Feudal Romance

Feudal Romance
Started by: Kodachi Kunou


Tokyo, Japan Edo Period

Kodachi of the noble house of Kunou had once again snuck out of her clan home. She had a really bad habit of sneaking out, with her brother so focused on the Samurai arts and her father too busy training him. Kodachi had plenty of time for herself.

It was also true that a young noble woman of her age was expected to marry well by now. Kodachi had rejected the first two husbands that her father had picked out for her. Boorish slobs the both of them. Kodachi had ended any hopes that they had for matrimony with her with some carefully placed poisons in their food.

The secret training she received as a Shadow warrior came in handy that time.

None of that mattered to her at the moment as she set out for town. She had seen the man she would want to marry, and now all she had to do was find him again.

All she knew was his name 'Ranma Saotome', that he represented a Martial Arts school, and that he was supposedly being pursued by a group of angry Chinese Amazons.

She wasn't too sure about that part of the rumor but she couldn't disprove it either. As she was searching for young Saotome she was walking right past the 'Anything Goes School of Martial Arts.'

*****

Go to Japan they said. Defeat the 8 headed Orochi they said. Rediscover Toma's Island and its mystical spring they said. Learn the secrets of the Ninja clans they said. Gain fame and fortune they said. Poem felt like breaking something, so she did. What's one pair of bamboo chopsticks, more or less?

I'm a skilled monster hunter of the Shiryuu clan. Yet the Council assigns me as baby-watcher to a bunch of rampaging Amazons after some obscure Japanese Samurai named Saotome? the black-haired Chinese woman finished the last of her rice in fuming silence, Bad enough I have to speak their barbaric language, obey their barbaric customs, deal with their barbaric people, but these clothes are simply ridiculous.

The huntress growled silently to herself as she walked hesitantly through the courtyard of the Inn where she was staying, careful not to step on the edges of her oversized but oh so stylish Kimono with her precarious wooden Geta. Soon she told herself again and again, Soon I will gather the stray Amazons and send them packing back to their Mountain retreat. Soon I can go back to doing what I do best. Hunting demons, not people.

Unnoticed by poem a young pink- hared amazon was staring through a hole in the paper wall at the fuming monster hunter. She knew that Poem's presence here was no coincidence and could mean no good.

Perfume was the amazon tribal enforcer, she had a duty to perform. That scoundrel Saotome would have to pay for his violations of Amazon law. Most importantly he would pay for defeating Perfume's best friend, Shampoo.

She decided to leave Poem to her angry mutterings and resumed her search for Saotome.

In the same town that Kodachi was heading towards, a young merchant by the name of Hakeem was setting up shop, having just come from Africa a few days ago. "Strange place, this Japan. A bit cold for my taste. But still, I should do well with my wares." He set up his stand, where he had several spices, weapons and other goods from around the world to sell.

In the same town (now what are the odds of that?) a girl was walking down the street. Her long hair was kept away from her face with a simple ribbon tying it into a ponytail. If it wasn't because she had been introduced as a girl, you wouldn't have guessed it. For some reason unknown to everyone except herself, she wore a male cooks outfit, and a bo staff strapped on her back, as well as a bamboo backpack. Looking around, she grabbed the first towns person she could find.

"You! Is there a Saotome family in this town?" she asked, still holding the man by his collar.

"Uhh, yes, right down the street, then to the left, then to the right, then straight ahead. Could you let me go now, mister?"

The girl dressed as a man released the poor fellow, who scurried away towards the nearest teahouse.

"Finally. After ten years of hardships, I have finally found them," the girl said, curling her right hand into a fist. "Ten long years. Saotome, you'll regret the day you heard the name Kuonji."

Yoko Kuonji continued her walk down the street towards her glorious victory.

Poem strolled down the street, dressed now in the more practical though less stylish garb of a traveler. She saw the oddly dressed young man grab a passerby and interrogate him before storming off, and had politely questioned the slightly disheveled victim about what he had been asked. Clearly shaken by being set upon again so soon, he answered without hesitation, giving the young Chinese woman same directions. "Thank you." Poem said, setting out to follow the cook to the Dojo in question.

It would appear that this 'Saotome' has upset more people than just the Amazons. His tale must be interesting.

On top of a rooftop, observing the events that occurred between Poem and the Strange boy, was one of the rogue Amazons, Rinse. "Hmm.. Poem here?! Must report to Perfume..." With that the young Chinese boy hopped to where he was to meet Perfume.

Yoko Kuonji marched down the street, then to the left, then right, then straight ahead. Seeing a big house with a sign outside, she leaned closer to read the scrawled letters.

"Te-n-do do-jo," she spelled out. Not that she was a bad reader, but the sign was really shoddy. "Tendo. Not Saotome. Well, I guess there can be more than one training hall on one street."

Muttering to herself about what horrible fate the Saotomes would meet when she caught up with them as she started down the street again.

Perfume was gripping her Naginata quietly while awaiting some of her fellow Amazon warriors. She was waiting at the pre-designated meeting spot. She was currently standing on a corner in the marketplace. Coincidentally right next to Hakeem's setup.

"Where is everyone at?" She grumbled to herself. "You send a few amazons out on a scouting mission and it takes them twice as long as usual."

Rinse hopped down from one of the top of a merchant's tent, trying to catch his breath. "Per.. Per-fume.. *wheeze* Poem ... in Tokyo *wheeze*" He took a minute to maintain his composure then reported his findings. "Perfume, Poem and strange boy both seen looking for Saotome!" he said as he saluted. "Should we follow? They heading for part of town north of here, maybe near Saotome's current location."

Hakeem looked at Perfume. --Ah, a customer! Chinese by the look of it.-- Switching to Chinese, he said, "Greetings, warrior. I see you seem to be on a mission of some sort. Perhaps you'd like to buy a weapon?"

He pulled out a beautiful Naginata, with a lightly decorated blade. Perfume could tell that it was a work of the finest craftsmanship, and had an extremely keen edge. It seemed to have been made with her in mind. "Made with the finest steel you'll find anywhere in the world, and will slice through anything you need to." He demonstrated on a small bar of iron. With one deft motion, the bar was cut cleanly through, and it made no sound as it struck.

Perfume was awe-struck, she had never seen a weapon of such fine quality. She set her Naginata to the side, temporarily forgetting about Saotome. She took Hakeem's weapon and tested the balance.

The Naginata was perfect, a weapon worthy of passing down to future generations. Most of all it would have no problems slicing Saotome in half.

She looked back at the dark-skinned man. "This is a fine weapon you have crafted. I would like to acquire it. What price are you asking, my friend."

Meanwhile, Kodachi was just walking around the wall of the Tendou Dojo, searching for the man that she knew she loved. As she walked around the corner she didn't notice Yoko Kuonji in her path.

So intent on searching for Ranma she plowed right into the strange young man knocking both of them to the ground.

"Gomen.." She started to apologize for running into him.

"Ouch," Yoko said, getting up and brushing the dust off herself. "You should watch out, you know. Ahh, it's all right, I guess."

Yoko looked at the girl that had bumped into her. "Say, you wouldn't know where the Saotome training hall is, would you?"

Poem watched the young noblewoman and the cook from behind a screen of servants following an enclosed palaquin. some noble and his entourage, she assumed, but it gave her a nice excuse for stopping to wait to see what the young man would do now.

Noticing the group of servants, Kodachi jumped behind Yoko, until she was sure that the group of servants were not from her house. Once she was satisfied she stepped back in front of the strange young man.

"I don't believe I've ever heard of it, sir." Kodachi responded properly, then the name sunk into her brain. "Saotome? Your looking for Ranma Saotome, honored sir? I am also seeking him, perhaps we could pool our resources." she paused for a second in thought. "I believe he might be at the Tendo School of Anything goes martial arts.

In the meantime, another Amazon was looking over her charges. "Great, why did I get stuck baby-sitting? I could be learning something or working on some new spells.", the Amazon known as Ko Em, or Comb muttered to herself. "Still, this Saotome boy must be made to see things or way." She continued with her own investigation, sending her familiar, a hawk, to look for Ranma.

A middle aged samurai was standing not too far from Comb. He was dressed in a ragged kimono and a large round hat, carrying his sheathed Katana over his shoulder.

Jubei was watching and listening to her carefully. "Hmm.. She is after Ranma." he thought to himself. "I must find the boy so I can complete his training."

Hakeem smiled. "Eleven gold pieces, beautiful warrior. A fair price for the weapon." --Especially since I had to go through so much trouble to get it made for you,-- he thought to himself. As Perfume paid for the weapon, he looked across the road, and saw the rest of the group of Amazons. "You seem to have some friends with you. Perhaps you should ask if they might like to see my wares as well? I have a large inventory to work with today."

Yoko Kuonji looked at the strange girl who had suddenly hid behind her. Now she was in plain sight, though. "Saotome is at the Tendo Training hall? I just passed it!"

Perfume finally came back to herself. " Time is of the essence at the moment. Perhaps, when we find the person we are looking for. It should not take long."

She smiled at Rinse. "Lead on Warrior, we either take Saotome back in chains or in pieces!"

Meanwhile, Kodachi stared at the young man in front of her. "The Tendo Dojo is right over here? By all means, Honorable Sir, Let us depart and try to locate him."

Jubei leapt to the top of the Tendo Dojo. Looking around he could see all the various warriors converging on the Dojo. "Kami-sama what did the boy do to get this many people angry at him!. I've gotta warn the boy!"

Jubei jumped down into the yard of the compound.

Just as Jubei touches down onto the ground below, he suddenly finds his feet knocked out from under him, and he hits the ground hard. Before he can get back up, he suddenly finds himself looking up the wrong end of a shiny Katana (sword), wielded by a young woman, wearing a white shirt and blue slacks, as she stared down at him.

"Sir, I believe that it is considered rude to come charging over someone else's wall unannounced the way you just did, especially when it's from the back wall of the house. State your business here." she said menacingly not wavering in her stance.

Jubei didn't recognize the girl immediately, it had been a great many years since he had been Back. "Oh No need for the weapon my dear, I'm Jubei, I trained Ranma Saotome's father and have taken the boy under my wing. I fear he may have made some enemies recently, and they are ALL looking for him right now."

Yoko Kuonji flinched inwardly when called "sir".

"Right, let's go find that..." she looked around for a good animal to call Saotome. "...jackass?"

Hakeem sat and pondered for a moment. --Saotome, Saotome..where have I heard that name?-- Then he had a brief vision of a young man, fighting against Saffron and saving Jusendo. "Hmm," Hakeem said to himself in his native Egyptian, "if this boy meets his end now, the cursed springs will be destroyed. That would not do well for my family, considering the rites of adulthood. I think I'd best rescue the poor fool." He packed up his wares and whistled. A large panther came out of the cart and looked at Hakeem. "Guard the shop, Baghera. I'll be back soon." As the panther nodded, Hakeem began to concentrate, and became a large eagle. He flew off, following Perfume and Rinse.

The amazon strike team of Perfume and Rinse were currently hiding around the corner from the Tendo Dojo. Perfume looked around the corner and could see Kodachi, Yoko and not too far behind them, Poem.

"Rinse" She whispered harshly "This is probably the place where we will find that criminal Saotome. Check around to see if there are any other ways in, aside from the entrance that group is in front of."

Rinse saluted then sneaked to the opposite side of the house. He carefully watched the group of people as he leaped ontop the roof. He spotted an open window where several woman's undergarments were hanging. He signaled to Perfume and waited for his orders.

"Jubei-san? I think I remember hearing Ranma mention you before." she said before resheathing her katakana. "I'm Kismet Saotome, Ranma's cousin." she said as she bowed respectfully to him, before her expression turned serious. "Ranma's inside the house. And just who is after him?"

A large eagle landed on the ground not far from Kismet. "It's a matter of who's NOT, young lady. And just so you know, this place is being surrounded by Amazons as we speak. You may want to clear out of here as soon as possible. Otherwise, you may be overrun."

Outside the gate, Kodachi raised one eyebrow at Yoko when she called Saotome a Jackass. "very well, Sir, here goes nothing." She knocked on the gate to the Tendo compound. "Anyone home?"

Jubei jumped up when he heard Kodachi knock on the gate. "They're here already, you Gotta find the boy!"

Perfume climbed up and into the open window.She and Rinse were shoulder to shoulder in the small room. Perfume was a warrior, sneaking about wasn't her forte. "Let's get looking for him, Rinse, the sooner we get done with this the sooner we can go home."

Rinse surveyed the room carefully making sure that no one was there. As he passed the door that was ajar, he overheard a voice. Rinse peeked through the opening and saw a young man with black hair tied into a short braided ponytail. "...Rinse see Ranma Saotome, Perfume sir." He whispered as he motioned to Perfume.

A hawk flew over the Tendo compound, and saw Ranma. It shrieked once and began to circle the place, alerting Comb to Saotome's whereabouts. "Now, silly male, you learn the price for defying the Amazons." she said as she headed for her pet's location.

Perfume smiled evilly with anticipation of combat. "Finally, We've found him my friend. Let's avenge Shampoo's Honor!"

Brandishing her Naginata she rushed through the door past Rinse. "PREPARE TO DIE SAOTOME!" Was her battle cry as she rushed through the door.

Ranma, normally a level headed young man, was nevertheless victim to panic when people cried out things like "Prepare to die Saotome" in his direction. So, as the battle cry sounded and the door next to him burst open to reveal a charging pink-haired girl wielding a Naginata, his first thought was to jump out the window. Then he saw the size of the window and the metal frame, settling instead on going with his instincts; he roughly shoved the girl next to him away and jumped over the intended strike. "What the hell!?" Ignoring cries of outrage from the girl on the floor, he concentrated on his attacker.

Suddenly several chains wrapped around Ranma's neck, feet, hands and waist. He looked back and saw it was the other Amazon after him, Rinse. "Ranma! You bring great shame to Shampoo.. now you pay!" Rinse pulled Ranma and slammed him against the wall. Rinse then rushed over to Perfume and checked to see if she was ok. The sound of a hawk could be heard outside. "Hmm.. Comb is here Perfume." he looked back at Ranma who was recovering from the attack. "This ends now Ranma..." He said as he unsheathed several blades from his sleeves.

"I don't know who you are," Ranma took a closer look at his assailants to confirm that he really didn't know them "but you made a mistake going up against me." His ego rose up to the challenge as he cast off the chains hanging onto his clothes. Now wary of Rinse, he darted past the amazons towards the door, making sure to take a swipe at Rinse's head while avoiding the blades in his hands. 'Gotta get some more space'.

Perfume was a bit surprised at the ferocity of Ranma's attack. The tribal enforcer wasn't usually taken of guard that easily. She nodded to Rinse to indicate that she was alright.

Noticing the coward trying to get away once again, she swung her Naginata out low. Smashing into Ranma's ankles and causing him to land on his face in the hallway.

"let's go Rinse-Chan! We've got to finish this before Comb comes in and gets all the glory!"

As Ranma flipped onto his feet in the hallway, he heard the words exchanged between his assailants. Somewhere in the recesses of his mind, he realized someone was trying to kill him. Well, there was always someone out to kill him, but not really KILL him. He legged it into the Dojo and spun around, waiting for his pursuers to catch up. Now he had the necessary space to hopefully take them out.

Whoever they were. Ranma vaguely remembered the guy shouting something about shampoo, but he had been dazed from hitting the wall.

Then someone burst through the door, stopping to look around. Yoko Kuonji eyed the premises for Saotome. And she saw him. Engaged in combat with some... Chinese people? Oh well, she thought, he must have skipped a few bills somewhere else as well.

"Ranma Saotome!" she yelled out, readying her staff. "Vengeance is mine at last! Prepare to die!" A bit cliché, perhaps, but spending years searching for this lout did evil things to your vocabulary.

Jubei saw Ranma run by pursued by the two amazons, then heard Yoko scream for revenge.

"Oh No!! I gotta help the boy!" he jumped between Ranma and The Amazons. he knew just how to deal with the pink hared one.

"Lighting Voyeur Slash!!"

Using a series of lighting quick Katana slashes, Jubei Shredded Perfume's shirt exposing her 'Assets' to all.

"ARRRRRGHHHHH!!" Perfume screamed in surprise and embarrassment as she dropped her Naginata and covered her breasts. She glanced over at Rinse, making sure he didn't see much. She then let fly with a series of Chinese swear words that would make a sailor blush with Shame.

"I can't believe you just did that Old Man!" She growled "You are so dead!"

Quickly tying the loose pieces of her shirt to cover her embarrassment she picked her Naginata back up. Ranma forgotten about again as she squared off against Jubei.

Comb leapt to the top of the wall, just in time to see Ranma running out of the house into the yard. "Oh no you don't Saotome! WORD OF BINDING!!!" A bolt of magical energy raced from Comb's hand, towards Ranma.

Ranma glanced up in time to see the bright light, and instincts took over as he rolled out of the way, narrowly avoiding the spell. He looked up to see yet another person after him. 'Why me?' he thought about the injustice of it all. Martial artists thirsting for his blood were just crawling out of the woodwork today. Now he had to deal with two people, not including Rinse who was still in the Dojo. He looked to his left to see Yoko run out of the Dojo, and decided take care of 'him' before he got seriously outnumbered. He ran forward, taking the initiative.

Hakeem, in his eagle form, lifted off the ground to avoid getting stepped on. --This is getting ridiculous,-- he thought to himself. He looked over the Amazons attacking Ranma and decided, --I'll take out the Lore Master first. Mages are always a pain to deal with. But I'll only get one shot at this, so I'll have to make it count.-- Hakeem flew a bit above and in front of Comb, and pulled his wings back. The distinct sound of rushing air could be heard, but then he brought then together in one motion, letting out a blast of compressed wind, which slammed into the mage and knocked her head-first into a wall behind her and into unconsciousness. "That's one."

Jubei grinned as he moved into a defensive stance. He had really riled the Chinese girl, it made the fight that much more fun. "C'mon girley, let's see if your any Good." he launched himself at perfume in a masterful attack.

Poem watched the proceedings with an amused smirk. The Amazons and the Japanese between them made for a very amusing scene. The only thing that concerned her was the eagle that had just attacked the Amazon she recognized as Comb, a lore master of some reputation. She walked along the wall to where the eagle was flying. --Who are you?-- she asked mentally. --What interest have you in these foolish Amazons and their prey?--

Hakeem looked at Poem for a moment, then replied, --I'd just rather not have the boy dead or being dragged to China anytime soon. My reasons are my own. And who I am isn't really important. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do.-- With that, he flew around, seeking a new target.

Poem nodded ever so slightly. She didn't know who this eagle was, but his intentions coincided with hers, so she let him go about his business. The monster hunter took the time to place some fairly complex magical bonds on the Amazon Loremaster that lay unconcience at her feet, all the while keeping a magical eye on the chaos of the Dojo compound, ready to insure that no permanent damage was wrought on any of the participants. She didn't understand why the council had assigned her this onerous task, but she had the impression that her descendants would thank her for it, even if they didn't know it.

Somewhat startled by the fact that Saotome would attack her just like that and not run away, Yoko swung her staff somewhat hastily, missing Ranma by an inch or two.

"You'll pay for not paying your bills, you jackass!"

"Huh?" Realization dawned on Ranma as to why this 'guy' was after him. He hopped back to avoid another swing from Yoko's staff, "Listen! You want to talk to my father! It's HIS debt!" Well, probably. It usually was. He ducked under the next thrust and maneuvered inside of her defenses, connecting with an elbow to her chest and following up with two punches aimed at her head, hoping to stun his opponent for a second.

Kodachi had about enough of people attacking the man she was interested in. This was too much even for her. Pulling out two of her special shurikan she let fly with both of them. One of the little projectiles lodged in both of Yoko's arms. The weapons were coated with a contact paralysis poison.

Perfume meanwhile had enough of the hentai. She sidestepped and blocked all of Jubei's attacks, her speed being superior to his. She found a small opening in his defense, bringing her knee up and slamming it into Jubei's groin so hard that it made the other men flinch with sympathy pain.

She then brought the butt of her Naginata down on the elder Samurai's head. "That'll teach you to be a pervert!"

Hakeem saw Jubei go down, and decided he was going to give Ranma and his allies some time to escape. He swooped low, and began flapping his wings. With a bit of TK to aid his attempt, all of Ranma's foes were caught in a cloud of dust, which choked and blinded them. He then sent a thought to Ranma, as he looked him in the eyes. --Get out of here, now! That won't slow them down for long.-- With that, Hakeem landed on the wall near Poem, and began to preen his feathers.

The dust didn't even seem to bother Jubei, he was too busy being in lots of pain. he glared painfully at perfume and in a very high pitched voice muttered. "Youuuuu Wiiiiiiiiin!"

The dust was all the distraction the Kodachi needed. She grabbed Ranma by the arm and led him away from the combatants. "you can't take them all Ranma Sama, we need to retreat for now."

Rinse tended to Comb and Perfume, telling them it is wise to retreat and regroup.

Yoko Kuonji was hurting a lot after the punches Ranma had thrown, and then getting nailed by that shuriken-hurling girl was not a good thing. Being paralyzed, she mostly stood there, still.

Perfume glared at the prone Jubei. "Your Damn right I win!" She then knelt by Rinse. "Rinse Chan, do you have a spare shirt with you? "

It would seem to Perfume that the battle lines had been drawn for Saotome. The group here in the Dojo (Except for Jubei) were allies. Saotome and the Noblewoman on the other.

Rinse pulled out an extra amazon outfit from his sleeve, and nodded.

Poem sat on the wall next to the preening eagle and watched with the eye of someone who doesn't really care who thinks that they won, because she knew that either way the outcome would be the same... because she would make sure things went her way, which didn't happen to coincide exactly with anyone else's plan, but that suited her just fine. She trusted few people, and none of the current combatants seemed worthy of her respect, let alone her trust. Some were to stupid to lie, she was sure, but trust was another matter altogether. The key was timing. She had to wait until both sides were sure of victory, then snatch it from both of them and impose her will upon the situation. But as the two sides seemed to be calling a strategic retreat and regrouping, she might have to use the other plan, the more subtle one. She shrugged, either way worked for her.

Hakeem looked over at Comb, whose hawk had landed near her, trying to coax her awake, them back at Poem. --Well, that seemed to have gone fairly well. I wonder can the boy handle the rest of this on his own.-- He looked at him slipping away with Kodachi and thought to himself, --Naah. Besides it's been a while since I've had this much fun.--

Once Kodachi had Ranma a safe distance away and the two of them were well hidden, she finally caught her breath to talk. "Why were all of those people after you Ranma-Sama? They seemed ready to kill you if need be."

Meanwhile, Comb had revived, and was questioning her familiar. "What happened?" The small hawk replied with a series of chirps and squawks, which amounted to, "You got blasted by an eagle." Comb looked at her Hawk, and said, "Why didn't you stop him, Talon?" Talon replied, "Because you didn't see the aura around it. Poem saw the bird too, and talked to it. Maybe you should ask her, after you get her to untie you." Comb looked over at Poem. "Why did you tie me up?!?! And what do you know about that eagle?"

Perfume finished donning the shirt that Rinse had given her. "Thank you Rinse Chan" She gave the younger amazon a small hug. She then got up and grinned at Comb.

" I suppose even Mages have bad days?" She started untying Comb and glanced at Poem.

"I suppose you're here to stop me from killing Saotome?"

Poem nodded, then winced as Perfume let out a "AAAAAAYEEEE!!!!" as the magical ropes binding Comb zapped her, then in their all to alive seeming way, expanded themselves to bind her as well.

The Demon-hunting Mage sweatdropped at the glare and string of curses being directed at her by the pink-haired Amazon. "As tribe enforcer, you really should know better than to mess with Magical bonds, you know." she said as she motioned for Rinse to leave them be. "And I'm here on orders from the Valley Council, Sent by your neighbors, who would not have you lead a crusade of avenging Japanese barbarians back against the Mountains that not only you dwell within. If you have a problem with my request that you not kill anyone, I can take you all back to China in chains. It's your choice."

Jubei noticed that no one was paying attention to him. He used the opportunity to sneak away and head off after Ranma.

Perfume screamed in rage and indignation, the volume of which was overshadowed by the strength of the cursing coming from the young amazon. She was the tribal enforcer for crying out loud! She could not believe she was being ordered not to kill Saotome.

" That deadbeat for a husband defeated Xian Pu in battle and then ran out on his husbandly duties! As enforcer my job is to make him come back or kill him. I prefer killing so that he doesn't pollute amazon genetics. " She paused for a second then spoke much quieter. " And if Rinse doesn't fight a variety of opponents, he'll never be able to beat me."

A large sweatdrop formed as Rinse watched the two Amazons argue endlessly, then noticed that Ranma and the perverted Samurai had disappeared.

In the meantime, Hakeem, in his eagle form, landed on Ranma's shoulder, and looked around, before looking at Ranma with a look like a trained animal might give its trainer.

Comb looked over at Poem and said, "What do you know about that eagle that knocked me out? Talon says that was no ordinary bird. You summoned it, didn't you? Or was it a friend of yours?"

Poem didn't answer the question, but simply walked away, leaving Comb, Perfume and Rinse to figure out the magical bonds by themselves.

Jubei limped to where Ranma, Kodachi and the eagle retreated to. He had a pained expression on his face. "Ranma my boy, I think I earned the right to know what in the 9 hells is going on!"

"Yes Ranma-Sama" Kodachi agreed with the elder samurai. "That pink Haired one looked like she was ready to kill you."

All they got was a blank look, since Ranma still had no clue as to why there were so many people after him. That pink-haired girl, though... shampoo something. That rang a few tiny bells deep in the recesses of his mind, but he still had no answer. "I think that's the idea...." Ranma trailed away and gave the bird an expectant look.

Jubei Facefaulted. "It figures you wouldn't even know why they were after you!" The samurai smirked slightly. "You take after your Sensei way too much."

The eagle looked at Ranma, and replied, --What, you expect ME to know how you pissed off this many people? Not me. As far as for who I am, let's just say I'm someone who have a vested interest in making sure that you stay in one piece and undamaged. So I'm here to help you out of this mess. What did you do to those Amazons? Beat one of them in combat?--

"What happens if you beat one in combat?" Kodachi asked innocently.

Hakeem was a bit surprised that the girl had heard his telepathic conversation. --Hmm...-- He then spoke with his mouth, "I think they have to marry persons of the opposite sex, kill members of the same sex."

"Right you are." a voice said from behind them. Poem's hands were away from her weapons as she walked slowly forward, "Amazon laws state: that in the event that an Amazon is defeated by an outsider, if that outsider is a female, she must give the Kiss of Death and kill without delay. But if that outsider is a man, she must marry him." The Chinese woman shrugged, "I dare say that if the boy has gotten himself into that situation, he may need more help than a mystical hawk and a pair of samurai." she looked at them, "If you're willing to accept the help of a Chinese mage; non-amazon and a monster hunter, my interests appear to coincide with yours."

Kodachi smirked at the explanation. Then she grinned at the Hawk. --It's a gift--.

"So what your saying is that Ranma defeated the Pink haired girl? Why was she trying to kill him? As the old saying goes, enemy of my enemy is my friend."

Back at the Tendo Dojo

Perfume finally finished her string of rude Chinese epitaphs. It certainly didn't help her get free of the bonds. She envisioned all the lovely things she would do to Poem if she ever got her hands on her.

"Comb!" Perfume shouted even though they were tied back to back. "Your a mage, can't you get us out of this?!" She glanced over at Rinse. "Rinse-Chan do you have any ideas?"

Comb began to squirm in her ropes. "I'm working on it, give me a minute." She managed to get her hand a bit of distance apart, so she could cat a spell. "Disenchant." The magic powering the ropes was now dispelled. "Rinse, cut the ropes. I've deactivated the magic in them."

Rinse unsheathed a war fan and released him and his cohorts from their magical bindings. "Grrr... Ranma more difficult to catch than Rinse imagined..." he said as he tossed the rope aside.

Poem shook her head slowly, "They don't want to kill you, just take you back to china with them. If you resist they may try to kill you, and I'm sure Comb wouldn't mind having a test subject for some of her spells. In any case, a martial artist of high caliber is quite a trophy.. husband, kill or guinea pig." the Chinese woman tilted her head to one side, "I know they won't let it go at this, and I'm sure Comb has gotten out of my magic bonds by now. Do you have a plan, someplace where you can go to plot your next move? Or you could just fight them again right now, if you prefer."

Yoko Kuonji made a growling noise as she toppled over and fell to the ground, still stiff as a stick due to the poisoning.

"Good work Comb" Perfume complimented as she was freed from the ropes. " And thank you Rinse-Chan." She smiled at the younger amazon.

She then walked over to Yoko and pulled both shuriken out. She bandaged the wounds and placed a little herbal antidote into the bandages. It would bring Yoko back within seconds.

"Now we have a problem, Poem probably joined Saotome, The noblewoman and the Samurai." She glanced back and forth between Yoko and Comb. "What do you say to us joining our forces to Kill..Err capture Saotome?"

Yoko stood up, stretching her limbs. "Thank you," she nodded at Perfume. "As for joining forces, all I want is for someone to pay these bills!" She reached inside her chef's jacket and pulled out a bunch of papers. "I have Fifteen unfinished bills in the name Saotome. Someone's gonna pay. One way or the other. About Five koku."

"I don't think that attacking one person who's staying in another person's home, is any way to get those bills paid," Kismet called as she appeared, jumping down from the rooftop where she had ducked out of sight when the fighting had started, as she faced Yoko and all the Amazons with her hands on her hips, her Katana now back in it's scabbard. "All of you will just be lucky if the Tendo's don't call the magistrate and report this disturbance in their home, and make you pay for whatever damage you might have caused to their home. And it would be way more than 5 koku's. Not to mention what the Saotome clan will do for this attack on one of their members."

"By all means, call for the magistrates," Yoko shrugged. "I haven't broken anything. And as what the Saotome clan will do to me, well, the Saotome clan owes the Kuonji clan five koku for food and board. When we tried to ask them to pay, the old man took his kid and ran off. A son that he first tried to sell us, may I add." Yoko's face suddenly turned a bit sad as she continued. "You see, I've sworn an oath to collect the debt. I cannot return home before it is repaid."

Kismet leveled a glare on Yoko that was known to make anybody back down, before answering, "Then you should take it up with my uncle, and leave Ranma out of it. Since Genma was the one who ran up the bills in your, it's his problem, not Ranma's or the rest of the Saotome's. When you first met him, exactly how old was Ranma when his father ran away with him, without paying your bills?"

"He would have been about... six, maybe seven," Ukyou mused, seemingly not having seen the glare, "but that has no relevance. Someone has to pay the bills, Saotome Ranma, Genma, whatever, just as long as someone pays up one way or the other. Only then can I go home again and stop pretending to be a bo... whatever, is anyone going to pay? Saotome or no?" Her eyes suddenly started to fill up with tears in the corners. "Please?"

Back at where Ranma and the others were, Hakeem nodded, saying, "Any help we can get is welcome." Then he glared a bit at Poem. "And I am NOT a hawk. I am an EAGLE. You wouldn't like it if someone compared you to a monkey, would you? And my name is Hakeem."

Perfume smiled at Yoko. "Don't worry, we'll get him back. You see he ran out on his husbandly duties back in my village. Now I either bring him back to Shampoo or I kill him." She paused for a second before continuing onward. "If I bring him back, he will be a part of my tribe and you can be repaid for his debt. If we kill him, well, you'll also be compensated for that. Are you willing to help me capture him?"

"Then you shouldn't hold Ranma up to paying a bill that his father built up all those years ago. A child is to remain unaccountable because of the actions of the father. Especially when Ranma was too young to know that what his father was doing was wrong. You heard Ranma when you attacked him, that he wants nothing to do with whatever his father did to you."

"I can't help you." Kismet said, her eyes seemingly looking like they were softening, as she turned away from Yoko. "Your not the only one who Genma owed money to. And some of the bills he owed were more than what he owes you." Kismet said as she looked Yoko over with narrowed eyes. "My father has been trying to help him pay back the money, but he finally got fed up with my uncle, and refuses to help Genma anymore in financial matters, which includes lending him anymore money," she said, a knowing smile appearing on her face, before adding, "Especially to a suitor he picked up for Ranma in his travels."

Walking towards Perfume, Kismet unsheathed her Katana, and before any of the Amazons can react, had the sword pointed directly at Perfume's throat. "What is this about Ranma, running out on husbandly duties? He is not married to anyone. We've checked to make sure Genma didn't make a mistake like that." she said calmly. "As for taking him back to your tribe, that is impossible, since he has duties here as heir to his part of the family."

Poem looked contrite. "Forgive me, Hakeem. It's been to long since I've dealt with raptors in close quarters, few being native to this area. I've been to long away from China." The Mage looked at Ranma, Jubei and Kodachi again. "Well, do you expect the problem to go away if Hakeem and I stand here and banter for a while longer?"

"Of course not, my dear." Jubei interjected. "But it does help having allies. Do you have any suggestions for dealing with an amazon hunting party?"

"You'll either have to negotiate with them, or beat them soundly and then dictate to them your terms. Might I suggest the latter, since negotiating with Amazons is like negotiating with a brick." Poem replied, "I have a copy of the Amazon laws in my Inn Room if you'd like to take a look. there may be a few loopholes you can use."

Hakeem nodded. "Sounds like a plan to me. I say we just beat them silly. From what I can tell, they'd be too stubborn to negotiate anyway." Hakeem looked over at Poem. "And could you get that book for us? We need to make sure we don't have to deal with this again later."

Kodachi glanced at Ranma from the corner of her eye. "It figures" She thought to herself. "I fall in love with someone who has the worst luck in the world. At least his life's never dull."

"I'll go with you Poem. That way not one of us is alone. Safer from the amazon hunting party that way."

Perfume was a bit faster than Kismet estimated. She batted the sword away from her throat and glared at the Saotome. "Ranma is Shampoo's Airen, he is legally married to her by the laws of my tribe. He either comes back or he dies! That's as simple as it gets." she then grinned evilly at Kismet. "And if you interfere that puts you on the killing list also!"

Yoko Kuonji sighed, then winced as her chest hurt due to the bindings under her tunic. Seeing that the Chinese girl and this Saotome girl was at each others throats, she took a few steps back to avoid getting in the way. "Killing list?" she mumbled. "The bill's not THAT big."

Poem looked at Kodachi with an appraising eye. "Meaning no offense to you, fine lady, but I believe that, despite your skill in fighting, should they should be so foolish as to attack me, you would be more an encumbrance then an aid. I will fetch the book with all of you in attendance or none. To split the group is to invite attack, and Amazons have never needed invitation for that."

"Look again, gaijin," Kismet said threateningly, a smirk on her features. "Your laws have no meaning in this country. Do you truly think that the city officials are going to really ignore the fact that two of their citizens have been killed or kidnapped?"

"You and your friends here," waves a hand at Rinse, and Comb, "will be tried and hung faster than anyone can bat an eye. You'll only be lucky enough if my part of the Saotome clan doesn't do you in first." "I am Kismet Saotome of Saotome School of Take No Prisoner's Martial Arts. And we do live up to our name, especially when revenge is involved."

Rinse simply smiled and replied, "We are Amazon, we no fear your laws and punishments." Rinse then punched a nearby wall and shattered a large hole into it. He placed his palm in front of her,"Alone we can conquer our enemies." Then he made a fist,"But together we are the mighty fist of China."

"Your absolutely right, Rinse-Chan." Perfume smiled proudly. "You have been taught well."

She glared at Kismet. "Enough stupid talking, now!" Perfume's patience was never her strong suit. "We go!"

Kismet made an unladylike snort, as she turned away. "I can see exactly how much good manners you Amazons have been taught know or what honor truly means to you." she said, glancing over her shoulder to see that she had the Amazons attention again.

"You believe that you can come into a foreign country, and take or kill whoever you want just because *your* laws say you can, and not pay heed to the laws of the country your in? I don't think so."

"You will learn the hard way that, that your ways mean nothing around here. Unless Ranma has compromised your cousin, other than beating her in battle, you can't make him do anything he wants to do."

"Exactly, what would you do if Ranma had already been married to someone else, with children? Would you kill his ready made family?"

"Family didn't violate Amazon honor!" Perfume shot over her shoulder. "Ranma did, he defeated Shampoo and left her husbandless and honorless. NO ONE humiliates my friend like that!"

"And how would he have been able to make Shampoo husbandless, unless he knew that he was married to your friend?" Kismet asked as she got into Perfumes path. "Did any of you even bother to explain your rules or laws to him before or after? getting him into this little mess you've gotten yourselves into?" she demanded, giving her an glare.

"Or did you simply think that Ranma would just go ahead and follow your laws and wind up being married to Shampoo, without some kind of explanation as to why, since there had been no legal or binding marriage ceremony that he knew of?"

"I've know Ranma longer than any of you, and he doesn't go around doing what you've accused him of doing. His father maybe, but Ranma? I don't think so. He has too much honor and morals of his own to do something like that knowingly."

Comb, in the meantime, had grow tired of arguing with the Japanese girl and decided to shut her up. "Sleep." Kismet suddenly felt very tired, and dropped to the ground, sound asleep. "Let's get moving, Perfume. We still have a mission. Talon!" The hawk landed on her outstretched arm. "Go see if you can spot our prey, but don't let them see you. And watch that eagle if you see it again for anything else out of the ordinary." The hawk nodded, then flew off, searching for Ranma and the rest of the group.

Perfume smiled at the ease Comb had in subduing her advisory. Not as much fun as fighting her, but efficient. " It's good to be the Mage!"

Comb smiled. " Damn skippy! Now, let's get moving. I need a test subject for a few experiments. " The group of Amazons headed towards Comb's hawk, who had found the group.

Poem and Kodachi were about to leave the others when Poem felt a presence she recognized. Scanning the sky, she saw Comb's hawk flying above their heads. "Damn, I forgot she could find us that way. All of you, come with me!" she grabbed Ranma and Jubei's arms and pulled them into the alley. She cast a quick Misdirection spell on them "Go to the White Spray Inn. It's south of here. I'll be there in a while. GO!"

The Chinese Mage turned and sent a single invisible bolt of magic energy at the Hawk to distract him, then took off in the opposite direction from the others, heading west. ~Come little Amazons. come to me.~ she thought as she took the rooftop route westward with the little covey of Illusions. The false Kodachi and Ranma and Jubei were much less talkative than the real ones, and better company, she decided after a moment of consideration.

Hakeem concentrated, and vanished from the sight of the hawk and the rest of the group. He then flew along, trailing Poem. --Just in case you need some backup.-- She could sense his presence nearby, but even she couldn't pinpoint his exact location.

--Thanks-- the Chinese Woman sent back --I'll probably need it.-- Poem was looking for a defensible position where there weren't many civilians that could get caught in the crossfire. She spotted a small grove of trees and veered towards it. --What's that grove?-- she asked the eagle beside her.

Jubei escorted the kids about half way to the inn. "Kodachi, you and Ranma continue on, I can't leave Poem on her own. "

With that the elder samurai turned and ran back to where Poem was preparing to fight.

Ranma, using his usual clarity of thought, forgot completely the point of his escape and stopped running. "Hey, I can fight too! I don't need protection." With indignation in his voice, he turned around and ran back in the direction Jubei had gone, leaving behind a bewildered Kodachi.

Kodachi didn't stay that way for long. She decided to watch after Ranma discreetly, as to not offend his pride. She planned on engaging in battle only if he needed her.

Talon dodged the magical bolt Poem tossed at her, and flew after her, allowing her mistress to follow her movements.

Comb took off in a different direction, heading for the grove where Poem was. Get ready," she said to the other Amazons. "It seems they are going to stand and fight!"

"GOOD" Was The enforcer's only response. " I like a stand up fight!"

Jubei skidded to a halt a few steps behind Poem. He drew his Katana and awaited the Amazon ambush. He was determined to defeat the pink haired one.

"What a wife!" he thought to himself.

Rushing to keep up with Comb, Perfume felt as if someone walked over her grave and then sneezed. "I wonder if I'm catching a cold?"

Hakeem looked over the incoming Amazons. --Well, let's see, who should we take out first...? The mage. Magic is only good when it's on your side. You want her, Poem?--

--Surely, my fine feathered friend.--Poem smiled, then sent a barrage of levin volts at the amazon trio, to getting mainly Comb, but not excluding the others from her attentions. She noticed Jubei and Ranma behind her and growled silently to herself. "DID I or did I NOT tell you two to go to the Inn? Fine, knock yourselves out, but don't expect me to be able to shield you all from Comb's attacks." the Chinese woman flipped her hair over one shoulder and leapt sideways, launching another array of magic missiles. --Stupid men-- she thought out loud.

"Comb, watch out for Poem, Rinse take care of troublesome bird!" With that Rinse threw several small blades at Hakeem, one blade hitting his wing--not enough to cause too much damage, but enough for the hawk to fall to the earth. Rinse then turned his attention to the foolish samurai and Ranma himself. "Soon Ranma in our grasp..." He dashed towards them, weapons unsheathed.

Perfume rolled to the side to avoid Poem's magical bolts, what she didn't notice was the blade of her new Naginata absorbing some of the magic that was targeting her.

She smiled as she charged forward, Rinse-Chan was fighting without holding back, like a true amazon.

She decided to let Rinse have the glory of taking Ranma, she would take the elder samurai, again.

She swung her Naginata out in a high arc aiming to separate Jubei's head from his shoulders.

Jubei ducked the swing and rolled back onto his feet. His Katana gleaming in the sunlight. "Your mine Baby! I know your laws!" he swung his Katana out knocking Perfume's weapon off balance, in that slight hole in her defenses he punched out hoping to knock her out.

In the meantime, Comb blocked Poem's attack with a glowing blue shield, then released a barrage of ice spears at her, Jubei and the rest of the group. "Talon, keep that eagle pinned down!" The hawk shrieked once, as she moved to carry out her trainer's command.

Kodachi took out a few of her special weapons that she had hidden on her person. She was in a dark location and no one noticed her. perfect for her kind of fighting. She loaded a Blowgun with a sleep dart.

"This should help them out. " She quickly and quietly fired the dart at Talon.

Perfume took the punch and feinted away from Jubei. The pink haired amazon was alot tougher than she looked. She hardly seemed to be phased by Jubei's punch.

"That's how you want to play it, eh?" She smiled as she brought her hand back, her index finger extended. "Bucksei Tengetsu!!". She struck the ground at Jubei's feet with the 'breaking point' technique, blasting his with flying rock.

As Kodachi's dart hit Talon, Hakeem swated the other bird with a wing, knocking it senseless before concentrating on his wing. After determining that he had only lost a few feathers and could still fly, he lifted off and raised his own defenses, then began to acquire Rinse as a target.

Jubei was blown back by the breaking point attack. He recovered before all the rubble had settled.

"Most impressive little amazon!" He taunted "But not impressive enough!"

Jubei's battle aura began glowing white. He lashed out at Perfume with his Battle Aura strike.

Rinse noticed Hakeem recovering, "Hmm... little bird tougher than Rinse thought." Rinse threw several more blades, however Hakeem was too quick. "...hmm maybe time for Rinse to make battle to Rinse's advantage." He reached into his gi and retrieved a small bomb-like ball. He threw the ball towards Hakeem and it exploded releasing what looked like a black cloud of smoke. However it was locusts, many of them flying about blocking Hakeem's site of Rinse. "Hahaha that is Amazon ball of Locust plague, that keep powerful bird busy while Rinse get Ranma."

With that he rushed toward where Ranma was knowing fully well that he had to be quick, Hakeem was too skilled to have a few measly locusts distract him.

Poem blocked the magic attacks on her group with a simple shield, then leapt up and to the side, where her line of sight to Comb was un obstructed, and motioned once. A vise of power started to tighten on the amazon mage from all sides, constricting the air and the flows of magic around her. It would crush her into unconscienceness in a few moments if uncountered.

Perfume hit the deck trying to avoid Jubei's attack. The energy blast sailed over her and destroyed some scenery. She felt the heat of the blast travel across her back, singing her clothing and making her uncomfortable.

She got back to her feet, smoke rising from her back. "You'll pay for that Old man!" Perfume concentrated for a second and spun into her trademark move. "WHIRLING DERVISH!!"

"uh oh!" Jubei was taken off guard by Perfume's whirlwind attack. She connected with several swipes and blows as he was sucked into her whirlwind. A few moments later a battered and bloodied Jubei shot into the wall of a building.

"UGH! She's pretty tough.. I like that!"

Comb sensed when Talon went down, but she ignored it for the moment. She waved a hand, creating a green ripple in the air, and Poem's attack was suddenly reflected back at her. Then, to even out the numbers, she said, "Melog htrae nommus vite!", which summoned an earth golem, which attacked Ranma.

Hakeem was annoyed, to say the least. "Bugs? A bunch of BUGS!?!?! That's it, time to cut loose." Hakeem began to glow for a brief moment before an aura of pure flame surrounded him, torching all the locusts and giving him the appearance of a phoenix. He then pulled his wings back, and flapped. But instead of the normal solid air projectile, a gust of flame flew out, landing on Rinse's undefended butt.

Rinse jumped up grabbing his rear. "OOOOWWWWEEEEEEEEEE!!!" He ran out from the battle scene and into a river.

Poem turned off the power vise as soon as Comb deflected it, slamming the earth golem with a ShatterSpeak spell. Then she cast a tangle spell on Perfume, twining her legs with invisible bonds. Then she threw a dagger at Comb, not to kill but to distract.

Hakeem laughed at Rinse as he jumped into the river, screaming. "And then there were two." He began to line up for a shot at Comb.

Perfume was closing in on Jubei ready for the kill when she say Rinse run by for the river. She paused for a second in concern for her friend.

"Rinse-Chan are you alright?"

Rinse was busy sitting in the river covering the spot where his rear was showing. With embarrassment he waved at Comb, saying he was ok, then started to point behind her trying to warn her of the incoming attacks.

Once she verified that Rinse was alright, she turned back to the stunned Jubei. swinging her Naginata out she rested the blade right on Jubei's throat. "You're defeated old man, do you surrender or do I have to kill you."

Comb fell over, due to the bindings on her legs, dodging Poem's knife and Hakeem's flame attack. But as she fell, her own attacks formed: several ropes of mist appeared around Poem's neck and limbs, before they solidified into crystal links, which yanked Poem to the ground, and a gust of hi-pressure water shot out of the river at Hakeem.

Poem didn't panic when she felt the crystals form, but instead concentrated for a moment, remembering how she'd been taught to counter this attack --Every crystal has a frequency of sound at which it will fracture, so you just have to find the right frequency-- her mother had told her. Well, she had gotten around that particular dilemma with her spell, "Shatter Song!" A wave of sound traversed the distance from below the audible range to the uppermost octaves and beyond in about 5 seconds, and the crystal shattered like so many crushed glass figurines. She turned in time to see the jet of water slam into Hakeem, and ran over to catch him if he fell.

Jubei consented to perfume's request. "very well I surrender cutie." he smirked at the amazon. " You defeated me, but now you cannot win. Your boyfriend is in the river, your bird is sleeping and your mage is no match for ours. Plus you have to face my student, the hawk, and Ranma's girlfriend is still around somewhere. You'll never win."

Perfume screamed in rage and slammed the butt of her Naginata against Jubei's skull, sending him off to dreamland. She spun on the rest of the group. Rage keeping her going, she was NOT going to fail.

She charged at poem with her weapon leveled at the mage. It was her interference that caused a simple job to get some complicated, it was time to eliminate the complication.

Kodachi saw the Amazon charging at her ally and decided her interference was in order. She went to load another dart but accidentally dropped it.

"Shimitta!" She cursed as she looked for another dart.

Poem heard Perfume coming and leapt into the air, whispering a Jump spell. She floated high above Perfume's range, caught Hakeem's falling body in one arm, twisted around and threw a forceball at Perfume, knocking her to the ground, then landed on her feet behind Comb, wide smile on her face. "Try again Enforcer? You're overmatched and alone."

The mage looked down at the Eagle in her arms. --You ok?-- she asked.

Before Poem could get a response, she heard the words, 'LIGHTNING BLAST!!!', right before she was hit in the back with a massive bolt of electricity, causing her to drop the eagle. Apparently, tying Comb's legs up didn't affect her magic at all. She pulled out her own Naginata to cut the bonds on her legs, and walked over to the stunned and slightly crispy Poem, leveling the blade of her Naginata against her throat. "You lose."

"Wrong." Poem smiled, Catching the flat of the blade between her hands, she wrenched it sideways and up, jerking the weapon from Comb's hands and using the momentum it created (plus another little jump spell) to flip backwards. A few moments later Comb found herself unarmed facing an armed opponent. Poem was aware of the slight nick on her throat, and that it was dripping blood, but it didn't phase her.

Comb merely crossed her arms and waited, as the gem in the base of the blade began to glow. "3...2...1...now." The Naginata suddenly became stuck to Poem's hands, and began to shock her, as well as rapidly drain her magic and strength. Comb laughed, "You shouldn't mess with other mages' staves, Poem. Who knows what the thing may do?" She pushed Poem over with a gust of wind, knocking her to the ground. "Like I said, you lose." Comb then drew a sword. "Prepare to meet your ancestors, Poem."

Perfume was just recovering from the spell Poem hit her with. She would be out cold if her new Naginata hadn't absorbed some of the Magic.

She grinned in triumph, finally they were going to succeed. Readying her Naginata she pointed it at Poem's back. "Your Effrontery will not be tolerated!"

Just before Comb and Perfume could strike, they heard a voice yell, "DOUBLE TEAM!!!" Both women were slammed into each other by blasts of compressed wind. They turned and saw TWO eagles hovering on either side of them. One began to glow with flame, while the other glowed blue. They began to fly in a circle around the remaining Amazons, at high speed.

"TSUIN.." The fire eagle was flying fast.spiraling towards the Amazons.

"..HIRYUU.." The blue one was doing the same on the other side.

"..SHOUTEN.." Vast streams of hot ki were trailing from R-Hakeem now.

"..HA!" shouted B-Hakeem, who had streams of down right cold ki trailing him. On that word, both hawks launched upper cuts that never connected, but instead triggered the ki tornado they'd setup. Both Amazons were launched skyward. A few moments later, Both hit the ground HARD, Comb knocked out, and Perfume barely conscious. Hakeem's ice ki-double vanished, and the eagle said, " You have lost today, Enforcer. I suggest you give it up." As a side effect, Poem was released from the power of Comb's Naginata, since Comb was no longer concentrating on it. "Are you well, Poem?"

Perfume was still trying to get to her feet. She was using her Naginata as a lever, trying to regain her footing. Every time she tried to get up she kept slipping back down.

"Poem.. You..Are .. a ..worthy.. opponant.." She collapsed to her knees and glanced up at the eagle. " Too Bad you aren't human, you defeated me utterly!"

Perfume collapsed onto the ground, finally slipping off into a temporary oblivion.

Poem stood slowly. It had been a while since she'd been fried like that, Comb was a worthy opponent. "I've been worse." she said softly, --Thank you much for that assistance, friend-- she held up her arm to the Eagle, offering him a place to perch if he choose.

Hakeem released his flame aura, and perched on Poem's arm. "No problem, Poem." He looked over at Perfume and chuckled. "Poor girl. If she only knew..." After composing himself, Hakeem looked at Poem and asked, "You said you were a monster hunter, right? I think I may have something you'd interested in purchasing. But first, let's settle matters with them," pointing a wing at the Amazons.

Unfortunately for Hakeem he had forgotten about the young Amazon in the river. Rinse threw several Smoke bombs around the group and with lightning fast speed he rescues his comrades. "The day is yours Poem, but we no give up, Till next time, Zai Jian (goodbye)." With that he and his friends disappeared, defeated.

Kodachi had finally found the elusive dart she dropped. She loaded it into her blowgun and was taking aim when she realized there were no targets left.

She put her weapon away and came out of her hiding space. First she made sure her allies were alright, even going as far as reviving Jubei.

It didn't matter to her what the rest of the day held in store. She had successfully defended the man she loved without violating his honor. She smiled to herself as she thought about what the future held for her.

Epilogue


Perfume the Amazon enforcer and the other amazons sat in the woods outside of Tokyo. The enforcer had a contemplative look on her face as she bandaged her wounds.

She glanced between Rinse and Comb, knowing that they had failed in their mission. She didn't know what the matriarch would do to them, but she knew that she alone would be held responsible.

"Rinse Chan, Comb, We may have failed for now, but we'll be back when Ranma doesn't have so many guardians. We'll be back soon, but for now let us return home.