Draxon's Review Corner Presents
An In-House Production
Ranma 1/2 : A Demon's Delight
Chapter 5 : Voices
Theme Song: Metallica Black - Track 10 - The God That Failed


"Apsu!"  Akane called out to deaf ears as Apsu continued walking at a steady pace.
Ranma walked beside Akane, watching Apsu.  "I think maybe we should leave him alone for a while," he said as he shivered from the cold.
"You know we can't do that," Akane said as she continued walking.  She moved closer to Ranma as a gust of arctic wind chilled her to the bone.  Ranma reached his right arm around Akane and pulled her closer before he could freeze.
"Remind me to wear a coat next time," Akane sighed as she kept a steady pace with Ranma, maintaining a distance of about ten feet from Apsu.
Apsu walked onward, driven by a burning need to release his anger which cried out for expression.  He turned his head to see Ranma and Akane holding each other close in the cold, something he would never experience again with his fiancee'.  He stopped, harboring his anger until he could accomplish one final task.  Emotions flooded him once again as he watched Ranma and Akane's warm embrace, but he kept them under a cold resolve of vengeance.
"Your soul is mine..."  Apsu looked to find the source of the whispery voice, "I'm going mad," he thought to himself.  Suddenly he screamed and lunged forward as a wave of fear and pain washed through his battered and weakened mind and soul.
Ranma stopped as Apsu screamed.  "Stay back Akane," he said as he walked forward.
"Ranma..."  Akane watched as he walked forward.
"Your soul..."  Apsu screamed as the voice began to overlap the hell of thoughts in his mind, "...is mine."
"AHHH! Like hell it is!!"  He crossed his wrists in front of his chest and shut out as much of the images and feelings as possible.  "Get... OUT!!!"  he swung his wrists apart as a massive aura of red chi began to engulf his body.  "GENOCIDE CRUSH!"
Ranma ceased his advance, and turned to Akane as he began to run as fast as he could. "RUN AKANE---"  The sound of the explosion overpowered his voice as he picked Akane off her feet and began to build as much speed as possible.  Apsu's blast of pure force slammed into him from behind, knocking him forward with Akane as pain shot through his body.  He lost his grip on Akane as he fell, causing her to hit before him.  He stumbled over her, barely keeping his balance as he turned.
"What is THAT?" the thought overpowered the signals of pain in Ranma's mind as a haze of some sort quickly coalesced into a large figure wearing old style samurai armor.  He reached down to Akane to help her up when she began to dim.  "Akane?"  Ranma asked in shock as the image of Akane completely faded.
Ranma turned to the large figure, which stood only five feet away from him.  His mind raced with confusion.  "Hey, what did you do with Akane?!"  He thundered as he walked toward the large, ominous figure.
"She will be my guest for a while..." the voice faded as the figure once again became transparent.
"Hey!  You bring Akane back right NOW!"  He ran forward with both fists drawn and swung at the dissipating image.  His fist went through it, like smoke.  A deep demonic laughing filled the air.
"Sorry.  Maybe next time..."  The figure and the voice were both gone.  Ranma looked to see Apsu barely standing.  He looked to his right and saw a man walking toward him and Apsu, he held a staff in his right hand.  His hair was neatly cut at the shoulder, with a few strings of gray hair visible.  The man walked to Apsu as Ranma watched.
Apsu collapsed to his knees as his head finally began to clear.  His entire body racked with convulsions from the strain of using his final attack.
"Apsu."  The voice was stern and even, but with a light tone.  Apsu looked up to see his father looking down at him.
Ranma walked to Apsu and stood three feet in front of his father, "What was that?"  he asked with a tone of urgency.
The man turned and faced Ranma, "Let's get the introductions out of the way first.  I am Haratsu Tetsumi, master of the Tetsumi School of Various Martial Arts."
Ranma looked at Haratsu, "Ranma Saotome of the Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts.  The girl that thing just took was my fiancee', Akane Tendo."
"Sit," Haratsu said calmly as he sat down in front of Ranma and Apsu, "We will speak of that thing shortly, be patient,"  Ranma looked around, then sat on what was left of the sidewalk.
"First of all, Apsu, why have you been gone for the past six days?"  He locked his gaze between Ranma and Apsu.
Apsu told the story again, including the Sugoiken, the curse, and the nightmares.
"... I'm sorry, father, if I have disappointed you." Apsu ended calmly, accepting whatever fate his father had in store for him.
"That explains it,"  Haratsu said as he closed his eyes,  "Before we continue with anything else, I must tell you of some events that happened nearly twenty years ago," Ranma's eyes narrowed, "Twenty years?"
"Yes," Haratsu nodded, "Twenty years ago my father, Master Sematar, took me on a training expedition to complete my training in Various Martial Arts.  We trained near Mt. Fuji for nearly three weeks when I noticed him acting strangely.  I learned that he hadn't been sleeping, and watched helplessly as he slowly degenerated."  he looked at Apsu for a few seconds before continuing, "One day, during a training session, he attacked me without provocation."  Haratsu paused as he thought back to that day.
"Sounds a lot like Apsu,"  Ranma said, accentuating the obvious.
Haratsu continued, ignoring Ranma's comment, "I killed my father on that day,"  Apsu, who had been calm until this point, looked at his father in alarm.  "He was seemingly insane.  After I had barely managed to defeat my own master he began to scream.  I was baffled, the screaming was not directed at me, but a presence that I later learned had invaded my father's mind."
Apsu absorbed everything his father was saying, recounting the similarities between the story and his current situation,  "What was it?" he asked softly, cautiously.
Haratsu looked at Apsu, then to Ranma,  "A demonlord, whom I learned was known by the name of Talarath.  He had caused Master Sematar to attack me, and fail, simply to weaken his resistance.  The demonlord... absorbed my father's soul.  With his newfound energy he looked to me as his next victim.  After the most horrible battle I have ever experienced, I was only able to contain his presence within Mt. Fuji.  After giving my father the proper honors and ceremonies, I found a small clan of monks who had records concerning Talarath.  He was known for nearly 2,000 years as the god of pain and fear to their clan, and gained power through the absorption of human souls.  Six days ago I felt a strong mystic vibration which I now believe freed Talarath."
"The Sugoiken..." Ranma said grimly as he realized the true magnitude of the situation.
Haratsu looked at Ranma, his deep blue eyes twinkled slightly, "I am sorry that you have gotten caught up in this."
"Hey, don't worry about it,"  Ranma said, his tone once again becoming casual.
Haratsu's eyes narrowed as he looked at Ranma, "Have you ever fought a demonlord?"
"No, but if it gets Akane back, I will,"  Ranma said confidently.
"So confident, I wonder how long it will last."  Haratsu looked at Apsu, who was looking back at him, worried.  "Apsu, Talarath almost had you tonight," his eyes glazed with the flashing glint of headlights as a car passed bye, "I won't let him take my son as well as my father, and I need you to hold out as long as possible.  Here, this will help..."  He placed his right hand on Apsu's left shoulder for a few seconds, summoning a flickering violet light.  He withdrew his hand.  "Ranma, it is only a matter of time before you become effected by Talarath's influence," he stood, helping Apsu up as well, "I need to speak with the members of your family as quickly as possible, anyone going to Mt. Fuji needs to be ready by tomorrow morning."
Ranma nodded as he stood, "I'll take you there now, we're only a few minutes run from the Tendo Dojo."
"Don't run," Haratsu said authoritatively, "If Talarath does to you what he has to Apsu, you will need to conserve your energy." 
[...] Tendo Dojo 10:30 P.M.
Ranma entered the dojo, leading Apsu and Haratsu into the living room, where Mr. Saotome sat, lazily watching TV.  
"Why hello Ranma," Genma said as Apsu and Haratsu entered behind Ranma, "Who are our guests?"
Ranma walked to the center of the room to allow everyone movement space, "Meet Apsu and Haratsu Tetsumi of the Tetsumi School of Various Martial Arts.  Listen, we need to get everyone in here, Akane's been kidnapped, and we have to get her back."
Genma stood and walked toward Ranma, "Do you mean to tell me that you let her get kidnapped AGAIN?"
"Well it's not like I had a choice!" Ranma said angrily, "That's what they came to talk about!"  He motioned to Haratsu.
"He's right," Haratsu said as he sat down, "Demonlords aren't easily beaten."
Genma looked at Haratsu, his face frozen in disbelief, "You... you didn't say demon - LORD - by chance, did you?"
Haratsu nodded, "I did."
Genma turned and walked to the kitchen, where Kasumi was busy cleaning dishes.
"Kasumi, could you do me a favor and get everyone together in the living room?  Tell them we have guests."
Kasumi rinsed off her hands as she replied, "Why of course, Mr. Saotome."
"Thank you, Kasumi."  Genma said as he turned to walk back to the living room.
[...]  Ten Minutes Later
Ranma listened once again to Haratsu's explanation of Talarath, "Akane," he thought, "You'd better be okay when I find you... tomboy."  He looked at Soun, who had a steady stream of tears flowing down his face.
"We have to go to Mount Fuji and defeat Talarath," Haratsu said, beginning the conclusion of his speech, "Or everyone in here is worse than dead."  He looked at Soun and Genma, awaiting a reply.
"Well," Genma said, "It doesn't seem like we have much choice."
"What are we waiting for?" Ranma asked as he stood, "Lets go get Akane back!"
Nabiki yawned, "You can't expect everyone to go to Mount Fuji at k!"
"Ranma my boy, facing demonlords and worse for the sake of his beloved Akane,"  Genma smiled as he looked at Ranma, "That's my boy!"
Soun latched onto Ranma's left leg, tears once again pouring out of his eyes, "Son, I'm glad you've finally come to terms with your true feelings!"
Ranma tried to back away from Mister Tendo as his foot became soaked with tears.  "Hey come on!  I'm just doing this because... Well, because I have to!"  Ranma's heart beat tripled as he tried to nervously defend himself.
"There's nothing to be ashamed of Ranma," Kasumi said, smiling, "I'm happy for you."
"I'm glad somebody is," Ranma said as he gave up his struggle to free his leg, "Why me?"

[...]15 Minutes Later


Apsu and Haratsu approached the front gate to the Tetsumi house.  The trip home had been one of silence.  Haratsu stopped at the gate, and turned to face his son.
"Apsu, I didn't want to mention this until we were alone," Apsu's eyebrows raised slightly as Haratsu paused, "...but Talarath has Michelle as well as Akane, he-"
"No!  I thought she was at home, with you!"  Apsu's eyes became denial as he looked at his father.
"She was," Haratsu said softly, "But I couldn't stop Talarath, any more than Ranma could when Akane was taken.  I'm sorry, but there was nothing I could have done."
Anger engulfed Apsu, "You... you let him take her?"  His face showed the conflict of anger and sadness, hatred and depression which tore through his mind.
"Don't express it as anger," Haratsu said as he looked deeply into his sons eyes, "You will lose control again and become more Talarath's slave."
A single tear began to roll down Apsu's face as he walked past Haratsu and opened the front gate.  He began to enter the yard when a hand was placed firmly on his left shoulder.  He turned, before being pulled closer to Haratsu.  He tensed for a second, before relaxing his tight control over his emotions.  Tears flowed.
"I won't hold this against you, son."  Haratsu said as he looked down at an image of himself from twenty years ago, quietly sobbing next to a dead body that was his father.
Apsu released his hold on Haratsu, and stepped back, through the gate, "I'm... sorry for my weakness, I-"
"What weakness?"  Haratsu asked, "I only see my son expressing his emotions before they can be used against him."
"What?  I thought-" Haratsu interrupted Apsu, his voice deep and caring.
"You are still my son, and not the slave of a demonlord, because you have found expression.  The more despair, fear, anger, and depression you feed your mind, the more Talarath has to use against you,"  He nodded softly as he continued, "Had you not released your emotions with the Genocide Crush technique earlier tonight, you would have been lost forever.  You must remember this.  Do not harbor any emotions which will weaken your resistance, or you will exist in eternity with them."
"I understand,"  Apsu said as he turned and walked toward the entrance to the house.
Haratsu walked behind Apsu as the two entered the two story house.  The Tetsumi house was well kept, with swords and staves decorating the right hand wall.  Haratsu walked to the wall of weaponry and focused his attention on two well-made katanas.  One was blue, while the other was red.  The tips of the swords were kept one inch apart, and a small stream of energy arced between the edges of the swords.
"Why are you looking at Um and Yang?"  Apsu asked
Um and Yang... For 40 years the enchanted swords had not been moved from their present position, each slowly building energy from the conflict of opposites.  Just before Haratsu had been born his grandfather had found the proper spells and metals to enchant the swords.  Had the time finally come to use their power?
"Nothing, I was just thinking,"  Haratsu said as he began to walk to the kitchen.  He retrieved a cooler from a storage closet, and walked to the fridge.  He opened it and began placing rations of food into the cooler.
Apsu sat down on a recliner and looked at the ceiling.  A ceiling fan turned slowly, and Apsu followed it with his eyes, tracing its never ending path in a complete circle.  His eyes slowly began to close as warm air graced his skin.
Haratsu looked at the half filled cooler.  He needed ice, so he turned to face the living room, where he saw Apsu asleep on the recliner.  He waited for Apsu to scream and awaken, but as moments passed it became clear that it would not happen.
"Impossible... for Talarath to be so close to claiming him, only to give up?"  The thought sank into Haratsu's mind when his eyebrows raised and his mouth opened slightly.  Talarath had Michelle and Akane, fear and anger, easily within his grasp!  "If he has changed his focus to them, he did so because it is to his advantage, and with the emotional energy they contain... they wont be able to resist long..."  The grim realization quickly came to him, and pushed him to continue packing equipment and supplies.
"Sleep well, son," he said as he looked at the softly snoring Apsu, "You're going to need it."
Draxon's Review Corner Presents
An In-House Production
Ranma 1/2 : A Demon's Delight
Chapter 6 : Love and Hate go Hand-in-Hand
Theme Song: Metallica - LOAD - Until it sleeps


Being lost... for Ryouga, it was a way of life.  He was once again lost, but he had narrowed his location to Nerima, Tokyo.  It was still dark when he passed Fuurinkan high school.  He knew he had at least an hour before sunrise, a package for Akane was held securely by his right arm as he thought about the direction to take to find the Tendo Dojo.  After several seconds of guessing he started down a random road, trusting his instincts.

He smiled happily as he walked directly away from the Dojo.

[...]

Sweat slowly dripped from Ranma's glistening face as he continued performing one of the Anything-Goes katas.  He stepped forward and threw a lightning fast but well controlled volley of punches at the air in front of him, then performed a quarter turn to his left and adopted a deep stance.  He sighed as he took a finishing stance and bowed slightly out of pure habit.  He slowly began to walk a path around the dojo, thinking about demons, fiancees, and anything else that seemed important to him at the time.

He began to initiate one of the fastest katas he had learned in his study of Kempo, launching a furious combo of kicks and punches in front of him.  His knee popped from the force of the last kick, but Ranma ignored it, quickly turning to a two-thirds angle and performing a similar combo of kicks and punches.  Air began to whir around him as his rhythmic movements created a breeze which circled him lightly.

He turned fully to his left and performed a double roundhouse, then worked against his momentum  to deliver an arcing hook kick.  The floor wrenched slightly under the pressure of his movements, but soon stopped its screeching complaints as Ranma re-asserted his position and performed an exact mirror with his other leg before he injected the Anything-Goes style into the kata.  Ceasing his rigid exercise of the kata, Ranma broke form and began using his training and instincts to produce a fluid and breathtaking series of movements.  He continued until the form seemed complete, then turned to the door of the dojo.

Four feet in front of him,  Ranma imagined his father standing in a combat stance.  He assumed a similar stance.
The image of his father stepped forward cautiously, eyeing Ranma with a cold glare.

Ranma side-slipped close to his imaginary opponent and performed an inside-crescent kick which was easily dodged by his temporary training partner.  Ranma stepped back and to the side as a quick and precise counter attack ensued.  He frowned slightly, he wasn't getting the effect he wanted.  He raised his arms into the air, stretching his slightly sore back, which happily popped and cracked back to normalcy.

"Too bad pop hasn't gotten up yet," Ranma thought, "I could use something that actually fights back."  He began stretching his arms into relaxation when the image of his father suddenly began to walk toward him.

"What the-"  Ranma's vision blurred as the image swung at him, striking him directly across the face, he stumbled back and re-assumed a combat stance, his nose trickling blood.  The image stepped forward and immediately side-kicked over Ranma's ducking head.  Ranma lunged forward for  a direct strike to his "father's" stomach when the image's heel slammed into the back of his head, knocking him face first into the floor.  Blood splattered from his face as he desperately rolled to his side -- Genma wasn't supposed to be that fast!  He quickly sprang to his feet as his opponent mercilessly charged forward.  As trickles of blood drizzled across his mouth, Ranma smiled sardonically .  Whatever the hell was attacking him was about to have one seriously bad day.

[...]
"Wakeup, get ready."  Haratsu said softly as he tugged at Apsu's shoulder.  Apsu shuffled on the recliner, and slowly opened his eyes.
"Hai..." he said in a deep yawn, before falling off of the recliner and slamming onto the floor.
"It's good to see your day has started off nicely," Haratsu said as he offered his right hand to Apsu.
Apsu yawned slowly and deeply before  taking his father's hand.  "I sleep..." he mumbled as his arm collapsed limply, landing audibly behind the recliner.

"Wake up Apsu,"  Haratsu said as he shook the boy by his shoulders, "we don't have time for this."

No response.  Apsu began to snore lightly.  Haratsu sighed, and began to build a blue aura of chi around his right hand, it's lively glow casting deep shadows around him.  He placed his hand on Apsu's face.

Then his arm fell limp.

"NANI? Haratsu perplexed as a cold feeling began tearing into him from his arm.  He saw Apsu slowly open his eyes, look up at him, and fall limp again as the force re-asserted it's control.

If Haratsu had forgotten what fear was like, he was completely reminded as consciousness began to slip away from him.  His link to Apsu strengthened as streams of raw chi energy exchanged between the two.  Slowly, his vision began to darken and blur, with the last of his energy, the master of the Tetsumi School of Various Martial Arts called out spiritually to anyone or anything that could help him...

Darkness...

[...]

Ranma slammed into the outer wall of the dojo, his face covered in blood and one of his eyes already swelling.  He slid down the rough surface for a few seconds before falling limply to the floor.  He struggled to stand, to no avail. His legs felt like rubber, his mind was jelly.  He looked up, straining his weakened and battered muscles, as what was, yet wasn't his father grabbed him by the front of his shirt.  He attempted to resist, but several quick jabs across the face jarred his senses further.  He slumped as  he began to lose control over his body, and a cold feeling began to wash over him.  Summoning all of his remaining strength, Ranma slowly grasped the image's now quite solid neck.

Emotions swirled through Ranma's mind in those few seconds, through the humiliation of utter defeat Ranma saw one final escape from his apparent weakness.  As he began to shiver violently, he tightened his grip as hard as he could, and stared at the image of his father with utter defiance.  Summoning the last of his physical strength, he pulled himself closer to the image...

"I'll personally see that you enjoy hell..."  He said slowly,  cursing the former illusion as his strength weakened further.

"Hmph," A blast of light and force knocked Ranma back as his eyes closed slowly.  The last thing he remembered before losing consciousness was his body impacting against the dojo wall.

Draxon's Review Corner Presents
An In-House Production
Ranma 1/2: A Demon's Delight
Chapter 7 : Wasted Hate
Theme Song: Metallica Load - Track 7 - Bleeding Me 

	
	Genma ran down the stairs as quickly as he could, he could clearly hear combat, which didn't seem to be going well for Ranma from the pained battle cries he had heard since a loud crashing woke him.  He charged into the dojo just in time to see Ranma being knocked through a wall.  The floor and several walls were decorated with his sons blood.  He looked toward the center of the room and froze as he saw a perfect image of himself dusting off an only slightly disorganized uniform.  Genma slowly stepped forward as the figure finally acknowledged him.

	"Your son should be careful about what he wishes for, he seems to have gotten it."  Genma's mirror image balled his right hand into a fist, and smiled,  "As for you, however..."

	Genma's combat sense kicked him into motion, he quickly ran forward and sidestepped just as a devastating blast of force tore through the place he had been standing just a second earlier.  He quickly dodged another blast and stepped close to the flickering image.  He punched hard to it's stomach, then stepped forward and sent a glancing elbow strike to the back of his opponents neck.  The shot connected, and Genma found himself utterly devastating an opponent that had just finished defeating his son.  He forced all of his strength and momentum into a devastatingly fast crescent kick, which connected solidly with the back of his weakening opponents head.  The copy flipped in the air before landing on it's back, cracking the hardwood floor from the force.

	He looked down to see the copy smiling.  He stepped back quickly as the copy raised into a sitting position and began to shake it's head slowly.  

"Tsk, tsk , Mister Saotome... Now you've made me angry."  The copy said, shaking his finger from side to side in a fluid motion.

"You don't know the half of it,"  Genma said in an ominous tone as he ceased his retreat.

[...]


"Help..."  Haratsu pleaded with his mind as his entire body began to succumb to the force which had invaded his very life energy.  Just as all hope began to filter out of his slowly degenerating consciousness, a well of heat and energy formed among the freezing cold.  Haratsu tapped into it, his mind burning with conflict.  Slowly the cold was pushed back.  He began to gain a sense of confidence when wrenching pain struck through him.  As the cold once again began to overcome him he steeled his nerves and drew upon the source once again.  This time, however, he was flooded with energy as the swords of Um Yang released a small fraction of their accumulated power.

[...]


Genma desperately dodged to the side, avoiding an open palm strike.  He ducked under a sweeping chop, and leaped up and forward, catching the duplicate directly in the chin.  The duplicate was knocked slightly into the air as it fired another concussion blast, the recoil knocking it through the only intact wall in the dojo as the blast slammed directly into Genma.

[...]

Ryouga made out a scream among the early morning noises of Tokyo as he neared the dojo.  The sun began to creep over the horizon as Genma Saotome slammed into the ground in front of him.  Ryouga looked at Genma, then to the dojo, amazed at the distance Genma had been knocked.  Suddenly Genma's face filled his vision as he was struck by a glancing punch in the stomach.  He stumbled back in surprise as a quick roundhouse collided with his right arm, crushing it into the packaged cake he had brought from some place called New York for Akane.  Ryouga looked at Genma, cold anger canceling his surprise and disbelief.  Genma threw a punch as he stepped forward.

Ryouga's eyes narrowed as he caught the punch in the palm of his hand.  He clasped his fingers around Genma's fist, and clenched until he could feel and hear the breaking of bone.

"I don't know what's wrong with you,"  Ryouga said venomously, "but I think I can probably make it a lot worse."

Genma slowly stumbled into the back yard of the dojo, his entire body battered from the shockwave blast he had taken.  His breathing was labored, and a large bruise dominated the right side of his face.  After a few seconds, he finally reached Ranma, who was laying on the ground three feet from the carp pond.

"Ranma, wake up."  He said as he kneeled next to his badly injured son.  Ranma gave no response.  "I hate to do this to you today, but..."  He picked Ranma up by his arms and tossed him into the carp pond.

Ranma screamed as the cold water augmented the overwhelming feeling of ice in his body, as the change flashed through him, Ranma-chan screamed and erupted from the pond, her face a mask of fear, her chest heaving in and out quickly as adrenaline became her primary fuel.  She quickly looked toward the road, where from an explosion of concrete and dirt Ranma saw the copy emerge, not flinching from the shrapnel that slammed into it.  With her emotions unleashed, tears began to stream down her eyes as she ran forward, screaming violently as she saw Ryouga leaping over the duplicate Genma.

Ryouga quickly turned as he landed.  He began to adopt a defensive stance when he heard Ranma's unmistakable voice screaming.  He looked to see Ranma running directly toward him.  Alarmed by the prospect of two on one, Ryouga quickly turned back to Genma just in time to see the Saotome grasp him by the wrist.  As he realized the significance of his distraction Ryouga was quickly thrown, his back pack slamming hard into the ground, it's contents crushed between the concrete and Ryouga's back.  He used his momentum to fling his legs into the air, catching Genma's arm in a scissor lock.  He grunted as he pushed all of his force to the side.  Genma began to lose his balance when Ranma slammed into him, sending him flailing wildly.

Ryouga released his lock as he went airborne, but it was already too late.  He slammed through a fence across the street and slid across someone's front lawn, scarring it deeply.   He stood, with no indication of injury, and began untying several bandannas from around his head.

Ranma landed on top of the duplicate Genma and began to impale it with dual-fire punches at Amaguriken speed.  She felt the ground begin to vibrate with the force of her strikes.  With lightning speed, the duplicate punched at Ranma's stomach, causing her to stumble as she stood and began to retreat.  The duplicate was finally beginning to slow, but it wasn't enough.  Deep in her mind, Ranma began to pray that her second burst of energy would hold long enough...

Genma ran forward as he saw Ryouga unleash a barrage of bandanna projectiles.  "Ranma, move!"  He said as the razor-sharp weapons slammed into their target.

Ryouga ran forward after throwing his tenth bandanna.  As the spinning blades of cloth struck Genma, a massive pool of blue light began to spill from his back like cold air from a freezer.

[...]

The battle of willpower continued inside Haratsu, who had regained his sight nearly a minute ago.  He struggled as his worn out mind neared unconsciousness again when suddenly the icy touch of death began to retreat from the heat of his struggle.

He lashed out, pushing the essence away from his own.  A shiver racked his body as he looked down at Apsu, who was literally bleeding chi energy.  He pulled his hand from Apsu, who then began to gasp for air, as if suffocating.  He quickly stood and unsheathed Um and Yang, his only remaining stores of power.

"Remove the presence,"  as the last word rolled off of his tongue the swords began to arc with small excited bolts of energy.

[...]

Ranma stepped next to the duplicate and launched an inside crescent kick, which she converted into a devastating ax-kick as she pushed down and forward with all of her strength.  She gasped as her foot slipped through the copy's shoulder.  A massive blast of heat and force rippled from the duplicate, then it exploded.  Ranma flew back, her clothes disintegrating as flame erupted around her.  Genma watched as a ball of fire that was Ranma slammed into and through a window on the top floor, near the sections of the house that had collapsed.  As he began to run for the house he heard Ryouga yelling at him to stop.

"I don't have time for you right now boy, but thanks for the help anyway." He said as he continued toward the Dojo.

[...]


Ranma coughed lightly as her vision began to blur back into alignment.  Her body began to register pain as she started to convulse.  She could make out startled gasps as she slumped forward, falling from her position on Akane's bed directly to the floor.

Soun covered his mouth to keep from throwing up at the smell of burnt flesh.  Kasumi and Nabiki both jumped from their huddled positions and stepped away from the naked, burnt form of Ranma-chan.  Kasumi's instincts overpowered her fears, however, and she was the first to approach Ranma.

"Oh my god..."  She mumbled in fear as she looked over Ranma, her entire body was charred, with bits of flesh smoking slightly from the heat they had experienced.

"Pull any cloth still on her off," Soun said as he regained his nerve, "We need some room temperature water too. Nabiki - get something light that Ranma can wear in a minute, Kasumi - Stay with Ranma and keep an eye on her, I'll go get the water."  As he stood Nabiki immediately opened the door to Akane's closet and began to search for something to put on Ranma.

Ranma coughed lightly as Kasumi kneeled over her, "So much for my... good looks..." her voice was rough, a crackling sound was easily dominant over her actual speech.

"Shh, don't worry, you'll be just fine."  Kasumi cooed as she made a pallet out of Akane's blanket and sheets.  "Were going to make sure."

"I..." Ranma struggled to continue, "Don't-"

Nabiki found Akane's yellow pajamas and quickly turned to Kasumi, who ordered Ranma to be quiet, "Here, this is the best Akane has."  Nabiki sat next to Kasumi as she started to take Ranma's barely intact shoes off and toss them to the side.

[...]

Apsu slowly sat up, a headache racking his thoughts and slowing his movements, "I feel... like I was just ran over by a semi..."

"Come on we have to go NOW," Haratsu snapped urgently as he walked to the front door.  Apsu found his way to his feet and followed, his right hand rubbing his pounding forehead in the process.  As he cleared the front door he saw Haratsu already at the van, one of three vehicles the family owned.  He stumbled forward slightly as the morning light increased the magnitude of his headache ten-fold.  He attempted to use his healing ability but simply couldn't concentrate well enough to harness the technique.  When he arrived at the van he found the passenger-side door already opened, and he climbed in, complaining about his headache as he did so.  He closed the door and started to pull his sunshade down when his father started the car.

"Hold on," The comment didn't have much time to register with Apsu as he was slammed into his seat as the van accelerated.  He looked over at Haratsu, who had a jelly-filled cream pie in one hand, and was steering with the other.  Apsu didn't bother to ask what was going on as Haratsu annihilated the pie, and proceeded to pull a Surge cola from one of his cloak's inside pockets.  In a little over two minutes Apsu stared at the devastated Tendo Dojo.  People from the neighborhood were fighting a fire that encompassed a  fence as well as a rather large tree to his far right.  He saw Haratsu exit the van less than a second after parking it, and he followed closely behind.  Haratsu bypassed the formality of knocking and simply entered the Dojo.

As Apsu entered the main room of the residence he looked at the destruction on the  back side of the house, the stairs were badly damaged, and wood and sparking wires completely blocked one of the exits to the room.  

"Welcome to the waiting room," A teenage boy who looked very similar to Ranma said sarcastically.  Apsu looked him over and noted dirt and mud strewn across his shirt and pants.  Haratsu was hurrying up the stairs for god-knows-what reason, when he turned and tossed his half-finished bottle of Surge to Apsu.

"Drink the rest of that and get up here, I don't like the way this looks at all,"  Haratsu said as he reached the second floor.  Looking down at the sugar and caffeine-packed drink in his hand, Apsu wished he had asked what was going on.  He shrugged, and proceeded to down the rest of the drink as he followed his father upstairs

Kasumi and Nabiki were slipping the pajamas onto Ranma when several quick raps sent an audible bang through Akane's bedroom.  Soun was using a sponge to drip relatively cool water onto Ranma's badly burned face.  Genma immediately opened the door and motioned to Apsu and Haratsu that they could enter.  

"It happened just a few minutes ago," Genma explained  as he took the top of Akane's pajamas and began slipping one of the sleeves onto Ranma.

Haratsu sat next to Ranma, crowding the re-clothing operation that was taking place.  She was burned badly, but most severely from her face to her chest.  "I need sugar, in an easily consumable form, and I need a LOT of it.  Apsu, hold her by both sides of her hip, but be careful,"  He placed his left hand just above Ranma's breasts, checking her heartbeat and breathing. "On three I want full healing. One, Two, Now!"  He closed his eyes as he concentrated on repairing Ranma's body.

Apsu struggled at first to use the healing technique, but after a few seconds it flickered to life and began repairing some of the damage caused by the burns.  He saw a brighter, more focused aura emanating from Haratsu's palms.  After a few seconds he began to feel dizzy and his vision began to blur, he then fell forward, his head landing softly in what would have been a rather embarrassing position had anybody been paying attention.  He struggled to raise himself back up, but he simply couldn't.  His body refused to cooperate with him as he began to feel groggy.

Ranma felt something fall on her rather heavily as she began to regain her senses.  As she realized what (or rather who) had fallen between her legs she attempted to move, but was held firmly paralyzed by the overload-level healing technique.  She could feel her body changing, almost like when the curse changed her forms, but more slowly.  A few more seconds passed until Haratsu withdrew his hold on her.  She slowly sat up, bearing large amounts of pain in the process, and pushed Apsu to the side while Haratsu sat to her right, suffering from a concentration headache.  It took her a few seconds to realize her exposed chest, when she simply finished putting on the top of the pajamas.

"If I hadn't seen it myself I wouldn't believe it," Nabiki said as Ranma began to stand.

"OW!"  Ranma complained as her body assaulted her with waves of acute pain and soreness.

"Be careful," Haratsu said lightly, but firmly, "Your body couldn't handle any more repairing, so you are not nearly fully healed... Where's that sugar?"  He asked as he looked at Genma, Soun, and Nabiki.

"Kasumi went to get some over-sugared tea,"  Soun said as he began wiping tears from his face.

"Anybody know what the hell that was we fought?"  Ranma asked as she  collapsed onto Akane's bed.

"I'm not completely sure," Haratsu cautioned, "but I think you were fighting me and Apsu combined.  We were 'attacked' as well, but not physically.  Talarath practically sapped us of all of our chi, nearly killed us,"  He placed his hand on Apsu's right foot and released a blast of healing energy to sustain the boy until he could get some form of food.  "We have to leave immediately.  I'm surprised the police haven't arrived, but it is unlikely they will believe a Demon was responsible for the damage to this area."

"You might be surprised by what they will believe happens around here," Genma stated, "but to be on the safe side, I think you have the right idea."

Apsu slowly pulled himself to a sitting position, and after exchanging an embarrassed look with Ranma, he sighed, "Just how are we going to beat a demonlord in the shape were in?  I probably couldn't beat a practice dummy right now."

Haratsu responded immediately, "He have to drive to Mt. Fuji, so everyone has time to rest and replenish their energy," He turned to Genma, Soun, and Nabiki as Kasumi re-entered the room, "As soon as Apsu and myself have had something to eat, on the way of course, we can function somewhat as healers."  Everyone nodded their general agreement as the door opened and Ryouga poked his head in, "I finally found you, how many bedrooms  are in here, anyway... and Ranma, why are you wearing women's pajamas?"

Ranma sighed, "Don't act stupid, Ryouga.  I know you saw what happened to me out there."

Ryouga dropped the subject, he would confront Ranma on his dressing preferences later, "Speaking of what happened out there, just exactly what DID happen."

Ranma put her thoughts together as Apsu and Haratsu began drinking tea like their lives depended on it, "Lets see, Ryouga... I'll give you the short version - Akane's been kidnapped by a demonlord named Talarath who wants to kill everyone in this room right now so he can take their souls and increase his power, sound clear enough?"

"You let Akane get kidnapped AGAIN?  Just what kind of fiancé are you, Ranma?"  Ryouga managed to squeeze into the already crowded room as he finished chastising Ranma.

"Just what were you implying by that?  I hope for your sake you aren't trying to say I didn't try to help her."  Haratsu kept a close watch on the two as Ranma replied, and took time to continue his consumption of massive amounts of overly-sweet tea.

"I don't know what happened, so I guess you're off the hook for now.  I've been training a lot in the past few months, and if Akane's in danger I will gladly put that training to use if it helps to save her."  He cleared his throat, giving the sentence an official feel to it.

"I guess we need all the help we can get," Ranma said before raising her right arm to her eyes to block two growing auras of blue healing energy.  She looked at the pajamas as the blue auras filled the room, albeit lightly.  Ranma sighed as she thought about Akane's battle aura, the memory triggered by the now dissipating blue light, and found it strange that she missed even that.  "When are we leaving?"

Haratsu was manipulating a small ball of chi energy in his right hand, testing his recharge.  The healing technique was different from most techniques in that it didn't use chi, but rather tapped directly into the energy released by cells conducting Aerobic Respiration.  The by-product of lactic acid was eliminated, and the rate of glucose and ATP consumption drastically increased, giving the body more energy than it could use at a given time in one place, the healing aura then spread the energy to damaged cells and effected repairs.  Through mysterious means, it could also replace expended chi with a sufficiently large supply of fuel.  Haratsu re-absorbed the ball of chi after a few seconds and looked from Ranma, to Mr. Saotome, to Mr. Tendo.  "I'm ready to leave whenever everyone else is.  Considering how weak everyone is in general, we will need more food and drinks to function as fuel if everyone is to be up to full strength when we reach Mt. Fuji.

"Alright, let's go then!" Ranma said enthusiastically, "All I need is some hot water and some clothes and I'm ready."

"I seriously want you to consider remaining in your cursed form for at least the next hour.  You aren't physically very strong right now, and nobody but you can tell the state of your mind right now.  If  Tal has anything waiting for you when you change forms you wont be able to resist it very well."  Ryouga squeezed his way into a position to open the door as Haratsu spoke.

"Okay," Ranma said, nodding.  An hour was nothing, "Well, let's go!"  She stood and stepped forward, before doubling over in pain in the middle of the room.  She squinted her eyes as she struggled to stand.  Suddenly, her legs went numb, and she lay still, her willpower attempting to keep the shame from reaching her face.

"Where was the pain?" Haratsu asked as he withdrew his hand from a pressure point located just above Ranma's right knee, "Sorry if I overstepped my authority, Mr. Saotome, Ranma was going to hurt herself very badly in about two seconds if I hadn't done that."  Genma nodded slowly, cautiously as Ranma felt along her stomach.

"Lower ribs, stomach, lower back." Ranma stated as her legs began to feel again, a tingling sensation rippling through them.

"Damn," Haratsu said matter-of-factly, "My mistake, I assumed Apsu would be able to cover an area equal to my healing area, and didn't think to move down on your chest because of your-"

"-I think we get the picture," Genma laughed as he eyed the general direction of Ryouga

"Apsu."  Haratsu stood,  "Help Ranma to the van, then get her a back bracer.  That should suffice for now."

"Hai," Apsu said as he flashed a military-style salute.

"I'd like to speak with Mr. Tetsumi for a moment in private," Genma said, everyone began to file out of the room, save Apsu, Ranma, Genma, and Haratsu.  "Lets go to the next room, this needs to be between you, me, and nobody else."

Haratsu nodded and began following Genma as he walked out of the room.

"Hey!" Ranma yelled at Haratsu before he closed the door.

"Yes?"  He asked as he poked his head through the door.

"Just what am I going to -wear- once I get down to your van?"  She twisted into a sitting position, with Apsu supporting her.  Haratsu wished he had brought his Polaroid with him, the pair actually looked what the teenagers called 'cute'.

"Oh yeah, as of now the school of Various Martial Arts is offering free uniforms and up to one month of classes to anyone going on this trip should they ask.  They're in the van, too.  Apsu knows where."  

"Thanks," Ranma said as she tried to stand on her own again, failing again but giving up before causing herself any major pain.  She felt Apsu grab her by her armpits and lift her until she was in a standing position.  "Will you please start telling me before you do something like that?"

"Sorry," Apsu said as he looked Ranma over, thinking of how to help her walk with as little injury as possible, "Your not going to like this, but it looks like I'm going to need to carry you.  There is just no way for you to walk with the injury in your ribs and your stomach."  

Ranma sighed as she was swept into Apsu's arms by one fluid motion, "Are you forgetting I'm a guy or something?  Or do you normally flirt with guys like this?"  Ranma said, reasonably frustrated but glad that it wasn't Kuno she had to deal with.  She felt Apsu's 'comfortable' grip instantly weaken.

"I have a fiancée," Apsu defended.

Ranma's face suddenly became very evil, "And it even passes through my mind again that you might be trying to make a pass at me again I will tell her all about where your face was a minute ago."

Apsu's stomach fell through his feet as Ranma continued, "And if nobody gets any hentai ideas about us as you take me down those stairs, I might, MIGHT not kill you over this. "

So slowly, and very, very carefully, Apsu carried Ranma to the door.

[...]


"What was it you wanted to speak about?" Haratsu asked Genma as Mr. Saotome closed the door behind him.

"I must ask you to be much more careful about what you say about Ranma," Genma said quietly but seriously, "There is a growing rivalry between him and the boy named Ryouga Hibiki.  Just a moment ago you practically knocked him into the ground, first by saying he was weak physically and inferring he was weak mentally as well, then you emphasized his female anatomy in one of your explanations.  The curse is NOT something he is able to tolerate well.  If it doesn't seem to affect him now, it will sometime later when he least needs it.  I don't blame him either, with what he goes through in that girl's body."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know about Ryouga.  If you think we should leave him behind, I can-"

"-by no means," Genma interrupted,  "Out of all of the people of Ranma's age I have met, only your son and the Hibiki kid can come close to matching Ranma's skills.  Ryouga will be a great help when we actually get down to combat."

"Fine.  Let's get going, then."  Haratsu motioned to the door, Genma nodded and quickly walked through it.

[...]

Ranma made sure to look very dissatisfied as he was carried to the van.  Several police and fire department officers were busy questioning people and fighting fires, respectively.

"Act hurt," Apsu said quietly as he noticed one of the neighbors pointing in their direction.

"You jerk, you think I'm letting you carry me around for nothing?"

Apsu slowly shook his head, "Damnit, act real hurt, like you need to go to a hospital, we have cops coming this way and I'm going to make like we need to get you to the hospital so they won't keep everyone here for the next 12 hours."

"You there," one of the police officers said officially, "What is your name?"

Apsu turned, "Apsu Tetsumi, Sir"  He then walked to the van and laid Ranma out across the floor.

"One of the neighbors said that the girl you were just carrying was involved with the disturbance here several minutes ago."

"Yes sir, she was attacked, and she sustained some pretty major injuries.  I'm getting her braced and waiting on our families so we can take her to a hospital to be checked out."

"Is there a need for an ambulance?"

"No sir, she's stable, just got hit one too many times so were going to get some X-rays done and go from there."  He glanced to the door of the dojo to see Haratsu walking out, followed closely behind by Genma.  "There's our fathers, if your done with me, sir, I'd like to get her braced so she doesn't get hurt anymore." An 'ow' from Ranma followed the statement.  

"Very well, you've been very cooperative, your free to go."  The officer turned and began walking toward his partner, who was surveying the damage to the road.

Apsu climbed into the back of the van, thankful that nobody else had gotten there yet, and retrieved a back-brace.  It looked a lot like a police style bullet proof vest, with velcro straps across the front of it to keep it in place.  He handed it to Ranma, then climbed to the front seat and closed the back of the van from the front.  Ranma took the cue, and grudgingly put on the brace, pulling her pajama-shirt up as she strapped it into place.  She found herself barely able to stand, so she looked through the closet and found a still-wrapped, unused uniform. 

She thought about taking the rather kawaii pair of pajamas off, but then decided to keep them for good luck when she would be fighting for Akane.  The thought occurred to her that she would be a guy when she was actually fighting, but she shrugged it off.  Having some sort of link to Akane seemed more important to her, so she proceeded to put the uniform on over them. 

A few minutes later, the back of the van was loaded up.  The set of sofa-like seats on either side of the van provided for a rather comfortable ride.  There were just enough seats for everyone, as there was room for three people on each side in the back, with two seats in the front.  Ranma was given the front passenger seat to ease the strain on her back, Haratsu ended up being the only person available with decent driving experience, so he took the wheel.  Genma, Soun, and Ryouga took the passenger side seats in the back, with Apsu, Nabiki, and Kasumi on the drivers side, after the attack earlier it was universally decided that the remaining Tendo girls needed to stay with everyone else to eliminate the risk of another kidnapping.

"Is everyone ready?" Haratsu asked as he keyed the ignition to the van.  He waited for a few seconds in case anybody had forgotten something, then shifted into drive and pulled out.

As the van drew further away from the dojo, Ranma watched in the rearview mirror. She made a silent vow that she *would* see it again, then focused her sight forward.  There was nothing she could do now wait now.

A few moments after the van had departed, firemen, neighbors, and police were shocked when the Tendo Dojo suddenly caught fire, and as the firemen battled the blaze, collapsed into a heap of blazing wood.

Draxon's Review Corner Presents
An In-House Production
Ranma 1/2 : A Demon's Delight
Chapter 8  : A Home in Hell is a Happy Home
Theme       : Metallica Load: Track 14 - The Outlaw Torn


 	...A thick fog became denser as the van approached the base of Mount Fuji.  A distant thunderstorm sent crackles of electric energy across the horizon.

	"... We've beaten that thing once already, we can do it again."  Ryouga said, replying to a comment by Nabiki.

	"It was different the last time, Ryouga, I have no doubt that we will emerge victorious, but don't go into battle overconfident or you will become careless and make mistakes."  Haratsu said as he brought the van to a stop,  "This is as far as I think we should go in the van, from here we should go by foot."

	Ranma turned to look at Haratsu, "You're the expert on this whole mess, how are we supposed to find Talarath now?"

	Haratsu responded, "I seriously doubt that he is hiding from us... Let us first examine the area of my battle twenty years ago and go from there."

	"Let's get on with it then," Apsu said with his eyes closed, "I'm getting tired of sitting around!"

	Genma popped the rear door of the van while Ranma and Haratsu stepped out of the front exits.  Soun stood for a moment, then stepped outside, "Stay close to me," he said to his daughters, "And keep an eye out for trouble..."

	The Tendo girls stepped out of the van and followed Genma, Soun, Apsu and Ryouga as they caught up with Ranma and Haratsu.

	As the group gathered a deafening roar and a brilliant flash overwhelmed them.  Looking back, the van was gone, in it's place was a smoldering crater.

	"...Why didn't he just do that while we were in it?"  Ranma asked.

	"It is his mistake, Ranma... He doesn't want us dead yet.  That van cost me 2,500,000 yen...  Now I really am going to destroy that damned demon."  Haratsu continued his walking pace as pieces of debris spattered across the ground, leaving trails of smoke and steam.  

	[...]  13 Minutes Later


	"This is the site... I can feel it..." Haratsu said slowly as he carefully searched the surrounding terrain, "I think we should search from here in a circular pattern."  An explosion interrupted him, he looked toward the mountain when Ryouga's echoing voice called out to the group.  "How did he?"  He said utterly confused.

	"It's Ryouga - Don't ask," Ranma said as she passed Haratsu and went to meet with Ryouga.

	Ryouga stared into the dark cave ahead with the vision of a hawk - awaiting any clue to danger as he waited for the rest of the group.  He looked back to see Ranma and Apsu closing in on him, with Genma, Soun, and Genma escorting the Tendo girls up the steep hills below.

 	"Check it out,"  Ranma said as she walked into the cave's mouth, "How'd you find this so quick?"

	"I had an odd feeling about this rock-surface, so I used the Baksia Ten Kets technique."

	"Good work," Genma said as he made it to the entrance, followed by Nabiki, Kasumi, Soun, and Haratsu.  "Why don't we take a look around?"  he said as he peered into the dark confines of the cave.

	"Okay, Apsu," Haratsu said, "I want you to take the rear, keep an eye out for anything behind us.  Let's go for it."

	Apsu sighed and stepped behind Kasumi, creating a protective formation around the girls.  Ranma and Ryouga took either side, while Genma, Soun, and Haratsu lead the way.

	Ranma stepped back, beside Apsu, "So, what kind of girl is Michelle?"  

	"Huh?  Oh, she's nice... the cuddly type, I guess I could say...  We've been together for a few months now."  His reply was below a whisper, nearly inaudible. 

	"I'm sorry about all this mess... especially for the curse. If anything, I can understand that."

	Apsu chuckled lightly, "Yeah, you must have a personal understanding of that right now.  Listen - don't worry about the curse, it hasn't really done much to me, and I don't see it as a major problem in the near future.  I was just freaked out over it yesterday."

	"Well, that curse will end up making itself a problem sooner or later.  Believe me."

	Apsu looked at Ranma with a sly grin on his face "It's too bad you don't like your girl form, because your one of the better looking girls I know.  Not that I'm interested or anything..."

	"Yeah," Ranma said, going along with Apsu, "Not many guys look better as a girl than most girls, but that's not something I'm proud of, ok?"  He said, "And you'd better NOT be interested, or I'll have to have a talk with Michelle after this is all over with..."

	"Anything but that," Apsu said as he turned to take a look behind the group. A light flared up behind him as Haratsu produced a flashlight.  

	"Be very quiet, now.  We need as much stealth as we can get despite the light,"  Haratsu said as he slowed his pace.

[...] 20 Minutes Later

	Haratsu and the rest of the group approached a widening in the cave. The rock became smooth as they drew nearer to it, and as they approached the entrance several torches flared to life along the wall, casting dim shadows across the room.  Haratsu turned off his flashlight and stuffed it back into his cloak before crouching at the entrance. The rest of the group lined up along the wall as the situation was examined.

	"You may enter..."  a deep voice announced smoothly as a weak flash of light reflected off of the far wall.

	Haratsu gripped Um and shifted to the right before walking into the room, remaining against the wall.

	"This is a trap if I ever saw one..." Ranma said as Haratsu motioned the rest of the group to enter. His eyes were locked on the opposite end of the room, where more flashes of light pulsed intermittently.

	"Talarath?"  Haratsu asked,

	"That is the name you have chosen to call me by...  You have made a grave error in coming here, Tetsumi Haratsu."  A wispy fog concealed a quarter of the rather large room, allowing only an outline of Talarath to be seen.

	The rest of the group lined up along the wall on either side of Haratsu, "Where is Akane?"  Ryouga demanded.

	"If you've hurt her I will send you straight to hell."  Ranma added.

	A low, deep laugh responded, "Me?  Go to hell?  You must be joking, I -AM- hell.  Those that I defeat are doomed to an eternity of servitude to me alone, and if you are stupid enough to challenge me, you will join those unfortunate souls..."

	"Talarath.  This is your only warning. I doubt you will listen to me, but if you do not return Michelle and Akane to us we will fight.  I'm sure that even with your unmatchable ego, you understand you would lose.  I beat you myself 20 years ago, I can do it again." Haratsu drew the sword of Um from his cloak and held it tightly in his right hand.  A single bead of sweat rolled laboriously down his face as he awaited the reply.

	"I understand and, to an extent, respect your well-made bluff.  But you must understand that I am not as weak as I was those years ago.  You did defeat a demon lord and that is something you should be proud of until the day you die, but the past has no relevance here.  My power has grown and with my newfound energies I have no doubt that you, and your friends, are nothing to worry about."  His tone was not that of a braggart, but of a confident warrior.

	"I'll show you something to worry about." Apsu said as he slowly stepped forward.  

	[...] Elsewhere

	Michelle coughed as she awoke from a troubled sleep.  Her head began pulsing and pounding almost immediately when she opened her eyes.  She was sitting against a wall, with her arms bound against it. She tried to move her legs but found them held tightly against the ground in front of her.  The room was lit dimly by several torches along the walls.  There was no exit.  She looked to her left, and could dimly make out an image against the wall.

	"H... Hello?" she said, squinting her eyes as a new wave of pain assailed her.

	"Who are you...?"  Akane replied, drained.  Her voice crackled weakly.

	"My name's Michelle, Michelle Chang."

	"You're Apsu's fiancé then?  I'm Akane... Akane Tendo..."  She trailed off and slumped a bit before forcing her head back up.

	"Akane?  Apsu's told me about you."  She cringed as her body throbbed with pain.

	"Why does this always have to happen?"  Akane said as tears began to well up in her eyes, "What did I ever do to deserve being kidnapped left and right?  I swear something like this happens at least once a month!" .

	"Every month?  Well, you must be an experienced prisoner by now.  This is my first time.  Some... thing appeared in the middle of my living room, beat Apsu's father into a pulp, and snatched me up before I could think about running.  I was unconscious until just now."

	"Apsu had finally shown back up, but he wasn't acting like himself," Akane began, "He tried to attack me and ended up fighting with Ranma, my fiancé.  After that was over he told us about nightmares, and visions.  He ended up screaming at nothing and then used a final attack... the blast caught me and Ranma, and right after I fell down I blacked out."

	"We've got to think of a way to get out of here," Michelle said as she looked at her wrists.  Nothing held them to the ground yet she could not move her arms.

	"And go where?"  Akane said, "We have no idea where we are, and we don't know what will happen if the try to get out."

	"Don't tell me your going to give up and wait for whatever is in store for us?."

	"Well, that doesn't sound too good either, " Akane said, "but I don't see what we can do like this."

	 Michelle tried to pull her arm up, and examined the area that she felt the force holding it down, "First of all..."

	[...]

	Apsu screamed as his head was smashed against the wall.  He attempted to assume a defensive stance when Talarath blurred in front of him with an inhuman combination of punches.  Several of his ribs crunched from the blows and his body became limp as Talarath picked him up by the collar of his shirt and threw him in front of the rest of the group.  

"I could claim him right now, but I think I will give the rest of you a chance at me first. Who's next?"  

A blue field of energy engulfed Apsu, and he began to stand as his body reveled in the aura of healing energy.  

"Nice one, Tal'.  Now it's my turn." 

Haratsu took a position beside Apsu as Ranma, Genma, and Ryouga lined up beside them.  Soun stood back and kept his daughters close beside him as the battle began.

Ranma ran forward, and slipped to the side as Talarath swung at her.   umbrella from his backpack and swinging it hard in one fluid motion.  Talarath quickly turned after evading an attack from Haratsu and raised his right arm to block.  The umbrella slammed into his arm, and knocked it into his chest with incredible force.  Ryouga glared at Talarath, as finally he was the one slamming into a rock wall.

"You stupid fool."  Talarath quickly recovered, and ran back to Ryouga with blurring speed.  He drew back and struck for Ryouga's face.  Ryouga crossed his arms just below the wrists and thrusted upward.  His block slammed hard into Talarath's strike and as his wrists and elbows began to crack from the force, Ryouga twisted his wrists and grappled Talarath's arm.  He screamed wildly and pulled back with all of his strength, pulling Talarath toward him as a blow from behind the demon assisted his efforts.  He raised his right knee and slammed it into Talarath's abdomen, and elbowed the demon in the back of its neck.  Talarath grabbed Ryouga's wrist with his right hand, and threw the boy to the side as he instantly recovered from the attack.

 Haratsu drew Yang from its sheath and ran at the Talarath while he was distracted.  He swung as hard as he could when Talarath vanished.  The swing continued farther than intended, and threw Haratsu off balance when Talarath's fist slammed into his back. He stumbled forward slowly and turned just as several more strikes slammed into his head. A kick then knocked him back against the rock wall. The swords quickly reinforced his rapid healing ability, and repaired the damage nearly as quickly as it was taken. Haratsu stepped forward, brushing his shoulders off in the process. He motioned the swords in a circular motion and fired a crimson blast of energy at Talarath, which slammed into him and knocked him hard into the wall on the opposite end of the room.

	Ranma ran up to Talarath and delivered several hard strikes to his stomach area, then leaped back to avoid the return strike.  He looked to his left just in time to see a smaller figure swing at him.  He ducked the shot then leaped back beside Ryouga, who was regaining his composure.  "Give me a break, just what is this?"

"This... is what I do when I've actually felt one of the strikes that hit me."  Talarath stepped forward and watched as his shadow creations, extensions of his own willpower, attacked the group of martial artists.

[...]

The room shook slightly, and dust fell from the ceiling as Akane and Michelle discussed their escape.  "What was that?"  Michelle said as the dust began to settle.

"I don't know..."  Akane said, "But I think it's a bad sign." She coughed from the dust, and froze when she realized she had raised her hand to cover her mouth.  After a few seconds she stood, with no resistance.  

"Whoa..."

Michelle stood, surprised but happy that she could move again.  "First there is a rattling, probably from a distant explosion, then all of the sudden we can stand up..."

"Fight.  Akane said."

"What?" Michelle asked, bewildered.

"Not me and you.  Someone out there is fighting.  It makes perfect sense now.  We've got to get out of here."

"First we have to figure out how we're going to do that."  Michelle said as she supported herself on a wall.

"Give me a minute," Akane said, "and I will take care of the wall problem," she closed her eyes and began to concentrate as the room shook again.

[...]

Talarath engaged Haratsu while his shadow warriors dealt with everyone else.  Haratsu swung in a quick pattern at Talarath, but the blades crackled against Talarath's blocking arms.

Ranma slipped quickly to the side as her opponent lashed out with an attack.  The blow grazed past her, and she took the arm and threw the figure over her right shoulder.  It slammed hard into the ground, and kicked upward into Ranma's chest before performing a handspring back into a combat stance.

"You're one of those persistent losers, huh?"  Ranma commented, and waited for her breath to return.

Apsu blocked a kick to his head and pushed forward, knocking his opponent back against the wall.  The figure was misty, but its structure was quite solid.  He punched it several times and finished the combo with a hadoken chi-reinforced palm strike.  He stepped back when one of the figures slammed into him in mid-flight, knocking him and his new opponent into the wall.  The figure kicked off the wall, and with a blur of motion picked Apsu off of his feet and slammed him into the ground.  Apsu rolled to the side as powerful strikes slammed into the ground behind him.  He flipped back to his feet, only to be knocked back again by a powerful strike to the face.

Genma lashed out at his opponent with a left stretch kick, and the figure moved to his right only to collide with his crescent kick follow-through strike.  Genma lunged into his opponent with a powerful elbow strike to the chest, then threw his remaining momentum into a devastating palm strike, which sent his enemy flailing across the room.  Genma began to move toward his opponent when he was knocked hard to the right. He regained his balance to see Ranma removing herself from the floor.

"You O.K. boy?" He said as he allowed his body a brief respite from combat,

"Couldn't be better," Ranma said, before popping her knuckles and walking menacingly toward the figure which had knocked her halfway across the room.

Ryouga took a shot to the face, and stumbled back as he held his shattered nose with his left hand. His vision was hopelessly distorted, and only his instincts allowed him to continue fighting.  His umbrella slipped out of his right hand as he lost the strength to hold it, and a kick to his chest caused him to retreat further.  As the blurred image closed in, he saw two more leap between him and his opponent.  He blinked his eyes hard and opened them to see Apsu fighting both of the figures.  He reached to his forehead and began pulling bandanas off as savage battle cries across the room increased the pounding in his head.

Haratsu stepped forward and slashed at Talarath, who grabbed one of the blades, sending a ripple of explosions down his left arm.  Haratsu pushed forward with both blades when Talarath flung him across the room by the blade of Um.  Talarath tossed the blade aside and ran forward, landing several strikes on Haratsu as he attempted to recover.

Apsu rose his foot above his head in preparation to axe-kick his now-downed opponent, and brought his foot down with all of his strength when the image vanished. His foot slammed into the rock ground and immediately lost nearly all of its strength as his heel broke.  His face swelled red and he screamed with pain as he fell over. As he slammed into the ground he saw Talarath hit his father with an explosive blast of energy.

A cold feeling sank into Haratsu, and he coughed blood as Talarath backed up and released him.  He fell to the ground, his vision blurring, and he heard the desperate scream of his son.  Struggling to stand, he was only able to raise one hand before he fell limp.

Everyone froze as a pool of blood gathered below Haratsu.  A feeling of dread and hate overwhelmed Apsu, and he began to shake violently as he stood and summoned a healing aura around his injured foot.  His breath quickened, and the air around him began to swirl and blaze with heat as he cupped his palms.  Talarath was now standing over Apsu's father, and his form began to solidify.  His form twisted until it looked like a huge set of demonic armor, with two red cinders as eyes.  Apsu thrust his hands forward as burning tears flowed down his face,  "Die you son of a bitch!" he screamed, overriding the intense sadness that threatened to reduce him to sobs, as the stream of chi energy slammed into Talarath.  He held the blast for a few seconds, then ran forward behind the explosive energy screaming for Talarath to die as he built more energy and prepared to release it.

Ranma ran in from the side, as Genma took a slower approach.  Soun had ordered the girls out of the room a moment ago, and slipped back in just as Apsu reached Talarath.  Talarath was knocked to the side by the combined force of Apsu, Genma, and Ranma while Soun took the opportunity to get Haratsu and drag him away from the war-zone.  He looked down to see Haratsu blink slightly, even though his stomach and chest were badly wounded.

"Get me... the other... sword."  Haratsu said before coughing up more blood.

"The sword?"  Soun asked, confused.

"Hur..ry.." Haratsu managed to say.  Soun spotted the sword across the room and ran to get it as the battle continued.

Apsu continued his onslaught against Talarath, striking with all of his speed and strength. Talarath grabbed Apsu's head and slammed it into the wall beside him, rattling his senses, but not being powerful enough to weaken Apsu's rage attack.   He screamed and thrust his hands upward, knocking Talarath's arm away, then plowed ahead with a hadoken chi blast.

Ranma squinted and fought half blind as the continious blasts of energy overwhelmed her sight. She kicked hard at Talarath's legs from behind, causing the demon to lose its balance.  Then opened her eyes as Apsu finally ceased his attack.

	Soun made his way back to Haratsu and handed him the remaining sword.  Haratsu kept his eyes open and began to concentrate as hard as he could. Soun watched as Haratsu's wounded abdomen was engulfed by a flickering blue aura.  The aura glazed along Haratsu's bleeding body, and instantly began to stitch together broken bone and mend burnt flesh.	When Haratsu stood, he saw Talarath slam into a wall.  The demon lord's legs were buckled beneath him, and Haratsu saw that the it was holding a gaping wound with it's left hand.  A stream of black energy seeped out of the wound.

	"Okay, you've lost!  Now where are the girls?"  Ranma demanded as she cupped her hands in front of her and began to build energy for the final blow.

	"They are... closer than you think."  Talarath responded with his deep, even voice.

	"Don't give me that crap!  Where are they?"  The energy of the Mouka Takabisha began to glow from Ranma's palms as she asked the question.  Apsu quickly located his father, and moved to join him as Ranma continued to build energy.

	"Go ahead, fire... I am sure you can find them on your own with me out of the way."  He dropped his left arm to his side, revealing a large, burning wound which Apsu had delivered to him. 

	"Good point," Ranma said as she prepared to fire.

[...]

	Akane's breath continued to quicken as she recalled as many memories that angered her as she could handle. She clenched her fists and opened her eyes, which burned an azure blue.  She walked to the wall she thought the disturbances were coming from, and slowly drew back.  She then punched at the wall and released the energies of the sugoiken, and retreated quickly as the sparkling blue energy began to phase through the wall.

[...]

	"Mouka Takabisha!"  Ranma roared as she released her remaining stores of energy.  As the energy slammed into Talarath she saw a blue flicker on the wall behind the demon lord.  The flicker became a wave of blue energy that Ranma recognized instantly.  She ceased her own blast in mid-strike and ran for cover as the wall exploded violently, sending shards of rock slamming into her and everyone in the room.  Ranma was knocked off her feet and into Ryouga, who then fell from the force. The blast ceased, and Ranma looked up into a dense fog of dust.  He began coughing as the dust entered his lungs. Genma had managed to stay on his feet, and Ryouga was plastered on the ground behind Ranma

	"What was that?"  Ryouga asked between coughs as he rose to his knees.

	"That," Ranma began, "Was Akane in a bad mood."  Blood trickled down her face, and her shirt was shredded from the blast, showing the yellow pajamas beneath her normal clothing. "Akane!  Where are you?"

	"She's right here."  Just as Ranma recognized Talarath's voice, Akane slammed into her, knocking Ranma back again.  Ranma cushioned Akane's fall and rolled her to the side.  "You ok?"  She asked quickly.

	"I've been better," She replied, "but it's no big deal."

	"Stay back... I'm going to finish this guy off and we can get out of here."  He stood as the dust began to settle near the ground.

	"I assure you that you aren't about to finish me off. I am tired of hearing your empty threats.  I will eliminate you and your friends, and then I will enjoy a long session of torturing your precious Akane as reparations for the trouble I have went through to acquire you."

	"Like hell you will," Ryouga said as he stood up beside Ranma, "You'll have to kill me first."  His face was still badly hurt, and his nose and eyes were swollen.  He stood defiant beside Ranma despite the pain.

	"I believe that was exactly what I just said I will do."  Talarath stepped forward, and Ranma could see that the gaping wound was gone.  Ranma separated herself from Ryouga and waited for Talarath to make a move.

	"Apsu, are you okay?"  Haratsu asked as he eyes Talarath,

	"How... how did you take that shot?"  A new stream of tears erupted from Apsu as he collapsed into his father and latched onto him tightly.  Haratsu saw a large bruise and swelling on the side of Apsu's forehead, and healed it while he allowed Apsu to regain his composure.

	"Yes, I'm alive.  You didn't expect me to die from a mere demon lord's attack, did you?"  He backed up and held Apsu by the shoulders as sounds of heavy fist fighting came from the battlefield.  "Listen, I want you to go find Michelle.  I'll deal with Talarath personally."  He released Apsu and began to walk toward Talarath when Apsu grabbed his left wrist.

	"No.  Let me take him.  I can handle it!  Let me use Um and Yang.  Please..."

	Haratsu paused for a few seconds, and looked his son in the eye.  He saw a spark of determination that would be difficult to put down, "Okay, I think you can handle it.  Talarath is on his last burst of energy... that is for certain.  If you can hold out until his reserves are gone he will become an easy opponent if you still possess the swords."

	Apsu took the swords, and cringed when their energy flowed into him and replenished his own depleted reserves.  He sighed as the crystal blue spark returned to his eyes, and his body returned to its top condition.  Haratsu left in search of Michelle and Apsu walked slowly to the entrance and leaned up against the wall.

	"Hey, Talarath."  He called out

	Talarath ignored Apsu and held Ryouga in the air by the neck, strangling him.  A bolt of chi energy slammed into him, and rippled around his body.  He dropped the limp, unconscious Ryouga and faced Apsu.  Ranma backed off and waited for an opening.

	"What, are you so eager to die, Tetsumi?"  Talarath asked.
	
	"I'm eager to send you back to the burning pits of hell where you belong," he turned to Ranma, "Get Akane out of here man, I'm going to take it from here."

	"Are you crazy? You can't handle him alone!"

	"Ranma, I don't think you've ever seen me in top condition.  Get Akane, and get her out of here before she gets hurt!"  He eyed Talarath closely as he spoke, the demon lord stood absolutely still.

	"Nobody is leaving unless I am beaten first, you fool!"  He aimed his palm at Apsu and fired a bolt of energy similar to the one that had impaled Haratsu earlier.  Apsu stood in place as a barrier deflected the blast around him.  He felt slightly weak for a second, but was quickly replenished with more energy from his seemingly infinite reserves.

	Akane ran up beside Ranma, who motioned for her to follow.  Ranma led Akane to the hallway that led to the mouth of the cave and paused when she passed up Apsu.  "I hope you know what you're doing, I'll be waiting for you outside. Good luck."  She continued walking, holding Akane's hand the entire time. 

	Apsu walked toward Ryouga, "Talarath, once everyone is out of here I think we can finish this.  If you win, everyone will be just outside and you can finish the fight there.  If I am weak enough to be beaten by you with only your last bit of strength left, then I deserve to die here."  He raised a healing aura around Ryouga, who began to moan with ing Apsu had gathered on the level ground where he had fought Talarath 20 years ago.  Haratsu walked down and joined them, when he observed that everyone except for Soun, Kasumi, and Nabiki looked like hell.

"Apsu has engaged Talarath." He said as he sat down on some wet grass.

"He's crazy for doing this alone, and you're crazy for letting him," Ranma said.

"Right now he is our best chance.  I have been weakened severely, your body isn't made to be patched together 500 times faster than its own healing rate by a field of energy. Ryouga might be able to take one or two more hits before he is gone, and everyone else is exhausted.  With Um, Yang, and his young body he will win, if any of us would."

 [...]

	Apsu took a shot to his face, and slashed at Talarath with both of the swords.  The impact sent a slashing ripple of energy across Talarath, which exploded brilliantly.  Talarath responded with a quick series of jabs and kicks, which Apsu barely evaded with a combination of dodges and blocks.  He hopped back and released a blast of chi as a distraction, then ran back into Talarath with both swords swinging.  They clasped against Talarath's arms, and Talarath slammed his fist into Apsu's face, causing him to lose his coordination.  Apsu stumbled back, and Talarath grasped his neck tightly.

	"Enjoy."  Talarath said as he slammed his other fist into Apsu's stomach, driving it forward with immense strength.  Apsu's mouth opened as his breath was knocked out of him. He began to shudder in pain and lack of air, then closed his eyes and summoned the swords energy to counteract the damage.  He opened his eyes, and through his red tinted vision he saw Talarath drawing back once again.  He attempted to slash with the swords, but his arms were falling limp. As Talarath's fist slammed into his stomach, a flickering blue aura engulfed his body.

	"Just how long do your toys last, anyway?"  Talarath said as he drew back again,

	"Long enough... to kill you."  Apsu's voice was extremely weak, but still carried a tone of sarcasm to it.

	Talarath thrust his fist forward, when a blinding flash of energy engulfed Apsu. As his fist slammed into Apsu the aura became red around the area of impact and the energy began to erupt explosively around his arm.

	Apsu gasped for air as Talarath released his hold on him.  He fell to the ground, barely managing to stand.  The aura of healing energy around him brightened in intensity, and he could see a lava-like fluid flowing off of Talarath's right hand, and his left arm was covered in it.  He backed off several steps, then shouted in victory.

	"You have a problem with doctors, eh? I should have thought of this a long time ago."  He began walking toward Talarath.  Talarath released a burst of energy, which arced along Apsu's barrier. "You know, I wonder what else I can do to you before I send you back to hell."

	Talarath roared violently and fired several volleys of energy at Apsu. Apsu stood his ground while the blasts of destructive energy slammed into the barrier which the swords had raised around him, and stepped back in pain when the final shot penetrated his shielding. 

	"Nice try.  My turn."  Apsu ran at Talarath, and slashed hard with the swords.  Talarath raised his left arm to block the sword, and roared in pain when his arm was sliced off at the elbow.  Thick, sputtering red fluid flowed from his joint, and he punched forward with his right hand.  The healing aura seared it as he struck Apsu directly in the face.  Apsu thrust the swords into Talarath's chest, and slashed them to the side hard.  He then backed off, sweat drenching his entire body.  A flash of light rippled in front of him, and when it cleared Talarath was gone.  No body remained, just a small flame on the ground where his enemy had stood in his final moments.

	The healing aura around Apsu began to fade, and he began to walk toward the exit of the chamber as the torches flickered and died out.  His mind raced with a jumble of thoughts and emotions, and when he reached the mouth of the cave he shielded his eyes from the sun and looked down to see the assembled group.  He smiled, and walked down to meet them.

[...] 

A trolley full of tourists and Japanese made its way down Mt. Fuji.  The fog was thick, and limited visibility extremely.  As the trolley continued its descent the driver saw a man in the middle of the road waving his arms in distress.  The driver stopped the trolley and the man got on, paid the standard fee, and took a seat without speaking.  The driver kept an eye on his new passenger and he could swear he saw a red glimmer cross his eyes.  He decided he had been working too much recently and started the trolley again.  He did have a schedule to keep, after all.

[...]

	Apsu sat next to Michelle and pulled her close to him.  She returned the gesture, and Apsu sighed and relaxed his grip on her.  He placed Um and Yang on the ground, and looked into her eyes.  The rest of the world seemed to become distant as Michelle's lips drew closer to his, then the world completely blacked out and Apsu fell to the side.

	"Umm... Apsu, are you okay?"  she asked as she looked over him.  He was sprawled out on the ground, unconscious.  "He never did that before..." she said, confused.

	"It wasn't you, Michelle," Haratsu said, pointing to the swords of Um and Yang, "Those swords were the only thing keeping him awake. I suppose he does need some sleep."

	Ranma looked at Ryouga, his eyes and nose were deep purple, and his nose arced to the side in the center, "Hey Ryouga, thanks for the help... I, um... appreciate it."

	Ryouga looked at Ranma, then shifted his gaze to Akane.  The look of concern on her face made him look away. "Helping Akane was worth it," he slipped on his backpack and placed the umbrella back into it's holding rack. "I'll be leaving now, I've been allowing myself to slack off of my training, and this is the result."

	Ranma shrugged and looked back to Akane, who pushed at her shoulders and motioned to Ryouga.  Ranma nodded, and turned back to Ryouga when he was about 10 feet away, "Hey Ryouga, stick around with us for a while and we can train together sometime... Maybe we can exchange techniques or something."

	Ryouga paused for a second, then turned and began walking toward Ranma, "I guess so, training on your own can get boring sometimes... Thanks, for the offer."

	Haratsu stood and looked at the surrounding terrain, "Since the van was smashed, we're going to have to find a bus stop or trolley station.  Under normal circumstances I wouldn't mind walking back but I think everyone could use some rest right now.  Ryouga, if you would like, I can take care of your injuries after we return to Nerima."

	"Arigato," Ryouga replied.

	Ranma leaned back onto the ground and looked up at the sky.  She stretched her arms above her head, and yawned sleepily.

	Akane looked down at Ranma, and saw that the top to the Various Martial Arts uniform had been torn in several places.  She noticed a yellow material under one of the rips and examined it while Ranma yawned.  "Are you getting sleepy, Ranma?"  she asked, "I see you dressed for the occasion."

	Ranma sat up, with a perplexed look on her face, "What are you talking about?"  Akane pointed at one of the larger rips in the uniform.

	Ranma looked down, and sure enough, Akane's yellow pajamas could be seen under her shirt. "I, um... that is I..." Ranma's attempt to explain herself died before it started as Akane erupted in laughter.

	"What's so funny?" Ranma asked, Akane's laughter wasn't her normal 'got you' laugh, her face was turning red and she was near the point of convulsing.  After a moment, she regained her composure.  Everyone except for Apsu was now looking at the pair.

	"Ranma, if you like my clothes you could have told me a long time ago!"

	Ranma sighed, "Why me?"

End Chapter 8


This fanfic began in a frustrated attempt to recover from a string of bad and aborted fanfics that I had written when I first began writing in the summer of 95. I basically thought it would be cool for Akane to have a special technique, to throw some new characters in, and to have a big fight at the end... Well, for me it has evolved far beyond that in the year I have been planning and working on this fanfic. The thing I learned most is to never give up on a good idea you have, even if it doesn't work out at first. I hope you all liked my first 'good' fanfic, and I promise that there are many more on the way, and they will improve each time. I've already started on the sequel, and part three is being planned.

- 8/17/97

It's been many months since I finished A Demon's Delight, and I still haven't had a chance to release the final version on the internet. I had planned an additional chapter which would 'seal up' the story and allow me to leave it behind, but I never found a way to close the story in such a way. I have planned and plotted, and replanned and replotted, outlines for possible sequels. At this time I am writing the first chapter of the third 'incarnation' of the sequel, as my first two plans were basically repetitions of the original. I've thrown some more plans into it, and a few surprises for both the original characters and my own, and I expect to be done with it in a few months. All that remains in the planning is how to fill in time between some key events. Well, I've taken up enough of your time, so I'll get back to work on the sequel!   -     12/10/97

Hehe, See? Even my author's notes are old :)

Draxonx@bellsouth.net