WARNING:  This fanfic is dark, reader discression is advised.
PM Productions Presents
A Phillip Masters Fanfic
End of Trials
Part One (of Two)

     "Severe abdomenal trauma."
     "No shit."
     "Let's wrap him up.  Officer, are you finished?"
     I turned to the young worker.  "Yeah, you can have him."
     Before zipping the bag up, the guy turned to me again.  His face
read a fear and a pity that we all felt.  "What in the world happened
here?"
     I sighed.  "Wish I knew.  Would make this job a lot easier."
     "It's just not right."
     "No, no it isn't."  That was an understatement.  
-----------------------------------
Four Months Ago....
 
     "Why in the world would I want to fight you?!"  Ranma cried,
positioning himself so that he *could* fight if the need arose.
     The older woman laughed.  "Because I hold the power to do something
to you that will destroy your life."  
     This woman had come out of nowhere and tried to attack Ranma.  She
was thin and wiry, with blue eyes and dark brown hair.  Her complextion
was fair, and she only stood as high as Ranma's neck.  However, she had
a lot of spirit and motivation, and she would have her revenge on
Saotome Ranma.
     "What do you have against me?  Was it something my old man did?"
Ranma had spent the past fifteen minutes of the conversation trying to
place the person, but was failing miserably.
     "No... your father did not engage us... he didn't steal anything
from me, or my family.  It's not his fault at all.  It's yours."  She
grinned, making Ranma take an involuntary step backward.
     Now, Ranma tried with all his might to figure out what she was
talking about.  He couldn't think of anything.  He called out to her
again, "What's your name?"
     "Toriyama Seichi.  Though, why I should have to tell *you* my name
baffles me."
     "Why!?  What the hell did I do!?"  Ranma was starting to feel
desperate, something he most definately didn't like to feel.
     "You gave birth to me."  
-------------------------------------
Present Day....
     
     "So... this Toriyama person, she came here four months ago looking
for Ranma?"  I asked of the youngest Tendo, who seemed distant somehow.
I suppose it was to be expected.
     "Yes.  She seemed so... nice, at first.  You see, we all lived
here, very happy... you understand?"  She smiled at me, making me flinch
a bit.  "Of course, you understand.  You know what happened, don't you?
You can feel the pain, can't you?"  She looked to me with pleading eyes.
     I wasn't sure how to answer her.  I was not a psychology major, and
was starting to regret sending the shrink out of the room before
questioning.  "No... I can't, Ms. Tendo.  I want to understand... I want
to know what happened."
     The girl's eyes darkened, and she looked away toward the wall.  Her
pupils dilated, as though she were focusing on something far away.  Her
voice came in a whisper.  "He was so young... too young.  We were happy
here."  Her gaze moved back onto me, and I wanted to run from the room.
However, I held fast... I'd seen worse than this, God help me.  "*She*
did it to him.  *She* ruined our happiness.  Will you kill her for me?
Please?"
     Don't ask me why, for I couldn't understand myself, but I nodded.
Just a little, but enough to make it clear.  Perhaps I was just afraid
of what she would do if I rejected her.  
     A sparkle of life came to Akane's eyes.  Then, she simply smiled at
me.  For a moment, she almost seemed sane.  Almost.  For the eyes *are*
a window to the soul.  At least, in my experience, and there was nothing
behind those shiny brown orbs.  Just void, where light once was.  It
almost brought tears to my own eyes, and I was solidly reserved to
bringing this person to justice.  Death would be too good for the one
who committed this crime.
     After another minute of looking at the young girl, who just sat
there smiling at me, I got up and left the Institution.  A number of
questions were answered, but a few more were developed to take their
place.
-------------------------------------
Four Months Ago....
 
     "That's impossible!"  Ranma yelled, not believing for a moment what
the crazy woman had just said.
     Seichi laughed melodiously.  "Ah, but it is, my father.  It truly
is.  You just don't understand what you're dealing with here, do you?"
She snickered, "Of course you don't.  How could you?"
     Ranma mind was in a state of turmoil.  However, his training made
it possible for him to gain absolute clarity due to the most intense of
situations.  "Then, what am I dealing with?"  He asked, simply.
     Seichi raised an eyebrow.  "Oh ho... always the sharp one, my
father.  I've come back to stop you from giving birth to me."
     This took Ranma completely by surprise.  "Come back?"
     "Yes, father, you taught me how to distort reality with chi... it
was you who taught me how to destroy with it as well.  All the evils you
never thought yourself capable of, came crashing down upon you.
Destruction, death, rape, torture... it was all you taught me.  So when
I finally saw a light... something good, I despised you for taking me
away from that an burying me in the darkness for all my life.  So, in a
flash of insanity, I killed you."  She smiled softly, then continued,
"However, there I was, still entrenched in the night.  Finally, after a
year continuing on the same path, and hating it, I decided to take out
the source.  To do that, I would have to go back and kill you here,
before night fell."
     Ranma couldn't take all that at once, his brain simply was not
capable.  Yet, he did understand now the motivation behind his attacker.
She would try to kill him... and the only way to stop her would be to
kill her first.
------------------------------------
Present Day....

     I came upon the desolate remains of the Tendo ancestral home.  Time
had taken its toll upon the old construct.  Bits of it had fallen off,
and the paper screens were all destroyed, probably by vandals.  
     It was amazing, and devastating, to think that the place was the
home of such happiness and joy.  That there was a carefree atmosphere
there, only a number of months ago.
     Now, it's just an empty shell.  Devoid of life, other than an
occasional rat and cockroach.  I sighed and leaned against the the
entrance way.  I stared at the building, trying to ween answers from its
walls.  Nothing was returned to me but a feeling of peace.  The place
would be torn down, or bought.  If it wasn't such an expensive plot of
land, it most likely would have been sold already.  Most were waiting
for the city to remove the dojo and house, and sell the land to the
highest bidder.  You could get space for two good houses there after
all.  Then, the spirit of the place would be free, and at peace after
hundreds of years.
     I rubbed my face harshly, trying to wipe away my very thoughts.  I
needed a clean slate for my next witness.  Tendo Kasumi... unlike her
unfortunate sister, she was not driven insane.  However, she couldn't
live alone in the house, so had gone to live with Ono Tofu, the family
doctor.  He was fairly well known in the medical field.  However, now
that Kasumi is there, rumors have been spreading.  They are only backed
by the fact that the Central Hospital's patient number has increased
exponentially, especially in the senior citizen department.  
     I walked down the street, noting the serenity of the Nerimian
afternoons.  Less than a month ago those same streets had been full of
excitement.  Now, the adventure is over... the life blood has been
drained from the ward.  Ranma was incredibly important to everything.
The area seemed to revolve around him.  Once the central hub was
removed, the spokes fell apart.  
     I passed by one of those spokes.  The Ucchan's... owned and run by
one of Ranma's "fiancees."  She was a simple girl, from a simple family.
She most definately did not deserve what had happened to her.  The end
was quick to be sure, but the mental torture before hand must have been
excruciating.  At least, from what I've gathered.  
     The woman must have been a psychotic genius.
------------------------------------
Four Months Ago....

     "Your Ranma doesn't love you, you know that don't you?"  
     Ukyou's face darkened noticably.  However, she kept herself in
check... the woman was a customer after all.  Yet, she couldn't just
keep quiet, "What do you know about it?"
     Seichi laughed lightly.  
     Ukyou had to admit, the laugh was very pretty, almost musical.
     "Ukyou, don't live your life so cluelessly.  Isn't it so glaringly
obvious to you that he loves Akane?"  Her face took on a syrupy smile.
     The question drove into Ukyou's gut like a cold railroad spike.  It
had always been at the rear of her mind, taunting and gnawing at her
psyche.  Now, to just have it thrust forward into the main conscious was
devistating.  She winced slightly as the pain ravaged her insides.  She
suddenly felt like hurting the woman before her.
     Seichi grinned.  "Go ahead, try it."  Her look turned menacing, but
still held a modicrum of amusement.
-----------------------------------
Present Day....

     I had finally arrived at Tofu's office.  It was quaint and simple,
not like the downtown tributes to modernization I was used to.  I
knocked on the front door, the buisiness being closed at this hour.  
     After a few minutes a gentle man in glasses came to the front door.
He seemed very strong of presence, yet disciplined.  It must be the good
doctor.  Then, I looked into his eyes.  Or tried to, through the slight
fog that had developed in his lenses.
     This was not going to be as easy as I had anticipated.  Another
understatement.
END PART ONE
There should only be one more part to this to finish it.  I will get
working on it as soon as I do an Eva short I've been wanting to do.
Thanks for reading!  Send Comments!
PMasters

"I'm only holding back the rain.  So many raindrops, so many pains.  I
want to find my train someday.  As seasons go past the station." - Tokyo
Babylon OVA 1
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