Chapter 16: Face/Half-Off

   "Who the hell is this girl?" Umi asked.
   "She certainly resembles Hikaru," Fuu commented.
   Skylark smiled ruefully. "I suppose you would like to hear my 
story before I destroy you?"
   Hikaru finally spoke up. "Talk."
   Skylark raised an amused eyebrow at her, then drew herself up to 
her full, less than impressive height.
   "I came into being one thousand, five hundred, and two years ago," 
Skylark began, "at the exact moment when Shidou Hikaru's last spark 
of life fled from her body.
   "Do you know how the magic of Jyusenkyou truly works?" she asked 
them, raising her arms dramatically. "Truly remarkable...truly 
sadistic. Jyusenkyou springs trap the soul of whatever drowns in them,
 until someone or something releases them.
   "Oh, but there's more. There are...factors involved, which 
determine how peaceful the eternal damnation to those waters will be. 
Kind creatures, with pure hearts, are not aware of their imprisonment,
 becoming unconscious for the entire duration of their torture in 
Jyusenkyou.
   "And then," she continued, "There are the dark souls. The shadowy 
spirits. The ones with demons haunting them, with vengeful and impure 
thoughts. Those," she snarled, "are PAINFULLY aware of their new 
existence. An eternity for every second spent there."
   Everyone in the room gasped. Skylark smirked cruelly, and 
continued. "Little miss Fire Knight here, was a goody-goody," she 
sneered contemptously at Hikaru. "Always looking out for others 
before herself, kind and helpful and..." Skylark made a gagging noise,
 and doubled over, heaving a few times sarcastically. "In short, 
she's a disgustingly pure little shit.
   "But she had demons in her heart, because of what happened to her 
in Cephiro, and what those Musk bastards did to her," she continued, 
taking on a false sorrowful tone. "Pooooooor little innocent and 
sweet Hikaru, naive little Hikaru...turned into an object of scorn, a 
toy for the amusement of hormone-driven Chinese warriors in a place 
she had no business being to begin with..."
   Hikaru scowled. Ranma began to growl in his throat.
   "Well, when she drowned..." Skylark said, shrugging.
   Fuu frowned. "I'm confused. That doesn't really explain anything.
"
   Skylark laughed harshly. "Well you see, Hikaru here had been 
exposed to the magic of Cephiro. If she'd actually *been* in Cephiro 
when she died, her little Will was so strong that I'd have sprung up 
right then. 
   "But, y'see, she also had the magic of Jyusenkyou to deal with. As 
it turns out, her experiences in Cephiro caused the two conflicting 
parts of her soul to split apart as she died. The pure, noble little 
Shidou Hikaru who EVERYONE just LOVES..." She paused to hock and spit 
at Hikaru, who calmly dodged, earning a glare from Skylark. "This 
little BITCH, cast out her darkness and the demons within her, and 
her soul slept peacefully in that fucking spring for all those 
centuries.
   "But the castoffs, her anger, her frustration, her sadness, her 
suffering...still held a portion of her strong Will, and with her 
exposure to Cephiro, this was enough to create *my* soul, which was 
stuck, AWAKE, for all that time, and not able to do a *damned* thing 
about it."
   "But...how did you get here?" Akane asked.
   "Well, y'see, the forces that created both Jyusenkyou and Eterna 
came from the same source. When the conditions are right, things 
cross over between the two.
   "When I was spawned, the magic of Jyusenkyou decided that my 
origin was in Cephiro, and cast me into Eterna. But I was still 
linked to goody-girl over here.
   "So, I remained, trapped, AWAKE, for fifteen centuries, until the 
day the dipshit here took a dunk in Hikaru's spring. When she got 
released, so did I. I couldn't leave Eterna, but I was free to gather 
power.
   "So, I've been gathering power for a year now, to get revenge on 
the people who caused all this to happen in the first place."
   Hikaru frowned. Fuu still looked confused. "But...there's no curse 
here as there is at Jyusenkyou, and nobody fell into this spring for 
you to possess...how is it that you have a body?"
   Skylark stared at her increduously, then laughed bitterly. "You 
don't get it, do you? Stupid little bitch. NONE OF US HAVE BODIES IN 
HERE!!!! All your bodies were left at the surface of the lake!" 
Everyone gaped at her. She smirked. "What? Did you think these two 
shitbrains over here," she gestured at Ranma and Hikaru, "were 
separated just like that, and she got her body back? WRONG! None of 
your souls are in your bodies right now."
   Everyone blinked. She cackled. "That's right! In here, your form 
is the form of your soul!"
   Ranma and Hikaru suddenly made a sound of understanding. "I get it,
" Ranma said. "It's like when me 'n Hikaru talk when our body's 
asleep."
   "No shit, dickhead," Skylark said.
   Ranma scowled. "Someone needs to clean your mouth out, little girl.
"
   Skylark laughed hysterically. "Oh, that's GOOD. That's REAL good." 
Her eyes began to glow brighter, and a dark ball of energy formed in 
her hands. "Okay then, if you want some, come get some!"
   Umi, Fuu, and Lantis charged the demon girl. Skylark summoned a 
vortex, into which they vanished, the girls shrieking. Everyone gaped.
 "What did you do to them?" Hikaru asked.
    Skylark laughed. "I just sent them back to their bodies. They 
can't get back into this chamber without facing the tests again...
assuming I would let them back into Purgata at all." She cackled. 
"Who's next?"
   Ranma didn't need any more encouragement than that. He threw 
himself forward, charging fire magic in his claws. Skylark smirked, 
and threw her energy ball. The sphere slammed into Ranma and threw 
him against the back wall of the cave.
   Akane cried out, and raised her mallet. A bolt of lightning arced 
around it. With a yell, she released the lightning at Skylark. The 
evil sorceress yawned, and the bolt entered her mouth. She glared at 
Akane, and two streams of red lightning shot out, enveloping the 
Tendou girl, and slamming her into the ground.
   "Akane-chan!" Hikaru shouted. "Alright, Skylark, you won't get 
away with that. HONOU NO...YAAAA!"
   Skylark scowled, and raised her hand in a similar motion. "DARK 
FLARE SPEAR!"
   Streaks of black fire matching Hikaru's red flames flew from her 
fingertips, and the two spells clashed, cancelling each other. Hikaru 
glared at Skylark, and prepared to charge.
   Just then, Ryouga, Mousse, Ukyou, and Shampoo decided to quadruple-
team the dark girl, and charged in unison. Skylark stared at them 
incredulously, and as they approached, she cupped her hands.
   Hikaru's eyes went wide. "NOOO!!"
   A ball of blackness, with a glaring red spark at the core, formed 
in Skylark's hands. She reared back, and threw it at the incoming 
martial artists. "BLACK SOUL BOMB!"
   The four warriors screamed in agony as bands of tight darkness 
enveloped them, and they became affixed to the back wall, in 
crucification poses. Their eyes were closed, and their auras were dim.

   Akane was similarly out of it. Hikaru prepared to charge, and was 
blasted by a similar bomb.
   Skylark laughed maniacally as she gazed around at her fallen 
adversaries. They would never leave here intact. But that one vortex 
spell had taken a lot out of her...she smirked. "Shouldn't have done 
that, idiot," she rebuked herself. "Waste of energy."

   Hikaru groggily awoke. Her head felt like an elephant had been tap 
dancing on it.
   She looked around. The group from Nerima were all still 
unconscious, Akane on the ground and the rest pinned to the wall. Umi,
 Fuu, and Lantis were gone. 
   Ranma was...awake, and staring into her eyes with concern.
   "Oi, Hikaru...how are you feeling?"
   Hikaru shook her head. "Horrible. That sick girl really did a 
number on me."
   Ranma nodded. "Me too." He sighed. "I don't think the others are 
gonna wake up, Hikaru. I think it's just you and me."
   Hikaru shook her head. "It's no good, Ranma. We can't fight her. 
We're not powerful enough...and the Mashin are all outside the spring.
"
   Ranma nodded, frowning. The two rested for a few moments, and 
stared at Skylark. For her part, the evil girl was ignoring them.
   After a moment, Ranma began musing, "You know...rushing her is 
pointless, and she's an even match magically for all of us."
   Hikaru nodded. "Yeah. And odds are she's good with a sword, too."
   "And fast," Ranma added. He rubbed his chin. "If the two of us 
attacked her, she'd be able to pick one of us off before the other 
could get close, and still have time to stop the other one too."
   Hikaru nodded. "And since none of us are powerful enough 
individually, it'd be pointless anyway."
   Ranma thought about that for a minute. "Strong enough individually.
.." He looked at Hikaru speculatively for a moment, which began to 
make her uncomfortable. "What?" she asked.
   Ranma frowned. "I'm having an idea, but it's too insane to 
possibly work." Absently, as he thought, his form began to shift to 
that of his female half. Hikaru blinked. 
   "Ranma...you just turned into a girl."
   Ranma looked down at herself, and blinked...then grinned. "This is 
a good sign."
   Hikaru's brow furrowed in confusion. Ranma grinned, and put an arm 
around her shoulder, leaning in conspiratorially.
   "Hikaru...would you say that of everyone here, you and me are the 
only two real matches for this girl?"
   Hikaru nodded. "Yeah, but she beat both of us."
   Ranma nodded. "Working separately."
   Hikaru frowned. "Ranma, we just covered this. She could beat us if 
we worked as a team, as well."
   Ranma chuckled, his grin widening. "Not if we work *as one*."
   Hikaru blinked, and shook her head. "I just said that won't work.
"
   Ranma pulled her in closer. "No, I don't mean teaming up on her. I 
mean, *as* *one*. Get it?"
   Hikaru frowned. "No, I don't."
   Ranma gestured at himself. "I just turned into a girl, right?" 
Hikaru nodded. "Okay, Cephiro is a place where Will is the strongest 
force, isn't it? And didn't Skylark say that none of us even have 
bodies here?"
   Hikaru nodded, slowly, uncertaintly.
   "Well," Ranma said, "Here's what I figure. Separately, we don't 
have the power to take her down. But, combined, we could do it. We've 
got practice sharing a body..." He trailed off, eyes twinkling.
   Hikaru blinked, then it hit her. Her eyes widened. "You're not 
talking about..."
   Ranma shrugged. "Couldn't hurt to try."
   "As...as ONE?" Hikaru asked. Ranma nodded.
   Hikaru thought about that for a minute, then shrugged. "What have 
we got to lose," she said. "Okay, I guess we just...just need to 
concentrate, right?"
   Ranma nodded, and closed his eyes. Hikaru also closed hers, and 
began to focus on Ranma's aura, his power, his spirit. Ranma 
concentrated on Hikaru's strong will, her kind heart, her 
determination, her strength.
   Within moments, something of the connection they'd established 
inside their shared body began to form. Then it became stronger, grew.
 Beyond surface thoughts and consciousness now, they could see 
memories, experiences, emotions, dreams and hopes, sorrows, fears, 
anxieties...
   The connection continued to deepen. Each of them began seeing the 
other through the eyes of the soul, through the eyes of the self. 
Deeper, more resonant...
   
   Akane shook herself as she got to her knees. She looked up, to see 
the others from her group slowly awakening in their pinned positions. 
She looked around for Ranma...
   ...and saw him in the corner, with Hikaru.
   Both were melting.

   This is my pain. This is our pain. These are our dreams and hopes. 
My memories are your memories, your thoughts are my thoughts. I am 
you, you are me. Our power is one. We will do what we have to do.

   As Akane and the others watched, Ranma and Hikaru blurred, and 
drew together. A bright orange glow flared around them, as they 
continued to dissolve into one another...

   ...A matter of moments later, in the midst of a brightly pulsing 
orange aura, one girl with a medium-length red pigtail rose to her 
feet. 
   Her armor was tight on her body, accentuating her trim, athletic 
figure. Fingerless gauntlets covered her slender hands. Large 
shoulderguards, with golden phoenix designs, looked like great wings 
against her small frame, and a flowing red chainmail cloak draped 
behind her. A gold tiara encircled her head, fronted with a large 
white, red, and gold crest resembling a firebird in flight. A red and 
white yin-yang symbol on her chestplate spun until it became a solid 
pink disc.
   In each hand, she held a glowing red katana, one having a dragon-
shaped hilt, the other having a lion-shaped hilt.
   Her eyes were bright purple, and she was scowling.

   Skylark sensed...something wrong behind her. She expected the 
warriors to awaken eventually, but what was this...power? She began 
to turn around...

   Akane, Ryouga, Ukyou, Mousse, and Shampoo gaped at the girl before 
them. None of them knew quite what to think.

   "Skylark. Face us now. We shall defeat you," resonated a pair of 
voices in perfect unison.

   Skylark stared in shock. This was Hikaru...and yet not Hikaru. And 
she felt the power of the boy radiating from this one... 
   "Who...who are you?" she asked.

   The girl with the purple eyes spoke in what should have been two 
voices, but somehow had become one, and had an imposing resonance. 
"We are Karuma. We will make you pay for what you've done."

   Everyone blinked at that pronouncement. "Akane-chan...what's goin' 
on here?" Ukyou asked.
   Akane shook her head. "I don't know," she breathed.

   Skylark smirked. "Fine, 'Karuma'. I don't care who or...or WHAT 
you are. You want a fight, I'll be happy to put you on the floor."

   Karuma laughed softly. The sound made everyone tremble in awe. "We 
are not impressed by you. In this battle, we will put you on the 
floor." Her aura flared even brighter, and Karuma charged.

   Skylark prepared her Black Soul Bomb, and flung it. Karuma smirked,
 and brought her swords together. An orange shield flared from them, 
absorbing the blast with no damage. Skylark gasped, then recovered, 
and snarled, drawing a black broadsword from the gem on her glove.
   
   The two female warriors locked in fierce combat. Despite Karuma's 
two weapons, and her skill and speed, Skylark was managing to block 
every attack, though none of her own were getting through. She became 
increasingly frustrated, and angrier. 

   Akane and the others gaped in awe. As the battle continued, 
Skylark began to slip, while Karuma seemed to be getting a second 
wind.
   Suddenly, Karuma's aura flared, and she threw herself backwards, 
away from Skylark. Skylark panted for a second, then began to prepare 
her spell.
   She shouldn't have let her guard down.
   Karuma's swords vanished, and a bright orange energy ball gathered 
between her hands. As Skylark began to cast her Black Soul Bomb, the 
ball of light began to blaze, and doubled in size.
   Karuma thrust her hands forward. "HONOU TAKABISHA!!!!!!!!!"
   Skylark threw her bomb as a column of blazing orange fire erupted 
from the hands of the girl with the purple eyes. The image of a 
growling tiger was visible in the stream of flames for an instant, 
and it also seemed that a roaring red lion was running alongside it. 
Then, the blast slammed into the dark sorceress.
   She was slammed across the chamber, into her spellcasting area, 
which burst into bright flames. She screamed in agony as her soul was 
consumed by Karuma's attack. Within seconds, nothing remained of the 
evil Skylark.

   The black world around them shifted, blurred...and vanished.

   The warriors blinked, heads all feeling as if they had been split 
open. Umi, Fuu, and Lantis hovered nervously over them, as did Mokona.
 They looked around, and blinked...they were outside Eterna. The 
blackness had vanished, and the spring appeared as it always had.

   Akane immediately snapped awake at seeing the redheaded girl in 
the red armor, who was still out cold. "Ranma! Hikaru!" She frowned. 
"Karuma?"
   Ryouga and Ukyou walked over to stand beside her, as Umi asked, 
"What happened in there?"
   Akane and the others blinked, and shot questioning glances at one 
another. As they were about to answer, a resonant voice groaned, "'S 
a long story. We'll tell you...later. Right now...we're tired. We 
need...a nap...."
   Everyone stared at the redhead, as she sleepily closed her purple 
eyes.
   "She's right," Akane said. "It's a LOOOONG story. We'll tell you 
when we get back to the palace."
   Lantis and Ryouga gently hefted the sleeping redhead between them, 
as Mokona created a stretcher to lay her on. With the girl safely in 
tow, the group began the long walk back to the palace.

 

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