The Amazons


So Kho Lon led off. As she walked, she considered some of what she had
seen. Kho Lon was a great martial artist... but the Joketsuzoku also had
many magical artifacts, and Kho Lon knew many spells. Most were potions
and the like, but one was verbal, and she subvocalized it now. It was a
vital spell to her community, for it allowed her to see the emanations
of powerful magic, in the same way that powerful martial artists can see
ki. Having cast it, she looked back at Ranko, and stopped short.

Ranko came up beside her, and looked down at her, worriedly. Kho Lon
didn't really notice her expression. She was too busy trying to suppress
the look of sheer awe on her own. The girl was glowing so brilliantly it
was almost hard to look at her. Her very skin glowed, more so than could
be accounted for by the curse alone, telling Kho Lon that the girl was a
sorceress. But more than that, every single item on her, with the sole
exception of Genma, who merely glowed with the light tint of Jusenkyo,
fairly shone out with the brilliance given off by only the strongest
magic items. 

Kho Lon, realizing that she had stopped and was staring, and that Ranko
had asked her several times what was wrong, snapped, "Nothing." and
turned and stalked off, banishing the spell. What was wrong with her,
becoming impressed with a little razzle dazzle... No, she couldn't lie
to herself. Ranko was a find like no other. A brilliant sorceress
clothed in magical glory, and yet somehow an excellent martial artist.
If the dimbulb Guide was to be believed, it sounded like she might
even have mastered the Neko-ken.

No guard stopped them at the gate, but Kho Lon took keen notice of the
fact that Ranko's eyes had flicked to each guard's location, in spite of
their skill at hiding, and the fact that they had not moved the whole
time they were in sight. She even glanced towards the one that was
completely out of sight. Kho Lon decided she must be sensing their ki,
since she herself had not felt the girl cast a spell. How the girl's ki
could be so low, and yet she be skilled enough to detect auras, Kho Lon
wasn't sure. Perhaps she was suppressing her aura? Kho Lon resisted the
impulse to chortle with delight. What a find! What a find! 'Aarrgh! I
sound like Happosai.'

She led the girl through the village to her home, delighting in the
envious stares of the other elders, who could sense some of the worth of
her find, the lustful sidelong glances of the men, and some of the women
as well, and the appraising looks of the other young warriors. 

As she entered her home, she enjoyed the delight young Ranko showed in
admiring the construction and design, and the decoration as they
entered. Xian Pu was not in the home. She was probably out practicing
somewhere, or beating off the attentions of Mu Suu. No, that wasn't
right... Mu Suu was still out visiting his relatives, and wouldn't be
back for another week.

Ranko slid off her Papa-san, laying him on the floor, then slid off her
pack. She sank into a chair, then gratefully took the cup of tea that
Kho Lon offered her. "Honored Elder, I thank you for taking me into your
home. If you don't mind... my brother wishes to speak with you
privately. Is that alright?"

"Of course, my child." Kho Lon half-expected what was going to happen,
since the girl had insisted on protection for her brother and cat, yet
brought neither with them. She simply wasn't certain yet how real this
was. Was it an act, or insanity, or something magical? She did not know.
But she was very surprised when with a light application of ki, Ranko
suddenly became male. 

She had expected to be asked for a glass of water, or hot water, if the
Guide had been right. To change with just an application of ki implied
either an unprecedented mastery of ki, or much longer experience with
the curse than the Guide had indicated. It also didn't tell her whether
she was right about the girl really being a girl or not. Certainly,
the girl looked uncomfortable in her male form, almost timid. She had
just about decided she was right, when the girl's eyes went completely
blank, then suddenly shone again, hard with dark glints, where the
girl's eyes had been happy and full of light. 

The color wasn't different, really... just the expression. Suddenly
the lack of comfort with the body was wholly and completely gone. She
was once again facing someone who was completely and totally familiar
with his body. Immediately she thought of him as a he. It was
impossible not to.

"Honored Elder," and the voice was deeper and rougher, as expected, but
also far harder, not something she expected at all from the
light-hearted little darling she had been sitting across from, "Ranko
has never had the opportunity to live with others before. And for a
time, I am going to give her that opportunity without watching over her
shoulder. She needs this, to understand and live this. Before I can
begin to accept her, she must accept herself as real. So I am going to
go, and live with the cat, and try to learn from him, and train him. In
the meantime, she will be here with you. I put her in your care. If harm
should befall her, physical, mental, or emotional, I will destroy the
Joketsuzoko. I say this as the Lord of Fey Castle, Archmage of the Court
of Farallon, GrandMaster of the Fey school of Anything Goes Martial
Arts, Wielder of Dragon Fang... if harm befall my sister while I
am away, I will return, and the Joketsuzoku will fall."

Cologne sat in silence through his little speech. She might have
objected, might have argued his claim to the ability to destroy the
Joketsuzoku, were it not for the fact that the very moment the eyes had
come to life again, she had felt his ki surge before he brought it under
control... and it had surged beyond even her own, and she had not felt
it peak... she had felt him rein it in. At the same time, she had 
recognized his absolute faith in the truth of his words. 

"You may make her an honorary Amazon, but she will not be bound by your
laws. If she cannot be bound by the laws of nature, and boundaries of
this world, your laws are as nothing. Do not try and entrap her. I warn
you, Kho Lon." 

She felt a shiver go through her. She was certain she had never given
the girl her name, nor had anyone in the village greeted her by name.
How had he known!? "If she chooses to train with you, or to train you,
or to fight beside you, that is her choice. But if she comes to harm,
whether by your action or your inaction, your people will die, by my
love for her. Tell me that we have an understanding, Kho Lon, and I will
return, and leave her to you." Kho Lon would swear the temperature in
the room was steadily dropping.

"Yes, Lord Fey," she stammered, furious at being so flustered, yet
struck with an unreasoning fear for her people. She could not help but
believe that he could do as he said, "it will be as you say."

She felt the gentle application of ki, and marveled that he transitioned
back with hardly a hundredth of the ki his sister had used. His eyes
went dark again, flat and empty, and then brightened and shone, and she
giggled, and then looked across at Kho Lon, who shivered.

"Oh, Honored Elder, was he mean? He was mean to Papa-san too. I wish he
wouldn't be so mean, but he just loves me so much, and he feels guilty
for not letting me out before." She smiled, and the room brightened.
Kho Lon breathed more easily. The danger was gone. She would protect
this girl with her life, she knew that now. Her life was worth less than
the Joketsuzoku, and so Ranko's life was worth more than her own.

Ranma, for his part, was silently blessing the lessons in diplomacy he
had taken at the Mage Towers, and the experience with the Soul of Ice
that gave him the ability to project such a cold demeanor.

As Kho Lon got out the chess board, and they started playing, Ranko took
up a conversation with Ranma.

[Ranma. I need to tell you something.]

[Yes, Red-chan?]

[We've got two problems, Ranma, and I think I know a way to fix both of
them.]

[Really? What's that?]

[As soon as I got in this body, I extended our senses, to feel the
magic... Ranma, I can't see the threads in the Dragon Fang. Well, I can,
but they're faint.]

[Maybe you're just not used to it yet?]

[No, no, you don't understand. I looked at Kho Lon, and I can see her
power just fine.]

[Oh! You can see feminine magic! That's wonderful... but wait... no...
I can't reach out with my senses from here. I can't see the magic when
I'm inside...]

[That's what I'm trying to get at, Ranma. You need to find a way. First,
you need to find a way to get out of this body. Maybe your ki aura? It
took on nearly substantial form when you were with the lions... and
then you made it real with magic. If you could do something like that,
so that we were in two different bodies, then maybe we could work
together to free the Lady!]

[Yeah, wow...]

[And if you make me a body...] Now her mental voice was timid. [We could
go meet Mama-san together? And you wouldn't be a girl at all, you'd be a
man among men, just like she wanted, so she wouldn't need to be mad at
Papa-san, and we could be a family?] Her voice pleaded with him, and he
could see her kawaii eyes in his mind.

[All right, Red-chan. You can stay here with the Amazon's, until I can
make you a body. But I'm gonna have to talk to Kho Lon again, and this
time I'm gonna have to face their Council. You remember what the Lady
said about the politics here. If I'm not gonna be here to protect you,
then I'm just gonna have to scare them good, so they'll protect you.]

[Oh, thank you, Ranma. I love you.]

[I love you too, Red-chan.]

---

Xian Pu was annoyed again... her private practice had been interrupted.
She tried to force the annoyance down, and focused on being happy, and
working at it a bit, she succeeded. She had a lot of practice at this.
She was the top young warrior in the village, and it was a lonely
position. Most of the other young women were distant to her, disliking
the way she drew their boyfriends' eyes. It didn't help that so many of
their boyfriends had tried to date Xian Pu, only to end up beaten by Mu
Suu. So she had neither many girl friends, nor a good prospect for a
boyfriend. She had liked Mu Suu, when they were both younger, and had
even defended him when he was picked on due to his inferior eyesight.
Ever since that day, he had adored her, and made her life a misery.

The elders detested depressed or angry young women, for they would 
quickly spread their depression or anger to others, so Xian Pu had
learned early how to be happy in the face of pain. As she entered the
village, she noticed the increased gossip, and looked for someone who
would be willing to tell her. Seeing Li Te, she called to her, and ran
over. "What is everyone so excited about, Li?"

"Xian Pu, your great-grandmother came in about an hour ago. She had gone
to see the Guide at Jusenkyo, and she came back with an outsider."

"An outsider? Is it a man? Is he cute? Is he strong?"

"No, no, Xian, it was a young woman. She was strong. She was carrying a
pack and another outsider, and both looked heavier than she was. And she
had fiery red hair."

"Why would great-grandmother bring an outsider female in? Was the man
she was carrying handsome?"

"Oh, no, he was a fat old man. Bald too, I think, though he had a cloth
on his head so I can't be sure."

"Ewww. Why would a young redhead want an old bald man?"

"I don't know. Why are you still here asking me questions? Kho Lon
brought the outsider into your home. They haven't come out since. Go in,
and find out, and then tell me first."

Xian Pu thanked her, then ran through the village, calling out greetings
as she passed people, dodging playing children and dogs, and leapt up
the stairs in front of her home. She paused outside the door, taking a
moment to collect herself, and ensure she looked alright, before opening
the door and stepping in. 

She was intrigued by the sight of her great-grandmother playing chess 
with an amazingly cute little redhead, while an ugly old man cowered in
the corner, trying not to be noticed. "Great-Grandmother, I'm home."

"I know dear. Have a seat." Kho Lon waited until Xian Pu took a seat,
quivering with excitement. "Xian Pu, this is Saotome Ranko. Ranko, this
is my great-grandaughter, Xian Pu." 

"Its nice to meet you, Xian Pu," said Ranko, in remarkably unaccented
Mandarin. Not quite the local dialect, but perfectly understandable. 

"Nice to meet you too. You are from Japan, Ranko? Where did you learn
to speak Mandarin so well?" Xian Pu asked. She wondered if this little
goddess had a brother. She looked perfectly edible.

"The Dragon Lady taught us." Ranko replied absently, at which Kho Lon
looked up sharply. Before Kho Lon could ask, Xian Pu had spoken again,
quivering in her excitement.

"Us? You said us? Who is us? You and the old man?" She asked, pointing
to the corner.

"No, not me and Papa-san, my brother and I," Ranko replied. Kho Lon
sighed softly, as Xian Pu broke into a huge smile. The little goddess
had a brother! Oh but surely her brother could not look as perfect as
her. 

"Where is your brother?" asked Xian Pu, eagerly, again before Kho Lon
could get a word in edgewise. Kho Lon considered rapping her
granddaughter on the head, but she wondered how Ranko would answer...
and she really wouldn't mind if Xian Pu managed to snag Ranma. Dangerous
he might be, but that just made him a better catch.

"Oh, he's training with the cat," Ranko replied. 

Xian Pu could barely contain her eagerness now. Training... that meant
he was a martial artist... and she wanted to watch. Oh, how she wanted
to watch. "Where is he? I want to watch him. Come on, let's go watch."
She was bubbling over with excitement, and leapt to her feet, reaching
for Ranko's hand.

But Ranko pulled back. "We can't."

"But why not?" Xian Pu's face fell. She almost felt like crying. So
close... she knew he would be perfect.

"He isn't here. Wait... Maybe... Honored Elder, do you have a large
basin that we could fill with water?"

"Of course, child," and Kho Lon wandered off to get it, noticing again
that she still hadn't told the child her name, and the child still
didn't seem to know it, even though Ranma had. Or perhaps the child was
just being polite.

She returned with the basin, and a large flask, which she emptied into
it. Ranko gestured to them, "Ok, now look into the water." She muttered
a few words, and flicked her fingers, and suddenly the surface of the
water was a hard clear image. "Oohh, cool, it worked!" She giggled,
delighted at her success. Xian Pu would have given her a funny look, but
she was entranced by the vision in the water. 

Ranko was disguising her inner delight. She had needed to do this, to
prove to herself that she was right, that she wasn't just doing this for
Papa-san. She felt good now. She could see the threads of magic, and had
drawn them up and cast a scrying magic, and it had been easy. She was
right. They would be able to free the lady together. She smiled at the
image. Ranma was showing off for her. He wanted to make her look good,
to impress them.

Ranma stood in the middle of a grove, his shirt off, while Neko-Ranma
crouched a few feet away. A blue glow was visible around Neko-Ranma.
Ranma shifted from complete stillness, to sudden motion, flowing into a
powerful kata, and Xian Pu sighed in happiness. He was a god, just like
his sister. He was beautiful and he was perfect... and why were there
two of him, and why was one now acting like a cat? 

Neko-Ranma would crouch for a moment, then pounce at Ranma, trying to
knock him out of the kata. Ranma would shift ever so slightly, and use
Neko-Ranma's momentum to push himself into the next phase of the kata.
This continued, faster and faster, until they were hardly visible.
Xian Pu heard a muffled sob behind her, and glared back to see Genma
standing, eyes wide in awe, shamed that he had not been the one to
train Ranma to such greatness... and momentarily uncertain that he would
ever be able to bend such a one to his will. No, the boy was his son,
his blood, he would never give him up! 

Ranko just said happily, "At least they aren't tearing up the grove. 
Ooops, spoke too soon." Kho Lon, Genma, and Xian Pu gasped as
Ranma's assist to Neko-Ranma's momentum carried him into a tree, claws
outstretched, slicing through the four foot thick trunk. It fell towards
Ranma, and they all held their breath, then watched in awe as the
portion in Ranma's vicinity puffed into sawdust as he failed to so much
as slow in his Kata. 

Finally, he came to an abrupt halt, and Xian Pu breathed out in
admiration at his finely muscled form. He dropped gracefully into lotus
position, and Neko-Ranma came up to him, and crawled into his lap. No
sound had passed through the water, but Xian Pu could see his chest
clearly, and saw that though he was sweating, he was not even breathing
hard after that remarkable display. 

"Amazing," she breathed, but then considered again, "Why are there two
of him? And where is he?"

"Oh," Ranko replied, "There's not two of him. This one is Ranma," and
she pointed to the seated figure, "and this one is Neko. And they're... 
well, nowhere really."

"Huh?" was Xian Pu's remarkably intelligent response.

"Well, I mean, there... where they are, that doesn't really exist."

Xian Pu almost sobbed, "Ranma's not real?! Why did you show me that if
he's not real. He was so perfect." Then she did break into tears. The
perfect man, and he was just a dream.

"Oh, no Xian Pu, I didn't say that. Please don't cry. Ranma's real. He's
as real as I am. I just said, that there, where he is, that place, that
isn't real. You can't go there. Only he and I and Neko can get there,"
Ranko said, laying a hand on Xian Pu.

Xian Pu looked up, startled. "You mean, he can come here?"

"Well, yes, he could. If he wanted to. But he wants me to be here for
now. He wants me to get used to this, used to reality, used to people,
for a while," replied Ranko, gesturing widely around her.

Kho Lon finally saw her opportunity. "Ranko, dear, I will tell Xian Pu
about Ranma. Could you tell me... what did you mean earlier about being
taught Mandarin by the 'Dragon Lady'?" Genma perked up. Neither Ranma
nor Ranko had mentioned a Dragon Lady, had they? 'Ooops, better be
careful. Don't want them realizing I know Mandarin yet.'

"I mean she taught us, Ranma and I. She said we would need it. I don't
know how she knew."

"Yes, yes, I understand that. What I mean, is, why do you call her the
Dragon Lady?"

"I'm sorry. Its just that I didn't have a name for so long, that they
didn't mean much to me. So I think of people differently. I meant Lady
Alana."

Genma gasped, "Ranma's fiancee?" 'Ah, damn! I just ruined it. Wait, no
I didn't... I just recognized the name, that's right. I don't know what
they're talking about... just reacting to the name. Yeah, they'll buy
that.'

Xian Pu sobbed again, "He's already promised?"

Kho Lon said sharply, "Yes, but why, dear child, do you call her the
'Dragon Lady'? Why do you think of her that way?"

"Oh! Well, because she's a dragon of course," Ranko replied brightly.
Xian Pu, Kho Lon, and Genma promptly fell over.

"And how, child, did your brother come to be affianced to a dragon?" Kho
Lon asked sharply, glaring at the child's father. His fault, she was
sure.

"Oh, well, you see, we were summoned by this evil man, and he wanted us
to kill this other guy, but we were Neko at the time, so we killed the
evil man, and all his stuff sorta decided we were next, and we fought
his clothes and lost and fell asleep, and this beautiful lady came and
called us Master, and so we buried the guy we killed, and now she loves
Ranma, and he's come here to accept me so he can set her free,"
explained Ranko happily, to the complete and utter confusion of the
others. "Oh, heck, I can see you don't understand. Maybe I better get
Ranma to explain it?" she asked, querulously. 

"Oh yes," breathed Xian Pu, "Ranma!" 

"Uhm, Ok, let me get him," Ranko said, nervously eyeing Xian Pu, who
looked disturbingly hungry. [Brother dear... could you come explain Lady
Alana to Honored Elder, please? I can't make them understand, I don't
know how to explain it. Can I watch you explain it?]

[Yes, Ranko darling. Change for me, will you?] Kho Lon again observed
that Ranko needed to apply considerably more ki than Ranma had to
activate the change. She also noticed Genma's awestruck gaze, and 
realized that he had not the foggiest clue how it had been done. Indeed,
she suddenly realized, if it could be controlled, even in the presence
of water, Jusenkyou might suddenly become remarkably useful to the
Joketsuzoku. She wondered whether Ranma and Ranko could resist the
change when splashed. 

She also noticed her Xian Pu's sudden increased heart rate, and heavy
breathing. She was clearly smitten with the boy, after having watched
him work out. Well, it would be to the good, if she could catch him. But
she would have to be warned against using esoteric methods. He would
likely catch on and be wroth. Kho Lon experienced a sudden chill at the
thought of an angry Ranma. She watched the eyes, and saw the change.

"I have not been introduced to you, my dear," he said, turning to Xian
Pu, then looking at Kho Lon. Best to give Kho Lon a carrot, as well as a
stick. If she thought her child might catch him, she might be more
amenable to aiding Ranko. He'd have to make sure they didn't try
anything funny though.

"This is my great-granddaughter, Xian Pu," Kho Lon said with pride.

"Nice to meet you, Xian Pu," he responded, smiling at her. She felt
her heart melt and puddle in her feet. He was so gorgeous, and strong, 
and skilled... "It is a whim of my sister to call this an engagement,"
he stated baldly, causing Xian Pu's heart to flutter. Did he mean he was
free? "But it is a useful fiction. Certainly she is tied to me, by bonds
of love and magic, due to the ensorcellment of the man I killed, while
under the Neko-ken." 

He paused to glare menacingly at Genma, who shrank back. "As a result, I
am now Lord of Fey Castle. It is my responsibility to see that no harm
comes to Lady Alana. One way in which harm may come to her, is for her
to see me in the arms of another, or for me to leave her for too long. I
was forced to put her under a spell, to stop time for her, so to speak,
while I seek to heal the damage my father's training did to my mind."

Again he glared at Genma, and was joined by the hard stares of the two
women, before whom Genma quailed and shook. "When my task here is
complete, I will return to her and free her. I do not know what she will
do. She is a dragon, as my sister said, and I am not privy to the
workings of the minds of dragons. It may be, that after I free her, she
will slay me out of hand. I do not know. It is said that dragons can be
callous. I hope it be not so, but until the Lady Alana be free, I can
consider myself bound by no other tie. Even be it one made before I were
born." He stared at Genma, who truly shivered this time. How could the
boy know? There was no way, there was no possible way Ranma could have
learned of the promise he and Tendo Soun had made, before any of their
children were born, to join their houses. Was there? 

Ranma turned his gaze again to Kho Lon. He had given her the carrot,
explained why he had been cold, and given her reason to think he might
be catchable once his goal was achieved. Now it was time to show them a
really big stick. "Before I return my sister to you, I would speak to
your council. I have considered, and I know that politics can be a
difficult thing. I do not wish to place you in the position of trying to
defend my sister from those who know not the real consequences of their
actions. I will speak to them," and his voice grew cold and hard, "and
they will listen."

Then he turned to Xian Pu, and he smiled, and the room lightened, and
Xian Pu felt her heart beat faster. "And you," and he took her hand, and
she felt faint. His hand was strong and his tendons moving beneath the
skin felt like taut steel cables. "My sister has never had a friend
before. If you can find it within yourself to be that for her, I will
reward you." From thin air, he plucked a crystal rose, green-stemmed,
with brilliant red petals, and placed it in her hand. She sighed, and
looked at it, and pretended to smell it, then looked up in shock. It
smelled real! 

She sighed, and sniffed her rose prettily, and smiled at him. She had
long known that she had little hope of finding a strong husband in the
tribe and she had hoped for the chance to find an outsider, who would be
strong and skilled and handsome, and here he sat before her, and for
him, she would be the best friend that Ranko would ever have. She still
did not understand the connection between them... She thought that Ranma
must know magic. She did not even consider Jusenkyou, as there had been
no water involved. Jusenkyou required water to change.

He stood, suddenly, and looked at Kho Lon. "Gather your council. I will
speak to them ere I return. I want to do it now, while Ranko is absorbed
with Neko." He stepped to the door and was gone outside. Kho Lon
followed, as did Xian Pu and Genma. Ranma stood just outside the door,
yet somehow he had found time, in that instant of movement, to change,
and now he wore golden armor, moulded to his curves, and a high helm
with a tall plume, and carried a sword at his side. Truly he looked the
part of the lord of a castle, and surely he was incongruous, looking as
such, standing by the door of a home in a small village. Kho Lon hurried
off, bouncing on her staff, to gather the council. 

Xian Pu noticed with annoyance the swift gathering of a crowd of
admiring young warriors, hunger in their eyes. She wanted to stake her
claim, but could not do so, for she knew that to try to claim Ranma
before he had fulfilled his given word to the Dragon Lady would anger
him. He stood motionless for a moment, then sighed. "Xian Pu, how long
does the council usually take to gather?" he asked her, looking up, blue
eyes shining beneath the glittering helm.

"Sometimes, it can take an hour or more," she replied. Her voice was
strong, and did not reveal her fear... somehow she did not want to anger
him. He merely sighed again. "In that case, Xian Pu, is there a place
where I can practice?" Her heart filled with desire. So soon after
he had given such a performance, and he wanted to practice again?
What stamina! She led him quickly to a practice field, followed by
nearly every eligible woman who was out and about the village that day.

He stood there in silence for a moment, and she could see how his
awareness of the crowd, and even of her, faded from his mind, and she
was saddened for a moment that she could so easily be forgotten. That
sadness disappeared the moment he began to move. He flowed so easily
through the kata, even though he was wearing heavy armor. Now his
sword slid from his sheath with utter silence, and she realized with awe
that though he was now doing sword katas in the heavy sun and chill,
thin mountain air, wearing heavy armor, he was totally silent.

After nearly an hour, as he continuously moved through the katas,
steadily increasing his speed, he was moving so fast that there were
regular cracks in the air as one limb or another broke the sound
barrier. Xian Pu knew that Great-Grandmother could do that with the
Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken, the Chestnut Fist, but he had been doing it
steadily for several minutes now, and showed no signs of slowing, nor
even signs of strain. 

Kho Lon pogoed up beside her and stopped, balancing easily on her staff.
"He moves well," she said quietly to her daughter.

"He moves like a kami," Xian Pu replied softly.

"The council is ready," Kho Lon stated aloud, and the crowd gasped as
Ranma came to instant stillness, in what should have been an untenable
position. After a moment, he relaxed, and came towards her. 

"Good. I would speak to them. Lead me there." The crowd gasped again,
and murmurs arose. Even such as he, he was still a man, how could he
speak to a Matriarch that way, and why did she allow it? She led him in
silence, ignoring the whispers among the warriors, to a large, long
building, and inside. Xian Pu did not follow, but returned to her home,
to await the results. She hoped fervently that the council would not be
harsh to him for his behavior. He was so perfect, it would be a shame to
waste such perfection. It did not really occur to her to consider that
his demonstration might mean that they would have little choice on what
to do with him. She had been raised on the doctrine of Amazon
superiority.

---

"Kho Lon," one of the elders demanded, "What is this about? Why have you
called us together just to show us some outsider? And a mere male.
Hmmph." Murmurs of agreement rippled through the seated elders.

"Sisters," Kho Lon replied, "Before you consider too harshly my actions,
be aware that this man is betrothed to a dragon."

"Enough, Kho Lon," Ranma stated, "I can speak for myself."

There were shocked whispers, and then one voice rang out, "Silence,
fool, you have no standing here. Let Kho Lon convince us to listen to
you, and hold your tongue."

"You hold your tongue, Old Woman!" his voice rang out sharply, to harsh
whispers, and several outcries, but he did not pause nor falter, "Lest
there remain nothing standing in the valley of the Joketsuzoku." He
released his hold on his aura, and it filled the room, touching each
elder, shocking them into silence. When next he spoke, it was with a
voice filled with ki, and it echoed through the hall and in their
hearts, "I am Lord Ranma Fey, Lord and Master of Fey Castle, Archmage to
the Court of Farallon, GrandMaster of the Fey School of Anything Goes
Martial Arts, Wielder of the Dragon Fang," and here he drew his sword,
and it glowed a bright golden in the light of his ki, "and Beloved of
the Dragon Alana. I come before to warn you, lest you act in haste, and
doom your people. My sister has been invited to stay amongst you. Any
harm that you do to her, you do to me, and I will repay it a
thousand-fold. If she comes to harm while staying with you, the
Joketsuzoku will be a forgotten memory." 

The whispers remained silent now, every member of the council was in awe
of the power of his aura, and those who could sense magic were in awe of
the might of his sword. "Teach her, and learn from her what you may, and
when I return to take her away, I will consider what you have done. And
if you have pleased me, then I may offer you the friendship of the House
of Fey, a safe bastion of retreat and a source of great might of arms at
need. But my sister and I are not yours, nor shall we ever be, and if
someone from the Amazons win my heart or my sister's, it is they who
will become Fey, and not I nor my sister Amazon. Remember that well, and
perhaps in the future I will consider mingling the blood of the Fey with
that of your own. Be aware, as well... My sister and I share the same
body. I have taken on a Jusenkyou curse, to give her her own. So if you
see me about your village, and think to speak to me or accost me, be
certain you know first with certainty to whom you speak. Treat me as you
will, but harm my sister, whether you think it to be I or no, and your
valley will fall, and I will hunt every Joketsuzoku down, to the last
child. I leave you now, to discuss your doom. Convince yourselves of its
sooth, lest you bring destruction upon yourselves." With that, he 
disappeared, reappearing in Kho Lon's home, startling Xian Pu. He had
considered transforming, taking on either tiger or dragon form... but he
didn't want to reveal too much, and they had seemed sufficiently cowed.

"Aiyah... How did you do that? How did the council go? They didn't hurt
you?" Xian Pu was startled at first, but regained her composure quickly.
It would not do to show weakness before such a catch. 

"Hurt me? No, not at all. They had very little to say, in fact." At
this, Xian Pu was silent. Kho Lon's descriptions of council meetings was
not one of silence. She could not imagine the irascible personalities
that made up the council ever sitting in silence while listening to a
mere male. "I am sorry, Xian Pu, I must go. My sister is eager to
return." Xian Pu felt a pang at his leaving, but her heart leapt at the
thought that he was sorry to leave her. Surely it was more than mere
politeness that prompted his statement. She watched in interest as he
magicked his sister in. She looked around, and spied Xian Pu. 

"Hmm. Where'd Kho Lon go, Xian Pu?" she asked curiously. 

"Kho Lon is at the council meeting, Ranko," Xian Pu answered her,
though her mind was still on the delightful sight of Ranma in his
moulded armor. She realized with a start that Ranko was also wearing
armor, armor that showed off her curves, and her musculature, very
nicely indeed. "Why are you wearing armor like Ranma was, Ranko?" she
queried.

"What? Oh, dear. Drat him, he could have changed back first." Suddenly
Ranko was back in her basic black shirt and loose pants. Xian Pu felt a
sudden sense of foreboding about this. It seemed very strange that Ranko
had not realized she was wearing armor... but it was clearly not the
same armor that Ranma had been wearing. She put it out of her mind. 

"Ranko, would you like to spar with me?" she asked. She was fairly
certain that Ranko was a martial artist. Her body was so strong and
lean, her movements so graceful.

"You want to? Really? Sure!" Ranko seemed utterly delighted, and happily
followed Xian Pu out to the practice field. As they sparred, Xian Pu was
very surprised at Ranko's apparent lack of skill... she regularly made
mistakes in the execution of moves. Yet she was astounded by Ranko's
rate of improvement. She never made the same mistake twice, and Xian Pu
felt by the end of the sparring, that Ranko had made at least a
twenty-fold improvement in her skills. It was absolutely unbelievable. 

When they returned to Xian Pu's house, Genma intercepted them, and
requested to speak to Ranko alone. Xian Pu conceded, and went inside to
take her bath. 

"Ranko, look, I know you've never had any friends before, and you've got
to be enjoying this... but don't you think we ought to be heading back
to Japan? I mean, how long are you planning on staying here?" Genma
hoped he was right... he thought Ranko might be susceptible to a little
guilt. He was sure Ranma wouldn't be, but if he could convince Ranko, he
could use her as leverage to control Ranma. Sure, she'd be disappointed
when she learned that they couldn't see Nodoka, but she wouldn't want to
be die, nor see Ranma hurt, so she'd go along with it. He wasn't sure
how she'd feel about the engagement, but he'd cross that bridge when he
came to it.

Ranko looked at him a bit sadly, and almost looked a bit disappointed.
"Look, Papa-san, we're really staying here for you." Genma looked quite
startled at that. "What I mean is, well, while we're here, we're going
to be practicing our ki control of our Jusenkyou curse. So that we won't
change when splashed with water, except when we want to. In the
meantime, he's working on a body for me. It'll be just like this one,
only I won't really be in it, I'll still be in this head. But it'll be
just like it was real, and I was in it. By the time winter is over here,
we'll be ready to go to Japan, as Ranko and Ranma Saotome, together."
Genma looked rather confused. "Look, Papa-san, I know you don't really
understand that well. Just look at it this way. We will go to Mama-san,
and we will BOTH be there. You will have to explain where you got me
from, but Ranma will be unquestionably a man among men. We'll get to
meet Mama, and you get off the hook, ok?"

Genma looked rapturous, and a little fearful... a strange combination.
"That's wonderful," he cried, and then "you'd do that for me? Why? I
thought Ranma hated me." 'Yeah, right, like I care, but at least, if
this is true, nonsensical as it sounds, Ranma won't have any excuses to
back out of the engagement. I guess that's worth waiting a while.'

"Ranma doesn't hate you. He doesn't think much of you though. I'm the
one who asked him for this. I never had a father, and you agreed to take
me as yours. So I'm gonna get you Mama-san back, so I can have a real
family." She grabbed him, and held on to him tightly. He hugged her
back, tears seeping slowly down his face. 'Sensitive guy, gets 'em every
time.' The tears became real when he thought of Nodoka. Now that he no
longer had to worry about her coddling the boy, and the seppuku pledge
would be out of the way... though now that he thought about it, it would
be unmanly to try to get out of an honorable engagement, that would be a
good tool to use on Ranma... he could go back to Nodoka, and live off
his son. Ahh... life would be good.