You asked: I delivered.                                                                                                          
So here it is at long last:
Chapter 7 (cue music)

(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 *** 

The dark forest never changes-                                                                                              
for it's with me even now                                                                                                  
Since the evil in the stories                                                                                                    
that I have always read                                                                                                    
(safe and sound, warm in my bed)                                                                                   
Now haunt me in my head.                                                                                                    
-Unknown 

*** Chapter 7 *** 

Shampoo and Akane glanced around the brightly lit hallway, troubled expressions 
marring their usually calm and collected faces. What now? Akane wondered as she 
went over their situation for what seemed the hundredth time. 

The narrow hallway had two directions they could go in: Left or right. But which 
way was the right one? Letting out a frustrated sigh, Akane ran her fingers through 
her hair in exasperation. "All right Shampoo," she sighed. "It looks like we're going
to have to split up. I'll go right and you go left, okay? And if you find _anyone_ stay 
put, alright?" 

Shampoo nodded her head, her expression grave and determined. "Shampoo understand," 
she replied in earnest. Now that her own nightmare was over, she looked like she could 
take on anything.

Akane watched Shampoo's transformation with a mixture of surprise and wonder: The 
Amazon was no longer shaking and trembling in fear, instead, she was standing straight and 
proud-the way she normally stood. It was almost like the nightmare had never taken place. 

Sighing in frustration, not to mention a little envy, Akane turned her eyes away from Shampoo 
and towards the wall-the door they had just exited Shampoo's nightmare from having 
vanished moments before. 

*She* didn't have the luxury of forgetting. _Pretending_ it had never happened was hard 
enough. _Forgetting_ about it all together was simply impossible. 

"Shampoo off now," the other girl announced. Her eyes were shining and she looked eager 
for a fight. "Good luck, Akane," she added indifferently. Without another word, she turned 
around and made her way towards her designated hall-her step, sure and confident. 

Akane watched as Shampoo’s retreating form slowly disappeared from sight; then, with a heavy 
step,headed in the opposite direction-not quite as eager to face the next nightmare as her 
enthusiastic companion. 

T * * * G

Walking down a dark deserted hallway alone was very unnerving. No matter what she said or 
did, she couldn't shake the distinct feeling that someone was watching her. Yet every time she’d 
stop and look around, the hallway would be empty. 

Akane dismissed it as a case of rattled nerves-nothing more-and tried to concentrate on the 
situation at hand. There had to be something she could do to take her mind off the hallway and 
the invisible eyes. But what? 

Then she remembered:

Of course! Gabriel’s riddle! He said if she could solve it, he’d let one of them go. And if it could 
save any of them from this nightmarish place-well, she *had* to figure it out! 

Now... how did it go again? 

The riddle replayed itself in her mind…

I am just two and two. I am hot. I am cold.
I'm the parent of numbers that cannot be told.
I'm a gift beyond measure, a matter of course,
And I'm yielded with pleasure-- when taken by force 

Akane was at a loss. 

What on earth could it mean? 

Water? No. That didn't make any sense. How could water be two and two? And she had 
never heard of it being yielded with pleasure when taken by force... But what else could it be? 

Kicking at the wall with her foot, Akane let out a frustrated sigh. She had always been good with 
riddles before, but now, when she needed the answer the most, the answer escaped her.

“Gabriel, you jerk!” she yelled. Before she even realized what she was doing, Akane was curling 
her hand into a fist and propelling it towards the nearest wall. It wasn’t until she lifted her head 
and opened her eyes that she noticed the perfect spider-cracked hole staring back at her.

Akane surveyed it with a look of surprise as she continued facing the wall. With a deep calming 
breath, she leaned closer, placing both her hands against it while she rested her head on its cool, 
hard surface. “Okay, Akane,” she ordered herself loudly, not caring how foolish she sounded 
talking to herself. “Just calm down. You can’t help anyone if you’re mad. So just think. 
THINK!” 

Pulling herself reluctantly away from the comfort of the wall, she found herself staring at the place 
where her fist had connected. Slowly, Akane smiled. “At least some things don’t change,” she 
grinned. “After all, this house can’t be too magical if I can just punch a hole through it like back 
at home.” 

Turning away, she continued down the hallway, her mind now racing. What I have to do is 
concentrate on the riddle, she reminded herself. After all, if it can save one of them then I have 
to solve it.

Now, let’s see… What can be taken as well as given? Well, a present could, she supposed-but 
there were countless things that could be given as gifts. The trouble was thinking of the right thing…

Knowing Gabriel, it was probably something childishly simple. After all, he obviously expected 
her to solve it. Why else would he have given it to her? 

Akane shuddered as a sudden thought came to mind: What if he just wanted to infuriate 
her further?

No, she thought. That didn’t make any sense. He wouldn’t give her something he knew she 
couldn’t solve... 

... Would he? 

After all, it did seem a little suspicious. Why would he promise to let one of them go if she 
could solve some random riddle? She would've thought he'd think of something that would 
be more to his advantage-something that would give him an edge over her. After all, he had 
a lot to lose if she solved it and nothing at all to gain…

Akane smiled confidently. Well, if Gabriel _was_ planning something, there was no way she 
was going to let him get away with it… 

Of course, in order to assure that, she had to solve the riddle first.

"So," came a familiar voice, startling her. "How do you like my Game so far?" 

Akane turned around in surprise. 

Gabriel was there, standing before her. 

He looked exactly the same-eerily beautiful-but as dangerous as ever. His arms were crossed 
arrogantly over his chest, and he had a smug grin on his face. She could feel the confidence 
she’d felt moments earlier, slowly draining from her body. 

"I've played better," she replied, trying to sound more indifferent than she felt.

Gabriel nodded, amused. 

Akane’s eyes quickly looked him up and down, surprised to see that he'd changed clothes. 
It was the first time she'd seen him wearing something other than black. The clothes he had 
on now were a dark shade of red-a shade she couldn't quite identify: although it looked 
suspiciously like a mixture of blood and rust. He wore an earring in his left ear and had the 
same snake tattoo on his wrist-only now it had switched places. Somehow it had managed 
to go from his right wrist to his left...

Pushing the tattoo to the back of her mind, Akane let her eyes drift over his face-careful to 
stop only briefly on his electric blue eyes-unprepared for the shock it would undoubtedly 
cause. This, however, turned out to be completely unnecessary. For some reason she 
couldn’t quite fathom, he was wearing a pair of dark sunglasses in an almost completely 
darkened hallway. The only trace of light was the faint, dim, glow thrown by several small 
lanterns that were attached to the walls-lanterns which were supposed to light the entire 
passage.

Tearing her eyes away from this strange sight, she focused her attention instead on his broad 
shoulders, and then allowed her eyes to slowly drift over the rest of him-his strong neck, his 
firm jaw-until finally she was looking at his mouth, which at the moment, was curled into an 
arrogant grin.

Akane’s eyes widened. Wait a minute! she thought frantically. His mouth! His lips! Of course! 
How could she not have seen it before? She had it. She had the answer to his riddle! 

An amused laugh brought her celebration to a sudden halt as she realized just why Gabriel 
was laughing. 

"Do you like what you see?" he asked slyly, his grin widening. 

Akane blushed, remembering just *where* her attention had been directed. "Of course 
not," she replied with a wave of her hand, trying to sound as disgusted with the thought as 
she could. "By the way," she continued, returning his smile with one of her own. "I've solved 
your riddle." 

Gabriel removed his sunglasses. "Is that so..." 

Akane grinned triumphantly. "Of course," she replied casually. "And it's *not* yielded with 
pleasure when taken by force." 

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?" he asked. "What isn't?" 

"A kiss." 

Gabriel gave her a seductive smile as he took a step towards her. Akane, not liking the look 
in his eyes, took a step back in retaliation. 

"So," she began uneasily. "You-you said if I solved your riddle you'd let one of them go..." 

Gabriel laughed softly. "Wrong," he replied. "I said if you *gave* me the answer I'd let one 
of them go." 

Akane stared at him blankly and then her mouth fell open in surprise-the implication of his 
words finally sinking in. "You tricked me," she said coldly. 

Gabriel shrugged. "Actually, you misinterpreted my words." 

Akane glared at him, too angry to speak. 

"So," Gabriel continued, taking another step towards her. "Are you ready to give me the 
answer? Or are you going to forfeit the one chance I'm giving you to let one of your friends go?" 

She could tell from his cocky expression that he already knew what her answer 
would be: He thought she was going to give in.

…And was she?

Akane swallowed uncomfortably at the thought. 

The fact that everyone was here because of her made this decision all the more difficult. If it 
could get one of them out-well, she had to at least consider it. After all, it was just one kiss… 
And then she’d never have to do it again. 

“Well?” Gabriel prompted. “What’s your decision?”

“I-I haven’t decided yet,” she replied softly. “Besides, even if I do agree, how can I be sure 
you’ll keep your promise? How can I be sure you’ll really let one of them go?” 

Gabriel took a confident step towards her and extended his hand, a small red rose held 
lightly in his fingers. “Because of this,” he replied, holding the rose out for her to take. “This rose 
is my promise. It’s as binding as a contract.”

Akane eyed the flower critically, unsure what to make of it. “So,” she broached slowly, 
determined to get all of the facts- as strange as they were-correct. “If I take the flower, you have to 
do what you promise, right? You can’t go back on your 
word no matter what?”

Gabriel soundlessly nodded. 

“Well, what’s it going to be?” he asked again, his patience slowly dwindling as he 
twirled the rose between his fingers impatiently. “The clock’s ticking you know.” 

The sound of a grandfather clock screaming its hour echoed throughout the hall; 
a piercing reminder. 

Akane quickly looked up from the floor, her indecisiveness temporarily forgotten. It wasn’t 
the tolling of the clock that caught her attention or the knowing look Gabriel was throwing 
her way; but faintly, just over the hum of the chimes, she thought she could hear a familiar 
disembodied voice calling out to her. 

“Kasumi?” she whispered shakily, a cold hard fear gripping her-the time limit completely 
forgotten. Akane began to look around, searching desperately for the source of the sound. 
“Kasumi?” she repeated, her voice growing louder, more frantic. “Kasumi, where are you?” 

Gabriel withdrew his rose, watching Akane with amusement. “You don’t have to worry, 
you know,” he replied. A hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. 
“She’s not in any danger. Well, not yet,” he added with a laugh.

“So, she’s alright then?” Akane asked anxiously, looking imploringly at Gabriel. “She’s not 
hurt?”

Gabriel nodded. “She’s alive if that’s what you mean. A little confused, but isn’t she always?”

“Then why did I just hear her?” Akane demanded, her anger quickly returning. “Where is 
she?”

Gabriel sighed in annoyance, his eyebrow slightly twitching. “I’ve already told you,” he replied
impatiently, “She’s wandering around the house-waiting for her nightmare to begin. They all are.”

“Well, I have to go and find her,” Akane replied. Without thinking, she started walking 
past Gabriel-headed in the direction her sister’s voice had come from. 

“Not so fast,” said Gabriel, his voice dark with irritation at being ignored. 

Almost without warning, the hallway began to get colder, the air heavier, and the light dimmer; 
and then a strange mist started to permeate throughout the surrounding room. Akane stopped 
dead in her tracks, her body frozen in place. “What in the world do you think you’re doing?” 
she demanded angrily. Glaring over at Gabriel, she tried in vain to move her arms and legs. 

“I believe we were in the middle of an important negotiation,” Gabriel replied icily. “Or have 
you already forgotten?” 

Akane shuddered but said nothing. She could feel the suddenly cold atmosphere of the 
hallway-as well as Gabriel’s cold stare-seeping into every bone in her body. 

“Now,” Gabriel continued, giving her a cold smile, his momentary anger disappearing as 
quickly as it had come. “I said she’s safe. For now,” he added. “But that doesn’t mean 
she won’t be in danger later. This of course, brings us back to our original topic of 
discussion.”

“There’s no way I’m kissing you,” Akane interrupted. There was one emotion more 
powerful than indecision: anger. 

“This isn’t a decision you want to take lightly,” Gabriel warned. 

“What makes you think that I am?” she shot back.

Scowling, Gabriel jerked his wrists, motioning towards the nearest wall. Suddenly 
Akane found herself thrown against it, her back pressing against its cold surface, as 
a loud piercing, ringing began in her head. Gabriel moved in front of her and stretched 
out his arms, pinning her to the spot. 

Akane stared at him in horror, her anger quickly reverting to fear.

Gabriel’s lips curled into a smile, his eyes shining as he watched her. “I told you not to 
take this decision lightly,” he reminded her, his smile widening. “You’d be wise to reconsider.... 
I would hate to feel responsible for any unnecessary deaths.”

Akane quickly looked away, uncomfortable with the force of his gaze. “This is your 
world Gabriel,” she said at last, her hands slowly curling into fists at her sides. “Everything that 
happens here is your fault. You can’t pin everything that happens here 
on me-or try to intimidate me into doing what you want.”

Gabriel laughed. “Wrong again,” he replied, his voice taking on a dangerous edge. 
The mist was growing steadily thicker. “You’re in my world for a reason, Akane: Remember 
that. Everything that happens here could have easily been avoided.” 

Akane‘s fists tightened.

“Now,” Gabriel continued, a small smile playing across his face. “Are you going 
to give me the answer to my riddle or do I need to be a little more persuasive?”

Akane lifted her eyes from the floor. What would he do if she refused again? She 
could feel the cold air and mist surrounding her, suffocating her.

“Well?” he prompted. His voice was low and hypnotic-not a trace of impatience left. 

She could feel her legs weaken as her mind began to grow hazy-and she closed her
eyes in an attempt to clear her head. “No,” she said at last, although her voice was 
barely above a whisper and she couldn’t quite remember what she was saying no 
to.

“Look at me when you say it.” Gabriel spoke softly, his voice soothing yet firm. Akane 
shook her head slowly, her stubbornness temporarily overpowering her fear. 
“Akane,” he said again, this time more forcefully. “Look at me.” 

Akane, despite herself, obeyed. 

She wasn’t sure what she expected to see when she opened her eyes, but it certainly 
wasn’t this: Gabriel was holding out another beautiful long-stemmed rose, this one even 
more beautiful than the last…   

Akane gasped as she watched the mist envelope itself around its petals, unable to tear 
her eyes away. 

“Here, take it.” Gabriel said, smiling as he held it out to her. Akane reached tentatively for 
the rose, her eyes wide with wonder. Just before she was about to touch it, however, 
Gabriel pulled it back, his eyes twinkling mischievously. “Not so fast,” he said, shaking his
finger, “I need something in return first.”

Akane stared at him blankly. “Something in return?” she asked.

Gabriel nodded his head slowly as he leaned towards Akane. “Just one kiss,” he whispered, 
stroking her cheek with the rose. “One kiss and it’s yours-just one, and someone can leave.”

The mist was growing thicker, the coldness, stifling. “One kiss,” she repeated softly, her heart 
racing.

Gabriel silently nodded as he withdrew the rose, his fingers lightly tracing the path the rose 
had left on her cheek. 

Feeling weak in the knees, Akane pressed her hands flat against the wall; trying, uselessly, 
to keep herself from collapsing. Within seconds, she had lost the battle and felt her entire 
body betray her as she finally sank to her knees, her back completely against the wall. 

Gabriel smiled as he kneeled before her. Slowly and gently, he moved the rose to her other 
cheek and then began to trail it down the side of her neck. Moments later, she could feel the 
slight brush of Gabriel’s fingers as they followed the path of his rose-warm and soft against 
her skin.

Akane’s body felt like it was on fire-every place the rose touched seemed to send shivers 
coursing throughout her body. She wasn’t sure what to do-all she knew was that she had 
to get away from Gabriel. She couldn’t think straight when he was so close. 

Her body, however, refused to listen, and her eyes, despite herself, kept returning to his lips.

She couldn’t think of anything any more… anything except how nice it would feel to have 
Gabriel’s lips against hers-how warm and how sweet it would taste-and how soft-soft, just 
like rose petals…

... Like the rose petals she could feel brushing against her lips at that very moment. 

Smiling softly down at her, Gabriel lowered the rose from her lips and gently lifted her chin 
with his fingers. His eyes, which were more brilliant than she had ever imagined, slowly began 
to close, and she watched helplessly as his head began to move towards her. 

Suddenly, something in her head clicked, and Akane felt herself jerk awake, the haze quickly 
disappearing. “NO!” she screamed, knocking the rose out of Gabriel’s hand, as she simultaneously 
pushed him away.

There was no *way* she was going to let Gabriel touch her! Especially not after everything he was 
putting them through… her family, her friends, Ranma… 

Ranma! “Oh no,” she moaned, realizing what she’d almost done. “I can’t believe I almost fell for 
that!” 

She briefly glanced up at Gabriel who was now standing angrily before her, his blue eyes blazing. 
"Well," he replied, "Should I take that as a no then?" Akane looked away, slightly embarrassed, 
but forced herself to stand up. “Of course it’s a no!” she replied hotly, refusing to look him in the 
eyes. 

A look of annoyance quickly flitted across Gabriel's face but was soon replaced with one of cool 
indifference. "Not even to save one of their lives?" he asked again, disbelieving. 

Akane shook her head. "It would be the same as giving up," she shot back. "It would be like saying 
I don't think I can beat your game, and I will," she vowed. "I'll beat you and this game, and get 
everyone out of it safely-*without* your help." She said the last word like it was a bad taste she 
wanted to get out of her mouth. 

Gabriel shook his head. "You're a fool," he deadpanned. 

Akane shrugged carelessly. "Maybe... but if you thought I would give in to you so easily, then you 
don't know me as well as you claim to." 

Gabriel frowned in consternation as he abruptly walked past Akane. "One of them *will* die," he 
reminded her as he opened a door in a wall that hadn't been there before. "You'd be wise to 
remember that, Akane," he warned. 

Without another word Gabriel stepped inside the door, slamming it shut behind him. 

Curling her hand into a fist at her side, Akane drove it angrily into the nearest wall, releasing all her
pent up anger and frustration. "That stupid jerk!" she yelled. Tears were beginning to fall from 
her eyes, despite her best effort to hold them back.

Akane wiped her tear-stained face dry with her sleeve and continued down the hallway, 
determined more than ever to find another person. All she wanted now was to leave 
Gabriel and this nightmarish, twisted, world behind forever.

T * * * G

It felt like she had been walking forever. Her eyes, which had quickly 
adjusted to the darkness of the hall, were now growing tired and sore. 
Her impatience and anger, however, never wavered-and the more time 
she spent wandering the same narrow hallway without a trace of anyone, 
the more frustrated she found herself becoming. She had to find someone… 
and she had to find them fast. The longer she walked, the more time she 
could feel slipping through her fingers.

“Is anyone out there?” she yelled again, her voice now growing hoarse. “Can 
anyone hear me?” 

Ignoring the scratching feeling in her throat, Akane took another deep breath, 
cupped her hands around her mouth and tried yelling again as loud as she could. 

“HEELLLOOOO?!”

 “Heeelllooo!!” 

Akane stopped dead in her tracks. 

The voice that answered her, for once, wasn’t her own. 

She scanned the length of the hallway, her eyes straining, searching for anyone 
or anything that didn’t resemble the familiar shape of the hanging lanterns. And then, 
she saw it: further down the hallway was the faint outline of a person. At least… 
she _thought_ it was a person. From this distance, it looked more like a blurry, 
indistinguishable blob.

Without a second thought Akane began to run. Within moments, the blurry figure 
had taken shape and the distinct outline of a person could clearly be distinguished. It took 
even less time to realize that the other person was running towards her too-
someone who was wearing a big, giant spatula strapped to their back. Akane smiled, relieved. 

“Ukyo!” she shouted, waving.

Finally, Ukyo and Akane came face to face, both girls breathing heavily. Ukyo bent down 
and placed her hands on her knees, fighting to catch her breath. “Hey there, Sugar,” she replied, 
straightening up. “So… where is everyone? I’ve been running around forever!”

Akane smiled, relieved to have found someone at last. “So far I’ve only been able to find Shampoo. 
But after we finished her nightmare, we split up and started looking for everyone. And you’re the 
first one I’ve found.”

”Nightmare?” Ukyo asked in surprise, “You mean it’s really true? We actually have to go through 
with these crazy things?” 

“Yeah, unfortunately,” she replied, frowning. It didn’t take her long to fill Ukyo in on Gabriel’s
Game, Shampoo’s horrible nightmare, and the resulting time limit-although she purposely left 
out certain details about her and Gabriel’s several encounters. After all, she didn’t want her to 
get the wrong idea …

Ukyo listened quietly to every word, her eyes intense and focused. By the end of it, however, 
she looked disgusted and livid with anger. “That stupid creep!” she replied, gripping the 
handle of her spatula tightly. “He better not come near me or I’ll knock him unconscious!” 

Akane shook her head regretfully. “I’m afraid your spatula wouldn’t do much good,” she 
replied. “He’s much more powerful than anyone we’ve ever faced before. Even Ranma 
couldn’t beat him.”

“Poor Ran-Chan,” Ukyo sighed. Unconsciously, the grip on her spatula loosened. 
“He’s probably worried sick about me! Have you seen him at all since he disappeared?”

“No,” Akane replied, trying hard to ignore Ukyo’s last comment. “But Gabriel said he’s 
in the attic somewhere, so he’ll probably be the last one we find.”

“Well, I doubt that!” said Ukyo, smiling proudly. “I’m sure Ran-chan will make Gabriel 
pay for what he’s putting us through! Actually, I wouldn’t be surprised if Ran-Chan 
managed to get away and came walking down this hallway this very minute!”

“Nihao!” a loud, cheerful voice exclaimed. Ukyo felt a tap on the shoulder, and turned 
around to see Shampoo standing behind her. “Oh, it’s you,” she said unenthusiastically, 
disappointment clear on her face.

“Shampoo!” Akane exclaimed, for once glad to see the Amazon. “Did you just get 
here too?” 

The Chinese Amazon nodded. “Shampoo glad she finds you.”

“Did you find Ran-Chan?” Ukyo asked hopefully. 

“No find Ranma,” she replied, shaking her head. “But Shampoo find door!”

“Really?” Akane asked excitedly. She hadn’t seen a door since Gabriel managed to 
conjure one out of thin air after their latest encounter.

Shampoo nodded her head emphatically. “Yes. Door back that way,” she said, 
motioning in the direction she had just come from. 

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Akane asked, relieved to be one step closer to 
defeating Gabriel. Shampoo nodded her head as she led the way; Ukyo trailed close 
behind, although a bit hesitantly. 

It didn’t take very long for them to reach their destination. “This door wasn’t here a 
minute ago,” Ukyo said, looking suspiciously at the entrance that stood before them.

“This whole place is like this,” said Akane, turning her gaze to Ukyo. “Everything 
shifts and changes.”

”Then how do we know this isn’t a door that we’ve already come through?”

Shampoo shrugged. “Is one way find out.”

Ukyo stood off to the side and watched nervously as Shampoo placed her hand 
on the doorknob; Akane stood in a defensive position, prepared to attack if anything 
happened to jump out at them. Then the door was swung open.
 
Akane gasped in surprise. 

Inside the door was a deep lush forest. 

Ukyo took a deep breath as she walked slowly towards the open door, hesitant to 
enter. Shampoo surveyed her rival contemptuously. “Ukyo afraid of forest? Is for real?”

Ukyo glared angrily at the Amazon and removed her giant spatula from its safety 
harness, holding it before her in a threatening gesture. “And I suppose being afraid of some 
legendary monster is better, huh?”

“Come on, you guys,” Akane said, stepping between the two. “This is really no 
time for a fight. We really need to get going.” Akane turned towards Ukyo, her voice taking 
on an authority that would have made Nabiki proud. “So what did you draw, Ukyo?  I 
guess it’s safe to assume that a monster wasn’t part of your nightmare, right?”

Ukyo nodded her head. “That’s right. No monster in these woods…”

“Well that’s good then, isn’t it?” Akane asked, smiling. “So what are battling 
this time?” she asked, her voice turning grave. “An evil gremlin, a cursed genie, 
some evil Okonomiyaki chef you’ve had a grudge with since childhood?”

Ukyo shook her head. “No, no. Nothing like that,” she sighed.

“Well then, what is it?” Akane asked, growing impatient. “What did you draw for 
your nightmare?”

Shampoo crossed her arms against her chest haughtily. “Is obvious what Ukyo most 
afraid of.”

Ukyo and Akane glanced at each other in surprise then looked back at Shampoo. “Oh, 
so you know me so well, do you?” Ukyo asked sarcastically, crossing her hands against 
her chest in contempt. “Then please, enlighten us.”

“Ukyo afraid Ranma choose Shampoo. Is obvious.”

Ukyo laughed softly. “Where did you get that stupid idea? It’s obvious Ranma-honey 
loves me. Why would I be afraid of losing him to some hot-headed hussy like you?”

Shampoo narrowed her violet eyes. “Ukyo best be careful,” she replied, her words 
sharp like ice. “Before _Shampoo_ become Ukyo worst nightmare.”

Ukyo tightened her grip on her spatula as she took a menacing step towards Shampoo.
“Well, then,” she replied, smiling. “This is one nightmare I’m going to enjoy beating to a pulp.”

“That’s enough!” Akane shouted, placing herself once more in between the two angry rivals. 
“We don’t have time for this! We’re on a TIME LIMIT remember?! And we STILL have 
to find Kasumi, Nabiki, Ryoga and Ranma before we can get out of here! We don’t have 
TIME for stupid fights!”

Shampoo and Ukyo lowered their heads sheepishly. 

Shampoo broke the uneasy silence by speaking first. “Akane right. Shampoo no want 
be stuck in shadow world forever. Is important to know what we fight against.” 

Akane looked at Ukyo expectantly. “Come on, Ukyo. We need to know.”

Ukyo looked down at the floor, avoiding her eyes.

“Fine,” Akane replied, her patience gone. “If you’re not going to tell us then I guess 
we’ll have to find out for ourselves.” With a resolute step she began to make her way into the forest. 

Shampoo nodded. “We no get anywhere standing in doorway.”

Ukyo nodded as she slowly began to follow them, soft dirt crunching beneath the 
soles of her feet. Suddenly, with a deafening bang, the door slammed shut behind them, causing 
all three girls to turn around in surprise. Ukyo quickly ran back to the door, trying in vain to 
reopen it as Akane looked on helplessly. “Is no use,” Shampoo explained, watching with an 
air of disdain. 

Ukyo leaned against the door dejectedly, her eyes glancing around the forest uneasily. 
“What are we suppose to do if we have to get out of here?” 

Akane sighed, feeling guilty despite herself. “Sorry. Guess we should have warned 
you this would happen.” 

“Only time door open is when Ukyo beat nightmare. *If* Ukyo beat nightmare,” 
Shampoo added snidely.

“Anyway Ukyo,” Akane said, glaring at Shampoo, “what was it about this forest 
that made you pick it for your nightmare? I always thought you were comfortable in the woods… 
With all the training you do and everything.”

Ukyo slowly moved away from the door, her eyes tired and worried. “Well, to be honest, 
I’m not really afraid of the woods. I *did* draw a forest, true, but it’s only because 
I couldn’t think of anything else to draw. That’s why I’m a little worried. I have 
no idea what’s ahead.”

Movement came from within the woods, and everyone stopped, stiffening.

“Well, whatever your nightmare is,” Akane said softly, “I have a feeling we’re about 
to find out.”


***
End of Chapter 7
***


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. 
	Now to give credit where credit is due: 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 of her wonderful books!)	
	I’ve been working on this chapter for so long, I haven’t even started the next 
one yet. But please, bear with me. I promise to get this story done eventually… 

Ja!
____________

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                             	              The only thing that defines reality
                                                          is our perception of it

			               -Daniel Beauchamp
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My email:
jewellangela@gmail.com

Homepage:
http://ranma-romance.com
 

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CHAPTER 8