Okay, this is the third time I've had to send this. A
correction I made to the first attempt went out, but not the
post itself.
Many, many, many thanks go to my pre-readers, Slacker and
Mark Engelbert for their help with this fic, I couldn't have
gotten this far without them.
Also, previous chapters can be found at
http://tannim.anifics.com/ and
http://www.angelfire.com/anime2/KasumiandRanma/
Amazing, this is the aniversary of my first posted fic.
Where has the time gone?
Disclaimer: What? You want a complete list of who owns
what? But that takes the fun out
of guessing. Suffice to say, only a small handful of
characters are mine, the rest are
adapted from one source or another.
Ranma's Bane
Chapter 9: Uprising
The moonlight illuminated three sleeping faces, and one face
scrunched up in concentration.
Setsuna was forced awake by the moon itself deciding to
shine directly into her eyes
through the window. Shifting positions with a bit of
grumbling, she noticed Zelgadis
wide-awake and studying.
"What are you reading?"
Zelgadis held up a finger to silence her, and slowly moved
his lips as his eyes scanned a
paragraph. Closing the book with a sigh, he tilted his head
back, resting his bloodshot
eyes.
"It's a book of magic, given to me by an old friend."
"That Rezo you talked about yesterday?"
"No. This one was totally different. I met her in Russia
about the time the Americans
were dumping tea into one of their harbors. It was a rather
backwards area, they didn't
even know what gunpowder was, but it also had it's charm.
She was powerful, and knew
spells that could make an atom bomb look like a mosquito
bite."
"You're kidding, right?"
"No."
"And she gave this to you?"
"Not quite. It, and several others, were passed on to me
when she died. Her children and
grand children were killed in Napoleon's failed invasion,
and her husband had died a few
years earlier. I was the only person left in the world that
she would trust with the
knowledge."
"What's in it?"
Zelgadis ran a finger along the binding. It was a rather
thick book, easily several
hundred pages, and immaculate in it's preservation.
"In this particular book? Two spells."
Setsuna stared at it. "Two. In that?"
Zelgadis nodded. "They are rather powerful ones. One of
them I learned almost immediately.
The other I've been studying off and on for fifty years, and
I think I might have it down."
"Why do you need that much? Aren't your spells just waving
your arms and saying words?"
"Are your powers just looking at an object?" Zelgadis
countered.
"No, it takes concentration and knowing how to manipulate my
power."
"Concentration and power manipulation, that is it exactly.
Fully two thirds of this book
is how to control the second spell."
"What do they do?"
"The first, and easier, of the spells turns a creature's
life energy against them. It only
seams to work on supernatural beings, so you're safe, while
the rest of us are not. It's
called the Ra Tilt, though there is no indication of where
the name comes from."
"And the second?"
Zelgadis paused before answering. "There is a power behind
the Nightlords. It's known only
as the Dark. What is not known is whether it is a force, an
entity, or something else.
What is known is that it represents darkness, chaos, and
destruction. This spell calls
upon that power. Most of the text is a description of how
to keep control over the power,
and detailing what happens if your concentration breaks.
Trust me, it's not pretty."
"Summoning such an evil power? For what purpose?"
Zelgadis shrugged. "I guess the power is similar to magic, a
tool to be used for good or
ill. Or it could be a force of raw destruction, with no
redeeming qualities. In either
case, I think I can use its power against the Nightlords."
Eager to change the subject, Setsuna ran a finger along the
rough stone of Zelgadis' hand.
"What does it feel like, having stone skin?"
Zelgadis pulled his hand away. "It feels normal to me,
though a little rigid. That's all I
really notice these days."
"What was it like before?"
"Before Xelloss trapped me like this? I had something
resembling a normal life. I would
settle somewhere, stay a few years, and move on when things
got boring, or when people got
suspicious about how I didn't seem to age."
"Did you ever fall in love?" Setsuna asked hesitantly.
"Fall in love?" Zelgadis asked with an incredulous look.
"That's a rather odd question,
considering the condition you've been in."
Now it was Setsuna's turn to shrug. "This has been the first
time I've been able to relax
since I found the staff. I guess everything that I
suppressed in order to survive is
coming back."
"What do you mean?" Zelgadis asked. When Setsuna shot a
nervous glance at the sleeping
pair across from them, he chuckled. "Don't worry about
them. Unless Ranma gets attacked or
offered food, he doesn't wake up."
"How do you know?"
"I had to wake him up two days ago. He didn't even stir
when I was shouting in his face."
Setsuna chuckled. "I can believe that."
"And Kasumi isn't subtle enough to fake being asleep,"
Zelgadis continued. "So what did you
mean?"
"Do you know what it's like to have to push aside all your
emotions, all your hopes,
everything that makes you human, just to survive?"
"More than would believe."
Setsuna nodded. "Then you understand what I went through. I
was close to snapping when
those two came into the picture, and I latched onto them
like a drowning man grabs at a
life preserver. It wasn't until later that I realized what
I had done, but by that time I
had learned more about them, and knew my instincts had been
right. Weird, isn't it?"
"Kasumi may have had something to do with it."
That threw Setsuna off. "What do you mean?"
"It's some kind of aura she puts out. No, don't ask me how,
or why, because I don't know.
For some beings, it dampens hostility, and encourages people
to trust her."
"That's... odd."
"No kidding."
"You never answered my question."
Zelgadis paused for a moment. "It's a long story, I'll tell
you another time."
"I'll hold you to that."
Setsuna and Zelgadis both settled back into their seats,
intent on sleep. Neither noticed
Kasumi's smile.
*******
Xelloss walked down the corridors of Ahriman's fortress,
once again dressed in his normal
attire. Recent events had frustrated his master, and that
meant the avatar was also
frustrated (to an extent, the mental connection between the
two was minimal). The main
reason for frustration was the aborted project.
Arriving at the correct door, Xelloss waved his hand,
willing the door to open. When it
failed to respond, he waved again, and sent a force bolt
into the door and shattering it.
"There is a custom among most sentient beings," a relaxed
voice said from inside, "it's
called 'knocking.' Have you ever though of trying that?"
The figure in question was lounging in a corner, listening
to classical music from a stereo
that was horribly out of place in the medieval-looking
castle. It was another of Ahriman's
Greaters, raised from the ranks due to his immense psionic
power. He was wearing a black
military uniform, black shirt, jacket, pants, boots, even
black gloves.
"If you had answered the previous summons," Xelloss replied,
"there wouldn't be such a
mess."
The doppelganger shrugged. "I have the report. And the
explanation. By the time I had
gathered them, I knew that the deadline had passed, so I
figured I would wait for your
visit."
"Really, Bester, the Master does not like such insolence.
But give me the report anyway."
"Once again," Bester began, "I must note my objection to the
idea of introducing such a
powerful psychic to artifact."
"Your objection was ignored. The Master wished to have full
access."
"I understand that. But you know as well as I do the more
powerful someone's will, the
easier it is to break free of whatever influence is placed
on them."
"Your programming lasted for twenty years, why did it fail
now?"
"A case of too many cooks spoiling the soup. You and Tofu
did great work with the
theoretical stage, but when Washu was brought in to
implement the plans was the beginning
of the problem. You know how she overdoes things."
"Of course, but why did the programming fail?"
"Because I had to refresh the programming on a strict
schedule. Subduing those bird-people
in preparation for the invasion prevented me from getting to
her in time. Then the
artifact was introduced too early, which put cracks in the
barriers."
"And the recovery device shattered those barriers?"
"Not only that, it allowed the artifact to eliminate the
safeguards."
"So how is this not your fault?"
Bester did not even break a sweat. "I admit, I did
miscalculate. But I did as well as I
could with the materials available. Am I to be punished for
that?"
"Yes, but not executed. Be thankful that the Master
understands that idea."
"Very well," Bester shut off the music. "What is to happen?"
"You are to aid Washu in her experiments for the next week."
Bester's face sagged. "I thought you said I wasn't to be
executed?"
*******
"Of course you realize, this is all your fault," Zelgadis
fumed.
"Hey!" Ranma protested. "It is *not* my fault."
"You're both right," Kasumi commented.
They were currently under armed guard. While this wasn't
very unusual for three of the
group (the lesson here is never mention New York to Ranma),
the fact that they were
supposed to be in friendly territory was a problem.
"How do you figure both of us are right?" Zelgadis asked
Kasumi.
Kasumi simply smiled. "I don't, but saying so stopped your
bickering, didn't it?"
Several of the guards chuckled at that comment. One of them
touched a small device in his
ear, then gestured with his rifle.
"The boss is waiting for you. Come on."
The four were escorted though several halls in the
nondescript building they had been led
to shortly after arriving in Union Station. As they passed
more rooms Ranma realized that
they were in an abandoned school, though how it came to be
abandoned was still a mystery.
Soon after completing that though, they arrived at the gym.
The large room was occupied by
a handful of people scattered around, practicing various
forms of exercise.
The guards led the companions to a set of chin-up bars,
where a powerful-looking man was
wiping sweat from his body with a towel. As they
approached, Setsuna gasped in horror.
The man's body was covered in hideous burns, making his skin
look like ground meat.
"What's the deal?" Ranma asked. "Why were we dragged in here
under guard?"
"Always the same," the man replied, chuckling, "I still
can't figure out why Kasumi puts up
with you."
"Ease off, Burgerface," Zelgadis said. "What's going on
here? I thought the lot of you
were trying to keep a low profile?"
"We like to," Burgerface replied, shifting into a
normal-looking, dark skinned man, "but
right now we're getting ready for the big one, so it's
necessary to have the smaller cells
group together."
"When did you learn guerilla tactics?" Ranma asked.
"About the same time the plans began coming together,"
Burgerface shot back.
"Brian," Kasumi asked, "why were you in your Morphus when we
arrived?"
Burgerface shrugged. "I heard you were bringing in a new
person. I needed to see how she
would react."
"And did she pass?" Zelgadis asked.
Burgerface turned and studied Setsuna. "Shocked at first,
then recovered quickly. And most
likely annoyed at us for talking about her when she's right
here."
Setsuna made no reply.
"But that's beside the point," Burgerface continued. "It's
good to see you three again,
though I didn't expect you, Zelgadis, to hook up with these
two trouble magnets."
Zelgadis smirked. "Look who's talking. I seem to remember a
young man in the middle of a
riot who needed a little bailing out."
Burgerface laughed as he threw an arm around Zelgadis'
shoulder. "I remember. Now, judging
by your new friend's appearance, there should be a good
story to tell."
"You have no idea." Ranma said, allowing himself to be led
away.
*******
The rest of the day was spent exchanging stories. The next
morning, Burgerface showed them
a set of maps detailing the central area of Typhoon, the
Nightlands double of Chicago.
"The Windy City becomes Typhoon," Setsuna commented, "the
Land of the Rising Sun becomes
Land of the Dark Sun, Los Angeles becomes Devil's City.
What's New York, the Rotten
Apple?"
"Doom Harbor," Kasumi corrected, studying the map. "Brian,
why is the map so limited?"
"Old fashioned need-to-know," Burgerface replied. "The cell
system strikes again. The
other maps detail barracks and armories closer to the
perimeter. Our objective is Magog's
fortress in the center of the city."
"We're going after a Nightlord." Setsuna deadpanned.
"You guessed it, sweetie." Burgerface replied, earning him a
(low-powered) mind bolt to the
chest.
"Okay," he continued, once the shock to his system went
away, "I guess I deserved that.
The operation starts in a couple days, so I have the
unfortunate task of bringing
latecomers like you four up to speed."
"So what's the plan?" Ranma asked. "Some kind of raid?"
"Similar." Burgerface pointed to a spot on the map about a
half-mile from the fortress.
"We're inserting here, doing a combination of mirror shifts
and Nightland portals. Once
there, we get into the building and take out Magog. Simple
in theory-"
"But not in application," Zelgadis interrupted. "What's the
opposition around there look
like?"
"Relatively small by the time we get there. Maybe a
thousand Hunters and Hound Masters."
Kasumi studied the map for a moment more. "So there are
going to be several attacks and
raids along the outer perimeter to force Magog's troops out
of the inner city. That
distraction should allow a few small groups to slip in and
cause trouble."
"How many?" Zelgadis asked.
"Two others," Burgerface replied. "The groups are a mix of
Nightbane, humans, Guardians,
and others."
"What others?"
"Let me guess," Ranma said before Burgerface could answer,
"rogue vampires and Wampyrs,
Doppelgangers, and probably a few minor demons in the mix."
Burgerface nodded. "They want the Nightlords dead as much as
we do. 'Enemy of my enemy'
and all that."
"Just don't make any deals with the Devil, alright?"
*******
The briefing went on for most of the day, finally breaking
up in the middle of the
afternoon. After they broke, Ranma headed to the gym to
work off some of his frustration.
While it would take more than a couple days without practice
for his skills to degrade,
sometimes he just had the urge to hit something. The way
the operation was planned caused
such an urge. He knew enough about tactics to know that you
needed to be aware of the
entire situation if you wanted to stay alive. But the
leaders of the resistance, whoever
they were, kept thinking about traitors. It was one of the
reasons Ranma and Kasumi never
officially joined. Neither of them wanted to work with such
close-minded people, and from
the looks of it, Zelgadis and Setsuna were of similar
mindsets.
About halfway though his routine, Ranma heard someone
walking back and forth outside the
gym doors. Peeking out, Ranma saw a man wandering the
halls.
"Hey, buddy, you lost?"
The man turned, and Ranma though he recognized him. He was
large, close to six feet tall
and built like an American-style football player. He was
wearing black pants and a yellow
sweater, and his hair was held back by a striped, orange
bandana. Strapped to his backpack
was a large, black umbrella.
"Ranma," the man whispered.
"Sorry, do I know you?"
"DIE!" the man screamed, swinging his umbrella. Ranma
dodged the strike, the result of
which was a loud crash and large hole in the wall.
Ranma ducked back into the gym, and from there made a leap
to the ceiling. Hanging from
the support beams, he watched the man enlarged the hole he
made by bursting through the
wall rather than taking the door.
*Why is that guy so familiar? Let's see, bad temper, lost,
inhumanly strong, carrying a
really heavy umbrella, wanting to kill me... that's it!*
"Long time, no see, Ryoga," Ranma called.
Ryoga let out a long bellow as he pulled a half dozen
bandanas from his head a hurled them
at Ranma. They were easy to dodge, however, and Ranma
dropped to the ground in their wake.
"What is it this time, Pig-boy? And why are you in
Chicago?"
Ryoga stopped for moment, the rage fading from his eyes.
"They make great hot dogs here."
As suddenly as it left, the red-hot anger was back. "I've
seen hell because of you, and now
you've dragged Akane along with you!"
Ranma effortlessly weaved in and out of Ryoga's punches.
"Oh, you mean about her being
captured?"
"YES!"
"You're too late, Bacon-breath, Kasumi and I busted her and
Nabiki out a couple weeks ago."
That statement stopped Ryoga cold. "You did?"
"Yes, we did," Kasumi said, as her hand delicately (though
painfully) gripped several
pressure points on Ryoga's neck. As she walked into his
view, Ryoga could see her eyes
burning with anger.
"Eep," Ryoga squeaked, as Kasumi's skin darkened and her
eyes began to glow. He could also
feel the claws growing where she gripped his neck.
"Now, Ryoga," Kasumi's voice was calm, despite here eyes'
red glow, "what did I say about
attacking my husband?"
"It's alright," Ranma assured her, "just a little
misunderstanding."
Kasumi released her grip on Ryoga's neck and shifted back to
her facade. "You two should
keep it down, I'm surprised half the complex isn't here
demanding to know what's going on."
"Close enough," Zelgadis said from the doorway. "You'd think
that a Greater Hound was
attacking, with how much noise you two made."
Ryoga began to sweat. "Um, I'll just be going now." As he
backed out through the hole he
made in the wall, he was blocked by Setsuna and her staff.
"Is this the infamous Ryoga that you two have told me so
much about?"
"Yes, Setsuna, he is," Kasumi replied.
"Um, can I go now?" Ryoga asked.
"No," came the reply from four throats as the quartet put
their heads together.
"What should we do?"
"Why not just let him go? It's not like he's a danger."
"We can't risk that. If he's captured it would blow the
entire operation."
"You know, we could use some extra firepower when the raid
happens."
"Good idea, Ranma. What about you, Setsuna?"
"Fine by me. Zel?"
"Sure."
The huddle was broken, and Kasumi approached Ryoga. "Ryoga,
would you like a chance for
revenge against the people who hurt Akane?"
Ryoga looked, understandably, skeptical. "What do you mean?"
"The shit is about to hit the fan," Ranma explained, "and we
could use another pair of
strong arms."
Ryoga smiled. "Asking my help, Ranma?"
Ranma shrugged. "I guess so."
"Then count me in, just so I can see what's got an arrogant
prick like you worried."
*******
Zelgadis waited until he was a short distance away before
punching the wall. The dent he
put in it was smaller than the hole Ryoga created.
"How are you able to keep that anger inside?"
Zelgadis turned to see Setsuna walking up.
"How do you know what I feel?" Zelgadis asked.
Setsuna laughed. "Never lie to a psychic, Zelgadis, I
thought you would have learned that
by now. Will you at least tell me what's wrong?"
"You wouldn't understand."
"Try me."
Zelgadis paused, unsure of how to proceed. "If you're
psychic, can you tell why I hate
Xelloss so much?"
Setsuna shook her head. "I don't probe my friends."
"Friends?" Zelgadis laughed. "This from a woman who didn't
know what to believe about the
world just last night."
"I trust you," Setsuna said with a shrug.
Zelgadis studied her for a moment. "I guess you do." Turning
away, he clenched his fist
hard enough that sparks flew from the rubbing stones.
"What is it?" Setsuna asked.
"I can't tell you," Zelgadis replied. "Not yet."
"I'll hold you to that, you know."
"I know."
*******
It was close to midnight before Ranma was finally able to
retire. The 'room' he shared
with Kasumi was little more than an office, most likely
belonging to a teacher back when
the school was occupied. It was barely large enough for the
hammock that passed for their
bed.
"I was wondering when you would get back." Kasumi said, not
giving any other indication
that she was awake.
"How long have you been practicing that?" Ranma asked.
"Not long."
Ranma settled into the hammock as Kasumi inched over to make
room. With a tired sigh he
lay back and made his body relax. A well-thrown shoe in the
direction of the light switch
bathed the room in darkness.
"How long were you sparing with Ryoga?"
"Pretty long. He's gotten better over the years, though so
have I. He was also talking
about a new technique of his, but refused to show it."
"That's strange."
"No kidding."
Kasumi shifted over to use Ranma's shoulder as a pillow. Of
course, in doing so, her
knee's became level with Ranma's ankles. It often surprised
people that Kasumi almost half
a head taller than Ranma, though both attributed the
difference to ten years of
malnutrition under Genma's 'care.'
"Something's on your mind."
Kasumi shifted a bit. "What makes you say that?"
"I know you too well. What's wrong?"
"Ranma, what's the longest we've ever stayed in one place
since the Dark Day?"
Ranma had to think for a moment. "About three months in
London. That was a year ago."
"In all that time, has there been any place that you call
home?"
"What do you mean?'
"We've lived in all sorts of places, but we never could
settle down. We always had to stay
on the move because of the situation. Others of our kind
have been able to lead relatively
normal lives, but not us. We are forced to wander because
of the chaos you attract."
Ranma laughed softly, then kissed the top of Kasumi's head.
"You, of all people, should
know that a home is a state of being, not a place. For me,
home is anyplace where I'm with
you."
"Why is it you weren't nearly this eloquent when we first
met?"
"Every time I tried to say what I really felt, I got
splashed, smashed, malleted, poisoned,
attacked, or some combination of those."
"You have a point," Kasumi said as they both drifted off to
sleep.
End chapter 9