Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ or any of the characters. This is simply a what-if situation. What if this had happened? Also, I would like to apologize to those that are waiting on me to work on "Evil Kasumi Returns" and "Ranma and the Outers." I have not had a lot of ideas on them lately, but I will not let myself let them die as I have some of my Previous Tenchi Muyo stories. I am just taking a slight break from them to work on some other ideas that won't get outta my head until I write them down.

Primal Ranma

Ranma was madder than he had ever been in his whole, albeit, short life. Sure, he was mad when he was forced into the Neko-ken training, and he was mad when he got his curse. He was mad when he found out he had a fiancée, and even madder when he suddenly gained more of them thanks to his honorless father. As things kept piling up on him, Ranma's seething anger had just grown that much more, but he buried it deeper and deeper, as he'd been taught. Then to top it off he had to kill to save Akane's life; and not even a week later she was acting like none of that ever happened!

'How can she do that?' he wondered. 'I killed someone for her! I… I almost married her!' And then memories of their failed wedding came back to his tortured mind. After all he's been through, and had done… nothing's changed.

And now, here he was… struggling to stand up. Around him were the usual rivals out to kill him and to top it off, that pervert Happosai had snuck up behind him and used that weakness moxibustion on him again. He looked at the others and his rage was building.

It was refusing to be buried anymore, it was seething like a violent volcano ready to blow; it wanted out!

"Promise me you'll wear this and I'll remove it!" Happosai said gleefully as he held up a very sheer red lace bra and panties.

That was the last straw, it finally broke his will's back, years of pent up anger and aggression that had been building and building for so long went off in a single ferocious attack. What Ranma yelled was hard to understand as it seemed to be a cross between two languages… but the effect was stunning to behold. Even without his strength, Ranma let loose a series of what could have been vacuum blades, but they were purple in color and smaller. But never-the-less, very deadly.

The first one hit the panties and split them in half, next the bra with similar devastating results. But what got everyone's attention was that even as Happosai dodged those, another caught him… and took off his left hand in the middle of his forearm with a quick spray of blood accented by an inhuman scream from Happosai.

Kunö turned green at the sight of seeing the old man's arm being cut off. Mousse who had his glasses on for once noticed this and took several steps backwards, as he was not about to try his luck against those things. This left Ryoga, who just stared at the old pervert, and tried to make up his mind about what to do.

Ranma stalked towards his prey and the others where sure that if a cat could walk on two legs, then Ranma was that cat. And that meant that this was a very bad thing.

Grabbing Happosai, the man-cat looked at the obviously pained old man. "Rrrrremove it now… orrrrr die!" he said, which caused a shiver of fear to travel up the spines of his rivals, though they wouldn't admit it.

Happosai though, just clung to his arm and whimpered in pain, either not hearing Ranma or being in too much shock to believe what's just happened. Drawing back his arm to deliver the final blow he was stopped by a voice. "RANMA, STOP!" it commanded him. Turning his head, he saw Cologne holding onto her staff with a sick looking Shampoo behind her. "I removed it before, and I'll do it again. Don't kill him. He's not worth it."

The man cat looked between the old woman and then the old man for a few moments then finally dropped the old pervert. Dropping to all fours, he slunk towards the old woman. "Youuu… said youuu'd rrremove it."

Cologne took in a sharp intake of breath as she heard his voice after seeing his movements. 'This isn't good, I can't tell if he's in the Neko-ken now or not,' she thought then she spoke to him. "I did, turn around and I'll remove it." For a moment, he just eyed the old woman. Then turning his back to her, he sat down on his hind legs as though he were a cat and waited for her to remove the moxibustion. "This may burn…" she warned then touched the spot which caused him to hiss in pain.

When the pain faded, he stood up and flexed his claws and then his arms. "Feeels good…" he said before cutting himself off as he spun around and drew back his arm, purple claws at the tips of his paws at the ready, as though he was about to strike whomever he sensed daring to approach him from behind. However, instead of striking, he held back as Shampoo brought up her arms up in front of her as though she were waiting for him to kill her.

"Shampoo no hurt Airen," she cried out in surprise and a little fear while her whole body trembled. Instead of bringing his arm down, he just eyed her, which caused Mousse to level a death glare at Ranma, though he was not sure if he could survive an attack from those claws. "Is Airen ok? You no sound like yourself," the Amazon asked with a slight waver in her voice.

He stood there for a moment then let his arm relax as he figured that the girl was not going to try to hurt him. Sitting back down on the ground as though he were a cat again, he began to look around at the others. When he felt a hand on his head, there was a brief thought to attack, but he could not feel any malice in the touch. So instead, he let the hand stay there, though he did cast a glance at the owner of the hand.

Though her hand was trembling her voice sounded strangely calm. "Airen be nice kitty, yes?" She asked as she continued to pet him on the head. Seeing no harm in it, he leaned his head towards the girl and let her continue to pet him, which caused Shampoo to sigh in relief.

Cologne watched this and turned thoughtful before saying, "Come Ranma, we'll take you home," as she turned away from the others. Mousse was livid but he held himself in check. He'd never seen Ranma act this way when in the Neko-ken, nor had he ever heard Ranma talk while in this state. But what confused him was how Ranma entered it in the first place, as there were no cats around.

"Great-grandmother, we take Airen back to Cat Café, yes yes!" Shampoo tried to sound like her usual cheerful self, but her voice sounded strained.

"No, he goes back to the Tendo's."

Mousse breathed a sigh of relief at that.

"But why? Airen no mind Shampoo pet him." Though Shampoo had tied to sound calm and confident, almost anyone nearby could tell that her words were forced.

"That's not the point." She said sternly, "Bring him with you and follow me."

"Yes, great-grandmother." Shampoo said dejectedly. When she dropped her hand from Ranma he rubbed his head against her hand forcing her to continue to pet him. This allowed for Cologne and Shampoo to lead him back to the Tendo home.

After leaving the area, Mousse just let out a soft sigh. "Well, that was different."

"Verily, you speak the truth, but what evil work was that?" Kunö asked. He had never seen Ranma make any sort of death threats, let alone physically maim anyone. He himself wanted to smite the old lecher several times, but to see it like this… it made him a little sick, as well as very nervous.

"Evil work?" Ryoga asked.

"Did you not see the foul magic that the evil sorcerer Saotome hath performed?"

Ryoga looked lost. "Uh…"

"He means the attack Saotome used against Happosai," Mousse clarified.

"Oh… um it wasn't magic. I think I've seen that somewhere before…"

"Where! Where hast that Demon learned such a trick!"

Before Ryoga could respond, a weak voice interrupted them. "…Help… me…"

All three of them stopped and looked down at Happosai as he was trying to stand up while holding onto his arm. Though he was no longer bleeding, he looked pale as though he had lost a good amount of strength and blood.

"You demon of perversion! My pig-tailed goddess has spoken oft of you! I Kunö the Blue Thunder of Furinkan will verily crush you!" So saying, Kunö rushed the ancient perverted master, only to be flung easily behind the old man.

"…Please… take me to Ranma…"

Ryoga had never seen the old man ever ask for anything like that before. He sounded like his spirit had been crushed. "Um… okay…"

Mousse looked between them and nodded his head. "As long as you promise not to touch Shampoo again, I'll take you to Ranma."

Happosai looked at them and then nodded his head. "Agreed."

When Ranma arrived at the Tendo Dojo, Cologne had hoped that she could explain things before they got out of hand. But that was not the case.

"Ranma where have you…" Akane shouted only to see Shampoo petting Ranma's head. "Ranma no Baka!" She shouted drawing the attention of her sisters and the fathers.

"Child wait!" Cologne tried to say but before the first word had been finished, Akane charged Ranma with her mallet intending to hit him. However much to everyone else's surprise by the time Cologne started to say wait… Akane had been hit, hard.

"Oh my…" Kasumi said in shock as Akane's mallet lay in pieces scattered across the floor while Akane herself was clutching her stomach and lying against the wall, as she had been the recipient of a kick courtesy of Ranma.

Nabiki blinked at what had just happened. She never thought Ranma would ever doge those mallets, but not only had he not dodged, but he'd also not been hit because he destroyed the mallet. Ordinarily, she would be teasing Akane or Ranma about that, but the fact that with one kick Akane was sent across the room had her trying to figure out what was going on.

"My baby girl!" Soün wailed then railed on Ranma. "Ranma! You shouldn't treat your fiancée…" His words died in his demon head throat as there was a low rumbling growl coming from Ranma.

Genma was about to say something as well; but the look he got from Ranma, as well as the deep growl coming from the boy had him holding his tongue. Ranma, on all fours took several menacing steps forward; a ki-enhanced growl was being emitted from him that was causing the floor to vibrate. The man-cat took two steps forward and then hunched low on his front paws as he eyed the large bald martial artist. "Now… now… there's no need to…" Genma tried to say to placate his son.

"Lunchhh…" the cat growled out causing Nabiki to feel the ice that everyone says is in her veins as it flowed though her body. Never had she felt such fear before, and she prayed at that moment to never feel it again.

"Ranma!" Cologne shouted. "Stop that!"

Ranma's head glanced over at the aged woman and then back at his target. "I cannn smell yourrrr fearrrr…." Ranma told them and then grinned evilly at them. "Smelllsss gooooddd…"

"Airen… no… no eat them," Shampoo said trying to sound stern.

He turned to look at her for a moment which caused her to flinch before he turned back towards the others. "Ammm hungryyy…"

"Oh… Um, Ranma-kun?" Kasumi said to get his attention. Though once he looked at her she was suddenly wondering if that's what she wanted. "Dinner will be ready soon," she said and although she had her usual smile in place, everyone could tell that it was forced and that she was worried.

Accepting her words, he turned and leaped up the stairs, still on all fours before moving to the guest room. Once the door was shut, Kasumi lost her forced smile and let herself lean back onto the wall before realizing that everyone was watching. "Oh… oh my…" she said in her usual tone, and then hurried off to the kitchen.

Cologne sighed. "Everyone, gather around. I have some important information."

"This'd better be good," Nabiki said now that she was getting over the feeling of her blood freezing in her veins.

"Why… why is Ranma… acting like… that?" Genma asked unsure of weather or not he really wanted an answer.

"That I cannot answer, but I can tell you what happened just before this."

Nabiki and Soün nodded before they both moved Akane over to the table. She had been awake, though was in too much shock and pain to move. Even now, Akane felt like her insides were burning from that one kick. "What happened to him?" Nabiki asked since the rest of her family were having trouble trying to either speak or find the right words.

"Shampoo saw stupid Mousse and stupid stick boy attacking Ranma. Then lost boy try hurt Airen too…"

"So Mousse, Kunö and Ryoga were attaching Ranma again, huh. Well that's not anything new," Nabiki added drolly and was inwardly glad that she was back in control of her emotions.

"Is true! Then 'he' show up and…"

"Um he?" Akane asked though it hurt a little to do so. She wanted to be mad that Ranma was picking on Ryoga again, but she didn't have the strength yet.

"Happosai," Cologne aid with a sign. "He used the ultimate weakness moxibustion on Ranma again. This time, something… uh… unexpected happened."

Akane gasped when they mentioned the weakness technique again, and could not help but wonder, 'If Ranma was under that, then why'd that kick hurt so much?'

"What happened?" both fathers asked. They completely missed the elder's pause; though Nabiki caught it, and it didn't give her a good feeling.

Shampoo quickly covered her ears and closed her eyes so as to not see or hear anything, but her act in itself had everyone even more concerned. Sighing again, Cologne continued, "It seems as though Ranma has become tired of being pushed around. He cut off Happosai's arm with some sort of ki attack. I believe it was similar to one of your schools forbidden forms."

This was news to all of them. Nabiki thought she was going to be sick. "He… he cut off his arm…"

"Yes child, and he has regressed into the Neko-ken, without the presence of a cat, yet he still retains his ability to speak."

Genma swallowed hard and cast a worried glance to the stairs. "Will… will he come out of it?"

For her part, Akane was stunned. She'd known that if she'd been in Ranma's place she'd have blown up at everyone sooner; but to cut off someone's arm... Plus, the fact that Neko-Ranma had attacked her… it didn't make her feel very good.

"I do not know. But for now, tread lightly around him. He is acting as a cat, and a man. And as such he can be very dangerous."

"She's right…" A tired voice called from the doorway. When everyone turned to look, they saw Happosai being carried by Mousse… and Happosai was missing a portion of his left arm.

"Oh gods…" Nabiki muttered and backed away from them. And though Akane did not say anything, she too was shocked at seeing that he really had lost his arm.

For the two fathers though, to see the result of Ranma's anger, they weren't sure of what to say or do. For all of their trying, they had never really hurt their aged master, but apparently, Ranma had the power and ability to, even while severely weakened, and it frightened them. Especially if he was to turn such power onto them, they knew that minutes wouldn't begin to measure what time they would have left on the world.

"Cologne," Happosai said as he hopped out of Mousse's arms and landed with a slight wobble.

"Happosai."

"You did return his strength later, right."

"I did. It seemed the best way to calm him down, though he has frightened my great-granddaughter."

Happosai looked to Shampoo who seemed to still be covering her ears and keeping her eyes tightly shut. "So it seems, but the question is what are you going to do about the boy?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

The other occupants in the room could only gape at what was going on.

"He will either come out of the Neko-ken and remember nothing, or he will remember it all."

"That's... that's assuming he comes out at all…" Nabiki cursed at herself mentally for letting that waver into her voice.

"I have no doubts that he will," Cologne stated. "And then it's unknown if or when he will re-enter that state." She gave everyone a hard look. "So for your own safely, I would suggest that you no longer push Ranma around like you have been."

"WHAT! I haven't been pushing my son around! I've been training him and…"

"Genma, shut up!" his old master shouted causing both fathers to tremble.

"That goes for you too Akane," Cologne added as she looked at the youngest Tendo girl. "You saw what happened, you no longer have immunity."

"What do you mean?" Akane asked nervously, though she had an idea already.

Cologne smiled at her, though it was not a pleasant one, "You attacked him, and he didn't just sit there did he?" Sadly, Akane shook her head. "This is a warning, but not from me," she told them gravely. "Do not attack him, and do not provoke him. There is a good chance that we can prevent him from lashing out again as long as he does not have a reason to. That is not to say that the Neko-Ranma might just attack you in retribution for things in the past." The aged woman took one more look around the room then poked at Shampoo with the cane. "Come Shampoo."

Shampoo was about to open her mouth, but when she saw Happosai there. It was then that everyone was treated to a rare site, Shampoo began to tremble and Mousse grumbled something about Ranma. But he quickly looked around to make certain that Ranma wouldn't attack him for it.

"Elder…" Nabiki asked and when Cologne looked at her, she continued. "What happened to Shampoo?"

"Sh—Shampoo try get close to airen… after he… he cut off arm. But airen almost…"

"Hush child, its ok. He allowed you to pet him later."

"Shampoo know… still see anger in airen's eyes… make Shampoo feel cold just remember." With a waver in her voice and a tremble in her body, Shampoo walked out the door to go back to the Cat-Café. After a soft sigh, Cologne followed her out, followed by a grumbling Mousse.

Nabiki blinked several times after they left. "Shampoo's scared of him…" She resolved to make certain Ukyo knew, otherwise she could be hurt, or even killed the next time she went to get Ranma's attention. It may not have been a well-known fact, but it was known that nothing Nabiki did ever hurt someone physically.

Akane turned towards her sister and then looked back at the door where the Amazons had left. Even she had seen the fear in Shampoo. The girl was terrified, but she was trying hard to cover it. But that only made Akane feel even more insecure. 'I attacked him… and he…' she looked a the shredded pieces of her mallet and could not suppress the shudder that ran though her body as she thought of what would've happened if those claws had hit her.

"Soün, Genma, girls…" Happosai said in a serious voice. "Ranma has been pushed to the breaking point, and because of the Neko-ken training he's snapped." He let out a tired sigh as he thought of everything that they had done to the boy to push him, so that he would be the best, even if he didn't realize it. "Until he regains control of himself again, it would be easy for him to do this…" as he said that he showed them his stump of an arm, "…to any of you."

Both girls in the room felt sick as they thought of Ranma possibly attacking, or worse, hurting them. However, before either one had a chance to say a word, their father spoke. "Saotome?"

"Yes Tendo?"

"Do… do you think until Ranma can control himself… he should leave…"

"No father!" An irate Kasumi said from the doorway.

"What? Why?" Both fathers wanted to know.

"He needs us," Kasumi said simply. "If we throw him out, he may never come back." Though the oldest Tendo daughter was fearful, and a little nervous about Ranma being in the house as he was; she knew that to force him to leave would be even worse.

"She's right Tendo… he has scared away the Amazons, but there is still Ukyo that he could go to, and if he left here upset…"

"…Then he'd go straight to her and the schools would never be joined!"

"Oh brother…" droned Nabiki as the two fathers prattled on about how the schools may never be united. In a way, she was hoping for something to break them out of the idiotic mode they always seemed to slip into. However, she was not ready when the room became deathly quiet and a chill ran down her back. 'He's back…' she thought and then looked over towards the stairs to see him… Ranma was at least standing on his feet only. But there was a coldness to his eyes that remained.

"Time tooo eat…" he seemed to say and ask just slightly above a growl.

'Damn… he's still stuck like that,' She thought then looked at Akane and then Kasumi as she entered the room.

"Um… yes Ranma-kun… it's time to eat." Kasumi said trying to sound as though there was nothing wrong.

As he moved to the table on two feet, those around him could only watch in mute fascination, as his steps seemed to take on a grace that screamed 'cat.'

'At least nothing happened,' Nabiki recalled later. True dinner was tense, but there was no food stealing, no shouting and no fighting. In short, a very unusual dinner for them.

To be Continued.

NOTE:

Thank you Tai Kan. As an author I am sometimes plagued with the simple fact that what I see in my mind for the story, is not always conveyed properly. I have gone though and edited the section with Shampoo a little and tried to make it better. And I know she was raised as a warrior, though a little into the future some secrets of the neko-ken will be revealed. But I will say that Shampoo's nightmares later as well as the fear that people feel around Ranma has more to do with him, than with them.