[FFML] [Ranma] [Fanfic] Relentless

All previous chapters of this story may be found at http://www.rigroup.com/~grayson/relentless

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RELENTLESS
A Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction

By Grayson Towler
=========================

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CHAPTER TEN:
Cursed Springs
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Ryouga awoke to the smell of damp earth and the feel of a cold
breeze in his hair. Winter was coming, driving the dead leaves
of autumn before it with its bitter, slicing winds. It was
always the cruelest season for traveling, when the chill sapped
the world of its buoyant vitality and resentful grey clouds
jealously guarded the sky against what little light the sun
could provide. Winter was the season of death, an annual
reminder that all things were doomed to end, and that the end
was always cold.

And yet, it could be the most beautiful of times. Ryouga
remembered a morning many years ago, when he was standing on
a high cliff and looking out over a morning landscape covered
in new-fallen snow. The colors of the world had vanished under
a pristine blanket of the purest white, glittering like diamond
under the thin rays of the rising sun. He had watched his
breath coalesce in the air before him and wondered if he was
seeing the face of perfect justice, a time and place where all
things became immaculate and equal, all confusion was washed
away, all loneliness forgotten. Maybe, he'd decided, death was
not as bad as it seemed.

He'd been nine years old that winter. His grandparents had just
died, and he had learned what it truly meant to be lost.

Ryouga pulled himself up to a sitting position, absently rubbing
his hands together for circulation. The coming of winter always
pulled his thoughts back to that time in his life. Old feelings
of melancholy were almost comforting for him. Better than
dwelling on the merciless abomination which hounded him and
his friends. "Is death a field of endless, blinding beauty?"
he muttered to himself. "Or have I seen the true face of death
in those three terrible eyes?"

"Oh, that's a cheery thought to wake up to," Ukyou said with a
yawn. The long-haired girl blinked at Ryouga, her eyes still
adjusting to the dawn light. "You got any other inspirational
quotes this morning, sugar?"

"Just thinking about winter," he said.

"Yeah? Well, don't worry about it," Ukyou said as she brushed
the tangles from her hair. "I don't think Jusenkyou's gonna
freeze before we get there."

"Jusenkyou is like Hell," Ryouga grumbled. "It'll never freeze
over."

"Very nice," Ukyou said with a grimace. "You and your morbid
attitude. Ain't ya ever heard of optimism, sugar?"

Ryouga scratched his head and mulled it over. "No. What is
it?"

The okonomiyaki chef sighed and pressed her palm to her
forehead. "Never mind. You wouldn't understand." She pivoted
and cupped her hands to her mouth, calling towards the woods.
"Hey, Ranchan! You got that wood ready?"

"Just a sec, okay?" Ranma-chan called back from the woods.
Ryouga could hear the sound of dry wood snapping as Ranma-chan
worked out of sight, chopping the individual pieces down to an
appropriate size for the campfire. A few moments later, the
pig-tailed martial artist emerged from the thicket with an
armful of kindling. She dumped it into the circle of stones
where they'd made their campfire last night.

"Aren't you gonna light it?" Ukyou asked. Ranma-chan insisted
on lighting all their campfires now, as a continuation of
her aura-control training.

"Lemme get these splinters out first," Ranma-chan said, plucking
the tiny slivers of wood out of the skin in her hand. "I don't
wanna set these little suckers on fire while they're still stuck
in me. Ouch."

"You could always use my spatula to cut wood," Ukyou suggested.

"Nah. This toughens up your hands." Ranma-chan worked another
splinter out of her finger.

Ukyou rolled her eyes and grinned. "If you could find a way to
train while brushing your teeth, I bet you would."

Ranma-chan paused a moment and considered this. "Huh. Martial
arts dentistry..."

Ryouga cracked his knuckles absently. "I think I could develop
a technique for removing your teeth, Ranma," he said with a
grin.

Ranma-chan stuck her tongue out at him. "If anyone needs dental
work 'round here, it's you." She crossed her eyes and faked a
giant overbite. "Blah! Blah! I vant to suck your blood!"

Ryouga picked up a rock and threatened to throw it. "You want
to suck on this, maybe?"

"Hey Ranchan," Ukyou said, ignoring their bickering. "Did you
really cut this one with your bare hand?"

"Huh?"

Ukyou held up two pieces of a small log that had been split down
the middle. She turned the wood towards Ranma-chan so she could
get a clear look at the surface of the split. "Look how smooth
that is. It looks like you cut it with a blade or something."

Ryouga frowned at the piece of kindling, then at Ranma-chan.
"No way you could have done that with your hand."

Ranma-chan looked just as puzzled as the other two. "Uh... I
dunno. Maybe it was just a real lucky hit. I mighta even found
that one already cut like that."

"You don't remember?"

"Hey, I don't go around memorizin' every piece of wood I pick
up," Ranma-chan explained, a bit defensively.

"If someone else cut this," Ukyou observed as she continued to
examine the kindling, "they must've done it pretty recently.
Looks fresh to me."

"So maybe someone else was on the road," Ranma-chan suggested.
"We ain't the only travelers in China."

"I guess," Ukyou said hesitantly. "But still, don't you
think..."

Ukyou was interrupted by the distinctive hoot of an owl. The
three martial artists turned and looked towards the sound. A
great, grey shape sat perched upon a high, barren branch. It
peered down at them with a pair of perfectly round eyes,
glinting yellow in the dull morning light. It hooted again
as they watched, then took flight and disappeared on silent
wings.

Ryouga swallowed hard. Owls symbolized death, and to see an
owl in the daytime... "A bad omen," he whispered. "A terrible
omen."

"Ryouga..." Ukyou said in a small voice.

"Don't tell me you believe in that superstitious crap!"
Ranma-chan snapped angrily. "It's just a dumb bird, okay?"

Ukyou forced a nod, but Ryouga just stared at the empty branch
where the owl had sat as it swayed in the breeze.

"Come on," Ranma-chan said loudly. "We ain't more'n a day away
from Jusenkyou now, guys. Let's get some chow and get movin'!"
She piled the kindling together into a neat stack and thrust her
hand into its midst. Flames erupted from the wood and black
smoke rose into the winter sky.

Ryouga wrapped his arms around himself and shivered.

- - - - - -

The bursts of hot water impacted with the vast expanse of
Pantyhose Tarou's monstrous chest. He threw back his bullish
head and roared with thunderous, inhuman laughter. The
Chisuiton water had worked, just as he'd known it would.

The Reikoku withdrew its water-launching arm back into the
tattered folds of its black robes and continued to advance with
its shambling, twisted gait. The three spots of crimson light
which marked its eyes burned with the same terrible intensity
as ever from the utter darkness beneath its hood.

Tarou ground his fist-sized molars in anger. One of the most
aggravating things about fighting this creature was that it
never showed emotion. Against a human foe, he would have
enjoyed the pleasure of seeing a look of shock or horror when
it became clear he'd found a perfect defense against that hot
water attack. But the Reikoku did not seem capable of feeling
petty emotions like fear. Tarou doubted it had the capacity
for conscious thought at all.

That didn't matter. In fact, it would make his plan that much
easier.

But first, he had to defeat the foul little devil. He couldn't
afford to waste any more time. It had taken longer than he had
anticipated to locate the Reikoku, following fem-boy's trail
back through the cliffs and valleys. The monster had been
significantly farther behind than he'd predicted - he was
surprised that Saotome and his idiot friends had managed to
gain such a substantial lead on their unnatural pursuer. He
could still make it back to Jusenkyou with time to spare, but
he would be cutting it closer than he liked.

Tarou focused his will as the Reikoku drew towards him - he
could feel the monster's aura of fear like an ashen wind against
his mammoth body. Once again, he had to cope with the latent
animal consciousness which inhabited the different parts of his
grotesque cursed form. His tentacles writhed on his back
against his bidding, his wings fluttered anxiously, his eel
tail hissed and spat and thrashed, as if it could tear free of
his flesh and slither away.

Stabs of pain throbbed through his head at the effort of will
required to quell the insurrections of his own body. This was
much worse than he'd felt the first time he'd faced it.
Apparently, its psychic aura gained strength along with its
physical body when it faced the same foe a second time. Tarou
cursed himself for not taking that factor into account.

<It doesn't matter!> he told himself over the screams of animal
terror echoing in his skull. <I won't need any of that to win
this fight - my size and strength alone will be enough. After
this is over, it won't be able to do this to me again! Nothing
will ever stand in my way!>

The two monsters closed the last meters which separated them,
and the battle was joined.

- - - - - -

"You got the ticket?" Nabiki asked.

Akane patted her jacket pocket with her free hand and nodded.
"Right here."

"Good." Nabiki had been surprised to discover how easily they'd
managed to scrape together the money for Akane's plane fare.
Between her contribution from her restaurant income and the
money that the Tendou Dojo had made recently from martial arts
classes, they'd managed to buy her younger sister a ticket to
China without much stress on anybody's bank account.

"Well," Nabiki said, looking around the airport. "I guess you
gotta get going soon. Remember to use that phone card whenever
you can call."

"All right," Akane agreed.

"Have a safe trip, Akane-san," Konatsu said with a deep bow.

"Thanks, Konatsu." Akane turned to Natsume and Kurumi. "You
guys take care of the dojo while I'm gone. And Daddy."

Both girls bowed in unison. "We wish you success in your
battle, Akane," Natsume said.

"We'll miss you!" Kurumi exclaimed with a sob.

"I'll be back soon, guys," Akane assured them. "Don't you worry
about me."

It was a brave act, but Nabiki knew that her sister understood
the dangers she would be facing. Akane had promised not to be
stupid and take the Reikoku on just to prove that she could
handle it, but the chances were very good that she'd have to
step in sometime to protect Ranma or one of the others. Once
that happened, she was marked for death, unless she and Ranma
could come up with some way to thwart this seemingly unstoppable
monstrosity.

Nabiki glanced over at Natsume and Kurumi as they finished
saying their farewells. It suddenly occurred to her that her
father may have had some other reason for summoning them and
extending his offer of adoption other than his desire to recruit
their help in training Akane. What if Akane and Ranma didn't
make it back alive from this one? She and Kasumi certainly
wouldn't be qualified to carry on the Anything-Goes School of
Martial Arts... but those two would. Had her father wanted
them at the dojo to prepare for the contingency that he would
need a new heir?

Normally, Nabiki didn't credit Tendou Soun with that much
craftiness, but he was HER father, after all. Maybe this was
a part of his plan all along...

For a moment, she felt a flare of anger inside that anyone would
think of replacing her sister, but it quickly evaporated. If
there was one thing she did know for a certainty about her
father, it was that he loved his daughters with all his heart
and would do anything to protect them from harm. He wanted
Akane to come back alive as much as anybody in the world. And
if, for whatever reason, she didn't make it through, would Akane
have wanted the Anything-Goes School to die out? Nabiki didn't
think so.

She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. She didn't even
want to think about the prospect that this was the last time she
would ever see her little sister. A big emotional scene at the
airport was not what they needed. At least she'd convinced her
father to say his good-byes back at home. Maybe they could get
this over with and get Akane on her plane without any
unnecessary delays...

"I'm really gonna miss you, Kasumi," Akane said to her eldest
sister, tears glittering in the corners of her eyes.

"I'll miss you too, Akane," Kasumi said with a warm smile. "I
just know you'll do fine."

"Thanks." Akane wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Oh!" Kasumi chimed. "That reminds me! I made you a few little
snacks to take on your trip. Just so you won't get hungry."

"Really? Thanks, Kasumi." Akane shifted her luggage around
for balance and held out her free hand to accept her sister's
offerings.

"Let me see," Kasumi hummed, rooting around in her oversized
handbag. "Here's a little packed lunch for the plane - I've
heard that these airlines don't make very nice meals. And here
are some steamed buns, since I know you like those so much. I
made some tempura sticks, and here's some tasty teriyaki beef
jerky - that's very good for traveling, you see. And these rice
balls are wrapped in seaweed leaves, so they should keep nicely.
Oh, yes! And I put these noodles into some little cans, which
you should be able to heat up and make into a good hot
meal..."

Kasumi rattled on, producing an ever-growing menu of goodies
from her handbag and piling them on top of each other in Akane's
arm. Akane struggled to keep the stack balanced as it became
increasingly taller and more unwieldy. Nabiki watched this
spectacle with a half-lidded look of amusement.

"Hey sis," she finally said to Kasumi. "Why don't you just
give her the whole handbag?"

Kasumi blinked at her and smiled cheerfully. "That's a clever
idea, Nabiki! Here, why don't we put all this back in here,
Akane..."

"Er... yeah," Akane wheezed.

"HOLD! I say thee, hold!"

All eyes turned towards the sound of the sound of the thunderous
voice. "Oh no," Nabiki moaned softly.

Kuno Tatewaki stood silhouetted against the morning sunlight
streaming through the airport lobby window, striking a noble
pose atop the check-in desk. He made a sweeping gesture towards
the group with his mighty bokken. "Doth mine ears deceive me?
Whither fairest Akane? Surely this base rumor that she intends
to take to the sky in search of that foul miscreant Saotome
cannot be true!"

<How did he find out about this?> Nabiki asked herself. <Damn
it, if I'd known this was going to happen, I'd have just sold
him the information myself!> There was nothing more irritating
to Nabiki than a missed opportunity for profit.

"I cannot allow this!" Kuno trumpeted dramatically. "For the
sweet maiden hath declared her love for me! I know the true
yearnings of her heart. Come to me, my darling! I shall rescue
thee from this cruelest of fates!"

The kendo artist launched himself into the air towards Akane
with a glorious leap, his arms spread wide to embrace the object
of his affection. Akane vainly cast about for some place she
could safely drop all of Kasumi's delectable treats without
damaging them. A messy catastrophe seemed imminent.

Fortunately, Kuno's soaring leap was unexpectedly interrupted
as he collided with a rugbeater.

Natsume's weapon caught the self-styled samurai a meter before
he hit Akane. Kuno's body slammed to the floor, spread-eagle,
and slid across the smooth tile. Curious onlookers parted
before the splayed warrior, until finally his motion was
checked by the fortuitous convergence of his head and a concrete
retaining wall.

Unfazed by this minor setback, the kendo champion leapt to his
feet and regarded Natsume with a critical gaze. "And who might
you be, who dares to stand between Kuno Tatewaki and his destiny
of true love?"

"Wow, sis," Kurumi whispered. "All this time we've been going
to the same school and he doesn't even know you!"

Natsume's left eye twitched ever so slightly. She drew a breath
to speak, but was interrupted by the unflappable upperclassman.

"Ah, but 'tis customary to introduce oneself first!" Kuno
observed. "Very well! Thou should know me as the brightest
star in the fencing world, undefeated champion of justice and
truth..."

"Undefeated?" Kurumi repeated incredulously. "But I heard that
Ranma always..."

"Vanquisher of sorcerers!" Kuno continued, vocally trampling
the small girl who deigned to interrupt him. "The samurai of
love! Enemy of those who would enslave women, scourge to
watermelons everywhere! Look upon my countenance, ye ladies,
and gasp in awe! I am Kuno Tatewaki, the Cyclone of Destiny of
Furinkan High! Age eighteen."

"The what?" Akane asked.

"'Cyclone of Destiny?'" Kurumi said, scratching her head. "But
I heard somebody say he was called the Blue Thunder or
something."

"Thy information is antiquated, small one," Kuno declared. He
reached into the folds of his robes and produced a small roll of
bills, which he extended towards Nabiki. "If thou wouldst
educate this young admirer of mine, Tendou Nabiki?"

Nabiki sighed and pocketed the money. She fished out a small
notepad from her jeans and thumbed through the pages. "Okay,
prior to the Blue Thunder he was the Shooting Star, and then the
Samurai Spirit. Should I go back to the year before, Kuno-chan?"

The kendo warrior weighed this query for a moment. "Nay.
Merely confine thy explanation to more recent times." He struck
an appropriate contemplative pose and listened with closed
eyes.

"Gotcha." Nabiki cleared her throat before continuing. "Then
we had the Lord of Vengeance, the Fury of the Blade,
Scintillating Shogun, the Teenage Tornado, and the Indigo
Falcon. There was one day he was calling himself the Mordant
Lime Sponge, but we think that had something to do with his
sister's chemical experiments. After that he was the Savage
Tiger, the Lion of Justice, and the Dragon Champion. And of
course he lost a little wager to Ranma one week and had to call
himself the Clueless Mingebag. But he recovered nicely after
that, and we got the Living Volcano, the Invincible Eagle, the
Blade of the Gods, and the Cobalt Avenger. And now we're on...
what was it?"

"The Cyclone of Destiny," Kuno informed her, raising his bokken
meaningfully.

"Right. I'll make a note of that," Nabiki said, scribbling on
her pad.

"My thanks, Tendou Nabiki," Kuno said with a brief nod of his
head. "Though in the future, there are items on that list I
might ask you to omit."

"I'll talk to you about it," Nabiki assured him.

"And now!" Kuno bellowed, leveling his weapon towards Natsume.
"I await thy answer!"

Natsume blinked, as if coming out of a daze. "I forgot the
question."

"He wanted to know your name," Nabiki informed her.

"Oh, yes." Natsume twirled her rugbeater and adopted a fighting
stance. "Tendou Natsume, of the Anything-Goes School of Martial
Arts."

"Tendou, didst thou say?" Kuno queried. "So, the fair Akane
hath another sister, or mayhap yet a cousin. Now, all becomes
clear." The kendo champion heaved a world-weary sigh and put
his hand to his chest. "Once again, the irresistible charm of
Kuno Tatewaki cannot be contained. Witnessing the love that her
sister shares with me, this poor maid becomes feverish with
envy. 'Tis a tragedy, a most cruel twist of fate!"

"I'm sorry to be the one who has to tell you this," Natsume
said in an icy voice. "But you, upperclassman, are seriously
delusional."

"Stand aside, unfortunate flower of maidenhood!" Kuno commanded
her. "Though I ne'er wish to harm a fair one such as thee, none
shall stand 'tween the mighty Kuno and his true love!"

"Now THAT sounded like a challenge," Natsume observed with a
grin.

"Press me not into action!" Kuno warned. "The wrath of the
Cyclone of Destiny is terrible to behold!"

"Let's go, Cyclone!" Natsume snapped. With that, she lashed out
with her rugbeater at Kuno's head.

The kendo artist brought his bokken up to parry the first
combination, taking a step back under the unexpected speed and
precision of the assault. With a deft flick of the wrist,
Natsume tangled his bokken in the leather coils of her weapon,
then wrenched it aside. With his weapon fouled, Kuno was wide
open. Natsume connected with a spinning kick against the
upperclassman's temple, and he dropped like a stone.

"Yay! Three cheers for my big sister!" Kurumi sang with
glee.

Natsume extricated her rugbeater and flicked her ponytail back
over her shoulder. "Hmmph. All that buildup for nothing."
She noticed that Akane and Nabiki were giving her strange
looks. "What? Something wrong?"

"N... nothing!" Akane said. "Um... I hope things go well for
school at you. That's all."

Natsume gave a little bow. "You have nothing to fear, Akane-san.
My sister and I will bring no dishonor to the Tendou name while
you are away."

"That's not quite what I... oh, never mind. I'm sure you'll be
fine. Heh. Uh," Akane looked about furtively. "Well. Better
be going now, huh guys? I'd hate to miss my plane."

After another short round of farewells, Akane finally retreated
into the terminal, her ticket to China clutched in her hand.
Nabiki and the others watched her depart, each lost for a while
in their own thoughts.

"Well," Nabiki finally said, interrupting the silence. "I
guess we better get home."

"What about him?" Kurumi asked, indicating to the prone kendo
artist on the floor.

"Try not to step on him on your way out," Kasumi suggested.
"After all, he does seem to need his rest." With that, the
group departed.

A few minutes later, Kuno Tatewaki regained consciousness.
<Who was that fierce maiden?> he asked himself as he gazed
thoughtfully up into the florescent lights of the airport
ceiling, a quiet stone amidst the human river of airport
traffic. <So stern of visage, so skilled at arms, yet so
lovely and innocent. Wait... did not the small one say that
she doth attend the same school as myself? This matter requires
much contemplation...>

- - - - - -

<Almost there,> Tarou assured himself as he struggled against
the numbing fatigue in his body. <Just a little bit more.>

The agony in his right wing was incredible. Each time he
flapped it, a new dagger of raw pain stabbed through every
nerve between his shoulder and his brain. Flecks of blood
sprayed into the air with each wingbeat, the snowy white
feathers stained crimson from the wound.

He'd hoped the injury had healed more thoroughly when he'd
last stopped to rest, but it had opened up again less than a
minute after he'd taken off. He'd dozed off on his last break
in spite of his determination to stay awake, and now he was no
longer certain how much time remained to him. If the Reikoku
awoke before he had time to complete his plan, it would surely
kill him. Of that, he had no doubt.

He realized now that he had underestimated it. But how could
he have known the Reikoku would be so fierce this time, so
terrifyingly quick and strong? It should have relied upon
its hot water attack to defeat him - with that countered, he
should have been able to crush it easily with his superior
bulk and muscle. Tarou had known that it would be more

dangerous when he fought it for the second time, but he had
failed to predict just how much more lethal it would be.

Maybe he should have realized that the animal instincts which
still retained partial control of his monstrous body would
cause him such trouble. That was really why he'd been so hurt
in defeating the Reikoku. Parts of his body had literally gone
into seizures when he'd clashed with his unearthly enemy. He'd
been forced to try to fight while an uncontrollable mass of
tentacles writhed and spasmed on his back, while his tail had
bitten chunks from his calves and flank in its desperation and
panic. No wonder he'd been so hindered. No wonder the
Reikoku, with its blur of razor-keen claws that bit deep
into his flesh wherever they touched, had almost defeated
him.

At least its aura of terror dwindled down to manageable levels
when it was defeated and dormant. Otherwise, he'd never have
been able to carry the thing.

He held the Reikoku's body in the crook of his trunk-like arm,
careful not to squeeze too tight. He'd wrapped it in canvas
before daring to touch it - even when it was quiescent, physical
contact with the Reikoku sent spasms of revulsion through his
body.

Tarou's vision began to blur. He squinted hard and forced his
eyes open, keeping the overpowering pain and fatigue at bay
through sheer tenacity. The pain didn't matter. His injuries
didn't matter. Nothing mattered if he could just fly fast
enough.

If he got back to Jusenkyou in time, nothing could stop him.

- - - - - -

Ranma nudged Ryouga with his shoulder in a vain attempt to move
the lost boy forward. "Will you quit foolin' around?" he
grumbled irritably at the bandanna-clad martial artist. "It's
just a bridge, for cryin' out loud."

Ryouga eyed the rope-and-wood bridge suspiciously. "It doesn't
look stable to me," he told them. He couldn't begin to guess
how old this structure was, and he didn't like the creaking
sound it made when it swayed in the wind.

"Me and my pop crossed this bridge no problem when we came here
the first time," Ranma said. "If it didn't collapse under my
old man, it sure as heck ain't gonna collapse under us."

Ryouga was unconvinced. "I think we should go around," he
asserted stubbornly.

Ranma threw up his hands and stomped around in a circle. "What
is the DEAL with you today? You're jumpin' at every shadow like
some old woman or somethin'!"

"I'm just being careful!" Ryouga shot back.

"It's slowin' us down!" Ranma shouted in exasperation.

"I'm not setting foot on that bridge!" Ryouga insisted angrily.
He crossed his arms and turned his back on his fuming friend.

Ranma closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He extended his
hand towards Ukyou, who was watching the whole scene nervously.
"Ucchan... spatula."

Ukyou nodded and unslung her great battle spatula from her back,
handing it to Ranma handle-first. The pig-tailed martial artist
hefted the weapon, getting a feel for its weight, and adjusted
his grip carefully. Ryouga peeked over his shoulder curiously.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I got an idea about how you can get across that gorge without
using the bridge," Ranma explained.

"Really?" Ryouga turned around and gave Ranma a skeptical
look. "How?"

Ranma reared back and let fly with a textbook home-run swing.
The broad weapon connected flush with Ryouga's body with a
resounding clang. The lost boy hurtled through the air,
flailing madly as he sailed in a perfect parabola across the
gorge, until he crashed noisily into the underbrush on the
other side.

"Ouch," Ukyou muttered.

"What the hell was THAT for?" Ryouga bellowed in rage.

"Knock it off with your stallin'!" Ranma shouted back. "We
can get to Jusenkyou before nightfall if you just get your butt
in gear!"

"Maybe we don't WANT to get to Jusenkyou today!" Ryouga yelled
back.

"WHAT?"

"I say we should wait until tomorrow!" Ryouga demanded.

Ranma grit his teeth and shook his fists in frustration. "Are
you out of your mind? This is about your damned owl, isn't it?
Will you just get over it, you moron?"

"It's the worst omen possible!" Ryouga insisted.

"It's just a BIRD! A stupid BIRD!" Ranma flapped his arms for
emphasis. "How can you get all worked up about some idiotic
animal that just flaps around and makes a bunch of noise? That
has NOTHING to do with..."

Ranma stopped mid-sentence when he heard the howl on the wind.
The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as his sense of
danger went crazy. The other two martial artists were equally
disturbed - the sound was like the bellowing of some great
animal in pain.

"What is that?" Ukyou whispered.

"Is that really..." Ranma began.

They heard the sound of powerful wingbeats. A vast shadow rose
over the treetops, hurtling through the air.

"Pantyhose Tarou!" Ranma exclaimed.

The Chinese martial artist in his monstrous cursed body didn't
even seem to notice them. His bulging eyes strained forward,
burning with intense determination. Guttural groans and howls
rumbled forth from his cavernous lungs as he struggled furiously
to keep aloft. He dripped a trail of blood as he kept his
erratic course through the sky. From the ugly red wounds which
crisscrossed his hulking body, it was clear that he'd been in
some sort of vicious struggle.

"What the hell...?" Ukyou gasped.

"LOOK!" Ryouga shouted and pointed.

Though the bundle Tarou was carrying was wrapped in burlap,
they knew what it was. Each of the young fighters had felt the
terror of that aura enough times to recognize it instantly.
They gaped in horror and astonishment as Tarou passed over their
heads, casting his warped shadow across them as he flew. He
banked to avoid a rock spur in the canyon wall and disappeared
from sight.

"What the hell was he doing carrying that Reikoku around?"
Ryouga gasped.

Ukyou shook her head and trembled, bewildered.

"He's headin' for Jusenkyou!" Ranma shouted. "I don't know
what he's up to, but it's gotta be trouble! Come on, Ucchan!"
He didn't give her time to pull herself together, but simply
grabbed her by the hand and hauled her at a sprint across the
ancient bridge. The rickety structure creaked and rattled as
they crossed.

"Let's go, Ryouga!" Ranma commanded, not breaking his stride.
Ukyou had regained her poise and was running beside him.

Ryouga's heart was full of dread, but he knew Ranma was right -
Tarou was up to something terrible. With his hand poised on
the handle of his battle umbrella he began to run, hot on
Ranma's heels, charging towards whatever fate awaited them
at Jusenkyou.

The three martial artists didn't even notice when the frayed
ropes supporting the bridge snapped and gave way, sending the
whole structure plummeting into the darkness of the chasm.

- - - - - -

An early evening mist descended upon the springs of Jusenkyou,
shrouding the accursed grounds in an eerie white gloom. The
Guide stood in the doorway of his hut, aghast at what was going
on but powerless to stop it. He winced as he heard the
chittering and screeching of terrified animals out amongst
the accursed springs. The Guide felt a keen sympathy with their
plight - like the poor, trapped creatures, he wanted nothing
more than to escape. But this was his life and his duty, and
he dared not leave. He watched the dark shape of the figure
through the thin wisps of fog as it moved about the edge of a
spring, and he prayed.

The hare and the chicken scrabbled uselessly at the wicker bars
of their prisons, their small minds consumed with the
overpowering need to escape. Tarou watched them numbly for
a moment. He swayed on unsteady knees, momentarily unable to
remember what he was doing.

<I'm in danger of going into shock,> he told himself. <Loss
of blood. Strain from turning back into human form after taking
so much damage. Just need to keep it together for a little
longer. Just a little longer...>

The Chinese martial artist bit down hard on his lower lip.
The intense jolt of pain helped snap him back into focus,
allowing him to reassert control over the situation. He spat
a mouthful of blood out onto the Jusenkyou grass, then dropped
to his knees beside the spring.

This was the one he had marked, the one that the Guide had
shown him a few days back. The flags he had set around it on
all sides were still in place. But Tarou knew full well that
Jusenkyou played tricks on its visitors. He'd been fooled by
this place before, and now he knew better than to trust the
markers. He needed to test the spring, to make sure it was the
one he wanted.

Tarou fumbled in his pack and produced a long-handled dipper.
He was painfully aware that he didn't have much time to complete
this operation, but it was dangerous to rush things in Jusenkyou.
He'd spent a lot of time in this place, running his experiments
and cataloging his observations. Now, he considered himself to
be one of the foremost authorities on Jusenkyou in the world.
He'd discovered things that even the Guide hadn't known,
especially regarding his own curse. The most important of
those discoveries had come when he'd learned that his curse
wouldn't be negated and overwritten if he was exposed to water
from a different spring, like every other curse in Jusenkyou -
instead, his alternate form would adapt and change.

It was a revelation of tremendous significance. He wasn't sure
why his curse had such a unique property, but it had allowed him
to increase his might substantially by adding the octopus
tentacles to his repertoire of animal parts. When Tarou had
revealed his discovery, the Guide had been astonished. The
little man had lamented that, because of the unusual nature
of Tarou's curse, there would be no way to cure him... but that
was an absurd concern. Why would he ever want to lose such
tremendous power?

<And soon,> he told himself, <my strength will increase beyond
imagination! Just a little more time, that's all I need...>

Tarou carefully filled the large dipper with a scoop full of
water from the spring he'd marked. Using both hands to keep
it steady, he guided the tool over to the animals which were
rattling and screaming in their cages. In a smooth motion, he
emptied the water from the spring onto the hare, and watched
the results.

<Good,> he thought, almost feverish with excitement. <Just one
more test...>

Struggling to keep the trembling out of his limbs, Tarou
repeated the process, this time dousing the chicken with the
water from the spring.

<Excellent!> he thought with delight. <There can be no doubt
about it. This is the spring I need!>

Tarou reached out and unclasped the latches on both the wicker
cages, letting the doors fall open to free the animals. The
hare and the chicken bolted away as fast as they could - soaking
wet, but otherwise unchanged.

He was particularly pleased that he'd thought of testing the
water on two different kinds of animals. If Jusenkyou had
managed to slip the Spring of the Drowned Hare in on him, the
first test wouldn't have revealed it, and his plan would have
been a disaster. But now, there was no doubt as to the nature
of this magical water. Periodically, new enchanted springs
opened up in the earth at Jusenkyou, like Venus Flytraps
awaiting new prey. Until some unfortunate person or animal
stumbled into these virgin springs, they would not cause a
transformation in any victim exposed to the water.

Tarou didn't know how long this spring had remained untouched,
and he didn't care. It would serve his purpose, and unlock the
door to supreme power. He got to his feet and staggered over
to the Reikoku, still swaddled in its cocoon of canvas.

Suddenly, a muffled voice drifted to his ears through the
mist. He jerked his head around towards the sound, his fists
clenched with anger. He recognized the voice instantly.

"Hurry up, Ucchan! And for God's sake, watch your step!"

Saotome.

Something that was a cross between a smile and a sneer
contorted Tarou's face. Fem-boy and his friends were here,
no doubt to try to thwart his designs. Well, that was just
fine. They were too late to stop him now. And he was looking
forward to seeing their reactions to his apotheosis.

Tarou kicked the canvas-wrapped bundle and sent it toppling
into the spring with a loud splash. He snatched his steel
bucket, his grip white-knuckled on its handle, and swept it
through the swirling waters in a single, powerful motion.
The Chinese warrior planted his feet and held the pail high
over his head.

"Are you looking for me, you fools?" he shouted.

He heard them react. A moment later, he saw them - three
indistinct figures emerging from the white shroud of vapor,
threading their way through the aqueous minefield of cursed
springs. He laughed with soaring triumph and acidic malice.

"What the hell d'you think you're doin', Pantyhose?" Saotome
shouted.

"Just making my own contribution to this historic site,"
Tarou explained with a sneer. "Jusenkyou has given me so
much, I felt it was only right to give something back. A
little spring of my own devising, you see."

"What are you saying?" Hibiki yelled.

"You can't mean... NO!" That was her. She always was smarter
than the other two. Of course, that wasn't saying very much.

"Oh yes, my dear," he said, laughing. "Now, you scuttling
insects, witness my power unleashed. Witness... the Spring
of the Drowned Reikoku!"

Hibiki went for a bandanna, and fem-boy tried to warm up that
ki-blast attack of his, but they were too slow, much too slow.
Tarou tipped the bucket and let the water fall.

As the cursed water cascaded down, he could foresee his
victories to come with sharp, crystalline clarity. Thrashing
that cross-dresser and his porcine friend would be child's play
with the power he gained. He would make them crawl before him
in terror, make them admit his superiority and beg for his
mercy.

Then, he would have to handle the Reikoku. He had two more
battles to fight with the monster before he could finally be
free of it for good. That was fine - he had a plan for each
clash. Once he'd tested his new abilities and learned the
extent of his enhanced powers, he would challenge the monster
for the third time. It had assuredly developed the ability to
use Kaisui-fu water to counteract the Chisuiton now, but it had
yet to see him use his ink jets. Once he had the Reikoku's
powers at his command, he would be immune to its fear aura,
and he could control his tentacles again. Tarou was certain
he could intercept the monster's hot water splashes with his
ink blasts, and with his new power he should be able to crush
it easily.

And for the fourth battle? The answer was simplicity itself -
he would fight it in a lake. It would have no way to change
him back into human form. True, the power of its final
incarnation would be staggering. He might not be able to beat
it, even with his new abilities... but it wouldn't matter. So
long as he was defeated in his cursed form, even death was
nothing more than a temporary setback. He would rise again,
stronger than ever, with new powers to use against the Reikoku.
He would use the infernal demon's greatest strength to destroy
it. The irony was simply wonderful.

Once that was done, nothing he desired would be beyond his
reach. The Reikoku's tracking skills were infallible - he
could hunt down Happosai and force that repulsive little vermin
to change his name. To see that old bastard trembling in
terror would be sweet indeed. After that? There were certain
others with whom he would like to catch up and teach a lesson -
mostly those who had used his name in vain. He had a score to
settle with Rouge, too. Then... well, he would have to see.
The world itself would be his for the taking.

Pantyhose Tarou laughed as the water washed over his body,
dreaming of his imminent glory. And then, everything about
him that was human vanished, ripped away like a dry leaf in a
howling black storm.

It did not see. It did not hear. The three blazing red orbs
which adorned its warped bull head were not eyes, not primitive
organic lumps of gristle with nerves that reacted to light.
It had no need to gather information in the crude and limited
fashion of a living being - what it needed to know, it simply
knew.

It had power in abundance, but it was merely a projection of a
force far greater than itself, a tiny trickle next to a seething
ocean of primal energy. It longed to unleash more of that
endless energy, not in the way that a human might lust for
power but in the inevitable way that an inferno hungers for
more fuel to burn. Yet rules defined it, limited its power,
rules which allowed it to exist in this corporeal form, rules
which gave it a purpose and the means to fulfill it.

Its purpose was to hunt. Its purpose was to destroy.

The ancient and unbreachable rules of its existence required
that it be given prey. That was all that remained of the
ephemeral veil of thought and ego that had been Pantyhose
Tarou - the names of its victims. The names were important,
the names told it how to distinguish one lump of matter from
another, so it might know which lives it would destroy. The
echoes of Pantyhose Tarou's petty hatreds remained, whispering
the names.

Saotome Ranma. Hibiki Ryouga. Kuonji Ukyou.

And more names beyond that. Happosai. Rouge. Mousse.
Shampoo. The list went on and on. Others whom Tarou had some
reason to loathe, others who had slighted or thwarted him in
some way. It did not share Tarou's feelings towards these
people - it was motivated by something far older and deeper
than mere human hate. But it knew where each of these beings
could be found, knew their distance and direction, sensed the
life in each of them. It had no concept of time, no care
for how long it would take to find them. It would destroy
them all, one by one.

But the closest of the victims came first, and it had three
right here within reach.

It lunged forward, scattering Pantyhose Tarou's belongings
across the grounds of Jusenkyou with an indifferent kick of
its mammoth hoof. It splashed through the enchanted springs
of Jusenkyou without heed to the magic laced in the waters -
whether the curses affected it or not was irrelevant. The
shape of its body beneath the tattered folds of its robes
twisted and writhed, changing and mutating on its own accord.
Its prey tried to retreat, but they could not escape. Nothing
could escape it.

It did not hear their screams.

Tentacles erupted from beneath the black folds of its robes,
dozens of sinewy arms plated erratically with lumps of chitinous
armor and adorned with a host of cruel spikes. Two of its prey
were fast enough to leap away, but one was just a fraction
slower than the others. The victim took a glancing blow and
sprawled away, tumbling across the damp green grass. It strode
forward to follow up its attack. The victim produced a heavy
weapon and tried to ward it off, but the weapon merely cracked
the surface of its vast hoof. It could take damage, it could
register pain, but this attack was insignificant.

It brought its hoof down onto the victim with terrifying force.
The earth trembled with the impact.

The prey was badly damaged, its weapon shattered to pieces, but
the target of its brutal attack was not yet dead. It was not
impressed by the prey's resiliency. It did not care. It
simply raised its hoof again to finish the task.

But its hoof did not connect with its victim. Another one
of the prey swept its target away just before it struck. It
lashed out at its victim with a claw the size of a young tree,
but the prey was very fast. It pivoted its immense frame
towards the hunted ones as they scampered away, taking up its
relentless pursuit...

Another attack. Another enemy.

Its reaction was too slow.

The hot water blast struck its ponderous frame, and suddenly
it was gone.

Pantyhose Tarou knelt in the crater made by the impact of the
monster's hoof, his arms outstretched, his back arched. He
squeezed his eyes shut with all his might, his mouth gaping wide
in a silent scream. Every one of his muscles strained to its
limit as his body tried to remember how to be human. For a
seemingly infinite moment, he was simply frozen in a world of
unbelievable shock and agony.

Then, his lungs remembered how to breathe, and his heart began
to beat once again. Tarou doubled over, clutching his chest
and hacking violently.

Somewhere behind him, Ukyou was shrieking. Saotome was
yelling something too, but he couldn't make out the words.

He raised his eyes, peering through the grey folds of mist.
The Reikoku had risen again. It was coming towards him.

<It must have changed me back,> he thought. He remembered
everything, yet he could not get a handle on his thoughts.
His mind churned like a hurricane. It was too much, too
much...

How lost he had been, how utterly lost. He had existed
somewhere in the consciousness of the thing he had become,
howling and thrashing in an endless void, unheeded and
irrelevant. He had been so small, so very tiny, an
insignificant speck in the hungering maw of night, not even
bright enough to stand out against the limitless blackness.

What had he done?

The Reikoku drew closer. Saotome was shouting at him to run
away.

Tarou staggered to his feet. His body had been healed of all
its injuries - his brief stint with the Reikoku's power had
done that, at least - but his mind was not so fortunate. For
a moment, his instincts took over, screaming at him to flee
from the thing that hunted him.

His foot nudged something on the ground as he began to turn.
He looked down to see what it was, and stopped cold.

His water flask.

He could never escape now, he knew. The Reikoku was inside
him, a part of him, waiting for a splash of water to unleash
it into the world once again. He had been a fool to think he
could control it - he might as well wish the sun to stop in
the sky. There was no escape. There was no cure.

He glanced back over his shoulder. Saotome was still beckoning
him to run away, but the fool didn't realize, didn't
understand. Tarou thought he'd been a monster before, but
now... he was something far, far worse.

Ukyou knelt over the broken body of Hibiki Ryouga, staring
between him and the Reikoku with terrified eyes. Her cheeks
were streaked with tears.

"You're all going to die," he told them, and then he began to
laugh.

Pantyhose Tarou turned back towards the Reikoku as it continued
towards him on its unerring course. He dropped into a fighting
stance, his hands clenched into iron-hard fists. Some part of
him was still laughing in a high, shrill voice, but he paid it
no mind. He knew he had one choice left to him now.

At the very least, he would die as a man.

- - - - - -

It did not occur to Ranma to ask himself why he was trying so
hard to save his bitter enemy, even after what Tarou had done
to Ryouga. It was perhaps Ranma's most ennobling trait - he
could not stand by and let another person come to harm without
at least trying to help, no matter who it was.

"Get out of there, Tarou!" Ranma howled. "Run! Run, damn it!"

Ukyou was behind him somewhere, cradling Ryouga in her arms and
frantically whispering his name over and over. He didn't know
how badly his friend was hurt, but he feared the worst. <I
can't believe even Pantyhose would go this far,> Ranma thought
desperately. <But what's the matter with him now? Why ain't
he runnin'?>

"Move it, Pantyhose!" Ranma yelled angrily. "What the hell is
wrong with you?"

Tarou turned to them. Ranma couldn't see his eyes from here,
not through the mist - he would never know what a blessing that
was. But the Chinese warrior's voice was enough to turn his
spine to ice. It was flat and cold, so very cold. It was the
voice of one who is already dead.

"You're all going to die."

And then he began to laugh. It was a shrill, piercing thing -
like shattering glass, like screeching rubber - devoid of all
remnants of sanity. Ranma wanted to cover his ears at the sound
of it.

<Man, he's really lost it!> he thought. Tarou turned and
actually took a fighting stance. Did he really think he could
face that thing in human form?

The Reikoku closed the distance.

Desperate to buy a little more time, praying that Tarou would
snap out of it somehow and run away, Ranma let fly with his
ki-blast. The Moko Takabishi hurtled towards the unearthly
beast, a scintillating streak of ruby-red. The Reikoku brought
up its defensive shield, absorbing the ki-energy, transfiguring
it, and launching it back towards him.

Ranma had known this would happen. He was just trying to stall
it. Anticipating the reflected shot, he took a flying leap
into the air to evade the attack. The transformed energy blast
ripped through the air, passing through the space where he'd
been standing a moment before. Ranma only had a split second
to realize where the blast was going to hit, a moment of
awareness that he'd made a terrible miscalculation.

The ki-blast slammed into the surface of one of the springs
of Jusenkyou. A wave of water erupted from the impact, washing
over Ranma. He screamed as his body changed, shifting and
transforming until he had become...

... a girl.

Ranma-chan landed, checking herself over with dumbfounded
shock. She turned to see what had happened to Ukyou - the
okonomiyaki chef was wet from the splash, but she remained
unchanged. Ranma-chan clutched her neck, choking up the water
she'd inhaled, and offered a quick prayer of gratitude.
<Must've been one of those unused springs, like the one
Pantyhose dumped the Reikoku into,> she thought. <Damn,
THAT was close.>

Ranma-chan's attack had made the Reikoku pause for a moment,
but Tarou hadn't taken the opportunity to flee. The bastard
was still laughing, still poised to fight. Ranma-chan looked
on helplessly as the Reikoku covered the last few meters
between itself and its prey.

Pantyhose Tarou moved like flowing water, ducking under the
murderous swipes of the Reikoku's claws with blinding
quickness. He counterattacked with a kicking combination that
would have put almost any man in his grave, then avoided another
series of barbed strikes which seemed to come from every
direction. For a moment, Ranma-chan dared to let herself
hope.

Then, Tarou threw a punch. His fist disappeared into the folds
of the creatures robes for a split second. Something crunched
where he struck, a loud series of muffled cracks, like twigs
being snapped under a wet blanket. When he pulled back, it
looked like his whole forearm had been run through a gravel
crusher. Tarou's laughter turned into screams, but he still
fought.

<He's done for,> Ranma-chan thought, her chest clenching with
pain. She wrenched her eyes away from the sight of Tarou's
hopeless battle with the monstrosity. <To hell with him. We
have to get out of here now!>

Ranma-chan spun and hefted Ryouga's prone form off the ground,
not daring to spend any time to check on his condition. "Follow
me, Ucchan!" she cried, taking off at a full sprint on the same
path that she and her father had used the first time she'd left
this accursed place. She tried to shut out the sound of Tarou's
screams, until they finally died off on their own.

Ranma-chan closed her eyes against the tears of frustration and
ran on.

At least Ukyou was in good condition now from all their
training, and the adrenaline surge from the panic would help,
too. They had a few miles to run before they got to the river,
and Ranma-chan knew they couldn't afford a moment to spare.
They had to build up a lead over the Reikoku, long enough to
give her time to do what she needed to do. Ryouga's body
seemed strangely light in her grip - in a way, it was a mercy
that Pantyhose had destroyed the umbrella. Right now, speed
was of the essence, and carrying Ryouga's heavy weapon would
just slow her down.

Ranma-chan broke stride as she approached the river,
stutter-stepping to a halt just at the edge. Ukyou pulled up
beside him, sobbing and heaving, her eyes bloodshot and full of
tears. Ranma-chan grabbed her by the shoulders and locked gazes
with the okonomiyaki chef.

"You gotta pull it together, Ucchan!" she shouted.

"But... oh my God... Ranchan!" Ukyou wailed. "What about
Ryouga? He's... he's..."

"Shut up and listen to me!" Ranma-chan barked, giving the
long-haired girl a hard shake. "We gotta get help for Ryouga,
okay? I have to be able to count on you!"

That seemed to get through to her. She sucked in a deep
breath, steeled her composure, and nodded sharply. "Okay,"
she said in a raspy voice. "What do we do?"

Ranma-chan pointed towards the river. "You follow that upstream
for about three or four hours and you'll get to the Amazon
village. You take Ryouga there and get somebody to help him.
I dunno how bad he's hurt. He may be laid up for a little
while."

"But the Reikoku," Ukyou gasped urgently. "It'll catch us if
we stay in one place..."

"Not if it's chasin' me, it won't," Ranma-chan told her.

Ukyou's eyes widened as she understood what she was being
told. "No! We can't split up! I won't leave you!"

"We ain't got any choice!" Ranma-chan snapped back. "Would
you rather leave Ryouga behind to die?"

Ukyou sobbed and buried her face in her hands. "This can't
be happening," she whispered. "This can't be happening!"

Ranma-chan rattled her friend by the shoulders. "Ucchan!
Ryouga needs us both now, understand?"

"But... but what about..."

The pig-tailed girl looked deep into her friend's eyes, and
gave her a confident smile. "I ain't gonna lose to the Reikoku
this time, Ucchan. I can guarantee it."

Ukyou stared, gaping, then licked her lips. "Really?" she asked
in a small voice. "You promise?"

Ranma-chan's smile widened slightly. "Trust me."

Ukyou swallowed hard, then brushed the tears from her eyes.
"Okay, Ranchan. I believe you. I'll do what you say."

"Good," Ranma-chan said. "Now, we should probably change him
into P-Chan so you can make better time. Lemme get some
water..."

Ukyou knelt over Ryouga's body, studying him curiously.
"But Ranchan... he's already wet."

"What?"

"Look..."

Ranma-chan dropped to her knees and flipped Ryouga over onto
his back. The lost boy's clothes were indeed soaked through.
They also seemed to be fitting too loosely, except around the
chest and the hips. And Ryouga's features were...

"Oh my God," Ukyou choked.

"Uh oh," Ranma-chan muttered. "That wasn't a blank spring after
all, damn it. It must've been... the Spring of the Drowned
Girl."

"Then Ryouga is... cursed just like you now?"

Ranma-chan nodded and put her hand over her eyes, gritting her
teeth. "Looks that way. Man, he's gonna be so pissed!"

Ukyou was about to say something, but her throat clenched tight
with a sudden wave of fear. She turned and stared back up the
path, goosebumps rising all over her body. Ranma-chan felt it
too.

"Here it comes," she said. "We ain't got no more time, Ucchan.
Can you carry Ryouga like that all the way?"

Ukyou scooped up the unconscious martial artist and rose to her
feet. "I can make it. Ranma..."

"Don't worry about me," Ranma-chan commanded. "Just go and
don't look back. No matter what noises you hear me makin' back
here, don't you turn around, you understand? I'm gonna be all
right."

"Ranma... please..."

"I will NOT lose," Ranma-chan told her again. "Now GO!"

Ukyou turned and ran, sticking close to the river bank.

The Reikoku crested the top of the hill over which they'd
recently run, shambling into view. Ranma-chan felt the
corrosive waves of terror flowing through her body - but this
time, it didn't matter. In fact, the monster's fear aura was
going to make her task that much easier.

Ranma-chan thrust her hands into her pack and drew forth two
handfuls of fish sausages. She clenched her fists tight,
squeezing the soft food between her fingers, flooding her
nostrils with the odor of it. It was no problem summoning
the sense of fear she needed - she had that in abundance now.
All she needed to do was to focus that terror where she needed
it to go.

Ranma-chan closed her eyes and thought of a thousand needle-sharp
claws digging into her flesh, of tiny, keen teeth gnawing
through her skin and spilling her blood, of terrible slitted
eyes glimmering in the darkness...

Ukyou heard Ranma-chan's screams of terror as she ran, and
almost lost her nerve to press on. But Ranma-chan had told
her to keep going, no matter what sounds she heard. <You
promised you'd win,> she thought. <You promised me.> Ukyou
sobbed and sprinted through the forest, clutching the wounded
Ryouga tight to her chest, following the river towards the
Amazon village. She tried to block out the sounds of
Ranma-chan's terror as they faded into the distance behind
her.

Just before the noise dissipated completely, she could have
sworn that Ranma-chan's screams changed, until she was howling
like some sort of animal.

- - - - - -

"Come out, my child," the Jusenkyou Guide called. "Is all
right now."

The small girl peeked around the corner of the hut, blinking
at her father through the darkening gloom of the misty evening.
"You took care of him, father?"

The Guide plopped heavily down on the grass and mopped the sweat
from his brow. "Yes, child. Body is all wrapped up." He
pointed to the bundle of plastic bound by coils of rope. Plum
would someday inherit his position as the caretaker of these
accursed springs, and he knew it was his responsibility to show
her the consequences that a person might suffer if they were to
tamper with the power in these enchanted waters. But there was
a limit to how much he'd put his daughter through.

He had cleared up the remains of Pantyhose Tarou by himself.

"You see all this?" the Guide told his daughter gently as she
came to stand by his side. He gestured out at the debris and
wreckage that littered Jusenkyou, leftover devastation from the
terrible conflict that had unfolded on these grounds. "I try
to warn Mr. Pantyhose, but he no listen."

"Why did you put him in plastic, father?" the child asked
curiously. She huddled against him, eyeing the slick, dark
patches which still remained on the grass.

The Guide sighed. "Sometime, when person die, the curse no
wear off, you see? I know of this Reikoku, my child. It able
to come back from dead. So we take no chances that Mr.
Pantyhose get wet again, or he turn into monster and come
back alive. You understand?"

Plum nodded, trembling. He held her close and stroked her
hair.

They would have to get a waterproof coffin and bury the
body... somewhere dry. Normally, when a body decomposed,
the curse eventually wore off, but there was no telling in
this case. Tarou's curse had always been unique, and with the
addition of the Spring of the Drowned Reikoku, there was no
predicting how the enchantment would behave.

The Guide looked out over the cursed springs, all but invisible
now in the growing darkness. The markers that Pantyhose Tarou
had left in place around the spring had been knocked away when
he'd transformed into his monstrous form, but the Guide doubted
it would have mattered either way. The memory of that spring's
location was already fading from his mind, as he'd known it
would.

Some of the Guide's predecessors had speculated that Jusenkyou
had a life force of its own, an inscrutable but conscious sort
of will. The Guide didn't know about that, but it was clear
that the place followed certain patterns. The more powerful
and dangerous a spring was, the more difficult it was to find
amongst the pools of accursed water. A visitor who accidentally
fell into one of the Jusenkyou's springs had a very slim chance
of stumbling upon one of the truly powerful curses, such as
Tarou's monstrous spring or the ancient waters into which the
girl named Rouge had fallen.

This new Spring of the Drowned Reikoku would vanish now, perhaps
for centuries, and its waters would remain untouched. But karma
always drew someone to such places eventually. It was the
nature of Jusenkyou.

The Guide prayed that he would never see another person fall
into that ghastly spring in his lifetime, and that his daughter
would be spared as well when she took his place. But who could
say? Nobody could predict the ways of Jusenkyou, not even the
Guides who had tended it over the long centuries. For now, all
he could do was to clean up the mess, and record the events
which led to the creation of the Spring of the Drowned
Reikoku.

It really was a very tragic story.

- - - - - -

end of chapter ten

-----------------------------------------------------------
AUTHOR'S NOTES
-----------------------------------------------------------

I'm going to try to give descriptions of the more obscure
Ranma 1/2 characters who appear in this story. If they haven't
shown up in the manga or anime currently released in the U.S.,
I'll endeavor to give them some introduction. So...

PLUM: The Jusenkyou Guide's daughter, who is a young but
very capable and bright girl being trained to take over her
father's position. Not too much to say about her since she
doesn't play much of a role in the story. To my knowledge, she
only appears in the manga, but I'm pretty sketchy on the later
anime, so I might be wrong.

Well, did you really think that everybody would get out of
this alive?

While it's something of a fanfic convention (and a perfectly
legitimate one, as I see it) that Kuno continues to call himself
the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High, I'm pretty certain that he
only refers to himself once that way in the manga. I'm less
sure about the anime. Anyway, I figured I'd have a little fun
with that, since this was otherwise quite the serious chapter.

COMING SOON: Ranma is on his own, with the Reikoku in pursuit -
how long can he hold out by himself? How badly is Ryouga hurt?
How long can Ukyou keep her cool in a village full of Amazons?
Will anybody find a way to track down Happosai after all this
time? These questions and more to be addressed in Chapter
Eleven...

GRT - September 1999
grayson@rigroup.net

All existing chapters of this story may be found at:
http://www.rigroup.com/~grayson/relentless