Despite my rather pessimistic approximation, I've actually finished this 
chapter off in only about 1/2 hour of typing.  It's nice to have an 
outline to work off of, it makes it real fast!

I think I might actually get the first part of the new Toraneko serial 
written today too.  We'll have to see about that one, though.  Here's 
the Yohko 1/2 fic.


_____________________________________________________________________


	As always, Ranma walked alongside Akane up on the fence.  Great balance 
practice.  That's what he always told himself.  Akane thought he did it 
to show off, but Ranma knew better.  He never had a reason to show off.  
He had no interest in showing off.  He just did what he liked.
	"Uh-oh," said Akane.  "Here comes Kuno.  You want to take him, again, 
or can I get a chance?"
	"Akane!" Ranma gasped in surprise.  "Since when did you ever want to 
beat up Kuno?"
	"I dunno.  It just seemed like a good way to let of some stress."
	"What're you stressed about?"
	"I don't want to talk about it right now.  Besides, Maybe Kuno will 
leave us alone."  Of course Akane was wrong.  Kuno marched proudly up to 
the pair, as if bursting with some good news he couldn't wait to share.
	"Hail, fair Tendo Akane.  Hail to thee as well, Saotome Ranma.  I come 
bearing tidings that will undoubtably cause thy hearts to leap with joy.  
I have within my power the means whereby the pig-tailed goddess can be 
released from thy foul imprisonment.  You, beautiful Akane, and yon 
red-haired girl will have the honor of accompanying this noble samurai 
very soon on a date such as ye have never before beheld!"
	Ranma smirked at the tall idiot.  "You seem awfully confident today, 
Kuno.  Did you have an extra bowl of Wheaties this morning?"	
	Kuno's face clouded with rage.  "Mock me not, foul Saotome Devil.  I 
have entered into an arrangement that will be thy undoing once and for 
all!"
	Ranma deftly kicked Kuno in the direction of the school.  "Look at 
this, I'm doing him a favor.  Now he'll be early to class!"
	"Ranma," said Akane with a worried frown.  "What kind of arrangement do 
you think he was talking about?"
	"Unless he made it with Nabiki, I'm not worried," Ranma laughed.
	"Are you sure it's wise to blow it off that fast?  This could be 
serious!"
	Ranma was annoyed at Akane's lack of confidence in his assetion of the 
situation.  	"C'mon, Akane, this is Kuno we're talking about.  How 
dangerous could he possibly be?"

__________

	"Hey, Yohko!  Over here!" waved Ranma.  The newer girl moved to join 
Ranma and Akane for lunch.
	"Hey, you two!  How's everything been?"
	Akane swallowed her food then answered sarcastically.  "Better, now 
that you're here.  Now I won't have to listen to Ranma's egotistical 
stories alone.  Did your grandmother find anything at all about those 
demons we've seen?"
	"Yes, she did," said Yohko as she sat down her books and started eating 
her own lunch.  "It's not the first time a Devil Hunter from our family 
has seen demons like that.  They're really odd; they don't register on 
our demon sensing abilities, and most of them seem incredibly easy to 
defeat.  Unfortunately, hardly any details have come down through the 
chronicles.  It seems that she didn't understand them much either."
	"Well, what exactly did she say?" asked Ranma, his interest aroused.
	"Not much.  A name was mentioned for them; that they were called 
fetchers, and it was thought that they might not be true demons.  But I 
don't see how knowing the name helps us any, and I already thought they 
might not be true demons on my own.  In either case, knowing either one 
of those facts does absolutely nothing towards trying to figure out 
where they came from, and why they're here."

__________

	Once again, Kuno was in a trance, staring into the light that 
illuminated the tiny house.  The hated voice of the raspy old man who 
had recruited him was droning on and on about it's immenent victory.
	"Yes, the moment is nigh.  Soon, with your help, I will be able to 
enter this world, and you, my love-sick accomplice, will have my 
powerful magic at hand to earn the love of the two women you seek.  It 
is certainly a day to remember!"
	Kuno simply stared ahead in his trance.  A tiny trickle of spittle 
drooled lazily down his chin.  With each time he communed with the 
voice. His own will and control became less.  Soon, he would be 
completely under the voices control everytime he allowed himself to be 
put in the trance.  "Kuno, my friend, it is time to call on our more 
powerful servants.  Send a Seeker to bring the Devil Hunter to me."
	Kuno mechanically reached for the shelves with the tiny statuettes.  
This time he picked up a larger one than he had before.  It was a broad, 
ugly beast, sculpted to look like some kind of rabid humanoid bear, but 
with bony armor plates that covered its back and neck.  Kuno carefully 
tossed the statuette into the light.

__________


	Azusa smiled to herself as she looked at the house.  Every room had 
been carefully cleaned.  Auntie Madoka had gone shopping leaving Azusa 
to herself in the house.  Azusa carefully hauled her bucket of cleaning 
water to the bathroom so she could dump it down the drain
	_Boy!_ she thought to herself. _This bathroom really stinks!  Maybe I 
should clean in here for a while!_ Azusa couldn't figure out what was 
making the horrible stench, though.  It reminded her of wet dog.
	Suddenly the bathroom door shattered.  A huge, hairy bear-like face 
came into the room, and a massive, furry body followed.  Azusa quickly 
leaped out of the way of the creature's swiping paws.  In a flash of 
light, the began her transformation, calling upon the powers of her 
bracelet to bring out her devil hunter persona.  Her clothes ripped to 
shreds and her short, red dress appeared.  Azusa called for her magical 
spear, and it was suddenly in her hands.
	With a yell, Azusa leaped at the creature, stabbing it through the 
shoulder.  The demon bellowed its pain and outrage, backhanding Azusa 
viciously.  She tumbled backwards, hitting the bucket of cleaning water, 
spilling it all over herself. _Oh, no!  Not now!_ she thought to herself 
as her body instantly shrank.
	The wounded demon bent down low over the tiny hamster in confusion.  
Was this the same being he had been sent to find?  Yes, its aura was the 
same as the girl he was just fighting.  His instructions were explicit: 
bring back the girl in the house that changes into a Devil Hunter.  With 
it's hulking paw, the demon scooped up hamster-Azusa and left the house, 
eager to return with its mission completed.

	When Yohko came home from school a few minutes later, she found the 
broken bathroom door, and Azusa's soul spear on the floor.

_____________________________________________________________________

There it was!  As always, C&C are welcome, either public or private.



Joshua Dyal
j-dyal@geocities.com
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Arcade/1958/


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