The Bat, The Bird, The Horse, and The Tomboy

Chapter 2 - A

Akane groaned as she pulled herself into her temporary home in the Amazon village. To take her mind off of the pain, she let her thoughts drift back to her first sparring match against Ryuu Kumon. She had cleaned his clock quite thoroughly, which gave her a warm, fuzzy feeling. She tried to ignore the fact that she had never won a match since, but the truth had been beaten into her thoroughly. She realized that, once again, she was not as good as she thought she was. She had beaten Ryuu and Taro in their first fights with her only because they had both grossly underestimated her. She had yet to win any sparring matches with any of the Amazons. She realized that it was because the Amazons, while disdainful of outsiders, never underestimated her just because she was a woman. The good news was that Ryuu, though he had sworn never to actually use the skills again and he seemed to be living up to his promise, was helping her improve her mastery of the Thousand Mountain Fist.

As she lay on her bed thinking, she failed to notice the rustle of cloth nearby. Standing in the doorway, Cologne watched Akane for a little bit before turning and walking away.

‘I overestimated the child,’ she admitted to herself. ‘She has definitely improved, but the only way she would have beaten Xian Pu was if Xian Pu had underestimated her like Ryuu and Taro did. Ranma must have been counting on that.’ She mentally went over the training regimen in her mind, trying to figure out how best to tweak it for Akane. She was afraid that she might have set too stressful a pace, considering her incorrect estimation of the Tendo girl’s skills, but she couldn’t really tone it back any. If Akane thought that she had started going easy on the girl, she would rebel against her teaching and Cologne would have failed twice. ‘I can only hope that her will and determination will hold out.’

For the next few days, Cologne watched as Akane sparred against her new partner, Milu Ka. Ryuu had taught Akane everything he could about the Thousand Mountain Fist, so he was released from his training duties. Cologne chose Milu Ka as Akane’s next partner for very specific reasons. The sapphire-haired warrior used two tonfa as her weapons, which made her ideal for fighting against the Japanese girl. The blunt weapons meant that Milu Ka didn’t have to hold back as much as a sword or spear wielding warrior would, and it would also help increase Akane’s endurance and pain threshold. Another reason that Milu Ka was chosen was for her attitude. Of all the current generation of warriors, she was the most open to outsiders and therefore the least likely to mock the Tendo girl openly.

The days passed and Cologne was surprised by the camaraderie that had sprung up between the two girls. She had anticipated that Akane would react badly to constantly being beaten in her sparring matches, but instead she seemed to take it more as a challenge. Cologne noticed that Akane, while still having a bit of a hair-trigger temper, no longer seemed to use it as her focus when fighting. Though she could still be taunted into making mistakes, she didn’t seem to rely on her rage to carry her through the fight.

As the fifth day rolled to a close, Cologne came to a realization as she watched Akane sparring. Her matches against Milu Ka lasted longer and longer each session and Cologne was pleased with the girl’s progress. However, as she watched closer she realized that Akane was only improving at a marginal rate. The Elder focused her senses on the young girl and made a rather startling discovery. Since Akane hadn’t been manifesting a battle aura, Cologne had assumed that she wasn’t using her chi. When she looked closer, the Elder realized that the girl had been using it the whole time, but at a subconscious level. Cologne watched as Milu Ka slipped a strike into Akane’s sternum with brutal efficiency. Akane grunted from the impact, but shrugged it off. Cologne noticed that Akane’s chi had flowed towards the point of impact at an impressive rate, greatly reducing the effect of the hit. She smiled as she thought to herself, ‘And she doesn’t even realize she’s doing it.’

Cologne shook her head as she realized that she had fallen victim to her assumptions yet again. ‘Akane always manifested her battle aura before, when she focused her anger through it. Since she wasn’t manifesting I assumed that she simply wasn’t using her chi. Instead it appears that son-in… Ranma… helped her find a new focus. She hasn’t been improving in her fighting skills so much as her chi control. That is why the matches have been lasting longer.’ She snapped out of her thoughts as Milu Ka tripped Akane with her tonfa and sent the girl sprawling. Before Akane could react, the Amazon was on top of her with both L-shaped clubs pressed to her throat. Akane slapped her hand against the ground, acknowledging the victory.

“I see you tomorrow, yes?” Milu Ka asked with a friendly smile as she helped Akane to her feet.

Before Akane could nod, Cologne interrupted her. “She will not. It is time for her to begin training in some of the special techniques of our village.” Cologne noticed the slight widening of Milu Ka’s eyes. “<She has earned them,>” the Elder informed the warrior in her native tongue. Switching back to Japanese, she turned to Akane. “Since Ranma started that way, we will begin with the Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire technique.”

Milu Ka volunteered to gather the supplies needed as Cologne went over the basics of the technique with Akane. Ranma, she knew, had figured it out all on his own, but she didn’t believe that Akane had quite the analytical mind that Ranma did. The next day Cologne went over the instructions with Akane once more and then got her started. A while later, Akane sat before the fire concentrating as she threw another batch of chestnuts in. Cologne watched her first few attempts before she had to leave to take care of other duties. “When you get tired, continue for another hour and then you may stop for a meal. If you burn yourself, you know where the healer is.” Cologne hid her smirk as she walked away. Akane knew quite well where the healer was. She had visited her regularly since she began her training.

Cologne didn’t manage to tear herself away from her duties until well after nightfall. She stopped by Akane’s hut to check in on the girl, but to her surprise she found it empty. She checked in with the healer next, but the Tendo girl had not been in all day. Cologne frowned as she started towards where she had left Akane in the morning. She was startled to see a large gathering of Amazon children, as well as a few warriors gathered around the bonfire that Akane sat before. Cologne noticed the children giggling and occasionally pointing at the outsider girl. She also saw strange smirks on the faces of the warriors. Cologne’s eyes narrowed at the strange look that was on Milu Ka’s face as she watched Akane.

As the Elder made her way towards the fire, Akane looked up and noticed her. “I did it!” Akane cheered happily as she was handed a handful of chestnuts by one of the children. Cologne blinked in surprise and almost missed one of the warriors adding a rather substantial amount of wood to the fire.

Cologne’s brow furrowed. She knew that Akane wouldn’t lie about something like that, but she also knew that the girl could not have built up her speed to Chestnut Fist standards in such a short time. The actions of the Amazons also confounded her. “Show me.”

Akane was only too happy to do so. She tossed the chestnuts into the fire and then began plucking them out. Cologne’s eyes nearly bugged out in surprise as Akane snatched up the last chestnut. “See!”

The elderly Matriarch felt a strange, warm smile cross her face at the sight of the happy Tendo girl as understanding sank in. ‘She doesn’t even realize…’ Cologne sighed and gave the warriors an annoyed glance at the fun they had been having at Akane’s expense. “Child, do you notice anything odd about the fire?”

Akane blinked in confusion and then looked at the bonfire. She examined it closely, looking it up and down and searching around the base. ‘Why are they snickering?’ Akane asked as she heard barely controlled laughter coming from the older Amazons. The younger ones weren’t even trying to control it. “No.”

Cologne rolled her eyes a little. ‘She never was the most observant of people. Otherwise Ryouga would no longer be among the living.’ “How large was the fire when I left you this morning?”

Akane thought it over for a moment before holding her hand up to knee height.

“And how large is it now?”

Akane looked over and her eyes went wide. She looked at the fire as if seeing it for the first time. “When did it get as big as me?”

That question was enough to cause the children to break out in peals of laughter and shatter the remaining control the warriors had over their own mirth. Akane felt her temper flare some as everyone but Milu Ka and Cologne nearly hurt themselves laughing. “What?”

Cologne shook her head slowly as an odd smile crossed her face. “Child, I want you to do something for me.” The Elder moved so that Akane would have to turn away from the fire in order to look at her. “Keep your eyes focused on me. Now, hold your right hand out in front of you.” Akane, with a confused expression on her face, did as she was asked. “Move your hand so that it is pointing at the fire. Don’t take your eyes off of me, child! Good, now… do you feel anything?”

Akane shook her head. “My hand’s a bit warm from being close to the fire, but I don’t really notice anything. What should I be feeling?”

Cologne smirked. “Intense searing pain, actually. Look at your hand.” Cologne nearly fell down laughing at the look that crossed Akane’s face. The gathered Amazons, even Milu Ka, had no such reservations as they all broke into laughter again. Akane had instantly snapped her head to the side to see that her palm was sitting well inside of the flames. She wrenched her hand out of the fire at almost the speed of the Chestnut Fist. Before she could say anything, Cologne held up her hand. “You have not learned the Chestnut Fist, child… you somehow built up a tolerance to heat that rivals the protection given by the Phoenix pill.” Cologne let a small sigh escape as she gave the Amazons a reproachful look. “And I’m afraid that some of our sisters decided to have some fun with that.”

Akane blinked at her for a moment before turning back to the fire. Slowly and cautiously she slipped her hand into the flames again. She could definitely feel the warmth of the fire, but there was no pain at all. She felt her spirits droop as she pulled her hand back out. “So I failed. OWCH!” She rubbed her head as Cologne brought her staff back from its striking position.

“Child, you failed to learn the Chestnut fist, but you still learned a new technique. You have become extremely resistant to fire. I would dare say that you could probably withstand even Saffron’s flames now, at least for a short while.” The old woman tapped her chin as she considered something. “It could be that your experiences on Phoenix Mountain aided you in this.” Cologne didn’t feel the need to specifically mention the fact that Akane had been dehydrated completely by one of the Phoenix tribe’s magical artifacts or that she had repeatedly been doused with Saffron’s flames. “Tell me, did Ranma try to teach you the Chestnut Fist?”

Akane shook her head. “He didn’t want to show me any of the Amazon techniques, just in case you would get mad. He figured that having Shampoo after me would be bad enough without adding in the entire Amazon nation.”

Cologne nodded. “Very wise of him. However, I’m afraid that you will not be able to learn the Chestnut Fist. Your tolerance to fire renders that training method useless.” She didn’t mention the other ways of developing the technique because she felt that Akane would simply never be able to get herself up to the level of the Chestnut Fist. Cologne would simply find other ways of increasing her overall speed instead of just her hands. “We will move on to the Breaking Point training. Tomorrow. And without an audience.” The last was directed towards the Amazons, who had developed interested looks at the mention of the training. They hid their disappointment as they left.

Over the next sixteen days, Akane spent most of her time peeling herself off of boulders. During the down time that the minor concussions caused she would still spar with Milu Ka, as well as learn more about the Amazons and their ways. Without the anger or jealousy clouding her vision, Akane found herself intrigued with the strong willed, female-dominated society. The fact that Milu Ka was so friendly towards her helped a lot. Cologne had insisted that Akane take up at least two hobbies to occupy her time when she was too exhausted to train. Milu Ka, as it turned out, was an excellent instructor in the art of cooking. At least as far as training Akane was concerned. Sharp raps on the knuckles from her tonfa, as well as the occasional jab to other body parts drove the lessons home. After two weeks and many, many bruises, Akane had prepared some Cantonese sweet and sour pork that was well received by Xian Pu, Ryuu, and Cologne, though the purple-haired Amazon nearly lost her dinner when she found out that the ‘kitchen destroyer’ had prepared it. The look on Xian Pu’s face was worth all the pain the teaching had caused, in Akane’s opinion.

On the seventeenth day of training, Cologne was treated to a surprise. She was just returning from a council meeting when she heard the sound of rock shattering. She quickly made her way to the Breaking Point training area. When she got there, she saw Akane swinging in a harness towards a fast-moving boulder in another harness.

“Breaking Point!” Akane cried out as she struck the boulder. In a blinding flash the rock shattered and sent debris flying in every direction.

“I did it!” Akane cried out triumphantly as she noticed the Elder approaching. She would have been clapping in happiness if it weren’t for the fact that one of her hands was tied behind her back.

Cologne didn’t have the heart to tell her that she had taken three times longer than any living Amazon to learn the technique. She examined the boulder’s remains curiously. “I want you to try it again, child.” Akane nodded and leapt out of the harness. To Cologne’s surprise the Tendo girl walked over to a huge boulder and lifted it with her one unrestrained hand. “Child, how are you lifting that boulder? Even Ryouga isn’t strong enough to carry it as effortlessly as you seem to be.”

Akane blinked at her and then looked up at the boulder in her hand. As her eyes widened slightly, the boulder wobbled in her grip. Terror flooded through Akane’s system as she realized she didn’t have the strength to carry the rock and that she was currently between it and the ground. As her arm started to give out, the boulder suddenly shattered. Akane looked over to see that Cologne had hurled her staff at the rock, destroying it.

Akane blinked several times as she tried to get her breathing under control. “B-but… how?”

Cologne chuckled as Milu Ka moved to stand next to her. After getting an approving nod from the Elder, Akane’s friend answered her. “I not say what you doing because I see you not know that you using chi very very much. You focus very very much on training and not let small thing like weight of rock bother you. When Elder Cologne make you think, you lose focus. When you lose focus, gravity remind you it in charge.” Milu Ka giggled with a smile on her face.

Akane mulled her words over and over in her mind. “So I was able to do all that because I was too focused on learning the technique?”

Cologne shook her head. “Not exactly, child. I will explain to you, but first I want you to demonstrate the Breaking Point technique for me.” Cologne and Milu Ka rolled a more normal sized boulder into the harness and winched it into position. Cologne’s eyes watched as Akane and the boulder came together and the boulder was shattered in a bright flash. Looking carefully she could see that, in a similar fashion to the Chestnut Fist, once again Akane had not learned the technique properly. She also began to understand what Akane’s new focus was, but she wanted the girl to confirm it first.

Cologne ignored Milu Ka’s applause as she spoke. “Child… you are a true marvel.”

Akane blinked in surprise. “What do you mean?”

Cologne pointed to another boulder that was lying on the ground. “Use the breaking point on that.”

Akane started to roll the boulder towards the harness but Cologne stopped her. “Where it is.”

Akane shrugged and did as she was told. After the boulder was reduced to rubble, she turned to the Matriarch. “Why did you want me to do it that way?”

“Child, watch carefully.” Cologne hopped over to another boulder and tapped it with one of her long fingernails, causing the rock to shatter into pieces. “Do you see a difference?”

Akane scratched her head and thought it over for a moment. “There wasn’t a bright flash like there is when I do it.”

Cologne nodded. “And do you know why?”

Akane thought it over. “I’m using more chi than you?”

Cologne nodded again, a bit impressed at the observation. “Child, you are not performing the Breaking Point technique. The Breaking Point can be executed with just a simple touch. What you are doing is pulverizing the rock with your chi. You’re channeling your power into your arm and greatly increasing the effect of the impact, much like you would when you are breaking bricks.” Cologne nodded to herself as she realized the truth. “You are not visualizing the weak point of the rock, are you? You’re focusing on breaking it, much like you did when you used to break those bricks in your dojo.”

Akane felt her spirits droop badly as she nodded. “I failed again.” Cologne’s laugh caught her completely off guard. She noticed from Milu Ka’s expression that the other girl appeared to be confused as well.

“Child, you may not have learned our technique, but you have come up with a new version of your own. Use it on that tree over there.”

Akane was confused. ‘Trees are weaker than boulders, so what is that going to prove?’ But she had learned to listen to Cologne so she did as she was told. When the lower trunk of the tree disintegrated in a hail of splinters and another bright flash, she turned back to the Elder. “So?”

Cologne shook her head in amusement as Milu Ka’s jaw dropped open. “Child, the Breaking Point technique only works on earth. Rocks, boulders, stones, and the like. Your technique works on anything because you are not trying to manipulate the chi of your target. Instead you are empowering yourself.”

Akane looked down at her hands as realization dawned on her. “Oh.”

“Tell me, did Ranma ever teach you his Fierce Tiger Domineering? I assume he was not foolish enough to teach you the Roaring Lion Bullet.”

Akane sighed. “He tried, but I never felt the confidence needed to do it. And no, he wouldn’t teach me the Roaring Lion Bullet. He said it wasn’t worth the price.”

“Again, very wise of him. Tell me, what were you feeling when you performed your technique?”

Akane blushed a little and looked away. “I wasn’t really feeling anything.”

Cologne raised an eyebrow at the young girl. “Pull the other one.”

Akane looked at her in confusion at first, but then she gave in. Blushing a bit more, she answered. “I… thought about… well, I knew I could do it. I don’t know how to say it other than ‘I *knew* I had to do it. I had to” At Cologne’s gentle probing, Akane went into more detail.

Cologne chuckled after her interrogation was over. “You have found your focus in desire, young one.” At Akane’s blush, the Elder shook her head. “Not like that, child. Perhaps drive would have been a better word. Determination. While similar to Ranma’s confidence, it is not quite the same. His confidence comes from his past accomplishments while your drive comes from knowing that you must do something. It’s a bit risky, that focus, but nowhere near as inherently self-destructive as depression or anger, and definitely not as annoying as Ranma’s confidence. However, you will have to be careful with it. There is a reason that there are not many chi adepts in this world, and the difficulty in mastering the techniques is not the primary factor. Anger can become hate and can lead to loss of control and possibly even mass murder. That, I must admit, is how I feared you ending up. For so long you focused on your anger. I am relieved to see that you have grown beyond that. Depression blinds one to all of the good things in life and often leads to suicide. Confidence can lead to dangerous, arrogant behavior that ends up getting the practitioner killed. Desire or drive doesn’t have these problems, but they are also rather temporary things. Once you accomplish your goal, where is your focus? You must find it each time, which makes it somewhat less reliable.”

Akane nodded in understanding and pondered the old woman’s words. That night she wasn’t able to sleep well. She was concerned over Cologne’s words about pride. If Ranma let his pride get out of control, it could get him killed. She was also feeling a strange exhilaration from her chi practice.

The next five days were spent focusing on chi training. While she learned how to better see chi and to control her own a bit better, she turned out to be a total failure at any chi projection techniques. Now matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t manifest it into an attack. The few times that she came close only came when her anger started to get the better of her. Even the Flying Dragon Death Wave proved to be too difficult for her. She had neither the control to master the Soul of Ice nor the finesse to maintain the spiral under anything but the best of circumstances. She was quickly losing hope of developing a non-anger oriented ranged attack when she took a day off to watch Milu Ka train.

Akane plopped herself down on a rock as she watched her Amazon friend perform an intricate kata with her tonfa. While Akane didn’t have quite Ranma’s or Genma’s disdain for weapons, she was not a major fan of any weapon styles except Kendo, at which she had proved remarkably skilled. Watching her blue-haired friend dancing with the twin batons almost made her reconsider.

As Milu Ka was winding up her routine, Akane let her mind wander. She was startled out of her thoughts a few moments later when Milu Ka plopped down next to her with a grin. Akane felt a cold chill run down her spine at the mischievous smirk on the blue-haired girl’s face. “What?”

“You want watch special technique? I need practice now.”

Akane’s interest perked up. “What technique?”

“It called ‘Generous Spiral Wind’.” Milu Ka’s grin widened at the confused look on Akane’s face. It was obvious that the girl wasn’t able to figure out what the technique was from its name, which would make her finding it out all the more amusing for the sapphire-haired warrior. “Come.”

A few minutes later Akane was standing at the archery range. A dozen Amazons were lined up beside her with bows in hand. Standing in the middle of them was Milu Ka. She had her tonfa out and was twirling them in twin circles in front of her. Akane watched as Milu Ka nodded once and the archers all notched arrows and drew back their bows. Akane blinked and stared in confusion as Milu Ka strode purposefully down the range to stand next to the targets, twirling her weapons faster and faster. Akane’s eyes widened in realization when Milu Ka barked an order to fire.

A dozen arrows tore through the air heading straight for Milu Ka. Akane felt her heart leap into her throat as she anticipated the result in horror. To her amazement, Milu Ka’s tonfa began to glow and spin even faster than before. Moments before the arrows would have hit, a strong wind caused by the chi-charged weapons threw the arrows off course. As relief started to flood into her, Akane noticed that the Amazons were firing another volley. The arrows from this barrage only made it halfway down the range before being sent in all directions as the wind grew stronger. By the time a third volley of arrows was loosed, the wind was strong enough to force the archers to brace themselves. When none of them were able to fit a fourth barrage of arrows because of the wind, Milu Ka slowed down. When she was finished, she thanked the Amazons and turned to Akane with a huge grin on her face.

Akane glared at the girl as she stormed over and punched the Amazon in the shoulder. “Milk! You did that on purpose!” Akane yelled at her.

Milu Ka grinned even wider as she nodded. “I did. I thought you need loosen up.”

“How?! By giving me a heart attack?!” Her anger was slowly bleeding away, but she was still angry at being manipulated like that.

Milu Ka nodded. Akane gaped for a moment before a chuckle escaped her. “All right, fine. You got me. Why is it called ‘Generous Spiral Wind’? I understand the Spiral Wind part, but what’s so Generous about it?”

“If done right way, it can send arrows and spears back at enemy. Is generous, yes?” Milu Ka grinned. “Can also make arrows fly faster and more far if you use with friend archers. You want try learn?”

As it turned out, Akane was able to pick up the technique relatively quickly. She had nowhere near the finesse or control that Milu Ka or any other Amazon, but what she lacked in style she made up for in power. It wasn’t as strong as a Flying Dragon Death Wave, but Akane’s Generous Spiral Wind was strong enough to send Milu Ka flying when, once again, she got lost in the training and poured too much chi into it. That was to be the last time Akane would train with the Amazons.

The night after Akane had learned the new attack, Cologne came to visit her. “Child, I must ask you… what are your feelings towards Shampoo?”

Akane blinked at the question. “Huh?” ‘She doesn’t mean what I think she means, does she? Ewww!’

“Do you hate Shampoo?” Cologne asked simply.

Finally understanding, Akane shook her head. “No. I can’t really say that I hate anyone any more. I had my fill of hate over the past couple of years.”

“Akane, you have shown determination and strength of will and character that would do any Amazon proud. I would be honored to have you join our village.”

Akane’s eyes narrowed. “Is that a joke? Or is this some way of trying to get Ranma into the tribe? Is this just another one of your tricks?” She had come to like the old woman, but their history lead her to be extremely cautious around her.

Cologne flinched some before shaking her head. “I would like to see Ranma in our tribe, yes. But even without him, you would be a worthy addition to our village.” She held a hand to stall any comments from the young lady. “Akane, the world is changing and if our village is to survive for another three thousand years we will need allies, people who can help us to adapt to the new times without losing our old ways. From that standpoint, you represent an ideal ally. You understand the modern times. You are young and in touch with the world, and yet you have an understanding and a respect for tradition. You are strong willed, honorable, and dependable.” Cologne paused and a sad smile crossed her face. “From another standpoint, I owe you and Ranma a tremendous debt and training you and offering you the village as an ally are the only two things I can think of to begin repaying that debt. I cannot adopt you myself for reasons that would be too difficult to explain to an outsider. However, Milu Ka has already asked for permission to adopt you as her battle-sister.”

Akane suffered from a whirlwind of emotions. She was angry that Cologne would dare ask her to join up with the Amazons, who had done nothing but cause her misery for two years. She was confused by how honest Cologne was being with her and how old the Elder seemed to be now. She was proud that Cologne thought so highly of her. She felt empathy with her as well. There were so many mistakes that Akane had made with Ranma that she wished she could erase. Finally, she felt a warm sensation from the fact that Milu Ka respected and liked her enough to stand up for her like that. As the whirlwind slowly settled inside of her, she nodded to the Matriarch. “Tell me what it means to be a battle-sister to an Amazon.”

Cologne let a smile, half-relieved and half-hopeful, come to her face. “Of course, child.”

Two days later, Akane was adopted into the tribe. Her duties would be quite simple. She would be free to do whatever she wanted, but she would not be allowed to teach Amazon techniques to anyone who was not an Amazon. She would have to be ready to come help the Amazons if ever the need should arise. Once every year she, or a representative, would have to come to attend a ceremony and restate her willingness to aid the Amazons. Finally, if she should ever have children, they would have to be brought to the village for a special ceremony.

The party after the ceremony lasted the rest of the day. After it was done, Akane approached Cologne. “Elder Cologne, I need to call my family and let them know I’m all right. Ranma still hasn’t shown up here and I would like to talk to Nabiki to see if she has heard from him yet.”

Cologne nodded, having anticipated this moment coming. “Of course, Akane. If you don’t mind, I will send Milu Ka with you. If Ranma has been heard from, just tell Milu Ka and she will tell me. In case you do not come back, it has been a pleasure and an honor to train you. Thank you for giving this old fool a chance at redemption. I know that somehow you two will find happiness together. You haven’t let anything, even death, get in the way before.”

Akane smiled sweetly and Cologne began to understand what it was about that smile that had so affected Ranma. “Thank you, Elder, and it was an honor and pleasure to learn from all of you. Thank you.”

The trip to the nearest town with a phone was uneventful, which gave Akane and Milu Ka plenty of time to talk and even do some light sparring as they walked. Akane was amazed at how light on her feet she felt even while carrying her pack, which had several Amazon outfits, as well as some gifts from her Amazon sisters.

At the party, Xian Pu had given her a jar of passion spice. “For when Kitchen Destroyer get stupid Husband to stay home,” the purple-haired girl had said with a wink and a grin. Akane had blushed at the insinuation, but Xian Pu noticed that she hadn’t hesitated in accepting the gift. Lin-lin and Ran-ran had given her a jar of post-hypnotic spice. “To help Violent Girl get Husband to stay home,” they had both said with mischievous grins. Akane blushed even harder at the insinuation from the two young teenagers. Cologne handed her a recipe book of Amazon potions and their antidotes. Akane noted that the pages with the cures for the passion spice and post-hypnotic spice had been bookmarked. A subtle wink and grin from Cologne made her giggle some. Finally, Milu Ka had given her a set of tonfa. Unlike her own wooden ones, these were made out of a metal that Akane couldn’t recognize. “For my friend, so she can club her husband unconscious when she find him. Give him good whack for me.”

Akane sighed as she hung up the phone and turned to Milu Ka. The Amazon could tell from the limited bits of the conversation on the phone that Akane would not be returning with her. “You find Ranma?”

Akane nodded with fearful anticipation. “Nabiki said that she found reports that a girl matching Ranma’s description and going by the name Ranko has been making trouble in Metropolis.”

“Is in America, yes?”

Akane nodded. “I need to go track the idiot down in America before he causes too much property damage,” she said with a sigh. Despite the way she sounded, she was intensely excited at the prospect of finding Ranma, but Nabiki’s warnings that he was currently in trouble with the law there for some ‘unplanned urban renewal’, as she had put it, worried her severely.

Milu Ka nodded sadly. “I understand. Go get husband. If he give you very very much trouble, you call you Amazon sisters and we make him see that you is right.”

Akane smiled softly at her friend. “I will. Thanks for everything, Milk.” Akane hugged the blue haired girl tightly.

Milu Ka sniffed, holding back her tears as she let her friend go. “You too, Madder Red,” she responded. Since Akane had never managed to pronounce Milu Ka’s name right, the Amazon had taken to saying Akane’s name wrong as well.