Cat Fist Fury

Disclaimer: I think we know the drill by now.

: Thoughts

Chapter 25

Kohlinshor and Kohlinnor

Ranma moaned as he awoke to find himself on a bed in a strange

room. His body was aching all over and he looked down to see that

all of the wounds he had sustained during his battle with White Claw

had been expertly bandaged. He found himself in his human form and

bare-chested as he sat up.

"Ko-chan!"

Ranma winced as Ukyo rushed to his bedside and hugged him.

"OW! OW! OW!"

Ukyo immediately released her hold on her fianc? and said, "Oh,

sorry about that! Are you okay Kojiro?"

Ranma nodded as he took a deep breath. "Ukyo, where are we? How

did I get here?"

Ukyo nodded as she pulled up a chair to sit at the bedside. "After the

fight, the Felinar brought you here and fixed you up. We're in a kind

of safehouse or something. So how do you feel?"

"Tired. My body feels like it went through a trash compactor, ten

times."

"Yeah, but you still beat White Claw!" Ukyo said with pride.

"Yeah, I did, didn't I?" Ranma smiled briefly then remembered what

had happened afterwards. "He's... dead, isn't he?"

Ukyo nodded. "Kojiro, what's going to happen now? I mean, those

Felinar guys wouldn't tell me anything when they brought you and

me to this place. When I asked, they said to wait for the other Elders

to tell us." The young okonomiyaki chef became a bit uneasy.

"Ko-chan, I'm getting worried. We've been cooped up in this room for

hours and I haven't seen anyone since we were brought here."

"I'm kind of wondering that myself." Ranma admitted. "To tell you

the truth, I had no idea of what to do after I beat White Claw. There's

still the Felinar to deal with."

"Kojiro... I'm getting scared. What's going to happen to us?"

Ranma saw that Ukyo needed some comfort and drew her into a light

embrace. "I don't know Ucchan. I really don't know."

It was then that they became startled as a flash of light suddenly

appeared. When it faded away, Ranma and Ukyo found themselves

face to face with the deity called Bastet.

"Well done my avatarrr." The cat goddess purred. "And I see that you

and yourrr kohlinshorrr are getting along very well. I am pleased."

Ukyo stared at Bast for a long while. It wasn't every day that a feline

deity suddenly pays a visit. She finally found her voice and addressed

her. "W-W-Who are you?"

Bast smiled at the surprised girl and made a slight bow to her.

"Forgive me forrrr not introducing myself. I am Bastet, but you may

call me Bast. I am the goddess of pleasure, protector of men, pregnant

women and cats. I am also the principal deity of the Felinarrr.

Pleased to meet with you, Ukyo Kuonji."

"G-Goddess?! Y-You know who I am?" Ukyo gasped, then looked at

her fianc?.

Ranma nodded as he said, "Yes, she is a goddess. She's the one who

helped me in training in the Neko Ken. When I finished with the

training, I became her avatar. She was the one who gave me the name

of Saber Claw."

Bast nodded as she said, "Not only are you my avatarrr, Saberrrr

Claw, but you have also become the kohlinjarrrr of the Felinarrr. As I

knew you would."

"Kohlinjar? Me?"

"Yes, you are the kohlinjarrrr and as such, you have certain...

obligations."

"What kind of obligations?" Ranma didn't like the sound of it.

"You have already completed one duty by selecting Ukyo as your

kohlinshorrr."

"Kohlinshor? Does that mean what I think it means?" Ukyo asked

with a twinkle in her eyes. She remembered what Pantheron had

called her. Lady Ukyo. The future lifemate of the kohlinjar!

Bastet nodded as she affirmed it. "Yes. You are the future lifemate of

Kojiro. The Felinarrr acknowledges you as one 'true' fianc?e. Now

Saberrrr Claw must select a kolinnorrr."

"Kohlinnor? What's that?" Kojiro asked.

Bast smirked, showing slight fangs. "The other fianc?e."

"WHAT?!"

Meanwhile, at the Tendo dojo...

"Genma! The schools must be joined!" Soun said as he and Genma

discussed how to get Ranma to follow through with the pledge to

unite the Tendo and Saotome families.

Nearby, Kasumi, Akane and Nabiki sat in disbelief. Those two could

be THAT stupid, could they? They had just witnessed Ranma defeat

the one who took their dojo's sign and reduced Happosai to a

crippled state. They had been in the midst of beings with power

unlike any they had ever witnessed. They had seen what the true

Neko Ken was capable of! Even the Chinese Amazons were fearful of

them! Just HOW were they going to get Ranma to the dojo?

Nabiki groaned at the sheer stubbornness and idiocy being displayed.

Then again, after all that had happened, she shouldn't have expected

anything different. Those two were desperate to have Ranma marry

one of the Tendo daughters and carry on the dojo. Ranma had

defeated White Claw, so technically, the dojo's sign had been won

back. However, Ranma, or rather Kojiro, did not fight on behalf of

the Anything Goes School, so the sign was still the property of the

Felinar. The only way they could regain the sign was to get to Kojiro

to agree to the marriage, since he had been declared as part of that

race of Cat Fist fighters.

Good luck in trying! Nabiki snorted as she had no doubts that

Kojiro would refuse and there wasn't a thing that Genma or Soun

could do to force him to fulfill that pledge. Though the thought of

being engaged to him was appealing to say the least. After seeing him

in his very exotic-looking hybrid form and thinking of what kind of

money she could rake in with his abilities, Nabiki had considered

suggesting to her father that she be the one to be engaged to Ranma,

instead of Akane. As of now, Akane certainly couldn't attract anyone

with that ugly scar on her face.

Kasumi was also wondering about the sanity of her father and his

friend. Though she did think that Ranma's hybrid form was...

interesting to say the least. However, wasn't the Tendo-Saotome

pledge now invalid, since he had renounced his name? Furthermore,

he had clearly stated that he did not fight White Claw on behalf of

the Anything Goes and therefore, the dojo's sign still belonged to

White Claw. Since White Claw was dead, where did that leave the

dojo's sign? Kasumi assumed that it now belonged to Ranma... er,

Kojiro.

"Genma! We must make your wayward son see reason to return with

the sign and marry one of my daughters!" Soun cried out.

"I know Soun, but the trick is how to do it. Ranma's one of those

Felinar now. We have to find a way around them to get to that

ungrateful boy!"

"What about the fact that your son is using another name?"

"Hmpf! That's nothing! As his father, I'll simply change it back! All

we have to do is get that boy here and hold the wedding ceremony

immediately! Even though Ranma didn't officially fight for the dojo's

sign, since White Claw is dead, the sign is automatically his by

proxy. Then the future of the Anything Goes will be assured!"

"Then it's Soun..."

"And Genma's..."

Both men then took a pose and exclaimed together.

"Operation Wedding Bells!"

"Now wait a minute! Hold on! Stop all engines!"

Both men looked at Nabiki, who was, now exasperated at the total

lack of intelligence that both men were showing. The middle

daughter just couldn't believe that they hadn't thought this through at

all. It was apparent that the only thing that was lower than their

combined IQ ratings were their combined shoe sizes.

"I can't just stand here and watch this anymore! You just don't get it,

do you? You've already tried to drag him back to the dojo once, and

look what happened! You've already seen what Uncle Genma's son

was capable of! You've seen what those other Felinars can do! If

Happosai, Ryoga, Pantyhose and all the Amazons combined couldn't

stand up to them, then what makes you think you have a snowball's

chance in Hell of getting Ranma away from them?!"

Soun took on a stoic air about him. "Nabiki! Watch your language! It

is a matter of honor that the Schools of the Anything Goes be joined

and carry on the legacy of this dojo!"

"What dojo?" Nabiki snorted. "We don't have the sign, remember?

And what good did the dojo do anyway? We haven't had any students

for years!"

"That will all change once Ranma marries Akane! When people hear

that we have a master of the Cat Fist, then they'll flock to the dojo!"

Genma assured.

"I told you, I'm not marrying that FREAK!" Akane screamed as she

got up and stomped up to her room. A difficult thing for her to do at

the moment as both her arms and legs were in casts. She moved like a

department store mannequin. She had already been feeling low after

receiving the scar and seeing just how far above Ranma was in

comparison to her own skills. She was also fighting the images in her

head about how sexy he looked in his hybrid form. I'M NOT THINKING

OF THAT FREAK, NO WAY!

"Ah, such fire! It must be love." Soun sighed as he watched Akane

stomp away.

"Couldn't ask for a more perfect match." Genma agreed solemnly.

Nabiki shook her head in absolute disbelief. Once her father got an

idea in his head, there was just no way of changing his mind. Though

she knew that it was pointless, she once again tried to reason with

him. "Daddy, can't you see that this plan of yours is going to fail? We

know next to nothing about the Felinar or how Ranma is involved

with them! You can't just march up to them and demand that Ranma

be returned to his father! They'd probably rip you apart like old

newspaper!"

This last statement made Genma and Soun pause. The mustached

man turned to the portly and sometimes panda martial artist and said,

"She has a point Saotome. Maybe we should get more information

about the Felinar, before we try to get Ranma back."

"You're right Tendo! And I know who to ask."

At the Nerima Hospital...

"And that's what happened, Master." Genma said as he finished

explaining the recent events to the bed-ridden Happosai. Behind him,

Soun, Kasumi and Nabiki were listening intently. Akane had refused

to come to the hospital, since she knew that both Happosai and Kuno

were there: the two people she despised almost as much as Ranma.

Happosai nodded as he spoke in a low tone. "So, White Claw is dead

and Ranma has become the new kohlinjar, eh? Well, that certainly is

a development." Happosai remarked. "You are correct though. As I

recall from what I know about Felinar laws, everything that belonged

to the former kohlinjar is now Ranma's."

"You see Tendo?" Genma said with joy. "Now all we have to do is get

Ranma married to Akane and..."

"Not so fast, Genma." Happosai interrupted. "If Ranma did defeat

White Claw, then there's no possible way you two idiots could ever

hope to bring him in."

"But the schools MUST be united!" Soun cried out.

"Why not have Genma marry one of Soun's daughters, then?"

Both Nabiki and Kasumi blanched at that suggestion and were about

to voice out their dismay, when their father thankfully interjected.

"No, Genma is still married, aren't you?"

The former father of Ranma nodded. "It must be Ranma!"

"So Master, is there any way at ALL that we can unite the schools?"

Soun asked anxiously.

"Well, there IS one way." Happosai began, then shook his head.

"Nah, it would never work."

"WHAT IS IT?" Soun and Genma asked as they leaned forward.

"Well..." Happosai paused for a long time before replying. "I (ahem),

borrowed a book of the laws of the Felinar during my run-ins with

them."

"In other words, you stole it." Nabiki translated with sarcasm.

Happosai ignored the quip and continued. "Since Ranma is the

kohlinjar, he does have certain obligations. One of which is to

choose a kohlinnor and kohlinshor before his fifth year as the

kohlinjar is up."

"Kohlinshor?" Nabiki asked. "I remember the Felinar saying that

word before at the airfield, but what does that and kohlinnor mean?"

"Basically, those words mean 'inner and outer intended' of the

kohlinjar. You can think of them as fianc?es."

"Fianc?es? As in plural?" Kasumi asked.

Happosai nodded. "That's right. As the kohlinjar, Ranma is

considered one of the strongest of the Felinar and as such; he is

obligated to pass on his strengths and powers to the next generation.

To that end, he must select a female that had been born within the

clan. She becomes the kohlinnor, or 'inner betrothed.' After about a

year, if Ranma had not rejected her or selected a new kohlinnor, then

the two are considered lifemates and the Felinar female becomes the

kohlinnar, the inner mate. It's their version of a wedding."

"Does this mean that the kohlinshor...?" Kasumi began asking.

Happosai nodded again. "That's correct. The kohlinshor can be any

girl from outside of the Clan. That's one of the ways in which the

Felinar introduces new blood into their ranks. The 'outer betrothed' is

given the same status as the kohlinnor and after a year of engagement,

she automatically becomes the kohlinshar. Usually, the girl is

supposed to be a good fighter. "

"Then that's the answer!" Genma said with glee. "We'll simply appeal

to Ranma's sense of honor that the schools must be joined and have

Akane set up as the kohlinshor!"

"Not so fast, Mr. Saotome." Nabiki interjected. "I doubt that it would

work."

"What do you mean Nabiki?" Soun asked. "What Genma says is true.

This law solves everything!"

"Except for a few snags, Daddy." The middle daughter interjected.

"For one thing, Akane and Ranma can't stand each other."

"They'll grow to love each other, I'm sure of it." Soun said with

confidence.

Nabiki sighed as she felt the start of a huge migraine coming on. "I

seriously doubt it, but there's another snag, or don't you recall what

that Felinar told us before we left the airfield?"

"What?"

"He said that the kohlinshor has ALREADY been chosen! And if I'm

right, then I'd say that Ukyo Kuonji may be the early favorite."

"WHAAAAAAAATTTTTT?!" Soun went into his Demon Head and turned

on Genma. He remembered about the little business that caused

Genma to engage Ranma to Ukyo when they were six.

"T-T-Take it easy Soun!" Genma cringed at the sight of his friend.

"The master did SAY that Ranma could choose another kohlinshor if

he wanted to, so all we have to do is break them up, and then have

Ranma choose Akane! We have a year to do it."

Soun calmed down and said, "You're right Saotome. Well then, it's

Soun..."

"And Genma's..."

"Operation Break Up and Match Up!"

Nabiki could only pinch her nose and shake her head.

Back at the safehouse...

"Say what?! I need to have TWO fianc?es?!" Kojiro exclaimed after

Bastet had finished explaining the laws concerning the kohlinnor and

kohlinshor.

The Cat goddess nodded as she replied. "That IS the law."

To say that Ukyo was a bit uneasy at this news was an

understatement. She moved even closer to her Ko-chan. She had been

so happy to be designated as the 'true' fianc?e, and now she had to

SHARE him with another woman?

Bast noted Kojiro and Ukyo's uneasiness and said, "Do not worry. It

isn't as bad as it sounds. My avatarrr does not have to choose right

away. He has five years to do so."

Ranma and Ukyo were still in a state of shock and Bast decided to

take the okonomiyaki chef off to one side to talk to her. She

beckoned to the brown-haired girl to follow her.

Ukyo gazed at her, then looked at Ranma for encouragement. The Cat

Fist fighter nodded his assent.

Bast led Ukyo out of the room and then cast a small spell to keep

sound from being heard by Ranma's sensitive hearing. She then

addressed Ukyo.

"Ukyo Kuonji, I can tell that you are uneasy about this arrangement. I

can sympathize, but it can work."

"What do you mean? Ko-chan is mine! He's my fianc? and..."

Bast held up a hand to silence her. "I do not argue with yourrr claim.

I know all about the yattai and how Kojiro's worthless father had

stolen it from yourrr family."

"You do?"

Bast smirked. "I am a goddess, rememberrr? I have watched you and

my avatarrr, and I like you. You are loyal, honest and very caring, if a

touch possessive. You have suffered much and deserve to be

rewarded. That is why I arranged for you to become Saberrrr Claw's

kohlinshorrr."

"You?" Ukyo asked in surprise.

"Yes. You love him, do you not?"

Ukyo became a bit embarrassed at being asked such a personal

question, but after twiddling her fingers for a minute, she reluctantly

nodded.

"Ah, I thought so. So what does it matterrr if he is married to another,

as well as to you?"

"But... he's mine and..."

"And you are afraid that he might come to love the otherrrr woman

more, yes?"

Ukyo nodded with her eyes directed at the ground.

Bast gave a light chuckle and said, "Then you'll just have to make

certain that his love for you is as strong as whateverrr feelings he

holds for the otherrrr. I know my avatarrr and I'm quite certain that he

would neverrr abandon you, for he loves you just as much."

Ukyo's head snapped up at this. "H-H-H-He does?"

"Yes. As my avatarrr, he and I are connected and there is nothing that

he feels that I do not feel as well. He is just very reluctant to admit it

now, and yourrr possessive nature has caused him to be uneasy. Do

what Tung Kwai had told you. You already have him as yourrr fianc?,

so take yourrr time. And as for the kohlinnorrr, do not be worried.

Kojiro has more love in him than he realizes and it is too much for

any one female. Do not be jealous or resentful when Kojiro chooses a

kohlinnorrr. Who knows? You might like having a co-wife. I

certainly have no complaints."

"You? Your husband is married to another?"

Bast nodded. "Yes. My husband Ptah is also married to Sekhemet!

She and I were the ones who created the Cat Fist. We do have ourrr

disagreements, but we can agree on one thing. Ptah is a wonderful

person and we are both grateful that he gives us his love. That is all

that really matterrrs."

Ukyo was still unsure about the whole thing, but Bast patted her on

the shoulder and said, "Do not worry. If you like, I can help you get

over a few things when Kojiro selects a kohlinnor. All right?"

Ukyo nodded as they both went back into the room.

Meanwhile, in the main council room of the Felinar, Kojiro's very

future was being discussed.

"My fellow Felinar," Jagular began. "it seems that we must now

welcome our newest member and kohlinjar to our clan."

"Yes." Pumasa agreed wholeheartedly. "Saber Claw was magnificent

and he will certainly add much needed new blood to our clan. And I

hear that he already chosen a kohlinshor as well."

"Yes. He is the perfect replacement for White Claw." Bengara

remarked.

"Speaking of White Claw, has that little matter of the yakuza been

taken care of?" Cheetoran asked.

"Yes. All of the assassins that White Claw had hired to kill us have

been found and... taken care of." Jagular stated. "Although, we have

the catwoman Felicia to thank for stopping those riflemen that were

stationed on the tower. Not that we weren't aware of them or the plan

that White Claw had to eliminate us."

"You knew all along that White Claw was planning a coup, didn't

you?" Cheetoran teased.

The old Felinar smirked and nodded. "I had a feeling that White

Claw was going to try something like that. After all, we don't go out

in public very much, and a Combat Challenge was one of the few

events that we, the council, ever attend. So, I had intended to have

Pantheron's subordinates take out those riflemen, but Felicia had

inadvertently done the job for us. The high ranking officials of the

yakuza of course denies direct involvement and tell us that White

Claw had hired some rogue members. In any case, all we had to do

was round up the other assassins and the Felinar that were still loyal

to White Claw. There weren't that many. Once their leader was dead,

most of White Claw's followers were willing to switch sides. That bit

of business was wrapped up rather nicely."

"Speaking of business," Lynxara said to change the subject. "Stripe,

the leader of the Kyrn, had spoken to me and wishes to reestablish

diplomatic relations between the Felinar and his people. He has

offered to aid the clan in becoming more in touch with the rest of the

world. We have also received a similar offer from the mage, Theodore

Diggers and his family." After learning of White Claw's treachery, the

Council members that had supported the former kohlinjar were now

more interested in Kojiro's inductance into their ranks and were

embracing the newer ideas.

Jagular was silent for a moment, then nodded. "I think it is high time

that we joined our distant cousins and take the first steps to

establishing our place in the world. We may have to sever our ties

with the yakuza as well, but that will be for another time. All those in

favor?"

The other Council members raised their hands and responded

simultaneously. "Aye!"

"And opposed?"

No one said a word.

"So be it. Now, as for our new kohlinjar, I do believe that he will

need some time to recover and get used to his position as our new

enforcer and prime representative." The head of the council gestured

to Pantheron, who had been standing near the exit to the council

chambers. The Felinar approached his leader and gave him a small

bow.

"Yes, Elder?"

"Saber Claw should be awake by now." Jagular said. "When he is

able, please have him and his kohlinshor escorted back to his home

and leave them for a while. We shall begin his inductance into our

clan when he is fully recovered."

"As you wish." Pantheron said as he departed to carry out his orders.

After Night Stalker had left the room, Jagular addressed the rest of

the council. "Now, is there any other subject we should discuss, or

shall we adjourn?"

Bengara raised a hand. "Excuse me High Elder, but Pumasa did say

that Saber Claw had already selected a kohlinshor, did she not?"

Jagular nodded. "Yes. I believe that the outsider girl's name is Ukyo

Kuonji. I had a background check done on her. She comes from a

strong, though somewhat unusual bloodline of okonomiyaki chefs."

"Okonomiyaki chefs?"

The old Felinar shrugged his shoulders. "Well, the Kuonji clan is

quite unusual in its own fighting style, but the Felinar can benefit

from it and..." Jagular then gave a sheepish smile. "personally, I like

the taste of okonomiyaki."

The other council members looked at him strangely but, the law did

state that any outsider girl can be the kohlinshor, so long as she was

a strong fighter. It was then that Bengara asked, "So, has Saber Claw

chosen a kohlinnor yet?"

"Not that I know of." Jagular replied. "Why do you ask?" As if I

didn't know.

"Oh, I was just wondering." Bengara said with a secret smile.

"This wouldn't happen to have anything to do with your daughter,

eh?" The head of the Felinar said with a knowing grin.

"Well... Felina IS at that age."

"Now hold on a moment!" Lynxara interjected. "My daughter Katri is

a much better choice for kohlinnor."

"Katri?" Lionalla exclaimed. "My niece Selana is the best choice for

our new kohlinjar."

Before the argument could escalate, Jagular raised his hand to stop

the bickering. "Now, now. Let's not argue over something like this.

As the law states, Saber Claw is free to choose whichever Felinar

female in the clan. Each of your heirs have equal standing, but his

choice will be of his own free will. I will not tolerate any coercion,

blackmail, potions or whatnot to influence his decision. And in any

case, he's got five years to make a choice, so let him be. Do I make

myself perfectly clear?"

With great reluctance, the other council members nodded as Jagular

signified the end of the meeting.

Back at the Nerima Hospital...

Happosai sighed as he was left alone in his room. The Tendos and

Genma had long since left him, as his two idiotic disciples went to

scheme a way to get Ranma to fulfill the pact to unite the schools of

the Anything Goes.

Fools! Even with what I had told them about Felinar laws, they

don't stand a chance of ever getting Genma's son to agree to take

Akane or the other girls as his kohlinshor.

For the first time in long time, Happosai was not thinking with his

perversions and appetites, but actually taking a long, hard look at

himself. And he did not like what he had been reduced to. Once he

had been the dreaded Master of the Anything Goes. His enemies

hated and cursed him, yet they still respected him for his vast skills.

His pupils cowered at the mere mention of his name. He could do

virtually anything he wanted and get away with it. Now...

The old pervert shook his head sadly. Those carefree days of bullying

Genma and Soun, as well as terrorizing Nerima with his panty raids

were gone forever. With his lower body permanently rendered useless

from his severed spinal cord, he could no longer accomplish the

simple act of standing up, much less run while being chased by mobs

of angry females. He couldn't even grope females without the use of

his legs to propel himself toward their bosoms. Oh, he could

certainly look up their skirts, but without his lower limbs, he

wouldn't be able to ward off the inevitable retaliations. He'd be

pummeled and bashed before he could even get a few feet away. And

there were just so many pretty nurses in the hospital too! However,

even groping every girl in the world wouldn't be able to repair a

severed spine. Happosai was effectively crippled. Things couldn't get

any worse... or could they?

It was at that moment that his senses picked up a familiar chi

signature and he shuddered.

Cologne appeared before him from an open window and then

smirked at him. She lightly jumped down from the window sill and

balanced on her staff before him.

"Hello again... Happy."

Happosai gulped as he saw the fires of revenge in the aged Amazon's

eyes. It seemed that after nearly three centuries, she still held a bit of

a grudge from when she was eighteen.

"Cologne... heh, heh, what a pleasant surprise and..."

"This is NOT a social call." Cologne said in a cold voice as she

moved closer to him. "There are a few matters that I want to 'discuss'

with you. Such as some Amazon treasures that you stole from my

village. Mark my words 'Happy,' you WILL be telling me all about

them. Oh and by the way, I had sent a message to the rest of the

council, and they too wish to 'discuss' a few things with you. They

shall be arriving here in two days. By that time, IF you are still alive,

you shall be tried and punished in accordance to the laws of our

Amazon tribe! You will WISH that White Claw had slain you when

we are done with you."

Happosai winced. As White Claw had predicted before he had died,

the former master of the Anything Goes had just begun on his

journey into Hell.

In other parts of Tokyo, news of the pervert's downfall and current

condition had begun to spread and people with a bone to pick with

Happosai were now starting to formulate plans of retribution. A

certain Chinese boy by the name of Pantyhose got wind of his

so-called godfather's condition and was currently making a beeline

toward Nerima. He had mostly recovered from the severe injuries that

he had sustained in his fight with a battle-maddened Kojiro. Hordes

of women who have had their undergarments constantly stolen were

eagerly brandishing blunt and sharp objects as they fantasized

various ways of torturing the little gnome before they put him out of

THEIR misery for good. Shopkeepers and restaurant owners who

have had their goods stolen from them were also planning on taking

out what was owed to them, out of Happosai's wrinkled hide.

The crimes that the old pervert had committed in his long and

immoral career was about to boomerang back at him, with heavy

interest. It was highly doubtful that Happy would last more than a

few days, if the Amazons left anything at all.

And at the Tendo dojo, two former pupils of Happosai had just come

to realize something as they came through the front door. The

dreaded Master was not so dreaded anymore. In fact, now that he had

given them a way of uniting the schools, there wasn't any reason to

keep him around. After more than a decade of torment training under

him, plus the hardships he had put them through when he came to

Nerima, they could now exact their revenge and the little pervert was

helpless to stop them.

After they had gotten Ranma, the long-awaited revenge against the

Master would be theirs!

At the Ucchan's...

"Careful Ko-Chan."

"I'm okay Ucchan. I don't break that easy." Kojiro relied as he gently

shrugged off Ukyo's supporting arm. "Nice thing about having a

Felinar body is that I heal really fast."

"Indeed." Pantheron said as he and his two subordinates followed

their new kohlinjar into the building. They, like Ranma, were in their

human forms. The large Felinar, who was about six inches taller than

Ranma, turned to Cutter and Quick Slash.

"Kitall... Kitton... you two are to stand guard outside. I would have a

few words to discuss in private with our kohlinjar and the

kohlinshor."

The twins nodded as they exited the restaurant.

"Kitall and Kitton? I thought their names were Cutter and Quick

Slash." Ukyo asked as she invited both her fianc? and Pantheron to

sit down while she went to make some tea. At present, the restaurant

was closed and empty, save for the three of them.

"Kitall and Kitton are their birth names. Cutter and Quick Slash are

their warrior names, just as mine is Night Stalker and Kojiro's is

Saber Claw. You may call me Pantheron if you wish, Lady Ukyo."

"Please, just Ukyo will be fine."

Pantheron shook his head as he and Ranma sat down at a booth. "It

would be most improper to refer to the kohlinshor so personally. You

are after all, my kohlinjar's future lifemate."

Ukyo blushed a bit and felt a swelling pride as she excused her self

to get the tea. As she went to get the kettle, Pantheron turned back to

Ranma.

"She has a fighting spirit and great loyalty to you, my kohlinjar. You

had chosen well. She will add much needed new blood to our clan."

"Uh... yeah. " Ranma said with a bit of uneasiness. He was still a bit

unsure about this kohlinshor business, but after thinking about it, he

had decided to let it stand for moment. After all, he did have a year

and could break off the engagement if it didn't work out. The thought

of being married to Ukyo wasn't at all unpleasant, and she was his

best friend. If he couldn't get along with his best friend, then who

could he get along with?

"I am certain that she will pass the Surak Nihan with no problems."

Ranma's attention was turned back to the present. "Excuse me? What

did you say? Ukyo has to pass something?"

Pantheron nodded. "It is a rite in which all kohlinshors must undergo

to prove their worthiness to join the Felinar. Do not worry, I shall

explain it to her when the time comes. However, for now, I must

inform you of some important details that you should know, now that

you are the kohlinjar."

Ranma listened intently as Night Stalker began speaking. However,

unknown to both of them, someone else was also listening in with an

eager ear.

A few days after Ukyo had left to go search for Ranma, Nabiki had

secretly had the entire restaurant bugged with listening devices. Since

they did not represent any immediate danger to either Ranma, nor

Pantheron, their sixth senses did not register the presence of the tiny

microphones.

At the Tendo home, the mercenary daughter was in her room with the

receiver and a tape recorder as she began gathering more information

about Kojiro and the Felinar Clan. She had figured that by bugging

the Ucchan, she would sooner or later get the inside scoop on the Cat

Fist Fighter. Her vigilance was about to pay off. She smiled as she

turned up the volume and eavesdropped on the conversation.

Pantheron: Now that you are the kohlinjar, there is the little matter of

what you are going to do about the things that White Claw had left to

you.

Kojiro: What do you mean?

Pantheron: Well, for one thing, there's the matter of the sign to the

Tendo Dojo.

Kojiro: Hmpf! I didn't fight White Claw for that hunk of wood!

Pantheron: Whether you fought for it or not is irrelevant at this

moment. Since White Claw left no will, nor did he leave any heirs,

all that he owned is now yours, including that sign. He didn't even

have a kohlinnor or kohlinshor and his five was almost up when you

fought him.

Kojiro: I gave up being the heir to the Anything Goes, so as far as I'm

concerned, you can use the sign for firewood. Maybe that'll get Pop

and his friend to leave me alone for good!

Pantheron shrugged as he replied: As you wish. I'll have Cutter and

Quick Slash dispose of it when we return to the clan.

At the Tendo complex, Nabiki winced as she heard of this. Ooh.

Daddy is not going to take this information very well. Then again,

without the sign, I may be able to convince him to sell the dojo.

Unlike her father, Nabiki was more the practical member of the

family and to her, the dojo was like Uncle Genma. They both didn't

generate any income, took up space and cost them a fortune to

maintain. She turned her attention back to the listening device.

Pantheron: Now then, there's also the matter of White Claw's fortune.

That too, is also yours by proxy.

This caught Nabiki's full attention. Fortune? As in money? Lots of

money?

Kojiro: I don't care how much money he had. I've got more than

enough in my bank account as is.

Pantheron: Well, it doesn't matter if you want it or not. That twenty

million American dollars he had in that Swiss Bank account is

automatically yours to do with as you please.

Kojiro: Excuse me? Did you say twenty million dollars?

Pantheron: That's right. His forays with the yakuza had netted him a

lot of income. Let's see... at 130 yen to the dollar, that would be

about... oh, 2.6 billion yen."

Kojiro: Geez, I already have a couple of million yen in the bank now.

What am I going to do with 2.6 billion more?

Nabiki almost had a stroke when she heard this. Two point six

billion... yen?! He HAD a couple million already?!

She then became glued to the receiver as Ranma and Pantheron

continued with their conversation. In her mind, the wheels were

turning furiously as she began thinking of ways to get a hold of that

vast inheritance that Ranma had inadvertently received when White

Claw died. She even started thinking about persuading her father

about changing the engagement from Akane to her. In her present

condition, she certainly wasn't fit to be anyone's fianc?e. The jackpot

that was promised to Nabiki if she could set herself up as the

kohlinshor was all the incentive she needed. With that kind of

money, Akane could have the plastic surgery she needed for her face

and Nabiki would be set for life! All the money from her blackmail,

extortion and betting pools was nothing but chump change compared

to what Ranma had now. He had been given a really big pie, and

Nabiki intended to get the whole thing or at least cut herself a huge

slice of it.

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Tokyo, a certain party of people had

just arrived in a very fancy and expensive-looking limousine. Inside

the vehicle, a young man was sitting in the back seat with his mother

as he gave directions to the chauffeur. The car began heading toward

the Nerima district as Picolet Chardin intended to collect on a certain

debt that was owed to his family by a certain Soun Tendo.

To be continued...

Author's notes

Well, that takes care of this chapter as the Felinar will begin

inducting Ranma into their ranks, along with Ukyo. There will be

more developments next chapter. For those of you who are

wondering about Ryoga, the Amazons, Happosai and the appearance

of the Chardin family, well you'll have to wait and see.

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!

Cat Fist Fury

Disclaimer: The creator of Ranma 1/2 got me into this mess, so let her

disclaim!

: Thoughts

Chapter 27

End of Some Problems, Start of New Ones

"No really, you don't have to." Ukyo protested as several Felinar servants

came through the front door of the Ucchan's. All of them were females and

of course, able to transform. They were of varying heights and figures,

but the majority of them had slender, athletic forms. They were dressed in

kimono-style robes and sandals. The supervisor was a petite brunette with

green eyes and her hair tied in twin, lush tails.

"It our duty to serve you, Lady Ukyo. I am Liaka, but I also go by the

title of Mother Cat." The head servant said as she directed the rest of

the staff to begin cleaning and polishing the tables, wipe the

countertops, sweep the floors and reorganize the storeroom. "The

kohlinjar's shoka had instructed my staff and I, to free you of all

unnecessary burdens as you prepare to undergo the rite of the Surek

Nihan."

"Shoka?" Ukyo then remembered what the word meant and whom it referred to.

"Oh. You mean, Pantheron told you to help me in my business?"

"Yes, Lady Ukyo. He should be arriving soon to inform you of what is

required of you to be officially accepted by the clan leaders. I am

certain that you will pass. Our new kohlinjar would not have chosen you if

he had any doubts, and I hear that the great Bastet herself has great

confidence in you."

The Felinar then gave her a polite bow as she went to join her co-workers.

Ukyo found herself overwhelmed by this sudden act of pampering and was

rendered speechless. In just a few weeks, she had gone from being a lonely

and distraught girl that dressed as a boy to hide her family's shame, to

the fiancee of her very handsome, powerful and extremely wealthy childhood

friend. Every possible want had been catered to, and it seemed that her

life of hardship was to be rewarded. If this was all a dream, then she

hoped that she'd never wake up.

At the Tendo Home...

Nabiki was hoping that this was some kind of nightmare and was desperately

wishing that she'd wake up.

Her father, Soun Tendo had not stopped bawling since coming home from that

last encounter with Ranma Saotome, who now went by the name of Kojiro

Shinkara. Though it seemed that her family did come out of it well with a

huge sum of money, some more of Soun and Genma's thoughtlessness had come

back to haunt them. The pledge to unite the Schools of the Anything Goes

had been totally obliterated, but another arranged marriage that her

father had conveniently forgotten had arisen.

Picolet Chardin III, heir to the School of Martial Arts Dining had sent

Nabiki, Akane and Kasumi notices of his imminent arrival and betrothal to

one of them. This of course, did not go very well when they questioned

their father.

"Just WHAT is this all about?!" Akane shouted.

"Who is this Chardin person?" Kasumi asked.

"Out with it, Dad." Nabiki said with irritation.

Soun took one look at the letters that his daughters were holding, turned

a sickly pale color, then rushed out of the dining room. The Tendo girls

then saw their father in the backyard, pulling a huge travel cart that was

loaded down with supplies and various pieces of furniture.

"And just where do you think you are going?!" Nabiki cried out.

Soun replied nervously. "Er, come along girls. I just remembered that we

have to move to China."

The Tendo patriarch wasn't the only one who had become agitated. Genma had

been trying to think of a way to get his hands on the two million dollars

that his ungrateful son had given to the Tendos, when he started hearing

police sirens in the distance that seemed to be heading this way. At first

he thought that the authorities were after someone else, but when he

looked out the window and saw several police cars stop in front of the

house, he began getting a sinking feeling.

As Kojiro had promised, all the crimes that his former father had

committed was about to boomerang back onto the panda.

Meanwhile...

Happosai knew that he was in BIG trouble as he sat in his wheelchair.

As the transformed Tarou towered over him, the old lecher knew that he was

not going to be able to stop his Jusenkyo-cursed godchild from turning him

into a bloody smear on the pavement. With his spine still severed, his

legs remaining useless, and chi levels at their lowest, there was only one

thing he could do. To think that the great Master of the Anything Goes

Martial Arts would be reduced to surrendering.

"All right, Panty... Tarou. You win. I'll change your name."

At that moment, several other people showed up. And when Happosai saw the

newcomers, his chances of survival were now down to nil. The Amazons had

just arrived.

At the Ucchan's...

"Pantheron." Ukyo greeted as Kojiro's right-hand man came through the

front door of her business and took a seat at the counter.

"Greetings, Lady Ukyo." The big man said as he pointed to an item on the

menu. The okonomiyaki chef nodded and began pouring out some batter. "I

trust that Liaka and her staff are making things easier for you?" He

asked.

"Uh, yeah. It's great, especially during the lunch rush. So are you here

to tell me about this... what did you call it again?"

"The Surek Nihan. Yes, I am here to inform you about what is expected from

you in order for you to join the clan as Saber Claw's kohlinshor."

"Is it some kind of strength test or something?"

"In a way." The big Felinar nodded a bit. "However, it is not the strength

of body in which we are interested in, though being a fighter is an asset.

It is the strength of spirit that all Kohlinshor candidates must face."

"What?"

Pantheron nodded again as he began explaining. "The Surek Nihan is a test

of not only your devotion to our Kohlinjar, but also your willingness to

accept the Felinar Clan as your family."

"But... I thought that I was already acknowledged as Ko-chan's, er I mean

Kojiro's fiancee."

"The fact that Saber Claw has chosen you and that our great goddess Bastet

has given her consent will work in your favor. However, tradition must be

followed. You must prove to the Council that you are worthy of the

Felinar. Do not worry, I am certain that you will fulfill what is expected

of you."

Back at the hospital...

"THERE HE IS!"

"GET THE LITTLE PERVERT!"

"DESTROY THE ENEMY TO ALL WOMEN!"

"HE OWES US MONEY!"

"HANG HIM!"

"HE'S MINE!"

"YOU CAN'T HIDE!"

"YOU'VE STOLEN YOUR LAST BRA!"

"YOU WILL PAY!"

"HAPPOSAI, PREPARE TO DIE!"

The crippled master of the Anything Goes knew that he wouldn't survive if

that mob caught up with him. At the moment, he was racing along on his

wheelchair at speeds that were thought to be impossible, as he furiously

pushed the wheels with his hands. (Hey, Cologne is able to move pretty

fast on that cane, right?) However, the angry group, mostly composed of

women, was steadily reducing the distance between them. Just about all of

them were brandishing a sharp of blunt object in their arms, like brooms,

shovels, pitchforks, rakes, knives, swords, and so on.

The only blessing that Happy could count was the fact that Tarou and the

Amazons were too busy fighting each other to give chase. As soon as the

warrior women had arrived, they had immediately charged in for

retribution. However, his cursed godson had gotten in their way,

preventing them from carrying out Amazon justice. It wasn't that Tarou

cared about the old lecher's safety. He interfered simply because if Happy

was killed before he could change Pantyhose's name, then the boy would be

stuck with that embarrassing moniker for the rest of his life. Of course,

the female fighters were none too pleased at being denied their

long-awaited vengeance and the two sides began brawling. When Happosai

last saw Tarou, he had been holding his own in his Jusenkyo form, but the

Amazons had the advantage of weapons, numbers and several experienced

Elders, including Cologne. It wouldn't be long before Tarou would be

overwhelmed. Then the females would come after his godfather, provided

that he managed to elude his current pursuers.

However, Happosai continued to speed along as he desperately tried to lose

the group that was after his head.

The Tendo Home...

"GET HIM!" The lieutenant shouted as he and his fellow officers began

chasing after Genma.

No sooner had the police came to the door and showed the arrest warrant,

the fat martial artist bolted, assaulting two officers in the process as

he attempted to flee. However, before he could make it to the backyard

wall and freedom, he was immediately dogpiled by four policemen. One man

managed to snap a pair of cuffs to his right wrist and ankle and another

brought out a tazer.

ZZZZZAAAAPPPPP!

Genma was out like a light as he was immediately hauled up and dragged to

the waiting police van. The authorities had planned the capture well in

advance and had been informed of Genma's ability as a martial artist. They

had been waiting on the other side of the wall, should the first team fail

to stop him. They were taking no chances as Ranma's former parent had his

wrists and legs bound with more cuffs, then he was locked into the back of

the van.

Soun came running up to them as his longtime friend was being put into the

vehicle.

"Now see here! What are you doing to my friend?"

The head officer turned and held up the arrest warrant. "Genma Saotome has

been charged with more than three HUNDRED counts of petty theft, sixteen

counts of breaking and entering, fifteen for assault and twelve for aiding

and abetting a known criminal named Happosai. As of today, we can add two

more charges of assaulting police officers, one for resisting arrest and

one for attempting to escape."

"Ridiculous!" Soun denied, though he found himself sweating a bit. "You

have no proof! Let my friend go this instant!"

"Oh, we've got plenty of proof back at headquarters. In any case, I'd be

worried about yourself if I were you, Soun Tendo."

"W-W-What do you mean?"

"Harboring a known felon can also warrant an arrest."

At this point, Soun began denying any knowledge of ever knowing Genma.

The Ucchan's...

"So what exactly do I have to do in this... what did you call it again?"

Ukyo asked.

"The Surek Nihan." The large Felinar replied. "It is a test of not only

the body, but also of the mind, the heart and the very soul. I cannot tell

you the exact details of the ceremony, for the trial is different for each

kohlinshor candidate. However, I can tell you that your mind and spirit

will be taxed to their limits. Therefore, I have seen to it that the next

few days will be free for you to prepare. Spend the next week as you see

fit, but make certain that your mind is clear of all doubts."

"That... doesn't give me much to go on."

"It wouldn't be a TRUE trial, if you knew what was going to happen."

I'm dead. Happosai thought as he found himself in a dead end alley

with an angry mob closing in on him. With his legs permanently paralyzed

and him being confined in a wheelchair, retribution for all of his crimes

seemed to be at hand. However, the old pervert was nothing if not

stubborn. If was going to go, then he'd go down fighting. He began

channeling the last of his chi reserves for one final massive burst, but

then...

KABOOM!

The crowd went scattering when the explosion occurred, their thirst for

vengeance against Happosai forgotten as a huge form appeared and began

thrashing about. Relief flooded though the old lecher's body, but that

feeling quickly passed when he saw his 'savior.'

Pantyhose had looked better, relatively speaking. His cursed form was

still as imposing as ever, but it was now littered with gashes of varying

sizes and depth. The hulking brute moved far more slowly and each step

seemed to generate more pain. The transformed Chinese boy was bleeding

profusely from dozens of wounds and he wasn't thinking straight. All he

was focused on was to reach his godfather and strangle him to death, or

force him to change his name, or both. (Happy was betting that it was

choice number three).

However, the fight with the Amazons had taken its toll, and the huge

monster fell forward, making a loud, thunderous noise on the pavement. A

moment later, Pantyhose lapsed into unconsciousness, only a scant three

feet from where Happosai was.

Happy again breathed a sigh of relief, which was short-lived when he saw a

certain group of people come around the Jusenkyo-cursed individual and

cornered the former Grandmaster of the Anything Goes. He gulped as he saw

who was at the front of the Amazons.

"Er... heh, heh, hello Cologne."

The Elder and her peers were anything but friendly as Cologne glared at

the enemy to all women. "I told you before Happy, you were going to answer

for ALL of your crimes. Your ally has fallen and there is NOTHING... that

can save you now."

The streets echoed with the anguished screams of a certain someone who was

subjected to a long overdue act of final justice.

When the Amazons were done and gone, all the authorities found was barely

enough to identify.

The Tendo home...

"Ah, so these are the trois mademoiselles, in which I must marry one?"

Picolet Chardin said in delight as he and his entourage came through the

door.

At first, Nabiki had begun considering that a marriage with this man might

not be so bad. He was good-looking and came from a very wealthy family...

"AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHH!"

Then again, after seeing him greet Akane with a kiss, who could marry a

man who swallows up your whole head?

Later...

Soun was drowning the floor of his home with his tears. His lifelong dream

was a shambles, his old friend was going to prison, and now this...

"Mr. Tendo, what are your comments to have been harboring the infamous

Underwear Thief?"

"What kind of a martial arts school has a master who steals women's

underwear?"

"I have a bill for nine hundred thousand yen for all those times that

little weasel stole from my restaurant! Since you were the one hiding him,

you're the one who's going to pay!"

"Were you and your best friend really accomplices to all of those thefts

of women's lingerie, merchandise and food items?"

"Were you forced into helping your master commit those crimes, or did you

SHARE in his perversions?"

"How can such an upstanding member of the community take part in such

crimes and harbor two known felons?"

"You will pay for all those meals your friend ate!"

"Not until AFTER he pays for all those things that he stole!"

"Did you know that the Anything Goes Martial Arts School is now being

banned, and is punishable by law to anyone trying to learn it?"

"What will you do, now that your dojo is being shut down?"

"How do you feel now that no one will learn your school's fighting style?"

Soun did NOT need this. After being informed of his master's end, he had

been initially ecstatic. However, that was when the reporters had stormed

in after news of Happosai's demise and the arrest of Genma had been made

public. That and more than a hundred shopkeepers, restaurant owners and

vendors, who were demanding payment for all the times the master and Genma

had stolen from them. The two million dollars that Kojiro had awarded to

his family would be all gone by the end of the day. That meant that

Akane... would be scarred for life.

In her room, Nabiki had tabulated the cost of paying off all of those

people, the house bills, and expenses such as lawyers and other court

fees. She frowned at the final estimated total. Even with that two million

dollars, they would be dangerously in the red, and that didn't include

Akane's plastic surgery.

The middle daughter shook her head. This would not do. The entire Tendo

family was being punished for the crimes of one perverted master, and his

two disciples. Even if they were to come out of this mess, the reputation

of the Tendo Dojo was already ruined. No one would want to learn under her

father and be connected to the infamy of Genma and Happosai. Best thing to

do was to sell the dojo, though whatever money they would receive would

still not make a dent in the debts that had been incurred.

Only one good thing had come out of this. With this unwanted publicity,

the Chardin family had immediately withdrawn their claim on the Tendo

girls, saying that their lineage must not be sullied with the blood of

such criminals. Problem was, they now demanded Soun to pay for the meal

that and Genma had eaten all those years ago. With interest, the expensive

French food came to quite a sum.

No, the only way she could think to get out of this predicament was

through Ranma... er, Kojiro. He certainly had enough money and resources

to make all of her family's worries vanish. Problem was, with the

agreement that he and her father had made with the two million-dollar

payoff, he had washed his hands clean of them.

She had initially considered the Chardin route and had weighed the pros of

having access to their wealth, against the cons of having a husband with

an oversized mouth and a froglike tongue. However, that option was now

unavailable. She had also considered marrying into the Kuno line, either

with herself as the bride or using her sister Akane. However, Akane was

more than likely refuse and Nabiki was not too certain she'd want to be

married to a nutjob like him. Furthermore, the Kuno family fortune was

considerable, but it still wouldn't be enough to make all of Genma and

Happosai's debts disappear. Kojiro had resources that Tatewaki didn't have

and power that Nabiki could certainly make use of. The question was how

could she do it? She thought for a few minutes, then remembered that she

still had the book of Felinar Laws that she had gotten from Happosai

before his demise. She knew that there just had to be a loophole in there

somewhere. For the sake of her family, there must be!

As she flipped through the pages of the old tome, one particular section

that concerned outsiders caught her eye. It was an old and faded page, but

she was certain that she could make out the details. It was a translation

of the Felinar language, which included the alphabet, grammar, sentence

structure and pronunciations. She smiled as she skimmed the section's

contents and began to get an idea.

This could work! Nabiki thought as she continued to read.

Later...

Ukyo waved goodbye as Pantheron and the Felinar females made their leave

for the day. Mother Cat and her staff had informed the okonomiyaki chef

that they would return the next day to continue helping her as the date of

the Surek Nihan drew near.

As the brown-haired girl prepared to close for the night, she did not

notice that a new set of eyes was watching her from a secret location. The

newcomer took note of all of Ukyo's features and movements as the Ucchan's

closed its doors. When the kolinshor went inside, the watcher nodded and

skulked away to return later.

The Tendo Home...

"Sho... har... in... cur... anto... sha!"

Nabiki gritted her teeth as she repeated what seemed like gibberish to

her. The Felinar language had some odd inflections and some words were

very hard to pronounce. However, she was determined to master these lines

if her plan was to work. When spoken correctly in their native tongue, the

Felinar could not refuse certain demands and the middle Tendo daughter

knew that she had come across a way for Kojiro to help her family. With

the right phrasing, she was certain that he would have no choice but to

yield and get the Tendos out of the fix they were in.

She momentarily lost herself in a dream, as mountains of obscene wealth

and such surrounded her, once Ranma, er Kojiro gave in. She then shook her

head back to reality and continued trying to learn the key phrases that

even the kohlinjar would have to pay heed to.

"Sho harincur antosha... Sho harincur antosha... mar... inda... pre."

What Nabiki didn't know as she continued to attempt to master the Felinar

tongue was that she had neglected a certain section of the book, which

dealt with some revisions to the laws. She would soon learn of them

though.

Later...

"How many more of these customs do I have to learn?" Kojiro groaned as

Pantheron continued to instruct his new kohlinjar in the ways of Bastet's

followers.

"Quite a few more." The larger Felinar replied as he watched his clan's

new enforcer sit at a desk and ponder over several large tomes. "Normally,

a kohlinjar is usually educated in our ways from childhood, but since you

were not born within the clan, you must be trained."

The Cat Fist fighter sighed as he continued to read the ancient

scriptures. He took on a puzzled look as he flipped the through the next

few pages. "Hey Pantheron, I've been meaning to ask you something."

"What is it?" Night Stalker inquired. "Is there something that you do not

understand?"

"No, it's the other way around. What I don't understand is how I can read

this stuff. How come I can understand this writing? I've never seen

Felinar writing before and when Kitton and Kitall were talking to each

other, I understood every last word they said."

"Ah, that is simple Kohlinjar. As you are the Avatar of the Great Bastet,

you have been given gift of comprehending not only the language of cats,

but also those who are deeply connected to them, such as we Felinar.

You'll also be able to understand the language of the Cat People, like

Felicia."

"Is she part of the clan?"

"No, actually she comes from an ancient race that had its origins on this

world. Remember that the Felinar were part of the Kyrn. You can think of

the Felinar as a separate species of felines, in which we have our own

customs and language. Our native tongue is actually a derivation of the

original Kyrn language, with several modifications. As such, it is very

difficult for outsiders to learn to speak and read it."

"Will Ucchan have to learn the language?"

"She will be trained once she has passed the Surek Nihan and officially

becomes your future kolinshar. Ii is difficult for humans to speak it, but

possible. However, he or she must be careful on how the words are

phrased." He pointed to a section in the book Kojiro was currently

reading. "A simple phrase such as this can easily become this with one

slip of the tongue." He then indicated a different sentence.

Ukyo's fiance nodded as he read the two sentences. "Ni sokan shiash

nisanna. Ni sokon shiash nisanna." He looked back up to his teacher.

"Whoa. That WOULD be a problem. I pity the person who says that."

The Tendo Dojo...

"Ni sokon... shiash... nisanna."

Nabiki smiled after mastering a key phrase, in which Ranma would have no

choice but to accept. Their problems would be over!

However, what she did not know was that the writing had been slightly

smudged and she had misread the sentence. She would soon learn the

consequences...

To be continued...

Author's notes

Whoa! When was the last time I updated this? Well, now that I'm getting

back to my older series, I thought that this one needed some attention so

here we are. It's not much of an update, but at least it's better than

nothing.

The ending was a bit rushed but I needed somewhere to break off and get

the creative juices flowing again. CFF and a few other fics are reaching

their ends so I might as well finish them off.

CAT FIST FURY

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 and any other characters mentioned in this story belong to their respective creators.

: Thoughts

Chapter 28

New Trials

Kojiro sighed as he walked toward the school. With the business of White Claw and Tendos over and done with, he was now free to resume his normal life as just a high-school student. However, his thoughts were still occupied with an upcoming event... the induction of his fiancée Ukyo Kuonji into the Felinar Clan as his kohlinshor.

Though he had been assured by his Shoka Pantheron and Bastet that his childhood friend would be able to pass the Surek Nihan, he couldn't help but be concerned about her. Considering his own trials to become one of the Felinar, Ukyo's test wasn't going to be easy.

"Kojiro!"

The Kolinjar of the Felinar Clan stopped and turned at the sound of the voice. He smiled as he saw his Chinese friend Shang approach him.

"Shang! Good to see you!"

His schoolmate nodded as stopped before his friend. "Not see you for long time! Good to have back! Everything OK?"

"Well, things have gotten better." Kojiro admitted as he and his friend headed toward their first class. "So how have things been since I was gone? Anything new?"

"Much happen since Kojiro gone. Got new classmates."

"New classmates?"

"Just come in today. Introduce in homeroom."

"Hmmm... well, I guess after what I've been through, it'll be a nice change to get back to a normal life."

"Want to know. What happen to Kojiro? Amazons suddenly gone. No more crazy stuff from Nerima. Know something to do with you. Tell friend about cat thing?"

"Well, maybe later." The former Saotome replied as he was ready to deal with everyday life without having to worry about someone after his head or force him to marry. As for the Felinar, well at least he wouldn't have to worry about his obligations as their kohlinjar while at school...

"These are our newest foreign exchange students." The teacher announced.

Kojiro's eyes were the size of saucers as he stared at the three pretty girls who stood before the class. All were dressed in the standard girl's uniforms of the school and just about every boy in the room was drooling. His sensitive nose twitched slightly as he caught certain odors and his senses were detecting very high chi potentials. He also sensed the telltale signs of the True Neko Ken, which only members of the Felinar possessed, which meant that these newcomers were actually...

"Introduce yourselves to the class, girls." The teacher urged.

The first girl took a step forward and smiled. She had flowing blonde hair and a very tall, buxom figure. Her bosom almost seemed to want to burst out of her blouse and one could only imagine what her hybrid form was shaped like. She had lively dark green eyes and a sensual look about her. She gave everyone a warm, seductive smile, but her gaze became fixated on one certain kohlinjar.

"My name is Felina Surd, and it's a pleasure to meet you all." She greeted with a Scandinavian accent. "I come from... Norway and I hope that we will all become VERY GOOD friends."

Kojiro winced as he caught the meaning of her words. It was no mystery as to why they were there. Pantheron had warned him before he went to school that many Felinar suitors will approach him, as he currently had not chosen a kohlinnor. He had also told him that the Felinar had many branches that were scattered about the world. There was no mistaking their intentions, especially since all three girls were releasing minute amounts of pheromones in the air, even in their human forms. All the boys were in varying stages of lust and it was taking a lot of concentration on Kojiro's part not to act on his feline instincts.

As Felina stepped back, the second girl introduced herself. She had a slimmer, slightly muscular figure, and fiery, short red hair. Her eyes were light brown and she had a kind of mischievous aura about her. "I am Katri Platinov, from Moscow. It is good to be here and I hope to make many new comrades, yes?" She also gave Kojiro a sly look.

The third girl had a bit of a timid look about her as she made her introductions. She had blue-white hair that was done up in an elaborate braid, (think of Tessa from Full Metal Panic), and was half a head shorter than Felina and Katri. Her features were more delicate, and fine-boned, but she was still very striking. Her eyes were light blue and her frame was petite, but alluring.

"My name is Selana Chatham, from London, England. I must say that I am looking forward to attending this school, and I hope to have a jolly good time."

With all three girls gazes locked onto him, the former heir to the Anything Goes wished he was somewhere else as he scrunched down in his seat. Three predatory cats had just locked onto their prey.

At noon...

Kojiro ate his lunch beneath a tree and was deep in thought at what Ukyo was doing at the moment, when he sensed the presence of his shoka. As if by magic, his right-hand man appeared behind him in his human form.

"Pantheron, what are you doing here?" He asked as he continued to sit and eat.

The cat-warrior nodded as he gave him a slight bow. "Forgive this intrusion into your academic life, Kohlinjar..."

"Don't call me that in public!" Kojiro said in a hushed tone.

"Ah, of course Saber Claw..."

"That's even worse! It's just Kojiro... okay?"

"It would be improper to address you so casually..."

The young cat fighter sighed and shook his head. "Oh never mind! Why are you here? I thought I told you to not to come to school unless it's important."

"Indeed. And what I have to say is important. I have come to inform you that Lady Bastet has just taken the kohlinshor away to personally begin the Surek Nihan."

"Really? I hope Ucchan's okay."

"The kohlinshor is in good health and spirits. For Lady Bastet to personally lead her through the trials says much about our goddess' confidence in her."

"That's good to hear. In any case, I hope she'll be all right. By the way Pantheron, do you know of three girls named Felina Surd, Katri Platinov and Selana Chatham? They're Felinar, aren't they?"

"Indeed. They are among the most promising of suitors, are they not?"

"What?!"

"So have you chosen your kohlinnor? Or would you prefer to have all three? Many kohlinjar have taken multiple mates in the past. The law does state that you must have at LEAST one Inner and Outer..."

"What are you talking about?! I just met them today!" Kojiro began to have flashbacks of when he learned of the multiple engagements that Genma had set up for him. "They can't be here because of..."

At that moment, the girls in question came up to them and gave Kojiro and his shoka a formal bow. In their hands were specially made bentos. Simultaneously they spoke.

"Greetings Kohlinjar Saber Claw."

The former Saotome swallowed hard as he gave them a nervous smile, then let Pantheron make the introductions. He first gestured to the red-haired girl.

"This is Katri Platinov, also known as Scarlet Slice. Her family is one of the most influential branches in Eastern Europe, especially in the arena of sports competitions. She is the daughter of Lynxara, one of the Council Members of the Felinar. In fact, all three girls represent a Council Member. Katri is an accomplished gymnast and acrobat. She'd be a Platinum Medallist at the Olympics, even in her human form. Her fiery spirit and determination is second to none."

He then gestured to the shortest of the trio. "This is Selana Chatham. Her Felinar name is Silver Fur, and she is the niece of Lionalla. Her family is very influential in politics and foreign affairs within the British Empire for centuries. You won't find a potential kohlinnor with more knowledge in affairs of state and diplomacy. A very important skill, especially in dealing with outsiders."

Pantheron turned to the golden-haired female. "Last but certainly not least, is Felina Surd, otherwise known as Sun Slash. Her family is centered in Norway, and is involved in new technologies. She is the daughter of Bengara, and she is well-versed in engineering and mathematics. She certainly does not fit the stereotype of the 'dumb blonde.' Her beauty is only surpassed by her brains."

Kojiro's shoka then finished with the introductions. "All three are accomplished masters of our fighting style and would make fine mothers of the next generation. So will you be making your choice of Inner Mate now?"

"Pantheron!"

It was then that Felina stepped forward and got Kojiro's attention with her smile. "I do hope your shoka has not caused you to be uncomfortable, Kohlinjar."

The Cat Fist fighter quickly stood up, and composed himself. "No that's okay! Pleased to meet all of you. So you're all here...?"

"We are here to see you, Kohlinjar and pay our respects." Selana said. "We hear that your kohlinshor is undergoing the Surek Nihan and we hope that we will meet with her soon. In any case, we are here in order to fit more into human society and learn more of the outside world, hence the foreign exchange program."

"Oh... uh, okay. Well, I guess that's all right. For a minute there, I thought that you girls were here to...?"

It was at that moment, he saw a familiar person come toward him out of the corner of his right eye. His mouth tightened into a straight line as Nabiki passed by the school gate and approached him. Her confident stride and expression made his facial features harden. When Soun's middle daughter stopped before him, Kojiro knew that this encounter was going to be trouble. The other girls and Night Stalker scowled at her, not at all liking the way she carried herself, like she had a right to be in the presence of the Kohlinjar. The three female Felinar had been present during the battle between Kojiro and White Claw, and they knew about the Tendos and the idiotic pledge to unite the Anything Goes Schools. They were ready to tear her into shreds if she showed even the slightest hint of trying to take away their intended mate. Only a gesture from Kojiro made them stand down.

"Hello Ranma." Nabiki said in a teasing tone.

"The name's Kojiro." He growled in response. "Don't ever call me Ranma. And what do you want, Ms. Tendo? I thought I made it clear that the Tendos are not to cross paths with me or the Felinar again. That two million dollars I paid out to your family should have been more than enough. Unless of course, that moron Genma stole it and spent it all."

"Shall I deal with her?" Pantheron asked.

Nabiki continued to smile. "That's no way to talk to someone who knows of something that your 'kohlinjar' can't refuse."

"And what could you possibly say or do that our kohlinjar cannot refuse?"

"Oh, something that I read in a book about Felinar Laws." Nabiki countered, not at all backing down.

"What?"

"Nishan milo sanjo nihan nolan vistu Bastet. Meshin actonil shellan vin kohlinshor."

Genma's former son looked at Nabiki in confusion as he recognized the words. He gave the girl a bewildered look. "What did you just say?"

"You heard me. Now you can't refuse that, now can you?"

"You do realize what you just said, don't you?"

"So what's it going to be... kohlinjar?" Nabiki said the last word with contempt.

He gazed at her for a very long time, then nodded. "All right. You win Ms. Tendo. I'll see you at the Tendo dojo tonight to make the arrangements."

At that point, Akane's sister smiled in triumph as she turned about and walked away. In her mind, she can see all of her family's financial troubles disappear and she could imagine the money and power she would receive once Kojiro gave into her demand.

However, when she had left the school grounds, and was out of earshot, Kojiro and the others broke out into peals of laughter.

"I can't believe she actually SAID that!" Selana giggled.

"She must have gotten hold of an old copy of Felinar Laws, yes?" Katri snickered.

"And her accent REALLY needs work!" Felina chortled.

Pantheron smirked as he turned to Kojiro. "So what now, Kohlinjar?"

The former Saotome continued to laugh for a bit, then nodded. "Well, she was right. According to Felinar Law, I CAN'T refuse, when she uses that phrase. But it looks like she missed something in the translation, since she just said... oh man, that's just too funny!"

The group continued to snicker and giggle among themselves, as Kojiro smiled to himself. Things were starting to look up. Ukyo was going to be inducted into the clan, the Amazons were gone, and he was pretty certain that he could take on Nabiki Tendo, especially after what she had just said.

As of now, there wasn't anyone that he couldn't handle.

Or was there?

Meanwhile…

Ukyo was breathing hard as she continued to make her way through the long and dark tunnel. It had been several hours since she had first began the Surek Nihan and she started to think back to when the Goddess Bastet had met up with her that morning…

Flashback…

Ukyo had just woken that morning when she was first greeted by the sight of the Cat Goddess standing in front of her bed.

The feline deity smiled, showing off some prominent canines. "Good morrrrrrning, soon-to-be kohlinshorrrrr." She purred.

Ukyo nodded as she stretched out her arms, then slowly swung her legs over the side of the bed to put her feet into her slippers. "Good morning… Bastet. You're here early." She was still a bit nervous over this whole Felinar thing and the Surek Nihan, but if it meant that she would be officially recognized as Ran-chan's… no, Ko-chan's fiancée, then she'd go through any hardship. She had been doing so for the last 10 years after all.

Bastet sensed her determination and nodded. "Yes, I believe that the Surek Nihan should begin without delay."

"Okay, just let me get dressed and have some breakfast and we can…"

Bastet shook her head and interrupted. "I'm afraid that the Surek Nihan cannot wait for that. The trial actually begins the moment when the kohlinshor candidate awakens."

The okonomiyaki chef looked down at herself, then back at the goddess. "But I'm not dressed and I'm hun…"

POOF!

"… gry?"

With a wave of her hand, Bastet cast a minor spell, and Ukyo found herself dressed in her chef's outfit with a plate of breakfast okonomiyaki in her hands. The startled girl almost dropped it.

Bastet nodded as she said, "You may eat on the way. The Felinar have already made… arrangements at Furinken High to allow you a day of absence."

Sure enough at the Principal's Office…

"Ok… no problem… the… the… Big Kahuna… no mind if student Kuonji take day off… heh-heh. No bowl cut for her, okay?"

Principal Kuno was sweating like a pig and shaking like a leaf. In front of him were the shredded remnants of his desk. Standing next to the pile of wood and metal were two of Patheron's subordinates, Cutter and Quick Slash.

Initially, after the twins had told the principal that Ukyo would be taking a leave of absence for a day or so, the Principal went on one of his usual tirades about giving her a bowl cut once she got back. That naturally didn't sit well with the two Felinar enforcers, and they showed him exactly what would happen to him if he were to try.

With simultaneous swipes of their 'claws,' they reduced the Principal's desk into kindling. They had also shredded the Hawaiian-crazy man's shirt in that instant, which made Kuno's father realize that if he had been sitting a millimeter closer, he would have been turned into sashimi. Remembering what Kojiro had done to him earlier, he had no desire to have another encounter with masters of the Neko Ken.

"We're are very pleased that you will allow Mistress Kuonji to take today off." Cutter said with a smile, as he and his brother turned to leave.

When the two Felinar departed, Principal Kuno let off a sigh of relief, then wondered where that extra draft was coming from. He looked down and his face turned white as he realized that his shirt was not the only thing that had gotten sliced to ribbons. His pants were also in tatters along with his boxer shorts.

Maybe the Big Kahuna should have stayed longer in Honolulu.

Back at the Ucchan's…

"You will not have to worrrry about school today." Bastet assured as she started to wave a hand about. In an instant, the two vanished in a flash of light, just as Ukyo had started eating her breakfast.

In an instant, the two reappeared in a mountainous area in front of a large cave. The goddess gestured toward the entrance.

"In here is where you begin yourrr trial to become my avatarrrrr's kohlinshorrrr."

Ukyo quickly polished off her morning meal, in which the plate then disappeared. She then took a few steps forward toward the entrance, then stopped to reach back behind her back for her Battle Spatula. However, she grasped only empty air. She looked over her shoulder, then down at her chest to see that she didn't have her main weapon nor her bandoleer of mini-spatulas. Gazing back at the goddess, she gave her an unsaid question in the form of a puzzled expression.

Bastet shook her head. "This is not a trial of combat, but rather a test forrr yourrr worthiness to be my avatarrrrrr's mate, and inductance into the Felinarrrr Clan. Enter. Yourrrr task is simply to make it to the otherrrr end of the tunnel. The only thing I can tell you is to KEEP moving, no matterrrr what. I shall meet you at the exit."

With those words, she disappeared from sight, leaving the brown-haired girl alone at the tunnel's entrance. She then took a deep breath and then started walking into the darkness.

End of Flashback…

Ukyo had no idea whatsoever of how long she had walking since she had started. There was very scant light and several times she had stumbled and tripped over several rocks and holes on the ground. With no guidance and very little information about where she was and her final destination, she had begun to wonder what was waiting for her. In the near pitch-black darkness, her eyes were useless and she couldn't tell which direction she was moving.

As she continued to blindly struggle forward, more of her normal senses began to fail her. Her sense of hearing couldn't differentiate between various sounds, due to the many echoes and vibrations that reverberated throughout the cavern. Her sense of smell couldn't pick up anything that could help her navigate. Finally, she was reduced to using her hands and sense of touch to try and feel her way around. It was then that she felt something hard hit her forehead.

WHOMP!

"OW!"

She paused for a moment, rubbing her forehead, then reached out to feel what was ahead of her. She was surprised to discover that the tunnel was getting narrower and the top was sloping downward. Bending herself lower, she continued to press forward. Soon the passage got even tighter, forcing Ukyo to crawl on her hands and knees.

It became more frustrating as she was stripped of nearly all of her human senses and was forced to crawl like an animal. The sides of the tunnel scraped at her elbows and knees. It seemed to go on forever. Though she wasn't claustrophobic, the ever-narrowing passage was a bit unnerving, and she felt as if she was about to be swallowed up. It got to the point in which she felt as if her hold on the real world was starting to slip away. She became edgy as she felt if something was watching her in the darkness. Then she began to wonder if this what her Ko-chan had felt when he had been thrown into that pit of cats when he was young and still under the influence of his dishonorable father.

She carried on however, as she knew that once she completed this trial, then she would be recognized by all as her beloved's fiancée. It was then that she saw what looked like two red dots ahead of her. Then they were joined by another pair of dots. They were followed by several more. It was at that point, that she heard a sound.

"Rowr."

Ukyo stopped when she recognized the sound of a cat. Then she noticed that the red dots began to get bigger and more numerous. She realized at that moment that they were actually eyes. Then she felt a chill run down her spine as she realized something.

This… couldn't be…

Then another meow was heard, followed by more. The teenage girl gulped hard as she realized that this must be…

"ROWR! HSSSST!"

In that instant, Ukyo let off a scream as the multitudes of eyes converged on her, and then she felt something sharp tear into her. It felt as if something with sharp teeth or claws was ripping into her side. She then started to feel more slashes and bites all over her body. She winced as countless stabs of pain tore into her. She now knew firsthand how Kojiro must have felt when he had been subjected to the flawed Neko Ken training. Her nose wrinkled at the stench of her own blood being spilled as she was being mauled by the unseen cats. She felt as if she had been betrayed and left to die. Then she heard Bastet's voice in her head.

Kohlinshorrrr… I instructed you to keep moving… no matter what. If you are truly worthy of my avatarrrrrr's love, then you shall see me at the other end of the tunnel.

These words bolstered Ukyo to endure the pain as she started to crawl forward again. Her face took on a determined expression as she thought in her mind, I AM WORTHY! IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW MUCH IT HURTS OR WHAT HAPPENS NEXT! I'D GO THROUGH HELL IF I HAVE TO! I'VE WAITED TEN LONG YEARS! I'M NOT GOING TO STOP NOW! I WILL BE KO-CHAN'S WIFE! I WILL BE HIS WIFE!

The intensity of the battering increased, but Ukyo mentally blocked out the pain and kept on moving forward. Then, when the mauling seemed to reach its peak, it suddenly stopped. The okonomiyaki chef became puzzled when the eyes disappeared and the cave became quiet. Then she felt no pain at all and the strain of crawling on all fours ceased. In fact, it felt as if she wasn't on her elbows and knees, but rather on the palms of her hands and the soles of her feet. She started to move more easily and increase her pace. Then she caught the telltale sign of fresh air wafting past her nose and headed toward it. The darkness was no longer a barrier as her eyes became accustomed and she could make out every nook and cranny and avoid them with ease. As the tunnel started to get wider, Ukyo raced toward a dot of white light in the distance. As she approached the exit, she let off a cry of joy as she saw Bastet waiting for her.

A loud roar echoed from within the cave. The Cat Goddess smiled as she saw the kohlinshor emerge from her trial… as a newly-transformed Felinar.

Like Kojiro, Ukyo had become a saber-toothed cat, but had dark brown fur, rather than black. She wasn't as large as her fiancé's feline form, but she was still bigger than any lion or tiger. She was more slender than Kojiro and her eyes now flashed with an emerald green. As she padded toward the deity, Bastet guessed that her avatar's intended hadn't realized that she had been transformed.

Ukyo then tried to say something, but was surprised to hear herself meow.

Bastet smiled again and patted her head. Then she said in a most solemn tone, "Well done, Kohlinshorrrrr. I knew that you would pass the Surek Nihan and prove worrrrthy of my avatarrrrr. There is no mistake in yourrrr devotion to him and your acceptance, so I call you… Cat's Heart. Now rrrrise and consider yourrrrrself… a Felinarrrrr!"

Without even thinking, Ukyo morphed into her hybrid form. She became a 6' 5" voluptuous beauty, with sensual curves, sleek musculature and an enlarged bosom. Her clothes were barely enough to keep her charms confined. From the small of her back, her tail swished back and forth.

When Ukyo looked down at her herself, eyes widened in surprise, then a smile formed on her lips as she started to imagine what Kojiro's reaction would be.

She couldn't wait for their wedding night.

Later…

"Do not worrrry Kohlinshorrrrr." Bastet assured. "I will have Felicia train you in handling yourrrr new powerrrrrs. If you are to be part of the Felinarrrr, then you must be able to use the Neko Ken proficiently. It is to be expected of my avatarrrrrr's mate."

"Uh, thanks. So that trial was like what Ko-chan went through with the Neko Ken?" Ukyo asked as she walked with Bastet. She was back in her human form and the two were traveling through some woods.

"Not quite." Bastet replied as she began explaining the Surek Nihan. "The trial is intended to allow the kolinshorrrr candidate to feel herrrr intended's most traumatic experience and understand him. It is different each time. It is to test the devotion of the candidate. If she accepts it, she will be given the powerrrrrs of the Felinar. If not… well, since you passed, therrrre is no need to go into that."

Ukyo shivered a bit as she thought of what would have happened if she hadn't succeeded. Then she inquired, "So Ko-chan still has nightmares about the Neko Ken?"

"Indeed. It is not something one would forrrrrget easily. Everything he has endured, from his trip to Jusenkyo, his transformation, his defeat and nearrrrrrr death at the hands of White Claw, to his training in the True Cat Fist and his rematch. All stem from that first experience. I suspect that he will still feel the effects forrrrr some time to come." She then gave Ukyo a reassuring smile. "Howeverrrrr, now that he will have a strong kohlinshorrrrr by his side, I believe that he will get overrrrr it. Especially if you keep him too busy to think about it."

Kojiro's kohlinshor blushed a bit.

Meanwhile…

A dark figure darted about with uncanny speed and agility within a large training center. The person moved with all the grace and precision as one would expect of the Felinar. As he moved through a series of intricate yet deadly patterns, several poles and targets that were placed as obstacles were slashed to pieces in mere heartbeats. This was no novice in the Ultimate Neko Ken.

Then, the figure aimed all of his aggression and power at one particular target. This was a large photo of the Felinar's newest enforcer. In no time at all, several slashes appeared across the surface of the photo. The picture fell apart into a hundred pieces.

The person walked away from the tattered remnants with only thought in mind…

Soon… Kohlinjar! Very soon… I shall make you suffer for what you did to White Claw!

To be continued….

Author's Notes

Wow! I'm finally finished this chapter and Cat Fist Fury has about a few more chapters to go. As you can, a new enemy will challenge our Cat Fist Fighter and let's just say this person has a very close connection to White Claw. It's been a while since I've written this and I'm glad that my readers have waited patiently for me to update. Next chapter, Ukyo will start getting used to her new Felinar powers and status while we finally learn what Nabiki had said. See you soon!