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Clogged Sink Press Presents:

The Crow/Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction:


                             As the Crow Flies


By Plunger

      All characters copyright of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan Inc. and
              Viz Communications, etc., etc., blah, blah, blah...
      The Crow is copyright of James O'Barr or whoever else owns it...  
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[Story begins...]

[Chapter #6 Vengance]

Ranma ran through the rainy night, following the flight of the wheeling black 
crow that lead him onward. After a while, he arrived at a shabby apartment 
house. He nodded as a message ran through his mind. He pulled his pistols and 
walked up the stairs to the third floor. Walking along the dimly lit corridor, 
he soon found the right apartment number.

He stopped outside and listened. He could hear sounds from within. Sounds of
a man and woman together. No matter. The job had to be done. The crow said so,
and who was he to argue?

Ranma readied himself and took a deep breath. Then, with a powerful kick, he
slammed the door off it's hinges and sent it flying across the room. He heard
confused shouts from inside and saw a man he recognised as one of his killers.

Ranma drew a bead on the man and fired. The shot slammed into the wall next 
to the man, causing him to pull back in surprise. Ranma ran into the apartment 
and slid along the wall. He then rolled across the floor and hid behind the
TV just as a volley of shots rang out, accompanied by a frightened scream.
Ranma covered his head as the plaster above him was blasted off the walls.

Ranma picked up the TV and hurled it into the door way of the room and ran 
up to the door. Another spray of random gunfire blasted out of the door. Ranma 
kicked the hand holding the gun, sending the weapon flying across the room.

Ranma immediately leapt into the room and rolled across the floor. He looked 
over and saw the man pulling a revolver from the draw. Ranma looked around and
noticed a woman cowering in the corner of the room. Without a moments hesiti-
ation, he grabbed her and pulled her up in front of him.

"I only want you... She doesn't have to die..." Ranma grated, leveling his
pistol at the woman's head.

The man laughed and shot her. The bullets tore through her and into Ranma.
He stared in horror and she slumped lifelessly in his arms. He had never 
intended to really shoot her, and yet this man had just killed her to get 
him.

Ranma raised his hands beneath her arms and fired both guns. The two pistols
roared in unison as they sent bullet after bullet into the man's convulsing 
body. He slowly fell back against the wall, staring at Ranma with shocked
eyes. A moment later he slid down the wall, leaving a thick trail of blood
behind.

Ranma walked over to the man. He was still alive...just. Ranma crouched in a 
pool of the man's blood and looked coldly at the him, "Do you remember me? 
You killed me about a month ago... This is payback."

The man's eyes widened in shocked recognition and then froze as death took 
him. His last expression was one of utter terror.

Ranma smiled grimly and slowly stood, looking around the room. The walls, 
floor and furniture were all coated in blood. In fact, Ranma had never seen 
so much blood. Shocked by the harsh reality of what he had done, he stumbled 
out of the apartment and ran unsteadily down the stairs, before slipping into 
a dark alley. 

Ranma ran through the grimy alleys and dirty back streets for many minutes, 
each one seeming like an eternity. Finally, when he became too exhausted to 
run any further, he slumped down amongst the rubbish and mud puddles. 

He sat, gasping for air for long minutes, before finally sitting back and 
glaring up and the crow which sat on a fire escape ladder across from him.

"Was that what I was supposed to do?" he hissed.

The crow nodded.

"Why is it like this? Why have you turned me into a killing machine?" he
grated. "What?!" he exclaimed to the unspoken reply, "Neccesity? NOT ENOUGH
SKILL?! I'm the best! What?! Oh... Retribution requires a strong hand? I 
guess that makes sense... But...doesn't killing them make me just as bad?!"

The crow tilted it's head to the side and sqwarked.

Ranma snorted derisively, "Figures... The ends justify the means..."

The crow jumped into the air and flapped up into the sky. It gave a haunting
cry as it wheeled in the wind currents of the night. Ranma sighed and got up, 
"I'm comin'" he muttered as he rose to his feet, "I've still got all these 
bullets in me..." He looked down to find that all of the wounds were gone. 
"Wha?!" he exclaimed. He nodded a moment later and began to walk, "Oh... 
Okay... Thanks..." As he walked away, he began reloading his guns. He knew he
was going to need them...

Akane sat in her room. She was looking at the colored liquid in the vail. It
was blue. She gasped and her head dropped to the table top. She began to sob
a moment later, the packet of the pregnancy test dropping from her nerveless
fingers...

Ranma looked around the corner of the hotel room. He could see three men and 
woman sitting at a table. They had apparently not heard him enter, because 
they were still playing cards. He smiled, that would make it much easier...

Reaching into his belt, he pulled out his pistols and flicked off the safet-
ies. He disliked using guns, but the task at hand required it. Akane would
never be safe until these men were dead. He was determined to ensure her 
safety...

He took a deep breath and stepped into the room.

The men turned just in time to see him level his guns and open fire. He fired
quickly and efficiently, putting three bullets into each of them before they 
could even move. They dropped without a sound as he moved into the centre of 
the room.

The woman was quicker than the others, however, rolling back and firing a 
small calibre pistol at him. Ranma dodged to the side and dived against the 
wall and listened. All he could hear was the sounds of three of his killers 
dying. 

Getting up cautiously, he snuck over to where the woman had been, and found 
an open window. In the distance, he could see a shadow running away. He cursed 
him luck and turned on his heel and walked out... 

The head realtor woke up at the sudden sound and looked around. The phone was 
ringing. He frowned and picked it up, "Yes?"

The voice on the other end of the line was female and out of breath, "Boss... 
It's Yuki... The others are dead..."

The man stared into space, "What?! How?!"

"Someone came... We were playing cards... A guy busted in and killed the 
others... I don't know who... I called Sugi, but I got no answer... I guess 
he's dead, too... I told Masato we'd meet him at the office... We've got to 
do something... Someones hunting us!" she exclaimed. The woman's voice was 
both scared and angry at the same time.

The man nodded and said, "Yes... Okay... Twenty minutes..." He put the phone 
down and climbed out of bed. "Dammit! Must be those idiots from the doujou! 
Why couldn't they just sell and stop making life so damn difficult?!" He 
cursed a few more times and then got dressed and walked out. He stopped for 
a moment to grab a katana off the stand on the wall, then stepped out into 
the night. 

Ranma walked around a street corner and saw a familiar figure. Reaching into 
his pocket, he pulled out and small object. With a flick of his wrist, a blade 
popped out and he folded his hand around it. Ranma paused to see if he was 
alone, toying with the knife absently. After a few minutes, the crow flew 
overhead, circling around above the man. That was his cue... Ranma gritted his 
teeth and gripped the knife tightly as he stepped out. 

The man seemed to be waiting for something. He appeared nervous, and with good
cause... 

As Ranma approached, it occured to him how ironic it was that he had found 
another of the killers right outside the realty office. The place that had 
more or less caused his death would now become the instrument of his revenge. 
He walked casually down the street like any other passer by, until he was 
right near the man. 

"Hey..." Ranma whispered, "Didn't you kill me?"

The man turned and Ranma drove the butterfly knife into him. The man gasped 
and doubled over. Ranma pulled the blade free and kneed the man in the face.
He snapped upright just as Ranma ran the bloody blade across his throat. He 
gaped in shock as Ranma pulled his fist back and punched him through the 
window of the shop, a weak gargle his only protest. Ranma then jumped into 
the room and checked the body. He was dead, the glass of the window having 
punctured his back. Ranma stepped out and moved into some shadows across the 
street to observe. If he guessed right, the others would soon fall into his
hands. He knew he had them running scared... All he had to do was finish the
game...

Above him, the crow flew in lazy circles, evidently content to wait also...

The realtor and Yuki arrived shortly after to find the other man dead in the
realty office. 

"Dead..." reported the woman dispassionatly, "Someone cut his throat... It's 
pro work, too... Whoever did this knows how to fight..."

The man looked around, an annoyed look on his face, "Who's doing this?! Those 
people at the doujou haven't got the nerve! They're just kids and old men!"

The woman snorted, "If we kill them, it won't matter, will it? We can kill
two birds with one stone. We'll get them out of the way and stop whoever is 
doing this, all at once!"

The man frowned thoughtfully and then nodded, "Yes... Let's go... It's time 
this deal was closed, anyway..." They both got into the black car and it 
pulled away...

Ranma turned and walked away. He knew where they were going... And he was 
ready...

[End part 7]
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