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Ranma 1/2: New Challenges
Trials
Chapter 4





        "You're just being paranoid, Ranma," Akane said.

        "I'm tellin' ya, Akane, somethin's gonna happen!"

         Akane sighed noisily as they both walked home from school on
the fence. They had been having this argument all day, ever since Ranma
claimed to sense doom and gloom coming. But when she pressed him for
details, he was unable, or unwilling, to provide any.

        "Maybe it's just Ryoga or Pantyhose Taro who's going to show
up," she said at last. "You always seemed to get ansy when you know a
fight is coming."

         He shook his head. "Doesn't feel like that. Feels worse."

         She stopped and turned around, putting her hands on her hips in
the process. "Now you stop that right now, or you're not getting your
dessert tonight!"
         Ranma blanched. <So what? It's not like she's gotten much
better. True, most of her meals are edible now, and one or two are
actually good. But what's so special about dessert?> He voiced that last
thought aloud, but the return look he got from her puzzled him.

         She blushed mildly and smiled coyly at him. "You're hopeless!"

        "I am not!" he countered weakly. "And what's your problem?"

         She took a quick glance around and, when she noted no one was
in sight, she stepped up and whispered in his ear, than turned around
and took off running. "I'm gonna beat ya home!"

         Ranma was frozen for a half-second afterward, his own cheeks
heating up from her whispered comment, but her shouted challenge drove
him back into action. "No you won't!" he shouted as he took off after
her.

         He was hoping to take the short route home, via rooftop, but
Akane beat him to that idea as she went airborne. With a huff, he leapt
up after her.





        *Thonk* *Thonk* *Thonk*

         The three distinct sounds managed to focus Shampoo's thoughts
out of her dizziness. She hadn't acutally lost too much blood yet, but
it was rapidly approaching that point. She was lying on the ground,
expecting that final stroke that would end her life, and wondering what
was taking it so long.

         She held no fear of death. She had seen many in the tribe die
through combat, and knew that when it was her time to come, she wanted
to go down fighting against a superior opponent. At least this way she
would get her wish.

         Unfortunately, that was not to be.

         The three thrown knives that backed Zin off, exploded into
billowy clouds of white smoke. Shampoo turned her head to see a similiar
situation over by the fallen Mousse. White smoke continued to engulf the
battlefield, obscuring the combatants. Shampoo barely had time to
register what was happening, when she was suddenly scooped up from the
ground and carried off.

        "What--?" Her vision was blurry, so she couldn't make out the
face of her rescuer.

        "Shh, don't speak now, child," the female voice replied.
"Sleep."

         Shampoo felt a finger touch the back of her neck, then lapsed
into blessed unconciousness.





         When Mousse awoke, his first thought was of how he had lost
Shampoo.<No, that's not right. You have to have something in the first
place before you can lose it. Shampoo's made it clear on many occasions
she would never be mine. No, instead I failed her and now she's dead.>

         The last thing he remembered was how his opponent was stabbing
him over and over again. Eventually, weak from blood loss, he dropped
face first to the ground. There were three muffled blasts, then nothing.

        <Then where am I?> he wondered. <Did my enemy capture me instead
of killing me? If so, I will recover and escape! I will show him that I
can't be beaten!>

        (Yeah right, like you showed him in your last encounter?)

        <I didn't know what he was capable of! Now I do!>

        (You didn't know what Saotome was capable of, either. Now you
do. Has that knowledge helped you?)

         Mousse could form no answer for this last question. He had
never really defeated Ranma. Any victories he had were minor, and
Saotome always won in the end. And still, Shampoo showed no signs of
wanting him, even if he did win. So where did he go from here?

        (Well, you might just consider getting your lazy butt up and
seeing where you are)

         Groaning from the pain in his body, he slowly opened his eyes
and was met by a blur. That was nothing new, since he was greeted by a
blur everytime he opened his eyes. But it was the information coming
from his other senses that surprised him. The particular pine smell, the
rythmic chopping outside, the feel of his current bed, all told him
exactly where he was.

        <But how could that be?> he wondered. <Unless, he saved me...?>

         There was only one way to be sure. Though his body was
protesting, he carefully pushed back the blanket on top of him and swung
his feet off the bed. Taking a short breather to ease the pain, he
slowly assumed a sitting position. Then, producing another set of
glasses from his pants, which was the only other thing he discovered he
was wearing other than the bandages which covered most of his chest, he
put on the coke-bottle lenses and had a look around.

         He was in the spare bedroom of a well-kept log cabin. Light
came in through the two windows on adjacent walls, telling him it was
day. In the corner, a long-unused wooden desk sat, across from the bed
where he was now. A small end table was next to the bed, but other than
that, the room was empty.

        "I am here," he whispered to himself. "Why?"

         He spied his white robe and laying on the desk chair a short
distance away, and his black shoes by his feet. Slipping on the shoes,
he tried to stand up once, but sat back down when the dizziness became
too much for him. But he would not give up.

         Steeling himself as if for battle, he rose again and this time
managed to stay up, though he had to lean on the nearby wall for
support. <Time to look around... After I get dressed, of course.>

         Mousse retrieved his robe and put it on, noting with some
amusment that all his weapons were restocked, even though he had used
quite a bit in his last battle. Then he stepped out of the room and
walked slowly down the hall to the foyer.

         The rythmic chopping was getting louder now, and Mousse
imagined the man he knew to be chopping wood. He wondered what kind of
greeting he would receive, knowing that their last parting had been less
than cordial, whwn Fen Wu had ordered him never to return.

         Taking a deep breath, he opened the front door and stepped
outside.





        "I still don't know why you insisted we bring them here," Fen Wu
was saying in Chinese. "Why not take them back to their home village?
It's not that far from here." He stopped to wipe the sweat off his brow,
then repostioned another piece of wood.

        "Because that is not the best course of action right now," a
female voice replied in kind from the nearby shadow of the trees.

         The man lifted his axe. *Whack!* Another block of wood was
split perfectly in two. "So you've said before."

         His female companion sighed. "Well, let me put it this way. In
the village, they'll be easy targets since the twin Rogues will find
them again. They're less likely to find them here. They'll be safe until
they can recover."

        *Whack!* "What makes you think I'll let them stay?" he said in a
gruff voice.

         He knew the woman was smiling, even though he couldn't see her.
"Because I know you. You're one of us, even though you don't live with
us."

         Fen stopped and pointed a finger in the direction he knew the
woman to be. "I'm no longer one of you! I left your people and your
misbegotten ways a long time ago!" He turned back to his task. "But I
will let them stay here a week, no more. They leave after that no matter
what shape they're in."

         An audible sigh could be heard from the shadows. "Very well.
But it seems as if your student is about to join us. I should be going."

        "Don't you mean `former' student?"

         But she was gone, and Fen Wu only caught a glimpse of the long
blue hair as she departed. Immediately afterward, the front door to his
cabin in the woods opened and Mousse stepped out. Fen pretended to
ignore the white-robed boy. Instead, he concentrated on his wood-
chopping. It normally brought him some semblance of peace, but not
today.

        "Greetings, Weapons Master Fen Wu," Mousse said softly in his
native Mandarin when he had traversed the distance between them. His old
master was just like he remembered. Bald, but with black sideburns. Old,
but well-muscled and in good physical condition, and wearing the same
pair of faded black pants. "Before you say anything, I just want you to
know I'll leave as soon as I am in shape to travel. But I thank you for
saving me."

        "Going to run away again?"

         Mousse blinked. This was not the response he was expecting.
Well, he was expecting just a gruff reply or something in the
affirmative, but not that question.

        "I didn't run away!" the mypoic Amazon protested. "Shan Pu had
been defeated by a man! I had to save her from him!"

        "She is only one woman, Mu Tsu," Fen Wu replied. "There would be
others."

        "Not like Shan Pu!"

         Fen Wu brought the axe down with a mighty *crack!*, then turned
on his pupil. "That was still no reason to abandon your training! You
were the one hope I had left that the men of Joketsuzoku weren't
spineless worms! When you approached me to learn to fight, I was
impressed. I thought you wanted more than to be the subservient slave of
a woman!"

        "But..." Mousse's voice failed him. What could he say against
the truth his old master had just stated?

        "That's what I thought," the old master said, turning back to
his work.

         A sudden thought struck Mousse. "Haven't you ever loved someone
so much, you'd sacrifice anything for?"

        He didn't miss Fen Wu's sharp intake of breath, nor the slow
exhale. "Once," he admitted softly. Then his face hardened. "But only
once."

        "Then you know how I feel!" Mousse began to feel waves of nausea
rise up . The midday sun and the fact that he was still weak from blood
loss, was taking it's toll on him.

        *Crack!* Fen Wu split the last log, then paused. "Yes, I suppose
I do."

         Mousse could stand against the dizziness no longer, and dropped
to one knee. "Then... I want... to finish... my training."

        "Stupid boy! You can't even stand right now. Why should I teach
you?"

        "Because..." Mousse brought his head up. "I love Shan Pu and I
will never give her up, but... if we join, it will be as equals... not
one superior to the other."

         Fen Wu sighed audibly and mumbled another "Stupid boy." He then
pulled Mousse to his feet and draped one of the young Amazon's arms
around him in order to lead him back into the house.

        "I'm not going to go easy you IF I do decide to start training
you again," the weapons master said at last. "It won't be like before.
No learning just what you want. If you think you're in bad shape now,
just wait." He stopped and fixed Mousse with a deadly stare. "And if
Shan Pu leaves, don't even think of going after her, or I will hunt you
down and kill you."

         Mousse's eyes widened. "Shan Pu is here!?"

         The master nodded, even as he dragged Mousse back down the hall
towards his room. "She's in slightly worse shape than you, but she'll
live. I don't even want to know why she looks like she does."

         Mousse groaned again as his master tossed him back onto the
bed. Then Fen Wu turned and began to walk out. He stopped in the
doorway, however, and said one last thing before he left.

        "Get plenty of rest. We start training again tomorrow." Then he
left, closing the door behind him.

         The young Amazon wondered how he should feel. Right now he was
in pain from his wounds, but Shan Pu was alive and she was resting here!
His master had agreed to finish his training, but starting tomorrow!?

         How was he going to train in his condition?






        "AKANE!"

         It had all happened so fast, at first Ranma couldn't believe
it. They were running along towards home, Akane still in the lead but
not by much, when a truck with trailer pulled alongside of her. Before
either of them knew it, she was entangled in a net and was being drawn
into the open side hatch of the trailer. By the time she collected her
wits, focused her strength and broke the net, she was trapped inside the
pitch blackness of the trailer.

         Ranma poured on as much speed as he could manage and made a
leaping jump to the rear of the vehicle. He latched on smoothly as it
picked up speed, then scampered up top. He grinned as he felt something
being thrown against the inside of the trailer.

        <They may have her for now,> he thought to himself. <But keepin'
her's another story. Now, how do I get in? Ah, I know. The same way she
got in.>

         Taking a deep breath and a tight grip on the edge of the truck,
he swung down and kicked the hidden door open. Completing the maneveur,
Ranma released his hands and flew into the trailer, doing a tuck and
tumble to come back to his feet.

        "Akane!"

        "I'm here, Ranma! There's other people in here!"

        "Where!?" To his chagrin, he realized the door had been closed
again, leaving the trailer in pitch-black darkness once again. "Never
mind! Get your aura goin'!"

         Akane nodded, even though she knew Ranma wouldn't be able to
see her. Part of her training over the past couple of months had focused
on controlling her ki. She had known an aura was simply a spectrum of
released ki that radiated around the body, but she had little control
over it. Ranma's training had helped that, and she had learned another
purpose for it.

         It was possible to use an aura to feel another's presence,
especially if that person was familiar. In fact, the more familiar a
person, the more you could tell what that person was going to do if they
both had enough of an aura going. Right now, she knew Ranma was
enagaging one of their assailants with a foot sweep, even though she
couldn't see him. In fact, she knew he was going to lead into an
Amaguriken next.

         All this was happening subconciously, however, as she was
currently engaging her own opponent. Her senses were telling her it a
small man with little strength, but he was very nimble and Akane was
unable to connect with anything.

         After one attempted punch, she found herself being tossed
through the air. A year ago, she would have impacted the wall badly. But
Ranma had been in the habit of tossing her around the dojo until she
began to learn one of the prime tenants of the Musbetsu Kakuto: mid-air
combat. Ranma was an expert at it, but now Akane was no slouch in that
department.

         She twisted in mid-air and used her feet to rebound off the
wall. As she arced back through the air, she twisted again, and swept
her foot out, narrowly clipping her opponent's side. She would have
liked a more solid hit, but that would have to do.

        <Hah!> she thought triumphantly to herself. <Let's see him try
that again!>

         He didn't try it again, but Akane was unable to connect with
anything else. Growling in frustration, she let her aura flicker
slightly. She smiled when she felt Ranma's aura flicker in return, then
shifted her stance to little to the right.

        Her opponent complied by shifting his body to the left. Akane
led in with a few lightning fast spin kicks, not quite at Amaguriken
speed, just to let him know she was still in the fight. He weaved around
some and gracfully deflected the others, but that was what Akane was
expecting. She felt Ranma's aura flicker again and dropped to the ground
just time to avoid the flying body overhead.

         In the darkness, Ranma's flying adversary collided with
Akane's, catching him off-guard. They tumbled to the floor and Akane
felt Ranma walk up beside her. Her stance shifted to accomodate him, and
their aura's flowed together.

        "What now?" she asked.

        "We get some answers," Ranma answered evenly, cracking his
knuckles. "And then we leave." His aura flared brightly, lighting the
area for the first time. Akane also noticed that the truck had stopped
somewhere along the line. "How about it, boys? You ready to talk? Or do
we have ta do some more convincin'?"

         Together, they looked like a comical pair. The one Ranma was
fighting, was a large, muscular man wearing only black pants. A lone
sumo knot was the only hair on his head. He reminded Akane of the
professional wrestlers they had in America.

         The short one appeared to be an old, Chinese martial artist. He
was dressed in the Chinese shirt and pant combo that Ranma frequently
wore, complete with hat, only his were yellow in color. A white, wire
mustache and long goatee covered his face.

         The short Chinese man Akane was fighting spoke to his
companion. "We cannot fight them now. We must escape!"

        "Agreed," the bigger man replied, and the pair scrambled out the
door.

        "You're not getting away that easily!" Akane shouted, taking
pursuit.

        "Akane, wait!" Ranma yell, taking off after her, but she
wouldn't listen.

         The world outside the truck was not what they were expecting.
It was a rock cavern with no visible exits to the outside. Several
torches provided enough light, enough to see the two men running into
one of the side caves. Three more cave entrances lined the rocky face.

         However, Akane took only token notice of this, seeing how
intent she was on pursuing the men who had tried to abduct her. Ranma
was only a second behind her, but that was enough.

         As soon as she entered the tunnel, a thick slab of rock slid
over the entrance, blocking it even as Ranma collided with it. He
bounced off it with a *thud*, and fell onto his butt. It didn't stun him
for long, and he was up and pounding away at the rock with all his
might.

        "Akane!" he yelled, while punching crater's into the rock with
ki-charged fists. It didn't make his punches any stronger, but it did
protect his hands from being broken. It was how he was able to break
through wood and stone with taking damage.

         His enraged fiancee was, however, out of hearing range as she
chased after her attackers into the darkness.







         It was a dark and musty sanctuary.

         Spiderwebs hung from the ceiling corners, and statues of
gargoyles and other foul beasts lined the columns of the main chamber.
Only four torches lit the large room, just light enough to see and to
cast plenty of shadows. A lone table was set up in the middle, right on
top of the pentagram.

         In other words, it fit the atmosphere of those gathered just
perfectly.

        "Is everyone here?" a gruff man's voice called from the head of
the rectangular table.

        "Not quite, m'liege," another male voice answered. "Dormando has
yet to arrive."

        "Again, he flaunts us!" a deep and gruff voice exclaimed, this
one belonging to a huge, muscular warrior, with an equally huge battle-
ax. "He calls a meeting and then fails to show up! We should take steps
to banish him now."

        "Enough, Mongol!" the dark figure at the head of the table
commanded. "Dormando was one of the orginial four, as was I. His loyalty
to the Master was unquestionable. He deserves some leeway and your
respect, is that clear?"

         The barbarian conceeded, but didn't look happy about it. "Yes,
m'liege."

        "I appreciate your defense of me, my good friend, but it is
hardly needed." Dormando materlized above his seat and floated down into
it, his dark cloak flapping lazily.

         The head figure fixed him with a dark stare. "Still, you are
expected to follow the rules, sorcerer. We can ill afford any mess-ups
now."

        "Ah, but I have come with good news!" Dormando countered. "I
have gathered another for our cause. An exiled Amazon named Zhao Len."

        "I have heard of her," another man farther down the table
replied. "She is strong. Are you sure she can be trusted?"

         The sorcerer dismissed it with a wave of his hand. "She desires
revenge and power, Kang. That makes her easily manipulated."

        "Very well," the leader of the table said. "Any other news?"

         Dormando grinned, as if he was awaiting that question. "Oh,
indeed. Observe." He made a circular motion with his hand, and a dense
globe of fog appeared over the table. It coalesced into a picture. In
it, three people could be seen moving through forest.

         Kang frowned. "Ninjas?"

         Dormando nodded. "They are heading back to their home ground.
They, as well as I, have received word that the sealed cave has opened."

        "Does that that mean...?"

        "Maybe, m'liege. But my instincts tell me we should let it play
out for now."

         The leader nodded. "Agreed. At least some at this table are
making themselves useful." His gaze traveled down the table, past Kang,
and settled on two young men. "Zin and Zan. You failed to kill the two
Amazons. What say you to this?"

        "We almost had them!" Zin proclaimed. "But then someone else
interfered."

        "Yeah!" Zan agreed. "We'll get them next time!"

        "And what makes you so sure you'll get a second chance?"

         The twins exchanged looks, then turned back as one, though it
was Zin who responded. "Because the next battle will end in either their
death or ours."

         The leader mulled this over for minute, then chuckled. "Very
well. You shall have your second chance. But if you fail again, there
will be a price to pay."

         The twins grimly nodded their undestanding. Neither one would
risk failure again.

        "Anything else?"

        "Yes m'liege," Dormando replied. "My sources also tell me that
_She_ will be appearing soon."

         That succeeded in getting everyone's attention, including the
leader of the table. "When? How?" he demanded to know.

        "Soon, is all I can say," the wizard explained. "And for that,
we can thank an old friend of ours, a creature of the dark we once
knew."

         The leader frowned and tweaked his thin, ebony mustache. "But
we cannot yet enter the Land of Wa, so it is impossible for us to take
any action yet. We will have another opportunity."

        "But m'liege, I--"

        "No!" the leader cut Dormando off when his mailed fist struck
the table. "On this, I draw the line. We will have another chance. It is
too risky now."

         The wizard fell back in line. "Yes, m'liege."

         The leader fixed everyone with a hard stare. "We must move
slowly if we are to succeed. Everything must be done according to plan."
Several at the table nodded, but other's simply looked down, afraid to
meet their commander's's stare. "This meeting is adjourned. You are
dismissed." His black cape swishing behind him, the leader of the group
abruptly turned from the table and walked away.

         The gathered members began to disperse, some going off by
themselves, and some talking to each other in hushed tones as they left.

         The leader was on his way back to his chamber, when a voice
from the shadows called to him. "Interesting group you got here."

        "I do not recall summoning you," the dark leige said. "You are
not yet one of us."

         The figure in the shadows waved his hand dismissively. "A
matter of time, that's all. You would do well to have me, as I could
very well be your key to victory. Surely you've heard of my reputation."
A lazy puff of smoke circled up from the shadows.

        "Indeed, I have," the leader conceeded. "Your loyalty and your
worth will be ascertained soon enough. Now be gone. I do not have time
for you." The dark figure that commanded the group turned and left, as
abruptly as he had at the table.

         Behind him, a small hand reached out of the shadow and dumped
the ashes from his pipe, before returning back into the darkness,
chuckling to himself all the while.






        "What is it?"

         Dormando managed to catch one of the others of the group
immediately afterward, before he disappeared. His target was a well-
built warrior with dark green and black armor, swirling with dragon
designs, similar to the large sword hung from his belt. His black hair
was combed back, though there were faded green streaks in it.

         The wizard pulled out a small crystal orb connected to a chain.
"You are one of the most powerful among us, Drakon, and one of the
orginial four. So by right, I give this to you."

         Drakon furrowed his brow. "What is that for?"

         The sorcerer smiled. "It's a masking orb. With it, you should
be able to break into the Land of Wa and kill _Her_."

        "But our Liege hath decreed that such an attempt not be made!"

         Dormando chose his next words carefully. "Yes he has. And in
doing so he has betrayed the Master. You know what happens when _She_
dies. Our Liege just wants to hang onto his own power. But if you were
to carry this mission out and return successfully, our true Master would
return and reward you and..."

        "And I would be made the next Lord, instead of... him." Drakon
eyed the orb and thought heavily, but Dormando knew the decision had
already been made. "Very well. I owe my allegiance to the Master first,
and our Liege second. I shall do this."

         The sorcerer place the amulet in the hands of his colleague and
grinned evilly. "The orb has one other ability. If you are in need,
throw it to the ground and break it and your true powers will return,
but only for a short time."

         Drakon rolled the amulet in his palm. "Verily? Thou speaketh
the truth?"

         Dormando nodded.

        "Then I shall be about my task." Drakon turned and strode away.

        "Good luck to you, my friend," the powerful sorcerer bid the
departing warrior. "And good hunting!"



---------------------------------

Author's notes:

I've also wondered where Mousse learned all of his tricks and fighting
skills. He's a great fighter, and was able to beat Ranma a couple of
times, coming closer than Ryoga in that respect. In fact, he also is
shown to be great at battle tactics, being able to plan his fights ahead
of time and come up with cunning strategies. His only real weakness
seems to be his eyesight(without his glasses) and that he loves and
trust Shampoo implicitly, and she takes merciless advantage of that. So
yes, he IS stronger than Shampoo. He just doesn't want to hurt her, and
Shampoo won't like anyone that can't prove their strength by clubbing
her over the head and dragging her back to the cave like a neanderthal.

So where does a male learn to become that powerful in a female dominated
society? Especially one with poor eyesight that most likely was the butt
of village jokes?