The Game

Thank god for caffeine!
Without it, I would never have gotten this done!

(C&C welcome. Not to mention needed)

----------------------
THE GAME
By: Angela Jewell
----------------------

Based on the trilogy, The Forbidden Game by L.J. Smith

Ranma 1/2 is the property and creation of Rumiko Takahashi, and
whoever else owns it. I'm not making any money off of this so don't sue
me. Besides, good luck if you tried. I'm broke.

***
Volume 1:
Spellbound
***

we will find the perfect place to go
where we can run and hide
i will build a wall
and we can keep them on the other side
-Nine Inch Nails

***
Chapter 6
***

When they opened the door they weren't sure what to expect: big green monsters with dripping fangs
and long curved claws, or small little elves, with razor sharp teeth and pointed horns... definitely not
what they saw before them...

They were in the Nekohanten.

Shampoo released the deep breath she'd been holding and turned to
Akane in confusion. "What we doing here?" she asked, glancing around the room in surprise.

Akane shrugged, completely at a loss. "I don't suppose this was your nightmare, by any chance?" she
asked hopefully.

"Course not!" Shampoo replied, her voice taking on a hint of indignation. "Shampoo have much *much*
worst nightmare than stupid job!"

"Of course you do," Akane retorted, finding herself anxious to stand up to the Amazon and defend
her reasonable question. "After all, chasing Ranma can't be all fun and games."

Shampoo glared resentfully at Akane. "Violent girl be careful," she warned, her voice as cold as
ice. "Or Shampoo get mad... and you no want
make Amazon warrior mad."

Akane ignored the threat and moved towards one of the many tables that filled the Nekohanten.
"Well... I guess I should have asked you this *before* we kicked open the door, but what *was* your
nightmare, Shampoo?"

"Shampoo no remember," she answered coldly.

"Really, Shampoo," Akane sighed, shaking her head in exasperation. "Do you REALLY expect me
to believe that?!"

"Shampoo no care what you believe," she answered truthfully, her words filled with scorn.
"Besides. Is Akane's fault we here in first place. Shampoo no owe explanation. Nightmare is Shampoo
business. Not Akane."

"The hell it isn't!" Akane exploded. "Your nightmare is about to come true, Shampoo! What part
of that _don't_ you understand?!"

Shampoo remained silent a moment, then met Akane's eyes with a look of total and utter conviction.
"Shampoo face nightmare alone. Is matter of honor. If Shampoo no can beat nightmare then Shampoo no have
right to be Amazon warrior."

"But, Shampoo..." Akane began.

"This Shampoo fight," she interrupted. "No concern violent pervert girl."

That did it. Akane's temper-- which had been slowly burning since
Shampoo had begun to speak and which she had managed to keep pretty much under control considering the
circumstances-- finally burst. "Damn it, Shampoo!" she yelled, her fists clenched and her face red with
anger. "This isn't just about _you_ anymore. This entire thing is going to affect me too! Why in the world
do you think we're here in the first place?!" she asked angrily, the absurdity of this whole situation finally
asserting itself. "I'm this psychopath's prize, for crying out loud!"

Shampoo remained silent, rooted to the very spot where she stood.

"Look," Akane continued relentlessly. "I know you all think I'm not as good of a martial artist
as you, but I'm *still* a martial artist, got it? Besides, considering the circumstances I'm the *only* one
who can help you with this nightmare. And who knows... you might need my help after all..."

"But, Akane..." Shampoo began weakly.

"And I know you're right." Akane interrupted, holding her hand up to silence her before she could
finish her sentence. "It _is_ my fault we're all here in the first place. Which only makes me more determined
to make sure that we all get out of here alive. But in order to do that, I have to know what we're up against.
Now-- I'm going to ask you this one more time, Shampoo-- and please answer truthfully. What is your nightmare? "

Shampoo sighed in defeat. Akane's reasoning was too well justified to argue against. She couldn't think
of a single thing she could say that would help her case. But that still didn't mean she had to tell Akane
everything... "Don't worry," she said at last, trying her best to sound reassuring. "Nightmare no come true
yet-- might no come true at all-- Akane know when Akane see." Shampoo turned her back on Akane without another
word and headed towards the only door in the room: The door they had entered the Nekohanten through. Akane--
her anger spent-- silently fumed as she followed her.

"Just great," she thought to herself, "I'm no better off now than I was to begin with!"

Shampoo stood before the door they had entered and reached for the door handle-- only to be met
with empty air when she was mere inches away from touching it. Somehow... the doorknob had disappeared!

A loud creaking sound succeeded it, and then, as quickly as the doorknob had vanished, the door
itself followed its lead. Slowly, it began to shimmer and blink, until at last it too vanished completely
from sight. Shampoo started in surprise and took a step back, the sound of Akane gasping behind her echoing
in her ears.

"Shampoo..." Akane began uneasily, backing away from the door that had stood before her only moments
before, "Do you have any idea what's going on?"

Shampoo shook her head as she too began to slowly inch away from the now empty doorway. "Shampoo no
idea," she answered truthfully, all pretense of her composed state gone.

Further conversation was cut short as a loud, deafening rumbling erupted from behind them. Both girls
turned around simultaneously, their battle senses now alert. What looked like a large ball of light was slowly
advancing towards them. Its center-- brightest of all-- blinding them whenever they looked into it.

"What is it?" Akane asked Shampoo, more out of confusion than out of fear.

Shampoo shrugged her shoulders, almost as confused as Akane.
"Shampoo no know," she replied. "Akane think is dangerous?"

"How am I suppose to know?" Akane replied. "Floating balls of lights don't usually approach me, Shampoo."

The two stood completely still, watching the light as it continued to advance towards them. Then, when
it was only about a foot away, the light exploded, enveloping the two surprised martial artists in its bright,
blinding glow.

Seconds later, the cruel sounds of laughter echoed throughout the room. Then, the Nekohanten was
shrouded in darkness...

T * * * G

Akane awoke, surprised to find herself securely restrained against a hard slate table. The cold
smooth surface alerted her senses and she blinked several times, trying to fight off the dizziness that clouded
her vision.

Above her, a large bright light floated, suspended in the air by some unnatural force.

Akane turned her head to the side as far as her binds would allow. There, a few feet to her to her
right, was Shampoo, restrained in much the same manner.

Futilely she struggled against the restraints, trying to free her arms and legs. Shampoo's labored
breathing could be heard from the small distance that separated them.

Akane turned her head to the side, trying to catch Shampoo's attention. Unfortunately, she was so
engrossed in her battle with her bindings, that she failed to notice her.

"Shampoo," Akane questioned, trying to catch the Amazon's attention, "What's going o--"

Her question was cut short as the sound of something approaching
echoed in her ears. The sound was loud and unnerving; like a wrecking ball slamming against a wall. Akane
strained her head around, trying to find out what was making the deafening sound. When she glanced over to
Shampoo, she noticed that the Amazon had finally calmed down and was lying still on the table. Something was
wrong though... Her whole face was completely white, and her entire body seemed to tremble.

Shampoo's expression immediately hardened as the sound increased, coming closer with each deafening
pounding. With one last violent effort, she began to tug with a newfound fury at the ropes that were binding
her. The light suspended above her body, growing brighter after each desperate attempt. Her struggles were
fierce and wild and her face was red from her exertions.

After several minutes, the Amazon lay back against the table, tired and defeated. No closer to being
free from her restraints than she'd been when she'd started.

Akane had no idea what to do. Shampoo had refused to say what her nightmare was, so how in the world
was she suppose to help her get out of it? All she knew was that her nightmare must involve some sort of evil
creature.

And *that* narrowed the choices down considerably...

Akane struggled against her binds as the sounds of those loud pounding footsteps continued to come
closer. The more she fought her restraints, however, the tighter they seemed to become. Akane stopped her
struggling, trying to figure out how she could get out of this.

Suddenly out of nowhere, a loud, sharp clanging noise sounded throughout the room and Akane turned
her head in the direction the sound had come from.

There, over to her far left in the corner of the room, a door had appeared out of nowhere. It wasn't
like any other door she'd ever seen. It was surrounded entirely by vines... while little pink and white flowers
adorned it. It filled the room with a unique scent, a perfume that resembled peppermint but smelled a little too
sweet.

"Shampoo, do you see that?" she called, turning her head towards the struggling Amazon. "There's a door
over there!"

Shampoo's struggles ceased as she looked towards the direction Akane was nodding towards. Akane faintly
noted how the light above Shampoo's table had seemed to dim somewhat towards the end of her struggles.

That was odd...

Shampoo turned her head away from the door as she continued trying to loosen the ropes around her.
"Shampoo no have time admire door, she replied, her voice tired and strained. "Shampoo get loose before Kuan
Hou-ai come."

"Kuan Hou-ai?" Akane asked, confused. "What in the world is that?"

Shampoo turned towards Akane, a troubled expression lighting her face. "You no want know," she replied.

Akane looked at her blankly, her anger ignited by a single spark. "What do you mean, 'I no want know?'"
she screamed. "Of course I do! What the hell
is it, Shampoo?!"

"Kuan Hou-ai," Shampoo began, her voice shaking slightly, "Was very very evil monster in Amazon village.
Is very big... *very* dangerous."

Akane found herself blinking in confusion. Shampoo was afraid of something as common as a... as a run
of the mill monster?

The very thought was ludicrous!

*Children* were afraid of monsters: Not fearless Amazon warriors! Besides, Shampoo was _used_ to fighting
against monsters and ghosts.
The fact that the proud, stubborn, Amazon could be frightened of one in particular simply floored her.

"This very special monster," Shampoo added quickly as if reading Akane's thoughts. "Kuan Hou-ai *very*
evil: Was even feared by most honored elders."

"What do you mean, 'was?'" Akane asked, intrigued. "I mean, did you ever have to fight it before or
something?"

Shampoo shook her head. "Shampoo no fight Kuan Hou-ai," she explained. "Is legend pass down through
many many generation. Kuan Hou-ai evil enemy: Force Shampoo ancestors to offer sacrifice every new moon. Must
be female Amazon warrior-- monster no want males. Actually, now Shampoo think about it..." Shampoo paused, then
sniffed in disdain. "Was smart monster!"

Akane rolled her eyes. "And then what?" she prompted impatiently.

"In return, Kuan Hou-ai protect village. No hunt Amazon warriors... outside new moon," she added.

Akane blinked in surprise. "You mean to tell me that your village was willing to sacrifice your
own people to satisfy this monster?"

"Village no have choice," she replied defensively. "If no sacrifice, Kuan Hou-ai threaten kill
elders in village!"

"Oh," Akane replied sheepishly. "Well... um... what happened next?"

"Legend say: Every new moon, tournament take place. All young warrior fight-- loser of each match
fight loser from preceding match. Loser over all become monster sacrifice. One new moon-- after tournament
take place-- granddaughter of great elder lose match-- though destine be great warrior. Was no suppose to be
in tournament in first place. Warrior broke Amazon law and entry in tournament was punishment."

"Oh, now I see," said Akane. "Your elders were furious that they had to lose a promising young
warrior. They stood up against Kuan Hou-ai and, I'm guessing, eventually defeated him, right?"

Shampoo nodded her head. "Monster swear revenge: Promise he be back to finish what he start. Many
honorable warrior die in bloody battle: Always fear monster come back. Finish job..."

Akane nodded her head, finally understanding Shampoo's nightmare. What else would a fearless Amazon
warrior be afraid of if not an old Amazon legend? A monster so frightening that ever her revered Amazon Elders
feared its return? Even little children feared monsters in stories their parents told them...

At that moment a bright light enveloped the room and Akane was forced to close her eyes tightly in
order to block out its blinding rays. After only a couple seconds however, the light faded away, to be
replaced once again with darkness.

Akane heard Shampoo gasp and then cry out, and her eyes flew open in alarm.

There it was, across the room-- a good distance away-- standing in a gaping hole in the far
off wall.

Now, seeing it for herself, she finally realized just *why* it was Shampoo's own, personal nightmare...

Just its very presence *radiated* danger. And death.

She didn't know where it had come from. It had just-- appeared-- when the bright light had left.
And it was slowly, carefully, making its way towards them... Its large, gray body moving at a slow, sedate pace.

She found to her astonishment that she couldn't move at all! She was actually paralyzed: Whether
from fear or disbelief she wasn't sure...

Its body was covered with dark green warts which looked old and wrinkled: Like a dried up old prune,
with razor-sharp claws protruding from its back. Its mouth hung open at a grotesque angle, and its
fangs-- dripping with saliva-- glinted in the darkness of the room. Its humongous feet were long and heavy
and created large craters in its wake. And its hands were deformed and twisted-- with four sharp claws that
extended from its long, bony fingers.

But that's not what had captured her attention: What held her paralyzed and incapable of movement...

It was its eyes.

Eyes that burned a deep, glowing red in the darkness of the room and seemed to *penetrate* into you,
leaving you feeling naked and exposed.

And yet, there was something... familiar in its eyes. A glimmer of a memory that she couldn't quite
place...

'So this is what Shampoo's nightmare was,' she found herself thinking. Not the most logical thought in
the world considering the circumstances-- but the fact that she could still think at all facing that-- that
*thing*-- made up for it.

Akane's thoughts were interrupted as she heard a soft whimper emanate from Shampoo's direction. Looking
over towards Shampoo, Akane felt a sudden stab of pity. The Amazon's entire body was shaking, and her face was
bright red from her desperate struggle to escape. The more she fought her binding however, the brighter the light
above her seemed to glow. Akane looked up at her own light. It seemed... dimmer... somehow. The ropes which held
her securely to the table even seemed slacker. She found she could even move her wrists a little when before she
hadn't been able to move them at all.

Akane looked back at the light above Shampoo, and noticed how
every time Shampoo stopped struggling, the light above her body dimmed considerably. Suddenly, she understood.

The two lights were connected somehow.

"Shampoo," Akane exclaimed, trying her hardest to control her shaking voice as Kuan Hou-ai continued
to advance closer. "Struggle as much as you can! I think I might be able to get loose!"

"WHAT AKANE THINK SHAMPOO DOING?" she yelled.

Akane ignored her as she concentrated intently on the light above
her own body; keeping herself as still as she possibly could. Shampoo on
the other hand, continued to drain all the energy from Akane's light into hers, continuing her furious struggling.

After only a few seconds, the light above Akane had seemed to dim again, and she found she could move
her wrists quite easily. Concentrating with all her strength, Akane began to pull and tug on the ropes. Which
she found, to her satisfaction, were coming looser by the minute.

Akane lifted her head up to check on the status of the monster. Sure enough it was still coming closer,
albeit at its slow and patient speed. It almost looked like it was taking its time... Like it knew they weren't
going anywhere and had all the time in the world.

Akane actually found herself fighting back a smile. It wouldn't think of them as a easy meal for long...

Smiling triumphantly, she finally managed to slip her hands out of their constraints. Her wrists felt
raw and she was sure she was bleeding; but she didn't have time to worry about that now. Leaning forward slightly,
she reached down and undid the restraints binding her waist, then, sitting up completely, reached down to untie
her ankles.

A loud wailing filled the room, forcing Akane to cut her celebration short. The monster appeared to have
realized she was free from her bindings...

Akane leaped off the table and raced over towards Shampoo who was still struggling relentlessly at
her ropes: She could hear the sound of the monster's pounding footsteps echoing behind her.

Akane began to tug furiously on the ropes that were binding Shampoo.

As much as the Amazon got on her nerves, there was no way she could leave without her.

Shampoo's face was stained with tears, and her body was shaking violently as she watched her worst
nightmare approaching. She was hardly aware that Akane was right beside her, trying her hardest to break her
free from the ropes. "Kuan Hou-ai--" she breathed.

Akane freed one of Shampoo's wrists, and met her eyes with a mixture of sympathy and impatience.
"Please, Shampoo--" she urged, "You *have* to snap out of it! I need your help to get you out of these things!"

Shampoo reached over mechanically with her free hand and untied her other wrist, all the while never
taking her eyes off of the monster that was fast approaching. Next, after both her wrists were free, she leaned
forward slightly to undo the rope binding her waist while Akane moved towards the table to untie her ankles.

And then, her eyes widened in fear as she saw the monster right behind Akane. Its red eyes burning
as it surveyed her, its mouth open-- and its fangs-- bared and ready, drooling with anticipation. She barely
had time to scream, "Akane!" when the monster let out a tremendous wail, lifted up one of its long sharp claws,
and made a well-aimed blow directly at Akane's back...

Akane turned around at the last possible moment, only to see the giant claw coming towards her-- and
did the only thing she could do--

She closed her eyes and screamed.

Shampoo watched in horrified silence as the monster's giant claw continued its downward motion, aimed
directly at Akane's back.

Then watched in shocked surprise as a shimmering shadow appeared a couple feet behind the monster, glowing
a beautiful shade of blue. Suddenly, time seemed to slow as a bright flash of glowing red energy left the shimmering
being and headed straight towards the distracted monster.

Whatever it was the blue shadow had thrown hit the monster from behind, enveloping it completely in the
strange red glow. Kuan Hou-ai was lifted off the ground and dragged back a safe distance away from Akane, before
its fatal strike could connect. Its large mouth hung open-- its teeth bared-- as it roared in anger and disgust,
its red eyes glowing with undeniable fury.

While all this was happening, Akane's eyes had remained glued firmly shut, waiting for the inevitable
blow she was sure was coming. After several strained minutes however, the inevitable pain she'd been expecting
never came and Akane opened one of her eyes warily.

To her surprise, Kuan Hou-ai was no longer there, but a good distance away from her, glowing a
strange shade of red. A few seconds later, the red glow disappeared and the monster hit the floor-- face
first-- with an audible crash, a giant hole burned into its scaly back. Slowly and silently, Shampoo and
Akane watched as the giant monster began to sink into the floor, wisps of smoke rising up around it.

Shampoo tore her gaze away from the disturbing sight and back on the shimmering shadow that had been
standing behind it only moments before.

But the area was empty. There was no one there...

T * * * G

Ranma's heart was pounding in his chest.

He'd been forced to watch as Akane-- his uncute, violent, tomboy of a fiancé-- almost died. Again.

To be perfectly honest, he was still in shock. Everything that had happened... had happened so fast.
The monster approaching Akane as she
helped Shampoo escape-- too stupid and distracted to notice it approaching from behind her-- that, or lack of
skill that prevented her from sensing its presence...

Then again... how could she *not* sense that big ugly monster behind her? Couldn't she have *smelled* it
comin' or something?!

"Akane, you idiot," he muttered softly, watching his fiancé's face intently in the mirror. "What the
hell were you thinking, anyway?"

Ranma took a deep, calming breath. He wasn't sure exactly who he was more angry at: Akane for being
so careless as to almost get killed-- or Gabriel-- for putting them all through hell for a stupid tomboy
like Akane...

What in the world did they all see in her, anyway?

It was bad enough that almost every guy at Furinkan wanted her... And now, to make matters worse,
he had to add another brain dead idiot to the list.

And this one wasn't even from the same frickin' dimension!

Because of this, Ranma had arrived at one very simple conclusion: Boys only liked her because they
were thinking with something other than their heads...

What else could it be?! Every single guy that had ever admitted their undying love to her, had only
been met with violence. And yet... THEY KEPT COMING BACK! What in the world were they thinking?!

Love?

Ha! What a laugh.

Gabriel was just lucky he had saved Akane's life when he did. If he
hadn't stopped the monster from stabbing Akane-- she would be *dead* right now--

Dead.

The reality hit him like a ton of bricks. On the other hand-- the thought of losing her to Gabriel
hurt just as much...

Although... he couldn't even *begin* to fathom why.

And even if Ranma *was* grateful Gabriel had saved her life, what about the next time? If he had been
even a second later with his blast, the Game would have been over. Finished. Kaput. *Both* teams would have lost:
Not only the Game, but Gabriel's precious 'prize.'

Ranma found himself fuming in anger the more he thought about how close Akane had come to being killed.
Gabriel, as much as he might boast about his power, couldn't protect her all the time...

Or could he?

Even *Ranma* hadn't been able to do that!

And what if Gabriel had been here with Ranma arguing, instead of watching the monster attack
Akane? She could very easily have been killed!

Gabriel, of course, would have quickly followed. He didn't care *how* strong this 'prince of shadows'
guy was. If Akane-- or any of the others got hurt-- he'd see to it that he paid... no matter what the cost.

This whole game was one big joke: The circumstances beyond his control.

He hated this. Just HATED it!

He didn't wanna just stand there and watch as Akane and his friends were tortured mentally-- as
well as emotionally-- by having to survive their darkest and deepest fears. Some things were better left alone
and unchallenged. Facing your fears wasn't *always* for the best.

Another question had been nagging at Ranma ever since they'd arrived in this strange new world within
the Game. Why was Gabriel putting them all through this in the first place? If he *was* as powerful as he claimed
to be, then why didn't he just *take* Akane?! Why go through all this pointless hassle?

I mean, even if he *had* taken Akane, that wouldn't have stopped him from going after her... But,
at least he'd be on familiar ground. Having to rescue Akane-- now, *that* he was used to. Akane having to
rescue everyone else-- well, *that* he wasn't...

And the worst thing was... he wasn't sure if she was even up to it. If *he* couldn't even beat
Gabriel-- yet-- he reminded himself, then what kind of chance would Akane have, if any?

With those troubling thoughts, and no answers forthcoming, Ranma turned his attention back on the
mirror, his hands holding it in his iron grip.

Akane would get through this, he assured himself. She had to...

... And he could feel this strong, tearing, pain in his chest. But he was oblivious to what it meant.
He could only watch Akane's troubled face as she quickly stepped out of Shampoo's nightmare and into the bright
hallway outside the room, the pain in his chest worsening with each passing moment...

She *had* to, he repeated silently.

Keeping his eyes fixed firmly on the mirror, Ranma focused all of his energy and will power directly
on Akane, willing her his strength and skill, even though he knew it was a futile effort.

"Damn it," he muttered under his breath in frustration. "I REALLY hate this..."

T * * * G

Akane released a shaky breath as she grabbed a hold of the long table Shampoo had been strapped
against in order to steady herself. "Shampoo?" she asked softly in a voice barely above a whisper, "Do-- do
you know what just happened?"

Shampoo stepped carefully from off the table, her eyes glued to the
spot where Kuan Hou-ai had been standing only moments before. Her
eyes were red and bloodshot, and her hands shaking.

"Shampoo," Akane asked, her worry lighting her face as she placed a comforting hand on Shampoo's
arm. "Are you alright?"

Shampoo remained silent, hesitant to take her eyes off the floor. "Is-- is Akane okay?" Shampoo
asked softly, lifting her eyes from off the floor to meet Akane's startled ones.

Akane smiled encouragingly. "Yeah, sure. I'm alright."

Shampoo returned her smile. "Shampoo glad."

"Come on," Akane urged. "We should get out of here, we *are* still on time limit after all."

Shampoo nodded her head and followed Akane towards the door, its two-sweet peppermint fragrance
filling her senses. "Odd," Shampoo muttered, more to herself than to Akane. "Is like door Shampoo see as
small child in distant village..."

Akane raised her eyebrow in confusion. "Really? Why didn't you mention that before?"

Shampoo gave her a dark look. "Shampoo have more important things on mind."

Akane cleared her throat uncomfortably as she reached for the doorknob. "Well, are you ready?"
she asked.

Shampoo nodded her head. "Shampoo ready," she answered mechanically.

And with that said, Akane opened the door and stepped into the hall.

***
End of Chapter 6
***

Authors Notes
_____________

Questions? Comments? Flames?
Um... don't bother with the Flames though, I'll just ignore them.
I'm not very good with insults.
Special thanks go to my pre-readers, Tom Schauer and Melissa
Cordez who helped me fix A LOT of the mistakes I always make. They also gave me a lot of useful suggestions
and criticism.
Also, Thanks go to Rumiko Takahashi, (for creating the Ranmaverse and all the wonderful characters
in it) and to L.J. Smith (for being one of my favorite authors and for writing so many wonderful books!)
Finally, thanks go to everyone who e-mailed me with praise or just encouraged me... or in some cases
demanded :) I finish this chapter! I REALLY appreciate it!!!!! I just love getting your e-mails!
Chapter 7 coming eventually. (Those of you have been waiting months for this chapter, know *exactly*
what I mean...) My excuses: Same reasons. Because of school and, well... heck, I'm just lazy!

Ja!
____________

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The sense of beauty is a tuning fork in
the brain that hums when we stumble on
something beautiful
- David Gelernter
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

T * * * G
My email:
jewellangela@gmail.com

Homepage:
http://ranma-romance.com

T * * * G

CHAPTER 7