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He was at the point where he couldn't stand it anymore. The darkness was so
stale against the moon's frail light. Everywhere it was so cold. The floor of dirt was
a squishing blanket of coolness. The walls, the bricks were cool against his dirty palm.
"Damn," Ryoga wiped his sweaty forehead as he peered up at the clouded moon through the ceiling of bars. Behind him he dragged two mases that was locked tightly around his ankles. He withdrew his hot breath, feeling as if he was about to collapse.
Two soldiers in their gray uniforms marched overhead, guns placed properly on
their shoulders. Ryoga always wondered how they could walk so easily on the bars
without tripping.
Ryoga could feel his heart fill with dread as the first raindrops fell upon his
shoulders. He couldn't have mud slow him down now, he had never come this far.
The exit was bound to be just ahead . . . it had been so many years . . .
As he limped down the narrow hallway underground, he found the mud to be
both a blessing and a curse. The slickness helped the mases slide easier, and yet the
spikes on them dug up the mud causing more friction.
Ryoga had come to a point where his mases began to sink. He yanked on the
chains quietly to free himself. If only he had enough food, enough energy, he could
have broken the chains himself.
Working for what seemed like an hour, Ryoga gave the chains a tough tug and
tumbled backward, into the mud. Darts shot out from the wall two feet from his nose.
"Poison darts!" Ryoga thought in surprise. "I-I could've been hit!"
From ten meters away, the two guards were talking without meaning. One of
them paused to listen.
"Did you hear that?" he asked the other.
"What? Hear what?"
"I could have sworn the darts went off," he stumbled over a bar, but got back
on his feet to check.
Ryoga's eyes widened when he found a flashlight beam down on him.
"Where do you think you're going?""Wow, Princess! You are improving drastically!" Nodoka, the castle's head cook implied. Princess Akane leaned over a pan on a stove and grinned.
"You really think so?!" Akane stirred the vegetables. Her heart fluttered when
she imagined the content look on her father, King Soun's face when he tasted her
special recipe.
Princess Nabiki roamed around the castle hallways, with the same boring faces
staring back at her on the walls. She wore one of her cutest little dresses, which was
a pale orange and dragged behind her. Even though her father did not approve of it
completely, Nabiki liked the fact that it revealed her bare back and half of her bust.
"Oh Akane!" Princess Kasumi, Akane's oldest sister, looked over her shoulder.
"I almost forgot to tell you. Father said that we are having guests today."
"Guests?" Akane blinked.
The gardens were at their full, lush, contentment of spring. Flowers blossoming
from every direction, trees that were in the constant yearn to reach the sky, animals
that appreciated whatever kinds of nuts and berries they could get. On the brick road that wound through this garden was a carriage that contained those guests.
Ranma Soatome sat near the door's opening and gazed outside.
"Well, these people sure have it well-off," Ranma told his father, Genma.
"Don't they boy?" Genma burst into laughter. "But let's not forget! That's not why we're here."
Ranma gave his father a blank look and continued to stare outside. The castle at first seemed to be so far away when they had first passed through the gates, but Ranma realized they were but meters from their stop at front. The driver in his black tuxedo hopped down from his seat and opened the door, welcoming them to the castle.
"Thanks a lot, boy!" Genma slapped him playfully on the shoulder.
"Y-You're welcome," Hikaru Gosunkugi shyly grinned for his accomplishments. He could feel his heart pound hard in his thin chest as he gazed at the door that Ranma and Genma stepped through. To think that Princess Akane was right inside!The table at lunch was covered with plates of delicious food, mostly tofu, rice, pork, and poultry. Soun found beef to be distasteful. Nabiki seated herself with grace, as did her sister Kasumi. Soun grinned to himself as he breathed in the wonderful scent. He examined the empty chairs.
"Kasumi dear, where's Akane and our guests?"
"Oh, Akane was-"
"I'm right here!" A plate was slammed hard onto the surface. Akane grinned
proudly over her dish. All over her yellow dress and face, there were bits of food.
"Oh . . . oh no," Soun mumbled, his eyes twitching.
"Try it, it's good!" Akane shoved the plate to her father. "I especially made it for
you, dad!"
"Well," Soun's dreaded eyes glanced up at his daughter's face, but re-attached
to the food, "How-how thoughtful of you, Akane . . ."
"Your Majesty," Daisuke and Hiroshi stepped in. "Your guests Genma Soatome
and his son have arrived."
"G-Good! Send them in!"
Hiroshi and Daisuke opened the doors. Ranma stepped in wearing his red and black Chinese clothing, his favorite outfit. Genma wore a simple white ghi. On his nose his glasses were balanced, his eyes behind observing the room.
Akane looked over her shoulder to see who entered.
"Well Soatome!" Soun waved for them to come in. "Please have a seat!" Genma casually sat in the empty seat next to his old friend. Ranma seated himself across from Kasumi. Well they seemed like normal people. "How have you been for the past ten years?"
"Not bad, not bad at all!" Genma boomed with casual laughter. "You?!"
"Just perfect! I've got one daughter engaged." *hint, hint to Genma* "Is this your son?"
"Yes this is m'boy, Ranma Soatome," Genma introduced his son, pounding him on the back. "Show respect, son." Ranma obeyed with a bow. He re-seated himself. Soun examined Ranma and liked what he saw.
"Ranma, huh?"
"Yes, he was a knight up until recently, for King Bakuchioh, but lasted only
three years." Genma pushed his glasses back with his thumb. "Shamfeul thought."
"Let's not bring that up now," Ranma spoke up. "That wasn't completely my
fault."
"Um . . . . hello . . .?" at the end of the table, Akane had an upset look on her
face from being forgotten. "Were you going to try my food or not . . .?"
"Oooh yes!" Soun clapped. "Let's all eat, shall we?"
Food from almost every dish was served on each of their plates, still warm and
steamy. Ranma could feel his stomach grumble at each new scent. Teriyaki! He hadn't had teriyaki since the night was knighted. Three years ago . . .
Then Akane's food was served. Ranma didn't mean to make a face, but his reaction was just the same. As everyone ate, Akane's food was pushed to the far corner of the plate, but Ranma and Genma hardly knew better.
"Maybe it tastes OK," Ranma thought. "Don't wanna be rude."
Ranma didn't remember passing out, but he found himself in a large bed in what was the guest room. On his head there was a warm wet washcloth. He found a girl sitting beside him. Princess Nabiki.
"God, you have to learn now," she made a point, "Akane's cooking is hazardous."
"Is that what happened?" Ranma lifted the washcloth so he could see better.
"Men are so pathetic," Nabiki sipped on her tea. "And you were a knight?"
"Don't underestimate me," Ranma shot up.
"Watch it," Nabiki sniffed. "I'm royalty. I'm Princess Nabiki." Ranma's eyes cast past Nabiki's shoulder to the window. The world outside was beautiful. Nabiki arose to her feet to leave. She stopped at the door, "Oh, and you better dress up more than that if you want to qualify as clean material for the celebration dinner tonight."
"'Celebration'? For what?"
"For you, stupid. And your father, more or less." She closed the door quietly
behind her. Ranma lay in the bed peacefully. The sheets were so soft and slippery.
The room was large with white walls and thick wooden borders. There were loveseats
on each side of the window, near the closet that was nearly ten feet tall by Ranma's
guess. The carpet was of cranberry, and the ceiling painted of clouds and cupids.
"How did I end up in a place like this?" Ranma grinned.Dragged by the arms through the endless darkness, two doors opened, light spilling in. Ryoga squinted at the brightness as he was dragged up a set of stairs where rows of other prisoners were lined on either sides. In the middle there was a table of wood of some sort.
Ryoga was familiar with this table really well. He had seen his best jail friend die
at this table, and had been whipped once himself. But he was fearless. He only dragged from weakness.
"Weakness," Ryoga thought to himself. "Weak." How he hated that word. His wrists still tied behind him, he was practically thrown onto the table, his bare back facing the sky.
"Here we have prisoner A-3517," a man in uniform, Lt. (Ryuu) Kumon announced, rubbing his whip with passion. "He has been brought here for the punishment of attempting to escape. He has not learned that running away is futile. It is impossible to escape the camp. The pay-25 whips."
Ryoga looked off to his side sadly to find the dead eyes of the other prisoners staring straight back. He thought he saw Ukkyou in the front. Was that really her? Did she survive the selection? Ukkyou like all the others, had her hands straight at her sides and her chin high despite how tired and hungry she was. Her long brown hair was tied in a low ponytail. Her beautiful pointy elf ears were at their full glory.
Lt. Kumon shoved a bit into Ryoga's mouth and lashed out his whip as if he was
stretching it to avoid cramps on the whip. The first stroke snapped. Ryoga shook from the blow. Then the second and the third. Ryoga refused to be so weak to cry, but his bit fell next to his chin. By whip nine, he began to cough out blood with his saliva.
"Only five more!" Ryoga tried to hand on to his consciousness. Four . . . . three . . . Ryoga lost track of the world. Everything was black.Ranma was more stylish in a gold outfit that really didn't suit his character, but it
looked good. On his back a black cape swayed with each step. Akane met him at his
door in a red dress that was simply stunning. In her hair there was a set of red flowers above each ear, connected by a headband.
"Well hello, Princess," Ranma bowed. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, I figured you didn't know your way around yet," Akane said casually but with eyes that sparkled. "You missed out on the tour."
"Yeah, well I was unconscious," Ranma slipped. Akane's face grunted in response. Ranma decided to change the subject. "That is, I didn't mean . . ."
"Yeah, yeah, so you don't like my cooking," Akane walked ahead. Ranma trudged behind her with some guilt, but with a frown.
"Geez," he mumbled.
As Akane and Ranma entered the main entrance room, four men carried a Chinese woman with long purple hair inside. She was squirming and wasn't going to enter without putting up a fight. She struggled and screamed through her gag. Each man held her by an ankle or a wrist.
"What's with her?" Ranma asked.
"She's a gypsy," Akane heaved a sigh. "I believe her name is Shampoo. They say she's a wonderful entertainer, but half the time she refuses to do so."
Shampoo made eye contact with Ranma as she was carried by like it was lived in
slow motion. She kept her eyes on him, as wild as they were, and shook away. She wore a yellow top that barely strapped around her shoulder, and a yellow skirt that revealed her shapely hip.
"Let's go this way," Akane pointed forward, taking a different path.
"Y-Yeah," Ranma followed, watching as Shampoo was hauled away.Well, the ballroom was filled with excitement that night. Akane had mentioned that King Soun had many parties even if it was for no reason at all. There were acrobats and jesters, singers, and even a short play. The lighting was marvelous and the music fitting for the happy moment.
"Oh, Akane! Ranmaaa!" Soun waved his goblet in the air, calling at them with a
tear-streamed blushed face. "How'sh my fav'rit couple?"
"We're fine, Dad," Akane examined her father. "Are you drunk?"
"Ladeesh and gentlemen!" Soun ignored her. The music and commotion calmed down. "I would like to introdush the other guesh't of honor, Ranma Shoatome. I have deshided that he ish fitting to marry my youngesht daughter, Akane, and take ov'r the throne of Carnela!"
The crowd cheered like it was the moment of their life. Ranma and Akane crashed. Akane grasped her father by his blouse.
"Are you crazy?!" she shook him. "What are you talking about?!"
"Congratulations, you two," Nabiki gave them both a hotty wink. "Good luck!"
"This can't be-e," Ranma was dumbfounded. Akane released her father who gulped down more of his wine.
The drums began to boom in a steady beat as another gypsy danced her way in.
She was very sexy to any sane man, with pale skin, black hair, and seductive blue eyes. She wore a long black skirt that slit at the sides to her thigh, and a black tubetop with a single black rose between her teeth. Her hips shook around with each beat, her skin already sweaty from the motion.
"Ah! It's Kodachi!" Hiroshi exclaimed nearby.
"That's Kodachi the Black Rose?" Daisuke responded.
Kodachi spun in circles with her arms flying at her sides, her neck unarmed as she tilted her head back with a grin. Her eyes opened again as a small object from the ceiling pounced down and threw some bombs!
"Happy Fire Burst!" he shouted as the bombs exploded in three separate directions. The air became thick and gray and the voice level rose as people shouted to find each other.
Ranma felt arms wrap around him, pulling him to an exit. Thinking it was Princess Akane, he went with it, his heart pounding. He was led to the main entrance/exit but discovered that the one who found him was Kodachi.
"Hello," she released him and stepped back, examining him. She pinched the rose from her mouth and handed it to him. Ranma took it with confusion, and while he reached out for it, the rose exploded in his face. He sniffed in the strange inscense and felt his muscles turn off and fell to the floor.
"What're you doin'?!" he shouted up at her. Kodachi unraveled rope and began to tie him.
"You're coming with me. But please do not be troubled." The little man boomed into the room, the doors slamming behind him, his laughter of mischief. In his small arms he held Shampoo, still tied.
"Ha ha! We could take this little sweetie too, right Kodachi?" he grinned in his
chuckle.
"I suppose," Kodachi gave Shampoo a shot. "She's very wild. She'll be your
responsibility, Happosai."
Kodachi lifted Ranma with a little difficulty and ran out, with Happosai close by. There were guards on their way out, but Happosai simply dropped more bombs. The coast was clear! A carriage with two ready horses and a driver was straight ahead. Kodachi and Happosai recieved the same idea at the same time.
Shampoo and Ranma were tossed in.
"Get off!" Kodachi revealed her dagger to the coach. He looked frail and meek.
"O-Okay," he backed off. Happosai hopped up onto the seat and grabbed the reins. He cracked at them for the horses to go. Kodachi with only one foot on the ground fell off and chased the carriage, jumping inside.
"What a haul! What a haul!"
It was dark inside. Kodachi was at least considerate enough to seat Ranma and
Shampoo on the seats so that they weren't on the floor. Only Ranma was still awake of them two.
"What's this all about?" Ranma grunted with a sour look.
"Are we already asking questions?" Kodachi leaned back and crossed her legs. "You are not afraid, are you?"
"Afraid of what? A gypsy and an old goat?" Kodachi glared at him.
"I am not a gypsy. I only have been four or five times. But now there is no need to be anymore."
"Why is that?"
"I would prefer not to answer that." Kodachi gave him a sexy grin that meant trouble. "At least not yet."Akane scanned the room from the throne. "Ranma!" she called. "Ranma?" Akane's eyes were in constant motion. "Kasumi's gone too!"
Relieved that no one had passed through the secret passageway behind the throne, Kasumi clung on tightly to the shirt of the servant, Tofu. He stroked her hair to calm her down. They both breathed heavily from the commotion outside.
"What if someone's hurt?" Kasumi asked.
"They were simply smoke screens, Princess. I saw them myself."
"Yes but . . ." Kasumi pressed her cheek against his chest. She loved the way his heart was so rapid at times like these. Every time, it went wild. "Should we check to see if anyone is hurt?"
"If you want to, let's." They passed through the thin door behind the flag hung on the wall. No one had seen them come in. Akane whirred around, overjoyed to find her sister.
"Where's Ranma?" Genma rubbed his forehead.Ryoga hung with shame in the worst dungeon he had ever been to. So cold and far away from the others.
"Good," he thought to himself. "I don't want Ukkyou to see me like this." At six o'clock after roll call, the rest of the hour was for visiting before the bell rung for dinner. Ukkyou jogged down the hall to find Ryoga.
"Ryoga?" she was horrified to find him so weak. He wasn't going to give up, was he? Ryoga's head slowly tilted so that his eyes met hers. Ukkyou offered Ryoga some bread from her lunchtime ration. "I brought it for you. You need all the strength you can get."
Ryoga gladly accepted the bread. Ever since the whipping at noon, he hadn't had a bite. Ukkyou cupped his icy face, her hands just as cold. "Thank you, Ukkyou."
Ukkyou grinned with a light blush. "You would have been out of the camp. You had traveled three and a half miles from your cell."
"I would've been out?" Ryoga blinked. "You mean . . . I was close to the end?"
"Not really. You went the wrong way, Hon." Ryoga hung his head. His eyes began to focus more clearly in the darkness.
"Ukkyou, your ears . . ."
"They trimmed them," Ukkyou lightly touched the blood-caked ends. "They cut off too much."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it." From a distance, the bell chimed seven times. "I must go now." Ukkyou waved. "I'll try to sneak you some bread."
"Don't bother," Ryoga told her. "You need to eat too." Ukkyou didn't reply, but ran off, not really knowing if she should give him some bread. Her stomach would have killed any man for their ration at this point.
"Damn you, Ranma," Ryoga huffed.Ranma sat in the meantime, uncomfortably in the seat in the carriage. He could
slowly feel his strength reviving, but not enough just yet. He kept his eyes away from
Kodachi, who stared at him every second. Outside they seemed to be rolling into the
forest. Which forest, Ranma did not know. His geography on Carnela was terrible,
not ever living here before. They had rode on for what seemed like another two hours into the heart of the forest. Ranma was surprised when the carriage finally stopped.
Kodachi did not forget to give Ranma another parylises before they had exited the carriage. "For your own good," Kodachi had told him. Yeah right. Shampoo was in a state where her eyes were opened, but she seemed dazed and out-of-it. Whatever noises she said did not make sense in any language.
"What did you do to her?!" Ranma tried to move, but found Kodachi overpowering him. His black ponytail itched against his neck, how he wished he could have scratched it.
"Nothing much," Kodachi carried him. She waved an arm before her, Ranma's feet dangling onto the ground. Five trees in a perfect circle began to rustle, their trunks bending down to the center. The ground began to rumble and shake, animals nearby scattering away. A black building of rock arose from underground, a small one, an elevator of some sort. Kodachi with Ranma and Happosai with Shampoo ran in.
The ground rumbled and shook once more as the elevator slid its way back
underground."I don't believe this," Akane smoothed her hair back. She flung her knapsack over her shoulder. She hoped she wouldn't get caught. Father Soun ws such a crybaby over this. Ranma was definately kidnapped. Akane had found shreds of a note that were inside the bombs and placed them together. It was in a language she did not understand.
"If I can't understand this, then I'll find someone who can," Akane tied the shreds in a small pouch. She packed an outfit in her knapsack and enough food for two meals. She crawled to her window and reached for the branch of the tree. It was so thin from this distance, she wondered if it would break. She attempted to jump, snatching the branches the best she could. The branch snapped from her lead weight. She fell about a story onto the ground on her knees. "Ooww," she rubbed her sore knees. She had never worn boys' clothing before, but this wasn't a great start-tearing up the knee. "I'll be bound to look like a ragamuffin in no time."
Akane looked left and right for the carriage. "Usually he's out here . . ."
"P-Princess Akaneeee," a shadow lurked out of a nearby brush. Akane jumped back with a scream.
"Y-You're Hikaru Gosunkugi, aren't you?" Akane pointed. "The driver?"
Gosunkugi at this point covered both of his blushy cheeks with his bony hands.
"She-she talked to me! Finally Princess Akane has, sp-spoken to me!"
"Where's the carriage?" Akane asked him. Gosunkugi pointed towards the castle
gates.
"A g-gypsy and an old goat took it," he said so quietly that Akane could barely hear him. Akane frowned at the gates, determined. Gosunkugi saw her expression and took it as though she was upset at him for failing. "S-Sorry."
"It's not your fault. I have to go after them. But where would they go . . .?"
"I could tell you," Gosunkugi coughed.
"You know where they went?!" Akane squealed. She quickly hushed when she
realized how loud she was.
"N-No. But I could track them down." Gosunkugi unrolled his map and smoothed it out on the ground. He pulled out a single black hair that belonged to Ranma.
"How did you get that?" Akane pointed at the hair.
"From Ranma," Gosunkugi answered her bluntly. He studied the map, dragging
the tip of the hair across the worn-out paper. "There." He pointed to the Yakitori
Forests. "He's there, I could swear it."
"The Yakitori Forests?" Akane leaned over. "Are you sure?"
"N-Not really."Akane and Gosunkugi set out the next morning. They each rode their own horse.
"It's faster than using a carriage," Akane pointed out. The hooves clop clop
clop'ped as they went, a sound Akane actually enjoyed to hear. In their sacks which hung by the sides of their horses, Akane had snuck food from the kitchen and brought her clothes and his.
The closest town was Stirfry, but was so small and didn't have a shop for weapons or supplies. Akane had decided to drive on to Wonton, a much larger town about three miles down.
Akane had forgotten what the sun had done to a city in the morning of summer. Dew was wet beneath her feet as she and Hikaru tied their horses to some stalls outside a weapon shop labeled Muu-Tzu's Weaponry. A bell tinkled to Akane's right as she stepped in.
The shop was a little dusty, with the smell of it in the air. She inhaled the scents of dust and heavy leather, pine wood, and ramen all at once. Hikaru shyly stepped in behind her, his eyes locked on her shoulders.
The clerk quickly spun so that his back was facing his customers and quickly finished his ramen. He set the bowl down and greeted them, "How may I help you two?"
"Um," Akane's mind went blank. The clerk was very handsome. He wore baggy
Chinese robes, his hair was jet-black and to his waist, and his eyes were a green that was simply marvelous. "We're here for weapons and armor."
"Was there a certain kind of weaponry you were interested in?"
"N-Not really. To tell you the truth, I don't know how to use any of this."
"Well, I'm sure I can help you sirs. My name is Mousse," he placed his glasses on his head. What a difference! His eyes were hidden behind large white glasses, very thick, with swirls that made Akane feel dizzy. "What the-?!"
Akane stepped back feeling unsure of herself. The clerk studied her more carefully from head to toe. Akane could feel his steady stare.
"There couldn't possibly be signs of me missing yet," Akane thought to herself.
"I'm sorry," he grinned. "If I didn't know any better, I would have thought you were the Third Princess Akane."
"Well," Akane shrugged, "I get that alot." Gosunkugi browsed through the store
quietly, trying not to make an inconveniance of himself.
"Have you heard?" Mousse pushed his glasses up ontop his head. "Princess Akane's suitor, Ranma Soatome, was kidnapped at a party last night." Akane's heart beat hard in her chest. Was that all he knew? "Story is, soldiers are setting out every direction after him. No one seems to know of his whereabouts though."
"We're going after him," Akane told him. "We know where he's at, too."
"Really? How do you know?"
"Well uh . . ." Akane's eyes trailed to Gosunkugi's. He slowly set his eyes elsewhere and began to blush.
"Lemme ask you a question," Mousse leaned against the counter. "Is it true that the gypsy Shampoo was taken also?"
"Yes! Both her and Ranma."
"I'm sorry," Mousse stood tall. "You can not fool me, Princess. I recognize her voice from anywhere. I've seen her in real life three times."
"So you think I'm the princess for real?"
"I know you are."
"Well, I dunno. When I first came in, you thought I was a guy. You called me sir."
"I read on a tarot card that a special person would walk into my life, I just didn't expect it to be the day after. I'm not going to take you back for running away. I don't blame you. I just want to come with. Is that gloomy-looking guy with you?"
"Yeah. He's Hikaru Gosunkugi."
"Well, news will spread out soon, Princess Akane. People will know you are missing. I suggest we change your look."
"My . . . look?" Akane brushed her long hair past her shoulders.For five days and five nights, Ryoga hung in those chains against the stone wall.
Ukkyou visited him every day, bringing a gift of food often. Ryoga had become much more weak since he was imprisoned in this dungeon. He was never fed unless by Ukkyou.
Ukkyou placed the last peice of bread into his mouth. It was dry and moldy and
distasteful, but Ryoga savored every crumb of it. After he swallowed it down, Ukkyou
offered him some water which he gladly accepted.
"You know, there's been rumors going around," Ukkyou sighed. "Because of my ears, I have a higher chance for the selection tomorrow."
"Don't believe it," Ryoga tried to keep his chin up. "You always think hopefully,
Ukkyou. If that stops, who can I depend on?"
Ukkyou stared aside and felt herself begin to cry. She covered her face with her
hands and whirred around so that Ryoga couldn't see her. Ryoga felt a sudden wave
of guilt.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."
"'Mean' what?" Ukkyou wiped her tears, but more came streaming down her face. "I hate the fact that they're doing this to you! You're freezing and starving. How can people be so inhumane?!"
"I don't feel cold. Not when you're with me." Ukkyou paused and Ryoga held in his breath. She slowly turned around to face him. His face was shaped by the moonlight and bars. Her tears drained away.
"I'm sorry I cried," Ukkyou felt bashful. "Anyway, the bell will ring any moment. I better leave."
Ryoga thought to himself as Ukkyou trailed off. What kind of feedback was that?"EEEEYUUUUHHH!!" Shampoo now awake, swung a table around at Happosai in
his chambers. "You release Shampoo!"
"Oh, but my dear. You wouldn't know you're way out of the woods!" Happosai's eyes enlarged and reflected hope. "Can't you at least give me a chance to win your heart?"
"No want old pervert!" With the last of her strength at the moment,
Shampoo released the table. It pounded against the mantle above the fireplace and
landed dully and broken on the floor. Shampoo huffed for air.
"Fine then," Happosai's glare became as sinful as the devil. "If you won't at
least do me this one favor, see if I ever release you. You shall be my slave and call
me 'Master.' Do you understand?"
"Shampoo no bow for anybody."
Happosai hopped onto her back and ripped the back of her shirt with his blade.
Her yellow top soon fluttered to the floor. Shampoo felt the draft and covered her
chest with a blush, "Aiya!"
"Just try this on for m-" The ceiling was broken in when Ranma kicked his way
down. Dressed in a white Chinese outfit of pants and a blouse, Ranma was engulfed
in chains. He bashed Happosai in the head with his foot and landed gracefully on the
floor.
"Back off ya old goat!" Ranma swung a chain and wrapped it around Happosai.
He swung it around many times before he pounded Happosai into the wall, who fell
freely onto the floor unconscious. Ranma's eyes led to Shampoo's. "Let's go."
"Who is boy?" Shampoo asked him as she tied her top back on.
"I'm Ranma Soatome. I was also kidnapped at the ball. You are the gypsy,
right?"
"Yes. Is Shampoo. But we leave now before pervert awake."
"Yeah," Ranma followed Shampoo on their way out. Ranma dragged the chains
behind him, unable to free himself from their locks.
"You never leave with chains," Shampoo plucked some bobby pins from her hair
and began to pick at the locks. The first one snapped open easily. The second lock
took Shampoo a few minutes to deal with. The chains were left in the hallway carelessly as Shampoo and Ranma headed for escape.Mousse stepped outdoors a half hour later in his best white robe with a grin on his face. Gosunkugi followed behind him in hardly any armor, but tight dark clothing. Gosunkugi had mentioned that he was best at spying and stealing. Some charms that he could get his hands on around nighttime would be useful to sell. Akane stumbled behind him in some of Mousse's armor. Mousse placed a sign on the door to close the store for a few months, bringing some of his most expensive items. The shop was bound for robbery.
"Why are you closing the store for so long?" Akane asked him as he closed the door.
"I'll be gone for awhile."
"But why do you wanna come anyways? I mean, won't it ruin your business to just leave it here?"
"There's a reason. And it's far more important than this store."
Akane felt her short black hair with a sob, "I'm gonna miss my hair."
"Really?" Mousse took interest. "Will you miss it that much?"
"Well, I've had it short before but I-"
"I have it," Mousse grinned. "I'll carry it until you want it back. It's safe, don't worry."At sundown, Ryoga finally joined the rest of the prisoners, half-dead and starving. He took his place in line as A-3517. He looked around for Ukkyou, but did not see her. The selection! Could they have made it already?
Ryoga dragged himself with everyone else in a neat and orderly line. Anyone who was out of place would be shot. He knew where they were going. He could hear some murmurs in the crowd of three hangings. Ryoga's heart was pumping speedily, hoping that Ukkyou was not one of the three. The lines stopped short in front of the rotten stage, with enough hangpoles for five. Soldiers surrounded the prisoners, guns on their right shoulder.
Three people stood on the stage with a black bag on their heads. The first one was obviously a man, who looked to be weak and frail and aged. The second one was a child, much too short to be Ukkyou. The third was a female build.
"Oh Ukkyou, please let it not be you!"
The victims were unveiled. Sure enough, Ryoga felt his heart sink to find Ukkyou's tearful face tied by rope. Ryoga didn't even remember what the lietenant was saying, it all blurred away from him. Ukkyou's eyes darted back and forth. She was obviously looking for him. Ryoga stared straight into her dark eyes, hoping she would see him.
Her tears bursted from her eyes when she realized Ryoga "wasn't there." Ryoga
was dying to yell to her, wave his arm or something.
The barrels beneath their feet were kicked away, rolling elsewhere. Ukkyou and the child didn't die right away like the old man. The elder's spine and neck cracked almost instantly, killing him quickly with his weight. Ukkyou discovered she was too light, and had to suffer choking to death. She wiggled her body to avoid clogging her throat with her hands tied behind her back.
The other prisoners were forced to march past the victims and stare at them straight in the eyes. Thank god Ukkyou was still struggling when Ryoga came to her. She didn't see him, but kept struggling to breathe.
"Dammit!" Ryoga jumped onto the stage and whipped out his rusty butterknife. He slashed at the rope as fast as he could (a butterknife isn't strong, but with some real speed it cuts well). Ukkyou tumbled onto the floor without a way to land more safely. Ryoga heard soldiers shout and he was shot down.
"Ryoga!" Ukkyou cried. "Ryoga! Ryoga!" She too, was shot several times in the back. There were cries from the crowd in surprise. Not from the horror of those shot, but from fear of being shot themselves.
The people dragged on desperate to get to their dinner.
