Hi, here's the second part of my little attempt at Fanfiction. I hope
you find it to your tastes, it's something I've been working with for a little
while.
Naturally, all the characters in the Ranma universe are the creation of
Rumiko Takahashi, and while I thought up all but one of Bureau Team Hurricane,
the situations and storyline's are based on those created in the game and story.
I will react well to C&C of course, just remember that constructive
criticism tends to be more functional than flames.
On with the story.
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What happened in Chapter 1:
It began with Bureau 13's Team Hurricane accidentally Dimension Jumping
to escape from the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse who were destroying their world.
The team has four members including that universe's Ryouga Hibiki. They Arrive
in Nerima and immediately start working to accomplish their return to their home
universe. The team leader John Nill wanders into the Nekohanten where he meets
up with Cologne who is an associate agent of the Chinese
Anti-Malevolent-Supernatural agency. (Where do you think she got the contacts
to move to japan so easily) The Bureau's Ryouga Hibiki and his girlfriend Carol
Arcane go to the Tendo Dojo and meet the native Ryouga who initiates a fight
and looses to himself. Meanwhile the team's Computer expert Andy Stone has been
studying the available Data when he spots the sensors go off, and quickly
confirms that the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse have just appeared.
-------
Bureau 13 1/2
Stalking Nerima
by Brendan O'Donnell
Chapter 2
">They're here.<"
"Shit!" Muttered John. Touching the appropriate buttons on his own
watch, he replied. ">Please clarify, Andy.<"
">I was doing the analysis when I got a warning from the magic sensors.
It's weaker than I've ever seen it but it's definitely the signatures of The
Horsemen.<"
">Clarify please, the individual horsemen, not the Armageddon
composite?<"
">Correct, boss they've appeared at different locations, I've got
everything going to get a fix on them now.<"
">Ok, while you're doing that patch me through to the others.<"
">Already done.<" Carol's voice states.
">Good going. Ok, Going home can wait. First we need to keep those
four bastards from repeating what they did in our universe. Andy, I'll need you
to set up to download everything we've got on the horsemen and Armageddon to
Bureau computers when I get the numbers. When you've got that location program
running cross reference it with a map of Tokyo and tell us where they are.
Everyone else, I want you to get ready. We know what they can do, and we know
they have to be stopped. Let's do it.<"
Turning from where he was standing John started back to the Nekohanten
at a run.
">So much for peacefully meeting the locals.<" Carol commented as she
and the others turned off the communication function of their watches. ">You
bring the bane's, Guy's?<"
Ryouga held up a small box of shotgun shells. ">I forgot the gun
though.<"
"Could someone tell me what's going on?" Said Ranma in an annoyed
voice. The Bureau trio looked at him, Carol and Will looked at Ryouga who
sighed and walked over to Ranma.
"It's a long story, and I might get called away at any minute. Let's
just say that the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are trying to destroy the
world, and it's our job to help stop them." He glanced back at his two
associates, Will had just lit some powders in a small bowl, and while the smoke
rose he was using his fingers to apply colored liquid from some jars he was
carrying to his face and upper body while chanting quietly. *Good, he brought
his stuff.* Ryouga thought to himself.
"Look, if you have anything in the way of weaponry, I'd advise you to
grab it right now. Things are going to get pretty bad unless we can take them
out soon."
"I don't use weapons Ryouga." Ranma replied, "And how do you know so
much about these horsemen?"
"Uh, well, we kinda brought them here. We've been fighting them for the
last two months back in our reality, and we were running away from them when we
jumped over to here. Apparently they went through the hole in space-time we
opened and they're here now. Fortunately they seem to be weakened from the
trip, so we might be able to kill them before they regain their strength."
Ranma was a little surprised at the casualness with which Ryouga mentioned
killing.
"Have you done much killing?"
"They were all bad." Ryouga responded very quickly.
Cologne was siting behind the counter looking slightly bored, when the
door slammed open and John stormed in.
A Chinese teen wearing loose white robes looked up from where he was
cleaning tables, and stepped toward John. "What do you want Ranma!" He called
out menacingly. He was then knocked down by a hit from Cologne's staff.
"Put your glasses on Mousse." Turning to John she said "What seems to
be the trouble?"
"The RV's scanners just spotted the horsemen, and I don't think it's a
malfunction. I'll need you to get in touch with every organization you know,
and help me set up to download our data so everyone can get ready."
Thinking of what she had overheard about the horsemen, Cologne paled and
picked up the phone. "Right away."
"OK Ryouga," Ranma paused and looked at the two Ryouga's. The Ryouga he
knew much to well looked like he always did, while this new Ryouga was dressed
in light gray pants, a red shirt and a leather jacket.
The Bureau Ryouga glanced at his native counterpart and said "Oh yeah,
we'd better come up with a way to tell us apart. I'm equally comfortable with
being called Ryouga 2 or Joe if it'll be easier."
"Joe?"
"My stage name, I'll tell you about it later."
"Joe." The native Ryouga said. "Turned Gaijin I see."
"I'm a Hibiki. We were never meant to live in any one place. Besides
I've done pretty well for myself Stateside, how've you done?"
"WHY YOU!!!" Ryouga began, only to be cut off by Carol stepping between
the two of them.
"Knock it off you two. You'll have to excuse our Ryouga folks, he gets
rather short tempered when there's a good chance of massive death and
destruction in the near future."
"Oh, let me make you all some lemonade." Kasumi said as she walked into
the Kitchen.
Carol blinked, looked after her a moment, then asked "Mr. Tendo, did
you're wife by any chance participate in an experiment with the drug Ephemeral
while she was pregnant the first time?"
"No, why?"
"It's nothing."
">I've got a partial locations boss, and their energy patterns are
starting to flux so they're definitely doing something, You'd better warn the
locals. Famine seems to have paused at the market twelve blocks south of your
present location..."
"That's where I sent Shampoo!" Cologne exclaimed.
With a cry of "Shampoo!" Mousse was out the door.
">Uh, boss?<" Andy inquired from the radio.
">Our local contacts granddaughter was heading toward that location.<"
He paused and thought a moment. He then reset his watch to broadcast a page for
Ryouga. Upon getting the conformation tone he said ">Ryouga, Andy just
confirmed that Famine's gone active in a market about, where is it Andy?<"
">20 blocks east of them, and pestilence in about three blocks away,
though he doesn't seem to be doing much at the moment.<"
"> Thanks. Anyway Ryouga, It's vital that Cologne and I finish this, so
you and Carol better head over and help out. Her granddaughter Shampoo is
already there, so keep an eye open for a girl with purple hair.<"
">Sure thing.<" Ryouga2 said to his watch. "Shampoo and Cologne?
Strange." he said to himself. "Let's go Carol."
"What's the situation?" She asked as she hoped piggy back onto Ryouga.
"Famine. He's wrecking a market to the east, Oh, and we're keeping an
eye open for a girl named Shampoo." Ryouga2 replied as he closed his eyes in
concentration.
"What's that about Shampoo?" Ranma asked as he stepped toward the pair,
then he paused as he felt the Chi energy that was building around Ryouga. With
a sensitivity he hadn't consciously developed he could tell that chi was
beginning to flow in an east-west line. "Uh, Ryouga?" His query remained
unanswered as the power continued to build. Then Ryouga2 changed his stance
slightly, and leaped over the wall. In a second he was gone, moving at a speed
Ranma knew he didn't have a chance of matching.
"Those two can handle things, You'd better concentrate on getting ready
for trouble." Will said as he put away his jars of paints and stood up.
Ryouga slid to a halt about half a block from the market. He didn't
trust his line movement abilities to dodge the mob that was fleeing the scene.
"He's gotta be here." Carol commented as she forced her way past the
mob. In the center of the market she saw famine, the dirty torn cloth draped
over it's nine foot tall form. It's body was beyond gaunt, a giant skeleton
covered with a skin that was three sizes to small. They currently saw the back
of it's angular head, the small scraggly hairs sticking out irregularly. Carol
knew that the purple haired girl Famine was facing could see the black fire
glowing from within the sunken eyesockets of the nightmare she was facing.
Ryouga had pulled off a bandanna the second he saw famine through the
crowd, and he was charging it as he forced his way through. He paused to toss
it into the air, then shouldered his way past the remaining people as he
mentally directed the bandanna's flight. It flew up, and curved into a path
circling past Famine. Then it turned back and struck right at the apocalypse
entities face. Ryouga knew the explosive force he had charged the bandanna with
wouldn't hurt Famine, but it would distract it and obscure it's sight for a few
moments. The purple haired girl fighting it took advantage of the distraction
to step to it's left and hammer a two handed blow to the back of it's leg with
one of the spherical headed maces she was holding. Much to Ryouga's surprise
Famine fell. It had been weakened more than he had thought. Unfortunately not
enough for the blows to have any more effect than knocking it off it's feet.
"Get away from it quick!" Ryouga yelled at the girl who was circling in
preparation for another attack on the Horseman. She ignored him and continued
her circling. Famine, however didn't react like the mortal opponent she was
used to fighting. It's form shimmered for a moment, then melted into the ground
which suddenly became cracked, dry and lifeless. The girl was looking around
for it when a tendril of dirt shot from the earth knocking her back.
"Carol!" Ryouga called, but she was already reaching into her pouch for
the needed materials. Ryouga jumped forward, Famine could hopefully be
distracted with several targets. The zone of dead earth was growing as the pair
watched, tendrils shooting out to pummel Shampoo who was dodging as best she
could. Ryouga slashed out with his umbrella shattering a bunch of the
extensions, then started dodging as he retreated in exactly the opposite
direction Shampoo was heading.
Carol had pulled out two three foot long tubes, and half filled each
with topsoil from a bag. She then filled the rest of each with processed
manure, a few earthworms, a handful of seeds, and a large glass of water. She
spoke a few words and the air began to swirl in twin funnels pouring into both.
A second later she held them together with both hands and said three words in
the not quite Latin language she used to cast spells. She then tossed one to
Ryouga. He leaped into the air and caught it. Pointing the other tube at the
patch of dead earth she spoke a final word. Suddenly a jet of dark brown mist
shot from it's end and flowed into the earth. The ground unaffected by Famine's
presence suddenly burst forth with plants. The dead ground shimmered as it
began shifting from a healthy brown color to the cracked gray it had become
under pestilence's influence and back in a loop.
Ryouga was falling into the center of this affected area. He dropped
his tube, and a few seconds before it hit the ground he slammed his detonator
palm into it's end. The explosion blasted the tube into the earth so only an
inch was left aboveground, Ryouga was thrown back out of the affected area, and
with a word Carol triggered the spell on this second tube. With a scream Famine
burst from the earth, lashing out at Ryouga who pulled off a bandanna and
extended it into a staff which he used to block the attack and propel himself
away. As he landed he dropped it, and it shattered into a dozen yellow and
black fragments.
Ryouga reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a shotgun shell.
Then he remembered that he didn't have a gun. *Well, I am a lousy shot.
Improvising's always been my specialty anyway*
Suddenly his and Carol's watch broadcast "Alert, Pestilence's actions
approaching from East, unaccompanied."
"You take care of that!" Ryouga called to Carol who pulled out one of
her wands and readied herself looking down the eastern street. Ryouga shifted
his full attention back to Famine. Shampoo apparently didn't realize that she
should have run because she was charging the horseman. Famine lashed out, and
this time Shampoo didn't dodge quickly enough. She did parry with a bonbori
which shattered under the power of the blow. As she was thrown back Ryouga
pulled a bandanna, and launched it. It struck Famine on the ankle, like Ryouga
expected it did no damage, but Famine reacted to it, shifting his attention away
from Shampoo to him.
Then a form in white jumped from nowhere with a cry of "Shampoo" Ryouga
didn't have time to act surprised as this unknown man hurled dozens of swords,
shurikens, and cookie cutters at Famine. Famine seemed surprised. Ryouga
griped the shotgun cartridge in his right hand, the copper end griped tightly by
his thumb and forefinger, the rest loosely held by his other fingers. *I'd
better use this while this loony's got him distracted.* Ryouga started forward.
The Man in white tossed a half dozen chains at the horseman who was caught.
*Uh, Oh* Ryouga thought as he jumped into the air. Famine's hands lifted and
grabbed the chains. Using them as a channel the horseman directed it's power
against his opponent who screamed as he fell to his knees, the chains dissolving
in seconds. Then Ryouga landed on Famine's shoulders. Before the horseman
could react, Ryouga swung his hand down so the shotgun shell was pointing right
into it's face. Forming a minimal detonator charge in his other hand, Ryouga
slapped the back of the shell.
The contents sprayed into the horseman's face, and into it's open mouth.
Famine fell back clawing at it's face with a cry of pain. Ryouga leaped away
from his opponent the moment he had blasted it, the same second he dropped the
spent cartridge. He had already pulled another bane shell from his clothes as
he landed.
Famine had only clawed at it's throat a moment, now it raised it's
hands, and a small duststorm billowed around it. Through the slits Ryouga
narrowed his eyes to, he saw the horseman flying away on it's gaunt steed.
Then the dust settled. Ryouga shook his left hand with a slight wince,
then looked around. Carol was focusing her effort on maintaining a mini
Blizzard which she had formed using her wand. Ryouga knew what she was holding
off. The horseman Pestilence had power over both disease and insects, and it's
favorite technique combined both forces. By creating a swarm of carnivorous
insects, each one the carrier for some different deadly and highly contagious
disease the horseman had wiped out entire nations in their home world.
Realizing that Carol's actions were very unlikely to wipe out all the insects,
Ryouga pulled an injector gun and a bottle of XVN-13-45 anti disease agent.
There were only a few people for him to treat.
He helped Shampoo to her feet, giving her a shot with a quick
explanation. Then he checked Mouse. He was in bad shape. The effects of
Famine's powers on the human body exactly mimic starvation, and Mouse had gotten
hit pretty bad. Mouse was lying unconscious breathing faintly. His body had
been reduced to near skeletal condition, and I could tell that he wasn't going
to live long without some action of my part. Shampoo was, holding his head in
her lap as she called him an idiot, tears streaming down her face.
Ryouga felt Carol's presence at his right. Glancing down the area she
had been fighting Pestilence's swarm he saw a large drift of snow which looked
quite dirty in sections where she supplemented her wand's blizzard with a few
fireballs. "I called cleanup, now let's see what I can do for him." She said
as she looked Mousse. Reaching into her purse she drew out an IV and a small
portable stand.
*Whoever designed the spells to make that purse was a genius.* Ryouga
thought to himself. *Well, at least she was prepared to help famine's victims.
Normally she wouldn't have Nutrient enriched IV's prepped.*
When Carol tore off Mousse's right sleeve to put in the IV, Shampoo
pulled a sword out of nowhere and pointed it at her. "What you do strange
girl!?"
"Look, I know what that thing was and how to treat it's attacks. I can
help him, but only if you quit threatening me!" Carol replied. As Shampoo put
her sword away Carol found the vein on Mousse's now gaunt and bony arm, and
slipped the needle in. As she fastened it with tape and hooked the bag up to
the stand she said in a more friendly voice. "Look, that thing you fought is
deadly, no two ways around it. It's a physical manifestation of the fear of
starvation, and that's why you're friend looks so bad. I won't lie, it'll be a
few hours before we can be completely sure he won't die. But that's only an
outside possibility, and with a little magic and a few weeks of therapy he'll be
back to his old self, no trouble." She turned to Ryouga. "I called Andy, and
there's an ambulance and an AMP-cleanup crew on it's way. We'll just wait for
them to show."
Half an hour later the Tendo living room had been converted into a
conference center. In addition to Team Hurricane, and the house's regular
occupants, there was Cologne and three representatives of AMP, Japan's resident
anti-supernatural police force. The ranking representative was a young
sorceress named Raye. She was an attractive girl with long black hair, was
wearing the traditional gi-top and hakama of a Shinto priestess. The other
woman of the reps was a young Ainu woman with a shortsword named Nakaruru. She
and Ryouga2 had already agreed to fight after the horsemen were destroyed, much
to Carol's annoyance. The single male aid was a middle aged guy named Kyusaku
who's brown hair completely obscured his eyes. He was currently a little away
from the group and seemed to be focusing most of his attention on building a ray
gun from of a toaster.
"OK, here's the situation." Andy said as he looked over his laptop.
Since it was directly linked to the Van's big computer it was constantly
updating it's data. "Famine, Pestilence and Death have all left Japan. The
data we provided has enabled the various organizations to track them via
satellite, and everyone has both lethal and non-lethal countermeasures ready.
That's the most direct help we can provide. War, however is still here, and he
seems to be preparing for something big, strangely enough."
"Any ideas why he hasn't left?" Ryouga2 asked.
"Yeah, War's drawn by intense violent emotion and frequent conflict.
What's he doing in Nerima?" Carol asked.
Nabiki started laughing, Akane frowned, but couldn't help but giggle a
little, and Ranma just scowled and said, "Hey, it's not my fault!"
Raye's lips twitched toward a smile, then she fought it down and said,
"The Nerima area has long had a slightly higher incidence of the high level
martial artists. Since the arrival of Ranma Saotome, however this situation has
dramatically increased. Saotome-san seems to be a living attractor for Martial
and Romantic complications, and we have been covertly investigating the
possibility he might have some sort of curse." She paused then added, "Other
than the Jusenkyo one."
"Uh, is there any chance that you might know a cure for the Jusenkyo
curse? You or someone you work with?" Ranma asked.
"That'll have to wait. What we've got to do now is prepare for what's
coming."
"Indeed." responded Andy. "That incident with Famine and Pestilence
was just a case of them absorbing a quick fix of psychic terror as a precursor
to a major action on their part. Apparently War has enough ambient violence
that it doesn't need anything more. Now War will probably try to find the
locals with the strongest tendency to inspire and perform acts of violence and
empower them to become the foundations of a miniature war to shatter the entire
town. One pattern we've seen in the actions of War, Famine and Pestilence is
that they seem to enjoy creating situations where all the destruction and chaos
is the direct result of human action rather than their own. They seem to regard
it as some sort of bizarre artistic endeavor."
"What about the fourth?" Kyusaku asked
"Death." John replied. "That one we understand the least. Our best
guess is that it's a kind of coordinator of the other three. The other three
are mass destruction entities, however Death kills one target at a time, always
face to face. And it's almost completely unstoppable. We have only discovered
two bane's, and the most they can do is annoy and delay it. Well, it is limited
by being a magical entity, but it's so strong the only way I could stop it is
through direct physical combat, and the odds of success aren't good."
"What's that about you fighting death?" Ranma asked. The rest of the
table showed puzzled looks as well.
"I guess I haven't explained myself well enough. Magic is a natural
part of reality on a fundamental level, however there is an equal and opposite
component to reality. And I am one of the strongest concentrations of that
opposing essence in the entire universe. I have yet to find any magic potent
enough to directly affect me, and I can generally neutralize all but the
strongest forms of magic with an effort. Thus against me Death's
invulnerability wouldn't be effective, however he's to potent for me to truly
counter all his powers, and what's left is almost certain to be more that I can
handle."
"Ok, then what can we do about warrior?" Ranma responded.
"War. Well our biggest problem will be everyone else. War's power
comes from anger, hatred, and violence, and it can control people through those
desires and emotions. However things are normally around here, War will upgrade
the aggression by several factors. Fortunately most of them should just be
angrier versions of themselves, and anyone War does physically enhance will be
limited by their rage. It'll be tough but we have the means to beat them. As
to War itself, we can repel and aggravate it with pens and treaties. To kill it
we'll have to use pruning hooks and plowshares."
"What the heck are you talking about?" Ranma asked, his puzzlement
mirrored by the rest of the house's regular inhabitants (Except Kasumi of
course).
"Symbolism. The pen is mightier than the sword, also treaties end wars
and thus are repellent to War. As for the fatal counters, they're from that
line in the bible. 'And they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their
spears into pruning hooks and all the nations of the world shall study war no
more.' The association's so strong War's physical form can be destroyed by it."
Tatewaki Kuno lay dreaming. As always his dream centered around Akane
Tendo and "The pig tailed girl" looking on him with fawning worshipful eyes.
But something was happening. Ranma Saotome had appeared and spirited his two
loves away. "Curse you Ranma Saotome! I will make you pay if it takes my
final breath!" His sleeping body was beginning to glow with a malevolent red
aura, which exactly matched the light pouring from the eyeslits of a figure
standing on the roof of the Kuno mansion. It's body was completely covered in
heavy armor made of a strange red tinted metal, looking like steel with fresh
blood flowing within it. The nine foot tall armored figure turned his head to
one side and looked out from his vantage point on top of the Kuno mansion.
Hiroshi was dreaming. He and Junko were walking hand in hand through
the park. They stopped by a lake. Hiroshi reach up to caress her cheek, their
faces moved together. Suddenly he felt himself get shoved to one side. Barely
catching his balance he opened his eyes and looked at the source of the
aggravating force. Ranma Saotome was walking past the couple seemingly
oblivious to what he had just done. Suddenly Junko put a hand on Hiroshi's
chest and shoved him backward into the lake behind him. He sat in the water
staring in shock as his girlfriend suddenly ran after Ranma shouting "I love
you!" Then he started getting angry. His sleeping body began to glow with the
same red aura as Kuno's. Throughout the town a similar dream was playing itself
out in the minds of much of the population.