Draxon's Review Corner Presents
An In-House Production
Ranma 1/2 : A Demon's Delight
Chapter 8  : A Home in Hell is a Happy Home
Theme       : Metallica Load: Track 14 - The Outlaw Torn


 	...A thick fog became denser as the van approached the base of Mount Fuji.  
A distant thunderstorm sent crackles of electric energy across the horizon.

	"... We've beaten that thing once already, we can do it again."  Ryouga said, 
replying to a comment by Nabiki.

	"It was different the last time, Ryouga, I have no doubt that we will emerge 
victorious, but don't go into battle overconfident or you will become careless 
and make mistakes."  Haratsu said as he brought the van to a stop,  "This is 
as far as I think we should go in the van, from here we go by foot."

	Ranma turned to look at Haratsu, "You're the expert on this whole mess, how 
are we supposed to find Talarath now?"

	Haratsu responded immediately,"I seriously doubt that he is hiding from us... 
It should be rather easy.  We will first examine the area of my battle twenty 
years ago and go from there."

	"Let's get on with it then," Apsu said with his eyes closed, "I'm getting 
tired of sitting around!"

	Genma popped the rear door of the van while Ranma and Haratsu stepped out of 
the front exits.  Soun stood for a moment, then stepped outside, "Stay close 
to me," he said to his daughters, "And keep an eye out for trouble..."

	The Tendo girls stepped out of the van and followed Genma, Soun, Apsu and 
Ryouga as they caught up with Ranma and Haratsu.

	As the group gathered a deafening roar and a brilliant flash overwhelmed 
them,  Looking back, the van was gone, in it's place was a smoldering crater.

	"...Why didn't he just do that while we were in it?"  Ranma asked.

	"It is his mistake, Ranma... He doesn't want us dead yet.  That van cost me 
2,500,000 yen...  Now I really am going to destroy that damned demon."  
Haratsu continued his walking pace as pieces of debris spattered across the 
ground, leaving trails of smoke and steam.  "I believe we are a little less 
than one kilometer from the original battle sight, lets go.

	[...]  13 Minutes Later


	"This is the sight... I can feel it..."  Haratsu said slowly as he carefully 
searched the surrounding terrain, "I think we should search from here in a 
circular pattern.  Undoubtably he is nearby and wai-"  An explosion 
interrupted him, he looked toward the mountain when Ryouga's echoing voice 
called out to the group.  "How did he?"  He said utterly confused.

	"It's Ryouga - Don't ask,"  Ranma said as she ran past Haratsu toward Ryouga.

	Ryouga stared into the dark cave ahead with the vision of a hawk - awaiting 
any clue to danger as he waited for the rest of the group.  He looked back to 
see Ranma and Apsu closing in on him, with Genma, Soun, and Genma escorting 
the Tendo girls up the steep hills below.

 	"Check it out,"  Ranma said as she walked into the cave's mouth, "How'd you 
find this so quick?"

	"I took a wrong turn somewhere I guess. I don't know what all's in there, but 
it's a good starting point."

	"Good work,"  Genma said as he made it too the entrance, followed by Nabiki, 
Kasumi, Soun, and Haratsu.  "Why don't we take a look around?"  he said as he 
peered into the dark confines of the cave.

	"Okay, Apsu - I want you to take the rear, keep an eye out for anything 
behind us.  Let's go for it."

	Apsu sighed and stepped behind Kasumi, creating a protective formation around 
the girls.  Ranma and Ryouga took either side, while Genma, Soun, and Haratsu 
lead the way.

	"So, what kind of girl is Michelle?"  Ranma asked Apsu.

	"Huh?  Oh, she's nice... the cuddly type, I guess I could say...  We've been 
together for several months now."  His reply was below a whisper, nearly 
inaudible. 

	"I'm sorry about all this mess... especially for the curse. If anything, I 
can understand that."

	Apsu chuckled lightly, "Yeah, you must have a personal understanding of that 
right now.  Listen - don't worry about the curse, it hasn't really done much 
to me, and I don't see it as a major problem in the near future.  I was just 
freaked out over it yesterday."

	"Well, that curse will end up making itself a problem sooner or later.  
Believe me."

	Apsu looked at Ranma with a sly grin on his face "It's too bad you don't like 
your girl form, because your one of the better looking girls I know.  Not that 
I'm interested or anything..."

	"Yeah," Ranma said, going along with Apsu, "Not many guys look better as a 
girl than most girls, but that's not something I'm proud of, ok?"  He said, 
"And you'd better NOT be interested, or I'll have to have a talk with Michelle 
after this is all over with..."

	"Anything but that," Apsu said as he turned to take a look behind the group. 
A light flared up behind him as Haratsu produced a flashlight.  

	"Be very quiet, now.  We need as much stealth as we can get despite the 
light,"  Haratsu said as he slowed his pace.


[...] 20 Minutes Later

	Haratsu and the rest of the group approached a widening in the cave. The rock 
became smooth as they drew nearer to it, and as they approached the entrance 
several torches flared to life along the wall, casting dim shadows across the 
room.  Haratsu turned off his flashlight and stuffed it back into his cloak 
before crouching at the entrance. The rest of the group lined up along the 
wall as the situation was examined.

	"You may enter..."  a deep voice announced smoothly as a weak flash of light 
reflected off of the far wall.

	Haratsu gripped Um and shifted to the right before walking into the room, 
remaining against the wall.

	"This is a trap if I ever saw one..."  Ranma said as Haratsu motioned the 
rest of the group to enter cautiously. His eyes were locked on the opposite 
end of the room, where more flashes of light pulsed intermittently.

	"Talarath?"  Haratsu asked,

	"That is the name you have chosen to call me by...  You have made a grave 
error in coming here, Tetsumi Haratsu."  A wispy fog concealed a quarter of 
the rather large room, allowing only an outline of Talarath to be seen.

	The rest of the group lined up along the wall on either side of Haratsu, 
"Where is Akane?"  Ryouga demanded.

	"You'd better give her up, or you'll be going straight to hell."  Ranma 
stated directly.

	A low, deep laugh responded, "Me?  Go to hell?  You must be joking, I -AM- 
hell.  Those that I defeat are doomed to an eternity of servitude to me alone, 
and if you are stupid enough to challenge me, you will join those unfortunate 
souls..."

	"Talarath.  This is your only warning. I doubt you will listen to me, but if 
you do not return Michelle and Akane to us we will fight.  I'm sure that even 
with your unmatchable ego, you understand you would lose.  I beat you myself 
20 years ago, I can do it again." Haratsu drew the sword of Um from his cloak 
and held it tightly in his right hand.  A single bead of sweat rolled 
laboriously down his face as he awaited the reply.

	"I understand and, to an extent, respect your well-made bluff.  But you must 
understand that I am not as weak as I was those years ago.  You did defeat a 
demon lord and that is something you should be proud of until the day you die, 
but the past has no relevance here.  My power has grown and with my newfound 
energies I have no doubt that you, and your friends, are nothing to worry 
about."  His tone was not that of a braggart, but of a confident warrior.

	"I'll show you something to worry about..."  Apsu said as he stepped forward. 
 

	[...] Elsewhere

	Michelle coughed as she awoke from a troubled sleep.  Her head began pulsing 
and pounding almost immediately when she opened her eyes.  She was sitting 
against a wall, with her arms bound against it. She tried to move her legs but 
found them held tightly against the ground in front of her.  The room was lit 
dimly by several torches along the walls.  There was no exit.  She looked to 
her left, and could dimly make out an image against the wall.

	"H..hello?" she said, squinting her eyes as a new wave of pain assailed her.

	"Who are you...?"  Akane replied, drained.  Her voice crackled weakly.

	"My name's Michelle, Michelle Chang..."

	"You're Apsu's fianc� then?  I'm Akane... Akane Tendo..."  She trailed off 
and slumped a bit before forcing her head back up.

	"Akane?  Apsu's told me about you..."  She cringed as her body throbbed with 
pain.

	"Why does this always have to happen?"  Akane said as she began sobbing, 
"What did I ever do to deserve being kidnapped left and right?  I swear 
something like this happens at least once a month!"  She closed her eyes and 
suppressed the crying with several shudders.

	"Every month?  Well, you must be an experience prisoner by now.  This is my 
first time.  Some overweight thing appeared in the middle of my living room, 
beat Apsu's father into a pulp in less than 10 seconds, and snatched me up 
before I could think about running.  I was unconscious until just now."

	"Apsu had finally shown back up, but he wasn't acting like himself..."  Akane 
began, "He tried to attack me and ended up fighting with Ranma, my fianc�.  
After that was over he told us about nightmares, and visions.  He ended up 
screaming at nothing and then used a final attack... the blast caught me and 
Ranma, and right after I fell down I lost consciousness..."

	"We've got to think of a way to get out of here,"  Michelle said as she 
looked at her wrists.  Nothing held them to the ground yet she could not move 
her arms.

	"...and go where?"  Akane said, "We have no idea where we are, and we don't 
know what will happen if the try to get out."

	"Don't tell me your going to give up and wait for whatever is in store for 
us.  I don't react well to being kidnapped, and surrendering is the last thing 
I will ever do."

	"Okay, " Akane said, "You tell me what we can possibly do and I'll do it."

	 "First of all..."

	[...]

	Apsu screamed as his head was smashed against the wall.  He reached up and 
felt the blood running down the back of his neck when Talarath blurred in 
front of him with an inhuman combination of punches.  Several of his ribs 
crunched from the blows and his body became limp when Talarath picked him up 
by the collar of his shirt and threw him in front of the rest of the group.  
"I could claim him right now, but I think I will give the rest of you a chance 
at me first.  Who's next?"  

A blue field of energy engulfed Apsu, and he began to stand as his body 
reveled in the aura of healing energy.  "Nice one, Tal'.  Now it's my turn." 

Haratsu took a position beside Apsu as Ranma, Genma, and Ryouga lined up 
beside them.  Soun stood back and kept his daughters close beside him as the 
battle began.

Ranma ran forward, and slipped to the side as Talarath swung at her.  She took 
up a position behind the demon as Ryouga and Genma tried the direct approach.

Ryouga swung hard at the demon, which still appeared like a mist.  His fist 
was knocked to the side and a viscious counterstrike slammed into his stomach. 
 He held his ground and landed a direct strike as Genma plowed into the demon. 
 Haratsu ran in and slashed with the sword of Um, creating a ripple of energy 
across Talarath's figure which exploded brilliantly.  He then palm striked the 
demon and fired a blast of chi energy forward, which rippled around Talarath.  
A grasping hand flashed toward him, and threw him back into a wall before he 
could reply.  He slid down the rock surface, dazed, before he stood and 
charged again.

Ranma ran up behind the demon and began rapidly punching it.  A bolt of force 
knocked her back against the wall hard, and she slumped down against the 
ground before finding the strength to stand.  "Damnit!  I can't take this in 
my girl form!"  She said as she charged back into the battle.  An explosion of 
rock erupted below Talarath as Ryouga slammed his finger into the ground.

Apsu drew back and concentrated on building energy in his right fist.  When it 
was glowing brightly he lept over Talarath and slammed his fist into it's 
head, creating an explosive force as rocks flew in all directions from below.  
As he landed several quick jabs from Talarath slammed into his face, knocking 
him back slightly and causing him to fall back in a complete daze.

Ryouga punched hard at Talarath's "face", but his strike was knocked to the 
side by a lightning fast block.  Several fast and hard strikes slammed into 
his face, knocking him back two meters and breaking his nose.  He roared in 
pain as he stood again, and relentlessly attack Talarath with a volley of 
kicks and punches.

"You stupid fool."  Talarath drew back and struck for Ryouga's face, but 
Ryouga caught the strike. As his elbows and shoulders began to crack from the 
force, he screamed wildly and pulled back with all of his strength.  A strong 
blow from behind knocked Talarath forward, and within a second he was slammed 
into the ground at Ryouga's feet.  Ryouga stumbled back as he neared 
unconsciousness.  

Apsu stepped behind Ryouga and kept him from falling as a healing aura 
engulfed both of his hands.  He grasped Ryouga's shoulders for a few seconds 
before stepping beside him and lunging at Talarath.

Haratsu drew Yang from it's sheath within his cloak and began drawing energy 
from it.  He ran at the downed Talarath and swung as hard as he could when 
Talarath vanished.

"What the-" He stopped suddenly as Talarath's fist slammed into his back.  He 
stepped forward slowly and turned just as several more strikes slammed into 
his head. A kick then knocked him back against the rock wall.  He stepped 
forward, brushing his shoulders off in the process,  "Okay, I've had it."  He 
motioned the swords in a circular motion and fired a crimson blast of energy 
at Talarath, which slammed into him and knocked him hard into the wall.

	Ranma ran up to Talarath and delivered several hard strikes to it's stomach 
area, then leaped back to avoid the return strike.  He looked to his left just 
in time to see a smaller figure swing at him.  He ducked the shot then leaped 
back beside Ryouga, who was regaining his composure.  "Give me a break what is 
this?"

"This... is what I do when I've actually felt one of the strikes that hit me." 
 Talarath stepped forward one step and watched as his shadow creations, 
extensions of his own willpower, charged and attacked the group of martial 
artists.

[...]

The room shook slightly, and dust fell from the ceiling as Akane and Michelle 
discussed their escape.  "What was that?"  Michelle said as the dust began to 
settle.

"I don't know..."  Akane said, "But I think it is a bad sign.  Let me see what 
I can do..."  She tugged hard at the bonds, and was surprised when she 
backhanded herself in the face.  Michelle giggled but was silenced by a glare 
from Akane.

Michelle stood, surprised but happy that she could move again.  "First there 
is a rattling, probably from a distant explosion, then all of the sudden we 
can stand up..."

"Fight.  Akane said."

"What?" Michelle asked, bewildered.

"Not me and you.  Someone out there is fighting.  It makes perfect sense now.  
We've got to get out of here!"

"First we have to figure out how we're going to do that."  Michelle said as 
she supported herself on a wall.

"Give me a minute,"  Akane said, "And I will take care of the wall problem.  I 
need to know if any of these walls is next to another chamber."

[...]

The melee continued furiously.  Talarath engaged Haratsu while a shadow 
warrior kept everyone else busy.  Haratsu swung in a quick pattern at 
Talarath, but the blades crackled against Talarath's blocking arms.

Ranma slipped quickly to the side as her opponent lashed out with an attack.  
The blow grazed past her, and she took the arm and threw the figure over her 
right shoulder,  "Now this is more like it.  Who's next?"

Apsu blocked a kick to his head and pushed forward, knocking his opponent back 
against the wall.  The figure was misty, but it's structure was quite solid.  
He punched it several times and finished the combo with a hadoken 
chi-reinforced palm strike.  He stepped back when one of the figures slammed 
into him in mid-flight.  He was knocked against a rock wall but quickly began 
pounding the figure.

Genma and Ryouga enjoyed a strength advantage over their new opponents, and 
fought slower, more drawn out battles.  Ryouga was still in pain from his 
broken nose, so he held back from an all out attack and held a defensive 
position which enabled him to counterattack well.  Genma simply overpowered 
his opponent and threw it into the ground hard, cracking the rock and causing 
the image to phase momentarily.

Haratsu stepped forward and slashed at Talarath, who grabbed one of the 
blades, sending a ripple of explosions down his left arm.  Haratsu pushed 
forward with both blades when Talarath flung him across the room by the blade 
of Um.  Talarath then tossed the blade aside and ran forward, landing several 
strikes on Haratsu as he attempted to recover.

Apsu rose his foot above his head in preparation to axe-kick his downed 
opponent, and brought his foot down with all of his strength when the image 
vanished. His foot slammed into the rock ground and several bones snapped.  
His face became red and he screamed with pain as he fell over.  The pain kept 
his from concentrating enough to use his healing technique, and he saw 
Talarath hit his father with an explosive blast of energy.

A cold feeling sank into Haratsu, and he coughed blood as Talarath backed up 
and released him.  He fell to the ground, his vision blurring, and he heard 
the desperate scream of his son.  Struggling to stand, he was only able to 
raise one hand before he fell limp.

Everyone froze as a pool of blood gathered below Haratsu.  A feeling of dread 
and hate overwhelmed Apsu, and he began to shake violently as he stood and 
summoned a healing aura around his injured foot.  His breath quickened, and 
the air around him began to blaze with heat as he cupped his palms.  Talarath 
was now standing over Apsu's father, and his form began to solidify.  He now 
looked like a huge set of demonic armor, with two red cinders as eyes.  Apsu 
thrust his hands forward as burning tears flowed down his face,  "Die you son 
of a bitch!" he screamed as a stream of chi energy slammed into Talarath.  He 
held the blast for a few seconds, then ran forward behind the explosive 
energy.

Ranma ran in from the side, along with Ryouga, as Genma took a slower 
approach.  Soun had ordered the girls out of the room a moment ago, and 
slipped back in just as Apsu reached Talarath  Talarath was knocked to the 
side by the combined force of Apsu, Genma, Ranma, and Ryouga, while Soun took 
the opportunity to get Haratsu and drag him away from the warzone.  He looked 
down to see Haratsu blink slightly, even though his stomach and chest were 
badly wounded.

"Get me... the other... sword."  Haratsu said before coughing up more blood.

"The sword?"  Soun asked,

"Hur..ry.." Haratsu managed to say.  Soun spotted the sword across the room 
and ran to get it as the battle continued.

Apsu fired his 10th consecutive hadoken strike into the stomach of Talarath 
when Talarath grabbed his head and slammed it into the wall beside him.  He 
screamed and thrust his hands upward, knocking Talarath's hand away.  He then 
roared savagely and hit Talarath with another hadoken attack.

Ranma squinted and fought half blind as the continuos blasts of energy 
overwhelmed her sight. She kicked hard at Talarath's legs from behind, causing 
the demon to lose its balance.

	Soun made it back to Haratsu and handed him the remaining sword.  Haratsu 
kept his eyes open and began to concentrate as hard as he could.  If this had 
been an ordinary day, Soun would have been amazed when Haratsu's body began to 
repair itself at an immense rate. 

	When Haratsu stood, he saw Talarath slam into a wall.  The demon lord's legs 
were buckled beneath him, and Haratsu saw that the it was holding a gaping 
wound with it's left hand.  A stream of black energy seeped out of the wound.

	"Okay, you've lost!  Now where are the girls?"  Ranma demanded as she cupped 
her hands in front of her and began to build energy for the final blow.

	"They are... closer than you think."  Talarath responded with his deep, even 
voice.

	"Don't give me that crap!  Where are they?"  The energy of the Mouka 
Takabisha began to glow from his palms as she asked the question.  Behind her, 
Apsu was attempting to stand from the last shot he had taken.

	"Go ahead, fire... I am sure you can find them on your own with me out of the 
way."  He dropped his left arm to his side, revealing a large, burning wound 
which Apsu had delivered to him. 

	"Why not,"  Ranma said as she prepared to fire.

[...]

	Akane drew back, and thrust her fist against the rock wall, as she connected 
she released her emotions in a Sugoiken strike. As a wave of blue energy 
penetrated the wall she ran back to avoid the explosion.

[...]

	"Mouka Takabisha!"  Ranma roared as he released his remaining stores of 
energy.  As the energy slammed into Talarath he saw a blue flicker on the wall 
behind the demon lord.  The flicker became a wave of blue energy which Ranma 
recognized instantly.  He ceased his own blast in mid-strike and ran for cover 
as the wall exploded violently.  Shards of rock slammed into him and everyone 
in the room, knocking him off his feet and into Apsu, who then fell from the 
force.  The blast ceased, and Ranma looked up into a dense fog of dust.  He 
began coughing as the dust entered his lungs, and managed to stand again  
Genma had stayed on his feet, and Ryouga was plastered on the ground behind 
him.

	"What was that?"  Ryouga asked between coughs as he rose to his knees.

	"That," Ranma began, "Was Akane in a bad mood."  Blood trickled down her 
face, and her shirt was shredded from the blast, showing the yellow pajamas 
beneath her normal clothing. "Akane!  Where are you?"

	"She's right here."  Just as Ranma recognized Talarath's voice, Akane slammed 
into her, knocking her back again.  Ranma cushioned her fall and rolled her to 
the side.  "You ok?"  She asked quickly.

	"I've been better,"  She replied, "but it's no big deal."

	"Stay back... I'm going to finish this guy off and we can get out of here."  
He stood as the dust began to settle near the ground, "You can toss me around 
all you like.  Throw Ryouga across the room.  Punch Apsu into a pulp, but you 
DON'T hit Akane!"

	"Shut up, I a tired of hearing your empty threats.  I will eliminate you and 
your friends, and then I will enjoy a long session of torturing your precious 
Akane."

	"Like hell you will,"  Ryouga said as he stood up beside Ranma, "You'll have 
to kill me first."

	"I believe that was exactly what I just said."  Talarath stepped forward, and 
Ranma could see that the gaping wound was gone.  Ranma seperated herself from 
Ryouga and waited for Talarath to make a move.

	Apsu barely managed to stand..  His body was severely weakened and his vision 
was blurry from the last shot he had taken.  He stumbled to his right until he 
found the wall, and followed it to the hallway as Ranma and Ryouga engaged 
Talarath. 

	"Apsu, are you okay?"  Haratsu asked.

	"Father? You're... still alive?"  A new stream of tears erupted from Apsu as 
he collapsed into his father and latched onto him tightly.  Haratsu held 
Apsu's forehead and healed some of the damage as quickly as he could.

	"Yes, I'm alive.  You didn't expect me to die from a mere demon lord's 
attack, did you?"  He backed up and held Apsu by the shoulders as sounds of 
heavy fist fighting came from the battlefield.  "Listen, I want you to go find 
Michelle.  I'll deal with Talarath personally."  He released Apsu and began to 
walk toward Talarath when Apsu grabbed his left wrist.

	"No.  Let me take him.  I can handle it!  Let me use Um and Yang.  Please..."

	Haratsu nodded, "I think you can handle it.  Talarath is on his last burst of 
energy, that is for certain.  If you can hold out for a few seconds I will 
join you and we can finish him once and for all."

	Apsu took the swords, and cringed when their energy flowed into him and 
replenished his own depleted reserves.  He sighed as the crystal blue spark 
returned to his eyes, and his body returned to it's top condition.  Haratsu 
left in search of Michelle and Apsu walked slowly to the entrance and leaned 
up against the wall.

	"Hey, Talarath."  He called out

	Talarath was busy strangling Ryouga and didn't notice Apsu's call.  Apsu 
shook his head and fired a bolt of energy at Talarath, which glanced off of 
him.  "Talarath!"

	Talarath dropped the unconscious Ryouga, and began defending against Ranma's 
onslaught when he replied, "What do you want?  Are you eager to die?"

	"I'm eager for one of us to.  RANMA!  Get Akane out of here man, I'm going to 
take it from here."

	"Are you crazy?"  Ranma replied before being decked across her chest.  She 
fell back, but quickly jumped back to her feet, "You can't handle him alone!"

	"Ranma, I don't think you've ever seen me in top condition.  Get Akane, and 
get her out of here before she gets hurt!"  He eyed Talarath closely as he 
spoke, the demon lord stood absolutely still.

	"Nobody is leaving unless I am beaten first, you fool!"  He aimed his palm at 
Apsu and fired a bolt of energy similar to the one that had impaled Haratsu 
earlier.  Apsu stood in place as the blast was deflected around him by a 
barrier generated by the swords.  He felt slightly weak for a second, but was 
quickly replenished with more energy from his seemingly infinite reserves.

	Akane ran up beside Ranma, who motioned for her to follow.  Ranma led Akane 
to the hallway that led to the mouth of the cave and paused when he passed up 
Apsu.  "I hope you know what you're doing, I'll be waiting for you outside.  
Good luck."  She continued walking, holding Akane's hand the entire time.  
Soun and the rest of the Tendo girls were ahead of them.

	Apsu walked toward Ryouga, "Talarath, once everyone is out of here I think we 
can finish this.  If you win, everyone will be just outside and you can fight 
them there.  If I am weak enough to be beaten by you with only your last bit 
of strength left, then I deserve to die here."  He raised a healing aura 
around Ryouga, who began to moan with consciousness.  "Ryouga, get out of 
here.  Akane is safe, you did your job.  Now it's my turn to do mine."

	Ryouga slowly stood, "Your doing this alone?  Insane!"

	"Get out of here... This is liable to get very nasty once we start fighting 
again.  I can take him, I just need to be the only one in here.  I'll see you 
outside, go take care of Akane."

	As Ryouga began to leave, Haratsu motioned for him to escort Michelle out.  
She was barely able to walk, and her normally beautiful face and hair were a 
complete mess.  Her hair was sticking to cuts and nicks on her face, and she 
had a large bruise covering her right eye.  Apsu took a deep breath to contain 
the surge of hatred that boiled within every cell of his body."

	"Michelle, I'll see you outside in a minute or two. I'll pay this bastard 
back for what he's put us through.  I love you."

	Michelle stopped and looked at Apsu.  "Apsu..." Ryouga gently tugged at her 
hand, and she turned and followed him toward the exit.

	"Apsu," Haratsu said, "If you want to fight this thing by yourself, I will 
respect that, but I will not be far away.  If you require my assistance call, 
and I will return very quickly."

	Apsu nodded, "Any advice before you go?"

	Haratsu paused for a second, "Yes.  Make sure he is in more than a thousand 
pieces before you are done with him.  Do that, and I'll give you a promotion."

	Talarath responded to Haratsu, "You are too confident in your teenage son.  
Go, and I will see you again shortly.  Prepare yourself for your last fight, 
Master Tetsumi.  It draws near."  His even tone carried a mark of sincerity 
that sent a shiver through Haratsu. 

	"Talarath, if there is anything good to say about you, it has to be your 
incredibly optimist attitude.  If indeed you do manage to beat Apsu, I will be 
nearby, and I won't hesitate to be your next opponent."  He left.

	Apsu stood for a few moments to give everyone time to leave the area.  
Talarath stood facing him at a distance of 8 feet.

	"So tell me, Talarath.  Why did you pick my family to attack?  Why do I have 
to stand here to fight you?  Wouldn't it have been easier to attack someone... 
some-"

	"Someone weaker?"

	"Yes.  You've managed to put me through hell over the past week.  I have 
images in my mind, thoughts, feelings, smells, people... that I have never 
known before.  Thinking of them is enough to bring tears to anyone's eyes.  
Why did you come after me and my father in the first place?  Revenge?"

	Talarath's form warped, and reshaped itself into the form of an older 
teenager, around 18.  "No... I am not one to seek vengeance.  I am also not 
one to prey on the weak unless I have to.  You see, in order for me to 
survive, I must consume human life energy.  I was once like you, thousands of 
years ago... And I used to hold the same morals as humans did.  I have had to 
choose, many times over the centuries, whether to prey on the masses of the 
weak, or to seek out the strong and take them.  Each time I fought the 
strongest people I could find... not in strength or in fighting, but those 
with the strongest energy.  Even in my own accursed form, I could take a small 
amount of pride in that I never took those who could not defend themselves.  
Your father was one of the few that were ever able to beat me, and he has my 
respect for that.  I live in eternal damnation, and if I allow myself to be 
weakened too far I will surely cease to exist."

	"I guess I should take that as a compliment," Apsu said, "Get ready.  One of 
us is about to die."

	Talarath's form warped back into the armored image which seemed so familiar 
to Apsu now.  Apsu grasped the swords of Um and Yang tightly and prepared for 
the onslaught...

[...]

Haratsu walked out of the cave on the base of the mountainside.  Everyone 
else, excluding Apsu, had gathered on the level ground where Haratsu had 
fought Talarath 20 years ago.  He walked down and joined them, when he 
observed that everyone except for Soun, Kasumi, and Nabiki looked like hell.

"Apsu has engaged Talarath." He said as he sat down on some wet grass.

"He's crazy for doing this alone, and you're crazy for letting him do it, 
Haratsu."  Ranma said.

"I couldn't stop him.  With Um and Yang he could easily swat me aside.  Right 
now he is at least as powerful as the rest of us combined.  He also really 
wants to do this alone... Why I will not know unless he chooses to tell me 
some time."

"Is he going to be ok?"  Michelle asked Haratsu, tears were streaming down her 
face, and she was shaking in fear and stress.

"He will win.  He won't be feeling well when this is over, but Talarath simply 
cannot stand against Um and Yang in his current condition." 

[...]

	Apsu took a shot to his face, and slashed ad Talarath with both of the 
swords.  The impact sent a slashing ripple of energy across Talarath, which 
exploded brilliantly.  Talarath responded with a quick series of jabs and 
kicks, which Apsu barely evaded with a combination of dodges and blocks.  He  
hopped back and released a blast of chi as a distraction, then ran back into 
Talarath with both swords swinging.  They clasped against Talarath's arms, and 
Talarath slammed his fist into Apsu's face, causing him to lose his 
coordination.  Apsu slammed into Talarath, who grabbed him by his neck.

	"Enjoy."  Talarath said as he slammed his other fist into Apsu's stomach, 
driving it forward with immense strength.  Apsu fought the pain and thrust his 
right hand forward, sending the blade of Yang deep within Talarath.

	Talarath roared immensely and threw Apsu back, as the sword was pulled from 
his stomach an explosion of energy ripped him apart from the inside and he 
collapsed to his knees.  Apsu stood slowly as his wounds healed, at the 
expense of more chi energy.  "It's about time I finished you off now, good 
fight, Tal'."  As he walked toward Talarath the demon lord screamed savagely 
and a burst of light blinded him.  A wave of heat crossed over him and he was 
then knocked back into the wall..

	"You know, I'm getting real tired of - Tal?"  He stepped forward cautiously, 
keeping an eye out for trouble, and examined the spot where Talarath had been 
kneeling.  A small crater was all that remained, and a small flame flickered 
in it.  The flame died, and the torches around the wall began to die out.  
Apsu walked toward the exit confused, and made his way outside with his senses 
searching for signs of an attack.

[...] 

A trolley full of tourists and native Japanese made its way down Mt. Fuji.  
The fog was thick, and limited visibility extremely.  As the trolley continued 
it's descent the driver saw a man in the middle of the road waving his arms in 
distress.  The driver stopped the trolley and the man got on, paid the 
standard fee, and took a seat without speaking.  The driver kept an eye on his 
new passenger and he could swear he saw a red glimmer cross his eyes.  He 
decided he had been working too much recently and started the trolley again.  
He did have a schedule to keep, after all.

[...]

	Haratsu took Um and Yang and placed them in their sheaths within his cloak.  
Apsu had looked better, but was seemingly okay considering the fight he had 
just been in.

	"Good work, let's all see about getting a ride out of here.  My cell-phone 
was destroyed with the van, so we may end up walking a good distance." Haratsu 
said, "Are we all ready to go?"

	Everyone gave their approval, and the group began to move.  Apsu and Haratsu 
used their healing techniques extensively until everyone was generally okay, 
and they began to search for a store or a tourist information center.

	"Hey Apsu,"  Ranma said, "Good job on finishing that demon off."

	Apsu looked back toward the mountain, confused but hiding it well, "Yeah, 
thanks..."

End Chapter 8

	OOOKAY, this "last" chapter took me about 7 and a half hours once I actually 
sat down and started working on it.  I've still got more to put into this 
story before I lay it down to rest, I will probably go back over chapter 8 and 
add a little more intensity to everyone's emotions when they are fighting 
Talarath.  The fight did end up being rather "fat" but I didn't design 
Talarath to be beaten quickly without the use of "Tac-Nuke Style Chi Attacks". 
 I had initially planned on the final battle being a "Final Attack Fest", but 
was given sage advice not to.  I did use a lot of special attacks, but I tried 
to keep them rather low key when compared to my original outline.  All advice 
is appreciated, and be on the lookout for my epilogue.  It will be pretty much 
a character-interaction chapter, and will lead into my next Ranma fic unless I 
change my plans.  How did you all like Apsu?  Did I make him overshadow Ranma, 
or did you all like him getting the last few shots on Tal?  I'm looking to 
finish the epilogue on Sunday or Monday, and I'll have my outline for my next 
fic ready by next Friday.  Gee - isn't free time great?

P.S.  My thank-you notes and credits will be arranged at the end of my 
epilogue.  For now, you know who you are if you helped me out, and you have my 
thanks.


Draxon-X@msn.com