Cat Fist Fury

Disclaimer: I've been doing this for some time now, so I believe 
that the readers can fill in the blanks this time.

< >: Thoughts

Chapter 26
Taking Care of Business

Pantheron continued to discuss things with the newest member 
and kohlinjar of the Felinar, as Ukyo stood behind the countertop 
grill. Kojiro's fianc?e had decided to cook some okonomiyaki for 
their guests and her intended as they continued to talk about him 
and his future.

"Are you certain that you want the Tendo Dojo's sign 
destroyed?" Night Stalker asked as the two of them sipped 
their tea. The large Felinar smiled as he took a deep sniff of 
the aromas of the food being prepared on the grill. "Ah, the 
kohlinshor does know how to make a good okonomiyaki."

"Thanks sugar." Ukyo said as she deftly flipped the pancakes. 
"Would you like shrimp or pork?"

"Pork please."

"I'll take shrimp." Kojiro said as he turned back to Pantheron. 
Outside the restaurant, Cutter and Quick Slash both winced as 
their stomachs growled. Like all Felinar, their senses of smell 
were quite sensitive and they were trying very hard not to think 
about the delicious food being prepared inside.

"Now as I was saying," Pantheron continued. "Destroying the 
dojo's sign does seem like a waste. I do know about your 
problems with the Tendos and that waste of genetic material that 
you call your father." Before Ranma could ask about how he 
knew, the Felinar held up a hand. "It is my business to know all 
about the kohlinjar, as I am your Shoka."

"Shoka?"

"You can think of me as your subordinate or aide. I act as your 
right-hand man. It is my duty to follow your orders and provide 
you with all the information that you will need as you and your 
kohlinshor are inducted into the clan. Cutter and Quick Slash 
take their orders from me, and I take my orders from you."

"Oh." Kojiro said as he nodded his understanding.

Night Stalker continued on. "As I have said, I know all about that 
idiot Genma Saotome. He has quite an extensive criminal file 
and we have contacted with several of the families in which he 
had cheated, using our future kohlinjar as a bargaining chip. We 
have made the necessary restitutions and those people have 
dropped all claims, with the exception of the Amazons and the 
Tendos."

"Really? That's great!" The Neko Ken martial artist had been 
wondering for some time what to do if those other fianc?es 
came calling. Now all he had to do was to deal with Akane and 
Shampoo's families.

Pantheron nodded. "Now, we have noticed that the Tendo 
patriarch is quite obsessed with that pledge to unite the schools 
of the Anything Goes, and that Genma Saotome, your father is 
taking advantage of that obsession to freeload off him. Do you 
know that he's been staying at the Tendo home since he arrived 
in Japan?"

"Sounds just like him." Kojiro replied as he gnashed his teeth. "It 
was only by a cruel trick of fate that I was born under him. As far 
as he's concerned, I'm just a piece of property to be bartered off 
to the highest bidder."

"Indeed. And since your battle with White Claw, we have been 
keeping tabs on them and it seems that they..."

It was at that moment that a bright flash of light appeared 
between them and the grill as the goddess Bastet arrived in all 
her glory. As soon as she materialized, Pantheron gasped and 
stood up from his seat. He then knelt down and bowed his head 
to her.

"My lady Bastet! Your humble servant!"

At that moment, Cutter and Quick Slash came bursting into the 
restaurant and they too went to their knees as they caught sight 
of their clan's deity.

Kojiro, as the avatar of their cat goddess nodded as he too 
showed respect.

The Egyptian goddess nodded, signaling them to rise. She then 
smiled at them and then glanced over her shoulder to the 
surprised Ukyo. She smiled at her and said, "I'll have the 
seafood special."

The okonomiyaki chef shook herself out of her shock and 
nodded, pouring out some more batter.

Bast motioned the others to sit back down and gestured for the 
twins to wait outside. They bowed and exited the establishment 
as the goddess took a seat opposite to Kojiro and Pantheron.

"My lady! It is indeed a great honor to have you here with us!" 

Bastet nodded and said, "It has been a while, Pantheron. How 
long has it been since I saw you?"

"Twenty years, my lady! And may I say that you look as 
ravishing now as you did then ."

"Flattererrrr." Bastet gave the Felinar a grin, displaying slight 
fangs.

"May I ask the reason for this visit?"

"What betterrr reason than to see my avatarrr, of course." The 
deity replied as she casually crossed her legs and laid her staff 
off to one side. "One moment please." She then made a casual 
gesture with one hand and some glowing dots of light appeared 
in the air for a moment.

"What was that, my lady?"

"I preferrr to speak in private and I do not care for 
eavesdropperrrrs."

"Eavesdroppers?" Kojiro asked.

Bastet turned her head over her shoulders and addressed Ukyo. "I 
have been informed by Skuld, good friend of mine, that your 
building had been... what is the term? Oh yes! It has been 
bugged. The spell I have just cast will keep anyone from 
listening in on our conversations."

"What?!" Ukyo gasped as she just took the prepared okonomiyaki 
off the grill. She then began looking around for any hidden 
microphones and noted something that was hidden beneath the 
countertop. She grasped the device and yanked at it, pulling out 
both the listening device and its wires. "Oooh, I'll bet it was 
Nabiki who did this! It's just the kind of thing I'd expect from 
her!"

Pantheron snarled a bit as he signaled for the twins to come to 
him. He then pointed to the microphone in Ukyo's hand and 
gestured for them to search the building for any more bugs. He 
silently chided himself for not taking such measures before as 
the two Felinar warriors went to eliminate any other of the 
listening devices.

"Please forgive this outrage, my lady! " Pantheron apologized. 
"We shall see to it that whoever is responsible shall be dealt 
with!"

Bast raised a hand. "No need. I already know who had done this. 
The kohlinshorrr is correct. Nabiki Tendo was the culprit. Now 
that is one of the reasons why I wish to speak with you and my 
avatarrr. I am also aware of the problems that he is experiencing 
with the Tendos and the Amazons. And I would like to make a 
suggestion as to how to resolve these problems."

----------

Nabiki winced as her receiver suddenly developed static. She 
didn't know if she was experiencing technical problems or if one 
of the microphones had been discovered. She didn't like the fact 
that she was now lacking in the information department. After 
finding out how rich Ranma had become, she was eager to get in 
touch with him and get a hold of all or at least a large chunk of 
that fortune that White Claw had left him. 

Now with her contact with the Ucchan's suddenly cut off, she 
started to get that nagging feeling that something big was going 
to happen.

----------

"So that is my idea." Bastet finished as Kojiro and Pantheron 
nodded.

"It could work." Kojiro said.

"It shall work!" Pantheron said with confidence. "My lady, we 
thank you!"

"No trouble at all." The goddess nodded to the kohlinshor as 
Ukyo served their okonomiyaki. "Now then, my avatarrr, there is 
another matterrr that we need to address, specifically a certain 
person who cannot find his way out a room with one doorrrr."

"Ryoga." Ranma said simply.

"Yes. It seems that he too knows of the Neko Ken, though it is 
severely flawed. Now his fate lies in yourrrr hands."

"What do you mean?"

"What she means is that you have two options, kohlinjar." 
Pantheron replied. "As the Felinar's prime representative and 
enforcer of the Council, you must deal with all outsiders who 
possess all or part of the Neko Ken. Either this Ryoga person 
is to be given membership into the clan or..." The large Felinar 
took a deep breath as she said the last part with the utmost 
seriousness. "... or he must die."

"Die?" Kojiro was a bit unsure about killing anyone unless it 
was a matter of life or death.

"Given the present circumstances, it would be more merciful if 
you were to end his existence, kohlinjar."

"You mean...?"

Night Stalker nodded. "I have already received the reports on the 
condition of the one called Ryoga Hibiki. He is so immersed in 
the Neko Ken that he is a danger to both himself and others. The 
madness of the flawed training has caused his mind to become 
reduced to feral levels. The only reason that he isn't hurting 
anyone now is because the doctors of the hospital have kept him 
under heavy restraint and sedation, but even that will not be 
enough to kept him docile forever. So it is my opinion that we 
would be doing him and everyone a service, if we ended his 
suffering... permanently."

"That's your opinion, not mine." Kojiro replied while 
considering his options. "Though he was stupid enough to 
attempt to master the Neko Ken, and even more stupid was 
the fact that he went to Happosai for the training, he doesn't 
deserve to lose his life."

"But sir, the only other option is to have him undergo the 
cleansing process and join the clan. Do you intend to...?"

"No."

"No?"

"No." Ranma replied as he shook his head. He then stood up and 
walked away from the table. He stopped with his back to them as 
he gazed out the large picture window of the Ucchan's. "I won't 
have that idiot become part of the Felinar."

"What do you mean, kohlinjar? If you do not intend to kill him, 
then the only other choice is to make him part of the Felinar."

"Yes, I too would like to know why you have made this decision, 
my avatarrr." Bast asked.

Kojiro took a deep breath before answering. "Just think for a 
moment as to WHY Ryoga wanted to learn the Cat Fist in the 
first place. It was because of his obsession of beating me, due 
to that slight to his so-called honor!"

"Do you mean that duel that you waited three days for him to 
show, but took him four days to get to that lot behind his house?" 
Ukyo asked as she served the plates of okonomiyaki to her 
guests. During their times together, her fianc? had told her about 
that infamous challenge during junior high school. "The one 
about the curry bread?"

The Cat Fist fighter nodded. "That's the one. He became so 
obsessed after missing that duel, that he began blaming me for 
all his problems. That fact and that stupid pledge to unite the 
schools of the Anything Goes. He was so certain that I'd take 
Akane away from him, that he began attacking me after my 
identity was blown. Never mind the fact that I had no intention 
whatsoever of fulfilling that pledge, nor was I remotely 
interested in Akane."

"Go on." Pantheon urged as he began munching on the 
okonomiyaki.

"Despite the fact that the manual clearly stated that the Cat Fist 
was flawed and that he was too old to learn it, he still tried to 
find a way to get a hold of the Neko Ken. Why? It was because 
he knew that he didn't have any other way of coming close to 
matching my Neko Ken abilities. He went to HAPPOSAI for 
God's sake! Doesn't that TELL you something about his 
character?"

Ukyo nodded as she began to understand her fianc?'s motives for 
not allowing Ryoga to join the Felinar. "Ryoga was always a bit 
obsessed when it concerned you." She remembered well the rants 
and raves of the Lost Boy whenever he talked about his revenge 
against Ranma and how he saw Hell because of him.

"Obsessed?" Kojiro said incredulously as he turned to face them. 
"He was downright fanatical! Killing me became his hobby! 
Now do you really think I would WANT someone like that in the 
clan? After all that I've been though, do you think I would 
welcome someone into the clan who blames me for everything 
that ever went wrong in his life? And just think of what would 
happen if Ryoga were to ever gain mastery over the Cat Fist. His 
first thought will be to attack me for no other reason other than 
that stupid duel and his irrational fear that I would take Akane 
away from him! Hell, I told him straight off that I wanted 
nothing to do with Akane. Did he listen? No! He went and tried 
to learn the Cat Fist anyway! Even before he learned the wrong 
Cat Fist, he was already near the edge. Think of what he would 
do if he was part of the Felinar! I won't take any of his nonsense 
or crap about his honor when he has none to begin with! As far 
as I'm concerned, making him part of the clan would be like 
bringing in a nuclear bomb with the timer already ticking and 
nothing to stop it."

Pantheron nodded slowly. He had done some extensive research 
on Ryoga and was well aware of the Hibiki boy's fixation on the 
new kohlinjar. It would not do for such conflict to erupt among 
the ranks of the Felinar. Issuing challenges was one thing, but 
out-and-out civil war was something to be avoided. Ryoga was 
obsessive at best and downright fanatical at worst. The clan 
certainly would not benefit with a member who's only goal was 
to destroy the kohlinjar for something as trivial as bread and 
a promise that Ranma had no intention to carry through with. 

Saber Claw had long abandoned the identity of Ranma Saotome, 
so technically speaking, the pledge to unite the schools of the 
Anything Goes was invalid. Now any sensible person who was 
attracted to Akane Tendo wouldn't have anything to worry about. 
Ryoga still believed that Kojiro would take her away. Despite all 
logic, the Lost Boy still assumed that the kohlinjar was the root 
of all his troubles, when in fact, Ryoga had no one but himself to 
blame for his misfortunes. Now that Pantheron considered it, a 
person like Ryoga would not benefit the Felinar at all. The clan 
needed new blood, but that was one kind of blood that they could 
do without.

"So, if you are not going to end his life, nor allow him to become 
one of us, what do you intend to do, kohlinjar?"

Ranma cocked his head to the side for a few moments before 
addressing Bastet. "Bastet, what exactly is involved in the 
cleansing process? How does it work?"

The Cat goddess shrugged while taking a bite out of her Japanese 
pizza. "It's somewhat similarrr to what you experienced during 
your training in the true Neko Ken. I help the victim accept the 
fact that the Neko Ken and all of its feline characteristics are 
part of his or herr being. Afterwards, if the person does come out 
of the feral mentality, then he orrr she retains the Cat Fist in 
its most basic form. From that point, the person becomes eligible 
for clan membership and furtherrr training in the Neko Ken. They 
will not be able to transform like normal Felinarrr, but any 
offspring they have within the clan will have those powers, plus 
any other inherent abilities of the new memberrr."

"Now that you mention it, it's just as well that Hibiki does not 
join our ranks." Pantheron remarked. "I did some research on his 
family and apparently, his lack of direction sense is hereditary. 
That's something that the Felinar can do without."

Ranma nodded as he gave it more thought. "Bastet? Is it possible 
to remove BOTH the fear of cats and technique from Ryoga?"

The Egyptian deity shook her head. "No. If that was possible, 
then I would have done so long ago. Both the spiritual and 
physical attributes are interlinked and cannot be separated. 
That was one of the main reasons why the Cat Fist was neverrr 
meant for humans, for they cannot handle the mental stress 
of the technique."

Kojiro thought some more, then asked the goddess. "How about... 
just the technique itself? I mean, is there any way that 
you could somehow... I don't know, lock away the technique?"

The goddess cocked her head in thought. "Hmmmm, interesting 
proposition my avatarrr. Usually, when I remove the fearrr of 
cats, the technique remains, for it would have been ingrained 
into the person's psychomotor reflexes. I neverrr considered 
doing the reverse."

"Is it possible?"

"I do know of certain spells that can do the job. So exactly what 
are you planning?" 

Kojiro sat back down at the table. "I'm not going to kill Ryoga 
for his stupidity, but I'm going to leave him a bit of an object 
lesson. If you can seal away the technique, but leave his fear of 
cats, then that will be enough. As I remember it, when my fear 
of cats went past the breaking point, it triggered my Cat Fist 
which caused me to start acting like a cat to escape the fear. 
However, if the technique became inaccessible, then..."

"Then Ryoga would not be able to slip into a feral state to escape 
his fearrr of cats, thus becoming a dangerrr to all those around 
him." Bastet finished for him. "The worst that he would be able 
to achieve would to be to faint at the prolonged sight of a cat. 
Not bad. He would have permanent ailurophobia, but other than 
that he would be unchanged from what he was before the flawed 
training. He would still have the technique, but would be unable 
to use it, since his fearrr will not be able to reach its breaking 
point."

Kojiro nodded with a smile. "And the good part would be that he 
wouldn't be able to attack me any more for ANY of his stupid 
reasons. All I'd have to do is transform and scare the living hell 
out of him. And he wouldn't dare approach the Felinar to get at 
me. Ryoga may had been duped by Happosai, but I WON'T be 
the one who pays for his mistakes. And I will not stand for any 
more of his nonsense."

"Very good, my avatarrr. It shall be done."

Ranma nodded as he took a bite out of his okonomiyaki. "Now 
that we've gotten that settled, it's time that I settled those 
other loose ends." He turned to Pantheron. "Night Stalker, you 
will send a message to the Tendos and that idiot father of mine.
You will also send word to the Amazons that I will meet with them 
to settle that stupid Amazon Law of theirs."

"As you wish, kohlinjar."

----------

An hour later...

Kojiro, Pantheron and Ukyo sat in a large room in the same safe 
house that they were previously in, after the downfall of White 
Claw. Outside of the room, standing guard at the door were 
Cutter and Quick Slash as they all waited for their 'guests' to 
arrive. They did not have long to wait as another pair of Felinar 
guards came down the hallway, escorting the Tendo family and 
Genma Saotome.

Inside the room, Bastet appeared before the kohlinjar and his 
kohlinshor. Night Stalker immediately knelt in front of her. The 
deity bid her subject to rise as she addressed her avatar. "It has 
been done. The one you know of as Ryoga has been released 
from the hospital and he has been brought out of his cat state. As 
a courtesy, I also healed his wounds. Howeverrr, he will neverr 
again use the Neko Ken. He nearly fainted at the sight of me after 
I brought him out of his feral behaviorrr."

"Good." Ranma replied as he saw the front door open, admitting 
the Tendos and Genma. Bastet then cast a spell so that she could 
only be seen by the Felinar and Ukyo.

Soun saw Ranma and immediately became a human water 
fountain as he rushed to embrace his future son-in-law. "Wah! 
Now schools will be joined! I'm so happy that you've finally 
come to your senses and..."

WHAM!

Soun was floored as Cutter delivered a blow to the head. Luckily 
for the overemotional martial artist, the Felinar only used enough 
force to do the job. Any harder and Soun's head would have split 
open like a ripe melon.

Soun looked up in a daze at the growling guard as Cutter spoke 
to him in a deadly tone. "You will not approach nor address the 
kohlinjar without his permission! Attempt it again and you will 
be DEAD before you take another step!"

This got Akane's rage up as she tried to attack him. "HOW DARE 
YOU HURT MY FATHER! I'LL... ERK!"

However, with her arms and legs in casts and her in a wheelchair, 
her attempt was laughable and Quick Slash had no difficulties in 
stopping her. With just a push of a finger, he shoved Akane back 
into her wheelchair, just as she tried to get up. He then gave her 
an icy glare.

"You'd best be quiet, little girl, if you expect to see the next 
sunrise!" He then exposed his 'claws' near her throat, 
emphasizing his point, making even the mule-headed girl pause 
as she gazed at the glowing chi energy.

Kojiro signaled to all those present that he wanted to speak. The 
room became silent as he glared at the Tendos and gave an extra-
cold gaze at his worthless father. He then took a deep breath and 
spoke. "I suppose you are all wondering why I summoned you 
here"

"Not at all, Ranma my boy!" Genma said with confidence. "I'm 
glad to see that you've finally acknowledged the fact that it is 
a matter of honor that you marry Akane and..."

"SHUT UP!" Kojiro roared, making the cowardly and greedy martial 
artist startled at his intense tone. He glared hard at his father 
with a look that could melt lead before speaking to him again a 
more controlled tone. "I have no intention whatsoever in uniting 
the schools of the Anything Goes as I do not consider that it 
applies to me in any way."

"What?! But you can't! It's a matter of honor! Oh the shame! 
My son has no honor!"

"SHUT UP!" Kojiro roared again, stopping Genma's tirade as Soun 
felt his dreams come crashing down around him like fragile 
pottery. "The pledge to unite the schools applied only to Ranma 
Saotome and he died a year ago at Jusenkyo! I AM KOJIRO SHINKARA! 
I have no father named Genma Saotome!"

"But son! You are..."

"I AM NOT YOUR SON! YOUR SON HAS BEEN GONE FOR SOME TIME NOW 
AND HE WILL NEVER RETURN! CALL ME RANMA ONE MORE TIME AND 
I WILL SLICE OUT YOUR SPLEEN AND FEED IT TO YOU!"

"Oh how could you do this to your father?!" Genma wailed.

"Oh the tragedy!" Soun joined in "To have such a disrespectful 
son who shirks his honor!"

"SILENCE!" Kojiro roared once more, effectively cowing them again 
when they saw that his battle aura began glowing with intensity. 
"I did not call you here to listen to your pathetic whining and 
pleas. I sent for you to settle this matter once and for all!" He 
snapped his fingers, and Pantheron immediately brought out 
the Tendo Dojo's sign and handed it to him.

"This piece of wood represents the Tendo Dojo and its right to 
be a place for learning the martial arts, specifically the Anything 
Goes. However, when the former kohlinjar challenged the heir to 
the school and won, the dojo lost both its title and legacy. As I 
remember, White Claw gave all disciples of the Anything Goes 
ten chances to win back the sign, specifically extending the 
challenge to the members of the Tendo and Saotome families and 
to the grandmaster Happosai. You had failed NINE times and 
only had one chance left when I became the new kohlinjar!"

"That's right, and you won it back for us, son." Genma cut in. 
"Now you must marry Akane and..."

"I DID NOT FIGHT WHITE CLAW FOR THE GOD-DAMNED SIGN!" Kojiro 
roared again. "I only gained possession of the sign by proxy 
after White Claw died! I had long abandoned all ties to the 
Saotome clan and renounced my former life of Ranma Saotome! 
As such, I was not a part of the Saotome School of the Anything 
Goes Martial Arts and therefore, my victory against White Claw 
does not entitle the return of the sign to the Tendo Dojo! As I 
see it, the Anything Goes School has one chance remaining to regain 
the sign! Therefore, you have only one of three alternatives...."

"W-W-What are you talking about?" Soun stuttered, not 
believing that this was happening.

Kojiro growled low. "First alternative is that one of you may 
challenge me for the sign. If you win, then the sign will be 
yours in accordance to the conditions that White Claw had outlined. 
However, if you lose, then I WILL carry out his threat and 
destroy the sign, thereby ending the legacy of the Tendo Dojo 
forever."

Soun and Genma turned pale at the casual ruthlessness Ranma 
was showing and tried to protest, but the Cat Fist fighter silenced 
them with a glare that could melt lead.

"The second alternative deals with the so-called honor pledge to 
unite the schools of the Anything Goes, specifically involving me 
and one of Soun Tendo's daughters. I find this pledge to be both 
idiotic and irrelevant as I am no longer a Saotome. However, you 
two seem determined that I follow through with this promise at all 
costs. Tell me, are you willing to risk the future of the dojo?" 
Ranma silently added, < Doesn't really matter anyway. The dojo 
was pretty much worthless with no students. According to what 
Pantheron told me before the meeting, the dojo hasn't had any 
students for years and nobody wanted to learn under Soun 
Tendo. > 

"W-W-What are you talking about?" Genma said with a 
trembling voice.

Kojiro gave his former parent a disdainful look. "Since this 
sign is mine by proxy due to my victory over White Claw, I had 
initially ordered Pantheron to destroy the sign. However, this 
second alternative that I offer to you is considered to be more 
merciful and will also greatly benefit the Tendo family 
financially."

Nabiki perked up at the mention of possible profit and became 
an eager listener.

"Your second choice is to give up the pledge to unite the schools 
entirely and leave me and the Felinar alone for all time. In return, 
not only will I relinquish the sign to the Tendo Dojo, but I will 
also award to the Tendo family a sum of two million dollars in 
American money."

"Two... million... dollars?!" Nabiki gasped. That was more 
money than she could make in a year with all of her mercenary 
operations combined! At current rates of exchange, that 
amounted to 2.6 billion yen!

Ranma nodded as he took note of the look of shock in their eyes. 
"Yes. Two million dollars. I would say that will keep all of you 
living comfortably for a good while and pay for any incidental 
expenses." He then gestured to Akane. "I'm quite certain that 
plastic surgery is very costly these days."

Akane glared at Ranma with fury. It was so revolting that he 
was now offering her a way to remove the reminder on her face. 
It was his fault that she received the scar!

"If I were in your position, I would take the second option." 
Ranma warned as he held up the sign. "You'd best decide 
quickly, or I shall simply go through with the third option."

"And w-what's that?" Soun asked in a quiet whisper.

"I will destroy the sign here and now, and you shall be left 
with nothing!"

"B-B-But you can't do that!"

"Why not? The sign is mine to do with as I please after all."

"But the pledge... it is a matter of honor that..."

"The pledge means NOTHING to me. There shall be NO marriage 
between me and Akane or your other daughters. Not now, not 
ever! Choose now Soun Tendo! Which is more important? The 
welfare of your family or a hunk of wood and a promise between 
yourself and a waste of a human being? You have until the count 
of three! IF you do not decide by then, then you can kiss the 
Tendo Dojo goodbye! One!"

"Wait! You can't...!"

Kojiro reared back with one hand and powered up his chi. "Two!"

"You're not giving me a choice!"

"Three!"

With that Ranma tossed the sign into the air and prepared to slice 
it into wood chips as it came down.

"WAIT!"

Just before his claws touched the wood, the Neko Ken warrior 
stopped and caught the sign deftly with his other hand. He then 
looked down at Soun, who was now on his knees and sobbing 
hysterically.

Genma and the rest of the Tendo clan could barely recognize the 
man's voice as he said in choked whisper, "We... will take the 
second option... The pledge... is... null and void." Soun said the 
last part in a choked tone before sobbing hysterically once more.

Genma couldn't believe it. Soun had shown bouts of extreme 
emotion before, but now he was totally without spirit and utterly 
broken. He had thought for certain that Soun's obsession to join 
the schools would never sway, but the impossible had happened. 
The greedy martial artist then thought of the consequences of 
Soun's decision and began to perk up. With the kind of money 
that Ranma had promised to them, he could still live out the 
luxurious early retirement that he had originally planned. Things 
could still work out, couldn't they?

Little did he know that fate had other ideas.

Kasumi went to her father's side to comfort him as she gave 
Ranma a disapproving look. That had not been very nice of him 
to have treated her father in such a manner, even though he did 
deserve it.

Akane was in a rage and tried to get up. "DAD! YOU CAN'T DO THIS! 
I'll WIN BACK THE SIGN AND... ERK!" She was immediately swatted 
back into her wheelchair by Quick Slash. The Felinar gave her a 
deadly glare as he leaned forward.

"I told you to keep quiet little girl. This discussion is between 
the kohlinjar and your father. This shall be your LAST warning! 
Hold that tongue or I shall RELIEVE you of it! Soun Tendo is 
the head of your family and he has already made his decision!"

Akane snarled at the Felinar warrior but couldn't do a thing 
about it. 

"This discussion is now over and the bargain is done!" Kojiro 
then turned to Pantheron. "Escort the Tendos and Genma out 
and give them back the sign. I shall have the money directly 
deposited into their family account." He tossed the dojo's sign 
to his right-hand man and then glared at the Tendos one last 
time. "This concludes our business and I expect that we never 
encounter each other again. IF you continue to annoy me in the 
future, than I will not be as lenient." He then directed his 
glare to Nabiki. "And as for you, Nabiki Tendo, my fianc?e and 
I were very angry after we discovered that you had bugged her 
establishment. That can bee seen as an invasion of her privacy 
and mine, as well as trespassing and several other legal charges. 
I can very easily have you arrested."

Nabiki stiffened at Ranma's accusations, but put up a brave front, 
thinking that he didn't really have any solid evidence to connect 
her with the listening devices. That was when the kohlinjar gave 
her something to think about.

Kojiro snorted at her false front. "Do not think that I DON'T 
have any evidence. I have many resources at my disposal and 
they sifted through dozens of false leads and fronts, until they 
finally got a hold of certain receipts and files. Guess whose 
name and signature were on them?"

Nabiki gulped as she realized that Ranma was far more 
formidable than she expected.

Kojiro nodded as he continued. "Take care Nabiki Tendo, 
that when you try to catch a tiger by his tail, you'd better make 
certain that he can't use his claws or teeth! I have FAR more 
lawyers than you do and that money that your family received 
would not be enough to keep you out of prison. My kohlinshor 
and I will overlook your transgression once, but we won't 
tolerate any repeat offenses. Are we clear on that?"

Nabiki bit down on her tongue at him. She was unused to being 
told what to do, but she didn't have much of a choice. She gave 
him a nod before being escorted out with the rest of her family. 
Her father was still blubbering hysterically.

Ukyo then addressed her fianc? after the Tendos and Genma had 
left. "That was a little extreme, Ko-Chan."

"It was something that had to be done. If that doesn't get them 
off my back, then they're even more stupid then I thought."

"I guess. Though I am sorry that Genma gets to enjoy that money 
you gave him. I still haven't forgiven him for stealing my 
family's yattai."

Kojiro smirked as he said, "And who said he was going to enjoy 
it?"

"What do you mean?"

Kojiro chuckled as he answered. "As I said, the money will be 
awarded to the TENDOS, and Genma isn't one of them. I've 
added a special clause to the deposit so that he won't be able to 
access it. Besides, he's going to be too busy running to be able 
to get at that money. My 'former' Pop had built up a lot of 
outstanding warrants for hundreds of cases of petty theft over 
the years, and I've already notified the authorities on his 
whereabouts. He's got a lot to pay for and I intend to make 
certain that he does, no matter how long it will take him."

"Kojiro... you're doing that... to your own father?"

"He's NOT my father... not any more. I've legally renounced the 
Saotome name and I am forever Kojiro Shinkara. I may still be 
Ranma inside, but as far as the world is concerned, Ranma 
Saotome died at Jusenkyo."

Ukyo was about to say more, but decided that this was one of the 
hardest things that he had to do and he had to see it through. She 
held her peace as her betrothed ordered for Pantheron to send for 
the Amazons.

----------

Some time later...

Cologne and Shampoo were escorted into the building by a pair of 
Felinar guards. Both Amazons were on their best behavior as they 
knew that despite their abilities, they were in the presence of 
warriors that could rip them apart in a heartbeat. Mousse was 
not with them as Cologne had him confined to the Nekohanten. She 
knew that his obsession over her great-granddaughter would not 
help in this very delicate matter.

Ranma... no, Kojiro was now officially a part of the Felinar, 
and not just as a mere warrior of their race. He had taken White 
Claw's place as the prime representative and enforcer. From 
what little information about the Felinar that she had forced 
from Happosai, (during her interrogation of him at the hospital), 
Kojiro was now kohlinjar, and had access to enormous resources 
and power. 

If he were to marry Shampoo, then the Amazons would have the 
opportunity to strengthen their bloodlines a thousand-fold with 
the true power of the Neko Ken. However, with the way things 
were at the moment, that outcome seemed more and more 
unlikely. The old crone was not so obsessed with upholding 
Amazon Laws, that she'd jeopardize her family and tribe's safety 
by angering these powerful warriors. From what she had seen 
from his battle with White Claw, Kojiro alone could slay two-
thirds of the village, and perhaps a third of the village elders 
before they could bring him down. And if he were to call upon 
his brethren for assistance, then the Chinese Amazons would 
face extinction.

No, a marriage between Kojiro and Shampoo was not in the cards. 
She could tell that in his eyes and saw that he favored that 
okonomiyaki chef Ukyo to be his kohlinshor. Oh yes, she knew 
about the laws concerning the kohlinnor and kohlinshor. That 
book that she had taken from Happosai was most informative.

Once her great-granddaughter had been told of it, she was all for 
eliminating her rival and setting herself up as the kohlinshor. 
However, Cologne vetoed the idea before Shampoo could set 
off to hunt Ukyo down. The chestnut-haired girl had already 
been recognized as the kohlinshor and was under the Felinar's 
protection. If any harm came to her, then the Neko Ken fighters 
would exact a very bloody retribution. And with their abilities, 
Cologne's great-granddaughter would be reduced to a quivering, 
red mass in a second; like a lamb that was freshly mauled by a 
pack of lions.

That was to be avoided. Another way would have to be found. If 
the matriarch and her people were to benefit from any of this, 
then certain compromises must be made. Perhaps... an alliance. 
Yes, the Felinar would make excellent allies against her village's 
ancient enemies; the Musk Dynasty.

The two warrior females were led into a small waiting room and 
were told to remain. Without saying another word, the two Neko 
Ken warriors left them to talk to themselves.

As soon as the door closed and the three-hundred-year-old elder 
was certain that no one was listening, the two Amazons began 
discussing the situation.

"We here to get Airen, yes?" Shampoo said with some 
excitement.

Cologne gave her prot?g?e a glare and shook her head. 
"Shampoo, you can not be THIS obstinate! You must face facts! 
Kojiro will NOT be your husband!"

"But Amazon Law say he is Shampoo's Airen!"

"Not in this case." Cologne said quietly. 

"But Amazon Law..."

"May not hold any weight in this situation." The elder said, 
cutting Shampoo off. "I fear that certain things have... been 
taken far beyond our power to change."

"Very good, Cologne. There may be hope forrr your people 
afterrr all."

Both women became startled when they heard the voice. They 
both went into defensive stances and looked about. However, 
they could not see anyone else in the room.

It was at that moment, that a certain Cat Goddess decided to 
make her entrance. The Amazons were startled as the deity 
appeared before them in a shimmering aura of light. As she 
materialized in all her feline glory, the matriarch's chi senses 
were in danger of overload. Bastet saw this and reined back 
her power.

"Aiyah! Who you?!" Shampoo gasped as she stared at the catlike 
being who stood before them.

The Egyptian goddess ignored Shampoo as she fixed her gaze on 
her great-grandmother. She gave her a deadly smile, showing her 
fangs as she addressed the matriarch in a polite, yet firm tone. 
"Greetings, Elder Cologne. Allow me to introduce myself. I am... 
Bastet."

Cologne's eyes widened even further as she heard that name. 
Like all the elders of her village, she was well-versed in the 
history of her people and how they were descended from the 
warrior women of Greek legend. It was said that they had 
migrated down into China centuries ago, and in the oldest of 
the texts, were the names of the deities that they worshipped. 
Goddesses such as Athena and Artemis were the most 
prominent, but the old scrolls also mentioned others from 
Egyptian and Norwegian pantheons.

"B-B-Bastet?!"

Kojiro's teacher nodded as she smiled again. "Ah. So you 
DO know of me."

Cologne swallowed hard as she motioned for her great-
granddaughter to stand down. Attacking a goddess was akin 
to suicide. She found her voice as she nodded. "Yes... I know 
of you. You are Bastet... Goddess of Pleasure, cats and pregnant 
women."

"Correct. And... I am most displeased at how you and yourrr 
great-granddaughterrr have been harassing my avatarrr."

Cologne gave Shampoo a look that told the girl not to do 
anything rash as Bastet motioned for them to follow her out 
of the room.

----------

At the Tendo residence...

Soun had not stopped bawling his eyes out since he, his family 
and Genma had come home. To him, the world had come to an 
end. He had taken the coward's way out and chose money over 
honor. His dream to see the schools united was now impossible.

Genma tried to console his friend, but in his mind was racing 
with all the possibilities of having two million dollars. He 
could still live out his life of luxurious retirement without 
that ungrateful boy. However, he would not get to enjoy that 
money, At that moment, certain police precincts and courtrooms 
were receiving messages and packages from anonymous callers. 
Apparently, his son's new resources had found more than enough 
evidence on Genma's past crimes for justice to finally have its 
long-overdue reckoning. Furthermore, there was another matter 
that would soon descend on the Tendo household; specifically 
with a certain promise that Soun had made some twenty years 
ago with the Chardin Clan.

----------

On the way to the main conference room...

"Now I'm certain that we CAN come o some kind of 
arrangement to our mutual benefit and..."

"Do NOT try to patronize me, Cologne." Bastet said with a slight 
hiss. "What you and yourrr people had done to my avatarrr was 
unforgivable."

"But we were only following Amazon Law and..."

"What you did was ATTACK my avatar for no reason other than 
to force him to fight back so that he'd be trapped by yourrrr 
Marriage Laws!" Bastet said with a bit more venom in her voice. 
"Of course, he would defend himself if someone came after him 
with weapons! And that tournament he entered was nothing more 
than a contest, in which he needed to win for his school! Your 
Marriage Laws were irrelevant and you should consider 
yourselves lucky that I do not have you and yourrrr entire village 
annihilated!"

This got the Elder's full attention. She had no doubts that Bastet 
could have her village destroyed if she wanted. After all, she was 
a goddess and was connected with various other deities as well, 
including Kami-sama himself. If there was one thing one should 
try avoiding, it was to get a goddess or god mad at you.

Bastet continued on. "There was only one other race that had 
angered me recently and now they know better."

"Who were they?" Cologne asked.

"I believe you know of them. The Musk Dynasty."

"The Musk?!" Cologne gasped. Shampoo also choked when 
she heard this.

"Yes. The Musk made a foolish mistake in their bid to obtain 
more females as slaves and mates. To them, they were the same 
thing. The mistake they made was kidnapping several Felinarrr 
females a half a century ago. Naturally, the Felinarrr Clan did not 
take this very well and... let's just say that the Musk found out 
the hard way, that they were NOT the most powerful race in the 
world. My followerrrs caused the Musk to sufferrrr VERY heavy 
casualties in getting theirrr females back. Yourrrr ancient 
enemies now considerrr the Felinarrr as off-limits. That is the 
reason why you haven't seen them much for the last fifty yearrrs 
or so. They're STILL licking theirrr wounds, trying to replace 
those who were lost in that conflict. They were nearly driven to 
extinction."

"You mean... the Felinar defeated to Musk?" Cologne asked 
with awe. It made sense though. The ancient enemies of her 
people had not been seen very much in the last few decades 
and only one or two would be sighted each time.

The goddess nodded. "Oh, my followerrrs are QUITE powerful... 
especially with a goddess backing them up..." Bastet let her voice 
trail off, knowing that the hidden message was received and 
understood.

"I see..." Cologne said as she considered her options. It was a 
sure bet that Kojiro would not become her son-in-law and even 
an alliance between the Joketsuzoku and the Felinar seemed to 
be a faint hope at best.

The Cat Goddess saw that Cologne now understood her and 
decided to bid the two Amazons goodbye.

"You have been alive for three centuries, Cologne. I certainly 
hope that you will use whateverrr wisdom you had gained from 
that when my avatarrr speaks with you."

With these words, the Cat Goddess vanished in a cloud of 
sparkling motes, leaving the two Amazons standing at the 
entrance to the conference room. As the doors opened to admit 
them, the elder took a deep breath and readied herself for anything.

----------

Some time later...

Cologne and her great-granddaughter exited from the chambers 
with dejected expressions on their faces. They had not lost 
anything from the meeting, but they had not gained anything 
either. Kojiro had NOT been in the negotiating mood. His terms 
were simple and straightforward. The first one had been easy to 
guess. He wasn't going to marry Shampoo under any 
circumstances.

Naturally, the purple-haired girl tried to protest, stating that 
she was his wife by Amazon law, but that was when Cologne had 
intervened, telling her to be silent and accept the fact that 
he would not be her husband. Shampoo was about to attack Ukyo, 
but a harsh glare from her great-grandmother, plus several growls 
from the Felinar guards kept her from doing anything foolish.

The second term was also expected and all hopes of even gaining 
an alliance with these powerful warriors had been dashed. The 
kohlinjar had stated it most plainly; don't bother the Felinar and 
they won't bother the Amazons. Any violation of this agreement 
and the Chinese warrior women would become as extinct as their 
ancient Greek counterparts. Cologne was quite certain that the 
Neko Ken fighters would carry out that threat.

The elder sighed as she wished that it hadn't come to this. If only 
Shampoo hadn't pushed so hard or this situation could have been 
handled better. They had come close to gaining incredible power, 
only to have fate take it away from them, leaving them with 
nothing.

Well, almost nothing. Cologne now knew where to find her 
tribe's lost treasures, thanks to Happosai being incapacitated. 
The village elders would arrive by tomorrow to mete out the old 
lecher's FINAL judgment. That is... if he were still alive by then.

Cologne then motioned for her heir to follow her as they were led 
outside by a pair of Felinar guards.

----------

The hospital...

Happosai was running for his life... more of less. Without the use 
of his legs, he had to resort to using a motorized wheelchair to 
make his escape. Once the news that he was crippled had spread, 
the old pervert's days were numbered. By late that afternoon, the 
hospital had more than a thousand angry people pounding at their 
front doors, demanding that Happosai be turned over to them. 
They knew where he was and was going to storm the third floor, 
once they got past the security guards. Among the mobs were 
storekeepers, restaurant owners, and street vendors, but the 
majority of them were women who had been groped, fondled 
or had their underwear constantly stolen.

The old lecher knew that he had to get out and fast. After rolling 
out of his bed, he used his arms to crawl toward a motorized 
wheelchair that was parked outside of his room. After using 
supreme effort, he managed to hoist himself into the chair, turned 
it on and pushed the control lever forward. By luck he managed 
to make it to the elevator, just as the mobs broke through the 
front doors. He rode the elevator down to the first floor and raced 
out toward one of the rear exits.

However, just as he was about to ride the road to freedom, his 
wheelchair suddenly stopped as he saw someone blocking his 
path.

"Hello... Happosai. Remember me?"

Pantyhose Tarou had looked better. He had a large bandage 
wrapped around his forehead and arms, along with several scars 
on his face. He had recovered enough from the mauling he had 
received from Kojiro and was ready to have it out with the old 
man. He had only one thing on his mind.

"H-H-H-Heh, hello there Panythose. How very nice to see you 
again and..."

"DON'T CALL ME PANTYHOSE!" Tarou screamed as he took out a flask 
of water and dumped it over his head.

To be continued...?

(For Happosai, he hopes so!)

Author's notes

Well, CH.26 is done as we head into the final legs of this story. 
I know that has been a while, but real life and new ideas kept on 
interfering. What's going to happen now? That would be telling! 
All I can say is that Cat Fist Fury is going to end up with a bang 
as I begin writing the final ten or so chapters of our Cat Fist 
Ranma. See you then!