Previous chapters are availible at: http://templar.anifics.com/

Been a while since I originally posted this one.

Disclaimer: Characters are not mine, situations kinda are. <waves hand>
You will continue reading this fic

The Long Road Home
By Andrew Wilson

Chapter 2: Ominous Tidings

Nabiki absently kicked a chunk of scorched wood away from the campsite. 
There were a few kindling-sized pieces scattered around, but most of the
wood in the boxes was consumed by the three fireballs.

"Nothing salvageable," Nabiki growled.

"I don't think there was anything there in the first place," Kasumi said
from a few feet away.  At Nabiki's questioning look she held up what was
left of one of the hinges form the boxes. "They were rigged to explode
as soon as they were opened."

Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "How do you know that?"

Kasumi paused. "I'm...not sure.  I just knew what to look for."

"I know the feeling," Nabiki said with a nod. "So whatever Akane did set
them of early."

At the mention of their sister, both Nabiki and Kasumi turned to the
only other conscious member of their group.  Ukyo shook her head.

"None of them have woken up."

"That's odd," Kasumi commented. "Ranma should have woken up by now, he's
taken worse before without any trouble."

"But he's not Ranma," Nabiki said. "Not completely, anyway."

"What are you talking about?" Ukyo asked.

Nabiki glared at the other girl. "Have you noticed your ears?  Or Kuno's
height?  Or my build?"

Ukyo unconsciously ran a finger over her pointed ears as she replied.
"I've been trying not to think about that.  But now that I am, I've got
an idea."

"What is that?" Kasumi asked.

Nabiki held her arm up to prevent Kasumi from stopping the
chef-turned-bard.

"I think I know what she's planning, sis.  I just hope she doesn't mess
up." Nabiki grimaced before continuing. "Of course, if she does mess up,
we won't know until it's too late."

Ukyo kneeled beside Ranma's prone form and extended her hands so that
her palms were just an inch above his chest.  Her lips were moving
slightly, but whether in some incantation or a prayer for luck Nabiki
couldn't say.  She almost thought there was a brief glow around Ukyo's
hands, but it was difficult to tell in the bright sunlight.

After a moment, Ukyo moved her hands away, and immediately used her arms
to keep her upright.  Kasumi sidestepped Nabiki and rushed over.

"Are you alright?" the eldest Tendo asked.

Ukyo nodded. "That just took a lot out of me.  Seemed simple, though."

"You're not as powerful as Ranma," Nabiki explained. "He could do
whatever you just did without breaking a sweat.  But I bet you can do
things he can't."

Ukyo shook her head. "I don't want to think about all this right now. 
Did you find anything?"

"A trap," Nabiki stated.

"And this," Kasumi pulled a folded sheet of paper from behind her belt.

Ukyo stared at the paper. "Why didn't you say anything before?"

Kasumi shrugged. "I'm not sure.  Just another thing that seemed
instinctual."

Nabiki shook her head. "Later.  For now, we need to wake up Akane."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Kasumi asked. "She seemed to lose
control last time."

Ranma groaned from his position on the ground.  Nabiki lightly kicked
him in the side. "Nap time's over, Saotome."

"What hit me?" Ranma moaned.

"Something, back on the Other Side, we referred to as a 'mind fuck.'"

"Nabiki!" Kasumi gasped. "Watch your language!"

Nabiki shrugged. "Hey, it fits the description.  You're hiding things,
Ukyo's using magic, I bet Ranma's fainting earlier was more of the
same."

"So Akane..." Ranma trailed off.

Kasumi nodded slowly. "She was unable to control her powers."

"She saved us, though," Ukyo said. "From those traps, I mean."

"She woken up yet?" Ranma asked.

"No," Nabiki replied. "And I don't think it's a good idea-Hey!  Are you
even listening?"

"Nothin' to lose at this point," Ranma said. For the second time that
day, he walked over to Akane's prone form and placed a gentle hand on
her shoulder.

Akane slowly blinked her eyes open.  This time, when her gaze met
Ranma's, there was no light so.  Instead, he mouth moved silently around
half-formed words as tears began to sparkle in her eyes.

"Akane-?" Ranma began, but was unable to go further as Akane talked him
in a bear hug and began soaking his tunic with her tears.

"I'm sorry," she said between sobs, "I'm sorry..."

Nabiki and Kasumi exchanged a glance and a shrug.  "Come on," Nabiki
said as she began to drag a glaring Ukyo away from the pair, "let's see
what that paper is."

*******

It was a note, the three girls observed a moment later.  Though the
characters on the sheet were had no emotions in and of themselves, they
seemed to convey a sense of gloating.

'Saotome,' it began, 'if you are reading this, then you survived the
trap I laid for you.  I am not surprised, but I hope that the explosions
at least took care of Upperclassman Kuno.  I never thought Deighton's
theory on parallel worlds was true until I found one quite by accident
in my research.  Don't think you'll make it out alive.  I made sure to
drop the two of you near one of the more violent regions of this world,
and without your skills you're next to helpless.  And now Akane will be
mine.  Farewell.'

It was signed 'Hikaru Gosunkugi.' Nabiki stared at the note for a while
after she had stopped reading it. "Don't show this to Akane," she
finally said.

"Why not?" Ukyo said.

"She'll kill him," Kasumi replied.

"Exactly," Nabiki explained. "And I want to do that."

A number of emotions that Nabiki couldn't identify flashed by on
Kasumi's face.  Nabiki could see that her sister was fighting something,
but no more than that.  Without another word, Kasumi turned and headed
back toward Ranma and Akane.

"What was that about?" Ukyo asked.

Nabiki thought for a moment. "Have you been feeling funny since we
arrived?  Specifically any odd thoughts, emotions, or urges?"

Ukyo shook her head. "Not really."

Nabiki nodded. "You will.  Unless I'm wrong we all will."

*******

"How is she?" Kasumi asked.

Ranma looked up from Akane's sleeping form to the black-clad Tendo
sister. "I don't know.  She just kept mumbling 'I'm sorry' before
falling asleep."

"Nothing else?"

Ranma shook his head. "No.  What do you think?"

Kasumi sat on her heels beside Ranma, and tenderly ran a hand through
Akane's hair. "I'm sure we'll find out when she wakes up.  Until then,
let her rest."

Ranma nodded, and gently pried his damp tunic out of Akane's grip.  He
then set her on the ground, and folded his cloak for her to use as a
pillow.

"What's next?" Ranma asked.

"Recon," Nabiki said.

Ranma turned around and glared at Nabiki. "Since when are you in
charge?"

Nabiki reached up, grabbed Ranma's collar, and dragged him down to her
eye level in less than a second. "Because," she half-growled, "I
actually have some idea of where we are.  This is the world where the
game was set.  Gos talked to me about it when he asked me to invite
you.  I had thought he spent most of his free time fleshing the place
out.  Got it?"

"So why would we need to scout?" Ranma asked.

Nabiki released Ranma and stepped back. "Because I don't trust my memory
in this matter, not with another personality trying to invade my mind."

Ranma nodded. "So who did this?"

"Gosunkugi," Kasumi replied.

"He's dead," Ranma stated flatly.

"Get in line," Nabiki commented.

"If we get can home," Kasumi's voice sounded worried.

"Anything's possible, sis," Nabiki said with a smile (though everyone,
even Ranma, could see it was forced).

"By scouting-" Ukyo began.

"You and Kuno," Nabiki interrupted.

"Are you nuts?" Ranma exclaimed.

"Haven't ruled that out," Nabiki said, "but if there's anyone known for
surviving things that should have killed him, it's Kuno.  I'm also
banking on that second set of instincts we seem to be getting."

"Like that ones that make you a natural leader?" Ranma asked.

Nabiki nodded. "I can't rule that out.  My character was designed as an
ex-soldier."

Ranma nodded. "Like mine was a magic using bookworm."

"Exactly."

"When do we leave?" Ukyo asked.

"As soon as he wakes up," Nabiki replied. "Or just after noon, if we
have to kick him awake.  Get some information, stay there overnight, and
then come back as soon as the gates open.  Got it."

Ukyo nodded.

"Now, let's figure out what to do next."

*******

Ranma watched the figures moving toward the port city gradually fade as
the miles between them grew.  He shook his head and returned to his
kata, determined to finish it correctly this time.  He had already shed
his tunic for fear of it getting ripped from his activity.

Punch. Punch. High block. Sidestep. Snap kick. Low block. Roundhouse
kick.  Spit out grass and pick self up.  Frustration did not begin to
describe what Ranma was feeling.  He had done that kata perfectly at age
four, yet he couldn't even make it a tenth of the way through.

"You're doing it wrong." Nabiki commented from a few feet away.  She had
long since removed her armor and was dressed in a simple tunic and
breaches.  Her build, if anything, looked more impressive without the
steel covering.

"Says you," Ranma spat as he dropped back into the starting stance.

"Ranma," Nabiki began patiently, "back home, I wasn't that good a
fighter, correct?" Ranma nodded, and in response Nabiki took a step
forward and gestured. "Then come on."

"What?" Ranma asked incredulously.

"Come at me," Nabiki said. "Or are you to scared to know the truth?"

That did it.  Ranma could never stand being called a coward, and a
distant corner of his mind noted that Nabiki was always good at pushing
his buttons.  Ranma came in slowly, evaluating Nabiki's stance.  She was
just standing there, allowing Ranma to come in.  Ranma threw an
experimental punch-

And ended up eating grass once again, with his arm twisted around in
hammerlock.

"We're different here," Nabiki whispered in his ear. "You can't fight, I
can.  You would be better off figuring out how to manage those powers
you got in the transition."

Ranma grumbled but nodded.  Even he could see that Nabiki had a point. 
That didn't mean he'd stop trying, though.

*******

It was well after sunset when Nabiki got her next surprise.

Ranma had managed to gain some control of his power and created a
campfire without any wood or tinder.  That accomplishment had gone well
with the half-dozen rabbits that Kasumi brought into the camp a while
later.  She had an odd expression on her face at the time and the
others, seeing how each rabbit had been brought down by a single knife
cut from throat to belly, didn't press her.

Supper had been eaten in silence.  None of them wanted to discuss what
had happened, nor the fact that Akane had yet to wake.

Since she had nothing better to do, Nabiki watched the city.  When the
last light of sunset had vanished below the horizon, a new world opened
up.  Her vision seemed to shift slightly, and she began to see a second
set of colors overlapping her normal vision.  Suffice to say, this
freaked her out a little.

"Yen for your thoughts?" A weak voice said behind her.

Nabiki looked over her shoulder and smirked. "Just so you actually pay
for them."

"Very funny," Akane groaned as she dropped to the ground beside Nabiki.

"I'm glad you're finally awake," Nabiki placed a hand on her sister's
shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze.  She quickly removed her hand when
she saw Akane wince. "Are you alright?"

Akane shook her head. "It's..."

"Besides the transition.  Are we going to have any more outbursts?"

Akane shook her head so forcefully Nabiki thought she might dislodge it.
"No!  No.  I think I have it under control."

"You, or the other you?" Nabiki probed.

Akane sighed. "It's like something is in my head, doing those things for
me, and trying to get me to do things for it."

Nabiki nodded sagely. "Been there, doing that."

"So I think I have it, but I'm still hearing weird echoes when people
talk."

"Surface thoughts," Nabiki commented. "You're hearing what they are
going to say before they say it."

"How do you know so much?"

Nabiki snorted. "Let's just say that if you see any creatures that look
like purple humans with an octopus for a head, run."

"But how-"

"*I* don't know." Nabiki's emphasis on the personal pronoun left no
doubt where the knowledge came from.

"Oh," Akane said in a small voice.

*******

Ukyo stared down at the tabletop in disgust.  If she had tried to serve
food in a place this messy, her customers would all leave and the
spirits of her ancestors would haunt her until she cleaned up.

*That would probably take a flamethrower,* she thought.

"Such squalor," Kuno squeaked. "It is unbecoming of a scion of the house
of Kuno to be in such filth."

"Quiet," Ukyo hissed.  Luckily, the locals didn't understand Japanese. 
Their language, called Trade when it was actually given a name, was an
odd one, but Ukyo found that she had no trouble understanding it.  Or
speaking it, for that matter.

One more thing to add to the list of weird, insane, or just plain
disturbing things about the transition.  Not to mention that her hearing
was much more sensitive.  Even though the noise of the common room she
could hear the skittering of rats below the floorboards.

Ukyo noted the barkeep as he wove his way through the crowd to her
table.  In his hands was a small tray containing a wine bottle and two
wooden cups. "Excuse me, my lady," he began, "I couldn't help but notice
your instruments.  I was wondering if you would be interested in a small
performance here."

Ukyo eyed the tray as it was set down, then glanced down at the mandolin
strapped to her pack - Nabiki had made her leave the bow behind at
camp.  There was also a flute case inside the pack, and a few spare
stings for both the mandolin and her bow.

"I would be happy to pay," the barkeep continued, misunderstanding the
apprehension on Ukyo's face. "Standard food, bed and tips, plus a little
extra if you can keep this lot from starting a brawl."

The crowd was looking a little rowdy, Ukyo saw.  And there was something
in her that actually wanted to perform, and was looking forward to it
with a sense of giddy anticipation.

"Alright," she replied, still not knowing what was going on.  *I'm not a
performer,* she told herself, *I'm an okonomiyaki chef!*

But she had agreed.  There was no backing down.  Ukyo tried not to
hessitate as she set her pack by the stage, extracted her flute case,
and flipped her cap to the ground in front of the stage.

"Stay back," she whispered to Kuno, "listen when you can.  Try to find
out anything you can about the area."

Kuno nodded. "Very well.  I wish to return home as much as you, so that
I may have revenge on Saotome for trapping me in this diminutive form."

Ukyo shook her head as she mounted the small stage that sat in the
corner between her table and the bar itself.  The attention of the room
was on her as she played a few experimental notes.  The notes began to
come in a more structured sequence, but never sounded right.  It was as
if she was being given step by step instructions as to how to play, but
couldn't adapt quickly enough.  A slight shift of the fingers on her
left hand was supposed to be accompanied by a change in the airflow over
the mouthpiece.  She couldn't keep up, though, and what came out was a
sound usually reserved for feline death throes.

The common room was looking surlier by the note, and the barkeep was
turning red with anger.  He began pushing his way through the crowd as
Ukyo took the flute away from her mouth.

*So much for that bright idea,* she thought.  The urges continued,
though, like an itch inside her mind.  Music could sooth the savage
beasts, they told her.  Ukyo took one look at Kuno sneaking around in
the back row before she raised the flute again.  She didn't try to
interpret the instructions being given to her, however.  This time, she
took a mental step back and let instinct take over.

This time there were no ragged notes or ear-shattering squeaks.  Crisp,
clear, and perfect notes flowed from the flute.  Ukyo saw the inn's
patrons, along with the barkeep himself, were lost in the haunting
melody.  She herself slid deeper into her trance and stopped just
listening to the notes and instead became a part of the music.

The melody was more fit for a concert hall than a rowdy inn, but it
still captivated its audience.  It invoked images of both calm woodlands
and majestic cathedrals.  More than one rough-looking patron had tears
in his eyes, and most of the women in the room (including the serving
girls) snuggled up to someone else as they listened.

Ukyo wasn't sure how long the song lasted, but by the time she lowered
the flute again the candles resting on some tables had burned down
several inches.  She gladly accepted a mug of wine to refresh herself as
the room burst into applause.

The next song was much livelier, and a good half the patrons decided to
get up and dance.  Had Ukyo heard the music before, she might have
though that the tune had a Celtic sound to it.  As it was, she simply
saw it as fast and lively, and she marveled at how her hands flew over
the holes along the flute's length.

Ukyo was so caught up with her own performance that she almost missed
the lynching.

*******

Akane turned to Nabiki. "You really let them go off on their own?"

Nabiki shook her head. "I didn't have much choice.  Shouldn't you be
sleeping?  I'm the one on watch."

Akane shrugged. "I've slept enough today."

*******

One moment an ill-matched pair of a burly man and an equally burly dwarf
were attempting to drink each other under the table.  The next moment
the man was holding Kuno by the scruff of his neck and shouting about
hands in pockets.  Kuno protested, but no one listened, especially after
his pockets were emptied to reveal coins, jewelry, and assorted items
belonging to half the patrons in the room.  Ukyo was just finishing her
second song when the room quickly cleared.  The men in the lead of the
mob were calling for a rope, some wieghts, and an axe if that didn't
work.

"Great," Ukyo spat as she dashed across the room to her pack.  She
stowed the flute and buckled on her sword belt swiftly, then shouldered
her pack.

"Here," the barkeep called.  Ukyo turned and caught a small, jingling
bag. "For your performance.  But you'd find another place to stay before
they remember who that thief was sitting with."

Ukyo bowed to the man, then exited the inn at a full run.  She followed
her ears towards the sound of the mob.

*******

"What happened earlier?" Nabiki asked.

Akane visibly flinched. "I'm...not sure."

"What did you see?" Nabiki pressed.

Akane stood and turned back towards the fire. "Pain."

*******

*Not good,* Ukyo thought to herself as she watched the mob set up a
gallows.  The local militia was present, and in fact part of the crowd. 
Apparently, Kuno had picked the pockets of a guard or two as he was
moving around.

*Okay,* Ukyo mused as her eyes swept the small plaza, *dig my whip out
of the pack.  Use it to swing down, grab Kuno, then land on the roofs
over there.  From there, we'll roof-hop until we reach the outer walls
and - Wait a minute!  Swing though the plaza?  I'm a martial artist, not
a Kabuki actor!*

*Than again, showmanship helped me back there in the tavern.  I might be
down there too if I hadn't taken the stage.*

*What did Nabiki call the character - me?  A bard?  Does that mean I
have to be showy?  Is that why I got so tired earlier, because I didn't
do a show when healing Ranchan?*

Ukyo noticed that she had dug the whip out of her pack. *And these
instincts that want to do this crap, too.  Oh well, 'when in Rome...'*

Ukyo took a breath to steady herself, then back several paces back from
the edge of the room.  Without any more hesitation (that she would
admit, anyway), she ran across the roof and jumped up and off the edge. 
At the peak of her arc, the whip in her right hand shot out, wrapping
around one of the fixtures of a nearby building - a house of government
judging by the ornate exterior.  She tucked her legs in to avoid the
grasping arms of the mob, and did her best not to think about what she
was doing.  At the exact lowest point in her swing, she grabbed Kuno off
the gallows. Her momentum was diminished greatly, but they managed to
make it to the rooftops on the opposite side of the government house.

*Eat your heart out, Indiana Jones,* Ukyo though as she coiled her whip
then turned to Kuno.

"Talk later," Ukyo growled as she coiled her whip and attached it to her
belt, "run now."

Kuno, oddly enough, didn't argue.

*******

"What's that?" Nabiki said as she pointed to the city.

"What's what?" Akane asked.

Nabiki shrugged. "I don't know.  I though I saw a flash of color."

"Color?" Akane asked incredulously. "It's pitch black down there.  How
could you see something move, much less it's color?"

Nabiki shot to her feet. "Damn!  Where's my brain been tonight.  That's
it!  The colors!"

Akane was looking at her sister as though Nabiki had grown a second
head.

"Once it started getting dark," Nabiki explained hurriedly, "I started
seeing weird color patterns.  They were the heat radiating off things. 
Dwarves can see in the infrared spectrum if they need to!"

Akane eyes widened. "You mean-"

"Trouble," Nabiki interrupted.  She immediately took off down the hill.
"Get Ranma," she shouted back, "and come on.  I think they're in
trouble!"

"They?" Akane asked.  Her face scrunched in concentration for a moment,
then her eyes widened. "Oh no!"

Nabiki didn't pay attention to Akane dashing back to the camp fire. 
Instead, she was concentrating on running as fast as her legs would
carry her.  Considering the transformation had taken away her long, slim
legs and replaced them with short tree-trunks, she wasn't going very
fast.

*One more thing to kill Gos over.  Damnit, I worked hard for my figure!*

Nabiki almost missed a shadow breeze past her.  Even with her
thermo-vision, she could barely make out Kasumi's form as she ran at
almost three times Nabiki's speed.

*Maybe Kasumi will be able to scare away whoever's chasing those two. 
Idiots!  I told her not to draw attention."

*******

Ukyo looked over her shoulder.  The mob was still there, and gaining.

"Can't you run any faster?" she barked at Kuno.

"I am running as fast as this cursed - *wheeze* - form allows me.  I do
not see what the problem is, I did not take anything from them."

Ukyo slapped the back of Kuno's head, and immediately hauled him back to
his feet. "You got a better explanation for all that stuff in your
pockets?"

Kuno didn't answer for a moment, and instead was trying to keep his
breath. "They must have dropped into my pockets as I passed their
tables.  Or, more likely, I have been framed by one of the peasants in
the township."

Ukyo growled in frustration as she glanced over her shoulder again.  The
crowd was less than a hundred yards away, and the open field gave no
cover they could hide behind.  She turned back to the path ahead just in
time to run into a four and a half foot wall of muscle.

Nabiki raised an eyebrow as Ukyo sprawled on the ground. "I can't trust
you for a minute, can I?"

"Don't look at me," Ukyo shot back, "the mob's his fault."

"Whatever," Nabiki said. "Get behind me."

The mob was about twenty strong.  Most of the others had dropped away
since the chase came through the gates three miles back.  Nabiki wished
for her armor at the moment, since the stereotypical clubs and
pitchforks that the mob was waving was occasionally supplemented by a
real sword or polearm.  A few of the ruffians looked like they knew how
to use their weapons, and there were even a couple uniformed guards.

"Back off!" Nabiki roared in what she was beginning think of as her
'general's voice.'  She then pulled her axe out of it's sheath and
slammed it butt-first into the ground, producing a loud knock.

The mob skittered to a halt.  About half looked confident they could
handle any interruption, and the other half looked ready to soil their
garments.  Too bad the confident ones were also the competent-looking
ones.

"Those two," the uniformed one in front stated calmly, "are fugitives
from the Lord Zeboth's justice.  Any who harbor them will face the same
punishment."

Nabiki shrugged.  She had to stall long enough for some backup.  A show
of force might solve their problems. "Really?  Death seems a little
excessive for a petty thief."

Kuno shot to his feet. "I am no thief!  To give voice to such slander
dishonors the-MMMMPH!" Ukyo's hand over his mouth shut Kuno up.  Nabiki
still cracked a smile at the combination of Kuno's Victorian speech and
his helium-voice.

"As you can see, gentlemen," Nabiki said as she turned back to the
crowd, "he is quite mad.  Since you obviously retrieved your belongings,
I suggest we-HEY!" She broke of in a shout.  A spear would have impaled
her through the shoulder if she had not rolled to the side.

"Come on, you blokes!" the lead guard shouted. "It's only one dwarf!"

"And a woman, at that," another commented.

"With dwarves, how can you tell?" a third joked.

Guard number two gasped and fell to the ground as a black crossbow bolt
pierced his heart.  The other ruffians began to spin this way and that
as they tried to see where the bolts had come from.  The third guard
went down in the same way, but this time the bolt had come from a
different direction.  The mob was backing off nervously.  The final
straw came as the lead guard's neck erupted in a fountain of blood from
the knife that had sailed out of the night.

The mob broke and ran for the (perceived) safety of the distant city. 
The panicked townsfolk dropped their weapons and torches as they tried
to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the dead
guards.

Nabiki saw a black figure walk over to the lead guard and yank the knife
out of his throat. "Kasumi?" she asked.

Kasumi turned, and even Nabiki stepped back.  Beneath her hood, Kasumi's
eyes held no emotion.  The cold, inhuman orbs showed nothing but an
evaluation of the targets in front of her.

They were the eyes of an assassin.

End Chapter 2

Special thanks go to Mark and Robert for their work in keeping my ideas
coherant and my delivery passable for over two years now.

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