Cat Fist Fury If I have to disclaim one more time, I'm going to hurl. Ah well. Ranma and anything else that has to do with anime or manga belong to their respective creators. < >: Thoughts Chapter 14 Preliminaries to Chaos Ranma wearily walked into the Ucchan's where his best friend and sometime fianc?e was just cleaning up her establishment in preparing to close for the night. The brown-haired girl smiled as she saw the object of her affections enter her restaurant. "Kojiro! Good to see you today!" "Hey Ucchan. How's it going?" "Fine. But you look like something the cat dragged in." Ukyo winced a bit as she realized the bad pun. "Sorry about that." Ranma waved it off as he sat down heavily in one of the booths and said, "Believe me, I FEEL like something the cat dragged in, then dragged back out, and then dragged back in again." "Amazons giving you trouble again, huh?" Ranma tiredly nodded. "No more trouble than they usually give me, though I think they've gotten smarter at hunting me." "Ko-chan, I really think you should let me help you. Maybe between the two of us?" Ranma shook his head while holding up a hand. "No, Ucchan. I told you before that it wouldn't be a good idea. It's the same reason why I don't want anyone to know that I've been? seeing you." Ranma got a bit nervous at that admission. "You know that crazy Amazon rule of kill the girls and marry the guys if defeated. Getting beaten by them is bad. Winning over them is even worse. I also read some more on that book that Shang loaned me. It seems that 'obstacles to an Amazon's heart are meant for killing.' I don't want you getting into any danger because of me." "I can take care of myself Ran-chan." Ukyo said confidently. Ranma sighed as he said, "Ukyo, I told you before to never call me that." It was at that moment that Ranma thought back to his encounter with Happosai. "Then again, it may not make any difference after today." "What do you mean?" The Neko Ken fighter took a deep breath before relating the events that occurred that day. When he finished his story, Ukyo nodded in understanding as she too came to similar conclusions. "So, your father is here?" Ukyo's voice had a hard edge to it as she remembered what had been done to her ten years ago. Absently, she began fingering the small throwing spatulas on her bandoleer. Ranma nodded. "That's the only reason that I can think of. Happosai knew that I was Ranma, even in my tiger-form. Besides one of the Guides, Pop's the only person who would know of what happened to me at Jusenkyo. He must have told that old lecher and probably the Tendos too. Then again, Pop would sell any secret of mine if it would feed his fat belly." Ukyo's expression became a little darker and the fires of revenge began burning in her eyes. "Well now, looks like I'll be able to dish out some long overdue payback." Then her expression softened a bit as she thought of something else. "If that damned father of yours is at the Tendo home, then you'd better watch out for Nabiki. If I know that mercenary sister of Akane's, then she'll probably try to extort all the money you have." "Yeah, the thought had occurred to me. Is she really as bad as people say she is?" "She's a lot worse. No secret is ever safe with Nabiki around and if you've got something to hide, then she'll find out about it and use it to bleed you dry. Trust me, I've been there. And I hate to tell you this, but lately, she's been sending her flunkies around Tokyo, trying to find things out about you. A couple of her girls came over and tried to give me the third degree. I didn't tell them anything about me and you going out, and my spatula makes a great incentive for people to mind their own business. Still, Nabiki has been snooping a lot in the last few days." The Cat Fist martial artist nodded as he recalled all those times that Nabiki's lieutenants had been tailing him. So far, they had never been able to follow him to his workplace or apartment. But it would only be a matter of time before he was found out. Even though what he heard was only rumors, at the moment he had only those rumors to go on. "I don't know why you put up with this Ko-chan." Ukyo commented. "You have a bunch of loony Amazons after you, your father is back and he's going to blow your cover, and when that's gone, all those other engagements and stupid promises that he made are going to come down on you like a ton of bricks. Have you ever thought about what to do about all this?" "I know." Ranma agreed. "You know, I've been thinking about leaving Tokyo and starting over somewhere else." Ukyo blanched at that statement. Ranma had already left her once, although unintentionally. She had no intention of repeating that experience. She was about to say that she would automatically sell her store and go with him when he continued after breathing out a tired sigh. "It's tempting. It's really tempting to just drop everything and move out, but it's not really that simple. For one thing, I seriously doubt that those Amazons would stop chasing me if I left town. Heck, they wrecked most of Tokyo just trying to give me some stupid Kiss of Marriage." Ukyo had to nod at that. The Amazons were pretty persistent. "Secondly, I've never run from anything before, and now that I have the power to resist, Pop can't make me do nuthin." Ranma clenched a fist and lightly pounded it on the table. The wood shuddered under the impact, even though he had not put any effort into the blow. "In any case, I'm not Ranma Saotome anymore. The name's Kojiro Shinkara now and as far as I'm concerned, Ranma Saotome died at Jusenkyo." "Still, if word gets out?" Ranma gave his friend a reassuring smile. "It hasn't come to that yet. I still have some time and I do have some contacts that I can call on if things get out of hand, especially if Nabiki tries to pull one of her extortion scams. Hopefully, it won't come to that." "I hope so, Ko-chan. I hope so." Ukyo had been tempted to suggest a way of ending the insanity, at least the engagement part of it. She had been thinking about what would happen if her Ran-chan were already married (to her of course). That would certainly end the nonsense with the Amazons and invalidate all the other engagements that Genma had made. However, she had noticed that Ranma, rather Kojiro had been pretty nervous at just taking her out on those few dates. It was apparent that Kojiro wasn't ready to make that big step. It had taken a lot of doing just to get him to take her out. If she tried to push him into matrimony, then there was a danger of driving him away. Ukyo shelved these thoughts for the time being as she served up an okonomyaki to her best friend. She wouldn't press him, at least for now. However, her mind did have an image of herself in a wedding gown. Meanwhile at the Tendo home? "NO! I WON'T DO IT! I'M NOT GOING TO MARRY SOME FREAK AND THAT'S FINAL!" After giving her father and Genma her ultimatum, Akane stomped up to her room to fume and rage. Soun simply smiled, oblivious to his daughter's resentment over the entire engagement idea. "Ah, they're going to be the perfect couple, don't you think Saotome?" "Yes indeed, Tendo. Arguing is what couples do best! They'll be perfect for each other!" Genma agreed as he and Soun played their usual game of shogi on the veranda. "Now then, how are we going to get our loving children together?" "Hmmm, that's going to be a problem. We have no idea where your wayward son is." "Hey, remember that videotape we saw? It said that Ranma was attending some school called Himoto." "Well then, it's obvious as to what we should do. We'll just stake out the school and retrieve Ranma. We'll have the wedding right away." "Good plan Tendo! Nothing can go wrong!" It was then that Happosai appeared on the scene. "I wouldn't bet on it." Both men cringed at the sound of the ancient lecher's arrival. When they saw Happosai standing beside them, the instinctual terror that they had gained through training under him came to the fore. "M-M-Master! W-What happened to you?" Both men said. Happosai was a sorry sight. His purple gi was tattered, dirty and had several rips in it. His body was covered in many bruises, cuts and several bandages. The most noticeable feature was that he walking a little funny at the moment. The mob of angered women had been very rough with him, especially the Amazons. The old pervert turned to Genma. "If you think that you can just simply drag that son of yours to the dojo, then think again. He's a lot more formidable than you can ever imagine." "Ranma did that to you?" Happosai shrugged as he dusted himself off. "No, actually this was due to a few of my? er, occupational hazards. However, I have met the boy and I would say that he's way beyond both of your levels, especially with that Cat Fist." "Nonsense!" Genma denied. "That boy may know the Cat Fist, but he can't possibly know how to use it consciously. As I remember, he could only use it when his fear of cats reached a certain point. I'll admit that his cursed form is a bit of a problem, but all we have to do is make sure that he doesn't get splashed with cold water. He'll be easier to handle that way." "And what makes you think that his curse is the same as yours?" Happosai said with sarcasm. "Well, we just saw a video which showed him in his human form. I thought that?" "Don't try to THINK, Genma. You'll only succeed in hurting yourself. Let me see this tape." Soun brought out the tape and turned on the VCR. After viewing the tape, Happosai turned to his students with a grim look about him. "Genma, you're an idiot! That boy has FULL CONTROL of the Cat Fist! It looks like he has improved on the original technique! If you two try to attack him in either form, he'll shred the both of you like yesterday's newspaper!" "B-But Master! Against the three of us, we should be able to?" Soun was about to ask the old lecher for his assistance. Even though he hated the ancient pervert as much as Genma did, he had to admit that Happosai was a great martial artist. "And I've already had a good look at his aura." Happosai said, cutting off Soun's protest as he glared at his other pupil. "It's very different from your cursed one. I'd say that hot or cold water won't affect him." "H-How do you know Master?" Soun asked. "Let's just say that I've had some experience with dealing with Jusenkyo-cursed victims. That's how I recognized Genma when he came here in his cursed form." "But the pledge must be fulfilled! The schools must be joined!" Both men said in unison. Happosai softened at that remark. "Well, I must admit, having a fighter like that under my tutelage is very enticing to say the least. However, we have to get him when he is at his weakest. Then, it'll be a simple matter to bring him under control. Now then, the trick is how to go about doing it." KABOOM! The three men turned their heads to the sound of something crashing outside the front gate. It was then that they heard a voice scream out, "HAPPOSAI! PREPARE TO DIE!!!" Akane's room, fifteen minutes before the ruckus started? Soun Tendo's youngest daughter stomped into her room and slammed the door with such force that the walls rattled slightly. The door swung open slightly after banging into its frame, leaving it ajar. Akane fumed as she sat down on her bed. It was then that she heard a familiar sound. "Bwee!" Akane's expression instantly became gentler as she caught sight of her per pig entering through the opening. She quickly said, "P- chan! Where have you been? It's been days! Come here baby!" Ryoga gleefully leapt into Akane's outstretched arms and sighed as she cuddled him closely. He then looked up at Akane's face and saw that she was a bit put out, despite being happy to seeing him. "Bwee?" Akane looked down at her beloved pet and said, "I'm glad that you're here P-chan. I really need someone who could pay attention to what I'm saying." "Bwee!" Akane sighed as she absently started stroking Ryoga's head. "I thought that getting beaten at the No Holds Barred Tournament by that guy Kojiro was bad enough. But now my father wants me to marry him!" "Bwee?!" Inside him, Ryoga felt his heart break in half. It was then that Akane began telling him the whole story. One minute before the explosion? "P-chan! What's wrong? Where are you going?!" Akane couldn't understand it. After she had finished with her explanations, her pet had gone into a fit of rage and began thrashing about in her hands. As soon as she mentioned the name Ranma Saotome, the black pig let off an angry squeal. When she told him about the engagement and the connection between Ranma and Kojiro, P-chan literally exploded out of her arms and ran from her room. Akane was about to chase after her pig, when she heard a loud explosion coming from the front of the house, followed by a death threat for Happosai. She went toward her window to have a look. It was then that she then heard a distant cry from down the street that sounded like? Ryoga? "RANMA SAOTOME, PREPARE TO DIE!!!" (Now I know that you were just waiting for him to say that!) Ranma was just walking home when he heard a loud explosion coming from the direction of the Tendo dojo. Even though he was curious, he decided not to risk going there as his father would most certainly be there. At the Tendo residence, Soun and Genma rushed to the front of the house and stopped in their tracks when they gazed at what was left of the front wall and gate. Standing before them was a figure that was wearing a dark cloak, which covered his body. The hood hid his face and all they could discern was the lower part of his face. "W-Who are y-you?" Soun asked. "Where is he?" The cloaked figure said in a low and menacing tone. Akane came running out the front door and stopped beside her father and his friend. "Dad, what's going on here? Who is this guy?" Seeing that the stranger was the one responsible for the destruction of the front gate, she immediately went into a stance and said to him, "Who are you? What do you want?" The stranger's head turned to Akane, looked her up and down, then decided to ignore her as he repeated his question. "WHERE? IS? HE?" "W-W-Who?" "I believe that he means me, Soun." All three looked down and saw Happosai calmly walking out of the house with his hands behind his back. He had changed into a new gi and was now assessing the newcomer with a calculating eye. "Well now, you've grown a bit since I last saw you, Tarou. Or should I call you?" "DIE!!!" The figure leapt forward, intent on delivering a vicious kick to the perverted master. Happosai nimbly avoided the kick and took out his pipe. With a casual flick of his wrist, he caught Tarou's outstretched arm as he tried to follow through with a punch. Tarou was sent flying through the air as the ancient lecher used one of his special techniques to launch him skyward. During the throw, his pipe tore off his cloak. Happosai calmly tapped his pipe as he waited for his adversary to come back down. Tarou landed on his head with an audible crash. Amazingly though, he showed no signs of injury as he hauled himself up. The others took a good look at their visitor. Tarou was Chinese and had a headband around his forehead. He was wearing what appeared to be a dragon-skin vest. He had Kung fu-styled pants and shoes and had a lean, but well-muscled build. He was about six inches taller than Akane and his eyes were fuming with rage as glared at the bane of everyone's lives. "Happosai? you will DIE for what you did to ME!!!" Tarou growled. "For what I did to you?" Happosai said with innocence. "Why I can't imagine why you would be so mad at me. Wasn't I the one who christened you and gave you the wonderful name of?" "SHUT UP!!!" Tarou exploded at the diminutive man, throwing punches and kicks in an attempt to pummel the master of the Anything Goes into paste. Happosai however, danced easily around the attacks, then countered with his pipe again. This time, his weapon lightly pushed against his opponent's forehead. The technique however, was far more powerful than it appeared and Tarou was sent flying backward. The Chinese boy went tumbling into the rubble that once was the front wall of the Tendo home. Akane was more than confused at what was happening, even though she was glad that someone was after the old pervert. She was curious as to what this Tarou's grudge against Happosai was though. "Who is this person, Master?" Genma asked. Happosai gave Genma a nonchalant look as he said, "He's my godson, Pantyhose." "PANTYHOSE?!" Soun, Genma and Akane said together in disbelief. "Yes, a wonderful name don't you think?" The old lecher smiled with pride as he watched as Tarou pulled himself out of the rubble and glared at him. "Don't call me that!" Tarou yelled as he ran at the old man. As he charged, he pulled out what appeared to be a small flask of water. Happosai saw the flask and instantly realized what his godson was about to do. He blurred forward and knocked the flask out of his hands. With a quick disabling move, he was soon sitting on top of Pantyhose's prone body and said, "Now, now Pantyhose. We won't be having any of that. Is this the way you treat your godfather? After all I did for you; baptizing you and?" "Shut up! And don't call me Pantyhose! That name has caused me nothing but grief!" He tried to get up to attack Happosai again, but the ancient pervert simply rapped him on the head with his pipe. "And what's so bad about the name Pantyhose? I think it is a fine name, so very distinguished! It always brings a tear to my eyes whenever I think about how honored I was in giving you that name. Why you became the son that I never had." "You miserable little gnome! I going to?" "So if you don't like it, why don't you just have your name legally changed?" Akane asked. "I can't!" Tarou said in dejected manner. "According to the customs of my family, the only person who can change my name is the one who named me in the first place!" He turned his head to the old master and raged, "And you're going to change it, old man! Even if I have to beat you bloody!" He lashed out with a fist to knock Happosai off his back. When the shrunken master got off, Tarou saw the fallen flask of water and dove for it. Happosai however, was still intent on keeping the Chinese boy away from any water.Moving faster than what was humanly possible, he snatched up the flask before Tarou could get his hands on it. "Give that back!" Tarou shouted as he began throwing punches and kicks. "Nope!" Happosai replied as he easily dodged. "Change my name!" Tarou screamed as he increased the intensity of his assault. "Don't wanna!" Happosai sneered. Soun, Genma and Akane were still in awe and confusion at the entire event as they watched the two battle each other. In the course of their fight, the side walls of walls surrounding the Tendo yard became pockmarked with holes from Tarou's missed punches and kicks. Soun became more hysterical as his property was being demolished. "Nooooo! My walls! My home!" Tarou didn't even notice that he was wrecking their home as he continued his relentless assault on Happosai. Though he was a good fighter, he wasn't close to Happosai's level, and every one of his attacks missed the target. After a full minute of destruction and chaos, the ancient lecher ended the match by blocking the next punch and used his pipe to toss Tarou to the ground. With a series of quick motions, he hog-tied the Chinese boy's wrists and ankles together with a set of tan? stockings? "LET ME GO!" Tarou shouted as he tried to break free of his bindings. Unfortunately, the position gave him no leverage. Happosai smiled as he walked up to Tarou and said, "Well now, I must admit that your martial arts skills are impressive! You've gotten a lot better since last we met." "You little *@#!!! CHANGE MY NAME!!!" "My, my, my! Such language! And here I was actually considering of changing your name. Perhaps I shouldn't bother." "W-W-What?!" Tarou was shocked at this sudden reversal. Akane couldn't believe it either. Happosai was actually being reasonable? There had to be a catch. The old pervert smiled as he looked down at Tarou. "You've shown me a fine fighting spirit and the name of Pantyhose might not be worthy of such. Therefore, I have decided to give another name? on one condition." "What's that?" Tarou said with suspicion and venom. "Well, if you really wish to have a new name, then you must prove yourself worthy of the honor. As the grandmaster of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts, I hereby decree that I will change your name if and only if you are able to defeat the school's heir." "W-W-What?! Me?!" Akane gasped. "Urk!" "No Master! Not my little girl!" Soun bawled as he embraced his daughter and threatened to squeeze the life out of her. "Calm down Soun! I wasn't referring to Akane!" Happosai shot Soun a glare. Soun immediately calmed down but he had a confused look about him. "But Master, you said that Tarou had to defeat the school's heir. I thought that Akane?" Akane gasped out as her father loosened his hold on her. She had a mixture of puzzlement and irritation at Happosai's words. What did he mean that he wasn't referring to her? Of course she was the school's heir! Who else would he have been talking about? Tarou looked at Akane. When he thought that Akane was the heir, a bit of hope had come to his mind. Though Akane looked somewhat skilled in the martial arts, she wasn't at his level. Beating her would have been relatively easy and his name change would have been assured. His hope was dashed as he was told that Akane was not the heir. "So? whom do I have to fight?" The ancient pervert smiled as he said, "His name is Ranma Saotome. However, he is currently going under the name of Kojiro Shinkara. If you are able to find him, defeat him and bring him back to the Tendo dojo, then I will gladly change your name. Feel free to do anything to him, but he must be brought back here alive and relatively in one piece. Are we agreed?" "So all I have to do is this one task and you'll change my name?" "That's right." A few minutes later, Tarou left to go search for Ranma. After seeing Tarou disappear in the distance, Genma, Soun and Akane turned to Happosai, who had taken a seat and started smoking his pipe. "M-Master, just what do you have to gain by having this Tarou person attack Akane's future husband?" Soun asked. "I told you before! I'm not marry going to marry that freak!" Akane said with her usual brand of logic. The underwear-loving founder of the Anything Goes blew out a puff as he replied, "It's quite really simple. As I said before, Ranma is far too strong to fight head on. We need to weaken him first. Tarou should suffice. If he able to defeat Ranma and bring him in, then all the better for us, but I really don't think he will be able to win against a controlled Neko Ken. He will at least provide us with an opportunity to test Ranma's abilities and gauge his limits." "But Master?" Genma jumped in. "If Ranma really is as powerful as you think he is, then Tarou won't stand a chance against him!" "On the contrary, Tarou has far more power than you think, Genma. What you saw today was just part of what he is really capable of. He's given me a little trouble over the years in his bid to have his name changed. Why else do you think that I kept him from splashing himself with this?" The diminutive enemy to all women held up Tarou's flask. "What is that? Some kind of magic potion?" Akane asked. "No, actually it's just plain, ordinary water." "I don't understand. Why would stopping Tarou from getting wet be such a big deal?" Akane's eyes widened as she realized the meaning behind the flask. "Hold on a minute! Are you saying that Tarou has??" Happosai nodded. "Yes, he has a Jusenkyo curse, just like Genma's. In fact, I was the one who gave him his new form. You see, I baptized him in one of the pools at Jusenkyo and it happened to be the Niuhoomaoreniichuan." "What does that mean?" "Well, it happens to mean the Spring of Drowned Crane-with-Eel- while-riding-a-Bull. The funny thing is, Pantyhose seemed to like his new form and I must admit it does have certain advantages. He possesses enormous power in that form. In any case, we'd better be there when he fights Ranma. I figure that he will find Ranma at Himoto High, since that's the one he attends. He may not be able to defeat the boy, but he should weaken Ranma enough so that we can take him down. " "Bravo Master! An excellent plan!" Genma gushed. "Do you hear that Akane? We'll be able to hold the wedding soon! The schools will be joined! Oh happy day!" "I'M NOT GOING TO MARRY HIM!" Akane screamed as she stomped back up to her room. Though she didn't like the idea of sending someone after Ranma and forcing him to come to the Tendo home, she liked the idea of being forced into a marriage with him even less. Though a small part of her wanted to see the Cat Fist fighter get beaten. The memories of her two defeats at his hands still hurt her pride as the best martial artist in Nerima. The way he smirked at her when he casually beat her was so irritating and she did so want that jerk to be taken down a peg or two. Meanwhile, Ranma walked away from the crumpled heap that was Ryoga. Amazingly enough, despite the bandanna boy's talent for getting hopelessly lost, he actually ran into his nemesis while aimlessly running through the streets. The fight had been short and Ranma had learned some unexpected and very unwelcome news. Flashback? WHAM! CRASH! Ryoga gasped out in pain as his back slammed into a thick, reinforced concrete wall. He left a deep depression as he found himself imbedded in the wall. Though hitting the concrete didn't hurt him much, due to the Backusai Tenketsu training he had undergone from Cologne, his chest was in serious pain after being struck by Ranma's open-palmed strike. The Neko Ken fighter possessed superhuman strength and would have caved in Ryoga's ribcage, had he used his fist. In his rage over discovering Ranma's identity and the engagement to his beloved Akane, the lost boy had totally forgotten just how outmatched he was against his opponent. Ryoga had spotted Ranma as he was making his way to his apartment and screamed out, "RANMA SAOTOME, PREPARE TO DIE!!" Ranma was more than surprised to hear his real name being shouted and turned to face the danger. Ryoga had charged at him, attacking him with his umbrella. Ranma didn't know what was going on but he reacted accordingly to the threat. Ryoga's fighting style depended more on brute power than on skill and defense, so it didn't take Ranma long to slash his weapon in half, break through his attack and have him pinned against the wall. At the moment, Ranma had one hand on Ryoga's chest and was applying pressure to keep him up against the wall. Whenever he tried to lash out with a punch or kick, Ranma would simply deflect the blows with his free hand and apply more pressure to his chest. It less than thirty seconds, Ryoga ceased in his struggling as his iron ribs began to strain and threatened to snap like twigs. His breath was strained as he spat out, "Damn you Ranma! I'll?" "You'll do nuthin' except shut up!" Ranma growled, almost imitating a tiger's snarl. When Ryoga was silent, Ranma let off slightly on the pressure and said in a firm tone, "Now you're going to tell me why you're attacking me and why you think I'm this Ranma person." "Don't play innocent with me you coward! I know who you are! You think changing your name is going to save you from my vengeance? I'll? urk!" Ranma began reapplying more pressure to Ryoga's chest. His ribs were almost at their breaking point. "Your vengeance? Don't make me laugh. From where I'm standing, you're just a heartbeat away from getting your shirt pressed while you're still wearing it! Now listen up! I don't know what you're talking about and frankly, I couldn't care less! I don't appreciate being attacked like this! It's bad enough that those Amazons have been giving me headaches. You got the wrong guy. I'm Kojiro Shinkara." "Liar! I know the truth! Akane told me that you're Ranma Saotome and she's being forced to marry you! Like I'm going to let that happen! And because of that fight you ran out on, I've been through Hell! You're going to pay for? Urk!" Ranma pressed even further and then stopped. He knew that if he went any harder, then Ryoga's ribcage would be crushed. He was wearing an irritated scowl after hearing about Akane. He glared at his enemy and said in a low, menacing tone, "Listen up pal. You seem to be suffering from a delusion here. I don't know who this Ranma guy is but I won't take any of this crap! I don't know what this is all about and I don't WANT to know! But, I'm not going to take any of this and it's going to stop right now! If you attack me again, I'm going to pound and shred you so bad that you're going to think that this was just a warm-up!" "If you think you can threaten me?" "Take my advice P-chan, don't mess with me." Ranma replied with a slight smile. Ryoga's face turned pale at the mention of that name. "H-H-Huh? H-How did y-you??" Ranma's smile became even more pronounced. "Oh yes. I know all about your Jusenkyo curse, P-chan. I noticed how frightened you were when I suggested to Akane to give you a hot bath. I can guess that she doesn't know about your dirty little secret, now does she? You probably use it to sleep in her bed or see her undress. Dirty little pig! Be really messy if she were to find out, now wouldn't it?" Ryoga became silent. Ranma let off his hand and Ryoga dropped to the ground unsteadily. He rubbed his sore chest and took a few short breaths. Each inhalation caused him to wince as his bruised lungs filled up with air. "Now that we got this misunderstanding out of the way, I'll be leaving you." Ranma said. "Now remember, I'm not Ranma Saotome. I'm Kojiro Shinkara. Right?" Ryoga remained silent. "Right? P-chan?" "Right." Ryoga said with his teeth gritted. His hands were at his sides, clenched into fists as he glared at Ranma. Ranma nodded as he turned his back to leave. It was at that time that Ryoga's rage made him throw caution to the wind and swung to attack him. "Damn you Ra? argh!" Ranma's sixth sense easily warned him and he stepped back and slammed an elbow into Ryoga's chest. This time, a wet crack was heard and Ryoga fell onto the pavement. Before he fell to the ground, Ranma delivered a Quick Swipe to Ryoga's chest, causing his shirt to be torn and four light red marks appeared on his chest. The cuts were not deep and would not leave any scars. Ranma stared down at the pathetic lost boy and said, "Consider that your last warning, Ryoga. Attack me again, and you're going to really know what Hell is like. You are no match for the Ultimate Neko Ken." Ryoga could only wince in pain as he watched Ranma walk away from the scene. Realizing that he had a couple of fractured ribs, he began getting up to go to the nearest doctor. Looking down at the marks, and the remnants of his umbrella, he fumed with anger. End of flashback? Ranma shook his head as he thought about the Quick Swipe that he had given Ryoga. Meanwhile, Ryoga had miraculously found his way to the Nekohanten, where the Amazons were currently discussing their plans to catching the Neko Ken fighter. "Great-grandmother, why you no want us to chase Kojiro any more?" Shampoo asked. She and the others were very surprised when Cologne and Mascara had told them to cease their pursuit of Ranma. "Because child, it is apparent that your present tactics aren't working. The only thing that you five are succeeding in is making the tiger even angrier. And there is nothing more dangerous than a cornered tiger. We must think of another way." It was then that Ryoga stumbled his way into the Cat Caf?. Some time later, Ryoga awoke in the one of the guest rooms. He looked down and saw that his torso was expertly bandaged. To one side, he saw Cologne on her staff, looking intently at him. "Well Ryoga. It has been some time since I last saw you. I would ask as to how you came to be so badly injured, but I suspect that you had a run-in with Kojiro Shinkara." "H-How did you know that?" "I recognized the cuts on your chest. I am very familiar with the damage that the Neko Ken can inflict." "Y-You know about the Neko Ken?" "Oh come on now. You don't get to be my age without knowing about the legendary Cat Fist." "D-Do you know how to train in it?" "Well, yes but?" "Then teach me how to do it!" "W-What?! You want to learn the Cat Fist? Whatever for?" "So I can beat Ranma Saotome!" "Ranma Saotome? Whatever are you talking about?" "Please, teach me how to do the Cat Fist!" On the other side of town, a shadowy figure continued to watch Ranma as he headed home. To be continued? Author's Notes Well, now things are going to get very chaotic and Ranma will find himself in more trouble than he will think was possible. Not only does he have to deal with Pantyhose, Happosai and Ryoga, but he will soon be facing off against an opponent who will truly be a challenge to the Neko Ken fighter. Ranma is just now starting to realize the downside to his abilities and this will reflect on his personality in the coming chapters.