Last major revision: 10/08/98
Last modified: 04/05/99

As usual, C&C is deeply appreciated.  ^_^

--------------------------------- 
TIGER CLAW 
Part 2:  DAMAGE CONTROL 
---------------------------------

A Ranma 1/2 fanfic by Madamhydra@aol.com

    All rights and privileges to Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takahashi,
Shogakukan, Viz Communications, Inc., and associated parties.  The
characters of her series are used without her permission for the purpose
of entertainment only.  This work of fiction is not meant for sale or
profit. 
    All original characters are the creation of the author.  All
copyright privileges to these characters are reserved for the author.

--------------- 
IMPORTANT NOTE: 
    This is a continuation/ALTERNATE REALITY fanfic.  While the story
follows the manga (and video) continuity to just after Mount Phoenix
(volume 38), the subsequent wedding ceremony (and the related bombing by
Shampoo and Ukyo) does NOT occur.  In this story, a different incident
involving the planned wedding took place. 
    Only a limited number of the main characters have actually SEEN the
Neko-ken (the Tendos, Genma, Shampoo, Cologne, Gosunkugi or Sasuke, and
Kuno), although others may have heard rumors about it. 

--------------- 
Text Conventions 
    (  )  -> thoughts 
    >  <  -> sound fx 
    <" ">  -> Chinese 
    [  ]    -> signs 
    Curse forms are denoted by appropriate suffixes (-chan, -neko,
-panda, etc.) except for Ryoga (P-chan) and Mousse (Muu-Muu).

**********************************************************************
Part 2a: Comings and Goings
**********************************************************************

    Nabiki watched Akane and Ranma disappear around the corner of the
house, then heaved a deep sigh of relief.  The sigh instantly turned
into a gasp as she felt a sharp stab of pain in her ribs.

    Shampoo gave her a concerned look, but Nabiki waved her away. She
briefly surveyed the damage to the house, then walked over to the broken
tree and Ukyo.  Recognizing the naked man pinned under the tree trunk,
Nabiki ruefully shook her head and muttered, "Oh, Kuno, you really did
it this time, didn't you?"

    "He certainly doesn't look too good." Ukyo said softly.  "He's way
too pale and his breathing sounds really bad."  She suddenly glance
behind Nabiki.  Turning around, Nabiki saw Kasumi standing in the
gateway, her arms full of groceries and a vaguely stunned expression on
her face.

    "Oh... OH MY!"

    Everyone then jumped in surprise when Akane flung the front door
open.  She blurted out, "Kasumi, Nabiki, make sure everyone stays
downstairs until I say it's okay, all right?"  With those words, she
disappeared back into the house and they all heard her running up the
stairs.

    Kodachi, who had somehow been stared into some semblance of decorum
by Nodoka's steely gaze, abruptly sprang back to life.  She snapped her
ribbon back into the air and shrieked, "Vile temptress, how dare you
steal my darling Ranma away!"  She bounded past a startled Nodoka and
headed for the inside of the house.

    "Stop her!!!" Nabiki yelled.

    Ukyo had been doing her best to stay calm, but Kodachi's latest
antics were simply the last straw.  She automatically reached for her
battle spatula, then remembered....

    (Damn it!  I left it behind at the restaurant this morning!)

    With a furious gleam in her eyes, Ukyo grabbed the closest throwable
object.  She flung it at Kodachi with all her strength while yelling,
"JUST... GIVE... IT... UP!!!".  The broken tree branch bounced off the
back of Kodachi's head, knocking the obsessed gymnast out cold.

    Everyone turned to stare at the chef.  She stood with her fists
clenched and her chest heaving in rage.  When Ukyo finally noticed the
strange looks she was getting, she snarled, "IT'S BEEN A REALLY BAD DAY,
OKAY!?"

    Nabiki muttered, "Ummmm, right."

    While Ukyo was dealing with Kodachi, Kasumi had dumped her groceries
on the ground and was now kneeling beside Ryoga.  She checked his pulse,
frowning at the coolness of his skin.

    "Nabiki, hurry and call an ambulance!  You also need to contact Dr.
Tofu.  Tell him to go to the hospital right now."

    "Tofu?  Kasumi, why...?"

    "Please, Nabiki!"

    Responding to the quiet urgency in Kasumi's voice, Nabiki hastily
stepped over Kodachi's body and went indoors to use the phone.  After
terse conversations with emergency services and Dr. Tofu, she made one
additional call to the Kuno residence.

    "Sasuke, this is Nabiki Tendo.  Come to the dojo right now and pick
up Kodachi."  She hung up before the Kuno retainer could ask any
questions.

    She went back outside to find Kasumi examining Kuno.  Nabiki asked
her sister again, "Why Dr. Tofu?"

    Kasumi looked as worried as Nabiki had ever seen her.  "They're
dying, Nabiki."

    "What!?" 
     
    "That can't be!  They may be hurt but I've seen these guys fight
with worse injuries!" protested Ukyo. 
     
    "Worse physical injuries, perhaps.  But that's not what's killing
them, Ukyo.  There's something terribly wrong with their chi.  It's like
their chi is somehow being...."  She groped for the right word.
"...being twisted or warped."

    Shampoo gasped.

    Nabiki stared at her sister with astonishment.  "You can TELL?"

    Kasumi blushed and murmured, "Well, I have read some books.  And
that nice Mrs. Nikita at the teashop taught me a few things.  I'm
certainly not an expert like Dr. Tofu, but I can sense when something's
seriously wrong.  Martial artists usually have strong, clear energy
patterns in their bodies.  But Ryoga's and Kuno's chi are in terrible
shape.  The flow of chi simply isn't there like it should be."

    Ukyo thought, (Ran-chan couldn't have done this.  He'd never use
such a vicious attack.  It's got to be some horrible side effect of
whatever crazy magic Kuno and Ryoga were under.)

    Kasumi suddenly blinked, then glanced around in confusion. "Where's
Ranma?"

    The girls stared at each other, then looked away in different
directions.  Kasumi stood up and said, "Oh my!  He's not...?"

    Nabiki said, "He's upstairs with Akane at the moment.  I'm sure
she'll let us know if there's anything...wrong with him."  She muttered
under her breath, "I hope...."

    Kasumi gave her sister an inquiring look.  "Nabiki, what happened?"

    She shrugged and said, "Don't ask me what's going on.  I managed to
miss most of it.  All I know for sure is that Ranma went 'cat' on us
again.  That's it."

    They could now hear the sound of rapidly approaching sirens. Kasumi
reached into her pockets, pulled out a small notepad, and hastily
scribbled a note.

    It was all over in a few brief moments.  The paramedics quickly
placed Ryoga on a stretcher and wheeled him away.  With Shampoo's help,
they pried Kuno from beneath the tree trunk and stuffed him into the
ambulance beside Ryoga.  Before they left, Kasumi handed the note to one
of the paramedics.

    "Please make sure that Dr. Tofu receives this."  He nodded briskly
and hurried off.

    Ukyo asked, "Kasumi, what's with the note?  Why didn't you just go
yourself?"

    Kasumi frowned slightly on the bloodstains on her new skirt and said
placidly, "I have to be here in case Akane and Ranma need me. And I have
to take care of Father when he returns.  Goodness.  He'll be so upset."

    As the wails of the ambulance faded in the distance, Soun Tendo and
Genma-panda rushed into the compound.  The sight of the blood-splattered
walkway brought them to a screeching halt.  There was a long moment of
silence as the two men took in the scene.

    Genma-panda's sign read, [What's going on!?]

    "ARGHHHH!!!!  WHAT HAPPENED!?  Akane!  Where's Akane?"   Soun stared
around wildly.

    Nabiki's lip curled ever so slightly.  (Dad, you're going to be a
great help.  As usual.)

    Kasumi briskly stepped to her father's side.  In a soothing voice,
she said, "Akane's fine, Father.  She's upstairs at the moment. How
about some tea?"  She gently, but firmly, led her father around the
house toward the side porch.

    Genma-panda had been unaware of his wife's presence until she spoke
up in a stern voice.  "GENMA!!!"

    The panda's sign read, [W-w-wife?]

    In very even tones, she said, "Do you have ANY idea what I've just
seen this morning?"

    [Uhhh.  Nope!]

    "What have you DONE to our son!?"

    [????]

    "The cats, Genma!  The cats!"

    [Ohhhhh....]

    "Is that all you can SAY!?"  With her sword clutched in a
white-knuckled grip, Nodoka advanced on the panda, grabbed a furry ear,
and dragged her husband into the house.  "We are going to have a long
talk and you are going to face it like a man!  AS A MAN!"

    Nabiki, Shampoo, and Ukyo remained in the entranceway, along with
the still unconscious Kodachi.  Ukyo started to say something but Nabiki
halted her with a raised hand.  An instant later, there was a blur of
black as Sasuke landed several feet away from them.

    He took a quick look around and yelped, "Ahhh!!!  What's this!?"
With Kodachi sprawled on the ground and two of her rivals for Saotome's
affections standing over her, it was no wonder that the little ninja
assumed the worst.

    "What have you done to Mistress Kodachi!?"

    Nabiki snapped, "Cool it, Sasuke.  She's just been knocked
unconscious.  I'm sure it's happened plenty of times before.  Just get
her the hell out of here."

    The ninja blinked.  Faced with some obviously irate martial artists
-- female ones, at that -- he opted for a strategic retreat. He heaved
Kodachi over his shoulder, then staggered a bit under her weight.

    "Oh, and Sasuke...."

    "Yes, Ms. Tendo?"

    "If you want her to stay healthy, you'll do everything in your power
to keep her away from Ranma for at least 24 hours."

    "Did Saotome do this to her?  Master Kuno will...."

    Nabiki coolly interrupted.  "Kuno's being taken to Central Hospital
at this very moment.  He may not live."

    "He may not WHAT!?"

    Ukyo stalked up to Sasuke and said, "You heard her, pipsqueak. He
challenged Ran-chan this morning and Kuno lost, big-time."  She moved
even closer.  "You won't know anything about that challenge, would you? 
Or rumors about a secret wedding, huh?  Or about THIS!?" She waved one
of the tattered, blood-stained tiger skins beneath Sasuke's nose.

    "Oh... oh, no...."  The little ninja went very pale.

    "What!?  You little toad, you DO know something!"    Ukyo looked
like she was about to pounce on Sasuke.

    "Uh, well....  I mean, no!  I can't....  I've got to get Mistress
Kodachi back to the house!"

    Nabiki eyed him coldly.  "Sasuke, I WILL be talking to you and I
WILL expect answers.  Got it?"

    "Um.... yes."

    "Then don't stand there.  Get out of here."

    Sasuke trudged out the Tendos' yard, constantly juggling Kodachi
around in an effort to keep her hair and feet from dragging on the
ground.  After he left, Nabiki carefully bent down and picked up a sword
that had been lying forgotten in a puddle of blood.  Its scabbard lay
nearby, amid Kuno's torn clothing.  She carefully wiped the blood off
the blade with Kuno's shirt as she took a good look at the weapon.

    (A real sword.  Kuno certainly wasn't fooling around this time. It's
quite a beauty.  And valuable.)

    She cocked her head slightly.  (Hmm.  I've seen it before, but
where?)  As she carefully slid the sword back into its sheath, Nabiki's
eyes abruptly widened.

    (Of course!  I've seen its picture all over Kuno's house.  This
isn't just any old katana.  This is THE Kuno family honor blade.  It's
been in their family for centuries!  This sword is so valuable that the
Kunos keep it locked up in the family shrine.  For Kuno to even consider
using it...!)

    "Nabiki?  You okay?" Shampoo asked.

She started.  "Oh!  Yeah, I'm fine.  Come on, ladies.  I think we all
need to have a long talk."

    The girls joined Soun, a damp Genma, and a quietly enraged Nodoka in
the living room.  As Kasumi deftly served everyone with tea, Nabiki
said, "Now, if you ladies can tell us what happened this morning?"  In a
slightly more empathic voice, she added, "Mrs. Saotome, why don't you
start off?  Ukyo?  You and Shampoo can fill in the details."

**********************************************************************
Part 2b: WAKING NIGHTMARES
**********************************************************************

    Akane sensed the familiar muscle twinge that told her that a bad leg
cramp was probably on its way.  She then looked down at Ranma who was
peacefully snoozing in her lap.

    (I don't want to wake him up but I've got to do something before
that cramp gets any worse.  Maybe if I move slowly enough....)

    Trying to keep her movements to a minimum, Akane slowly straightened
her leg.  As she leaned forward to massage it, Ranma started to stir. 
Akane waited nervously for him to wake up.

    (Will he be okay?)

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

    His pillow was moving.

    Ranma drowsily opened his eyes and stared at the blue cotton fabric
brushing his nose.  He frowned in confusion.

    (Blue?  My pillow's not blue.)  He then grimaced at the sticky,
metallic taste in his mouth. 
     
    (Ugh.  Where have I tasted THAT before?)

    He slowly lifted his head a few inches and struggled to focus his
eyes.  After blinking once or twice, he gradually recognized the bright
yellow-on-blue patterns hovering just beyond his nose.

    (Umm... flowers.  Just like the sunflowers on Akane's favorite
T-shirt.  Hold it.... they ARE the sunflowers on her....)

    At that moment, Ranma suddenly realized that his face was snuggled
between two soft, warm mounds.  Mounds that were moving in time with the
quiet, breathing noises....

    (Moving?  Two of them?  Akane's T-shirt!?)

    (Oh no....)

    Ranma looked up VERY slowly and saw Akane staring down at him with
an intense frown on her face.  There was a deep flush in her cheeks.  He
realized with a horrified start that he was in a very Happosai-ish pose
--  his arms tight around her waist, his face crammed between her
breasts....

    His immediate thought was, (I am going to DIE.)

    Ranma flung himself off Akane and was up against the far wall in a
flash.  Wrapping his arms protectively over his head, he babbled, "No! 
It's not what you think!  I wasn't....  I don't mean to....  It was an
accident!"

    (Oh, give it up.  She's never going to believe you....).  Ranma
sighed and waited for the full wrath of Akane to fall on him.

    He waited.  And waited.

    When nothing happened, he slowly lowered his arms and snuck a
cautious peek in Akane's direction.  She hadn't moved at all.  Akane
continued to sit on the floor, staring blankly at him.  As he watched,
she slowly placed her hand on her chest where his face had just been.
Amazingly, she didn't look angry at all.

    She looked nervous, almost... frightened.

    Ranma stared at her in bewilderment, then gasped when he saw the
reddish brown splotches all over her skin and clothes.  But it was the
metallic smell that really clicked in his brain.

    It was blood.  She was covered in BLOOD.

    "Akane!"

    Horrified, he lunged to his feet and reached out to her.  Then he
noticed the same reddish brown stains all over his own hands.  And his
arms.  Ranma froze.  Looked down very slowly.  Numbly watched his hand
as it slowly picked at his torn clothes.  Saw little dark flakes fall
off the blood-encrusted cloth.

    (That taste in my mouth....  What's going on?) he dazedly wondered.

    Ranma's knees hit the floor as he frantically went over his memories
of the last few hours.  He had been practicing in the back yard.  Then
his mother and his fiancees had showed up.  Then Ryoga and Kuno had
arrived to challenge him over some crazy rumor of a wedding. And...
and... and then nothing.

    He could remember NOTHING before waking up in Akane's room.

    Staring at the dried blood caked on his hands, he wracked his brain.
 There had to be more.  There had to be some scrap of memory that would
tell him how he got into this state.

    (The Neko-ken?  Got to be it....  But what....)

    He'd had blackouts before.  He'd woken up in weird and embarrassing
situations before.  But nothing like this.  He shivered. His body had
been running round and he had NO idea what it had been doing.

    One expected at least a little blood during a fight.  But this time,
Ranma looked like he had been in a bloodbath.  Literally.

    He desperately hoped that at least some of the blood was his.  He
could deal with that.  But after he hurriedly checked himself out, Ranma
knew that it couldn't be his own blood.  He had no injuries.  He felt
okay.  Except for some minor soreness, he actually felt... pretty good.

    For some reason, a picture of lions came to mind -- lions fresh off
a kill, lazily cleaning the blood off their fur.

    (No.  That's impossible.  It couldn't be.  I couldn't have!)

    In a sick voice, Ranma whispered, "What... what happened? What...
what have I done!?  I... I can't REMEMBER!"

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

    Akane barely had a chance to realize that Ranma was back to his
normal self.  The next thing she knew, he was up against the far wall,
babbling incoherent excuses.

    At first, she couldn't quite figure out what he was talking about...
then she understood.

    (He's scared that I'll bash him for acting like that pervert
Happosai!)

    She nearly burst into hysterical laughter.  She wished it was
something so simple.  And under normal circumstances, he would have been
right.  She would have clobbered him in an instant, just like he
expected.

    But Akane quickly sobered when she saw the look on Ranma's face. He
had finally noticed all the blood.  His face went stark white. Then she
became really frightened when he sank to his knees on the floor.  And
that terrifying blankness in his eyes.  She could sense him retreating
deep inside his own mind.  His anguished whisper told her exactly what
was going through his brain.

    She jumped to her feet and ran over to him.  Grabbing his shoulders,
Akane shook him as hard as she could.

    "Ranma!"

    There was no response.  She shook him harder, then slapped his face
hard.

    "Ranma!!!"

    The barely suppressed panic in her voice finally reached him.  He
blinked, then grabbed her arms.  In a frantic voice, he asked her,
"Akane!  Are you all right!?  You aren't....  I didn't...."     He
couldn't make himself say the words.

    "No, Ranma!  I-I-I'm fine.  None of this blood's mine!  I'm not hurt
at all!"

    He sagged with relief, then he looked even more confused. "Then...
then whose blood...?"

    Akane bit her lip and didn't immediately answer.  Ranma's whole body
tensed.  "Akane!  Whose blood is it!?  Tell me!"    His grip tightened
and threatened to leave bruises.

    She suddenly realized that Ranma must be assuming the worst from her
silence.  Akane hurriedly blurted out, "It's yours...."

    He instantly shook his head.  (No way!)

    "... and the... the creatures' that tried to attack us."

    "Creatures?  WHAT creatures!?  Are you sure?"

    "Yes, yes, I'm sure!  The other girls and your mother are fine!"

    "What about Ryoga?  Kuno?"  He sounded surprisingly concerned about
two guys who had been hell-bent on killing him.

    "Ranma, it's a bit hard to explain."

    "Akane, what's going on!?"

    She took a deep breath.  "What do you remember?"

    Ranma froze.  (Why don't she just spit it out?)

    He whispered, "Facing off against Kuno and Ryoga.  And then...
nothing."     He paused.  "The Neko-ken, right?"  The torn expression on
his face indicated that he didn't know whether he wanted a 'yes' or 'no'
answer.

    She nodded and chose her words with exquisite care.  "Ryoga and
Kuno... suddenly changed into these big, horrible cat monsters.  Giant
tigers, really.  They tried to attack you and the rest of us.  That made
you to go into your 'cat-mode' and you managed to fight them off.
Barely."

    Ranma slowly released her arms, looked away briefly, then turned
back to her.  "Did... did I...."

    "They're not dead.  I'm pretty sure they're still alive."  She
couldn't quite met his eyes although she tried.

    He closed his eyes, then whispered, "You're 'pretty sure'?"

    Akane reluctantly answered the unspoken question.  "They were...
badly hurt.  I heard the ambulance take them away."

    Ranma jerked his head down to stare fixedly at his blood-covered
hands, but not before Akane caught a glimpse of the fear and
self-loathing in his eyes.

    She shook him slightly.  "Ranma, listen to me!  I'm not entirely
sure what went on out there but I do know this.  What happened to Kuno
and Ryoga was NOT your fault!"

    "Not my fault...." he echoed dully.

    "Ranma, if it hadn't been for you -- me, Ukyo, your mom, and
everyone else would probably be dead right now!  Ryoga and Kuno... they
turned into some sort of unstoppable killing...."

    He interrupted in a shockingly bitter voice.  "Sounds just like me
and the Neko-ken."

    She shouted at him furiously, "Don't say that!  That's completely
different!  You never made an unprovoked attack on people!"    Akane
struggled to calm herself, then continued.

    "The other girls tried fighting them but couldn't even scratch them!
 You going 'cat' was the only thing that saved our lives.  And even with
the Neko-ken, it was so close.  They nearly KILLED you!"

    He shook his head in bewilderment.  (What is she talking about? I
haven't got a scratch!)

    Akane's gaze shifted to the rips and tears in his clothes, places
where the monsters' claws had nearly sliced his flesh to the bone. How
could he understand if she couldn't?

    He opened his mouth to say more but Akane cut him off.  "Please
Ranma, I know I'm leaving out a lot of details but... I'll tell you
about them later.  I promise."

    Ranma slowly nodded, then mumbled, "Bit of a switch, huh?  You're
always telling me that it IS all my fault.  You... and Ryoga...."

    Akane could find nothing to say.  It was sad but true.  An
uncomfortable twinge of guilt made her stare at the floor and mutter
defensively, "Well, it usually is...."

    He flinched.

    "...but not this time," she hastily added. 
     
    (Oh, that was smart!)  Akane nervously realized that she would have
to be very careful about what she said and did.  Physically, Ranma
seemed okay.  But he looked so badly shaken.  Akane wasn't sure if she
could cope with an emotionally fragile Ranma.  She was so used to Ranma
being strong....

    He clenched his hands, felt the tightness of dried blood on his
skin.  Ranma shuddered and said, "I can't STAND this.  I've got to get
this stuff off of me."

    "Okay."

    Akane stood next to Ranma as they both rose to their feet. Unlocking
the door, she unhesitatingly took his hand and led him into the hallway.
 He froze momentarily as he saw evidence of his earlier dash to Akane's
room -- a trail of bloody handprints and footprints leading up the
stairs and along the hallway to her door.  She gently tugged him forward
and pulled him toward the stairwell.

**********************************************************************
Part 2c: DARKEST FEARS
**********************************************************************

    Nabiki's expression got noticeably grimmer as she listened to the
description of Ryoga's and Kuno's physical transformations, Ranma's
mental transformation, and the events that followed.  Considering what
she had seen that morning, she had expected the story to be bad.  But it
was worse than she could have imagined.  It wasn't the sheer violence
that bothered her the most, although that was gruesome enough.  No, it
was the other sorts of details that she found really frightening.

    ...the messages that 'conveniently' invited the fiancees and Mrs.
Saotome to the house... 
    ...the message which 'conveniently' got her father and Mr. Saotome
OUT of the house.... 
    ...Kuno and Ryoga showing no surprise at -- or rather, EXPECTING
Ranma's sudden panic attack even before they shapeshifted... 
    ...and finally, the perfectly timed appearance of that mysterious
forcefield around the porch....

    On the other hand, Soun and Genma looked as if they couldn't quite
believe what they were hearing. 
     
    Ukyo said, "Akane managed to keep Ranma from ripping out the yellow
tiger's... I mean, Ryoga's throat."  She stared down, watching her
fingers nervously drawing patterns on the table top.

    "But he wouldn't let the rest of us get near him.  Only Akane. He
just growled and hissed if anybody else approached.  His eyes were so...
inhuman."  Ukyo's voice trailed off and she shivered at the memory.

    Nabiki could understand completely.  The predatory hunger in Ranma's
stare would probably follow her into her nightmares.

    Nodoka sat still and quiet, an expression of stony calm on her face.
 However, Nabiki suspected that it was just a brittle facade.

    Shampoo was the one to finish the story in her broken Japanese.

    "... then Akane take Ranma into house."

    Nabiki murmured to Kasumi, "That's pretty much when you and Father
walked in."

    In Nabiki's mind, it was interesting that Shampoo's occasional
observations proved to be the most useful -- her comments about Ryoga
and Kuno's reaction to Ranma's fear, for example.

    (Of course, Shampoo's had the opportunity to see the Neko-ken
several times before.  She and Akane would be the two people best suited
to notice any changes in Ranma's 'cat' behavior.  Much darker, she
said....  But something's going on with Shampoo.  I don't know what it
is, but I can feel it.)

    Nabiki sighed wearily.  (I suppose that I should be grateful that at
least one person could give me some objective information!  As for the
other guys....  Ukyo's in a state of denial.  Mrs. Saotome's an
emotional mess, even though she isn't showing it at the moment. Forget
Kodachi.  That girl's gone totally bonkers, this time.  The only people
left are Akane and Ranma.  And I doubt Ranma will be able to remember
anything.  He never does.)

    While Nabiki was caught up in her thoughts, Nodoka had turned to her
husband.  In an icy voice, she said, "Akane told me that Ranma's fear of
cats is the result of one of your 'training' exercises, husband.  Is
that CORRECT?"

    Genma rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled feebly.  "Well, it's
not exactly like...."

    Nabiki was not about to let Genma wiggle out of his responsibility
for this whole mess.  She was just about to explain in exquisite detail
about the whole Neko-ken training fiasco when Kasumi looked at Mr.
Saotome and cheerfully spoke up.

    "Why, Mr. Saotome!  Didn't you tell us about giving Ranma some fish
sausage and sending him into a pit full of starving cats when he was six
years old?"

    Kasumi then turned to Nodoka.  "And he kept sending Ranma back into
the pit over and over again to feed the hungry little cats with fish
cakes, dried sardines, and all sorts of treats.  How thoughtful of you
to think of the poor cats, Mr. Saotome!"  Kasumi gave everyone that
vague, pleasant smile of hers and drifted out the room, carrying the tea
tray.

    Nabiki felt like applauding that masterful performance.  (Way to go,
Sis!)

    Nodoka stared blankly for a moment, then turned on her husband with
a vengeance. 
     
    "You did WHAT!?" 
     
    "Well, I...," Genma stammered. 
     
    Ukyo slammed her hand on the table and snapped, "Ha!  What he really
did was strap the food on Ranma's body and TOSS him into the pit!  Again
and again!"   She jabbed an angry finger in his direction. "He begged
you to stop but you KEPT ON DOING IT!"

    Nodoka growled, "Let me understand.  You strapped fish sausage to
our son and threw him in a pit full of starving cats?  And you did it
more than once!?"  Her hands flexed, as if she was already strangling
Genma with her bare hands.

    "Well... well... that's what the training manual said!" 
     
    "'What the training manual said....'  Is that your ONLY excuse!?"
Nodoka shouted.

    Genma shrugged and muttered, "So I didn't expect the minor... okay,
major side effect.  It's not MY fault if Ranma's too weak-willed to
forget about a few bad experiences!"

    The women all glared furiously at him.  Even Nabiki was left
speechless at this display of sheer gall.

    "A... few... BAD... EXPERIENCES!?" Ukyo choked out.

    Genma stubbornly continued, "Anyway, the method worked.  I mean,
Ranma DID actually learn the Neko-ken."     His voice turned pompous and
self-righteous.  "And a true martial artist would happily go through the
rigors of hell itself to learn a superb technique like the Cat-fist. 
Isn't that right, Tendo?"

    Soun looked acutely uncomfortable and muttered, "Well... I...."

    Nodoka lunged to her feet and hissed in fury, "An adult martial
artist may choose to do so, perhaps, but Ranma was only a child!  A SIX
YEAR OLD CHILD!!!"

    With a swift, practiced movement, she whipped out her sword.
Grabbing Genma's gi, Nodoka hauled him forward and shouted into his
face.  "I was such a FOOL to let you take Ranma away from me!  Look what
you've done to him!  FIRST, I find out you that you managed to get him
cursed with a girl's body.  THEN, I find out that you've managed to
saddle him with unguessed numbers of fiancees.  And for what?  The sake
of your stomach?"

    Unnoticed by Nodoka or the other women, the hallway door slid open
behind them.

    Nodoka relentlessly continued, "And now... NOW I find out that
you've managed to turn our son into a murderous, blood-crazed ANIMAL!"
She fiercely shook her husband back and forth.  "And I was worried about
Ranma behaving like a man!?"

    Genma babbled, "But Nodoka, the Neko-ken makes Ranma unbeatable! And
what harm...." His voice abruptly trailed off.  His eyes nearly bulged
out of his head as he saw Ranma standing in the doorway.  Soun goggled,
utterly speechless.  Both men had convinced themselves that the women
had been exaggerating.  Females always exaggerated. However, after
seeing the blood all over Ranma, the two men realized that, if anything,
the women had understated the morning's events.

    Nodoka, still completely unaware of Ranma's presence behind her,
shouted, "What harm!?  How can you possibly say that!?  Haven't you been
listening!?  He nearly killed both those boys!  They could be dead right
now for all we know!  And what about that Chinese boy called Mousse!? 
What about Kodachi Kuno!?  Don't you realize, if Akane hadn't have been
there, he could have easily turned on the rest of us, too!

    "And what happens the next time he sees a cat?  What happens the
next time his mind snaps and Akane isn't around?  Is he going to attack
or kill some poor innocent bystander who has the bad luck to be in the
wrong place at the wrong time!?"

    Shampoo leaned over the table and protested in a loud voice. "Ranma
no attack without good reason!"

    Meanwhile, Ukyo sat frozen during Nodoka's outburst.  She was torn
between her desire to defend Ranma and her fear that Nodoka was right. 
After all, she'd seen it herself -- the vicious, predatory THING that
existed in Ranma's body just an hour or so ago.

    Nabiki had been concentrating on Nodoka and her husband.  Then a
soft noise caught her attention.  She quickly turned to see a
white-faced Ranma standing frozen in the doorway.  The anguish in his
eyes told her that he had heard way too much.

    (SHIT!) swore Nabiki.  She jumped to her feet and grabbed for
Nodoka's arm.

     Alerted by Nabiki's abrupt movement, Shampoo and Ukyo both whirled
around.  They saw Ranma as he stood utterly still, staring blankly at
his mother.  Akane suddenly peered over Ranma's shoulder with a furious
look on her face.

    "Ranma!" 
    "Ran-chan!" 
     
    The stunned expression on Genma's face and Nabiki's hard jerk on her
arm finally penetrated Nodoka's rage.  She looked up only to see Akane
dragging Ranma out of the room.  The door slammed shut behind them.

    Nodoka stared blankly at the door for a moment, her sword slipping
from her slack fingers.  As she finally realized that Ranma must have
heard everything, or nearly everything she'd said, Nodoka uttered a
horrified whisper.

    "No....  I-I-I didn't mean...."

    Nabiki wearily rubbed her forehead in a futile attempt to fend off a
headache and muttered, "Way to go, people."

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

    Ranma numbly allowed Akane to hustle him away from the living room. 
As for Akane, she scolded herself furiously.  If only she had been
paying closer attention....  If she had only acted faster.... She had
left him alone for just a moment to grab a few extra towels. But that
moment had been more than enough.

    (How could his mother say such things!?  Doesn't she have any idea
what he's going through!?)

    Once they were in the changing room outside the bathroom, Ranma
slowly began to pull off his shirt.  He was oblivious to Akane's
presence. 
     
    (I can't leave him alone.  Not like this.) 
     
    Crumpling his torn shirt in his hands, Ranma finally noticed Akane
lurking near the door.  He blinked, then said in a faintly bewildered
voice, "Akane, what are you still doing here?"

    "Ranma, I... didn't want to...."  She stopped, then frowned at him
with a deeply concerned expression on her face.

    He vaguely noted that Akane was very, very angry.  Angry at what, he
didn't know.  But for once, she wasn't mad at him.  That was all that
mattered.

    A sad little smile appeared on Ranma's lips.  "Don't worry, I'm not
going to do anything stupid right now.  I just need to get myself
cleaned off." His eyes contained a silent plead for a little solitude.

    She hesitated, then said, "You promise?" 
     
    "...Huh?" 
     
    "Do you... promise that you won't do anything stupid... or
drastic... if I leave you alone?" 
     
    "Akane, I just... need to take a bath," he said quietly.

    "Promise me!  Or I'm not budging!"   There was fierce determination
in her voice. 
     
    He took a deep breath.  "I promise I won't do anything stupid. Or
drastic.  Okay?"

    Akane nodded slowly and whispered, "Okay."  She left the changing
room, gently closing the door behind her.  A few deep breaths and she
stalked back toward the living room.  And Nodoka.

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

    Ukyo's first impulse -- to go after Ranma -- was blocked by Shampoo,
of all people.  The Amazon adamantly refused to allow Ukyo to leave the
room. 
     
    Finally, Ukyo shouted, "Damn it, you hussy, get the hell out of my
way!" 
     
    "No."  Shampoo folded her arms and did an excellent imitation of the
Great Wall of China. 
     
    Ukyo glared at the Amazon girl.  "What's with you?  Don't tell me
you're just going to leave him to Akane's tender mercies?"

    Nabiki said, "I think Ranma has more than enough to deal with at the
moment.  And he's certainly in no shape to deal with his usual fiancee
problem."

    Turning on the middle Tendo daughter, Ukyo snapped, "This has
nothing to do with that!  Don't you get it?  Ran-chan really needs
someone to talk to and Akane's just not the understanding type!  You
KNOW how she treats him.  Do you really think that Akane's up to taking
care of Ranma right now?"

    "At least Akane better than spatula girl!  She not scared of him!" 
     
    Ukyo glared at the Amazon.  "What do you mean by that crack?" 
     
    "Shampoo can tell spatula girl scared of Ranma and Neko-ken. Spatula
girl also upset Ranma-cat no care for her.  Scared and jealous girl no
good for Ranma right now."

    "That's... that's not true!"

    Shampoo sniffed in disbelief.

    "Why you...." 
     
    Nabiki quickly cut in, "Ladies, this is not the time, nor the place,
for this sort of discussion."

    Ukyo could tell that Shampoo was not about to let her leave.  And
without her battle spatula, her chances of forcibly moving the Amazon
were not good.  Badly frustrated, she turned on the other only available
target for her wrath -- Ranma's mother.  Genma, the cunning old bastard,
had long since fled the living room and his irate wife. Before the chef
could start yelling at Nodoka, the door slammed open.


    Akane stormed into the room.  She stood, gasping for air, before
shouting, "How could you say that!?  Do you have ANY idea how upset he
was when he woke up just now!?  When he saw all that blood and thought
that he might have hurt you?  Or Ukyo?  Or Shampoo?  And then, to hear
his OWN mother calling him a 'murderous, blood-crazed animal'!"

    Her voice shook in fury.  "He's your SON!  Do you have any idea how
much he cares about you?  About what you think of him!?  And to find out
that his own mother is scared of him!

    "Kuno and Ryoga got hurt because they were trying to kill him! And
he could have hurt Mousse and Kodachi if he really wanted to!  But he
didn't!" 
     
    Nodoka whispered miserably, "If he had only told me about this
earlier...."

    "What was he supposed to do!?  Tell you, 'Oh, by the way, Mother,
not only do I turn into a girl when I get wet but sometimes I go crazy
and think I'm a cat'!?  With all the fuss you've been making about being
MANLY?"

    Nodoka cried, "That would have been the honorable thing to do!  I
try to make allowances for Ranma's upbringing, but this is the SECOND
time that something like this has happened!  He should have told me
about his Jusenkyo curse when we first met.  Instead, he tried to trick
me into thinking he was Ranko!  And now I find out that he's been hiding
this... this horrible madness from me all along!"

    "You mean to tell me that you consider Ranma a dishonorable person
because he didn't want to tell you about his curse?  And about the
Neko-ken?"     Akane clenched her fists and yelled, "He was SCARED to
tell you!  With the way you keep waving that sword around, who wouldn't
be scared!?"

    Soun sputtered, "Akane!"

    In an anguished voice, Nodoka said, "My son was supposed to become a
man among men.  But after all these years, what do I find? Someone who's
constantly trying to deceive me.  And to have him end up like THIS --
part boy, part girl, AND part animal...."

    Akane shouted back, "I don't CARE what Ranma is!  What's important
is that he's just as honorable as you are -- if not more so! Considering
how his father behaves, you should be grateful he has any sense of honor
at all!  Ranma may do some stupid things but he keeps his word, no
matter how much it costs him!"

    Nabiki was surprised to see her father making a barely noticeable
nod of agreement.  In the meantime, Akane continued in her tirade.

    "Regardless of what you seem to think, Ranma does NOT like hurting
people, not even his enemies!  And I can't count the number of times
he's risked his own life trying protect others!  If you've managed to
convince him that he's a danger to everyone, you're going to find out
just how honorable that idiot can be!"

    Nabiki's calm, even voice said, "Akane?  Where IS Ranma?"

    Akane, still quivering in barely controlled rage, muttered, "He's
taking a bath." 
     
    Ukyo had been stunned by Akane's emotional outburst.  She hadn't
expected her rival to understand Ranma so well.  However, Akane's last
statement shook the chef out of her brief daze.

    "And you left him alone!?" Ukyo shouted.

    "He promised that he won't do anything stupid.  For the moment."
Akane glared at Nodoka.  "Unlike SOME people, I believe in his honor."


    Akane was about say more, but Kasumi suddenly appeared behind her. 
In a gentle but firm voice, she said, "Akane, you must be tired. You
should go to your room and rest."

    Akane looked up at her oldest sister.  There was quiet determination
and concern in Kasumi's eyes.  Akane give Nodoka one last furious look
before storming off to her room.

    Kasumi turned her attention to Ukyo and Shampoo.  In a placid voice,
she said, "Well, Ranma will probably need quite a lot of rest after all
that excitement.  Why don't you drop by tomorrow and see how he's
doing."  It was a perfectly pleasant, but unmistakable, dismissal.

    Before Ukyo could object, Kasumi had ushered her and Shampoo out of
the living room, through the house, and onto the front porch.  The
eldest Tendo daughter murmured a polite goodbye and closed the front
door in their faces.

    Ukyo briefly thought about sneaking back into the house to see
Ranma.  However, Shampoo's grim expression warned her not to try it. She
gritted her teeth and stalked back to her restaurant, followed by
Shampoo.

    (Everyone in that damned household seems to be trying to keep me
away from Ran-chan.  It's a bloody conspiracy!  And what's with that
stupid Amazon?)

    It was times like these that Ukyo really felt alone.  Akane had
everything -- plenty of friends, a supportive family.  She even had
Ran-chan living with her.

    And what did Ukyo Kuonji have, aside from an estranged father who
would barely look at her and relatives whom Ukyo hadn't seen for years? 
Not much.  She did have a few casual friends in Nerima but they were all
connected to Ranma or the Tendos somehow.  She really couldn't confide
in any of them, especially about Ranma.

    He was HER fiance, but nobody cared.  Nodoka Saotome was the only
person in Nerima who took her claim seriously.  And at the moment, the
chef positively hated the woman for hurting Ranma -- and for expressing
Ukyo's own fears.

    Now it seemed that even Shampoo was now on Akane's side. 
     ---------------- 
     
    Back in the living room, Nodoka slowly retrieved her fallen sword
and slipped it back into its sheath.  Remaining on her knees, she turned
to face Soun and bowed very low.

    Soun babbled nervously, "I hope you'll forgive Akane for her
outburst.  She's so young and she loses her temper so easily.  I'm sure
she didn't really mean to...."

    "No, please forgive ME for bringing such disharmony into your
household.  This incident was entirely my fault.  Akane wouldn't have
been so upset if I hadn't completely forgotten my manners and started
that argument with my husband.  And she was quite correct that my first
concern should have been Ranma, not my own feelings."

    She paused, then added, "I think it would be best if Genma and I go
back to my house.  I don't want to distress Ranma any further. There are
also some other issues that Genma and I must discuss immediately."

    Her fingers worried at the fabric of her kimono.  "Ranma probably
has no desire to see me at the moment.  But please tell him that... I'm
very sorry for what I said and I didn't mean to...."  She gestured
vaguely.  "And could you also please tell him that I would like the
opportunity to discuss this and other matters with him soon?"

    Her last words appeared to be directed to both Soun and Nabiki.

    Nabiki merely nodded while her father said, "Of course, Nodoka."


    Ranma's mother rose to her feet and stepped out onto the porch.
Gazing around the yard, she said in a very firm voice, "Genma, I know
you're around here.  Don't make me go looking for you."

    Genma sheepishly emerged from a nearby mass of shrubbery and stood
nervously in front of his wife.  Nodoka bowed to the Tendos, then turned
to leave.  Her husband reluctantly followed.

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

    After Akane reluctantly left him alone in the changing room, Ranma
began stripping off the rest of his clothes.  He dumped them haphazardly
on the floor as he slowly made his way toward the inner bathroom.

    As soon as he closed the door, the churning nausea that he'd been
suppressing finally got the better of him.  Ranma collapsed to his knees
and threw up.  When there was nothing left in his stomach, he opened his
eyes briefly.

    (Oh shit....)

    Quickly closing his eyes, Ranma blindly groped for the faucet and
let the steaming hot water rinse the dark reddish brown mess down the
drain.

    He then sagged to the tiled floor and allowed the water pour all
over him.  Ranma numbly watched as the pinkish waste water drained away.
 The blood had soaked everywhere, even into his pigtail.  He yanked the
braid loose and began to scrub himself from head to toe, over and over
again.

**********************************************************************
Part 2d: DEBTS AND OBLIGATIONS
**********************************************************************

    Kasumi returned to the living room to see Nabiki walking toward the
bathroom.  She called out to her younger sister, "Where are you going?"

    "I just wanted to check up on Ranma." 
     
    Kasumi murmured, "I see," and disappeared into the kitchen.

    As she slowly walked toward the back of the house, Nabiki thought
about Ranma's probable state of mind.  From her brief glimpse of him,
she knew that she would probably be facing a person drowning in an
emotional morass of horror, guilt, and fear.

    Unfortunately, Akane was quite right.  Ranma, for all his faults,
was an excessively honorable sort of person.  If he considered himself
to be a danger to his family and friends, there was no telling what kind
of stupidly noble measures he might take.  Running away from Nerima and
suicide were both likely options.

    A part of her asked, (Why not let him do it?  Why even bother?) 
     
    However, Nabiki had two very good reasons for getting involved. (For
one thing, if my instincts are right, serious trouble's brewing. We're
going to need Ranma.)

    There was no question that Ranma was one hell of a trouble magnet. 
Most of the turmoil inflicted on the Tendo family could be traced either
directly or indirectly back to him.  But it was equally undeniable that
Ranma was usually instrumental in getting everybody OUT of trouble,
too... often at risk to his own life.

    As for the second reason....

    (Nabiki, just admit it.  You hate to see Ranma agonizing over
something that really isn't his fault.  He might be the cause but that
doesn't mean that he should take all the blame for what's happened.) 
     
    Stepping into the changing room, Nabiki noticed Ranma's clothes
lying all over the floor.  She gingerly picked up his blood-stained
shirt and carefully noted the tears and holes, matching them in her mind
with the story that Nodoka and the fiancees told.  Yes, there was the
shoulder, the hip....

    She shivered as she slid her middle finger through one of the gaping
holes in his shirt.  Nabiki tried to visualize the size of the claw that
made the hole.

    (Has to be longer than my finger.  Claws like knives....)

    Nabiki frowned as she subjected the pants to an equally thorough
inspection.  It was pretty clear that Ranma had been badly hurt during
the fight.  But aside from the obvious emotional trauma, he looked
perfectly healthy.  She put aside the puzzle for the moment.

    (I need to find that old Neko-ken training manual of Mr. Saotome's. 
Maybe there'll be some clues about what's going on with Ranma.)

    Nabiki paused in front of the sliding door leading to the inner
bathroom.  She took a moment to center herself, much like a fighter
preparing for a duel.  In a way, she doing exactly that.

    (Here it goes.)  She briskly slid open the door without knocking.

    Ranma sat hunched in the bathtub, blankly staring down at the water.
 She almost didn't recognize him with his hair unbraided and hanging
loose around his face and shoulders.  The click of the door sliding shut
finally caught his attention.  He slowly lifted his head to look at her.

    She controlled her impulse to retreat in the face of the quiet
desolation in his eyes.  Nabiki could clearly see moist streaks running
down Ranma's face.  They could have been bathwater from his wet hair. 
They could have been tears.  They could have been both.

    Ranma barely reacted to her intrusion.  Perhaps he couldn't summon
up the energy to be outraged at the invasion of privacy.  He simply
looked at her and waited in stoic silence for her to do her worst.

    "How do you feel?" she said calmly.

    He looked away.  How could he describe it?  In heart and mind, he
felt terrible -- battered to the absolute edge of endurance.  He was
sickened, scared....

    And yet, physically, he felt pretty good.  No, that wasn't right. He
felt GREAT.  Actually, he had never felt quite so... alive. There was an
eerie sense of completion, like the last piece of a puzzle finally
sliding into place.

    (What the hell am I thinking?)  He quickly buried the disturbing
thought in a distant corner of his brain and tried his best to forget
it.

    "Okay," he muttered.

    "Do you know what happened?  Did Akane tell you anything?"

    "A bit.  I probably know less than you do."

    Nabiki frowned slightly.

    A faintly bitter smile crossed his face.  "I don't remember anything
when I go 'cat', you know."

    She gave him a hard stare. "So, what do you recall?"

    "Facing off against Kuno and Ryoga," was Ranma's terse reply.

    "Ah."  She paused, then said, "Do you want to know what happened?"

    He hesitated, then nodded sharply.

    In a flat voice, she said, "You suddenly started acting absolutely
terrified of Kuno and Ryoga.  For some reason, you seemed to think that
they were cats.  The guys then transformed to giant tigers.  You ended
up huddled up on the porch moaning and quivering in fear.  When the guys
came after you, the girls tried to drive them off.  They failed. 
Shampoo managed to wound Kuno but those tiger forms had incredible
healing abilities.  Everyone ended up trapped on the front porch.  They
were boxed in by the tigers and by some sort of invisible forcefield
cage.  You then went 'cat' as you call it.  But because of their healing
ability, you didn't have any better luck stopping Kuno and Ryoga than
the girls did."

    That got a slight reaction out of Ranma.  He stiffened and sat up a
bit straighter in the tub.

    Nabiki continued, "That's right.  In their tiger forms, Kuno and
Ryoga just shrugged off your Cat-fist attacks.  However, you weren't as
lucky.  They ripped you up pretty badly."

    Ranma gave Nabiki a decidedly curious look.

    "Then how did I...?"

    "Well, when Ryoga suddenly turned on Akane and the others, you tried
to stop him.  Kuno pounced and really dug his claws into you. Suddenly,
you somehow generated an incredibly powerful cat-shaped battle aura and
took both the guys down in no time flat."

    "How?"

    Nabiki's voice was still perfectly calm as she said, "You slammed
Kuno into a tree -- broke both the tree and Kuno.  Then you slashed up
Ryoga's face and disembowelled him."

    Ranma clenched his teeth and shuddered, fighting down a surge of
nausea.

    "After they both collapsed, Kuno and Ryoga changed back into human
form."

    She paused and he glanced up at her.

    Nabiki's voice softened slightly.  "It seems that their tiger forms
somehow managed to absorb most of the damage.  The physical injuries on
the human forms weren't nearly as bad as the injuries on the tiger
forms."

    Ranma sagged back against the side of the tub and heaved a great
sigh of relief.

    (Those two idiots better be okay.) 
     
    "You want to hear the rest of it?"

    He looked up sharply at Nabiki.  Her grim expression warned Ranma
that the story was by no means finished.

    He shivered.  "There's... more?"

    She nodded sharply. 
     
    Ranma thought back to his mother's words.  (Didn't she say something
about Mousse and Kodachi?  Oh please, no....)  Part of him desperately
wanted to tell Nabiki to stop but another part knew that he had to learn
the worst.

    He took a deep breath.  "Yeah.  Let's hear it."

    "Ryoga and Kuno were both wounded and unconscious, but you
apparently weren't satisfied with that.  You tried to finish off Ryoga. 
Akane had to literally stick her hand in your mouth to keep you from
ripping his throat out."

    His eyes widened in shock.

    "And when Mousse showed up spouting his usual stuff about Shampoo,
you tried to attack him, too."    There was a subtle change in her
voice.  Previously, it had been completely calm but now there was a
faintest trace of emotion.  What kind of emotion, Ranma couldn't quite
figure out.

    She added, "I walked in at the wrong time.  If it hadn't have been
for Shampoo knocking me out of your way, well...."  She shrugged.

    He winced.  (Yeah, I can guess what might have happened.)

    "Did I.... Mousse?"

    "Shampoo threw Mousse out into the street and made him leave. She
and Akane managed to keep you from chasing after him."

    Ranma didn't relax one bit.  "And... Kodachi?"

    Nabiki sighed wearily.

    "What did I do to her!?"

    "You didn't do anything.  It seems that seeing you in your cat-mode
only made Kodachi more... interested in you."

    That was apparently the last thing Ranma expected to hear.  He
looked utterly horrified.

    "She's more WHAT!?"

    "Let's face it Ranma, Kodachi's always had a thing about power and
strength.  That's one of the reasons she's so obsessed with you. And
this morning, you were more powerful and stronger than ever before."   
Nabiki shrugged.  "I guess she found it quite exciting."

    "But... but... I was acting like a... c-c-cat!  A CRAZY one, at
that!"

    She raised a skeptical eyebrow.  "You think a minor detail like that
will bother Kodachi?  I'm sure all that 'primal' ferocity just makes you
more desirable to her."

    Ranma dropped his head into his hands and groaned softly.  "I think
I'm gonna be sick...."

    "Well, your cat side seemed to feel pretty much the same way. You
threatened to attack her when she tried to cuddle up to you."

    There was a trace of humor in Nabiki's voice.  "Of course, you
weren't too happy about her attempt to attack Akane, either, so you had
plenty of provocation.  Fortunately, your mother managed to stop Kodachi
long enough for Akane to take you into the house."

    She gave him a long look.  "But all joking aside, if her behavior
this morning is any indication, Kodachi's going to become a REAL
problem.  Much more than before."

    Ranma was silent for a long moment, then said tentatively, "Shampoo
and Ukyo both looked okay...."

    "Shampoo's fine.  You might be pleasantly surprised at her new
attitude the next time you see her."

    She paused briefly.  "As for Ukyo, she seems to be having some real
problems dealing with what you did.  Unlike Shampoo, she's never seen
you use the Neko-ken before, so she was understandably... horrified by
what happened this morning." 
     
    "I... see." 
     
    (First, my mom.  And now Uc-chan....)

    He stared down at the water.  She took advantage of his distracted
state to move closer.  When she lifted his long black hair away from his
body, Nabiki could only see the faintest trace of scratch marks on his
shoulder.  And on his back, there were several reddish marks that could
easily be insect bites or bruises.

    She thought, (Incredible.  His injuries are nearly gone.)

    Ranma said, "Then... Ryoga and Kuno....  Mousse and Kodachi...." 
     
    "Ryoga's and Kuno's physical injuries don't appear to be
life-threatening, but there could be other complications.  As for Mousse
and Kodachi, you didn't touch them."

    "But my mother said...."     He could still hear his mother's voice
shouting, 'a murderous, blood-crazed ANIMAL!'. 
     
    Nabiki quietly said, "Ranma, you have to remember that like Ukyo,
your mother's never seen you in your 'cat-mode' so what happened this
morning was a tremendous shock to her.  She simply got carried away by
all the stress and her argument with your father.  Your mother certainly
didn't mean for you to hear any of it.  And I'm not putting words into
her mouth, either.  She specifically wanted you to know that she's sorry
about what she said."

    Ranma's face was still.  He seemed oddly unmoved by Nodoka's
expression of remorse.  Instead, he simply said, "Okay.  Where is she
now?"

    "Your mother and father went back to her house to finish their
little discussion.  She wants to talk you later, though."

    Ranma sighed quietly, then went back to staring morosely at the
water.  He thought, (Well, now I have a pretty good idea how Mom...
Mother REALLY feels about me and the Neko-ken.)

    Aloud, he murmured, "But she's right, you know."

    "Meaning?" Nabiki casually asked.

    "Mother was right."  His voice became tense, sharp.  "Don't you get
it?  Maybe I didn't kill Ryoga and Kuno.  THIS time.  Maybe I didn't
hurt anyone else.  THIS time.  But it was all just dumb luck. What
would've happened if Akane hadn't have been there?  What if she or
Shampoo had been a bit slower?  What if this happens again?"

    "You don't know that it will."

    "I can't be certain that it won't.  Damn it, Nabiki.  How can you,
of all people, just ignore this?"

    "I'm not ignoring it.  But before you make any momentous decisions,
I want to make sure you understand the full scope of the problem."

    "Huh?"

    "Ranma, what happened this morning was no accident."

    He blinked to hear the carefully controlled anger in her voice.

    "You were SET UP.  Someone deliberately arranged this whole
miserable scenario.  And the person -- or persons -- who planned it know
way too much about you and everybody else around here."

    He started to shake his head.  "That doesn't...."

    Nabiki ruthlessly interrupted him.  "LISTEN TO ME.  After the last
two years, I can accept quite a lot as coincidence.  I suppose I could
accept the idea of Kuno and Ryoga both picking up the same weird
shapeshifting magic.  I suppose I could accept the idea of those idiots
working together."

    She shrugged.  "Transforming into monsters which just HAPPEN to be
the one thing you're terrified of and which just HAPPEN to be able to
stand up to the Neko-ken -- well, we've all seen weirder things occur
around here."

    She suddenly leaned forward.  "But the messages are a completely
different matter."

    Ranma blinked.  (Of course.  The messages....)

    "Someone took the trouble to send those notes to your mother and
your fiancees in order to get them here at just the right time. Someone
also sent a note to our fathers getting them OUT of the house at just
the right time.  Somehow, I can't see Ryoga or Kuno coming up with such
a complicated scheme.  At least, not on their own.  And why would they
bother?  They don't give a damn about your mother, Shampoo, or Ukyo. 
And let's face it, our fathers' presence has never bothered Kuno and
Ryoga before."

    Ranma nodded slowly.

    "Those two certainly couldn't have managed that thing with the
forcefields on the porch.  I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if our
mysterious enemy -- he, she, it, they, whatever -- started that crazy
'secret wedding' rumor just to provoke Kuno and Ryoga into challenging
you."

    Ranma's eyes began to narrow ominously as he began to realize what
she was getting at.  He chuckled bitterly.  "There's a mysterious enemy
out to get me.  So what's new?"

    "Plenty," Nabiki said curtly. "This time's very different.  This
enemy isn't out to challenge and defeat you, Ranma.  This enemy isn't
interested in simply killing you, either.  No, I suspect this person has
something much worse in store for you."

    "Which is?" 
     
    "I don't know.  We won't know what this guy wants until we find out
why he's doing all this."

    (It has to involve the Neko-ken somehow.  I'm sure of it.  But
what's the connection?)  Nabiki had no answers, only a lot of unpleasant
speculations.

    In a bleak voice, Ranma said, "This mess is my fault.  It's because
of me that Akane, you, and the others are mixed up in all this.  Damn
it, I should know better by now!  As long as I'm here, it'll never
stop."

    "Ranma, I know what you are thinking about.  But you won't doing
Akane, the rest of us, or yourself any favors by running away from this
mess...."

    Nabiki watched him carefully.  (Don't disappoint me, Ranma.)

    He snapped, "What kinda coward do you think I am!  Do you really
think that I'd just desert Akane and the rest of you guys with this
wacko running around loose!?  As if this enemy of mine will leave you
guys alone even if I did leave."

    (I'm glad that I haven't misjudged you completely,) she thought,
suppressing a smile.

    Aloud, Nabiki said, "Then I hope you can apply that very same
reasoning to the idea of killing yourself."

    He twitched guiltily.  "What are you talking about?" 
     
    "Ranma, I'm not stupid."     Nabiki gave him a long, meaningful
look.  "I haven't hung around martial artists all my life without
picking up 'The Code'.  Suicide, however you do it, is just the type of
thing a 'honorable' marital artist would consider doing in a situation
like this.  You know, trying to spare us weaker mortals from dread peril
and all that crap.  Well, I don't think that's going to work.  Not this
time." 
     
    "...." 
     
    Ranma looked a bit stunned at the scorn in Nabiki's voice.  He
hesitated, then whispered quietly, "But it would solve a lot of
problems.  The Neko-ken, this mysterious enemy... a lot of things."

    "Maybe it will.  But maybe it won't.  Considering all the trouble
this enemy's gone through, killing yourself could just make the guy
mad."

    He clenched his fists.  (Shit!  If she's right, this bastard's got a
real cruel streak.  There's no telling what this guy'll do if he feels
'cheated'.  He could go after Akane and the others....)

    "Ranma, I'm not saying that I don't believe in sacrifice.  Or an
honorable death.  Everybody makes sacrifices, one way or another.  But
it shouldn't be some knee-jerk reflex.  A person needs to pick the right
time and the right reason.  Otherwise, it's just a big waste.

    "And in my humble opinion, now is not the right time.  There's too
many unanswered questions."  Nabiki sighed heavily and propped her hip
on the rim of the tub.

    "The point I'm trying to make is that everyone is a lot better off
if you're here AND alive.  Regardless of how this trouble started, we're
all in this together.  The family NEEDS you.  The first priority should
be to find and get rid of this mysterious enemy.  Someone like that is
NOT going to just go away.  As for what happened this morning with the
Neko-ken... well, we'll worry about it IF it becomes a problem."

    Ranma was very still, then said softly, "You've got it all worked
out, haven't you?  But tell me.  What if I become more of a danger than
this... this enemy?"  He gave her a hard stare.

    She calmly met his eyes.  "I'll deal with it if I have to. One way
or another."

    Something told him that Nabiki would do whatever was necessary to
protect Akane and the others.  That was fine with him.

    Ranma and Nabiki looked at each other in a brief moment of perfect
agreement, then he gave her a faint grin.  It wasn't his usual cocky
expression but it was infinitely better than the fear and despair she
had seen earlier.

    "Okay, you made your point, Nabiki.  You'll get what you want. As
usual."

    She shrugged and got up to leave.  "I'm just doing my best to keep
Akane and the family from getting hurt."

    "Yeah.  I know."  He sighed quietly.  "Well, it's nice to know that
I can be of some use around here."

    Nabiki froze with her hand on the door.  She spoke without turning
around to look at him.  Her voice was cool and perfectly even.


    "Listen to me, Ranma.  When I said that we were all in this
together, I meant it.  You're part of this family, too.  And I did NOT
spend all this effort trying to drag you out of the pit of despair just
because I think you're USEFUL."

    With those words, she walked out of the bathroom.  The door quietly
slid shut behind her. 
     
    Ranma stared at the closed door, a stunned expression on his face. 
     
    "Nabiki...."

-------------------------------------- 
(end of Part 2)

**********************************************************************
**********************************************************************

Author's Notes:

Tentatively scheduled for upcoming sections of Tiger Claw...

Part 3 -> A bit more damage control.  Shampoo tries to put her foot down
with Cologne but an old acquaintance interferes with the best
intentions.  Ukyo has a painful nighttime encounter and makes a new
friend.  Ebon finally makes his presence known.  Sinister things are
definitely in the works.  More than one person is going to have a VERY
BAD night.

^_-

**********************************************************************

CREDITS:

Additional inspiration from: 
    "The Whisper" by Queensryche;
    WEREWOLF: THE APOCALYPSE (and associated materials) by White Wolf
Publishing, Inc.; 
    TIGER CLAWS, copyrighted 1991 by Tiger Claws Production, Ltd.; 
    THE HIGHROAD TRILOGY series by Alis A. Rasmussen; 
    USHIO & TORA, copyrighted 1992 & 1993 by Kazuhiro Fujita/Shogakukan.

Additional fanfic mentions:  ^_^ 
    "Hearts of Ice" by Krista Perry and "Nekophobia" by David Eddy for
starting my obsessive interest in the neko-stuff.

Many thanks to my pre-readers, for their suggestions, critiques, and
support.  ^_^

Last modification date:  05/31/98

--------------------------------------------
madamhydra@aol.com         /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/:E

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