Chapter 18 – Shadowed Dreams

Days seemed to pass by slowly for Akane Tendo since her son Hikaru left with Yi Ping. A moment did not pass that she did not think about him and wonder about his whereabouts. She never gave up hope that perhaps that Hikaru would call her. Yet, the weeks dragged on, and there was no word from her son.

In that same month, Ranma and Akane decided to finally open the Anything Goes Martial Arts School in Utsunomiya. This meant making frequent trips to Utsunomiya to interview and select teachers as well as setting up the school as best as they could. For Akane, it was a blessing in disguise. Being busy kept her mind off Hikaru.

The same went for Ranma. The physical bruises he received from his past fights were nothing compared to Hikaru’s rejection. This time the wounds were deeper. Preparing the new branch for its opening kept him busy and made his mind work.

Michiko moved out of the house across the street and went to live in Osaka. Ranma set out to file for a divorce. Surprisingly, Kuno decided to represent him. He prepared the divorce papers and sent them immediately to Osaka. However, the papers were sent back by Michiko’s lawyer who stated that Michiko Saotome refused to sign. Ranma pressed on for Kuno to keep sending the papers, but they returned to Ranma, unsigned, and the included statement was always the same.

Mrs. Michiko Saotome refused to divorce Ranma Saotome and would like to settle for a reconciliation.

***

The alarm clock rang loudly. Ranma and Akane stirred awake in each other’s arms. Slowly, Ranma eased himself out of Akane’s embrace and reached out to turn off the alarm. With eyes still closed, he groaned.

Today was the grand opening of the Tendo-Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts at Utsunomiya. Ranma and Akane, who had been planning this for two weeks, had to make another long trip to Utsunomiya.

Ranma opened his eyes wide and scratched them. Yawning, he reached out for Akane and shook her.

"Hey, sleepyhead, wake up."

A muffled sound came out from Akane.

Ranma shrugged and stumbled out of bed. He went straight for the bathroom and took a shower. When he came back to the room, Akane was still in bed.

He rolled his eyes and shook her gently until she woke up. "Hey, Akane, you better get up or else we’ll be late and miss the train."

Akane blinked her eyes. "I will," she replied sleepily. Then she asked, "Could you make breakfast?"

He smiled. "Sure."

He kissed her cheek. After getting dressed quickly, he went downstairs and made breakfast. When he was done, he called out that it was ready. Ranma started eating. He had already taken a few bites, but Akane still had not come down yet. Ranma quickly gulped down the rest of his breakfast and went upstairs.

What the heck is taking her so long? He wondered. Women! I swear! They take forever!

As he reached their room, he called out in a sing-song voice, "Oh, Akane-chan. We’re going to be late."

Ranma pushed the door open only to find the room empty. Puzzled, he went downstairs again. Then he heard water running from the bathroom. The door was opened ajar, and he knocked.

"Akane?" He pushed the door open and found her standing over the sink.

Akane turned around, wiping her mouth with her hand. "Oh, Ranma."

"Are you okay?" He asked with concern. "You don’t look too hot."

"I don’t feel okay."

Ranma felt her forehead. "You don’t have a fever or nothing."

"No, I just feel crummy. I think I better stay home."

He nodded. "We can go another time."

"No, no." She shook her head. "You go on ahead."

"But Akane-"

"Don’t worry about me. I think I just need to rest."

Ranma frowned. "Akane, are you sure? Cuz if you ain’t, I can call Utsunomiya, and they can do the opening without us."

"That wouldn’t be right. This is an important event. One of us has to be there at least. I insist that you go."

A look of doubt crossed Ranma’s face, but he said, "Oh, alright. But you know maybe you just better go back to bed and rest, okay?"

He started to lead her out of the bathroom, and they went upstairs to the bedroom. Ranma tucked her in bed as if he was the parent and she was the child. Then he kissed her on the forehead.

"Comfy?"

"Yes." Akane nodded. "Now can you go?"

"I’m going." Ranma held up his hands. "Maybe I ought to call Dr. Tofu."

Akane sat up. "Ranma, if you don’t go, I swear that I’ll-" She stopped and she felt pain washing over her.

"Akane…"

Akane shook her head. "No, this will pass."

He nodded. "Fine. Remember if you feel anything funny, you call Dr. Tofu."

"I will." Akane smiled.

"What?" Ranma gave her a puzzled look.

"Nothing. It’s just sweet how you worry about me."

Ranma grinned and kissed her. "You get some rest now alright?"

Without any protest, Akane let Ranma tuck her in bed again, and she fell asleep within a matter of minutes.

***

When Akane woke up, she was feeling better. She went downstairs and saw the leftovers from breakfast. There was even a small note from Ranma which said, "Eat up, kawaiikune tomboy. From your baka, Ranma."

Akane giggled and ate breakfast happily. She decided to do a little cleaning. After straightening out the tearoom, she found herself hungry. She had a small snack and watched some TV.

Several moments passed, and Akane suddenly had that familiar feeling. It was that same feeling she had this morning when she woke up. Sure enough, she found herself making another trip to the bathroom.

Later, after washing her face, she looked at herself in the mirror with terror in her eyes.

Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

With that, she made up her mind and called Dr. Tofu for an appointment immediately.

***

Akane sat in the waiting room, clutching her purse as she looked around nervously. The doctor’s office was full today. Aside from her, there were already five other people waiting to see Dr. Tofu.

She leaned back on her seat and tried to stifle back a yawn. This waiting was making her tired already, and she knew that if she could, she would fall asleep right there in the waiting room.

Finally, Dr. Tofu came out with a patient from the examining room. After receiving a few reminders from the doctor, the man thanked him and bid him farewell.

Dr. Tofu turned to Akane and smiled. "Akane, I believe you’re next."

She stood up and followed him into the examining room. As the doctor closed the door, Akane took a seat.

"Thank you for seeing me on such a short notice, doctor," said Akane.

He smiled again. "Nothing to it, Akane. What seems to be the problem?"

"Well, I haven’t been feeling too well lately. I have been sick. I woke up this morning feeling nauseous. I thought maybe it was a stomach flu, but after eating today, I…"

"Uh-huh." He nodded as he began his check up. "And how have you been feeling for the past few days? Any signs of fatigue?"

"Well, we have been very busy preparing for the opening of the school in Utsunomiya. We still teach classes here at Nerima, and often we have to go to Utsunomiya. We come home very late at night. It’s been very exhausting."

"And your sleeping patterns?"

"I sleep well, but I’ve been sleeping often lately. I’m just tired, I guess."

"When was your last period?"

"Oh…" Akane seemed to be thinking. "A little over a month ago, but I’ve always been irregular."

After finishing the rest of her check-up, Dr. Tofu told her, "Well, why don’t I take some blood sample? I am going to need some urine sample as well. I can’t determine what’s wrong with you until after the tests."

Akane nodded. "Okay."

"Will you be home all day?"

"Yes."

"I’ll bring the samples to be tested at the local hospital today. I will be working there after lunch. I’m sure I’ll have the results back this afternoon. When I do, I’ll give you a call."

Akane nodded again. "Alright. Thank you, Dr. Tofu."

***

Akane did not go home after her visit to the doctor. She went to the market instead to buy some ingredients for tonight’s dinner. At the fish section, she bumped into Ukyou who had baby Ren with her.

Ukyou smiled. "Hi, Akane! It’s nice to see you."

"Hello, Ukyou." She looked down at the baby. "Hello there, Ren."

Ren cooed and smiled at Akane.

Ukyou laughed. "He likes you." She pretended to scold him. "Why, you little flirt."

Akane giggled. "How is he?"

Ukyou rolled her eyes. "Spoiled. His brothers and sisters just adore him! And Ryouga…ugh! As soon as he comes home from work, the first words that come out of his mouth is, "Hi, Ren!" not

"Hi, Ukyou!"

Akane laughed.

"But Mommy spoils you rotten, too, huh, sweetie?" Ukyou kissed Ren’s forehead and turned back to Akane. "So! How’s everything?"

"Good."

Ukyou nodded. She heard about Ranma moving in with Akane through the grapevine. Some people received the news with shock and contempt. Nabiki Kuno, especially, resented her sister for letting a married man move in with her.

Secretly, though, Ukyou was glad that Ranma left Michiko. Ranma was too good for Michiko, anyway, in her opinion. Last week, Ranma had dropped by at Ucchan’s, and Ukyou had never seen him so happy.

"I heard that you guys are finally going to open up that school in Utsunomiya," said Ukyou.

"Yes, we are. As a matter a fact, Ranma is at Utsunomiya right now for the grand opening."

"Why aren’t you there?"

"Oh, I was feeling a bit under the weather this morning, and Ranma insisted that I stay home."

"Are you okay?" A look of concern crossed Ukyou’s face.

"Yeah, I saw Dr. Tofu already." Akane changed the subject. "Um, Ukyou…I was wondering…has…has Shampoo heard from Yi Ping?"

"Yi Ping?" Ukyou shook her head. "No, I’m afraid not."

"Oh…I was just wondering…since Hikaru is with her."

Ukyou understood. "Shampoo hasn’t mentioned anything, but if she does, I’ll be sure to call you.

Actually, Shampoo was wondering if you have heard anything from Hikaru."

"No, nothing." Akane’s face went solemn.

"I’m sure they’re okay." Ukyou reassured her.

"Yeah." Akane managed a forced smile. "Well, I better not keep you."

Ukyou nodded. "Okay, sugar. You know that you can always come by and call me when you need something. Better yet, why don’t we get together sometime?"

"Sure. I’d like-" Akane stopped as she felt pain wash over her. She closed her eyes and clutched her bag tightly until the pain went away. When she looked at Ukyou, she apologized. "Sorry about that."

Ukyou put her hand over her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"I’m fine."

She frowned for a moment and then told her, "Well, sugar, you just take it easy."

"I will. Thanks, Ukyou."

***

Finally, Akane arrived home. She was feeling exhausted so after she put away whatever she bought at the market, she dozed off in the living room. She later woke up to the sound of the telephone ringing off the hook.

Groggily, Akane got up to answer the telephone. "Hello?"

"Is Miss Tendo there?"

"Yes, speaking."

"Miss Tendo, this is Nurse Takahira at the Nerima Hospital. The lab results of your test came back, and Dr. Tofu wants you to come by."

"Oh." Akane frowned. "Did he…did he say why?"

"No. Will he be expecting you this afternoon?"

"Yes, I’ll be there right away. Thank you, Nurse."

Akane hung up, feeling disturbed. What could possibly be wrong with me that Dr. Tofu can’t tell me over the phone?

***

~Dr. Tofu’s office at Nerima Hospital~

The afternoon shift wasn’t too bad today, decided the receptionist. She looked at her clock, which said 4:15 p.m. Dr. Tofu was seeing the last of his patients today. What a relief. She was actually going to get off work on time for a change.

The receptionist saw a woman enter the office. She looked down at the appointment book. There was no one scheduled to see Dr. Tofu at this time…unless this woman was a walk-in.

The woman approached her. She looked rather nervous. "I’m here to see Dr. Tofu."

"And you are…?"

"Akane Tendo," she filled in.

"Oh!" The name sounded familiar. "The doctor’s been expecting you. Why don’t you have a seat, ma’am?"

Akane sat down at the waiting room as the receptionist picked up the receiver. Akane watched her chat on the phone for awhile until she hung up.

"The doctor will see you now. Please follow me."

Without a word, Akane let her lead the way into another room. She was told to wait, and then she was left alone. A few minutes later, Dr. Tofu entered.

"Sorry to call to you here on such a short notice, Akane," he apologized, "but I just thought I’d tell you this in person."

Akane tried to be calm, but her voice came out rather shaky. "Something is very wrong, isn’t there, Doctor? Am I really sick?"

"Sick?" Tofu shook his head. "No, no, there’s nothing wrong with you. As a matter a fact, you are perfectly healthy in your state."

"State? What do you mean?"

"You’re pregnant."

Akane looked at Dr. Tofu as if he had grown another head. "What? That’s impossible."

"You’re saying that you haven’t had any intercourse for the past month or so?"

Akane reddened. "No…I mean…I have."

He nodded. "You’re almost two months along. I know a very good obstetrician here at the hospital. I have set up an appointment with her for you. She will be able to provide your needs as you progress along with your pregnancy. Here’s her number."

She took the card he gave her, but did not say a word.

He looked at her carefully. "This must be a shock for you."

"It’s not just that, Doctor. There are…complications."

Dr. Tofu nodded again. "Yes, I understand." He cleared his throat. "How’s the divorce coming along?"

"Michiko keeps asking for a reconciliation."

"I see." He gave her a paternal look. "Akane, your concern should be yourself and the baby. This must be difficult for you considering the situation you are in, but it’s vital that you put your health and the baby’s above everything else."

Akane nodded and bit her lip.

"I’m going to prescribe some vitamins for you. I am also going to provide you a nutritional plan for you to follow. This would serve as a guideline of what foods to eat and what should be avoided. I advise you to see the obstetrician right away."

"Yes, Doctor."

"Are there any questions you might want to ask? Some help I can give you?"

"No…no, I think I’ll go home now."

***

~Tendo Home~

When Ranma arrived at the house, the aroma of tonight’s dinner wafted through his nose. He smiled with relief. The journey on the way home from Utsunomiya made him hungry, and there was nothing better than a home-cooked meal to come home to…and Akane of course.

He entered the kitchen where he found her standing over the sink washing dishes. "Hey, Akane."

"Hi," she said, without bothering to turn around and face him. "Dinner will be ready in a minute."

"Good. I’m starving! I left Utsunomiya without eating anything because I was such in a hurry to go home!"

"How was the opening?"

"Great!" Ranma’s voice was enthusiastic. "We have over sixty students enrolled already! Not bad, eh?"

Akane nodded. "Yeah."

Ranma looked at Akane carefully. She was acting strange. Why was she avoiding his eyes?

"Uh…Akane-chan, what’s wrong?"

She turned off the faucet and shook off the water from her hands. Then she wiped them with her apron. She turned to Ranma, but continued to look down.

"Akane?"

Finally, Akane looked up at him and spoke in a soft voice. "I’m pregnant."

Ranma’s eyes widened. "What? Are…are you sure?"

She nodded. "I went for a check-up. Dr. Tofu says that I’m almost two months along."

His jaw went slack and then he smiled. "Well…well…that’s great!" He laughed and then hugged her. "Akane, that’s the best news I ever heard! This is…this is fantastic!" He put her at arms length and took her hands. "We’re…we’re going to have a baby! A baby! Oh, man! Wait until I tell Mom! Ryouga and Ukyou!"

Akane said nothing.

"I can see it now. We’re going to fix up one of the rooms into a nursery. Then we’re going to take those classes together…what are they called? Mazda? Or something like that."

"Lamaze," corrected Akane.

"Right! Lamaze!" Then he stopped and realized the solemn look on Akane’s face.

"Uh…Akane…what’s a matter? Aren’t you happy?"

"Of course, I am, Ranma."

"You don’t look like it." He stared at her with fear in his eyes. "Don’t…don’t you want the baby?"

"How can I not want the baby? It’s our baby."

"Then what’s the problem?"

"Ranma, what about Michiko?"

He shrugged. "What about her?"

"You seem to be forgetting, Ranma. I’m not the one who’s married here. You are. And with this baby due in seven months, do you actually think that Michiko would give you your divorce? She refused to divorce you then. Would she divorce you now?"

Ranma put his hands on her shoulders. "You just leave Michiko to me, alright? Let me handle her. I am going to get my divorce, Akane. You just watch. As soon as she finds out about our situation, I’ll have that woman off my back as fast as I can deliver my chestnut fist attack."

"I hope so, Ranma. I want to spend my life with you…with this baby and Hikaru so that we can finally be a family."

"And we will," he promised. "You and I…we’re meant to be together."

He went down on his knees, faced Akane’s belly and smiled. "Hello, little one. Daddy’s going to love you so much."

***

~Osaka, Japan~

Ever since Ranma went to live with Akane, Michiko Saotome had been living at her father’s old estate. Except through their lawyers, she never heard from Ranma so it was a surprise for her when Ranma called and said that he was coming over that weekend.

She took her time primping herself for his visit. Michiko thanked the stars that the day of his visit turned out to be warm. After slipping into a skimpy two-piece bathing suit and spraying on some perfume, she went outside to the pool and stretched out on one of the pool chairs to sunbathe.

Ranma arrived on time. "Ohayu, Michiko."

Through her dark glasses, she feasted her eyes on him. He wore a white sleeveless Chinese shirt, blank pants, and black wristbands. She noted the fine lines of his muscular chest that seemed to peek out from his shirt. She smiled inwardly to herself. Indeed how she missed his body next to hers and especially the sex. It had been so good for her. She thought Ranma was such a fool for giving it all up for that hussy Akane Tendo.

"Hello, darling. Isn’t it a wonderful day?" She smiled.

Ranma was in no mood for small talk. "We have some things to discuss, Michiko."

"Alright." She reached for the sunscreen nearby and handed it to him. "Why don’t you spread this on my back while you tell me?"

Ranma smirked. If this woman thought that flaunting her body around him was going to fix their marriage, it was not working.

"Get one of your servants to do it for you," he said.

Michiko put the sunscreen away. "You didn’t seem to have a problem rubbing stuff on my back before."

"I’m not here to talk about the past, Michiko. I’m here to talk about the future."

Her eyebrow arched. "Is that so?"

"Yes."

Michiko stood up, walked to the mini bar, and took out a bottle of brandy. She fixed a drink and offered it to Ranma who held up his hand and declined. "No."

She smiled. "Ah, yes. I forgot how much alcohol has an affect on you."

"I’m sure you did." Ranma’s voice was full of sarcasm.

After taking a sip, she looked up at him. "But like you said, you are not here to talk about the past, and frankly, I don’t want to talk about it either. This affair you are having with that whore Akane Tendo, I believe, is just a small bump along the road that I intend to pass over. We have eighteen years of marriage, Ranma. A divorce would be unreasonable. We have problems, yes, but we can work it out. As for your affair, I am willing to dismiss it once you agree to come back to our marriage."

Ranma crossed his arms. "You really are full of yourself, Michiko. Do you think I’ll actually go back to you?"

"You belong to me, Ranma. Come back to me. Come back to our bed. You and I are good together." As she said this, her hand caressed his cheek.

Ranma flinched and moved her hand away. "Sorry. I am not interested. If you think I’ll stay married to you so I can be your sex toy, you’re wrong. I want my divorce, Michiko. And I want it immediately."

"And just what makes you think I’ll give you your divorce, Ranma?"

"Oh, I’m afraid you’ll have to, Michiko. You don’t have much choice. Akane is pregnant."

Michiko’s face went white. "Pregnant?"

"Yes, you heard me. She’s having my child."

She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. She started to shake as fury built up inside her. "Why…you…bastard!"

Michiko quickly moved to slap him, but Ranma was able to catch her wrist. He grasped it firmly as their eyes met in an angry blaze. Releasing her, Ranma let out a rush of breath as he turned away.

Michiko rubbed her wrist as she shouted, "You have a lot of nerve, Ranma! You have no right to do this to me! I am still your wife! We are still married!"

"You call this a marriage?" Ranma yelled back at her. "I am living with Akane, for goodness’ sakes! Face it, Michiko. I have no intention of working out this marriage with you. We have no future together. My life is with Akane!"

Michiko spat. "How stupid do you think I am, Ranma? Do you think I’m going to yield just because your whore is carrying your bastard? You are mistaken, dear husband!

Eighteen years ago, you made a vow to stay with me for a lifetime. You are expected to keep that promise. You can’t just walk away from me. I won’t let you go...not with out a fight."

"Well, if that’s the case, so be it. I am not going to walk away from Akane and our child. I was forced to abandon the woman I love once, and I am not going to make the same mistake again."

"You can’t do this to me! You are bound to me by honor! I was the dutiful, faithful wife! You owe me, Ranma!"

"And just what the hell do I owe you, Michiko? Huh? Nothing! I owe you nothing!" Ranma shouted.

Silence came between them. Then Ranma took a deep breath and lowered his voice. "There is nothing to discuss between you and me, other than the divorce. You’ll be hearing from my lawyer."

As she watched Ranma walk away from her, Michiko shouted at him, "You bastard! You will regret this! You’ll see! This isn’t over yet!"

Ranma paid no heed to her and just kept on going. Once he was gone, Michiko began to take hard, deep breaths. She turned towards the mini-bar and swung her arm, knocking the bottle of brandy over. A large crashing sound was made as it hit the floor.

However, that wasn’t enough to make up for her anger. Michiko went behind the bar and threw out every bottle of alcohol she had stocked. The bottles shattered into tiny, pieces of glass on the ground. Once there were no bottles to smash, she stopped.

Michiko collapsed on the floor, trying to catch her breath as she stared at the broken bottles before her.

A young maid, who had heard the noise, came out running from the house. "Mrs. Saotome, what happened? Is everything okay?"

"Leave me alone," said Michiko without looking at her.

The maid started to clean up, but Michiko turned to her and screamed, "Leave me be!"

She gulped. She had seen her mistress angry before, but somehow…it was different. Something about the look in her eyes was so frightening…so evil.

"Y-Yes, ma’am." The young girl quickly withdrew like a scared cat and left her alone.

As if in a trance, Michiko picked up a piece of glass and squeezed it in her hand. She felt it cut right through her skin, and blood trickled down from her fist.

I’ll kill her. I’ll kill her and that bastard she’s carrying. If I can’t have Ranma, she can’t have him either.

A slow, wicked smile came to her lips as she pictured Akane’s body in a pool of blood. She threw her head back and let out a loud, eerie laugh, which echoed throughout the house.

***

~Tendo Home, later that day~

When Ranma came back from Osaka, Akane was at the garden. She was just finishing up watering the plants. Seeing him, Akane waved at him and smiled. Ranma smiled back and approached her.

"Hey." He planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Hi."

"How are you feeling?" He asked with full of concern.

"I feel better actually," Akane told him. "Dr. Tofu came by. He gave me some tea to help me with my morning sickness."

"Oh, that’s nice."

Akane looked at Ranma earnestly. "So…how did it go?"

Ranma found it hard to reply verbally. Instead, he simply shook his head.

"I thought so." Akane’s lips formed a thin line.

"I’m sorry, Akane."

She shook her head at him and said softly, "Don’t apologize. You are not to blame, Ranma."

Ranma sighed in frustration. "Damn that Michiko! I wish she would just agree to the divorce, so that we can live the life we always wanted. We deserve that life, Akane."

"I know." Akane nodded solemnly while tears filled her eyes. Slowly, she turned away from him

as she caressed her belly.

Ranma reached out for her. "Hey, hey, look at me, Akane. Please." He made her face him by cupping her face gently. "Listen to me. One way or the another, Michiko is going to have to give in. She can’t keep up this game of hers for long. I’m going to make sure that she will. Don’t give up on me, Akane. Do you hear me?"

Blinking her tears away, Akane stared up at him. She knew that in her heart Ranma would never ever let her down. "Yes, yes, Ranma. I hear you."

Ranma’s arms surrounded her. His hands smoothly ran over her hair as he kissed the top of her head.

Michiko is crazy to think I’m going to take this sitting down. This is one battle that I don’t intend to lose. No. Not when a child’s…my child’s…future is also at stake here.

***

~Mousse and Shampoo’s house, two weeks later~

Shampoo stood outside of her house with her arms crossed. In a few minutes, she would be expecting her husband and Mao coming home after a day at the Nekohanten. It was her usual routine to come home from work earlier than closing time so she can start dinner.

Twelve year old Mao arrived and pulled up his bike at their house. He smiled at his mother. "Hi, Mama."

"Hello, Mao. Where is your father?"

"He told me to go on. He had to take care a few things at the restaurant."

Shampoo nodded but said nothing. Mao looked at her. She rarely smiled nowadays. Ever since

Yi Ping left home, she had not been the same, and things were quiet at the house.

"Dinner is ready," she told him. "Why don’t you go in and wash up? I’ll stay out here for your father."

"Okay, Mama."

Shampoo watched her son leaving. Behind them, they heard a sound of a vehicle pulling up. Both turned around and saw a black limousine parking at their driveway.

The Amazon’s eyebrows narrowed. She suddenly had a bad feeling coming over her. A driver got out and then opened the back door. Shampoo’s heart raced. It was like deja vu.

Slowly, Michiko Saotome stepped out of the limo, and Shampoo felt a tremor within her.

"Mao, get in the house," Shampoo ordered fiercely.

Mao protested, "But, Mama-"

"Get in there now!"

Rather than cross his mother, Mao scrambled inside. At the same time, Michiko approached Shampoo.

"Hello, Shampoo." Michiko smiled.

Shampoo crossed her arms. "What are you doing here, Michiko?"

"Is it a crime to visit an old friend?" The other woman pretended to look hurt.

"We are not friends, Michiko. We never were."

"Well, we certainly did have a common enemy."

Shampoo scowled. "What do you want?"

"I have a business proposition for you. As you might have heard, my husband has asked for a divorce. At the same time, he has moved in with his whore Akane Tendo."

"It is the talk of the town." She nodded.

"Last week, Ranma came to Osaka to persuade me into giving him his divorce immediately because Akane is carrying his child."

"She’s…she’s pregnant." Her voice was startled.

"Yes, unfortunately…for Akane." Michiko went on. "That woman has meddled into my happy life far too much, and I just had enough to deal with her. Akane has always been a problem from the very beginning. I did what I could to get her out of Ranma’s life, but I’ve failed. It’s such a shame really. She should have just gone away. Maybe I would never have to come to this, but now I have no choice."

Shampoo frowned. "What…what are you saying?"

Michiko’s eyes turned into an icy stare as she clenched her fists. "I want that bitch killed. I want her and that damn bastard in her belly dead. And I want you to do it."

"What?" Shampoo’s face went white.

"You’ll be paid handsomely, of course. I have it all planned out."

Her eyes went small. "You want me to do your dirty work for you."

"It’s not like you haven’t worked for me, Shampoo. After all, you were about to start the job eighteen years ago. Right now is the perfect time to finish it." Michiko began to circle her. "I’m sure a person with such a skill like yours can pull this off easily. After all, you were the best Joketsuzoku warrior in your village."

"And just what the hell makes you think that I will slay a mother and her child?"

Michiko waved her hand at Shampoo. "Oh, don’t talk to me about morals. You are a warrior. You were trained to kill, and will kill for revenge if you have to. You certainly didn’t hesitate in agreeing to murder Akane Tendo eighteen years ago."

She continued. "You and I, Shampoo, are cut from the same cloth. We don’t let anything get in our way. We never quit until we get what we want."

Shampoo glared at her. "That was eighteen years ago. I have changed. I am nothing like I was before so you have no right to compare me to the likes of you." She went on. "I have no intention of killing Akane and her baby. You are wasting your time here so I suggest that you leave before I give you a free trip to Osaka, courtesy of me."

Michiko turned red in anger. "You little fool," she hissed. "You will regret this."

"No, I won’t." Shampoo shook her head. "Because for the first time, I know I am doing the right thing."

***

The phone call was very unexpected. At first, Ranma Saotome thought it was all a joke, but the voice on the other side of the line sounded urgent. After telling Akane that he was going to pay a short visit to the Hibikis, Ranma left and headed for the point of rendezvous.

The meeting place was at one of the temples in Nerima. No one else was there except for the purple-haired Chinese Amazon waiting for him.

"Hello, Ranma," greeted Shampoo.

"Shampoo." Ranma’s voice was not hostile, but it was not friendly either.

"I’m glad that you came."

Ranma nodded. "What’s this all about, Shampoo?"

"Akane," she replied. "She’s in danger."

"Really?"

Shampoo took a deep breath. "Ranma, listen to me. I came here to warn you that something might happen to Akane. Michiko is planning something horrible against her."

Ranma stared at her for a long time and then he said, "I don’t know if I should buy that Shampoo."

Shampoo dropped her jaw, aghast. "You…you don’t believe me…"

Ranma’s voice was sarcastic. "Well, gee, Shampoo. You’re the one who’s always so hell bent on killing Akane. Eighteen years ago, you wanted her dead just so you can get your cure. Now you’re surprised that I don’t believe you. Hmm. Go figure."

"I know that in the past I did horrible things that made you and Akane think of me as untrustworthy. However, I am telling the truth. You may think of your wife as a very stubborn and manipulative person, but she is more than that. Much more. She’s evil, Ranma. You don’t know what she’s capable of, but I do. This afternoon she came to me trying to hire me to kill Akane…just like she did eighteen years ago."

Ranma’s voice was suddenly terrified. "What did you say?"

"It was her idea all along, Ranma. It’s true. Michiko came here to Japan and suggested that we make a deal with you by posing that death threat for Akane."

"And you agreed to it," spat Ranma. "Humph! You, your husband, and my father were just as bad as she was."

Shampoo’s voice trembled. "I…I’m sorry."

"A little too late now, don’t you think?"

The Chinese Amazon closed her eyes for a brief moment and drew in a deep breath. "Yes, I suppose it is, Ranma. I don’t blame you for hating me, and it’s hard for you to trust me again. My intentions may not seem very clear to you, but I don’t care. I’ve warned you. Whether you believe me or not is all up to you."

She started to leave, but turned around to face him again. "Be careful, Ranma. Michiko is more dangerous than you think. It no longer matters to her that she can’t keep you as her prize. She knows she lost, but she is determined to have the last laugh. There will be no more manipulative little games because this time she’s out for blood."

***

~Sakagami Institute for the Mentally Disturbed~

"You have a visitor."

Kodachi Kuno turned to the sound of the voice and found the nurse standing at the doorway.

"Ah, so my dear brother has finally come to visit me at last!" Kodachi exclaimed. "Ohohohoho!"

"I’m afraid that you are incorrect, Miss Kuno. This visitor…claims to be your sister."

Kodachi’s eyes narrowed. Sister?

She was about to protest that she didn’t have a sister, but Kodachi let the nurse lead her out of her cell and into the visitor’s area. A woman dressed in a stylish manner was waiting for her.

"Hello, sister." The stranger smiled at her.

"Hello." Kodachi greeted her as she raised an eyebrow. She stared at her visitor. "Leave us, Nurse. I want some time alone with my dear sister."

Once they were alone, Kodachi turned her suspicious eyes to her visitor. "Who the hell are you?"

"A friend."

"I don’t have any friends." The Black Rose spoke in a harsh, bitter voice.

"On the contrary, I am the only friend you have in the world, Kodachi." She smiled. "How would you like to settle an old score with an old enemy?"

***

Midnight.

Kazuya attempted to stifle a yawn as he made his nightly rounds around the asylum. Of all the places he’d have rather gotten a security guard job, this was at the bottom of his list - right in the middle of a nut house.

Oh well, he thought. It pays enough since no one else is crazy enough to work here.

He smiled at his pun as he turned a corner in the hallway. A soft creak down the hall made him look up. He frowned as he noticed a patient’s door creak open; which one he didn’t know, but they were all supposed to be locked. He was just about to investigate, when the first explosion hit.

It came from somewhere far behind him, but the blast was strong enough to send him face first to the floor.

"What the...!?" he managed to get out as he regained his feet.

His curse was cut off as another explosion racked the building from somewhere to his right. He promptly forgot about the open door and concentrated on hitting the fire alarm and getting the other patients out; their safety was his main priority.

Running down the hall, he opened doors and tried to get the patients rounded up, as he knew his partner, Hiro, from another section of the floor would be doing as well. Two more explosions detonated one far away, and the other close enough to blow through a wall near him. The blast singed his uniform as he twisted away and fell to the ground for the second time that night. He regained his feet quicker this time and proceeded with his mission.

Smoke and chaos filled the building as it continued to burn. Doctors and nurses who were on

shift rushed to move as much patients as they could to safety.

The asylum was engulfed in flames within minutes, but Kazuya and his partner, Hiro, had managed to rescue the patients who didn’t run when the alarm sounded and the doors unlocking automatically.

Emerging for the last time from the flame-wracked doorway, Kazuya carried the last patient he could find outside to join Hiro and the fire department. Sweat soaked his brow and various burns coated his body, but the image of him emerging with the rescued patient was captured by a reporter and would be posted in tomorrow’s paper.

He and his partner would be praised for their bravery for saving almost all of the mental patients. So much attention, in fact, would be put on their brave deeds, that the knowledge that one patient was unaccounted for would be forgotten. However, this one patient’s disappearance would have dire consequences that no one could ever imagine.

***

A woman stood alone and watched quietly from a distance as orange flames ate the asylum. A slow, malicious smile came to her lips. Having the view of the burning building that kept her prisoner gave her great satisfaction. She was free. At long last. She was free.

Now all hell was about to break loose.

"OHOHOHOHOHO!"

Author’s notes:
The fun is just about to begin, guys. Finally, some light has been shed on Kodachi’s role in this story. She’s too insane to be forgotten anyway. =P

Thanks to all the pre-readers for their wonderful support, and especially to Brad who invested some of his time and effort in helping me finish this chapter.

Coming in DYR 19… Kodachi Kuno returns to Nerima as the Executioner.