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"You've gotten stronger." Ranma said as he walked down the hall. His usually powerful and confident stride reduced to barely walking, supporting part of his weight on his companion.
"So have you." Kima answered weakly as she too rested a great deal of her weight on Ranma. It was actually a miracle of equilibrium that both remained walking. To any observer that didn't know the couple, they seemed about ready to fall dead. To the people of Phoenix Mountain it only meant that they were a little tired and had been sparring again. They both sported large and painful looking bruises on several parts of their bodies. Blood dripped from several wounds that were on the process of healing, tainting their clothes red. They walked calmly towards a nice, hot and long soak in the furo, followed by lots of food and some sleep.
Word exchanges weren't really their field. Since the moment they admitted their feelings for each other talking didn't take a very important part of their relationship. Actions did. Right now they didn't need any words to tell the other how they felt. The fact that they had spent the entire night together again in perfect harmony spoke for itself. It didn't matter if they had been beating each other up.
Several soldiers greeted them as they passed through. It was incredible how they weren't even a little nervous after the beating the guards got. Ranma smiled at that. Those guards probably laughed it off as they did in the practice room. None of them was injured at all, probably just a little soar. It was incredible how the Phoenix people took to combat training. Genma would have a ball training these people, they did nearly anything to get stronger. *I'll better watch out for him.* He thought, knowing his father could become a little enthusiastic in training methods.
Kima for her part was thinking about the current situation. It was obvious to her that the shifts for the guard had changed. There were a lot less soldiers on duty than in the past weeks. She knew their people needed rest, but reducing the numbers in the front line was too risky. She decided to have a talk with Krain as soon as she was rested.
The couple continued to their chambers silently, enjoying each other's company.
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The next day found Saffron in the war room, hearing the report of the night from Krain's lips. The captain looked to be very tired, but he stood straight and Saffron knew he would continue with his activities unless he ordered him to rest. Most of the troops were like that. The Phoenix King nodded as his captain finished. "Very well, captain. Please let Agner take care of things and get some rest. You deserve it."
Krain seemed about ready to protest, but he stood back and bowed to his King. "By your leave." And he turned on his heals. As he crossed the door he thought maybe it was for the best. If he slept a few hours he would be more effective in the night guard.
Saffron smiled as his aid stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. He stopped and stood straight in front of the King awaiting for his orders. The Phoenix God couldn't stop smiling as he asked. "Kima took it rather well, don't you think?"
"Yes, sire." Answered Kodei.
Saffron turned to his right, still smirking and looking at the other man sideways. "Did you tell Saotome as well?"
Kodei shook his head. "Sorry, sire. I woke up just a few minutes ago." And it was true. As soon as he delivered Saffron's orders to Lady Kima, she gave him her opinion of them in the form of a right punch to the jaw. His eyes were teary as the pain was nearly unbearable. The act of speaking was almost too much for him.
Saffron dismissed it with a wave of his hand. "That's all right. Go to Samando so he can treat that jaw. It could be broken." And he wasn't joking. The swelling told him Kima wasn't happy about the news. Kodei nodded and wordlessly headed out.
The King sighed as yet another person entered the room. It seemed like it was going to be a long day for him.
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A month later Mouse and Pa Fum entered the practice hall. Saffron, after long consideration, had ordered for the young female Amazon to be treated as one of the other soldiers, and after knowing that thanks to her Ranma and Kima were back, everyone agreed. Some were angered by this, since they strongly disliked Ranma, but they were careful enough not to voice their opinion.
Just as they entered, Pa Fum was entranced by the sight. It was filled mostly with teenagers, the mature soldiers being needed in the front line or resting. What caught her attention the most was the fact that males and females trained together as if their gender wasn't a problem. Being an Amazon she was used to males training aside, letting the true warriors learn the most devastating techniques. But here things were completely different. Males and females trained as equals, something she would have liked to do in the village. Her mother had taught her, in secret, to respect a male opponent as much as a female one. Now she knew why. She couldn't tell the difference in style or effectiveness.
In one corner of the hall she could see Kima going through simple motions with her sword while kids no older than twelve followed her. She was calm and Pa Fm could tell she was a good teacher. The way the kids looked at her told her that much. It was no secret now that the Phoenix woman was pregnant, as could be seen from her midsection. Pa Fum was still impressed that Kima fought so many amazons already being pregnant.
Turning her attention elsewhere, she noticed another group of teenagers flying and a man jumping and fighting them there. She was impressed to see that the male showing such skill in midair combat was Genma Saotome. She had judged him to be a joke, yet he managed to teach midair combat to people that had the obvious advantage of flight. The way he seemed to be suspended in midair for several seconds was both disturbing and fascinating.
Her eyes then rested on the woman in the kimono that had accompanied Mutzu and Kima in their first meeting. Nodoka Saotome. She stood straight in front of a group of older boys and girls. The attention with which everyone listened to her spoke greatly of the Japanese woman. The way she handled herself and gripped her katana made Pa Fum uneasy. She hadn't seen her fight yet, only practice a little, but didn't have a doubt about her skill with that Japanese sword.
Finally, in the center of the room, were Ranma and Taro fighting opponents that formed a line waiting for their turn. Pa Fum could see neither of them fought with a defined style, making it harder for the students to hold their own. A student would come against either of them, fight as best as he or she could, and then would be dealt with hard blows that made the Amazon wince. After that they would go to the back of the line to wait their turn again.
Mouse smiled as he noticed his cousin's expression. "See anything you like?"
Pa Fum could only ask in confusion. "Why don't you send these people to fight the Amazons and the Musk?" She had thought the Phoenix were terribly outmatched and was a matter of time before they fell, but the hall was filled with people that could clearly take part in the conflict and she knew there were more that trained in a different hour of the day.
Mouse frowned as he answered. "Saffron won't let the Phoenix children take place in the conflict for two reasons. It's not right, for one, and it's part of the battle plan he developed. Even if we have great fighters on our side, the Musk and Amazons still outnumber us by far. Saffron planned to make them feel confident in their superiority and surprise them with a full assault against their invading forces." He motioned for his cousin to look more closely. "The Phoenix are great warriors, with physical attributes that make the Musk seem like weaklings. Add to that the fact that they are being trained by the best and you can imagine what will happen in that day when we fight back."
Pa Fum nodded. "But you might not manage to hold on that long. What you talk about will take years."
He turned to her with a confident smile. A smile she wasn't used to seeing on any male. "Then it is our job in the front line to hold on." He turned back to see Ranma deliver an axe kick to a girl who had just dodged the snap kick. "It takes years of training to achieve an acceptable level in martial arts. By Ranma's standards at least."
Pa Fum studied Ranma's fights more carefully after that comment. Each teen was dealt with efficiently after he fought for a couple of minutes, then Ranma would systematically break through their defenses and finish the fight with a painful blow. Nothing too serious, but something that would bruise. A reminder to keep a better defense. "He's not that good, you know?" She had expected for the warrior that defeated Saffron to be untouchable and emanate power through every pore of his body, but she had found him unconscious from blood loss when she reached Phoenix Mountain.
Mouse lifted an eyebrow in amusement. "You'll find fighting Ranma to be a humbling experience, cousin. Would you like to try?" He said as he made a spear appear out of nowhere.
Pa Fum didn't even blink as she took the weapon and jumped to attack Ranma from behind. She was sure she would lose this fight, but she also wanted to know why Cologne had gone for so much trouble over a Japanese male.
Ranma smirked as he felt someone was coming at him from behind. "Back-flip." He ordered as he dropped to the floor. The girl he was fighting obliged immediately and the spear hit the ground where she had been standing before. Ranma used his arms to jump back and away from the returning blow.
By now the attention of the entire training hall was on Ranma and the Amazon. She turned prepared to attack once again, eager to know what the great Ranma Saotome was capable of. Her eyes made contact with his, and they knew this fight was more than mere practice. As one they jumped forward.
The rest of the people in the room saw as the fighters clashed delivering lightning fast strikes and dodging just as fast. No movement was wasted as two experienced fighters tried to break the other's defenses. It was a very even fight, to the eyes of the inexperienced.
Pa Fum knew she was outclassed from he first exchange of blows. She had a reach advantage with her spear, yet Ranma managed to get in close and she had to strain to get away of his fists. As she jumped back she delivered a sideways blow with her weapon. Ranma blocked with his forearm without any visible pain. From then on it had gone downhill for her. Her attacks didn't even come close to connecting, while she was getting tired of trying to maintain her opponent away. Not only that, but she could see Ranma wasn't even breathing hard.
Ranma ducked under another attack and immediately jumped forward into the range of the spear, making it awkward for Pa Fum to wield it properly. She expertly feinted a kick and jumped away to get into a more comfortable position. *I have to admit it. This girl is good.* Ranma thought as he once again tried to get into close quarters. He now had doubts about the Amazon legends. Zin Dar was a very good fighter, who knew all the amazon techniques, but she didn't really know how to implement them into her fighting style. She was raw power and all knowledge, but didn't have the experience or skill to use that power effectively. This girl in front of him, Pa Fum, didn't waste energy trying to win with anything fancy. Zin Dar would wipe the floor with her right now, but Pa Fum had a great potential to exploit. She didn't depend on special techniques to fight, and so was a lot more flexible in her style. He was taken back to reality with a hard blow to the head. *Damn it. I should pay more attention. Time to get serious.* He said as he focused his eyes on his opponent.
Pa Fum smirked as she saw Ranma got distracted. It took only a second, a second she took advantage of. She was gratified with feeling the impact on Ranma's skull. Her smile didn't last though, as she saw Ranma was unaffected and his eyes focused again. *Great. Hard as hell to hit and when I manage to hit him he doesn't even feel it.* Her left hand was still a little numb from the impact, and she was the one holding the weapon. The broken weapon, for it didn't resist the impact. Pa Fum discarded the broken shaft of the spear and jumped into hand to hand.
Everyone that saw that spear break over Ranma's head knew he didn't even feel the attack. Taro was the one who voiced everyone's thoughts. "He has a hard head, girl." Laughter accompanied that statement as the fight continued.
Ranma heard the comment and would have retorted if it wasn't because he was actually enjoying the fight. *I'll make him pay later for that.* He thought with amusement as the Amazon came at him with another double punch. He had to jump to the side to avoid it, and he fell directly in her trap.
Pa Fum smiled inwardly as Ranma did what she had expected. She purposely added too much momentum to her double punch so that she could continue with a spin-kick in the same motion. She felt her foot impact with Ranma's temple and prepared herself to press her advantage.
Kima saw Pa Fum's kick connect and frowned. *Ranma should be fast enough to react in time. He should even have seen that tactic come a mile away.* She didn't know what was happening, but one thing was for sure. Her husband was holding back for some reason.
Ranma frowned as he again received another blow. Something was definitely wrong with the way Pa Fum was fighting. He studied her stance once again as she readied herself to renew the assault.
Pa Fum couldn't believe this male. He wasn't as good as she expected, but had received some of her best blows and didn't seem winded in the least. She, on the other side, was feeling the effects of delivering attack after attack. Suddenly something registered in her mind about the fight from the moment she charged with her fists. "Why aren't you attacking me?" She asked in between breaths.
Ranma looked at her seriously. "You are far better than the Amazons I fought the night of the attack. Why?"
"What are you talking about?" She asked in return. By now the entire room was listening to the conversation and doubts started to appear on their faces. Even Mouse was thinking about this.
Ranma elaborated. "The Amazons that have been charging here wouldn't last five minutes against you, yet you never participated in the attacks." A suspicion was growing in his mind, and he only had to look to the side to see Kima was starting to share his fears. "Mouse, you've been fighting in the front line all the time."
Mouse took a step forward and said. "You're right. I haven't seen any of the best fighters participating in the attacks." He still couldn't believe he hadn't noticed something as simple as that. In his attempt to ignore the fact that he was daily killing the people he grew up with, he also managed to oversee the fact that he only fought the weakest of the Amazon warriors.
Kima looked at everyone, and noticed that the young ones didn't know what was being discussed. *Better that way.* She addressed the instructors in the room. "We are having a meeting after class, today."
Ranma nodded and turned back to a less tired looking Pa Fum. "Should we continue?" He asked casually. Pa Fum answered jumping into the offensive again. She opened with a left punch, intending to follow with her right leg. Ranma caught her fist with his right hand and blocked the kick with his left forearm. He pulled on the fist and as Pa Fum was about to pass by him he elbowed her in the jaw.
Pa Fum was quite surprised to have her attack blocked so easily, and then turned into a blow that made her vision blur. She landed on her back and barely rolled away from a stomp that would have caught her in the ribs. Jumping to her feet quickly, and doing a remarkable job of ignoring all the pretty stars, she assumed a defensive stand to recover. She didn't have much time to do it, though.
Ranma pressed the attack as soon as he saw his opponent standing up. He rushed right in front of her in an instant and delivered a three hit combo at an incredible speed.
Pa Fum blinked as Ranma appeared in front of her with his left fist cocked back. She managed to block his left punch just inches from her face. Her arm felt numb from the strength behind the blow. She reacted out of instinct as Ranma continued with a right fist to her gut. Knowing from previous experience that blocking with her arms was a bad idea, she lifted her right leg and blocked with it. She wasn't fast enough to block the following rabbit punch, which caught her on the side of the head. She flipped on one had and landed uneasily on shaking legs. Her exhaustion finally catching up with her. She used all her strength in one final punch directed for Ranma's solar plexus. Pa Fum knew she was defeated, but the satisfaction of seeing Ranma fighting for breath would take the shame of her defeat away. She almost smiled when it connected, almost. She stifled a cry of pain when her fist sent waves of pain to her brain. She had hit boulders that were softer than him. Her vision finally was blocked by a fist that stopped less than an inch from her nose. *I lost.* Was the thought that went through her mind as she fought to control her breathing. In her mind she had been ashamed in front of everyone because she had made the unspoken challenge and lost ridiculously. She knew Ranma held back the entire fight and only fought more seriously in the end, when she could do nothing. In fact she was defeated with just three attacks. To say she was surprised by what happened next would be an understatement.
The crowd saw the end of the fight and all at once they did the same thing. Applause filled the hall for the great fight. Pa Fum fought with a skill and determination that inspired the students. The older people recognized her fighting spirit and joined in to show their respect.
Pa Fum turned all around confused, but at the same time she felt a camaraderie that made her smile. She turned just in time to see Ranma smile and offer a hand. "That was a good fight."
She shook it hesitantly and gave him an odd look. "You were holding back." It was a clear statement.
Ranma shrugged. "It was just a sparring match. No need to fight to the dead." His smile proved contagious and soon the Amazon was smiling as well. His next comment sent everything to hell, though. "Of course you shouldn't feel bad, I'm the best there is." She did well in taking it in the tone it was intended. She also did well in jumping back, for every other person in the hall jumped him.
"YOU UNGRATEFULL BOY! I'LL SHOW YOU TO BE OVERCONFIDENT!"
"FEM-BOY, YOU'RE NOT BETTER THAN I AM!"
"SAOTOME, HOW DARE YOU THINK YOU'RE BETTER THAN ME?"
"GET HIM!"
Pa Fum saw in amazement as every single student jumped their sensei at the same time. He would have lasted longer had it not been for Genma, Mouse and Taro jumping in as well. "He had it coming." Kima's voice was heard from the side.
"My son will never learn." Nodoka said with a smile. Pa Fum turned to both women and noticed they both had amused smiles on their faces. She turned back to where Ranma's screams were heard and she noticed he was also smiling widely as the mob beat the crap out of him. It was all in good fun, after all.
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An hour later the war room was filled with people. Kima was snickering at the aspect of her husband. He was almost completely purple from all the bruising he got from the beating. Genma, Taro and Mouse looked very satisfied as they sat down. Pa Fum hesitantly sat down as well. She didn't know why she was invited today. Nodoka looked at her son with a serious expression, but her eyes revealed her mirth at his situation. Ranma himself was smirking, though it seemed a little grotesque with his face all swollen.
The door opened to reveal Saffron as he entered the room. He closed the door behind himself and walked to the chair destined for him. He stopped as he noticed the state Ranma was in, a look of surprise evident on his features. He shook his head and sighed. "I'm not even going to ask." He said as he continued and took his place. After a moment of silence he cleared his throat and began. "What's the reason for calling this meeting, Lady Kima?" The question was directed to everyone, though.
Kima answered with the same reverence she always held when speaking to her God. "Something came to our attention today, Lord Saffron." And so she explained what they discovered from Ranma's fight with Pa Fum. His expression gradually darkened during the narration until Kima finished.
He thought things out for a moment and said. "So the Amazons have been playing with us. I guess they have been wearing us down to surprise us with a real attack." Everyone else nodded their heads slowly, they had reached the same conclusions. "How are the cadets doing?" He asked.
Ranma shook his head. "They are good fighters, but are not ready to face combat." All the others sighed. Ranma's expectations of his trainees were too high. He wanted everyone to be at a level higher than what Pa Fum showed him today, if not a lot higher. In his opinion one never should stop improving in the Art.
Saffron didn't share Ranma's perspective, but knew as well that they weren't ready. "Then that leaves us no choice. We'll have to continue with our plans as they are and hope we are not attacked seriously until we are ready." He stood up, signaling the end of the meeting. "Ranma, Kima. Please come with me." He exited the room with that. The others shrugged and left to have some rest.
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Samando was waiting for Saffron, Ranma and Kima with his findings. It had taken him hours of deciphering old scrolls, hours he didn't have with all his patients, but he finally managed to find out what was happening to Ranma and Kima.
Hearing the door open he turned to greet his King. "Lord Saffron."
"Samando" Saffron said as he stepped forward.
The next greeting was caught in the doctor's throat as he got a good look at what he thought was Ranma. He shook his head and smiled. "Again?" He asked. He chuckled when Ranma grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "Lady Kima, I thought I told you to keep your husband safe." He accused jokingly.
Sure enough, Kima entered the room with a smile on her features. "I tried." She offered.
Samando sobered abruptly and said. "I found out why you two have been having trouble controlling yourselves lately."
Ranma and Kima instantly got serious. Saffron stood to the side giving them space to talk. The doctor motioned for everyone to have a seat. Saffron declined with a gesture and kept apart. Samando silently thanked him. He turned to the married couple and continued. "I won't try to soften anything and will go directly to the point." He said taking his notes and putting them in front of him. "The training you underwent with the Neko-ken combined with the shiatsu you pressed in your bodies as made you strong physically, stronger than any other fighter in Phoenix history. You both heal at an alarmingly fast rate and are faster and stronger than any other with the limiters off. That's the problem, you're too strong." Before either of them could question him, he continued. "You have a severe imbalance in your yin-yang. Developing the warrior side too much, your physical attributes have surpassed anything thought possible. Your problem lies in the lack of development in the spiritual side. Not that you don't grow spiritually as well, but your growth in the Art of physical combat far outweighs it."
"What does that mean?" Asked Ranma with a little trepidation.
Samando took a deep breath. "Don't worry, young one. You don't have to abandon martial arts." He smiled slightly as he saw both Ranma and Kima sigh in relief. "In fact, martial arts serves you both to control yourselves. If it wasn't for it you would both be in a constant berserker rage."
Kima gasped. "Has it gone that far?"
Samando nodded ruefully. "I'm afraid so. If I had known about this I would never have let you two follow this path of training. I'm sorry."
Ranma put an arm around his wife's shoulders and said. "Nothing to be sorry about, doc. You didn't know."
The doctor smiled at his patient and continued. "You both should continue with your martial arts training, it is very important that you do. Also, you have to avoid being separated for prolonged periods of time."
"What?" They asked in unison.
"At the risk of sounding romantic, something that I'm not, you have a calming effect on each other. Your strongest emotion comes forth in the presence of your loved one and balances your yin-yang." Samando said with a smile.
"Love." Kima said without hesitation. Samando nodded.
Ranma shook his head and chuckled at the irony. All his life he wanted to be independent and now he needed to be close to his wife. Not that he objected to the concept, but destiny had an odd sense of humor. "Anyway, doc. What do you recommend?"
Samando approved of Ranma's question. "You can continue living as you are now. Even take part in battle after Lady Kima gives birth." She glared at him for that. She was still angry at being held back from helping her people. He frowned deeply as he warned. "But be very careful if you ever intend to release the limiters. If you ever 'have to' do it, make sure you are close and try to control yourselves. The imbalance will grow and you might experience more than just a little recklessness." His tone of warning was enough to convince them both of the importance of the matter.
"So we can't fight full out unless extremely necessary." Kima concluded. Samando nodded wordlessly and left his patients think about the news.
Saffron heard the entire conversation but remained silent. His thoughts were running along different lines, though. *If Saotome and Kima continue training they will have control over themselves, but won't that also make them even stronger?* He smiled as he considered the implications. He knew Kima and Ranma would never go against him. They were his friends more than his subjects and he trusted them both. But he also entertained himself with the irony of the situation. He would have to train harder than ever if he wanted to keep on their level, not necessarily be stronger than them. Interesting times indeed.
END PART 11
Author's notes: Another chapter done. And now we see everyone has been holding back in this war. What will happen? Will the Amazons and Musk attack seriously before the Phoenix are ready?
Also, we finally know why Ranma and Kima have trouble controlling themselves when apart. And they can't fight to their full potential unless they risk turning into berserkers. This makes things harder for the warriors of Phoenix Mountain.
What role will Pa Fum have in the following chapters. She's a female Amazon, so why did she leave her people to join a condemned race?
Anyway, more to come in part 12! |
