Chapter Four

"No, he lives above the store. He’s done pretty well for himself and owns the whole building." Ranma pulled the car to the small parking lot behind the store next to Hatta’s old VW bus and killed the engine, looking around the area to see if anyone was about. Not seeing anyone, he got out of the car and motioned for Akane to do the same. They walked to the steel door in the back of the building and Ranma pushed the button on the intercom.

"Yeah?" said Hatta.

"It’s me, Ranma. Can I come up?"

"Ranma! Yeah, sure. Hang on a sec, okay?" A few seconds later, they heard a buzz and Ranma opened the door, holding it for Akane. As they climbed the stairs, he saw the door to Hatta's apartment was open.

"Hatta?" Ranma called from the doorway, not wanting to just barge in.

"Ranma! Come in! C’mere, you gotta see the boobs on this. . ." Hatta said, coming into the room. He stopped abruptly when he saw Akane standing in the doorway next to Ranma. "Uh, hello," he smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

"Hello," Akane said coolly.

"Uh, Hatta, this is Akane. Akane, this is my friend Hatta." Ranma introduced the two, feeling supremely lame. Ranma moved into the room, motioning for Akane to follow. She did so hesitantly and Ranma saw her taking in the pizza boxes, beer cans, comics and girlie mags strewn around the apartment.

"So, what brings you two here?" Hatta was asking, clearing room on the couch for the two of them.

"Well, it’s kind of an odd story. A van has been following me around all day, and one has also apparently been following Akane around too. She was kind of spooked, so I was wondering if you could let us stay here for a while," Ranma explained, watching the play of expressions across Hatta’s face.

"Wow. Sure, sure! Stay here as long as you like! I have plenty of room!" He swung his arms wide to encompass the whole mess. "D’you know why they’re following you?"

Ranma shook his head. "No, no I don’t. I’m hoping they’ll just go away." Next to him, Akane nodded silently. Ranma and Hatta continued to talk and he noticed Akane’s head beginning to droop. "Hey, you wanna go lay down?" Ranma asked her.

"Yes, I’m tired. I think it’s all the excitement." Akane looked around at the room, not relishing bedding down in a mess of boxes.

Hatta noticed her look and said, "Akane, follow me. I have an extra bedroom." He got up and moved down the hall. "The bathroom’s over there and here is the room." Ranma, who was following as well, saw an excruciatingly neat room with a small double bed and raised his eyebrow at Hatta, who only shrugged. "Everyone’s gotta have secrets, Ranma." He turned back to Akane. "If you need anything, just ask, okay?"

"Yes, thank you. I really do appreciate you letting us stay here for a little while. I’m sorry if I seem bitchy, I’ve never had anything like this happen to me," Akane apologized as she went into the bathroom with her duffel bag and closed the door.

Ranma and Hatta went back into the living room and sat on the couch. "So that’s Akane," Hatta said, leaning back on the couch and turning on the TV. "She’s quite a looker."

"Yeah, that’s her."

"Those big brown eyes, that beautiful long hair and that figure! Wow."

"Hatta."

"What?"

"Shut up."

"Oh. Having a bit of trouble, are we? Some of that ‘damsel in distress’ action going on, huh?"

"Shut up." Just then, the door to the bathroom opened and Ranma quickly said, "And that’s why they call it DNA."

"I’ve always wondered that," Hatta said, faking fascination. Akane just shook her head and walked to the bedroom.

A few minutes later, they heard Akane walking back into the room. Ranma looked over and his eyes widened when he saw her in shorts and the same mascot T-shirt, but things seemed a little less under control under there. "Ranma? I think you’d better come look at this," she said quietly.

Ranma got up off the couch and followed her into the bedroom. "I looked out the window, you know just to make sure, and, well, take a look." He moved the curtain a fraction of an inch to the side and saw a van parked outside across the street. "It’s not the same one that was outside my place," Akane was whispering.

"Shit," Ranma cursed softly, turning away from the window. "You’re right, it’s the one that’s been on me all day. Hatta, do you have a black sweatshirt and black sweats?"

"Yeah, you need them?"

"Yeah. I’m going to sneak out and take a look around," Ranma said, taking off his shirt. Hatta returned with the sweats and he put on the sweatshirt, moving into the bathroom for Akane’s sake when he put on the pants. He turned to give Akane his glasses. "Can you let me out front?"

"Yeah, come on."

"Ranma," Akane said, "be careful, okay?"

"Don’t worry. Be ready to call the police, just in case." He left the apartment with Hatta, surprised at Akane’s admonishment. Hatta unlocked the main door and Ranma went out, sticking to the shadows of the buildings. Luckily there was no moon out tonight and the van was parked just at the edge of a streetlight.

He slowly approached the van, knowing the watchers hadn’t seen him yet because the van was still quiescent. He paused to watch and consider his next course of action when the sliding door on the side opened and a person with long, dark, unbound hair came out to stand next to the van, taking care not to be seen by anyone who might be watching from the window. Ranma snuck a little closer and crouched, ready to spring.

The person turned their back to him and Ranma leaped up into the air, bringing his fists down hard on the base of the skull. The figure staggered and tried to whirl around to face him. Ranma quickly grabbed the person and crushed his forearm against the windpipe, trying to subdue the thrashing person. "Who are you? Who sent you?" he asked harshly between clenched teeth. He never heard any response, because his world suddenly went black.

**

Hatta watched in horror from the comic shop doorway as his friend fell under the assault of another attacker behind him, and froze for a moment, unsure of what to do. "Hatta?" came Akane’s voice from behind him, startling him.

"Akane? Akane!" He whirled around to face her and grabbed her by the shoulders. "We have to get out of here!"

"What? What about Ranma?" she asked, frowning at Hatta’s sudden insistence.

"Ranma’s been caught by whoever it is out there and if you don’t want to get caught too, you’ll come with me! Ranma can take care of himself." Hatta let go of her and ran for the door in the back of the shop, springing up the stairs faster than she would have thought possible. Akane, concerned for Ranma, took a look out of the window and, not seeing him, turned and fled after Hatta. In the apartment, Hatta was hastily gathering up clothes and threw Akane’s jeans at her when she came through the door. She put them on over her shorts and jammed her sockless feet into her shoes, running into the bedroom to grab her bag and laptop.

She joined Hatta at the door of the apartment where he waited nervously and gave him a nod to indicate her readiness. He took a deep breath and opened the door, looked out into the hallway and moved out, indicating she should follow him. He locked the door and headed down the hall, moving to the door Ranma and Akane had come up earlier. Coming to the door, he cautiously unlocked it and slowly opened it, sticking his head out in what was probably not his brightest move of the evening. Akane saw his body go stiff and sag to the ground.

"Hatta?" she questioned stepping up and opening the door wider. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw his limp form sprawled on the ground, the lenses of his glasses cracked.

"I think your friend has decided to take a short nap," said a shadowy figure in front of Akane perched on what looked like a long stick.

"Who?" was all Akane had time to say before she too knew the world of unconsciousness.