The Characters of Ranma 1/2 are Rumiko Takahashi's. Hopefully, she'll
forgive us for what we're doing.

Comments? Please!  Flames? Go for it! (We just bought several new fire
extinguishers so we're ready.)

Ranma vs. Ranma
The Battle for Akane's Soul!
By She-Hulk and Kahm (brobinso@neocomm.net)
----------------------------

Part 4


Outside the Cat Cafe...


	"Shampooo! Don't go without me Shampoo!" Mousse ran wildly down the street
after an old man on a bicycle.

	Shampoo shook her head as he ran right past her. "Stupid boy!" She started
down the street, easily balancing the delivery box on one hand and steering
with the other. The dinner rush was on and they were even busier than
usual. As she rounded the corner she spotted Ranma. Shampoo smiled and
aimed straight for him.

	Ranma was not happy. It would not be long until sunset and he still had
not found Akane. He shouldn't have wasted so much time with Kodachi. And he
really wished he'd  had more time to spend with Ukyo. She had been much
better game than Kodachi.  Oh well, perhaps he could return to her
tomorrow. If she's still alive. The faint sound of a high pitched bell went
unnoticed as he continued his musing. The sound got distinctly louder and
Ranma glance up in time to see a bicycle wheel smash him in the face.

	"Nihao, Ranma!"

 	Ranma lay on the sidewalk unmoving. Shampoo knelt beside him and placed a
hand on his forehead. "Aiya! Ranma hurt! Is Shampoo's fault!"
 
	Ranma sighed deeply. When handed a lemon...
 
	Sitting up, he turned to her and smiled slowly, "It's all right Shampoo.
You didn't hurt me." Ranma got up and took her by the arm. A quick look
around and he found a suitable spot. "Come with me, I need to ask you
something." He pulled her into a small alley behind him.  She hesitated at
it's entrance. The alley was poorly lit and the shadows seemed to shift as
they got closer. "I need to ask this in private Shampoo." Ranma winked at her.

	Shampoo's heart began to thunder, her fear forgotten. He ask Shampoo to
marry him! She followed him though the alley till they reached the high
wall that closed off the far end. Ranma stopped and turned to her. "Oh Ranma!"

	He had to hurry. Ranma put his hands on Shampoo's shoulders and slid them
up into her hair. "Where's Akane?"

	Shampoo, floating in a whirl of daydreams about her and Ranma exploring
the joys of wedded bliss, didn't hear him. At first. Ranma's fingers
clenched in her hair, jerking her back into reality.

	"Where's Akane?"

	Shampoo blinked. "Shampoo no know where-" The open handed slap cut her off
and only the fingers that were wound cruelly through her hair kept her from
falling. She staggered a little and raised a trembling hand to her mouth.
It was bleeding.

	Ranma sighed. It's too dark in here to do this properly and he realized
that the day was going to be a complete waste. Oh well. 

	Shampoo spoke softly, "Ranma, Akane is home maybe?" She slid a quick
glance around her and flinched at what she saw. The shadows were moving.
They seemed to be reaching for Ranma, but not to harm him. They brushed at
his legs and seemed to rub against him, like a pack of dogs with their
beloved master.
 
	Ranma paid little attention to this. He gripped the front of her dress and
lifted her. "Where?" 

	She started to reply, then hesitated and Ranma flung her across the alley.
The sound of bricks and bones breaking made him laugh. Shampoo slid down
the wall and fought a wave of nausea. Ai lin had hurt her. Her mind tried
to cope with that as he walked towards her. He had thrown her at a building
and laughed! Shampoo felt the shift of her ribs and knew that several were
broken. An ancient anger stirred within her. She was Amazon! No one had the
right to hurt her, not even her Ai lin. Shampoo stood slowly her right arm
pressed against her side. "Ranma no should have done that! Make Shampoo
very angry!" With one step forward she was in a fighting stance.

	Ranma laughed. He had thought this one had had no spirit. He could feel
the waves of battle aura emanating from her. She was stronger than the
other two, but he didn't have anymore time. "Tell me where Akane is and
I'll let you live."
 
	Shampoo shook her head. "You no know where your own home is?" Maybe she
had really hurt him with her bicycle after all. Maybe that was why he was
acting so odd. "Ranma you are hurt? You no treat Shampoo this way if you
not. Let me take to grandmother, she fix you all better."

	The foot that swung at her head was his only reply. She stepped back out
of the way and said his name again. Ranma leaned in low and struck her leg.
Shampoo cried out and fell to the ground, rolling quickly away and up onto
one leg. She balanced there, like a crane at rest, but her eyes followed
Ranma as he prepared to strike again. 

	"Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not hurt. Nor am I out of my mind. I
want Akane's location and I want you to be dead. Rather simple, really." He
attacked again. Shampoo blocked the fury of the punches he unleashed, but
she knew she couldn't keep this up for long. A slight mistake and three
punches landed with stunning force. Her wrist cracked and her breathe was
stolen from her body as another rib was broken. Shampoo crumpled to the
ground, gasping for air. Ranma stood over her. 

	"Where is Akane Tendo?"

	She lay there for a moment as the air rushed back into her lungs. Why was
she protecting violent girl anyway?  The veil of pain made her decision.
She told him.

	Ranma bowed deeply, then picked her up. Shampoo drew a quick breathe in
pain and fear. He threw her at the wall at the end of the alley this time. 






Outside Ukyo's Restaurant....

	Ryoga rounded the corner and stopped as he recognized a familiar place.
<That's Ukyo's place! All right! I'm in Nerima! Now all I have to do is
find Akane's house.> His stomach chose that time to remind him that he had
not eaten today. He quickly crossed the street and approached the darkened
building. <That's funny. It looks closed.> The sun had set but there was
still more than enough light to see the broken front door. Ryoga hesitantly
peered in side. Except for the broken door, the inside seemed okay. He
stepped inside and stopped as something else caught his attention. A smell.
Sweet and faintly metallic.
 
	Ryoga noticed what appeared to be a stain on the back wall. He made his
way through the tables, staring at the stain, trying to figure out how
she'd managed to spray okonomiyaki sauce all over the wall. As he reached
the opening that led behind the counter, his brain finally added two and
two. The metallic smell was blood. And so was the stain. The crumpled heap
against the wall made no sense at first. A jumble of cloth and skin and
blood. Ryoga rushed  forward, vaguely realizing that he was standing in a
pool of blood. 

	"Ukyo!" Ryoga carefully unfolded her body and froze in horror.  Her large
spatula had been bent tightly around her. The strange rattle of her
breathing had him moving quickly. Carefully gripping the metal he began to
unwind the weapon from her prone form. Blood made his hands slip and he
cursed. Ryoga finally forced the metal to surrender its prisoner and he
tossed the twisted blade aside. The cause of the blood was sickeningly
apparent.

	Ukyo had been stabbed with her smaller throwing spatulas.  Blood was
seeping from around the buried handles and his mind was screaming at him.
<Placed so deliberately. Nothing vital pierced.> Ryoga clenched his teeth
against a wave of nausea as the true horror  of what had been done hit him. 

	She had been left to bleed to death.

	He carefully lifted her in to his arms. She groaned as he moved her.
"N-No....Ran-Ranma...stop..." Ryoga carried her outside, listening in
disbelief as Ukyo pleaded with her attacker.

	A car was cruising down the street and he stepped in front of it. The
driver stopped and started to get out of the car, but Ryoga was already
getting into the back seat. "We have to get her to the hospital, now!" The
driver shut his door and sped away, <Man, this is one crazy town!>


Nerima General Hospital....

	A broken rose...

	Kuno sat in the hard plastic chair, staring at his sister. She hadn't
moved since he'd arrived, even though he had addressed her several times.
Kodachi's face was bloodless, making the bruises and stitches seem bright
and colorful like a child had been scribbling with markers. 

	Crushed underfoot...

	The doctors had reassured him that she would live, however her mental
state was questionable. She had been found in an abandoned lot and had at
first been pronounced dead on the scene.. The ambulance attendants had been
rather surprised when she had regained consciousness and had begun to
scream. Kodachi had screamed until she had reached the hospital, where the
doctors sedated her heavily.

	Discarded...

	 So many bones had been broken that he had lost track as the doctor had
recited them. Intensive internal bruising. Multiple lacerations.
Lacerations. Such a clean word for what had been done. The doctors were
unsure of the weapon that had been used, but Kuno knew. He knew because the
weapon had been Kodachi's. Her ribbon. Used against her. 

	Shattered petals...

	She looked so small. Hardly like the larger-than-life Black Rose. 

	Drifting away...

	Kuno slowly reached out and touched her cool hand. 

	Away...

	 He felt, rather than saw Sasuke appear beside him. He motioned him outside.
 
	"Master Kuno? The Mistress will be all right, won't she?" Sasuke was
wringing his hands together. 

	"She will live. But the doctors fear for her mind. They are fools!" Kuno
walked slowly through the hall. A sudden commotion drew their attention. 

	A gurney rushed past with it's blood soaked cargo and Kuno realized that
he knew the woman. It was Ukyo, one of Saotome's churls. Ryoga ran after
her, covered in blood.

	 Kuno frowned. Somehow...somehow this concerned what had happened to
Kodachi, he was sure of it. "Stay with Kodachi." Sasuke nodded.  Kuno
caught up with Ryoga as he finished his explanation to the emergency room
doctor.

	"...I thought it was okonomiyaki sauce, but then I realized it was blood.
Ukyo was just lying there. I tried to stop the bleeding, then I picked her
up and went for help." The doctor nodded briskly and disappeared into the
examining room. Ryoga stared at the closed door and managed to stop himself
from following the doctor. He turned away to find Kuno waiting for him.

	"Did she speak ?" Ryoga just glared at him. "It's none of your business."

	"Oh, your wrong there, my friend. For I believe you know who attacked the
fair Ukyo." He motioned for Ryoga to follow him. Ryoga did so reluctantly.
He didn't want to get too far from Ukyo, he might not be able to find his
way back again. Kuno waved a hand at the door he stood bedside. "My reason,
your business is my business."

	Ryoga opened the door. He watched for a long minute then softly closed the
door. He looked at Kuno. "I guess we do have the same business after all."


Elsewhere...