Send C&C to: oddball22@hotmail.com Find my stories at: www.geocities.com/kaiphantom2000 Ranma 1/2: New Challenges Bonds and Connections Chapter 7 Konatsu sprang silently and swiftly across the rooftops, each of the girls' last expressions still haunting him. From the strain on little Selah's face as she tried to keep the water attack up, to Ukyo's worried visage knowing she was helpless to do anything, to Yuri's terrified gaze, fearful he wouldn't return. He had to return, he just had to, and he needed to get as much help as quickly as possible. He wasn't about to let Selah's actions be in vain. The only question was where to go, but really there was only one place. The Tendo Dojo. Through all the chaos and battles and dangers they had faced, this structure stood, serving both as a meeting place and a battleground. It also housed both the Tendos and the Saotomes, two families of martial artists. Though he had heard the Saotomes had moved back into their old house, he had also learned that Ranma had been allowed to stay at the dojo until his marriage to Akane, which had happened several days ago. Also, the two parent Saotomes had been known to visit from quite frequently as well. With the Amazons gone, he couldn't think of anyone else who might be able to help. He just hoped Ranma and Akane had returned. Soun Tendo studied the board for the umpteenth time, but for once, his mind was not on the game. The marriage ceremony, and it's preparation, had been a nice distraction from his own problem, but now that it was over and things had quieted down, his dilemma had returned. Sensing his old friend was growing impatient, the Tendo patriarch reached out and picked up an apparently random piece, a pawn, and moved it one space foreword. These days, it seemed, his only joys were these never-ending games he played with his oldest friend. Though, in the past couple of months, he had found someone else who was fun to spend time with. Genma immediately reached out and took advantage of Soun's error, moving a rook three paces. "Checkmate!" he declared proudly, finally pronouncing the words he knew he would utter eventually when he won. Seeking to gloat over his latest win, he was instead troubled by the expression on his friend's face. "Tendo? Are you alright?" "Huh?" Soun's face came up, his hand ceasing it's stroking of his mustache. "Oh, uh sorry there, Saotome. Looks like you win again. Ha ha ha!" His right hand came to rest against the back of his head while he attempted to laugh his loss away. Genma sat back and folded his arms across his chest after pushing his glasses up. "You can't fool me, Tendo. Something's been bothering you. You're hardly a challenge at all these days." "Why, whatever do you mean, Saotome?" Soun asked innocently, hoping to avoid talking about his it. Genma sighed, knowing a little about what was bothering his old friend. "Kimiko was a good woman, Tendo. But she would not have wanted you to stay single forever if another woman caught your eye." Soun stiffened, then turned on the verandah to look outside, presenting his profile to the man sitting across from the board. In the sky, the sun had reached it's apex, and was now starting on its way back down. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said flatly, frowning. Genma matched the frown with his own, hoping this would go easier that it appeared to be going. In the past couple of months, he had noticed Soun spending time with that teacher from Furinken. A gorgeous, curvy woman who appeared to have her own interest in his old training partner. And Genma was thankful for that, as lately he had been spending more time with his own wife, rediscovering the love he had once shared with her. It wasn't easy, and they still weren't back to normal, but progress was appearing to be made. This meant less time to spend with Soun. But what he didn't know, was why Soun had cut off all contact with the teacher, making no effort to get in touch with her. And she hadn't called the dojo either. Had they broken up without his knowing about it? Had Soun called it off because of his devotion to his dead wife? Genma thought it was the latter, and was trying to help his friend rediscover the happiness of love he himself was rediscovering. "Why don't we call and invite Hinako-san over for dinner, tonight?" he suggested, demonstrating the legendary Saotome tact his son had inherited. "No!" Soun blurted. "I mean, Kasumi has already started dinner and I'm sure she didn't plan for an extra person." Genma sighed, but any reply was cut off as a blur shot over the Tendo compound wall and resolved itself into a dark red bodysuit wearing ninja. The figure was kneeling before the two men, it's forehead bowed low enough to touch the ground. "Saotome-sama, Tendo-sama, I respectfully beg your assistance!" Konatsu spouted in a rushed, yet respectful, tone. "My friends have been captured and I need your help to free them!" Soun, grateful for the relief from his friend's probing, reached down pulled Konatsu up to a sitting position. "No need for kneeling, boy. Please, calm down and tell us what happened." As quickly as he could, the young kunoichi summed up the situation, then asked "Is Ranma-sama and Akane-sama her as well? I fear we may need their help as well. The old woman, Zhao Len, is highly skilled and whatever else has happened to Kenji-sama, has made him quite deadly as well." Genma coughed once to clear his throat. "I'm afraid Ranma and Akane are still on their honeymoon. They were scheduled to return today, though I don't know when. If the situation is as bad as you say, then waiting for their return is out of the question. However, if the three of us go now, we might stand a chance." Soun nodded. "Quite right, Saotome. Three vs. two makes for better odds. And if we can free the captives, we could increase those odds enough to obtain victory." "Going out, father?" Kasumi asked as she stepped into the room. "I'm afraid so, Kasumi," he replied, standing up and stretching. "Something has come up. If we are not back for dinner, you and Nabiki should go ahead and eat without us." "Ready for action, Tendo?" Genma asked, finishing his own stretching to loosen his muscles. Soun nodded. "If it's just the three of us, then let's go!" Genma grunted acknowledgment, and the two older men followed close behind Konatsu as he took off over the wall. Nabiki thought to herself where she stood at the top of the stairs. She had overheard the entire conversation, and a part of her was worried. She had heard about this Zhao Len when Ranma and Akane had talked about her, and knew the old woman was as crafty and dangerous as Cologne. She was worried that her dad and Uncle Saotome wouldn't be up to the task. she thought morosely. But he wasn't, and worrying about that wasn't going to help. It was also too bad that Natsume and Kurumi had picked that morning to head out for a three-day training trip, visiting a dojo to the west where they had once trained for a few months. What would help, was getting reinforcements and soon. Unfortunately, there were only a couple of other people she could think of, and she wasn't sure they would be much help. But any help was better than none. For a minute, she suddenly swayed, bracing herself against the wall as the call came to her again, and she fought her body's attempts to move. "Stop it!" she hissed, and to her relief, it did. It had been happening more frequently now, and it scared the hell out of her each time. She knew the blade was calling her, from where it rested in the dojo storeroom. Usually it felt just like a low- level pull, but over a week ago it had practically been screaming at her. That was when Genma, Soun, and Nodoka had gone to help with the disturbance at the Nerima mental ward. If there was one thing Nabiki hated, it was being controlled, and this sword seemed to have that ability on her. It had been like that ever since she used it to freeze those two gremlins a couple of months ago. The pull had been growing stronger, too, by invading her dreams with such intensity that she frequently woke up in a cold sweat to the near silent call of the siren song. "I am not a martial artist!" she declared hotly in a low voice. "And I have no desire to be one, either." To her, the day Nabiki Tendo had to win a battle with brawn instead of brain, was the day she gave up on money and became a nun. One after another, she had seen the encounters her baby sister and Ranma got into, all because they preferred fighting with their fists. But she instinctively knew all that would go away once she touched the sword again, just like last time. No control and no prerogative, except to fight until her opponents were defeated or dead, and she wasn't so enthusiastic about that last option. Shaking herself and applying her own calming techniques, Nabiki dropped back into total control and the siren song dimmed to mere ignorable whisper. With that, she hopped down the stairs, grabbed her jacket, and bolted out the door, knowing time was of the essence. He awoke. "Hello, how are you feeling?" Kodachi asked as her patient finally regained consciousness. Pantyhose Taro froze, as his gaze met that of the girl in the dark blue kimono kneeling beside the bed. His eyes then rapidly flicked around the room, a girl's bedroom he noted with chagrin. "Where am I?" he demanded to know. "How did I get here?!" "In my room of course," Kodachi told him. "Don't you remember?" Taro tried to recall. The memories got more vague at that point, but he remembered hitting hot water, then looking up to see a good-looking girl. A good looking _naked_ girl. Taro's hand flew to his nose in an attempt to stifle the developing nosebleed. Then it hit him. The girl looking at him now WAS that same girl. He was in her bed. He was naked. She was naked last time he saw her. "Oh God..." Taro gaped as his eyes widened. He sat up and backed away from her, wrapping the blanket around his mid-section. "I didn't... you didn't... and I don't even remember it! AAUUGGHHH!" Kodachi blinked, not understanding what his problem was. "Are you alright?" Taro's thoughts were in a whirlwind. He stopped fidgeting and gave her a confident smile. Kodachi blinked again as the strange youth blurred across the room and held her hand, his eyes meeting hers, blanket still wrapped around his mid-section. "So, how shall I show my gratitude for your assistance?" Taro tried to say in as suave a tone as he could muster. "I know, how about a kiss?" "I beg your par-mmmpph!" Kodachi started as he locked his lips with hers in a clumsy attempt at a kiss, then her eyes narrowed as she reached behind her back. *WHAM!* Kodachi seethed and put the mallet away as the boy folded, unconscious, to the ground. "Of all the nerve! I am not that kind of woman!" she amended to herself. She then sighed and realized he would know be out for the rest of the night. Frustrated, she stood up and tightened her sash, sorely tempted to toss him out right now. Absently, her hand went to her lips. It WAS the first time a boy had kissed her, and it wasn't too bad, and he was good-looking, and maybe... Kodachi killed that line of thought right there, definitely not ready to deal with it. Her ears picked up the sound of a doorbell, and decided to shelve the current issue to see who was at the door. Sasuke blinked in mild surprise at the person waiting for him at the gated entrance to the Kuno mansion. "Tendo-san, are you here to see Master Kuno? Please, come in and I will fetch him for you." Nabiki allowed herself to be escorted into the foyer. "Please, be quick. I have urgent business to discuss." "As you wish." The Kuno manservant bowed, disappeared in a puff of smoke, and Nabiki smiled slightly at the retreating coughing noise. she thought wryly. She didn't have to wait long. Tatewaki's voice preceded his entrance. "What brings thee here this night?" he asked in a carefully-guarded and neutral tone. He hadn't seen her much since the Christmas party, as she had apparently no wish to see him. He hadn't needed her services much anymore, since he no longer bought pictures or information on either Akane or the pig-tailed girl, whom he now knew to be Ranma. Also, he was content to let her manage the house's investments on her own. Nabiki sighed. This was not going to be as easy as she thought. "Look, I'll give it to you straight. My dad and Saotome-san just left to help a few of our friends who were captured by Zhao Len. You remember her? She's the one who kidnapped Ranma, Akane, and Kenji and drew you all into that battle with the Amazons you nearly lost." "Preposterous!" Kuno snorted, the famous ego seemingly making a comeback. "The Blue Thunder was never in danger! Everything was in hand." "Riiiight," Nabiki drawled, but decided not to argue that point. "Listen, we could use your help as well. From the information I've gathered, this Zhao Len could be at least as dangerous as, if not moreso, than Cologne. And from what I understand, she's mind controlling Kenji again, only he's more dangerous somehow." Tatewaki raised an eyebrow. "We? I hardly think thy family desires my presence, Tendo Nabiki." Nabiki sighed heavily. "Alright, you got me. It's just me; I'd feel better if you were there. I figure you can help me get in and rescue Ukyo, Yuri, and Selah while my dad, Saotome-san, and Konatsu keep the old witch and Kenji busy." "So, you do nee-" "Yes, I do, for now," Nabiki replied, cutting him off. She poked his chest with her finger, giving Kuno a hard glare that was enough to kill the smile that had begun to form on his face. "But let's get one thing straight: You're still a pompous, arrogant moron. You're right that my family still isn't too thrilled to see you, after all you've put my sister and Ranma through. You still haven't outgrown your two-timing ways either." Tatewaki frowned. "You have a most peculiar way of convincing a possible ally to fight for you, Tendo Nabiki." "But," Nabiki continued in a slightly softer tone. "You are a decent martial artist who's even given Ranma a challenge at times. You're right, I do need you right now. Also, when you went with everyone else to save my sister and Ranma from the Amazons, that went a long way toward showing you were a different person than before. Maybe if you started doing stuff like that for anybody else who was in trouble, you'd convince more people, including my family, that you might be changing for the better." Nabiki finished her argument and waited, trying to gauge Tatewaki's reaction. He used to be so incredibly easy to read, but these days he had become more withdrawn, his emotions and internal thought processes hidden. After several minutes of study, she concluded that he wasn't going to help after all. "I shall do it." "I figured as much, I don't know why I even both-" Nabiki stopped. "You'll do it?" She almost couldn't believe her ears Tatewaki nodded. "You are correct, Tendo Nabiki. I have not been the most virtuous of samurai," Nabiki laughed at that, "but that does not mean I am bound to the path I traveled before. Perhaps it is time for a change. Where did you say these fiends are holding yon fair maidens captive?" Nabiki blinked. "Um, okay. Konatsu said they were hold up in an condemned office building in the Meji district." "Sasuke!" The little ninja popped out of a nearby potted plant to kneel next to Kuno. "Yes, master?" "Prepare for battle, we depart at once!" Sasuke nodded fiercely. "Yes, master!" "Ohohohohoho! Not without me, brother-dear!" Nabiki planted her face in her hand and groaned. Kodachi Kuno leapt from the second store railing, did a graceful somersault, and landed beside her brother, her midnight-blue kimono still wrapped neatly around her body. "Sister, I do not think this a wise idea. You should be resting." Kodachi scowled. "I have done enough resting. I did enough resting that I very nearly lost my mind again. And if you can go off and start helping people now, why cannot I do the same thing? Besides, you and Sasuke are the only family I have left now, I cannot let you go off and face danger alone!" She was confident her 'sedative' would keep her patient out of it for the rest of the night. "These people mean business, Kodachi," Nabiki told the girl flatly. "This isn't a rhythmic gymnastics match." Kodachi leveled a gaze at the Tendo daughter. "I am more capable of taking care of myself than you are, Tendo Nabiki." "Touche. Fine then, if you want to come along, do so. Just try not to get in the way." Kodachi smiled slightly, and at first Nabiki thought the girl would laugh or make some kind of snide comment. Instead, all she said was, "Very well. Thank you for allowing me to help. I shall do what I can." Nabiki blinked, looking at the girl strangely. "Then let us be off," Tatewaki declared, striding towards the door. "Every moment we tarry here, is one which may prove to be our friends' undoing." And with that, the unlikely, and possibly unstable, quartet headed off into the night. "They're coming." Zhao Len perked up from where she sat, looking across the room to where Kae gazed out the second story window. The old woman could feel the ki signatures approaching, but was unable to tell exactly who it was. She took a sip of her tea and voiced that question to her temporary partner. "The effeminate ninja boy has come back, and if I'm reading the memories of this body's previous host correctly, he's brought Ranma's father and Akane's father with him." Zhao Len frowned. That wasn't who she wanted, but she supposed they would do for now. "Very well. Let's make ready to receive our guests." Kae stepped back from the window, gave the old woman a slight nod, then faded into the shadows. "This the place?" Soun asked the young boy, reading the nameplate on the gate as the 'Nikaze Office Building.' Konatsu nodded fiercely, mentally preparing himself. "This is where they hold Yuri, Ukyo, and Selah." "Well, it's safe to say we are expected," Genma added, noting the six-tiered structure. "Indeed, Saotome." Soun cast a grin at his friend. "Well, shall we show them what two who trained under the Master of the Musabetsu- Kakuto can do?" Genma matched the grin. "We shall, Tendo. After all, not all of it was panty-stealing." "True," Soun agreed sagely. "There was the peeping, the running out on bills, burglary, conning the villagers we came across, freeloading..." "Ahem," Genma coughed into his fist. "I think that's enough, Tendo." "Right, let's go!" Kasumi finished her meal in silence, a little lonely due to the fact that no one else was there. With Ranma, Akane, and their father's gone, Kasumi figured she would at least have Nabiki, but the elder Tendo daughter couldn't find her younger sister anywhere. She must have snuck out earlier. Kasumi was tempted to give Tofu or Auntie Saotome a call just for some company. She sighed and placed her empty bowl down. She found delight in others, in working behind the scenes to help them out. When there was no one around, or no one to help, she felt more alone and depressed then most. Her internal thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of voices and footsteps entering the foyer. "...st drop it, Ranma," came Akane's weary voice. "I'm tired and I don't want to hear anymore, okay?" "Jeez, Akane," Ranma replied in an exasperated tone. "I was just tryin' ta help. What's buggin' ya? You've been uptight since this morning!" "Just leave me alone, Ranma. I'm not in the mood." "Feh, fine. Whatever." "Ranma, Akane, you're back!" Kasumi greeted the newlywed couple. "How was the honeymoon?" A pair of blushes was the reply, as the two gazed shyly at each other. Then the moment was gone and Akane was turning away from Ranma. "I'm a little tired now Kasumi. If you don't mind, I think I'll head straight to bed." Kasumi nodded as she hugged her youngest sister. "Of course. We've set up your new room in the master bedroom." "New room?" Ranma asked, confused. "Of course!" Kasumi replied with a smile. "You two own the house and dojo now, so father moved into the guest room. We've set up a new bed in his old room, which is now yours." Ranma put a hand behind his head, the enormity of the change now hitting him. "Oh, geez." He looked around. "Say, where's pops and everyone else?" "Oh, Father and Uncle Saotome went with Kenzen-san to help rescue Ukyo, Yuri, and Selah-chan." "What!?" was the stereo response. "From who?" Ranma asked, his mindset switching to action. Kasumi thought about for a second. "Someone named Zhao Len, I believe." "Oh, crap." Ranma dropped his pack and sprung back to the doorway. The last time he had tangled with the old woman, he very nearly lost. "Where?" "Oh, are you going, too? Please be careful. I think it was a run-down building in the Meji district." Ranma nodded. "Gotcha. Come on, Akane. Let's go." He sprinted out into the yard, then stopped when he realized his wife wasn't following. Turning back around revealed her still standing in the same spot, looking somewhat edgy and... there was another emotion on her face he couldn't identify, but it couldn't have been fear, could it? "Whatssa matter? You comin' or not?" Akane shook her head. "No... You go without me. You can handle it alone. I..." She stopped, then cast a sad look at Kasumi and rushed into the house. "Whatever." Ranma shrugged, then took off. Inwardly, he was a bit confused. On one hand, he was glad that she wasn't going to put herself in danger and he could fight without worrying about her, but on the other, he had actually started to grow used to having her fight by his side. Not knowing what to think about it, he dropped the lone of thought altogether, clearing his mind for the battle ahead. "Is something wrong, Akane-chan?" Kasumi said from the doorway to the couple's new room. Akane was already inside. She had apparently dropped her pack inside, and was now laying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. "No, I'm... fine, Kasumi," Akane replied in a near-listless voice. The elder sister took a step into the room. "Normally, you enjoy running off on these adventures, especially with Ranma." Akane turned over to rest on her side, curling up and said in such a quiet voice, Kasumi barely heard it, "He doesn't need me. I'd just be in the way." This time, Kasumi was moved to cross the distance and sit down lightly on the bed. "I'm sure that's not true. You've been a big help to Ranma-kun many times." "Maybe," she said in a thoughtful voice, but then it went back into her depressed one. "But that was then." Sensing an issue here, Kasumi asked, "Something changed? Do you want to talk about it?" When she did not receive a reply, Kasumi took a closer look at Akane, to find the younger girl trembling slightly. The elder sister laid a hand on her sister's knee, and Akane responded by nearly throwing herself into Kasumi's arms, shuddering and leaking tears. Then the words came pouring forth, as if a dam had burst. Akane talked about how she had been experiencing small bouts of dizziness and weakness, but thought it was nothing, until she had been accosted by a gang of boys early this morning as she was out jogging. Normally, she would have been able to easily handle the seven or eight that surrounded her, but after turning away the first few attacks, she was hit with another weakness spell. Her strength nearly gone, she was soon overpowered, unable to adequately defend herself. And she would have been in trouble too, had not Ranma suddenly appeared and tore into the attackers with a vengeance, only to carry the sobbing Akane back to the inn they were staying at. "He was following me!" Akane nearly wailed. "He had to have been, in order to save me!" "I'm sure Ranma-kun was just concerned," Kasumi offered. Akane shook her head and pulled back from Kasumi, sniffling. "No, I'm not upset that he followed me, just that he had to intervene. I should have able to handle eight guys just fine, but I no longer have the crystal heart that made me strong. I'm just a weak little girl now." The last sentence came out in a bitter tone. Akane turned away from her sister, and her voice became much quieter and more filled with sadness and self-loathing. "It's just as Ranma said once on our training trip. The super soba, the battle dogi, the Tora Dokiken that the crystal heart provided -- they may have happened to me accidentally, but the fact is I continued to use and rely on them. I cheated. I wanted to be an equal to the other girls and Ranma so much, that I took advantage of shortcuts. And now I'm paying the price." "Oh, Akane-chan..." Kasumi closed the distance between them once more and hugged her sister tightly. "You were always the strong one of us. I may have stepped in mother's role, and Nabiki may have helped with the finances, but you were the only one who still carried the enthusiastic spirit of our mother. You may not have done everything very well, but you never gave up, always seeking to do something to help when and wherever you could. And then you found martial arts and became far stronger than any of us, including father. We always looked to you as our protector." "But I'm not like that anymore!" Akane protested, but not pulling out of her sister's hug. "Even on the trip home, I was fatigued more than once and had to stop and rest, or else we would have been back sooner. I can barely cook or sew, and know I can't even fight anymore!" Kasumi placed a hand on Akane's chin and lifted the younger girl's tearful, brown eyes to meet hers. "Listen to me, imoutochan," she said in a firmer voice. "You can do anything you put your mind to, as long as you don't give up. When you wanted to learn to cook, you used our mother's cookbook and Nodoka-obasama's help to be able to. You've actually made several good dishes. When you actively pursued Ranma, the other girl's didn't have a chance. When you wanted to become a better martial artist, you convinced Ranma to train you and you became better. You never gave up!" "But, what about these bouts of weakness?" Despite the question asked in fearful doubt, Kasumi detected a small spark of Akane's hope and confidence in there as well. "I don't know," Kasumi conceded, stroking her sister's hair. "Maybe we can have Tofu take another look at you. From what you've told me, I do not think that is normal. You were always a healthy and active child, even before mother died." Akane blinked at her sister in surprise, realizing the statement was true. Her recently-surfaced memory of her mother entailed how she gave the crystal to Akane before she died. If Akane wasn't weak before that, maybe what was happening to her wasn't her natural condition. "I-I don't know, oneechan," Akane told her sister over a yawn. "But thanks for trying. I'm just so tired right now." Kasumi smiled. "I'm glad I could help. Now you should get some rest." She helped Akane lay back down and pull the covers over her. "You always do that," Akane mumbled, eyes closing. "Take such good care of us, that is." Kasumi retreated to the doorway and switched off the lights. Akane couldn't see since her own were closed, but Kasumi's eyes suddenly looked much older and wiser. "It's what I do. There are things you can do that I could never hope to accomplish, and there are things that only I can do to help. To each their own." With a subtle shift, her eyes returned to normal. Kasumi then closed the door, heading for the dining room to clear the table of dishes and to prepare the leftover food for storage. After all, her family would be hungry when they returned home.