(Scene: outside a large warehouse in a seedier section of Tokyo.  The 
moon's light is even now dipping below the horizon as dawn approaches.  
A peculiar bulge, covered by a tarp, sits atop the building.  Across 
from the warehouse, in an alley, our four heros skulk...well, except for 
Tzubi, who is standing in the shadows and eyeing the others like one 
might eye a pack of lepers.)

Ranma: This is a little cliched, isn't it?  I mean, an abandoned 
warehouse...

Tzubi: (removes a bag from his jacket and weighing it critically) Shiad 
is fond of cliches.

Ukyou: How did you find out where she was?

Tzubi: (stashing the bag and drawing his katana) Later.  Time to get 
going.
(Without another word, he leaps into the street and starts to dash 
across.  With few other options, the others follow as quickly as 
possible.  Reaching the door, Tzubi raises his sword in a batter's 
stance, the lamplight flashing off the polished blade.)

Tzubi: HIKATANA KEN! (his sword hisses forward like the reaper's scythe, 
catching aflame in mid-swing and sending fragments of the now-destroyed 
door flying into the room beyond) Quickly!
(With barely a pause to slash a few remaining fragments of door aside, 
he bounds into the warehouse.  Ranma, Akane and Ukyou move to follow, 
then stop as they see Tzubi has fallen still only a few paces inside, 
staring.  They follow his gaze up to the ceiling.  There, a structure 
descends, a cigar-shaped steel pod with curtained windows along the 
front end and solid metal along the other.)

Akane: What's that?

Tzubi: It's...
(He leaps back, barely avoiding a lightning strike which flies from the 
shadowy rafters.  Ranma smiles slowly, cracking his knuckles.)

Ranma: You weren't kidding about those bolts.  This could be harder than 
I thought.
(Shiad's laughter echoes throughout the warehouse from her hidden point 
on the ceiling.)

Shiad: You have no idea, little man.

Tzubi: Too cowardly to face us?

Shiad: (appearing on top of the structure) Hardly, Meskiro.  (smirks) I 
do seem to recall you being unconscious after our last meeting.

Tzubi: (smiles) That was, of course, after you ambushed me...

Shiad: All is fair in the games we play.  (she lifts a hand, glowing 
with a corona of white lightning) BAKURAI-HA!
(The group scatters as her attack gouges a hole in the floor where they 
previously stood.)

Ukyou: Have to get her down somehow...
(She flings a volley of spatulas in mid-leap, but Shiad contemptuously 
blasts them from the air.)

Shiad: Your toys don't frighten me.

Tzubi: (landing next to Ranma) Keep her busy.
(He leaps into the shadows, leaving Ranma to stare after him.)

Ranma: Some plan... (dodges as another bolt slams into the floor) [Maybe 
I can take her out...] (leaps away from another blast) [Those attacks 
have to superheat the air...] (looking up, he raises his voice) Hey, 
Shiad!

Shiad: And whom might you be?

Ranma: (ignoring her) What kind of moron are you?  Kidnaping a loser 
like Ryouga, all you did was give us a way to track you down!

Shiad: (frowns) What are you talking about?

Ranma: (grins) You're slow, Shiad.  (he looks up, fists on hips) If you 
hadn't taken him, you could have picked us off one by one.  But now we 
can take you all at once, and you can't defeat us.

Shiad: I can defeat all of you! (slings a bolt at him) All of you at 
once!

Ranma: (dancing sideways) You couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. 
(dodges another blast) How are you supposed to beat us with this 
pathetic attack?

Shiad(enraged): Stand still!  (blast, blast, blast) You only delay the 
inevitable!
(Ranma smirks as Shiad continues to blitz the area with billions of 
volts of electricity.  Akane and Ukyou shield their eyes from the 
blinding flashes.)

Akane: Is he insane?

Ukyou: (blinking away afterimages) I don't...wait, look at the scorch 
marks!

Akane: (looking down at the small blast craters) Wait...that pattern...
(In fact, the pattern is a spiral, drawing itself in tighter towards 
Shiad.)

Ranma: [Almost there...just need her to go all out...] I'm surprised you 
don't fry yourself!  It seems the safest person to be around here is 
your target!

Shiad: Impudent fool!  CHOU RAI JITSU!

Ranma: HIRYUU SHOTEN HA!
(Ranma tosses his fist skyward just as a flash of light blocks out all 
else...and as it clears, a twisting funnel of air rises into the air, 
strewn with arcs of white lightning.  Like a gluttonous snake, the 
tornado snaps the end of the cigar-like room off and swallows it whole.  
Slowly, the vortex dies down and rubble begins to rain outside the room.  
In the centre of a spiral of trenches gouged in the floor, Ranma stands, 
hair standing straight up and tiny sparks traveling along his scorched 
form.)

Ranma: (breathes out a puff of smoke) Ow...
(At this point the majority of the rubble comes down...on top of Ranma.)

Ranma's voice(slightly muffled): Ow...again...

Akane: I don't think he thought that out completely...

Ukyou: Ranchan!
(Running over, she starts using her spatula like a shovel to clear away 
the rubble...after a moment, Akane moves over and begins to assist her.  
Eventually, the two girls uncover Ranma, who crawls slowly from the 
rubble.)

Ranma: I don't think I'll try that again...

Shiad: No you won't.
(Ukyou, Akane and Ranma leap up, fingers in the Takahashi position.  
Turning, they see Shiad looking at them with a slight frown.)

Shiad: The Hiryuu Shoten Ha...impressive, if futile.

Ranma: How did you...

Shiad: (cackles maniacally) At the last, I recognized the pattern you 
were drawing my bolts into.  So I sent my Chou-rai-jitsu upward... (we 
see a diagram with a little SD Ranma at the bottom tossing the Hiryuu 
Shoten Ha and a tiny SD-Shiad at the top, hurling a giant bolt upward) 
This superheated the air above me, thus pushing the cold air around me 
downward.  (an arrow labeled "Hot" rises up from Shiad and two curving 
arrows labeled "Cold" draw in showing air flowing beneath her) This 
created a cushion that, when struck, tossed me free.  (the tornado 
pushes the "Cold" arrows up and these push SD-Shiad out of the way; 
regular view resumes) And thus, all I had to do was wait for the rubble 
to fall and crush you.  (she laughs again, decorated with transient 
sparks) Now all that is left is to deal with that coward Tzubi.

Ukyou: (placing herself in front of the battered Ranma, with Akane) 
Don't count on it.

Shiad(sneers): I've seen how impressive you two are.  (titters insanely) 
I'm hardly intimidated.

Ranma: (pushing Akane and Ukyou aside) Get behind me!

Akane: Ranma!  You're hardly in any condition...

Ranma: (stumbles forward) I can take her...

Shiad: (snorts) Such heroic nonsense...BAKURAI-HA! (Her bolt catches 
Ranma in the chest, tossing him back)

Ukyou: Why you...
(She charges Shiad, swinging her spatula, but the assassin nimbly 
backsteps.)

Shiad: I thought I already taught you your lesson?

Ukyou: (swings a downward arc that cleaves some of the rubble Shiad was 
standing on) I skipped that class.

Shiad: (ducking aside again) I guess I'll have to find a more 
-permanent- solution.  (her hands begin to seethe with electric fury...)

Ukyou: [Where is that jackass Tzubi!?] (she tries a last desperate shot, 
which Shiad easily evades; this time, as the spatula slices through the 
rubble, a distinct "ouch" is heard) Huh?

Shiad: (blinks) Oh...the boy...
(The rubble shifts, and from it emerges Ryouga.  To put it lightly, he's 
seen better days.)

Ryouga: (groan) Now where... (cough) am I?

Akane: Ryouga! (she runs over to the lost boy) What happened to you!?

Ryouga: Whu... (shakes head from side to side) Who...Akane?  Oh no...

Shiad: Leave him be, girl!
(She tosses a bolt at Akane, but Ukyou yanks her out of the way.  The 
bolt strikes Ryouga instead, tossing him out of the rubble and to the 
floor.  The silver cord binding his arms flies free and he falls to his 
back.  Meanwhile, Ranma has risen to his feet.)

Ranma: Whoa...Ryouga?  What did you do to him?
(Shiad quickly strides over, grabs the battered teenager's bandanna and 
lifts him up, turning to sneer at the rest of the group.)

Shiad: A useful piece of bait to draw you to me.  He was a tad 
disagreeable (puts hand to mouth) so I disciplined him.  (megalomaniacal 
laughter ensues)

Tzubi: (stepping out of the shadows, bouncing his pouch in his hand) 
Which was your last mistake, Shiad.

Shiad: (cocks an eyebrow) So, finally decided to come out of hiding?

Tzubi: (smiles) Just waiting until I could use my secret weapon.
(He tosses the bladder at Shiad, but the assassin easily sidesteps.)

Shiad: You missed.

Tzubi: Did I?
(There is a popping sound, followed by several splutters.  Shiad turns 
to see that Ranma isn't there anymore; instead, a very wet Senchi is 
looking around, an annoyed expression on her face.)

Senchi: I thought I said I wasn't to be dis...where are we?

Shiad: Wh-what!?  Jyusenkyou?

Senchi: Who's the witch?

Tzubi: (crosses arms) The one who kidnaped Ryouga.

Senchi: Ryouga?  (looks down) Ryouga-chan?  What... (her eyes narrow, 
she looks back to Shiad) Who did this?

Shiad: None of your business.  (she points a crackling palm at Senchi) 
BAKURAI-HA!
(The blast of lightning flies with unerring accuracy towards Senchi, but 
never reaches her, as a dome of pure darkness intercepts it.  Shiad 
staggers back a bit, eyes wide, as the dome evaporates into the glowing 
black hand of Senchi's technique.)

Senchi: (darkly) Answer me!

Shiad: Ra shin...ginkiri... (her voice raises several octaves) 
Impossible!  It cannot be!

Senchi: ANSWER ME, BITCH!

Shiad: You...bakurai-ha!
(Shiad slaps a palm to the ground and it explodes upward in a shower of 
debris.  Senchi shields her eyes and leaps forward through the shrapnel 
cloud, but Shiad is no longer there as Senchi emerges.  There is a brief 
yell, cut short into a yelp of pain.  Senchi spins to see Ukyou falling 
back with a large burn on her chest.  Shiad tosses Ryouga over her 
shoulder and holds a crackling fist to his head.)

Senchi: Put him down!

Shiad: Back away.  Or he dies.

Senchi: (clenches and unclenches her fists) You... (she grudgingly backs 
up a step)

Shiad: Heh.  Intelligent.  It appears I'll have to reexamine my 
strategy. (she leaps, Ryouga still over her shoulder, and yet amazingly 
manages to reach the capsule-like room) I'll be back!

Senchi: DAMN!

Akane: (kneeling over Ukyou) Ukyou!  Are you alright?

Ukyou: Hurts...

Senchi: She'll live.  That one won't.  (she glances around the rubble 
and finally dashes over to where Ryouga emerged from the debris) Not for 
long, anyway.
(A hiss echoes through the building, startling the small group.  Looking 
up, a blast of light obscures the ceiling.  Slowly the glare diffuses 
and a view of the sky becomes clear, along with loud retorts announcing 
the connection of several pieces of ceiling with the floor.)

Akane: What...a...

Tzubi: Blimp.

Senchi: A blimp?
(A blimp.  Rising slowly through the new hole in the ceiling is a large, 
football-shaped balloon, the damaged cigar-shaped room revealed to be 
its undercarriage.)

Akane: There's no way we can follow her now...

Senchi: Shut up.  (she grabs a long, silver cord from the rubble) Don't 
make me break my promise.
(Tzubi watches with a small smirk as Senchi crouches low and then 
launches herself skyward.  The silver cord flashes around in a 
near-solid disc as she spins it beside her.  As she rises higher, 
however, her momentum begins to peter out.)

Akane: What's she trying to...

Tzubi: Watch.

Senchi: [You are NOT getting away!] (the whirr of the cord rises to a 
high-pitched whine) [C'mon!  I need heat!]
(The whine rises to a fever pitch and a red flash starts bursting 
intermittently along the spinning cord.  Seeing this, Tzubi's eyes widen 
and he staggers back, his usual cool demeanour replaced by shock.)

Tzubi: My technique...what IS she!?

Senchi: [Now...cold...] (finally the air friction becomes too much, and 
the cord erupts in flames just as she reaches the peak of her leap) 
[Hold in the rage...] (and she flings the blazing circle beneath her, 
throwing her fist down into the spiral) HIRYUU KUUTAI JITSU!
(The cyclone erupts from the circle of flame, bursting into the floor 
like a drill.  A shower of debris rains across the area, whipped about 
by the raging winds.   Then the wind explodes upward, tossing Senchi 
like a cannon ball...meanwhile, in the blimp's forward room, Shiad steps 
through the back door and smiles at Ryouga.)

Shiad: And now they cannot follow us... (BANG) What in the...

Ryouga: (sitting up with a groan) You'd be surprised.
(Over the lip of the opening ripped through the undercarriage a blur 
shoots into the room.  Shiad steps back and narrows her eyes as Senchi 
steps into an offensive stance.)

Senchi: Pray to whatever gods you believe in.

Shiad: DIE!  (she flings a blast of lightning; like the last it is 
nulled by Senchi's shield) Then I'll kill him... (she shifts her aim to 
Ryouga)

Ryouga(quietly): I don't think so.  (he taps the floor beneath him) 
Bakusai tenketsu...
(The floor erupts downward and Ryouga disappears into the hole.)

Senchi: RYOUGA-CHAN! (she dashes forward and looks into the hole, but 
sees no sign of the lost boy) No...

Shiad: Suicide...an honourable option... (Senchi's head snaps up...and 
then she begins to glow....well, not so much glow as seem to create a 
spot of non-light around her) Then I shall kill you instead.  
BAKURAI-HA!   (this time, the blast catches her full in the shoulder and 
sends her spinning to the floor) Heh.  Pathetic.
(Then Senchi gets up.  Her aura has flared even farther, flowing around 
her like a living thing.  She looks her eyes on Shiad, but all life 
seems to have left them, as if she was not seeing the assassin at all.  
Then she bursts forward.  Shiad launches another blast, which Senchi 
sidesteps without even breaking stride and continues.  The DMSESREPBHPTT 
huntress fires again and again, sending streams of electricity bursting 
like bullets at her target, but Senchi weaves and dodges between them 
like some strange ballerina, never once letting herself be touched.  As 
Senchi reaches her opponent, Shiad pulls back and snaps a kick at her 
head, but is caught by the ankle.  Senchi's hand turns deep black and a 
concussion drives Shiad back, her foot twisting and snapping loudly as 
she is bounced against the wall.  Attempting to stand, Shiad limps 
forward and begins to charge her power.  Senchi doesn't give her the 
chance.  A vicious palm strike to Shiad's arm ends with a thunderclap as 
the black hand unleashes its energy.  Shiad screams and falls against 
the wall, her arm hanging limp.)

Shiad: [Perhaps...I should reconsider...]
(As she thinks this, a thin cord of cloth shoots from the hole in the 
floor and sticks into the base of the marble table.  Slowly, Ryouga 
pulls himself into the room.)

Ryouga: I need a few weeks of rest...

Senchi: Die.
(She grabs Shiad by the throat and easily lifts her from her feet.  The 
hand clasped around the assassin's neck begins to turn deep black.)

Shiad: You can't... (gasps) ...defeat me...

Senchi: ... (the dark aura grows deeper, and Senchi's lips curl back...)

Ryouga: NO!  Senchi, don't kill her!  Not like this!
(Senchi turns and sees Ryouga...and Shiad slams a lightning-coated fist 
into her side.  Senchi falls to her knees and releases the assassin, who 
manages to land on her good leg.)

Shiad: (cackles) Thank you, Ryouga...

Senchi: No more delays.  (she flings her fist upward) DIE!  
RA-SHIN-GINKIRI!
(The sphere of darkness doesn't even have a chance to form before Senchi 
unleashes the full fury of her technique.  A stream of pure darkness 
engulfs Shiad and sends her through the ceiling as if it were paper.)

Ryouga: Wait...the blimp!
(And there is light.  When it clears, the deafening retort of the 
explosion can still be heard as what is left of the flaming airship 
begins to fall to earth.  In the debris Ryouga clings to a piece of the 
cabin and his consciousness with an equally tenuous grasp.)

Ryouga: Hydrogen... (he looks down...and sees that he is well over a 
thousand feet up and falling fast.) We'll be killed!  No...Senchi!
(He looks up and quickly spots the young woman.  She is definitely 
unconscious, covered with burns and plummeting headlong towards the 
ground.  Above her, and in considerably worse shape, is Shiad.)

Ryouga: Damn...
(Ignoring his injuries, Ryouga pulls himself up and kicks off the 
wreckage towards the two women.  Instinctively extending his arms like a 
sky diver, he shoots into the girls like a rocket.  Snatching one into 
each arm, he pushes them down to stabilize himself.)

Ryouga: (looks at Shiad) [I could just let her go...save everyone a lot 
of pain...] (his face twists)  No.  No more destruction.  I won't just 
destroy anymore!  I won't!
(He looks over, the view below clearly showing that the wind and the 
blimp have blown them over the bay.)

Ryouga: No... (clenches teeth) Not water! [I might have been able to 
cushion the impact on the ground...but there's no way P-chan will 
survive this!] (he begins to glow with a soft green light)  No... (his 
glow intensifies) All my power and I can't even save Senchi!  (his aura 
begins to light up the sky) I'm worthless!  (he has fallen to a mere 
nine hundred feet now) Useless!  (eight hundred) Hopeless!  (six 
hundred) NOT AGAIN! (four hundred) I WILL NOT FAIL!  (two) SHISHI 
HOKODAN!

(BOOM)

	********

(The evening news would later call it a stray meteor pulled into Earth's 
atmosphere that struck in Tokyo Bay, the strange green glow merely an 
aftereffect of ionized gas that burned up on entry.  The illusion of it 
expanding suddenly before contact with the water simply an illusion 
caused by the reflection.  The explosion above, merely a freak 
coincidence for some unfortunate blimp.  However, the reality of the 
tsunami caused by the impact was unmistakable, causing billions of yen 
in damage and putting many in the hospital.  No deaths were reported, 
and it was eventually dismissed by most as a freak coincidence.  The 
people living in Nerima ward, however, knew better.)

	********

(Scene: a beach.  The dawning sun casts a gentle red glow on the lapping 
waves.  A solitary figure lies upon that beach, the waves breaking 
against its prone form like a soft, cold caress.  Suddenly, the figure 
stirs and sits up.  Senchi looks around in obvious confusion, her 
clothing torn in numerous places and multiple cuts and bruises 
decorating her flesh like some bizarre pox.)

Senchi: Where am I?  What happened...
(She looks down and sees P-chan lying next to her.  The little pig looks 
much worse for wear than she does.  A piece of red fabric, still 
clutched tightly in his teeth, tells her all she needs to know.)

Senchi: I remember... (she gently picks up the limp P-chan) You saved 
me.  That woman... (she looks around suddenly, but seeing no sign of 
Shiad she relaxes) My hero...
(Then an evil grin spreads across her face and she carefully lays P-chan 
down.  Pulling a large kettle out of nowhere, she pours it on the 
unconscious pig.)

Ryouga: (leaping to his feet) HOT!  HOT!

Senchi: (glomp) Ryouga-chan!  My knight in shining armor!

Ryouga: Ow!  Not so tight!

Senchi: (looks down) Or lack thereof.  (she nods appreciatively)

Ryouga: GAH!  (he breaks away from Senchi, covering himself with his 
hands) I'm not decent!

Senchi: You look decent enough to me.

Ryouga: (sweatdrop) Go away! (he begins to back off)

Senchi: (her grin widens) I know what's bothering you!  It's hardly fair 
for you to be naked like that with me here.

Ryouga: Umm...yeah, but...

Senchi: Well, I can fix that.
(Her hands rise to the buttons of her shirt.  Ryouga stares for a 
moment, then realizes her intention.  Throwing politeness to the winds, 
he runs backward as fast as he can, one hand still covering 
his...umm...private parts, while the other tries to control his 
furiously gushing nose.  Senchi gives chase, letting the partial opened 
shirt fly free.)

Senchi: What's wrong, Ryouga-chan?  That's only fair, isn't it?

Ryouga: No!  I mean, yes, but not now...here!  I mean...

Senchi: So we can do this later?

Ryouga: Aah!  No!  That is...
(Senchi launches herself in a flying tackle, but Ryouga takes the only 
expedient escape route and dives into the water.  Senchi, grinning 
evilly, pulls out another kettle and jumps in after him.)

Senchi: Come back, Ryouga-chan!  I'll make your boo-boos all better!

P-chan(despairingly): BWEEEE!!!


	To Be Continued...

Author's notes:

Blade: Well, this is it!  One more chapter and CoD has reached its 
midway point!  Betcha thought we'd never make it, huh?  Huh?  
Umm...hello?

Epsilon: I think the shock of getting two chapters in two months has 
given all our readers heart attacks.

Blade: Hmph.  Wimps.  Just because we got sidetracked for awhile...

Epsilon: A year...

Blade: Oh, and whose fault was THAT, huh?

Epsilon(smug): Mine, of course, since I'm the one who actually DOES the 
writing. (WHAP) Oww...

Blade: (waves his bokken threateningly) Trifle not with me, foul knave!

Epsilon: No, I prefer pies if I must throw dessert.

Blade: (sweatdrop) (piku as the horrendously bad pun hits him) (snarls) 
DIE!
(Fade out as Blade chases Epsilon around, swinging his bokken...)


Handy Special Move Guide:

Hiryuu-Kuutai-Jitsu  - Flying Dragon Air Body Manouevre



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