Here it is, totally expanded and revised from its original conception.
C&C welcome.
-----------------------------------------
#5: Specters
The Wheel of Fire, Part 2: Falling Toward the Darkness
Written by Razorclaw X (spiceoflife@hotmail.com)
http://www.crosswinds.net/anaheim/~slythe/ranma/ranff.html
Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 and characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. And
all that other good stuff. Proper licenses belong to their respective
owners. The manga has precedence over material in the anime.
This file can be freely distributed so long as it appears in its complete
form and proper credit. No part may be reproduced for monetary gain without
permission from the author. (to which the answer is probably "no")
Author's note: This series takes place after the final manga story. It
follows after my previous fics, "Moments of Transition," "Team Ranma vs.
the Orochi Assassins," "End of the Beginning" and "Descending Spiral."
Plot Points (from previous stories)
==================================
1. Ranma and Akane are married. Only Shampoo contests this.
2. Mousse and Ukyo have been dating. This is Akane's work at matchmaking.
3. All the China gang (except Mousse) returned to China.
4. Mousse is now an outsider of his tribe (banished by Cologne). He's now
living at and works at Ucchan's.
5. Ryoga is looking for his parents to get permission to marry Akari.
------------------------------------------------
Opening: Love Vanished Once [Regrettably]
(Kasumi) She saw you off again on the bus going away from the station.
Will she continue waiting for her loved one?
(Shampoo) The young lady who embraced the courageous love letter,
The twilight in which her throbbing changes to a sigh,
(All) It was as if, 2 years ago of mine, seeing and wanting to see, and
Surely, whenever love came true, I muttered.
(Nabiki) The face that turned toward the approaching door
started crying, an accidental moment.
(Akane) Hugging the pretty girl's shoulder,
was this the boy who I waited for from some time ago?
(Ranma) also without betting on the voice, only seeing him off,
conveying sorrow
grasping love letter of my heart,
why did I walk with him until the station?
(All) It was as if, 2 years ago of mine, this scene
painful memories were resurrected and tears overflowed
(Nabiki * Ranma) sorry, it was cruel to make you wait,
you're short of breath
Crying? Why? Always gentle.
(A * K * S) now that love has vanished [regrettably] once
near you, I can't do anything, and I've become sad.
(All) Now that love has vanished [regrettably] once,
I want to pray for the next love that comes true,
I want to see us.
* * * * *
Life had taken many sudden turns for Ukyo Kuonji in the past weeks. Ranma
and Akane were married, Shampoo returned to China, and she and Mousse
have been dating (of course, Mousse's ideas for dates needed work).
That evening Ukyo ran her finger through a book, finding a good place to
establish another restaurant in her quest to expand business. Renting a
place in downtown Tokyo was impossible; the rent was too high. Right now she
was looking for a place across town to cater to another district of Tokyo.
Finding a building was only the first order of business; Ukyo needed to
find someone with enough skill and trustworthyness to run the second shop
for her. So far, Mousse's lessons have been going well; he certainly learned
a lot faster than Konatsu. She just needed to keep drilling him on the
necessity of using only the finest and freshes ingredients available, then
introduce him to some more exotic recipies.
Konatsu busied himself with cleaning the utensils in the back room. Every
once in a while, one could hear the sounds of clattering spatulas, over the
whines and cries of the kunoichi's pet white cat, Snowball, begging for
attention, as usual.
Mousse closed the shop as the last customer exited. He walked back to the
counter where Ukyo sat. "It's getting late, you oughta rest."
Ukyo sighed wearily. She was exhausted from the day's work, as there were
more customers today than usual. Handing the book to Mousse, Ukyo said, "See
if you can find a decent building. G'night, honey." Ukyo turned and walked
off to her room.
Without changing, Ukyo threw herself on her futon, throwing herself into
complete relaxation on her pillow. Come on, jackass, don't sleep in your
clothes!
"Oh, shut up," Ukyo muttered to herself. Soon sleep overcame her.
The silent, invisible phantom glided through the night sky. It hovered
over the Tendo dojo, where all slept comfortably. For now.
He remembered the first time he'd been to the Tendo property; it was on
pure business, of course. The phantom made it a point to study his enemies,
therefore he knew the layout of the house by heart... if he had a heart,
that is.
The phantom descended, and passed through the walls to the room of the
sleeping Akane Tendo. Slowly the phantom seeped his way into her mind....
Akane sat in the dojo, caressing her little P-chan, when Ranma entered.
"Ranma?" Akane said.
"Akane, there's something I've been meaning to tell you," started Ranma.
"You're so uncute and unsexy!"
"What?!" Akane shouted, the blood boiling in her veins.
"Who'd want a tomboyish fiancee like you?!" taunted Ranma.
"Ranma...!!"
The mental battle had lasted only a moment.
Needless to say, the phantom pinched the wrong nerves, and was
unceremonially booted out of Akane's mind. The girl possessed the
potential he needed to kill Ranma Saotome. Too bad that power couldn't be
harnessed; this one's extremely strong-willed.
The phantom glided pass the other rooms in the Tendo household, knowing
that none of them possessed the proper potential. One of the girls was just
too... nice. The other girl had 'hired' bodyguards in her mind to rid
herself of the phantom's intrusion. No, it wasn't going well at all.
It was getting ridiculous. Especially after visiting the giant panda.
He avoided contact with Ranma, and left the household.
The phantom scanned the area, and found another perfect subject. He
descended, and entered the next mindscape.
Mousse walked alone. It was dark in the streets of Nerima as he walked
back to the Nekohatten. It was beyond closing time, and the old hag would
no doubt wonder where he'd been.
Stepping up to the closed door, Mousse knocked.
Shampoo stood there. "About time Mousse come back!"
"I would've been back sooner if you'd lent me your bicycle!" protested
Mousse futily.
Shampoo slapped Mousse across the face, hard. "What kind of man are you?!
Ranma would be back soon if he were you."
Mousse sank to the ground and groveled at Shampoo's feet. "I'm sorry
Shampoo!!"
Shampoo proceeded to kick Mousse in the gut, throwing him all about in
the street. But Mousse wouldn't fight back.
Great, the phantom thought as he left Mousse's dreams, not only does this
one have a strong will, he can take whatever punishment I throw at him! In
the next life, I'll have to make it a point to study ALL of my enemies in
detail, not my primary target.
Soon the phantom saw the sleeping form of Konatsu, and decided to try this
victim. But it wasn't long before he realized that this one could take a
lot of punishment, yet was very weak-willed. Well, this was perfect-- yet,
he lacked the right potential!
But the phantom noticed one more in the building, and glided over to the
form laying on the futon, still in her clothes. Perhaps exhaustion would
make things a bit easier.
Ukyo sat under a large tree on top of the hill. Mousse sat to her right,
holding a single flower in his hand, peeling petals, glasses resting on his
head, as usual. They watched as Ranma and Akane walked up the hill to join
them.
Instead of taking seats under the tree, they simply stood there, staring
at each others' eyes lovingly.
"I love you Akane," Ranma said.
"I love you too, Ranma," replied Akane. They embraced, and kissed.
Ukyo turned away involuntarily. The pain still hurt, but not as much as
before.
No, it STILL hurt, bad. The nerve of them!
"What's the matter? Aren't you jealous?" a strange, masculine voice
whispered.
Ukyo looked around. There was nobody that could speak to her but Mousse,
but Mousse was still playing with the flower.
"Come on, you should kill Akane, and take Ranma back! He's rightfully
yours!"
"Who are you?" shouted Ukyo defiantly. No way she was going to fall back
into her old thoughts.
"You've nowhere to turn...."
Suddenly Mousse clamped onto Ukyo, screaming for Shampoo.
"Mousse!" Ukyo cried.
Mousse looked up curiously. "Who're you? What have you done to Shampoo?!"
Ukyo kicked Mousse away, and ran down the hill. Suddenly, she found
herself someplace else, someplace familiar. The landscape was typical of a
rural Japanese community, with no high-rise buildings in sight, and houses
as far as the eye could see. It looked familiar, but somehow alien.
"What's going on?"
"Look around the corner."
Ukyo did as she instructed. She watched, as the little girl she was
ten years ago, as Ranma and his father ran off with her father's food cart.
Without her.
"Don't go!" she cried. "Stop it, stop it!!"
"Oh come now," the voice continued, "if he really cared, he wouldn't have
left you behind...."
"I love you Akane," Ranma's voice shouted, echoing the words that tore
the okonomiyaki chef weeks ago.
Ukyo looked around, and found herself standing alone, amidst a sea of
flesh-colored hills. In fact, she stood in the palm of a hand, a giant
hand, belonging to a giant Ranma.
"I love Akane, Ukyo," announced the giant Ranma. "Stay away from me!"
He DIDN'T say it like THAT! What the hell...?!
"Ranma, why are you doing this to me?" Ukyo said. "We're friends...."
Suddenly the giant Ranma curled his hand into a fist, crushing Ukyo.
"Friends? Friends wouldn't try to kill my fiancee. YOU TRIED TO KILL HER! If
it weren't for you, I'd have been married, and free from my curse!"
Images of attacking Akane with special explosive okonomiyaki tore Ukyo's
attentions away. With her deadly accuraccy, there should've been no way
Ukyo could have missed, but the explosion hit Ranma anyway....
"Wait a minute!" Ukyo cried. "Don't you DARE force those images into my
head!"
"So why did you attack her?!" Ranma demanded.
"It wasn't for her, you jackass!" protested Ukyo, understanding what her
friend was implicating. "That okonomiyaki was prepared especially for you,
and no one else! There's no way I can miss, not as bad as you're implying!"
"You're not worth my time," decided Ranma. "You're just as bad as
Shampoo."
"Now that's not fair...." Ukyo protested.
"And friends don't take their friends to a love-destroying cave, either,"
accused Ranma. "Why did you do it?!"
"Dammit, Ranma!" shouted Ukyo, trying her best to ignore the fact that she
was being crushed in the giant's hand. "It was the only way! If I were like
Shampoo, I would've attacked Akane directly! Don't you see?!"
"Yet you tried to destroy our love," pressed the giant.
"I was wrong!" admitted Ukyo. "It wasn't supposed to be like that, you
and Akane! You pig-headed jerk...!"
"You aren't making things any easier...." announced the strange,
disembodied voice, seemingly coming from nowhere. The voice seemed to sigh.
"Still, the pain hurts, doesn't it? Very well, it looks like you'll have to
be suitably-punished!"
Then, this IS a dream?! I've got to take control, NOW.
"Oh no, not JUST a dream!" the voice shouted, as if he had read Ukyo's
thoughts. "Your thoughts are just as good as words here!"
"I don't want to be your friend anymore," declared the giant Ranma.
"Stop it! Stop it!" Ukyo pleaded. Why is this happening now?!
Without warning, the crushing presence of Ranma disappeared, replaced by
eerie, total emptyness. If Ukyo had felt she was being overwhelmed before,
being alone, by herself, was unbearable.
The okonomiyaki chef found herself crying, "Ranchan, wait! Come back!"
The whispering voice chuckled. "That one's not for you, pretty girl. To
him you're second rate. Second best. Next in line. He can never love you...
not after what you've done to his life. You only made it worse!"
"I did nothing of the sort!" Ukyo shouted into the air.
"Of course you did!" replied the voice. "Before you came along, Ranma had
enough troubles with Kodachi and Shampoo, and Mousse, Kuno, and Ryoga. You
had to come along to make things worse."
"It didn't get any worse, it got better!"
"So you'd like to believe. And, look at what he did to you...."
This time Ukyo found herself hanging from her arms, high up in the air.
Inspecting her arms, she found herself chained to a tree branch, hanging
loosly in the air. Looking back down, her eyes were greeted by the surprise
of her dress: Ukyo found herself in the confining tights and strapless
leotard of a bunny suit, just like the time Konatsu's stepmother kidnapped
her and Akane.
Being so exposed....
"Why so uncomfortable, beautiful one?" taunted the voice. "You've never
been so humiliated since Ranma left you."
Ukyo kicked the air with her free, dangling legs. "Let go of me, you
pervert!"
"Girls' proper dress never seemed right to you."
"Girls don't wear bunny suits!"
Looking below, Ukyo saw the tree was now surrounded by several men she
recognized as her former classmates; they were teasing her, just like the
time Ranma left her. Tsubasa set about the task of climbing the tree to his
beloved. Ukyo could vaguely hear shouts to kill.
"If Ranma cannot love you, you must kill him. What shall it be?"
Ranma appeared again. "What kind of a person are you?! You're a GIRL. A
sissy, wimpy little girl who pretends to be a man!"
"Stop it!" Ukyo screamed, tears spewing.
"Only sissy girls like you cry! Strong girls like Akane don't cry like you
do! What a weak, pathetic little girl you are!"
Akane appeared next to Ranma. "You tried to kill me!" she accused.
Ukyo's father appeared as well. "Disgraceful! It's your fault I don't have
a son to properly carry on the family name!"
Now, Ryoga appeared. "Ukyo, I was a fool! I should have dedicated my
heart to you, and you alone! I don't need Akane or Akari; there's only
you!"
"Get away from me, you jackass!" Ukyo shouted, trying her best to free
herself from the chains.
Konatsu, dressed in his ninja dress, lips full of ruby-red lipstick,
leaped up to Ukyo's hanging body, and hugged her, tightly.
Ukyo's cheeks flared up, trying her best to avoid Konatsu's lips.
"Oh, what's the matter?" taunted the voice. "Can't take the heat?"
"Leave me alone!" Ukyo cried, struggling with Konatsu's lips. She failed,
as his lips pressed onto her own, preventing her from saying more.
"Alone?!" cried the voice. "Isn't that what you most feared?"
Suddenly, everyone was gone. Ukyo fell from the tree branch that was no
longer there, crashing to the ground that wasn't there, Konatsu disappearing
completely. Total darkness enveloped her. She couldn't hear or see the
surroundings. Ukyo felt truly alone.
"Ranma left you alone, your father left you alone, you left yourself
alone! And alone you shall stay, now and forever!"
"Nooooooo!!!!" Ukyo screamed. The echoes of her scream were amplified a
hundred-fold, but there was nobody to listen.
Ukyo sat up in her futon. It was just after midnight, judging by the
clock.
Without will she walked to her wardrobe, and produced a snow-white
kimono. And, without effort or realizing it she changed into the kimono,
tying a blood-red ribbon around herself. A matching ribbon was used to tie
her hair into a pony-tail.
Ukyo reached into nearby a drawer, and produced a small jewelry box, one
that had belonged to her mother. Ukyo opened the box, and produced two jade
dragon earrings, an old Kuonji heirloom, which she fastened to her ears.
Forcing holes into the lobes, she didn't even wince in pain.
Her eyes glowed with an eerie red light.
This one possessed a strong will, yet, her mindset and her evil taint
made it easy to take control. Such potential!
"I live!" Ukyo said in two voices, one her own, the other belonging to
another, a male. Her teeth glistened in the night, an evil, malicious grin.
The okonomiyaki chef's fist glowed malevolently.
The next day Ranma and Akane couldn't help but notice Ukyo wasn't at
school. Therefore the couple resolved that they would go to Ucchan's, to see
if Ukyo was okay. Upon reaching the front door, the two were greeted by
Mousse, alone.
"Is Ucchan okay?" asked Ranma.
"I don't know," Mousse answered honestly, shrugging. "This morning she
walked out wearing a kimono. She wouldn't answer me, as if I didn't exist.
Really strange. I told Konatsu to look after her while I looked after the
shop."
"Well, maybe its some special occasion?" speculated Akane.
"I don't know," Ranma said, "that doesn't sound like Ucchan, running off
like that without leaving word."
"Not unless it was a surprise," Mousse replied. "Then again, Ukyo hates
surprises."
"We can stand out here and speculate all day," Akane started, "but that's
not going to get us closer to finding out what Ukyo's up to."
"Did you check her room?" Ranma asked Mousse.
Mousse shook his head. "It's not my business to pry into her privacy like
that, you know."
It was then when Konatsu returned, out of breath, gasping for air. He
stumbled to his knees, Akane rushing to his side to support him.
"Konatsu!" cried Akane. "What happened?"
The kunoichi took several deep breaths before answering. "Ukyo-sama's in
danger!"
Hovering in the air in the middle of the street was Ukyo, arms
outstretched, the wind blowing her sleeves and hair. She seemingly pushed
the air, balls of force leaping from her palms, bursting mailboxes and walls
apart alike.
Ranma couldn't believe what he was seeing. Ukyo's battle aura was in
flames... and.... He rubbed his eyes again.
Violet.
"I thought you said she was in danger," Akane said, glaring at Konatsu.
The kunoichi shrugged.
"Ucchan's never been like this before..." Ranma started. He ran from his
hiding place to confront his friend.
Ukyo paused from her onslaught as Ranma approached.
"Ucchan!" he shouted.
In two voices, Ukyo said, "You! You're the source of my pain." She turned,
and raised her palms to level with Ranma's body.
"Wait!" Ranma held his hands to signal 'stop.' "We can talk about this!"
"Not likely." Ukyo cupped her hands, summoning raw chi energies into a
tennis-ball shape. She threw the wave of force at Ranma, sending him
flying back through the air. He landed near Akane, Mousse, and Konatsu.
"Well, that went well," commented Akane.
"Ukyo's not herself," observed Mousse. "Her eyes glowing red, floating in
mid-air, even chi energy blasts!" He grabbed Ranma's arm. "If you hurt her,
I'm going to kill you."
"Who's hurting who?" Ranma said in confusion. He had no intention of
harming his friend. He got up, and ran back to the levitating form.
"Ukyo, what's wrong?" Ranma asked.
"Back again?" Ukyo said, raising her arms. "I'm warming up! Go away, I'll
get to you later."
"It's me, Ranchan! Your friend! Don't you remember?"
"Ran...chan?" Ukyo said in confusion, arms lowering slightly. She shook
her head, as if fighting thoughts from her mind. Suddenly, the fire in her
eyes intensified. "No! I will have my revenge!"
In which case Ranma flew back where he started... again.
Ukyo followed Ranma, absorbing energy for what appeared to be the killing
blow. Ranma only stared in amazement, waiting for the final blow. But it
never came.
Staring up at his old friend, Ranma could almost see a bit of the old
Ukyo, her eyes sad. "Ranchan, forgive me!" she cried in her own voice, and
flew off into the distance.
Akane helped Ranma up. "She was going to kill you!"
"Something inside her stopped," Ranma said. "Its as if there were another
person in her. Ucchan would never intentionally kill me, not now, anyway.
Someone, or something, is forcing her to do this."
"But who could do such a thing?" asked Mousse. "I don't know anyone who'd
want to kill you that badly."
"There was another voice speaking," Ranma reflected. "It sounds familiar."
"In any case let's take you home," said Akane.
As the group of teens walked off, helping Ranma walk, a lone, dark man
watched from the shadows under a tree. When the teens were out of sight, the
man quickly strided after Ukyo.
Ranma played with his dinner with his chopsticks, unable to pull his
thoughts away from Ukyo's strange behavior. What was he to do?
"Hey, Ranma," Nabiki started, "I heard Ukyo tarred you. What'd you do to
her this time?"
"I really don't know," answered Ranma. He couldn't dismiss the image from
his mind-- the glowing red flames that lit her eyes caused him to shudder.
It was as if someone was speaking through her, as Ranma remembered hearing
two voices-- one belonged to Ukyo, the other, someone familiar, but whose
face he couldn't match. It was obviously male, however.
"Akane, did you think there was something strange about Ukyo?" Ranma
asked his wife.
"Well, if you get pass the fact that she was levitating in the air, and
was about to kill you, yeah," Akane replied sarcastically. "I mean, in her
eyes, I saw something strange: it was as if something were trying to get
out of her. And her voice...."
"Two of them, right?" Ranma guessed.
Akane nodded. "One of them is definitely Ukyo, but the other.... I can't
seem to remember."
"It sounds as if there's another person in her," Nabiki suggested.
"What makes you say that?" asked Akane.
"Well, I don't want to believe in this spirits stuff," the middle Tendo
sister explained, "but couldn't it be that she's possessed?"
"By who?" asked Ranma. The young Saotome had no idea who would want to
kill him, especially dead people.
"Think of it this way, Ranma: who have you pissed-off, and how many of
them are dead?"
"Dead?" piped Akane.
"Well, don't you know anything?" asked Nabiki rhetorically. "I've read
about wandering dead spirits, condemned to walk the earth forever. I mean,
I've never paid much attention to this kind of stuff, at least, not since
the possessing oni got free."
"So couldn't it be the possessing oni?" suggested Kasumi.
"No, it couldn't be," replied Ranma thoughtfully. "The oni would've given
her horns on her head. And the voice wasn't the same...."
Where have I heard him before?
Ranma stood up, and headed for the door.
"Ranma?" said Akane.
"I'm going to have a talk with Ukyo. If I can find her."
"If you don't mind," Genma said, "I'll help myself to your dinner...."
It wasn't long before Ranma located Ukyo at Furinkan High. He watched as
she threw glowing balls of chi energy at Kuno, sending him into orbit.
Well, maybe this wasn't so bad after all, now if only she'd go after
Happosai....
Dismissing those thoughts, Ranma walked into the open.
Ukyo turned. "Didn't have enough yet, fool? I'll get to you... soon."
"Ukyo, we need to talk," Ranma said.
"Be quick about it," Ukyo said, holding her arms outstretched as if taking
in the air.
"Who are you?" Ranma asked.
Ukyo chuckled. The sound was otherworldly, which almost made Ranma's skin
crawl. "In life, I was the High Priest of the Cult of Orochi. You defeated
the Seven Assassins, and I paid with my life."
"You!" Ranma shouted. This being was the Cult Leader, the leader of a team
of assassins that tried to murder Akane for defeating their master, the
Orochi, with the mongoose horn, so long ago in Ryugenzawa. And now he's
back, and... dead?! "How can this be?"
"The master ripped my soul out of my body, and now I am condemned to
wander the Earth forever," Ukyo continued. "But, I've discovered I can
control others' bodies through a contest of wills. To exact my revenge, I
couldn't use just anyone, I needed a host with suitable potential for power,
power I will reclaim, as is my right as High Priest!"
"But why Ukyo?"
"Three benefits, my enemy. One, this girl is one of your closest friends;
no doubt this psychological tactic would deter you from... forcibly removing
me. Second, it was easier to battle a will with such fatal weaknesses. This
girl may be strong-willed, but her current mental state made her weaker than
usual, a definite plus. I gave this girl what she feared most: being truly
alone. Showing her the results of her hate. Her eternal anger which she
denies so augments my power."
"You've done enough to her! Take me instead!" Ranma couldn't imagine the
pain Ukyo suffered.
"Which brings us to reason three. This girl has the capacity to become one
of the greatest force on Earth. A lack of proper training suppresses the
skill to manipulate raw chi energy, fashioning it into whatever she wished.
I tapped this potential, and now I possess it! Behold!"
Ukyo threw out her right arm, as if reaching for a nearby post that stood
far out of her reach. Suddenly, the post shook violently, and simply
uprooted from the ground. It flew straight into Ukyo's open hand. With her
other hand Ukyo produced a sword of chi, and sliced the post in two. The
chi sword dissipated.
"The ultimate power in psychokinetic force!" proclaimed Ukyo. "I am more
powerful than my old body ever could have been, and I will have my revenge
on you!" She laughed. "Don't you understand? I can't have you because I
have to kill you! The kind and friendly girl you once knew is now a
heartless killer! I will enjoy this immensely...."
Ukyo threw her head out and laughed maniacally. "Behold, Ranma Saotome,
the power of the eighth Orochi assassin! My name is Warmage, High Priest of
the Cult of Orochi, master of chi, and you will taste the fury of my chi
powers!"
"Wait!" Ranma protested. "Let me talk to Ukyo!"
"Why should I?" she bellowed, irritated.
"Please, if I'm going to die, let me talk to her, at least."
Ukyo pondered for a moment, then descended from the air. "Very well, I'm
not completely heartless. But know this, my enemy, I still control! Nothing
you can say to her can help you!"
With that, the second voice seemed to disappear, along with the fiery
eyes. Ukyo fell limp from the air, and Ranma rushed to catch her.
"Ranchan...?" Ukyo said weakly.
"It's all right, Ucchan," Ranma said, although he knew it wasn't true.
"It's a nightmare," she explained, "it's like being the back-seat driver
of my own body. I can see and hear the same things he does, but I can't do
anything about it. He takes everything I hold dear and rips it apart from
the inside. He's making me do things I never wanted to do. Terrible, evil
things. I don't want to be a killer!"
"Ukyo... remember the end of our last fight? You took control. How...?"
"I couldn't let him hurt you... I practically screamed my way into
control. But I couldn't hold him back for long... not by myself. He's too
powerful. And I'm not strong enough to fight back anymore...."
"We'll think of something."
"Ranchan, don't leave me.... Don't leave me alone...." Tears streamed
down her face.
"Ucchan, listen to me. You have to face your fears. That's the only way
you can win."
"I can't...."
"Remember, no matter what happens, I'll always be there for you. And so
will Mousse, Konatsu, Akane, and...."
Suddenly the flames burst alight again, Warmage taking over. "Time's
up, Saotome!" Ukyo pushed Ranma away, and levitated into the air. "I will
enjoy tearing you apart...."
Fight it, Ukyo, Ranma thought as he dodged the first bolt.
Standing alone in the blackness, Ukyo saw and heard all her body did, but
lacked control over the body. A strange feeling, yes, but frustrating. She
wanted to stop attacking Ranma, but the other presence kept hitting her
away.
Am I really alone?
The voice of Warmage returned. "Yes, my dear, listen to his lies. He wants
you to stop me to save his own miserable hide. He cares nothing for you. He
cares for that Tendo girl. He betrayed you. He lead your feelings astray,
then crushed you! How simple it was!"
"It wasn't his fault...." Ukyo protested.
"You're not fit to be wife of a man such as he! How would it do for one of
the world's greatest martial artists to have a weak wife like you?"
"I practice martial arts! I'm not weak!"
"Your choice of life threw you into the path of misery. Because of Ranma,
you have the weight of family obligation and insults from your peers on
your shoulders. Because of Ranma, only rejects and freaks love you."
"Shut up!" Ukyo yelled, covering her hears, even though it did no good.
"They don't matter. Only Ranma matters. Since he cannot love you, you have
to kill him. But you can't do that, can you?"
Part of Ukyo knew that Warmage was right; she wanted to kill him. "No, no,
no!! That's not me; you're trying to feed me such dark thoughts!"
"Wrong again," replied the cultist's voice. "The spark is within you, yet,
you're becoming stronger. Perhaps it is time to resume your subjugation."
The head of Ukyo's father appeared, circling around Ukyo in a dizzying
pattern. "You failed to avenge our dishonor, Ukyo. You disgrace the family
name. If you were a man, you'd have carried out my wish; women are so weak."
Fighting back tears, Ukyo shouted, "You're not my father! Leave him out of
this!"
The head disappeared. "Oh come now, I was trying to make this easier!"
whined Warmage's voice. "You are a failure. You know it. Your father wanted
a son, but got a daughter. You know it. He even went so far as to give you
a man's name! How could you, a lowly girl, hope to carry on the family
name? Girls really ARE a misfortune to families...."
"No...."
The weight of her family obligations and tradition brought Ukyo to the
ground on her knees. Carry on the family name with pride. Continue the
tradition of many years of Kuonji okonomiyaki cooking secrets. As for girls,
bear strong men.... "No... stop!" Part of Ukyo wanted to explode, the other,
cry.
"You let Ranma get away! You let him marry the undeserving Akane! You
failed to kill him, you failed to marry him! What good are you?!"
"Stop it, you jackass!!" she cried, covering her ears. But the voices
were still heard.
Mr. Kuonji's head reappeared. "You disgrace the family!" he boomed. "I
wanted a son, but I got a weakling daughter like you! It's your fault I
don't have a strong son. You let your mother die. Why did I put my faith and
life into helping you? How can I love you, abomination? You failure!"
"Enough!" Ukyo thundered, standing defiantly. "I've learned to become the
best okonomiyaki chef in Japan! In the world! How can you not be happy?! I
carry on centuries of tradition in my cooking, so stop hiding behind faces!"
Once again the head vanished. The voice seemed weary of the arguments.
"But your choice of life left you alone...."
The darkness enveloped her, as she could feel nothing, see nothing, hear
nothing. Not even the battle beyond her mind. Once again, she was alone.
"You are alone," Warmage's voice taunted, "now, and forever!!!"
All at once Ukyo was bombarded with images of Ranma leaving her behind, of
the urn of the Mother she never knew, of leaving Father, of Ranma and Akane
leaving after their wedding, of attacking Akane with her special explosive
okonomiyaki. Of being alone.
Ukyo heard the harsh laugh of Warmage a hundredfold. "Why prolong the
pain? Give up, and accept your fate.... No one can help you, no one will
help you, no one cares about you, for you are alone!"
The maniacal laughter echoed throughout the darkness, deafening Ukyo. She
fell to her knees, and cried. "Stop it...." What's the use of fighting it
anymore? How could she, a simple girl, hope to win?
All she could feel was her heart slowly crumbling inside her.
Ranma dodged more chi blasts. For the longest time he pondered what to do.
And, as of yet, the Saotome secret technique wasn't working out.
"I should have expected as much from you," taunted Ukyo, her haunting,
double-voice causing Ranma to wince. "I grow weary of this game."
Ukyo's battle aura raged with red-hot chi, perfect setup for the hiryu
shoten ha. All I have to do is trace the spiral and keep cool, then I can
show this loser....
No. I can't hurt her. She doesn't deserve to be hit like that. Yet, the
hell-bent maniac inside her had no such compunctions. Time was running out,
and Ukyo needs my help.
Yet, if I didn't do anything, I'm dead.
"Moko Takabisha!" Ranma shouted, throwing a large bolt of chi energies.
The Warmage-as-Ukyo laughed, then dodged the bolt in mid-air to the side.
Ukyo mocked Ranma with her double-voice: "Ah, so you DO want to play with
me after all! I'll show you REAL chi bolts!"
The young Saotome threw himself back, away from the barrage of chi bolts
Ukyo threw, as if they were one-two punches. Ranma turned and ran, a trail
of exploding chi bolts bursting on the ground as pebbles thrown into a calm
river.
Ranma thought back to his last encounter with Ukyo that afternoon. How had
he survived that one? Ucchan saved him, prevented the possessing spirit from
throwing the final blow... was it a reflexive action? Could it be duplicated
for this battle as well?
Can the body be forced to do what it would never do-- kill me?
Without hesitation, Ranma threw himself into the next blast. Pain washed
over him, causing Ranma to collapse to the ground, crackling with excess
chi energies. He felt as if a high-pressure, shattered pipe, burst a hole,
gushing waters that hit him, hard.
Ukyo laughed. "I can't believe my luck! Now, you die!" She hovered over
Ranma ominously.
"Ucchan... fight it...." Ranma whispered, hoping this gambit paid off.
"Ucchan...." a voice called.
Different. Ranchan?
"Ucchan," the voice said again, "fight it!"
"I... I... can't," Ukyo said feebly, her emotions overwhelming her.
The image of Ranma appeared before her. "I'll always be here for you. No
matter what happens, I'm still your Ranchan, your friend."
Ukyo reached for Ranma's hand, her heart loosening from its twisted knot
at that moment. "Ranchan...."
Nearby an image of Akane appeared. "Friends stick together. I'm glad to
be a friend of yours. Shampoo did try to kill me, more than once, and that's
what sets you apart from her. The Ukyo I know is not a killer; her heart is
always set on doing the right thing. It's the same reason why you couldn't
kill Ranma when you had the chance. It's the same reason why you didn't
continue your attack against Ranma at the first wedding."
"I was too weak to do it...." Ukyo said, falling back to the floor.
"It's not a weakness, it's a strength," corrected Akane. "Don't give in to
your hatred!"
Then Konatsu appeared. "Ukyo-sama, you're strong. I've known this since we
first met, when you showed one such as I kindness beyond any other. Your
kindness isn't your weakness, it is your strength," he said, echoing Akane's
own words. "Show your strength! Your strength inspires even those as lowly
as I!"
The words almost soothed Ukyo, calming her, as if by magic. They believed
in me!
Ukyo stared in disbelief as Kuno appeared, with two bundles of the most
beautiful roses. "The world envies such beauty you possess, Ukyo Kuonji.
Your life matters. Others care about you. Perhaps we shall date?"
Not on your life, Kuno, she thought.
"No one's truly alone," said Mousse as he appeared. "No one is an island
unto his or her own, we're all a part of each other. You were there for me
when Shampoo left me behind. I thought I was alone. I wasn't. Not with you
and the others. Never forget that."
I'm not alone. I was never alone. That's why they're here now, helping
me. Fear can't be conquered alone. It was the trust, the faith, her friends
had in her that made everything worthwhile. Faith manages.
"Thank you," Ukyo said, "all of you."
At that moment Ukyo felt her heart relax from tension.
"What is this?!" cried the voice of Warmage as his image appeared. He was
garbed in his usual dark, flowing robes, one hand carrying a whip of pure
energy. "Why couldn't I eliminate this store of resistance before?!"
The image of Kodachi appeared next to Warmage. She laughed her trademark
laugh, and twirled her ribbon around him. She turned to Ukyo. "Your life has
meaning; set your heart free and live again! Don't let the past restrain
you, let it guide you. Tomorrow holds a new day, so live your life to the
fullest!"
Kodachi? Lecturing on life?
"No way!" protested Warmage. "I have your hate on my side!"
Ukyo willed her spatula to appear in her hands. She walked to the bound
Warmage. "I've had enough of your little games. Those words you said were
all lies.... I was never alone."
"Were they truly lies?" taunted the cultist. "The mind never truly lies...
that is, unless the mind lied to itself enough times to believe those lies
to be truth!"
The images of the others gathered around Ukyo. "My heart was bound, bound
by the past, my duties. Today... today, I am free from my chains, and I
have the binders themselves to thank for it. No longer will I be ruled by
the past."
"But... but... how can this be?" cried Warmage in frantic confusion. "Your
worst fears brought to life make you stronger?! No one can draw strength
from fear!"
Kodachi laughed at the cultist. "Don't you see? If you face your fears,
you come back stronger than ever!"
"Too bad you didn't see that," Ukyo snarled angrily. "A lesson I have
learned from the others, and particularly from you, is that faith manages.
Faith in myself, faith in the others, faith in my ability. Faith is the most
powerful weapon of all. With faith comes confidence. and with confidence
comes the power to stand for what I believe."
Raising her spatula high, she cried, "I'm tired of this nightmare you
fabricated!"
"Phaw!" scoffed Warmage. "I didn't create this nightmare, you did!"
"Liar!" Ukyo cried, losing her temper. "None of this is me! I have no dark
side! I'd never destroy my friends and memories as you did in this dream!"
"Oh really?" replied the cultist defiantly. "Was this truly a dream... or
a prophecy of what's to come? Dreams are funny that way; the truth lies
within them. Feheheheheheh.... The seeds have been sown, there's no escaping
your dark destiny, the destiny at my master's side!" He laughed. "To think,
the one of jade to serve her mortal enemy! To think, that one as you would
deny your own values!"
None of those words make any sense, Ukyo thought. "Your soul can rot in
whatever hell you believe in!" Ukyo pounded Warmage with her giant spatula.
"No, stop!!" screamed the cultist. "I will have my revenge!"
Without warning, Kodachi's ribbon burst apart, setting the evil man free.
The images of Ukyo's companions faded all at once, leaving Ukyo alone with
the mad cultist.
Warmage stretched out his energy whip in anticipation. "This, my dear, is
the ego whip, the very weapon I use to subdue psyches such as your own by
unseating the ego itself!" He cracked the whip. "With each and every
successive blow, the ego whip inflicts more damage upon its victims' minds,
giving them feelings of utter worthlessness!"
Ukyo rolled out of the way as the ego whip snapped the air, almost
colliding with her head. She lifted her spatula high, letting the second
lash wrap around the weapon, once, twice, three times. Then, with all her
force, the okonomiyaki chef pulled back hard on the combat spatula, throwing
all her weight back.
"Ack!" Warmage yelped in surprise as the ego whip was yanked from his
hand. He watched helplessly as Ukyo recovered, then discarded the vile
weapon. "Foolish girl, I have more up my sleeves!"
Frantically, Warmage summoned images of Ranma and Genma leaving Ukyo
behind, of the schoolchildren teasing her, of her father's displeasure, of
the 'attempt' on Akane's life at the first wedding, of the nightmare Ryoga
falling in love with her! But Ukyo shattered them all with her spatula.
None of them, memories though they may be, were as bad or as twisted as the
cultist made them out to be, Ukyo reminded herself defiantly.
"It can't be!" cried Warmage, utterly defeated. "This power... is too
much! Blood of Orochi, help me!!"
Something else, far beyond the battlefield of the mindscape, seemed to
call, "You have failed."
"Argh!" cried the cultist. He snarled at Ukyo menacingly, "You may have
won this time, little girl, but you have long-since passed the point of no
return!"
Falling on his back, Warmage was out of power. Ukyo stood over the
cowering man confidently. "You'll never harm me or my friends again!"
"Ha-hah!" laughed the cultist. "Death was not the end for me; what makes
you think anything of the sort would fear me?!"
"Enough!" She produced a cooked okonomiyaki, and wrote a banishment on it
with sauce, as if the okonomiyaki were a warding talisman. She threw the
okonomiyaki-talisman at Warmage. "Be gone!"
"Noo.... NOOOOOO!!!!" He screamed, the talisman seemingly-burning his
skin.
Ukyo stood over Ranma, who was lying flat on his back on the ground.
Before she could release the pulsing chi bolt in her cupped palms, the bolt
faded back to nothingness. Ranma stared in shock as he watched a darkened,
cloudly haze, leap from Ukyo's mouth and eyes, dissipating into the air.
And, with it, the traces of the evil fires.
Soon Ukyo found herself in control of her own body again. Dazed and a bit
confused, she found herself staring down at Ranma, who looked like he'd
seen the face of Death himself.
"Ucchan?" Ranma whispered, unsure if this was reality.
The okonomiyaki's twisted, hateful grin transformed to one of pure
pleasure and happiness. A single tear rolled down her cheek, as Ukyo
couldn't believe how much she missed being in control of her own body.
Ranma could detect no hint of the evil presence in Ukyo.
"Ranchan, I did it," Ukyo assured him. She bent over, offering a hand to
her fallen friend.
"For a moment there," Ranma started, accepting Ukyo's hand, "I was sure I
was going to die. I couldn't bear to fight back."
"You almost did," Ukyo teased. "I realize now that I'm not alone. I was
never alone."
At least my gambit paid off. "What do you think happened to Warmage?"
asked Ranma.
"Who knows," Ukyo answered honsestly, "but I hope he never comes back.
What he did, and thought about doing, was scary."
Ranma put a hand on her shoulder. "Ucchan, are you sure you're okay?"
Ukyo turned and hugged Ranma tightly. "Ranchan, I've never felt better in
my entire life!"
Silently Ranma and Ukyo walked back to Ucchan's, hand in hand.
"Ucchan... you know about the potential the cultist talked about?"
Ukyo nodded. "I won't dare use it, not until I've practiced. In fact, I
don't even know how to summon it." She laughed. "To think, I have real power
buried within me somewhere."
"So does Akane," Ranma commented, thinking about the combat suit that
he, Soun, and Genma received once. "She'll come to realize her potential in
time, and so will you."
"Well, whenever that is, I hope I won't be using it for ill like that
cultist was," replied Ukyo, seemingly worried. "I mean, it's strange to be
able to do things I never knew I could, you know? With power comes a great
deal of responsibility."
"As long as you're in control, there's nothing to worry about," assured
Ranma.
The two continued walking for several silent beats.
"Ranchan?"
"What?"
"Do you think my father's proud of me?" asked Ukyo. "What I've become?"
The okonomiyaki chef couldn't shake Warmage's images from her mind; her
father was not among those who 'helped' her in the final conflict. Being
separated from him for so long, Ukyo wondered what he thought of her now, if
he ever thought of his only child at all.
"Who knows?" Ranma replied honestly. "All I know is how proud I am of
you." He smiled. "It takes a lot of courage to stand up to your fears, you
know?" Something I might never be able to do, Ranma told himself.
Spontaneously, Ranma wrapped an arm around Ukyo's waste, surprising his
old friend immensely. So much that the blush she was developing more than
made it apparent that she was quite embarrassed.
"R...Ranchan...?" Ukyo squeaked nervously.
"Good old Ucchan," Ranma said, seemingly oblivious to Ukyo's tenseness,
gazing into the stars high above in the evening sky. Ah, this is how things
were supposed to be....
They walked quietly for a few more minutes. Ukyo let her friend's words
sink in-- if he wasn't my best friend, then what was he? He's certainly not
my fiancee, not anymore. He certainly thinks I'm his best friend, the way
he's been treating me lately, although he wouldn't declare it in words. Even
though I certainly didn't deserve it, not after ruining his first wedding.
Or, am I judging myself too hard?
So, best friend it is. You were never really his fiancee anyway.
Finally, Ukyo said, "You know, I couldn't face that madman until you
showed up. In my mind, that is. And there was Akane, Konatsu, Mousse, Kuno,
Father, and even Kodachi, of all people! Isn't that strange?"
"Who knows?" Ranma replied. "It's not something I'd think about."
"Well, I don't know what to believe," replied Ukyo. "They say the mind
works in mysterious ways; some would say that the truth in its entirety is
revealed, as you can't lie to yourself easily."
"Remind me never to let anyone take a trip into my mind," Ranma said
defensively, with the myriad of secrets filed-away in his brain. Especially
when it comes to a certain little black piglet named P-chan....
The eternal spirit of Cult Leader Warmage wandered the empty streets of
Nerima. After being forcibly removed by a superior will, he felt weak. So
weak he wished he was dead. Of course, the problem was, he WAS dead.
I tried too hard, he thought. I pushed her into a corner. Even in her
weakened state, her strong will managed to rid me from her body! Even having
the power of the girl's hate on my side wasn't enough to overcome her. Next
time, I'll have to find a host with a weaker will.
"Even in death you are a failure. Yet, the kami smile upon you tonight."
The Warmage's thoughts were broken when he confronted a tall, dark
Japanese man, wearing a dark blue uniform, trimmed with gold, and a flowing
black cape. The man, unlike the spirit, was very real enough.
"H...how did you know I was here?" Warmage asked in surprise. "I'm an
insubstantial spirit; no ordinary person can see me!"
"That is because I am far from ordinary," replied the dark man. "I am of
the Orochi, as were you. In life, that is." He stepped into the light,
allowing his eyes to shine in the moonlight. For the briefest of moments,
Warmage could make out a purplish, sparkling tinge.
Warmage gasped in terror. "You're... you're... HIM!"
The dark man nodded. "The traces of Orochi's taint still remain in the
girl, despite your failure. As with the other normal human with Orochi's
taint, she will suffer. However, there may yet be another use of the taint
in normal humans, which I have observed personally when you took over the
girl. When the time comes she will become useful for our cause."
"Then, my attempt for control merely accelerated the process of tainting?"
Warmage guessed hopefully. "There is yet a use for the taint, after all?"
"Precisely." The dark man of Orochi offered a hand to the wayward spirit
of Warmage. "Come, there is much work to be done, work which may contribute
to your redemption."
"Ukyo," Mousse started, "you seem different... in a good way, that is."
Ukyo ran her finger through the ads, and nodded silently. She was under
the impression Mousse had no idea what happened to her that day. Well, maybe
it was for the best.
Closing the book, she smiled. "Things only get better from here, honey!"
The lunch crowd was in, which was typical, but what surprised her was a
visit from the Kuno siblings. They walked in and sat at the counter.
"Kuno... Kodachi...." Ukyo said.
"And what would the lovely Ukyo Kuonji recommend for a first-time customer
in this fine establishment? Be aware that it is a great honor to serve the
great Tatewaki Kuno a meal."
"Oh, stop it, Brother!" Kodachi exclaimed, hitting him on the side of the
head. "Get me whatever he orders," she told Ukyo.
Kuno leaned over to Ukyo and spoke in her ear. "After yesterday I couldn't
help but realize you were trying to tell me to come here. How ignorant of
me! So here I am." He leaned back, looking unconcerned.
"Well," Ukyo started, "there's the vegetable-only okonomiyaki...."
Closing: Lambada Ranma
------------------------------------------------
Author's Rant
This episode served only to introduce inner demons within Ukyo, as well
as a potential power. Both will become apparent later on. While she is
cheery by nature, her current behavior is NOT herself, as she is denying
a part of herself, which will be made more apparent later on.
Anyway, I believe Ukyo's greatest fear is being alone. There's quite a bit
of evidence pointing that way; she greatly fears Ranma leaving her, her
father tried to make sure she was hooked up with a guy in the first place,
yet she still got left behind by herself. This is NOT the same as being
lonely.
I added Ryoga as one of Ukyo's nightmares because of one simple fact: she
doesn't like him, and people seem to think they should be a couple. Well,
here's fruit in your eye!
Where the jade dragon earrings came from, and their meaning, will become
important later on.
Stuff that didn't make the cut: Warmage announced, "I am the chi master!"
If you understand the movie reference, that is.... "Who you gonna call?"
Razorclaw X
http://www.crosswinds.net/anaheim/~slythe/ranma/ranff.html
<!-- End File -->
"That's my story and I'm sticking to it."--JMS, creator of Babylon 5.
"If you go to Z'ha'dum, you will die."--Kosh, Babylon 5.
"Jump. Jump now!"--Kosh, Babylon 5, making some sense.
--Razorclaw X