Chapter Four: Kuno

Akane was awakened by what sounded like the pitter patter of tiny footsteps upon the tatami. She yawned and stretched her arms overhead, relishing the feel of the plush futon against her skin.

"Morning already?" she grumbled, still teetering back and forth between sleep and consciousness.

The pitter patter began again and a tiny stick prodded her cheek.

"Nngh, OK Kasumi, I'm awake..."

She reached out to stop the offending object and found her hand clasping around a small log. Wait, was this log moving? Akane sat up and stared at the log. It stared back.

"GYAH!" she shrieked, "What in the-?"

The wood sprite shook in fear, wondering what it had done to offend the lady priestess. It looked distressed and Akane felt guilty for worrying the poor thing

"It's ok!" she cooed, "I'm not mad! Don't worry!" Golden light radiated from her fingers, placating the little sprite. After it had calmed, Akane looked at her hand in wonder.

Golden light? Where did this come from? The events from the previous day began to return to her: her birthday, meeting Ranma, moving into the forest palace... So it wasn't a dream after all. Was the light just now another one of her powers as priestess? The wood sprite snuggled happily into her palm. It was really very cute, Akane thought with a smile. She wondered if these sprites had names.

As if sensing her thoughts, the sprite perked up and began gesturing in the air. It did not vocalize anything, yet somehow she could understand it.

"Haru?"

The wood sprite nodded emphatically.

"It's very nice to meet you, Haru!"

Having settled introductions, Akane decided to get up and start her morning routine, whatever that entailed. The little sprite padded along after her and Akane found she did not mind his companionship. After making her way to the bath area and taking care of the normal hygiene issues, she glanced down and noticed she was just wearing her simple, white under robe. Who...?

Lord Ranma brought you to your chambers last night, Haru explained through his motions.

Akane flushed a crimson red, "Was he the one who...?" she gestured to her state of undress.

Haru nodded affirmative.

Ohh, that dirty...! She was going to give him a piece of her mind!

"Show me where he is now," she said, after she had returned to her room and pulled on a happi to protect her modesty.

Haru hopped down the hallway and out of the courtyard. He led her through the gates and around the palace, back to where she and Ranma had fought off those demons last night.

She found him standing at the site where that tree had been uprooted by the large demon. The earth where it once stood was overturned and messy, the roots shredded and gnarled. She felt a twinge of pain, as if it were her own body that had been ripped by the demon. Ranma knelt before the destruction and sunk his hand into the soil.

"Morning," Ranma said as he noticed her approach the scene. His hand began to glow golden and she felt energy flowing beneath her feet.

"What are you doing?"

"The trees are homes for the forest sprites," Ranma explained, "I've gotta restore that little guy's house." He motioned to Haru, who had hopped onto Akane's shoulder to get a better view. The sprite seemed to be brimming with excitement.

They gazed in wonder as a seedling began to sprout in its place. It continued to grow until it reached a sapling about her height, with twiggy little branches and leaves just barely beginning to green. Not nearly as tall and sturdy as the one it had been before, but in a few years with good care it would surely get there. Haru bounded excitedly to his new home and started dancing around it.

"Amazing," Akane whispered. Ranma had created something that would have normally taken quite a long time to grow naturally. How deep was the extent of the forest guardian's power?

"Heh," Ranma felt a sense of pride rising in his chest, "Yeah, I guess I am pretty amazing after all!"

"Don't let it get to your head," Akane replied flatly. She then remembered what she wanted to confront him about.

"Hey, last night, were you the one who...?" she gestured to her knees, where the thin, transparent kimono slip was visible from beneath her happi.

"Who what?" he blinked blankly.

"Who undressed me!"

"What?" he said incredulously, "What's wrong with that? You didn't want to be sleeping in your full kimono, did you?"

"That's not the point!"

"I don't get why you're being so uptight about it," Ranma crossed his hands behind his head, "Besides, it's not like it's anything I haven't seen before-OOF!"

Akane's shoulders heaved in anger as she chucked her sandal at Ranma's face. Haru dutifully went to retrieve it for her.

"Thank you," she took the sandal from him in exchange for a friendly pat.

"Why can't you be more like that more often," Ranma grumbled, rubbing his sore nose. Seriously, what was the big deal? He had tried to do her a courtesy and then he got a shoe to the face. But that little sprite barely did anything and she practically treated it like royalty.

He just wanted to help make her feel more comfortable, after all. Speaking of which...

"Oh yeah," Ranma motioned for her to follow him, "I wanted to show you something. C'mon."

"Show me what?"

"You'll see."

She wondered if it was going to be something related to her training, or maybe a new duty she was supposed to fill. Did Nodoka leave behind any instructions, by the way? She made a note to ask Ranma later if he was aware of any such records she should be looking through. As they entered the front garden, Akane found herself surrounded by a lovely scent.

She gasped when she realized there were so many more bushels of the red flowers from yesterday.

"Where did all these come from?" she asked with wonder, her fingers trailing along the delicate petals, "Did they just bloom overnight?"

"I grew them this morning," Ranma shrugged.

"You did this? What made you decide to grow all these flowers?"

"You liked them, didn't you?"

Huh?

"Yesterday you looked happy when you smelled them, so I planted more for you."

He did this... for her?

For some reason, she felt her heartrate quicken.

"You... Y-You idiot," Akane mumbled, "You don't have to do stuff like this..."

"Idiot? That's the thanks I get?" Ranma crossed his arms over his chest, "Well remind me never to give you anything ever again!"

"No, that's not what I meant!"

"Then what did you mean?"

"I..." Akane trailed off, unsure of how to articulate the complex mix of emotions blossoming in her chest. "I... No, they're beautiful thank you, but it's just... w-when you, it makes me..."

Her blush only deepened further with each word she struggled to say.

"Akane?"

Ranma leaned his face close to hers, trying to figure out what had suddenly gotten into the young priestess.

Were his eyes always this blue? So deep, like the ocean...

"I... I-I'm going to go make breakfast!"

She whirled around with a speed faster than anything Ranma had thought physically possible and marched back towards the palace. Haru frantically hobbled along after her.

All the forest spirit could do was simply stare in disbelief. Seriously, this girl's reaction made no sense. Well, granted, he didn't have that much personal experience with others since pretty much all of his life up until this point was training with his pop. He had made a few acquaintances along the way, but maybe there was some nuance of social interaction he had missed? He searched her aura for answers and was surprised at what he found.

She was not displeased at all, in fact her energy was bright and positive. Firey and anxious, but no hint of darkness or negativity. So she did like the flowers? That made Ranma feel a small sense of pride and accomplishment. That darn Akane! If she was happy then she should've just said so. What was that reaction all about?

His stomach let out a deep growl.

Well, no sense in trying to think on an empty stomach. He decided to head back in and get ready for breakfast.

Haru shivered in fear as the lady priestess clamored through the kitchen area with all the fury of a calamitous tempest. Bits and pieces of vegetables flew through the air as she swung her chopsticks wildly around, barely registering what she was adding to a large pot hanging over the fire.

"Who does he think he is!" Akane yelled, annoyed that she felt so flustered, "Who asked him to do such a thing anyway?"

It was then she noticed the scared little wood sprite huddling behind an earthenware jar. Akane looked down at the carnage of her preparation area and flushed with embarassment.

"Sorry," she said meekly, "I didn't mean to scare you."

Haru peeked out from behind his hiding spot and made a few gestures.

"No, I'm not upset," Akane replied, "It's just... I don't know. I guess I'm confused on how to describe what I'm feeling right now. Nobody has ever really done something like that for me before."

She never really received any gifts from her fellow villagers, especially not from any boys. Kuno had forbade it since nobody was allowed to get close to his "intended bride" not that Akane would ever under any circumstances agree to marry such a slime ball. He had brought her flowers on several occasions but they were always in such gaudy arrangements and followed by incessant flirtations. A wave of disgust washed over her as she thought about how she had to meet him later today. Tatewaki Kuno had never had any respect for her wishes, no concept of boundaries, and only did things that suited his own interests with no regard for anyone else. She hated that kind of person the most.

Time and time again she had turned him down, and when he became more forceful she began to fight back. But every time she beat him, he still would not get the message and instead began to see it as a strange form of flirtation. Like she was purposefully putting up a challenge to play hard to get. So then Tatewaki Kuno declared himself the only rightful match for Akane Tendo, and if any other man wished to claim her hand then he would have to prove he could best her in combat.

Which then lead to a constantly annoying situation whenever she entered the village. Truth be told she could not tell if the boys that attacked her actually did have feelings for her, if they only wanted to fulfill the challenge for the sake of beating Kuno, or if they were just hired by him to increase her perceived "desirability". Either way, it was despicable.

So, when Ranma had told her he grew all those flowers for her, she was completely caught off guard. How was she supposed to react?

She remembered how deep and blue his eyes were, like the ocean, full of pride and goodwill. He really did mean them as a gift, no ulterior motives attached. He was honestly trying to be nice to her, wasn't he? She thought back to how Haru said Ranma carried her to her room and took the trouble to remove her kimono and make sure she was comfortable. While it still wasn't right for him to undress her without her consent, especially since they were still essentially strangers at this point, she did believe that he only meant well.

Akane suddenly felt quite guilty about her behavior. She decided she to apologize over breakfast and try to start fresh. She hadn't meant to be so confusing. Really, she just didn't know what her own body was trying to say about all of this.

A loud clanging interrupted her from her thoughts. Haru was hopping with panic in front of the pot which was boiling over from being left untended.

"Ack!" Akane rushed to remove it from the flame, "Oh no, I hope it's not ruined!"

To be honest she wasn't quite sure exactly what she made. She had been vaguely shooting for miso soup, but the concoction in front of her looked very much like... not miso soup. Well, maybe it was much better than it looked?

"Yo, Akane!" Ranma called from the other room, "Is breakfast ready yet? I'm starving!"

"Just about!" she called back. She ladled the soup into bowls while Haru scooped rice from another pot. Akane was growing quite fond of the little guy. He made for an excellent and adorable helper.

As she was about to carry the food out, Haru tugged on her sleeve.

"Bless the food? How do I do that?"

Haru started imitating what he had seen Nodoka do before and Akane did her best to replicate his instructions. The food glowed briefly and seemed just a bit brighter before. Apparently for the food to restore a spirit's strength, it needed to be offered a certain way else it would have no effect. This was similar to how Ranma required water to be ritually purified in order to turn him back into his normal form. It also made sense why food meant for spirits had to be placed in special shrines and given a certain set of prayers. Caring for a forest spirit was a bit more complicated than she thought.

She and Haru made their way to the dining area where Ranma sat in anticipation.

"What'd you make?"

"There's miso soup, rice, and some tsukemono I found that your mom had prepared. I don't really have a lot of cooking experience, but I hope it's alright."

"Looks pretty chunky for miso soup," Ranma felt the hair on his neck start to rise warily. He had never seen anything like it. Was it a regional style specific to her village or something?

He raised the bowl and glanced over at Haru, silently asking if it really was OK to eat. The wood sprite just shrugged.

"Itadakimasu," he muttered. Well, here goes nothing...

"I thought maybe adding some extra vegetables would fortify the taste," Akane tried to recollect exactly what she had done, "And Kasumi said that miso paste contains all the flavor, so I added quite a bit to make sure it had plenty of flavor, and-"

"PBFFT!"

Ranma spat the contents of what he just ingested all over the low table and fell over with a thud.

"Ranma!" Akane dropped down in panic beside him, "What's wrong?"

The spirit was unresponsive. His skin had turned a pale, green pallor, and his body felt so stiff and rigid. His expression was that of shock. What was happening? A seizure?

"Hello?" she waved a hand in front of his face, "Anyone in there?"

Haru hurried over and dumped a cup of water over his face to try and rouse the spirit. Female Ranma sat up sputtering and disoriented.

"Where am I?"

"Are you alright? You spilled your breakfast. Do you want another bowl?"

Another bowl? The red-haired girl looked at the concoction before her and remembered what had happened.

"T-This... this soup..." her voice wavered as she picked up the bowl once more, "How... How can this be?"

How what? Ranma's tone sounded incredulous. Was she surprised because it was so good? Akane started to feel a sense of hope and joy. Had she done it? Had she really managed to cook something normal after all?! Or maybe not just normal, but amazing? Oh, Kasumi would be so proud!

"How can this be so... so BAD!"

And just like that Akane's dreams shattered like a porcelain vase off a cliff.

Ranma ran into the garden and began retching.

"Uuugh," she groaned and clutched her stomach. This pain was unlike anything she had ever felt before, "I-I think it was actually draining my life force..."

Akane was indignant. What was with that reaction? It couldn't have been that bad! ... Was it? She lifted her own bowl to her lips and took a sip.

Ok maybe yes it was.

Akane joined Ranma in her retching. Haru glanced worriedly at the pair and hopped over with the rice and tsukemono. Maybe this will help, it urged.

"D-Did... Did Akane make this?" Ranma whispered weakly.

Haru shook his head no.

Ranma grabbed the bowl and ate with reckless abandon. Ahh, much better.

"What's the big idea, Akane?" the redhead glared, "Why'd you wanna poison me?"

"Poison you?" Akane struggled to pull herself together, "I was just trying my best!"

"Something that terrible had to be poisoned on purpose!"

"I swear! Why would I want to poison you anyway?! If I did that then I'd be breaking my vow!"

"So..." Ranma trailed off in horror, "You really are that bad in the kitchen? I've never seen anything so unladylike..."

Akane could scarce stifle her rage. Her femininity had always been a sore spot for her. She knew she had faults enough with her temper and her inability to cook, but she was still trying her best! She had grown her hair out and tried to avoid fights less and less. It was a lot of effort but it would be worth it if he could finally see her as a woma-

She froze.

Oh... that's right... it didn't even matter now. Even if someday through some miracle he did, she would be unable to reciprocate. She had already made a soul-binding vow to the pig-tailed spirit before her, which meant she could make no other such vows if not to her.

Ranma noticed that Akane's aura had become dampened and murky. Was she upset? Had she gone too far?

Maybe you should apologize, Haru suggested.

"Apologize?" Ranma scoffed, "For what? I was being honest, and if she can't handle that then we're gonna have bigger problems."

But at least she tried, the sprite retorted, maybe she's new to it and needs time to learn.

"I'm going to go back to the village now," Akane's tone was dejected as she left the garden. She still had the Kuno problem to take care of before the day was over, and right now beating him up sounded like a great way to distract her from her current train of thought.

"Hey," Ranma hurried after her, "Why're you going to the village?" Was it because she wanted to return home because she had made her so unhappy? The image of a vengeful, demon Soun flashed through her mind, making her shudder. Maybe Haru was right and she should say something.

"Wait, stop! Look, I didn't mean... Um, you're not leaving already because you're upset, right?"

Akane quirked a brow in confusion at her. Why the sudden change in demeanor? Granted, she was a bit upset at the insults, but she wasn't that sensitive to the point where she would abandon her duties after a little bickering.

"No, I have to go speak to that guy Kuno, remember?"

Oh, that was right. In a way Ranma felt a bit of relief. But she wanted to follow along anyway, just for peace of mind.

"Wait up, I'm coming too!"

"I told you that you don't need to, I can handle Kuno fine on my own."

"Well, I'm not coming because of that," Ranma tried to find an acceptable excuse, "I'm just gonna go look for food offerings to get that taste out of my mouth."

"Fine, but don't draw too much attention, OK?"

"Can you change me back first?"

Akane rolled her eyes.

"Akane Tendo is here!"

"Where?"

"Look over on the main road, she's coming!"

"Who is that man with her?"

The marketplace was bustling with many families and individuals doing their mid-morning shopping. At the arrival of the aforementioned duo, many stopped to get a closer look at the strange man accompanying Akane. Quite a large crowd of men emerged from the woodwork and stood blocking the path. Akane narrowed her eyes and assumed a defensive stance.

"Geez," Ranma whistled, "Are all these guys here to greet you? Does this always happen when you go into town?"

"Yes," Akane said with chagrin. To her surprise, however, the boys of the village did not move. They whispered amongst each other in hushed tones before one boy who she recognized as Daichi stepped forward.

"Akane," he said with tears in his eyes, "On behalf of the single men in this village, we humbly accept our defeat and wish you happiness in the years to come."

Defeat?

"Your family sent word this morning that you have taken your vows as a priestess and will be leaving the village. Our only regret was that we were not able to win your heart before then."

All these guys had been trying to court her? Huh. She seemed to be pretty popular, to Ranma's surprise. Did these guys know about her temper? Or her inability to cook? What could possibly have drawn them to her? He tried to think of at least one redeeming feature that would be even remotely attractive.

Her smiling face crossed his mind. Well, maybe when she smiled she did look very cu... Wait, nope, he was not about to admit that the tomboy beside him was cute. Absolutely not.

"Who are you, sir?" an elderly gentleman approached Ranma with curiosity, "I feel as if I have seen your face before, and that pig-tail... Do you happen to know a panda by any chance?"

Ranma gulped when he remembered the marketplace fiasco yesterday, when he had tried to run from his pop.

"Uhh, nope, you must have the wrong person!"

"Oh my mistake," the man nodded, "In any case, what is your name young man? Are you accompanying Miss Tendo?"

"Ranma Saotome, at your service! I'm the guardian of-"

"He meant to say my co-priest!" Akane hurriedly clamped a hand over his mouth, "He is from the shrine I am now a part of!"

"Is that so? Pardon me but where is this new shrine that you are moving to? I don't believe your father told us where it is, and it would be nice if we could come visit you whenever we are in the area."

He gestured over to where his wife and adult child were manning their fruit stall. They waved back happily.

"How have you been, Akane? It's been a while!"

"You should stop by and have tea with us before you leave, dear!"

Several other villagers began to crowd around Akane, offering her gifts and wishing her well in her new shrine. She felt her heart grow heavy. With all the commotion of recent events she realized she hadn't had time to truly sit down and think about how different her days would be on this point on. All these people she had grown up with and who had become such an integral part of her daily life, would she still be able to check up on them once she settled into her duties? Would they start to forget about her if she was gone too long?

Ranma sensed Akane's aura become more somber. He wondered what was troubling her. Wasn't she happy to be seeing all these people?

"Akane! Ranma!"

They looked over to see a familiar face approaching. Oh good, a distraction.

"Nabiki!" Akane ran to greet her older sister, "How are father and Kasumi?"

"Father is still inconsolable at your absence and Kasumi is getting along," Nabiki shrugged. She looked over her shoulder to see Ranma standing awkwardly to the side, wondering why everyone was staring and whispering in hushed tones. "Good to see you again, forest guardian!"

"Shh!" the youngest Tendo hissed, "You can't go around announcing that the deity they worship is standing here right before them! It'll cause chaos in the village!"

"Hmm, that's an interesting point," Nabiki pondered, "Ranma, why is it that everyone is able to see you? Most of the spirits that visited our shrines had no shape or were just orbs of light."

"Oh," Ranma puffed his chest proudly, "That's because the more powerful a spirit is, the more able it is able to retain its shape when crossing into the mortal world. I happen to be a pretty powerful spirit if I do say so myself!"

"Cocky one, isn't he?"

"Yep..."

"Anyway," Nabiki turned back to Akane, "Are you off to Kuno's? I'll walk with you. I have some business with him anyway."

"What kind of business?"

"You'll see," Nabiki winked.

Somehow Akane had a very bad feeling about that.

They approached a large estate at the very south of the village directly opposite of the Tendo shrine. It seemed to be extremely luxurious and contrasted heavily with the more simplistic style of the rest of the village. Ranma noted it had a very tropical feel about it due to the many foreign plants decorating its grounds. The owner of this estate must have traveled a lot to garner such a large collection of exotic flora.

"Your boy Kuno seems to be a pretty important guy," Ranma observed.

"One, he is not my boy," Akane shivered with disgust, "Two, he's the son of the village head. But he just thinks of himself as more important than he really is. You'll see."

"Miss Akane Tendo!" a small ninja at the front bowed in greeting, "Miss Nabiki Tendo, and...?"

"Hello Sasuke," Akane replied, "This is our friend Ranma Saotome. I've come to answer Kuno's summon."

"Yes, right this way."

The group was led through the gates and around the property to a lone building off to one side. This was Kuno's personal dojo where he often trained in the art of swordsmanship, among other things...

"Ah, Akane Tendo," a man in hakama and gi sat cross-legged before a large scroll bearing a full-sized portrait of a certain familiar priestess, "You are more radiant today than the sun itself. How much you have bloomed since you have come of age. I, Tatewaki Kuno, must now ask for your delicate hand in marriage..."

"He still worships that picture of me?" Akane felt as if she were going to hurl for the second time that day.

"Every day, miss."

Ranma stared flabbergasted at what he was seeing. A man who looked about Nabiki's age sat in the front of the dojo where a shrine had been set up. But this was no ordinary shrine. In fact, it was nothing like anything he had ever seen before, because instead of being dedicated to a particular deity or spirit this shrine was a collection of items related entirely to Akane Tendo.

There were several scrolls bearing paintings of her hanging upon the wall, along with what looked like miscellaneous trinkets and things that might have been at one time somehow related to Akane. There was a broken bamboo training sword beneath a sketch of an angry looking Akane beating the man with said sword. Then there was a lock of her hair, a piece of kimono, a broken sandal string... Did this guy hire artists to follow Akane and paint their interactions or something? How... How... Ranma struggled to find a word to convey the depths of his disgust.

"Oi, Kuno baby!" Nabiki yelled, "I've brought you a real treat today!"

"What could you possibly have that would interest me, Nabiki Tendo?" Kuno rose from his position with exaggerated grace. It was then that Ranma finally got a good look at him. He looked to be about as tall as him, though the older man sported a brunette pompadour that added a couple inches. His face was... well, a face. Ranma didn't care too much to be judging another guy's looks. But he did note that he had a muscular, athletic physique, probably from practicing with that katana at his side.

Nabiki thrust a small clay pot at Kuno's chest.

"A pot of dirt?" he blinked blankly.

"Not just any old dirt!" Nabiki's voice lowered enticingly, "This is special dirt. It happened to come from the very ground Akane was standing on yesterday when she turned 18!"

"Is she serious?" Ranma deadpanned, "No way anyone would ever just buy some dirt like-"

"How much?"

Ranma nearly fell over.

"The very soil that Akane's feet touched upon her ascension to womanhood," Kuno cried as he held the dirt to his chest, "I will treasure this forever!"

Nabiki returned with a triumphant smirk as she jingled a pouch now full of coin.

"Quit feeding his weirdness," Akane wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Helps pay our living expenses," Nabiki shrugged and tucked her earnings away.

Ranma couldn't believe what he was seeing. Her own sister was encouraging this creep? "Is she really your family?"

Akane sighed dejectedly before straightening her shoulders again and marching into the dojo.

"Kuno!" she announced in a stern tone, "I'm here to answer your summons!"

"Beautiful Akane!" he exclaimed. The goddess was finally before him! "How I have missed you since our last meeting! You are more radiant today than the sun itself-"

"Back off, creep!" Akane punched him square in the jaw before he could complete his intended embrace. He always used those same stupid lines. She hoped against hope that today would finally be the day he would leave her alone for good. It would have to be, right? There wasn't any way he could follow her back into Nerima forest, that guy was more spiritually dense than... than... well honestly there wasn't anything as low as to compare to him.

"Was this guy your fiance or what?" Ranma appeared beside her, surveying the damage. The girl could pack a punch.

Akane visibly gagged.

"NOT my fiance! Not now and certainly not in any other lifetime to come!"

"You there!" Kuno straightened himself, unaware of the profuse nosebleed that had resulted from Akane's punch. He drew his weapon and pointed the blade at the offender, "You are awfully familiar with Lady Akane! Identify yourself!"

"Me? I'm Ranma Saotome," he answered, wondering why Kuno even cared, "Akane is serving as a priestess under me now."

It was like a bolt of lightning had suddenly struck the trainee samurai.

What?

What?

Akane? Serving? His delicate, precious Akane? Serving another man?"

Images flooded through his mind of a scantily clad Akane, weeping and shackled by every limb. A tyrannical Ranma stood before her, tugging the chains harshly causing her to cry out in pain.

"Help me, Master Kuno! You're my only hope!"

"Quit crying, slave! Soon I will take your body for myself and nobody can save you then! MWAHAHA!"

"Noooo!"

"Is this guy serious?!" Ranma swatted the offending thought bubbles away, "It's not anything like-WOAH!"

"You CRETIN!" Kuno roared and swung his katana with reckless abandon, "Release her at once so she may become my bride!"

"Kuno baby," Nabiki yawned disinterestedly, "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"Hey slow down!" Ranma yelped, "You've got the wrong idea! Believe me I couldn't do that even if I wanted-"

"LIAR! I will slay you and free her!"

"Didn't this guy hear anything I just said?"

"I told you to let me handle it!" Akane yelled back. What a headache this had turned into.

"Well you are welcome to step in and handle it at any time!" Ranma continued to dodge swipe after swipe, which truthfully wasnt difficult to do given that this Kuno guy wasn't as skilled as he let on. They carried their fight out of the dojo and into the courtyard.

"Kuno! Leave him out of this!" Akane ran to stand before him and Ranma, "I'm here to tell you that I can never marry you or anyone else for that matter!"

Kuno froze momentarily before his expression darkened once more.

"My dear Akane, he has poisoned your mind!"

Seriously?!

"I'm telling the truth! I made my vows yesterday to become priestess to Nerima forest!" she held up her hand to demonstrate the red ring encircling her pinky, "Because of that, I can make no soul-binding vows to anyone or anything else!"

A ring?! Kuno dropped his katana and inspected the silk cord, which was tied in a traditional sacred knot. Oh no, didn't a ring mean a p... p-proposal?! But wait, didn't she say he was a...

He turned to Ranma, "You are a forest?"

There really was no getting through to him.

"Is this young man the guardian spirit of Nerima?" Sasuke's expression changed in realization. He had been watching the scene quietly until now.

Before his family had come to Furinkan village, he had lived in a quiet town at the base of Mount Fuji. His ancestors frequently told tales of how sacred sites all throughout Japan were guarded by powerful spirits who could sometimes appear among the villagers. He remembered how a specific tribe young men and women from his village would train their entire lives and offer themselves to the spirit of Mount Fuji, hoping one day to become its priest or priestess. The ultimately declaration of faith.

So if this Ranma was truly the guardian of Nerima, then attacking him was an inexplicably grave sin!

"Lord Kuno, please stop! This man is-!"

"Ay!" a tanned man barked from a higher balcony, "Quiet down there!"

"Stay out of this, father! This is a fight between evil and justice!"

A bucket of water was hurled onto their heads.

"Take that ya noisy kids!" Chief Tatewaki sneered.

"Gyah!" Ranma found himself once more in female form. Great, the second time today!

"Curse you father," Kuno grumbled as he struggled to wipe the water from his eyes. He could make out a shadow moving in the distance. That scoundrel Ranma! Was he meaning to attack while his opponent was still blinded? Well, Tatewaki Kuno would not so easily be caught off guard!

Kuno charged but immediately slipped on the floor now slick from all the water. As he fell, he flailed wildly about and managed to catch onto something soft and round.

He looked up and found his hand on the breast of a very infuriated, strange, red-haired woman.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME!"

Ah, so she had a fighting spirit. That was very attractive indeed. In fact, the more he gazed at her, the more he noticed that his strange woman had many attractive features about her...

Kuno knelt before her on one knee and took her hands in his.

"Who are you, beautiful pig-tailed goddess?"

Oh no. Did he just...? Ranma suddenly felt the urge to purge herself in a vat of boiling water. Akane stared in disbelief and disgust. Well, on the bright side, maybe this meant Kuno would finally relinquish his attentions towards her and focus on someone else. Poor Ranma, she thought. Please suffer through this for her sake.

"None of your business!" Ranma launched him away with a kick strong enough to send him through a wall.

"I see you are as modest as dear Akane," Kuno returned unfazed, though disheveled and bruised. Honestly how was this guy still standing? "Pig-tailed girl, you are more radiant than the sun itself. I, Tatewaki Kuno, must now ask for your delicate hand in marriage."

"GET LOST!" Ranma plunged Kuno's head deep into the ground like an ostritch. His voice was muffled as he struggled to pull himself from the earth.

The thought of being any longer in this creep's presence filled her with revulsion.

"That's enough! We're done here!" Ranma growled and gave Kuno another stomp for good measure. Akane saw Ranma storming towards her, aura ablaze. The spirit grabbed her priestess by the wrist with such force it almost made her stumble.

"Let's get out of here, Akane!" Ranma's tone left little room for her to say otherwise, not that she minded. She wanted to be out of this place just as quickly if not more than Ranma.

Before they left, however, Ranma turned once more toward the dojo and made her way towards the front where Kuno's shrine to Akane stood.

"Anything goes worship special technique: cavernous appetite!"

She slammed her foot on the floor, causing a pillar to erupt through the floorboards and hurl the shrine into the air. The pillar then split apart to reveal a deep, gaping tunnel that swallowed the artifacts of the shrine as they fell back down. Satisfied, the pillar closed itself once more and returned to the earth, leaving behind remnants of the dojo's floorboards and walls in its wake.

Sasuke shuddered in fear at the sight before him. This was the true power of a guardian spirit...

"Tatewaki Kuno!" Ranma yelled a warning to all who could hear, "You stay away from Ranma Saotome and Akane Tendo, ya hear?! If you dare come anywhere near us again I swear I'll do much worse to you than this!"

She then turned expectantly to Akane, "Ok, now get us out of here."

Ranma waited expectantly for the golden leaves to transport them away but nothing happened. She looked over and saw confused, brown eyes staring back at her. Oh right, Akane probably hadn't learned recall spells yet. That was mildly embarrassing.

"Nevermind, we'll just exit through the front..."

As they left the estate, Nabiki went to kneel beside Kuno who had finally managed to wrench his head free from the earth.

"Poor Kuno baby," she chided as she watched him gasp for breath, "I told you not to try and fight him."

Kuno looked around wildly wondering where his opponent had gone. Nabiki figured he probably hadn't heard a single word of what just went on since his head was buried so deep in the ground.

"That Saotome bastard disappeared in the middle of our fight!" Kuno stood with clenched fists, "And then dared to hide behind that innocent pig-tailed goddess! He is a coward!"

Nabiki sighed and decided to take her leave then. It was too much effort trying to explain these things to Kuno.

"Wait, Nabiki Tendo, before you depart," his voice lowered, "Tell me, who was that pig-tailed goddess?"

"That girl?" she blinked, "She's Ranma's other half."

"Other... half?"

She could see the gears struggling to turn in Kuno's head. Really there was no use reasoning with him. Well, better to get out of here now before he gets any other crazy ideas and bombards her with more questions.

Long after Nabiki had departed Kuno continued to stand rooted in one spot, trying to make sense of her words.

Other half... wasn't that a term reserved for one's significant other? So did this mean that the pig-tailed goddess was in a relationship with that despicable, coward Ranma? But hold on a minute, didn't he also force Akane into marriage with him? How could he have a relationship with both the goddess and Akane unless... No, that cretin! HOW DARE HE! He was two-timing both the pig-tailed goddess and Akane Tendo! Kuno would not stand for this injustice!

"I WILL FREE HER! Beautiful Akane Tendo, wait for me!" he roared, "I will save you from the demon's clutches! And the pig-tailed goddess! I will bring the bastard Ranma to his knees and protect your feminine modesty!"

Sasuke thought briefly about trying to talk the young master out of his decision. Didn't he see how the dojo had been destroyed? And how badly he had been beaten? There was no way any sensible person would dare incur the wrath of a forest spirit, and there was no way Sasuke wanted to be complicit in any of this.

... On second thought, it was probably a good time to start looking for a new job.