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All original Ranma1/2 Characters and Backstory Copyright
Rumiko Takahashi, and are used without permission.

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Coutuva.


Yue - Part Eight
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	How she found her way back to the Neko-hanten, she did 
not know.  All that mattered was that when she did, Tsu was there.
	"<Yue?  What happened?>" he blurted, tossing aside the
dirty plates he held.
	Diving into his arms, she buried her face in his tunic and
let the tears come.  "<Tsu...  Please...  Help me...!>"
	"<Ahhh...  Let's go to the back,>" he responded, as he 
gathered her under his arm.  She nodded.
	In the kitchen, Lin and the Elder met them, both of their
faces worried.  Even as they directed her to a nearby chair and
settled her into it, she clung to Tsu's hand, taking comfort in his
presence.
	Lin proffered a glass of water.  "<What happened?  Did 
Akane harm you?>"
        "<No, but...  But I fear...  I have angered a Spirit,>" she
managed to sob, taking the glass with shaking hands.
	She heard all of them gasp in unison.  She withered.
	The Elder moved closer, face bearing a puzzled
expression.  "<And how would you anger a Spirit, Liang Yue?  I do not
know of any that inhabit this area.>"
	"<That girl...  Tendou Akane.  She...  Attacked me with a
large wooden hammer.  I countered, but as my strike began, some
force redirected my blow from her gut to the shaft of the hammer,>"
she explained, shuddering as she tried to control her voice.  "<I
am sure that she is protected by some Guardian Spirit.  And now...
Now I have incurred its wrath!>"
	The Elder smiled.  "<Have no fear, Liang Yue.  There was no
Spirit for you to anger.  Tendou Akane creates exceptionally strong
Chi when she calls the hammer -- your sword was likely only
deflected by it.>"
	Yue couldn't believe her ears.  "<'Calls' the hammer?>" she
repeated, gaping.
	"<Yes.  It is a Chi manipulation technique.  She somehow
forms her great anger into the hammer, which she then wields as a
weapon.  It is a formidable ability, but utterly untrained.  She
cannot control it,>" the Elder explained, shrugging.  Lin grinned
and nodded.
	Yue felt herself slumping as the panic and fear drained from
her body.  "<I was certain...  I had doomed myself to a life of
damnation,>" she breathed, glancing up to acknowledge Tsu's hand
settling on her shoulder.  Flashing a sheepish smile at the Elder,
she lowered her colouring face.  "<I beg your forgiveness, Elder.  I 
meant not to cause such a scene.>"
	"<Don't concern yourself, Liang Yue.  Had I not known of
her technique, I would have thought the same thing.  I am glad for
you, though.  You bested her most powerful attack.  That is a
significant accomplishment in its own right.>"
	"<Yeah -- I even worry about that hammer,>" Tsu nodded,
eyes wide.  That was all the incentive she needed.  A heartbeat 
later, she was in his arms.
        "<Forgive me -- I meant not to embarrass you,>" she
apologized, realizing she had likely put on quite a show -- and in
front of many strangers.
	He smiled and tightened his arms around her.  "<Don't
sweat it...  I'm just surprised you came to me first.>"
	"<I would go to no other, my love,>" she whispered back,
finding herself wishing they were alone.
	A few minutes later, Cologne hopped into her bedroom and
closed the door.  After listening to ensure that she was alone, she
sighed and pulled a cordless phone from her garments.  Her face
darkened as she waited for her call to ring through.
	"Good -- I was hoping you were there.  Yes, I realize that,"
she stated, rolling her eyes.  "But enough chatter.  I have some
very serious questions for you."

	



	Akane groaned as she tried to raise her aching head, only to
stop as she felt a warm hand on her shoulder.
	"Iya, Akane-chan.  You should stay still for a while," the
soothing yet concerned voice of Kasumi advised.  "You seem to have
taken quite a hard fall."
	"Ah!  Kasumi?  What...  Where am I...?" she blurted, eyes
darting around the room.
        "You're in your room, Akane.  Father brought you up here
after we found you in the Dojo," her older sister explained,
removing the cloth from her head and rinsing it.
	"The Dojo..." she repeated, then her eyes widened as the
memories came flooding back.  Instantly, her hand went to her
stomach, searching for a dressing.  Finding none, she gasped -- then
moisture began to gather in her eyes.
	"Akane?  What is it, dear?"
	She forced back her tears to try to speak, but as soon as
she saw the concern in her sister's face, she dove up to bury her 
streaming face in Kasumi's top.
	"She's...  She's...  Engaged!!"
	"Oh, My..."





	Akane was numb.  All around her, the family was discussing 
the story she had related, and what, if anything, they could do 
about it.  
	Notably absent were the remaining Saotomes, as Genma was
back home, ministering to his unconscious wife.
	Tofuu had speculated that her condition was in fact a 
stress-induced coma, and could only suggest that she be given time.
	But that was of little concern to her.
	All that she could see and hear was the happiness,
excitement and pride in 'Yue's' face as she held up her ring.  It
was an image she would not likely forget any time soon -- because
it meant she had lost.
	Lost the 'battle of the fiancees', lost her claim to the
School...  And lost Ranma.
	And that *hurt* -- far more than she would have thought.
	Even in the beginning, when what happened became apparent,
a small voice inside her had kept saying "This too shall pass."   
It assured her that somehow, some way, a means would be found to 
return Ranma to normal -- just like every other time.
	Now, she cursed that complacency.  It had caused her to
underestimate the importance of 'being in the picture', which had
allowed this 'Yue' to meet someone -- and even fall in love.
	Suddenly, something Kasumi had said to her came back with
an entirely new significance:  "I know she is just appalled at
the thought that I, at age twenty, am not married with at least
two children.  In her time, that was extremely important to women
her age, because the average person only lived to be about fourty."
	She kicked herself for not having understood the deeper
meaning of those words.
	Now, however, she realized it was far too late to change
anything.  After what had happened in the Dojo, there was no way
she'd be able to get anywhere near the girl -- not that doing so
would matter.
	She had not heard from Tofuu, Nabiki, or even Cologne
about any chance of restoring Ranma, which led her to conclude that
there likely wasn't one.
	That was when it hit her.  "The Amazons..." she gasped
aloud, as certain things began to fall into place.  It occurred to
her that Shampoo wanted Ranma so badly she was willing to kill for
him -- put against 'Yue's' engagement, and the fact that the girl
was staying at the Nekohanten, something didn't add up.
	As she explored it further, it made sense to her that the
Amazons *knew* of a way to bring him back, but were probably
keeping it secret -- until after 'Yue' was married -- to a male
Amazon.  One who would willingly go along with something so
conniving.  One who would do exactly as he was told...  One named
Mousse.
	Her jaw dropped as she realized it was too perfect.  If
'Yue' married Mousse, she would be an Amazon.  Ranma's male form
would also be one then, meaning the Tribe had a claim to both him
and his children, no matter which form they resulted from.
	And even if they didn't have a way to get Ranma back, it
still worked -- at least for them.
	Her face darkened.  Her fists clenched.  She vowed to
herself that one way or another, she had to stop any wedding from
happening.  If she didn't, then whether or not there was ever a
'cure' would be a moot point.
	"Ano...  Akane, what's with the battle aura?" Nabiki's
voice abruptly asked, which instantly silenced the discussion in
the room.
	She turned and leveled a look at her next oldest sister
that reeled the girl.  "Nabiki - I know what they're up to," she
glowered, her eyes narrowed.
	



                                                          
	Cologne closed the door without a word, then turned and
hopped away from it.  Shampoo stood blinking and bewildered a few
feet away, having just been grabbed from the hall and yanked into
the room.
	"<Child, we have a problem,>" the old woman began, her
face stern.  "<There is only one reason I can think of that Akane
would try to mallet Yue.  She must have mentioned the engagement.
And if that is the case, then I am quite certain that there will
be attempts to stop their marriage,>" she stated, her voice edged
with anger.
        Shampoo gasped, then lowered her face.  "<I...  Think that
may be my fault.  I forgot to warn her not to tell them...>" she
began, but, much to her relief, the old woman just waved her
confession off.
        "<We will deal with that later.  They know of our intentions
now, and will likely stop at nothing to interfere,>" she glowered,
hopping closer.  "<They may even go so far as to tell Yue who she
is, and if that were to happen, I honestly believe that she would
feel compelled to do something...  Unpleasant,>" she stated, her
tone serious.
	Shampoo shuddered.  "<You mean?>" she breathed, raising 
herhands to her face.
	"<Yes, child.  You, more than anyone, should know how much
honour and loyalty mean to her.  If she were to find out that she
was occupying the body of your husband...>" the old woman trailed
off, eyeing her knowingly.
 	Shampoo felt the blood drain from her face.  "<Aiyah...
You're right.  What can we do?>"
	"<We must keep her away from them -- all of them.>"
	"<But what do we tell Yue?  She's so excited...>" she
opened, but Cologne only shook her head.
	"<I do not care.  We have two more days until our flight.
Keep them away from her at all costs,>" Cologne intoned, her aged
eyes flashing.  "<Go speak to her now, and send Tsu to me.  We
have no time to waste,>" she commanded, gesturing toward the door.
                                                              




	Something was wrong.  The feeling nagged at her as she
watched her friend send Tsu out of the room, and then step toward
her wearing a contrived smile.
	"<Yue...  We need to talk,>" Lin stated, the smile fading.
	"<I thought as much.  I can feel a tension about you, and
even Tsu seemed disturbed.  I would warrant the news is none that
I will like,>" she stated, then leaned back against the wall and
frowned.
	"<I'm afraid you're right.  It's about what happened today
with that Akane girl.  Since she pulled a mallet on you, I'm
guessing you must have told her you were engaged?>" Lin asked, a
definite downcast to her features.
	"<I did.  She told me I reminded her of her fiancee, and 
that was when I showed her my ring,>" she nodded, toying with the 
item in question.  "<Why would such a thing enrage her so?>"
	"<I...  Really don't know.  Akane...  Has strange moods.
She makes wild assumptions, becomes enraged over silly things --
and is jealously competitive.  Many people find her difficult to be
with for very long,>" Lin responded, sighing.  "<In a way, I take
responsibility for what happened.  I should have cautioned you not
to show her up, or tell her of your engagement.  While there was
no guarantee that it would have bothered her, there was also none
that it wouldn't send her into a rage.>"
	Yue bit her lip.  "<It is of no consequence, Lin.  I was as
much to blame, as I became excited and forgot that such things are
better handled formally.  I could not assign you blame,>" she
smiled, settling a reassuring touch on her friend's shoulder.
	"<You...  Are too kind, Yue,>" Lin smiled back, her face
still bearing a guilty appearance as she raised it again.
	"<No.  I only know you did nothing wrong,>" she smiled, as
she patted the girl's shoulder.  "<So then what of it?  I sense
there remains another shoe,>" she added, upon noticing that the
look in the girl's eyes had not changed.
	Lin nodded.  "<There is.  You should probably stay away
from that entire family until we can leave for China.  She always
draws them into her obsessions, telling them anything to get their
cooperation.  It would be safest -- and much more peaceful -- if
you were to just avoid them.>"
	"<That should present little difficulty, but I have to say
that I feel for that poor girl.  It must be a sad existence indeed
to live one's life driven by such foolish passions,>" she sighed,
shaking her head sadly.  
	She had started to like the black-haired girl, but now, she
felt only pity for her.  She had known other people that obsessed 
over lands, livestock or even trees -- and could never understand 
how such trivial concerns could consume a person.
	"<Good.  I still feel bad, though.  If I'd remembered to
warn you, this wouldn't have happened.>"
	"<Lin, you are a good friend, but you worry far too much.
As I said, I am as much at fault.  I will hear of it no further,>"
she smiled, stepping up and taking her downcast friend's hands.
	Lin flashed a grateful smile.  "<Okay, you win,>" she
acquiesced, shaking her head.  "<You're too good to me, Yue.>"
	"<No -- I could never be good enough to you, my friend.>"
	




        When Mousse returned a short while later, Shampoo stepped
from the small office and headed down the hall, then up the stairs
at its end.  Entering her room, she walked to the sleeping mat
that she and Yue shared, looked at it for a long second, then
stretched out on it.
	As her head settled to her pillow, she happened to glance
over at Yue's.  She felt her chest tighten at the sight, and the
wrenching guilt she had been fighting off finally burst through
her walls.
        She hated lying to Yue.  Hated it more than anything she
could think of.  Every word spoken in dishonesty stabbed at her,
tearing her apart inside.
        In her past dealings with Ranma, Akane and the others, she had
become quite accustomed to 'tailoring' the truth to suit her needs.
But it had never, ever hurt like this.
        Then again, she had never had a friend like Yue.  The girl
trusted her, depended on her.  Took her at her word without
question.
        She looked over at the empty pillow once more, then
reached out and pulled it to her.  Gathering it to her chest, she
buried her face in it -- and wept.





	"Yes!  Akane!  We got it!  I just made contact with someone
I've had watching the Nekohanten.  He says he saw the redhead run
in and hug Mousse, just a short time after she would've left here.
Looks like you were right.  They're going to marry her off to him,"
Nabiki exulted, shining her nails on her top.  "Damn, I'm good."
	"Kuso...  I'd rather have been wrong," Akane grumbled,
then landed as hard in her chair as her heart did in the pit of
her stomach.  "How...   Good a look did he get?"
	"Very.  Mousse was serving him when it happened."
	Her heart fell to her feet.
	"Did he say...  How they looked together...?  I mean...
Did she...  Seem to..." she attempted, but couldn't bring herself
to finish the sentence -- or the thought.
	Nabiki raised an eyebrow.  "Are you sure you want to know?"
	"H-Hai," she replied, bracing herself.
	"Well, he said she ran in, threw herself into his arms and
started crying.  They were talking Chinese, so he couldn't
understand them, but..."
	She blinked, then dropped her head to her hands.
"Chikusho.  It's worse than I thought," she whispered, then sniffed
before she could prevent it.
	Before she could even formulate her next thought, Nabiki's
voice startled her.  "Just say the word, imotouchan."
	She raised her moist, reddened eyes, looked over at her
sister's 'gunfighter' pose for a long second, then made up her
mind.  "Hai."
	Nabiki flashed a savage grin, then jammed back her sleeves.
"Time to kick some Amazon butt!"
	Kasumi, meantime, after entering the room and stopping in 
her tracks, wordlessly turned and left.


                   


	Yue sighed as she worked the stone over the edge of her
weapon, her heart heavy.  She had been looking much forward to an
afternoon with her betrothed, only to end up with naught but her
sword for company.
	Lin, the Elder and Tsu were all engaged in their
preparations for departure, in which they had told her she need not
participate.  Given the choice, she felt she would rather be
doing so, for she would then at least be in Tsu's company.
	Still somewhat unnerved by her earlier encounter, she found
herself even more fondly wishing for the security of his strong
arms, the warmth of his broad chest against her cheek, and the
reassuring sound of his heartbeat.
	A soft sigh escaped her as she closed her eyes and imagined
them standing together, her diminutive form all but obscured by his
embrace.  In the scenes, a satisfied smile decorated her flushed
face.
	That was enough to convince her.
	A few moments later, she stepped from the hall and into the
kitchen, there to find Tsu removing his working garment.  He
turned just at that same instant, and she felt her heart skip a
beat at his bright, albeit confused smile.
        "<Something wrong?>" he asked, tossing aside his
garment and stepping toward her.
        "<In a manner -- I have missed your company,>" she smiled
back, and moved forward to wrap her arms around him.  "<Are your
tasks yet complete?>"
	"<Yeah, but I was gonna get a bath before seeing you.
I'm filthy,>" he responded, looking down at his clothing.  Her 
smile widened.
	"<Forgive me...  I could not wait any longer.  This is a
lonely place without you near,>" she responded, tightening her 
embrace.  "<But you do bear the scent of cooking oil,>" she
teased, wrinkling her nose.
	"<Then I better get my bath.  Can't gross out the woman 
that's gonna make me her husband,>" he grinned, then grazed a 
gentle touch on her face as he stepped back from the
embrace.  She fought down the tremble that raced her form.
	"<You need not fear, my love.  You could never offend
me - although you may test my patience if you are too long away,>"
she smirked, trying her best to look threatening.
	He looked back at her for a long moment, then shook his
head.  "<You know something?  You really *are* kinda cute,>" 
he remarked, smiling.
	She flushed.  "<Away with you -- you embarrass me with 
such talk,>" she chided, which was hard to do through her smile of
delight.
        "<Yeah, yeah -- I'm goin'...>" he responded with a laugh,
then turned and headed down the hall.
	She stepped to the hallway behind him as he walked away,
watching his tall, broad frame fill the narrow passage.  Her
cheeks warmed as she recalled the sight of his bare back, and
found herself wishing he would remove his tunic before entering
the bath.
	As she watched him toss her a lingering look and enter
the room, her hands came together before her.  Her fingers happened
to brush her ring, at which a mischievous smile replaced her
wistful one.
	Looking down at the slender band, she toyed with it for a
moment, then raised her gaze to the door of the bath.  Her smile
widened - until she jammed her eyes closed and shook her head.
        She turned and started to walk away, only to stop before
taking a step.  Again, her hands came together on her ring.
        She chewed her lip - and looked back down the hall.  She
heard the shower start.
        As she listened to the rush of the water, her thoughts
filled with images of her beloved preparing to bathe.  After only a
few moments, she felt her knees weaken.
        Just then, the shower stopped.  A smile sprang to her lips,
as that told he had not set off his curse, and would soon be
settled in his bath.
        She could stand it no longer.  Opening the first of her
tunic ties, she quietly strode down the hall -- and straight into
the bath.



====================================================================
END - Yue - Part Eight                 A Ranma1/2 Fanfic By Coutuva

Comments Welcomed, Flames Extinguished!
coutuva@gmail.com