Send C&C to: oddball22@hotmail.com Find my stories at: www.geocities.com/kaiphantom2000 DISCLAIMER: I don't own these characters okay! SO LEAVE ME ALONE! Ranma 1/2: New Challenges All That We Have Known Chapter 3 Ranma walked on the ground next to Akane for once. With his broken arm, Akane convinced him that the fence wasn't a good idea. What if he fell? Ranma snorted at that, but after waving her mallet around, he conceeded. More and more lately, he found himself unable to say no to Akane. Mostly since a `No' got him a mallet, and a `Yes' got him a kiss. That, and he really didn't want to get her really mad at him anymore. School had been remarkably normal. Too normal. He was half hoping to get drained by Miss Hinako or attacked by Ryoga or Kuno. Maybe the fates had decided to lay off until his arm healed, he thought. He glanced over at Akane, realizing that she seemed to be lost in her own thoughts as well. That's something he never really wanted to admit. After seeing how good she was when he first arrived, and how little she actually trained, he was able to tell how good she could be if she really put her mind to it. Almost as good as him. Again, something he'd never admit out loud. Akane suddenly turned and noticed him gazing intently at her. He quickly turned away, blushing and trying to hide it, and she smiled. She suddenly grabbed his hand and pulled him off to one side. Ranma was caught off guard, but let himself be pulled along. "Huh, Akane, whatcha doin'?" "Well, we hardly get any time to ourselves," she said. "So I thought we could make use of some right now. Look familiar?" Ranma glanced around and realized it was the same park they were in last week, when they finally decided to stop playing games with each other, and confirm to the other what was really in their hearts. The small park was deserted at the moment, as was the familiar park bench. He knew what she had in mind when she pulled him down on the bench and kissed him. After pulling away, Ranma feigned disinterest."Aw, who'd wanna make out with a tomboy like you..." "Baka." She punched him lightly, then moved in on him again. She loved kissing him, it stirred up so many wonderful feelings. At times she needed this, as if to confirm that yes, things had changed. When they came up for air, Ranma took the opportunity to ask her something that was on her mind. "Akane," he began. "There's this, uh, little restaurant that just opened and I was, uh, kinda wondering if you'd maybe like to go out Friday?" Akane smiled and hugged him. "I'd love to Ranma!" She realized, as well as him, that they really hadn't had much time together, on a date. They'd been places together, but the family was always with them. They also had a small date once before, after the garden maze incident where Akane became Ranma's fiancee again. This, however, would be a more romantic-type date, at least, that's what she hoped for. "There is a condition," he stated, holding a finger up. She backed up and frowned. "What do you mean?" "Ya haveta work extra hard in your training and be able to focus your ki enough to project it," he explained. It was really the only thing he could really teach her at the moment with his arm still healing. She was real close to fully mastering and controlling her ki, being able to form a small ki ball with the Moko Takabisha, but holding onto it and projecting it was still a problem. "That is, if you think you're up to it." She smirked. "Challenge, huh? You're on!" Then her expression became softer and a little serious. "I know you're worried about me Ranma. I promise you I won't let you down. I can't lose you now that I've finally found you." She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. "I don't wanna lose you either," he replied quietly. "Shampoo's a strong fighter, but she doesn't think you can focus your ki. Hopefully, you'll have a couple of surprises in store in the way of a ki blast and that Tora Dokiken thing you do." He frowned. "You never did tell me how you came up with that." She smirked. "Jealous that I can do something you can't?" "What me?" He laughed. "Of course not! I could easily learn to do it if I wanted." "Baka." She sighed. "Well, I know you want to know, so I'll tell you after I beat Shampoo. Think of that as my challenge to you. Train me right so I win, and I tell you what I know about the technique." A chance to learn a new technique, even if it was from Akane. There was no way he could turn this down. "Deal." She smiled warmly up at him. "Now, where were we..." Her face move up, even as he moved his lips down to hers. He was able to kiss her without losing mental capacity now, and he thoroughly enjoyed it, feeling it was much better than being kissed by Shampoo. He couldn't figure out really why, except that this was Akane. Shampoo had always forced her lips on him, anytime she could get the opportunity. But Akane's kisses were usually more of a challenge to get, and that made them all the more sweeter. Ten minutes seem to fly by in a matter of moments, before it was mutually decided that no more time could be spent. It was time to get home for dinner. Nearby, a small shadowy figure watched them leave. He grinned to himself as he recalled their passionate make-out session, then thinking back on all the times he had waited for them to reach this point, goading and teasing them. His mind drifted to the thought of how nice the pretties that Ak- He smacked his head. Sighing for lost opportunities, he hopped off after them, taking care to keep out of sight. "Keep your guard up!" Ranma commanded. They were in the dojo after dinner now, working through another sparring session. Well, Akane and Yuri were sparring while Ranma, Kenji, and Ukyo looked on. Ranma was actually somewhat thankful for his broken arm, since it meant he couldn't spar with her. After all, he still didn't want to be the one hitting her. So, Ukyo and Yuri had volunteered. "And keep moving, don't became a stationary target," Ukyo added. Akane fought to control her anger. she told herself. She jumped over a leg sweep and kicked Yuri in the face lightly before landing on the other side of her. Yuri was up again and throwing various level punches that Akane worked to avoid. She was getting better at that; she used to just try and block everything, but Ranma was trying to teach her to be more mobile. Unfortunately, a punch to her midsection got through and backed her up. Akane ducked under the next one and shot up with an uppercut when Yuri over-extended. Following up as Yuri staggered backwards, Akane delivered a spinning kick to the ninja girl's stomach and causing her to double over. A chop to the back of the head dropped her and finished it. "You're gettin' slow, imoutochan!" Kenji hollered from the sidelines where he was sitting next to Ranma and Ukyo. He knew quite well how Yuri prized her speed over strength and skill. She was as fast as Ranma, but made too many mistakes, becoming sloppy at times. Yuri groaned as Akane helped her up. "You okay, Yuri-chan?" "I'll be better as soon as I pound on my brother," she replied tersely. "No offense Akane-chan, but I think I'm beat for the night." She smiled. "It's okay, I wanted to thank both you and Ucchan for helping me to train." "Ready to head back, Yuri?" Kenji asked. She nodded. "Okay then, I guess we'll call it a night." He stood up with Ukyo. "Good idea," Ukyo agreed. "We got some homework to finish up. See you guys tomorrow!" Ranma and Akane waved good-bye to the trio as they marched back to Ucchans, then Ranma turned to Akane. "I take it you're still ready for more?" She nodded. "Good! Why don't you start with that kata I showed you yesterday, then we'll work more on your ki techniques." Akane walked to the center of the dojo, inhaled slowly to calm herself, and began. A bit clumsy at first, but she soon began to feel the flow and her movements became as gentle as a dancer's. When she finished, Ranma was actually quite impressed. He was about to comment on it the heard the sound of clapping echoed from the doorway. A short young man walked in as they turned, and they were stunned when his face came into view. They both recognized it instantly, but Akane was first to speak. "Happosai!?" Ranma leapt to his feet. "What do you want?" "My boy, I thought you would've been more grateful to your old master," he said. Ranma laughed. "Well, I am grateful for your help back at the compound, but you haven't taught me anything to be considered my master." Ranma was expecting some sort of retort, but was surprised when Happosai agreed. "You're right Ranma, I haven't been a good master to you. That's going to change." He sighed. "There are techniques I need to pass on to you and Akane-chan before I am gone, so that they survive to the next generation." Ranma and Akane were surprised by the old man's attitude, but Akane spoke up first. "What do you mean gone? Surely you'll live even longer now that you're young again. We surmised it was the Nanniichuan water you drank at the wedding that did this to you." Happosai nodded. "That's true, however I only look young. For many years now I've been actively using my ki to lengthen my life span. The damage and the drain from the last battle finally got to me. I estimate I only have a couple of weeks left at most." They were stunned again. Ranma thought. "So what do you have to teach me? How to steal underwear?" Happosai laughed. "In a way. Do you ever wonder why I do that?" Ranma shrugged. "We just thought you were a hentai." "That's mostly it now, but it wasn't always like that," he said. "You may find it hard to believe, but I was actually a decent guy once, before I discovered the technique." Akane's face was uncertain, as if she wondered where this was heading. "What technique?" The old master's eyes narrowed. "A technique to charge my ki by simply making contact with the opposite sex." Ranma and Akane's eyes widened. "That's right. But I wasn't strong enough to control it, and I had no one who loved me who could've helped me. As I began to get old, I used my ki to slow the aging process. So, naturally I had to make frequent contact to restore my ki, thus, that's what led me to my perversion. It just became a part of my nature." He took a puff on his pipe. "I've resolved to control it, however, until I go." "This is the technique you wanted to pass onto us?" Akane asked in disbelief. Ranma held his hands up. "Forget it, old man. I ain't havin' nothin' to do with your perversions." Happosai sat down. "Ranma-chan, Akane-chan, do you truly love each other?" Both teens looked at each other and blushed. The idea that they loved each other was still quite new to them. "You didn't deny it, so I'll take it as a yes," Happosai said at last while the couple looked at each other. "You are both stronger than I was at your age, and you are together. As long as you have each other and do not fear growing old, you need not give in to the temptation." He turned to Ranma. "So, do still think you can't handle this, Ranma m'boy? I thought you could master anything?" And it worked. "Hey, I can handle anything you throw at me, freak," he boasted. Happosai grinned. "Good, then it's time we started. It should only take a few days for you two to learn the basics. After that, you can develop it as you see fit. All I ask is that you keep this to yourselves. Never teach anyone this except your children, or the ones who you pass your legacy onto. This should be a technique that only a very chosen few know. It should never fall into the wrong hands or you'll end up with another me, or even someone worse than me." Akane shivered. "I don't see how that's possible." "Think about it, my dear," he told her. "The worst I did was steal underwear and grope. I could've used my power to steal or kill at will. You should know by now that when I'm determined to do something, no one could stop me, even Cologne." Ranma thought. Happosai took another puff on his pipe. "So, are you ready to start?" They nodded after a bit of hesitation. "Good. Now don't worry, we won't go stealing underwear or glomping on strangers. Unless of course you want to." They both stared at him and he chuckled. "Okay, that's why I want to teach both of you, so you can use each other to practice and recharge. Now, sit down and face each other." They did as instructed. "Good, now take each others hands and close your eyes. Breath from your diaphragm, in and out, and feel your partner's life force. This technique is based on the reactions between yin and yang. Your ki will charge naturally on it's own, but when you combine your essence with a member of the opposite sex, you temporarily make a stronger yin-yang balance. As a result, your ki recharges faster. "Now, I'm going to hold onto your hands and draw a little from Akane-chan." Their eyes shot open as they turned their glares upon. Happosai merrely chuckled. "Calm down. I don't need to touch anything private. This can be done through simple skin contact, though the effect is less. The greater the intimate contact, the greater amount of ki you can charge, since you're completing the yin-yang balance more fully. He took a puff on his pipe, then set it down. "Okay, back to the exercises. Close your eyes and try to feel your partner's ki. I am going to grab both of your wrists and charge a little ki off Akane-chan since I can't draw any from Ranma; unless he becomes a girl. The amount you'll lose is a fraction of what I'll get. Now feel what happens." He reached out and lightly grabbed their wrists. Ranma felt Akane's ki drop by a minute fraction, but mainly he detected something else he couldn't describe. Happosai was taking something else, but it wasn't something vital. And the effect it had on the old man's system was remarkable. Akane felt almost the same thing. Ranma's eyes flashed open. "I felt that! I think I know what you were doing!" Happosai motioned him to continue. "I don't think it's so much a matter of what you did to Akane, but more what happens to you because of it." Happosai grinned. "You are remarkable Ranma. It took me half a year to understand the process. Of course I was still developing it. Every living thing secretes nearly indetectable parts of their... essences, if you will. When you learn to detect them, you can absorb them, and then only if you let it affect you, will it work. You've heard that laughter is the best medicine, well this is similar. Your body will unconsciously emit certain chemicals under the right conditions. When you feel emotions of love or lust for the opposite sex and absorb the essence they leave, it will be converted and added to your ki. Why don't you give it a try, Ranma-chan." He nodded and held Akane's hands. He concentrated until he began to sense what he did before. He found his love for Akane and suddenly felt a small surge in power. It surprised him so much that he let go and gasped. "I did it!" he exclaimed. "I felt it! That's incredible!" "Well done, m'boy!" Happosai was impressed. "I was right in choosing you two as my heirs. Now, when you two have the hang of that, I'll come back and teach you some more of the advanced fighting techniques. Go ahead and practice. I'll be around." And then he was gone. "Well that was wierd," Akane said at last. Ranma agreed. "I've never seen him like this. It seems his mind has changed, as well as his body." "I kinda wonder if the death of the old gh-Cologne has something ta do with it," Ranma thought out loud. He had been trying to honor the old woman's memory by referring to her by her name instead the `old ghoul'. "Yeah." Akane turned to him with a mischievous gleam in her eye. "Okay, now that you have it, it's my turn!" They reassumed the positions they had before as Akane took her turn. Ranma tried to help her through it, since she went for several minutes without success. Then, on impulse, she bent foreword and cupped Ranma's head in her hands while she kissed him. That worked. When she broke off the kiss, they both knew she had done it. Of course, when that was realized, their training session rapidly degenerated into another make-out session. After fifteen minutes, they were both actively glowing from the ki they had charged. It was then decided to work on ki blasts in the yard to drain off the excess. "Okay now, just like yesterday, create the ball and try to hold onto it," Ranma coached. Akane nodded, cupped her hands six inches apart in front of her and concentrated. She reached down and found the calm inside her and willed her ki to form. Soon, a small blue ball began to grow in her hands. It became the size of a baseball and Akane held it for several minutes before it winked out. "Very good, you held it longer than yesterday," he commended her. Akane blushed. "I think it's just because of all the extra ki we generated." Ranma grinned back at her. "Probably, but don't sell yourself short. Now do it again, but this time try to throw it at the practice dummy. Remember, it's based on confidence, so find that on which your most confident in. Then, push it with your mind, as well as your body." Ever since Ranma had come to Nerima, Akane's confidence had never been that high. Not only was he better than her in martial arts, but he had a better looking female body. Then, many other indviduals came to Nerima after him, each of them better fighters and, in the case of the females, better looking than her (at least to her point of view). As a result, she wasn't very confident about much. That was one reason why she fought with Ranma so often, she was deathly scared she wasn't good enough for him. Closing her eyes, Akane flashed through several subjects: schoolwork, friends, martial arts skills, trying to find something to be confident in. Her mind eventually settled on the fact that Ranma was hers. She became confident of her love for him and his love for her. With that thought, the ball became bigger in her hands until it was the size of a basketball. Opening her eyes, she brought her hands back slowly, then pushed them rapidly foreword again. "Moko Takabisha!" The ball went foreword several feet before dropping into the ground. With a small flash, it burned itself out. Akane felt a wave of enthusiasm, followed by disappointment. She was happy because it worked, yet it wasn't nearly on the scale as her iinazuke. Ranma noticed her look of disappointment, and tried to cheer her up. "That was pretty good. Now that ya seem ta have found your focus, you're improving your skills more rapidly. By learning to use your ki, you've become nearly twice as fast and a whole lot stronger." He had always known Akane had a strong ki, the tremendous battle aura she generated when provoked proved that. But auras were an unconsciously generated form of ki, and Akane just needed to tap it. She smiled and flashed her eyelids at him. "Arigato, Rama- sama," she purred sweetly, causing Ranma to turn red and face away. She giggled. She loved playing with him like this. It was so much better than hitting him. Then, a new thought entered her mind, something that she wanted to ask earlier. "I've seen you use both a ki ball and a beam form before. Why is that?" "Well, ya know I started out with just a ball, `cause it was easier to form and and helped me gain control," he replied. "A beam can be more powerful, like Ryoga's Shishi Houkodan, but for most situations, a ball takes less ki and works just as well. You've never been hit by a ki blast, but it works kinda like a distance punch. Basically, you're hittin' an opponent from a distance with a solid object." He grinned suddenly. "Sort of like when you throw a barbell or a statue at me." Akane couldn't help but smile. "Baka. Yeah, I think I understand now." She turned back to the practice dummy and concentrated, the ball forming in her hand. "Moko Takabisha!" This time the ball traveled at a faster speed and smacked the dummy dead center, and making a nice round hole in it. Ranma nodded from the sidelines. "Okay, I think you've almost got it. Now I think it's time you practiced the Tora Dokiken again. You need to work with it and see what's capable of." "As you do it, let me know what you're feelin' and what your reactions are." Akane nodded at him then closed her eyes. She struggled to bring the power up but it wasn't responding. "What's wrong?" he asked. "I don't know!" She smiled as it came to her. "Tora Dokiken!" Ranma watched as she began to glow her golden color. Then, her eyes snapped open and she took the time to study herself. "Wow!" she exclaimed. "I never realized what I looked like." She looked back up at him. "It was my determination that did it. Back at the compound I was determined to save you and all our friends. Then I felt this wierd warping in my ki and it happened." Ranma walked around her, studying the effect. His gaze eventually returned to her face and his breath caught in his throat at the sight of her glowing facial features. "An angel..." he whispered quietly in awe. Akane turned a shade of red as her fiance's eyes traversed her body, and also when she heard his whispered comment. She was about to say something when Ranma reached out his hand for hers. Their eyes met for a second and she took his hand. A sizzling jolt washed over them as the connection was made, but neither one let go. Ranma closed his eyes as he felt the ki of his iinazuke wash over him and mingle with his; the same glow spreading over his body. A strange tingling feeling was left in it's wake, but somehow Ranma felt that it was a good thing and he liked it. His eyes opened and met hers again and and it was clear they were experiencing the same phenomenon. Akane reached out her other hand and Ranma clasped it automatically. She then got the same impish idea from earlier in the dojo, and closed the distance between their bodies. As his face came down to meet hers, their lips met halfway in a kiss that could only be described as... well, it was really indescribable. Mouths opened, increasing the fuzzy, tingling feeling they shared. With a final flash, they parted and the glow disappeared. For a full minute, they gazed into each other's eyes, trying to figure out what just happened. Finally, Ranma spoke. "Wow, Akane, that was..." "Incredible, I know," she finished for him. "I didn't know that would happen." She blinked. "Normal kisses are going to seem boring compared to that." Ranma turned an interesting shade of red as what happened managed to impact his conciousness. A yawn forced it's way out of his mouth, despite his efforts to contain it. Akane matched it. "I feel so tired all of a sudden," Akane said sleepily. Ranma nodded. "Me, too. I think that technique really takes it out of you." Akane nodded and then leaned into him as they started into the house. Ranma unconciously put his good arm around her as they headed inside. A short kiss at Akane's door, then they parted and Ranma went back to the guest room to spend the night. As Ranma lay there, he couldn't help but feel good. He absently touched his lips as the memory played out. He let the thought hang as he went to sleep. His last thought was of how much better his arm was feeling. From the darkness, Happosai had watched the event. From his persepective, their ki energies had actually merged for the few minutes they were liplocked. Even when they parted, parts of each other's ki remained in the other, strengthening a unique bond that they seemed to have between them. He sighed. He leapt away into the night, never noticing the second figure that had watched the event. The second shadowy figure now kept almost constant surveillance over Ranma and Akane, only leaving to report, as per his mistress's orders. He was now on his way to report after watching them enter his mistress's house. He sighed. He arrived at his destination, easily hopping over the outer wall and making his way inside the mansion. He quickly found the door to the greenhouse. Knocking twice, he was bidden to enter and he did. "So," purred a female voice from the figure in front of him. She had her back to him. "What have you to report?" He cleared his throat and told her all about the couple's kissing session on the way home from school, the training, and the strange glowing event that happened afterward. The female was still for a minute or two, as if pouring over this new information. The short little man wondered if his life was now forfeit. Then she resumed her work on the plants in front of her. "This is not good," she said finally. "We must do something to end this now and pry him loose from the clutches of that vile woman. I knew there was a reason he wouldn't show his love for me, and now I find out it's because of some magic the Tendo girl has over him. I need a plan and an opportunity to strike." She paused and smiled. "Tell me more about this challenge match..." "" Mousse asked in their native language through the closed door. He got no response. For the past several days, Shampoo would stay locked in her great-grandmother's room (now hers), only emerging to get something to eat. Mousse could only imagine what was going on in there. he thought. He had heard that Akane was training hard, and with a lot of luck, she might almost be ready for Shampoo by Saturday. Thankfully, the same law which forbade him to help Akane, also prevented him from helping Shampoo. So he didn't have to tell her about the training Akane was getting. He repeated his inquiry and when he still got no response, he did the only thing he could do; he walked away. Shampoo had told him outright to not enter her room or bother her at all unless she failed to emerge for 48 hours or for the match. As he went back to his room, he couldn't help but feel strong magical forces at work on the other side of the door. --------------------------------------------------------------- Author's notes: Will Akane be able to train enough to beat Shampoo? My analysis of Akane's fighting abilities reveals that she has the same knack for improvising on the battlefield that Ranma does. Need proof? Read the part of the manga where Taro shows up for the first time. Ranma was able to beat his monster form, only through Akane's help. What did she do? Also, take a closer look at her fight with Kiima. Interesting use of the bamboo poles, ne? The battle doji shows latent potential, and the OAV, "The One to Carry On" shows learning fast improvement rate. Akane lost to Kurumi, then after only a couple days of training, she came back and was able to match her move for move. Most likely would've beat her if Natsume and Ranma hadn't joined. This leads me to believe she can advance as fast as Ranma when she puts her mind to it. Plus, she's focusing her ki now and has a few ki moves. Still, who knows what Shampoo is doing behind the door!