Now, wait a minute!!" Soun hollered. "You can't do that! Ranma and Akane 
are going to carry on the Tendo training hall, and it will be THEIR children 
who become the next generation to inherit it!" 
    'Yeah, that goes double for me!' Genma's sign read. 
    "But, Ranma will be dead," Fushin pointed out. "And I need an anchor, a 
place where my legacy can grow. It's nothing personal. This is simply the 
easiest, and most efficient, way." He gave Soun a nasty grin. "The fact that 
all three of your daughters are exceptionally beautiful is merely an unexpected 
bonus for me." 
    It didn't take much to send Soun over the edge; the effect Fushin's 
statement had was akin to squashing a fly with a wrecking ball. "YOU!!! How 
dare you come in here and say that??!! As long as I'm alive, you won't touch 
ANY of my girls!!!" 
    Fushin's eyes narrowed. "Be quiet, Tendo-kun. It's becoming apparent that 
I'm going to have to kill at least a few people today, and I'm completely 
indifferent as to whether or not you're one of them." 
    "I don't think he's changed his mind, Father," Kasumi observed. She sighed 
to herself in annoyance. "Well, he IS older, but I really wish people would 
tell me about these things ahead of time..." 
    Akane and Nabiki were both too busy staring at their oldest sister in utter 
amazement to offer any comments of their own, and the yard was silent for a 
moment. Then Ranma snorted in derision. 
    "Don't get the wrong idea or nothin'," he told Fushin as he cracked his 
knuckles, "But I'm not gonna stand here and let you talk about takin' Akane OR 
her house. It's my duty to stop you." His eyes narrowed. "You think you can 
beat me, just 'cause you've got a couple hundred years of experience? You ain't 
the first. And you won't be the last." 
    Tatsunada Fushin turned his full attention to Ranma, facing him with a 
broad grin. "Time will tell, young Ranma Saotome ... time will tell." 
    The two combatants faced each other, and everyone else in the yard stood 
perfectly still. Ranma watched Fushin's movements, trying to discern a fighting 
style or tactic. The trouble was that he didn't move. He just stood there, 
watching Ranma ... probably doing the same thing. 
    And I just gave myself away with my stance, Ranma realized. Aw, the hell 
with it. I'm not gonna play his game. With a shout, he lunged forward with a 
rushing punch. Fushin easily avoided it, but Ranma had expected that. It was 
the follow-up reverse kick that'd nail him... 
    ...And Ranma's foot swept through the empty air. Startled, he looked around 
for his opponent and found he was above him, coming down from his jump with a 
diving kick. Ranma rolled out of the way, then came back with a quick lunge, 
aiming to catch Fushin with a punch while he recovered from his landing. But as 
Ranma's fist whistled through the air, his opponent's head suddenly snapped to 
the side, and he grabbed Ranma's arm and threw him. How can he be so fast?! 
Ranma wondered even as he was flung into the air, hearing something *pop* as he 
travelled over Fushin's shoulder. 
    He hit the ground a good three meters away, and his right arm exploded with 
pain as he landed. Clenching his teeth, he realized Fushin had somehow 
dislocated his shoulder when he threw him. Akane gasped, seeing his arm hanging 
limply. 
    "Hang on, Honey!!" Ukyo yelled as she bashed his shoulder with her spatula.
    "GAAAAAAHHHH!!!!! WHAT'RE YOU -- uh." Ranma realized his arm felt fine now. 
"Er, thanks Uk-Chan." With that, he dove back into the fight. 
    "I'll give you credit for your tenacity, Saotome," Fushin told him as he 
dodged the flurry of attacks Ranma launched at him. "You're incredibly talented 
for your age." He jumped over the last kick Ranma threw at him and landed on 
the wall above, regarding his opponent with interest. "There must be some way I 
could convince you to become my disciple." 
    Ranma glared up at him, clenching his fists in frustration. "C'mon, FIGHT 
me already!! I'd rather die than bow down to a guy like YOU!" With a leap, he 
joined his enemy on the wall and quickly threw another punch at him as he 
landed. 
    This time, Fushin caught Ranma's fist inches from his face, instead of 
dodging it. His eyes narrowed as he looked Ranma in the eye. "Poor choice of 
words, Saotome." he hissed. His free hand tightened into a fist, and Ranma 
tensed. 
    Suddenly the wall collapsed beneath their feet, and the two combatants 
leapt apart to land on opposite sides of the gap. As Ranma watched, Shampoo 
jumped onto the wall, facing Fushin. 
    "Shampoo will no allow you to hurt Ranma!" she declared, levelling one of 
her mace-weapons at him. Fushin glowered at her and then, moving with the speed 
of a striking snake, knocked the weapon from her hand. 
    Although surprised, Shampoo recovered instantly and swung her other mace at 
a downward angle. Fushin feinted sideways, avoiding Shampoo's swing, and struck 
her in the side just below her ribs. He then snapped around and backhanded her, 
both attacks taking less than half a second. The force of the blow spun Shampoo 
around to face Ranma. She stared at him for a moment, her eyes wide. 
    Then, without a sound, she crumpled to the side and fell from the wall. 
    "SHAMPOO!!!" Ranma shouted. 
    "I have no sympathy for anyone who would interrupt us, Ranma," Fushin told 
him in an annoyed tone. 
    Ranma simply stared at him for a moment. Then his face twisted in fury, and 
he raised his hands. 
    "MOUKO TAKABISHYO!!!" 
    A blast of energy lashed out from Ranma's hands and engulfed his enemy, 
tearing the shingles from the top of the wall and completely obscuring his 
silouhette. When the light faded, Ranma was breathing heavily but Fushin was 
still crouched atop the wall, although he'd been pushed back several feet. 
    Lowering his arms (which he'd raised to protect his face), Fushin grinned 
at Ranma. "Impressive. That's a very unusual technique." 
    "...I ... won't ... forgive you..." Ranma panted. 
    "Son-in-law!" 
    A voice interrupted his thoughts of revenge, and Ranma glanced at the 
street below them. Cologne was there, cradling Shampoo in her tiny arms. 
    "Shampoo will be all right, Son-in-law!" she told Ranma. "Concentrate on 
your battle!" 
    "Who are you?" Fushin demanded, adressing Cologne. 
    "Listen to me, Tatsunada Fushin!" Ranma shouted, and once again he had his 
enemy's attention. "Let's take this fight somewhere more private!" 
    With that, Ranma leapt from the wall and quickly left the area, vaulting 
from rooftop to rooftop as he went. 
    Fushin looked at Cologne again, then turned his gaze to the Tendo sisters. 
"Quite an interesting boy," he commented. "I will return." Turning, he followed 
Ranma's lead. 
    As soon as Fushin had gone, the other wall shattered and Ryoga burst into 
the yard. "Where?! Where is that guy?!" he shouted, looking around angrily. 
    "Ryoga! Over here!" Akane yelled, waving to him. 
    "Akane!! You're safe!" Looking relieved, Ryoga ran over to where the group 
was gathered. "What's happened here?" he asked, noticing the damage. "What did 
I sleep through??!" 
    "Well, you see," Kasumi began, "Tatsunada Fushin, the man who defeated 
Grandfather in 1945, arrived a while ago, and told Ranma that he could either 
become his disciple, or fight him to the death. He also said that he would take 
over our dojo, and turn it into his own ultimate school of martial-arts, and 
that everything under the roof belonged to him, including the three of us." She 
blushed slightly. "Which is very rude, even if he IS older, and so Ranma 
decided to fight him, and then..." she stopped, noticing Ryoga's blank stare. 
    "You don't need to tell him EVERYTHING, Sis," Nabiki interrupted, looking 
uncomfortable. Then she turned to Ryoga. "The bottom line, lost boy, is that 
right now Ranma is fighting Tatsunada Fushin somewhere in this city, and if he 
loses, then Kasumi, Akane and I--" she emphasised Akane's name for Ryoga's 
benefit "--will have to become his personal handmaidens, or something 
disgusting like that." 
    "WHAT??!!!" Ryoga shouted, his blood pressure skyrocketing. 
    "Worry not, Akane Tendo!!" Kuno bellowed as he popped up next to them, 
prompting everyone to jump in surprise. Acting reflexively, Akane punched him. 
Kuno cleared his throat and continued, completely unperturbed. 
    "What villain is this, who insinuates such lechery against so pure and 
bright a flower as thee! I, Tatewaki Kuno, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High, 
invincible master of the art of Kendo, do swear by my blade that from this day 
forward I shall protect you from all harm." He drew his bokken dramatically. 
"That evil brigand may do what he will with these others, but you he will never 
touch, my love." 
    "Thank you SO much, Kuno-Baby!" Nabiki exclaimed, grabbing Kuno's 
outstretched hand as Akane looked on with disgust. 
    Kuno blinked, then glared at Nabiki and shook her loose. Then, he grabbed 
Akane's wrist. "Come, Akane Tendo, let us retreat to my sanctuary where we will 
be protected from such villainy as--" 
    He was interrupted in mid-speech as Ryoga's umbrella slammed down on his 
head, pounding his body into the ground until, when the dust cleared, only his 
head and shoulders were visible. 
    "Oh my," was Kasumi's reaction. 
    "Curse you," Kuno croaked at Ryoga. 
    Nabiki shook her head, looking down at the fallen swordsman. "He really is 
hopeless, isn't he," she observed. 
    "That hurt, you know," Kuno added. 
    "No matter what that jerk says," Ryoga growled, "I really WILL protect you, 
Akane! You can count on me!" 
    "Thanks, Ryoga," Akane began, "But..." 
    "Here we go again," Ukyo sighed. "Hey, jackass!" she hollered, banging on 
Ryoga's head with her spatula. "Quit standing around, and let's go help Ran-
Chan! That guy is too strong for him to handle alone!" 
    "And why should I help HIM?" Ryoga demanded, blocking the spatula. "Ranma 
can take care of himself." 
    "Listen to her, Ryoga!" Cologne called from the hole Shampoo had made in 
the wall. They turned to see her still holding her great-granddaughter's limp 
body.
    "Oh!" Akane gasped. "But, Grandmother, I thought you told Ranma that 
Shampoo was okay?" 
    "She will be, but it's a miracle," Cologne said grimly. "I'm stimulating 
her pressure-points. If I weren't, she would've died instantly." Her eyes 
narrowed. "Son-in-law will be in trouble if his opponent gets in any good 
hits." 
    "But ... but, he couldn't be THAT strong...!" Akane argued. 
    "It's that old technique he's using, remember?" Cologne explained. "It's 
obvious that he is the one behind its reappearance. The Shitsume Strike -- the 
strategic blows he lands, aimed at the right pressure-points, can kill with 
very little effort." 
    "And if he kills Ranma," Ryoga said grimly, "He'll come back ... for Akane 
and her sisters." 
    "So nice of you to remember us," Nabiki commented. 
    "Well then, what're we waiting for?!" Ukyo hollered. 
    "But, before you run off," Cologne told them, "You should talk to someone."
    Akane noticed for the first time that there were two people standing behind 
Cologne. One was a pretty girl with straight, dark hair, who was a bit shorter 
than Akane. The other was a handsome young man with brown hair and broad 
shoulders, who looked a bit older than Ranma. 
    "Excuse me," Akane said, "But who are these people?" 
    "There's no time to explain," the young man said as he stepped forward. 
"But that man has to be stopped. My name's Yuta, and this is Mana." He 
indicated his companion. "Pardon me for asking, but ... do you have any weapons 
in your dojo?"