Thomas R Jefferys wrote:
Yo. I decided to get off my duff and finish up the next "Huntress" chapter.
And now, without any further ado, here is chapter 4...
Cool! This is much better than chapter 3 (IMHO). I can't wait to see
how this all turns out. However, one thing kept occuring to me as I
read the scene where Shampoo beats the @$$%^ out of Ranma. Given the
way Ranma's mind works, and assuming everyone survives, this is quite
likely.....
Months after the end of "Huntress".....
Shampoo knocked carefully at the door, not at all sure she should be
there. It opened hestitantly, to reveal Akane. Akane's couldn't stop
herself from flinching upon seeing the vampiress, but she determinedly
kept her fears in check.
"Come in, please." Akane stepped away from the door and beckoned for
Shampoo to enter.
Shampoo walked inside, closing the door behind herself. She decided to
dispense with the preliminaries. "Why did you call me here Akane? You
know it's dangerous for me to be anywhere around. You and Ranma should
just go back to living your lives."
Akane took a deep breath. "That's just the problem. Ranma can't seem
to go back." She pulled up a chair and dropped into it, wearily rubbing
her eyes. "You see, Ranma.... after we got married, he stopped training
so hard. Oh, he kept up his skills, but it just wasn't as important to
him that he be the best anymore. I guess he had.... other things on his
mind."
Shampoo flahed her a knowing grin, but it didn't seem to cheer Akane up.
"Anyway, like I said he slowed down, stopped learning as fast. It
starting taking him years to advance as far as he did in a month back in
the old days. Now, now all that's changed..."
"Why?" Shampoo still didn't see why she should be involved, but she was
curious in spite of herself.
"You changed it!" For a moment Akane boiled over in anger before
collapsing back into the chair. "After our... troubles, Ranma couldn't
get it out of his head. He couldn't seem to forget that there were-"
Akane's voice dropped to a whisper, though the house was soundproofed,
"Vampires and mages and who knows what else out there."
Akane smacked her fist into the palm of her hand, for a moment unable to
continue.
"Go on," prodded Shampoo.
"He'd always thought he was strong enough, skilled enough. He thought
he could protect us from anything out there. You showed him
differently. Shampoo, he's gone back into training. Like back in the
old days, only more so. He's even dragged Ryouga into it with him.
Said he needed a sparring partner."
"What's so bad about that? I don't see how it can hurt anything if
Ranma gets a little stronger, and he's bound to slow down sooner or
later."
Akane jumped to her feet. "A little better! I think I'd better show
you for yourself." She began walking towards the rear of the house,
towards the training yard. "He's obssessed. He and Ryouga spend all
day and all night training. And now it's not just his ego at stake.
He's convinced he has to become better, to become good enough to protect
me. He convinced Ryouga of it too."
She paused before the door, and turned to face Shampoo again. "Back in
the old days, he'd train hard enough to learn something or win a duel,
then he'd slack off again. Now he isn't slacking off and he's learning
faster than ever. Ranma is more than a _little_ better."
She opened the back door to reveal Ranma and Ryouga. They were....
floating. Their battle auras surrounded them and a constant stream of
Ki blasts swarmed between the two of them, trying to overwhelm each
other. A gasp suddenly sounded from a beside Shampoo and her constant
spirit companion faded into existance.
"Mousse, what is it?" Shampoo didn't like the look on the wraith's
face.
"I recognize this from before, from back in the old days. Their
power looks like... like that of Herb."
Now Shampoo looked unsteady. Herb had been powerful enough to blow up a
mountain. "They can't each be as strong as Herb."
"Yes. They. Are." Akane hissed. "This is just one of their light
training sessions. Their heavy sessions are far too dangerous to hold
here anymore."
"Herb had the blood of dragons! No mortals could-"
Akane cut Shampoo off. "They found a way. They're convinced they have
to protect me. Shampoo, you have to talk some sense into them. Please,
you're my last hope. Otherwise, who knows where it will end?"
Mesmerized by the battle before her, Shampoo couldn't find it within
herself to answer. The two fighters looked different. Not younger
precisely, but they radiated power, and when they moved, it was almost
too fast for Shampoo, Shampoo the terror of the Kindred, to see.
Shampoo took a deep breath. She didn't need to, but there are times in
one's existance when one has to take a deep breath. She moved forward to
confront Ranma.
Hmmmmmmm. Well, it's a possibility.