Okay, I am reposting this story simply because my old e-mail address was
really playing up and I don't know if it ever got out. 

On top of that, I needed to let people know my new e-mail address, which
is 

The_Man_with_the_Machinegun@juno.com

I needed something new. ^_^ So be sure to e-mail me here, and remember
that chapter three of this story will be out soon, and is a bit more
detailed than the prologue or first two chapters. If you C&Cd this
chapter, please send it to my new addy.  

Ja ne! 

James "The Man With The Machinegun"
================================================================
Twilight of the Dead
A Ranma 1/2/Day of the Dead crossover 

by James Epnett
================================================================ 

WARNING -- This story contains graphic violence and
language. You've been warned. 

================================================================ 


Chapter 2 - Memories II


The house had been infested. It scared her to
death. All she could do was cower and wait. Her
sister was dead. She couldn't believe it. But she
had seen it with her own two eyes. 

	The way the creature's teeth ripped at the
flesh of her neck. They didn't even sink into the
skin, only clamped and tore, accompanied by a very
sickening sound.  

	"Look out!"

	That was Ryoga's voice. Akane turned her head
to look at her bedroom door. She held her knees
against her chest, sitting where she had huddled
herself in the corner.

	"Come on!" 

	That voice... It sounded like....

	Ranma burst through the door, into Akane's
room. The young raven hair girl jumped in fright as
the pigtailed martial artist moved into the room. 

	"Akane?!"

	Ryoga moved through the door after Ranma. 

	Ranma let his eyes scan around the room. The
darkness made it hard to see, but something caught
his attention. In the corner of the room, he could
see a large mass huddled on the floor.

	Akane looked up, her vision slightly blurry
from red hot tears. "R.. Ranma?"

	"Akane!" Ranma ran forward in the darkness
and fell to his knees next to her. His hands
extended, and he rested them on her shoulders. 

	"Ranma..? Is that you?" Akane reached up and
wiped her eyes. She let her hands fall onto his
arms as he examined her. 

	"It's us, Akane," Ryoga confirmed, moving
over to the door. He stuck his head out and peered
down the hallway. He noticed that the flesh eaters
had begun to lose interest in Nabiki's corpse. They
were slowly rising to their feet.

	"It's me, Akane," Ranma replied, pulling the
girl into his arms gingerly. 

	Akane clung to Ranma's tai-chi shirt, holding
wads of the fabric tightly in her fists. "Oh
Ranma," the girl cried, tears now flowing down her
face, "what's happening..?"

	"I dunno. But I know we gotta get outta
here." Ranma stood slowly, pulling Akane up
gingerly. He glanced over at the door, seeing the
eternally lost boy standing there. "Ryoga."

	Ryoga turned his head, looking towards Ranma. 

	Ranma pulled Akane along slowly, moving
towards the door. "Take Akane. Get her outta here.
I gotta find Mom and Pop." 

	Ryoga hesitated for a moment and then nodded.
"All right." He reached out slowly and took Akane's
hand. "Come on, Akane." 

	Akane watched Ranma as she slowly approached
Ryoga. She didn't want to leave him, but she knew
she had too. It wasn't safe for her here. It wasn't
safe for any of them here. 

	Ranma waited as Ryoga and Akane retreated
through the window of her bedroom, making their way
up onto the roof top. 

	He took a deep breath and moved over to the
door leading out into the hall. He leaned out, only
to be greeted by the face of a snarling flesh
eater. 

	He cried out in surprise and jerked back into
the bedroom. He stepped back from the door as the
creature lashed out. It lost its balance and fell
onto the floor, groaning. 

	Ranma watched it for a moment and then leaped
over it, out into the hallway. He looked back and
forth, wondering who might still be in the house.
Damn it. He should have asked Akane. No matter.
He'd just have to look everywhere. 

*	*	*

	The memories were getting terrible. Ranma
wished he could just forget, or go back and change
it. First Nabiki... then... then...

*	*	*

	"No!!!"

	Akane and Ryoga started as Ranma's voice rung
out through the house and then the night sky. 

	Akane jumped to her feet. "Ranma!"

	Ryoga pulled her back down, laying her back
down into the laying position she had been in.
"Stay down!" he hissed. 

	"But Ranma..."

	"I'll go," Ryoga replied, swallowing his
fear. Fear? He wasn't scared of anything....

	"Please, Ryoga," Akane's eyes met the lost
boy's. "Help him." 

	Ryoga nodded, feeling his throat go dry. She
really did care for Ranma, no matter how much he
denied or ignored it. Eventually he would have to
face the fact... "Okay, Akane."  

	Akane watched as Ryoga bolted down the roof
top, towards her bedroom window. He jumped through
it and moved through the room. 

*	*	*

	Ranma back-stepped, bumping into the door.
His lower lip trembled in fear as he looked forward
at the futon in his bedroom.

	"Ranma?!"

	That was Ryoga's voice. He didn't care. He
moved forward slowly, stopping next to the futon.
He looked down at the bloody mess. 

	"Ranma?!" Ryoga moved into Ranma's room and
stopped in the door. "Ranma, what...." He froze as
his eyes drifted down to Ranma's feet. 

	On the futon lay Nodoka, her clothing
tattered and torn. 

	So much red, Ryoga noted. Blood. He felt his
body begin to tremble as his eyes moved up and down
Nodoka's form. Various patches of her clothing had
been ripped away, along with what looked like large
chunks of her flesh. 

	Ranma moved down to his knees slowly, looking
down at his mother somberly. He fought back red hot
tears, finding the sight of his mother unbearable. 

	"He...left... us...."
	
	Ryoga started, as did Ranma, as the raspy
voice escaped Nodoka's mouth. 

	"M.. mom?!" Ranma leaned down slowly, looking
into his mother's eyes as they slowly opened. 

	"Left us to die..." Nodoka looked up into her
son's large blue eyes. Streams of fluid had begun
flowing down her face, blurring her vision.

	"Who did?" Ranma reached out and took his
mother's hand, holding it softly as he reached out
to lean her up. He held her at an angle, looking
down at her. 

	"G... Genma... ...left with Happosai... Left
us to die..." Nodoka suddenly began to cough
violently. Blood erupted from her mouth as her body
jerked upwards. She sputtered and convulsed,
causing Ranma to panic. 

	He tightened his grip on her slightly, trying
to hold her still. He felt a hot burning beginning
to form in his stomach at his mother's news. His
father had skipped out... Left his wife and
soon-to-be in laws to die.   

	Ryoga looked back out the door. He grimaced
at the sight. Several of the creatures were moving
steadfastly towards the room. He glanced back at
Ranma. "Can you move her?"

	"No..." Nodoka shook her head. "Leave me.
Yo... you must protect your fiancee, Ranma... It's
the manly th.. thing to do..." 

	Ranma shook his head, cradling his mother.
"No. I won't leave you."

	"It's too late..." Nodoka closed her eyes
slowly, letting her head drop. Her breathing was
shallow, but still there. 

	"Ranma," Ryoga urged, looking back at the
pigtailed martial artist. "We don't have much
time." 

	The creatures continued down the hall, moving
slowly but steadily. One of them, a female with
only half of her face still in existence, growled
at the sight of Ryoga. It picked up its speed, its
arms outstretched. 

	Ryoga moved back into the room and looked at
Ranma.

	Ranma felt a stream of hot tears roll down
his face. He blinked through them and laid his
mother slowly down on the futon. Her blood soaked
his blue tai-chi uniform, and the sight made him
shiver. 

	"There are too many of them!" Ryoga looked
back from the door at Ranma. 

	Ranma looked down at his mother, and shook
his head. His brow crinkled in anger and sadness.
Anger that these creatures had killed his mother,
and that Genma had abandoned them. Sadness for the
death of his loved ones. It was over powering. 

	"Ranma! Come on!" Ryoga looked back out the
door. More creatures were pilling in from down the
opposite end of the hall. "Great, now we're
trapped." 

	Ranma turned suddenly and faced Ryoga. His
hand rose into the air, his arm outstreaching
towards the lost boy. 

	Ryoga turned to look at Ranma and froze.
"What are you doing, Ranma?"

	"Ya wanna survive?" Ranma asked, his tone
cold. 

	"Of course!"

	Ranma nodded. "Then stand still."         

	"Wh.." Ryoga had no time to question. A
sudden inrush of energy surged through him and his
battle aura flared. 

	Ranma closed his eyes and concentrated. A
stream of energy exploded abruptly from Ryoga's
battle aura, flooding towards Ranma. The green
array of energy absorbed into his extended
appendage, surging through his body. 

	Ryoga shivered, feeling the transfer as Ranma
absorbed his battle aura. He could feel his body
weakening, and he suddenly remembered Ms. Hinako.
"What do you think you're doing!?" he bellowed. 

	"Gunna save our lives," Ranma answered as the
energy transfer dissipated. "New technique I
developed. I gotta use someone else's energy or
I'll be too weak to move."

	Ryoga looked up at Ranma as he felt the
energy inrush fade. He noticed a shell of energy
forming around Ranma's body. It wasn't the same as
Ms. Hinako's technique. 

	Ranma suddenly bolted towards the door, his
lips pulled back over his teeth in a snarl.

	Ryoga jumped out of the way of the door as
Ranma moved towards him. He watched his rival
disappear into the hall.

	Ranma stopped in the middle of the hallway
and looked around himself. The creatures were
approaching from both sides, just as Ryoga had
said. He turned his back to the door, so that the
zombies were approaching his left and right side. 

	He pulled his arms back and up against his
chest. Then, he threw them into the air and tossed
his head back. "Ryu Baku Jin!" 

	Ryoga peered through the door as Ranma's
voice assaulted his ears. He watched as the shell
of energy absorbed into Ranma's body, causing him
to glow like  the neon signs that lined Tokyo
during the night. His sense were suddenly on fire
as the energy exploded from within the pigtailed
martial artist, flooding the house in a bright
white glow.

	The last thing Ryoga remembered was being
engulfed in a white hot energy and thrown through
the wall of the house, out into the yard below. 

*	*	*

	Akane started at the sound of Ranma's battle
call and looked towards the window. A bright white
glow exploded from within the house suddenly. 

	She began to rise, but didn't have time as an
inrush of sound suddenly engulfed her. It was the
sound of exploding wood, metal, and other
materials. 

	And then she was suddenly airborne, a scream
erupting from her lungs as she was tossed like a
rag doll from the roof of the Tendo Dojo. 

	She landed in the koi pond, her back
impacting on the bottom, knocking the breath from
her. A cloud of bubbles flooded the water, clouding
her view of the world above. 

	As the bubbles dissipated, Akane could see
the massive energy reflux through the water as the
top floor of the Tendo Dojo ceased to exist. 

*	*	*    

	Ranma sighed and leand over the edge of the
building. He didn't like memory lane, not one bit.
So that had been the virtual end of the Tendo Dojo
and any relationship he would ever have had with
his father and mother. 

	His brow crinkled in agitation at the thought
of Genma. No longer his father, he had to
constantly remind himself of that. As far as he was
concerned, Genma could rot with Happosai in
whatever little, putrid, decaying cave they went
away to cower in. 

	He remembered the rest of the family --
Kasumi and Soun. Both of them had been at the Tofu
Clinic, and all three were now here, at the new
'base'. Ryoga was around, somewhere. He knew the
lost boy could take care of himself, and that he
would adapt to whatever situation he found himself
in. Ryoga didn't give up. And it was actually nice
to see him when he did turn up. After all, Ryoga
was really the only thing to stay consistent. He
was a reminder of the old days, before it all
started, with the exception of their feud. Ryoga
had let it go shortly after the destruction of
Furinkan and had actually become almost pleasant
company. His temper was the only real problem, and
Ranma still had that annoying habit of setting it
off.  

	He shook his head and crouched down, looking
out into the city, continue to wander in thought.

*	*	*

	"What ya think he's thinking about?"

	"You know how Ranma is and what he thinks
about, especially since what happened at Furinkan."

	"You're right, Hiroshi."

	"Of course I am, Daisuke."

	The two teenage boys stood side by side,
looking towards the pigtailed martial artist from
the door that led down into the belly of the old
Square Soft building. 

	The old buisness had been abandoned shortly
after the crisis had started, and Daisuke found the
amount of Final Fantasy merchandise left behind a
pleasent diversion from the trials of his new life. 

	Hiroshi, on the other hand, still had little
to nothing to do other than nose around. He still
kept close watch on Ranma, though why he felt the
need too was beyond him.

	"You think he knows yet?" Daisuke asked,
breaking Hiroshi from his trance. 

	"Hmm?" 

	"I said do you think he knows yet?" Daisuke
glanced at his friend, annoyed. 

	"Probably not. he's been up here all night."
Hiroshi looked over towards Ranma, seeing the
martial artist half sitting at the edge of the
building. "He's not going to like it."

	Daisuke nodded in agreement. "We've lost too
many people lately. Frankly, it's been making Ranma
a little more agrivated than usual."
	
	Hiroshi looked at Daisuke. "I don't think
it's made anyone happy, Daisuke."

	"I didn't say that, Hiroshi," Daisuke
replied, looking over at his long time friend,
crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm just saying
that Ranma could be a little more pleasent is all."

	"Why?" 

	The two teens started as Ranma's hands slaped
down on their sholder from behind and his voice
invaded their ears. 

	Daisuke looked over where Ranma had been
crouched and marveled at the fact that he was no
longer there. 

	"Ranma!" Hiroshi exclaimed, looking back at
the somber Ranma. "We were just talking about you." 

	"I noticed." Ranma looked between the two
teens and let a small, grim smile cross his face.
"So what can I do for ya guys?"

	"We just came up here to give you the news,"
Daisuke informed, glancing back at Ranma. 

	"Yeah, Tofu sent us," Hiroshi agreed, smiling
nervously. 

	Ranma looked between the two teens, crinkling
his brow. "So what is it?

================================================================


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