Cologne hastily rushed through Nerima. For the normal people she was nothing but a blur if they even got to notice anything. As she jumped from roof-top to roof-top, the wind making her white hair flow behind her, her expression of surprise gradually turned somber. When she first felt the energy she feared a new challenger was here to fight Ranma. A challenger with a very powerful aura. But as she neared the source of that very energy, she started to recognize it as familiar until there was no doubt about it. *Ranma.*

When Ranma confronted his mother, when he let his anger come to the surface that time, the Amazon Matriarch saw something in the man's eyes. A hidden potential that had never been there before. "Wrong." She whispered to herself as she jumped to a building across the street as if it was nothing. *It's always been there. He never used it, though.* And it was so. Ranma had always been a good natured boy. Too good. Countless enemies tried to kill him on a regular basis. Many of them were serious about it. Yet Ranma never once used more force than necessary to submit them. Cologne would have dealt with them in a lot harsher manner.

Then there were Ranma's fiancées. It was obvious for the Matriarch that the boy had no interest in any of the girls aside from friendship. She had hoped Shampoo could win his heart. A hope that died shortly after Ranma learned the Amaguriken. She thought no Japanese male would be able to stand up to the Matriarch of the Amazons. She was wrong. Ranma learned the Amaguriken in little time and defeated her. He didn't win the fight, but defeated her either way.

After that Cologne continued to help Shampoo out of curiosity. She wanted to see how far this male could go. And so it went, incredible feat after incredible feat. Always fighting impossible battles and coming out on top. In her three hundred years of life never had she seen such a thing. A boy that managed to defeat even the Musk Prince and the Phoenix God. It was a legend in the making.

After all that, Cologne returned to Japan for some reason she couldn't understand then. She did now. Shampoo would never convince him to be her husband. He would never become an Amazon. But the Matriarch wanted to see how the youth that had so much promise turned out.

After what happened to Ranma, the travel to that other world, he was changed. He became a man. No longer the naive boy that forgave and forgot, but a man that was both loving to his close ones and ruthless to his enemies. The proof of how loving he could be was when he comforted his wife. Though he was obviously suffering a great deal as well, he remained as strong as he could for her sake.

As for the ruthless part, Cologne still remembered the way he glared at his mother. As she jumped over the last building she got further proof of Ranma's ruthlessness towards anything that threatened what he held dear. The Matriarch didn't have any trouble locating the broken form of her great granddaughter at Ranma's feet.

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Ranma continued laughing as he stood proudly over the broken forms of the would be attackers of his wife and daughter. He knew for a fact none of them were fatally wounded. He made sure the Raging Storm was weak enough not to kill them. As he heard their moans of pain he knew he should feel regret, but that was something he stopped feeling some time ago. Something his master eliminated during their training sessions over the years. Once a decision was made you had to enforce it and have no second thoughts about it.

He turned all around. Tofu was eyeing him wearily, almost afraid. Nabiki was unconscious, most probably from the hit she took against the dojo wall. Iori and Leona stood straight looking at him calmly. What called Ranma's attention was the bundle of energy that was on Leona's arms. His daughter. He smiled tenderly as his eyes rested on the beautiful form of his daughter. So much like his dear Kasumi. Following that line of thought he turned to his wife of eleven years. Their gazes met as she walked to him. "Anata." She said as she stopped inches from him. Her eyes never leaving his.

Ranma lowered his head and lifted her face with his right hand. His senses overloaded as he stared at the woman he swore to love for the rest of his life. He could feel her warm touch as she took his hand in hers. See a beauty that captivated him from the first time his eyes caught sight of her. The smell of her perspiration, which he found alluring. The sound of her even breathing, which gave him peace. He smirked. There was only one sense that needed to be satisfied.

The others watched as Ranma and Kasumi stood in the middle of the three unconscious girls just looking at each other. Ranma's expression changed from that of a heartless man to the one of a loving husband in a matter of seconds. The atmosphere was entirely romantic by the time Ranma kissed Kasumi tenderly. Tofu blinked just to make sure they were in the same place. Sure enough, he still saw the fallen bodies of the three girls. Nabiki laid next to him. A red haired man and a blue haired woman stood at the frame of the door with a little girl. He was confused because the feeling of something wrong, of evil, was gone as fast as it had come. *But it was there nonetheless.* He thought as he scanned Ranma. Very deeply into his being, under different feelings and barriers of discipline, was a dark part of Ranma the doctor had never seen before. Maybe because he didn't know what to look for, maybe because it was dormant beyond even Ranma's access. Whatever the case, Tofu knew Ranma had a dark side to him. He had just witnessed it, and he feared it.

Yoko giggled as she saw her parents kissing. It wasn't something unusual but it always made her happy to see them together.

Iori smirked as the kiss intensified in passion. "If they continue like that having another baby won't take long." He was happy for his friends, of course. But he needed to keep appearances and treat this like if it was nothing.

Leona let a small smile illuminate her features as Yoko disengaged herself from her and ran to her parents. For the little girl the significance of three bleeding girls on the floor was completely lost. She even let a small laugh out as Ranma lifted Yoko and zapped her on the nose with a little of his chi. The girl giggled happily at that.

Tofu was entranced as Ranma played with the little girl. He was also amazed she didn't react negatively to the chi he used to zap her nose. The chi felt evil just as the attack he had used, yet he controlled it enough to only make it tickle.

The present people would have continued watching the scene had it not been for a male cry that broke the mood. "SHAMPOO!" Mouse arrived short of breath as he had to strain to follow Cologne. His myopic eyes for once targeted Shampoo instead of something else. To say that what he saw enraged him would be an understatement.

Everything started to pass in slow motion for the Matriarch of the Amazons. She saw Mouse charge recklessly towards his rival. It was obvious Mouse blamed Ranma for Shampoo's condition. It just so happened that this time he was right in blaming the pigtailed martial artist. Her attention then turned to Ranma as his expression once again changed to an evil smile. He effortlessly handed his daughter to Kasumi and threw her out of danger. She flew ten feet up with a surprised look on her face and then twisted in midair and landed safely on her feet by the side of the red-haired man. Kasumi's expression hardened when she saw another person was attacking her husband. Ranma ever so slowly turned to face Mouse, his eyes cold.

Kasumi was startled to hear the male scream. Just as she was about to turn and see what it was all about she saw Ranma's expression and felt as he placed Yoko in her arms. The next thing she knew she was flying courtesy of the Shinkuu Nage. She twisted in midair and landed next to Iori when she caught sight of a Chinese boy charging Ranma. Her husband smirked and assumed his fighting stance.

Mouse let loose with his usual chain attack as he came into range. He extended his arms forward, chains and knives came out of his sleeves directed to Ranma's form. Ranma jumped high to avoid being hit, which was what Mouse expected. The Amazon jumped to meet his rival in midair as he prepared a couple of swords.

Ranma felt the urge to yawn at the idiocy of his opponent. Even in the old days midair combat was the specialty of his art. Now he wasn't so strong up here, but he had a few surprises for the fool who dared attack him. He concentrated briefly as he extended his arms to the sides. Energy crackled in his hands as Mouse came even closer.

Mouse saw Ranma open his arms to prepare something. He didn't care as he thrust forward with a double slash.

The two fighters met in midair after what appeared like an eternity. Just then Nabiki decided to regain consciousness and see Ranma looking down on a still rising Mouse. The Amazon was directing two swords to Ranma's neck and hip at the same time. Her eyes widened when she saw Ranma's hands flashing with energy. "SHIPPUU KEN!" Bellowed the pigtailed martial artist as he thrust his hands forward, focusing all the gathered energy into a chi blast that caught Mouse at point blank range. The force was so great that he started his ascent once again as Mouse plummeted down at an incredible speed.

The myopic fighter couldn't believe Ranma had been able to deliver something so powerful in so little time. His mind didn't register when he crashed with the ground, so confused were his senses after the powerful blast.

Ranma landed softly and assumed his fighting stance once again. Another lesson from his master had been to never lower his guard unless his opponent was dead. Mouse was starting to get up, that threw that theory out the window.

Mouse focused his vision enough to see Shampoo's still form. By some miracle his glasses were still on his face after that attack. A miracle he could have done without. Mouse used up all his remaining strength to get up and continue trying to punish Ranma for this. He located the pigtailed martial artist and threw some more chains his way.

Instead of jumping out of the way, Ranma decided to be a little more direct this time. He jumped forward with such strength that the floor where he had been standing cracked. Mouse watched in horror as Ranma flew towards him, leaving a trail of dust behind him. The fighter simply tilted his head to the side to miss being hit by the only chain truth to its mark. *This is going to hurt.* Was the Amazon's last thought before the pain started.

Cologne and Tofu watched with wide eyes how Ranma closed the distance without once touching the ground, using only his initial jump giving him the impulse to advance horizontally. "JAEI KEN!" Yelled Ranma as he shoulder-rammed Mouse. The sound of cracking bones filled the air as the Amazon's ribs gave out under the immense pressure. Ranma wasn't finished though. He followed the ram with a powerful left upper that lifted Mouse by hitting him on the midsection. Mouse spitted out blood as soon as the blow landed. Ranma finished by swinging his right arm over his head. The audience could see as his fist crackled with the same energy he used for his special techniques. It hit Mouse in the back of the head, slamming him down. The Amazon made an attempt to get up out of reflex, only to have his face slammed down on the ground as Ranma delivered a powerful palm strike to the back of his head. He then grabbed his hair and lifted him with his right arm, delivered another punch to the midsection that made Mouse spit even more blood than before and followed by lifting the inert body and slamming him head first on the ground. Mouse exploded spectacularly in the color of Ranma's blue energy. The myopic fighter didn't get up after that.

Seeing his rival had finally lost consciousness, Ranma crossed his arms. "Humph."

Kasumi and Leona watched calmly as Ranma finished the fight. "He hasn't been this vicious since Yoko was born." Leona remarked.

Kasumi nodded. "Ranma's never this aggressive unless he uses his special techniques." She didn't feel the least bit intimidated by her husband. She had seen him fight full out before, and this was nothing compared to that.

"Go, Otosan!" She cheered as she saw her father win another fight. For the little girl all that had happened was natural. Her father always fought the challengers to the dojo and she had seen a couple of fights. The fact that Ranma never fought with an intent to seriously hurt his opponents and now he did was completely lost on her. Her father was the best and that was it.

Iori smirked at this turn of events. It seemed like Ranma had gotten stronger with time. The ease with which he used his techniques proved that, if not the strength of the attacks. *He was holding back all the time.* And he knew what he was thinking was true by personal experience. He unconsciously rubbed his left shoulder.

Kasumi saw as Ranma looked at her, she nodded and he started to walk to the dojo, ignoring everything else. She noticed as Tofu and Cologne started to tend to the fallen ones, while Nabiki was asking Tofu all kinds of questions about what happened. She sighed. *What a mess.* Turning to Yoko she smiled and said. "You want to play with uncle Iori while I go to the dojo to clean up?" She asked, already knowing the answer. Yoko hated cleaning duty just as much as she did when she was younger.

Yoko nodded happily as she extended her arms for Iori to carry her. Said man just turned an incredulous expression at Kasumi. "Nani?" It took him a few seconds, but when he realized the true intent behind it he smirked teasingly. "So you still get him out of it that way." He said mockingly.

Leona thought about Iori's words and blushed at the implication. She looked at the shorter woman, who was doing an excellent job of controlling her own blushing cheeks. "It's the fastest way." She argued.

Iori's smirk just widened as he took Yoko from her arms and lifted an eyebrow. "Right. And the most enjoyable." He laughed as he saw Kasumi blush a bright red. His laughter was stopped by a slap on the back of his head.

"Leave her alone." Leona said trying to reign over her own embarrassment, and doing a remarkable job. Iori continued to chuckle less loudly, but continued either way. Kasumi decided she had made Ranma wait enough and rushed to the dojo. Leona turned back to Iori and accused. "Hentai." Though she didn't voice it as a bad thing.

Iori shrugged. "Your point being?" And he turned around to enter the house, lifting Yoko so she could sit on his shoulders. Iori and Leona completely ignored the scene behind them where several people lay on the ground severely wounded. They acted as if it was a common occurrence.

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Nabiki watched as Cologne and Tofu started tending to the fallen girls. She didn't notice as Ranma and Kasumi entered the dojo, neither did she notice when Iori and Leona entered the house. She simply walked uncertainly towards Tofu. It had been a great surprise this day. *Ranma actually hurting girls in a fight.* And she shuddered as she noticed Ukyo's skin was still smoking from the attack. That had been minutes ago!

Tofu let a sigh of relief escape his lips after checking on Mouse's unconscious form. Everyone here would need medical attention, but none was in any danger of dying. Shampoo, Kodachi and Ukyo were mostly shocked from the attack and sported several bruises that would hurt for weeks, but that was about it. The minor burns would disappear in a few days. Mouse was another story though. The boy had four broken ribs, a concussion, internal bleeding and his nose would need surgery.

Tofu would have berated Ranma had it not been for the fact that the pigtailed martial artist didn't finish his attack as it was meant. He noticed that when Mouse was slammed over his head, Ranma's muscles strained to soften the blow. In Mouse's state that attack would have broken his neck and spine in several places. Ranma had been vicious like never before, but he still didn't do any permanent damage. He heard footsteps coming from behind and he stood up. Turning around he found the calm face of Cologne. "Where's Nabiki?" The doctor asked.

The Matriarch answered without emotion. "She went inside to make some calls."

"What's your opinion, elder?" Tofu asked as he turned to the dojo. He valued Cologne's opinion greatly. His experiences with her made him respect her as one does a master.

Cologne answered turning to the dojo as well. "I don't know what to think of him. He's obviously in other level than the fighters here, but the energy he uses is not something I've felt before. Who knows what happened in that other world?"

They both remained thinking about it as Nabiki returned and soon Sasuke and Kuno arrived. The kendoist spoke a few words with Nabiki and promised Kodachi wouldn't be a bother anymore.

Konatsu arrived shortly after, looking about ready to kill Ranma when he noticed the state in which Ukyo was left. Nabiki told him in no uncertain terms that Mouse reacted the same way. When Konatsu saw the broken form of the Amazon he left quickly, convincing himself that if was for Ukyo-sama's health.

Cologne pressed several shiatsu in Mouse and Shampoo that would make them remain unconscious until tomorrow. Between her and Tofu they could determine Mouse wasn't too badly injured and made sure his ribs were correctly set. The elder wanted to remain here to listen to Ranma's story.

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Ranma and Kasumi exited the dojo some time later, both covered in sweat. Nabiki thought they had been practicing to calm Ranma down. He always liked to do his katas to calm down before. Tofu and Cologne though, who could feel the emanations of energy from the married couple, knew what had really happened inside. A male that reached release spent a lot of chi after all. Ranma's chi was still very strong, but didn't retain that taint of evil anymore. It still lurked deep within, but it was obvious from Ranma's easy behavior that he had it restrained once again.

The middle Tendo sister stepped forward and crossed her arms over her chest. "Explain." She barked out. She knew she might be overstepping her bounds, but needed to know what the hell had happened. Ranma had never before fought like this. *Hell. Even 'I' ended up unconscious after that attack.* She shuddered at that. Seeing an explosion before everything turned dark was an experience she could live without.

Ranma, his hand still locked with Kasumi's, waved the other to placate his friend. "You will understand it better when you hear the full story." Nabiki sighed but relented, knowing it would be best if she understood all the facts. Ranma then turned his attention to Tofu and Cologne. "You are both welcome to listen in too, of course. I believe you both deserve an explanation of what has been happening."

Tofu nodded gravely. "I want to know why it is that all the patients I've been receiving have serious injuries. Never before had that happened and we both know that never before is a few weeks ago." He was still unnerved about Ranma's sudden change in attitude when fighting, but right now the 'man' in front of him was like the friendly boy he met a couple of years ago. Only a little more sure of himself and his actions. As if to prove that fact Tofu looked down to see Ranma's and Kasumi's hands locked together. The thought of the pigtailed martial artist
showing affection in public like that was unthinkable, yet here he was as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Oh yes! Tofu wanted to hear that explanation.

Kasumi didn't waste any more time in inviting everyone in.

---------------------------------

The tea was served by Kasumi as she sat down next to her husband. Yoko was upstairs after Kasumi put her to sleep. Even if she slept through most of the day Kasumi wanted her to sleep at night. Ranma supported her, knowing he would have liked to sleep that much in his younger years instead of being abused by Genma. Lack of sleep and food for years was not something he treasured in his memory.

On the head of the table Ranma and Kasumi sat. On the other side were Iori and Leona, looking seriously forward. Tofu and Nabiki sat opposite to Cologne as they readied to hear Ranma's story. It was already getting dark, but none of them really cared. After the fight they all witnessed this afternoon the trio could ignore everything else for one night.

All eyes rested on Ranma, the pigtailed martial artist took a sip of his tea and frowned. "What I'm about to tell you is not to be repeated. We may decide to tell this story to someone else, but that's not a decision you can make." Seeing Cologne and Tofu nod, he looked directly at Nabiki, who nodded after a couple of seconds.

A purple light came from the other side of the table. Cologne, Tofu and Nabiki turned and were shocked to see Iori lighting a cigarette with a purple flame from his finger. The red-haired man smiled demeaningly and said. "Wait for the explanation. Its one hell of a story."

Ranma shook his head at Iori's antiques. But then again, that was one of the reasons why he was such good friends with the insane Orochi warrior. Neither of them was normal by anyone's standards. It was a matter of fate that both of them were either loved or hated by every person they met. That the haters far outnumbered the lovers was something they had learned to live with.

Clearing his throat to get everyone's attention, Ranma started to speak the story of the past sixteen years of his life. Every word carrying feelings that assured his audience this was the entire truth as he believed it happened.


END PART 6


Author's notes: OK. If by the next chapter I haven't started with the flashbacks I'm gonna beg for someone to just shoot me.

Anyway, after getting past the writer's block of LAB 3 I started to write. Lo and behold, another chapter out. It's kind of short as I'm doing lately, but it came out rather quickly, so that should cut me some slack.

Sorry for no flashbacks yet, but I couldn't resister writing another fighting scene before entering the KOF universe. That way all of Ranma's usual rivals are taken care of. The main reason why they haven't really been fights but butcherings is that I don't think anyone of the Ranma universe stands a chance against a KOF participant. Sorry, that's just how I see things.

Expect some 'real' fights in the next chapters.

Anyway, see you in part 7!