Chapter 2. The Horde Vanquished

Akane was still fuming as she marched through the gate of her home. Kuno had been insufferable at school today, fawning over her due to the “attack” which she had supposedly endured, and expecting her gratitude for dealing with the assailants. She had been grateful, and expressed it by knocking him only half as far as usual. However, if he made one more comment suggesting that she call him for an escort whenever she went out at night, she swore that she'd kick him all the way to Hokkaido.

She stomped up the stairs to her bedroom to change out of her school uniform. By the time she came back out again, clutching a sheet of paper containing the contact information for several therapists, she had calmed down enough to sound like only one elephant instead of the whole herd. Even as upset as Kuno had made her, she had remembered to stop by Doctor Tofu's clinic on the way home to pick up this information. After peeking in the guest room and family room, and knocking on the door of the furoba, Akane went into the kitchen. At this point she lost the last of her bad temper. Kasumi was churning a batch of homemade ice cream.

“Ooh, ice cream! I can't wait to have some,” Akane declared eagerly.

Kasumi smiled at her little sister. “I'm afraid you'll have to wait, at least until it's ready. But don't worry, you'll get your share.” Her expression grew more somber. “I thought that I'd prepare it as a treat for Ranma. He was sitting out by the koi pond earlier, looking very depressed, poor boy.”

“Speaking of Ranma, where is he?” Akane asked. “I have something for him, but I don't seem able to find him. He's not out by the pond now.”

Kasumi answered solemnly, an expression of concern on her face. “He's out in the dojo practicing. He's been out there almost all day, except for that time he was sitting by the pond. I believe he's trying to exercise so hard that he can't think about anything else.”

“Oh.” Akane felt a little nonplussed at the thought of their guest using her dojo. On the other hand, Ranma had said that he was a martial artist, so it really wasn't very surprising, was it? Even though he couldn't be anywhere near her level, Akane decided that she shouldn't begrudge him the use of the dojo.

She thanked Kasumi and started to step out the door, but then halted and stepped back. “Oh yeah. Doctor Tofu gave me something to give to you.” Akane pulled an envelope out of her pocket and handed it to her older sister. She watched in curiosity for a moment, but when Kasumi made no immediate move to open the message, the younger girl left the room once more.

When Akane reached the open door of the dojo and saw Ranma, she stopped and stared in honest awe. He was flying gracefully through a kata at unbelievable speed. Almost literally flying. He was making huge acrobatic leaps, bouncing off of the walls and even the ceiling! It was an incredible sight.

Becoming aware of his spectator, Ranma judged his next long jump to bring him to the floor just a couple of meters in front of Akane. Catching her eye with his, he deliberately bowed to her. Startled, Akane reacted without thinking, bowing in return. This brought a smile to Ranma's face. He walked over to a nearby bench, picked up a towel lying there, and used it to mop the sweat from his forehead and neck.

Ranma had stripped off his outer shirt for his workout, leaving only a sleeveless T-shirt covering his torso. Akane found herself studying his back, and the bare muscles rippling along his arms. She flushed, dropping her eyes from the sight, unable to credit what she'd been thinking. Not been thinking. She couldn't believe that she was actually looking at a boy. Why would she want to do that? It occurred to her, though, that this was the first boy she had met since starting high school whom she felt even marginally able to trust.

Shaking herself out of her reverie, Akane stepped into the dojo and walked over to join Ranma. She held the list of recommended therapists out to him, and said, “Doctor Tofu prepared this for you. It has the names, telephone numbers and addresses of several counselors that he thinks might be able to help you.”

Ranma snorted, and looked angry. He picked up the small pad lying on the bench and wrote, “I can deal with what happened. Don't need to talk about it.”

Akane frowned then shook her head. Doctor Tofu had warned her he might be in a state of denial, might try to procrastinate, but that it was important to start dealing with the trauma. “Ranma, you can't talk at all! If you don't get someone to help you work through what happened, you may never speak again. Is that what you want?”

The boy looked absolutely furious, but Akane faced him down, giving no ground. At last his face collapsed into despair and he cast his eyes down.

Akane had helped him then. Now she thought he needed more help. Perhaps he did. In truth, he had no idea how to recover his power of speech. Maybe he did need someone who knew what he was doing, someone who could help him figure out how to fix that. Reluctantly, Ranma held his hand out, and Akane handed him the piece of paper. He looked up when she cleared her throat.

Akane pointed at the paper. “These three with the red marks are the ones Doctor Tofu says would be best for you,” she told him. “He says they all have experience with gender identity issues as well as sexual assault. He also said to tell you that he knows you're not confused about your gender, but that he thought such experience would be beneficial to them in handling your case due to your curse.”

Ranma nodded reluctantly, then folded the paper up and put it in his pocket.

Akane added, “Nabiki got the school administrators to agree to admit you into our school. She stayed after to finish up your registration and collect the books you'll need. She'll be bringing them home with her.”

Ranma nodded once more to show that he understood, although the way that his mouth twisted Akane could guess that he wasn't particularly thrilled with this news.

She didn't have any other pressing things to discuss with him, so Akane turned the conversation to a more interesting subject. “That kata you were doing looked pretty amazing. You know, you might just be good enough to give me a challenge. It's been a long time since I had anyone to really push me. Not since the last of Daddy's students left. Would you like to spar?”

Ranma stared at her blankly, feeling poleaxed by this statement and request. Several thoughts flitted swiftly through his head in sequence. First and foremost was, ‹I can't hurt Akane — she rescued me!› This was followed by the disdainful idea that anyone, especially a girl, could think she had skills comparable to his. On the other hand, it occurred to Ranma that without his pop, he was going to need a sparring partner, and Akane's father hadn't shown any inclination earlier. For that matter, it occurred to him uneasily that it might not be safe for him to spar with a man at this time. Not safe for the other man, that is. Was it possible Akane might be good enough for that, even if there wasn't any chance a girl could be close to his level or his pop's?

Finally an image flashed through Ranma's mind of Akane fighting with his attackers. With it came the realization that she must be able to defend herself, a fierce determination that she should never risk facing what had almost happened to him. Not if he could help it.

When he reached the end of these thoughts, Ranma looked at Akane grimly and nodded his agreement to her request. Akane was puzzled by his expression but shrugged it away. She ran off to change into her gi, smiling happily as she went.

While she was gone, Ranma debated the wisdom of his decision while also thinking back over his reactions to her request. Genma would revile him mercilessly if he knew that his son was teaching martial arts to a girl. But then again, Ranma no longer cared what his father did or thought about anything, as he had no intention of ever seeing the man again. The boy firmly pushed aside any further thought of his father.

The more he thought about it, the more Ranma realized that all of his reactions, all other considerations, faded in the face of one image. An image of Akane fighting off attackers in some alley. Soun Tendo wasn't going to let him stay here forever. He had to be certain before he left that Akane would always be able to defend herself against any threat. That was more important than his father's opinions, more important than his own gut-churning desire not to hurt her, more important than anything. He might hate the thought of how Akane would have to suffer in the near term, at his own hands no less, but that was of no consequence when held up against the alternative. The sharp, exposed edges of his own spirit demanded this sacrifice of him.

With that point settled, Ranma faced the reality of fighting Akane, thinking over what would happen. As he did so, another image presented itself to him, the way Akane had looked at him that morning when she had learned he was a boy. He abruptly felt nauseated by the idea of attacking her as a male. With sudden resolve Ranma stepped outside and grabbed the hose attached to a faucet on the exterior of the dojo. One quick spray later, and he reentered the dojo as a female while thinking furiously over which moves would best test Akane's current capabilities.

Akane was startled to find Ranma's girl form waiting for her when she returned to the dojo. “Why did you change into a girl?” she asked curiously.

Ranma gave an irritated grunt. Going over to the bench, he picked up his pad again and wrote briefly. When he handed the paper to Akane, she read, “Won't attack you as a man.”

Akane felt a flare of temper, but she ground it back down again. It occurred to her that he was right. Probably not for whatever reasons he had in mind, of course. But if he attacked her as a boy, she might not be able to help lumping him in with all of the idiots at school, which would be unpleasant. That wasn't what she wanted, right now, when they sparred.

“Okay,” she told him, conceding the point graciously. Or at least outwardly so. “I guess you might be right. Now get ready, because I won't go easy on you.” She set herself into her initial stance.

Ranma smiled, but did not otherwise seem to prepare himself for combat. His legs were slightly spread, and his arms were hanging loosely. With a growl of frustration that he either didn't know what he was doing or wasn't taking her seriously, Akane attacked.

Ranma flowed out of the way of the punch she launched, and Akane folded over a rock-hard fist which struck her in the gut and bounced back in a blur of speed. She dropped to her knees, gasping, and Ranma stepped back until Akane was able to stand again.

This time Akane gave Ranma a look tinged with greater respect, and told herself to never again underestimate an opponent based on his or her stance. With much greater wariness, Akane moved in to attack once more. To her shock, Ranma was able to dodge or block everything she threw. Before she was able to register what was happening, a strike on her elbow numbed her lower arm, leaving her unable to block the kick which sent her skidding across the floor.

The next several minutes were incredibly frustrating, and very humiliating. Akane Tendo, the best martial artist in Nerima (or so she had thought) was handled with an ease she had not experienced from any opponent in years. She was amassing an interesting collection of bruises, and had yet to land a single strike on Ranma. With all of her remaining strength she punched once more, only to watch Ranma dodge and to feel her fist go through the wall. A moment later the edge of Ranma's hand stopped with the lightest of impacts on the back of Akane's neck.

She sank to her knees in dismay. Ranma was not merely skilled, not just better, he was much better than herself. And he was a boy! It didn't matter that he currently wore a girl's body. She, Akane Tendo, heir to the Tendo School of Anything Goes martial arts, had been unable to defeat a boy. The humiliation of it ate at her, leavened with a dose of fear. If Ranma should prove to have been less than honest when he said he would never treat girls that way, she would be unable to defend herself against him.

Ranma had gone back to the bench for his pad again. He now returned, scribbling. When he reached her, he tore off the sheet and handed it to Akane.

“You're very good,” the note read, “Form is a little sloppy. Need to work on that. You depend too much on power. We need to work on form, control, speed.”

Akane stared at the words in bemusement. When had she given Ranma permission to critique her martial arts skills? Even if she ought to improve, where did he get the idea that he was qualified to help her? He wasn't any older than she was!

Another piece of paper appeared in front of her eyes. She read, “Your blocks aren't right. Not sure why. Let me see you do a basic kata.”

The whole situation felt so unreal that Akane merely nodded, climbing to her feet. She chose one of the very first kata taught to students of the Anything Goes school, and easily fell into its rhythm. Halfway through, Ranma stopped her.

The redhead wrote some more. “Your dad trained you, right? I bet he hasn't trained you much in a couple years. Am I right?”

Akane boiled over, erupting in anger. “It's none of your business how much my father trained me! Who are you to criticize him?”

Unlike almost everyone else, Ranma wasn't bothered by her display of anger. At least not in the dojo. It was rather reminiscent of working with his father. He wrote again, pushing the next note on her insistently. It read, “I'm trying to help, not blame. Answer — was I right?”

Akane hung her head. Feeling ashamed, both for her own sake as well as her father's, she nodded, eyes on the floor, “Yes. He hasn't trained me much since I was thirteen, since ... well, since I started growing up.”

Ranma nodded in turn, looking smug because he had guessed correctly. He wrote, “You were shorter then. When you grew, should have adjusted your form. You aim too high. Just a bit. Need to shift to block. Slows you a fraction.” The next sheet said, “We can fix that. Start now?”

Akane stared into the deep blue eyes of the girl, almost forgetting for the moment that there was a boy inside. “What makes you think that you're qualified to train me? To help me ... improve?”

Ranma appeared to be getting frustrated with all of the writing, but bent to it doggedly. “I'm the best. Trained hard, every day, for ten years. No holidays, no excuses. Sick, injured, didn't matter.” Another sheet followed with, “Last December, certified to teach. Just before left for China. No experience yet. I can help.”

Akane looked at him carefully, convinced that he was telling her the truth despite her misgivings. He had made it plainly obvious that she still had things to learn, and there was certainly no hope that her father would take up her training again. Still, the idea of trusting a boy to that degree ...

“I need to think about this, Ranma. I'll let you know later on.” With that she turned around, and walked back to the house. Ranma followed her with his eyes.

Ranma waited several minutes after Akane went in, thinking things over, before returning to the house himself. Kasumi cornered him as soon as he walked through the door, insisting that he make an appointment with one of the therapists on the list. He tried to placate her with a promise to do it later, not wanting to think about it right then, but she was having none of that. Since he could not use the telephone himself, she told him to point to one of the names. He picked one at random, from among the three with the red marks, and then fled while Kasumi made the call for him. Running away changed nothing. She informed him later that his first appointment was set for Friday afternoon.

Kasumi was making other plans that afternoon as well. The note from Doctor Tofu had outlined a series of suggestions given to him by one of the therapists with whom he had spoken. Although Ranma should not be pushed into too much, too soon, neither would it be good for the young man to hide in the house avoiding all contact with other people. Tofu suggested that Kasumi look for a few opportunities, perhaps once a day or so, to have Ranma accompany her somewhere out of the house. Thinking it over, the oldest Tendo daughter decided to invite Ranma to join her on her trip to a small grocer's the next day, for part of her shopping.

Then there was the matter of Ranma's schoolwork. From what he had said, he would have a lot of catching up to do. She intended to insist that Akane help Ranma with this, which might in turn have a positive affect on Akane's own grades. While her younger sister did reasonably well in school, there was always room for improvement. Still, this was unlikely to be sufficient preparation for the boy. Kasumi resolved to spend a few hours each day reviewing material with Ranma herself.

Although Doctor Tofu's and her worries might be chiefly for Ranma, Kasumi was also concerned about her little sister Akane. So far the younger girl seemed to be doing all right around Ranma, though there was still an obvious wariness in her manner where he was concerned. The situation at school was out of hand. No one seemed capable of stopping it and the constant battles had already left scars on Akane, nonphysical though they were. Not only was this making it hard for her to trust any boy, but Kasumi had watched helplessly as her youngest sister's temper grew increasingly short. At some point during the day, while Ranma had been relentlessly working out in the dojo, Kasumi had decided to encourage a friendship between the two. After all, they were of an age and apparently both obsessed with martial arts. Such a friendship might be beneficial to both of them.

In consequence, when Akane talked to her older sister after supper about the events in the dojo that afternoon, Kasumi suggested that Akane take Ranma up on his offer. Given that her beloved older sister had voiced approval of the idea, Akane immediately sought Ranma out and suggested they go practice in the dojo. She didn't specifically accept his offer to train her, but that was what he started doing. That first night's session was mostly spent working through a couple of the basic kata, with Ranma making minor adjustments to Akane's form throughout and having her run through them over and over again, until the sweat poured off of her.

As she prepared for bed that night, Akane thought back over how Ranma had held her arms and legs to show her exactly the position he wanted them in. She acknowledged his intuitive wisdom in using his cursed form while training with her. She seriously doubted that she would have been able to accept such contact if he had been male at the time. She gave a little laugh at the workings of her own brain, since she knew intellectually that he was the same person regardless of which body he currently wore.

As she climbed into bed, Akane wondered just how long Ranma would stay with them, and what other changes he would bring into their lives.

Akane bolted upright from a sound sleep, the noise of the crash which had awoken her still echoing through the silent house. ‹Is there a burglar in the house?› she wondered. She quietly got out of bed, noting absently that the clock read 12:30, not very long after midnight. The noise, whatever it had been, had also awakened Kasumi. She met her older sister in the hall, equally intent on investigating. Both were unsurprised that Nabiki had not joined them. It would take a much louder noise to wake up their middle sister. Either that, or the sound of coins jingling.

There were more noises, quieter, coming from down the hall, from the direction of the guest room. On reaching it, Akane deferred to her sister. Kasumi lightly tapped on the door, hesitant to enter unannounced. Upon opening it they found Ranma, wet and female, scrunched up in one corner with hands wrapped around his knees, and his face tucked into them. He was trembling violently and making odd, whimpering sounds.

Near the futon was a small, overturned table. A shattered vase and some scattered flowers were on the floor, together with a puddle of water. This was evidently the source of the crash they had heard.

“Oh, my,” Kasumi exclaimed quietly. “I'd better get that cleaned up. Akane, I think you should see if you can calm Ranma down.”

Akane looked up at her big sister, anxiety writ clear across her features. “Um, maybe I should do the cleaning up, while you take care of Ranma? You're much better than me at comforting people.”

Kasumi gave Akane a stern look. “Perhaps under other circumstances, but not right now. This is almost certainly about yesterday, and you're the one who helped him then. Yours would be the most comforting presence possible at this moment. Now, are you going to refuse to help him just because you know he's a boy?”

Akane looked down ashamed. Without another word she walked over and sat down beside Ranma, putting her arms around the red-haired girl. With a shock she saw that Ranma was crying heavily with huge heaves, though almost silently except for those small whimpers. She didn't notice when Kasumi left to get a broom and mop.

“What happened, Ranma?” Akane asked softly. “Was it another nightmare?”

Ranma nodded soundlessly. Akane saw no need to ask for details; he was clearly in no state to write any down. Besides, she felt that she could hazard a pretty good guess what the details were likely to be. Akane bit her lip, not sure what she could say that would help.

One idea did occur to her, something that she could do. She thought about it for a little, asking herself if she could really go through with it. She had done so last night, but she hadn't known that Ranma was a boy, then. Still, he was currently a girl, and the small sounds coming from his throat were so heartbreaking ...

“Ranma?” she asked hesitantly. “Would you like me to stay here with you tonight?”

This got through to him, and he looked up at her in shock, wide eyes full of tears. He studied her face for a minute, then turned to look back down without giving any indication whether or not he wanted to accept. Finally he gave a little jerk of his head from side to side.

Akane felt frustrated at the difficulty of communicating with him. “Are you saying ‘no’ because you want to tough it out on your own? Or because you're really a guy and you feel it would be dishonorable to sleep with me? Um ...” Akane blushed deeply. “I mean, beside me.”

He turned back to her and mouthed a word. She guessed from the number of syllables that it was “dishonorable.”

Akane sighed and held the redhead tighter. “Ranma, you're a girl right now, even if you're still a boy inside, so it's not exactly the same as if I were sleeping beside a boy. I know you won't try anything dishonorable, so I'm okay with it.”

Okay, so that was a lie, Akane admitted to herself. However, she was surprised at how close to the truth it was. “I'm the one who offered, and I am serious about it. I think it would help you if I stayed. I want to help. You're helping me, in the dojo. How about letting me help you with this?”

Ranma looked up and studied her face once more, and Akane wondered what he was seeing there. Finally he gave her a broken ghost of a smile, and nodded slightly. She looked over to see that Kasumi had just finished cleaning up the mess, and was in the process of carrying the debris out. Her older sister gave her an approving smile and a nod before she stepped out and closed the door behind her.

Akane lifted Ranma in her arms, feeling the way he clutched at her as if he were drowning and she was a life preserver. She gently lay his female body down on the futon, then lay down beside him and pulled the blanket over them both. Ranma settled back against Akane and his trembling slowly quieted. Before long, they both fell asleep.

Tuesday was a quiet day. Nabiki never discovered that Akane had not spent the previous night in her own bed, and was thus unable to tease her about it. While the two younger Tendo sisters were in school, Ranma accompanied Kasumi to the market. She affected not to notice the way his eyes darted about rapidly, trying to watch everyone at once, or the way he steered them to maintain maximum distance from the other people they passed. Later she helped him to struggle through some of the schoolwork.

That afternoon Akane and Ranma worked out in the dojo. When Soun came home he made a point of sticking his nose through the doorway, clearly checking up on how the boy he had allowed into his house was treating his youngest daughter. The two teenagers pretended not to notice, although Ranma reacted to his discomfort at the man's presence by keeping his back toward the door. Akane somehow discovered a hidden reserve of energy, determined to impress her father, although she failed to recognize her own intention. After several minutes Soun left again, apparently satisfied, and in fact impressed. The pair continued with their training.

Akane was intensely weary when she finally left the dojo at the end of their session. Encountering Kasumi while dragging herself back into the house, she complained about what a horrible slave driver Ranma was. However, Akane was smiling as she said it, and she was humming as she entered the furoba to soak her sore muscles.

When dinnertime arrived, Ranma knelt at the table together with Akane and Nabiki. Knowing who else would be arriving, the boy steeled himself, telling himself that unlike previous meals or earlier in the dojo, this time he would not react. When Soun entered the room, Ranma's careful self control held. Everyone, even Akane, noticed that he did not flinch at the other man's arrival. No one commented on it aloud, but they all took it as a good sign.

Ranma came into the room while Akane was struggling with her homework that evening, waiting impatiently until she finished in order to have another session of training in the dojo. It was beginning to dawn on Akane that Ranma had far more strict ideas about the degree of training required of her than her father had ever demonstrated. She was beginning to wonder just what she had gotten herself into, but was eager to find out.

Her attitude perplexed Ranma to no end. That evening, he stayed late in the dojo after Akane left, chewing over the puzzle. It made no sense for her to act happy during their training sessions, given what he was putting her through. Oh, it would be clear enough if he were the one being trained, say by his father or Akane's dad. But Akane was a girl. It had always been an unquestioned fact to him that while girls might play at martial arts, they didn't pursue it as a passion like a guy might. Girls weren't supposed to be martial artists, were they? That's what his pop had always said.

The thought of Genma Saotome made Ranma first snort angrily, then chuckle evilly. He wondered where his father might currently be hunting him, thinking over places they had visited in China. Serve him right if he ran into that crazy Amazon girl. For a few minutes, Ranma entertained himself imagining how such an encounter might go, always to his pop's detriment. But finally, he dropped the diversion and returned to the puzzle at hand. He was beginning to wonder if maybe, just maybe, his father had been wrong. Was it possible that Akane wanted to be a real martial artist? Could she actually care as much about the art as he did?

He shook his head over this strange notion. Maybe he was just misinterpreting her reactions. He'd just have to continue to watch Akane during training, gathering additional clues until he could figure out the truth. With this resolution, he turned out the lights and left the dojo.

While Ranma struggled with his questions in the dojo, Akane was inside, preparing for bed and dealing with worries of her own. What should she do if Ranma were to have another nightmare that night? It seemed highly likely that he would, and the experience would not only be very upsetting for himself, but might disturb the others in the household as well. Or he might not disturb anyone, and instead be left to suffer alone. Idly she wondered if she would once again find herself holding the red-haired girl through what remained of the night, as she had the previous two nights.

That idea bothered her, Akane admitted to herself, since after all Ranma really was a boy. On the other hand, the last couple of nights when he lay trembling in her arms, it was hard to remember that, or to feel anything other than sympathy and a desire to comfort the “girl.” Akane reflected that, were Ranma really the red-haired girl he appeared to be at such times, she would have no qualms at all about holding her through the night. It might even help to keep the nightmares from getting started in the first place.

Akane shook herself as she realized the direction that her thoughts were taking. She wasn't seriously considering letting Ranma sleep in the same bed with her, was she? Of course, they were probably going to end up that way, anyway, if he had another nightmare like the one last night. As long as he wasn't a boy at the time, was it really such a terrible thing? It wasn't like he had even been capable of trying anything perverted last night, the state he'd been in.

Slowly Akane walked over to her window and stared out into the darkness, almost unable to believe she was actually thinking about this. Her, Akane Tendo, renowned boy-hater of Furinkan High, let a boy sleep in her bed? Even if he wasn't a boy at the time? Yet she could not hide from herself that she was thinking about it. Akane remembered once again holding Ranma in her arms last night as he silently wept, as he struggled with the shame, as he took comfort from her presence. She turned and went in search of Kasumi.

Akane found her sister, naturally enough, in her bedroom. She slipped inside and closed the door quietly behind her, causing Kasumi to lift a quizzical eye. Akane took a deep breath.

“Kasumi, oneechan, I ... I've got something I want to ... talk to you about.”

Kasumi noted the hesitation in the voice, the slight hue to the cheeks, the fingertips tapping together, the toe digging into the floor. Whatever it was, Akane was deeply embarrassed by it. The older girl patted the bed beside where she was sitting. Akane gratefully sat down at her sister's side. Kasumi put an arm around her, pulling in her in tight.

“Now tell me what's troubling you.”

When Akane haltingly laid forth her suggestion and asked her older sister's opinion, Kasumi was at first shocked speechless. It wasn't so much the impropriety, although that did bother her some. Still, according to Akane's plan, Ranma would be a girl himself at the time. But it was hard to believe that Akane of all people was making such an offer. As Kasumi sat and thought it over, some of the things she had read in her borrowed psychology books came to mind. It seemed likely that Akane was responding to feelings which arose from the fact that she was the one who had rescued Ranma, and nursed him through the initial trauma. Her little sister probably didn't even realize this herself.

Kasumi spoke softly. “I must say you've surprised me considerably. I know you know that Ranma is a boy, even when his curse doesn't agree. Given all the trouble you've had with boys lately ...”

Akane responded in disgust, “Boys!” She gave a little sigh. “It does bother me. I know he's a boy, whatever he looks like. But ... he needs someone. After what happened to him ... You know he's going to have more nightmares. The last couple of nights ... I didn't really think about him being a boy. Or a girl. He was just someone in pain.”

Kasumi bit her lip, wondering what the right choice was. There was a lot of sense in Akane's arguments. Someone probably was going to end up comforting him again, or worse, he'd need someone to but no one would hear. And that someone probably would be Akane. Kasumi wished she could consult the therapist she had called. She resolved to do so tomorrow during the day, but for now a decision was needed.

Offering up a little prayer, hoping it was the right choice, Kasumi said, “Okay. I think you're probably right. You're probably also right that it may help to prevent the nightmares in the first place, or at least stop them before they get too bad. Of course, you still have to convince Ranma ...”

Akane snorted at the last sentence. It was a point she honestly hadn't considered, and she had to admit it was very valid. The baka probably wouldn't be willing to admit what was best for him.

With a wry smile, Akane replied, “Well, I guess I'd better go and have a talk with him then.”

Kasumi nodded, although she was more pensive. With a grimace she added, “I believe that I'd better have a talk myself, with Nabiki and our father. If you're going to do this, I don't want either of them causing a fuss.”

Akane nodded, grimacing now herself. “Thanks. I didn't think about that either. Gods, if Nabiki were to tease me about that in front of Ranma ... I mean, bad enough how angry I'd be. But it might really hurt Ranma.” She turned and gave her sister a firm hug, eliciting a gasp. “Thank you, oneechan.”

Leaving Kasumi's room, Akane squared her shoulders determinedly, then went off in search of Ranma. She found him just returning to the house. She asked him to come upstairs to the guest room, where they could, she hoped, speak privately. Wondering what this was about, Ranma followed her.

Akane knelt on the floor facing Ranma, motioning him to sit as well, then chewed on her lip for a while without speaking. Ranma, perforce, waited silently. Finally, Akane decided to stop debating how to make her suggestion, and to just start talking.

“Er, Ranma,” she began, “the last couple of nights, you know, you've had bad nightmares, and I've ended up sleeping beside you. I ... well, it felt good knowing I was able to help you, and I'm starting to think I really can trust you.”

She paused and took a deep breath. “I'm worried that you're going to have more nightmares. You've barely begun to get over what happened, and even though you're an incredible martial artist, you can't defend yourself from your dreams.”

Ranma flushed at these words and dropped his eyes angrily. Akane reached out and touched fingertips to the back of his hand.

“Please. This isn't ... easy for me, either. I'm worried because you can't call out. If you have a nightmare, no one's going to know unless you knock something over like you did last night. Kasumi and I don't think you should be alone at night.”

Ranma looked up, wondering what she was suggesting.

Akane didn't keep him in suspense for long. Blushing, she looked down and said, “If you're willing to sleep as a female, you can stay with me at night. If you have any more nightmares, I'll know immediately and can help you. But you have to be a girl! There's no way I'd consider this if you were a boy. Well, a boy on the outside, anyway.”

Akane then shrugged. “Besides, let's be practical. Like it or not, you're going to have more nightmares. In which case, I'll probably end up staying with you, and going to sleep holding you. We might as well start out the night that way and avoid the worst of it.”

Ranma's mind had nearly shut down from shock. Ever since Akane's appearance in the alley that night, he had regarded her as the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. He knew that this was in part a reaction to the circumstances, but there was no denying that she was very pretty. He had also begun to see some of her faults, so was well aware that she was not perfect, yet his opinion of her good qualities was still very high. This was ... too great an honor. And felt too much like dishonor. His mind was unwaveringly male, even when his body was female.

Ranma shook his head, then pulled out his pad. On the sheet he handed her, Akane read, “When I'm a girl outside, I'm still a guy inside. It would be wrong.”

“I know you're still a guy inside, baka,” Akane told him, a touch acerbically. “I think I can trust you, and if you're a girl then I won't ... instinctively distrust you. If you were a real girl, and you'd gone through ... what you went through ... I wouldn't hesitate to make this offer. Even if you're not a real girl ... you need someone to hold you through the night. Please. I want to help you.”

Ranma handed her another sheet which read, “No. I can't ask you to do that.” As Akane read it, he stood and walked away.

She jumped up and walked after him, raising her voice. “Hey dummy! You didn't ask me. I suggested it.” When he kept walking, she turned around, grabbed up a nearby pillow and threw it at his back. He ignored the soft impact as beneath his notice. Fuming, Akane rolled up the futon, folded the blankets, and put everything away, carrying the sheets down to the laundry room to be washed. Ranma glared at her as she walked past with the sheets. Akane gave a toss of her head, sniffing loudly to show her disdain.

As soon as she passed, Ranma went back up to the guest room, and pulled the futon back out. Akane followed, grabbed it away from him, and tossed it out the window. Ranma scowled at her then at the window, as though debating whether to jump after it and bring the futon back up. Akane grabbed him, saying, “Oh no you don't!”

He looked down at her arm, then his features drooped and he just looked sad. Digging out the pad once more, Ranma paused to consider what he wanted to say, then wrote, “You're special. Don't want to see you hurt. Don't want people to think bad things about you.”

Akane snorted on reading this. “I'm not special, and some people already think bad things about me.” She paused at the murderous look in his eyes, and decided not to expand on the rumors at school. “In any case, isn't that my concern? I don't care what other people think. I do care about what you're going through.”

Ranma turned his back so as not to look at her. He felt confused, unsure of himself. He hated anything like an admission that he needed help, but couldn't hide the truth from himself. He knew that he'd give almost anything to avoid a repeat of the last nightmare, which had begun with a replay of the attack, except that no help had come to stop the men.

Akane watched him standing there, and wished that he were female right now so that she would find it easier to show her concern. Firmly squashing any reactions to his male body, she stepped forward and slowly put her arms around him from behind. She whispered, “This isn't about you being a boy, or me being a girl, and it's nobody else's business. This is about you needing someone to chase away the bad dreams, and me offering to do so. Let me. Okay?”

Slowly and hesitantly, Ranma nodded.

When bedtime came, Ranma looked at himself in a mirror while he poured water over his head, watching his features shift to those of a girl. He walked to Akane's room, and lay down on her bed. Akane came in, turned off the light, and lay down beside him. She slipped her arms around Ranma, who leaned back and allowed himself to be held and comforted. It took a while, but they slowly drifted off to sleep.

Ranma did have another nightmare that night, but his thrashing woke Akane shortly after it started. She woke him and held him while he panted and calmed back down. It was only a short time before they were both asleep again.

Wednesday morning arrived with Kasumi considering what errand she could have Ranma accompany her into town upon this day. She didn't want to risk sending him out by himself until after she had a chance to speak to his therapist. During breakfast, she decided that he could use some more clothes, as much of the clothing in his pack was rather worn.

Just before leaving for school, Nabiki turned to Akane with a smirk and inquired, “Do you think Kuno-chan is going to renew his suggestions that you allow him to escort you around town at night?”

Akane snarled. “He'd better not! If he keeps this up, I swear I'm going to knock him into orbit!”

Nabiki allowed her grin to grow. “Well, if you'd lose to one of the boys, you'd have a ready-made escort. If you want to consider it, just be sure to whisper in my ear first, so I can adjust the odds.”

Akane's snarl intensified. “I'll see them in hell before I let one of those perverts touch me!”

Neither sister took notice of Ranma sitting nearby, or the way he was looking at them. As they slipped on their shoes and walked out the door, Ranma continued to worry over the conversation, wondering what it was about. Finally, he decided to ask Kasumi. He found her in the kitchen, cleaning up from breakfast.

Kasumi turned around to find Ranma standing behind her, holding out a sheet of paper. Taking it, she read, “What did Nabiki and Akane mean? What perverts are trying to touch Akane?”

“Oh my.” Kasumi sat in a nearby chair, wondering how much she should disclose. “Well, ever since the beginning of the school year, Akane has been having some trouble with the boys at school. A large group of them attack her every morning, and they think that if one of them wins, then he can insist that she has to ...” Kasumi broke off the sentence, as she found herself speaking to empty air.

Ranma was already over the wall and accelerating. Luckily, their trip to the market yesterday had taken them past the high school, which Kasumi had pointed out. Relieved that he recognized the landmarks he had noted, Ranma was rapidly approaching a blur to the eyes of passersby.

In Ranma's mind, the image of the men who had tried to molest him Sunday night merged with an image of the school grounds, and he saw them preparing to attack Akane. His legs moved even faster, as he once more felt the terror from that night rising up within him, only this time he was free, consumed by fury, and a red battle aura blazed forth.

When he had watched the men approach him, the horror had mixed with his terror of the cat which had preceded it. As he ran and that fear replayed itself in his mind, the fear of the cat again came with it, and the two merged even more fully than they had during the event. At the time, Ranma had prayed in vain for the neko-ken to overwhelm him. Now, for the first time in his life, he welcomed the feeling of fear and the feral fury he felt lurking beneath it. He opened himself to it fully, and nearly invisible blue claws shimmered into existence at his fingertips.

An old woman stood just inside her gate, with a pail of water whose overt purpose was to settle the dust on the walk. She dipped her ladle into the water as she saw a figure approaching down the street at high speed. With a careless fling, she tossed the water out and down. Her eyes widened and she gave a frustrated growl as she realized that she had unaccountably missed, that the person had run past before the water could reach him.

From up ahead, Ranma heard a shout, “I ... hate ... boys!” He identified it as Akane's voice, and sped up even more. As he came within sight of the school gate, he saw at least three dozen boys attacking her with baseball bats, hockey sticks, and other weapons.

The assembled school population saw a red blur explode into the school yard. Moving like a whirlwind, it caused bodies to fly through the air, in trajectories arcing away from Akane. As they landed in crumpled heaps, the boys who were still conscious howled in anguish while clutching at broken bones or bloody gouges. One boy slammed into a tree and gave a gurgling scream as a broken rib punctured a lung. Akane froze in shock, not understanding at first what was happening.

Tatewaki Kuno stepped out from behind a tree as he saw the carnage spread around Akane. He jumped across the intervening space, calling out, “Fear not, my fierce tigress, the Blue Thunder shall protect you!” Akane was so intent on everything else, that he was able to grab her arm before she knew what he was about.

Ranma's eyes locked like gun sights on the hand which had just grabbed Akane's arm. Kuno did have some measure of skill, and he managed a single swing of his bokken toward the attack he perceived on an almost subconscious level.

His attempt was useless, however, as the bokken was transformed into shaved slices of wood. The hand holding Akane released her involuntarily, as rapid blows broke the arm in three places. A kick like a pile driver slammed into Kuno's chest, and he flew through the air to smash into the wall surrounding the school, shattering the stone. Kuno slumped to the ground, mercifully unconscious. He would not learn until after he awakened that he had numerous fractures of his ribs, both from the kick and his impact with the wall, together with a concussion where his head struck the wall.

Akane saw that Ranma was now standing beside her, eyes swiveling around to stare in hatred at the prone forms. Any boy who so much as twitched drew his steely gaze, and immediately froze in fear again. Akane reached out hesitantly, then drew her hand back without touching him. “Ranma?” She spoke his name with a trace of fear, wondering what was going through his mind.

Ranma turned toward her, but as his eyes met hers Akane saw his expression shift to one of agony, along with something more primal. She reached out again, and this time rested fingertips on his chest. “Why?” she asked.

Ranma's mouth twisted, unable to form words. He swept an arm around the schoolyard at the injured boys, then pointed at her. “Because ... they were attacking me?” Akane asked. He nodded.

Akane looked into his eyes, then her face clouded. She drew back a hand and slapped him. “Jerk! This was my fight! Who asked you to interfere?”

Ranma raised a hand to touch his cheek. His mouth opened, but he had no means to explain. His lips curled in frustration, his teeth gritted, the rest of his expression unreadable.

Nabiki chose that moment to walk up, and handed the young man a pad of paper and a pen. “That'll be two hundred yen later, Ranma.” She looked around herself with satisfaction. No one had bet on this outcome for the morning battle, so she'd be keeping all the money. Then she scowled at the thought that none of them would be in any shape to fight for days to come, if they'd even dare to again.

In the meantime, Ranma was writing. He showed the pad to Akane, where he had written, “Had to stop them! They wanted to hurt you, like those men on Sunday!”

Akane looked up from the pad, studying his eyes, beginning to guess some of what was going on behind them. “It's ... not quite like that, Ranma. They're perverts, yes. They've got this stupid idea that if they win, I have to date them. But that's all.”

Ranma's look didn't soften at all. He wrote some more, and Akane read, “Doesn't matter. Same kind of thinking. They attack to force you to do things with them.”

Akane felt the last of her anger at Ranma evaporate. She understood now. Given what had happened to him, especially with the memory so fresh, there was no way he could not have reacted the way he had. As soon as he heard of the hentai horde, what he would then do had been predestined. Notions of duels and challenges and whose fight it was would be meaningless for him at the moment.

Akane looked around, and there was fire in her eyes, causing the boys to flinch back from her expression. In a carrying voice, she announced, “This is Ranma. He's a friend. He doesn't approve of your method of challenging me. Does anyone want to argue with his opinion?”

All of the boys lying on the ground around her, or at least those who were still conscious, rapidly shook their heads from side to side.

Akane stooped, and came back up holding a piece of wood from Kuno's bokken. “Ranma? How did you do this?”

He wrote, “Neko-ken. Explain later. Confused myself. Need to think.”

Akane nodded to show her acceptance. “Okay, though I'm looking forward to that explanation. I suppose we should get you home now. It would probably be best if I took you home myself.”

Nabiki cleared her throat, drawing their attention. “Er, Akane, we're going to have ambulances here shortly. Probably police also. Don't you think you should stick around? How are you going to explain this?”

Akane grinned evilly. “I'm sure you'll think of something. Or better yet, let the school administrators come up with the explanation. It's only justice that they deal with the consequences of standing back and doing nothing about the horde.”

Nabiki thought about it, then shrugged. “Fair enough, I suppose.” She grinned. “I'm sure they'll come up with something creative real fast, if the alternative is admitting that they ignored a mob of boys attacking a single girl. Go on and take Ranma home. I'll pass the word to Yuka that you might not be in class today.”

“Thanks, Nabiki.” Akane took Ranma's arm. “Come on, Ranma, let's get you back home.” They left together through the gate, oblivious to the entire student body staring after their retreating forms, everyone focused in jaw-dropping astonishment on the sight of Akane Tendo holding a boy's arm.

The moment they disappeared from sight, Nabiki disappeared under a swarm of students waving money, demanding information.

And a few minutes later an old woman holding a ladle carefully suppressed her smirk. She hadn't missed the whippersnapper the second time around!

When they got home, Akane decided that she really didn't want to face all of the questions that would be waiting for her at school, so she stayed home. After explaining matters to Kasumi, she helped her older sister to tutor Ranma for a while, then all three of them went out shopping for clothes. While they walked, Akane explained a little more about how the hentai horde had come into existence.

As it turned out, it was lucky that Akane went with them. Along the way, a man dared to leer appreciatively at Kasumi, and only Akane's presence allowed him to survive unharmed. Face twisted in terror, the unfortunate fool managed to make his escape while Akane barely managed to restrain Ranma. Kasumi then sternly explained to the young man at her side that he couldn't just go around attacking people for simple rudeness.

After lunch, Ranma went out to the dojo and meditated for a period in front of the shrine, trying to understand what had happened that morning. Once he had collected his thoughts on the possibilities, he went outside to try some experiments. An hour later he looked down grimly at the parallel grooves he had cut in one of the stones by the koi pond.

It was a little like deliberately sticking one's hand in a fire, but if he dredged up his memories of how he had felt during the attempted assault, he felt a fear which seemed tied to his fear of cats. This allowed him to enter the neko-ken state in a controlled form, without losing his sanity. It wasn't something he thought he would do on purpose very often, since reliving the painful memory was a form of torture that he didn't care to experience. Even so, he was a martial artist, and he would not disregard any weapon which might prove useful, even if it did hurt to use it.

And he already knew one way he intended to use it, and made a promise to himself to see to it tomorrow.

For now, however, he had a promise to keep concerning an explanation. He went back inside to find that Nabiki had just returned from school and was enjoying a Popsicle, while Akane was looking over the assignments that had just been handed to her. Soun was studying a shogi board, apparently concerning the daily problem from the newspaper. He stepped into the kitchen, but found it was empty. Looking a little further, he found Kasumi folding laundry, and motioned for her to follow him.

He entered the family room and picked up his pad. Everyone looked at him, curious. He started writing, tearing off sheets and handing them to Akane to read aloud.

“I was trained by an idiot,” she read, unable to suppress a small chuckle at the last word. “A good martial artist. But an idiot. His training methods often worked. Sometimes they failed. Sometimes badly.”

“When I was ten he found a book with an unbeatable technique called the neko-ken. He decided to train me in it. If he had turned the next page, he would have read that only a fool would try.”

“He filled a pit with cats. Starved them. Tied me up. Wrapped me in fish sausage.” Akane choked on the next words and had to try again. “Threw me in. Ignored my screams.”

“Goodness!” Kasumi exclaimed.

“How ... how rigorous!” Soun stuttered.

Akane read the next sheet. “Now I have an uncontrollable fear of cats. That's what happened Sunday.” Akane started crying just a little as she read. “I was running from a cat when I ran into something. Knocked me out. When I woke up I was dizzy, weak, already tied.”

“There was nothing you could have done, Ranma-kun,” Kasumi told him earnestly.

Ranma wrote, “I know that. In my head.” He showed her the words, then wrote more and handed the sheet to Akane.

“If I can't get away from the fear, the neko-ken takes me. I think I'm a cat. Unbeatable, chi claws, but don't remember anything.”

Akane looked up after reading that. “Chi claws? That sounds a little ... On the other hand, after seeing your curse, why not? It explains Kuno's bokken at least.”

Nabiki put in her two yen. “It didn't look to me like you thought you were a cat. You also act like you remember it.”

Ranma shrugged and wrote some more. “Confused me too. Needed to meditate and try some stuff. Was almost in neko-ken when — I woke up Sunday. Wanted to be. Claws would slice ropes easily. Slice bastards too. Wasn't though.”

“Fear of cat, fear of what was about to happen. Got tangled up in my head. Now, think hard about what happened, go into neko-ken. In control though.”

Kasumi looked worried. “Oh dear. I'm not sure it's healthy for you to relive it too vividly.”

Ranma gave her a sad look and wrote. “You're right. Hurts too much. This morning, Akane said perverts try to touch her. You said they attack to force her.” Akane took a deep breath before continuing. “Saw it happen again, except to Akane. Had to stop them. Didn't know I was in neko-ken. Until after.”

Akane looked up after this, her eyes angry, and Ranma was afraid she was angry at him again. Then she asked, “Who was this stupid fool who trained you?”

Ranma handed her another sheet with a grim face. “Won't say. Don't ever want to see him again. His fault. He made me afraid of cats. He knocked me into pool at Jusenkyo. Unconscious because of him. Girl because of him.”

Soun's face hardened. “Don't worry, Ranma-kun. I give you my word of honor, you'll never have to go back to him again. Whoever he is, you're free of him, I promise.”

At that very moment, about twenty kilometers inland from the coast of China, a panda bear dropped the bamboo it was munching to give a mighty sneeze.

Akane threw herself into her training with Ranma that afternoon and evening, pleased that she could already notice visible improvement. Even if the improvement so far was merely the correction of flaws which had crept into her forms while she tried to train herself. As she soaked afterward, she was startled to realize how comfortable she was becoming with Ranma's presence, even when he was male. It was hard to remember that she had carried him home only three days ago.

That night Ranma changed into a girl and shared Akane's bed again. When he woke up crying in the middle of the night, she sang to him softly until he went back to sleep again, a lullaby that Kasumi used to sing to her when they were younger. As she drifted off to sleep herself, Akane remembered Kasumi telling her once that their mother used to sing them to sleep with that same song.

On Thursday, Akane's frustration gradually mounted throughout the school day. It was a relief to walk through the gates unmolested that morning, and not to have to put up with Kuno. On the other hand, it turned out that rumors had spread through the school like wildfire about herself and Ranma.

The tamest of the rumors was that he was her secret boyfriend. They scaled up from there seemingly without limit. That the boys of Furinkan were all perverts was a given with her, and she had always known that some of the girls could give them competition. But she had never before guessed just how perverted some of the girls were, or how many of them were. Some of the things they asked her about Ranma were beyond belief.

One note too many came across her desk during history class near the end of the day. She suddenly stood up and loudly declared, “Ranma is just a guest in our house! We are not dating, we are not lovers, we are not secretly married, and I am not having his baby! I have no idea how ‘big’ he is, or what sort of fantasies he likes! We did not go home yesterday for the purpose of spending all day having sex, and we won't even discuss the idea of my sister Kasumi joining us for that! He's just a boy, a fellow martial artist, who is staying with us for a while! And yes, I'm on my way out to the hall to hold buckets!” This last was addressed to the teacher, causing him to close the mouth he had opened during this tirade.

While Akane was at school, Ranma slipped out of the house by himself. He had consulted a telephone book to get the address of the Kuno residence. Although he had more trouble than he expected at dealing with all the strangers around him, especially with no familiar comforting presence nearby, he persevered. He got directions from a few people by writing his requests, finding his way to the estate easily. Nabiki had let slip the information that the boy who had started it all was staying at home rather than in a hospital, being wealthy enough to hire a private nurse. Ranma smirked as he imagined Nabiki's chagrin if she realized she had given that away for free.

Standing outside the gates of the estate, Ranma painfully called up the memories from Sunday. Before long, his sharpened senses informed him that he was in the neko-ken, and he confirmed it by slicing a long scratch down the stone wall. He leaped over the gate, and walked up to the door. Along the way he paused to stare at a pond containing an alligator, before continuing with a snort.

The door was answered by a short man who appeared to be wearing a modified ninja outfit. “How did you get past the gate?” this man demanded.

Ranma rolled his eyes, wrote for a moment, then held out his pad. “Jumped. May I speak with Tatewaki Kuno?”

The servant stared at Ranma. “What, you can't ask out loud?”

Ranma wrote, and showed him, “No. Can't talk.”

The little man flushed in embarrassment. “Still, I don't see why I should let you in. Master Kuno isn't seeing any visitors.”

Ranma wrote some more. Then his hand flashed out, seized the man around the neck, lifted him and pinned him to a wall. Ranma's other hand held the pad out. “Because, for the moment, I'm asking nicely.”

In a choking voice, the servant declared, “Perhaps ... I can ... let ... you in ... to see ... him.”

Ranma nodded and released his hold. He followed the little man through several hallways, and into a large bedroom. “Master Kuno,” the servant announced, “you have a visitor.”

Ranma wrote, “I'd like to speak to him privately.” He gave the man a chance to read this, then pushed him through the door and shut it behind him. He turned around and stepped closer to the bed, looking down at the slightly older boy whose torso was wrapped in bandages and whose entire left arm was in a cast.

Kuno looked the newcomer up and down. There was no recognition, as Ranma had not stopped moving during the previous day's fight until after Kuno was unconscious. He demanded, “Who are you? What are you doing here?”

Ranma wrote on his pad, then held it out. Kuno read, “Get this out of the way first. No, I can't talk. Mute.”

Kuno nodded, to show that he understood this point, then waited while Ranma wrote some more.

Ranma held out the pad, on which was written, “I'm a friend of Akane Tendo. She can't stand you. You upset her. Want your word you'll stay away from Akane.”

“Nonsense,” Kuno declared. “Akane Tendo is in love with my magnificent self. One day soon, she shall finally admit this, and the heavens shall smile upon our romance.”

Ranma tilted his head and gave the nut a considering look, then buried his fist in the boy's gut, driving all breath from Kuno's body. While Kuno tried to suck in more air, Ranma wrote, then held the pad out.

It read, “Won't usually hit a man who's down. But I'll make an exception for you.”

Kuno gasped out. “You ... dishonorable ... cur.”

Ranma wrote, “Watch carefully.” He stepped over to the wall, and lifted down a katana. It was beautifully worked, obviously expensive. Ranma made sure he had Kuno's attention, then moved his fingertips down the length of the blade, keeping them a couple of centimeters away from it all the way. The blade separated into four curling strips of metal.

Kuno stuttered, “What ...? How ...?” Then, “Do you know how much that cost?”

Ranma smiled at Kuno, quite the most malevolent smile the kendoist had ever seen. The pad was held out again, and Kuno read, “Akane hates you. Hate, not love. Go near her again, and I'll carve you like that katana.”

Ranma then reached down, and Kuno watched in horror as his pajamas and boxers parted in long tears, just to either side of his groin. He swallowed hard as he looked up at the young man who had invaded his room, and saw chips of interstellar ice in those blue eyes. The fog of his delusion parted temporarily, and with awful clarity Kuno realized that this strange boy was not bluffing. The horrible truth penetrated that the stranger wanted to be given an excuse to carry out his threat.

A brave samurai might reasonably expect to lay down his life for his honor. The family jewels were another matter. Without conscious decision, Kuno found his head nodding up and down in agreement to the demand.

Ranma wrote one more time. He tore off the sheet and dropped it on Kuno's chest, then turned and walked out the door. Kuno lifted the paper with his good arm and read, “Remember. This is the only chance you get. I won't be interested in talking next time.”

The servant entered the bedroom again to find his master looking extremely pale. Kuno looked at him and said, “Sasuke, I need you to discover everything you may about the rogue who was just here. This is not to be borne. I swear I shall mete out justice against him.”

After his servant bowed and left, Kuno lay back and shivered. He had believed that he loved Akane Tendo. He had just come to the realization that there was something else he loved much more. It was a shocking revelation how easily he could set aside his supposed love when faced with a sufficient threat, and he spent a long time pondering what that meant.