Final Duty


         Part 5  'Labor'

    She shook her head sadly . That had to have been the worst fight Ranma and 
Akane had ever had . Akane had to face reality now .
    She knocked on the bent doorframe before letting herself in . Akane was 
sprawled on her bed , sobbing uncontrollably .
    She was most definitely not known for her sentimentality . But she did love 
her family and put them first in all things , including her ice queen persona .
    Akane didn't react even as she gathered the limp girl in her arms . Soothing 
nonsense noises were all she could think of as she rocked her sister back and 
forth . Most certainly she could not tell her little sister a bold faced lie 
like 'it's going to be alright' .



    Akane screaming at Ranma was not a new thing to him . He didn't even raise 
his head from the manga he had stolen from his son . But when Akane's scream was 
suddenly cut off and replaced by her sobbing he noticed . But did nothing .
    After all , he was not a man who knew much of matters of the heart . As his 
friend Soun was out of the room he did not feel compelled to do anything . He 
would intervene and guide with his wisdom once the situation was less volatile .



    She had been sorting out her own emotions when their latest argument had 
begun . It had stuck her as odd that even at the early and late stages she never 
heard Ranma yelling back like he used to . She never heard anything of Ranma 
aside from his body slamming into a wall .
    Quickly composing herself as she walked she made her way to Akane's room . 
To find Nabiki trying to comfort their baby sister . Who was sobbing her heart 
out , oblivious to everything except the fact that she had had her last argument 
with Ranma as his fiancée . 

                           *         *         *

    Ranma , Akane , and Nabiki were absent from school today . That was enough 
to worry her . So after school she headed for the Tendo Dojo . She would stop by 
, find out what was the matter , and if she couldn't help then she would open 
her restaurant .
    When she got to the door no one answered for quite some time . Finally a 
tired looking Kasumi greeted her .
" Oh , good afternoon Kuonji-san ." Kasumi sounded very tired .
" Are you alright ?" She asked , taking her shoes off before stepping from the 
entryway into the house proper .
" Just tried ." She smiled at her guest . 
" Why weren't Ranma , Akane and Nabiki at school today ?" She asked , following 
Kasumi into the living room .
    Kasumi stopped in her tracks .
" What happened ?" She reiterated .
" Well ," The eldest Tendo daughter looked away . " Akane and Ranma had their 
worst fight last night , and we haven't seen him since ." 
" Nani ?" She felt her jaw drop .
" We're not sure where he is . Could you help us ?" Still Kasumi refused to look 
her in the eye .
" S-sure . I don't think Ran-chan would have gone far ." 
" Thank you Kuonji-san , Nabiki will come with you ." 
    As if on cue the middle Tendo daughter entered the room . She looked much 
more rested , but she had a dark determination in her eyes that Kasumi lacked .
" Come on Ukyo , let's round up Ranma ." She gestured for her to follow .
    Soon they were walking down the street together .
" First , where do we check first ?" Nabiki sounded all business .
" The park ." She answered . " He has a few places there ."
" Good ." Nabiki waited until they were on a direct course for the park before 
speaking once more . " I have a few things to discuss with you also ." 
" Oh ?" She glanced at Nabiki . This did not sound good .
" I'm going to be Ranma's new fiancée now ." Nabiki stated flatly .
    That stopped her in her tracks much as Kasumi had . 
" Nani ?" 
" We're switching the engagement to me finally . Akane finally accepts that her 
and Ranma will never work ." Nabiki slowly came to a halt .
" So your family just tossed the chip to you ?" She snorted . This was far from 
welcome news .
" Ranma has to marry a Tendo . Kasumi is out of the question so I'm it by 
default ." Nabiki stated in a cool , unreadable tone .
" Why ? Do you even LIKE Ran-chan ?"
" Yes I do as a matter of fact ." Nabiki still kept her tone neutral . " But 
that isn't the point . The point is honor , and a family promise ."
" Same here sister !" She stomped up to Nabiki . " You just think you can mix 
and match him like he was nothing , don't you !?"
" It's not what I would want , it's not what he wants . But ," Nabiki suddenly 
whirled about to face her . The middle Tendo daughter's eyes burned with grim 
determination . " it will be done ." She stressed every word .
" Oh ?" She leaned back with a slight smirk on her face . This was Nabiki , no 
physical threat at all . " I've always based if I won in this contest as who 
made Ran-chan the happiest . I never thought Akane could do it consistently , 
and I damn well know you can't ." 
    Now with a confident smile on her lips she took one step away from Nabiki .
" So if you're determined to make Ran-chan so miserable that he has to run away 
while you interchange him like a light bulb then Ja ne !"  
    With that she leapt off , leaving the grounded Nabiki behind . Her confident 
smile melted as she leapt . This was possibly her moment of victory , but she 
felt no glory or happiness . She did not want to win like this . She wanted a 
happy ending . That meant that everyone was happy in the end .
    She reached the park by a longer route , but she knew that there was no way 
that Nabiki could reach this fast . She had ten to twenty minuets , depending on 
whether Nabiki ran or walked . Either way she had plenty of time . 
    Only even after close examination of each of his hiding places she found 
nothing . Not even any indication he had been there last night . Not even behind 
that Goku billboard .
    Leaving the park she stopped by her shop . No trace he had been there or was 
in the area . From there she began frantically checking every roof she had even 
known Ranma to stop on . Nothing . It was as if he had dropped off the face of 
the earth .



    She had not bothered to continue on to the park after sighting Ukyo hopping 
on another route , alone . Instead she opted to head to a local café and being 
asking around .
    That had not gone well . No one had seen or heard anything or anyone last 
night . Or anyone fitting Ranma's description going anywhere today . Many knew 
Ranma by sight and were very reliable .
    This did not bode well . Ranma , it seemed , was not going to be found if he 
did not want to be found . So she could lure him into the open . But what then ? 
Hog tie him and have a forced wedding ? She had seen Ranma break out of a solid 
cement block even while chained . There wasn't much that she could get her hands 
on that could actually restrain him for a useful length of time .
    That left waiting for him to either make a major mistake or come out on his 
own . Probably the latter .
    Wasting no more time she hurried home . Kasumi was belatedly going about her 
normal routine . Akane sat in the living room , looking like a person who just 
lost their best friend . In the background she heard her Father wailing about 
Ranma . 
    Hopefully Akane would adjust soon after Ranma was found . She knew her 
Father would be fine once Ranma was found and informed about the switch .
    Before either of her sisters noticed her arrival she headed upstairs . After 
booting up her computer she took out all of her files on Ranma . Quickly she 
scanned everything for some hint as to where he might be . None were evident .
    Then her stomach growled loudly . With a annoyed sigh she got up and made 
her way to the kitchen to grab a snack . Luckily Kasumi was out in the yard , 
hanging clothing up to dry , Akane was out there helping her . It was a short 
trip to grab an apple and a Pepsi before rushing up to her room .
    To find everything put back exactly as it had been before she had came home 
the first time . Everything except her computer and the envelope resting atop 
the monitor .
    A shiver ran through her . She had not been gone for more than a minuet or 
two , probably less than that .
    It would be futile to cry out and try to raise the guard . When Ranma had 
just been practicing the Umi-sen-ken none of them could ever find him . Even 
when he was in the same room as them . Once he had even stolen the floor struts 
from under the living room as they ate . 
    Fighting the urge to glance around she stalked across her room and picked up 
the envelope . It was thin , just a short letter inside probably . Opening it 
revealed just that . A letter addressed to her .
           'Nabiki-
         I know that you and I have never been on the best of terms .
       But I do not want to part on bad terms . 
         Please do not show this letter to anyone else , it is for you
       and you alone . I know that I have been nothing to you but 
       trouble since day one , and the cause of all the pain in your
       house . So I am at long last attempting to end this dammed
       mess of fiancées , martial artists , and conflicting promises 
       that make it all worse .
         I know there does not exist a good answer to this . I know 
       that as a Tendo your answer is 'Marry Akane' . This cannot be .
       I refuse to condemn her to a nightmare . But marring Ucchan or 
       Shampoo would only bring pain and dishonor to everyone . So I
       have come up with the best solution I can . Please trust me 
       one final time . 
                         
                                     -P.S.     Don't think I haven't
       extracted the revenge that I kept vowing to you . A good look 
       at you accounts will tell you that I have extracted half of 
       your personal profits from schemes using me . I have my share
       so we're even . (Half is quite a lot I might add , you'll do 
       great in business .)
         Please find someone for Akane .
                                                 -Ranma'
    Mechanically she folded the letter and replaced it in the envelope before 
sitting down in the chair at her desk .
    Knowing Ranma he had already placed similar notes to each of the Tendo's in 
their respective rooms . In all likelihood he was gone already . With the Umi-
sen-ken he was as good as invisible , and she had missed her window of him 
coming into the open on his own .
    Or had she ? 
    Knowing Ranma he was probably doing this for everyone he knew . They just 
had to act fast . She reached for her map of Ranma's roof hopping routes . to 
get a regular street map with a note attached .
                     'I said just trust me , not follow me !
                                                -Ranma'
    With a exasperated sigh she tossed the map aside and fled the room . Time 
was running out . 

                           *         *         *

    " Looks like we blew it ." Nabiki sighed at the dinner table . " Knowing how 
he can cover ground he could be out of Tokyo by now ."
" We can't track him ? Maybe he took a ship or a bus ?" Genma asked .
" Sorry , due to your damn Umi-sen-ken he wouldn't need a ticket ." Nabiki 
glared at Genma . " You do realize that a lot of this is your fault ."
" What matters now is finding Ranma ." She interjected reasonably .
    There were nods of agreement all around , and a request for tea . Feeling 
that this was a good a time as any to leave them be she complied and headed for 
the kitchen .
     She had read the letter Ranma had left for her two nights ago . She had 
found it on the pillow of her bed . He had cleaned her room before he had left , 
she had neglected her room during the chaos .
    It had been longer than she would have expected from him , and much more 
eloquent . She had broken down in tears that night .
           '-Kasumi-san
         When I first arrived I did not like you . Don't be shocked
       remember you and Nabiki were the ones that volunteered Akane .
       Of course I came to realize that it was nothing personal , I 
       mean who would want to marry a cursed freak ? That was all you
       saw me as , a curse come to upset the balance of you life and 
       destroy your dreams . Perhaps , although unwillingly , that is
       what I was . I know that's what I am . 
         Akane screamed the truth to me for so long that I can only 
       wonder why I could not hear it until now . She is right you 
       know . It is best I leave your lives and end my own before I 
       destroy any more . That really is all I can do , destroy . I 
       am the best martial artist of my generation after all . No one 
       even come near me for too long without me hurting them . That 
       held true for Ukyo . Ten years of her life warped by me . Then
       Ryouga . He speaks the truth when he shouts that I put him 
       through hell . I wish that even now I could clarify his pain .
       But another contradictory promise binds me . Just take me at 
       my word that he has . 
         Only now I am truly aware of just how much pain I cause those
       around me . Before I came you always smiled . Akane only had a
       group of boys to worry about . Nabiki schemed away , supporting 
       you family financially as you do domestically . I changed all 
       of that . Now Akane cries herself to sleep . Nabiki has to pay 
       for the damages that I cause . And you , gentle Kasumi-san , 
       you struggle to keep a family together that I'm ripping asunder
       . I wish that I could make at least some of it up to you . I 
       wish so hard , but that doesn't make is so . 
         I am bound by honor , no , I am strangled by it . So before 
       my life is choked I'll untangle this mess as best I can .
       It will only end when I do , but in the time I have left ...
         I have no illusions , there is no way to solve everything .
       But honor , my undoing , demands that I make one final try .
       Please trust in me this one final time , Kasumi-san . Before 
       the week is out it shall be done and I will have set you all
       free .
                                                 -Ranma'
    It had been that night when she had realized that she should have been the 
one . She should have been his fiancée , not Akane . She liked Ranma , and if 
she had not kept her distance for so long she would have fallen for him sooner . 
Now , when she had finally found her truth , he had found his . But his was only 
despair when hers held new hope . If only he had known her heart before that 
night .



    When she had returned home after her first day of fruitless search for her 
missing love she had found her restaurant cleaned and cared for . There had also 
been a note on a string , hanging from a ceiling fan .
           '-Dear Ucchan 
         I so wish that things could have been different . You are 
       and will always be my best friend . I do love you as such . In
       fact had things been different I would have married you . But 
       things are not different . No matter who I marry or who I do 
       not I will break promises and hurt everyone more than I already
       have simply by existing .
         I ruined ten years of your life , Ucchan . Don't let me ruin
       any more . You are a beautiful and talented woman , you will 
       go far in the business world . But , please let me go . If you
       do love me , let me go . All of this mess can only be if I'm 
       alive and around . Find someone worthy of you , I'm not . 
         Whenever I see your devotion to me , both as a fiancée and
       As my friend it tears at my heart . I don't deserve your 
       loyalty , your friendship , or your love . Please close this 
       horrible chapter of your life . Find someone and leave the 
       crazed martial artists , curses , and chaos behind .
         I'm going to make one last stand , Ukyo . I'm going to set
       things as right as I can . I've been a man on honor and honor
       is going to be the death of me . But I'll go down fighting .
       Trust me , I'll set you free , I'll set everyone free from me .
                                                 -Ranma'
    She had cried of course . She had collapsed on the floor right there and 
cried until she fell asleep .
    In the morning she had awoken with determination . She wouldn't let Ranma do 
this . If he was going to leave , it was going to be with her or not at all . 
She had gone out to search for him again . Again with no success .
    Today she had stayed at home . It was obvious that she would not find Ranma 
that way . So she thought instead . Slowly a plan began to take shape in her 
mind . She knew Ranma better than anyone else , but this time she would have to 
depend on the knowledge of someone else .



    It had been two days of hiding , planning , preparing , sneaking , and 
general subterfuge . I am thoroughly sick of that . Now I'm ready for action .
    Yesterday as my last stops I had delivered a letter to Mousse and Kuno . 
Both were letters of formal and final challenge . First I would fight Kuno , in 
his own home .
    I stand on the outer wall of the Kuno estate . The principal of my old 
school , and Kuno's Father , takes the courtyard field first . I leap down 
shortly thereafter . Now the final participant enters . 
    Kuno Tatawaki enters silently , instead of his normal regalia he wears the 
traditional armor of his samurai ancestors , complete with a daisho of real 
swords . There would be no half measures this fight , he meant to kill me , I 
meant to settle things permanently .
" I don't understand why you chose Father as the witness ." Kuno stated , 
dropping his falsely antiquated speech .
" He's the best neutral party I could think of that you would have no objection 
to ." I reply levelly .
    He nods in acknowledgement . " So , then shall we begin ?" Slowly Kuno draws 
his katana . It's a magnificent blade , a undiluted work of lethal art . He 
takes it in both hands and falls into a ready stance .
" Hai ." I reply , falling into a stance of my own . Only ten meters separates 
us .
    After a sigh of resignation , the principal stepped back and raised his hand 
. " Hajime !" He barks as he chops it down .
    I'm practically flying through the air . The distance between me and Kuno is 
closed in less than half a second . I strike for his stomach , my fist thrusting 
past the guard of his katana . I strike his armor . It holds .
" HA !" Kuno shouts in triumph as I slide ineffectually past him . I watch him 
raise his blade to cleave me in two .
    My side kick catches him under the armpit . He grunts but only sides back a 
meter . We circle each other now . I have to be wary of our distance . He has a 
good meter advantage in reach . Then there is the fact that he can stab with 
that katana almost as fast as I can punch , and each stab could kill me .
    I read his charge nearly a full second before he initiated it . He comes at 
me with a long vertical slash . I sidestep easily and hammer him a few hundred 
times in the side to get his attention . Hitting his armor is almost like 
hitting Ryouga , but a bit softer . Kuno only looks annoyed .
    He counters with a horizontal sweep of his blade that I saw about ten 
kilometers away . I flow over the blade and strike for his left temple with full 
strength . Kuno grunts in pain and sails head over heels through the air into 
the east wing wall . To his credit Kuno was neither knocked out nor did he drop 
his sword . 
    Even though I'm now twenty meters from him I can see his face as if he's 
only one meter away . A trickle of blood runs down his cheek from the side of 
his helmet . His left eye is closed from pain but the other burns with rage .
" I'll kill you now ." He snarls before charging . 
    This time he starts stabbing a few hundred times a second before I leap away 
. Instead I'm forced to backpedal and try to dodge or bend around each attack . 
Two things surprise me . One : he's stabbing with his left hand only . Two : his 
right hand is on the wakizashi . Kuno had anticipated my counter and would gut 
me if I dared come close enough .
    Instead I kicked back into a roll that ended with a handspring . Once I had 
made contact with the wall I kicked off in a horizontal leap that took me past 
Kuno . He only narrowed his eyes and turned to face me .
    Again I circled before charging in . I knew he would counter with a straight 
thrust , expecting me to dodge and keep coming . Then he would get me with his 
wakizashi . But I already all of that taken care of . 
    The thrust came , I slapped the blade on it's side . It's deadly point 
leading the rest of the blade away from me . I continued to come in . He drew 
his wakizashi . I grabbed his arm and held it there . My other proceeded to 
strike for his throat . 
    Kuno gave a sickening cough , one that splattered blood on my face . I 
twisted his arm and snatched the wakizashi from his now limp hand . However , 
his left had recovered from my block . I felt the blow coming and thought I was 
at a safe distance after sidestepping , but too late did I remember that when 
you held a sword by your off hand  you hold it at the base of the hilt , giving 
you more distance .
    The slash was painless , only a softly felt pressure , until the blade 
struck bone . I roared in pain and anger as my slashed muscles protested 
movement . The laceration ran from my lower ribs to my hip . Now I was quite 
pissed of course .
    Kuno did not characteristically celebrate his minor victory . No , this time 
he remained in a defensive posture . His katana now gripped in both hands . His 
eyes were burned and promised murder . Blood stained his lips and chin , giving 
him a savage vampiric look . I imagined I did not look much better . My own face 
was splashed with his own blood .
    I stood with his short sword in my right hand , my left clenched . He stood 
with both hands gripping his sword . We charged at the same moment .
    This blade arced out for my neck with more speed than I've ever seen from 
him . I met it with his wakizashi , the two blades ringing with the impact . My 
left fist coming in with a slow punch . It struck and shattered his breast plate 
an instant after impact . I retracted it , but so had Kuno retracted his blade . 
This time his attack preceded my own . His katana arced towards me in a move 
that I had never seen before . The slash curved horizontally just as it did 
vertically . I barely managed to meet it with his short sword . Then my 
counterattack came . Just one jab to his sternum , not enough to punch through 
the bone and crush his heart , but I felt ribs splinter and snap . 
    He slid limply along the ground for a few meters . His sword had fallen from 
his hands as he reeled from my blow . The fight was over .
    I looked to the principal . Normally the man was wacky and hyper , always 
going about as the Polynesian nut . Only now he nodded to me somberly . 
" You've won ." He declared . " I've already sent for the family doctor . He'll 
treat you too ." 
    I walked over to stand by Kuno's unconscious form . " No , thank you ." I 
shook my head . Stooping I remove the scabbard for the short sword . " Keep an 
eye on him , he might try to commit seppuku ." I warn before sheathing the 
wakizashi . " I'll take this as restitution for the trouble he's caused me in 
the past ." 
    The principal had walked over and was kneeling by his son . " I just wish 
you kids had kept it silly ." He shook his head . " Sticks instead of swords , 
ribbons instead of whips ."
" This was the only way I could get him to give up on his 'Pig Tailed Goddess' 
and Tendo Akane ." I explain .
" I know ." He shakes his head slowly . " I didn't realize he let his obsession 
go this far ." 
" I hope you can help your son ." I say , preparing to leave . 
" So do I ." 
    Before anything else can be said I'm gone . Once a kilometer or so from the 
estate I check myself over . The slash I took isn't deep and only takes a few 
minuets to bind with a lot of gauze wrapping . I took a few other cuts that I 
didn't feel at the time , but none are more than glorified paper-cuts . 
    Now that the plan is in motion and I've shown myself out in the open I'm 
running on a tight timetable . Sooner or later they'll find me . I'm not lucky 
enough for them not to .
    I peek around a alley corner and check the time on a clock in a store . It's 
ten 'til one . I have just enough time to rest a bit before my fight with Mousse 
. This one will be the hardest . I have to fight for real , but still lose .

                           *         *         * 

    He had gotten the letter from Saotome Ranma yesterday . It had disturbed him 
that he had entered his room then exited for a moment before reentering . In 
that short interval the letter had mysteriously appeared on his pillow .
    It had been short and concise . Basically Ranma was attempting to finally 
solve his problem with Shampoo . At around one o'clock they would meet in an 
obscure vacant lot on the outskirts of Nerima and fight in front of a witness .
    It was clear that Ranma would not throw the fight blatantly , but he would 
not be fighting to win . Something was ominous though . Ranma had indirectly , 
but clearly told him to bring his lethal weapons .
    So now he stood on the fence surrounding most of the lot . He had not been 
waiting long , but already doubts were surfacing . What if this was only a trick 
? If that note had not been from Ranma at all ? 
    All doubts were dispelled when Ranma all but appeared in his line of sight . 
The other young man looked fierce , but controlled . His clothing was torn and 
cut in a few places , each still wet with blood . 
" What happened to you ?" He asked out of curiosity .
" Kuno's pretty good with a real sword ." Ranma answered evenly . " Are you 
ready ?"
" Are you sure you are up to a fight ?" He asked politely , after hopping down 
to the ground .
" Are you ready ?" Ranma repeated with a edge of anger .
" Where is the witness ?" He asked , but took a stance to satisfy Ranma .
" Right over here ." A familiar feminine voice called from the sidewalk .
    He looked , keeping Ranma in the corner of his eye . With his glasses on he 
recognized one of the regulars at the Nekohatten . For some reason she was 
holding a video camera in one hand .
" You ? Why are you the witness ?" 
" Because , he asked me to ," She pointed to Ranma . " and I'm tired of seeing 
that purple haired girl give you the cold shoulder just because you don't want 
to beat her up ." The young woman gave him an encouraging smile . " I think 
you'd be good for her ."
" Shall we ?" Ranma sounded impatient .
    He looked back at his foe . Adjusted his glasses before tucking his hands in 
his sleeves before nodding .
" Hajime !" The young woman called .
    Ranma seemed to explode from his position . His opponent knew who held the 
advantage at a distance . Naturally he would try to diminish that advantage by 
closing the distance as soon as possible .
    In response he leapt back and hurled a small volley of knives . Nothing 
Ranma couldn't handle , but enough to slow him down as he dodged them . 
    He never saw the sword come into Ranma's hand . One moment it was empty the 
next it grasped a wakizashi and was busy slashing through the volley . As it had 
been an orderly staffed line of knives Ranma knocked them aside with one slash . 
Ranma never missed a step the whole time . Before he could react to the turn of 
events Ranma was on him . He felt fists slam into him hundreds of times . His 
ribs creaked under the strain . 
" Fight for real , or it'll all be for nothing ." Ranma hissed at him .
    His answer was to slash with a kopesh produced from his sleeve . Ranma cut 
through the sword with his own . He evaded the following round house and leapt 
high to make some distance .
    Ranma leapt after him without hesitation . He steeled himself to fight with 
all he had , even if it meant killing Ranma . His left hand launched a random 
pattern volley of knives , his right shot a weighted chain straight up and began 
an arc for where Ranma was projected to be in a half of a second .
    With skill that defied his years and speed that was beyond what any human 
had a right to Ranma did more than block the knives . He used his blade almost 
like a bat and hit most of the knives back at their origin . 
    Gritting his teeth he produced a metal fan and deflected what he could , two 
knives got through and dug deep gashes along his left thigh and right forearm . 
Still he continued his swing .
    Ranma knew the chain was coming , but in the air he had no leverage with 
which to maneuver .
    Or so he thought until Ranma tucked into a ball and spun just enough out of 
the way to let the chain miss by a centimeter . 
    The spin ended with Ranma unfurling into a upward slash that he met with the 
fan . Ranma's blade cut through half of it . He let go of the ruined shield and 
the chain . 
    Ranma withdrew his strike to remove the fan from his weapon . He withdrew 
his hands into his sleeves .
    Now they were nearing the apex of their leap .
    Ranma shoved the fan off of the blade and at his face , attempting to block 
his field of view . But he was used to fighting what he could not see . Just by 
instinct and his opponents ki he predicted the stab that came through the fan at 
his face . Having planned for it the blade missed him by a good ten centimeters 
. Already he had pulled a miniature version of Shampoo's bonbori . He struck for 
Ranma's armpit , attempting to break rib and hopefully dislocate the appendage .
    Ranma's other and snaked around and palmed the steel ball . A sharp impact 
followed by a wave of pain from his side informed him that a kick had caught him 
unawares . Propelled by the blow he reached the ground far ahead of Ranma . 
Rolling to his feet he proceeded to take advantage of this .
     He smiled grimly at Ranma before unleashing a fusillade of chains . The 
twenty or so chains were tipped with everything from a plain weight to poisoned 
blades .
    Again Ranma turned into a blur of red , black , and flashing blade . Sparks 
exploded around him . The other boy's defense was magnificent , he was a 
symphony of fluid motion , the blade and his limbs forming a veritable wall .
    But he would not be so easily beaten . Before the momentum of the initial 
barrage had ended he had already let go of the chains . This time he flung the 
volley with both hands , over forty knives in all . Even before they had reached 
the spherical wall that was Ranma he had already refilled his hands . This time 
he unleashed them in a short interval . After the last knife had left his hand 
he backpedaled furiously .
    Just as he had expected , Ranma would not go down that easily . Most of 
Ranma's defense was much too fast for him to follow , the motion leaving only 
the faintest tracers and afterimages . Ranma landed where he had been standing a 
half a second before . At first he thought his foe untouched . But fresh blood 
ran from numerable cuts . Hopefully one of those had been delivered by a 
poisoned blade .
    Ranma only paused long enough to give him a impassive stare before charging 
with the same implausible speed as before . Now it would come to close combat . 
Which meant that if he were to survive , much less win , he would have to get 
rid of that wakizashi Ranma was using .
    Grasping his last remaining chain he hurled it at the attacking Ranma . 
Ranma move the blade in to block . He snapped the chain like a whip . The iron 
clawed end snatched the blade and sent it high into the air . Ranma continued to 
charge .
    He met Ranma fist to fist , only his were sporting titanium knuckles . Yet 
they did not give him an advantage . Ranma still moved faster than any human had 
a right to . He was sliding along the ground with stars flashing in his vision 
before he knew what happened . But he was very stubborn , very determined . He  
had waited all of his life for a chance to prove himself worthy of the woman he 
loved . His rightful chance would not be taken from him so easily .
    The stars still had not ceased to cloud his vision after he somehow came to 
his feet , only during his charge did he realized that he had been howling with 
rage . 
    Ranma stood ready for the charge . He could feel his opponent's position .
    Only he would not make it so easy for the Saotome boy . Up until this point 
he had been using either long distance weapons or close quarters arms 
exclusively . A change would earn him a advantage of a second at best . 
Considering Ranma's adaptability perhaps it would best be measured in one 
hundredths of a second .
    He did not tuck either arm into his sleeves , that was only a gesture he 
used to hide from his opponents the fact that for the most part it was 
superfluous . Instead he assumed a regular hand-to-hand attack posture as he 
charged . Let Ranma believe that he had succumbed to mindless rage .
    At the last moment he leapt low , his waist eye level to his opponent , he 
kicked out with his left foot . As expected his heel was easily caught by Ranma 
. His leg would block Ranma's view of his left arm . In an apparent counter he 
kicked out with the other , again to have it caught . Now he truly attacked . 
His left hand had already produced a pronged bladed sword , the blades set a 
good distance apart . He stabbed down , following closely along his inner thigh 
and knee . The blades hissed past either side of Ranma's neck until the hilt 
slammed into his foe's throat . The new balance caused the entangled combatants 
to fall . Ranma on his back , and he kneeling on the other boy's chest . 
    Even before they toppled his right hand had the dagger in his hand . With 
their fall he struck . It was over , he had finally won . 
    Now the adrenaline no longer flowed everything grew still as he stared down 
at his work . The dagger was plunged down to the hilt , it had been a perfect 
finishing thrust . Finally he stood and stepped off of the limp form . 
    He adjusted his glasses and glanced over at the witness , he half expected 
her not to be there , having fled in terror . But she stood there with a sad 
smile on her face . 
" Mousse is the winner ." She said clearly before switching off the video 
recorder . "< My brother used to live in China for a while , I know all about 
your Amazon ways .>" She explained in his native language . "< I know you did 
what you had to .>"
" I think I'm about ready to collapse now ." He sighed .
" That was the easy part ." Ranma's voice came from behind him . " Now you're on 
your own ."
    He glanced behind him , expecting the other martial artist to hand him his 
weapons . But Ranma was not there . The pronged sword still stuck in the ground 
, the dagger had also not moved from where he had thrust it into the earth a 
millimeter from Ranma's ear . 
    However , Ranma's short sword was missing from where he had projected it to 
land . Likewise , all other traces of the other martial artist were gone . He 
looked to their witness .
" I dunno ." She shrugged . " He just disappeared when I looked away ."
" With luck on both our sides we'll never meet again ." He said with only a 
small amount of regret .
" You know I expect a free meal for this ." She smirked at him .
" Two free meals if you help me ." He offered .
" Deal ." She agreed .
    He threw a arm around her shoulders and let her help support his battered 
frame . His body hurt all over but still he smiled . For he was walking out of 
one dark chapter of his life and hopefully into a better one .



    She had been monitoring police radio traffic for the whole day on a hunch . 
It paid off . There was a routine report of a fight at the Kuno estate . Nothing 
out of the ordinary , except for the fact that the Kuno family doctor had 
requested an ambulance . It still did not mean that Ranma was involved for sure 
until there was a report of a fight between someone who fit Mousse's description 
and someone who fit Ranma's . But that one was over two .
    However now she could take action . The grabbed her hand held radio scanner 
and headed for the living room . With someone to carry her Genma , Akane , and 
her father could roof hop to the next scene .



    She had been watching the Tendo household for most of the day . Watching 
Tendo Nabiki to be precise . It had taken her a while to figure out what the 
middle daughter had been doing . A police scanner .
    At first it had not made sense . The police left all of them alone as a rule 
, after all their residence kept the crime rate in Nerima near zero . But that 
did not mean they were unaware of the activities of the martial artists . After 
Nabiki left her room and began to talk hurriedly to the rest of the family she 
had made ready to move .
    As expected soon Akane , Genma , and Soun exited the house dressed for 
battle . Ranma would most likely have to be convinced by force to return . But 
unexpectedly Soun was carrying his middle daughter , who in turn was holding a 
what looked like a large portable radio . The party leapt to the roof and waited 
for a good twenty minuets before suddenly springing off at Nabiki's signal .
    Keeping a low profile as possible and trying not to make a silhouette she 
leapt off in pursuit .



    The fight with Mousse went worse than I had expected , physically that is . 
I paced myself and held back a lot , but I took some sort of poison from one of 
those blades . Near the end my vision was blurry and my reflexes were at a 
quarter of their speed . Now that I cleaned the cuts my head's a lot clearer , 
but I'm not at one hundred percent by far . 
    While I had the privacy of a locked bathroom at a gas station I took the 
time to bind my newest wounds and change clothing . Now I'm wearing a long 
sleeve brown shirt to cover my bandages , my pants look the same except for now 
they're gray . Looking at my thrashed clothing on the floor I shake my head . It 
just my shirt and pants looked that bad how do I look ? 
" Whatever ." I borrow from Nabiki and toss the ruined things into plastic bag .
    After peeking out to make sure no one who would recognize me is about I dash 
off to a dumpster and deposit my refuse . So far I've been both lucky and just 
barely pulling this off . But , hey , so far so good . 
    I've taken care of the Tendo's as best I can expect so far . Ukyo , the same 
thing . Kuno's been handled . But that leaves his sister . I look up at the 
sun's position , I don't have much time before I have to be there . 
    Sticking to the ground and alleys I run full out . I have to be there for 
this to work .
    It only takes me a few minuets to get there . Cars honking at the guy who's 
exceeding the speed limit , does give me some satisfaction . Why didn't I run 
like this more often , it's a good change from roof hopping . 
    Kashuoh Kinnosuke is waiting for me at the park . I look at a his watch , 
Kodach will be here any minuet .
" You know the drill ?" I ask , catching my breath .
" Of course ," He say arrogantly . " I've always wanted to get my hands on 
wealth like hers ." Kinnosuke flashes me a predatory grin .
" You'll have your hands full then ." I mutter under my breath .
    I suppose this is kinda cruel of me . Then again this is the jerk that got 
me sold into slavery in Hong Kong ! I escaped , but not before I saw things that 
still haunt me . I suppose this is just a sort of twisted poetic justice .
    A familiar cackle reaches my ears on the wind .
" Shit ! She's here !" I bark , bolting for a water fountain .
" Places !" He concurs . Running into the bushes .
    I thank the kamis that the water is cold enough . Only a little squirt over 
my hand triggers the change . Turing I wait for her arrival .
    Black pedals of her signature flower swirl on the wind before she drops in 
from a leap over a oak tree . She is wearing her usual leotard , but her ribbon 
is replaced by a wicked looking whip .
'... ribbons instead of whips .' So that's what he meant .
" So you finally challenge me for Ranma-sama ." She takes a condescending stance 
to match her tone .
" Yes , this time only one of us lives !" I shout my line .
" Come at me then , little girl ." She springs into a stance , her whip at the 
ready .
" DIE !" I cry my next line before drawing the wakizashi and charging .
    She's only momentarily surprised by the new weapon . Before I reach her 
she's already marked the weapon off as little threat in my hands . Her arrogance 
will cost her this fight . 
    Her whip lashes out , I sever anything that comes close . Her eyes grow wide 
at the event . She leaps out of the way of my slow attack . Again she lashes out 
with her whip . This time I snatch it's shortened tip out of the air and slice a 
meter long section off . Now she's mad . Good .
" You'll pay for that , wretch ." She spits at me .
    I say nothing and attack again . Just slow enough for her to dodge by 
centimeters . Once more she attacks with the stupid whip . Guess what I do ? I 
slice off two meters this time . She better learn quick or my time table will be 
thrown off .
    Thank fully this time she quickly puts some distance between us and 
considers her weapon . Even a nut like her knows what way the wind is blowing 
with that situation . I just barely notice her palm the flask . From the dull 
gray color I guess it's her standard paralytic concoction . She may be crazy , 
but she's not stupid enough to carry anything lethal on her person in a fight .
    Besides I've been hit with that stuff enough times to recognize it .
" Now I have you !" She shouts and charges , her feint is so bloody obvious I 
almost groan .
   Regardless , I play my part and meet her charge . She snaps off the cap and 
tosses the powder in my face . Or would have if my face had still been there . 
Instead I am now behind her . A little shove and a strike to a pressure point 
near her diaphragm forces her to inhale the cloud .
    Her muscles tighten and freeze her in place like a statue before she can 
crumple to the ground . 
" HEY ! What's going on here ?" Kinnosuke shouts on cue . 
" Now I'll finish you !" I say my next line as I roll Kodachi over to lay on her 
back . " Now you die !" I raise the blade high .
    Her eyes are wide with absolute fright . She really thinks I'm going to kill 
her . It's all I can do to keep from laughing at how ridiculous this all is .
" Noooo !" Kinnosuke shouts and tackles me . 
    Now out of Kodachi's sight we proceed to make a bad imitation of a radio 
play fight . I thump my stomach and make sounds of pain . Kinnosuke thumps my 
back and stomps on the ground . Finally we end with me leaping up and kicking a 
branch in two before quickly hiding . The Umi-sen-ken seems to really be saving 
my ass lately .
" Next time , coward !" Kinnosuke shouts his line dramatically .
    Triumphant he strides over to the still paralyzed Kodachi . Kneeling beside 
her he flashes his best comforting smile .
" She won't be back anytime soon , you're safe now ."
    By now the adoration in her eyes is QUITE apparent . Ah ha , she's found a 
new obsession . 
    I leave as he starts playing the hero-to-the-maiden role to the hilt and 
carries her off in his arms .
    I should have a good hour to rest this time before my next task . Kami-sama 
this is a endurance test from hell . I know I shouldn't but I saw the bench and 
it all but called to my weary body . So like the idiot I am I sat down on it to 
rest . It was wonderful while I sat there . I could feel the energy flow back 
into me as Mousse's poison entered it's last stages . It still was slowing me 
down and my distance vision was still hazy but my mind was clear again . Clear 
enough to realize my mistake . 
" What am I doin' ?" I shake my head and spring to my feet , ready to head for a 
better hiding place .
" RANMA !" Ryouga's voice shouts .
    Shit , too late .
" Son-in-law ." The old ghoul calls .
    Damn I'm an idiot .
" Ranma , now it's going to end !" Ryouga comes into my line of sight now .
    He's angry , that's normal for him , but something feels different about him 
. Something that sets my instincts screaming about danger .
" Ryouga , I don't have time for this ." I answer . Kami-sama I'm too tired to 
fight him now if my instincts are right .
" Son-in-law , you are injured ?" No concern in her voice , just puzzlement .
" You know what they say about a wounded animal ." I warn , prepared to either 
escape or make a last stand .
" True ." Cologne thinks for a moment . " Ryouga , perhaps you would like to 
wait until your rival can face you at full strength to prove your own ?" 
" No ," Ryouga never takes his hate filled eyes from me . " I want to kill him 
now , before he can get stronger ." 
" Not very honorable ." Cologne admonishes .
" My honor has been stripped from me !" The lost boy snarls at her . " This is 
not about restoring honor ! This is about revenge for years of hell !" 
    No . I'm not going to die yet . Not now , I've come so far , I just have to 
last a few more hours then it'll all be over . I find myself in a crouch , if 
I'm an animal then I guess this is the best stance .
" Neko-ken ?" Cologne raises and eyebrow at my stance . " While still lucid ? 
Perhaps the field is still level ."
" RANMAAA !" I hear my Father bellow .
    Oh no . Damn it to hell , not now ! I'm so close ! It was all working !
" Ranma-kun !" Soun calls .
    Soon enough my Father , Soun , and Akane run up beside Ryouga and Cologne . 
To my surprise and puzzlement Nabiki is with them . All , save Nabiki , are 
dressed to fight .
" Ranma !" Akane calls to me . My heart suddenly feels like it's being crushed 
in a vice . " Ranma , please !"
    I say nothing now . What could I say ? 'You'll never take me alive '? Yeah , 
right .
" Ranma , we have something to tell you !" Nabiki calls to me .
    Her mouth opens again to continue but she is silenced by Ryouga's sudden 
bellow . " ENOUGH !"
" I'm though with this !" The lost boy barks at the small crowd . " Shut up and 
stay out of my way !" 
    He turns to me in the same motion as drawing his umbrella . Almost like a 
battou-jutsu he slashes through the air in a clean arc before lunging at me . 
    A good thirty meters of grass and bushes separated us . Ryouga crossed that 
in a single bound that made the earth he had been standing on all but explode . 
I sidestepped his initial attack , which snapped the pine tree behind my bench . 
    He whirled with another swing . I ducked and delivered four hundred full 
force punches to one spot on his stomach in about a quarter of a second . He 
only grunted in response . I followed up with a savage knee to his kidney . That 
got his attention . He elbowed me in the face . Out of my open eye I saw the 
tree I was heading for just in time to flip and use it as a springboard . Still 
in my female form I was at least thirty percent faster . That meant that when I 
leapt from that tree I doubted anyone but Ryouga and the old Ghoul could follow 
my movement .
    Ryouga brought his umbrella out before him to block my apparent jump kick . 
So predictable .
    I used the super dense umbrella as a surface to rebound off of and turn my 
mid air attack into a high leap away . 
    I suppose everyone must have been surprised that instead of fighting the 
other guy to the bitter end I chose to escape sensibly . The leap took me a good 
thirty stories into the air and well out of the park . I came down roughly , my 
legs were still a bit rubbery from the poison . I began to run though , rubbery 
legs or not . I needed to outdistance them very quickly before using the Umi-
sen-ken . I just gotta rest for a while then make my next 'appointment' . In all 
likelihood this will be my last .

         End Part 5 'Labor'