Ryoga assessed his opponent carefully. He always attacked recklessly anyway, but wanted to know what he was getting himself into. The man in front of him swayed back and forth with an ease that spoke of experience in fighting. His expression revealed nothing but a demeaning attitude that made the lost boy burn in rage. *Who does he think he is?* Ryoga thought as his mind started to become a red blur.

The man himself smiled inwardly as he saw his opponent's obvious lack of self control. *This is going to be too easy.* He thought to himself. Ryoga's stance was a joke, favoring offense and power over speed and defense. No fighter that had faced him like that had even scored a hit.

Nabiki watched as both fighters faced each other without a single sound. They were obviously studying each other's strengths and weaknesses. The middle Tendo sister could see Ryoga was about to use the same tactics he used against Ranma. She was a little worried because Ryoga was the second best fighter in Nerima, and nearly impossible to defeat without inflicting insane amounts of damage. As she turned her attention to the other man, she noticed how odd he looked. He was tall and well built, with an uncanny animalistic grace to his movements. He had red hair falling down one of his cold eyes. The attire was not something Nabiki put much interest in, since this was Nerima after all. But the crescent moon on the back of his jacket seemed to stand for something.

The stalemate was broken as Ryoga ran out of patience and rushed forward, intending on finishing the fight quickly. He threw a punch directly for the man's smirking face, and was understandably shocked when he hit nothing but air. What followed wasn't something he understood in his present state of rage.

Nabiki saw as Ryoga charged and suddenly the man ducked under Ryoga's devastatingly strong right punch. She was amazed as he countered with an uppercut that made Ryoga take a step back with the force of the blow, then he continued with his other hand in another uppercut with even more force, which sent Ryoga flying backwards. He wasn't done though. As Ryoga was flying back, he jumped forward with both fists locked together over his head and brought them down on Ryoga's airborne form. The result was a sickening crunch as Ryoga impacted with the hard floor. Nabiki stared wide eyed at the man that had made taking on Ryoga look like child's play. "Who are you?" She couldn't help but stutter out. Seeing someone down Ryoga with only three hits was what she least expected. And for him to do it so casually...

Ryoga opened his eyes and shook his head. The punches didn't hurt that much, but he was taken by surprise. He easily got up and reassessed his opponent. He realized he was seriously outmatched in reach and muscle mass. Not that he was outclassed in strength, he barely felt those blows, but he would have to be a little less forward with his attacks. Flexing his back he asked. "Who are you and why do you protect that coward?"

The man noticed the ease with which Ryoga got up and lifted an eyebrow in appreciation. *It seems like Todo wasn't exaggerating when he told me about this boy.* He thought as he smirked condescendingly at the question. This opponent was strong, but he just wouldn't be a challenge. "I'm not giving my name to a loser." These words had the desired effect as Ryoga charged recklessly once again. A loud scream of rage escaped the lost boy's lips as he took a bandana from his forehead and launched it at him.

Ryoga smiled wickedly as he saw the man duck under his bandana. That had been a diversion to get him where he wanted him. Even Ryoga was level headed enough to not make the same mistake twice in a fight. Sometimes. As the man recovered Ryoga landed a strong front kick to his gut. He was sent flying backwards and rolled on the floor to recover his feet. The lost boy was surprised to find this guy got up so effortlessly after receiving a kick that would weaken Ranma enormously. "Is that all?" The red-haired man asked mockingly.

"Seems to me like you're having a lot of trouble with that boy, Iori." A female voice spoke from behind Nabiki. She was quite startled and turned around to find herself looking at someone's chest. The middle Tendo sister ever so slowly lifted her gaze to stare at the cold expression of a woman that towered over her.

Iori smirked as he regarded her. "I'm just playing around a little. It's been a while since I fought with someone that can take some punishment."

"Hey, you! Don't ignore me!" Ryoga demanded as the conversation took place. His ire only grew as they continued to speak.

"And you say you hate violence." The woman said sarcastically. Nabiki suddenly remembered that breathing was a healthy way of staying alive, so she resumed doing so. She didn't know what it was with this blue haired woman, but there was something about her presence that emanated control as she always wanted.

Iori snorted. "I do hate violence. Nonsense violence." He pointed a finger towards the glowing-in-rage Ryoga. "That piece of shit over there attacked Kasumi without warning, though."

Nabiki could swear the temperature dropped several degrees after that statement. Since she was so good at hiding her own emotions she could read the woman's change in mood easily. A slight narrowing of her eyes and an unnoticeable tightening of the jaw told her all she needed to know. The blue haired woman was pissed. Nabiki had lived in Nerima for quite some time without being hurt by any of the martial artists around because of a single fact. She knew the signs of angry and dangerous people. The blue haired woman eyed Ryoga carefully and then turned back to Iori. "Finish him off." This said she turned on her heels and went back into the house.

Iori turned back to Ryoga with a serious expression. The lost boy was waiting as his battle aura continued to grow. Iori wasted no more time and charged forward at a speed that Nabiki found impressive, even after seeing Ranma fight. He cocked his right fist back ready to strike.

Ryoga saw the attack coming at an incredible speed and tried to block with his arms. After half a second he wondered why he didn't feel an impact. Then his world exploded in pain and he succumbed to darkness.

Nabiki saw transfixed as Iori feinted a direct attack and jumped over Ryoga. He delivered a back kick that hit the lost boy in the back of his head. Before Ryoga could turn around Iori continued with a kick to the back of the lost boy's right leg, making any movement impossible. Iori slashed downward with his hand and a tearing noise could be heard. Nabiki had to fight the urge to throw up as blood sprayed from the wound. The red haired man wasn't finished, though. He followed the slash with a rabbit punch with the same hand that landed once again on the back of Ryoga's head. Nabiki could clearly see Ryoga's eyes roll back in their sockets as the lost boy lost consciousness. Out of simple brutality Iori grabbed Ryoga by his skull and smashed his face in the ground. A loud crunching noise could be heard and Nabiki didn't have a doubt as to what had happened to Ryoga's face.

Iori straightened after completely overwhelming his opponent. *Opponent? Humph! What a joke.* He started to chuckle softly as he placed his hand over his mouth to try and stifle it. It proved of no use as he remembered the way this idiot attacked him. His chuckling turned into a soft laughter. He then placed his hand on his forehead as he laughed his heart out. He couldn't consider Ryoga as any more than a fool. A pig. *That's fitting.*

Nabiki didn't see Iori's mirth at all. Her attention was fully focused on the downed form of Ryoga. On the pool of blood that started to form where he lay. She didn't duel on it for too long as she rushed into the house to call Tofu-sensei.

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The blue haired woman didn't turn around as she felt strong arms embrace her from behind. She rather melted into the embrace and enjoyed the warmth of the show of affection. "He's pathetic. I bet even Shingo could take him out." Iori said with his deep voice.

"Why did he attack Kasumi, anyway?" She asked softly. Her lack of control over her own emotions whenever something threatened her loved ones still unnerved her, but she had learned to accept it as a part of being human.

Iori released his hold and allowed her to turn around. "That, Leona, was Ryoga Hibiki." He said as if the name itself explained everything.

And explain everything it did. Leona remembered instantly all the stories Ranma had told about his life in this world. "The pig." She stated as a matter of fact. "Did you kill him?" She asked casually.

Iori shook his head. "Kasumi asked me not to."

Leona nodded. "Good. We don't need to attract attention with things like that."

Those words made them both remember about a certain conversation they had that very same day. They both quieted down and looked at each other with uncertainty. It was actually a rare sight to see them both with expressions of apprehension. They looked into each other's eyes deeply. So many questions and insecurities. Things they didn't have the courage to face, and so they hid behind their responsibilities.

Leona smiled faintly. "Ranma talked to you. Didn't he?"

Iori chuckled. It wasn't his usual laughter, the one he used to spite his enemies. It wasn't a carefree mirth either. He was worried. So very worried. And that was because he wanted to believe. "Settling down? Having a family?" Leona nodded. "It almost seems like those two plan these things." He said sarcastically.

Leona smiled with the irony. "And they don't." After a few seconds of silence she looked into his eyes and asked. "What do you think?"

Iori sighed as he lost himself in those blue pools in front of him. "I never thought Ranma would be able to do it after giving me a clean shot against Kyo, yet he managed to settle down. Maybe we can do it too." He finished with a soft smile as he saw it mirrored on the lips of the woman he loved. He couldn't resist the temptation and kissed her with passion.

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Ono Tofu frowned as he studied Ryoga's still unconscious form. He had received an emergency call from Nabiki and rushed to attend the lost boy. What he found was something he wasn't used to.

When he attended Akane he found she had fought an expert martial artist. Quite possibly a Grand Master. The blows were too precise and measured to be from a less skilled fighter. Even if the Tendos had been reserved about Akane's opponent he could tell a great deal from the fact that Ranma wasn't by Akane's side. Now he found Ryoga had been attacked by a superb and brutal fighter. The attacks were strong enough to hurt Ryoga and placed in a manner that the lost boy was downed and still unconscious.

It was a different person that attacked Ryoga, though. Akane's injuries were far less serious and had a different signature. Ryoga was attacked by a much stronger opponent, who didn't hesitate in delivering crippling blows. He examined Ryoga's back carefully, wondering what kind of weapon could tear through flesh and bone leaving four parallel marks.

Tofu sat back and sighed. "How is he, Tofu-sensei?" Nabiki asked from his side. She had been there when Tofu arrived, too nervous to be around Iori or Leona. They didn't have any reason to attack her, but she didn't feel comfortable around them either way.

Tofu turned to look at her and adjusted his glasses. "His nose is broken and his jaw will be sore for at least two weeks. The muscles in his back will take a little longer to heal, as well as the tendon of his right knee. It's the first time I see Ryoga get injured so severely."

Nabiki nodded. "It's the first time I see him be beaten so thoroughly. Even Ranma had trouble fighting him." She was starting to recover from the shock of watching the butchering. She couldn't really think of it as a fight.

"What's happening, Nabiki? First your sister and now Ryoga." He already knew the answer to that one, but wanted to hear it confirmed before jumping to the wrong conclusions.

Nabiki sighed and answered truthfully. Tofu was surprised to see the middle Tendo sister was being more open with her feelings. "I'm not really into all that has been happening. Ranma promised to explain his story to me. I don't think he'll object to you hearing it as well."

Tofu didn't like waiting for an explanation, but he either way accepted. *Nothing with Ranma is ever easy.* He thought with a frown. He had been planning on having a serious conversation with the pigtailed martial artist either way. After attending Akane he figured something was new, and he knew all trouble could be traced back to a single source.

Nabiki talked Tofu into dragging Ryoga out of the Todo grounds so that he would get lost. The doctor thought it would be a good way to protect the lost boy since another beating like that could cause some permanent damage. They waited for another hour in silence until the doors of the Dojo finally opened.

Tofu and Nabiki saw as very tired but happy teenagers got out of the building and headed home. A couple of minutes later Ranma and Kasumi stepped out as well.

To say Tofu was surprised about the changes Ranma had undergone is an understatement. His mind went over all the possible reasons for Ranma looking older, but none of them really made any sense. Actually, they all made sense considering Ranma's past. That was the problem, he wasn't sure which cause was the one.

As Ranma got out of the Dojo he noticed three things. First, Tofu-sensei was here, which meant that someone was hurt. Second, there was a small pool of blood that didn't leave him a doubt about the winner of the fight. *Yagami.* And third, since Ryoga wasn't around that could only mean that he wouldn't be seeing pig-boy for a while. Which was OK with him. "Konbanwa, Tofu-sensei." He greeted as he walked down the steps.

Kasumi looked at the man in the black gi wondering why he was here. She really hoped he hadn't come to attack her husband. As Ranma greeted the good doctor she understood. Nabiki must have called him after Iori was done with Ryoga. She had no doubt the red-haired fighter would defeat the lost boy. Even if she didn't really know what Ryoga was capable of, she knew Iori would win. Such respect she had for the Yagami style.

Tofu took about an entire minute to will enough brain power to answer. "Konbanwa, Ranma." He studied the changes the boy... *Not a boy, not anymore.* ...the man had undergone. He was a little taller, but with a little more muscle mass, obviously from training and finishing his growing up. The grace in walking that he had when he was younger was replaced by a firmness that spoke of more control in ground combat, instead of air as he preferred before. The other changes could be completely attributed to being older. "Forgive me for asking bluntly but, what happened?"

Ranma exchanged a glance with Kasumi, who nodded to him. He turned back to Tofu and Nabiki and said. "We should go into the house. It will get dark soon and it's a long story."

Tofu numbly nodded as he started walking. Nabiki followed as she saw Ranma and Kasumi follow after them. The middle Tendo sister was seriously considering things. Now that she had calmed down enough she could think clearly about the weird couple that appeared out of nowhere. *It's so obvious. They know both Ranma and Kasumi. And the Todos trust them enough to have them in the house with Yoko.* That could only mean one thing. They were from that other world Ranma went to. This brought other doubts to her mind, but she was sure she would solve the mystery eventually. She was Nabiki Tendo, after all. So engrossed was she in her thoughts that she almost missed the voices approaching. As she examined the source, she could only think one thing. *Great.*

Kasumi walked alongside Ranma as she pondered how to explain things. They had already spoken to Kuno, and he had taken it rather well, but he had a samurai code. His view of the world was based on honor. She didn't know how Nabiki and Tofu would react. She absentmindedly tilted her head back and enclosed an arrow in her fist. It didn't take her any thought to know that arrow was meant for her.

Ranma stopped as he heard and saw the attack on his wife. He knew it didn't even come close to actually hurting her, but the significance was all the same. His eyes turned cold as he saw the attacker lowering the bow. "Shampoo." He growled under his breath.

"GET AWAY FROM MY RANMA-SAMA!" Yelled Kodachi as she saw what the chef had said was true. Some evil enchantress had obviously placed an evil spell on her Ranma-sama to give her control over him. She eyed the short woman with complete and absolute hatred.

Ukyo silently fumed as Shampoo missed that first attack. After what she had heard from one of her classmates, she knew Ranma was pretty much taken by Kasumi, so she boiled in rage for hours until she decided to have her revenge on Ranma and his family. Her mind had been filled with anxiety over the past few weeks, and this change simply made her snap. She was out for blood with her sharpened spatulas.

Shampoo pouted at missing. She had planned to kill the obstacle, then take advantage of Ranma's state of shock to make him swallow one of the love pills she stole from Cologne. She still couldn't believe her great-grandmother would tell her they were going back to China without Ranma. Shampoo wouldn't let the pigtailed boy get away from her. She didn't care if he was older. He was hers from the moment he beat her in combat and that was all there was to it. She dropped the bow and readied her sword. She failed in her first attempt. She wouldn't miss again.

Tofu could feel the negative emotions coming from the girls as they closed the distance. He couldn't believe they were actually advancing on Ranma's wife with killer intent. Nerima was violent, but never before like this. He watched as Ranma walked towards his fiancées, meeting them halfway from Kasumi. The three girls stopped with deep frowns on their faces.

"You can't do anything about it, Ranma. You can't defend her from the three of us." Ukyo spat as she tightened the hold on her battle spatula. She looked over Ranma's shoulder at the expressionless face of Kasumi Todo. A small part of her mind not overtaken by hatred respected the woman's fearlessness.

Ranma looked at each of the girls directly in the eye. He found all he needed to know. "There's nothing I can say to convince you to stop, is there? Do you realize that you can't win my heart by killing the most important person in my life?"

Shampoo smiled inwardly as she knew he was wrong. "Ranma not know what he want. Let Shampoo decide for Ranma and make both happy, yes?" With the love pill there was no way she could fail. She didn't know why Cologne hadn't used it before.

Kodachi let out her hideous laugh and started twirling her ribbon. "Ranma-sama. I will free you of that evil sorceress and her little devil spawn. You will be free again to rejoice in my arms."

Ranma narrowed his eyes at that comment. He didn't need to be a genius to know who the crazy gymnast was referring to. "Leave." Ranma warned as he lifted his right hand upward in front of him. Sparkles started to form around it.

Ukyo laughed mockingly. "You won't hurt us, Ranma. You don't hit girls, remember?" And with that she took a step forward. Shampoo and Kodachi did likewise.

Kasumi had seen the entire exchange with anger. She knew Ranma hurt at being confronted by these girls. Even if they had been a constant bother, her husband considered each one of them as a friend and cared for their wellbeing. They were forcing him to chose between his family or them. The Todo woman knew the answer to that one without a second thought, and seeing Ranma power up to defend her was proof enough. "GET DOWN!" She yelled at Tofu and Nabiki as she herself jumped to the ground and covered herself.

Tofu reacted in time because he felt the gathering of energy and knew something big was coming. It was the first time Nabiki actually saw Kasumi yell, so she hit the ground as soon as the words left her lips.

The trio of angry fiancées saw as Ranma started to power up for a chi blast and dispersed. They knew Ranma would only be able to hit one of them with a Moko Takabisha, and that left two others to take care of Kasumi. They rushed forward trying to get past Ranma, completely ignoring Kasumi's warning. They jumped right into the pigtailed martial artist's attack.

As soon as Ranma started gathering energy he knew there was no going back. He knew the consequences of releasing his potential, but realized it was the only way to put an end to the craziness. Kasumi could take care of herself, quite possibly against all three girls. But that wouldn't stop the trio. That never helped him before he left, and he was sure that wouldn't help him now.

As the energy gathered in his hand, coming from deep within, he could feel the urges of his particular martial art. At first he had tried to suppress them, but not anymore. He had long ago learned to accept them as part of himself.

Tofu watched entranced as Ranma lifted his right hand, completely covered by crackling energy, over his head.

The pigtailed martial artist called out the name of the technique that he had only seen used by his master before him. He hit the ground mightily with his energized hand. "RAIGING STORM!"

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Cologne sat at her room in the Nekohanten. She was thinking of a way to save Shampoo from the punishment she would receive from the council for her failure. She couldn't really blame her great-granddaughter, Ranma proved to be untamable. Now all she could do was try to save Shampoo.

Her head jerked to the side as she felt an insanely powerful chi. Seconds later she heard an explosion.

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Mouse was returning from a delivery as he heard an explosion. He shrugged it off as he thought. *Probably another fight between Ranma and Ryoga.* He would have let it at that had it not been for the fact that he saw the old ghoul rush over the rooftops toward the general direction of the explosion.

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Happosai happily ran ahead of an angry mob of girls behind. "WHAT A HOWL! WHAT A HOWL!" He yelled happily as he evaded various projectiles meant to slow him down. This was what he lived for.

A sudden chi signature stopped him short, though. He turned in time to see a flash of light. *That bears some looking into it.* He thought seriously.

He was about to get on his way when something stopped him. He wouldn't be going the check that out anytime soon.

The Grand Master of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts forgot one insignificant little detail. An angry mob of girls chasing him never stopped to ask questions before beating him an inch from his life just because he suddenly stopped.

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Tofu shakily stood up. He had hit the wall of the Dojo and barely managed to stay conscious. "What happened?" He asked Kasumi as he saw her stand up as well.

Kasumi shook her head to clear it and answered seriously. "Ranma unleashed his master's techniques."

Tofu followed her gaze to where Ranma stood proudly. It wasn't the usual sight after he won a fight. In those times he emanated a sense of confidence and happiness that lured people to him. No, this was different. The Nerima doctor could feel Ranma's aura was filled with something he least expected from the youth he once knew. Evil. Pure unadulterated evil. He felt a chill run down his spine as Ranma laughed. It wasn't a nice kind of laugh either.

A few feet from the pigtailed martial artist laid the unmoving forms of the three girls. They were all still breathing, though just barely. Their bodies were a bloody mess. Their features revealed nothing but pain. The terrain was completely massacred by the force of the blast. Tofu remembered it clearly.

******************************

Ranma stroke down with his right hand. "RAGING STORM!"

The doctor could see as indeed a storm of energy emerged from the pigtailed martial artist's feet. All that cracking energy was released in a powerful upwards explosion that made a Moko Takabisha seem like the flame of incense burning. The cries of surprise and agony let out by Kodachi, Ukyo and Shampoo would follow him to his nightmares for years. The shock of seeing the explosion of energy was soon overtaken by the shock wave. As hard as he tried, he couldn't get a strong enough hold of the ground. He was sent flying back until he smashed against the Dojo wall, he didn't part his eyes from the origin. He could see Ranma straighten, not even winded from releasing such ridiculously huge amounts of energy.

********************************

Iori and Leona got out of the house as soon as they felt Ranma's technique. Yoko was safely cradled in Leona's arms as they looked at the sight. Kasumi and a strange man in a black gi were standing up. There were four girls unconscious on the floor. Three of them obviously directly caught by the blast. Ranma stood in the center of it all as he laughed just like his master. Evilly, that is.

Iori smirked as he turned to Leona. "Trouble shouldn't be an obstacle for settling down. Todo seems to manage just fine." He said sarcastically.


END PART 5


Author's notes: I promised several people an update for this weekend, probably Sunday I said. What the hell? I decided to sit down and finish this chapter today. There was one small flashback (A joke of a flashback.) I hope next chapter I can finally start with those. Actually, most of the story is gonna be about Ranma's life in the other world. Sixteen years is a long time.

Thanks to all those people that have given me support to continue writing. You are the ones that really wrote this chapter. I think I'll update TWTR next, since I'm halfway done with the next chapter. But who knows.

See you later!