All existing chapters of this story may be found at:
http://www.rigroup.com/~grayson/relentless


(...continued from first half)

------

The search for Happosai was turning out to be far more difficult 
than Ranma had anticipated.  Patience was not his finest virtue - 
he had hoped to be able to find the withered pervert within a 
matter of days, or a week at most.  But China (as Ryouga had noted 
astutely) was big... really big.  Nabiki's efforts to locate the 
geezer had helped to give them some direction in their search, but 
she could only guide them up to a point.  After they'd finally 
sorted the translation debacle out, Ranma had been able to determine 
that they had indeed been through some of the places where Happosai 
had recently struck. It was true that some of the descriptions of 
the panty thief they'd gotten had been pretty vague, but there was 
no mistaking Happosai's pattern.

Ranma had been giving a lot of thought to what he would do when he 
caught up with the old goat.  He was going to have to pound the 
truth out of Happosai, that was for sure... but it wasn't going to 
be an easy fight.  The ancient martial artist had shown a 
willingness to go to desperate measures when he thought his life 
was threatened.  If Cologne was right, and the only way to get 
the Reikoku off his own trail was to redirect it towards Happosai, 
the old panty-thief would do anything in his power to prevent that 
from happening.  Ranma had never really seen what Happosai was 
like if he was truly backed into a corner.  He had a feeling that 
throwing a bra into the air during the middle of the fight wouldn't 
be enough to tip the scales in his favor if Happosai's life were 
really on the line...

A nagging sensation of unease interrupted his train of thought.  
Ranma paused in mid-stride... and Ryouga did the same.  Both of 
them looked back down the dirt road along which they'd been 
traveling.

In the distance, a flock of egrets had taken wing.  

They were ascending into mountainous territory now, and had an 
excellent vantage point to view the territory they'd covered.  
A mild breeze was blowing against them, strong enough to obscure 
some of the sounds coming from behind them.  Still, Ranma could 
swear he heard some animal - perhaps a raccoon or a badger - 
chittering madly from the forest.

Ranma and Ryouga looked at one another doubtfully.  

"It can't have crossed the ocean already," Ranma assured his 
traveling companion.  

"Right," Ryouga agreed, too quickly.

"I mean, we told Nabiki how fast it moves, and she figured that 
it'd still be a few days behind us."

Ryouga nodded vigorously.  "Of course!  Nothing to fear."

Something rustled in the trees beside the road.  A small family 
of deer erupted from the undergrowth, bolted across the dirt path, 
and plunged into the forest at full speed.  They were a little 
closer than the egrets had been.

Ranma turned to Ryouga with a big, artificial smile on his face.  
"Well!  I sure need some exercise!  How about we run a little?"

"Great idea!" Ryouga agreed, his voice cracking a bit mid-sentence.  
"Let's go!"

The two boys began to jog.  This lasted for about four steps before 
they simultaneously broke into a dead sprint.

"Terrific day for a run!" Ranma shouted.  He was straining gamely 
to sound nonchalant.

"Oh!  Invigorating!" Ryouga yelled back.  His own voice had taken 
on a somewhat manic edge.  The two of them kicked up a rather 
substantial cloud of dust as they tore up the trail.  

Ranma remembered what Nabiki has said about using means of 
artificial transport to their advantage.  He tried to recall 
the details of the map he'd been studying the night before, 
wondering if there was some place close by where the two of them 
might be able to hop a boat or a train that would take them towards 
their destination.  After all, even though he told himself that 
there was no WAY the thing could really be behind them right now, 
it sure couldn't hurt to get a bit more of a lead on it...

Both he and Ryouga were caught completely off guard by the splash 
of cold water which they suddenly encountered.

Ranma-chan skidded to a halt, spluttering and clearing her eyes.  
She had a vague impression of a figure perched on a rock beside 
the road.  With her vision still blurry from the dousing she'd 
just received, she couldn't make him out clearly... but the voice 
told her all she needed to know.

"Well, well.  If it isn't fem-boy and pork chop.  Fancy meeting 
you here."

"Aw man!" Ranma-chan exclaimed in frustration.  "Outta a billion 
and a half people in this country, why the heck did we have to 
run into YOU?"

Ranma-chan's vision cleared as she blinked the water out of her 
eyes - there was no mistaking the person before her.  The scaly 
vest and bracers, the delicate curls of hair dangling down in 
front of his ears, the superior expression, the distinctive sash 
he wore - it could only be Pantyhose Tarou.  He was probably the 
last person in the world that Ranma-chan wanted to encounter right 
now.

P-chan squealed angrily at Tarou, recognizing the Chinese martial 
artist as well.  Tarou ignored the small black piglet - in this 
form, he was beneath notice.  His attention was reserved solely 
for Ranma-chan.

Tarou hopped down from the rock upon which he'd been resting and 
crossed his arms, sneering disdainfully at the wet girl and piglet 
before him.  "Honestly, little girl, sometimes I think you make an 
effort to be stupid.  Do you really think that encountering me here 
was a coincidence?"

Ranma-chan blinked, taking a moment to comprehend.  "Of course!  
You're chasin' the old geezer too!"

Tarou chuckled and flipped his bangs away from his eyes.  "Naturally.  
Once I learned that repulsive little troll had come to China, it 
seemed like a perfect opportunity to catch up with him and settle 
matters between us.  Finding out that you were here too is just an 
added bonus."

<Uh oh,> Ranma-chan thought.  "Look man, I ain't got time t'mess 
with you here, okay?  If you're half as smart as you think you 
are, you'll get the hell out of here while you still have the 
chance!"

Tarou's eyes took on a dangerous gleam.  Ranma-chan had been 
thinking of the Reikoku when she spoke, but it had come out 
sounding very much like a threat.  "Oh ho, girly-boy.  It seems 
we have the same idea."  

Ranma-chan's eyes went wide as Tarou leaped suddenly to attack.  
The Chinese youth was every bit as dangerous a martial artist as 
Ranma-chan remembered, and she frantically dodged and blocked a 
wicked combination of punches and kicks.  

Tarou pressed his attack confidently.  He viewed Ranma with an 
acidic loathing that even he barely understood.  The mere sight 
of the pig-tailed martial artist awakened in him burning contempt, 
as well as a primal need to inflict pain.  He critically analyzed 
Ranma-chan's defenses as he continued his assault.  <She dodges 
low, then blocks... then tries that spin... there should be an 
opening if I maintain pressure on the left...>

Somewhere in the distance, an owl awoke from its daytime slumber 
and took wing, screeching in terror.

<I don't got time for this!> Ranma-chan thought, fear beginning 
to seize her mind.

"What's the matter, fem-boy?" Tarou teased.   "You're fighting 
like a gir..."

Suddenly, Tarou's world vanished in a maelstrom of fists and pain.  
Ranma-chan caught him dead-center in a panic-driven Amaguriken 
attack.  Tarou's first reflex was to try to dodge the attacks, 
then to try to block them.  It became apparent immediately that 
neither strategy was going to protect him.  Ranma-chan's blows 
were coming so fast that the air was beginning to heat up from 
the friction of her fists hissing along their punishing 
trajectories.  Tarou realized that the only defense was to simply 
let go and allow the force of the blows to knock him clear.  He 
relaxed his stance, rolling with the assault, and suddenly he 
was hurtling through the air.  

Tarou tumbled to the ground a half a dozen meters away from 
Ranma-chan, reflexively rolling to his feet upon landing.  Blood 
trickled from his nose and lip, his body ached in a hundred 
different places.  Ranma-chan had landed an insane number of 
punches in a matter of a couple of seconds.  Tarou felt like 
he'd been trampled by a stampede of wildebeests.  

<Careless!> he admonished himself.  He hadn't expected Ranma-chan 
to suddenly become so aggressive.  He also hadn't taken into 
account how much quicker the other martial artist was as a girl.  
Letting himself get caught in the middle of that attack had been 
unforgivably sloppy. 

Still, as dazed and unsteady as he was after taking so much 
damage, he still hadn't lost his rapier wit.  "My, my..." he 
wheezed.  "You are in quite a mood today.  Is it that time of 
month?"

Ranma-chan flushed angrily and advanced, ready to press the attack 
while her opponent was still mostly stunned.  She pulled up short 
when she saw Tarou reach behind his back and produce a flask of 
water.  Tarou grinned nastily and held the flask over his head, 
ready to pour.

"Now, now, little girl," he taunted.  "You wouldn't want me to 
have to use THIS, would you?"

Tarou wasn't sure if he really wanted to use his powerful cursed 
form right now or not, but the threat of it would keep Ranma-chan 
at bay for a moment while he recovered from the punishment he'd 
endured.  

"Look, Pan... Tarou," Ranma-chan said.  There was fear in her 
eyes, the source of which Tarou misinterpreted as being himself.  
"This ain't the time or place to settle things between us, okay?"

"Oh, I think it is," Tarou growled menacingly.  He glared for a 
moment at the black piglet, who was squealing urgently and 
incessantly.  He wished that idiot would have the decency to 
shut up.  "I think this is the perfect time."

"You gotta listen to me!" Ranma-chan pleaded.  "There's somethin' 
comin' after us, and you don't wanna be in the way when it..."

Ranma-chan broke off in mid-sentence.  She looked past Tarou and 
down the road, her eyes widening in horror.  Tarou pivoted to get 
a look at the thing which had his rival so badly spooked.

The black-robed figure shambling up the road didn't really look 
like much at a distance.  True, there was something about the way 
it moved that seemed twisted and unnatural, something about the 
maddeningly consistent pace it kept which was unsettling... 
something about the very sight of it which struck fear and revulsion 
into Tarou's heart...

Tarou understood what was happening.  Whoever or whatever it was 
coming their way was putting out some sort of psychic terror aura.  
It was similar to the projection of menace that a dangerous martial 
artist could use to intimidate foes, but it was almost palpable in 
its intensity.  

Tarou angrily refused to let himself get intimidated by some sort 
of cheap ESP trick.  Fem-boy and that stupid pig were obviously 
incapable of resisting the power of this psychic attack, but that 
was because they were weak of mind.  He brought to bear his 
intellect and will to control the fear which the oncoming thing 
was trying to generate within him, and he soon found that he 
could keep the emotions under control.   Tarou sneered at the 
two so-called martial-artists who were teetering on the verge of 
outright panic, shaking his head in disgust.

"Is THAT what's turned you into such a coward?  What kind of man 
are you?  Ha ha!"  

Ranma-chan was ready to turn and run when she realized that P-Chan 
was on the verge of bolting in terror.  Evidently, when he was in 
his animal form, Ryouga was more vulnerable to the terror field of 
the Reikoku, and was going to react as other animals did when 
confronted with the unnatural thing.  She knew that if she lost 
track of P-Chan, the little pig was as good as doomed.  She managed 
to lunge for the terrified piglet just as he lost control and 
started to run.  Ranma-chan had a hold of his rear leg, desperately 
trying to keep her grip as the piglet twisted frantically.  

Tarou watched this display with contempt.  "Oh really, this is 
beyond sad.  Do you need me to take care of your little problem, 
Fem-boy?  Is that it?"

Ranma-chan reeled the struggling P-Chan in and got a firmer grip 
on his tiny form.  "Run away, Pantyhose!  You don't know what that 
thing can do!"

"Bah," Tarou scoffed.  He turned towards the approaching Reikoku.  
The psychic fear aura got stronger as the thing approached, but 
Tarou refused to allow himself to be affected by this attack.  He 
addressed the shambling thing.  "You seem to get a kick out of 
scaring people.  Want to see something really scary?"

Tarou emptied the flask over his head, and immediately changed.

Pantyhose Tarou's cursed form was a bizarre and grotesque 
amalgamation of several different creatures.  He had been 
baptized in what was probably the strangest spring in Jusenkyo - 
the spring of the drowned yeti, riding a bull, carrying a crane 
and an eel.  Much later in life, he had also used the water of 
the spring of the drowned giant octopus.  The thing he became when 
he was splashed was a synthesis of all these beings - a hulking 
minotaur-like monstrosity, with wings protruding from its 
shoulders, tentacles sprouting from its back, and an eel where 
its tail should have been.  When someone saw him change for the 
first time, they were inevitably shocked and terrified.

The Reikoku didn't even miss a step.

The lack of reaction from the black-robed thing angered Tarou even 
further.  He let out a roar of rage which echoed like thunder 
through the woods, then took an earth-shaking step towards the 
oncoming Reikoku.  It didn't even acknowledge his existence - it 
just kept shambling towards the horrified Ranma-chan and P-Chan.  
It looked as if it would simply walk by the monstrous Pantyhose 
Tarou as if he weren't even there.

This was intolerable.  Tarou was accustomed to many different 
kinds of reactions to his alter ego, but he had never been abjectly 
ignored.  He reared back and drove an anvil-like fist towards the 
unearthly thing before him.

The Reikoku perceived the incoming attack and immediately noticed 
Tarou.  It evaded the mammoth fist and countered with astonishing 
ferocity.  It leaped at Tarou, slashing at his eyes with sickle-
like claws.  Tarou jerked back reflexively, and the Reikoku's 
strikes left shallow cuts along his face.  He stumbled back in 
surprise, taken off-guard by the way the thing had switched from 
ignoring him to attacking him with murderous savagery in the blink 
of an eye.

Ranma-chan held P-Chan tightly under one arm and unlimbered her 
pack.  Pantyhose had attacked it - that changed everything.  She 
was pretty sure that he'd be able to deal with the thing while he 
was in his cursed form, so they didn't really need to run away.  
She wasn't going to be able to do much of anything while she was 
trying to keep P-Chan from bolting, though, so the first priority 
was to get some hot water.  With her free hand, she scooped together 
a pile of sticks, then retrieved her lighter fluid, matches, and 
kettle from the pack.  She knew she'd have to work quickly...

Tarou realized how much he had become accustomed to intimidating 
his foes with his size and power in a battle.  It was apparent to 
him that he'd been relying on that psychological edge now that he 
was facing a foe that was not at all intimidated by his presence.  
The Reikoku attacked with a berserk fury that would have put a 
wolverine to shame, targeting Tarou's throat and eyes with its 
relentless attacks.  

Tarou swung his head and nicked it with a horn as it made another 
lunge towards his eyes.  The thing barely seemed to acknowledge the 
injury, but it was thrown off for a moment.  He pressed his attack 
with the tentacles, only to jerk back in pain as the Reikoku lashed 
out and cut deep wounds in the rubbery flesh.  It leaped in again, 
moving like a blur, trying to lay open his throat with its razor-
keen claws.

Tarou had taken just about enough of this.  If the thing wanted 
savagery, he'd show it savagery...

Tarou charged into the monster's attack, using his sheer bulk and 
strength to overwhelm the Reikoku.  He pounded it away from him 
with a headbutt, then followed up with a pair of devastating 
punches with oversized fists.  The Reikoku's chitinous armor 
shattered under the force of these blows, and the thing reeled 
and tumbled to the dirt.  It bounded up again almost immediately, 
pressing its attack once more, but Tarou had adapted to its strategy 
and counterattacked with a punishing blow.  

This time, he didn't give it time to rise.  He brought down one of 
his vast hooves like a piledriver, pulverizing the beast with 
crushing force.  The earth rocked as he stomped on the Reikoku 
again and again, relishing the feel of its armor buckling and 
splintering beneath his hoof.  Finally, the black-robed thing 
stopped struggling.  Tarou backed away, regarding the creature that 
lay inert in the small crater with satisfaction.  

He spared a glance at the two martial artists who had been watching 
the conflict (they'd been no help at all, Pantyhose noted ruefully).  
It seemed that Saotome had managed to turn her stupid friend back 
into what passed for human with him.  They stood beside the small 
fire they'd made, both looking worried.

<No wonder they were so pitifully scared,> Tarou thought.  <That 
monster would have made mincemeat out of either of those two.>

Ranma-chan looked up at Tarou and spread her hands in a pacifying 
gesture.  "It looks like you're in this too, Tarou.  I know it 
sounds weird, but that thing is gonna come back from the dead, 
see, and now it's gonna chase you just like it's chasin' us."  
She scratched the back of her head, looking confused.  "Maybe 
you'd better come with us now..."

Tarou shook his ponderous head in a gesture of loathing.  <So 
the thing regenerates, is that it?  Well, we shall see about 
that, won't we...>

With surprising speed and dexterity, Tarou extended a pair of 
tentacles towards Ranma-chan.  The girl leaped back defensively, 
but Tarou was aiming elsewhere.  With one tentacle, he snagged 
the canister of lighter fluid, and with the other he plucked a 
burning brand from the small fire.  

"Hey, what..." Ranma-chan began.

Tarou ignored her.  Saotome was a feeble-minded cross-dresser who 
was incapable of even the most elementary feats of cognition or 
thought.  If this monster, whatever it was, regenerated even 
after you beat it, then the obvious solution was to destroy it 
so thoroughly that it couldn't come back.  He doubted the thing 
would be able to piece itself together if it was burned to ash 
and scattered across half of China.  

Tarou tossed the lighter fluid and the burning stick onto the 
Reikoku.  Ranma-chan shouted a warning, but it came too late - 
and Tarou would not have heeded, anyway.  The black robes of the 
Reikoku went up like dry kindling, and the thing was engulfed in 
a bright fireball.

"Oh no," Ranma-chan whispered.

The burning heap began to shift.  Tarou took a heavy step backwards, 
regarding the smoldering figure with disbelief.  They watched it 
rise to its feet in the angry flames, the light from its three red 
eyes piercing the thick smoke like lasers.  The blazing fire 
coating its robes abruptly sputtered and died, as if it had been 
sucked into the very darkness of the being.  The Reikoku stepped 
forward from the blackened patch of ground, the damage done by 
Tarou and the fire utterly healed.

Tarou grunted in irritation.  So flame revived it - that was 
merely an inconvenience.  Certainly it was a vicious little brute, 
but he had take its measure and knew he could best it easily again.  
The trick seemed to be getting it to stay down... perhaps it could 
be encased in concrete and dumped in the sea, or maybe burying it 
under tons of rock would be the answer.  In any case, he had to 
crush the stupid thing again.  The earth trembled under Pantyhose 
Tarou's mighty hooves as he advanced on the Reikoku once more, 
ready for battle.

The Reikoku brought forth a strange appendage from its robes, 
like a warped fusion of an arm and an elephant's trunk.  As Tarou 
reared back to deliver a pulverizing blow, it launched a blast of 
water from its new arm.  

It was hot water.

Suddenly, Tarou was human once more - smaller, weaker, and far more 
vulnerable.  He staggered back in shock, totally unprepared for 
this turn of events.  The Reikoku was on him before he knew it. 

He could have sworn it was faster this time.  He dodged and blocked 
reflexively, but the thing pressed its merciless attack.  Gashes 
and cuts opened up across his body where its strikes hit home.  The 
few counterattacks that Tarou managed to attempt glanced harmlessly 
off the armored hide of the creature, not even slowing it down.  

"Run, Pantyhose!" Ranma-chan shouted.

Tarou tried to turn and escape, but he was caught by a brutal 
backhanded strike across the temple.  His knees buckled, his 
vision blurred.  Another blow slashed deep into his shoulder, 
then something like a cannonball hit him in the chest.  Tarou 
was blown off his feet and hurtled through the air, until he was 
slammed into the boulder upon which he'd been perched as he'd 
waited for Ranma-chan and Ryouga to come down the road.  The stone 
shattered with the impact.  Tarou's body came to rest in the rubble, 
where he lay prone and unconscious.

The Reikoku moved in for the kill.

Ranma-chan acted without thinking, leaping towards Tarou's fallen 
form to haul him out of harm's way.  Ryouga took a step forward as 
well, but he couldn't match Ranma-chan's speed.  A small part of 
Ranma-chan's mind questioned why she was putting herself in jeopardy 
to save the life of her dire enemy, but there was no time to 
hesitate or to pull back.  All she could hope was that she would 
reach the fallen martial-artist before the Reikoku did...

Ranma-chan realized the moment that she reached Tarou and scooped 
the boy up from the rubble that she wasn't going to make it.  The 
Reikoku was only a step away, a hooked claw like a saber poised to 
slice both Ranma-chan and her burden wide open.  Ranma-chan held 
up a hand in a vain effort to ward off the strike... then something 
hit the Reikoku's square in the chest and exploded.   

The beast was rocked for a moment by this surprise attack, but a 
moment was all that Ranma-chan needed.  She leaped clear of the 
rubble.  

"This way!" came a yell from down the road.  Ranma-chan gaped in 
surprise as she recognized the voice.

"Ucchan?!"

"Ukyou-san?" Ryouga shouted.

"Hurry!"  Ukyou cried.  She was holding another of her specially-
made exploding okonomiyaki bombs, poised to hurl it at the Reikoku.  
It looked as if she wasn't going to need it, though - Ranma-chan 
and Ryouga were already pulling away from the Reikoku.  The creature 
had resumed its steady, unstoppable pace in pursuit.  She whirled 
and ran along with them as they caught up to her on the trail.

Ranma-chan blinked in surprise as Pantyhose Tarou was jerked free 
from her grasp.  Ryouga slung the unconscious martial artist over 
his shoulder, then picked up the pace.  The lost boy was far 
stronger than Ranma-chan, and could make better time with the 
heavier burden.  Ranma-chan knew that this was not the time to 
be macho about this sort of thing, and gratefully left the duty 
of carrying Tarou to Ryouga.

"Ucchan!" Ranma-chan huffed as she ran.  "How... what're you doin' 
here?"

"Nabiki told me where you were headed," the young chef explained.  
"I started there and worked my way backwards.  Looks like I found 
you just in time!"

"You... you moron!" Ranma-chan shouted.  She usually didn't talk 
to Ucchan like that, but she was both terrified and enraged about 
the implications of her friend's attack on the Reikoku.  "D'ya 
know what you've done?  That thing is gonna..."

"It's going to hunt me, too!" she finished.  She gave Ranma-chan a 
stubborn look.  "I don't care!  I couldn't let you face this 
alone!"

"He isn't alone," Ryouga grumbled irritably.  

"Uh... yeah," Ukyou said.  "Whatever."

"Where are we going?" Ranma-chan asked.  Thinking about the 
ramifications of having both Ukyou and Pantyhose along for the 
ride was too confusing for the moment - it was time to focus on 
the practical aspects of getting away from the Reikoku.

"I crossed a river about two miles away from here," Ukyou 
explained.  "There's a bunch of trees by it... we can make a 
raft and sail away from the thing.  That should buy us some 
time, you think?"

Ranma-chan nodded.  Being on the water was hardly ideal, especially 
with Pantyhose on board, but it would help them cover some ground.  
If they took shifts, they could even sleep on the raft, if 
necessary.  The only trick was building a suitable craft before 
their relentless pursuer caught up with them.

They covered the distance between themselves and the river 
practically at a full sprint.  Ukyou was badly winded by the 
time they reached the water, but Ranma-chan and Ryouga had 
astonishing stamina.  Ryouga borrowed Ukyou's spatula and began 
hacking up timber, which Ranma-chan bound with their ropes at 
spectacular speeds.  Ukyou decided to stay out of their way, and 
instead checked up on their unconscious companion.

"How is he?" Ranma-chan shouted over, not pausing in her work.

Ukyou inspected the boy's wounds.  She knew who he was from Ranma's 
descriptions of their encounters, though she'd never actually seen 
him in person.  She had somehow thought he would be taller.  He'd 
been pretty badly smashed around, but he was a martial artist in 
Ranma's league.  The bleeding from his scrapes and gashes had 
already stopped, and his pulse and breathing were regular and 
strong.

"He's going to make it."

"Wrap him up in the tent or somethin' so he don't get wet," 
Ranma-chan ordered.  "This raft ain't gonna hold up if he 
changes."

 Ukyou went to work on swaddling Tarou in one of the tents.  
Ranma-chan and Ryouga labored furiously towards the completion 
of the raft, each occasionally sparing a glance back up the road 
for signs of their adversary.  They couldn't hear much over the 
din of their own activity, but Ryouga caught a glimpse of a small 
flock of black birds fluttering madly into the sky a short distance 
away.

"Okay, it's ready!" Ranma-chan shouted, pulling back from the raft.

It was hardly a luxury liner, but it looked as if it would stay 
afloat.  Ryouga hefted the newly-made craft, pivoted, and lowered 
it into the water.  He kept a hold on a rope and let the raft 
settle into the river, watching critically for signs of leaks or 
instability.

"I don't know much about boats," Ryouga said, "but it looks okay 
to me..."

Ukyou eyed the wooden craft dubiously.  "You guys think that'll 
hold us all?"

The piercing screech of a terrified wild boar erupted from behind 
them.  It was very close...

The three martial artists wasted no time in loading themselves and 
their cargo onto the raft.  The Reikoku stalked into view just as 
they were pushing off from the shore.  Ukyou stood at back, trying 
to steer with her spatula, while Ranma-chan paddled and Ryouga 
poled along with his umbrella.  For a terrifying moment, it seemed 
like the raft was going to capsize from the unbalanced forces working 
to set it in motion, but then the current caught the tiny craft.  
The raft righted itself as Ukyou steered it into the center of the 
river.

"We did it!" Ranma-chan exclaimed in glee.

At first, it seemed as if the plan would work perfectly.  The 
current on this river was swift and strong, and it carried them 
quickly away from the Reikoku.  The black-robed creature took up 
a parallel course along the river bank, angling to intercept them, 
but it did not match their pace.  

Unfotunately, their pace was not consistent.  The river twisted and 
turned, while the Reikoku remained on an unerringly direct course 
towards its prey.  Sometimes it shambled into the water as it 
pursued to the point of being completely immersed, but it was able 
to ignore the resistance of the water effortlessly, never deviating 
from its speed or course for an instant.  They were not pulling away 
from it as quickly as they had hoped they might.

Keeping the craft afloat was becoming a serious challenge.  The 
river became narrower and rockier, and the current became perilous 
and unpredictable.  None of the three young fighters had any real 
experience with rafting, and now they were practically in whitewater 
with a slipshod boat underneath them.  And the Reikoku kept coming.

"This is bad!" Ranma-chan said nervously.

"Tell me about it!" Ryouga answered, jerking back from the edge of 
the raft just in time to avoid being doused by a splash of cold 
water.  He jabbed at a rock with his umbrella, shoving the raft 
aside moments before collision.  

"That thing's right on our backs," Ukyou informed them.  She was 
standing, and had a better vantage point to observe their pursuer.

"Don't watch it!" Ranma-chan told her.  "Just keep on steerin'!  
If we get past this rough part, maybe we'll be okay..."

Ukyou willed herself to look away from the morbidly fascinating 
site of the Reikoku as it shambled effortlessly across the harsh 
terrain, turning to face the front of the craft and concentrate 
on the job of steering.  Suddenly, her eyes went wide with horror 
at the sight of what lay before them.  "Oh no..." she croaked, her 
throat constricting.

"What?  What'd you say, Ucchan?"

"W... WATERFALL!"

"What?!"

Then they began to hear it - the thunderous rumble of tons of 
water plummeting over the lip of a sheer drop.  They were less 
than a minute away from the falls, and there was no place to pull 
ashore.  The current had them in its inexorable grip.

The three martial artists simply gaped for a long moment at the 
river before them as their craft raced towards the falls, struggling 
desperately to think of some way to escape the fate which awaited 
them.  Ranma-chan pounded her fist into her open palm - "I got it!  
Pantyhose!"

Ukyou stared at him.  For a second, she thought Ranma had gone 
berserk and was babbling about women's underwear.  

"What about him?" Ryouga asked desperately.

"He can fly!  Quick, dump him into the water!"

They didn't have anything better to try.  Ryouga stood up and 
kicked the bundled Tarou (none too gently), sending him rolling 
off the edge of the raft.  Immediately, he transformed into his 
monstrous cursed form, ripping free from the tent in which he'd 
been wrapped.  The sudden displacement of water created a wave 
that dangerously rocked the already unstable raft.  

Ranma-chan grabbed her pack and jumped onto Tarou's back, and was 
soon followed by the other two.  Tarou's snout was floating above 
water, allowing him to breathe, but he was still mostly unconscious.

Ranma-chan clambered up to Tarou's immense head and took hold of 
one of his bovine ears.  She took a deep breath, then screamed at 
the top of her lungs directly into the oversized ear.  "GET UP!"

Tarou's massive frame jerked.  The three teenagers struggled to 
keep their hold as Pantyhose Tarou jolted back into consciousness.  
He let out a grunt of surprise and disorientation.

"That thing's right behind us!" Ranma-chan screamed at him.  "Fly 
us outta here now!"

<Thing?  What... where...>  Tarou struggled to make sense of his 
surroundings.  He was in the water... he'd been in a fight, what 
had happened... there was some infernal roaring in his ears, he 
couldn't concentrate...

"Look OUT!" Ukyou shrieked.

Tarou's monstrous form reached the lip of the waterfall.  The 
three martial artists who clutched his back screamed in terror 
as they all plummeted into open space, suddenly rushing towards 
the jagged rocks and chaos of churning water over a hundred feet 
below.

Tarou acted entirely on instinct.  He spread his wings as they 
fell, straining against the momentum they'd accumulated in their 
descent.  For a moment, it felt like his wings would snap under 
the strain, but he flapped them with all his might, roaring with 
the effort.   He conquered their inertia, and then they were 
flying.  He heard a cheer of utter relief and joy from the 
freeloaders on his back.

"All right!  Now get us outta here, man!"

That was fem-boy.  Tarou was still dizzy and uncertain about his 
surroundings.  He beat his wings and hovered in place for 
a moment, trying to get his bearings.

"There it is!" screamed Ukyou.  Tarou didn't recognize the voice.

The Reikoku had appeared over the lip of the waterfall.  Tarou 
suddenly felt its unnatural presence, its fear aura piercing through 
the veil of confusion in his mind.  He looked frantically back over 
his shoulder, trying desperately to pick up some speed in the air.

The Reikoku launched a barrage of water blasts towards the four 
martial artists.  Ryouga leaped to his feet and opened his umbrella, 
deflecting the incoming hot water attacks as they reached Tarou.  In 
a moment of panic, Tarou banked hard to the side, swerving over the 
forest in a desperate attempt to dodge the incoming water.  The 
sudden jarring movement threw Ryouga into the open air.

"No!" Ranma-chan shouted, reaching out for Ryouga.  She was too 
late.

Ryouga pivoted in the air, bringing up his umbrella over his head 
to use as a parachute to slow his descent.  The Reikoku shifted its 
stance slightly, reorienting on the falling boy, and launched another 
spread of water blasts.  Ryouga couldn't bring his umbrella around 
to shield himself this time, and took a splash of water directly in 
the face.  He transformed instantly into a small, helpless black 
piglet.

<Cold water,> Ranma-chan thought.  It made sense - the Reikoku had 
adapted after fighting Ryouga.  It wouldn't have to come up with 
some sort of special ki-reflection defense or anything like that 
to beat Ryouga... his weak spot was much more obvious, and far more 
severe.  

P-Chan squealed in abject terror, flailing madly as he plummeted 
into the thick greenery below.  The Reikoku descended the cliff 
face after him.

"Ryouga!"  Ranma-chan screamed helplessly from Tarou's back.  
Pantyhose showed no signs of wanting to turn around to retrieve 
their fallen companion.  

"RYOUGA!!"
                    end of chapter two



-----------------------------------------------------------
                      AUTHOR'S NOTES
-----------------------------------------------------------

I'm going to try to give descriptions of the more obscure 
Ranma 1/2 characters who appear in this story.  If they haven't
shown up in the manga or anime currently released in the U.S., 
I'll endeavor to give them some introduction.  So...

KONATSU:  We don't see him this chapter, but he is mentioned
and he'll appear some more as the story unfolds.  Konatsu is 
a once-in-a-generation genius ninja from a family of terribly
ugly ninja women.  He was raised as a girl, and is quite 
convincing in the role.  Konatsu has been liberated from his
oppressive and abusive family, and now works for Ukyou (for
room and board and a VERY small salary).  Konatsu is sweet,
submissive, and has a crush on Ukyou.  He has been so badly
deprived in his life that even the most basic comforts (like
a futon) seem like pure luxury to him.

PANTYHOSE TAROU:  A Chinese martial artist who was baptized
in that crazy spring by Happosai.  Happosai also gave him the
name "Pantyhose," an act which has earned him Tarou's undying
hatred.  Tarou's primary goal in life is to make Happosai change
his name (ideally, he would like to be called "Mr. Cool").  
Tarou also seems to be generally confrontational and abrasive,
and attacked every martial artist in Nerima with a Jusenkyou 
curse when he first arrived.  He despises Ranma thoroughly, 
for reasons which are not entirely clear.  Tarou has demonstrated
himself to be very cunning in the past, and has formulated 
several plans which involved using the Jusenkyou water, which
have had varying degrees of success.  At one point, he also
voices an interest in world domination, but we do not know if
this was just a fleeting delusion of grandeur or a genuine life
goal.  He and Ranma have never fought conclusively as humans,
but it is clear that Tarou has formidable martial arts skills
even when he is not in his mighty cursed form.

COMING SOON:  P-Chan is in dire peril!  Will Ranma and company
be able to save him?  Will Pantyhose even try?  Can the four of
them get past their own differences and work together?  Meanwhile,
in Nerima, Akane stops moping around and decides on a course of
action which will dramatically change her life.  And what was
this about Nabiki... getting a JOB?    

COPYRIGHT STUFF:  All the Ranma characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko,
and are licensed in America by Viz Communications.    

GRT - June 1998
grayson@rigroup.net

All existing chapters of this story may be found at:
http://www.rigroup.com/~grayson/relentless