------------------------
The Perfect Warrior
Chapter 7: Every Silver Lining
------------------------

	"Reach out with your mind!  How many times do I have to tell 
you!"  The boulders slammed into the students again, and a large crack 
formed in one of the rocks.  With a great noise, the boulder exploded, 
sending echoes resonating throughout the valley.  A pattering of small 
pebbles and rocks raining down was heard, and Ruby smiled.  "Good job, 
Winter!"  She lowered the rope for Winter's boulder, and two Amazons 
below rolled another rock onto it and secured it in place even as Ruby 
kept the rest of the rocks swinging at the students.

	After three days of training, only one student had mastered the 
Bakusai Tenketsu, which was fairly typical.  Winter was one of her 
older students, and she had shown through over the past hour and a half 
that she not only knew the technique, but that she knew it well and 
could perform it every time she was called upon to.  She had passed the 
training, but she would still continue practicing until the end of the 
day.

	She swung the boulders again, intending that this be the final 
try before she let the students rest for a few minutes.  Winter's rock 
had not yet been hoisted up yet, so predictably, all of the boulders 
smashed into the students- except for one near the end: Ranma's.

	She smiled, feeling somewhat relieved.  She had been somewhat 
surprised at Ranma's slow speed in mastering the technique.  He seemed 
to do everything so well, it had surprised her that he had not mastered 
it the first day.  Now that he had succeeded, she let herself breathe a 
little easier.

	The light that had enveloped Ranma and the boulder expanded, and 
Ruby heard the loud crack of the boulder splitting.  She waited to hear 
the pitter-patter of pebbles falling to the ground, but it didn't come.

	Once the light faded, she saw that Ranma was obscured by a grey 
haze that was quickly expanding even as it slowly descended to the 
ground.  There was no sound of pebbles, and Ruby's eyes widened as she 
realized that Ranma had not shattered the rock- he had disintegrated 
it.  There was nothing remaining now but dust.  It was unlike anything 
she had ever seen before.

	After a couple seconds of gaping, she regained her voice.  "Very 
good, Ranma," she said, pulling the ropes taut to allow the students a 
break from the constant pounding.

	The dust haze faded, but the destructive force of Ranma's Bakusai 
Tenketsu still disturbed her greatly.  The technique was accomplished 
by directing a small bit of one's own ki into the breaking point of the 
rock.  The problem was, a person's emotions influenced the way their ki 
flowed and the way it affected the outside world.  Anger made one's ki 
more destructive, and Ranma's little demonstration had shown that his 
ki was extremely destructive.

	She had known that Ranma was an angry person- angry at his 
father, and angry at the world.  Yet he had always kept it under tight 
control, and so she had come to ignore it and trust that he could take 
care of himself.  Now she wondered just how much anger he had boiling 
in him, and whether his focus and control would be able to hold it 
forever.

	She lowered the rope for Ranma's rock, directing the people below 
to load another boulder onto it as well.  For now, she would proceed as 
normal, but she resolved to talk to Cologne as soon as possible.  She 
wasn't completely sure what to make of Ranma's Bakusai Tenketsu, but 
realized that if he ever lost control of his anger, or let it loose on 
purpose, he would be incredibly dangerous- a berserker unlike anything 
the Amazons had ever seen.

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

	"Hyaaa!"

	Lilac charged, and Mousse stepped back one step into a defensive 
position.  He withdrew a long staff from his cavernous sleeves, facing 
the oncoming matriarch.

	When Lilac was a few feet away, he thrust his staff out, catching 
her in the leg.  It was a trivial hit, one that would never slow a 
serious attacker down, until he flicked his wrists slightly and sent 
the matriarch flying over his head.

	Adjusting herself in midair, Lilac landed a few feet away, 
unhurt.  "You have mastered the principles of force redirection well.  
But you haven't mastered the timing!"  She walked up and bopped Mousse 
on the head with her staff, and he winced.  "You didn't wait long 
enough!  Watch.  I'll attack again, you counter as you did before."

	She charged, and again Mousse waited until she was a few feet 
away before he attacked.  This time, Lilac dodged the staff easily and 
before he could blink, she was within his defenses, her own staff 
poking at his neck.  "You're dead," she said, chuckling as she twisted 
the staff point, grinding it into his neck.  He stepped back, and 
rubbed the sore spot on his neck and gave her an injured look.

	"Oh, don't look at me like that, boy.  I'm just making sure you 
remember your lessons."  She smiled, but it was not a reassuring smile, 
and Mousse felt goosebumps rise on his skin.  He hated when she smiled; 
it always made him wonder what she was up to.  Of course, he mused, it 
wasn't like she was ever NOT up to something.

	"You must wait to attack until I'm too close to do anything about 
it.  You want your opponent completely helpless against the strike, or 
he'll get through.  Now, try again- remember, wait until I'm closer 
this time."

	She attacked, and Mousse was temporarily thrown off guard by the 
blinding speed with which she moved.  He regained his composure, braced 
himself, and moved to attack.

	THWACK!  The matriarch's staff clubbed him in the head, and he 
fell backwards to the ground.

	"You waited too long that time, boy!  Can't you get this right?"

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

	It was several days before Ruby had the opportunity to speak to 
Cologne.  They had not spoken since their recent fight, and when Ruby 
entered the Matriarch's hut she sensed the memory of their argument 
lingering in the atmosphere, like a foul stench that refused to go 
away.  She bowed formally, then sat down near the Matriarch and waited 
for the elder woman to speak.

	"Hello, Ruby.  Things are going well, I hope."

	Ruby knelt down, facing her elder.  "Better than I expected, 
Matriarch.  I'm confident that the children will be ready in just a few 
short weeks."

	"Good," Cologne said.  "We all appreciate your efforts, Ruby.  I 
know it isn't easy for you."

	For a moment, an awkward silence lingered between them.  "They 
all completed the Bakusai Tenketsu training," replied the younger 
Amazon, attempting to steer the subject away from thornier issues.  
"We're due to start the Amaguriken training in three days."

	Cologne smiled tolerantly, and folded her hands over her lap.  
"I'm glad to hear it."

	There was silence between them again, and Ruby coughed.  "The 
training's going fine-- that's not what I wanted to talk to you about.  
It's about Ranma."

	"I see," the Matriarch replied.  "How is our adopted trainee 
doing these days?"

	"On the outside, he's fine.  His training is going well, and he 
will make a great warrior for the Amazon nation."

	"But that's not what concerns you," Cologne studied her 
granddaughter with an even gaze.  "Something else about him is 
bothering you."

	Ruby hesitated.  "Yes, Matriarch.  He is too angry."

	Cologne raised an eyebrow questioningly.  "What do you mean, 
'too angry'?"

	"When he mastered the Bakusai Tenketsu, he didn't just shatter 
the rock," she answered, "he disintegrated it.  There was nothing left 
but dust."  She paused and watched Cologne's expression, but it didn't 
change.

	"Continue, please," said the Matriarch.

	"It means his ki is very angry," she said.  "You know this, 
Matriarch!"

	"Yes," Cologne answered, "but I wanted to hear you say it."  
She smiled slightly, but her expression was as unreadable as Ranma's.  
"We have known since the beginning that Ranma is disturbed," she went 
on, "this is not news.  His anger is what has allowed him to reach the 
level that he is at now, and is one of the reasons why we brought him 
into the tribe in the first place."

	"I understand this," Ruby argued, "but his anger is also very 
dangerous.  If he were to ever lose control... I doubt that the entire 
Amazon nation working together could stop him."

	"He would be a powerful weapon against the Musk, would he not?"

	Ruby looked at her elder in astonishment.  "Is that what you're 
planning to do?!  Turn Ranma into a berserker and let him loose against 
the Musk?!"

	Cologne held up her hand.  "Relax, child.  I have no intention of 
doing that to Ranma.  I only wanted to make the point that Ranma's 
anger is not entirely a bad thing.  What we must teach him to do is 
harness it-- to control it.  If he can do this, he would be more 
powerful than any berserker, and it would be certainly be better for 
the child."

	"I understand, Matriarch," said Ruby quietly.  "I did not mean to 
raise my voice.  But I feel that something must be done to help Ranma 
get rid of his anger, rather than simply helping him to control it."

	"Two things, Ruby.  First, Ranma's anger is one of his best 
assets, from a warrior's point of view.  It lends him focus, 
determination, and a strength that is almost unheard of in a person as 
young as him.  The second thing--" she raised her hand, cutting off 
Ruby's impassioned reply-- "is that despite our occasional 
disagreements, I trust you, and value what you have to say.  I know you 
have the boy's best interests in mind, but understand that I must keep 
the interests of the entire Amazon nation in mind."

	"I understand that, but you mustn't do this to the boy," Ruby 
whispered harshly.  "You're placing the weight of the entire Amazon 
nation on him, and that's not fair!"

	"Life isn't fair," Cologne snapped.  "I admit that the boy has a 
lot of expectations on his shoulders, but that is precisely why he is 
here!  If you haven't forgotten, granddaughter, we don't just adopt any 
stranger who happens to go waltzing by our village.  Ever since the day 
he got here, I have expected Ranma to turn the tide of this war."

	"And the other Amazon trainees?" Ruby asked.  "My daughter, 
Winter, Jasmine, what about all of them?  What do they mean to your 
master plan?  Or are they just Ranma's backup?!"

	"Of course not," Cologne snarled.  "We Amazons will fight our own 
war, but in Ranma we have the potential to turn the tide of this battle 
once and for all.  We will use him, not submit to him."

	Ruby looked at her elder incredulously.  "You want the best of 
both worlds, Cologne.  You do not want Ranma to dominate the other 
warriors, yet you expect him to be the one to lead us to victory.  You 
can't have it both ways!"

	"Respect your elders, child!" the Matriarch snapped.  "I have had 
to warn you about this before, and now I will do so again.  I am your 
elder, and you will not raise your voice to me again!!"

	Ruby clenched her fists, and did not say anything for several 
seconds as she struggled to control her anger.  "You claim to value 
what I have to say," she hissed, "but you do not listen to a word of 
it."  She stood quickly, bowing before Cologne could respond.  "If you 
will excuse me, Matriarch, I will not waste any more of your time."

	She spun on her heel, walking out and leaving Cologne sitting in 
stunned silence.  For a long time, the Matriarch sat there, then she 
slowly, deliberately shuffled through a pile of scrolls before she 
found the one she was looking for.  Making a few changes, she wondered 
how Ruby would react to this latest development.  It would help Ranma, 
certainly, and it might even be beneficial for Shampoo, but she doubted 
Ruby would be happy about it.  Her granddaughter was far too hard to 
please.

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

	It was eight weeks after Cologne's fateful announcement that the 
students' marathon training regime finally came to an end.  Through the 
past two months, the pace of the training had been blistering for both 
teachers and students, never slowing down for more than a single day 
before picking up again at a frantic pace.  Weapons training, endurance 
training, unarmed combat- it was all covered as thoroughly as possible 
in the short time allotted.

	Then there were the secret techniques, which represented the 
hardest training sessions of all.  Each one was not just a physical 
technique, forcing the students to push themselves to new levels of 
strength and speed, they were also mental exercises.  While learning 
them, the students found themselves having to adopt new ways of 
thinking and viewing the world.  It all made for a very rough period of 
time, and so it was with a palpable sense of relief that one cool, 
crisp autumn night the students gathered for a ceremony of passage that 
would signal the end of the training and officially mark them as 
full-fledged Amazon warriors.

	To Shampoo, it had kind of a hollow ring-- to her, "Amazon 
warrior" meant "adult," and despite her status in the class as the 
second-strongest fighter only to Ranma, she still felt very much like a 
child.  In her mind, being an adult meant being wise, confident, 
self-reliant, and and a thousand other qualities she didn't have.

	Still, despite her doubts, she couldn't help but feel a sense of 
pride at her accomplishment, and as the students were led through the 
village the sense of excitement among them grew.  After what seemed 
like hours of waiting, they were led through the village to an open 
clearing where a group of small fires burned low.  Doing as they had 
been instructed beforehand, the students quietly formed two 
semicircles-- one inside the other, in front of the main fire.  Two 
other fires, each one slightly larger than the main one, were on either 
side, set back a bit from the semicircle and the main fire.  Behind 
them stood Amazon warriors, fully dressed in ceremonial battle armor 
and war paint.  The fires dimly lit their faces from underneath, giving 
them a fearsome look that was increased by the war paint.  The overall 
effect gave them something of an otherworldly look, as though they were 
awesome spirits sent on a quest from heaven itself, seeking to bring 
vengeance down upon some great, unseen enemy.

	The field was large, and the fires scarcely managed to light half 
of it, but around the edge of the field Shampoo could barely make out 
the dim outlines of other warriors.  She felt more than she saw their 
presence; maybe fifty Amazons surrounding them in a great ring.  The 
entire area pulsed with energy and anticipation of the coming event, 
and as the seconds passed it increased to a head, bringing with it no 
noise but only a subtle energy reflected in her quickened heartbeat, 
her sweaty palms, and a tingling that seemed to come from nowhere and 
completely envelop them all.

	Then, as if called upon by an unseen force, the central fire 
flared up, and Shampoo was momentarily blinded by its brightness.  But 
she did not flinch, and when her vision returned, her mother was 
standing behind the fire, decked out in full battle gear just like the 
two Amazons behind the other fires.  Then, like a whisper over the 
wind, she heard her great-grandmother's voice, but strain as she might 
she could not tell where it was coming from.

	"Tonight," said the Matriarch, "each of you stands at a gateway.  
The first chapter of your life is closing, and soon will begin the next 
chapter-- your life as an Amazon warrior."

	Then the voice found a focus, and Shampoo was startled to see 
that Cologne was now on her cane in front of the fire, dressed in a 
long, ornate Matriarch's robe.  "Your gateway is in this fire," Cologne 
said, and lifted her hand.  With that, Ruby raised her arm, a gleaming 
piece of metal hidden in her closed fist.  "This medallion represents 
your adulthood, and your new status within the Amazon tribe.  Retrieve 
it, and you will be recognized as a true Amazon warrior."

	There was no option for failure-- Shampoo knew that.  She didn't 
know anyone who ever had failed the final, simple test, which was more 
of a ceremonial rite rather than an actual test of skill anyway.

	"Tonight," Cologne continued, "three thousand years of proud 
Amazon history are being placed on your shoulders.  You have been 
trained well for this occasion, and the fact that are here shows our 
belief that you are indeed ready for this burden and this 
responsibility."  Shampoo couldn't help but wonder if this was an 
attempt to reassure them, in light of the fact that at fourteen years 
of age, they were the youngest children to be designated as full 
warriors in Amazon history.

	Ruby unclenched her fist, and the small medallion fell into the 
center of the fire, sending sparks flying into the air.  "Autumn, step 
forward."

	The bully whom she and Ranma had often fought with was the first 
member of their group to be called forward, and when she did so, her 
eyes shone orange against the light of the fire.  She strode forward 
unhesitatingly, and for the first time, Shampoo admired the girl-- no, 
the woman-- for her courage.  Even though she was the first to be 
called forward, she showed no sign of fear or nervousness, only a 
steely determination that carried no haughtiness or pretensions.  
Tonight, they were warriors, and they were equals.

	Perhaps it was that the long months of training had wrought a 
change in all of them.  Even before tonight, conflicts between students 
in the classes had dwindled to almost nothing.  Could it be that 
tonight was the final step in a long path toward maturity?

	No, it was a step, but not the final one.  There was still a long 
way to go-- she still had things to learn, but she would learn them as 
an adult, as a warrior, rather than as a child.  This might be a step 
into the next chapter of their lives, as Cologne had said, but it was 
by no means the final chapter.

	"Do you choose to accept the path laid before you tonight?"

	Autumn did not respond.  Instead, with a loud yell-- not of pain, 
but of strength-- she reached into the center of the fire, quicker than 
a normal eye could follow.  She yanked the medallion out of the fire, 
and held it up above her head for all to see.  The metal itself was 
fairly heat-resistant, but despite that precaution, the center of the 
fire was certainly hot enough to heat up the medallion quite a bit.  
But if she felt any pain, Autumn did not show it.  She turned around, 
still holding the medallion, and Ruby took it and fastened it around 
her neck.

	Then, from behind her a loud shout rose up-- the warriors, 
greeting the newest member of their ranks.  Then it was silent again, 
and the girl walked away from the fire and past the semicircle to join 
her fellow warriors in the ranks of the unseen outer circle.

	One by one, the students followed the same ritual.  When it was 
Ranma's turn, she stepped forward just like all the others.  She had 
been required to be in female form for this event, but she didn't seem 
to mind.  To Shampoo's surprise, when Ranma retrieved her medallion she 
shouted just as loudly as any of the others.  She held it high over her 
head, and to Shampoo's surprise the warriors shouted just as loud for 
the Outsider as they had for the other trainees.  For just a moment, 
she could have sworn that her friend beamed with pride at her 
accomplishment.  Or maybe it was simply an illusion; the dim light 
playing tricks with her eyes.

	Hearing the cheer go up for Ranma, it occurred to Shampoo that 
maybe a chapter truly was closing on their lives.  It didn't so much 
matter how they got here, now that they were finally here- the Outsider 
was now an Amazon in the only way that really mattered.

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

	Far above the valley, on a high mountain ledge that conveniently 
almost a complete view of the Amazon village, a Musk warrior adjusted 
his helmet and looked down at the three fires that marked the Amazon 
ceremony.  He stood tall, nearly six and a half feet, and his thin, wiry 
frame had given him an advantage in speed that most Musk warriors 
lacked.  It had served him well in many a battle with the Amazons.

	"I wonder," he commented to another warrior standing near him, 
"how much of their total force is being committed to that ceremony.  
If we had gotten advance intelligence of this, this might have been a 
good night for an offensive."

	The second warrior was tall, but not as tall as the first.  He 
was not as fast, either, but his strength more than made up for his 
lack of speed.  "The Amazons aren't stupid.  Trust me, boy, their 
village defenses are as strong as always tonight."  He chuckled.  
"Don't worry.  You'll get your offensive soon enough."

	They were quiet then, and over the wind they heard yelling from 
the ceremony far below.  "What do you think they're doing down there, 
anyway?" asked the first.

	"Coming of age ceremony," said the second, not taking his eyes 
off the valley below.  "Tonight, the Amazon warriors will grow in 
number."

	"You have no idea how much that thought warms the cockles of my 
heart," muttered the first.

	"Deal with it," replied the second.  "We're not here to worry 
about the warriors, we're here to study the layout of the village."

	"But we already know the layout of the village," answered the 
first.  "A dozen different maps detail it in a dozen different ways."

	"It's not the same as seeing," the second said.  "Have I taught 
you nothing?  Never rely on maps, and more specifically, always be wary 
of secondhand intelligence.  That's why we're up here-- see, they're 
even kind enough to light watchfires, so we can see where their 
defenses are concentrated right now.  If we visit this post say, every 
night for a month, and note the location of the watchfires, we may 
begin to see a pattern that we can--"

	A yell from the ceremony below reached them again, and the second 
Musk warrior went quiet for a moment, his eyes seeming to lose focus 
before he looked down at the ground and shook his head.

	"You okay?" asked the first warrior.

	"Huh?"  The second jerked up, turning back to his companion.  
"Yeah, I'm fine.  Now, let's talk about the need for surprise in an 
attack..."

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

	When Shampoo's turn came, she hesitated for only a moment before 
plunging her fist into the fire, using the inhuman speed of the 
Amaguriken to retrieve the medallion from amongst the red-hot coals in 
the fire's center.  She felt only a little unease as she walked to join 
the ranks of the warriors, but that faded quickly as she was caught up 
in the excitement of the moment.

	After the ceremony was over, they returned to the center of the 
village and a celebration begun-- never let it be said that the Amazons 
didn't know how to party.  The best food and drink was brought out, and 
as the evening wore on a small tournament was organized, allowing some 
of the newer warriors to test their skills against combat-hardened 
veterans.  The younger people held their own with surprising tenacity, 
but in the end it was Pepper-- by now a four-year veteran of combat-- 
who took the title.  Shampoo and Ranma had both opted to stay out of 
the tournament; there would be ample opportunities for fighting later, 
and for now Shampoo was content to celebrate without having to prove 
her skills yet again.

	Ranma was surprisingly more social than usual, meaning that he 
hung around for about half an hour before taking off for parts 
unknown.  She suspected it was for the food, but couldn't be sure.  She 
wondered if he had skipped the tournament in order to give the other 
warriors less reason to resent her, or if he had some reason of his 
own.  Probably the latter-- Ranma had made it clear numerous times that 
he didn't care what other people thought of him.

	In the end, she simply allowed herself to get caught up in the 
celebration.  For the first time since her collapse in that first 
battle two years ago, she truly felt like an Amazon warrior.

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

	The door to Cologne's hut opened, and the Matriarch looked up in 
surprise to see Ruby, seriously pissed off and holding a scroll in her 
clenched fist.  "Do you take some sort of perverse pleasure in 
tormenting me, Matriarch?"

	Cologne studied her granddaughter curiously.  "Did I do something 
to offend you, granddaughter?"

	Ruby pointed to the scroll.  "You know perfectly well what I 
mean, Cologne.  These are the new patrolling schedules."

	"Your point being?" The Matriarch raised an eyebrow.

	"Ranma and Shampoo are in the same patrol," Ruby answered, 
glaring at her grandmother.

	"Do you see a problem with this?"

	"They are the only two new warriors who had been put together in 
the same patrol group.  All the others have no more than one new 
warrior, so that the veterans can help them adjust to their new 
situation.  Only Ranma and Shampoo have been placed in the same group.  
Why?"

	"Ranma is hardly to be equated with the new warriors," said 
Cologne.  "Already he is quite possibly the strongest warrior we have 
available.  In fact, I would say that the patrol with Ranma in it is 
the safest place for your daughter to be."

	"That's not the issue here!" retorted the younger woman.  "My 
daughter is a fine warrior, and I fully trust in her abilities."

	Cologne doubted the last part of Ruby's statement-- no mother 
ever fully trusted her children to take care of themselves, but she 
decided to let it slide.  "Then what is the issue, Ruby?  Is it an 
issue of trusting Ranma?  Do you fear that Ranma could 'go berserk,' as 
you put it?"

	"No!" said Ruby.  "Ranma is a fine young warrior, and I have no 
doubt that he will mature into one of the greatest warriors we have 
ever seen.  For right now, I trust him.  If I think we ever have a 
reason to fear him, I will let you know."

	Cologne smiled wryly.  "I don't doubt it.  So tell me, Ruby-- if 
it's not safety and it's not trust, then what about this situation has 
you so upset?"

	Ruby hesitated, then finally sat down.  "May I have your 
permission to speak freely, Matriarch?"

	"Since when have you waited for my permission to do that?"  The 
Matriarch laughed.  "Trust me, granddaughter, were you anyone else I 
would have lost my patience long ago."

	The younger woman's face flushed red with embarrassment, and she 
bowed low.  "Forgive my impertinence, Matriarch.  I meant no 
disrespect, I simply care about what happens to these children."

	"I know you do, Ruby.  Now proceed."

	"Unlike Ranma, I have been a member of the Amazon tribe all my 
life," said Ruby.  "I know how it works-- we breed the strongest with 
the strongest, in hopes that even stronger warriors will be born from 
them."

	Cologne looked at her, smiling.  "I'm glad that after only 
thirty-eight years you are able to grasp this principle."

	A bit of anger crept back into Ruby's expression.  "I wasn't 
finished, Matriarch.  Ranma represents not only outside blood, which we 
desperately need, he represents some of the finest fighting potential 
to ever set foot in this village.  My daughter is not nearly as strong, 
but she too has proven herself to be one of the strongest warriors of 
her generation."

	Ruby paused, as though she expected Cologne to fill in the rest 
of her train of thought.  The Matriarch just looked at her, though, 
clearly intending for her to continue on her own.

	"I don't want Shampoo and Ranma to marry," said Ruby calmly.

	"Child, I've put them in the same patrol," replied Cologne.  
"That hardly equates with an act of marriage."

	"Do you think I'm that stupid?" retorted her granddaughter.  
"You'd like nothing better than to see them fall in love and marry, and 
this is the first step in that plan.  By putting them together in a 
patrol, you hope to bring them closer to each other, and after that, 
who knows what might happen?"

	"Shampoo and Ranma are two extremely stubborn individuals," said 
Cologne, "who, if I recall, did not even like each other when they 
first met.  Now they are friends, perhaps more, and they got that far 
on their own.  I do not think that placing them together in the same 
patrol group is going to have a drastic effect on their relationship, 
unless--" she paused, "they were headed in that direction already.  I 
am simply pushing along the natural feelings that are already there."

	"If there are any natural feelings at all."  Ruby grimaced.  "I 
do not begrudge them their friendship, but I do not want my daughter to 
marry him.  And I do not want you to push them into each other's arms, 
either."

	"Why not?" asked the Matriarch.  "Wasn't it you who originally 
encouraged their friendship?"

	"Yes," answered Ruby, "but I fear for my daughter if she falls in 
love with Ranma.  I am not saying that he'd harm her- physically, 
anyway- but Ranma is a cold-blooded killer.  He is a warrior, rather 
than a person, and I do not want my daughter to be married to him.  He 
will not love her, and that is something I cannot abide."

	"So the truth comes out."  Cologne smiled, and Ruby was 
disquieted by the mischievous gleam in the Matriarch's eyes.  "This is 
about your daughter's happiness."

	Ruby sighed.  "Yes, it is.  I am her mother, and I want her to be 
happy.  If she marries Ranma, or if she falls in love with him-- as I 
am afraid she is already doing-- I fear that she will be miserable for 
the rest of her life."  Her voice had wavered, but now it grew strong 
again.  "No mother wants that for her daughter, Cologne."

	"There is another possibility.  You paint a grim picture, but 
what if Shampoo is the key to helping Ranma lose his anger?  Falling in 
love often does much to soften a person's soul.  That would make you 
happy, would it not?"

	Ruby stared at the Matriarch suspiciously.  "You said Ranma's 
anger was one of his greatest assets.  Have you suddenly changed your 
mind?"

	Cologne sighed, and for a moment it seemed that she was indeed 
showing her true age.  "You seem to expect definitive answers from me, 
Ruby, but I have none to give.  I do not know if pushing Ranma and 
Shampoo together will lead to their marriage.  I do not know if falling 
in love with Shampoo would diminish Ranma's anger.  I do not know if 
that would in turn hurt Ranma's fighting abilities."  She paused, and 
sighed again.  "I do not even know if Ranma is capable of falling in 
love."

	"So you play games with them," Ruby snapped.  "Let's push them 
together, and see what happens.  Let's do this, and see what happens.  
They are nothing more than experiments to you."

	"I am doing what is best for the Amazon tribe!" roared Cologne 
angrily.  "I do not know how to deal with Ranma, so I am forced to 
make guesses and, yes, experiment.  I want Ranma to marry into the 
tribe-- not necessarily Shampoo, but she is the most realistic 
candidate.  I want Ranma to fight for the tribe, and soon he will do 
so.  I want him to fight at his maximum potential, and I have no idea 
if I can accomplish all three of these objectives at once.  But I am 
certainly going to try.  If mistakes are made along the way, then it is 
regrettable, but I have no other choice."

	In shock, Ruby recoiled from her grandmother.  "You are a 
monster, Cologne, toying with these children's' lives.  You do not know 
what you want, and so you play with them, experiment with them, and so 
what if you destroy them in the process?"

	"Granddaughter, I suggest you stop that train of thought right 
now," Cologne hissed.  "I care as much about these children as you do, 
but I must always think about what is best for the Amazons."

	"Always the Amazons," muttered Ruby.  "If being a matriarch means 
sacrificing all the values and morals I have ever held dear, then I 
hope I am never chosen to carry that burden."

	"Keep up these outbursts, child, and I will personally make sure 
you get that wish."

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

	Shampoo was mildly surprised that she and Ranma were assigned to 
patrols together, but it was a pleasant sort of surprise.  Years of 
training together had made them effective fighting partners, and on top 
of that she simply felt safer with Ranma there.  He knew what he was 
doing, more so than some of the veterans they patrolled with, and she 
knew that if worst came to worst Ranma could probably take on the 
enemies they faced every night by himself.

	If training had brought the two of them closer together, then 
patrolling together brought them even closer.  When they fought, she 
sometimes felt like they were one unit, covering for each other's 
weakness and enhancing each other's strengths, and fighting in a way 
that made them both stronger than either could ever be alone.  Even 
some of the other Amazons commented on this strange partnership they 
had with each other, and how together it seemed as though the entire 
Musk army could not stand before them.

	Their friendship was growing on the battlefield, but she still 
felt like Ranma was, in many ways, a stranger to her-- one who kept 
things hidden from the outside world that neither she nor anybody else 
would ever know.  As their friendship grew both on and off the 
battlefield, she felt herself becoming increasingly frustrated with 
Ranma's distant and seemingly uncaring personality.

	It wasn't until one night after a particularly long patrol that 
she finally began to understand his cold demeanor.  It was on a brisk, 
clear night near the end of autumn, when the last few leaves still 
clung stubbornly to the branches of the valley's trees.  Overhead the 
stars shone brightly, casting a dim, shadowy light over the world 
below.  Ranma and Shampoo lay on their backs, watching the stars from 
the same hill they had fought upon not longer after their first battle 
with the Musk.  It had almost become something of a ritual for them to
 meet on this hill after patrols- sometimes they sparred, and sometimes 
they just sat and watched the world go on around them.  They rarely 
talked; Ranma preferred to stay silent, and both of them were content 
with the other's silent company.

	Thus it was with at least some hesitation that Shampoo decided to 
break their usual silence.  The patrols today had been particularly 
rough.  Musk raiding parties had been active- her patrol alone had 
turned back two of them, and assisted in turning back three more.  Her 
bonbori had been bloody when she returned to the village, and that had 
never ceased to bother her.  She felt like she had to talk to someone, 
and while Ranma was not exactly the most empathic individual, she could 
at least count on him to understand her better than most people.

	"Ranma?"

	He turned to look at her.  His facial expression betrayed 
nothing, but she had learned long ago not to rely on his facial 
expression for clues about what he was feeling.  He was a master at 
hiding his emotions, and she had learned to live with it- for the time 
being, anyway.  She wondered how he would react to what she wanted to 
ask.

	"How does it come so easily to you?  I mean..."

	"Killing?" he asked for her.

	She sighed.  "Yes, killing.  Doesn't it affect you at all?"

	She waited for his answer, but none came.  When she looked over 
at him, he was tracing a line up and down his left arm.  She couldn't 
see much in the dim light, but she realized he was tracing one of the 
white scars that lined his body.  She was about to speak again, but 
before she could do so he finally answered.

	"A long time ago someone taught me life what really is."  He sat 
up on the grass, staring out into the murky blackness of the valley.  
"It's pain, and hurt, and betrayal.  A long series of events, each one 
adding to your torment, until finally you're fortunate enough to die."  
His eyes blazed anger, and as she listened to him speak she realized 
she had found a soft spot- a chink- in his emotional armor.  But the 
anger faded as he continued, leaving Shampoo baffled.  "Once I realized 
this, the act of taking a life seemed very easy."  He shrugged.  "It 
could even be considered an act of mercy, really.  All you're doing to 
them is ending their pain."

	She sat up, feeling suddenly alarmed.  What kind of monster would 
it take to produce a worldview like Ranma's?  "You're ending their 
happiness, too," she said.  "And all the people they love, who are left 
behind... you're just adding to their pain."  She leaned forward, 
trying to see the faint scar he had been tracing.  She reached her hand 
toward his arm, but when she touched it he pulled away.  "Well, maybe 
they should get used to it," he retorted.  "It's all that really 
matters, anyway."

	"And sitting here with me looking at the stars?" she asked 
quietly.  "Is that just pain, too?"

	"Only when you talk."

	She recoiled, stung by the intense bitterness in his voice.  He 
got up, and without saying another word he walked away, leaving her 
stunned and alone on the grassy hill.

	For a long time she sat there, unable to move.  Ranma, she thought 
sadly, what happened to you?  Why are you like this?

	She closed her eyes and a tear ran down her face, falling from her 
chin and splashing noiselessly in the grass.