Quick notes: When I wrote the end of this act, I was not entirely aware of
the bridge layout of the NSX, so I used a layout I'm more comfortable with.
Although I'm now aware of the appropriate layout, I decided I'd stick with
my altered version. (Gotta love the dramatic license granted in alternate
universe fics...)
****************
Mists of black roiled, as a girl with ankle-length hair the color of
dried blood smirked at a hazy image in a dark crystal globe.
"Well," she said, "The spell I cast on Her Royal Bitchness appears to
have taken complete hold. Now," she continued with a grin, "I can start on
that bastard." Raising a clenched fist encased in a black glove, she swore
quietly, "I will show you two the hell you've shown me. I'll show this
entire fucking world what it's like to exist in endless purgatory..."
She began gathering dark magical energy, laughing megalomaniacally.
****************
Act Three: Dark Dawn
Chapter 13: Blackest Waters
Mokona bounced through the Silent Forest, the Magic Knights and the
martial artists following it.
"You know," Ukyou mused, "We need a name."
"Huh?" Ryouga asked.
"Y'know, a name. For the five of us." She pointed at the Magic Knights.
"Those four (this got her a few odd glances, and a couple of chuckles) are
the Magic Knights...we need something to call ourselves too."
"That not too bad idea, spatula girl," Shampoo said.
"Hmmm....a name," Mousse drawled.
"How about, Magic Rangers?" Ryouga suggested.
Everyone scowled at him. He shrugged.
"Well, if we're the Magic Knights, maybe you guys can be the Magic
Squires," Umi mused.
The five considered that, then shook their heads. "Sound stupid,"
Shampoo said.
"What about Nerima Rangers?" Ryouga offered. Everyone *glared* at him.
"Get off stupid Ranger idea, stubborn lost boy!"
Before Ryouga or any of the others could say anything else, Mokona
suddenly came bouncing frantically towards them. "Puu! Puu!
Puuuuuuuuuuuuu!" it said. It shook frightfully and bounced into Hikaru's
arms.
"What's wrong, Mokona?" Hikaru wondered. "Is it a monster?"
"Puu, puu! Puu puu puupuu puu puuuuu! Puuuuuuuuuuuuuu........"
They warily continued forward, soon coming upon a large, table-like
tree. "Here's Eterna," Fuu commented.
"Huh? Where?" Akane asked.
Suddenly, a bolt of dark lightning shot out of thin air above the tree.
Everyone took a step back. Mokona shuddered. "Puuuuuu...."
"What the hell was that?" Ryouga asked.
"Is that supposed to happen, sugar?" Ukyou asked.
"No," Hikaru said worriedly.
"I think we'd best tell Clef and Cologne about this," Fuu advised.
Agreeing, the group turned around, and began the journey back to the
palace.
When the group returned to the palace, they found the entry path flooded
with Cephirans, all looking agitated and worried. Off to the east, the
Blemish was encroaching upon more of Cephiro at an alarming rate.
"What the--?" Umi wondered.
A thunderclap scattered everyone from the entryway, as Clef and Cologne
emerged from the palace, Ferio behind them. All looked solemn.
"Guru Clef, Guru Cologne...what is going on?" Hikaru asked.
"A most terrible fate, child," Cologne said. Gesturing at the gates, she
invited the warriors in. The palace guards quickly sealed the entrance,
encouraging the crowd to scatter.
The two gurus led the warriors into the chamber where Emeraude lay. They
all gasped.
A large portion of the princess's body had been claimed by the Blemish,
it seemed. Of what was visible of her body, her entire left arm, leg, and
the left side of her neck were blackened.
"I thought Zagato had it contained," Umi said, frowning.
"He did," Clef said sadly. Then he gestured to the other side of the
chamber.
Zagato lay on the velvet-cushioned window bench. His face and neck were
black.
Everyone gasped. "No..." Hikaru said.
Cologne nodded solemnly. "The high priest has been afflicted by the
Blemish as well."
"So this thing is contagious?" Ryouga asked.
Clef shook his head. "It's a spell. A powerful dark spell. We learned
that moments ago."
"Both the Princess and Zagato are enshrouded in a black haze, which
creeps along their own auras as the Blemish claims their bodies," Cologne
said. "It is a horrible, evil spell. One that we cannot counter."
"So...they'll..." Fuu began.
"Not if we can find whoever's doing this and stop them," Clef said. "If
the spellcaster can be found, and stopped, we can reverse the spell."
"The spell is incomplete," Cologne continued. "The spell on Emeraude is
the first step in the process, which is complete. The spell on Zagato was
just cast less than two hours ago. It will take at least eighteen hours for
the process to completely take effect."
"Aiyah...then what happen?"
Cologne closed her eyes. "Oblivion."
"Not if we can help it! We're gonna find that sorcerer!" Ryouga said.
"You'll need to be careful," Ferio advised. "This person is very
powerful, and you will not have time to retrieve the Escudo."
Hikaru bowed her head. "We can't get to it anyway. Something is wrong
with Eterna."
The Gurus and Ferio looked up sharply. Hikaru continued, "Mokona was
frightened away by something. When we got to Eterna, a dark bolt shot out
of it."
Clef gasped, and turned to Cologne. Cologne considered that, and nodded
sagely. "I believe you have inadvertently found our adversary," she mused.
"You mean...the person doing this got into Eterna?" Umi asked. "How?"
Clef shook his head. "We won't know that until we know who is
responsible."
Hikaru looked down at the two Blemished people, and her expression trned
grim. "Do you think we have a chance of stopping whoever did this?"
"With me along, you will," intoned a deep voice from the doorway.
Everyone turned.
Standing in the doorway was a tower of a man, with short dark hair and a
striking resemblance to Zagato. His jet black, grey-trimmed armor and
fluttering black cape served to make him appear very imposing, and the
golden ring around his head gave him a somewhat majestic look. At his side
hung what appeared to be a nautilus shell, with a blue gem inset into it,
and a sword grip protruding from its beak. Something small fluttered in
rather tight circles around him.
Everyone stared. Finally, the man spoke again. "Would anyone care to
tell me why my brother lies so still, obviously suffering from an evil
spell, while you all stand and gawk at me?"
Clef finally spoke up. "Lantis..."
Lantis nodded gravely. "I sensed something terrible here. I returned as
quickly as I could." After a pause, he said, "Well? Would anyone care to
fill me in?"
Several moments later, Lantis' already grim expression was even more so
as the two gurus wrapped up their summary. During the conversation, his
companion, a cute yet annoying fairy named Primera, had managed to
thoroughly antagonize every female in the group, and Mokona had already
swallowed her twice.
Just as Mokona was getting ready to open wide again, Lantis rose, and
nodded toward the warriors. "I shall accompany you to Eterna. I think I can
get us into the lake. We need to take out this sorcerer, so that we can
heal the Princess and my brother before it's too late."
Clef nodded. "If Lantis is with you, there will be a much better chance
of success."
After a moment, Hikaru stood as well. "Alright then, we should get
going."
The group wasted no time in returning to the legendary lake.
The entrance to the two-dimensional lake Eterna was usually tranquil and
difficult to locate. Today, thick black clouds roiled around the portal,
forming a spinning vortex from which dark lightning crackled and ominous
thunder rumbled. Everyone except Lantis glanced at it nervously.
The swordsman stepped up to the portal, and cautiously pressed against
it with his hand. Sparks crackled around his hand, and repelled it.
Undaunted, he removed the nautilus shell from his belt. A blinding beam of
white light erupted from the shell, solidifying into a long blade of pure
energy. He struck at the portal with the weapon, to no avail.
"So, we can't get in?" Hikaru said sadly.
Lantis frowned ever so slightly. "It's going to be difficult. I believe
this portal will only respond to one type of magic. If we find the right
type of magic to use, we might be able to get through this thing."
Everyone took turns with their weapons and magic, trying to breach the
portal. Nobody had any luck. Then, Hikaru tried.
"Honou no yaaaa!"
When the flame arrows struck the portal, it flickered wildly for a
second, then became stable again.
Lantis nodded. "Fire. Fire will crack it."
Hikaru sighed. "Mine doesn't seem to be powerful enough."
Lantis shook his head. "You just need to hit it repeatedly. If it takes
enough fire hits without restoring itself like it did just now, it should
open."
Hikaru nodded, and braced herself. Suddenly, Akane spoke up.
"Hikaru...maybe you'd better let Ranma take this one."
Hikaru blinked, then nodded. Lantis looked mildly puzzled. "Who's
Ranma?"
"I'll explain later," Hikaru said, as she plunged her sword into the
ground, letting the flames engulf her. The inferno died to reveal Ranma, as
the sword of flame split and became his gauntlet claws. Lantis gaped.
Primera gave Ranma a funny glance.
Ranma approached the portal, and tensed himself. The claws on his wrists
gleamed menacingly as he concentrated on what he was about to do.
With a cry of "Tenshin Amaguriken!", Ranma released a flurry of punches
at the cloud-covered portal. Each time the claws connected, the gate
flickered. After a few seconds, it collapsed altogether, and a surprised
Ranma tumbled inside. Shrugging, the others entered as well.
"Now to find our spellcaster," Lantis said. His expression was neutral,
but his voice made it very clear that whoever had done this was about to
know pain.
Chapter 14: Lake Purgata
Everyone stared around at the swirling black mists within the legendary
lake. "So, this is Eterna," Akane mused.
Fuu frowned, and shook her head. "It wasn't like this before. Something
terrible must have gone wrong here."
A shrill, maniacal cackle boomed through the blackness. "Aha! Visitors!
Welcome to my abode...Lake Purgata! I'm sure I'll be more than happy to
receive you...if you LIVE LONG ENOUGH!"
Everyone glanced at each other nervously, a dread feeling overcoming
them. Ranma scowled. "This is gonna be rough," he said warily.
Without warning, a black fireball zoomed out of the mists and slammed
into Ranma. He staggered, as the dark flame engulfed him, then vanished.
Everyone looked at him with concern.
Ranma rubbed his head. "Agh." He blinked. "Somethin' ain't right here."
"What's wrong, Ranma-san?" Fuu asked.
Ranma shook his head, frowning. "I can't sense Hikaru anymore. I usually
feel her buzzin' around in there when I'm in control. It's like she went to
sleep or somethin'."
"She's alright isn't she?" Umi asked.
"I don't know," Ranma replied.
While this statement sunk in, two foggy whirlwinds slowly formed in the
large cavern. Before anyone could react, one had surrounded the group from
Nerima. The other enveloped the Magic Knights, including Ranma, and Lantis.
Akane was the first to regain consciousness, blinking rapidly. Her head
ached horribly. She looked around. Unlike the entry cavern, this place was
full of clear water, yet still felt ominous, malignant, evil.
Ukyou lay sprawled on the rocky floor about a meter away. Shampoo, in
cat form with a jeweled collar around her neck, curled on her side. A duck
with a white stone on a short chain around its neck snored softly near the
cat. Akane frowned; where was Ryouga?
Then she saw the pig.
Cowering in one corner of the watery cavern was P-chan, with a studded
yellow collar around his neck, from which hung a glowing green gem. He
glanced at her, and bowed his head shamefully.
Akane blinked. "P-chan? How the..." Then she thought for a moment. That
collar wasn't his usual cute little bandana. And he never had a gem before.
A horrible realization washed over Akane, as she stared at the piglet.
Part of her wondered how she'd managed to miss the connection for so long.
"Ry--Ryouga!?" she gasped.
"Buuuiiiiii...." the piglet offered.
"Akane-chan? Where are we?" Ukyou mumbled groggily. "Why does it feel so
wet here?"
Akane didn't respond. She was still in shock.
The cat and duck stirred. *Aiyah*, mewled a voice inside everyone's
mind. *where this place?*
Everyone stared at Shampoo, who arched her back, and blinked at them.
*What wrong?* the voice said again.
"Sh--shampoo?" Ukyou asked.
*Of course it Shampoo. You know Shampoo turn to...* Shampoo trailed off.
*Aiyah.*
"How are you doing that?" Akane wondered.
*/The soul speaks clearly in the place where souls exist without form/*,
intoned a new, haunting voice. */Every second, an infinite agony. You
scream out for nonexistence, as an end to the torment, and nobody heeds
your call. This is Purgata, the Lake of the Damned./*
Everyone blinked. Hesitantly, Mousse spoke up in their heads, *So those
of us with curses are trapped like this.*
A pig sighed. *Perfect.*
Akane whirled on the pig. "You." Ryouga shrank back into his corner
reflexively. "All this time..."
"Akane..." Ukyou warned. "We don't have time for this right now."
"Butt out, Ukyou," Akane snapped. Returning her full-force glare to the
piglet, she continued, "Just how long were you going to keep doing this,
huh?"
*Akane-san...gomen nasai...*
Ryouga's crystal flared green. The water around him boiled as a green
aura expanded from his small shape.
*/Ahhh...such delicious agony. You belong in Purgata, porcine one.
You've got a lifetime's worth of experience with living damnation./*
*I don't know who you are, but SHUT UP!* Ryouga shouted in his porcine
soul-voice. *You couldn't possibly know about my pain! My suffering, my
living personal hell! You don't know anything about damnation!*
*/Oh, I don't, do I?/*
Suddenly, a wave of pure, undistilled agony washed over them.
Pain.
Awareness.
Trapped.
Alone.
Despair.
Suffering.
Anger. Bitterness.
Betrayal.
Sadness.
Depression.
Longing. Longing for an end.
And end to the damnation.
They were floored by the depth of the horrible emotions. As wave upon
wave of the agony of purgatory slammed into them, Ryouga's aura filled the
chamber, causing the waters to glow green.
Umi, Fuu, Lantis, and Ranma found themselves sprawled on a dirt
footpath, which led into a misty valley.
"Where are we?" Umi asked.
"This place casts a foreboding aura, wherever it is," Lantis said.
"No...." Ranma whimpered.
Everyone turned to him. He had become ghostly pale, and trembled
slightly, staring into the mist with undisguised horror. "Why here? Again?"
Turning his head to shout at the gods, he bellowed, "WHY ALWAYS HERE, DAMN
YOU!? WHYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!?????"
The others stared at him. After a moment, he settled down, now looking
more angry than scared.
"Ranma-san?" Fuu questioned. "You know where we are?"
Ranma nodded. "That voice back there called this Purgata...that's not
the right name for it, but it's damn close."
Lantis looked at the trail which led downward into the mist-shrouded
valley appraisingly. "Perhaps this merits closer inspection."
"No," Ranma said. "Don't go in there. You'll regret it for the rest of
your life if you do."
"What's down there that has you so spooked, Ranma?" Umi asked.
Ranma swallowed, his voice cracking slightly as he spoke the hated name,
carrying all the bitterness of a mouthful of bile. "Jyusenkyou."
Hikaru awoke. She blinked--something was wrong. <Ranma?> she asked. She
received no answer.
She tried to open her eyes, and found she had none. She tried to see
through Ranma's eyes, but they no longer existed.
She felt an air of depression around her, and became aware that she was
suspended in liquid. She couldn't move, couldn't breathe...all she could do
was be aware.
She sensed others nearby. Concentrating, she discovered they were Ukyou,
Mousse, Akane, Shampoo, and Ryouga. They all radiated despair, so much so
that the water around her was hot and heavy with it.
She began to hear them speaking, although it seemed to be voiceless
communication.
*The agony...worse than dying...*
*Shampoo no think she can take this anymore...*
*Never felt such...horror before.*
*Is this...is this what it's like...to be dead? Or worse?*
*The world...is a dark...and lonely...place...*
*/Beyond hope, beyond care,/* intoned a strange and yet hauntingly
familiar voice. */In this eternal, hellish existence, what is there to hope
for but an end to the pain?/*
*An end...to the pain...*
*Shampoo want nothing but end.*
*Anything to stop this torture.*
*....but....why....why is this happening to us?*
*Pain...I've known nothing but pain, my entire life...I'm ready to end
it...gods, let it stop...*
*/Yes...you understand what it's like./*
*Please, end our pain.*
*/No. Your pain will continue, and you will never know anything else but
pain./*
*Why? What are you doing this for?*
*/Because I had to endure this pain for an endless eternity. So everyone
should know what it's like./*
**{No.}**
*Huh?*
*What?*
*/Who's there!?/*
**{Don't give in to this pain, everyone. There is hope.}**
*/Hope!? HA! There's no such thing as hope./*
**{There is always hope, if you do not give in.}**
*/You don't know what you're talking about./*
**{Yes, I do. Don't give in to the pain. Overcome it. Hold hope in your
hearts.}**
*/SHUT UP!!!/*
*Who are you?*
**{Your friend. Always, no matter what, your friend. Let me help you.}**
*Yes, please, help us. End our suffering.*
*/There is no end.../*
**{The suffering can end. Keep hoping.}**
*Hope...what good is hope? We're trapped here...*
*/That's right, for all eternity!/*
**{No, you're not. Don't let this beat you. You're stronger than this.
Think positive thoughts. Keep the hope alive.}**
*There's no hope for us.*
**{There IS hope!}** Concentrating harder, and not sure if she could
keep this up, Hikaru continued, **{I know there is hope because I've seen
hell, and I survived.}** She began feeding them images.
Zagato's spell.
The dungeon of the palace.
Fighting the Musk.
Being raped.
Blackness, despair.
Then, light. Peace.
Happiness.
Warmth, caring.
Her bond with Ranma.
Rayearth.
*I...I see...*
*/NO! IT'S ALL A LIE!/*
*But there's nothing for me to hope for...*
**{You have nothing to complain about! Snap out of it! You can break
free of this! Just like I broke free...}**
*Hikaru...thank you...we needed to know there is hope...*
*/THERE IS NO HOPE!/*
*Shut up! There's always hope! You just give up too easily!*
*/DAMN YOU!!!!!!!!/*
The group had finally convinced Ranma to enter the valley.
The mist clung to them as they stood at the threshold of Jyusenkyou. Umi
and Fuu gasped. Lantis made a slight impressed sound.
"It's...beautiful..." Umi gasped.
"Yeah, until you know what it can do to you," Ranma said sourly. Then he
noticed something strange. "Hey, what the hell?"
He made his way carefully over to one side of the valley. Near the edge
of the training ground, one spring was glowing bright green. The others
stood near him.
"Why is that spring glowing?" Fuu wondered.
"Just what is this place?" Lantis asked.
"These are the Pools of Sorrow," Ranma said solemnly. "They end and ruin
lives."
Umi frowned. "Are the springs supposed to glow like that?"
Ranma shook his head. "No, they don't glow. That's what I can't..." then
he gasped, and turned pale.
"Ranma-san? What's wrong?"
Ranma stepped backward from the spring. "That spring--the one that's
glowing..."
"What about it?" Umi asked.
"It's...it's Nyanniichuan. I'm sure of it."
"Nyanniichuan?" Lantis said, uncertainly.
Fuu drew a breath. "Isn't that...the spring...."
Ranma nodded. "Yes, it is."
The four stared at the glowing water.
*I can feel hope again. The pain is going away.*
*Shampoo not depressed now.*
*There's no reason to brood over sorrow.*
*Have to move on with life.*
*I...suppose I can find something else to live for...*
**{Yes, that's it...just a little more...}**
*/CURSE YOU ALL TO HELL!/*
**{Already been there. Didn't care for it.}**
"What the--?" Umi shouted.
Nyanniichuan began to shift from a green glow, to a pure red glow. Its
waters begin to churn.
"Everyone get back!" Ranma yelled, and rolled away from the spring. The
others did the same.
Suddenly, several shapes burst out of the spring. Ranma gasped, as did
Umi and Fuu.
Ryouga, Shampoo, and Mousse, restored to human form, landed first,
followed by Akane, and Ukyou.
And lastly, Hikaru erupted from the spring like a blazing phoenix. An
aura of fire surrounded her as she glided to the ground in front of Ranma,
and grinned at him.
"Hikaru?" Ranma, Umi, and Fuu gasped. Hikaru giggled.
"Looks like for now we get to fight side-by-side, Ranma-kun," Hikaru
said. Ranma chuckled, grinning, and hugged her.
As the others rose from the ground, Nyanniichuan disappeared. In its
place, a glowing blue portal hovered, beckoning to them.
Looking around at each other, the group mutually decided to check it
out, and the ten warriors made their way into the portal.
Chapter 15: Trial of Terror
Once again the group discovered they'd been split up.
The Nerima warriors found themselves staring at a bizarre construct
which looked like a conglomeration of the fortress of the Seven Lucky Gods,
and the enormous tree-palace of Togenkyou, balanced on a floating island,
with the airship of Kirin beached to the east, where a blood red sun was
rising.
"What the hell's this?" Ryouga wondered.
Akane sighed. "I think this stupid lake is having fun with us."
"Aiyah. We keep getting split up here."
Suddenly, they were surrounded by armed warriors.
Umi, Fuu, and Lantis blinked, and looked around. They seemed to be
floating in the sky, without any effort.
"What trick is this now?" Lantis wondered. He then gasped as a spectacle
of horror unfolded before the three of them.
Umi stared, complexion ashen. "No....not again..."
Fuu began to cry softly.
Before them, they saw a great flying chariot. Hikaru stood there, sword
at the ready, expression defiant as she faced off against...
...High Priest Zagato.
Zagato, smirking evilly, wielded an enormous black sword. He snarled,
and attacked Hikaru, who parried. She countered, and her blow was dodged.
Slash, thrust, strike, dodge, parry, block...then spells. Bolt after bolt
of magical energy whizzed from the pair as they continued to try to kill
one another.
"We have to help her!" Umi shouted.
Lantis stared at the spectacle, uncertain as to what was going on.
Fuu frowned. "It is highly unlikely that this is a vision of reality.
Zagato is at the palace, ill from the Blemish."
"Nevermind if *he's* real! What about Hikaru? She could get killed!"
Lantis frowned. "Where is everyone else? And that Ranma fellow?"
"It appears they have been taken away again."
Suddenly, a dark mist begin to swirl around the two combatants. Umi's
stomach sank. "Not again..."
"We've got to help Hikaru-san," Fuu announced, then blinked. She hadn't
called Hikaru that since she'd been taken away last time in Cephiro. After
the spirited redhead apparently died, Fuu felt that honoring her memory
would be to call her "Hikaru-chan" instead, as she knew the girl would
probably like to be called.
Umi dashed forward, but was brought short by something.
Lantis stared at the Wind Knight, as she closed her eyes and said
softly, "Imashime no kaze."
A strong, binding wind wrapped itself around Umi. She gasped as she
realized what it was, and glared at Fuu hotly. "Fuu! How could you!
Hikaru..."
"...is not the real Hikaru," Fuu interrupted.
The dark mists stopped swirling around the dueling pair, as a strangled
cry rang out. The Winds of Reprimand spell died out.
And Hikaru's severed head rolled to a stop at Umi's feet.
The Water Knight shrieked.
Hikaru and Ranma blinked, and stared at each other.
"Where the heck are we, Hikaru?" Ranma asked.
Hikaru shook her head. "I don't know, Ranma-kun. This place isn't
familiar."
Out of the void, stepped Hikaru's three brothers and the three Tendou
sisters. All of them were dressed, oddly, in black suits, and wearing
completely black glasses.
"Kakeru-niisama...Masaru-niisama...Satoru-niisama..." Hikaru gasped.
The three boys smirked. "Hikaru," Kakeru said. "Do you realize what
you've put us through?"
"We all thought you were dead," Masaru said, scowling.
"Gomen nasai," Hikaru said, eyes dewing.
"Ranma-kun...we're getting sick of you," Kasumi said.
"You eat us out of house and home, your hot baths run our water bills
through the roof--a roof which, by the way, you shatter on a regular
basis," Nabiki commented.
"And you're a baka," Akane said.
"Hikaru...we'd be happy to see you again if you hadn't gone to Cephiro,
and made us all think you were dead," Satoru said.
"It wasn't my fault!" Hikaru cried.
"Guys...I don't do it on purpose, honest!" Ranma said.
The six facing them became stone-faced.
"Hikaru, you have a grave, you know. You belong in it."
"Ranma-kun, I'm afraid you're more useful to us dead."
And the six of them produced Uzis out of nowhere.
The martial artists fought off hordes of warriors, but more continued to
come. Prince Kirin and Prince Touma apppeared at the top of the fortress,
snickering.
"Why? Why are you doing this?" Akane screamed. "I thought we were
friends!"
"You spurned us, Tendou Akane," Touma said.
"You led us to believe you cared for us, then turned your back on us."
"That's not true! You know that you'll always have my friendship!"
"Your friendship isn't what we want," Touma said. "We want your blood."
Ukyou blinked. "This ain't right. Other than that crazy guy Mousse and
Shampoo fought, nobody working for Touma was a killer."
Ryouga frowned. "You're right. That monkey of his didn't try to hurt me
physically...just emotionally."
"Yeah? Well these guys are trying to kill us physically!" Akane shouted.
Shampoo blinked. "Aiyah...Akane, they right. Touma is no killer, even
though he try kill Ranma. He good boy when fighting over. Not think of
revenge."
Mousse nodded. "And Kirin respects Ranma, and the rest of us. This isn't
like him either."
Akane frowned. The warriors continued coming, but none of them had any
chances against the group. "You're right...this doesn't fit. And what would
they be doing here anyway?"
Ryouga shook his head. "They shouldn't be here."
Ukyou nodded. "He's right, sugar."
Akane looked up at the two sneering princes, and scowled, hefting her
enormous steel mallet. "Alright then, let's find out who you really are."
Dark clouds began to gather, and lightning crackled, striking the raised
hammer. Everyone backed off a bit nervously. A swirling vortex formed in
the center of the clouds above. One final lightning bolt struck the mallet,
and Akane pounded the ground with it, shouting "EYE OF THE STORM!"
A blinding ray of light emerged from the vortex in the clouds, striking
the two princes. Their features blurred and melted, as did those of the
attacking warriors.
When the light stopped and the clouds cleared, all that surrounded them
were monsters made of pure water.
Everyone looked at Akane in awe. "Good spell, sugar," Ukyou offered.
Akane grinned. "Let's trash these things!"
"Yoshi!" Ryouga shouted. Then, an idea struck him. "Alright, my turn!"
He rammed his fist into the ground, and held it there as the creatures
began advancing once again. After a moment, he shouted, "HOT PRESSURE
BREAKING POINT!"
The ground trembled slightly, and numerous small cracks began to form in
the surface of the 'island'. There was a loud hissing sound, and great
plumes of steam began to issue forth from the gaps, directly beneath the
monsters. In seconds, every water monster had evaporated. An ominous blood
red portal appeared in the center of the island.
Everyone looked at it nervously. "I hope that's the last one," Ukyou
said.
"Umi-chan. Don't scream so."
Umi glared at Fuu with undisguised hatred. "Fuu! How could you? Look at
what happened because..."
Fuu raised a hand, her expression hard. She gestured at the severed
head, and once again uttered her spell. As the winds bound the head,
something happened to it.
The eyes turned to pure flame, steam hissing from the empty sockets as
the organs burst and sizzled. The long red hair blackened to a crisp, and
the Winds of Reprimand carried its ashes away. The skin along the top of
the now bare scalp began to bubble, and cracked open, peeling down.
Umi stared. Lantis frowned. Fuu watched, her expression unreadable.
The skin peeled completely away from the skull, and the top of the
cranium cracked open slightly. A frothing mass of liquified brain oozed
from the fissure, as flames erupted from the brainpan. The jaw dropped
open, and a gout of flame issued from the mouth. The Winds of Reprimand
were dashed.
"What--what the hell IS that?" Umi asked.
The thing hissed. "I am Conniption. My massster sssent me here to
dessstroy you."
A searing heat scathed the Knights, who dove wildly to the sides.
"See, Umi-chan? That wasn't Hikaru. It was just another monster-san."
Umi glared at the thing, which glared back with its empty sockets. Umi
scowled. "How dare you take the form of the beautiful face of my dear
friend?" She gathered her magic about her. "BLUE TORRENT!"
A powerful swirling jet of water gushed forth, enveloping Conniption. It
roared as its flames were quenched. As the torrent died down, the lifeless
skull dropped to the ground and shattered. A red mist rose from its
fragments, and became a swirling, blood red portal.
The two Knights and Lantis stared at it ponderously.
Ranma and Hikaru were in shock. People they cared about, depended on,
were training lethal weapons on them, ready to fire.
"Kasumi? Nabiki? Akane? Why?"
"Be quiet please, Ranma-kun. It really is for the best."
"I'm sorry, Hikaru dear, but you belong in the cemetery and we're
putting you there," Kakeru said soothingly.
Hikaru frowned, and remembered something...
"Hikari...why?"
//Girl from the other
world.//
"Nani? Who...?"
//This creature is someone
you care about, isn't it?//
"Yes! Hikari is my dear
friend. We have been together
since we were very small.
Whenever I'm lonely or hurt,
he always takes care of me,
and I do the same for him."
//Then you must ask yourself,
if your dear friend would
ever harm you.//
"No! Never! Hikari would
never try to hurt me!"
Hikaru's eyes widened. "Ranma-kun...this is an illusion. A trick. These
aren't real people."
Ranma blinked. "Huh?"
Hikaru turned to him. "You care about Kasumi, Nabiki, and Akane, right?"
"I guess so."
"And they care about you?"
Ranma nodded. "Yeah..."
"Do you think they'd ever seriously try to hurt you?"
Ranma thought about that for a minute.
Hikaru pressed on, "My brothers would never do anything to me. They love
me, and they care for me, and they treat me very kindly. Do you think
they'd be trying to kill me?"
Ranma shook his head. "If what you told me is right, they'd be so happy
to see you they'd cry."
Hikaru nodded. "That's right. This is all a trick. The lake Eterna did
this to us when we came for the Escudo last time."
"Oooh, I get it," Ranma said.
Suddenly, the six began firing.
Ranma and Hikaru wildly dived to the floor and rolled to avoid sprays of
nine-millimeter rounds. Their armor managed to protect them from the few
rounds that hit, but it still stung.
Finally, Ranma rose to his feet, glaring. "I've had enough." A fiery
aura sprung up around him, and he began punching into the air at high
speed, shouting, "You want firepower? I'll give it to you! HONOU TENSHIN
AMAGURIKEN!"
Hundreds of small bursts of flame spewed from Ranma's blurring fists,
streaking towards the three black-clad girls. With anguished, demonic
cries, the illusions were banished as the flames struck them. The machine
guns and sunglasses clattered to the ground as their bodies evaporated to
ashy smoke.
Hikaru cheered, then prepared her own spell. "HONOU NO....YAAAAA!" Her
arrows of flame tore into the false brothers, who screamed evilly and
vanished in the same manner as the other three.
"Yoshi!" Ranma called. "We did it!"
Hikaru grinned. "And you just learned your first spell, Ranma-kun!"
Ranma blinked. "I did..." A slow grin spread across his face. "I learned
a spell! Alright!"
A blood red portal swirled into existence before them. Glancing at each
other, and shrugging, they stepped through.
The martial artists finally summoned the courage and the will to see
what lay beyond, and breached the portal.
Desiring to know the fate of their friends, Umi, Fuu, and Lantis entered
the portal before them.
The three parties blinked as they faced each other in the center of a
vast chamber. The walls and floor here were carved from black stone, and
the ceiling was obscured by roiling black mist. The only light source here
was provided by dark red gems set into the stone walls, which shed an eery,
blood-hued glow.
"We're all together again," Fuu observed.
"I'm glad to see you're all okay," Hikaru said.
Lantis looked around. "This chamber is...foreboding," he decided.
"I wonder...is this the end of it?" Akane mused.
A strangely familiar, yet raspy and cold voice intruded. "Yes, it's the
end. For you."
Everyone looked to the center of the room. A large, ebony throne sat
there, containing a decidedly feminine figure, whose features were obscured
in shadow. She appeared to be leaning to one side, head resting on one hand
in an expression of boredom.
"I'm not particularly impressed with you," she told them. "So you beat
all my traps...big fuckin' deal. You're nothing but an annoyance for me, so
you might as well give up and die now. Save yourselves the painful death
I'll give you."
Ranma glared at her. "Who the hell are you anyway? Show your face!"
She shrugged. "Okay, if you want." She stood, and stepped forward.
Everyone gasped.
She appeared to be about sixteen, with scarred, tanned skin. She wore a
jet black body armor similar to the original armor of the Magic Knights,
with a blood red gem set in the back of the left glove. The clothing
beneath her armor was the color of dried blood, as was her ankle-length
braided hair.
Her second most disturbing feature was her eyes. The outer rims of her
eyes were black, soulless, while her irises were red, and glowed slightly.
But her most disturbing feature was her face...it looked exactly like
Hikaru's.
She grinned at them evilly.
"Who...what..." Hikaru paled.
"Who are you?" Umi asked.
The girl laughed softly. The sound of her laugh sent chills up all their
spines.
"My name is Skylark," she said. "And I'm about to kill all of you."
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 from her eyes, 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 blasted 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.
Chapter 17: Victories, Setbacks
Sounds of celebration rang out through the halls of the palace as the
group of warriors entered.
"Sounds like a party," Ukyou commented. Clef and Ferio came rushing out
to greet them.
"You did it! Thank you so very much!" Ferio said.
Clef smiled. "The Blemish on Zagato has vanished, and our spells are
slowly reversing the damage to the Princess. We are in your debt." He
noticed the stretcher upon which lay...he couldn't tell. "What happened?"
he asked, motioning at her with his staff.
Everyone looked at each other nervously. "Umm...we're still not sure. It
was strange," Akane said.
"The whole thing is a very long story," Mousse said. "We should tell it
when we have had a chance to rest up."
Clef nodded. "Very well. Let us adjourn to the banquet room. You can
rest and relax there, and I'm sure you wouldn't mind a good meal."
There was laughter and hearty agreement with that statement, and the
party proceeded to the dining hall.
In the greyness of the sleeping mind, a single girl with a fiery orange
aura began to shimmer, her aura fading. With a great tearing sound, she
split into two halves.
<Oh MAN, do I have a headache,> Ranma said, groggily rising to his
knees. He saw Hikaru, lying on the floor, nearby. <Oi, Hikaru! Are you
okay?>
Hikaru stirred, groaning. <Oohhhhh....what happened?> She began to sit
up, and Ranma staggered over to sit beside her. <I...I can barely remember
anything...>
Ranma nodded. <I know whatcha mean, Hikaru. It's all kinda foggy.>
Hikaru rubbed her head, and frowned. <I...I think we did it...>
Ranma blinked. <Skylark?>
Hikaru nodded. <We beat her. I...I think...>
They both tried to remember for a minute. As they concentrated, a
ghostly image formed before them, of a third girl, who could be their twin,
but had purple eyes, and was surrounded by an orange glow.
Ranma blinked. <Th...that's us.>
Hikaru nodded. <I...remember more now. We...we....> She gasped.
<Ranma-kun! We did it! We joined!>
Ranma grinned. <It worked? Cool!>
The image before them wavered, and vanished. Hikaru sighed. <That was a
rough experience though.>
Ranma nodded. <Yeah, pretty intense. I hope we don't need to do that
again anytime soon.>
Hikaru yawned. <I'm completely drained.> She hugged Ranma. <I'm gonna
rest a little while, Ranma-kun.>
Ranma nodded, returning the hug. <Alright.>
And after a moment of gathering his thoughts, Ranma woke up.
"Oi, Torin...can you take care of that collapsed roof?"
In one of the small villages of Cephiro, a small boy standing on a
floating rock hovered in the air above a mostly caved-in dwelling, before
which stood a large creature resembling a minotaur. The boy had a thick mop
of dark orange hair which hung over his eyes, completely obscuring them. He
wore large, bell-shaped green and white robes, and a ridiculously large
beret.
"Please help us if you can, Bal Ascot," a weary-looking man said,
holding on tightly to a woman who appeared to be quite pregnant and on the
virge of collapse.
The boy nodded, and shouted, "Oi, Torin, can you do it, or do you need
help?"
The minotaur looked up, snorted a bit of steam, then lumbered closer to
the house. Reaching in, it grabbed the remains of a thatched roof, and
lifted them carefully out of the house, tossing them onto a pile of similar
debris behind the structure. Ascot smiled at the beast, and flew in closer,
lowering himself into the house. A moment later, he emerged, with a
frightened-looking young child clinging to his floating stone. Ascot gently
eased his mount to the ground, and the child scampered towards the man and
woman.
"Oi, Torin! Good work! Please see if you can tend to some of the other
damaged buildings while I help the people, alright?"
Torin nodded, and lumbered off towards the center of town. The man and
woman smiled gratefully at Ascot as he approached them. "Thank you so much,
Bal Ascot," the man said.
Ascot smiled gently. "It's no problem, really, and you should thank
Torin...he's the one who lifted that roof."
The woman smiled, and nodded. "Yes, your friend is very kind, despite
his unusual appearance. I'm sorry any of us ever thought of your friends as
monsters."
Ascot shrugged. "It's understandable, I suppose." He sighed. "Well, we
need to get you to a healer. There's one in Grem, which hasn't been hit by
the darkness." He floated up into the sky, and began tracing a glowing
pentagram in the air. "Come forth, please, Fal! These people need an air
transport to the healer in Grem!"
A large green falcon-like bird emerged from the pentagram, and swooped
to the ground with a shriek. Ascot lowered himself to the ground and patted
the large bird on the head. "Fal, please take these gentle people to the
next town, and deposit them at the healer. Will you do this for me, my
friend?"
The bird bobbed its head, and lowered its body so the family could board
it. They did so, expressing their gratitude to the young Summoner, and Fal
took flight, disappearing quickly into the distance.
Ascot smiled sadly as he made his way towards the village square. "It
would be wrong for any of these people to have to suffer any more than they
already have," he commented as he surveyed the damaged town. "How could we
have been so terrible to these people?" he wondered. He spotted Torin
gently deposting a group of frightened-looking merchants on the ground next
to the husk of a market building, and Ascot headed over to them. "Oi, how
many wounded among your party?" he asked as he approached.
Before anyone could answer, something permeated the air. A sense of
malice, of cruelty. Ascot and Torin looked up nervously. "Torin," Ascot
hissed, knowing the creature could hear him no matter how softly he spoke,
"Protect these people. Something evil is around." The minotaur snuffed an
affirmative.
"My, what a kind boy you are," a light voice rang through the dark air.
It was a female voice, definitely, and it seemed to have an odd, metallic
ring to it.
The voice also, unmistakably, spoke in an Osaka dialect.
Ascot went pale. "How...what--?"
A tinny, light giggle echoed through the village. "Such a *dear*,
*sweet*, *kind* boy you've become. I taught you better, you know. You make
me sick, Ascot..."
Suddenly, a black, malicious beam of light cut through the air, striking
the young Bal, who spun wildly out of the air, slamming hard into the
ground. The people screamed, and Torin gave a bellow of anger and surprise.
That tinny laugh rang out again, chilling everyone to the bone. The
laugh was followed by echoes of a bell jingling.
Ascot remained unconscious.
Ranma shuffled into the dining hall of the palace, where a celebration
was heartily taking place. Everyone smiled kindly at the boy as he dropped
himself into a plush chair at the grand table. "Welcome, Ranma," Clef said.
"Are you alright?"
Ranma nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Hikaru's fine too, but she's worn out
from what we did to Skylark." At the questioning glances, Ranma told the
tale of his and Hikaru's decision to merge, and the results, as well as he
remembered them.
"So that's what that was all about," Akane said. Clef and Cologne stared
at the boy with astonishment and a new level of respect. "That was quite a
feat, for both of you," Cologne said.
Just then, there was a commotion outside in the hallway. Everyone looked
up to see what was going on.
A haggard-looking merchant staggered into the dining hall, accompanied
by a palace guard. "Forgive...intrusion, Highness,
Guru...trouble...Bima..." His eyes rolled up into his head, and he passed
out. Everyone gasped.
The guard said, "Something is going on in Bima. I couldn't get the full
story, but apparently something terrible has happened to Bal Ascot."
Clef frowned. "Ascot? We must look into this."
Umi blinked. "That little brat with the monsters? The one we slapped
some sense into around the time Hikaru got blasted?"
Clef nodded. "The Summoner, Ascot. He's been doing much good work since
you girls departed from this world. He's been involved heavily in the
rebuilding, along with his creatures. We'd have been lost without him."
Clef sighed, closing his eyes. "The thought of something bad happening to
Ascot..."
Cologne rose, perching on her staff, and gestured to the door. "I
suggest, then, that we call the celebration to a halt until we can find out
what is going on." With that, she bounded for the door. Clef and Ferio
followed her, eventually accompanied by the others.
As the group emerged from the palace gates, they were treated to yet
another unusual sight.
Approaching the palace was a large minotaur-like creature, cradling
something in its hands as it lumbered close. A green falcon circled warily
above its head, shrieking mournfully. The fighters in the group tensed, but
Clef waved his staff in their direction, shaking his head. They backed down
slightly.
Ferio, Clef, and Cologne approached the beast as it lumbered to a halt.
It knelt before the young Prince and the two Gurus, and carefully laid a
small, still form on the ground before it. The falcon perched on the
minotaur's head, crying out pitifully.
Clef gasped. The boy before him was severely burned. A dark force
crackled along the wounds.
Cologne grimaced. "Whatever attacked him, was evil, and had no soul."
Everyone crowded forward. Umi gasped. While Ascot had been a nuisance,
she knew he wasn't a bad kid. To see him in this shape...
Ascot groaned, and slightly opened his one good eye, the other having
swollen shut. "Guru...Clef..."
"Ascot...what happened?"
"In Bima...attacked..." he groaned, struggling to prop himself up on his
elbows. "...illusionist...evil...stop her...please..." He dropped back to
the ground, his eyes closing, his breathing shallow.
"Sentries!" snapped Ferio. "Bring a stretcher, and no fewer than four
healers." Several guards moved to comply.
Clef frowned, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Evil illusionist..."
Umi scowled. "They usually are." This earned her a sharp glare from
Cologne, which surprisingly silenced her.
Clef shook his head. "It doesn't make any sense. There are no more
illusionists in Cephiro. The only one who existed in the world was killed
two years ago, by the Water Knight..."
Everyone looked at Umi, who shuffled her feet.
Ferio frowned. "Well, apparently there is one around. And we need to
find out what's going on before..."
The prince was cut off by the sound of an incredible explosion in the
distance. Everyone gasped, as a great plume of black fire erupted in the
distance, spraying charred rubble, earth, and probably bodies in all
directions.
Clef's eyes were wide in shock. "That...that's Bima," he said.
Cologne shook her head. "*Was* Bima. I doubt there is anything left of
the town now."
Ferio scowled, and barked an order at the sentries who had returned. "I
*will* know what is going on, and the sooner I have an answer, the better,"
he said. "I demand to know who is responsible for this."
"Yes, your Highness," the sentries chorused, and began snapping commands
at their underlings, ordering horses readied for the ride to Bima.
Clef turned to the assembled warriors. "I would ask you to remain and
help us, but this isn't your battle. If you wish to return to your world, I
will see to it."
Ranma shook his head. "We ain't goin' nowhere." He turned to his
comrades. "I dunno about the rest of you, but I'm kinda gettin' attached to
this place. I don't wanna see any more bullshit happen here."
Ryouga, Ukyou, Shampoo, Mousse, and Akane nodded solemnly. "It's a
martial artist's duty to protect the innocent and the defenseless," Ryouga
said.
"Shampoo no like see town blow up like that. Remind of bad legend from
old days of Amazons. Shampoo stay fight."
"Count me in too," Mousse said.
"Hey, I got nothin' better to do," Ukyou said. "This world's kinda
growin' on me too."
Akane nodded. "If what Umi and Fuu told us about the last time is true,
no time is passing in our world, so we've got nothing to lose by staying to
help out."
Umi and Fuu stepped forward. "And we're staying as well," Fuu said.
Umi nodded, a fierce scowl on her face. "Regardless of the past, we have
a duty to this world, as its Legendary Magic Knights. We'll do our best,
for Cephiro."
Clef smiled. "You are truly remarkable young people. The people of this
world are very lucky, to have your group on our side."
Umi looked towards the palace. "While the sentries are investigating, we
need to see to Ascot. If he wakes up, he may be able to tell us more."
Clef nodded. "Yes. Also, the rest of you can give Presea the Escudo you
got at the spring."
Everyone looked around nervously. "Anou..." Ryouga said. "We, um...there
wasn't any."
Clef blinked. "No Escudo?"
At this point, Presea joined the group. Where she'd been, was anyone's
guess. "They're right, Guru Clef. I've been doing some work with the newer
surveys. We made a mistake sending them to Eterna for the mineral. But,"
she said, "I think I know where there is a large supply of it..."
"We'll discuss this as we wait for information," Ferio announced,
striding towards the palace briskly.
Clef smiled after him. "That youth has become a very dutiful leader to
his people," he said. "Even before Emeraude fell ill."
"Cephiro is lucky to have such a great prince," Fuu said. Umi nudged her
playfully, and she blushed.
"Well," Presea said, "I think we should adjourn to the war room." At the
collective nods of the young warriors, the group returned to the palace.
Torin and Fal stood stoically before its gates, apparently keeping guard.
Various machines thrummed and whirred, and panels flashed lights and
chirped merrily in a spacious, sterile room with machines on every surface.
Technicians and the like scurried about, and the activity and excitement
level in the room was high. Amidst it all, in a central seat, sat a
handsome, somewhat amused-looking youth, with short blond hair and
twinkling eyes. He had a white cloak wrapped about him, and was staring
intently at a large screen.
A door hissed open, and much of the rapid chatter hushed, becoming muted
whispers of awe. The youth in the chair looked up, and smiled.
A strange figure stepped into the chamber. The figure was very obviously
female, with tight black metal-and-leather armor which encased her entire
body, hugging her curves, leaving virtually nothing to the imagination. Her
head was encased in a shell of black leather, with an effeminate mask
artfully etched into the leather. She also wore a broad helmet, which
provided one of the few traces of color about her person, being detailed
with thin streaks of pink down the center, and bearing a large, pink,
fibrous ornament on top. Inset in the left eye of her mask was a round pink
crystal, with a small, simple, perfect blood-red chip of ruby embedded
beneath its smooth surface.
The only thing which contrasted with the ornate and elegant appearance
of her costume were the various wires and coils of tubing which snaked
along her body, much of it emerging from or entering her helmet. A small
bank of lighted indicators was artfully contoured to the curve her her
chest, functional without distorting the spectacular image of her graceful
curves. A black cloak flowed from her shoulders, pooling at her
black-booted feet. A hiss of mechanized air intake and outflow steadily
issued from her, and as she walked, a faint jingling sound, like soft
bells, could be heard, even above the whirring sound of servo motors.
She strode purposefully across the floor of the chamber, stopping before
the chair. The youth in the chair respectfully inclined his head. "Welcome
back, Lady Mirage. I assume your trip was successful?"
"Thank you, Commander. Yes, it was very successful. I do not think
this...expedition will fail. Cephiro seems to be rather short on defenses."
The young man grinned. "Excellent. I feel much more confident about this
mission with you present, Lady Mirage."
"You should, Commander. You should." With that, she strode out of the
room, cape swishing, air hissing, servos whirring, and bells jingling.
Activity resumed normal levels with her departure.
"Alright everyone," the man in the center seat said, "It's time. Geo!"
"Ready, Commander," a tall man with short black hair and a headband
answered crisply.
The commander chuckled. "Set course to Cephiro. And lose the formality."
"Okay...we're underway, Eagle."
Eagle Vision smiled. This was a good day.
---end act three---