Oi...how to explain this...... 

.... 

.... 

.... 

Hmmm....I can't.... 

This is just something my brain decided to fart out. I
guess my muse had nothing better to do or something.
Hasn't been pre-read or edited, so feel to bash and
burn at your leisure. 

Whatever. Enjoy. 
_______________________________________________________
[Ranma/???][Divergence/Crossover][Action/Sci-Fi] 


Disclaimer: All characters and concepts depicted are
the sole property of their respective owners,
creators, and distributors.





Chesapeake Bay.

The largest estuary in the continental United States.
200 miles long and 35 miles wide, over 150 rivers and
3,600 species of plant and animal feed off this
fertile mixture of salt and fresh water. 

Hidden within the depths of more than 150 trillion
gallons of water, a lumbering giant moves ominously
just above the floor. It silently navigates the dark
nadir toward the Potomac River. Larger than a nuclear
submarine and shaped like a futuristic flying
fortress, yet perfectly hidden from any and all forms
of existing sonar, utilizing stealth technology more
advanced than anything anyone would ever see in modern
day. This technological beast is known by only a
select few in the world, but even fewer even know of
its location. 

It is known as the Behemoth.

And within its hallowed corridors, enshrouded within
the darkness of a vast throne room, a being of
immeasurable power and authority stands in wait,
contemplating events yet to unfold as he stares out
into the shadowed depths of the bay. Sealed within
gold and dark purple armor, and wrapped in a mantle of
pure black is a burning effigy, a being of raw psionic
fury. His face bears the semblance of a skull, the
eternal symbol of death and damnation, surrounded by a
hellish halo of cerulean flame that licked and snapped
at the world around him.

His body exuded an invisible aura of domination,
backed by the keen intellect of a galactic level
strategist and conqueror. He has led armies across the
blood-soaked battlefields of countless systems,
bringing glory to his people, and terror and
destruction to his enemies. Now he had but one world
to conquer, but one species to subjugate to his
almighty will. If it were only that simple...

"M'lord, I bring news," a voice reared him from his
internal m�l�e. A man dressed in black suit and tie
kneeled before his master in homage

"Speak." The godlike overlord ordered.

"We have discerned the location of three more 'Gifted
Ones'," the underling spoke. "We have dispatched our
warriors to locate and terminate them, as per your
orders."

"Excellent," he voice rumbled and quaked across the
room. "Once the remaining half-breeds have been
exterminated, we can proceed with the next phase of
'Reunification'."

"Preparations are already underway m'lord," the
servant said. "Our spy within Washington is secure,
and the accumulation of funds and equipment through
our black market channels is proceeding without
error."

"Perfect," the semblance of a smile crept across the
beings face, only to disappear as quickly as it came.
"Now leave me, I wish to be alone, there is much still
to be done that I must contemplate."

"As you command Lord Helspont," the servant said
before melted into the shadows without a sound.

"Providence, what say you?" Helspont spoke to the
darkness.

Out of the black, a figure wrapped in white hood and
cloak appeared, her legs in full lotus, she floated in
the air with the greatest of ease exerting only the
smallest fraction of the near infinite cosmic powers
at her disposal.

"Beware dread lord, for one of the three possess The
Sight," she spoke in a child-like tone of voice.
"Should they be allowed to live, the Reunification
itself will be imperiled."

"Fear not, the Gifted Ones shall not live long enough
to pose a significant threat," the warlord assured.
"Soon my Daemonite brethren shall cross the stars and
conquer this misbegotten world. And no one, neither
half-breed nor full-blood Kherubim shall stand in our
way."








Ranma 1/2


+


WildC.A.T.S: Covert Action Teams




"Bloodlines"
Arc 1: Activation




Chapter 1




Golden sunlight began to creep over the horizon line
of Nerima. A perfect, still calm was still settled
over the quaint suburban neighborhood. All the
ordinary folk that comprised this small district were
tucked away in their beds, dreaming the dreams that
ordinary people do. Nestled deep within this suburbia
is a training hall that has existed for decades on
end. It has been a fixture of this place for longer
than most people there are capable of remembering,
being passed down through the family line for
generations. It is a home that contains many happy
memories, and has always been full of warmth and life,
even today.

On this particular chilly morning a young woman
stepped onto the covered walkway leading to the dojo.
Her breath came out in small puffs of white,
indicating the sharp drop in temperature that had
occurred overnight and prompting her dress of a
loose-fitting sweater and jeans. Her bare feet padding
lightly against the polished wooden floor as she
approached a small shrine located on the eastern wall
of the dojo. She rested on her heels and lit three
candles, two on either side of the portrait depicting
a woman with long, rich black hair and gentle,
unassuming features, and one in the center. She
clapped twice and began to wordlessly recite a small
and brief prayer to the heavens above.  

"I realize its been quite some time since we've
spoke," Kasumi Tendo whispered to her long deceased
mother. "Quite a bit has happened in the past two
weeks. That nice boy, Ryoga came by again. He and
Ranma got into another one of their scuffles.
Apparently he had learned some new technique called
the Bakusai Tenketsu, Ranma didn't really give me all
the details."

Her one-person conversation carried on for minutes
more. Bringing up such topics like the appearance of
Shampoo's great-grandmother Cologne, the full-body cat
tongue, and Ranma's Kachuu Tenchin Amaguriken
training.

"You wouldn't believe how hard Ranma tried with that,
he always came home with burns all over his hands and
grumbling about the 'old mummy'," she giggled in
amusement before sighing in a melancholy way. "I wish
you could be here to see it. The house has never been
more alive...I'm sure you would've enjoyed it."

Silence crept over the training hall as she stared at
her mother's face. She remembered the times long past
when she was alive and well. Everything seemed so
perfect back then, so...right. When she began to waste
away due to the effects of cancer, it seemed
so...wrong. As if something like that just should not
be happening to her...could not be happening to her.
To this day Kasumi never fully understood why she felt
that way...

"What was she like?" a new voice appeared.

She lifted her head slightly as she listened to the
sound of Ranma approaching. His sudden and soundless
appearance within the dojo did not surprise her,
something Ranma took notice of as he came near.

"Oh, Ranma, I didn't think you would be awake this
early," she said questioningly

"Yeah well, when your father snores so loud that the
walls shake, you get a tendency to be wide awake at
all hours of the morning, hell even the night," he
shrugged. "So...what was she like? It looks like she
meant a lot to you."

"She did, she truly did," she answered fondly. "It was
like she knew everything, there was nothing she
couldn't do...no question she couldn't answer. It was
like she'd been on this Earth forever."

"Wow," Ranma said simply as he leaned closer to get a
better look at the picture. "And it wasn't just idol
worship?"

"No, it honestly wasn't," she smiled as she stood up.
"Nabiki and money, myself and the household, and even
Akane and the martial arts. Though I suppose the
latter encompassed all three of us."

"Oh?" his ears perked at the last part. "I thought
your dad took care of all that."

"He tried to for Akane after she passed on, but...I
just don't he could do it on his own," she said
softly. "That's why it was so...surreal when she died.
Everything seemed so different, so empty..."

"At least you had a mother," Ranma chuckled
sardonically. "I don't even know if mine is alive or
dead."

"I suppose," she agreed reluctantly as she stopped
near a wall mounted weapon rack. "Though at least
you'll be spared the experience of seeing her go."

Ranma turned from the shrine to see her retrieve a
six-foot long wooden bo staff from the display. She
tested the balance of the weapon for a moment before
twirling it slowly. Eventually it sped into a series
of strikes, parries, and thrusts that sometimes came
in single movements while turning and pivoting her
body in myriad of directions. Given the nature of the
two-ended weapon, the techniques flowed together in an
unceasing succession, moving at such speed that the
movements blurred. Ranma recognized the style, or
styles being used, he remembered them from when he and
his fathered passed through the area of Okinawa where
that particular weapon was quite popular among the
farmers. Good evidence of Shindo-Muso Ryu bojitsu was
also present in the forms she was demonstrating.

"Not bad," he commented as she stopped and stared
thoughtfully at the staff. "I take it your mom showed
you how to use that thing."

"You're not surprised?" she asked with a raised
eyebrow.

"Should I be?" he countered. "You live in a dojo. I'd
be more surprised if you DIDN'T have at least some
training."

"Right," she conceded.

"Maybe you and me should try it sometime," he offered.

"Hmmmm, my, its been a quite a while since I've done
that," she recollected. "I doubt you would get much
out of me."

Given the coordination and speed she was showing, he
thought otherwise.

"Quick question," Ranma nodded back to the portrait.
"What's that thing on your mom's forehead?"

"Hmmm, what thing?" Kasumi blinked.

She approached the shrine and narrowed her eyes,
following Ranma's finger. It was very faded, and
further obscured by the bangs the fell over her
mother's brow. It looked to be a circle, probably a
solid one. She also noticed what appeared to be
extremely feint tiger stripes running on the sides of
her face, three on each cheek.

"Oh!" she remembered. "I think I remember asking her
about those. Apparently there some sort of markings
her family gave her when she reached a certain age,
she never explained what they were for or what they
meant though."

"Huh, weird," Ranma replied simply. "She looked pretty
young. How old was she when she passed on?"

"According to my father she was 48," she answered.
"Amazing isn't it? She looks so young, like she's
barely over 25."

"Wonders never cease," he blinked. "Well anyway, sorry
to bother you with all these questions. I better get
back inside before Akane thinks I'm off groping
Shampoo or something."

"It was no problem at all," she assured. "I'll be in
to start breakfast in a minute."

"Yup," he waved as he left the dojo.

She stared at the portrait for a few moments in
silence after the pigtailed boys departure. 

"That was Ranma, I was hoping you would get a chance
to meet him, he's a bit wild but...he makes this place
feel like a home again, " she said quietly. "Maybe I
should tell him that sometime."


*


High in the morning sky and outside the visual range
of any human below, the air warped and folded in a
baffling display spatial distortion. Out of this
phenomenon, three figures appeared suspended in
mid-air, each possessed smiles of malicious intent and
radiated the hellish force that all creatures of their
particular stature possessed.

"They're here," one of the sneered. "I can smell their
foul odor even from here. The damnable blood of
Kherubim." 

"So what shall we do? Do we strike now and take them
unawares?" a second asked in a feminine voice.

"Oh, now where would be the fun in that?" a third
snickered. "I prefer divide and conquer. That way we
get to play with them a little longer."

"As long as they're dead by the day's end," the first
Daemonite duke spoke. "Lord Helspont will not tolerate
failure."


*


"A challenge?" Ranma asked as he stuffed more rice
into his mouth.

"Yes, I just received it," Soun confirmed as he held
up a small white envelope. "The challenger will be
arriving this afternoon."

"Tch, no problem," he waved it off as he snatched a
sushi from his father's plate with blinding speed. "If
things don't get TOO hectic today I'll be here to wipe
the floor with 'em."

"Heh, not so fast boy," Genma warned as he snatched it
back. "It seems your reputation precedes you."

"Say what now?" Ranma enquired.

"They specifically requested that a Tendo take up the
challenge," Soun explained. "If you were to appear it
would be deemed as an insult to all parties, and our
sign would be theirs."

"Which means I'll representing the dojo this time,"
Akane said nonchalantly.

Akane glanced sidelong at her fianc�e, to find him
staring at her with an unreadable expression.

"What?"

"Nothing," he said as he turned back to his breakfast.

"You think I'm gonna lose don't you?" Akane said as
she narrowed her eyes.

"You said it, not me," he shrugged.

"I think I'll be going now," Nabiki excused herself
calmly and retrieved her school bag.

"Oh my, I need to go grocery shopping today," Kasumi
murmured as she glanced at her watch, just before
excusing herself as well.

Soun and Genma decided a game of shogi would be the
perfect way to start the day.

"RANMA!! GET BACK HERE SO I CAN KILL YOU!!!" Akane
screamed while brandishing the dining room table as if
it weighed nothing.

"Nyaaa!" Ranma stuck his tongue out whilst flipping
through the air like some rabid gymnast on steroids.
"If you can't catch me you're not beating anybody!"

Ah yes...love was in the air...



***



The bright afternoon sun hung frozen in the cloudless
blue sky. The relentless torrent of heat beating down
upon the world quickly raised the temperature to far
more than what it had been that very morning. Many
people were caught in somewhat dire straits as they
had come prepared for the cold, not the blistering
hot. Mother Nature could be quite the bitch when she
wanted to be. 

The crisscrossed pathways of the outdoor marketplace
were filled with the bustling bodies of patrons, all
crowding around the multitude of stands that were
filled with everything a modern consumer could
possibly be looking for, fruit, vegetables, fish,
bags, shoes, watches, and more. The density of the
throng was something of an enigma. It was common
knowledge that this place was most crowded during the
evening hours, which is what prompted most to come
during the afternoon, which in turn made it just as
crowded as the evening. 

Shouts of merchants attempting to lull over customers
rang over the crowd as she slowly perused the right
side of the narrow street. She quietly ran down the
list she had created in her head as her eyes roamed
over various selections.

"Potatoes, celery, carrots," Kasumi murmured as she
grasped the bag of produce in her right hand with her
purse slung over her left shoulder. 

"Is there anything I can help you with?" a cheerful,
middle-aged woman with a rather corpulent face asked
as she stopped in front of a fruit stand.

�Oh, no I�m just looking thank you,� she raised her
head up from scanning over the rows of avocados, and
answered in the same vein of optimism.

�Excuse me Miss,� a deep and brawny voice appeared,
followed by the touch of a rather large hand on her
shoulder. �Might I be able to ask you a few
questions?�

�Yes, what can I�,� she turned, and was taken aback by
the significant size and stature of the man. His hair
was a golden blonde and slicked back, and his eyes
were concealed by shades that were as black as night.
��do for you?�

�I don�t mean to interrupt, but I was hoping you would
have some information on a particular individual
myself and my colleagues are looking for. It is very
important that we find her,� he smiled in a dashing
manner as he motioned to the two other gentlemen
finely dressed gentlemen, both were his equal in
height and physique, who flanked him. Their was faces
were solid and stern, much the contrast to the
friendly smile he was putting on. �Her name is Miss
Kasumi Tendo, would you happen to know who that is?�

�Why yes, that�s me,� Kasumi blinked in surprise. �Is
there anything I can help you with?�

�Actually yes,� he answered in a less sanguine, and
graver, tone. �It is in regard to the blood that flows
through your veins.�  

�My�blood?� she asked in uncertainty. �What do you
need my blood type for�*�

Her sentence was violently cut off as the man�s hand
moved like lightning, taking an unbreakable choke hold
around her frail human neck and hoisting her into the
air in one motion. Her eyes widened in abject terror
as her oxygen was ruthlessly cut-off and her feet left
the ground far too quickly for her cope with. She
could feel the horrendous weight growing under his
inhuman grip, and through her haze of panic she knew
it would only take a minute more to crush the bones
her throat into so much fine powder.

�It is the repulsive Kherubim blood that I speak of
half-breed trash,� he spat the last words in order
revulsion and contempt. �Fortunately I will have the
utmost pleasure in removing you and the rest of your
wretched kind from the face of this planet.�


*


The ground shook with each potent footstep.

Animals of all shapes and sizes whimpered in fear at
his passing.

His mere shadow eclipsed all those who dared to stand
within the path he walked.

His name was legendary amongst the most prominent and
prestigious dojos from around the world. Stories of an
unearthly giant who possessed strength not of this
world passed through the lips of the stalwart sensei.
His blank face induced fits of terror in the
nightmares of his victims. Around his neck was a band
composed of all the signs of training halls he had
crushed with awe-inspiring. To most he was no man, but
a demon sent to lay waste to all dojos the world
around.

This man-monster was the renowned Dojo Destroyer.

And his next target was a training hall deep in the
suburbs of this place called Nerima. Tales of its
students� exploits had reached his ears. It seemed one
of them had defeated an Amazon elder, an event that
shockwaves around martial arts community. He intended
to test this fighter�s prowess for himself, and
�liberate� the sign of the Tendo Dojo once he had
defeated and humiliated him, thus proving his
superiority once again.

�Excuse me,� a voice rocked him out of his mindset.

The giant stopped in his tracks on the deserted
sidewalk, with the Tendo Dojo only a mere few blocks
away down the stretch of one story homes.

�Would you happen to be the infamous Dojo Destroyer?�
the girl asked.

The colossal martial artist turned his head toward the
young girl who sat atop the chain link fence that ran
parallel to the drainage canal below. Her hair was
black streaked with a shade of dark red, and was kept
in a high ponytail with small bangs fell before her
eyes and either side of her face. She was dressed in a
black leather jacket, jean cut offs, and a white tank
top that showed off her midriff.

�Would you happen to be going to the Tendo Training
hall?� she asked sweetly.

The Dojo Yaburi nodded simply and silently.

�Oh goodie!� she clapped once in excitement. �You�re
going to challenge them for their sign right?�

He nodded once again. He never knew he had any fans,
especially not ones so�young.

�Great! Would you mind if I went with you, I�ve heard
so much about you,� she pleaded.

He saw no reason why not, perhaps having a legion of
loyal followers in tow when he crushed another
training hall would add to his posterity, and
intimidate his prey even more so. He nodded in
positive to the question.

�This is so cool, you don�t how much I�ve wanted to
see you fight,� she said in barely contained
giddiness. �Oh! But before we go, I wanted to show you
something.�

The Yaburi grunted. He saw no problem with it.

�Okay,� she said as she hopped off the fence and held
up her right hand for his inspection. �now watch the
birdy.�
 
Her hand then glowed with a feint golden light and
wisps of some strange mystic force began to rise
ethereally into the air. 

�Don�t take your eyes off, or you�ll miss it,� she
instructed.

A bright, flickering flame of red and orange burst to
life. The gargantuan man leaned closer to obtain a
closer look, and marveled at the heat at the heat the
man-made fire released. He had heard of ki-users
obtained such a level of power and control, but not
even he had accomplished such a feat yet, so how could
this girl who was at least twenty years his junior
achieve it?

�Bang,�

He saw nothing more than a flash of light, and wave of
monstrous pressure bearing down upon his face. When
the blinding haze cleared, he looked up to see
himself�or to be precise�he saw his headless body
teetering �round on the edges of its feet just seconds
before its gargantuan girth tipped it backward. The
last thing he would ever see was himself lurching
backward like a fallen tree and crashing to the earth
with a rumbling impact. Lifeblood surged through the
severed arteries of his detached head, still in synch
with the hanging veins of his lifeless body. In one
simple exertion of power his head had been blasted,
cleanly and painlessly, off his shoulders. 

The girl�s smile changed to that of awe-struck
excitement, to malice and black amusement at the act
of vicious murder that had just occurred. 

�I�m sorry, but I have a killing to intend to at the
Tendo household and I can�t afford you getting in the
way,� she pouted in a false display of sentiment. �But
thanks to you I have a clear pass inside.�

Her eyes flashed white in a second eerie burst of
energy, causing the great Dojo Yaburi�s body to
rupture into hell flame, a fire hotter and more
ravenous than any found on Earth. It devoured greedily
upon the corpse of the fallen, turning what was the
left of the massive into nothing more than a pile of
blackened unidentifiable ash to be fed to the four
winds.

�See ya,� she waved to the dust as she went about her
way, on a straight and uninterrupted beeline to her
next victim.


*


He had jinxed himself. He knew it as soon as the words
had come out of his mouth�

�If things don't get TOO hectic today I'll be here to
wipe the floor with 'em.� the accursed sentence echoed
in his mind.

�Why the hell did I say that,� Ranma groaned as he
buried his face in his hands. He might as well have
given himself the death sentence. His personal bout of
self-loathing occurred within the long empty school
grounds, as he approached the front gate.

The day had started off normal enough, Kuno on one his
rants about the �vile sorcerer� and liberating his
pigtailed goddess. He ass was quickly stomped as per
daily custom. Then things started going south when
Gosunkugi came along in his newly acquired War Suit,
some armor that boosted his strength and speed
substantially and made him nearly invulnerable. Fine,
no problem, he had faced his fare share of impossible
no opponents. No big.

Then he got himself handcuffed to the goddamned thing�

The whole event got even better when he discovered the
War Suit only had a battery life of five minutes. It
was great! He only had to last five minutes and he
would win by default.

Of course�the thing blew up when the battery ran out,
making a rather large crater in the back of the
school. The faculty showed up, Miss Hinako and
Principal Pineapple of course, and the only thing they
saw was Ranma standing and Gosunkugi face down in the
dirt. He was sent off to detention while the former
voodoo geek got a nice extended hospital stay.

�Ahhh, what cosmic fuck-up did I achieve to the bunt
of God�s jokes,� he sighed in resignation. �Whatever,
I should still make it in plenty of time to see
Akane�s match, though if this challenger is any normal
she�ll mop the floor with them. I hope��

�Ranma Saotome?� 

Ranma stopped in mid-step and glanced over at the
large oaken tree that graced the front of the school.
A male student with black hair parted down the middle
leaned against it, a set bangs falling over and
totally obscured his left eye. He held a surprisingly
delicate appearance, which was punctuated by the
softness of his voice.

�You are Ranma Saotome correct?� he asked again while
tilting his head to one side.

�Yeah, what of it?� Ranma asked in response.

�I saw your fight with Tatewaki Kuno this morning, I
was so impressed I just had to meet you,�

�Eh, it was nothin�,� the martial artist sniffed, his
ego already inflating.

�I would think so, you move so quickly I could hardly
keep up,� the boy praised as he approached. �How is it
you have such ability?�

�I was on the road for a while, picked up a few things
along the way,� the pigtailed boy shrugged. �Y�know,
nothing big.�

�Well, I wouldn�t call such skill �nothing big,�� the
student corrected. �In fact I was so impressed with
your prowess I just had to see it up close and
personal.�

�Oh�well�I don�t really give demonstrations,� Ranma
admitted a bit sheepishly. 

�Oh�I don�t recall giving you a choice,� 

�What,� his eyes became stern at the comment. His
danger sense then flashed, he instantly surveyed his
surroundings and found the both them totally
surrounded by a ring of other students. Ranma�s eyes
widened in bafflement at how they managed to flank him
under his notice. �Just what the hell is goin on
here?� 

�A test, to see how much your Kherubim powers have
matured,� the Daemonite in disguise explained with
sinister glee.

�Kherubim, what the freak is a Kherubim?� he said as
he dropped his backpack and readied his senses for
what should be a brief scuffle. He recognized some of
the students around them, and most importantly he knew
they were not fighters. Not even part of the pack that
used to attack Akane when he first arrived.

�Oh, I�ll be sure to explain all the details before I
kill you half-breed,� he cackled darkly. �Until then,
entertain me.�

Ranma dropped into a stance. He could feel some sort
bizarre presence radiating from the students. It was
unlike anything he had felt before, but one thing was
for sure in his mind, it was NOT human. The dripping
fangs and razor claws that tipped each finger that the
students manifested only asserted this fact.

�This�could take a while��







To Be Continued���


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