Well, this chapter is certianly long overdue. I had actually written it
a while back but I decided to wait for the return of the FFML before
posting it. Oh well, here it is for your enjoyment. C&C is welcome and
would be appreciated.
Previous chapters are archived at
http://www.geocities.com/LightHawk19/thotw.html
Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I make no
claims, money, or otherwise in the creation of this story. I am simply
writing it for entertainment purposes only.
**********
Two Halves of the Whole - Chapter 9
Demon's Blood
Jay stalked in the Tendo household an hour after the group parted.
During that time, he seemed to have aged ten years. Nothing about his
outward appearance demonstrated this, however. It was his demeanor, his
aura. Everything about the way he carried himself, they all seemed to
have aged in him. If no one else got that feeling looking at him, they
only had to look into his eyes to know for sure. They were eyes that
have seen far more than a man of his years should have ever seen. Jay's
eyes were clouded over with mixtures of worry, anger, and fear.
Jay also walked in alone.
"Jay," inquired Ukyo, who was standing by the sliding door that leads
to the breezeway. "Where's Zack?"
"I can't find him. He's missing." Jay noted that the rest of the gang
was there and accounted for.
Ranma spoke up. "So, Jay. Who the hell was that guy anyway? And why
is he here? You seem to know a lot more than you've let on," he said,
upset that he had more problems to deal with.
Ukyo and Jay looked at each other for a few moments, having an unspoken
conversation. Ukyo spoke first. "He calls himself Damien and he's half
demon, half human or something like that. I thought he had been beat
two years ago but he's returned. This ain't good." Ukyo would later
win the understatement of the year award.
"Half demon!" exclaimed Ryoga. "So that's why that jerk wouldn't go
down," he muttered, half to himself, half to the group.
"You've fought him and lived?" Jay was incredulous. "What happened?
Tell me now!" he commanded.
Ryoga was furious. As his face reddened, he shouted back, "What makes
you so great? If you've lived, why couldn't I? I beat you, didn't I?
So why can't I beat him if you did?"
"Because, first, I knew what I was getting into. Second, I had fought
him many times before. Third, there were five of us, including Master
Masaki. And fourth, it was Master Masaki who put him down in the end.
The other four of us were losing.
"You on the other hand were alone and unprepared, yes?" Ryoga nodded.
"I thought so. You're good I admit, but either there was an act of God
or he let you win. So tell me what happened. This is important. Me
may be able to do something similar later."
With a sigh, Ryoga told the group about his first encounter with
Damien. Everyone listened intently as he described the first round in
the cave with Sachi and Ran. In fact, they were so intent, they failed
to notice Jay's hands were bleeding from being clenched too tightly. No
one, that is, except Kasumi, who was watching Jay more than listening to
Ryoga.
"Are you all right, Jay? Your hands are bleeding," she interrupted.
"I'm fine, Kasumi. Thank you. Please continue, Ryoga," he said
stiffly. Ryoga swallowed before continuing. He did not enjoy retelling
one of the more horrific events in his life. When he was finished, no
one made a sound. Ranma had actually gone pale at the part about a more
powerful version of the Shishi Hokoudan, fearing that it may be used on
him one day. Jay and Ukyo both understood what happened and Akane put
her hand on Ryoga's shoulder for support.
Ukyo spoke up first. "Ryoga, do you know where ...." she trailed off.
"Wait a sec., look who I'm asking."
"Hey! I do know it was near some mountain shrine," the boy said
indignantly.
"Do you remember what the name of the shrine was, Ryoga?" asked Akane.
He nodded.
"It was the Masaki Shrine, I think."
"[Jesus Christ!]" Jay exclaimed. "That's my old master's place. [This
ain't good. That means they were near the place where HE was sealed.]"
He mumbled the last part in English.
"What did you just say?" asked Ranma.
"Hopefully nothing important, but I doubt it," he replied. "Ryoga, you
did well to wreck that cave."
"Wha'? I had no idea what was goin' on. I just needed some air and
came up like I always do. Then I had to fight for my life. So why are
you thanking me?" Ryoga was confused and angry. Kasumi put a hand on
his shoulder, calming him.
"Maybe Jay has a reason to thank you. Here, sit down and have some tea
and listen to what Jay has to say."
"Thank you, Kasumi. Now, if you would settle down, I will tell you why
I'm glad you did what you did. What you interrupted was most likely a
ceremony to bring back their boss, Akuma. That would be bad news for me
and everyone around me. Including you guys."
"Akuma?" asked Akane. "Isn't that a really powerful demon?"
"Yeah, Sugar," said Ukyo. "But that wasn't what Jay was talkin'
about. This is an actual person or something who calls himself Akuma."
Jay took over. "Akuma is as much a demon is he is a man. Maybe more
so. If anyone here thinks Damien is tough, well, Damien is a walk in
the park compared to this guy. Now Damien is trying to break the seal
that binds him. That is why I was thanking you, Ryoga. Anything that
holds Akuma for any amount of time is a true blessing."
"So that's who that boss guy Damien or Whatshisface spoke about was?"
Ranma asked.
"Yes," replied Jay, nodding his head sadly. "Either Damien was
bluffing about Akuma being released or there's going to be trouble
brewing soon." He paused for a moment. "And I don't think he was
bluffing."
"So, what are you going to do now?" asked Soun, who had been quiet all
evening, asked. Beside him Genma seemed to be looking at a nearby
bucket of water.
"That's why I called you all here. I don't want to drag you guys into
this. This is my fight, one I knew was comming eventually. That's why
I don't talk about myself very much. It keeps me as distant from people
as possible and it lessens your involvement with me. But none of that
matters now, Damien has seen me with you guys and that's enough for
him. I'm going to need help to fight him. I know Ukyo will. And if I
can find Zack, he most definitely will. But that's not enough."
Genma, who went ahead and used the bucket to transform himself, flashed
up a sign. <It's a martial artist's duty to fight demons.> He flipped
his sign. <You get 'em, Ranma!>
Ranma gave his pop a dirty look before replying. "I'll fight. But not
because my old man says so."
"I'm in!" said Akane defiantly, daring anyone to say otherwise. Ranma
almost did but a sharp look shut his mouth. Jay nodded his gratitude,
instead.
"I'll fight. He's gonna come after me anyway," said Ryoga.
"Is there anyone else you know who can help?" Jay asked.
No sooner had the question left his mouth than a soft spoken, feminine
voice called out from a new hole in the Tendo living room. "Ni hao!
Airen say there trouble, Shampoo come help." Everyone looked at
Shampoo, Cologne, and Mousse, who had just arrived.
Jay was instantly on his feet, ready to draw his sword at the slightest
provocation. "What are you doing here? I haven't done anything to
you," he yelled, mainly at the old woman.
Cologne turned towards the angry young swordsman but remained calm.
"We have not come here for you, Sonny boy. All we heard was that
Son-in-law was in trouble. So we came over to help. I didn't realize
that you were involved but I can't say I'm surprised. But if you want a
fight, you can be sure you'll get one." She spoke her words calmly, but
forcefully.
Jay, however, refused to back down. "Listen, I have nothing against
you guys but you were the one who threatened my life. So you should
understand why I'm not exactly thrilled to see you. Your offer to help
is appreciated but unwanted. This has nothing to do with you, so please
leave. You don't know what you're getting yourself into." Everyone
wondered why Jay would ask for more help at one moment, and then turn it
down a second later. Especially such capable help.
Ukyo turned to Jay. "Listen, Sugar. I don't like them as much as you
do, maybe more. But we need as much help as we can get and they can
give a lot."
Jay looked at his friend and noted her stern expression before
relenting. "Fine. But I want them to stay out of my way."
Shampoo, who had been watching the confrontation with interest, finally
asked the question that was on her's and the other Amazons' mind. "What
big trouble Airen talk about?"
Soun quickly retold what Jay and Ukyo had said earlier to the three
Amazons. Cologne pondered that while looking at Jay. "So, child.
You've been involved with Demon's Blood, haven't you?"
Jay's eyes widened in shock. "How... how could you know that?" he
asked, completely surprised.
"I don't know how you got out of it, or if you have, but I can read it
plainly in your ki. Now that I know to look for it." Everyone looked
at Jay, trying to figure out if what the old woman had said was true or
not. They couldn't tell. He ignored them.
"Listen, you should keep your nose in your own business. Whether or
not I've been exposed to Demon's Blood is none of your concern. It's
mine alone." Jay's hand unconsciously crept towards his sword.
Cologne gave the green eyed youth a hard glare for a moment before
replying. "If you're hanging around my future son-in-law, I'm going to
make it my business. Demon's Blood is a very evil substance. How did
you escape it and live?"
"I'm not going to tell you that! All you have to know is that I've
escaped it and that's it." Jay's aure flared, and he thumbed the catch
on his sword. Everyone saw his eyes flash with darkness.
"That's why, boy! If you can't control your temper, what's left of the
Demon's Blood takes over. I'd suggest you calm down. Even in your
heightened state, you are a hundred years too early for any hope of
defeating me." Now, Cologne now held her staff in a ready position.
Akane, not wanting a fight, reached over and grabbed Jay's shoulder
with the hope that he would settle down. It worked a little. He
visibly relaxed and he did sit back down, but he maintained a very
active aura.
Soun, also wanting to calm things down and also worried about his
family, asked the ultimate question. "What is this Demon's Blood that
you two were talking about? And what does this have to do with our
current problem?"
"I'll handle this, old woman. I've dealt with it on a more personal
level than you have." Jay's tone brooked no argument even though
everyone was expecting one. "This is a long story and one I had hoped
never to have to tell. Oh well.
"What Demon's Blood is, itself, I don't know. It's a small black-red
stone a little bigger than a five hundred yen coin. The best definition
I can give it is that it's the crystallized essence of a low level
demon." Jay began to unbutton his shirt.
"What it does is take over a person's mind through his ki. If someone
touches it or is touched by it, they become... infected by the
blackness, completely helpless." His shirt was now removed, revealing a
small, shapeless, black scar above his heart.
"Oh my!" exclaimed Kasumi. Somehow, she said it all.
"This scar is proof that I have been touched by one of those stones. I
have been infected by a demon."
Unseen, a small ninja crawled out from under the Tendo home and left in
search of his master.
"So what happens when you get infected?" asked Ranma.
"In general or when I was infected?" Jay asked in reply.
Ranma thought about it for a moment. "Either one, I guess."
"Well, Ukyo or Zack will have a better idea about what happened to me,
I can only remember spots of what happened to me. But I've seen others
taken over with this curse. It's not pretty.
"The most obvious changes are in your eyes and aura. They both become
the purest black, filled with evil. The changes to the mind are usually
obvious. They vary and can be easily masked by the demon controlling
you, but you can see them. You are also a virtual puppet to the one who
infected you.
"However, many other things happen that are not readily apparent. Your
ability to heal yourself is greatly enhanced, enough that most injuries
are instantly healed. Your ki is strengthened, making you stronger,
faster, have better reflexes, et cetera. It doesn't make you a better
martial artist but the physical enhancements often more than make up for
it."
"So that's why Damien was so hard to beat!" exclaimed Ryoga.
Jay gave a small grimace and hesitated to answer. Ukyo replied before
he could say anything. "Not quite, Sugar. Damien hasn't been infected
by Demon's Blood. He's a special case but the same rules apply."
"So, if these guys can do that to people, why don't they infect an
army of people to do whatever they want? If they can have as many
puppets as they want, why are there so few of them?" Nabiki asked.
"Because they can't," said Jay plainly. "It's not that easy to create
Demon's Blood. I don't know the details, I just know that they can't
just randomly infect people left and right."
"Well, I guess that's a good thing. So who do they look for to
infect?" This time it was Akane who asked.
"Well, I don't know. I don't know why they infected me. If they feel
that any given person will help them, they might. Who knows what goes
on in their minds?"
Ranma slammed his hand on the table and spoke up. "So, what do we do
now? I'm not gonna sit on my ass and wait for demon guy to kill me or
whatever. Let's quit this chatting and go kiss their asses."
Everyone looked at Ranma blankly for a moment before he realized what
he said. Blushing furiously, he slammed his hand back on the table and
said, with equal ferocity, "I meant, let's go kick their asses. Hmph."
He sat back down in a grump, crossing his arms as he did so.
Jay couldn't help but smile at Ranma's mistake and display of bravado.
"So, it's come to that, has it? Let's come up with a plan then."
"HOLD IT! Someone's coming!" called out Ukyo as she ran over to the
gate. They saw her relax but did not understand the sudden look of
revulsion cross her features. She called out to the group. "I don't
know if this is better than Damien or not, but Kuno's here and he looks
mad. Get ready, Ranchan."
"Great!" exclaimed both Ranma and Akane. "That's the last thing we
need," muttered Ranma.
"Stand back, Kuonji. I must smite the demon that resides in yonder
room so I can save the fair Akane Tendo and the beauteous Pigtailed
Girl." Kuno stalked by, full of pomposity and righteous anger, with
katana in hand and not his usual bokken.
"What do you want, Kuno? We don't have time to deal with you right
now," Ranma told the kendoist with no small amount of force.
"That is none of your concern, Saotome. I am here to smite the demon
my good Sasuke said was residing here."
"You won't find him here. He heard about the legendary nudist colony
in the south pole and went to join. You can find him there, so why
don't you join him." Ranma had a hard time maintaining a straight face
as he watched Kuno turn several shades of red.
"I wasn't referring to that old pervert, vile fiend." He turned and
pointed his sword at an amused Jay, who suddenly was not quite so
amused. "You there! How dare you desecrate the home of Akane Tendo
with your evil presence?! I would suggest running away from my prowess
like the coward you are or I, Tatewaki Kuno, age seventeen, the Blue
Thunder of Furinkan High, smites thee."
Jay snorted, unimpressed by the long winded fool. "Are you challenging
me with that toothpick of yours. If so, I accept."
"Like one such as I would waste my breath challenging a foreign
barbarian such as yourself. Either you run away from my prowess or be
smitten by it. Those are your only choices."
"A test of swords then." Jay turned to Soun and trying to imitate
Kuno's speech, he said, "Mr. Tendo, I humbly request your esteemed
permission to use your dojo in order to take care of this unpleasant
duty before returning to the task at hand?"
Soun smiled at Jay's attempt and readily gave his permission. "You may
but please try not to damage it too badly as you beat him."
"I won't," he replied and turned to the younger boy. "Come on, Kuno.
You may fight me in the dojo. This way." Jay turned towards the dojo
but stopped and looked back over his shoulder. "By the way, don't try
to strike me in the back, you would truly regret it."
The two swordsmen proceeded to walk towards the dojo with everyone in
tow. They stood facing each other in the middle of the dojo floor about
10 feet apart. Everyone else lined up along one of the side walls.
"I've never seen Jay fight with his sword before. This should be cool,"
Akane said to Ranma, who was sitting next to her.
"I have and he's good. He should easily be more than a match for
Kuno."
Jay began by giving a small bow to the younger swordsman which
blatantly went unreturned. "May your blade chip and shatter," was all
Jay received in reply. Jay smoothly went into a ready position with his
feet in a modified forward stance and his leading shoulder turned
slightly towards Kuno, hiding his sword hilt from view. Kuno stood in
an attack posture with his feet slightly staggered and his sword held
before him in a rising angle from his waist.
'He's using Kendo, just like I thought. That means he'll likely charge
forward with a downward slash first. Easily avoided,' Jay thought as he
regarded Kuno's opening stance and attitude. His intuition proved to be
right on the money.
Without warning, Kuno charged forward with his sword raised high and
over his left shoulder. His cut was true and would have been a certain
hit, had Jay been there. Everyone gasped as they saw the sword slash
down and almost missed seeing Jay, at the last instant, dodge under the
strike with lightening speed and glide to Kuno's blind side. Kuno saw
him, however, and was ready to send a horizontal swing to Jay's neck.
It, too, would have worked had Jay been there.
Over and over Kuno would attack Jay with everything he had in one
strike. Over and over Jay would simply dodge at the last second and
move to one of Kuno's blind sides but allow just enough of himself to be
seen. Jay's motion was so fluid that is was hard to determine where or
when he was going to move. Kuno quickly tired of this cat and mouse
game. "Stand and fight, coward. Or is all you can do is run away?"
"Fine." Jay rolled around Kuno's forward thrust but this time he was
not seen. "Behind you." Kuno turned quickly to face his enemy but was
caught off guard. Jay, in one motion, drew his sword and sent a vicious
upward diagonal slash into Kuno's chest. The force of the blow knocked
Kuno onto one of the dojo walls, cracking a couple of the boards and he
crumpled like a piece of paper. Jay sheathed his sword and turned to
his friends and the amazons. Most of them looked at him with a look of
horror, they were not expecting him to kill the pompous fool.
"You killed him!" screamed Akane. "You didn't have to go that far!"
"Huh?" said Jay intelligently. "I only knocked him out. I didn't want
to fight him, let alone kill him. What kind of person do you take me
for?" Everyone's expression changed to confusion. They all saw the
blow that landed on Kuno, no one could have survived that.
They were all surprised to see Kuno stir a few seconds later. Kuno
rose slowly, using his sword to help him up. "I ... fight ... on," he
said weakly but soon found his strength. "Do you believe that a
sakabatou is enough to defeat me, the mighty Blue Thunder? Now, witness
my true power."
Jay turned around to face Kuno and gazed at him with a wary eye. 'He
must have some serious conditioning to handle that blow. I must be
ready for his next move.' Surprising everyone except his opponent, Kuno
began to radiate a deep royal blue aura and focused his ki into his
sword. Jay continued to analyze him. 'He's preparing some sort of ki
attack. Now, is it going to stay in the sword or will he release it.
If I can take either one, he should leave himself wide open. I'll have
him then. I must stay focused or I'm lost.'
Kuno gave Jay a glare that would kill a lesser man and prepared his
smite. He brought his sword straight up with one arm and held it there
for a moment. Jay narrowed his eyes and stood poised for action. With
a kiai, the kendoist brought his other hand to the sword and brought it
down with an audible 'whoosh.' The ki stored in the sword was released
violently towards Jay, who has standing ready with his sheathed sword
held before him like a shield.
BOOM!
This size of the explosion was surprising considering the size of the
shot thrown. Then again, the whole attack was surprising to everyone in
the room, considering who threw it. Kuno remained standing in his final
position with his sword held low but now had an arrogant smile on his
face. "Vile demon! I, Tatewaki Kuno, age seventeen, have smitten thee
with my ...." He was cut off suddenly when Jay, looking quite the worse
for wear, jumped out of the smoke and nailed Kuno with a blow under the
chin with the grip of his sword. This time, Kuno did not rise.
Everyone, including Cologne, was still so stunned from witnessing
Kuno's ki attack that they did not see Jay drop to his knees, clutching
his left side. Kasumi quickly regained her composure and walked over to
help the green-shirted swordsman, who was now doubled over in pain.
"Are you all right, Jay? Do you need me to call a doctor?"
He shook his head and muttered something about being all right later.
Kasumi was unconvinced and left the dojo to call Dr. Tofu anyway. Ranma
was currently poking at the fallen kendoist, along with Nabiki,
wondering what made him tick. Soun quickly pronounced the fight over
and Jay the victor. He also told Nabiki to have Kuno sent home so he
could cause no more trouble that day.
"Well, Sugar. Seems you handled that one well. Did you have to let
him hit you like that?" asked Ukyo, who looked over Jay with a concerned
expression.
"Ugh," was her reply. "Didn't know it was going to be that fast.
Couldn't get clear."
"I see." Though it was clear she did not. "Well, you rest up. I'll
tell everyone what they should do. Wanna use plan A?" She got a weak
nod in reply and she and Akane helped Jay up. "Geez, you're heavy. You
need to lose weight."
After a few minutes, Jay was resting in Ranma's room with Kasumi and
Kuno had been sent home with Sasuke. Ukyo was busy wondering what plan
A was. She came up with something and told everyone what they should do
if Damien returned.
Author's note:
I know what you're thinking about the fight with Kuno. "New guy
goes and kicks Kuno's butt. Seen it a thousand times before." Well, I
actually have a direction with this. After this story arc finishes,
I'll go into a little more detail with Kuno and what my plans for him
are.
--
Tomorrow sees undone what happens not today. Indecision brings delays.
Days lost lamenting lost days. -Ryoga Hibiki
Suicidal twin kills sister by mistake! -Unknown
Computer programmers don't byte...they nybble a bit. - Unknown
Email me at LightHawk@nc.rr.com
IM me at LiteHawk99
or
visit my web site at http://www.geocities.com/LightHawk19/index.html
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